Raymond to make fabric for Arab dress

DUBAI, Mar 1: India’s textile manufacturer Raymond is planning to make special fabric for the traditional Arab dress in a bid to boost the company’s presence in the Gulf region in the next two-three years.

Raymond Group Managing Director Gautam Singhania told Gulf News that the company was looking at consolidating its presence in the Gulf Corporation Council market (GCC) and manufacturing fabric for dishdashas, Arab’s traditional dress, was a logical decision.

"We have discussed this possibility with our partners in the region and we have the capacity at our plant to produce fabric that will suit the demands by men in this region to tailor their national dress," he said as part of his GCC tour.

Singhania said the company’s business in the Gulf region continues to grow at the rate of 15 percent and Middle East was an important region for Raymond’s international business.

"This region contributes 37 percent of our total international business," he said. He agreed the global economic recession had dented their export business but was optimistic that the continuous growth of the GCC market would compensate for dwindling demand in the West.

"The demand here is growing and fabric for dishdashas will further boost that," he said. (PTI)

Six Indian fishermen arrested by Pak

KARACHI, Mar 1: Six Indian fishermen have been arrested by Pakistani authorities for allegedly fishing illegally in the country’s territorial waters.

The fishermen were detained and their launch seized by the Pakistani Maritime Security Agency (MSA) on the night of February 27. They were handed over to police in this port city yesterday, officials said.

The fishermen are likely to be presented in court this week for obtaining their remand, the officials said.

India and Pakistan detain dozens of fishermen every year for violating maritime boundaries. Some of the arrested fishermen have languished for months and even years in jails.

In recent months, both countries have taken steps to speed up the release of arrested fishermen. (PTI)

Seoul urges North Korea to drop nuclear, missile ambitions

SEOUL, Mar 1: South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak today urged North Korea to drop its nuclear-weapon and missile ambitions and called for "unconditional" inter-Korean talks amid rising tensions.

His remarks came as the communist North was defiantly preparing to test-launch what US and South Korean officials say is a long-range ballistic missile amid deadlocked nuclear disarmament talks.

Pyongyang has also ratcheted cross-border tensions since declaring an "all-out confrontation" with Seoul, arguing over inter-Korean military borders.

"What really protects North Korea is not nuclear weapons and missiles, but cooperation with South Korea and with the international community," Lee said in a speech marking the 90th anniversary of Koreans' civil uprising against the Japanese colonial rule.

"Denuclearisation is a shortcut for North Korea to become a member of the international community and develop fast."

Lee repeated that Seoul was willing to help and talk with Pyongyang.

"The door for unconditional dialogue is still open wide now. The South and the North should talk at an early date," he added.

The North appears to have begun assembling a rocket which it claims will launch a satellite, Seoul's Yonhap news reported Friday, despite US and South Korean warnings to halt what they see as a planned missile test. (AGENCIES)_

New anthem strikes a chord in ASEAN

HUA HIN, THAILAND, Mar 1: The European Union has Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" and socialists of the world have long risen up to the strains of "The Internationale."

Now the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has its own anthem, the not quite so rousing "The ASEAN Way" written by two Thai composers.

Given its official premiere at the regional bloc's annual summit in the Thai beach resort of Hua Hin at the weekend, the hymn reaches its climax with the lyrics, "We dare to dream, we care to share. Together for ASEAN."

The song was selected by a panel of judges from the 10-member grouping including a Thai admiral and a retired major from Brunei, along with representatives from Australia, China and Japan.

In a further effort to connect with its almost 600-million-strong population, ASEAN has also recently unveiled a cartoon book in Thai called "ASEAN Discovery," the Bangkok Post reported.

Narrated by an alien named Blue, who actually appears to be purple, the cartoon is designed to explain economic cooperation under the ASEAN Free Trade Area to young readers.

The plot line of the book reportedly shows how cheap it is for Blue to buy spare parts for his space ship after crashing in the free trade zone. (AGENCIES)

I will be dead in a month, says Goody

LONDON, Mar 1: Former reality TV star Jade Goody, who is terminally ill with cancer, fears that she will die in a month.

A crying Goody snapped during an confrontation with her neighbour over a shared gate.

"Chill out, I’m gonna be dead in a month," the emotionally drained star screamed at her neighbour.

The confrontation happened as Goody was leaving her home with her husband Jack Tweed to visit a hospice after suffering hallucinations. It was her first outing since her marriage last Sunday, the Sun reported.

"As Jade slowly made her way to the car she looked in a lot of pain. This man shouted something and she went mad and started screaming at him. He and Jade share a gate that he often has to go and close after people have left her house," a witness told the newspaper.

After shouting at the neighbour Goody collapsed and started sobbing. Tweed, who was released from a jail sentence for assault, shouted back at the man.

"She was in a very frail state. She’d had a terrible night on Thursday and was being taken to St Clare Hospice in Harlow to have her pain medication altered.

"She knows it is just weeks (she has to live). No one can say when exactly. She is being very brave," her agent Max Clifford said. (PTI)

Five going jobless every passing minute this year

NEW YORK, Mar 1: With every one minute ticking on the clock, the companies from across the world are terminating an average of five positions -- taking the total job losses in the first two months of 2009 to about four lakh.

While a few are calling it simply layoffs and terminations, others have nomenclatures like right sizing, voluntary separation packages and workforce optimisation.

With the global economic downturn forcing one and all to adopt various cost-cutting measures, firms are estimated to have already cut close to 10 million jobs during 2008, but, with no immediate recovery in sight from the ongoing crisis, more steps are being taken to save every single penny.

However, as a saving grace for the employees, most of the layoffs of 2009 so far happened in January, when a whopping 80,000 job cuts were announced on a single day on January 26, and February has been relatively better.

In February, mining major Anglo American said it would reduce its workforce by 19,000 employees while Japan's Panasonic announced 15,000 jobs cuts.

Further, auto giant General Motors revealed 10,000 layoffs whereas Nortel would slash 3,200 jobs.

Finnish phone maker Nokia is looking to trim its global workforce by as many as 1,000 employees through introduction of a voluntary resignation package. (PTI)

Malaysia U-turns on ‘Allah’ ruling, says Christians can’t use

KUALA LUMPUR, Mar 1: Terming the recent relaxation on the use of the word ‘Allah’ by Christian publications a "mistake", the Malaysian Government has withdrawn the permission, saying the earlier ban remains in force.

The government had on Feb 16 issued a gazette, stating that Catholics can use the Arabic term for God in their publications as long as their front covers have the words "for Christians" written on them.

The gazette came as a total ban was in force over the use of the word by Christian publications, including the Church’s multi-ethnic newspaper, which also publishes in Tamil.

Rescinding the gazette, the Government said a total ban that was imposed last year holds.

Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar said there there was a "mistake" in enacting the gazette that resulted in confusion over the word in question, and the Government’s decision to ban the use of the word ‘Allah’ in the Catholic weekly Herald, remained in force until the court decided otherwise.

The Herald is running a court battle on the issue with the Government.

The U-turn came after Islamic groups lashed out at the Government, saying even a conditional use can anger the community.

"There is a judicial review on the matter and we leave it to the court to decide. I think there was a mistake in enacting the gazette," he said. (PTI)

Lindsay Lohan to convert to Judaism for girlfriend.........

LONDON, Mar 1: "Mean Girls" star Lindsay Lohan is reportedly converting to Judaism for the sake of her DJ girlfriend Samantha Ronson.

Lohan, who has an on and off relationship with Ronson, hopes to prove her devotion by converting to her girlfriend's religion, the Mirror reported.

The actress reportedly visited a London synagogue with her DJ girlfriend and then she returned to the same place of worship in South Kensington yesterday.

Lindsay has made her decision "official" by updating her Facebook profile, which says "I'm converting".

The couple walked into the synagogue arm-in-arm, the paper said qouting an onlooker. When asked whether the star was converting, Lohan said, "I am trying." (PTI)

Afghanistan 'a serious test' for NATO: Harper.........

OTTAWA, Mar 1: The mission in insurgency-plagued Afghanistan is "a serious test" for the future of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said.

"Afghanistan is a serious test for NATO," Harper told The Wall Street Journal.

"NATO has taken on a United Nations mission and NATO must succeed or I do think the future of NATO as we've known it is in considerable doubt."

Harper said he was encouraged by US President Barack Obama's decision to send 17,000 more troops to Afghanistan, but that he "would encourage the administration to really assess what its objectives are and to make sure they are realistic and achievable."

The 26 members of the transatlantic alliance "have to get our act together... Or NATO will not be able to undertake these kinds of missions in the future," the prime minister said in the paper's online weekend edition.

Canada's mission in Afghanistan is to end in 2011 in accordance with a parliamentary resolution, and Harper's administration has since said it would respect that timeline.

Meanwhile, Harper, from the minority Conservative party, accused Russia of "aggression" in the Arctic, after it was revealed Friday that Canadian fighter jets intercepted a Russian heavy bomber skirting Canada's Arctic frontier hours before Obama visited Ottawa on February 19. (AGENCIES)

Mideast peace, Russian ties next up for Clinton...

WASHINGTON, Mar 1: Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is using her second overseas trip to assess Mideast peace prospects, reconnect with European allies and remind her Russian counterpart that US efforts to rebuild relations with Moscow have their limits.

Clinton, who departed late Saturday, kicks off the weeklong tour by attending an international conference in Egypt. On Monday she will announce a US pledge of up to USD 900 million in humanitarian aid for rebuilding of the war-shaken Gaza Strip.

The Palestinians are seeking USD 2.8 billion. The United States does not recognise the Hamas movement that rules Gaza and will not allow aid money to flow through Hamas. Because of disagreements between the two Palestinian factions, some major Arab pledges, USD 1 billion from Saudi Arabia, USD 250 million from Qatar and USD 100 million from Algeria, have not materialized, an Arab League official said yesterday.

The pledge conference reflects in part a U.S. Effort to move quickly to influence events there, where the Islamic militants of Hamas are aligned with Iran and opposed to peace talks with Israel.

Hamas is at odds with the other Palestinian faction, Fatah, which takes a more moderate approach to Israel.

Clinton also will visit Israel to show President Barack Obama’s commitment to finding a "two-state solution" that establishes a sovereign Palestinian state at peace with Israel. (AGENCIES)

Venezuela's Chavez sends troops to rice processor...

CARACAS, Mar 1: President Hugo Chavez has ordered troops to intervene in Venezuelan rice processing businesses, saying some have balked at producing under regulated prices.

"This government is here to protect the people, not the bourgeoisie or the rich," Chavez said yesterday, ordering military authorities to "take control of and intervene in all of these businesses that process rice in Venezuela."

The measure will affect Empresas Polar, Venezuela's largest food producer, said Agriculture Minister Elias Jaua.

The occupation of installations "is the first measure we're going to take, and we're going to take it with Primor rice," he said, referring to a plant in western Portuguesa state that produces Polar's Primor-brand rice. "It is violating the laws and rules of the nation."

Guillermo Bolinaga, Polar's legal director, denied similar allegations by the nation's consumer protection agency Friday, calling the actions "illegal and arbitrary".

Jaua said Caracas-based company Corporacion Mary, which produces four types of rice under the brand name "Arroz Mary", will also be affected.

Chavez said some companies had threatened to paralyze production, but any rice processing plants that did so would be expropriated.

"I don't have any problem expropriating", he said. In the past two years, Chavez has nationalised four major oil projects and major players in the electricity, steel and cement sectors. (AGENCIES)

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