24th Nov 2016

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

Amir meets Egypt’s Sisi in Equatorial Guinea

S Carolina gov, Trump critic Haley picked for UN job

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Amir urges more investments, ‘real’ partnership with Africa Morocco quits Africa-Arab summit over presence of Polisario conspiracy theories

Come Saturday

By Badrya Darwish

badrya_d@kuwaittimes.net

T

wo days more for the nation to decide. It’s a tough choice for many. Talking to many of my friends and neighbors, I feel that they aren’t too interested in these elections - as if the nation has lost its faith in the parliament. Which is, by the way, a shame, because a few candidates could be sincere and honest and defend the nation. But people always point to previous parliaments with anger and dismay.

Even I feel the elections don’t have any enthusiasm. Everyone is sort of going through the motions. None of us truly believes that this parliament will be better than the previous or the previous or the previous one, etc, etc, etc.

Continued on Page 13

MALABO: HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah addresses the 4th Africa-Arab Summit yesterday. — KUNA

Max 21º Min 12º High Tide 07:33 & 20:57 Low Tide 01:59 & 14:22

MALABO, Equatorial Guinea: HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah yesterday delivered a speech at the fourth Africa-Arab Summit held in Equatorial Guinea, calling on all nations to push for a “real” partnership with Africa. “I would like to thank President Teodoro Obiang and the nation of Equatorial Guinea for this generous invitation. This blessed meeting comes three years after the third edition of the summit held in Kuwait under the slogan ‘Partners in Development’,” Sheikh Sabah said.

Kuwait made a solemn effort to boost ties amongst African and Arab nations in the previous event, said HH the Amir, adding that leaders, during the meeting, focused on achieving sustainable development through utilizing their countries’ natural resources to achieve the aspirations of African and Arab individuals. Sheikh Sabah stressed that those who took part in Kuwait’s summit translated words into actions via the establishment of a $1 billion fund initiative aimed at providing financing to investment projects in Africa.

The Amir affirmed that Kuwait’s current contribution to the summit came in the form of the Al-Sumait 201516 prize for Africa’s development, which is a clear testament to the Gulf nation’s keenness on the welfare of the region. Kuwait, in cooperation with regional and international bodies and organizations, took strong strides to further develop Africa, stressed HH the Amir, who added that Africa was an important part of the world economy.

“At the same time, we are very aware that achieving development goals in Africa will not happen without attracting foreign investments,” he reiterated, urging all nations to push for a “real” partnership with the continent. The Amir touched on the political, security, and economic challenges that surrounds the African and Arab regions, saying that the delicate situation in the Continued on Page 13

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

LOCAL

MALABO: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and other officials pose with winners of Al-Sumait Prize for Africa Development.— Amiri Diwan photos

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah awards Dr Kevin March of the Kenya-based African Academy for Sciences and Oxford University.

Amir decorates winners of Al-Sumait Prize Award honors efforts for Africa development MALABO: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah yesterday decorated winners of Al-Sumait Prize for Africa Development in recognition of their roles in improving health and food security of African nations.

In the presence of Equatorial Guinea President Teodoro Mbasogo, Arab League Secretary General Ahmad Abul Gheit, African Union Commission Chairperson Dr Nkosazana Zuma and a plethora of African and Arab dignitaries, His Highness the Amir honored the winners of the annual Kuwaiti prize for Africa development.

Dr Kevin March of the Kenya-based African Academy for Sciences and Oxford University received Sumait Prize of 2015, $1 million dedicated for health, for his relentless work to improve children’s lives in the African continent.

The 2016 prize, also $1 million and dedicated for food security, was shared by the Peru-based CIP’s Sweet Potato for Nutrition Team and the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), based in Nigeria.

Dr Barbara Wells, of the Sweet Potato for Nutrition Team, and Dr Namanga Ngongi of the IITA received the awards on behalf of their organizations.

Monumental achievements “We are delighted to recognize tonight the monumental achievements of the recipients of the awards,” Dr Adnan Shihab-Eldin, Governor of Al-Sumait Prize Board of Trustees, said at the ceremony held the Equatorial Guinea’s capital on the sidelines of the 4th Afro-Arab Sumait.

“Together, the three winners have undertaken, with unwavering commitment,

ground-breaking applied research and field work to tackle and overcome the scourges of two major impediments to development in Africa, malaria and under-nourishment,” he added.

Shihab-Eldin, also Director General Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS), extended heartfelt congratulations to the laureates who tried through their initiatives and work to create brighter future for Africa.

“Their award winning seminal works provide a brighter future for the lives and wellbeing of tens of millions in Africa, especially children,” he said. He also thanked His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah for launching the prize in the 3rd Arab-African Sumait that was held in Kuwait in November 2013.

“I must above all thank His Highness the Amir, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al-Jaber Al Sabah for his initiative to launch the Prize, which is part of his continued leadership of worldwide Humanitarian initiatives for which he has been recognized by the UN.” Enormous honor Meanwhile, Dr Marsh expressed his pleasure to be among the first winners of Al-Sumait Prize. “It is an enormous honor and privilege to be here today to receive the Al Sumait prize,” he said.

Dr March, who would receive the $1 million prize, won the award for his sustained efforts for around three decades in scientific research, training and building of institutions with the objective of controlling and eradicating Malaria.

“This prize is especially exciting for a number of reasons; first because it is about

Africa, the continent to which Dr Abdulrahman Al Sumait dedicated his working life; it is also the continent which I have called home for most of my adult life,” he elaborated. “Secondly because it is a bold initiative which turns our eyes away from what we might call the traditional sources of support for research and development in Africa.” He concluded that these prizes will act as a stimulus and inspiration to researchers across the continent.

Laureate Dr Barbara Wells of the Sweet Potato Team expressed gratitude for Kuwait’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled AlSabah, KFAS, and Al-Sumait Prize Board for this great honor. “This award is a recognition of the ground breaking orange flesh sweet potato work that CIP’s scientists have done,” she said. She noted that the team together with its partners have impacted 2.8 million households in 10 countries across SubSaharan Africa. “With the generosity of this most prestigious award, we will accelerate our delivery of impact to scale, reaching millions more households than would otherwise have been possible. Our goal is to impact 15MM households by 2023,” she said.

Food security Meanwhile, Dr Namanga Ngongi stated that his institution the IITA, for almost 50 years, has partnered with African Governments, the international development partners to strengthen the food security in Africa. “IITA is therefore happy to have been recognized for its efforts to support food security on the continent through its many years of research on Africa’s Staple

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah awards Dr Barbara Wells of the Sweet Potato for Nutrition Team.

Food Crops,” he said. “These crops, especially Cassava, bananas, plantains, yams, maize, soybean and cowpeas, that are at the core of the food basket of millions of Africans had previously been neglected for many decades in the research agendas of many institutions.”

He added that “IITA pledges to make good use of the prize money to further strengthen its partnership with African research and extension institutions in the common effort towards achieving food and nutrition security on the continent”.

Al-Sumait Prize honors individuals or institutions that help advance economic and social development, human resources development and infrastructure in Africa through their sustained research and or innovative projects that result in major impact on the lives and welfare of the people of Africa especially the poor and underprivileged. The prize was announced by His Highness the Amir during the 3rd Arab-African Sumait that was held in Kuwait in 2013 in appreciation of Al-Sumait’s humanitarian legacy in the African continent. —KUNA

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah awards Dr Namanga Ngongi of the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture.

Equatorial Guinea President Teodoro Mbasogo welcomes His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to the venue.

Dr Adnan Shihab-Eldin, Governor of Al-Sumait Prize Board of Trustees delivers his speech.

MALABO: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah meets with Egyptian President Abdelfatah Al-Sisi.

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah meets with heads of the GCC delegations participating at the fourth AfricaArab Summit.— Amiri Diwan photos

Amir meets Egyptian president On sidelines of fourth Africa-Arab Summit MALABO: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received yesterday Egyptian President Abdelfatah AlSisi at the conferences’ palace in the Equatorial Guiana’s capital. The meeting was attended by Kuwait’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, and Deputy Prime Minister, Finance Minister and Acting Oil Minister Anas Al-Saleh as well as the

accompanying delegation of His Highness the Amir. His Highness the Amir also received at his residence in Malabo President of Chad and current Chairman of the African Union (AU) Idriss Deby, as well as Mauritania’s President Mohammad Ould Abdulaziz.

Earlier yesterday, His Highness the Amir received heads of the GCC delegations participating at the fourth Africa-Arab Summit.

Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled, Anas Al-Saleh and members of His Highness the Amir’s accompanying delegation attended the meeting.

On Tuesday, His highness the Amir met with President Equatorial Guinea Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, in the Conferences Palace. He also attended a dinner banquet held by President Mbasogo, in honor of heads of state and government attending the 4th Arab-African Summit. — KUNA

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah meets with President of Chad Idriss Deby (left) and Mauritania’s President Mohammad Ould Abdulaziz.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

LOCAL Candidates Speak

Waste of public spending, corruption key challenges Interview with candidate Alia Al-Khalid

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: Kuwait Times is interviewing candidates for the upcoming parliamentary polls as part of a series examining the challenges and problems facing Kuwait. Yesterday we spoke with second constituency candidate, Alia Al-Khalid.

Khalid believes that Kuwait can be better, and this only can be done through the Kuwaitis and particularly the youth. This is a driving point of her campaign.

“The youth want reforms and change.

So I want to apply the reforms and changes in practical life. My vision is based on people. I will focus on individuals to make them have clear vision and understand the benefits from these issues. People’s strength comes from their understanding and awareness. We don’t have political awareness in the community,” Khalid told the Kuwait Times.

On the Economy “We need open minds that understand these problems and discuss them with the people,” Khalid said when asked about her views of the challenges facing the economy of Kuwait and recent changes in subsidies. “We suffer from lack of transparency, which we need to solve the issues. We should be united to understand the economic reforms to decide whether we accept it as it is, we modify it, or we refuse it. and if we refuse it, we should look for alternatives,” she added.

According to her, Kuwait has numerous laws, and these laws are not active. “I don’t want to add more laws, as the achievement is not in issuing laws but in activating laws already in existence and applying them. Economic reforms may be acceptable or need few amendments thus I can’t decide on behalf of the people. They should be aware of this issue

Diwaniya remains integral component of campaigns KUWAIT: Despite major technological advancements, particularly, the meteoric growth of social media, the ‘Diwaniya’ has remained an integral component of candidates’ election campaigns, providing these parliamentar y hopefuls a chance to mingle with the electorate.

With three days remaining till Kuwaitis head to the polls, ‘Diwaniyas’ have hosted a series of heated discussions between voters and candidates, where they exchange their vantage points on a myriad of regional and international issues.

In separate interviews yesterday, a number of voters pointed out that the growth of social media has induced a major transformation of the electoral process in the country, where the seamless flow of information has been facilitated through these websites. Moreover, they added that despite an increasingly technologically advanced world, the ‘Diwaniya’ has always been a reliable method for candidates to get their mes-

sages across to voters.

Abdulrahman Al-Kandari, one of many voters who will cast their votes on November 26, described the Diwaniya as a distinctive feature of Kuwait and the Gulf region. On the Diwaniyas, he said that people from all walks of life gather there to share their viewpoints on issues of mutual concern, adding that candidates actually make it a point to visit these Diwaniyas in an effort to woo voters who may be on the fence about who to vote for. He also noted that Diwaniyas are also frequented by foreign diplomats looking to get acquainted with local culture. Meanwhile, another voter, Mohammad Al-Daihani said that Diwaniyas are instrumental in boosting electoral knowledge, describing them as major social institutions. On the rise of social media, he said it is a “doubleedged sword,” noting that unfounded rumors can spread on these websites, subsequently diminishing a candidate’s chances of success. —KUNA

and give their opinion,” she noted.

“For instance everybody wants to apply the electronic procedure of paperwork, as this will eliminate corruption in many public institutions. Government is obliged to apply this part of the economic reforms program. The government has great waste and we aim to rationalize spending. Public tenders are one of the spending wastes of government,” explained Khalid.

Waste and corruption According to her the government didn’t start working on the economic reform yet, and the canceling of subsidies is not an economic reform. “There is conflict in this issue, for instance. The government considers subsidies as waste in spending, while the citizen doesn’t think this is waste. We need to connect the two parties so we then can issue a law for the whole entity,” she

pointed out.

“Wasting of public funds is clear in many fields including the wrong management, the grants, road projects, airport project or the embezzlements of social security,” she said. So we should bring connection between the two parties to have a unified opinion. People should know the articles of the economic reforms paper as we are a partner in the future public projects with 40 percent. The paper also includes improving the work environment and providing work opportunities to increase production. If people were aware of all of this then they will be ready to bear the cancelation of subsidies,” highlighted Khalid.

She sees the main reason behind the problems facing Kuwait is the wrong administration. “The wrong administration is responsible for most corruption.

The bad management by government didn’t allow productive persons to do

KUWAIT: Second constituency candidate Alia Al-Khalid speaks during a rally at her campaign’s headquarters in Abdullah Al-Salem.

— Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat their work in the correct way. We need to activate controlling role of the parliament and not just the legislation,” she concluded.

Senior citizens to have a say in elections KUWAIT: With every parliamentary elections in Kuwait, the majority of citizens discuss policies, candidates characters and preferences most often, and seniors are no exception. The role of seniors in every election is vital; their collective participation holds power, and retired people are especially vulnerable to any changes in policy made by elected officials, as social security is probably the most important concern that matters to this segment of Kuwaitis.

In an overall historical comparison between elections some half a century ago and nowadays, Hussein Al-Doukhi, 78, said that despite the lengthy timeline, some aspects of the electoral process remained the same, and if it has changed, it did slightly.

Doukhi, a retired employee of the ministry of information, said at his Diwaniyah in Shamiya that due to the small population in Kuwaits 1963 and 1967, the peoples “demands” of candidates were few and simple, “as simple as the time back then.” He noted that even hospitality services provided to potential voters were coffee and tea, and maybe an occasional dinner held at the candidates headquarters or Diwaniyah.

“Sure there were interests and fierce competition among candidates to win a seat in parliament, yet, and again probably due to limited media means such as TV ads and social media, these conflicts and charged rhetoric were not felt as compared to current days.”

On whether he would be physically able to vote next Saturday, November 26, Doukhi gazed ineffably in the ceiling for a moment and replied, “hopefully I would; it is a national duty” and my right after all as a Kuwaiti.

“Most, if not all candidates in my constituency already offered and promised to secure transportation (private car with a driver and a wheelchair) for me to the school polling center and back. He smiled while reminiscing and said “see, they did not have these kind of services in the past for example. Not that I recall anyway.

“I voted in 2013, 2012, 2009, 2008 and 2006, and inshallah this year.” According to 2011 official statistics, 65-year-old and over of Kuwaitis represent two percent of the total population (25,443 males and 25,979 females).

Mifleh Al-Shimmari, another senior citizen, said candidates in the past totally relied on “direct” interaction with constituents, as

opposed to nowadays, where social media outlets are the key means to reach out to voters to the point that “You dont even know the names of MPs.” He added that the current elections are being held amid “difficult” security and economic circumstances in the region, hoping that the next parliament would rise up to the occasion and be responsible enough to deal with these challenges.

Fatmah Hassan, 85, said that despite the fact that she never went to vote, she urges ‘younger’ senior citizens to head to the polling stations next Saturday, especially women. “I do not know, nor I am interested in politics, but I do realize that I have a right as a Kuwaiti to vote, and even run for parliament. I have an elementary degree and I can read and write in Arabic, and some English too,” she exclaimed with joy.

Women were granted the right to vote and run for parliament in May 2005. The bill, which passed in parliament with 40 votes for and 10 against, allowed women to vote and run in parliamentary and local elections. Four years later, in May 2009, four female candidates won parliamentary seats.—KUNA

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

LOCAL

Opposition candidates vow to grill interior minister Campaigns end today

By B Izzak KUWAIT: Candidates running for the national assembly election on Saturday will make their final election rallies today ahead of the polls silence the following day. So far, 287 hopefuls including 13 women are left in the race while the cassation court is still reviewing the cases of 21 candidates who have been disqualified by the election committee and the cassation court prevented their reinstatement until it issues its verdicts.

The court, whose rulings are final, met for several hours yesterday and decided that it will issue its verdicts on all the cases today.

Those barred include former MPs Safa AlHashem and Bader Al-Dahoum. Originally, the election committee disqualified 47 candidates and only cases reached the court of cassation.

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Candidate wants no Govt healthcare for expats

Trading accusations In the meantime, the election campaign became very intense in the past few days with opposition hopefuls and pro-government candidates trading accusations of corruption and conspiracies. Opposition candidates focused their attention on members of the previous assembly and its speaker Marzouk Al-Ghanem and urged the voters not to allow any of the previous assembly members to come back.

They accused them of being a rubber stamp for the government which passed a large number of legislation without any resistance. Ghanem hit back at an election rally on Tuesday saying he was the target of a gang that has been plotting to take over the government accusing two senior members of the ruling family of masterminding the gang.

The opposition has star ted a campaign against the election of Ghanem as a speaker for the next assembly and several candidates have already pledged to vote against him. The opposition has also strongly criticized I nterior M inister Sheikh Mohammad Al-Khaled Al-Sabah and two leading opposition candidates and former MPs Mubarak Al-Waalan and Salem Al-Namlan already vowed that they will grill him if they get elected.

Waalan accused the interior minister of revok ing the citizenships of several opposition figures and their families and for deporting Saad Al-Ajmi after stripping him of his nationality.

Expats’ treatment In the meantime, candidate Sami AlDabbous called on the government to

stop providing healthcare for expatriates at public hospitals and replace it with a health insurance scheme. The candidate said that every expatriate in Kuwait costs the health system KD 562 per year and they pay only KD 52 to the government.

Dabbous did not say how he reached these calculations because they appear to be highly exaggerated. Based on his calculations, the cost of the healthcare for expats will be close to KD 1.8 billion per year which is far above the health ministry budget even without including the expenses of Kuwaiti citizens.

A number of candidates have called for depriving expatriates of several services and stop giving them government jobs or reduce their numbers in the country as a means of winning more votes in the election.

Kuwaiti businesswoman to buy shares in Saudi club

By A Saleh KUWAIT: Kuwaiti businesswoman and honorary member of the Saudi Al-Nasser club Khawla AlHasawi that she wants to buy shares in the club following the decision to privatize Saudi clubs. She said she needs some time to finalize an investment method that conforms to the rules issued by the Public Authority for Sports. The Saudi cabinet recently approved the privatization of sports clubs in the kingdom. The head of the Saudi Public Sports Authority Prince Abdullah bin Musaed has said only Saudis can buy into the clubs.

Prosperity Index Kuwait ranked 71st and 5th among Arab countries on the Legatum Prosperity Index Ranking 2016, which covered 149 countries. The indices covered included quality of economy, business environment, governance, education, health, stability, personal freedom, social capital, and nature environment. Qatar is ranked second among Arab countries and 46 internationally, ahead of Bahrain (67), Oman (70), Saudi Arabia (85) and Yemen (149).

Interior Ministry eager to ensure election security Ministry denies ‘special forces’ claim

KUWAIT: Minister of Electricity and Water and Acting Public Works Minister Ahmad Al-Jassar (center) and other officials are seen during the road’s inauguration ceremony. —Photos by Joseph Shagra

Jahra road mainline opens

By Faten Omar KUWAIT: Ahmad Khaled Al-Jassar, Minister of Electricity and Water, Acting Minister of Public Works and Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, inaugurated the Jahra road mainline yesterday. This section stretched for five kilometers, starting from the Sabah hospitals area to Kaifan and Shuwaikh residential area.

“This opening represents huge successes in the ministry’s strategic plan for the development of the road networks in Kuwait,” Al-Jassar said during the press conference at the inauguration. He added that the opening of Jahra Bridge, which has a total length of eight kilometers, will improve the traffic from Jahra to Kuwait City, starting from Andalus and Granada areas to the United Nations roundabout. He pointed out that the other direction is to Jahra, and it will be opened tomorrow.

During her speech, Awatef AlGhunaim, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Public Works, said that the ministry is working hard to achieve the vision of His Highness

the Amir to transform Kuwait into a global economic attraction and commercial center. Stressing that the Ministry of Public Works will not stop at this point, but it will

A section of the new Jahra road mainline which was opened yesterday.

Four Homes joins Horeca agreements between companies.

KUWAIT: Preparations for the He said Four Homes is a UAE comHoreca Kuwait 2017 exhibition are pany based in Dubai, and it marsteadily progressing, and the event kets and distributes several tradeis attracting more companies to marks of European companies that take part, since it is an event which manufacture kitchen and food provides a golden opportunity to equipment. exchange expertise to meet the Horeca Kuwait 2017 has so far local market’s needs and future attracted over 70 companies due expansion plans. to display their products in the On that regard, Director of Four presence of a group of internationHomes Company Alan Eid said al experts and chefs and a large Horeca gained good reputation that Alan Eid group of company and hotel owngoes beyond the Kuwaiti market due to its rich environment to develop the hos- ers. The exhibition is organized by Leaders pitality sector and enhance services presented Group in collaboration with Hospitality Services to customers, in addition to providing suitable Company at Kuwait International Fairgrounds in atmosphere to form partnerships and make Mishref on January 16-18, 2017.

also develop a thoughtful and integrated plans for implementation of the road network fast, including bridges and tunnels across the country. Eng Ahmed AlHasan, Assistant Undersecretary for Road Engineering in the M inistr y of Public Works, announced that Jamal Abdel Nasser road will be open partly during the next two weeks.

The opening ceremony was held at JW Marriott Hotel, which was attended by a number of representatives of the Ministr y of Public Works, in addition to the Ambassador of Egypt Yasser Abdel Qader, and a group of representatives of government and private agencies that have contributed in this project. At the end of the ceremony, the Egyptian ambassador honored guests, and thanked all those who contributed to the completion of the development of Jahra.

KUWAIT: The Ministry of Interior (MoI) will spare no effort to ensure that all procedures will be in place to hold smooth and orderly 2016 parliamentary elections, the MoI’s Undersecretary Sulaiman Al-Fahad said yesterday.

The MoI’s Undersecretary presided over a security meeting with the aim of forging a foolproof plan to maintain security and order at polling stations nationwide during election day, a statement issued by the ministry noted.

On the plan, he said it comprises security measures to ensure a seamless election process, as he underscored that any unlawful actions will be dealt with using the full force of law. Fahad also added that the electorate should exercise their democratic rights through casting their votes, with special care given to the elderly and those with disabilities.

Fahad also reminded voters to have all necessary documents ready at the polling station, including their citizenship certificate. He also said that he is hopeful that the elections will epitomize genuine democratic activity, subsequently depicting a favorable image of the country.

Meanwhile, Director of nationality and travel documents department Brigadier Yousuf Al-Saneen said citizens who have lost their nationality certificates should apply for a duplicate, so they can vote. He asked all citizens eligible to vote to check their original nationality certificates and take action if they are missing.

Baseless allegations The Ministry of Interior on Tuesday denied online reports claiming special forces were stationed near the campaign headquarters a 2016 parliament hopeful in the fourth constituency. “Utterly not true,” said a ministry statement on the matter, calling on social media followers not to be influenced by such “baseless” allegations.

The statement also urged the public to refrain from incitement that would reflect a distorted image of security personnel. It added that the ministry is reserving its right of taking legal action against whoever is behind spreading these rumors.

Illegal posters In other news, the Public Relations Department in Kuwait Municipality announced yesterday that it would remove all illegal posters and signs of candidates in implementation of the law in this regard.

Director of Farwaniya Municipality Mohammed Sarkhou stressed the need to work on removing any illegal posters or billboards that distort the general appearance of the governorate, pointing out that legal posters and billboards are only allowed at the candidate’s headquarters.

Meanwhile, head of the emergency team in Farwaniya Municipality Khaled Al-Radaan said that the concerned field teams had carried out several cleaning campaigns against illegal posters, adding that some 548 illegal signs have been removed. He urged candidates to adhere to the law in this respect. —KUNA

KUWAIT: Undersecretary Sulaiman Al-Fahad chairs a meeting for senior Interior Ministry officials yesterday.

Multipurpose hall closed in Andalus Live webcasting to herald elections

By Meshaal Al-Enezi KUWAIT: Acting Undersecretary of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (MSAL) Saad AlKharaz said a multipurpose hall was closed in Andalus, bringing the number of halls closed to 75 since administrative law 1291/2015 went into effect. The closure was due to several violations from 2011 until 2015, and officials of the hall were summoned. He said the hall was inspected on Oct 23 and was found in violation of the law, which stipulates a hall can be closed if it is used as a commercial entity or to get financial returns directly or indirectly.

KUWAIT: The Ministry of Information has revamped live webcasting to allow viewers access to all local state channels as well as the 2016 parliamentary elections through the ministry’s official website, www.media.gov.kw.

The ministry’s spokesman and Undersecretary of the planning and cognitive development department Mohammad Al-Awash said the ministry seeks to embrace the latest forms of digital media. Moreover, he said the ministry has developed live webcasts on smart phones and encourages users to update their phones with the proper applications in order to get access.

On these live webcasts, he said it allows viewers of Kuwait television to watch the channel on the internet so that they would not miss out on major events, including the impending 2016 parliamentary elections.

He also pointed out that Kuwait TV will provide up to the minute coverage of the elections as it transpires, noting that the ministry has launched its own channel on YouTube as well as other social media outlets. Awash noted that the ministry has overhauled the aforementioned website in order to ensure extensive coverage of the elections, where viewers will get exclusive, round-the clock coverage. —KUNA

Drug dealers caught Global Informatics Forum continues KUWAIT: Activities of the Global Informatics Forum 2016 continued for the second day with the participation of varies groups and people with interest from ministries and other state authorities, as well as university and school students. It was notable during the forum, which is

being held under the patronage of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, that large number of new innovations were presented by participants from various countries in addition to Kuwait.

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: Farwaniya detectives arrested two Indians with 170 envelopes of heroin (320 gm) and 60 envelopes of shabu (150 gm). The two were arrested red-handed as they sold the drugs to an undercover agent. They were sent to the Drug Control General Department (DCGD).

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

LOCAL

Sheikh Saad Al-Abduallah Al-Salem Al-Sabah hoists Kuwait’s flag for the first time.

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah poses for a picture after hoisting Kuwait’s flag Al-Sabah is pictured during a flag-raising ceremony. outside the United Nation’s building in 1963.

Kuwait flag marks 55 years KUWAIT: Fifty-five years ago today, the Kuwaiti flag adopted its current Pan-Arab colors of black, white, green and red, replacing the all red flag with the centered word of ‘Kuwait’ in white. The current flag was raised over Seif Palace on November 24, 1961, mark-

Kuwait Airways announce 15% increase in frequencies

‘Winter Schedule’ KUWAIT: Kuwait Airways, the national carrier of the State of Kuwait, has revealed that the much anticipated launch of its “Winter Schedule” has seen some immediate and positive changes to the airline’s arrival timings, across the airline’s 36destination worldwide network.

According to the airline, the Winter Schedule represents another significant step in Kuwait Airways’ five-year transformation strategy that has already seen the recent launch of the dynamic new livery and the impending delivery of the first of 10 Boeing 777-300ERs into its fleet.

Within the first seven days of the new schedule, which started on 30 October, on-time performance (OTP) levels have increased by 9.7 per cent, compared to the previous week and the old schedule. This brings Kuwait Airways in line with international averages, although Kuwait Airways management were keen to stress that exceeding these figures remains the ultimate goal.

Commenting on the immediately improving results, Chairperson and CEO, Rasha Al-Roumi, said: “Through a combined effort of our operations and commercial team, one of the key advantages passengers will note about the introduction of the new schedule is that Kuwait Airways has renegotiated its arrival time-slots at all of our 36 worldwide destinations.”

“The improving efficiencies reveal that the Kuwait Airways’ team has been able to successfully scale-up operations, in line with the increase in demand and capacity that has also been introduced,” Roumi added.

“These are just some of the first positive steps we are noticing from the implementation of the transformation strategy; but, of course, Kuwait Airways remains committed to achieving even greater operational excellence and consistent OTPs across our network, going forward,” Roumi concluded.

A clear advantage - for business travellers, in particular - is that the new and improving OTPs offer more convenient travel timings for departure and arrivals. These new timings have been negotiated across Kuwait Airways’ entire network of 36 destinations.

Kuwait Airways has also seen increases in frequencies to some of its most popular destinations, including London, UK, now with 10 flights per week, and a daily service to New York - JFK. An additional three flights per week to Istanbul, has also brought the weekly total of flights to the popular Turkish destination up to 10.

An additional 32 flights, per week, have been added to Kuwait Airways’ overall network - along existing routes. As a result of the new schedule, an overall average increase in frequency of 15 per cent is expected, over the previous scheduling. Since Kuwait Airways announced its five-year transformation plan, in September 2016, the airline’s introduction of new destinations, new flight timings, new aircraft, and a new livery have all come together to cap a busy few months for Kuwait’s national carrier. Clearly, this is statement of intent and of bigger and bolder things to come.

KIMS honors 136 doctors KUWAIT: Kuwait Institute for Medical Specialization (KIMS) of the Ministry of Health, honored on Tuesday 136 graduates who earned their Boards and Fellowships in specialty training. The honoring ceremony was under patronage of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.

On a speech on the occasion, Health Minister Dr Ali AlObaidi said that graduate doctors will dedicate their knowledge and experiences to providing a distinguished healthcare service in accordance with the most modern international standards.

Meanwhile, Dr Ibrahim Hadi, KIMS’s secretary general, said three-year cooperation protocols are underway with the Canadian Royal College since November 1 in the fields of academic accreditation and medical training.

This cooperation is part of KIMS’s vision to develop its training programs in order to maintain the graduates highlevel of proficiency. KIMS is the authority responsible for organizing all aspects of postgraduate training of medical practitioners and other health professionals in Kuwait.

It was established in 1984 under an Amiri decree. The institute is engaged in a variety of activities, including the organization of internship training of pre-registration medical graduates, specialty training at various levels in different medical fields, and continuing medical education programs for health professionals practicing in Kuwait. —KUNA

ing Kuwait’s independence for Britain, which took place on June 19th 1961. Late Sheik h Saad AlAbduallah Al-Salem Al-Sabah was the first to hoist the flag under the ruling of the late Amir Sheik h Abduallah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, who was named as

‘father of independence.’

In 1961, Kuwait signed an independence treaty with Sir George Middleton, the British commissioner for the Arabian Gulf, canceling an agreement signed with Britain in 1899 to protect the Gulf countr y

against external ambitions. When Kuwait joined the United Nations, the Kuwaiti flag was hoisted in front of the UN headquarters by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who was Kuwait Foreign Minister back then. —KUNA

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

Fr om the Arabic press

Crime

Al-Jarida

Where are your slogans?

Car stolen from airport parking

By Ali Mahmoud Khajah

KUWAIT: A citizen lodged a complaint at Jleeb AlShuyiukh police station after his car was stolen from the long-term parking lot at Kuwait Airport. He did not accuse anyone. Detectives are working on the case. Separately, a citizen accused a man he does not know of stealing his car.

He said the car was for sale, and two men said they wanted to buy it. One of the men took it for a trial drive but never returned, leaving the other man behind.

I

n io pt rru Co les Fi

f we can, as Abdul Rahman Al-Anjeri says, forget about the reason why boycotters changed their minds and started racing to run for parliamentary elections despite their previous vows and calls and slogans of steadiness, these ‘shifters’, as described by Saleh Al-Mulla, thought that taking part is better than boycotting. They shifted sides without even apologizing for all the insults and sarcasm against those who had taken part before them, though I think that our elections are more associated with social relations than with political attitudes.

Generally speaking, let us go back to the opposition’s arguments in the past few years. The demands made by the so-called majority mainly relied on having an elected Cabinet without even determining how such a Cabinet would look. Some of them even went as far as declaring in public that Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak would be the last nonelected prime minister. The majority also took group photos making signs indicating the call for having an elected Cabinet.

State security A citizen told police that an Egyptian committed a state security offense by uttering insulting words. State security men went to Maidan Hawally police station to find out the truth. The Egyptian denied any wrongdoing and said the citizen wanted to put him in trouble.

Al-Jarida

Why did the slogans they called for over the past four years as a base for the sought reforms vanish?

Now that they have changed their minds about boycotting the elections and most of the ‘majority’ members are back, and after following up what most of them said in seminars held during their electoral campaigns, I found nothing about demands to have an elected Cabinet. What on earth has changed? Why did the slogans they called for over the past four years as a base for the sought reforms vanish? Were they wrong in such demands?

Why did they not back them up? Were they ordered to stop such demands and focus on other goals, such as changing the speaker, for instance? Will Kuwaiti voters accept such deceit and let bygones be bygones and adapt to the new participants’ wishes?

These are all questions for which I cannot find answers, and I cannot imagine anybody who decides to vote for them would ignore them without clear reason and justification of giving up their sole demand in previous periods!

— Translated by Kuwait Times

R e p o r t

Al-Jarida

A bedoon candidate!

By Mohammed Al-Owaissi

W

ife: “What does a candidate’s electoral program one-vote electoral system has to be changed first. We mean?” Husband: “Do you remember when we will then have to form parties and blocs and finally were engaged and I promised to buy you a improve voters’ awareness of the need to vote for patriBentley, a villa in Abdullah Al-Salem, a chalet and a dia- otic candidates and for the country’s greater good. mond watch?” Wife: “Yes I do. However, nothing material- Otherwise, all candidates’ promises and vows will ized”. Husband: “Well, dear, this is exactly a candidate’s remain mere slogans and nominal because voters now vote either on tribal and secelectoral program and agenda!” tarian bases or for wealthy It really amazes me how some candidates claim to have They will not be able to put any candidates, who accordingly to hearsay, are paying as much clearly-defined electoral programs and agendas they would of these programs into effect in as KD 3,000 per vote in the third constituency and the immediately realize once they the real world, because a price is expected to rise to KD win a parliamentary seat, majority will effectively 5,000 as election day because such programs require approaches. We all love and the existence of parties and support the government rob you, our dear country! blocs, which does not exist in Finally, on addressing his the one-vote parliament. Even if five MPs from any individual bloc or party make it to supporter, a candidate said that he would work on the parliament, they will not be able to put any of these granting newlywed couples free apartments. Dear canprograms into effect in the real world, because a majority didate, would it not be far better if you urged the government to increase the rent allowance from KD 150 to will effectively support the government.

If we want a candidate to have an electoral program KD 250 instead?! that he can immediately apply once he wins a seat, this — Translated by Kuwait Times

Robbery Forensics officers went to the house of an Egyptian woman in Jahra to investigate a robbery at her house. The woman told police she found her door broken, and KD 260, three bracelets, a necklace, five rings and two earrings were missing from the flat.

Maid charged with theft A citizen accused his Sri Lankan maid of stealing KD 500 and escaping. The complaint was filed at Jabriya police station.

Bank account theft Hawally detectives are investigating the theft of KD 2,000 from the account of an Egyptian man from an ATM machine in Shaab. The victim was surprised by receiving messages about four withdrawals from his account, then discovered his debit card was missing.

Body found An Indian man’s body was sent to the coroner after he was found dead in his friend’s car with a bottle of homebrewed liquor next to him. It was determined the death had occurred 10 days earlier. Investigations are in progress.

Drug possession Hawally police arrested a citizen who was walking at night in an abnormal condition. Pills and hashish joints were found on him, so he was sent to the Drugs Control General Department.

Brotherly hate A dispute between two brothers led one of them to accuse the other of attacking him with a firearm, but the accused denied the charge and claimed what took place was merely a simple argument. Detectives are investigating. — Al-Rai and Al-Anbaa

Ooredoo sponsors art of public speaking lecture Presented by Toastmasters World Champion

Ahmed Abul, Executive Manager at Gulf Bank, receives the award.

Gulf Bank Wins ‘The Internet and Mobile Security Technology Implementation of the Year - Middle East’ from Asian Banker New technology increased customer satisfaction KUWAIT: Gulf Bank is pleased to announce that it has been recognized for the ‘Internet and Mobile Security Te c h n o l o g y Implementation of the Year in the Middle East’

by The Asian Banker, one of Asia’s leading consulting companies in financial services research, benchmarking and intelligence. Gulf Bank received the award at a ceremony following the ‘Future of Finance Middle East and Africa Dialogue’ at the Ritz Carlton DIFC Hotel in Dubai.

Commenting on the award Vikram Issar, General Manager for Consumer Banking at Gulf Bank, said: “Gulf Bank is proud to be the recipient of this prestigious award recognizing the Bank’s commitment to providing the highest standard of financial services and innovation to better serve our valued customers. We are particularly proud that Gulf Bank was selected for this award from all the applicants across the Middle East and North Africa region.”

Best practices Issar continued by saying: “When we were designing our mobile banking application and updating our online banking platform, we used global best practices and the latest technology to ensure that they would be more flexible, easier to use, and include a wider range of banking services. With our ‘Blinking to Bank’ biometric mobile app and online banking, customers can bank anytime, from anywhere in the world, and perform any number of transaction safely and securely, never being more than three clicks away from what they want to do. These new digital offerings are demonstrative of our commitment to delivering transformative products and services for our customers.”

All banks and non-bank financial institutions (including insurance companies, brokerages, credit companies and finance companies) with operations in the Middle East and Africa region were eligible to make a submission, as were technology firms and consulting firms that have

KUWAIT: The Commercial Bank of Kuwait (CBK) recently celebrated the graduation of a new batch of retail banking services employees from the CBK Academy in Faiha.

KUWAIT: Continuing its contribution to enriching the experience of youth in Kuwait, Ooredoo, Kuwait’s fastest network for 2016, proudly sponsored a lecture entitled ‘ The Art of Public Speaking’ last Sunday. The lecture was presented by 2015 Toastmasters International World Champion for Public Speaking, Mohammed Al-Qahtani.

The event was organized by the Media Club of the Gulf University for Science and Technology, in association with the Toastmasters Law Kuwait, a local branch for law professionals headed by Thunayyan AlReshoud. Representing Ooredoo at the event were members of its corporate communications team.

Qahtani discussed a number of important methods used to overcome stage fright, in addition to ways that make the audience relate to the speakers’ subject matter. This included examples of personalizing presentations with stories and anecdotes, in addition to the importance of body language, tone of voice, and interacting with the audience. The lecture included

some exercises for members of the audience, in addition to questions and answers and an opportunity for audience members to give presentations.

As part of its support for this initiative, Ooredoo presented 20 free tickets to its social media followers, reiterating its commitment to supporting youth and enriching their experiences. Ooredoo stated that this support comes from its deep-rooted belief in the values of caring, connecting, and challenging and that it is committed to its year-round strategy of social responsibility, with a focus on women, youth and entrepreneurs.

Engineer Mohammed Al-Qahtani from Saudi Arabia won the title of 2015 Toastmasters International World Champion for Public Speaking last August.

He survived seven rounds of a competition that lasted six months and included 33,000 competitors from around the world. He and nine other finalists competed at the Toastmasters annual convention in Las Vegas, and he took home first place for his speech, ‘The Power of Words.’

completed specific implementation projects with such institutions. The entrants for the Internet and Mobile Security Technology award were assessed based on the ability to protect the financial information of its users, while keeping the platform user-friendly. The application must demonstrate they have robust encryption technology in place to prevent unauthorized access while also applying measures to detect suspicious behavior that is suggestive of fraud.

Overall performance Prior to its selection, Gulf Bank was carefully assessed by a panel of industry experts and judges across a stringent set of criteria to determine the Bank’s overall performance and services compared to other local banking competitors.

The selection process began in August and finished in October, and involved a team of researchers working in tandem. The initial selection is through a survey and desk research done by the research team at the Asian Banker. The identified candidates are then subject to further scrutiny though interviews and their names are put into a poll that is distributed to The Asian Banker’s 38,000 readers. After the results of the poll and the research results have been compiled, a short-list of candidates is then submitted for review by the international board of advisors for a final evaluation and recommendation of the candidate who should receive the award.

The exemplary implementations are subsequently documented and published as research noted in the Risk and Regulation Working Group, the Asian Banker’s repository of best practices in the industry.

To learn more about any of Gulf Bank’s awards, products and services, 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.

Mohammed Al-Qahtani delivers his speech.

Ooredoo’s representative is honored by Toastmasters.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

Alarm in Germany, Israel as white supremacists ride Trump wave Page 9

Beirut skyline captures religious rivalry, harmony Page 8

Planes launched off US carrier hit IS militants

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

‘Moral outrage over Aleppo child deaths’ BEIRUT: Save the Children has hit out at the “moral outrage” of the mounting deaths and suffering of children in the battleground Syrian city of Aleppo, in a statement released yesterday. The charity said medics across northwest Syria were looking to fortify hospitals after a wave of attacks in rebelheld east Aleppo left facilities struggling to care for injured children. Regime forces have been waging a ferocious assault on east Aleppo since November 15, with the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights saying more than 140 civilians have been killed, 19 of them children.

The renewed fighting comes amid international concern for the fate of more than 250,000 civilians trapped in besieged rebel-held areas of the northern city. Save the Children also condemned a rebel attack on west Aleppo that killed at least eight children on Sunday. It said among those killed at the weekend was an education worker at a school it supports in east Aleppo who was found buried in rubble along with her baby son. Classes at 13 such schools in east Aleppo had been suspended as shelling intensified in recent days, said Save the Children.

It said the deadly rebel attack on the school in the west of the city showed “there is no safe place for children in this conflict”. “Children and aid workers are being bombarded

by missiles whilst they are sitting at their desks in schools and seeking treatment in hospitals which are also under attack,” said Sonia Khush, Syria director for Save the Children. “The very places they should feel safest have become deadly,” she said. “It is a moral outrage that the death toll of Aleppo’s children continues to grow and seems only set to get worse, whilst so little action is being taken to end the bombing and hold warring parties accountable for these attacks on civilians.”

Save the Children called for an internationally monitored ceasefire to bring humanitarian relief into east Aleppo and evacuate the sick and wounded. It said the United Nations and opposition groups had already agreed on access for an aid convoy which could go ahead once all sides agree to a ceasefire. “Parties to the conflict must come together to agree an immediate ceasefire, and to evacuate civilian casualties and get life-saving aid into the area.” UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura was rebuffed in Damascus on Sunday on a truce proposal that would allow the opposition to administer the city’s east. Aleppo was once the country’s economic powerhouse, but it has been ravaged by the brutal war across Syria that has killed 300,000 people since it began with anti-government protests in March 2011. —AFP

DOUMA: A Syrian child walks on a heavily damaged street in the rebel-held town of Douma, on the eastern outskirts of the capital Damascus. —AFP

ABOARD THE USS EISENHOWER: One after another, fighter jets catapult from the flight deck of the USS Eisenhower, a thousand-foot American aircraft carrier, afterburners glowing amber above the blue Persian Gulf, on their way northwest to join the fight in Iraq and Syria against the Islamic State group. The fighter jets refuel on the way before receiving from coalition partners targets like convoys, hideouts and mortar positions in IS-controlled territories such as Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria, said Rear Adm. James Malloy, commander of the Eisenhower carrier strike group. From his office aboard the USS Eisenhower, Malloy described coalition success around Mosul while cautioning that victory is close at hand.

“Mosul is the last large city in Iraq that is held by Daesh, but Daesh is by no means finished in Iraq, so our mission in Iraq won’t end as Mosul falls,” he said, using the Arabic acronym for IS. While inter-coalition coordination was “seamless,” communication with Russia was limited to “deconfliction,” Malloy said. “There’s no coordination there because the goals are not the same,” the admiral said. The carrier’s captain Paul Spedero said sorties from the Eisenhower have dropped nearly 1,100 bombs on IS targets since June when the ship entered the Persian Gulf after launching strikes from the eastern Mediterranean.

The ship’s 5,200 sailors arm, repair, launch and recover 7-20 Super Hornet F18 fighter jets every day that drop on average 10 bombs each or reconnoiter in support of anti-IS coalition forces. The crew catapults the jets from the ship at 145mph, and they use a hook and cable to rapidly catch the fighter jets on the 500-foot long carrier deck. “For a catapult shot, if you think about a Porsche 911, zero to 60 in about 2.5 seconds, these aircraft will go from 0 to 145 miles per hour in 2.5 seconds,” said commander Jeremy Rifas, the carrier’s air boss, from inside the ship’s control tower overlooking launches.

The fighters on these sorties head north by northwest for an hour before refueling midair and then approaching coalition ground forces that provide the pilots with targets for airstrikes or reconnaissance. “They go into harm’s way every single time, every single mission. I don’t really close my eyes until 2300 when the last one comes back,” admiral Malloy said. The US-led coalition has flown more than 125,000 sorties in Iraq and Syria since Operation Inherent Resolve began in Aug 8, 2014, according to the US Department of Defense. —AP

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

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

News

Beirut skyline captures religious rivalry and harmony

i n

Cathedral gets bell tower same height as nearby minarets BEIRUT: In Beirut’s rapidly evolving skyline, a newly built cathedral bell tower has risen next to the soaring minarets of a landmark mosque, symbolizing both religious coexistence and competition in a city split by sectarian war from 1975 to 1990. The new bell tower of the 19th century Saint George Cathedral is Beirut’s tallest at 72 meters - the same height as the four minarets of the Mohammad AlAmin mosque that has dominated the city skyline since it was built over a decade ago.

Topped with an enormous cross that lights up at night, the bell tower was inaugurated at the weekend after a decade of construction. Both the church and mosque are prominent features of the Beirut city centre that is still being rebuilt from the civil war, and are located near the frontline that divided Christian east Beirut from Muslim west Beirut during the conflict.

Archbishop Paul Matar said the idea of building a bell tower at Saint George Cathedral was a dream since its construction in 1894. It was originally supposed to be 75 meters high, the same size as the tower at Rome’s Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore that inspired the cathedral’s design. But instead, Matar said he shaved three meters off the design in what he described as a message of coexistence.

“When the mosque was built we were happy there would be a mosque and a

church near each other. This is the slogan of Lebanon,” he said in an interview at his offices in Beirut. “So therefore I wanted the tower’s height to be at the same height as the mosque, so there is solidarity and harmony,” he said.

The cathedral belongs to Lebanon’s Maronite Christian church, the biggest Christian community in the country. After the guns fell silent, years were spent rebuilding the cathedral and dozens of other damaged or destroyed churches in Beirut, holding up the start of work on the tower, Matar said. In terms of their size, Al-Amin mosque and tower have broken new ground for religious buildings in Beirut. Critics say both are out of scale with the city’s other places of worship. Some Christians saw the Amin mosque as an affront to their community.

Its size, compared to nearby Christian places of worship, was jarring for some Maronites, who emerged as the political losers of the civil war.

The mosque’s imperial Ottoman style, not found anywhere else in Lebanon, was in line with the wishes of its financier, the late statesman Rafiq Al-Hariri, who was assassinated in 2005. It was built on the site of a small prayer corner with the same name. Hariri, who is buried next to the mosque, had personally overseen elements of the construction, including picking the shade of blue for the dome. A decade ago, the mosque situated on a

Iran ‘will retaliate’ if US renews sanctions TEHRAN: Iran will retaliate if the United States renews sanctions next month, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned yesterday. “In the issue of the nuclear deal, the current administration has committed several violations, the latest of which is the renewal of the 10-year sanctions,” Khamenei said in a televised speech to thousands of members of the Basij Islamist volunteer militia. “If these sanctions happen, it is absolutely a breach of the JCPOA,” he added, referring to last year’s deal with world powers under which sanctions were eased in exchange for curbs to Iran’s nuclear program. “They must know that the Islamic republic will react against it.” The US Congress last week voted to renew long-standing sanctions linked to Iran’s ballistic missile tests and human rights record that pre-date the controversy around Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

The 10-year sanctions must still be approved by the Senate and President Barack Obama by the end of the year.

BEIRUT: Lebanese Army soldiers ride horses as they carry Lebanese flags during a military parade to mark the 73rd anniversary of Lebanon’s independence from France in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday Nov 22, 2016. Lebanon gained independence from France in 1943. — AP

corner of Beirut’s Martyrs’ Square featured regularly in the news during a wave of protests triggered by Hariri’s killing. But the bell tower’s intended message of interfaith solidarity and unity has not reached everyone. George Arbid, director of the Beirut-based Arab Center for Architecture, said that it pointed to lin-

gering sectarian rivalry in the city. “It is clear that it is a type of competition - be it positive or negative - with the minarets of the Amin mosque that is next to it,” he said. “It is a continuation of a type of competition that emerged before this time, a competition between the sects for their presence in the city.”—Reuters

Civilians flee as Shiite groups close in on flashpoint town ERBIL: Tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians have fled Tal Afar as Shiite paramilitary groups close in the Islamic State-held town on the road between Mosul and Raqqa, the main cities of the militant group’s self-styled caliphate in Iraq and Syria. The exodus from Tal Afar, 60 km west of Mosul, is causing concern among humanitarian organizations as some of the fleeing civilians are heading deeper into insurgents’ territory, where aid cannot be sent to them, provincial officials said.

Popular Mobilization units, a coalition of mostly Iraniantrained and backed militias, are trying to encircle Tal Afar, a mostly ethnic Turkmen town, as part of the offensive to capture Mosul, the last major city stronghold of Islamic State in Iraq. About 3,000 families have left the town, with about half heading southwest, toward Syria, and half northward, into Kurdish-held territory, said Nuraldin Qablan, a Tal Afar representative in the Nineveh provincial council, now based in the Kurdish capital Erbil.

“We ask Kurdish authorities to open a safe passage for them,” he told Reuters. He said Islamic State started on Sunday night to allow people to leave after it fired mortars at Popular Mobilisation positions at the airport, south of the city, and Popular Mobilization forces responded. The offensive started on Oct 17 with air and ground support from a US-led coalition. It is turning into the most complex campaign in Iraq since the 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein and empowered the nation’s Shiite majority. The people fleeing Tal Afar are from the Sunni community, which makes up a majority in the Nineveh province in and around Mosul. The town also had a Shiite community, which fled in 2014 when the hardline Sunni group swept through the region. Turkey is alarmed that regional rival Iran could extend its power through proxy groups to an area close to the Turkish and Syrian borders, where Ankara is backing rebels opposed to the Russian and Iranianbacked Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. Citing its close ties to Tal Afar’s Turkmen’s population, Turkey has threatened to intervene to prevent revenge killings should Popular Mobilization forces, known in Arabic as Hashid Shaabi, storm the town.

“People are fleeing due to the Hashid’s advance, there are great fears among the civilians,” said Qablan, who is also the deputy head of Nineveh’s provincial council. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi tried to allay fears of ethnic and sectarian killings in Tal Afar, saying any force sent to recapture it would reflect the city’s diversity. Cutting the road to Tal Afar would seal off Mosul as the city is already surrounded to the north, south and east by Iraqi government and Kurdish peshmerga forces. Iraq’s US-trained Counter Terrorism Service unit breached Islamic State’s defenses in east Mosul at the end of October and is fighting to expand a foothold it gained there.

Air strikes on Mosul Iraqi military estimates put the number of insurgents in Mosul at 5,000 to 6,000, facing a 100,000-strong coalition of Iraqi government units, peshmerga fighters and Shiite militias. Mosul’s capture is seen as crucial towards dismantling the caliphate, and Islamic State leader Abu Bakr alBaghdadi, believed to have withdrawn to a remote area near the Syrian border, has told his fighters there can be no retreat. A Mosul resident said air strikes have intensified on the western part of the city, which is divided by the Tigris river running through its centre.

The strikes targeted an industrial area where Islamic State is thought to be making booby traps and transforming vehicles into car bombs, he said. —Reuters

KHIDR ILYAS: A member of the Iraqi Christian forces Kataeb Babylon (Babylon Brigades) holds a Kalashnikov assault rifle as he poses at the Mar Benham Syriac Catholic monastery in the town of Khidr Ilyas, southeast of Mosul. Iraqi fighters battling to oust the Islamic State group from Mosul captured the Catholic Mar Benham monastery on November 20, allowing its priests to return.—AFP

B r i e f

ALEPPO: A general view taken from the government side in Syria’s Aleppo province shows a deserted road leading to eastern Aleppo’s rebel-held Baeedin district with the Haidariya and Ain Tal neighborhoods, also under rebel control, seen in the background. — AFP

Russian tankers defy EU ban to smuggle jet fuel to Syria

Indian police kill six Maoists in shootout NEW DELHI: Six heavily armed Maoist rebels were killed yesterday in a jungle gunbattle with police in eastern India, an officer said. Police said they opened fire after being attacked during a search on yesterday morning in the Maoist stronghold of Latehar district in Jharkhand state. “The area is covered by dense forests and it has been a den for the insurgents for the last 15 years or so,” said police superintendent Anoop Birtharay. “The encounter lasted 45-50 minutes. We have recovered six bodies of Maoists who were wearing their typical black army uniforms,” he said by phone. “We have also seized six weapons and some 500 rounds of ammunition,” he added. The Maoist rebels have been fighting for decades to overthrow the government, but the conflict has taken on a new intensity since the election of right-wing Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014. In October Indian police killed 24 rebels, known locally as Naxals, after an ambush near the border between Andhra Pradesh and Odisha states. The guerrillas are most active in the socalled “Red Corridor” which passes through swathes of central and eastern India.

Gunmen kill guards in Nigeria’s oil hub WARRI: Gunmen have killed four guards at a facility operated by the Nigerian subsidiary of Italian group Eni, local and security officials said yesterday. Four members of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), a paramilitary agency of the government, were killed on Monday at the installation at Omoku, near the oil hub of Port Harcourt, they said. They were shot dead by gunmen in military camouflage, they said. “The (security) operatives had engaged the gunmen in a fierce gun battle on realizing that the intruders were not military men,” state NSCDC spokesman Michael Oguntuase said. A community leader in Omoku who did not want to be named, confirmed the incident. “Dressed in camouflage, they came in a speed boat at about 6:40 pm on Monday, exchanged gunfire with the operatives, leading to the death of four,” he said. He said an unspecified number of NSCDC personnel were wounded. Officials at Agip, the local subsidiary of Eni, were not immediately available for comment. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Tanker-tracking data confirms ship movements LONDON: Russian tankers have smuggled jet fuel to Syria through EU waters, bolstering military supplies to a war-torn country where Moscow is carrying out air strikes in support of the government, according to sources with knowledge of the matter. At least two Russian-flagged ships made deliveries - which contravene EU sanctions - via Cyprus, an intelligence source with a European Union government told Reuters. There was a sharp increase in shipments in October, said the source who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. A separate shipping source familiar with the movements of the Russianflagged vessels said the ships visited Cypriot and Greek ports before delivering fuel to Syria.

The Russian defense and transport ministries did not initially respond to requests for comment. The defense ministry later said EU sanctions on fuel supplies to Syria could not be applied to the Russian air group in that country. A spokeswoman for EU foreign affairs and security policy said the implementation of EU restrictions lay with member states.

“We trust that competent authorities are complying with their obligation to ensure respect of the restrictive measures in place and to pursue any circumvention attempts,” she added.

Greece’s foreign ministry referred questions to the shipping ministry, which was not immediately available to com-

ment. The Cypriot government said its authorities had not approved the docking of any Russian tankers carrying jet fuel bound for Syria. “We would welcome any information that may be provided to us on any activity that contravenes UN or EU restrictive measures,” the Cypriot foreign ministry added. Syria’s civil war, which began in 2011, has become a theatre for competing global powers, with Russia and Iran supporting President Bashar Al-Assad, and the United States, Gulf Arab and European powers backing rebels who want to depose him.

Russia changed the course of the conflict in favor of Assad’s government last year when it intervened with air strikes.

Moscow says it targets only Islamic State militants and other jihadist fighters. EU Council Regulation 1323/2014, introduced two years ago, bans any supply of jet fuel to Syria from the EU territories, whether or not the fuel originated in the European Union. Over one two-week period in October, Russian tankers delivered 20,000 metric tons of jet fuel to Syria - worth around $9 million at today’s world prices - via the European Union, according to the EU government intelligence source.

“The jet fuel shipments from these vessels have played a vital role in maintaining Russian air strikes in the region,” said the source. “This points to a sustained Russian build-up of resources needed to support their military opera-

tion and ambitions in Syria.” Some of the shipped fuel also went to the Syrian military, helping to “keep Assad’s air assets operational”, the source added. The shipping source and a third person, an intelligence consultant specializing in the Mediterranean area, also said the fuel was likely intended for Russian and Syrian military use.

Transponders off Publicly available ship-tracking data confirms that at least two Russian tankers, the Yaz and Mukhalatka, made one trip each between September and October, stopping in Greece and Limassol in Cyprus. In Greece, the Yaz stopped at Agioi Theodoroi port but it is unclear where the Mukhalatka stopped.

From Cyprus, they sailed towards Syria and Lebanon. Their tracking transponders were switched off near the coasts of those countries, according to the data.

The EU intelligence source said the Mukhalatka went on to deliver jet fuel to Syria, while the other two sources said the Yaz almost certainly carried fuel to the country. All the people declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter. It was unclear where the fuel might have originated. Alexander Yaroshenko, general director of the owner of the Yaz and Mukhalatka ships, St Petersburg-based Transpetrochart, declined to comment when asked by Reuters about the shipments. —Reuters

Former mayor of Valencia Rita Barbera Scandal-tainted ‘mayoress of Spain’ dies under graft cloud MADRID: Rita Barbera, a scandal-tainted stalwart of Spain’s ruling People’s Party (PP) and mayor of the Mediterranean city of Valencia for 24 years, died of a heart attack in Madrid on Wednesday in a hotel near parliament. An unmistakable figure in Spanish politics since the 1980s with her trademark string of pearls, red suits and heavy makeup, Barbera, 68, was for many a symbol of the corruption ingrained into the highest levels of the country’s establishment. On Monday, she appeared before the Supreme Court under investigation for money laundering during her time as mayor of Valencia. She said in court her centre-right PP in Valencia had never taken any illegal financing and denied any wrongdoing. Known as “the Boss” and “the mayoress of Spain” by supporters, Barbera was an integral part of Valencian life, appearing on the balcony of the town hall every March flanked by young girls in local dress for the regional festival of Las Fallas marked by parades and fireworks.

A refugee ‘transitions’ from child bride to sole provider BEIRUT: For the first few weeks of her job recycling garbage, Haela Kalawi often went home cr ying. It wasn’t just the grungy setting - a dimly lit, airless basement where the 31-year-old refugee with a cherubic face slips on plastic gloves and digs into trash-filled containers. It was that as a traditional housewife in Syria, Kalawi grew up believing it was shameful for women to work outside the house. In those days, she wasn’t even allowed to shop for her own clothes or choose what to watch on TV. Now, in a slum in Beirut, Lebanon, Kalawi is the breadwinner for the family’s four children. She has to be - her husband went missing in the civil war back home three years ago. While she still misses her old comfortable life, she has discovered a fortitude she didn’t know she had and discarded traditional notions of what a woman should be. “I tell my children I’m the man of the family,” Kalawi says, sitting on one of the gray mattresses spread on the floor of the family’s small rented room.

“I am the father and the mother. I’m the one who works. I’m the one who buys veg-

etables. I’m the one who takes them out, and brings them what they need.”

Brunt of wars Across the world, women often bear the brunt of wars, such as the conflict in Syria.

In Lebanon, about one-third of 240,000 Syrian refugee households are headed by women whose husbands - traditionally the providers and protectors - are dead, missing or chose to stay behind. In exile, some of these women feel vulnerable to harassment and violence. However, others, like Kalawi, have become accidental agents of change in a region where it is still relatively rare for women to be leaders in the family.

Kalawi grew up in a conservative community where girls tended to marry young.

By the time she was 15, she had already turned down several proposals. But when another stranger, 28-year-old Mohammed Dahla, asked to marry her, she agreed.

They wed two months later. “When I saw him, I liked him,” she said of her future husband. She dropped out of the 10th grade, even though her husband wanted her to continue, and got pregnant. She loved

motherhood, but soon regretted having married so young. Her husband, feeling she neglected him for the children, became distant, spending evenings watching sports and the news on TV. He had absolute say in the family. She spent her days cooking, cleaning and going over homework with her older children. Kalawi’s sheltered existence ended with the civil war. In August 2013, her uncle, his wife and their adult son were killed in a rocket attack. Two cousins later died in rocket and mortar strikes. The couple decided to flee. Kalawi and the children moved to her grandparents’ home in Damascus, and her husband was to follow once he’d sold the car and other belongings. Instead, he disappeared, a fate shared by thousands snatched from homes and streets by combatants on both sides.

I would cry every day The first months without him were rough. “I would cry every day for him,” she recalls. “He was my anchor. When he was missing, I felt I have no one, I can go nowhere, I can do nothing.” When the

fighting escalated, the family fled to Lebanon in May 2015. There, Kalawi joined her widowed mother, her divorced aunt and her 20-year-old cousin, whose husband has been missing since he was seized by Syrian intelligence four years ago. The women, with 10 children among them, live in small rooms arranged around the dead end of an alley in a run-down neighborhood of Beirut.

Kalawi was the most reluctant to work.

Back home in Syria, she would criticize her mother for accepting even occasional jobs sewing bridal gowns. “I was surprised that my daughter accepted to work,” says her mother, Wujdan Ghazal, 50, who makes $400 a month sewing mattress covers in a nearby shop. Kalawi says the reason for her change of heart was simple. “I needed money,” she says. “I hated to ask my mother for money.” Now Kalawi works six days a week at Recycle Beirut, a company that collects glass, plastic and other materials from about 800 customers and stores it underground. She took her children to a seaside restaurant and an amusement park to celebrate her first paycheck.—AP

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

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

Wooing press, US’ Trump softens climate stance WASHINGTON: Donald Trump signaled Tuesday his campaign trail dismissal of the threat of climate change may have been hot air after all, saying he was “open minded” on supporting global accords. The US president-elect emerged from cabinet-building talks in his Trump Tower headquarters and traveled ten minutes across town to The New York Times to give a wide-ranging interview on his plans. He disavowed “alt-right” activists who hailed his election as a victory for white supremacy, distanced himself from calls to prosecute Hillary Clinton and defended his global business empire.

And he appeared to soften his pledge to pull the United States out of accords such as last year ’s COP21 Paris Agreement, that binds countries to national pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “I’m looking at it very closely. I have an open mind to it,” he told New York Times executives and journalists over lunch at their headquarters, according to the paper ’s own account. Campaigning ahead of November 8, Trump repeatedly told crowds of rustbelt and southern votersfactory workers, coal miners and oilmen among them-that he would tear up international climate agreements.

As far back as 2012 he had tweeted: “The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make US manufacturing non-competitive.” Now elected and due to become president on January 20, when he was confronted by Times columnist Thomas Friedman he admitted there may be a link between human industry and global warming. “I think there is some connectivity. Some, something. It depends on how much,” he said, adding he would nevertheless remain concerned about how much green measures would “cost our companies.”

Nazi salutes The New York Times sit-down, which followed a reportedly hostile off-therecord clash with TV network chiefs on Monday, appeared to represent a perhaps temporary truce with the hated media. Trump regularly-as recently as earlier Tuesday-insults the “failing New York Times” in tweets, but distanced himself from threats to toughen libel laws and engaged cheerfully with the paper. “I do read it. Unfortunately,” he admitted. “I’d live about 20 years longer if I didn’t.” He also, under repeated questioning, denounced the so-called altright, after leaders of the movement met in Washington at the weekend and celebrated his victory with Nazi salutes.

He insisted, somewhat controversially, that his sprawling global business empire does not represent a conflict of interest for a president-at least not according to lawyers he has consulted.

“The law’s totally on my side, the presi-

dent can’t have a conflict of interest,” he told the paper. Trump also said that he was reconsidering his position favoring the authorization of torturing detainees after sitting down with retired general James Mattis over the weekend to discuss naming him as secretary of defense.

He reported that he would “love” to clinch a deal to end the intractable conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, but on the bloodshed in Syria, Trump was more vague, saying “we have to end the craziness that’s going on.” Trump gushed in his admiration for President Barack Obama, whom he will replace in the White House, telling the paper, despite the aggressive tone of his campaign, he had been honored to meet Obama. And he stepped back from threats to prosecute his defeated rival Clinton. During the campaign, Trump had accused Clinton of illegally destroying email records to cover up wrongdoing and alleged fraud at her charitable foundation-as his fans chanted “Lock her up.”

Special prosecutor Trump was asked by The New York Times whether he stood by a threat, made to Clinton’s face in their second debate, to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate her. “I think it would be very, very divisive for the country,” the president-elect admitted. In common with his predecessors, the Republican billionaire has been in no hurry to name a cabinet, leaving the reporters gathered under Trump Tower chasing after rumors as he holds court above. And if the Washington political class was expecting the populist provocateur of the campaign trail to hire a top team from the institutional mainstream, it could well be disappointed. His picks include a chief strategist who is a self-described “economic nationalist” and a national security adviser who-eased into retirement by Obama-went to dine with Vladimir Putin.

And why would Trump, a 70-year-old tycoon and reality television star whose defiance of political norms led him to win the world’s highest office in his first foray into an election, change now?

Time to give thanks According to two opinion polls published Tuesday, a majority of voters are optimistic that his efforts to “make America great again” will lead the nation to a brighter future. According to data from Quinnipiac University, most voters think he should stop tweeting but, by a margin of 59 to 37, most “are optimistic about the next four years with Donald Trump as president.” A similar CNN/ORC poll found a narrow majority, 53 percent of voters, thought Trump would do a good job. Late Tuesday, Trump arrived for a family Thanksgiving break at his golf resort in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, where onlookers lined the street, taking pictures and cheering as his motorcade pulled in. — AFP

NEW YORK: A group of women pose for a selfie outside Trump Tower in New York. — AP

Alarm in Germany, Israel as US supremacists ride Trump wave Video shows Nazi salutes in response to ‘Hail Trump’ cry BERLIN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government is concerned that white supremacists in the United States are being emboldened by the election of Donald Trump and is watching developments closely, senior officials said. The Berlin government declined to give an official reaction to a video circulating on the internet which showed members of the “alt-right” movement, a grouping that includes neo-Nazis, white nationalists and anti-Semites, meeting on Saturday in Washington a few blocks from the White House.

But one senior official close to Merkel described the video which shows a speaker shouting “Hail Trump” and some audience members making the Nazi salute - as “repulsive and worrying”. “I don’t think this is Trump’s ideology because he seems to be largely free of ideology.

But these people are riding on his coattails. We are watching this very closely,” the official said, requesting anonymity. Yair Lapid, a member of the foreign affairs and defense committee in the Israeli Knesset, called the video “sickening” and “intolerable”.

“One of the greatest mistakes humanity ever made was a failure to recognize the danger of fascism early enough and tackle it head on,” said Lapid. “We cannot let history repeat itself.” A spokesman for the Trump-Pence transition team said on Monday that Trump “continued to denounce racism of any kind” and was elected to be “a leader for every American.” Trump, who has been active on Twitter in recent days, has not commented directly on the meeting himself. It came days after he outraged many Democrats, rights activists and minority groups by appointing Steve Bannon, former head of a website

PANAMA CITY: Workers cut a tree that killed a boy when it fell during a storm in Panama City yesterday. — AFP

Hurricane swirls toward Central America, killing 3 PANAMA CITY: Hurricane Otto was forecast to strengthen in the Caribbean as it churned toward Central America Tuesday, causing three deaths in Panama and prompting coastal evacuations in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Otto became the seventh hurricane of the 2016 Atlantic season. The hurricane, which is packing maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour, is expected to pick up strength and speed as it moves westward, approaching Costa Rica and Nicaragua today before making landfall, the National Hurricane Center said in a 0300 GMT Wednesday bulletin.

Currently, hurricane-force winds were extending up to 10 miles from the center. Otto’s rains “will likely result in life-threatening flash floods and mud slides,” while “life-threatening surf and rip-current conditions” will be experienced along the coasts of Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua, the Miami-based center warned. In Panama, two people died from a mudslide and one was killed by a falling tree at the onset of Otto’s heavy rain, the head of the National

Civil Protection Ser vice, Jose Donderis said. Nine people were caught in the mudslide that occurred west of the capital.

“Seven were rescued and unfortunately two deceased people were recovered,” he said. The other death was that of a boy hit by a tree that fell on the car he was in while waiting with his mother outside his school in the capital, Donderis said. The mother survived. Officials in the country ordered all schools closed.

Government workers were told to leave offices hours early yesterday.

Evacuations Neighboring Costa Rica on Tuesday ordered the evacuation of more than 4,000 people along the sparsely inhabited northern part of its Caribbean coast to avoid fatalities.

“We will not allow people to remain in at-risk areas and loss of human life,” President Luis Guillermo Solis told a news conference. The order did not extend to Costa Rica’s principal port city of Limon on the southern Caribbean coast. The city, home to around 60,000 people, is projected to

feel the glancing force of the hurricane. Nicaragua, the poorest country in Central America, has issued a national alert and also ordered coastal evacuations. The co-director of the SINAPRED national disaster agency, Guillermo Gonzalez, said navy ships would evacuate people on Little Corn Island, a popular Nicaraguan tourist spot in the Caribbean, to shelters on bigger Corn Island.

Civilian Nicaraguan vessels at sea were ordered back to port. The storm was expected to pass near Managua, Nicaragua’s inland capital today.

According to forecasts, Otto was to cut across the narrow Central American isthmus, losing strength before exiting out into the Pacific Ocean on Friday.

The storm was a late arrival in the Atlantic hurricane season, which typically runs from June to the end of November, and was hitting land unusually south. Costa Rica has not experienced a direct hit from a hurricane since records began in 1951. A previous hurricane, Matthew, devastated parts of southern Haiti in early October, killing 546 people and leaving nearly 175,000 homeless. — AFP

linked to the alt-right, as his chief White House strategist.

In the video, taken inside the conference and published by The Atlantic, Richard Spencer, a leader of the “alt-right” movement, says America belongs to white people, who he describes as “children of the sun”. He denounces the movement’s critics as “the most despicable creatures who ever walked the planet”. “Hail Trump, hail our people, hail victory!” Spencer shouts at one point as some members of the audience raise their arms in the Nazi salute. The gathering on Saturday drew protesters who blocked traffic around the Ronald Reagan Building, a federally owned conference centre in downtown Washington for both public and private use.

Crystal clear David Harris, CEO of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) in New York, said fringe groups espousing anti-Semitism and targeting minorities had emerged from the US presidential campaign with a “vigor” that has not been seen in decades. “President-elect Trump issued a statement (about the Saturday meeting) but, assuming this group endures, will need to continue to find other opportunities to make crystal clear that he is the president of all Americans and condemns the alt-right and what it stands for,” Harris told Reuters in response to written questions about the meeting.

In Germany, which has spent the past 70 years atoning for its Nazi past, using the “Heil Hitler” salute and other Nazi symbols is illegal and can result in a prison sentence of up to six months.

Other European countries including Austria and France have similar laws. A second German gov-

ernment official said Trump’s decision to bring Bannon into the White House showed he was “not willing to forgo the movement and mobilization of anger and resentment” that swept him to the presidency. Guy Verhofstadt, former Belgian prime minister and a member of the European Parliament, accused Bannon on Tuesday of seeking to influence elections in France and Germany next year with the launch of new Breitbart News websites in Europe.

American allies face a delicate balancing act when reacting to incidents and events like the one on Saturday, which have no direct link to Trump but seem fuelled by his campaign, in which he called Mexicans rapists and floated the idea of registering Muslims like the Nazis did with Jews. David Keyes, foreign media spokesman for the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said in response to a Reuters query about the Washington meeting: “Prime Minister Netanyahu condemns antiSemitism everywhere and appreciates President-elect Trump’s denunciation of all forms of racism.”

Pinchas Goldschmidt, president of the Conference of European Rabbis, told Reuters that the United States appeared to be “veering away” from its own moral standards and might need to reexamine its stance on free speech. “If words like this were used in Germany or Austria or France the people would have gotten in trouble with the law,” he said, referring to the Washington meeting. “Social media has created huge change. It has empowered and amplified the voices on the fringes. There may be a need in the United States to consider changes or limits to free speech to address this.” — Reuters

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

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

Congo’s business dreams flatlined by violence

BUTEMBO: A man and two goats rest at a gas station in Butembo. The high unemployment rate is considered ‘normal’ by Godefroid Kambere Matimbya, deputy mayor of the North Kivu province city of Butembo, which counts over a million inhabitants. Rich in minerals, forest and arable land, Butembo has been torn for over two decades by armed conflicts, with violence and insecurity impacting economic activities for more than 10 years. — AFP

BUTEMBO: The question is so absurd that Butembo’s deputy mayor misses a beat before answering. What is the town’s unemployment rate?

“Unemployment is the norm around these parts,” says Godefroid Kambere Matimbya. “There aren’t any businesses.” Butembo is no ghost town, but a city of 1.1 million in Democratic Republic of Congo’s restive North Kivu province. Fabled for its natural riches, the lush east of the country abounds in forests, lakes, farmland and mineral-packed peaks.

For many, its wealth is its curse. “Nothing has gone right for the past 10 years or so” in Butembo, Kambere says. In fact, for the past two decades rival armies and insurgents have ripped through North Kivu, fighting each other, stealing resources, uprooting and killing civilians in their wake.

Butembo-”the city of ficus trees” in Kinande, the language of the local Nande ethnic group-was once known for its coffee farming and a cornucopia of worldly goods. Electrical appliances, clothing, shoes: the coveted foreign items used to draw shopkeepers from neighboring provinces in one of the world’s least developed countries. Today it would be too dangerous for traders to travel the roads to Butembo. Butembo also once boasted an industrial-scale factory, the Cobeki soft drinks maker. But it went out of business in the transitional period between DR Congo’s second civil war (19982003) and its 2006 elections.

Under fire, ICC vows to hunt perpetrators of atrocities S Africa, Burundi, Gambia to leave International Court THE HAGUE: The International Criminal Court’s prosecutor said her investigations into alleged war crimes would not be impacted by the plans of three African countries to withdraw from the court and she would keep going after the perpetrators of atrocities. Fatou Bensouda said her office would press ahead with the preliminary investigation in Burundi and her work had the support of more than 120 other member states.

Gambia, South Africa and Burundi notified the United Nations in October and November of their plans to withdraw from the ICC. The withdrawals become effective one year after the notification is filed. To date, all but one

of the court’s 10 investigations have been in Africa and its five convicted suspects are from Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic and Mali. The ICC rejects allegations of bias against African nations, arguing many of the cases were brought by African governments themselves and that it has 10 preliminary inquiries or investigations into alleged atrocities in Afghanistan, Colombia, Georgia, Iraq, the Palestinian Territories and Ukraine.

Bensouda, a Gambian former justice minister, said the court began its work in 2002 with overwhelming African support and that African countries had requested the ICC’s intervention.

THE HAGUE: Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda waits at the court room of the International Criminal Court (ICC) ahead of a trial, at The Hague in the Netherlands. — AFP

“Even if one country decides to withdraw from the ICC, this I believe, for the continent, speaking as an African, is a setback for the continent and this is also a regression for the continent,” she said. Russia, which is not a member of the court but signed its founding Rome Statute, said this month it would remove its signature and the Philippines is considering withdrawing its membership.

‘Don’t look away’ Bensouda countered concerns of a mass departure of member states and said all other states had renewed their commitment to the court, which has a mandate to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

The ICC is a court of last resort, only intervening in member countries when national jurisdictions are unable or unwilling to prosecute mass atrocities. Bensouda launched a preliminary investigation in Burundi in April after political violence killed hundreds of people and forced hundreds of thousands to flee abroad. “We will continue to do our work with respect to what we have started in Burundi,” she said, saying its obligations under the Rome Statute remained until the oneyear notification period ended.

If, during that time, prosecutors determine that crimes must be formally investigated, Burundi would be obligated to cooperate with the court, she said. In the Philippines, which joined the court in 2011, the prosecutor warned in October that the extrajudicial killing of thousands of alleged drug users and dealers could constitute crimes that fall under her jurisdiction.

The allegations are not the subject of a preliminary investigation, the first legal step toward a prosecution. “It is important as prosecutor of the ICC to raise concerns,” she said. “It is also important that I don’t look away because this is exactly why this court was established.” — Reuters

In German schools, steep learning curve for refugees and teachers HOCHHEIM AM MAIN: For 15-year-old Mustafa, the trickiest part about learning German is knowing when to use the articles der, die or das.

“And the umlaut,” his classmate Majd reminds him, sending both Syrian teens groaning in mock frustration at the vowel alteration, one of the quirks of German grammar. But they’re not really complaining. Having escaped the fighting at home and survived the harrowing journey to Europe, they are glad to be back in school. For them, as for young refugees everywhere, it’s the first step back to a normal life.

But they are fast learning that the hard work is only just beginning-for pupils and teachers alike. Mustafa, Majd and their families were among the nearly 900,000 migrants who streamed into Germany last year. Around a third of them were minors, and the country now faces the Herculean task of absorbing the newcomers into its school system. The obstacles are formidable. Most of the youngsters don’t speak a word of German on arrival and have usually missed months, if not years, of school. Many are also scarred by the experiences that led them to flee their homes in the first place. “It’s a huge challenge,” said Ilka Hoffmann, a board member of the GEW, Germany’s largest teachers’ union.

She estimates Germany will have to hire some 24,000 new teachers to cope with the influx, and that’s without including the urgent need for more psychologists and counselors in schools. “Trauma manifests itself in different ways,” Hoffmann said. “We’re ill-prepared in that regard.” The Kultusministerkonferenz, a grouping of the nation’s state education ministries, has calculated that educating the child refugees will cost an extra 2.3 billion euros ($2.5 billion) a year.

‘Intense’ In German classrooms today, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s “Wir schaffen das” (We can do it) motto about integrating the migrants is more than just a catchphrase. It’s a daily assignment.

Mustafa and Majd are enrolled in the Heinrichvon-Brentano school in Hochheim, a picturesque town west of Frankfurt. To cope with the refugee arrivals, the school has set up two socalled “intensive classes” for 22 pupils where the immediate focus is on learning German, the

same approach that has been taken nationwide.

In Mustafa’s small classroom, where most of the students are from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, the atmosphere is jovial, but their teacher Michael Smiraglia says there’s no denying the daily difficulties. With pupils ranging from the gifted to those who are still learning the Latin alphabet, Smiraglia has to tailor his lessons to a range of levels and come up with several approaches to the same exercises. Then there’s the added challenge of working with teens who have lived through traumatic events, which can trigger disruptive or antisocial behavior.

“I quickly found that the name ‘intensive class’ also meant it would be intense for me as a teacher,” Smiraglia said, while his pupils, in halting German, read out a dialogue about ordering lemonade and ice cream. He says his background as a family counselor, which saw him work with traumatized youths, has proved “immensely helpful” in bonding with the class. “I have pupils aged 12 to 15 who have feared for their lives,” the bespectacled, soft-spoken teacher says, stressing the importance of giving the teens a safe place to share their stories. “It’s a gift for me when they open up to me because it

helps me understand them better and deal with things like inappropriate behavior.”

Breaking the ice For the students the real test of their progress will come when they move on from the cocoon of the intensive class to regular classes, where teachers have a curriculum to follow and may not have the time or tools to focus on their individual needs. To ease the transition, the Brentano school’s refugee pupils already spend several hours a week with their German peers for lessons such as English, maths or sports.

The results are mixed, with Mustafa pointing out that language remains a barrier. “The teachers speak so fast, I don’t understand much.” But the mingling has helped break the ice between the newcomers and their German schoolmates, as has playing football during break times. “We play together and then we also learn a bit more German,” says Mustafa. Generally though, the teens in the intensive classes admit they tend to stick together in their free time, speaking in their native tongues. “I don’t have a lot of contact yet with the German kids,” says 14-year-old Marjan from Afghanistan. “But everyone is very friendly.” — AFP

HOCHHEIM AM MAIN: Refugee students attend a lesson in their classroom at the Heinrichvon-Brentano-School in Hochheim am Main. — AFP

Living ‘by the grace of God’ The period that followed, in the wake of President Joseph Kabila’s election, has not treated the region any better. Around 700 people have been killed, mostly hacked to death, in attacks since October 2014 around Beni, its neighboring city to the north. Beni, now a shell of a city, no longer buys Butembo’s goods. “ The people have been run out of the fields, and now must live by the grace of God,” Kambere says.

“Insecurity is the big problem,” says Butembo’s Polycarpe Ndivito Kikwaya, president of the local branch of the Congolese Business Federation.

Foreign goods do still make it to Butembo although only in “very, very small” numbers, shipped to the Kenyan port of Mombasa and then transported via Uganda.

But with the insecurity, “buyers no longer come since they are afraid of being robbed” along the way, he explains. Strangely, it is the period of civil war from the late 1990s that fires up economic nostalgia. Butembo then was the stomping ground of the RCD/K-ML, a militia group backed by neighboring Uganda. “Business was good,” recalls Elie Kwiravusa, a member of Butembo’s Civil Society Coordination grouping of local citizens.

“During the rebellion, we could trade goods,” he says. “The rebellion was profitable for people”unlike today, he adds. — AFP

Merkel warns against fake news driving populist gains BERLIN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned yesterday against the power of fake news on social media to spur the rise of populists, after launching her campaign for a fourth term. Speaking in parliament for the first time since her announcement Sunday that she would seek re-election next year, Merkel cautioned that public opinion was being “manipulated” on the internet. “Something has changed-as globalization has marched on, (political) debate is taking place in a completely new media environment. Opinions aren’t formed the way they were 25 years ago,” she said.

“Today we have fake sites, bots, trolls-things that regenerate themselves, reinforcing opinions with certain algorithms and we have to learn to deal with them.”

Merkel, 62, said the challenge for democrats was to “reach and inspire people-we must confront this phenomenon and if necessary, regulate it.” She said she supported initiatives by her right-left coalition government to crack down on “hate speech” on social media in the face of what she said were “concerns about the stability of our familiar order”. “Populism and political extremes are growing in Western democracies,” she warned. Last week, Google and Facebook moved to cut off ad revenue to bogus news sites after a US election campaign in which the global misinformation industry may have influenced the outcome of the vote.

But media watchers say more is needed to stamp out a powerful phenomenon seen by some experts as a threat to democracy itself.

Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats are the odds-on favorites to win the German national election, expected in September or October 2017. But she is facing a strong challenge from a resurgent rightwing populist party, Alternative for Germany (AfD), which has her liberal refugee and migration policy in its crosshairs. It is currently polling at

BERLIN: Combo of pictures shows German Chancellor Angela Merkel gesturing as she gives a speech during a session at the Bundestag (lower house of parliament) yesterday in Berlin.

Merkel addressed the parliament on key domestic and foreign issues during a week of budget debate. —AFP around 12-13 percent which could complicate the complex maths of coalition building after the poll. All of Germany’s mainstream parties have for now ruled out forming an alliance with the AfD. — AFP

Back to the 1930s nationalism?

Historians battle comparison PARIS: In the 1935 novel “It Can’t Happen Here”, an ignorant American demagogue called Buzz Windrip becomes president, promising to make a depressed and fearful country proud, rich and safe again.

Eight decades later, the satirical piece of fiction by Sinclair Lewis has gained a new lease of life, becoming a bestseller online following Donald Trump’s stunning victory in the US election.

Observing Windrip at a presidential campaign event, a journalist describes him as “almost illiterate, a public liar easily detected, and in his ‘ideas’ almost idiotic”.

Written as virulent nationalism spread disastrously in Europe, and to a lesser extent in America, the book’s revival reflects a surge of interest in one of the 20th century’s darkest decades. The parallels between the current time and what one writer describes as the “Morbid Age” of the 1930s has led to a fierce debate between historians about how far the comparison can be taken.

“We are facing a cataclysmic moment,” renowned British writer and broadcaster Simon Schama warned following Trump’s election, recalling that Hitler came to power via the ballot box in the 1930s.

Antony Beevor, another best-selling heavyweight on European history, rebuked him. “It is too easy for alarmists to fall for the temptation of lazy historical parallels,” he wrote. So, as the return of ultra-nationalism, xenophobia and antielitism spur Trump, anti-EU voters in Britain and a host of far-right parties in Europe, does history offer comfort or cause for concern?

First, the bad news Some historians point to several striking parallels. The Great Depression of the 1930s, sparked by the Wall Street crash of 1929, has echoes of the global financial crisis caused by the sub-prime crash of 2008. Seething with anger at the financial and political elite, struggling or unemployed workers in the 1930s grew bitter and despondent and openly questioned the future for their children.

Many blamed foreigners or Jews,

became attached to an idealized past, and worried about the spread of their enemies, abroad and at home. In the 1930s, the threat was Communism, now it is radical Islam. The expansion of transatlantic shipping, air mail, radio, industrial mass production and Hollywood cinema gave a sense of time accelerating and the world closing in. French historian Pascal Blanchard, who has written a book on the period, calls the 30s “the start of globalization” that generated many of the same cultural and economic anxieties visible today.

Governments reacted by trying to protect their economies with tariffs and barriers, sparking an international trade war.

On the other side of the world, a nationalistic Asian power with territorial ambitions added to concerns. It was Japan, which invaded the present-day Asian hegemon China in 1931. In Austria, where the far-right came within 31,000 votes of winning a presidential election in May this year and could still win in next month’s re-run, a far-right chancellor came to power in 1932 and destroyed the country’s democracy. As fascism spread, the decade was defined by Germany looking to avenge its humiliation after World War I. Could Vladimir Putin’s Russia, pained by the decline of the Soviet Union, be the modern equivalent?

Not so fast...

Ian Kershaw, a world authority on the rise of Hitler, admitted to AFP that during his research for a new book on Europe from 1914-1949 some similarities “make the hair stand up on the back on your neck”. “But I don’t think we are returning to the dark ages of the 1930s because there are big differences as well as superficial similarities,” Kershaw insisted. Chief among the differences is the role of Germany, now a beacon for liberal democracy, committed to peace and a lynchpin of the stabilizing force that is the European Union, Kershaw says. The Europe of today, “admittedly flaky in parts when you look at Hungary and Poland”, bears no comparison with the authoritarian states of 80 years ago. — AFP

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

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

Myanmar’s Rohingya: stateless, persecuted and fleeing YANGON: Scores of Rohingya Muslims have been killed in a Myanmar army crackdown since early October, when sword-wielding assailants raided police posts in the remote marshlands bordering Bangladesh. The military struck back with ground clearances, most recently backed by helicopter gunships. Access to the conflict areas is heavily restricted, but witness testimony has seeped out alleging mass rapes, indiscriminate killings and the razing of entire Rohingya villages by Myanmar’s security forcesclaims they deny. It is the latest chapter in the grim recent history of the Rohingya, a one million population reviled across Myanmar as illegal immigrants and denied citizenship. The following is a fact box on the Rohingya.

Who are they?

The Rohingya are a stateless Muslim ethnic group described by the United Nations as one of the world’s most persecuted minorities. Using a dialect similar to that spoken in Chittagong in southeast Bangladesh, the Sunni Muslims are loathed by many in majority Buddhist Myanmar who see them as illegal immigrants and call them “Bengali” even though many have lived in

Myanmar for generations. Most live in impoverished western Rakhine state, but are denied citizenship and smothered by restrictions on movement and work.

The UN refugee agency says well over 120,000 have fled Rakhine since religious violence in 2012 - an exodus that continues, despite the perils of the sea journey.

Last year, thousands were stranded at sea after a well-worn trafficking route through Thailand collapsed after the discovery of scores of shallow graves on the Malaysia border. There are around 300,000 Rohingya living in Bangladesh’s southern coastal district bordering Myanmar, the vast majority of whom have fled Myanmar in recent decades.

Bangladesh recognizes only a small portion as refugees and regularly turns back those trying to cross the border.

What’s happening?

On October 9 armed men ambushed border posts killing nine policeman and escaping with guns. Security forces were sent in, vowing to repel the attacks.

Nearly 30 civilians died in the ensuing clashes. That number has surged over the following weeks as troops clear remote villages. The government says

the attacks amount to an insurgency.

They accuse a previously unknown Pakistani Taliban-trained militant of leading the attacks and rallying hundreds of disgruntled Rohingya to his cause. It is hard to verify those claims, although videos of armed men have emerged appearing to back them up.

Security operations are ongoing. The violence has revived calls from rights groups for Myanmar to recognize the Rohingya’s rights to citizenship and end their persecution.

What’s Suu Kyi doing about it?

Myanmar’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been conspicuous for her near silence during the latest unrest.

Speaking on a trip to Japan last month the Nobel Peace Prize laureate vowed a thorough investigation into the violence but shied away from criticising the military, who control all security matters. She is also hampered by the politically incendiary nature of the issue in Myanmar. The Rohingya are not officially recognized as an ethnic group, partly owing to a 1982 law stipulating that minorities must prove they lived in Myanmar prior to 1823 - before the first Anglo-Burmese war-to obtain nationality. —AFP

TEKNAF, Bangladesh: Six year-old Noor Sahara, a young Rohingya girl whose mother is missing and who crossed over the border with her neighbor Roshida and her nephew, poses for a photograph near a refugee camp in the southern Cox’s Bazar district yesterday. —AFP

22 killed as Pakistan, India exchange fire 7 Indian soldiers ‘killed in retaliatory fire’

SEOUL: In this file photo, South Korean National Assembly Speaker Park Kwan-yong (center) is surrounded by National Assembly officials after announcing the impeachment of South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun at the National Assembly in Seoul. In 2004, former liberal President Roh was impeached by the Assembly on allegations of incompetence and illegal electioneering. But the impeachment triggered a strong public backlash that helped his party win big in parliamentary elections; the Constitutional Court then ruled that his infractions did not warrant removal from office. —AP

Power vacuum weighs on South Korea as Park fights for survival SEOUL: As the chorus grows louder for South Korean President Park Geun-hye to resign over a corruption scandal, a power vacuum is weighing on her administration, leaving her political survival in doubt and its vulnerable economy exposed to political shocks. South Korean opposition political parties said this week they will review strategies to impeach Park after prosecutors said she was an accomplice in the corruption scandal.

Park’s close friend and a former presidential aide were indicted on Sunday for abuse of power for pressuring big businesses to contribute funds to foundations at the centre of the scandal.

“Based on the consensus that President Park is the centre of the abuse of power scandal, the best course of action to minimize the vacuum in government and to restore constitutional rule is for her to step down,” the leaders of three opposition parties said in a joint statement on Sunday. Park has all but ceased public activities as president and has withdrawn to the secluded Blue House compound at the foothill of the rocky Mount Bugak in Seoul. On 12 of the 16 working days this month, she took part in no scheduled events.

She held a previously arranged summit with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev on Nov 10 but has not had a public event outside the Blue House since Nov 8, when she visited parliament offering to relinquish some of her powers in office to placate lawmakers. The risk of a presidential impeachment in the democratic South, along with North Korea’s nuclear threat, have turned the Korean peninsula into Asia’s biggest unknown for global investors, Belinda Boa, Head of Active Investments for Asia Pacific at BlackRock, told Reuters in an interview on Monday.

Missing at APEC Park was notably absent at the meeting of 21 Asia Pacific leaders in Lima at the weekend, where free trade and a fight against protectionism were the key topics under the looming US presidency of Donald Trump, who has already said he would scrap the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact. Half of South Korea’s GDP comes from exports so it is vulnerable to more protectionist US trade policy pledged by Trump. Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, who attended the Pacific Rim summit on Park’s behalf briefly met the host, Peruvian President Pedro Pablo

Kuczynski but held no bilateral meetings with world leaders, who use the occasion to deepen bilateral ties.

It was the first time a leader of South Korea, which is a founding member, has not attended the APEC summit. The prime minister is largely a figurehead appointee tasked with overseeing the cabinet on domestic issues.

Park also missed the cabinet meeting on Tuesday, extending her absence since Oct 11 when she last led the meeting she normally chairs every two weeks. It was instead chaired by the finance minister, who is on the way out. Little has been done on replacements nominated for three cabinet positions, including the to finance job. “She is likely to be doing her job that she can do on her own, as long as it’s something that requires the least contact with the public,” said Kim Jun-seok, professor of political science at Dongguk University in Seoul. “But she won’t be able to bring any new legal initiative or raise a new policy agenda,” Kim said.

Park’s five-year term runs to February 2018. Her sparse official schedule in November is in contrast to the busy month she had a year ago, including a three-way summit with the leaders of China and Japan, a separate summit with Icelandic president, four major policy conferences and two cabinet meetings.

Park’s office has said she intends to fulfill her duties as president and has not formally acknowledged the calls from the public and parliament for her to step down or race impeachment. She still intends to attend the three-way North Asia summit if this year’s host, Japan, confirms the date, the foreign ministry has said.

But it was unclear if Park can continue to represent the country diplomatically when other countries might be ambivalent about scheduling summit meetings with her. “Diplomatically this crisis is known around the world so the country’s reputation has been hurt and that is a problem diplomatically,” Ha Kyung-chull, a former judge on the Constitutional Court, told Reuters. “Both domestically and diplomatically, you have to say rule by the president of government affairs is quite difficult.” Some of her closest advisers said privately that they hope if she can ride out the next few weeks, she will be able to survive the crisis as public sentiment cooled and more people chose to avoid the turmoil of a premature end to her presidency. —Reuters

MUZAFFARABAD: Artillery fire and shelling from India targeted several Pakistani villages and struck a passenger bus near the dividing line in the disputed region of Kashmir yesterday, killing 12 civilians wounding more than a dozen others, the Pakistani military and officials said.

Hours later, Pakistan’s military said three soldiers, including an army captain, were killed while responding to the Indian attack. It said seven Indian soldiers were also “killed in retaliatory fire” but there was no confirmation on the casualties from India.

The deadly violence marks the latest escalation in the Himalayan region of Kashmir, which is divided between the two nuclear-armed neighbors and claimed by both in its entirety.

According to Deputy Commissioner Waheed Khan, an artillery shell hit a passenger bus in the scenic Neelum Valley in the Pakistani part of Kashmir, killing 10 people - three died on the scene and seven later, at a hospital. Another two civilians died when a mortar shell hit their house in the Nakyal sector in Kotli district, said police official Waseem Khan. The shelling sent residents fleeing in panic, he said. At least 15 people were also wounded in the bus strike and elsewhere in yesterday’s attacks.

Sardar Masood Khan, the president of the Pakistani-governed part of Kashmir, denounced “India’s aggression” in a statement and appealed to the international community to take notice of India’s cease-fire violations in Kashmir. He also urged the United Nations Military Observer Group for India and Pakistan, or UNMOGIP, to “investigate these incidents and assign responsibility for these violations of ceasefire.” Earlier, an army statement said Pakistani troops were firing back on Indian military positions. The statement also said that an ambulance, which had rushed the scene of the attack, was fired upon by India.

Pakistani security officials said yesterday’s fire forced Pakistani villagers with their families to take to field bunkers, built years ago for such attacks. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the attacks with repor ters. In India, army spokesman Col Nitin Joshi said an intense

exchange of fire was underway between the two sides. Yesterday’s escalation came a day after Indian army spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia said the attackers mutilated the body of one soldier in the Machil sector in Indian-controlled Kashmir. He did not specify if the attack was carried out by Pakistani soldiers or rebels fighting since 1989 against Indian rule in the region.

Reports of the soldier’s mutilation have inflamed sentiments, which likely contributed to the retaliatory exchanges between Pakistan and India. “Retribution will be heavy for this cowardly act,” Col Rajesh Kalia, another Indian army spokesman, said following Tuesday’s attack. In the past, the Indian military has blamed a combination of the Pakistani army’s border action team and militants for carrying out operations along the Line of Control, which separates the

Pakistan- and India-controlled parts of Kashmir.

Deadly exchanges of fire in the disputed Kashmir have intensified in recent weeks.

Tensions have escalated since militants attacked an Indian army base there in September. India said the militants were supported by Pakistan, charges denied by Islamabad. Both sides accuse the other of initiating the firing along the volatile boundary. So far this week, at least 18 people, civilians and soldiers, have been killed on both sides. Last week, Pakistani army claimed to have shot down a small Indian drone in Kashmir, a day after the Pakistani navy claimed it had intercepted Indian submarines entering the country’s territorial waters in the Arabian Sea. Two of the three wars between India and Pakistan since 1947 have been fought over their competing claims to Kashmir. —AP

SRINAGAR: Indian paramilitary trooper stands guard on the shores of Dal Lake on a cold winter’s day in Srinagar yesterday. The cold wave further tightened its grip in Jammu and Kashmir with most places in the state recording sub-zero temperatures. —AFP

Bureaucrat with ‘black money’ stash says a bribe is not taboo LUCKNOW: The engineer was in the middle of his evening meditation session when a colleague called and told him to turn on the television. The prime minister was saying most of India’s cash would hold no value by morning. The objective was to rid the country of illegal “black money” for which taxes had not been paid. Money often associated with illegal activity such as bribery. Money like the 4.8 million rupees ($70,000) stashed in a steel trunk, under a makeshift settee, in the engineer’s bedroom.

“For first few minutes I could not understand,” the engineer said, speaking to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity for fear of prosecution. The engineer, employed by the public works department of northern Uttar Pradesh state, and many of his colleagues had amassed piles of cash by taking bribes for public contracts - a practice so common it has become accepted by many as part of the price of doing business in India. They felt confused - even betrayed - by the government cracking down.

“A bribe is not a taboo in a government job,” the engineer said. Modi, in his Nov 8 televised address, announced the demonetization of India’s 500- and 1,000rupee notes, which made up 86 percent of the country’s currency. He said it would wipe out rampant corruption, though in a country of 1.3 billion where most people don’t have bank accounts, it also wiped out legally collected savings. “With this decision we have, in one stroke, hit at the root of the sources of corruption,”

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told TV channel Doordarshan a day after Modi announced the demonetization. “We have freed up the country from these sources of corruption.”

Shame, or guilt?

Demonetized currency can be deposited in banks, but immediate access to those funds is severely limited and the government said it will severely penalize those who deposit amounts that don’t match their income. Anyone depositing more than 250,000 rupees ($3,700) over the next two months will be flagged for tax inspection. On the phone with friends,

the engineer said, “I sensed desperation in their voices. I knew they also had bribe money” in amounts high enough to raise red flags.

Did he feel shame, or guilt? No. “Taking this extra money as commission is a necessity” just to meet expected payments and to advance in one’s field, he said while calmly sipping whisky and adjusting the light from an overhead chandelier by remote in his home in Lucknow, the state capital. Each festive season, he said he’s expected to offer costly gifts like wristwatches, fine suits and gold pendants to his superiors, and even their sons. “One needs to keep them happy. ... but would

BANGALORE: Discontinued Indian currency notes of 1,000 denomination are seen after they were deposited by people at a bank in Bangalore, India. —AP

you expect me to give a gift from my salary? No, never.”

The engineer said the bribes he accepts are most often already written into price estimates for projects like road construction as a so-called commission. “You do not have to ask for it,” he said. Illicit money changes hands at nearly every project stage, from the public tender to completion. Almost everyone benefits from the “commissions,” from the highest ministers to the rank and file, he said. “What I get as bribe is nothing compared to what others take,” he said, noting the palatial homes near his more modest house in an up-market Lucknow neighborhood. “I have a small hatchback car while others roam around in sedans and SUVs. Don’t our superiors notice this?”

Graft in India is so accepted that it is out in the open. On Sept. 4, another Uttar Pradesh bureaucrat named Ashok Kumar told reporters in the town of Basti, southeast of Lucknow, that he was giving up on becoming a district magistrate because he did not have 7 million rupees ($103,000) to pay the bribe. Kumar was suspended from his job in the National Integration Department after making the statement, though he never revealed who would have been taking that bribe. The fight against corruption has been frustrating for retired bureaucrat SP Singh, who spent more than 30 years in India’s civil service trying to rid government departments of graft. “The tendency to take bribe stems from a desire to have best in life,” he said.

“The lure of lucre is so intense.” —AP

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

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

Pakistan economy growing... but is it enough?

KARACHI: Shah Nawaz walks Karachi’s dusty streets, one of thousands in the financial hub who are being fed by charities as Pakistan’s economy picks up pace-but, some say, not fast enough for its poverty-stricken millions. Confidence in Pakistan is growing, with the International Monetary Fund claiming in October that the country has emerged from crisis and stabilized its economy after completing a bailout program.

Its credit rating has improved, while there are encouraging signs of foreign investment, such as a massive Chinese infrastructure project officials routinely call a “gamechanger”. But all this glittering promise has yet to feed millions like Nawaz. The 14-year-old stands waiting with more than 100 others outside the Saylani Welfare building to receive free meals twice a day for his family.

He dropped out of school four years ago, when Pakistan’s GDP still hovered around a weak three percent, as his family struggled to survive on his father’s meagre part-time wage of 250 rupees ($2.30) a day. “I have immense passion for my studies and want to become a prosperous man, but I can’t,” he said. His despair resonates throughout Pakistan, where a new central bank report says 60.6 percent of the population do not have access to cooking fuel, half of all children are deprived of a basic education, and a third of Pakistanis have no access to a primary medical facility. “The number of people coming to our centers is growing, and they are not beggars but poor people who are not able to make ends meet,” Aamir Saylani, one of the charity’s officials said.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif vowed to boost the long-depressed economy after winning a third term in 2013.

The key challenge Sharif faced was a chronic energy crisis, as power outages shut down factories and bring businesses to a virtual standstill daily. He approved more than a dozen coal, hydro, gas and combined cycle power generation plants, most due to begin generating electricity by mid-2017.

Meanwhile his advisers negotiated a threeyear extended fund facility with the IMF to raise $6.4 billion. That, coupled with remittances from Pakistanis overseas, have taken foreign exchange reserves to an estimated $22 billion, from $3 billion in 2008. In the 2015/2016 fiscal year the economy grew 4.7 percent, while inflation was at a low of 3.8

percent and interest rates down at 5.75 percent. Encouraged-and undeterred by domestic debt of $182 billion-Islamabad set an ambitious yearly growth target of 5.7 percent for 2016/2017. The World Bank predicted 5.4 percent growth by 2018.

Grinding poverty But independent economists doubt the growth is sustainable. “You were on artificial support, and it will be a real litmus test for the government once the IMF facility is over,” said Abid Suleri, who heads the Sustainable Development Policy Institute in Islamabad.

It would take sustained growth of around six percent for five successive years to make a real dent in poverty, said Mohammad Sabir, a senior economist at the Social Policy and Development Centre (SPDC) in Karachi.

Hopes are pinned on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a $46 billion initiative by Beijing that aims to link the Asian superpower’s Xinjiang region with the Arabian Sea through Pakistan. The plan encompasses a series of infrastructure, power and transport upgrades that Islamabad hopes will kickstart the economy.

But experts say the deal is opaque, and much more transparency is needed before they can assess any impact for Pakistanincluding, for example, whether the $46 billion is an investment or a loan. “If it is a loan, it would severely hamper the future foreign payment capability of the country,” warned Sabir. Foreign debt remains around $73 billion, just over a quarter of GDP, the central bank says. Werner Liepach, Pakistan country director for the Asian Development Bank said it was “much too early to tell” what effect CPEC would have.

However given the challenging global context, “contrary to what many believe, Pakistan is actually doing quite well”, he said. “The benefits of growth in Pakistan are actually more widespread... as compared to many other developing countries that may show higher levels of growth, but with greater inequality.” Nevertheless there is room to improve, he added.

Meanwhile, Pakistanis like Shah Nawaz still struggle. Days after speaking to AFP, the building housing the charity providing food for his family was flattened in an operation targeting illegal settlements on government land.—AFP

MANILA: Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa (right) points to the nose of Kerwin Espinosa, son of the late mayor Rolando Espinosa, as he is presented to members of the media at the police headquarters in Manila, shortly after arriving from United Arab Emirates. Kerwin was arrested in the United Arab Emirates last month and will face drug trafficking charges. — AFP

Philippine police chief fights back tears, pledges loyalty to Duterte High drama in televised hearing MANILA: The Philippines’ police chief broke down before a Senate inquiry yesterday and vowed to stand by President Rodrigo Duterte and his deadly war on drugs, after a narcotics kingpin testified to entrenched police involvement in the illicit trade. Amid high drama in the televised hearing, an emotional Ronald dela Rosa grimaced and held back tears in animated remarks in which he promised to rid police ranks of crooked elements. Dela Rosa, a stocky, celebrity-like general nicknamed “Bato” (Rock), was responding to hours of testimony from Kerwin Espinosa, a confessed drugs dealer and son of a mayor who was shot dead last month by police while in prison on remand for narcotics links.

“I will not surrender, I will clean up the national police,” Dela Rosa told senators. “I will be with you,” Dela Rosa said of Duterte. “I will not abandon this fight even if the public is losing trust in the police.” Parallel probes by both chambers of the Philippine legislature have been largely drab, though sometimes highly dramatic. The panels have heard gripping witness accounts of all things from death squads and sordid affairs to corruption, murder and sex tapes. Participants have included convicted kidnappers, prison gangsters, an assassin

and world boxing icon Manny Pacquiao.

In September, a self-proclaimed hit man testified to having heard Duterte order assassinations and to having watched him kill a man with a machine gun while a mayor in 1993. Duterte has rejected that as lies. Close to 2,500 people were killed in the first four months of Duterte’s presidency, mostly in police operations and others by suspected vigilantes. Duterte has resolutely defended the police and is outraged by Western and activist concerns that extrajudicial killings could be taking place. Espinosa, who arrived at the hearing wearing a flak jacket, confessed to dealing in drugs and to paying police protection money. He accused two generals and numerous officers on his turf of complicity.

No superhero Dela Rosa vowed to do everything to stop it.

“I’m not superman, I’m an ordinary policeman,” he said. “But I’ll do my best to clean the police force even if it will cost my life. We will survive this.” Central to the probes has been Senator Leila de Lima, who initiated and led the investigation into Duterte’s crackdown, but found herself ousted by his Senate allies. Days later, she was subject to a congressional investigation into Duterte’s accusations that she herself was

Court upholds sentences for Khmer Rouge leaders KARACHI: Pakistani residents visit a donation centre to receive food in Karachi. — AFP

PHNOM PENH: Cambodia’s UN-backed court upheld life sentences for two top former Khmer Rouge leaders yesterday for crimes against humanity, in a verdict welcomed by survivors of the brutal regime. “Brother Number Two” Nuon Chea, 90, and ex-head of state Khieu Samphan, 85, were the first top leaders to be jailed in 2014 from a regime responsible for the deaths of up to two million Cambodians from 19751979. They appealed their convictions, accusing the court of a string of errors and the judges of failing to remain impartial due to their personal experiences under the regime.

In a lengthy ruling yesterday after months of hearings, the bench upheld the bulk of the convictions and the jail terms, but accepted some legal errors had been made in the initial trial. Kong Srim, the Supreme Court Chamber’s top judge, said the pair “had a complete lack of consideration for the ultimate fate of the Cambodian population”, adding that the scale of their crimes was “massive”. “The Supreme Court Chamber considers that the imposition of a life sentence for each of the accused is appropriate,” he said.

Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan sat impassively as the decision was read out. The Khmer Rouge regime dismantled modern society in Cambodia in their quest for an agrarian Marxist utopia, killing vast numbers and leaving a generational scar. “I am so happy with the convictions,” Chhun Leap, 74, who lost around 50 relatives during the Khmer Rouge years, told AFP after leaving the courtroom. “They are monsters and this is their fate.”

Few brought to justice The tribunal, known as the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), is a complex hybrid court on the outskirts of Phnom Penh combining elements of international and domestic law. It was set up following an agreement between Cambodia and the United Nations to prosecute senior Khmer Rouge leaders. The number of allegations against Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan-and the complexity of their cases-was so vast that the court split their trials into a series of smaller hearings in 2011, fearful the pair might die before justice could be served.

Their convictions in August 2014 followed a twoyear trial focused on the forced evacuation of around two million Cambodians from Phnom Penh into rural labor camps and the murders of hundreds of enemy soldiers at one of several execution sites. Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan are also currently undergoing a second trial for genocide of ethnic Vietnamese and Muslim minorities, forced marriage and rape. But the tribunal has had mixed successes. Despite the sheer brutality unleashed by the Khmer Rouge, survivors have seen just a handful of perpetrators brought to justice. Many key leaders have died without facing justice, including “Brother Number One” Pol Pot who passed away in 1998.—AFP

involved in drugs deals while justice minister.

It did not stop there. Duterte has humiliated de Lima during speeches, accusing her of adultery, making a sex tape of her affair with her driver and bagman, and even recommending she hangs herself. De Lima has petitioned the Supreme Court to muzzle Duterte. Though she has admitted to the affair, she has rejected testimony by a string of criminals linking her to drugs deals. Espinosa also implicated de Lima on Wednesday, saying he paid protection money to her driver on four occasions when she was in the cabinet.

De Lima denied knowing him and said his testimony was at gunpoint, under duress. “May God forgive you for all your sins, and may God forgive you for all your lies about me,” she said.

In an interview last week, de Lima told Reuters she feared for her life, having stood up to a president who had a following of “diehard fanatics”. “The president has a personal vendetta against me, and then it got worse because of my initiative ... the Senate enquiry, into the extra-judicial killings,” she said. “He has staged all of these personal attacks, revealing even my personal private life and portraying me as an immoral woman so that people would no longer believe me.”— Reuters

Tracksuited Thai junta chief leads workout for bureaucrats BANGKOK: He’s a mercurial army general known for penning saccharine ballads and angry tirades against his critics. Now Thailand’s junta chief has launched a new eye-catching project: trimming the waistlines of the kingdom’s civil servants. Former army chief turned Prime Minister Prayut Chan-OCha ditched his fatigues for a tracksuit and trainers yesterday as he led hundreds of bureaucrats in an mass exercise session.

As music blasted out of loudspeakers he boxed, played volleyball and led an aerobics class, complete with starjumps and squats, alongside hundreds of employees of Government House.

The trim 62-year-old, who seized power in 2014, has ordered all civil servants to exercise every Wednesday afternoon following concerns that Thailand’s famously laid back attitude to life has thickened their waistlines. Prayut revels in being macho, plain-speaking and unpredictable-a demeanor that creates many amusing press appearances and is a gift to social media meme-makers.

Highlights have included him kicking a muay thai boxer, throwing a banana at a cameraman, tick ling a reporter’s ear and riding a bike around Government House as his securit y detail jogged behind in the tropical heat. Each Friday night he delivers a nationally broadcast “bringing happiness back” speech in which he doles out advice to Thais-anything from how to get foreigners to appreciate pungent durian fruit to the best Korean soap opera.

He has also written two ballads since his coup emphasizing love for the nation and what it means to be Thai.

Thailand has been politically divided since the military launched a coup in 2006 that toppled Prime M inister Thaksin Shinawatra and his elected government. Years of debilitating street protests and another coup in 2014 that toppled Yingluck ShinawatraThaksin’s sister-followed.

The Shinawatra clan is loved by Thailand’s rural and urban poor. But they are loathed by Bangkok’s middle

classes and military elite, who say the family were corrupt. Prayut has vowed to bridge the country’s divides but reconciliation seems far off. His critics see him as the most authoritarian ruler Thailand has had in a generation. Some have likened him to Field M arshal Phibunsongkhram, a Second World War-era dictator who famously issued decrees on how Thais should behave, including how long they should sleep for, how they should spend their days off and how they should dress.— AFP

BANGKOK: Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-cha plays with a ball during an exercise with government officials at the Government House in Bangkok yesterday. —AFP

NEWS

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

People and seagulls bathe in the sea as the sun goes up with red colors in Stralsund close to the Baltic Sea island of Rugen early yesterday. — AFP

Amir urges more investments, ‘real’...

Continued from Page 1 Middle East and Africa requires intensive cooperation amongst all countries to find suitable solutions that would bring back peace and security. HH the Amir took the chance to support Saudi Arabia’s initiative to hold the fifth summit on its lands, affirming that the fellow GCC nation has the capabilities to host such a grand event.

Meanwhile, Morocco and several Arab countries walked out of the summit yesterday to protest the presence of a delegation from the Polisario Front, media reports said. Morocco, which is a big investor in Africa, quit the fourth Africa-Arab World Summit, which focuses on economic cooperation, along with seven other Arab nations - Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Jordan and Yemen - and Somalia.

The Moroccan delegation took the decision to protest “the presence of the emblem of a puppet entity in the meeting rooms”, the Moroccan foreign ministry said,

quoted by the Moroccan news agency MAP. Morocco maintains that Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony under its control, is an integral part of the kingdom, while the Polisario Front, which campaigns for the territory’s independence, demands a referendum on selfdetermination.

The Moroccan delegation quit the one-day summit in Malabo as Rabat is attempting to rejoin the African Union which it left in 1984 - when it was then called the Organisation of African Unity - to protest the admission of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic declared by the Polisario. In 1991, the United Nations brokered a ceasefire between the two sides. But a promised referendum to settle the status of the vast desert territory home to half a million people has yet to materialize.

Morocco’s latest move was criticized on Equatorial Guinea’s Africa 24 network, which is close to the government. “Morocco has partnerships with Central Africa, West Africa and Southern Africa. We cannot allow such a blow”, said one commentator. — Agencies

Come Saturday Continued from Page 1 The fact is that the parliament has lost its credibility.

Unfortunately, it has become one of the government’s tools, not the voice of the people.

In the past, I used to attend all lectures and talks and listen and chat with the candidates to hear what they had to say. But in my experience, once someone reaches Abdullah Al-Salem Hall, he forgets all what he promised us. I don’t want to say they all enter the parliament poor and leave rich. I’m not accusing them as many people think. But definitely, people are cracking jokes on social media about this.

The general atmosphere online and in the diwaniyas and shisha cafes is that these elections will not result in a unified voice of the people. It will be fractured along tribal, sectarian and religious lines, with only a few working for the good of Kuwait as a whole.

The truth is that these jokes and criticisms carry more than a grain of truth. The previous parliaments have done little to truly improve the situation in Kuwait. Our roads are proof enough along with our failing education system and our troubled national health sector. Laws and rules are passed without full studies and without clear understanding of the impact they will have on our economy and our country. We all feel that there is a state of chaos.

We have no voice anymore. Our parliament does not stand up for our dreams. Or even half of our dreams. People are still voting, but mostly for their cousin or friend or their individual interests - not for the nation. But no matter what, guys, it’s still called a parliament and we should cast our votes. Maybe we will be lucky to get at least a few lawmakers who care and can make a positive difference. Let’s see on Saturday what happens.

South Carolina gov and Trump critic Haley picked for UN job Mogul picks first woman for his cabinet PALM BEACH, Florida: Donald Trump chose a ies Marco Rubio, Haley called Trump out for his failure to Republican critic to join his cabinet yesterday, the first repudiate the Ku Klux Klan. “I will not stop until we fight a woman on his top team after his early picks rewarded man that chooses not to disavow the KKK. That is not a part campaign loyalists. Trump’s nomination of South of our party. That is not who we are,” she declared.

Trump, true to form, responded with one of his tradeCarolina’s 44-year-old governor, Nikki Haley, as US ambassador to the United Nations will be seen as a sign he is mark Twitter insults, declaring: “The people of South ready to broaden his political base. It came amid reports Carolina are embarrassed by Nikki Haley!” Trump’s choice that he is also considering former Massachusetts gover- last week of the self-described “economic nationalist” Steve nor Mitt Romney, another harsh campaign critic, this time Bannon, head of the right-wing news platform Breitbart, as his chief strategist delighted white supremafor the key post of secretary of state. cists. But on Tuesday, after video emerged of And it followed a cordial chat between fans of the so-called alt-right making Trump and the New York Times, a newspastraight-armed salutes and chanting “Heil per he considers hostile, in which he softTrump”, the president-elect disavowed the ened his stance on climate change, torture movement. and prosecuting his defeated rival Hillary Clinton. The 70-year-old property tycoon Campaign Rhetoric told the Times that he is “seriously, seriously As he works with his advisers in his luxury considering” appointing widely-respected Mar-a-Lago golf resort outside Palm Beach, retired Marine general James Mattis as his all eyes will be on the appointments he defense secretary. Trump’s transition team makes for a sign of the direction his adminisspokesmen told reporters that another “cabtration will take. When Trump’s Nov 8 election inet level” appointment may be made later Nikki Haley victory still seemed an unlikely prospect, Wednesday, but offered no details as to many Republican and conservative policy experts conwho it might be.

The UN ambassador post is of cabinet rank and if Haley - demned his anti-Muslim rhetoric, his affinity for Russia or a staunch conservative with no foreign policy experience - his isolationist and protectionist positions.

Many of these figures are now moderating their tone is confirmed by the Senate she will become a powerful figure in world diplomacy, despite previously clashing with and looking for work, whether they are lured by the Trump. The daughter of Indian immigrants, and the first prospect of a powerful job or are keen to serve US interwoman tapped for Trump’s cabinet, Haley will also inject a ests as a moderating influence inside a Trump administrameasure of diversity in a group that until now has consisted tion. The former Iraq and Afghan war commander, retired general David Petraeus - who resigned as head of the CIA solely of white men.

Last year, after a white supremacist murdered nine black after he was caught sharing classified data with his mischurchgoers in South Carolina, Haley supported a decision tress - made his pitch yesterday. “If you’re asked, you’ve by legislators to remove the Confederate flag from the state got to serve, put aside any reservations based on camhouse. The decision drew protests from racist groups and paign rhetoric, and figure out what’s best for the country,” this year, while campaigning for Trump’s rival in the primar- he told BBC Radio. — AFP

ANALYSIS

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

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Focus

Burnt rubber: Firestone cuts back in Liberia

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S rubber giant Firestone, no stranger to controversy during its 90 years in Liberia, is again stoking anger, this time for firing hundreds of workers who now fear for their livelihoods. Firestone has carried out two waves of sackings over the last few months, aiming at a seven percent cut in the workforce because of what it describes as “ongoing significant and unsustainable losses” due to depressed rubber prices.

Workers at its plantation around an hour from the Liberian capital, aware of strong competition from Asia and the little respite in sight for the rubber market, fear they have few means of fighting back. “The day we were told, the same day, 189 people had already been laid off,” said Harris Kerkula, president of the Firestone Agricultural Workers Union of Liberia (FAWUL), who told AFP the firm had broken a collective bargaining agreement. After intervention by the labor ministry, a few dozen jobs were saved, but officials asked the union to accept the redundancies “because the company is going through some difficulties”, Kerkula added.

As Liberia’s biggest private sector employer, with around 8,000 staff, Firestone’s plantations in Harbel have grown into an entire community over the decades, providing a generous package of services the state cannot match. As a result, redundancy means workers lose their free housing, money for school fees, medical care and subsidized meals in one fell swoop, with just six weeks’ severance pay for many. “I will be going to Lofa County where I was born because if I stay here my family will die from hunger,” former employee Nyumah Tamba told AFP. “I have been working for nine years and I am leaving with nothing,” he said, watching his three children play nearby.

Troubled History Critics say Firestone has always exploited Liberians.

Allegations of child labor and “slave-like” working conditions have dogged the company for years, despite more recent improvements. In 2014, US media outlets ProPublica and PBS Frontline accused Firestone of paying off the regime of former dictator Charles Taylor during the early years of the 1989-2003 civil war to allow its operations to continue. Children were forced to work alongside their parents to meet impossibly high production targets, others alleged.

The firm denied funding Taylor’s atrocities and asserted that it simply paid taxes as required by any government. Child labour was not permitted, Firestone added. But despite many twists and turns through some of Liberia’s darkest years, these redundancies are the first since the 1980s, the company claims. In an email to AFP, the firm defended its decision on the grounds of low natural rubber prices and high overhead costs associated with the company’s concession agreement, along with Liberia’s “uncertain business climate”. Furthermore, as a direct result of the 14-year civil war, when new rubber trees were not planted, production was low, Firestone said.

Government Cash Cow The monotonous work of rubber tapping may not seem immediately attractive to workers, but the Firestone package is rare in a society with catastrophic education standards and an absence of training programs. More than 16,000 students are enrolled in 17 Firestone-funded schools, while the Firestone Medical Centre, a 300-bed hospital cares for 5,700 patients a month. Since 2004, Firestone says it has paid $1 billion in tax revenue to the government - indispensable in a nation that counts the presence of just a handful of multi-nationals.

Labor Minister Neto Zarzar Lighe was careful not to criticize the firm in an interview with AFP. “A total of 500 employees were to be redundant and we were able to reduce that to 428 employees. That is significant,” he said. He defended the firm against accusations they had reneged on a pension agreement with employees, saying that as the scheme was private and non-contributory, different rules applied. It was not always like this: Firestone and its employees enjoyed the boom years when Detroit’s automobile firms were the powerhouse of the American economy.

But today life is much changed for the workers who have been let go. Some have turned to plantations abandoned by Firestone, tapping the same trees as contractors and climbing perilously high up the exhausted trunks with the hope of finding some remaining latex. “(Firestone) give us $180 for a ton of rubber. To get the one ton you have to work for at least two months because we climb the tree before getting to the liquid,” said Zayzay Flomo, 30. “It’s pure slavery”. — 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.

Trump won with low minority vote, fueling rifts

D

onald Trump won the US presidency with less support from black and Hispanic voters than any president in at least 40 years, a Reuters review of polling data shows, highlighting deep national divisions that have fueled incidents of racial and political confrontation. Trump was elected with 8 percent of the black vote, 28 percent of the Hispanic vote and 27 percent of the Asian-American vote, according to the Reuters/Ipsos Election Day poll.

Among black voters, his showing was comparable to the 9 percent captured by George W. Bush in 2000 and Ronald Reagan in 1984. But Bush and Reagan both did far better with Hispanic voters, capturing 35 percent and 34 percent, respectively, according to exit polling data compiled by the non-partisan Roper Center for Public Opinion Research. And Trump’s per formance among AsianAmericans was the worst of any winning presidential candidate since tracking of that demographic began in 1992.

The racial polarization behind Trump’s victory has helped set the stage for tensions that have surfaced repeatedly since the election, in white supremacist victory celebrations, in anti-Trump protests and civil rights rallies, and in hundreds of racist, xenophobic and anti-Semitic hate crimes documented by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which tracks extremist movements. The SPLC reports there were 701 incidents of “hateful harassment and intimidation” between the day following the Nov. 8 election and Nov. 16, with a spike in such incidents in the immediate wake of the vote.

Signs point to an ongoing atmosphere of confrontation. The Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, a white separatist group that vilifies African-Americans, Jews and other minorities, plans an unusual Dec 3 rally in North Carolina to celebrate Trump’s victory. Left-wing and anarchist groups have called for organized protests to disrupt the president-elect’s Jan 20 inauguration. And a “Women’s March on Washington,” scheduled for the following day, is expected to draw hundreds of thousands to protest Trump’s presidency.

American politics became increasingly racialized through President Barack Obama’s two terms, “but there was an attempt across the board, across the parties, to keep those tensions under the surface,” says Jamila Michener, an assistant professor of government at Cornell University. Trump’s anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim rhetoric “brought those divisions to the fore; it activated people on the right, who felt empowered, and it activated people on the left, who saw it as a threat,” she added.

That dynamic was evident last week. When Vice President-elect Mike Pence attended the Broadway musical “Hamilton” in New York on Friday, the multi-ethnic cast closed with a statement expressing fears of a Trump presidency. A far different view was on display the next day as a crowd of about 275 people cheered Trump’s election at a Washington conference of the National Policy Institute, a white nationalist group with a strong anti-Semitic beliefs.

“We willed Donald Trump into office; we made this dream our reality,” NPI President Richard Spencer said. After outlining a vision of America as “a white country designed for ourselves and our posterity,” he closed with, “Hail Trump!

Hail our people! Hail victory!”

Division Breeds Confrontation Though Trump’s election victory was driven by white voters, his performance even among that group was not as strong as some of his predecessors. Reagan and George H W Bush both won the presidency with higher shares of the white vote than the 55 percent that Trump achieved. The historical voting patterns reflect decades of polarization in American politics, but the division surrounding Trump appears more profound, says Cas Mudde, an associate professor specializing in political extremism at the University of Georgia. These days, he adds, “people say they don’t want their children even to date someone from the other party.”

Indeed, voters’ opinions of those on the opposite side of

the partisan divide have reached historic lows. Surveys by the Pew Research Center showed this year that majorities of both parties held “very unfavorable” views of the other party - a first since the center first measured such sentiment in 1992. And the lion’s share of those people believe the opposing party’s policies “are so misguided that they threaten the nation’s well-being,” the center found.

That level of division has spurred activists on both sides of the political divide to take their activism in a more confrontational direction. In the wake of Trump’s victory, protesters on the left took to the streets by the thousands in cities across the country, in some cases causing property damage. Much of the agitation was motivated by a belief that Trump’s administration will foster racism and push the courts and other political institutions to disenfranchise minority voters, says James Anderson, editor of ItsGoingDown.Org, an anarchist website that has promoted mass demonstrations against Trump’s presidency, including a call to disrupt his inauguration. — Reuters

In crisis-struck Rio, police need donated toilet paper

M

aria Thereza Sombra may rely on Rio de Janeiro’s police to keep her safe - but in the grip of financial crisis they rely on the 82-year-old to supply them with toilet paper. Severe budget shortfalls in Brazil’s recent Olympic host city have left police scrounging for equipment, fuel and even the most basic hygiene items. Hospitals are equally hard hit, compounding a deepening sense of insecurity in a city plagued by violent crime.

Sombra said that ordinary citizens need to step in where the state is failing. “If the police have their hands tied what will happen to us?” she asked. “We have to help those who are defending us. Otherwise no one will be able to go out of their homes.” A retired teacher and president of Rio’s Flamengo neighborhood association, Sombra began helping police back in April when the city was already descending into a pre-Olympic financial abyss. However, what started off as a spontaneous initiative among Rio residents was enshrined this month in an official program called “Together with the Police.”

Security “is the responsibility of the state but it is the duty of all,” the police department says. Sombra gets a list from Rio’s 9th precinct. Then residents of the 35 condominiums belonging to the Flamengo association chip in. On a table in a meeting room, Sombra showed off a pile of toilet paper, cleaning products and stacks of

office paper. But requests can get more complicated: after the police station itself was robbed, officers requested 12 security cameras. “For me, the most important thing is that we are doing something, even if it’s small: to show love, respect and solidarity,” she said.

Post-Olympic Blues Police, firefighters, hospital staff and other state employees have been in crisis since early this year. In June, Rio de Janeiro state, home to Brazil’s secondbiggest city, had to be bailed out by the federal government after declaring a “state of calamity.” And in the runup to the Olympics first responders mounted high-profile protests to demand payment of late salaries and overtime. The Olympics provided a brief respite with emergency funding filling the gaps, but since then the situation has regressed.

In a state heavily reliant on oil-industry revenues, the slump in oil prices and a huge corruption scandal at state oil company Petrobras have hit hard. A $5.4 billion budget shortfall is predicted for 2016. “The Olympics had an effect, but not enough. The crisis was here before in Rio due to a breakdown in tax revenues, the high burden of paying salaries, and above all the oil prices,” said Vilma Pinto, an economics professor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation. — AFP

Lax laws, flawed recall blamed for airbag deaths

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ida Fatin Mat Asis was slumped lifeless in her car seat, bleeding profusely from her nose and mouth, after her Honda hit a lamppost and skidded into a ditch. Her husband was slightly injured, and their baby wasn’t hurt at all. Her husband, like Nida a doctor, had no idea what had happened until the post-mortem came in: A broken metal canister, later identified as part of an airbag inflator, had shot through her mouth and lodged in the base of her skull.

The deaths of Nida and four other Malaysians have been linked to faulty Takata airbags that are at the center of one of the world’s largest auto recalls. The US, with 11 deaths, is the only other country to have reported such fatalities.

Why this Southeast Asian country of 30 million would be hit disproportionately hard by the defective airbags is a mystery. The families of two Malaysian victims and a survivor blame weaknesses in their country’s recall system.

They also say Honda, the top foreign brand in Malaysia, hasn’t done enough to warn car owners and hasn’t provided enough replacement parts or alternative options for car owners if repairs cannot be done immediately.

The defective airbags have faulty inflators and propellant devices that may deploy improperly in an accident, shooting out metal fragments that can injure or kill. All the deaths in Malaysia involved the Honda City, a subcompact made for Asia and Europe. Experts say heat and humidity can make airbag explosions more likely, but neighboring Thailand, with a similar tropical climate, has reported no deaths.

In his first media interview since his wife died on April 16, her husband Abdullah Shamshir Abdul Mokti told AP

they were unaware of the recall and never got a notice from Honda for their used car. Initially, he thought Nida, 29, had suffered a concussion. He was horrified to find no pulse. “The inflator must have shot through her mouth like a bullet,” he said. The post-mortem report, shown to the AP, said a broken, 2.6-cm diameter, 2-cm long airbag inflator lodged in the base of Nida’s skull. Her teeth were smashed and her nose fractured. Injuries to her brain stem likely caused her immediate death, it said.

“As a Muslim, I accepted her death as fate but I also believe she is a victim of multinational corporate manslaughter,” Shamshir said. “I hold Honda and Takata responsible. This isn’t an isolated case. We have five deaths in Malaysia, five very preventable deaths.” More than 100 million vehicles involving 17 automakers have been recalled worldwide, including 69 million in the US alone, underscoring the scale of the crisis.

‘Bullet’ The first accident in Malaysia in July 2014 killed a pregnant women and her unborn child. Three other people died after Nida’s death, the last on Sept 24. Norazlin Haron died in a minor collision June 26 in a suburb of Kuala Lumpur. A few weeks earlier, she had tried to get her car’s airbag replaced after receiving a recall notice, but was told to return in July because parts were not available, said her eldest sister, Nor’ain Haron. A fractured inflator, found in the car, may have punctured Norazlin’s chest and lungs, said Nor’ain. “It’s like having a live bullet in the car,” said Roslinya Latip, Norazlin’s sister-in-law. “Honda is not doing enough. You sent a letter with an urgent stamp but there is

no spare part and no Plan B. What’s the point?”

Honda’s first letters to car owners were labeled an “invitation for product update”. Later letters, stamped “urgent”, notified car owners of an “airbag inflator replacement activity,” but did not explain the recall and risks involved. There is also no explanation nor mention of deaths in the recall section of Honda Malaysia’s website. Honda America has a website on the recalls explaining the problem, including a video clip showing how the airbags can explode. It lists dates and locations of airbag-related deaths in the US. There are no international standards for auto safety or recalls. The Malaysian Association of Standards Users, a consumer group, blames the deaths on lax auto safety laws. It has called for a new vehicle safety authority similar to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the US, and for a strict, clear warranty law to protect car owners. Malaysia is Southeast Asia’s third-biggest car market after Thailand and Indonesia, with more than 666,000 new cars sold last year. The transport ministry and the Road Transport Department didn’t respond to AP queries about the airbag recalls and accidents.

Honda Malaysia told the AP in an email that 60 percent of the airbags have been replaced. The families of Nida and Norazlin are in negotiations with Honda over a settlement, as is housewife Rabiah Ibrahim, whose near-miss led her to speak out. A ruptured inflator slashed Rabiah’s neck on May 3 after a minor accident in a small town in northwestern Perak state. Rabiah, who bought the car used in 2010, says she didn’t know about the recall. “I am so thankful that I have been given a second chance in life, but Honda should be responsible,” she said. — AP

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

S P ORTS Spainish court calls for two-year jail for Neymar

Bale forced off with ankle injury LISBON: Real Madrid suffered a huge injury scare just 11 days before facing Barcelona as Gareth Bale hobbled off with a right ankle injury just under an hour into their Champions League clash at Sporting Lisbon. Bale has been in supreme form in recent weeks having tied his future to the European champions with a bumper contract extension to 2022. As well as travelling to Barca for El Clasico, Real face a hectic schedule in the coming weeks with a Champions League clash against Borussia Dortmund and the Club World Cup in Japan to come in December. Real were leading 1-0 when Bale was replaced by Marco Asensio with just a point enough to guarantee their place in the knockout stages for a record 20th consecutive season. —AFP

BARCELONA: Spain’s public prosecutor has called for Barcelona soccer player Neymar to be sent to prison for two years for his part in a corruption case over his transfer from Brazilian club Santos to the Liga champions in 2013, said a court filing yesterday. Judge Jose Perals also called for a five-year sentence for former Barca president Sandro Rosell and a fine of 8.4 million euros ($8.9 million) for the club, but called for charges against current president Josep Maria Bartomeu to be dropped. The case stems from a complaint by Brazilian investment group DIS, which owned 40 percent of Brazil forward Neymar’s transfer rights and which alleges it received less money than it was entitled to as Barca concealed the real transfer fee. Barcelona have been engulfed in legal troubles over Neymar’s transfer since 2013.

Rosell resigned as the club’s president in 2014 for his role in the affair and testified in court in February alongside Bartomeu, Neymar and Neymar’s father. The club struck a deal with prosecutors in June to settle a separate case and paid a 5.5 million euro ($6.2 million) fine and avoided trial on charges of tax evasion over the transfer.—Reuters

Swansea’s Ki out for two weeks with broken toe LONDON: Swansea City midfielder Ki Sung-Yueng is set to miss their next two Premier League matches with a toe injury which will keep him out for about two weeks, the Welsh club said yesterday.

Ki has featured in all five of the club’s league games since American Bob Bradley replaced Francesco Guidolin as manager. The 27-year-old was left out of the team for Swansea’s 1-1 draw at Everton on Saturday, having been on international duty with South Korea, but came on for the last few minutes. “Ki Sung-Yueng faces a spell on the sidelines after breaking his toe. The midfielder is expected to be out of action for around two weeks after suffering a fracture in the third toe of his right foot,” the club said on their website (www.swanseacity.net). Swansea, who are bottom of the table with six points from 12 games, host 16th-placed Crystal Palace at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday before a trip to Tottenham Hotspur. —Reuters

—Photos by Joseph Shagra

Mutawa Alkazi presents 4WD Bj40 for Al-Dihani, Al-Rashidi KUWAIT: In appreciation for their historical achievements of Fuhaid Al-Dihani on receiving the golden medal and Abdullah Al-Tarqi AlRashidi on receiving the bronze medal in Rio 2016 Olympiad, Mutawa Alkazi Group gave a reception and appreciation parts for the two Champs at its Principal Office, which was attended by executives and personnel, in addition to a crowd of customers and attendees.

They were received by Omar Sulaiman Alkazi, CEO of Mutawa Alkazi Group and its affiliates and the sole agent of BAIC Motors, GAC Motor and DFM Motor, who welcomed them and presented for each a 4WD Bj40 as a present, in appreciation for such honorable achievement.

Alkazi asserted that presenting a 4WD Bj40 for Fuhaid Al-Dihani and Abdullah Al-Rashidi was a symbolic present from Mutawa Alkazi Group for Champ Fuhaid Al-Dihani, who accomplished a world achievement on winning the golden medal in Double Trap competitions, after defeating the Italian rival 28 versus 27. Moreover, the group presented a similar vehicle to the Olympic Champ Abdullah AlTarqi Al-Rashidi, for receiving the bronze medal in Skeet Plate contests for men during 2016 Rio Olympiad, which was prominently distinct.

Alkazi paid tribute to such honorable achievement, as they gave the Kuwaitis and Arabs the best present and pleaded millions of people longing for athletes’ win of medals during such world championship. Despite Al-

Dihani and Al-Rashidi participated under the Olympic flag, they proved worthiness and make dreams come true. In addition, they restored trust in the Kuwaiti sports and athletes, despite the problem of world suspension and its consequences on the national athletes and sports. By such achievement, they proved that our champs are capable of facing challenges, overcoming difficulties, showing distinction and worthiness and giving Kuwait a facelift, he asserted.

Alkazi stated that Mutawa Alkazi Group firmly stands at the side of all Kuwaiti distinct people and youth, who are the source of pride, and supports all positive initiatives concerning all Kuwaiti people.

Regarding the BAIC Bj40 presented to Champs Al-Dihani and Al-Rashidi, the 4WD Bj40 is featured with flexible body arrangement and detachability of the roof and windscreen, which gives an exceptional driving experience, in addition to the human design and considerate details, e.g. panoramic reversing radar, powered foldable side mirrors, Hi-Fi stereo system and cup holder at air outlet. For the adventurous people, the Bj40 is provided with off-road survival information system to give the feeling if adventure and challenge and provide a distinct performance and control all road conditions. With Bj40, the more the roads difficult, the more the drive safer and more confident, thanks to the standard configuration of ultra-high anti-roll frame, which constitutes a natural barrier to protect passengers.

Bj40 boasts a strong separate frame construction, which increases its torsional stiffness by 40%, so that Bj40 is in a position to withstand any extreme torque compared to any similar vehicle. It can work under all kinds of weather and topography by 2.5 times magnified torque up to 542 N/M, in addition to 2-wheel rear drive and highspeed 4-wheel drive and low-speed 4-wheel drive, for giving an exceptional pleasure while driving and a spirit of adventure. It was built as per the military vehicle standards and provided with V4 CC2400 motor.

It was tested like a military vehicle to verify road performance, and it has successfully experienced a road test over one million kilometers, in addition to top military security standards, including employment of metalembraced brakes and all-floating drive axle.

The 4WD Bj40 is featured with various colors to fulfill the needs of possessors of such vehicles, e.g. black, white, dark red, red and green. He asserted that Mutawa Alkazi Group is interested in providing the best offers, including prices, guaranty and registration, in addition to the approved maintenance at the service centers located in Ahmadi and Shuwaikh, performed by the most skilled engineers and technicians capable of achieving the process as soon as practicable to enable secure and safe road drive, and constantly providing the original spare parts against the best prices. He called upon all to visit Mutawa Alkazi Group showrooms in Rai, Shuwaikh and Ahmadi to have an idea regarding the latest

offers and examine various BAIC, JAC and DFM vehicles, which fulfill different needs of customers of diverse ages and requirements.

Eventually, Alkazi asked Al-Dihani and AlRashidi to keep on distinction and lead all competitions and hold Kuwait name and flag high in the skies of all international, Arabic and GCC circles besides other Kuwaiti champions in all arenas, so that Kuwait would restore

position of prestige as always, thanks to the efforts of its citizens.

In turn, Fuhaid Al-Dihani and Abdullah AlRashidi thanked Mutawa Alkazi Group for such generous initiative and referred to its distinguished role in supporting all Kuwaitis in all aspects, for its social responsibility at all times, and hoped constant success for all staff at the Group.

Jorgensen says China still the team to beat

Abdo Feghali watches Omani competitor

Oman hosts Red Bull Car Park Drift Final.

Oman Hosts Red Bull Car Park Drift Final Soon PORT SULTAN QABOOSON: With the Red Bull Car Park Drift Final 2016 only weeks away, the spotlight is now shining on the sport of drifting and the athletes who dedicate their lives to it.

The Red Bull Car Park Drift Final 2016, the region’s biggest drifting competition held in association with the Oman Automobile Association (OAA), will bring the best drifters from the Middle East and Africa to the Sultanate for the first time to battle it out for the coveted ‘King of Drift’ title. The event will take place at Port Sultan Qabooson Friday December 9.

Champion rally driver and Red Bull Athlete Abdo Feghali designs the challenging tracks for all the local qualifiers around the region and plans to make the most demanding track yet at this year’s final. According to Feghali, the standard of drifting in Oman has reached new heights in recent years.

“The level of drifting in Oman is now really good and every year I must make the lives of the drifters harder and harder with increasingly challenging track layouts,” commented Feghali.

“The work of the Oman Automobile Association to create a special drifting track it has really helped to educate people about drifting and has given the public the opportunity to watch events in one place. This has done a lot for the development of motorsports, especially drifting in Oman,” added Feghali. The Red Bull Car Park Drift Final puts the competitors’ skills to test as they are expected to deploy a high level of expertise and courage to push their engines and car bodies to the limits, while maintaining exceptional car handling skills, all at high speeds.

Competitors are all hungry to compete for the title and need to keep their car in control as they drift around the designated track, which consists of a winding course featuring obstacles and sharp turns that all add to the challenge. The rigorous scoring system penalises drifters if they drift the wrong way or spin uncontrollably.

Official partners for the event include one of the world’s leading motor companies Nissan, global oil and gas company Total, online ship-

ping delivery service Shop & Ship, ultra high performance tires Falken Tires GoPro, MBC,

Red Bull Car Park Drift.

Ministry of Tourism, Hi FM, Hala FM, Times of Oman, Shabiba, Bank Muscat, Omran.

HONG KONG: Denmark’s Jan O Jorgensen believes China still rules the badminton world even though they were routed at the China Open last weekend, but warned yesterday that the West is catching up.

Jorgensen led Sunday’s drubbing of the Chinese in Fuzhou when he shocked the world and Olympic champion Chen Long in straight games to win the men’s singles title. China have ruled badminton for a decade but the golden age may be ending. They left the China Open without a trophy for the first time in the tournament’s 30-year history.

Jorgensen however remained cautious following one of the biggest wins of his career, saying China was far from a spent force. “The Western world is catching up a bit, but still (China) have so many good players,” he told AFP at the Hong Kong Open, after winning his first-round match in straight games. “They’re still so strong and the favourites going into every tournament.” With the great Lin Dan in the twilight of his career and other top performers facing growing competition from foreign players, China are now looking for a new generation of world-beaters to emerge.

Following the rout China’s top badminton prospects called for patience and vowed to reassert the country’s dominance. “Some players are getting older and then there are the up-and-coming players. We need time and experience,” said women’s doubles player Li Yinhui. “But that doesn’t mean things are shifting away or that we cannot maintain the dominant position.”

The 19-year-old was among China’s runners-up in Fuzhou on Sunday when she lost in both the women’s and the mixed doubles finals.

Her women’s doubles partner, Huang Dongping, 21, was confident China would reassert its grip and brushed off suggestions the pressure was increasing.

“No, I don’t feel any pressure. We just focus on every match,” said Huang, after the pair beat Taiwan’s Chiang Kai-Hsin and Hung Shih-Han in the first round in Hong Kong. “We don’t focus on too many other things.”

The China Open debacle was the latest disappointment in what has been a difficult year for Chinese badminton. —AFP

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

S P ORTS

Singapore in the driving seat as it negotiates new F1 deal SINGAPORE: After negotiating Singapore’s current Formula One deal, Bernie Ecclestone said in 2012 the hardest thing was explaining to the authorities that “we don’t race for free”.

Four years on, the F1 boss appears to be frustrated again as he tries to keep one of the most glamorous races on the calendar after the contract expires in 2017, at a time when the city-state is weighing whether the event makes economic sense anymore.

With its tourism industry increasingly diversified, a stronger country brand than when it first hosted the event in 2008 and other major sporting events in the bag, Singapore seems to have the upper hand in the talks with F1.

Moreover, Ecclestone and F1’s new owners, US cable TV mogul John Malone’s Liberty Media, face a new risk: with Malaysia pulling out of a new deal, they could altogether lose their presence in

Southeast Asia, one of the world’s fastestgrowing regions.

F1’s 86-year-old commercial supremo first told German magazine Auto Motor und Sport that Singapore does not want to host F1 anymore, then clarified he did not want to lose Singapore. His comments suggest talks getting tougher.

“I think Singapore has come in and negotiated hard and has realised they are in a position of strength to do so,” said James Walton, head of the Sports Business service line at Deloitte Singapore and Southeast Asia.

“This is one of the top ranked grand prix ... and one of the markets that the key sponsors of F1 are most interested in.”

Singapore’s government funds 60 percent of the S$150 million ($105.13 million) it costs to host the race each year.

Analysts say the city-state is weighing the costs, and benefits, of staging the event in the future.

Singapore GP, the event’s organiser, said it would not comment on “ongoing commercial negotiations”. A decision is expected before year-end, Ecclestone has said. The Singapore race is one of the most popular, taking place at night on a street circuit with spectators entertained by music acts such as Beyonce and Justin Bieber, while TV watchers get a bird’s-eye view of the glitzy skyline.

As a top wealth management hub, the city-state is a natural draw for the region’s affluent people, a key target of Formula One sponsors such as Hugo Boss and Tag Heuer, a luxury LVMH brand. But the significance of that is bigger for Ecclestone than for Singapore, which also hosts events such as the WTA women’s tennis Finals and the Rugby 7s series that bring over 100,000 visitors each. While the F1 initially played an important role in boosting the tourism industry, Singapore has diversified its offering, now focusing

every order book is important and I believe this is not a small order book,” said Kurt Wee, President of the Association of Small & Medium Enterprises. He added though that “everybody would understand that the event has to be sustainable”. And that is where Singapore has another argument. Attendance, which topped 100,000 on all three days in the first year, has declined, with this year’s race averaging 73,000 spectators for each day, down from 87,000 in 2015.

With the global economy slowing, the numbers might fall further and a five-year commitment may not be so appealing, although this may be offset in the future

by Malaysia pulling out as F1 fans in the region would have only one nearby option. “If you think of the government as a business, I think they have to manage their funds prudently to get the most bang for their buck,” said ANZ economist Weiwen Ng.— Reuters

on the emerging middle classes from China, India and Indonesia. Tourism is actually a bright spot in a slowing economy. In the first eight months of this year, before this September’s F1 race, the number of visitors was up 10.3 percent from the same 2015 period, at 11.3 million.

Tourism receipts grew 12 percent to S$11.6 billion ($8.1 billion) in the first half of 2016.

REWARDS To be sure, Singapore has benefited from hosting F1. Since the 2008 debut race, the event has generated S$150 million in tourism receipts every year on average, except for 2009 at the height of the global financial crisis.

But about 80 percent of the spending gets recycled into the economy, with local firms hired for circuit set-up, ticketing and security, the Singapore Tourism Board says. “In these economic times,

‘Toughest yet’ 39th Dakar Rally unveiled PARIS: The 39th Dakar Rally will be raced over nearly 9,000 kilometres from January 2-14 in Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay and will demand “extreme endurance”, organisers announced yesterday. The race will set off from the Paraguayan capital of Asuncion, with race sporting director Marc Coma promising “the toughest edition in the history of South American rally-raiding”.

There will be one week spent on the Bolivian Altiplano, with five stages raced at crushing altitudes of more than 3,500m (11,480ft), going up to 4,500m. “High up in the mountains, you’re really tested on a respirator y level,” race director Etienne Lavigne told AFP. “Producing an effort is more complicated. Competitors will experience this discomfort very often and for long periods.”

There will also be six special stages of more than 400km, dune crossing and driving in sand, especially on the sections of the route still unknown to rally-raid regulars or during the all-important “Super Belen” stage, three days from the finish line in Buenos Aires.

“It’s a very physical course for the competitors, the stages are long and on the bike or quad they’ll be very physically challenged,” Lavigne said, adding that the rally threw up an unprecedented series of

extreme geographical scenarios and climates. “There will be great differences between the tropical temperatures in Paraguay, the high-altitude climatic conditions (in Bolivia) and then the descent into the northwestern part of Argentina which is very dry and desert-like.

“The nature of the terrain, both tricky, rocky, off-road, numerous sandy parts on the route, along with rain, wind, sometimes snow, mud, sand, salt... It makes for a very complicated cocktail for the competitors.”

Some 316 vehicles, including 83 cars and 146 motorbikes, are registered for the rally, which will feature old hands such as Peugeot’s French duo of defending champion Stephane Peterhansel and Cyril Despres, and Toyota’s two-time winner Nasser al-Attiyah of Qatar and South African Giniel De Villiers. Also in the running will be nine-time world rally champion Sebastien Loeb and Carlos Sainz, both in Peugeots, 2004 Dakar champion Nani Roma in a Toyota and Finland’s Mini driver Mikko Hirvonen, fourth on his debut in 2016. It will be the ninth time the Dakar Rally has been held in South America.

The race was cancelled in 2008 over security threats in Mauritania, organisers taking the decision to move the rally to another continent in 2009.— AFP

BOSTON: Tuukka Rask #40 of the Boston Bruins makes a save against the St. Louis Blues as teammate John-Michael Liles #26 clears the rebound during the second period at TD Garden on Tuesday in Boston, Massachusetts. The Blues won 4-2. —AFP

Allen stops 39 for Blues in 4-2 win at Boston

PARIS: Peugeot driver Stephane Peterhansel, of France, poses during the presentation of the Dakar Rally 2017 in Paris, yesterday. The race will start in Paraguay and finish in Buenos Aires in Argentina from Jan. 2 to Jan. 14, 2017. — AP

Decisive day looms for Hamilton and Rosberg ABU DHABI: Lewis Hamilton feels he faces “pretty impossible odds” going into Formula One’s Abu Dhabi title-decider while Mercedes team mate and rival Nico Rosberg says he will treat Sunday’s race like any other. Both are being disingenuous, of course. Hamilton knows he still has a real chance and Rosberg is well aware just how much is at stake.

While Rosberg is the favourite to win the ‘Duel in the Desert’, needing only to finish on the Yas Marina podium to become Germany’s third world champion after Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel, he will still be on tenterhooks. “I will give it everything to end the season with a win,” said Rosberg, the son of Finland’s 1982 champion Keke, even if cynics suspect he would be happy enough to settle for a fourth successive second place.

“I’ve had a great week, relaxing and catching up with my family and friends, so I feel like I’m in a good place. “In Brazil ... I was joking that I would still be taking things one race at a time. But, the more I think about it, the more that’s actually not as crazy as it sounds. I have to treat this like any other race.”

That has become Rosberg’s mantra, his increasingly-implausible mechanism for dealing with the pressure as the title talk grows louder. That stress will be greater than ever on Sunday, a lifetime’s ambition within reach after years of being beaten by Hamilton.

How he handles it in the day-to-night race could be crucial.

‘IMPOSSIBLE ODDS’ Hamilton, who started the year tipped to become Britain’s first four times world champion but goes into the season-ender 12 points adrift, has less pressure.

He must finish in the top three to have any hope but, in his mind, has nothing to lose and everything to gain. “I’m faced with pretty impossible odds no matter what I do this weekend. But I can’t and won’t give up. You never know what might happen, however unlikely it may seem,” said the reigning champion. In fact four of Hamilton’s nine wins this season (Monaco, Canada, Austria and

Germany) came with Rosberg off the podiuma result that if repeated for a fifth time in 21 races on Sunday would hand him the title.

Not quite the impossible odds he suggested. Hamilton, who has won the last three races and could end the year with more wins than Rosberg (nine each at present), knows only too well that a mechanical failure or first corner collision can change everything in an instant. At Abu Dhabi in 2014, Hamilton won both race and title while Rosberg started on pole but had a power unit problem and finished out of the points.

There is also the prospect of rivals-and particularly the Red Bull pairing of Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen-getting in among the title contenders.

Verstappen in particular showed in Brazil, with a superlative drive through the field to third in the closing laps and wet conditions, that he is no respecter of reputations, nor is he afraid to get stuck in.

Further back, Williams’s Brazilian Felipe Massa will be bowing out after his 250th race start in what also looks likely to be a farewell for 2009 world champ Jenson Button at McLaren. “It’s going to be another emotional one,” said former Ferrari driver Massa.

“I really hope the final, and 250th race of my Formula One career, can be a fantastic one. We will of course have a big party.

Hopefully we can celebrate with a great result.” — Reuters

Lewis Hamilton

BOSTON: Robert Bortuzzo and Paul Stastny scored 2:12 apart in the second period and Jake Allen had 39 saves, helping the St. Louis Blues beat the Boston Bruins 4-2 on Tuesday night to extend their winning streak to four.

Jori Lehtera scored twice for St. Louis, including into an empty net with 1:16 left. Colton Parayko and Patrik Berglund each had two assists. Longtime Blues captain David Backes scored for Boston in his first game against his former club, putting the Bruins up 1-0 early in the first with the 20,000th goal in franchise history. Montreal is the only other NHL team with 20,000 goals. Dominic Moore also scored for the Bruins, who lost for just the third time this season with Tuukka Rask starting in goal.

Rask had 24 saves for the Bruins, who had won four of five.

HURRICANES 2, MAPLE LEAFS 1 Viktor Stalberg scored a tiebreaking, shorthanded goal in the second period, lifting Carolina over Toronto for its fifth straight victory. Jeff Skinner also scored for Carolina, and Cam Ward stopped 25 shots. Frederik Andersen made 27 saves for Toronto, which lost for only the third time in 10 games at home. Jake Gardiner had the Leafs’ goal.

Stalberg got the deciding tally against his former team after Tyler Bozak’s pass was picked off in the neutral zone. Stalberg entered the zone alone, beating Andersen for his third goal of the season.

York over Anaheim. Thomas Greiss made 39 saves and Adam Pelech and Josh Bailey scored in regulation for the Islanders, who had been 0-4-1 on the road this season.

Each team had four goals in the shootout through 13 rounds. Af ter Kevin Bieksa missed on a slap shot to start Round 14,

Leddy waited out Jonathan Bernier before snapping in the winner. Anaheim nearly won in the 12th when officials reviewed a tying goal by New York’s Thomas Hickey, but officials determined that Hickey did not interfere with Bernier on his attempt and awarded him the tally. — AP

NHL Results/Standings St. Louis 4, Boston 2; Carolina 2, Toronto 1; Ottawa 4, Montreal 3; Philadelphia 3, Florida 1; NY Islanders 3, Anaheim 2 (SO).

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

Montreal

Western Conference Central Division W L OTL GF 13 5 2 61 11 6 3 51 8 7 5 53 9 7 2 46 9 10 2 58 8 7 3 50 9 9 0 39 Pacific Division 11 8 1 59 9 7 4 52 10 8 1 45 10 9 1 51 8 12 1 49 7 10 2 41 6 9 2 44 Eastern Conference Atlantic Division 14 4 2 63

GA 53 53 66 35 62 48 49 51 49 42 51 69 61 56

PTS 28 25 21 20 20 19 18 23 22 21 21 17 16 14

Tampa Bay

12

7

1

62

49

25

Ottawa

11

7

1

44

49

23

Boston

11

8

0

47

44

22

Florida

10

9

1

53

54

21

Toronto

8

8

3

58

62

19

Buffalo

7

8

4

37

48

18

Detroit

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

9

8

3

65

68

21

Carolina

8

6

4

47

50

20

NY Islanders

6

8

4

45

56

16

Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in the 46

30

standings and are not included in the loss column (L)

SENATORS 4, CANADIENS 3 Mark Stone and Erik Karlsson scored 2:24 apart in the third period, helping Ottawa rally to beat Montreal. Stone tied it at 3 early in the third from the slot after three Canadiens players got caught behind their own net. Karlsson then scored at 5:37, the visitors’ first lead of the evening, on a fluke no-look shot from the blue line after a bad giveaway by Jeff Petry.

Mike Hoffman and Derick Brassard also scored and Craig Anderson made 36 saves for Ottawa. Shea Weber, Alexander Radulov and Alex Galchenyuk scored for Montreal. Andrei Markov had three assists, and Carey Price stopped 19 of 23 shots.

FLYERS 3, PANTHERS 1 Steven Mason made 38 saves and Wayne Simmonds had a goal and an assist, helping Philadelphia beat Florida. Nick Cousins and Dale Weise also scored for the Flyers, and rookie Travis Konecny and Brayden Schenn had assists. Reilly Smith scored for the Panthers, who got 25 stops from Roberto Luongo. The loss spoiled the return of Florida forward Nick Bjugstad, who had missed all of this season after an injury in the preseason.

ISLANDERS 3, DUCKS 2, SO N ick Leddy scored the winner in a marathon 14-round shootout, lifting New

LAS VEGAS: Majority owner Bill Foley (L) speaks with emcee Chris Maathuis before the Vegas Golden Knights was announced as the name for Foey’s Las Vegas NHL franchise at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday in Las Vegas, Nevada. The team will begin play in the 2017-18 season. —AFP

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

S P ORTS

India women to forfeit Pakistan matches, says ICC NEW DELHI: India have been docked six women’s championship match points after failing to play against Pakistan amid simmering tension between the South Asian rivals, the world cricket body said yesterday.

The International Cricket Council (ICC)

awarded Pakistan, who were supposed to host the games, two points for each of the three matches that were scheduled to be held between August 1 and October 31.

The ICC technical committee said it had considered written submissions

from both the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and its Pakistani counterpart before making the call.

“The technical committee was sensitive to the current state of relations between the nations of India and Pakistan, but concluded that the BCCI

had not been able to establish acceptable reasons for not participating in this series,” the ICC said in a statement.

The decision means the Indian eves, who stay fifth in the points table, will miss out on automatic qualification for the 2017 World Cup in England.

Bilateral ties between the men’s cricket teams have been suspended since 2012 when Pakistan last toured India, but they have met each other in international tournaments including the World Cup, World T20, Champions Trophy and Asia Cup. — AFP

NZ eye first Pakistan series win in decades HAMILTON: New Zealand have a chance to seal a first series win against Pakistan in more than 30 years in the second Test in Hamilton with the tourists without talisman Misbah-ul-Haq. The seventh-ranked Black Caps go into the match which begins tomorrow 1-0 up in the two-Test series following a comprehensive eight-wicket victory over second-ranked Pakistan in the opening Test in Christchurch. A win or draw in Hamilton will be enough for New Zealand to notch their first series win over Pakistan since 1985 and only their third ever in 22 series between the two countries.

The last time they met six years ago in Hamilton, New Zealand collapsed spectacularly in their second innings, losing their last eight wickets for 50 runs to be beaten by 10 wickets.

Wahab Riaz took three wickets in that onslaught and comes into contention for this Test after being by-passed in Christchurch. Pakistan need their own injection of good fortune as they battle to turn around a sub-par batting performance in Christchurch where they totalled only 304 in two innings.

“As a batting unit we need to put up a better show ... We have to improve in the next game,” said Azhar Ali, who takes over the captaincy in the absence of Misbah.

The inspirational Misbah, who has kept Pakistan unbeaten in the last seven series they have played around the world, has returned home following a family bereavement.

He would not have been available even if he had stayed in New Zealand after receiving a one-Test ban for Pakistan’s slow over rate in the first Test. “We’ll miss him, definitely,” Azhar said. “Obviously we have to cope with that now and whoever comes into the side will take that opportunity and give us runs, as well as the stability he gives us in the middle.”

YASIR DECISION Apart from the likely inclusion of Wahab, Pakistan were revealing little about the make-up of their side for a pitch that generally offers pace and reverse swing, with some turn as the match progresses. Azhar even suggested there was the possibility that acclaimed leg-spinner Yasir Shah could be excluded.

“We’ll see the pitch and make the decision then. Whatever the conditions tell us, we’ll try to pick the best XI for those conditions,” he said. New Zealand have spinner Mitchell Santner back in their squad after recovering from a wrist fracture while Dean Brownlie, whose last Test was in 2013, was recalled as cover for Ross Taylor after a growth was detected in his left eye.

However, late Wednesday the 77-Test veteran was cleared to play in Hamilton, although he will undergo surgery afterwards. “Both the specialists he’s seen in recent days have advised Ross still has 20/20 vision and Ross himself feels confident he is ready to play,” team physiotherapist Tommy Simsek said.

“Ross will still need to undergo a medical procedure on his eye to remove the pterygium before it gets any larger. “He’ll have surgery following the Test which rule him out of cricket for approximately four to six weeks.”

New Zealand, like Pakistan, were short of runs in the first Test but declared themselves delighted with the “world-class” seam attack of Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner and Colin de Grandhomme, suggesting no change there.

“The way the four seamers in particular got into spells, held their areas for long periods ... was world class and it certainly was a huge effort,” said captain Kane Williamson. Both sides head to Australia after the Test, where New Zealand will play three ODIs and Pakistan three Tests as well as a series of limited-over matches. — AFP

ADELAIDE: Cricket South Africa chief executive Haroon Lorgat (L) speaks at a press conference with South Africa’s cricket captain Faf du Plessis (R) ahead of the third Test cricket match between Australia and South Africa in Adelaide yesterday.—AFP

Du Plessis denies cheating, says made ‘scapegoat’ ADELAIDE: South Africa captain Faf du Plessis said yesterday he had been made a ‘scapegoat’ by the International Cricket Council and denied any wrongdoing after being found guilty of ball-tampering during the second test against Australia.

Du Plessis, who was sanctioned for the same offence in 2013, was charged last week after footage emerged from the Hobart test of him applying saliva to the ball with a mint in his mouth.

Cricketers in the field are permitted to, and routinely do, ‘shine’ one side of the ball by applying saliva with their fingers and rubbing it on their uniforms to encourage the ball to swing in the air when it is bowled. However, it is forbidden to use ‘artificial’ substances to work on the ball.

After a marathon ICC hearing in Adelaide on Tuesday, the 32-year-old was fined his entire match fee but cleared to play in the series finale in Adelaide.

The ICC verdict was defended by its South African Chief Executive David Richardson as a “line in the sand” but current and former players slammed the decision, saying every team shined the ball in the same way. Du Plessis, standing in for injured regular skipper AB de Villiers, expressed regret that the case had taken away from his team’s series-winning triumph in Australia and said he had never intended to cheat. “I still completely disagree with (the verdict),” Du Plessis told a media conference in Adelaide in calm and measured tones. “I felt like I’ve done nothing wrong. “It’s not like I was trying to cheat or anything, I was shining the ball. “It’s something that all cricketers do. “Our mouths are always full of sugar, I think it’s such a grey area in the laws of cricket.

“I just ask for that everyone gets treated the same way. I think that’s fair.

“Obviously the ICC has taken a stance against me, to use me probably as a scape-

goat now, but all you can ask for is that everyone gets treated the same.”

BIG DEBATE Sitting beside Du Plessis, Cricket South Africa Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said he had asked the skipper to hold off from appealing the charge pending further information from the ICC. “We will pick up this topic with the ICC,” Lorgat, a former chief executive of the sport’s global governing body, said.

“It’s a big academic debate about this.

“I am personally aware of the pervasiveness of this issue. I get stories told all the time.” South Africa wrapped up the series 20 by thrashing Australia by an innings and 80 runs in Hobart last week, with the touring side’s bowlers dominating.

“I suppose the thing that’s most disappointed us is that we’ve dominated and played exceptionally well,” said Du Plessis.

“That’s taken all the shine away from that, excuse the pun,” he added, breaking into a wry smile as reporters chuckled.

Du Plessis was backed by Australia captain Steve Smith, who denied his team had ever complained about the tactic.

“I’ve seen Faf’s comments in his press conference ... We along with every other team around the world shine the ball in the same way,” Smith told reporters.

The charge laid by Richardson last week angered the South African camp, as did the close attention from local journalists, one of whom clashed with a team security guard at Adelaide Airport after the Proteas touched down on Monday. “Thanks for all the love last week,” Du Plessis said with irony to reporters. “What happened at the airport was pretty disappointing ...

Because I was never really going to be ble to give any answers (before the hearing).

“I did feel there was a sense of (the media) looking for a reaction.” — Reuters

BULAWAYO: Sri Lanka batsman Niroshan Dickwella is in action during the fifth match of triangular one-day international series between Sri Lanka and West Indies at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, yesterday. — AFP

S Lanka snatch thrilling victory over Windies BULAWAYO: Sri Lanka took three wickets in the last three overs to snatch a thrilling one-run victory over West Indies in the triangular one-day series yesterday.

Niroshan Dickwella and Kusal Mendis both scored 94 runs as Sri Lanka posted 330 for seven from their 50 overs but for the second game running, West Indies worked themselves into a winning position before falling agonisingly short of their target as they finished on 329 for nine.

Needing 10 runs off the final over bowled by Nuwan Pradeep, Sulieman Benn belted the third delivery for six to leave the West Indies requiring three runs from the final three balls.

But amid a frantic finish they could only manage one more run and must now battle hosts Zimbabwe on Friday to determine who will play Sri Lanka in Sunday’s Tri-Series final.

A sparkling maiden ODI century from West Indies opener Evin Lewis (148 from 122 balls) was in vain as captain Jason Holder (45 not out) was the only other batsman to get past 30 in the innings. As they had done in their last match against Zimbabwe, when they could only manage three from the final over to tie, West Indies failed to close out the match.

Lewis was one of three run outs in the innings that came at crucial times and kept Sri Lanka in the game.

Dickwella and Mendis shared a 107-run part-

NHL results/standings Scoreboard at close of play in the fifth Triangular Series match between Sri Lanka and West Indies yesterday in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

Sri Lanka Innings D. de Silva c&b K. Brathwaite 58 K. Perera b Gabriel 7 N. Dickwella lbw b Holder 94 K. Mendis c Hope b Nurse 94 S. Jayasuriya b C. Brathwaite 9 U. Tharanga c Nurse b Holder 26 A. Gunaratne c R. Powell b Holder 6 S. Pathirana not out 24 Extras (lb-7 w-5) 12 Total (for 7 wickets, 50 overs) 330 Fall of wickets: 1-18 K. Perera, 2-123 D. de Silva, 3-230 N. Dickwella, 4-258 S. Jayasuriya, 5-277 K. Mendis, 6-291 A. Gunaratne, 7-330 U. Tharanga.

Did not bat: N. Kulasekara, N. Pradeep, S. Lakmal Bowling: S. Gabriel 5-0-29-1(w-1); J. Holder 10-0-57-3; C. Brathwaite 7-0-64-1(w-2); A. Nurse 8-0-58-1; K. Brathwaite 10-0-56-1(w-1); S. Benn 10-0-59-0(w-1).

West Indies Innings J. Charles c Tharanga b Lakmal

26

nership for the third wicket as Sri Lanka posted a formidable 330 in their innings.

Dickwella fell six runs short of a century as he

E. Lewis run out (K. Mendis, Dickwella) 148 K. Brathwaite b Gunaratne 16 S. Hope run out (Pradeep) 25 J. Carter run out (Tharanga) 6 R. Powell lbw b N. Kulasekara 10 J. Holder not out 45 C. Brathwaite b N. Kulasekara 19 A. Nurse c Dickwella b Lakmal 2 S. Benn c D. de Silva b Pradeep 11 S. Gabriel not out 0 Extras (lb-6 w-15) 21 Total (for 9 wickets, 50 overs) 329 Fall of wickets: 1-63 J. Charles, 2-133 K. Brathwaite, 3-175 S. Hope, 4-198 J. Carter, 5-224 R. Powell, 6-262 E. Lewis, 7-307 C. Brathwaite, 8-312 A. Nurse, 9-328 S. Benn.

Bowling: N. Kulasekara 10-0-73-2(w-7); S. Lakmal 10-067-2(w-3); S. Jayasuriya 4-0-20-0(w-1); N. Pradeep 10-065-1(w-3); S. Pathirana 7-0-51-0; A. Gunaratne 9-0-471(w-1).

was trapped leg before wicket by Holder and Mendis then also missed out as he edged a delivery from Ashley Nurse. — Reuters

Patel replaces injured Saha as India keeper MUMBAI: India have called up wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel for the third test against England after Wriddhiman Saha was ruled out of the match in Mohali with a thigh strain, the country’s cricket board (BCCI) said yesterday.

Saha replaced Mahendra Singh Dhoni as India’s test wicketkeeper after the former captain retired from the five-day format at the end of

2014. He has played 20 tests for India but will be unavailable for the match starting on Saturday.

“BCCI medical team confirms that India wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha developed a strain in his left thigh during the second match... played against England at Visakhapatnam,” the board said in a statement. “As a precautionary measure, Saha has been advised rest and will not play in

the next test match of the series.” Patel became test cricket’s youngest wicketkeeper when he made his debut as a 17-year-old against England in 2002 and has gone on to play 19 more tests for the country, the last in Sri Lanka in 2008.

The hosts lead the five-match series against England 1-0 after winning the second test in Visakhapatnam by 246 runs. — Reuters

VISHAKHAPATNAM: In this photograph taken on November 19, 2016 India’s wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha (L) watches as England’s Jonny Bairstow (C) plays a shot during the second Test cricket match between India and England in Vishakhapatnam. Saha was yesterday ruled out of the third Test against England, prompting the selectors to recall Parthiv Patel. — AFP

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

S P ORTS

India to be site of league elite training center NEW YORK: An elite NBA Academy training center for India’s top male and female players will open next April near Delhi, the league announced Tuesday.

The academy will be the fifth of its kind in the world, following three in China and another in Australia. The NBA will conduct a national scouting program starting later this month to identify the inaugural pool of 24 elite prospects who

will train at the academy, with selections to be made by next February.

“The NBA remains committed to growing the game in India, and the launch of NBA Academy India marks our most significant investment in basketball development in the market,” said Brooks Meek, NBA Vice President of International Basketball Operations.

“This academy will provide the top

well as development of education, leadership and character skills off the court.

“NBA Academy India will help us identify and develop elite homegrown prospects and shape the next generation of national players,”said NBA India Managing Director Yannick Colaco.

“Youth basketball players in India have had relatable figures to look up to in Sim Bhullar and Satnam Singh, and now NBA

male and female prospects in India with world-class coaching and training, as well as academic support and an emphasis on life skills.”

Each center will feature under-18 and under-16 teams, with travel sides selected for international events. Prospects will have NBA-level coaching, facilities and competition and a global network to maximize achievement possibilities as

Academy India will give them a platform to prepare for the opportunity to develop into a professional-level prospect.”

Existing NBA grassroots programs engaged more than 12 million youth worldwide this past season. ACG-NBA Jump, India’s first national basketball talent search program, debuted last year and offered a chance to attend tryouts for the NBA Development League. — AFP

Ex-English players allege sex abuse LONDON: Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Paul Stewart and two other explayers have come forward to allege sexual abuse at the hands of youth coaches when they were children. Stewart, capped three times by England, said he was repeatedly sexually assaulted by a man who threatened to kill his family if he told anyone. The 52-year-old, who also played for Liverpool and Manchester City, joins former Crewe Alexandra players Andy Woodward and Steve Walters in speaking out about abuse they suffered.

“The mental scars led me into other problems with drink and drugs,” Stewart told yesterday’s Daily Mirror. “I know now it was a grooming process. The level of abuse got worse and worse.

“I wanted people to know how difficult it was to come forward. It stirred up a lot of my past which I thought I had buried.” Stewart, a married father of three, said other players were also abused by the man, who was not named.

Stewart was encouraged to speak out after Woodward told The Guardian he had suffered years of abuse at the hands of convicted paedophile Barry Bennell, a former youth coach at Crewe.

Bennell was jailed for nine years in 1998 after pleading guilty to sexual offences against young boys. He was imprisoned for two years in May 2015 for a historic sexual offence against a boy and has also spent time in jail in the United States. Cheshire Police, responsible for policing the Crewe area, said six people had come forward saying they wanted to speak to police in the light of Woodward’s interview.

‘IMMENSE COURAGE’ Woodward told The Guardian: “My life

has been ruined until the age of 43, but how many others are there?

“I’m talking about hundreds of children who Barry Bennell cherry-picked for various football teams and who now, as adults, might still be living with that awful fear.”

Walters, who became Crewe’s youngest debutant in 1988, said he had also been abused by Bennell.

“All these years, I’ve had this secret inside me,” he told The Guardian. “But I have to let it all out now. It’s the only way. I want closure and I know, for a fact, this is going to help me move on.” Based in northwest England and currently in England’s fourth tier, Crewe have a wellestablished reputation for developing young players. Crewe chairman John Bowler, who was in position at the time of Bennell’s offences, told the BBC the club were “distressed” by the accusations and would review the situation.

He added he was “very sorry for the distress caused” to Woodward and Walters. Woodward has been praised for speaking out by Britain’s National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC). “It is time for the government and sports organisations to work together to close gaps in child protection and make sure that the thousands of sports clubs across the country have robust safeguarding policies in place,” said an NSPCC spokesman.

England’s Football Association has set up a helpline for former players to report abuse. In a joint statement, the FA, the Premier League and the Football League described Woodward’s story as “heartbreaking” and praised his “immense courage”. — AFP

NEW YORK: New York Knicks guard Derrick Rose (25) goes to the basket past Portland Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum (3), guard Damian Lillard (0) and forward Maurice Harkless (4) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, at Madison Square Garden in New York.

The Knicks won 107-103. — AP

Porzingis, Rose help Knicks edge Blazers NEW YORK: Kristaps Porzingis had 31 points and nine rebounds, Derrick Rose scored six of his 18 points down the stretch, and the New York Knicks beat the Portland Trail Blazers 107103 on Tuesday night. Rose made the go-ahead basket with a little more than 3 minutes remaining and hit the jumper that clinched it with 6.8 seconds left. Carmelo Anthony finished with 17 points despite a scoreless fourth quarter for the Knicks, who won their fifth straight at home.

Brandon Jennings had 11 assists off the bench.

Damian Lillard scored 22 points for the Trail Blazers but fell to 4-1 at Madison Square Garden. CJ McCollum added 16 points.

NUGGETS 110, BULLS 107 Rookie Jamal Murray scored a season-high 24 points, Will Barton hit two free throws with 9.5 seconds left and the Nuggets beat the Bulls.

It was Denver’s 10th straight home win over the Bulls and its 16th in the last 17 meetings at Pepsi Center. Butler had 35 points and eight rebounds for Chicago, which last won in Denver on Feb. 8, 2006. Dwyane Wade had 22 points after sitting out Sunday’s game against the Lakers. The Nuggets used a 22-0 run at the start of the second quarter to take a 41-31 lead.

Murray had 15 of his 17 first half points in the period and Wilson Chandler scored 12 of his 16 in the second quarter. The game was tied when Barton was fouled on a drive to the basket, and he hit two free throws left to give Denver a 109107 lead. Isaiah Cannon shot an airball on a 3point attempt and the Nuggets got the ball.

Paul Stewart

PELICANS 112, HAWKS 94 Tim Frazier had 21 points and 14 assists, Terrence Jones added 17 points and the Pelicans won their third straight game with a victor y over the Hawks. Pelicans for ward Anthony Davis returned to begin the fourth

NBA results/standings NY Knicks 107, Portland 103; New Orleans 112, Atlanta 94; Denver 110, Chicago 107.

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

Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L PCT 8 6 .571 8 6 .571 7 7 .500 4 9 .308 4 10 .286 Central Division 10 2 .833 9 6 .600 7 8 .467 6 7 .462 6 9 .400 Southeast Division 9 5 .643 8 5 .615 6 8 .429 4 9 .308 4 9 .308

GB 1 3.5 4

Oklahoma City Portland Utah Denver Minnesota

2.5 4.5 4.5 5.5

LA Clippers Golden State LA Lakers Sacramento Phoenix

0.5 3 4.5 4.5

San Antonio Houston Memphis New Orleans Dallas

quarter after bruising his right knee and missing the second and third periods. Davis, a threetime All-Star and the NBA’s leading scorer, finished with 13 points. New Orleans led by 20 at the end of the first quarter and never let up.

Dennis Schroder and Kyle Korver each scored 14 for the Hawks, who have lost three in a row.

Atlanta was tied for the Eastern Conference lead last week but now begins a five-game road trip playing its worst basketball of the young season. The Pelicans have won five of seven and are 3-0 since Jrue Holiday returned after missing the first 12 games to be with his sick wife.

LAKERS 111, THUNDER 109 Nick Young hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 5

Western Conference Northwest Division 8 7 .533 8 8 .500 7 8 .467 6 8 .429 4 9 .308 Pacific Division 13 2 .867 12 2 .857 8 7 .533 5 9 .357 4 11 .267 Southwest Division 11 3 .786 9 5 .643 9 5 .643 5 10 .333 2 11 .154

0.5 1 1.5 3 0.5 5 7.5 9 2 2 6.5 8.5

seconds to play, and the Los Angeles Lakers blew a 14-point lead in the final minutes before rallying for a 111-109 victor y over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night.

Young finished with 17 points and Jordan Clarkson had 18 for the Lakers, who survived a monster performance by Russell Westbrook in the final minutes. After Westbrook scored 17 points in a five-minute span to trim the Lakers’ big lead to one point, Steven Adams scored on a go-ahead putback of Westbrook’s miss with 13.9 seconds to play. The Lakers then passed the ball around the perimeter before Young coolly drained his fourth 3-pointer of the night.

Westbrook missed a long shot shortly before the buzzer. —AP

Cowboys try to match best start by beating Redskins WASHINGTON: Dak Prescott will try to match the best NFL season start in Dallas Cowboys history today when the star-helmeted squad hosts arch-rival Washington in a US Thanksgiving holiday showdown.

The Cowboys, with an NFL-best 9-1 record, are not the only division pace-setters in action as NFC North co-leaders Detroit and Minnesota meet while AFC North co-leaders Pittsburgh visit Indianapolis.

Rookie quarterback Prescott, who has relegated veteran Tony Romo to a reserve role, guided Dallas to nine consecutive triumphs since losing on September 11, but this is the first time he will play such a major game on only three days of rest. “I’m excited about it,” Prescott said. “I’ve never done this before, to respond real quick and play another game. But I love ball and I love these games. I’m excited for it and looking forward to it.” The only 10-1 start in Cowboys history came in 2007 but it will take completing a season sweep of the Redskins to equal it.

“We’re taking it one game at a time and focusing on what’s happening at that moment,” said Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant, who has five touchdown catches. “We’re not looking too far ahead.” The Cowboys have a 29-18 with one drawn record in their traditional Thanksgiving home game, including a 6-1 record on the holiday against Washington. The Redskins, 6-3 with one draw, are off to their best start since 1986 and since losing to Dallas 27-23 at home on September 18, they have six wins and a draw from eight games. “We’re feeling good, but at the same time it’s a short week and we’re playing one of the best teams in the NFL on Thursday,”

said Washington’s Kirk Cousins, who has seven touchdowns passes in his last three games.

Redskins’ defenders will be tested by the league’s top rookies in Prescott, who has thrown for 17 touchdowns and run for four more, and Ezekiel Elliott, who leads NFL rushers with 1,102 yards.

LIONS WIN WITH LATE HEROICS At Detroit, the host Lions and Vikings are both 6-4. A fourth-quarter fightback has been needed in every Detroit triumph.

“Every one of their games they’ve played have been seven points or less,” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said. “I think they’ve done a great job at the end of ballgames, including the one we played. The biggest thing is once you start winning, you develop confidence and that’s what they’ve done at the end of ballgames.”

Detroit won 22-16 at Minnesota earlier this month, Matt Prater forcing over-time with a 58yard field goal and Matthew Stafford throwing a 28-yard touchdown pass to Golden Tate for the victory. The Lions have won three Thanksgiving Day games in a row after dropping nine consecutive games on the holiday.

“I expect it to be an awesome atmosphere and both teams playing at a high level,” Stafford said. “From a game-planning standpoint, at least you’re familiar. They are fresh in your mind from just a couple of weeks ago. It doesn’t diminish the challenge. They’re a really good defense.”

COLTS OUT OF LUCK? At Indianapolis, the host Colts and Pittsburgh enter 5-5. That has the Steelers level with Baltimore atop the AFC North while the Colts

PITTSBURG: File photo shows Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle David Irving (95) leaps over Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Xavier Grimble (85) during the first half of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Nov 13, 2016. Today Dallas Cowboys squad hosts arch-rival Washington in a US Thanksgiving holiday showdown. —AP trail AFC South leader Houston by one game.

With both clubs two games off the pace for a wildcard berth, they know the easiest playoff path is by winning a division crown.

Colts quarterback Andrew Luck is in the NFL concussion protocol and has only four days to

pass the tests to return to the field in order to face the Steelers. Only one player this season has done that in less than five days.

Scott Tolzien, a backup in Green Bay the past three seasons, would start in Luck’s place. He has thrown only one NFL pass since 2013.

“We’ve got a guy that comes to work every single day and prepares like a starter ever since he’s been in this building,” Colts coach Chuck Pagano said. “He understands and knows this offense and if that’s the case, he’ll go out and play winning football.” —AFP

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

S P ORTS

Mourinho ties his fate to Ibrahimovic at United MANCHESTER: Jose Mourinho’s announcement that Zlatan Ibrahimovic will stay at Manchester United for a second season was a bold statement of faith in a striker still trying to prove himself in England. United’s manager swatted away questions about the 35-year-old’s pace and suitability, effectively tying their fates together as they seek a way to turn around United’s season.

“We are going to execute the option of a second season,” said Mourinho. “After that he can do what he wants.”

While it is not hard to see why Ibrahimovic would re-sign a one-year deal reported to be worth 260,000 pounds ($323,362.00) a week, some United fans question whether he remains the right man to spearhead their attack into his 37th year.

The goals have dried up after five in his first five games. Since then the Swede has netted three times in 12 attempts, once against Ukrainian side FC Zorya in the Europa League and twice versus Swansea City, the Premier

League’s bottom side. Although some of those strikes were spectacular, Ibrahimovic has appeared a throwback in a season where Chelsea and Liverpool have literally set the pace with highoctane performances that have seen them surge ahead of sixth-placed United.

The Swede defended himself with characteristic charm on Wednesday when it was suggested at a news conference that he had not shone this season.

“I shine for 24 hours (a day), so it depends how you want me to shine,” he

said. “I’ve been in the game for 20 years and, while I’m getting older, I feel I’m getting better as I get older.

“I am shining in one way or another, but if you want me to shine even more then I will try and do it for you,” he joked.

The problem is Mourinho has already identified a lack of pace as a problem for his attack, explaining he overlooked Wayne Rooney at home to Arsenal on Saturday because he was too slow.

Wednesday’s contract announcement was all the more surprising because

Ibrahimovic had suggested earlier this week that he might “outnapoleon Napoleon” by decamping to the MLS. “Perhaps I should do what Napoleon didn’t and cross the Atlantic and conquer the States as well,” he told Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet. But first he must conquer Manchester. With a trophy bagged every season since 2001, including 13 league titles, and a statue to be erected in his honour in Stockholm, Mourinho clearly believes Ibra will deliver. — Reuters

Hat-trick delights Reus, Tuchel in record win DORTMUND: Marco Reus was delighted to have netted a hat-trick on his comeback in Borussia Dortmund’s record 8-4 hammering of Legia Warsaw in the Champions League after six months out.

“That was an important step for me, it’s how you imagine your first day back will go,” said Reus with a grin. “I’ve worked hard for this moment and I am pleased that I could help the team.”

The Germany winger led the way in a record-goal haul for a Champions League game. The 12-goals in Dortmund on Tuesday bettered the competition’s previous record of 11 set when Monaco beat Deportivo de La Coruna 8-3 in November 2003. With Dortmund already through to the last 16, the huge win keeps them top of Group F, two points clear of Real Madrid with one match to go.

Dortmund’s Shinji Kagawa and Legia’s Aleksandar Prijovic also finished with two goals each thanks to some poor defending by both teams. Reus, who captained Dortmund, made his return after 185 days out with an adductor injury which sidelined him for June’s European championships. It was his first match since Dortmund lost the German Cup final to Bayern Munich on penalties in Berlin on May 21. Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel was delighted with Reus’ return as he welcomed back one of his key stars on a night when the goals flowed.

‘FANTASTIC’ “You couldn’t have expected him to score three times in his first game back,” enthused Tuchel. “This is extraordinary and a fantastic performance,” he added in praising his team. “This is the quality which has been missing for months and Marco has been sorely missed.” But Tuchel admitted Dortmund have clear defensive frailties to fix. He said he was feeling sorry for goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller, who was often left brutally exposed by his defence. “It was surreal, I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Tuchel. “There is clearly room for improvement in terms of defence, especially on a counter-attack. “I felt really sorry for Roman and we have to address these blatant errors.”

Ex-Germany goalkeeper Weidenfeller, 36, back in the starting line-

up after first-choice Roman Burki broke his hand in Saturday’s 1-0 league win over Bayern Munich, was unhappy with his defence. “There are points we should talk about, we must behave differently in defence,” he fumed. “We’re playing here in the Champions League, you have to give a different account of yourself. “It was a great game for the spectators, but we should not have leaked four.”

NINE CHANGES Tuchel had made nine changes to the side which beat Bayern on Saturday and Prijovic took advantage of sloppy defence to chip his shot home and stun the Dortmund crowd on 10 minutes.

Even though UEFA had banned Warsaw’s fans from this particular match for previous bad behaviour, a small band managed to get into the stadium and cheered their side’s opener. But Borussia roared back with five goals in 16 minutes. Their first three goals came in 198 seconds when Kagawa headed home on 17 minutes, then slotted a second just a minute later. To compound Warsaw’s problems, a clearance punch from goalkeeper Radoslaw Cierzniak clattered off Nuri Sahin’s chest and into the Legia goal to make it 3-1 on 20 minutes.

Prijovic pulled another goal back for Warsaw on 26 minutes, and could have claimed a hat-trick when his chip hit the crossbar moments later.

Dortmund’s French winger Ousmane Dembele made it 4-2 when he beat several defenders to fire home on 29 minutes.

He then helped Kagawa set up Reus for his first on 32 minutes. Dembele weighed in with his third assist of the night with a superb cross to allow Reus to claim his second and Dortmund’s sixth on 52 minutes.

Warsaw midfielder Michal Kucharczyk pulled a third goal back for Legia on 57 minutes before Pierre -Emerick Aubameyang came off the bench to hit the post for Dortmund. Dortmund defender Felix Passlack then scored his first Champions League goal before Hungary striker Nemanja Nikolic netted Warsaw’s fourth in the final ten minutes. Reus wrapped up his hat-trick in the 93rdminute when he converted Aubameyang’s final pass at point-blank range. — AFP

Ten-man Sevilla furious as Juventus fightback to qualify SEVILLE: Sevilla were left fuming at English referee Mark Clattenburg as Juventus came from behind to win 3-1 in Spain and seal their place in the last 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday.

The hosts made the per fect start through Nico Pareja’s ninth minute opener, but were reduced to 10 men after just 36 minutes when Franco Vazquez was shown a second yellow card by Clattenburg.

A controversial Juventus penalty converted by Claudio Marchisio followed and Sevilla coach Jorge Sampaoli was also sent to the stands before two goals in the final six minutes from Leonardo Bonucci and Mario Mandzukic ensured the Italian champions’ progress.

By contrast, Sevilla’s first defeat in Group H means they have to avoid defeat by a two-goal margin away to Lyon in two weeks to guarantee their place in the last 16. “When they went down to ten men, they closed down all the space and we made several mistakes. Fortunately my left foot came to the rescue,” Bonucci told UEFA.com. “We can celebrate because we reached our first objective, but now we have many others.” However, Sevilla winger Vitolo claimed it was Clattenburg who changed the game.

“Today two decisions from the referee have harmed us,” the Spanish international told BeIN Sports Spain. “At 1-0 we were

playing well, in control and taking the game to them; we didn’t have many problems. “All of a sudden we are left with a man less and he has given a penalty that for me you can’t give.”

Juventus travelled to Spain shorn of a number of key players, including first choice strike pairing Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala, and got off to the worst possible start. A corner from the right was only partially cleared and the loose ball was expertly dispatched into the bottom corner from the edge of the area by Pareja.

Sergio Escudero nearly added a spectacular second as his volleyed effort flew just over the bar. However, ugly clashes between the two sets of fans on Monday night that left one Belgian Juventus fan in hospital, spiled onto the pitch in a badtempered encounter in which Clattenburg became the protagonist.

Vazquez’s poorly timed trip on Sami Khedira just inside the Sevilla half was shown no mercy by the official who took charge of last season’s Champions League final. Sevilla were far more infuriated in first-half stoppage time, though, as Clattenburg pointed to the spot when a series of bodies went to ground from a Juventus corner.

Sergio Rico got a hand to Marchisio’s spot-kick, but couldn’t keep the midfielder’s effort out. — AFP

SEVILLA: Sevilla’s Argentinian defender Gabriel Mercado (L) vies with Juventus’ Brazilian defender Alex Sandro Lobo Silva during the UEFA Champions League football match Sevilla FC vs Juventus at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in Sevilla on Tuesday. — AFP

LEICESTER: Leicester’s Christian Fuchs, left, and Brugge’s Jelle Vossen challenge for the ball during the Champions League Group G soccer match between Leicester City and Club Brugge in Leicester, England, Tuesday. — AP

Okazaki, Mahrez fire Leicester into last 16 LEICESTER: Shinji Okazaki and Riyad Mahrez scored as England’s miracle club Leicester City beat Club Brugge 2-1 on Tuesday to book their place in the Champions League knockout phase.

Leicester are toiling in defence of their 5,000-1 Premier League title, but the fairytale continues in Europe as they became the first Champions League debutants to win their group since Malaga in 2012. Porto’s failure to beat FC Copenhagen left Leicester five points clear at the Group G summit, guaranteeing them a kinder draw for the last 16 even before their final match away to Porto on December 7.

“We’re on another journey. I don’t know where, but we’re excited!” said Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri. “We started well, we pressed, scored twice and kept possession. But after they scored we lost our way a little.

“Now the group is won, it’s important to come back in the Premier League.” The only disappointment for Ranieri’s side, who sit two points above the relegation zone in the Premier League, was a second-half goal by Brugge’s Colombian winger Jose Izquierdo.

It prevented Leicester from becoming the first team since Manchester United in 2010 to keep clean sheets in their first five group games, but that was of secondary importance on a historic night. Brugge’s defeat at the King Power Stadium was their fifth in succession in the group and extinguished the Belgian champions’ faint hopes of pipping Copenhagen to a Europa League place. Leicester had needed less than five minutes to get off the mark in their 3-0 win in September’s reverse fixture and they were just as quick to get going in the teams’ reunion.

A sharp break down the left wing involving Marc Albrighton and Jamie Vardy culminated in Christian Fuchs curling a delightful cross behind the visitors’ defence that Okazaki hooked home at the near post. Leicester’s Jekyll and Hyde transformation had taken place once again and they swarmed all over their punch-drunk opponents in a manner reminiscent of last season’s extraordinary title surge.

Mahrez turned Laurens De Bock inside-out before drawing a near-post block from Brugge goalkeeper Ludovic Butelle, who also gathered a shot from Okazaki after Vardy nixed Brandon Mechele’s attempted clearance.

IZQUIERDO THUMPER In the 29th minute it was 2-0, Mahrez sending Butelle the wrong way from the penalty spot after Albrighton had lured Dion Cools into an untidy challenge on the edge of the box.

It was the Algeria winger’s fourth goal of the campaign, strengthening his position as the top scorer in the group.

Leicester goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler, deputising for Kasper Schmeichel, could not have wished for a gentler start to his competition debut, although he did have to box away a curler from Izquierdo.

Leicester went into half-time as the last team in the competition still to concede a goal, but that statistic would change within seven minutes of kick-off in the second half.

After winning the ball back in his own half, Izquierdo set off on a charging run down Brugge’s right flank before thumping a shot high past Zieler at his near post.

Players on both sides had goals chalked off for offside-Vardy for Leicester, Claudemir for

Brugge-before the hosts were given a scare when substitute Anthony Limbombe sliced wide. Seeking to keep Brugge on the back foot, Ranieri sent on the fleet-footed Jeff Schlupp and Demarai Gray for goal-scorers Mahrez and Okazaki, with Ahmed Musa following shortly after. Schlupp almost made an immediate

impact, seizing on a loose pass and dispatching a low shot that Butelle dropped to his left to save. Ricardo van Rhijn’s corners gave the hosts some nervy moments late on and Butelle twice prevented Gray from making it 3-1, but Leicester would not be denied their place among the continental elite.— AFP

Monaco send Spurs crashing out of Champions League MONACO: Harr y Kane scored his first Champions League goal but could not prevent Tottenham Hotspur from crashing out of the competition with a 2-1 defeat in Monaco on Tuesday. Spurs needed at least a point to keep their hopes of reaching the last 16 alive and Kane brought them level with a penalty shortly after Djibril Sidibe had put Monaco in front at the Stade Louis II. However, Thomas Lemar ended a whirlwind spell by restoring Monaco’s lead in the 53rd minute and the hosts-for whom Radamel Falcao had an early penalty savedheld on to claim the win that secures their place in the knockout stages.

Monaco are also guaranteed to progress as Group E winners, while Bayer Leverkusen are through too after drawing 1-1 away to CSKA Moscow in Russia earlier in the day.

“It is a beautiful victory. We are happy and let’s hope this continues,” Sidibe told beIN Sports of a Monaco side who are through to the last 16 for the second time in three seasons. “Our objective was qualification and we are first, which is important. We will savour this before we start looking forward.”

Meanwhile, Tottenham will go into their final match against CSKA at Wembley with only a berth in the Europa League after Christmas up for grabs.

It is a deeply disappointing outcome for Mauricio Pochettino’s men, who have now managed just one win in their last nine

matches in all competitions and have lost three of their five games in Europe.

“After we lost the first goal we came back with the penalty but it is difficult to understand how we conceded the (second) goal,” Pochettino said.

“If you want to go to the next level in the Champions League you can’t concede goals like that.” The Premier League side had showed their intent as Kane, Dele Alli and Mousa Dembele all started for despite having been cited as doubts before the game by Pochettino. Meanwhile, Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim named the attacking line-up that has made his team the most prolific in Europe’s leading leagues this season.

However, Tottenham missed a glorious chance to go ahead inside six minutes when Alli’s defence-splitting pass sent Song heungMin racing clear. The Korean found himself through one-on-one with Danijel Subasic but was pushed wide by the Croatian goalkeeper and the opportunity was gone.

Four minutes after that Monaco won a penalty. Fabinho went down in spectacular fashion under an Eric Dier challenge and Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers pointed to the spot, only for Hugo Lloris to dive low to his right and save Falcao’s kick. The home side did not let that miss get to them, instead continuing to look the more dangerous side but it took them until three minutes into the second half to get the breakthrough.— AFP

MONACO: Tottenham Hotspur’s Dutch striker Vincent Janssen (C) vies with Monaco’s players during the UEFA Champions League group E football match AS Monaco and Tottenham Hotspur FC at the Louis II stadium in Monaco on Tuesday. — AFP

Ex-English players allege sex abuse

‘Toughest yet’ 39th Dakar Rally unveiled

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

Okazaki, Mahrez fire Leicester into last 16

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Real strike late on Ronaldo’s homecoming LISBON: Cristiano Ronaldo was lauded like a king on his return to where his career began at Sporting Lisbon, but Real Madrid showed no mercy in booking their place in the knockout stages for a 20th consecutive season with a 2-1 win on Tuesday.

However, victory came at a cost for the European champions as Gareth Bale limped off just before the hour mark with an ankle injury just 11 days before Real travel to face Barcelona in El Clasico.

Real had substitute Karim Benzema to thank for all three points as he came off the bench to down Sporting’s 10 men with a fine finish from Sergio Ramos’s cross.

Raphael Varane had fired Real into a first-half lead, but Sporting captain Adrien Silva levelled from the penalty spot after Joao Pereira had seen a straight red card.

Real still need to beat Borussia Dortmund at home in two weeks’ time to top Group F after the Germans thrashed Legia Warsaw 8-4.

“The good thing is we didn’t give up,” said a relieved Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane. “When you concede you can think it is going to be difficult, but we kept going and in the end got the

goal through Karim. I am happy for him and the team as a whole.”

Ronaldo’s name was loudly cheered amidst the otherwise din of whistles that greeted the announcement of the Real team, whilst a banner with the message “Made in Sporting” was raised by the home fans with a picture of a teenage Ronaldo in their famous green and white hooped shirt.

Despite leaving Sporting for Manchester United at just 18 having not even won a trophy with the Portuguese giants, Ronaldo is revered in Lisbon having captained his country to a first ever international tournament win at Euro 2016.

The affection shown may even have had an effect on the normally ruthless Ronaldo as for the first time in four meetings against Sporting he failed to find the net.

After an intense Sporting start buoyed by a boisterous atmosphere, the holders slowly grabbed a stranglehold of the game and went in front on 29 minutes when Luka Modric’s low free-kick was deflected into Varane’s path and the French international swept home his third goal of the season.

Madrid captain Ramos was making his first

appearance in six weeks after spraining knee ligaments and came to his side’s rescue moments later to deflect Bruno Cesar’s goalbound shot behind.

Real were put under pressure at the start of the second period as Ramos cleared a dangerous cross from Gelson Martins and further disrupted as Bale hobbled off.

Zidane confirmed that further tests will be carried out on the Welshman back in Madrid to determine the extent of the injury.

However, Sporting’s chances looked to have gone when Pereira was harshly shown red for an off-the-ball clash with Mateo Kovacic. Despite their numerical disadvantage, Sporting were level 10 minutes from time when Silva blasted home from the penalty spot after substitute Fabio Coentrao had been penalised for handball.

Joel Campbell even had an effort saved by Costa Rican international teammate Keylor Navas as Sporting searched for the winner they needed to keep their Champions League hopes alive. Instead, they were hit with a Real sucker punch as Benzema fired low into the far corner to set up a shootout with Dortmund for top spot in a fortnight. — AFP

Qatar coach threatens to resign if naturalized players excluded

LISBON: Real Madrid’s Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo jumps for a ball during the UEFA Champions League football match Sporting CP vs Real Madrid CF at the Jose Alvalade stadium in Lisbon on Tuesday. — AFP

DOHA: The coach of Qatar’s national soccer team has threatened to resign if a plan being considered by the country’s football authority (QFA) to exclude naturalized players from the squad is implemented.

Qatar has used its immense oil and gas wealth to recruit sportspeople from around the world to bolster its national team, part of an ambitious vault onto the world sporting stage by the wealthy Arab state which will host the soccer World Cup in 2022.

Jorge Fossati told local media on Wednesday that a plan by the QFA to reduce the number of foreign-born players could damage Qatar’s chances of qualifying for its first World Cup finals in Russia in 2018.

“I heard about a plan to exclude naturalised players and bring in more young Qatari players into the national team. It (discouraging naturalisation) is one point I don’t agree with at this stage,” Fossati told Doha Stadium Plus, an English-language sports weekly.

Fossati, who was hired by Qatar in September, said that if the federation went ahead with the plan he would quit.

“If the federation wants to go another way, I’ll respect its decision 100 per cent. And it’ll be better for the Qatar national team to have another coach who supports that view.” A spokesman for the QFA declined to comment. About half of Qatar’s national team are naturalised citizens, including Rodrigo Tabata of Brazil and Uruguay’s Sebastian Soria. In a match against China on Nov. 15 six players in the starting 11 were naturalised.

But Doha has also said it wants to foster local interest in sport among its roughly 300,000 citizens and to field a homegrown squad when it hosts the 2022 tournament.

World soccer’s governing body FIFA rules state that a player must have lived in a country continuously for five years after the age of 18 before representing the national side. — Reuters

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

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World economy needs Trump to build bridges Page 23

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LONDON: A video grab from footage broadcast by the UK Parliament’s Parliamentary Recording Unit (PRU) shows British Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond as he delivers his Autumn Statement to the House of Commons in London yesterday. —AFP

Brexit slams brakes on British growth UK cuts 2017 growth forecast to 1.4% from 2.2% LONDON: Britain’s economic growth will slow sharply next year, Finance Minister Philip Hammond told parliament yesterday in the government’s first budget statement since the nation voted to exit the European Union. The nation’s shock June 23 vote to leave the European Union will “change the course of Britain’s history”, Chancellor of the Exchequer Hammond said in his Autumn Statement exactly five months after the referendum.

Brexit “makes more urgent than ever the need to tackle our economy’s long-term weaknesses”, he added. Gross domestic product was expected to grow by only 1.4 percent next year sharply down from the prior estimate of 2.2 percent given in March. “That is slower of course than we would wish, but still equivalent to the IMF’s forecast for Germany, and higher than the forecast for growth in many of our European neighbors including France and Italy,” Hammond told lawmakers.

He noted however that the UK economy was predicted to have expanded by 2.1 percent this year, up from the government’s previous estimate of 2.0 percent. In a keenlyawaited budget, he unveiled a package of UK-wide investment projects, including the building of homes and road improvements.

Hammond also raised the country’s minimum wage level and hiked tax thresholds to give workers more take-home pay.

‘Uncertainty’ While viewed as a government attempt to trim of years of austerity triggered by the 2008 global financial crisis, Hammond confirmed he had abandoned predecessor George Osborne’s aim of a budget surplus by 2019/20. “In view of the uncertainty facing the economy, and in the face of slower growth forecasts, we no longer seek to deliver a surplus in 2019-20,” Hammond said.

But the government remains “firmly committed to seeing the public finances return to balance as soon as practicable, while leaving enough flexibility to support the economy in the near term”, he added.

The British economy has remained resilient since the referendum, even as a cut in the Bank of England’s main interest rate to a record-low 0.25 percent has contributed to a slump in the pound.

Hammond said the projected growth slowdown was due to “lower investment and weaker consumer demand, driven ... by greater uncertainty and by higher inflation resulting from sterling depreciation”. Some

experts have warned that a heavy blow could fall on the UK economy once divorce proceedings with the rest of Europe begin.

In an attempt to prepare Britain for leaving the EU, Hammond said the government planned to invest 1.0-1.2 percent of GDP on economic infrastructure from 2020, up from 0.8 percent now.

Pound flat Sterling was little changed at $1.2406. The Office for Budget Responsibility, Britain’s independent budget forecasters, said gross domestic product would grow by 1.4 percent in 2017, down from an estimate of 2.2 percent made in March, before voters decided to leave the EU. Hammond, announcing the first detailed economic plans of May’s government, said the OBR believes uncertainty about Britain’s trading relationships with its EU neighbors - who buy nearly half the country’s exports - will cut growth by 2.4 percentage points over coming years.

Hammond said the OBR now saw economic growth in 2018 at 1.7 percent compared with March’s forecast of 2.1 percent. “We will maintain our commitment to fiscal discipline while recognizing the need for investment to drive productivity and fiscal headroom to

Market tips, bold calls and eye-catchers for 2017 LONDON: Politics, economics and finance have all been turned on their head in 2016, and investors are already looking ahead to 2017 with anticipation and trepidation. The consensus, broadly, is that the 35-year bull market in bonds is over, inflation is back, central banks are maxed out, and for the first time in a decade any stimulus to the global economy will now come from governments. The implications for markets appear to be further increases in bond yields, developed world stocks and the dollar, while emerging market currencies, stocks and bonds are expected to struggle under the weight of higher US bond yields. In equities, developed markets are favored over emerging, cyclical sectors over defensive, banks are expected to benefit from steepening bond yield curves, while infrastructure spending could boost housing and construction stocks.

That’s the consensus. But what goes against that grain? Where might the wrinkles appear?

And even within the broad consensus, are there any eye-catching forecasts or trade recommendations?

1. Bond yields to FALL? HSBC, who correctly called the recent slide in US bond yields to historic lows, says bond yields may well rise next year and expects 10year Treasury yields to hit 2.5 percent. But in the

first quarter. After that, HSBC’s bond strategist Steven Major reckons they will fall back sharply again to 1.35 percent - effectively retesting the multi-decade low struck this year - because an initial rise to 2.5 percent would be unsustainable by tightening financial conditions, dragging on the economy and constraining the Fed. A bold call.

2. “Peak” 2016 For Bank of America Merrill Lynch, 2016 saw “peak liquidity, peak inequality, peak globalization, peak deflation” and the end of the biggest ever bull market in bonds. That all starts to reverse next year. “For the first time since 2006, there will be no big easing of monetary policy in the G7, and interest rates and inflation will surprise to the upside.” They even pin a date on when the bond bull run likely ended: July 11, 2016, when the 30-year US bond yield bottomed out at 2.088 percent. It’s 3 percent today.

3. Black Swans Economists at Societe Generale illustrate a graphic with four “black swans” that could blight the global economic and market landscape next year for good or bad. Mostly bad news. The tail risks they see as most likely to alter next year’s outlook stem from political

uncertainty (30 percent risk factor), the steep increases in bond yields (25 percent), a hard landing in China (25 percent risk factor), and trade wars (15 percent).

4. The euro also rises “The dollar is overvalued versus other G10 currencies.” Not something you hear too often, but it’s the view of Swiss wealth management giant UBS. They predict the euro will end next year at $1.20, going against the growing calls for parity (it hit a one-year low below $1.06 last week) or even lower. The euro will also draw support from the ECB tapering its QE, while undervalued sterling will pick itself up from its Brexit mauling to rally against the greenback.

5. The “good carry” in EM Few dispute that a higher dollar and US yields next year will hurt emerging markets.

Goldman Sachs has long championed a stronger dollar and higher yields. Two of their top 2017 trade tips, however, involve buying EM assets. One is going long on an equally weighted FX basket of Brazilian real, Russian rouble, Indonesian rupiah and South African rand versus short on an equally weighted basket of Korean won and Singapore dollar to earn “the good carry”. The other is going long Brazilian, Indian and Polish equities. —Reuters

support the economy through the transition.”

Prime Minister Theresa May has vowed to trigger Britain’s exit from the European Union by the end of March by activating Article 50 of the EU’s Lisbon treaty, which begins a twoyear countdown to leaving the bloc. As Hammond addressed the nation, a small group of pro-Brexit demonstrators were gathered outside parliament demanding Article 50 be triggered immediately.

Among his key tax-and-spend pledges, Hammond announced a £1.4-billion ($1.7-billion, 1.6-billion euros) investment to help build 40,000 “affordable” homes. Plans to ban certain costs incurred by renters of residential properties has already had an impact, with share prices of estate agents slumping in trading yesterday. The chancellor also announced a rise in the minimum wage to £7.50 an hour in April from £7.20. And he confirmed a plan to cut corporation tax to 17 percent by 2020 from the current 20 percent.

Over the weekend, May announced fresh investment in research and development, hiking the government’s spending by £2 billion annually until 2020. Investments will be rolled out through a new fund that will prioritize technologies including robotics, industrial biotechnology and medical technology.

LONDON: Philip Hammond leaves 11 Downing Street to deliver his Autumn Statement before Parliament yesterday. —AFP

Saudi lifts mood in regional markets MIDEAST STOCK MARKETS DUBAI: Saudi Arabia’s index firmed yesterday as blue-chips resumed their climb and the positive mood flowed into other Gulf bourses, carrying them higher.

Egypt’s market edged up, holding near an 8-year peak as foreign funds remained aggressive buyers. Riyadh’s index bounced 3.0 percent to 6,796 points, closing 93 points over technical resistance at the July peak of 6,703 points.

Turnover was almost double that of Tuesday.

Some blue chips continued to attract funds, with the top telecommunication operator Saudi Telecom Co (STC) jumping 4.6 percent. Riyad Capital said in note that STC has maintained its dividend policy of 1 riyal per quarter and they believe it has the ability to increase dividend payout because of its sound financials and strong cash position. “The company has 20 billion riyals in liquid assets consisting of cash and short term investment, three times its total debt.” Some of the large-cap petrochemical producers also ended on a strong footing, despite now trading at a slight premium to the their estimated fair values. Bellwether Saudi Basic Industries climbed 4.1 percent to 90 riyals; the average fair value according to Thomson Reuters data is

88.68 riyals. Banking shares, which succumbed to profit taking in recent days, firmed. All of the 12 listed lenders gained with National Commercial Bank closing 4.7 percent higher.

Many analysts believe that since there has been a shift in both the domestic and global macro environment, investors are betting that banks will be able to recover some of their profitability, with some banks now in a position to potentially increase their earnings next year.

Domestically, the interbank lending rates have come down significantly since the sovereign international bond sale last month; 3 month SAIBOR is at 2.1 percent, after hitting a seven-year high of 2.386 percent in October.

Goldman Sachs said in a note: “Saudi banks remain positively geared to higher global rates given high current account balances, predominantly a corporate loan book mix and monetary policy which closely tracks the US. As a result, interest rate tightening by the Fed should translate into a positive net interest margin uplift for the banks.”

Dubai’s main index added 1.8 percent, with the momentum building in the final hour of trade. Small and midsized shares, usually traded by local

investors, were chief gainers with builder Arabtec surging by its 15 percent daily limit in heavy trade. Dubai Financial Market, the only listed exchange in the Gulf, jumped 6.2 percent.

Abu Dhabi’s index rose 1.0 percent as Dana Gas added 1.8 percent. Lenders that are set to be merged at the start of 2017 gained with First Gulf Bank adding 2.2 percent and National Bank of Abu Dhabi closing 1.6 percent higher.

EGYPT CLINGS NEAR 8-YEAR PEAK Cairo’s index of the most actively traded shares edged up 0.3 percent, climbing back near an 8-year peak, but the number of trades fell by a third from the previous session. The index has now climbed 35.5 percent since the central bank ditched the currency peg to the US dollar on Nov 3 and faces strong technical resistance at its record 2008 peak of 12,039 points. Foreign funds remained net buyers of shares on Wednesday while local and regional traders cashed out, according to exchange data.

For a second day in a row, the broader index has outperformed, closing up 1.7 percent, suggesting that investors are preferring the less liquid names as an attractive bargain. —Reuters

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

BUSINESS

Saudi long bond shines in volatility after Trump win Saudi 2046 bonds outperform Qatar by big margin DUBAI: Saudi Arabia’s 30-year bonds are outperforming other Gulf debt during volatility triggered by Donald Trump’s election as US president, a sign of unsatisfied demand for Saudi debt and a good omen for issuance expected from Riyadh next year. The week to Nov 16 saw the largest outflows from emerging market debt on record, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch, partly because Trump’s election fuelled expectations of inflationary economic policy and higher US interest rates.

The $17.5 billion of paper which Riyadh issued last month, in its first international sovereign bond sale, was initially hit hard.

The 2046 tranche sank to 90.5 cents on Nov. 14 from 98.1 cents on election day, Nov. 8.

But Saudi 30-year bonds have since bounced back, to 95.6 cents, outperforming Qatari debt which was previously seen as the benchmark for 30-year bonds in the Gulf. “The bond is still trading very tight, and very tight to Qatar too, even tighter than before the Trump win,” a London-based trader said of Saudi 30year bonds, which have also outperformed US Treasuries. Their yield is up 16 basis points since the US election, compared to a rise of 37 bps for the 30-year US Treasury.

“We are seeing capital outflows from emerging market debt, but Saudi is not hit by it,” said a Dubai banker, adding that there was strong demand from Asian banks for the longer bonds.

Shorter-term Saudi bonds have also outperformed, to a lesser extent. Saudi Arabia’s 10-year paper is at 95.3 cents against 98.4 cents on Nov. 8; Qatar’s 2026 notes are at 97.7 cents against 101.3 cents.

Gravitational pull One factor bankers say is behind the outperformance is the “gravitational power” of the Saudi issue’s huge size, the biggest emerging market sovereign debt sale in history. Because the issue is so big, investors are attracted by its ample liquidity in the secondary market and have been selling less liquid Gulf paper to buy Saudi bonds. Another factor is the structure of primary market allocations. Asian investors took 22 percent of the $6.5 bil-

lion of Saudi 30-year notes and US buyers, 44 percent.

European investors also took a share, leaving an unusually small allocation for Gulf banks, which are now buying in the secondar y market, a United Arab Emirates-based fixed income trader said.

A third factor is an easing of concern about Saudi Arabia’s ability to cope with low oil prices. Although the long-term outlook remains uncertain, many investors think draconian state spending cuts and the success of last month’s sovereign bond issue have averted the threat of a financial crisis for now. The cost of insuring Saudi sovereign debt against default over the next five years dropped this week to its lowest since October 2015. — Reuters

Govt incentives boost Pakistan Islamic banks ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Islamic banks are introducing new products and adjusting policies to take advantage of government incentives designed to boost growth in the industry.

Sharia-compliant banks in the country, the world’s second most populous Muslim nation, held 11.4 percent of total banking assets in June, barely changed from a year ago. That is well below levels of around 25 percent seen in Gulf Arab states. To help change this, the government introduced a 2 percent tax rebate for sharia-compliant manufacturing firms in July to encourage them to eliminate interest-bearing debt from their balance sheets. The central bank has exempted Islamic banks from using interest-based benchmarks for some financing products.

Abdullah Ghaffar, head of investment banking at Al Baraka Bank Pakistan, a unit of Bahrain’s Al Baraka Banking Group , said he detected signs of an increase in demand for both short- and long-term Islamic financing.

The bank has launched sharia-compliant products to finance purchases of tractors by customers and structured short-term sukuk for a white-label electronic equipment manufacturer in Lahore.

“The customer opted for sukuk - slightly more expensive to float - over quick-to-market commercial paper,” Ghaffar said. Last month, Islamic lender Meezan Bank approved a new financing structure for use in the airline industry; it uses plane tickets as an asset to back Islamic deals in cases where fixed assets are not available.

Islamic banks are also adjusting internal policies which limit financing to manufacturing companies and the use of long-term maturities, said Syed Abubakr, sharia board member of Emaan Islamic Banking, a unit of Silk Bank.

There is some demand for new products from conventional banks planning to convert their operations into fullyfledged Islamic banks, including Faysal Bank and Summit Bank , Abubakr added.

These banks have large portfolios of conventional credit card and personal loan facilities, but sharia-compliant equivalents are needed to retain customers, he said.

Such moves could help Islamic banks continue to grow at double-digit rates; the sector’s assets grew 16.8 percent year-on-year in June, a slowdown from 37.3 percent growth recorded in the year to June 2015. Pakistan’s government believes it can pull more people into the formal banking sector-especially in rural areas — by expanding the Islamic finance sector, and this could boost economic growth.

Hurdles However, capitalisation levels could emerge as a constraint on growth, said Ghaffar. In June, Islamic banks had a combined, average risk-weighted capital ratio of 13.4 percent of assets, down 1.2 percentage point from a year ago, central bank data shows, compared to a banking industry average of 16.1 percent. This has prompted some Islamic banks to issue capital-boosting sukuk; in September Meezan raised 7 billion rupees ($66.9 million) via a private placement of subordinated sukuk.

Others have opted for consolidation: Al Baraka Bank Pakistan completed a merger with Islamic lender Burj Bank last month. The central bank helped earlier this month by lowering Islamic banks’ statutory liquidity requirement to 14 percent of total demand liabilities from 19 percent, reducing the amount of liquid assets which banks must maintain as reserves.

The ratio compares to 15 percent for conventional banks. Islamic banks face an acute shortage of sharia-compliant liquid assets, aggravated by limited supply of local currency sovereign sukuk. — Reuters

News i n

Kuwait oil price rises $1.05 to $43.56 pb KUWAIT: The price of Kuwaiti oil went up by $1.05 to $43.56 per barrel on Tuesday after being at $42.51 pb last Monday, said a statement by Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) yesterday. At the global level, the price of oil fluctuated due statements from an OPEC meeting in Vienna regarding the organization’s intension to lower production. The price of the Brent crude was up by 22 cents to settle at $49.12 per barrel.

US dollar stable against KD at 0.304 KUWAIT: The exchange rate of the US dollar stabilized at KD 0.304 the same case with the euro was at KD 0.323 rate compared with numbers Tuesday, said the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) yesterday. According to the CBK, the rate of the pound sterling was down to KD 0.378 while the rate of the Swiss france was stable at KD 0.301. The Japanese yen stood firm at KD 0.002.

Etihad Airways sets final size of 5-year sukuk at $1.5bn DUBAI: Etihad Airways has set its planned five-year sukuk at $1.5 billion, the upper end of an expected range of $1.25 billion to $1.5 billion, banks leading the transaction said yesterday. The UAE airline set the final spread for its debut Islamic debt issuance at 210 basis points over midswaps, after one bank involved said on Tuesday that final pricing was seen at around 215 basis points over midswaps. Allocation of the privately placed bond is expected to start on Wednesday and the bond will price immediately afterwards. The sukuk is being arranged by HSBC, JP Morgan and National Bank of Abu Dhabi. The bookrunners are Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Dubai Islamic Bank and First Gulf Bank.

Investcorp makes $250m investment in Boston, Denver

KARACHI: In this photograph taken on November 16, 2016, Pakistani stockbrokers monitor index board during a trading session at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSE) in Karachi. — AFP

DUBAI: Investcorp said yesterday its US-based real estate division had bought a portfolio of properties in the Boston and Denver metropolitan areas for about $250 million. The five investments included 20 buildings and 1.8 million square feet of office, industrial, flexible and laboratory space, the Bahrainbased alternative investment firm said in a statement. On Tuesday, investment management firm Arcapita, also based in Bahrain, said it had bought three housing schemes for senior citizens in the metropolitan areas surrounding Washington DC and Atlanta for about $110 million.

Greek businesses moving abroad to avoid austerity PETRITSI, Bulgaria: Greek businessman Prokopis Makris believes moving to Bulgaria three years ago was the best decision he ever made. The accountant shut his failing furniture company in Greece and opened a business helping other entrepreneurs move to Bulgaria to escape a 29 percent tax rate, which has jumped since Athens adopted austerity as part of an international bailout.

“We are bombarded with taxes in Greece, businesses are being annihilated,” he says in his plush office overlooking the town square of Petritsi, a Bulgarian town about 12 km (seven miles) north of the border with Greece. The debt crises faced by Greece and several other European countries led to drastic spending cuts and tax increases to improve government finances. But the higher taxes punished businesses forcing many to shut or move to lower tax jurisdictions such as Bulgaria or Cyprus, helping those economies but undermining the recovery needed to balance the books at home.

The number of Greek owned businesses based in Bulgaria, where the corporate tax rate is only 10 percent, has risen to 17,000 from 2,000 in 2010, when Greece had its first bailout, according to Bulgarian authorities. The Greek government is concerned. It plans a series of tax audits in cooperation with Bulgaria to determine if these business defections are merely changes of address designed to avoid tax rather than a physical relocation of operations.

“Many Greek businesses in neighboring countries may actually be most economically active in Greece,” said George Pitsillis, head of Greece’s Public Revenues Agency, adding that he suspected many firms were using

Bulgarian shell companies. “They may soon be in the unpleasant position of paying tax in both countries, plus fines.” Businesses relocated from Greece generate about 5 billion euros ($5.3 billion) annually and employ an estimated 53,000 people, according to 2014 data from Greece’s embassy in Sofia. Numbers are rising fast: 3,642 Greek businesses have been registered in Bulgaria so far this year, up from 3,262 for all of 2015, according to the Bulgarian Registry Agency.

Bulgaria says it will share tax details with Greece to help the audits. A bilateral tax treaty says a company cannot be taxed in both countries and the tax domicile is determined by wherever its principal activity is located. “If needed, we will cooperate with the Greek tax authorities under the mechanisms for exchange of tax information between EU member states,” Rosen Bachvarov, spokesman for Bulgaria’s national revenue agency, said when asked about the audits.

“Land of opportunities” Six hundred kilometres (372 miles) north of Athens, the Greek-Bulgarian border is teeming with traffic. A ravine through mountains on the Greek side gives way to a sweeping valley where agriculture and vineyards are the mainstay of the local economy.

At two small industrial parks 5 km inside Bulgaria, Greek signs are everywhere, advertising storage and office space. “There are dozens of Greek businesses just in this area alone, from transport companies to textile businesses and construction materials,” said Yiorgos Kalaitzoglou who runs a logistics business out of one of

the industrial parks where a sign reads, “Land of Opportunities”.

Three years ago, his business was stuttering in Greece.

He moved to Bulgaria, leaving his wife and family in Thessaloniki, Greece’s second largest city an hour’s drive away. “The taxman in Greece takes 70 to 90 percent of earnings, Greece simply doesn’t let you live,” the 50-yearold said as he walked through a warehouse stacked with ladders and paint tubs. It took him a few days to register his company in Bulgaria. Eighty percent of the goods he handles is imported from other European states and then exported to his customers in Greece. A sole trader, Kalaitzoglou now nets about 50,000 euros a year after paying the 10 percent corporate tax, a 5 percent tax on dividends and about 100 euros a month in pension contributions.

Hard times Serres, a town of just under 100,000 people on the frontier, has been hit by business flight. Membership of the Serres Chamber of Commerce and Industry has fallen to 10,000 from 17,000 pre-crisis as businesses have closed. Of the 7,000 that shut, 1000 went to Bulgaria, the chamber’s president Christos Meglas said. The departures have contributed to a rise in unemployment to 29.1 percent in 2015 from 13.8 percent five years earlier. Per capita GDP has fallen 15 percent to 9,676 euros for the region, the secondlowest in Greece. It was 11,421 euros in 2008. “Serres is a living example of how the rich became poor ... we were one of the richest prefectures, now we are among the poorest,” said Meglas. — 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 Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal ani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham

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

b r i e f

Swiss Franc Australian Dollar US Dollar Buying 20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

304.790 226.520 304.500 GOLD 248.17 127.01 64.35

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

Australian Dollar New Zealand Dollar

Canadian Dollar Georgina Lari US Dollars US Dollars Mint

Bangladesh Taka Chinese Yuan Hong Kong Dollar Indian Rupee Indonesian Rupiah

BUY Europe 0.372381 0.003988 0.039553 0. 319078 0.031812 0.071807 0.009155 0.029082 0.295493 0.087442

SELL 0.382381 0.015988 0.044563 0.328078 0.037012 0.071807 0.019155 0.034082 0.306493 0.097742

Australasia 0.218724 0.209503

0.230724 0.219003

America 0.221877 0.138026 0.301500 0.302000

0.230877 0.138025 0.306200 0.306200

Asia 0.003387 0.042946 0.037314 0.000391 0.000019

0.003971 0.046446 0.040064 0.004602 0.000025

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

0.002667 0.002993 0.000249 0.065612 0.002837 0.002712 0.006035 0.000051 0.208830 0.015686 0.001640 0.009453 0.008274

0.002847 0.002993 0.000264 0.071612 0.003007 0.003002 0.006335 0.000057 0.218830 0.024186 0.002220 0.009633 0.008824

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 0.804039 0.015609 0.000085 0.000188 0.425976 1.000000 0.000152 0.020095 0.000401 0.787345 0.083129 0.080407 0.001296 0.129912 0.087442 0.081779 0.001381

0.812539 0.024862 0.000086 0.000248 0.434976 1.000000 0.000252 0.044095 0.001036 0.793025 0.084579 0.081707 0.001516 0.137912 0.097742 0.083479 0.001461

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

BUSINESS

World economy needs Trump to build bridges

BEIJING: A magazine featuring a cover story about US President-elect Donald Trump is seen at a news stand in Beijing yesterday. — AFP

PARIS: President-elect Donald Trump’s big-spending plan to revitalize US infrastructure could be just the ticket to drag the world economy out of its post-crisis torpor, experts say. But there is a huge caveat, they warn: the plan’s benefits would be eroded if Trump executes his avowed aim of putting “America first” and tearing up commercial pacts, potentially igniting a trade war.

The Republican property tycoon’s team says he will devote $550 billion to rebuilding decrepit highways, bridges, tunnels, airports, schools and hospitals something that President Barack Obama failed to persuade Republicans in Congress to back. The idea has support from the International Monetar y Fund, the Federal Reser ve and Democrats, all keen to see the United States raise its productive capacity, despite the likelihood it will also ramp up its debt.

“All public money invested in US infrastructurewhich badly needs it-can only be welcome,” said Ludovic Subran, chief economist at the trade insurance company Euler Hermes. The United States suffers from congested highways, collapsing bridges and a ramshackle rail network. Bemoaning the state of US airports during the election campaign, Trump

said “we’ve become a Third World countr y ”.

Economies further afield would benefit at a time when Europe and Japan are struggling with the debilitating effects of deflation or anaemic growth.

“Inflation would spread everywhere in the world,” in a welcome filip to the central banks of Europe and Japan, according to Laurent Geronimi, a senior asset manager at the private bank Swiss Life.

Indeed, the bond markets have already signalled as much with trillions of dollars wiped off valuations since Trump’s election-a sign that investors expect a debt-fuelled spending splurge to drive up interest rates. That would benefit millions of savers and investors in pension funds who have struggled since the 2008 financial crisis ushered in a period of rock-bottom rates across the West.

Emerging markets could also win out if the dollar continues its recent bull run sparked by expectations of higher inflation and borrowing costs.

“If the American currency appreciates, that’s a good thing for us because we are exporters of oil and of raw materials that are priced in dollars. And when the dollar appreciates, we earn a bit more,” said Lucas Abaga Nchama, governor of the Bank of Central African States. — AFP

Sonangol delays payments as it battles to reform LONDON: Angola’s state oil company Sonangol has amassed hundreds of millions of dollars in debts and deferred payments to oil majors and contractors while its new chief, Isabel dos Santos, attempts to reform its operations. Contractors say they have waited months even for small payments from Sonangol, which handles the oil and gas reserves of Africa’s secondlargest oil exporter.

The delays began following the appointment of dos Santos, the daughter President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, in June to root out waste and corruption at a company that was struggling even before oil prices plunged.

As she worked to unravel the company’s myriad debts and repayments, outgoing cheques ground to a halt. Contractors and sources close to Sonangol said it is months behind in payments to nearly every entity it works with, from cash calls worth hundreds of millions and smaller payments of hundreds of thousands.

“They haven’t paid us, but we are talking to them,” a source at one contractor told Reuters. “ They ’re tr ying to make reforms but there is a cash flow problem.”

Sources told Reuters that those owed included Chevron , Total, BP, ENI and ExxonMobil . Sonangol has asked for a moratorium on other debts until the end of the year, they said.

This is the most significant effort yet to reform the central pillar of sub-Saharan Africa’s third-largest economy and one of the continent’s biggest companies.

Sonangol employs some of the Angola’s most powerful people and its tentacles spread beyond energy to real estate and railways, and trucking to telecoms.

The appointment of dos Santos was itself controversial. Her father has ruled Angola since 1979 and government critics accuse his family and associates of enriching themselves while doing too little to spread the benefits of Angola’s oil wealth

to its people. Isabel runs a multinational business empire that has made her Africa’s richest woman. A group of lawyers has filed a lawsuit accusing the president of nepotism and violating Angolan probity by appointing her as head of the state oil firm. The supreme cour t last month ordered him to respond to the inquiry.

Isabel dos Santos has defended the decision, saying she had been picked for her expertise and competence.

Government coffers At the start of the shake-up, she clipped the wings of the entire Sonangol legal department, barring them from conducting any external negotiations. This may have hindered sorting out payment complications.

She even booted out the hair-dressing and nail-bar salons that had set up shop inside Sonangol’s Luanda headquarters to pamper the oil executives in their lunch and coffee breaks, according to one Luanda-based diplomat.

Former chief executive Francisco de Lemos Jose Maria, along with the rest of the board, was replaced in June when dos Santos took over. Sources close to Sonangol said she had taken away Sonangol’s ability to pay its own bills directly. Revenues from oil sales now flow directly to government coffers, where payments must be approved before they go out.

The delays bubbled to the surface last month, when reports circulated that Chevron was demanding immediate payment of $300 million in unpaid cash calls the money that Sonangol is required to pay for operations on oil and gas fields.

Chevron declined to comment, but the talks prompted Sonangol to issue a rare statement about the troubles. “This perfectly normal situation in the Angolan oil industry is not unique or isolated,” the company said. — Reuters

FRANKFURT AM: Some passengers walk under a display showing cancelled flights due to a strike of pilots of German airline Lufthansa at the airport in Frankfurt am Main, yesterday. — AFP

Lufthansa pilots’ strike disrupts flight schedule BERLIN: Lufthansa pilots in Germany began a two - day strike yesterday, grounding some 1,800 flights at one of Europe’s largest airlines in a long-running pay dispute. The Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) pilots’ union initially called a 24-hour walkout for yesterday, but extended the strike for an extra day after two courts rejected attempts by Lufthansa to halt the industrial action.

Lufthansa, led by CEO Carsten Spohr, insists that despite a record profit in 2015, it has no choice but to cut costs to compete with leaner rivals such as Ryanair on shor t-haul and Emirates on long-haul flights. Shares in the company have lost 12 percent of their value this year, but were up 1.2 percent at 1309 GMT, outperforming German blue chips, which were down 0.5 percent.

Lufthansa cancelled 876 of roughly 3,000 flights scheduled by its group airlines for Wednesday, and scrapped 912 flights for today, affecting over 215,000 passengers in what is the 14th strike in the dispute since early 2014.

Lufthansa’s CEO has said he expects the strike to cost between 7 million euros and 9 million euros ($7.4 million to $9.6 million) a day.

The strike started at midnight and

affects flights departing from German airpor ts, including 133 long-haul flights.

Hotels for stranded Flights by Lufthansa’s other airlines, including Germanwings, Eurowings, Austrian Airlines, SWISS and Brussels Airlines, will not be affected, Lufthansa said. Austrian and SWISS are using larger planes to carr y passengers, while Lufthansa has reserved almost 4,000 hotel rooms in Frankfurt and Munich for stranded passengers. Lufthansa has called on the pilots to enter mediation, which has been rejected by their union because it is first seeking a better offer from management as a basis for talks.

The union wants an average annual pay increase of 3.7 percent for 5,400 pilots in Germany over a five-year period from 2012. Lufthansa has offered 2.5 percent spread over the six years to 2019.

In its effort to reduce costs, Lufthansa has agreed deals on pay and retirement schemes with the main unions representing ground staff and cabin crew in Germany. “It is incomprehensible that the union is calling for the biggest pay increase for the most well-paid group of staff,” Lufthansa board member Bettina Volkens said in a statement. — Reuters

PITTSBURG: Job recruiters work their booths at a job fair in Pittsburgh. The Labor Department reported on the number of first-time applications who applied for unemployment benefits in the previous week yesterday. — AP

US durable goods report hints at spending pickup Applications for unemployment aid rise WASHINGTON: New orders for US manufactured capital goods rebounded in October, driven by rising demand for machinery and a range of other equipment, pointing to a tentative pickup in business investment. While other data yesterday showed a jump last week in the number of people filing for unemployment benefits, the trend in claims remained consistent with a tightening labor market. The reports were supportive of views that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates next month. The Commerce Department said non-defense capital goods orders excluding aircraft, a closely watched proxy for business spending plans, rose 0.4 percent after declining 1.4 percent in September. These so-called core capital goods orders have now increased in four of the last five months.

“The report reinforces an emerging recovery in business investment, helped by a bottoming out in the oil and gas sector,” said Brittany Baumann, an economist at TD Securities in Toronto.

The reports joined bullish data on housing starts, home and retail sales, as well as firming inflation in painting an upbeat picture of the economy at the start of the fourth quarter.

Meanwhile, more Americans sought unemployment benefits last week. But jobless claims remain at low levels, showing that most American workers enjoy job security.

The Labor Department says applications for jobless aid rose by 18,000 to a seasonally adjusted 251,000. They had fallen the previous week to the lowest level since 1973. The less-volatile fourweek average slid by 2,000 to 251,000. The overall number of people collecting unemployment checks was 2.04 million, down more than 6 percent from a year earlier. Applications for unemployment benefits are a proxy for layoffs. They have stayed below 300,000 for 90 straight weeks, longest streak since 1970.

Economists had expected the claims numbers to bounce back after falling the previous week to the lowest level since 1973. That drop might have been exaggerated by problems adjusting the numbers to account for the Veteran’s Day holiday.

Claims at such low levels show that employers are confident enough in the economy to hold onto their workers. The US unemployment rate is 4.9 percent, close to what economists consider full employment.

The Atlanta Federal Reserve is forecasting GDP rising at a 3.6 percent annual rate in the fourth quarter. The economy grew at a 2.9 percent pace in the July-September period. Against the backdrop of a brightening economic outlook, a labor market that is near full employment and rising inflation, the Fed is expected to hike interest rates at its Dec 13-14 policy meeting. The US central bank raised its benchmark overnight interest rate last December for the first time in nearly a decade.

In a separate report, the Labor Department said initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 18,000 to a seasonally adjusted 251,000 for the week ended Nov 19.

Claims have now been below 300,000, a threshold associated with a healthy labor market, for 90 straight weeks. That is the longest run since 1970, when the labor market was much smaller.

The four-week moving average of claims, considered a better measure of labor market trends as it irons out week-to-week volatility, fell 2,000 to 251,000 last week. The dollar extended gains versus the yen, rising to its highest level since April on the data. Prices for US government debt fell.

Business spending Business spending on equipment has bucked the acceleration in economic growth as the residual effects of a strong dollar and lower oil prices continue to curb profits of some companies.

Business spending on equipment has declined for four straight quarters, weighing heavily on manufacturing, which accounts for 12 percent of the US economy.

With the dollar’s rally appearing to have peaked early this year and oil and gas drilling activity rising in recent months, there is cautious optimism that equipment spending will rebound

in the fourth quarter. Capital investment is also expected to pick up as some of the uncertainty surrounding the Nov. 8 presidential election clears. President-elect Donald Trump has pledged a massive infrastructure spending program, which could spur business investment on capital equipment. That would boost companies like heavy machinery maker Caterpillar, which last month lowered its full-year revenue outlook for the second time this year. Shipments of core capital goods rose 0.2 percent last month after an unrevised 0.4 percent gain in September. Core capital goods shipments are used to calculate equipment spending in the government’s gross domestic product measurement.

A 12 percent surge in demand for transportation equipment buoyed overall orders for durable goods, items ranging from toasters to aircraft that are meant to last three years or more, which jumped 4.8 percent last month. That was the biggest rise since October 2015 and followed a 0.4 percent increase in September.

There were also increases in orders for fabricated metal products, electrical equipment, appliances and components, and computers and electronic products. — Reuters

Brazil’s north faces wider gap with spending freeze SALGUEIRO, Brazil: In Salgueiro, a crossroads town in one of the poorest corners of arid northeastern Brazil, Maria Adelaide dos Santos’s small shop selling shoes and clothes springs to life for just a few days at the end of each month. Amid Brazil’s worst recession in a centur y and a long drought that has crushed hopes of making this an agricultural center, dos Santos survives thanks to a trickle of customers when government employees get paid.

“Unemployment here is ver y bad and these public servants are all we’ve got now.

There are no factories here,” said the 48-yearold mother of three. During a decade-long commodities boom that pushed Brazil’s average yearly growth rate to 4 percent, the country became a poster child in the global fight against poverty.

Heavy spending by the leftist Workers Party government helped lift more than 26 million Brazilians out of poverty - more than a tenth of the population and mostly in the underdeveloped north.

But the collapse of the boom two years ago has hit public coffers and asphyxiated poor towns like Salgueiro. In an effort to tackle Brazil’s bloated deficit, center-right President Michel Temer is now pushing through Congress an unprecedented 20-year limit on federal spending, expected to be

approved next month.

In regions like the parched Sert„o of the northeast with scant prospects for private investment, there are growing fears that the cuts could stoke unemployment and worsen the gap between rich and poor in what is already one of the world’s most unequal countries. As in most of Brazil’s least-developed regions, the government here is the main provider not just of education and healthcare but also credit and jobs.

In more than half of Brazil’s 27 states, public sector salaries account for more than one-fifth of economic output. In Brazil’s northernmost states of Roraima and Amap·, in the Amazon, the state accounts for nearly half of the economy while in the southern state of S„o Paulo, Brazil’s richest and most populous, public salaries account for just 10 percent of GDP. “This spending cap is terrible,” said the mayor of Salgueiro, Marcones LibÛrio de S·.

“All of the Northeast is very poor. Many cities are outright bankrupt.”

While pushing ahead with spending cuts, Temer has ruled out reductions in the government’s flagship welfare programs Bolsa FamÌlia, a monthly allowance of up to 336 reais ($100) to impoverished families that won international acclaim for its success in fighting poverty. — Reuters

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

BUSINESS

Euro stocks fail to match Wall Street records LONDON: European shares dipped and German bond yields briefly touched record lows yesterday, a contrast with the buoyant mood on Wall Street as investors focused on diverging growth and interest rate prospects in Europe and the United States. US stocks were set to hold on to gains after the Dow closed above 19,000 for the first time on Tuesday, with investors anticipating a growth boost under President-elect Donald Trump and a rate hike from the Federal Reserve - expectations that should be reinforced by minutes released later yesterday.

With European policymakers leaning the other way, reaffirming their commitment to an easy approach, and banking worries rattling the

bloc’s stock markets, the single currency held near one-year lows. The dollar, meanwhile, is perched near a 14-year high.

The transatlantic split has been most stark in bond markets, with the falling yields on twoyear German paper keeping the gap to US equivalents near an 11-year high. In Britain, sterling was a tad weaker at $1.2396 before a budget update from finance minister Philip Hammond. Hopes for fiscal stimulus have been lowered as the government has stressed its borrowing limits.

“We do like policy divergence trades,” Rabobank strategist Lyn Graham-Taylor said. “I think markets had been a bit euphoric in the wake of Trump and now they are coming

around to the understanding that there is not going to be fiscal stimulus that is going to be good for everyone.”

Weighed down by Italian banking stocks, euro zone shares shed 0.3 percent, failing to match the exuberance in Asia, where stocks gained 0.7 percent to strike a one-week high, and Tuesday’s rally in the US. With Japan on holiday, Australia’s main index led the action in Asia with a rise of 1.35 percent to a one-month top, helped by strength in bulk commodity prices.

China’s blue-chip CSI300 index advanced 0.5 percent to a near 11-month peak as the yuan touched its lowest in six years.

With equities in demand, US bonds were

getting the cold shoulder. Two-year note yields rose as far as 1.107 percent on Tuesday, the highest since April 2010.

Eurozone yields have been heading in the opposite direction and some solid growth data did little to shake expectations for more monetary easing from the European Central Bank next month.

That saw yields on German two-year paper hit a record low of minus 0.74 percent early on Wednesday. That move kicked into reverse after a report that the ECB is looking to lend out more bonds to avert a market freeze, although the gap to U.S. Treasuries remains near its widest since 2005.

That gap kept the euro pinned at $1.0624, not far from last week’s one-year trough at $1.0569. Against a basket of currencies, the dollar was flat at 101.03, very close to a 14-year peak.

The dollar also kept most of its recent hefty gains on the yen at 111.04, though it has met resistance around 111.35 in the last couple of sessions. Emerging markets have struggled in recent days as surging U. bond yields sucked much-needed capital out of Asia. Trump’s past talk of trade tariffs has also weighed on sentiment in the export-intensive region.

Analysts at JPMorgan said Trump’s pledge to dump the Trans-Pacific Partnership was already priced into markets. “What may not be factored in is the possibility of follow-through on other, more protectionist campaign proposals,” they wrote in a note to clients.

“We remain concerned about this as a

source of downside risk, delivering a negative surprise to markets which so far appear to be enamored of his emphasis on fiscal stimulus and deregulation since the election.”

Elsewhere, oil prices edged higher but gains were capped by investors’ doubts that oil cartel OPEC would agree to a large enough production cut to significantly reduce a global surplus when it meets next week.

Asian markets rose again yesterday, tracking a record close on Wall Street, while the dollar held onto its gains against the yen on expectations of a US interest rate rise. The Dow ended above 19,000 for the first time Tuesday as US traders, while still uncertain about the outlook, bet on a near-term bump for the world’s top economy from Donald Trump’s growth plans.

Investors expect his administration will cut taxes, ramp up infrastructure spending and slash regulations, all of which would likely fan inflation — in turn putting pressure on the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates. “Bulls have got control here and US equity and many other developed markets are going higher, at least in the short term,” said Chris Weston, chief markets analyst in Melbourne at IG Ltd. Sydney closed 1.3 percent higher, Seoul gained 0.2 percent and Singapore added 0.4 percent. Taipei and Wellington were also well up. However, Shanghai gave up early gains to end 0.2 percent lower, while Hong Kong was marginally off, breaking a three-day winning streak. Tokyo was closed for a public holiday. —Agencies

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

BUSINESS

Long bank queues in India? There’s an app for that!

‘Chotus’ will stand in line for customers NEW DELHI: Huge bank queues have become an ubiquitous sight across India after the government suddenly withdrew the two highest denomination notes from circulation two weeks ago-but now you can hire-a-queuer online.

New Delhi-based startup BookMyChotua play on the Hindi word “chotu” meaning “little one”-is cashing in on the cash crunch, offering a solution for those willing to pay someone to stand in line for them. “Are you short of cash? Need a Helper to stand in queue of the bank/ATM till the time your turn comes??”, reads an ad on the company’s Facebook page.

“Our boys will not go inside bank, they will just stand in the queue for our customers as we understand that there can be some emergency and our helpers can help you by saving your valuable time.”

A “chotu” costs 90 rupees ($1.30) per hour or 550 rupees for waiting for a maximum of eight hours, and is only available in

Delhi and neighboring cities. Indians have until the end of the year to exchange their old 500 and 1,000 notes — 85 percent of the cash in circulation-for the new 500 and 2,000 rupee bills, or deposit them into accounts.

The surprise decision is part of the government’s assault on “Black money” undeclared, unaccounted cash-and aims to bring more money into the formal banking system and ultimately boost the economy. But it has caused a rush on the banks, while shortages of new notes and problems recalibrating ATMs to fit the new bills have seen hours-long queues form outside banks nationwide.

BookMyChotu was originally launched as an online platform to help people hire temporary helpers, but founder and CEO Satjeet Singh Bedi said he had received positive and curious responses since they started offering “chotus” to stand in bank queues.

“It started when my mother was ill and I immediately needed cash,” Bedi told the Hindustan Times newspaper. “I requested my teammates to stand in the queue in place of me and quickly replaced them when my turn came.”

But some on social media have criticised the site’s name, saying “chotu” implies child labour.

“Really @bookmychotu!? Can’t find any better name? This appears to promote child labour,” tweeted Mahendra. “A service called bookmychotu to hire helpers...sounds so wrong on so many levels!” wrote Muskaan.

The company appeared ready for the criticism, and in a disclaimer on the site wrote: “*Please Note: “Chotu” is just a name and the same is being used for branding purposes. We have no intentions to hurt anyone’s sentiments.”

All helpers are well trained and over the age of 18, the company added on its Facebook page. —AFP

NEW DELHI: Indians stand in a queue to deposit and exchange discontinued currency notes outside a bank in New Delhi. —AP

Business growth in eurozone rises to highest rate this year ECB likely to ease monetary policy

KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian girl walks past a colorful balloon installation at a shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. —AFP

New obstacles await US stocks as Dow hits 19,000 NEW YORK: A post-election stock-buying spree lifted the Dow above 19,000 for the first time Tuesday, but the index faces key hurdles, including the prospec t of Federal Reserve interest-rate increases.

Composed of 30 blue-chip stocks, the Dow Jones Industrial Average finished at 19,023.87, crossing above the big roundnumber threshold. It had topped 18,000 in December 2014.

The market has been on a tear since the November 8 US election in expectations that President-elect Donald Trump and congressional Republicans will enact pro-growth regulatory, tax and investment policies. But several analysts predicted equities would be hard-pressed to score significant additional gains in the weeks and months ahead.

“It is a beautiful narrative,” said Cantor Fitzgerald’s Peter Cecchini of today’s market sentiment.

“We are finally going to move back to a point of time when good politics can lead the US economy out of its malaise and the Fed will no longer have to act accommodative,” he said, adding that this viewpoint is “more hope than reality.” The equities surge has taken into account expectations that the Fed will lift interest rates in December. But the prospect of additional rate increases in 2017 and beyond could be more nettlesome, analysts said.

“The market has priced in a rate hike almost fully in December,” said David Lev y, por tfolio manager at Republic Wealth Advisors. “The question is what the Fed does beyond that and what guidance they provide.” “The market benefits from lower interest rates as we’ve seen for several years now,” said Levy. “So if the Fed starts giving guidance of multiple rate hikes in 2017, that could be viewed as a negative.”

Uncertainties a-plenty Prices of US bonds have retreated since the election. But a significant increase in interest rates after a lengthy period near zero would likely spur some investors to shift funds out of stocks and into treasuries. “The real question is where do we go from here?” said Hugh Johnson of Hugh Johnson Advisors. “When we ask that question the answer is more uncertainties about 2017 or what lies beyond 19,000 than I’ve seen in a long time.”

The rally is betting that Trump will succeed in getting a mix of fiscal stimulus and tax cuts through Congress and that the measures will lead to further growth. But those are assumptions. A key wildcard will be the reception of the plan in Congress where Republicans hold narrow majorities in both Houses. Congressional Republicans generally support tax cuts, but are leery of spending programs that could increase the deficit. “We do not know how much of ( Trump’s) fiscal stimulus plan will be approved and secondly when it will start to impact the economy and earnings,” Johnson said. “If I were to use one word to summarize what lies ahead, I think it is uncertainty.”

Another question is just how much of Trump’s virulent anti-trade rhetoric during the campaign will translate into actual policy in office. Wall Street is wary of heavy tariffs and other steps that could restrict commerce. Also unclear is the prospects for US corporate earnings, which have slumped for much of the last two years. US companies turned a corner in the third quarter with better year-onyear results, but the situation is tenuous, especially if interest rates rise significantly.

“Fundamentals have not really improved,” said Cecchini. “Much of the optimism we are experiencing right now is going to evaporate.” —AFP

DR Congo’s business dreams flatlined by violence BUTEMBO, DR Congo: The question is so absurd that Butembo’s deputy mayor misses a beat before answering. What is the town’s unemployment rate?

“Unemployment is the norm around these parts,” says Godefroid Kambere Matimbya.

“There aren’t any businesses.” Butembo is no ghost town, but a city of 1.1 million in Democratic Republic of Congo’s restive North Kivu province.

Fabled for its natural riches, the lush east of the country abounds in forests, lakes, farmland and mineral-packed peaks. For many, its wealth is its curse.

“Nothing has gone right for the past 10 years or so” in Butembo, Kambere says. In fact, for the past two decades rival armies and insurgents have ripped through North Kivu, fighting each other, stealing resources, uprooting and killing civilians in their wake.

Butembo-”the city of ficus trees” in Kinande, the language of the local Nande ethnic groupwas once known for its coffee farming and a cornucopia of worldly goods. Electrical appliances, clothing, shoes: the coveted foreign items used to draw shopkeepers from neighboring provinces in one of the world’s least developed countries. Today it would be too dangerous for traders to travel the roads to Butembo.

Butembo also once boasted an industrialscale factory, the Cobeki soft drinks maker.

But it went out of business in the transitional

period between DR Congo’s second civil war (1998-2003) and its 2006 elections.

Living ‘by the grace of God’ The period that followed, in the wake of President Joseph Kabila’s election, has not treated the region any better. Around 700 people have been killed, mostly hacked to death, in attacks since October 2014 around Beni, its neighboring city to the north.

Beni, now a shell of a city, no longer buys Butembo’s goods. “The people have been run out of the fields, and now must live by the grace of God,” Kambere says.

“Insecurity is the big problem,” says Butembo’s Polycarpe Ndivito Kikwaya, president of the local branch of the Congolese Business Federation.

Foreign goods do still make it to Butembo although only in “very, very small” numbers, shipped to the Kenyan port of Mombasa and then transported via Uganda. But with the insecurity, “buyers no longer come since they are afraid of being robbed” along the way, he explains.

Strangely, it is the period of civil war from the late 1990s that fires up economic nostalgia. Butembo then was the stomping ground of the RCD/K-ML, a militia group backed by neighbouring Uganda.

“Business was good,” recalls Elie Kwiravusa, a member of Butembo’s Civil Society Coordination grouping of local citizens. “During the rebellion, we could trade goods,” he says. “The rebellion was profitable for people”-unlike today, he adds. —AFP

FRANKFURT: Eurozone business activity expanded the most in nearly a year in November on strong manufacturing and buoyant services growth in Germany, stirring some optimism that economic momentum is picking up again.

A strong run of data is offers some hope a mid-year lull after a flurry of activity at the start of the year may be over, It is unlikely, however, to dent expectations the European Central Bank will announce an extension to its stimulus program next month. The IHS Markit Euro Zone Flash Composite Purchasing Managers’ Index jumped to 54.1, its highest so far this year, from 53.3 in October, just shy of 54.3 last December.

It is now well above the 50 that divides growth from contraction, suggesting 0.4 percent growth in the fourth quarter according to IHS Markit, slightly higher than the median forecast in a Reuters poll of 0.3 percent. Services firms in Germany and France, the bloc’s top two economies, fared better than manufacturers. In the broader eurozone survey, however, manufacturers had a stronger run.

Taken together, the data suggest the pickup in activity is not confined to Germany and France. “It looks like smaller economies are picking up pace after a very long time and downward price pressures are somewhat abating with companies managing to push through price increases,” said Peter Vanden Houte, chief eurozone economist at ING Financial Markets.

“But I’m not sure the ECB will shift gear very rapidly for the simple reason that it has made mistakes in the past by tightening policy too soon. We still expect the ECB to lengthen its quantitative easing program in December.” The ECB next meets on Dec. 8 and economists polled by Reuters last week expect it to announce an extension to its 80 billion euros a month bond purchase program that is currently scheduled to end in March 2017.

FREE CASH Despite years of ultra-loose monetary policy, including printing money, cutting interest rates below zero and giving banks virtually free cash, inflation has only risen in baby steps in the eurozone.

At 0.5 percent in October, it is still far below the ECB’s 2 percent target ceiling. But if the trend of tightening price pressures, as indicated by the PMIs, continues it could dampen expectations of further policy easing from the ECB. Output prices for services firms in the eurozone remained unchanged in November, only the second time in the past 14 months when companies did not resort to discounting to drum up new business. “This most likely reflects the year-over-year increase in energy prices that fell significantly one year

ago,” said Holger Sandte at Nordea. “(But) the underlying cost and price pressure is still very low and a reason for the ECB the maintain the current degree on monetary accommodation for a long time.”

The bloc’s dominant services industry also performed much better than expected, smashing even the highest forecast in a Reuters poll.

Similar to the composite number, its PMI came in at a 11-month high of 54.1, up sharply from October’s 52.8.

The factory PMI climbed to 53.7, its highest since January 2014, above the poll median and October’s 53.5. The PMI surveys were conducted after the US election but IHS Markit said panelists had yet to factor into responses Donald Trump’s shock victory, whose campaign hinged on trade

protectionism and migration curbs.

So far there has been very little discernible reaction in both in the eurozone and UK economies from Britain’s shock vote to leave the European Union in June. Most economists agree, however, that the impact will be felt more clearly next year. The business expectations index in the euro zone services PMI dipped slightly this month compared with the six-month high it hit in October.

There are also three key national elections in the eurozone next year, which may interfere with the eventual negotiations between Britain and the EU on a divorce, provided UK Prime Minister Theresa May follows through on her intention to trigger the proceedings by March next year. —Reuters

This file photo taken on November 17, 2014 shows a copy of La Marseillaise newspaper at a printing house. La Marseillaise, a left-wing newspaper founded during the Resistance, announced yesterday it was filing for bankruptcy and hoped for receivership. —AFP

Protectionism threatens Mexican economy: IMF MEXICO CITY: Protectionism from abroad threatens Mexico’s economy, but it is too early to say whether Donald Trump’s presidency will affect growth, the International Monetary Fund said Tuesday. After posting 2.5 percent economic growth in 2015, Latin America’s second-biggest economy after Brazil is projected to slow to 2.1 percent this year, the IMF said in a report, leaving its previous forecast unchanged. The IMF slightly lowered Mexico’s outlook for 2017, predicting the economy will grow by 2.2 percent in 2017, a 0.1 percentage point lower than previously thought.

“Mexico continues to grow at a moderate pace despite a challenging external environment,” the IMF said in an annual report. “However, the country remains exposed to external shocks, including risks of growing protectionism, given its strong financial and trade linkages with the rest of the world,” the report said. The staff report, which was completed four days before the November 8 US election, did not directly mention Trump. The Republican US president-elect wants to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and threatens to impose tariffs to prevent US firms from outsourcing to Mexico.

IMF officials said they must wait and see which policies Trump’s administration will adopt before the Washingtonbased institution can revise its forecast for the Mexican economy. “We need to base our projection of actual policies that will be adopted,” Robert Rennhack, deputy director of the IMF’s Western Hemisphere department, told reporters.

“We need to wait and see what the new administration will actually do. Lots of thing are said in the campaign, and I think it is important to avoid overreacting to those,” he said.

The Mexican peso was rocked by Trump’s victory in the US presidential election, depreciating by about 14 between November 8 and November 11 on fears that Trump will fulfill his protectionist policies. In addition to renegotiating the 22-year-old NAFTA pact with Mexico and Canada, Trump, who takes office on January 20, announced Monday that his administration will withdraw from the 12-nation TransPacific Partnership trade deal. —AFP

S Africa faces threat of junk credit rating JOHANNESBURG: South Africa’s political turmoil and weakening economy will come under the harsh spotlight of international credit ratings from this week amid predictions the country could lose its investmentlevel status. Moody’s will release its updated grading on Friday, before Standard & Poor issues its key announcement a week later on December 2.

S&P currently has South Africa-the continent’s most developed economy-rated at the lowest investment grade, and a downgrade would put the country’s bonds into so-called “junk” status.

Moody’s currently rates it one level higher than S&P. Any downgrade would trigger a further crisis of confidence among investors who have become increasingly wary of South Africa’s economic prospects under President Jacob Zuma. The country has endured a year of political scandals and falling economic growth, set against record unemployment and huge social inequality more than two decades after the end of apartheid.

The outcome of the ratings reviews is uncertain, but more than half of 12 economists surveyed by Bloomberg said the S&P would downgrade South Africa to junk.

Peter Montalto, Nomura bank analyst, however said S&P could freeze its rating until next year, while Moody’s might cut it by one notch. “The agencies may want to see the outcome of the budget in February for specifics on revenue changes and also where growth is at the time,” he said.

“Many policy makers have been talking up the chances of ratings staying on hold in recent days.” A rating downgrade could trigger a bout of bond selling by foreign investors. Some investment funds have

rules that allow them to only hold bonds that have investment-grade ratings.

A downgrade would also likely fuel fierce criticism of Zuma’s leadership.

Political battle South Africa’s struggle to retain its investment-grade status has been at the centre of a political battle in recent months.

Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, who is widely feted by investors, has appeared to have only a fragile hold on his job in a clash with Zuma.

Gordhan was due to appear in court earlier this month on graft charges that many analysts saw as an attempt by Zuma loyalists to oust him. The charges were dropped at the last minute, exposing deep tensions in the ruling ANC party as several ministers came out in his support.

Gordhan was appointed only last year to calm panicked investors when Zuma sacked two finance ministers within four days.

South Africa on Monday unveiled the proposed figure for its first minimum wage — 3,500 zar ($242) a month-in a move that could improve labour relations.

Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa said the issue was raised in meetings with the Fitch rating agency, which is also expected to issue its latest credit grading within two to three weeks.

“They wanted to know what progress we are making and they wanted to hear about the minimum wage,” Ramaphosa said. “By and large we had a good a meeting.”

But South Africa’s dire economic situation was underlined on Tuesday with the release of figures showing the unemployment rate had risen to its highest in 13 years, at 27.1 percent. —AFP

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

business

Nissan chief Ghosn to deliver keynote address at CES 2017 DUBAI: Nissan announced yesterday it will make its debut at CES 2017, held in Las Vegas. Nissan Chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn will deliver a keynote on January 5, 2017 at Westgate Theatre in the Westgate Las Vegas.

During his keynote, Ghosn will provide insights on how Nissan Intelligent Mobility is enabling Nissan to realize its vision of the future. He will also announce several technology advancements and partnerships that will benefit consumers today. “I’m pleased that Nissan will be taking the CES stage at this moment of significant change and opportunity for the automotive sector,” said Carlos Ghosn. “Nissan has a history of developing breakthrough technologies that have transformed how cars are powered, driven, and integrated with wider society.

We look forward to presenting our vision for how the technologies of today are the building blocks for a future with zero emission vehicles and zero fatalities on the road.”

Zain honors high-performing value-added services partners

About Nissan Intelligent Mobility Nissan Intelligent Mobility encompasses three core areas of innovation that inspire how Nissan cars are powered, driven, and integrated into society. * Nissan Intelligent Driving, which gives our customers more confidence through increased safety, control, and comfort for everyone on board. * Nissan Intelligent Power, which makes

driving more exciting for our customers by making it cleaner and more efficient. * Nissan Intelligent Integration, which keeps customers more connected by conveniently linking our cars to the wider society.

Nissan is a global full-line vehicle manufacturer that sells more than 60 models under the Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun brands. In fiscal year 2015, the company

sold more than 5.4 million vehicles globally, generating revenue of 12.19 trillion yen.

Nissan engineers, manufactures and markets the world’s best-selling all-electric vehicle in history, the Nissan LEAF. Nissan’s global headquarters in Yokohama, Japan, manages operations in six regions: ASEAN & Oceania; Africa, Middle East & India; China; Europe; Latin America and North America. Nissan has a global workforce of 247,500, and has been partnered with French manufacturer Renault under the Renault-Nissan Alliance since March 1999.

Company recognizes their distinguished efforts during Q3 2016 KUWAIT: Zain, the leading telecommunications company in Kuwait, held an honoring ceremony to recognize the efforts of its highperforming Value Added Services partners during the third quarter of 2016.

Zain officials from the Value Added Services Department recognized the company’s distinguished partners for their excellent efforts in providing the highest quality VAS services to the largest family of subscribers in Kuwait. Zain is keen on offering the most advanced and competitive services to reflect

the company’s leading position in the telecom sector.

Zain prides the strategic partnership it has with its Value Added Services partners, and is keen on recognizing their performance on a quarterly basis to shed light on their efforts to offer the best products and services to its customers.

During the event, Zain recognized the performance of ‘One Global’ who ranked first in both the overall performance and the target achievement. Additionally, ‘Numbase Limited’

came first in Zain’s VAS net revenue, while ‘SLA’ and ‘Tranglo’ came first in the target achievement.

Zain’s relationship with its partners and authorized distributers is based on a strategy that aims at providing the highest levels of customer service and the most competitive offerings in the telecom sector. Zain encourages its VAS partners to maintain their performance and continue offering the best services and products to its customers.

Moody’s affirms Gulf Bank’s stable outlook and solid revenue-generating capacity KUWAIT: Moody’s investor Service has affirmed Gulf Bank’s stable outlook and solid revenue-generating capacity in a credit opinion issued this week. Moody’s said that Gulf Bank’s standalone Base Line Credit Assessment (“BCA”) rating reflects its solid revenue-generation capacity, comfortable liquidity metrics, and adequate capitalization.

In its latest semiannual credit opinion update, Moody’s recognizes the competitiveness of Gulf Bank’s risk management systems and practices deployed by its management that have enhanced the Bank’s control of the loan portfolio credit risk. Moody’s also affirmed Gulf Bank’s stable deposits outlook. This reflects the balance between adequate capital and provisioning buffers

Air Arabia confirms options for five Airbus A320s SHARJAH: Air Arabia, the Middle East and North Africa’s first and largest low- cost carrier, announced today that it has confirmed options for five additional Airbus A320 aircraft. The delivery of original contract covering 44 firm orders and 5 options will be completed in 2017.

The five new Airbus A320 aircraft will be put into service starting second quarter 2017 backlog and have a book value of USD485 million. These new aircraft will join

Air Arabia’s expanding fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft currently serving over 120 routes from five operational hubs.

“We are pleased to confirm the options for five additional Airbus A320s. Air Arabia’s fleet innovation sits at the heart of the airline operational efficiency” said Adel Al Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer of Air Arabia. “Today, we operate one of the youngest fleets in the world and this approach will continue to drive our fleet growth strategy for

the future. Our customers can expect the same cabin comfort and spacious seat configuration with the new five aircraft joining the fleet”.

Air Arabia has been constantly rewarded over the past years with the A320 Family Operational Excellence Award by Airbus for achieving the highest level of A320 family aircraft utilisation in the world with 99.8 per cent operational reliability. In 2010, the carrier set a new world record achiev-

ing 30,000 flight hours in just six years with one of its CFM56-5Bpowered A320 aircraft.

Air Arabia currently operates a fleet of 46 Airbus A320 aircraft offering flights to over 120 destinations in 33 countries from five hubs across the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Europe.

The A320 Family, which includes the A318, A319, A320 and A321, is recognized as the benchmark single-aisle aircraft family in the world.

The best offer to service your car from Nissan Al-Babtain KUWAIT: Abdulmohsen Abdulaziz Al-Babtain Co, the authorized agent of Nissan vehicles in the state of Kuwait, offers their loyal customers a free comprehensive 13 points check-up on Nissan vehicles sold before October 2013 in addition to an exceptional promotion with 30 percent discount on parts and 15 percent discount on labor valid until December 12, 2016.

This campaign is a great opportunity for Nissan owners of 2013 and older models to do the complete check-up on their cars at Nissan’s service centers to ensure a safer drive.

This promotion does not include body shop repairs.

Nissan Al-Babtain is always keen to offer special discounts as part of its continuous promotions on the genuine spare parts in order to encourage its clients not to risk their safety by buying fake spare parts. Buying genuine spare parts means saving, as they last for longer period and it is part of offering customers a safe driving experience.

Nissan Al-Babtain is keen to always providing its customers with the best promotions, especially the after sales services to meet the increasing demand on Nissan vehicles and to achieve the company’s goal to always be the leading automotive brands.

Nissan Al-Babtain works on strengthening the trust of its clients through providing high quality services and offering best promotions in the market to achieve their satisfaction. Furthermore, Nissan Al-Babtain is always in contact with its clients which is best reflected in the after sale services.

together with a reduction in problem loans.

Moody’s said that Gulf Bank’s BCA is supported by its strong macro profile. In addition, the problem loans levels have come down to 2.7 percent of gross loans and provision coverage is up to 276 percent at yearend 2015.

Moody’s affirmed the following ratings of Gulf Bank; Outlook is Stable, Bank Deposits at A3/P-2, Baseline Credit Assessment at ba1, Adjusted Baseline Credit Assessment at ba1 and Counterparty Risk Assessment at A2(cr)/P-1(cr).

Gulf Bank has consistently been awarded outstanding credit ratings in Kuwait by the major international rating agencies, Moody ’s, Standard & Poor ’s and Fitch Ratings.

Diamonds celebrations at Malabar Gold & Diamonds KUWAIT: Malabar Gold & Diamonds, the leading jewellery retailer announced the details of their latest campaign ‘Diamond Celebrations’ providing customers with attractive offers on purchase and exchange of diamond jewellery. Customers can avail these offers during the entire campaign period commencing from 24th Nov until 10th Dec. To mark the celebration of diamonds, Malabar Gold & Diamonds is showcasing a vast variety of diamond jewellery in their collection offering GIA/IGI certified diamonds at the best prices. Also, customers get a 2 gram gold coin on diamond jewellery purchase of KWD 400 and a 1 gram gold coin on diamond jewellery purchase of KWD 250.

Furthermore, the jewellery chain also gives their customers a chance to exchange and buy new diamond jewellery by giving the highest value on old diamond jewellery. Through this special exchange offer, customers can upgrade their old diamond ornaments to new ones which are certified

by GIA/IGI. They can also be assured to

obtain the highest value on exchange as a part of the offer. Any previously purchased diamond jewellery can be exchanged with classic, trendy and unique designs showcased at Malabar Gold & Diamonds.

Malabar group offers exquisite and beautiful jewelry as a part of various brands presented at Malabar Gold & Diamonds’ namely Ethnix - Handcrafted Designer Jewellery, Era - Uncut Diamond Jewellery, Mine - Diamonds Unlimited, Divine Heritage Indian Jewellery, Precia - Precious Gem Jewellery and Starlet - Kids Jewellery.

This season, Malabar Gold & Diamonds’ provides customers with the most attractive offers making sure that every customer’s shopping experience is turned into a memory that will be cherished.

Malabar Gold & Diamonds has always been at the forefront in gold jewellery manufacturing, wholesaling and retailing and plans on being the ‘most- preferred’ jewellery retailer in the market in the coming years. The group strives to continue embarking on its journey by further expanding in the near future.

ABK announces winners of 30th ‘Double Your Salary’ weekly draws KUWAIT: Al-Ahli Bank of Kuwait (ABK) held its 30th ‘Double Your Salary’ weekly draw on 21st November, 2016 at the Bank’s Head Office in the presence of a representative from the Ministry of Commerce, announcing the names of the winners for this week. The promotion includes weekly draws, with two winners per draw. The campaign will run until 27th June, 2017.

The winners this week are: 1) Farhan Nayef Mefarreh Al-Enezi, Jahra 2 Branch 2) Abdulaziz Mohammed Ali Bashar, Salmiya Branch New customers who transfer their salary to ABK receive KD 100 and will automatically be entered into the weekly draws to double their salaries. Existing customers who are already transferring their salary to ABK are entered into a separate draw.

The next ‘Double Your Salary’ draw will be held on 28th November, 2016 where two new lucky winners will be announced.

All winners will be contacted personally and a weekly announcement will be made through the media with the winners’ names. For more information about Al-Ahli Bank of Kuwait please visit eahli.com or contact a customer service agent via ‘Ahlan Ahli’ at 1899899.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

technology

Never miss a beat with HTC BoomSoundTM Adaptive Audio, the world’s first USB Type-C dual adaptive earphones where sound is tailored to you DUBAI: Pulse-pounding audio that adapts to the unique structure of your own ears.

Eye-popping, all-metal design that glistens in light as much as in water. This is a smartphone unlike any you have seen before.

HTC Corporation, a leading innovator in mobile and virtual reality technology, today announced the HTC 10 evo, a dramatic evolution of HTC’s renowned sculpted-by-light style that introduces the world’s first USB Type-C dual adaptive earphones that tailor sound to your ears’ unique hearing abilities for a truly illuminating audio experience. The HTC 10 evo also features an all-metal unibody that is water, splash, and dust resistant1.

Think what music tuned to your ears would sound like. The HTC 10 evo takes audio to an unprecedented new level with HTC BoomSound(tm) Adaptive Audio, which almost instantly adapts your audio to sound levels around you, keeping you in the zone of the music and sound you’re enjoying.

Pushing the multimedia experience even further, the HTC 10 evo has a big, 5.5-inch display to show stunning visuals for vivid gaming, movies, and more. And of course it’s an HTC, so you know the design is gorgeous, further advancing the renowned HTC design legacy pioneered by HTC 10 with more precise contours that catch light beautifully.

Adaptive Audio tuned to you Imagine relaxing in the quiet of your home, enjoying some quality time by yourself to listen to a favorite new album. You plug your HTC BoomSound Adaptive Audio earphones into your HTC 10 evo and the sound adapts to your unique ear structure and the quiet home environment. Later that day, you’re taking the train into the city to visit a friend, and with a few taps HTC BoomSound Adaptive Audio adjusts to the noisier environment. This tuning process happens quickly and easily, and once it’s

done you’ll experience music and movies with notes, nuances and tones that sound clearer than you believed possible. It even includes Hi-Res audio for spectacularly realistic 24-bit sound making you feel like you’re right there in the movie theater, nightclub, or concert hall.

Also in a first for HTC, the HTC 10 evo includes USB Type-C adaptive earphones right in the box2 so you can enjoy spectacular adaptive sound from day one. The earphones feature rumbling bass and pitchperfect treble in a beautiful, style design that fits in at the gym, on the street, or wherever you go.

“I’ve been a huge fan of music all my life, and the HTC 10 evo has the most awesome sound I’ve ever experienced in a smartphone,” said Guy Chriqui, member of HTC’s Elevate community of smartphone enthusiasts. “The capabilities of the HTC BoomSound Adaptive Audio earphones are unbelievable in how they match the sound to my ears. I’ve never heard anything like it before!

Your all-terrain smartphone With such amazing audio on your smartphone, you’ll want to take it everywhere - but is it safe to do so? Fortunately, the HTC 10 evo’s full metal unibody is water, splash, and dust resistant with an IP57 rating1, so you can rest easy that it will withstand dunks or spills. It has further been subjected to a multitude of grueling drop, bend, scratch, submersion, climate, and corrosion tests, which means you’ll enjoy exceptional build quality and style that you can take almost anywhere from hiking to mountain biking, no matter what the weather - sun, rain or snow.

Adding to the HTC 10 evo’s rugged build is a big 5.5” display covered by Corning(r) Gorilla(r) Glass 5. A new glass solution that helps your phone resist life’s

inevitable knocks and tumbles. So now dropping your phone while taking selfies doesn’t automatically mean a smashed screen3. And while Gorilla Glass 5 is tougher than ever, it doesn’t compromise optical clarity or touch sensitivity. Giving you the ultimate combination of drop protection and performance.

The HTC 10 evo features Pro mode to give you pro-like control over your photography. Besides the advanced options you’d expect, such as RAW capture, RAW enhancement and manual control over almost every setting on the camera, you now also get the ability to take photos with long exposure times for perfectly mastering the motion of light in your

Sharper shots in a snap Whether you’re in town or out hiking, incredible moments can happen when you least expect them, so the HTC 10 evo’s 16MP camera has OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) that reduces camera shake to capture sharp photographs on the go in almost any environment, even in low light.

With quick camera launch time and an ultra-fast autofocus of up to 0.3s with Phase Detection Auto Focus, you’ll be sure to capture the perfect shot every time.

photography.

You’ll get seriously awesome selfies with the HTC 10 evo, too. Featuring an 8MP front camera with Auto HDR, your selfies will show vivid detail to bring out not just your smile but also the environment behind you. A super-wide panorama mode lets you capture your whole family with room to spare, and an integrated screen flash ensures the shot looks great even at night or in dimly lit indoors.

Power, convenience, and customization Running the latest Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box, the HTC 10 evo offers all the powerful features you would expect from the latest flagship smartphone, including split-screen view, quicker multitasking, new security settings, and much more.

The HTC 10 evo’s built-in fingerprint sensor lets you unlock your phone at the touch of your finger - in as little as 0.2 seconds. Your fingerprint can also be the key to easily unlock apps locked by the App Lock function in Boost+. Even better, Boost+ also keeps your phone in top condition by cleaning up junk files and dynamically allocating resources like phone memory as required, ensuring your phone is running smoothly with maximum battery life.

HTC Freestyle Layout frees you from an on-screen grid and lets you make your phone as unique as you are. Drag icons, stickers and widgets anywhere. Layer them, overlap them, group them and more. You can even link stickers to apps, and get rid of on-screen icons entirely. The home screen is yours to use your way.

Powers users can rejoice that all these features are powered by a big 3,200mAh battery, enough for up to a day or more use on a single charge. And if you need to recharge quickly, the HTC 10 evo features Qualcomm(r) Quick Charge(tm) technology, so you can charge your phone fast4.

Load up on photos, videos, movies, and games with the HTC 10 evo’s 3GB RAM and either 32GB or 64GB storage space5, expandable with optional SD cards for up to 2TB of space so your storage needs are covered now and far into the future.

The HTC 10 evo will soon bring the next evolution in smartphone design and performance to Middle East and Africa and will be available in Gunmetal, Glacier Silver, or Pearl Gold6.

Israeli firm can steal phone data in seconds Hacking capabilities of security agencies Microsoft participates in Global Informatics Forum, 2016 KUWAIT: In line with its commitment to accelerate government modernization in the era of “Digital Transformation” towards a knowledge based economy, Microsoft unveiled an array of solutions at the Global Informatics Forum from the 21st to 23rd November in Kuwait. The event was held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, Amir of Kuwait, and organized by His Highness Sheikh Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah Informatics Corporation.

The event acted as a platform aiming at encouraging individuals and establishments to participate in the knowledge economy by adopting new technologies, promote entrepreneurship and provide an interactive platform for the exchange of knowledge, experience and expertise.

Microsoft demonstrated its latest Mass Happiness Index solution based on Microsoft Cognitive Services that captures facial expressions in massive crowds, processes the emotions and reports analysis in real-time. The technology using a set of Emotion APIs can be leveraged at various events and locations to study audience response and use the data collected to make intelligent actions.

The Mass Happiness Index enables the capture of a range of sentiments such as anger, contempt, disgust, fear, sadness and surprise; gauging the happiness level of the individual.

“Our participation at the Global Informatics

Forum is in line with Microsoft’s support to the Kuwait Government modernization and innovation objectives and to succeed in this journey of digital transformation, providing leading services to its citizens” said Charles Nahas, Country General Manager, Microsoft Kuwait.

“The region is in pursuit of digitization to achieve a knowledge based economy, and Kuwait is rapidly accelerating towards adoption of innovative technologies and solutions” Visitors to the Microsoft stand in the Future Zone at the Global Informatics Forum were also able to experience its cloud solutions including Internet of Things (IoT ) and Business Intelligence tools. Shijaz Abdulla, Business Transformation Specialist for Microsoft Kuwait, also delivered a session on Azure, its worldclass hyper scale cloud computing platform used to build, host and scale business applications. Audiences received an overview on Azure cloud, along with a brief account of services that can aid in improving IT efficiency for the Government of Kuwait.

A research conducted by Accenture states that digital transformation can have a significant impact on the country’s economy, boosting innovation and reducing back office costs to 45%. It also highlights that a 1 % increase in digitization can result in 0.5 % GDP gain, and a 1.9% gain in international trade. Microsoft has always endorsed government modernization, focusing on building products and solutions that can be leveraged to generate accurate insights for digital transparency, value creation and for delivering more personal and intelligent computing services for citizens.

“The world is progressing at an alarming rate with digital technology transforming the way we live, work and interact with each other.

With the exponential growth in data and information, it has become vital for governments to ascend towards and adopt digital transformation”. Said Nahas. “At Microsoft, we are focused in empowering governments and organisations to gain access to, and deploy intelligent technology for addressing the most pressing societal challenges. We strive to significantly expand our efforts towards modernizing government institutions across Kuwait and enable them to embrace current practices through our software and services, and our cloud computing capabilities; empowering them to achieve more.”

PETAH TIKVA, Israel: It only takes a few seconds for an employee of one of the world’s leading hacking companies to take a locked smartphone and pull the data from it. Israeli firm Cellebrite’s technology provides a glimpse of a world of possibilities accessible to security agencies globally that worry privacy advocates.

The company has contracts in more than 115 countries, many with governments, and it shot to global prominence in March when it was reported the FBI used its technology to crack the iPhone of one of the jihadist-inspired killers in San Bernardino, California.

There have since been reports that Cellebrite was in fact not involved, and the company itself refuses to comment. Regardless, it is recognized as one of the world’s leaders in such technology. It can reportedly take a wide range of information off devices: from the content of text messages to potentially details of where a person was at any given moment.

Even messages deleted years before can be potentially retrieved.

“There are many devices that we are the only player in the world that can unlock,” Leeor Ben-Peretz, one of the company’s top executives, told AFP in English. But privacy and rights activists worry such powerful technology can wind up in the wrong hands, leading to abuses.

‘Cat and mouse’ Cellebrite’s technology is not online hacking. It only works when the phone is physically connected to one of the firm’s devices. The company recently demonstrated its capabilities for an AFP journalist. The password on a phone was disabled and newly taken photos appeared on a computer screen, complete with the exact loca-

tion and time they were taken.

The phone in the demonstration, an LG G4 run on Google’s Android operating system, is a model Cellebrite had already cracked, so the extraction did not take long. The real challenge, Ben-Peretz agrees, is staying in the lead in a race where phone manufacturers constantly launch new models and update software with ever more complicated security.

In the firm’s lab they have 15,000 phones-with around 150-200 new models added each month. When a new phone is launched, Ben-Peretz

said, their 250-person research team races against competitors to find a chink in its armor, a process that can range from a few days to months. iPhones present a particular challenge because, unlike many firms, Apple designs everything from the device’s hardware to software, making its technology particularly difficult to hack, explained Yong Wang, a professor at Dakota State University in the United States.

Ben-Peretz remains confident his company can crack even the newest iPhones. “iOS devices have strong

security mechanisms that give us a challenge, but if anyone can address this challenge and provide a solution to law enforcement, it is Cellebrite,” he said, referring to Apple’s operating system.

Legitimate means?

According to Ben-Peretz, there is no phone on the market that is impossible to crack. “Yes it is getting harder, it is getting more complex,” he said. “But we still deliver results and they are results on the latest devices and latest operating systems.” —AFP

PETAH TIKVA, Israel : Leeor Ben-Peretz, the Executive Vice President of the Israeli firm Cellebrite’s technology, shows devices and explains the technology developed by his company on November 9, 2016. —AFP

Organized by NoufEXPO & CAIT, EGOV4 takes off Sunday

N

oufEXPO has announced that the 4th Government Forum: Electronic Services Perspectives takes off Sunday at Arraya Center of Courtyard Marriott Kuwait City at 6pm. In a special press release, Magdy Sabry, the Executive Manager of NoufEXPO announced that EGOV4 is held under the patronage of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad AL-Sabah. His Excellency Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah AlMubarak Al-Sabah, Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs and the Chairman of the Board of the Central Agency for Information Technology, will inaugurate the opening ceremony.

Government and legislative officials, IT specialists from all government IT departments, and industry specialists from Kuwait and abroad will gather under one roof to discuss the best means and alternatives to boost government’s future services landscape.

Mr. Sabry added, “EGOV became an annual event awaited by many global and local technology vendors, as well as, the administrative and technical staff of government agencies. As previous years, we are pleased to welcome world-class technology companies from Kuwait and abroad. It is our pleasure to be joined by a highly distinguished list of sponsors: Alghanim Industries, Microsoft, Symantec, Kuwait Finance

House (KFH), Kuwait Telecommunications Company ( Viva), Cisco Systems, Blue Coat Systems, Starlink, Fortinet, and EY.” Electronic Services, Digital Transformation,

Magdy Sabry, the Executive Manager of NoufEXPO and Cyber Security are headlining IT Technology Trends NoufEXPO’s Executive Manager continued to say, “EGOV4’s agenda includes three of the most

imminent trends that top worldwide technology topics. First, it focuses on electronic services and how implementing new government correspondence and workplace services may raise the productivity par. Digital transformation is, definitely, gaining a lot of momentum as the clear safe path towards endorsing information technology in every aspect of government services and growth plans. This transformation drives many technical, administrative, legislative, and human changes. Finally, cyber security became an international, national, and personal nightmare that has to be dealt with professionally and on a continuous basis. To evolve, governments have only one clear path; that is to make best use of these technology trends and endorse them to drive current and future growth plans.

Mr. Sabr y concluded his statement by extending sincere thanks to CAIT’s management and teams as well as NoufEXPO’s teams who joined forces professionally and relentlessly to make EGOV4 a success. He also thanked all government agencies and their IT groups for their continuous support and participation.

Finally, Sabry extended a warm welcome to all guests wishing them a nice stay in Kuwait and a successful endeavor that fulfills their networking and business development plans.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

Florida lifts Zika transmission zone in parts of Miami Beach TAMPA: Florida officials removed part of Miami Beach from an active Zika transmission zone on Tuesday, saying more than 45 days had passed since the last local case of the mosquito-borne virus that has been linked to microcephaly, a rare birth defect.

Popular areas in the southern part of the seaside tourist destination, however, remain in a designated zone of active Zika transmission. The area of active transmission in Miami Beach is now about 1.5 square miles (2.4 km). The newly cleared area covers about three square miles, Florida Governor Rick Scott said in a statement.

State officials believe Zika is still being transmitted in another small area of Miami-Dade County, in

addition to the remaining section of Miami Beach.

Mosquitoes began spreading the virus this summer in Florida, bringing local Zika transmission to the continental United States. “Until we have a vaccine, this is going to be something we’re going to deal with,” Scott said at a news conference in Miami Beach. “We’re going to be active, and we’ve learned a lot,” he added.

On Tuesday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said as of Nov. 16 there were 4,255 cases of Zika reported in the continental United States and Hawaii. Of the total reported Zika cases, 35 are believed to be through sexual transmission and one case from lab exposure.

Florida on Tuesday separately said it has seen

1,201 cases of Zika, and 236 of them were locally acquired infections, according to the state health department. The CDC also updated its travel guidance for the Miami area, urging continued caution.

It has suggested that pregnant women consider postponing travel anywhere in Miami-Dade County, but it expressly directs pregnant women to avoid travel to areas within the county that are still designated as Zika transmission zones.

Zika infections in pregnant women have been shown to cause microcephaly - a severe birth defect in which the head and brain of babies are undersized and underdeveloped - as well as other brain abnormalities. A report on Tuesday raised new concerns about the hidden effects of pre-natal

exposure to Zika, showing some babies in Brazil gradually developed microcephaly in the months following birth.

The developments come after the World Health Organization declared the global Zika emergency over on Friday, because the link between Zika and microcephaly has been confirmed. WHO intends to continue studying Zika as a serious infectious disease that will require years of research.

The connection between Zika and microcephaly first came to light last year in Brazil, which has since confirmed more than 2,100 cases of microcephaly.

In adults, Zika infections have also been linked to a rare neurological syndrome known as Guillain-Barre, as well as other neurological disorders. — Reuters

Average lifespan in EU tops 80: Study

WASHINGTON: In this March 23, 2010 file photo, President Barack Obama signs the health care bill in the East Room of the White House. — AP

For Trump and GOP, ‘Obamacare’ repeal is complex and risky Speed vs deliberation WASHINGTON: Here’s the idea: Swiftly pass a repeal of President Barack Obama’s health care law, perhaps soon enough for Donald Trump to sign it the day he takes the presidential oath.

Then approve legislation restructuring the nation’s huge and convoluted health care system - despite Republican divisions, Democratic opposition and millions of jittery constituents.

What could go wrong?

With Republicans controlling the White House and Congress in January, they’re faced with delivering on their long-time promise to repeal and replace “Obamacare.” Here are hurdles they’ll face: Speed vs deliberation Trump and congressional Republicans will be under intense pressure from their core conservative supporters to repeal Obama’s 2010 health care law - and fast. After all, Congress already sent Obama a repeal bill last January, which he vetoed, and many GOP voters will see no reason for delays this time.

But there probably won’t be anything fast about Congress’ effort to replace Obama’s law, which is likely to take many months.

While the replacement effort is underway, Republicans will risk aggravating up to 30 million people who are covered by the law or buy policies with prices affected by its insurance marketplace. Democrats will be sure to accuse the GOP of threatening the health care of millions.

A solution Nothing’s been decided, but here’s one likely scenario: The new Congress, which convenes Jan. 3, tries to quickly approve legislation repealing Obama’s health care law, maybe completing it by Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration or soon after. But the repeal would not take effect until the future, perhaps a year later, to give lawmakers time to fashion a replacement. The version Obama vetoed had a two-year delay.

Seemingly acknowledging that two-step

process, Vice President-elect Mike Pence said Sunday on “Fox News Sunday” that Trump “wants to focus out of the gate on repealing Obamacare and beginning the process of replacing Obamacare.”

Because Republicans will control the Senate by just 52-48, Congress will first have to approve special budget procedures to prevent Democrats from stopping repeal legislation by filibuster. Billkilling filibusters require 60 votes to end.

But those special rules would apply only to items that affect the federal budget.

Republicans, for example, would need a simple Senate majority to end IRS penalties against people who don’t buy insurance but would still need 60 votes - requiring Democratic support for other changes such as raising limits on older people’s premiums. House Budget Committee Chairman Tom Price, R-Ga., says that will restrain Republicans’ ability to ram a “lock, stock and barrel” repeal through Congress.

GOP risks One GOP danger: Congress and Trump might repeal Obama’s law, but while they’re laboring on a replacement, nervous insurance companies begin pulling out of markets and raising premiums. Insurers have been doing that under Obama, but now it would occur under a Republican government.

Another hazard: Congress’ work could spill into the 2018 campaign season, when the entire House and a third of the Senate face re-election.

Republicans will grow increasingly timid about anything that might anger voters.

“We want to be the rescue party instead of the party that pushes millions of Americans who are hanging by the edge of their fingernails over the cliff,” says Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., who chairs the Senate Health committee.

GOP pathways Virtually all Republicans want to get rid of the health law’s mandates that individuals buy coverage or risk IRS fines, and that large employers insure workers. They also want to erase taxes on

higher-earning people and the health care sector. And they’d like to retain parts of the law guaranteeing coverage for people with pre-existing medical problems and keeping children under age 26 on family plans.

Unifying Republicans much beyond that is a work in progress. Trump’s health care views have varied and lack detail. His campaign website touts tax deductions for health insurance premiums and permitting policies to be sold across state lines. He’d also revamp Medicaid, which subsidizes health coverage for low-income people, directing fixed amounts of money to states and letting them structure benefits.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., last summer unveiled an outline of the House GOP’s solution, though it lacked cost estimates and details. It would provide tax credits, impose taxes on the most generous employer-provided health care plans, revamp Medicaid and let Medicare beneficiaries pick private plans instead of today’s feefor-service coverage. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, has also advanced a framework relying heavily on tax credits.

Remaining questions Thirty-one states - including Pence’s Indiana, where he is governor - plus the District of Columbia have expanded Medicaid coverage to 9 million additional people under Obama’s law.

Curtailing that program will divide Republicans.

Taxing the value of some employer-provided health plans, aimed at curbing the growth of costs, is “a political land mine,” says GOP economist Douglas Holtz-Eakin. Republicans have long resisted tax increases.

Obama’s law mandates coverage for individuals because without that requirement many healthy people would forgo policies, driving up costs for everyone else and destabilizing insurance markets. Ryan has proposed shielding people from higher premiums if they’ve had “continuous coverage,” allowing higher rates for people who have not had policies, but Republicans have yet to decide how to keep insurance markets viable. — AP

BRUSSELS: The average lifespan of people in the EU has topped 80 for the first time, but preventable illnesses caused by smoking, alcohol and obesity are taking a huge toll, a study said yesterday.

Gains were uneven as people in western European Union countries lived more than eight years longer on average than people in central and eastern countries, said the report by the European Commission and the OECD. “More needs to be done to reduce inequalities,” said Angel Gurria, head of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development as he launched the report in Brussels.

The study said life expectancy across the 28-nation bloc has risen from 74.2 years in 1990 to 80.9 years in 2014 — the last year for which data were available-topping 80 for the first time. But it warned that chronic diseases and related risk factorsincluding obesity, smoking, and heavy drinking-were taking a heavy toll on European societies.

More than 550,000 people of working age died prematurely across the bloc each year from heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, cancer and respiratory diseases. “This rep-

resents a loss of about 3.4 million potential productive life years,” the report said.

Meanwhile 16 percent of adults are obese, up from 11 percent in 2000, while one in five people still smoked and heavy alcohol drinkers were more likely not to have a job than light to moderate drinkers.

In total, around 50 million EU citizens suffer from two or more chronic illnesses, most over 65. “It shows that in the EU many people die every year from potentially avoidable diseases linked to risk factors such as smoking or obesity,” said European health commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis.

These diseases are a drain on the struggling European economy too, the report says, with sick leave and disability benefits accounting for 1.7 percent of GDP in EU countries-more than the amount spent on unemployment benefits.

People aged 50-59 who are suffering from severe depression were more than twice as likely to leave the labor market early, it added. Europe is also ageing fast, the report says. The over-65s have risen from less than 10 percent of the population in 1980 to nearly 20 percent in 2015 and could reach nearly 30 percent in 2060. — AFP

Lilly Alzheimer’s drug fails to slow memory loss in big study NEW YORK: Eli Lilly and Co experimental drug solanezumab failed to slow loss of cognitive ability in patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease in a large trial, a major setback for the US drugmaker and millions of people with the memory-robbing disease. Based on the failure of the Phase

III study, Lilly yesterday said it would not seek US approval of the infused drug for mild dementia. Some analysts had predicted solanezumab, if approved, could eventually claim more than $5 billion in annual sales and boost Lilly’s earnings for years to come. — Reuters

KUANTAN, Malaysia: A wild macaque monkey holds a toy sword left by a pedestrian at Teluk Cempedak beach on the outskirts of Kuantan, peninsular Malaysia’s northeastern Pahang state. Female vervet monkeys manipulate males into fighting battles by lavishing attention on brave soldiers while giving noncombatants the cold shoulder, researchers said on yesterday. — AFP

Female monkeys use wile to rally troops

BENI, DR Congo: Health personnel measures a child as part of a program for malnourished children sponsored by the World Food Program at a Health Center in Mavivi, Beni territory, Eastern D.R.Congo, on November 15, 2016. — AFP

PARIS: Female vervet monkeys manipulate males into fighting battles by lavishing attention on brave soldiers while giving noncombatants the cold shoulder, researchers said on yesterday.

After a skirmish with a rival gang, usually over food, females would groom males that had fought hardest, while snapping at those that abstained. When the next battle came along, both those singled out for attention and those aggressively shunned would participate more vigorously in combat, according to a study published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Female grooming and aggression “both appear to function as social incentives that effectively promote male participation in intergroup fights”, a research team from Switzerland and South Africa reported.

They had observed four vervet monkey groups at a game reserve in South Africa for two years.

Vervet monkeys live in mixed-gender groups and both sexes take part in frequent battles with rival troupes. Only a handful fight each time. Males are larger than females and have longer canine

teeth, making their presence valuable in the front lines.

Success in battle ensures control over territory and food sources-a key concern for females, who take care of the young.

But why would males risk involvement in a potentially high-stakes battle just for a bit of female attention? It’s all about sex, the researchers believe. “Receiving punishment” from females for not taking part in battles “could damage the... male’s social relationship(s)” either with the female in question or “other female group members”, the researchers wrote.

On the other hand, being rewarded could “potentially signal to other female group members that the... male is a valuable social partner”, likely boosting “male mating success”.

In group animals, such as humans, a delicate balance must be maintained between participating in hunting or defense, which can be risky, and free-riding, which is less hazardous but can lead to social rejection.

The riskiest group activity of all is warfare, and few animals other than humans and monkeys engage in it. — AFP

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

House seeks delay in health law appeal WASHINGTON: The Republican-led House of Representatives is asking the federal appeals cour t in Washington to delay consideration of a case involving the Obama health care law because Donald Trump has pledged to repeal and replace it when he becomes president.

The House won a ruling in US district court that held the administration is illegally subsidizing medical bills for millions of people while

ignoring congressional power over government spending.

The administration appealed both the substance of the ruling and whether a chamber of Congress can even mount a legal challenge.

Lawyers for the House said in their filing M onday that the appeals court should put the case on hold because there is a “significant likelihood of a change in administration position” under Trump. — AP

S Korea raises bird flu alert SEOUL: South Korea raised the country’s bird flu alert status yesterday to its second-highest level following three more outbreaks of the highly pathogenic H5N6 strain after the first cases were confirmed last week.

The new bird flu outbreaks were discovered at two duck farms in the central and southwestern regions of the country, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said in a statement yesterday. All 30,500 ducks at the farms have been culled.

One more case was confirmed on Tuesday and the second earlier yesterday, the ministry statement said. The third case was confirmed later yesterday at a chicken farm in the city of Yangju, about 38 kilometers north of Seoul, the ministry said.

Since the first cases of the H5N6 avian influenza virus were reported in the same region on Friday, a total of five cases have been found and two other poultry farms in other parts of the country are being tested, the ministry said.

The agriculture ministry raised its bird flu alert level to ‘alert,’ from ‘caution,’ as an increasing number of farms are reporting

suspected infections in a short period of time. Over 510,000 birds have been slaughtered to contain the spread of the virus, accounting for less than 1 percent of the country’s poultry population of 84.7 million, an agriculture ministry official who declined to be identified said on Wednesday.

Cases of human infection from the H5N6 virus have previously been reported in places including China and Hong Kong, with the virus killing 10 people in China since April 2014, according to data from the ministry.

The agriculture ministry has already put in place a poultry movement ban for farms within a 10-kilometer radius of where the virus had been found earlier.

The ministry said it is also considering a temporary nationwide standstill order to prevent the virus from spreading.

There have been previous bird flu cases in South Korea, Asia’s fourth-largest economy, since 2014. The outbreaks lasted for more than 660 days, killing at least 13 million birds, ministry data showed.

The most recent bird flu outbreak was reported in March, when the H5N8 strain was found at a duck farm. — Reuters

Burkina Faso hospitals crippled by strike OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso: Hospitals were paralyzed Tuesday in the poor west African country of Burkina Faso as doctors and health workers launched a three-day strike for salary hikes and increased allowances, officials said.

The powerful Syntsha union of medical workers which called the protest said hospitals had ground to a halt.

Syntsha secretary general Pissyamba Ouedraogo told AFP that the protest was aimed at “making the government see reason.” “There is no doubt that health services throughout the country are blocked as the personnel have not showed up,” Ouedraogo said.

Health Minister Smaila Ouedraogo claimed that there were just four sticking points out of the original 63 demands made by the unions and added he was hopeful they would be resolved soon. “We have visited some hospitals in the capital and have noticed

a significant reduction in their functioning,” he said.

Patients were left to fend for themselves at the Yalgado Ouedraogo university hospital, the largest in the country, an AFP correspondent said.

There was only one doctor in the emergency ward. A doctor at another medical facility in the capital Ouagadougou said he had turned up as it was “a matter of conscience.”

“This strike is not normal and it is not fair,” he said. “When the sick are struggling to buy medicines because they have no money, they are demanding higher salaries,” said Bernard Kabore, whose brother needs a second operation after an accident.

Burkina Faso has some 28,000 workers, of whom less than 1,000 are doctors. They are largely based in and around the capital of the country of some 18 million people. — AFP

SALVADOR, Brazil: This file photo taken on January 28, 2016 shows physical therapist Isana Santana treating Ruan Hentique dos Santos, suffering from microcephalia caught through an Aedes Aegypti mosquito bite, at Obras Socias irma dulce hospital. — AFP

Is all Zika dangerous? Asia outbreaks prompt question CHICAGO/BANGKOK: Zika’s rampage last year in Brazil caused an explosion of infections and inflicted a crippling neurological defect on thousands of babies - an effect never seen in a mosquito-borne virus.

It also presented a mystery: why had a virus that had been little more than a footnote in the annals of infectious diseases taken such a devastating turn in the Americas? How had Africa and Asia, where Zika had quietly circulated for decades, escaped with no reports of major outbreaks or serious complications?

Scientists initially theorized that Zika’s long tenure in Africa and Asia may have conferred widespread immunity. Or, perhaps older strains were less virulent than the one linked in Brazil to more than 2,100 cases of microcephaly, a birth defect characterized by arrested brain development. Now, amid outbreaks in Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and other parts of Southeast Asia, a much graver explanation is taking shape: perhaps the menace has been there all along but neurological complications simply escaped official notice.

The question is driving several research teams, according to leading infectious disease experts and public health officials. The answer is immediately important for Asia, the region most affected by Zika after the Americas.

Thailand has been hardest hit with more than 680 reported Zika infections this year, followed

by Singapore with more than 450 and Vietnam with as many as 60. Much of the population lives in the so-called “dengue belt,” where mosquito-borne diseases are prevalent. And vulnerable countries - including Vietnam, the Philippines, Pakistan and Bangladesh - are illprepared to handle an outbreak with any serious consequences, experts said.

Lacking evidence of varying degrees of virulence, public health officials have warned Asia leaders to prepare for the worst. The scientific community is following similar assumptions.

“Zika is Zika until proven otherwise. We assume that all Zikas are equally dangerous,” said Dr. Derek Gatherer, a biomedical expert at Lancaster University in Britain.

Which Zika dangerous?

The World Health Organization recognizes two major lineages of Zika. The first originated in

Africa, where it was discovered in 1947 and has not been identified outside that continent. The Asian lineage includes strains that have been reported in Asia, the Western Pacific, Cabo Verde and, notably, the Americas, including Brazil.

The Asian lineage was first isolated in the 1960s in mosquitoes in Malaysia. But some studies suggest the virus has been infecting people there since the 1950s. In the late 1970s, seven cases of human infection in Indonesia were reported. The first record of a widespread outbreak was in 2007 on Micronesia’s Island of Yap. Experts began to suspect a link to birth defects during a 2013 outbreak in French Polynesia when doctors reported eight cases of microcephaly and 11 other cases of fetal malformation.

In 2015, it hit Brazil, causing spikes in an array of neurological birth defects now called congenital Zika virus syndrome, as well as Guillain-Barre syndrome, a neurological disorder that can lead to temporary paralysis. Viruses mutate rapidly, which can lead to strains that are more contagious and more virulent. Many researchers theorized early on that the devastation in Brazil was caused by an Asian strain that had mutated dramatically.

That theory relies, among other things, on the absence of Zika-related microcephaly in Asia. So when Zika broke out in parts of Asia earlier this year, researchers were on the lookout. If researchers were to connect a case of microcephaly to an older Asian strain - and not one that boomeranged back from Brazil-it would debunk the early theory. It would mean Zika “did not mutate into a microcephaly-causing variant as it crossed the Pacific,” Gatherer said.

At least three microcephaly cases have been identified in Asia, but the verdict is still out. For two microcephaly cases in Thailand, public health officials could not determine whether the mothers had an older Asian strain of Zika or a newer one that returned from the Americas, said Dr Boris Pavlin, WHO’s acting Zika incident manager at a recent briefing.

In Vietnam, where there have been no reports of imported Zika infection, officials are investigating a third case of microcephaly. If it is linked to Zika, Pavlin said it would suggest the older strains there could cause microcephaly and, perhaps, Guillain-Barre. In Malaysia, where at least

six cases of Zika infection have been reported, authorities have identified both an older Southeast Asian strain and one similar to the strain in the Americas, suggesting the possibility that strains from both regions could be circulating in some countries.

The hunt is on in Africa as well. In GuineaBissau, five microcephaly cases are under investigation to determine whether the African lineage of Zika can cause microcephaly. It is a top research priority at WHO, said Dr Peter Salama, executive director of the agency’s health emergencies program, in a press briefing Tuesday.

“That is a critical question because it has real public health implication for African or Asian countries that already have Zika virus transmission,” Salama said. “We are all following this extremely closely.”

Herd immunity Scientists also are trying to learn whether people in places where Zika is endemic are protected by “herd immunity.” The phenomenon limits the spread of virus when enough of a population is inoculated against infection through vaccination, prior exposure or both. Experts believe Zika moved explosively in the Americas because there was no prior exposure. It’s not clear how widely Zika has circulated in Africa and Asia, whether there could be pockets of natural immunity - and, importantly, whether immunity to one strain would confer immunity to another.

One recent review of studies suggests 15 to 40 percent of the population in some African and Asian countries may have been previously infected with Zika, said Alessandro Vespignani, a professor of health sciences at Northeastern University in Boston.

That’s far below the 80 percent population immunity one mosquito borne virus expert estimated in the journal Science would be necessary to block Zika. Researchers also believe it’s possible that microcephaly went undetected in parts of Asia and Africa where birth defects weren’t well tracked.

That too, is under investigation, said Dr David Heymann, Chair of the WHO Emergency Committee, at a press briefing last week. “Now,” he said, “countries are beginning to look back into their records to see on their registries what the levels of microcephaly have been.” — Reuters

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

W H AT ’ S O N

ABB and Solar Impulse, celebrates round-the-world flight by solar-powered aeroplane

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is Excellency, Mr. Aldo De Luca, ABB CEO Mr. Paul Dennis and Solar Impulse the Engineer Mr. Eoin Caldwell who has been responsible for the control system of the mobile hangar during the 2nd part of the around-the-world mission in 2016.

They welcomed professionals in the field from local universities and businesses.

ABB is a global leader in power and automation technologies that support its vision of "power and productivity for a better world". Its track record of technological innovation stretches back 125 years in Switzerland and it has pioneered some of the key technologies of the modern world, from high-voltage direct current power transmission, to the world's first industrial electric robot, to fast chargers for

electric vehicles. ABB is driving the 4th Industrial Revolution by being a global leader for solutions to enable energy efficiency, sustainable transportation and renewable energy; solar is a key driver and contributor to the future energy system.

ABB and Solar Impulse share a common vision of a better world through decoupling environmental impact from economic growth. They are passionate pioneers of leadingedge technology for a better world. Both being Swissbased pioneers of cutting-edge clean energy technologies, they entered an innovation and technology alliance in 2014 in which ABB committed resources including the expertise of its engineers to help accomplish the first-ever circumnavigation of the planet without fossil fuel.

KFH Hosts Baiti Account Holders in Al-Faiha Branch

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uwait Finance House (KFH) has opened the new season of Baiti Club dedicated for Baiti account holders in Al-Faiha branch. The club serves in educating kids on conducting some basic banking transactions, such as depositing, withdrawing, account statements etc.

The club includes several activities under the supervision of a number of KFH female staff. Baiti club targets schools and Baiti Account customers up to 14 years old.

The club educates the children on the

importance of saving, the economic cycle, the banks' role in the economy, in addition to some training on how to browse KFH website. KFH strive to build a brighter future full of opportunities and success for children.

It is noteworthy that KFH successfully had concluded the activities of Baiti Reading" Club held at "That Al-Salasel" Library - Avenues mall where the event encompassed 250 children aged 4-7 years old.

LAPA opens Niqat at Shaheed Park

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OYAC Ac a d e my o f Pe r fo r m i n g A r t s ( L A PA) launched its annual Niqat conference at AlShaheed Park’s amphitheater with a performance by the Mokhadioun Band. Headed by Fare’a AlSaqqaf, LAPA is an academy that empowers the talented youth of Kuwait to develop their skills and nurture their passion through programs in the fields

of theatre, dance and music. LAPA was founded out of deep belief in the therapeutic qualities of art in all its forms. LAPA’s program also includes three concerts to be held jointly between Al-Shaheed Park and NCCAL, starting with Nisreen Nassr on Nov 23, Abdul Aziz Al-Misbah on Nov 24 and the Sounds of Peace on Nov 25.

Ahmed Hassanein, Program Coordinator of RISE; Dr. Amir Zeid, Director of RISE; and Yassmin Abdel-Magied, RISE guest speaker.

Welcome remarks by Dr. Amir Zeid, Director of RISE

Yassmin Abdel-Magied, RISE guest speaker

Event attendees

AUK's RISE Center Hosts TED Speaker Yassmin Abdel-Magied

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he Center for Research in Informatics, Sciences and Engineering (RISE) at the American University of Kuwait (AUK), in collaboration with the Australian Embassy in Kuwait, held a lecture entitled "Women In Male-Dominated Industries: Gender and Engineering." The lecture was conducted by Yassmin Abdel-Magied, Gender Ambassador at the Inter-American Development Bank and Founder and Chair of Youth Without Borders. The lecture focused on gender issues in the field of engineering and the importance of diversity and mutual respect.

Dr. Amir Zeid, Director of RISE, in his introduction to the lecture, said that the subject of the lecture comes at a time when the world is struggling with interminable issues. He explained that diversity and gender concerns in the field of engineering are prominent issues that are faced in many countries around the world, but in Kuwait, however, almost 60% of engineering students are female, while the percentage in western countries is much lower.

In her personal introduction, Yassmin described to the attendees how she became interested in the field of engineering because of her passion for "Formula 1" cars. She explained that while growing up, she imagined herself as a race-car driver. When she saw she did not meet the necessary requirements to become a driver, she shifted her attention towards the designs of the cars instead; this prompted her to pursue a career in mechanical engineer.

At the University of Queensland, where Yassmin studied,

she said there were 300 male students and only 7 female students who were studying mechanical engineering. This, along with her work experience later, made her aware of an unconscious bias that exists; one that was influenced by one's culture and environment. She explained that regardless of where a person was brought up, they must try to shatter the glass ceilings set by society and pursue their goals in life, no matter how against the norm they may seem.

The lecturer also covered key points regarding gender issues that women face as engineers. Yassmin explained that one of the obstacles faced by women in the field of engineering is that male engineers are generally deemed competent until proven otherwise, while female engineers are deemed incompetent until proven otherwise.

The speaker concluded by stating that diversity in the workplace is important, and introducing new patterns of thinking enhances the work environment and yields better results. "We may not be able to change the entire world, but we can change the world around us," she added.

The AUK Center for Research in Informatics, Sciences, and Engineering (RISE) serves as AUK's primary source for research and development activities, a bridge to industry, and an important venue for community outreach. RISE adapts an integrative model by forging connections between academic disciplines, local & international innovators, academia & industry, as well as technology & society.

W H AT ’ S O N

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah presents Dr. Samir Mahmoud's academic lecture

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ast Monday, Dr. Samir Mahmoud presented an academic lecture in the Yarmouk Cultural Center as part of Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah's cultural season. The presentation was entitled "New Perspectives on Islamic Art: How and Why Does Non-figurative Art Move Us and Evoke an Emotion?" During the lecture, he drew on some

medieval Islamic textual sources in addition to contemporary neurosciences, phenomenology, art history, and psychology to form a dialogue across the centuries that centers on the perceptual qualities of non-figurative art (geometry, vegetal motifs, and to a certain extent calligraphy). He will then explore the question of an Islamic prohi-

bition on creating images of living things from this angle.

Dr. Samir Mahmoud is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Architecture at the American University of Beirut. In 2013-2014 he was Andrew Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow at the Arts & Humanities Initiative at the American University of Beirut; in 2012-2013 he was Barakat

Postdoctoral Fellow at the Khalili Center for Research in Art & Material Culture, University of Oxford and Agha Khan Postdoctoral Fellow at MIT in the Fall of 2011-2012. He is the author of several publications on Islamic aesthetics, Islamic philosophy, and is currently working on two new books.

KALA Kuwait 'Mazhavillu-2016': Results declared

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erala Art Lovers Association (KALA Kuwait) has announced the winners of the drawing and painting competition Rainbow 2016 conducted for the Indian students in Kuwait in connection with the Children's Day celebrations on November 11 at Carmel School, Khaitan. Bagging the highest points, Carmel School, Khaitan won the ‘Rainbow 2016’ trophy.

Catherine Vismaya Biju (Bhavans School) in the senior category, Swachanda Roy Mathew (Gulf Indian School) in the Junior category , Noel Alex Cyril (Learners Academy) in the Sub Junior category and Mohit Sai (Don Bosco School) in the Kindergarten category won the individual gold medals.

In the senior category, the second place goes to Madhukrishnan Mukundan (Bhavans School) and third place to

Apoorva ramachandran (Bhavans School). In the Junior category Harigovind Sajith (Carmel school) got the second place and Jisha Maria Joseph (United Indian school) got the third place.

Harisankar Sajith (Carmel school) and Merin Anna Jaise (Bhavans School) got the second and third places respectively in the Sub junior category. In the Kindergarten category Sreesivani Sreejith (Jabriya Indian school) got the second place and Ruhi Sasha Ozario (Carmel school) got the third.

A number of conciliation prizes have also been announced under each category. More details are available in the website of Kala ‘(www.kalakuwait.com).’ The prizes will be distributed to the winners on Saturday, November 26, at 5.30 pm in a function to be held at the Poppins Auditorium , Abbassiya.

Free level '0' umpiring course

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Festive season lights up with Costa Coffee

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t truly is the season to be jolly with Costa Coffee's beautifully handcrafted festive drinks and food that are carefully and happily prepared by the stores' expert baristas. Costa Coffee extends a warm welcome to everyone in Kuwait to share in Costa Coffee's special events that will take place in Costa Coffee's select stores every Tuesday and Saturday throughout the months of November and December. Whether you want to enjoy your favorite coffee in a specially wrapped jumper themed cup or a seasonal snack, you can make yourself at home at any Costa Coffee store that will bring in the right amount of spice and fun to your day.

To celebrate this festive season, Costa Coffee launched introduced its festive drinks & treats through an exclusive sneak preview event for its loyal customers, social media influencers and media executives. The drinks that were enjoyed by all include the Gingerbread & Cream Latte, Hot Chocolate Caramel Fudge and

uwait Cricket, an Associate member of International Cricket Council (ICC), Full member of Asian Cricket Counci (ACC) and affiliated with Kuwait Olympic Committee is proud to announce the free induction level (Level-0) Umpiring Course for new aspirants in Cricket Umpiring from 3rd of December to 8th December, 2016.

The consolidated course will comprise of 6 days of training (both Theory & Practicals) which will be conducted from Saturday to Thursday between 1900 to 2130 hours (7:00pm to 9:30pm) at the Sulabiyia Cricket Pavilion.

English will be the medium of instruction of the course.

A practical competency and written/practical test will be

the Almond Crunch Caramel Fudge Sundae Frostino for those who prefer to indulge in something cool in the cooler months.

The festive food tray contained diverse options including the Turkey & Cranberry Sauce sandwich on brown baguette for the health conscious, Brie & Cranberry Sauce sandwich on white baguette for those who prefer to eat creatively and finally, the Date Lamington Cake as the most mouthwatering dessert you can enjoy this winter. The festive events that will be taking place in Costa Coffee stores will feature a joyful host of entertaining and interactive activities suitable for the whole family. These events include gingerbread decoration, child development workshop, interactive children reading, music night and life coaching.

To find our more about the events, visit any of Costa Coffee's 33 stores in Kuwait or Costa Coffee's social media accounts on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat or Twitter. May you have a wonderful winter season with Costa Coffee.

held at the conclusion of the training sessions on 11th and 12th December, 2016. Successful participants will be awarded Accreditation Certificates by Kuwait Cricket on behalf of ICC/ACC. This training course will be conducted and supervised by Farid Dalwai, Tareq Beidas and Irfan Adil, the Kuwait Cricket's seniormost umpires and ICC/ACC Accredited Umpire's Educators.

Last date for registration is 28th November, 2016. All those interested are requested to contact Imran Mustafa for registration. Email: karpak2002@gmail.com Come and join the elite Kuwait Cricket Umpiring Panel (KCUP) and be a part of the Kuwait's cricket fraternity.

Birthday Greetings

Happy Birthday Mennah Mostafa Sleem…May Allah shower his blessings on you and wish you all the success in future. Wishes from Ahmed Afaf and family.

Happy Birthday Berry Ahmed Afaf…may Allah bless her with good health, wealth, love and happiness with her lovely parents.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

TV PROGRAMS

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Smiley Snakehead Swamp Batman vs. Robin The Expendables 3 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Apocalypse Pompeii Safe House The Expendables 3 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Four Brothers Surrogates Sabotage

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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

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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

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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

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Doc McStuffins Minnie's Bow-Toons Zou Loopdidoo Art Attack Henry Hugglemonster Calimero Zou Loopdidoo Art Attack Calimero Zou

SAFE HOUSE 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

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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

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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

HELLO CARTER ON OSN MOVIES HD

THE BRONZE 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 Whiplash 03:15 Hector And The Search For Happiness 05:15 Hello Carter 07:00 Love, Rosie 09:00 Hector And The Search For Happiness 11:15 90 Minutes In Heaven 13:30 The Good Lie 15:30 Louder Than Words 17:15 Big Game 19:00 Spy 21:00 The Man From U.N.C.L.E. 23:00 Get Hard

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 07:45 09:45 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

Please Give Ghostbusters II How Do You Know 10 Things I Hate About You Confessions Of A Shopaholic How Do You Know Ghostbusters II Sunshine On Leith Confessions Of A Shopaholic The Invention Of Lying She's Funny That Way The Bronze

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 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY (24/11/2016 TO 30/11/2016) SHARQIA-1 ARRIVAL ARRIVAL TROLLS DEAR ZINDAGI -Hindi ARRIVAL TAHT AL TARABEZA

11:30 AM 1:45 PM 4:15 PM 6:15 PM 9:15 PM 11:45 PM

SHARQIA-2 TAHT AL TARABEZA TAHT AL TARABEZA TAHT AL TARABEZA TAHT AL TARABEZA TAHT AL TARABEZA TAHT AL TARABEZA TAHT AL TARABEZA

11:30 AM 1:30 PM 3:45 PM 6:00 PM 8:15 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM

SHARQIA-3 FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM ALLIED ALLIED FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM ALLIED ALLIED

11:30 AM 2:15 PM 4:45 PM 7:15 PM 10:00 PM 12:30 AM

MUHALAB-1 TAHT AL TARABEZA TAHT AL TARABEZA ARRIVAL DEAR ZINDAGI -Hindi FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM ARRIVAL

11:30 AM 1:45 PM 4:00 PM 6:30 PM 9:30 PM 12:15 AM

MUHALAB-2 ALLIED TROLLS ALLIED ARRIVAL ALLIED ALLIED

12:30 PM 3:00 PM 5:00 PM 7:45 PM 10:15 PM 12:45 AM

MUHALAB-3 TAHT AL TARABEZA TAHT AL TARABEZA TAHT AL TARABEZA TAHT AL TARABEZA TAHT AL TARABEZA TAHT AL TARABEZA

12:45 PM 3:00 PM 5:15 PM 7:30 PM 9:45 PM 12:05 AM

FANAR-1 ARRIVAL FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM ARRIVAL ARRIVAL GHOST COINS ARRIVAL

11:45 AM 2:15 PM 5:00 PM 7:30 PM 10:00 PM 12:05 AM

FANAR-2 ALLIED

11:30 AM

ALLIED ALLIED FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM ALLIED ALLIED

2:00 PM 4:30 PM 7:00 PM 9:45 PM 12:15 AM

TAHT AL TARABEZA GHOST COINS TAHT AL TARABEZA TAHT AL TARABEZA GHOST COINS

4:15 PM 6:30 PM 8:45 PM 11:00 PM 1:15 AM

FANAR-3 DEAR ZINDAGI -Hindi DEAR ZINDAGI -Hindi AE DIL HAI MUSHKIL -Hindi DEAR ZINDAGI -Hindi DEAR ZINDAGI -Hindi

11:45 AM 2:45 PM 5:45 PM 8:45 PM 11:45 PM

AVENUES-2 FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM -3D FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM -3D FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM -3D FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM -3D FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM -3D -

12:15 PM 3:00 PM 5:45 PM 8:30 PM 11:15 PM

FANAR-4 TAHT AL TARABEZA TAHT AL TARABEZA TAHT AL TARABEZA TAHT AL TARABEZA TAHT AL TARABEZA TAHT AL TARABEZA

1:00 PM 3:30 PM 5:45 PM 8:00 PM 10:15 PM 12:30 AM

AVENUES-3 DEAR ZINDAGI -Hindi DEAR ZINDAGI -Hindi DEAR ZINDAGI -Hindi DEAR ZINDAGI -Hindi DEAR ZINDAGI -Hindi

11:30 AM 2:30 PM 5:30 PM 8:30 PM 11:30 PM

360ยบ- 1 ALLIED ALLIED ALLIED ALLIED ALLIED ALLIED

11:30 AM 2:00 PM 4:30 PM 7:00 PM 9:30 PM 12:05 AM

FANAR-5 TAHT AL TARABEZA TAHT AL TARABEZA TROLLS FRI+SAT TROLLS TAHT AL TARABEZA TAHT AL TARABEZA TAHT AL TARABEZA

11:30 AM 2:00 PM 2:00 PM 4:30 PM 6:30 PM 9:00 PM 11:30 PM

MARINA-1 ALLIED ALLIED TROLLS ALLIED ALLIED ALLIED

12:15 PM 2:45 PM 5:30 PM 7:30 PM 10:00 PM 12:30 AM

MARINA-2 TAHT AL TARABEZA TAHT AL TARABEZA TAHT AL TARABEZA TAHT AL TARABEZA TAHT AL TARABEZA TAHT AL TARABEZA

12:45 PM 3:00 PM 5:15 PM 7:30 PM 9:45 PM 12:05 AM

MARINA-3 ARRIVAL FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM ARRIVAL ARRIVAL FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM ARRIVAL AVENUES-1 TAHT AL TARABEZA TAHT AL TARABEZA

11:30 AM 1:45 PM 4:30 PM 7:00 PM 9:30 PM 12:15 AM 11:45 AM 2:00 PM

360 ยบ- 2 TAHT AL TARABEZA TAHT AL TARABEZA TAHT AL TARABEZA TAHT AL TARABEZA TAHT AL TARABEZA TAHT AL TARABEZA

12:45 PM 3:00 PM 5:15 PM 7:30 PM 9:45 PM 12:05 AM

360 ยบ- 3 THE WHOLE WORLD AT OUR FEET ECHOES OF WAR THE WHOLE WORLD AT OUR FEET ECHOES OF WAR THE WHOLE WORLD AT OUR FEET ECHOES OF WAR THE WHOLE WORLD AT OUR FEET

11:30 AM 1:30 PM 3:45 PM 6:00 PM 8:15 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM

AL-KOUT.1 TAHT AL TARABEZA TAHT AL TARABEZA TAHT AL TARABEZA TAHT AL TARABEZA TAHT AL TARABEZA TAHT AL TARABEZA

12:45 PM 3:00 PM 5:15 PM 7:30 PM 9:45 PM 12:05 AM

AL-KOUT.2 ALLIED ALLIED ALLIED ALLIED

12:30 PM 3:15 PM 5:45 PM 8:00 PM

SITUATION VACANT Required cook chef for house, good knowledge in all kinds of food, specially Arabic, good salary.

Contact: 60064934/ 66519719/ 23901053.

(C 5239) 24-11-2016 CHANGE OF NAME I, Mohamed Sadiq Riyasat, holder of Indian Passport No. M6103097 has changed my name to Sadique Riyasat Pathan. Herein after in all my dealings and documents I will be known by name of Sadique Riyasat Pathan. (C 5240) 24-11-2016 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)

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

ence 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) 20-11-2016

Purchase Manager experiI, 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

PRAYER TIMINGS Fajr:

04:56

Shorook

06:19

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 Airlines KLM JZR JZR THY KAC MSC QTR SAI THY DLH AXB PGT ETH GFA UAE KAC KAC THY KAC KAC KAC BAW PAL KAC FDB QTR FDB IAW KAC UAE KAC IRA ETD ABY KAC QTR FDB SVA AVV IRA GFA SYR KAC RBG MSC JZR FDK MEA IAW KAC FEG JZR JZR FDB UAE MSR AXB BON KAC KAC FEG KNE QTR SVA FDB KAC KAC GFA KAC KAC

Arrival Flights on Thursday 24/11/2016 Flt Route 411 Amsterdam/Dammam 267 Beirut 539 Cairo 772 Istanbul 102 London 411 Asyut 1086 Doha 441 Lahore 764 Istanbul 635 Doha 395 Kozhikode 858 Istanbul 620 Addis Ababa 211 Bahrain 853 Dubai 354 BLR 332 Trivandrum 770 Istanbul 364 Colombo 206 Islamabad 346 Ahmedabad 157 London 668 Manila/Dubai 204 Lahore 5061 Dubai 8511 Doha 053 Dubai 155 Baghdad 302 Mumbai 855 Dubai 382 Delhi 667 Esfahan 301 Abu Dhabi 125 Sharjah 352 Kochi 1070 Doha 055 Dubai 512 Riyadh 653 Sohag 673 Ahwaz 213 Bahrain 341 Damascus 774 Riyadh 553 Alexandria 403 Asyut 165 Dubai 801 Damascus 404 Beirut 157 Al Najaf 744 Dammam 953 Asyut 561 Sohag 239 Amman 075 Dubai 871 Dubai 610 Cairo 393 Kozhikode 101 Sarajevo 564 Amman 788 Jeddah 931 Alexandria 231 Riyadh 1078 Doha 500 Jeddah 059 Dubai 692 Muscat 414 Bangkok 221 Bahrain 542 Cairo 672 Dubai

Time 00:20 00:30 00:40 00:55 00:55 01:00 01:15 01:30 01:50 01:55 02:00 02:00 02:05 02:30 02:30 05:20 05:45 05:55 06:05 06:20 06:25 06:40 07:00 07:15 07:15 07:45 07:50 08:00 08:20 08:40 08:45 09:00 09:05 09:05 09:10 09:30 09:40 10:00 10:10 10:10 10:40 11:00 11:05 11:15 11:15 11:30 11:45 11:55 11:55 12:10 12:35 12:40 12:45 12:50 12:50 13:00 13:10 13:30 13:40 13:45 13:55 13:55 14:10 14:15 14:20 14:30 14:35 14:40 14:45 14:50

KNE ETD OMA UAE ABY JZR KAC KNE JZR JZR QTR FDB KAC RJA JZR KAC SVA GFA JZR NIA UAE FDB JZR MSR QTR OSJ ABY KAC GFA KAC FDB KAC KNE KAC KAC MSR OMA JZR QTR DLH KAC FDB JAI KAC ETD MEA ALK UAE KAC GFA KAC QTR JZR KLM NIA ETD AIC JZR JZR KAC FDB JAI

Airlines AIC PIA FDB JAI BBC KLM MSC

529 303 645 857 127 1333 154 531 535 779 1072 051 662 640 787 118 510 215 777 251 875 063 177 620 1080 4116 123 502 217 674 057 168 381 166 562 618 647 189 1088 634 616 5053 572 786 307 402 229 859 676 219 174 1082 125 417 151 309 981 241 185 156 071 574

Jeddah Abu Dhabi Muscat Dubai Sharjah Al Najaf Istanbul Jeddah Cairo Jeddah Doha Dubai Abu Dhabi Amman Riyadh New York Riyadh Bahrain Jeddah Alexandria Dubai Dubai Dubai Cairo Doha Baghdad Sharjah Beirut Bahrain Dubai Dubai Paris Taif Rome Amman Alexandria Muscat Dubai Doha Frankfurt Bahrain Dubai Mumbai Jeddah Abu Dhabi Beirut Colombo Dubai Dubai Bahrain Munich Doha Bahrain Amsterdam Cairo Abu Dhabi Chennai/Ahmedabad Amman Dubai Istanbul Dubai Mumbai

Departure Flights on Thursday 24/11/2016 Flt Route 976 Goa/Chennai 240 Sialkot 072 Dubai 573 Mumbai 044 Dhaka 411 Amsterdam 412 Asyut

14:55 15:15 15:35 15:45 15:50 15:55 15:55 16:05 16:10 16:10 16:10 16:25 16:35 16:55 17:00 17:00 17:15 17:30 17:45 17:55 18:00 18:10 18:20 18:30 18:50 19:00 19:25 19:30 19:30 19:45 19:50 19:55 19:55 19:55 20:00 20:05 20:10 20:15 20:35 20:45 20:50 20:50 20:55 21:15 21:20 21:20 21:25 21:40 21:45 21:45 22:00 22:00 22:05 22:05 22:10 22:15 22:25 22:45 23:15 23:25 23:45 23:50

Time 00:05 00:40 00:40 00:50 01:30 01:35 01:55

KAC THY SAI DLH AXB ETH PGT UAE KKK OMA THY MSR ETD KAC QTR LMU MSC QTR FEG JZR FDB KAC THY JZR KAC JZR KAC GFA KAC KAC FDB KAC KAC BAW KAC FDB KAC IAW KAC KAC JZR QTR KAC ABY UAE IRA KAC ETD JZR FDB QTR SVA IRA AVV KAC GFA RBG SYR KAC JZR MSC JZR FDK IAW MEA FEG JZR JZR KAC OSJ MSR FDB

417 773 442 635 396 621 859 854 6505 644 765 613 306 167 1077 511 502 1087 954 560 070 153 771 164 165 238 541 212 773 787 5062 563 411 156 173 054 691 156 743 117 534 8512 101 126 856 668 671 302 778 056 1071 513 672 654 501 214 554 342 661 776 404 1332 802 158 405 934 786 176 155 4115 611 076

Manila Istanbul Lahore Frankfurt Kozhikode Addis Ababa Istanbul Dubai Istanbul Muscat Istanbul Cairo Abu Dhabi Paris Doha Cairo Alexandria Doha Asyut Sohag Dubai Istanbul Istanbul Dubai Rome Amman Cairo Bahrain Riyadh Jeddah Dubai Amman Bangkok London Munich Dubai Muscat Al Najaf Dammam New York Cairo Doha London Sharjah Dubai Mashhad Dubai Abu Dhabi Jeddah Dubai Doha Riyadh Ahwaz Asyut Beirut Bahrain Alexandria Damascus Abu Dhabi Jeddah Asyut Al Najaf Damascus Al Najaf Beirut Sohag Riyadh Dubai Istanbul Baghdad Cairo Dubai

02:00 02:25 02:30 02:55 02:55 03:05 03:35 03:45 03:55 03:55 04:00 04:10 04:10 04:25 04:40 05:00 05:05 05:50 06:00 06:05 06:30 06:50 06:50 06:55 06:55 07:10 07:15 07:15 07:30 07:45 07:55 08:00 08:20 08:40 08:50 08:55 09:00 09:00 09:00 09:00 09:15 09:30 09:35 09:45 09:55 10:00 10:05 10:10 10:30 10:35 10:40 11:00 11:10 11:10 11:15 11:25 11:55 12:00 12:05 12:05 12:15 12:30 12:45 12:55 12:55 13:35 13:45 13:45 13:50 14:00 14:00 14:05

AXB UAE KAC KNE BON FEG KAC FDB KAC PAL GFA QTR JZR SVA KNE KAC ETD KAC ABY OMA KNE KAC JZR JZR FDB KAC QTR KAC UAE JZR RJA KAC SVA KAC GFA JZR NIA JZR FDB JZR UAE MSR QTR ABY GFA KAC FDB KAC KAC KNE MSR OMA KAC QTR DLH FDB DHX JAI KAC KAC KAC ETD MEA ALK GFA KAC KAC KAC UAE KLM ETD NIA

394 872 561 382 102 932 673 060 785 669 222 1079 188 501 530 283 304 357 128 646 532 675 266 240 052 615 1073 343 858 538 641 331 511 353 216 184 252 554 064 124 876 621 1081 124 218 383 058 361 775 232 619 648 619 1089 634 5054 171 571 351 205 783 308 403 230 220 301 543 381 860 417 310 152

Kozhikode Dubai Amman Taif Sarajevo Alexandria Dubai Dubai Jeddah Dubai/Manila Bahrain Doha Dubai Jeddah Jeddah Dhaka Abu Dhabi Kochi Sharjah Muscat Jeddah Dubai Beirut Amman Dubai Bahrain Doha Chennai Dubai Cairo Amman Trivandrum Riyadh BLR Bahrain Dubai Alexandria Alexandria Dubai Bahrain Dubai Cairo Doha Sharjah Bahrain Delhi Dubai Colombo Riyadh Riyadh Alexandria Muscat Doha Doha Doha Dubai Bahrain Mumbai Kochi Islamabad Jeddah Abu Dhabi Beirut Colombo Bahrain Mumbai Cairo Delhi Dubai Dammam/Amsterdam Abu Dhabi Cairo

14:10 14:15 14:20 14:50 14:55 14:55 15:00 15:10 15:15 15:20 15:25 15:40 15:40 15:45 15:55 16:15 16:20 16:20 16:30 16:35 16:55 17:00 17:05 17:15 17:25 17:35 17:40 17:40 17:45 17:45 17:55 18:00 18:15 18:15 18:20 18:40 18:55 18:55 19:05 19:15 19:30 19:30 19:50 20:05 20:15 20:30 20:35 20:35 20:45 20:55 21:05 21:10 21:20 21:35 21:35 21:50 21:50 21:55 22:00 22:00 22:10 22:15 22:20 22:25 22:30 22:45 22:45 22:45 22:55 23:05 23:05 23:10

34

s ta rs CROSSWORD 1440

STAR TRACK Aries (March 21-April 19) Because of the time element, life in the work world could be a bit stressful.

Products to be delivered before the holiday may have caused some real backlog of problems, even if you are not actively concerned with that part of the business.

You may feel restricted in some of your activities today. It may be hard to organize or persevere at this time. Be patient and let the chaos dissipate. Perhaps this is not the time to try to solve any serious problems. This afternoon is a good time for personal communications.

A love relationship appears almost magical in the way you communicate now. You could be most persuasive and the situation is a natural for self-expression. Home is the happiest place to be this evening.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) This is a great time to be with others and to work in a group. You may be sought after as just the person to put in the lead. You are in a serious frame of mind and find yourself dealing with matters of much concern and responsibility. You and your teammates will complete assigned projects in speedy time. Later today you will find what you are searching for-this may even include that loan you have been wanting. You may be sought after regarding very personal and emotional issues, especially from an elderly person. You will be able to be understanding and handle this sensitive material. You look forward to some special celebrations this evening, a time to enjoy friends and catch up on the lives of those you love.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

ACROSS 1. An informal term for a father.

4. A polypeptide antibiotic (similar to bacitracin) obtained from a soil bacterium.

12. The shape of a raised edge of a more or less circular object.

15. A period marked by distinctive character or reckoned from a fixed point or event.

16. Make lighter or brighter.

17. Used of a single unit or thing.

18. An officer who acts as military assistant to a more senior officer.

20. Small and light boat.

21. A fractional monetary unit in Bangladesh and India and Nepal and Pakistan.

23. The seed of flax used as a source of oil.

26. A river in north central Switzerland that runs northeast into the Rhine.

27. Capital and largest city of Italy.

30. A door-like movable barrier in a fence or wall.

31. One of the 150 lyrical poems and prayers that comprise the Book of Psalms in the Old Testament.

34. Inability to urinate.

35. Full of ruts.

37. A unit of electrical resistance equal to the resistance between two points on a conductor when a potential difference of one volt between them produces a current of one ampere.

38. One of the two main branches of orthodox Islam.

42. (Irish) Mother of the ancient Irish gods.

43. Of or in or relating to the nose.

45. Thickening of tissue in the motor tracts of the lateral columns and anterior horns of the spinal cord.

46. Japanese mathematical physicist who proposed that nuclear forces are mediated by massive particles called mesons which are analogous to the photon in mediating electromagnetic forces (1907-1981).

49. Covered with frost.

51. An absence of emotion or enthusiasm.

52. A gray lustrous metallic element of the rare earth group.

53. Swelling from excessive accumulation of serous fluid in tissue.

54. Hawaiian dish of taro root pounded to a paste and often allowed to ferment.

57. A silvery ductile metallic element found primarily in bauxite.

59. (Islam) The man who leads prayers in a mosque.

60. Less than the correct or legal or full amount often deliberately so.

62. A piece of soft material that protects an injured part of the body v 1.

65. A white metallic element that burns with a brilliant light.

66. A yearning for something or to do something.

68. The syllable naming the fourth (subdominant) note of the diatonic scale in solmization.

69. A landlocked principality in the Himalayas northeast of India.

73. 100 avos equal 1 pataca.

75. A region of central Spain.

78. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

79. Fleshy folds of tissue as those surrounding the mouth.

80. Relating to bees or beekeeping.

81. A piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep.

82. Any of several small ungulate mammals of Africa and Asia with rodent-like incisors and feet with hooflike toes.

83. A river in northeastern Brazil that flows

generally northward to the Atlantic Ocean.

84. An agency of the United Nations affiliated with the World Bank.

DOWN 1. Lacking or deprive of the sense of hearing wholly or in part.

2. Fleshy and usually brightly colored cover of some seeds that develops from the ovule stalk and partially or entirely envelopes the seed.

3. An informal term for a father.

4. A complete metric system of units of measurement for scientists.

5. A circumscribed inflammatory and often suppurating lesion on the skin or an internal mucous surface resulting in necrosis of tissue.

6. (Scottish) Bluish-black or gray-blue.

7. A vast treeless plain in the arctic regions between the ice cap and the tree line.

8. The United Nations agency concerned with international maritime activities.

9. A statement that deviates from or perverts the truth.

10. Not out.

11. Type genus of the Nepidae.

12. An Indian side dish of yogurt and chopped cucumbers and spices.

13. A small picture inserted within the bounds or a larger one.

14. English economist noted for his studies of international trade and finance (born in 1907).

19. Praise, glorify, or honor.

22. A Chadic language spoken in northern Nigeria and closely related to Hausa.

24. Same in identity.

25. In a hearty manner.

28. Genus of European subshrubs or herbs having pink or purple or yellow solitary or clustered flowers.

29. Leader of Black Muslims who campaigned for independence for Black Americans (1897-1975).

32. The first light of day.

33. A member of an Indian people formerly living along the Gulf coast of Louisiana and Texas.

36. A low heavy horsecart without sides.

39. Living quarters reserved for wives and concubines and female relatives in a Muslim household.

40. Tropical American tree grown in southern United States having a whitish pink-tinged fruit.

41. State in northeastern India.

44. A heavy brittle metallic element of the platinum group.

47. Lack of normal muscular tension or tonus.

48. A wave that is blown by the wind so its crest is broken and appears white.

50. A farewell remark.

55. The blood group whose red cells carry both the A and B antigens.

56. A woman's dress style that imitates the caftan cloaks worn by men in the Near East.

58. 1 species.

61. Type genus of the Caviidae.

63. The basic unit of money in Nigeria.

64. A republic in West Africa on the Gulf of Guinea.

67. Plant with an elongated head of broad stalked leaves resembling celery.

70. A sock with a separation for the big toe.

71. In bed.

72. A quantity of no importance.

74. (Roman mythology) Goddess of abundance and fertility.

76. Term of address for a man.

77. Being two more than fifty.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

Extra money comes your way at work this morning. You could receive money from a football pool or some other similar type of activity. Your professional ambition is intensified-you aim to make a difference in this world-to accomplish. This would be a good time to thin out your responsibilities and balance some of your activities: some unfinished projects or some desired ability that you would like to try. You may find yourself looking through a few continuing education classes in hopes of learning more about something new you may want to accomplish. This could be piano, voice, computer expertise or perhaps art. You may be very pleased to discover how peaceful you become while in the process of creating.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) You may find yourself working on budgeting for your place of business as well as a personal budget for the coming holidays. Budgeting is where your attention is most of this day. Perhaps you own a company or you help someone that owns a company.

You are on the right path with the format you are taking, no matter where you are working. A practical awareness of the nature of time is the keynote of your deepest feelings now. There is a tendency to be too strict with yourself and to insist that whatever does not contribute to security and other long-term goals is trivial. Your desire to achieve is intensified and you could be looking for a part-time job or trying to talk a family member into working part-time. If you work with facts, you will be successful.

Leo (July 23-August 22) Work, achievement and ambition mean a lot to you and it is a good time to take care of some business you have postponed or disregarded up to now. Obligations come to your attention. This afternoon you may find yourself hurrying to some group meeting. Being on the go and keeping a finger to the winds of change make you feel in touch; learning and communicating scratch an instinctive itch. Your burning zeal for the ideal world and your need to be part of a group of likeminded souls are major factors in your makeup. You learn and grow through your efforts to help others and you are happy to accept some work that will help get the homeless off the streets. Before the day is over, you may have talked several other people into joining you in this work.

Virgo (August 23-September 22) A drive to find the answers to your questions may find you examining and working through some problems that have lingered far too long on your desk. Push too hard and you could put yourself into some stress-however, you might find a co-worker willing to help you work a trade. When this co-worker needs help you have the opportunity to return the favor. This afternoon you enjoy shopping for a family member-you make a conscious effort to compare prices and quality. Having and appreciating things of beauty and value plays a bigger role in your life now. Provided you do not spend it all on the fancy things that catch your eye, this can be a financially favorable period. A birthday or anniversary is celebrated tonight. Romance is on the horizon.

Word Search

Libra (September 23-October 22) You are at your mental best with sharp ideas and clear thoughts. Today is an excellent time to make decisions and take care of your employer's business. It might even be possible to take care of some of your own personal business as well. Work, health, diet and the other things that take care of us if we take care of them will be big topics of discussion among co-workers today. Self-achievement and competition concerning these subjects will help encourage successful results. The accomplishment of a professional or self-improvement project can also lead to success. You can demonstrate a great deal of understanding and sensitivity to family or friends this evening and you are in a good position to listen or guide, if need be the case.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) If you are working today you will find it easy to pour a lot of energy into those around you. You may be called upon to smooth over the frustrations of a disgruntled customer this morning. It does not take much to restore your positive attitude. You work throughout the day to make life a little easier for everyone around you. A financial problem that had escaped your notice this last weekend may have you a bit worried. You could find that after you get the whole story from a family member, someone has already paid the bill in person. This evening you decide to cook some low-fat treats to take to work tomorrow-they are fun to make and will be accepted greedily. Copy the recipe and add it for others to take and your will make friends forever.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) Make room for new growth-yes, you can expect some positive changes in your life. The results will be their own paths of development. Be tuned into the positive in your life and give yourself credit for the progress you have made. You may methodically go about planning and creating your future. This whole birthday year will be full of accomplishments in the business world and growth in your emotional life. You will multiply your career options. The effort toward making dreams come true can be scary at first, but you will look back years from now and be glad you dared. After the celebrations of the day are put aside, you will continue to find all sorts of reasons to appreciate and enjoy life; smile your contagious smile-happy birthday!

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) You might like to ignore responsibilities and do some socializing later today but the demands of the workplace seem to be a bit more intense than usual. Considering that a day or so of vacation could be something you could enjoy soon, you need to be quick to solve and end as many projects as possible. This day is scheduled for work responsibilities but by the afternoon, you may look to your friends for a change of environment.

Your opinions in a group situation are relevant and taken under consideration. A type of time-share situation may develop and you have enough responsible friends to successfully enjoy this option. The only things left to decide are the dates and the clothes. This is the kind of talk that encourages you to be creative.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) Some of the healthiest love relationships grow from friendships. This is the best time of the year to enjoy the art of bringing a relationship close. Some of the most beautiful flowers and vegetables grow this time of year. If you find yourself in a place of business, your desk will be adorned with the beauty of a garden and enough color to lift any spirit that needs a boost. Harmonious ties to others are what you yearn for; refinement and elegance are what you seek. The ideal partnership, the perfect balance, the highest standards of truth and beauty are some of the things that quicken your pulse. A co-worker may be much more agreeable this week than in the past. You and a friend may work together in a volunteer organization this evening.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) Do not decline an assigned task because of a lack of training or experience. You can learn as you go. You could find a teacher or guide, a new approach to your career, etc. You may find ways that can save the company some extra expenses this year. Your mind is on cutting through the nonessentials and penetrating to the core-you want to know who or what pulls the strings. Learning and knowing a little about a lot of things, as well as staying in touch and on top of the latest developments, satisfies a need for mental stimulation. An open mind may be the key to success. Let optimism carry you through a difficult dilemma this afternoon. At home, you really get into the holiday season. Young people figure more prominently in your life as well.

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

i n f o r m at i o n For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128

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22436184 24833967

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001441

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001664

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00212

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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

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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

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22531908

Shaab

22518752

Qibla

22459381

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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

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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

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00252

Ghana

00233

South Africa

0027

Gibraltar

00350

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0082

Greece

0030

Spain

0034

Greenland

00299

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0094

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001473

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00249

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00590

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00597

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001671

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00268

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0046

Guinea

00224

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0041

Guyana

00592

Syria

00963

Haiti

00509

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Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed

25327148

25339330

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Dr. Adel Al-Awadi

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar

22610044

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman

Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

lifestyle G O S S I P

Kravitz always wanted to be 'natural and silly looking'

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oe Kravitz has always wanted to be "natural and silly looking". The 27-year-old actress and singer has revealed ever since she was a child she has had a "rebellious spirit", which made her not want to look "perfect" all the time, and led her to adopt a "low maintenance" beauty and hair care regime. Speaking about her daily routine, the brunette beauty said: "When I was younger, I had this incredibly rebellious spirit. I just wanted to be lot of pressure, you know? On the red carpet everyone started to look the same, like a Barbie doll, and it made me really uncomfortable. feel comfortable, looking like I put effort into the way I look, and still feel like I'm being myself. "My braids are really low-maintenance so I use very little hair

product. but uses the luxury brand's Touche Eclat to "brighten" her face. She explained: "I don't wear foundation on a daily basis so this is just wonderful for highlighting and covering. It brightens without looking like you're going out-out. "If I'm eating too much sugar or not sleeping enough, I see it in my skin." And will adorn a bold lip color when she wants to make "a statement". She told InStyle Online: "When I want to make a statement with lip color, I go for a red, burgundy, or nude. In a bold, matte finish, it's always classic."

Why Selena Gomez goes to bed make-up free

S Tom Ford had 'no idea' he wanted to be a fashion designer

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Hailey Baldwin's $3k birthday home

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ailey Baldwin rented a $3,000-a-night apartment to celebrate her 20th birthday. The model saw in the milestone on Tuesday in Toronto, Canada, in a plush four-bedroom Airbnb property, which the company appeared to give her as a present. The blonde beauty posted a picture of herself sitting down in the luxury space and added the caption: "Birthday Vibezzz @airbnb thank you for my birthday home, best gift! (sic)" She also shared another snap of her laughing with one of her pals in theproperty and wrote: " best time bringing in 20"But the house didn't appear to be the ideal place to do the Mannequin Challenge - the craze sweeping the globe where people are filmed trying to stay as still as possible as she shared a video of herself and pals attempting to do it, but failing. In a caption attached to the clip, which sees the trio move almost as soon as the camera starts running, she wrote: "Fail" Earlier this month, Hailey was a guest at her best friend Kendall Jenner's 21st birthday celebrations along with Cindy Crawford, Kate Mara, Melanie Griffith, Gabrielle Union, Paris Hilton and Jonathan Cheban.

Kendall recently admitted the highlight of her star-studded birthday bash was that she managed to avoid vomiting afterwards. She said: "I think maybe the fact that I didn't throw up that night, and I had like a minor hangover."

he 55-year-old creative mastermind who launched his eponymous clothing label in 2005 - has admitted he has "always" loved clothes, but despite his passion for garments he never thought he would boast a successful career at the helm of the industry.

Speaking about his career, the dark-haired hunk said: "I have always loved clothes, but I had no idea fashion was what I wanted to do. I was an actor, I studied architecture. "It only happened when I worked as an assistant at a fashion company in And the style icon believes "destiny" is what led him to design highly coveted masterpieces. He added: "You could say it was destiny: I would say it's destiny. I believe in destiny, and one thing I'm going to do as a father is help my son to realize his destiny, to help him become the person he's supposed to be." However, Tom always knew he wanted to make "a lot" of money. He said: "I was always very ambitious, and I wanted to make a lot of money and have nice things." The fashion muse has admitted he was worked "very hard" but also believes he is "very very lucky" to have had a successful career. Tom - who has recently directed 'Nocturnal Animals' - said: "I have worked very hard, but I have also been very, very lucky." And the filmmaker believes style is priceless and is an innate talent, which can't be bought. He said: "Money can't buy you style. It really can't." Meanwhile, Tom - who married Richard Buckley in 2014 and have four-yearold son Jack, whose full name is Alexander John Jack Buckley Ford - is "very happy" with his life. He told Esquire magazine: "I'm very happy at this point in my life. It's where i pictured myself - successful and happy."

Freddie Mercury didn't tell best friend he had AIDS

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reddie Mercury cut his best friend out of his life because he didn't want to tell him he had AIDS. The Queen frontman who died in 1991 aged 45 due to complications caused by the illness - flatly denied that he was suffering from the disease a year to Peter Straker, his good pal of 15 years, before he passed away and the West End star never saw the 'Bohemian Rhapsody' hitmaker again. Peter said: "All I got from Freddie was that he had this blood thing, and I thought it could have been leukaemia or something like that.

"He started to get these blotches and I asked about these and he said he had some blood condition. I knew about AIDS but it just never entered my head. "We had lunch and he was quite blotchy and he had make-up on, and we went upstairs and we were sitting down watching telly on his bed and I said to him, 'Have you got AIDS?' and he said, 'No, I haven't got AIDS.' "And I said, 'If there's anything wrong with you, I'm always here for you,' and we parted that evening. That was the last time I saw him." Peter was so devastated about the situation he didn't attend Freddie's funeral.

However, he did try to contact the singer in the last year of his life but was constantly turned down by the

star's employees, who later lived to regret their actions. According to the Daily Mirror newspaper, Peter is quoted in a new book about Freddie, 'Somebody to Love' - which is by Matt Richards and Mark Langthorne, to mark the 25th anniversary of his death tomorrow as saying: "When I used to telephone they would never put me through. "They'd just say he was busy, he was out, but they got instructions from him, and Joe followed him to the letter. "Again, after he died, they all came to see me in a show in the West End and were all apologizing, saying, 'I wish we'd put you through.' I said, 'It's too late now.' " While Freddie didn't tell Peter about suffering from AIDS, he did inform his bandmates, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon, at a meal in Montreux, Switzerland, in May 1989, two-and-a-half years before he passed. He also told a number of his staff and his lover Jim Hutton, who was HIV positive. The rock star issued a statement confirming he had AIDS just 24 hours before he died at his home in Kensington, west London, on November 24, 1991.

elena Gomez can't sleep with makeup on her face. The 24-year-old singer has admitted she doesn't "understand" why people re-apply cosmetic products before going to bed because she has a "breakout" when she sleeps in her make-up and is "worried" if she wears any "tinted" products. Speaking about her beauty routine to Elle.com, the 'Kill Em With Kindness' star said: "I just can't understand when and no offense - people have to wear makeup all the time, and they'll say, 'Oh, you can sleep with a tinted moisturizer or a self-tanner on your face and you can wake up.' For me, I just think that's not my vibe, plus I do breakout. "I don't know if it's bad advice, I just think it's kind of to each their own. For me, I can't really sleep with things on my body or tinted things just because I get worried. It's not my vibe." But the star has revealed she embraces when she has an outbreak of spots because it's an inevitable thing people endure, and although the star has admitted she could undergo "procedures" to prevent an eruption of pimples She explained: "Nope because life is life. If it's a photoshoot, I'm probably more lucky because Photoshop, and if it's a close up, I have to have makeup, and I just kind of do it. You can't really fight it. I think there are things that I could do or procedures for sure, but I just don't. I think that's going to happen." Meanwhile, the brunette beauty has revealed she "wished" she had hair like Blake Lively or Rachel McAdams because the former 'Gossip girl' actress has "effortless" locks, whilst the 'Southpaw' star's tresses are versatile. She explained: "I wish she was my friend, but

she's not my friend. Blake Lively. I've never met her, but I just love her hair. I think she's got beautiful, effortless hair. I think she's super beachy. I also really love, love, love Rachel McAdams, and the reason why I love her hair is because she think about it from 'Wedding Crashers' to 'Mean Girls' to 'The Notebook', she's always changing her hair. It's like short and long and beautiful.

She's kind of classy that way. Those are two people that are not my friends, but I love them, and I think they have really good hair."

Ora saved hungry Martin from going hungry on tour

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Kylie Jenner will restock the Holiday Edition this week

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ylie Jenner is set to restock the Holiday Edition for Kylie Cosmetics this week. The 19-year-old 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians' star launched her fullyloaded make-up bundles on Monday, which have already sold out, and is already planning to re-launch the variety of products, including the new white Kyliner, eyeshadow palettes and exclusive lip kits, on her e-store on Friday and Monday. The star took to the brands social media to announce the news alongside a picture of all the cosmetic products. The Instagram post was captioned: "yes the #holidayeditioncollection has officially sold out but we will be BACK... On Black Friday with a free stocking with every purchase & on Cyber Monday we are launching the KYLIE brush set for $35! See you guys again soon! (sic)." The beauty mogul - who built up her beauty empire over two years before launching it earlier this year - has revealed the collection, which is made of "real diamond powder", was inspired by "jewel tones". Speaking previously, she said: "Also, one more thing, my birthday collection had all real gold in it, and this has all real diamond powder. "My inspiration was jewel tones, so I used all jewel tones and I wanted to create a smoky eye palette you can use during the holidays." Alongside the mini lip kits, and the ornaments, Kylie has designed her "first" ever set of make-up brushes.

Alongside a still shot of the products, she wrote: "My first set of brushes (sic)." And the television personality believes the festive capsule is "the perfect gift" for everyone this winter. She said: "To say 'Happy holidays' from me to you.

"Waking up to this on Christmas morning the perfect gift."

ita Ora came to the rescue of Coldplay frontman Chris Martin when was denied an on-tour perk because he didn't have his ID. The 39-year-old singer and his chart-topping band were on tour with Rita Ora in 2012 when they tried to get some food backstage prior to a gig, but Chris was initially denied access because the security did not recognize him. Rita explained: "On one of my first tours I supported Coldplay and they were doing amazing, massive tours as usual.

We were just hanging out and then we went to catering to eat some food before the show. Chris didn't have his pass. "I remember, they didn't let him in to catering because he didn't have his pass. And instead of him saying, 'Do you know that this is me? This is who I am,' he said, 'Rita has got her pass - can I get in with her?' " Rita, 25, said that Chris' reaction to being denied access to the food was typical of the music superstar, saying that he and his bandmates are remarkably "humble" given their success and popularity. She told UK station BBC Radio 1: "It's funny because it's Chris and there's this whole thing ... but that's why we love him and the boys. I thought it was a joke. But no, they're the best those boys, they're the most humble human beings." Meanwhile, Coldplay revealed recently they are to release new music in 2017.

The 'Everglow' hitmakers - made up of Chris, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman and Will Champion - said they are working on new album called 'Kaleidoscope'. A tweet on the group's official Twitter account said: "Hello everyone, we're working on some new songs for next year. It's called the Kaleidoscope. We hope you're well, love cm #KaleidoscopeEP (sic)" The band's last album 'A Headful Of Dreams', which was released in December 2015, was rumored to have been their last. Chris previously said: "It's our seventh thing, and the way we look at it, it's like the last 'Harry Potter' book or something like that. "Not to say that there might not be another thing one day, but this is the completion of something. "I have to think of it as the final thing we're doing. Otherwise we wouldn't put everything into it."

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

lifestyle M U S I C

Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan speaks during an interview with AFP.

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M O V I E S

Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan speaks as actress Alia Bhatt looks on during an interview with AFP in Mumbai. — AFP photos

India's Shah Rukh Khan dreams of global Bollywood hit

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ndian screen icon Shah Rukh Khan has starred in dozens of Bollywood blockbusters and is adored by millions, but there's a movie he still dreams of making-one that's a truly global hit. "I would like to be a part of that one Indian film, as an actor, as a producer, as a gaffer, as a sound recordist, as a production manager, whatever, which becomes famous all over the world," Khan told AFP in an interview.

"That's my 'Make in India' dream. I've had this since 25 years," he added, borrowing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's much-trumpeted slogan for boosting manufacturing in the country. The Asian giant's Hindi film industry churns out hundreds of movies every year, raking in billions of US dollars in ticket receipts, but is yet to release a blockbuster that really takes Western box offices by storm. "I hope to achieve that but I don't sit down with people (and focus on) 'What is the crossover film that we can make?' No, I think it will happen because I believe in it," said Khan.

The actor known in India as "King Khan" or simply "SRK" to

his legions of fans is arguably Hindi cinema's biggest and most-recognizable star of the modern age. He shot to stardom in the mid-90s as the hero of romantic dramas such as "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge" ("The Bravehearted Will Take Away the Bride") and "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" ("Something Happens"). Khan is also known for lead roles in high-octane thrillers like "Don" and this year's "Fan" while other major hits include the 2013 comedy "Chennai Express" and 2010's "My Name is Khan", in which he played a man with Asperger's syndrome.

'I like James Bond' The 51-year-old boasts 22.2 million Twitter followers and regularly sees hordes of admirers gather outside his mansion by the sea in India's commercial capital of Mumbai, the home of Bollywood. His next film, called "Dear Zindagi" ("Dear Life"), hits cinema screens on Friday. But Khan admits he initially had misgivings about playing the role of Jehangir Khan in the comedy-drama directed by Gauri Shinde. "I'd be honest, I did-

n't think I'd like the film. Not because it's not a good film... But it's not my genre of film. I like bad boys. I like James Bond," he said. Khan says his character plays the role of a "mentor, friend, philosopher, guide" to the much younger Kaira, played by upcoming Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt, 23, in the film which he says is "sweet" and "funny".

He described "Dear Zindagi" as a feel-good movie about life and how to cope with it "not only as a youngster but as a parent, as a middle-aged person. "It deals with all of them without being preachy," he explained. Khan, whose career as one of Bollywood's most bankable actors spans three decades, says he doesn't see himself as a real-life mentor to young actors, but will give advice if asked.

'Out of body experience' Khan has appeared in around 80 Bollywood movies and collected numerous accolades since travelling to Mumbai on a train from his hometown of Delhi in the early 90s with the

clear intention of becoming a superstar. "I always wanted to be famous, I wanted to be recognized, I want thousands of people outside my house, I don't want to go on the beach and relax. If I want a McDonald's I'll open it in my house," he said.

"When I was 25 I wanted to be like Madonna said: rich, famous, well-known, hard-working, recognized and get all the awards possible. I really enjoy being a star, I would not exchange it for anything." In "Fan", released in April, he played the double role of a movie megastar and a crazed young admirer whose obsession with his idol turns increasingly violent after he fails to meet him. "SRK" describes his own fame as being like an "out of body experience". "I'm extremely grateful and I don't even understand how I've become what I've become. "Does it even belong to me? I say this again and again, I'm just an employee of the superstar called Shah Rukh Khan. I have no idea how he does it."— AFP

Can you go home again? lovely 'Lion' says yes T

here are two ways to view "Lion." One is as a heartwarming tale of love beyond boundaries and the incandescent pull of home. The more cynical view is that it's a two-hour advertisement for the wonders of Google Earth.

Let's not be cynical, shall we? Let's just enjoy this poignant and true story of a man who became separated from his family in India at age 5, was adopted by an Australia couple and then tracked down his family 25 years after going missing.

"Lion " is really two beautifully-shot films - the tenacious story of 5-year-old Saroo Brierley lost hundreds of miles in eastern India and the less dramatic, and slightly forced, story of that same boy all grown up looking for answers about his past.

Dev Patel, of "Slumdog Millionaire" fame, proves he's a talented, striking leading man, but even he would admit he's delightfully overshadowed by newcomer Sunny Pawar, who plays his 5-year-old self with irrepressible sweetness. "I can lift anything," he says at one point, and proves it by lifting this film. Luke Davies' screenplay, adapted from Brierley's memoir "A Long Way Home," starts in 1986 with the younger Saroo tagging along with his older brother to scrounge for work. He then falls asleep on a decommissioned train that travels some 1,600 kilometers to Calcutta.

Physical journey Lost, hungry and scared, the boy isn't even able to seek help since he speaks only Hindi in an area where Bengali is

the common language. He scrounges for food, turns a piece of cardboard into a bed and narrowly escapes child abductors before being taken to an orphanage that resembles a prison. It's a grim journey in which few adults are good. The camera doesn't shy away from staring at gritty places and forgotten people. Salvation comes in the form of Nicole Kidman in a truly appalling '80s wig. She and David Wenham play an Aussie couple who adopt young Saroo and Kidman turns in a very unglamorous, quiet and meditative performance.

Director Garth Davis has got us in the palm of his hand at this point, with Saroo wide-eyed at encountering a plane and a refrigerator for the first time. But the second half of the film slackens somewhat as Patel takes over 25 years later. He's great as a brooding, haunted man but he has less to work with. If the first half was a compelling, physical journey, the second is one taken solely inside the mind and the film degenerates into long moments showing Saroo's solitary wanderings and sleeplessness. The dense crowds of harsh, urban India give way to the empty, lush expanses of Tasmania.

Partial memories The adult Saroo seems unmoored from his Indian roots until - like Marcel Proust's madeleine he encounters a fried cake called a jalebi that triggers childhood memories.

In this image released by The Weinstein Company, Dev Patel appears in a scene from ‘Lion.’ — AP

Sue Brierley, from left, Nicole Kidman, Priyanka Bose, Sunny Pawar, front, Saroo Brierley and Dev Patel attend the premiere of ‘Lion’ at the Museum of Modern Art on Wednesday in New York. — AP

'Moonlight,' 'American Honey' top Spirit Awards nominations

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oming-of-age tale "Moonlight" and road movie "American Honey" led the pack of independent films tipped for Oscars glory as the Spirit Awards nominations were announced on Tuesday. Starring Mahershala Ali and Naomie Harris, Barry Jenkins's "Moonlight" tells the life story of a young AfricanAmerican man struggling to find his place as he grows up in a rough neighborhood of Miami. It was nominated in six categories, including best feature, best director and best screenplay. It was passed over in the acting categories, despite Ali and Harris being considered strong contenders for Oscar nods. The entire cast, Jenkins and casting director Yesi Ramirez will get the special Robert Altman Award.

"American Honey," written and directed by British filmmaker Andrea Arnold and starring Sasha Lane and Shia LaBoeuf, also secured six nominations, including female lead, supporting female and male. Kenneth Lonergan's New England-based family drama "Manchester by the Sea," which has given Casey Affleck an early lead in the race for the best-actor Oscar, got five

Someone helpfully suggests he look at Google Earth - yes, it's actually written into the script. (The company's logo also appears on the screen multiple times, on the movie poster and Google is thanked in the end credits. This is product placement on par with Reese's Pieces in "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.") Soon, Saroo is pushing away his girlfriend (a very bad idea since it's the marvelous Rooney Mara) and studying satellite images from India by a certain internet company, tracing train tracks from a laptop.

He has no idea where he came from and the film nicely uses flashbacks to show partial memories flooding back. A breakthrough gets him on the right track and soon he's back on a plane, heading to his former home and a bittersweet finale with the people he left behind. It's all thanks to love, tenaciousness and, of course, the good folks at Google. "Lion," a Weinstein Company release, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for "thematic material and some sensuality." MPAA definition of PG-13: Parental guidance suggested, with some material may not be suitable for children. Running time: 119 minutes. Three and a half stars out of four. — AP

nominations. The movie, which opened on Friday to some of the best reviews of the year, is up for best feature and best actor and supporting actor.

"Jackie," Pablo Larrain's political drama focusing on former US president John F Kennedy's assassination through the eyes of First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, picked up nominations for directing, editing and feature, as well as nod for Natalie Portman's acclaimed performance in the title role. The Film Independent Spirit Awards are seen as an strong indicator of independent movies that could win Oscar glory.

"Now more than ever, the voices of independent artists play a critically important role in our culture," said Film Independent's president Josh Welsh. "The films we celebrate at this year's Spirit Awards embody the diversity, innovation and uniqueness of vision that we champion all year long." The winners will be announced on February 25, a day before the Academy Awards. — AFP

Brad Pitt poses for photographers during the photocall for the new film ‘Allied’ of director Robert Zemeckis, in Paris. — AP

FBI clears Brad Pitt over abuse claim

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rad Pitt has been cleared after a probe into allegations he mistreated one of his children in a mid-air altercation, the FBI said on Tuesday. The claims centered on an alleged incident with his 15-year-old son Maddox in September on a flight from France to Los Angeles. Pitt's wife Angelina Jolie claimed he had struck the boy. "In response to allegations made following a flight... carrying Mr Brad Pitt and his children, the FBI has conducted a review of the circumstances and will not pursue further investigation," the agency said in a statement.

"No charges have been filed in this matter." The announcement marks Pitt's second vindication over the incident, two weeks after Los Angeles social workers cleared the 52-year-old of wrongdoing following interviews with the couple, their children and witnesses. Jolie, 41, filed for divorce in September, citing irreconcilable differences. She is seeking sole custody of their six children. Pitt, who won a best film Oscar for producing "12 Years a Slave" (2013), has been in contact with all six of the couple's children and is seeking joint legal and physical custody.

The reunions were supervised by a therapist as part of the couple's temporary custody agreement-mediated by the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Serviceswhich was recently extended. Under the agreement Jolie had physical custody of the children-three of whom, including Maddox, are adopted-at a rented LA house. The A-listers-given the celebrity moniker "Brangelina"-wed in France in August two years ago, but had been a couple since 2004. AFP reached out to Pitt's representative, who declined to comment. — AFP

Kim Jee-Woon's 'The Age of Shadows' to Open Marrakech

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he 16th Marrakech Film Festival - one of the largest cultural events in the Arab world and African continent - has unveiled its full-line up. Opening film is the 1920s-set transcendent spy thriller "The Age Of Shadows,"

by South Korea's Kim Jee-woon. Marrakech will close with Fatih Akin's coming-of-age drama, "Goodbye Berlin." Other out-of-competition pics include Louis-Julien Petit's "Carole Matthieu" starring Isabelle Adjani; "Elle" by Paul Verhoeven; Disney's animated adventure, "Moana;" and "My Uncle" the second feature by Moroccan director Nassim Abassi, starring comedian Abderrahim Tounsi. Adjani, Verhoeven and Tounsi will all receive career tributes at the festival.

Marrakech's official selection aims to offer new, distinctive and dissonant voices in world cinema: "The radicalism of the selection reflects a wish to counter the widespread artistic blandness which unfolds on screens, and instead seeks a return to principles, to the roots of what enayer, Afghan-Iranian drama, "Parting" by Navid Mahmoudi will also play in competition.

Other official selection titles take in Sandrine

Veysset's French generational drama, "The Story of a Mother"; Venice-selected mockumentary "King of the Belgiansm" by Peter Brosens and Jessica Woodworth; Reiner Frimmel and Tizza Covi's Locarno-seen circus docu-fiction "Mister Universo"; and immigration drama "The Road to Mandalay," by Burmese director Midi Z, that bowed at Venice; Family customs Also in the mix: Berlinale-bowing South African drama "Shepherds and Butchers," directed by Oliver Schmitz; and coming-of-age drama "Zoology" by Russian writer-director Ivan Tverdovsky, that world preemed at Toronto.

Marrakech's six-film sidebar, From the Heart, featuring what Barde terms "some ferocious filmmaking," includes three debut features: Otto Bell's "The Eagle Huntress" lensed in Mongolia; "Heaven Sent," by Lebanese director Wissam Charaf; and Daouda Coulibaly's drug trafficking drama "Wulu." —Reuters

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

lifestyle F E A T U R E S

A high heel shoe titled ‘The Gold Digger’ by designer Sebastian Errazuriz, featuring a figure holding up the upper portion, is displayed at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Mass. — AP photos

Guests snap photographs of a pair of high heels, decorated with red frilled details.

From flats to stilettos: Exhibit explores what shoes reveal B

Elton John’s rainbow glass embossed platform boots, designed by Bill Whitten in the 1970’s, are displayed at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Mass.

A red stiletto shaped custom car is displayed at the entrance of the Peabody Essex Museum.

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This file photo shows people walking at sunrise on the Trocadero Esplanade, also known as the Parvis des droits de líhomme (Parvis of Human Rights), in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

oots aren't just made for walking. On the contrary, footwear has captivated hearts and minds worldwide for centuries. Whether a pair of crystalline embellished slippers, or thigh-high boots with platform heels, shoes show our personalities, moods and social status. That's the premise behind "Shoes: Pleasure and Pain," an exhibition opening Saturday at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts, examining the history and cultural relevance of what we strap to our soles.

"We're all born with bare feet and shoes facilitate our movement, but shoes also reveal our identity," said Lynda Roscoe Hartigan, coordinating curator for the exhibition. The show, organized by the London-based Victoria and Albert Museum, is comprised of boots, slippers, pumps, loafers and sandals from around the world dating to the 17th century.

Through our shoes, Roscoe Hartigan said, we all project "certain aspects of power and authority" - even if those messages are subliminal. One classic example of affluence and power wrapped into a shoe is the high heel. Yet, functionality and comfort are often overlooked in their design. In 1993, supermodel Naomi Campbell made headlines when she stumbled on a Paris runway during Fashion Week. The Vivienne Westwood platforms Campbell was wearing - a pair of cobalt blue, mock crocodile skin shoes with 9-inch heels became icons overnight. They're now part of the Salem show.

Also on display are several pairs from high-end retailers such as Jimmy Choo, Christian Louboutin and Manolo Blahnik, made famous by the HBO series "Sex and the City." One pair of men's golf shoes by Prada is covered in brightly colored rhinestones. "You would never assume they're something men would play golf in," Roscoe Hartigan said. But this exhibition is more than just a display of exclusive footwear. There are shoes used for foot binding, an ancient Chinese custom in which a girl's four toes were tucked beneath the foot in an effort to prevent growth. One pair of silk, cotton and metal-wrapped lotus shoes is just 4 inches long.

Until the 1600s, shoes were made to fit an individual - a process that could involve up to 200 stages of construction. By mid-century, Europe's middle class population exploded and ready-to-wear shoes became available. On display are shoe lasts - wood or plastic forms used by shoemakers - from the late Princess Diana, Charlie Chaplin and other celebrities. "The whole thing is pretty amazing," said Faith Kreider, of Newton, Massachusetts, who viewed the exhibition. "There's a wide variety of footwear down through the ages." "Shoes: Pleasure and Pain" runs through March 12, 2017. — AP

The shoe forms, molded from Princess Diana’s feet, are displayed at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Mass.

section of stairs from the Eiffel Tower in Paris sold for more than half a million euros, auctioneers said yesterday-more than 10 times the pre-sale estimate. The 14 wrought-iron steps from a winding staircase between the second and third floors of the Paris landmark went for 523,800 euros ($556,000) after furious bidding at the sale in the French capital. Auction house Artcurial said the dramatic sale on Tuesday had "unleashed the passions" of several international buyers, with bids rising rapidly from 20,000 euros, leaving the 40,000 euro estimate far behind.

The prize eventually fell to a telephone bid from an Asian buyer. Auctioneer Francois Tajan said "the battle over the phone and in the auction room for the stairs showed the profound attachment there is for a monument that is so emblematic of French culture." The stairs date from 1889 when the legendary French engineer Gustave Eiffel built the 324-metre (1,063-foot) edifice as the centerpiece of the Paris Universal Exhibition. It soon became the most iconic feature on the Paris skyline, and is France's most visited monument despite suffering calls for its demolition in the years after the exhibition.

It is still the country's third tallest structure, and was the highest building in the world for 41 years until the construction of the Chrysler Building in New York in 1930. The stairs were removed from the tower in 1983 to make way for a lift and cut into 24 sections, ranging from two to nine meters high. Several were bought by museums while others ended up in the gardens of the Yoshii Foundation at Yamanashi in Japan, beside the Statue of Liberty in New York and at Walt Disney World in Florida, next to its copy of the Eiffel Tower.

Artcurial sold a larger 3.5-metre section of 19 steps for 220,000 euros in 2013.

Tajan said he was particularly "moved by the

Guests snap images of a shoe closet display at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Mass.

A skulled zipper pull details of Alexander McQueen shoe is displayed at the Peabody Essex Museum.

Stairs from Eiffel Tower sell for over half a million euros

sale... having watched the first sale of the staircases in 1983 which was presided over by my father Jacques Tajan." Although the Eiffel Tower stairs fetched "an exceptional price", the highest from the sale of Art Deco artefacts was four monumental

sculptures by Georges Saupique which went for 1.24 million euros. Saupique is best known for his bust of Marianne, the woman who symbolizes the French republic. — AFP

This file photo shows the Eiffel Tower, in Paris.

—AFP photos

lifestyle

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

F E A T U R E S

Obama Honors 21 Americans With Presidential Medal of Freedom, US President Barack Obama speaks before presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC.— AFP photos

Obama presents final Medal of Freedom honors Obama Honors 21 Americans With Presidential Medal of Freedom US President Barack Obama presents actress and comedian Ellen DeGeneres with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.

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S President Barack Obama awarded the 2016 Presidential Medal of Freedom - the highest civilian honor in the United States - to 21 key figures at a star-studded ceremony at the White House yesterday. Obama presented the prestigious medal to Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and his wife Melinda for philanthropic work, former basketball players Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and actors Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro and Robert Redford.

"It's useful when you think about this incredible collection of people to realize that this is what makes us the greatest nation on earth," Obama said. The medal is given annually to those who have made outstanding contributions to the national interests of the United States, to security, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.

Other recipients this year were rock star Bruce Springsteen, soul singer Diana Ross, Native American community leader Elouise Cobell and NASA moon landing computer scientist Margaret H Hamilton. TV talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, who was also awarded the medal, conducted a "mannequin challenge", a video that features people frozen in place, with the recipients. Obama leaves office in January after eight years, with Republican businessman Donald Trump taking charge. — Reuters

US President Barack Obama presents actress Cicely Tyson with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

US President Barack Obama presents Singer Bruce Springsteen with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

US actor Robert De Niro (right) hugs actress and comedian Ellen DeGeneres after she was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

US President Barack Obama presents actor and director Robert Redford with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

US President Barack Obama presents attorney and former Chair of the Federal Communications Commission Newt Minow with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

US President Barack Obama presents actor Tom Hanks with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

President Barack Obama presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to former NBA basketball player Michael Jordan.

US President Barack Obama prepares to present singer Diana Ross with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

US President Barack Obama (obscured) presents NBA star and athlete Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

US President Barack Obama presents artist and designer Maya Lin with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

US President Barack Obama presents actor Robert De Niro with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

President Barack Obama, accompanied by Melinda Gates, left, presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Bill Gates.

US President Barack Obama presents sports broadcaster Vin Scully with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama arrive to present the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Obama presents final Medal of Freedom honors

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

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The Palm House is illuminated during a photocall at Kew Gardens in south west London during an event to promote the launch of the ‘Christmas at Kew Gardens’ event. — AFP

Egypt sees resurgence in independent music scene A

t a club in downtown Cairo, Ahmed Saleh pumps electronic beats from his laptop as Abdullah Miniawy chants to a cheering crowd, the duo part of a wave of new talent on Egypt's underground music scene. Emerging artists are creating an eclectic selection of hip-hop, dubstep, electronic and rock music, with some influenced by traditional Egyptian sounds. The movement began in the mid-2000s as musicians

Working-class beats The birth of Mahraganat music around the same period also reflected this shift in the industry. Emerging from working-class neighborhoods, it became Egypt's most listened-to genre-with little involvement from record companies. Using cheap or free software, young men began mixing traditional Egyptian music with electronic sounds, creating loud, eclectic beats.

Egyptian musician Abdullah Miniawy performs at a nightclub in Cairo.

bypassed record labels to reach their listeners directly via the web. It was boosted by Egypt's 2011 uprising which toppled longtime dictator Hosni Mubarak.

"This movement began finding an audience because it has become accessible on the internet, instead of the market being dominated by those who release CDs," says Tamer Abu Ghazaleh, a Cairo-born Palestinian musician who co-founded Ma3azef, an online Arab music magazine. From the second half of the 2000s, musicians have used websites such as SoundCloud, YouTube, and Facebook to publish and promote their music. That has challenged record labels' traditional gatekeeper role between artists and audiences. "This is the first time in Egypt, at least since the 1920s, where music really represents the people in a direct way, without any intermediary," says Mahmoud Refat, founder of record label 100Copies Music.

Meanwhile, artists began networking online, says musician Rami Abadir, who released his first official album with Canadian record label D.M.T. Records in May. "This didn't exist until 2009 or 2010, or it existed but on a very small scale," he says.

The genre found a small but growing audience in a country where according to the United Nations, 40 percent of the population is between 10 and 20 years old. The 2011 revolution boosted the movement. "A lot of things took a push with what happened in 2011 and 2012 and the revolution," says Maurice Louca, composer of the acclaimed 2014 electronic album Benhayyi Al-Baghbaghan (Salute the Parrot). While most of the music was non-political, a security void made it easier to open spaces and organize festivals. "There was a very nice atmosphere where anyone who wanted to do anything, could just do it," says Abadir.

Egypt's first free presidential election in 2012 brought to power Islamist President Mohamed Morsi, who was ousted by the army a year later. Human rights groups have accused thenarmy chief General Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, who went on to become President, of limiting freedom of expression. Venues like Vent, which opened in 2013, promoted new, experimental music. Many have since closed, but several still hold regular live sessions.

While many musicians have second jobs to make a living, some have been able to go full-time and performed at home and abroad. Saleh has performed up to five times a month this year, including gigs with Alexandria-based psychedelic and electronic rock band Telepoetic. Louca has given 50 concerts overseas this year alone.

Broader tastes As the artists diversified, so did listeners' tastes. Now, the audience "is receptive to this and waiting for new things... especially in Egypt," says Abu Ghazaleh. Some tracks by Egyptian hip-hop artists Abyusif and Ahmed Kamel have been played more than a quarter of a million times on SoundCloud.

"Hip-hop in Egypt is like that. Its first and last place is the internet," says Refat, whose label caters to independent and Mahraganat musicians. That contrasts with the 1990s, when authorities cracked down on concerts and accused attendees of practicing Satanism, according to Louca.

"We felt like we were in an absolute desert," he says. While the scene centers around Cairo, other musicians in the region have flourished online. "We kind of found it staggering the amount of talent around, and a lot of people doing what we consider to be very high-quality music," says Abdel-Rahman Hussein, co-founder of Dandin, a Middle East music platform.

Hip-hop artists from Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan have collaborated, while cross-genre projects have mushroomed in Beirut, says Ziad Nawfal, co-founder of the independent Lebanese label Ruptured. The wave of new music "expresses real things for the people," says Abu Ghazaleh. "This is what this music is doing, so it has no place to go but grow further." — AFP

Putting on the glitz: Tokyo gets $2m Christmas tree

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ant to impress the kids this Christmas? A Tokyo retailer has just the thing-if you've got about $2.0 million to spare. Jeweler Ginza Tanaka is going all out this season with a twometer (6.6-foot) Christmas tree made with pure gold wire that's as fine as angel hair pasta. The shop in Tokyo's glitzy Ginza district says the 19 kilogram (42 pound) tree is made up of more than 1,200 meters (3,950 feet) of gold wire.

"The wire is made of the finest gold which has a 99.999 percent purity level," Ginza Tanaka store manager Takahiro Ito told AFP yesterday. Ito said the tree was made by the jeweler's in-house artisans. The price tag? A cool 200 million yen ($1.8 million). While it may be a stretch finding a buyer, Ito said he hoped the opulent display would show off Japan's worldfamous craftmanship. "We want them to see our great technique and craftsmanship, and the glittering beauty of gold," he said. — AFP

A Ginza Tanaka employee shows off a Christmas tree made with 19-kilogram of pure gold wires at the Ginza Tanaka store in Tokyo. — AFP Egyptian musician Abdullah Miniawy (right) performs at a nightclub in Cairo.

Egyptian musicians perform at a studio in Cairo. — AFP photos