Mossad agent linked to Asia scam

Graeme Wallace, the new head of compliance for Solidarity - one of the region's leading Islamic Insurance companies.

BAHRAIN MID EAST LEADER IN MONEY LAUNDERING PREVENTION

Solidarity Backs BMA Efforts To Ensure Bahrain Remains Mid East Financial Hub

The Kingdom of Bahrain, supported by the Bahrain Monetary Agency (BMA), is set to become one of the Middle East leaders in the battle against money laundering, according to Graeme Wallace, the new head of compliance for Solidarity - one of the region's leading Islamic Insurance companies.

According to Wallace, Bahrain has ensured that, by implementing a strict and internationally approved set of regulations, it is winning the challenges set by money launderers.

Wallace, whose main responsibility at Solidarity is to ensure that the various regulatory requirements placed upon the company in all the countries it operates in are fully met, praised the commitment of Bahrain and the BMA in their efforts to eradicate money laundering.

"The Kingdom is extremely committed to ensuring that it remains the financial centre for the Middle East by guaranteeing that it operates to the highest international standards and by promoting a sense of trust and transparency within its businesses," said Wallace."Solidarity is fully committed to the work done by the Bahrain Monetary Agency to eliminate the international problem of money laundering. Its prevention is very much in line with the Islamic Shari'ah principles the company is based upon."

Solidarity works on the fundamental basis of the 'Know Your Customer' (KYC) principal and ensures that anyone taking a policy out is subject to stringent background checks that remain constant throughout the policy's lifespan - certifying the money's origin and destination are not illegal.

"By operating the 'Know Your Customer' principle, we can offer our customers additional comfort and security in the knowledge that they are dealing with a company of impeccable reputation and the highest integrity," said Wallace.

"Furthermore, we make sure all our employees are trained in accordance with international business quality standards and this, coupled with a stringent sales format, ensures that we recommend for our customers the most suited and appropriate investment opportunities."

Solidarity is poised to become the largest insurance company in the Kingdom of Bahrain and the largest Islamic insurance company in the world. The company has been set up in direct response to the growing demand for Takaful insurance products across the region.Designed to operate in full compliance with the guiding principles of Islamic Shari'ah, the newly established Solidarity Insurance is one of the top 10 companies in the Arab world in terms of paid up capital. (US$ 100,000,000).Solidarity's main focus is on providing Family and Life Takaful products as well as Takaful and Re-Takaful general assurance products across the GCC and selected European, Asian, Middle Eastern and North African countries.

HOLIDAY INN DOWNTOWN DUBAI WELCOMES NEW GENERAL MANAGER

Dubai, 8 July, 2004: Bringing with him 26 years hotel industry experience, Mamdouh El Hakim takes up the post of new General Manager of Holiday Inn Downtown Dubai.El Hakim, began his career back in 1978 with Holiday Inn in London before returning to the region of his birth in 1980. Since then he has worked in managerial positions in Holiday Inn properties in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE as well as working for a number of other hotel and hospitality companies around the region.Located in the heart of Deira, the Holiday inn Downtown Dubai is a modern hotel, convenient for leisure and business travellers alike. Guests can expect a choice of 139 rooms and suites, a Bistro, a Café and bar, rooftop fitness facilities and an outdoor swimming pool plus regular shuttles to the beach.

NEWLY REBRANDED HOTEL GETS NEW GENERAL MANAGER

Crowne Plaza Resort Salalah welcomes Edward Chaaya aboard

Dubai, 8 July, 2004: Complementing the completion of Crowne Plaza Resort Salalah's recent extensive rebranding process, the hotel has welcomed a new general manager.

Edward Chaaya, takes up the post just in time for the popular Khareef season and will be instrumental in the hotel's full relaunch under the Crowne Plaza brand.Educated at Las Vegas University, Chaaya completed a Bsc in Hotel Management before embarking on his twenty two year career within the field.

Spending the majority of his career in the thriving tourism centres of the UAE and Egypt, Chaaya takes with him a great deal of experience of the Middle East market to assist in making the Crowne Plaza Resort Salalah the number one choice for visitors to the area.

The hotel boasts 125 luxuriously designed standard rooms, as well as Royal, Executive and Junior suites along with 19 three-bedroom family villas. Diners can choose from Darbat Restaurant - all-day dining, International and Oriental cuisine, a beach restaurant serving fresh seafood, a lobby café offering tea, coffee and snacks and Al Luban Night Club offering live entertainment and a la carte cuisine every night.

Banquet and meeting facilities include a multi-purpose banquet hall seating up to 350 delegates, as well as smaller meeting and break-out rooms with state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment. There are three swimming pools - one for children, open-air Jacuzzi and two floodlit tennis courts.

BMW has introduced a unique concept in bicycling with the BMW Kidsbike, which can be transformed from a running or walking bike to a full-fledged bicycle simply by attaching the chain and pedals.

THE BMW KIDSBIKE - A BIKE THAT GROWS UP WITH YOU

18/07/04

BMW has introduced a unique concept in bicycling with the BMW Kidsbike, which can be transformed from a running or walking bike to a full-fledged bicycle simply by attaching the chain and pedals.

Children as young as two can use the BMW Kidsbike to run or walk on, using their feet, helping them develop a natural sense of balance and at the same time familiarise themselves with steering and braking. As the child grows more confident, the adjustable seat can be raised, pedals and chain fitted, making it a fully operational bicycle, saving parents the cost of buying a new bike when the child grows older.

As with all BMW vehicles, safety is of topmost priority. The BMW Kidsbike is equipped with plastic pedals fitted with reflectors and an optional back-pedal brake for immediate stopping. Other safety features include child friendly steering design, an adjustable cantilever front-brake, fully- enclosed chain and protective and controlled steering locks. Bell and lights are standard. In addition, a safety helmet is supplied free with the bike.

The Kidsbike weighs a mere 5 kgs (7kgs with pedals) and is supplied with a comfortable carrying strap. The frame is 36 cm high and can carry a maximum load of 50 kgs. The height of the seat can be adjusted from 38 cm to 46cm.

Tanmia breaks all-time record by providing jobs to 222 jobseekers in a single month in June

H.E. Matar Humaid A Tayer complements Tanmia team on its outstanding achievement l

July 17 2004 The National Human Resources Development and Employment Authority (Tanmia) has broken an all-time record by providing employment to 222 jobseekers in one month during June 2004. The achievement was hailed by H.E. Matar Humaid Al Tayer, UAE Minister for Labour and Social Affairs, who complemented Tanmia's Employment and Skills Development Centre (ESDC) on reaching this major milestone.

In a note addressed to Dr. Abdulrahman Al Awar, Director-General of Tanmia, H.E. Excellency Al Tayer complimented the team on breaking the record, especially considering that in summer months employment activity usually slows down, and congratulated all those involved in this major success.

"The accomplishment of placing 222 national jobseekers in the private sector in the lean month of June is indeed a proud moment for all at Tanmia and we are deeply motivated by the words of encouragement from His Excellency," said Dr. Al Awar. "We would like to attribute this achievement to the intensified efforts of each member of the Tanmia team, following the recent decision of the UAE Federal Cabinet empowering Tanmia to implement direct intervention measures to increase the ratio of UAE nationals in the private sector. This has energized the entire team to work harder to achieve their targets."

The 222 jobseekers who were successfully placed in the private sector after due training came from all across the UAE. 144 of them were women, while 78 were males. They were short-listed from a list of 1,000 jobseekers on Tanmia's database, based on their qualifications and aptitudes. 161 of them had no previous job experience, while 61 had some experience. 36 per cent of the job-seekers were placed in the banking sector, while the rest were absorbed in other industries. Over 75 per cent of the cost of training was borne by Tanmia as part of its ongoing training initiatives for national jobseekers.

Ayesh Al Barguthi, Director, Employment and Skills Development Center, Tanmia, said: "Our record achievement for June 2004 crowns the recent aggressive efforts by our team to accelerate the emiratisation drive through increased interaction with the private sector. It represents two major developments. Firstly, our training programmes have been able to produce candidates who meet the expectations of the private sector. Secondly, the private sector has realized the importance of emiratisation and is ready to go an extra mile to accommodate UAE nationals. This is a proud moment for all of us, and it will act as a great motivating factor for the entire Tanmia team."

Lateefa Ahmad Mohammed, Human Resource Department, Citibank, said: "We have designed an intensive training program for candidates in our Citibank Academy. Our training program includes basics of banking, orientation and some basic English courses. It helps them to understand their job responsibilities better and makes them comfortable with our working environment. Seventy candidates from Tanmia were successfully recruited on a probation period of three months, after which they will become permanent employees of Citibank." Citibank is one of the major contributors to Tanmia's record-breaking achievement. "We are proud to be a part of this accomplishment of Tanmia and will support its cause in future as well," she concluded.

One of the job-seekers employed through Tanmia said "I would like to thank Tanmia, for providing the platform, and the private sector for giving me the opportunity to make my dream come true. This is a great chance for the overall development and growth of my career. I would like to invite more nationals to Tanmia so that they can start a fruitful growth in their careers as well."

The June 2004 milestone comes on the heels of another accomplishment by the Dubai office of Tanmia. The Dubai office succeeded in securing employment for 65 jobseekers in a week, a record in the history of Tanmia. In the same week, Tanmia succeeded in completing the training of 50 jobseekers.In recognition of this weekly record, Dr. Al Awar honoured four Tanmia employees for their outstanding contribution. The four were Awatef Al Amri, Moza Essa, Abdulhakim Shamsi and Aoud Al Dhaheri.

Which oil should we use for cooking?

by Dr Madan Mohan MD Consultant physician Ahalia Hospital

Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America's Favorite Health FoodFull Report

INDIA APPRECIATED IN HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2004

Atul Cowshish*

India’s secularism has received an honourable appreciation in the Human Development Report(HDR), 2004, testifying to the age-old tradition of tolerance in this country. Despite the low rank of 127 out of 177 countries assigned to India, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) - commissioned report should be taken as a world-wide acknowledgment of the fact that the so-called semi-literate or illiterate majority of India is more prudent in showing respect to followers of other religions than is the case in many rich, prosperous and developed nations of the world.

India also makes an impressive score among nations where the great majority of people have faith in democracy, their institutions and, above all, over 90 per cent are proud to be Indians. Democracy has of course taken very deep roots in India as the power of ballots as opposed to bullets has been proved here again and again. But many in the country will be surprised to learn that a majority of the population trusts the institutions of democracy in the country. Some of the institutions that are essential to the survival of democracy are widely perceived to have eroded a great deal. The finding of the HDR on Indians’ faith in their institutions will also appear to run counter to another recent report by Transparency International, which had placed India very high among the ‘most corrupt’ nations, basing it on the belief that bribery rules some of the great institutions of the country.

An interesting observation in the Report is about our holidays. Many in India ridicule the ‘fetish’ for religious festivals. However, the HDR 2004 has taken a laudatory note of religious holidays, calling it a celebration of the country’s diversity.

An interesting thing about the HDR 2004 is that India’s ranking has remained stationary largely because the country has seen a decline in GDP per capita in purchasing power parity. Education also has not received the needed push. The indices that are taken into consideration for preparing the Report include life expectancy, GDP per capita and adult literacy rate.

But the Report pays a wholesome compliment to India when it says: ‘As is evident from India’s performance on indicators of identification, trust and support, its citizens are deeply committed to the country and to democracy despite its diversity and highly stratified society. Their performance is impressive when compared with that of other wealthier democracies.’

It can be nobody’s case that India’s record of religious tolerance is without a blemish. Indeed, some of the communal riots have brought much shame and disgust to many in the country. But even if comparisons are considered odious, a look at the situation in the contemporary world will bring out the fact that on the whole India cannot be belittled on its record of secularism. Events after 9/11 in some of the so-called developed nations have led many to believe that the fear of ‘clash of civilisations’ might yet come true.

There are countries that are now struggling to come to terms with the fact that they have in their midst people who follow faiths other than those of the majority population. ‘Hate crimes’ that arise out of ignorance about other races and religions show no signs of abating in such countries. As a consequence of these developments, an increasing number of religious and racial minorities in such countries are complaining of discrimination. The point to note here is that this feeling is growing.

There are also countries where an entire racial or religious minority has been forced to flee, though the resultant monolithic society showed itself incapable of taking the country to heights of development. Then, there are countries where officials bandy about words like liberalism and secularism and yet subjugate the minorities to secondary position, constitutionally denying them upward movement. In India there is absolutely no constitutional bar on any citizen of the country from aspiring for the highest post in the land.

The UNDP Report disagrees that cultural diversity leads to a clash of civilisations. That is, in any case, what India has shown to the world. The Report has advocated that embracing diversity and protecting the rights of the minorities are crucial to development. ‘India’s secularism-enabled cultural integration and the affirmative action taken by offering reservations in employment and education has led to the social and political inclusion of backward classes,’ the UNDP representative said while presenting the HDR.

A debate often heard in some quarters in India revolves round ‘national identity’. The HDR 2004 is quite clear on this. ‘National identity need not imply a homogenous cultural identity. Efforts to impose one can lead to social tensions and conflicts.’

India need not rest over the laurels that it might have received from the Report. The kinks in making the society more cohesive need to be removed. But the more important thing is to push up the standard of living so that India improves its rank from the present lowly 127. The task should not look too difficult because a unified nation respecting all its citizens and guaranteeing them equal opportunities can ride faster on the road to development than a fragmented nation where discrimination of all sorts is a fact of life.

*Senior Journalist

12,000 Philips Computer Monitors for Kuwaiti Schools

- Ideal for educational settings, the 17-inch multimedia CRT monitors are reliable, compact and offer great value for money -Dubai, UAE, July 18, 2004 - Philips Electronics today announced its largest-ever order of computer monitors for a single client in the Middle East.

The Kuwait Ministry of Education placed the order through Philips' local distributor ZAK Computer Systems, which won the tender for the 12,000 units of the 17-inch multimedia CRT monitors. Installation is scheduled to take place this month.

"We are delighted that the ministry has selected Philips computer monitors for use in its schools. The Philips 107E56 is ideal for placement in educational settings because it offers great value for money, as well as Philips reliability and a compact design that is convenient for the classroom," said Khalid Tuer, Philips Regional General Manager, Middle East and Africa."We also are proud to play a supporting role in the educational system that is using the latest IT equipment to teach the children of Kuwait, who represent its future. We see this as another way that our products and solutions can make things better for current and future generations," Tuer added.

EPSON launches home cinema projector that brings alive the excitement of big screen sport and entertainment

With crystal clear picture quality, a large screen size and a sleek design, the EMP-TW10H is EPSON's solution to all home viewing needs

July 17, 2004 EPSON has launched in the Middle East region, the EPSON EMP-TW10H, a home cinema projector that brings the excitement of big screen sport and entertainment to the home. The upgraded EMP-TW10H features increased brightness and higher contrast ratio, complemented by crystal clear picture quality, large screen size and slim design.

This versatile projector has 1200 ANSI lumens and EPSON's exclusive Automatic Cinema Filter to enhance black levels and heighten the contrast ratio to 800:1, creating bright and vibrant images. With the EMP-TW10H, the viewer's living room will be transformed in order to experience the blood, sweat and cheers of every top-class sporting event or an action movie.

The new projector incorporates EPSON's leading optical technology using a D3 LCD projection system with a Poly-silicon TFT Active Matrix and includes 4 preset colour modes including Theatre, Theatre Black, Living Room and Dynamic for high picture quality under a variety of ambient light. The EMP-TW10H can achieve an impressive screen size of up to 300" (7.62m) and with a 1.54x optical zoom lens means that even in smaller rooms the viewer won't miss out on the big picture allowing an 80" diagonal (2.03m) image from just 2m away.

"Home entertainment is a market segment that is growing exponentially in the Middle East, driven by high net worth individuals with elegant lifestyles. Watching major sporting events or blockbuster movies on the small screen does not deliver the same impact as enjoying them on a large screen. The other alternative is to watch these spectacles within the comfort of one's home through projectors like the EPSON EMP-TW10H, a remarkable product that eliminates many of the limitations of ordinary projectors," said Khalil El Dalu, General Manager, EPSON Middle East. "EPSON's technological advances now make it possible for people to enjoy the same visual and sound perfection at home."

The EMP-TW10H uses universal connectivity so it can be easily hooked up to existing video and audio entertainment equipment including televisions, DVD players, video recorders and games consoles. The EMP-TW10H can be used across any type of media systems as it supports PAL, NTSC and SECAM, for maximum flexibility.

With a slim-line design the EMP-TW10H will look stylish in any home, whilst a maximum fan noise of 29dB guarantees all viewing will be un-interrupted. The EMP-TW10H's wide range of features and flexibility deliver perfect image quality making it a welcome addition to any home.

7July, 2004

ROLLS-ROYCE TRENT 900 COMPLETES SUCCESSFUL BLADE-OFF TEST

Rolls-Royce has announced that the Trent 900 engine, being developed for the Airbus A380, had successfully completed a fan-blade containment test, one of the critical safety demonstrations ahead of certification by the airworthiness authorities.

During the test, which took place on schedule at the company's Hucknall, UK, facility, the engine was accelerated to full speed before a fan blade was released at the root by an explosive charge. The blade and its debris were contained successfully and the engine performed a controlled shutdown.

Ian Crawford, Director Airbus Programmes for Rolls-Royce, said: "This was a key event in the development programme, and although computer simulations accurately predicted this result, it is always good to see it validated by the reality of the test.

"We are now focused on meeting the remaining development milestones on schedule and to delivering the Trent 900 into service successfully on the A380 in Spring 2006."

The Trent 900, which will be the first engine delivered on the A380, has a set of hollow, titanium fan blades measuring 116 inches in diameter - the largest ever designed by Rolls-Royce.

The engine made its maiden flight on the Airbus flying test bed last month and is now continuing its flight test programme of around 50 hours through to August.

Environmental testing shows the Trent 900 to be the world's cleanest large turbofan, measured by emissions per pound of thrust. It is also on track to be the quietest engine on the A380.

Engine certification in October 2004 will be followed by flight testing on the A380 in early 2005. The engine will be rated at 80,000lb thrust, providing significant margin for growth above the 70,000lb required at entry into service. Orders from launch customer Singapore Airlines, Qantas, Virgin Atlantic and Lufthansa have given the Trent 900 a 48 per cent share of announced firm and option orders.

SriLankan Airlines fine tunes expansion strategy Growth in domestic, regional and international routes planned

(Dubai, 7 July 2004): Capitalising on its central location between Europe, Asia and Africa, SriLankan Airlines is focusing on the enhancement of its services to existing destinations, as well as looking at new options, as part of its current five-year expansion plan.

Chief executive Peter Hill said the carrier was implementing a threefold strategy aimed at both boosting the reputation of SriLankan as an international carrier of substance, as well as a regional airline offering frequent links between major gateway cities.

"With a new A340 aircraft in our fleet, we will launch services to Beijing this autumn, offering three flights a week as an extension of our Bangkok service," he said.

"In addition, additional A320s means we can take advantage of the new open skies agreement with India to extend our connections on the sub-continent, inaugurating flights to Calicut from Colombo on July 1."

Calicut will become the 10th destination on SriLankan Airlines' Indian network - and the 34th worldwide - and is part of a strategy to thicken up on the carrier's south Asian network, as well as expand both east and west to boost its position as a hub for inter-continental travel.

Hill said two years' of consolidation were planned to enable SriLankan to add more frequencies on the routes it already serves: "We need double daily services between Colombo and Dubai for instance, as the demand is there, while our key London route could also accommodate twice daily frequency, which we hope to achieve soon."

In addition, he said SriLankan was looking to add capacity in to major source markets such as Germany and Switzerland plus Tokyo, while new areas of potential being researched included Korea, South Africa and Australia.

"Even though we are offline in Australia, there was a 78 per cent increase in the number of visitors to Sri Lanka from Australia last year and these figures demonstrate the potential that exists to develop tourism in to the country through the establishment of new air links."

As the third prong in its operational strategy, SriLankan is opening up the country with an air taxi service, offering fast and frequent transfers on Cessna Caravan amphibious aircraft between the airport at Colombo and major tourist destinations such as Kandy, Bentota and Trincomalee.

In tandem with route expansion, SriLankan is also to introduce a global booking engine this summer, facilitating reservations through the Internet.

The airline currently offers services to Tokyo, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Jakarta in the Far East; Male in the Maldives and 10 destinations in India, eight points in the Middle East, plus Paris, Zurich, Frankfurt and Munich, and London in Europe.

In addition, a recent code-share agreement with British Midland means passengers on SriLankan can connect to that carrier's flights from London - these include Manchester, Bradford, Teesside, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Belfast in the UK, plus Dublin, Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris.

"While we do not see the need to be in the arena of the global airline alliances, we have our codeshare and operational connections with Emirates, as well as these other strategic arrangements," said Hill.

"Codeshare routes with Emirates may well be extended, and we aim to promote this dynamic link more strongly in future."