Issue No. 1396 www.alwatandaily.com 150 Fils with IHT

FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012 @alwatandaily 20 PAGES

Pope reaffirms ban on women priests 16

Annan: Syria claims ‘partial withdrawal’ from cities

Giant feathered dinosaur fossil found in China 15

Mountains of discarded tires in Jahra, Kuwait. Officials say that at least five million tires are dumped and no plan to dispose of them has been put forward. (Al Watan) More on 2

Mountains of discarded tires pose health, environment threat to Jahra residents UNITED NATIONS: International envoy Kofi An-

nan says violence is clearly continuing in Syria, with “alarming levels” of casualties being reported daily.

Annan told the UN General Assembly in a video conference briefing from Geneva on Thursday that Syria has informed him of a partial withdrawal from several towns and cities, but he said more far-reaching action is “urgently needed.” He appealed for an imme-diate end to all violence and a speedy start to an inclu-sive political dialogue involving all Syrian parties.

On Thursday, a team led by a Norwegian major general arrived in Damascus to negotiate the possible deployment of a UN team that would monitor a cease-fire agreement between Syrian government troops and rebel forces, a spokesman for the UN Arab League en-voy Kofi Annan said.

Ahmad Fawzi said the UN is already asking mem-ber nations to contribute about 200 to 250 soldiers who would monitor a cease-fire that should come into effect on April 10.

His comments came as activists said Syrian troops attacked the Damascus suburb of Douma, an assault the opposition says shows President Bashar Assad is intensifying violence in the days before the deadline.

Annan has asked the Norwegian major-general,

Robert Mood, to “begin discussing with the Syrian au-thorities the modalities of the eventual deployment of this UN supervision and monitoring mission,” Fawzi said.

Such a contingent would first have to be authorized by the 15-nation Security Council on which permanent members Russia, China, the US, Britain and France have veto powers.

The Syrian government should remove its troops and heavy weapons from populated areas and “begin pullback of military concentrations in and around pop-ulation centers” by April 10, and then both sides will have 48 hours to stop fighting, Fawzi said. “The clock starts ticking on the 10th for both sides to cease all forms of violence,” Fawzi said.

Fawzi’s comments were an attempt to clarify the sequence of events envisioned by Annan’s peace plan aimed at bringing an end to an uprising that has left thousands of people dead.

In New York, diplomats said the Security Coun-cil has agreed on a statement endorsing the April 10 deadline. The statement calls on Assad’s government to “urgently and visibly” carry out the withdrawals, and raises the possibility of “further steps” if Syria doesn’t comply. More on 4

UN envoy reports alarming casualties in Syria

Catholics leave the San Antonio de Padua church with a statue of Jesus Nazareno for a procession known as “Jesus Nazareno of the tapes”, dur-ing Holy Week in Cot de Cartago, 32 km (20 miles) from San Jose, April 4, 2012. According Jorge Masis, a priest of the church, this procession, where people tie ribbons to the statue to symbolize promises they make to Jesus during Holy Week, is a tradition that dates back 50 years ago. (Reuters)

Staff Writers

KUWAIT: The Parliament overwhelmingly passed the Tenders Bill on Thursday during the first round of deliberations with a majority of 48 votes. The bill was approved amid accusations and argu-ments among the lawmakers about certain provi-sions of the law. In the meantime, parliamentary sources have revealed that the Majority Bloc plans to include the Chamber of Commerce Bill in the Parliament’s agenda in preparation for its endorse-ment like the Tenders Law.

A parliamentary source within the Majority

Bloc told Al Watan that the bloc will soon meet to deliberate over the provisions of the new Cham-ber of Commerce Bill in order to place it on top of the priorities for the month of April so that it can be discussed and approved by the Parliament. The source added that the Parliamentary Majority will press for a speedy deliberation of the said bill just as was the case with the Tenders Bill.

“The majority, including the National Assembly Speaker Ahmad Al-Saadoun, support the amend-ment of the existing Chamber of Commerce law, along with a significant number of independent lawmakers,” the source suggested. More on 2

Parliament passes Tenders Law

Egypt Brotherhood’s Shater registers candidacy

CAIRO: Khairat El-Shater, a leader of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, regis-tered his candidacy for the country’s presidency on Thursday as crowds of sup-porters cheered him on.

More than 1,000 of his backers chanted “the people want Shater as presi-dent” when the Islamist, until recently the Brotherhood’s deputy leader, arrived at the election committee’s headquarters in northern Cairo.

Last week’s announcement of Shater’s candidacy sent political shockwaves throughout the post-uprising country as people accused the Brotherhood of try-ing to monopolize power.

The Brotherhood, which dominates parliament and the senate through its political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), had pledged not to field a candidate for the May election. More on 4

Weather during weekend expected to be cloudy with a

chance of rain: ForecasterKUWAIT: Kuwait is expected during the weekend to

experience thermal lows, which could turn the weather con-ditions to partly cloudy with a chance of scattered rain, a forecaster mentioned Thursday. Clouds will gradually dis-perse by Saturday followed by light to moderate north to northeasterly winds, with an estimated speed of 45 kmph, Head of the meteorological department at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Mohammad Karam told KUNA. (KUNA)

SAN DIEGO: Invisible Children re-leased the sequel to what has become the most-viral video of all time, KONY 2012 on Thursday. The San Diego-based organization Invisible Children released “Beyond Famous.” Coming in at 19 min-utes - about 10 minutes less than the group’s first video - the sequel addresses media criticism of the first “Kony 2012” video, which caught fire on Twitter and was reportedly viewed on YouTube 100 million times. It also explains what poli-ticians in Washington and in Africa have done in the past month since the original “Kony 2012” video.

The second video continues to ad-vocate for the capture of Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army. Formed in the 1980s, the LRA is a sec-tarian military and religious group that operates in Uganda and South Sudan. As its leader, Kony recruited child soldiers and committed numerous atrocities in-clude raping and maiming civilians, ex-

perts say. Kony is at large.Ben Keesey, Invisible Children’s ex-

ecutive director, told CNN the makers of the first video said they wanted to explain the plight of children affected by the LRA. The video hung its narrative on 30-some-thing American filmmaker Jason Russell, his friendship with a young Ugandan boy who had escaped from the LRA, and Rus-sell’s young son, Gavin.

At one point in that video, Russell tells his son on camera that there are bad guys like Kony in the world. The child reacts as any child would - incredibly scared. Rus-sell, who recently had a public meltdown, is not part of the sequel. Critics blasted the video as overly simplistic.

“We made the first video intention-ally for a young Western audience, and therefore it was a priority that the video keep their attention,” Keesey told CNN on Thursday. “This (new) video goes deeper. I think people will respond.” -AP

Sequel to Kony 2012 video released, addresses criticisms

A scene from the video “Kony 2012 Part II” made by California advocacy group Invisible Children, is pictured in this handout photo received by Reu-ters April 5, 2012. Invisible Children has released a sequel to its video high-lighting the activities of Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony. (Reuters)

BAMAKO: Fears mounted Thursday that Al-Qaeda-linked Islamists were turn-ing Mali into a rogue state despite the an-nouncement by Tuareg rebels that their 10-week military offensive was complete. As the Tuareg trumpeted the success of a decades-old struggle to “liberate” their homeland, their fundamentalist comrades-turned-rivals began imposing sharia in northern Mali, also leaving an embattled junta looking very vulnerable in Bamako. The UN Security Council on Wednesday called for an immediate ceasefire but proposed no firm action to reverse a sequence that has seen a coun-try hailed as a democratic success story descend into chaos in barely two weeks.

The United States, which had grown increasingly concerned since the collapse of Muammer Gadhafi’s Libya scattered weapons across the region, engaged talks with Algeria, the most powerful of Mali’s seven neighbors.

Algerian President Abdelaziz Boutef-

lika met General Carter Ham, who heads the US Command for Africa (AFRICOM) in Algiers on Wednesday.

They had in-depth talks on the se-curity situation in Mali, Carter told the Algerian news agency. Military coopera-tion and anti-terrorism coordination were also discussed during the talks, attended by several other top officials from both sides, including Washington’s top Africa diplomat Johnnie Carson.

Three of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb’s (AQIM) top leaders, all of them Algerians, were spotted in the Ma-lian city of Timbuktu in talks with Iyad Ag Ghaly, a former Tuareg rebel who recently founded the Islamist group Ansar Dine.

The group, whose name means “De-fenders of Faith” in Arabic, has ordered women to wear headscarves and threat-ened to cut off the hands of thieves in the city, once known as the “pearl of the des-ert” and once the jewel in Mali’s burgeon-ing tourism industry. More on 5

Mali slips into chaos as world waits for response

Study suggests rising CO2 in the past caused global warming

WASHINGTON: The dramatic temperature increases that thawed the last ice age followed spikes in carbon dioxide levels in the air, a new study finds. Researchers say that further strengthens the scientific case explaining current man-made global warming.

In the new study, scientists show the atmospheric concentration of that heat-trapping greenhouse gas jumped more than 40 percent. Then global tempera-tures went up about 6 degrees Fahrenheit (3.5 degrees Celsius). More on 15

Tunisia’s ex-first lady to tell her ‘truth’ in memoir

TUNIS: Leila Ben Ali, the wife of Tunisia’s ousted dictator, will publish a memoir of her life that is likely to stir controversy in the North African country where she was reviled by many as a latter-day Marie-Antoinette. Her book, to be published in French under the title “Ma Verite” or “My Truth”, appears on amazon.fr, the French language arm of amazon.com, as a forthcoming title with a publication date of May 24. It is priced at 16.10 euros. Contacted by Reuters, the Paris-based publisher, Les Editions du Mo-ment, was not immediately available for comment. Tunisian news website Tunisia Live reported on Wednesday that the publisher had confirmed the book was “in the process of being prepared” but had not given details. More on 16

Staff Writers

KUWAIT: The Parliament overwhelmingly passed the Tenders Bill on Thursday during the first round of deliberations with a majority of 48 votes. The bill was approved amid accusations and arguments among the lawmakers about certain provisions of the law.

In the meantime, parliamentary sources have re-vealed that the Majority Bloc plans to include the Chamber of Commerce Bill in the Parliament’s agen-da in preparation for its endorsement like the Tenders Law.

A parliamentary source within the Majority Bloc told Al Watan that the bloc will soon meet to deliber-ate over the provisions of the new Chamber of Com-merce Bill in order to place it on top of the priorities for the month of April so that it can be discussed and approved by the Parliament. The source added that the Parliamentary Majority will press for a speedy deliberation of the said bill just as was the case with the Tenders Bill.

“The majority, including the National Assembly Speaker Ahmad Al-Saadoun, support the amendment of the existing Chamber of Commerce law, along with a significant number of independent lawmakers,” the source suggested. This, he added, implies that the bill will be easily passed without any hindrances.

Several government officials have however ex-pressed reservation over all the provisions of the new

law, except for two it had agreed to with MPs. The Minister of Electricity and Water and the Minister of State for Municipal Affairs Abdulaziz Al-Ibrahim af-firmed that passing the bill as it currently stands will hamper and stall the Development Plan. The minister demanded that the bill be returned to the specialized committee for further study. “Stubbornness will do no good, and we shouldn’t be held accountable for past accumulations,’ Al-Ibrahim was cited as saying.

Moreover, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance Mustafa Al-Shamali warned against including the operations of the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) in the Tenders Law. For his part, the Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled stressed that the representation of government in parliamen-tary committee meetings depends on the extension of invitations to the officials. He called for the involve-ment of all the concerned authorities and ministries in the provisions of the law.

A group of MPs were in tandem with the govern-ment’s standpoint that military tenders should be ex-empted from the new law on confidentiality grounds in this regard. Other lawmakers, nevertheless, argued that they should be included, saying that there is no more confidentiality in light of the information revo-lution and the fact a lot of international arms dealers publish their information on the web.

MP Saleh Ashour stated that the issue of arms is no longer a secret, adding that military magazines

publish all the details.The National Assembly Deputy Speaker Khaled

Al-Sultan remarked that the government’s resistance to the law stems from what he described as the con-tinuing “chaos” in tenders.

Further, MP Faisal Al-Mislem explained that the law is aimed at confronting widespread corruption, which reached a level of “crime.”

In the meantime, MP Faisal Al-Yahya pointed out that although the National Assembly has taken a tough line in oversight, corruption has been rising, and stressed that laws alone cannot achieve reform. MP Khaled Al-Tahous agreed with him that a firm stance should be made to halt malpractices in tenders in order to safeguard the country.

Commenting on the matter, MP Al-Saifi Al-Saifi lamented the magnitude of irregularities in the Min-istry of Defense. “Certain companies’ capital is not more than 100,000 Sterling pounds.

However they win tenders amounting to hun-dreds of millions,” the lawmaker charged. He com-plained that Shell’s 800 million US dollar contract was never scrutinized by the Tenders Committee.

MP Mohammad Al-Khalifa described the law as national, stressing that it should be enacted without any flaws as the country is going through an impor-tant development period, while MP Adel Al-Damkhi considered it as the gate of cooperation between the executive and legislative authorities.

kuwaitFrIDAY, APrIL 6, 2012

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Parliament passes Tenders Law

Ali Al-SaoudStaff Writer

KUWAIT: More than five million discarded used car tires in a junkyard pose legitimate health and environment threats; especially if a fire breaks out in the area, because it will affect peo-ple living in Jahra and Saad Al-Abdullah area. Al Watan television and newspaper toured the loca-tion of the junk yard that is five kilometers away from Jahra and Saad Al-Abdullah cities. Al Watan crew was escorted by Municipality Council mem-ber Abdullah Al-Enezi, who highlighted the fact that the tires junk yard is a serious health threat;

especially that those discarded tires form black hills and valleys.

He highlighted that in case of a fire, firemen will not be able to overcome the flames, and stressed that the fire will be much worse than the fire that broke out at oil wells during the Iraqi invasion. He called for handling those discarded tires in a scientific way that can be profitable to the government, such as allowing private sector companies specialized in that field of business to handle that matter and invest in this field.

Al-Enezi went on to say that the municipal-ity rejected a request made by the Cabinet to allocate another location that occupies 500,000

square meters to discard more tyres, because the government has no clear plan on how to discard the tires in the existing junkyard.

He asserted that since the government is unable to properly discard millions of tires, the municipality will be adamant in not allocating another piece of land to discard more tires, since this will further harm the environment.

He explained that the municipality will not stand idly; he pointed that rubber and plastic need about 1000 years to decompose.

He revealed that a workshop will be held to discuss this impending disaster, in order to find an effective and scientific solution.

Mountains of discarded tires pose health, environment threat to Jahra residents

Photos of tires junkyard with over 5 million discarded tires. (Al Watan)

BAGHDAD: Iraq has approved a re-quest from Kuwait’s Jazeera Airways to op-erate services to Baghdad and Najaf, more than 20 years after direct flights between the neighbors were halted, officials said Thursday.

“We agreed yesterday to the request of the Kuwaiti Jazeera Airways company to (begin) flights from Kuwait to Iraq,” said Nasser Hussein Bandar, the head of Iraq’s civil aviation authority. Bandar said Jazeera Airways, which was founded in 2004, had requested four flights a week to Baghdad and four more to the central Iraq city Najaf. Karim Al-Nuri, an adviser to Iraq’s trans-port minister, confirmed that a deal was approved.

“This is a step on the path to resolve all the suspended files between Iraq and Ku-wait,” including unresolved disputes over borders, said Al-Nuri.

Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, after which flights between the Iraq and its small neighbor to the south were suspended.

During a visit by Iraqi premier Nuri Al-Maliki in mid-March, Kuwait agreed to a 500 million US dollar deal with Baghdad aimed at ending a decades-long debt dis-pute that saw an Iraqi Airways flight im-pounded in London. According to Kuwait Airways, Iraq’s flag carrier owes it $1.2 bil-lion as a result of the 1990 invasion. Kuwait says 10 of its planes as well as aircraft parts were plundered after its airport was seized during the invasion.

The dispute saw British authorities seize the passport of Iraqi Airways chief ex-ecutive Kifah Hassan Jabbar and impound the plane which he flew to London in April 2010. The incident marred Iraqi Airways’ first commercial flight from Baghdad to London in 20 years. -AFP

Kuwait-Iraq flights to resume after 20 years

Nahar Al-Hajeri detained over f lag burning released

Yousef Al-Yousef,

KUWAIT: The General Department for Investigations on Thursday released Nahar Al-Hajeri on bail after a weeklong deten-tion.

Al-Hajeri faces charges of degrading and burning the flag of a non-hostile state (Iran). His detention triggered daily sit-ins at the State Security Bureau by his support-ers demanding his release.

Following his release, Al-Hajeri exclu-sively spoke to Al Watan to voice dismay over the abuse meted out to him and the ru-mors peddled against him. He also lamented what he described as selectivity and abuse

in the application of law, and promised to reveal some of the things he came to know during his detention.

Additionally, he thanked all segments of the society and officials in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain who were in touch with him. Al-Hajeri, in the meantime, expressed grati-tude to all those who staged sit-ins in his support, particularly Members of Parlia-ment (MP) Waleed Al-Tabtabaie as well as his lawyers.

It could be recalled that the Iranian flag was set on fire during a gathering at the Determination Square where participants denounced a twitter who allegedly blas-phemed Prophet Mohammed, (PBUH).

Photo of Nahar Al-Hajeri’s supporters holding banners asking for his release. (Al Watan)

Staff Writer

KUWAIT: Lawyer Ali Al-Ali filed a new State Security complaint against writer Mohammed Al-Melaifi for taking part in a forum that discussed Iran’s influence in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Al-Ali accused Al-Melaifi of causing sedition and jeopardizing national unity. He threatened that if the Ministry of Interior does not arrest Al-Melaifi for describing Shiites as ‘atheists’, Shiites will hold a sit-in in front of the State Security building and will not leave until Al-Melaifi is arrested.

He condemned Al-Melaifi for describing Shiites as ‘sheep’ and for accusing Shiites of being loyal to Iran, in addition to insulting prominent Shiite scholars. He stressed that Shiites in Kuwait are loyal to Kuwait and its ruling family, but asserted that if the govern-

ment does not silence such voices, Shiites will escalate the issue.Meanwhile, Al-Me-laifi responded by saying that what Al-Ali has accused him of saying is false. He added that the forum that sparked this controversy was recorded and can be found on YouTube. He stressed that no one mentioned any-thing about Shiites. He stated that during the forum, they discussed Iran’s role in the unrest in Bahrain, and its schemes against other GCC countries. He criticized Yasser Al-Habib for calling for the expansion of the Persian state, and toppling the regimes of the GCC countries.

He explained that if State Security has to arrest anyone, it should be Al-Ali for at-tempting to cause sedition. He went on to say that Al-Habib slandered Prophet Mo-hammed (PBUH) and his wives, and asked Al-Ali to settle any issues at court.

Lawyer Al-Ali threatens to initiate sit-in if Al-Melaifi is not arrested

Nasser Al-OtaibiStaff Writer

KUWAIT: Participants of the Al-Otaibi Tribe Forum stressed that disparaging the Prophet of Islam Mohammed (PBUH) is not an issue that can be compromised on and that it is seen as a red line that cannot be crossed under any circumstances. There was a unanimous demand that stricter measures and maximum penalty should be introduced and strictly applied against any attempt to dis-parage and slander the Prophet Mohammed PBUH and his sacrosanct household.

The Al-Otaibi Tribe Forum is held annual-ly in coordination with the Al-Hila magazine in the Heritage Hall in Fahad Al-Ahmad city. Participants included senior members of the tribe as well as current and former members

of Parliament (MPs).The forum began with a speech delivered

by Falah Matar Al-Otaibi saying that the aim and purpose of the forum is to maintain closer ties among the members of the tribe on one hand and to cement ties with the rest of the community here in Kuwait on the other.

Al-Otaibi went on to discuss the contro-versial issue of disparaging the Prophet Mo-hammed PBUH. Al-Otaibi was referring to a local blogger who degraded the Prophet with harsh comments about him and his wife as well as companions. He explained that the very fact of attacking the Prophet PBUH con-stitutes an ex-communication.

The speaker called on the government to not stand idle and check in all attempts to degrade the Prophet Mohammed PBUH, expressing his astonishment at the same time

because the Kuwaiti government hasn’t issued any formal condemnation against the blogger and his criminal act.

“I call on the government, on behalf of Al-Otaibi Tribe Forum and Al-Haila maga-zine, to come up with stricter measures and maximum penalty in the quickest fashion,” he remarked.

Al-Otaibi then moved to another topic where he described the attack between Ku-waiti families and tribes as an “outside job” because as he explained that no one with the spirit of patriotism would even venture on do-ing something against the country’s tribes. He explained that two leading tribes in the coun-try Al-Mutairs and Al-Azmis were subject of ferocious attack and once again the govern-ment failed to counteract such attack without the slightest attempt to curtail it.

Disparaging Prophet leads to excommunication: Al-Otaiba Forum

Parliament Speaker Ahmed Al-Saadoun during Thursday’s session, April 5, 2012. (Al Watan)

Abdullah Al-ShimmeryStaff Writer

KUWAIT: An informed source at the Public Authority for Housing Welfare (PAHW) revealed that the committee was formed to assess the salary and salary raise of expatriate employees at the authority is about to complete its report.

When the report is completed then it will be referred to the supreme planning committee within the next week and the latter in turn will refer the report to the minister Shuaib

Al-Muwaizri to get approval. The source told Al-Watan that the different expatriate employees- who are estimated at 40 percent of the employees of authority- will benefit from the raise. The committee also considered the salary of Kuwaiti Civil Servant at the authority, wherein some of them will get a salary raise as well as increasing certain awards that Kuwaiti Civil Servants used to obtain. The sources affirmed that the minister is serious about raising the morale of all employees of the authority including the Kuwaiti and the expatriate ones.

Minister of Information urges youth to join Science ClubMervat Abdul DayemStaff Writer

KUWAIT: Minister of Information Sheikh Moham-med Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah urged Kuwaiti youths to join the Kuwait Science Club to discover and hone their talents in a scientific environment, since the club offers unique training courses. He applauded those in charge of the club, and praised their role in improving the club’s services.

The minister stated during an honoring celebration held at the club two days ago under the patronage of the club’s Chairman Engineer Eyad Al-Kharafi and attended by a number of ministers and officials, that loyalty is al-ways rewarded in Kuwait. He expressed towards those who spent long years of their lives in catering to the needs to the up and coming generation of Kuwaiti inventors and innovators. He asked Kuwaiti youths to visit the club and unleash their potential.

Meanwhile, Minister of Public Works and Minister of State for Planning and Development Affairs Fadhil Safar expressed his pleasure in taking part in the honoring of competent Kuwaiti employees who had been serving the club for many years. He added that those employees man-aged to youths and through this scientific establishment. He also praised the role played by the club in developing the talents of youths, training, and supporting them finan-cially, which allowed them to take part in scientific con-tests and global exhibitions, despite limited resources.

Ministry of Information Undersecretary Sheikh Sal-man Al-Humoud Al-Sabah highlighted the achievements made by the club during the past years under the wise leadership of Al-Kharafi. He noted that the honoring event is a token of gratitude and appreciation to the ef-forts exerted by a group of former dedicated board mem-bers. He lauded the role played by the honorees in devel-oping the club’s activities.

It is worth noting that the event began by a speech made by Al-Kharafi, who mentioned that the club’s ad-ministration has been working relentlessly to boost the club’s activities and various scientific courses, which led to the significant increase in number of members. He went on to say that despite limited resources and financial sup-port that fail to accomplish the club’s goals, the club man-aged through its successive boards to trigger a paradigm shift in its scientific activities. He also praised the role of the honorees in allowing club members to take part in forums, camps, exchange visits, and contests; in addition to taking part in international inventions expos.

Moreover, former board member Adel Al-Kharafi thanked the club management for this kind gesture, and expressed his joy because Kuwaiti youths will be manag-ing the club and granting other youths the opportunity to excel. He stressed that Kuwait will never develop, unless

it grants youths the opportunity to take part in develop-ment. He noted that Kuwait has shortcomings in scien-tific research as a result of being engrossed in politics. He went on to say that Kuwait Foundation for the Advance-ment of Science is isolated and does not exist among the civil society, not to mention placing constraints that erode the production of youths and hinders their abilities. He remarked that he is pessimistic regarding their method of work. Furthermore, Ahmed Al-Manfouhi thanked the chairman, board members, ministers, and officials who were keen to attend the celebration. He expressed his confidence that the current officials in the club will be able to shoulder the responsibility efficiently.

Former board member Matar Al-Mutairi stressed that all former board members exerted sterling efforts to im-prove the services and activities that take place in the club. He added that he has gained experience during the years he had spent in the club.

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Raising salaries of expatriate workers at PAHW next week

Kuwait abides to achieving justice, protecting human rights: Minister of Justice

Al-Mutter: Metro project best solution for avoiding traffic jams

Desert clean-up campaign continues

KUWAIT: The Minister of Justice and the Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Jamal Shahab announced in a press release that Kuwait abides to all articles and items of the Kuwaiti institu-tion that calls for achieving justice and protecting human rights in the country.

The constitution which, was en-dorsed in 1962, highlights human rights as well as developing all human rights laws to meet the requirements of the in-ternational community.

The minister released this state-ment through commenting on the last

ministerial decisions which stipulated re-forming the supreme committee for human rights and adding more members to the committee from dif-ferent ministries, government institu-tions and private sector institutions as well.

The minister unveiled that the deci-sion was adopted in order to show re-spect and interest in Arabian, regional and international charters and agree-ments that Kuwait had signed.

He indicated that the number of such charters and agreements exceeds

25 including some agreements with the United Nations.

The agreements and charters deal with protecting civil, economic, social and cultural rights, however some agree-ments focus on protecting intellectual property and eradicating discrimination against women and children as well as torture and human trafficking.

Shahab added that the committee has other tasks to do such as submit-ting consultations and advices to the decision makers in the field of human rights.

Staff Writer

KUWAIT: The Head of the Kuwaiti Society for Traffic Safety Dr. Bader Al-Mutter extolled the stance of the Mem-ber of Parliament (MP) Dr. Abdullah Al-Turaiji for adopting the traffic issue in the country through directing several parliamentary questions to the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Inte-rior Sheikh Ahmad Al-Humoud regarding traffic related issues which people suffer from at the present time. The lawmaker asked the Ministry of Interior to answer

all questions transparently, calling the ministry to exert all possible efforts to solve traffic problems.

He added that there are other respon-sible sides for the traffic problems such as the Ministry of Public Works and the Pub-lic Authority for Transport. He indicated, “The convenient solution for traffic jams is floating the project of metro in order to be carried out as soon as possible since Kuwait has a large financial surplus nowadays and the sole thing that the gov-ernment needs right now is the ability to take final decisions.” The project of metro

is expected to decrease traffic up to 50 percent when compared to the current traffic jams.

Al-Mutter asked His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak to issue immediate instructions for speed-ing up the execution of the project as well as avoiding bureaucracy that will inter-rupt the project. He also called all MPs for adopting and supporting the metro project and assigning a special session to discuss traffic jams with the relevant officials besides to looking for effective solutions to end all traffic problems.

KUWAIT: A clean-up campaign in all desert areas of the country organized by the Municipality continues with the end of the camping season as temperatures begin heating up. Held under the slogan “a desert free of pollutants”, the campaign aims to leave all deserts in the country free of

waste, announced Director General of the Municipality, Ahmad Al-Sabeeh on Thursday. The campaign is currently targeting the area around the Ahmadi Equestrian Club. The official urged peo-ple to cooperate with the country’s efforts to keep the country clean by refraining from throwing waste in these areas. -KUNA

Group photos during an honoring celebration held at the Kuwait Science Club on Thursday, April 5, 2012. (KUNA)

Photo of Kuwait Science Club Chairman Engineer Eyad Al-Kharafi giving a speech Thursday, April 5, 2012. (Al Watan)

KUWAIT: The US is very keen on bolstering educational ties with Kuwait and providing assis-tance in special education as one of the various ways to boost relations, said US Ambassador to Kuwait Matthew Tueller on Thursday.

Ambassador Tueller told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) during a books donation event at Al-Nibras School, “I’ve had great pleasure visiting the Nibras school this morning to be able to see the wonderful work that they’re doing in really cutting edge edu-cation here for the young people of Kuwait.

I’m very proud to be associated with this school and have been able to make a donation of books from the United States to reach children of all ages and ability groups here at this school.”

He was asked about extending such donations to public schools, Ambassador Tueller said that the US embassy had cooperated with many schools in Kuwait, indicating that the Nibras schools have been cooperating with the Embassy and teachers in the United States particularly within the areas of special education, a field which the US could close-ly cooperate with Kuwaitis from non-governmental organizations in bringing the best practices from the US to the young people of Kuwait. On her part,

General Manager and Founder of Nibras Schools Dr. Nora Al-Dahery said that the school was hon-ored to have received the US Ambassador of Ku-wait, thanking him for his generous donation.

In regards to the activities of the school, Al-Dahery noted that Al-Nibras was connected with the Kansas State University (KSU), revealing that a memorandum signed with the university helped to shape the school’s curriculum, magma of US and Kuwaiti educational systems. The deal also includes training courses for Al-Nibras teachers under su-pervision from their US counterparts.She said that Al-Nibras School is opened to students of all na-tionalities and ability groups, adding that the motto of the school “Everyone has the right to success” was aimed for reflecting such an attitude.

Al-Dahery said that the school links itself with local and international educational institutions to build a future for children, stressing that all indi-viduals have skills and special gifts.

On the curriculum of the special needs school, Al-Dahery revealed that the school had a unique curriculum for children aged three to adults aged 21, the only system of its kind in Kuwait and the Arab world. -KUNA

US ‘willing’ to assist Kuwait in special education: Ambassador

Photo of volunteer children during the desert cleaning campaign on Thurs-day, April 5, 2012. (KUNA)

SHARJAH: Kuwait’s participation in the 10th Sharjah Heritage Days Festival was well received by the public. It displayed an array of Kuwaiti history and folk artifacts, Head of Kuwaiti media delegation said on Thursday. Sharjah Heritage Days festival kicked off, late Wednesday until April 20, under the patronage of Sharjah ruler and Supreme Council Member Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammad Al-Qasimi. It is held to preserve and revive not only Sharjah’s heritage but also that of the Gulf region.Director of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Countries Media Department at the Foreign Ministry Mishaal Al-Thayyid said that Kuwait’s partici-pating in the event was lauded by Sheikh Sultan who ex-pressed wishes that future participation would be even bigger and better. Al-Thayyid told Kuwait News Agency

(KUNA), after the event opening, the Foreign Media de-partment at the Ministry of Information has supervised the Kuwaiti delegation second engagement in the festi-val. Baid Al-Sadu and Sailor’s Day village were among the participants. The Kuwaiti aisle displayed many pho-tographs that told the historic story that bound Kuwait and United Arab Emirates (UAE) together through many years. The photographs also captured moments from Ku-wait past and present.

Other heritage and folk artifacts of desert and ma-rine lifestyles were on display as well. This year’s slo-gan is “A Decade of Heritage.” The festival will be held throughout the Emirates, including Sharjah city, to cel-ebrate the country’s popular heritage, culture and litera-ture. -KUNA

Kuwait’s participation ‘well-received’ in Sharjah Heritage Day’s Festival

regionalFRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

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UN envoy reports alarming casualties in Syria

UNITED NATIONS: International envoy Kofi Annan says violence is clearly continuing in Syria, with “alarming levels” of casualties be-ing reported daily. Annan told the UN General Assembly in a video conference briefing from Geneva on Thursday that Syria has informed him of a partial withdrawal from several towns and cities, but he said more far-reaching action is “urgently needed.”

He appealed for an immediate end to all violence and a speedy start to an inclusive po-litical dialogue involving all Syrian parties.

On Thursday, a team led by a Norwegian major general arrived in Damascus to negoti-ate the possible deployment of a UN team that would monitor a cease-fire agreement between Syrian government troops and rebel forces, a spokesman for the UN Arab League envoy Kofi Annan said.

Ahmad Fawzi said the UN is already ask-ing member nations to contribute about 200 to 250 soldiers who would monitor a cease-fire that should come into effect on April 10.

His comments came as activists said Syr-ian troops attacked the Damascus suburb of Douma, an assault the opposition says shows President Bashar Assad is intensifying violence in the days before the deadline.

Annan has asked the Norwegian major-general, Robert Mood, to “begin discussing with the Syrian authorities the modalities of the eventual deployment of this UN supervi-sion and monitoring mission,” Fawzi said.

Such a contingent would first have to be au-thorized by the 15-nation Security Council on which permanent members Russia, China, the US, Britain and France have veto powers.

The Syrian government should remove its troops and heavy weapons from populated areas and “begin pullback of military concen-trations in and around population centers” by April 10, and then both sides will have 48 hours to stop fighting, Fawzi said.

“The clock starts ticking on the 10th for

both sides to cease all forms of violence,” Faw-zi said. Fawzi’s comments were an attempt to clarify the sequence of events envisioned by Annan’s peace plan aimed at bringing an end to an uprising that has left thousands of people dead. In New York, diplomats said the Security Council has agreed on a statement endorsing the April 10 deadline. The statement calls on Assad’s government to “urgently and visibly” carry out the withdrawals, and raises the pos-sibility of “further steps” if Syria doesn’t com-ply. France’s Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said he was not optimistic about a peace plan for Syria and is ready to push for stronger UN ac-tion if the deadline is not met. Assad “is deceiv-ing us” when he promises to abide by the peace

plan, Juppe said.“If we manage to get 200 observers (and

the other measures in the peace plan) in place, things will change dramatically,” he told re-porters in Paris. “If we don’t manage to get this by April 12, we have to go back to the UN Security Council.” Syria has told UN officials that it is withdrawing troops from the southern province of Daraa, the northwestern province of Idlib and mountain resort town of Zabadani, north of Damascus, Fawzi said.

Fawzi warned that they do not “expect anything to happen magically.”

“We expect things to happen methodically, in a disciplined manner, and yes, they have told us that they have begun withdrawing,” Fawzi

said, referring to Syria’s authorities. “And we are receiving positive signals from the opposi-tion that once the government abides by the 10th of April deadline, they too will lay down their arms.”

The UN has previously said that Syria has pledged to withdraw troops and heavy weap-ons from populated areas by April 10, in what could be a first step toward ending the bloody yearlong conflict.

Syria’s key ally Russia, meanwhile, said it could support a Security Council motion back-ing Annan’s peace plan if it doesn’t contain ul-timatums to Assad’s government.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov didn’t specify whether he was referring to a

Security Council resolution or a less bind-ing statement, but warned that the document shouldn’t contain “any ultimatums or threats.”

Russia has grown increasingly impatient with Assad, criticizing him for being slow at reforms and urging him to take the first step in implementing Annan’s plan.

Lavrov’s warning against the use of ultima-tums or threats in a UN motion backing An-nan’s plan indicated that Moscow will continue to protect Assad from foreign intervention.

Russia has vowed to block any UN resolu-tion that could pave the way for a replay of what happened in Libya, where NATO action helped oust longtime dictator Muammar Gad-hafi. -Agencies

Annan: Syria claims ‘partial withdrawal’ from cities

In this Wednesday, April 4, 2012 photo, Syrians raise their hands vowing to continue fighting until President Bashar Assad’s regime falls during a protest in a neighborhood in Damascus, Syria. Syrian troops launched a fierce assault on a Damascus suburb Thursday with activists describing it as one of the most violent attacks since the year-old uprising began. (AP)

Syrian youth stand in a building damaged by tank shells in a neighborhood of Damascus, Syria, after a raid by Syrian troops killed several rebels and civilians Thursday, April 5, 2012. Syrian troops launched a fierce assault Thursday, days ahead of a deadline for a U.N.-brokered cease-fire, with activists describing it as one of the most violent attacks around the capital since the year-old uprising began. (AP)

WASHINGTON: Accused September 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Moham-med and four suspected co-conspirators were ordered on Wednesday to stand trial before a Guantanamo war crimes tribu-nal, the Pentagon said, a move that throws the politically charged case into the lime-light in an election year.

Convictions on the most serious charges, which include terrorism, hijack-ing, conspiracy and murder in violation of the law of war, could carry the death penalty.

The decision to move to trial in a military court is the latest chapter in a decade-long political and legal battle over handling detainees. One of the most contentious issues has been whether ter-

rorism suspects like Mohammed and his alleged co-conspirators should be tried in civilian courts as criminals or before mili-tary courts as enemy combatants.

The trial will bring a deep examina-tion of the events leading up to 9/11, the deadliest attack ever carried out on US soil and one that propelled the country into a global war against Al-Qaeda and its affiliates.

The trial stands to be double-edged for President Barack Obama, who is run-ning for a second term in November. It will remind voters about the killing of long-fugitive Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden last year, a highlight of his presi-dency. But it could also draw attention to his failure to close the Guantanamo Bay

prison, which he had promised to do as a candidate in the 2008 election.

The official overseeing the Guan-tanamo tribunals, retired Vice Admiral Bruce MacDonald, referred the case to a capital military commission on charges of terrorism, hijacking aircraft, conspiracy, murder in violation of the law of war, attacking civilians and other counts, the Pentagon said. The case is fraught with controversy. All five defendants were held in secret CIA prisons before being sent to Guantanamo in 2006. The CIA has ac-knowledged subjecting Mohammed to a simulated drowning technique known as waterboarding during his interrogation, and other defendants have said they were abused.-Reuters

Accused September 11 mastermind to face trial at Guantanamo

Fugitive Iraqi VP will return to IraqRIYADH: Fugitive Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-

Hashemi will return to Iraq, a close aide said on Thurs-day, denying a claim by a Saudi official that he might remain in the kingdom until his political foe, Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki, leaves office.

“He will return very soon to Kurdistan,” said a member of his delegation in reference to the autono-mous Iraq region where Hashemi has been sheltering since he was accused late last year of running a death squad. The spokesman added that for Hashemi to stay abroad is “the wish of his enemies,” in a clear refer-ence to Maliki. Only hours earlier, Hashemi said in an interview that, although Maliki wants him “out of Iraq ... I will return.”

He also accused Maliki, a Shiite Muslim, of waging a systematic campaign against Sunni Arabs in Iraq.

For his part, Hashemi spokesman Medhat Abu Ab-dallah told AFP: “We deny this information categori-cally. The vice president will leave Saudi on Saturday to continue his regional tour.”

The Saudi official had said Hashemi “will remain in

Saudi Arabia for the time being,” adding that he might stay until Maliki is pushed out of office “by democratic means.”

He also lashed out at Maliki, describing him as “an extension of Iran in the region.”

Hashemi arrived in the kingdom on Wednesday from next-door Qatar, after a controversial four-day visit that sparked criticism from Iraq’s Shiite-led gov-ernment and demands that Doha hand him over.

Qatar refused those demands, saying they violated “diplomatic norms.”

In Riyadh, Hashemi met the kingdom’s foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal.

Hashemi fled to Iraq’s northern Kurdistan region in December to avoid formal charges and arrest.

Hashemi has said the accusations against him “have a sectarian dimension” that are part of what he said was a systematic campaign against Sunni Arabs.

He said he is the “fifth Sunni figure to be targeted” by the government, and that “more than 90 percent of the detainees in Iraq are Sunnis.” -AFP

CAIRO: Khairat El-Shater, a leader of Egypt’s Mus-lim Brotherhood, registered his candidacy for the coun-try’s presidency on Thursday as crowds of supporters cheered him on.

More than 1,000 of his backers chanted “the people want Shater as president” when the Islamist, until re-cently the Brotherhood’s deputy leader, arrived at the election committee’s headquarters in northern Cairo.

Last week’s announcement of Shater’s candidacy sent political shockwaves throughout the post-uprising country as people accused the Brotherhood of trying to monopolize power.

The Brotherhood, which dominates parliament and the senate through its political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), had pledged not to field a candidate for the May election.

But it reversed its position when the ruling military

refused to sack the government and replace it with an FJP-led cabinet.

On Wednesday, a Muslim group that met with Shat-er said he promised to push for the implementation of Islamic law sharia if elected. A campaign official said Shater shared the FJP’s programme, which calls for an Islamic and democratic state.

The election on May 23 and 24 will be the first presidential vote since the ouster of former president Hosni Mubarak in a popular uprising in February 2011 that led to military rule.

The winner will be announced in June, when the military is scheduled to hand over power.

Shater had been jailed under Mubarak, whose gov-ernment regularly rounded up members of the then-banned Brotherhood, and was released after the dicta-tor’s ouster. -AFP

Egypt Brotherhood’s Shater registers candidacy

Egyptian women supporting Muslim Brotherhood presidential hopeful Khairat el-Shater hold English letters spelling his name outside the Higher Presidential Elections Commission, in Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, April 5, 2012. (AP)

BAGHDAD: Iran is promoting a conservative cleric close to its supreme leader as a possible successor for the aging spiritual leader of Iraq’s Shiites, a move that would give Tehran a powerful platform to influence its neighbor, according to figures close to Iraq’s religious leadership.

The 81-year-old spiritual leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sis-tani, is one of the most influential figures in Iraq, revered by its Shiite majority as well as by Shiites around the world. In the years after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion and fall of Saddam Hus-sein, he was strong enough to shape the new Iraq, forcing Ameri-can leaders and Iraqi politicians to revise parts of their transition plans he objected to.

The man Iran is maneuvering in hopes of eventually replac-ing him is Grand Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, a prominent insider in the clerical hierarchy that rules Iran. He was the head of Iran’s judiciary for 10 years until 2009, playing a major role in suppressing the country’s reform movement, and sits on one of Iran’s main ruling councils.

Shahroudi has started to build a presence in Najaf, the Iraqi holy city of dozens of seminaries that is the center of Shiism’s religious leadership, to which many of the world’s 200 million Shiites turn for spiritual and political guidance. Posters bearing his portrait have sprung up in the Baghdad district of Sadr City, a bastion of Shiite activism and home to some 2.5 million Shiites.

Iran’s growing influence in Iraq - through the economy and ties with Shiite politicians in Baghdad - is already a source of alarm to the United States and its Gulf Arab allies who see Shi-ite-majority Iran as a rival.

It would boost Tehran’s voice in Iraq even more if Shahroudi ever succeeds al-Sistani as “al-marjaa al-akbar,” or “the greatest object of emulation.”

The 63-year-old Shahroudi would likely take an even more assertive political role than al-Sistani has. Al-Sistani adheres to a “quietist” school of Shiism that rejects formal rule by clerics, in contrast to Iran’s school in which clerics hold ultimate power.

Also, al-Sistani has lived in seclusion for years - he is thought not to have left his Najaf house since 2004 - and some feel he has grown out of sync with Iraq’s new generation of young and em-powered Shiites. Disillusioned over unemployment and erratic services, many young Shiites are looking for a more dynamic religious leadership to counter what they see as the rising power of Sunni fundamentalists in the Arab world.

“Iraq’s Shiites are deeply politicized and they have had enough of traditional marjaiyah (religious authorities) like al-Sistani’s,” said one insider in Najaf, who is in daily contact with the city’s top clerics. “Iran is taking advantage of this by working energetically to replace him with one of its own.”

The insider is one of six who are well connected to the Shi-ites’ secretive religious establishment in Najaf and in Baghdad. They said Shahroudi appears to be angling for the post. They spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity be-cause of the sensitivity of the subject.

Al-Sistani, who was treated in London for heart problems in 2004, remains healthy and alert, according to visitors who saw

him recently. But his advanced age has fueled speculation about his succession in Najaf.

But the succession does not necessarily have to wait until al-Sistani’s death. It could effectively take place if al-Sistani is deemed too old to guide his followers.

The position of al-marjaa al-akbar is considered the highest in Shia Islam’s spiritual hierarchy, more elevated than the several dozen clerics with “marjaa” - or “object of emulation” - status in the Shiite world. Pious Shiites generally choose a marjaa to fol-low. Al-Sistani has been al-marjaa al-akbar since the 1990s.

Filling the post is done by an informal process of consen-sus among senior and middle-ranking clerics, aimed at choosing the learned and respected figure. “Campaigning” for it means showing religious clout among Shiites in general and in Najaf specifically.

Ibrahim al-Baghdadi, Shahroudi’s top aide in Najaf, would not say if Shahroudi has ambitions for the position. Morteza Monajjem, a spokesman for Shahroudi’s office in the holy city of Qom, Iran’s religious capital, said the cleric “has no plan to stand next to other marjaas” and “has not officially defined himself as a marjaa.” -AP

Iran eyes spiritual leadership of Iraq’s Shiites

FILE: Former Iran’s judiciary chief Ayatollah Mahmoud Hash-emi Shahroudi. (AP)

NEWS IN BRIEF

Cambodia bodiesidentified as French familyPHOM PENH: DNA tests have con-firmed that the remains of five people found in a submerged car in Cambodia in January are those of a Frenchman and his four children, embassy officials said Thursday. The Cambodian government has agreed to send the skeletal remains to France for “additional examination” by forensics experts, the French embassy in Phnom Penh said in a statement. No cause of death has been determined yet for widower Laurent Vallier, 42, and his young children. -AFP

Indian prisoners to be released for Italian hostageNEW DELHI: Indian authorities have agreed to release 27 prisoners in exchange for an Italian tour guide and a local law-maker held hostage by armed Maoist rebels in the eastern state of Orissa. The state’s chief minister, Naveen Patnaik, announced the exchange late on Wednes-day and called for the two hostages to be released “immediately, unharmed and in good health.” Paolo Bosusco, who runs a tour company in Orissa, was captured by the rebels on March 14 along with anoth-er Italian man, Claudio Colangelo, who was released 11 days later. -AFP

Man due in courtover toddler ‘carjacking’LONDON: A man will appear in court Thursday accused of kidnap after alleg-edly stealing a woman’s car in Birming-ham with two toddlers in the back. Ce-dric Brown, 44, of no fixed address, faces charges of robbery, two counts of kidnap, and possession of a knife. He is accused of dragging a woman from her car in Erd-ington on Tuesday and speeding off with her two young children still strapped in the back seats. The two children - a one-year-old boy and his two-year-old sister - were unhurt and later reunited with their mother by police. -AFP

Suicide bomb‘kills three in Karachi’KARACHI: A suicide bomber targeted a police official in Pakistan’s financial capital Karachi on Thursday, killing at least three people and wounding 13 oth-ers, police said. Senior police official Rao Anwar said he was the target and claimed to have been threatened for a month by “unknown terrorists”. “The attack was against me. I was moving with my squad in Malir Halt district when the explosion took place. I am unhurt, but some of my men have been injured,” Rao Anwar told AFP. -AFP

Four detainedover deadly Thai blastsBANGKOK: Thai police have arrested four suspects in connection with a se-ries of devastating bomb blasts in the insurgency-plagued deep south, an of-ficial said Thursday. The car bombings in two southern cities on Saturday killed 15 people and wounded hundreds more in the deadliest attacks in the region in recent years. Three Muslim men were de-tained on Wednesday evening at a house in Rueso district of Narathiwat province in an operation involving 50 police and paramilitaries, authorities said. -AFP

Mali slips into chaos as world gropes for response

US to soften sanctions on Myanmar, says Clinton

UK’s Cameron rating hits lows after bruising fortnightLONDON: British Prime Minister

David Cameron’s approval rating has tumbled to its lowest level since he was elected two years ago, according to a poll on Thursday, after two weeks in which policy gaffes and a funding scandal bat-tered his Conservative Party.

Only 30 percent of voters thought Cameron would make the best prime minister out of the leaders of Britain’s three main political parties, the YouGov poll for the Sun newspaper conducted on Tuesday and Wednesday showed.

The figure is the lowest since the May 2010 general election that brought Cameron into power as head of a coali-tion government with the smaller Liberal Democrat party.

Many have billed the last two weeks as the most damaging for Cameron and his party, after a key fundraiser was se-cretly taped offering access to the prime minister for cash, and many in the media interpreted last month’s annual budget as imposing a “Granny Tax” on pensioners to pay for tax cuts for the rich.

Mixed messages on how to handle a fuel strike triggered panic and an embar-rassing retraction of advice telling drivers to store petrol at home, while a tax on hot food - including on a snack said to be favored by the working class - reinforced accusations that upper class Cameron and his posh inner circle are out of touch with the poor.

Compounding Cameron’s problems is a new row this week over plans to boost the state’s digital surveillance powers and

to hold some trials in secret for national security reasons. The proposals have drawn criticism from members of his own party, the Liberal Democrats and civil lib-erty groups.

The prime minister may draw some comfort from the fact that opposition La-bor party leader Ed Miliband has failed to capitalize on the turbulence, with the number of people who think he would make the best prime minister rising only one point in the last two weeks to 19 per-cent.

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg’s rating is still bumping along rock bottom

at five percent, down one point.Almost half of voters said they did not

know who would make the best prime minister, the highest level since the 2010 election, a statistic that may reflect gen-eral disappointment with Britain’s main-stream parties.

Such sentiment was seen as the driv-ing force behind the shock win last month of maverick leftist George Galloway in a local election in the city of Bradford in northern England. The YouGov poll weighted its data by age, social class, re-gion, newspaper readership and political party support. -Reuters

WASHINGTON: Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, has said Washington would ease restrictions on investment to Myanmar and move quickly to name an ambassador after landmark elections.

Hoping to boost reformers in the country, Clinton said on Wednesday that the US would also make it easier for Myanmar officials to vis-it but would not yet ease the bulk of sanctions on the long-isolated state.

Clinton hailed the “leadership and cour-age” of President Thein Sein after the country held by-elections that will see opposition icon Aung San Suu Kyi entering parliament for the first time.

“The United States will stand with the re-formers and the democrats both inside the gov-ernment and in the larger civil society as they work together for that more hopeful future that is the right of every single person,” Clinton told reporters.

Al Jazeera’s Rosalind Jordan, reporting from Washington, described Clinton’s state-ment as a “confidence-building message”.

“This is an opportunity not just for renewed diplomatic ties, but for US non-governmental organizations to carry out work in civil society building and to protect the environment. Also for [US] businesses to go in and help the people of Myanmar develop their agriculture and tour-

ism sectors,” Jordan said.Clinton announced “the beginning of the

process” of a “targeted easing of our ban on the export of US financial services and invest-ment”.

She said that the step on investment was “part of a broader effort to help accelerate eco-nomic modernization and political reform”.

But she added: “Sanctions and prohibitions will stay in place on individuals and institutions

that remain on the wrong side of these historic reform efforts.”

Clinton, who previously announced that the US would restore full diplomatic relations with Myanmar for the first time in two decades, said the administration would complete formal-ities “in the coming days” and then formally nominate an ambassador to the senate for con-firmation.

Aung Din, a former political prisoner and executive director of the US Campaign for Bur-ma advocacy group, was more critical.

Referring to the country by its former name, he said Myanmar’s leaders had won “enormous” rewards even though Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy would hold a tiny number of seats in the military-dominated parliament.

“Today will be the best day for the Burmese regime, which is still killing innocent civilians in ethnic areas in Burma,” he said.

Clinton said that the US administration would still press for greater progress on key concerns including a release of all remaining political prisoners and an end to any military co-operation with North Korea. Al Jazeera’s Jordan said Washington was “sending a mes-sage of encouragement for the reform-minded, but it has been made clear that the US won’t ignore human rights abuses”. -AFP

Washington suspends $13 million in aid to Bamako

BAMAKO: Fears mounted Thursday that Al Qaeda-linked Islamists were turning Mali into a rogue state despite the announcement by Tuareg rebels that their 10-week military of-fensive was complete. As the Tuareg trumpeted the success of a decades-old struggle to “liber-ate” their homeland, their fundamentalist com-rades-turned-rivals began imposing sharia in northern Mali, also leaving an embattled junta looking very vulnerable in Bamako.

The UN Security Council on Wednesday called for an immediate ceasefire but proposed no firm action to reverse a sequence that has seen a country hailed as a democratic success story descend into chaos in barely two weeks.

The United States, which had grown increas-ingly concerned since the collapse of Moamer Kadhafi’s Libya scattered weapons across the region, engaged talks with Algeria, the most powerful of Mali’s seven neighbors.

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika met General Carter Ham, who heads the US Command for Africa (AFRICOM) in Algiers on Wednesday. They had in-depth talks on the security situation in Mali, Carter told the Al-gerian news agency. Military cooperation and anti-terrorism coordination were also discussed during the talks, attended by several other top officials from both sides, including Washing-

ton’s top Africa diplomat Johnnie Carson.Three of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb’s

(AQIM) top leaders, all of them Algerians, were spotted in the Malian city of Timbuktu in talks with Iyad Ag Ghaly, a former Tuareg rebel who recently founded the Islamist group Ansar Dine. The group, whose name means “Defenders of

Faith” in Arabic, has ordered women to wear headscarves and threatened to cut off the hands of thieves in the city, once known as the “pearl of the desert” and once the jewel in Mali’s bur-geoning tourism industry.

In Washington, the United States is suspend-ing at least 13 million US dollars of its roughly

$140 million in annual aid to Mali following last month’s coup in the West African nation, the State Department said on Wednesday. The suspension affects US assistance for Mali’s min-istry of health, public school construction and the government’s efforts to boost agricultural production. The United States, which sees Mali as an important partner in regional efforts to combat Islamic extremism, has warned that Mali’s political crisis was putting the territorial integrity of the country at risk.

US law bars aid “to the government of any country whose duly elected head of govern-ment is deposed by military coup or decree.”

The United States announced the suspen-sion of some aid to Mali a day after calling again on coup leaders to immediately return power to civilian authorities. The new military rulers’ ef-forts to restore order fell apart as a coalition of some 50 political parties and 100 civil society organizations refused to take part in a proposed national meeting on the country’s future.

The junta, which had planned the meeting for Thursday, was quickly forced to postpone it. The mutineers had justified their coup by argu-ing that Toure’s regime had failed to effectively tackle the Tuareg uprising but the rebels have since then conquered a chunk of territory larg-er than France virtually unopposed.

In an interview with the French dailies Le Monde and Liberation published Thursday, coup leader Captain Amadou Sanogo begged Western powers to help him counter the Isla-mist push in the north. -Agencies

WORLD FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

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Malians, who originate from the north, attend a meeting at the Palace of Congress in Bamako April 4. (Reuters)

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (right) speaks with Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci during a press conference at the State Department in Washington, DC, April 4. (AFP)

British Prime Minister David Cameron delivering a statement to the press following a Cobra meeting at 10 Downing Street in central London, Britain. (Reuters)

North Korea launch an intelligence opportunity

for US, alliesTOKYO: As the US and its allies decry North Korea’s

planned rocket launch, they’re also rushing to capitalize on the rare opportunity it presents to assess the secretive nation’s abil-ity to strike beyond its shores.

If North Korea goes ahead with the launch, expected to take place sometime between April 12-16, the United States, Japan and South Korea will have more military assets on hand than ever to track the rocket and - if necessary - shoot it out of the sky.

Behind the scenes, they will be analyzing everything from where the rocket’s booster stages fall to the shape of its nose cone. The information they gather could deeply impact regional defense planning and future arms talks.

Military planners want to know how much progress North Korea has made since its last attempt to launch a satellite three years ago. Arms negotiators will be looking for signs of how much the rocket, a modified ballistic missile launcher, depends on foreign technology.

“There are a number of things they will be watching for,” said Narushige Michishita, a North Korea expert with Japan’s National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies. “If North Korea does get a satellite into orbit, that means it could deliver an ob-ject anywhere on the globe, and that has intercontinental impli-cations.”

One thing analysts could quickly put to the test is North Korea’s insistence that the satellite launch is a peaceful mis-sion. Experts can easily estimate from photographs the rock-et stages’ mass ratio - a measure of their efficiency - and that will give a quick indication of whether the rocket is designed primarily to be a space vehicle launcher or long-range mis-sile.

They also will be watching where the rocket goes.North Korea says it will fire the satellite into a polar orbit.

The “splash zones” for the booster stages suggest it will travel south over the East China Sea and the Pacific, rather than the easterly path it chose for a launch in 2009 that sent the rocket directly over Japan’s main island.

That could indicate North Korea is being more cautious about its neighbors’ reactions - though it has alarmed others such as the Philippines which could be in the rocket’s path. But the launch could also have military implications.

In North Korea were to attack the United States, Michishita said, it would likely launch to the north. It can’t feasibly conduct such a test, because that would anger Russia and China, which would be under the flight path. Launching to the south can pro-vide similar data.

Actually reaching the splash zones is another hurdle. In its 2009 launch, the stages barely made their zones, suggesting they had lower thrust than expected.

Analysts stress that success by no means suggests North Ko-rea could pull off an attack on the US. -AP

Eight Afghan local police killed in outpost attack

KABUL: Gunmen attacked an outpost of a government-sponsored militia force in western Afghanistan, killing eight people, officials said Thursday. Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi claimed responsibility for the at-tack. Men armed with assault rifles stormed the outpost late Wednesday in Farah province’s Khaki Safed district, said provin-cial police chief Shamsul Rahman Zahid. He says eight members of the Afghan Local Police were killed and two captured.

The attacks first shot a guard who was posted outside then pushed into the compound and opened fire on those inside, said Abdul Khaliq Noorzai, the district administrator. The attackers then made off with their weapons.

The assault happened on the same day that a Taliban suicide bomber on a motorcycle killed at least 10 people, including three American soldiers, at a park in northern Afghanistan. The attacks appear to be part of an increase in violence at the start of the spring fighting season. During the harsh Afghan winter, snow often blocks roads and fighting dies down.

The Taliban are targeting Af-ghan and NATO security forces as they fight to assert their power and undermine US efforts to try to build up the Afghan military, which will take the lead in com-bat responsibility over the next couple of years. -AP

Boko Haram kills seven in northeast market, says NigeriaMAIDUGURI: Suspected members of

Nigerian militant group Boko Haram have killed seven people in a market in Maiduguri, the police said on Thursday, the latest in al-most daily killings in the restive northeast.

Boko Haram, an Islamist group which wants sharia law imposed more widely in Nigeria, has been unrelenting in its low level insurgency against President Goodluck Jona-than’s administration. The majority of attacks take place around Boko Haram’s home town

of Maiduguri, the capital of remote Borno state which borders Chad, Niger and Camer-oon. “Seven traders were shot dead by gun-men suspected to be members of the Boko Haram on Wednesday. Three other civilians also sustained injury during the attack at Monday Market,” Borno police spokesman Samuel Tizhe said.

Borno government chairman, Wanangu Kachuwa, was assassinated by Boko Haram members in Maiduguri on Sunday. Hours lat-

er two policemen and a Boko Haram member were killed during a siege on a police station.

On Monday, a member of the state secu-rity service was shot dead while getting his hair cut in Maiduguri. Many of Boko Haram’s attacks target government or security per-sonnel. Nigerian forces have begun a harder crackdown in the city, carrying out house-to-house searches last week. Similar efforts in the past have triggered a backlash from Boko Haram. -Reuters

The question is ‘can we achieve development in this atmosphere’?

We hope officials at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor could summon the officials of the two organizations and force them to submit documents about the sums that they collected in addition to warning organizations not to do that again.

Dr. Shamlan Yousef Al-Esa

A lot of Kuwaiti citizens question whether their aspiration will be achieved especially after the opposition swept the parliament

following the last parliamentary election. The op-position held 35 seats out of the 50 parliamentary seats and citizens hope to witness positive chang-es such as achieving development and economic prosperity.

Till now we could witness nothing in terms of development and changes and MPs still pur-sue the same policy that they endorsed in the previous stage such as forming committees and attempting to suggest more laws although most of the suggested laws are unconstitutional such as the decency law and monitoring the Husainiya.

The MPs have turned towards a new game; it is the game of interpellation motions in which MPs who have certain problems with ministers at-tempt to grill them.

The queerest motion is that of the MP Dr. Wa-leed Al-Tabtabaie who plans to grill the minister

of interior just because the minister applied laws through detaining the person who burned the flag of Iran.

How can we, as normal citizens, respect the MPs who violate laws which they make by them-selves. Moreover, opposition MPs encourage the civil servants to stage strikes in which MPs be-haved like teenagers or school boys. They did not behave like MPs because MPs have to observe ap-plying laws, not violating laws!!

The question is “can we achieve development in this atmosphere?” The parliament is controlled not by the opposition, so why doesn’t the opposi-

tion submit its developmental visions and plans before the Kuwaiti people!

Anyway, such MPs have no clear plans or visions for real reforms and they cannot prove themselves to be capable of saving the country from deteriorating. Some people might wonder why we only blame MPs while excluding the gov-ernment and its blunder. The answer is that I have already written about the government which also does not have an integrated vision for treating the pending issues. The government also doesn’t have strong political determination for reforms and ap-plying laws on all citizens.

Let’s be fair to ourselves; we as people are also responsible to what happens in the country. We became a dependant nation which looks for salary raises without exerting extensive efforts for serving the country. We also look forward to get-ting free educational, health and housing services from our rentier state without working hard to present better services to our country. The state became a state of employees that spends the rev-enues of oil on the salary of civil servants.

Abdullah Al-Hadlaq

Showing love to the country is valueless if the persons who claim loving the country don`t contribute in serving the country! What benefit can the country get from claiming love especially that some persons who claim

loving the country might interrupt the public interests just to achieve some per-sonal interests!

We extol the hard efforts of Tatawae Campaign (voluntary) and its national goal because the very campaign aims at filling positions which became vacant due to strikes and getting ready to fill vacant positions of strikers in the future as well. The campaign includes qualified cadres such as retired employees to maintain work progress at any authority or institution whose employees stage strikes. Such a step will force civil servants to cancel strikes and take part in their jobs because they might lose their jobs if the government has alternative people to fill vacancies.

The volunteers of the campaign exceeded 4,000 people and the number is still increasing. The volunteers oppose staging strikes and they oppose inter-rupting the public interests by civil servants just who try obtain some personal advantages. They are ready to meet the shortage that any government institution or department faces due to strikes in the future.

Informed sources at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor have stated recently that inspection teams which are charged to follow up the charitable field work unveiled violations to the laws that organize collecting donations. According to the sources the violations were committed by two charitable or-ganizations wherein one of them was collecting donations for the stricken Syr-ian people in cash while the second was collecting donations for the Bahraini people by SMS messages. The laws ban collecting cash donations or through SMS if the organization did not get an approval for that. The two organizations ignored laws and exploited the ordeal of the Syrian people to get more money that might not reach its suggested destinations!!!

However, the Kuwaiti leadership has issued instructions- after consider-ing the suffering of the Syrian people- and permitted the International Islamic Charitable Organization (IICO) to collect donations for the Syrian people on the condition that IICO reaches donations to the needy Syrian people through Kuwait’s Red Crescent. We hope officials at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor could summon the officials of the two organizations and force them to submit documents about the sums that they collected in addition to warning organizations not to do that again.

The Ministry has to penalize the officials of the violating organizations as well as dropping the licensees of organizations if they commit the same viola-tion again.

Kuwait Transparency Society looks forward to establishing a public author-ity for integrity wherein the very authority is expected to be a part of the cabi-net. The authority aims at eradicating corruption and following up all persons who are involved in corruption cases in addition to protecting the government institution from corruption and bribery. The authority is also expected to be es-tablished according to the agreements that were already signed with the United Nations for fighting corruption besides to enhancing accountability. Meanwhile, a number of male and female youths and volunteers exert hard efforts to sup-port the idea of establishing integrity authority because such authority might play an important role in fighting corruption and enhancing transparency in the different fields especially the administrative and the financial one.

Khalil Ali Haydar

Let us begin by defining and introducing Khayrat Al-Shater the man who has been nominated by the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood as their ideal candi-

date for the position of future president of Egypt.I would like to refer the reader to a very interesting

book written by Dr. Hisham Al-Awadhi published under the title The Muslim Brotherhood and Mubarak: Legiti-macy Conflict 1982-2007”. The book, which was pub-lished by Arab Studies Unit Center in Beirut, was initially a PhD thesis in Political Science done in the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom.

I believe the book is highly interesting to read and extremely enjoyable not only because it discusses a very important era in the history of the Middle East and in particular in the history of Egypt. The book is written for an academic purpose and at the same time it furnishes the reader with many important datas, dates and insightful information about the relationship between the two op-posing forces. The author did field research, meeting with people and consulting a large number of archives to come up with an accurate and definitive work in a field that has been long marginally neglected.

The very name of Khayrat Al-Shater is mentioned re-peatedly in the book linked to different and various top-ics. First mention of the Egyptian presidential candidate was on page 116 when the author was discussing the Is-lamic banks. The author explained that the Islamic banks were tolerated by Mubarak’s regime in the beginning of the 1980s. The Muslim Brotherhood was actively busy in developing such a banking system. The result of which was

the introduction of two Islamic banks: Bank of Faisal and the International Islamic Bank for Development and In-vestment. The latter bank had three senior Muslim Broth-erhood members on its board: Abdulhamid Al-Ghazali, Saad Umara and Khayrat Al-Shater.

The three of them were the most influential figures in the bank but as the author Al-Awadhi noted they lacked the expertise, profession and management coupled with the fact that there was a continuous personal clash and state pressure which had led ultimately to the collapse of the two banks.

The author then moves on to discuss in the Fourth Chapter specifically on page 196. He writes that the Inter-national Islamic Bank for Development and Investment was initially doing well and was steadfastly prospering until a clash between the Director of the Board Ahmad Amin Fuad and the rest of the board members had taken place in 1988.

The Central Bank of Egypt decided to interfere but then the multimillionaire Abdulatif Al-Shareef, a leading Muslim Brotherhood member decided to step in to sal-vage the bank. Al-Shareef himself was a former prisoner during the Jamal Abdulnasser era in the 1970s but was then released and soon after managed to amass a fortune reaching 300 million Egyptian pounds.

Al-Shareef was quick to appoint Khayrat Al-Shater

along with other leading Muslim Brotherhood senior members in the board. That move was seen by some as an attempt to maintain the grip of the Brotherhood on this particular aspect in the Egyptian economy.

But this didn’t go down very well for president Muba-rak and his people. The Egyptian government became extremely and increasingly weary of the power of the Muslim Brotherhood, their businesses and its affiliates. It was in 1992 when the Egyptian intelligence raided the of-fices of Salsabeel Computers owned by Khayrat Al-Shater along with his partner Hasan Malik.

The Egyptian intelligence supported by the govern-ment continued to hassle and harass the Muslim Brother-hood and in 1995 it is recorded that 95 of their members were taken to a military court. Khayrat Al-Shater was one of them.

According to the author, the Egyptian intelligence opted for striking the Muslim Brotherhood where it hurts. Almost 900 businesses were raided and closed. But in re-ality, the organization was slightly affected by abrupt de-cisions to close the organization’s businesses. The Muslim Brotherhood still enjoyed the cash and the capital despite the pressure by the government.

Al-Awadhi pointed out that the Egyptian’ govern-ment’s policy of harassment began when the first Gulf war of 1991 erupted. The Egyptian government asked some of

the Gulf States to stop pouring money in donation to the Brotherhood. The United Arab Emirates for example in-troduced stricter measures on the way the donations were handled. As for Kuwait, it was not difficult for the govern-ment to discourage Kuwaitis because of the Brotherhood’s official stance during the Iraqi invasion. The Kuwaitis were not pleased with the organization’s view on the conflict. Inevitably, sympathetic Kuwaitis were also keen not to be seen as supportive of an organization which didn’t sup-port the Kuwaiti cause in 1991.

Khayrat Al-Shater and other Muslim Brotherhood businessmen continued to support the organization through different channels. According to the author, there is a 10 percent amount of the income fees which rich peo-ple like Khyarat Al-Shater, Abdulrahman Saadi and Hasan Malik pay to the organization regularly. The rate of dona-tions increased in times of crisis and most importantly in the time of elections.

The author stresses that there were always coordinat-ed efforts among the leading figures in the Brotherhood to come up with cash when needed. Rich Muslim Brother-hood members working in the Gulf States and Libya are in the habit of sending money regularly and even month-ly but marginally increase during the election period in Egypt.

As for the number of officially registered members of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt alone, it is estimated that it is approximately 800 thousand.

We here in Kuwait need to know the amount of money reimbursed to Egypt by the Brotherhood members work-ing in Kuwait and other rich Gulf nationals.

OPINIONFRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

ALWATAN DAILY

6

The enigmatic figure of future president Khayrat Al-Shater

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National interests are much more important than personal ones

The Muslim Brotherhood still enjoyed the cash and the capital despite the pressure by the government.

Can we achieve reforms and development?

With youth unemployment touching 50 percent in eurozone countries such as Spain and Greece, is a generation being sacrificed for the sake of

a single currency that encompasses too diverse a group of countries to be sustainable? If so, does enlarging the euro’s membership really serve Europe’s apparent goal of maxi-mizing economic integration without necessarily achiev-ing full political union?

The good news is that economic research does have a few things to say about whether Europe should have a single currency. The bad news is that it has become increas-ingly clear that, at least for large countries, currency areas will be highly unstable unless they follow national borders. At a minimum, currency unions require a confederation with far more centralized power over taxation and other policies than European leaders envision for the eurozone.

What of Nobel Prize winner Robert Mundell’s famous 1961 conjecture that national and currency borders need not significantly overlap? In his provocative American Eco-nomic Review paper “A Theory of Optimum Currency Ar-eas,” Mundell argued that as long as workers could move within a currency region to where the jobs were, the re-gion could afford to forgo the equilibrating mechanism of exchange-rate adjustment. He credited another future No-

bel Prize winner, James Meade, for having recognized the importance of labor mobility in earlier work, but criticized Meade for interpreting the idea too stringently, especially in the context of Europe’s nascent integration.

Mundell did not emphasize financial crises, but pre-sumably labor mobility is more important today than ever. Not surprisingly, workers are leaving the eurozone’s crisis countries, but not necessarily for its stronger northern re-gion. Instead, Portuguese workers are fleeing to booming former colonies such as Brazil and Macau. Irish workers are leaving in droves to Canada, Australia, and the United States. Spanish workers are streaming into Romania, which until recently had been a major source of agricultural labor in Spain.

Still, if intra-eurozone mobility were anything like Mundell’s ideal, today we would not be seeing 25 percent unemployment in Spain while Germany’s unemployment rate is below seven percent.

Later writers came to recognize that there are other essential criteria for a successful currency union, which are difficult to achieve without deep political integration. Pe-ter Kenen argued in the late 1960’s that without exchange-rate movements as a shock absorber, a currency union re-

quires fiscal transfers as a way to share risk.For a normal country, the national income-tax system

constitutes a huge automatic stabilizer across regions. In the US, when oil prices go up, incomes in Texas and Mon-tana rise, which means that these states then contribute more tax revenue to the federal budget, thereby helping out the rest of the country. Europe, of course, has no sig-nificant centralized tax authority, so this key automatic stabilizer is essentially absent.

Some European academics tried to argue that there was no need for US-like fiscal transfers, because any desired degree of risk sharing can, in theory, be achieved through financial markets. This claim was hugely misguided. Finan-cial markets can be fragile, and they provide little capacity for sharing risk related to labor income, which constitutes the largest part of income in any advanced economy.

Kenen was mainly concerned with short-term transfers to smooth out cyclical bumpiness. But, in a currency union with huge differences in income and development levels, the short term can stretch out for a very long time. Many Germans today rightly feel that any system of fiscal trans-fers will morph into a permanent feeding tube, much the way that northern Italy has been propping up southern

Italy for the last century. Indeed, more than 20 years on, Western Germans still see no end in sight for the bills from German unification.

Later, Maurice Obstfeld pointed out that, in addition to fiscal transfers, a currency union needs clearly defined rules for the lender of last resort. Otherwise, bank runs and debt panics will be rampant.

Obstfeld had in mind a bailout mechanism for banks, but it is now abundantly clear that one also needs a lender of last resort and a bankruptcy mechanism for states and municipalities.

A logical corollary of the criteria set forth by Kenen and Obstfeld, and even of Mundell’s labor-mobility crite-rion, is that currency unions cannot survive without politi-cal legitimacy, most likely involving region-wide popular elections.

Europe’s leaders cannot carry out large transfers across countries indefinitely without a coherent European politi-cal framework.

European policymakers today often complain that, were it not for the US financial crisis, the eurozone would be doing just fine. Perhaps they are right. But any finan-cial system must be able to withstand shocks, including big ones.

Europe may never be an “optimum” currency area by any standard. But, without further profound political and economic integration - which may not end up including all current eurozone members - the euro may not make it even to the end of this decade.

Kenneth Rogoff is Professor of Economics and Pub-lic Policy at Harvard University, and was formerly chief economist at the IMF.

A centerless Euro cannot hold

viewsFRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

ALwATAN DAiLY

7

Project SyndicateKenneth Rogoff

The European crisis isn’t over until the First Lady pays, and the First Lady of Europe, Angela Merkel, cannot pay enough. She needs to erect

a large enough firewall to ensure that the European Union’s weaker members do not, again, face financial disaster. That will not happen - which means the euro faces at least defections, and perhaps destruction.

The crisis had seemed to recede somewhat in early 2012, and the headline writers moved on. But it had only seemed to recede, and relaxation was premature. As Hugo Dixon of Reuters’ Break-ing Views put it on Monday, “the risk is that, as the short-term funding pressure comes off, govern-ments’ determination to push through unpopular reforms will flag. If that happens, the time that has been bought will be wasted - and, when crisis rears its ugly head again, the authorities won’t have the tools to fight it.”

But the underlying tension remains between high indebtedness in nearly all the EU countries and the need to pare back public spending without suf-focating the economies. The flat, or negative, growth lines in the same countries that are indebted are likely to be made worse as demand falls and a ma-lign cycle threatens.

Merkel commands the stage, but she is a con-strained commander. She has an electorate and a parliament that has been reluctant to agree to more assistance to those whom many Germans see as ar-chitects of their own misfortune, not to be trusted to do anything other than load the burden on to the backs of hard-working Northerners.

In other parts of the Union, signs of strain now manifest themselves daily. In France, the leading candidates - President Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist contender François Hollande - have turned inward and, in the words of a sharply worded Economist editorial, while “it is not unusual for politicians to ignore some ugly truths during elections, it is un-usual, in recent times in Europe, to ignore them as completely as French politicians are doing.”

Sarkozy has transformed himself from responsi-ble European statesman into an anti-immigrant, an-ti-free-trade super patriot and his ratings improved. Hollande, from the Socialist Party’s moderate wing, has likewise transformed, but into a “hater” of the rich. Both see strong contenders to their right and left: Marine Le Pen of the far-right Front National has faltered recently - perhaps because Sarkozy has stolen some of her clothes - but she still polls at around 14 percent. And on the left, former Socialist minister Jean-Luc Mélenchon has swung hard-left, put together a group that includes the Communist Party, and seen his support rising in the latest poll, for LH2/Yahoo, up to 15 percent so far.

Britain is not in the euro but is deeply dependent on European resurgence. Its Conservative-Liberal coalition government finds itself faced with strikes by tanker drivers - men with a capacity for squeez-ing a nation’s windpipe - and plunging polls. Nor is anyone else enjoying support. All the main party leaders see their ratings deep into negative territory; and in a by-election last week, the renegade Labor MP George Galloway played for and won a heavily Muslim vote in the city of Bradford, destroying a long-held Labor majority.

Italy’s governing technocrats, led by Mario Mon-ti, enjoyed a honeymoon even as they sketched out a program of cuts, but now enter a tougher time. The government wants to remove or at least dilute Article 18 of the labor code, which makes it hard for employers to fire workers.

The unions have threatened strike action, and Monti, earlier this week, agreed to a compromise with political leaders - but no one knows if the unions will accept it. The Italian press agrees: The hard pounding on his government has begun.

Spain’s center-right government passed a budget last week that was described as “the most austere in democratic history,” with £27 billion worth of cuts. The day before it was passed, a general strike flared across the country, with 1 million protesters on the streets.

The government itself fears that the depths of the cuts will stall any growth and that the huge un-employment, especially among the young, will be-come uncontrollable.

And now little Ireland, which had been the good girl of the euro class, taking its medicine without

complaint, has turned. A group of parliamentarians called on their fellow citizens not to pay a recently levied flat-rate property tax - and were (presumably) gratified to see that, by the weekend deadline to reg-ister for the tax, half of the eligible population had not done so, signaling a taxpayers’ revolt. Thomas Pringle, one of the MPs, was quoted as saying that “if a law is unfair and unjust you have a right to op-pose it.” Ireland, which had begun to recover early last year, has seen two quarters of negative growth, slipping the country into recession.

All of this is bad, but worse is the straining away from conventional politics. It takes different forms. The victorious George Galloway, the Bradford vic-tor and a man of apparently indefatigable ability who can muster a ruthless populism, is less impor-tant (though not in his own eyes) than the contempt that seems to attend the harassed leaders of the Brit-ish parties.

Parties of the far right and left are significant in France and Greece. In the Netherlands, Geert Wilders’ far-right Party for Freedom has, by contrast suffered a drop in popularity - but that seems to be because he has supported the center-right govern-ment, and thus tarnished himself in the eyes of vot-ers impatient for radical action on immigration and crime.

Italy’s main parties have been given a holiday from government and even from opposition; but they do not seem to be putting it to use to prepare themselves for hard choices when, as he has prom-ised, Mr. Monti bows out early next year.

Yet only the mainstream parties can command and defuse this crisis.

That is not because they have an automatic right to fill the political stage, but because no alterna-tive that can plausibly present itself as better has emerged. The far left and right recycle their nos-trums: the end of capitalism or the end of immi-gration. The Green Party, once a real force in some states, is back to minor status everywhere.

No force, conventional or novel, has yet been able to articulate and win assent for a manifest truth: that Europe’s centrality to world events, wealth and cultural dominance over long centuries are now much reduced, and the decades of growth that brought relative wealth and ease are over.

We need not sink, but we have to paddle harder if we wish not to. This crisis is not gone if and when the continent’s finances are made less perilous. If and when that happens, the next mountain to climb is to discover a political and economic structure that can ensure renewed growth, if possible without fur-ther gross inequity and without further pollution (some trick!).

The challenge of the emerging countries is not just to the cost of labor and the survival of indus-tries: It is to the very understanding we in the West have of our world and our place in it.

The US has sheltered Europe since the war. Eu-rope outsourced most of its defense, and enjoyed - as did the rest of the world - trade, air, shipping and Internet pathways kept open by, in the end, US power. Now, a raft of jeremiads, by Zbigniew Brzezinski, Robert Kagan and Ian Bremmer, all out this year, point to a dangerous, much more anarchic world that would emerge if the global sheriff lacked the strength to take his boots off the desk and ride out.

All of these see Europe as of little help, either unable or unwilling - or both - to shoulder a bur-den that now urgently needs sharing. The salvation of the euro, and of the Union, is of global import. It has yet to be ensured.

John Lloyd co-founded the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Ox-ford, where he is Director of Journalism.

Jose Antonio OcampoProject Syndicate

I have been honored by World Bank directors representing developing countries and Russia to be selected as one of two developing-country candidates to become the Bank’s

next president. So I want to make known to the global com-munity the principles that will guide my actions if I am elect-ed - principles based on lessons learned from development experience.

That experience has taught me that successful develop-ment is always the result of a judicious mix of market, state, and society. Trying to suppress markets leads to gross ineffi-ciencies and loss of dynamism. Trying to do without the state leads to unstable and/or inequitable outcomes. And trying to ignore social actors that play an essential role at the national and local levels precludes the popular legitimacy that suc-cessful policymaking requires.

Indeed, the specific mix of markets, state, and society should be the subject of national decisions adopted by rep-resentative authorities. This means that it is not the role of any international institution to impose a particular model of development on any country - a mistake that the World Bank made in the past, and that it has been working to correct. Because no “one-size-fits-all” strategy exists, the Bank must include among its staff the global diversity of approaches to development issues.

Development is a comprehensive process that involves economic, social, and environmental dimensions - the three pillars of sustainable development.

And, frankly, I have concerns about some of the World Bank’s views and priorities in recent decades. For example, while the Bank has made important contributions to the nurturing of deep financial sectors, it still has much to learn about financial inclusiveness and the role that well designed development banks have played in fostering sustainable and inclusive growth in countries around the world. We should never forget, in this regard, that the World Bank is itself a global public-sector development institution.

The Bank contributed significantly in its early decades to the development of high-quality physical infrastructure, a critical area that, unfortunately, was later marginalized. The return of this issue to the center of the Bank’s focus is a wel-come development.

Above all, I believe that economic development should be viewed as a process of persistent structural change, which, if successful, supports constant technological upgrading of production and trade. This approach was central to the World Bank’s activities up to the 1970’s, and, while it has been partly revived, it is still far from being incorporated into the Bank’s operations.

The goal of development is greater and more equitable human welfare. Human development is about much more than the generation of human capital: it is essentially about

expanding the scope of human freedom. And that can be achieved only with universal education, health care, and so-cial protection.

Targeting can be a useful instrument of universal poli-cies, but it can never serve as a substitute for them. Likewise, social protection goes beyond the narrow concept of the “so-cial safety net” that has dominated debate in recent decades. The concept of the “social protection floor,” recently pro-posed by the Bachelet Report (produced by the International Labor Organization under the leadership of former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet) provides better intellectual grounding.

Equity and inclusiveness require placing the advance-ment of the poor and other marginalized groups at the cen-ter of development specialists’ concern. In particular, gender equality deserves special attention, an approach that the World Bank today rightly characterizes as smart economics.

Guaranteeing these objectives is not just about compen-sating for market outcomes and social forces that generate or reproduce inequalities. It is also about incorporating these objectives into economic policymaking, by placing the cre-ation of fulfilling jobs and well-developed welfare institu-tions at the center of the economic agenda, and by respecting the role of cultural diversity in economic development.

This approach also applies to the environmental pillar of development: intervention to counter damage generated by the economy is not enough. Environmental concerns must be fully assimilated into economic policymaking - that is, into the incentive structure that drives decisions. Only then can economic development be made compatible with the contri-butions that developing countries must make to mitigating climate change and preserving our planet’s remaining natu-ral forests and biological diversity.

The World Bank’s capacity to contribute to achieving these goals depends on it remaining a true global institu-tion with a special responsibility vis-à-vis the world’s poor-est countries and a commitment to helping middle-income countries face their own challenges. It must count on the vi-sion and contributions of more advanced nations, as well as those of emerging powers. And it must do so as part of the system of global governance, strengthening its cooperation with other multilateral organizations, in particular those in the United Nations system and regional and subregional de-velopment banks.

These are the development principles and priorities for which I stand. If elected to head the world’s leading develop-ment institution, I will work with all of its members to fulfill them.

José Antonio Ocampo, a professor at Columbia Univer-sity, was Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations for Economic and Social Affairs, and Finance Minister of Colombia. He is one of three nominees for President of the World Bank.

For Europe, it doesn’t get better What should the World Bank do?The salvation

of the euro, and of the Union, is of global import. It has yet to be ensured.

Targeting can be a useful instrument of universal policies, but it can never serve as a substitute for them.

ReutersJohn Lloyd

For a normal country, the national income-tax system constitutes a huge automatic stabilizer across regions.

FILE- World Bank President Robert Zoellick greets villagers as he visits the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project and Orissa Rural Livelihoods Project at Gupti village in the eastern Indian state of Orissa March 28, 2012. (Reuters)

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Winner’sSalmiya Tel: 25739954Abu Halifa Tel: 23711374 / 5Riggae Tel: 24895501 / 2Jahra Tel: 24560088/8800

Asha’sTel: 22244502/3/9Marina CrescentTel: 24954700

BukharaSheraton HotelTel: 22422055

Tourist RestaurantKuwait CityTel: 22411702

Mugal MahalFarwaniyaTel: 24726126/7FintasTel: 23915588SalmiyaTel: 25722223/4SharqTel: 22425132

TikkaTel: 1822833

• internationalAl-Bustan

Radisson Blu HotelTel: 25673000

Al-HamraSheraton HotelTel: 22422055

Al-Marsa Restaurant

Le MeridienTel: 22510999

Atrium Restaurant

Courtyard Marriott Hotel

Tel: 22997000

Beit 7Kuwait CityTel: 22450871

Café RioAl-FanarTel: 25732226

DunesRitz HotelTel: 22499911

FailakaAl-Manshar Rotana HotelTel: 23931000

La BrasserieJW MarriottTel: 22455550

RitzShamiyaTel: 24820184 ShuwaikhTel: 24844350

SquareInternationalTel: 22437681

Test n’ TasteVilla ModaTel: 24827010

Teatro Hilton Kuwait ResortTel: 23725500

Flavors RestaurantSafir Hotel &Residences -FintasTel: 25455555

AlRoshinah Restaurant

Safir Hotel &Residences -FintasTel: 25455555

• italianCiro’s Pomodoro

Kuwait CityTel: 22424004

Il Forno Restaurant

Courtyard Marriot HotelTel: 22997000

Johnny Carino’sSalmiyaTel: 22667050

La PiazzaKuwait CityTel: 24246639

Lorenzo

Kuwait CityTel: 22400737

NinoGulf RoadTel: 22541900

Pizza ExpressAbdullah Al-SalemTel: 22560273Al-Bida’aTel: 22253166 AirportTel: 24342681Tel: 23725500

RicardoSheraton HotelTel: 22422055

• JapaneseEdo

Shaab Tel: 22659590

KeiJW Marriott HotelTel: 22422650

Korea & Japan Restaurant

New Park HotelTel: 25634200

Maki Al-Blajat St.Tel: 25733561Marina WavesTel: 22244560

SakuraCrowne Plaza HotelTel: 24742000

ShogunThe Palms HotelTel: 27070022

Sushi ClubAl-Blajat St.Tel: 25712144

WasabiAl-Bida’aTel: 22253112Kuwait CityTel: 22494000

• lebanese Al-Berdawny Palace

Tel: 25661117

Ayam ZamanHoliday InnTel: 18477777

Burg Al-HamamGulf RoadTel: 22529095

Saj ExpressKuwait CityTel: 22497822

Fakhr Al-Din Restaurant

Kuwait CityTel: 22423180

GardenNew Park HotelTel: 25634200

Kabab-JiTel: 1861616

Mais Al-GhanimKuwait CityTel: 22402590

Palm PalaceSalmiyaTel: 25756331

Saj ExpressKuwait CityTel: 22497822

SaraiAl-Bida’aTel: 22253180/1

Shisha &

ManoushaSalmiyaTel: 25722607 / 8

Villa FairouzShaabTel: 22652030

Yeldes Palace Kuwait CityTel: 22455212

Zahrat TunisHawalli Tel: 22662444/333

• persianKabab Al-Hijja

Bnaid Al-GarTel: 22517512

ShabistanCrowne Plaza HotelTel: 24742000

• seafooDAl-Ahmadi

Crowne Plaza HotelTel: 24742000

Al-Boom Radisson Blu HotelTel: 25756000

Al-NoukhazaCrowne Plaza HotelTel: 24742000

ShrimpyGulf RoadTel: 22563118

Totally FishMarina CrescentTel: 22244960/1

• steak houseRelais De L’Entrecote

Al-Fanar ComplexTel: 25729600

Terrace Grill JW Marriott HotelTel: 22455550

The Gaucho GrillThe Palms HotelTel: 25667370 -

• tex-MexChi Chi’s

SalmiyaTel: 25625811

Tumbleweed Southern Grill

Al-Bida’aTel: 22253154/5

Te l : 1 8 3 9 0 9 0Salmiya - Jabriya - Keifanwww.healthstop.com.kw

eMergenCY - police - fire - ambulance 112 - traffiC hotline 1 88 41 41 CiVil iD 1 88 99 88 - airport 1888 180 - kaC booking 17 1 HOTLINESERVCES

fajer 04 : 11

shorook 05 : 31

Dohor 11 : 51

aser 03 : 23

Maghreb 06 : 09

ishaa 07 : 28

praYer tiMes

Telephone for Test & Complaints

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

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

2531 00002431 00002477 00002457 0000

2261 00002571 00002394 00002561 00002481 00002551 0000

2467 00002487 0000

MINISTRIESAwqaf & Islamic AffairsCommerce & IndustryCommunicationsDefenseEducationHealthHigher EducationElectricity & WaterFinance

2248 00002248 00002481 90332484 83002481 77022487 74222240 13002537 10002248 0000

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

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

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

VISITORS RESIDENTS VISITORS RESIDENTS

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

publiC hospitals

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

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

priVate health Centers/ CliniCs

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

publiC health Centers/ CliniCs:

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

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

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

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

EndocrinologistsLatifa Al Dowaisan 2572 8004Kamal Abdulaziz Al Shome 2532 9924

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

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

GastroenterologistMohamed A. Al Shimali 2532 2030 - 2263 9955

UrologistFawzi Taher Abul 2565 0064Ali Yousef Mehdi 2533 3501

General PractitionerDina Al Rifai 2533 3501 - 2533 3502

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

Cosmetic SurgeonDr. Adel Quttainah 2562 5030 / 60

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

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

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

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

Foreign AffairsHousingInformationJustice, Legal & Administrative AffairsEnergyPlanningSocial Affairs & LabourPublic Works

2242 51412530 10002241 5301

2248 00002241 52012242 82002248 00002538 5520

South SabahiyaFintas ZoorAhmadiArdiyaFahaheelFarwaniyaKuwait CityMishrefManqafNuzhaUmm Al Haiman & WafraShuaiba

2361 00002390 00002395 00002398 00002488 00002391 00002471 00002240 00002538 00002371 00002251 00002328 0000

2326 0000

9 4 9 0 4 0 4 0warsha@warsha.comWE FIX IT

O n - s i t e I T s e r v i c e sCall, sms, Email us

SERVICESFRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

ALWATAN DAILY

8

RESTauRaNTL I S T I N g S

Bus No. Origin Destination Via

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

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

1112131415161718202122232425262931323436383940415159 *101102103105139501502506507602

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

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

Tel.:

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

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

pOLICE STaTIONS

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

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

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

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

TWO STARInternational Hotel 25741788Kuwait Residence Hotel 22467560

US Crude $101.66 $0.19

London Brent $122.78 $0.16

Kuwait Crude $121.13 $0.45

Information Courtesy: KAMCO

fridAY, APriL 6, 2012

BUSINESSSee page 10

Iran loses loyal oil customer Greece over payment restraints

CAPITALS: Iran’s oil flows to Greece have stopped this month, depriving the Is-lamic Republic of one of its most loyal Eu-ropean customers and leaving Greece with its financing troubles struggling to buy crude elsewhere.

The European Union will impose a full embargo on Iranian oil imports from July 1 as part of an international stand-off over Tehran’s nuclear program.

market watch

KUWAIT DUBAI QATAR OMAN ABU DHABI BAHRAIN EGYPT SAUDI

cUrreNcIeSUS Dollar

Buy 0.2784Sell 0.2789

EuroBuy 0.3641Sell 0.3643

British PoundBuy 0.4414Sell 0.4417

Japanese YenBuy 0.003399Sell 0.003402

Saudi RiyalBuy 0.0743Sell 0.0743

UAE DirhamBuy 0.07578Sell 0.07592

Qatari RiyalBuy 0.07653Sell 0.07646

Bahraini DinarBuy 0.7382Sell 0.73975

Indian RupeeBuy 0.005471Sell 0.00546

Philippine PesoBuy 0.006525Sell 0.006506

Prices in Kuwaiti fils As of April 5, 2012 Courtesy: KAMCO

OIL marketS

0.21%6146

0.1%1687

0.3%8825 0.4%

5827

0.2%2559 0.0%

11410.0%7895

0.2%4827

Kuwaiti oil price drops $0.45 to settle at $121.13Supply fears push oil higher

CAPITALS: Price of Kuwaiti crude dropped 0.45 US dollars to settle at $121.13 per barrel (pb) on Wednesday, in comparison to $122.85 pb on the day before, Kuwait Petro-leum Corporation (KPC) said on Thursday.

The drop of oil prices was due to the increase of US dol-lar against other major currencies. The rise of the US dollar came after the Federal Reserve announced the release of third stimulus plan to improve the economy.

In more news, oil prices edged up on Thursday, after two days of losses, supported by concerns over disruptions to Iranian oil supplies due to nearing Western sanctions.

In a move that could seriously complicate Iran’s oil ex-ports after a European Union embargo comes into force on July 1, a major Chinese ship insurer will halt indemnity cover for tankers carrying Iranian oil, sources told Reu-ters.

Brent crude oil futures rose 33 cents to $122.67 a bar-rel by 1152 GMT and US crude gained 48 US cents to $101.95. Trading volumes were moderate for both con-tracts ahead of Easter public holidays in Europe and the United States.

Oil prices have fallen by three dollars per barrel over the last two sessions together with other risk assets amid fading expectations for more monetary stimulus from the United States and due to an increase in US oil inventories.

“The stock market and oil both moved lower yesterday. Oil is recovering because of geopolitical risk over the long weekend,” said Christopher Bellew, broker with Jefferies Bache.

China is the top buyer of Iranian crude and the insur-ance move is the first sign Chinese refiners may struggle to obtain the shipping and insurance they need to keep im-porting from the second-biggest producer of the Organiza-tion of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

Industry sources earlier told Reuters Japanese refiners

planned to cut crude imports from Tehran yet again in April as they shy away from renewing annual contracts.

“The situation regarding Iranian crude exports is getting more and more complicated as US and EU sanctions are

starting to have an ever bigger impact,” said David Wech from JBC Energy.

Adding to supply disruptions worries, explosions had temporarily shut on Thursday both of the pipelines bringing

about a quarter of Iraq’s crude exports from Kirkuk to the Turkish port of Ceyhan on the Mediterranean.

But exports from Ceyhan continued, using inventories. It was not immediately clear what had caused the blasts but sabotage is common on oil pipelines into Turkey from Iraq, an area where Turkish Kurd separatist militants operate.

Later in the day, the market’s focus will shift to jobs data from the United States, the world’s top oil consumer and importer.

The key jobs report for March from the US Labor De-partment is expected to show a gain of 203,000 jobs, includ-ing a rise in private payrolls of 218,000.

On Wednesday, a report showed US businesses added 209,000 jobs in March, slightly beating expectations

Oil was also supported by easing fears of a sharp slow-down in China following a survey which showed that servic-es sector expanded again in March and business confidence hit an 11-month high, though overall activity remained be-low its long-term average.

OPEC basket downThe Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries’

(OPEC) daily basket price dropped on Thursday, falling to the level of $121.94 a barrel, compared with $121.95 pb the previous day.

OPECNA, the news bulletin of the Organization of Pe-troleum Exporting Countries, said in a statement released on Friday that the average annual price of OPEC’s 12-crude basket, of the past year, stood at $107.46 pb.

OPEC’s basket of crudes is made up of Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Oriente (Ecuador), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Qatar Marine (Qatar), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela).

Oil ministers of OPEC’s member states decided, on De-cember 14, to lift ceiling of production by the cartel produc-ers to 30 million barrels per day. -Agencies

Small Palestine sovereign fund targets developmentDUBAI: Palestine’s sovereign wealth fund

is aiming to boost the private sector and wean the strife-torn region off aid, with investments in sectors like tourism and power generating profits despite difficult relations with Israel, its boss told Reuters.

While most other, much larger, sovereign wealth funds invest heavily abroad in a bid to spread risk and maximize returns, the Palestine Investment Fund (PIF) is focused on developing the local economy.

“Our objectives differ from that of some sovereign funds elsewhere,” the PIF’s chief executive, Mohammad Mustafa, said in a tele-phone interview from his office in Ramallah.

“We want to create jobs, contribute to in-creasing taxes and build a revenue base for the government. We want to build a Palestinian economy less dependent on the government and less dependent on aid from donors,” he said.

The strategy appears to be having some suc-cess. The PIF is on track to deliver cumulative net profit of 800 million US dollars in the de-cade to 2013, most of which is paid as dividends to the Palestine Authority.

Mustafa said the fund had achieved strong results in challenging conditions.

“Increasing political risk makes attracting investments more difficult - control by Israel of the natural resources in the region affects busi-ness,” he said.

He gave the example of telecom operator Wataniya Mobile - launched in 2009 in a ven-ture with Qatar Telecom’s Kuwaiti unit Watani-

ya, saying it faced an initial delay of two years because Israeli authorities would not release spectrum.

The operator is facing fresh problems in Gaza, with its equipment lying in storage for the past six months, he said.

Mustafa said PIF made a net profit of $33 million in 2011, down from $59 million a year earlier, when it had made profits on the sale of some of its assets.

“As a fund we operate on a cycle of ten years - by the end of 2013, we estimate we would have made cumulatively $800 million in profit and distributed $700 million in div-idends, a return of 15 percent per year,” he said.

“Our main shareholder, the Palestine Au-thority, needed us to pay higher dividends in 2006, 2007 and 2008 and now we’re trying to moderate that.”

The political imperatives of the funds are evident from investments such as the one in an economic empowerment program for Palestin-ian refugees in Lebanon.

The 58-year-old Mustafa, a Palestinian with a doctorate in management and economics and a degree in engineering, came to PIF after 15 years at the World Bank.

Small, but a contributorThe PIF pales in comparison with some of

the sovereign wealth funds in the Gulf Arab region, which have ploughed petrodollars into investments ranging from British supermarkets to U. banks and German carmakers.

Abu Dhabi Investment Authority’s assets, for instance, are estimated in a wide range of $300 billion to over $600 billion, and the ag-gressive Qatar Holding is thought to have $100 billion under its belt.

PIF was formed with assets of $570 million

in 2003, transferred to it from the Palestine Au-thority after a valuation exercise by internation-al auditors in coordination with the Internation-al Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. Its assets under management as at end-2010 were $868 million.

While most sovereign funds depend on their governments for cash, often from exports of oil, the PIF has been a source of revenue to the Pal-estine Authority.

“It’s been a one-way relationship, as our ob-jectives differ from that of some sovereign funds elsewhere,” said Mustafa.

He said that in the last five years the fund’s investments helped create 10,000 jobs.

Real estate, which contributes 15 percent to the Palestinian economy, is a major sector for the fund, and in the hospitality business, it has stakes in the Grand Park hotel in Ramallah and the Intercontinental in Jericho.

In the power sector, investments include the Palestine Electric Company and a power sta-tion in the northern West Bank. The small and medium-sized enterprise sector is also an area of focus for the fund.

Recently, PIF linked up with Dubai-based Abraaj Capital, the region’s biggest private eq-uity fund, US tech firm Cisco , Bank of Palestine and the European Investment Bank to set up the Palestine Growth Capital Fund, with plans to invest and help manage SMEs in the Palestin-ian territories.

Mustafa said the Growth Capital Fund, which raised $36 million from investors in a first round of funding, targeted raising $100 million in three years.

PIF has invested $15 million in another fund, set up by investment bank Rasmala. Mus-tafa said the target with this fund was similar - to boost its size to $100 million in three years from $38 million currently. -Reuters

FILE- A poster reading “Visit Palestine” hangs in a market in Jerusalem’s Old City Sept. 19, 2011. Palestine’s sovereign wealth fund is aiming to boost the private sector and wean the strife-torn region off aid, with investments in sectors like tourism and power generating prof-its despite difficult relations with Israel, its boss told Reuters. (Reuters)

A man pulls his load of whicker chairs on a cart in a street in Shanghai on April 5, 2012. China’s manufacturing activity rose to the highest level in a year in March official data showed but analysts tempered enthusiasm, saying the world’s second largest economy was still slowing. (AFP)

KSE indices in red at closing

KUWAIT: Main indices of Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) dropped at closing of Thursday’s session with the price index down 13.1 points, reaching 6,145.5 points. Weighted index dropped 3.58 points to the level of 409.77 points. Number of trades reached 3,971, value of traded stocks 33.4 million Kuwaiti dinars and vol-ume of deals 235.3 million shares. Trading began at Kuwait Stock Ex-change (KSE), Thursday, in green with the price index at 6,159.3 points up with 0.7 points at 9:30 a.m., while the weighted index came to 413.2 points, down 0.15 points. Trades came to 787 trans-actions by the time with value of KD 6.7 million and involving 54.6 million shares. -KUNA

KFIC restructures KD 158 million debt

KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Finance & Investment Com-pany (KIFC) has completed a restructuring to par-tially deal with the 158 million Kuwaiti dinar (567.22 million US dollars) debt it had built up by the end of last year, its chief executive said in an interview.

The company suffered net losses of more than 75 percent of its capital as a result of the global financial crisis, leading to a halt on trading of its shares.

Chief Executive Abdulmoghni Al-Abdulmoghni said that creditor banks and bondholders had par-ticipated in a KD 50 million share issue. The take-up was 100 percent, he said. The company’s existing shareholders had also taken up KD 15 million worth of shares, he said in remarks for release on Thursday. The KD 65 million will help the company fulfill its immediate debt obligations.

“Although the company lost its capital, it didn’t ever fall behind on paying or servicing debt...this had a significant impact on persuading creditors to enter into the restructuring,” he said.

The company started talks with creditors in mid-2010. They included a total of 23 local and foreign banks and bondholders. -Reuters

Agility says wins fish market contract appeal

KUWAIT: Kuwaiti logistics company Agility will be able to go ahead with a contract to build and maintain a fish mar-ket thanks to a court appeal ruling, the stock exchange said on Thursday. Shares in the company had been suspended ahead of the announcement. The bourse, which makes announcements on behalf of companies, said trading would begin again shortly. The shares closed at 410 Kuwaiti fils (1.47 US dollars) on Wednesday according to Reuters data.

The government had originally cancelled the contract but Agility managed to appeal that decision in court, the statement said. It added that the outcome would not affect Agility’s finan-cial statements.

The company reported a 114-percent rise in fourth-quarter net profit compared with the same period in 2010, the firm said in a statement on Saturday.

Net profit in the three months to Dec. 31 came in at 3.5 mil-lion Kuwaiti dinars ($12.60 million) compared with a loss of KD 23.7 million in the fourth quarter (Q4) 2010. Fourth-quarter rev-enues were five percent lower at KD 368.6 million due to the loss of government contracting business, Agility said.

For the full year ended Dec. 31, net profit was up eight per-cent at KD 27 million.

Agility, which was the largest supplier to the US Army in the Middle East during the war in Iraq, pleaded not guilty in August to charges it defrauded the US government over multi-billion-dollar supply contracts. -Agencies

Dubai secures $2.5 billion debt delayDUBAI: Dubai Holding, the investment

conglomerate owned by the emirate’s ruler, said on Thursday its private equity arm has reached an agreement with creditors to re-structure 2.5 billion US dollars of debt, end-ing nearly two years of talks.

Dubai International Capital (DIC), which has stakes in British-based budget hotel chain Travelodge and German alu-mina products maker Almatis, will extend $2.15 billion of outstanding bank loans by five years at an interest rate of two percent.

A further $350 million in loans will be extended for three years, said Dubai Holding, owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum. The debt agreement marks another milestone in Dubai’s effort to rebuild its credibility with investors who fled the region after state-owned conglom-erate Dubai World shook markets in 2009 with plans for a $25 billion debt restruc-turing. Dubai World had built up the debts during the boom years before the financial crisis. It reached a final deal with creditors in 2010, extending repayment over five to eight years.

Dubai International Capital gave no details on how it plans to repay the debt

at maturity but the private equity firm has been selling down assets.

It sold hotel operator Ishraq Dubai to diversified firm Almulla Group in October last year. It also sold its 45-percent stake in valve maker KEF Holdings Inc for $178 million earlier in 2011.

It also owns a 27-percent stake in hedge fund firm Och-Ziff Capital Management Group, according to Reuters data.

“Although we are under no pressure to sell assets, we have been able to make a number of profitable exits in recent months demonstrating the quality of our invest-ments and our ability to find buyers in cur-rent market conditions,” Chief Executive David Smoot said.

Parent Dubai Holding’s portfolio in-cludes brands in the property and hospitality sectors, organized under three main groups: Dubai Holding Commercial Operations Group (DHCOG), DIC and Dubai Group. Dubai Group is itself in talks to restructure debts of around $10 billion. “Dubai Hold-ing will continue to focus on reaching a con-sensual agreement with Dubai Group lend-ers,” its Chief Executive Ahmed Bin Byat said in the statement. -Reuters

BUSINESSfriDAY, April 6, 2012

ALWATAN DAILY

10

Iran loses loyal oil customer Greece over payment restraintsChina ship insurer dealsnew blow to Iran oil exports

CAPITALS: iran’s oil flows to Greece have stopped this month, depriving the islamic republic of one of its most loyal European customers and leaving Greece with its fi-nancing troubles struggling to buy crude elsewhere.

The European Union will impose a full embargo on iranian oil imports from July 1 as part of an international stand-off over Tehran’s nuclear program.

That has refiners in Europe and Asia scrambling for al-ternate suppliers, citing the banking difficulties in paying iran for its oil.

Greece is considered more vulnerable than most buyers as it is suffering a major economic crisis and has relied heav-ily on iran, supplier of more than half its oil imports some months last year.

Such imports rose as the EU country’s woes prompted traders and oil majors to pull plug on supplies and banks refused to provide financing for fear that Athens would de-fault on its debt.

On Thursday, iranian state television press TV reported that the iran had blocked oil sales to Greek companies Hel-lenic petroleum and Motor Oil Hellas, accusing them of de-faulting on payments.

A senior source at top Greek refiner Hellenic told reu-ters on Tuesday it had suspended iranian purchases because sanctions imposed made it impossible to pay.

US and EU sanctions are designed to force Tehran to abandon uranium enrichment activities which they suspect are part of a program to develop nuclear weapons. iran has repeatedly denied this, saying its nuclear know-how is for peaceful purposes only.

The United States has exempted Japan and 10 EU na-tions, including Greece, from financial sanctions because they have significantly cut their purchases.

But the exemption has little meaning because banks have grown reluctant to deal with iranian oil-related trans-actions altogether.

“payment is the problem ...EU banks don’t do the pay-ments,” a source at refiner Motor Oil Hellas said.

The refiner stopped buying iranian crude after the EU announced an embargo of iran in January but was able until recently to take a monthly contractual cargo.

As part of Greece’s efforts to find new oil supply, Hel-

lenic secured a cargo of russian Urals crude in a rare tender last month.

Insurance haltsin other news, a major Chinese ship insurer will halt

indemnity cover for tankers carrying iranian oil from July, dealing a blow that narrows the insurance options for Teh-ran’s main export already constricted by payment barriers caused by Western sanctions.

With Western sanctions on Tehran increasing, sources at the China p&i Club told reuters on Thursday it did not want to stand alone in the market, especially after insurers in Japan and Europe plan to either limit or ban their own coverage for tankers operating in iran.

This is the first sign that refiners in China, iran’s top crude buyer, may struggle to obtain the shipping and insur-ance to keep importing from the Middle Eastern country. iran’s other top customers - india, Japan and South Korea - are running into similar problems, raising questions on how Tehran will be able to continue to export the bulk of its oil.

Crude oil prices are up nearly 14 percent since the start of this year on concerns that iranian supplies may be dis-rupted due to Western sanctions. Brent crude traded above 123 US dollars a barrel on Thursday.

The China p&i Club, whose members include major Chinese shipping firms Sinotrans and COSCO Group, is the first Chinese maritime insurer to confirm it will halt busi-ness with tankers operating in iran.

Starting in July, European insurers and reinsurers will be barred from indemnifying ships carrying iranian crude and oil products anywhere in the world, in line with sanctions on Tehran.

iran sells most of its 2.2 million barrels per day of oil exports in Asia, where China, india, Japan and South Korea are the four biggest buyers.

Growing pressure by the West has led some iranian oil buyers to cut imports, but the problem over obtaining mari-time insurance could altogether halt shipments to Asian cus-tomers. Chinese imports from iran are already down more than 21 percent in the first two months of 2012 to around 395,000 barrels per day compared to the same period last year.

Few alternativesAlong with russia and the Middle East, China is one of

the few remaining alternatives for Asian ship owners to re-place European-based coverage. it is not clear if other Chi-nese ship insurers also planned to follow China p&i Club and cut coverage.

European insurers provide cover for the majority of the world’s oil tanker fleet. industry officials say ship owners who still legally trade with iran will be pressed to find suf-ficient, or comprehensive, alternative insurance.

An official with the China p&i club held out hope the European Union would decide on a last-minute easing of the sanctions. European nations are divided over the sanc-tions, while oil refiners, insurers and tanker owners face lost business opportunities with second-largest producer of the Organization of petroleum Exporting Countries (OpEC).

China p&i Club is not a member of the Group of in-ternational p&i Clubs, an association of customer-owned ship insurers which cover 95 percent of the world’s tankers against pollution and personal injury claims. The Chinese insurer has applied to join the club and could be taking the action on iranian coverage to ensure it becomes a member, industry sources said.

The Japan p&i club, the only Asian-based member of the Group of international p&i Clubs, said last month it would only be able to provide a fraction of cover for tankers operating in iran.

“it’s now non-life (insurers) and shippers who can tell us how many cargoes we will be able to ship from iran,” said a manager from a Japanese firm that buys iranian crude, add-ing that importing cargoes without insurance was unthink-able. -Agencies

FILE - Gas flares from an oil production platform, as an Iranian flag is seen in the foreground, at the Soroush oil fields on July 25, 2005. Iran’s oil flows to Greece have stopped this month, depriving the Islamic Republic of one of its most loyal European customers and leaving Greece with its financing troubles struggling to buy crude else-where. (Reuters)

UAE oil output 2.7 million barrels per day in March

Israel must keep gas for 25 years for own use

Gold edges up, fading stimulus hopes weighLONDON: Gold inched higher on Thursday af-

ter falling to a near three-month low the previous day as weaker prices tempted some buyers, but gains were capped by a stronger dollar and fading hopes for a fresh round of monetary stimulus in the United States.

Spot gold was up 0.2 percent at 1,622.30 US dollars an ounce at 1121 GMT, while US gold futures for June delivery were up $9.60 an ounce at $1,623.70.

The metal has fallen nearly three percent this week and while prices regained some ground on Thursday, it was still hovering around its lowest since early January. Traders are awaiting key US payrolls data due on friday for fresh direction.

“You have the release of the US labor report to-morrow so there is some risk over the weekend,” said peter fertig, a consultant for Quantitative Commodity research. He said volumes were likely to be light, with European and US markets largely closed for the Easter weekend. “for some investors (there is) risk and there-fore they are closing short positions.”

Appetite for gold has weakened over the past two days after minutes from the federal reserve on Tuesday suggested a fresh round of US quantitative easing was unlikely. Ultra-loose monetary policy, which keeps real interest rates and consequently the opportunity cost of holding gold low, helped push the metal to record highs in 2011.

“The main pressure has come from the (fed) min-utes,” fertig said. “The minutes did not show any willing-ness to implement (a fresh round of quantitative easing) which the market has hoped for and that of course has strengthened the US dollar.”

“The Spanish bond auction ... is also a factor current-ly supporting the US dollar and weighing on the euro,” he added. Spanish borrowing costs jumped at bond auc-tions on Wednesday, spreading fear in European markets of a return of the euro zone debt crisis and overshadow-ing a successful step back into debt markets by neighbor-ing portugal.

The euro hovered near a three-week trough against the dollar on Thursday and could fall further due to a de-teriorating economic outlook in the euro zone. A stron-ger dollar tends to weigh on gold, which is priced in the US currency, and it is receiving little support from safe-haven demand.

“Growing unease in the European credit markets, evidenced by a sloppy Spanish bond auction that took place on Wednesday, failed to provide any support to gold, as investors once again piled into the relative safety of the dollar and the US treasury bond market,” iNTl fC Stone analyst Edward Meir said in a note late on Wednes-day. European shares fell on fears the euro debt crisis is flaring up again, crimping investors’ appetite for riskier assets ahead of a long holiday weekend for many global markets, while German government bonds held near the previous day’s three-week highs.

“As long as there remains a flight into the safe havens of government bonds in the euro zone, German Bunds, or US Treasuries, that is a bit of a negative factor (for gold),” fertig said.

Jobs data eyedEuro zone businesses floundered in March and

growth cooled in the service sectors of the United States and india, taking some steam out of the global economy, data showed on Wednesday.

“in addition to Euro jitters potentially offering a ‘prop’ for gold, we also cannot rule out the possibility of the US economic recovery ‘topping out’, bringing the easing option back onto the table, and thus throwing another lifeline to the precious metal,” iNTl fC Stone analyst Meir said. investors will be looking on Thursday at US weekly jobless claims due at 1230 GMT for signs about the health of its labor market ahead of a key US job market report due on friday. Among other precious metals, spot silver was flat at $31.32 an ounce, spot plati-num was up 0.1 percent at $1,594.19 an ounce, and spot palladium up 0.8 percent at $634.70 an ounce. -reuters

TEL AVIV: israel should retain enough of its natural gas resources to satisfy its own needs for 25 years and producers can export the surplus, a government panel recommended on Thursday.

Gas production is poised to soar in israel after the discov-ery of two of the world’s largest offshore reserves in recent years.

The Tamar prospect off israel’s Mediterranean coast holds an estimated 250 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas, while the nearly leviathan well holds about 450 bcm. Tamar is set to come online in 2013 and leviathan in 2017.

As the quantity of gas is well above israel’s needs, the finds have raised hopes among exploration firms of a wind-fall from exports.

A committee appointed by prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in late 2011 estimated that israel needs between 420 and 540 bcm of gas till 2040.

“We have allocated about 400 bcm for the domestic mar-

ket and we have allowed the excess capacity to be exported,” Shaul Zemach, managing director of the Energy and Water Ministry, told a news conference to publish the preliminary findings.

Zemach, who heads the committee, said 400 bcm should be enough for israel’s energy needs for 25 years.

Any liquefied natural gas (lNG) terminal that would be built for export purposes would be controlled by the israeli government, according to the recommendations.

The panel recommended that wells with more than 200 bcm must keep at least 50 percent for the local market, while wells between 100 and 200 bcm need to hold 40 percent for israeli needs. Small sites of 50-100 bcm only need a mini-mum of 25 percent. final recommendations are due in June.

israel’s government aims to become more energy inde-pendent following problems with supply of natural gas from Egypt. Militants opposed to deals made by the Mubarak gov-ernment to sell gas to israel have blown up the pipeline 13

times since the beginning of 2011.israel’s electricity provider has been forced to use more

expensive alternatives such as fuel oil and diesel as the coun-try’s only gas field in operation is projected to run out this year.

A group led by Texas-based Noble Energy is develop-ing the Tamar prospect. Noble holds 36 percent of Tamar. isramco Negev owns 28.75 percent, Avner Oil Exploration and Delek Drilling hold 15.625 percent each and Dor Gas Exploration has a 4 percent stake.

Delek Drilling and Avner, whose shares were down 3.6 percent and 2.8 percent, respectively in afternoon trade in Tel Aviv, are both part of Delek Group.

The group has already signed a number of deals, includ-ing one for eight billion US dollars to supply israel Electric Corp with gas.

Noble also holds 40 percent of leviathan, while Delek Drilling and Avner own 22.67 percent. -reuters

Scotland is thehub of green energy,

says HughesJameel W. KarakiStaff Writer

KUWAIT: in an interview with Al Watan Daily, paul Hughes, financial and Business Ser-vices Manager at Scottish Enterprise, asserted that innovation is fundamental to economic de-velopment, where only by continually investing in new products and processes and looking for new markets can firms hope to be globally com-petitive. Economic Development agencies, such as Scottish Enterprise can work closely with firms to help them to identify those areas where they can improve their performance through innovation. He also indicated that they have a network of offices across the Gulf from United Kingdom Trade and investment. This govern-ment body has offices in; Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

When asked about how Scottish Enterprise views the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) market he said, “Our sister organization Scot-tish Development international, recognizes the importance of the GCC markets as growing economies with substantial expertise, particu-larly in energy. There is an obvious case for part-nership to help deliver economic growth in our respective regions. for example, the Scottish Government is working closely with Masdar to help grow our respective renewable energy in-dustries.

He added, “recognizing this importance, we have a dedicated office in Dubai which fa-cilitates market access to the area for Scottish based companies and also acts as an intermedi-ary for Gulf-based companies, funders and insti-tutions wishing to invest in Scotland.”

About the feasibility for a regular investor to invest in green energy, he pointed out that the scale of opportunity for investment in renewable energy means that it cannot be delivered solely by the government. The Green investment Bank (GiB) therefore has partnering with financial institutions as one of its key objectives. With an initial investment of three billion Sterling pounds, it is hoped that the GiB will leverage up to 15 billion pounds of other funding, including private funders and sovereign wealth funds.

As any investment, Hughes clarified that the risks with green investments are similar to investments in other technologies and compa-nies. According to him, no investment is certain to give a guaranteed return but he believes that by undertaking significant due diligence on the technologies and company capability, backed up by robust market information, these can be min-imized. furthermore, any risks would be shared on an equal basis between partners.

Hughes believes that Scotland is a green investment hub for many reasons such as the Strength of financial Services, renewable En-ergy Expertise, and University research.

With regards to GCC investments in Scot-land, he clarified that there are a number of cur-rent investors from the Middle East in Scotland. TAQA continue to invest heavily in the future of their UK North Sea business, with likely capi-tal expenditure of one billion US dollars over the next few years. in the engineering sector Hyspec Engineering of Ayrshire is owned by Oman based United Engineering Services (UES) and John Brown Engineering ltd. (JBE) of lin-wood, near Glasgow, is owned by Masaood John Brown an Emirati company.

DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) produced 2.70 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil in March, up from 2.60 million in february, an industry source familiar with the matter told reuters on Thursday.

“The production is at full capacity in March, demand is high and there is more oil going into storage,” the source said.

in february the member of the Organization of petro-

leum Exporting Countries (OpEC) UAE pumped 2.6 million bpd of oil, its oil minister Mohammed bin Dhaen Al-Hamli said.

OpEC’s output last month rose to its highest level since October 2008 despite a drop in shipments from iran, and the UAE’s production was above the traders’ expecta-tions.

pressure is mounting on buyers of iranian crude to cut

imports as the United States and European Union tighten sanctions.

The European Union will impose a full embargo on ira-nian oil imports from July 1.

like other Gulf OpEC members, the UAE has promised Asian customers it will meet any additional demand, how-ever with a capacity of around 2.7 million bpd, the country has no spare is producing at its limit. -reuters

FILE - In this Wednesday, March 14, 2012 photo, an Iraqi gold-smith displays gold bracelets at his shop in downtown Bagh-dad, Iraq. Gold inched higher on Thursday after falling to a near three-month low the previous day as weaker prices tempted some buyers. (AP)

BUSINESSFRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

ALWATAN DAILY

11

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

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63 14.5

17.5 17.5

4.15

38.0

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0.0%0.0%

21.7039.65

65 54 90

38.0 77

26.32

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76 0.0%0.0%

73

100 96 840 860

108 15.28

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108

37.5

82 5.29

16.20

130 224

0.0%

0.0%

120 82 6.1%

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30.5

75.90

134 220

560

76.32

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325

110

114

0.0%

255

10.8%

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114

55

28

60

0.0%

0.0%

2.7%

40.5

47 64

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118

42.5

325

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520

99 48 0.0%

4.7%

100 49

44.80 43.43

128 208

460

0.0%0.0%

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-

100126

17.83120 22.21200 202 10.0%

-

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5.2%4.5%510

300

114220

40.5

3.8%%

162 160

-

Manafae Inv.Kuwait China Inv.

485

Global Index - Investment

-

75.90-

-

560-

325

Kuwait Syrian

-

53-

- - 53

Amwal -

Ahlia Insurance

-

Al Masar -

Gulf InsuranceKuwait Insurance

Al-Imtiaz 132

KW BH Int'l Exch.- Taiba Kuwaiti Holding

Tamdeen Inv.

-

Gulf North Africa

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-

-

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42.50- - 46.5

64

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-

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--

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4

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--

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57

-

-

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-

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8

2,400

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31.585

110

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11.576

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80,000-

-

-

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-

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97108

840

110

100

40.50

48

-

100

30.0

11440.50

108

Global Index - Insurance

- Warba Insurance

220114

112

-

4943.63

2

98850

204

-

4-

1-

-

-

1080.5- 30.5

120

75 73860

96Union R.E.

Int'L Resorts

MabaniERESCO

INJAZZAT REInv. Holding Grp

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Aa'yan R.ESanam R.E.

Kuwait R.E HoldingAqar

Al Argan Int'L

Arkan Al-Kuwait R.E

Tijara & R.E Invest

Themar Int'L Holding Grand R.E Projects

Al Dar National R.EAL Mazaya

-

Abyaar

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134REAM

Al Tameer

25.523.5

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15.5

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60

27.0 27.0 26.0

27.0 27.0

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14.0

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- 134

220134

- 220

49.73

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Global Index - Real Estate

450126

-

128 242

455 Pipes Ind. & Oil

Al Moudon Intl. R.E

59

17.5

16.5

26.0 24.5

5970

48.5 74

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-

1,935,000

-

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0.5-

69

27

53

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73

61

0.0%

470.0%

0.0%

156

-

-

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-

12,680

10,600- -

-

6352

49

-

-

610

-

325

11043.0

--

224 37.5 -

10.0-

0.19-43.43

412099

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37.5224

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-

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520,000

920,0003,100,000

1

-

80,000

122

Kuwait Re-Ins.

48

-

48

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National R.E.

-

Kuwait R.E.

Wethaq Insurance

126 100

Tamdeen R.E.

United R.E.

Ajial R.E.

Pearl R.E.204 Salhia R.E.

Massaleh R.E.Arab R.E.

224

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82

37.5

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118

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75

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-

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-77

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1,120

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35.5-

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67,400

25.5 27.0

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38.0

32

5.38124

27.2828.0

23.5

15.5

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23.07

18.82

134

220

49.86

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130

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49.73260 232 0.0%130 128

16.2770.58

18.38450 470 465 2.2%

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

Portland Cement

Kuwait Foundry

Gulf Cables & Elec.

Metal CollectingShuaiba Industrial

720 -

110 - 460

1,420

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-

-

-

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104

1,420335

150 150

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--

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180

--

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26.77

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- -

Marine Services

- 1,420

Heavy eng. & Ship.

Refrigeration Ind. 158 150

212

6.491,420 1,460 -

1,440 4.6%3.3%

180

8.02335 3.0%216

340 3402.4% 222 193.84

4.3%

720

460 0.0%

13.9%5.6%

116

740 -

19-

-8,480

165,600-

80,000 3- - -

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

2.0-

73.0 29.0

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--

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260.0

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38.0

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16.0

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130.0

33.5

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29.0

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19.5 19.0

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0.00

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104 -

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-

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21.0 130

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- -

162

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1,540,000

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158

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83.70295 5.9% 13.75345

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1.39

275 13.02 40 0.0%- - 67

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104

9,319,450913,050

14,800

55018.49

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106.53770 530

326.42 316.93

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1.7%

410 415

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415 236 285

11.62480

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90.92700 800

29.70

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17.36680 600

15.34425 30.61510

1,220 1,060

1.9%0.0%

3.3%

430

630-

Yield

108.0 255.0

130

230

52

51

37.0

3.8%

610

3,662,050 1,040

79041

---425

-1,110,000

100 40.0 38.5

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26.5

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71

38.552

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550

340

52

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112

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25.0 130

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112

144

99

13.0 55

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--

KFIC

285

-

Bayan Inv.

Gulf Bank 440

Ahli United Bank - International Bank

192

Gulf Inv. HouseA'ayan Leasing

ALMAL Inv.

-

52

39.5

KW BH Int'l ExchTamdeen Inv.

305

-

- Ekttitab Holding

Sokouk Holding

NOORAl-Madina Finance

Al Qurain Holding 110.0

- 77.0

40.0

- MADARAl Deera Holding

Al Salam Group 260.0 -

KAMCO

- -

Al Safat Inv.

Housing Finance57

-

GLOBAL Inv.

Nat. Int'l Holding

-

Osoul Inv.

Ahlia Holding -

-

-

Aref Inv. Group -

Coast Invest. -

-

ALOLA Inv.

-

- 112

144 Al AMAN Inv. -

Int'L Investor

Int'L FinanceMARKAZKMIFIC

Securities House -

- Ind. & Fin. Inv.Securities Group

National Invest.

285415

560

280415

770

316.93Boubyan Bank

Int'L Financial Adv.

340

317.93106

280280 -

160

106

52

340Kw Projects

550Global Index - Banking

560

104106 Commercial Facilit.Kw Investment

-

335

Kw Finance House 770

Commercial Bank -

425 780

- -

Ahli Bank

275

Company

KSE Price Index

National Bank 1,080

Burgan Bank 410

High

425

-

52

-

-

--

-

104.0-

-

72.0

--

-

186305

255.0

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--

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--

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138,880

-

-

-

--

-

-

--

3,452,500

-

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246,400

1-

-

--

-

-0.32%Trading Activity Last Annual CloseLast

-13.10Div.

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-

5

--

1.5-

2.0-

YTD

Date of Closing Prices:

DTD

26.0

- 38.0

26.0

48.5 64

484,700

HighTran.

Trading Prices of Kuwait Stock Exchange

Last Close Previous Close Change MTD

Value(KD) Ask

176.80

-

79

-1.40%

Volume

-3.49%5.70%

P/ELowBid

-0.90%

-

-1-

3

-

---

-

6

6,145.50

Chng

425

Prev. Close

44510601060

Last Close

-

-

810 -

-

5--

-

-

178.41

20-

17,907,500

127

-1.616,158.60

-

38

26.0 138

-

26.5

48.5 64

71

242 -

--

--

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1,240,000

-

--

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24-

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---

22,8401,007,240

--

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---

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-

-

-

--

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-

2,220,000

-

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17 83,4001

-

10,520,000-

300182 188

4 3%3 050

05 / 04 / 2012

Global General Index

350355 5- 50,000350

118

5655 54 55350 350

55 0.0%345

Markaz Real EstateKuwait Remal R.E

Kuwait Cement

234

445

54-

-

232

18.087

-37.5

--833,360

36,200

11,080

15,840

-

---

18

9236 253,000

-

-

11

-

-

26,400

-817,360

221

10

11,600

-

123

-

1,445,600

-4

59,960

-

- -

108,640

452,320121,320

1

21

1-

-

18,3606

-Ex-D

0.07 66,750,000 1,071

--

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-

500 - -

300

--

--

148

526442.50

-

-

Ex-D -

2.5-114 -

83.29

6780

--

56 -

30.50 160,000-

290 10,00015.0114

678028.00

305 27.23

255

26 58

114

38.0

50.59

11.92

50

64 42.5

0.00

0.0%

0.0%

91

51 47

5.7%

20.0 11.0

0.0%

59 13.5

38.0

97

86

-

19.0

0.0%

12.81

15.67

23.3710.2112.90

296.83

13.92

17.55

0.00

44.9514.88

116445

4,105,740

4,3604 17,500

9 37,240-

283,040

-

35

-

604

-2

-

1,220,000

-

1

---

-

- -

5

-

960,0000.5-- -

240,000

-

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80,000

320,000-

0.77-

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46,000,000

--1-

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234118445 -

-

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117

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134 3.7%0.0% 34

49

1,200,000-

80,000 2,680-

-

1.5--

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--

--

0.0%0.0%164

42.542.0180

25.5

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0.0%0.0%

39.5

0.0%0.0%

34130

-

-

31

35.5-

33.5

22.021.5

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64 0.0%8575

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52.0

64 174

66 12.99

45.0 31.0 23.51

80

92 23.0

17.5 17.5

5.63

67.0

75 94

0.0%

0.0%0.0%

0.0%0.0%

25.7339.65

56 52 74

35.0 77

33.63

0.0%

85 0.0%0.0%

62

104 94 840 1,080

108 15.57

6.4%27.0

120

32.5

100 5.87

17.36

130 224

0.0%

0.0%

114 77 5.5%

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37.5

52.0

74.96

134 220

610

85.99

550 450

280

102

102

0.0%

305

9.6%

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114

73

32

60

0.0%

0.0%

2.7%

40.5

59 64

6.8%

0.0%

148

42.5

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540

97 47 0.0%

4.7%

118 63

44.91 42.22

152 246

495

0.0%0.0%

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-

116124

21.58108 22.21200 244 8.3%

-

29.50.0%

5.0%4.5%480

255

146220

40.5

Manafae Inv.Kuwait China Inv.

500

Global Index - Investment

-

83.35-

29.0

560-

300-

Kuwait Syrian

-

67-

- -67

-

Ahlia Insurance

-

Al Masar -

Gulf InsuranceKuwait Insurance

Al-Imtiaz 128

KW BH Int l Exch.- Taiba Kuwaiti Holding

-

Gulf North Africa

Strategia

305

Amwal -

28.0-

305

42.50-- 52

64

56

-

-

----

-- -

--

6,186,140-

2

-

-

- -

2-

-

1

-

10,720-

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116

-

-

89

-

-

24

36,760960,000

57114

242

-

-

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-

120

1,06068

13490

38.5-

110

37.5100

-

9897

-71

1,040

-

-

-

-20,000

-

-2384,800

97110

1,020

148

116

40.50

57

-

116

38.0

12240.50

-

Global Index - Insurance

- Warba Insurance

220122

-

-

5944.17

3-

981,040

244

-

2-

1-

62.0

-

1101.0- 39.0

118

68 711,020

97Union R.E.

Int'L Resorts

MabaniERESCO

INJAZZAT REInv. Holding Grp

Commercial R.E

Aa'yan R.ESanam R.E.

Kuwait R.E HoldingAqar

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

Tijara & R.E Invest

Themar Int'L Holding Grand R.E Projects

Al Dar National R.EAL Mazaya

-

Abyaar

- Manazel 22.0 KBTFirst DubaiMunshaat

134REAM

Al Tameer

33.5-

22.0134

22.0

33.5

Mena Real Estate

84

17.5 - 33.5

17.5 -

- 38.0

-

19.0

57.60230

- 134

220134

- 220

56.83

-

Global Index - Real Estate

-116

-

118 234

- Pipes Ind. & Oil

Al Moudon Intl. R.E

Nationl Ind. Group

22.5

35.0 28.5

6180 80

174

28.5

174

-

66 -

--

66

17.5

66

-42.0

-- 43.0 42.0 42.0

17.5 37.5

84 84

38.0 37.5

87 8718.5 19.0

2.0- 62.0 - 12.5

60.0 59.0 12.5

-

6974

19.0 -

- 36.0

-

-160,000

-

1,390,000

-

20-1,120,0001-

-

-

31

68

-300

85

56

0.0%

530.0%

0.0%

-

52

4.3%

51

-

-67

58

-

3,050

520

28

300

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112-

240 32.5 -

8.0-

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10-134116

91-

-246

-

-248

Ex-D220 -

500,000

100,0003,460,000

-

-

320,000

-

Kuwait Re-Ins.

58

-

58

-First Takaful Ins. -

National R.E.

-

Kuwait R.E.

Wethaq Insurance

140 116

Tamdeen R.E.

United R.E.

Ajial R.E.

Pearl R.E.244 Salhia R.E.

Massaleh R.E.Arab R.E.

240

124242

91

32.5

118

124

-242

70

- 97

- 240

681,060

38.0-

39.0

880,000-

-

84- 36.0

68

-

-

-

2,720,0001-192

5993

5859 94

5894

40,000-

69 -

- -- 74-69

-

61.0

-69

9459

2,240,000

5767

9,760,00093

-

41,560

440,000

60.0591,400

-

25,640

25.0 17.5

0.0%90 73

28.5

87 0.0%

33.0

31

7.55116

42.4527.5

22.0

15.0

0.0%-0.000.00

23.07

18.82

134

220

57.93

70 0.0% 480 270

220

120

1.0%

0.0%

49.06260 234 0.0%136 118

214

19.0171.18

18.18415 470 450 2.2%

128 128 128 - 1,020,000 39 5.19130,560 126.0 128.0 0.0% 140.0 112.0

Portland Cement

Kuwait Foundry

Gulf Cables & Elec.

Metal CollectingShuaiba Industrial

890 - -

315 315

1,300

-880

315

-

300

-890

112

1,300300

126 124

880

330

-118216

-106

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-

136295

1,2806,500

-

-

140

216

126

890

10,000

75,000-

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5,000-

20- 11

216

5--

360

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--- 112 24.93

660

315

118.86180 102

20.17

13.09

- 300

Marine Services

- 1,300

Heavy eng. & Ship.

Refrigeration Ind. 158 126

140

5.941,300 1,480 126

1,300 5.0%4.0%

216

7.18300 3.3%144

345 3103.6% 222 128.01

6.3%

890

495 0.0%

11.2%4.6%

120

920 -

6-

3,150-

66,300-

- -Ex-D 10,000 1

--

18.0

-

-

620

415

285 -

152

100

89

118

335

960

216

75.0

-

5-

116

22.5

80 80

610

-

71

0.0%

4.3%

Equipment Holding

Gulf Glass

Nat. Ind.Co.Building Material

Eyas

Indep. Petroleum

Kw Cable Vision

National Cleaning

Automated System

Kw Gulf Link

KCPCNAPESCO

K.S.H

Wataniya Tele.City Group

United Industries

Boubyan Int'L Ind.

Mena Holding

Qurain Kuwait Gypsum

Sultan CenterArabi Group

Agility

K-PAK

Boubyan Petroch.

ACICO

Al Kout Ind. Project

Consumer Industries

IKARUS

Hilal Cement

- 104

-

- 620

89

-

275

89212

224

405

167.9075

202

128

280

300

33102

108

52

340110

76.0 700

-106

-

600

154

1,640

22.5 120

15.0

75.0

78-

-

75.0 89

--

-

15.0

1,600

58

75.0-

106

-

168.89960

76.0

79270

112

52

255

106260

270

108

2,220

104550

8978

285

17.5

260

300

255

370

112

110 --

1024-112

340

2,200

--

30058

2.0

2

20-550

150

200,000-

20,000-

89

76.0

154106600

-

-0.99-

-

-

2

-

-

1-

740

410

1.0--

40

-

285

--

370

--

10 0 10 000

-

-1

15

2--

25-

4-

-250,000

1,360,000

--

--3-

385

30,000

-

--

27,120,000

-

-

409,720

93,000

-8,880

42-

-36

-

-

98

-33,120

214,800

19230

-19

-

109,200

99,240

-

88

-

0.0%

275

9 2%

0.0%

-37

0.0%

0.0%6.9%

73 86

89 124

78.0 57.0

17.93

10.04

9.92

60 55

280

12.0 198

490 380

19.5

61 89

12.80

3.8%

5.2%0.0%0.0%0.0%

0.0%0.0%

590

1,500 1,640

23.0130

0.0%-

75.0

1,660

0.0% 120

140

0.0%0.0%

0.0%3.7%

208 218

390

216

- -

--

280,840-

-

-

-

10-90

--

-89

6201,100

212

216--

152

410

-

-

-

75

--

-

-

106

-

-- -

--

148

17.5

-285

-104

110

-

2,200

-

-

102

700

-

73

-

108

-

Global Index - IndustrialNational Cinema

-

Safat Energy

Market Complexes

- Kw Hotels

114

--

-

-

400--

75.0

218 216

Educational Group

ZAIN 730 76.0

-

Salbookh Trading

-

2,220 114

78 - Nafaaes Holding

Privatization Holding

Hits Telecom 110

Human Soft18.0

-

-

-

- 108

- -

76.0

1,660

-

Jeeran Holding

IFA H&RCombinted Group

Mushrif Trading

Palms Agro

Aref energy

Gulf FranchisingGulf Petroleum Safwan

Al Safwa Holding

National Slaughter

325

-

89

116

- Credit & CollectionNational Ranges

-

Safat TEC

UPAC

Burgan Well Drilling

80 270

104 340

3.31

120

82.89

16.0

73.05

6.9130.0

91

0.00

9.60154

14.91520

13.80

255

398.7514.0 270

260

55.09

260

230 58

14.98

14.37

530

68

6.1%

54

7.04260 1.8%

5.4%

11.749.19

9.92340

110 23.89110 295

20.47154

10.72

25.70

110 104

84

45.0

17.06

95 1,920

430 65

13.48

81.0 900 700

222 128

260

280

41 162

163.04 10.67

340

41

174.76

214 11.86

16.44

47.93325 110

102 93 33

0.0033

19.25

128 8.71

51 210

300 27.09

9.20340

228 224

4.7%

16.54

24.45196

1,100

32.355.6%

224

1,400

13.23275

102 88 550

415 216

630

11.21206

88.41

51

20.0%6

-21,3601-

- -240,000

-

Ex-D

-

-

-

-

-

---

-

6301,100

275

216415

150,000

-

202

-106

224-

100

44

300

33

44

7.3%-

- 300 310- 234-

-

-

216

102128

4,000,000 77--

1,300,000

-6-

--

Ex-D-

-

4.8%

100

--

218

1,200 3.6%-

89

4.6%-

620

0.0%0.0%

-

0.0%2.7%

102

--

27-

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---

-

-

1,620

16

3,390,800

379,040-

75.0

315150

-

285

550

2,200

102-

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--

-

-

202

22

106

140,920

108 120

- -

1,213,030

- -

74.0

-21.0

370

-260-390

88315

89325

75 82

260

28.5

132

84 104 154

23.5

350

710 76.0

1,120

110

305

2,280

136

550

126

395

280

345

0.0%

-

4.2%

0.0%

0.0%

204

710

990

0.0%

8.8%

0.0%

0.0%

-340

0.0%2.3%

76.0

-

345

400-

-

-405

-

7000.0%

2,220

-

112

280

-8.3%

0.0%309,800

0.0%

0.0%

2.7%

0.0%

28.6%

9.9%

0.0%

9.4%0.0%

58325

104

114

152108

600

-

2,901,800

8,550--

104

-78

-

8,520-

106,0809484

77

-106

290

108--

106

-17.572,680

-37 18.0

184

1--

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4,080,000

--

249,800--

55

80,000-

3,320,000--

--120

-

--

--

-407,800

-380260 260

- 3801,600

11675.074.0

-

325 32588

--- -

3 25017,640

-2,320

- -

-

120,0007,450,000

3168

-

-

320,000

2,540,000

-

-97,500

1,260,000

2,800,000

76 0.0% 88 70

280 -

75 -

910 960

-4,735,00040-

-270,000

1,320,000

-

-

-

-

-

-

275

315160

285

335

160

120

728.14

77285

10,550

1,580,000-

40,000

-

58,652,500

102

-

98

188

315

275280275

275

242 246

188

-

79285

711.11

285

98 98

360460

52.0

9462

750 52.0

750-

62

-

-

-

64

-

--

94 285

6290

-

88

-

20-

40,000

5

Ex-D3

-

140,000

680,000540,000

-

4.0-

-

-

10.0-

-

360,000-

10,000

20,000-

2,580,000

2-17.03-

160,000

520,0003,800,000

-

---

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5

-

1-

-3.73-

984-

-

-

360460 -

275

348.25

-11

1

-62

1265

10.71

51 70

3.64640

340

114 126

726,280

2,488,560

2-

Ex-D1

5-

1

30,2404

222

9.2%

939,000

265 9.25

5.26

17.39

60.55

23.31

9.60

325

280

315

Gulf Cement

Kout Food

Mashaer HoldingOula Fuel

ALAFCOUPAC

275

Al Jazeera Airways

K G L

Hayat Comm.Future Comm.

Kuwait Resorts

Al-Muwasat

Mubarrad Transport

122

-

81

98

190 LiveStock Trans.

Yiaco Medical

- 290

Um Quwain Cement

United Gulf Bank 188 - -

-295168

ARIG

Egypt Kw HoldingBahrain Kw Ins.

93

-

9785

--

-

460 242

102

1,420

Global Index - Services

242

Alrai Media

Dana Al-Safat

-

450

12293

100

Al Soor Fuel

Kw FoodStuffUnited Poultry

Al Nawadi

Future Kid

Zima Holding

Sharjah CementGlobal Index - Food

1,400United Food

580344.52

10085

112

70Fujaira Cement

Advanced Technolgy

70

Gulf Fin. House 62.0

71

-

Ras AlKheimah

87

-

Markaz Real EstateInvestment Funds

- 122 -- 122 -

60,840

- -36,960,000

26481

2,400,000

-- -

-

-- -

Ex-D- 22.0

106250

-

- 320

- -

11.03- 63.06-

99

-

- -

16.24

-

- - -

-

0.0%-

- - -- -

-

-

- 65

-

-0.0%

70

43.0

12.81

YTD14.16

0.7%

93.0-

4.79%

-

- 0.0%0.0%

- -

MTD

65

DTDPrev Close ChangeClose

15

---

235,347,500 33,439,9903,971

- -

147,200-

33

345

390

- 40.5 93.0

2,260 40.5

-

-

-

-

-

-

405 -

Total Parallel Market Amar For Fin. & Leas. 60 60-

Masaken Inter.

-

Eid Food

-

- 2,260106 -

Flex -Maidan Clinic

106

Total Market

- -

-

-

-Ex-D

- Kw Medical ServicesDar Al-Thuraya Real E

Al-Safat Real Estate

- -

Specialities Group 395

--

395Ajwan Real Estate

22.0

370,000

--

345

5

--

Dulaqan R.E

250106

-

5151

-

--

33

Al-Shamel - -

- -

Al-Bareeq Holding AFAQ

--

144

167

0.29-

144-

-180,000

65

42.07Global Index - Non-Kuwaiti 42.3625.5

168 25.0 25.5168 170168Ahli United Bank

Ithmaar Bank 25.5

295

Inovest 62

455 61.0

66 60.0

61

-166

455 62.0

- 295 300

-69,32011,800

-

12,200

3

20

-40,000 4

-

11,960,000

89

-2

112 --

-

-2

-

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-7,500

1,627,500

2538

--

1,800,000

-

4

4,080,0001,200,000 28

28

3,720

177,270103,040

126,840405,280

1

12

178

93100,000122 122

6- 400,000

40,000

172

26

2-

50-

- 11.58

270 236

44.0

410 345

29.36

8.2016.90

24 159,1607,560

- 11253,480

9,949,800186

-

2

114

182

16

1,222

77 78 92 156

7.5298

485 0.0%

10.92218

0.0%295

300

2.8% 390

9462

52.0 0.0% 62.0 750 0.0%

160 3.2%

305

270 340 280 130 172

315 325

95

114

94

280

310 315

5.72

62

275

0.0%4.4%

0.0%280

190

600

315

10.92

11.28

1.8%5.96

1,400

10.76500

72 0.0%10.6%

325 325310

5,500

22.14

90

11.09

711.11

44

390

791.90

344.52365.22

4.3%

0.0%6.0%0.0%

1,500 130

0.0%

0.0%

4.6%

12.7%

61

120

174104

85

887099

-

124

- 170275

100

1,400

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8.8%

1.5%

4.1%3.4%

0.0%

6.3%

4.9%

0.0%

365

0.0%

108 0.0%

10.0%87

71

610

132 0.0%

330 232

6.7%126 8.2%122

250

5.9%

73 43

9.76

26.87

20.67

8.1041.28

55

46

172

102 118

6.71455

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9.4080.15

455

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1,220

40.5

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9.93

- -

-

-

-

-

-

- - -

-

47.161,220

65 93.0

- 74.0

64 6514,760,000

- --

Global Special Indices

8.3%

- --

370,000- - -

-

--

50-40015 147,200 395

--

-

---

--

--

353223.0-

-

-

170.0

-

-

-

166.0

-

0.0%

0.0%0.0%

0.0%3.2%0.0%

0.0%

0.0%1.8%

93

0.0%295- -

7.7%30010.2%

122182

285

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455 460

85

1,380

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2409,680

61

154,000

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93

120

106

80

275 280

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48.5

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265

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6

-

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237,24047,560 93

-

-

3,250807,950

1,400

76

130

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-99 102

120

9569

190

580

130

3401,420

86

99

96 94 2

-

0.0% 110 -

1 15,680 - -

-5.50%

YTD

0.33%

-1.65%-3.50%MTD

0.31%-1.17%

562.11181.94 -2.13

1.74 0.76%-5.41%

-1.73 -0.92%DTDPrev. Close

188.14Change

186.41Close

Global Index - Islamic 563.85

Global Index - Kuwaiti Co.'sGlobal Index - 10 Large Cap. 179.81

Global Special Indices

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

Date of Closig Prices: 5/04/2012Trading Prices of Kuwait Stock Exchange

SAN FRANCISCO: A group of e-commerce start-ups, backed by some of the tech world’s most pedigreed finan-ciers, are betting that Facebook Inc can become an e-commerce powerhouse to rival Amazon.com Inc and eBay Inc.

As the world’s largest social network hurtles toward a five billion US dollar ini-tial public offering (IPO), it will come un-der more pressure from Wall Street to find new sources of profit growth and reduce its reliance on advertising, which account-ed for 85 percent of its 2011 revenue.

Some entrepreneurs and investors in-creasingly think “f-commerce” - meaning e-commerce on Facebook - is the answer. Start-ups such as BeachMint, Yardsellr, Oodle and Fab.com are coming up with novel ways to persuade Facebook users to not just connect with friends on the social network, but to shop as well.

Backed by tens of millions of dollars from venture capital firms like Accel Part-ners and Andreessen Horowitz, and other big investors like Goldman Sachs, these start-ups are pushing out shopping apps, hosting online garage sales and testing out new business models on Facebook.

“E-commerce is a huge category with very strong tailwinds and it’s a natural move for Facebook,” said Sam Schwerin of Millennium Technology Value Partners, which owns Facebook shares and has a stake in BeachMint.

Amazon revolutionized online shop-ping by crunching lots of customer and purchase data to come up with relevant, personalized recommendations. In the same vein, Facebook’s combination of data, analytics and payment technology could fuel the next generation of e-com-merce, Schwerin said. Facebook declined to comment, but investors said the com-pany understands the importance of hav-ing an e-commerce strategy.

“It’s a big imperative for them,” said Theresia Gouw Ranzetta of Accel Part-ners, an early backer of Facebook. “They understand it’s an important strategic benefit for them to make e-commerce players successful on the platform.”

Big brand stores flopFacebook had 845 million monthly

active users at the end of 2011, far higher than Amazon’s 164 million active ac-counts or the eBay online marketplace’s 100 million active users.

But despite that huge base, Facebook is primarily a way to connect with friends, and not an online shopper’s first destina-tion. Big retailers including J.C. Penney, Gap and Nordstrom had previously set up stores on Facebook but shut them after generating few sales. That has not stopped venture capital firms from pouring money into rookie companies they think have cracked the code.

There is a lot of buzz about Fab.com, a one-year-old company that has amassed two million users who broadcast their purchases via a “bought” button that ad-vertises their shopping habits to friends. Fab built its user base in part by offering five dollars a month to those who sign up - Chief Executive Jason Goldberg said “tens of thousands” opted in.

BeachMint co-founder Diego Ber-dakin said his company had set up a live video event called StyleMint.tv last

holiday season featuring a brief appear-ance by Facebook chief executive officer (CEO) Mark Zuckerberg’s sister, Randi Zuckerberg. For about two hours, they showcased BeachMint products that peo-ple could buy with one click.

More than 50,000 Facebook users watched the show and a “huge percent-age” bought something, Berdakin said, adding, “At the time, it was the biggest day in our history in terms of sales.”

Yardsellr, started in 2010 by for-mer eBay manager Danny Leffel, orga-nizes people into 3,000 communities, or “blocks,” based on common interests. When someone posts a product for sale, it is sent to the news feeds of people in that block and purchases can be made with a few clicks. Gross merchandise sales, a measure of the value of products, has been growing about 30 percent a month, according to Leffel. “Social commerce could be bigger than eBay,” he argued.

Then there’s Oodle, a start-up headed by Craig Donato, who runs Facebook’s official marketplace, which boasts more

than three million unique monthly users. When buyers and sellers post items, their Facebook identities are attached, giving users more confidence in the transactions, Donato said.

Making moneyFor now, Facebook is making money

mostly by selling ads to merchants trying to target potential customers. But many experts say it is a matter of time before the eight-year-old social network will ask for a cut of shopping transactions, or seek other ways to profit.

They point to Facebook’s relationship with online games developer Zynga Inc as an example. Facebook takes a 30 percent cut of revenue generated from the sale of virtual goods used to play Zynga games.

Gamers pay for those virtual goods using Facebook Credits, a virtual curren-cy that could eventually be used to buy physical goods, according to some Inter-net entrepreneurs.

“Facebook has a huge opportunity to monetize e-commerce,” said Christian Taylor, chief executive of Payvment, a startup that operates thousands of Face-book stores. “They have the infrastruc-ture and team to pursue that.”

Others downplay the potential for Facebook Credits, saying physical goods offer much thinner profit margins than virtual products.

“The 30 percent model is great for products with near-zero cost of goods sold,” said Kevin Hartz, head of ticketing start-up Eventbrite, which works closely with Facebook. “But selling a TV with thin margins, that model will just not apply.” Nevertheless, if e-commerce on Facebook takes off, many expect the social network to find a way to make money off it.

“When you build on top of a platform like Facebook, there is always the risk that the platform provider decides to change the rules later on,” said Laura Valverde of Beetailer, which runs more than 3,000 stores on Facebook.

“We have seen this with Facebook Credits and games. So, once social com-merce fully takes off, it will only be natu-ral that Facebook tries to benefit one way or another from it.” -Reuters

Facebook e-commerce: The next big thing?

FILE - A man sits near a Facebook advertisement in this undated file photo. A group of e-commerce start-ups, backed by some of the tech world’s most pedi-greed financiers, are betting that Facebook Inc can become an e-commerce pow-erhouse to rival Amazon.com Inc and eBay Inc. (Reuters)

LONDON: Rapid growth of Islamic finance is increasing pres-sure for the industry to enter the accounting mainstream, by seek-ing guidance from the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), the global body which sets the tone for book-keeping in conventional finance. It would be a controversial move - by basing itself on religious principles, Islamic finance seeks to set itself apart from conventional finance. But some experts think the industry is becoming so big that it can no longer sit comfortably outside a trend towards harmonizing accounting rules across the world.

“The whole thing about financial reporting around the world today is the global move towards a single comparable set of high-quality financial reporting standards...” said Samer Hijazi, financial services audit director at accounting giant KPMG, who monitors the development of Islamic finance.

Islamic financial assets hit 1.3 trillion US dollars globally in 2011, a 150 percent increase over the past five years as the industry expanded into new countries beyond core markets in the Middle East and Malaysia, financial lobby group TheCityUK estimated last week. At present the industry remains governed by a patchwork of national regulators, Islamic standard-setting bodies and scholars in-terpreting Islamic law - a recipe for different rules and practices. This is creating confusion among investors, especially as major Western banks begin to enter the market.

Most of the countries in which Islamic banks operate already use the IASB’s International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). But these standards have been developed for conventional finance, not Islamic transactions, in which interest and pure monetary specula-tion are banned and trades must be underpinned by physical assets.

So there is the potential for conflict between Islamic finance and conventional accounting rules. For example, in order to earn returns but not contravene the ban on interest, Islamic banks buy an asset such as a house on behalf of a customer and lease it out until the cus-tomer is able to acquire ownership. Under current IFRS standards, accountants say, this would probably be treated as a financial lease, requiring the bank to record the lease as an interest-earning loan - in apparent contravention of Sharia law.

“IFRS is all about substance over form whereas Sharia law is very much about compliance with legal form,” said Andrew Hawk-ins, Director at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The solution, some experts say, is to have the IASB introduce standalone guidelines under its IFRS framework that are tailor-made for Islamic finance. These guidelines would ensure a uniform ap-proach across the industry while blending with the IASB’s standards for conventional finance. Bodies such as the Asian-Oceanian Stan-dard Setters Group (AOSSG), a regional organization which creates accounting guidelines, are calling on the IASB to put the drafting of Islamic finance standards on its agenda. The AOSSG has set up a working group to liaise with the IASB.

More than three-quarters of 24 financial standards-setting bod-ies that responded to a survey by the AOSSG at the start of this year said there should not be separate Islamic accounting standards issued by other bodies outside the IFRS framework, because they could be incompatible with the global move towards convergence around IFRS, according to the AOSSG. -Reuters

Islamic finance pressured to join accounting mainstream

STOCKSWITH NBK CAPITAL friday, april 6, 2012

ALWATAN DAILY

12

SAUDI ARABIA

Rebased Performance Summary Best Performers

Tadawul Index (% Chg.) Close % Chg.% of stocks trading above 1yr avg. price #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/AAdvance/Decline Ratio #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/ATadawul Index 52 week High / Low #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/ATurnover (SAR '000) 3020.SSE Yamama Saudi Cement Co. 50.50 -Market Cap. (SAR '000) #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A

Highest Turnover Worst Performers

Turnover (SAR) Close % Chg.1 Al Rajhi Bank 3020.SSE Yamama Saudi Cement Co. 50.50 -# #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A# #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A# #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A# #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A

Quotes

% Chg. High Low High Low on high YTD 12 mths PE PB1 Al Rajhi Bank 80.50 - - - - 82.75 67.25 -2.7% 15.8% 4.9% 120,750,000 16.4 3.7 1 Alinma Bank 15.75 - - - - 16.25 9.05 -3.1% 68.4% 59.1% 23,625,000 nmf 1.5 2 Almarai Co. 71.75 - - - - 114.50 71.50 -37.3% -27.5% -23.3% 16,502,500 14.5 2.5 1 Arab National Bank 32.50 - - - - 34.90 26.60 -6.9% 18.2% -5.8% 27,625,000 12.7 1.7 1 Bank AlBilad 29.30 - - - - 29.30 17.20 0.0% 47.6% 51.8% 8,790,000 26.9 2.6 1 Bank Al Jazira 29.60 - - - - 30.10 15.75 -1.7% 74.6% 53.8% 8,880,000 32.8 1.9 1 Banque Saudi Fransi 49.20 - - - - 50.00 37.50 -1.6% 16.9% 0.8% 35,582,144 12.2 1.8 4 Dar Al Arkan Real Estate Dev. Co. 12.90 - - - - 13.85 6.05 -6.9% 77.9% 36.5% 13,932,000 12.8 0.9 4 Emaar the Economic City 13.00 - - - - 13.60 6.20 -4.4% 76.9% 91.2% 11,050,000 nmf 1.5 7 Etihad Etisalat Co. 66.25 - - - - 68.25 50.00 -2.9% 26.2% 29.3% 46,375,000 9.1 2.5 4 Jabal Omar Development Co. 19.35 - - - - 20.15 11.10 -4.0% 59.3% 42.0% 17,983,890 nmf 2.0 4 Jarir Marketing Co. 154.25 - - - - 155.00 95.33 -0.5% 10.8% 61.8% 9,255,000 18.0 10.2 4 Kingdom Holding Co. 12.60 - - - - 13.10 7.05 -3.8% 42.4% 39.2% 46,694,117 nmf 1.8 2 National Industrialization Co. 50.25 - - - - 50.75 33.60 -1.0% 23.5% 49.6% 28,010,781 11.5 2.5 2 Rabigh Refining & Petrochemical Co. 26.40 - - - - 29.80 21.20 -11.4% 13.5% 9.3% 23,126,400 nmf 2.9 1 Riyad Bank 25.40 - - - - 26.90 23.10 -5.6% 9.0% -2.7% 38,100,000 12.1 1.3 1 Samba Financial Grp. 56.25 - - - - 56.75 42.40 -0.9% 20.7% 0.4% 50,625,000 11.8 1.8 2 Saudi Arabian Fertilizer Co. 200.00 - - - - 200.00 165.00 0.0% 13.6% 12.7% 50,000,000 12.2 6.1 1 Saudi Arabian Mining Co. 37.50 - - - - 37.50 24.25 0.0% 48.2% 52.7% 34,687,500 nmf 2.0 2 Saudi Basic Industries Corp. 109.00 - - - - 112.50 87.75 -3.1% 13.2% 2.1% 327,000,000 11.2 2.4 3 Saudi Cement Co. 88.50 - - - - 98.00 52.50 -9.7% 22.9% 68.6% 13,540,500 16.3 4.1

Trailing

93%-

-

7,895 (0.0%)

#N/A#N/A

7,931 / 5,916-

1,533,720,715

#N/A#N/A

Company Name CloseDaily Turnover

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

(SAR '000)

- - -

- - -

Volume('000)

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

116

123

95

105

115

125

5-Jan-12 5-Feb-12 5-Mar-12 5-Apr-12

S&P GCC Large/Mid Composite Saudi SE

Rebased Performance Bull/Bear Indicator Daily Index Performance Snapshot

GCC Best Performers

Close % Chg.TAMTamweel AED 1.39 11.2%CG Combined Grp Contracting Co. KWD 1.640 2.5%EREEzdan Real Estate Co. QAR 19.98 1.9%

MENA Indices Highlights RCCRaysut Cement Co. OMR 0.991 1.9%BO Boubyan Bank KWD 0.560 1.8%

PE PB GCC Worst PerformersSa Saudi Arabia (Tadawul All Share Index)* 7,895 - 23.0% 7,931 5,916 - 408,959 13.68 2.11 Ku Kuwait (KSE Weighted Index) 410 -0.9% 1.0% 467 396 121 99,386 13.88 1.40 Close % Chg.UAUAE (ADX Index) 2,559 -0.2% 6.5% 2,775 2,293 24 67,603 8.94 1.06 OU Sharjah Islamic Bank AED 0.86 -8.5%

UAE (DFM Index) 1,687 -1.0% 24.6% 1,754 1,301 171 35,157 10.81 0.80 ### National Real Estate Co. KWD 0.124 -7.5%Qa Qatar (DSM Index) 8,825 -0.3% 0.6% 8,892 8,071 88 126,775 11.76 1.92 SIB Zain Kuwait KWD 0.700 -5.4%OmOman (MSM Index) 5,827 0.4% 2.3% 6,406 5,419 16 18,046 10.67 1.59 NR Gulf Bank KWD 0.425 -4.5%Ba Bahrain (BSE Index) 1,141 0.0% -0.2% 1,419 1,129 0 17,107 9.21 0.88 ZAI du AED 3.11 -4.0%Eg Egypt (EGX 30 Index) 4,827 -0.2% 33.3% 5,628 3,587 66 56,735 9.62 1.33 Jo Jordan (Amman General Index) 2,006 0.1% 0.7% 2,246 1,921 15 27,618 13.82 1.63 GCC Highest TurnoverM Morocco (Casa All Shares Index) 10,648 0.0% -4.2% 12,203 10,650 9 58,087 15.65 3.34 Le Lebanon (Beirut SE Index) 1,203 0.1% 2.2% 1,414 1,164 1 10,676 6.39 0.86 Pa Palestine (Al-Quds Index) 486 0.1% 1.9% 513 465 0 2,549 9.46 1.19 EMAEmaar Properties (UAE)Tu Tunisia (Tunis SE Index) 4,988 1.3% 4.8% 4,979 4,091 8 9,964 15.46 1.76 ARTArabtec Holding (UAE)

TAMTamweel (UAE)DFMDubai Financial Market (UAE)NBKNational Bank of Kuwait (KUW)

*Market Closed* Market Closed

26,231,190 18,858,138

Trailing

13,158,642

Turnover (USD)32,393,412 31,448,938

* Market Closed

April 05, 2012

Country (Index) IndexLevel % Chg. 52 Wk

High52 Wk LowYTD Turnover

USD million Mkt. Cap.

USD million

116

114

95

100

105

110

115

120

5-Jan-12 5-Feb-12 5-Mar-12 5-Apr-12

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

Bahrain

Kuwait

Oman

Qatar

Dubai

Abu Dhabi

-2%

-1%

0%

1%

2%

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

Daily

Ret

urn

(%)

-2%

-1%

0%

1%

2%

Bahr

ain

Egyp

t

Jord

an

Kuwa

it

Leba

non

Mor

occo

Om

an

Qat

ar

Duba

i

Pales

tine

Tunis

ia

Abu

Dhab

i

5 Saudi Electricity Co. 14.70 - - - - 16.30 12.85 -9.8% 5.8% 10.5% 61,248,929 27.6 1.2 1 Saudi Hollandi Bank 29.30 - - - - 29.30 21.42 0.0% 18.0% 14.2% 11,629,170 11.5 1.6 22 Saudi Industrial Investment Grp. 25.10 - - - - 27.20 18.55 -7.7% 32.1% 6.4% 11,295,000 21.4 1.9 2 Saudi International Petrochemical Co. 24.10 - - - - 24.45 17.75 -1.4% 22.3% 7.4% 8,836,667 12.5 1.6 1 Saudi Investment Bank 20.35 - - - - 21.00 15.55 -3.1% 26.0% 0.7% 11,192,500 15.8 1.3 2 Saudi Kayan Petrochemical Co. 20.20 - - - - 21.30 15.50 -5.2% 16.1% 9.5% 30,300,000 nmf 2.0 7 Saudi Telecom Co. 40.50 - - - - 41.30 33.00 -1.9% 19.8% 4.4% 81,000,000 10.6 1.7 20 Savola Group Co. 35.30 - - - - 35.50 23.70 -0.6% 23.0% 30.7% 17,650,000 14.8 2.3 30 Southern Province Cement Co. 96.50 - - - - 106.75 60.75 -9.6% 12.2% 58.8% 13,510,000 15.1 5.1 1 SABB 36.30 - - - - 46.30 34.20 -21.6% -10.8% -20.0% 36,300,000 12.6 2.1 3 Yamama Saudi Cement Co. 50.50 - - - - 83.25 47.50 -39.3% -27.9% -6.5% 10,226,250 13.9 3.0 2 Yanbu National Petrochemicals Co. 53.50 - - - - 56.00 41.60 -4.5% 21.6% 5.4% 30,093,750 9.5 2.9 7 Zain - Saudi Arabia 10.25 - - - - 11.50 5.25 -10.9% 84.7% 47.5% 14,350,000 nmf 3.3

-

- - -

- - - - - - - - -

Rebased Performance Bull/Bear Indicator Daily Index Performance Snapshot

MENA Best Performers

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

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

PE PB MENA Worst Performers

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

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

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

TurnoverUSD million

64,280,166

Turnover (USD)343,553,085

97,126,838 88,742,222

Trailing Mkt. Cap.USD million

119,955,261

April 21, 2009

Country (Index) IndexLevel % Chg. 52 Wk

High52 Wk LowYTD

*Market Closed

113

111

113

85

90

95

100

105

110

115

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

Bahrain

Kuwait

Oman

Qatar

Saudi

Dubai

Abu Dhabi

-6%

0%

6%

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

Dai

ly R

etur

n (%

)-6%

-4%

-2%

0%

2%

4%

6%

Bahr

ain

Jord

an

Kuw

ait

Om

an

Qat

ar

Saud

i

Dub

ai

Pale

stin

e

Abu

Dha

bi

STOCKSWITH NBK CAPITAL friday, april 6, 2012

ALWATAN DAILY

13

KUWAIT

Rebased Performance Summary Best Performers

KSE General Index (% Chg.) Close % Chg.KSE Weighted Index (% Chg.) CGC.KSE Combined Grp Contracting Co. 1.640 2.5%% of stocks trading above 1yr avg. price BOUBYAN. Boubyan Bank 0.560 1.8%Advance/Decline Ratio ALTIJARIA The Commercial Real Estate Co. 0.094 1.1%KSE General Index 52 week High / Low NMTC.KSE Wataniya 2.220 0.9%KSE Weighted Index 52 week High / Low - #N/A - 0.0%Turnover (KWD '000)Market Cap. (KWD '000)

Highest Turnover Worst Performers

Turnover (KWD) Close % Chg.N National Bank of Kuwait NRE.KSE National Real Estate Co. 0.124 -7.5%ZAZain Kuwait ZAIN.KSE Zain Kuwait 0.700 -5.4%K Kuwait International Bank GBK.KSE Gulf Bank 0.425 -4.5%MMabanee Co. SULTAN.KSSultan Center Food Products Co. 0.108 -3.6%K Kuwait Finance House TAM.KSE Tamdeen Real Estate Co. 0.240 -3.2%

Quotes

% Chg. High Low High Low on high YTD 12 mths PE PBA Agility 0.405 -1.2% 0.410 0.400 270 0.435 0.248 -6.9% 8.0% 3.8% 423,969 15.7 0.5 A Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait 0.610 - - - - 0.657 0.581 -7.2% -3.0% 5.0% 923,076 18.3 1.9 T Al Themar Intl. Holding Co. 0.087 - - - - 0.104 0.079 -16.3% -4.4% -14.7% 88,088 nmf 1.0 A Alafco Aviation Lease and Fin. Co. 0.315 0.0% 0.315 0.310 2,580 0.380 0.280 -17.1% 0.0% -11.3% 245,628 6.2 1.6 A AREF Energy Holding Co. 0.106 0.0% 0.108 0.106 80 0.126 0.085 -15.9% 0.0% -8.6% 79,500 nmf 1.2 B Boubyan Bank 0.560 1.8% 0.560 0.550 1,640 0.620 0.530 -9.7% -5.1% -3.4% 979,012 nmf 4.2 B Boubyan Petrochemical Co. 0.620 -1.6% 0.620 0.620 150 0.630 0.510 -1.6% 10.7% 21.6% 300,762 34.3 1.2 B Burgan Bank 0.415 0.0% 0.425 0.410 1,250 0.524 0.415 -20.8% -8.2% -11.1% 641,161 12.7 1.4 A Burgan Co. for Well Drilling 0.260 - - - - 0.420 0.198 -38.1% 22.6% -44.7% 54,503 26.7 1.0 C Combined Grp Contracting Co. 1.640 2.5% 1.660 1.600 250 1.945 1.300 -15.7% 3.8% -8.9% 158,474 19.9 4.3 C Commercial Bank of Kuwait 0.790 - - - - 0.940 0.700 -16.0% 0.0% -16.0% 1,004,898 nmf 1.9 F Commercial Facilities Co. 0.280 0.0% 0.280 0.280 350 0.395 0.255 -29.1% 7.7% -27.3% 150,294 10.6 0.9 G Global Investment House 0.049 - - - - 0.055 0.019 -10.9% 0.0% 32.4% 64,309 nmf 3.1 G Gulf Bank 0.425 -4.5% 0.440 0.425 1,110 0.552 0.425 -23.0% -12.6% -10.7% 1,119,062 36.5 2.6 C Gulf Cable and Electrical Industries Co. 1.300 -1.5% 1.300 1.300 5 1.700 1.300 -23.5% -8.5% -18.8% 272,911 7.5 1.6 IF IFA Hotels & Resorts 0.380 - - - - 0.495 0.285 -23.2% -20.0% -16.5% 172,475 nmf 3.6 IK Ikarus Petroleum Industries Co. 0.202 - - - - 0.214 0.136 -5.6% 18.8% 46.4% 151,500 18.0 1.0 IF International Finance Co. 0.099 - - - - 0.242 0.096 -59.1% -2.9% -61.2% 79,485 nmf 0.7 JAJazeera Airways 0.460 0.0% 0.460 0.450 140 0.485 0.118 -5.2% 1.1% 271.0% 101,200 9.6 3.9 K KIPCO Asset Management Co. 0.242 - - - - 0.285 0.236 -15.1% -0.8% -16.6% 63,719 nmf 0.8

Trailing

467 / 396

3,662,050

27,659,221 33,565

3,390,800 2,428,550 1,445,600

6,146 (-0.2%)

44%0.31

6,523 / 5,694

1,313,200

Company Name CloseDaily Turnover

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

(KWD '000)

- 808

9

109 -

Volume('000)

913 93

518 - 408 - 98

- 485

7 - - - 64

-

410 (-0.9%)

116

104

95

100

105

110

115

120

5-Jan-12 5-Feb-12 5-Mar-12 5-Apr-12

S&P GCC Large/Mid Composite KSE Weighted Index

F First Gulf Bank 9.67 -0.3% 9.74 9.41 907 10.75 6.98 -10.0% 25.2% 20.9% 29,010,000 7.8 1.1 G Gulf Cement Co. 1.16 0.9% 1.26 1.06 57 1.56 0.67 -25.6% 63.4% -17.7% 952,472 nmf 0.8 M Mashreq 91.45 - - - - 102.00 74.70 -10.3% -9.9% 22.4% - 18.8 1.3 N National Bank of Abu Dhabi 8.73 0.2% 8.79 8.71 61 9.00 7.38 -3.0% 7.6% 16.7% 33,824,895 9.1 1.3 N National Bank of Fujairah 4.51 - - - - 4.70 2.91 -4.0% -0.9% 27.8% 4,961,000 17.7 2.4 N National Bank of Umm Al Qaiwain 1.78 - - - - 2.39 1.63 -25.5% -1.7% -18.7% 2,848,000 8.9 0.9 S Sharjah Islamic Bank 0.86 -8.5% 0.90 0.86 307 1.02 0.80 -15.7% 2.4% 1.2% 2,085,930 8.3 0.5 S Sorouh Real Estate Co. 1.17 -0.9% 1.18 1.15 9,739 1.54 0.67 -24.0% 37.6% -12.7% 3,071,250 9.2 0.5 T Tamweel 1.39 11.2% 1.43 1.22 71,521 1.49 0.53 -6.7% 130.5% 40.4% 1,390,000 13.6 0.6 U Union National Bank 3.06 -2.9% 3.18 3.01 207 3.90 2.82 -21.5% 5.9% 1.0% 7,636,613 5.1 0.7 U Union Properties 0.45 1.1% 0.46 0.43 32,390 0.50 0.24 -9.9% 72.9% 51.2% 1,501,618 nmf 0.6 U United Arab Bank 3.95 - - - - 5.00 3.28 -21.0% 8.5% -25.5% 3,935,785 11.9 1.9

* Closing Prices, Turnover and Market Cap. in USD

8,772 66

- 531 - - 264

11,375 96,347

634 14,607

-

UAE

Rebased Performance Summary Best Performers

DFM Index (% Chg.) Close % Chg.ADSM Index (% Chg.) TAMWEEL Tamweel 1.39 11.2%% of stocks trading above 1yr avg. price TAQA.ADS Abu Dhabi National Energy Co. 1.33 1.5%Advance/Decline Ratio UPP.DFM Union Properties 0.45 1.1%DFM Index 52 week High / Low GCEM.ADS Gulf Cement Co. 1.16 0.9%ADSM Index 52 week High / Low AIRARABIA Air Arabia 0.71 0.6%Turnover (AED '000)Market Cap. (AED '000)

Highest Turnover Worst Performers

Turnover (AED) Close % Chg.E Emaar Properties SIB.ADSM Sharjah Islamic Bank 0.86 -8.5%A Arabtec Holding DU.DFM du 3.11 -4.0%TATamweel DEYAAR.D Deyaar Development Co. 0.42 -3.7%D Dubai Financial Market ARTC.DFM Arabtec Holding 3.44 -3.6%D Deyaar Development Co. UNB.ADSM Union National Bank 3.06 -2.9%

Quotes

% Chg. High Low High Low on high YTD 12 mths PE PBA Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank 3.26 0.0% 3.29 3.24 838 3.32 2.55 -1.8% 17.3% 25.4% 18,241,647 6.0 0.8 A Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank 3.49 0.3% 3.50 3.46 199 3.55 2.92 -1.7% 10.4% 7.7% 8,252,824 7.1 1.3 T Abu Dhabi National Energy Co. 1.33 1.5% 1.34 1.32 499 1.63 1.14 -18.4% 10.8% -10.7% 8,279,250 12.7 1.1 A Abu Dhabi National Hotels 2.19 - - - - 2.94 2.02 -25.5% -0.5% -19.5% 2,190,000 8.7 0.3 A Air Arabia 0.71 0.6% 0.72 0.71 13,064 0.77 0.57 -7.4% 21.8% -3.5% 3,332,024 12.4 0.6 A ALDAR Properties 1.17 -0.9% 1.18 1.15 18,879 1.68 0.76 -30.4% 27.2% -20.4% 4,779,601 7.4 0.7 A Amlak Finance 1.02 - - - - - - 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1,530,000 nmf 1.1 A Arabtec Holding 3.44 -3.6% 3.62 3.42 32,585 3.63 1.24 -5.2% 116.4% 159.0% 5,142,800 20.2 1.7 A Aramex 1.79 0.6% 1.80 1.78 1,680 1.96 1.69 -8.7% -0.6% 0.0% 2,620,739 12.4 1.4 A Arkan Building Materials Co. 0.99 0.0% 0.99 0.99 83 1.77 0.71 -44.1% -2.0% -41.8% 1,732,500 nmf 1.1 C Commercial Bank of Dubai 2.80 - - - - 3.24 2.76 -13.5% 1.4% -2.0% 5,707,386 6.9 0.9 D Dana Gas 0.49 -2.0% 0.50 0.49 5,740 0.71 0.34 -31.0% 8.9% -24.6% 3,234,981 6.4 0.4 D Deyaar Development Co. 0.42 -3.7% 0.43 0.41 67,200 0.46 0.20 -7.7% 97.2% 77.2% 2,426,760 nmf 0.6

D du 3.11 -4.0% 3.12 3.06 1,255 3.30 2.80 -5.8% 7.6% 2.0% 14,217,143 13.0 2.3 D Dubai Financial Market 1.21 0.0% 1.25 1.18 56,665 1.46 0.68 -17.1% 44.0% -5.5% 9,680,000 nmf 1.3

D Dubai Islamic Bank 2.06 -1.4% 2.08 2.05 4,147 2.31 1.88 -10.8% 6.2% -6.8% 7,821,931 7.7 0.9 E Emaar Properties 3.25 -0.6% 3.33 3.22 36,341 3.49 2.41 -6.9% 26.5% 2.5% 19,796,525 11.0 0.6 E Emirates NBD 2.86 -0.7% 2.88 2.85 709 4.63 2.65 -38.2% -2.7% -13.3% 15,895,236 6.3 0.5 E Etisalat 8.83 -0.1% 8.89 8.73 1,460 11.20 8.64 -21.2% -3.3% -13.9% 69,811,216 12.0 1.8

2,559 (-0.2%)1,687 (-1.0%)

2,775 / 2,293721,714

405,982,288

77%0.62

1,754 / 1,301

118,981,004 115,511,949 96,347,160 69,265,942 28,275,777

Company Name CloseDaily Turnover

(AED '000)Volume('000)

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

Trailing

2,732 695 664 -

9,292 22,031

- 115,512

3,020 82

- 2,841

28,276

3,896 69,266

8,550 118,981

2,025 12,881

116

107

126

90

100

110

120

130

5-Jan-12 5-Feb-12 5-Mar-12 5-Apr-12

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

K Kuwait Cement Co. 0.445 - - - - 0.630 0.415 -29.4% -3.3% -24.6% 283,757 20.6 2.0 K Kuwait Finance House 0.770 0.0% 0.780 0.770 1,705 1.019 0.759 -24.4% -7.6% -21.5% 2,236,206 37.2 1.2 F Kuwait Food Co. 1.400 -1.4% 1.420 1.400 8 1.620 1.400 -13.6% -5.4% -5.4% 562,803 11.7 1.9 K Kuwait International Bank 0.280 -1.8% 0.285 0.275 8,750 0.350 0.236 -20.0% 9.8% -9.7% 290,451 26.8 1.4 P Kuwait Portland Cement Co. 0.890 0.0% 0.890 0.880 75 1.580 0.660 -43.7% 25.4% -38.8% 80,905 31.9 1.3 K Kuwait Projects Co. (Holding) 0.340 0.0% 0.340 0.335 350 0.425 0.295 -20.0% 11.5% -15.0% 432,795 14.4 0.8 M Mabanee Co. 1.020 -1.9% 1.060 1.020 1,390 1.080 0.680 -5.6% 18.6% 50.0% 566,738 27.3 3.9 M Mena Holding 0.033 - - - - - - 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 21,780 2.3 0.1 N National Bank of Kuwait 1.060 0.0% 1.080 1.060 3,453 1.145 0.909 -7.4% 4.1% 0.5% 4,614,707 15.2 2.1 N National Industries Co. 0.300 - - - - 0.340 0.260 -11.8% 7.1% -3.2% 103,861 36.2 1.3 N National Industries Grp. Holding 0.234 0.0% 0.234 0.230 1,220 0.285 0.192 -17.9% -10.0% -8.2% 303,053 nmf 0.8 N National Investments Company 0.160 -1.2% 0.160 0.160 1,540 0.295 0.158 -45.8% -7.0% -44.8% 140,194 nmf 0.8 N National Real Estate Co. 0.124 -7.5% 0.140 0.124 3,460 0.168 0.056 -26.2% -3.1% 24.0% - nmf 0.5 O Oula Fuel Marketing Co. 0.275 0.0% 0.275 0.275 20 0.360 0.265 -23.6% -8.3% -3.8% 90,667 22.3 2.1 A Qurain Petrochemicals Industries Co. 0.216 0.0% 0.218 0.216 1,300 0.226 0.176 -4.4% 0.9% 22.7% 237,600 13.1 1.1 S Salhia Real Estate Co. 0.242 -0.8% 0.244 0.242 500 0.246 0.200 -1.6% 16.3% 0.8% 124,079 17.3 1.0 S Sultan Center Food Products Co. 0.108 -3.6% 0.114 0.108 2,800 0.136 0.093 -20.6% -10.0% -14.3% 62,514 nmf 0.9 T Tamdeen Real Estate Co. 0.240 -3.2% 0.240 0.240 20 0.270 0.216 -11.1% 4.3% -7.7% 89,549 18.1 0.9 A The Commercial Real Estate Co. 0.094 1.1% 0.094 0.092 2,720 0.094 0.067 0.0% 22.1% 27.0% 172,473 16.4 0.7 S The Securities House 0.130 - - - - - - 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 88,400 nmf 7.0 N Wataniya 2.220 0.9% 2.220 2.200 98 2.280 1.760 -2.6% 14.4% 26.1% 1,118,953 3.1 1.4 Z Zain Kuwait 0.700 -5.4% 0.730 0.700 4,735 1.380 0.700 -49.3% -22.2% -49.3% 3,015,274 10.6 1.4

2,429

- 1,313

11

66 117

1,446 -

3,662 - 283 246 452

6 281 121 310

5 253 - 215

3,391

STOCKSWITH NBK CAPITAL friday, april 6, 2012

ALWATAN DAILY

14

QATAR

Rebased Performance Summary Best Performers

DSM Index (% Chg.) Close % Chg.% of stocks trading above 1yr avg. price ERES.DSMEzdan Real Estate Co. 19.98 1.9%Advance/Decline Ratio QIIK.DSM Qatar International Islamic Bank 51.60 1.0%DSM 52 week High / Low VFQS.DSMVodafone Qatar 7.58 0.5%Turnover (QAR '000) QEWS.DSMQatar Electricity & Water Co. 145.80 0.4%Market Cap. (QAR '000) IQCD.DSM Industries Qatar 142.40 0.3%

Highest Turnover Worst Performers

Turnover (QAR) Close % Chg.QQatar National Bank AHCS.DSMAamal Co. 17.62 -2.1%QQatar Telecom QIBK.DSM Qatar Islamic Bank 77.10 -1.0%MMasraf Al Rayan CBQK.DSMThe Commercial Bank of Qatar 76.50 -1.0%QQatar Gas Transport Co. QTEL.DSM Qatar Telecom 130.00 -1.0%IQIndustries Qatar DHBK.DSMDoha Bank 60.40 -1.0%

Quotes

% Chg. High Low High Low on high YTD 12 mths PE PBA Aamal Co. 17.62 -2.1% 18.49 17.50 181 24.09 15.40 -26.9% 10.8% -1.1% 8,721,900 17.7 1.5 K Al Khalij Commercial Bank 16.50 0.0% 16.50 16.45 47 18.95 16.06 -12.9% -3.9% -12.9% 5,940,000 12.2 1.1 B Barwa Real Estate Co. 28.45 -0.5% 28.60 28.40 293 35.55 28.00 -20.0% -5.0% -19.7% 11,070,596 9.2 0.9 C The Commercial Bank of Qatar 76.50 -1.0% 77.30 76.50 123 85.50 68.00 -10.5% -8.9% 1.7% 18,929,647 10.0 1.3 D Doha Bank 60.40 -1.0% 61.00 60.40 37 67.00 50.00 -9.9% -5.8% 5.0% 12,484,547 10.1 1.8 E Ezdan Real Estate Co. 19.98 1.9% 19.99 19.75 6 24.97 18.60 -20.0% -10.0% -14.1% 52,996,884 nmf 1.9 IQIndustries Qatar 142.40 0.3% 142.80 142.00 74 148.50 118.80 -4.1% 7.1% 4.0% 78,320,000 9.9 3.0 M Masraf Al Rayan 27.55 -0.5% 27.70 27.45 703 28.10 22.50 -2.0% -1.1% 21.1% 20,662,500 14.7 2.4 Q Qatar Electricity & Water Co. 145.80 0.4% 146.10 145.60 7 153.50 129.50 -5.0% 4.4% 6.5% 14,580,000 11.2 4.8 Q Qatar Gas Transport Co. 17.84 0.2% 17.90 17.75 787 19.58 16.59 -8.9% 1.9% -3.5% 9,880,577 11.9 6.8 Q Qatar International Islamic Bank 51.60 1.0% 51.60 51.20 154 56.20 45.50 -8.2% -4.4% 10.5% 7,810,627 12.0 1.6 Q Qatar Islamic Bank 77.10 -1.0% 77.90 77.00 59 85.30 76.30 -9.6% -8.5% -4.8% 18,218,206 13.3 1.6 Q Qatar National Bank 135.50 -0.3% 136.00 134.30 336 141.73 117.15 -4.4% -1.9% 15.7% 94,813,339 12.6 2.3 Q Qatar Navigation 76.80 0.1% 77.00 76.00 34 87.50 69.90 -12.2% 0.4% -11.8% 8,795,535 12.5 0.8 Q Qatar Telecom 130.00 -1.0% 132.90 126.00 168 168.50 130.00 -22.8% -7.7% -9.7% 29,744,000 11.5 1.4 V Vodafone Qatar 7.58 0.5% 7.58 7.51 292 8.12 7.24 -6.7% 0.4% -5.4% 6,408,132 nmf 1.0

461,690,804

8,825 (-0.3%)

45,387,903

56%0.88

8,892 / 8,071320,917

21,790,317 19,365,728 14,022,449 10,602,207

Company Name CloseDaily Turnover

(QAR '000)Trailing

3,257 773

8,362

Volume('000)

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

9,502 2,253

128 10,602 19,366

954 14,022 7,920

2,201

4,588 45,388 2,587

21,790

116

99

90

100

110

120

5-Jan-12 5-Feb-12 5-Mar-12 5-Apr-12

S&P GCC Large/Mid Composite Doha SM

BAHRAIN

Rebased Performance Summary Best Performers

BSE Index (% Chg.) Close % Chg.% of stocks trading above 1 yr avg. price BATELCO.BBahrain Telecommunications Co. 0.44 1.4%Advance/Decline Ratio AUB.BSE Ahli United Bank 0.61 -0.8%BSE 52 week High / Low #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/ATurnover (BHD '000) #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/AMarket Cap. (BHD '000) #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A

Highest Turnover Worst Performers

Turnover (BHD) Close % Chg.B Bahrain Telecommunications Co. AUB.BSE Ahli United Bank 0.61 -0.8%A Ahli United Bank BATELCO.BBahrain Telecommunications Co. 0.44 1.4%B Albaraka Banking Grp. BARKA.BS Albaraka Banking Grp. 0.93 -# #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A# #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A

Quotes

% Chg. High Low High Low on high YTD 12 mths PE PBA Ahli United Bank* 0.605 -0.8% 0.605 0.605 14 0.680 0.599 -11.0% 0.3% -8.6% 3,166,301 10.2 1.2 B Albaraka Banking Grp.* 0.930 - - - - 1.089 0.857 -14.6% -0.4% -14.6% 943,462 8.0 0.8 A Arab Banking Corp.* 0.420 - - - - 0.570 0.420 -26.3% 0.0% -26.3% 1,306,200 6.4 0.4 B Bahrain Islamic Bank 0.090 - - - - 0.116 0.082 -22.4% 0.0% -22.4% 84,571 nmf 0.8 B Bahrain Telecommunications Co. 0.440 1.4% 0.442 0.434 173 0.492 0.380 -10.6% 12.2% -9.5% 633,600 7.9 1.3 B BBK 0.420 - - - - 0.436 0.390 -3.7% 1.4% -3.7% 357,570 11.2 1.5 IN Investcorp Bank* 797 - - - - 797 797 0.0% 0.0% -30.0% 637,560 4.5 0.6 IT Ithmaar Bank* 0.095 - - - - 0.105 0.065 -9.5% 46.2% -17.4% 254,388 nmf 0.4 N National Bank of Bahrain 0.570 - - - - 0.630 0.560 -9.5% -0.9% -9.5% 487,555 10.7 1.8 U United Gulf Bank 0.304 - - - - 0.424 0.270 -28.3% 1.3% -25.1% 253,707 nmf 1.2

* Closing Prices, Turnover and Market Cap. in USD

26%1.00

76,147

1,141 (0.0%)

3,204 -

1,419 / 1,12985

6,449,281

#N/A#N/A

Company Name CloseDaily Turnover

(BHD '000)Volume('000)

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

Trailing

8 - - - 76

- - - - -

116

100

90

100

110

120

5-Jan-12 5-Feb-12 5-Mar-12 5-Apr-12S&P GCC Large/Mid Composite Bahrain SE

OMAN

Rebased Performance Summary Best Performers

MSM Index (% Chg.) Close % Chg.% of stocks trading above 1yr avg. price RCCI.MSM Raysut Cement Co. 0.99 1.9%Advance/Decline Ratio OCOI.MSM Oman Cement Co. 0.57 1.4%MSM 52 week High / Low BKDB.MSMBank Dhofar 0.46 1.3%Turnover (OMR '000) BKMB.MSMBank Muscat 0.62 -0.3%Market Cap (OMR '000) OTEL.MSMOman Telecommunications Co. 1.30 -0.5%

Highest Turnover Worst Performers

Turnover (OMR) Close % Chg.B Bank Muscat RNSS.MSMRenaissance Services 0.59 -0.8%OOman Telecommunications Co. NBOB.MSMNational Bank of Oman 0.29 -0.7%OOman Cement Co. OTEL.MSMOman Telecommunications Co. 1.30 -0.5%B Bank Dhofar BKMB.MSMBank Muscat 0.62 -0.3%R Raysut Cement Co. BKDB.MSMBank Dhofar 0.46 1.3%

Quotes

% Chg. High Low High Low on high YTD 12 mths PE PBB Bank Dhofar 0.461 1.3% 0.469 0.455 336 0.549 0.423 -16.0% 1.3% -16.5% 507,154 12.6 2.2 B Bank Muscat 0.623 -0.3% 0.625 0.620 602 0.679 0.572 -8.2% -6.5% -2.5% 1,119,402 9.5 1.3 N National Bank of Oman 0.291 -0.7% 0.293 0.291 96 0.324 0.291 -10.2% -6.7% -4.3% 322,435 9.4 1.1 O Oman Cement Co. 0.571 1.4% 0.579 0.563 315 0.608 0.416 -6.1% 32.2% -1.2% 188,928 14.8 1.3 O Oman Telecommunications Co. 1.298 -0.5% 1.300 1.295 148 1.425 1.041 -8.9% -0.8% 17.0% 973,500 8.7 2.0 R Raysut Cement Co. 0.991 1.9% 1.010 0.979 98 1.099 0.711 -9.8% 30.4% -9.1% 198,200 13.2 1.9 R Renaissance Services 0.591 -0.8% 0.600 0.590 39 1.094 0.458 -46.0% 8.4% -41.1% 166,718 nmf 1.0

6,119 6,947,554

5,827 (0.4%)37%0.75

6,406 / 5,419

374,598 191,737 179,637 155,115 97,352

Company Name CloseDaily Turnover

(OMR '000)Volume('000)

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

Trailing

155 375 28

180 192 97 23

116

102

90

100

110

120

5-Jan-12 5-Feb-12 5-Mar-12 5-Apr-12

S&P GCC Large/Mid Composite Muscat SM

friDAY, April 6, 2012

LIFE How to avoid secondhand smokeSecondhand smoke can cause illness and early death in adults and children who don’t

smoke. The womenshealth.gov website offers some suggestions on how to reduce your expo-

sure to secondhand smoke:•Ask smokers not to smoke in your home or car.•If you are near someone who is smoking, keep the windows open.•Politely ask people not to smoke around you. Mention that it makes you cough and

your eyes itch.•Avoid areas, such as restaurants or bars, where smoking is allowed.

Giant feathered dinosaur found in China was too big to flyThe dinosaur Yutyrannus huali - ‘beautiful feathered tyrant’ - either used its feathers to keep warm or attract a mate

LOS ANGELES: The discovery of a giant meat-eating dinosaur sporting a downy coat has some scientists reimag-ining the look of Tyrannosaurus rex.

With a killer jaw and sharp claws, T. rex has long been depicted in movies and popular culture as having scaly skin. But the discovery of an earlier relative suggests the king of dinosaurs may have had a softer side.

The evidence comes from the unearthing of a new ty-rannosaur species in northeastern China that lived 60 mil-lion years before T. rex. The fossil record preserved remains of fluffy down, making it the largest feathered dinosaur ever found.

If a T. rex relative had feathers, why not T. rex? Scientists said the evidence is trending in that direction.

“People need to start changing their image of T. rex,” said Luis Chiappe, director of the Dinosaur Institute at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, who was not part of the discovery team.

Much smaller dinosaurs with primitive feathers have been excavated in recent years, but this is the first direct sign of a huge, shaggy dinosaur. Scientists have long debat-ed whether gigantic dinosaurs lost their feathers the bigger they got or were just not as extensively covered.

The new tyrannosaur species, Yutyrannus huali, is de-

scribed in Thursday’s issue of the journal Nature. Its name is a blend of Latin and Mandarin, which translates to “beauti-ful feathered tyrant.”

A team of Chinese and Canadian scientists analyzed three well-preserved fossil skeletons - an adult and two juveniles - recovered from a quarry in China’s Liaoning province by a private fossil dealer. Most striking were the remains of down-like feathers on the neck and arm. Though coverage was patchy, scientists suspected the species had feathers over much of its body.

It would have felt like touching “long, thick fur,” co-au-thor Corwin Sullivan of the Chinese Academy of Sciences said in an email. Another scientist, Thomas Holtz Jr. at the University of Maryland, compared it to the feathers of an emu.

The creature lived about 125 million years ago. At 30 feet long and weighing a ton, Y. huali would have reached T. rex’s chest.

The dino-fuzz likely provided insulation, though cam-ouflage or showing it off like a peacock could not be ruled out.

Since T. rex is related to this newfound feathery species, chances are good that T. rex was feathered as well, scientists said. Just don’t mistake fuzzy for cuddly. The predatory di-nosaur would have been just as menacing.

Having feathers “doesn’t make it less threatening or less fearsome,” said Holtz, who had no role in the research.

Matthew Lamanna, assistant curator at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, said T. rex most likely was cov-ered in both feathers and scales.

Whatever the coverage of feathers, the latest fossil finds “force us to conceive of tyrannosauroids in a new way,” said Julia Clarke at the University of Texas at Austin. -AP

This artist concept provided by the Beijing Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology shows Y. huali and other smaller dinosaurs roaming 125 million years ago. (AP)

WASHINGTON: The dramatic tempera-ture increases that thawed the last ice age fol-lowed spikes in carbon dioxide levels in the air, a new study finds. Researchers say that further strengthens the scientific case explaining cur-rent man-made global warming.

In the new study, scientists show the at-mospheric concentration of that heat-trapping greenhouse gas jumped more than 40 percent. Then global temperatures went up about 6 de-grees Fahrenheit (3.5 degrees Celsius).

What is remarkable is that when the two are plotted they rise, plateau and rise again in a striking similar way with a slight lag. The warming over 6,000 years follows the green-house gas increase, just as scientific theory has long held. This is important because, until this study, the two curves weren’t quite so in sync. At some points, it seemed that the tempera-tures warmed before the carbon dioxide lev-els increased, something that climate skeptics seized upon.

How could carbon dioxide cause warming if the temperatures warmed first, argue skep-tics, who are in the scientific minority.

Earlier studies had looked at carbon diox-ide levels and temperature readings from Ant-arctica, not the entire world. A study published

Wednesday in the journal Nature estimated global temperatures using 80 different proxies - ice and mud samples from dozens of places around the world - and found that globally, temperatures clearly went up only after carbon dioxide jumped.

“You end up with something that looks remarkably similar to the pattern of rising car-bon dioxide through time,” study lead author Jeremy Shankun of Harvard University said. “This, to me, seems like pretty powerful proof of theory of the connection between green-house gases and global warming.”

There are two main sources of carbon di-oxide, the chief greenhouse gas. The natural source comes mostly from dead plants and animals and that amplified the ice age thaw. In modern day, emissions from burning coal, oil and other fossil fuels add greatly to that natural carbon dioxide. The ice age warming in Antarc-tica still appears to come before the carbon di-oxide increases, which are calculated using an 800,000 year old Antarctic ice core, but there’s good reason, Shankun said.

Temperature records and other ocean data paint a complicated picture of just how the last ice age thawed. It’s almost like a Rube Gold-berg machine, with one step leading to anoth-

er and another. When the last ice age peaked about 25,000 years ago, the ice sheet extended to Iowa and New York City, Shankun said.

The ice sheet was actually so large that it was unstable, said study co-author Peter Clark of Oregon State University. The initial trigger to the melt: A small and predictable wobble in Earth’s orbit around the sun.

That tiny wobble meant a tilt toward the sun that brought more sunlight in the North-ern Hemisphere, causing ice sheets to melt and sending whopping levels of fresh water into the world’s oceans. That caused the global cir-culation of the oceans to stop, which in turn warmed the southern oceans, melting southern ice sheets over areas where more of the world’s carbon dioxide is trapped, Shankun said.

That released massive amounts of the greenhouse gas, which then amplified the glob-al temperature spike, Shankun said.

By 11,000 years ago, the ice age was histo-ry and greenhouse gas and temperature levels had stabilized. That changed with the industrial age and the increased use of fossil fuels.

Carbon dioxide levels have jumped rough-ly the same amount in the last century as they did over 6,000 years to get out of the ice age, Shankun said. -AP

Study suggests rising CO2 in the past caused global warming

NEW YORK: For all their cuteness, gi-ant pandas are in a tight spot. There are few-er than 1,600 pandas left in the wild, and a new study found that more than half of the bears’ already diminished natural habitat will be unlivable in 70 years thanks to cli-mate change according to LiveScience.

To protect the adorable black-and-white creatures, zoologists are working furiously to understand and improve panda-breeding in captivity.

Toward that end, another recent study investigated male pandas’ reproductive cycle, and found that, contrary to females, males are ready and able to mate during more than six months of the year.

This is welcome news, given that female pandas have a sharply limited fertility win-dow of only 24 to 72 hours a year.

“The more we know, the more we can understand them and the better we’re able to put guidelines in place for their protec-tion,” said Copper Aitken-Palmer, head vet-erinarian at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Va., and leader of the reproduction study. “We can potentially manage them better in captiv-ity, and we’re actually looking toward rein-troduction programs to put captive pandas back into the wild.”

When the time is rightAitken-Palmer and her colleagues stud-

ied eight male pandas over the course of three years at the Chengdu Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China. They analyzed pandas’ sperm density, hormone levels and testes size, as well as reproductive behav-iors such as movement, scent-marking and vocalizations, to map out their reproductive

viability over time.The research showed that male pandas

have a breeding season, but it is much lon-ger than that of females.

“The coordinated increases in testes size, androgen production, sperm density, and sexual behaviors occur over a protract-ed interval, likely to prepare for, and then accommodate a brief, unpredictable female estrus,” the scientists wrote in a paper re-porting the results published in the journal Biology of Reproduction’s Papers in Press.

Turning up the heatThough pandas are the pride of many

zoos around the world, their situation in the wild is growing dire. One of the greatest threats to the furry creatures is habitat loss from climate change and human encroach-ment, scientists say.

While the species used to roam over most of southeastern China, northern Myan-mar, and northern Vietnam, now pandas are limited to six mountain ranges between the Sichuan plain and Tibetan plateau.

And that habitat is looking to grow much smaller, with pandas set to lose 60 percent of their current range due to cli-mate change by 2080, researchers reported in a paper published in the International Journal of Ecology in March. That’s a loss of more than 6,200 square miles (16,000 square kilometers).

As global temperatures become warm-er, on average, the panda-suitable habitats will move to higher elevations and latitudes, according to climate models. In addition to pandas’ limited geographic range, the spe-cies has other traits that suggest climate change could hit it hard.

Half of giant panda habitat may vanish in 70 years: scientists

Scientists develop ultra-thin solar cells

PARIS: Austrian and Japanese research-ers on Wednesday unveiled solar cells thin-ner than a thread of spider silk that are flex-ible enough to be wrapped around a single human hair.

The thin-film device, comprising elec-trodes on a plastic foil, is about 1.9 micro-meters thick, a tenth the size of the thinnest solar cells currently available, the research-ers said.

One micro-meter is one millionth of a meter (3.3 feet).

“The total thickness of this device is less than a typical thread of spider silk,” the re-searchers said in a report carried by online science journal Nature Communications.

“Being ultra-thin means you don’t feel its weight and it is elastic,” said one of the researchers, Tsuyoshi Sekitani from the Uni-versity of Tokyo.

“You could attach the device to your clothes like a badge to collect electricity (from the sun)... Elderly people who might want to wear sensors to monitor their health would not need to carry around batteries,” Sekitani told AFP.

The research was done jointly by Martin Kaltenbrunner, Siegfried Bauer and other researchers from Johannes Kepler Univer-sity of Austria as well as Sekitani and other contributors from University of Tokyo.

Sekitani said it was possible to make the cells bigger.

“Power generation by solar cells increas-es with their size. As this device is soft, it is less prone to damage by bending even if it gets bigger,” he said.

Sekitani said the team hoped to increase the rate at which the device converts sunlight into electricity and put it to practical use in around five years. -AFP

NEW YORK: Air pollution does more than make the skies hazy, with a new study suggesting the industrial ick is linked to drought, flooding and even hurricanes according to LiveScience.

The research, detailed this week in the journal Nature, suggests human activity can, and already has, driven large-scale regional climate changes.

The “dirty pollution,” it seems, can cause changes in the temperature of the Atlantic Ocean, which in turn drives the stormy activity, say the researchers from the Met Office, the U.K.’s Na-tional Weather Service. To a lesser extent, volcanic activity also drives this temperature variation and subsequent weather phenomena. The researchers focused on the so-called Atlantic Multidecadal Os-cillation, which are shifts in sea-surface tempera-tures that run in cycles, with warm and cold phases lasting 20 to 40 years; since the mid-1990s we’ve been in a warm phase, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

A warm period in this cycle increases hurri-cane activity in the North Atlantic - warm water acts as fuel for the high-energy storms - and rainfall in parts of Africa, while reducing rainfall in South America. A cold phase has the opposite effects.

“Until now, no one has been able to demonstrate a physical link to what is causing these observed Atlantic Ocean fluctuations, so it was assumed they must be caused by natural variability,” lead study author Ben Booth, a climate processes scientist at the MET Office, said in a statement. “Our research implies that far from being natural, these changes could have been largely driven by dirty pollution and volcanoes.” Using a computer climate model, Booth and his colleagues looked at sea-surface temperatures in the North Atlantic between 1860 and 2005. The model, which simulates physical processes in Earth’s atmosphere, reproduced these warm-cold variations in the North Atlantic. The simulations actually showed a clear link between the temperature changes in the Atlantic Ocean and the peaks and troughs in industrial pollution from surrounding countries.

Results showed that industrial aerosols and volcanic activity (to a lesser extent) could explain about 75 percent of these sea-surface temperature variations. Here’s how pollution may be linked with climate, the researchers suspect: Most clouds

owe their existence to aerosols that act as tiny seeds (called cloud condensation nuclei) around which water vapor droplets can cling and condense. This mostly happens around natural aerosols, such as sea salts. However, particles in polluted air can also seed clouds. Polluted air holds much higher con-centrations of water-soluble particles, and, as such, clouds formed from the polluted air tend to have more, and smaller, droplets compared with “natu-ral” clouds, according to the NASA Earth Obser-vatory. The small droplets make these clouds look brighter since sunlight has many more surfaces to reflect off. With increased light scattering, these brighter clouds actually keep sunlight from reach-ing Earth’s surface and shade the planet. Result: cooling of the ocean beneath. If the research bears out, it could redefine some “natural” disasters.

“If so, this means a number of natural disas-ters linked to these ocean fluctuations, such as per-sistent African drought during the 1970s and 80s, may not be so natural after all,” Booth said.

The researchers do caution, however, that the results are based on one computer model and that further research is needed to firm up the link be-tween industrial pollution and climate.

Natural disasters tied to unnatural causes

FILE - Industrial pollution has been linked with changes in sea-surface temperatures in the At-lantic, which have led to droughts and even hur-ricanes. (Agencies)

CERN particle collider notches new world record

PARIS: The world’s largest particle collider notched up a new record on Thurs-day as it escalated its quest to find fundamental matter and explore the origins of the Universe, CERN said. At 00:38 am Thursday (2238 GMT Wednesday), the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) brought together two opposing beams of protons, each with an energy of four teraelectronvolts, the European Organization for Nuclear Re-search (CERN) said in a press release. “The collision energy of 8 TeV is a new world record, and increases the machine’s discovery potential considerably,” it said.

The LHC comprises a ring-shaped tunnel near Geneva, 27 kilometers (17 miles) long and up to 175 meters (570 feet) below ground. Beams of protons are acceler-ated in opposed directions to nearly the speed of light.

Superconducting magnets “bend” the beams so that the particle streams collide within four large chambers. Swathing the chambers are detectors that give a 3-D im-age of the traces of sub-atomic particles hurled out from the protons’ destruction.

The tracks are then scrutinized for movements, properties or novel particles that could advance understanding of matter. The big goal of 2012 is to determine the existence or otherwise of the Higgs Boson, which according to a theory of matter called the Standard Model would explain mass. The LHC had been running smooth-ly for two years at a collision energy totalling 7 TeV before a winter break when the decision was made to escalate to 8 TeV. “Although the increase in collision energy is relatively modest, it translates to an increased discovery potential,” CERN said.

Higher energy collisions mean that Higgs Bosons, if they exist, will be produced more copiously, the organization said.

On the other hand, they also boost background noise that mimics the likely signal of the Higgs. “That means that the full year’s running will still be necessary to convert the tantalizing hints seen in 2011 into a discovery, or to rule out the Stan-dard Model Higgs particle altogether,” CERN said. Thursday’s increase also hikes the potential for creating hoped-for “supersymmetrical” particles.

These could explain why visible matter only accounts for some four percent of the cosmos. Dark matter (23 percent) and dark energy (73 percent) account for the rest. The LHC is scheduled to run until the end of 2012, when it will go into a long maintenance shutdown ahead of running at 13 TeV from late 2014, ultimately ramp-ing up to its designed maximum of 14 TeV. LHC collisions amount to a high concen-tration of energy but only at an extraordinarily tiny scale. One TeV is the equivalent energy of motion of a flying mosquito, according to CERN. -AFP

CULTUREALWATAN DAILY

16friDAY, April 6, 2012

Tunisia’sex-first lady to tell her ‘truth’ in memoir

Outdoor gyms fight fat in South AfricaFRANCE: Sweat drips down the face of a

plump woman as she shuffles between exercise machines and pauses to greet passersby in Sowe-to’s first outdoor gym, a new trend in South Africa, one of the world’s fattest nations.

The facility, set in a park among tiny two-bed-room homes, has caught on with many Sowetans who are determined to lose the flab without sign-ing expensive gym contracts.

Opened by the Johannesburg city council a month ago, the gym has seen the people of all ages pumping iron and swaying around in swing-like contraptions designed to target problem fat.

“Joining a gym has never ever crossed my mind. But this place has made things much easier for me because it is close to my house and free,” said 37-year-old Chichi Mofokeng.

“i can simply walk here anytime. Doctors have repeatedly told me to lose weight and get healthy, so this is my chance,” said the enthusiastic mother of two who weighs 90 kilograms.

Unlike Brazil, Britain, the United States and some other countries, outdoor gyms in South Af-

rica are not common, despite the pressing need to tackle the increasing obesity rates.

last year the city of Cape Town unveiled its first outdoor gym on the beach front, catering for residents of affluent suburbs along the Atlantic sea-board. The city is considering opening more free gyms in other areas to promote physical wellness.

in some studies, South Africa could soon over-take the United States as the world’s fattest nation. in 2007, the Medical research Council found that 56 percent of adult women and 29 percent of adult men in South Africa were overweight or obese.

Another study by a pharmaceutical company in 2010 revealed that 61 percent of the country’s 50 million people were obese, trailing only the United States and Britain.

Health authorities blame the easy access to un-healthy fast foods, with an assortment of outlets available in almost all public places, as well as a decline in overall fitness levels.

Tim Hogin, managing director of Green Out-door Gyms, the company that provided the eco-friendly gym equipment, said he decided to get in-

volved after reading about the staggering obesity statistics in the country.

“i was shocked by the figures. Our aim is to get people moving, fit and healthy,” said Hogin.

“i realized that not everyone could afford pay-ing for a gym membership and that was the biggest excuse for not exercising,” he added.

Hogin said his company plans to roll out 1,000 more gyms across the country in two years.

The immovable machines are designed to with-stand the outdoor weather conditions and minor wear and tear. Grouped together in the middle of the park, the machines could easily be mistaken for playground equipment, until they are seized by the ample-sized patrons.

“As you can see i am a bit big, so i want to get slim and healthy and encourage my children to get active. Working out is no longer reserved for the well-off, even people like us can now get fit,” said Chewa letsoale. Soweto which has a 1.7 million population had no gymnasiums until Virgin Active, the chain owned by British mogul richard Bran-son, opened its doors there last December. -Afp

TUNIS: leila Ben Ali, the wife of Tunisia’s ousted dictator, will publish a memoir of her life that is likely to stir controversy in the North African country where she was reviled by many as a latter-day Marie-Antoinette.

Her book, to be published in french under the title “Ma Verite” or “My Truth”, appears on amazon.fr, the french language arm of amazon.com, as a forthcoming title with a publication date of May 24. it is priced at 16.10 euros.

Contacted by reuters, the paris-based publisher, les Editions du Moment, was not immediately available for comment.

Tunisian news website Tunisia live reported on Wednesday that the publisher had confirmed the book was “in the process of being prepared” but had not given details.

The book has already caused a stir on micro-blogging site Twitter, where some have labeled it “a book to boy-cott” in parody of the many books that were banned dur-ing Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali’s 23-year stint as president.

leila Ben Ali, nee Trabelsi, was a former hairdresser and her lavish lifestyle and clique of wealthy relatives were seen by many Tunisians as symbols of the corrup-tion of the Ben Ali era.

Corruption, along with unemployment and a lack of freedom, were among the main complaints raised by pro-testers who ousted Ben Ali in 2011 in a popular revolu-tion that sparked the Arab Spring uprisings.

Ben Ali and leila fled Tunis for exile in Saudi Arabia as protests engulfed the capital on January 14, 2011.

in June, a Tunisian court found Ben Ali and his wife guilty of theft and of illegally possessing jewelry and large sums of cash and sentenced them in absentia to 35 years in jail each.

During Ben Ali’s term in office, members of the Tra-belsi family accumulated vast fortunes while his secu-

rity forces routinely arrested anyone who dared dissent. -reuters

FILE-Tunisia’s First Lady Leila Ben Ali attends the opening of the 3rd Arab Women’s Organization conference in Tunis Oct. 28, 2010. (Reuters)

Pope reaffirms ban on women priestsVATICAN CITY: pope Benedict on Thursday re-stated

the roman Catholic Church’s ban on women priests and warned that he would not tolerate disobedience by clerics on fundamental teachings.

Benedict, who for decades before his 2005 election was the Vatican’s chief doctrinal enforcer, delivered an unusually direct denunciation of disobedient priests in a sermon at a morning Mass on Holy Thursday, the day the Church com-memorates the day Christ instituted the priesthood.

The pope responded specifically to a call to disobedience by a group of Austrian priests and laity, who last year boldly and openly challenged Church teaching on taboo topics such as priestly celibacy and women’s ordination. “is disobedience a path of renewal for the Church?” he asked rhetorically in the sermon of a solemn Mass in St peter’s Basilica on the day Catholic priests around the world renew their vows.

in his response to the Austrian group, his first in public, Benedict noted that, in its “call to disobedience”, it had chal-lenged “definitive decisions of the Church’s magisterium (teaching authority) such as the question of women’s ordina-tion ...”

He then restated the position by citing a major 1994 document by his predecessor John paul ii that stated that the ban on women priests was part of the Church’s “divine constitution”.

A year later in 1995, the Vatican’s doctrinal department, which the current pope then headed when he was Cardinal Joseph ratzinger, ruled that the teaching on an exclusively male priesthood had been “set forth infallibly”, meaning it could not be changed. The Catholic Church teaches that it has no authority to allow women to become priests because Jesus Christ willingly chose only men as his apostles when he instituted the priesthood at the last Supper.

proponents of a female priesthood say Jesus Christ was only acting according to the customs of his times. -reuters

People work out at new outdoor gym in Soweto on March 19, 2012. (AFP)

Malaysia says Singapore ballet show can go on

FRANCE: Malaysia on Thursday denied reports that the Muslim-majority country blocked a performance by a Singapore ballet troupe due to squeamishness over tights-wearing dancers and said the show could go on.

However, the Singapore Dance Theatre had earlier said it was too late to stage the performance after it said Malaysian authorities this week denied them approval for the weekend appearance in the capital Kuala lum-pur.

“There is no ban and the show should go on as planned,” rais Yatim, minister of information, commu-nications and culture, was quoted saying by state news agency Bernama.

Janek Schergen, artistic director of Singapore Dance Theatre, told Afp the organization had been seeking ap-proval for licenses to perform but was denied without explanation.

However, Bilqis Hijjas, president of Malaysian arts group MyDance Alliance, said the move was taken out of concern over the “indecency” of the costumes.

The Singapore dance group was scheduled to per-form a selection of classical ballet works including “The Nutcracker”, which was to be performed in traditional short tutu and tights.

The Malaysian government occasionally pulls the plug on shows by foreign -- usually Western -- artists out of fear of angering conservative Muslims.

in february, rais announced a ban on a concert by American singer Erykah Badu after a photo of her with body art including the Arabic word for “Allah” was pub-lished in a Malaysian newspaper.

He had said the Badu show was scuttled out of re-spect for “religious sensitivities and cultural values”.

But he was quoted Thursday by Bernama as saying the costumes for the ballet performance should not be a problem.

“i mean, ballet doesn’t go with big gowns, does it?” he said.

Schergen said it was “certainly too late” now but add-ed the performance could take place later in the year.

He also was skeptical of a comment by rais, who was quoted saying no application to perform had been re-ceived.

“We had someone talking to them on Tuesday so it is strange that now they say they have not received any-thing,” he said.

All of the costumes for women were to include long skirts except for “The Nutcracker”.

Bilqis, whose group promotes dance, called the al-leged permit denial “deplorable” and warned it would make Malaysia appear an unreliable host for cultural per-formances, scaring off foreign arts investors. -Afp

Young Gulf Arabs question tradition of cousin marriages

DOHA: Noor was not the first in her Qatari family to marry a close relative, but she may be one of the last.

Throughout the Middle East, Africa and parts of South Asia, marriage between family members has been widely practiced for thousands of years, largely as a means of securing relationships be-tween tribes and preserving family wealth, but also as a practical necessity given that genders are often kept separate.

“i wouldn’t say that my parents pressured me, but i felt that society expected it,” said Noor, who married her first cousin when she was 19. They had a son together but the marriage ended after a year and a half.

“We broke up because of the family dynamics, all the interference. it’s not just the couple that’s in-volved, it’s the whole family,” she said, wearing the traditional black head-and-body-covering abaya and declining to give her family name.

“This society has invisible constraints. They’re never mentioned, but you have to follow them.”

At least half of all Gulf Arab marriages are between cousins, with at least 35 percent of Qa-tari marriages between first cousins, according to current research by the Centre for Arab Genomic Studies based in Dubai. in Saudi Arabia, the num-ber ranges from 25 to 42 percent while in the Unit-ed Arab Emirates, it is between 21 and 28 percent.

Science vs. cultureAt a recent public debate on intermarriage in

Doha, much of the discussion focused on the ten-sions between cultural practices and the science cautioning against consanguineous marriage - de-fined as marriage between second cousins or clos-er.

The discussion was part of the “Doha Debates”, a series sponsored by the Qatar foundation and aired internationally that presents four speakers arguing for and against a controversial motion, in this case the idea that the practice of intermarriage should be discouraged.

“i’m living evidence that cousin marriage doesn’t work,” said Salma, a Sudanese woman liv-ing in Qatar who was in the audience and spoke during the question and answer period.

“My parents are both first cousins. My aunt married a first cousin and had two children, both of whom died young. i’m now afraid i’ll get diabetes, because everyone in my family has it.”

in recent years Gulf countries have introduced mandatory premarital testing for genetic diseases including sickle cell anemia, as well as infectious diseases such as hepatitis and HiV. in Qatar, coun-

seling is required if a potential genetic problem is detected, though the couple are free to marry if they choose.

public awareness campaigns - particularly one started in Bahrain two decades ago targeting uni-versity students in their late teens and early 20s - have been notably successful in reducing rates of genetic diseases such as sickle cell anemia in the country, Ghazi Tadmouri, assistant director of the Arab Centre for Genomic Studies in Dubai, told reuters.

Yet even Tadmouri, a geneticist, acknowledges that the social advantages of marrying a family member might outweigh the potential genetic dis-advantages in some societies.

“it’s expensive to marry in the Gulf. premarital financial negotiations are much easier when done among family members,” Tadmouri said. “And it provides a sense of security for the woman. She’s not entering into a new world; she’s entering a fam-ily she knows very well.”

Others have expressed concern that testing could lead to social stigmatization.

“Gulf society is a very fragile society. These tests might suggest, ‘This girl has a problem, don’t touch her’,” said Omar, an Omani in his 20s who was in the audience.

When asked in the debate if they were married to or would consider marrying a cousin or other family member, only two out of the more than 300 Qataris, citizens of other Gulf and Middle Eastern countries as well as Westerners of varying ages in the audience raised their hands.

Religious sanctionThough not prohibited by islam, Christianity

or Judaism, some cite the hadith, or saying of the prophet Mohammad, as an injunction against the practice: “Marry those who are unrelated to you, so your children do not become weak.”

Others in support of it point out that the proph-et married his own daughter to a first cousin.

“There’s a misconception that parents often force their daughters to marry within the family. Our segregated lifestyle often doesn’t allow for mixing of the sexes except within the family envi-ronment, so many times the only chance of falling in love is within the family, because you are com-pletely closed off from others,” Saudi author Samar fatany told reuters.

fatany said that whereas marrying a stranger is often frowned upon, marriage between family members promotes harmony and stability within the family, and encourages a family-focused way of life. -reuters

Models display creations by designer Migle Janusaite during Fashion Week in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, April 5, 2012. (AP)

RUSSIA FASHION WEEK

entertainmentaLWatan DaiLY

17FRIDAY, ApRIl 6, 2012

Song Of The Day

Fahad AlSabahStaff Writer

Song: CannonballArtist: Brandi CarlileAlbum: The StoryGenre: Folk/AcousticIn short: Brandi Carlile’s rough voice sets her apart from most singer-songwriters out there, and her sophomore al-bum, The Story, is a testament of her prowess as a vocalist and a songwriter. On the melancholic “Cannonball,” Carlile sings: “Someone told me a lie / Someone looked me in the eye / And said time will ease your pain / But behold, when you fall / It’s the same old cannonball / Coming back for your heart again.”

To listen to the song visit www.alwatandaily.comE-mail your feedback to falsabah@alwatandaily.com

The BuzzDempsey’s Le Mans journey headed for TVpatrick Dempsey is bringing his passion for auto racing to tele-vision with a new documentary series. The “Grey’s Anatomy” star will produce “Road to le Mans,” a four-part series about his competition in the venerable French race next year, the Veloc-ity channel said Thursday. Dempsey, who has a professional auto racing team based in Georgia, will be both owner and driver at the 24-hour endurance race. “Road to le Mans,” set to air by mid-2013. -Ap

George Michael pens song about battle with illnessGeorge Michael is writing a song about his near-death battle with illness in a Vienna hospital last year, the British singer an-nounced on Twitter on Wednesday. Michael, 48, was diagnosed with severe pneumonia in November and treated in the Austrian capital where he was taken ill. He was forced to postpone his tour and spent several weeks in hospital, describing his illness as “touch and go”. On his Twitter feed, he wrote: “I’ve been a busy boy in the studio this week ... finally ready to write about what happened to me in Vienna ... and how grateful I am to be given another chance to live and breathe alongside you all in this won-derful world that we share.”-Reuters

HBO confirms True Blood, Newsroom premiere dates“True Blood” will sink its teeth into its fifth season on June 10, HBO said on Wednesday. The cable network also announced that its new series “The Newsroom” will premiere on June 24. The hit vampire drama “True Blood” kicks off its 12-episode sea-son Sunday, June 10 at 9 p.m. In addition to bringing characters Sookie Stackhouse and Bill Compton back to the air, this sea-son will mark the last with creator Alan Ball at the helm, though he will maintain a supervisory. The Aaron Sorkin-created series “The Newsroom,” meanwhile, begins its 10-episode maiden sea-son on Sunday, June 24 at 10 p.m. The series, which stars Jeff Daniels, Emily Mortimer, Dev patel, Olivia Munn and Sam Wa-terston, revolves around a cable news anchor (played by Daniels) and his new executive producer, newsroom staff and boss as they attempt to do honest reporting in an atmosphere of corporate-controlled media. -Reuters

Fox special to feature That 70s Show castAshton Kutcher might be a big-shot “Two and a Half Men” star these days, but he’s not abandoning his roots. Kutcher will join his fellow former “That ‘70s Show” co-stars Mila Kunis, laura prepon and Wilmer Valderrama for a cast reunion on “Fox’s 25th Anniversary Special,” airing Sunday, April 22 at 8 p.m. The cast members of the show -- which ran from 1998 to 2006 on Fox -- will “remember their earliest break into stardom and growing up on set,” according to Fox. -Reuters

Gary Sinise cancels appearances after car accidentGary Sinise is canceling appearances with his lt. Dan Band after suffering injuries in a car accident. A spokeswoman for the ac-tor says Sinise was a passenger in a car involved in an accident Friday. Staci Wolfe did not offer details about the extent of his injuries. The 57-year-old Sinise was to perform with his band at a fundraising event last weekend in Martinsville, Va., and next week in palm Desert, Calif. The Martinsville concert will be re-scheduled. -Ap

Two Real Housewives get their own shows on BravoTwo of “The Real Housewives” are getting their own shows on Bravo. The network announced Wednesday that Beverly Hills cast member lisa Vanderpump will get her own reality show centered on the inner workings of her new Hollywood restaurant, SUR. Kandi Burruss from the Atlanta “Housewives” will star in “The Kandi Factory,” inspired by a special of the same name that aired in March. Burruss will work with wannabe pop stars with no ex-perience who want to make it in the music industry. -Ap

Katy Perry 3-D concert movie to be released in JulyA 3-D documentary concert feature film billed as an on-and- off stage close up look at perry and her 2011 California Dreams Tour began production more than year ago, paramount pictures said in a statement on Wednesday. The movie, called “Katy perry: part of Me,” is named after her new single “part of Me,” which was released in February and debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100. The film will be released in cinemas in the United States on July 5. -Reuters

Disney Channel stars speak out against cyberbullying

LOS ANGELES: Even some young Dis-ney Channel stars, as popular as they seem to be, have suffered at the hands of bullies, and now dozens of them are urging kids to stand up against bullying - not by lashing out, but by speaking up.

In a campaign launching on Thursday on Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney.com, actors like Billy Unger, Bridgit Mendler and Bella Thorne are urging 6 to 14-year-olds to treat each other better, both in the play-ground and online.

The campaign also encourages parents to teach their children how to use cell phones, social networking sites and gaming websites responsibly, and gives advice on what to do when cyberbullies strike.

Unger, 16, who plays a bionic teen in the hit Disney XD series “lab Rats”, recalls in one public service announcement for the campaign how he was taunted with nick-names like “small fry” and “shortie” when he was in elementary school.

Unger told a teacher who met with his parents. But what also helped, he said, was a casting agent telling the budding young actor that being short was a good thing for a kid entering the entertainment industry.

“So from that point on, when people called me small fry or shortie I was like, ‘yeah, you’re right and I am proud of it,’” Unger says

in his message.China Anne McClain of “A.N.T. Farm”,

Zendaya of “Shake It Up” and Debby Ryan

of “Jessie” are also taking part in the Disney campaign, run jointly with the non-profit group Common Sense Media.

“When kids see other kids who have had experiences they can relate to, that is so much more profound and inspiring than hearing from an adult,” said Caroline Knorr, parent-ing editor of Common Sense Media.’

“These Disney Channel characters are real people, and kids really look up to them ... So for them to come out and say ‘this hap-pened to me’ or to advocate for good digi-tal citizenship, it will make a huge impact,” Knorr said.

Disney Channel SVp of original program-ming Adam Bonnett said the family friendly network felt it had a duty to speak out against cyber-bullying.

The campaign, which is expected to run for several months, directs kids and parents to a dedicated website www.Disney.com/com-monsense for information and advice.

Although confiding to a teacher or trust-ed adult is important, Knorr said ‘tweens and older kids often prefer to turn to friends first, rather than parents. But parents also have a huge role to play.

“parents really need to have a conversa-tion with their kids, when they give them a cell phone or allow them do social network-ing, about what responsible behavior is. “These are not toys. You can’t just hand your kid a cellphone and assume they will use it responsibly,” Knorr said. -Reuters

Actor Billy Unger poses in this undated publicity photograph from the Disney Channel’s “Lab Rats” television series. (Reuters)

Houston drowned in very hot water, cocaine in system

LOS ANGELES: Whitney Houston drowned in a hot bathtub in a Beverly Hills hotel room with cocaine in her system and white powder nearby, a final coroner’s report revealed on Wednesday.

Detectives found white powdery substances, a rolled-up piece of paper, a small spoon and a mirror in the bathroom shortly after Houston’s naked body was found face down in the bathtub on February 11, the 40-page los Angeles County coroner’s report said. Houston, 48, had a history of drug addiction. An autopsy in March determined she died of accidental drowning due to the effects of cocaine and heart disease. Wednesday’s report revealed that Houston had a perforated nose, in-dicating substance abuse, filled with a bloody dis-charge. Detectives said she was found in about 12 inches of extremely hot water, which was deter-mined to be 93 Fahrenheit (34 Celsius) some six hours after her death.

The singer also had traces of marijuana in her system and an open bottle of champagne was found in her room at the Beverly Hilton, hours be-fore she was due to attend a pre-Grammy party.

On a counter in the bathroom, detectives

found “a small spoon with a crystal-like substance in it and a rolled up piece of white paper.”

In a drawer, they found “a white powdery sub-stance and a portable mirror on a base” together with more remnants of powder on the base of the mirror. Wednesday’s report did not identify the substance. The “I Will Always love You” singer ap-pears to have been left alone in the hotel room for less than an hour. Houston had complained of a sore throat and her personal assistant advised the singer to have a bath to get ready for the party while she went to a nearby Neiman Marcus de-partment store to pick up items for her appear-ance. When the assistant returned, she found a naked Houston face down in the bathtub and un-responsive, according to the report.

Houston was one of the world’s best known singers in the 1980s and 1990s with hits such as “Saving All My love For You” and “I Wanna Dance with Somebody.”

Houston’s family said in statement last month that they were “saddened to have learned of the toxicology results” that revealed recent cocaine use, but were glad to have closure. -Reuters

Guitar amp pioneer Jim Marshall dies aged 88

LONDON: Jim Marshall, who pio-neered guitar amplifiers used by some of the greatest names in rock earning him the nickname “lord of loud”, has died aged 88. “It is with profound sorrow that we an-nounce the passing of our beloved founder and leader for the past 50 years, Jim Mar-shall,” said a statement on the company’s website. “While mourning the Guv’nor though, we also salute a legendary man who led a full and truly remarkable life.”

Tributes poured in for a man credited with helping to shape the sound of guitar rock. “The news of Jim Marshall passing is deeply saddening,” former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash said in a message on Twitter. “R & R will never be the same w/out him. But, his amps will live on FOREVER!”

His company said in a written tribute: “Your memory, the music and joy your amps have brought to countless millions for the past five decades and that world-fa-mous, omnipresent script logo that proudly bears your name will always live on.”

Born in london in 1923, Marshall started out as a drummer before going into business and founding Marshall Amplifica-tion in 1962.

He began making guitar amplifiers in Britain as a cheaper alternative to US im-ports, and soon after legendary musicians including Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton were using his equipment. He is revered as one of the four forefathers of rock mu-sic equipment along with leo Fender, les paul and Seth lover. -Reuters

FILE - Jim Marshall, builder of amplifiers, poses with one of his products at the ‘Musikmesse’ in Frankfurt in this March 13, 2002 file photo. (Reuters)

Murdoch’s News Int’l challenges actress over costs

UK teen Conor Maynard compared to BieberlONDON: Being called the new Justin Bieber

has put British singer Conor Maynard on the mu-sic world’s radar. The 19-year-old from Brighton has gone from uploading videos of himself sing-ing at home to working with pharrell Williams on his debut album in Florida.

Maynard realized that by putting up covers of current tracks, people would stumble across his own versions. The results were impressive - NeYo offered to work with him after watching his ver-sion of “Beautiful Monster” and Chris Brown

retweeted the video of his “Yeah 3x.”Maynard couldn’t believe his luck.Actually, he was so skeptical he insisted on a

chat with NeYo, to make sure it was the real R’n’B deal, rather than his friends joking around.

Record company interest followed and now Maynard is dropping his debut single, “Can’t Say No,” on April 20 through polydor.

The comparisons with Canada’s Bieber aren’t that far off the mark. Both got their break via YouTube, both were mentored by an established rhythm and blues star (Bieber’s being Usher) and both, while inspired by American urban music, are foreigners.

“In terms of the music, it ends there,” says Maynard. “(I have) a very different sound. But it’s obviously flattering to be compared to one of the biggest artists in the world right now when I haven’t even released my first single yet.”

His talent was discovered when he was over-heard singing to himself on the way home from school in Brighton, a hip coastal town in southern England.

Soon after NeYo spotted him, record compa-nies caught on and he signed with polydor in the UK. MTV has picked him as being one to watch for 2012 after he won their “Brand New” com-petition.

Thanks to Maynard’s online following, “Can’t Say No” has already clocked up over three mil-lion views in a month. He’s also got 124,560 fol-lowers on Twitter - and the number is rising.

An album is set to follow this summer and it has already gone down well with his five-star friends. Maynard has played it for pharrell, lu-adcris, Tyler The Creator, lil Wayne and NeYo, among others -Ap

LONDON: Rupert Murdoch’s News Interna-tional is challenging celebrity phone hacking vic-tim Sienna Miller over her legal bill, a person close to the case said late Wednesday.

Miller was one of the first public figures to take the British newspaper company to court for ille-gally eavesdropping on her telephone messages.

In May, News International agreed to pay the “Alfie” star 100,000 pounds (about $160,000) to settle her claim, but a person close to the case says there’s been no agreement how much to pay out in legal costs and that the issue is headed to court.

The person provided no detail as to when any potential hearing would take place, speak-ing anonymously because the information wasn’t cleared for release. News International spokes-

woman Daisy Dunlop declined comment, as did Miller’s lawyer, Mark Thomson.

The scandal over illegal interception of voice-mail messages at News International’s now-de-funct News of the World tabloid has taken a bite out of parent company News Corp.’s bottom line. In February, Murdoch’s international media com-pany disclosed that the bill linked to police and parliamentary probes, a judge-led inquiry, and a slew of lawsuits was close to $200 million.

In the last quarter of 2011 alone, the company paid out $87 million, the vast majority of which was for legal and consulting fees.

Attorneys have said that dozens of lawsuits are still in the pipeline, with legal action expected to continue into next year. -Ap

FILE - In this photo taken Wednesday, March 28, 2012 British singer Conor Maynard, poses for pictures in London. (AP)

Stephen Colbert wins Peabody Award for SuperPAC satire

LONDON: Comedy show “The Col-bert Report” won a prestigious peabody Award on Wednesday for its segments on SuperpACs, in which host Stephen Col-bert launched his own SuperpAC as a sa-tirical protest against political spending. The peabodys, the oldest in broadcasting, recognize excellence in television and ra-dio broadcasting, as well as by webcasters, producing organizations and individuals.

It was the second peabody for “The Colbert Report,” Comedy Central’s satir-ical look at current events and the news.

“launching his own SuperpAC as a satirical protest against megabucks politics, Colbert mixed cerebral comedy with inspired sight gags, interviews and preposterously funny monologues,” the University of Georgia’s Grady College

of Journalism and Mass Communica-tion, which administers the awards, said in a statement. Colbert, who assumes the persona of a pompous, conservative talk show host on the program, built the seg-ments around his establishment of the Colbert SuperpAC. Colbert won his first peabody in 2008. Other winners ranged from television game show “Jeopardy!” and IFC’s satire “portlandia” to news coverage of the Arab Spring popular up-risings by Al Jazeera English, CNN, CBS News and National public Radio. Multiple peabodys were won by pBS, HBO, NpR and CNN, while Human Rights Watch was cited for its detailed online reports. The awards will be presented at a ceremony in New York on May 21 hosted by patrick Stewart. -Reuters

FILE - Comedian and Charleston native Stephen Colbert, left, sings to the crowd during the “Rock Me Like a Herman Cain South Cain-olina Primary Rally” at the College of Charleston in Charleston, S.C., on Jan. 20, 2012. (AP)

If you have an event you wish to include, please email: aroundtown@alwatandaily.com

AROUND TOWN / TIME OUTALWATAN DAILY

18FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012

Aries: March 21 - April 19This is a day to think about your private life, Ar-ies. Expect to be particularly sensitive to all kinds of demands from those close to you. You have the power to create greater harmony at home, specifi-

cally in your relationship. Take stock of everyone’s desires and consider any limitations in fulfilling them. Even if the answers aren’t found today, it will be useful to simply ask the questions.

Taurus: April 20 - May 20Today can be a relaxing day, provided you make the necessary effort to deal with material con-straints, Taurus. You would like nothing better than to spend much of the day planning fun activities

for the future. But, alas, demands from your family, friends, or boss force you to concentrate on the here and now instead. Still, don’t abandon your wonderfully pleasing ambitions altogether.

Gemini: May 21- June 21There is a lot on your mind today, Gemini. Over the last three weeks you’ve analyzed your relation-ships on a deep and profound level. New people with attractive qualities could be tempting you to

make a change. But is this a good time in your life to start up friendships or love relationships?

Cancer: June 22 - July 22After a few days that were a bit serious, Cancer, to-day you awake with a light heart and boundless en-ergy! Your capacity for seduction will be at its peak, so why not use it to your advantage? The men and

women at work, in particular, will yield to your wishes today. Your influence extends to all levels of the organization. If you’ve been thinking about asking your boss for a raise, do it today!

Leo: July 23 - August 22If you have children, Leo, you could be feeling a bit overworked and overwhelmed. If you don’t have children, perhaps the constraints and demands of your professional life are weighing heavily on your

mind. Don’t worry - these feelings shall pass. Expect an opportu-nity to get free of the ties that bind. Even though it will only be a temporary respite, take advantage of it!

Virgo: August 23 - September 22Feeling grumpy lately, Virgo? Don’t fret, because your bad mood won’t last. This attitude is unlike you. Co-workers notice your change in personality but still treat you with consideration and respect.

You’re fortunate to be able to draw upon a considerable wealth of kindness and good karma that you have built up over the years.

Libra: September 23 - October 22How hard you have to work to achieve your pur-poses, Libra! It’s as though you carry around an overstuffed sandbag and each step requires a huge effort! This would be a good day to identify the

source of the trouble. Ask if you aren’t sabotaging yourself and letting your subconscious resist the goals you have so deliber-ately set. You have a deep inner mystery to solve.

Scorpio: October 23 - November 21You could have an urge to invent new things, Scor-pio. You feel compelled to create something in the ar-tistic, technical, or philosophical field. If only you’d give yourself enough time to pursue these ideas! To-

day, realize that concentration is the key to accomplishment. Put away periodicals, computers, phones, and other such distractions and you might well be surprised by the wealth of inspiration.

Sagittarius: November 22 - December 21Generally, you come up with the perfect, witty an-swer one day too late. Impulse and intuition take a back seat to your excellent self-control. The day ahead presents one opportunity to let go of the inhi-

bition that sometimes stymies you. Yield to your instincts a little and see what happens. A little more socializing wouldn’t hurt, either.

Capricorn: December 22 - January 19You think of yourself as fairly modern in your thinking, don’t you, Capricorn? But have you real-ly been able to reject tradition entirely? Have you rid yourself of all the outmoded conventions that

confined earlier generations? If not, today you’ll be inspired to revamp your role models and lighten your workload. Equality in the home is just as important as equality in the workplace.

Aquarius: January 20 - February 18There is some likelihood of a slight career conflict. You might have to deal with a co-worker who steps on your toes or runs roughshod over your gentle nature. Defend yourself with your favorite weap-

ons - silence, laughter, and perspective. Let your adversary tangle himself or herself in desperate attempts to justify their behavior. Let your boss be the wise and discerning judge of the matter.

Pisces: February 19 - March 20For a few weeks now you’ve understood that each day brings its share of constraints, Pisces. For ex-ample, today you could feel doubts about your physical appearance. Are you questioning your at-

tractiveness or your ability to make an impression on someone special?

HOrOSCOPeS

SuDOku

Feature o f t h e d a y

DILberT NANCy

MODerATeLy CONFuSeD GrAFFITI

Month a t a g l a n c e

K’S PATH’s last Shelter Open DayApril 14/ 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. / Wafra: This is a great opportunity for visitors to interact and socialize with our dogs and cats for adoption, get acquainted with K’S PATH’s work in animal welfare and habitat protection through a shelter tour, and meet K’S PATH’s growing team of volunteers and staff. We will also hold an educational session for children on Kuwait’s desert and marine species followed by a crafts session to build a model desert and marine habitat.

Arabic courseMarch 11-April 19/ TIES Center: TIES Center is glad to announce the start of Arabic courses. We offer classes for all levels, from beginners to advance and also introduced new classes called Kuwait dialect. TIES Arabic classes are intended for all expatriates who wish to learn Arabic for whatever purpose- business, basic communication, as a second language or simply as a hobby. For more information/registration, contact 97228860/97793440.

Dar Al Funoon hosts artist Karim GhidinelliApril 2- 19/ 4 p.m. - 8 p.m. / Dar Al Funoon: Born in Italy in 1976, Karim spent his childhood in this city; he went to middle school and high school in African

countries. His body of work consists of a central iconic image that of a finger imprint, within each thumb impression he has formulated a pseudo-calligraph-ic narrative of life experiences on luminous and luxurious enamel weaves.

Help save animalsApril 10/ 7 p.m. /The AWARE Center: The AWARE Center cordially invites you to its lecture entitled, “you can help us save animals in Kuwait,” on Tuesday by Claudia Farkas Al-Rashoud & Nadia Al-Kandari. With the inhumane ongo-ing official policy of poisoning stray dogs & cats, the status of animal rights in Kuwait has reached a new low. For more information, call 25335260/80 or log onto: www.aware.com.kw.

Golden era clubApril 13/ 5 p.m. -7 p.m. /Rumaithiya: Join the Golden Era club for a fascinat-ing Earth Day activity. Come armed with old newspapers, a pair of scissors and a bottle of glue. You also get to join Dr. Leos on a fascinating journey through a jewel nestled in central Europe, ranking high in human develop-ment. Seniors (60+) don’t miss out on the adventure! Venue- House #34, next to Abu-Tammam Intermediate School for Boys, Sate Alhusari St., Block 2, Rumaithiya. For details call 97172788/ 66208183 or drop a line to golden-era60@yahoo.com

New Toastmasters ClubSecond and fourth Tuesday/ 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. / Jabriya: A new Toastmasters Club is being formed and encouraging new members to join. Toastmasters Interna-tional is a world leader in communication and leadership development. It is a non-profit international organization dedicated to improve member’s commu-nication and leadership skills by attending and participating toastmasters meet-ings. For more information, please contact Khaled Al-Hashem at 65588824.

Brainbang sessionOctober 7-April/ 11:45 a.m. -1:45 p.m. /Salmiya: BRAINBANG, the creative arm of Friends of CRY Club (FOCC) invites all students aged 11 and above, to join us fortnightly on Fridays. The areas of development are: Creativity in learning, tools and techniques to empower your mind, profile based learning, activity, fun, games and worksheet based assignments, practical experiments, mind gymnastics and application of learning techniques to conventional study. E-mail: brainbang@focckwt.org or call 25660835/25618471/97677820.

Embassy of the Slovak RepublicOn the occasion of the Easter holiday, the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Kuwait would like to inform the public that the Embassy will be closed on Sunday, April 8 and Monday April 9, 2012. The Embassy will resume its normal duties on Tuesday April 10, 2012.

French EmbassyThe French Embassy in Kuwait will be closed on Sunday April 8, 2012 for Easter holidays.

Embassy of KoreaThe Embassy of the Republic of Korea wishes to inform that it has moved to Mishref, Block 7A, Diplomatic Area 2, Plot 6. Contact: 25378621/2/3/4/5. The embassy also wishes to inform that it will be opened to the public on the following office hours: Morning: 8 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Lunch break: 12:30 p.m. - 1 p.m. Afternoon: 1 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

General A n n o u n c e m e n t s

Sepp is a Domestic Long Haired (DLH) male cat. He will be 2-years-old April 2012. This friendly, laid-back boy loves a good cuddle and likes a high vantage point in a cat tree or ledge to look out from. He would do best in a home with children over 12 years of age. To adopt, contact +965 67006122 or visit the website www.kspath.org

Mario is a gentle and affection-ate 6-years-young Spitz male. This friendly boy does great with people and dogs of all ages.

K’S PATH invites applicants for the adoption of pets

Elementary Intermediate Advanced

Young student designer, Varshini Srinivas mixes stylish fashion with environmental touch

KUWAIT: Kuwait English School (KES) held its annual fashion show on March 8, 2012 in aid of the Kuwait Society for the Protection of Animals and Their Habitat (K’S PATH) and in celebration of Earth week. The event showcased a number of young designers’ dresses and every one of them was created using envi-ronmentally friendly materials.

Varshini Srinivas, aka Varshi, was a participant in the annual fashion show and won the competition for the 3rd consecutive year.

Speaking of her winning 2012 entry (called “We are Golden” after the song by the English musician Mika) Varshi said: “The dress is made out of used gar-ment bags and decorated with PET bottle bases, candy wrappers, gift wrappers, and accompanied by a neck-lace made of Scotch Brite. As a young child, I went with my mother to a handloom house in India where I saw people carefully weave fine silk with strands of gold. Though the designs were beautiful, it bothered me that the silk was obtained from caterpillars against their will. That’s why I made this dress to show that we can be sustainable and ethical, eco-friendly yet grand.”

Varshi, recalling her winning entry for 2011 called ‘I Just tied the knot in Vegas!’ said: “It was a mystery what Kate Middleton would wear on her wedding day. So I decided to design a bridal dress that would have taken her breath away. I added a fun and personal touch with the bright metallic roses...what better occa-sion to promote environmental awareness than make a recycled wedding dress for the royal bride? What’s more, the dress cost absolutely nothing to make! I used shopping bags, mesh bags that lemons come in, recy-cled printer paper and a wee bit of gift wrappers to create one of my best pieces.”

Her winning entry for 2010 was inspired by Varshi’s trip to the Keukenhof Gardens in Amsterdam: colorful

and vivacious yet stately. Varshi Srinivas is committed to raising awareness on preserving the environment by designing dresses using recyclable material.

SPORTSfriDAY, April 6, 2012

ALWATAN DAILY

19

Basketball

Spurs hold on, beat Celtics 87-86 for 9th in a row

BOSTON: Duncan prevented pierce from driving to the basket, forcing him to take a fade-away jumper that clanged off the rim at the buzzer and the San Antonio Spurs held on for their ninth straight win, 87-86 over Boston on Wednesday night.

pierce had 15 points and 10 rebounds, but he couldn’t maneuver into open space after Bos-ton inbounded the ball with 7.9 seconds left. The 6-foot-11 Duncan stayed on him, forcing the 6-foot-7 pierce to step back near the top of the key for a floater.

Danny Green scored 14 points, and Gary Neal had 13, including a 3-pointer with 2 minutes left that put the Spurs back in front after they blew a 17-point, first-half lead. rajon rondo had 17 points and 11 assists for Boston, which had won five in a row.

Avery Bradley scored 19 points off the bench for Boston, and Kevin Garnett had 16 points, sev-en rebounds and five assists. ray Allen returned after missing six games with a sore right ankle and added seven rebounds and five points, including a 3-pointer in the final minute that brought Boston within a point.

The Celtics trailed 77-70 with 8:20 left before scoring 13 of the next 17 points to take the lead. San Antonio, which averaged 107 points in the first eight games of its winning streak, had 59 in the first half and 28 in the second.

“it was a tale of two halves,” Bonner said. “We weren’t as sharp and didn’t make as many shots in the second half, but we still played good defense, we rebounded the ball, kept us in it and made a few plays down the stretch to pull out the win.”

it was 36-all when the Spurs scored 12 con-secutive points, including back-to-back 3-pointers

from Matt Bonner. After Bradley snapped the string with a jumper, San Antonio rattled off an-other seven in a row to make it 55-38.

Boston cut it to 11 points by the end of the half and got within four in the third, holding the Spurs

to nine points in the quarter. it was two points ear-ly in the fourth, and San Antonio led 77-70 before Garnett hit a pair of free throws, rondo stole the ball and fed it to Bradley for a layup and then Gar-nett hit a layup to make it a one-point game. -Ap

Basketball

Formula one

Tennis

Boston Celtics Kevin Garnett (left) competes for the ball with San Antonio Spurs Tim Duncan in the first half of their NBA basketball game at TD Garden in Boston, April 4, 2012. (Reuters)

Chinese driver dreams of F1 future with HRT deal

England in command after Pietersen hundred

CAPITALS: Ma Qing Hua set his sights on becoming the first Chinese to race in formula One after being announced as a member of the HrT team’s ‘young driver development pro-gram on Thursday. in a deal timed to generate interest ahead of next week’s grand prix in Shanghai, Qing Hua’s home city, struggling HrT held out the possibility of the 24-year-old test-ing their car later in the year.

HrT have struggled to compete since they arrived in the sport and, without testing their car before the season started, failed to qualify for this year’s opening race in Australia.

They are now in their third season in formula One still without a point and with the oldest driver line-up on the starting grid in Spaniard pedro de la rosa and indian Narain Karthikeyan.

Spaniard Dani Clos, the team’s official test and reserve driver, is also in the development programme. While it could be some time before a Chinese driver competes for any of the leading teams, those at the slow end of the paddock have long offered a way in for drivers bringing sponsorship cash. “i’m

very honored to form a part of the driver development pro-gram at HrT formula One team since, with work and effort, it will allow me to become the first Chinese formula One driv-er,” Qing Hua said in a statement. China has hosted a grand prix since 2004 but, with motor racing in its infancy there, has yet to provide a local for the fans to get behind despite an immense potential pool of talent. Dutch-born Ho-pin Tung was the first Chinese national to be involved in a formula One team’s line-up when renault, now lotus, named him as an official reserve in 2010.

He also tested with Williams in 2003, after winning that year’s Asian formula BMW series. last year he became the first Chinese licensed driver to compete in the US indycar se-ries. Qing Hua won the Chinese national karting champion-ship at the age of 12 and won the Asian formula renault title in 2004. last year, he won the Chinese touring car champion-ship. HrT said they wanted to serve as a platform to launch young talents like Qing Hua into formula One and had fol-lowed his progress when he was racing in Spain. -reuters

COLOMBO: Kevin pietersen hit a swashbuckling and eventful 151 to brighten England’s prospects of a series-levelling victory in the second and final test against hosts Sri lanka on Thursday.

The 31-year-old batsman lit up day three’s play with his array of scintillating shots, hitting 16 fours and six sixes as England secured a handy 185-run lead be-fore being bowled out for 460 in their first innings.

pietersen, whose attempts at playing his switch-hits earned him an warning, joined Ken Barrington with 20 test tons and now has more international centuries (29) than any other English batsman. Sri lanka had one over to face and they survived scoring four without loss, all leg byes. Nightwatchman Dhammika prasad came out to open with lahiru Thirumanne and survived a leg be-fore appeal off Jimmy Anderson. The day belonged to pietersen and there was drama when he was in the 90s. Twice he moved into position to play the controversial switch-hit shot and bowler Tillakaratne Dilshan pulled up during his delivery stride on both occasions when he saw the batsman changing his stance.

pietersen was subsequently warned for the pre-meditated movement and was told a repetition would mean a five-run penalty, match referee Javagal Srinath said in a statement. That, however, did not happen and pietersen was trapped leg before by left-arm spinner

rangana Herath (6-133) who picked up his 10th five wicket haul in a test innings.

Sri lanka picked up two wickets during the after-noon session with Herath accounting for Jonathan Trott (64) and prasad removing ian Bell (18).

Trott, pushing forward, edged the ball to Sri lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene at slip to depart after a 137-ball knock that included seven fours.

Bell was dismissed when his hook found Suraj ran-div at mid-wicket, having helped pietersen in a fourth-wicket stand of 94 off 118 balls.

left-arm spinner Herath went on to account for Matt prior (11), Tim Bresnan (five), Graeme Swann (17) and Anderson (two) as England lost their last five wick-ets for 49 runs. Sri lanka’s only success of the morning session came when Dilshan ended Alastair Cook’s (94) 5-1/2-half hour vigil at the crease, denying the batsman his 20th test century. The opener failed to get to the pitch of ball and his edge was held by Jayawardene in the lone slip position. The left-hander faced 278 balls in his watchful knock, during which he hit nine fours.

Cook and Trott, who had scored a valiant century in England’s loss in the Galle test, added 91 for the second wicket. Sri lanka, who lead the two-match series 1-0, used up both their reviews unsuccessfully before they had taken the second new ball. -reuters

CHARLESTON: in a clash of former world number ones, Venus Williams toppled seventh-seeded Jelena Jankovic 7-5, 6-0 to reach the third round of the WTA’s green clay Charleston tournament. Jankovic had won her last four meetings on clay against Williams, but once the American heated up in the wake of a first-set rain delay on Wednesday, the Serbian couldn’t stop her.

Jankovic served for the first set at 5-4, but Williams broke and never looked back. By the time she won the second set she had reeled off nine games in a row, capping the match with a backhand winner down the line. Marion Bartoli got past rus-sian Vera Dushevina 6-2, 6-7 (3/7), 6-4 in a 2nd-round match lasting more than three hours Third-seeded Marion Bartoli of france found the going much tougher, but persevered to get past russian Vera Dushevina 6-2, 6-7 (3/7), 6-4 in a second-round match lasting more than three hours. Bartoli, who snapped Vic-toria Azarenka’s 26-match unbeaten streak when she downed the world number one en route to the semi-finals at Miami last week, was playing her first match after enjoying a first-round bye.

She next faces Slovenia’s polona Hercog, a 6-3, 6-2 winner over American Varvara lepchenko.

russian Nadia petrova, the 13th seed, saved two match points en route to a 2-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-2 victory over US veteran Jill Craybas, a qualifier.Sixth-seeded German Sabine lisicki, who claimed her first WTA Tour title at Charleston in 2009, ral-lied to beat Czech Andrea Hlavackova 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.

lisicki next faces Yaroslava Shvedova, who upset 12th-seed-ed Belgian Yanina Wickmayer 6-2, 7-6 (7/2). in other matches, Galina Voskoboeva of Kazakhstan defeated Argentine qualifier paula Ormaechea 6-2, 6-3 to set up a third-round clash with Sa-mantha Stosur. New Zealand’s Marina Erakovic, seeded 17th, beat Georgia’s Anna Tatishvili 7-5, 6-3 to advance to a meeting with fifth-seeded American Serena Williams. -Ap

Venus topples Jankovic at WTA Charleston clay event

Venus Williams returns a shot to Jelena Jankovic, of Serbia, at the Family Circle Cup tennis tournament in Charleston, S.C., Wednesday, April 4, 2012.

England’s batsman Kevin Pietersen plays a shot as Sri Lankan wicket keeper Prasanna Jayawardene watches on the third day of the second cricket test match between England and Sri Lanka, April 5, 2012. (AP)

BAHRAIN: former world cham-pion Damon Hill has called on formula 1 bosses to reconsider going ahead with this month’s controversial Bahrain Grand prix and warned that the sport’s image could suffer if the race is held.

The 1996 champion had previously supported the race after taking part in a fact-finding visit to Bahrain in Decem-ber last year.

But he told the Guardian on Thurs-day he now felt a re-think was neces-sary for the event that was cancelled in 2011 following prolonged civil unrest that some reports claimed more than 40 lives.

Hill added that he was worried that the race might create more problems than it solved if it went ahead as sched-uled on April 22, a week after the Chi-nese Grand prix in Shanghai.

Human rights activists and opposi-tion groups in Bahrain, where unrest has continued daily, have called for the race to be cancelled again.

Hill explained: “looking at it today, you’d have to say that it could be cre-ating more problems than it’s solving. The protests have not abated and may even have become more determined and calculated. it is a worrying state of affairs.”

Bahrain race organizers held a lunch in london last week at which they ar-gued that holding the grand prix would have an important unifying role in their strife-torn country.

And f1 boss Bernie Ecclestone said he has no doubts about going ahead, after persuading several teams to send senior representatives to the lunch.

But Hill said: “The view i gave after returning from the visit last year was

based on my understanding of several factors -- the substantial economic sig-nificance of the Gp for Bahrain; that the report on the riots condemned the ac-tions of the police and security forces, and that both sides were to take part in meaningful dialogue to resolve the problems peacefully. Under those con-ditions one could imagine the Gp being a great fillip for a Bahrain on the road to recovery. However, with under three

weeks to go, conditions do not seem to have improved, judging by the reports in our European newspapers, social me-dia and on Al Jazeera TV. i’m just say-ing we have to tread carefully. i hope that events in Bahrain are not seen as they are often sold, as a bunch of yobs throwing Molotov cocktails, because that’s a gross simplification. You don’t get 100,000 people risking their lives in protest for nothing.” -reuters

Hill calls for re-think Bahrain GP

FILE - In this photograph taken May 31, 2011, the Bahrain International Circuit tower is seen at the Sakhir, Bahrain, racetrack that hosts a Formula One Grand Prix. (AP)

SALT LAKE CITY: Steve Nash scored only 13 points but hit two shots in the final 14 seconds and the phoenix Suns won their seventh straight meeting against Utah, 107-105 on Wednesday night to jump over the Jazz in the Western Conference playoff race.

The Suns (28-26) are in ninth place, a half-game ahead of the Jazz (28-27) and a game behind Denver, which lost Wednesday at New Or-leans, and idle Houston. phoenix also owns the tiebreaker with the Jazz.

paul Millsap led Utah with 25 points and had a chance to force over-time, but his putback came just after the buzzer.

Michael redd led the Suns with 19 points. redd and Sebastian Telfair, who had nine points, combined for 14 points during a 14-2 run fourth-quar-ter run that put phoenix up 97-87 with 6:43 remaining. Nash also had nine assists.

Millsap brought Utah back, even stealing the ball from Nash. Nash made amends, hitting the winner with 1.7 seconds left.

Nash looked as if he might be the goat after he had the ball stolen by Millsap, then committed a clear-path foul with 34 seconds left and phoenix up by three.

Millsap made just one of two free throws, but Al Jefferson hit a jumper that tied it at 103 with 28 seconds

left. Nash responded with a 15-foot jumper with 14 seconds left.

Jefferson tied it again after Mill-sap fed him for an easy layup with 9.4 seconds left, only see Nash get the ball in the lane and hit the jumper with 1.7 seconds remaining.

C.J. Miles’ last-ditch shot was well short, but Millsap grabbed it and put it in. Officials reviewed the play and determined it was after the buzzer.

Utah has 11 games remaining, with lowly Golden State up friday night before a home-and home series with San Antonio, then a three-game trip starting April 11 in Houston. The Jazz also close out the regular sea-son with four of five games at home, where they are 19-8.

The Suns have a seemingly tough-er road. Nine of phoenix’s remaining games are against teams that would be in the playoffs if they started today. They’ll face the Jazz again on April 24 in Salt lake City.

The Jazz had another slow start, falling behind by eight in the first quarter and nine in the second only to go on a 12-5 run and pull to 58-56 at the break. The Suns had six 3-pointers in the first half, and held a 32-30 ad-vantage in points in the paint. They opened the second half on a 10-2 run to surge ahead 68-58. The Suns also hit 13 3-pointers to just three by the Jazz, with Nash, redd and Channing frye making three apiece. -Ap

Nash lifts Suns past Jazz, 107-105

Cricket

FRIdAY, ApRIl 6, 2012

SPORTSFootball

Sports Editors HighlightRIYADH, Saudi Arabia: A Saudi Arabian newspaper says the ultraconservative kingdom

will not send women the London Olympics, weeks after saying it would.Al-Watan newspaper quoted Prince Nawaf, the head of the Saudi Olympic Committee,

saying the kingdom opposes sending female athletes to the Olympics for the first time. But he left room for Saudi women to compete on their own outside the official delegation, a plan that may not satisfy demands by the International Olympic Committee.

A similar arrangement was made at the Youth Olympics in 2010 for Saudi equestrian com-petitor Dalma Rushdi Malhas to participate. She won a bronze medal in show jumping.

Officials at the Saudi Olympic Committee could not be reached for comment. -AP

MADRID: Angel Di Maria’s late goal for Real Ma-drid against APOEL Nicosia will have been the icing on the cake for coach Jose Mourinho, as it appeared to signal the return to fitness of one of his most potent forwards.

The pacy Argentine winger completed a 5-2 thrash-ing of the Champions League debutants with a delight-ful lob on Wednesday and he should be firing on all cylinders by the time they meet Bayern Munich in the semi-finals later this month.

Di Maria is still one of the side’s highest provid-ers of assists despite having sidelined with a string of niggling muscle injuries since the turn of the year and he has only started 12 league games and three in the Champions League.

Kaka and Jose Callejon also netted on Wednesday, as did ever-present leading scorer Cristiano Ronaldo, who bagged a brace, and Mourinho was able to rest regulars such as striker Karim Benzema and midfield-ers Xabi Alonso and Mesut Ozil.

The former Chelsea and Inter Milan boss appears to have most of his multi-million euro squad in prime condition for the final push and he has enviable options

going forward. His fearsome trio of Ronaldo, Higuain and Benzema have scored a total of 101 goals between them in all competitions this year.

“The competition in the squad is very good,” said Kaka, one of the world’s most expensive players who is not guaranteed a place in the starting XI. “Obviously there are players who are decisive but our strength has been the group.”

A Champions League semi-final between two clubs who have won the competition a total of 13 times presents a huge challenge for Real and for Mourinho who has a chance to win a fourth European Cup with a fourth club.

Mourinho guided Inter Milan to a 2-0 victory over the Germans in the 2010 Champions League final at the Bernabeu just before he left to join Real Madrid.

Real beat Bayern on their way to lifting their last two European Cups in 2000 and 2002 but Mourinho said he only knew one thing for sure about who would be in the final.

“The big question is to know who will play Barce-lona in the final,” Mourinho said. Asked to elaborate, he replied: “Because they are very good.” -Reuters

Real’s Di Maria returns in time for Bayern test

Chelsea on Barca revenge mission: Di Matteo

Real Madrid’s Angel di Maria (Rright) vies with APOEL’s William Boaventura during the UEFA Cham-pions League second leg quarter-final football match Real Madrid against Apoel Nicosia, April 4, 2012. (AFP)

LONDON: Roberto Di Matteo ad-mits Chelsea will be motivated by re-venge when they face Barcelona in a po-tentially explosive Champions League semi-final showdown after they battled past Benfica.

Many of Chelsea’s current stars can still feel the emotional scars from Barca’s controversial Champions League semi-final victory over the Blues in 2009.

Chelsea, managed then by caretaker boss Guus Hiddink, felt they were denied several clear penalties before Andres Ini-esta’s last-gasp strike sent Barca through to the final on away goals. The sense of injustice prompted Chelsea striker Didi-er Drogba to abuse Norway referee Tom Henning Ovrebo on the pitch after the final whistle, while several other players hinted they had been cheated.

That was the last meeting between two clubs whose rivalry has been become increasingly bitter since first erupting during Jose Mourinho’s time in charge at Stamford Bridge. Now Chelsea, 3-1 aggregate winners against Benfica in the quarter-finals, have a chance to avenge that loss by ending Barca’s reign as Eu-ropean champions and Blues interim boss Di Matteo says his players are de-termined to seize the opportunity.

“We have faced them a lot of times over the years and a lot of our players have some history against Barcelona,” Di Matteo said. “Certainly they feel a bit hard done by from when we played against them three years ago.”

Barca have proved themselves Eu-rope’s pre-eminent force twice in the last three seasons and they look in the mood to collect yet another title this year.

Few teams in Europe have been able to find an answer to the problems posed by Barca’s bewildering array of attacking options, but Di Matteo insists he is look-

ing forward to the challenge.Di Matteo deserves immense credit

for getting Chelsea back on track after stepping up from his role as assistant to the sacked Andre Villas-Boas.

Some critics claimed the former Chel-sea midfielder would fare just as badly as Villas-Boas because few of the players liked his supposedly aloof attitude. In-stead, his calm, understated leadership has led Chelsea to the brink of a second Champions League final appearance.

But Di Matteo will know it will need a massive improvement on Wednesday’s nervy 2-1 quarter-final second leg win over Benfica to see off Barca.

Despite taking the lead through

Frank Lampard’s first half penalty and then seeing Benfica’s Maxi Pereira sent off before the break, Chelsea struggled to kill off their opponents and conceded a late goal from Javi Garcia before Raul Meireles finally settled the tie in stop-page time.

“We expected a difficult game and it proved that way,” Di Matteo said. “We made it a little more difficult for our-selves by not scoring the second goal, es-pecially in the second half with all those chances. The team wasn’t as sparkling as we hoped. Maybe they were a little tired in stages but we are pleased to go through and I think we deserved to go through.” -AP

Chelsea players Frank Lampard, John Terry and Ashley Cole train with interim manager Robert Di Matteo at Stamford Bridge, April 3, 2012. (Reuters)

PARIS: Olympique Marseille cap-tain Steve Mandanda has questioned the squad’s motivation in the run up to Sun-day’s Ligue 1 clash against arch-rivals Par-is St Germain after nine defeats in their last 10 matches in all competitions.

Marseille, who were knocked out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich this week, are ninth in the league with 40 points, 16 adrift of the Champions league playoff berth and 20 behind leaders Montpellier and second-placed PSG.

Marseille face a series of domestic high-profile clashes with the away match in Paris, a home game to Montpellier on Wednesday and their League Cup final against Olympique Lyon next weekend. Defender Nicolas Nkoulou echoed Man-

danda’s feelings and said he was asking a lot of questions about his team mates dedication on the pitch.

Paris St Germain, who have not won a game since March 11 and lost at lowly Nancy last weekend, also need to regroup for a ‘special game’, said defender Milan Bisevac.

“It is the most important game of the year for our fans and it will also be cru-cial for us. We need a victory to revive our title hopes,” the Serbian added.

Centre half Alex and midfielder Thiago Motta, who missed the Nancy clash with minor injuries, are back in the squad.

Unheralded leaders Montpellier, who have never won the French title and have a game in hand, host Sochaux on Satur-

day. “The title is obviously our goal now,” Ligue 1 top scorer Olivier Giroud told French public radio. “It will be a shame to claim we would be happy with a final third spot,” midfielder Geoffrey Dernis added. Third-placed Lille have reduced the gap on the top two to four points in recent weeks thanks to in-form Eden Hazard, who earned them three consecu-tive wins.

“We all know why he is Ligue 1 best player,” goalkeeper Mickael Landreau said of the Belgian forward, before Sat-urday’s trip to strugglers Brest. “I enjoy each and every moment I spend by his side. Beyond his great talent, he’s an ex-ample for all others young players,” he concluded. -Reuters

FRANKFURT, Germany: A once dis-carded striker has come back to rescue Wolfsburg’s season, revive his hopes of going to the European Championship and perhaps play a major role in decid-ing the Bundesliga championship.

Patrick Helmes has scored six goals in his last six games, helping Wolfsburg go on a four-match winning streak.

Borussia Dortmund is the next to visit Wolfsburg and the defending cham-pions could be knocked off the top of the Bundesliga standings if Helmes remains on target and Wolfsburg extends its run.

Dortmund is three points ahead of Bayern Munich, which hosts Augsburg and has a better goal difference.

Dortmund is undefeated in 22 match-es, but two draws in the last four games has allowed Bayern to cut the deficit.

Last week, Dortmund played to a scin-tillating 4-4 draw at home to Stuttgart, losing victory in stoppage time.

Bayern visits Dortmund on April 11 and the winner of that match is likely to claim the Bundesliga title.

Bayern may be more concerned with the Champions League since reaching the semifinals, but it is now within strik-ing distance of a treble. Dortmund and Bayern will also play in the German Cup final next month.

Dortmund’s most imminent worry will be to stop Helmes and his forward partner Mario Mandzukic. Helmes made 13 appearances for Germany between 2007 and 2010, scoring two goals. But a knee injury put his career on hold and he was released by Bayer Leverkusen to join Wolfsburg, where he stagnated.

Wolfsburg is in a four-team tie be-tween sixth and ninth place, with six matches remaining. Magath’s teams have a history of playing strongly in the deci-sive stretches of the season and this year is no exception after a dismal start and a remarkable shopping spree in January.

Dortmund has been playing some electrifying football but may have lost a little edge. Young midfield star Mario Goetze is back in training after being sidelined since December with a nagging pubic bone injury but it remains to be seen if he will be in the squad on Sat-urday.

Bayern finished off Marseille on Tuesday to make the semifinals of the Champions League but cannot afford to slip in the Bundesliga if it wants to keep up with Dortmund. -AP

Marseille captain questions squad motivation

Dortmund heads to surging Wolfsburg in Bundesliga

Gloom descends over Serie A after unhappy week

FILE - Shinji Kagawa of Dortmund celebrates with team mates after winning the Bundesliga match between FC Koeln and Borussia Dortmund, March 25, 2012. (AFP)

MILAN: A fresh refereeing row, another match-fix-ing scandal and failure to get a team to the Champions League semi-finals for the second year running have cast gloom over the weekend’s Serie A matches.

Leaders AC Milan will go into their match at home to Fiorentina still smarting from their Champions League exit at the hands of Barcelona in midweek and the goal that never was against Catania the weekend before. They will, however, have the comfort of know-ing that opponents Fiorentina are even worse off than themselves after a miserable run of one win in nine matches, which has seen them plummet towards the relegation zone.

Juventus, who have cut Milan’s lead to two points and remain unbeaten after 30 games, visit unpredict-able Palermo. Juventus’ form over the last few weeks has been one of the bright spots and they can be cred-ited with making the title race one of the most exciting in recent years.

Their sleek new stadium, invariably full and with the crowd urging the team on only meters from the pitch, is a novelty in a league usually criticized for its rundown, half-empty arena.

But this week has shown that the old problems are still bubbling under the surface. On Monday, former

Bari defender Andrea Masiello was arrested and eight of his former team mates placed under investigation for allegedly fixing matches in Serie A last season, when their side was relegated.

Masiello, interrogated for three hours on Wednes-day, is still playing in Serie A for Atalanta, themselves deducted six points this season over match-fixing in Se-rie B last season when they won promotion.

There was another reminder of Italy’s problems on Wednesday when former Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi lost his appeal against a life-ban for his part in the scandal which led to the Turin club being demoted and stripped of the 2005 and 2006 titles.

Refereeing has also been in the spotlight after Mi-lan were on the wrong end of a goal-line controversy for the second time in a matter of weeks as officials failed to spot that a Robinho shot had crossed the line in the 1-1 draw at Catania.

Fiorentina, 17th with 33 points and five clear of the relegation zone, may almost be relieved to be play-ing at San Siro after being given a hostile reception by fans in recent home matches. Milan have 64 points, fol-lowed by Juventus on 62, and the pair look certain to take Italy’s two direct places in the Champions League group stage next season. -Reuters

ENGLAND: Wayne Rooney insists Man-chester United are capable of clinching the Pre-mier League title with a victory at Manchester City later this month.

United are five points clear at the top of table and could win their 20th English league title at the Eastlands home of bitter rivals City on April 30.

That is a mouth-watering prospect for every-one associated with United, especially with the painful memories of City’s 6-1 win at Old Trafford earlier this season still fresh in their minds.

After that superb City display, Roberto Man-cini’s men were widely expected to end United’s hold on the title, but the momentum has since shifted back to Sir Alex Ferguson’s side.

United striker Rooney knows City have a for-midable home record, they recently set a Premier League record for 20 successive victories but his side’s FA Cup third round win at Eastlands in Jan-uary guarantees they will have no fear about play-ing a potential title decider on enemy soil.

“We’re certainly good enough to beat them there,” Rooney said. “We showed that when we

beat them 3-2 in the FA Cup in January. They have a great home record in the league but we managed to get the result there in the Cup. That shows we can go there and win. We just have to be ourselves and play our normal football. We’ll take full con-fidence into that game and hopefully we can get the three points. We’ll approach it as we do any normal game. There are three points up for grabs and we’ll be trying to get them. We won’t be doing anything different.”

Meanwhile, Rooney has praised the impact of Danny Welbeck and believes his fellow striker is a leading candidate to be United’s player of the season.

“To play so many games for United in his first full season has been brilliant. There has been a lot of pressure on him but he’s done really well and scored some important goals for us. He got an opportunity from the start of the season and he came in and played very well and scored a few goals. He’s an exciting player and credit to him for the way he’s performed - he’s played in a lot of matches this season.” -AP

City clash hold no fears for United star Rooney