Friday, November 2, 2007

Private detectives target Morocco in search for Madeleine


MADRID (AFP) — The Spanish private detective agency hired by the parents of missing toddler Madeleine McCann believes she was abducted and taken to Morocco, its director has revealed.

The managing director of Barcelona-based Metodo 3, Francisco Marco, told daily newspaper La Vanguardia he was confident that his agency would find Madeleine, who went missing in southern Portugal, and said her parents were not involved in her disappearance.

"A blond girl like Madeleine is a symbol of social status in Morocco. That is the way it is and I can't tell you more," he said.

Marco, 35, said he had already traveled to Morocco since being hired by Kate and Gerry McCann to pursue a lead that proved to be false.

"I bought some dolls at the airport for Madeleine. Unfortunately the lead was false. But I have kept those dolls in my house and will bring them in my suitcase on the day that I find Madeleine," he said.

The agency has 40 people working on the case in Spain and Morocco and has told the girl's parents that they expect to find her within six months, he said.

Metodo 3 focuses on cases of business fraud but also locates about 300 missing people each year, he added.

Last week the agency began operating a 24-hour hotline to gather information about the missing girl from callers in Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

Madeleine vanished from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in southern Portugal on May 3, a few days before her fourth birthday, while her parents dined nearby with friends.

Kate and Gerry, who are both doctors, returned to England in the beginning of September after being named as official suspects in the case by Portuguese police. They have not been charged.

"Our technicians interviewed the McCanns for 10 hours, enough time to detect if they were deceiving us. My specialists assured me that they are not hiding anything, this is why we decided to help them," said Marco.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jwBOh4Ap1-7VbY5XlZJ9o01vjjog

Egypt to host Arab Olympic Games

2 November 2007

DUBAI — November 11 will mark the launch of the 11th Arab Olympic Games, which will be held in Egypt this year, a Press release said. This event was previously hosted by Egypt in 1965.

A Ministerial committee, consisting of 13 Ministers and headed by Prime Minister Dr. Ahmed Nazif, has been formed to oversee the event. In addition, an organising committee for the games has been formed, headed by Hassan Sakr, the head of the Egyptian National Council for Sports, and consists of a further 21 committee members.

The organisation of such tournaments aims at bringing together and uniting the Arab people as well as bringing competitive sports in Arab countries to a higher level in order to prepare and train athletes mentally and physically for global tournaments. The Arab Games is an exceptional event as it promotes the communication between the Arab youth under the umbrella of the League of Arab States, as well as providing exposure for the Arab champions. It goes without saying that sport is one of the most popular ways of bringing people closer together and resolving conflicts.

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?section=sports&xfile=data/sports/2007/November/sports_November45.xml

Israel's human comedy wins Sakura Grand Prix

The weeklong Tokyo International Film Festival closed with the top prize awarded to The Band's Visit--a heartwarming human comedy of awkward relationships between Egyptians and Israelis.

"Every time you get something big, your first thoughts are really small. You think, 'I should go this way or that way'...Only after, do you [feel], 'Ah it's really good,'" director Eran Kolirin said at a press conference, recalling his thoughts when he stood on the stage as his film was chosen for the Sakura Grand Prix at the closing ceremony.

Sasson Gabai, the lead actor in the film, said he was also surprised.

"When they announced the other winners, I said, 'Ah, not this prize, not this prize...' Gabai said. "I then thought I shouldn't expect that much and I lost hope toward the end."

An Egyptian police band led by Tewfiq (Gabai) is invited to perform at an Arab Cultural Center in Israel. Because of inadequate English proficiency, they get lost and wind up staying overnight at an Israeli home. The band's blue uniforms with peaked hats comically represent the nervousness of the Egyptians, while the Israelis' confusion over how to deal with the serious-looking Egyptians is realistically portrayed, evoking laughter.

The film, which will open in December, was jointly made by people of different ethnicities living in the region.

During the press briefing, the shy and modest Kolirin often got help from Gabai when the director was baffled by questions from reporters. When one asked the director, "Why do you think people like this film so much?" Gabai answered instead.

"I think it's the need for comfort and compassion...They [characters in the film] don't have the barriers, they don't have the citizenship, they don't have the countries behind them, the professions, their own local environment. Their situation brings them together, and once they succeed in trying, at least, to interact with each other...anybody who sees it will [have] compassionate feelings," he said.

Chinese film The Western Trunk Line, directed by Li Jixian, took home the Special Jury Prize. The Award for Best Director was given to Peter Howitt of Dangerous Parking, in which he also was the main character, Noah, a desperate alcoholic and drug addict.

The Award for Best Actor went to teenager Damian Ul in the Polish film Trick, while Shefali Shah in Gandhi My Father got the best actress prize. The Award for Best Artistic Contribution went to The Waltz, directed by Italian Salvatore Maira.

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Mideast reality

This year's Tokyo International Film Festival presented a greater variety of Middle Eastern films, thanks to the expansion of the selections with the "Winds of Asia--Middle East" division. Crossing the Dust, by Iraqi Kurdish director Shawkat Amin Korki, is one such movie that vividly depicts the lives of Arabs and Kurds after the collapse of the regime of Saddam Hussein.

"I wanted viewers to think about how people should live their lives," the director said during his visit to Tokyo for the festival. "Long-lasting conflicts and wars tend to take humanity away, but I wanted to convey the idea that people are human beings after all."

Two Kurdish soldiers find a lost Arab boy named Saddam while they are transporting food, and try to locate his parents. The film realistically depicts the situation in the region, including how U.S. soldiers look to ordinary people from a Kurdish point of view, allowing us to see something we can't see from media coverage.

(Nov. 2, 2007)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/arts/20071102TDY14003.htm