'Utter regret' following Kazakh anthem blunder 12 US ... - Kuwait Times

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US sergeant 

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SUNDAY, MARCH 25, 2012 JAMADI ALAWAAL 2, 1433 AH www.kuwaittimes.net 

Kuwait National 

& Liberation Days 

‘Utter regret’ following 

Kazakh anthem blunder 

Shooting officials left red-faced after ‘Borat’ booboo 

KUWAIT: Women participate in the annual National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) walkathon at Marina Crescent in Salmiya yesterday. This year’s walkathon carried the slogan 

‘Health with Every Step’. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat (See Page 40) 

Tear gas kills 

two Bahrainis 

DUBAI: A man and a woman died of 

asphyxiation caused by tear gas 

grenades fired by Bahrain’s security 

forces to disperse protests in Shiite villages, 

the country’s main opposition 

group said yesterday. Ahmed Abdul 

Nabi, 31, died after a tear gas grenade 

landed in his family’s house in the village 

of Shahrakan, said a statement by Al- 

Wefaq, citing family members. The Shiite 

opposition group said he died due to the 

“poisoning and asphyxiating gases” used 

by security forces against Shiite youths, 

who stage frequent protests against the 

regime of the Sunni Al-Khalifa dynasty. It 

provided a picture showing a broken 

window through which the canister is 

claimed to have entered the house. 

Meanwhile, a woman named Abda Ali 

Abdul Hussein died on Friday after inhaling 

gases in the village of Jid Hafs, near 

the Bahraini capital Manama, Wefaq said, 

again citing family members. The cause 

of the deaths could not immediately be 

confirmed. Thousands demonstrated on 

Friday after the Shiite-led opposition 

called for several simultaneous protests 

across villages near Manama, in an act of 

defiance despite a brutal crackdown last 

March which quelled a month-long 

uprising demanding democratic change. 

Continued on Page 13 

US still fixated 

by nuke terror 

SEOUL: Visions of a mushroom cloud 

over a US city may have led America 

into a dubious war in Iraq, but the 

threat of nuclear terror has lost none of 

its power to fixate US leaders and shape 

foreign policy. President Barack Obama 

put counter proliferation at the center 

of his political project, earning himself a 

Nobel Peace Prize, and has worked to 

secure radioactive material around the 

globe ever since. He arrives in Seoul for 

the second Nuclear Security summit 

today in the next step in that quest, 

though the meeting will be overshadowed 

by nuclear standoffs with Iran and 

North Korea. 

Views among scientists differ on 

whether a terror group like Al-Qaeda 

could build and detonate a primitive 

nuclear bomb on a US city. But no president 

will take the threat lightly after 

seeing the impact of mass terrorism 

wreaked by the Sept 11 attacks in 2001. 

Obama said while hosting the first 

nuclear summit in Washington two 

years ago that a nuclear strike on a 

major populated area could change the 

global security landscape for years to 

come. “The ramifications economically, 

politically and from a security perspective 

would be devastating,” he said. 

Analysts say that Obama’s concern is 

justified. “What we have seen is increasing 

evidence of intentions... it is not just 

Al-Qaeda, it is other organisations as 

well,” said Sharon Squassoni, of the 

Center for Strategic and International 


Trayvon Martin, 

my son, and 

the 

14 

Black 

Male Code 

Bishops slam 

fatwa against 

Gulf churches 

PARIS: Christian bishops in Germany, Austria and 

Russia have sharply criticised Saudi Arabia’s top religious 

official after reports that he issued a fatwa saying 

all churches on the Arabian Peninsula should be 

destroyed. In separate statements on Friday, the 

Roman Catholic bishops in Germany and Austria 

slammed the ruling by Grand Mufti Sheikh 

Abdulaziz Al-Shaikh as an unacceptable denial of 

human rights to millions of foreign workers in the 

Gulf region. Archbishop Mark of Yegoryevsk, head of 

the Russian Orthodox department for churches 

abroad, called the fatwa “alarming” in a statement 

on Tuesday. Such blunt criticism from mainstream 

Christian leaders of their Muslim counterparts is 

very rare. 

Christian websites have reported Sheikh 

Abdulaziz, one of the most influential religious leaders 

in the Muslim world, issued the fatwa last week 

in response to a Kuwaiti lawmaker who asked if 

Kuwait could ban church construction in Kuwait. 

Citing Arab-language media reports, they say the 

sheikh ruled that further church building should be 

banned and existing Christian houses of worship 

should be destroyed. Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, 

chairman of the German Bishops Conference, said 

the mufti “shows no respect for the religious freedom 

and free co-existence of religions”, especially all 

the foreign labourers who made its economy work. 

“It would be a slap in the face to these people if the 

few churches available to them were to be taken 

away,” he said. 

At least 3.5 million Christians live in the Gulf Arab 

region. They are mostly Catholic workers from India 

and the Philippines, but also Western expatriates of 

all denominations. Saudi Arabia bans all non-Muslim 

houses of prayer, forcing Christians there to risk 

arrest by praying in private homes. There are churches 

for Christian minorities in the United Arab 

Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and Yemen. 

The bishops conference in Austria, where Saudi King 

Abdullah plans to open a controversial centre for 


Deadly clashes 

in Egypt after 

football 

18 

club 

banned 

DAMASCUS: Syria’s army resumed heavy 

shelling of the rebel hubs of Homs and 

Hama yesterday, monitors reported, as 

international envoy Kofi Annan arrived in 

Russia in a new push for peace. Mortar 

rounds rained down on the flashpoint 

central city of Homs and nearby town of 

Qusayr from early morning, killing at 

least 10 people, said the Syrian 

Observatory for Human Rights. At least 

24 people were reported killed nationwide, 

among them four government soldiers. 

The fiercest regime assault targeted 

Saraqeb in the northwestern province of 

Idlib which was stormed by troops 

backed by 26 tanks that “took up position 

to split the town in two,” activist 

By Lisa Conrad and Agencies 

Chelsea fail 

to close gap 

after 

20 

draw 

with Spurs 

Max 28º 

Min 12º 

High Tide 

01:32 & 13:21 

Low Tide 

07:09 & 19:36 

KUWAIT: The organizing committee of the International 

Shooting Grand Prix issued a statement yesterday 

regarding the accidental use of Borat’s parody national 

anthem in place of Kazakhstan’s real national anthem at 

a medal ceremony in Kuwait on Thursday. The committee 

accepted responsibility and offered further apologies 

for the incident. “The committee gave an official 

apology to the Kazakh delegation to the tournament, 

and the national anthem was replayed correctly. The 

Organizing Committee of the International Grand Prix 

expresses its utter regret for this unintentional mistake 

and reaffirms its great respect to its brothers and friends 

from the Republic of Kazakhstan, and affirms the deep 

sports relations between the Kazakh and Kuwait shooting 

federations.” 

The blunder received considerable international 

press coverage, even reaching the BBC’s number one 

spot of the most popular news stories and making the 

rounds among major news agencies and leading newspapers 

alike. Borat, the short name for ‘Borat: Cultural 

Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation 

of Kazakhstan’, deeply offended many Kazakhs upon its 

release for providing an inaccurate and negative view of 

their country and was subsequently banned. Many were 

upset over the sporting incident, which saw Maria 

Dmitrienko stand in shock following her gold medal 

performance as Borat’s spoof began playing. 

“It is an embarrassing mistake of course. I know that 

anyone can make a mistake but it is not represented 

that way in the press, of course,” said Salwa, a Kuwaiti 

teacher. “I understand that mistakes can be made, but I 

really wish it hadn’t received quite so much attention,” 

she added. 


Syria rebel hubs hit as 

Annan arrives in Russia 

Nureddin Al-Abdo told AFP. Residents 

cowered indoors as explosions rattled 

Saraqeb and troops swooped to make 

arrests, he said from the town where 

there is a considerable rebel Free Syrian 

Army (FSA) presence. One civilian and 

three soldiers died in Saraqeb, the 

Observatory said. The army also used 

mortars to pound the town of Qalaat Al- 

Madiq in the central province of Hama, 

which troops have been trying to seize 

for the past two weeks, added the 

Britain-based monitoring group. 

Activists reported fierce overnight 

clashes between troops and mutineers in 

and around the capital, after a day of 

protests under the rallying cry 


SERMIN, Syria: A Syrian boy holds remains of a mortar and shells fired by the 

Syrian army as mourners carry the coffin of 13-year-old Ahmad bin Muhsin 

Qarush during his funeral yesterday. The boy was killed two days earlier in 

shelling by regime forces in this northwestern city. — AFP

2 LOCAL 

GCC meeting discusses easier 

facilitation of UK study visas 

Cultural attaches meet in London 

By Lisa Conrad 

KUWAIT: Students looking to pursue 

their studies in the UK are 

breathing a sigh of relief at the 

prospect of visa procedures 

becoming easier. Cultural Attaches 

of the GCC countries in England 

met in London yesterday to discuss 

various means of facilitating visa 

procedures for students heading to 

the UK for further education, Dr 

Mohamad Al-Hajiri, Cultural 

Attache at the Kuwaiti Embassy in 

London told KUNA. Al-Hajiri added 

that the mechanisms for achieving 

the changes will be further deliberated 

before being presented to the 

relevant authorities. 

As it stands, students have to 

provide considerable documentation 

and follow strict guidelines 

throughout the visa application 

process, an aspect of studying 

abroad that many dread. Highschool 

student Dhari, said “I definitely 

want to study abroad, but 

the whole visa process is terrifying. 

You don’t know exactly how long 

you’ll be waiting, either. I think if it 

were easier, more people would be 

interested in studying abroad.” 

Faris, an engineering student 

currently at a top UK university, 

commented, “The process is time 

consuming. But we are used to it. 

We have to get visas to most places 

anyway. Students should be proactive 

regardless of how difficult the 

procedure may be. Coming here 

was one of the best decisions I have 

ever made.” He added, however, 

“The procedure is understandable, 

but it would be nice if it were a bit 

more streamlined, and if you could 

get information on the progress of 

your visa more easily.” 

However, some students do not 

share such enthusiasm, “I wanted to 

get a visa to study in the UK, and 

then I saw the amount of documentation 

I needed for the procedure,” 

said Lama, who currently 

studies English Literature in Kuwait. 

“My parents were going to pay, 

which meant I would have to provide 

my birth certificate showing 

that they are my parents. I don’t 

know where my birth certificate 

even is,” she added. Realizing that 

she would first have to source the 

documents before collating them 

and filling the necessary forms was 

enough to deter Lama from completing 

the visa application process 

all together. Faris insisted however 

that being unable or unwilling to 

go through the process is an indicator 

of whether or not prospective 

study abroad students should even 

be considering the option in the 

first place, “The education system in 

the UK is intense. If you are not 

even capable of getting paperwork 

together, it’s unlikely that you’ll be 

able to make it through your 

degree. Maybe the whole visa procedure 

is an accidental blessing 

which actually weeds out the 

weak.” 

‘Controversial’ forum underway despite ban 

KUWAIT: A public forum promoting civil society 

concepts was held on Friday night despite 

strong opposition by Islamist lawmakers. The 

MPs raised questions about some of the 

guests, who are considered to be controversial 

figures in their home country of Saudi Arabia. 

The event was hosted by The Graduates 

Society, which opened its doors for the organizers 

to hold their forum after its previous destination, 

the Safir Hotel in Fintas, received notice 

from the Ministry of Interior that the event was 

banned. “Holding the Al-Nahdhah Youth Forum 

is a testament for true commitment to protecting 

public freedoms of expression, pluralism 

and tolerant approach in Kuwait”, liberal daily 

Al-Qabas wrote in their coverage of the event. 

Public freedoms highlighted discussions 

during the forum, as participants rejected misconceptions 

which picture freedom as “a way 

to support anarchy and destroy statutes of the 

state.” They insisted that freedoms can be utilized 

to “instill foundations of true uprising 

based on tolerance and rejecting oppression”. 

“Non Government Organizations always 

support public freedoms by standing in the 

face of extremists”, said forum member Saad 

Al-Ajmi in gratitude of the Graduates Society’s 

gesture to host the event. Several Islamist law- 

makers, namely Mohammad Hayef and 

Abdullatif Al-Omairi, criticized the forum claiming 

that it holds a suspicious agenda and targets 

the conservative nature of Kuwaiti society. 

After news emerged that the forum took 

place at the Graduates Society, Hayef 

announced plans to file questions for both the 

Interior and Social Affairs ministers regarding 

the NGO decision to overlook the ban. 

Islamist MP Dr. Jamaan Al-Harbash said on 

Friday that he did not agree with the ideologies 

discussed during the forum, but he is 

against pressures on the Ministry of Interior 

to ban it. —Al-Qabas 

Islamic insurance to boom globally 

KUWAIT: The interest-based traditional system 

of insurance is being replaced by the Islamic 

profit-sharing method, according to an eminent 

Kuwaiti academic. 

Dr Mahmoud Behbehani, Kuwait University 

professor of insurance and actuarial science, said 

Islamic insurance is forecast to post noticeable 

growth on the international level as part of overall 

development in the Islamic banking sector, 

following the eruption of the global debts crisis. 

Dr Behbehani warned that this sector might 

“face a tsunami” locally.” He said the 2005 bill, 

issued by the National Assembly, will be affected 

and the current status of the Islamic insurance 

sector must be altered. 

Dr Behbehani said Islamic insurance requires 

a large market, unlike the one in Kuwait. He indicated 

a high demand for the establishment of 

new companies due to a mounting volume of 

installment payments, from KD 90 million dinars 

per year to KD 180 million paid over the past few 

years. 

The number of Islamic and traditional insurance 

companies have risen from 15 to 28, and 

studies show that payments for such companies 

are in the range of KD five million to enable 

them to continue and prosper. 

He indicated two approaches to tackle the 

sector; either halting the issuance of licenses to 

new companies to ensure the success of existing 

ones, or allowing the launch of new ones to 

boost competition. 

On a global level, companies have either 

established branches or are planning to set up 

subsidiaries, particularly in nations with large 

Muslim communities. Some conglomerates have 

shown interest in acquiring Islamic insurance 

companies. 

Dr Behbehani said the Islamic form of insurance 

is much more useful and beneficial to the 

insured. If the Islamic system is applied literally, 

the client becomes a share-holder. 

This kind of insurance, which abides by 

Islamic jurisprudence, is primarily intended to 

secure a continuous income for a family and 

pays the debts a deceased person. The insurance 

also aids the sick, disabled or unable to work, 

and retired persons.—KUNA 

SUNDAY, MARCH 25, 2012 

KUWAIT: A team from the Kuwait Journalists Association (KJA) returned to Kuwait 

after performing Umrah in Saudi Arabia. The trip is organized annually by the KJA. 

Adnan Al-Rashid, Supervisor and KJA Treasurer expressed gratitude to Dr Abdul-Aziz 

Al-Fayez, Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Kuwait, for facilitating the journey. 

Amir’s visit to Philippines helps 

strengthen bilateral relations 

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh 

Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah is paying 

an official visit to the Philippines for talks with 

President Benigno Aquino III on means of 

cementing bilateral ties between Kuwait and 

the Asian nation. 

Relations between Kuwait and the 

Philippines, since their establishment in 1979, 

have noticeably improved in all sectors. Zenia 

M. Rodriguez, Philippine’s University of Santo 

Tomas professor in political science, has 

affirmed that HH the Amir’s visit will substantially 

contribute to cementing the friendly 

bonds of cooperation between the two countries, 

particularly in the investment and oil 

sectors. Kuwait and the Philippines signed, in 

2008, several accords for cooperation in the 

oil, gas, tourism and health sectors. They also 

signed an agreement for averting double tax- 

ation, halting financial liabilities’ evasion, with 

the aim of spurring movement of capitals and 

trade exchanges between the two countries. 

Filipino workers, who have been flocking 

to Kuwait since the 70s, have reached some 

150,000. They are present in sectors of nursing, 

restaurants and mechanics. 

The Philippines has expressed satisfaction 

at treatment accorded to the Filipino 

workers in the Gulf country. Kuwait is the 

sixth economic partner for the Philippines in 

the Middle East. Value of the commercial 

exchanges between the two countries 

reached some USD 50 million in 2006. 

Kuwait has helped the Philippines at hard 

times, such as natural catastrophes. And the 

Asian nation proved to be grateful, siding 

along Kuwait in the face of the 1990 Iraqi 

aggression. —KUNA

ABK MasterCard 

‘most prestigious’ 

KUWAIT: Al-Ahli Bank of Kuwait’s 

Emirates World MasterCard is recognized 

as the most prestigious and 

rewarding premium credit card in 

Kuwait. As the only premium credit 

card to even qualify from a Kuwait 

bank, the ABK Emirates Word 

MasterCard was recently nominated 

for the ‘Best Premium Credit Card’ 

award by ‘The Banker Middle East. 

The ABK Emirates World 

MasterCard has been designed to 

service ABK’s most prestigious clients 

with its unique design, rewarding features 

and unrivalled benefits. Through 

our partnership with Emirates Airline, 

ABK World MasterCard cardholders 

enjoy premium Skywards Miles on 

international purchases, earning 7 

miles per KD 1 spent abroad com- 

Indian found 

dead in 

police cell 

By Sajeev K Peter 

Stewart Lockie 

KUWAIT: An Indian was found hanging dead yesterday 

morning at the Daiya police station where he was 

detained on Thursday following violence incidents at 

the Indian embassy. 

The Andhra Pradesh native Mohammed Ali reportedly 

used a bed-sheet to hang himself from an AC metal 

bar in a special police cell where he was lodged. 

According to a top Indian Embassy official, Ali 

appeared ‘mentally unstable’ when he arrived at the 

embassy premises on last Wednesday when he sought 

the embassy’s help to return to India. 

“Ali arrived in Kuwait on a domestic visa on March 14. 

He could not answer any of the queries satisfactorily 

regarding the sponsorship and his responses sounded 

unrelated,” the official said. The embassy officials had 

assured him that it would take all steps to repatriate 

him after completing legal formalities. However, Ali 

resorted to abrupt violence without any provocation 

and destroyed the glass panes at the labor section of 

the embassy, the official said. 

As per the request, Daiya police officials detained 

him on Thursday and lodged him in a special cell in 

view of his disturbed mental state, the official added. 

“Since he was detained on a Thursday, we had to 

wait until Sunday to move further on his repatriation 

procedure. Unfortunately, it turned out to be quite tragic,” 

he said. 

Steps are being taken to repatriate his body after 

completing legal formalities, the official added. 

Indian female teacher 

robbed in Abbassiya 

Armed robbers have returned to Abbassiya with a bang 

after a lull of few months. The latest victim, a female 

teacher from an Indian school, is being treated in 

Farwaniya Hospital after being assaulted by a gang of 

thieves yesterday morning. 

“The teacher was attacked around 7:15 am near the 

Hot Breads Bakery while on her way to the school, by a 

group of adolescents, who came in a pick-up van. They 

attacked her, snatched her bag and fled the scene,” Adv 

John Thomas, Administrator, United Indian School, 

Abbassiya told the Kuwait Times. A case has been registered 

with police, he informed. 

“The teacher tried to resist the robbery attempt, but 

the gang assaulted her, pulled her down and escaped 

with her bag even before anyone could reach the spot,” 

an eye-witness said on condition of anonymity. 

According to Adv Thomas, the teacher lost valuables 

including money, mobile phone and civil ID card. 

Of late, there has been a lull in armed robberies and 

mugging in Abbassiya, a largely South Asian neighborhood. 

The area has been a hot spot for crimes and antisocial 

activities where incidents of purse-snatching and 

armed robberies were reported on a daily basis. 

“Things were normal for a while and there were no 

incidents of mugging or assaults of late. But with 

today’s incident, we all are worried again,” Adv Thomas 

added. He hoped that the authorities would take necessary 

measures to check such incidents of crimes and 

armed attacks in the area. 

Employees’ evaluation 

KUWAIT: Chairman of Civil Service Commission Abdul 

Aziz Al-Zaben spoke with ministries and government 

organizations regarding the suggestion of amending 

Article 16 of civil service system. 

This will oblige the government to give the employee 

feedback of his performance and rate him as excellent, 

very good, or good. 

The current evaluation mentions only ‘poor’ on the 

grading scale. Al-Zaben asked the undersecretary of 

the ministries to respond to Civil Service Commission 

regarding this matter and justify their response. 

pared to the 5 miles on local spend. 

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Membership at Starwood Hotels and 

Resorts worldwide, access to the 

world’s leading luxury lifestyle 

Concierge Service and World privilege 

access services, as well as preferential 

servicing with Hertz car hire worldwide. 

ABK Emirates World MasterCard 

cardholders also benefit from complimentary 

purchase protection, extended 

warranty, plus up to $1 million free 

travel accident insurance and medical 

coverage. 

“The ABK Emirates World 

MasterCard is by far the most prestigious 

and rewarding premium credit 

card in Kuwait, delivering unrivalled 

features and benefits for our most 

prestigious and affluent customers,” 

said Stewart Lockie, GM, Retail 

Banking. “Every time a cardholder uses 

his card, whether paying for groceries, 

booking a holiday or renewing their 

monthly subscription, locally or 

abroad, they are being rewarded with 

Skywards Miles. It is better than paying 

by cash, debit card or any other 

credit card.” For a limited time, valid 

until April 30, ABK Emirates World 

MasterCard is awarding 10,000 Bonus 

Skywards Miles immediately on 

issuance for new members. 

local 

KUWAIT: Lawmakers plan to propose a 30 

percent increase to the basic salary of public 

sector employees replacing a 25 percent 

increase that was recently approved by the 

Cabinet, announced a lawmaker on Friday. 

“The proposed increase will amount to 30 

percent of the basic salary, in addition to raising 

the monthly child support allowance to 

KD 100,” said MP Dr Waleed Al-Tabtabae. 

Meanwhile, Al-Tabtabae announced that a 

joint committee was formed between the 

financial and legislative committees to discuss 

the issue. “Committee members agree that a 

30 percent increase is necessary, given the 

fact that labor unions in 42 state departments 

demand financial privileges because they did 

not benefit from previously enforced 

allowances”, said Al-Tabtabae. 

The decision to form the joint committee 

was made during the parliamentary session 

on Thursday, involving discussions staged by 

Customs General Department and Kuwait 

Airways personnel last week. The committee 

should be given a three months’ ultimatum to 

finish its report. “The government’s concept 

and MPs’ recommendations will be discussed 

on Monday to outline the work plan during 

the three months,” said MP Mohammad Al- 

Dallal. 

MP Riyadh Al-Adasani hinted that the committee 

will address “the imbalance created by 

the government’s selective approach in paying 

allowances combined by the lack of 

efforts to prevent abrupt prices hikes.” 

In other news, the Cabinet is reviewing a 

proposal to raise the salaries paid to MPs. The 

government is seriously mulling over the possibility 

of increasing MP’s allowances to as 

much as KD 5,000 from the current KD 2,300, 

which is the lowest amount paid in the 

region. A number of MPs commented on this 

subject including Faisal Al-Duwaisan who 

demanded that said increase would be conditional, 

based on a lawmaker’s competency. 

Meanwhile, MP Mohammad Al-Kandari said 

that public sector salary raises should be 


MPs to propose 30% pay raise 

for public sector employees 

By Hanan Al-Saadoun 

KUWAIT: A 57-year-old Kuwaiti sustained broken 

teeth and complained of back pain after a 

car accident. He was taken to Jahra Hospital. 

A 27-year-old Kuwaiti ended up with a fractured 

right leg during a car accident on Sixth 

Ring Road. He was taken to Mubarak Hospital. 

A 28-year-old Kuwaiti had a bruised left hand 

and a 38-year-old Syrian sustained injuries on 

Joint committee formed 

his chest and neck during a car accident in 

Hawally. He was taken to Mubarak Hospital. 

A 15-year-old Kuwaiti had a lacerated chin 

following a motorcycle accident in Khairan. He 

was taken to Adan Hospital. 

A ceiling collapsed in a building near the 

bakery in Shuwaikh injuring nine Egyptians who 

suffered head injuries, fractures and back pain. 

They were all taken to Sabah Hospital. 

A 58-year-old Indian had a backbone injury 

accorded top priority before discussing the 

possibility of increasing MPs’ annual 

allowances. 

Meanwhile, His Highness the Prime 

Minister, Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak, has 

emphasized that Government members must 

abide by the internal memorandum of the 

National Assembly, particularly concerning 

answering Parliament questions raised by 

MPs to ministers. MP’s must abide by the time 

span decided for giving the answers, without 

delay. 

The instructions from the Prime Minister 

came after Parliament questions remained 

without any response for so long that they 

lost their importance and value. Informed 

sources said that many MPs raised this issue in 

previous sessions and the current one. 

Now clear instruction have been issued 

that MPs questions must be answered within 

two weeks from the date of the question, as 

per the internal memorandum of the National 

Assembly. —Al-Rai, Al-Watan 

Eight accidents over the weekend 

while a 50-year-old Bangladeshi had a bruised 

chest during a car accident on Mohammad bin 

Al-Qassim Road. They were taken to Sabah 

Hospital. 

A 47-year-old Egyptian was killed when a 

light pole fell on him. His body was recovered 

by the medical examiner. 

A 45-year-old Indian had a head injury during 

a car accident near Bayan Palace. He was 

admitted to Mubarak Hospital’s ICU.

VIVA to sponsor 

Kuwaiti boy 

wonder Al-Zanki 

KUWAIT: VIVA, Kuwait’s newest and most advanced mobile 

telecommunications service provider, yesterday announced it is 

to be the exclusive sponsor of Kuwait’s youngest application 

developer, 15-year-old Abdulrahman Al-Zanki. 

Al-Zanki is the developer behind the successful and exciting 

game ‘Doodle Destroy’, which he offers as a free download via 

Apple’s iTunes website as an iPhone and iPad application. The 

game was first published in April 2010 and surpassed a million 

downloads within its first year. 

Commenting on this occasion, Salman Al-Badran, VIVA’s chief 

executive officer said: “We at VIVA are especially committed to 

developing young Kuwaiti talent, so we are very proud to be the 

first Kuwaiti company to officially recognize Al-Zanki’s skills in 

application development. His success with ‘Doodle Destroy’ is 

an inspiration for young application designers everywhere and 

an example of what Kuwaiti youth can achieve, using initiative, 

commitment and creativity. 

“Our very close relationship with Apple as official distributors 

in Kuwait, along with Al-Zanki’s talent in developing applications, 

makes this sponsorship a perfect opportunity for us to 

turn the spot light on the importance of youth development in 

Kuwait. Al-Zanki is truly a wonderful example of the sort of talent 

Kuwait can produce and hope that his success is the first of 

many individual Kuwaiti success stories in the future.” The company 

will utilize Al-Zanki’s skills to help VIVA launch its recently 

announced VIVA App Club. This exclusive new club will be 

launched on 15 April and will be a creative hub for young people 

between the ages 13 to 18 years old. VIVA will announce the 

registration dates and process for applicants wishing to join the 

VIVA App Club during the first week of April. The club will host 

workshops which will be held on a bi-weekly basis, and will 

include topics such as ‘basics of app development’ and ‘steps to 

create your own application’. 

VIVA will continue to open new chapters on its commitment 

and dedication towards all sectors of Kuwaiti society, reaffirming 

its position as a socially dedicated and responsible institution. 

Huda Al-Saleh Tahir Al-Khateeb 

TEC to host chess 

tournament 

KUWAIT: The Touristic Enterprises Company (TEC) will hold 

its first annual chess tournament next month in cooperation 

with the Kuwait Mental Games Club, the Company announced 

in a statement released yesterday. 

“The tournament, sponsored by TEC and supervised by the 

recently established Kuwait Mental Games Club, offers chess 

enthusiasts the opportunity to test their skills at top level,” said 

Huda Al-Saleh, TEC’s Public Relations and Marketing Manager 

and Head of the organizing committee. The TEC has also 

announced a KD 700 reward for the junior team of the Kuwait 

Mental Games Club that wins the tournament. It will take 

place at the Yacht Club for nine days starting April 8, 2012, featuring 

80 club members. Tahir Al-Khateeb, Vice President of 

the Kuwait Mental Games Club expressed gratitude to the TEC 

for sponsoring the tournament. 

KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti Parliament has condemned 

the continued detention of the last 

two Kuwaiti prisoners in Guantanamo Bay, 

Cuba. The Kuwaiti Parliament has further 

requested that a delegation be allowed to visit 

Fayiz Al-Kandari and Fawzi Al-Odah at the 

American prison. The Parliament is “deeply 

disturbed that for over 10 years...they are yet 

to be given a fair trial,” the statement said. 

They “have endured torture, hardship, deprivation 

and all forms of dehumanization and 

still the US Government continues to ignore 

their fundamental rights to fair trial, justice 

and liberty.” The prisoners’ families have said 

the same things. 

“Why are they still holding my son?” 

Khaled Al-Odah asked late one evening as he 

sat in his son’s study. After 10 years he does 

not have his answer. His eldest son, Fawzi Al- 

Odah, is a prisoner in Guantanamo Bay detention 

center. He has never been charged with a 

crime. When the son is allowed to speak to 

his family he is always asking them to tell him 

funny stories. “I am really astonished how he 

kept his brain intact to his body and have this 

high morale. It is really amazing,” his father 

said. “Fawzi said I want to get back (home) 

and get married as soon as I get back.” 

Presently 171 people remain in 

Guantanamo Bay prison. Eighty-nine have 

been cleared for release, but the US administration 

has decided it will detain dozens of 

men forever. Two of these men are Fawzi Al- 

Odah and Fayiz Al-Kandari, both Kuwaitis 

who said they went to Afghanistan for charitable 

reasons. The US has said they are members 

of Al-Qaeda. Neither man was captured 

on a battlefield and both said they were sold 

to the Americans for bounty money. 

Al-Odah and Al-Kandari have lost their 

habeas corpus petitions challenging their 

detention. Since 2001, they have not had a 

chance to challenge the hearsay evidence 

against them. They are not high-value 

detainees; the handful of experts I have contacted 

in the terror circuit have not heard of 

them; and according to their lawyers, they are 

not alleged to have engaged in hostile acts 

against the US. “We will never know the 

rationale for putting them in the indefinite 

detention category,” said David Cynamon, a 

lawyer who represents the Kuwaiti detainees. 

Based on Al-Odah’s and Al-Kandari’s most 

recent classified Joint Task Force Guantanamo 

(JTF-GTMO) reports made available via 

WikiLeaks, many of the other prisoners’ evidence 

against them is unreliable. Other allegations 

against the two men are often vague 

and unsubstantiated. 

Abdul Hakim (or Abdul Bukhary), who said 

he had previously been tortured by Al-Qaeda 

and held in a Taliban prison on suspicion of 

espionage, is alleged to have said al Odah 

“swore bayat (allegiance) to UBL..(and) 

detainee knows all about the [Al-Qaida] cells 

local 

in the US and the UK.” Hakim noted detainee 

was similar to a “mufti (one who interprets 

Islamic religious law) and heard detainee was 

the last person to speak to Osama bin Laden 

in Tora Bora, via radio communications.” 

Hakim, a former Guantanamo prisoner 

from Saudi Arabia, is said to have made at 

least six serious allegations against Al-Odah 

including, Al-Odah “was among a group of 

individuals who were trained to commit suicide 

attacks similar to that of Sept 11, 2001.” 

Hakim has said that “he provided information 

in a deliberately misleading manner in order 

to receive incentives from his debriefers.” 

When contacted about Al-Odah’s and Al- 

Kandari’s cases a US Defense Department 

Press Operations spokesperson, Cmdr. Leslie 

Hull-Ryde said the DoD does not “discuss the 

provenance of individual detainees unless 

they are currently before a commission.” 

Cmdr. Hull-Ryde added further, “We strongly 

condemn any continued, illegal disclosure of 

classified US Government information, and 

we do not comment on the authenticity of 

the documents released by WikiLeaks.” 

Others that have made allegations against 

Al-Odah and/or Al-Kandari include Mamdouh 

Habib who said he was rendered to Egypt 

where he was tortured for six months. He has 

said all of the information he gave was under 

duress. Habib was said to have photo-identified 

Al-Odah as an individual seen at an al 

Qaeda guesthouse in Kabul in September 

2001. Perhaps one of the most unreliable prisoners 

at Guantanamo Bay was Yasim 

Basardah, a Yemeni whose statements against 

prisoners have been widely called into question 

by the US military, US courts and others. 

Basardah made at least four allegations 

against al Odah and eight against Al-Kandari. 

Basardah “identified (Al-Odah) as a member 

of the Islamic committee in Tora Bora...Other 

members of the committee were Fayiz Al- 

Kandari.” Basardah further claimed that Al- 

Kandari was one of bin Laden’s “closest confidants, 

as well as an advisor and assistant.” 

Another Kuwaiti formerly held in 

Guantanamo, Adel Al-Zamel, allegedly made 

several statements against both Al-Odah and 

Al-Kandari, according to the JTF-GTMO 

reports. Al Zamel said recently for this article, 

that he did not know Al-Odah or Al-Kandari 

prior to his time in Guantanamo so it would 

not be possible to know things about them. 

Al-Zamel does not remember making allegations 

against the two Kuwaitis and he thinks 

the Americans might have made them up 

because the Americans were trying to drive a 

wedge between the Kuwaiti prisoners. But Al- 

Zamel said if he did say anything against Al- 

Odah or Al-Kandari it was because he was 

under duress. 

The list of unreliable allegations against 

the two Kuwaitis does not stop there. Abdul 

Al-Janko had been tortured and imprisoned 

by Al-Qaeda and the Taliban because they 

thought he was a spy. Another, Mohamedou 

Salahi’s allegations of abuse were confirmed 

and well documented by a 2008 US Senate 

Armed Service Committee report. Both were 

alleged to have made statements against Al- 

Kandari. Janko allegedly said Al-Kandari 

“claimed to be in the same cave as bin Laden 

in Tora Bora when the U.S. bombing campaign 

began.” Salahi was reported to have 

said Al-Kandari “held speeches in al Qaeda 

training camps and at the front lines. 

The combined testimony of those prisoners 

mentioned above makes up close to three 

dozen allegations against Al-Odah and Al- 

Kandari in their JTF-GTMO reports. 

Additionally in the JTF-GTMO reports on the 

two Kuwaitis, there is no discrimination of the 

different pieces of evidence. The reports do 

not note if some claims are more truthful 

than others. 

“One thing I think is pretty strange with 

the intel assessment process is the absence of 

grading the veracity of other inmates’ story,” 

said Magnus Ranstorp, from the Center for 

Asymmetric Threat Studies at Swedish 

National Defence College. “Most of the indictment/intel 

assessments are derived from that 

and all is baked together as equally credible,” 

said Ranstorp, who has interviewed hundreds 

of terrorists and members of Islamic militant 

movements. The US “cannot claim that everything 

is actually equally credible.” 

Looking at the Al-Odah’s JTF-GTMO 

report, Ranstorp concluded that it is unreasonable 

to assume Al-Odah did everything 

the US has said he did. “It appears al Odah 

travelled and was recruited in 

August/September 2001. He seems also to 

have had a very marginal role given the brevity 

of his period. Yet intel brief gives him a 

trumped up position in al Qaeda as recruiter 

and courier; an associate of 9/11 hijacker,” 

Magnus said. 

“The list goes on about hearsay what other 

prisoners claim and much of this seems 

poorly sourced...He spent three months in the 

Afghanistan-Pakistan area and given he 

arrived just before 9/11 - and associated turmoil- 

I doubt there was very much training as 

everyone was running to ground,” Ranstorp 

added. “The analyst notes are poorly sourced 

and huge inferences are drawn as to matching 

information that ‘sounds’ like real suspects.” 

For this article, the US Defense 

Department was asked if there is additional 

classified information about the two Kuwaitis, 

if all the evidence against the men is treated 

as equally credible, and if US authorities have 

made any attempts to verify claims against 

the prisoners. But because the information in 

this report was made available via WikiLeaks, 

the DoD declined to comment. There are further 

unsubstantiated claims in the two 

Kuwaiti’s JTF-GTMO reports. In Al-Odah’s case, 


Two Kuwaitis to be held in 

Guantanamo Bay forever 

Is there enough proof for indefinite detention? 

the US alleged that he was in Bosnia when he 

was 17 years old and “detainee has an extensive 

history as a jihadist as evident in his presence 

with other mujahideen in Bosnia as a 

teenager.” An analyst states “this indicates 

detainee has an extensive history with international 

militant jihad, and based on his age 

at the time, probable support and encouragement 

from family members for his participation.” 

Khaled Al-Odah, Fawzi Al-Odah’s father 

and a retired Kuwaiti Air Force pilot who 

fought with the Americans when Iraq invaded 

Kuwait in the 1990s, said the allegation is categorically 

false. 

It is further stated in the US reports that al 

Odah is a member of Abu Qatada’s cell in 

London, but “no info is specified as to his travel 

there-this could be verified by UK entry and 

departure records,” Ranstorp noted. The US 

states he is a mufti, “doubtful he has the religious 

authority given his age,” Ranstorp noted. 

(Al-Odah was 24 when he was sent to 

Guantanamo.) 

Ahmed Rashid, an expert on Afghanistan 

and the Pakistan and author of Taliban, was 

asked if based on the publicly available information 

he believed Al-Kandari could be as 

alleged an “advisor” or a “consultant” to bin 

Laden. “Not at all. Not at all, I would say,” 

Rashid said. “You know they (al Qaeda) were 

running many camps in Afghanistan. He (Al- 

Kandari) could have been part of one camp 

and Osama may have visited that camp at 

some stage...To be down in Kandahar in the 

main camp there near the airport, I mean no 

these are very very trusted people.” Rashid 

added further that the word “consultant” is 

very western terminology that would not be 

used by Al-Qaeda. 

The allegations against Al-Odah and Al- 

Kandari include affiliations with alleged Al- 

Qaeda or terrorists operatives - or note that 

the two Kuwaitis were at times in al Qaeda 

areas. But according to Rashid not much can 

be inferred from that. Al-Qaeda “had all sorts 

of people...with them, Kashmiris, Central 

Asians, Pakistanis, Afghanis all sorts of people 

that were not necessarily al Qaeda,” Rashid 

said. “They were either guards or trainers or 

people who were training but were not necessarily 

al Qaeda. You didn’t have to join al 

Qaeda to get training with al Qaeda.” 

After the attacks of 9/11 and before he 

was imprisoned by the Americans, Al-Odah 

called his father Khalid Al-Odah. “Yes, once he 

talked to me. Very short telephone call,” the 

father said. “I asked him to come back. He said 

I am coming back, but there is a lot of 

refugees, I want to help them,” the father said. 

“And that is it. He said within a week or two I 

will be back. And I never heard of him afterward.” 

Months later Khaled Al-Odah found out 

his son was in Guantanamo, where Fawzi Al- 

Odah, now 34, still remains. 

Barbecue festival at Egaila beach 

KUWAIT: A barbeque festival was hosted at Egaila beach on Friday, 

during which an entertainment program was staged. More than 

2,000 visitors attended the event. “Several activities including cultural 

displays and programs for children were held, as well as competitions 

for visitors belonging to all age groups,” said Nasser Al-Foudari, 

Egaila Beach Supervisor. A judging panel from the beach’s management 

selected the top three winners in a competition based on quality 

of food and serving method.

Clean-up campaign 

By Hanan Al-Saadoun 

KUWAIT: Ahmadi governorate municipality 

launched a campaign to remove 

mobile grocery stores, abandoned vehicles, 

roaming vendors and tents used as 

food stores in open areas of Mina 

Abdallah, Jlaiah and Wafra. 

Acting Ahmadi Municipality Director 

Yousuf Mulla Ali said the campaign 

began at the start of the weekend and 

continued for four days and resulted in 

the removal of 20 snack-cars, eight ice 

pick-ups, six ATVs, four tents used as food 

stores, apart from handing out 14 citations 

for roaming vendors. 

Director of Public Cleanliness and 

Roads Occupation Sultan Al-Hajiri, 

Director of Acting Director Aziza 

Abdallah, Head of Emergency team 

Mishal Aba Al-Safi and other officials participated 

in the drive. 

local 

KUWAIT: A man was arrested in front of a bank 

in Salmiya recently where he faked disability to 

help him in begging. The man was apprehended 

by police who monitored his activity for days 

during which they discovered his apparent disability 

was fake. Investigations revealed that the 

man came to Kuwait from his home country 

Egypt on a visitor’s visa to practice begging. It 

was also revealed that he managed to collect KD 

1,356 within only two days of begging. He 

remains in custody pending legal procedures. 

Suspect escapes 

Search is currently ongoing for a male suspect 

busted recently with drug possession, as 

well as seven other suspects who helped him 

evade arrest. The incident took place near a 

street in Taima early Friday morning where 

police arrested a bedoon driver they pulled over 

when he was found with hashish. Before they 

could leave the scene with the suspect, the two 

patrol officers were approached by seven people 

who stepped out of a vehicle that stopped 

outside. The suspects beat the officers which 

helped the perpetrator escape, and they also 

managed to flee before back-up police arrived. 

Police were able to identify the escapee who 

they hope to arrest first before going after his 

accomplices. - Al-Watan, Al-Rai 

Nuzha accident 

Former minister Rashid Al-Hammad was hospitalized 

Friday after he was hit by a car on a 

street in Nuzha. Al-Hammad, who served as 

deputy prime minister for legal affairs, minister 

of justice and minister of Awqaf and Islamic 

affairs, was reportedly walking towards a 

mosque in the area to attend the Friday prayers 

when the incident occurred. He was rushed to 

Amiri Hospital where he was diagnosed with a 

broken shoulder and fractured rib. 

Fatal accidents 

A male driver was killed and another was 

injured in a car crash that took place recently on 

King Fahad Highway. Police and paramedics 

rushed to the scene in front of Bayan late 

Thursday night where the accident was reported. 

Paramedics pronounced an Asian driver 

dead on the scene, while a Kuwaiti man in the 

other car was hospitalized with several injuries. 

Investigations revealed that the deceased driver 


Beggar makes KD 1,356 

in two days in Salmiya 

Former minister injured 

Kuwait, Cambodia to 

cement relations 

KUALA LUMPUR: Kuwait’s ambassador 

to Cambodia Dherar Al-Tuwaijri has held 

talks with Heng Samrin, the Chairman of 

the Cambodian National Assembly, on 

mutual cooperation between Kuwait and 

the Kingdom. 

In remarks yesterday, the ambassador 

said he was pleased to meet such a veteran 

politician, known for defense of the 

Cambodian people against the Khmer 

Rouge, which ruled the country in the 

70s. 

Al-Tuwaijri conveyed greetings of 

National Assembly (Parliament) Speaker 

Ahmad Al-Saadoun and the chairman 

personal aspiration to elevate level of the 

parliamentary ties between the two 

friendly countries, the State of Kuwait 

and the Kingdom of Cambodia. 

The diplomat indicated that his meeting 

with the top Cambodian legislator 

was part of a series of scheduled meetings 

with the nation ranking figures, 

aimed at cementing the Kuwaiti- 

Cambodian relations at various levels. 

For his part, Samrin affirmed necessity 

of boosting the parliamentary Kuwaiti- 

Cambodian relations, following reciprocal 

visits by the prime ministers of the 

two countries in 2008 and 2009. 

Samrin praised democratic practices 

in Kuwait, namely activities of the parliament, 

wishing the Gulf country further 

progress and prosperity. 

The chairman of the Cambodian parliament 

is known as an eminent struggler 

against the defunct Khmer Rouge 

regime. 

At the end of the meeting, the 

ambassador presented Samrin with a 

memorial award depicting Kuwait’s heritage. 

— KUNA 

lost control over his vehicle when traffic stopped 

unexpectedly, and crashed into the other’s car. 

Meanwhile, a pedestrian was run over and killed 

in Sulaibiya on Friday. Paramedics and security 

officers rushed to a street in the area where the 

accident was reported. The victim, a bedoon was 

pronounced dead on the scene. The Indian driver 

who hit him was taken to the police station to 

face charges. 

Rapist at large 

Police are looking for a male suspect accused 

of sexually assaulting his best friend’s wife while 

being under the influence of alcohol. The suspect 

reportedly beat up his friend and left him 

with numerous injuries when he found out 

about what happened. Salmiya officers were 

approached by an Indian man late Friday night 

with injuries across his body. He accused his best 

friend of breaking his bones after he confronted 

him for raping his wife. The woman who escorted 

her husband to the police station told officers 

that the suspect stormed her apartment while 

his friend was outside, and assaulted her sexually. 

The husband indicated that the suspect was 

drunk. A case was filed for investigations. 

KSSC to host 

grand fishing 

tournament 

KUWAIT: The Kuwait Sea Sports Club(KSSC) 

announced that a fully equipped American-made 

Yamaha fishing boat will be given away as the 

grand prize during the 38th Annual Kuwait Fishing 

Grand Tournament set to take place on March 31, 

2012. Cash prizes will be awarded to second and 

third place winners. 

The top prize will be given away by the Kuwait 

Development and Trade Company(KDTC), the official 

supplier of the Yamaha brand in the country, 

announced Ali Al-Qabandi Cultural Chief Director. 

The competition is open to citizens and residents 

who can register until 8:00 pm next Friday at 

the KSSC building in Salmiya. Contestants are only 

allowed to use fishing lines and rods during the 

tournament. The top three winners will be selected 

based on the total weight of their catch.

Apologies to 

Kazakhstan 

M istakes 

Local Spotlight 

Muna Al-Fuzai 

muna@kuwaittimes.net 

happen all the time, especially when grand 

events are staged and many organizers pull the 

strings by multi-tasking a lot. When an anthem is 

erroneously played, thereby insulting a nation, I would call it 

a stupid, irresponsible blunder for which an official apology 

must be issued. 

When Kuwait hosted a Shooting Championship last 

week, and at the medals ceremony, Kazakhstan’s shooting 

team was shocked to listen to Borat’s version of their country’s 

anthem being played instead of the official one! It has 

been said that the wrong Serbian national anthem was 

played as well. 

The satirical parody was produced by comedian Sacha 

Baron Cohen for the film named ‘Borat’ in which Kazakhs are 

depicted as being backward and bigoted. The film was 

banned in Kazakhstan! I did not see it in Kuwait. So, I guess 

it was banned here as well. Sadly, those who were tasked 

with the duty of preparing anthems for the championship 

did not bother to use the right copies of anthems! 

Gold medalist Maria Dmitrienko said, “I stood at the podium 

with other winners expecting to hear a rendition ‘My 

Kazakhstan.’ Instead, she was greeted by Borat’s parody! 

This incident only highlights how unprofessional we are 

and our inefficiency in hosting a real championship. No 

wonder we are considered a developing country! I believe 

such mistakes are offensive to both Kazakhstan and Serbia. 

During major events, the anthem plays a key role in 

honoring attendees and their countries. When a folly is 

made, people remember that all year long. There are 

videos of the event uploaded on YouTube, with derisive 

comments made by people around the world about the 

host country. The BBC was among the first news channels 

to run the news. Shame on us! We can’t do anything right 

here! 

The Kazakh team has sought an apology. I believe we 

owe it to them. The team’s coach told the media that the 

organizers had unwittingly downloaded the parody from 

the Internet. If this is true, I would say it is a poor excuse for 

being careless! I hope an official apology will be made sincerely, 

with a commitment to never repeat such an error of 

judgment ever again. 

Sorry, Kazakhstan. You are still welcome to Kuwait if you 

wish to come in the future. The next time, please bring 

along the correct version of your country’s anthem. 

T he 

6 LOCAL 

T he 


satire wire 

Calling all 

phone users 

By Sawsan Kazak 

sawsank@kuwaittimes.net 

Our mobile phones have become an integral 

part of our lives. We use them as a means 

of communications, as alarms, as calendars, 

as computers and as entertainment units on a daily 

basis. With such a big presence in our day to 

day doings, it is only normal that they would also 

take up a significant part of our budget. 

A recently published news report stated that 

Kuwaitis spend about KD 650 on phone bills a 

year while middle-class expats spent about 

KD300. Apparently, even individuals with limited 

income spend about KD 150 a year on their 

phone bills. The same news report claimed that 

the Kuwaiti phone market is valued at KD 675 

million. 

These numbers are startling only because they 

can be avoided. Phone calls from landlines are 

absolutely free; be it from one landline to another 

or from one landline to a mobile number. 

Seeing that most of us speak on the phone for 

long periods of time when at home or in the 

office place, there should be no reason that these 

phone bills are so high. 

I blame it on laziness for the fact that people 

still pay such high amounts for calls that can be 

made for free. I too am guilty of this; I will be in 

the house, a few steps away from the landline 

connection and will still opt for my mobile 

phone. The mobile is quick, easy and you do not 

have to get up to use it. But that still is not an 

excuse. 

The money spent on calls is like money spent 

buying thin air. You do not have anything to 

show for it at the end of the day. Ten years of 

spending KD 650 totals KD 6,500; now think of all 

the things that can be accomplished with that 

kind of money. 

Even if money was not an issue, and you can 

afford to spend in double digits every month, it’s 

still not money well spent. You could donate that 

money for a needy cause or a needy friend! 

Whatever your financial situation, a conscious 

effort can be taken to reduce the amount of 

money spent on buying air time. 

Strikes expose govt’s flaws 

recent strikes carried out 

by Customs and Kuwait 

Airways personnel exposed 

the weakness that all public institutions 

in Kuwait suffer from. 

Notably, the problem proved that 

the government’s crisis management 

teams are inept - presuming 

that they even exist. It failed to 

contain the situation which paralyzed 

the Kuwait International 

Airport(KIA), seaports and land 

border checkpoints. 

While protestors can be blamed 

for taking Kuwait hostage in order 

to seek financial demands, completely 

disregarding the outcome 

of their actions, I believe that the 

government is to be blamed completely. 

First, the Civil Service 

Commission(CSC) failed to provide 

a comprehensive pay raise that 

treated public sector employees 

equally. Meanwhile, the Civil 

Service Council - which formulates 

S everal 

regulations based on which the 

Civil Service Commission organizes 

employment and payment procedures 

in the public sector - has 

failed to adopt a unified mechanism 

according to which state 

employees are paid standardized 

wages. 

Third, former Minister of Oil Dr 

Mohammad Al-Busairi failed to 

contain an oil sector strike that was 

staged last year, eventually leading 

the former Cabinet to fall under 

pressure and approve protestors’ 

demands - thereby paving the way 

for other public sector labor unions 

to follow suit. Meantime, Salem Al- 

Othaina, Minister of 

Communications should be partly 

blamed after failing to meet promises 

made late year to KAC’s labor 

union. 

This is, not to mention, the 

method according to which ministers 

have dealt with labor demands 

in the public sector both politically 

kuwait digest 

By Waleed Al-Ghanim 

and in the media - as their failures 

have encouraged more labor 

protests to take place. 

The government must understand 

the gravity of the strikes, and 

start assigning high level committees 

to conduct thorough studies 

in order to find the root cause of 

the problem. The studies should 

end with recommendations that 

the government can follow so as to 

avoid strikes at vital locations such 

as the airport and border checkpoints. 

At the end of the day, the 

responsibility of resolving problems 

remains in the government’s 

hand. It should devise a method 

to achieve equal pay among public 

sector employees. Yet, I hope 

protestors understand the gravity 

of their actions, realizing that their 

strike not only hurts national 

interests, but also makes them 

lose public support for their 

cause. —Al-Qabas 

Freedom of opinion at risk 

conclusions can be 

drawn from the Ministry of 

Interior’s decision to ban the 

‘Al-Nahdhah Forum’ at the Safir 

Hotel in Fintas before it was hosted 

last Friday at the Graduates Society. 

First, it proves the Ministry is vulnerable 

to fall under pressure from 

Islamist MPs, and is willing to go as 

far as breaking Constitutional principles 

in order to avoid clashing 

with close-minded lawmakers. 

This step forms a setback in 

Kuwait’s democratic process, as it 

moves Kuwait further away from a 

civil state and more into the concept 

of a religious state. 

The reactions of Islamist MPs 

regarding the forum reflects an ideology 

that Kuwaiti society is marred 

by immorality needing to be 

kuwait digest 

Right to strike is conditional 

right of workers to stage labor strikes is protected 

by constitutions worldwide, and recognized by international 

agreements as being a main method by 

which labor forces protest and express their opinion. 

While the Kuwaiti Constitution stands neutral on this 

issue, it does not restrict workers’ rights to protest, which is 

protected by international agreements that Kuwait 

signed. 

Yet, exercising this right is still restricted by certain conditions 

which ensure that strikes stay under control and do 

not lead to negative effects on the country’s national interest. 

Activity at places like the oil sector and at Kuwait 

International Airport must never be stopped, with all due 

respect to the protestors’ demands. A strike that leads to 

paralyzing work in these two fields have political dimensions 

that affect the state’s relationship with other countries. 

In such case, protecting what is best for the national 

interest is given priority ahead of workers’ right of protest. 

For this reason, many countries came up with conditions 

to achieve a balance between a worker’s rights and the 

national interest, which include: 

1- Labor unions must inform the Government beforehand 

about the time of their planned strike to allow for 

precautionary measures to be taken. 

By Mohammad Al-Muqatea 

2- Labor unions must ensure that the strike does not 

cause full paralysis of work at the places where the 

protesting staff are employed. This is to ensure that public 

interests are not harmed by the work stoppage. 

3- Protesting workers must be protected against harm 

or threats of any kind as long as they stay committed to 

the strike agreed by the Government. 

4- The strike must not be endless or held with specified 

conditions. Instead, it should allow for negotiations to take 

place with the Government or the body the workers are 

protesting against. 

5- The state has the right to use alternative methods in 

dealing with labor strikes by assigning temporary staff at 

locations where work stoppage can damage the national 

interest. 

Labor unions in Kuwait must realize that their right of 

strike ends when their actions harm the greater good. In 

turn, the Government needs to make decisive decisions 

regarding labor demands and make sure to explain their 

point of view if the increases they adopt come up short 

of what workers are asking for. In that case, the 

Government must guarantee workers’ right of protest, 

while at the same time have back up plans to protect the 

state’s interests. The Government must also avoid falling 

to MPs’ pressure, even if the price is that the Cabinet 

resign. —Al-Qabas 

resolved, rather than the civil, tolerant 

society it has always been 

known as. 

Their stance is in line with the 

narrow-minded ideology they 

made evident ever since winning a 

parliamentary majority. In 

Parliament they have proposed 

enforcing a ‘moral code’ for people’s 

attire in public, as well as constitutional 

amendments to transform 

state laws into more Islamic 

versions that put restrictions on 

public freedoms. 

The forum was held in Qatar 

and Bahrain without a single problem 

before it arrived in Kuwait. 

I find it strange that the State 

Security Service would intervene in 

a gathering for youth activists to 

discuss the principles of civil society. 

kuwait digest 

By Waleed Al-Rujaib 

I am confident that the ban 

will not thwart Kuwaitis’ eagerness 

to instill foundations of civil 

society in their community, yet I 

am afraid that similar incidents 

may indicate that efforts will continue 

to restrict public freedoms 

in Kuwait. This will put the future 

of the country at risk. 

It is a shame that lawmakers 

are busy with subjects that limit 

public freedoms instead of 

defending citizens’ constitutional 

rights. Instead of worrying 

about the reaction of Islamist 

MPs, the Government is required 

to prove their ability to protect 

people’s constitutional gains and 

push away all aspects that hinder 

the country’s development 

process. —Al-Rai


‘Stand Your Ground’ laws under scrutiny 

Page 10 

Pontiff attacks ‘evil 

of drugs’ in Mexico 

World leaders tackle nuke threat 

SEOUL: World leaders including US President 

Barack Obama tomorrow will launch a summit 

on the threat from nuclear-armed terrorists, but 

the atomic ambitions of North Korea and Iran are 

set to feature heavily. North Korea’s upcoming 

rocket launch has overshadowed the run-up to 

the two-day meeting in Seoul, which seeks 

agreement on locking down fissile material that 

could be used to build thousands of terrorist 

bombs. Obama will hold talks on the launch plan 

and other issues with leaders of China, Russia 

and host South Korea during his visit. 

The nuclear-armed North says its rocket will 

merely put a peaceful satellite into orbit. The 

United States and others believe next month’s 

launch will test a long-range missile which could 

one day deliver an atomic warhead. Gary 

Samore, coordinator for arms control at the US 

National Security Council, warned that North 

Korea would face a “strong response” from 

Washington and its allies if it goes ahead with 

the launch. “We will be working with other countries, 

when President Obama is here (in Seoul), to 

try to discourage North Korea from going ahead 

with the proposed satellite launch,” he told South 

Korea’s Yonhap news agency on Friday. 

Leaders or senior officials from 53 nations will 

attend the Nuclear Security Summit, with 

Interpol, the International Atomic Energy 

Agency (IAEA), the European Union and the UN 

also taking part. The IAEA, while worried about 

nuclear proliferation by North Korea, also suspects 

that Iran is bent on making nuclear 

weapons. Iran says its uranium enrichment activities 

are peaceful. 

Neither Iran nor North Korea are on the formal 

agenda in Seoul. But leaders of five nations 

involved in stalled nuclear negotiations with the 

North-the United States, South Korea, China, 

Russia and Japan-will all be present, offering an 

N Korea, Iran to loom large at nuke summit 

opportunity for consultations. Pyongyang sees 

the summit as a chance for Washington and 

Seoul to gang up on it. Any South Korean move 

to address the North’s nuclear program at the 

summit would be seen as a declaration of war, it 

has vowed. 

Seoul says the formal event is not about 

nations but “non-state actors”. Obama in a 2009 

speech described nuclear terrorism as “the most 

immediate and extreme threat to global security”. 

He announced a drive to secure all vulnerable 

nuclear material worldwide within four years, 

a process which led to the first nuclear security 

summit in Washington in April 2010. A joint 

report by the Washington-based Arms Control 

Association (ACA) and the Partnership for Global 

Security (PGS), which campaign against nuclear 

proliferation, acknowledged major progress 

since then. 

Former Soviet republic Kazakhstan secured 

over 13 tons of highly enriched uranium (HEU) 

and plutonium, while Chile eliminated its entire 

HEU stockpile, the report said. The United States 

and Russia signed a protocol under which each 

will dispose of 34 tons of plutonium-enough for 

17,000 nuclear weapons. Russia ended plutonium 

production. Ukraine eliminated two-thirds of 

its HEU and was expected to dispose of the rest 

by the Seoul summit. But experts say much more 

must be done to end an apocalyptic threat. “The 

commitments on the books will not get the job 

done,” said Michelle Cann of PGS, the report coauthor. 

“To prevent nuclear terrorism in the years 

ahead, the global nuclear security system 

must grow and adapt to new threats,” she 

said. “There is a danger that early successes of 

the summit process will lead to complacency.” 

The ACA says there have been 16 confirmed 

cases of unauthorized possession of HEU or 

SEOUL: Protesters denounce North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ahead of the nuclear security summit in Seoul yesterday. — AP 

plutonium documented by the IAEA since 

1993, mainly in the former Soviet Union. 

Alexandra Toma of the Connect US Fund, 

which promotes nuclear non-proliferation, 

said a sophisticated extremist group could 

plausibly take advantage of such lapses. “It 

takes only 50 kilograms of highly enriched 

uranium to make a crude nuclear bomb” the 

size of a grapefruit, she told a Seoul forum 

Thursday. 

The summit agenda has been expanded to 

cover the securing of radioactive material, 

freely available from hospitals and other 

sources. Stanford University expert Siegfried 

Hecker told the Thursday forum the most likely 

nuclear threat was a “dirty bomb... a 

Page 12 

weapon of mass disruption” since radiation 

sources were everywhere. The meeting will 

also discuss the link between nuclear security 

and nuclear safety after Japan’s March 2011 

Fukushima disaster. Experts say the accident 

showed terrorists could create the same conditions 

as a tsunami did, by damaging cooling 

systems and cutting off power.— AFP

INTERNATIONAL 

Senegal’s Wade, Sall woo voters 

DAKAR: Senegal’s veteran leader 

Abdoulaye Wade and his challenger 

Macky Sall made their final appeals to 

voters yesterday ahead of a weekend 

presidential election run-off. The 85year-old 

Wade held a “victory tour” in 

Dakar where music rang out as his convoy 

made its way through the streets 

on the last day of campaigning of the 

cliffhanger election in the west African 

country. Having failed to deliver a 

crushing victory in the first-round vote 

a month ago, Wade faces a stiff challenge 

from his former Prime Minister 

Sall, 50, who has gathered the full 

weight of the opposition behind him. 

Sall was to hold a mass rally in an 

outlying suburb of Dakar along with 12 

candidates who lost in the February 26 

first round and have thrown their support 

behind the challenger as they vow 

to elect “anyone but Wade”. While laden 

with suspense, the run-up to the second-round 

of the election has been 

calm compared with the first vote, 

which was marred by a month of riots 

over Wade’s candidacy that left six 

dead and over 150 injured. 

However in the troubled Casamance 

region, a soldier was killed and four 

injured in an attack by separatist rebels 

who have carried out a low level war 

there for 30 years, making it a priority 

for the next government. France called 

for a free, fair and transparent election 

in its former colony. Wade’s efforts to 

seek re-election by circumventing a 

constitutional term limit earned him 

stiff rebukes from abroad and raised 

fears for the stability of one of Africa’s 

oldest democracies. Wade polled 34.8 

percent in the first round and said he 

failed to win outright because “the 

West was campaigning against me.” The 

Political risks to 

watch in Yemen 

DUBAI: A transfer of power backed by 

the United States and Saudi Arabia has 

yet to stabilize Yemen, where Islamist 

militants controlling entire towns and 

regions have dealt painful blows to a 

divided military that Washington wants 

as a partner against Al-Qaeda. The inauguration 

of Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi 

on Feb 25 as successor to President Ali 

Abdullah Saleh was to accelerate a political 

transition including restructuring an 

army which split after mass protests 

against Saleh erupted in 2011. 

But only hours after Hadi was sworn 

in, under the terms of a pact Yemen’s 

Gulf neighbors crafted to avert civil war, 

militants linked to the country’s Al- 

Qaeda branch killed dozens of troops in 

the south, where their influence has 

grown during a year of turmoil centered 

on Saleh’s political fate. The deal that 

saw him step down - with guarantees of 

immunity for the killings of protesters 

who demanded the end of his 33-year 

rule - envisions a two-year period leading 

to new elections, in which Yemen 

can tackle its multiple crises. 

Apart from the expanding Islamist 

footprint, Yemen has unresolved conflicts 

with a formerly separate south 

where many want to secede, and with 

Shiite Muslim rebel tribesmen in the 

north, which threatens to become a theatre 

of the regional struggle between 

Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran. A 

post-election offensive against Ansar Al- 

Sharia, a group linked to the Al-Qaeda 

wing that has plotted abortive attacks 

outside Yemen, has proved costly for 

government troops, more than a hundred 

of whom were killed. 

That rout in early March was followed 

by heavy air strikes that killed dozens of 

people in the south where the United 

States has waged its own campaign of 

drone attacks - including killing US citizens 

suspected of Al-Qaeda links. It is far 

from clear how Hadi will balance US 

pressure for cooperation on “counterterrorism” 

with the politically explosive 

task of reshaping a military in which 

Saleh’s son and nephew lead units. 

Violence and economic hardship have 

displaced around half a million people 

in Yemen. Tens of thousands, fleeing 

battles between the government and 

Al-Qaeda-linked militants, have taken 

refuge in the port city of Aden, which 

has seen a spate of attacks on security 

officials in recent months. 

ISLAMIST MILITANCY 

Saleh’s opponents have repeatedly 

accused the outgoing president of 

manipulating the threat of militancy 

and even encouraging it to scare 

Washington and Riyadh into backing 

him as a bulwark against Al-Qaeda. 

Yemen is the main base for Al-Qaeda in 

the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which 

has emerged as one of the network’s 

most active and ambitious branches 

after setbacks in Saudi Arabia and Iraq. 

Although AQAP appeals little to most 

Yemenis and did not figure in the anti- 

Saleh protest movement, it has taken 

control of parts of three Yemeni 

provinces including Abyan, near a shipping 

lane that channels some 3 million 

barrels of oil daily. AQAP has vowed to 

bleed US resources with small, cheap 

attacks that draw responses costing billions 

of dollars. It claimed responsibility 

for an attack on a US security team in 

the port of Aden this month that it 

called a response to the dispatch of US 

troops for “counter-terrorism” purposes. 

SEPARATISTS, NORTHERN REVOLTS 

The protests have eclipsed earlier 

challenges to Saleh’s rule by northern 

Shiite rebels and southern secessionists. 

odds are in Sall’s favor heading into the 

run-off election. 

The opposition obtained a total 65 

percent of the vote in the first round, 

but turnout was low and it is not clear 

DAKAR: Security agents stand next to a large photograph of presidential 

candidate and former Prime Minister Macky Sall at the start of his final 

campaign rally, in the Yoff neighborhood of Dakar, Senegal. — AP 

Their grievances, however, will pose a 

serious headache for post-Saleh Yemen, 

and a failure to deal with them equitably 

could lead to further violence and 

instability. North and South Yemen formally 

united under Saleh’s leadership in 

1990. But many southerners complain 

northerners have discriminated against 

them and usurped their resources - 

most of Yemen’s fast-declining oil 

reserves are in the south. 

“Houthi” rebels - who draw their 

name from a tribal leader - control 

Saada province bordering Sunni 

Muslim-ruled Saudi Arabia, which intervened 

militarily against the Shiite rebels 

in 2009. Saleh’s forces failed to crush 

them then. Fighting has flared in recent 

weeks between the Houthis, who are 

members of the Zaydi branch of Shiite 

Islam, and Salafis - Sunni Muslims whose 

puritanical creed mirrors doctrines that 

prevail in Saudi Arabia. Salafis brand 

Shiites as heretics. At least 32 people 

were killed in clashes between the 

Houthis, local tribesmen and militants 

from a Sunni Islamist group in two separate 

incidents in January and February. 

The Houthis accuse their foes of getting 

arms from Saudi Arabia, as part of a 

campaign of mobilization against 

Shiites the kingdom regards as a “fifth 

column” for Iran. In the south, many 

demand a divorce from the north and 

the option of being able to vote on that 

after a transitional period of some years 

in which the south would be recognized 

as an entity with which the north should 

negotiate as an equal. Those secessionist 

leaders are themselves divided, and 

complain they have been frozen out of 

the transition. That complaint is echoed 

by the Houthis, whom a UN envoy says 

must be brought into the political 

process. 

FINANCE, WATER, FUEL CRUNCHES 

Prolonged turmoil has crippled the 

economy of a country of 24 million people 

with limited natural resources. The 

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) 

says 57 percent of Yemen’s 12 million 

children are chronically malnourished - 

the highest level in the world after 

Afghanistan. Protests in 2011 saw 

unemployment rise to an estimated half 

of the labor force, with tens of thousands 

of Yemenis losing their jobs. The 

price of basic commodities like rice 

jumped by as much as 60 percent. Even 

before protests, some 40 percent of the 

people lived on less than $2 a day. The 

International Monetary Fund and World 

Bank began engaging with Yemen once 

more in January, months after freezing 

financial support due to political unrest. 

The country’s planning minister said last 

month he would seek some $3 billion in 

aid that Gulf states previously pledged 

to Yemen that was not disbursed. 

Meetings of prospective donors are slated 

for next month and June. 

The IMF expects the economy to 

have shrunk by more than two percent 

in 2011. Yemen has set a budget envisioning 

a deficit of about $2.6 billion for 

2012, promising to make good on past 

unpaid wage increases to public sector 

employees. Aid flows intended to support 

political transition would likely be 

central to such plans, as the modest oil 

exports that were a source of foreign 

exchange have been hit by repeated 

attacks on pipelines. Unrest has also 

slowed down the country’s main refinery, 

forcing it to rely on grants of refined 

products from Saudi Arabia, in addition 

to purchases on the spot market. Yemen 

is rapidly depleting the water in its 

aquifers, and by some estimates the 

capital Sanaa may run out of water in 

the coming decade or sooner.— Reuters 

whether voters will follow their respective 

leaders in backing Sall against the 

incumbent. “Let nobody question our 

victory. Anyone who tries to steal our 

victory will face the full mobilization of 

LOS ANGELES: The public meltdown 

of the man behind the viral 

“Kony 2012” video has thrown his 

campaign into turmoil even as the 

film succeeded in turning the 

world’s attention to capturing an 

elusive and brutal Ugandan warlord. 

Jason Russell, whose 30minute 

video sensation shone a 

spotlight on Joseph Kony’s use of 

child soldiers in Uganda, was taken 

by police to a hospital in California 

last week after suffering what doctors 

described as a brief psychotic 

breakdown. 

Videos posted online showed 

him pacing back and forth on the 

sidewalk, naked, in broad daylight, 

in an incident certain to raise questions 

over the viability of Russell’s 

Invisible Children group. “You 

always hear people say, ‘I’m so 

stressed out, I’m about to go crazy,’” 

said Robert Thompson, director of 

the Bleier Center for Television and 

Popular Culture at Syracuse 

University. “Still, the story of all this 

happening and then he literally is 

wigging out is very odd.” 

He said the episode could serve 

to divert attention from the warlord 

to Russell. “Now whenever you see 

a Kony story, it’s about the guy, not 

Kony.” Kony, accused of terrorizing 

northern Uganda for two decades, 

is wanted by the International 

Criminal Court for war crimes. He is 

accused of abducting children to 

use as fighters and sex slaves and is 

said to like hacking off limbs. 

Russell’s wife, Danica, has said her 

husband would remain under hospital 

care for a number of weeks, 

and might not be able to return fully 

to his work at Invisible Children 

for months. In downtown San 

the population,” Sall said at a rally this 

week. While Sall won the backing of 

the opposition, Wade scored the official 

support of a leading member of 

the country’s most powerful Islamic 

brotherhood, the Mourides, seen as key 

in the Muslim majority nation. 

The head of the 90-person European 

Union observer mission, Thijs Berman, 

called Friday for “a respect of democratic 

rules,” adding: “Violence achieves 

nothing.” 

Meanwhile African Union observer 

chief, former Nigerian president 

Olusegun Obasanjo, said: “Senegal is a 

grand democracy. I hope it will prove 

this once again in this run-off election 

and become a model for other African 

countries.” The 15-member Economic 

Community Of West African States also 

announced Friday it would deploy 100 

observers across the country for the 

run-off. Wade has remained defiant in 

the face of criticism. 

“There is only one hypothesis. I win. 

The possibility of my defeat is absurd,” 

he told local television station Africa7 

on Wednesday. “It is as if I say the sky is 

going to fall on our heads in one 

minute. It is absurd because the sky is 

not going to fall on our heads.” 

A Wade victory would stoke fears of 

violence after his mere presence in the 

race prompted opposition supporters 

Diego, Invisible Children’s office has 

been locked up. 

Russell’s Invisible Children cofounders, 

Laren Poole and Bobby 

Bailey, declined through a spokeswoman 

to be interviewed, as did 

the organization’s CEO, Ben Keesey. 

Keesey has attributed Russell’s 

breakdown to the severe emotional 

toll of the previous two weeks in 

which the Kony video went viral. 

Even as the video drew attention to 

the warlord, it sparked criticism 

over what some called its misleading 

portrayal of current events in 

Uganda. A spokeswoman would 

not say how or if Invisible Children 

planned to proceed with a planned 

April 20 day of action, in which 

viewers of the video were asked to 

paper their homes, lawns and cities 

with Kony posters to turn him into 

a household name. 

Analysts said the fate of the 

group may be largely irrelevant 

because it had already served the 

purpose of persuading millions to 

care, and policy decisions were taking 

shape. “It’s rare that we have literally 

millions of Americans calling 

for more engagement in Africa,” 

Senator Chris Coons, chair of the 

to take to the streets. Despite having 

served two terms in office, a limit he 

himself introduced, Wade says later 

changes to the constitution allow him 

to serve two more successive mandates. 

Officially the second oldest 

African leader after Zimbabwe’s 88year-old 

Robert Mugabe, some claim 

Wade is in fact pushing 90 due to discrepancies 

in the way birth certificates 

were filed at the time he was born in a 

nation where the median age is now 

18. 

In 2007, he won in the first round 

with 55 percent of the vote, but his 

popularity has plunged in recent years 

amid rising food prices and power cuts 

which crippled economic activity last 

year but were repaired in time for the 

election campaign. While Wade 

receives kudos for an aggressive infrastructure 

drive, critics say he has 

focused on fanciful legacy projects to 

the detriment of good governance initiatives. 

Wade has said he wants only a 

few more years to finish his “grand projects” 

but is seen as stalling so he can 

line up his unpopular son Karim to succeed 

him. Despite its stability, Senegala 

nation of some 13 million whose 

main earners are fishing, tourism and 

groundnut production-has a large proportion 

of people living below the 

poverty threshold.—AFP 


Anti-Kony campaign in turmoil 

after filmmaker’s breakdown 

BAMAKO: Mali’s Tuareg rebels 

pressed on with an offensive in the 

north as mutinous soldiers faced a 

global backlash for staging a coup 

over the government’s handling of 

the insurrection. The African Union 

temporarily suspended Mali, 

Europe froze aid and the United 

States threatened to follow suit 

amid a chorus of condemnation 

over the coup in a country key to 

fighting drug trafficking and 

extremism. But AU officials will 

travel to Mali for talks with the 

coup leaders in a joint delegation 

with the Economic Community of 

West African States (ECOWAS) next 

week. 

The coup opened the way for 

Tuareg rebels to deepen their hold 

on the north, with their National 

Movement for the Liberation of 

Azawad (MNLA) saying it had 

seized the town of Anefis between 

the key cities Gao and Kidal. The 

MNLA said on its website it would 

continue to press its offensive as 

part of its military campaign for a 

homeland in the north of the west 

African nation. It was the Tuareg 

rebellion that sparked the coup by 

soldiers, who say they have been 

ill-equipped to fight off the desert 

nomads. The Tuareg force has 

been strengthened by the return 

of heavily armed fighters who previously 

fought for Libya’s slain dic- 

Is LRA the wrong target? 

KWAMBA: The Lord’s Resistance Army chief Joseph Kony (left) and his deputy Vincent Otti sit inside a 

tent at Ri-Kwamba in Southern Sudan in this file photo. —AP 

tator Muammar Gaddafi. 

On Wednesday, army troops 

attacked the presidential palace 

and seized state institutions, 

before appearing on television to 

announce they had toppled the 

“incompetent” regime of President 

Amadou Toumani Toure. On Friday, 

Mali’s coup leaders again took to 

television to deny reports of the 

death of their leader, Captain 

Amadou Sanogo. Earlier, Sanogo 

himself reassured journalists that 

Toure was “doing very well”, and 

that members of the government 

arrested by soldiers were safe. “We 

will not touch a hair on their 

heads. I will hand them over to the 

courts so that the Malian people 

know the truth,” insisted the 

green-beret officer, who says he 

has spent time at training programmes 

in US. In separate comments 

to the BBC, he insisted he 

Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee 

on African Affairs, told 

Reuters in an interview, noting his 

subcommittee normally received 

far less attention than it had since 

the “Kony 2012” video was released. 

“I was both amused, pleased and 

proud that all three of my kids 

asked me what I was doing to stop 

Joseph Kony,” Coons said. Attempts 

by regional forces and foreign 

troops to corner the fugitive warlord 

have so far failed. But on Friday, 

the African Union said it would 

launch a 5,000-strong force in South 

Sudan to hunt him.— Reuters 

Tuareg rebels head North 

as world condemns coup 

BAMAKO: A soldier poses atop a military vehicle, as it stands 

guard outside the presidential palace following a military coup in 

Bamako. — AP 

would stand down once he had 

ensured the army was properly 

equipped to tackle the Tuareg 

rebellion. The problem at the 

moment was “a lack of equipment, 

a lack of training and our comrades 

are dying all the time,” he 

said. “So once this has been fixed, 

I’ll be able to say ‘Ok, go for election’ 

in a short period of time. I 

promise.” Rights group Amnesty 

International said that at least 

three people had been shot dead 

and 28 wounded in Thursday’s 

coup, while the local Red Cross 

said it had treated 40 people, 

mostly for bullet wounds. 

Few people ventured out of 

their homes in the tense capital 

Bamako Friday, where some soldiers 

had turned to looting. The 

international community has acted 

swiftly against the junta. The AU 

Peace and Security Council 

announced it was suspending Mali 

until the government had been 

restored, said Paul Zolo, Nigeria’s 

envoy to Ethiopia and the AU. AU 

Commission chief Jean Ping said 

the AU and ECOWAS would send a 

joint team to Mali to seek a return 

of constitutional order. And the 

heads of ECOWAS were due to hold 

a special meeting in Ivory Coast’s 

main city Abidjan on Tuesday, a 

source in the Ivorian ministry for 

African integration said.—AFP

Recipient testifies in 

Kosovo organs case 

PRISTINA: A Canadian witness told a trial 

over alleged illegal organ trafficking in 

Kosovo how he received a kidney at the 

Medicus clinic-and may even have flown 

in with his young Russian donor. Raul 

Fain, 66, testifying by video link from 

Ontario, Canada, told the court Friday he 

had had transplant surgery in mid-2008 

at the Medicus clinic, which has since 

been shut down. Fain said that with help 

from relatives in Israel, he had made contact 

with Moshe Harel, whom the indictment 

describes as the mastermind of a 

network for recruiting donors and finding 

recipients. Fain testified that he 

agreed with Harel to pay 80,000 euros 

($106,000) for a kidney transplant and 

flew with him to Pristina. 

The witness recalled “two young 

Russian ladies” flying with them to 

donate the organs, including one he 

believed was transplanted to him. Fain 

said he met another of the defendants in 

Pristina, Turkish doctor Yusuf Sonmez, 

who is accused of having performed the 

illegal transplants. He said he also met a 

German patient who received a kidney 

the same day he did. An EU dominated 

panel is now trying seven people in the 

so-called Medicus case, named after the 

Pristina clinic where the crimes allegedly 

took place. 

According to the indictment, the clinic 

carried out at least 30 illegal kidney 

removals and transplants, using donors 

from poor Eastern European and Central 

Asian countries, who were promised 

about 15,000 euros each. An EU prosecutor 

at the trial has proposed calling as a 

witness the author of a damning report 

on the subject, a move opposed by 

defense lawyers who object that it 

7 Pakistani troops, 

22 militants killed 

PESHAWAR: At least seven soldiers and 22 militants died in 

clashes between Pakistani troops and militants in the restive 

northwestern tribal belt over the past 24 hours, officials said 

yesterday. Security forces carried out a search operation in 

South Waziristan region and killed 12 militants, a military official 

said. He said the operation was launched yesterday in Shin 

Warsak area near the region’s main town of Wana following a 

tip off from intelligence sources that some militants were hiding 

in the area. 

“During an exchange of fire 12 militants were killed and 

four soldiers embraced martyrdom,” he said. Another official in 

Peshawar, the main city in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province 

confirmed the clash, saying “the sting operation is now over.” 

The Pakistani military in 2009 carried out a sweeping offensive 

into parts of South Waziristan in order to disable the headquarters 

of the country’s main Taleban faction. Many of the Taleban 

commanders and their footsoldiers are believed to have fled 

into the neighboring district of North Waziristan, where 

Pakistan has so far resisted American pressure for a similar 

offensive. The search operation in South Waziristan follows an 

increase in militant bomb attacks in the northwest. Earlier 

three soldiers and more than 10 militants were killed after 

dozens of Taleban militants stormed a check post in a tribal 

region near the Afghan border overnight. The attack took place 

at a check post in Khadizai area on the outskirts of Kalaya, the 

main town in the lawless Orakzai district, a senior military officer 

said. Independent confirmation of the death toll was not 

immediately possible as the lawless tribal region is barred for 

journalists. Khadizai is located in Upper Orakzai most of which 

is in Taleban hands and is the scene of frequent clashes 

between security forces and Islamist militants while government 

troops are in control of its lower reaches. —AFP 

Junkyard beckons for 

Myanmar rust buckets 

YANGON: Fume-belching classic European cars and 

ageing Japanese sedans have rattled along Myanmar’s 

streets for decades, but as the country opens up many 

of the rust buckets are finally facing the scrapheap. The 

cars rumble loudly as engines rebuilt with parts salvaged 

from dead autos gasp for life and fan belts 

squeal. Their headlights sometimes die at night and 

many have rotten floors that offer a view of the asphalt 

beneath. 

Most of the rusting automobiles on the streets of 

the main city Yangon hail from Japan, but there are 

also classic Western models dating back to a bygone 

era before the reclusive generals seized power half a 

century ago. The main reason for the ageing fleet is 

not international sanctions-which do not prevent foreign 

cars reaching Myanmar’s shores-but rather the 

sky-high import cost under the former junta. Now, 

however, the country’s new nominally civilian government 

is easing car import regulations to allow more 

vehicles to be brought in from overseas-for those who 

can afford it. 

“The government is offering owners a chance to 

own imported used cars if they swap their old cars, 

which is a good idea,” said classic car owner Than Htay, 

52, as he checked the engine of his 1950s-era 

Mercedes Benz that in other parts of the world would 

arouse the interests of serious collectors. “But many 

ordinary Burmese are poor and will still not be able to 

afford newer models,” he added. Under military rule, 

imported cars were a luxury reserved for people close 

to the junta, whose cronies are more likely to be seen 

behind the wheel of a Mercedes or a Ferrari than a battered 

old Toyota. 

Even a two-decades-old Japanese saloon could 

fetch $20,000 or more, while a brand new Toyota Land 

Cruiser could boast a price tag of upwards of $250,000. 

In September of last year the government announced 

that owners of cars at least 40 years old could trade 

them in for hard-to-get permits to purchase imported 

used vehicles, sending prices of the rust buckets soaring. 

It said the scheme-under which the old cars will be 

scrapped-would be gradually expanded to include 

vehicles at least 20 years old. 

But even under the offer, taxes and import duties 

mean a used car costs more than $10,000 - a huge sum 

in a country where a third of the nearly 60 million people 

still live in poverty. Nowadays local newspapers 

publish special sections advertising used cars, while 

several dealerships offering imported second-hand 

autos from Japan have sprung up around Yangon in 

recent months. —AFP 

would politicize the trial. The proposed 

witness, Dick Marty, was the Council of 

Europe’s rapporteur on alleged organ 

trafficking during the 1998-99 Kosovo 

war. His report alleged that senior commanders 

of the rebel Albanian Kosovo 

Liberation Army, including incumbent 

Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, were 

involved in organized crime and organ 

trafficking during and after the war. 

The report set out claims that organs 

were taken from prisoners, many of 

them Serbs, held by the KLA in Albania 

in the late 1990s. Both Kosovo and 

Albania denied the accusations and 

rejected the report. “I have every reason 

to believe that he retains in his possession 

the evidence relevant for this case,” 

Special EU prosecutor Jonathan Ratel 

told the court Friday. Ratel read from 

Marty’s report, adopted by Council in 

Europe in 2011, in which the author said 

he had found “credible, convergent indications” 

that the wartime organ trafficking 

“is closely related to the contemporary 

case”. 

But defense lawyers for the seven suspects-including 

former Kosovo health 

secretary Ilir Rrecaj and Lutfi Dervishi, a 

prominent Pristina urologist objected to 

the request. “This is a criminal court, and 

it will be transformed in a political court 

if he comes here as a witness,” said one 

lawyer, Ismet Shufta. Presiding judge 

Arkadiusz Sedek from Poland said the 

court would decide on the motion in 

coming days. The Medicus trial is the first 

to be taken on by EULEX, the European 

rule of law mission in Kosovo, set up to 

help the local judiciary handle sensitive 

cases after the territory declared independence 

from Serbia in 2008. — AFP 

INTERNATIONAL 

PARIS: The brother of an Al-Qaeda-inspired 

gunman who killed seven people was taken 

to Paris yesterday for further questioning 

about the massacre that has raised questions 

about national security four weeks from a 

French presidential election. Abdelkader 

Merah, elder brother of Mohamed Merah, 

who died in a hail of gunfire on Thursday as 

he jumped from his apartment window in 

Toulouse, was taken by car from police barracks 

in the southwestern city for transfer to 

the capital, along with his girlfriend, a judicial 

source said. Both people were arrested on 

Tuesday as negotiators sought their help trying 

to persuade Merah to turn himself in. 

Merah’s mother, who was also arrested on the 

same day, was likely to be released later on 

Saturday, according to the same source. 

Merah, 23, was shot dead by a sniper after 

a gun battle with police that ended a more 

than 30-hour siege at his apartment during 

which he admitted killing three Jewish 

schoolchildren, a rabbi and three soldiers in 

three separate attacks. Abdelkader and his 

girlfriend, whose name was not given, were 

being transferred to a detention centre at the 

headquarters of the DCRI domestic intelligence 

agency in Paris and would be brought 

before a judge to decide whether there are 

grounds for opening legal proceedings over 

possible links with Merah’s attacks, another 

source said on Friday. 

Police have found explosives in a car 

Abdelkader owned, according to the public 

prosecutor leading the case. He was already 

known to security services for having helped 

smuggle jihadist militants into Iraq in 2007. 

DCRI head Bernard Squarcini told the daily Le 

Monde on Friday that there was no evidence 

Merah belonged to any radical Islamist network 

and he appeared to have turned fanatic 

alone. Yet investigators are still trying to 

establish whether the young Frenchman of 

Algerian extraction had any logistical or ideological 

support or was a true “lone wolf”. 

Merah’s brother, and a sister, were known 

to have studied the Koran in Egypt in 2010 

and French police had in the past found links 

between them and a radical Islamist group 

based in southern France led by a Syrian-born 


French gunman’s brother 

whisked to Paris intel HQ 

Shootings affect tone of presidential election 

LEVALLOIS-PERRET: An unidentified man with his head covered, believed to be Abdelkader 

Merah or his companion, sits between masked police officers as they head to the French 

police’s anti-terrorist headquarters in Levallois-Perret yesterday. — AP 

Frenchman dubbed “The White Emir” by 

French media because of his fair hair and 

beard. The shootings shifted the focus of 

political debate away from France’s economic 

woes and played to the strengths of President 

Nicolas Sarkozy as he fights an uphill battle 

for re-election in a two-round vote in April 

and May. 

Polls show that about two-thirds of voters 

approved of his handling of a crisis that 

reduced his challengers, chief among them 

Socialist frontrunner Francois Hollande, to the 

role of bystander. — Reuters

WASHINGTON: She stands 4’11” (1.5 

meters) and had trouble being seen 

over the microphones when elected. 

Thirty-five years later, Barbara Mikulski 

is a towering figure in the Senate, the 

longest-serving female lawmaker in the 

US Congress. Maryland’s feisty, sharptongued 

fighter for women’s healthcare, 

blue-collar workers, high-quality 

education and improved care for 

America’s veterans has reached several 

milestones to earn her role as dean of 

the women of the Senate. But she has 

always been less concerned with her 

historical achievements than the substance 

of her legislative accomplishments 

and the forward-looking challenges 

of a national lawmaker. 

“For me it’s not how long you serve 

but how well you serve,” the 75-year-old 

told AFP on her 12,862nd day in 

Congress-four days after reaching her 

latest milestone by surpassing congresswoman 

Edith Nourse Rogers of 

Massachusetts, who served from 1925 

to 1960. “But I was here for the (1978) 

Camp David accords, and now we’re 

trying to make sure Iran doesn’t get the 

bomb,” she said. “Quite a wide swathe.” 

A true barrier buster, Mikulski was the 

first Democratic woman to serve in the 

Senate in her own right, not succeeding 

her husband or father. She became the 

first woman to serve in both chambers 

of Congress. Tough-talking and tena- 

cious about a wide range of issues, she 

is never more passionate than when 

she advocates for vulnerable 

Americans. 

And she could let her Republican 

counterparts really have it when she felt 

they were failing to “find the sensible 

center to solve the nation’s problems.” 

Her booming voice rings out when she 

seeks to right injustices, or decries the 

excessive partisanship that has come to 

mark debate in Congress. “They’re clinging 

not to a philosophy of principle, but 

to rigid ideology that could bring our 

country to the brink of disaster,” she said 

last year as lawmakers tussled over a 

looming government shutdown. “If they 

want to act like a banana republic, they 

could slip on their own peel.” 

Her firecracker verbal assaults, if 

occasionally indelicate, earned a 

tongue-in-cheek description from her 

colleague Dianne Feinstein, a threeterm 

senator from California: “The 

Mikulski brand of candor.” Mikulski 

“stands as one of the tallest United 

States senators and packs a punch way 

beyond her four-foot-eleven,” said fellow 

longtime Democratic Senator John 

Kerry, part of a moving, three-hour tribute 

to her Wednesday in which more 

than 30 lawmakers spoke. “We’re proud 

to have her as a colleague and are in 

awe of her ability to galvanize action, 

which is what this institution should be 

international 

Mikulski: pint-sized trailblazer for women in Congress 

SHREVEPORT: Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov 

Mitt Romney addresses an audience during a campaign event near a natural gas 

drilling rig in Shreveport, La. — AP 

Romney, Republicans rip 

‘Obamacare’ on ’versary 

WASHINGTON: Republican criticism rained 

down Friday on the second anniversary of 

President Barack Obama’s health care reform, 

with Mitt Romney blasting the law as an 

“unfolding disaster for the American economy.” 

As conservatives bashed “Obamacare” as an 

assault on economic liberties that would saddle 

Americans with unprecedented financial burden, 

the administration marked the anniversary 

of the president’s signature legislative achievement 

in muted fashion, with no ceremony at 

the White House. 

Romney’s rival in the Republican presidential 

race, former House speaker Newt Gingrich, savaged 

the two-year-old law as “the most dangerous 

legislation in generations,” while Senate 

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell slammed it is 

“a metaphor for all of the excesses of this 

administration.” In a piece for USA Today, 

Romney, frontrunner for the Republican nomination 

in the battle to see who will challenge 

Obama in November, said it was “past time to 

abolish the program, root and branch.” And 

while he noted that the US Supreme Court was 

set to hear arguments about the landmark law 

next week, he wrote that, regardless of how the 

justices rule, “the case against Obamacare 

extends far beyond questions about its constitutionality. 

“President Obama’s program is an unfolding 

disaster for the American economy, a budgetbusting 

entitlement, and a dramatic new federal 

intrusion into our lives,” Romney wrote. The 

Affordable Care Act, passed after a bitter struggle 

against blanket Republican opposition in 

2010, granted 30 million Americans health 

insurance for the first time, bringing universal 

coverage closer than ever before. Romney instituted 

a similar program for Massachusetts while 

he was governor of the left-leaning state, and in 

2009 he wrote an op-ed in the same newspaper 

encouraging Obama to use the Massachusetts 

model as a basis for his national health program. 

But on Friday Romney said he is vehemently 

opposed to a one-size-fits-all health care plan 

for the entire nation. “What we need is a free 

market, federalist approach to making quality, 

affordable health insurance available to every 

American,” he wrote in USA Today. “Each state 

should be allowed to pursue its own solution in 

this regard, instead of being dictated to by 

Washington.” He repeated the message at a 

campaign stop in Louisiana, which held its 

Republican primary yesterday, saying if elected 

he would “return to the states” the authority and 

responsibility to care for the uninsured. 

“The critics were right, and the advocates 

were wrong; Obamacare was massively more 

expensive than had been originally estimated,” 

he told supporters in Metairie, outside New 

Orleans. The Republican National Committee 

said in a statement that health care reform 

would cost a staggering $1.76 trillion, quoting 

the Congressional Budget Office. Romney cited 

the figures in his campaign address Friday, saying 

the estimated costs had nearly doubled. The 

Democratic National Committee accused him 

of tinkering with the figures, and quoted nonpartisan 

FactCheck.org as saying net cost of the 

coverage provisions is “expected to be somewhat 

lower than projected two years ago.” 

At a briefing, McConnell listed several of the 

law’s apparent failures, from the $500 billion he 

said the administration snatched from government-administered 

Medicare health care for the 

elderly in order to pay for the reform, to the failure 

to lower premiums or costs. “What we did 

was take a meat ax to the best health care system 

in the world when we should have used a 

scalpel,” McConnell said. “We’d like to undo this 

huge mistake at the earliest possible moment if 

the American people give us the support to do 

it.” 

Obama issued a statement Friday, saying 

“the law has made a difference for millions of 

Americans,” and citing how it has been able to 

keep 2.5 million additional young adults on 

their parents’ health plan and helped five million 

seniors save an average of $635 on prescription 

drug costs. The White House also 

issued a series of statements highlighting the 

law’s accomplishments. But the lack of major 

fanfare from the White House led Republicans 

to charge that the administration has nothing 

to celebrate. “I was a little surprised that there 

wasn’t a birthday cake there” to mark the 

anniversary, McConnell said. — AFP 

all about.” 

Raised in the Highlandtown area of 

east Baltimore by parents of Polish 

descent, Barbara Mikulski was taught by 

Catholic nuns, and eventually became a 

social worker for Catholic charities. 

When she heard that a 16-lane highway 

was going to be built through 

Baltimore’s historic Fells Point neighborhood, 

she turned to activism. Her work 

helped stop the highway project, and 

she was quickly elected to the city council. 

When she arrived in the Senate in 

early 1987, after a decade in the House 

of Representatives, she was one of just 

two women senators. “Women were so 

rare... I was greeted with a lot of skepticism,” 

she said. 

As the numbers ticked up, she began 

holding power workshops for women 

lawmakers, and never abandoned her 

mission to help bring more women into 

the intense and often bruising world of 

national politics. “Some women stare 

out the window waiting for Prince 

Charming,” she once said. “I stare out the 

window waiting for more women senators.” 

And more have come. Today there 

are 17 women senators; many of them 

see her as a powerful influence. “She’s a 

great strategist, a great mentor-a very 

very effective legislator,” Senator Maria 

Cantwell said recently. “She’s called the 

dean for a reason.” 

But she’s not ready to be considered 

SALT LAKE CITY: The state of Utah, long resentful 

that almost two thirds of its territory belongs 

to the US government, says the time has come 

to reclaim land it gave up more than a century 

ago in order to become a US state. Governor 

Gary Herbert, a Republican, signed into law on 

Friday a bill demanding that the federal government 

relinquish ownership of roughly 30 million 

acres of public land in Utah by 2015 or face 

a state lawsuit challenging its continued control 

of that property. 

Shrugging off warnings from state attorneys 

that the legislation, backed primarily by 

Republicans, is likely unconstitutional and 

could lead to a protracted but futile legal battle, 

Herbert called such a dispute “a fight worth 

having.” The measure, opposed by conservation 

groups, caps years of rising indignation in 

Utah’s conservative political establishment over 

the fact that about 65 percent of the Western 

state’s land mass is owned by various federal 

agencies, the bulk of it by the Interior 

Department’s Bureau of Land Management 

(BLM). 

Critics have complained that federal control 

WASHINGTON: Sen Barbara Mikulski, D-Md, (center) is seen before a 

Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. 

One by one, Republicans and Democrats recognized a singular achievement 

by a singular woman Mikulski, now the longest-serving female 

member of Congress. — AP 

a relic just yet. Mikulski still hustles 

around Capitol Hill, and sits on key committees 

including the Select Committee 

on Intelligence. And she can still intimidate 

the opposition. “Barbara is nothing 

if not both tough and resilient,” 

Republican Senate Minority Leader 

Mitch McConnell said at the tribute. 

Mikulski has announced no plans to 

over vast tracts of Utah’s territory has put too 

much land off-limits to commercial activities, 

such as energy development, limiting the 

state’s tax base for schools and other public 

services. “The director of BLM has more control 

over our state than the governor,” Herbert, a 

first-term Republican, said at a news conference 

following a bill-signing ceremony at the state 

capitol in Salt Lake City. “The federal government 

retaining control of two-thirds of our land 

mass was never in the bargain when we 

became a state, and it is indefensible 116 years 

later,” Herbert added in a statement issued by 

his office. 

Herbert and other supporters have focused 

especially on the potential for greater funding 

for education in Utah, which ranks near the bottom 

in per capita expenditures for public school 

students among the 50 US states. The new law 

calls on the federal government to transfer title 

to properties held by the BLM, US Forest Service 

and other agencies to a Utah public lands commission 

by Jan 1, 2015. The state’s five national 

parks, its military installations and some federal 

wilderness areas are exempt. 

leave politics. She is not up for re-election 

until 2016, and said she’ll continue 

focusing on the issues that brought her 

to Congress, including women’s rights. 

“One day soon, a woman will sit in the 

Oval Office of this great country,” 

Feinstein told her fellow senators. “And 

when she does, she will owe a great 

deal to Barbara Mikulski.” — AFP 


Utah urges Washington 

to return lands to state 

Federal government controls 65% of Utah land mass 

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama 

weighed into the controversial killing of a 

black teenager in Florida in very personal 

terms on Friday, comparing the boy to a son 

he doesn’t have and calling for American “soul 

searching” over how the incident occurred. 

Seventeen-year-old Trayvon Martin, dressed 

in a “hoodie” hooded sweatshirt, was shot 

dead a month ago in Sanford, Florida by a 28year-old 

white Hispanic neighborhood watch 

volunteer who said he was acting in selfdefense. 

“If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon,” 

Obama said in his first comments about the 

shooting, acknowledging the racial element 

in the case. “Obviously, this is a tragedy,” 

Obama told reporters. “I can only imagine 

what these parents are going through. And 

when I think about this boy, I think about my 

own kids.” The case has galvanized the nation 

and prompted rallies protesting the failure of 

police to arrest the shooter, George 

Zimmerman, and more broadly, a pattern of 

racial discrimination that black leaders cite in 

Sanford and elsewhere in the country. 

Obama, the first black US president, made 

his remarks at a White House event to 

announce his pick to lead the World Bank, 

waiting briefly after the announcement to 

take a reporter’s question about the incident. 

Martin’s parents thanked the president for his 

words. “The president’s personal comments 

touched us deeply and made us wonder: If his 

son looked like Trayvon and wore a hoodie, 

would he be suspicious too?” they said in a 

statement. Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law 

allows people to use deadly force in selfdefense. 

Similar laws are in effect in at least 24 

states including Florida, according to the 

Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. 

Calls are mounting to repeal them. Earlier this 

week, a Florida state senator said he was 

drafting new legislation to drastically change 

the law in Florida. A South Carolina state representative 

said on Friday he had introduced a 

bill to repeal his state’s law. 

RACIAL DIVIDES 

Bakari Sellers, a black Democrat and gun 

owner, said he wanted to prevent an incident 

like the Trayvon Martin shooting happening 

in his state. “I’m six-five and a black guy,” he 

said. “I just know that it could have been me.” 

Obama said the “Stand Your Ground” laws 

should be studied. “I think all of us have to do 

some soul-searching to figure out how does 

something like this happen. And that means 

that we examine the laws and the context for 

what happened, as well as the specifics of the 

incident,” he said. 

“Every parent in America should be able to 

understand why it is absolutely imperative 

that we investigate every aspect of this, and 

that everybody pulls together - federal, state 

and local - to figure out exactly how this 

tragedy happened.” Obama, the son of a white 

mother from Kansas and black father from 

Kenya, does not comment frequently on race, 

a sensitive topic in the United States, which 

still grapples with a legacy of slavery, segregation 

and discrimination. 

Early in his White House tenure, Obama 

inflamed another racially tinged incident by 

declaring police had “acted stupidly” when 

arresting a well-known black documentary 

But the measure would likely affect such 

sites as the Grand Staircase-Escalante 

National Monument, the Glen Canyon 

National Recreation Area and other national 

recreation sites and wildlife refuges, said 

Steve Bloch, conservation director for the 

Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. Debate 

over Utah’s federal holdings has flared several 

times since statehood was granted in 1896, 

but supporters of the newly enacted measure 

point to recent federal court decisions that 

they say bolster their case for reclaiming public 

lands. 

Their claims are based in part on an interpretation 

of Utah’s century-old enabling act under 

which they say Congress promised to return 

federal lands after statehood. Proponents argue 

that Congress reneged on that promise in a 

1970s statute that retained federal land ownership 

in Utah but pledged greater state control 

and access as an alternative. Foes of the measure 

say its supporters are misreading Utah’s 

founding documents and that there is no legal 

basis for the state to unilaterally claim ownership 

of federal lands. — Reuters 

Obama gets personal over 

killing of a black teenager 

‘Stand Your Ground’ laws under scrutiny 

FLORIDA: People assemble outside of City Hall in downtown St Louis to rally for justice for 

Trayvon Martin, a black teenager who was slain in the town of Sanford, Fla. — AP 

filmmaker, Henry Louis Gates, after an altercation 

at his home. Obama later invited Gates 

and the white police officer, Sergeant James 

Crowley, to the White House, where the men 

shared a drink in what became known as the 

“beer summit.” In Sanford, Norton Bonaparte 

Jr., the city’s manager, acknowledged tensions 

between the black community and police “go 

back many, many years.” 

“The trust that existed is gone, so we have 

to start from ground zero,” he said. Sanford’s 

police chief and a Florida state prosecutor 

overseeing the case stepped aside on Thursday 

as criticism grew over police handling of the 

investigation. The state’s new special prosecutor, 

Angela Corey, arrived in Sanford after Gov 

Rick Scott appointed her on Thursday night. 

“We appreciate that an investigation was 

already done. We are going to review what was 

done. We are going to continue to investigate 

and then we’ll proceed from there,” Bernie de la 

Rionda, an assistant state attorney with Corey’s 

team, told reporters outside the police department. 

— Reuters

INTERNATIONAL 

Australia uncovers Asia triad syndicate 

SYDNEY: An Australian investigation into moneylaundering 

and drug trafficking has uncovered a powerful 

triad syndicate with top Asian politicians and 

police involved, a report said yesterday. The four-year 

intelligence inquiry by the Australian Crime 

Commission describes a multi-billion-dollar international 

drug and money-laundering network that poses 

“a significant threat to the Australian community”. 

The Sydney Morning Herald said a briefing outlining 

the findings of Operation Dayu put senior Asian 

officials in the frame and exposed a triad-led global 

criminal entity known as the “grandfather syndicate”. It 

said intelligence was uncovered that the syndicate 

had infiltrated a high level of government “in both law 

enforcement agencies and political circles” in Asia, 

including China, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, 

Cambodia and Macau. 

“There are a number of other countries where this 

is suspected but not apparent to date,” the briefing, 

which has been supplied to overseas agencies, reportedly 

said. One example involved a “high-placed triad 

associate” of the grandfather syndicate “attending an 

Interpol conference in New York”. As part of its probe, 

the commission, an Australian government criminal 

intelligence and investigation agency, was authorized 

to send more than Aus$10 million (US$10.4 million) in 

North Korea’s rocket 

test: Why it matters 

SEOUL: North Korea may have the bomb, but it hasn’t 

perfected ways to put one onto a missile that could 

strike faraway enemies like the United States. This is why 

Pyongyang’s announcement that it will launch a satellite 

on a long-range rocket next month is drawing so much 

attention: Washington says North Korea uses these 

launches as cover for testing missile systems for nuclear 

weapons that could target Alaska and beyond. 

Although North Korea isn’t on the official agenda of 

next week’s Nuclear Security Summit in the South 

Korean capital, here’s a look at why the launch will be a 

major point of discussion when President Barack 

Obama and other world leaders gather in Seoul: 

THE HISTORY 

North Korea has spent decades trying to perfect a 

multistage, long-range rocket. Next month’s launch - set 

to happen around the April 15 centennial of the birth of 

founder Kim Il Sung - would be the fourth of its kind 

since 1998, when Pyongyang sent a long-range rocket 

hurtling over Japan. A 2006 test was considered a failure, 

but North Korea grabbed attention shortly after 

with its first nuclear test blast. The UN Security Council 

later banned North Korea from any further nuclear or 

ballistic missile testing. 

North Korea’s third launch, in 2009, was a partial success, 

with two of the three stages pushing the rocket 

over the Pacific. The third stage failed, and, despite 

North Korea’s claims of success, no satellite was put into 

orbit, the US North American Aerospace Defense 

Command said. That test was condemned by the UN 

Security Council. Pyongyang protested that it was testing 

satellite technology for peaceful purposes. It subsequently 

abandoned six-nation nuclear disarmament 

talks and, weeks later, carried out a second nuclear test. 

The next year saw violence blamed on North Korea that 

killed 50 South Koreans, including an attack on a warship 

and the North’s shelling of a front-line island. 

THE TECHNOLOGY 

Experts and governments will scrutinize next 

month’s launch of what the North’s state media call an 

Unha-3 rocket, presumably the next version of the 

Unha-2 rocket used in the 2009 test. Unha-2 represented 

a significant advancement over previous rockets, 

according to an analysis written by missile experts 

David Wright and Theodore Postol. It was roughly 100 

feet long and may have been designed around Soviet 

missile components, the writers said. 

Next month’s rocket is set to fire from a new site on 

the North’s west coast, according to GeoEye and Google 

Earth satellite imagery posted by Tim Brown, an analyst 

for GlobalSecurity.org. The Tongchang-ri site is about 35 

miles from the Chinese border city of Dandong, across 

the Yalu River from North Korea. Positioned only 45 

miles from the North’s main Yongbyon nuclear complex, 

it has better roads and facilities, and allows a southerly 

flight path that keeps the rocket from flying over other 

countries, according to Wright, technical researcher at 

the Union of Concerned Scientists. The new rocket will 

probably have better boosters and engines - and might 

even succeed in putting a satellite into space if it contains 

one, said Sohn Young-hwan, a South Korean rocket 

scientist who heads the privately funded Institute of 

Technology and Management Analysis in Seoul. 

North Korea may have loaded the rocket’s third stage 

with more fuel to increase capability, Wright said by 

email, part of improvements that “would translate to 

greater range if that technology was used to build a 

long-range ballistic missile.” North Korea says the launch 

is meant to contribute to “international trust and cooperation 

in the field of space scientific researches.” But 

because ballistic missiles and rockets in satellite launches 

“share the same bodies, engines, launch sites and 

other development processes, they are intricately 

linked,” said Mark Fitzpatrick, an analyst at the 

International Institute for Strategic Studies. 

THE HURDLES 

So far, Pyongyang can only deliver a nuclear bomb 

“by boat, by van or by airplane, not by missile,” according 

to scientist Siegfried Hecker of the Center for 

International Security and Cooperation at Stanford 

University. After half a century of persistence, North 

Korea is thought to have a fairly small nuclear arsenal. 

While it has enough plutonium for about four to eight 

“simple” bombs similar to what the US dropped on 

Nagasaki in 1945, Hecker estimates, it doesn’t yet 

appear to have the ability to make bombs small 

enough to mount on a missile. Miniaturized warheads 

would require more nuclear tests, and Hecker warns 

that if North Korea breaks its nuclear test moratorium, 

“it will almost certainly be a test of a miniaturized 

design.” 

THE DIPLOMACY 

Governments and experts are worried that a new 

rocket launch will spur a chain of events that will mirror 

2009, resulting in a breakdown of diplomacy, another 

nuclear test and soaring tensions, threats and bloodshed. 

The United States has warned the launch would 

jeopardize a diplomatic deal settled last month that 

would ship US food aid to the impoverished North in 

exchange for a moratorium on missile and nuclear tests, 

as well as a suspension of nuclear work at Yongbyon. 

“This (the launch) is an extremely bad idea that would 

have consequences,” State Department spokeswoman 

Victoria Nuland said Friday. US officials will be pushing 

China to pressure its ally Pyongyang, and President 

Barack Obama is expected to raise the issue during a 

key meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao on the 

nuclear summit’s sidelines. There could also be meetings 

among the US and its Asian allies Japan and South 

Korea. 

An unidentified North Korean Foreign Ministry 

spokesman said Friday that his country “remains 

unchanged in its stand to sincerely implement” the 

nuclear deal, but warned in a statement carried by the 

official Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA, that “any 

sinister attempt to deprive” the North of its rights will 

lead to unspecified “countermeasures.” KCNA said 

Saturday that North Korea would convene its rubberstamp 

parliament on April 13, a meeting that could 

coincide with the rocket launch. North Korea is also 

planning a special conference of its ruling Workers’ Party 

in mid-April. Hecker said a rocket launch “makes a mockery” 

of the US-North Korea nuclear deal. “You use the 

same technology in long-range rockets that you do in 

long-range missiles,” he said. “The only difference is 

what you put on top.”— AP 

suspected drug funds offshore in an attempt to identify 

crime bosses. 

Run in partnership with the Australian federal 

police and Australia’s anti-money-laundering agency 

Austrac, it seized drugs worth an estimated $780 million. 

The Australian Crime Commission could not be 

reached Saturday for comment but the Herald said 

the briefing showed the syndicate was responsible for 

at least Aus$1.2 billion worth of drug imports to 

Australia annually. “The pooling of resources of the 

main triad groups has allowed them to merge their 

contacts, assets and holdings, creating a well-established 

network of contacts across many governments 

LONGMONT: At least two people were 

killed after crashes of two singleengine 

planes that may have collided 

Friday while in the air north of Denver, 

authorities said Friday. One person survived. 

The wrecked planes were found 

six miles apart near the city of 

Longmont, police Cmdr Tim Lewis said. 

The crashes were being investigated as 

a possible midair collision, Federal 

Aviation Administration spokesman 

Mike Fergus said. A Cessna 180 went 

down near a small airport in the city, 

while a Cessna 172 crashed about a 

half-mile from a Walmart southeast of 

Longmont, close to two homes, police 

said. “We were very fortunate neither 

home appeared to be in danger,” police 

Cmdr Jeff Satur said. 

Two people died in the plane that 

crashed near the Walmart, said Gracie 

Marquez, deputy coroner for Weld 

County. Satur said the occupants 

appeared to be male and were 

believed to be an instructor pilot and a 

student who had taken off from Rocky 

Mountain Regional Airport near 

Broomfield, 16 miles away. Dustin 

Nelson, who was working nearby for 

an oilfield services company, said he 

and others rushed to the scene. 

“By the time we got there, there was 

just nothing we could do,” said Nelson, 

25, of Longmont. “Everything was 

crumpled into each other. It just looked 

like a smashed beer can ... The tail end 

is literally in the nose of the plane.” Kim 

R Johnson, who was in a parking lot off 

County Road 1, said the Cessna 172 

appeared to have damage to one 

wing. He said it crashed with a thud. “I 

was expecting an explosion, and it was 

just a big thud,” he said. He said the 

other plane banked, circled the crash 

site then headed west. 

Lewis said the pilot of the other 

plane crashed about 1,000 yards from 

the Vance Brand Airport runway after 

clipping four overhead power lines, 

causing about 132 customers to temporarily 

lose power. “It actually probably 

saved her because those lines 

reduced the impact into the ground,” 

Lewis said. “The pilot did an excellent 

job of clearing the roadway and avoiding 

people who were picnicking and 

watching airport operations.” Passersby 

pulled the pilot from the plane, 

which was leaking fuel. The pilot complained 

of back injuries but was able to 

tell a fire lieutenant at the scene how 

as well as legitimate business and company structures,” 

the briefing said. 

The syndicate reportedly has “three main heads 

based in Southeast Asia and at least 22 other primary 

seats (bosses)” around the globe. It pours billions of 

dollars into “high-profile Internet gambling facilities, 

Asian hotel chains and resorts, commercial construction 

companies, property companies in Hong Kong 

and Vietnam (and) casinos”. To move money, the syndicate 

uses “highly-placed government officials, banking 

staff ... (to) undercut any other overt or covert 

money transfer facility”, the Herald cited the briefing 

as saying. — AFP 

to turn off the fuel pump, Lewis said. 

The plane was registered to a Beverly 

Cameron, of Erie. A patient with that 

name was listed in good condition at 

Longmont United Hospital Friday afternoon, 

hospital spokeswoman Karen 

Logan said. 

The survivor has been released from 

a hospital, police said. Satur said her 

plane had taken off from the airport 

near the site where it crashed. 

Firefighters sprayed the wreckage with 

foam and built a berm around it to 

contain leaking fuel. The engine separated 

from the plane on impact. One 

wing was crumpled and the tail was 

bent. Don Poncelow had just landed at 

the Longmont airport after a training 

flight with an instructor pilot when he 

saw a plane coming in low. “I looked up 

and I could tell she was having trouble. 

She wasn’t out of control, but she wasn’t 

in control, either,” Poncelow said. 

“Something was just not right. She was 

having trouble keeping her wings level.” 

He said that after the plane clipped 

the power lines, it skidded across a 

road and crashed into a fence. 

Poncelow said his 

instructor waded 

across a drainage 


2 killed as 2 

planes crash 

‘A possible midair collision’ 

ditch to get to the wreckage and help 

the pilot. Carissa Muilenburg of Mile 

High Skydiving Center at the airport 

said one of their planes was landing 

around the time of the crash after ferrying 

skydivers to a drop. She said the 

skydiving pilot reported that there was 

a mayday call because of the incoming 

plane and he had to quickly get off the 

runway after landing. 

LONGMONT: The wreckage of a small plane is pictured on a county road near 

Longmont, Colo, after two planes apparently collided and crashed on Friday, 

March 23, 2012. — AP 

Near the Walmart, Tom Ruddick was 

on a ladder painting oilfield equipment 

when he saw two planes that 

appeared to be about 300 yards apart 

and heading toward each other. 

Nelson, who was working with 

Ruddick, was in his truck and heard 

what sounded like two backfires in the 

sky. “It was a pop and about two seconds 

later, it was another pop,” he said. 

Then he heard the engine rev up. “I 

seen that plane just nosedive straight 

to the ground just behind that house,” 

Nelson said. Ruddick had looked away 

from the planes but said he heard and 

felt what he believes was the shock 

wave from one plane crashing into the 

ground. “It almost knocked me off my 

ladder,” Ruddick said.— AP

HAVANA: A flurry of house-painting and road-paving 

has spun into full tilt as the only Communist capital in 

the Americas puts on its Sunday best to welcome 

Pope Benedict XVI to Cuba this week. “Welcome to 

Cuba, Worshiper of Charity,” read hundreds of signs 

around the capital, which is almost 500 years old and 

INTERNATIONAL 

Havana gets gussied up for pope 

fabled for its crumbling Spanish colonial-era architecture 

as well as frozen-in-time 1950s cars and homes. 

Signs have been put up on buildings, roadsides, 

churches and even trees, to greet the pontiff, including 

an official one in which the smiling pope, 84, 

appears as if he is giving a blessing, alongside an 

HAVANA: Faithful pray during a procession inside a church in Havana, Cuba yesterday. — AP 

Pontiff attacks ‘evil of drugs, 

idolatry of money’ in Mexico 

Rising evangelical challenge in Catholic stronghold 

LEON: Pope Benedict arrived in Mexico on Friday 

promising to “unmask the evil” of drug trafficking 

in a country ravaged by gang violence that has 

killed 50,000 people in the past five years. The 

pope began his three-day visit to the world’s second-most 

populous Catholic state in the central 

city of Leon, where he received one of the most 

exuberant welcomes of any of his foreign trips. 

Tens of thousands of people, 20 deep in some 

places, lined the streets on his 22-mile drive 

through the city. 

He touched down in Mexico after making 

strong statements aboard his papal plane about 

the country’s spiraling drug war. “We must do 

whatever is possible to combat this destructive 

evil against humanity and our youth,” he told 

reporters, referring to the violent conflict 

between rival drug cartels and the state that has 

killed 50,000 people since 2007. “It is the responsibility 

of the Church to educate consciences, to 

teach moral responsibility and to unmask the evil, 

to unmask this idolatry of money which enslaves 

man, to unmask the false promises, the lies, the 

fraud that is behind drugs,” the pope added. 

Raising his arms aloft as he exited the plane, 

Benedict descended the stairs slowly, holding the 

handrail. He was greeted by President Felipe 

Calderon and a group of children while crowds 

cheered and waved Vatican flags. Addressing the 

masses gathered at the airport in a steady, measured 

tone, the pope, speaking in Spanish, said he 

had come as a “pilgrim of faith, of hope, and of 

love.” “I will pray especially for those in need, particularly 

those who suffer because of old and new 

rivalries, resentments and all forms of violence,” 

said Benedict, adding that he hoped his message 

would also reach Mexicans outside of their 

homeland. 

The bloodshed across Mexico was in the mind 

of many waiting to see Benedict in the city, a 

Roman Catholic stronghold that has avoided the 

worst of the brutal turf wars. Throngs of Catholics 

dressed in white t-shirts and caps threw yellow 

and white confetti, having waited since early 

morning to see the pope pass. Many of them 

were young people let out of school for the day. 

Several stood in front of a large banner that read 

“Pope, pray that the violence ends, pray that 

peace returns.” “Violence is the country’s biggest 

GUANAJUATO: Pope Benedict XVI (center) waves beside Mexican President Felipe Calderon 

and Mexican first lady Margarita Zavala upon his arrival at Silao’s international airport in 

Guanajuato, on March 23, 2012. — AFP 

priority. There are some places where you can’t 

even set foot outside it’s so dangerous,” said 16year-old 

Martin Zamora who hung the sign with 

his Catholic youth group. 

“Many young people have decided to join up 

with organized crime instead of fighting it. That’s 

what the pope is coming here for, to help save 

young people.” Benedict, who turns 85 next 

month, will rest for 24 hours to recover from jet 

lag. His main message will be delivered on 

Sunday at a massive outdoor service that hundreds 

of thousands of people are expected to 

attend. The pope’s strong words on the drug 

menace should offer comfort to Calderon, who 

has staked his reputation on beating down the 

Karzai urges more 

education of girls 

KABUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai 

called yesterday on tribal and religious 

leaders to encourage the education of 

girls, a right which was denied to them 

under Taleban rule. Afghanistan’s leader, 

speaking at a ceremony marking the 

start of the country’s school year, also 

urged insurgent groups not to attack 

teachers and school children, saying that 

the country could only develop through 

the spread of education. “Most importantly, 

I call on the religious scholars and 

tribal elders who are present today in the 

ceremony to encourage the education of 

girls, Karzai said. “To encourage children 

towards education particularly the education 

of girls is vital and important.” 

Under Taleban rule between 1996 

and 2001 women were banned from 

education and work, and even from leaving 

their homes unaccompanied. Karzai 

said: “I call on the insurgent groups particularly 

the Taleban as I called on them 

over the past 10 years, not to stop children 

from education. “The prevention of 

children from education is enmity with 

the people of Afghanistan. “I will call on 

the insurgents not to attack teachers, 

religious scholars, schoolgoing children.” 

“We are still among the least developed 

countries and undoubtedly we 

can develop only through education.” 

He said the prevention of education 

would keep Afghanistan in a “miserable 

condition”. 

In 2002 only one million Afghan children 

were enrolled in school while in 

2010 30 percent of teachers in 

Afghanistan were women. Ghulam 

Farooq Warak, the minister for education, 

said: “We have 8.4 million schoolgoing 

children in Afghanistan and 39% of 

them are girls.” He added that 9.5 million 

children were still being deprived of 

education in the country. Afghanistan 

has had only rare moments of peace 

over the past 30 years, its education system 

being undermined by the Soviet 

invasion of 1979, a civil war in the 1990s 

and five years of Taleban rule. — AFP 

image of Our Lady of Charity, Cuba’s patroness. “They 

are fixing (potholed) streets, painting some building 

facades, there is a lot of cleaning going on, a lot of 

organization,” said Consuelo San Martin, a 74-year-old 

retired nurse who now works as a doorwoman at 

Sacred Heart church. 

This year marks the 400th anniversary of the 

patroness, a big occasion for the local Roman 

Catholics that Benedict is coming to celebrate. “We 

have really high hopes. This visit is a gift from God,” 

said an emotional Hilda Rodriguez, a deeply religious 

Catholic who was praying at Our Lady of Charity 

church in the municipality of Centro Habana. Cuba’s 

Roman Catholics account for about 10 percent of the 

population of 11 million, after 40 years of official 

athiesm ended in the 1990s. Evangelical Protestants 

are making inroads here as elsewhere, but most 

Cubans identify most with AfroCuban belief systems, 

such as Santeria and Palo Monte. 

Jose Salas, 70, is a Santeria believer, a former merchant 

marine who wears a typical necklace with red 

and white painted seeds, a reference to the diety 

Chango. And he thinks it is a great thing the pope is 

coming in tough economic times. “The Holy Father is 

bringing us peace, love and unity,” he said. Workers 

racing against the clock have pieced together the 

huge altar where Pope Benedict is to say mass in 

sprawling Revolution Square. It has been the venue 

cartels. The government’s inability to stem the 

violence has eroded support for his conservative 

National Action Party (PAN), which has strong 

Catholic roots and faces an uphill struggle to 

retain the presidency in elections in July. 

Calderon hailed Benedict’s arrival, saying it 

was of great significance at a time of “many hardships” 

for Mexico. 

“Mexico has suffered, as your Holiness knows 

well, the ruthless and cruel violence of organized 

crime,” Calderon said in his welcome speech, 

which was followed by a performance of traditional 

folk dancers and mariachi musicians. A survey 

by polling firm GCE published in the Milenio 

newspaper on Friday showed 72 percent of 

respondents wanted the pope to speak out on 

the security situation in Mexico. 

ABUSE SCANDALS 

Benedict, who also travels to Cuba next week, 

hopes to rally the faithful in Mexico, where more 

and more people are being lured to evangelical 

Protestant churches. The German pope faces a 

challenge generating the same kind of fervor as 

his charismatic Polish predecessor, Pope John 

Paul II, who was beloved in Latin America and 

drew pulsating crowds when he criss-crossed the 

region during his 27-year papacy. Highlighting 

the growing religious divisions in Mexico, a large 

Protestant church in Leon held a service with 

hundreds of worshippers on Thursday, prominently 

displaying a sign that read “We are not 

Roman Catholics.” The Vatican has been stung by 

accusations of child abuse by priests in parishes 

around the world - including revelations about 

Mexican religious leader Marcial Maciel, who 

founded a prominent Catholic order, the 

Legionaries of Christ. 

Maciel, who died in 2008 at the age of 87, was 

disgraced by allegations of sexual abuse and 

drug addiction. During the pope’s visit, religious 

scholar Bernardo Barranco will present a new 

book by ex-Legionaries with scores of leaked 

Vatican documents the authors say prove the 

Holy See knew about Maciel’s molestation of 

young boys and morphine use for decades. “The 

enthusiasm (about the pope’s visit) felt in Leon, is 

not the same in the rest of the country. The abuses 

by Father Maciel have cast a shadow,” Barranco 

said in an interview. 

Benedict has apologized for priest abuse in 

the past but has no plans to meet Mexican victims. 

“There is so much suffering in Mexico that to 

narrowly focus on just one issue would be 

extreme,” said Father Jorge Martinez, an official 

from Mexico’s Episcopal Conference, when asked 

if the pope would address questions about 

Maciel’s legacy. The pope heads to Cuba tomorrow 

in a visit meant to bolster the position of the 

Church there and help the communist island 

move towards democracy.. Communism, he said 

on Friday, no longer works in Cuba. — Reuters 

RIO DE JANEIRO: Organized crime gangs in Rio 

suffered a major blow recently when police 

arrested the bosses of a popular illegal lottery 

which has allegedly become a smokescreen for 

money-laundering. Known as Jogo do bicho-or 

the animal game-the gambling game was 

invented in 1892 by Joao Batista Viana 

Drummond, the founder and owner of the Rio 

zoo, as a way of raising funds when the zoo ran 

into financial trouble. Very popular across the 

country particularly in Rio, the game is now a lottery-type 

drawing and since the 1990s has been 

run on a regional basis by mobsters. Each of 25 

different animals is assigned a sequence of four 

consecutive numbers, on which you can bet any 

amount of money, even a cent. 

And although it’s not official, it has been tolerated, 

with the organizers of the games building 

up fortunes and becoming the main sponsors of 

the samba schools which drive the annual carnival. 

Today however the illegal lottery serves as a 

smokescreen for other criminal activities, including 

drug trafficking, arms, militias, according to 

police. And earlier this month a judge sentenced 

the three oldest leaders of Jogo do bicho and 21 

other associates to stiff jail terms for membership 

of an armed gang, money laundering, contraband 

and corruption. 

Those sentenced included Aniz Abrao David, 

SAN FRANCISCO: A woman living near the 

US base of a soldier accused of killing 17 

Afghan civilians remembered him on Friday 

as an “obnoxious drunk” who pressed her 

hand into his crotch and picked a fight with 

her boyfriend. Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, 

38, was charged on Friday with murdering 17 

civilians and trying to kill six more on the 

night of March 11 near his army base in 

Afghanistan. His lawyer has admitted that 

Bales had had something to drink on that 

night but played it down as a factor. 

Washington state police reports show that 

Bales had three brushes with the law over the 

last decade, all of which mention alcohol. The 

first was in 2002 and the last two were in 

2008, in between his second and third tours 

in Iraq. He went to war a fourth time in 

December, to Afghanistan. “He was an obnoxious 

drunk,” Myra Jo Irish said by telephone 

on Friday, describing the night of April 5, 

2008, at the Paradise Village Bowl bowling 

alley in Tacoma, near Bales’ US base, Lewis- 

McChord, in Washington state. 

She made a report to police that night but 

never pressed charges. She said Bales followed 

her outside when she went for a 

smoke. “He said ‘you are beautiful’ and 

grabbed my hand and put it on his crotch,” 

she said. Her boyfriend asked for an apology, 

she remembered. “Next thing I knew, he had 

my boyfriend on the ground and started wailing 

on him,” she said. “His friends told me, 

‘please don’t report this, cause he’s married, 

he’s drunk, and he’s in the service, and that 

would just devastate his life.’” 

Bales received several military commendations 

during three tours in Iraq, where he was 

wounded at least twice. Since his name was 

for countless mass rallies over almost five decades by 

the Communist government led until 2006 by Fidel 

Castro. 

The altar was placed at the foot of the towering 

Jose Marti monument, which honors Cuba’s most 

important independence-era hero. And the pope, 

after meeting here with President Raul Castro, will 

look straight out at towering images of revolutionary 

icons Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos plastered 

on government ministries. The late Pope John Paul II 

said mass in the same Revolution Square in 1998 on 

the first papal visit to Cuba, ushering in smoother ties 

after decades of tensions between the Catholic 

church and Cuban state. 

Now the Roman Catholic church, despite its nonmajority 

status locally, has evolved into the most influential 

non-state actor in Cuba, where the government 

controls the media and economy. It has mediated in 

events as sensitive as prisoner releases. Among the 

popular preparations-workers paved the heavily used 

Rancho Boyeros Avenue that leads to Jose Marti 

International Airport, and other streets on which the 

bullet-proof, pearly white Popemobile will roll by. 

Even the Vatican nunciature was being gussied up as 

late as this week. But unlike at the time of John Paul 

II’s visit, Havana has not been supplied with much in 

the way of commemorative trinkets like T-shirts, pens 

or busts of the pontiff. — AFP 


KABUL: Afghan security forces stand guard outside a home where witnesses say 

Afghans were killed by a US soldier in Panjwai, Kandahar province south of Kabul, 

Afghanistan. — AP 

Afghan shooting suspect 

was ‘obnoxious drunk’ 

Reports show 3 alcohol-related incidents 

the 75-year-old boss of the famous Beija-Flor 

samba school, Ailton Guimaraes Jorge, the 70year-old 

former chief of the League of samba 

schools (Liesa) and Antonio Petrus Kalil known as 

Turcao, the 83-year ex-leader of the Estacio de Sa 

samba school. Each of them were given a 48-year 

jail term and fined nearly five million euros. But 

experts say defeating the syndicates will take 

more-including amending the penal code and 

cutting the game’s financial arm. 

The sentences came 19 years after another 

judge, Denise Frossard, sentenced 14 Jogo do 

bicho chiefs to jail for the first time. The accused 

were nailed on tax evasion charges, as other 

charges could not be proven. “Some 19 years ago 

when I sentenced them, I had warned that we 

needed to hit without delay the heart of the 

organization which thrives on corruption, their 

financial arm, their money,” the 61-year-old 

Frossard said. “Today, we have laws on money 

laundering which did not exist at the time. It’s 

the only way of hitting the organization because 

even in prison, they continue to give orders,” she 

added. “We must end what we began 19 years 

ago. This will make it possible to clean up within 

the police and the judiciary.” 

And while Rio public security secretary Jose 

Mariano Beltrame hailed the recent sentences as 

“exemplary” he also called for changes in the 

released a week ago, evidence of financial 

trouble at home, a $1.5 million fraud judgment 

against him and a brokerage where he 

worked, and the police reports have created a 

complex picture of the man. His lawyer, John 

Henry Browne, did not respond to a request 

for comment. Mark Lindquist, the prosecutor 

for Washington’s Pierce County, said his office 

did not press charges over the bowling alley 

brawl, because there was alcohol involved on 

all sides, it was a ‘mutual scuffle’ and there 

were no injuries. 

Irish said on Friday that she and her 

boyfriend were not drunk, contradicting the 

police description in the 2008 report. 

According to the police record, later in 2008, 

Bales flipped over his Ford Mustang after driving 

off the road and hitting a tree. One witness 

told police the driver smelled of alcohol. 

Bales ran into the woods when deputies 

approached him. He later told an officer he 

had fallen asleep at the wheel and been “out 

of it” after the trauma of the accident. The 

Tacoma News Tribune newspaper said he 

received a deferred 12-month sentence. 

The first police incident was in 2002, the 

year before his first combat tour. He was 

charged with assault after becoming intoxicated 

at a local casino, according to a police 

report. Bales threatened another patron and 

then security guards escorted him outside 

and put him into a cab, the report describes 

the guards as saying. But Bales got back 

out, picked up a trash can lid and came at 

the guards, punching one in the chest 

before they tackled him. Bales agreed to 

take anger-management classes, the 

Tacoma News has said, and the charges 

were dismissed.— Reuters 

Police crack down on Rio’s illegal gambling 

penal code. “This helps our fight against all types 

of criminal organizations, drug trafficking, militias, 

(Jogo do) bicho,” he said, but warned the lottery 

should no longer be seen as a minor offense 

so “the accused can be kept in jail.” The new sentences 

were the result of operation “Hurricane” 

launched by police in 2007 against gambling 

bosses. 

The gang bosses have been fighting a vicious 

turf war which climaxed in April 2010 with a 

grenade attack against one of them on one of 

the city’s main avenues in a Rio Residential district. 

“Jogo do bicho finances other crimes such as 

arms and drug trafficking, slot machines and it’s 

a key factor for corruption as crime bosses buy 

off police and lawyers,” said lawmaker Marcelo 

Freixo, president of a parliamentary panel which 

investigated the militias in 2008. “In Brazil, whoever 

has money does not stay in jail. There are 

always legal recourses if you have a good lawyer,” 

he added, deploring “the lack of political will in 

parliament to change the law.” “A bill imposing 

sanctions on the militias (who include corrupt 

police and firemen) has been languishing in parliament 

since 2009 and for Jogo do bicho, there’s 

still nothing,” Freixo said. But he said a nascent 

debate on legalizing the gambling game could 

be an alternative. —AFP

Continued from Page 1 



‘Utter regret’ following... 


A robin pulls a worm from the ground on 

a rainy Friday afternoon in a grassy area 

just north of Zoo Beach in Racine, 

Wisconsin. — AP 

US still fixated by nuke terror 

Studies. “It is pretty shocking how much 

material is out there. 1440 tonnes of highly 

enriched uranium, 500 tonnes of separated 

plutonium (which is) weapons ready.” Between 

15 to 50 kg of uranium enriched to 90 percent 

could make a simple nuclear bomb, while 6 kg 

of plutonium would be needed, according to 

the Union of Concerned Scientists. 

Obama’s globetrotting has been pared back 

to a minimum in election year, but his willingness 

to fly half way around the world to Seoul 

points to the severity of the nuclear threat. 

“You have dozens of nations coming together 

behind the shared goal of securing nuclear 

materials around the world, so that they can 

never fall into the hands of terrorists,” said Ben 

Rhodes, a deputy national security advisor. 

Failure, he said, would result in “frankly, ... the 

gravest national security threat that the 

American people could face.” 

Efforts to secure radiological material, in 

militaries, laboratories or medical establishments 

are at the center of the broad US agen- 

da with states as diverse as Russia, China, 

Chile, South Africa, the Ukraine and even ally 

Canada. The issue shapes foreign policy - luring 

Obama into dialogue with leaders like 

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, 

despite his poor State Department report card 

over abuses of political, judicial and press freedoms. 

Nazarbayev has earned a meeting with 

Obama after his cooperation to help secure 

highly enriched uranium and plutonium with 

the help of millions of dollars in US taxpayer 

money. 

Analysts say the Obama-led effort to 

secure nuclear stocks has made progress 

since the Washington summit - though there 

is still some way to go. “I think America is 

absolutely safer now than it was three years 

ago,” said Kingston Reif of the Center for Arms 

Control and Non Proliferation. “Seven countries 

have removed all their highly enriched 

uranium. That is material that is no longer 

capable of being used by terrorists in some 

kind of nuclear explosive device.” 

While America works to secure radioactive 

stockpiles in the former Soviet Union and 

Tear gas kills two Bahrainis 

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Tuesday criticised 

Bahraini forces for their “disproportionate use of force” as they sought to 

quell protests, saying their use of tear gas may have led to over 30 deaths. 

“We have been receiving worrying reports of the disproportionate use of 

force by Bahraini security forces, including the excessive use of tear gas, 

the use of birdshot pellets and rubber bullets,” said spokesman Rupert 

Colville. According to an independent probe, 35 people were killed in the 

unrest between mid-February and mid-March 2011. — AFP 

Bishops slam fatwa against... 

interfaith dialogue, demanded an official explanation from Riyadh. 

“How could the grand mufti issue a fatwa of such importance behind the 

back of his king?” they asked. “We see a contradiction between the dialogue 

being practiced, the efforts of the king and those of his top mufti.” 

In Moscow, Archbishop Mark told the Interfax news agency he hoped 

that Saudi Arabia’s neighbours “will be surprised by the calls made by this 

sheikh and ignore them”. The Catholic Church has urged Muslim states in 

recent years to give Christian minorities in their countries the same freedom 

of religion that Muslims enjoy in Western countries. There are few 

Orthodox Christians in the Gulf region, but the Moscow Patriarchate - 

which was mostly silent during the decades of Soviet communism that 

ended in 1991 - has become increasingly vocal in defending the rights of 

Christians around the world. Bishop Paul Hinder, who oversees Catholic 

churches in the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Yemen, told Catholic 

news agency KNA that the fatwa had not been widely publicised in Saudi 

Arabia. “What is worrying is that such statements have influence in part of 

the population,” he said. — Reuters 

Mohammad, a student at Kuwait University, said that the incident 

was taken far too seriously, “It was clearly a mistake. Had they done it 

on purpose with the intention of being disrespectful, it would be a different 

issue, but it clearly wasn’t and they apologized for the mistake. 

It was more funny than anything else.” 

Kazakh Foreign Ministry spokesman Ilyas Omarov told the ITAR-Tass 

news agency the incident “is, of course, a scandal and demands a thorough 

investigation, which we intend to conduct”. ITAR-Tass quoted 

shooting team member Oksana Stavitskaya as saying that Asian 

Shooting Federation President Sheikh Salman Al-Sabah had apologized 

to the team. “Sheikh Salman personally apologized to us. He recognized 

that the use of the music from the scandalous film in place of 

the anthem of Kazakhstan was completely a mistake of the organizers. 

He explained that the awards ceremony was conducted by a firm 

under contract,” Stavitskaya said. The Kazakh news agency Tengri quoted 

team Coach Anvar Yunusmetov as saying tournament organizers 

had downloaded various countries’ national anthems from the 

Internet, and had also got the Serbian national anthem wrong. 


NEWS 

elsewhere, senior US officials also worry that a 

state like Iran or North Korea could pass 

nuclear materials to a radical group. Obama 

deploys one argument against Iran that is 

strikingly similar to one used by his predecessor 

George W Bush to justify the 2003 invasion 

of Iraq, on the basis of Saddam Hussein’s never 

found weapons of mass destruction. “There 

are risks that an Iranian nuclear weapon could 

fall into the hands of a terrorist organization,” 

he told the US-Israel lobby AIPAC recently. 

The showdowns with Iran and North Korea 

challenge the case that Obama’s nuclear 

agenda, rolled out in a soaring speech in 

Prague in 2009 is a success. But experts say, 

Obama has made some real progress, with 80 

percent of commitments made at the 

Washington summit fulfilled. He honored a 

vow to forge a new START treaty with Russia 

to reduce Cold War nuclear arsenals but is still 

trying to persuade the Senate to ratify the 

Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Slow headway 

is being made meanwhile towards an 

updated Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty 

(NPT). — AFP 

Syria rebel hubs hit as... 

“Damascus, here we come”. YouTube videos showed a huge nighttime 

demonstration in the Kfar Sousa district and others in several 

parts of Syria’s second city Aleppo in the north. The deadly uprising 

that has gripped Syria for more than a year has largely spared 

Damascus, but in recent weeks violence has also rocked the capital. 

The clashes in Damascus province were “very violent” with explosions 

heard across the region and in the city itself, opposition activist 

Mohammed Al-Shami told AFP. He reported explosions and small 

arms fire across a large part of Damascus province and in districts of 

the city itself, as anti-regime protests were staged in Douma and 

Artuz close to the capital. 

Security forces also shot dead a civilian in southern Daraa 

province, where the revolt against President Bashar Al-Assad’s 

regime first erupted in March 2011, said the Observatory. Monitors 

estimate that at least 9,100 people have been killed in Syria over the 

past year in violence the regime blames on “armed terrorist groups”. 

Syria’s fragmented opposition, meanwhile, announced a two-day 

meeting from tomorrow in Istanbul to define their objectives ahead 

of an April 1 conference of the “Friends of Syria” group there. The talks 

aim to produce a “National Pact for a New Syria,” said main opposition 

umbrella group the Syrian National Council, adding that the key 

objectives are to rid the country of the “regime’s dictatorship.” 

Despite regime pledges of democratic reform, two activists 

appeared in court yesterday accused of forming a secret organisation. 

“The security forces brought Bahraa Abdel Nabi Hijazi and Anas 

Abdel Salam before the judges for forming a secret organisation and 

participating in protests hostile to the regime,” human rights lawyer 

Michel Shammas told AFP. Amnesty International says thousands of 

regime opponents have been arrested over the past year, and that 

many were believed to have been tortured or otherwise ill-treated. 

UN-Arab League envoy Annan arrived in Moscow to shore up vital 

backing from President Dmitry Medvedev and Foreign Minister 

Sergei Lavrov amid signs of waning Moscow support for its Arab ally. 

Annan will meet Russian officials today before visiting China on 

Tuesday and Wednesday. Both countries have twice vetoed UN 

Security Council resolutions aimed at condemning Assad. Annan is 

carrying with him Assad’s answer to a peace plan under which Syria 

could begin a “political transition” to a representative government, 

with no specifically defined role for the Syrian leader. 

His visit comes days after Moscow backed a non-binding Security 

Council statement in support of the initiative after making sure it 

contained no implicit threat of further action should Assad fail to 

comply. There are growing signs that Moscow is beginning to lose 

patience with Assad, despite his commitment to massive new 

Russian arms purchases and the granting of key naval access to the 

Mediterranean. A top Kremlin-linked lawmaker said Assad should 

treat the UN statement as “an insistent recommendation” whose 

implementation would determine the future course of relations 

between the two countries. “Assad has to take the first step: he must 

pull the Syrian army out of large cities,” the lower house of parliament’s 

foreign affairs chief Mikhail Margelov said on Thursday. 

Russia sells billions of dollars in arms to Syria and analysts warn 

that Russian interests in Syria are too important for it to allow 

Western and regional powers to independently dictate the battlescarred 

nation’s fate. The European Union on Friday slapped an assets 

freeze and travel ban on women in the Assad clan, notably his 

Britain-born wife Asma. “We are gratified that the EU has taken yet 

another step in tightening the noose on the Assad regime,” US State 

Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said. — AFP 

SUNDAY, MARCH 25, 2012

THE LEADING INDEPENDENT 

DAILY IN THE ARABIAN GULF 

ESTABLISHED 1961 

Founder and Publisher 

YOUSUF S. AL-ALYAN 

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ABD AL-RAHMAN AL-ALYAN 

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T he 

America’s Wild 

West gun laws 

Issues 

By Bernd Debusmann 

killing of a black teenager by a self-appointed vigilante 

in Florida has trained a spotlight on gun laws reminiscent 

of the Wild West in 24 US states. Despite widespread 

outrage over the Florida case, gun-friendly senators 

in Washington want to make it easier to extend those laws to 

most of the country. That would set the United States, where 

there are more firearms in private hands than in any other 

country, even farther apart from the rest of the industrialized 

world as far as guns are concerned. And it would mark yet 

another success for the National Rifle Association (NRA) in its 

long campaign against gun controls. 

Before getting into the details of the planned legislation, 

a brief recapitulation of what happened in the Orlando suburb 

of Sanford on Feb 26: Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old high 

school student, walked to a family member’s home at night 

when George Zimmerman, a self-appointed “neighborhood 

watch captain” spotted him, deemed the teenager suspicious, 

pursued him and shot him dead with a 9 mm pistol 

after what he told police was an altercation that made him 

fear for his life. 

Police questioned Zimmerman, a white Hispanic, accepted 

his account of the incident, and let him go, following the 

letter or a 2005 Florida state law that allows citizens to use 

deadly force if they “reasonably believe” they face harm. 

Unlike previous such cases, the teenager’s killing caught 

national attention, largely because social media served as a 

vehicle to carry charges of racism and unequal justice to a 

huge audience. 

On March 8, Martin’s parents posted a “petition to prosecute 

the killer of our son” on the website change.org. By 

March 23, after thousands of demonstrators in New York, 

Miami and Sanford demanded Zimmerman’s arrest, the parents’ 

petition had gathered close to 1.5 million signatures. 

Sanford’s police chief, Bill Lee, stepped down “temporarily” to 

let tempers cool, as he put it. In Washington, the 

Congressional Black Caucus, an informal group of African- 

American legislators, termed the teenager’s death a “hate 

crime”. One might be tempted to think that the wave of 

indignation, steadily gathering momentum since Feb 26, 

might have tempered the enthusiasm of gun-loving 

Washington legislators for expanding controversial laws. But 

one would be wrong. And one would underestimate the 

clout of the NRA, considered one of the three most influential 

lobbies in the United States. On March 13, less than two 

weeks after Trayvon Martin’s death, a Democratic senator 

from gun-friendly Alaska, Mark Begich, introduced the 

“National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2012”. Just another 

week later, Senator John Thune from South Dakota introduced 

a bill “to allow reciprocity for the carrying of certain 

concealed firearms”. The differences between the two are 

minor and due to an arcane dispute between the NRA and 

the smaller and more radical Gun Owners of America. The 

NRA has asked its members to contact their senators and ask 

them to co-sponsor the Begich bill. 

Both bills would force all states that issue permits to carry 

concealed weapons to recognize permits obtained elsewhere. 

States such as California and New York that have stringent 

regulations on who can carry a gun would be obliged 

to allow people with permits obtained from states with lax 

gun laws, such as Florida. Gun control advocates say that it is 

laws allowing citizens to carry loaded handguns in public 

that form the basis of additional legislation, Such as the 

Florida Stand Your Ground law that barred police from arresting 

Zimmerman. As Alcee Hastings, a Democratic congressman 

from Florida put it: “This misguided law does not make 

our streets safer, rather it turns our streets into a showdown 

at the OK Corral. But this is not the Wild West. We are supposed 

to be a civilized society. Let Trayvon’s death not be for 

naught. Let us honor his life by righting this wrong.” Hastings, 

who is African American, called for a repeal of the law. That is 

not likely to happen, and less so in an election year. President 

Barack Obama has stayed out of the debate on gun laws, 

which flares every time there is a headline-making shooting, 

and with few exceptions, lawmakers seek the gun lobby’s 

favor and the resulting votes. This is the chief reason why 

advocates of tighter gun regulations have had little success 

over the past two decades. 

Another reason, according to Kristen Rand of the 

Washington-based Violence Policy Center, is that most 

Americans are unaware of the number of people killed in 

incidents similar to the shooting of Trayvor Martin. The 

Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) does not compile statistics 

on such cases and most of them are never known outside 

the place where they happened. “The average person 

has no idea of the scale of the problem,” said Rand. “If they 

had, things might be different.”— Reuters 

All articles appearing on these pages 

are the personal opinion of the writers. 

Kuwait Times takes no responsibility 

for views expressed therein. Kuwait 

Times invites readers to voice their 

opinions. Please send submissions via 

email to: opinion@kuwaittimes.net or 

via snail mail to PO Box 1301 Safat, 

Kuwait. The editor reserves the right 

to edit any submission as necessary. 

By Jesse Washington 

I thought 

14 opinion 


Mali coup shakes cocktail of instability in Sahel 

By David Lewis 

S pillover 

Trayvon, my son, and the Black Male Code 

my son would be much older 

before I had to tell him about the Black 

Male Code. He’s only 12, still sleeping 

with stuffed animals, still afraid of the dark. 

But after the Trayvon Martin tragedy, I 

needed to explain to my child that soon 

people might be afraid of him. We were in 

the car on the way to school when a story 

about Martin came on the radio. “The guy 

who killed him should get arrested. The 

dead guy was unarmed!” my son said after 

hearing that neighborhood watch captain 

George Zimmerman had claimed selfdefense 

in the shooting in Sanford, Fla. 

We listened to the rest of the story, 

describing how Zimmerman had spotted 

Martin, who was 17, walking home from 

the store on a rainy night, the hood of his 

sweatshirt pulled over his head. When it 

was over, I turned off the radio and told my 

son about the rules he needs to follow to 

avoid becoming another Trayvon Martin - a 

black male who Zimmerman assumed was 

“suspicious” and “up to no good.” 

As I explained it, the Code goes like this: 

Always pay close attention to your surroundings, 

son, especially if you are in an 

affluent neighborhood where black folks 

are few. Understand that even though you 

are not a criminal, some people might 

assume you are, especially if you are wearing 

certain clothes. Never argue with 

police, but protect your dignity and take 

pride in humility. When confronted by 

someone with a badge or a gun, do not 

flee, fight, or put your hands anywhere other 

than up. Please don’t assume, son, that 

all white people view you as a threat. 

America is better than that. Suspicion and 

bitterness can imprison you. But as a black 

male, you must go above and beyond to 

show strangers what type of person you 

really are. 

I was far from alone in laying out these 

instructions. Across the country this week, 

from the overthrow of Libya’s 

Muammar Gaddafi last year has been 

stirring a toxic cocktail of rebels, 

weapons, refugees, drought, smugglers 

and violent Islamic militants in Africa’s turbulent 

Sahel region. Now this backwash of 

instability from one field of the Arab 

Spring has now claimed its first government 

south of the Sahara - with this week’s 

coup in Mali, where renegade low-ranking 

officers in the West African state toppled 

President Amadou Toumani Toure. They 

overthrew him early on Thursday because 

they said his government had not adequately 

supported the Malian army’s fight 

against an advancing Tuareg-led rebellion 

in the north that was swelled by arms and 

former pro-Gaddafi fighters from Libya. 

“It was a cascade effect,” said Yvan 

Guichaoua, a lecturer in African politics at 

the University of East Anglia, speaking to 

Reuters from the Malian capital Bamako 

where the mutinous soldiers have been 

stealing vehicles and looting petrol stations 

and businesses. But despite frequent 

bouts of gunfire, there appears to have 

been relatively little bloodshed so far. Mali, 

Africa’s third largest gold miner and a 

major local cotton grower, was viewed on 

the continent and in the wider world as a 

relatively stable democratic state in a permanently 

restless region dogged for 

decades by coups and mutinies. 

It was an ally of regional and Western 

governments in their efforts to stop 

attacks and kidnappings by Al-Qaedaassociated 

militants from spreading southwards 

down through the Sahara. Such vio- 

parents were talking to their children, especially 

their black sons, about the Code. It’s a 

talk the black community has passed down 

for generations, an evolving oral tradition 

from the days when an errant remark could 

easily cost black people their job, their freedom, 

or sometimes their life. After Trayvon 

Martin was killed, Al Dotson Jr, a lawyer in 

Miami and chairman of the 100 Black Men 

of America organization, told his 14-yearold 

son that he should always be aware of 

his surroundings, and of the fact that people 

might view him differently “because 

he’s blessed to be an African-American”. “It 

requires a sixth sense that not everyone 

needs to have,” Dotson said. 

Dotson, 51, remembers receiving his 

own instructions as a youth, and hearing 

those instructions evolve over time. His 

grandparents told Dotson that when dealing 

with authority figures, make it clear you 

are no threat at all - an attitude verging on 

submissive. Later, Dotson’s parents told him 

to respond with respect and not be combative. 

Today, Dotson tells his children that 

they should always be respectful, but 

should not tolerate being disrespected - 

which would have been recklessly bold in 

his grandparents’ era. Yet Dotson still has 

fears about the safety of his children, 

“about them understanding who they are 

and where they are, and how to respond to 

the environment they are in”. 

Bill Stephney, a media executive who 

lives in a New Jersey suburb that is mostly 

white and Asian, has two sons, ages 18 and 

13. The Martin killing was an opportunity 

for him to repeat a longtime lesson: Black 

men can get singled out, “so please conduct 

yourself accordingly”. Like Dotson, 

Stephney mentioned an ultra-awareness - 

“a racial Spidey sense, a tingling” - that his 

sons should heed when stereotyping might 

place them in danger. One night in the early 

1980s, while a student at Adelphi 

University on Long Island, Stephney and 

about a dozen other hip-hop aficionados 

lence is already causing bloodshed in 

Africa’s top oil producer Nigeria, in the 

form of the Boko Haram sect. “It’s clearly 

unfortunate for Mali ... This is plunging one 

of the most stable countries in West Africa 

into instability,” Gilles Yabi, the Dakarbased 

West Africa project director for the 

International Crisis Group think tank, told 

Reuters. “Disputes should not be resolved 

by arms. It’s a bad sign for other countries 

which are in the process of consolidating 

their democracies,” said Nadia Nata, political 

governance officer at the Open Society 

Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA). 

The United States had been providing 

counter-terrorism training to Mali’s army. 

One of the coup leaders, Captain Amadou 

Sanogo, president of the newly formed 

National Committee for the Return of 

Democracy and the Restoration of the 

State (CNRDR), said he received training 

from US Marines and intelligence. But the 

overnight coup, carried out apparently by 

mid-level and junior officers, will put an 

end to such support for the moment. The 

World Bank, the African Development Bank 

and European Commission have all suspended 

aid funding to Mali. 

The coup leaders of the CNRDR have 

promised to hand power back to a democratically-elected 

president “as soon as the 

country is reunified”. But the Tuareg rebels 

in the north, whose recent battlefield 

humiliations of the Malian army triggered 

the putsch in Bamako, are already pushing 

south, taking advantage of the confusion. 

The coup chiefs’ seeming inability to control 

the soldiers under their command, to 

judge by the pillaging and wild shooting in 

the streets, bodes ill for the immediate 

went to White Castle after their late-night 

DJ gig. They were gathered in the parking 

lot, eating and talking, when a squadron of 

police cars swooped in and a helicopter 

rumbled overhead. “We got a report that a 

riot was going on,” police told them. 

Stephney and his crew used to talk late 

into the night about how black men in New 

York were besieged by violence - graffiti 

artist Michael Stewart’s death after a rough 

arrest in 1983; Bernhard Goetz shooting 

four young black men who allegedly tried 

to mug him on the subway in 1984; 

Michael Griffith killed by a car while being 

chased by a white mob in 1986; the crack 

epidemic that rained black-on-black violence 

on the city. They felt under attack, as 

if society considered them the enemy. This 

is how the legendary rap group Public 

Enemy was born. Their logo: A young black 

man in the crosshairs of a gun sight. “Fast 

forward 25 years later,” Stephney said. 

“We’ve come a long way to get nowhere.” 

But what about that long road traveled, 

which took a black man all the way to the 

White House? I can hear some of my white 

friends now: What evidence is there that 

Trayvon Martin caught George 

Zimmerman’s attention - and his bullet - 

because of his race? Lynching is a relic of 

the past, so why are you teaching your son 

to be so paranoid? There is a difference 

between paranoia and protection. 

Much evidence shows that black males 

face unique risks: Psychological studies 

indicate they are often perceived as threatening; 

here in Philadelphia, police stopand-frisk 

tactics overwhelmingly target 

African-Americans, according to a lawsuit 

settled by the city; research suggests that 

people are more likely to believe a poorly 

seen object is a gun if it’s held by a black 

person. 

Yes, it was way back in 1955 when 14year-old 

Emmitt Till was murdered in 

Mississippi for flirting with a white woman. 

But it was last Wednesday when a white 

future. “There is no clear agenda ... what 

will happen next is very unclear,’ said 

Guichaoua. ICG’s Yabi said: “This is giving 

an impression of chaos”. 

The uncertainty was compounded on 

Friday when the African Union said it was 

told President Toure was still in Mali, safe 

and protected by loyalists, not far from 

Bamako. Amnesty International said coup 

leaders had arrested several members of 

Toure’s government. It demanded their 

release. Despite Toure’s public image as a 

steadfast “Soldier of Democracy”, analysts 

said Western backers like France and the 

United States had been less than happy 

recently with his government’s efforts in 

countering the threat of Al-Qaeda and its 

allies in Mali’s vast and remote desert 

north. “There was the view that he was 

using the counter-terrorism argument as a 

prop for himself in office,” Guichaoua said, 

and he cited concerns too about corruption 

in the Malian government. 

Toure, who had initially won his democratic 

credentials by quickly handing over 

power to civilian rule after seizing it in a 

1991 coup, was planning to leave office 

following elections in April, after serving 

two consecutive elected terms. But analysts 

said that with swathes of the north 

effectively outside government control, 

and with thousands displaced by the 

spreading insurgency there, it would have 

been difficult, if not impossible, to hold 

credible elections next month. Suspicions 

existed that some members of Toure’s 

administration secretly tolerated rebel and 

Al-Qaeda networks in the north to be able 

to benefit from lucrative drug smuggling 

and other illegal businesses that thrive in 

Mississippi teenager pleaded guilty to 

murder for seeking out a black victim, 

coming across a man named James Craig 

Anderson, and running him over with his 

pickup truck. 

Faced with this information, I’m doing 

what any responsible parent would do: 

Teaching my son how to protect himself. 

Still, it requires a delicate balance. Steve 

Bumbaugh, a foundation director in Los 

Angeles, encourages his 8- and 5-year-old 

sons to talk to police officers, “and to otherwise 

develop a good relationship with 

the people and institutions that have the 

potential to give them trouble. I think this 

is the best defense”. “I don’t want them to 

actually think that they are viewed suspiciously 

or treated differently,” Bumbaugh 

said. “I think that realization breeds resentment 

and anger. And that can contribute 

to dangerous situations.” His sons are large 

for their age, however. “I’m probably naive 

to think that they won’t realize they’re 

viewed differently when they’re 6-4 and 

200 pounds,” Bumbaugh said, “but I’m 

going to try anyway.” 

I am 6-4 and more than 200 pounds, 

son. You probably will be too. Depending 

on how we dress, act and speak, people 

might make negative assumptions about 

us. That doesn’t mean they must be racist; 

it means they must be human. Let me tell 

you a story, son, about a time when I forgot 

about the Black Male Code. One morning 

I left our car at the shop for repairs. I 

was walking home through our quiet suburban 

neighborhood, in a cold drizzle, 

wearing an all-black sweatsuit with the 

hood pulled over my head. From two 

blocks away, I saw your mother pull out of 

our driveway and roll towards me. When 

she stopped next to me and rolled down 

the window, her brown face was full of 

laughter. “When I saw you from up the 

street,” your mother told me, “I said to 

myself, what is that guy doing in our 

neighborhood?”— AP 

the desert area. 

The Tuareg-led rebels now thrusting 

south have said they want to set up an 

independent area across the northern 

region. Bourema Dicko, a member of parliament 

in charge of the defence and security 

commission in Mali’s parliament, told 

Reuters before the coup the rebels had no 

real clear political agenda. “They just want 

to be able to smuggle weapons and drugs 

through the north. They don’t really want 

security,” he said. However, one diplomat 

gave a more nuanced view of the latest 

Tuareg insurgency, saying that while the 

desert rebels sought a homeland, pragmatism 

meant that they had to work with 

Islamists and smuggling cartels in the lawless 

north. “This is a hybrid operation - liberation 

and sharia law. Deals will be done. 

Palms will be greased,” the diplomat, who 

asked not to be named, said. 

Guichaoua said there was still hope that 

the coup leaders might prove capable of 

forging some kind consensus with the 

country’s political forces, perhaps even 

agreeing a peace with the northern rebels, 

to be able to hold credible elections. But as 

Bamako residents watched soldiers, some 

seemingly drunk, roaming the streets and 

looting, many wondered just what kind of 

new rule they were in for. “They said the 

reason for the coup was the problem in the 

north. So let them tell us what solutions 

they have for the problem in the north. Let 

them tell us the way they want to run the 

country,” said Bamako resident Fouseyni 

Diarra. OSIWA’s Nata said the coup could 

exacerbate already worsening security and 

criminality in the wider Sahel. “This opens 

(a) Pandora’s box,” she said. — Reuters

Ban on Amir is too harsh 

KARACHI: Mohammad Amir’s five-year ban from cricket for spot fixing is too harsh, 

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf has said. “Amir could have 

become the best bowler in the world. He has served his prison sentence and that 

matter is now closed, but the issue of the ICC (International Cricket Council) ban is 

obviously still ongoing,” Ashraf said. 

Ashraf met Amir recently, after he served three months in a young offenders’ 

institution in Britain, and said the fast bowler was apologetic 

about his involvement in the spot-fixing scandal. Amir, 19, 

was convicted, along with former captain Salman Butt and 

Mohammad Asif, of helping to arrange the delivery of deliberate 

no-balls during the 2012 Lord’s test against England. 

In a television interview last week, Amir accused Butt and 

agent Mazhar Majeed of tricking him into bowling the noballs. 

“I think the five-year ban is too harsh and it is down to 

Amir if he wishes to appeal against that lengthy ban imposed 

upon him,” the PCB chief told the Pakpassin.net web site on Friday. 

“I would suggest that he does appeal against the ban and I think 

the relevant body should take a lenient view given his age and 

the talent he possesses.” — Reuters 

NHL results/standings 

Toronto 4, New Jersey 3 (SO); Buffalo 4, NY Rangers 1; 

Winnipeg 4, Washington 3 (OT); Columbus 5, Carolina 1; 

Montreal 5, Ottawa 1; Edmonton 2, Florida 1 (SO). 

(SO denotes shootout win, OT is overtime victory) 

Eastern Conference 

Atlantic Division 

W L OTL GF GA PTS 

NY Rangers 46 21 7 202 165 99 

Pittsburgh 46 21 6 244 185 98 

Philadelphia 43 23 8 234 207 94 

New Jersey 42 27 6 204 195 90 

NY Islanders 30 32 11 174 218 71 

Northeast Division 

Boston 42 28 3 237 180 87 

Ottawa 37 28 10 222 219 84 

Buffalo 36 29 10 194 208 82 

Toronto 33 34 8 214 235 74 

Montreal 29 33 13 196 207 71 

Southeast Division 

Florida 36 24 14 184 203 86 

Washington 37 30 8 202 214 82 

Winnipeg 35 31 8 200 214 78 

Carolina 30 30 15 198 223 75 

Tampa Bay 33 33 7 205 249 73 

Western Conference 

Central Division 

St. Louis 46 20 9 192 147 101 

Detroit 44 25 5 225 181 93 

Nashville 42 24 8 210 197 92 

Chicago 42 25 8 229 214 92 

Columbus 24 43 7 172 237 55 

Northwest Division 

Vancouver 44 21 9 226 185 97 

Colorado 40 31 5 198 199 85 

Calgary 34 26 15 185 204 83 

Minnesota 31 32 10 158 201 72 

Edmonton 30 36 9 200 220 69 

Pacific Division 

Los Angeles 37 25 12 173 160 86 

Phoenix 37 26 12 197 194 86 

Dallas 40 29 5 194 197 85 

San Jose 37 27 10 201 192 84 

Anaheim 32 32 11 189 209 75 

Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in the 

standings and are not included in the loss column (L) 

NEW YORK: Travis Turnbull scored his first NHL goal, with 

some help from the Rangers, as the Buffalo Sabres earned 

another big win in their playoff quest by beating New York 

4-1 on Friday. Drew Stafford had goals in the second and 

third periods, Tyler Ennis added one in the third, and Ryan 

Miller made 26 saves for Buffalo. The Sabres pulled even in 

points with eighth-place Washington with 82 in the race for 

the final Eastern Conference playoff spot. 

The Rangers missed a chance to tie St. Louis atop the 

overall NHL standings, and now are in a precarious position 

in the East. They still lead Pittsburgh by one point, but the 

Rangers have only eight games remaining, compared to 

nine for the surging Penguins. Brian Boyle scored in the second 

for the Rangers, and Henrik Lundqvist made 22 saves. 

Canadiens 5, Senators 1 

At Montreal, Erik Cole scored three goals in the first 5:41 

of Montreal’s victory over Ottawa. Cole has 30 goals this season. 

Patteri Nokelainen also scored in the first period, and 

Lars Eller added one in the third for Montreal. 

Jason Spezza, playing his 600th NHL game, scored for 

Ottawa to reach 30 goals for the fourth time in his career 

and the first time since 2008-09. Ottawa goalie Craig 

Anderson, returning after missing 12 games because of a 

finger cut, was pulled at the 4:56 mark of the first in favor of 

Ben Bishop, but was back in to start the second period. 

Jets 4, Capitals 3 

At Washington, Tim Stapleton scored 2:37 into overtime 

as Winnipeg rallied from three goals down to beat 

Washington and pull within four points of the final postseason 

spot in the Eastern Conference. Spencer Machacek 

scored his first NHL goal with 3:45 remaining in regulation to 

tie it, and the Jets went on to break a two-game losing 

streak. Ben Maxwell and Bryan Little also scored for 

Winnipeg. Alex Ovechkin scored twice, and Jason Chimera 

added a goal for the Capitals. 

Blue Jackets 5, Hurricanes 1 

At Columbus, Ohio, RJ Umberger had three goals for the 

third time in his career and Steve Mason stopped 39 shots to 

help Columbus hand Carolina a critical blow to its diminishing 

playoff hopes. The Hurricanes, who had won their last 

four games, dropped seven points behind Washington and 

Buffalo in the race for the final Eastern Conference playoff 

spot. Vinny Prospal added a goal and an assist, Derick 

Brassard assisted on each of Umberger’s goals, and Nikita 

Nikitin and Jack Johnson each had two assists. Drayson 

Bowman scored for the Hurricanes. 

Maple Leafs 4, Devils 3 

At Newark, New Jersey, James Reimer made 43 saves 

and all three Toronto players scored in the shootout to 

beat New Jersey after the Maple Leafs blew a two-goal 

lead in the third period. Tyler Bozak Tim Connolly and 

Nazam Kadri scored against Martin Brodeur in the 

shootout to give Toronto its fifth victory in 22 games. Ilya 

sports 

McGrane leads 

Hassan II Trophy 

AGADIR: Damien McGrane of Ireland 

took a one-stroke lead after completing 

the delayed second round of the 

weather-affected Hassan II Trophy in 

Morocco yesterday. The Irishman managed 

to save par from a fairway bunker 

on the last in a round of 4-under 68 to 

move to 11 under on the Golf du Palais 

Royal course. McGrane, whose only 

previous European Tour success was a 

nine-shot victory in the 2008 China 

Open, started his second round late 

Friday after a lengthy delay to the start 

of play due to high winds. 

Overnight leader Phillip Price of 

Wales had completed his second 

round Friday with a 66 for a 10-under 

total. Also, Friday Spain’s Jose Manuel 

Tiger poised to 

end title drought 

ORLANDO: Tiger Woods set himself 

up for a real shot at his first 

PGA Tour win in over two years 

by grabbing a share of the lead 

after the second round of the 

Arnold Palmer Invitational on 

Friday. 

Woods, who shot a bogey-free 

round of 65, and South Korean 

Charlie Wi reached the halfway 

point level at ten-under par, a 

stroke ahead of Northern Ireland’s 

Graeme McDowell and in-form 

American Jason Dufner. 

Former world number one 

Woods has not won on the Tour 

since his victory in the BMW 

Championship in September, 

2009, but has already racked up 

six titles on the Bay Hill course. 

“Fortunately I’ve had a few 

places where I’ve felt comfortable 

and played well and this is one of 

them,” said Woods. 

“It was a solid round of golf. I 

actually felt like I hit it better yesterday 

than today but I’ve made 

more putts today for sure. I felt 

great over the putter. 

“My speed was good, I left a 

couple of putts dead short right 

in the centre of the hole and it 

really could have been a really 

low round today. A lot of positives.” 

Wi, who shared the overnight 

lead with Dufner, birdied four of 

the last six holes to remain tied at 

the top of the leaderboard. 

World number 17 McDowell 

ORLANDO: Ernie Els, of South Africa, hits out of a greenside bunker on 

the 17th hole during the second round of the Arnold Palmer 

Invitational golf tournament. — AP 

Lara recorded a 65 to reach 9 under, 

one ahead of Sweden’s Joakim 

Sjolholm who signed for a 66 for 8 

under. “It was a pretty tidy and steady 

13 holes this morning and I managed 

to sneak four birdies in there and to 

finish with strong par as the last gives 

me good feelings going into this afternoon,” 

said McGrane. “So keeping 

bogeys off the card around this course 

is a good achievement and I am content 

now, I must admit. 

“I’m looking forward now to the last 

two rounds so I’m hoping to still be in 

front later tomorrow afternoon.” 

Officials were planning to start the 

third round directly after the second is 

finished. — AP 

Kovalchuk and Zach Parise scored against Reimer on the 

Devils’ first two shootout shots, but Reimer made a pad 

save on Patrik Elias, and Kadri got the winner with a spectacular 

side to side move against Brodeur. Bozak, Kadri 

and former Devil David Steckel scored for Toronto in regulation. 

Jacob Josefson, Parise and Adam Henrique countered 

for New Jersey. 


A new Sharapova is coming 

MIAMI: Three-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova is tough enough for 

the top players in women’s tennis, but now the Russian beauty is about to be 

joined by another Sharapova, her 16-year-old cousin. 

Dasha Sharapova, who has been fine tuning her tennis talents at Florida’s IMG 

Bollettieri Academy, has been announced in the field of the Sarasota Open, a 16player 

event to be played April 14-22 on the US developmental circuit. 

“(Dasha) began playing at the age of five and moved to 

America from Russia when she was nine,” Sarasota Open 

spokeswoman Sandra Rios said. “Not withstanding the cultural 

changes of such a move, Dasha found the most significant 

change was the increased amount of tennis she plays.” 

The younger Sharapova says her role model is her cousin 

Maria, currently ranked World No. 2 and coming off a runnerup 

showing at Indian Wells as she plays in the WTA and ATP 

hardcourt event in Miami that runs through next week. 

Meanwhile, Australian tennis coach and player 

Nathan Healey was recovering on Thursday after 

undergoing emergency heart surgery, according to 

accounts on Twitter from around the tennis community.—AFP 

Sabres top Rangers 

produced a sparkling nine-under 

63 to put himself in contention 

for what promises to be a fascinating 

weekend. 

McDowell, the 2010 US Open 

champion, was also bogey-free 

and notched seven birdies, and 

an eagle at the par-five 16th. His 

63, one shy of the course record, 

was in marked contrast to last 

year when he slumped to an ugly 

80 in the opening round. 

“My record has not been very 

good here the last few years but 

still I had the belief I could come 

and compete here if I got it all 

together,” he said. 

“It is going to be a quality 

leaderboard and it’s nice to be in 

the mix heading into the weekend,” 

added the Northern 

Irishman. Dufner, the joint 

overnight leader with Wi, 

returned a 69 to join McDowell on 

nine under. 

England’s Justin Rose carded a 

second 69 and is four shots 

behind the leaders after bogeys 

on the eighth and ninth restricted 

his progress. 

“I had it going really nicely on 

the front nine got it to sevenunder 

par and then threw two 

bogeys which killed the momentum. 

From that point on it was a 

struggle for the rest of the day,” he 

said. 

Spain’s Sergio Garcia also 

showed promising pre-US 

Masters form when a 67 put him 

on 139 along with American 

Bubba Watson (70). — Reuters 

NEW YORK: Rangers’ Michael Del Zotto (4) and goalie Henrik Lundqvist (30) react as the Buffalo Sabres celebrate a goal 

by Tyler Ennis (63) during the third period of an NHL hockey game. — AP 

Oilers 2, Panthers 1 

At Sunrise, Florida, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored the deciding 

goal in the fourth round of a shootout to left Edmonton 

past Florida. Nugent-Hopkins’ goal was the only score in the 

shootout. Ryan Jones scored in regulation for the Oilers, and 

Devan Dubnyk made 26 saves. Jason Garrison scored for the 

Panthers, and Jose Theodore stopped 20 shots. — AP

WELLINGTON: South Africa’s JP Duminy (left) cuts in front of New Zealand wicket 

keeper Kruger van Wyk and Ross Taylor on the second day of the third international 

cricket Test at the Basin Reserve. —AP 

SA in command 

of third Test 

WELLINGTON: Alviro Petersen and JP 

Duminy batted South Africa into a commanding 

position with an unbroken 140run 

partnership at the close of play on 

the weather-affected second day of the 

third and final test against New Zealand 

at the Basin Reserve. 

Petersen was on 96 and Duminy 76 as 

the visitors steadily accumulated runs 

after the start of play was delayed by 

constant drizzle for almost four and half 

hours, pushing South Africa to 246 for 

two when bad light stopped play. 

The 31-year-old Petersen had been 

dropped by Martin Guptill on 68 after 

nicking a Doug Bracewell delivery, but 

was in sight of his third test century 

when umpires offered the option of leaving 

the ground at 1725 local (0425 GMT) 

with 12 overs remaining in the day’s play. 

Play had been halted on the first day 

at the same time due to fading light. 

Umpires called a halt to play 10 minutes 

later. Resuming on 136 for two, Petersen 

and Duminy were rarely troubled as New 

Zealand’s attack battled a howling, chilly 

northerly wind throughout the 37 overs 

they managed to bowl. 

New Zealand won the toss and chose to 

field 

South Africa first innings (overnight 136-2) 

G.Smith c van Wyk b Bracewell 5 

A.Petersen not out 96 

H.Amla c van Wyk b Gillespie 63 

JP Duminy not out 76 

Extras (w-2, nb-2, b-2) 6 

Total (for two wickets, 79 overs) 246 

Fall of wickets: 1-13 2-106 

Still to bat: AB de Villiers, Jacques 

Rudolph, Mark Boucher, Vernon Philander, 

Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Marchant de 

SCOREBOARD 

Petersen had survived a loud lbw 

shout on the first ball of the day from 

Chris Martin and was then dropped by 

Guptill, who dived full length to where 

third slip would have been standing, only 

to have the ball strike his forearm. 

Duminy brought up his fourth test 

half century when he top-edged the 

next delivery over the slips for his sixth 

boundary. 

They went to the tea break on 222 for 

two and added 24 further runs after the 

break, with Petersen punching Mark 

Gillespie behind square to move to 96 

before the players left the field. 

There was some bad news for South 

Africa, however, when top-order batsman 

Hashim Amla was ruled out of the 

rest of the match after he had emergency 

surgery in Wellington. Amla, who 

scored 63 on Friday, deflected a Martin 

delivery into his groin area on Friday and 

had surgery for “blunt force trauma”, the 

team said. 

South Africa only need to draw the 

game to seal the three-match series after 

they won the second test at Seddon Park 

in Hamilton by nine wickets. —Reuters 

WELLINGTON: Scoreboard at the close of play on the second day of the third and 

final test between New Zealand and South Africa at the Basin Reserve in Wellington 

yesterday: 

Lange 

Bowling: Martin 15-3-49-0; Bracewell 17- 

3-46-1 (w-1); Gillespie 20-4-68-1 (w-1, nb- 

1); Vettori 20-6-49-0; Brownlie 2-0-20-0; 

Williamson 5-0-12-0. 

New Zealand: Ross Taylor (captain), 

Daniel Flynn, Martin Guptill, Brendon 

McCullum, Kane Williamson, Dean 

Brownlie, Daniel Vettori, Kruger van Wyk, 

Doug Bracewell, Mark Gillespie, Chris 

Martin. 

South Africa lead the three match series 

1-0. 

Wataniya Telecom 

sponsors beach 

volleyball tournament 

KUWAIT: Wataniya Telecom 

announced its recent sponsorship to 

the Beach Volleyball Tournament hosted 

by the Kuwait Volleyball 

Association that took place at Soug 

Sharq’s beach side. Wataniya’s sponsorship 

of the tournament is based on 

its continuous involvement in different 

athletic activities and events that 

take place within the Kuwaiti community. 

The tournament lasted three days 

from March 12th to March 14th where 

it was open to anyone in Kuwait. 

Commenting on the company’s 

sponsorship, Abdulaziz Al-Balool 

Director of Public Relations at 

Wataniya Telecom confirmed the company’s 

leading role in athletic and 

sports sponsorships in Kuwait and its 

mission to become part of all sectors 

and fields that add value to the community 

and are beneficial to the 

health and lifestyle of the people 

involved. 

Al-Balool said: “The three day event 

was an interesting and active one. We 

highly appreciate the efforts of Kuwait 

Volleyball Association for taking the 

initiative to organize such an event 

that involves the society as a whole 

and brings together people from all 

over Kuwait who are passionate and 

are interested in the same thing under 

one roof. We look forward to taking 

part in similar activities in the near 

future.” 

sports 

ST LUCIA: Kieron Pollard blasted 102 from 

just 70 deliveries to lead West Indies to an 

emphatic win over Australia in their fourth 

one-day international in St Lucia on Friday. 

Victory meant the hosts went 2-1 up in 

the series with one match left to play. Pollard 

destroyed Australia’s bowling attack to rescue 

his team from an early batting slump 

and post a formidable total of 294 for seven. 

The Australians, who won the toss but surprisingly 

elected to give the home side first 

use of a perfect batting pitch, made 252 in 

reply to lose by 42 runs as West Indies polished 

them off in the 47th over. “To play a 

match-winning knock feels great,” said 

Pollard, whose spectacular innings featured 

five boundaries and eight sixes. 

“Some of the sixes I didn’t middle but 

once they get over the line they’re all six.” 

Andre Russell (34) and captain Darren 

Sammy (31 not out) also chipped in at the 

end to help push the West Indies total 

towards 300. 

With Pollard they piled on 117 runs in the 

last 10 overs, including 23 off the last over 

from Australian fast bowler Brett Lee, who 

finished with two for 72. 

“It was the kind of total we could defend. 

The pitch was fantastic,” Sammy said. “We’re 

looking forward to the final game. It would 

be good if we could get a series win.” 

After losing the first game by 64 runs, 

West Indies won the second by five wickets 

and tied the third. Sunday’s final fixture is 

also in St Lucia. 

Lee made amends for his expensive bowling 

by top scoring for Australia with 59 off 48 

balls while David Hussey (57) also contributed. 

However, the visitors were always struggling 

to reach their daunting target after 

four of their first five batsmen were dismissed 

in the 20s after making starts. 

“Unfortunately, at the top of the order, me 

and David Warner haven’t been able to bat 

on deep into the innings, I think that would 

have made chasing a bit easier,” Australia 

skipper Shane Watson said. “It was a beautiful 

wicket, like those at home. The St Lucia 

crowd saw a good game from West Indies, 

but unfortunately not from us.” —Reuters 


West Indies beat Australia 

ST LUCIA: West Indies’ wicket keeper Carlton Baugh (center) celebrates along teammates 

Andre Russell (right) and captain Darren Sammy after he caught behind Australia’s batsman 

George Bailey for 25 runs during their fourth one-day international cricket match. —AP 

West Indies innings 

J. Charles c Lee b Doherty 37 

A. Barath c Wade b McKay 41 

M. Samuels c Wade b Lee 11 

Darren Bravo c D. Hussey b Watson 25 

Dwayne Bravo lbw b Doherty 0 

K. Pollard c M. Hussey b Lee 102 

A. Russell c Bailey b Watson 34 

D. Sammy not out 31 

C. Baugh not out 0 

Extras (lb-3 w-10) 13 

Total (for seven wickets, 50 overs) 294 

Did not bat: S. Narine, K. Roach 

Fall of wickets: 1-56 2-83 3-106 4-106 5-146 6-240 

7-728 

Bowling: Lee 10-0-72-2 (w-2), Hilfenhaus 10-1-43- 

0 (w-5), McKay 10-1-57-1 (w-2), Watson 10-0-55-2 

(w-1), Doherty 10-1-64-2. 

Australia innings 

S. Watson c Roach b Sammy 28 

SCOREBOARD 

Scoreboard from yesterday’s fourth one-day international between West Indies and Australia at 

Gros Islet, St Lucia. 

D. Warner c Narine b Dwayne Bravo 1 

P. Forrest c Charles b Sammy 24 

G. Bailey c Baugh b Russell 25 

M. Hussey c Baugh b Russell 26 

D. Hussey b Roach 57 

M. Wade c Russell b Pollard 15 

B. Lee c sub (Mathurin) b Roach 59 

C. McKay c Pollard b Dwayne Bravo 2 

X. Doherty c Sammy b Narine 1 

B. Hilfenhaus not out 0 

Extras (lb-1 w-11 nb-2) 14 

Total (all out, 46.3 overs) 252 

Fall of wickets: 1-3 2-56 3-62 4-111 5-112 6-179 7- 

196 8-235 9-250 10-252 

Bowling: Roach 9.3-0-74-2 (nb-1 w-3), Dwayne 

Bravo 6-0-47-2 (w-5), Narine 10-0-21-1 (w-1), 

Sammy 9-0-42-2 (nb-1), Russell 7-0-34-2 (w-1), 

Samuels 3-0-17-0 (w-1), Pollard 2-0-16-1. 

Result: West Indies won by 42 runs to lead series 

2-1. 

Man of the match: Kieron Pollard (West Indies) 

Retirement not on my 

mind, says Tendulkar 

NEW DELHI: India’s batting superstar Sachin 

Tendulkar has said he isn’t ready to hang up 

his boots yet, amid growing speculation 

about his future following his long-awaited 

100th international century. 

“I still get goose bumps as I stand with my 

team-mates when the national anthem is on. I 

still feel the same passion when I pick up my 

bat and go out,” Tendulkar said in an interview 

with India’s ‘Open’ magazine. 

Tendulkar, who set a new record in his glittering 

two-decade career by completing an 

unprecedented century of centuries during 

the recent Asia Cup, said he would quit only 

when he felt “a little less passion” for the 

game. “Critics haven’t taught me my cricket 

and they don’t know what my body and mind 

are up to. I can tell you that the day I feel a little 

less passion when I walk out to bat for 

India, I’ll give up the game. 

“Critics don’t need to tell me to do so. I will 

come to them and say ‘my time is up’. Till then, 

TOKYO: Japanese figure skating stars Mao 

Asada and Daisuke Takahashi are aiming to 

regain the women’s and men’s crowns at the 

world championships starting in Nice, France 

tomorrow to boost their bids for Olympic 

medals of better colours. 

Vancouver Olympic silver medallist Asada, 

the 2008 and 2010 world champion, is getting 

back the grip on her trademark triple axel, a 

technically demanding 3.5-revolution jump with 

which she has struggled for a few seasons. 

Takahashi-who grabbed the men’s bronze in 

Vancouver and lifted the world title in the 

absence of Olympic gold and silver medallists 

Evan Lysacek and Yevgeny Plushenko in 2010 — 

is improving his quadruple jump to catch up 

with reigning world champion Patrick Chan of 

Canada. 

“For me, the greatest thing was that I could 

attempt the triple axel,” the 21-year-old Asada 

said after finishing runner-up to US national 

champion Ashley Wagner at the Four Continents 

championships last month. 

Although judges ruled Asada under-rotated 

the triple axel in both the short programme and 

free skating, she was content that she could try 

it in competition for the first time in the 2011- 

2012 season. 

“I feel like I am climbing up the staircase, step 

by step, toward the world championships,” said 

Asada, who made history by nailing three triple 

axels overall at the 2010 Olympics. 

“I will definitely try to be steady with my 

jumps.” The only female skater who regularly 

attempts the triple axel in competition at present, 

Asada finished sixth at last year’s world 

championships where she botched the jump in 

the short and long programmes. 

She had avoided the jump this season until 

the Four Continents at Colorado Springs while 

she finished second in the NHK Trophy and won 

the Cup of Russia in the Grand Prix series. 

Asada had to withdraw from the Grand Prix 

final in December to fly home as her mother was 

in critical condition. Despite her mother’s death, 

she won her fifth national title, her first in two 

years. 

“She (Asada) has overall skating skills. So, if 

she lands the (triple) axel clean, she can’t be easily 

beaten,” Nobuhiko Yoshioka, technical director 

I’d not bother about these opinions.” 

India’s cricket greats, including former captain 

Kapil Dev, talked about Tendulkar’s retirement 

last month, at least from one-dayers, to 

prolong his Test career. 

Dev said that it was time to ponder hard 

choices for Tendulkar. “Maybe his time has 

come,” Kapil said. “Every player has his time. 

Age is not on his side as it was earlier.” 

But Tendulkar, the world’s leading scorer in 

both Test and one-day cricket, told Open 

magazine: “Retirement isn’t something I am 

thinking about.” 

When asked whether he thought of quitting 

one-day cricket after India’s World Cup 

triumph last year, the master batsman said 

“such a thought had never occurred” to him. 

“A number of my friends have also asked 

me why I didn’t retire from one-day cricket 

after winning the World Cup, they may well be 

right. It would indeed have been a grand exit,” 

said Tendulkar, who turns 39 next month. 

of figure skating at the Japan Skating 

Federation, told AFP. 

In the absence of Olympic gold medallist Kim 

Yu-Na of South Korea and Japan’s 2007 and 2011 

world champion Miki Ando, Wagner and 

European champion Carolina Kostner of Italy 

may be Asada’s main rivals in Nice. 

Another Japanese Akiko Suzuki, who beat 

“But... my retirement was a non-issue, really. 

The World Cup was about India and I had 

no right to make it an event of my own. “Had I 

announced my retirement soon after winning 

the trophy, the focus would have shifted from 

the Cup triumph to my retirement.” 

Tendulkar conceded that his 100th international 

hundred, against Bangladesh in Dhaka 

on March 16, was the most difficult. 

“The hundredth 100 was the most difficult 

to get. I really don’t know why, but it was,” said 

Tendulkar, who now has 51 centuries in Tests 

and 49 in one-day internationals. 

“Maybe because it had turned into a 

national obsession. Maybe because I wasn’t 

able to escape talk of the hundredth 100 and 

it was affecting me at a subconscious level. 

Maybe God was trying me harder.” 

Tendulkar took more than a year to achieve 

the milestone. His 99th international ton 

came against South Africa in the World Cup at 

Nagpur on March 12 last year. — AFP 

Ex-champs in bid to regain crowns 

KUWAIT: Kuwaiti contestants dominated seven 

out of ten classes held as part of the fifth 

and final round of the 2012 Bahrain Drag Race 

Tournament which took place on Friday. 

Members of the Kuwait Quarter Mile Club 

finished in the top three places including the 

Street Bike class, while Kuwait’s Badr Al-Eidan 

took second place’s prize for the Super Street 

Bike class. In automobiles classes, Kuwaiti rac- 

Asada to win the NHK Trophy and finished runner-up 

to Kostner at the Grand Prix final, also has 

a medal chance, Yoshioka said. 

At last year’s worlds, Takahashi finished fifth 

in the men’s contest as he singled an opening 

quadruple in free skating when a blade was 

unscrewed from his shoe. He made a series of 

mistakes after the problem was fixed. —AFP 

Kuwait dominates 

Bahrain Drag Race 

er Mohammad Al-Sulaiman came in second 

spot of the 8V Cylinder class, while the Super 

Street 8V class was dominated by Kuwaiti contestants 

who finished in the top three spots. 

The 2012 Bahrain Drag Race Tournament is 

one of the toughest regional speed races 

which take place in five rounds under regulations 

of the NHRA (National Hot Rod 

Association).

17 SPORTS 

General Mahmoud Al-Dousary with the winners Sheikh Salman with the winners 

By Abdellatif Sharaa 

KUWAIT: HH The Amir Shooting 

Grand Prix witnessed Serbia giving 

an outstanding performance, while 

Qatar proved a serious competitor 

for Kuwait during the 10th Arab 

Shooting Championship. 

Europe’s champion in 2010 and 

2012 Serbia’s Bobana Velickovic 

snatched the gold medal in the 10m 

Pistol following fierce competition. 

with well known world champions. 

Bobana beat her compatriot Zorana 

Arunovic, as the shooting legend 

Jasna Sekaric who previously won 

five Olympic medals proved the big 

looser by ending in fifth place. The 

third place went to Korea’s Jo Soo 

Young. 

Serbia’s Anderea made up for her 

loss in the 10m air rifle by winning 

the gold medal in the 50m rifle three 

positions event for women, beating 

the seasoned Kazakh Olga Dovgun 

who previously won the world championship 

twice and the world cup 

four times and Europe championship 

once. The Bronze medal went to 

Slovenia’s Ziva Dvorsak. 

Kazakh’s Angelina Michshuk won 

the women skeet event, ahead of 

Morocco’s Ibtissam Marirhi and 

Bahrain’s Samah Hejres. 

In the Arab Championship, Qatar 

came in strongly in the competition 

with Kuwait taking one gold, two silver 

and two bronze, while Tunis, Iraq 

and Algeria joined the medal winners 

list. 

Kuwait still leads with nine gold 

medals, eight silver and five bronze 

followed by Qatar with five gold, 

eight silver and five bronze, Saudi 

Arabia three gold and two silver, 

Morocco two gold, three silver, two 

bronze, Bahrain two gold, two silver, 

four bronze, Oman two gold and 

three bronze, Tunis two gold, one 

bronze, Lebanon one gold, one 

bronze, UAE one silver and four 

bronze, Iraq one silver and one 

bronze, Algeria one silver and Syria 

one bronze. 

Kuwait’s women skeet team won 

the gold medal, beating Qatar and 

SEPANG: McLaren Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain steers his car 

during the qualifying session for the Malaysian Formula One Grand Prix. —AP 

Bahrain, while Samah Hajras from 

Bahrain won the individuals event 

beating Ibtissam Marirhi from 

Morocco and Amal Al-Rafee from 

Qatar. 

Qatar’s Reem Al-Sharshani won 

the women Junior Skeet event beating 

the compatriot Amina Al-Bader 

and Kuwait’s Futooh Mohammad. 

Tunis’ Elfah Sharani won the 10m 

women Air Pistol event, as silver 

went to Algeria’s Lalouet Yamins and 

the Bronze to Tunisian Noura 

Abdulrahman. 

Tunis won the team’s event leaving 

Qatar second and UAE third. In 

the 10m air pistol women Juniors Al- 

Dana Al-Mubarak from Qatar won 

gold, as Kuwait’s Ghizlan Hassan won 

silver and Iraq’s Nour Amer won 

bronze. 

Kuwait’s Mariam Erzouqi was satisfied 

with the silver medal as gold 

went to Bahrain’s Azza Al-Qasimi and 

the bronze went to Qatar’s Bahiya Al- 

Hamod. 

Bobana Velickovic who won the 

gold medal in the 10m air pistol 

lauded HH The Amir Grand Prix, as it 

is being held in ideal atmosphere 

which is highly professional by 

Kuwait Shooting Sports Club offi- 

cials, in addition to the technical 

side, bearing in mind the large number 

of shooters from 36 countries. 

She said what distinguishes the 

Grand Prix is the tremendous preparation 

to host the competition, and 

the outstanding ranges, adding that 

she will do her best to participate 

next year. She said the Grand Prix 

remains one of the most important 


Serbia excel at HH Amir Shooting GP 

Hamilton on 

pole in Malaysia 

SEPANG: Lewis Hamilton put his McLaren on 

pole for the Malaysian Grand Prix yesterday, as 

the team locked up the front row of the starting 

grid for the second race in a row. 

The Briton clocked one minute 36.219 seconds 

in the third round of qualifying to follow 

up his pole position in Australia last week and 

will line up alongside Melbourne winner 

Jenson Button, who finished 0.149 seconds 

behind. 

“It’s been a good weekend so far. It’s been a 

tough day for all of us with the temperature 

and weather changes,” Hamilton told reporters 

at a humid Sepang Circuit. 

“We put a lot of pressure on ourselves and 

it’s very intense and probably the most exciting 

part of the weekend. But speaking for myself, I 

really enjoy it.” Michael Schumacher was third 

fastest in his Mercedes with Red Bull’s Mark 

Webber completing the second row of the grid 

in fourth. 

World champion Sebastian Vettel finished 

sixth but gets promoted one place above Kimi 

Raikkonen’s Lotus, who finished ahead of the 

German but loses five places on the grid for 

changing his gearbox this weekend. 

Displaying the lightning pace his car had 

shown through Friday practice, Hamilton 

blazed out his fastest lap early in the final 

round of qualifying and one by one his challengers 

tried but failed to beat the 2008 world 

champion’s time. “I think the first lap was quite 

good,” he said. “On the first corner, I had a 

small oversteer moment but it didn’t cost me 

any time. The rest of the lap seemed to come 

together quite well. I pushed a little bit too 

much in the last corner, but was able to minimise 

the amount that I lost.” 

The Briton last enjoyed two poles in a row in 

2009 - in Italy and Singapore - and it will be the 

first time since 2007 that McLaren have taken 

the top two spots in qualifying in consecutive 

races. 

“Qualifying has been pretty good to me in 

the last two races and I can’t complain too 

much. It’s good for us as a team to be on the 

front row again,” Button said. 

“Lewis did a great lap at the start of Q3 and 

we edged closer but we couldn’t quite get 

there.” Team boss Martin Whitmarsh said both 

cars went out with a similar set-up and was full 

of praise for his drivers. 

“Lewis did a great first lap, although he 

locked up into that first corner so he probably 

could have found about another tenth but he 

wasn’t going to go out and take any risks,” he 

said. 

“The time he set there was probably, he 

thought, going to be good enough to be pole 

so he just took it easy and they both did a great 

job.” 

With Raikkonen’s demotion to 10th, team 

mate Romain Grosjean backed up his thirdplace 

qualification in Australia with sixth, but 

Ferrari’s woes continued for the second race in 

succession. 

Double world champion Fernando Alonso 

did well to make the final round of qualifying to 

start in eighth behind Nico Rosberg in the other 

Mercedes, but Felipe Massa failed to make it 

out of Q2 and will start in 12th. 

Schumacher was delighted with his performance 

and the seven-times world champion 

felt he had got the most out of his car. 

“We are third here and if you look who is 

behind us and how close everything is going, 

we can be more than happy with what we 

achieved and look forward to tomorrow,” the 

German said. 

Vettel is down in fifth place but he is the 

only driver near the front of the field who will 

start the race on hard tyres, offering the chance 

of a longer run before the first round of pit 

stops. “There’s not much strategy behind it to 

be honest, I was struggling on the soft tyres 

and thought I had a better car on the hard 

tyres,” the German admitted. 

“That’s why I made the call and I think 

maybe we could have gone a tenth or tenthand-a-half 

(of a second) quicker also on the soft 

tyre but then we went significantly faster on 

the hard tyre. 

“Whether that is an advantage tomorrow...we’ll 

see.” Ferrari have spent the first two 

races of the season in damage-limitation mode 

and Alonso, who finished fifth in Melbourne, 

was happy with his overall performance in a 

sluggish car. —Reuters 

OKLAHOMA CITY: Russell Westbrook 

scored 45 points, and Kevin Durant added 

40 points and a season-high 17 rebounds 

as the Oklahoma City Thunder overcame 

a career-high 51 points from Minnesota 

All-Star Kevin Love to beat the 

Timberwolves 149-140 in double overtime 

Friday. Westbrook set the tone in the 

second overtime, stealing the ball on 

Minnesota’s opening possession and racing 

to the other end for a layup that 

resulted in a three-point play. Love, who 

beat Durant in the 3-Point Contest on All- 

Star weekend, made a career-high seven 

3s and also pulled down 14 rebounds 

while becoming the third player to eclipse 

50 points this season. 

Lakers 103, T Blazers 96 

At Los Angeles, Andrew Bynum had 

28 points and nine rebounds, and point 

guard Ramon Sessions had 20 points and 

11 assists in his first start for the Lakers. 

Kobe Bryant scored 18 points for Los 

Angeles, which finished with a seasonhigh 

33 assists and increased its Pacific 

Division lead to 3 1/2 games over the idle 

Clippers. Pau Gasol had 16 rebounds and 

10 points. Sessions played his fifth game 

since the Lakers obtained him from 

Cleveland along with Christian Eyenga on 

March 15 for Luke Walton and Jason 

Kapono. 

Magic 93, Cavaliers 80 

At Orlando, Florida, Ryan Anderson 

scored 17 points, and Dwight Howard 

added 16 points and 13 rebounds as 

Orlando held off Cleveland. All five Magic 

players scored in double figures as they 

sizzled shooting the ball early before having 

to fight off a Cleveland charge in third 

quarter. They improved to 18-3 when all 

their starters reach double digits Antawn 

Jamison scored 16 points and had nine 

rebounds to lead Cleveland. Tristan 

Thompson added 15 points and 11 

boards, and Kyrie Irving had 13 points. 

Heat 88, Pistons 73 

At Auburn Hills, Michigan, LeBron 

James had 17 points and 10 assists to lead 

Miami to its fourth straight victory. 

Dwyane Wade added 24 points for the 

Heat, who posed for a photo earlier in the 

day wearing team-logo hoodies. Players 

were speaking out following the death of 

Trayvon Martin, the unarmed black 

teenager wearing a hooded sweatshirt 

who was shot by a neighborhood crimewatch 

volunteer last month in a suburb of 

Orlando, Florida. Brandon Knight scored 

18 points for the Pistons, who have lost 

five of six. 

Bucks 112, Bobcats 92 

At Charlotte, North Carolina, Luc 

Mbah a Moute scored 13 of his 20 points 

in the second half as Milwaukee had 72 

points inside the paint. Ersan Ilyasova had 

15 points and Drew Goodson added 14 

points and 12 rebounds as six Bucks players 

scored in double digits. Monta Ellis 

Shooter Khalid Al-Subaiee 

chipped in with 13 points and Brandon 

Jennings added 12 for Milwaukee. Kemba 

Walker and Derrick Brown each had 13 

points for the Bobcats. Corey Maggette, 

who fought off a back injury and an illness 

this week to play against this former 

team, was held to 10 points for Charlotte. 

Raptors 96, Knicks 79 

At Toronto, DeMar DeRozan scored 30 

points before leaving with an injury and 

Andrea Bargnani had 21 as Toronto 

snapped New York’s five-game winning 

streak. The Raptors, who had lost seven of 

10 coming in, never trailed and led by as 

many as 22. Gary Forbes scored 19 points, 

one shy of his career-high, and Jose 

Calderon had 10 assists as Toronto 

snapped a three-game skid and handed 

New York its first defeat under coach Mike 

Woodson. Amare Stoudemire scored 17 

points, Steve Novak had 15 and Carmelo 

Anthony 12 for the Knicks. 

Suns 113, Pacers 111 

At Indianapolis, Marcin Gortat had 23 

points and eight rebounds, Steve Nash 

added 12 points and tied his season high 

with 17 assists, and Grant Hill scored 22 

for Phoenix. Danny Granger had 28 points 

and Roy Hibbert finished with 19 points 

and seven rebounds for the Pacers, who 

played their second game in a series of 

three games in three days. 

Hawks 93, Nets 84 

At Atlanta, Josh Smith had 30 points 

and 12 rebounds to help Atlanta get its 

fourth win in five games. Jeff Teague had 

17 points and six assists, Joe Johnson 

scored 16 and Kirk Hinrich added 14 for 

the Hawks. Deron Williams scored 20 

points and Kris Humphries added 17 for 

New Jersey, which has lost five straight 

and seven of eight. 

76ers 99, Celtics 86 

At Philadelphia, Elton Brand scored 20 

points, and Spencer Hawes had 12 points 

and 10 rebounds to help Philadelphia 

remain in first place in the Atlantic 

Division. The Celtics would have grabbed 

first with a win, knocking out a Sixers 

team that has held that spot for all but a 

few days this season. The Sixers outscored 

Boston by 20 points in the third quarter to 

take control. 

There was a serious scare when Celtics 

guard Mickael Pietrus left on a stretcher 

stops in her preparation for the 

Olympics, as she faced great competition 

and outstanding levels from 

world champions. She added that 

this GP will remain the biggest in the 

world and will be on the shooters’ 

agenda. 

Meanwhile, Slovenia’s Ziva 

Dvorsak said she was satisfied with 

her participation, adding that she 

held a training camp one week 

before the start of the grand prix. 

She said her results in the tournament 

are good as she starts her 

preparations for the upcoming 

Olympics. 

She said HH The Amir’s Grand Prix 

is very important due to the presence 

of world champions and hoped 

it continues every year with 

increased numbers of shooters. 

Tunisian Elfa Al-Shareeni who 

won the 10m air pistol gold medal in 

the Arab Championship said she is 

happy to win as she suffered from 

injuries recently as she competed 

with highly skilled shooters from 

around the world. 

Thunder silence T’Wolves 

LOS ANGELES: Lakers’ Kobe Bryant (left) tries to drive around 

Portland Trail Blazers’ Nicolas Batum (right) during the second 

half of an NBA basketball game. —AP 

Eastern Conference 

Atlantic Division 

W L PCT GB 

Philadelphia 27 21 .563 - 

Boston 25 22 .532 1.5 

NY Knicks 23 25 .479 4 

Toronto 16 32 .333 11 

New Jersey 15 34 .306 12.5 

Central Division 

Chicago 39 10 .796 - 

Indiana 27 19 .587 10.5 

Milwaukee 22 25 .468 16 

Cleveland 17 28 .378 20 

Detroit 16 31 .340 22 

Southeast Division 

Miami 35 11 .761 - 

Orlando 31 18 .633 5.5 

Atlanta 28 20 .583 8 

Washington 11 35 .239 24 

Charlotte 7 38 .156 27.5 

and was hospitalized after an awkward 

collision late in the first half. He was listed 

as having a questionable closed head 

injury. Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce each 

scored 20 points for Boston. Rajon Rondo 

had 17 assists. 

Spurs 104, Mavericks 87 

At San Antonio, Manu Ginobili had 11 

points and seven assists while starting in 

place of an injured Tony Parker, leading 

San Antonio over Dallas. Danny Green 

added 18 points, Tim Duncan 15 and Matt 

Bonner 12 for the Spurs, who have the 

second-best record in the Western 

Conference at 31-14. Parker, who missed 

his third game of the season, sat out with 

a strained right quadriceps. Jason Terry 

led the Mavericks with 18 points, Dirk 

Nowitzki had 16, Jason Kidd scored 14 

and Shawn Marion had 13. 

Jazz 121, Nuggets 102 

At Salt Lake City, Al Jefferson had 23 

points and eight rebounds, and Gordon 

Hayward chipped in 15 points, seven 

rebounds and seven assists as Utah won 

its sixth straight. All five starters reached 

double figures for the Jazz as Paul 

Millsap had 14 points, C.J. Miles scored 

12 and Devin Harris added 13 points and 

nine assists. Alec Burks led a strong 

bench contribution with 15 points. 

Derrick Favors chipped in 12 points and 

seven rebounds. Al Harrington scored 20 

points off the bench for Denver, while 

Arron Afflalo added 14 points before a 

third-quarter ejection. Kenneth Faried 

added 16 points, Andre Miller chipped in 

14 and Wilson Chandler had 13 for the 

Nuggets. —AP 

NBA results/standings 

Orlando 93, Cleveland 80; Phoenix 113, Indiana 111; Toronto 96, NY Knicks 79; 

Milwaukee 112, Charlotte 92; Atlanta 93, New Jersey 84; Miami 88, Detroit 73; 

Oklahoma City 149, Minnesota 140 (OT); Philadelphia 99, Boston 86; San 

Antonio 104, Dallas 87; LA Lakers 103, Portland 96; Utah 121, Denver 102. 

Western Conference 

Northwest Division 

Oklahoma City 36 12 .750 - 

Utah 26 22 .542 10 

Denver 26 22 .542 10 

Minnesota 23 26 .469 13.5 

Portland 22 26 .458 14 

Pacific Division 

LA Lakers 30 18 .625 - 

LA Clippers 26 21 .553 3.5 

Phoenix 24 24 .500 6 

Golden State 19 26 .422 9.5 

Sacramento 17 30 .362 12.5 

Southwest Division 

San Antonio 31 14 .689 - 

Memphis 25 20 .556 6 

Dallas 27 22 .551 6 

Houston 26 22 .542 6.5 

New Orleans 12 35 .255 20

GERMANY: Bayern’s Ivica Olic of Croatia (left) and Hanover’s Emanuel 

Pogatetz of Austria challenge for the ball during the German First 

Division Bundesliga soccer match. —AP 

Bayern trim 

Dortmund’s lead 

BERLIN: Bayern Munich trimmed Borussia 

Dortmund’s lead at the top of the German 

league to two points yesterday as the 

Bavarians enjoyed a 2-1 home win over 

Hanover. After midfielder Toni Kroos put the 

hosts ahead at Munich’s Allianz Arena with a 

well-taken first-half chip, Germany striker 

Mario Gomez extended his tally as the 

Bundesliga’s top scorer with his 23rd goal in 

26 matches. 

He rolled his shot under Hanover goalkeeper 

Ron-Robert Zieler on 68 minutes to 

claim Bayern’s second before Ivory Coast 

striker Didier Ya Konan pulled a goal back 

with a spectacular bicycle kick on 74 minutes. 

Hanover, who face Atletico Madrid in the 

first-leg of their Europa League quarter-final 

on Thursday, could have rescued a point as 

ex-Manchester United striker Mame Diouf 

headed over the bar with time almost up. 

“You can see why Hanover 96 are in the 

last eight of the Europa League and the top 

third of the league table,” said Bayern coach 

Jupp Heynckes, whose team beat 

Moenchengladbach on penalties on 

Wednesday in the German Cup semi-final. 

“They were well organised and not easy to 

play against. Overall, we deserved the win 

and I am very satisfied. We now have to just 

win our games and worry about ourselves. 

The team did well just two-and-a-half days 

after our cup win.” 

With Dortmund at Cologne today in the 

Rhineland derby, Bayern took the opportunity 

to cut the defending champions lead, leaving 

them on 57 points to Dortmund’s 59 with 

seven matches left. 

Third-placed Borussia Moechengladbach 

slipped further back in the title race when 

they threw away the lead to lose 2-1 at home 

to Hoffenheim, which leaves them six points 

behind Bayern, eight behind Dortmund. 

Gladbach were cruising to victory after a 

first-half goal from Dortmund-bound midfielder 

Marco Reus seven minutes before halftime 

but Hoffenheim took the three points 

with two goals in as many second-half minutes. 

Brazil midfielder Roberto Firmino 

earned a yellow card for his shirtless celebrations 

on 77 minutes before a sharp header 

from Boris Vukcevic on 79 minutes scuppered 

Gladbach’s hopes. 

Schalke 04, who host Leverkusen on 

Saturday night, can now claim third place if 

they beat Robin Dutt’s team in Gelsenkirchen. 

Kaiserslautern coach Krassimir Balakov, 

who took over after Marco Kurz was sacked in 

midweek, had an unhappy start to his tenure 

as his team were beaten 2-0 at Freiburg to 

remain bottom of the league. 

It was Kaiserslautern’s 17th league game 

without a win and means they are now six 

points adrift at the bottom. 

Slovakia’s Karim Guede put his side ahead 

after only eight minutes before Freiburg captain 

and Congo international Cedrick Makiadi 

added the second with a header on 14 minutes. 

The win lifts Freiburg to 14th and drops 

Hamburg into the relegation places after they 

lost 2-1 to Wolfsburg on Friday night. 

Hertha Berlin remain second from bottom 

despite their 3-1 win at Mainz but things are 

tight at the bottom as only two points separate 

17th and 13th in the league. 

Hamburg’s chairman has backed coach 

Thorsten Fink to keep them away from relegation 

despite the German league club’s 

fourth consecutive defeat saw them slip into 

the bottom three. 

“I’m still convinced that we have the right 

coaching staff,” said Carl-Edgar Jarchow on 

Saturday after a meeting with Fink.—AFP 

ITALY: AC Milan forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Sweden (center) heads 

the ball to score past AS Roma Dutch goalkeeper Maarten 

Stekeleburg (right) and AS Roma Danish defender Simon Kjaer of 

Denmark during a Serie A soccer match.—AP 

Ibra sends Milan 

seven points clear 

ROME: Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored twice to 

earn AC Milan a 2-1 win over Roma yesterday 

and send the rossoneri seven points clear at 

the top of Serie A. 

The title pressure is now firmly back on 

Juventus who must beat Inter Milan in Turin 

today to keep pace with the champions. 

Pablo Osvaldo had given Roma a first half 

lead against the run of play but Milan dominated 

throughout, twice hitting the woodwork, 

and finally their greater quality told. 

Ibrahimovic now has 22 goals in 23 league 

games this season. It was also a welcome 

boost ahead of Wednesday’s Champions 

League clash with Barcelona. 

The first half was a classic case of smash 

and grab from the visitors who were second 

best throughout but nicked a goal just before 

the break. 

Milan suffered a blow on 10 minutes when 

centre-back Thiago Silva asked to be taken off 

with a recurrence of a leg injury, putting him 

in doubt for the Barca clash. 

Despite the loss, Milan were in complete 

control with Urby Emanuelson testing 

Maarten Stekelenburg before the goalkeeper 

also tipped over an Ibrahimovic free-kick. 

Milan put together a slick move which 

resulted in the lively Stephan El Shaarawy 

shooting wide. Most of the rossoneri’s opportunities 

were just half-chances but Roma 

offered nothing in attack. 

Milan came within a whisker of the lead 

they deserved when El Shaarawy worked 

space on the edge of the box and beat 

Stekelenburg with a fizzing shot that rapped 

the bottom of the post, with neither Antonio 

Nocerino nor Ibrahimovic able to turn in the 

loose ball. And then a minute from the break 

captain Massimo Ambrosini fluffed a clearance 

which fell to Daniele De Rossi 20 yards 

out with Osvaldo alert enough to turn home 

the midfielder’s shot, which appeared to be 

going wide, from the edge of the six-yard box 

with Milan’s defenders failing to react. 

Roma captain Francesco Totti should have 

done much better when presented with a 

glorious chance by a poor clearance from 

goalkeeper Christian Abbiati just after the 

restart but he strangely tried a chipped finish 

from outside the box that sailed over the bar, 

although Abbiati had it well covered anyway. 

And they paid straight away for the profligacy 

as De Rossi blocked Ambrosini’s shot 

with his arm inside the box allowing 

Ibrahimovic to stroke home a 53rd minute 

penalty. From this point there only appeared 

one side likely to win it. Stekelenburg fortunately 

kept out an Ibrahimovic near-post 

shot with his foot as he dived the wrong way 

and he got a finger-tip to a rasping Sulley 

Muntari volley to touch the ball onto the bar. 

But it was no surprise eight minutes from 

time when Ibrahimovic snatched the points, 

latching onto Kevin-Prince Boateng’s long 

ball forward, chipping Stekelenburg and 

then holding off Simon Kjaer-who had been 

guilty of ball-watching to allow Ibra in 

behind him-before nodding home the dropping 

ball.—AFP 

SPORTS 

MIAMI: Venus Williams, in only her second WTA 

match after a long illness layoff, upset world 

number three Petra Kvitova on Friday to reach 

the third round of the WTA and ATP Miami 

hardcourt tournament. 

World number two Rafael Nadal cruised in 

his opener and women’s top seed Victoria 

Azarenka stretched her win streak to 24 matches 

at the $9.6 million event, but seven-time 

Grand Slam singles champion Williams stole 

the show. 

“It’s definitely a big step forward,” Williams 

said after her 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 win. “To win these 

matches definitely a lot of it is mental, to get 

out there and believe you’re going to win and 

execute. “How I’m going to do, I never really 

know, so it’s great to have a win like this. It’s 

definitely satisfying.” 

Williams withdrew from last year’s US Open 

with the auto-immune disorder Sjogren’s syndrome, 

an illness that saps energy and causes 

joint pain. Her first tournament match since 

then was a first-round triumph on Wednesday. 

That put Williams up against Czech third 

seed Kvitova, who fought to reach a third set 

only to be overpowered by Williams after two 

hours and 18 minutes. 

“I was just trying to win the match. I didn’t 

even think about that it was six-love until like 

long after the match was over,” Williams said. 

Kvitova was impressed with how well 

Williams played after seven months away in 

booking a third-round match-up with 

Canadian wildcard Aleksandra Wozniak, who 

defeated Romania’s Monica Niculescu 4-6, 6-3, 

6-4. “She played very well after a long time. She 

looks very ready, very fit,” Kvitova said. “The 

third set was really cruel for me. I knew what I 

had to do, but if I don’t return very well it’s 

tough to play against her.” 

Williams said she was playing with new 

enthusiasm. “I’m pretty pumped out there. Like 

literally I have nothing to lose,” she said. “Every 

shot is a victory and a blessing so I’m just going 

for it. Hopefully I have a new lease on life. I just 

want to feel good enough to play.” 

Spanish second seed Nadal began his quest 

for a first-ever Miami title by ousting Colombia’s 

Santiago Giraldo 6-2, 6-0 in 69 minutes, saying 

it was not as easy a victory as he made it seem. 

“I played a very solid match with no mistakes,” 

Nadal said. “No match is easy, even if the 

score was very easy because 6-2, 6-0 is a big difference 

in the score but not in the tennis. You 

have to fight every point. You have to find solutions 

every moment.” 

Nadal next has a third-round date with 

Czech Radek Stepanek, who ousted Germany’s 

Tommy Haas 7-6 (7/4), 6-1. Women’s world 

number one Azarenka eliminated Dutch player 


Real thump Sociedad 

MADRID: La Liga leaders Real Madrid ended a 

run of two straight draws and restored their 

six-point advantage over arch rivals Barcelona 

when they crushed Real Sociedad 5-1 yesterday. 

Jose Mourinho’s side let their football do 

the talking after a controversial week when 

the Portuguese coach was sent off during 

Wednesday’s 1-1 stalemate at Villarreal for 

criticising the referee. 

Mourinho was banned from the bench for 

the game at the Bernabeu but two goals each 

from Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema 

and one from Gonzalo Higuain lifted Real to 

75 points with nine matches remaining. 

Barca have 69 points in second after Lionel 

Messi’s free kick set them on their way to a 2-0 

victory at Real Mallorca, the Argentine World 

Player of the Year’s 18th goal in his last nine 

games for his club. 

Barca, who visit AC Milan in a Champions 

League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday, 

had to play most of the second half with 10 

men after midfielder Thiago Alcantara was 

harshly shown a second yellow card for handling 

the ball on 57 minutes. 

Real went for all-out attack against 14thplaced 

Sociedad, with strike partners 

Benzema and Higuain getting a rare start 

together and supported by Ronaldo and 

Kaka. 

Benzema set up Higuain for the opening 

goal in the sixth minute, Ronaldo added a second 

just after the half hour and Benzema 

made it 3-0 five minutes before halftime. 

Sociedad pulled a goal back a minute later 

when Xabi Prieto’s long-range effort flew into 

the top corner after taking a deflection off the 

head of Sergio Ramos before Benzema and 

Ronaldo made it 5-1 with goals early in the 

second period. 

“The match the other day (at Villarreal) was 

a strange one and finished in a very tense 

atmosphere,” Real director Emilio Butragueno 

said in a television interview. 

“Today I think we turned in a very complete 

performance, especially in the first half, 

GLASGOW: Kilmarnock defeated 

third-placed Motherwell 2-0 yesterday 

to hand Celtic the chance to 

clinch the Scottish Premier League 

title in today’s Old Firm derby at 

Ibrox. 

In an emotionally charged match 

at Rugby Park both sides took part in 

a minute’s silence in tribute to Jack 

Kelly, the father of Killie player Liam, 

who died after suffering a heart 

attack as he watched his son lift the 

League Cup following a 1-0 win over 

Celtic at Hampden last weekend. 

After the first half ended goalless 

Paul Heffernan opened the scoring in 

the 50th minute when he knocked 

the ball past Darren Randolph at the 

second attempt. 

Gary Harkins twice came close to 

adding to Killie’s lead before they 

were awarded a 62nd minute penalty 

after Motherwell’s Tom Hately handled 

in the box, which Heffernan converted. 

The win means Celtic, who are 

21 points clear with eight games 

remaining, could clinch their first SPL 

title in four years at the home of their 

greatest rivals if they can defeat 

Rangers in today’s match. If they do it 

Deadly protest after 

Egypt football ban 

CAIRO: Fresh clashes erupted in the northern city of Port 

Said yesterday, after a boy was shot dead in overnight 

fighting between Egyptian security forces and football 

fans protesting against a ban on their club. 

Protesters pelted rocks at the Suez Canal Authority, as 

security forces guarding the vital building fired shots in 

the air and tear gas to disperse the crowd, security officials 

said. 

Overnight, football fans protesting a ban on their club 

over a stadium riot that killed dozens last month clashed 

with troops, leaving one 13 year-old boy dead and 68 

injured, according to the health ministry. 

The official Al-Ahram newspaper reported that the 

boy was shot in the back. By yesterday, the protesters had 

blocked routes into Port Said, witnesses said, creating 

traffic jams for several kilometres (miles) outside the 

Mediterranean city. 

The protest erupted after the Egyptian Football 

Association banned Al-Masry from playing for two years 

and cancelled matches at Port Said stadium for three 

years, the newspaper reported. 

Three club officials are among 75 people facing trial 

over the stadium riot that killed more than 70 fans at the 

end of a match between Al-Masry and Cairo rivals Al-Ahly 

on February 2, in one of the sport’s deadliest incidents. 

The independent AL-Shorouk newspaper reported 

that thousands joined protests after the main weekly 

Muslim prayers at noon on Friday, passing out leaflets 

calling for the expulsion of foreign workers in Port Said 

province. 

Port Said had become increasingly isolated after the 

stadium riot, leading to demonstrations by its inhabitants 

to decry what they said was a smear campaign against 

them. The riot broke out when Al-Masry fans invaded the 

pitch after their team beat the visitors 3-1, throwing 

rocks, bottles and fireworks at Al-Ahly supporters, causing 

chaos and panic as players and fans fled in all directions. 

Most of the casualties died from suffocation as they were 

caught in a stampede. 

In a statement, the Egyptian Football Association said 

Al-Ahly had also been suspended for four official games 

because its fans aimed fireworks at the pitch and held up 

insulting banners before the deadly riot. 

The stadium deaths sparked days of violent protests in 

Cairo led by Al-Ahly fans in which another 16 people were 

killed. Many believe the riot was orchestrated either by 

the police or supporters of Hosni Mubarak, a reflection of 

distrust towards the ruling military which took power 

after the veteran president was ousted in a popular uprising 

last year. Al-Ahly’s most ardent supporters, the Ultras, 

were active in the revolt that overthrew Mubarak. 

They played a prominent role in defending antiregime 

protesters when, one day during the uprising, 

Mubarak supporters on horse and camelback plunged 

into the crowds in Cairo’s Tahrir Square before being 

pulled from their mounts or fleeing. 

The defendants who will face trial over the deaths 

include nine members of the police and three officials 

from the Al-Masry football club. Two minors will be sent 

to a children’s court.—AFP 

and that was good news. “We still have a sixpoint 

lead and if the team performs to its 

potential I have to say I am pretty optimistic.” 

No Real player gave the customary interview 

to Spanish television after the match and 

the club decided that Mourinho’s assistant 

Aitor Karanka would not hold a post-match 

news conference. 

At the Iberostar Estadio in Mallorca, Messi 

fired Barca ahead in the 25th minute when 

the Mallorca defenders failed to deal with his 

inswinging free kick from the right and it flew 

past goalkeeper Dudu Aouate into the corner 

of the net. 

It was his 35th league goal of the campaign 

and Ronaldo’s brace later in the day 

means the pair are tied at the top of the scoring 

chart and closing in on Ronaldo’s record of 

will be the first time since 1967 that 

Celtic fans have celebrated a title win 

at Ibrox. 

Elsewhere, Dundee United continued 

their climb up the SPL with a 2-0 

win away to Hibernian thanks to second 

half goals from Johnny Russell 

and Gary Mackay-Stevens. 

At Pittodrie, a first-half strike from 

Gregory Tade was enough for 

Inverness Caledonian Thistle, who 

had Josh Meekings sent off in the 

58th minute, to claim a 1-0 win over 

Aberdeen. 

Hearts missed the chance to close 

40 in a season set last term. 

Barca were on cruise control until Thiago’s 

sending off and the champions endured a 

nervy 20 minutes before a Messi shot cannoned 

back off Aouate’s left-hand post and 

centre back Gerard Pique was on hand to slot 

the rebound into the empty net. 

Barca coach Pep Guardiola said the victory 

would lift his players for their trip to the San 

Siro. “It was a closely-fought match, although 

in the second half we created a lot,” the former 

Barca and Spain midfielder told a news conference. 

“I am satisfied. In the end, willingness, 

effort and not making excuses helped us get 

through the match.” Valencia, who are 22 

points behind Barca in third, play at Getafe in 

Saturday’s late kickoff.—Reuters 

SPAIN: Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema from France (right) celebrates his goal 

with Cristiano Ronaldo from Portugal (left) during the Spanish La Liga soccer 

match against Real Sociedad.—AP 

Kilmarnock victory opens 

door for title-bound Celtic 

the gap on fifth-placed St Johnstone 

as they lost 2-1 at McDiarmid Park. 

Jason Holt had given the Jambos a 

first-half lead but Murray Davidson 

levelled matters ten minutes before 

the break. 

Francisco Sandaza scored the winner 

from the penalty spot in the 77th 

minute after he was fouled in the box 

by Marius Zaliukas. 

Jim Jefferies’ first match in charge 

of Dunfermline saw them claim a 1-1 

draw with St Mirren which takes 

them closer to second bottom Hibs in 

the relegation battle.—AFP 

Venus, Nadal and 

Azarenka advance 

Michaella Krajicek 6-3, 7-5. Azarenka broke as 

Krajicek served for the second set, then held 

and broke again to close out the match after 

one hour and 42 minutes. 

Azarenka, from Belarus, stretched her season-long 

win streak to 24 matches. She has the 

best start to a WTA season since Martina Hingis 

won 37 in a row in 1997. 

“I’m not really thinking about numbers or 

the streaks,” Azarenka said. “My job is to play 

tennis. I just try to stay focused every day and 

try to be the best player I can.” 

Top seed Azarenka, who already has four 

titles this year, will next face British wildcard 

KEY BISCAYNE: Rafael Nadal of 

Spain returns to Santiago Giraldo of 

Colombia during the Sony Ericsson 

Open tennis tournament.—AP 

Heather Watson, who defeated Czech Lucie 

Safarova 6-2, 6-1. Azarenka has won both their 

prior meetings. 

World number four Andy Murray eased into 

the third round by dispatching Colombia’s 

Alejandro Falla 6-2, 6-3, avoiding a repeat of an 

embarrassing early ouster in Indian Wells. 

Murray, 24, will next face big-serving 

Canadian 26th seed Milos Raonic, who 

advanced over France’s Arnaud Clement 7-6 

(9/7), 6-2. 

Serbian world number one Novak Djokovic, 

winner of the past three Grand Slam men’s singles 

tournaments, will start the defence of his 

title on Saturday against Marcos Baghdatis of 

Cyprus. Russia’s Alisa Kleybanova, a former top- 

20 player who has missed the past 10 months 

battling Hodgkin’s lymphoma, was beaten in 

her second-round match by compatriot Maria 

Kirilenko 7-6 (7/1), 6-3. “I can’t say I’m disappointed,” 

Kleybanova said. “This has been a 

good achievement for me.”—AFP

Soccer results/standings 

Arsenal 3 (Gibbs 16, Walcott 25, Arteta 90+3) 

Aston Villa 0; Bolton 2 (Wheater 28, 35) 

Blackburn 1 (Nzonzi 56); Chelsea 0, Tottenham 

0; Liverpool 1 (Suarez 47) Wigan 2 (Maloney 

30-pen, Caldwell 63); Norwich 2 (Holt 26, 45pen) 

Wolves 1 (Jarvis 25); Sunderland 3 

(Bendtner 41, McClean 70, Sessegnon 76) QPR 

1 (Taiwo 79); Swansea 0, Everton 2 (Baines 59, 

Jelavic 76); Stoke 1 (Crouch 59) Man City 1 

(Y.Toure 76). 

English Football League results 

Championship 

Barnsley 1, Peterborough 0; Burnley 2, West 

Ham 2; Coventry 2, Portsmouth 0; Derby 3, 

Crystal Palace 2; Leicester 2, Hull 1; 

Middlesbrough 1, Bristol City 1; Millwall 0, 

Leeds 1; Nottingham Forest 1, Brighton 1; 

Reading 3, Blackpool 1; Southampton 2, 

Doncaster 0; Watford 2, Ipswich 1. 

Division One 

Brentford 2, Rochdale 0; Colchester 1, Carlisle 

1; Huddersfield 1, Charlton 0; Leyton Orient 0, 

Sheffield Wednesday 1; Oldham 1, 

Bournemouth 0; Preston 1, Bury 1; Scunthorpe 

0, Notts County 0; Tranmere 2, Exeter 0; Walsall 

1, Stevenage 1; Wycombe 1, Milton Keynes 

Dons 1; Yeovil 0, Hartlepool 1. 

Division Two 

AFC Wimbledon 4, Burton 0; Bradford 2, 

Gillingham 2; Bristol Rovers 1, Southend 0; 

Cheltenham 0, Oxford 0; Crawley 3, 

Rotherham 0; Dagenham and Redbridge 2, 

Accrington 1; Hereford 0, Crewe 1; Morecambe 

0, Shrewsbury 1; Northampton 0, Plymouth 0; 

Torquay 2, Port Vale 1. 

Man City 30 22 4 4 72 22 70 

Man Utd 29 22 4 3 73 27 70 

Arsenal 30 18 4 8 61 39 58 

Tottenham 30 16 7 7 53 35 55 

Chelsea 30 14 8 8 49 34 50 

Newcastle 29 13 8 8 41 41 47 

Liverpool 30 11 9 10 36 31 42 

Sunderland 30 11 7 12 39 34 40 

Everton 30 11 7 12 30 32 40 

Swansea 30 10 9 11 34 36 39 

Norwich 30 10 9 11 41 47 39 

Stoke 30 10 8 12 29 41 38 

Fulham 29 9 9 11 37 40 36 

West Brom 29 10 6 13 35 38 36 

Aston Villa 29 7 12 10 31 38 33 

Blackburn 30 7 7 16 43 62 28 

Bolton 29 8 2 19 33 58 26 

QPR 30 6 7 17 33 53 25 

Wigan 30 5 10 15 27 55 25 

Wolves 30 5 7 18 31 65 22 

English Football League tables 

Championship 

Southampton 39 23 9 7 72 35 78 

Reading 39 22 7 10 56 34 73 

West Ham 38 19 12 7 59 38 69 

Brighton 39 17 11 11 48 40 62 

Middlesbrough 38 16 13 9 45 42 61 

Blackpool 39 16 12 11 66 56 60 

Birmingham 37 16 11 10 59 40 59 

Cardiff 38 15 14 9 56 49 59 

Hull 38 16 10 12 38 32 58 

Leeds 39 16 9 14 59 57 57 

Leicester 38 15 10 13 56 48 55 

Derby 39 16 7 16 44 52 55 

Watford 39 14 12 13 46 55 54 

Crystal Palace 38 13 14 11 39 35 53 

Ipswich 38 15 6 17 61 67 51 

Burnley 38 14 8 16 50 47 50 

Barnsley 39 13 7 19 47 62 46 

Peterborough 38 12 8 18 59 62 44 

Millwall 39 10 10 19 44 54 40 

Nottingham 38 11 6 21 41 59 39 

Bristol City 39 9 9 21 33 62 36 

Coventry 39 8 11 20 35 52 35 

Doncaster 38 7 10 21 33 63 31 

Portsmouth 38 10 10 18 38 43 30 

Note: Portsmouth deducted 10 points for 

entering administration 

Division One 

Charlton 39 24 10 5 70 31 82 

Sheffield Wed 39 22 8 9 67 45 74 

Sheffield Utd 38 22 7 9 73 41 73 

Huddersfield 38 18 17 3 71 38 71 

Milton Keynes 38 18 13 7 72 40 67 

Carlisle 37 15 13 9 54 56 58 

Stevenage 37 14 15 8 51 34 57 

Notts County 39 16 9 14 58 54 57 

Colchester 38 12 16 10 50 49 52 

Brentford 37 13 11 13 48 44 50 

Hartlepool 39 13 11 15 43 46 50 

Tranmere 39 12 12 15 41 42 48 

Bournemouth 38 13 9 16 40 45 48 

Oldham 37 13 9 15 45 54 48 

Preston 38 12 11 15 47 57 47 

Yeovil 39 12 10 17 50 64 46 

Scunthorpe 39 8 19 12 48 52 43 

Leyton Orient 37 11 10 16 40 56 43 

Bury 39 11 10 18 49 70 43 

Wycombe 39 11 7 21 57 72 40 

Walsall 38 7 18 13 38 44 39 

Rochdale 39 7 13 19 35 62 34 

Exeter 39 8 10 21 33 62 34 

Chesterfield 38 7 12 19 40 62 33 

Division Two 

Swindon 37 24 4 9 63 27 76 

Torquay 39 21 9 9 56 42 72 

Shrewsbury 38 21 8 9 54 34 71 

Crawley Town 37 19 11 7 65 45 68 

Southend 39 20 7 12 64 46 67 

Cheltenham 39 19 8 12 55 41 65 

Oxford Utd 38 16 14 8 52 36 62 

Crewe 39 18 7 14 56 52 61 

Gillingham 38 17 7 14 68 55 58 

Rotherham 39 14 11 14 56 54 53 

Aldershot 37 16 5 16 40 42 53 

Morecambe 39 13 12 14 55 45 51 

Accrington 38 12 14 12 47 50 50 

Bristol Rovers 38 13 10 15 46 57 49 

AFC Wimbledon 39 13 8 18 54 66 47 

Port Vale 38 16 8 14 61 52 46 

Burton Albion 38 11 10 17 45 65 43 

Northampton 38 11 8 19 49 68 41 

Bradford 38 9 13 16 46 51 40 

Barnet 38 10 9 19 44 67 39 

Scottish Premier League results 

Aberdeen 0, Inverness CT 1 (Tade 10); 

Dunfermline 1 (Cardle 46) St Mirren 1 

(Thompson 38); Hibernian 0, Dundee Utd 2 

(Russell 66, Mackay-Steven 73); Kilmarnock 2 

(Heffernan 50, 62-pen) Motherwell 0; St 

Johnstone 2 (Davidson 35, Sandaza 77-pen) 

Hearts 1 (Holt 29). 

Scottish Football League results 

First Division 

Ayr 0, Morton 0; Dundee 1, Raith 1; Falkirk 2, 

Livingston 5; Hamilton 3, Queen Of The South 

0; Partick 0, Ross County 1. 

Second Division 

Airdrie 2, Arbroath 0; Brechin 1, East Fife 3; 

Cowdenbeath 4, Dumbarton 1; Forfar 4, 

Stirling 3; Stenhousemuir 1, Albion 2. 

Third Division 

Alloa 4, Queen’s Park 0; Annan Athletic 1, 

Montrose 2; Clyde 0, Elgin City 2; Peterhead 1, 

Berwick 2; Stranraer 4, East Stirling 1. 

German league results 

Bayern Munich 2 (Kroos 36, Gomez 68) 

Hanover 96 1 (Ya Konan 74); Freiburg 2 (Guede 

8, Makiadi 14) Kaiserslautern 0; Borussia 

M’gladbach 1 (Reus 38) Hoffenheim 2 

(Roberto Firmino 77, Vukcevic 79); Werder 

Bremen 1 (Fuellkrug 61) Augsburg 1 

(Verhaegh 90+2); Mainz 05 1 (Choupo-Moting 

58) Hertha Berlin 3 (Ben-Hatira 41, Ramos 52, 

69); Schalke 04 2 (Huntelaar 18, 86) Bayer 

Leverkusen 0. 

Played Friday: 

VfL Wolfsburg 2 (Mandzukic 46, M Schafer 75) 

Hamburg 1 (Berg 47) 

English Premier League table after yesterday’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals 

against, points): 

Dagenham 39 11 5 23 40 67 38 

Plymouth 39 8 13 18 40 57 37 

Macclesfield 39 8 12 19 36 51 36 

Hereford 39 8 11 20 41 63 35 

Note: Port Vale deducted 10 points for entering 

administration 

Scottish Premier League table 

Celtic 30 24 3 3 62 17 75 

Rangers 30 20 4 6 57 21 54 

Motherwell 31 16 6 9 41 35 54 

Dundee Utd 31 12 10 9 51 40 46 

St Johnstone 30 13 7 10 41 34 46 

Hearts 31 12 6 13 36 31 42 

Kilmarnock 31 8 13 10 34 44 37 

Aberdeen 31 7 12 12 29 34 33 

St Mirren 31 6 14 11 27 41 32 

Inverness CT 30 8 7 15 34 50 31 

Hibernian 31 5 8 18 30 59 23 

Dunfermline 31 4 8 19 31 67 20 

Note: Rangers deducted 10 points for going 

into administration 

Scottish Football League tables 

First Division 

Ross County 29 17 11 1 51 24 62 

Dundee 29 12 9 8 42 31 45 

Falkirk 30 11 11 8 43 39 44 

Hamilton 30 12 6 12 44 39 42 

Partick 29 10 8 11 38 30 38 

Livingston 29 10 8 11 45 47 38 

Morton 30 9 9 12 32 45 36 

Ayr 28 7 11 10 32 47 32 

Raith 29 7 9 13 33 39 30 

Queen South 29 6 8 15 29 48 26 

Second Division 

Cowdenbeath 30 18 9 3 60 23 63 

Arbroath 30 15 11 4 67 41 56 

Dumbarton 30 13 6 11 51 54 45 

Stenhousemuir 30 12 5 13 46 42 41 

East Fife 30 12 5 13 47 48 41 

Airdrie Utd 30 10 9 11 56 57 39 

Brechin 30 9 10 11 37 46 37 

Forfar 30 8 9 13 51 64 33 

Albion 30 8 5 17 37 57 29 

Stirling 30 7 7 16 41 61 28 

Third Division 

Alloa 30 20 6 4 55 30 66 

Stranraer 30 16 7 7 71 44 55 

Queens Park 30 16 6 8 58 38 54 

Elgin 30 14 8 8 57 43 50 

Annan Athletic 30 11 8 11 45 45 41 

Berwick 30 9 10 11 47 52 37 

Peterhead 30 10 5 15 39 51 35 

Montrose 30 8 5 17 45 67 29 

Clyde 30 6 9 15 30 39 27 

East Stirling 30 5 6 19 34 72 21 

German league table 

Dortmund 26 18 5 3 53 16 59 

Bayern Munich 27 18 3 6 66 18 57 

Schalke 04 27 17 2 8 60 34 53 

M’chengladbach 27 15 6 6 40 18 51 

Bayer Leverkusen 27 11 7 9 39 36 40 

Werder Bremen 27 11 7 9 41 40 40 

Hanover 96 27 9 11 7 35 38 38 

VfL Wolfsburg 27 11 4 12 36 48 37 

VfB Stuttgart 26 10 6 10 43 34 36 

Hoffenheim 27 8 9 10 31 38 33 

Nuremberg 26 9 4 13 25 37 31 

Mainz 05 27 7 9 11 39 44 30 

Cologne 26 8 4 14 33 50 28 

Freiburg 27 7 7 13 35 53 28 

Augsburg 27 5 12 10 28 41 27 

Hamburg 27 6 9 12 31 50 27 

Hertha Berlin 27 6 8 13 29 48 26 

Kaiserslautern 27 3 11 13 17 38 20 

Matches on TV 

(Local Timings) 

English Premier League 

West Brom v Newcastle 18:00 

Abu Dhabi Sports HD 3 

Abu Dhabi Sports HD 5 

Spanish League 

Getafe v Valencia 0:00 

Aljazeera Sport +4 

SPORTS 

LIVERPOOL: Kenny Dalglish and 

Liverpool’s wretched Premier 

League season continued yesterday 

as Gary Caldwell’s second-half 

winner allowed struggling Wigan 

Athletic to record their first ever 

victory at Anfield. 

Shaun Maloney claimed his first 

goal for Wigan from the penalty 

spot in the first half, only for Luis 

Suarez to equalise early in the second 

half. 

But Caldwell gave Wigan a 2-1 

lead just after the hour as 

Liverpool surely saw their lingering 

hopes of a top-four finish disappear. 

Whatever successes 

Dalglish enjoys in cup competitions 

this season, this defeat must 

rank as the low point of his reign. 

Wigan struck a sensational 

opening goal from the penalty 

spot just beyond the half hour, 

after Liverpool’s early dominance 

of possession had failed to generate 

a single clear-cut chance. 

James McCarthy charged down 

Jordan Henderson’s attempted 

clearance and allowed Caldwell to 

chip the ball forward into the 

Liverpool area where, as Victor 

Moses tried to connect with a shot, 

a high boot from defender Martin 

Skrtel caught him in the face. 

Referee Lee Mason had no hesitation 

in awarding the penalty 

and, after a three-minute delay 

while Moses received treatment, 

Maloney calmly strode up to place 

his spot kick into the bottom lefthand 

corner. Maloney’s composure 

was in stark contrast to that shown 

by Liverpool, who were seeking to 

improve upon a dreadful home 

league record of just five wins 

from their 14 games prior to 

Wigan’s visit. For all their possession, 

however, it was not until the 

24th minute that they created a 

chance of note, when Stewart 

Downing chased a through ball 

from Suarez and sent a powerful 

shot flying just wide of the righthand 

post. 

The penalty dramatically 

increased Liverpool’s urgency and, 

finally, after 40 minutes the Wigan 

goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi was forced 

into his first save. 

Suarez gathered a short pass 

from Steven Gerrard on the edge 

of the area, falling over but rising 

to turn and drill a right-foot shot 

towards goal with Al Habsi diving 

smartly to his left to keep it out. 

In the four minutes of first-half 

added time, Dirk Kuyt and Suarez 

also linked well to put through 

Gerrard, whose left-foot near-post 

effort was again well saved by Al 

Habsi. Dalglish brought on forward 

Andy Carroll at the interval, a 

switch that apparently breathed 

an instant improvement into his 

team, who drew level within two 

minutes of the restart. 

Kuyt laid off a neat pass to 

Gerrard, who timed his through 

ball to perfection, delivering it to 

the six-yard line, where the onrushing 

Suarez swept it convincingly 

past Al Habsi. Suarez, growing 

in confidence, sent a shot curling 

over from 20 yards before he 

appeared to have put Liverpool 

ahead on 52 minutes. 

Skrtel rose powerfully to head a 

Gerrard free-kick at the far post 

and Suarez celebrated after forcing 

the ball over the line, but 

replays clearly showed that the 

Uruguay international had han- 

dled. To add to Suarez’s woe, he 

was also cautioned for the 

infringement. Liverpool’s relief at 

being level was short-lived as just 

after the hour they conceded a 

second goal which, like the first, 

came very much against the run of 

play. Carroll headed a free-kick out 

of the Liverpool area and James 

McArthur responded with a 20yard 

shot that struck Carragher on 

the arm and fell kindly for 

SUN DAY, MARCH 25, 2012 

Liverpool stunned by Wigan 

Liverpool 1 

Wigan 2 

QPR crash to Sunderland 

Sunderland 3 

QPR 1 

SUNDERLAND: Mark Hughes received a 

vote of confidence from Queens Park 

Rangers owner Tony Fernandes, as the 

Londoners slumped into the relegation 

zone with a dismal 3-1 loss at Sunderland. 

QPR had hoped to build on the momentum 

generated by their remarkable 3-2 win 

over Liverpool in midweek as they travelled 

to the Stadium of Light to face a 

Sunderland side beaten by struggling 

Blackburn in their last outing. 

But instead it was an all too familiar story 

for Hughes and QPR as Djibril Cisse was 

sent off for a wild lunge on Fraizer 

Campbell to leave the Hoops-trailing 1-0 at 

the time-with a mountain to climb. 

Predictably, Hughes’ team never looked 

like finding a way back into the match as 

Sunderland goals from Nicklas Bendtner, 

James McClean and Stephane Sessesgnon 

sealed a comfortable win for Martin 

O’Neill’s men. 

Taye Taiwo scored a late consolation for 

QPR with an eye-catching free-kick but 

could not stop QPR slipping into the bot- 

tom three with a daunting run-in awaiting 

them over the final weeks of the season. 

Nevertheless Hughes-who controversially 

replaced Neil Warnock in January was 

given backing from QPR owner Fernandes 

following the defeat. “The manager can do 

nothing if players keep getting sent off and 

booked,” Fernandes said on Twitter. “Mark 

Hughes is right guy and he has my support.” 

But Fernandes was scathing of the 

disciplinary problems which have dogged 

Rangers throughout Hughes short reign. 

Cisse’s dismissal-the second of his QPR 

career-was the third red card since Hughes 

took over and means the former France 

international will now miss four games 

through suspension.—AFP 

Everton double up at Swansea 

Swansea 0 

Everton 2 

SWANSEA: Everton emerged worthy 2-0 winners 

at Swansea’s Liberty Stadium yesterday 

with goals in the second half from Leighton 

Baines and Nikica Jelavic. 

Swansea’s three straight wins going into 

this encounter had pushed them up to eighth 

place and in sight of a Europa League place, a 

stunning situation for a team many had 

marked down as odds-on to go straight back 

to the Championship after one season in the 

top flight. But their winning run was ended 

by an impressive display from Everton ahead 

LONDON: Queens Park Rangers’ Shaun 

Wright-Phillips (top) vies for the ball 

with Sunderland’s James McClean during 

their English Premier League soccer 

match.—AP 

Holt pushes Wolves 

deeper into trouble 

Norwich 2 

Wolves 1 

NORWICH: Norwich pushed struggling 

Wolves closer to relegation as Grant Holt 

bagged a brace before being sent off in his 

side’s 2-1 win at Carrow Road yesterday. 

Matt Jarvis gave Wolves a first half lead 

but Canaries striker Holt equalised 

moments later and netted the winner with 

a penalty just before the break. 

Holt saw red in the closing stages for a 

second booking but Wolves still slipped to 

their fourth successive defeat. Terry 

Connor’s side remain bottom of the table 

and are now four points from safety after a 

run of one win in 16 league matches. 

Wolves had been routed 5-0 by 

Manchester United in their last match and 

interim boss Connor made three changes, 

bringing in Roger Johnson, Eggert Jonsson 

and Michael Kightly. The alterations initially 

seemed to have the desired effect as 

Wolves started brightly. After Stephen 

Ward fired wide inside a minute, Norwich 

goalkeeper John Ruddy had to react well to 

stop Kevin Doyle heading home a Kightly 

free-kick. Having recovered from their slow 

start, Norwich pressed for an opener that 

would have come in the 10th minute had 

Kightly not been on the goalline to clear 

away a Zak Whitbread header.—AFP 

of Tuesday’s FA Cup quarter-final replay 

against Sunderland. 

The win, Everton’s first on the road in six 

attempts, lifted the Merseysiders up to ninth, 

one point ahead of Swansea in 10th. 

Everton made three changes from the 

midweek loss to Arsenal, with Phil Jagielka, 

Phil Neville and Darron Gibson, fit again after 

a knee problem, called up in place of Johnny 

Heitinga, Marouane Fellaini and Roysten 

Drenthe respectively. 

Swansea welcomed back Ashley Williams, 

the captain who missed last week’s win over 

Fulham with a virus. Everton manager David 

Moyes’ strategy of setting out to frustrate the 

buoyant home side worked a treat in the first 

half as the teams went into the break all 

square, chances few and far between. Seven 

minutes after the restart Everton had a 

chance to take the lead when Swansea keeper 

Michel Vorm pulled out the stops to deny 

Gibson’s 25-metre left-footed shot.—AFP 

LONDON: Liverpool’s Luis Suarez (right) vies for the ball against Wigan 

Athletic’s Ben Watson during their English Premier League soccer 

match.—AP 

Caldwell. The defender neatly 

changed feet, leaving his marker 

Carroll on the floor, before beating 

Jose Reina with a clinical right-foot 

finish from eight yards. 

Suarez placed a free-kick from 

the edge of the area directly into 

the Wigan wall and despite a 

promising cameo from highly 

regarded teenage substitute 

Raheem Sterling, there was to be 

no way back for Liverpool.—AFP 

Arsenal down 

Aston Villa 

LONDON: Arsenal 

increased their advantage 

in the race for 

Arsenal 3 

Champions League 

football after two 

first-half goals helped 

Aston Villa 0 

them to a deserved 3- 

0 win over Aston Villa. 

Arsene Wenger’s 

men made it seven wins in a row after Kieran Gibbs 

and Theo Walcott struck early on, before Mikel 

Arteta completed the scoring in added on time of 

the second-half. 

But more significantly, the Premier League’s form 

side stretched their lead over nearest rivals 

Tottenham, who are in fourth place, to three points 

and eight points over fifth-placed Chelsea. 

There was little doubting this result against a 

struggling Aston Villa side not completely safe from 

being sucked into a relegation battle themselves. 

The only blot on the copybook was the home 

side’s failure to score more goals. In the end, they 

settled for Gibbs and Walcott’s early strikes and 

another win that never looked in question. 

Besides an early scare when Marc Albrighton 

blazed over the crossbar in the seventh minute, 

Arsenal were in complete control. 

Walcott almost drew first blood as the England 

international collected Robin van Persie’s backheel 

before bringing out a fine save from Shay Given. 

But the Irish goalkeeper would soon be beaten 

thanks to Gibbs’ first ever Premier League goal with 

16 minutes on the clock. 

Gervinho’s pass found the left-back in acres of 

space and his low shot proved too hot to handle for 

Given. Gibbs, whose only other goal had come in a 

League Cup tie earlier this season, might have been 

the unlikely hero. But the fact he was so advanced 

up the pitch was an indication of Arsenal’s attacking 

intent. 

In this mood, not many teams can live with 

Arsenal, let alone a struggling Villa side. So it was 

no surprise to see the lively Walcott increase 

Arsenal’s lead in the 25th minute. 

Alex Song showed great vision with a pinpoint 

ball over the visitors’ defence where Walcott’s fine 

control presented him with the routine finish 

beyond Given. 

Not that Arsenal were ready to rest on their laurels. 

Villa just couldn’t live with the pace and movement 

and van Persie wasted a glorious chance after 

Thomas Vermaelen’s cross somehow reached him. 

Another sweeping attack saw Arteta’s 25-yard 

shot tipped over by the ex-Manchester City stopper. 

Next it was the turn of van Persie to cause further 

problems, when he was denied a certain goal by 

Stephen Warnock’s headed clearance of the line 

after quick feet had carved out the opening. 

It promised to be a long afternoon in the London 

sunshine. Aston Villa had little outlet going forward 

with Darren Bent sidelined long-term and Charles 

N’Zogbia discarded all together. 

Arsenal, as they coasted through, appeared to 

have complacency as their biggest threat of surrendering 

their two-goal advantage. 

The pace of the game, and the amount of 

chances, had certainly dropped off. In fact, it took 

until the 65th minute though until Given was next 

tested, when Tomas Rosicky made room for himself 

before his 25-yar shotd was turned aside by Given. 

Arsenal, as they chased further goals to boost 

their goal difference, were just playing out time. 

Arteta added a third with a 30-yard free-kick as the 

Gunners eased to the most comfortable of victories 

in the London sunshine.—AFP

LONDON: Manchester City’s title challenge 

suffered a setback as the leaders 

came from behind to rescue a 1-1 

draw at Stoke after Peter Crouch’s 

stunning goal threatened to upset the 

leaders yesterday. 

Yaya Toure’s deflected equaliser 

late in the second half cancelled out a 

sublime long-range effort from 

Crouch and took City above arch 

rivals Manchester United on goal difference. 

But, with Sir Alex Ferguson’s 

men hosting Fulham tomorrow, there 

is every chance City will soon be back 

in second place and three points off 

the top. 

The Britannia Stadium has been an 

unforgiving venue for City ever since 

Stoke’s promotion to the top flight and 

boss Roberto Mancini might have 

feared the worst when Sergio Aguero 

Hamilton on 

pole 

17 

in Malaysia 


pulled out through injury, with Edin 

Dzeko making his first league start 

since early February. 

Tony Pulis’s Stoke relish toughing it 

out against the bigger clubs and 

Cameron Jerome was only inches away 

from connecting with Crouch’s flick-on 

in the early stages. 

And Mancini was furious with the 

hosts’ abrasive approach when Dean 

Whitehead appeared to catch David 

Silva with his elbow as the pair went 

up for a header. 

Dzeko wasted two chances to 

cement a starting place, heading a 

Silva free-kick wide before fluffing an 

even better chance from an inch perfect 

Gael Clichy cross at the back post. 

But Stoke came closest to taking 

the lead four minutes before the break 

when Pablo Zabaleta spared Gareth 

Barry from heading Matthew 

Etherington’s corner into his own net. 

The visitors started the second period 

with more rhythm and Stoke goalkeeper 

Asmir Begovic wac called into 

action to make saves from Dzeko and 

Samir Nasri. Stoke were making 

chances of their own and England 

goalkeeper Joe Hart had to be alert to 

Liverpool 

19 

stunned 

by Wigan 

Retirement not on my mind, says Tendulkar Page 16 

LONDON: Manchester City’s Mario Balotelli (right) keeps the ball from Stoke City’s Andy Wilkinson during their English Premier League soccer match at Britannia Stadium.—AP 

Toure rescues City at Stoke 

Stoke 1 

Man City 1 

Chelsea, Spurs 

in drab draw 

Chelsea 0 

Tottenham 0 

LONDON: Chelsea missed the chance 

to close the gap on Tottenham in the 

race for Champions League qualification 

yesterday after a 0-0 stalemate 

with their London rivals at Stamford 

Bridge. 

A free-kick from Juan Mata that 

bounced back off a post was the closest 

Chelsea came to finding the net in a 

game that saw Tottenham create the 

better chances without ever truly dominating. 

Tottenham saw Gareth Bale’s header 

hit the bar after Gary Cahill, the 

Chelsea defender, had made a goalsaving 

block to deny Emmanuel 

Adebayor. 

The stalemate means Tottenham 

remain five points ahead of Chelsea in 

the battle for fourth place. Both sides 

had suffered setbacks in midweek, with 

Tottenham’s 1-1 draw at home to Stoke 

City allowing Arsenal to over-take them 

and Chelsea losing 2-1 at Manchester 

City. 

Both managers made changes to 

the starting line-up, with John Terry 

returning from a knee injury to captain 

a Chelsea side that also saw Jose 

Bosingwa, Michael Essien, Daniel 

Sturridge and Didier Drogba recalled, 

and Tottenham picking former 

Stamford Bridge favorite William Gallas 

in place of Ledley King as well as 

Emmanuel Adebayor up front. 

No clear chances were created in 

the first 20 minutes, although 

Tottenham did require an early intervention 

from Scott Parker to stop 

Drogba’s flick setting up Frank 

Lampard in front of goal. 

The 28th minute brought the 

game’s most controversial moment 

when Lampard went down in the 

Tottenham penalty area as Gallas challenged 

ahead of Younes Kaboul. 

Referee Martin Atkinson gave the 

incident a long look and decided to 

allow play to continue. Bale fired a 

long-range shot over from a Tottenham 

counter-attack and a much better 

chance went begging for the visitors 

just two minutes later. 

Adebayor went on a solo run down 

the left that saw him trick his way past 

two players and into the Chelsea box. 

Unselfishly, the striker attempted to 

set up Kyle Walker, the full-back, but his 

cross was just too high as the defender 

arrived unmarked at the back post. 

Referee Atkinson again declined to 

award Chelsea a penalty when Ashley 

LONDON: Chelsea’s Didier Drogba (left) competes with Tottenham Hotspur’s 

William Gallas during their English Premier League soccer match.—AP 

Cole’s cross from the left hit van der 

Vaart on an arm as he slid in. A very 

uninspiring half came to life in stoppage 

time when goalkeeper Petr Cech 

and Cole combined to prevent 

Tottenham from taking the lead. 

Luka Modric had been quiet but 

Chelsea were in trouble when he 

moved into a dangerous position on 

the left of the box and his cross was 

deflected to van der Vaart right in front 

of goal. 

The Netherlands international fired 

straight at Cech but was on the 

rebound in a flash, only for Cole to 

block his follow-up on the line before 

Adebayor’s follow-up header flew just 

over. 

Chelsea felt they had been denied a 

penalty for the third time when 

Ramires went down as Benoit Assou- 

Ekotto ran with him and the former 

was hurt by the latter’s challenge on 

the right flank seconds later. 

The Frenchman was booked, as was 

Sandro for another unruly challenge 

straight afterwards. Mata almost broke 

the deadlock in the 73rd minute with a 

free-kick that cleared the wall but 

bounced off Brad Friedel’s left-hand 

post as the veteran goalkeeper stood 

helplessly. 

A free-kick almost saw Tottenham 

take the lead as Gallas sent a free header 

wide after Saha and Jake Livermore 

had replaced van der Vaart and Sandro. 

Then Adebayor latched on to 

Modric’s pass and, as the flag stayed 

down, rounded Cech only for Cahill to 

block his goal-bound shot. —AFP 

claw away a header from Ryan 

Shawcross. 

It needed a moment of genius to 

break the deadlock-and it was the 

unlikely figure of Crouch who delivered 

it spectacularly in the 59th 

minute. There seemed no danger 

whatsoever when Crouch picked up a 

Pennant flick 25 yards from the goal on 

the far right, but the former Tottenham 

striker arced an incredible volley over 

Hart into the top corner from around 

30 yards out. City needed to respond 

quickly to avoid losing more ground in 

the title race. 

Bolton 2 

Blackburn 1 

BOLTON: David Wheater scored twice as Bolton 

secured a 2-1 victory in an emotional relegation 

derby over Blackburn that became a moving 

tribute to stricken Wanderers player Fabrice 

Muamba. 

Steve Nzonzi pulled a goal back but 

Wheater’s first Premier League goals for more 

than three years halted Blackburn’s mini-revival 

and gave Owen Coyle’s team fresh hope of 

avoiding the drop as they climbed out of the 

bottom three. 

Muamba’s name was chanted at various 

stages of the game, including both sets of fans 

before kick-off, while his name rang out after a 

frenzied finish failed to bring Blackburn an 

equaliser. 

The 23-year-old midfielder remains seriously 

ill after suffering a cardiac arrest during the FA 

Cup tie against Tottenham at White Hart Lane 

last weekend. His heart stopped for 78 minutes 

as doctors battled on the pitch and in hospital 

to keep him alive. 

Bolton and Blackburn players warmed up in 

shirts with Muamba 6 on the back, while fans in 

one stand held up cards spelling out the player’s 

name when the teams ran out on to the 

pitch. 

Manager Coyle called for his team to follow 

Muamba’s fighting spirit, and winger Martin 

Petrov set the tone with an early effort from 30 

yards that Paul Robinson saved with difficulty. 

And they delivered 14 minutes from 

time when Toure drilled a long-range 

effort that took a crucial deflection off 

Shawcross, wrong-footing Begovic just 

enough to leave the goalkeeper 

unable to do anything but push it into 

the net. 

Mancini urged his team to push for 

a winner but Stoke held out and went 

close themselves when Adam Johnson 

deflected a shot narrowly wide of his 

own goal. Shawcross even turned the 

ball into the net in the final moments 

but referee Howard Webb disallowed 

the goal for an infringement. —AFP 

Bolton honor Muamba 

But the home side were lucky not to fall 

behind after 23 minutes. Junior Hoillet burst 

into the Bolton penalty area to be sent tumbling 

by a combined challenge from Gretar 

Steinsson and Mark Davies but referee Andre 

Mariner, who had a decent view, waved away 

penalty claims. 

Rovers sensed that they were in with a 

chance of recording a third successive victory 

when Tim Ream had to make a vital interception 

to prevent Ayegbeni Yakubu sliding in for 

the opening goal at the far post. 

But Ream’s centre-half partner Wheater 

changed that perception almost immediately 

when he headed Bolton in front thanks in part 

to a woeful defensive header from Nzonzi. 

The home crowd celebrated by singing 

Muamba’s name, and that in turn seemed to 

strengthen Bolton’s resolve to claim a muchneeded 

victory as Darren Prately headed just 

over the Rovers bar. 

Yakubu, whose 14 goals have steered 

Blackburn away from the depths of the league 

table, missed a chance to equalise when he 

stabbed a shot wide from 10 yards to add to the 

visitors’ discomfort. 

But it was mostly Bolton’s possession, and 

with 35 minutes gone Bolton increased their 

lead after Robinson was forced to concede 

another corner in saving Petrov’s fierce angled 

shot from the left. 

When Ryo Miyaichi’s corner arrived in the 

crowded area, Wheater escaped his marker 

Scott Dann and propelled the firmest of headers 

beyond Robinson’s reach to put the home 

side in command. Dann attempted to make 

amends as the first half came to a close, diving 

low for a far-post header that went into the 

side-netting but Blackburn clearly had some 

leeway to make up. —AFP


Kuwait stocks maintain upward momentum 

Finland skeptical of further 

boosting euro-zone firewall 

Rising Chinese wages a 

headache for US firms 

Page 22 

Monti sells new Italy to 

Asia seeking investors 

India eyes consensus over ‘flailing economy’ 

Mukherjee appeals to allies, opposition to bury hatchet 

NEW DELHI: India’s finance minister appealed yesterday 

to fractious government allies and a hostile opposition 

to cooperate “in the national interest” to restore the 

health of Asia’s third-largest economy. 

Pranab Mukherjee’s call came as global ratings agencies 

and investment houses warned that India’s weak 

public finances and political paralysis over reform measures 

were clouding the nation’s financial prospects. 

Getting India’s economy back on track “is a question of 

broad national interest that is staring us in the face,” 

Mukherjee told the Federation of Indian Chambers of 

Commerce and Industry in a bluntly worded speech. 

The 77-year-old minister said he was “committed to 

protecting the credibility” of plans in his budget, presented 

earlier this month, to plug a widening fiscal 

deficit and trim a ballooning subsidy bill. But Mukherjee 

said cutting spending “will involve tough decisions that 

we will have to take collectively”, referring to coalition 

and opposition members who have been obstructing 

economic reforms at a time of slowing economic 

growth. 

Doubts have been mounting about India’s ability to 

deliver on its fiscal pledges amid worsening relations 

between the embattled ruling Congress and regional 

parties, whose backing it needs to retain power. The 

graft-tainted government of Premier Manmohan Singh 

has had a series of embarrassing policy flip-flops in 

recent months with coalition members allying with the 

opposition to stymie reforms. 

Earlier in the week, the government scrapped plans 

to hike rail fares—a move intended to raise funds to 

repair the antiquated and unsafe network—underscoring 

its growing difficulties in implementing policy decisions. 

The government has set a fiscal deficit target of 5.1 

percent of gross domestic product for the next financial 

year-less than this year’s gaping 5.9 percent-but still the 

widest among big emerging market nations. The government’s 

woes have been compounded by decelerating 

growth with expansion for the next year to March, 

31, 2013, targeted at 7.6 percent. That is up from 6.9 

percent seen this year, but far below eight-to nine-percent 

growth for much of the past decade. 

Among the hard decisions the government must 

make is whether to raise subsidized fuel and fertilizer 

prices. Analysts say such hikes are key to cutting the 

debilitating subsidy burden 

but the move would be unpopular among India’s 

vast poor population and require political courage from 

lawmakers with elections due at the latest by 2014. 

“The implementation risk is high ahead of federal 

parliamentary elections,” commented Fitch ratings 

agency. Mukherjee recalled “another crisis” in 1991 in 

which India’s currency reserves sank so low it was on 

the brink of defaulting on foreign loans. But that event 

turned out to be a catalyst for sweeping changes which 

began the process of the country’s economic liberalization, 

he noted. 

“Despite being a minority government, with the collective 

will of parliament, it was possible to lift the economy,” 

he said. “If we could face the challenges in the 

1990s, we should be able to face the challenges in 2012- 

13.” — AFP 

Obama warns of 

economic hit 

if transport 

bill not passed 

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama urged lawmakers 

in the House of Representatives to pass a bill that would 

extend funding for infrastructure and transportation projects, 

warning that failure to do so would hurt US economic 

recovery. 

The US Senate recently passed a transportation bill, but 

a similar measure is stalled in the House. 

“In a matter of days, funding will stop for all sorts of 

transportation projects. Construction sites will go idle. 

Workers will have to go home. And our economy will take a 

hit,” Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address, 

broadcast yesterday. 

“This Congress cannot let that happen. Not at a time 

when we should be doing everything in our power - 

Democrats and Republicans - to keep this recovery moving 

forward.” Obama noted that 52 Democrats and 22 

Republicans had supported the Senate version. “Now it’s 

up to the House to follow suit; to put aside partisan posturing, 

end the gridlock and do what’s right for the American 

people,” he said. House Republicans say they want measures 

included in the bill to address rising energy costs. 

The previous multi-year US transportation law expired 

in September 2009. Since then, programs that fund road, 

bridge and transit projects and gas tax collections have 

been kept alive by a series of temporary extensions. With 

long-term transportation legislation stalled for now, House 

Republican leaders plan another temporary extension of 

federal highway and transit funding that would keep construction 

projects and gas tax collections on track. 

Gas tax receipts that flow into a trust fund are the main 

source of revenue for those construction programs.The 

five-year, $260 billion transportation proposal has gone 

nowhere in the House because of its cost and controversial 

transit financing and energy provisions pushed by 

Republicans. 

“The problem with the Senate bill is that it doesn’t 

address the issue of rising gas prices and energy,” 

Republican House Speaker John Boehner said earlier this 

week. “We believe that if we are going to reauthorize the 

highway bill, American energy production ought to be a 

critical part of this.” Many lawmakers consider a long-term 

transportation plan an important election-year priority 

considering billions of dollars in capital works spending 

and the millions of job associated with highway and transit 

construction.— Reuters 

Page 23 

Page 24 

ATHENS: Police block public access in Syntagma Square to a student parade marking the Greek Independence Day in Athens yesterday. Fears of anti-austerity protests have 

prompted an unprecedented security mobilization ahead of national parades over the weekend to mark Greece’s Independence Day. — AFP 

Page 25

MADRID: Train, bus and air traffic will be 

severely limited in Spain on Thursday 

during a general strike called by unions 

to protest at high unemployment and 

changes to labour laws that will make it 

cheaper for companies to lay off employees. 

The unions, which represent one in 

five Spanish workers, and the government 

agreed to retain minimum transport 

services for Thursday, including only 

20 percent of flights between Spanish 

and other European airports. 

Commuter and subway trains will 

operate at 35 percent of normal during 

peak hours, and 30 percent during nonpeak 

hours, the public works ministry 

said in a statement yesterday. 

Buses will also run at a level much lower 

than normal. Only 10 percent of flights 

between destinations on the Spanish 

mainland will operate, and 50 percent of 

flights between the mainland and 

Spanish islands. 

The government’s labor market reform 

is just the latest in a series of measures 

Spain has taken in the last two years to 

BUSINESS 

Finland skeptical of further 

boosting euro-zone firewall 

ECB seeks to stave off worsening crisis 

SAARISELKAE, Finland: Finland said yesterday it was 

skeptical about increasing the euro-zone’s rescue fund 

despite calls from the European Commission and the 

European Central Bank to prevent a worsening of the 

debt crisis. “We have not decided yet within the 

Finnish government what our policy lines are but 

we’re a bit skeptical (about) how big the rescue fund 

should be,” Finnish Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen said 

on the sidelines of an informal meeting with European 

officials in the northern Finnish town of Saariselkae. 

“We have already decided that the ESM (European 

Stability Mechanism) should start a bit earlier than 

expected and should be capitalized faster than scheduled,” 

he said, questioning whether it was necessary to 

go beyond that and further increase the euro-zone 

firewall’s resources. 

The issue is sensitive in Finland, where providing 

aid to EU countries experiencing budget woes has 

proved controversial, and Helsinki is, along with Berlin, 

Japan pensions scandal 

firm sure of recoup 

TOKYO: The president of a company 

at the centre of a Japanese 

pensions fund scandal said he was 

confident of recouping losses by 

continuing high-risk, high-return 

investments, reports said yesterday. 

Japan’s securities watchdog 

Friday raided investment company 

AIJ Investment Advisors, 

accused of losing 109.2 billion yen 

($1.3 billion) of pension funds after 

exaggerating its performance to 

attract clients. AIJ president 

Kazuhiko Asakawa had told the 

Sankei Shimbun before the raid on 

the Tokyo head office that he had 

been “confident” of recouping 

losses, the newspaper reported. 

“We made miscalculations in 

investment and things went bad 

as a result. But I was confident of 

recovering it,” the Sankei quoted 

him as saying in an interview with 

the paper. AIJ’s operations were 

suspended in February when the 

scandal surfaced, shocking Japan 

where a rapidly ageing population 

is increasingly looking to private 

pension funds as state 

schemes struggle due to mismanagement. 

Asakawa, 59, said that 

he wanted to apologize to people 

who had trusted his firm but 

admitted he would still be continuing 

investing money if there had 

KUWAIT: The price of Brent crude oil 

rose by $2 for barrel by the end of last 

week amid reports about cuts in 

Iranian oil exports due to the recently 

imposed western oil sanctions in 

response to Tehran’s nuke program, a 

specialized economic report noted yesterday. 

The report issued by the 

International Financial Brokerage 

Group, said that the US crude oil 

futures rose more than 1 percent on 

Friday, on news that some buyers have 

stopped or scaled back imports of 

Iranian oil due to Western sanctions. 

The report pointed out that the US 

Stock market has closed on a positive 

EXCHANGE RATES 

Commercial Bank of Kuwait 

US Dollar/KD .2730000 .2820000 

GB Pound/KD .4380000 .4490000 

Euro .3660000 .3780000 

Swiss francs .30300000 .3170000 

Canadian Dollar .2780000 .2880000 

Australian DLR .2890000 .3040000 

Indian rupees .0040000 .0070000 

Sri Lanka Rupee .0020000 .0035000 

UAE dirhams .0753770 .0761340 

Bahraini dinars .7343730 .7417540 

Jordanian dinar .3830000 .4010000 

Saudi riyals .0720000 .0770000 

Omani riyals .7199210 .7271560 

Philippine peso .0040000 .0072000 

Egyptian pounds .0430000 .0510000 

CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES 

US Dollar/KD .2769000 .2805000 

GB Pound/KD .4394260 .4451390 

Euro .3667260 .3714940 

Swiss francs .3040850 .3080390 

Canadian dollars .2797680 .2834050 

Danish Kroner .0493170 .0499580 

Swedish Kroner .0411930 .0417290 

Australian dlr .2898590 .2936270 

Hong Kong dlr .0356640 .0361280 

Singapore dlr .2192570 .2221080 

Japanese yen .0032940 .0033570 

Indian Rs/KD .0000000 .0055860 

Sri Lanka rupee .0000000 .0021660 

Pakistan rupee .0000000 .0031040 

Bangladesh taka .0000000 .0034430 

UAE dirhams .0754190 .0763990 

Bahraini dinars .7347750 .7443280 

Jordanian dinar .0000000 .3967470 

Saudi Riyal/KD .0738600 .0748200 

Omani riyals .7195010 .7288550 

Philippine Peso .0000000 .0065630z 

Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co. 

Currency Rate per 1000 (Tran) 

US Dollar 278.800 

Pak Rupees 3.071 

been no suspension order, 

according to the Sankei. 

“I think I would have continued 

as I thought there were chances of 

winning. I’m not engaging in 

gambling. I also do some research 

work. I’m carrying on with the 

resolve that I lose only when I lose 

mentally,” he reportedly said. 

The Yomiuri Shimbun reported 

that Asakawa had told investigators 

from the Securities and 

Exchange Surveillance Commission 

that his firm had continued 

to invest in high-risk deals and 

most of them had been done 

under his instruction. He reportedly 

regretted he did not have 

more money. “I was operating in 

the belief that I will ‘win’ some day. 

I would have been able to rally if I 

had 10 billion yen more,” he 

reportedly said during investigation 

by the securities watchdog. 

The commission aims to file a 

criminal complaint against him as 

it suspects he had lied to clients 

for years, local media said. The 

Mainichi Shimbun said the commission 

had found Asakawa and 

a director of the firm had earned 

a combined 4.5 billion yen in the 

nine years to March 2011 including 

“rewards” for successful investments. 

— AFP 

Brent jumps $2 over 

sanctions on Tehran 

one of the most reticent capitals when it comes to doling 

out more money. A euro-zone consensus is needed, 

but with Germany and Finland dragging their feet 

the European Central Bank (ECB) has urged euro-zone 

members to step up efforts to reach an agreement. 

“The ECB’s position on this is clear. We think that 

even if the crisis is now a little bit calmer we still think 

it’s necessary to increase the European firewalls (so) 

that our international partners at the G20 will also do 

their (part),” ECB official Joerg Asmussen of Germany 

said. 

“We need all partners on board,” he added. The 

European Commission has been pushing the same 

line for months. EU Economics Affairs Commissioner 

Olli Rehn said there was “no room for complacency,” 

adding: “We are for the moment in a milder recession 

but it can be short-lived.” 

He urged the euro-zone “to conclude the comprehensive 

crisis response by reinforcing the euro area 

note last week, supported by the gains 

of the energy companies. 

Meanwhile, price of Kuwaiti crude 

went up $0.43 to settle at $121.84 per 

barrel on Friday, in comparison to 

$121.14pb on the day before, Kuwait 

Petroleum Corporation (KPC) said yesterday. 

News of the decline of Iranian 

oil exports -during the month of 

March- caused the increase of oil prices 

on the world market. International 

companies estimated that Iranian oil 

exports dropped by 300,000 barrel per 

day equivalent to 14 percent of total 

Iranian exports, considering it the first 

significant decline this year in these 

exports. — KUNA 

Indian Rupees 5.530 

Sri Lankan Rupees 2.155 

Bangladesh Taka 3.414 

Philippines Peso 6.520 

UAE Dirhams 75.995 

Saudi Riyals 74.495 

Bahraini Dinars 741.200 

Egyptian Pounds 46.185 

Pound Sterling 448.200 

Indonesian Rupiah 3.190 

Yemeni Riyal 1.550 

Euro 374.600 

Canadian Dollars 287.900 

Nepali rupee 3.510 

Al Mulla Exchange 

Currency Transfer Rate (Per 1000) 


Euro 372.400 

Pound Sterling 444.700 

Canadian Dollar 281.400 

Japanese Yen 3.375 

Indian Rupee 5.465 

Egyptian Pound 46.145 

Sri Lankan Rupee 2.136 

Bangladesh Taka 3.406 

Philippines Peso 6.468 

Pakistan Rupee 3.070 

Bahraini Dinar 741.600 

UAE Dirham 75.850 

Saudi Riyal 74.350 

UAE Exchange Centre WLL 

COUNTRY SELL DRAFT SELL CASH 

Australian Dollar 293.65 299.00 

Canadian Dollar 283.54 286.00 

Swiss Franc 309.40 309.00 

Euro 370.36 372.00 

Sterling Pound 443.49 446.00 

Japanese Yen 3.43 3.70 

Bangladesh Taka 3.404 3.650 

financial firewall” and said he was confident a “satisfactory 

compromise” could be reached at a euro-zone 

finance ministers meeting in Copenhagen next Friday 

and Saturday. 

The 500 billion euro ($660 billion) European 

Stability Mechanism (ESM) is a permanent rescue fund 

that is due to enter service in July. It is expected to run 

for at least one year in parallel with the temporary rescue 

fund called the European Financial Stability 

Facility (EFSF), set up in May 2010. 

As it stands now, the money already pledged by 

the EFSF-some 192 billion euros-will be deducted 

from the ESM, which would reduce the euro-zone’s 

firewall to 308 billion. 

Euro-zone finance ministers must therefore decide 

whether to boost the ESM. One option would be to 

not deduct the EFSF pledges from the overall sum, 

thus giving the euro-zone a balance of some 700 billion 

euros. — AFP 

HYDERABAD: An Indian farmer arranges a display of grains and seeds at Millet Fest 2012, 

in Hyderabad yesterday. The three-day event aims to promote use and increase knowledge 

of the nutritional benefits of millet seeds when used as part of a daily diet. — AFP 

General strike to hit 

Spanish air traffic 

try to make its economy more competitive. 

Doubts about Spain’s public finances 

have pushed up the state’s borrowing 

costs, forcing the government to drastically 

cut spending to reduce the public 

deficit. At the same time, unemployment 

has soared to 23 percent and the economy 

is heading into its second recession in 

three years. 

A general strike in 2010 had limited 

impact - mostly on transport and manufacturing 

- but this week’s walkout could 

bring a bigger turnout because the jobless 

rate has increased significantly. 

Also, in 2010 the Socialists were in 

power, and now the centre-right People’s 

Party is in office. Traditionally, the unions 

have had a political alliance with the 

Socialists so protests have been more 

muted during periods of Socialist rule. 

The unions had proposed even more 

drastic cuts to public transport on 

Thursday, but reached a compromise with 

the government. In a country where people 

depend heavily on public transport to 

get to work, the unions depend on cutting 

transport services to obtain maximum 

impact from a strike. — Reuters 

Indian Rupee 5.470 5.790 

Sri Lankan Rupee 2.149 2.600 

Nepali Rupee 3.460 4.150 

Pakistani Rupee 3.076 3.200 

UAE Dirhams 75.87 76.80 

Bahraini Dinar 741.73 742.00 

Egyptian Pound 46.18 47.60 

Jordanian Dinar 396.71 396.00 

Omani Riyal 724.71 727.00 

Qatari Riyal 76.89 77.55 

Saudi Riyal 74.46 74.95 

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd 

Rate for Transfer Selling Rate 


Canadian Dollar 282.725 

Sterling Pound 443.005 

Euro 367.850 

Swiss Frank 304.965 

Bahrain Dinar 738.960 

UAE Dirhams 76.950 

Qatari Riyals 76.595 

Saudi Riyals 74.375 

Jordanian Dinar 392.800 

Egyptian Pound 46.252 

Sri Lankan Rupees 2.226 

Indian Rupees 5.556 

Pakistani Rupees 3.081 

Bangladesh Taka 3.412 

Philippines Pesso 6.502 

Cyprus pound 684.499 

Japanese Yen 4.340 

Thai Bhat 9.165 

Syrian Pound 5.875 

Nepalese Rupees 3.555 

Malaysian Ringgit 92.335 

Bahrain Exchange Company 

COUNTRY SELL CASH SELL DRAFT 

Australian dollar 295.800 294.300 

Bahraini dinar 741.730 741.730 

Bangladeshi taka 3.660 3.405 

If an organization was to be 

seen as a well-oiled machine, 

and each of its employees its 

vital components then ‘teamwork’ 

would be the essential oil 

that keeps the organization 

going. Effective teamwork can 

lead an organization towards 

meeting its objectives. In this 

article, the Career Experts at 

Bayt.com, the Middle East’s #1 

job site, explore the building 

blocks of effective teams. 

Creating teamwork is a 

daunting task at its early stages, 

but it can definitely be achieved 

through good leadership skills 

and a sound commitment and 

the results are worth the hard 

work. Foremost, team building 

requires time and persistence. 

The stages of team 

development: 

Every leader needs to be on 

familiar terms with how to walk 

his team through the different 

stages of team development in 

order to avoid stress, chaos and 

uncertainty. Below are 5 essential 

phases of Team 

Development Model followed 

by leadership tips for each 

stage by Bayt.com career 

experts: 

Stage 1- Forming: This is the 

initial phase when the team 

first gets together. The leader’s 

primary task at this stage is to 

give them the best possible 

start and make them feel at 

ease. At this stage, Bayt.com’s 

career experts offer the below 

leadership tips: 

• Be as clear and open as 

possible about your goals. 

• State specifically what the 

exact tasks of the team will 

be before moving on to 

explain the specific task of 

each team member. 

• Shed light on the rules and 

the guidelines to be abided 

by. 

• Maintain an open communication 

channel- this will 

encourage team members 

to share their queries and 

concerns, if any. 

Stage 2- Storming: This is a 

tricky phase that usually results 

because rules and roles 

become somewhat unclear to 

team members despite the fact 

that they have been briefed 

during the forming stage. The 

leader’s skills are put to test 

here as the team is in need of 

clear direction and support. 

Bayt.com’s career experts have 

these leadership tips for this 

stage: 

• Gather the team together 

and get things out in the 

open. 

• Make sure to go over the 

team goals and understand 

what this means to each 

member. 

Stage 3- Norming: At this 

stage goals are understood, 

responsibilities are clarified and 

relationships have solidified. 

The leader’s role now is to 


Developing teamwork 

in the workplace 

Canadian dollar 283.100 281.600 

Cyprus pound 547.800 

Czek koruna 45.500 

Danish krone 49.400 

Deutsche Mark 167.800 222.600 

Egyptian pound 47.510 46.219 

Euro Cash 374.100 372.600 

Hongkong dollar 36.620 36.470 

Indian rupees 5.790 5.465 

Indonesia 0.032 0.031 

Iranian tuman 0.159 

Iraqi dinar 0.238 

Japanese yen 3.470 

Jordanian dinar 395.250 395.210 

Lebanese pound 0.189 0.188 

Malaysian ringgit 92.960 92.960 

Morocco dirham 45.500 

Nepalese Rupees 4.290 3.430 

New Zealand dollar 232.000 230.500 

Nigeria 1.807 

Norwegian krone 49.600 

Omani Riyal 724.450 724.270 

Pakistani rupees 3.130 3.082 

Philippine peso 6.800 6.480 

Qatari riyal 77.150 76.720 

Saudi riyal 74.470 74.470 

Singapore dollar 222.590 222.590 

South Africa 38.740 38.740 

Sri Lankan rupees 2.657 2.141 

Sterling pound 446.900 444.900 

Swedish krona 42.400 

Swiss franc 310.700 309.200 

Syrian pound 3.900 3.900 

Thai bhat 9.430 9.270 

Tunisian dollar 198.263 

UAE dirham 76.040 75.940 

U.S. dollars 279.300 278.900 

Yemeni Riyal 1.340 

GOLD 

10 Tola 1,735.480 

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 

Sterling Pound 444.900 


Bayt.com report 

ensure the smooth continuity 

of the process and the avoidance 

of any potential challenges. 

Bayt.com’s career 

experts have these leadership 

tips at this stage: 

• Provide guidance to team 

members, one on one, to 

help them see where they 

stand in relation to the 

team’s goals and their individual 

goals. 

• Once they feel confident of 

their capabilities, start allocating 

additional tasks in 

anticipation of the “performing” 

phase. 

Stage 4- Performing: This is 

the ‘concentration’ phase: team 

members have set their minds 

to work towards team goals in 

order to reap the benefits of 

getting there. The leader’s role 

at this stage is to give team 

members the opportunity to 

become self-directive while he 

focuses on the next step forward. 

Bayt.com’s career experts 

have these leadership tips at 

this stage: 

• Give team members space 

and be more of a coach 

than a director. 

• Encourage greater responsibilities 

that entail leadership 

roles. 

• Recognize a team job well 

done and reward both 

team and individuals. 

Stage 5- Adjourning: This 

represents the final stage of the 

development process. Tasks 

have been completed, goals 

have been reached and this is 

sometimes considered as a 

‘mourning’ stage for both team 

members and leaders, while it 

is actually the start of a new 

beginning. 

Bayt.com’s Tips to Build an 

Effective Work Team: 

1. Promote first-class leadership: 

A good leader not 

only focuses on the corporate 

team goals but makes 

the effort to encourage other 

team members to share 

his vision by infusing the 

team with positive morale 

and strong motivation levels. 

2. Promote open communication 

channels: This will 

allow team members to 

share their views, ideas and 

concerns amongst each 

other and with their leaders. 

Collective wisdom can 

be a very useful pool to tap 

into. 

3. Provide accurate descriptions 

for individual roles: It 

is necessary to clearly communicate 

to all team members 

what every individual’s 

scope of responsibility will 

be. This will keep the team 

focused and in sync. 

4. Set the best example for 

your team. Show commitment, 

persistence, and 

integrity and your team 

members will follow.

By Fatema Akashah 

The financial crisis of 2008 has 

jarred the global economy. It is 

clear from the ongoing slowdown 

in global trade growth that the 

governments’ fiscal boosts in 2010 had 

not been enough for the world’s economy 

to regain its pre-crisis footing, 

especially when its most significant 

players, the US and particularly 

Europe, are still laden with debt problems 

that dampen their consumption 

power. China, the world’s exporting 

powerhouse, relies on demand from 

the West, mostly Europe, US and Japan 

(the G3). As shown in the graph, a 

majority of Chinese exports are directed 

to the G3 and the Newly 

Industrialized Economies in Asia (NIE, 

namely Hong Kong, Taiwan, South 

Korea and Singapore). The NIE countries 

consume some of what they 

import from China, but a significant 

portion is assembled and re-exported 

by these countries. Japan and the NIE 

countries have long had well-established 

ports that have served as gateways 

to the world for China. But the 

picture of China’s future export 

demand is rapidly changing. China’s 

ports are developing rapidly and their 

customer base is diversifying, easing 

its reliance on the West and developed 

Asian economies. 

The graph presents China’s exports 

by destination across time. China’s 

exports are growing across all regions, 

but the share of exports is changing. 

In other words, China is increasing its 

direct trade with the rest of the global 

market. In 1995, the G3 and NIE coun- 


China finds new demand in emerging markets 

Italy labor reform fails 

to enthuse experts 

MILAN: Mario Monti’s labor reform, 

approved by Italy’s cabinet after 

weeks of bitter talks, has been 

hailed as a key measure in galvanizing 

Italy, but some economic 

observers remain unconvinced. The 

government had to fight tooth and 

nail with Italy’s biggest CGIL trade 

union over the bill. 

But while Monti insisted it was 

crucial to boosting stagnant growth, 

some commentators have played 

down its significance. “Rather than 

being revolutionary, this reform 

seems above all to be a public 

image operation aimed at foreign 

investors,” Maurizio Del Conte, a 

labour rights expert at Milan’s 

Bocconi university, told AFP. 

“The pension reform, which 

passed almost unnoticed, was much 

more incisive,” he said. 

“The labor one, on the other 

hand, does not address the issue of 

imbalances between workers’ rights 

and the need for companies to be 

flexible.” Economist Tito Boeri also 

expressed reservations. “The reform 

doesn’t resolve the problem of the 

dual nature of the labor market, 

where workers either have solid, 

protected permanent contracts or 

have one of the many precarious 

contracts,” he said. Labor rights 

expert Senator Pietro Ichino was 

more sympathetic, in comments to 

the Corriere della Sera daily. 

“It’s not a perfect reform, but it 

goes in the right direction,” he said. 

“It aligns our system of rights in the 

workplace with those of our main 

European partners.” The heated dispute 

between the government and 

unions has focused mainly on article 

18 of the labor code. Monti wants to 

change it to make it easier for companies 

to cut jobs for economic reasons, 

despite objections it will raise 

unemployment. The CGIL union 

called a strike in protest, but economic 

watchers weary of the unfolding 

drama argue that the country’s 

growth plans are hardly affected by 

article 18, which is evoked in just 0.5 

percent of dismissal cases. “The 

country’s economic growth is not 

linked to this article,” said Del Conte. 

“The government wanted to tackle 

exploitation and precarious jobs, 

but it will be difficult to apply the 

measures to our system. 

“There are a myriad of small and 

medium enterprises which are 

impossible to control and black market 

labour is widespread,” he added. 

Nicola Salerno from CERM research 

group said the article 18 reform 

“may help change the mindset of a 

rigid and unmeritocratic system.” 

But, he added, “it is not the key 

factor which will change the labor 

market dynamic or its productivity.” 

“Article 18 has taken on a symbolic 

value, and it would have been wiser 

not to bring political and ideological 

issues into the crisis,” she said. 

After the economic troubles 

sweeping the euro-zone hit Italy, 

Italians were forced to accept three 

austerity packages in quick succession. 

The country slid into a recession 

and experts have forecast little 

to no growth this year. With their 

new rules making it easier for companies 

to cut jobs for economic reasons, 

the government risks ending 

up with “numerous unemployed 

people, and few of the resources 

necessary to pay their remuneration,” 

Salerno said. 

As part of the reform, it will cost 

more for businesses to give shortterm 

contracts to workers, which 

many believe will discourage them 

from hiring. While the CGIL tried to 

get Monti to water down the reform, 

the employers association urged 

him to toughen it up or risk scaring 

off investors only just regaining confidence 

in debt-ridden Italy. The 

government refused to contemplate 

a step backwards on the package 

and it will go to parliament after 

ministers have fine-tuned the 

details. 

Some say the decision to sidestep 

the country’s largest union has 

shaken up the system. “The fact that 

the government decided to go 

ahead, without giving the unions 

the opportunity to veto, is an important 

signal,” said Boeri. —AFP 

Venezuela gas project 

output to begin in Dec 

LA GUIRA, Venezuela: Venezuela’s 

Mariscal Sucre offshore gas project 

will begin production in December 

after years of delays and difficulties in 

attracting foreign partners, the South 

American country’s energy minister 

said. 

President Hugo Chavez’s government 

wants to develop natural gas 

production to meet growing domestic 

demand that has forced 

Venezuela, despite sitting on some of 

the world’s biggest gas reserves, to 

import supplies from neighboring 

Colombia. 

Electricity shortages caused widespread 

rationing and curbed economic 

growth in 2010, and are a still a 

burning political issue for the socialist 

Chavez during an election year. 

Energy Minister Rafael Ramirez 

said initial output from Mariscal Sucre 

would be 300 million cubic feet a day, 

eventually rising to 1.2 billion cubic 

feet per day. The project’s total 

reserves are estimated at 14.7 trillion 

cubic feet (tcf). “We can’t be waiting 

for partners. There is demand for gas 

that we have to meet,” Ramirez told 

reporters on Friday during a trip to 

the project in the Caribbean sea. 

Mariscal Sucre’s development has 

been delayed in part because of the 

sinking of a $200 million exploration 

rig there in May 2010. Venezuela’s 

state oil company PDVSA has insisted 

that any potential investor assume 

part of what it says was a total loss of 

more than $600 million from that disaster. 

Total investment needs for the 

project are estimated at more than 

$14 billion. 

Separately, Italy’s ENI and Spain’s 

Repsol have signed a deal with 

PDVSA to develop the Perla field, 

where the Europeans have certified 

more than 15 tcf. 

Venezuela’s natural gas projects 

have languished for years, stalled by 

pricing issues and industry fears of 

expropriations that made it hard for 

PDVSA to attract experienced partners. 

The government says it will eventually 

certify as much as 400 tcf in 

reserves, up from 195 tcf now, 

which would propel Venezuela to 

fourth in the world behind Russia, 

Iran and Qatar, according to U.S. 

Energy Information Administration 

data. — Reuters 

KCIC WEEKLY ANALYSIS 

tries made up 80% of the exports pie, 

but in 2011 their share had shrunk to 

two-thirds. The decline is attributed to 

the shrinking NIE and Japan shares of 

China’s total exports. Why are the NIE 

and Japan shares shrinking while 

Europe and the US have improved 

since 1995, especially in the case of 

Europe, whose share went from 15.4% 

in 1995 to 21.8% in 2011? The answer 

WASHINGTON: After decades of US caterwauling 

about the crippling impact of China’s 

low labor costs on domestic manufacturing, 

firms state-side now fret about the impact of 

rising Chinese wages. 

First came anger, then depression and 

then acceptance. In the three decades since 

Deng Xiaoping began opening China’s economy, 

US manufacturers have gone through 

something resembling Elisabeth Kuebler- 

Ross’s five stages of grief. 

Industry cried foul, then groped around for 

solutions, before accepting the rules of the 

game had changed-deciding to make a buck 

by offshoring some of their own production 

to China. 

To be sure, there are still frequent spasms 

of anger over China’s ability to produce 

goods at “unfair” prices, notably in election 

years. But the bitter pain of jobs lost and factories 

closed has been sweetened just slightly 

over the years. 

Using cheap Chinese laborers has resulted 

in $499 iPads, bumper corporate profits andin 

turn-fatter pensions for those who have 

stock-based plans. But there are already signs 

that this low-cost, high-reward Chinese paradigm 

is coming to an end. 

Late Thursday, US footwear giant Nike 

reported it had made even more profit than it 

did the quarter before, yet its stock sank. 

Investors hacked about $1 billion off the 

company’s value on Friday because of a reference 

to “declining gross margin” stashed in 

the bowels of the firm’s quarterly report. 

The details are complicated, but Nike’s jar- 

can be explained in three parts: 1) 

developing trade routes; 2) technological 

development; 3) diversification of 

export destinations. In the past, China 

would heavily use the international 

ports of Hong Kong and Singapore to 

reach the consumers across the globe, 

or send components of a product to 

Korea and Taiwan to be assembled. 

Now China is establishing direct linkages 

with its customers through its 

own ports. Europe may not be consuming 

that much more “Made in 

China” products than it had before, but 

its trading relationship with China has 

become more direct. China’s industries 

are also quickly developing and are 

gradually becoming more complex, 

giving it a new advantage with products; 

it wouldn’t have to rely on its 

more advanced neighbors as it once 

had. The graph also presents a new 

dynamic: the emerging markets’ rapidly 

growing share of the demand for 

Chinese exports. 

With major international trading 

ports of its own, strengthening and 

establishing direct relationships with 

its customers, China’s position as an 

exporter has strengthened even more. 

The real driver of export demand, 

however, is robust economic growth. 

gon in part referred to rising wages in places 

like China taking a chunk out of profits. 

Indeed, the details show rising wages-along 

with some other factors like higher material 

costs-caused Nike’s margins to fall two percent 

in just one year. 

That spells extra costs worth tens-if not 

hundreds-of millions of dollars. But it is far 

from enough to make Nike’s business unviable, 

so why the worry? According to Sara 

Hasan, an analyst who follows Nike for investment 

firm McAdams Wright Ragen, the concern 

is that wages in China are only going to 

increase from here on in. 

“It’s a very big deal, and it’s a longer-term 

issue definitely,” she said. In the last year, 

wages in China’s southern industrial belt have 

risen 10 percent, according to a report by 

Standard Chartered. They rose 11 percent the 

year before that. 

The Shanghai authorities recently 

announced the minimum wage will rise 13 

percent, doubtless prompted by labor shortages 

and worker unrest. “As (China’s) economy 

grows and as the middle class grows, I 

think the pressure is going to continue,” said 

Hasan. 

Nike itself admits the costs are unlikely to 

fall any time soon: “While some raw material 

costs are starting to ease, we have not seen 

them retreat to their previous levels; for other 

input costs such as labor, upward pressure 

continues,” CEO Parker told investors. 

That leaves US manufacturers with only a 

handful of options: accept lower profits, pass 

the cost on to consumers or lower labor costs 

Europe - despite a now more direct 

demand of Chinese products - faces a 

bleak economic outlook. The graph 

shows the rising demand of high 

growth economies of the BRICS, 

ASEAN, Latin America, Africa and 

MENA. These economies have solid 

domestic demand that is supported 

by favorable demographics and 

improving standards of living. The shift 

in focus from West to East will involve 

adjustment, but China’s product range 

is wide, spanning commercial and 

industrial uses; the adaptation to 

emerging markets demand will be 

quick. This diversification of China’s 

export market is key as it will help it 

rely less on the West and focus more 

on South-South trade. Shifting the 

focus to the other side will expose it to 

higher rates of growth, which means 

increased demand. Strong demand 

will make the yuan stronger. The 

added support of strengthening 

export demand and appreciating currency 

will allow China to absorb economic 

shocks because its exports will 

increasingly be differentiated across 

global markets, and will enable China 

to make a smooth transition to a 

strong domestic economy as it 

becomes more wealthy. 


Rising Chinese wages a 

headache for US firms 

Anger over ‘unfair pricing of goods’ 

HYDERABAD: An Indian woman arranges a display of grains and seeds at Millet 

Fest 2012 in Hyderabad yesterday. The three-day event aims to promote use and 

increase knowledge of the nutritional benefits of millet seeds when used as part 

of a daily diet. — AFP 

Slovenian government set 

to slash wages, benefits 

LJUBLJANA: Slovenia’s government 

wants to slash civil service pay, parental 

leave and unemployment benefits to 

consolidate its public finances, according 

to a proposal to unions published yesterday. 

The centre-right government proposes 

to cut this year’s spending by 818 million 

euros ($1.1 billion) to around 9.3 billion 

euros and bring its deficit to 3.0 percent 

of gross domestic product (GDP) 

from around 6.0 percent in 2011. Almost 

half the savings will come from a 15 percent 

salary cut for civil servants, suspension 

of this year’s holiday allowances and 

reduction of health care benefits. 

The plan would also reduce unemployment 

benefits and parental leave 

benefits while holding maternity leave at 

12 months. In education, it calls for 

extending working time for teachers and 

increasing the number of students per 

class. 

The government also wants to eliminate 

two of the country’s 14 public holidays. 

“We want to show we are trustworthy 

when the European Commission delegation 

comes in April to check our plans 

for balancing public finances,” Finance 

Minister Janez Sustersic said when 

announcing the broad outlines of the 

austerity measures on Thursday. 

He said the measures would be 

included in a revised 2012 budget proposal 

to be sent to parliament in early 

April even if the government fails to 

reach agreement with the unions. 

Along with the budget revision, the 

government will submit a proposal to 

introduce a so-called “golden rule” into 

Slovenia’s constitution that would 

require a balanced budget. —AFP 

some other way. Part of the answer for 

Lacrosse, a small Wisconsin-based footwear 

firm, was to shift some production from 

China to Vietnam, where wages are still relatively 

low. 

“As costs in China have grown... we make a 

growing amount of our product in Vietnam,” 

said Michael Newman, who deals with 

investor relations for the company. Western 

China, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia are 

also cited as possible alternate production 

locations. 

That has the added benefit of diversifying 

the supply base, but moves production away 

from China’s lucrative domestic market. For 

bigger firms, the answer may be to trim supply 

chains or tap consumers. According to 

Hasan, Nike is in a good position to leverage 

its brand strength and pass prices on to US 

and other consumers. 

In the longer term, Nike also hopes to cut 

production costs the old-fashioned way, 

through increased automation. The company 

has invested its hopes in FlyKnit technology, 

which knits a shoe upper in one go, reducing 

the need for workers to assemble dozens of 

pieces. Consulting firm Accenture believes 

that through a mix of these responses, manufacturers 

with a large footprint in China can 

handle wage increases of as much as 30 percent 

without too much trouble. 

“However,” its report published earlier this 

year noted, “China’s low-labor cost advantage 

will not last forever.” That will undoubtedly 

change the rules of the game for US manufacturers 

once again. — AFP 

MF Global exec says 

Corzine ordered 

$200m transfer 

WASHINGTON: A former MF Global executive appears to 

contradict testimony from Jon Corzine, saying the former 

senator and New Jersey governor ordered the transfer of 

$200 million last fall out of a customer account days before 

the brokerage firm collapsed, according to an email 

obtained by congressional investigators. 

Edith O’Brien, MF Global’s former assistant treasurer, says 

Corzine ordered the money shifted to one of the firm’s bank 

accounts overseas on Oct. 28 to cover an overdraft, according 

to a memo that cited the email. The email noted that the 

transfer was made “per JC’s direct instructions.” 

MF Global filed for bankruptcy protection on Oct. 31. The 

firm failed because of a disastrous bet on European debt. 

About $1.6 billion of customers’ money hasn’t been recovered. 

A House Financial Services subcommittee released the 

memo Friday in advance of a hearing Wednesday. O’Brien 

has been subpoenaed to testify. The Associated Press was 

unable to reach her for comment. 

In December, Corzine told the panel at a hearing: “I did 

not instruct anyone to lend customer funds to MF Global or 

any of its affiliates.” Corzine also told the subcommittee he 

didn’t know about “the use of customer funds on any loan or 

transfer.” And Corzine told a Senate panel two days earlier: “I 

never gave any instruction to anyone at MF Global to misuse 

customer funds.” 

Steven Goldberg, a spokesman for Corzine, reiterated in a 

statement Friday that Corzine testified that there wasn’t anything 

he had said that “could reasonably have been interpreted 

as an instruction to misuse customer funds. He 

stands by that testimony.” “He never directed Ms. O’Brien or 

anyone else regarding which account should be used to 

cure the overdrafts, and he never directed that customer 

funds should be used for that purpose,” Goldberg said. “Nor 

was he informed that customer funds had been used for 

that purpose. To the contrary, as Corzine testified, he recalls 

having received written material indicating that the funds 

used to cure the overdrafts were appropriate for that purpose.” 

Client money is required by law to be held separately 

from a brokerage firm’s cash in order to protect investors in 

case a firm fails. If MF Global misused client money, it would 

violate a fundamental investor protection for people who 

trade options and futures. Many lawmakers have heard from 

farmers, ranchers and small business owners in their states 

who are missing money that was deposited with the firm. 

Agricultural businesses use brokerage firms like MF Global 

to help reduce their risks in an industry vulnerable to swings 

in oil, corn and other commodity prices.—AP

KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) 

ended last week in the green zone. The 

price index ended last week with an 

increase amounted to 0.70%, while the 

weighted index raised by 0.80% compared 

to the closings of the week 

before. Furthermore, last week’s average 

daily turnover increased by 10.27%, 

compared to the preceding week, 

reaching KD 45.58 million, whereas 

trading volume average was 475.36 million 

shares, recording decrease 0.83%. 

KSE managed to keep its momentum, 

to record gains for both of its 

indices. Last week witnessed a continued 

speculations presence, which is 

dominating the market recently, in 

addition to a notable movement on 

some investment groups, and collecting 

deals on some low price stocks. 

Moreover, more companies 

announced its financial results during 

last week, the number of declared com- 

panies reached 52% so far. The total 

number of declared companies reached 

107 out of 205 listed companies, realizing 

approximately KD 1.65 billion, with 

a decline of 18.27% compared to same 

companies’ results for 2010. 

By the end of the week, the price 

index closed at 6,243.5 points, up by 

0.70% from the week before closing, 

whereas the weighted index registered 

a 0.80% weekly gain after closing at 

423.22 points. 

2011 Results 

By mid of last trading day of the 

week, 107 companies announced their 

results for the year 2011 with a total net 

profits amounting to KD 1.65 billion, 

18.27% lower than the same companies’ 

results for the year 2010, which 

amounted to KD 2.01 billion. 

The Services sector came first in 

terms of total net profits for the year, 

with a total of KD 744.05 million, followed 

by the Banks sector with a total 

of KD 565.49 million, then the Non 

Kuwaiti Companies sector in the third 

place with KD 91.23 million. 

And as per 2011 announced results, 

the Services sector came in first in terms 

of average earnings per share (EPS) for 

its listed companies, which amounted 

to 176.55fils. The Food sector was second 

with an average EPS of 108.48 fils, 

followed by the Industry sector in the 

third place with 58.63 fils, whereas the 

market’s overall average EPS is 73.14 

fils. On the other hand, and according 

to the announced results and last 

Thursday’s closing prices, KSE average 

P/E ratio is currently at 15.71. 

Sectors’ Indices 

Six of KSE’s sectors ended last week 

in the green zone, while the other two 

recorded declines. Last week’s highest 

24 BUSINESS 

gainer was the Banks sector, achieving 

1.82% growth rate as its index closed at 

11,646.4 points. Whereas, in the second 

place, the Non Kuwaiti Companies sector’s 

index closed at 6,182.5 points 

recording 1.15% increase. The 

Investment companies sector came in 

third as its index achieved 1.07% 

growth, ending the week at 4,089.7 

points. The Real estate sector was the 

least growing as its index closed at 

2,262.0 points with a 0.25% increase. 

On the other hand, the Industry sector 

headed the losers list as its index 

declined by 0.70% to end the week’s 

activity at 4,284.7 points. The Insurance 

sector was second on the losers’ list, 

which index declined by 0.03%, closing 

at 2,707.5 points. 

Sectors’ Activity 

The Investment sector dominated 

total trade volume during last week 

with 841.65 million shares changing 

hands, representing 35.41% of the total 

market trading volume. The Real Estate 

sector was second in terms trading volume 

as the sector’s traded shares were 

24.64% of last week’s total trading volume, 

with a total of 585.66 million 

shares. On the other hand, the 

Investment sector’s stocks where the 

highest traded in terms of value; with a 

turnover of KD 65.99 million or 28.96% 

of last week’s total market trading value. 

The Services sector took the second 

place as the sector’s last week turnover 

of KD 63.48 million represented 27.86% 

of the total market trading value. 

Market Capitalization 

KSE total market capitalization grew 

by 0.75% during last week to reach KD 

29.37 billion, as all of KSE’s sectors 

recorded an increase in their respective 

market capitalization except for 


Kuwait stocks maintain upward momentum 

BAYAN WEEKLY MARKET REPORT 

one sector. The Food sector headed 

the growing sectors as its total market 

capitalization reached KD 719.75 million, 

increasing by 3.32%. The Services 

sector was the second in terms of 

recorded growth with 1.13% increase 

after the total value of its listed companies 

reached KD 7.23 billion. The third 

place was for the Insurance sector, 

which total market capitalization 

reached KD 315.47 million by the end 

of the week, recording an increase of 

1.11%. The Real Estate sector was the 

least growing with 0.004% recorded 

growth after its market capitalization 

amounted to KD 1.93 billion. On the 

other hand, the Industry sector was 

last week’s only decliner as its total 

market capitalization decreased by 

0.03% to reach, by the end of the 

week, KD 2.23 billion. — Prepared by 

the Studies & Research Department 

Bayan Investment Co.

NEW YORK: Portfolio managers will be doing some 

last-minute shopping for winners from the big US 

stock market rally as they take part next week in the 

quarter-end ritual of window dressing. The activity 

could help stocks resume their upward course in the 

week ahead and keep a long-expected pullback at 

bay. The benchmark Standard & Poor’s 500 index is 

up 11.1 percent so far for the first quarter and the 

year. That would follow a gain of 11.2 percent for the 

fourth quarter. 

If the trend holds, the S&P 500 will book its best 

back-to-back quarters since the second and third 

quarters of 2009. The S&P 500 lost some ground in 

the past week, ending down 0.5 percent after five 

straight weeks of gains, but that’s only its second 

negative week for the year. 

Much of the quarter’s gains have been driven by 

signs of improvement in the US economy, particularly 

a pickup in jobs, which has been lagging other 

areas in the recovery. 

Window dressing typically involves investors 

grabbing some of the quarter’s best performers to 

dress up their portfolio listings. Some of the lastminute 

buying is likely to come from the hedge fund 

community, said Phil Orlando, chief equity strategist 

and senior portfolio manager for Federal Global 

Investment Management Corp in New York. 

Hedge funds “by and large have not been believers 

about the improvement in the domestic economy 

... so they’ve been very much out of the market. 

Yet here we are with the first quarter looking like the 

best first quarter since 1998,” he said. “They’ve got a 

huge gain to catch up.” 

But retail investors, he said, have probably also 

noticed that they’ve missed a lot by having kept 

their money in Treasuries and other fixed-income 

assets over the quarter. 

“They have woken up to the realization that the 

surge in yields has resulted in a significant loss of 

capital for them,” Orlando said. If the S&P 500 manages 

to end the first quarter with an 11.1 percent 

gain, that would be its best quarterly performance 

since the second quarter of 2009. 

By comparison, the 10-year US Treasury note’s 

yield has risen nearly 36 basis points. If this holds, 

the 10-year note’s yield will record a quarterly rise for 

the first time in a year. 

In the final week of the first quarter, Wall Street 

will get a more complete look at the economy 

through a whole suite of indicators. Among them 

will be March consumer confidence on Tuesday, 

February durable goods orders on Wednesday, the 

final look at fourth-quarter Gross Domestic Product 

on Thursday, plus February personal income and 

spending data on Friday as well as the Chicago 

Purchasing Managers Index, and the final reading on 

March consumer sentiment from the Thomson 

Reuters/University of Michigan surveys. 

“The bottom line is: The economy is improving 

and while inflation is trending higher, there is no 


Last-minute shopping could lift US stocks 

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama walks with Jim Yong Kim, his nominee to be the 

next World Bank President, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Treasury 

Secretary Timothy Geithner to the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, 

Friday. Kim is currently the president of Dartmouth College. —AP 

Seoul hails US-Korean 

candidate for WB 

SEOUL: South Korea yesterday welcomed 

President Barack Obama’s nomination of a 

Korean-born Ivy League college head to lead 

the World Bank, hailing him as the “right person” 

for the top job. Obama on Friday named 

Jim Yong Kim, a US-raised physician who is 

currently the president of Dartmouth College, 

to succeed Robert Zoellick, who is scheduled 

to leave the World Bank in June. 

“We highly appreciate President Obama’s 

decision to nominate Kim and will cooperate 

more closely with the World Bank,” the presidential 

Blue House said in a statement. 

“We believe that Kim is the right person to 

carry out the duties to reform the World Bank 

and eradicate poverty, relying on his experience 

in international health and development 

projects.” 

The United States’ selection of Kim to lead 

the 187-nation development lender makes 

him an instant favourite to get the bank’s top 

job. He is challenged by two other candidates 

including Colombian Jose Antonio Ocampo, a 

professor at Columbia University, and 

Nigerian finance minister Ngozi Okonjo- 

Iweala. — AFP 

ATLANTA: New homes are seen under construction in Atlanta. Sales of US new homes fell 

in February for the second straight month, a reminder that the depressed housing market 

remains weak despite some improvement. — AP 

Colombian academic 

seeks top WB job 

NEW YORK: Jose Antonio Ocampo, the man 

Colombia has put forward as its candidate for 

World Bank president, is an economist with a 

solid academic background and stints in national 

politics and at the United Nations. 

Born in Cali, western Colombia, in 1952, 

Ocampo currently teaches at the School of 

International and Public Affairs at Columbia 

University in New York. Ocampo, 59, “is a leading 

thinker on the reform of the international financial 

architecture and on macroeconomic policies 

to reduce the vulnerability of developing countries 

to international financial volatility,” Tufts 

University in Massachusetts said when it awarded 

him the 2008 Leontief Prize for Advancing 

the Frontiers of Economic Thought. 

Ocampo has a sterling academic background: 

he studied economics and sociology at the prestigious 

University of Notre Dame, then obtained 

a doctorate in economics at Yale University in 

1976, when he was just 23. He then returned to 

his native Colombia, teaching at the University of 

the Andes and the National University of 

Colombia. In 1989, he entered national politics, 

aligned himself with Colombia’s center-left 

Liberal Party, and advocated a gradual economic 

opening at a time when most of Latin America 

was putting few limits on free-market capitalism. 

Ocampo occupied several top posts, including as 

agriculture minister in 1993 under president 

Cesar Gaviria, and finance minister in 1996 under 

president Ernesto Samper. From national politics, 

Ocampo entered the world of international 

organizations. Between 1998 and 2003, he was 

secretary-general of the United Nations 

Economic Commission for Latin America and the 

Caribbean, better known by its Spanish acronym 

CEPAL. 

He later moved to New York, where in 2003 

he became Under-Secretary-General for 

Economic and Social Affairs at the United 

Nations under Kofi Annan. He last held the job 

until 2007, when he returned to academia. 

Ocampo by then had a stellar reputation, 

and in 2009 was called to become a member of 

the Commission of Experts of the UN General 

Assembly on Reforms of the International 

Monetary and Financial System. 

His most recent publication is “Time for a 

Visible Hand: Lessons from the 2008 World 

Financial Crisis,” published in 2010. The book’s 

co-authors are 2001 Nobel Economics Prize 

winner Joseph Stiglitz and economist Stephany 

Griffith-Jones. “Ocampo has published extensively 

on macroeconomic theory and policy, 

international financial issues, economic and 

social development, international trade, and 

Colombian and Latin American economic history,” 

according to his Columbia University 

biography.—AFP 

WALL STREET WEEKLY OUTLOOK 

ROME: Italy’s Mario Monti sets off to 

South Korea, Japan and China this 

weekend with crucial labor reforms in 

the bag, to set out his vision of a new 

Italy and boost ties with Asia’s dynamic 

economies. 

The prime minister, who in 

November replaced Silvio Berlusconi 

as premier as Italy toppled on the 

edge of financial meltdown, is wasting 

no time strengthening relations with 

Asia’s key financial players. 

“Monti has made this one of his 

first international trips and rightly so,” 

Giuliano Noci of Milan Polytechnic 

told AFP. “It has huge implications for 

Italy: trade deals made now will help 

put the country back on the map.” 

The former European commissioner’s 

aim is to get recession-struck Italy 

growing again after years of lagging 

behind its euro-zone peers. He wants 

to see Italy eventually cut reduce its 

massive debt, which currently runs at 

120 percent of gross domestic product: 

double the EU ceiling. 

He has followed his tough “Save 

Italy” austerity plan-which calmed skittish 

markets and defused the emergency 

atmosphere-with a “Grow Italy” 

plan, which has included the deregulation 

of key sectors to spur competition. 

His biggest challenge has been 

persuading trade unions to fall in with 

his reform to modernize the labor 

market. He insisted on settling this 

threat of corporate profits disintegrating,” said Peter 

Cardillo, chief market economist at Rockwell Global 

Capital in New York. “I am looking for a rally,” he said. 

Gains this quarter have been broad-based, with 

most of the 10 S&P sectors on track to end the quarter 

in positive territory. But the S&P 500 financial sector 

index and the S&P technology sector index stand 

out, with gains so far of 21 percent for the financials 

and 19.9 percent for techs. The more defensive S&P 

500 utility and consumer staples sectors have underperformed, 

with the utility index down 3.9 percent 

and the consumer staples index up 3.7 percent so 

far. Still, the S&P energy sector, a cyclical sector that 

tends to gain with the economy like financials and 

technology, is up just 4 percent for the quarter so far. 

Because of the S&P 500’s big move this quarter, 

some strategists expect to see some funds shift out 

of equities. “Given the fact that stocks have had a big 

move and bonds have sold off, portfolio managers 

in asset-allocation mode may trim a little bit of equity 

holdings and move them into fixed-income holdings 

to rebalance target weights,” said Fred Dickson, 

chief market strategist of D.A. Davidson & Co in Lake 

Oswego, Oregon. 

According to Thomson Reuters’ Lipper service, 

investors in US-domiciled equity funds have 

splurged so far in the first quarter of the year, pumping 

a net $32.7 billion in fresh capital into the sector. 

This follows net outflows for the previous ninemonth 

period, which saw a high of $66 billion in net 

issue with his cabinet before the start 

of his Asia trip. They approved it on 

Friday and it will go before parliament 

in the coming weeks. 

Monti sets off today, and will travel 

first to South Korea to meet President 

Lee Myung-Bak and join leaders and 

top officials from 52 other countries at 

a Seoul nuclear security summit, 

before heading on to Japan. There he 

will meet Finance Minister Jun Azumi 

on Wednesday before holding talks 

with heads of the country’s main 

banks and financial institutions, after 

which he will head to China to meet 

top government officials and businessmen. 

He will end his trip on Monday 

April 2 by addressing the Boao Asia 

Forum. “Italy is the euro-zone’s third 

redemptions occur in the second quarter of 2011. 

For all of last year, equity funds experienced net outflows 

of $50.4 billion, only the second full year of 

redemptions since Lipper started tracking fund flow 

data in 1992. 

The S&P 500 ended 2011 virtually unchanged, 

but is up 23 percent since the end of September. 

Even as money has moved back into equities, taxable 

bond funds are also enjoying a banner start to 

the year. Lipper data shows $85 billion in net inflows 

so far in 2012, on pace to be the best since the $98 

billion of net inflows recorded in the first quarter of 

2010. 

Taxable bond funds have not had a negative 

quarter since the fourth quarter of 2008. The record 

inflow year for this category was 2009 when 

investors bought an additional $384 billion of taxable 

bond funds. The last full year of net outflows 

was the $54 billion in 2000. Stocks have benefitted 

not just from the upbeat economic data, but from 

speculation that the Federal Reserve could add further 

stimulus to the economy. 

“What may have driven some of this sustained 

support for the market is continued indications from 

the Fed that QE3 is not out of the question. That 

would certainly be extremely negative for anybody 

who has a short position on US equities,” said Natalie 

Trunow, chief investment officer of equities at 

Calvert Investment Management in Bethesda, 

Maryland. — Reuters 

largest economy and doesn’t want to 

miss out on deals being snapped up 

by others,” said Sergio Romano, a 

columnist with Corriere della Sera. 

“Monti has realised these countries 

need to be appreciated, understood 

and courted.” 

Noci said Monti plans to strengthen 

diplomatic and economic ties with 

Japan and the dynamic South Korea 

and ensure a series of lucrative deals 

made between Berlusconi and 

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping in 

2010. He also said Rome would be 

looking to lure Asian investment into 

information technology, infrastructure, 

green energy and tourism-and 

boost exports of luxury fashion goods 

to a region with a passion for Prada 

shoes and Gucci bags. 


Monti sells new Italy to 

Asia seeking investors 

Italian PM off to S Korea, Japan and China tour 

WASHINGTON/WINNIPEG: The United 

States said it would appeal a World Trade 

Organization ruling against a law requiring 

country-of-origin labels on all meat sold in 

grocery stores, a move that disappointed 

Canada and Mexico, both of which want the 

law changed. 

The meat labels became mandatory in 

March 2009 after years of debate. US consumer 

and mainline farm groups supported 

the requirement, saying consumers should 

have information to distinguish between US 

and foreign products. 

Big meat processors opposed the provision, 

which they said would unnecessarily 

boost costs and disrupt trade. A WTO panel 

ruled in November that the country-of-origin 

labeling, or COOL, provision violated 

WTO rules on technical barriers to trade. The 

case was brought by Canada and Mexico, 

which have sizeable cattle and hog trade 

with the United States. 

Andrea Mead, a spokeswoman for the US 

Trade Representative’s office, said the 

November ruling confirmed the United 

States has the right to adopt mandatory 

COOL requirements to help consumers 

make informed purchasing decisions. 

But “we were disappointed that the panel 

disagreed with the way that the United 

States designed its COOL requirements with 

regard to beef and pork. Accordingly, we are 

challenging the panel’s report before the 

WTO Appellate Body,” she said. 

In their complaint, Canada and Mexico 

said cattle and hog shipments to the United 

States declined sharply after the law took 

effect. They said the US rules were too stringent 

and put their livestock at a disadvantage. 

“The WTO panel decision recognized 

the integrated nature of the North American 

supply chain and marked a clear win for our 

industry,” Canadian Agriculture Minister 

Gerry Ritz said in a statement expressing disappointment 

with the US appeal. 

“We are confident that the decision will 

Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti 

US to appeal WTO ruling 

against meat labels 

be upheld so trade can move more freely, 

benefiting producers and processors on 

both sides of the border,” Ritz said. 

Mexico’s economy ministry said in a 

statement late Friday that it would defend 

its interest in the appeal process. US consumer 

group Food & Water Watch welcomed 

the appeal. 

“We are heartened that the Obama 

administration has finally stood up against 

the meat industry’s attack on commonsense 

rules that let people get vital information 

about what they are eating,” the group’s 

executive director, Wenonah Hauter, said in 

a statement. 

The move allows President Barack 

Obama’s administration to delay the politically 

difficult task of trying to change the 

law during a US election year in the hope 

of obtaining a more favorable outcome in 

the second round of litigation. The US 

labeling law requires grocers to put labels 

on cuts of beef, pork, lamb, chicken and 

ground meat or post signs that list the origin 

of the meat. 

Labeling also is required for seafood, 

fruits, vegetables and ginseng as well as 

peanuts, pecans and macadamia nuts, but 

the WTO ruling only covered meat trade. 

To be listed as US origin, meat must 

come from animals born, raised and slaughtered 

in the United States. Meat from livestock 

raised in Mexico or Canada for slaughter 

in the United States must be labeled as a 

product of mixed origin. Changing the law 

would most affect packing plants that were 

once big buyers of Canadian animals including 

those owned by JBS, Tyson Foods, Cargill 

Inc., Hormel Foods, and Smithfield Foods, 

Canadian farm industry officials have said. 

Many US meat-packing plants, especially 

those near the US-Canada border, either 

stopped accepting Canadian livestock or 

bought less due to the increased costs of 

segregating animals by domestic and foreign 

origin. —Reuters 

Trade between Italy and China is 

expected to reach $80 billion (60.3 billion 

euros) by 2015. 

Official figures this week showed 

that Italy’s shipments to China 

declined by 4.8 percent in February 

and Monti will be keen to quickly 

reverse the trend. 

Italian media have referred to the 

upcoming visit as a “road trip to show 

off the new Italy,” and Monti’s plan is 

for Rome to compete with euro-zone 

countries such as Germany and 

France. 

“We are now seen as real protagonists 

of the euro-zone’s recovery and 

can offer all the advantages of a country 

which in just a few months has 

cleaned up its act,” Foreign Minister 

Giulio Terzi told Il Sole 24 Ore financial 

daily. Italy “is an attractive option for 

foreign investors who can benefit 

from liberalizations, less bureaucracy, 

tax breaks and the labor reform,” he 

said. 

But Noci warned that the work 

reform-which will be modified by ministers 

before the draft bill it goes to 

parliament-is not a done deal. Monti 

should be wary of using it has his 

trump card in Asia, he said. “The reform 

is not wrapped up yet, it’s still piping 

hot, but Monti couldn’t pass up his trip 

to Asia,” he said. “He will have to hope 

that his reputation as an astute economic 

thinker who has turned Italy 

around precedes him.”— AFP 

US regulators 

close two 

small banks 

WASHINGTON: Federal regulators have closed small 

banks in Georgia and Illinois, bringing to 15 the number 

of banks that have failed so far this year. The pace 

of bank closures has slowed sharply after ballooning 

following the financial crisis in 2008. By this time last 

year, 25 banks had failed. 

On Friday the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. 

shuttered Covenant Bank & Trust in Rock Spring, Ga., 

and Premier Bank, based in Wilmette, Ill. Each bank 

operated two branches. 

Covenant Bank & Trust had about $95.7 million in 

assets and $90.6 million in deposits as of Dec. 31. 

Stearns Bank, National Association of St. Cloud, Minn., 

agreed to assume Covenant Bank’s deposits and 

assets. 

Premier Bank had about $268.7 million in assets 

and $199 million in deposits. International Bank of 

Chicago agreed to assume Premier’s deposits and 

assets. The FDIC estimates the bank failures will cost 

the Deposit Insurance Fund $95.6 million. 

So far this year, four banks have failed in Georgia, 

and three in Illinois. In all of 2010, regulators seized 

157 banks, the most in any year since the savings and 

loan crisis two decades ago. Those failures cost the 

fund around $23 billion. The FDIC has said 2010 likely 

was the high-water mark for bank failures from the 

Great Recession. Last year 92 banks failed, costing the 

fund about $7.9 billion. 

In 2009 there were 140 bank failures that cost the 

insurance fund about $36 billion. It was a larger sum 

than in 2010 because the banks involved were bigger 

on average. Twenty-five banks failed in 2008, the year 

the financial crisis struck. Only three closed in 2007. 

From 2008 through 2010, bank failures cost the 

fund an estimated $79 billion. The FDIC expects failures 

from 2011 through 2015 to cost $19 billion. The 

deposit insurance fund fell into the red in 2009. With 

failures slowing, the FDIC’s fund balance turned positive 

in the second quarter of last year. At Dec. 31 it 

stood at $9.2 billion, nearly 18 percent higher than 

three months earlier, according to the FDIC. — AP

J .D. 

Power and Associates 

announced the results from their 

2010 Vehicle Dependability Study 

(VDS). The results are in for this year 

and it appears that Lexus has come 

out on top in the final standings. 

Rounding out the highest-ranking 

brands: 

“We are pleased that TMS has once 

again led the way with the most segment 

awards in the J.D. Power Vehicle 

Dependability Study. We’re especially 

proud of our consistency in the annual 

study. Since 1994 Lexus has continued 

to place among the top three 

nameplates in every year of eligibility, 

while Toyota has been in the top five 

among non-luxury manufacturers 

since 1990. Toyota has once again 

topped this year’s study as the topranking 

full-line manufacturer”. 

“This is great news and timely for 

both our customers and our dealers, 

as it provides reassurance our vehicles 

continue to be an industry 

benchmark for quality.” 

The annual study looks at problems 

experienced by original owners 

(a total of 31,000 were surveyed) of 

three-year-old (2009 model year) 

vehicles and includes 198 different 

problem symptoms across all areas of 

the vehicle. Overall dependability is 

determined by the level of problems 

per 100 vehicles (PP100), with a lower 

score reflecting higher quality. 

In 2012, overall vehicle dependability 

averaged 132 PP100—an 

improvement of 13 percent from the 

2011 average of 151—which is the 

26 business 

Lexus tops 2012 J.D. Power Dependability Study 

Gulf Bank winners 

of Al-Danah draw 

KUWAIT: Gulf Bank held its eleventh Al- 

Danah weekly draw on March 18, 2012, 

announcing a total number of ten Al 

Danah weekly prize draw winners, each 

awarded with prizes of KD 1,000. 

The 11th Al Danah 

weekly winners are: 

Husain Abdulla Al-Ajmi, 

Abdulmoati Hamad Al-Daqes, 

Aziza Al-Homaiwi, 

Rashed Zaid Odah, 

Huda Ibrahim Al-Obeid, 

Berki Dhailis Al-Hajri, 

Iman Yousef Al-Saraf, 

Mohammed Ashraf Bakleh, 

Fouad Hashem Al-Abeed, 

Ahmed Neamatallah Abdulrahman 

Gulf Bank encourages everyone in 

Kuwait to open an Al Danah account 

and/or increase their deposits to maximize 

their chances of becoming a winner 

in the upcoming weekly (KD1,000 each 

for 10 winners). Gulf Bank’s Al Danah 

allows customers to win cash prizes and 

encourages them to save money. 

Chances increase the more money is 

deposited and the longer it is kept in the 

account. 

Al Danah also offers a number of 

unique services including the Al Danah 

Deposit Only ATM card which helps 

account holders deposit their money at 

their convenience; as well as the Al 

Danah calculator to help customers calculate 

their chances of becoming an Al 

Danah winner. 

To be part of the Al Danah draws, customers 

can visit one of Gulf Bank’s 56 

branches, transfer online, or call the 

Customer Contact Center on 1805805 for 

assistance and guidance. Customers can 

also log on to www.e-gulfbank.com, Gulf 

Bank’s website, to find all the information 

regarding Al-Danah or any of the Bank’s 

products and services or log on www.egulfbank.com/aldanahwinners, 

to find 

out more about Al Danah and who the 

winners are. 

Over 200 gaming enthusiasts 

visit Best United Electronics 

Kuwait’s first 3D gaming competition 

KUWAIT: Best United Electronics in 

collaboration with LG organized 

Kuwait’s first ever 3D gaming competition 

at Best Electronics, Al-Rai which is 

considered the biggest electronics 

showroom in Kuwait. 

“The competition is open to everybody 

in Kuwait above 14 years of age. 

All you have to do is join our Facebook 

page and register by filling out a simple 

registration form. 16 teams of 4 

each will enter the competition to bat- 

tle it out in the Call of Duty 3: Modern 

Warfare game on LG’s newly launched 

CINEMA 3D SMART TV. The competition 

will run for a period of 5 weeks 

and participants and followers can stay 

updated through our Facebook and 

Twitter pages,” stated Abdulaziz Adel 

Al-Yousifi, President - Best Electronics. 

The competition began on 

Thursday, March 22, 2012 and the first 

winning team of four took home an LG 

LCD TV each after battling out 15 other 

teams in a very tough but 

thrilling competition. There 

are four more thrilling weeks 

remaining of the competition 

and the grand finale will be 

held April 19 where winners of 

the first four weeks will compete 

once again for the grand 

prize of the 47 inch LG CINEMA 

3D SMART TV. 

The event was attended by 

several gaming enthusiasts, 

prominent personalities, media 

representatives and customers 

who cheered the participants 

during the competition and 

also participated in competitions 

conducted for them and 

took home some valuable 

prizes. 

1-Waled Bader Al-Enezy 

2-Ali Al-Shemerry 

3-Ali Al-Bloushy 

4-Aujeel Al-Shemerry 

lowest problem rate since the inception 

of the study in 1990. Fully 25 of 

the 32 brands in the study have 

improved in dependability from last 

year, while only six have declined and 

one has remained stable. 

Luxury brands, both foreign and 

domestic, have done especially well, 

with six out of the top 10 highest 

ranked brands being luxury or near- 

KUWAIT: The Gulf Investment Corporation 

announced yesterday that its General Assembly 

reviewed and approved the audited financial statements 

for the year 2011. Net income for the year 

grew to $182 million from $151 million in 2010, 

representing a year-on-year increase of 20%. 

The Chairman of the Board Dr Zakaria Ahmed 

Hejres commended the solid performance saying: 

“GIC’s good performance in a challenging business 

environment is a reflection of its resilience and 

strength. I am pleased to note that the steady 

progress that GIC made in financial strength and 

risk profile, continues to be in tandem with its business 

expansion and revenue growth. The corporation 

continued to play a major role in the development 

of GCC-based projects via its principal investments 

as well as in the capital markets through its 

investment activities and product innovations. The 

Board will continue to contribute in its strategic 

role towards achieving GIC’s corporate goals under 

the full support of our shareholders.” 

Earnings from GIC core businesses contributed 

to the growth in net operating revenues, which 

reached $292 million, an increase of 31% compared 

to the preceding year. As of 31st December 2011, 

total shareholders’ equity reached $2,405 million, 

representing a year-on-year value addition of $273 

million. This increase, which includes both realized 

and unrealized gains, reflects an economic return 

of 12.8% on the previous year’s equity. 

GIC’s total balance sheet, as of 31st December 

2011, reached $5,881 million. With a leverage of 

just under 2.4 times, the balance sheet structure 

remains healthy and resilient. The high capital 

levels, conservative leverage and good asset 

quality are reflected in robust capital adequacy 

ratios. Tier 1 capital ratio, as per Basel II guidelines, 

stood at 30.6% as of the 2011 year end. In 

that year, GIC had ample liquidity, with cash and 

equivalents of $596 million, on top of other liquid 

premium brands. Toyota has also 

done exceptionally well considering 

its past troubles, with its three 

brands—Toyota, Scion and Lexus—all 

ranking in the top five spots. The 

most dependable vehicle was the 

Lexus LS. 

On that note Mubarak Al Sayer the 

CEO -MNSS said: ”on the occasion of 

such positive outstanding results of 

J.D. Powers, we praise ourselves for 

being the sole distributor of Lexus 

cars, the world’s most practical & luxury 

automotive brand; TMC has managed 

to produce “Reliable 

Dependable Cars” that does not stand 

still, tremendous advances in innovative 

technology and driving capabilities, 

as well as in environmentally 

friendly solutions, as it managed to 

capture customers’ loyalty & trust, for 

that Lexus shall remain the best in 

terms of dependability & innovation. 

On our turn here in Kuwait, we are 

committed to insure our customers’ 

complete satisfaction with their cars, 

Al Sayer will always continue to be 

committed to offer the best products 

and service available in Kuwait, and 

to always meet the best of customer 

care”. 

assets of nearly $3,000 million. 

Commenting on the Corporation’s notable performance, 

Hisham A Al-Razzuqi, Chief Executive 

Officer, stated that “2011 has been another good 

year for GIC. The consistent year on year enhancement 

of all key financial performance indicators is 

especially gratifying. The growth in profitability 

was achieved alongside improvements in capital 

strength, liquidity and liability structure, leverage 

levels and risk profile. This multi-dimensional 

strength resulted in positive rating actions from 

international rating agencies, including Moody’s, 

Fitch and Rating Agency Malaysia. The strong foundation 

we have built, combined with the goodwill 

we have established, will enable us to expand our 

business and regional franchise. We will continue, 

The list of the top 10 brand rankings 

for 2012: 

1) Lexus - 86 

2) Porsche - 98 

3) Cadillac - 104 

4) Toyota - 104 

5) Scion - 111 

6) Mercedes-Benz - 112 

7) Lincoln - 116 

8) Ford - 124 

9) Buick - 125 

10) Hyundai - 125 


GIC profits grow 20% to 

$182 million in 2011 

Results show firm’s resilience, strength: Hejres 

KUWAIT: To continue providing BMW customers 

with the best offers and services in 

the market, Ali Alghanim & Sons 

Automotive, the exclusive importer of BMW 

Group vehicles in Kuwait, has launched a 

special promotional offer on all BMW models. 

Customers who purchase a new BMW will 

receive free warranty for up to five years or 

150,000 km (whichever comes first) and a 

four-year free servicing package, valid up to 

84,000km. In addition, all registration costs 

will be organized and covered by Ali 

Alghanim & Sons Automotive, giving customers 

a convenient and hassle-free start to 

their BMW ownership. The BMW Group 

importer has also combined this offer with a 

monthly premium financing program, 

designed to suit the individual needs of its 

customer’s budgets, starting from KD 124 

for a BMW 3 Series Coupe, KD 124 for a BMW 

5 Series, KD 191 for a BMW X6 and KD 203 

for a BMW 7 Series. 

This promotion signals Ali Alghanim & 

Sons Automotive’s commitment to providing 

additional value to its customers by 

helping to reduce the ownership costs and 

considering all the small details such as 

vehicle registration and service packages. It 

also puts customers’ minds at ease so they 

can enjoy ‘no worry’ ownership for their 

BMW vehicles. From the moment they 

decide to purchase the car, covering the 

major servicing for the first four years. 

Yousef Al-Qatami, General Manager of Ali 

Alghanim & Sons Automotive said: “In addition 

to customer satisfaction being our 

number one priority at Ali Alghanim & Sons 

Automotive, we recognize that customer 

loyalty contributes to our continuous success 

and always to try to find new ways to 

ensure they have the best possible owner- 

GIC Chairman Dr Zakaria Ahmed Hejres GIC CEO Hisham Al-Razzuqi 

ship experience.” 

“We also understand that luxury vehicles 

are an important lifestyle choice in Kuwait. 

With this campaign, we are trying to make it 

easy for people in Kuwait to own a BMW, 

and therefore we are offering a wide choice 

of models with a variety of flexible finance 

options. This promotional campaign supports 

our long term strategy to ensure that 

the customers receive top quality and care 

at every stage of the ownership experience.” 

as a team, to strive towards achieving our corporate 

goals of contributing to the development of private 

enterprise in the region and creating value for our 

shareholders.” 

Established in 1983, GIC is a regional financial 

institution owned entirely and equally by the six 

GCC states of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi 

Arabia and the UAE. GIC provides a comprehensive 

set of financial services that support the development 

of the private enterprise and foster economic 

growth in the Gulf region. GIC has emerged as a 

regional leader in its chosen fields, and has successfully 

promoted and developed projects in the GCC 

across a range of sectors, including financial services, 

petrochemical, metal, power, utilities, and, communications. 

Premium ownership experience with 

Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive 

5 years warranty, 4 years free servicing, free registration 

The campaign covers all BMW vehicles, 

including BMW’s flagship model, the BMW 7 

Series, BMW 5 Series and the BMW X5 and 

X6, as well as the newly launched 6th generation 

BMW 3 Series. 

Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive recently 

launched the all-new BMW 3 Series, the 

world’s best-selling premium car, this vehicle 

is now available at the importers showroom, 

in all its different lines, Luxury, 

Modern, and Sport.

TECHNOLOGY 

Indispensable and free: The best everyday apps 

BERLIN: Billions of smartphone apps are downloaded 

every year with the value of many of them being 

debateable. But there are apps which are extraordinarily 

helpful and users can hardly imagine their 

everyday life without them. And on top of that, many 

of these programmes are free. Here’s a selection: 

Adobe Reader: Even on the go you may need to 

be able to view PDFs. The original viewer application 

for the format offers a good service to display and 

search documents. It is available for Android as well as 

the other major operating systems, Apple’s iOS and 

Windows Phone. 

Alice: While iPhone users have Siri, Android supporters 

can talk to Alice. The app is based on a voice 

recognition system and is capable of learning. You 

can enter texts or operate applications by speaking. 

But Alice also answers questions or learns sayings. 

Snow acrobatics, street 

football and monsters 

BERLIN: One advantage of computer 

gaming: You’re not tied to 

the seasons. Thus, this season, 

gamers can look forward both to 

snowboarding and football thrills 

with new editions of SSX and Fifa 

Street, pulling one season up a 

little bit and stretching the other 

out a bit longer. 

Another bonus: if you wait 

long enough, your favourites will 

eventually appear together. That 

means fans can also finally expect 

to see the fighters from Street 

Fighter and Tekken face off 

against one another. 

And those aren’t the only 

options, with Mario Party 9 

expected for family gaming fun 

and the eighth version of Silent 

Hill for fans of horror games. 

After a long pause, Electronic 

Arts is bringing out a new version 

of its snowboarding game, SSX. 

For the first time, players are no 

longer required to keep their 

break-neck adventures on set 

paths. The game’s various mountain 

landscapes were crafted with 

the help of satellite images and 

the US space agency NASA. 

There are many new challenges, 

like the Survive It mode, 

in which snowboarders are pitted 

against Mother Nature, who pelts 

them with avalanches, snowstorms 

and other natural threats. 

The SSX series has traditionally 

had little basis in reality. Laws of 

physics are routinely set aside 

here. But the system for performing 

tricks has been reworked to 

make it easier for beginners to 

pull off flips and spins. SSX is 

available for the Playstation 3 and 

XBox 360. 

Fifa Street displays a little 

more realism as a sports simulator. 

But this game isn’t just about 

the results, but also showmanship. 

Daring kicks and dribbling 

are part of the game. Players can 

choose between 35 playing 

fields, including dusty courtyards 

and proper arenas, where they 

can opt to play futsal, a variant of 

football. 

A career mode allows solo 

players to enjoy the game for 

longer, but multiple player games 

are also available, either in person 

or via the internet. Thanks to 

original player licensing, wellknown 

players from various professional 

and national teams can 

be called up. Fifa Street will 

released on March 15 for the 

Playstation 3 and XBox 360. 

Street Fighter X Tekken allows 

NEW CONSOLE GAMES 

fans of two popular fighting 

games to finally have a go at each 

other as it brings together two 

fairly different fighting systems. 

Technically, the game is based 

on the engine of Street Fighter IV. 

As has been the case in past versions, 

fighting is conducted by 

two-man teams, meaning switching 

back and forth between the 

characters is part of a successful 

strategy. 

There will be multiple game 

modes for both online and offline 

playing. It also comes with a Gem 

system, which will allow players 

to create their own characters. 

Street Fighter X Tekken is set for a 

March 9 release for the 

Playstation 3 and XBox 360. 

Mario Party 9 represents the 

next collection of mini games for 

the Wii. Up to four players can 

compete. The winner will be the 

one who collects the most stars. 

That means Mario, Dasiy, Yoshi, 

Bowser and other Nintendo 

favourites will have to travel by 

car through another colourful 

world. A different character takes 

the wheel for each level, which 

determines which challenges lie 

ahead. 

The whole thing is set up like a 

board game. There are minigames 

that let players compete 

against one another. Others 

require an individual to take on a 

team of three. Yet other versions 

rely on cooperation between all 

players. Packed with seven board 

game scenarios and more than 

80 mini-games, Mario Party 9. 

Silent Hill Downpour from 

Konami goes in a completely different 

direction. Released simultaneously 

with the Silent Hill HD 

Collection, which brings together 

parts two and three of the series, 

the new game hit shelves on 

March 15. The eighth part of the 

series is full of violence and 

shocking scenes, meaning young 

players or those of a delicate disposition 

had best avoid it. 

Murphy Pendleton, the hero, 

starts out as a prisoner who 

escapes from a doomed prison 

transport and finds himself 

stranded in the city of Silent Hill. 

As he walks the city’s misty ways, 

he is repeatedly forced on horror 

trips as he is confronted by his 

past. He encounters various horrible 

creatures and has to figure 

out several difficult puzzles. 

Silent Hill Downspour will be 

released for the Playstation 3 and 

XBox 360. — dpa 

Those who would like to experiment with voice control 

can try it with Vlingo. 

Android Lost: The Android Lost app allows for a 

lost smartphone to be located, disabled and if necessary 

have its content deleted from any internet computer. 

Similar functions are available for iPhones 

under www.icloud.com and for Windows devices at 

www.windowsphone.com. Barcoo: This app provides 

product information at every turn. Point the mobile 

device camera at a barcode or QR-code in a store and 

Barcoo supplies a variety of information about the 

product. 

Dropbox: There are also smartphone apps offering 

many of the functions of the well-known online 

saving and syncing service. 

Evernote: You are always trying to remember 

something, and if you don’t write it down you may 

NEW YORK: Facebook has taken steps in recent days to 

address more worries about privacy, warning employers 

not to ask prospective employees for their passwords 

and trying to clarify its user “rights and responsibilities” 

policies. 

But the latter effort backfired when tens of thousands 

of users, mostly in Germany, misunderstood the clarifications 

and blasted the company, even though nothing 

substantive had changed. Their discontent showed that, 

no matter what Facebook does, privacy concerns are still 

the biggest threat to users’ trust and to its growth. 

“There is such an incredible level of scrutiny now 

about anything any company does about privacy,” said 

Jules Polonetsky, director of the Future of Privacy Forum, 

an industry-backed think tank in Washington. “We are 

treating every single thing that touches privacy as a fivealarm 

fire. The risk of all these five-alarm level outbursts 

is that people will become inured about privacy and 

miss real privacy issues because of crying wolf when 

nothing is actually going on.” 

Users’ willingness to share information is a key part of 

Facebook’s business. The site makes the bulk of its money 

from ads that target users based on their personal 

information. Last year, the company earned a profit of 

$668 million and booked $3.7 billion of revenue, and it’s 

preparing for an initial public offering later this spring 

that could be valued at as much as $100 billion. 

Privacy issues have dogged Facebook for years. It settled 

with the Federal Trade Commission in November 

over allegations that it misled users about the handling 

of their personal information. Google Inc., a big rival, 

agreed to a similar settlement eight months earlier. 

The latest ruckus happened when more than 30,000 

German users posted that they were rejecting the company’s 

proposed changes to its governing documents. 

But the changes amounted to nuanced revisions and 

clarifications of long-standing policies - not a major 

overhaul. The company, for instance, replaced the word 

“profile” with “timeline,” since Facebook users now have a 

different type of profile. Facebook also changed “hateful” 

to “hate speech” in its description of prohibited content. 

Still, users who read the documents for the first time 

noticed some things that alarmed them. For example, 

the document replaced the words “privacy policy” with 

“data-use policy,” seemingly taking privacy out of the 

picture. 

Facebook has been calling it a data-use policy since 

September, preferring to be more straightforward about 

its actual purpose. But the company makes so many subtle 

changes that it’s easy to lose track. 

“It’s clear that some people fundamentally misunderstand 

our proposed changes. Our data-use policy governs 

how we use and collect data. That document is not 

changing at this time,” Facebook spokesman Barry 

Schnitt said. “That’s why we have this unique and trans- 

forget it. Enter Evernote. The notes, recordings, photos 

or files saved with the service are available 

through synchronizing on every device with the 

Evernote app, which is available for all three major 

mobile operating systems. 

Facebook, Twitter & Co.: Of course, original apps 

from Facebook, Google+ and Twitter are best for 

mobile posting to social networks. For Twitter, there 

are other alternatives including TweetCaster for 

Android or Twitterrific for iOS. 

Locus Free: Those who want to have maps of 

entire stretches of land or countries available to 

Android mobile devices offline can use Locus Free. 

This app allows for map information, predominantly 

Openstreetmap (OSM), to be stored in the smartphone’s 

memory. An alternative is MapDroyd. 

MX Video Player: This video player doesn’t shy 

parent process, though - so have an opportunity to clarify 

confusion and respond to user concerns. We look forward 

to doing so in the coming weeks.” 

Another worrisome discovery might have been the 

fact that applications used by your Facebook friends can 

gain access to your data on Facebook, even if you do not 

use the apps yourself. That’s true, but it’s been true since 

at least 2007 and well-documented elsewhere on the 

site. The attention focused on Facebook’s largely cosmetic 

changes reflect just how closely people watch the 

company. 

“If they reposted the same privacy policy they had, 

everyone would be jumping up and down,” said 

Polonetsky, a former chief privacy officer at AOL. 

Sarah Downey, senior privacy strategist at an online 

privacy software provider called Abine, was among 

those criticizing Facebook this week. She said the company 

is being more straightforward about its business 

model and what it does by clarifying its documents. But 

that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s heading in the right 

direction. “What we once thought of as a social network 

has really become an advertising network,” she said. 

On Friday, it was Facebook itself that raised alarms 

about privacy, warning employers not to ask job appli- 

away from any format and can be controlled intuitively. 

It is only available for Android phones however. 

Shazam: It’s mainly fun and games, but those 

who just cannot remember a song are thankful for 

this app, which after hearing only seconds of a song 

provides its name and artist, often with lyrics and 

videos. 

TuneIn Radio: Internet radio is unbelievably 

diverse and the TuneIn app makes the selection easier 

with thousands of catalogued stations and programs. 

WhatsApp: Why pay for text messages when you 

are online with your smartphone the whole time anyhow? 

The makers of WhatsApp asked themselves this 

question and came up with a comprehensive messenger 

solution. You can quickly send messages, photos 

and videos to friends for free as long as they have 

installed the app as well. — dpa 

Facebook takes steps to 

SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook confirmed Friday 

that it has added a trove of IBM patents to its 

arsenal on an increasingly lawsuit-strewn 

technology battlefield. Reports that Facebook 

bought 750 software and networking patents 

from IBM surfaced less than two weeks after 

struggling Internet pioneer Yahoo! accused 

the thriving young firm of infringing on 10 of 

its patents. 

“I can confirm that there was a purchase 

but I don’t have any other details to share,” 

Facebook spokesman Larry Yu said in 

response to an AFP inquiry. IBM would not 

comment. Acquisition of the patents came as 

California-based Facebook prepared for an 

initial public offering and as Internet titans 

increasingly battle in courts as well as in marketplaces. 

Yahoo!, in a lawsuit filed in US 

District Court for the Northern District of 

California on March 12, accused Facebook of 

infringing on patents in several areas including 

advertising, privacy and messaging. 

The Sunnyvale, California-based company 

asked the court to order Facebook to halt its 

alleged patent-infringing activities and to 

assess unspecified damages. Facebook, which 

was founded in 2004, a decade after Yahoo!, 

expressed disappointment with the move. 

“We’re disappointed that Yahoo!, a longtime 

business partner of Facebook and a 

company that has substantially benefited 

from its association with Facebook, has decided 

to resort to litigation,” a Facebook spokeswoman 

said. In the suit, Yahoo! said that 

Facebook’s growth to more than 850 million 

users “has been based in large part on 

Facebook’s use of Yahoo!’s patented technology.” 

“For much of the technology upon which 

Facebook is based, Yahoo! got there first and 

was therefore granted patents by the United 

States Patent Office to protect those innovations,” 

Yahoo! said. 

“Yahoo!’s patents relate to cutting edge 

innovations in online products, including in 

messaging, news feed generation, social commenting, 

advertising display, preventing click 


address privacy concerns 

Privacy issues have dogged Facebook for years 

New iPads too 

hot to handle 

SAN FRANCISCO: Apple’s new iPad 

is hot. The company has sold more 

than 3 million units on the device’s 

debut weekend alone. But some customers 

are complaining that the next 

generation tablet computer is also 

too hot to handle, while others are 

moaning about faults in the device?s 

wi-fi connection. 

US magazine Consumer Reports 

tested allegations that the device 

was significantly hotter than its predecessor 

and found that it reached a 

temperature of 46 degrees when 

playing video games, compared to 

39.5 degrees for the iPad 2. 

Since most people use the device 

while holding it in their hands or lap, 

the extra heat has made many 

uncomfortable, even though Apple 

says the device is operating well 

within its temperature limits. The 

extra heat is likely the result of the 

device?s quad-core process having 

to work hard to operate the high resolution 

screen, which according to 

Apple has more than 4 million more 

pixels than its predecessor. ‘This is 

not an unsafe device because of 

these temperatures, ‘Consumer 

Reports’ electronics editor Paul 

Reynolds told ABC News Wednesday. 

? At most, you may have some discomfort. 

—DPA 

NEW YORK: This Jan. 13, 2011 photo provided by IBM shows the computer 

system known as Watson at IBM’s research center in Yorktown Heights, NY. 

The medical training of IBM’s speedy Watson computer will continue with a 

residency at Memorial Sloan-Kettering to help doctors diagnose and treat 

cancer. — AP 

cants for their passwords to the site so they can poke 

around on their profiles. The company threatened legal 

action against applications that violate its long-standing 

policy against sharing passwords. 

The company action came after The Associated Press 

documented cases of job applicants who were asked, at 

the interview table, to reveal their Facebook passwords 

so their prospective employers can check their online 

profiles. A Facebook executive cautioned that if an 

employer discovers that a job applicant is a member of a 

protected group, the employer may be vulnerable to 

claims of discrimination if it doesn’t hire that person. 

“As a user, you shouldn’t be forced to share your 

private information and communications just to get a 

job,” Erin Egan, Facebook’s chief privacy officer of policy, 

wrote in a post. “And as the friend of a user, you 

shouldn’t have to worry that your private information 

or communications will be revealed to someone you 

don’t know and didn’t intend to share with just 

because that user is looking for a job.” The post 

sparked comments from Facebook users, many of 

them thankful. But the number totaled only 108 - a 

sign that when it comes to online privacy, it’s far easier 

to stir anger than gratitude. — AP 

CALIFORNIA: A Jan. 3, 2011 file photo shows the Facebook headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif. Facebook has taken 

steps in recent days to address more worries about privacy, warning employers not to ask prospective employees 

for their passwords and trying to clarify its user “rights and responsibilities” policies, Friday. — AP 

Facebook buys IBM patents 

fraud and privacy controls.” 

Once seen as the Internet’s leading light, 

Yahoo! has struggled in recent years to build 

a strongly profitable, growing business out of 

its huge Web presence and global audience. 

Meanwhhile, Facebook is warning 

employers not to demand the passwords of 

job applicants, saying that it’s an invasion of 

privacy that opens companies to legal liabilities. 

The social networking company is also 

threatening legal action against those who 

violate its long-standing policy against sharing 

passwords. An Associated Press story this 

week documented cases of job applicants 

who are being asked, at the interview table, 

to reveal their Facebook passwords so their 

prospective employers can check their backgrounds. 

In a post on Friday, Facebook’s chief privacy 

of policy officer cautioned that if an 

employer discovers that a job applicant is a 

member of a protected group, the employer 

may open itself up to claims of discrimination 

if it doesn’t hire that person. 

“As a user, you shouldn’t be forced to share 

your private information and communications 

just to get a job,” wrote Erin Egan. “And 

as the friend of a user, you shouldn’t have to 

worry that your private information or communications 

will be revealed to someone you 

don’t know and didn’t intend to share with 

just because that user is looking for a job.” 

Not sharing passwords is a basic tenet of 

online conduct. Aside from the privacy concerns, 

Facebook considers the practice a 

security risk. Facebook spokesman Andrew 

Noyes said that the company doesn’t think 

employers should be asking applicants for 

their passwords because “we don’t think it’s 

the right thing to do.” 

“While we do not have any immediate 

plans to take legal action against any specific 

employers, we look forward to engaging with 

policymakers and other stakeholders, to help 

better safeguard the privacy of our users,” he 

said. — Agencies

CARLETONVILLE: A medical worker is pictured at a mobile testing facilities 

for Tuberculosis (TB) at Driefontein Gold Mine in Carletonville yesterday. 

Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe launches a national TB control plan 

amongst gold miners, beginning with a programme to test workers. — AFP 

Drug-resistant TB blamed 

on Indian treatment flaws 

NEW DELHI: India’s inadequate government-run 

tuberculosis treatment programs 

and a lack of regulation of the sale of drugs 

that fight the disease are responsible for the 

spiraling number of drug-resistant cases that 

are difficult to treat, health activists said 

Friday. India adds an estimated 99,000 cases 

of drug-resistant TB every year, but only a 

tiny fraction of those infected receive the 

proper drugs to treat the stubborn disease 

through the government-funded program. 

Yesterday marks World Tuberculosis Day. 

The original form of the disease can be 

easily cured by taking antibiotics for six to 

nine months. But if that treatment is interrupted 

or the dose is cut, the bacteria battle 

back by mutating into a tougher strain that 

can no longer be killed by standard drugs, 

making it harder and more expensive to 

treat. 

The easy availability of TB drugs in the 

private market and the casual over-thecounter 

sale of antibiotics is fueling the 

development of drug resistance, Piero 

Gandini, head of Doctors Without Borders in 

India, said in a statement. 

“There is an urgent need for regulatory 

control of sale and administration of TB 

drugs in the private sector,” he said. The 

organization and other health groups also 

said India’s TB control program provides 

treatment to patients only on alternate days. 

They argue it increases the risk that patients, 

most of whom are poor daily wage laborers, 

will miss doses, another factor responsible 

for drug-resistant strains of TB. Patients also 

increasingly turn to private doctors who 

often do not understand how to properly 

treat TB or the risks of increasing drug resistance 

by prescribing the wrong drugs. The 

Indian government had no response Friday 

to requests for comment on the activists’ 

allegations. 

In January, Indian doctors reported the 

country’s first cases that appeared to be 

“totally drug resistant,” a long-feared and virtually 

untreatable form of the killer lung disease. 

The Indian hospital that saw the initial 

cases tested a dozen medicines and none of 

them worked. However, the Indian government 

later questioned the findings, saying 

the World Health Organization has not 

defined the term “totally drug-resistant” 

tuberculosis. 

If a tuberculosis case is found to be resistant 

to the two most powerful drugs, the 

patient is classified as having multi-drugresistant 

TB. An even worse classification of 

TB - one the WHO accepts - is extensively 

drug-resistant TB, a form of the disease that 

was first reported in 2006 and is virtually 

resistant to all drugs. An estimated 20 percent 

of the world’s multi-drug-resistant cases 

are found in India, which is home to a quarter 

of all types of tuberculosis cases worldwide. 

—AP 

Adidas and Fitness First 

Middle East announce 

new partnership 

KUWAIT: Adidas and Fitness First Middle 

East yesterday announced a five-year partnership, 

making adidas the official outfitter 

for the world-class fitness chain until 

2016. The comprehensive agreement 

between the global leading sports brand 

adidas and Fitness First Middle East, a franchise 

of the world’s number one health 

and fitness club chain and member of the 

Landmark Group, commences with immediate 

effect and extends to over 28 clubs 

in the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia 

and Jordan. 

As the official outfitter to Fitness First 

Middle East, Adidas will supply innovative 

performance sportswear to personal trainers, 

GX Instructors and club staff. 

“We are proud to announce a continuation 

of our partnership with Fitness First 

Middle East, an organisation that shares 

our commitment to help people across the 

Middle East push themselves to new limits 

and achieve their fitness objectives. 

Fitness First is a leading brand recognised 

globally for its world-class facilities, services 

and innovative concepts that make it an 

ideal partner,” said Jad Chouman, Head of 

Marketing, Emerging Markets, adidas. 

Speaking on the new agreement, Mark 

Botha, Sales and Marketing Director, 

Fitness First Middle East said: “We welcome 

the long-term support of adidas, a 

global leader in sport products and a company 

with a proud heritage in helping athletes 

reach their full potential with performance 

technologies. This agreement 

symbolises the mutual respect and future 

ambition of adidas and Fitness First Middle 

East. Our collaboration will offer the very 

best training experience for fitness enthusiasts 

across the Middle East.” 

The announcement coincides with Adidas’ 

launch of training-specific products 

that have been developed and tested in 

collaboration with world-class athletes to 

provide comfort, functionality and style in 

performance. adidas is set to launch 

women’s and men’s training spring/summer 

2012 collection across the Middle 

East. The women’s collection focuses on 

dance-inspired ClimaCool training, featuring 

the leading body temperature control 

technology ClimaCool (R) to provide outstanding 

breathability and moisture management. 

This season, both the women’s and 

men’s training collections focus on boxinginspired 

training apparel and footwear. 

The collections are also supported by the 

adizero range of lightweight footwear, 

which includes breathable sprint-web 

technology that moves as part of the athlete’s 

body in motion. 

Jad Chouman added: “Our association 

with the largest fitness chain in the region 

at a time of rapid growth will allow us to 

further strengthen and extend our market 

leadership in training. adidas is continuing 

to set new standards in innovative and 

ground-breaking performance products. It 

is, therefore, fitting that the professionals 

from Fitness First will be able to train while 

wearing the latest range of performanceenhancing 

adidas products.” 

The Fitness First agreement builds further 

upon the commitment of adidas to 

the Middle East through a range of local 

partnerships as official suppliers to regional 

athletes, clubs and sporting events that 

include Al Jazira FC UAE, the Dubai 

Standard Marathon and RAK Half 

Marathon - Esport/Clark Francis Academy, 

UAE and MeFit Pro UAE, to name but a few. 

As part of an expansion plan, Fitness 

First Middle East aims to increase its network 

of branches to 34 clubs across the 

region by July 2012. The chain offers world 

class facilities including state-of-the-art 

equipment, a dedicated free weights area, 

personal training by world-class fitness 

professionals, intensive weight loss programmes, 

free group exercise classes and 

multiple membership privileges across all 

its all locations. 

HEALTH&SCIENCE 

LEESBURG: Doreen Watson-Beard cared for more 

people with dementia than she could count. The 

nurse was so moved by her patients that she led 

Alzheimer’s support groups. She knew the warning 

signs and understood there was no cure. 

But the 49-year-old never thought the disease 

would affect someone her age. The first clues surfaced 

around five years ago, when she was 44. 

She’d forget to pick up her grandchildren at school 

or plans she made with her husband. She wrote 

down the wrong medication dosage for a patient. “I 

have no idea what’s going on,” she remembered 

telling her doctor. 

About 200,000 Americans under 65 are among 

the 5.4 million Americans suffering from 

Alzheimer’s disease, according to the Alzheimer’s 

Association. Experts’ estimates suggest there’s a 

similar number of younger people with other types 

of dementia, meaning about a half-million 

Americans, some as young as their 30s, suffer from 

early-onset or younger-onset dementia. 

The number of people suffering from all types 

of dementia is rapidly increasing because of the 

ageing of the baby boom generation - the 78 million 

Americans born between 1946 and 1964 - 

though there’s no sign the percentage of younger 

people with dementia is going up. Pat Summit, the 

59-year-old Hall of Fame college women’s basketball 

coach, is among the most famous to suffer 

publicly with it. 

Watson-Beard is one of a tiny minority, a fascinating, 

sorrowful subset to a disease trademarked 

by its slow, cruel overtaking of the mind. Watson- 

Beard says she was diagnosed two or three years 

ago; she has trouble remembering the exact time. 

Forgetfulness was one of her first symptoms; her 

husband would ask if she was ready to leave and 

she’d have no recollection they made plans. She 

became less socially conscious, hanging up abruptly 

with her boss in the middle of a conversation she 

thought was finished. 

She kept going to work at an assisted living 

facility near her central Florida home, while caring 

for her husband, who had liver cancer. She dismissed 

the symptoms as stress. When her husband 

died about three years ago, the symptoms continued. 

She thought it was grief. But it wasn’t getting 

better. 

“I thought if I ignored it long enough, it would 

go away,” she said. Problems at work began cropping 

up, too. Once, Watson-Beard couldn’t figure 

out how to do a complicated wound dressing - 

something she’d done many times before. Another 

time, she wrote down the wrong dosage of a medication 

on a patient’s discharge plan - luckily, that 

mistake was caught by a pharmacist. 

Worried someone might be harmed, she went 

to the doctor. She was informed she had dementia, 

though her doctor has not yet classified it more 

specifically as Alzheimer’s, dementia’s most common 

form. She was told to prepare for the future. 

“You might need to get some things in order,” 

Watson-Beard remembers being told. Dr. Marc 

Agronin, a geriatric psychiatrist at Miami Jewish 

Health Systems and author of “How We Age,” says 

symptoms of dementia in a younger patient can be 

glaring. But diagnosis is often complicated by the 

fact that it’s so uncommon in younger patients and 

that so many other conditions could cause the 

symptoms. 

Agronin sees no evidence of an increasing rate 

of early-onset dementia, but there is increased 

interest. At the memory clinic he runs at Miami 

Jewish, he has seen an uptick in younger patients 

concerned their memory lapses mean they have 

Alzheimer’s. They’re almost always wrong. 

When they’re not, the diagnosis can be devastating. 

“It’s very distressing because they come in 

and they have young spouses and some of them 

have kids in grade school,” Agronin said. “It’s frightening 

to see someone so young becoming so 

impaired.” Beth Kallmyer, a social worker at the 

Alzheimer’s Association, said younger people with 

dementia often get incredulous reactions from 

others when they share their diagnosis. Many don’t 


Dementia’s youngest 

victims defy stereotypes 

Project examining ageing of baby boomers 

WASHINGTON: Death, taxes and 

now health insurance? Having a medical 

plan or else paying a fine is about 

to become another certainty of 

American life, unless the Supreme 

Court says no. 

People are split over the wisdom 

of President Barack Obama’s health 

care overhaul, but they are nearly 

united against its requirement that 

everybody have insurance. The mandate 

is intensely unpopular even 

though more than 8 in 10 people in 

the United States already are covered 

by workplace plans or government 

programs such as Medicare. When 

the insurance obligation kicks in, not 

even two years from now, most people 

won’t need to worry or buy anything 

new. 

Nonetheless, Americans don’t like 

being told how to spend their money, 

not even if it would help solve the 

problem of the nation’s more than 50 

million uninsured. Can the government 

really tell us what to buy? 

Federal judges have come down on 

both sides of the question, leaving it 

to the Supreme Court to sort out. The 

justices are allotting an unusually 

long period, six hours over three 

days, beginning March 26, to hear 

arguments challenging the law’s constitutionality. 

Their ruling, expected in June, is 

shaping up as a historic moment in 

the century-long quest by reformers 

to provide affordable health care for 

all. Many critics and supporters alike 

see the insurance requirement as the 

linchpin of Obama’s health care law: 

Take away the mandate and the 

wheels fall off. 

Politically it was a wobbly construction 

from the start. It seems half 

of Washington has flip-flopped over 

mandating insurance. One critic dismissed 

the idea this way: “If things 

were that easy, I could mandate 

everybody to buy a house and that 

would solve the problem of homelessness.” 

That was Obama as a presidential 

candidate, who was against 

health insurance mandates before he 

was for them. 

Once elected, Obama decided a 

mandate could work as part of a plan 

that helps keep premiums down and 

assists those who can’t afford them. 

To hear Republicans rail against this 

attack on personal freedom, you’d 

never know the idea came from 

them. 

Its model was a Massachusetts 

law signed in 2006 by Mitt Romney, 

now the front-runner of the 

Republican presidential race, when 

he was governor. Another GOP hope- 

LEESBURG: In this photo taken Thursday, 

March 15, 2012, Doreen Watson-Beard 

relaxes in her kitchen at her home in 

Leesburg, Fla. Watson-Beard, 49, is one 

of the millions of Americans living with 

Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of 

dementia. — AP 

ful, former House Speaker Newt 

Gingrich, supported a mandate on 

individuals as an alternative to 

President Bill Clinton’s health care 

proposal, which put the burden on 

employers. 

All four GOP presidential candidates 

now promise to repeal the 

Affordable Care Act, which they call 

“Obamacare.” Former Pennsylvania 

Sen. Rick Santorum calls it “the death 

knell for freedom.” 

So much for compromise. Obama 

and congressional Democrats 

pushed the mandate through in 

2010, without Republican support, in 

hopes of creating a fair system that 

ensures everyone, rich or poor, young 

or old, can get the health care they 

need. Other economically advanced 

countries have done it. 

Doing nothing is more expensive 

than most people realize. Congress 

found that when the uninsured go to 

clinics and emergency rooms, the 

care they can’t pay for costs nearly 

$75 billion a year. Much of that cost is 

passed along and ends up adding 

$1,000 a year to the average family’s 

insurance premium. 

The overhaul is neither the liberal 

dream of a single government program 

supported by taxes and covering 

everyone nor the conservative 

vision of stripping away federal rules 

and putting free enterprise in charge. 

The Obama plan relies on private 

companies plus lots of regulation to 

make sure they provide basic benefits, 

keep premiums reasonable, and 

cover the sick as well as the healthy. 

That’s where the mandate comes in. 

If insurers must cover everyone, even 

those with existing medical conditions, 

healthy people have little 

incentive to sign up before they get 

sick. 

Insurance companies argue that if 

only the sick sign up, insurers will go 

broke. So the law says everybody 

must have insurance for themselves 

and their children, or pay a penalty. 

Also, because everyone needs 

health care sometime, if everyone 

purchases insurance, the price per 

person can be lower, with the cost of 

care spread out over many people. 

After all, the government requires 

workers to pay Social Security and 

Medicare taxes, whether they want 

the benefits or not. 

One argument for the insurance 

mandate is that the fines are just federal 

taxes by another name. Another 

is that it falls under the government’s 

constitutional power to regulate 

commerce that crosses state borders. 

State governments, of course, tell 

people to buy lots of things, including 

auto insurance or motorcycle hel- 

realize the disease can affect those who aren’t very 

old. 

Kallmyer notes it also frequently forces people 

to quit their job during their top earning years. “It 

can be financially devastating,” she said. That has 

been true for Watson-Beard. She left her assistedliving 

job last year and worked briefly as a home 

health care aide before quitting. She tried shifting 

to other jobs that didn’t involve direct patient care, 

but her symptoms persisted. 

Her house is in foreclosure and she has no medical 

insurance. She pays out of pocket for doctor’s 

visits and gets her supply of Namenda, which 

treats dementia symptoms, free from the drug 

company. Watson-Beard lives in a brick ranch with 

pale yellow shutters on a quiet street in this small 

central city. A few light wrinkles around her eyes 

are the only main signs of age. She occasionally 

glances to the left in silence, unable to find an 

answer in her memory, but she speaks with lucidity 

most of the time in an interview. But not all days 

are so good. 

Once recently, she came out of her grandchildren’s 

school and went into another unlocked car. 

It wasn’t until the key didn’t fit that she realized it 

wasn’t hers. She has had car accidents, once forgot 

a grandson at a snack bar, and regularly bumps 

into people who know her but whom she can’t 

remember anything about. 

“It’s frustrating because you’re at this level of 

functioning and then it’s gone and you don’t know 

what tomorrow’s going to bring,” she said. She 

remembers one man in particular now from her 

years of nursing; he came each day to visit his elderly 

wife, who was fading away into advanced 

dementia. She had lost the ability to speak, but her 

husband wondered aloud if maybe she had 

entered some higher realm, a new level of spirituality 

where she no longer needed words. 

She used to lead two support groups for the 

Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, but gave one 

up when she kept getting their locations confused. 

She still leads one at an assisted living facility in 

Leesburg. Those who gather don’t know of their 

leader’s diagnosis. She simply sits and listens to 

their struggles. 

For an hour, the group remains in a circle, the 

clock slowly ticking as the stories flow out. 

Watson-Beard looks forward to it ending; she 

prefers to be home. Watson-Beard wonders if the 

spiritual life envisioned by her patient’s husband is 

what’s in store for her instead of what she imagined 

aging would be like: staying close to home, 

enjoying family, going to neighborhood barbecues. 

All she knows is that life won’t go the way she 

planned.”It’s not what I envisioned at all,” she says, 

as tears begin again to flow. “It just wasn’t in the 

equation.” — AP 

US Supreme Court weighs making 

health coverage a fact of life 

Space junk misses 

station astronauts 

WASHINGTON:A discarded 

chunk of a Russian rocket 

missed the International Space 

Station early yesterday. 

However, it came close enough 

to force six astronauts to seek 

shelter in escape capsules. 

NASA says the space junk 

was barely close enough to be 

a threat. Had it hit, however, 

the station could have been 

dangerous. So the astronauts - 

two Americans, three Russians 

and a Dutchman - woke early 

and went into two Soyuz vehicles 

ready to rocket back to 

Earth just in case.The debris 

came closest at 2:38 a.m. EDT 

(638 GMT). It wasn’t noticed 

until Friday, too late to move 

the International Space Station 

out of the way. This is the third 

time in 12 years that astronauts 

have had to seek shelter from 

space junk.— AP 

This Feb. 16, 2001 photo provided 

by NASA, shows the 

International Space Station as it 

orbits the Earth. A discarded 

chunk of a Russian rocket is forcing 

six space station astronauts 

to seek shelter in escape capsules 

early yesterday.—AP 

mets. “You can always move to 

another state,” said Tom O’Connor, a 

consultant in Fairfax, Va., who thinks 

the health care law overreaches. “It’s a 

little more difficult to move to another 

country.” 

Many agree. In an Associated 

Press-GfK poll, 85 percent said the US 

government should not have the 

power to require people to buy 

health insurance. When the question 

is worded without the specific reference 

to federal power, acceptance of 

the mandate grows a bit, but 6 in 10 

are still against it. 

Even among those who generally 

support the health care overhaul, 

one-third said they are against the 

insurance mandate. There’s also a significant 

minority who sees mandates 

as a cop-out and prefer a government 

program that covers everyone, 

Medicare for all. It’s clear that many 

people do not understand what the 

law would do or how it would affect 

them. 

Jan Gonzales, an out-of-work 

bookkeeper in Pablo, Mont., calls fining 

people for going without insurance 

“the most ridiculous, asinine 

thing you ever heard of.” “If I can’t put 

food on the table for my children, 

how can I pay for health care coverage?” 

asks Gonzales, who’s been without 

insurance for seven years. “What 

moron came up with that idea?” 

Of course, she might qualify for 

the law’s exemptions for those too 

poor to pay and for assistance for 

low-income people, as well as many 

in the middle class. There also are 

some religious exemptions. . 

Estimates vary widely of how 

many uninsured people will get 

insurance once it’s required in 

January 2014. About 4 million people 

would pay a penalty to the Internal 

Revenue Service for being uninsured 

in 2016, the Congressional Budget 

Office estimates. By 2016, the fine 

reaches $695 per uninsured adult or 

2.5 percent of family income, up to 

$12,500 per year. The IRS is in charge 

of the penalties but can’t prosecute 

violators or place liens against them. 

Its only enforcement option may be 

withholding money from refunds. 

That leaves insurance companies, 

who stand to gain lots of new customers, 

worried that people instead 

will shrug off the weak mandate. 

Meanwhile, the state-federal 

Medicaid program will expand to 

cover more low-income people, and 

that’s another issue before the 

Supreme Court, because many 

states say they cannot afford the 

extra cost. — AP

A flower for every mother 

from New Mowasat 

KUWAIT: As an annual tradition, 

New Mowasat Hospital 

celebrated Mother’s day 

which falls in early spring of 

each year on March 21 by presenting 

a flower for each 

mother as a gift of appreciation 

and as a belief in the role 

of mothers as the main pillars 

of the society. 

On this occasion, Mrs May 

Roumani, the marketing manager 

in New Mowasat, stated 

that this special gesture of 

receiving every mother who 

visits the hospital on Mother’s 

Day with a flower; is a token 

of appreciation and recognition 

for the essential role that mothers play in our lives. She added that this initiative 

comes from a deep understanding and appreciation of the great place in 

our hearts occupied by great mothers who build a community by raising the 

future through “Caring for Generations”. 

Roumani explained that the hospital celebrates this occasion annually to 

emphasize the fundamental role of the mother as the provider of love and care 

to her children, a life partner to her husband and as a backbone of her family. 

In conclusion, Roumani stressed that the tradition of celebrating this occasion 

in New Mowasat Hospital is considered as a mobilization of the Public opinion 

towards the need to observe and look back on mothers’ roles in constructing 

a better community which is incarnated in presenting her gifts that bear an 

emotional meaning rather than a materialistic value. 

WASHINGTON: US breast cancer charity 

Susan G. Komen for the Cure is feeling a 

pinch on donations following a controversy 

over its funding for Planned 

Parenthood, a leading provider of birthcontrol 

and abortion services. 

A few of the group’s flagship “Race for 

the Cure” fundraising events have failed 

to meet targets, a Komen spokeswoman 

said on Friday. Separately, at least five of 

the group’s leaders have stepped down 

in recent weeks. 

Komen, the world’s biggest breast 

cancer charity, provoked uproar over its 

decision to cut - and later restore - funding 

for Planned Parenthood, a leading 

provider of birth control, abortion and 

other women’s health services. Komen 

supports Planned Parenthood’s efforts to 

provide access to breast-cancer screening. 

The initial move to cut Planned 

Parenthood’s funding became public in 

late January, and was viewed by some 

Komen supporters as a capitulation to 

political pressure from anti-abortion 

HEALTH 

WASHINGTON: A federal court judge has ordered the 

Food and Drug Administration to take action on its 

own 35-year-old rule that would stop farmers from 

mixing popular antibiotics into animal feed, a practice 

which is widely believed to have led to a surge in dangerous, 

drug-resistant bacteria. 

In 1977, the FDA concluded that the overuse of 

antibiotics in livestock, poultry and other animals 

weakened the treatment’s effectiveness in humans. 

The agency issued an order that would have banned 

non-medical use of penicillin and tetracycline in farm 

animals, unless drugmakers could show the drugs 

were safe. But the rule was never enforced, following 

vigorous pushback from members of Congress and 

lobbyists for farmers and drugmakers. Farming groups 

have long argued the drugs are needed to keep animals 

healthy, though many natural food producers 

dispute such claims. 

In a ruling handed down Thursday, Judge 

Theodore Katz said the FDA must begin steps to withdraw 

approval of the two antibiotics for routine use in 

animals, siding with four consumer safety groups that 

brought a lawsuit against the agency. 

“Today we take a long overdue step toward ensuring 

that we preserve these lifesaving medicines for 

those who need them most - people,” said Avinash Kar, 

attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council. 

The FDA has 60 days to appeal the ruling. The court 

ruling will not immediately halt the use of antibiotics 

on farms. The FDA must first give drug companies a 

chance to respond and schedule a public hearing. “If, 

at the hearing, the drug sponsors fail to show that use 

of the drugs is safe, the ‘FDA’ commissioner must issue 

a withdrawal order,” concludes Katz, a judge in the US 

District Court of Southern New York. 

Antibiotics were one the most key medical discoveries 

of the last century, used to heal everything from 

infected wounds to strep throat. Since their commercial 

introduction in the 1930s, antibiotics have 

become a ubiquitous part of medical practice. Most 

medical experts agree overprescribing of the drugs 

has played a role in bacteria’s growing resistance to 

them. The FDA approved antibiotic use in animals in 

1951, before concerns about drug resistance were recognized. 

Public health advocates have been pushing 

the federal government to put more restrictions on 

antibiotics for decades. Nearly 80 percent of all antibiotics 

sold in the US are given to farm animals used in 

food production, according to a recent estimate by 

the FDA. Farmers mostly use the drugs in healthy animals 

to spur growth or to keep them from getting sick 

in crowded, unsanitary feedlot areas. 

However, after constant use some animals develop 

germs that are immune to antibiotics. These germs, 

often called superbugs, can then pass to farmworkers 

and their families. In other cases germs blow into 

neighboring communities in dust clouds, run off into 

lakes and rivers during heavy rains, or sometimes con- 


Court orders FDA action 

on antibiotic use on farms 

Weakens treatment’s effectiveness in humans 

groups. Within a few days, the charity 

reversed course. Komen said it had had 

problems meeting targets in about half 

of the five fundraising events it has 

staged since the blowup. 

Komen spokeswoman Leslie Aun said 

the lower numbers appeared to stem 

from the controversy over Planned 

Parenthood. “We’re seeing challenges for 

races in some of our markets,” Aun said. 

“People are concerned and they’ve 

decided not to help Komen. That’s unfortunate 

because it affects women whose 

lives we’re trying to help save.” Komen 

has said that in 2011 it screened 700,000 

uninsured women for breast cancer, and 

it spends 83 cents of every donation dollar 

on research or community services. 

Five Komen executives or directors have 

recently announced they are leaving the 

organization, although a group insider 

cited personal reasons for most of the 

resignations. 

The recent exodus follows the resignation 

of Karen Handel, a senior executive 

charged with spearheading the decision 

taminate steaks and chops that end up on kitchen 

tables. 

The Natural Resources Defense Council sued the 

FDA in May 2011 to compel the agency to act on its 

35-year-old order. The FDA countered that the 1977 

ruling was outdated and that the agency had already 

issued more recent proposals to curb antibiotics, such 

as a 2010 recommendation that veterinarians be consulted 

before antibiotics are given to animals. The FDA 

is expected to finalize those recommendations, which 

would not be binding, next week. 

But Katz said the more recent actions don’t overrule 

the agency’s previous judgment that “the drug 

products are not shown to be safe,” for non-medical 

use in animals. “The FDA has not issued a single statement 

since the issuance of the 1977 ‘decision’ that 

undermines the original findings that the drugs have 

not been shown to be safe,” states the opinion. 

FDA spokeswoman Siobhan DeLancey said Friday 

the agency is “studying the opinion and considering 

appropriate next steps.” Throughout President 

Obama’s first term in office, FDA officials repeatedly 

said antibiotics in agriculture pose a serious public 

health threat and said they would act on the issue. In 

January, the agency took its first step on the issue, 

ordering farmers to limit the use of cephalosporins, 

which are given to some cattle, swine, chickens and 

turkeys. The drugs are not as widely used as penicillin 

and other common antibiotics. — AP 

US breast cancer fundraising lags after abortion dispute 

to cut funding for Planned Parenthood. 

Some of Komen’s members have also 

called for the resignation of founder 

Nancy Brinker, who created the organization 

in honor of her sister, who died from 

breast cancer. 

Komen’s board said it had “complete 

confidence” in the group’s leadership. 

“This isn’t about Komen. This is about 

women,” Aun said about the charity’s 

work. “If people understand what’s at 

stake, they’ll come back and be supportive.”— 

Reuters

Announcements 

Writers forum launched 

Malayalam Kuwait, the platform for readers and 

writers among the Keralites in Kuwait was launched 

during a meeting held at United Indian School, 

Abbassiya. Sharing of reading and writing, debates 

and discussions, literary symposia and reinforcement 

of budding writing talents are the goals of the 

group. Bergman Thomas, John Mathew, Kaippattoor 

Thankachan, Sam Painummood, John Mathews, 

sathar Kunnil, Lissy Kuryakkose, Swapna Jacob, 

Bessy Kadavil, Unnimaya Nampoothiri, Shibu Philip, 

Dharmaraj Madappally, Uthaman Valathukadu, 

Rafeeq Thayath, Tiju Thankachan, Sunil K Cherian 

and Harikrishnan participated in the first ever meeting 

of Malayalam Kuwait. The group will hold its 

monthly discussion every last Friday at various locations, 

informed the group’s convener Bergman 

Thomas. Malayalam members will gather on Friday, 

March 30 at Successline, Abbassiya to discuss 

Bergman’s award winning novel, Puramkatal, 

recently serialized in Kalakaumudi Weekly. Anyone 

interested to join the group, please contact: 

66556867 

Earth Hour In Kuwait 

March 31, 2012 @ 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm. Where: 

Kuwait Sahara Resort (6th Ring Road) Contact: 

KT4GW.org 

TES 2012 Spring Carnival 

March 30, 2012 @ 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm Where: TES- 

The English School (Salmiya, Block 12, Mousaed Al- 

Azmi Street) The much awaited Spring Carnival at 

The English School (TES) is coming up soon! Bring 

your family and friends and enjoy an afternoon of 

shopping and fun activities. Over 80 amazing stalls 

selling beautiful handicrafts and knick knacks! 

Bouncy castles, face painting, magic show and a 

large array of carnival games and activities for the 

kids. A fun day for all! See you there! 

‘The Golden Age of Arab Sciences’ exhibition 

Kuwait’s Amricani Cultural Centre will be the destination 

for a unique cultural event held under the 

patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah Al- 

Mubarak Al-Sabah, Minister of Information and 

President of the National Council of Culture, Arts 

and Letters. Taking place from March 15 to June 16 

at the Amricani Cultural Centre in Kuwait City, ‘The 

Golden Age of the Arab Sciences’ exhibition will 

present rare artefacts and texts, as well as informative 

audio-visual presentations, exploring the Arab 

world’s pioneering contribution to ancient science 

and philosophy. Hosted by Dar Al-Athar Al- 

Islamiyyah (DAI), the exhibition is being brought to 

Kuwait by the Institut du Monde Arabe of Paris 

(IMA), with the support of Total and the French 

Embassy. The three-month exhibition will feature 

priceless items from The Al-Sabah Collection of art 

from the Islamic world, the private art collection of 

Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah and his 

wife, DAI director general and co-founder Sheikha 

Hussah Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah. The visiting 

hours: Monday - Thursday: 9 am to 7 pm, Saturday 

and Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm, Sundays closed. 

ESF SightSavers 

Members of the English School Fahaheel’s Active 

Citizenship Club have organized a whole charity 

event to be held on Tuesday, March 27 in aid of the 

international Charity ‘SightSavers’ which works in 

over 30 countries around the world to prevent and 

cure blindness. Staff and students will be wearing 

shades for the day. All money raised on the day will 

be donated to SightSavers. 

IOC arts competition 

Indian Overseas Congress, Kuwait is conducting 

Arts Competitions-2012 on 11th and 12 May 2012 

at United Indian School. The winners of this prestigious 

competition will be awarded with trophies 

and medals. The awards will be distributed during 

the Gandhidarshan Program in October, this year. 

The competitions include Elocution, Solo, Poetry 

Recitation, Dance, Indian Patriotic Song, Mono act, 

Drawing/Painting and Poster Poetry. Although the 

competitions are mainly meant for children from 

various disciplines, Elocution and Indian Patriotic 

Song Competitions will be held for elders also. For 

entry forms, please contact the following collection 

points. Abbassiya - Hidine Super Market, Sakina 

Book Stall; Salmiya - Uduppi Restaurant, Sakina 

Book Stall; Riggae - Al Dallah Super Market; 

Fahaheel - Royal Mobile Services and Sales. For 

details, contact 24316426, 24884175, 24343173, 

66110570, 66853100. Filled forms can be sent to fax 

: 24331461 or Email : iockuwait@yahoo.com Or 

deliver by hand to Sakina Book Stall, Abbassiya. 

Kuwait Improv 

Fun lovers of Kuwait unite. A get together by people 

who love to surprise, be surprised and just be 

about at anything are welcome to Kuwait Improv, a 

gathering, reminiscent of the famous American TV 

program Whose Line is it Anyway, informally organized 

by American School of Kuwait teacher Brad 

Manker. No histrionic talent required, but a willingness 

to share. Please contact: mankerb@ask.edu 

Mega musical program in April 

Pravasaandhra Telugu Desam, Kuwait released publicity 

material and poster for prominent Telugu film 

hero Nandamuri Balakrishna’s Kuwait visit and 

upcoming mega musical program on April 6. 

Pravasaandhra Telugu Desam, NBK Seva Samithi 

organizing mega musical program with famous 

Telugu singers Simha and Kosalya troupe in 

Abbasiya open park next month. Balakrishna will be 

participating as the chief guest at this event. 

Nandamuri Balakrishna is popularly known as 

“Balayya” and “NBK” by his fans and admirers. He is 

the son of the former Chief Minister of Andhra 

Pradesh and Telugu film legend Nandamuri Taraka 

Rama Rao. 

The National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) 

recently hosted a group of students 

from the Gulf English School, who 

toured the bank’s head office to learn 

firsthand about the banking industry 

and the day-to-day operations of various 

departments. 

30 

WHAT’S ON 

NBK hosts Gulf English School students 

The Early Years Department of Kuwait National 

English School had a day of activity and sports, 

March 13th, 2012. This annual event is meant to 

NBK Public Relations welcomed the 

visiting group of students and guided 

them on a tour of the bank. . NBK officials 

also presented a brief lecture on various 

banking propositions including Al-Azraq 

and Al-Shabab accounts, which are 

exclusively designed for high school and 

university students. 

The GES students thanked NBK for the 

insightful visit and appreciated the 

opportunity to gain a better understanding 

of Kuwait’s banking industry as a 

service and as a career option. 

NBK regularly hosts visits from both 

help our youngest children learn about teamwork and 

showcase their physical abilities. The children participated 

fully and had a fun time doing it; they were all very proud 


public and private high schools and universities 

and encourages teachers and 

students to learn more about banking in 

Kuwait, as part of the bank’s corporate 

social responsibility initiatives. NBK also 

offers a summer internship program for 

Al-Azraq account holders. 

KNES Early Years Department Sports Day! 

The Indian Community School 

Kuwait, Khaitan celebrated their 

Pre-primary school graduation 

on March 15th 2012. It was a momentous 

occasion for 157 students of 

UKG. The graduation marked the end 

of an exciting and illuminating year 

for the young ones. These students 

will be stepping out into a new phase 

of their life where they will apply what 

they have learnt in the pre-primary 

and carry it to further their education. 

The event started with recitation 

from the Holy Quran and then illumination 

of the ceremonial lamp which 

signified lighting of the path ahead of 

them. 

The event was honored by the 

presence of the Chief Guest Murtuza 

Mohd. Sheik, Hon Secretary to the 

Board of Trustees Rajan Daniel, Hon Jt 

Secretary Vijay Karayil, Regi Mathew, 

parent member on the board and 

the members of the Parent Advisory 

Council, Khaitan. 

In his address, Principal S. Ilango 

congratulated the graduates, their 

parents and thanked the teachers. 

The event also showcased and felicitated 

those students who had won 

the “Super Kid” and “Khaitan Idol” 

titles. 

Murtaza Mohd Sheikh, the chief 

guest who is an alumni of the school 

, addressed the gathering, recalling 

the days as a student. He was proud 

of what the school has become and 

where it is heading. 

The Graduation certificates were 

handed over to the class teachers 

which was followed by the photo 

session. The tiny tots expressed their 

love and gratitude towards their 

teachers and parents for guiding 

them towards this achievement. The 

event ended on a high note where all 

felt proud about what the children 

had achieved in their Pre-primary 

stage of schooling.The first step has 

been taken and they are ready for 

many more. 

of their medals at the end of the day. We hope activities 

like this will bring out the best in our children, to strive for 

excellence but also work together as a team. 

Pre-primary graduation at ICSK Khaitan

The English School Fahaheel has always taken a 

strong interest in Performing Arts. The school 

offers an IGCSE in Music and Drama. 

Impressive facilities include a new Drama studio, 

Music Rooms and a 

Music Lab. 

31 

WHAT’S ON 

ESF talents at concert 

Last week ESF’s music talent was on show in an 

impressive Upper School Music Concert which included: 

lAn Upper school Choral Ensemble, 

lDuets by Craig Miranda and Tareq Al Baddah 

lTrumpet solo by Anna Neitzer 

Vocal Solos and duets by Sara Shuhaiber, Sara Noun, 

Karinna Bornilla,Tina Raad, Salwa Ajmi,Nadeen 

Halima,Charmaine Detruz,Mariam Syed and Lailah 

Dennis Piano solos by Marya Dalibalta, Rogina Farag 

and Selina Saber. A big thank you for Upper School 

Music Department and Ms Van Zitters and of course all 

the students for an exceptional display of talent. 

IEAS-senior kindergarten A, B & C graduation day 

The 7th of March 2012, was a highly 

anticipated day and a day of remembrance 

for the Senior Kindergarten 

section as they felt proud by the very 

thought of graduating to the Primary 

Section. From the six divisions, SR. A, B and 

C were scheduled for the 7th of March 201. 

The chief guest for the evening was our 

Rector, Fr Blany Pinto, sdb. 

After the dignitaries walked in, the parents 

waited eagerly to get a glimpse of our 

graduates who marched upfront solemnly, 

adorned in their beautiful light blue gradu- 

ation gowns. The atmosphere echoed 

with the rhythmic clapping of our enthusiastic 

parents to the tunes of the military 

march. 

After the felicitation of the chief guest, 

our kids welcomed the parents by the 

melodious tunes of the welcome song. 

The highlight of the day was the graduation 

pledge led by our own Principal, Fr 

Lionel Braganza, followed by handing 

over the graduation certificates to our 

aspiring students. The sentimental tones 

of the Farewell song touched many a 

hearts as the kids belted out the meaningful 

words with a touch of enthusiasm. The 

knowledgeable message from the chief 

guests enlightened us and our Director 

and Principal were more than eager to 

express their words of appreciation. 

Joan Correa, our coordinator, thanked 

the Almighty for all the blessings as they 

celebrate the 10th year of its existence. 

She had words of gratitude to the 

Management, Fr Francis Kharjia sdb, Fr 

Lionel Braganza sdb and Fr Franco Pereira 

sdb, for their support and thanked all 

those who had contributed in one way or 

the other, not only towards the event but 

throughout the year. A special word of 

appreciation goes to our compere Ms. 

Ursula who is always willing and obliging 

to host the event with her methodical and 

oratorical flavour. The entire event was 

covered by Mirage videographers, as 

every moment was splashed over an 

extended screen. Our tiny tots had a smile 

of appreciation across their faces as the 

day wound up by singing the School 

Anthem. 

Sheraton Kuwait and Four Points 

go dark for earth hour 2012 

By spending an hour in the 

dark next week, Sheraton 

Kuwait and Four Points by 

Sheraton Kuwait will join millions 

around the world to send a powerful 

message about a brighter 

future for the planet. 

Sheraton Kuwait and Four 

Points by Sheraton Kuwait will 

turn off their lights in observance 

of Earth Hour, the global 

environmental awareness event 

created by the World Wildlife 

Fund (WWF). Last year, Earth 

Hour 2011 became the biggest 

Earth Hour ever. A record 135 

countries and territories joined 

the global display of climate 

action. Iconic buildings and 

landmarks from Asia Pacific to 

Europe and Africa to the 

Americas switched off. People 

To recapture the golden era 

of a star, Kuwait’s Blessen 

George Foundation is holding 

a volleyball tournament in 

Abbassiya, titled, Blessen George 

Memorial Volleyball Tournament 

from 12th April to 14th April 

2012 at Indian Central School 

Court in Abbassiya in memory of 

late Blessen George, who was 

the best all-rounder of his time 

in India in the volleyball game 

and who played for Kerala 

University, Indian University, 

Kerala State and Indian National 

Teams and captained the 

University and State Teams. 

All the matches will be held in 

the evening from 5 pm to 10 pm 

under floodlights. Top Indian 

across the world from all walks of 

life turned off their lights and 

came together in celebration 

and contemplation of the one 

thing we all have in common - 

our planet. 

To underscore parent 

Starwood Hotels & Resorts 

Worldwide, Inc.’s dedication to 

environmental sustainability, 

Sheraton Kuwait and Four Points 

by Sheraton Kuwait will also 

share other energy-saving measures 

during Earth Hour, March 31 

at 8:30 p.m. local time. Among 

them: turning off the exterior signage 

lighting, dimming or turning 

off non essential interior 

lighting. As for the guests, the 

management will be sending letters 

to their rooms inviting them 

to take part in this initiative. In 

addition, a display board will be 

placed in the lobby to create 

awareness about the hotel’s participation 

in the Earth Hour 2012. 

Blessen memorial volleyball fiesta 

clubs in Kuwait with players 

based in Kuwait and the Gulf will 

be competing in this tournament. 

Former Kerala State, 

University and Indian players are 

also invited to attend the tournament. 

At the tournament venue, 

there will be photo show of the 

great volleyball players of Kerala 

and old volleyabll tournaments 

in which Blessen George, Jimmy 

George and other top players of 

Kerala and India played as well as 

video airing of ASIAD in which 

the great Jimmy George played a 

pivotal role in gaining a Bronze 

medal for India. 

Volleyball was once the most 

played and watched game in 

Kerala apart from football. The 

objectives of Blessen George 

Foundation is to bring back the 

game of volleyball to it’s preeminence 

among the most 

watched and played games in 

India, particualrly in Kerala, to 

promote sports and games, 

encourage talented sportsmen 

and sportswomen by giving 

awards to outstanding volleyball 

players and sports persons 

in Kerala in other branches of 

sports and games and awards to 

the best sports person among 

the school children in Indian 

Schools in Kuwait, and giving 

financial support (scholarships, 

etc.,) to budding sports talents 

in the country who need financial 

support to progress further 

in their respective fields as well 

as to involve in sports and 

games related activities in 

Furthermore, the associates of 

Sheraton Kuwait and Four points 

by Sheraton Kuwait will enjoy a 

scrumptious candle light dinner 

at the stars cafeteria. 

“Earth Hour gives Sheraton 

Kuwait and Four Points by 

Sheraton Kuwait the opportunity 

to take part in the biggest ever 

global event in the fight against 

climate change and to demonstrate 

to our associates and 

guests just how important simple 

actions can be towards saving 

energy and reducing our greenhouse 

gas emission” said Fahed 

Abushaar, Area Director/ General 

Manager. “Earth Hour symbolizes 

that working together each of us 

at Starwood can make impactful 

difference on the health of our 

planet”. 

Kerala and Kuwait. For further 

details call Oommen George, 

99722437 

Embassy 

Information 


EMBASSY OF BRAZIL 

The Embassy of Brazil requests all 

Brazilian citizens in Kuwait to proceed to 

the website www.brazil.org.kw (Contact 

Us Form / Fale Conosco) in order to register 

or update contact information. The Embassy 

encourages all citizens to do so, including the 

ones who have already registered in person at 

the Embassy. The registration process helps the 

Brazilian Government to contact and assist 

Brazilians living abroad in case of any emergency. 

n n n n n n n 

EMBASSY OF CANADA 

The Embassy of Canada is located at Villa 

24, Al-Mutawakel St., Block 4 in Da’aiyah. 

Please visit our website at 

www.Kuwait.gc.ca. The Embassy of Canada is 

open from 07:30 to 15:30 Sunday through 

Thursday. The reception is closed from 12:30 

to 01:00 pm for lunch break. Consular Services 

for Canadian Citizens are provided from 09:00 

A.M until 12:00 P.M on Sunday through 

Wednesday. Canada offers a registration service 

for all Canadians travelling or living abroad. 

This service is provided so that Consular 

Officials can contact and assist Canadians in an 

emergency in a foreign country, such as a natural 

disaster or civil unrest, or inform Canadians 

of a family emergency at home. The Embassy 

of Canada encourages all Canadian Citizens to 

register online through the Government of 

Canada Travel Website at www.voyage.gc.ca. 

The Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi provides 

visa and immigration services to residents of 

Kuwait. Individuals who are interested in visiting, 

working or immigrating to Canada are 

invited to visit the website of the Canadian 

Embassy to the UAE at www.uae.gc.ca. 

n n n n n n n 

EMBASSY OF CYPRUS 

The Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus 

requests Cypriot citizens living in Kuwait to 

register with the Embassy has moved. This registration 

service is provided so that the 

Embassy can update its contact list and assist 

Cypriot citizens in cases of emergencies. Registration 

information can be emailed to 

cyprusembassykwt@gmail.com or faxed to 22253227 

or given by phone to 65906048 (Mrs Christine). 

n n n n n n n 

EMBASSY OF KOREA 

The Embassy of the Republic of Korea 

wishes to inform that it has moved to 

Mishref. New Address: Embassy of the 

Republic of Korea Mishref, Block 7A, Diplomatic 

Area 2, Plot 6 The Embassy also wishes to inform 

that it will be opened to the public on the following 

office hours: Saturdays to Thursday 

Morning: 8:00 am to 12:30 pm 

Lunch Break: 12:30 pm to 1:00 pm 

Afternoon: 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm 

n n n n n n n 

EMBASSY OF MYANMAR 

Embassy of the Republic of the Union of 

Myanmar would like to inform the general 

public that the Embassy has moved its office 

to new location at Villa 35, Road 203, Block 2, Al- 

Salaam Area in South Surra. The Embassy wishes to 

advice Myanmar citizens and travellers to Myanmar 

to contact Myanmar Embassy at its new location. 

Tel. 25240736, 25240290, Fax: 25240749, email:myankuwait11@gmai1.com 

n n n n n n n 

EMBASSY OF NIGERIA 

The Nigerian embassy has its new office in 

Mishref. Block 3, Street 7, House 4. For 

enquires please call 25379541. Fax- 

25387719. Email- nigeriakuwait@yahoo.com 

or nigeriankuwait@yahoo.co.uk 

n n n n n n n 

EMBASSY OF UKRAINE 

We’d like to inform you that in response to 

the increasing number of our citizens who 

work in the state and the need for 24-hour 

operational telephone in case of emergency 

the Embassy of Ukraine in the State of 

Kuwait has opened “hotline telephone number” - 

(+ 965) 972-79-206. 

n n n n n n n 

EMBASSY OF VENEZUELA 

Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of 

Venezuela, request Venezuelan citizens living in 

Kuwait to register with the Embassy, This registration 

service is provided so that the Embassy 

can update its contact list and assist Venezuelan citizens 

in cases os emergencies. Registration Information 

25324367 or by email: embavenez@gmail.com. Our 

time is from Sunday to Thursday from 8.30am till 2 pm. 

n n n n n n n 

EMBASSY OF THAILAND 

The Royal Thai Embassy in Kuwait, wishes 

to invite the 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 business and trade database. The 

Royal Thai Embassy is located in Jabriya, Block 6, 

Street 8, Villa No. 1, Telephone No. 25317530 - 

25317531, Ext: 14. 

Write to us 

Send to What’s On 

upcoming events, birthdays or 

celebrations by email: 

local@kuwaittimes.net 

Fax: 24835619 / 20

00:50 Animal Cops Philadelphia 

01:45 Untamed & Uncut 

02:40 Face To Face With The Polar 

Bear 

03:35 Karina: Wild On Safari 

04:00 Deep Into The Wild With Nick 

Baker 

04:25 Wild France 

05:20 Escape To Chimp Eden 

05:45 In Too Deep 

06:10 Animal Cops Philadelphia 

07:00 Monkey Life 

07:25 Michaela’s Animal Road Trip 

08:15 Crocodile Hunter 

09:10 Pandamonium 

10:05 The Really Wild Show 

11:00 Safari Sisters 

11:25 Cats Of Claw Hill 

11:55 The Jeff Corwin Experience 

12:50 Wild France 

14:40 Wildlife SOS 

15:35 Animal Planet’s Most 

Outrageous 

16:30 Wild Animal Orphans 

17:25 Venom Hunter With Donald 

Schultz 

18:20 Big Five Challenge 

19:15 Untamed China With Nigel 

Marven 

20:10 Weird Creatures With Nick 

Baker 

21:05 Austin Stevens Adventures 

22:00 Planet Earth 

22:55 Venom In Vegas 

00:05 Born and Bred 

01:00 Him & Her 

01:30 Rob Brydon’s Annually 

Retentive 

02:00 Beautiful People 

02:30 Doctor Who 

03:15 The Weakest Link 

04:00 Fimbles 

04:20 Charlie and Lola 

04:30 Jackanory Junior 

04:45 Boogie Beebies 

05:00 Buzz & Tell 

05:05 Tikkabilla 

05:35 The Large Family 

05:45 The Adventures of Spot 

05:50 Fimbles 

06:10 Charlie and Lola 

06:20 Jackanory Junior 

06:35 Boogie Beebies 

06:50 Buzz & Tell 

06:55 Tikkabilla 

07:20 The Large Family 

07:35 Allo ‘Allo! 



09:35 Keeping Up Appearances 

10:10 Casualty 

11:00 Orang-Utan Diary 

11:30 Allo ‘Allo! 

12:00 The Weakest Link 

12:45 Lark Rise to Candleford 

13:35 Doctors 


16:50 Doctor Who Confidential 

17:05 Monarch Of The Glen 

18:00 This Is Sport Relief 

18:30 Sport Relief Special 

20:00 Sport Relief Does Dragons’ 

Den 

21:00 Waking The Dead 

21:50 Last Woman Standing 

22:40 Red Cap 


00:10 10 Years Younger 

01:45 Gok’s Fashion Fix 

03:25 Diy SOS 

04:00 What Not To Wear 

04:50 Coleen’s Real Women 

05:35 Cash In The Attic USA 

07:00 MasterChef Australia 

13:10 10 Years Younger 


15:40 Diy SOS 

16:35 Holmes On Homes 

17:25 What Not To Wear 

18:15 Coleen’s Real Women 


20:40 The Restaurant UK 


23:15 Holmes On Homesv 

00:00 Wacky Races 

00:20 Dastardly And Muttley 

00:45 New Yogi Bear Show 

01:10 Duck Dodgers 

01:35 The Perils Of Penelope Pitstop 

02:00 Tom & Jerry Kids 

02:25 A Pup Named Scooby-Doo 

02:50 The Jetsons 

03:15 Puppy In My Pocket 

03:40 Popeye 

04:00 Tom & Jerry 

04:15 Droopy: Master Detective 


04:25 Looney Tunes 

04:50 Scooby Doo Where Are You! 

05:25 A Pup Named Scooby-Doo 

05:50 Popeye Classics 

06:00 Wacky Races 

06:10 Pink Panther And Pals 

06:35 Pink Panther And Pals 

07:00 Gerald McBoing Boing 

07:25 Bananas In Pyjamas 

07:55 Baby Looney Tunes 

08:20 Jelly Jamm 

08:50 The Garfield Show 

09:15 The Looney Tunes Show 


10:05 Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries 





12:10 Tom & Jerry 

12:35 The Garfield Show 














18:05 The Looney Tunes Show 


18:55 The Scooby Doo Show 

19:20 Pink Panther & Pals 

19:45 The Jetsons 

20:05 Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries 


21:00 Duck Dodgers 

21:25 The Flintstones 

21:50 Help! It’s The Hair Bear Bunch 

22:15 Popeye 

22:35 Scooby-Doo And Scrappy- 

Doo 

00:00 Aiming For Gold 

00:30 World Sport 

01:00 World Report 

01:30 Talk Asia 


02:30 World Report This Week 

03:00 CNN Marketplace Europe 

03:15 CNN Marketplace Africa 

03:30 The Brief 

04:00 CNN Presents 

05:00 CNN Newsroom 

06:00 I Report For CNN 

06:30 Inside Africa 


07:30 The Gateway 

07:45 Future Cities 


08:15 CNN Marketplace Middle East 

08:30 Talk Asia 


09:15 CNN Marketplace Europe 

09:30 The CNN Freedom Project 


10:30 Open Court 

11:00 African Voices 

11:30 The Brief 

12:00 World Report 

12:30 News Special 

13:00 CNN Presents 


MAXIMUM RISK ON OSN ACTION HD 

14:30 Road To Durban: A Green City 

Journey 

15:00 Fareed Zakaria Gps 

16:00 State Of The Union 

17:00 International Desk 

17:30 Inside Africa 

18:00 Global Exchange 

18:15 CNN Marketplace Africa 

18:30 Global Exchange 

18:45 CNN Marketplace Middle East 


19:30 Aiming For Gold 


20:30 African Voices 


00:00 Programmes Start At 6:00am 

06:00 Kid vs Kat 

06:20 Spiderman 

06:45 Rekkit Rabbit 

07:10 Pokemon: Black And White 

07:35 Phineas And Ferb 

08:30 Kick Buttowski 

09:00 Rated A For Awesome 

09:30 Pair Of Kings 

10:00 Kickin It 

10:30 Scaredy Squirrel 

10:55 Zeke & Luther 

11:20 I’m In The Band 


12:10 Pokemon: Black And White 

12:35 Pair Of Kings 

13:00 Luck Of The Irish 




16:15 Rekkit Rabbit 







19:10 Scaredy Squirrel 

19:35 Pokemon: Black And White 






22:05 The Avengers: Earths 

Mightiest Heroes 

00:15 Replacements 

01:05 Fairly Odd Parents 

01:55 A Kind Of Magic 

02:45 Stitch 

03:35 Replacements 

04:25 Fairly Odd Parents 

05:15 A Kind Of Magic 

06:00 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 

06:25 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 

06:40 The Suite Life Of Zack And 

Cody 

07:05 So Random 

07:30 Fish Hooks 

07:55 Timon And Pumbaa 

08:20 Good Luck Charlie 

08:45 Wizards Of Waverly Place 

09:10 Jessie 

09:35 Shake It Up 

10:00 A.N.T. Farm 

10:25 Dadnapped 

11:45 Have A Laugh 

12:05 Phineas And Ferb 

12:25 Have A Laugh 

12:30 Phineas And Ferb 

12:55 Shake It Up 


14:10 Hannah Montana 





16:12 So Random 

17:30 Wizards Of Waverly Place The 

Movie 




20:00 Jessie 


21:15 Dadnapped 



23:20 The Suite Life Of Zack And 

Cody 

23:45 Sonny With A Chance 

TV PROGRAMS 

00:40 I Escaped: Real Prison Breaks 

01:35 Mobster Confessions 

02:05 Destroyed In Seconds 

02:30 How It’s Made 

03:00 How Do They Do It? 









07:25 American Chopper: Senior vs 

Junior 

08:15 Fifth Gear 

09:10 Street Customs 

10:05 Auction Kings 

12:20 Border Security 

14:35 Cash Cab Us 

16:55 Cake Boss 

19:10 Nextworld 

20:05 The Future Of... 

21:00 Mythbusters 

21:55 Lou Ferrante’s Mob Rules 

00:40 Meteorite Men 

01:35 Mega World 

02:25 The Tech Show 

02:50 What’s That About? 

06:10 Future Weapons 

07:55 Head Rush 

07:58 Sci-Fi Science 

08:25 Weird Connections 

08:55 Smash Lab 

09:45 Catch It Keep It 

10:35 What’s That About? 

14:45 Head Rush 

14:48 Sci-Fi Science 

15:15 Weird Connections 

15:45 The Tech Show 

16:10 Future Weapons 

17:00 Sci-Trek 

17:50 Bang Goes The Theory 


19:30 Killer Outbreaks 

20:20 Mega World 

21:10 Tech Toys 360 


22:50 Killer Outbreaks 

23:40 Weird Or What? 

00:15 Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam 

00:40 Meat & Potatoes 

01:05 Reza, Spice Prince Of India 

01:30 Good Eats 



02:45 Food Network Challenge 

03:35 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 

04:05 Unique Sweets 


04:55 Aarti Party 


05:45 Food Network Challenge 

06:35 Barefoot Contessa - Back To 

Basics 

07:00 The Next Iron Chef 

07:50 Reza, Spice Prince Of India 


Basics 


09:05 Healthy Appetite With Ellie 

Krieger 

09:30 Paula’s Best Dishes 

09:55 Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam 

10:20 Lidia’s Italy 

10:45 30 Minute Meals 

11:10 Unwrapped 


12:00 Good Eats 

12:25 Guy’s Big Bite 

12:50 Aarti Party 

13:15 Cooking For Real 


Basics 

14:05 Healthy Appetite With Ellie 

Krieger 

14:30 Unwrapped 

14:55 Paula’s Best Dishes 


15:45 Chopped 

16:35 Cooking For Real 


Basics 


17:50 Aarti Party 


18:40 Chef vs Britain 


19:30 The Next Iron Chef 

20:20 Restaurant: Impossible 



22:00 Barefoot Contessa 

22:25 Barefoot Contessa 

22:50 Chopped 


00:20 Special Agent Oso 

00:50 Lazytown 

01:15 Little Einsteins 

01:40 Jungle Junction 












06:45 Handy Manny 





08:20 The Hive 

08:30 Handy Manny Great Garage 

Rescue 

09:15 Mini Adventures Of Winnie 

The Pooh 


09:45 Cars Toons 



10:15 Mouk 

10:30 Mouk 

10:45 Art Attack 

11:10 Imagination Movers 



12:05 The Hive 

12:15 Mouk 

12:45 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 


13:25 Timmy Time 





15:05 Mouk 


Rescue 



16:45 Art Attack 

17:10 Cars Toons 


Rescue 





The Pooh 


19:25 101 Dalmatians 




The Pooh 

20:35 A Poem Is... 

00:25 Kendra 

00:55 Style Star 

01:25 THS 

03:15 E! Investigates 

04:10 Sexiest 

05:05 Then And Now 

05:30 Wildest TV Show Moments 

06:00 THS 

07:50 Behind The Scenes 

08:20 E! News 

09:15 Extreme Close-Up 

10:15 THS 

11:10 Ice Loves Coco 

12:05 E! News 



14:05 Keeping Up With The 

Kardashians 

15:00 Kendra 

16:55 Behind The Scenes 

17:25 Kendra 

20:25 Kourtney & Kim Take New 

York 

21:25 Khloe And Lamar 

22:25 E! News 

23:25 Chelsea Lately 

23:55 Keeping Up With The 

Kardashians 

00:00 X Games Heroes 

00:50 Aiya TV 

02:30 M1 Selection 2010 

03:20 Dragrace High 

03:45 Sports Jobs 

04:10 Carpocalypse 

04:55 Summer Dew Tour 2011 

06:35 Ride Guide Mountainbike 

2008 

08:00 FIM World Motocross MX3 

2011 

09:40 X Games 16 2010 



13:00 Mantracker 

13:50 Formula Drift 2011 

14:40 Man’s Work 

17:10 Best Of The Streets 



20:30 Mantracker 

21:20 Ed’s Up 

21:45 Ed’s Up 


23:00 Best Of The Streets 

23:50 Aiya TV 

00:40 A Haunting 

02:15 The Haunted 

03:05 Ghost Lab 

03:50 A Haunting 

04:35 True Crime With Aphrodite 

Jones 

05:20 Disappeared 

06:10 Mystery Diagnosis 

07:00 FBI Files 

07:50 Forensic Detectives 

08:40 Murder Shift 


10:10 Real Emergency Calls 

10:35 Mall Cops ‚Äì Mall Of America 


Jones 


12:25 Murder Shift 





Jones 


16:20 FBI Case Files 

17:10 Forensic Detectives 

18:00 Murder Shift 





Jones 


22:00 Behind Mansion Walls 

22:50 Kidnap And Rescue 

23:40 Scorned: Crimes Of Passion 

00:00 Departures 

01:00 The Ride: Alaska To Patagonia 

01:30 Madventures 


03:00 Nomads 

04:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 



07:00 The Ride: Alaska To Patagonia 

07:30 Madventures 


09:00 Nomads 



12:00 Departures 

13:00 Meet The Natives: USA 

14:00 Young Global Hotshots 

14:30 One Man & His Campervan 

15:00 Bondi Rescue 

15:30 Endurance Traveller 

16:30 Long Way Down 

17:30 The Best Job In The World 

18:00 Calcutta Or Bust 

18:30 Racing Around The Clock 

19:00 Meet The Natives: USA 

20:00 Young Global Hotshots 

20:30 One Man & His Campervan 

21:00 Bondi Rescue 

21:30 Endurance Traveller 

22:30 Long Way Down 

23:30 The Best Job In The World 

00:00 Maximum Risk-18 

02:00 Mirrors 2-18 

04:00 Taxi-PG15 

06:00 Madso’s War-18 

08:00 Rocky IV-PG15 

10:00 The Devil’s Teardrop-PG15 

12:00 Four Brothers-18 

14:00 Rocky IV-PG15 

16:00 Smoke Screen-PG15 

18:00 Four Brothers-18 

20:00 Game Of Death-PG15 

22:00 The Running Man-18 

01:00 Jack Goes Boating-PG15 

02:45 2012-PG15 

05:15 Unanswered Prayers-PG15 

07:00 Make It Happen-PG15 

09:00 Justice For Natalee Holloway- 

PG15 

11:00 Waiting For Superman-PG15 

13:00 Bound By A Secret-PG15 

14:45 Cars 2-FAM 

16:45 Waiting For Superman-PG15 

18:45 Tron: Legacy-PG15 

21:00 The American-18 

23:00 The Ward-18 

00:30 The Daily Show With Jon 

Stewart 

01:00 The Colbert Report 

01:30 Saturday Night Live 

02:30 Family Guy 

03:00 Parks And Recreation 

03:30 2 Broke Girls 

04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay 

Leno 

05:30 The Simpsons 

06:30 Yes Dear 

07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 

08:30 Parks And Recreation 


09:30 The Office 

10:00 Man Up! 


11:00 The Tonight Show With Jay 

Leno 

12:30 10 Items Or Less 



14:00 2 Broke Girls 

14:30 Man Up! 

15:00 The Office 


Stewart 


17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 

18:00 Friends With Benefits 

19:00 Raising Hope 

19:30 Traffic Light 

20:00 Whitney 

20:30 Allen Gregory 


Stewart 


22:00 Saturday Night Live 

23:00 The Cleveland Show 

01:00 Legion-18 

03:00 Taxi-PG15 

05:00 Storm Warning-18 

07:00 The Next Karate Kid-PG 

09:00 Superman/ Batman: 

Apocalypse-PG15 

11:00 X2-PG 

13:15 Planet Of The Apes-PG15 

15:15 Superman/ Batman: 

Apocalypse-PG15 

17:00 Windtalkers-PG15 

19:15 Malibu Shark Attack-18 

21:00 The Running Man-18 

JACK GOES BOATING ON OSN CINEMA 

00:00 What’s The Worst That Could 

Happen?-PG15 

02:00 Not The Messiah: He’s A Very 

Naughty Boy-PG15 

04:00 Revenge Of The Bridesmaids 

06:00 102 Dalmatians-PG 

08:00 Frank McKlusky, C.I.-PG15 

10:00 Tooth Fairy-PG 

12:00 Coming & Going-PG15 

14:00 Nine Months-PG15 

16:00 What’s The Worst That Could 

Happen?-PG15 

18:00 Miami Rhapsody-PG15 

20:00 Bulletproof-18 

22:00 How To Be A Player-18 

01:00 Up In The Air-PG15 

03:00 Did You Hear About The 

Morgans?-PG15 

04:45 The Tempest-PG15 

06:45 Invictus-PG15 

09:00 Beethoven’s Christmas 

Adventure-PG 

10:45 The Day After Tomorrow 

13:00 Grown Ups-PG15 

15:00 Made In Dagenham-PG15 

17:00 Beethoven’s Christmas 

Adventure-PG 

19:00 Red-PG15 

00:00 The Thief Of Baghdad-PG 

02:00 Pocahontas & The Spider 

Woman-PG 

04:00 The Swan Princess-FAM 


08:00 Mars Needs Moms-PG 

10:00 Open Season 3-FAM 

12:00 Moomins And The Comet 

Chase-FAM 


16:00 Shipwrecked-PG 

18:00 Open Season 3-FAM 

20:00 Christopher Columbus-PG 

22:00 Moomins And The Com et 

Chase-FAM 

01:00 Super Rugby 


05:00 UFC The Ultimate Fighter 

06:00 Live NRL Premiership 



12:00 NRL Premiership 

14:00 Futbol Mundial 

14:30 Live Scottish Premier League 



21:00 Volvo Ocean Race Highlights 

21:30 Scottish Premier League 


03:00 Super League 

05:00 PRO 12 Celtic League 

07:00 Live NRL Premiership 

09:00 NRL Premiership 

11:00 Super League 

13:00 Top 14 

15:00 Rugby Sevens 

18:00 Trans World Sport 


21:00 European PGA Tour 

00:45 AFL Premiership 


07:00 Trans World Sports 

08:00 Live Asian Tour Golf 

12:00 Scottish Premier League 

14:00 Pro 12 Celtic League 

16:00 Live European PGA Tour 

20:00 Trans World Sport 


23:00 Rugby sevens 

00:00 WWE SmackDown 

02:00 WWE Bottom Line 

03:00 WWE Vintage Collection 

04:00 UFC Unleashed 

05:00 UFC Unleashed 

06:00 Live Rugby Sevens 

13:00 V8 Supercars Extra 

13:30 WWE Experience 

14:30 This Week in WWE 

15:00 WWE SmackDown 

17:00 WWE Experience 

18:00 WWE Bottom Line 

19:00 UFC 


22:00 UFC 144 

00:00 Nato’s Secret Armies 

01:00 Pub Dig 

02:00 Lost Worlds 

03:00 The Drama Of Dresden 

05:00 Nato’s Secret Armies 

06:00 Pub Dig 



08:00 America: The Story Of The Us 


11:00 Treasure From The Dark Ages 

12:00 Pub Dig 


14:00 America: The Story Of The Us 


17:00 Treasure From The Dark Ages 

18:00 Pub Dig 

19:00 Mud Men 

20:00 Pawn Stars 

21:00 Ancient Aliens 

22:00 The Universe 

23:00 UFO Hunters 

00:05 Clean House: New York 

01:00 Wicked Fit 

02:00 Fashion Classics 

02:25 Open House 

02:55 Videofashion Daily 

03:50 Videofashion News 

04:20 Whose Wedding Is It Anyway? 

05:15 Married Away 

06:10 Clean House 

07:00 Big Boutique 

08:00 Videofashion Daily 

09:00 Homes With Style 

09:55 Open House 

10:50 Videofashion News 

11:50 Elements Of Style 

12:50 Videofashion Daily 

13:45 Designer Marathon 

14:45 The Amandas 

15:40 The Amandas 

16:35 Wicked Fit 

17:30 Giuliana & Bill 

18:25 How Do I Look? 

20:20 Fashion Police 

21:15 Tia And Tamera 

22:10 Giuliana & Bill 

23:05 Glam Fairy 

00:00 Globe Trekker 

01:00 Planet Sports 

02:00 Luxury Train Journeys In India 

03:00 Safari Stopovers 

04:00 Indian Times 


06:00 Glutton For Punishment 

07:00 Planet Food 


09:00 Indian Times 

10:00 Tall Ship Explorers 

11:00 World’s Greatest Motorcycle 

Rides 



15:00 Australia’s Great Wildlife 

Islands 

16:00 Spring 


18:00 Planet Sports 



21:00 Essential Specials 

22:00 Food Tripper 

23:00 Safari Stopovers 

01:00 Cold Heaven 

02:40 Stay Hungry 

04:20 Contamination .7 

05:55 California Casanova-PG 

07:29 Man Of LA Mancha-PG 

09:40 Kings Of The Sun-PG 

11:30 How To Beat The High Cost Of 

Living-PG 

13:15 Vera Cruz-PG 

14:50 Inherit The Wind-PG 

01:00 Memphis Belle-PG 

02:45 Meet Me In St. Louis-FAM 

04:35 The Last Time I Saw Paris-PG 

06:30 TCM Presents Under...-U 

07:00 A Day At The Races-FAM 

08:50 Meet Me In Las Vegas-FAM 

10:45 A Star Is Born 

13:05 The Year Of Living 

Dangerously-PG 

15:00 The Wizard Of Oz-PG 

16:40 Gaby-PG 

18:15 The Swan-FAM 

20:00 The Yellow Rolls-Royce-PG 

22:00 The Night Of The Iguana

Classifieds 

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION 

Arrival Flights on Sunday 25/3/2012 

Airlines Flt Route Time 

KNE 789 JEDDAH 0:15 

JZR 185 DUBAI 0:15 

QTR 148 DOHA 0:20 

JZR 267 BEIRUT 0:45 

JZR 539 CAIRO 0:50 

ETH 620 ADDIS ABABA 1:45 


RJA 642 AMMAN 2:10 

THY 768 ISTANBUL 2:15 

GFA 211 BAHRAIN 2:20 

UAE 853 DUBAI 2:25 

ETD 305 ABU DHABI 2:30 

DHX 370 BAHRAIN 2:55 

FDB 67 DUBAI 3:10 

MSR 612 CAIRO 3:20 

QTR 138 DOHA 3:25 


KAC 544 CAIRO 4:40 

CLX 792 LUXEMBOURG 4:55 


FCX 201 DUBAI 5:30 

BAW 157 LONDON 6:40 

RBG 3553 ALEXANDRIA 6:45 

KAC 412 MANILA 6:45 

KAC 382 DELHI 7:20 

IRA 615 SHAHRE KORD 7:35 

KAC 206 ISLAMABAD 7:40 


KAC 352 COCHIN 7:50 

KAC 302 MUMBAI 7:55 

KAC 676 DUBAI 8:05 

KAC 332 TRIVANDRUM 8:05 

KAC 284 DHAKA 8:15 


QTR 132 DOHA 9:00 


IRA 603 SHIRAZ 9:25 



QTR 6130 DOHA 10:05 

IRC 6801 AHWAZ 10:15 


MEA 404 BEIRUT 10:55 


MSR 618 ALEXANDRIA 11:25 

ABY 125 SHARJAH 11:30 

RKM 310 RAS ALKHAIMAH 11:55 

JZR 561 SOHAG 12:25 

JZR 201 DAMASCUS 12:30 

KAC 742 DAMMAM 13:25 

MSR 610 CAIRO 13:30 




KAC 774 RIYADH 13:45 

KAC 538 SOHAG 14:20 

QTR 140 DOHA 14:25 

SVA 500 JEDDAH 14:30 


KAC 788 JEDDAH 15:00 


QTR 134 DOHA 15:15 

JZR 213 DEIREZZOR 15:30 





SVA 510 RIYADH 17:20 

UAL 982 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 17:25 


RBG 3965 LUXOR 17:40 

JZR 777 JEDDAH 17:40 


ALK 227 COLOMBO 18:00 

KAC 502 BEIRUT 18:00 




MSR 624 SOHAG 18:55 

JZR 787 RIYADH 19:10 

KAC 618 DOHA 19:20 


JAI 572 MUMBAI 19:35 

KAC 102 NEW YORK 19:35 

KAC 166 PARIS 19:40 

KAC 562 AMMAN 19:50 

AXB 389 KOZHIKODE 19:55 


OMA 647 MUSCAT 20:10 



KAC 514 TEHRAN 20:55 

KLM 417 AMSTERDAM 21:05 


JZR 135 BAHRAIN 21:15 

KAC 172 FRANKFURT 21:25 


QTR 136 DOHA 21:35 


KAC 678 MUSCAT 22:05 

AIC 981 CHENNAI 22:25 


UAL 981 BAHRAIN 22:40 

JZR 239 AMMAN 22:55 

DLH 636 FRANKFURT 23:10 


PIA 205 LAHORE 23:55 

Departure Flights on Sunday 25/3/2012 

Airlines Flt Route Time 

AXB 394 KOCHI 0:05 

AIC 976 GOA 0:50 


BBC 44 CHITTAGONG 1:00 

DLH 637 FRANKFURT 1:20 


ETH 621 ADDIS ABABA 2:45 

THY 767 ISTANBUL-ATATURK 3:15 

GRF 94 DUBAI 3:30 





QTR 139 DOHA 4:50 

QTR 149 DOHA 5:40 

JZR 560 SOHAG 6:00 



JZR 200 DAMASCUS 7:00 

GFA 212 BAHRAIN 7:05 

THY 771 ISTANBUL-ATATURK 7:10 

RBG 3966 LUXOR 7:25 

KAC 537 SOHAG 8:05 

CLX 792 GIALAM 8:15 

BAW 156 LONDON 8:25 


IRA 614 SHAHRE-KORD 8:35 

KAC 171 FRANKFURT 8:55 






JZR 212 DEIREZZOR 9:45 

KAC 117 NEW YORK 10:00 

QTR 133 DOHA 10:00 



IRA 602 SHIRAZ 10:25 

KAC 741 DAMMAM 10:25 

KAC 773 RIYADH 10:25 


IRC 6802 AHWAZ 11:15 


QTR 6131 DOHA 11:35 



KAC 501 BEIRUT 12:00 

JZR 776 JEDDAH 12:15 

MSR 623 SOHAG 12:25 

KAC 103 LONDON 12:30 

RKM 311 RAS ALKHAIMAH 12:55 






KAC 561 AMMAN 14:40 


KAC 677 MUSCAT 15:25 

KAC 617 DOHA 15:45 

SVA 503 MADINAH 15:45 


JZR 786 RIYADH 15:50 

QTR 135 DOHA 16:15 

KAC 513 IMAM KHOMEINI 16:25 


JZR 238 AMMAN 17:30 


QTR 141 DOHA 17:45 



RBG 3554 ALEXANDRIA 18:20 

JZR 134 BAHRAIN 18:20 


SVA 511 RIYADH 18:35 

UAL 982 BAHRAIN 18:40 

ALK 228 DUBAI 19:10 


MSR 621 ALEXANDRIA 19:55 


JAI 571 MUMBAI 20:35 


KAC 283 DHAKA 20:45 

KAC 351 KOCHI 21:05 

OMA 648 MUSCAT 21:10 




JZR 502 LUXOR 21:45 


KAC 361 COLOMBO 22:00 

KLM 417 DAMMAM 22:05 



KAC 343 CHENNAI 22:30 

FCX 102 BAHRAIN 22:30 

QTR 137 DOHA 22:35 

KAC 301 MUMBAI 22:40 

KAC 205 ISLAMABAD 22:45 

JZR 554 ALEXANDRIA 23:00 


AXB 390 MANGALORE 23:10 

KAC 411 BANGKOK 23:40 

KAC 415 KUALA LUMPUR 23:50 

JZR 528 ASSIUT 23:50 

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw) 


ACCOMMODATION 

Sharing accommodation 

two bedroom flat in 

Abbassiya, two bachelors 

accommodation from April 

1st. Rent KD 40. Contact: 

99162583. 

(C 3917) 

Accommodation in 

Farwaniya near Gulf Mart, 

big room for bachelor or 

couple, Filipino only, available 

April 21. Contact: 

94418396. 

20-3-2012 

FOR SALE 

Toyota Prado 2006, Golden 

color, 6 cylinder, excellent 

condition, price KD 5,200/-. 

Contact: 50699345. 

(C 3921) 


Household goods for sale, 

includes furniture, electronics, 

kitchen equipments, 

books, curtains, and other 

miscellaneous items. All at 

throw-away prices. Call 

99510519 or 66210509. 

(C 3919) 


SITUATION WANTED 

Female 26 years post graduate 

4 years experience in 

HR executive, seeking suitable 

jobs. Mob: 60473639. 

Email: 

soumyakt.4u@gmail.com 

(C 3918) 


25 years experienced 

Indian seeking part time or 

full time assignment in 

finance management/ 

development analysis, or 

internal auditing or any 

other senior position any 

big company. Contact: 

65802853. (C 3910) 


SITUATION VACANT 

Housemaid wanted for a 

small family in Farwaniya. 

Mob: 97514390 


Manager (Asian) in Maidan 

Hawally looking for a maid. 

Part time. Good salary. Call 

97263962 for details. 

(C 3915) 


CHANGE OF NAME 

I, Murugesan Uma 

Maheshwari, holder of 

Indian passport No. 

E2156446 have changed 

religion (embraced Islam). 

Hence I will be known as 

Riyazudeen Safia Begum. 

(C 3922) 


TUITION 

Math teacher for secondary 

stage, language 

schools, bi-lingual schools 

and intermediate stage: 

Algebra, Gmath, Geometry, 

Statistics for arts and science 

branches. Tel: 

66974020. 

English language teacher 

specialized in starting elementary 

and intermediate, 

10th and 11th experienced 

in starting functions, grammar, 

set book, vocabulary, 

notes and model exams 

available. Tel: 65791555. 

Arabic language teacher, 

masters in methods of 

teaching for secondary and 

intermediate students. Tel: 

50644685. 

Senior Arabic language 

teacher, elementary and 

intermediate, long experience 

in Kuwait curricula, 

explaining grammar rules 

and starting those weak in 

reading and writing. Tel: 

99262948. 

Senior chemistry and 

physics teacher. Long 

experience for 10th, 11th 

and 12th stages. 

Intermediate science and 

applied institutions. Highly 

competent. Tel: 99542922. 

Mathematics and statistics 

female teacher for female 

students in the secondary, 

intermediate, university 

and applied institutions 

female students. Tel: 

99410370. 

Female Syrian Arabic language 

teacher for elementary 

and intermediate, and 

starting the weak using 

Halaby method in her 

house located in Abdallah 

Al-Mubarak area. Tel: 

50513699. 

Senior biology and science 

teacher for 12th, 11th and 

10th grades, and science for 

all intermediate classes, religious 

institutes, nursing, 

educational experience, 

simple explanation for fast 

understanding. Tel: 

66543474. 

Senior Arabic language 

and Islamic studies teacher 

to help weak and slow 

learning students in a short 

time. 20 years experience, 

teaching all elementary 

subjects excep E. Arabic 

and Islamic studies for elementary 

and intermediate. 

Tel: 66896088. 

Senior mathematics and 

statistics teacher. Long 

experience in Kuwait curricula 

to teach secondary students 

both science and arts 

branches, and university 

admission exams. Tel: 

97975096. 

Senior chemistry teacher 

for secondary students and 

science for intermediate. All 

reviews and exams, and 

university qualification 

chemistry. Tel: 99560268. 

Female senior mathematics 

teacher, 35 years experience 

in Kuwait for secondary, 

intermediate and elementary 

stages, applied, 

initial university, communications 

and navigation and 

special courses. Tel: 

97926737. 

Elementary stage teacher, 

12 years experience, ready 

to give remedial lessons for 

all topics in the elementary 

stage in a simple method. 

Tel: 66594901. 

English teacher specialized 

in elementary and intermediate, 

experienced in grammar, 

book questions and 

synonyms. Highly experienced 

in Kuwait curricula. 

Tel: 97373301. 

French language teacher, 

specialized in 11th and 

12th grades, languages 

schools, Pakistani and 

Indian schools. Long experience 

in Kuwait curricula. 

Senior philosophy and logic 

teacher for the 12th 

stage, psychology for 11th 

grade, with notes and 

exams solutions. Tel: 

99835421. 

Senior mathematics and 

statistics teacher for the 

secondary and intermediate 

stages and fifth grade, 

clear and simple explanation 

for slow learners and 

exams method. Tel: 

99410112. 

No: 15398 

Arabic language teacher, 

long experience in general 

secondary with simplifying 

grammar for institutions 

and universities. Tel: 

66900427/ 

Secondary physics teacher 

10th grade, 15 years experience. 

Tel: 677020697. 

Syrian mathematics 

teacher for secondary and 

intermediate classes. 

Graduate from Damascus 

University. Tel: 99460277. 

Syrian Arabic language 

teacher. Masters to initiate 

weak students using the 

Halaby method (the alphabet 

then the word), follow 

up of intermediate, secondary, 

university and religious 

institute. Tel: 50513599. 

Female Syrian Arabic language 

teacher to initiate 

weak students using the 

Halaby method, and follow 

up of intermediate and elementary 

in her Abdallah Al- 

Mubarak area home. Tel: 

50513699. 

Mathematics teacher for 

universities, applied, secondary 

and intermediate, 

experienced in Kuwait. 

Simple explanation. Tel: 

97725411. 

FOR RENT 

Flat in South Surra, 3 bedrooms, 

2 of which are master 

+ living room + kitchen 

+ maid room, new, super 

deluxe. Tel: 97864628. 

For rent, commercial flat in 

Hawally, can be used as 

workshop, large area. No 

middle men. Parking. Tel: 

66043961. 

Flat in Bneid Al-Gar, 2 

rooms + 2 bathrooms + living 

room + kitchen + Gym 

+ swimming pool overlooking 

the sea, central 

satellite + internet. For 

families, no middle men. 

Tel: 66043961. 

Flat in Salmiya 3 bedroom 

+ 2 bathrooms + living 

room + kitchen + central 

satellite + internet. 4x4 

rooms, 4x8 living room for 

expatriates only. Rent KD 

330. No middle men. Tel: 

66043961. 

Flat in Salmiya 2 rooms + 2 

bathrooms + living room + 

kitchen + central satellite + 

internet. Families only, no 

middle men. Tel: 66043961. 

A commercial floor in 

Salmiya. Close to Blajat. Car 

parking. No middle men. 

Tel: 66043961. 

First floor in Shuhada, 4 

rooms + living room + 5 

bathrooms + maid room + 

balcony. Must be small 

family. Tel: 60308586. 

Flat in Zahra, 2 rooms + living 

room + kitchen + 3 

bathrooms + laundry room 

+ maid room. Tel: 

60308586. 

A floor in Zahra, 4 rooms + 

living room + kitchen + 3 

bathrooms, second floor, 

elevator. Must be small 

family. Tel: 99719887. 

Flat in west Jleeb, 3 rooms 

+ living room + kitchen + 2 

bathrooms first floor. No 

elevator. Must be newlyweds 

or one child only. 

Tel:99719887. 

Flat in Salam, 3 rooms + living 

room + kitchen + 3 

bathrooms + maid room. 

Must be newlyweds or two 

children only. 60308586. 

First floor in Rumaithiya. 4 

rooms + living room + 

kitchen + maid room + 6 

bathrooms. Super deluxe. 

Must be foreigners and 

expats only. Tel: 60308586, 

99719887. 

Large first floor with the 

roof in Firdous. No middle 

men. Tel: 99490502. 

Fully furnished flat in 

Mahboula 2 rooms + 2 

baths + living room + Gym 

+ DSL, Satellite + full sea 

view. Rent starts from KD 

450. Tel: 66060822. 

Furished flat in a Salmiya 

resort 3 rooms + maid room 

+ garden + swimming pool 

+ children play room + DSL. 

Sea view + hotel service + 

car parking. Rent KD 800. 

Tel: 66060299. 

For rent or investment, 

medical clinics in Salmiya. 

Good location licensed and 

unlicensed. No brokers. Tel: 

66060299. 

Flat in Salmiya, 3 bedrooms 

(2 master) + maid room + 3 

bathrooms + 2 balconies + 

sea view + Gym. No brokers. 

Rent KD 550. Tel: 

66060299. 

Commercial floor in 

Salmiya, main street, sea 

view, good location. Can be 

used for saloon, clinics, 

lawyer office. Rent KD 1650. 

Tel: 66297171. 

Complete building in 

Salmiya, 55 flats. 2 rooms + 

2 bathrooms + kitchen + 

living room. Good location 

+ central satellite. Good for 

company residence. Tel: 

55939470. 

Ground floor in Jabriya. 

Private entrance, 4 rooms (2 

master) + living rooms 

(10x10) + saloon 11x10 + 5 

bathrooms + very large 

kitchen + guest wash area 

+ 2 maid rooms. Rent KD 

950. Tel: 94463321. 

Flat in Zahra, 3 rooms + 3 


spacious living room + 

shaded parking + electricity 

and water + DSL, foreigners 

and expats, rent starts from 

KD 600. Tel: 66297171. 

Villa in Zahra. 4 rooms + 5 


driver room + 2 large balconies. 

Super deluxe + 

satellite + DSL. Rent KD 

1000. Tel: 66297171. 

New first floor in south 

Surra, 4 rooms + 4 bathrooms 

+ living room + maid 

room. Not used. For small 

family. Rent KD 750. Tel: 

66694740, 94024242.

CROSSWORD 627 

ACROSS 

1. (of champagne) Moderately dry. 

4. Any member of Athapaskan tribes that migrated to the southwestern 

desert (from Arizona to Texas and south into Mexico). 

10. Contemptuous name for a Black man who is abjectly servile 

and deferential to Whites. 

13. In favor of (an action or proposal etc.). 

14. Free and relaxed in manner. 

15. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth. 

16. Affected manners intended to impress others. 

18. A light touch or stroke. 

19. Used by northerners of Confederate soldiers. 

20. Large shrimp sauteed in oil or butter and garlic. 

22. A user interface based on graphics (icons and pictures and 

menus) instead of text. 

24. Take in solid food. 

25. Stem of the rattan palm used for making canes and umbrella 

handles. 

27. A Japanese woman trained to entertain men with conversation 

and singing and dancing. 

29. A thrusting blow with a knife. 

30. Not only so, but. 

38. A drug combination found in some over-the-counter 

headache remedies (Aspirin and Phenacetin and Caffeine). 

41. (of complexion) Blemished by imperfections of the skin. 

42. A Bantu language spoken by the Kamba people in Kenya. 

44. A physician who is not a specialist but treats all illnesses. 

45. A long thin fluffy scarf of feathers or fur. 

46. Imperial moths. 

48. The bill in a restaurant. 

51. Before noon. 

53. The cry made by sheep. 

56. An informal term for a father. 

57. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad. 

59. A member of the Siouan people formerly living in the 

Missouri river valley in NE Nebraska. 

62. Taken or to be taken at random. 

64. A period marked by distinctive character or reckoned from a 

fixed point or event. 

66. The part of an organism that connects the head to the rest of 

the body. 

67. An informal term for a father. 

68. An emblem (a small piece of plastic or cloth or metal) that 

signifies your status (rank or membership or affiliation etc.). 

69. The content of cognition. 

DOWN 

1. A painful and involuntary muscular contraction. 

2. Any plant of the genus Erica. 

3. Of a strong pink to yellowish-pink color n 1. 

4. A public promotion of some product or service. 

5. A tricycle (usually propelled by pedalling). 

6. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey). 

7. Open-heart surgery in which the rib cage is opened and a section 

of a blood vessel is grafted from the aorta to the coronary 

artery to bypass the blocked section of the coronary artery and 

improve the blood supply to the heart. 

8. A heavy silvery toxic univalent and bivalent metallic element. 

9. Suggestive of the supernatural. 

10. Wasting of the body during a chronic disease. 

11. A religious belief of African origin involving witchcraft and 

sorcery. 

12. A republic on the island of Malta in the Mediterranean. 

17. A vigorous blow. 

21. A proportion multiplied by 100. 

23. Large sweet juicy hybrid between tangerine and grapefruit 

having a thick wrinkled skin. 

26. The blood group whose red cells carry both the A and B antigens. 

28. Small tropical American tree bearing edible plumlike fruit. 

31. A federal agency established to coordinate programs aimed 

at reducing pollution and protecting the environment. 

32. The highest level or degree attainable. 

33. A member of a Finnish people of Russia. 

34. A unit of acoustic absorption equivalent to the absorption 

by a square foot of a surface that absorbs all incident sound. 

35. Any of various small biting flies. 

36. The branch of engineering science that studies the uses of 

electricity and the equipment for power generation and distribution 

and the control of machines and communication. 

37. A doctor's degree in religion. 

39. Large burrowing rodent of South and Central America. 

40. One of the five major classes of immunoglobulins. 

43. A small cake leavened with yeast. 

47. (folklore) A corpse that rises at night to drink the blood of 

the living. 

49. With rapid movements. 

50. A coffee cake flavored with orange rind and raisins and 

almonds. 

52. God of death. 

53. A silvery ductile metallic element found primarily in bauxite. 

54. A river in north central Switzerland that runs northeast into 

the Rhine. 

55. God of fire. 

56. A radioactive transuranic element produced by bombarding 

plutonium with neutrons. 

58. A slight amount or degree of difference. 

60. A condition (mostly in boys) characterized by behavioral and 

learning disorders. 

61. An ugly evil-looking old woman. 

63. Having any of numerous bright or strong colors reminiscent 

of the color of blood or cherries or tomatoes or rubies. 

65. A unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampereturns. 

66. The blood group whose red cells carry both the A and B antigens. 

Yesterday’s Solution 

Yesterday’s Solution 

34 stars 

CALVIN & HOBBES 

POOCH CAFE 

NON SEQUITUR 

ZITS 

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM 

Yester 

Word Sleuth 

Solution 

To 

Aries (March 21-April 19) 


STAR TRACK 

Today is a day for you! Concentrate on your own goals—firm up 

ongoing projects or begin new ones. Work alone, if possible, 

because the encouragement or advice of others is not really necessary. Now is your 

chance to be yourself for yourself! Do not forget to include some physical activity. 

Educational projects require much study and may also involve travel. Fresh insight 

comes to you through broadcasting, publishing or advertising, giving you a whole 

new viewpoint. Whatever the major project is for today, keep your spending down to 

a minimum—you will be glad you did. This evening, your desires are strong and you 

will want to have fun. Romance is possible. There is a basic drive to appreciate and 

taste life. 

Taurus (April 20-May 20) 

A great deal of patience is called for this day. Whatever feelings 

underscore your life will be felt more strongly now. If you are going 

through a particularly trying time, this period could produce low energy levels. If this is 

the case, take it easy for the next few weeks. Otherwise, this time should bring new 

insights or ideas for creative projects. Once you begin to paint a wall in your apartment 

or home, you may find yourself continuing the process to steam clean a sofa or 

experiment with new products for the home. Also, you will find yourself plotting to 

improve or update your home. Brothers and sisters are on your mind now and you 

may be looking forward to a get-together with them soon. Create an opportunity to 

talk about new goals. 

Gemini (May 21-June 20) 

Today you may prefer to be alone and this is something we all 

want from time to time. You may really only feel like being somber. If 

you must confer with others, you might prefer it be over something important. Save 

the small talk for another time. You have decided to become more organized and may 

look to tape-recorded lectures or books to help you create better organized surroundings. 

Taking responsibility for past errors and the ways you contribute to your own 

undoing are important issues now. Dodging them may only put off a day of reckoning. 

Try approaching the big changes in little determined steps—one at a time. Selfdiscipline 

and a sense of self-worth become important issues. This is an excellent time 

to take care of any mental work. 

Cancer (June 21-July 22) 

Your financial sector is highlighted in a positive way—however, 

better budgeting is in the forecast. This is a good time to think about 

how many different ways the budget needs to be split, shared, consulted, etc. Give 

yourself space to dream and envision your financial goals. Set a plan that will help you 

reach your long-term goals and enjoy achieving some short-term goals in the interim. 

Ask an elderly family member, friend or neighbor if he or she needs a ride to church or 

would like to be included in a special event around your neighborhood. This could 

make all the difference to him or her and inconvenience you very little. Your personal 

life flows easily at this time. Matters of love will be full speed ahead! Couples will enjoy 

a romantic evening. 

Leo (July 23-August 22) 

This morning you may be concentrating on an upcoming 

employee review. Consider taking on more responsibility in your 

professional environment. A raise or promotion could be due soon and you could 

push it along a little faster with a well thought through letter regarding your request 

for a raise. Just remember the added responsibility will be included. Later today there 

is time to gather together those you live with and have a vote on some fun, group 

activity. This is a good time to enjoy the company of those you love. Perhaps some 

form of sports, or if the weather is bad you might want to play some sort of board 

games. These are good times. You could find yourself advising or in some way helping 

young people this afternoon. 

Virgo (August 23-September 22) 

Your physical energy is really high today. You would be wise to 

stop whatever work you may be doing and try a bit of jogging, or 

perhaps, a game of handball. Work off that extra energy before you become irritable. 

This is also a time when you could feel that Lady Luck is smiling on you. Professional 

choices are abundant and if you are looking for a job next week, you will more than 

likely be successful. Take the time today to update your resume and plot your path to 

success. You may enjoy using the social sphere to improve your position in the world 

of business. You will certainly have the opportunity to network today. Tonight is a 

wonderful time to celebrate life with your family and friends. Harmony and relationships 

have a strong impact now. 

Libra (September 23-October 22) 

An in-depth conversation this morning may find a rise in your 

blood pressure. Just as well, you needed to learn more about your 

own point of view. Respect the opinion of other people and if necessary, agree to disagree. 

New ideas may be the best choice for now—interesting and exciting results 

can happen. This is a good time to promote harmony. You are interested in the occult, 

metaphysics and spiritual disciplines and may decide to shop around to find some 

meditation music or a book to learn a technique of divination. Your imagination and 

creativity are at their best this evening. Perhaps it is time to gather socially or to plan a 

party. Think of having finger food instead of a sit-down meal. Invite a psychic to your 

party—the fun is just beginning. 

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) 

Any task you take on now should be completed successfully. 

You are a self-starter. Public speaking may be what it takes to 

make the difference you want to make just now. Give your speech some real 

attention, with perhaps a little revision so it can easily be understood. This could 

mean some sort of volunteer work is in progress. If you are the one that has 

begun a project to gain relief for some cause, see it through—all the way. There 

will probably be some worthy donations once you complete the presentation. 

You could feel great support from those around you now. Others could seek you 

out for your psychological insight and understanding. Do not take on any other 

responsibilities until this one has been completed. 

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) 

This morning you may have discovered that you have a massive 

yen for nice warm hugs—preferably from your significant 

other. You enjoy strong emotional contact, even if the relationship may not be as 

perfect as you would like. As this day progresses, you may find that communication 

with friends and relatives happily moves your day forward. Health awareness may 

come to your attention and you and a friend may join together for a little bicycling, 

running or some other exercise—weather permitting. You will have an opportunity 

to sign up for a class or group that has your similar goals. They will help you and 

you will help them. This evening you will enjoy a classic movie on television or a 

movie. It is 12 o’clock and all is well. 

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) 

Hold your point, issue or thoughts . . . you will find others caving 

in to your way of thinking soon. Becoming more conscientious takes 

on a special importance now. Taking care of the necessary details of life—health, 

work, etc., becomes a greater preoccupation. Sorting things out and getting them 

organized to utmost efficiency keeps you busy. Important financial decisions require 

more information than you realize at this time. You have gathered all the facts and 

now you just need to plot your path to financial stability. The key word is steadfastness. 

Social relationships are a special focus this evening. You may find that this is the 

time you add to your friendships. Changes with some old friends deepen into more 

positive directions. 

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) 

Sometimes you put yourself in a position to be taken advantage 

of and while you enjoy the attention, you may come to resent 

the stress that it can put on you. Although it is nice to be needed, you may also enjoy 

some quiet time today. Seek inspiration for whatever direction you may need to take 

next. Music is your love and you could write or learn to write the music that runs 

around in your head. You have a good idea of a few songs and would be wise to take a 

class in writing music. You could be shopping this afternoon—new gadgets to make 

your work easier catch your attention. This is a time of enthusiasm and new ideas or 

new beginnings. You may agree to help someone with his or her hobby or work on 

your own hobby this evening. 

Pisces (February 19-March 20) 

You will take more time to express your desires to your loved 

ones today. Keeping secrets from a friend or loved one could prove 

disastrous just now. Communication with friends is enhanced at this time. You should 

think about getting in touch with a faraway relative or a friend. You have a deep desire 

for personal freedom and you may seek out friends who are unconventional in their 

social behavior. Respect, status and achievement are central goals for you as a new 

phase begins in your life. Creating a structure to empower and maintain your ideals 

and principles becomes a high priority just now. Take a less active role in social affairs 

this evening—your family will enjoy your presence. You will enjoy listening to music 

this evening.

112 

Ophthalmologists 

Dr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444 

Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222 

Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171 

Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999 

Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700 

Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223 

Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223 

Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) 

Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510 

Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660 

Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478 

Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996 

Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988 

Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166 

Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426 

General Practitioners 

Dr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123 

Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312 

Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920 

Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465 

Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528 

Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781 

Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501 

Urologists 

Dr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534 

Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955 

Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660 

Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120 

Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427 

Anniversary 

Ministry of Interior 

website: www.moi.gov.kw 

For labor-related inquiries 

and complaints: 

Call MSAL hotline 128 

Hospitals 

Sabah Hospital 24812000 

Amiri Hospital 22450005 

Maternity Hospital 24843100 

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital 25312700 

Chest Hospital 24849400 

Farwaniya Hospital 24892010 

Adan Hospital 23940620 

Ibn Sina Hospital 24840300 

Al-Razi Hospital 24846000 

Physiotherapy Hospital 24874330/9 

Clinics 

Rabiya 4732263 

Roudha 22517733 

Adhaliya 22517144 

Khaldiya 24848075 

Keifan 24849807 

Shamiya 24848913 

Shuwaikh 24814507 

Abdullah Salim 22549134 

Al-Nuzha 22526804 

Industrial Shuwaikh 24814764 

Al-Khadissiya 22515088 

Dasmah 22532265 

Bneid Al-Ghar 22531908 

Al-Shaab 22518752 

Al-Kibla 22459381 

Ayoun Al-Kibla 22451082 

Al-Mirqab 22456536 

Sharq 22465401 

Salmiya 25746401 

Jabriya 25316254 

Maidan Hawally 25623444 

Bayan 25388462 

Mishref 25381200 

W.Hawally 22630786 

Sabah 24810221 

Jahra 24770319 

New Jahra 24575755 

West Jahra 24772608 

South Jahra 24775066 

North Jahra 24775992 

North Jleeb 24311795 

Al-Ardhiya 24884079 

Firdous 24892674 

Al-Omariya 24719048 

N.Kheitan 24710044 

Fintas 3900322 

Psychologists 

/Psychotherapists 

information 

Years SUNDAY, MARCH 25, 2012 

STA ATTE 

OF KKUWA 

AIT 

DIRECTORAT 

TE GEN GENERAL OF CIVIL AV VIATTION 

METEOROLOGICAL DEPA ARTMENT 

DAY: Y 

BY NIGHT: 

BY DAYY: 

: 

Saturday 

WA ARNING 

STAAT 

TION 

KUWA AIT CITY 

KUWA AIT AIRPORT T 

NUWA AISEEB 

WA AFRA 

SALMI 

ABDALYY 

JAL ALIYA AH 

FA AILAKA 

AHMADI PORT T 

UMM AL-MARADEM 

WA ARBA - BUBYAA 

AN 

DAYY DATTE 

Sunday 

Monday 

Tuesday 

We ednesday 

24/03/2012 

Expected WWe 

eather for the Next 24 Hours 

Cool with light variable wind, with speed of 06 - 22 km/h 

Te el.: 161 Ext.: 2627 26 - 2630 

Fax: 24348714 

WWW.MET.GOV. 

.KW 

Issue Time 

Sunny with light to moderate northerly to north easterly wind, with speed of 10 - 32 km/h 

25/03 

26/03 

27/03 

28/03 

MAX. REC. MIN. N. EXP. 

28°C 

17 17°C 

27°C 12 12°C 

26°C 14 

°C 

27°C 13 

°C 

27°C 12 

°C 

31°C 10 

°C 

28°C 13 

°C 

26°C 14 

°C 

24°C 18 

°C 

20°C 15 

°C 

24°C 14 

°C 

WEAT THER 

PRA PRAY YER TIMES 

Fajr 

04:27 

Sunrise 

05:47 

Zuhr 

11:54 

Asr 

15:23 

Sunset 

18:02 

Isha 

19:19 

All times are local time unless otherwise stated. 

No Current Wa arnin arnings 

4 DAY YS FORECAST 

sunny 

28 °C 

partly cloudy 28 °C 

unstable 

29 °C 

partly cloudy 30 °C 

Ahmadi Sama Safwan Fahaeel Makka St 23915883 

Abu Halaifa Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd 23715414 

Danat Al-Sultan Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd 23726558 

Jahra Modern Jahra Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 24575518 

Madina Munawara Jahra-Block 92 24566622 

Capital Ahlam Fahad Al-Salem St 22436184 

Khaldiya Coop Khaldiya Coop 24833967 

Farwaniya New Shifa Farwaniya Block 40 24734000 

Ferdous Coop Ferdous Coop 24881201 

Modern Safwan Old Kheitan Block 11 24726638 

Hawally Tariq Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St 25726265 

Hana Salmiya-Amman St 25647075 

Ikhlas Hawally-Beirut St 22625999 

Hawally & Rawdha Hawally & Rawdha Coop 22564549 

Ghadeer Jabriya-Block 1A 25340559 

Kindy Jabriya-Block 3B 25326554 

Ibn Al-Nafis Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St 25721264 

Mishrif Coop Mishrif Coop 25380581 

Salwa Coop Salwa Coop 25628241 

19:00 

SFC. CHAR T 24/03/2012 1200UTC 

T emperatur emperatures 

MAX. MIN. 

Wind 

Direction 

12 °C N-NE 

13 °C VRB-SE 

13 °C SE 

14 °C SE-NW 

Wind 

Speed 

10 - 32 km/h 

15 - 40 km/h 

25 - 50 km/h 

12 - 35 km/h 

RECORDED 

YESTERDAY Y AT T KUWA AAIT 

AIRPORT T 

MAX. 

Temp. 

26 °C 

MIN. Temp. 

11 

°C 

MAX. RH 

39 % 

MIN. RH 

09 % 

MAX. Wind 

SE 32 km/h 

TOTAAL 

RAAINFAALL 

IN 24 HR. 

00 mm 

24/03/12 14:47 UTC 

GOVERNORATE PHARMACY ADDRESS PHONE 

PRIVATE CLINICS 

Soor Center 

Tel: 2290-1677 

Fax: 2290 1688 

Plastic Surgeons 

Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf 22547272 

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari 22617700 

Dr. Abdel Quttainah 25625030/60 

Family Doctor 

Dr Divya Damodar 23729596/23729581 

Psychiatrists 

Dr. Esam Al-Ansari 22635047 

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan 22613623/0 

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians 

DrAdrian arbe 23729596/23729581 

Dr. Verginia s.Marin 2572-6666 ext 8321 

Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan 22655539 

Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami 25343406 

Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly 25739272 

Dr. Salem soso 22618787 

General Surgeons 

Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer 22610044 

Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher 25327148 

Internists, Chest & Heart 

Dr. Adnan Ebil 22639939 

Dr. Mousa Khadada 22666300 

Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan 25728004 

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra 25355515 

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub 24726446 

Dr Nasser Behbehani 25654300/3 

info@soorcenter.com 

www.soorcenter.com 

Paediatricians 

Dr. Khaled Hamadi 25665898 

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed 25340300 

Dr. Zahra Qabazard 25710444 

Dr. Sohail Qamar 22621099 

Dr. Snaa Maaroof 25713514 

Dr. Pradip Gujare 23713100 

Dr. Zacharias Mathew 24334282 

(1) Ear, Nose and Throat (2) Plastic Surgeon 

Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar, 

FRCS (Canada) 25655535 

Dentists 

Dr Anil Thomas 3729596/3729581 

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ON 24 HRS DUTY 

Endocrinologist 

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman 25339330 

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Physiotherapists & VD 

Dr. Deyaa Shehab 25722291 

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Rheumatologists: 

Dr. Adel Al-Awadi 25330060 

Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah 25722290 

Internist, Chest & Heart 

T1.06 

DR.Mohammes Akkad 24555050 Ext 210 

Dr. Mohammad Zubaid 

MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC 

Assistant Professor Of Medicine 

Head, Division of Cardiology 

Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital 

Consultant Cardiologist 

Dr. Farida Al-Habib 2611555-2622555 

MD, PH.D, FACC 

Inaya German Medical Center 

Te: 2575077 

Fax: 25723123 

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677 

Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677 

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Robbie Williams quits smoking 

The 38-year-old ‘Angles’ singer - 

who gave up drinking after getting 

hooked on drugs and alcohol 

following his 1995 departure from 

Take That - has reportedly now waved 

goodbye to his 40-a-day cigarette 

habit. A source told The Sun newspaper: 

“So far he hasn’t smoked in ten 

days. He wants to start a family with 

Ayda soon, so it’s a good move. “He’s 

also in training for the Unicef Soccer 

Aid match at Old Trafford in May, so 

he’ll need to be fit.” Robbie entered 

rehab on his 33rd birthday after getting 

addicted to prescription medication, 

and believes he would have had 

a heart attack if his management 

team hadn’t stepped in to save him. 

He told GQ magazine: “I had a big 

blow up on a Monday night and then 

on Tuesday I was on a sofa coming in 

and out of consciousness. “Then I 

heard their voices and I thought, ‘It’s 

Tuesday. They are supposed to be 

here on Wednesday. I bet you I’m 

going to rehab today. “They sat down 

Jennifer Lawrence feels 

Labrinth is planning 

duet with Rihanna 

T he 

‘Last Time’ singer is hopeful 

that a collaboration with the 

“hot” ‘We Found Love’ hitmaker 

will happen soon. He said: “I 

think I’m going to work with 

Rihanna soon - that might just happen. 

She’s really cool, and she’s hot.” 

Rihanna would be joining Emeli 

Sande and Pixie Lott in working 

with Labrinth, and the 22-year-old 

rapper admits he had a great time 

working with both singers on his 

new album ‘Electronic Earth’. He 

told more! magazine: “I’ve got a 

nice song I wrote and recorded as a 

duet with Emeli Sande. Emeli’s 

amazing, really lovely. I worked 

with her about two years ago and 

we were writing stuff for other people’s 

albums. It’s good to see such a 

great artist has taken off. “It was 

very cool working with Pixie. She’s 

great. It was really good working 

together. She was a bit quiet at first, 

but after a couple of bottles of 

wine, she definitely livened up.” 

like an ‘idiot’ in first class 

opposite me and said, “Rob, you look 

f***ing awful”. I said, ‘I’ll go to rehab, 

you don’t have to say f***ing nasty 

things to me’. “They had a plane waiting 

for me. They packed my bags and I 

got on it thankfully. I might have been 

a couple of days or 24 hours from 

dying. I was on this plane kicking the 

seats, I was so angry with myself that I 

had let myself get into that place 

again.” 

T he 

21-year-old ‘Hunger 

Games’ actress - who has 

been jetting across the 

globe to promote the movie - 

says she feels too young to be 

enjoying the privilege. During an 

appearance on US show ‘Late 

Night with Jimmy Fallon’, she 

explained: “I always feel like an 

idiot every time I fly first class 

because I’m a kid - and I just sit 

there and everybody’s got their 

newspapers and they’re on the 

computer and I’m like, ‘Can I get a 

colouring book please? Can I get 

some crayons?’” “I had ordered a 

glass of wine and I was in this 

really intense conversation with 

the guys, and then she dropped 

off the wine, and I was like, ‘Yes, 

because the ministry had taken 

over Hogwarts at the time ... 

thank you’.” Meanwhile the downto-earth 

star admits she can’t 

quite get to grips with her rising 

fame. Talking about a billboard 

near her home which features her 

face, she told USA Today: “I was 

sitting at the red light just staring 

at the poster. I kept trying to get 

it to hit home. ‘That’s you. Feel it. 

Feel it’. I tried, but to no avail.” 

36 LIFESTYLE 

G o s s i p 

T he 

T he 

Oscar winning beauty 

admits Phil Collins’ 

Genesis is the sound of 

her youth so she was thrilled 

to get the chance to work 

with his daughter on the 

movie. Asked if she is a fan of 

Phil, Julia said: “Are you kidding, 

Genesis? I’m in my forties. 

Genesis is like my 

youth.” Julia, 44, also admitted 

she is happy not to be a 

young actress like Lily 

because it is so much more 

difficult to deal with fame 

than it was in her day. She 

told Britain’s OK! magazine: 

“It seemed so much easier, it 

made more sense. It was 

more kind of a gradual progression 

of things I think for 

the way the business was 

when I started out. But she 

seems to be holding her 

own, she’s got no problem. 

This culture of meanness is 

new. “I like my job, I’m happy 

at work, it’s fun and pretty 

extraordinary.” 

Julia Roberts loved working 

Noel Gallagher will speak to 

High Flying Birds star quit Oasis in 2009 following 

a back-stage fight in Paris, and hasn’t 

spoken to his brother since. Libel lawsuits 

ensued on both sides and while those have since 

been dropped, Noel insists he has no plans to make 

friends just yet - much to mum Peggy’s disappointment. 

He said: “There is no contact of any significance, 

to my mother’s disgust. But we are big boys 

now. She can’t tell us what to do forever. “It’s not the 

last time I’m ever going to speak to him. Of course 

I’m going to speak to him again but I’m busy.” In an 

interview with BBC4, the 44-year-old ‘Don’t Look 

Back in Anger’ hitmaker - who has daughter Anais, 

12, from his first marriage to Meg Mathews and sons 

Donovan, four, and 17-month-old Sonny with wife 

Sara MacDonald - admits he didn’t know how to be a 

good father until recently. He explained: “I had never 

seen a good example of any parenting until I met 

Sara, who is an incredible mother to the children. “I 

have learnt so much from her as she has great parents. 

Her mum and dad have been married for 150 

years or something and they are still together. And 

she takes that and brings that to our children. “I 

come from a dysfunctional family. I’m good with the 

kids now but at first, with my older daughter, I didn’t 

have the tools instinctively.” Talking about his own 

estranged father Thomas, who separated from his 

mum when Noel was 15, he added: “I don’t think of 

my father at all. It’s his loss, not mine.” 

with Lily Collins for her father 

Kate Moss equips new house 

with a bedroom for her hairdresser 

The JLS singer has been single for 

some time but insists he is no 

longer interested in having a girlfriend 

because he is so busy with his 

pop career. He said:” I’ve decided to give 

up on the girlfriend hunt, I’m not really 

too fussed. “I’ve got lots of things to 

look forward to in the year, so I’m just 

going to take those opportunities and 

date.” While Aston’s bandmates Marvin 

Humes and J.B. Gill are both in relationships, 

Oritse Williams is also single but is 

enjoying finding the time to meet people 

and says he goes on “lots” of dates. 

Oritse said: “Everyone’s been speculating 

about me having a girlfriend. I go on 

lots of dates but I don’t actually have a 

The 38-year-old supermodel 

has reportedly devoted one 

of the seven bedrooms at her 

£8million mansion in north 

London to stylist James Brown. A 

source told the Daily Star newspaper: 

“Kate has done up a bedroom 

especially for her faithful hairdresser 

and best friend James Brown. 

“She told him to make it his second 

home. He now has his own exotic 

boudoir which is a blank canvas so 

he can put his own stamp on it.” 

Kate bought the house in north 

London’s Highgate after tying the 

knot with Kills guitarist Jamie 

Hince last July, and apparently 

wasted no time in celebrating following 

the move on Wednesday. 

An onlooker told The Sun newspa- 

Liam - when he isn’t so ‘busy’ 

girlfriend.” Oritse recently gave himself a 

makeover and dyed his hair, which he 

says he did in order to “evolve as an 

artist”. He told TOTP magazine: “It’s still 

bronze. The decision behind it was just 

me wanting to evolve as an artist a little 

bit more. Like, will it assist in the 

evolution of Oritse Williams. I wanted 

to try it and worked. It definitely got 

me more female attention anyway.” 

—Bang showbiz 


per: “Kate, her husband Jamie 

Hince and [his band mate] Alison 

Mosshart kicked off celebrations at 

a nearby pub. “Friends soon arrived 

with bottles of champagne and 

bouquets of flowers and they took 

the party home.” Kate is said to 

have been so desperate to move 

into the four-storey house - which 

features a party room, ballet studio 

and wine cellar - that she even 

pitched in with the renovations. An 

insider previously revealed: “Kate 

doesn’t mind getting her hands 

dirty and has been putting in some 

graft. “The workmen really enjoy 

her visits and find it funny she’s 

helping out. “Especially when she 

pops into the kitchen and returns 

with a tray of teas.” 

Aston Merrygold gives up looking for love

The hugely successful Popular 

Heritage Festival came to an 

end on Friday in Al-Roudhatain, 

with a closing ceremony held for 

award winners of all camel beauty 

contests. 

“The festival was an outstanding 

success and we look forward to 

organizing more successful events in 

the future,” said Sheikh Dhari Al- 

Fahad, Head of the Supreme 

Committee. Sheikh Sabah Fahad Al- 

Nasser Al-Sabah, Head of the judging 

committee acknowledged the efforts 

made by Kuwaiti contestants who 

achieved spectacular results. 

Both Sheikh Dhari and Sheikh 

Sabah acknowledged the support 

lent by His Highness the Amir Sheikh 

Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah for the festival. 

Sheikh Dhari was also present 

during a ceremony held at the 

Fishermen’s Dewaniya in Al-Fintas 

Thursday to announce winners of 

fishing competitions held as part of 

the festival. Sheikh Salem Al-Nawaf 

Al-Sabah, head of the Sea Heritage 

subcommittee attended the ceremony 

as well. Thursday’s events also saw 

the conclusion of camel race competitions 

in which several races were 

held for different categories. 

The Popular Heritage Festival is an 

annual event featuring traditional 

sports and activities that are of 

Bedouin origin. Beauty contests for 

camel, sheep and falcons are typically 

part of the event. Equestrian races 

are held at the Hunting and 

Equestrian Club, in addition to fishing 

competitions organized by the 

Fishermen’s Diwaniyas in Al-Fintas, 

Al-Salmiya and Al-Wuttiya. 

37 LIFESTYLE 


Popular Heritage Festival comes to a spectacular end

The mockingjay pin, 

a gift from a friend in 

District 12, is Katniss’ 

special token for the 

Hunger Games. 

SCHOLASTIC 

SOURCES: “THE 

HUNGER GAMES” 

TRILOGY; 

SCHOLASTIC; WWW. 

THEHUNGERGAMES 

MOVIE.COM. 

French choreographer Angelin Preljocaj is hoping 

to cast a spell on US audiences with his ballet 

“Snow White”, an adaptation of what he calls the 

“thriller” fairytale by the Brothers Grimm. The edgy 

dance master created the 2008 work-which opens in 

California this week before moving to the East Coast-as 

a tribute to the great 19th-century romantic ballets like 

Swan Lake, Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty. 

The production’s visual impact is enhanced by costumes 

from French designer Jean-Paul Gaultier. “When 

we created the the ballet, there was a lot of enthusiasm 

for it to be staged in America, but everything was frozen 

due to the (economic) crisis,” he told AFP. “Now we’ve 

finally got it off the ground; we’re very happy to bring 

‘Blanche Neige’ (‘Snow White’) to the United States,” he 

said, after the ballet opened in the northern California 

city of Davis last weekend. 

The show will be in Los Angeles this weekend, 

before heading East. “California has audiences who 

know about the art of ballet in all its forms, from the 

purest classical to the most avant-garde,” said Preljocaj. 

By coincidence it comes as two film versions of Snow 

White are set to be released: “Mirror, Mirror” starring 

Julia Roberts on March 30, and “Snow White and the 

Huntsman” with Charlize Theron on June 1. 

Preljocaj said the fairy tale remains relevant today, in 

the age of plastic surgery and other ways that women 

lifestyle 

French ‘Snow White’ ballet aims to cast spell in US 

CHARACTERS 

Katniss Everdeen: 

The main character 

of the “Hunger 

Games,” Katniss 

lives in District 12 

with her mother and 

sister, Primrose. Her 

father died in a min- 

Katniss 

Everdeen 

(Jennifer 

Lawrence) 

ing accident when 

she was 11. Katniss 

provides for her 

family by illegally 

hunting outside the 

district fence and by trading at the Hob, 

a black market. When her sister is picked 

for the 74th annual Hunger Games, 

Katniss volunteers to take her place. 

Peeta 

Mellark 

(Josh 

Hutcherson) 

Peeta Mellark: 

Katniss’ fellow 

District 12 tribute in 

the 74th Games, 

Peeta grew up in the 

district’s merchant 

area. His parents are 

bakers, and he once 

purposely burned 

bread so he could 

give it to Katniss 

and her family, who 

were on the verge of 

starvation. Although she is unaware, 

Peeta has long had a crush on her. 

Gale 

Hawthorne 

(Liam 

Hemsworth) 

Gale Hawthorne: 

Katniss’ best friend 

in District 12, Gale 

lost his father in the 

same mining accident 

that killed 

Katniss’ father. He 

illegally hunts with 

Katniss and provides 

for his mother 

and younger siblings. 

He vows to 

protect and care for 

Katniss’ family when she goes to the 

Games. 

Primrose Everdeen: Katniss’ little sister, 

Primrose has a gentle disposition and 

a talent for healing. 

Effie Trinket: A woman from the 

Capitol, Effie is the official escort for the 

District 12 tributes. 

Haymitch 

Abernathy: 

District 

12’s 

only living 

Hunger 

Games victor, 

Haymitch must act as 

the tributes’ mentor, despite a 

penchant for heavy drinking. 

President Snow: The leader of 

Panem, Snow is a cruel man 

who keeps tight control over his 

country. 

Cinna: The assigned stylist 

for District 12, Cinna 

becomes a trusted friend 

and ally to Katniss. 

French choregrapher Angelin Preljocaj poses in this January 11, 2010 file photo in Paris. Preljocaj 

is hoping to cast a spell on US audiences with his ballet “Snow White”, an adaptation of what he 

calls the “thriller” fairytale by the Brothers Grimm. —AFP 

Immerse yourself in the 

world of ‘The Hunger Games’ 

Society as we know it has fallen and has been replaced 

by the authoritarian nation of Panem. 

Residents live in tightly controlled districts and do what 

they can to avoid dying before their time. Yet death still 

may find them, simply by the luck of the draw. Because 

in this new society, the children must compete yearly in 

a fight to the death — The Hunger Games. 

This is the future — and the setting of the dark, dystopian 

and extremely popular trilogy by Suzanne Collins. 

The first book, “The Hunger Games,” was released to 

critical acclaim in 2008 and remained on the New York 

Times bestseller list for than 180 consecutive weeks. 

Now, the series’ first movie is due out March 23. 

In case you haven’t gulped down the fast-paced books, 

here’s a primer on “The Hunger Games” to get you up to 

speed on everything from the main characters to the 

Games and districts. 

— Merrie Leininger, Kim Ossi and Wendy Zang, McClatchy-Tribune 

THE REAPING 

Once a year, every district child ages 12 

to 18 has his or her name placed in a 

lottery. One boy and one girl are chosen 

from each district in a televised ceremony. 

Those selected are known as tributes. 

Some children, known as careers, train 

their whole lives for the Hunger Games. 

But poorer children are most likely to 

be chosen because adding your name 

more than once to the drawing nets you 

a tessera — a stingy supply of grain and 

oil. A teen may do this for each of their 

family members as well, and the entries 

are cumulative. 

PHOTOS BY MURRAY CLOSE/LIONSGATE 

Katniss Everdeen awaits the 

tribute lottery with other District 

12 residents in “The Hunger 

Games.” 

THE HUNGER GAMES 

Once a child is chosen, they are given just a few minutes to say goodbye to family 

and friends. They are then swept off to the Capitol via train, where they are given a 

makeover and introduced to the country by television. Those who gain favor from 

wealthy viewers can receive sponsorships of food, supplies or medicine during the 

survival game. 

The Hunger Games are played in an outdoor arena, of sorts, 

but the landscape varies each year. It’s part of the challenge 

presented by the head gamemaker. Cameras capture tributes’ 

every move so the whole nation can watch as the 

children fight for their lives. 

Katniss Everdeen prepares 

to fight for survival in “The 

Hunger Games.” 

3 

4 

7 

PAI/SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS/MCT 

An interpretation of where Panem’s districts 

lay in relation to each other. 

PANEM 

Panem is what is left of North America, years 

after droughts, storms and rising sea levels devastated 

the food supply. Battles for what remained 

resulted in an authoritarian government based in 

the Capitol, in an area presumed to be near the 

Rocky Mountains, with 13 districts spread out 

from there. 

About 75 years before the first novel begins, a 

rebellion known as the Dark Days took place. The 

districts rose up against the Capitol, but they were 

unsuccessful, and District 13 was reportedly 

wiped out completely. All the districts are surrounded 

by fences, and residents are not permitted 

to travel between them. 

Following the Dark Days, the Hunger Games 

were established as both a punishment and a 

warning to never again rebel. 

THE CAPITOL 

The residents of the Capitol 

are frivolous, wasteful 

people who live 

in luxury without 

want or 

hunger, but 

they are still 

closely watched at all 

times. They are obsessed 

with entertainment and 

fashion, and many have 

altered their appearance 

to accord with the latest 

trends. 

DISTRICT 2 

Known for: Masonry 

Purpose: Supply the 

bricks, stones 

and mortar on 

which Panem 

is built. 

Notable: This 

is also the district where 

Panem’s Peacekeepers 

(police) are trained and 

where weapons are manufactured. 

Also a career 

district. 

DISTRICT 4 

Known for: Fishing 

Purpose: Bring the bounty 

of the sea to 

the whole nation 

of 

Panem. 

Notable: One 

of the wealthier districts. 

Also a career district. 

DISTRICT 6 

Known for: Transportation 

Purpose: Wherever your 

destination 

may be, you 

couldn’t get 

there without 

us. 

Notable: Among the products 

made here: hover 

cars. 

DISTRICT 8 

Known for: Textiles 

Purpose: Make all of 

Panem look 

good, from 

the runways 

of the Capitol 

to the cobblestone 

streets of the lowliest 

Districts. 

Notable: Factories make 

all clothes, including 

Peacekeeper uniforms. Urban, 

industrial area with 

rundown tenements. 

DISTRICT 10 

Known for: Livestock 

Purpose: Provide Panem 

with the freshest, 

tastiest, 

most tender 

meats — from 

pasture to 

plate. 

Notable: In the 74th 

Hunger Games, this district 

sends a boy with a 

crippled foot. 

DISTRICT 12 

1 

★ 

2 

10 

Known for: Mining 

Purpose: Venture deep 

within the earth 

to extract the 

coal which 

keeps Panem 

going. 

Notable: One of the 

poorest, most ridiculed 

districts. Food is scarce, 

and some residents 

turn to the black market 

to feed their families. 

LEGEND 

District No. 

9 5 6 

11 

DISTRICT 1 

Known for: Luxury 

Purpose: Provide the 

Capitol with the 

most decadent 

and exceptional 

goods, including 

diamonds and gems. 

Notable: Wealthiest district 

outside the Capitol. 

Considered a “career” district, 

where children are 

specially trained for the 

Games. 

DISTRICT 3 

Known for: Electronics 

Purpose: Bring innovation 

to Panem by 

studying the 

art, skill and 

craft of technology. 

Notable: Most citizens in 

this district work in factories 

making things like televisions, 

automobiles and 

explosives. 

DISTRICT 5 

Known for: Power 

Purpose: Generate the 

power to keep 

all of Panem’s 

lights shining 

brightly. 

Notable: Not 

much is known about District 

5, but it is reported to 

have a low number of 

tesserae-claiming children. 

DISTRICT 7 

Known for: Lumber 

Purpose: Bring Panem 

the finest lumber 

nature 

can provide, 

from the forest 

to the mills. 

Notable: Heavily wooded. 

Tributes from here are 

usually good with axes. 

DISTRICT 9 

Known for: Grain 

Purpose: No nutritious 

diet could be 

complete 

without the 

grains we 

grow. 

Notable: The breadbowl 

of Panem. 

DISTRICT 11 

13 

12 

8 

Known for: Agriculture 

Purpose: Keep Panem 

nourished and 

strong with 

the fruits and 

vegetables 

we cultivate. 

Notable: Almost everything 

grown goes to the 

Capitol. Tracker jackers — 

genetically altered killer 

wasps — are a danger 

here. 

DISTRICT 13 

Known for: Nuclear technology, 

graphite mining 

Notable: One of the original 

districts, 13 was reportedly 

obliterated by the 

Capitol during the uprisings 

and is uninhabitable. 

can remain young-looking. “It’s a very modern story, in 

the sense that today with scientific and medical 

progress, women can stay young and beautiful for a 

long time,” said the choreographer. “That creates a 

potential conflict between generations. Daughters, 

faced with mothers who want to remain lovers, desirable 

and active socially, can develop a kind of Snow 

White complex.” 

“Generations are coming together. You often see 50or 

60-year-old women in the street with their daughter, 

dressed the same, swapping clothes and handbags. 

They can even be love rivals.” As with the upcoming big 

screen versions, Preljocaj’s production does not follow 

the Disney version of the fairytale, rather putting more 

focus on the cruel stepmother. “It’s the same as with 

‘Swan Lake’, with the black swan and the white swan: 

Snow White is the positive character, beautiful and pure, 

while the stepmother is the opposite, also beautiful, but 

dark and hate-filled,” he said. “Snow White’ is “really a 

thriller,” he said. “The story of ‘Sleeping Beauty’ can be 

told in two lines. ‘Snow White’ is full of twists... leading to 

lots of ways of interpreting it choreographically.” “Snow 

White” will be staged in Los Angeles from March 23-25, 

before heading to the East Coast at the end of March, 

through to April 21. The US cities where the work is to 

be performed include Washington, DC, Minneapolis, 

Minnesota and Chapel Hill, North Carolina. — AFP 

Alaska is a hot destination again 

and river voyages are enjoying a 

boost in popularity this year as 

the cruise industry works on luring back 

potential first-time passengers put off 

by the Costa Concordia tragedy. The 

Concordia accident, in which 32 people 

died when the ship ran aground off the 

Italian coast in January, has been an 

overarching story in the cruise world so 

far this year. The Costa line is owned by 

Carnival Corp., the largest cruise operator 

in the world, which was forced to cut 

its 2012 profit forecasts nearly in half 

after the accident. It’s also churned up 

an industry-wide wave of despair. 

“What’s new is the impact of the 

Costa Concordia tragedy on absolutely 

every corner of cruising I can think of 

for the time being,” said 

CruiseCritic.com editor-in-chief Carolyn 

Spencer Brown. “That’s not something 

we certainly want to write about or cover 

or hear about - but the trend as a 

result of that is the emphasis on safety 

and security.” 

Cruise industry officials and travel 

agents say people who have cruised 

before and understand how safe it is 

won’t be affected as much by Concordia 

as potential first-time passengers 

scared away by pictures of the hulking 

vessel lying on its side in the water. Still, 

that’s likely to slow growth in a year in 

which the industry was expected to further 

recover from the recession amid 

the debut of innovative ships designed 

to snag first-timers and families. 

“There’s no magic bullet,” said 

Christine Duffy, president of the Cruise 

Lines International Association, an 

industry group that represents 26 major 

lines. “We have to make sure people 

have the right information, have access 

to data on our safety record ... and all 

the questions that have been raised as a 

result of the Concordia. That allows for 

the travel agents and our brands to do 

the marketing that they do and bring 

people on board their ships.” Here are 

some details on what’s new in bookings, 

launchings and other cruise trends 

for the coming year: 

BOOKING TRENDS 

Even with the loss of potential firsttime 

cruisers, around 17.2 million passengers 

are expected to take a cruise 

this year - up 5 percent from 2011, 

according to the Cruise Lines 

International Association. International 

business is up: Two years ago about a 

third of the passengers came from 

North America, now it’s about 68 percent. 

There is definite room for growth, 

as the trade industry’s surveys show 

that about only about 3 percent of people 

in the United States have ever been 

on a cruise. That’s why getting firsttimers 

on board is so important. The 

Caribbean is again expected to be the 

leading destination. 

NEW SHIPS 

Fourteen new ships are hitting the 

market in 2012 (13 new, one re-introduced), 

ranging in capacity from 32 to 

3,690 passengers. The family-oriented 

Disney Fantasy takes its inaugural cruise 

to the Caribbean this month and will be 

based at Port Canaveral, Fla. It’s the twin 

to the Disney Dream, which debuted 

last year. Disney ships will also sail from 

three new ports this year: New York, 

Seattle and Galveston, Texas. Carnival’s 

newest ship, the 3,690-passenger 

Carnival Breeze will sail in June, starting 

with a summer schedule of 12-day 

Mediterranean voyages before being 

moved to Miami in November for yearround 

Caribbean cruises. 

The 3,030-passenger Celebrity 

Reflection will debut in October as the 

fifth ship in Celebrity Cruises’ Solstice 

class, offering eastern Caribbean itiner- 


Alaska, river cruising 

top 2012 cruise trends 

aries from Miami with new twists such 

as spa suites and a bar with craft beers. “I 

think we’ve also seen, as the business 

has matured, that there is becoming 

more differentiation between the 

brands,” Duffy said. “There is a cruise for 

everyone.” 

NEW PORTS AND ITINERARIES 

The Carnival Miracle launches its first 

year-round cruise program from New 

York in April, and in June the Carnival 

Glory starts operating a new schedule of 

Canada cruises from Boston. Celebrity 

sends a ship to Australia and New 

Zealand for winter 2012-13. Holland 

America adds a 14-day China and Korea 

voyage from Hong Kong and a several 

new European voyages. Princess Cruises 

has the largest European deployment 

yet, with seven ships sailing 57 itineraries. 

The continuing globalization of 

the industry was one of the major topics 

at this year’s Cruise Shipping Miami 

industry convention. 

RIVER CRUISING 

River cruises in Europe and the 

United States are expected to gain passengers 

in 2012. Avalon Waterways is 

adding three new ships (carrying 166, 

128 and 32 passengers) for European 

river cruises, and closer to home two 

ships will traverse the mighty 

Mississippi. The 436-passenger 

American Queen, the largest steamboat 

in the world, was bought by the Great 

American Steamboat Co. and got a $6 

million retrofitting. It will be relaunched 

next month, featuring a new interior 

and two top-deck dining venues. In 

August comes the launching of the 

brand new 150-passenger Queen of the 

Mississippi by American Cruise Lines. 

Spencer Brown said it’s the first new 

build for Big Muddy cruises in 15 years. 

“It’s been moving this way, but all of 

sudden, river cruising is hotter than hot,” 

she said. “And people like it because 

they feel like ‘we’re still on a ship but 

we’re within sight of land and it’s easy to 

get on and off.’ And they’re smaller. 

Europe and the Midwest are really hot 

right now.” 

ALASKA 

The 49th state is expected to be bigger 

than ever as cruise destination this 

year. The state “head tax” for cruise passengers 

led some lines to reduce their 

Alaska itineraries in recent years, but 

since it was rolled back in 2010 the ships 

have returned. Plus, higher airfares to 

Europe this year have more people looking 

at an Alaska cruise as an alternative 

vacation. The Disney Wonder sailing to 

Alaska from Seattle this year helps put it 

on the radar for more families. “We’re 

seeing Alaska trend again in terms of a 

destination - a lot,” said Vicky Garcia, 

executive vice president of Cruise 

Planners/American Express, a network 

of more than 800 travel agents. “Airfares 

are attractive enough to do Vancouver 

or Seattle, even Anchorage. However, 

Europe is just pricing itself out of the 

market. Air is just too expensive.” 

MEXICO 

More bad news from Mexico’s west 

coast this year, after a spate of highly 

publicized crimes that caused some 

ships to pull out of Mazatlan. In 

February, 22 passengers on a shore 

excursion from a Carnival ship were 

robbed at gunpoint in Puerto Vallarta. In 

response, the cruise line eliminated that 

particular shore excursion from its offerings 

at the port. Those connected with 

the industry are quick to note that there 

has been no trouble at popular destinations 

in eastern Mexico. “In our county, 

they don’t teach geography very well,” 

Garcia said. “The perception is, definitely, 

all of Mexico is bad.” — AP

By Lisa Conrad 

with our hearts, so 

shouldn’t they be strong?” asked 

love 

“We 

Sarina Jain, commonly known as 

‘The Jane Fonda of India’ and creator of the 

immensely popular Masala Bhangra dance 

workout. 

“After my father died from cardiac arrest at 

just 47 years old, I decided I wanted to bring 

together my pride for my Indian heritage and 

my passion for fitness, and create something 

that would get people moving,” she says, 

determinedly. “Everyone should exercise to 

keep their hearts strong and healthy. Weightloss 

is a great side effect and it will come, but 

there must be more awareness of heart 

health.” 

Sarina is currently in Kuwait to lead a 

Masala Bhangra master class and teach a two 

day workshop. Given Kuwait and India’s long 

history together, as well as the immense popularity 

of Bollywood films here, it’s not surprising 

that the workout is growing in popularity. 

“When I came to Kuwait last year, it was such a 

wonderful experience when over 150 women 

all danced and exercised together. It was 

something completely new for them and, 

luckily, they all loved it,” recalled Sarina. As 

obesity and type two diabetes continue to 

soar in Kuwait, it’s not surprising that women 

are jumping at the chance to both learn and 

teach a new workout. “My instructors are my 

ambassadors, and I now have 10 ambassadors 

in Kuwait on my ‘MBA’ program: the Masala 

Banghra Ambassador program. Women have 

even come from other countries in the region 

to learn and become ambassadors so that 

they can return to their cities and teach,” 

added Sarina. Classes are currently being 

taught at Rana’s Fitness Studio in Khaldiya, 

where several of Sarina’s ambassadors teach. 

Kuwait and India have more in common 

than a shared love of Bollywood, however, as 

Sarina added that fitness is not a priority in 

either. “In cultures where family is such a 

strong, central factor, fitness can often take a 

back seat as there is so much importance 

placed on family time. These obligations can 

sometimes overtake one’s own fitness, as 

there is little time left for anything else.” 

Contrastingly, she added, fitness is granted 

more time and dedication in the US, “In the 

States, there is a higher concentration on fitness 

and fitting in a workout is a key part of 

many people’s lives. Many successfully manage 

to balance enough time between their 

responsibilities.” Sarina feels that by pursuing 

fun, group workouts, the predicament of balancing 

fitness and family time can be better 

overcome. “Workouts like Masala Bhangra can 

bring women together because it is a fun way 

to spend time together, and also happens to 

be great cardio.” 

The pursuit of fitness, however, requires 

dedication: “Fitness is a personal goal: however 

you do it, whatever you decide to do, do it. 

Your body is your temple. Looking good 

makes you feel good and increases confidence. 

Everyone knows this: but they don’t go 

and do it.” Enjoying workouts, Sarina added, 

encourages more dedication and is important 

when it comes to achieving health goals, “It is 

NEW YORK: Sarina leads a 

class of 5,000 people in 

New York’s central park. 

lifestyle 

NEW YORK: Sarina leads a class. 

important that people enjoy their workouts. 

When someone becomes passionate about 

something, they want to improve and 

advance, which drives them even further.” 

Twelve years later, she insists that she still 

enjoys each workout as if it were the first. “I 

love what I do, I love what I have created, and I 

still love it even now.” 

While Sarina is passionate about fitness 

and keeping workouts fun, she wanted to create 

something that represented her heritage, 

“My father always told us to be proud of our 

culture and to be proud to be Indian, and we 

really are. I’m doing this for my Dad to show 

him how very proud we are of our background.” 

Growing up in the States and being 

of Indian heritage taught Sarina the importance 

of paying respect to, and being proud 

of, both sides: “Children born and raised in 

other cultures should always embrace both, 

because having two cultures to embrace is 

such a beautiful thing.” Developing something 

new, however, takes time “I wanted to find a 

way to get the average American person to 

get up and work out Indian style, and I worked 

in my garage in California for a year straight 

trying to work out how to create an Indian 

dance workout based on steps that we do at 

Indian weddings.” 

Sarina certainly succeeded: there are now 

eight Masala Bhangra workout DVDs and the 

class was named one of AOL’s top 5 workouts, 

not to mention the growing number of 

ambassadors across the world teaching the 

dance-inspired workout. “The biggest workout 

we have had was when 5,000 people came 

together at Central Park in New York to do a 

Masala Bhangra workout together,” she says 

beaming. However, despite the nod to her 

Indian background, Sarina says that the workout 

is more popular with those not of Indian 

heritage, “In the States, it is mostly Americans 

who come to the workouts. There are not 

many attendees that are of Indian heritage, 

although the number is slowly increasing as 

they become curious about what the workout 

has to offer.” Kuwait was the same, she added. 

“Despite the large population of Indians here, 


Masala Bhangra spices up Kuwait’s workout scene 

Namaste fitness: Women dancing their way to health 

KUWAIT: Sarina Jain, creator of Masala 

Bhangra. 

A pigeon stands on an installation of clocks by French artist Arman yesterday in Paris. 

Europe moves to summer time at 0100 GMT tomorrow when clocks go forward an 

hour. —AFP 

Erika Faulk and her cousin, Gale 

Robinson, could have met up for a 

weekend spa retreat or planned a shopping 

excursion, but the two middle-aged, 

suburban moms opted for weekend learning 

to shoot guns, build campfires and track deer 

deep in the Ocala National Forest. Faulk, 

Robinson and about 100 other women were 

taking part in a three-day workshop called 

“Becoming an Outdoors-Woman.” The program 

began two decades ago in Wisconsin 

and has spread to 40 states and Canada as a 

way to teach women the skills needed to 

enjoy outdoor activities. In Florida, three 

workshops are held in different parts of the 

state throughout the year. Organizers say the 

sessions are so popular they usually fill up just 

days after they are announced. 

Faulk’s 18-year-old-son laughed at her 

when she told him she was planning a weekend 

of camping in the woods. “He said, ‘You 

are paying money to do this, go outside? You 

don’t want to go to a Ritz Carlton?’” Faulk said. 

Faulk, who is from the Tampa area, took classes 

in archery, boating and firearms. 

Robinson’s schedule included a class in outdoor 

cooking. Robinson, who lives in the 

Atlanta area, had not been camping since she 

was child. But the two cousins, both in their 

50s and in the pharmaceutical sales business, 

said they had a blast sleeping in bunk beds in 

a cabin shared with other women, hiking in 

the woods and experiencing the great outdoors. 

The program began in 1991 in Wisconsin 

after researchers at the University of 

Wisconsin-Stevens Point studied why women 

were less likely than men to participate in 

some outdoor activities, said Lynne Hawk, an 

education specialist with the Florida Fish and 

Wildlife Conservation Commission and director 

of the Florida program. 

“The women didn’t feel like they had the 

skills to be confident and comfortable to be 

outdoors doing these activities,” Hawk said. 

The Wisconsin program was an enormous 

success and spread from there, she said. 

States tailor their workshops to outdoor 

activities common in their areas and teach 

whatever survival skills are needed in the 

region. 

Florida joined the program in 1995. The 

state Fish and Wildlife Conservation 

Commission usually holds workshops every 

year near Tallahassee, Ocala and West Palm 

Beach. The Florida program includes courses 

in boating, kayaking, whitetail deer, fishing, 

knot tying and outdoor photography. 

Instructors even teach students how to back a 

boat trailer into the water and how to tie a 

boat up to a dock. 

“We think part of the whole boating safety 

program is learning to control the boat, control 

the trailer and to know the knots neces- 

the last master class was almost completely 

made up of Kuwaiti women, who seemed to 

really enjoy it and have a good time. The 

turnout was great, but I was shocked that so 

few Indian women came.” In her endeavor to 

get Indian women working out, change the 

trend and get them dancing, Sarina is issuing 

them a formal challenge: “Many Indian women 

say they can already dance. If so, great. I challenge 

the Indian populations of both the 

States and Kuwait to get more involved and 

show us what they’ve got.” 

KUWAIT: Sarina with Rana Al-Omani of 

Kuwait’s Rana Fit Studio. 

Instead of spas, women opt 

for hunting and fishing 

sary to secure the boat to the dock,” said Dot 

Goodwin, a boating safety instructor. “The 

husband might want to be in the boat and 

then the wife would have to put the boat in 

the water with the trailer and then bring the 

trailer away so she needs to know how to 

operate it also.” Debbie Hanson had a tough 

time maneuvering a trailer hitched to the 

back of a truck through a series of traffic 

cones and into the lake. “What can I say other 

than it took me five hours,” the Estero woman 

said to roars of laughter from her companions 

when finally she completed the task in about 

20 minutes with Goodwin’s careful coaching. 

Julia Beasley, from Altha, met her sister 

Dottie Love, who lives in North Carolina, for 

the weekend. The sisters joked that they are 

wilderness opposites - Julie has spent little 

time in the great outdoors and Dottie loves to 

camp, fish and hunt. “She’s 100 percent and 

I’m like five,” Beasley said, comparing their 

enthusiasm for the outdoors. Love has gone 

to Becoming an Outdoors-Woman events in 

North Carolina for more than 10 years. The 

Ocala program was Beasley’s first. 

The sisters’ class choices reflected their differences. 

Beasley learned about bird watching, 

cooking outdoors, and making ornaments 

from plant leaves. Love got tips on 

deer hunting. Despite their different tastes, 

the sisters shared a cabin in the national park 

and ate together at communal meals. —AP

By Nawara Fattahova 

Huge turnout at the 

annual NBK 

Walkathon 2012 held 

along Gulf Road 

yesterday. —Photos 

by Yasser Al-Zayyat 

More than 9,000 people participated yesterday 

in the annual National Bank of Kuwait 

(NBK) walkathon. This year’s walkathon carried 

the slogan ‘Health with Every Step’. The participants 

were luckier this year, as the weather was not 

so hot and it was easier to walk. 

This year NBK is celebrating its 60th anniversary 

and prepared special prizes for the participants. For 

the first year, the draw for Jawhara Account winners 

includes a new prize of KD 250 000, which is the 

newly added quarterly prize, in addition to the 

monthly and weekly Jawhara prizes. 

“This is the first year to give two cars away to 

two winners by a raffle draw of the coupons filled in 

by participants and placed in boxes at the beginning 

of the race. The winner must be present here 

at Green Island, and if he or she did not come on 

stage within five minutes we will draw another 

coupon,” Abdulmohsen Al-Rsheid, NBK PR Manager 

told the Kuwait Times yesterday. 

The walkathon included three categories for 

children, women and men of all nationalities. Each 

of these categories included four subcategories. 

The walkathon started in the morning with children 

walking at Green Island. The participating children 

were divided into four categories according to 

their ages, between 4 to 14 years old. They wore jerseys 

in four colors: yellow, red, green and blue. They 

only walked inside Green Island. 

The walking distance was different for each of 

the three categories. The children in Zeina Friends 

Club started at 10am and walked one kilometer. The 

last category of older children, aged between 12 

and 14, walked 2 kilometers. 

Women started at Marina Crescent at 14:15 pm 

and walked six kilometers, while men started at 

15:00 from The Scientific Center at Ras Salmiya and 

walked eight kilometers. All categories ended at 

Green Island. 

Participating women walked in four categories. 

At 2:15 the women in light blue color, ages 15 to 20, 


left Marina Crescent. They were followed at 2:30 by 

women in the yellow group, aged from 21 to 35. 

These were followed at 2:45 by the third and fourth 

categories of red, aged 36 to 49, and pink aged 50 

and above. 

The men strode off from the Scientific Center at 

3:00 pm, starting with the eldest category. They 

were divided into four categories: dark blue were 

youths aged from 15 to 20, white were young men 

aged from 21 to 35, green were middle aged men 

from 36 to 49, and burgundy were older men aged 

50 and above. 

“For the first year, this final celebration is broadcast 

live on social media such as Twitter, Facebook 

Masala Bhangra 

spices up 

Kuwait’s 

39 

workout 

scene 

and others. Different television channels and radio 

stations are broadcasting it. We are glad that the 

attendance is more than 16,000 people,” 

Abdulmuhsin Al-Rsheid said. 

At the finish line on Green Island, different activities 

were held. 

Then 10 winners from each category were 

awarded with cash prizes. A draw was held for the 

two cars: a Mazda MX-5 and a Peugeot 207 cc. 

In addition, different entertainment activities 

and prizes were given away to the attendees. The 

Nujoom musical band was performing at the theatre, 

presenting different folk and modern songs. 

The celebration concluded with fireworks. The participants 

praised the organizers of the walkathon. 

Majda Dawood Basha, over 49 years old, was 

one of the first ten winners. “I’m the sixth to reach 

the end point, and this is my tenth year to participate. 

Now I have about eight medals as I’m participating 

every year. This year I didn’t practice before 

the race, yet I’m the sixth, as this is my first year to 

be participating in the pink category,” she pointed 

out. Some regular participants won the race for the 

first time. “I’m participating every year in this 

walkathon, but this is the first time for me to win. 

I’m happy that I made it this time,” said a 42 year old 

participant. 

The race didn’t witness any serious injuries to 

the participants. “There were four ambulances participating 

in the walkathon. Two were on the street 

along the track and two were located at the finishing 

point. We didn’t face any serious injuries. We 

dealt with 15 hypotension cases, four muscle 

spasms and eight asthma cases. The majority of 

these cases were women,” stressed Ibraheem Dashti 

from the medical emergency team.

'Utter regret' following Kazakh anthem blunder 12 US ... - Kuwait Times

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