23rd Nov 2016

CR IP TI ON BS SU

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016

Constitutional court throws out petition against election

UK to Trump: ‘No vacancy’ for Farage as ambassador

SAFAR 23, 1438 AH

Kanye hospitalized after scrapping US tour

www.kuwaittimes.net

Klinsmann fired as US football coach

40 PAGES

NO: 17059

150 FILS

13Unruffled 10 Ghanem 37 hits18 back at critics, lists achievements Ex-speaker charges he is being targeted by a gang

Max 27º Min 11º High Tide 05:44 & 20:03 Low Tide 00:33 & 13:10

KAC responds KUWAIT: Further to an opinion piece appearing in Kuwait Times (Nov 22, 2016) requesting a response from Kuwait Airways, the national airline of Kuwait is pleased to further clarify and add to its widely-circulated statement on Friday, Nov 18 that discussions relating to voluntary retirements and job reassignments, taken by former employees of the airline, have been successfully concluded.

In direct response to the column’s reported number of 37 pilots, who earlier this year resigned in order to take up alternative jobs in government departments, Kuwait Airways has stated on several occasions that all discussions over the pilots rejoining the airline have been conducted with the full cooperation of the government and within the framework of the law.

It should be clear that the pilots in question were not singled out for reassignment, but as per the law, Kuwait Airways must regularly offer voluntary schemes giving employees three options: To stay with the airline, to be transferred to a government job, or to take a “golden handshake” retirement package. All the pilots in the recent negotiations had voluntarily chosen to join a government role, before then looking to rejoin the airline.

Kuwait Airways’ statement published on Nov 18 detailed the agreement and the resolution reached between the government, represented by Minister Continued on Page 13

KUWAIT: (Left) Former parliament speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem speaks during a campaign rally in Abdullah Al-Salem yesterday. (Right) Kuwait Times Deputy Editor-in-Chief Dr Ziad Al-Alyan (right) is seen with colleagues at the rally. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: Speaker of the dissolved National Assembly Marzouq Al-Ghanem, under fire by leading opposition figures, yesterday hit back in a composed but fiery speech, charging he is being targeted by a “gang plotting to capture the government”. Ghanem, a member of one of Kuwait’s top business families, was elected speaker of the 2013 Assembly, which

was dissolved by HH the Amir last month after a dispute with the government over hiking petrol prices.

A large number of opposition candidates and their supporters have made Ghanem their top election target, as many candidates said they will not vote for him for the speakership of the next Assembly, which will be elected on Nov 26. But Ghanem’s response was equally devastating. At a lengthy election rally

speech that lasted for well over two hours, Ghanem displayed official documents showing his opponents conspiring against him and even against the country. He did not name anyone, but made a very explicit reference to two leading members of the ruling family, with whom he has been at loggerheads for a very long time.

“I am facing on your behalf and on behalf of the Kuwaiti people the head of

the snake and his partner ... I am confronting the thief of the oil tanker company” during the Iraqi invasion in 1990-91, he said. Ghanem charged that his opponents have been hatching conspiracies through social networks and faking videos in “operation rooms” to discredit their opponents. “These people have no fear of Allah. They have no values,” Ghanem charged.

Continued on Page 6

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016

LOCAL

Sheikh Mohammad Al-Sabah opens Global Informatics Forum 2016 KUWAIT: Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs and Acting Minister of Justice Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Sabah Monday highlighted importance of the Global Informatics Forum 2016 in developing knowledge-based economy.

In his inaugural speech to the forum, Sheikh Mohammad said the annual event, being held under the patronage of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, plays a growing role in inspiring innovation and upgrading the digital environment. The three-day event, themed “Digital Transformation toward Knowledge Economy,” is organized by His Highness Sheikh Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah’s Informatics Award at Arraya Hotel.

MALABO: His highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and his accompanying delegation arrived in Equatorial Guinea yesterday to lead Kuwait’s delegation to the 4th Africa-Arab Summit due in Malabo. His Highness the Amir was welcomed at the airport by Equatorial Guinea’s President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, and other officials. — KUNA

NATO keen on enhancing ties with Kuwait: Official DOHA: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is keen on enhancing ties with Kuwait, particularly after the GCC member country hosted NATO-Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI) Regional Centre, an official affirmed Monday.

NATO is well-aware of the major cooperation significance with Kuwait, and it is keen on enhancing and boosting it at all levels, Nicola de Santis, Head of NATO’s Middle East and North Africa Section, saidon the sidelines of the third meeting of the Consultative Group for the ICI. Since signing the NATO-ICI initiative last February, which also includes the membership of UAE, Bahrain, and Qatar, the state of Kuwait, as a member, has been the most effective toward the initiative, especially in practical cooperation and political dialogue areas, de Santis said.

The NATO-ICI Regional Centre will contribute to strengthening ties with GCC member-countries, and facilitate reaching to other non-member countries that showed interest in joining the initiative such as Saudi Arabia and Oman, he noted. The NATO official also mentioned that the Centre would also boost cooperation with GCC SecretariatGeneral as part of its mission in enhancing cooperation with regional and international organizations. Meanwhile, the third meeting

of the consultative group for ICI concluded in the Qatari capital after crystalizing a set of security ideas, visions, and proposals. The threats to global security and stability have become common among all members of the international community, Secretary-General of Qatari Foreign Ministry Dr Ahmad AlHammadi said in his speech, adding that this development requires a joint and comprehensive effort to face these threats, in addition to the importance of exchanging expertise and information on regional and international levels.

In the meantime, Qatar’s Ambassador to Belgium Sheikh Ali bin Jassem Al-Thani stressed the importance of exerting joint efforts in order to face the security threats and dangers targeting the international community, noting that the NATO-ICI Initiative had a clear role in strengthening ties with NATO, and impact on securing stability and security in the region.

Kuwait’s delegation to the meeting is headed by the country’s Ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg and head of its missions to NATO and the European Union (EU) Jassem Al-Bedaiwi. The delegation also includes head of the Kuwaiti National Security Apparatus’ security information and follow-up department Sheikh Fawaz Mishaal Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah.— KUNA

Sustainable development “The forum falls in the framework of the vision of His Highness the Amir and the government of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber AlMubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah for knowledge-based economy and sustainable development,” Sheikh Mohammad said.

“It aims to keep abreast with the rapid transformations in the information and communications technology (ICT) and the shifting from conventional into the unconventional economy,” the minister said, noting that the knowledge economy has become a field of fierce competition among businesses, whether public or private.

“The Forum, which brought together a large number of local and global entrepreneurs, CEOs, scholars and researchers in the various areas of informatics, highlights the importance attached by the Kuwait government to the promotion of knowledge economy,” he added.

Meanwhile, Dr Hussein Yusri, head of the organizing committee, said the Forum provides an opportunity for young entrepreneurs as well as leading investors to network and brainstorm ideas in the field of digital innovation.

The Forum aims establish mutually-beneficial cooperation among the various establishments

A general view of officials in attendance. and individuals on a national and international levels with a view to creating an innovative environment that could turn Kuwait into an attractive center in digital innovation, Yusri added.

The agenda of the Forum includes 17 technical training workshops where participants will share experience and present their latest achievements in an interactive way. Discussions focus on such innovations as the three-dimension printer, visual realty, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, robotics, cloud computing, financial techniques and the e-government applications.

400 students More than 400 male and female students have attended workshops and seminars that have been held under the umbrella of the forum, General Manager of Public Authority for Youth Abdurahma Al-Mutairi said yesterday.

The forum aims at creating an interactive digi-

KUWAIT: Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Sabah receives a memento from President of the Secretariat council of the Sheikh Salem AlAli Informatics Award Sheikha Aidah Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah.

tal environment that encourages young people to exchange their knowledge and experiences in various fields of technologies and marketing.

Creating such environment empowers the youth with the knowledge they needed on how to become great leaders, entrepreneurs and businesspersons, he pointed out. In this forum, every participant is allowed to choose three workshops to their liking via the official website of the Ministry of State for Youth Affairs, he said.

These workshops are to focus on topics such as: three-dimension printer, visual realty, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, robotics, cloud computing, financial techniques and the e-government applications. This year’s event is distinctive for featuring the ‘Market of Ideas’ exhibition which will showcase the digital innovations by local, Arab and international establishments, notably the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). —KUNA

Dr Hussein Yusri, head of the organizing committee speaks during the event.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016

LOCAL Candidates Speak

Kandari targets housing, employment, health and education as top priorities ‘My Homeland will Always be Beautiful’

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: Former MP Abdulkareem AlKandari is running in the Assembly elections from the third constituency for the second time. When he succeeded in the 2013 elections, he was the youngest member of parliament. His campaign is titled ‘My Homeland will Always be Beautiful’. Kandari was born in 1981 and graduated from the Faculty of Law at Kuwait University in 2003. He received his master’s degree from Strasbourg University in 2006 in Commercial Law, and a PhD in Business and Companies Law in 2011 from the same university.

He teaches at Kuwait University and is a licensed arbitrator at the Bar Association.

He was a member of various committees in the previous parliament.

“Housing, employment, health and education are priorities. All MPs are obliged to work on resolving these issues, whether with suggestions and

solutions, or by executing the projects that were prepared by the government.

In fact, we have a deficiency in executing and applying laws,” he told Kuwait Times.

Main issues Kandari is focusing on four issues: Reviewing the laws of the previous parliament: “These laws suffer from various problems - either there are legislative shortcomings, they have no clear goal, or are against the benefit of citizens. An example is the review of custodial detention, as the previous parliament prolonged the period up to 21 days, and we see this as a violation of freedoms. Also, the electronic media law censors and controls media and does not organize it,” said Kandari.

Fight against economic reforms: “We are not against economic reforms, but this must start from the government and not individuals, as people should be the last component in these reform plans.

The government should be a model for reforms and should stop wasting public funds and adjust spending, including canceling billions in grants,” he added.

Issuing a law that bans the government from cutting salaries, allowances and subsidies: “We want to stop the government from decreasing or cutting any of these unless they get the approval of the parliament. The government doesn’t consider allowances and subsidies as part of the salary, so they consider decreasing or cutting them, and we should ban the government from doing so,” Kandari pointed out.

Changing the election system: “I want to change the ‘one-vote’ election system.

Although I succeeded during previous elections through this system, I intend to work on changing it, as it is supporting sectarianism and factionalism. I will work together with other MPs to change it to a more suitable system for all. If we don’t find a better alternative, we should go

back to the previous four-vote system,” explained Kandari.

Not resolved “I will also work on the issues that were not resolved or were neglected during the previous parliament, such as activating the criminalization of the conflict of interest law. I will also propose criminalizing bribery in the private sector, as it is only sanctioned in the public sector,” he noted. “I want to scrap the local agency system in Kuwait. The law that was issued earlier this year only organizes the agency, but I aim to cancel it completely, so the parent company can invest directly in Kuwait. This will encourage foreign investors to invest in the country. We also want to activate the companies law that should simplify the paperwork of doing business through the one-window system,” Kandari added.

“Today, Kuwait is repelling foreign investments, while at the same time we

KUWAIT: Third constituency candidate Abdulkareem Al-Kandari speaks to Kuwait Times.

—Photo by Joseph Shagra aim to turn Kuwait into a financial center, as HH the Amir said. Young Kuwaitis are investing abroad, whether in the GCC region or elsewhere, as the local environment is not encouraging,” he concluded.

Kuwaiti women judges to oversee polls for first time KUWAIT: For the first time in the country’s history, Kuwaiti women will be among judicial authorities overseeing a national election in Kuwait. Since 2015, 22 Kuwaiti women have won positions as prosecutors and some of these will be heading and supervising election committees for the 2016 parliamentary polls this coming Saturday.

The participation of female prosecutors in the electoral process is a law-based notion rather than its relation to gender, said Dr Mohammad Al-Faili, professor of constitutional law at Kuwait University (KU), said yesterday.

Professor of Political Sciences at KU Dr Hassan Jawhar said that having women prosecutors is the “sound implementation of the law, which clearly authorizes the public prosecution; as a neutral party, to supervise elections.” Jawhar told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that the law did not specify the gender of who is to supervise

the electoral process. “The Judicial Higher Council’s decision to assign women in public prosecution might have come out of Kuwait’s international commitments, but empowering women is a sheer Kuwaiti decision,” he said.

Women in Kuwait did not gain the right to vote until May 2005 but only and women voted for the first time in the June 2006 parliamentary polls. It wasn’t until three years later in the 2009 elections that four women broke the glass barrier and finally won seats in parliament.

Kuwaiti women continue to face discrimination in law and society. They are not allowed to pass their nationality to their children nor do they receive equal housing or other benefits as their male counterparts.

In the Kuwait penal code, Article 153 allows any man who kills his female relation for ‘engaging in illicit sexual acts’ will be punished with a misdemeanor charge of up to three years in jail or a 3,000 rupee fine.

National Assembly: An integral part of development KUWAIT: With legislative and inspective powers, the National Assembly has been an inextricable part of the country’s sustained development plans, contributing to economic, social and environmental affairs as part of a vision of broad reforms.

On the legislative front, the National Assembly works to bring all development plans to fruition by eliminating any impediments to these projects, particularly, providing a budget allocated to finance such lofty endeavors that aim to transform Kuwait into a global financial and economic hub.

The National Assembly’s contributions to national development was most notable when it provided legislative support to a development plan forged in 2009, pressing the government to expedite the completion of all projects included in that plan, former Minister of Commerce and Industry Dr Amani Bouresli said.

Moreover, she noted that without crucial legislative support, it would be difficult for the country to attain sustained development, adding that less developed nations are usually mired in political and economic upheaval, which explains their lack of growth.

On the status quo, Bouresli underscored that the national economy is a

crucial juncture where genuine economic reforms are needed, as she pointed out that the nation’s revenue pool should be diversified due to plummeting oil prices.

Meanwhile, former Director General of the Central Administration of Statistics Dr Abdullah Sahar said that the National Assembly, through legislative and inspective efforts, is an integral component of the country’s development process, adding that it also oversees progress made on projects launched by the government.

On the National Assembly’s contributions, Sahar said it presses the government to hasten the completion of stalled development projects, urging all bodies involved to collaborate in efforts to achieve sustained development.

Furthermore, on the private sector’s contributions towards national development, he noted that it promotes a spirit of competitiveness through increased efficiency, adding that the private sector also works to enhance the capabilities of the national workforce, while providing an environment conducive to growth and development. Sahar also highlighted that development encompasses various dimensions, which include demographics, job opportunities, education, healthcare and other factors. — KUNA

Ministry of Public Works celebrates opening of Jahra Road mainline today KUWAIT: The Project Engineer of the Jahra Road Development, Yasser Boudastour stated that the elevated mainline viaduct of the Jahra Road Development Project is set to open in its entirety today morning.

Marking this important milestone, an opening ceremony will be held under the patronage of the Minister of Electricity and Water, Minister of Public Works and Acting Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, Engineer Ahmed Khaled Al-Jassar.

Jassar is scheduled to visit the newly opened section of the road, which extends from the UN Roundabout until Kaifan and Residential Shuwaikh areas. This will be followed by a special ceremony on the occasion at the JW Marriott Hotel, with the attendance of representatives of the Ministry of Public Works, along with His Excellency the Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Mr. Yasser Abdel Qader, and a group of senior officials in the government and private agencies that have contributed to the success of the project.

Boudastour noted in his statement, that this latest opening is the fourth one to take place in the project, and is the most important one to date. With this newly opened section, which stretches for 5km, the nearly 8 km Jahra Road mainline will now be

almost fully open to the public.

As of today noon, road users heading towards Kuwait City from Jahra can now use the bridge, from its point at Al- Andalus and Granada areas (before the UN roundabout) all the way to Kaifan (in front of Kuwait Sporting Club). Drivers can also use the recently opened exit ramp located in front of the Ali Al-Sabah Military Academy.

As for drivers heading in the opposite direction towards Jahra, the westbound will be opened Friday evening November 25th 2016. Users can get onto the mainline from its escalating point in front of the KUNA building, and get off right after the UN roundabout. The additional exit ramps are available in front of the Ministry of Education (before the Mohammed Bin Qassem intersection) and in front of the Social Care Centers (right before the UN roundabout).

Jahra Road Development Project The Jahra Road Development Project is one of the landmark projects in the Ministry of Public Works’ strategic plan to develop the road network in Kuwait. The project is located in the western region of Kuwait, and extends from the Jahra Gate all the way to the United Nations Roundabout in Granada.

KUWAIT: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Mohammad Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah chairs a high-level security meeting yesterday. — Interior Ministry photo

Interior Ministry assures seamless election process KUWAIT: All procedures will be in place to ensure that the election process will proceed smoothly and flawlessly, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Mohammad Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah said yesterday. Those remarks were included in a statement issued by the Ministry of Interior (MoI) after Sheikh Mohammad Al-Khaled presided over a broad security meeting, attended by the MoI’s Undersecretary Lieutenant General Suleiman Al-

Fahad and several of his assistants.

Moreover, the statement noted that Sheikh Mohammad Al-Khaled underscored the need to have this security plan germane to elections slated for November 26, come to fruition.

Addressing security forces, he said that they “should work closely” with the electorate, including the elderly and those with disabilities, to allow them the liberty to practice their democratic rights. The Minister of Interior also high-

lighted the need to have a foolproof plan, adding that the MoI “will not compromise” as “volatile regional conditions call for increased alert.”

He also noted that he is “confident in the capabilities of security forces” to carry out their mission of ensuring that the election process will go off without a hitch. Meanwhile, the MoI’s Undersecretary explained the intricacies of this security plan, noting that the full force of law will be in effect and no one would be exempt. — KUNA

Renewable energy station linked to state’s power grid

By Meshaal Al-Enezi and A Saleh KUWAIT: Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research witnessed the linking of the solar and wind power station in Shaqaya in cooperation with the Ministry of Electricity and Water during a celebration organized by KISR under the patronage of its Director General Sameera Ahmad AlSayed Omar and Minister Ahmad Al-Jassar. This is the first actual step in seeking the fulfillment of His Highness the Amir’s instructions to use renewable energy for 15 percent of the state’s need of energy by 2030. Executive Director of the Energy and Construction Research Center Saleem Al-Hajraf said this move is one of several taken this year towards implementing the Shaqaya initiative for renewable energy. He said the institute began by preparing strategic, economic, technical and environmental studies for renewable energy techniques in the country.

Social aid Social Affairs and Labor Minister and State Minister for Planning and Development Hind AlSubaih sent the social aid case at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (MSAL) to the general prosecutor and asked that legal procedures be taken with regards to investigating suspicious criminal behaviors related to the aid. The letter said when the aid files were being reexamined, administrative violations were discovered.

When they were referred for administrative investigations, some employees of the family care department, who were supposed to recover amounts paid unjustifiably, were found guilty of laxity and negligence. The referral letter mentioned that investigations at the ministry ended by punishing some employees of the family care department, as the violations constitute a penal crime according to article 14 of the public funds protection law 1/1993.

LNG project Work has star ted at Kuwait Integrated Petrochemical Industries Company (KIPIC) to finance the liquefied natural gas (LNG) project. The procedures started with the appointment of an advisor, who needs 18 months to help in framing the financing of the project.

The company said the Al-Zour refinery will be self-financing, and administrative actions are proceeding parallel to technical and organizational work.

Not enough The Public Authority for Applied Education

and Training (PAAET) wrote to the finance ministry with regards to the 2016-2017 budget over supervision, teaching rewards and allocating KD 17 million. The letter said PAAET is one of the bodies that contributes to graduating thousands of specialists in all fields, and receives more and more intermediate and secondary graduates every year, which warrants the opening of new classes to ensure students graduate according to schedule. It said the proposed amount for 20162017 (KD 17,018,000) is a reduction in PAAET’s

budget, and more should be allocated to resolve problems, particularly with the continued increase of student numbers.

Allowance Secretar y General of the Ministr y of Electricity and Water ’s labor union Nawaf Buyabes said special allowances for staff who spent long times in front their computer monitors were deposited in their accounts, and it will be paid with December’s salary retroactively.

AUB concludes successful blood donation campaign KUWAIT: Ahli United Bank recently concluded a successful blood donation campaign in a humanitarian initiative that supports solidarity with the community and in a giving spirit to society. The campaign was launched from the bank’s Head Office on November 20, 2016 to the benefit of the blood bank. This was to help increase their reserves and to enable the Blood Bank to perform its effective role in providing essential support for patients and those injured in need of a blood transfusion.

It is worth mentioning that Ahli United Bank organized this blood donation campaign as part of its social responsibility program and to encourage employees in their humanitarian giving whilst increas-

ing awareness of the significance of this initiative.

On this occasion, the Bank issued a press release and said: “We are proud of this valuable humanitarian initiative as blood donation is considered an essential contribution in all societies.” It added: “Simply, a Blood donation may help save the recipient’s life.”

Ahli United Bank commended the excellent turnout from its employees to donate blood without whose positive involvement the campaign could not have been a success. Ahli United Bank emphasized that it is always keen to play an effective role in society and for its employees to be good role models for giving to the community.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016

LOCAL

Premier opens new bowling club building

KUWAIT: His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah is seen on the sidelines of the signing ceremony. — KUNA

KUWAIT: His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak AlHamad Al-Sabah the Kuwaiti sportspeople, thanks to their perseverance, were able to make outstanding achievements.

“At the behest of His Highness the Amir the government continues to offer limitless support to the sportspeople in order to help them hoist Kuwait’s flag high at international sports events,” he said.

The Prime Minister made the press remarks at the inauguration ceremony of the new premises of Kuwait Bowling Sporting Club Monday held under his auspices. The event gathered Minister of Information and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Salem AlHumoud Al-Sabah, a number of ministers, and senior officials of His Highness the Prime Minister’s Diwan, the Ministry of State for Youth Affairs, the Public Authority for Youth and the Public Authority for Sport.

“The inauguration of the new building of the club falls in the framework of the government support for sports activities,” Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak said, noting that the building adds to the list of sporting edifices opened in Kuwait in the recent years. He promised that the government will continue supporting Kuwaiti youth and meet their aspirations in the coming years, commending the role of the Public Authority for Sport (PAS) in promoting the sports movement in Kuwait.

Meanwhile, PAS Director-General Sheikh Ahmad Mansour Al-Sabah said the-state-of-the-art sports facilities will give a quantum leap forward to the sports movement in the country. “PAS is keen on implementing the sports projects in keeping with the world’s latest standards with a view to fostering the talents of the young generation,” he said. “The executive board of PAS is working on a number of key projects, notably the Sheikh Saad AlAbdullah indoor complex which will be a model venue for basketball and volleyball games,” he said. Sheikh Ahmad thanked the political leadership for supporting PAS and the premier for attending the inauguration of the bowling club.

Sheikh Talal Al-Mohammad AlSabah, president of the Asian Bowling Federation (ABF) and Kuwait Bowling Federation (KBF), said the new building of the club will encourage the Club’s members to make new achievements in the coming period. “The Club will host the world bowling championship, which will be held for the first time in the Middle East, in 2017, and the Asian championship the following year,” Sheikh Talal pointed out. After the ceremony, the premier and his entourage toured the facilities and was briefed on the services it will offer to bowlers and the preparations for the coming sports events. — KUNA

Fourth structural plan turns Kuwait into commercial, financial hub: PM Plan provides roadmap for development projects KUWAIT: His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah stressed that Kuwait’s fourth structural plan would further transform the nation into a commercial and financial hub. Patronizing and attending a ceremony to sign the plan, His Highness the Prime Minister expressed his appreciation to the efforts exerted in preparing this new strategy.

His Highness the Prime Minister also praised officials in charge of the fourth structural plan, saying that they took into consideration the current population growth in Kuwait which in return required more projects focusing on economic and financial development.

The plan will contribute to the vision set by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad

Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on transforming the country into a regional and an international commercial and financial hub, said the Prime Minister.

Noble goal Meanwhile, Kuwait Municipality’s Director General Ahmad Al-Manfohi reiterated commitment on achieving the Amiri noble goal of turning the country into a global financial and commercial hub. He made the statement during the signing ceremony of the contract for the Fourth Structural Plan 2040, with the international leading consultancy office of Perkins and Will Global, jointly with the Dar Al-Handasah for design and consultancy.

The Municipality has embarked on steps, in

Kuwait Municipality’s Director General Ahmad Al-Manfohi (left) signs the agreement.

cooperation with the Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority (KDIPA), for identifying the financial areas in the country where foreign firms will be allowed to operate with no local agents, and permitted to own these areas with tax and customs exemptions, Manfohi said.

He added that there are other government bodies involved in the process, like the Ministries of Commerce and Industry, and Finance, offering administrative facilities to the foreign firms in these areas.

According to Manfohi, the Municipality has submitted a report to the Higher Committee for the Structural Plan and Great Construction Projects on the irregularities of the Third Plan, and how to avoid them in the new one. He boasted the fact that the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretariat had entrusted the Municipality with designing the bloc’s unified structural plan, focusing on the border areas of the member states.

Urban constitution Head of structural planning at the Kuwait Municipality, Saad Al-Muhilbi referred to the Fourth Structural Plan 2040 as the country’s “urban constitution and roadmap for development projects.” Kuwait has been among the first countries of the region that adopted structural plans, which made it free of slums. In the meantime, Perkins and Will Global representative David Green stressed the importance of the Fourth Plan that will turn Kuwait into an innovation center. He added that the development plan set by the Kuwaiti Government that reflects the state’s clear vision for the future. — KUNA

KUWAIT: His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah poses for a group photo with officials during the opening of the new bowling club. — KUNA

Kuwaiti-Bangladeshi military ties distinctive: Senior officer KUWAIT: The military cooperation between Kuwait and Bangladesh is very distinctive, particularly in fields of training courses, a senior Kuwaiti army officer said Monday.

The bilateral military ties date back to 1990 when the Bangladeshi forces took part in the war to liberate Kuwait from the Iraqi invasion, Brigadier Ghazi Al-Shammari, Assistant Commandant of Signal Corps in the Kuwaiti Army, told reporters.

Shammari made his remarks during a reception held at the Bangladeshi Embassy to mark Bangladesh Armed Forces’ 45th anniversary. The Bangladeshi forces’ efforts during the post-Gulf War period in 1991 were so memorable, especially their effective participation in inspecting and clearing the landmines that the Iraqi army planted inside Kuwait during their invasion, he noted.

He also valued the Bangladeshi army’s great sacrifices during the demining process, in which 270 soldiers lost their lives and 56 others were wounded, reiterating the Kuwaiti army’s constant readiness to preserve security and safety in the Kuwait and the region.

Meanwhile, Brigadier Mohammad Nasim Al-Ghani, Military Attache at the Bangladeshi Embassy, commended the deep cooperation and coordination between his country’s armed forces and the Kuwaiti army since the liberation of Kuwait. Currently, there are around 147,000 Bangladeshi soldiers in 40 countries working to spread peace around the world, Ghani said, expressing his pride in his countrymen for being ‘peace promoters’. — KUNA

Kuwait, Sao Tome and Principe sign agreement KFAED offers Gambia $17 million loan

MALABO: Kuwait yesterday signed an agreement with the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe over a project to finance a hospital in the African archipelago. The agreement worth KD 5 million ($17 million) was signed by Kuwait’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled AlHamad Al-Sabah and Sao Tome and Principe’s Minister of Economy and Finance Americo d’Oliveira dos Ramos. Moreover, both officials

Saleh Al-Loughani, Kuwait’s Amabassador to Equatorial Guinea Assad Al-Bahar, Kuwait’s Ambassador to Ethiopia Rashid Faleh and other foreign ministry officials.

Basic education Meanwhile, the Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) has signed a loan agreement worth KD 5 million ($17 million) with Gambia to finance a project for supporting

MALABO: Kuwait’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and Minister of Economy and Finance of Sao Tome and Principe Americo d’Oliveira dos Ramos sign the agreement. — KUNA discussed bilateral ties in addition to issues of mutual concern.

The meeting was attended by Kuwait ’s Deputy Premier, Minister of Finance and Acting Minister of Oil Anas Al-Saleh, Deputy Foreign Minister Ambassador Khaled Al-Jarallah, Deputy Assistant Foreign Minister Ambassador

basic education and secondary schools in the West African republic, KFAED said yesterday. The agreement was signed by Sabah Al-Khaled, on behalf of the fund, and Gambia’s Minister of Finance and Economy Abdou Kolley, KFAED added in a statement. This is the 13th loan the KFAED offers to Gambia.

The project aims to support social and economic development in Gambia, as part of the efforts to back the government’s strategic plan for the education sector (2016-2030), through expanding and developing 39 schools in six education directorates.

KFAED said the project would contribute to improving the output of education in the republic, and would also enhance the sustainable social and economic development. The fund fully depends on its own resources for the loans and aid it offers, it stressed. The previous 12 loans, totaling about KD 40 million, benefited various sectors in the country, besides technical assistance worth KD 869,000.

Meetings Sheik h Sabah Al-Khaled also met with Eritrean Foreign M inister O thman Saleh Mohamed and Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs Riayd Al-Maliki in Malabo. The meetings were held on the sidelines of the Africa-Arab Summit currently hosted by the Republic of Equatorial Guinea. They mainly discussed ways of promoting relations between both friendly nations in all fields, together with issues and topics of mutual interest.

The meetings were attended by Deputy Prime Minister, Finance Minister and Acting Oil Minister Anas Al-Saleh, and Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Suleiman Al-Jarallah as well as Director-General of Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development Abdulwahab Al-Bader.

Also in attendance were CEO of Kuwait Public Authority for Investment Bader Mohammad Al-Saad, Acting Assistant Foreign Minister for Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled’s Office Affairs Ambassador Saleh Al-Loughani, Kuwait’s Ambassador to Gabon and Non-Resident Ambassador to Equatorial Guinea Asaad AlBaher, Kuwait’s Ambassador to Ethiopia Rashed Al-Hajri and Acting Assistant Foreign Minister for Africa Hamad Al-Mashaan. — KUNA

KUWAIT: Brigadier Ghazi Al-Shammari, Brigadier Mohammad Nasim Al-Ghani and other officials cut the ceremony’s cake. — Photos by Joseph Shagra

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016

LOCAL

Maha Al-Ghunaim delivers her speech.

Group photo of the participants.

Alghanim Industries holds negotiation workshop for high-potential working women With sponsorships from Gulf Bank and KIPCO KUWAIT: The ‘ Women in the Corporate World Series’, a series of conferences and workshops designed to offer women developmental opportunities that support their career aspirations, was launched this Monday at the Chairman’s Club, in KIPCO Tower. Organized by Alghanim Industries, and sponsored by Gulf Bank and Kuwait Project Company (Holding) - KIPCO, the event was attended by executives from the participating companies and over 40 high-potential working women.

The day included an impactful workshop entitled ‘Negotiating with Executive Presence’ led by Harvard Business School Professor Brian J Hall, who engaged the participants in topics such as effective negotiation practices and essential skills to enhance executive presence. Professor Hall is Head of the Negotiation, Organization and Markets Unit at HBS and currently serves as an advisor to Alghanim Industries.

Studies have shown that women have extremely effective communication skills, and they tend to excel at negotiation when it pertains to their company and coworkers. Women’s negotiation abilities, however, are not nearly as effective when it comes to negotiating on their own behalf. In 2015, New York City-based company, Levo, surveyed over 10,000 women on negotiation and found that “when

(From left) Brain Hall, Salma Al-Hajjaj, and George Lambros. starting a job at a new company, 83 percent of women agreed that it is important to negotiate their salary, but 63 percent felt uncomfortable negotiating anything.” This is one of the main factors that leads to inequality in pay and upward career mobility.

The opening event featured speeches from inspirational business leaders such as Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Global Investment House, Maha Al-Ghunaim and Chief Human Resources Officer at Alghanim Industries, George Lambros.

Commenting on the event, George Lambros said, “Alghanim Industries is pleased to be sponsoring this series, and in particular, we’re excited about

today’s inaugural negotiation workshop. Negotiating skills are critical to success in so many facets of the corporate world, and it’s wonderful to have Professor Hall here today to conduct this workshop for these very talented career-minded women.

Alghanim Industries is committed to supporting initiatives that help working women succeed in the corporate world, and we look forward to organizing future events in the series.”

Women empowerment General Manager for Human Resources at Gulf Bank, Salma AlHajjaj said, “Empowering women and achieving gender parity require inten-

Kuwait Ambassador to Lebanon welcomes Zain volunteers in Beirut Humanitarian trip in partnership with KRCS KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Ambassador to the Lebanese Republic, Abdelaal Al-Qenaei, welcomed Zain’s volunteers team and Kuwait Red Crescent Society’s (KRCS) officials in the headquarters of the Kuwaiti Embassy in Beirut. The meeting came as part of the humanitarian visit Zain’s volunteers participated in to aid Syrian refugees and displaced families in Northern and Southern Lebanon as well as Beqaa Governorate. The visit came as part of Zain’s ongoing humanitarian strategic partnership with KRCS. The meeting witnessed the attendance of Deputy chief of mission Mohammed Al Weqayan and Head of KRCS delegation to Lebanon Dr Mesaed Al Enzi.

Ambassador Abdelaal Al Qenaei recognized Zain’s efforts as one of the first Kuwaiti private sector organizations that participated in such an initiative of this scale, and described it as a pride to the Kuwaiti people.

Humanitarian projects Meanwhile, Zain expressed its sincere gratitude and appreciation of the efforts exerted by the Kuwaiti Embassy in Lebanon, the Kuwait Red Crescent Society, the Lebanese Red Cross, and the Qatar Red Crescent Society. These efforts were key in facilitating the movement of Zain’s volunteers to refugee camps and humanitarian projects in Northern and Southern Lebanon as well as Beqaa Governorate.

Zain’s team, consisting of employees who volunteered for this trip, traveled to Lebanon with an official KRCS delegation, through which they visited multiple KRCSsupported destinations to offer aid and support. The trip included a visit to the Lebanese Bakeries project where over 50 million bread loafs has been distributed to displaced families since the start of the crisis. The team also visited Dar Al-Zahra Hospital, which specializes in prosthetic parts where aid is provided to injured individuals.

The trip also included a visit to Orange Nassau, a governmental hospital that specializes in Dialysis and offers treatment to refugees and displaced families on a daily basis. Additionally, the trip included a field visit to several camps where winter clothes and essentials were distributed to refugees and an entertainment event was held for children and families.

Zain’s volunteers also visited a water plant and distributed water to the families, and visited the thermal insulation project were they helped installing thermal insulators on tents in the refugee camps. The team also distributed aid relief kits on five different camps.

tional and deliberate policies. At Gulf Bank, we are committed to these strategic goals and are focused on nurturing our next generation of leaders. Over the last several years, we have been investing in increasing the number of women we have in middle and upper management. As a result, we have seen a definite increase in the number of female employees taking on leadership positions in the Bank. Following on the successful joint conference last May, this Women in the Corporate World Series provides an opportunity to help women build skills necessary for their careers.”

Group Communications Director at KIPCO, Eman Al-Awadhi said, “We are delighted to continue to work alongside Alghanim Industries and Gulf Bank to help women in the corporate world successfully reach leadership positions. The ripple effect of mentorship includes taking on more responsibilities at work, making new con-

tacts that can generate new business, and increasing self-confidence. We hope that the ‘ Women in the Corporate World Series’ will serve to support aspiring women as they climb the ladder.”

Positive effects Ghunaim also reflected on this effort, adding that “I appreciate the initiative by Alghanim Industries and the team’s efforts to educate, empower and motivate women and the positive effects this initiative will have on the corporate world. The subject of empowering women is very close to my heart and is a major title in our social responsibility strategy.”

Women from over ten companies including PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Ooredoo Kuwait and Ernst & Young came together for this constructive three -hour workshop.

Professor Hall kept participants engaged by mixing his lecture with

integrated case studies and interactive negotiation assignments.

The day was extremely beneficial and culminated with a certification ceremony for participants. The participants left the workshop with new negotiation tools they could put into immediate practice at their respective work environments.

This event builds on the successful conference held this past May, entitled “Women in the Corporate World: Breaking the Glass Ceiling”. Hosted by Alghanim Industries and Gulf Bank, supported by KIPCO, the widely attended conference focused on addressing the challenges women face in the corporate workplace. These events are part of Alghanim Industries’ sustained efforts to highlight the significance and benefits of gender diversity in the corporate world, and to support career-oriented women in order for them to reach their full potential in the workplace.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016

LOCAL

KUWAIT: People attend a campaign rally of candidate and former parliament speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem in Abdullah Al-Salem yesterday. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Unruffled Ghanem hits back at critics, lists achievements Continued from Page 1 The former speaker said he will not back down regardless of the strength of his enemies. He also alleged state security was spying on his phone.

The opposition and its supporters accuse Ghanem of leading a rubber-

stamp Assembly that completely surrendered to the government and issued highly unpopular legislations and decisions like reducing subsidies to boost non-oil revenues after oil prices plunged. But Ghanem detailed the achievements of the previous Assembly, saying it passed 114 laws, the highest number of legislations passed since the first Assembly in 1963, including founding the Anti-Corruption Authority, the consumer protec-

tion law, the BOT law, retirees’ health insurance and a law that allowed individuals to file cases at the constitutional court.

Responding to fresh accusations made by the opposition just a few minutes before he started his speech, Ghanem said he has asked the AntiCorruption Authority to launch an investigation into a suspected scam involving him.

Gulf Bank proud to be Gold Sponsor of the 33rd NUKS-USA conference Bank committed to supporting youth, educational events

KUWAIT: Interior Ministry’s Undersecretary Lieutenant General Suleiman Al-Fahad met yesterday with Saad Mohammad Al-Mutairi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ashbiliya Co-operative Society, as well as members of the board and the Ashbiliya Voluntary Work Committee.

KUWAIT: Gulf Bank is pleased to announce its gold sponsorship of the 33rd National Union of Kuwaiti Students (NUKS) USA conference.

Sponsored by the Bank for the fifth consecutive year, the conference is set to take place from 24 until 27 November in San Francisco, California.

The NUKS-USA conference is the largest annual gathering of Kuwaitis outside the country and is being held under the patronage of HE the Minister of Education and the Minister of Higher Education Dr. Bader Al-Essa and the Kuwaiti Ambassador to the US Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber AlSabah who will be in attendance.

More than 3,500 Kuwaiti students enrolled in colleges and universities across the United States are expected to attend. The conference spans three days and includes numerous formal and informal activities culminating in the election of the new NUKS-USA Executive Team. Activities range from lectures and workshops to a career fair and sightseeing tours, in addition to networking opportunities.

A main attraction of the conference will be the special raffle draw being conducted by Gulf Bank on Thursday, 24 November, where attendees will be awarded special prizes during the raffle. Gulf Bank will be also holding a “Steer Your Career” workshop on Saturday, 26 November, where representatives will answer questions about working in the private sector and the Bank’s fast-track program for new Kuwaiti employees with outstanding records. Throughout the conference, the Bank will also have a booth in the career fair area in order for attendees to engage with the Bank’s staff.

Salma Al-Hajjaj, General Manager of Human Resources at Gulf Bank, said: “ This is an important annual event and Gulf Bank is proud to be sponsoring the NUKS-USA conference again this year. Gulf Bank is strongly committed to supporting Kuwaiti youth and to sponsoring educational initiatives that help empower the next generation of Kuwaitis. We are looking forward to engaging with the stu-

Students are seen at the Gulf Bank booth at the 2015 NUKS-USA conference.

dents and to encouraging them to consider careers in the private sector”.

Hajjaj further discussed career opportunities for outstanding Kuwaiti students: “At Gulf Bank, 67 percent of our workforce is Kuwaiti, and we are dedicated to increasing that number by hiring the best and most talented Kuwaiti women and men. For those students considering a career with Gulf Bank, they should know that our Ajyal Graduate Development Program provides a path to nurture young Kuwaiti talent early in their careers to develop them into ‘holistic bankers’ and prepare them for leadership positions at the Bank.”

Gulf Bank is strongly committed to organizing, sponsoring, and participating in events that benefit Kuwait and empower the next generation of Kuwaitis. For more information on Gulf Bank, please visit one of Gulf Bank’s 56 branches, call the Customer Contact Center on 1805805, log on to www.e-gulfbank.com, Gulf Bank’s bilingual website, or visit its social media channels.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016

Indonesia moves to stop ‘growth of radicalism’

Iran death toll in Syrian war passes 1,000 Page 8

Page 12

Egypt court quashes Morsi life sentence Islamist ex-president’s second appeals victory in a week CAIRO: An Egyptian Appeals Court yesterday quashed one of two life sentences handed down to Mohamed Morsi since his 2013 overthrow, in the Islamist ex-president’s second appeals victory in a week. The Court of Cassation, Egypt’s highest appeals court, issued the verdict, Morsi’s lawyer and a judicial official said. The court ordered a retrial in the case, Morsi’s lawyer Abdel Moneim Abdel Maqsoud said, adding: “The verdict was full of legal flaws.”

The ruling also quashed sentences against 22 others, including three death sentences against Muslim Brotherhood’s deputy head Khairat Al-Shater and other senior officials from the now banned group.

A court had sentenced Morsi to life in June 2015 on charges of spying for Iran, Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas. The decision was the latest legal victory for the 65-year-old, who has been convicted and sentenced in all cases against him since being removed from office in 2013.

“Most of the trials in which the former president has been convicted are not built on sufficient evidence: the prosecutor relies on security services reports,” University of Cairo political sciences Professor Mustafa Kamel al-Sayyed said yesterday. Morsi was Egypt’s first freely elected leader, taking power after the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime strongman Hosni Mubarak. But this year in office proved deeply divisive and he was

overthrown by then-army chief and now President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi following mass street protests.

A crackdown on Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood followed, with the movement blacklisted, hundreds of its supporters killed and thousands jailed or sentenced to death. The courts’ handling of the cases against Morsi and his supporters, many of whom have been convicted after mass trials lasting just days, has drawn criticism from Western governments, human rights groups and the United Nations, which described the trials as “unprecedented” in recent history. Last week, the Court of Cassation also overturned a death sentence handed down against Morsi on charges of taking part in prison breaks and violence against policemen during the 2011 uprising against Mubarak.

‘Initial verdicts were political’ That decision enabled Morsi to stop wearing the red uniform reserved for death row prisoners. Five co- defendants, including Brotherhood supreme guide Mohamed Badie, who also received death sentences, are to be retried too in that case. “These decisions tell us that the initial verdicts were political,” said lawyer and human rights activist Gamal Eid. From next Monday, the court is to start reviewing a second life sentence handed down against Morsi in a separate trial on charges of stealing documents relating to national security and handing them

over to Qatar, a longstanding supporter of the Brotherhood.

Last month, it upheld a 20-year jail sentence passed against Morsi on charges of ordering the use of deadly force against protesters during his year in power, which has become the only final verdict against the former Islamist president. Morsi is being held at the Borg el-Arab prison near the northern city of Alexandria. A veteran activist and engineering professor, Morsi emerged as a compromise candidate for the Brotherhood to field in Egypt’s first democratic presidential election in 2012. He narrowly won the vote but was soon accused of failing to represent all Egyptians and of trampling the ideals of the antiMubarak uprising.

His rule was marked by deep divisions in Egyptian society, a crippling economic crisis and often deadly opposition protests. Morsi was removed by Sisi on July 3, 2013 after millions took to the streets demanding his resignation. Sisi became president a year later. Morsi denounced a “coup” and his supporters insisted he was still the legitimate president. Hundreds were killed in clashes that erupted when security forces dispersed two pro-Morsi protest camps in Cairo in August 2013. The years following Morsi’s overthrow saw a surge in bombings and shootings targeting security forces, particularly in the north of the Sinai Peninsula, a stronghold of the Islamic State group. The jihadists say the attacks are in retaliation for the crackdown on Islamists. — AFP

CAIRO: In this file photo, former Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, wearing a red jumpsuit that designates he has been sentenced to death, raises his hands inside a defendants cage in a makeshift courtroom at the national police academy, in an eastern suburb of Cairo, Egypt. — AP

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016

I N T E R N AT I O N A L Bid to quieten Muslim call to prayer amplifies Israel tensions JERUSALEM: It is 4:30 am and Mufeed Shawana is rushing to Al-Aqsa Mosque, as the first Muslim call to prayer of the day rings out across the Old City of east Jerusalem. But he stops short when asked how he feels about the prospect that the sound echoing from the minarets could soon be dampened. “It upsets me. The calls to prayer have happened for 1,400 years.” A bill backed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ban mosques around Israel and annexed east Jerusalem from using loudspeakers to amplify late night and early morning azans, or calls to prayers, has been approved by a ministerial committee ahead of a parliamentary debate and voting.

It has been temporarily blocked but the government is still confident of pushing it through. Shawana argues that nobody would deny Jews their own religious rituals, which are “their right”. “This is our right,” he adds, before disappearing inside the mosque. The dispute around high-decibel minarets is not unique to Israel, which argues that other states, including in Europe and North Africa, have similar restrictions to those it is looking to implement. But it has touched a raw nerve in Israel, where many in its minority Arab population-around 17.5 percent of the whole and over whelmingly Muslim-believe Netanyahu’s rightwing government is systematically persecuting them.

They also worry that their connection to Al-Aqsa, the third holiest site in Islam, is under threat. Large numbers of Israeli Jews view the azans as noise pollution, with the bill’s sponsor Motti Yogev, of the far-right Jewish Home party, arguing they disturb the peace of hundreds of thousands of people. He has also claimed that in some cases they are used by religious leaders to incite against Israel. In its current draft, the law would prevent the summons to worshippers between 11:00 pm until 6:00 am from being relayed on loudspeakers.

Palestinians and Arab Israelis have

organized protests against the ban, with an Arab Israeli MP performing the azan in Israel’s parliament to the fury of some of his Jewish colleagues.

The Arab League called the bill “a very dangerous provocation”. Arab Israelis, who largely identify as Palestinians, are the descendants of Palestinians who remained on their land after the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. Yesterday Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported a mosque in the Arab Israeli city of Lod was fined 750 shekels ($193) for playing the call to prayer too loud.

‘Terrible noise’ Beit Safafa in southern Jerusalem is a Palestinian village in east Jerusalem flanked

by Israeli neighborhoods, including the area of Pat, a few hundred meters away. In a passionate sermon at Beit Safafa’s mosque, Najih Bkeirat, a religious leader from Al-Aqsa visiting for the weekly Friday prayers, railed against the Israeli plans. “It is very clear the Israeli occupation with this law, or the attempt at this law, wants to Judaise the city. They don’t want to hear Arabic prayers in the city, they don’t want to see churches in the city,” he later said.

“The prayers represent a racket but the Israeli Jewish celebrations, celebrations at night you hear until dawn, they don’t represent a racket?” he asked.

For Israelis in Pat, turning the volume down is only fair and they accuse the Palestinians of being unreasonable. “We are a Jewish neighborhood next to an Arab village-the noise is terrible. I have a little kid who cannot sleep,” said Ayelet Sadeh, 42.

Just like Bkeirat and Shawana, she sees calculated malice rather than cultural misunderstanding behind the actions of the other side. She points to the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, when life in Israel grinds to a standstill for a day, as an example - pointing out Muslim prayers continue that day.

“Sometimes,” she said, “it feels like they are doing (it out of ) spite.”—AFP

JERUSALEM: Firas Kazaz, a Palestinian muezzin—the person appointed to recite the Muslim call to prayer—call for prayer from the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City. — AFP

Turkey withdraws child marriage bill ANKARA: Following a public outcry, Turkey’s government has withdrawn a proposal that critics said would have allowed men accused of sexually abusing underage girls to go free if they were married to their victims. The proposal, which was scheduled to undergo a final vote in parliament yesterday, would have deferred sentencing or punishment for sexual assault of minors in cases where there was no physical force and where the victim and perpetrator were married. The government said it would now submit the proposal for review to a parliamentary committee.

The age of consent in Turkey is 18, although courts permit civil marriages for people as young as 16. Many younger people are married in Islamic ceremonies. The government has argued for the need to redress “unfair treatment” of families where fathers were placed in jail for marrying girls under the age of 18 even if both parties and their parents consented. The proposal by the ruling Justice and Development Party, rooted in Turkey’s Islamic movement, would have applied to cases that had occurred between 2005 and Nov 16 of this year.

Opponents argued that the bill amounted to a pardon for statutory rape if the perpetrator was married to his victim and would disrupt efforts to prevent child marriages and sexual assault on children. They maintained that it would, for example legitimize the practice of men taking brides as young as 13 or 14. Hours before the vote, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim

told reporters the government was pulling back the proposal from the floor and would ask an all-party commission on family affairs to review it.

His comments came after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the state-run Anadolu Agency late Monday that a broad consensus on the issue should be sought. “Due to a lack of full public consensus, our president’s call for a broad consensus and to allow opposition parties to develop their own proposals, we are taking this proposal which is in parliament, to the commission,” Yildirim said. “This problem will certainly be solved after being discussed in detail, with all parties’ views being taken into account.” Hundreds of people gathered in front of the parliament building to protest the measure, even after the government pulled it back.

Devlet Bahceli, the leader of the opposition nationalist party called on the government to abandon the measure completely, and that submitting it to a review is not enough. “Don’t suffocate Turkey any further with such meaningless and empty discussions,” Bahceli said in a speech in parliament. Opposition parties, rights groups and citizens had widely condemned the proposal since its initiation last week, issuing statements and staging demonstrations across multiple cities nationwide.

United Nations agencies, including the children’s fund UNICEF, issued a joint statement on Monday warning that the proposal “would weaken the country’s ability to combat sexual abuse and child marriages.”—AP

US Navy fighter jet takes off from the deck of the USS Dwight D Eisenhower aircraft carrier. The carrier is currently deployed in the Gulf, supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, the military operation against Islamic State extremists in Syria and Iraq. — AP

Iran death toll in Syrian civil war hits over 1,000 Turkey issues arrest warrant for Syrian Kurdish leader BEIRUT: More than 1,000 soldiers deployed by Iran to Syria to back the government side in its civil war have been killed, an Iranian official said, underlining Tehran’s increasing presence on front lines of the conflict. It was a major increase in the reported death toll from just four months ago, when the Islamic Republic announced that 400 of its soldiers had died on Syria’s battlefields. Iran has been sending fighters to Syria since the early stages of the more than five-year-old war to support its ally, President Bashar Al-Assad, against rebels and Islamist militants including Islamic State trying to topple him.

Although many of the soldiers the Shiite Muslim Iran sends are its own nationals, it is casting its recruitment net wide, training and deploying Shiites from neighboring Afghanistan and Pakistan as well. Half of the death toll reported in August were Afghan citizens. “Now the number of Iran’s martyrs as defenders of shrine has exceeded 1,000,” Mohammadali Shahidi Mahallati, head of Iran’s Foundation of Martyrs, which offers financial support to the relatives of those killed fighting for Iran, was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency.

Iran alludes to its fighters in Syria as “defenders of the shrine”, a reference to the Sayeda Zeinab mosque near Damascus, which is where a granddaughter of the Prophet Mohammad is said to be buried, as well as other shrines revered by Shiites.

Many Iranians initially opposed involvement in Syria’s war, harboring little sympathy for Assad.

But now they are warming to the mission, believing that the Sunni jihadist Islamic State is a threat to the existence of their country that is best fought outside Iran’s borders. With public opinion swinging increasingly behind the cause, numbers of volunteer fighters have soared far beyond what Tehran is prepared to deploy in Syria.

Arrest warrant Meanwhile, Turkey has issued an arrest warrant for the leader of the main Syrian Kurdish political party over a deadly bombing in Ankara in February, the state-run Anadolu news agency said. Arrest warrants were issued for the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) leader Salih Muslim as well as several fugitive leaders of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) over the February 17 bombing against military vehicles, it said. Turkey had blamed the PYD and its military wing, the People’s Protection Units (YPG) for the bombing which left at least 28 people dead and was followed by another devastating bombing in the capital in March. But the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK) — a radical splinter group of the better-known PKK-claimed the suicide bombing, saying that it was in response to security operations in the southeast.

Turkey considers the YPG and the PYD to be terror groups, accusing them of seeking to carve out an autonomous Kurdish region in northern Syria and working with President Bashar Al-Assad.

But while the United States sees the PKK as a terror group, it works closely with the YPG as its main ally on the ground in the fight against jihadists in northern Syria. The dispute over the YPG and PYD has raised tensions between Ankara and Washington. As well as Muslim, arrests warrants were issued for fugitive PKK leaders Cemil Bayik, Murat Karayilan and Fehman Huseyin over the bombing, Anadolu said. All three are believed to be at the group’s paramilitary rear bases in mountainous northern Iraq. —Agencies

From soldiers to midwives, Turkey dismisses 15,000 more after ‘coup’ ANKARA: Turkey yesterday dismissed 15,000 more officials, from soldiers and police officers to tax inspectors and midwives, and shut 375 institutions and news outlets, deepening purges condemned by Western allies and rights groups after a failed coup. The latest dismissals, announced in two decrees, bring to more than 125,000 the number of people sacked or suspended in the military, civil service, judiciary and elsewhere since July’s failed coup. Some 36,000 have been jailed pending trial. European allies have criticized the breadth of the purges under President Tayyip Erdogan, with some calling for a freezing of Turkey’s EU membership talks. A senior UN official has called the measures “draconian” and “unjustified”. Erdogan has rejected such criticism, saying Turkey is determined to root out its enemies at home and abroad, and could reintroduce the death penalty. He has accused Western nations of siding with plotters behind the coup attempt in July and of harboring terrorists.

Nearly 2,000 members of the armed forces, 7,600 police officers, 400 members of the gendarmerie, and more than 5,000 people from public institutions, including nurses, doctors and engineers, were dismissed in Tuesday’s decrees for suspected links to terrorist organizations. Their names were listed in the Official Gazette, which made clear they would not be able to claim any severance or seek any other job in public service. The decrees were issued under emergency rule imposed in the wake of the failed coup, which allows Erdogan and the government to bypass parliament.

Ankara blames US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen and his network of followers, which it refers to as the “Gulenist Terror Organization” (FETO), for orchestrating the coup bid, in which more than 240 people were killed. The cleric denies involvement. Erdogan’s oppo-

nents say the purges go well beyond a crackdown on suspected Gulenists and are being used to crush dissent. Those accused are often left unable to find other work and ostracized in their community, with Turkish media reports saying some have committed suicide before being put on trial.

Pilots, prison wardens Separately from the latest decrees, authorities issued arrest warrants for 60 people including air force pilots in the central city of Konya over suspected Gulenist links. More than 300 pilots have already been detained or dismissed since the coup, in which the plotters commandeered fighter jets, tanks and military helicopters, bombing parliament and other government buildings in their bid to seize power. In another operation around Istanbul, 19 prison staff including the warden of Turkey’s largest jail Silivri were held on suspicion of using smart-phone messaging app ByLock, which authorities say is used by Gulen’s network.

Arrest warrants were also issued for 22 executives from telecoms firm Turk Telekom, the Hurriyet newspaper said. It said 12 of them had been detained in an operation spanning four provinces. Turk Telekom shares fell 0.35 percent, underperforming a 0.4 percent rise on the Istanbul stock index. Yesterday ’s decrees also announced the closure of 375 institutions, 18 charities, and nine media outlets. Turkey has closed more than 130 media outlets since July. The decrees also said that institutions previously closed over alleged links to terrorist organizations should be handed over to the state’s Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF), which has already taken control of a bank, several media firms and other businesses suspected of links to Gulen.—Reuters

ANKARA: Turkey’s President addresses police officers in Ankara, Turkey yesterday. — AP

Rohingyas flee Myanmar

ANKARA: Thousands of members of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party march to the parliament in Ankara yesterday. Following a public outcry, Turkey’s government has withdrawn a proposal that critics said would have allowed men accused of sexually abusing underage girls to go free if they were married to their victims. — AP

DHAKA: Hundreds of Rohingya have arrived in Bangladesh after fleeing violence in neighboring Myanmar, community leaders said yesterday, many with horrific tales of troops killing and burning villages. Bangladesh says it has prevented hundreds more from crossing into the country, despite pleas from the United Nations to open its border after up to 30,000 Rohingya were displaced by violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. Bangladeshi troops have intensified patrols along the 237-kilometre border, but Rohingya community leaders estimate that 1,000 people have still managed to get in over the last week.

Most are hiding out in camps for the 32,000 legally registered already living in southeast

Bangladesh, fearing repatriation if they are found by authorities. Mohammad Amin, 17, said he and 15 others fled their homes in Rakhine five days ago and reached Bangladesh by swimming across the Naf river that divides the two countries. “The (Myanmar) army killed my father and elder brother. I hid on a hill and then walked and swam across the river, and took refuge at a mosque (in Bangladesh),” he said by phone from Cox’s Bazar near the border. “Where I looked I saw only burnt houses. I don’t know what happened to my mother and sister.”

Zohra Khatun, 25, arrived late Monday with her seven children after their village was burned to the ground, and has been helped by a relative already living in a refugee camp in

Bangladesh. “I waited two days before I had the chance to cross the river to come here,” Khatun said by phone. The relative, who asked not to be named, said that at least 100 families had arrived at the camp from Myanmar in the last two days.

Another community leader said 500 people had taken shelter near two other Rohingya refugee camps in the area. Commanders of the Border Guard Bangladesh said their troops had blocked nearly 300 Rohingya from crossing the border overnight, the highest number since the crisis began last month. “We’re preventing them on the zero line, especially those who were trying to cross the barbed-wire fences erected by Myanmar,” said Imran Ullah Sarker.—AFP

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016

I N T E R N AT I O N A L

5 children killed as US school bus crashes School bus driver charged in deadly Chattanooga crash

CHATTANOOGA: Chattanooga Fire Department personnel work on the scene of a fatal elementary school bus crash in Chattanooga, Tenn. — AP

Violent weekend in southern Mexico leaves 24 people dead ACAPULCO: At least 24 people, some bearing signs of torture, were killed in a series of incidents over the weekend in M exico’s violence -plagued southern state of Guerrero, officials have said. Faced with an uptick in bloodshed the state governor held an “urgent session” with army commanders and federal and state police in an effort to strengthen security in the region, the state’s security spokesman Roberto Alvarez told a Mexican television channel on Monday. “The bodies of nine males with visible signs of tort u re” we re d i s c o ve re d o n S u n d a y night on a road between the towns of Tixtla and Atliaca, in Guerrero’s central region, the state’s secretar y of security said in a statement on Monday.

Agents at the local prosecutors office reported finding “four bodies tied at the feet and hands,” and noted that authorities also recovered five b l a c k p l a s t i c b a g s co n t a i n i n g t h e remains of five more people. Those five bodies had been dismembered, with some of the body parts found outside the bags, a Tixtla police commander said, requesting anonymity

for security reasons. Meanwhile, five more people were killed elsewhere in the state. Authorities are taking steps to identify the individuals. At least 10 additional people died in Guerrero’s Pacific resort of Acapulco during a weekend of bloodshed, including two members of the Navy, said Alvarez.

The southern state has suffered years of drug cartel violence as gangs grow marijuana and opium poppies in remote mountains and battle for control of heroin trafficking routes.

Acapulco, once a glamorous getaway for Hollywood celebrities, is now considered Mexico’s murder capital, with 111 homicides per every 100,000 residents last year. In September, a top Guerrero police official and his female companion were stabbed to death in Acapulco.

More than 170,000 people have been k illed and over 28,000 more h a ve b e e n re p o r t e d m i s s i n g i n M e x i c o s i n c e t h e g o ve r n m e n t launched an all-out military assault on drug trafficking in 2006, official data shows. It does not give the number of people killed by drug gangs and other organized crime. — AFP

In Milwaukee - ‘hard-pressed’ black voters dumped Clinton MILWAUKEE: On Nor th Avenue, young black men with nothing to do wander past boarded-up buildings and dilapidated shops. It is a sad, desolate landscape. They and other African Americans in Milwaukee contributed to Hillary Clinton’s crushing defeat in the presidential election: Not only did they not vote for her, as had been expected, some even backed Donald Trump.

Wisconsin’s largest city is also America’s most racially segregated one, according to a study based on the 2010 census. And Wisconsin served up one of the biggest surprises of an election day that shocked America and the world: no one thought the midwestern state would fall to the Republican billionaire.

Clinton was so sure of victory she did not even bother to campaign here after the Democratic primaries, instead sending her daughter Chelsea or her husband, former president Bill Clinton.

“She probably thought she had Wisconsin wrapped up,” said Ronald Roberts, a 67 year old retiree, as he left a shop called Bill the Butcher. Its aging sign is missing the R. “You can’t take the voters for granted because they’ll stay home,” said Roberts, who used to work as an auto mechanic.

That is just what happened here, according to exit polls taken on November 8. Stop anyone in this part of town, where there is not a white person in sight, and they will tell you as much. “I feel that she is no better than Trump. That’s why I didn’t vote,” said Brittany Mays, a young woman who works in a beauty salon. Around her decay abounds: empty housing developments or boarded up homes symbolizing the economic woes of families that fell on very hard times.

Divide deepened Barack Obama had won over the state’s traditionally Democratic electorate in 2008 and 2012, and Clinton had been banking on a strong turnout here among African Americans as she campaigned with the blessing of the nation’s first black president. But in Milwaukee, turnout slumped the most in poor, black areas of the state, compared to wealthier-whiter-areas.

Many black people here were left out of the economic recovery that Wisconsin enjoyed after the Great Recession. “Now you have got a lot people walking around here with no job. There is not a lot of money circulating,” said Roberts. In Milwaukee, practically all of the white people have moved to the suburbs, and Trump campaigned there, of course.

Black residents moved here from the

south in the 1960s, just as the city’s manufacturing base was starting to decline. The settled in the north of the inner city, and Hispanics set up in the south.

Over time, little by little, the racial divide has deepened. These days the unemployment rate among black people is three times that of whites.

African Americans hold the national record in school drop-outs. In Milwaukee County, more than 50 percent of black people aged 30 to 40 have spent time in jail, meaning they are barred from voting for a while. What is more, a recent law forces people to show a photo ID in order to vote. Advocac y groups argue that this was designed to limit minority turnout in the presidential election. “In some case, voters were wrongly turned away,” said Andrea Kaminski, who runs the Wisconsin chapter of the League of Women Voters, which deployed 250 observers on Election Day. ‘Dismal picture’ “You cannot count the number of people who did not even try to vote because of the voter ID law. But that’s probably a much bigger number than the people who were actually turned away,” Kaminski said. “I do know a few people who did not have ID or were restricted to vote and they feel like it was unfair to them,” said Derricka Wesley, 24, who works at a Walmart store. Hard hit by drug abuse, violence, a collapse in real estate prices and unemployment, many people in black neighborhoods of Milwaukee have simply lost hope, said LaTonya Johnson, a black local elected official.

“You see this dismal picture where people aren’t really seeing the correlation between actually casting their ballot and improving their living conditions,” Johnson said.

She argued that Trump’s relentless campaign rhetoric about corruption discouraged people from voting.

“Trump was talking about all the corruption in politics and the rigged voting. So you got a lot of people who just really felt like their vote wasn’t going to matter,” said Johnson. Some black voters reasoned themselves into backing the real estate tycoon with no experience in government.

“I voted for Trump because I believe he can create jobs. Period,” said Dennis Johnson, a 39-year-old truck driver. “He said, ‘Hey, what have you got to lose?’ To me, it just made per fect sense,” said Johnson. He added: “Now, listen, this country will survive four years of Trump. We survived eight years of Obama and eight years of Bush.”— AFP

CHATTANOOGA: The driver of a school bus that was filled with elementary students when it crashed in Chattanooga, killing at least five children, has been arrested and faces charges including vehicular homicide. Calling the Monday afternoon crash “every public safety professional’s worst nightmare,” Chattanooga Police Chief Fred Fletcher told an overnight news conference that 24-year-old bus driver Johnthony Walker was charged with five counts of vehicular homicide.

Walker was also charged with reckless driving and reckless endangerment.

Investigators were looking at speed “very, very strongly” as a factor in the crash, Fletcher said earlier. Police said overnight that five children were killed in the crash. Earlier in the day, Hamilton County District Attorney Neal Pinkston told news outlets the crash killed six. The Associated Press was not immediately able to reach officials early Tuesday to

clarify the discrepancy. Thirty-five students from kindergarten through fifth grade were on board when the bus flipped onto its side and wrapped around a tree.

The bus was the only vehicle involved in the crash, but Fletcher said the scene was complicated and covered a significant area. Bloodied Woodmore Elementary School students lay on stretchers, while others walked away dazed with their parents after the crash, local news outlets reported. More than 20 children went to hospitals for their injuries, according to Fletcher.

Emergenc y responders needed almost two hours to get all the children off the bus. Television cameras showed emergency vehicles still there late into the night, and the National Transportation Safety Board tweeted that a team would be heading to Chattanooga on Tuesday morning to investigate. Television stations report-

ed that people lined up to donate blood and some donors were asked to make appointments. Kirk Kelly, interim superintendent for Hamilton County schools, said classes would be held today with counselors available for students and staff.

Fletcher said the families of the children who died had been notified but police would not release their names because they were juveniles. “Our hearts go out, as well as the hearts of all these people behind me, to the families, the neighborhood, the school, for all the people involved in this, we assure you we are doing everything we can,” Fletcher said. At the state Capitol in Nashville, Tennessee Gov Bill Haslam called the crash “a tragic event” and offered assistance. “We’re going to do everything we can to assist in any way,” Haslam said. “It’s a sad situation anytime there’s a school bus with children involved, which there is in this case.”— AP

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016

I N T E R N AT I O N A L

UK to Trump: ‘No vacancy’ for Farage as ambassador Trump says Farage would be a great ambassador LONDON: Britain yesterday dismissed US President-elect Donald Trump’s unprecedented expression of support for Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage to be made British ambassador to Washington, saying pointedly that there is no vacancy for the job. Trump, who after his election victory met Farage before any EU leaders, said on Twitter that “many people” would like to see the former metals trader turned politician as Britain’s ambassador.

“Many people would like to see @Nigel_Farage represent Great Britain as their Ambassador to the United States. He would do a great job!” Trump said on Twitter. Prime Minister Theresa May, who congratulated Trump on his victory, was swift to reject such an undiplomatic proposal. “There is no vacancy,” a Downing Street spokesman said when asked about Trump’s remark yesterday. “We already have an excellent ambassador to the US.” It is highly unusual in the modern era for leaders to publicly suggest to foreign nations whom they would like to see as ambassador, though during strained relations they sometimes reject or expel envoys.

Farage, who spent decades campaigning for Britain to leave the European Union and helped force former Prime Minister David Cameron call the June referendum that brought the Brexit vote, spoke at a Trump rally during the U.S. campaign and visited the president-elect after his victor y. As leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) and one of the key figures of the successful Brexit campaign, Farage has repeatedly angered EU leaders by predicting the collapse of the EU, which he says is run by an out of touch elite of “idiots”.

In this file photo, US president-elect Donald Trump (right) welcomes pro-Brexit British politician Nigel Farage, to speak at a campaign rally in Jackson, Miss. — AP Farage said Trump’s suggestion that he serve as ambassador had come “like a bolt from the blue” but Trump understood loyalty in a way that those in the “cesspit” of career politics did not. “I am in a good position with the President-elect’s support to help. The world has changed and it’s time that Downing Street did too,” Farage said in an article written for the Breitbart news website. “I would do anything to help our national interest and to help cement ties with the incoming Anglophile administration,” Farage said.

‘No vacancy’ A photograph of Trump greeting one of the EU’s biggest critics before a gilded elevator shortly after the US election caused consternation in EU capitals, many of whom view Trump with a mixture of fear and puzzlement. Once shunned by Britain’s mainstream media and its political establishment, Farage peppers his speeches with jokes and the odd expletive while railing against what he calls the doomed European superstate and immigration into Britain.

Farage said Trump would be a great president after “the political revolution” that brought Brexit in Britain and Trump to power in the United States. “In the United Kingdom the people have spoken but the players at the top have, I am afraid, stayed the same,” Farage, 52, said. “Those who supported Remain now hold senior positions.

Worst still, those who were openly abusive about Trump now pretend to be his friend,” said Farage.

Farage has called for May to build ties with Trump, who provoked criticism in Britain with his call for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States. Queen Elizabeth might invite Trump for a state visit to Britain next year. Farage made light of allegations of sexual assault against Trump during the US campaign by encouraging him to “come and schmooze” May but adding “don’t touch her for goodness sake”.

When US President Barack Obama said before the referendum that Britain would be at the back of the queue for a trade deal, Farage said it was disgraceful to intervene in the sovereign affairs of Britain.

But the way ambassadors are chosen in the United States and Europe differ significantly. It is common practice for the United States to appoint celebrities or campaign donors as envoys, for example when Richard Nixon appointed Shirley Temple as his envoy to Ghana in 1974. European states mostly appoint career diplomats or officials with long experience as ambassadors. Kim Darroch, the current British ambassador in Washington, did not reply to emails from Reuters requesting comment on Trump’s remarks. His email bounced back with an out of office reply saying that the ambassador was travelling.— Reuters

Strong earthquake hits Japan, triggering Fukushima tsunami

WASHINGTON: The US Capitol dome is seen at sunset on Capitol Hill in Washington. — AP

Deficit complicates marriage between Trump, GOP lawmakers WASHINGTON: President-elect Donald Trump promises big tax cuts, a border wall and massive spending on infrastructure.

That’s a recipe for bigger deficits that conservative fiscally-minded Republicans have railed against during President Barack Obama’s tenure. Trump’s agenda runs counter to years of promises by congressional Republicans to try to balance the federal budget.

It’s a marriage of conflicting priorities on the budget at least - and that means that neither partner will get everything their own way. Trump’s tax cut, estimated to cost almost $5 trillion over 10 years, looks sure to be pared way back. Top lawmakers like House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, and No. 3 Senate Republican John Thune of South Dakota say the GOP’s tax plans shouldn’t add to the deficit. That would mean tax rates couldn’t be cut nearly as sharply as Trump wants.

“We know we’re going to have to pay for this,” said Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the No 2 Senate Republican. “The question is whether we do it now or whether we send it to our kids and grandkids and make them pay for it. So that’s an important point that we need to achieve some consensus on.” On the spending side of the ledger, Trump’s promises of a huge infrastructure plan are already running into difficulty with Republicans. “We are not going to vote for anything that increases the national debt,” said Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho. “Fiscal conservatives in the House are not going to support anything that is not paid for.”

The flip side involves longstanding promises by Capitol Hill Republicans to balance the budget by repealing the Affordable Care Act, sharply cutting social programs like Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps and student loan subsidies. Trump promises to replace the so- called “Obamacare” and assured voters during the campaign that he wouldn’t cut Social Security and Medicare - and he’s on record as saying that 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney’s choice of now-Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., “was the end of the campaign.”

“I said, ‘You’ve got to be kidding’ because he represented cutting entitlements, etc., etc. The only one that’s not going to cut is me,” Trump said at a February campaign stop. Major reforms

require presidential leadership - and as a candidate Trump didn’t show much interest in attacking the budget. “It’s clear that deficits and spending retrenchment and entitlement reform was not what this election was about,” said Neil Bradley, a former top House GOP aide who is skeptical of the party’s ability to deliver major spending cuts.

The deficit, said Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., “wasn’t talked about in the campaign.” The math is also daunting. The most recent House GOP budget plan, for instance, promised to balance the budget over a decade by cutting spending by $6.5 trillion - roughly 13 cents of every dollar spent - over the next 10 years. But their budget plans have kept Social Security, the Pentagon, veterans programs and interest payments immune from cuts, so they ’ve doubled down on cuts to the Medicaid health program for the poor and disabled, along with cuts to domestic programs like education, farm subsidies, housing vouchers and scientific research.

Recently, however, the focus in Washington has been to reverse cuts to the Pentagon and domestic agencies imposed by a 2011 budget deal. Along the way, Obama and top Republicans sought modest cuts to the federal crop insurance program and the generous military pensions paid to veterans in their 40s and 50s - only to have to reverse course after bipartisan squealing from rank-and-file lawmakers. Given the inability to preserve such tiny spending cuts in recent years, one couldn’t be faulted for doubting whether lawmakers could stomach the far, far larger cuts demanded by Ryan’s balanced budget plans.

One option for both spending and taxes is to enact a one-time tax break on overseas profits that multinational corporations “repatriate” back to the United States. That could produce $100 billion or so over 10 years by some estimates and the windfall is being eyed for both an infrastructure package and a tax reform bill. “I think the American people will support spending when they get something concrete and tangible for our efforts,” said Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss. “There is a feeling that there’s enough money there to pay for a big infrastructure program to get the economy going again and pay for stuff and also use part of the repatriation as a way to finance tax reform.”—AP

TOKYO: A powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake hit northeast Japan yesterday, sparking panic and triggering a tsunami including a one-meter wave that crashed ashore at the stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant. National broadcaster NHK urged residents to “flee immediately ” to higher ground, reminding viewers to heed the lessons of the “Great East Japan Earthquake”. A massive undersea quake with a magnitude of 9.0 that struck in March 2011 unleashed a tsunami that left more than 18,500 people dead or missing. It sent three reactors into meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant in one of the world’s worst nuclear disasters.

An official from plant operator TEPCO told a news conference that a one-meter wave had hit the coast at the facility, but a company spokesman said there were no reports of damage. About a dozen other waves were recorded elsewhere on the northeast coast, according to the Meteorological Agency, but they were smaller than initial warnings of waves as high as 3.0 meters. The biggest, measuring 1.4 meters, hit the port at Sendai north of Fukushima, but officials said there were no reports of damage there.

NHK aired rolling coverage of the earthquake, with the words “Tsunami! Flee!” in white lettering over a bright red band on the screen. The Meteorological Agency lifted its final tsunami warning nearly seven hours after the earthquake struck. TEPCO earlier reported that a water cooling system at a reactor in the separate Fukushima Daini facility had briefly stopped, in an automatic response, but that it was back up and operating. “The biggest risk now is a case whereby contaminated water is carried away with the tsunami, which pollutes the environment,” TEPCO’s chief decommissioning officer Naohiro Masuda told reporters, of the situation at Fukushima Daiichi.

The 2011 disaster sent radiation levels across the Pacific Ocean soaring and decimated some fishing grounds off Japan’s coast. The global Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research said in July that levels were returning to normal but that the seabed and harbor near Fukushima were

still highly contaminated. Residents along the coast heeding evacuation advice clogged some roads, with a Fukushima newspaper reporting unusual early morning traffic jams in the small city of Soma.

There were no immediate signs of widespread damage and only minor injuries were initially reported. Fourteen injuries have been reported throughout the region, including three elderly women who broke bones when falling or trying to evacuate.

‘Ground still shaking’ Still, people along the coast were badly shaken. “It was huge and lasted so long,” Akemi Anzai, from the city of Minamisoma north of the Fukushima plant, said of the quake. “The tsunami siren warning can be heard from the coastline,” she said. “The ground is still shaking. I’m so scared. But my concern is rather the situation at the nuclear plant.” The United States Geological Survey said the 6.9 magnitude quake, at a shallow depth of 11.3 kilometers, struck shortly before 6:00 am in the Pacific off Fukushima.

It shook buildings in Tokyo, 230 kilometers to the south. Shinkansen bullet train services were suspended in the region but gradually resumed, though delays were still being reported. Sendai airport, which suffered significant damage during the 2011 tsunami, temporarily closed but flights resumed in the morning. Fishing boats had rushed out to sea to avoid the direct impact of the tsunami, the Sankei Shimbun said.

NHK showed footage of what appeared to be seawater flowing up a river in Miyagi prefecture though none of it surged beyond the banks. “ The fear that I felt almost six years ago came back,” Junko Murata, another Minamisoma resident said.

“Maybe there won’t be major damage this time but we will have to remain on edge for years and years,” she added, referring to the Fukushima plant. Japan sits at the junction of four tectonic plates and suffers several relatively violent quakes every year, although high building standards and frequent drills limit the number of casualties.

In April two strong quakes hit Kumamoto prefecture, leaving at least 50 dead and causing widespread damage.— AFP

MIYAGI PREFECTURE: Water flows up in the Sunaoshi River in Tagajo, Miyagi prefecture, northern Japan, as a tsunami warning is issued following a strong earthquake yesterday.— AP

News i n

b r i e f

Bandit leaves cheeky clue for Australian detectives SYDNEY: Australian detectives have been left with a cheeky clue after discovering that a large print on a glass door at a crime scene came from someone’s bare buttocks.

Police in Victoria state believe the “bum bandit” was with two others when they did the “full moon” during a break-in at a community centre in the city of Wodonga over the weekend. “I’ve never seen anyone’s bum print turn up at a crime scene,” Detective Sergeant Graeme Simpfendorfer said yesterday. “The crime scene officer who was dusting for prints... with every stroke, he was thinking, ‘what have we got here?’ “He came and told us and just said, ‘I’ve got a butt print. It’s certainly not just from a pair of jeans or tracksuit pants. This guy’s pants down.’ “It was quite obvious to him and when we looked at it, it’s obviously quite clear that he’s actually gone the full moon.” Simpfendorfer said the trio, believed to be aged in their late teens or early 20s, stole a television and sprayed a fire extinguisher around the centre.

Israeli soldiers and forensics move the body of a Palestinian man who was shot and killed at Qalandia checkpoint, near Jerusalem yesterday. — AP Palestinian wielding knife shot dead at a checkpoint JERUSALEM: A Palestinian was shot dead at a West Bank checkpoint yesterday after walking towards guards with a knife in his hand, Israeli police said. “A Palestinian attempted to cross the checkpoint using the vehicle lane and approached security guards brandishing a knife,” police spokeswoman Luba Samri said in a statement.

“The terrorist was neutralized,” she added, later confirming he had been killed. There were no Israeli casualties.

Palestinian security sources identified the dead man as Jihad Khalil, 48, from near Nablus in the northern West Bank. The incident happened at the Qalandia checkpoint between the northern West Bank and Jerusalem, which is used by thousands of Palestinians every day. The heavily fortified checkpoint is a hated symbol of Israeli occupation for Palestinians and has seen a number of attacks during an upsurge of violence over the past year. Since October 2015, 240 Palestinians, 36 Israelis, two Americans, a Jordanian, an Eritrean and a Sudanese have been killed, according to an AFP count.

19 killed as Yemeni govt forces and rebels clash ADEN: Renewed clashes between Yemeni government forces and rebels killed 19 people yesterday, military officials said a day after a fragile 48-hour ceasefire expired without halting the violence. Forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi repelled an attack by Shiite Houthi rebels and their allies on the outskirts of Taez city in the southwest, the officials said. The attack that began late on Monday targeted the Al-Dhabab area, which provides pro-Hadi forces with their only access to the flashpoint city that is surrounded by insurgents. Warplanes from the Saudi-led Arab coalition took part in defensive operations and repelling the attack, officials said. Eleven rebels and five government soldiers were killed, they added.

Meanwhile, three soldiers were killed and four wounded late Monday by rebel sniper fire in the area of the northwestern coastal town of Midi, a military official said. The Houthis have been trying to advance on Midi’s harbor, which is controlled by pro-Hadi forces, the official said.

Sudan protesters face trial over fuel demos KHARTOUM: Eight people arrested in Sudan for allegedly protesting against a government decision to raise fuel prices went on trial in the capital yesterday.

They were among 26 suspected protesters including 12 women detained over the past two days after small rallies in Khartoum were swiftly dispersed by riot policemen. An AFP correspondent in court cited prosecutors as saying that the remaining 18 defendants would appear in court over the next few days. All 26 have been charged with disturbing the peace. Protesters have staged small demonstrations over the past few days after the government hiked the prices of petrol and diesel by about 30 percent. Several opposition politicians and activists have also been arrested for calling for anti-government demonstrations after the price rises. The authorities are seeking to prevent a repeat of two months of protests in 2013 that resulted in a deadly crackdown that rights groups say killed 200 people.

Four dead, four missing as landslides hit N Caledonia NOUMEA: Four people-including two children-are dead and four missing after torrential rain triggered landslides on the French overseas territory of New Caledonia in the South Pacific, officials said yesterday. Rain has been battering the remote islands since the weekend, sparking two mudslides in the Houailou area, around 235 kilometers northwest of the capital Noumea yesterday. The body of an eight-year-old girl was recovered in mountainous Gouareu, one of two remote communities hardest hit by the disaster.

Her injured mother was evacuated and was in a “stable condition”, officials said. A seven-year-old child and a woman in her 30s were also found dead in a nearby area.

The fourth victim was a 60-year-old woman whose body was discovered in Gouareu. Rescuers, including an army medical team and 30 soldiers, have been deployed to search for those still missing. All roads, electrical supplies and telephone lines to the area have been cut off and poor weather is hampering rescue efforts.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016

I N T E R N AT I O N A L

Struggling Australian leader wins much-needed victories Counter-terrorism bill extends police surveillance powers SYDNEY: Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, whose leadership has been questioned after political setbacks yesterday won a much-needed victory in parliament, with the passage of two controversial bills. Australia’s Senate, which the government does not control, passed a labor bill that it had previously blocked, triggering an election in July. The laws passed in a morning session, bring greater oversight of trade unions and employer bodies. The parliament also passed a counter-terrorism bill in the evening. It extended police surveillance powers and cut to 14, from 16, the age at which terrorism suspects can be detained and face other restrictions.

Turnbull has seen his poll numbers hit their lowest since taking power in September 2015, and political commentators have questioned his future as prime minister, as confidence erodes in Australia’s

fourth leader in the last six years.

“The government called a doubledissolution election on this issue,” said Haydon Manning, a political science professor at Flinders University in Adelaide, referring to the labor bill. “ To end the year without delivery on its set-piece reform would have been disastrous for the government.” Turnbull narrowly won the July 2 election after invoking rarely-used powers to dissolve both houses of parliament following the repeated block ing of the government ’s labor bill by the upper-house Senate.

But Turnbull has struggled to implement his agenda as his ruling conser vative coalition is in the minority in the Senate, requiring him to win favor with many of the 11 independent senators to pass legislation. Turnbull led negotiations on the labor bill with independent senators while in Peru

this week attending the AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation meeting, lawmakers said. The government continues to trail the opposition Labor Party, a Newspoll yesterday showed.

Economic management, a traditional strong point for the conservative government, is now being called into question. Deloitte Access Economic on Monday forecast the budget deficit to grow by A$24 billion ($17.69 billion) over the next four years - threatening Australia’s AAA credit rating.

Turnbull now plans to turn his attention to another cornerstone piece of legislation aimed at creating a building industry watchdog.

The bill was also twice rejected by the Senate in the lead-up to the July election. That vote, in the final two weeks of the Senate’s 2016 term, is expected to be tight, key independent Senator David Leyonhjelm said.— Reuters

Afghanistan government urged to protect Shiites KABUL: An international rights group and victims’ families urged the Afghan government yesterday to protect the minority Shiite community after a bloody mosque bombing, the latest in a series of deadly sectarian attacks. A massive suicide blast claimed by the Islamic State group targeted a Shiite congregation in Kabul on Monday, killing at least 27 people and wounding 64. “ISIS has stepped up its horrific and unlawful attacks on Shiite public gatherings, making no place safe,” Patricia Gossman, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement using an alternative acronym for IS. “The government, Shiite leaders, and civil society groups should work together to develop appropriate ways to improve security during vulnerable public and religious gatherings so that Shiite community members can exercise their basic rights.” she said.

Amnesty International, in a statement Monday, said Afghan authorities “have a duty to take effective measures to protect Shiite Muslims from attacks and end impunity for previous abuses against the Shiite community”. The latest attack was mounted as worshippers gathered for the major Shiite ceremony of Arbaeen, marking the end of a 40-day mourning period after Ashura.

Ashura itself commemorates the death of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. Angry Shiite mourners yesterday accused the government of failing to provide protection as they buried loved ones. “We voted for this government, people’s fingers were cut by militants for voting. In return the government should provide us with security,” said Ghulam Haydar, a relative of a victim. “I want the international community to help us get rid of

the terrorists and stop them from harming the people.” The Interior Ministry said it had suspended four police officials in connection with the attack and launched a thorough investigation.

Last month a powerful blast targeting Shiites during Ashura killed 14 people in northern Afghanistan.

It followed twin attacks claimed by IS that also targeted Shiites and killed 18 in Kabul. In July IS jihadists claimed twin explosions that ripped through crowds of Shiite Hazaras in Kabul, killing at least 85 and wounding more than 400. Those bombings marked the deadliest single attack in the Afghan capital since the Taleban were ousted from power in a 2001 US-led invasion. Fighters from IS, which controls territory across Syria and Iraq, have been making steady inroads in Afghanistan, challenging the Taleban on their own turf mainly in the east. — AFP

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016

I N T E R N AT I O N A L

The downfall of South Korea’s ‘Queen of Elections’

News i n

SEOUL: Elected on a “no-corruption” ticket, South Korean President Park Geun-Hye now looks set to become the country’s first sitting president to be formally questioned as a suspect in a criminal investigation. It’s a stunning fall from grace for a politician who had run as an incorruptible candidate, declaring herself beholden to nobody and “married to the nation.”

High-level corruption has long been a stain on South Korea’s democratic credentials and the presidential Blue House is no stranger to allegations of cronyism. Since South Korea’s first free and fair election in 1987, every president has faced graft investigations after leaving office and one-Roh Moo-Hyun-committed suicide as a corruption probe closed in on his family. Their cases often involved family members who were able to leverage links to the president in a society where political influence has traditionally had a very close and unhealthy rapport with business success.

Park, the daughter of military strongman Park Chung-Hee who led the country from 1961 to 1979, was meant to be different. Both her parents were assassinated and, estranged from her two siblings, unmarried and childless, she promoted herself as invulnerable to nepotism. “I have no family to look after nor children to inherit my property ... I want to devote myself to the nation and the people,” she said in a speech during the 2012 presidential campaign. The image of duty and selfsacrifice played well with the conservative base of her ruling Saenuri Party, especially older voters who saw her as a virtuous survivor of personal tragedy.

was credited with turning around the party’s political fortunes, winning a number of key polls and earning her the nickname “Queen of Elections”. As president, she continued to cultivate the persona of the nation’s “selfless daughter”-a private person who normally dined alone and spent what little free time she had in the company of her dogs.

All the more shocking then were the revelations of the extraordinary influence wielded over the president by her long time friend and confidante Choi Soon-Sil-now indicted on charges of coercion and abuse of power.

Prosecutors on Sunday said Park had played a “collusive role” in Choi’s criminal activities, which included coercing conglomerates into donating tens of millions of dollars to nonprofit foundations, allegedly for Choi’s personal gain. Park also faces allegations that she leaked confidential documents to Choi, who holds no official position, and sought her advice on matters of state, including key appointments. The scandal has seen Park’s approval ratings plunge to record lows, as hundreds of thousands of protestors have taken to the streets in a series of weekly protests to demand that she resign. “It isn’t just about corruption. People genuinely think they have been deceived by Park Geun-Hye,” said Kim Jong-Yup, a sociology professor at Hanshin University. “They thought she had inherited all the good qualities of her parents-the initiative and drive for economic development of her father and the caring and feminine character of her mother. “They thought she was Park Chung-Hee without dictatorship. But now the fantasy has been broken and they realize they have been wrong,” Kim said.

‘Queen of Elections’ As chairwoman between 2004-2006, Park

The ‘lonely’ president In a televised apology earlier this month,

Japanese man dies after rice ball eating contest TOKYO: A 28-year-old man died in Japan after choking on a rice ball at a speed-eating contest, an event organizer said yesterday. The man, whose name was withheld, died on November 16 in hospital three days after choking, said the local farmer’s cooperative that sponsored the event in the western city of Hikone. Contestants competed to see how fast they could eat five “onigiri” balls of locally grown steamed rice, a popular Japanese comfort food. The man shoved his fifth rice ball into his mouth before passing out and was rushed to a local hospital where he later died, the organizer said. The contest was composed of three sets of five contestants each. “We had the first and the second sets finished and were watching the third group when this happened,” said the official at the cooperative, who declined to be named. Eating contests are popular events at various regional fairs held in Japan to promote local produce and culture, as in other countries where choking deaths have been reported.

SEOUL: Supporters of South Korean President Park Geun-Hye wave the national flags during a pro-Park rally at Seoul station in Seoul. — AFP Park spoke of her “lonely” life as president, and acknowledged she had been “careless” and over-trusting in her relationship with Choi. Under South Korea’s constitution, a sitting president cannot be charged with a criminal offence except insurrection or treason. But she can be investigated by prosecutors and possibly charged after leaving office. “My own sense is that this is a friendship run badly amok,” said Robert Kelly, a professor of political science at Busan National University. “It sounds a lot like she was lonely and lost sight of proper boundaries. “Choi’s influence was likely inappropriate and unethical, but it is not obviously criminal. Barring some bombshell revelation, I doubt Park Geun-hye

will step down,” Kelly said. More than 50 companies, including giants like Samsung and Hyundai, were allegedly forced to donate a total of 77.4 billion won ($65.5 million) to the two foundations controlled by Choi. According to prosecutors, many acted out of fear of reprisals, like harsh tax audits or delays in getting regulatory approvals.

“Although Park kept her distance from her family and relatives, her unconditional trust in Choi led her to believe that the country would benefit from these foundations,” said Han Hee-Won, a law professor at Dongguk University. “This is a political scandal rather than corruption. There is no proof yet that Park took the millions for herself,” Han said.—AFP

Indonesian leader moves to stop ‘growth of radicalism’ JAKARTA: Indonesian President Joko Widodo said yesterday he was determined to “prevent the growth of radicalism”, apparently responding to rumors that Islamist extremists were planning protests to destabilize his government. Officials say there has been mounting alarm within the government since more than 100,000 Muslims, led by hardliners, took to the streets of Jakarta on Nov 4 to demand the ouster of the capital’s governor, a Christian, over alleged blasphemy. National Police Chief Tito Karnavian warned on Monday that certain groups may try to storm parliament during rallies that are expected this Friday and on Dec 2.

“There are hidden methods by certain groups to enter and occupy parliament... If (these actions) are intended to overthrow the government, that’s a violation of the law,” Karnavian said, according to media. Widodo has blamed “political actors” for fanning violence that erupted during the Nov. 4 protest, though he has not named anyone.

Analysts have said opponents of Widodo, the first Indonesian president to have come from outside the political elite or military, are using the Islamic furore over the Jakarta governor to undermine him.

Widodo held talks with a senior coalition partner yesterday, the latest in a series of meetings with top political, religious and military officials to signal the unity of his government and support from the security establishment. “I want to emphasize the spirit of pluralism ... and the government is determined to prevent the growth of radicalism in this country,” he told reporters after the meeting at the presidential palace. Widodo has met repeatedly with the military and called for security forces to be on alert against further unrest.

He has also met with top politicians, including the leader of his backing party, Megawati Sukarnoputri, and opposition leader Prabowo Subianto. The three have jointly called for calm. The trigger for the tension was a comment that Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, the first Christian and ethnic Chinese in the job, made about his opponents’ use of the Koran in political campaigning.

Indonesia has the world’s largest Muslim population and is also home to sizeable Christian and Hindu populations.

Purnama, popularly known as Ahok, is running for re-election in February against two Muslim candidates, including the son of former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Widodo has been seen as one of the governor’s main supporters.

Police have opened a probe into allegations Purnama insulted the Koran and questioned him on Tuesday.

Prosecutors are expected to bring a case to court in the coming weeks. He could face up to five years in prison if found guilty. Officials are also investigating a social media campaign calling for a run on banks on Nov 25 in protest over the government’s handling of the complaint against Purnama, the police press relations department said on Twitter. “It is our shared responsibility not to follow suggestions that are intended to inflict damage,” Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati told reporters on Monday, in response to a question about a possible run on banks. “...Economic recovery and stability are very important for the public.” — Reuters

BANDUNG: Indonesian President Joko Widodo inspects Air Force Special Forces (Paskhas) troops at the Paskhas headquarters in Bandung, West Java province. —AFP

Cambodian opposition MPs end boycott of parliament PHNOM PENH: Cambodia’s opposition MPs ended a six-month boycott of parliament yesterday, following months of legal and political pressure from strongman Prime Minister Hun Sen. Lawmakers from the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) pulled out of parliamentary sessions in May after some MPs, including its deputy leader Kem Sokha, were slapped with legal cases by the government. With 2018 elections in view, Hun Sen is increasingly using Cambodia’s pliant courts-as well as his political cunning-to box in rivals, a tactic he has deployed throughout his 31-year tenure in office. Yesterday 39 opposition MPs ended their boycott and joined the parliamentary debate on a $5 billion budget for 2017. “We must return to debate it,” said CNRP spokesman and lawmaker Yim Sovann. He denied his party had caved in to Hun Sen’s pressure tactics but said his party “are the victims of political crackdown.” “This (end of boycott) is also a gesture to show that we want a resolution” to the political crisis, he said.

Accused killer of lawmaker declines to defend himself LONDON: The man accused of murdering British Member of Parliament Jo Cox will not speak in his own defense at his trial, a British court heard yesterday. Thomas Mair, 53, had declined to enter a plea at a pre-trial hearing in October, so a judge had recorded a plea of not guilty on his behalf. Labor MP Cox, 41, was shot three times and repeatedly stabbed on the street in the town of Birstall, part of her electoral district in northern England, a week before Britain voted to leave the EU in June. Defense lawyer Simon Russell Flint told jurors at London’s Old Bailey court: “We call no evidence for Mr Mair.” Judge Alan Wilkie said the jury could draw their own conclusions if he declined to offer evidence.

Vietnam scraps nuke power plant projects

BANGKOK: Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-O-Cha presides over a mass pledge of allegiance to the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej during a ceremony at the Government House in Bangkok.—AFP

Junta ramps up its royalism with mass loyalty ceremony

HANOI: Power-hungry Vietnam scrapped plans for two multi-billion dollar nuclear power plants yesterday, citing environmental and financial reasons after the cost of the projects skyrocketed. The two plants in central Ninh Thuan province had a combined capacity of 4,000 megawatts and were to be developed with assistance from Russia’s Rosatom and the Japanese consortium JINED. The cost of the nuclear power plants, slated to be the first in Southeast Asia, doubled since they were first tabled in 2009 to an estimated $18 billion, officials said earlier. The government said costs mushroomed as they sought more advanced technology following Japan’s deadly Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011. “The project was suspended not due to technological reasons, but the country’s current economic situation,” the government said on its website.

Thailand approves $358 million cash handout for poor BANGKOK: From civil servants to school children, soldiers and celebrities, tens of thousands of Thais took part in a mass “oath of loyalty” yesterday to the country’s recently deceased monarch. King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s death on October 13 after a seven-decade reign has sparked mass displays of grief and left the politically-divided nation without its only unifying figure.

Yesterday’s ceremony, which was ordered by the country’s arch royalist junta leadership, was a vivid illustration of both Thai devotion to their late monarch and how the country’s military rulers have further ramped up the kingdom’s well-oiled royalist propaganda machine since Bhumibol’s death. Junta leader Prayut Chan-O-Cha, who seized power in 2014, led 3,000 civil servants in a ceremony in Bangkok in front of a giant portrait of the king. “We will remain in allegiance to all the kings of the Chakri dynasty until we die,” Prayut said in the oath, which called on Thais to “respect the law” and emulate the king’s teachings.

The scene was repeated up and down the country with all public servants, state employees and armed forces personnel expected to take part.

Thai television channels broadcast footage of children on their knees forming a giant representation of the number 9 - a reference to Bhumibol’s official title Rama IX. Channel 3, Thailand’s most popular entertainment channel, showed its large cast of celebrities dressed in black, taking the oath and singing the royal anthem.

The military has long portrayed itself as the ultimate defender of the monarchy, often using perceived threats to the

institution as justification for many of the 12 successful coups they have carried out since the end of absolute rule in 1932.

The relationship was reciprocal, with Bhumibol signing off on their coups.

Many saw their 2014 putsch as a move to ensure they were in charge ahead of any succession. Bhumibol’s named successor is Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, who has yet to attain his father’s widespread popularity or unifying status. Vajiralongkorn surprised many and veered from tradition by asking to delay his proclamation as king in order to grieve with the nation, according to the junta. That caused initial concern that the succession was unclear, something the junta denied. A military source said yesterday the expected proclamation date was December 1 when Thailand’s rubber-stamp parliament, the body which announced the new monarch, will next meet.

Handout for poor Meanwhile, Thailand’s military leaders yesterday announced $358 million in cash handouts for some of the kingdom’s poorest people, a surprise giveaway from a junta that decried subsidies by the civilian government it toppled.

The move comes as Yingluck Shinawatra, whose democratically elected administration was kicked out in a 2014 coup, faces up to a decade in jail over a generous rice subsidy aimed at the rural poor.

Since seizing power junta leader Prayut Chan-O-Cha has railed against the rice scheme, which cost Thailand billions of dollars, and vowed to end Thailand’s culture of “populist” govern-

ment subsidies. But in its latest sop to an increasingly hard-up public, Prayut said $358 million in cash handouts would be released next month. “It’s a measure to help low-income earners,” he told reporters adding the move would be a “stimulus to the economy that would trigger more spending”.

Those earning under 30,000 baht ($845) a year will receive a 3,000 baht one-time handout while those earning between 30-100,000 baht will be given 1,500 baht.

Farmers are not included in the latest handout because they had already received financial help, he added. The military has stifled opposition to its rule by clamping down on rights but has found economic success more elusive.

Although the economy has picked up since the coup-with a forecast growth rate of 3.2 percent this year - high household debt, weakening exports, slumping foreign investment and low consumer confidence crimp what was once one of the region’s strongest economies.

Farmers, especially in the enormous rice and rubber sectors, have been hit hard by low commodity prices this year.

The economic wobbles have seen the junta resort to the kind of populist tactics they vowed to end. Earlier this month the junta approved a rescue package of at least $1.3 billion in subsidies for farmers who agree to delay selling their crops to avoid a glut. Rice is Thailand’s staple dish and one of its main agricultural exports, but also has major political significance as farmers are the backbone of a pro-democracy movement that the junta has suppressed.— Agencies

Indonesia Gov faces grilling over blasphemy allegations JAKARTA: Jakarta’s Christian governor was questioned by police yesterday for the first time since being named a suspect in a blasphemy investigation seen by critics as a test of religious tolerance in Indonesia. Police are pursuing allegations that Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, better known by his nickname Ahok, insulted the Koran, a criminal offence that carries a jail sentence in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country.

The allegations have sparked much anger among Muslims-both moderate and hardline-with more than

B r i e f

100,000 taking to the streets of Jakarta earlier this month demanding Purnama be prosecuted. Purnama-Jakarta’s first non-Muslim leader in half a century and a member of Indonesia’s ethnic Chinese minority-declined to comment as he arrived for questioning at national police headquarters. But his spokesman Ruhut Sitompul said Purnama would continue to cooperate with police, who have ordered the governor not to leave the country. “Our country is a country based on the law. Our president told us not to interfere with the police and to respect the law,”

Sitompul said. President Joko Widodo met political figures this week to bolster support before further rallies planned in coming weeks by religious groups. “The government is committed with all its force to prevent the growth of radicalism in our country,” Widodo told reporters yesterday. The massive demonstration earlier this month turned violent as hardliners torched vehicles and attacked police, forcing Widodo to cancel a trip abroad to manage the crisis. Police have vowed to crack down on hardliners who try to use future rallies to stoke violence.— AFP

Kyrgyz opposition leader calls for president’s impeachment BISHKEK: An opposition leader in ex-Soviet Kyrgyzstan yesterday announced a bid to impeach President Almazbek Atambayev as the politically volatile Central Asian state prepares for a controversial referendum on constitutional changes. Omurbek Tekebayev, the leader of the opposition Ata-Meken parliamentary party, told journalists he was gathering signatures to show public support and would seek to put a bill on Atambayev ’s impeachment to the vote by MPs early next year. “We will gather the necessary facts and documents presented in the form of a legal document and begin the impeachment process before March,” said Tekebayev, a political veteran whose party has 11 seats in the 120-member parliament.

Rescuers work near vehicles collided on the Pingyang section of Beijing-Kunming expressway in north China’s Shanxi Province. — AP

Pile-up on Chinese motorway kills 17 BEIJING: A huge pile-up on a Chinese motorway killed at least 17 people when a total of 56 vehicles crashed into each other in winter weather, state media said yesterday. The accident happened in snow and rainy weather in the northern province of Shanxi, on an expressway linking Beijing with Kunming, the official news agency Xinhua reported. Pictures of the scene showed lorries scattered haphazardly across the road, some of them overturned, and burnt-out wrecks of cars after the crash Monday. Another 37 injured people were stable after treatment, Xinhua said. Traffic accidents are common in China, with the World Health Organization estimating that more than 260,000 people were killed on the country’s roads in 2013. The WHO figures are strikingly higher than official pronouncements, in a country where government data are often questioned, with the National Bureau of Statistics reporting 58,539 traffic fatalities that yearless than a quarter of the WHO’s approximation.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016

NEWS

A general view of Martyrs Cemetery, the oldest and largest in the capital overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in Rabat, Morocco on Monday. — AP

Qatari women robbed of millions in Paris robbery PARIS: Two Qatari women were held up on a Paris motorway and robbed of valuables worth more than five million euros ($5.3 million) in the latest heist targeting wealthy visitors to the French capital. The women, in their sixties, had just left Le Bourget airport northeast of the capital on Monday when their chauffeur-driven Bentley was held up by two masked men who sprayed them with tear gas, a police source said Tuesday. The robbers stole “everything in the vehicle: Jewels, clothes, luggage”, the source said.

Last month, American reality TV star Kim Kardashian was tied up and robbed at gunpoint of $10 million in jewels in a luxury apartment in the heart of Paris. Police said the robbers held a gun to Kardashian’s head, bound and gagged her and shut her into a bathroom in the biggest jewelry robbery of an individual in France in more than 20 years. In another incident, Bollywood actress Mallika Sherawat was punched in the face and sprayed with tear gas by three masked men in an upmarket area of Paris this month. The 40-year-old star and her partner were attacked as they returned to an apartment building in the chic 16th district by three masked men who tried to steal her handbag.

The incidents have done little to help efforts by the

government to coax tourists back to France in the wake of the Nov 2015 jihadist attacks in which 130 people died, followed by the Bastille Day truck massacre in southern city Nice that killed 86. In the Paris area alone, tourism revenue is expected to plunge by €1.5 billion ($1.6 billion) this year. Security has been stepped up around tourist magnets in Paris in response to the highprofile robberies.

The attack on the Qatari women took place on a section of motorway leading north from Paris to the Charles de Gaulle and Le Bourget airports which is often the scene of holdups targeting wealthy foreigners in luxury cars, some of whom carry large amounts of cash.

The robbers often take advantage of traffic jams near the Landy tunnel, which is some 1.3 km long, to pounce.

Last month, a taxi transporting the chief executive of a French furniture chain among other passengers was held up after leaving Le Bourget, which is often used by private jets.

The three robbers made off with an estimated €100,000 in valuables. A Korean art collector was the target of a similar heist last year, with three attackers snatching four million euros in Chanel jewels from her car in the Landy tunnel. — AFP

KAC responds Continued from Page 1 of State for Housing Affairs and Acting Transport Minister Yasser Hassan Abul, and Kuwait Airways, the national carrier. The main areas of discussion, as previously reported, were conducted with transparency and related to general conditions of employment and transfers. Subject to the provisions contained within the Privatization Law (No. 6 - 2008), Kuwait Airways was in full compliance.

The agreement with the government means that pilots who had already left the airline and transferred to

a government payroll, under the Civil Service Commission (CSC), can rejoin Kuwait Airways on new contracts. Pilots who had not yet transferred to a government job will resume work with no interruption in their service benefits, as per the law.

As the country’s national carrier, Kuwait Airways remains fully committed to the hiring of highly-trained Kuwaiti nationals. In fact, at this time, there are currently two new groups of Kuwaitis undergoing pilot training, therefore ensuring a strong national identity is maintained among its flight crew - now and well into the future.

Constitutional court throws out petition Opposition raises stakes

By B Izzak KUWAIT: The constitutional court yesterday threw out a petition calling to call off the Nov 26 parliamentary election because the Amiri decree dissolving the National Assembly last month was not in line with the constitution. The rejection came after a meeting of the court’s consultants’ panel, which studies constitutional petitions to see if they are credible to go to the judges or should be thrown out without debate.

The petition was submitted by lawyer-candidate Hani Hussein, who was barred from running in the polls by the election committee for being previously convicted by courts. The committee’s decision was upheld by the courts. The constitutional court said that the law allows people to directly file petitions at the constitutional court against laws and legislations, but not against Amiri decrees. It added that since Hussein’s petition deals with an Amiri decree, it cannot be debated by the constitutional court. Commenting on the decision, Hussein said on his Twitter account that he plans to resubmit the petition after the election to challenge the election process and results.

In a related development, the decision by the cassation court to bar 21 candidates from election was criticized by a number of top legal experts, who said the court should have allowed the candidates to run in the polls while it discussed their cases. The only hope for the candidates who include former MPs Safa Al-Hashem and Bader Al-Dahoum and the only ruling family member in the race, Sheikh Malek Al-Humoud Al-Sabah, is for the court to study the subject of their cases before the election on Saturday. A number of legal experts said that if some of the barred candidates win the cases in the cassation court, the election process could be repeated or they can demand huge compensations

from the government. Meanwhile, opposition candidates raised the stakes during their final election rallies in the past few days ahead of the weekend polls by calling for fundamental changes including changing the prime minister. Leading opposition figure and former Islamist MP Waleed Al-Tabtabaei said the opposition is demanding a “new government, a new strategy and a new prime minister”.

Speaking at his election rally, Tabtabaei said that the capabilities of the present Prime Minister HH Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah “are below the ambitions of the Kuwaiti people”. “We call on HH the Amir to select the most competent person among the ruling family or from the Kuwaiti people,” Tabtabaei said. The call was supported by several opposition figures including former Islamist MP Jamaan Al-Harbash, who said “we will demand a new prime minister if we get elected”.

Candidate Al-Humaidi Al-Subaie charged the government on Monday of using the revocation of citizenships as a weapon against its opponents. Former MP Ahmad Al-Qudhaibi charged the government at an election rally of protecting corruption and the corrupt, adding that the Kuwaiti people are paying the cost of the internal feuds within members of the ruling family.

He said the effects of these internal disputes have negatively impacted the functioning of the legislative and judicial authorities, and also the government.

Former MP Mohammad Al-Mutair said Kuwait passed through a very difficult phase in the past five years, adding that Kuwait used to be an example for democracy in the past but things have changed and forces of corruption have started to negatively influence it. He said that thefts and graft in the country are being committed in broad daylight and the previous Assembly was deeply involved in corruption.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016

ANALYSIS

THE LEADING INDEPENDENT DAILY IN THE ARABIAN GULF ESTABLISHED 1961

Founder and Publisher

YOUSUF S. AL-ALYAN Editor-in-Chief

ABD AL-RAHMAN AL-ALYAN EDITORIAL : 24833199-24833358-24833432 ADVERTISING : 24835616/7 FAX : 24835620/1 CIRCULATION : 24833199 Extn. 163 ACCOUNTS : 24835619 COMMERCIAL : 24835618 P.O.Box 1301 Safat,13014 Kuwait.

E MAIL :info@kuwaittimes.net Website: www.kuwaittimes.net

Washington Watch

Searches for powerful new Pak army chief

By Paul Handley

P

akistan’s popular military chief is expected to stand down this week after winning the hearts of millions with his bruising campaign against Islamic militants, leaving a vacancy for arguably the most powerful job in the country. Whoever steps into General Raheel Sharif’s shoes will play an outsize role in national life, offering the armed reassurance against archrival India that many Pakistanis see as vital to their identity. With the civilian government largely dismissed as corrupt and inefficient, the military offers a form of stability and steadfastness.

“The army is the only institution in Pakistan that is organized,” analyst Hassan Askari told AFP. “So the army has an advantage and also plays a role in politics, either openly or pulling strings from behind the scenes.” Sharif was the figurehead behind a widelylauded crackdown against militancy that is credited with pushing Islamist extremists to the margins.

Many in Pakistan were so grateful - the hashtag #ThankYouRaheelSharif went viral - that some even called for the general to launch a military coup. Critics say rights are being rolled back in the name of defeating terror, pointing to the creation of military courts and the resumption of hangings after a six-year moratorium. But there is no sign of a course correction from military headquarters in Rawalpindi city, and the announcement Monday that Sharif had begun a farewell tour scotched speculation he would extend his three-year tenure, set to end November 29, as previous military chiefs have done.

The general’s decision won him praise for respecting democracy, even as disappointed Pakistanis swarmed social media to pay tribute. His as-yet unnamed successor will face challenges ranging from an increasingly hostile India to the conflict in Afghanistan, growing links between homegrown militants and Islamic State jihadists, and blowback from a Trump presidency. He will also take control of the military’s uneasy relationship with the civilian government.

The military has been in charge of Pakistan for more than half of its nearly 70-year history. The country is nominally ruled at present by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. But his administration is embroiled in accusations of corruption and waste, and increasingly finds itself playing second fiddle to a military that is already widely seen as controlling foreign policy and defence, leading to accusations it is carrying out a “creeping coup”. “General Sharif will be remembered for positing the military as a state within a state more than many of the guys before him,” analyst Ayesha Siddiqa told AFP. “The manner in which Sharif pushed the envelope was unbelievable.”

The Contenders The power to choose the new military chief lies with Nawaz Sharif, though he is believed to be working off a shortlist supplied by the men in uniform. The highestranking contender is the army’s Chief of General Staff, Lieutenant General Zubair Hayat, previously responsible for the safety and security of the country’s nuclear program. Behind Hayat in rank but seen by some analysts as a favourite, is Lieutenant General Ishfaq Nadeem, commander of the important Multan corps.

The others in the running are Lieutenant General Qamar Javed Bajwa, chief of the army’s training and evaluation branch, and Lieutenant General Javed Iqbal Ramdey, respected for an operation to drive out the Pakistani Taliban in northwestern Swat Valley in 2009.

Analysts agree there may be little change in tack, especially with regards to Afghanistan, India and China.

“The new generals coming up next are all trained by Raheel Sharif,” said analyst Ahmed Rashid, though he warned there would be more pressure on the civilian government to perform.

Much may depend on the relationship with Washington, which has supplied billions to the military for the fight against extremism since 2002. Sharif helped to improve relations after a furore over the US killing of former Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, found hiding in Pakistan. But choppy waters lie ahead.

The incoming Trump administration has said little about Pakistan specifically. However the presidentelect’s anti-Muslim campaign rhetoric, seeming desire to cut foreign spending, and business interests in India are ominous signs for Sharif’s successor. — AFP

All articles appearing on these pages are the personal opinion of the writers.

Kuwait Times takes no responsibility for views expressed therein. Kuwait Times invites readers to voice their opinions. Please send submissions via email to: opinion@kuwaittimes.net or via snail mail to PO Box 1301 Safat, Kuwait. The editor reserves the right to edit any submission as necessary.

Dems search for answers to stem GOP tide

S

till sifting through the wreckage of the Nov 8 election, Democratic leaders nationwide are struggling to find a new message to claw back support and avoid years in the political wilderness. Not only do Republicans control the White House and both the US Senate and the House of Representatives, they now hold 33 governor’s offices. New England, long considered reliably Democratic, is a prime example of the party’s demise. Republican Phil Scott won in Vermont over Democrat Sue Minter who was criticized, like presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, for failing to develop an economic message that resonated with voters worried about good-paying jobs.

Considered a liberal bastion, Vermont has a tradition of sometimes choosing a Republican governor to keep one party from having too much control. Elsewhere, Republican Chris Sununu will replace a Democratic governor in New Hampshire while Maine and Massachusetts already have Republican governors. “We lost the governorship of freaking Vermont,” lamented Washington-based Democratic strategist Chris Kofinis. “We didn’t just lose an election. This was a national rebuke. This was biblical.”

Republicans also command 32 state legislatures and have full control - meaning they hold the governor’s office and both legislative chambers - in 24 states, including swing states such as Florida, Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin. When President Barack Obama was elected in 2008, they controlled just nine. “ There are more Republicans at the state legislative level than there have ever been,” said Tim Storey, an analyst with the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Republicans scored a major coup when they seized the Senate in traditionally liberal Minnesota, giving it full control of the legislature, and they gained full control of nextdoor Iowa. “The party’s message, structure and apparatus are broken,” said Kofinis, who was chief of staff to moderate Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia. “We haven’t acknowledged it for years because we had the White House.”

Obama’s two terms masked a crumbling party infrastructure. During Obama’s tenure, Democrats lost over 800 state legislative seats, at least 13 governorships and both houses of Congress. Party insiders are reluctant to blame the popular Obama but cite plenty of reasons for the decline. These include a muddled economic message; an overemphasis on emerging demographic groups such as minorities and millennial at the expense of white voters; a perception the party is elitist and aligned with Wall Street; a reluctance to embrace the progressive populism of Senator Bernie Sanders, the former presidential hopeful; and failure to field strong candidates in key states.

There is an emerging consensus, they add, that the party has been too focused on winning national races and has not invested enough in local campaigns, along with a grudging admission that Republicans have done a better job of competing on the ground. As a result, a poor performance by the Democrats in the 2010 midterm elections gave Republicans control of statehouses across the country, allowing them to redraw legislative maps to fashion

districts that would help ensure their long-term electoral success. “I think the foundation was built back in 2010,” Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker told Reuters. “There was a big wave and then for many of us that were elected in ‘10, we got reelected in ‘14 in battleground states - Wisconsin, Florida, Ohio, Michigan. You look at the states that were key to the presidential win, were states where Republicans did well in ‘10 and then sustained it.”

‘Under-Resourced’ Democrats are working to recover and looking ahead to governor’s races in New Jersey and Virginia next year to make up lost ground. Governor’s offices have become crucial for another reason: Republican governors signed voter

suppression measures in states such as North Carolina that Democrats believe damaged turnout. Sununu has said that as one of his first acts as governor in New Hampshire, he would like to end the state’s practice of allowing same-day voter registration. As with redistricting, it is another lever of power that Republicans can wield to make sure they remain in the majority for a long time.

Obama has said he will actively support a new party initiative, the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, that seeks to restore state-level Democratic power. Mark Schauer, a former Michigan congressman who is a senior adviser to the effort, said the goal is to have a central organization direct resources into critical local races. — Reuters

Trump’s foreign policies can hurt, help his business

A

ny moves by Donald Trump to ban Muslims from entering the United States or bring back waterboarding to interrogate suspects could have repercussions for some of his sprawling foreign business interests - from his golf course in Scotland to luxury resorts in Indonesia. A review of press releases published on the Trump Organization website shows that 15 of 25 new acquisitions or joint ventures announced over the past five years were overseas. These include the purchase of golf courses in Ireland and Scotland and deals to license his name to developers and manufacturers in Dubai, Indonesia, India, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Mexico and Panama.

The deals underscore the potential conflicts of interest Trump will face after he is sworn in as president on Jan. 20 and his vulnerability to criticism that he is open to foreign influence. Foreign governments could potentially seek to exploit Trump’s business interests to affect his decision making, or to punish him through his pocket book for decisions they object to. Trump’s transition team declined to comment for this story.

In the 16 months to May, Trump earned up to $23 million from licensing his name to developers in emerging markets, according to a filing with the US Office of Government Ethics. “The licensing deals are the best of all because there’s no risk,” Trump told Reuters in an interview in June. “I have 121 deals right now, going forward, right now, 121, all over the world, in China, in Indonesia,” he added. Trump has said he will hand control of his company to his children. However, when he met with his Indian business partners last week it prompted a chorus of criticism that the wall between Trump and his company was still too porous. The Trump Organization has said a business structure will be set up that complies with “all applicable rules and regulations.” Trump has yet to commit to setting up a blind trust that would formally sever his ties

with his business. “I’m very confident he’s not breaking any laws,” Kellyanne Conway, a senior adviser to Trump, told reporters at Trump Tower in New York on Monday.

Backlash Trump could face a backlash against his business interests in Middle Eastern and Asian markets if he follows through with his campaign promise to ban Muslims from entering the United States, and continues to be open to restoring waterboarding - a form of interrogation widely viewed as torture - or creating a national registry for Muslims, analysts said. “If the Muslim registry is introduced, he will have serious issues finding Muslim local partners,” said Professor Koen Pauwels, a marketing specialist at Ozyegin University, Istanbul. There would be a “backlash” if Trump substantially tightens visa restrictions on Muslim visitors, Pauwels added.

In December 2015, Trump’s anti-Muslim comments cost him business in the Middle East when a major chain of department stores halted sales of his glitzy “Trump Home” line of lamps, mirrors and jewelry boxes in the region. Trump has long identified the Middle East as a major growth market, and his company is working with Dubai-based real estate giant DAMAC Properties to build two golf clubs - including one with a course designed by Tiger Woods - and a gated island community outside the city. His daughter Ivanka said last year the organization was in talks on deals in Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Trump has a licensing deal with a developer for a Trump-branded retail complex in Istanbul. He also has signed deals in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country, to put his name on a redeveloped luxury golf resort in Java and a luxury cliff-top hotel and residential development in Bali. And it is not just in the Middle East that Trump could face repercussions for any foreign policy decisions. —Reuters

Houthi missile arsenal holds key to peace

A

UN peace plan for Yemen seeks to deprive the country’s armed Houthi movement of its missile arsenal which Yemeni security sources say includes scores and maybe even hundreds of Sovietera ballistic missiles pointed at Saudi Arabia.

But whether the Iran-allied group will abandon the missiles hidden in mountainous ravines which have given them regional clout despite 20 months of punishing war is an open question.

The group possesses Scud missiles, shorter-range Tochka and anti-ship missiles, and unguided Grad and Katyusha rockets, the security sources told Reuters. It has even manufactured smaller home-made rockets with names like “Volcano” and “Steadfast”. Retaining them could fortify the Houthis in a permanently armed enclave like fellow Iran-allied groups Hamas and Hezbollah - deepening the regional power struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran and unnerving key shipping lanes such as the Gulf of Aden through which most of the world’s oil is transported.

Western and regional powers have long worried that complex internal rivalries and an active Al-Qaeda branch could push Yemen toward chaos - fears which largely materialized last year. A Saudi-led military coalition has staged thousands of air strikes

on the Houthis since the group toppled the internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and fanned out across the country in March 2015. While Iran has strongly denied aiding the Houthis, Saudi concerns that the Houthis are the proxies of their regional arch-rival sparked their intervention.

Fate of Plan in Doubt The conflict has now killed 10,000 people while hunger and disease stalk the country which even before the war was awash with guns and plagued by poverty.

But the Houthis may feel ceding Yemen’s most powerful weapons to neutral officers and becoming a political party as envisioned by the UN plan may leave them vulnerable to attack. “When the Houthis seized (the capital) Sanaa, they assumed total control of state institutions, key posts in the army and all the missiles,” a senior Yemeni security official said, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity. “Relinquishing the security apparatus will be the most important step toward what the country needs most - putting the state back together,” the official added.

A 48-hour ceasefire aimed at paving the way for peace talks and a unity government expired on Monday, the latest in a series of

failed truces which leave the fate of the UN plan in doubt. Saudi-led bombings have repeatedly struck underground missile silos, sending mushroom clouds exploding over Sanaa. Early in the war, the coalition said it had destroyed 80 percent of the country’s stockpile of 300 ballistic missiles.

Yet the Houthis have managed to launch dozens of them at pro-government forces inside Yemen and at Saudi Arabia throughout the war, including just outside the holy city of Makkah some 600 km north of the country. While Scuds are notoriously inaccurate and most appear to have been shot down by Saudi Patriot missiles acquired from the United States, the projectiles have unnerved Gulf Arab states.

Seized from Army Stores Seized by the Houthis from army stores after their takeover, Yemen’s missiles were amassed over the course of decades in legal acquisitions from the Soviet Union and North Korea. The Houthis have upgraded some missiles to maximize their range, and their technical savvy in local manufacture of smaller rockets and several deadly launches may suggest foreign help, military analysts say. A Tochka ballistic missile attack last September killed more than 60 Emirati, Saudi and Bahraini troops outside the cen-

tral city of Marib and another killed the Saudi intelligence chief for Yemen and a senior Emirati officer in the southwest. Speaking to Reuters, an anti-Houthi tribal commander said his scouts spotted what they said were members of the Iranian-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah aiding the Marib strike. “My men reported spotting the missile launcher accompanied by several cars carrying Hezbollah advisers - we referred the information to the coalition but we got no response,” the commander said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, Brigadier General Ahmed Asseri, said it lacked evidence of a Hezbollah link to those attacks but believed the Houthis receive their help.

“We have information that there are Lebanese working with the (Houthi) militias belonging to Hezbollah ... We know they are there, we know they help them renew and maintain the missiles,” Asseri told Reuters.

Yemeni, Western and Iranian officials told Reuters that Iran has stepped up transfers of missiles and other weapons to the group in recent months. Brigadier General Sharaf Luqman, a spokesman for Yemen’s proHouthi military, denied in a statement this month that their forces had ever received Iranian aid. Iran and Hezbollah have also strongly denied aiding them. — Reuters

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016

S P ORTS

Double podium for Toyota GAZOO Racing at 6 Hours of Shanghai SHANGHAI: Toyota GAZOO Racing returned to the podium with second and third-place finishes in the 6 Hours of Shanghai, the penultimate race of the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season.

The #6 Toyota TS050 Hybrid driven by Stephane Sarrazin, Mike Conway and Kamui Kobayashi recovered from the misfortune of two tire punctures to earn second place and their fourth consecutive podium finish. That result keeps them in the fight for the drivers’ World Championship, having closed the gap to top spot to 17 points, with 26 still to fight for in the final race, in Bahrain on November 19.

Third place for Anthony Davidson, Sebastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima, their first podium ofthe season, keeps the team in the fight for runners-up in the manufacturers’ championship.

Takayuki Yoshitsugu, Chief Representative, Middle East and North Africa Representative Office, Toyota Motor Corporation, commented, “It was a tough race, but both cars performed exceptionally well under challenging circumstances to bring home a double podium finish for the team. The stage is now set for an exciting finale in Bahrain. The experience gained

from our multiple participations in the FIA World Endurance Championship will greatly enrich Toyota’s future vehicle development as we continue our pursuit of creating ‘ever-better’ cars. As usual, the fans were excellent, and we are counting on their continued support as the action shifts to the final round in Bahrain.”

Toshio Sato, Team President, said, “We are pleased to have both cars on the podium for the first time this season, despite some bad luck. Just like in the last three races, we have again seen an incredibly close fight with very little separating the three LMP1 manufacturers. This shows how high the level of competition is in WEC, and I think the many fans here in Shanghai enjoyed this spectacle. Now we have a short time to prepare for the last race in Bahrain when we expect to be again competitive; we want to maintain our strong performance and fight for the win again.”

When the race began on a sunny Shanghai day, Sebastian was at the wheel of the #5 Toyota for the team’s first front-row start of 2016, and he led briefly on the first lap before dropping to fifth, with Mike running fourth in the #6 Toyota in the opening laps. An unscheduled stop around the 90-minute mark for the #8, one of the competitors’ vehicles, lift-

ed the #6 Toyota into third place, with its sister car still just behind in fourth and both Toyota TS050 Hybrids pushing hard at the front.

The situation remained like that through two driver changes for both cars until, with two-and-a-half hours gone, Kamui passed the competitor’s vehicle #2 for second following an exciting three-lap duel. That pattern was repeated with the #5 Toyota soon after when Sebastien took over the fight shortly before the halfway point, closed up to the competitor’s vehicle #2 and took third. However, during the next round of pit stops, he dropped behind again.

More position changes followed soon after that, when a rear-left tire puncture on the #6 Toyota forced an unplanned pit stop and dropped Mike to fourth, with the #5 Toyota moving into the podium positions.

Frustratingly, misfortune again struck the #6 Toyota when another puncture forced an early pit stop with 80 minutes to go. Kamui began a charging recovery drive, overtaking the #5 Toyota for third and then, with 45 minutes remaining, taking second from the competitor’s vehicle #2.

At the final pit stops, Anthony emerged ahead of the competitor’s vehicle #2, bringing

the #5 Toyota back into the podium positions while, after the two punctures, Kamui was too far behind the race leader to mount an attack.

As the sun set, Kamui took the chequered flag

in second, 59.785 seconds behind the winning #1 car. Anthony followed 6.253 seconds later to secure Toyota’s first double podium since Shanghai in 2014.

Ghana neighbourhood where boxing is a way of life

SEOUL: This file photo taken on November 09, 2016 shows the Ski Jumping venue at the Alpensia Sports Park where the Ski Jumping event will take place during the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics Games 2018. — AFP

Olympics: Where? Pyeongchang fights for name-recognition SEOUL: As test events start this week for the 2018 Winter Olympics, host Pyeongchang is facing the uncomfortable truth that it’s a place not many people have heard of. When it comes to name-recognition, the isolated South Korean ski resort remains resolutely off-piste-and can also be confused with the North Korean capital, Pyongyang.

Promotional efforts aren’t being helped by news reports linking Pyeongchang to the snowballing corruption scandal engulfing South Korea’s President Park Geun-Hye. But organisers hope Pyeongchang’s profile will rise as it embarks on a five-month progamme of test events starting with a snowboard World Cup competition this week. Alpine skiing and figure skating are also among 26 competitions to be held at Olympic venues before the end of April, a hectic and challenging schedule for the hosts. “ The biggest challenge at the moment is how to promote the Games over the world, because this is a small place,” the head of the IOC Coordination Commission on Pyeongchang, Gunilla Lindberg, said last month.

“It’s not Rio de Janeiro and it’s not London,” Lindberg said.

It’s also quite remote. Arrivals at South Korea’s main Incheon international airport face a 250-kilometer (155 miles) journey to the other side of the peninsula-a threeand-a-half-hour trip by car.

A high-speed rail link connecting Seoul and Gangneung-a coastal city some 40 kilometers east of Pyeongchang-is expected to open in July next year.

PYEONGCHANG NOT PYONGYANG Because of limited space in Pyeongchang, many athletes and spectators will stay in Gangneung, which is hosting the ice skating events.

The launch of ticket sales has been postponed until February, a year before the Games start, with organisers hoping for a recognition bounce from the busy winter schedule. “Maybe it could be a bit easier if Pyeongchang was as well known as Seoul or Vancouver, but it’s not a major factor,” said You Jihyun, a spokesperson for the organising committee. “The test events will

be key in bringing the international winter sports fans’ attention to Pyeongchang,” You told AFP. Organisers will also be hoping that no visitors make the same mistake as the Kenyan delegate to a UN conference held in Pyeongchang in 2014, who mistakenly flew to Pyongyang. Landing without a valid visa, he was interrogated for five hours by North Korean customs officials and fined $500. To help people differentiate, provincial authorities have “re-branded” the resort as PyeongChang, with an upper-case “C”.

The IOC picked Pyeongchang as the Games host in 2011, favouring it over Munich in Germany and the French Alpine town of Annecy.

Total cost is estimated at 13.4 trillion won ($11.4 billion), with infrastructure accounting for 11.2 trillion won.

Initial preparations were dogged by construction delays and funding shortages, and things got so bad at one point that the IOC floated the possibility of moving some events to other countries such as Japan.

CORRUPTION CLAIMS The situation turned around after Korean Air chairman Cho Yang-Ho took over as head of the organising committee in July 2014, bringing in some big corporate sponsors like Samsung and getting the infrastructure schedule back on track.

But Cho abruptly stepped down from the post in May-a surprise move explained at the time by a desire to focus on his ailing shipping business.

Allegations have since emerged that he was pressured to resign after refusing to award an Olympic contract to a firm linked with Choi Soon-Sil-a close friend of President Park who was formally indicted Sunday on charges of coercion and abuse of power. Cho has described media reports that he was forced out for refusing to help Choi as “90 percent correct”-but his successor, former trade minister Lee Hee-Beom, has described them as exaggerated.

“We are confident that most of the tenders for Pyeongchang 2018 were handled through the public tender process, which cannot be affected by outside factors,” said spokesperson You.—AFP

ACCRA: Parkins Takyi-Aidoo bobs and weaves around a ragged punch bag, dancing on concrete in a rehearsal for the knockout blow that one day could secure him fame and glory. The Ghanaian is just 13 years old but by training in the Bukom neighbourhood of Accra-a hotbed for fighters-he probably has a better chance than most of becoming a contender.

The teenager spends hours each day at an outdoor gym close to the Atlantic Ocean’s crashing waves, aiming to make his dream of a world championship belt come true.

Painted yellow circles, to hone footwork, adorn the ground of the small courtyard. Well-used punch bags hang in one corner and old weights, rusted red by the salt and spray of the sea, are testament to the punishing regime needed to hit hard and win. Ghana has produced seven world champions and most came from Bukom, a poor area where crumbling colonial-era houses stand beside corrugated iron shacks. Without a suitable gym in his own town, Takyi-Aidoo came to Bukom specifically for boxing. “That is where champions are built,” he said, wiping sweat from his face.

“It’s about hard work and dedication. That’s why I’m here.” But some places for learning the noble art are getting a makeover, so big is the sport’s appeal, second only to football. A complex inaugurated nearby by Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama in November, leads the way. Equipped with an 800-seat auditorium, a two-storey aerobic training, physiotherapy and gym block, a 300-seat conference hall and a 4,000-seat open air arena, it is designed to help young fighters.

BREEDING BOXERS Takyi-Aidoo is one of hundreds of young men aspiring to be the next Joshua Clottey, a born-andbred Bukom hero who won the International Boxing Federation (IBA) welterweight title in 2008.

In his February 2016 State of the Nation address, Mahama said the new centre would help boxing hopefuls from Bukom and surrounding areas to “realise their dreams”. Its modernity stands out among 20 gyms in the area. Bernard Armah, who trains nearby at the Will Power Boxing Gym, a dilapidated shed with a boxing ring in the middle, has given himself 10 years to achieve his dream.

“People encourage you to take up boxing,” says the 18-year-old, whose family comes from Bukom and who grew up knowing it as an area where champions are born. Ghana’s most famous boxerand one of Takyi-Aidoo’s idols-is Azumah Nelson, revered as a national hero and beyond as one of the African continent’s best ever fighters.

Nelson came out of Bukom to win three World Boxing Council (WBC) belts at featherweight and super featherweight in the 1980s and 1990s. TakyiAidoo also idolises US fighter Floyd Mayweather.

“My vision is to be one of the greatest boxers ever seen. I always look at Floyd Mayweather and he inspires me,” he adds. The gym where the young hopeful trains is part of Ike Quartey’s family home, another Bukom star who held the World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight belt from 1994 until 1997.

FISH OR FIGHT Coach Prince Owusu said Bukom has become a breeding ground for boxers, in the same way Kenyan Rift Valley towns such as Iten and Eldoret are synonymous with champion middle- and longdistance runners. “Most of them, because of pover-

ACCRA: Ghana’s Sheriff Quaye (L) fights with Ghana’s Benjamin Lamptey for the National Lightweight belt during the opening of the Bukom Boxing Arena, Accra, November 15, 2016.

Parkins Takyi-Aidoo bobs and weaves around a ragged punch bag, dancing on concrete in a rehearsal for the knockout blow that one day could secure him fame and glory. — AFP ty, they enter boxing,” said the 37-year-old trainer, noting that Bukom offers a chance at some kind of education in a country where jobs and schooling are scarce. The skills and discipline of boxing make the young athletes excellent hires for police and private security companies, he said. “It’s a job opportunity if you know how to fight.” In Ghana, a country rich with oil and gold but with high unemployment and low household incomes, it’s often the sons of fishermen who step into the ring to escape a hard life at sea.

“Most of them are illiterate,” said the president

of the Ghana Boxing Authority, Peter Zwennes.

“A lot of them, when they can’t have basic education, they take to boxing.” Whether the new sporting complex near Bukom will host Ghana’s next champion boxers remains to be seen, but the president recently arrived there dressed as a champion, hoping to gather votes on the back of the changes. For Armah, the goals are multiple-if he makes it, he envisions a life of travel and fame but insists home and relatives will always be his priority. “If I become successful in the future, I will help the family,” he said. — AFP

Qatar Airways launches ultimate football fan competition to win tickets KUWAIR: Qatar Airways invites football fans from around the world to showcase their best freestyle moves and post them to social media using #QatarAirwaysCup, to be in with a chance to win a pair of tickets to the Match of Champions in Doha on 13 December.

The Match of Champions pits FC Barcelona, one of the most successful football clubs in the history of the sport, against Al-Ahli SC, one of the most beloved clubs in the Middle East and recent winner of the Saudi Professional League, Saudi Super Cup and the King Cup. Qatar Airways is the official airline of both clubs, who will go head to head at Al Gharafa Stadium in Doha on 13 December 2016.

Show your football skills by creating a fifteen second video that you can share using #QatarAirwaysCup on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook. You can also submit your video through the online application on www.qatarairways.com/qrchallenge. A Qatar Airways committee will choose the winners.

Winners will be announced on Qatar Airways’ social media channels. The competition started on 15thof November until 29thof November, and the winners will be announced on 1st of December. All details and terms and

conditions are available on www.qatarairways.com/qrchallenge Qatar Air ways Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications and Marketing, Ms. Salam Al Shawa, said: “This competition is a special gift to all of our travellers, and millions of social media fans across the world who love football. Professional players from both FC Barcelona and Al-Ahli SC, such as Lionel Messi and Omar Al Somah, inspire millions of football enthusiasts around the globe. With this Qatar Airways Cup competition fans will have great fun showcasing their own skills for the chance to win a dream come true, and travel with Qatar Air ways to be a par t of the Match of Champions. The game, between our two favourite teams, FC Barcelona and Al-Ahli SC, will be a memorable occasion for us all, and I can’t wait to see who will be joining us to cheer on the teams.”

Qatar Airways flies to more than 150 destinations on six continents, one of the world’s largest airline networks. Through this vast network, the airline connects nearly 30 million people a year, through its hub and home, Hamad International Airport, itself the official airport of FC Bayern-Munich.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016

S P ORTS

Australia chase back-to-back World Cup titles MELBOURNE: Australia go in search of back-to-back World Cup wins in Melbourne this week at an event tinged with controversy over team picks by England and Scotland.

The last time it was held in 2013 the World Cup was primarily an individual tournament, with a 60-strong field featuring two players from each country participating in 72 holes of stroke play.

World number one Jason Day won the individual title for Australia, while Day and Adam Scott clinched the team portion for the best aggregate score.

This year it returns to 28 two-man teams playing 72 holes of stroke play.

The first and third days will be the foursomes and the second and final days the fourball play.

Day is a no-show due to a back injury, leaving Scott to defend the title with Marc Leishman at Melbourne’s Kingston Heath Golf Club.

“I’m extremely excited about playing in the World Cup of Golf with Adam,” said Leishman of his unexpected call-up.

The event has enticed many of the top 50 with US$8 million in prize money, including number seven Scott and two of the sport’s hottest golfers-Japan’s sixth-ranked Hideki Matsuyama and Sweden’s number nine Alex Noren.

Matsuyama has won three of his last four events while Noren has been a winner four times this season.

The United States are expected to be in the hunt on Sunday, with Ryder Cup hero Rickie Fowler and reigning US PGA Championship winner Jimmy Walker.

RAISED EYEBROWS The build-up has seen controversy with England’s Chris Wood and Scotland’s Russell Knox both drawing criticism for their choice of playing partners. Former world number one Lee Westwood had his flight for Melbourne booked after being picked to be the

of myself, Andy Sullivan and Matthew Fitzpatrick to pick Lee. And I’m sure all of us were a little bit frustrated by that, but nothing was made of it.

“I’ve gone down the rankings and Sulli was the guy behind me and that was the right way to do it, I believe.”

The same is true for Knox, whose choice of close friend Duncan Stewart as partner also raised some eyebrows on the European scene.

“I could pick anyone in the top 500 in the world and I did,” said Knox, who has won twice on the PGA Tour in the past 12 months. “I don’t really care what other people think.” — AFP

England teammate of US Masters champion Danny Willett.

But when Willett withdrew because of a back injury two weeks ago, the chance to fly the flag for England went to the next-highest player on the world rankings in Wood. He chose Andy Sullivan, leaving Westwood reportedly fuming.

Wood said he could understand Westwood’s frustration to a point. “But it was Dan (Willett) who pulled out that affected him. It had nothing to do with me,” Wood said Tuesday.

“Dan had the choice to pick a few months ago and he looked past the likes

Aussie rugby coach Cheika admits to getting it wrong DUBLIN: Australian rugby coach Michael Cheika admitted to AFP in an interview he had to reset to zero after some disappointing results earlier in the year.

The 49-year-old-the 2015 World Coach of the Year after turning round the fortunes of a demoralised Wallabies squad and within a year guiding them to the World Cup final-said he had pressed on relentlessly with his project for the team without taking into account the new faces coming into the set-up. Subsequently the Wallabies suffered a historic 3-0 home whitewash series defeat to England-coached by Cheika’s former Randwick team-mate and ex Australia handler Eddie Jones-and three losses to bitter rivals New Zealand. When asked whether his ‘young guns’-who had replaced the ‘Wild Bunch’ veterans such as Matt Giteau and Adam Ashley-Cooper-had taken time to assimilate into the set-up and his ideas for having a strong Wallabies side based on identity he was typically forthright. “Maybe I didn’t get it 100% right at the start of the year,” he told AFP at the Wallabies Dublin hotel as the side prepare for a crunch match against Ireland on Saturday.

“When the new guys started coming in from a mental perspective maybe I tried to continue on and didn’t understand that maybe they and the other players who had gone back to their Super Rugby sides had to be either reminded of the project or introduced to it for the first time. “We needed to go back to zero and the players told who we are and how we represent Australia and buy into the project again.”

Cheika, who is two wins away from emulating the 1984 Wallabies and achieving a Grand Slam over the Home Nations, admits doing that has turned round their fortunes.

“Maybe I went on ahead with too many different themes and tried to evolve those as opposed to understanding there were a lot of new guys and it was best to restart from zero and rebuild.

“We did that and we began to feel a lot more comfortable.” Cheika, who is the only coach to win both the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere continental club competitions, says that his focus on establishing an identity for the team goes back to his days at fashionable Sydney club Randwick where he was a robust and fearless No 8. “I think definitely identity has been part of my own ethos,” he said. “The club who brought me up and played for really taught me on that. “For me when you’re in the Aussie team you are in a position to inspire young kids and people to support us and also take up playing the game. “The only chance they get to relate to us is when we play on the day and the bond can only be strong if they see we play with pride for the shirt and its something supporters can connect with back home.” Cheika, who had an unconventional background for a national coach after making a successful career in the fashion industry, admits his character even perplexes himself.

At times fiery, he is also renowned for his very uncorporate style of speaking “I think I’m still learning about that stuff (his character) and maybe one day I will sit back and work out exactly what it is,” he said. “But I enjoy going at all kinds of spectrums and engaging with different people from all different classes and societies and races. “I enjoy the diversity in the world and that you get so many opportunities out there. “I’ll work it (my character) out one day.” —AFP

Draisaitl, Talbot help Oilers thump Blackhawks 5-0 EDMONTON: Leon Draisaitl scored twice and Cam Talbot made 31 saves for his third shutout of the season, helping the Edmonton Oilers beat the Western Conference-leading Chicago Blackhawks 5-0 on Monday night. Oscar Klefbom, Andrej Sekera and Anton Slepyshev also scored for the Oilers. Corey Crawford made 22 saves in the loss as the Blackhawks had a two-game winning streak snapped. Teenage captain Connor McDavid had two assists for Edmonton. The 19-year-old set up a goal 2:39 in by skating the length of the ice before centering the puck for Klefbom, who blasted a shot past Crawford. McDavid also assisted late in the first when Draisaitl tipped in Klefbom’s shot from the point on a power play for a 2-0 lead.

Michael Cheika

Doping charges against Jeptoo’s manager dropped NAIROBI: Prosecutors in Kenya withdrew doping charges against banned marathon runner Rita Jeptoo’s former manager yesterday, saying they wanted to conduct more investigations.

Federico Rosa, an Italian national, had been facing charges that he provided or administered banned substances to Jeptoo and another little-known Kenyan runner, with some of the allegations dating back as far as 2004.

Rosa said he had been given back his passport by a court in Nairobi and was free to go. He had been out on bail ahead of Tuesday’s court hearing.

“There is no witnesses. There is nothing against me. There is no case. This is one of the best days of my life,” Rosa told The Associated Press in a phone interview.

Rosa was freed, but prosecutors said they would investigate further and he could be re-arrested and re-charged.

Prosecutors had said that Rosa was complicit in Jeptoo’s doping in 2014, when he was her manager. Jeptoo, once the leading women’s marathon runner in the world, tested positive for EPO in an out-of-compe-

EDMONTON: Connor McDavid #97 of the Edmonton Oilers looks for a shot as Niklas Hjalmarsson #4 and goalie Corey Crawford #50 of the Chicago Blackhawks defend on Monday at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. — AFP

tition test that year. She was initially banned for two years, but her punishment was doubled to four years by the Court of Arbitration for Sport last month. That CAS ruling also appeared to vindicate Rosa, with the Swiss-based court noting in its findings that Jeptoo had hidden her doping from her management and coaching team at the time. Rosa ended his association with Jeptoo after she failed the doping test.Although Jeptoo was named as a complainant by prosecutors in the Kenyan criminal case, Rosa disputed that his client had ever accused him of involvement in her doping. Charges that Rosa helped administer banned substances to Elijah Kiprono Boit, a former 800-meter runner who competed at the world youth championships in 2001 and 2004, were also dropped. Rosa was accused of helping Boit dope between 2004-08.

Rosa represents a number of top Kenyan athletes, including three-time world 1,500meter champion Asbel Kiprop and Olympic marathon champion Jemima Sumgong.

Kiprop attended Tuesday’s court hearing in support of Rosa. — AP

NAIROBI: Federico Rosa, an Italian national and former manager of banned marathon runner Rita Jeptoo, receives a phone call before speaking to The Associated Press in his hotel room in Nairobi, Kenya yesterday. Rosa had been facing charges that he provided or administered banned substances to Jeptoo and another little-known Kenyan runner, but prosecutors in Kenya withdrew the charges yesterday. — AP

RANGERS 5, PENGUINS 2 J.T. Miller scored short-handed to cap a second-period rally, helping New York overcome an early two-goal deficit to beat Pittsburgh. The teams play again tonight at Madison Square Garden to complete a pivotal, early season home -and-home between Metropolitan Division contenders. The Penguins have lost four of six and trail the first-place Rangers by four points. Pittsburgh’s Jake Guentzel scored twice in the first period of his first NHL game, but Rick Nash and Michael Grabner made it 2-2 before Miller, a Pittsburgh native, got his eighth of the season. Kevin Hayes added his ninth goal midway through the third, and Derek Stepan also scored into an empty net. Antti Raanta, starting the second game of a back-to-back for New York, rebounded after the first period and made 29 saves for his fifth win in six games.

Marc-Andre Fleur y stopped 31 shots for Pittsburgh.

STARS 3, WILD 2, OT Jamie Benn flicked in a goal 1:23 into overtime, lifting Dallas over Minnesota. Benn took a cross-ice pass from Tyler Seguin in the left faceoff circle and shot over goalie Darcy Kuemper’s right shoulder. The Stars had lost five straight overtime games and nine in a row going back to last season. Their last overtime win at home was on Nov. 14, 2015 - also 3-2 against the Wild.

Dallas twice took one-goal leads, but the Wild answered each time. The Stars’ Jamie Oleksiak scored his first in more than two years on a rebound at 7:19 of the second period. Nino Niederreiter tied the game on the power play at 17:22 of the second. Brett Ritchie gave Dallas a 2-1 lead at 1:01 of the third, but 3 minutes later, Erik Haula scored for Minnesota.

Arvidsson also scored and Ryan Ellis added three assists for the Predators, winners of two of three. Rinne continued his hot November, improving to 6-1-2 on the month. Tyler Johnson scored and Ben Bishop made 27 saves for Tampa Bay, which got its only defeat in the final game of a five-game trip.

AVALANCHE 3, BLUE JACKETS 2, OT Matt Duchene scored 1:49 into overtime in his first game back from a concussion, helping Colorado snap Columbus’ seven-game home winning streak. The victory improved Colorado’s record to 9-9-0, while Columbus, playing its second game in two days, fell to 10-5-2. Colorado led 2-1 before Columbus’ Cam Atkinson tied it with 6.5 seconds left, assisted by Sam Gagne and Zach Werenski. It was Atkinson’s second goal of the night and seventh of the season. His first score came at 9:00 of the first period.Semyon Varlamov stopped 40 of 42

shots, while Curtis McElhinney, starting in relief of Sergei Bobrovsky, stopped 24 attempts.

SABRES 4, FLAMES 2 Kyle Okposo had a goal and an assist, helping Buffalo bust an offensive slump with three power-play goals in a victory over Calgary.

Johan Larsson, Matt Moulson and Marcus Foligno also scored for the Sabres, who reached three goals in a game for the first time in 11 chances, since a 3-1 win at Winnipeg on Oct. 30.

Buffalo has won consecutive games for just the second time this season. Matthew Tkachuk had a goal and an assist and Mikael Backlund also scored for Calgary, which is coming off a 3-2 win at Detroit on Sunday night. Buffalo got two assists each from Sam Reinhart and Taylor Fedun, who now has four assists in three games since being called up from the AHL. Robin Lehner had 29 saves for the Sabres, and Brian Elliott turned away 28 shots for Calgary. — AP

NHL results/standings Buffalo 4, Calgary 2; NY Rangers 5, Pittsburgh 2; Colorado 3, Columbus 2 (OT).

Chicago St. Louis Dallas Minnesota Winnipeg Nashville Colorado Edmonton San Jose Anaheim Los Angeles Calgary Vancouver Arizona

Montreal

Western Conference Central Division W L OTL GF GA 13 5 2 61 53 10 6 3 47 51 8 7 5 53 66 9 7 2 46 35 9 10 2 58 62 8 7 3 50 48 9 9 0 39 49 Pacific Division 11 8 1 59 51 10 8 1 45 42 9 7 3 50 46 10 9 1 51 51 8 12 1 49 69 7 10 2 41 61 6 9 2 44 56 Eastern Conference Atlantic Division 14 3 2 60 42

PTS 28 23 21 20 20 19 18 23 21 21 21 17 16 14

30

Tampa Bay Boston Ottawa Florida Toronto Buffalo Detroit

12 7 1 62 49 25 11 7 0 45 40 22 10 7 1 40 46 21 10 8 1 52 51 21 8 7 3 57 60 19 7 8 4 37 48 18 8 10 1 46 51 17 Metropolitan Division NY Rangers 14 5 1 81 47 29 Pittsburgh 11 5 3 54 55 25 Washington 11 5 2 48 40 24 Columbus 10 4 3 56 40 23 New Jersey 9 6 3 41 42 21 Philadelphia 8 8 3 62 67 19 Carolina 7 6 4 45 49 18 NY Islanders 5 8 4 42 54 14 Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in the standings and are not included in the loss column (L)

SHARKS 4, DEVILS 0 Martin Jones made 26 saves, Chris Tierney and Patrick Marleau each scored early and San Jose sent New Jersey to its third straight loss.Logan Couture and Brent Burns also scored for the Sharks, who had just one point in their last three games. Keith Kinkaid saved 37 of 41 shots for the Devils, who ended their California trip winless in three games. Tierney scored a short-handed goal two minutes into the contest after he stole a pass and raced unguarded to beat Kinkaid. Tierney later left the game after getting hit in the face by the puck.

PREDATORS 3, LIGHTING 1 P.K. Subban scored twice in the second period and Pekka Rinne made 23 saves, helping Nashville to a win over Tampa Bay. Viktor

PITTSBURGH: Justin Schultz #4 of the Pittsburgh Penguins reaches for the puck while laying on the ice against the New York Rangers at PPG PAINTS Arena on Monday in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. — AFP

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016

S P ORTS

Desperate Aussies roll the dice to stop rampant Proteas ADELAIDE: Crisis-torn Australia will attempt to prevent rampant South Africa from an unprecedented series clean sweep in tomorrow ’s day-night third Test in Adelaide after a team shake-up of historic proportions.

Stung by two humiliating defeats in Perth and Hobart, the Aussies have made six changes in a bid to stop the rot and fight off the Proteas’ quest to become the first touring team to sweep a series in Australia.

It is a seismic selection switch in the wake of last week’s sudden resignation of chairman of selectors Rod Marsh and intensifying pressure on the game’s top officials and coach Darren Lehmann.

Not since only two players from the fifth Test against England in August 1977 made it into the team for the first Test against India three months later, after World Series Cricket rebelled against the establishment, has there been such a clean-out of the Australian side.

The last time there were as many as five changes mid-season-which is likely given either pacemen Jackson Bird or Chadd Sayers is likely to be 12th man in Adelaide — was in the 1977-78 series against India after an innings defeat in Sydney.

Selectors, with Trevor Hohns taking over from Marsh as interim chairman, named three young batsmen-English-born Matt Renshaw, Peter Handscomb and Nic Maddinson-to make their debuts and recalled Sayers, Bird and wicketkeeper Matthew Wade.

It was a decisive and drastic intervention by the under-fire selection panel in the wake of Australia’s fifth straight heavy Test defeat, including the 3-0 series drubbing in Sri Lanka last August.

“I’m not for one minute going to suggest an immediate turnaround,” Hohns said.

“Patience will be required but we are obviously hopeful that these players can gel together and ultimately stop the downward losing momentum we are currently experiencing.

“It’s no secret that our Test team has not functioned or performed to the level we expect. “We accept that a lot of the criticism that has come our way has been warranted, however, I ask that everybody take a deep breath and get behind these blokes

in what is going to be a very testing time for them.”

SIMMERING TENSIONS The reinforcements will be aiming to bolster Australia’s insipid batting, which was routed for 85 by South Africa in Hobart after suffering a humiliating 10 for 86 collapse in the first innings at Perth.

Lehmann said it was important he and fellow coaches instil confidence and positivity in the new-look squad.

“I’ve never seen a side so hurt after Hobart, an Australian side. We’ve got to pick them up, get them positive,” he said.

South Africa have problems of their own with skipper Faf du Plessis found guilty late Tuesday of an ICC charge of ball tampering in the Hobart Test.

Du Plessis, who was fined 50 percent of his match fee in 2013 for ball tampering in the second Test against Pakistan, was fined 100 percent of his Hobart match fee but was cleared to play in this week’s third Test.

Heightening tensions ahead of the game, South African security staff shoved an Australian television reporter up against a glass door as he attempted to interview du Plessis at Adelaide airport on Monday, with the team accusing the media of “harassment”. Despite this, the South Africans, with their pace trio Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada and Kyle Abbott dominating the Australian batting, will fancy their chances bowling with the pink ball in swinging conditions under lights at Adelaide Oval. It will be only the second day-night Test in Australia after the home side thrillingly beat New Zealand by three wickets on only the third day in Adelaide last year.

Teams: Australian (from) - David Warner, Matt Renshaw, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith (capt), Peter Handscomb, Nic Maddinson, Matthew Wade, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Jackson Bird, Chadd Sayers.

South Africa (from) - Stephen Cook, Dean Elgar, Hashim Amla, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis (capt), Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock, Vernon Philander, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Kyle Abbott, Morne Morkel.

Umpires: Nigel Llong (ENG) and Richard Kettleborough (ENG). —AFP

SYDNEY: This file photo taken on January 2, 2016 shows Australian cricket selector Trevor Hohns (L) speaking with team captain Steve Smith (C) and chief coach Darren Lehmann during a training session in Sydney. Crisis-torn Australia will attempt to prevent rampant South Africa from an unprecedented series clean sweep in the upcoming day-night third Test in Adelaide. —AFP

England set to pick Buttler in place of Duckett in Mohali MUMBAI: England are set to recall Jos Buttler as a specialist batsman in their team for the third Test against India in Mohali with Ben Duckett facing the axe after his struggles against off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in the first two matches.

The left-handed Duckett scored 56 in the second innings against Bangladesh in Dhaka but has accumulated just 54 runs in six innings since.

Ashwin, the world’s top-ranked bowler, dismissed him three times in Rajkot and Visakhapatnam and the 22-year-old appears to have technical flaws in his defence against spinners. “I think he’s got a special talent,” England coach Trevor Bayliss said after the side lost by 246 runs on Monday to go 1-0 down in the series.

“Whether he plays the next match or not, I think he’ll play a lot more for England.

“Every level you get to, you go up. It gets harder and harder, and the step is bigger.

Ben’s working harder than anyone in the nets to try to fix things up, getting himself into a position that he is confident enough to score runs.” England have two batting options in their squad - Gary Ballance and Buttler - to replace Duckett. But Ballance was also dropped after aggregating 24 in four innings during the 1-1 drawn series in Bangladesh.

Buttler, who boats the three fastest ODI hundreds for England, has a modest record in tests. The wicketkeeper-batsman averages 30 in 15 matches, the last of which was 13 months ago against Pakistan in Dubai.

“The one thing with Jos is that if he plays the same way as he does in one-day cricket, I think that’s the way ahead for him; red ball or white ball,” Bayliss said. “He’s in the top echelon of destructive batters when it comes to white-ball cricket, and there’s no reason - if he can get his head

around playing against a red ball - that he can’t do the same and put the pressure back on the opposition.” The 26-year-old right-hander has not had much opportunity to practise for the longer format with the lack of warm-up fixtures in India.

“He’s certainly hitting the ball very well in the nets,” Bayliss said. “Yes, we would have liked him to have a hit-out at some stage, but it is what it is these days. “We’ve no time to fit one in. If he does come in I think he’ll give it his best shot.”

Fast bowler Stuart Broad, who has injured his right foot, could make way for the return of Chris Woakes in Mohali.

England must also decide if they want to persist with left-arm spinner Zafar Ansari, who has taken five wickets in three tests, or replace him either with off-spinner Gareth Batty or seamer Steven Finn. — Reuters

Matches on TV (Local Timings)

UEFA Champions League Rostov v Bayern Munich beIN SPORTS 2 HD Besiktas v Benfica beIN SPORTS Arsenal v Paris Saint beIN SPORTS 2 HD Ludogorets Razgrad v Basel beIN SPORTS 7 HD Napoli v Dynamo beIN SPORTS 4 HD Borussia v Man City beIN SPORTS 5 HD Celtic v Barcelona beIN SPORTS 1 HD Atletico Madrid v Eindhoven beIN SPORTS 6 HD

20:00 20:45 22:45 22:45 22:45 22:45 22:45 22:45

MEXICO CITY: Oakland Raiders Latavius Murray (28) eludes the tackle of Houston Texans Quintin Demps (27) during the 2016 NFL week 11 regular season football game on Monday at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. Oakland won 27-20. — AFP

Carr helps Raiders rally past Texans 27-20 in Mexico City MEXICO CITY: Derek Carr woke up a struggling Oakland offense by throwing two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter as the Raiders capped a successful trip to Mexico with a 27-20 victory over the Houston Texans on Monday night.

Oakland had been held to 120 yards through three quarters with the running game going nowhere and Carr finding few open receivers downfield. But that suddenly changed in the fourth quarter to give the Raiders (8-2) their fourth straight win for the first time since 2002 .

With star receiver Amari Cooper lined up in the backfield, Carr found fullback Jamize Olawale open for a 75-yard catch and run that tied Houston (6-4) at 20. Then Oakland took advantage on two questionable spots by the officials to take over on downs at the 15 and drove 85 yards in five plays to take the lead on a 35-yard pass to Cooper .

That set off loud celebrations from the proRaiders crowd of 76,743 in the second regular season game ever played in Mexico. What was originally scheduled as an Oakland home game featured Raiders music during stoppages, Tommie Smith lighting the Al Davis torch in a memorable return to Mexico City nearly a halfcentury after his Black Power salute at the 1968 Olympics and frequent “RAI-DERS!” chants.

While the atmosphere was electric, the field was a bit slippery leading to some falls and the high elevation 7,380 feet above sea level played a factor. The Raiders needed to use a timeout on defense at one point in the fourth to catch their breath and receiver Michael Crabtree was seen gasping for breath at one point.

CLOSE SPOTS: The Texans were upset on two spots on the fourth-quarter drive before Oakland went ahead. On third-and-2, Lamar Miller was stopped just short of the first down even though Houston believed he got it. Coach Bill O’Brien went for it on fourth down but Akeem Hunt was stopped about an inch short on fourth down and the play stood after a replay

NFL results/standings Oakland 27 Houston 20.

American Football Conference AFC East W L T OTL PF New England 8 2 0 0 271 Miami 6 4 0 0 218 Buffalo 5 5 0 0 253 NY Jets 3 7 0 0 179 AFC North Baltimore 5 5 0 0 199 Pittsburgh 5 5 0 0 238 Cincinnati 3 6 1 0 199 Cleveland 0 11 0 1 184 AFC South Houston 6 4 0 0 181 Indianapolis 5 5 0 1 263 Tennessee 5 6 0 0 281 Jacksonville 2 8 0 0 193 AFC West Oakland 8 2 0 0 272 Kansas City 7 3 0 0 222 Denver 7 3 0 0 239 San Diego 4 6 0 1 292

PA PCT 180 .800 216 .600 215 .500 244 .300 187 .500 215 .500 226 .350 325 0 215 .600 273 .500 275 .455 265 .200 243 .800 187 .700 189 .700 278 .400

challenge.

LASER SHOW: Houston QB Brock Osweiler had to deal with an unusual distraction during the game as a fan with a green laser frequently shined it on the Houston quarterback as he dropped back to pass in an act more familiar in soccer games played here than in NFL games.

That wasn’t the only soccer tradition imported for this game. Fans also used a homophobic chant on kickoffs. Mexico’s soccer federation has been punished by FIFA in the past for the chant during World Cup qualifiers. Fans threw paper airplanes on the field in the third quarter with Oakland’s Sean Smith taking a turn throwing one that reached the field during a break.

STREAK BROKEN: Carr had thrown 170

National Football Conference NFC East Dallas 9 1 0 0 285 NY Giants 7 3 0 0 204 Washington 6 3 1 0 254 Philadelphia 5 5 0 1 241 NFC North Detroit 6 4 0 0 231 Minnesota 6 4 0 1 205 Green Bay 4 6 0 0 247 Chicago 2 8 0 0 157 NFC South Atlanta 6 4 0 1 320 Tampa Bay 5 5 0 1 235 New Orleans 4 6 0 0 285 Carolina 4 6 0 0 244 NFC West Seattle 7 2 1 0 219 Arizona 4 5 1 0 226 Los Angeles 4 6 0 0 149 San Francisco 1 9 0 0 204

187 .900 200 .700 233 .650 186 .500 225 .600 176 .600 276 .400 237 .200 283 .600 259 .500 286 .400 246 .400 173 .750 190 .450 187 .400 313 .100

straight passes without an interception before getting picked by A.J. Bouye on a deep ball on the first play from scrimmage in the second half.

It was Carr’s fourth interception of the season and the first since Kansas City’s Marcus Peters got one Oct. 16.

INTERNATIONAL SCORER: With his extra point in the second quarter, Oakland’s Sebastian Janikowski scored a point in his third country, having previously done it in the United States and United Kingdom. Joe Nedney is the only other player to score in Mexico, the US and the UK Five other players have scored in Canada, the UK and the US: running back Steven Jackson and kickers Robbie Gould, Matt Br yant, Dan Carpenter and Jay Feely. —AP

Klinsmann fired as head coach of US men’s team NEW YORK: Juergen Klinsmann has been fired as head coach of the US men’s national team in the wake of consecutive losses during the qualifying campaign for the 2018 World Cup, US Soccer said on Monday.

Klinsmann was under contract through 2018 but his future with the team had been in doubt after a pair of recent losses this month left their hopes of qualifying for the next World Cup in serious peril.

Klinsmann’s successor was not named but multiple reports suggest Bruce Arena of Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Galaxy, who previously coached the U.S. team from 1998-2006, is in line to take over.

“Today we made the difficult decision of parting ways with Juergen Klinsmann, our head coach of the US Men’s National Team and technical director,” US Soccer president Sunil Gulati said in a statement. “We want to thank Juergen for his hard work and commitment during these last five years.

“He took pride in having the responsibility of steering the program, and there were considerable achievements along the way.”

The 52-year-old former Germany national team coach and World Cup-winning striker had been in charge of the US team since 2011 when he replaced Bob Bradley and was supposed to usher in transformative changes.

While Klinsmann’s run with the US team did indeed include some worthy highlights he was also criticised often for tactical shortcomings while some reports suggested the players tuned him out and failed to fully buy into his system. The United States can still qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia but a stunning 40 loss to Costa Rica, which came on the heels

of a 2-1 loss to Mexico, has them sitting dead last in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying.

Should they rally and earn one of this round’s three automatic qualification slots for Russia 2018, the United States would become the first team in CONCACAF history to finish in the top three of Hexagonal play after opening with two losses.

With their next World Cup qualifier not until a March 17 game against Honduras, Klinsmann’s replacement will have plenty of time to take stock of the program and evaluate players. Arena, who won three MLS Cups as coach of the Galaxy and two with D.C. United, is reportedly in negotiations to take over and

an announcement could come as early as Tuesday. During his tenure with the US team, Arena led the squad to the quarter-finals at the 2002 World Cup, their best result in the tournament since 1930.

“While we remain confident that we have quality players to help us advance to Russia 2018, the form and growth of the team up to this point left us convinced that we need to go in a different direction,” said Gulati.

“With the next qualifying match in late March, we have several months to refocus the group and determine the best way forward to ensure a successful journey to qualify for our eighth-consecutive World Cup.” —Reuters

Juergen Klinsmann

Doping charges against Jeptoo’s manager dropped

Ghana neighbourhood where boxing is a way of life

16

17

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016

Carr helps Raiders rally past Texans 27-20 in Mexico City

Page 18

NDIANAPOLIS: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors shoots the ball during the game against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Monday in Indianapolis, Indiana. — AFP

Warriors stretch win streak by routing Pacers INDIANAPOLIS: Klay Thompson scored 25 points in 26 minutes and two-time MVP Stephen Curry added 22 points as the Golden State Warriors routed the Indiana Pacers 12083 on Monday night. The Warriors (12-2) have won eight straight and kept their starters on the bench for the entire fourth quarter after taking a 29-point lead. Indiana (7-8) looked tired after earning its first road win Sunday night in overtime at Oklahoma City. The Pacers also played short-handed, with three-time AllStar Paul George, starting center Myles Turner and backup forward C.J. Miles all out with injuries. Rodney Stuckey led the Pacers with 21 points, but Indiana was never close after the first quarter. Kevin Durant had 14 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for the Warriors.

CLIPPERS 123, RAPTORS 115 Chris Paul had 26 points and 12 assists, Blake Griffin also scored 26 and Los Angeles beat Toronto in a matchup of early-season division leaders. DeAndre Jordan added 17 points and 15 rebounds for the Clippers, who improved the NBA’s best record to 13-2 with their 10th victory in 11 games. J.J. Redick scored 20 points as Los Angeles snapped a four-game losing streak to Toronto. The Clippers led by 17 in the second half but the Raptors cut the margin to 119-115 on a 3pointer by Kyle Lowry with less than a minute to play. Redick made four free throws down the stretch to seal it. Lowry led Toronto with 27 points and DeMar DeRozan added 25.

GRIZZLIES 105, HORNETS 90 Mike Conley had 31 points, Marc Gasol flirted with a triple-double and Memphis defeated Charlotte for its fifth straight win. Conley

had five 3-pointers and shot 11 of 21 from the field, including a long 3 with 4 minutes left that thwarted Charlotte’s fourth-quarter rally and sent the crowd streaming toward the exits. Gasol was dominant in the first half and finished with 13 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. The Grizzlies led by 24 at halftime after shooting 58 percent from the field, including 10 of 16 from 3-point range. Frank Kaminsky turned in perhaps his best game as a pro for Charlotte, tying a career high with 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting. Kemba Walker had 17 points, snapping a string of 11 straight games with 20 or more.

76ERS 101, HEAT 94 Joel Embiid had 22 points, including four late free throws, to lead Philadelphia over Miami. Gerald Henderson added 19 points and Jahlil Okafor had 15 for the 76ers, who won their fourth straight home game. Philadelphia (4-10) has lost 21 in a row on the road. Hassan Whiteside set a career high with 32 points for the Heat while reaching double digits in rebounds for the 13th consecutive game to start the season. Whiteside, who entered leading the NBA with 16.2 boards per game, finished with 13.

WIZARDS 106, SUNS 101 Bradley Beal scored a career-high 42 points and John Wall shook off an awful shooting night with seven key points down the stretch as Washington beat Phoenix. Beal, who scored 34 points in Saturday’s loss to Miami, had 12 points in the third quarter and 14 in the fourth. He shot 14 for 22 and hit five of his 10 3-point attempts. Wall, who also scored 34 on Saturday, finished with 18 this time. He shot

just 6 for 24 but converted a three-point play with 1:08 remaining to give Washington a 102101 lead. Devin Booker had 30 points and Eric Bledsoe scored 29 for the Suns, who have lost five of six.

ROCKETS 99, PISTONS 96 James Harden had 28 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds to lift Houston over Detroit.

Clint Capela added 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Rockets, who won their third straight game. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 26 points and Andre Drummond had 13 points and 16 rebounds for the Pistons, who have lost four in a row. With the Rockets clinging to a two-point lead and 4.6 seconds to go, Drummond missed two free throws before Harden made one of two. Caldwell-Pope missed a halfcourt heave at the buzzer.

CELTICS 99, TIMBERWOLVES 93 Isaiah Thomas scored 29 points and Boston rallied from 13 points down in the fourth quarter to beat Minnesota. Al Horford added 20 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Celtics, who trailed 81-68 after three. Boston opened the fourth on a 17-0 run to take the lead and held on down the stretch for its second straight win. Karl-Anthony Towns had 27 points and 18 rebounds for the Timberwolves.

Gorgui Dieng added 20 points and 10 rebounds, but Andrew Wiggins was just 5 for 18 and Minnesota scored three points in the first 9 minutes of the fourth. Terry Rozier added 12 points off the bench and keyed the Celtics’ surge in the first 6 minutes of the fourth.

BUCKS 93, MAGIC 89 Giannis Antetokounmpo had his first triple-

NBA results/standings Buffalo 4, Calgary 2; NY Rangers 5, Pittsburgh 2; Colorado 3, Columbus 2 (OT).

Toronto Boston NY Knicks Brooklyn Philadelphia Cleveland Chicago Indiana Milwaukee Detroit Atlanta Charlotte Orlando Miami Washington

Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L 8 6 8 6 6 7 4 9 4 10 Central Division 10 2 9 5 7 8 6 7 6 9 Southeast Division 9 4 8 5 6 8 4 9 4 9

PCT .571 .571 .462 .308 .286

GB 1.5 3.5 4

.833 .643 .467 .462 .400

2 4.5 4.5 5.5

.692 .615 .429 .308 .308

1 3.5 5 5

double of the season to lead Milwaukee over Orlando. The Bucks snapped a three-game losing streak as Antetokounmpo finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. He made all nine free throws and added five steals and three blocks. Jabari Parker had 22 points for the Bucks and made five 3-pointers - he began the night with a total of 10. Milwaukee beat Orlando at home for the eighth time in nine tries. The Magic were led by Serge Ibaka’s 21 points.

SPURS 96, MAVERICKS 91 Kawhi Leonard had 24 points and nine rebounds, and San Antonio defeated Dallas for its sixth straight victory. Dallas guard Seth

Western Conference Northwest Division Oklahoma City 8 6 .571 Portland 8 7 .533 Utah 7 8 .467 Denver 5 8 .385 Minnesota 4 9 .308 Pacific Division LA Clippers 13 2 .867 Golden State 12 2 .857 LA Lakers 7 7 .500 Sacramento 5 9 .357 Phoenix 4 11 .267 Southwest Division San Antonio 11 3 .786 Memphis 9 5 .643 Houston 9 5 .643 New Orleans 4 10 .286 Dallas 2 11 .154

0.5 1.5 2.5 3.5 0.5 5.5 7.5 9 2 2 7 8.5

Curry matched a career high with 23 points.

Wesley Matthews and Harrison Barnes each had 20 in the Mavericks’ sixth consecutive loss. With the Mavericks trailing 92-91, Barnes missed a fadeaway 17-footer with 15 seconds left that Manu Ginobili rebounded.

Ginobili hit a pair of free throws, and Curry missed a 3-pointer with 6 seconds remaining. San Antonio has won six straight against Dallas and 12 in a row at home.

Dallas (2-11) is off to its worst start since 1993-1994, when the Mavericks opened 123 in a 13 win season. LaMarcus Aldridge and Tony Parker were in uniform but neither played as San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich opted to rest his veterans. —AP

Giroud makes his case after spell in exile LONDON: Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud faces an anxious wait to see if his last-gasp equaliser against Manchester United was enough to get him back in Arsene Wenger’s plans on a permanent basis.

Giroud is a polarising figure in north London after a lengthy spell of erratic displays, but he is hoping to be given a chance to silence the critics in today’s Champions League clash against Paris Saint Germain. Many Arsenal supporters have called for Giroud to be sold and Gunners boss Wenger appeared to lose faith in him after starting Alexis Sanchez as his central striker for much of the season.

The 30-year- old has yet to star t a Premier League game this term and must have feared his days at the Emirates Stadium were numbered. That may still prove the case eventually, but Giroud is making a last-ditch effort to show he is

worthy of more regular involvement. He has scored four times in his last four appearances, including the power ful header that salvaged a 1-1 draw in the final moments at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Giroud’s timely intervention against United came after he scored twice, with his first two touches, as a substitute to inspire a 4-1 win at Sunderland after his team had conceded an equaliser.

He also netted Arsenal’s leveller in a Champions League victory at Ludogorets after they had fallen 2-0 down to the minnows. Ironically, one of his lowest moments this season came back home in France when he was sent off in the last minute of a 1-1 draw at Paris Saint Germain. Now the French giants arrive at the Emirates just as Giroud looks capable of finally arresting his decline.

While he might have lost the support of many among Arsenal’s fan-base, he

retains the backing of his team-mates.

IMPACT PLAYER Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech is well aware of Giroud’s qualities and believes he can still prove an impact player.

“Sometimes, I think people don’t realise Olivier’s qualities, because he works for the team,” Cech said.

“He’s useful when he starts games, but he’s also useful coming off the bench. He can make the difference.

“He’s a very important player for us. He showed again against United that even though he didn’t start the game, he’s ready.” Arsenal have spluttered of late in the Premier League, drawing three of their last four matches.

But in Europe they are already through to the knockout stages with two matches to spare. That means they can focus on their shoot-out with PSG to decide the

group winners. Currently level on points with the Parisians, Arsenal would dearly love to top the group and improve their chances of avoiding a difficult last 16 opponent.

Wenger underlined the importance of getting back in the winning habit on Wednesday to boost their hopes both domestically and in Europe. “I think getting back to winning games again, that is very important,” he said.

“We can accept a point against United, but we are getting too many draws at the moment and with three points for a win you cannot afford that too many times.

“It’s important for us to get back to winning habits. “When you are 1-0 down, you come back to 1-1 with a minute to go, it feels more than a draw, that’s for sure.

“But as well I hope it strengthens the belief inside the squad, no matter what happens we can always come back.” —AFP

LONDON: Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud stretches during a training session ahead of the Champions League group stage soccer match, in London yesterday.

Arsenal plays Paris St Germain in London today. — AP

Business

India railways suffer from inadequate funds, neglect Page 23 Nigeria power crisis upsets Buhari’s economy push Page 25

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016

KFH wins ‘Best SME Customer Service’ award

Kuwait’s real estate activity picks up, but sales subdued Page 22

Page 26

BEIJING: Chinese shoppers are reflected on a mirror at an up-scale shopping mall in Beijing yesterday. US President-elect Donald Trump’s announcement that he plans to quit the Trans-Pacific Partnership is drawing vows from other Pacific Rim countries to push ahead with the trade pact while they also pursue free trade deals with China. — AP (See Also Page 25)

Trump’s pullout of TPP opens way for China President-elect on YouTube announces he’ll withdraw from TPP TOKYO/SYDNEY: An Asia-Pacific trade deal stands almost no chance of working now that US President-elect Donald Trump has pulled the plug on it, proponents of the pact said yesterday, opening the way for China to assume the leadership mantle on trade. Japan and Australia expressed their commitment to the pact yesterday, hours after Trump vowed to withdraw from the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership on his first day in office, calling the deal “a potential disaster for our country.”

Trump’s declaration appeared to snuff out any hopes for the deal, a signature trade initiative of President Barack Obama, five years in the making and meant to cover 40 percent of the world economy. The TPP, which aims to cut trade barriers in some of Asia’s fastest-growing economies and stretch from Canada to Vietnam, can’t take effect without the United States. It requires the ratification of at least six countries accounting for 85 percent of the combined gross domestic product of the member nations.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said “the TPP would be meaningless without the United States,” even as parliament continued debating ratification and his government vowed to lobby other members to approve it.

Yet even without US ratification, the TPP won’t just die, a senior Japanese official said. “It just continues in a state of not being in effect,” said Shinpei Sasaki of the Cabinet Office’s TPP headquarters. “In the future if the United States takes the procedures and it passes Congress, that would satisfy the provisions and the TPP would go into effect.”

Amending agreement Other members of the 12-nation grouping could conceivably work around a US withdrawal.

Australian Trade Minister Steven Ciobo told reporters in Canberra countries could push ahead with the TPP without the United States by amend-

ing the agreement and possibly adding new members. “We could look at, for example, if China or Indonesia or another country wanted to join, saying, ‘Yes, we open the door for them signing up to the agreement as well.’” But Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said reopening negotiations wouldn’t be easy. “If you sign a fresh agreement, you have to go through it again. We haven’t crossed that bridge yet. We’ll cross it if and when we come to that.”

China’s rival pact China has pushed its own version of an AsiaPacific trade pact, called the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which notably excludes the United States. It is a more traditional trade agreement, involving cutting tariffs rather than opening up economies and setting labour and environmental standards as TPP would. The RCEP was a focus of attention at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru over the weekend.

Tan Jian, a senior member of China’s delegation at the summit, said more countries are now seeking to join its 16-member bloc, including Peru and Chile, and current members want to reach a deal as soon as possible to counter rising protectionism. China’s foreign ministry said yesterday Beijing has an “open attitude” toward any arrangements that promote free trade in the region as long they don’t become “fragmented and politicized”.

Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said the RCEP was an initiative led by the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which China has been promoting. “We are willing to keep pushing the (RCEP) talks process with all sides to achieve positive progress at an early date,” he said. Vietnam last week shelved its own ratification of TPP, after Obama abandoned efforts to push it through a lame-duck Congress, while Malaysia has shifted its attention to the RCEP. — Reuters

Dow climbs above 19,000 for first time NEW YORK: The Dow jumped above 19,000 early yesterday for the first time as US stocks continued to rally after Republicans swept the November 8 presidential and congressional elections.

The Dow got as high as 19,013.12 before pulling back a bit. All three major US stock indices closed at records Monday in anticipation of pro-growth policies under President-elect Donald Trump and congressional Republicans.

“The market rise represents optimism that the types of policies implemented will eventually translate to faster economic growth and stronger earnings

growth,” said Briefing.com analyst Patrick O’Hare. “This morning, that same broad narrative remains in place.”

About 25 minutes into trade, the Dow was at 18,994.18, up 0.2 percent. The broad-based S&P 500 rose 0.2 percent to 2,202.47, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index climbed 0.4 percent to 5,387.92. Retailers were strong ahead of the holiday shopping season, which kicks off with the annual “Black Friday” sales this week the day after Thursday’s Thanksgiving holiday. Amazon, Wal-Mart Stores and Target were all up more than one percent.

Cybersecurity company Palo Alto Networks tumbled 12.9 percent as it projected second-quarter revenues of $426 to $432 million, below the $438.9 million expected by Wall Street analysts.

Medtronic, a medical device company, sank 8.5 percent as it reported lowerthan-expected sales ahead of new product introductions for treating diabetes and cardiac and vascular ailments.

Dollar Tree surged 10.1 percent as the discount store chain reported that thirdquarter net income more than doubled to $171.6 million. — AFP

OPEC to debate oil output cut next week VIENNA/DUBAI: OPEC will debate an oil output cut of 4.0-4.5 percent for all of its members except Libya and Nigeria next week but the deal’s success hinges on an agreement from Iraq and Iran, which are far from certain to give full backing.

Three OPEC sources told Reuters a gathering of experts from the oil producer group in Vienna had decided on Tuesday to recommend that a ministerial meeting on Nov 30 debate a proposal from member Algeria to reduce output by that amount. Such a cut would bring OPEC’s current output down by more than 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd), according to Reuters calculations based on the group’s

October production, and is towards the upper end of market expectations.

But sources also said the representatives of Iran, Iraq and Indonesia had expressed reservations about their level of participation in what would be the group’s first supply-limiting deal since 2008. Brent oil futures traded flat at $49 per barrel, paring earlier gains of around $1 a barrel. As of 1500 GMT, the meeting had yet to end. In September, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries agreed to reduce production to between 32.5 million and 33.0 million bpd - an effort to prop up prices - from its latest production estimates of 33.8 million bpd. — Reuters

NEW YORK: Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) yesterday in New York City. US stocks continued their advance into record highs yesterday with the Dow Jones Industrial average hitting 19,000 for the first time. — AFP (See Also Page 24)

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016

BUSINESS

News i n

b r i e f

Kuwait oil price up $1.95 to $42.51 pb KUWAIT: The price of Kuwaiti oil went up by $1.95 to $42.51 per barrel on Monday after being at $40.56 pb last Friday, said a statement by Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) yesterday. At the global level, the price of oil was up due to expectations that major OPEC members and other international players will aim at reducing oil production by next week. The price of Brent crude was up by $2.04 to settle at $48.90 per barrel. The West Texas Intermediate also followed suit, going up by $1.80 to $47.49 pb. Meanwhile, the OPEC daily basket price rose Monday by $2.00 to stand at $44.34 a barrel, compared with USD 42.33 last Friday, the organization said yesterday. OPEC bulletin published that the annual rate of its basket price for 2015 was $49.49 pb.

Kuwait’s real estate activity picks up, but sales subdued NBK ECONOMIC REPORT KUWAIT: The Kuwait real estate market witnessed its first pickup in activity in five months, though sales remained down from a year ago.

Since April, total real estate sales have been trending downward, exacerbated by seasonality and softening consumer confidence. Sales across all sectors totaled KD 1.84 billion yearto-date (ytd), down 26 percent from the same period last year. October’s price performance, as reflected in NBK’s real estate price indices, indicates some convergence of price trends across sectors and stabilizing prices, with the exception of residential land.

Residential sector sales bounced back in October following an anemic quarter. The sector registered 254 transactions during the month, lifting KD sales up to KD 79.9 million.

Both transactions and KD sales were up 9 percent year-on-year (y/y), their first positive growth in 2016. October sales improved by 50 percent from the previous month, to around

the level of average monthly sales thus far in 2016.

Residential real estate prices slipped further in October to mid-2013 levels. The NBK residential home price index slipped by 1 index point to 153.3 during October, retreating by 12.5 percent y/y. The NBK residential home price index has been trending downward since the beginning of 2015, when it peaked at 186 in January 2015. NBK’s residential land price index declined to 177.9, down 10 percent y/y. Land prices were the first to correct two years ago. The surge in distribution of residential land plots by the Public Authority of Housing Welfare (PAHW) may have put some downward pressure on land prices. PAHW distributed around 25,000 plots since the fourth quarter of 2014 to date, adding significant supply to the market. PAHW has committed to reducing the backlog of applications significantly in the coming years through new hous-

ing projects like South Saad Al-Abdallah and Sabah Al Ahmad in 2018, and Khairan in 2019.

Investment sector sales also improved in October. Sales totaled KD 58.6 million, up 45 percent m/m, but remained relatively subdued. 106 transactions were recorded, up 19 percent y/y. A strong pick up in building transactions (big ticket investments) helped boost the sector’s KD sales in October. Out of the 28 buildings sold, half of them were located in Hawalli and Salmiya.

Downward trend Investment-building prices edged up slightly in October. The NBK index rose 2 points to 183, but remained down 13 percent y/y. After posting modest gains since the first quarter of the year, the index was on a downward trend for the last seven consecutive months. The correction in the price index was steeper during the last three months, coming

off from record high levels between June and August 2015 (i.e. basis effect). The commercial sector posted weak performance in October. Sales totaled KD 10 million, down 71 percent y/y.

This was on only six transactions; the largest two transactions recorded were one commercial building in Hawally for KD 3 million and another commercial building in Jahra for KD 4.6 million. Some slowdown in commercial property sales may be expected ahead of the implementation of the new utility prices on the commercial sector in May 2017. The electricity tariff on companies will rise from two fils per kilowatt hour (kWh) to 25 fils, irrespective of the level of consumption.

Shopping malls and commercial centers are expected to be among the most effected. As a result, real estate companies are rewriting their rental contracts, allowing them to pass any increase in utility prices to their tenants.

Oil prices hit highest since Oct on hopes of OPEC output deal LONDON: Oil prices rose yesterday to their highest this month as a growing consensus emerged in the market that OPEC would overcome internal disputes and skepticism to strike a deal that materially reduces crude output. But some warned a failure by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to reach agreement at a Nov. 30 meeting, or effectively implement it, would send prices crashing as a two-year glut of crude remained unabated.

Brent crude oil futures were up 85 cents a barrel at $49.75 by 1000 GMT, having earlier risen $1 in a push against the $50 mark for the first time since the end of October. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up 68 cents, or 1.4 percent, at $48.92 a barrel. Prices were boosted by comments from a Nigerian official attending an OPEC technical meeting, which is trying to hammer out details of a deal, that it was likely all countries would be “on board.”

OPEC is trying to bring its 14 member states, including regional foes Saudi Arabia and Iran, and non-OPEC producer Russia to agree on a coordinated cut to prop up the market by bringing production into line with consumption. The organization had said at the end of September it aimed to cut production to between 32.5 million and 33 million barrels per day compared to its recent record output of around 33.8 million bpd.

Since then, doubts weighed over whether Saudi Arabia and Iran could put their geopolitical disputes aside and whether countries whose finances are in dire straits due to low oil prices would resist the urge to pump crude at high rates. Analysts at RBC said they believed a deal would be reached. “Our view is primarily based on the belief that the single most important country in OPEC, Saudi Arabia, wants it, and that the ability of a number of suspected cheaters to cheat is constrained,” they said in a note. While a ceiling for overall OPEC production may be agreed by Nov. 30, it is unclear whether clear quotas per member state would be set. Some countries, such as Nigeria, Iraq, Libya and Iran, argue they should be exempt because their output has been hit by conflict or sanctions. — Reuters

US dollar stable against KD at 0.304 KUWAIT: The exchange rate of the US dollar was stable at KD 0.304 while the rate of the euro went up to KD 0.323 compared with numbers yesterday, said the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) yesterday. According to the CBK, the rate of the Sterling Pound was up to KD 0.380 while the rate of the Swiss France was stable at KD 0.301. The Japanese yen stood firm at KD 0.002.

Bahrain’s Arcapita buys US housing schemes DUBAI: Investment management firm Arcapita said yesterday it had acquired a privately-held portfolio of three housing schemes for senior citizens in the United States for around $110 million. The “senior living communities”, located in the metropolitan areas surrounding Washington DC and Atlanta, follow the Bahrain-based company’s acquisition of three similar schemes in Colorado for a total of $87 million earlier this year. The properties will be managed by an affiliate of Arbor Company, a community management company, it added.

Etihad sets pricing guidance for sukuk DUBAI: Etihad Airways has set final pricing guidance of around 215 basis points above midswaps for its planned sukuk, expected to be at least $500 million in size, according to one of the banks arranging the transaction. The Islamic bond, which once completed will be Etihad’s debut USdollar debt sale, received orders of up to $1.3 billion, the bank said yesterday.

Order books are expected to close as early as later in the day, it added. Initial guidance, released on Monday, was in the low-to-mid 200 basis points range over midswaps. HSBC, JP Morgan and National Bank of Abu Dhabi are the sukuk arrangers. They are joined by Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Dubai Islamic Bank and First Gulf Bank as bookrunners. The bond is expected to price this week, as reported by Reuters on Monday.

Morocco inflation eases to 1.6% year/year in Oct RABAT: Morocco’s annual consumer price inflation eased to 1.6 percent in October from 2.3 percent in September due to a slowing in food price rises, the High Planning Authority said yesterday. Annual food inflation eased to 2.2 percent from 4 percent in the previous month, while nonfood price inflation rose slightly to 1.2 percent in the 12 months to October from an annual 1.1 percent in September. Education costs rose 2.8 percent, but communications were 0.3 percent less expensive, the agency said without giving details. On a month-on-month basis, the consumer price index eased to 0.3 percent in October, down from 0.7 percent in September as food price inflation fell to 0.8 percent from 1.1 percent.

PIA weighs Boeing and Airbus aircraft orders

COLOMBO: Sri Lankans passengers hold on to door handles as they travel in a full carriage of a train in Colombo yesterday. Due to its affordability, train travel is a popular mode of transport in this nation of 20 million people.—AFP

DUBAI: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is evaluating an order for wide-body Airbus and Boeing jets as it looks to upgrade its ageing fleet, an executive for the state-owned airline said yesterday. “Boeing 777X would be a good option,” the airline’s executive director of human resources and works, Raheel Ahmed, told reporters on the sidelines of an industry conference in Dubai.

The airline is also looking at the Airbus A330 and A350 models, he added. PIA would consider purchasing the aircraft directly from the manufacturer and financing the order through a sale and leaseback arrangement. It would also consider a direct leasing agreement, known as a dry lease. A sale and leaseback is when the airline sells the jet to a lessor who then leases it back. Ahmed did not say when PIA would make the order or how many jets it could buy. PIA has a fleet of 38 narrow-body and wide-body Airbus and Boeing jets, Ahmed said, with three A310s to be retired on Dec 31. —Reuters

EXCHANGE RATES Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka Philippine Peso Thai Baht

ASIAN COUNTRIES 2.757 4.492 2.919 2.067 2.814 215.130 39.415 3.871 6.564 8.612

Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal ani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham

GCC COUNTRIES 81.574 84.018 794.439 812.280 83.274

ARAB COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound - Cash 24.100 Egyptian Pound - Transfer 18.990 Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.228 Tunisian Dinar 134.820 Jordanian Dinar 430.720 Lebanese Lira/for 1000 2.038 Syrian Lira 2.180 Morocco Dirham 31.036 EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 305.700 Euro 325.880 Sterling Pound 379.070 Canadian dollar 227.880 Turkish lira 91.000

Swiss Franc Australian Dollar US Dollar Buying

304.790 226.520 304.500 GOLD 248.17 127.01 64.35

20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd Rate for Transfer US Dollar Canadian Dolla Sterling Pound Euro Swiss Frank Bahrain Dinar UAE Dirhams Qatari Riyals Saudi Riyals Jordanian Dinar Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupees Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Cyprus pound Japanese Yen Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees Malaysian Ringgit Chinese Yuan Renminbi Thai Bhat Turkish Lira

Selling Rate 304.200 225.044 383.455 329.642 301.458 805.769 83.216 84.433 82.003 429.495 19.620 2.065 4.498 2.902 3.875 6.189 160.643 3.826 2.427 3.860 72.482 45.243 9.664 94.850

BAHRAIN EXCHANGE COMPANY WLL CURRENCY British Pound Czech Korune Danish Krone Euro Norwegian Krone Romanian Leu Slovakia Swedish Krona Swiss Franc Turkish Lira

BUY Europe 0. 372200 0. 004022 0. 039636 0. 319825 0. 031756 0. 084722 0. 009160 0. 029068 0. 296730 0.088046

SELL 0.382200 0.016022 0.044636 0.328825 0.036956 0.084722 0.019160 0.034068 0.307730 0.098346

Australasia 0.216785 0.208720

0.228785 0.218220

Canadian Dollar Georgina Lari US Dollars US Dollars Mint

America 0.221261 0.138072 0.301600 0.302100

0.230261 0.138072 0.306300 0.306300

Bangladesh Taka Chinese Yuan Hong Kong Dollar Indian Rupee Indonesian Rupiah

Asia 0.003389 0.043156 0.037329 0.000393 0.000019

0.003973 0.046656 0.040079 0.004512 0.000025

Australian Dollar New Zealand Dollar

Japanese Yen Kenyan Shilling Korean Won Malaysian Ringgit Nepalese Rupee Pakistan Rupee Philippine Peso Sierra Leone Singapore Dollar South African Rand Sri Lankan Rupee Taiwan Thai Baht

0.002699 0.003144 0.000248 0.066115 0.002838 0.002713 0.006098 0.000068 0.209864 0.015305 0.001640 0.009476 0.008277

0.002879 0.003144 0.000263 0.072115 0.003008 0.003003 0.006398 0.000074 0.219864 0.023805 0.002220 0.009656 0.008827

Bahraini Dinar Egyptian Pound Iranian Riyal Iraqi Dinar Jordanian Dinar Kuwaiti Dinar Lebanese Pound Moroccan Dirhams Nigerian Naira Omani Riyal Qatar Riyal Saudi Riyal Syrian Pound Tunisian Dinar Turkish Lira UAE Dirhams Yemeni Riyal

Arab 0.804304 0.015617 0.000085 0.000188 0.427033 1.000000 0.000148 0.020105 0.001267 0.787605 0.083157 0.080433 0.001296 0.129956 0.088046 0.081806 0.001382

0.812804 0.024870 0.000086 0.000248 0.436033 1.000000 0.000248 0.044105 0.001902 0.793285 0.084607 0.081733 0.001516 0.137956 0.098346 0.083506 0.001462

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016

BUSINESS

Britain braces for first budget since Brexit vote LONDON: Britain today delivers its first budget since the Brexit referendum, with economists expecting a slight shift away from years of austerity as the nation readies its EU exit strategy.

The Conservative government’s finance minister Philip Hammond will deliver his so-called Autumn Statement before parliament around 1230 GMT today-exactly five months after the Brexit vote. “We need to be match fit for the opportunities and challenges” arising from Brexit, Hammond declared on Sunday, while warning that Britain still faced an “eye-watering” deficit. Prime Minister Theresa May has vowed to trigger Britain’s exit from the European Union by the end of March, after disaffected British voters sent shockwaves across the world in the June 23 referendum by choosing to leave the bloc.

Some economists argue that Donald Trump’s shock election as US president could similarly persuade May’s administration to do more to help workers who have felt shunned by government policies. “May has made it clear that she wants to prioritise helping those households who are struggling to get by and who feel left behind by the economy’s recovery since the 2008/9 slump,” said IHS Markit economist Howard Archer.

“June’s Brexit vote and Donald Trump’s win in the US presidential election has highlighted the need for governments to tackle income inequality.”

The British economy has proven surprisingly resilient since the referendum but experts believe that Britain’s planned departure from the EU could still spark economic chaos. That in turn could limit the amount of planned austerity reduc-

tion in Hammond’s budget speech.

“Given the number of unknowns surrounding Brexit, Hammond will have a tough job,” noted City Index analyst Fiona Cincotta. “ We can expect the Autumn Statement to be a glimpse of what we can expect once the divorce proceedings with the European Union begin next year.” She added: “We are expecting to see an end to the years of austerity with the focus shifting back to spending.” Societe Generale analyst Kit Juckes cautioned however that “public finances are not in good shape and Mr Hammond has no appetite for a major increase in borrowing”.

Robotics and roads Over the weekend, May announced fresh investment in research and development, revealing that Hammond would

hike its spending by £2 billion ($2.5 billion, 2.3 billion euros) annually until 2020. Investments will be rolled out through a new fund which will prioritize technologies including robotics, industrial biotechnology and medical technology. The Treasury hinted also at a loosening of Britain’s fiscal straightjacket, introduced by former finance minister George Osborne who resigned following the referendum result.

Under previous prime minister David Cameron, Osborne oversaw an austerity program of spending cuts and tax rises.

Hammond will promise to place “investment in infrastructure... at the heart” of the budget, according to a Treasury statement. “He will set out how the government will fire up the nation’s economic infrastructure-all part of plans which form the backbone of ongoing

work to close the UK’s productivity gap,” it added. Osborne’s austerity policies were aimed at eliminating the budget deficit following the global financial crisis. But Hammond has scrapped this objective of producing a budget surplus by 2020.

“Hammond will set out a new fiscal framework, outlining the need for flexibility to allow government to respond to changing economic conditions,” the Treasury statement said. The plans will also include £1.3 billion of new investment in Britain’s roads to tackle congestion. As well as tax-and-spend plans, the budget will include the Conservative government’s latest forecasts for economic growth. The Autumn Statement is seen as a mini-budget before the main tax-and-spend announcements given usually in March. — AFP

India railways suffer from inadequate funds, neglect Network operates more than 12,600 trains, carries 23m daily NEW DELHI: It’s often described as India’s lifeline, transporting 23 million people across the vast South Asian country each day. India’s rail network, the world’s third largest, operates more than 12,600 trains carrying passengers and cargo along 115,000 kilometers of track. With more than 1.4 million employees, it is the country’s largest employer. But not all is well with stateowned Indian Railways, as was highlighted Sunday when 14 packed cars on a passenger train skidded off the tracks, killing at least 148 people in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, after two more victims died of their injuries yesterday.

For years, it’s been clear that the muchromanticized legacy of British colonial rule, built more than 160 years ago, is badly hobbled by funding shortfalls, aging tracks, outdated signaling and communications systems and a traffic volume that has pushed these systems beyond their limits. The weekend’s deadly train tragedy, the cause of which is under investigation, has focused attention on how India can restore both efficiency and public confidence in its railways.

India’s economy has boomed in recent decades, and dozens of private airlines have emerged to serve the growing upper middle class. But for tens of millions of Indians living in the hinterlands or unable to afford air travel, trains are their transportation lifeline. It can be a dangerous lifeline. India’s crime records bureau says that in 2014, the latest year for which figures are available, more than 25,000 people died in railway accidents that ranged from travelers falling from the roofs of moving trains to train collisions.

IMG Worlds of adventure promotion for CBK MasterCard credit and prepaid cardholders KUWAIT: The commercial Bank of Kuwait is pleased to announce an exciting offer with IMG for all CBK MasterCard CBK credit and prepaid cardholders. IMG Worlds of Adventure is Dubai’s first mega themed entertainment destination promising visitors from around the world the excitement of four epic adventure zones in one location. Now, all CBK MasterCard credit and prepaid cardholders can get a free ticket after purchasing 4 tickets at IMG Worlds of Adventure. The offer is valid until the 1st March 2017. For more information, and to know how to book your tickets kindly visit www.cbk.com.

The destination features array of roller coasters, thrill rides, and attractions based on popular Cartoon Network characters, iconic MARVEL Super Heroes and dinosaurs. In addition, there are a variety of themed retail stores, exclusive dining venues, and a 12-screen state-of-the-art cinema, bringing the best of family entertainment.

Commercial Bank of Kuwait always endeavors to provide its customer base with tailored made promotions and discounts to attain their satisfaction, as well as meeting all their banking needs and expectations in line with their lifestyle.

Germany’s Schaeuble hits back at Brussels BERLIN: The European Commission’s call for fiscal stimulus should not be directed at Germany, Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said yesterday, arguing Europe’s biggest economy has increased investment more than the euro zone average in the last decade. The commission, which is the European Union’s executive body, called last week for Germany and other euro zone countries to loosen overall budgets next year to create more growth and jobs, a plea also aimed at addressing the rise of populist parties in Europe.

Such a move would be a sharp reversal of EU policy, which has been focused on budgetary discipline and austerity for most of the eurozone’s existence. Populist parties have fed on the resulting discontent. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives, for example, will campaign for next September’s election in an increasingly fractured political landscape, in which the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is likely to enter the national parliament for the first time. “I think the EU Commission’s recommendations are addressed at the wrong country,” Schaeuble told the Bundestag lower house of parliament in a general budget debate, adding investment in Germany grew 3.9 percent a year between 2005 and 2015, compared with a rise of 0.7 percent in the eurozone. Schaeuble, a veteran member of Merkel’s conservatives and renowned for his fiscal hawkishness, said the government was able to increase spending thanks to low borrowing costs and rising tax revenues.

But tax revenues would slow in coming years and interest rates would not get any lower, giving Germany less fiscal room for manoeuvre as it plans to hike spending on defense and on tackling the causes of migration in Africa, Schaeuble warned. The Cologne Institute for Economic Research lowered its 2017 forecast for German growth to 1.0 percent from 1.5 percent previously, citing political uncertainty after Britain’s vote to leave the EU and the election of Donald Trump in the United States.

The government expects growth to slow to 1.4 percent next year from a predicted expansion rate of 1.8 percent this year which would be the strongest in half a decade.

Schaeuble urged all political parties to be as honest and realistic as possible about Germany’s fiscal possibilities in the upcoming election campaign. “The better we manage this, the less space we’ll leave for those who want to weaken democracy with demagogic and populist paroles,” Schaeuble said. — Reuters

‘A massacre’ In 2012, a government safety committee said about 15,000 people die every year trying to cross train tracks, which it referred to as “a massacre.” On Sunday, hours after the accident in northern Uttar Pradesh state, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu announced an investigation and said anyone found guilty would be strictly punished. But blame should also fall on successive governments and railway ministers that have starved the organization of funds, denying it key resources to upgrade critical equipment and pushing it to the brink of bankruptcy, said former Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi.

Compromising safety Trivedi said the railways need 200 billion to 250 billion rupees ($3 billion to $3.8 billion) simply to replace old equipment. Instead, the government approved a mere 32 billion rupees ($485 million) in the 2016 budget. “Therefore,

HYDERABAD: In this Jan 13, 2016 file photo, Indians scramble to enter a train in Hyderabad, India. For more than 150 years, India’s sprawling rail network has helped knit this disparate country together. — AP the much-required replacement of old assets is postponed - knowingly compromising safety,” Trivedi said. Critics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who came to power in 2014, say his government has concentrated too much on highpublicity rail plans, like wanting to introduce high-speed “bullet” trains, instead of boring but necessary upgrades and repairs.

“When we can barely manage train speeds as they are at present, such talk of building bullet trains on which billions of dollars are to be spent is illogical,” said Basudev Acharya, a former lawmaker who headed a parliamentary committee overseeing railway operations. “What needs immediate fixing is to ensure adequate funds for maintenance of the existing stock and, most importantly, filling up vacancies among safety workers,” Acharya said. Railway workers say decades of funding crunches have taken their toll. Passenger trains in India run at slow speeds, averaging around 50 kilometers an hour, while freight trains are even slower, averaging half that. “Even at such low speeds we have a high number of deaths in railway accidents. Can you imagine the toll if the speed were any faster?” said N B Dutta, a railway locomotive driver and president of the All India Loco Running Staff Association, a train operators’ trade union. On Sunday, four children were killed by an intercity

express train while crossing the tracks in the northeast state of Assam. Dutta spoke of crucial safety-related positions that remained vacant, placing rail conductors under stress. “We work four to five nights consecutively,” though rules say conductors should only work two nights in a row, said Dutta.

His colleague, C. Sunish, said the stress can be immense, with drivers trying to catch sleep in railway station waiting rooms after 12- to 14hour shifts. Sunish said successive governments have failed to implement the recommendations of state-appointed committees on rail safety.

“Every time there is an accident, the minister will order an investigation, but the outcome remains the same. No correctional measures are taken,” he said. Although the investigation into Sunday’s train derailment is still underway, railway experts said it was most likely caused by tracks that had deteriorated over the years. Most railway tracks are checked every day with ultrasonic detectors that can spot changes in track conditions. This is followed by visual inspections, railway managers say. But with many jobs vacant, some lapses in checks should be expected, they warned. Running the railways in India, regulating the budget, ensuring safety and managing rail traffic is done by a governmentappointed Railway Board. — AP

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016

BUSINESS

Wall Street quartet lifts world stock markets LONDON: World stocks rode the slipstream of the first joint all-time high for Wall Street’s four main markets since 1999 yesterday, with commodity firms adding extra lift as they eyed an OPEC oil output cut and surge in US building under Donald Trump.

A powerful earthquake hitting the same part of Japan that suffered a nuclear disaster in 2011 nudged up the safe-haven yen and cooled the dollar’s recent 10 percent gain which had lifted it to a 13-1/2 year high in recent days. A sustained rally in oil and metals helped the likes of the Australian and Canadian dollars as US stock index futures also pointed to an extension of Wall Street’s post-US election rally after its 16-

year milestone on Monday.

“The fact Trump was elected means it is now seen as certain that you will see a rise in inflation and that the Fed is going to hike rates,” said Nataxis head of equities strategy Sylvain Goyon.

“Some of his strategies are really pro-growth.”

Asia’s top bourses had made solid gains overnight despite the clearest signal yet from US President-elect Trump that he will shake up trade with the region.

Europe also spent the day on the front foot, with London’s FTSE, Frankfurt’s DAX and the CAC 40 in Paris up between 0.6 - 0.8 percent ahead of US trading. The European basic resources index, which has now doubled from its January lows,

was the best performing sector as big names Anglo American, BHP Billiton and Antofagasta jumped 4 to 5 percent.

Having surged 4 percent on Monday, oil prices were nudging $50 a barrel again. Russian President Vladimir Putin raised hopes that producers will agree to limit output at an OPEC meeting next week.

Benchmark bonds meanwhile were taking a break from the surge in yields and plunge in prices since Trump’s unexpected victory earlier this month. The difference between German and US bond yields were back near multi-decade extremes after two of European Central Bank’s top policymakers reaffirmed the bank’s commit-

ment to its mass stimulus program ahead of a flagged review next month.

“The return of inflation towards our objective still relies on the continuation of the current, unprecedented level of monetary support, in spite of the gradual closing of the output gap,” ECB President Mario Draghi told a hearing in Strasbourg. The bank is also likely to be wary about the uncertainty if Italy’s government, as opinion polls currently suggest, loses a referendum on constitutional changes days before the ECB meets.

TRADE WARNING The dollar was beginning to claw higher as New York FX trading resumed. It was back level against the yen at 110.85 and was on top again against the euro and sterling at $1.06 per euro and $1.2427 to the pound. British finance minister Philip Hammond got some rare good news about the country’s finances yesterday as he finalizes his first budget statement, which is still likely to forecast a surge in borrowing as Britain prepares to leave the EU. Breaking with a pattern of borrowing overshoots earlier in the financial year, official figures showed public borrowing in October was 25 percent less than a year earlier at 4.8 billion pounds ($6.0 billion), its lowest since 2008 and beating all economists’ forecasts.

Outlining plans on Monday for his first day in office next year, Trump pledged to withdraw from the TPP Asia-Pacific free trade accord. Such a move may lead to retaliation by trade partners such as China and could potentially derail markets, Libby Cantrill, head of public policy at bond giant PIMCO, said.

But for now, expectations that his administration will adopt expansionary fiscal policies have pushed developed market stocks higher and even emerging market shares seem to have settled over the last week, having initially been hit hard.

Overnight, MSCI’s broadest index of AsiaPacific shares outside Japan rose 1.3 percent, pulled up by a 1.3 percent rally in Australian shares. Korean shares and Hong Kong stocks rose 0.9 and 1.3 percent each.

JAPAN QUAKE Investors in Japanese stocks appeared unfazed by yesterday’s big earthquake near the 2011 Fukushima disaster site in northern Japan, with the benchmark Nikkei average closing up 0.3 percent.

The 7.4 magnitude shock had briefly disrupted cooling functions at a nuclear plant and generated a small tsunami. “Most of the flow into stocks seems to be retail-oriented with institutional investors preferring to sit out the rally unless they get a clearer picture on Trump’s economic team,” said Andrew Sullivan, managing director, sales trading at Haitong International Securities Group in Hong Kong.

The dollar’s mild weakness propped up gold prices with spot gold up 0.2 percent at $1215 per ounce. Gold prices have fallen 10 percent since the US election outcome.

It also helped emerging market currencies trim some losses after a recent battering. The Chinese yuan rebounded from a near 8-1/2 year low hit on Monday and emerging market equities rose more than one percent to 11-day highs. With markets moving higher, volatility indicators receded. The CBOE Volatility Index, a so-called “fear gauge”, fell 3.4 percent. — Reuters

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016

BUSINESS

Thematic Investing: Merrill Lynch Report Private sector still underdeveloped in MENA

By Felix Tran

I

n the Mena region, the public sector which is the traditional employer of university graduates is overcrowded and the private sector is largely underdeveloped to create sufficient formal jobs. The region has one of the highest rates of youth unemployment in the world where many young people therefore end up in informal work or inactivity.

55 percent of Saudi Arabia’s employers feel that domestic graduates are prepared for the job market; amongst the highest in the world. Youth unemployment in Saudi Arabia expected to increase 33.50 percent in 2015 to 42.40 percent in 2030.

MENA region spends $84 billion on education; 9 percent of total global expenditure.

Ticking time bomb for global discontent: According to the UN’s Education Commission, failing to remediate the education deficiencies in low/middle income countries could pose a serious threat to security in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa if children and young people are left without skills or on the streets without prospects of education and employment. This could increase the

potential for intergenerational cycles of poverty to persist and the youth of tomorrow to be left without the skills and knowledge they need to contribute to their societies and economies. This could then lead to unprecedented social unrest.

Education for All (EFA): Falling short on building blocks The world has made massive strides in education - in literacy (85 percent adults, 91 percent youths), enrolment rates (90 percent of school-age children) and mean years of schooling (12.2Y ).

However, we are still falling short of meeting Education for All goals. There remain 263mn children out of school, 758mn illiterate adults, and a 100Y education gap between DMs and EMs. At the current pace, universal primary education will be achieved only by 2042E and secondary by 2084E. Failure to act on EFA could cost $1.8 trillion in global GDP by 2050E, the brunt of which will be borne by low-income countries.

Investing in education: Strong ROI for countries & people The case for investing in education is strong,

with every $1 invested generating up to $10 in economic returns. At the global level, 1Y of schooling has raised GDP by c.0.6 percent p.a. over a 40Y period - and EFA could increase low-income EM per capita GDP by 70 percent by 2050E. Closing the global gender gap in education and work could boost world GDP by $12-28 trillion. For individuals, every 1Y of schooling produces a return rate of up to 16 percent - with a 4Y college degree proving a better personal investment (c.15 percent) than the stock market (c.7 percent) p.a. on average over the past 60Y. Mismatch: 20th century education vs 21st century work However, education is not keeping up with the changing face of 21st century work, resulting in a growing skills gap that could have far-reaching socioeconomic consequences. 50 percent of employers and graduates believe education is not adequately preparing them for the world of work, workplace skills are changing at an unprecedented pace, and up to 2bn jobs could be at risk by 2030E via automation and robots. Transforming education matters more than ever - and while there is no silver

bullet, we believe areas for focus must include STEM (science, technology, education & maths), vocational education, life skills, greater affordability, and technological innovation. Without action, the mismatch could stunt economic growth, worsen inequality, and exacerbate social unrest and deglobalization by creating a ticking time bomb of worldwide discontent. $6.3tn market by 2020E: Four entry point for investors The global education market is expected to grow from $4.9tn in 2015 to US$6.3tn by 2020E, a CAGR of 5 percent. K-12 and tertiary are the largest markets, but we see the fastest growth coming from EdTech (Educational Technology), lifelong learning, MOOCs (massive open online courses), and non-degree and corporate education. Drivers include: government spend (c.US$4tn or 5 percent of global GDP), private spend (c.$1 trillion), demographics (EMs make up 82 percent of the world’s 1.5bn students) and rising incomes (3 billion entering global middle class by 2030E). We highlight four entry points: 1) EdTech; 2) Pre-K12 to Tertiary; 3) Publishing & Content; and 4) Student REITs & Housing.

Nigeria power crisis upsets Buhari’s economy push LAGOS/LONDON: Nigeria’s biggest power station shows the huge problems that President Muhammadu Buhari must overcome if he is to fulfil his promise to tackle chronic electricity shortages and reform an economy in recession.

On the outskirts of Lagos, three out of six turbines lie idle at the Egbin plant, starved both of gas due to militant attacks on pipelines that supply the station - and of funds that would allow its owners to buy alternative fuels and even implement an expansion plan. Buhari won last year’s presidential election with pledges to increase power capacity exponentially during his four-year term and meet the demands of Nigeria’s 180 million people entirely within a decade.

But an upsurge of the attacks in the Niger Delta and acute foreign currency shortages are frustrating his ambitions, along with older problems of back payments owed by the federal government to power station operators and an ageing power grid. Buhari wants to diversify the economy away from oil, sales of which account for two thirds of government revenue. But frequent power cuts and soaring fuel costs are forcing many manufacturers to shrink, not expand their businesses. This, along with falling crude production at a time of low global prices, is deepening Nigeria’s first recession in 25 years.

One such factory owner is Reginald Odiah, managing director of Bennet Industries which makes light fittings in Lagos. Odiah, who set up the company in 1984, said he can no longer run his factory on the mains supply and instead has to use his own generators running on imported diesel, the price of which has soared due to a dive in the Nigerian naira currency.

“It makes me sick. It has run my business down,” he told Reuters, adding that his power costs have risen by around 50 percent over the last year. “If it continues the way it is going, we may have to close.” Since January, Odiah has slashed his workforce from 150 to 18 and cut output to just three days a week. Now the factory switches to the generators for production runs because the national grid “fails you without notice”, he said, complaining of power cuts up to 10 times a day.

INITIAL SUCCESS Nigeria needs 10 times its current output to guarantee reliable supplies for urban and rural inhabitants alike. When he came into office in May last year, Buhari inherited a problem that has held back Nigeria’s economic development for decades. Despite holding the world’s ninth largest gas reserves, it reliably produces less than a tenth of the power that South Africa provides for a population less than a third of the size.

He had some initial success. Total power output rose from around 3,600 megawatts to a peak of 5,074.7 MW in February this year, according to the Nigeria Electricity System Operator. But then the attacks by militants, who want more of Nigeria’s energy wealth directed to their impoverished southern swampland region, took hold.

Output fell close to 1,400 MW in May - far from the leap to 20,000 MW within four years which Buhari’s party pledged in its manifesto for the 2015 elections.

The Niger Delta provides not only the bulk of the nation’s crude oil exports, but also the gas that powers Egbin’s generators about 300 km (180 miles) away in Lagos. A militant strike on a sub-sea pipeline that shut in oil production at the Forcados field in February also curbed the flow of gas to Egbin. “Gas supply has been a major constraint for us from the standpoint of the Niger Delta crisis,” said Kola Adesina, the plant’s chairman.

Built in the 1980s, Egbin has a generating capacity of 1,320 MW, enough to provide a third of Nigeria’s electricity, and yet it is now producing just 606 MW. Nigeria’s Sahara Group, which with South Korea’s KEPCO bought a 70 percent stake in Egbin when it was privatised in 2013, has plans to double its capacity.

But executive director Tonye Cole said in September that power tariffs did not cover its costs, and complained the government, via its bulk electricity purchaser, owed it huge sums. “We’re not going to pour in huge amounts of money until we can correct all these things,” Cole said.

Egbin’s owners say they are owed 90 billion naira ($295 million) in back payments.

This is part of a much wider problem.

According to the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors, total market revenue shortfalls were projected to be 809 billion naira by December 2016.

Minister of Power Babatunde Fashola says he is working with government colleagues, the president’s office and the central bank to resolve the problem of unpaid bills, some of which pre-date privatization.

“We will find a way ... and ensure that going forward they will not accumulate again,” he said. Still, the power generators face a litany of other problems linked to the industry’s structure. The bulk of their costs including for gas, maintenance and imported spare parts - are in dollars but customers pay for the power in naira.

With Nigeria hard hit by the weak world oil market, the central bank effectively devalued the naira by 30 percent against the dollar in June. The power producers must therefore buy dollars with devalued naira income. “ The forex differential is huge,” Cole told Reuters. Often the producers cannot find dollars at anywhere near the new official rate of 305 naira to the dollar due to the foreign exchange shortage that the devaluation was supposed to ease.

The alternative is the black market, where the rate is around 460.

Egbin could run at least partly on fuel oil or liquefied natural gas brought in by ship, but all these problems mean the option is unfeasible at the moment.

RENEWABLE ENERGY STRATEGY In the summer, the government agreed a ceasefire with the main militant groups in the Niger Delta. But with attacks resuming, it is unclear whether this will hold, highlighting the need to avoid relying so heavily on gas from the region. Fashola said the long-term diversification plan is to develop a network of power plants funded by private investors, with a focus on solar power, hydro-electricity and wind farms. Nigeria sealed its first solar power purchase deals in July, and has also signed agreements with the World Bank to add more than 500 MW of generating capacity. — Reuters

LAGOS: Naira banknotes, Nigeria’s currency, in Lagos. Nigeria’s economy contracted in the third quarter as businesses struggled to access foreign exchange and rebels continued to bomb oil pipelines in the restive south, official data showed. — AFP

BEIJING: A Chinese woman checks a handbag at an American fashion boutique at an up-scale shopping mall in Beijing yesterday. US Presidentelect Donald Trump’s announcement that he plans to quit the Trans-Pacific Partnership is drawing vows from other Pacific Rim countries to push ahead with the trade pact while they also pursue free trade deals with China. — AP

Asia bloc laments Trump rejection of trade pact New Chinese initiative may receive a cold-shoulder TOKYO: President-elect Donald Trump says he wants to pull out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership but other Pacific Rim leaders are vowing to push market-opening efforts they say are vital for growth.

The possible decline of the 12-nation TPP could give a boost to alternative initiatives including one promoted by China in which the United States is not taking part. Trump’s message, in a brief video, was issued after President Barack Obama and other leaders of the AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation group, meeting in Peru, called Sunday for fighting the backlash against trade highlighted by Trump’s victory and Britain’s vote to leave the European Union.

Promoters of the TPP say it is a step toward building a wider, pan-Pacific free trade zone, though critics object it would shift too much control over regulation to companies from governments and the public. “There is very strong support among the other 11 parties to the TPP to ratify it and to seek to bring it into force,” said Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

Trump described the 12-nation pact as a “potential disaster for our country.” He has also said he wants to renegotiate the Nor th American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico. Obama has said he would give up seeking congressional approval for the TPP. He had championed it as a way for the United States to lead the creation of “gold standard” rules for 21st century trade.

“I think not moving forward would undermine our position across the region,” Obama told reporters in Lima. New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said Washington will need to think about what role it wants to play in Asia and its fast-growing markets.

The US not an island “The United States isn’t an island. It can’t just sit there and say it’s not going to trade with the rest of the world,” said Key after returning home.

“At some point they’re going to have to give some consideration to that. But naturally, we’re a bit disappointed.”

The TPP, signed this year in New Zealand, would take effect after it is ratified by six countries that account for 85 percent of the combined gross domestic product of its member nations.

The United States is 60 percent of the combined GDP of that group and Japan less than 20 percent, so those conditions cannot be met without US participation. “ TPP is meaningless without the United States,” said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Last week, he became the first foreign leader to meet Trump since his Nov. 8 election victory. As

Japan’s most powerful leader in a decade, Abe invested political capital in overcoming opposition to the TPP from farmers and the medical lobby. His ruling Liberal Democratic Party pushed TPP ratification through the lower house of parliament and had been set to seek final approval in the upper house.

Renegotiating the agreement would “disturb the fundamental balance of benefits,” said Abe, who was in Argentina following APEC. Other TPP members include Chile, Mexico, Canada, Peru, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Australia.

China hopes for progress on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, or RCEP, it is promoting with the 10 governments of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said.

The RCEP would require fewer market-opening concessions than TPP. Critics say that would

let China shield its huge but inefficient stateowned companies from competition. The agreement would include China, India, Indonesia and South Korea but no countries from the Americas have joined.

“We would like to push the negotiation process to make headway at an early date,” said the spokesman, Geng Shuang, at a regular briefing. China also called at APEC for progress on a separate arrangement, the Free Trade Agreement of the Asia Pacific. “We hope these free trade agreements can reinforce rather than thwart each other,” said Geng. “We should prevent fragmentation of economic and trade arrangements or politicizing such agreements.”

Associated Press writers Liu Zheng in Beijing; Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Australia; Nick Perry in Wellington, New Zealand, and Almudena Calatrava and Luis Andres Henao in Buenos Aires, Argentina, contributed to this report. — AP

Hungary to boost minimum wages, cut payroll taxes BUDAPEST: Hungary will raise its minimum wage levels sharply but cut back on employers’ payroll taxes under a deal reached yesterday between government and employers designed to combat a severe labor shortage.

The state news agency MTI quoted Economy Minister Mihaly Varga as saying the minimum wage will increase by 15 percent in 2017 and another 8 percent in 2018. The payroll tax paid by employers will be cut by 5 and 2 percentage points at the same time. For skilled workers the guaranteed minimum wage, a higher wage category, will increase by 25 percent in 2017, and another 12 percent in 2018. The higher wages are designed to attract workers who have left the country back to Hungary. The government also wants to make it easier to bring in foreign workers from neighboring countries with Hungarianspeaking populations, such as Ukraine.

Peter Virovacz, analyst of ING Bank, said the move was a step in the right direction, but may have come too late. “This will not make many more people appear in the labour market,” he said. “For that, a modernisation of education and changes in public employment are needed.”

Wage growth has been fairly high in Hungary at a time of no inflation. The unemployment rate has plummeted with the eco-

nomic recovery sucking up any available labour and workers leaving for higher wages in Western Europe.

In September, annual gross wage growth was 6.7 percent. Unemployment came in at 4.9 percent. If gross wage growth in the first nine months of next year exceeds 11 percent, another 0.5 percentage point reduction in payroll taxes kicks in, Varga said. He said there was no immediate need to modify the country’s 2017 budget because of the changing wage environment but that the ministry will reassess its macroeconomic forecasts in light of the agreement.

“This will not have an immediate impact on inflation, we still expect 2017 inflation to be 1.9 percent, maybe a few decimal points higher, as the VAT (value added tax) cut has a moderating effect,” Erste Bank analyst Orsolya Nyeste told Reuters. She added that labour shortage across the economy could boost inflation in the medium term, which could even exceed the central bank’s 3 percent target. Still, she said the central bank should stick to its record low 0.9 percent interest rate.

“It is possible that a higher growth and higher inflation environment may lead to a rate hike in 2019,” she said. The central bank has said repeatedly that it saw rates at the current level for its entire policy horizon. — Reuters

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016

business

Ooredoo; first ISO 9001:2015 certified mobile operator with UKAS accreditation KUWAIT: Ooredoo, Kuwait’s fastest network for 2016, is proud to announce the successful achievement of obtaining the latest ISO 9001:2015 Certification, becoming the first Mobile Telecommunications Company in Kuwait to successfully complete and implement the newest International Quality Standards, the certification audit of this international standard was conducted by UKAS through Bureau Veritas Kuwait.

The event was conducted over 2 stages. The first stage was conducted in July 2016 where initial assessments were done by external auditors and qualified Ooredoo Kuwait for the certification audit. Stage 2 was then conducted in November 2016 where external auditors focused their assessments across the divisions to check the implementation of the international standard requirements.

As a result of Ooredoo Kuwait’s management and staff’s professional commitment, the overall achievement and effort in maintaining and

Mijbil Alayoub achieving such Quality Standards ensures continual improvement within the company ’s processes.

Mijbil Alayoub, Senior Director of Corporate Communications at Ooredoo Kuwait, stated that “this certification adds to the continuous efforts to maintain internationally recognized standards, in line with Ooredoo Kuwait’s Quality Management System. Going forward, Ooredoo Kuwait will drive continual improvement initiatives through the application of best internationally-proven practices in every aspect possible to offer the best in-class Customer Experience”.

ISO is an independent, non-governmental international organization with a membership of 163 national standards bodies. Through its members, it brings together experts to share

knowledge and develop voluntary, consensusbased, market relevant International Standards that support innovation and provide solutions to global challenges.

Ooredoo’s operations in Kuwait date back to December 1999 when it launched wireless services as the second operator. The company today provides mobile, broadband internet and corporate managed services tailored to the needs of customers and businesses. Ooredoo is guided by its vision of enriching people’s lives and its belief that it can stimulate human growth by leveraging communications to help people achieve their full potential.

KFH wins Best SME Customer Service annual award 2016 Banker Middle East honors KFH for high quality performance based on accurate assessment made by international experts, which reveals the bank’s uniqueness and its leading role in the SMEs sector. KFH has been always keen since inception to address the needs of the SMEs owners. This qualified KFH to take the lead in the market share. KFH’s outstanding performance in serving the SMEs segment reiterates the bank’s pioneering position in this sector that has become a major factor of supporting the comprehensive development.

The SMEs constitute the nucleus for mega projects, while they offer numerous job opportunities for the Kuwaiti youth with low cost of capital, he added.

AlKharji reiterated KFH’s endeavors to continue playing this role efficiently regardless of

KUWAIT: Kuwait Finance House (KFH) won Best SME Customer Service Award from the Banker Middle East magazine as part of the 2016 annual awards that are dedicated to the banking and finance sector. The award acknowledges KFH’s high quality performance and instrumental role in supporting the small and medium-sized enterprises SMEs. Group Chief Wholesale Banking Officer at KFH Ahmed Soud AlKharji received the award on behalf of KFH in an event held at KFH Headquarters. The event was attended by CPI Financials’ CEO, Robin Amlot, the Sales Affairs CEO, Omer Hussain in addition to several officials from KFH. Commenting on the bank’s prestigious win, AlKharji stated that KFH was granted this award

the circumstances, since it relies on its financial and human abilities, not to mention its commitment towards the national economy, indicating KFH is committed to offering best services and best financing and advisory solutions to the SMEs segment.

It is worth noting that the Banker Middle East magazine, that is specialized in the financial and banking sector worldwide, had mentioned in its report that it relied on the financial position, the role of supporting the SMEs, as well as the diversity of SMEs services and products to determine the winners.

KFH was established in Kuwait in 1977 and is enlisted in the Kuwait Stock Exchange. KFH Group is a global pioneer in the field of Islamic banking services, where it offers a wide array of Islamic products and services, not to mention a high standard of innovation and client service.

KFH manages its operations in the GCC, Asia, and Europe through over 446 branches, including KFH-Turkey, in order to offer services for the bank’s clients in Turkey, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Germany, Jordan, and Dubai.

Burgan Bank hosts movie event for Youth Account holders for free KUWAIT: Burgan Bank, in collaboration with Grand Cinemas, recently invited its Youth Account Holders to watch the first screening of “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ movie for free, at Grand Cinemas located in Al-Hamra Centre. Each Youth Account holder was entitled to two free seats whereby they had the choice of reserving to any of the two shows that were exclusively available for them on that day.

Burgan Bank strives to reward its Youth account holders with exclusive offers that fits their lifestyle. To receive regular updates about Burgan Bank’s Youth Account promotions, customers can follow Burgan Bank’s Official Instagram Account page @BurganBankKuwait.

Established in 1977, Burgan Bank is the youngest commercial Bank and second largest by assets in Kuwait, with a

significant focus on the corporate and financial institutions sectors, as well as having a growing retail, and private bank customer base. Burgan Bank has majority owned subsidiaries in the MENAT region supported by one of the largest regional branch networks.

The Bank has continuously improved its performance over the years through an expanded revenue structure, diversified funding sources, and a strong capital base. The adoption of state-of-theart services and technology has positioned it as a trendsetter in the domestic market and within the MENA region.

Burgan Bank’s brand has been created on a foundation of real values - of trust, commitment, excellence and progression, to remind us of the high standards to which we aspire. ‘People come first’ is the foundation on which its products and services are developed.

AlKharji receiving the award from Robin Amlot

Etihad Group showcases future of air travel during UAE Innovation Week KUWAIT: Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak AlNahyan, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development and Her Excellency Noura bint Mohammed Al-Kaabi, Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs, have visited Etihad Innovation Week, as par t of UAE Innovation Week.

During a tour at Etihad Innovation Centre, the VIP dignitaries were shown the future of air travel and how the power of technology can enhance the guest experience. Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al-Nahyan praised Etihad Aviation Group for its innovation strategy and for encouraging young people to embrace technology.

The airline is displaying a world where guests’ names are k nown before they approach check-in, favourite movies are cued up and ready prior to boarding and personalized travel itineraries are generated automatically - all supported by the latest technology, including IBM Watson.

This week’s visitors to the Innovation Centre can also meet Pepper, the humanoid robot, designed with the ability to read emotions and adapt its behavior accordingly, while “Chef Watson” is creating original recipes for guests by cognitively analyzing flavors and ingredients.

James Hogan, President and Chief

Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al-Nahyan, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development talking to students at Etihad Innovation Week.

Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said: “We operate in a highly competitive environment and in order to meet our guests expectations and deliver optimized efficiencies, an aggressive approach to technology and innovation is a necessity - not an option.”

Last year, Etihad Airways signed a US$700 million strategic partnership with IBM to transform the airline’s global technology operations with cloud, analytics, mobile, security and cognitive technologies.

Etihad Innovation Week also features a Hackathon where university students compete by using IBM Watson’s cognitive technology to produce solutions for the travel industry. The three-day challenge, involving students from universities in Abu Dhabi, is being hosted with Cognit, a joint venture between Mubadala and IBM Watson.

Following the tour, Noura Al Kaabi, commented: “I have enjoyed my visit to Etihad Innovation Week, as part of the country-wide celebrations, to see and hear the latest news on how the company is incorporating technology and innovative practices to the benefit of the customer, the economy and the wider travel and tourism industry. I was also delighted to see the participation of university students in the activities.”

Etihad Aviation Group has invested billions of dollars on technological innovation to streamline businesses across the group and enhance the guest experience, supported by partnerships with world leading technology firms, including IBM, SAP, Sabre, Adobe, Cognizant, and SITA. UAE Innovation Week, running until 26 November, is one of the largest innovation i nit iat i ves in t he wo r ld and aims to strengthen the UAE’s position as a global innovation hub.

Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs visiting Etihad Innovation Week.

Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al-Nahyan, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development looking over the technology at Etihad Innovation Week.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016

technology Thailand seeks to tighten cyber security, raising questions about privacy BANGKOK: Thailand’s military government, which has cracked down on online dissent since seizing power in 2014, is pushing ahead with cyber security bills that rights groups say could mean more extensive online monitoring, raising concerns over privacy protection. Amendments to Thailand’s 2007 Computer Crime Act to be considered by parliament next month have come under fire from critics who say the bill could give state officials sweeping powers to spy on internet users and restrict online speech.

Critics say parliament is likely to approve the amendments because lawmakers voted unanimously to pass the bill in its first reading. The amendments come as the military government has ramped up online censorship since the May 2014 coup, particularly perceived insults to the royal family, as it tries to ensure a smooth transition following the death of revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej on Oct. 13 and ahead of a 2017 general election.

Since the coup, the government has shut down or blocked thousands of websites it has deemed offensive or inappropriate. The amendments to the cyber law, seen by Reuters yesterday, have pro-democracy activists worried that they could lead to arbitrary invasion of privacy without a court warrant.

Sam Zarifi, Asia Director at the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), a Geneva-based non-governmental organisation, said the amendments would strengthen the government’s ability to silence speech that it deems violates Thailand’s lese-majeste law, a crime that is punishable by up to 15 years in prison. “This absolutely curbs free expression,” Zarifi told Reuters.

In the amendments, Articles 18 and 19 of the Computer Crime Act say state officials can obtain user and traffic data from service providers without court approval and can seize a computer device within an unspecified time period. Article 20 says a website that could threaten national security

or “offend people’s good morals” can be removed or suspended. A committee would be in charge of flagging suspicious content.

The current law says officials need court approval to remove content. In a statement last month, the ICJ and four other rights groups called for Thailand’s parliament, or National Legislative Assembly, to reject the draft. The National Human Rights Commission has also opposed the amendments.

Members of the National Legislative Assembly declined to comment on the cyber security bills when contacted by Reuters. The amendments will be followed by the Cyber Security Act and the Personal Data Protection Act, which the government has approved in principle and aims to pass through parliament by March.

Experts say the Computer Crime Act is a benchwarmer for the more dangerous Cyber Security Act, which would allow the state to wiretap phones and computers without judicial approval.

“These laws are aimed at controlling online media, accessing personal data, and when the Cyber Security bill is passed, mass surveillance is a real threat,” said Kanathip Thongraweewong, a data privacy expert at Saint John’s University in Bangkok.

Under the act, a National Cyber Security Committee will have the power to order any state or private agency to do anything without judicial oversight.

The committee could take down whatever it wants, said Arthit Suriyawongkul of the Thai Netizen Network group, which has campaigned against the bills.

Drafts of the bills show the committee’s secretary will also serve as secretary in the Personal Data Protection Committee, raising conflict of interest questions. “A committee that protects people’s rights and freedom should be independent from the state, especially when the state is a potential violator,” said Arthit. — Reuters

WOLFSBURG: Volkswagen’s chief Herbert Diess is pictured in front of the new Volkswagen I.D, the 100 percent electric car of Volkswagen during a press conference on November 22, 2016 in Wolfsburg, northern Germany. — AFP

VW bets on new technology to bounce back from crisis Plan to be electric cars leader by 2025

FRANKFURT: Volkswagen hopes to bounce back from its crisis with a shift in focus to more battery-powered cars, digital technologies such as autonomous vehicles, and an increase in sales of SUVs in the US. Herbert Diess, the head of the Volkswagen core brand, said yesterday at a news conference that the goal of the Transform 2025 plan was “to fundamentally change Volkswagen” as it recovers from its scandal in which it rigged diesel cars to cheat on emissions tests.

The plan foresees new investments in electriccar technology and in software that would enable new ways of using and sharing cars. Diess said at group headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany, that the company expects to sell a million electric vehicles a year by 2025.

The company would also “massively step up” its capacity to develop software, aiming to create industry-leading software and hardware systems for digitally connected and autonomous cars by 2025.

Another element of the plan is increasing sales in the US by introducing products that are more appropriate for the market, such as more SUVs and larger cars. The plan for the Volkswagen

brand follows Friday’s announcement that the division would eliminate 23,000 jobs in more traditional areas in Germany and create 9,000 new ones focused on new technologies.

Diess said the company aims to raise profit margins on sales to 6 percent by 2025, from just 2 percent in 2015. Profitability at the Volkswagen brand has lagged due to its higher cost base, the result of a strong role for employee representatives. They have half the board seats, and are generally supported by the government of Lower Saxony, which holds a stake in the company. Partly as a result, Volkswagen Group makes most of its profits from its luxury brands Audi and Porsche.

The company struck a deal with its workforce, which agreed to the job reductions through voluntary means such as early retirement over a period of years. In return, employees won a commitment to locate new technology development and manufacturing in Germany.

Volkswagen has agreed to pay $15 billion under a settlement with US authorities and car owners over cars equipped with software that turned off emissions controls under normal driving conditions. The scandal has served as a spur

for the company to shake up its management culture and address longstanding issues such as the cost question in Germany.

Volkswagen aims to be the world leader in electric cars by 2025, Diess said. “By 2025 we plan to sell one million electric cars per year, and by then we also want to be the global market leader in electromobility,” Diess said at a presentation of the brand’s future plans. “Going forward our electric cars will be the hallmark of Volkswagen,” he added.

The shake-up at Volkswagen’s core brand comes as the group tries to recover from the biggest crisis in its history after it admitted last year to installing emissions cheating software in some 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide.

The so-called defeat devices could detect when a vehicle was undergoing regulatory tests and lowered emissions accordingly to make the cars seem less polluting than they were.

The crisis hurt sales and damaged the image of the proud German company, pushing it to its first loss in over two decades last year. Even before dieselgate, the VW brand had been struggling with profitability, weighed down by high costs and low productivity. — Agencies

US allows GM to delay recall to prove safety of air bags SINGAPORE: A man rides a self-driving mobility scooter that drives single pedestrians along footpaths.

Singapore unveils self-driving scooter SINGAPORE: Researchers in Singapore have come up with a solution to curb accidents involving phone-obsessed walkers, a self-driving mobility scooter that drives single pedestrians along footpaths.

The one-seater, four wheel, 50 kg (110 lbs) vehicle travels at a top speed of 6 kmh (4 mph) and has laser sensors to help navigate around obstacles. The scooter, developed by the National University of Singapore (NUS), is the citystate’s latest experiment with driverless vehicles as it pushes ahead with its vision of using autonomous technology to help deal with the challenges of its limited land and labour.

The scooter has undergone successful tests on campus and developers said it can help improve mobility for all ages, cut down on the need for cars and also lower accident rates.

“I’m sure you have experienced people who just use their handphone while walking, and almost run into you ... so it would

be nice if you are just sitting down and checking your emails,” said NUS Associate Professor and project leader Marcelo Ang Jr. “We just give you more choices.”

Ang Jr said that the scooter would be able to work in tandem with other driverless vehicles in Singapore, where robo-taxis are being tested and trials are planned for self-driving buses. He said the scooter was meant for use on narrow pathways which larger vehicles cannot access.

Currently the scooter takes a few seconds to calibrate a different route when it nears an obstacle - something Ang Jr. said the team was looking to improve. Users, though, did not seem too bothered by the brief pause. “It goes really smoothly and travels very safely,” said student Kevin Xiangyu Hui, who tested the scooter. The project, a collaboration between the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART), and NUS will be further tested and is not for sale. — Reuters

DETROIT: US auto safety regulators are allowing General Motors to delay a large recall of potentially defective air bags, giving the company time to prove that the devices are safe and to possibly avoid a huge financial hit.

The unusual move by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration buys time for an outside company hired by GM to do long-term tests of Takata air bag inflators in older trucks and SUVs including GM’s top-selling vehicle, the Chevrolet Silverado pickup.

GM reluctantly agreed to recall 2.5 million vehicles in May to replace Takata front passenger inflators. But the company said at the time its inflators are unique and safer than those linked to 11 deaths in the US and as many as 16 worldwide.

The company petitioned for the delay last week and the government agreed on Monday.

The decision delays the recall until Aug. 31, 2017.

If GM can prove to NHTSA that the inflators are safe by that time, the recall could be canceled.

The recall covered the Silverado, GMC Sierra pickup and many popular full-size SUVs from the 2007 to 2011 model years. Some of the trucks are now older than the minimum six years that it takes for Takata inflators to deteriorate and become risky. But GM contends its tests so far show that they are safe for at least 3 1/2 more years.

The testing could help GM fend off several recalls totaling 6.8 million trucks and SUVS with the same inflators that ultimately could cost the company $870 million, according to a GM filing with securities regulators. Another batch of

TOKYO: The logo of Takata Corp at an auto supply shop in Tokyo. US safety regulators announced Monday, they are allowing General Motors to delay a large recall of potentially defective air bags, giving GM time to prove the devices are safe and possibly avoid a huge financial hit. — AP recalls is slated to start on Dec. 31. The delay also pushes the decision into the administration of President-elect Donald Trump, who has stated that he wants to get rid of unnecessary government regulation.

GM said the timing of its filings was motivated by upcoming NHTSA deadlines. “Any other conclusion is just speculation,” spokesman Tom Wilkinson said in a company statement.

Takata uses the chemical ammonium nitrate

Almost half the world will be online by end of 2016 JOHANNESBURG: By the end of 2016, almost half of the world’s population will be using the internet as mobile networks grow and prices fall, but their numbers will remain concentrated in the developed world, a United Nations agency said yesterday. In the world’s developed countries about 80 percent of the population use the internet. But only about 40 percent in developing countries and less than 15 percent in less-developed countries are online, according to a report by the U.N.’s International Telecommunications Union (ITU).

In several of Africa’s poorer and more fragile countries, only one person in 10 is on the internet. The offline population is female, elderly, less educated, poorer and lives in rural areas, said the union, a specialized agency for information and communication technologies.

Globally, 47 percent of the world’s population is online, still far short of a UN target of 60 percent by 2020. Some

3.9 billion people, more than half the world’s population, are not. ITU expects 3.5 billion people to have access by the end of this year. “In 2016, people no longer go online, they are online. The spread of 3G and 4G networks across the world had brought the internet to more and more people,” the repor t said.

Telecoms and internet companies are expanding as more affordable smartphones encourage consumers to browse the internet, causing demand to grow for data-heavy services. However, lessdeveloped countries - LDCs - still trail the rest of the world.

“Internet penetration levels in LDCs today have reached the level enjoyed by developed countries in 1998, suggesting that the LDCs are lagging nearly 20 years behind the developed countries,” the report said. It blamed the cost of services and of extending infrastructure to rural and remote customers and the high price of mobile cellular use. — Reuters

to create a small explosion and quickly inflate air bags in a crash. But tests have shown the chemical can deteriorate when exposed to high temperatures and airborne moisture. That can make it burn too fast, blowing apart a metal canister designed to contain the explosion, flinging shrapnel into drivers and passengers.

In addition to the deaths, more than 100 people have been hurt by the exploding inflator canisters. —AP

Irish data Commissioner steps up probe into Yahoo email scanning

An employee works in the distribution center of the online retailer Amazon during a guided tour for journalists before the Christmas season in Bad Hersfeld yesterday. — AP

LONDON: Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) said on Monday it was trying to ascertain if Yahoo! Inc’s decision to scan clients’ email accounts at the behest of the US authorities last year broke European law. Sources have told Reuters that Yahoo used a software program to sift through millions of emails for specific information related to national security.

At the time last month, the DPC said it was seeking more information from Yahoo. Now it has begun actively investigating the case, it said on Monday. “We are in regular contact with Yahoo! EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) in clarifying certain facts of this case and will then proceed to take appropriate next steps,” a DPC spokeswoman said in a statement.

Yahoo did not respond to a request for comment.

Last month, it declined to confirm whether Europeans’ emails were intercepted as part of the program. Yahoo said it complied with the laws of the United States.

Lawyers said mass surveillance of EU citizens email would be against incoming European Union data rules. The DPC, the lead European regulator on privacy issues for Yahoo because its European headquarters are in Dublin, is trying to ascertain what exactly Yahoo did and whether it breached the privacy rules that prevailed last year.

“We are receiving active and engaged responses to our queries,” the spokeswoman said. Analysts said the email scanning could prompt Verizon Communications to rethink the terms of a planned $4.8 billion takeover of Yahoo. — Reuters

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

China to control public smoking nationwide by year-end SHANGHAI: China, the world’s biggest cigarette producer and consumer, aims to impose national smoking-control regulations by the end of this year, authorities said yesterday. The Asian giant has the world’s largest smoking population, with 28 percent of all adults and half of its adult men estimated to regularly use cigarettes. The World Health Organization (WHO) says a million people in China die of tobac-

co-related illnesses annually, with second-hand smoke contributing to some 100,000 deaths each year. In June 2015 Beijing municipality adopted the toughest anti-smoking legislation in the countr y, banning smok ing in offices, restaurants, hotels and hospitals.

Venues that flout the ban can face fines of up to 10,000 yuan ($1,450).

Last week Shanghai also amended its

tobacco regulations to ban indoor smoking and also outdoor smoking at public areas such as bus stops, schools and stadiums. At a WHO conference in the commercial hub, government health spokesman Mao Qunan indicated measures would be rolled out across the country. “The nationwide regulation to control smoking in public is undergoing the legislative process and is hoped to be announced and carried

out this year,” he told reporters.

“Strictly controlling smoking in public places through legal forms is an advancement for health.” Nearly 20 cities have already drawn up public nosmoking rules, Mao added.

The commission first drafted the law in late 2014. Enforcing anti-smoking measures can be difficult in China as the state-run tobacco industry provides the government with colossal sums —

1.1 trillion yuan ($160 billion) in taxes and profits in 2015, up 20 percent yearon-year. China’s tobacco regulator shares offices and senior officials with the state - owned China National Tobacco Corp-a near-monopoly and by far the world’s biggest cigarette producer. WHO director-general Margaret Chan called on more cities “to make sure that the tobacco control in China will make further progress”.—AP

Polluted water in hand, Nigerian king takes Shell to court in London ‘My people are drinking this water’ LONDON: King Emere Godwin Bebe Okpabi holds up a plastic bottle containing contaminated water from his community in Nigeria, proof of oil pollution that he blames on Royal Dutch Shell-and on which he hopes a London court will deliver justice. “My people are drinking this water,” said the tribal king of the Ogale commu-

involves its Nigerian subsidiary SPDC, which runs a joint venture with the government, and Nigerian plaintiffs. But Okpabi, wearing a traditional robe with a red necklace and black top hat, said the English justice system was his only hope to end the blight on his people’s lives.

“Shell is Nigeria and Nigeria is Shell. You can

THE HAGUE: View taken on June 30, 2015 of the head office of the Royal Dutch Shell in The Hague.—AFP nity in the oil-rich Niger Delta. Okpabi has flown to London for a High Court hearing yesterday in which lawyers for more than 40,000 Nigerians are demanding action from Shell to clean up oil spills that have devastated their communities for decades.

“There are strange diseases in my community-skin diseases, people are dying sudden deaths, some people are impotent, low sperm count,” he told AFP. “I can afford to buy water. But can I afford to buy for everybody? No.” The Anglo-Dutch oil giant argues that the case should be heard in Nigeria, pointing out that it

never, never defeat Shell in a Nigerian court. The truth is that the Nigerian legal system is corrupt,” he said. He wants the High Court to compel Shell to implement a 2011 landmark report by the UN Environment Program (UNEP), which warned of dangerously high levels of hydrocarbons in the water, bitumen-coated mangroves and poor air quality. It should order the company to “go and clean-up Ogale, go and provide water for them; go and do medical history for them, and where medical attention is needed provide for them,” he said. The king said no money would be enough to address the damage, which UNEP

warned could take 25 to 30 years to resolve, but wants compensation, adding: “We are dying.”

Sabotage Shell will challenge the jurisdiction of the English courts in the case during three days of hearings this week, while it also disputes the claims made by lawyers Leigh Day, who represent Ogale and the smaller Bille community.

“Both Bille and Ogale are areas heavily impacted by crude oil theft, pipeline sabotage and illegal refining which remain the main sources of pollution across the Niger Delta,” a company spokeswoman said. She noted SPDC has not produced any oil or gas in Ogoniland, the region surrounding Ogale, since 1993. But Okpabi and his lawyers say the company ’s ageing, leaky pipelines still run through the region and it must take responsibility.

SPDC says it has delivered water and healthcare to the community and is supporting the implementation of the UNEP process by the government, which in June launched a $1 billion (£800 million, 940 million euros) oil pollution clean-up program in the Niger Delta. Okpabi said he believed President Muhammadu Buhari is “sincere” in wanting to address the issue, but warned: “If we wait for the system to roll on its own, I hate to say this, but it may be too late for the people of Ogale.” Attacks on Nigerian pipelines have increased this year, cutting output and helping tip the country into recession, but Okpabi insists “there is no vandalising” in Ogale. The king condemned the saboteurs, warning that “you cannot bomb your house to get attention”.

However, he added: “I’m also appealing to Shell and the Nigerian government to listen to those communities that are non-violent and do something.” In January 2015, Shell agreed to pay more than $80 million to the Nigerian fishing community of Bodo for two oil spills in 2008, following a case brought by Leigh Day in London.

In December, a Dutch court permitted four Nigerian farmers and fishermen to sue the company for environmental pollution, potentially opening the door to other cases to be brought in the Netherlands.—AFP

Riders on the waves: China’s jellyfish-hauling mules a dying breed XIANRENDAO, China: With a crack of his whip, Qin Yusheng drives his mules through the ocean surf off the Chinese coast, laboring to bring in the day’s catch. For decades, equinepowered carts have trundled through the shallow waters off the peninsula near Xianrendao to meet shallow-keeled trawlers piled high with jellyfish, which teem in the waters of the Yellow Sea. Now Qin, 55, and his last two mules are ready to retire, as the area’s traditional way of life slides into history. Not long ago, Qin and his team of horses and mules spent 12 hours a day shuttling back and forth between the fishing boats and the shore.

Fishermen emptied their slippery catch into dozens of horse carts, which hauled them through the knee deep waters to processing sheds. Now, the vessels pull up to a new concrete pier, where they offload their product directly into waiting lorries. There is “not much need” for the animal-drawn carts any more, said Qin, who now helps shift haul smaller catches, like crabs caught in the shallows. “I have no choice but to retire.” Wang Fenghu, 55, who used to have a team of horses until he quit to open a small grocery store, explained: “A couple of trucks can carry between 2,000 and 2,500 kilos. “There used to be 40 or 50 horses grazing on the lawn here,” he said with a wave to the village green. Wang sold his four horses a little over a decade ago to farmers in the nearby hills.

“I haven’t sold my cart, yet,” he added. But “now it’s only good for firewood”.

Oil and coriander Jellyfish is a popular ingredient in Chinese cooking, and the largest plant in Xianrendao, in the northeastern province of Liaoning, processes around 5 million kilograms a year. During the high season, migrant workers spend 13 hours a day in the factories, large open sheds with corrugated roofs, separating jellyfish heads from their bodies. Men and women in tall rubber boots and gloves shovel a mixture of salt and alum into giant concrete tanks, where the jellyfish soak for a week. The process makes their skin thin and easy to slice. The finished product is exported to Japan, Korea and cities across China, where it is often mixed with oil and coriander to make a cold, crunchy salad.

Business is good, according to locals, but the catches have become smaller and smaller every year. “There are fewer jellyfish, but the price is higher,” Qin said. Locals blame a chemical plant near the village. “When the wind blows, you can smell the odor,” Qin said. “It also dumps waste water into the ocean. That’s bad for sea creatures.” Qin is one of only a handful of villagers who still rely on their animals to make a living. “I try do as many runs as I can, but I’m not as young as I used to be,” he said, adding that if his mules were not docile, he was “completely exhausted by the end of the day”. “We’re going to sell them next year,” Qin said, either to farmers or a slaughterhouse. “We’re sorry to let them go, but we have no choice.”—AP

LILLE, NORD, France: This file photo shows a mosquito on a person’s arm in Lille, northern France.—AFP

Comoros say on the cusp of eradicating malaria MORONI, Comoros: Though victory is yet to be officially declared, Comoros health authorities believe the three islands of the Indian Ocean archipelago are on the cusp of being malaria-free. “With eight cases in 2015 in Anjouan and three in Moheli, we can say we have reached the phase of total elimination of the epidemic, although sporadic cases are still recorded on the Grande Comore,” said Mbae Toyb, a doctor with the Comorian Association for Family Welfare.

After a 10-year anti-malaria campaign, health workers in the capital Moroni say the parasite is no more than a bad memory.

“We can go for one or two months now without a single case,” said a caregiver at El-Maarouf hospital. This has changed life for businessman Hassane Assoumane, who suffered recurrent attacks of the mosquitoborne disease that can be fatal if not diagnosed and treated early. “I was (like) a malaria subscriber,” said Assoumane. “For me it was (like) my monthly period.” “But for the last four years, nothing.” The eradication of malaria from the impoverished islands off the coast of Mozambique is a huge accomplishment for their 800,000 inhabitants.

It means fewer maternal and infant deaths, less absenteeism from work and school, and substantial financial savings.

“Treatment for a child with malaria costs 15,000 francs ($33),” Assoumane says, and “if you add a brother, father, mother ...”

Some 214 million cases of malaria were reported worldwide last year, killing 438,000 people, mainly in Africa, according to the World Health Organization. There is currently no vaccine against malaria, which is caused by parasites transmitted to people bitten by infected female mosquitoes.

“Until 2004, the Comoros was ranked among countries with intense and perennial malaria transmission,” affecting 40 percent of the population, especially children, said Toyb.

Awaiting certification But in less than five years the number of deaths from malaria has fallen drastically to almost zero, he said. The Comoros launched its first five-year anti-malaria drive in 2005 with initial funding of $2.4 million from the Global Fund against malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS. The targets of the drive were early treatment, prevention among pregnant women and the wide use of treated mosquito nets. But the key to its success was probably more attributable to a treatment blitz of Artequick, a combination drug therapy derived from a Chinese plant, artemisinin, and an antimalarial called piperaquine.

Artemisinin, a derivative of a plant called sweet wormwood, has in recent years become the frontline anti-malarial drug, after chloroquine and sulphadoxinepyrimethanine lost their parasite-killing powers. Its use has reduced the numbers of death to one in 10 in severe cases, according to experts. The therapy was first rolled out in Moheli, the smallest of the three islands which has a population of 40,000 people. In 2012, government extended the treatment to Anjouan island before taking it to the Grand Comore in 2013.

The second five-year campaign valued at $11 million started in 2010. “The number of cases went from 54,078 in 2004 to 1,052 in 2015, a drop of more than 98 percent,” said Toyb. Since 2014, the numbers of deaths from malaria have dropped to nearly zero at hospitals, said Toyb.

What remains now is to ensure the gains achieved are sustained and to await WHO certification. “This is the most delicate phase,” warns Toyb, adding that while some people still suffer from the disease, there have been no new infections.

A new anti-malaria campaign to run until 2018 has already been launched with the backing of a team of Chinese practitioners.—AFP

Malawi ‘hyena’ man faces sentencing over sex ritual

XIANRENDAO, LIAONING, China: A man throwing salt onto jellyfish in order to pickle them in Xianrendao next to Yingkou City in China’s northeastern Liaoning province. —AP

Hope for eradicating TB emerges in Peru slum LIMA: Now halfway through his treatment for tuberculosis, William Campos, 49, is starting to imagine a healthy life again. “I want to walk again, to work again. I want to get up in the morning, get on a bus and head to the countryside,” Campos said from his bed beneath a sheet-draped window in the shantytown Carabayllo, one of the poorest districts in Peru’s capital, Lima. A clothes vendor before falling ill, Campos is one of at least 30,000 Peruvians infected with tuberculosis, an ancient disease that killed 1.8 million globally last year - more than AIDS-related and malaria deaths combined.

Campos is also part of a low-budget pilot program that aims to eradicate tuberculosis from the poorest corners of the world, where it continues to thrive despite being curable. In places like Villa Esperanza, or Village of Hope, a neighborhood in Carabayllo where clusters of pastel-colored homes cling to dusty hills, the problem is inadequate health services to help patients follow through with treatment, which takes six months to a couple years.

Partners in Health (PIH), a Boston-based non-profit that works with Peru’s health ministry, offers a simple solution. It trains community volunteers to tend to tuberculosis patients in their homes, making sure they take medicine daily and helping them navigate the public health bureaucracy. The volunteers, nearly all women already active in the com-

munity, have proven better at finding people with tuberculosis than white-coated health professionals, said Dr Leonid Lecca, executive director of PIH in Peru. Guadalupe Quispe, 61, has treated some eight patients as a volunteer in her neighborhood, where the stigma of tuberculosis can cost people jobs and relationships. The position does not pay, but Quispe said it has other rewards. She pointed to a small house on a slanted street where she once persuaded a young woman coughing up blood to get treatment. The woman would have likely died otherwise. “After she got better, she went to school. And now she’s a nurse.

When I think of her, I feel happy,” Quispe said.

So far, no tuberculosis patient in PIH’s yearand-a-half-old program has dropped out, a key challenge in slowing the spread of drugresistant forms of tuberculosis that result from unfinished treatment, said Lecca.

‘I have hope’ Peru is home to the highest rates of multidrug resistant tuberculosis in the Americas, but one in four patients in the Andean country give up on treatment because the medicine needed to kill the bacteria have such harrowing side effects, Lecca said. “Some medicines change the color of your skin, some cause bouts of psychosis,” Lecca said. “Patients need to be accompanied through this process.”

Quispe visits Campos every day.—Ruters

NSANJE, Malawi: An HIV-positive Malawian man who said he slept with at least 100 girls and women in traditional cleansing rituals was to be sentenced yesterday after being convicted of “engaging in harmful practices”. Eric Aniva was prosecuted on the orders of President Peter Mutharika after publicly speaking about his role as a “hyena” in a BBC documentary.

Custom in some parts of southern Malawi demands that a man, known as a “hyena”, is paid to have sex with bereaved widows to exorcise evil spirits and to prevent other deaths occurring.

At the request of a girl’s parents, the “hyena” is also paid to have sex with adolescent girls to mark their passage to womanhood after their first menstruation.

The ritual, which many Malawians say is rarely practiced today, is believed to train girls to become good wives and protect them from disease or misfortune that could fall on their families. After an international outcry over the documentary,

President Mutharika ordered Aniva’s arrest in July. On Friday, in the first case of its kind, Aniva was found guilty on two counts by magistrate Innocent Nebi after a oneday trial in the district of Nsanje. The charges, under the gender equality act, involved the ritual of sex with widows as none of the younger girls would testify, according to reports. At the trial, in front of a packed courtroom, the state produced six witnesses against Aniva, 45, who pleaded not guilty.

High HIV rates The magistrate said the court had concluded that “sexual cleansing violates the dignity of widows”. State prosecutor Chiyembekezo Banda demanded a long prison sentence for Aniva, saying he was probably responsible for the spread of HIV. Malawi is one of the worst affected countries in the world, with 27,000 deaths from AIDSrelated illnesses and nine percent of the adult population infected with HIV. — AFP

NSANJE, Malawi: This file photo shows Eric Aniva arriving at the Magistrate Court in Nsanje.—AFP

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

AMMAN: Fatima Al-Smadi speaking about her experience with cancer and her road to recovery.

AMMAN: Bruno Strigini, CEO, Novartis Oncology.

AMMAN: A panel discussing advances in cancer treatment.

Transforming cancer care in MENA region

By Abdellatif Sharaa AMMAN: A gathering of leading medical experts to discuss solutions for transforming cancer care in the Middle East and North Africa was held in Amman recently, organized by the Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis. Kuwait Times spoke to Novartis Oncology CEO Bruno Strigini on the progress in cancer research and affordability, and what is being done with researchers, governments and various organizations to make treatment accessible to a majority of patients. “There hasn’t been more research in cancer treatment, but there is a lot of innovation in targeted therapies.

We are in the beginning of a new era and we believe that it will bring a lot more treatment options. We will continue to progress in our fight against this terrible disease,” Strigini said.

“Access varies from country to country, but by large if we look at the region here, we are involved in three types of activities. We have set funds for those who cannot afford it. It also depends on the country where you are, as the degree of affordability may vary. We have programs with some governments, where we are getting into partnerships to access the patients. We make effort and they make effort and we reach a way to work together,” he said.

Strigini said that there are programs in those countries where patients pay out of pocket, “where we are going to help through some programs, and there are some coun-

tries where we have extensive programs”. “We are doing a lot for those who cannot afford treatment. For example, efforts are being made with refugees. We started in Lebanon, and are looking to extend it into other countries as well and see whom we can assist, and help people who do not have any means,” he told Kuwait Times Asked when he expects cancer to be like any other curable disease, he said this is a difficult question to answer.

“What is clear is that there has been a lot of progress over the last 15 to 20 years. It started with the advent of targeted therapy, and this revolutionized the field of oncology.

Fifteen years ago, when someone was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), it was a death sentence.

But I have personally met some people who have been on the pill for 15 years and lead a normal life. We are making progress and continue to make progress,” Strigini said.

The invitation-only media event was titled “Innovating for Patients: Transforming Cancer Care in the Middle East & North Africa”. The agenda focused on the rising incidence of cancer in the Middle East, underscoring the future of cancer care along with Novartis’ efforts to address unfulfilled patient needs through introduction of clinical trials, cost models and treatments to the regions.

While cancer mortality rates are decreasing in Western countries, they are continuing to rise in developing areas of the world’. Specifically in the Middle East and North African (MENA) region, the incidence of cancer is expected

to increase more than in any other part of the world, doubling in the next ten years. Contributing to this rise are factors including the adoption of Western diets and lifestyles, increased prevalence of obesity and young smokers, high prevalence of hepatitis C infection, and pollution.

Crucial during the event was a panel discussion on the existing barriers to delivering innovative medicines to people with cancer in the Middle East, including strategies from Novartis to improve access in the region. With the recent emergence of drugs for more specific patient populations, the panel’s dialogue focused on opportunities to widen treatment availability in the MENA region, whether through better communicating patient needs or improving the current regulatory framework. With patient assistance programs bringing treatments globally to those in need, Novartis is determined to offer resources to these parts of the world and support cancer advances for the future.

“Cancer is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the coming decades in every region of the world, with the number of patients climbing the most dramatically in the Middle East,” said Strigini. This event, the first of its kind in Jordan and the region as a whole, is a reflection of the Novartis mission to discover new ways to improve and extend people’s lives and our commitment to addressing unmet medical needs in cancer to advance the care of patients” Medical experts also shared the latest data regarding

Girl, 2, dies; was focus of fight over brain death test

British teens drink a ‘bathtub’ of sugary drinks a year LONDON: British teenagers drink almost a bathtub full of sugary drinks each year, Cancer Research UK said yesterday as the charity urged the government to do more to improve children’s diets. Children aged 11 to 18 consume on average 234 cans of sugar-sweetened soft drinks each year, CRUK said. The figure amounts to almost a bath full and is more than double the figure for children aged between four and 10, whose average annual intake is 110 cans. The data stems from a recent report carried out by the government’s health department and the Food Standards Agency, charting the population’s diet and nutrition.

The study found a drop in the amount of sugar-sweetened soft drinks consumed by children, with a more significant fall recorded in the under-10s than teenagers. Despite the improving figures, CRUK said there was an urgent need to further reduce children’s intake of sugary drinks and threw its support behind government proposal to introduce a sugar tax. “The ripple effect of a small tax on sugary drinks is enormous, and it will give soft drinks companies a clear incentive to reduce the amount of sugar in drinks,” said Alison Cox, director of prevention at CRUK. “But the government can do more to give the next generation a better chance. “The UK has an epidemic on its hands, and needs to act now,” she added. British Prime Minister Theresa May revealed plans in August to introduce a sugar tax aimed at tackling childhood obesity, tooth decay and type 2 diabetes. The sugar levy was first unveiled in March by the administration of May’s predecessor David Cameron. The tax on drinks with more than five grams of sugar per 100 milliliters will be introduced in two years, despite strong opposition from the drinks industry.

Soft drinks giant A.G. Barr, maker of Scotland’s Irn-Bru fizzy drink, in September said the move towards sugar-free drinks followed “negative media coverage of the sector”. Barr said the drinks industry’s own action to reduce sugar rendered the sugar tax “an unnecessary measure in the context of government health policy objectives.” Only a handful of countries such as France, South Africa and Mexico have attempted such a tax.—AP

care and treatments for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), breast cancer, and thalassemia, all highly prevalent in the MENA region. Breast cancer, for example, has the highest incidence among cancers in the area. Similarly thalassemia, a diverse family of genetic disorders characterized by an underproduction of the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells, is most prevalent in people of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern descent. As evident from data presented at the Thalassemia International Federation-sponsored conference, also held in Amman, there is a critical need for healthcare professionals in these countries to understand thalassemia and frequent comorbidities such as iron overload. These and other areas of focus for Novartis are helping to address areas of unmet need in MENA. Global and regional leadership from Novartis Oncology also, presented an overview of targeted therapy and immuno-oncology - both widely deemed to be the future of cancer care. Novartis currently has the broadest pipeline of immuno-oncology agents globally and its targeted therapy offerings continue to grow, driving the company toward development of combination regimens that may further extend survival and remission rates in the future. In a separate panel centered on clinical research, a patient and local healthcare experts shared experiences taking part in clinical trials and their resulting perspectives on the hope brought to the cancer community through these initiatives.

RICHMOND, Virginia: In this file photo provided by Patrick Lawson, his daughter Mirranda Grace Lawson lies in her hospital bed at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, Va. —AP

RICHMOND, Virginia: A 2-year- old Virginia girl whose parents went to court to block a hospital from per forming a brain death test on the child has died, the hospital said Monday. Mirranda Grace Lawson passed away Nov 1, said Michael Por ter, a spokesman for Virginia Commonwealth University Health System.

Lawson had been on life support at VCU Medical Center since May, when she choked on a piece of popcorn and went into cardiac arrest at her parent’s home.

Lawson’s doctors had said they were certain she wouldn’t recover and wanted to perform an apnea test, which involves taking someone off a ventilator briefly to see if her brain tries to tell the body to breathe on its own. But Lawson’s parents refused to allow the test, saying they worried it would harm her.

The Richmond Circuit Cour t ruled against the Lawsons in June, but allowed them to pay a $30,000 bond that blocked the hospital from conducting the test while the family appealed to the Virginia Supreme Court. In July, the Supreme Court denied the hospital’s request to immediately per form the test, but hadn’t yet decided whether it would consider the Lawson’s appeal. A phone number for Lawson’s parents wasn’t working Monday and they didn’t immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press. An attor-

ney for Lawson’s parents did not immediately return a message left at his office.

Porter, the health system spokesman, said it extends its deepest sympathies to Lawson’s family. “During the several months Mirranda was at our hospital, we saw the Lawson’s enduring love and support of their daughter in dealing with the tragedy,” he said in a statement. “Mirranda’s medical team demonstrated the highest levels of quality and compassionate care for her and her family.” One of Lawson’s doctors said in cour t that it would be “astounding” if she were able to breathe without the machine. And the health system argued that the brain death test would not be dangerous, even if Lawson was not brain dead. They said caring for her was taking up valuable resources, noting that it was costing nearly $10,000 a day.

Mirranda’s father, Patrick Lawson, said in an interview with the AP in July that the girl choked after she got into a bag of popcorn the family was sharing on his wife’s birthday at their Fauquier County home.

The father performed CPR until paramedics arrived and intubated the child. Patrick Lawson said at the time that they believed the girl was improving and wanted her doctors to give her a portable ventilator and feeding tube so she could be transferred to another hospital or cared for at home.—AP

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016

W H AT ’ S O N

ABCK celebrates thanksgiving T

he American Business Council of Kuwait (ABCK) held a traditional Thanksgiving dinner on the 15th of November at the Embassy of the United States of America in Kuwait. The sold out dinner was attended by well over 100 ABCK members, US Ambassador Silverman, US Embassy staff and members of the US Armed Forces. The guests were treated to a traditional Thanksgiving dinner and

offered members the opportunity of networking with other business leaders in the community in the beautiful gardens of the Embassy.

ABCK Chair Dr Juliet Dinkha, welcomed guests and thanked US Ambassador Silverman for hosting the Thanksgiving dinner. Dr Dinkha also thanked the members of the Armed Services who were in attendance and they

received a standing ovation from the guests for their service in the United States Military. A big thanks was given by Dr Dinkha to the ABCK members that generously sponsored the soldiers’ attendance at the dinner.

These included Ernest Frost, Zafar Ali, Gregg Stevens, Jaafar Behbehani, James Sizer, Jack Montgomery, Gary Menke, Mary McNally, Dr Nisrine Abu Alhasan, Zina Amin Alkazemi, Jeffrey

Catlett, Oswaldo Rueda, Tom Perrone, and Zouzou Khalil.

Ambassador Silverman spoke about the history of Thanksgiving and its meaning to Americans. The First Thanksgiving was in 1621 in America between Pilgrims and Native Americans and lasted three days. Ambassador Silverman advised that Thanksgiving became a US Federal Holiday in 1863.

KNES celebrates Remembrance and Tolerance Day

I

n keeping with our school's Philosophy and School Guiding Statement, the Primary Department at Kuwait National English School held a Remembrance and Tolerance Day Assembly this week to raise student awareness on those who lost their lives in the First World War and in unrest around the world on a daily basis as well as on the importance of Tolerance. KNES is home to both students and staff from different parts of the world, who come from different cultural backgrounds, religious denominations, race groups and national-

ities. Our pupils are taught to respect the cultures of all people, irrespective of their color or creed. We reinforce in our students that we all belong to one human family. Our Primary Assembly reinforced what pupils learn during Citizenship and PSHE classes and focused on inculcating in pupils' values such as respect, accepting differences amongst people and cultural diversities, anti-bullying, helping others by supporting charities, showing courtesy to the elderly and disabled in our community and assisting those in need.

Annual science and math exhibition at Bhavans Kuwait

B

havans Kuwait basked yet again in the glory of child-centered and activity based learning when the 'young scientists and the mathematicians in the making' at Bhavans Kuwait, proudly showcased their exhibits to the public on October 27, 2016 at the School Annual Science and Math Exhibition.

The annual exhibition christened 'Quest 2016' by the principal, T Premkumar, was held in the school premises. With an endeavor to ignite and promote scientific temper among the students, 'Quest' proved to be unique in every respect and won plaudits from the visitors.

The formal inaugural ceremony was organized in the school auditorium. The lighting of the ceremonial lamp conjointly performed by the Chief Guest Dr S Neelamani, and the Heads of the Science and Math Departments, Dr Bessy A Varkey, Anselma Tessy Gonsalves, Vinita Maheswari and Beena Krishna, in the presence of the principal, T Premkumar and the vice principals Suresh V Balakrishnan and Lalitha Premkumar, marked the significance and the solemnity of the occasion. Dr Subramanian Neelamani, the Senior Research Scientist and Manager, Coastal Management Program, KISR was the chief guest for the day.

Austin Antony, Head of the Department of Physics

welcomed the chief guest with a floral bouquet. In his keynote address, Dr S Neelamani thanked the Bhavan's management for providing the young students with the wonderful opportunity named 'Quest 2016' to widen the horizons of their knowledge through research and hands-on experience in the Bhavan's way. He proudly proclaimed that his own child, an alumnus of Bhavans Kuwait stands testimony to the successful model of education at Bhavans Kuwait. He urged the students to be experts in their chosen fields of career. He advised them to choose their career by listening to their hearts, and their hearts only, by disregarding the external influences. He advised the student community to find happiness in their pursuit of knowledge by grabbing the opportunities made available to them.

The exhibition witnessed 'scientists in the making' and 'the future Math wizards' putting up exhibits comprising innovative working models, still models, robotics technology, virtual 3D skyscapes, pioneering medicos with vision tests, stress relief corners, smart tests, artificial rain forests, solar system, chicken coop displayed and hundred others displayed in more than 38 rooThe moving robot was worth watching and received generous plaudits. The main attraction, the virtual rain forest with

its perfect setting, lights and music added zing to Quest 2016, and was praised to the skies by everyone alike. Children numbering around 1500 from grades 1 to 11 were well prepared to answer questions on their exhibits with great vigor.

The Math Exhibition stalls also drew throngs of enthusiastic spectators. Some of the highlights of the Math exhibition were the 'Ancient System of Measurement of Time', 'The Geometric Cit y', 'M easuring the Human Beaut y', ' The Origami Zoo', 'The Garden of Symmetry', 'The Lines and Future Life', 'The Magic Square' and 'The Beauty of Math Art.' The Chief Guest, the Chairman, the principal, and the vice principals visited the exhibition stalls and quizzed the well prepared kids who were ready with their answers. The special visitors of the day were the principal and the staff of the Smart Indian School, another temple of learning under the umbrella of Bhavans Middle East. They interacted with the students and appreciated the novelty of the exhibits and the enthusiasm and efforts of Bhavanites. The parents, the teachers, the well-wishers, the alumni of IES, and the students of neighboring schools also visited the stalls to view and experience the scientific temper of Bhavanites.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016

W H AT ’ S O N

Hawally Governor Retired Lieutenant General Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and Capital Governor Retired Lieutenant General Thabed Al-Muhanna visited the Interior Ministry's retired officers' diwaniya and attended their weekly meeting yesterday morning.

Ibtikar Al-Kuwait Initiative concludes training courses

T

he Ibtikar Al-Kuwait Initiative for students researches and projects concluded training courses organized by Al-Saad Training Center of the Al-Saad Foundation for Knowledge and Scientific Research. The courses were conducted in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, and with great support from the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences.

The courses, which were carried out for female teachers of primary, middle and high schools, reflect the initiative's message that targets creating a mindful society that takes part in the state's development process, said Sheikha Fadiya Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah, the foundation's chairperson of the board. She further highlighted the importance of training as a tool to empower women and improve their comprehensive decision making abilities.

Meanwhile, Dr Fatima Al-Hashim, General Director of the Ibtikar Al-Kuwait Initiative said that the training courses focused on the electronic waste recycling methodology, which is

Sheikha Fadiya Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah

Dr Ali Ashour Jaafar

considered one of the most recent methods used in environment protection. The event also included competitions on how to integrate between science, mathematics, engineering and technology, as well as a competition for the primary stage that focused on science fiction stories, which were presented by Dr Ali Ashour

Jaafar from Kuwait University.

A delegation from the American University in Beirut attended the closing ceremony. The Ibtikar Al-Kuwait Initiative was established in 1999 and expanded its activities to cover the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states in 2011.

Relax, unwind and enjoy this winter at Marina Hotel Kuwait

M

arina Hotel Kuwait will officially kick off this winter with its festive tailor-made packages for guests to guarantee a memorable experience. Pamper yourself and your loved one and enjoy the charm of genuine Arabian hospitality with a room for two persons inclusive of buffet breakfast and free access to the hotel's health club. The hotel's culinary team will pull out all stops to offer guests unique and diverse cuisines at the hotel's two renowned restaurants. Enjoy the international buffet breakfast and the relaxed setting of The Six Palms' restaurant. The Atlantis restaurant which specializes in International cuisine is the ideal place for lunch and dinner. On booking the winter package avail a 20 percent discount on lunch and dinner buffet and an exceptional choice for the mouth-watering aroma of its fresh menu choices with a magnificent sea view.

With a multitude of facilities and services, in-house guests can break the daily routine and enjoy the vibrant white sands of the private beach along with the state of the art Coral Reef Health Club facilities and amenities all in close proximity to Marina Mall and the Crescent, which is an ideal location for family leisure.

Marina Hotel Kuwait offers the perfect venue for the winter under the twinkling lights and the cool breeze of the Arabian coast.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016

TV PROGRAMS

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:15 16:15 18:15 20:30 23:00

Sanitarium Mine Games Jurassic Hunters S.W.A.T. Seventh Son Batman vs. Robin I Am Number Four S.W.A.T. Robot Overlords Seventh Son The Expendables 3 Safe House

00:50 01:45 02:40 03:35 04:25 05:15 06:02 06:49 07:36 08:00 08:25 09:15 10:10 11:05 12:00 12:55 13:50 14:45 15:40 16:35 17:30 18:25 19:20 20:15 21:10 22:05 23:00 23:55

Big Fish Man Bondi Vet Lone Star Law Tanked Wildest Africa Gator Boys Big Fish Man Lone Star Law Call Of The Wildman Call Of The Wildman Too Cute! Pint-Sized Lone Star Law Weird Creatures With Nick Baker Tanked Too Cute! Pint-Sized Bondi Vet Lone Star Law Gator Boys Weird Creatures With Nick Baker Tanked Wildest Africa Monster Hammerhead The Vet Life Tanked Wildest Africa Mutant Planet The Vet Life Gator Boys

00:10 00:40 01:30 02:25 03:15 04:10 04:35 05:05 06:00 06:30

Doctors Ripper Street Ripper Street Silent Witness The Kettering Incident Doctors Doctors Call The Midwife I Want My Wife Back Doctors

07:40 Urban Tarzan 08:05 Impractical Jokers 08:30 Ridiculousness 08:55 Disorderly Conduct: Video On Patrol 09:45 Workaholics 10:10 Workaholics 10:35 Ridiculousness 11:00 Ridiculousness 11:25 Coaching Bad 12:15 Nathan For You 12:40 Nathan For You 13:05 Disorderly Conduct: Video On Patrol 13:55 Impractical Jokers 14:20 Ridiculousness 14:45 Urban Tarzan 15:10 Urban Tarzan 15:35 Disorderly Conduct: Video On Patrol 16:30 Workaholics 16:55 Workaholics 17:25 Workaholics 17:50 Frankenfood 18:15 Frankenfood 18:39 Tosh.0 19:03 Tosh.0 19:27 Tattoo Disasters 19:50 Tattoo Disasters 20:13 Impractical Jokers 20:37 Ridiculousness 21:00 The Daily Show With Trevor Noah 21:30 The Meltdown With Jonah And Kumail 21:54 Idiotsitter 22:18 Chappelle's Show 22:42 South Park 23:05 Tosh.0 23:30 The Daily Show With Trevor Noah

00:30 01:20 02:10 03:00 03:50 04:40 05:05 05:30 06:20 07:00 07:25 07:50 08:40 09:05 09:30 10:20 11:10 12:00 12:50 13:40 14:05 14:30

Unchained Reaction Playhouse Masters Incredible Food Race Untamed & Uncut Bear Grylls: Born Survivor How It's Made How It's Made Dirty Jobs Mythbusters Kids vs Film Doki Animal Planet's Most Outrageous How It's Made How It's Made Unchained Reaction Mythbusters Dirty Jobs Animal Planet's Most Outrageous Bear Grylls: Born Survivor How It's Made How It's Made Dirty Jobs

Cat Noir 08:15 Tsum Tsum Shorts 08:20 Elena Of Avalor 08:45 Bunk'd 09:10 Austin & Ally 09:35 Shake It Up 10:00 A.N.T. Farm 10:25 A.N.T. Farm 10:50 That's So Raven 11:15 That's So Raven 11:40 Good Luck Charlie 12:05 Good Luck Charlie 12:30 Jessie 12:55 Disney Mickey Mouse 13:00 The 7D 13:15 Miraculous Tales Of Ladybug And Cat Noir 13:40 Hank Zipzer 14:05 Star Darlings 14:10 Austin & Ally 14:35 Austin & Ally 15:00 Dog With A Blog 15:25 Jessie 15:50 Rolling To The Ronks 16:15 Hank Zipzer 16:40 Bunk'd 17:05 Star Darlings 17:10 Elena Of Avalor 17:35 Miraculous Tales Of Ladybug And Cat Noir 18:25 Descendants Wicked World 18:30 Liv And Maddie 18:55 Disney Mickey Mouse 19:00 Jessie 19:25 Star Darlings 19:30 Best Friends Whenever 19:55 Descendants Wicked World 20:00 Dog With A Blog 20:25 Tsum Tsum Shorts 20:30 Jessie 20:55 Liv And Maddie 21:20 Austin & Ally 22:10 Girl Meets World 22:35 H2O: Just Add Water 23:00 Binny And The Ghost 23:25 Sabrina Secrets Of A Teenage Witch 23:50 Sabrina Secrets Of A Teenage Witch

00:00 00:30 00:35 00:50 01:05 01:30 01:45 02:00 02:15 02:30 03:00 03:15

Doc McStuffins Minnie's Bow-Toons Zou Loopdidoo Art Attack Henry Hugglemonster Calimero Zou Loopdidoo Art Attack Calimero Zou

THE EXPANDABLES III ON OSN MOVIES ACTION 07:00 07:30 08:30 09:20 10:05 11:00 11:30 12:00 12:45 13:35 14:30 15:00 15:30 16:15 17:05 18:00 18:30 19:05 20:00 21:00 21:55 22:50 23:40

Doctors Holby City Father Brown Dickensian Call The Midwife Doctors Doctors Father Brown Dickensian Call The Midwife Doctors Doctors Father Brown Dickensian Call The Midwife Doctors Eastenders Father Brown The Durrells The Paradise Silent Witness The Kettering Incident Doctors

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 11:30 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 16:30 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 21:30 22:00 23:00

Crime Stories Murder In-Law Killer Kids The Jail: 60 Days In Crime Stories Murder In-Law Killer Kids The First 48 Beyond Scared Straight Crime Stories The First 48 It Takes A Killer Frenemies Crimes That Shook Britain Killers Beyond Scared Straight Crime Stories It Takes A Killer Frenemies The First 48 Killers Crimes That Shook Britain Beyond Scared Straight It Takes A Killer Frenemies Crime Stories Deadly Wives

00:00 00:25 00:50 01:15 01:40 02:05 03:00 03:25 03:50 04:15 04:40 05:05 05:30 Patrol 06:20 06:50 07:15

Tosh.0 I Live With Models Brotherhood Tosh.0 The Daily Show With Trevor Noah JB Smoove: That's How I Dooz It Workaholics Ridiculousness Ridiculousness Key And Peele Impractical Jokers Ridiculousness Disorderly Conduct: Video On Tosh.0 Tosh.0 Urban Tarzan

15:20 16:10 16:35 17:00 17:50 18:40 19:30 19:55 20:20 21:10 22:00 22:50 23:40

00:40 01:30 02:20 03:10 04:00 04:48 05:36 06:24 07:12 08:00 08:50 09:40 10:30 11:20 12:10 13:00 13:50 14:40 15:30 16:20 17:10 18:00 18:50 19:40 20:30 21:20 22:10 23:00 23:50

00:10 00:35 01:00 01:45 01:50 Witch 02:15 Witch 02:40 03:05 03:30 04:15 04:20 Witch 04:45 Witch 05:10 05:35 06:00 06:45 06:50 07:00 07:25 07:50

Mythbusters Kids vs Film Doki Buggin' With Ruud The Lion Queen Prototype This How It's Made How It's Made Mythbusters Buggin' With Ruud The Lion Queen Untamed & Uncut Bear Grylls: Born Survivor

Your Number's Up Deadly Women Las Vegas Law Killer Confessions Your Number's Up I Almost Got Away With It True Crime With Aphrodite Jones I'd Kill For You Southern Fried Homicide Tabloid I Almost Got Away With It True Crime With Aphrodite Jones I'd Kill For You Southern Fried Homicide Your Number's Up Tabloid I Almost Got Away With It True Crime With Aphrodite Jones I'd Kill For You Southern Fried Homicide Disappeared Tabloid I Almost Got Away With It True Crime With Aphrodite Jones I'd Kill For You Southern Fried Homicide A Crime To Remember Betrayed Murder Among Friends

Hank Zipzer Binny And The Ghost Violetta The Hive Sabrina Secrets Of A Teenage Sabrina Secrets Of A Teenage Hank Zipzer Binny And The Ghost Violetta The Hive Sabrina Secrets Of A Teenage Sabrina Secrets Of A Teenage Hank Zipzer Binny And The Ghost Violetta The Hive Mouk Jessie Jessie Miraculous Tales Of Ladybug And

03:30 03:45 04:10 04:20 04:45 05:00 05:25 05:35 05:50 06:00 06:15 06:35 06:50 07:00 07:20 07:35 08:00 08:30 09:00 09:30 09:40 10:00 10:10 10:30 10:40 11:00 11:30 12:00 12:30 13:00 13:15 13:45 14:15 14:30 15:00 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:00 17:30 18:00 18:30 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 21:30 22:00 22:30 23:00 23:30

Loopdidoo Art Attack Henry Hugglemonster Calimero Loopdidoo Art Attack Henry Hugglemonster Calimero Zou Loopdidoo Art Attack Henry Hugglemonster Calimero Zou Loopdidoo Art Attack Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Sheriff Callie's Wild West The Lion Guard Miles From Tomorrow Goldie & Bear Sheriff Callie's Wild West Doc McStuffins PJ Masks Jake And The Neverland Pirates Sofia The First Doc McStuffins Goldie & Bear Jake And The Never Land Pirates Loopdidoo Sheriff Callie's Wild West Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Henry Hugglemonster Doc McStuffins Sofia The First Jake And The Never Land Pirates Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Doc McStuffins The Lion Guard PJ Masks Sofia The First Goldie & Bear Miles From Tomorrow Jake And The Never Land Pirates Doc McStuffins Mickey Mouse Clubhouse PJ Masks The Lion Guard Doc McStuffins Doc McStuffins Sheriff Callie's Wild West Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

00:20 01:10 02:00 02:50 03:40 04:30 05:00 05:30 06:00 06:50 07:40 08:30 09:20 09:45 10:10 10:35 11:25 12:15 13:05 13:30 13:55

Wheeler Dealers Survive That!

Dive Wars Australia Running Wild With Bear Grylls Fast N' Loud: Demolition Theatre What's In The Barn?

How It's Made: Dream Cars How Do They Do It? Deadliest Catch Wheeler Dealers Fast N' Loud: Demolition Theatre Gold Divers What's In The Barn?

How It's Made: Dream Cars How Do They Do It? Survive That!

Dive Wars Australia Running Wild With Bear Grylls How It's Made: Dream Cars Storage Hunters What's In The Barn?

14:20 15:10 16:00 16:50 17:40 18:30 18:55 19:20 20:10 20:35 21:00 21:50 Fixed 22:40 23:05 23:30

Alaskan Bush People Gold Divers Deadliest Catch Fast N' Loud: Demolition Theatre Wheeler Dealers How It's Made: Dream Cars How Do They Do It? Gold Divers Storage Hunters What's In The Barn?

You Have Been Warned Incredible Engineering Blunders: Magic Of Science Magic Of Science Fast N' Loud: Demolition Theatre

06:00 Star vs The Forces Of Evil 06:25 K.C. Undercover 06:50 The 7D 07:00 Phineas & Ferb 07:15 Atomic Puppet 07:40 Danger Mouse 07:50 Counterfeit Cat 08:05 Future Worm 08:10 Gravity Falls 08:35 Lab Rats: Bionic Island 09:00 Supa Strikas 09:25 Supa Strikas 09:50 Danger Mouse 10:20 Annedroids 10:45 Annedroids 11:10 Counterfeit Cat 11:35 K.C. Undercover 12:00 K.C. Undercover 12:30 Gravity Falls 12:55 Lab Rats: Bionic Island 13:20 Lab Rats Elite Force 13:45 Phineas And Ferb 14:10 Disney Mickey Mouse 14:15 Supa Strikas 14:40 Supa Strikas 15:05 Lab Rats: Bionic Island 15:30 Danger Mouse 15:55 Kirby Buckets 16:25 K.C. Undercover 16:50 Annedroids 17:15 Gamer's Guide To Pretty Much Everything 17:40 K.C. Undercover 18:05 Future Worm 18:10 Gravity Falls 18:35 Counterfeit Cat 19:00 Star Wars Freemaker Adventures 19:25 Supa Strikas 19:55 K.C. Undercover 20:20 Gamer's Guide To Pretty Much Everything 20:45 Mighty Med 21:10 Pickle And Peanut 21:40 Disney Mickey Mouse 21:45 Guardians Of The Galaxy 22:10 Marvel Ultimate Spider-Man vs The Sinister 22:35 Boyster 23:00 Programmes Start At 6:00am KSA

00:05 Rob & Chyna 00:55 WAGs Miami 01:50 E! News 02:50 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills 03:40 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills 04:35 EJ NYC 05:30 Botched 06:00 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 06:55 E! News 07:10 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 08:10 E! News 09:10 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 10:10 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 11:05 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 12:00 E! News 12:15 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 13:45 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 14:45 Celebrity Style Story 15:15 Botched By Nature 16:10 Live From The Red Carpet: The 2015...

18:00 Fashion Police: The 2015 American Music...

19:00 E! News 20:00 Botched By Nature 21:00 Botched By Nature 22:00 Botched: Post Op 22:30 Celebrity Style Story 23:00 E! News 23:15 Botched By Nature

00:00 00:30 01:00 01:30 02:00 02:30 03:00 04:00 05:00 05:30 06:00 07:00 07:30 08:00 09:00 09:30

Man Finds Food Man Finds Food Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives Man Fire Food Man Fire Food Chopped Guy's Grocery Games Roadtrip With G. Garvin Roadtrip With G. Garvin Chopped Barefoot Contessa Barefoot Contessa The Kitchen Cooking For Real Cooking For Real

10:00 Chopped 11:00 Guy's Big Bite 11:30 Guy's Big Bite 12:00 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives 12:30 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives 13:00 Man Fire Food 13:30 Man Fire Food 14:00 Chopped 15:00 The Kitchen 16:00 Cooking For Real 16:30 Cooking For Real 17:00 Chopped 18:00 Iron Chef America 19:00 Chopped 20:00 Chopped South Africa 21:00 Kitchen Casino 22:00 Iron Chef America 23:00 Chopped ITV Choice HD

00:10 01:00 01:30 02:00 02:30 03:25 04:20 05:15 06:10 07:05 08:00 09:00 10:00 10:55 11:50 12:45 13:15 13:45 14:15 15:10 16:00 16:55 17:50 18:45 19:15 19:45 20:10 21:00 21:55 22:50 23:15 23:40

Sunday Night At The Palladium Emmerdale Coronation Street Coronation Street The Chase Brief Encounters Doc Martin The Doctor Blake Mysteries Sunday Night At The Palladium The Chase Broadchurch Doc Martin The Doctor Blake Mysteries Sunday Night At The Palladium The Chase Emmerdale Coronation Street Coronation Street Sunday Night At The Palladium The Chase Brief Encounters The Jonathan Ross Show The Doctor Blake Mysteries Emmerdale Coronation Street Coronation Street The Chase Brief Encounters The Jonathan Ross Show Emmerdale Coronation Street Coronation Street

00:00 America's Book Of Secrets 01:00 Ancient Aliens 02:00 The Universe: Ancient Mysteries Solved 03:00 Ancient Discoveries 03:50 Heroes Of War 04:40 Ancient Aliens: The Ultimate Evidence 05:30 America's Book Of Secrets 06:20 Cities Of The Underworld 07:10 Ancient Discoveries 08:00 America's Book Of Secrets 09:00 The Universe: Ancient Mysteries Solved 10:00 Ancient Discoveries 11:00 Heroes Of War 12:00 Ancient Aliens: The Ultimate Evidence 13:00 Ancient Aliens 14:00 The Universe: Ancient Mysteries Solved 15:00 Ancient Discoveries 16:00 Heroes Of War 17:00 Ancient Aliens: The Ultimate Evidence 18:00 Ancient Aliens 19:00 Ancient Aliens 20:00 The Universe: Ancient Mysteries Solved 21:00 Ancient Discoveries 22:00 Heroes Of War 23:00 Last Days Of The Nazis

00:20 Mountain Men 01:10 Britain's Bloody Crown: War Of The Roses 02:00 Forged In Fire 02:50 Alaska Off-Road Warriors 03:40 American Restoration 04:30 Pawn Stars 05:00 Ozzy & Jack's World Detour 06:00 Ice Road Truckers 06:50 American Pickers 07:40 Pawn Stars 08:05 Pawn Stars 08:30 Storage Wars Texas 08:55 American Restoration 09:45 Lost In Transmission 10:35 Shipping Wars 11:00 Shipping Wars 11:25 Ozzy & Jack's World Detour 12:15 Swamp People 13:05 Ax Men 13:55 Mountain Men 14:45 Down East Dickering 15:35 Pawn Stars 16:00 American Pickers 16:50 Storage Wars 17:15 Storage Wars: Best Of 17:40 Mountain Men 18:30 Ozzy & Jack's World Detour

LOVE, ROSIE ON OSN MOVIES HD

CYRUS ON OSN MOVIES COMEDY HD 19:20 20:10 20:35 21:00 21:25 21:50 22:40 23:30 23:55

American Pickers Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Counting Cars Counting Cars Ice Road Truckers Time Team Counting Cars Counting Cars

00:35 01:00 01:25 01:50 02:15 02:40 03:05 03:30 03:55 04:20 04:45 05:10 05:35 06:25 06:50 07:15 07:40 08:05 08:30 08:55 09:20 09:45 10:10 10:35 11:00 11:25 12:15 12:40 13:05 13:35 14:00 14:30 14:55 15:25 15:50 16:20 16:45 17:15 17:40 18:35 19:05 19:30 20:00 20:25 20:50 21:15 21:40 22:30 22:55 23:20 23:45

Places We Go David Rocco's Dolce India Lyndey Milan - Taste Of Australia Lyndey Milan - Taste Of Australia Eat Street Valentine Warner's Wild Table Valentine Warner's Wild Table David Rocco's Dolce Vita The Game Chef The Game Chef One Man & His Campervan Sara's New Nordic Kitchen Dream Cruises The Shelbourne David Rocco's Dolce India Lyndey Milan - Taste Of Australia Lyndey Milan - Taste Of Australia Eat Street Valentine Warner's Wild Table Valentine Warner's Wild Table David Rocco's Dolce Vita The Game Chef The Game Chef One Man & His Campervan Sara's New Nordic Kitchen Dream Cruises The Shelbourne David Rocco's Dolce India Lyndey Milan - Taste Of Australia Lyndey Milan - Taste Of Australia Valentine Warner's Wild Table Raw Travel David Rocco's Dolce Vita David Rocco's Dolce Vita The Game Chef The Game Chef A Is For Apple Sara's New Nordic Kitchen Dream Cruises Tripping Out With Alie & Georgia David Rocco's Dolce Vita David Rocco's Dolce Vita The Game Chef The Game Chef A Is For Apple Sara's New Nordic Kitchen Dream Cruises Tripping Out With Alie & Georgia David Rocco's Dolce India Lyndey Milan - Taste Of Australia Lyndey Milan - Taste Of Australia

00:10 01:00 02:00 02:55 03:50 04:45 05:40 06:35 07:00 07:30 08:25 09:20 Food 09:45 Food 10:15 10:40 11:10 12:05 13:00 14:00 15:00 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:00 18:00 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:25 20:50 21:40 22:30 22:55 23:20

Taiwan: Island Of Fish Wicked Tuna: North vs South Air Crash Investigation Live Free Or Die Taiwan: Island Of Fish America The Wild Wild Case Files Do Or Die Do Or Die Air Crash Investigation Seconds From Disaster Straight To The Source: Korean

Science Of Stupid Science Of Stupid Exomars - The Hunt For Life Mars Seconds From Disaster Air Crash Investigation Do Or Die Do Or Die Science Of Stupid Science Of Stupid Years Of Living Dangerously Mars Do Or Die Do Or Die Science Of Stupid Science Of Stupid Years Of Living Dangerously Mars Do Or Die Do Or Die Wild Case Files

00:20 01:10 02:00 02:50 03:45 04:40 05:35 06:30 07:25 08:20 09:15 10:10 11:05 12:00 12:55 13:50

Crocs Of Katuma Wild Case Files 72 Dangerous Animals Australia World's Deadliest Animals Gone Wild Hunter Hunted 72 Dangerous Animals Australia World's Deadliest Animals Gone Wild Hunter Hunted Africa's Deadliest Deadly Game Hippo vs Croc Orca Killing School 72 Dangerous Animals Australia World's Deadliest

Straight To The Source: Korean

14:45 15:40 16:35 17:30 18:25 19:20 20:10 21:00 21:50 22:40 23:30

Animals Gone Wild Hunter Hunted Croc Ganglands Deadly Game Maneater Manhunt Animals Gone Wild Hunter Hunted Croc Ganglands Deadly Game Maneater Manhunt Orca Killing School

00:30 01:30 02:30 03:00 03:30 04:00 04:30 Fallon 05:30 06:00 06:30 07:00 08:00 08:30 09:00 09:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 Fallon 12:00 12:30 13:00 13:30 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 19:30 20:00 Fallon 21:00 22:00 23:00 23:30

Scrubs Baskets You're The Worst 2 Broke Girls The Simpsons Fresh Off The Boat The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy George Lopez Hank Community Late Night With Seth Meyers Fresh Off The Boat George Lopez 2 Broke Girls Angie Tribeca Modern Family Community The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Hank Fresh Off The Boat George Lopez Community The Simpsons Angie Tribeca Modern Family Scrubs Scrubs Hank Late Night With Seth Meyers 2 Broke Girls The Simpsons Angie Tribeca Young & Hungry The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Scrubs Baskets You're The Worst Late Night With Seth Meyers

00:45 The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya 03:00 Three Wishes 05:00 Hotel Transylvania 2 07:00 Paranorman 09:00 Justice League: Throne Of Atlantis 11:00 Get Santa 13:00 Looney Tunes: Rabbit's Run 15:00 K-9 Adventures: Legend Of The Lost Gold 17:00 Cinderella 19:00 Monsterville: The Cabinet Of Souls 21:00 Houba! On The Trail Of Marsupilami 23:00 K-9 Adventures: Legend Of The Lost Gold

01:15 A Merry Christmas Miracle 03:00 The Walk 05:00 Stonehearst Asylum 07:00 Tommy Cooper: Not Like That, Like This 09:00 The Walk 11:15 Brooklyn 13:15 Hello Carter 15:00 Love, Rosie 17:00 Hector And The Search For Happiness 19:00 Suffragette 21:00 Nina 23:00 Fifty Shades Of Grey

00:00 02:00 04:00 05:45 08:00 10:00 11:45 13:45 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

Adult World Ghostbusters Accidental Love The Hundred-Foot Journey 10 Things I Hate About You Accidental Love Ghostbusters How Do You Know 10 Things I Hate About You Ghostbusters II Now Add Honey Cyrus

01:45 03:30 05:15 07:00 09:00 11:15 13:00 15:00 16:45

The Truth About Emanuel Parkland Breathe In Days Of Heaven Finding Forrester The Truth About Emanuel Parkland Beyond The Edge Finding Forrester

Classifieds WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016

KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY (17/11/2016 TO 23/11/2016) SHARQIA-1 ATTEEJ (Kuwaiti Film) BLEED FOR THIS TROLLS ATTEEJ (Kuwaiti Film) ATTEEJ (Kuwaiti Film) ATTEEJ (Kuwaiti Film) BLEED FOR THIS

12:30 PM 2:15 PM 4:45 PM 6:45 PM 8:45 PM 10:30 PM 12:15 AM

SHARQIA-2 FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM

1:30 PM 4:15 PM 7:00 PM 9:45 PM 12:30 AM

SHARQIA-3 FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM AE DIL HAI MUSHKIL -Hindi THU+FRI+SAT FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM NO THU+FRI+SAT BLEED FOR THIS FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM MUHALAB-1 FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM TROLLS ATTEEJ (Kuwaiti Film) ATTEEJ (Kuwaiti Film) FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM ATTEEJ (Kuwaiti Film) MUHALAB-2 BLEED FOR THIS TROLLS THU+FRI+SAT BLEED FOR THIS NO THU+FRI+SAT FORCE 2 - Hindi BLEED FOR THIS BLEED FOR THIS BLEED FOR THIS MUHALAB-3 FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM FANAR-1 ATTEEJ (Kuwaiti Film) ATTEEJ (Kuwaiti Film) ATTEEJ (Kuwaiti Film)

12:30 PM 3:15 PM 6:00 PM 6:00 PM 9:00 PM 11:30 PM 11:30 AM 2:00 PM 4:45 PM 6:45 PM 8:30 PM 10:15 PM 1:00 AM 12:00 PM 3:00 PM 2:30 PM 5:00 PM 7:30 PM 10:00 PM 12:30 AM 1:00 PM 3:45 PM 6:30 PM 9:15 PM 12:05 AM 1:00 PM 2:45 PM 4:30 PM

ATTEEJ (Kuwaiti Film) ATTEEJ (Kuwaiti Film) BLEED FOR THIS ATTEEJ (Kuwaiti Film)

6:15 PM 8:00 PM 9:45 PM 12:15 AM

FANAR-2 FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM

12:15 PM 3:00 PM 5:45 PM 8:45 PM 11:30 PM

FANAR-3 AE DIL HAI MUSHKIL -Hindi FORCE 2 - Hindi AE DIL HAI MUSHKIL -Hindi FORCE 2 - Hindi AE DIL HAI MUSHKIL -Hindi

12:30 PM 3:30 PM 6:00 PM 9:00 PM 11:30 PM

FANAR-4 FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM

1:30 PM 4:15 PM 7:00 PM 9:45 PM 12:30 AM

FANAR-5 BLEED FOR THIS TROLLS BLEED FOR THIS GHOST COINS GHOST COINS BLEED FOR THIS

1:00 PM 3:30 PM 5:30 PM 8:00 PM 10:00 PM 12:15 AM

MARINA-1 FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM BLEED FOR THIS FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM BLEED FOR THIS BLEED FOR THIS

12:00 PM 2:45 PM 5:30 PM 7:45 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM

MARINA-2 ATTEEJ (Kuwaiti Film) ATTEEJ (Kuwaiti Film) NO FRI+SAT+MON TROLLS FRI+SAT+MON TROLLS LAF WA DAWARAN ATTEEJ (Kuwaiti Film) ATTEEJ (Kuwaiti Film) ATTEEJ (Kuwaiti Film)

4:00 PM 6:00 PM 8:15 PM 10:00 PM 11:45 PM

MARINA-3 FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM

1:00 PM 3:45 PM

12:15 PM 2:00 PM 2:00 PM

CHANGE OF NAME I, Hassan S/o Zoyabali Mithawala holder of Indian Passport No. Z3199917 and Civil ID NO. 292070202684 has changed my name to Hassan Zoyabali Mithawala herein after in all my dealings and documents. I will be known by name of Hassan Zoyabali Mithawala. (C 5237) I, Hozefa S/o Shabbir holder of Indian Passport No. Z3201289 and Civil ID No. 277021101304 has change my name to Hozefa Shabbir herein after in all my dealings and documents. I will be known by name of Hozefa Shabbir. (C 5238) I, Ayesha D/o Sequeira Elias Pascal holder of Indian Passport No. P6318774 and Civil ID No. 279012301733 has changed by name Ayesha Bano herein after in all my dealings and documents. I will be known by name of Ayesha Bano.

22-11-2016 I, Pedro Domingo Dias s/o Domingo Dias holder of Indian Passport No. G3441110 and Civil ID No. 268113001912 has changed my name Pedru Domingo Diasy to Pedro Domingo Dias herein after in all my dealings and documents, I will be known by name of Pedro Domingo Dias.

(C 5233) 18-11-2016 I, NAZEEMA MOHAMMED holder of Indian Passport No. L4904837 and Civil ID No. 278022005597 has changed my name from NAZEEMA MOHAMMED to NASIMUNNISA hereinafter in all my dealings and documents, I will be known by name of NASIMUNNISA. (C 5234) 17-11-2016

I, Jujar Abbasbhai Dahodwala s/o Abbasbhai Dahodwala holder of Indian Passport No. H8465779 and Civil ID No. 268111401621 has change my surname to Jujar Abbasbhai Dalrotiwala here in after. In all my dealings and documents I will be known by name of Jujar Abbasbhai Dalrotiwala.

C 5231)

SITUATION WANTED M.Com 15 years experience in independently handling accounts of medium sized companies up to finalization familiar with computerized accounting systems at present working in Hospital seeking suitable position. Mobile: 66019422 (C 5230) 21-11-2016 Purchase Manager experience 20 years from Jordan, seeking job in one of the leading construction co.

Contact: 99061637 (C 5235) A Mechanical Engineer with over 6 years Kuwait work experience in Sales having Kuwait driving license, looking for senior sales engineer job. Contact: Subhas 94039171 (C 5236)

PRAYER TIMINGS Fajr:

04:55

Shorook

06:18

Duhr:

11:34

Asr:

14:31

Maghrib:

16:50

Isha:

18:11

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

DIAL161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION Arrival Flights on Wednesday 23/11/2016 Airlines Flt Route Time JZR 539 Cairo 00:40 KAC 102 London 00:55 THY 772 Istanbul 00:55 FDK 803 Damascus 01:00 QTR 1086 Doha 01:15 THY 764 Istanbul 01:50 DLH 635 Doha 01:55 PGT 858 Istanbul 02:00 MSC 405 Sohag 02:30 GFA 211 Bahrain 02:30 UAE 853 Dubai 02:30 OMA 643 Muscat 02:55 KKK 506 Istanbul 02:55 FDB 069 Dubai 03:05 ETD 305 Abu Dhabi 03:10 MSR 612 Cairo 03:10 CEB 0018 Manila 03:15 KAC 358 Kochi 03:30 QTR 1076 Doha 03:30 KAC 544 Cairo 03:55 KAC 784 Jeddah 03:55 KAC 418 Manila 04:25 UAE 873 Dubai 04:55 KAC 284 Dhaka 04:55 DHX 170 Bahrain 05:20 KAC 344 Chennai 05:35 KAC 332 Trivandrum 05:45 JZR 1347 Al Najaf 05:55 THY 770 Istanbul 05:55 KAC 206 Islamabad 06:20 KAC 346 Ahmedabad 06:25 BAW 157 London 06:40 KAC 204 Lahore 07:15 FDB 053 Dubai 07:45 KAC 302 Mumbai 08:20 UAE 855 Dubai 08:40 KAC 382 Delhi 08:45 KAC 362 Colombo 09:05 ABY 125 Sharjah 09:05 ETD 301 Abu Dhabi 09:05 KAC 352 Kochi 09:10 JZR 1143 Dammam 09:20 QTR 1070 Doha 09:30 FDB 055 Dubai 09:40 IRC 6511 ABD 09:55 MSC 415 Sohag 10:15 IRA 665 Shiraz 10:40 GFA 213 Bahrain 10:40 KAC 774 Riyadh 11:05 AXB 889 Mangalore/Bahrain 11:10 JZR 1331 Al Najaf 11:15 IRM 1188 Mashhad 11:15 JZR 165 Dubai 11:30 JZR 1333 Al Najaf 11:35 IRC 526 Mashhad 11:40 MEA 404 Beirut 11:55 IAW 155 Al Najaf 11:55 KAC 744 Dammam 12:10 JZR 561 Sohag 12:40 UAE 871 Dubai 12:50 MSR 610 Cairo 13:00 CLX 792 Luxembourg 13:15 KAC 614 Bahrain 13:30 KAC 564 Amman 13:40 KAC 788 Jeddah 13:45 KNE 231 Riyadh 13:55 KAC 514 Tehran 13:55 QTR 1078 Doha 14:10 SVA 500 Jeddah 14:15 FDB 059 Dubai 14:20

KAC GFA IRC KAC KAC KNE JZR KNE ETD IAW OMA UAE ABY MSR KAC SAW SVA QTR FDB JZR JZR KAC RJA KAC SVA GFA JZR SYR UAE FDB JZR KAC MSR JZR QTR OSJ KAC ABY GFA KAC KAC FDB KAC KAC KNE KAC OMA QTR KAC MSR DLH FDB JAI KAC KAC MEA ETD ALK UAE GFA QTR JZR ETD AIC JZR JZR PIA FDB BBC JAI KAC

414 221 6521 542 672 529 1141 683 303 157 645 857 127 575 154 705 504 1072 051 787 357 662 640 118 510 215 777 341 875 063 177 502 620 483 1080 4114 512 123 217 778 674 057 620 104 381 694 647 1088 562 606 634 5053 572 786 172 402 307 229 859 219 1082 125 309 975 241 185 239 071 043 574 162

Bangkok Bahrain Lamerd Cairo Dubai Jeddah Dammam Madinah Abu Dhabi Al Najaf Muscat Dubai Sharjah Sharm el-Sheikh Istanbul Damascus Madinah Doha Dubai Riyadh Mashhad Abu Dhabi Amman New York Riyadh Bahrain Jeddah Damascus Dubai Dubai Dubai Beirut Cairo Istanbul Doha XQC Mashhad Sharjah Bahrain Riyadh Dubai Dubai Doha London Taif Muscat Muscat Doha Amman Luxor Frankfurt Dubai Mumbai Jeddah Frankfurt Beirut Abu Dhabi Colombo Dubai Bahrain Doha Bahrain Abu Dhabi Chennai/Goa Amman Dubai Sialkot Dubai Dhaka Mumbai Geneva

14:35 14:40 14:40 14:45 14:50 14:55 15:00 15:05 15:15 15:30 15:35 15:45 15:50 15:50 15:55 16:00 16:00 16:10 16:25 16:25 16:25 16:35 16:55 17:00 17:15 17:30 17:45 17:55 18:00 18:10 18:20 18:20 18:30 18:40 18:50 19:00 19:20 19:25 19:30 19:35 19:45 19:50 19:50 19:50 19:55 20:00 20:10 20:35 20:40 20:45 20:45 20:50 20:55 21:15 21:15 21:20 21:20 21:25 21:40 21:45 22:00 22:05 22:15 22:25 22:45 23:15 23:40 23:45 23:50 23:50 23:55

Departure Flights on Wednesday 23/11/2016 Airlines Flt Route Time AIC 988 Hyderabad/Chennai 00:05 DHX 173 Bahrain 00:20 FDB 072 Dubai 00:40 FDB 5054 Dubai 00:50 JAI 573 Mumbai 00:50 FDK 804 Damascus 01:55 KAC 417 Manila 02:00 JZR 1346 Al Najaf 02:15 THY 773 Istanbul 02:25 DLH 635 Frankfurt 02:55 PGT 859 Istanbul 03:35 UAE 854 Dubai 03:45 KKK 6505 Istanbul 03:55 OMA 644 Muscat 03:55 THY 765 Istanbul 04:00 MSR 613 Cairo 04:10 ETD 306 Abu Dhabi 04:10 MSC 406 Sohag 04:30 QTR 1077 Doha 04:40 KAC 103 London 04:45 CEB 0015 Manila 05:20 QTR 1087 Doha 05:50 JZR 560 Sohag 06:05 JZR 1142 Dammam 06:25 FDB 070 Dubai 06:30 KAC 153 Istanbul 06:50 UAE 874 Dubai 06:50 THY 771 Istanbul 06:50 JZR 164 Dubai 06:55 KAC 171 Frankfurt 07:05 GFA 212 Bahrain 07:15 KAC 541 Cairo 07:15 KAC 773 Riyadh 07:30 JZR 1330 Al Najaf 07:35 KAC 787 Jeddah 07:45 JZR 1332 Al Najaf 07:55 KAC 563 Amman 08:00 BAW 156 London 08:40 FDB 054 Dubai 08:55 KAC 743 Dammam 09:00 KAC 117 New York 09:00 KAC 513 Tehran 09:30 KAC 101 London 09:35 ABY 126 Sharjah 09:45 UAE 856 Dubai 09:55 KAC 501 Beirut 10:00 JZR 482 Istanbul 10:00 KAC 671 Dubai 10:05 KAC 613 Bahrain 10:10 KAC 161 Geneva 10:10 ETD 302 Abu Dhabi 10:10 JZR 356 Mashhad 10:25 FDB 056 Dubai 10:35 QTR 1071 Doha 10:40 IRC 6522 Lamerd 11:00 MSC 416 Sohag 11:15 GFA 214 Bahrain 11:25 IRA 664 Shiraz 11:40 KAC 661 Abu Dhabi 12:05 JZR 1140 Dammam 12:05 JZR 776 Jeddah 12:05 AXB 890 Mangalore 12:10 IRM 1189 Mashhad 12:30 IRC 527 Mashhad 12:40 IAW 156 Al Najaf 12:55 MEA 405 Beirut 12:55 JZR 786 Riyadh 13:10 KAC 511 Mashhad 13:15 JZR 176 Dubai 13:45 OSJ 4113 XQC 14:00

MSR UAE KAC CLX KNE KAC KAC FDB KAC GFA IRC QTR SVA KNE KNE KAC KAC IAW KAC ETD ABY OMA MSR SAW SVA JZR JZR FDB QTR KAC UAE JZR RJA KAC KAC SVA GFA JZR SYR FDB JZR UAE MSR JZR QTR ABY GFA FDB KNE KAC OMA KAC KAC QTR DLH MSR FDB DHX JAI KAC ETD KAC KAC MEA ALK GFA KAC KAC UAE JZR ETD QTR

611 872 693 792 382 561 673 060 785 222 6512 1079 501 530 684 619 777 158 283 304 128 646 576 706 505 266 240 052 1073 363 858 538 641 331 353 511 216 184 342 064 124 876 621 554 1081 124 218 058 232 545 648 205 345 1089 634 619 5054 171 571 351 308 203 413 403 230 220 301 381 860 502 310 1083

Cairo Dubai Muscat Hanoi Taif Amman Dubai Dubai Jeddah Bahrain ABD Doha Jeddah Jeddah Madinah Doha Riyadh Al Najaf Dhaka Abu Dhabi Sharjah Muscat Sharm el-Sheikh Damascus Madinah Beirut Amman Dubai Doha Colombo Dubai Cairo Amman Trivandrum BLR Riyadh Bahrain Dubai Damascus Dubai Bahrain Dubai Cairo Alexandria Doha Sharjah Bahrain Dubai Riyadh Cairo Muscat Islamabad Ahmedabad Doha Doha Alexandria Dubai Bahrain Mumbai Kochi Abu Dhabi Lahore Bangkok Beirut Colombo Bahrain Mumbai Delhi Dubai Luxor Abu Dhabi Doha

14:00 14:15 14:30 14:30 14:50 15:00 15:00 15:05 15:15 15:25 15:30 15:40 15:45 15:55 16:00 16:00 16:00 16:15 16:15 16:20 16:30 16:35 16:50 16:55 17:00 17:05 17:15 17:25 17:40 17:40 17:45 17:45 17:55 18:00 18:15 18:15 18:20 18:40 18:55 19:05 19:15 19:30 19:30 19:30 19:50 20:05 20:15 20:35 20:55 21:00 21:10 21:25 21:30 21:35 21:35 21:45 21:50 21:50 21:55 22:00 22:15 22:15 22:15 22:20 22:25 22:30 22:45 22:45 22:55 22:55 23:05 23:20

34

s ta rs CROSSWORD 1439

STAR TRACK Aries (March 21-April 19) You authorize responsibility to others today; although you might prefer to have more control over certain circumstances, it is not always possible. This is a good time to get down to the nitty-gritty and take care of these responsibilities as well as some business you may have postponed lately. A meeting with someone older is at hand this afternoon. With a listening and patient attitude, satisfactory agreements can be found. You could find that you are appreciated or valued for your feelings or your ability to act and get things done. Do you have control of color in your lifeit may be time to have some real fun this coming holiday if you find yourself by yourself-paint. Paint a room or paint a picture or play with watercolor like a big kid. You will smile.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) Today may be the day that you stay home and everybody else goes out to work or tends to chores. You could be writing an article about the health care system in your country and the demand for better health. You encourage alternative health techniques to be considered more deeply. These alternative remedies may have a long way to go before acceptance is commonplace. If you are not a freelance writer, you may consider writing a letter to the editors of different magazines concerning this issue. Awareness is an important factor in public acceptance. Perhaps this is a time to think and study, for you have a real appreciation for ideas and thoughts. You get into the decorating mood this evening and find fascinating ways to decorate for the upcoming season.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

ACROSS 1. Committee formed by a special-interest group to raise money for their favorite political candidates.

4. United States poet (1884-1933).

12. (computer science) A computer that is running software that allows users to leave messages and access information of general interest.

15. The address of a web page on the world wide web.

16. The honeycreepers.

17. The fatty flesh of eel.

18. Any of numerous hairy-bodied insects including social and solitary species.

19. Constituting the full quantity or extent.

21. The United Nations agency concerned with civil aviation.

23. A building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services.

24. A television system that has more than the usual number of lines per frame so its pictures show more detail.

25. A governor of a province in ancient Persia.

28. A complex of enzymes that cause glycolysis.

30. A island in the Netherlands Antilles that is the top of an extinct volcano.

31. To put down by force or authority.

35. A gray lustrous metallic element of the rare earth group.

37. A radioactive transuranic element produced by bombarding plutonium with neutrons.

40. A ductile gray metallic element of the lanthanide series.

41. A very loud utterance (like the sound of an animal).

43. Smaller of two tall fast-running flightless birds similar to ostriches but three-toed.

44. An anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions.

46. Spanish poet and dramatist (1898-1936).

48. French diplomat who in 1793 tried to draw the United States into the war between France and England (1763-1834).

49. (informal) Exceptionally good.

51. A genus of Indriidae.

52. The compass point midway between northeast and east.

53. The sound made by corvine birds.

55. A flat wing-shaped process or winglike part of an organism.

58. Half the width of an em.

59. An ancient city in northern Portugal.

63. 100 aurar equal 1 krona.

66. Fallow deer.

69. Electronic equipment that provides visual images of varying electrical quantities.

70. Large high frilly cap with a full crown.

73. Perennial herbs of eastern North America and Asia having aromatic tuberous roots.

74. Airtight sealed metal container for food or drink or paint etc..

75. Someone who takes more time than necessary.

77. Any of numerous local fertility and nature deities worshipped by ancient Semitic peoples.

78. American prizefighter who won the world heavyweight championship three times (born in 1942).

79. An executioner who beheads the condemned person.

80. A river in north central Switzerland that runs northeast into the Rhine.

DOWN 1. One of the three sections of the hipbone.

2. Any of several tall tropical palms native to southeastern Asia having egg-shaped nuts.

3. A pair of shoes with cleats on the soles.

4. (astronomy) A measure of time defined by Earth's orbital motion.

5. (Akkadian) God of wisdom.

6. A hormone produced by the anterior pituitary gland that stimulates the adrenal cortex.

7. A short sleep (usually not in bed).

8. A short simple song (or the words of a poem intended to be sung).

9. A lack of vitality.

10. A dialect of English spoken in the Lowlands of Scotland.

11. The branch of engineering science that studies the uses of electricity and the equipment for power generation and distribution and the control of machines and communication.

12. A small ball with a hole through the middle.

13. Altered from an originally straight condition.

14. Speaking a Slavic language.

20. A family of birds coextensive with the order Rheiformes.

22. Any of various herbaceous plants of the genus Atriplex that thrive in deserts and salt marshes.

26. The blood group whose red cells carry both the A and B antigens.

27. (Spanish) Saffron-flavored dish made of rice with shellfish and chicken.

29. The largest city of China.

32. East Indian annual erect herb.

33. A colorless liquid hydrocarbon extracted from petroleum or coal tar and used in making synthetic resins.

34. Become taut or tauter.

36. Israeli statesman (born in Russia) (18981978).

38. A native or inhabitant of Slovakia.

39. A civil or military authority in Turkey or Egypt.

42. Using speech rather than writing.

45. Pasta in the form of slender tubes.

47. The branch of computer science that deal with writing computer programs that can solve problems creatively.

50. Mentally or physically infirm with age.

54. The sensation caused by heat energy.

56. A light touch or stroke.

57. A member of an agricultural people in southeastern India.

60. Living in or characteristic of farming or country life.

61. Greek mythology.

62. The capital and largest city of Yemen.

64. Harsh or corrosive in tone.

65. Stems of beans and peas and potatoes and grasses collectively as used for thatching and bedding.

67. A flat-bottomed volcanic crater that was formed by an explosion.

68. A shaft on which a wheel rotates.

71. A metal-bearing mineral valuable enough to be mined.

72. The cry made by sheep.

76. A radioactive gaseous element formed by the disintegration of radium.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016

This tuesday some of your co-workers may seem a bit fussy. Hold your tongue a little while longer-the mood will pass. It is interesting to observe how ideas, tendencies and a group mind seem to move in patterns. You busy yourself with your own work but you also find ways to be amused silently at the emotional movement of today.

Ever notice particular words that become fadsa morning trip to a customer or prospective customer will prove successful. The increase in workload this afternoon is another temporary situation. You could discover that a student or a young person will open up to you today. The trust this person has in your ability to solve problems keeps you attentive to ways you can be helpful. It is nice to be needed.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) While you may be using your analytical abilities at work this tuesday, you will also become involved in conversations about the upcoming holidays. Plenty of subjects interest you enough so that you could become distracted in your regular work of the day-careful. This afternoon you may find yourself being put to good use by your friends, or it could be that circumstances force you to reorganize and become more conservative.

You may find yourself involved in a neighborhood meeting later today. Perhaps choosing better placement of trash containers or voting on guidelines for decorations will be the gist of such a meeting. You can demonstrate great understanding of the needs of others and it is easy for you to ask the right questions.

Leo (July 23-August 22) Time seems to escape from you while you are busy with your professional chores this morning. Your expressive and outgoing side is activated later today and you can relax a bit after the noon break. Friends may suggest a trip for this next weekend and after conferring with family, you may find yourself plotting your path. There are other options and you might leave yourself available for whatever may come. Remember, there is a fun and upbeat tourist site you have not seen yet. You are very expressive when it comes to your talents. You could successfully work in the arts and theater, in sports or with the ultimate self-expression: children. Other than your own professional work, this whole day is filled with your creative expression.

Virgo (August 23-September 22) This is a good time for clear deliberation and problem solving. You are in a serious frame of mind and find yourself dealing with matters of much concern and responsibility. This may mean that you will find new ways to clear away old debts. You may be very persuasive-making clear decisions that affect yourself and others. Your whole base of knowledge and experience could be changing-your mind and your belief system.

This afternoon is a good time to spend with a loved one. Emotions are up, and you may even find yourself pondering a bit on the meaning of life. Overall, you will prosper through new insights, inventions and an independent point of view. Music, literature and romance are at your disposal. Enjoy an evening of your own making.

Word Search

Libra (September 23-October 22) Your accomplishments come quickly and your organizational skills are commendable. Because you move through life so quickly, you could overlook some things that are beneficial for your own peace of mind. Any deeply meaningful information will be learned eventually, but the peace of mind is important because it helps you to stay healthy physically. Because this is a natural phenomenon with your personality, you must schedule some timeout as though you were scheduling appointments. Use your timeout in peaceful, spirit-filled activity twice a day. A young person may need lessons in money management and if this is a relative, it might be a good idea to provide a tutor. This is a great time of the year to plan get-togethers with family.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) You are ready to get this workweek behind you. You may be planning a big shopping trip or a get-together with friends from your high school days. You may even be looking forward to travel. Travel at this time may lead to prosperity. Your people skills and leadership qualities are impressive-people flock around you to listen to the things you have to say or teach. Do not believe rumors at work. You are competitive and successful and you attract the same type of people into your business or personal life. The fun in achievement is the struggle to overcome any problems. A few of you enjoy the problemsolving process. What seems like good financial news may turn out to be nothing after you check the facts. Stay diligent-better days are ahead.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) Your attention may be focused on an old friend much of this day-you look forward to a reunion. Making time to visit and reminisce over old times is a high priority. You are the center of attention in the workplace. You come up with new ideas to manage things better-making things work with common sense. This is a rewarding day, in that it is easy for you to work with those in authority. Considering you work so well with others, you could become a very good boss. Your ability to achieve your goals in such a short time works well with your management skills. You have an interest in athletics and exercise and should enjoy some sort of group sports with friends this afternoon.

At home, there is fun and a reunion. Happy birthday!

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) You are very comfortable with life in general this morning. Everything seems to be working together and you may find yourself expressive and communicative with others. If you are commuting on a bus, the whole busload of people will be in a better mood today because of you. Perhaps you know how the meaning of life fits you or perhaps you have a new lover, or you just know how to enjoy life. There is some talk of how we humans interact with each other and how we take care of nature. Please note the importance in how we visualize nature. This afternoon you could find yourself in hobby stores buying parts, games or an addition to your favorite pastime. Before you begin to play with the hobbies of yours, clear away the old.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) You could be seen by others as just the person to be put in charge of some project requiring a conservative mind. Work is intense today-there is a rush to complete projects. It is important to take your breaks and get some fresh air. This afternoon the focus could be on a move of residence-yours or a friend. Friends may worry about your constant work but you have a focus and will explain in your own time. Friends or relatives give you a lot to ponder-a period of great mental activity and heightened communication with others. This evening you could be organizing a photo album. The opportunity to be with family members later this week calls for a display of pictures that tell the story of your activities over the past couple of years.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) This may not be the best time for career or vocational decisions. If you are looking for a job, consider working with a temporary agency for now. You might be able to understand how future work opportunities could become available.

Then you can focus your attention on how you might work for a company that seems to fit with your needs. This is a fruitful time for real-estate investments, if you do not bite off more than you can chew. You have the courage to achieve the best for yourself through careful choices; you set good examples. It may be your turn to cook but hurry as time is running short this afternoon. Music fills the air this evening and if you are not performing a good friend or family member will entertain you. Enjoy some relaxation time.

Yesterday Solution

Yesterday’s Solution Daily SuDoku

Yesterday’s Solution

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016

i n f o r m at i o n For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128

INTERNATIONAL CALLS GOVERNORATE

Sabah Hospital

24812000

Amiri Hospital

22450005

Maternity Hospital

24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital

25312700

Chest Hospital

24849400

PHARMACY

Ahmadi

Sama Safwan Abu Halaifa Danat Al-Sultan

Jahra

24892010

Adan Hospital

23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital

24840300

Al-Razi Hospital

24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital

Kaizen center

Hawally

24874330/9

25716707

Rawda

22517733

Adaliya

22517144

23915883 23715414 23726558

Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 Jahra-Block 92

Ahlam Khaldiya Coop

Farwaniya

PHONE

Fahaeel Makka St Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd

Modern Jahra Madina Munawara

Capital Farwaniya Hospital

ADDRESS

Fahad Al-Salem St Khaldiya Coop

Afghanistan

0093

Lithuania

00370

Albania

00355

Luxembourg

00352

Algeria

00213

Macau

00853

Andorra

00376

Macedonia

00389

Angola

00244

Madagascar

00261

Anguilla

001264

Majorca

0034 00265

24575518 24566622

Antiga

001268

Malawi

Argentina

0054

Malaysia

0060

22436184 24833967

Armenia

00374

Maldives

00960

Australia

0061

Mali

00223

Austria

0043

Malta

00356

Azerbaijan

00994

Marshall Islands

00692

Bahamas

001242

Martinique

00596

Bahrain

00973

Mauritania

00222

Bangladesh

00880

Mauritius

00230

Barbados

001246

Mayotte

00269

Belarus

00375

Mexico

0052

Belgium

0032

Micronesia

00691

Belize

00501

Moldova

00373

Benin

00229

Monaco

00377

Bermuda

001441

Mongolia

00976

Bhutan

00975

Montserrat

001664

Bolivia

00591

Morocco

00212

Bosnia

00387

Mozambique

00258

Botswana

00267

Myanmar (Burma)

0095

New Shifa Ferdous Coop Modern Safwan

Farwaniya Block 40 Ferdous Coop Old Kheitan Block 11

24734000 24881201 24726638

Tariq Hana Ikhlas Hawally & Rawdha Ghadeer Kindy Ibn Al-Nafis Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Salmiya-Amman St Hawally-Beirut St Hawally & Rawdha Coop Jabriya-Block 1A Jabriya-Block 3B Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

25726265 25647075 22625999 22564549 25340559 25326554 25721264 25380581 25628241

Khaldiya

24848075

Brazil

0055

Namibia

00264

Kaifan

24849807

Brunei

00673

Nepal

00977

24848913

Bulgaria

00359

Netherlands

0031

Burkina

00226

Netherlands Antilles 00599

Burundi

00257

New Caledonia

00687

Cambodia

00855

New Zealand

0064

Shamiya Shuwaikh

24814507

Abdullah Salem

22549134

Cameroon

00237

Nicaragua

00505

Nuzha

22526804

Canada

001

Nigar

00227

24814764

Cape Verde

00238

Nigeria

00234

Cayman Islands

001345

Niue

00683

22515088

Central African

00236

Norfolk Island

00672

22532265

Chad

00235

N. Ireland (UK)

0044

Chile

0056

North Korea

00850

China

0086

Norway

0047

Colombia

0057

Oman

00968

Comoros

00269

Pakistan

0092

Congo

00242

Palau

00680

Cook Islands

00682

Panama

00507

Costa Rica

00506

Papua New Guinea 00675

Croatia

00385

Paraguay

00595

Cuba

0053

Peru

0051

Cyprus

00357

Philippines

0063

Industrial Shuwaikh Qadsiya Dasmah Bneid Al-Gar

22531908

Shaab

22518752

Qibla

22459381

Ayoun Al-Qibla

22451082

Mirqab

22456536

Sharq

22465401

Salmiya

25746401

Cyprus (Northern)

0090392

Poland

0048

Jabriya

25316254

Czech Republic

00420

Portugal

00351

25623444

Denmark

0045

Puerto Rico

001787

Diego Garcia

00246

Qatar

00974 0040

Maidan Hawally Bayan

25388462

Djibouti

00253

Romania

Mishref

25381200

Dominica

001767

Russian Federation 007

Dominican Republic 001809

Rwanda

00250

W Hawally

22630786

Ecuador

00593

Saint Helena

00290

Sabah

24810221

Egypt

0020

Saint Kitts

001869

El Salvador

00503

Saint Lucia

001758 00508

Jahra

24770319

England (UK)

0044

Saint Pierre

New Jahra

24575755

Equatorial Guinea

00240

Saint Vincent

001784

Eritrea

00291

Samoa US

00684

Estonia

00372

Samoa West

00685

Ethiopia

00251

San Marino

00378

Falkland Islands

00500

Sao Tome

00239

Faroe Islands

00298

Saudi Arabia

00966

Fiji

00679

Scotland (UK)

0044

Finland

00358

Senegal

00221

France

0033

Seychelles

00284

French Guiana

00594

Sierra Leone

00232

French Polynesia

00689

Singapore

0065

Gabon

00241

Slovakia

00421

00220

Slovenia

00386

West Jahra South Jahra

24772608 24775066

North Jahra

24775992

North Jleeb

24311795

Ardhiya

24884079

Firdous

24892674

Omariya

24719048

N Khaitan

24710044

Gambia

Fintas

23900322

Georgia

00995

Solomon Islands

00677

Germany

0049

Somalia

00252

Ghana

00233

South Africa

0027

Gibraltar

00350

South Korea

0082

Greece

0030

Spain

0034

Greenland

00299

Sri Lanka

0094

Grenada

001473

Sudan

00249

Guadeloupe

00590

Suriname

00597

Guam

001671

Swaziland

00268

Guatemala

00502

Sweden

0046

Guinea

00224

Switzerland

0041

Guyana

00592

Syria

00963

Haiti

00509

PRIVATE CLINICS Ophthalmologists Dr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444 Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222 Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171 Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999 Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700 Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223 Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223 Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510 Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660 Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478 Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996 Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988 Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166 Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426 General Practitioners Dr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123 Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312 Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920 Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465 Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528 Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781 Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501 Urologists Dr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534 Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955 Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660 Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120 Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427 Psychologists /Psychotherapists

Paediatricians

Plastic Surgeons Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf

22547272

Dr. Khaled Hamadi

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari

22617700

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed

Dr. Abdel Quttainah

25625030/60

Family Doctor Dr Divya Damodar

23729596/23729581

Psychiatrists Dr. Esam Al-Ansari

22635047

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan DrAdrian arbe

23729596/23729581

Dr. Verginia s.Marin

2572-6666 ext 8321

Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly Dr. Salem soso

22655539

Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher

25340300 25710444

Dr. Sohail Qamar

22621099

Dr. Snaa Maaroof

25713514

Dr. Pradip Gujare

23713100

Dr. Zacharias Mathew

24334282

Dermatology Dr. Mohammed Salam Bern University

23845955

Dentists Dr Anil Thomas

22641071/2

25739272

22562226

22618787

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer

22561444

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan

22619557

Internists, Chest & Heart Dr. Adnan Ebil

22639939

Dr. Mousa Khadada

22666300

Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan

25728004

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra

25355515

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub

24726446

Dr Nasser Behbehani

25654300/3

info@soorcenter.com www.soorcenter.com

Serbia

00381

Holland (Netherlands) 0031

Taiwan

00886

Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924

Honduras

00504

Tanzania

00255

Hong Kong

00852

Thailand

0066

Hungary

0036

Togo

00228

Ibiza (Spain)

0034

Tonga

00676

Iceland

00354

Tokelau

00690

India

0091

Trinidad

001868

Indian Ocean

00873

Tunisia

00216

Indonesia

0062

Turkey

0090

Iran

0098

Tuvalu

00688 00256 00380

Physiotherapists & VD Dr. Deyaa Shehab

25722291 22666288

Rheumatologists: 25330060

3729596/3729581

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed

25327148

25339330

Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 25658888

Dr. Adel Al-Awadi

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar

22610044

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman

Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees

25343406

General Surgeons

Soor Center Tel: 2290-1677 Fax: 2290 1688

Dr. Zahra Qabazard

22613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians

Endocrinologist

25665898

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash

22525888

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan

25653755

Dr. Bader Al-Ansari

25620111

Neurologists Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri

25633324

Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan

25345875

Gastrologists Dr. Sami Aman

22636464

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly

25322030

Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali

22633135

Kaizen center 25716707

Noor Clinic 23845955

Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah

25722290

Internist, Chest & Heart DR.Mohammes Akkad

24555050 Ext 210

Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital 25339667 Consultant Cardiologist Dr. Farida Al-Habib MD, PH.D, FACC Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

2611555-2622555

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677 Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

00964

Uganda

Ireland

00353

Ukraine

Italy

0039

United Arab Emirates 00976

Ivory Coast

00225

United Kingdom

0044

Jamaica

001876

Uruguay

00598

Japan

0081

USA

001

Jordan

00962

Uzbekistan

00998

Kazakhstan

007

Vanuatu

00678

00254

Venezuela

00582

Kiribati

00686

Vietnam

0084

Kuwait

00965

Virgin Islands UK

001284

Kyrgyzstan

00996

Virgin Islands US

001340

Laos

00856

Wales (UK)

0044

Latvia

00371

Yemen

00967

Lebanon

00961

Yugoslavia

00381

Liberia

00231

Zambia

00260

Libya

00218

Zimbabwe

00263

Lesotho

00266

Iraq

Kenya

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016

lifestyle G O S S I P

Naya Rivera files for divorce from husband of 2 years A

ctress Naya Rivera has filed for divorce from actor Ryan Dorsey, her husband of two years. Rivera, who starred on the Fox musical series "Glee," cited irreconcilable differences for their breakup. Rivera filed for divorce on Nov 15 in Los Angeles Superior Court and it was first reported Monday by celebrity website TMZ. She is seeking sole custody of their 1-year-old son. Her filing states the pair's assets will be divided by an agreement they signed after marrying in July 2014. Rivera wrote about her

relationship with Dorsey in her book "Sorry Not Sorry" that was released earlier this year. After her first relationship with Dorsey ended, she began dating rapper Big Sean before they endured a very public breakup. A few months later, the 29-year-old actress married Dorsey.

Kendall and Jordan 'All Over Each Other' at Drake's AMA After-Party

K

endall Jenner and Jordan Clarkson were "very touchy-feely" at an American Music Awards afterparty. The 21-year-old model - who was recently said to be dating A$AP Rocky - and the 24-year-old professional basketball player were spotted being "extremely affectionate" towards one another at Drake's post-awards show bash at Los Angeles nightspot Delilah on Sunday night. An eyewitness told E!: "You could see that they're really into each other and they certainly weren't hiding it. They were very touchy-feely!

"She was laughing the whole time! She was super giddy and loving every minute of it. It was obvious that they have a very playful, fun relationship. "They were extremely affectionate and sweet towards one another.

It's obvious he makes her so happy!" While they weren't

seen smooching one another, it is said they shared a warm embrace and were holding hands, plus the Los Angeles Lakers star is said to have given Kendall a few kisses on the cheek. The eyewitness added: "They both were smiling from ear to ear. You could tell that they didn't care about anyone else and, to each other, they were the only two in the room. "Several times it looked like they were going to kiss, but refrained." What's more, Jordan is said to have treated Kendall "like his girlfriend" during their intimate moments in the club. Told PEOPLE: "They definitely had a flirty vibe going on and were very intimate. "Jordan was extremely attentive towards her and treated her like his girlfriend."

Hamilton and Harlow make music together L

ewis Hamilton and girlfriend Winnie Harlow have recorded a song together. The Formula 1 ace and the 22-year-old model headed to Tinie Tempah's London studio last week to put some beats down on a tune because the 31-year-old racing car driver thought she would be a "good influence" to help him kick-start his pop career. A music source said: "Lewis has been trying for years to make a hit and invited Winnie down to the studios to act as his muse - just like a photographer or artist would when they are creating. "She's from Canada and it's all about Canadian vibes right now with Drake and Justin Bieber dominating the charts. "Lewis thought she'd be a good influence. "They were both there and playing music and putting down their beats." However, it's not known when fans will ever hear the song, but he is said to be

Mariah Carey is 'ready to move on' M

ariah Carey is "ready to move on" from James Packer. The 'Without You' hitmaker is reportedly glad she split from the Australian billionaire and feels she has "dodged a bullet" by ending their relationship before they walked down the aisle. A source told Entertainment Tonight: "She's ready to move on. She feels like she dodged a bullet ... The negotiations aren't going well. At the best, she'll keep the ring." Time has been the best healer for the 46-year-old singer - who has five-yearold twins Moroccan and Monroe with her ex-husband Nick Cannon - as a source previously claimed she was "devastated" by the split. An insider shared: "The split has been devastating for Mariah. She loved James and was planning to marry him ...

She made life changes for this man to prepare for their future as husband and wife, even relocating to Los Angeles, at James'

request, so he could be closer to his children. Everything she has done over the past year is to prove how fully committed she is to their life together. She really wanted this to work. And then, completely out of the blue, it imploded." The pair reportedly split after having an argument when they were in Greece. A source said: "It started in Greece [with] some sort of outburst [from James] which everyone heard. [He told her,] I don't know if I can do this. I can barely take care of my own children." And the couple failed to attend a planned meet up in Los Angeles back in October to "talk through everything as adults". An insider claimed: "Mariah and James never met up after that. And they haven't spoken. The way the split news was handled was incredibly upsetting to her."

Kourtney Kardashian is 'very happy' with Scott Disick

T

he 'Keeping Up With The Kardashians' star - who has Mason, six, Penelope, four, and 23-month-old Reign, with the 33-year-old model - is considering getting back with the father of her children if he shows he is "fully committed" to their family. A source said: "She got screwed over by Scott so many times in the past. Kourtney is still protecting herself. "She doesn't want to say that they are back together until she knows for sure that Scott is fully committed to his family. But so far so good. Scott has been amazing to Kourtney, and she is very happy." And the 37-year-old television personality has been impressed with how Scott has made the family his "number one priority". An insider added: "For a long time, it really seemed like Kourtney was completely over Scott. She was acting very disappointed. It seemed she would never take him back. Then Scott decided to turn things around. "It was like he finally realized that he needed his family. For the past few months, Scott has been amazing. He isn't sober, but very well behaved. He has shown Kourtney that she and the kids are his number one priority." Meanwhile, Kourtney is said to be pleased with Scott's new-found attitude and excellent behavior and the pair are back living together now. The source told People magazine: "Kourtney seems very happy. She always loved Scott. They are living together now and are very happy. It's all about family time. Scott seems very happy about being back with his family. They are spending Thanksgiving together as a family." The family will be spending Thanksgiving at Kylie Jenner's home after Kourtney revealed her younger half-sister will be hosting the family's annual get together.

pleased with the collaboration with the brunette star, who he has been romantically linked to for two months. bThe source added to The Sun newspaper: "There are no plans for release yet but everyone in the studio was really impressed. "It's a very exciting time for Lewis." This comes after Lewis - who dated former Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger on and off for eight years - took singing lessons late last year in a bid to perfect his vocal range. A source said at the time: "Lewis is very savvy and wants to be the best at everything he does - even when it comes to his music. "He's got a vocal coach who does exercises with him and teaches him how to keep his voice in the best condition."

Nicole Kidman's tough life lessons

N

icole Kidman learned to take a step back when her husband fought through his addiction. The 'Eyes Wide Shut' star supported her husband Keith Urban when he checked himself into rehab in 2007 for alcohol addiction and admits it was tough to tell him she couldn't fix it for him and he had to be the one to make a change. Speaking in The Jess Cagle Interview, she said: "[I'd advise them] to get help. To put your hand up, to reach out. There is absolutely help out there. You can't save somebody, they've got to save themselves. "It is a very big thing for people like me who go, 'I can take care of you. I can do it.' At some point, you just have to say, 'I love you and I'm here when you decide to do the work. If you don't, then that's it.' It's not easy, but there's an extraordinary life if you do get there through help." And Keith completely understood Nicole's standpoint and found it "deeply inspiring". Speaking in 2007, he said: "Nicole listened to her heart and did what she felt was the right thing to do. To see that kind of love in action, that's very moving and deeply inspiring and just makes me want to be a better man." Meanwhile, things have gone from strength to strength for the couple - who have Faith, five, and Sunday, eight, together - and Keith has praised Nicole for being an "incredible" mother. He said: "[She's] an incredible mom. Loving, maternal, and [she's] teaching me a lot about how to raise children, especially girls. I have no reference for girls. I grew up in a house of boys, so it's quite the learning curve." And Nicole previously revealed her two children give her advice on what outfits she should wear to pick them up from school. She shared: "I would go to the school to pick them up, and they'd be like, 'Please don't pick me up in sweatpants or jeans,' They're like, 'Can you just get dressed up and do your hair and put on makeup and wear heels?'"

Zoe Saldana and her husband have 'absolute transparency'

T

he 'Guardians of the Galaxy' star believes the secret to her successful relationship with Marco Perego is their "unconditional support" for each other. She said: "We plan everything together - that way nobody feels slighted. We're unconditional with each other: unconditionally supportive of each other's careers, and professions, and desires, and goals. But we can only be this by having absolute transparency. "When we hit a road block, then we take the time to figure how we're going to move that block and keep moving on down the road." And the 38-year-old actress - who has 23-month-old twins Cy and Bowie with the 37-year-old artist - says she has so much more energy now she is a mother. She told Los Angeles Confidential magazine: "I would think it would slow me down and it hasn't. I have all this energy now for so many things that I want to do. It's fantastic having twins. This is something that we certainly didn't plan for. "We wanted to start a family, but being blessed with a two-in-one shot is great. I grew up in a family of women. Now I have these three gentlemen who I'm living with, and who are just Mowglis: savages and super playful and spontaneous. I'm encouraged to keep up. I drank the Kool-Aid, and I love it!" Meanwhile, Zoe previously admitted she "cried every day" when she returned to work after having her children. She shared: "The first week back at work, I think I cried every day in my trailer. But I remember as soon as they would tell me 'We're ready for you on set,' I would still skip to set. I love what I do. You do need to rest, you do need to have a moment to yourself, but right now this is my life as I know it."

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016

lifestyle M U S I C

&

M O V I E S

Review

Beatty as eccentric billionaire - not THAT one tract. But when her mother (the always-superb Annette Bening, being directed by her husband for the first time) gets the willies and suggests they leave, Marla insists on staying.

Personal assistant Marla's handsome driver is aspiring real-estate developer Frank Forbes (the appealingly earnest Alden Ehrenreich, soon to be the next Han Solo).

When Marla complains she hasn't yet met Hughes, Frank admits he hasn't met their employer, either.

Suddenly, Marla's ushered into a darkened hotel bungalow and served a TV dinner in tinfoil. Hughes appears, befuddled and amusing. He asks her name, plays some saxophone, barks into the phone to his subordinates. These include Matthew Broderick (having lots of fun as Hughes' chief driver, especially in a laugh-out-loud scene with his boss toward the end), Candice Bergen as a personal assistant, and Martin Sheen as Hughes' CEO. The plot - often in short, choppy scenes unfolding pell-mell - careens like a pinball between Marla, Frank and Hughes. The young couple has obvious chemistry. There's a catch, though. Frank, a Methodist and a virgin like Marla, is engaged to his hometown sweetheart. And Hughes, despite his own sexual dalliances, has declared that drivers hitting on actresses will be fired.

Vanilla ice cream The Marla-Frank plotline competes with Hughes' increasingly erratic episodes - taking the cockpit for a terrifying ride while singing at the top of his lungs, or ordering truckfuls of Baskin-Robbins' Banana Nut ice cream, and then declaring: "No More Banana NUT! I

want French Vanilla!" And mostly, the Frank-Marla courtship has the pizazz of, well, vanilla ice cream. The Hughes storyline? More banana nut - emphasis on nut. Which would you rather watch? Beautiful to look at, never less than engaging, sometimes inspired and sometimes just odd, the film shifts uneasily in tone.

Yet it's distinctly watchable, even when perplexing us.

Is this Beatty's final big film? At this rate he'll be in his 90s for the next one. (And still look boyish.) All the more reason to appreciate this, foibles aside. Perhaps for a man with the pedigree and charisma of Warren

Review

Beatty, the rules really don't apply - and that's OK. "Rules Don't Apply," a 20th Century Fox release, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America "for sexual material including brief strong language, thematic elements, and drug references."

Running time: 126 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four. Definition of PG-13: Parents strongly cautioned.

Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. — AP

Danish 'Borgen' star making up for lost time

S

This image released by Disney shows characters Maui, voiced by Dwayne Johnson, right, and Moana, voiced by Auli’i Cravalho, in a scene from the animated film, ‘Moana.’ — AP

Set sail with the spirited, familiar 'Moana' S

top me if this sounds familiar: A Disney animation film about a bright and spirited young woman who feels stifled by outmoded expectations and dreams of exploring beyond the confines of her home. It's the premise of "Moana ," but it's also that of "The Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast," "Mulan," "Brave" and scores of other animated films about teenage girls. It's not a bad one by any means, and an understandably captivating foundation for children especially, but "Moana" is, like so many recent films, dressed up as something wholly new and bold and corrective against all the sins of fairy tales past. There's an entire scene where Moana (Auli'i Cravalho) fights back against the demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) for calling her a "princess" with such fervor that the ultimate effect isn't "hooray" but more "who cares?" What is so wrong with being a princess versus being the daughter of a chief who will eventually lead the island? It's just semantics.

It's distracting from both the real virtues of "Moana," of which there are many, and also fairly dismissive of the mere "princesses" who came before who basically accomplish the same things.

In fact, the only real advancement lately is the recent excising of a love interest - but I imagine

that has more to do with modern audiences wincing at the idea of a 16-year-old heroine getting married than actual progress in developing more complex female characters. But perhaps that, too, is just getting bogged down in semantics in another way and deflecting from the very wonderful and joyous "Moana," a classic Disney pic to the core, bursting with stunning visuals, good hearted humor, adventure and some truly catchy songs from "Hamilton" maestro Lin-Manuel Miranda. (Move over, "Let it Go," there is something really grand and even superior about the swelling rally cry of "How Far I'll Go.") Technical and artistic marvel On Moana's island, everything looks like a dream - saturated colors and lush landscapes surrounded by an ocean, the lifelike waters of which are a technical and artistic marvel. But Moana's people distrust the ocean and outsiders and keep themselves isolated from the rest of the world.

Moana, however, is drawn to the sea, and the sea, a character in its own right, is likewise drawn to her. She has been selected as its chosen one. Thus, when things on the idyllic island start to decay, it's Moana, encouraged by her quirky grandmother Tala (Rachel House), who takes the initiative to sail

Kanye hospitalized after scrapping US tour

R

Kanye West

ap superstar Kanye West was hospitalized on Monday with a "medical emergency" after canceling his tour, two days after a rambling onstage tirade against fellow artists Jay Z and Beyonce. The "Saint Pablo Tour" was set to run through December 31 but all 21 remaining shows have been canceled, a spokeswoman for promoter Live Nation told AFP. Hours later it emerged that West, 39, was being treated at a University of California, Los Angeles clinic, with gossip website TMZ reporting that he was undergoing psychiatric tests after being examined for exhaustion.

Mike Lopez, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department, told AFP officers had responded to an early afternoon "call of a disturbance" at an address in Los Angeles known to be the rapper's property. "That disturbance became a medical emergency where the fire department came and treated the individual," he said, without naming West. The multiple Grammy Award-winning musician did not immediately make any personal statement and his representatives did not respond to requests for comment.

Celebrity gossip website TMZ quoted an unnamed source saying the rapper was pulling out of the tour because he was exhausted. "He's been working around the clock on fashion design, both his own line and the Adidas line," the source was quoted as saying. Since August, West has performed around 40 dates in Canada and the US, rapping above the stage on an innovative "floating" platform.

'Call me, bro' He halted a gig in New York in the middle of his set when he was informed that his wife, reality TV queen Kim Kardashian, had been robbed at gunpoint in a hotel in Paris.

West has not spoken publicly about the incident but TMZ's source said time spent away from family had added to the rapper's stress. He canceled several dates the following week but made a comeback in his hometown, Chicago, and performed without incident until a show in Oakland on October 22 where he described the Grammys as "rigged." The latest cancelation followed a Saturday night show in Sacramento, where West showed up an hour late and performed three songs before berating other artists and defeated White House hopeful Hillary Clinton, and cutting the performance short.—AP

away to try to return the stolen heart to the fabled island of Te Fiti and save her people.

She journeys first to get the help of Maui, a cocky showoff who has his own agenda that doesn't involve taking orders from a pushy teen, and then across the ocean where Moana, Maui and a dimwitted chicken encounter all kids of obstacles, including a band of hostile coconuts (a terrific gag), a glam rock hermit crab (Jemaine Clement) at the bottom of the ocean and a vindictive lava monster.

The fable of "Moana" is sweet, often funny, spiritual and epic, although Johnson's reliable charisma gets lost under the animation and the writing. Moana, however, is an excellent character with spirit, doubts, drive and a heck of a voice. She is a perfect addition to the roster of modern Disney heroines and one whom young girls will admire for years to come, princess or not. "Moana," a Walt Disney Pictures release, is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America for "peril, some scary images and brief thematic elements." Running time: 113 minutes. Three stars out of four. MPAA Definition of PG: Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children. — AP

This image released by Twentieth Century Fox shows Lily Collins, left, and Alden Ehrenreich in a scene from ‘Rules Don’t Apply.’ — AP

he made her name in hit TV drama "Borgen," but only a few years later Danish actress Sidse Babett Knudsen is juggling coveted small- and big-screen roles on both sides of the Atlantic. It is all a long way from her Copenhagen roots-especially for an actress who spent a long time struggling, before finally making the big time. The awardwinning 47-year-old, who played Denmark's first female prime minister in the political drama, is currently starring alongside Hollywood veteran Tom Hanks in "Inferno" by Oscar-winning director Ron Howard.

At the same time on the small screen she is in hit US sci-fi western thriller "Westworld" with Anthony Hopkins. Back in Europe she won a Cesar, France's version of the Oscars, this year for "L'hermine," while her latest Gallic outing is in "La Fille de Brest" after French film icon Catherine Deneuve suggested her for the role.

When director Emmanuelle Bercot offered her the part, the elegant blue-eyed actress didn't believe him at first.

"I was like 'What are they thinking?' because I don't speak French very well. I thought maybe somebody told them I was half French because I studied in France," she told AFP, sitting in a plush Paris hotel. "Maybe they thought that was it," she added. Much like in "Borgen," for which she shared a BAFTA award, she loves playing strong and intelligent women. "I love being in the skin of courageous people. That inspires me," she said. "When I read a part, either I think it makes the world smaller or the world bigger. I want to go towards those where I see the world getting bigger."

In "Inferno," she plays the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), while in HBO megaseries "Westworld" she is the operations manager of a futuristic amusement park. "It's been wonderful to work in such different places and in such different settings. I really liked that," she said.

Childhood ambition Born in Copenhagen to a photographer father and teacher mother, she spent part of her childhood in Tanzania-but she decided at the tender age of eight that she wanted to be an actress. But it was only 10 years later, when she arrived in France with a bicycle to be an

au pair, that she started doing something about her ambition to be on the big screen.

Between odd jobs she took acting lessons, indulged her love for cinema and spent lots of time in the Pompidou Centre, where she learned French by reading a translation of Kafka's Metamorphosis.

But after six years she decided to return to Copenhagen, tired of struggling to make ends meet. "I came back because it was not easy being (in Paris) I had no place to live and it was just going around with your hat, asking for jobs all the time. It became a bit too hard," she said. Back in her home town, "a friend of mine did (Ibsen's) 'Peer Gynt', and she asked me to come to Dan, and I thought 'Yeah, do that'."

Further parts with the same theatre group followed.

Her cinema breakthrough came in the 1997 improvisational comedy "Let's Get Lost," which won her a best actress Bodil, Denmark's version of Hollywood's famous golden statuettes. She followed that in 1999 with romantic comedy "The One and Only" by Susanne Bier, and seven years later "After The Wedding" with Mads Mikkelsen. But she really made the big time with "Borgen," which hit TV screens in 2010.

The Danish TV series, in which she plays premier Birgitte Nyborg, has been a hit around the world, with one US critic comparing it to Emmy and Golden Globe-winning political drama "The West Wing". As she entered her 40s, it changed her life.

"Absolutely," she said. "The consequences of 'Borgen' did, because I'm here now, finally. It has opened a lot of doors." — AFP Sidse Babett

W

arren Beatty doesn't want us to regard "Rules Don't Apply," in which he stars as Howard Hughes, as a Howard Hughes film. It's actually a movie about late '50s Hollywood, he says, and the sexual puritanism of the era. Indeed, Beatty doesn't appear for a long while in this much-awaited film, which he co-wrote, directed and starred in - perhaps partly to prove his point that he's not the main attraction. But come on - it's Warren Beatty, a legend who hasn't made a film for 15 years, playing America's most famous eccentric, controversial billionaire until ... well, until you know who. Of COURSE it's a Howard Hughes movie.

And that's not a bad thing, because whatever you think of the new film, Beatty at 79 retains much of that youthful charisma - he may have wrinkles, but the features are still boyish - that's made him a Hollywood fixture for more than a half-century, from "Splendor in the Grass" to "Bonnie and Clyde" to "Shampoo" to "Heaven Can Wait" to "Reds." As for "Rules Don't Apply," it's many years - decades, actually - in the making, brings together a who's who list of on-and-offscreen talent, looks gorgeous - and still feels strangely uneven and tonally confusing. But if you can get over that, it's undeniably entertaining and at times, even quirkily mesmerizing.

It's Hollywood in 1958 - just three years before Beatty himself made his mark - and aspiring starlets are descending on the town, among them fresh-faced Baptist beauty queen Marla Mabrey (Lily Collins, a gorgeous Natalie Wood lookalike). She's been invited by the reclusive Hughes to audition for his RKO Pictures. Once there, she realizes she's just one of many aspiring starlets Hughes has brought in on con-

A Minute With: Lin-Manuel Miranda on 'Moana' and 'Mary Poppins'

A

ward-winning "Hamilton" musical creator Lin-Manuel Miranda swaps the politics of 18th century Washington for the charms of Polynesia in the Disney animated movie "Moana." Miranda, 36, worked with musicians from the South Pacific to create original songs for the movie about a plucky teenage girl who sets sail on an epic journey to help save her tribe. Miranda spoke with Reuters about "Moana," which opens in US movie theaters on Wednesday, and his work as an actor on the upcoming "Mary Poppins" movie sequel.

The interview took place before Friday's performance of "Hamilton" in New York at which US Vice President-elect Mike Pence was booed by some in the audience and the cast of the play - with Miranda's support - urged Pence to "work on behalf of all of us." President-elect Donald Trump said the cast owed Pence an apology.

Following are edited excerpts of the Miranda interview.

In this file photo, LinManuel Miranda arrives at the ‘Moana’ world premiere in Los Angeles. — AP

Q: What were you eager to capture of the Pacific Island community when you were working with Samoan-born musician Opetaia Foa'i and his band Te Vaka?

A: We all went into this keenly aware that this is a part of the world that isn't represented on screen very much so you want the people who live there to see the movie and say hey, that's us, and with pride. Opetaia took the lead on the rhythms and harmonies ... I'm Ginger Rogers - he leads the dance and I write lyrics, I write melodies.

Q: Which was your favorite song?

A: The one that represents our collaboration the best is "We Know The Way." We started writing that the weekend we

met. We met in New Zealand (and) we went to this Pacifica music festival where we heard choirs from all over the different islands.

Q: How has life been post-"Hamilton?"

A: I love the subway in New York. I think it's a national treasure. I did a lot of writing on the train. For a while, I couldn't take the train without someone sitting next to me and talking to me ... (Now) I'm working on a movie in London. I can walk around with my son (and) it's not a big deal, so it's nice to have that back.

Q: Speaking of "Mary Poppins," what can you tell us about your character Jack? Will we be hearing a Cockney accent?

A: You're going to hear the worst accent you've ever heard in your life! You're not going to know what country I'm from.

It's going to sound like I came from another planet!

Q: You've worked on "Star Wars" music for "The Force Awakens" and you're involved in Disney's princess world with "Moana" and "Little Mermaid." Any Marvel comic characters?

A: I'm a Marvel buff. I grew up reading those comic books.

If they ever do a "Maximum Carnage" storyline, I want dibs on Carnage. — Reuters

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016

lifestyle F E A T U R E S

Tokyo holds its first fashion M show for Muslim women

odels wearing an array of colorful hijabs walked down a Tokyo catwalk yesterday in what organizers said was the first such fashion show for Muslim women in Japan. Floral patterns were among the designs adorning long robe garments and matching headscarves at

Japan's first "Muslimah Fashion Show", which is taking place as part of a two-day Halal Expo Japan event. Around 10 brands, mainly from Singapore, were showcasing their creations at the Tokyo Modest Fashion Show. — Reuters

A model presents a creation by Colombian designer Katherine Claros.

A model presents a creation by Colombian designer Eduard Zapata made with organic elements during BioFashion Show in Cali, Valle del Cauca department, Colombia. BioFashion is an environmental initiative that seeks to create awareness about the preservation and management of natural resources where new designers develop dresses made with living plants, flowers and organic elements. — AFP photos

A model presents a creation by Colombian designer Sarah Bryon Abadia.

A model presents a creation by Colombian designer Stevens Arboleda.

A model presents a creation by Colombian designer Stevens Arboleda.

A model presents a creation by Colombian designer Daniela Bedoya.

Make Up Store opens fourth branch M

ake Up Store celebrated the grand opening of the fourth branch in the Marina Mall in the presence of the most famous bloggers, social media influencers and makeup artist in Kuwait, it is worth mentioning that Make Up Store is available in more than 80 branches around the world and its made in Swedish industry.

BioFashion

It has three branches in Kuwait, Gate Mall, Promenade Mall and Awtad Mall, in addition to the current forth Branch in the Marina Mall, Make Up Store is characterized by the diversity of beauty cosmetics and strong colors that last for a long time, plus the skin and hair care products.

A model presents a creation by Colombian designer Valentina Hoyos.

A model presents a creation by Colombian designer Katherine Rodriguez and Tatiana Duque.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016

lifestyle F E A T U R E S

A picture shows the restoration of a vintage Volkswagen Kombi bus (van, transporter or camper) and of a Fiat500 by the ‘T1 specialist’ team at the garage Nucci in Florence.

Vintage Volkswagen Kombi bus (van, transporter or camper) are parked in a garage after being completely restored by mechanics of the "T1 specialist" company. — AFP photos

Italians help VW campers get back their va-va-voom H ow many enthusiasts does it take to restore a fleet of rust-riddled Volkswagen camper vans? Ask the Italians. At the back of a hanger in the heart of Florence, two VW fans have dedicated their lives to restoring these iconic vans from the Swinging Sixties, importing them from South America before fixing them up and selling them on. Some are over 50 years old, but once they are patched up by Mauro Altamore and his mechanic Giacomo Nucci, they are expected to chug on for another half a century at least.

"With good maintenance, these vans are indestructible. We have to overhaul a good part of the mechanics, but keep the original engines," Nucci told AFP as he showed off a van that looked like it had rolled off an assembly line, despite its age.

From Ferrari to Fiat, Italy is a car crazy country, but Nucci firmly believes there is nothing better than a VW camper. He's been sprucing up these classic vans for collectors for over seven years and these days boasts an increasing number of businesses and advertising companies among his customers.

Fashion companies ask for "made to measure" vans for photo shoots or catalogues, he says pointing to a row of shiny red, blue and cream coloured vans, as well as one with a slogan stamped on the

side. Their distinctive VW hood emblems-which enjoyed a period of fame as rapper pendants thanks to the Beastie Boys-glint as new.

A childhood passion Customers can be picky: One purist wants the rust on the bodywork kept, even down to craters that look like bullet holes. Another wants the original motor replaced with a Porsche engine.

Altamore, who came up with the idea for restoring the vans, says clients come not just from Italy but from all over Europe. Inside the company's office are dozens of ceramic models of the "Peace and Love" campers he has collected down the years. His passion started in childhood when he used to collect models of the iconic Volkswagen Beetle, whose rear engine and axles were later used in production of the camper vans.

When he was 18, he set his heart on buying one but his father refused to pay for it, denouncing the little car as a petrol guzzler. So he got a camper instead and can now no longer remember how many of the old clappers he has bought and restored. About a decade ago, while in Brazil working in the clothing import and export business, Altamore decided to switch his business focus to

vans instead, fondly remembering his first client: "a famous biscuit manufacturer". He eventually dedicated himself full time to the van business with Nucci's help.

Symbol of freedom Restoration takes around six months and costs between 10,000 to 50,000 euros ($10,600 to $53,000), largely because picking up parts, which are out of production, is not always easy. But these vehicles, which remain hugely popular, can often command prices which are much higher, with a 1955 model going under the hammer in Germany for around 200,000 euros ($235,000) in November 2014. Manufactured in Germany until 1979, and in Brazil until 2013, the classic campers continue to fascinate people well beyond the "free love" hippy generation and have become a symbol of freedom.

"You turn the key and off you go," Altamore says with a grin. "The windshield opening says it all: it was like riding a motorbike. You would set off, stop where you want, you could even sleep inside. "I reckon more than a few children have been born inside... and many have been conceived!"— AFP

A mechanic of the "T1 specialist" team works on the restoration of a vintage Volkswagen Kombi bus (van, transporter or camper).

Ancient Indonesian martial arts seeks global spotlight S Two fighters battling at the first ever pro-fight of the Indonesian martial art of ‘pencak silat’ in Jakarta.

Two fighters battling at the first ever pro-fight of the Indonesian martial art of ‘pencak silat’ in Jakarta.

A teenaged student (right) standing his ground as he takes a blow from a brick being smashed onto his stomach during a demonstration of his "pencak silat" martial arts skills in Jakarta.

Students during a training session in the ancient Indonesian martial art of ‘pencak silat’ in Jakarta.

ome fight with machetes three-feet long, others are armed with daggers curved like the claws of big cats, while other combatants rely on only their minds. This is the world of "pencak silat", or Indonesia's martial arts, which are now battling for greater global recognition-having secured a place in the Asian Games, the government is now hoping for Olympic glor y. They are held dear by many Indonesians because of historical links with the country's struggle for independence when anti-colonial groups used the martial arts to take on the archipelago's then Dutch rulers in the 20th century.

But despite being practiced for centuries across Southeast Asia, pencak silat has struggled to receive the same international recognition as other Asian martial arts, such as karate and taekwondo. The Indonesian government is seeking to change that.

Pencak silat will feature for the first time in the Asian Games when they come to Indonesia in 2018. Officials then want to take it to the Olympics, and hope it could one day be recognized by UNESCO. "Pencak silat has it all-the sport, the art, the spiritual side," said Erizal Chaniago, secretary general of the Indonesian Pencak Silat Association. "That is what makes it unique and special when compared to martial arts from other countries."

'Tiger-claw' style Pencak silat is an umbrella term for a family of about 800 related Indonesian martial art forms. They are linked by their emphasis on defense rather than attack, and are characterized by fluid, dance-like movements. Some styles use full-body combat involving strikes and grappling, others focus on fighting with weapons, while some involve performing moves as a kind of dance show with no contact. One of the best known is the "tiger-claw" style practiced on western Sumatra island, where practitioners stay crouched down low to the ground as they take on their opponents.

Java island's "Kanuragan" is linked to local mystic beliefs, and supposedly gives its practitioners supernatural powers including protection from attacks by weapons. Some "Kanuragan" experts are said to have proven their mastery of the style by stabbing and cutting themselves without sustaining any injuries.

Recently at a gym in the capital Jakarta, a 12-year-old boy stood stock still as a coach smashed bricks over his head and stomach during a training session in a form of the martial art called "Pencak Silat Basic Energy".

The style mixes traditional moves with specialized

breathing techniques and is meant to help the body withstand strong blows. "It makes me confident enough to do anything," said participant Indra Surya Pringga, 28, adding that the martial art had helped him re-gain strength and recuperate after a serious lung infection. Coach Rudi Trianto said the students were taught that pencak silat is first and foremost about self-defense.

"We teach our students how to fall so they know how to bounce back in life," he said. "We don't teach them to be arrogant or to have a killer instinct." The basic energy style featured in hit Indonesian action film "The Raid" and its sequel, which starred pencak silat fighters Yayan Ruhian and Iko Uwais.

'Cultural diplomacy' The version that will feature in the Asian Games is likely to be one of the traditional fighting styles. "It will pave the way for us to reach our two main goalscompeting in the Olympics and for pencak silat to be recognized as part of Indonesia's national heritage by UNESCO," said sports ministry spokesman Gatot Dewa

Broto. UNESCO draws up a list of "Intangible Cultural Heritage" around the world that is in need of protection. Gaining entry into the Asian Games, the biggest multi-sport event in the world after the Olympics, was easy because Indonesia, as hosts, could nominate the sport for inclusion themselves.

Officials concede getting pencak silat into the Olympics will be far tougher. To become an Olympic event, a sport must first be recognized by the International Olympic Committee and then a long, costly campaign is necessary before a final decision is taken. Still, proponents of the sport are upbeat and want pencak silat to be central to a drive to promote Indonesia globally, comparing it to the success of South Korean entertainment exports which have helped familiarize the world with Korean culture. "It is just like when South Korea was trying to promote Kpop," said Broto. "We should make pencak silat part of cultural diplomacy." — AP

Students during a training session in the ancient Indonesian martial art of ‘pencak silat’ in Jakarta.

Two fighters battling at the first ever pro-fight of the Indonesian martial art of ‘pencak silat’.

A student taking on multiple opponents during a demonstration of her "pencak silat" martial arts skills in Jakarta.

Italians help VW campers get back their va-va-voom

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016

39

Post-it notes are viewed as part of the art piece ‘Subway Therapy’ at the Union Square subway station in New York ìSubway Therapyî allows people to express their thoughts with the public, and began after the November 8, 2016 US presidential election. — AFP

'Africa's male Barbie' speaks out after Nigeria controversy A

cross-dressing social media star dubbed "Africa's male Barbie" has shot to fame in Nigeria, sparking a charged debate in a conservative country where alternative lifestyles remain frowned upon. Okuneye Idris Olarenwaju, who goes by the name Bobrisky on SnapChat, makes his living selling 100,000 naira ($317) skin-whitening creams while chronicling online his life of luxury in Lagos. But Bobrisky really went viral in late October, when an aide to President Muhammadu Buhari and a marketing executive pulled out of appearing with him on a social media panel in Abuja, the nation's capital.

"The inclusion of Bobrisky unfortunately sensationalizes and radicalizes what should otherwise be a serious discourse on new approaches to media engagement," said Alder Consulting, whose social media executive withdrew.

Meanwhile, Buhari's social media aide Bashir Ahmad said he would be "unavailable for the event". Embracing the mantra of every successful reality star-there's no such thing as bad publicity-Bobrisky went ahead with the talk.

"The organizers invited me to speak on the fact that people are talking about Bobrisky," the 25-year-old told AFP, characteristically referring to himself in the third person. "Them withdrawing wasn't nice. In Nigeria, the majority of people here judge you so fast," added Bobrisky, who recounts online

Snapchat celebrity and Nigerian male Barbie, Bobrisky, poses in Lagos.

Bobrisky, poses in Lagos.

how his lifestyle is funded by a rich, mystery man he refers to only as "bae." "We are in this life once, people should be given the freedom to express themselves."

Bobrisky, applies eyeliner in preparation for an event.

Snapchat celebrity and Nigerian male Barbie, Bobrisky, poses in Lagos. — AFP photos

Rebellious In the wake of the scandal, Bobrisky has earned himself a reputation for being a rebel. It's a dangerous reputation in a country where in 2014, former president Goodluck Jonathan signed the same-sex marriage prohibition bill, forbidding not only marriage, but same-sex cohabitation and any "public show of same-sex amorous relationship" with penalties ranging from 10 to 14 years in prison. But Bobrisky, who gets over 150,000 views on each video he posts, insisted his appeal isn't because he's a civil rights crusader.

"People love the fact that I'm real," he said, speaking at his apartment in Lekki, an upmarket suburb in Nigeria's commercial hub. "It's about the way I dance, because I'm a very good dancer, and my makeup." Bobrisky has a slight build, with a close crop of black hair he wears in gelled curls. He's wearing red sweatpants with a Mickey Mouse cartoon embroidered near a pocket and a hot pink mesh tanktop, as he gets ready for a night out in his small living room, decorated with gold and black wallpaper and a crystal chandelier. "I'm doing a party look, a diva look," he said as he applies the first out of many layers of foundation, explaining that he was 12 when he first experimented with makeup. "I liked my mom's look," he said with a demure smile.

He finishes his makeup by gluing gold glitter on the inside corner of his eyes near the tear ducts, the sparkling beginning of a swooping cat eye even Cleopatra would envy. "Beauty is pain," he said, wincing as he applies the chemical glue, "but this is the one that holds the glitter on the longest."

Unlikely activist Bobrisky is the exception in Nigeria. Although no one has yet been charged under the 2014 same-sex marriage law, it has led to "real fear and abuse", said Wendy Isaack, a researcher with Human Rights Watch, who wrote an October report on the issue. "It created opportunities for the police and members of the public to engage in extortion and get money from people they believe to be LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender)," Isaack said.

"If you pass a law that leads to violence with impunity, you're creating a situation where there's lack of respect for rule of law in Nigeria, and that's not helpful," Isaack said. Still, Bobrisky says he "doesn't bother" with the haters and instead is focusing on launching a YouTube channel where he'll do makeup tutorials. It's exactly that born-this-way defiance that endears him to fans.

"He doesn't have to take on a leadership role," said Olumide Femi Makanjuola, deputy director of The Initiative for Equal Rights, a Nigeria-based non-profit organization advocating for LGBT rights. "People like Bobrisky are creating the conversation. They didn't start out to be an activist, but it happened. That's one of the powerful things of pop culture."

Transvestites are almost non-existent in Nigeria, while gays are regularly the victims of violence. — AP