800 th Test Wicket

Muttiah Muralitharan on Friday became the first bowler in the history of Test cricket to pick up 800 wickets. He achieved the milestone when he picked up the wicket of Pragyan Ojha on the last day of the Test match against India at Galle.

Sharjah fumes as power fails again

Sharjah: After a month's respite Sharjah's notorious power cuts are back again affecting the huge industrial districts which are home to thousands of families and businesses.

Residents complained of more power cuts on Tuesday morning.

On Monday, the power outages reportedly lasted up to eight hours at a time; sending desperate residents to the rooftops at night for some respite from the heat.

Levita, who is pregnant and expected to deliver a baby in five days, lives in Industrial Area 11 near the National Paints factory.

Levita said the power cut started at 8am on Monday morning and by 3pm it had not been restored. "I am supposed to take care of my blood pressure and this heat is pushing it up," she said, raising her voice.

Levita said she was considering suing over the power cuts. Her mother said she is using a hand fan to cool her daughter down.

Last Supper paintings supersize the food

The food in famous paintings of the meal has grown by biblical proportions over the last millennium, researchers report in a medical journal Tuesday.

Using a computer, they compared the size of the food to the size of the heads in 52 paintings of Jesus Christ and his disciples at their final meal before his death.

If art imitates life, we're in trouble, the researchers conclude. The size of the main dish grew 69 percent; the size of the plate, 66 percent, and the bread, 23 percent, between the years 1000 and 2000.

Supersizing is considered a modern phenomenon, but "what we see recently may be just a more noticeable part of a very long trend," saidBrian Wansink, a food behavior scientist at Cornell University.

The study was his idea. For biblical context, he sought help from his brother, Craig Wansink, professor of religious studies at Virginia Wesleyan College in Norfolk, Va., and an ordained Presbyterian minister.

The Bible says the Last Supper took place on a Passover evening but gives little detail on specific foods besides bread and wine.

"There's nothing else mentioned. They don't say there's a fruit cup or carrot cake," though other foods such as fish, eel, lamb and even pork have appeared in paintings through the years, Brian Wansink said.

For the study, he used paintings featured in the book "Last Supper," published in 2000 by Phaidon Press. They include perhaps the most famous portrayal of the meal, by Leonardo da Vinci. Computer technology allowed them to scan, rotate and calculate images regardless of their orientation in the paintings.

Details are in the April issue of the International Journal of Obesity.

The study is "not very meaningful science," said Martin Binks, a behavioral health psychologist and a consultant at Duke University Medical Center. "We have real life examples of the increase in portion size — all you have to do is look at what's being sold at fast-food restaurants."

A more contemporary test would be to analyze portion sizes in Super Bowl commercials, he suggested.

"That would be a much more meaningful snapshot of how this society's relationship to food has changed," Binks said.

No excuse accepted for jumping red lights

No justification will be accepted for jumping a red traffic signal including such excuses as the driver is transferring a patient to a hospital, said a senior Traffic official at Dubai Police.

Major General Mohammad Saif Al Zafein, director of the general department of traffic at Dubai Police, said: "We will not waive the fine of any person for jumping a red light on the pretence that he or she had to transfer a patient to the hospital, or in the case of a doctor, reporting to an urgent medical call," he said.

Ambulances are the proper method to transfer urgent medical cases to hospital and a failure to report the matter to them will result in adverse consequence, he added.

"Being under a tense situation, speeding, and jumping red lights add to the risk of fatal accidents. Doing it the proper manner is the solution."

Maj Gen Al Zafein referred to the case of a doctor working in a private hospital, who requested from the traffic department to waive his fine for jumping a red light.

Although he provided a letter from the hospital confirming he was called in for an emergency, Maj Gen Al Zafein said "this is absolutely not acceptable".

He says that jumping a red light results in severe accidents.

During an interview, he said a new scheme will be introduced soon in collaboration with the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and immigration, so that people who leave the country have to pay their fines before they do so.

"People who end their residency and who have accumulated traffic fines will have their names at every entry and exit point in the country. There are many people who have accumulated fines and in searching for them, we realised they have left the country," he said.

Fatalities

According to Major General Mohammad Saif Al Zafein, director of the general department of traffic at Dubai Police, February of each year records one of the highest fatalities in Dubai with 30 recorded last month.

In 2007, they were 17 fatalities in February and increased to 39 in 2009 while in the following year in decreased to 31.

UAE foreign business outside free zones

A senior Abu Dhabi Government official on Tuesday ruled out the possibility of 100 per cent foreign business ownership outside UAE free zones as part of the expected new companies law.

"The new companies law will give some relaxation to foreign ownership," Mohammed Omar Abdullah, undersecretary of the emirate's Department of Economic Development, said on the sidelines of an investment conference. "But it will not be to the extent of 100 per cent."

Abdullah added that the Ministry of Economy is preparing the final draft of the law ahead of its relay to the Federal National Council later this year.

A new companies law has been in the works since 2008, but the provision for allowing majority foreign ownership has only been promoted by the Ministry of Economy since September.

Current rules limit foreigners to 49 per cent ownership.

Russian plane crash lands in forest near Moscow

A Russian airliner carrying eight crew members and no passengers crashed in a forest while trying to land at a Moscow airport. There were no fatalities but four of the crew were seriously injured.

The Russian TU-204 Aviastar-TU jet, which originated from Hurghada in Egypt, was approaching one of the landing strips of Domodedovo International Airport when it crashed.

Rachel Weisz leads the winners of the Olivier Awards

A host of A-list actors turned out for Britain's stage equivalent of the Oscars - The Laurence Olivier Theatre Awards.

Jude Law, Keira Knightley and Best Actress winner Rachel Weisz have all swapped movies for the West End stage this past year.

Sophie Van Brugen reports on the winners.

Bush and Clinton to visit Haiti for fund-raising effort

Former US Presidents George W Bush and Bill Clinton are due to visit Haiti as part of their fund-raising efforts to aid the earthquake-stricken nation.

The two were asked by President Barack Obama to lead US fund-raising after the 12 January earthquake that killed at least 220,000 people.

In their first joint visit to Haiti, the two will meet President Rene Preval and visit camps for the homeless.

About 1.3 million earthquake survivors are homeless and living in tent cities.

US House passes key healthcare reform bill

The US House of Representatives has narrowly voted to pass a landmark healthcare reform bill at the heart of President Barack Obama's agenda.

The bill was passed by 219 votes to 212, with no Republican backing, after hours of fierce argument and debate.

It extends coverage to 32 million more Americans, and marks the biggest change to the US healthcare system in decades.

India successfully tests supersonic cruise missile

India Sunday successfully test fired BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from a vertical launcher fitted on board moving warship INS Ranvir off the east coast, defence sources said.

The missile performed supersonic manoeuvring following the exact flight path and homed on to the decommissioned target ship INS Meen, the sources said.

'The mission met 100 percent success,' Praveen Pathak, additional general manager of BrahMos Aerospace, told IANS over phone from New Delhi.

The missile, which has a range of 290 km and flies at a speed of 2.8 Mach, can take on a target lying anywhere in the 360 degree range of the ship. It was fired from INS Ranvir at 1130 hrs.

The BrahMos missiles are capable of carrying conventional warheads up to 200-300 kg.

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Kuwaiti MP calls for media judicial department to avoid criminal courts for journalists

A Kuwaiti MP has called for the establishment of a specialised judicial department that will look into cases brought against journalists.

The department should be made up of judges with cultural, political and legal backgrounds about the media, MP Saleh Al Mulla said.

"The call for the specialised department stems from the sorry state of media affairs since cases are now referred to the criminal court. This is really shocking. Does this mean that reporting news is equated with crimes, bootlegging and using drugs?" he asked.

"The existence of a panel of judges in the specialised department who are highly knowledgeable about the media should help improve the situation and preserve journalists' freedom," the MP said.

According to international media and rights organisations, Kuwait has one of the best rankings in media freedom in the Arab world.

However, the broadcasting of a controversial programme denigrating Bedouins and accusing some of them of breaking the law by holding dual citizenship has sparked a move by the government to amend the existing press code. Editors have already voiced concern about the proposed amendments.

360 to lose jobs over Saudi floods

As many as 360 Saudi and foreign officials holding key posts at the Jeddah Mayoralty will be terminated within a few weeks. The mayoralty has received orders from the Control and Investigation Bureau in this regard, according to official sources.

This disciplinary action follows completion of an investigation into the flood disaster that struck eastern and southern districts of Jeddah on November 25 and claimed more than 120 lives. Makkah Governor Prince Khaled Al Faisal, who headed a high-level committee to investigate the causes behind the disaster, presented the report to King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz on March 5.

As a follow up of the investigation, the authorities have started taking drastic measures to restructure the mayoralty and take disciplinary action against those found guilty of turning the flash floods into a catastrophe.

US wants Israel to cancel colony-building plan

sraeli media reported on Monday that the US is pressing Israel to scrap a contentious east Occupied Jerusalem building project whose approval has touched off the most serious diplomatic feud with Washington in years.

Top US officials have lined up in recent days to condemn the Israeli plan to build 1,600 apartments in east Occupied Jerusalem, the sector of the holy city that the Palestinians claim for their future capital.

The project caused a storm in Washington because it was announced during US Vice President Joe Biden's visit to the region last week, badly embarrassing the US and complicating its efforts to restart Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking.

Benjamin Netanyahu has officially apologised, but Palestinians and Arab analysts will have none of it. They say the Israeli prime minister's statement of regret at the announcement of colony-building plans, during Biden's visit, was actually a ploy to calm the angry international community.

Read Gulf News interview with West Bank-based Palestinian analyst Hani Masri 

The Palestinians immediately threatened not to join upcoming US-brokered talks meant to jumpstart negotiations after a 14-month breakdown.

US officials have not disclosed what steps they want Israel to take to ease the crisis, and Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev refused to comment Monday. But Israeli newspapers and radio stations said Washington wants the construction project canceled.

They also reported that the US wants Israel to make a significant confidence-building gesture toward the Palestinians.

Suggestions included releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails" turning over additional areas of the West Bank to Palestinian control" removing some of the roadblocks hampering the movement of Palestinians and goods in the West Bank" and easing the blockade on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, media reported.

Washington, they added, also has demanded that Israel officially declare that talks with the Palestinians will deal with all the conflict's big issues, including final borders, the status of Occupied Jerusalem, and the fate of Palestinian refugees who fled or were driven from their homes during the war that followed Israel's 1948 creation.

The unusually harsh US criticism has undercut Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's efforts to suggest that the crisis had passed.

Israeli newspapers reported on Monday that Israel's ambassador to Washington, Michael Oren, told Israeli diplomats in a conference call Saturday night that their country's relations with the US haven't been so tense since 1975.

The Foreign Ministry had no immediate comment.

East Occupied Jerusalem, home to Muslim and Jewish holy sites, historically has been the most explosive issue dividing Israelis and Palestinians.

Israel annexed the territory after capturing it in the 1967 Middle East war but the Palestinians and the international community have not recognized that move and consider the Jewish neighborhoods Israel has built there to be illegal colonies.

Although previous Israeli leaders have agreed to the principle of sharing the disputed holy city, Netanyahu objects to partitioning Occupied Jerusalem and wants to keep the city united under Israeli control.

He also exempted east Occupied Jerusalem from a November order limiting colony construction for 10 months. The order, issued under intense U.S. pressure, applies only to the West Bank.

The Palestinians want the West Bank, east Occupied Jerusalem and the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip to be part of their hoped-for state.

VoIP IN UAE

The Telecommunication Regulatory Authority on Monday explained its policy further on VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol).

It said that offering VoIP will only be allowed for the four companies that have been granted operating licences in the UAE: Etisalat and du, as well as satellite service providers Yahsat and Thuraya.

However, third party services such as Skype will be allowed to enter into partnerships.

The TRA also said that VoIP services offered on an unlicensed basis will be prosecuted.

The regulator said last year that it was in talks with Etisalat and du on VoIP and was “pushing” for international calls, adding that the service for calls made locally was already available.

“No entity in the UAE can provide telecommunication services to the public unless it is licensed. Regardless of the way it provides it services, it has to be licensed,” said Mohammad Al Ganem, TRA director-general.

He also specified that the authority is not preventing the use of a service that the population has a right to. "It is a licensing issue.”

UAE retail environment ranks first in Middle East and Africa region

 The UAE ranks first in the retail business environment league for the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region this year with its strong wealth and high consumer spending, the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry said in a report.

Based on research by Business Monitor International, the country led with 57.5 points out of a possible 100, to Bahrain's 43.5 that ranked last in the region.

Kuwait ranks a relatively close second with 55.7 points but is unlikely to challenge the UAE for the top spot over the long run given the smaller size of its retail market, according to the analysis.

According to a recent MasterCard survey, 17 per cent of consumers in the UAE are currently spending 71 per cent to 80 per cent of their annual income on household expenses.

Across the Middle East and Levant, 58 per cent of consumers plan to maintain the same level of discretionary and recreation spending in the first half of this year as in the last six months of 2009. In the UAE, 59 per cent of consumers plan to do the same.

Gio Ponti heads Dubai World Cup field

Dubai: American raider and runner-up to Zenyatta in the Breeders' Cup Classic, Gio Ponti leads a 14-strong field of likely runners in the March 27 $10 million (Dh36.8  million) Dubai World Cup.

The Chris Clement-trained dirt specialist and ante-post favourite Gio Ponti tops the Dubai World Cup likely field announced this morning by the Board of the Dubai Racing Club.

Runners for the other seven races on Dubai World Cup night were also announced and all fields will be finalised at declaration stage on March 22.

European challengers Vision D'Etat and Twice over along with Saeed Bin Surour's Allybar and Masterly, Mike de Kock's Lizard's Desire, Mr Brock, Gloria De Campeao-last year's Dubai World Cup runner-up to Well Armed, Japanese hope and Maktoum Challenge Third Round winner Red Desire are part of the DWC field.

Bollywood stars tweet their support for IPL teams

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is on and micro-blogging site Twitter is abuzz with posts from Bollywood personalities rooting for their favourite teams.

Mumbai Indians, Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings all have their supporters, while the IPL has a fair share of the Bollywood quotient with many teams owned by members of the Hindi film industry. Shah Rukh Khan co-owns Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) with Juhi Chawla, Shilpa Shetty co-owns Rajasthan Royals and Preity Zinta is a co-owner of Kings XI Punjab.

The film fraternity came out in full strength to congratulate Khan for KKR's win against Deccan Chargers in the first match of the tournament, including Arjun Rampal, Deepika Padukone, Riteish Deshmukh and Shekhar Kapur.

Abhishek Bachchan: “The new Mumbai Indians jersey looks very cool. Can’t wait to get my hands on one.”

Kunal Kohli: “...Punjab v/s Delhi, tough choice, both good teams, I’ll go with Punjab.”

Shilpa Shetty: “Congrats KKR! Well deserved.”

Karan Johar: “His name is Khan and he is a Rockstar!!! Way to go Shah Rukh.”

R. Madhavan: “Started. My best to all the teams and hope the Chennai Kings rock. Damn. Felt bad when they did not approach me as their brand ambassador.”

Dia Mirza: “I am Dia. I am from Hyderabad. And I am supporting the Deccan Chargers... I live in Mumbai now. I will be sure to support Mumbai Indians.”

Three killed in construction site accident in Dubai

Dubai: Three people were killed and a fourth was seriously injured when a cement barrier of a house under construction fell on them in Al Mezhar on Sunday.

The four Asian workers were pouring cement to lay the foundations of the house when a heap of sand collapsed resulting in the cement barrier falling on them.

Lieutenant Colonel Shawqi Al Shawab of Al Qusais Police Station, and Major Juma Ahmad Butti, Director of the Rescue Department at Dubai Police Operations Department, arrived at the scene along with a rescue team to pull the bodies of the workers from the under the rubble, while the injured was rushed to Rashid Hospital.

British couple lip-kissing,

Dubai: A British woman pointed to her cheeks in court Sunday, contending that she and her compatriot man kissed on the cheeks and not on the lips in a restaurant.

“We greeted each other and kissed on the cheeks…,” argued the 25-year-old British woman with her right finger pointed at her right cheek when she defended herself at the Dubai Appeals Court.

The 24-year-old British man, who works in Dubai, told Presiding Judge Aysar Fouad that they kissed on the cheeks in a ‘welcome and greeting manner’ and denied kissing the woman on her lips.

Prosecutors have charged the British couple with kissing and touching each other intimately and having liquor.

The two pleaded not guilty and strongly refuted the kissing charge and admitted that they had liquor.

Their lawyer Khalaf Al Hosani defended that his clients did not kiss on the lips but on their cheeks without having any criminal intention.

“Your honour, my clients willingly admitted that they kissed in a welcoming and greeting manner. They kissed on the cheeks without having any intention to break the law. It’s something in their culture to kiss on cheeks as a greeting. The Emirati woman, who claimed she saw them kissing on the lips, gave an inconsistent statement. Her statement at the police contradicted the one she gave to prosecutors,” contended Al Hosani.

Presiding Judge Fouad extended the bail of the couple, whose passports are confiscated and cannot travel.

The Dubai Misdemeanors Court had sentenced the Britons to one month in jail followed by deportation for kissing and touching at a restaurant in Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR). They were also fined Dh1,000 each for consuming alcohol.

Submitting his verbal and written defence, Al Hosani said in a courtroom packed with reporters: “Eventually my clients were detained after the Emirati woman claimed she saw them in an indecent, intimate situation… the claimant told the police that she saw them lip-kissing. Later she altered her statement and told prosecutors that her children saw the suspects. We pointed out to the Public Prosecution that she gave a contradicting statement. Prosecutors could not reach her to come and give a second statement because her number was disconnected. Thereafter, the prosecutor referred my clients to court.”

Al Hosani asked the Appeal’s three-judge panel to acquit his clients. He also revealed that he has defence witnesses. He also requested a lenient punishment concerning the charge of consuming liquor.

The Britons were asked to remain in court for a while until Presiding Judge Fouad agreed to extend their bail and adjourned the case until April 4 to pronounce a verdict.

Court records said the 38-year-old Emirati woman testified that she spotted the woman walking into the restaurant along with four men.

“My daughter told me that the accused were kissing on the mouth. Then I spotted them doing so myself. I also saw them touching each other, as they were seated two to three metres away from our table. A number of customers witnessed the scene as well,” stated the Emirati woman.

A forensic laboratory report showed that the defendants had 22mg/dl of alcohol in their blood.