Bombings near Damascus shrine kill more than 60

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Bombings near Damascus shrine kill more than 60

IS claims responsibility for deadly attackDAMASCUS: Bombings claimed by the Islamic Stategroup killed more than 60 people and wounded dozensyesterday near a revered shrine outside the Syrian capi-tal Damascus. The blasts, which came as the UN’s Syriaenvoy struggled to convene fresh peace talks in Geneva,tore a massive crater in the road, overturning and man-gling cars and a bus and shattering windows.

Syrian state media said more than 50 people hadbeen killed in three blasts near the Sayyida Zeinabshrine, with some 100 people wounded. The SyrianObservatory for Human Rights said 63 people werekilled in yesterday’s blasts, among them 29 civilians,including five children. It also said 25 non-Syrian mili-tants were among the dead, without specifying theirnationalities.

Official news agency SANA said the first blast wascaused by a car bomb that detonated at a bus stationnear the shrine. It said two suicide bombers then set offtheir explosive belts when people gathered at the scene.An AFP photographer said the explosions damaged thefacade of a nearby building, scorching all of its six storeys.

In the aftermath of yesterday morning’s attack, smokerose from the twisted carcasses of more than a dozencars and a bus, as ambulances ferried away the wound-ed and firefighters worked to put out blazes. In a state-ment circulated on social media, IS claimed responsibili-ty for the attacks, saying two of its members had deto-nated suicide bombs. “Two soldiers of the caliphate car-ried out martyrdom operations in a den of the infidels inthe Sayyida Zeinab area, killing nearly 50 and injuringaround 120,” it said.

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DAMASCUS: Syrian security forces and residents gather at the site of suicide bombings in the area of arevered shrine in the town of Sayyida Zeinab on the outskirts of the capital yesterday. — AFP

KUWAIT: Kuwait’s sovereign ratings maintained its‘stable’ outlook in an analysis by Capital Intelligence, aglobal ratings agency, which noted the country’s“strong macroeconomic fundamentals and large netexternal creditor position” in a note released toinvestors yesterday. The CI analysis takes into accountthe steep decline in oil prices but also notes that thecentral government budget - which includes estimat-ed investment income - is expected to register a smallsurplus of 1.3 percent of GDP in the 2016 fiscal year,compared to a surplus of 26.3 percent in 2015.

Fuelled by renewed capital spending and theresumption of infrastructure projects, the Kuwaitieconomy is expected to expand by 1.2 percent in thecurrent fiscal year which ends in March and by 2.5 per-cent and 2.7 percent in 2017 and 2018, respectively.The intermediate-term fiscal outlook shows increasingdownside risk in view of the ongoing period of low oilprices. However, Capital Intelligence reports that it isexpecting the budget to remain in surplus in 2017 and2018, benefiting in part from renewed efforts to con-tain current expenditure, prioritize capital expenditureand diversify revenue sources.

Continued on Page 13

Agency predictsbudget surplus

Kuwait ratings ‘stable’

By B Izzak

KUWAIT: The National Assembly bureau announcedyesterday that it will meet with the economic commit-tee of the Supreme Planning Council on Wednesdayand with the minister of finance and a team from hisministry on Sunday to discuss the issue of reducingsubsidies on commodities and services. Theannouncement came after a meeting of the Assemblybureau chaired by speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem,which comes ahead of a scheduled Assembly debateto study government plans to reduce or lift subsidieson public services and commodities.

Minister of Public Works and State Minister forNational Assembly Affairs Ali Al-Omair said that anyreduction in subsidies will not affect low-income peo-ple, adding that a discussion is ongoing about theissue. He said that the debate over the issue is focusedon the best means to stop squandering of publicfunds and to rationalize expenditures. The minister

said that the Cabinet and the Supreme PlanningCouncil discussed the issue on Wednesday andapproved certain measures and solutions.

The proposed solutions will not undermine theinterests of low-income people, adding that the pro-posed solutions will be acceptable to all and that itwill have no negative impact on citizens. The ministersaid that the meeting discussed specifically subsidieson petrol, electricity and water.

Meanwhile, local Arabic daily Al-Anbaa said theCabinet will study subsidies during its weekly meetingtoday and authorities have recommended raising theprice of petrol by around 40 percent. According to theproposals, the price of low-grade petrol will be raisedfrom 60 fils a litre to 85 fils and high-grade petrol willbe sold for 90 fils a litre instead of 65 fils. The govern-ment has however vowed not to take any action onsubsidies before discussing the issue with theAssembly.


Subsidy cuts won’t affect low-income citizens: Omair

SARAJEVO: A picture taken on Jan 19, 2016 shows several houses under con-struction in Sarajevo’s suburban area of Blazuj. (Inset) Abdullah Al-Kulaib,the Kuwait co-owner of real estate agency Al-Diyar. — AFP

SARAJEVO: With 360 villas andapartments around an artificial lake,swimming pools, a halal supermar-ket and a Muslim prayer area, the‘Sarajevo resort’ is one of Bosnia’smost ambitious residential projectsto date. It is one of dozens of realestate ventures in the picturesquehills surrounding the capital of theBalkan country that are specifically

targeting visitors from Gulf states.The lush greenery of the countryhas in recent years become a mag-net for wealthy Arabs looking toescape the Middle Eastern summerheat. The result has been a massiveboost to tourism in what is one ofEurope’s poorest countries.

“People from the Gulf are attract-ed by the natural beauty, the pres-

ence of Islam and the warmth ofBosnians,” said Tarek Al Khaja,Emirati co-owner of tourist and realestate agency Al Suwaidi and AlKhaja. “They feel welcome here.”Khaja, who opened his businessthree years ago in a Sarajevo sub-urb, said the housing and real estatemarket was in “constant growth”.


Gulf tourist influx to Bosnia fuels luxury developments

L O C A LMONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2016

By Javaid Ahmad

[email protected]

Vietnam-Kuwaitrelations

The Vietnamese Embassy in Kuwait celebratedthe 40th anniversary of the establishment ofdiplomatic relations between the Socialist

Republic of Vietnam and the State of Kuwait. It washeld at the same time as Vietnam’s 12th nationalparty congress of the Communist party. The con-gress has already approved Vietnam’s foreign andeconomic policies for the next five years. The mainfeatures of these policies are:

1.Vietnam shall relay its policies based on theprinciples of independence, self-reliance, multilat-eralism and diversification of external relations. Inaddition to this, a positive posture for internationalintegration and looking forward to playing anactive and responsible role among the internation-al community. These relationships are based onthe fundamental principles of law and internation-al commitments and the new free trade agree-ments that Vietnam has already signed.

2. Vietnam shall strengthen its relations withpartner countries, especially strategic ones, as wellas with major countries that can play an importantrole in the development of the country.

3. Vietnam is determined to play an active rolein multilateral forums, particularly at the forum ofregional ASEAN bloc, as well as on the forums ofthe United Nations. The country shall enhance itsparticipation in multilateral mechanism of defenseand security related issues including intensivecooperative activities such as peace operationswith the UN, military exercises/drills and non-tradi-tional security and other related activities.

4. Apart from the key role in the field of culture,society, science, technology, education and train-ing, Vietnam is likely to play a proactive role by tak-ing further steps towards greater integration of thecountry towards multilateral trade agreementswithin the World Trade Organization’s mechanisms.Vietnam has signed 11 free trade agreements andhas established extensive trade relations withmore than 55 partner countries including 15 out of20 G20 members that account for 65 percent of itsGDP and 50 percent of global trade amongstmember countries.

When it comes to the ASEAN economic commu-nity, Vietnam has been considered as one of theimportant and effective members of ASEAN.Vietnam has gradually consolidated its positiontowards reforming its economy based on liberaleconomic principles and has integrated itself withalmost 59 official partner countries. Over time, thecountry has attracted a total of more than $250 bil-lion in foreign direct investment (FDI) since it hasstarted reforms. Vietnam has been considered asone of the most open economy and has beenranked fifth in the world in terms of trade open-ness by more than 100 top multinational corpora-tions.

Middle East economies are paying close atten-tion to an emerging Vietnam and the region is like-ly to take concrete steps towards further promot-ing trade and economic relations with this emerg-ing South Asian nation.

Nguyen Phu Throng was re-elected as SecretaryGeneral of the Communist Party of Vietnam for thenext five years at the end of 12th congress. Thecongress, which usually meets every five years inthe one-party state, brings together 1,510 dele-gates from around the country. These delegateselect the Central Committee, which in turn electsthe party’s General Secretary (who used to be thecountry’s supreme leader) and Politburo members.The outgoing central committee usually elects thenext party chief, politburo members, the nextprime minister and the next state president, thenext national assembly chair and the next cabinetmembers.

Vietnamese people elect their legislature - theNational Assembly - via a direct voting system. Thenational assembly is being elected for a five-yearterm by more than 500 delegates countrywide.This assembly elects the President of Vietnam. Thepresident in turn appoints the Prime Minister ofVietnam and the Chief Justice of Vietnam, which islikely to be approved by the National Assembly.The ministers are then appointed by the PrimeMinister who are supposed to be approved by theNational Assembly.

Forty years ago, on Jan 10, 1976, Vietnam andKuwait established their bilateral diplomatic rela-tions. Kuwait was the first country among GCCcountries which allowed Vietnam to open itsembassy. Kuwait was also the first country in theGCC that Vietnam chose to establish its trade rep-resentative office in 1993, and embassy in 2003.Both countries have officially concluded friendlyvisits to each other. The former Prime Minister ofKuwait HE Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-AhmadAl-Sabah and his Vietnamese counterpart PrimeMinister Nguyen Tan Dzung in 2009 visited eachother’s countries.

The bilateral trade and economic relationship iswell established between the two countries since1979. Kuwait Fund for Arab EconomicDevelopment has provided about $140 million for13 infrastructure projects. Beside this, Vietnam andKuwait are now cooperating closely and effectivelytowards establishing an oil refinery and petro-chemical projects in Vietnam. Kuwait has one ofthe largest investments in Vietnam with a capital of$9 billion. It is expected that once the commercialoperations of the projects commence, the totaltrade volume may reach $2 billion a year by 2020.Vietnam has tripled its per capita GDP to $2,100over the past 10 years. With a stable political sys-tem, Vietnam is likely to emerge as one of the mostattractive, stable, secure and emerging destinationfor foreign investment.

In my view

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah meets Dr Saleh Al-Mutlaq,President of the Arab bloc and the Secretary General of Dialogue Front of the Republic of Iraq.

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-JaberAl-Sabah receives a memorabilia shield from Ahmadi GovernorSheikh Fawaz Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. — Amiri Diwan photos

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah leaves Kuwait today accom-panied by an official delegation, heading to the UnitedKingdom, where he is set to chair Kuwait’s delegationand participate in the 4th international donor confer-ence on Syria and the region.

In other news, His Highness the Amir receivedAhmadi Governor Sheikh Fawaz Al-Hamad Al-Sabah atSeif Palace yesterday. Sheikh Fawaz delivered a memo-rabilia shield marking the 10th anniversary of HisHighness the Amir’s ascension to power.

His Highness the Amir also received Minister of State

for Cabinet Affairs and Acting Minister of Electricity andWater Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, accompanied by Dr Saleh Al-Mutlaq, Presidentof the Arab bloc and the Secretary General of DialogueFront of the Republic of Iraq. Minister of Amiri DiwanAffairs Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah attended the meeting.Later, His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and First Deputy PrimeMinister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-KhaledAl-Hamad Al-Sabah separately received Mutlaq.

Earlier yesterday, His Highness the Amir received HisHighness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-

Jaber Al-Sabah, Speaker of the National AssemblyMarzouq Ali Al-Ghanem, His Highness Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak and Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled.

Meanwhile, His Highness the Crown Prince receivedGhanem, His Highness Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak, SheikhSabah Al-Khaled, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister ofInterior Sheikh Mohammad Al-Khaled Al-Sabah andDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense SheikhKhaled Jarrah Al-Sabah. His Highness also receivedSheikh Mohammad Al-Abdullah, as well as Minister ofSocial Affairs and Labor, and Minister of State forPlanning and Development Hind Al-Subaih. —KUNA

Amir chairs Kuwait’s delegation todonor conference on Syria, region

KUWAIT: Chairman of the UK All Party Parliamentary Group and member of British Conservatives Party Dr Phillip Lee (third from left) leads a UK delegation during a pressconference at the National Assembly yesterday. — KUNA

LONDON/KUWAIT: British Minister of Statefor International Development DesmondSwayne lauded His Highness the AmirSheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabahas a humanitarian leader who has trans-formed Kuwait into an international hub forhumanitarian giving.

Swayne expressed his appreciation, in astatement to (KUNA) yesterday, forplanned participation of His Highness theAmir and the accompanying official dele-gation at the Four th Syria DonorsConference, due in London on Thursday,to support the humanitarian situation inthe war-stricken country in cooperationwith Britain, Norway, Germany and UnitedNations leaders.

He recalled the significant role played byKuwait for hosting the three previous con-ferences at this level, noting that the result-ing commitments have contributed to alle-viation of the humanitarian crisis in Syriaand its neighboring countries.

The British official urged the internation-al community to contribute generously toavoid last year’s problems when the UnitedNations World Food Program announcedthat it will limit the services provided torefugees due to lack of financial support.

He also called on the participants in theLondon conference to ensure that all chil-dren and young people, affected by theconflict, have sustainable access to safe,qualitative and relevant educational oppor-tunities during the 2016/2017 academicyear.

“The UK has committed more than 1.1billion sterling pounds in aid for the region,”he added, noting that Britain is doing itsmoral duty in terms of funding therefugees to alleviate their humanitariansuffering. Kuwait hosted the previous threedonation conferences to support thehumanitarian situation in Syria, gatheringpledges of more than $7.7 billion, of them$1.3 billion by Kuwait.

Historic relationsMeanwhile, Speaker of the National

Assembly Marzouq Ali Al-Ghanem receivedyesterday the delegation of the British-Kuwaiti membership committee in Houseof Commons. During the meeting, Ghanemand the delegation’s head, Philippe Lee,discussed relations between the two coun-tries and means of promoting them in allfields, mainly in the parliamentary sector.

The delegation stressed the status of

historic relations between the two coun-tries, reaffirming Britain’s commitment tomaintaining security of Kuwait and all GCCmember states, as well as stability in theregion. The delegation also emphasizedthat the agreement between the two coun-tries on extradition of those wanted hasreached its final phases, to be approved assoon as possible.

The delegation included Chris Leslie,Stephen Phillips, Chris Evans and KevanJones. The meeting was attended by MPsAdel Al-Kharafi, Yousef Al-Zalzalah, FaisalAl-Shaya, Mubarak Al-Herais, MohammadAl-Jabri, Ahmed Al-Qudaibi, Rakan Al-Nisfand the parliament’s Secretary GeneralAllam Al-Kandari.

Significant partDr Lee meanwhile praised the bilateral

relations between Kuwait and Britaindescribing the ties as “strong and historic.”After meeting the head of ParliamentaryForeign Affairs Committee MP Kamel Al-Awadhi at the National Assembly, Leespoke to the press saying that this visit isaiming to reinforce the relations betweenthe two countries, especially on the 55thanniversary of Kuwait’s independence fromBritain, and the 25th anniversary ofKuwait’s Liberation “in which the Britishforces took a significant part.”

About the Syrian Refugee cause, hementioned that Britain plans to receive20,000 Syrian refugees, mostly orphan chil-dren. He said Britain is pleased to host thefourth donors’ conference for Syria inLondon this week, with co-host fromKuwait, noting that Britain is playing a bigrole currently as the second largest donorin the region, helping Syrian refugees inTurkey, Jordan and Lebanon. Meanwhile,British MP Jones talked about the Britishvisa for Kuwaitis, saying that easing the visaprocedures is a very important step, due tothe large flow of Kuwaitis visiting Britain fordifferent reasons.

Diplomatic InstituteAlso yesterday, Director General of Saud

Al-Nasser Al-Sabah Diplomatic InstituteAmbassador Abdulaziz Al-Sharekh metwith the British delegation to discuss waysto enhance cooperation. A press statementissued by the institute said that Sharekhbriefed the visiting delegation on recentactivities the institute has conducted in thediplomatic realm.

Both parties reviewed historic relationsbetween Kuwait and Britain as Al-Sharekhacknowledged British efforts of upholdingsecurity and eliminating all threats thatKuwait had encountered during the last

century, the statement noted. The meetingwas also attended by Deputy DirectorGeneral of the institute Abdullah Al-Yahyaand the British Ambassador to KuwaitMatthew Lodge.—KUNA

British official praisesAmir’s humanitarian role

Speaker Ghanem receives British lawmakers

KUWAIT: The Ambassador of the Socialist Republic Vietnam Nguyen Hong Thaohosted a reception on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the establishmentof diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Kuwait. Higher officials, diplomatsand media persons attended the event, which took place recently at CrownePlaza hotel. — Photos by Joseph Shagra


By Attorney Fajer Ahmed

Many of us come up with new innovativeideas that could be, might be, the nextbest business idea. It is not easy to take

those first steps though. Starting a business isalways a bittersweet experience. For me personal-ly, it was mixed emotions because it was longhours of work at the start but it turned out to bemy biggest achievement.

Commercial laws in Kuwait have taken a majorleap over the past two years and will continue tochange now that we are going through some diffi-cult economic reform. I have received plenty ofquestions inquiring on how to start a business inKuwait and thought I would answer the basicquestions on here.

Registering an appQuestion: I would like to start my own busi-

ness, my business idea is actually an app. I want toregister in Kuwait commercially but I am not sureif I start a business online or from home?

Fajer: Unfortunately under Kuwaiti commerciallaw for you to obtain a commercial license/ per-mit, you must have a physical commercial loca-tion. Other countries in the Gulf CooperationCouncil do not have such requirements.Commercial locations are in specified areas onlyand that does not include residential areas so youcannot start a business from your home.

Question: How do you know which areas arecommercial?

Fajer: Well, when you register to obtain a per-mit (after having provided all the required docu-ments and met all the required qualifications), theMinistry of Commerce will send a representativeto check your location, representatives from theMinistry of Health will be sent to check health andsafety for kitchens and restaurants, the FireDepartment will check health and safety fromtheir side as well. With that said, some commercialareas can be for specific businesses as well, somaybe only a restaurant can open in that locationor only a bookstore and so forth.

Fortunately though there is plenty of platformsin Kuwait that support small startups or business-es and can be legally used for you to pursue yourbusiness endeavors and test out your businessidea before taking major steps of starting a busi-ness. These can be markets, applications by bigcompanies, community centers, exhibitions andso on.

As for online businesses or applications, youwill still need a physical place, a lot of successfullocal applications in Kuwait have physical spacesfor legalities that they don’t really use, as most oftheir work is based online.

Getting a licenseQuestion: How long does the process of

obtaining a permit take?Fajer: As I mentioned above many different

entities are involved in order for you to obtain apermit, therefore it can take from a month to a fewmonths. The issue is not with the process itself asmuch as it is with the fact that the procedures arenot clear. In my opinion any procedure providedby the government should be written clearly andeasily accessible to the layman. My advice is to doyour research whether personally or through alawyer and find out what the requirements are foryour business and then submit your papers.

Online paymentsQuestion: Can I legally receive online pay-

ments if I do not have a registered company?Fajer: No. Local companies that provide online

payment platforms will not provide their servicesto non-registered companies.

OwnershipQuestion: Is it true that I have to be from

Kuwait to obtain a commercial license? Or have aKuwaiti partner that owns a majority of theshares?

Fajer: Previously a Kuwaiti citizen had to own51 percent of the shares of the company but withthe new reform laws there are some exceptions tothat rule. With that said, I don’t think the new lawsare of any significance to those that want to set upsmall businesses without getting into the details.So, yes you will need to have a Kuwaiti or Kuwaitipartners that own the majority of the shares.

LegalitiesQuestion: What should we keep in mind from a

legal perspective before starting a business?Fajer: Each business has its different needs, but

I shall answer this question generally.1) They type of company you want to establish

should be the first thing you consider. There aremultiple options under Kuwaiti law and each typehas its own responsibilities and consequencesdepending on the partnership that you would liketo create.

2) When you submit your papers to obtain apermit, you will need to also register your compa-ny’s trademark including the logo. So I advise thatyou finalize those issues internally before submit-ting your documents.

3) A general partnership agreement can befound at the Ministry of Commerce, also the gen-eral draft for the articles of association of the com-pany (should your company need one). I adviseyou to read and review them carefully even if theyare general and are commonly used in Kuwait.Internal policies are also things that you shouldconsider.

There are other elements that you will need tocarefully plan out but that are not legal mattersthat I will not get into, like your mission, vision andso on. It will require a lot of planning and commit-ment but hopefully you will find a pot of gold atthe end of a very long road.

For any legal questions or queries, [email protected].

Legalese

How to start abusiness in Kuwait

Dear Ms Darwish,

With regard to the letter you published in theKuwait Times (page 1 on Thursday 28thJanuary), I have to say that I was quite

frankly amazed by your deductions and quite hon-estly your analysis is unworthy of a good journalistsuch as yourself. The objective of your letter appearsto be that you are demanding that private schoolsprovide a free education for your children. You seemto be confused about the distinction between edu-cation provided by the state and education that isprivate and which is available for people to chooseto send their children to if they so wish and if theywish to pay for it.

Firstly you mentioned oil prices plunging to $20 abarrel. Yes, you are correct, but that hasn’t broughtdown salaries (either of politicians or journalists or ofteachers), that hasn’t brought down the price offood, cars, rents, and so on and so forth, so what isthe formula that connects oil prices uniquely withschool fees? How much did one pay for a car in 1989and how much does that car cost today?

Perhaps you are unaware or omitted to mentionthat the average annual salary of a British secondaryteacher 25 years ago was £14,800 and that in 2007the salary was £35,700 and that was 2007 not 2015.That is the salary of one teacher in the UnitedKingdom, not a British teacher who has to be attract-ed to come to Kuwait. Salaries in Britain go up withinflation EVERY SINGLE YEAR which means the salaryscales of teachers in Kuwait must be raised annuallyin tandem.

Secondly, you mention the good old days, beforethe invasion when you paid 2000 KD for tuition feesfor your son. A quarter of a century ago? Did I readsomething incorrectly? You’re a journalist and haveaccess to resources. Please do check the price ofeverything before the invasion.

You mentioned that you sent your children to aschool in England for free. As in Kuwait, the UnitedKingdom has state education and private education.I presume you sent your children to a state school? Ifyou had decided to send your children to a privateschool in Britain then, you would, today, find your-self paying fees in the range of £15,000 to £35,000 ayear. I am astonished that you are even making thecomparison. We have state schools / governmentschools in Kuwait. Any Kuwaiti can send their chil-dren to a state school. For free! If the standard of thestate schools does not meet the standards requiredby the Kuwaiti population, I have to say that that isnot the fault of the private schools. The privateschools are here to provide an education (in somecases a wonderful education) to people who WISH toor CHOOSE to send their children there. Theseschools do not have the support of the state. Theyprovide a service that is paid for and what a parentpays in tuition fees goes towards paying the salariesof excellent teachers, the accommodation of theteachers, buildings, equipment, materials, non-teaching staff and so on.

Yes, the schools in Britain teach in English asBritain is an English speaking country but that does-n’t mean they can be equated to private schools inKuwait. You managed to educate your child in Britainfor free because you sent him to a governmentschool. In Britain, if one does not have the means topay for a private school, then one sends one’s childto a state school. If a parent here does not have themeans to pay for a private school, governmentschools are also available for them, in Arabic ofcourse as Kuwait is an Arabic speaking country.

You suggest reducing schools fees rather thanraising them. Which of course would mean reducingteacher’s salaries? Please also campaign to reducethe cost of transport, accommodation, food, travel,medical expenses, as well as the salaries of journal-ists. And all the expensive cars that are so popularhere.

You suggest easing the granting of licenses forschools as a solution, which might not be a bad ideabut, every school, if it is to provide teaching, mustemploy teachers and teachers must be paid salaries,and given accommodation and so on. Unless ofcourse you are suggesting that teachers’ salaries areheld down to the levels of 1988 or 1989? Whetheryou have 10 private schools or a 1,000, they will stillhave to charge fees in accordance with the cost ofliving. Fees do not go down just because you havemore schools. The economies of scale do not applyhere.

My dear Ms Darwish, you should be campaigningthe government and the National Assembly toimprove the level of state education in Kuwait andnot campaigning to destroy the very schools whichprovide the best education in the country. The rea-son people choose to send their children to a rep-utable school such as ours is because they knowthey are paying for the best education available inthis country and that with this education the doorsare opened to the best universities around theworld. Universities which, incidentally, charge veryhigh fees.

Dr Ziad Sayid RajabDirector

New English SchoolKuwait

Letters to Badrya

KUWAIT: Kuwait’s National PetroleumCompany (KNPC) said yesterday it willset up a new company to run itsplanned Al-Zour refinery and petro-chemical complex which, when built,will be the biggest in the Middle East.

The new company, KBRC, will alsomanage a planned permanent lique-fied natural gas (LNG) import termi-nal, said KNPC Chief ExecutiveMohammed Al-Mutairi, according tocomments on state news agencyKUNA. He said that setting up KBRCwould allow the independent man-agement of the projects under onestructure.

Mutairi told Reuters in Octoberthat commissioning of the 615,000barrel per day refinery was expectedto start in November 2019. Contractsto build the 3 billion cubic feet perday LNG import terminal wereexpected to be awarded early thisyear.

Meanwhile, Mutairi further statedthat KNPC’s capital budget reachedaround KD 12 billion for the fiscal year2016-17, while its operational budget

for the same period is estimated to bearound KD 889,385 million, addingthat the company is implementingmulti-billion plans and strategic proj-ects exceeding KD 11 billion.

On a different front, Mutairi saidKNPC has completed around 42 per-cent of environment-friendly petroproject and expenses reached around

KD 1.15 billion by the end of 2015,expecting expenditure on the projectto reach KD 1.07 billion by the end of2016. Mutairi also noted that KNPC isplanning to establish 100 new oil sta-tions to provide future adequatenumber of oil stations due to expand-ed overall developments in the coun-try. — Agencies

13 tenders pendingfor Education Ministry

By A Saleh

KUWAIT: A report issued by the Ministry of Education(MoE) showed that the ministry has 13 project tenderspending with the Central Tenders Committee (CTC), includ-ing those of kindergarten meals and student dormitorieswith a total value of KD 22 million. The report added thatother tenders involved replacing, operating and maintain-ing swimming pools, as well as supplying meals at varioustraining centers in all educational zones and the privateeducation department in the period of March till May 11,2016. The tenders also include replacing and repairing ele-vators and spare parts in schools and various MoE depart-ments, repairing and maintaining Oracle software data-base systems, renewing software licenses, technical back-up, hiring various vehicles and drivers, hiring cleaners, sup-plying, installing and maintaining devices in kindergartensand primary schools and upgrading art gallery tools andequipment. The report also added that six more tendershad been recently offered for bidding with a total value ofKD 571,000 for photocopying, photocopier maintenance,spare parts and toners and printer maintenance.

Kuwait to set up companyto run refinery complex

By Meshaal Al-Enezi

KUWAIT: Following his instructionsto cancel morning assemblies atschools to avoid the extreme cold,Minister of Education and Minister ofHigher Education Dr Bader Al-Essaauthorized school directors to sus-pend classes in case of extreme cold.

Hawally sheltersHawally Governor Sheikh Ahmad

Al-Nawaf Al-Sabah yesterday

presided a meeting with senior offi-cials at his office to discuss updatingHawally’s existing shelters and build-ing new ones as needed according topopulation density in cases of emer-gency. Officials in attendance wereMajor General Abdullah Al-Ali ,Director of the General Departmentof Civil Defense, Mansour Al-ThafeiriHawally educational zone’s director,Dr Adel Al-Khatrash, Hawally healthzone’s director, Dr Ahmed Al-Husseini, Mubarak Hospital’s manag-

er and Muhannad Al-Khayyat,Hawally roads maintenance’s manag-er.

Bedoon’s IDThe court of appeals yesterday

mandated the Central Apparatus ForIllegal Residents’ Affairs to issue a civ-il ID to a bedoon (stateless) woman.Meanwhile, the cour t yesterdayreleased a suspect who had beenaccused of embezzling KD 313,000from a company he used to work for.

Schools authorized to suspendclasses in case of extreme cold

KUWAIT: Major General Abdelfattah Al-Ali givesinstructions during a crackdown carried out in HawallyGovernorate yesterday.

Firefighters tackle a blaze reported yesterday.

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: Eighty nine people were arrested during anunscheduled police crackdown carried out in HawallyGovernorate yesterday. The detainees include 13 personsarrested for violation of residency law, three people want-ed to serve court sentences, 33 for failure to compete visaprocedures, 27 for carrying out transactions in violation ofthe law, two wanted on civil cases, three absconders, and18 persons who were not carrying IDs. A total of 387 peo-ple were inspected during the campaign, which was led byMajor General Abdelfattah Al-Ali, the Interior MinistryAssistant’s Undersecretary for General Security Affairs.

No injuries in firesFarwaniya and Sabhan fire centers responded to a fire in

three homes in Kheitan. Firemen found out that the firestarted on the roof of one house, then the flames spread totwo others. One shack made from galvanized iron col-lapsed as a result. Firefighters managed to prevent theflames from spreading further, and no injuries were report-ed. In another incident, Hawally and Salmiya firemen putout a fire in a Hawally building. The fire started in thekitchen of a 9th floor apartment. The fire was put outquickly and no injuries were reported. Separately, a fire wasreported in a Reqqa apartment, prompting Mangaf fire-men to respond and extinguish the blaze. No injuries werereported.

Motorist injuredA two-car collision left one of them turned upside

down, and injuring one driver. Mangaf firemen helped thedriver out of his vehicle, then handed him over to para-medics who rushed him to Adan hospital.

Infant suffocates to deathAn infant died and his parents were admitted in the

intensive care unit (ICU) in a critical condition after suffo-cating on smoke from burning charcoal left in a closedroom yesterday. The couple had left the coal burning forheating. A day before, two workers died while a third washospitalized in a critical condition when they suffocatedinside a closed-door room at a Wafra farm.

Crackdown at campsAhmadi municipality’s emergency team carried out a

campaign at Jaliah camps resulting in confiscating 50 ATVs,revoking four camp licenses and removing an illegal shack.

Impersonator caughtAn Iraqi man was sent to the criminal detectives depart-

ment on charges of posing as a policeman. His phone,which contained photos of him in uniform, was confiscat-ed. The man said during questioning that the uniform inthe pictures belonged to a friend, adding that he did notuse it to commit crimes.

89 people arrested inHawally crackdown

KUWAIT: The Environmental Voluntary Foundation’sKuwait Dive Team has completed a campaign to remove 25tons of harmful waste from the Asherij Coast. The ‘CleanShores Kuwait’ project was undertaken by Kuwait DiveTeam in cooperation with the Kuwait Municipality, theEnvironmental Public Authority, the Council of Ministers,and the Ministry of Youth Affairs.

Kuwait Dive Team President Waleed Al-Fadhel reportedthat the campaign was undertaken to remove plasticmaterials, ropes, tires, neglected fishing nets, sunken ves-sels, and ships run aground from Asherij Coast. During twodays of work, the Team lifted more than 25 tons of wasteharmful to the marine environment. The heaviest objectswere removed with bulldozers provided by the KuwaitMunicipality. Fadhel believes that the majority of the wasteoriginated on merchant ships in the Gulf coming into DohaPort, blown onto the Coast by northern winds. Industrialplants, construction sites, abandoned ships, heavy rains,and sewage added to the waste. In response, the KuwaitDive Team called for tighter sanctions on polluters and vio-lators of environmental regulations. Fadhel expressed hishope for a Standing Committee for the Development andMonitoring of the Environment in Kuwait Bay and the John,given the area’s importance for marine and coastal life.

Kuwait Dive Team completesAsherij Coast Clean-Up

Photoo f t h e d a y

KUWAIT: This photo shows the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation’s (KPC) building, the Shuwaikh Port, the First Ring Road and other Kuwait City landmarks. —Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Int’l doctors visit Colon cancer tests Winterland village openKUWAIT: The Ministry of Health announced that the visitinginternational consultants to the ministry’s hospitals will arrivenext February. The visiting doctors’ program aims to shareexperience with international universities and medical centers,while also giving patients the opportunity to receive advancedtreatment without going through the hassle of seeking med-ical care abroad, said ministry’s director of public relations andmedia Faisal Al-Dosari. The consultants are highly qualifieddoctors specializing in ear, nose, and throat, OrthopedicSurgeries, Urinary tract, Heart disease and tumors,Chemotherapy, Pediatrics and other fields, he said. —KUNA

KUWAIT: The Ministry of Health said that 2,025 peoplehave carried out tests for possible colon cancer over thepast nine months, of them 32 were confirmed to have thedisease. Dr Wafa Al-Hashash, Director of the Digestive andLiver Unit at Al-Sabah Medical Area, said that the numberof people - citizens and expatriates - was on the risethroughout the campaign due to their awareness andconviction that it was extremely important to do the test.She underscored that early test was the only way to dis-cover tumors, which would not transform into cancer ifthey were removed at early stages. —KUNA

KUWAIT: The Public Authority for Sports (PAS) inauguratedon Saturday ‘Winterland,’ a recreational village in MubarakAl-Abdullah area, offering a myriad of entertaining games.In a statement to journalists during the launch of the village,patronized by Minister of Information and Minister of Statefor Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Al-Sabah, PAS DeputyDirector General Ahmad Al-Khazal said that the aim of initi-ating the village is to designate the allocated land as a youthcenter, providing cultural and sporting events. Similar proj-ects will spring up in other areas in the near future, headded. —KUNA

In Brief

LOCA LMONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2016

By Labeed Abdal

[email protected]

Unprecedented violence

Through its ancient and contemporary histo-ry, the Arab region has never witnessed allthis violence, killing and displacement of

innocent people it is currently witnessing. Thiscalls for not burying our heads in the sand andignoring the fact that we do have some seriousproblems that require seriousness and credibilityin approaching and solving them.

Fighting, violence and the absence of rule oflaw have contributed in creating radical organi-zations that destroy all elements of civilization inthe Arab region and put an end to religious coex-istence regional peoples have enjoyed for thou-sands of years. The reason behind such extrem-ism is despair s many young people, who werethe main target of radical groups, have been feel-ing. So the arena was wide open for many fail-ures in some countries.

Finding some practices like slavery, torture,genocide and sexual abuse of women by reli-gious and racial minorities and the fact thatsome voices have been in favor of such practices,is both social and humanely dangerous. This alsoposes an inclination towards crime and sabotage,which make a minority explain religion as theywish by banning halal things and allowingtaboos. This in itself is an imminent threat toprinciples of protecting current regimes’ pillars.

Regional countries are undoubtedly facingmajor terrorist challenges, but solutions thatadopt violation of human rights and the princi-ples of justice, eventually leads to more extrem-ism. Facing extremism will lead nowhere unlessthe basic reasons are adequately approachedand suitable solutions are responsibly set.

There is a great deal of confusion leading tolack of clear vision. The Arab world has beenstruck by diverse uprisings in some parts and thisshould have made the rest of the Arab countrieslearn their lessons, especially those having simi-lar symptoms.

All regional efforts should continue and beintegrated to make use of social media and thespeed of circulating information worldwide. Weshould not focus on highlighting violations, dis-putes and strikes. We should instead focus onhighlighting achievements and positive newsthat would help build a brighter future and makemore people happy.

In my view

By Athoob Al-Shuaibi

KUWAI: The hall of Masaha 13 social hub in Shuwaikhwas filled with attendants to hear two seminars organ-ized by HIKMA, a Kuwaiti non-profit organization. The

speakers were Dr Rossol Bourisli, PhD in Psychiatry andDr Saleh Al-Nafisi , PhD in Government andInternational Affairs on Saturday evening. Dr Nafisibegan with a lecture about whether the golden era ofKuwait is really golden. He said: “It is an interestingquestion because it allows us to evaluate our past andthink about it more, and where we might have gonewrong. This is an exercise of evoking thoughts ratherthan an academic presentation. Are we talking aboutthe 1950s, 1960s or 1980s? The older the person is theolder, the further back in history he goes.” He alsowondered whether the problems we are facing todayare the result of what we called the golden age.

In the second lecture, Dr Rossol Bourisli talkedabout the chaos of information and the negativeeffects of the data satiety on the physical and psycho-logical health of human beings. She said that there is abig difference between the IT boom and knowledgebecause having a large amount of information doesnot make you a highly cultured person. “According to ascientific study, the number of times the average per-son spends in front of a mobile screen is 150 times perhour,” She warned.

Non-profit, non-sponsored HIKMA was establisheda year and a half ago. It aims to enrich the minds ofsociety with wisdom, experience and deep under-standing to cultural, social and political concepts.Events are held in both English and Arabic.

Kuwait’s Golden Era and the Impact of technology

Dr Rossol Bourisli speaks during a seminar organ-ized by HIKMA yesterday.

Dr Saleh Al-Nafisi speaks during a second seminarorganized by HIKMA.

‘Kuwait benefitedfrom Gulf Nano

forum’KUWAIT: Kuwait has benefited substantially from theSecond Gulf Forum on Nano technology which washeld in Oman, said Adnan Al-Meer, Office Director ofthe International Movement for Leisure Activities inScience and Technology (MILSET - Asia).

Kuwait has become aware of “all latest develop-ments in Nano technology” as a result of its participa-tion in that forum, Meer said, adding Kuwait waskeen to participate with Gulf experts in the field, inan effort to bolster development and innovation forthe society, in general.

Meanwhile, Bushra Al-Bahr, a participant in theforum and Computer Science instructor from KuwaitMinistry of Education, said Kuwait participated in theforum, with presentations on role of Nano technolo-gy in scientific research, promotion of education andawareness of this technology.

The Kuwaiti presentation about Nano’s role inresearch was addressed by professor Ali Abo Mejdad,who particularly shed light on students’ abstentionfrom specializing in sciences, such as chemistry,physics and biology.

He suggested application of a special program forelementary-level students to help them absorb scien-tific knowledge, with usage of the IPad. The experi-ence ha already drawn substantial applause from Araband international quarters. Established on July 1987,MILSET - Asia aims at establishing coordinationamong organizations in the field of scientific and tech-nological hobbies for the benefit of youth. —KUNA

KEPS, airport joins forcesto preserve wildlife

KUWAIT: Kuwait EnvironmentProtection Society (KEPS) has joinedforces with the Directorate of CivilAviation at Kuwait InternationalAirport in an effort to preserve thecountry’s wildlife. KEPS ChairmanWajdan Al-Eqab said yesterday thatKEPS has forged an alliance with theDirectorate of Civil Aviation and will inthe near future, initiate a strategydesigned to conserve the environ-

ment. KEPS members will be givenaccess to licenses belonging tounmanned planes in an attempt tomonitor any detrimental effects theseplanes could have on the environ-ment, Eqab noted.

One strategy KEPS has developedto help keep biological and environ-mental diversity intact is a plan toobserve these wireless planes so as toprevent any unfavorable effects they

could have on the environment, Eqabrevealed. Deputy Director General ofAir and Transportation Affairs at theairport Emad Al-Jalawi said the part-nership with KEPS represents a con-certed effort to safeguard the environ-ment. He further indicated that hehad inspected a KEPS report on vege-tation and organisms, calling themtwo critical components of the coun-try’s wildlife. —KUNA

KUWAIT: KEPS Chairperson Wajdan Al-Eqab (center) is pictured with DGCA officials. —KUNA


KUWAIT: In terms of methods pertaining toartificial lift in the oil industry, ElectricalSubmersible Pumps (ESP) play a significant rolein the extraction process. In the field, artificiallift is created by lowering the ESP string undertubing during well work-overs. The powercable is connected directly to the motor andclamped externally along the tubing stringwhile the pump runs until failure. Because ofrig work-over costs, operators utilize ESPs assacrificial equipment, which means that nomaintenance program can be scheduled.

The methodWireline Retrievable ESP (WRESP) pertains

to a change in ESP deployment. The methodconsists of first lowering a large bore tubing(e.g. 5 1/2”) with a docking station attachedunderneath as a permanent part that providesthree receptacles for the wet mate electricalconnectors. It also is comprised of a powercable connected directly to the connectors of adocking station and clamped along the tubingto the surface.

A retrievable part composed of a standardESP string (motor, seal protector, gas separator,and pump) utilizes on its bottom side a motorconnector provided with a three pin wet matelectrical connector designed to connect theESP in a docking station once landed. On thetop side, a seal assembly is present to separatedischarge pressure from intake pressure insidethe tubing; it also provides an internal fishingneck profile for lowering or retrieving the ESPstring with a slick line method using a 5/16”non-electrical braided-line. A 5” GSrunning/pulling tool is used to engage thisinternal fishing neck for ESP deployment.

ObstacleDuring this first implementation at Kuwait

Oil Company (KOC), we faced an obstacle inwhich the ESP was stuck due to damage of a

seal assembly that occurred each time duringthe ESP retrieval with a wireline method. Theissue of seal failure was faced from the begin-ning of the pilot project in June. First, sealdamage occurred to standard seals. Afterextracting from the hole, seals from the sealassembly were completely damaged and leftin the hole.

We posit that rubber pieces had fallendown and might be deposited on the dockingstation connectors, thus preventing electricalconnection. Many attempts were performedwith a slick line junk basket to retrieve thesesmall pieces of damaged seals.

Three months after the first trial, Zeitecs (acompany that specializes in artificial lift tech-nologies) delivered packer cup seals that werenewly designed and used in Guiberson com-pletion packers. These seals were used in the

seal assembly to prevent any fluid recirculationthrough the pump. Unfortunately, during ESPretrieval with the wireline method, a huge overpull was registered on the way up at each tub-ing collar, even at low speeds (10 feet/min).Once the ESP was at the surface, we found thatsevere damage occurred to the packer cupseals.

Additionally, due to the continuous up anddown movement (attempt to release the ESPstring), the GS profile fishing neck wasunscrewed and became loose. At this point, itwas likely that the ESP string would fall on thepermanent part.

After a long discussion with a technologyprovider, an alternative solution was devel-oped. This solution consisted of lowering theESP system in two parts that would be assem-bled with a PBR (Polished Bore Receptacle) asa separation tool. The first part would be amotor connector, seal protector and a pumpatop the PBR; the second part would be theseal assembly.

The PBR and seal assembly are designed fortwo specific applications. As an expansionjoint, it provides a stroke length for extremetubing movement during well treatment andproduction. As a separation tool, it allowsremoval of production tubing string whileleaving a “polished bore” and “anchor sealassembly” set in the packer.

ResultsUnfortunately, after careful evaluation,

we found that:* After lowering the first part, it would be

difficult to insert the polished bored in the sec-ond part because of the light weight of thewireline tool string.

* During ESP retrieval, there is a high risk

that the top part will stick inside the polishedbore. Therefore, the entire retrievable ESP partwill move together, then most likely on theway up. The first part will be free from the sec-ond part (at “separation tool” level) and falldown; consequently, serious damage occur toa completion system.

Due to the repetitive sticking problemsfaced in the retrieval of the wireline ESP in eachretrieval, and after a five-month downtime ofthe project, the client was at the point of halt-ing the pilot project of this technology. In par-allel, a KOC Well Surveillance slick line specialistwas conducting a study of the root causeanalysis for the problem. The conclusion was asfollows:

As designed, packer cup seals create sealsand prevent fluid recirculation inside the 5 1/2”tubing in flowing conditions. During ESP

retrieval, seals are not retractable. This meansthe entire hydrostatic head will be supportedby these seals, thus a huge over pull will becreated while moving up with a retrievable ESPthat leads to serious sticking issues.

After calculation, it was determined that4,200 feet of fluid above the seals would createa large forces acting downward that is equal to27,800 lbs. This exceeds the maximum safeworking load of the 5/16” braided line cable.On the other hand, a swabbing effect will hap-pen and a well control issue will be faced. Inaddition, a force created due to the swabbingeffect will be added to dragging forces createdby fluid.

Submitted by the Well Services TechnicalTeam, Well Surveillance Group - Kuwait OilCompany

KOC implements first Wireline ESP ProjectSpecial Report

FROM THE ARABIC PRESSMONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2016

Al-Jarida

CrimeR e p o r t

Child molester caught at airportSalmiya police foiled the attempt of a haris (building jani-tor) who tried to flee the country after he was accused ofmolesting an American child. Colonel Majid Al-Adwaniordered airport officers to keep the suspect from escaping,and they stopped him minutes before leaving. A securitysource said the child’s father told Salmiya police the eightyear old was molested by the Indian haris while playingoutside their apartment.

Bedoon wanted for death threatA bedoon youth was placed on the wanted list forcharges of threatening to kill his father, and possessionof a fire arm and ammunition. An elderly bedoon mantold Sulaibiya police, that he is in his seventies andretired recently, and his 24-year-old son takes care ofthe family expenses. He said he was surprised by hisson pulling a pistol in his face threatening him, andadded that his son told him that next time it will not bea threat only. The father said he did not know why hisson acted this way.

Infamous policemancaught with drugs

KUWAIT: The police officer who became infamous after avideo clip went viral showing him forcing an Asian man todo push-ups while being kicked inside Sabah Al-Salempolice station in 2014, was arrested by Qadisiya police inpossession of shabu (the local name for crystal meth) andparaphernalia. He was sent to Drugs Control GeneralDepartment (DCGD). A security source said that Najdapolice patrols suspected a person and asked for his ID andfound that he is a police officer in an inebriated condition,and when he was subjected to a precautionary search, thedrugs were found on him.

No doctors hurt at Al-AmiriAn informed security source denied reports of doctorsbeing attacked by individuals at Amiri hospital, andcausing damage. The source said the incident is onlyabout a domestic dispute and a verbal exchange.

Felon arrestedA citizen wanted on 14 felony cases, most notably kidnap-ping and restricting freedom of others, was arrested bypolicemen in Salmi after fierce resistance in his attempt toescape, and he was jailed.

Oil pricesAl-Qabas

By Qais Al-Usta

Bu Khalid is Deputy Prime Minister and InteriorMinister Sheikh Mohammad Al-Khaled Al-Sabah,and Farid Behbehani is a Kuwaiti citizen, a relative

and friend. I know him for 20 years, and also know thathe is a peaceful citizen who does not have friction withanyone. Farid told me that he sent the family driver tothe traffic department to renew the car’s registration, buthe (the driver) returned home dejected, then followingquestioning, it was found that the officer in charge askedthe driver to repair the windshield, which had a crack.

Farid said that one or two days later he went himselfto find a young officer with a middle rank to explain tohim what happened, but he still insisted on the samerequest. Farid said, “I became somewhat angry, and toldthe officer, ‘Repair the streets, then ask us to repair thewindshields, because I will repair it today, then the gravelguns will spray and smash the windshield again’. Yet theofficer insisted on his stand, and told me loudly that,“This is not my problem, the public works is responsibleabout the roads’ conditions - either you change thewindshield or no renewal’.”

Of course, I did not mention that Farid is born in 1957,and through the explanation, it is clear that the officer isas young as Farid’s children, and the question arises: Is itnatural for an officer to tell a citizen that the problem isin another ministry, as if the other ministry does not fol-low the government in which the officer is working, andif so, is it the responsibility of the citizen to correct theministry? Then since when some of our uniformed menshout in the face of a citizen of the same age as theirfather?

Bu Khalid, I wish, your excellency, that you wouldissue a decision to stop asking for change of windshieldsuntil we know the right thing about the street gravel,because people have begun to tighten their beltsaccording to the wishes of the wise government, anddemanding the change of windshield is not logical,because the public works ministry received substandardroads.

Bu Khalid, I know how effective is your media appara-tus, so I conclude by saying: Was the message received?Because I know this column will be at your excellency’sdesk at 8:00 am.

— Translated by Kuwait Times

Bu Khalid, listento this story

Al-Anbaa

By Dr Zainab Al-Hasawi

After reviewing the vocational center for child eval-uation and teaching (CCET), results showed sever-al recommendations, of which the most impor-

tant were: Using government support in developing themanagement of integration training centers, utilizingexperts’ experiences in developing vocational develop-ment programs in those centers, exchanging expertiseat universities and foreign training centers’ levels anddeveloping the integration school administrations byestablishing a means of communication under thesupervision of the Ministry of Education (MoE), throughwhich all integration schools display their successfulexperiences.

It was also noticed that the most important means ofdeveloping integration school directors vocationaldevelopment training centers in Kuwait were as follows:

* More contributions should be made by bodies likethe parliament through passing needed legislations,MoE by setting executive charts and regulations, MoHby early diagnosis of disabilities, the information min-istry by spreading public awareness and the culture of

integration in mainstream schools. * Providing the needed human resources to enable

integration school directors carry out their administra-tive tasks.

* Holding regular periodic meetings for integrationschool directors to assess and adjust integration pro-grams if needed and to avoid central decision-makingand enable integration leaders outside school directorsmake their own contributions.

* Increasing the number of integration school direc-tors’ training centers.

* Setting a new payroll system based on vocationalefficiency rather than on seniority.

* Follow up and assessment are the final stepstowards avoiding possible shortcomings in those voca-tional development programs that might result fromapplication mistakes and errors.

I suggest utilizing CCET’s experience in integrationschool directors’ vocational development, which is aleading one in Kuwait.

— Translated by Kuwait Times

Integrating students with specialneeds in education - Part VI

Driver beats daughterA citizen accused a driver of insulting and beating herdaughter after chasing them in Abdallah Al-Mubarakarea, and lodged a complaint against him. The ladytold police that a person was driving a sports-utility-vehicle (SUV) harassed and chased her and her daugh-ter, then forced them to stop, then knocked at theglass. The daughter went out of the car to find outwhat was going on, the man beat her while insultingher verbally in front of other motorists, then drove off.Investigations are underway.

Traffic officer insultedNot only did a driver violate the traffic law in Fahaheel areaas she left her car in a no parking area, but she also insult-ed the officer who ticketed her. An officer had noticed thefemale citizen parking her car, so he told her to move, butshe refused and kept her car in the place. The officer thenwrote her a ticket and she became angry and insulted himverbally. The officer lodged a complaint against her atFahaheel police station.

Citizen connedA citizen told Adan police that a Syrian cheated himwhen he made him believe he will buy him a truckengine for KD 12,000, and lodged a complaint againsthim. Police are investigating. — Al-Rai and Al-Anbaa

Labor transaction feesincreasing this week?

5,500 received pay illegally

KUWAIT: The Manpower Public Authority (MPA) is about to issuenew fees on labor transactions within days, informed sources said.The MPA has completed the study on increases, the sources said,adding that transfer fees will be increased to KD 50 instead of KD10, first time work permit to KD 50 and renewal to KD 10. Thesources expected the decision to be issued this week.

In other news, the Manpower and Government RestructuringProgram (MGRP) detected suspected violations by 5,500 employ-ees in 45 government departments who received social and chil-dren allowances (labor support) based on a Cabinet decision topay these allowances to those working in non-government areas.MGRP Secretary General Gawzi Al-Majdali said the total amount ofsupport funds that were spent undeservedly are up to KD 10 mil-lion. He added that “those areas were contacted to take all neces-sary measures to recover this money by the government.”

Majdali said the auditing the program did on those whodeserve allowances revealed that those employees were workingfor the private sector before transferring to the government andwere receiving the allowances set for them by law, but the pro-gram discovered that they were continuing their studies at thesame time, and the law does not allow those who deserveallowances to combine work in the private sector and study at thesame time. Majdali said “the program must be provided withcopies of study certificates of employees the government depart-ments were contacted about”. He said the program asked that theallowances amounts those employees received to be deductedfrom their salaries. Majdali demanded all these employees to paywhat they owe and the money they received unrightfully from thestate. — Al-Anbaa, Al-Qabas

KUWAIT: The state gained KD 231.1 billionduring 15 years of surplus, which is morethan three quarters of a trillion dollars, anddespite this the state is heading for auster-ity and reducing subsidies following thefirst year of deficit. This issue is dominatingdiscussions in diwaniyas and creatingdepressing questions: Where did the bil-lions of the surplus years go? Were theystolen? Were they lost in squandering leftand right? Did the state fail in managingthem? Those questions were presented toDeputy Prime Minister, Finance Ministerand Acting Oil Minister Anas Al-Saleh, sowhat was his answer?

Kuwait left the deficit era in 2000, andachieved surpluses over 15 consecutiveyears, during which huge amounts accu-mulated, reaching KD 52.2 billion, whichwere sent to the general reserve fund, inaddition to KD 33.6 billion that was trans-ferred to the future generations fund. Thelast surplus years were in 2013-2014, thenafter that the general budget recorded itsfirst deficit in fiscal year 2014-2015 of KD2.72 billion, but it was not a true deficit -rather it was a deficit on paper resultingfrom transferring 25 percent of income(nearly KD 6.32 billion) to the future gener-ations fund.

‘Rich years’Calculations of official figures that were

published on the finance ministry siteshowed the state earned nearly KD 231.1billion over the past 15 years, most ofwhich came from selling oil. This large fig-ure that is over three quarters of a trilliondollars, which is nearly KD 165 million foreach citizen, makes disappointment war-

ranted, as people feel the savings of the‘rich years’ did not help in the first deficityears. This is only half the truth - the otherhalf is that state expenses jumped tremen-dously during the surplus years 4.7-foldover what they were in 1999-2000 (fromKD 4 billion in 2000 to KD 18.9 billion in2014), and particularly salaries jumpedduring the same period nearly fourfold ofwhat they were from (1.3 billion to morethan KD 5 billion).

It can be said that of the KD 213 billiongained by Kuwait over 15 years, one thirdof it was saved between the generalreserve and future generations fund (32.3percent) and two thirds was spent on cur-rent and capital expenses (67.7 percent).

General reserveSaleh said what the state made in sur-

plus over the past 15 years is kept in the

general reserve of the state and did notevaporate as some people think. He saidthe rationalization the state is heading tois more linked with the deficit registered instate deficit for the current and next year,and not because of weakness in Kuwait’seconomy. Saleh said the surplus in thebudget over the past 15 years accumulat-ed in the reserves one year after the other,so the financial situation of the state isstrong and does not call for alarm, but asfor the annual general budget, it is facingpressure and the deficit needs to be cov-ered. Saleh explained that despite whatthe state has in reserves, from the account-ing aspect, the surplus is sent to the gener-al reserve, and 10 percent of revenues aretaken for the future generations fund, con-trary to the registered deficit which needsyearly coverage and cannot be moved tothe general reserve without coverage, beit by withdrawing from the reserve or byfinancing through known borrowingtools.

Saleh said the state’s general budgetcame under pressure because of the sharpdrop in oil prices in world markets, so thefinancial directions included taking meas-ures and having programs that aim atrationalizing spending and reducingspending items. He said efforts of thefinance ministry are currently focused onadopting rational financial policies thatguarantee not overspending, and avoid-ing decisions that constitute new financialburdens on the public budget, especiallysince oil revenues dropped by 74.2 per-cent, so estimates of oil revenues in thenew budget is nearly KD 5.8 billion, 78 per-cent of total revenues. — Al-Rai

Anas Al-Saleh

Proposed law allows parentsto sue fee-hiking schools

KUWAIT: While Education Minister Bader Al-Essa saidthe private education law whose draft was submitted tothe parliamentary education committee will put an endto the issue of private school fee hikes, committee rap-porteur MP Humoud Al-Hamdan revealed that for cer-tain categories of private schools - foreign, bilingual orArab - in the new private education law enables parentsto take the schools to court if they raise fees withoutcomplying with the law after its approval.

“We were keen to prepare a comprehensive law thatkeeps the schools’ rights while at the same time guaran-tees parents’ rights,” Essa said. He added that the law hasitems that organize the fees, and the issue of privateeducation will be opened in the coming days, and “wewill cooperate with the education committee in order tocome out with a law that protects all parties”. — Al-Rai

KUWAIT: The Supreme Council forPlanning and Development (SCPD)has warned the government in gener-al and the finance ministry in particu-lar about the budget deficit. A SCPDreport stressed that the 2016-2017budget was void of any solutions ortangible measures to fix the currentproblems and undo what it describedas ‘financial laxity’ that has impacts onpolitical and sociopolitical stability.

The report also warned of vast neg-ative impacts of declaring unprece-dented deficits while the governmentdoes not make clear scheduledpledges to carry out the needed reme-dies. The report used phrases like: “theeconomy is heading towards a verysharp slope”, “continuation of currentspending would lead state economyto big shocks” and “those figures, then,foretell a terrifying future”.

Total revenuesThe report made by the council’s

economic development committeeafter reviewing the 2016-2017 budg-et said that total revenues were esti-mated at KD 7.4 billion, which is lessthan that of 2015-2016 by KD 4.8 bil-lion (39.3 percent), that oil revenueswould drop by 46.3 percent, non-oilrevenues would only be 14.3 percentof total revenues, total expenditurewould be KD 18.9 billion, which is 1.6percent less than that of 2015-2016and that total expected deficit wouldbe KD 12.2 billion.

Accordingly, SCPD recommendedimposing taxes on companies’ profits,imposing taxes on luxury goods,adjusting the fees collected for usingpublic properties, reconsideringgoods and services prices, replacinggoods subsidies with cash to be only

paid to deserving citizens, limitingrecruitment in the public sector, sus-pending any pay rises or incentives,limiting the cost of overseas treat-ment, cutting down the expenses ofhospitality, gifts, ceremonies and lux-ury furniture, halting the establish-ments of new public authorities orestablishments and merging exitingones, limiting committees’ rewardsand renting new buildings, privatiz-ing all local state-owned companiesand parts of the oil companies, offer-ing projects like ports and airports tolocal and international private sectorbidders and selling some assets tothe private sector through public auc-tions.

Diplomats’ treatmentIn other news, well-informed gov-

ernmental sources said that the

Cabinet intends to amend financialregulations for foreign ministryemployees and that the new regula-tions were submitted to various rele-vant government bodies for advice.The sources explained that theamendments included adjusting arti-cle 28 of decree law number245/2005 pertaining including for-eign ministry employees and theirfamilies in health insurance thatallows them to receive medical treat-ment in any country they see fit. “Thiswill expand the number of beneficiar-ies from the foreign ministry’s healthinsurance,” stressed the sources, not-ing that such an adjustment wouldcost the government a lot at a timewhen the entire government is work-ing on cutting expenses followingausterity measures to face budgetdeficits. — Al-Qabas

Alarming budget figures: Supreme Planning Council More treatment requested for diplomats

By-elections problem gets more complicatedKUWAIT: It seems that a constitutional problem overregistering voters in the third electoral constituency inFebruary is getting more complicated, said the electionsdepartment manager Lt Col Salah Al-Shatti. According tothe official, registering voters for election lists, that isusually done in February and is supposed to be done tillthe end of the month, will have to be suspended untilfinishing the constituency’s by-elections. “Article 8 of theelections law number 35/1962 bans changes to voterlists once voters are invited for elections, and thus we willhave to wait until the by-elections are concluded,” heexplained, adding that candidate Abdullah Al-Kandari isalready a municipal council member and if he wins,municipal by-elections would be held, and thus registra-tions would again have to be suspended as stipulated bythe constitution. Other sources at the elections depart-ment said that registering new voters would be onlyopen in the last nine days of February when the by-elec-tions end and the results declared. — Al-Jarida

KUWAIT: A number of restaurants and cafesyesterday announced increasing the pricesof products they offer like cigarettes, tobac-co products and soft drinks, explaining thatthey had already got the Ministry ofCommerce and Industry’s approval for such

increases. The restaurants and cafes distrib-uted flyers announcing the new priceincreases, justifying the price increases dueto a 30-50 percent increase by suppliers inaddition to increasing raw food materialprices by 25 percent. — Al-Anbaa

cafes increase tobacco prices

KUWAIT: The Commercial Bank of Kuwait(CBK) announced changing its NajmaAccount rewards program by increasing themega draws rewards to up to KD 250,000. Inthis regard, Sahar Abdulaziz Al-Rumaih,CBK’s General Manager - Corporate Creditand Acting General Manager - Retail BankingDivision, said that Al-Najma account offersthe largest daily award in Kuwait with a prizeof KD 7,000. She added that the annualmega awards were increased, starting by KD100,000 in the first quarter, KD 150,000 in thesecond quarter, KD 200,000 in the third quar-ter and KD 250,000 in the fourth quarter.Rumaih added that the first draw would be

held on April 3rd,2016 Rumai said. Sheadded that partici-pants can open theaccount by deposit-ing a minimum of KD500. Each KD 25 enti-tles the account hold-er to an entry in dailydraws after a week asof deposit, and in mega draws after 3months of deposit. “The more sums deposit-ed, the bigger chances account holders willhave to win one of the awards,” she under-lined.

CBK increases Najma rewards

Sahar Al-Rumaih

Where did a quartertrillion dollars go?

DES MOINES: Months into their White House campaigns, USpresidential candidates yesterday made a final frenzied push topersuade voters before Iowa kicks off the nomination process.Democrat Hillary Clinton, fearful of a 2008 repeat when shewas beaten to the punch in Iowa by an upstart Barack Obama,was leaving nothing to chance, stumping in the heartland thisweekend as her main rival Senator Bernie Sanders did thesame, seeking to deny her yet another shot at history.

Republican Donald Trump and his nearest rival Ted Cruzmeanwhile made unmasked appeals to Iowa’s evangelical con-servatives so important in the first-in-the-nation contest today.And long-shot hopefuls like Carly Fiorina made their pitch tovoters too, reminding them that polls are notoriously unreli-able in Iowa, where political upsets are commonplace.

The three Democrats and 12 Republicans aiming to be theirparty’s 2016 torchbearer are leaving it all on the field in Iowa,

hosting several dozen events across this snow-swept heartlandstate as they gear up for today’s debut vote in the presidentialmarathon.

The state is small and relatively homogeneous, but it isimmensely consequential for the top finishers who can claimmomentum heading into the primary in New Hampshire. Onthe Republican side, it is billionaire Trump at the fore, tearingup the traditional playbook and largely avoiding the retail poli-tics that require candidates to put in days and weeks in Iowa.

But he made the requisite appeal to evangelicals, who com-prised 57 percent of caucus voters in 2012 and are expected toplay a huge part in the February 1 vote. Trump posted a shortvideo on Facebook, showing him holding up a Bible given tohim by his mother. “I want to thank the evangelicals. I will nev-er let you down,” he said.

At a Saturday rally in Dubuque, he expressed his usual con-fidence-”If we win Iowa, wecan run the table!”-whileknocking Cruz, repeating hisconcerns about the Texas sen-ator being born in Canadaand questioning his eligibilityto be president. Cruz is lockedin a do-or-die battle withTrump in Iowa, and is count-ing on a strong evangelicalturnout to help propel him tovictory here. “We need godlywisdom back in the WhiteHouse,” supporter Pam Cobbsaid at a Cruz rally in IdaGrove, in northwest Iowa.

Hovering in third placeamong Republicans is SenatorMarco Rubio, whose star isseen as rising perhaps just atthe right time. “You have aright to be angry,” Rubio toldmore than 300 people at auniversity hall in Ames, Iowa.“But anger is not a plan,” hesaid in a dig at the bombasticTrump.

Rubio portrayed himself asthe most electableRepublican who can chal-lenge Clinton, but warnedthat internal feuding will onlydoom the GOP in 2016. “Weare going to have our primary,and it’s going to get heated,”he admitted, noting the tit-for-tat negative politickingbetween him and Cruz. “But inthe end, we are going to bringeveryone together. We haveto. We cannot win if we aredivided against each other.”

Candidates includingRubio were bringing out theirsurrogates this weekend foradded political firepower.Clinton took the stage at IowaState University in Ames withher daughter Chelsea, and for-mer congresswoman GabbyGiffords, a gun violence victimwho has helped raise con-cerns about the issue. “Hillaryis tough,” Giffords said by wayof introduction. “In the WhiteHouse, she will stand up tothe gun lobby.” — AFP

India cities get funds to tackle woes, modernize

Page 12

Homeless Gazans struggle during harsh winterPage 8

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2016

IOWA: A young girl holds up a campaign sign as people applaud during a campaign event featuring Republican presidential candidate, Sen Ted Cruz, R-Texas, at Western Iowa Tech Community College in Sioux City. — AP

Presidential hopefuls sprint to Iowa vote

GENEVA: Syrian ambassador to UN and head of the government delegation Bashar Al-Jaafari (center) gestures as he holds a pressconference during the Syria peace talks. — AFP

ANKARA: Turkish President Recep TayyipErdogan warned Moscow on Saturday that itwould be forced to “endure the conse-quences” if its jets continue to violate Turkishairspace, after Ankara reported a new borderinfringement incident by a Russian plane.

NATO-member Turkey said anotherRussian warplane violated its airspace onFriday despite several warnings - twomonths after Turkey’s military shot down aRussian jet for crossing over its territory. Thepast incident seriously strained the previous-ly close ties between the two countries,damaging a strong economic partnership.

“We regard this infringement whichcame despite all our warnings in Russian andin English as an effort by Russia to escalatethe crisis in the region,” Erdogan toldreporters before departing on a LatinAmerican tour. “If Russia continues the viola-

tions of Turkey’s sovereign rights, it will beforced to endure the consequences.” He didnot specify what those consequences mightbe. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman,Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, denied thatthere was any violation of Turkey’s airspaceand called the Turkish statements “unsub-stantiated propaganda.” His statement wascarried by state news agencies Tass and RIANovosti. Erdogan said he attempted to reachRussian President Vladimir Putin to discussthe issue but that the Russian leader did notrespond.

“These irresponsible steps do not helpthe Russian Federation, NATO-Russia rela-tions or regional and global peace,” Erdogansaid. “On the contrary they are detrimental.”Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said the RussianSU-34 crossed into Turkish airspace onFriday, ignoring several warnings in Russian

and in English by Turkish radar units. It saidAnkara summoned the Russian ambassadorto the ministry Friday evening to “stronglyprotest” the violation. It was not clear whereexactly the new infringement had occurred.NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenbergalso called on Russia “to act responsibly andto fully respect NATO airspace” but alsourged “calm and de-escalation” of tensionsbetween Moscow and Ankara. “Russia musttake all necessary measures to ensure thatsuch violations do not happen again,” hesaid in a statement. “NATO stands in solidari-ty with Turkey and supports the territorialintegrity of our ally, Turkey.” There was noimmediate comment on the incident fromMoscow.

In November Turkey shot down a Russianplane which violated its airspace near Syria,touching off a crisis between the two coun-

tries. It was the first time in more than half acentury that a NATO nation had shot down aRussian plane. Turkey brought down theRussian Su-24 bomber near the border withSyria on Nov. 24, saying it violated its air-space for 17 seconds despite repeated warn-ings. Russia insists the plane never enteredTurkish airspace. One pilot and a Russianmarine of the rescue party were killed in theincident. The Russian military quickly sentmissile systems to Syria and warned that itwould fend off any threat to its aircraft.Moscow also punished Turkey by imposingan array of economic sanctions. On Saturday,Stoltenberg said NATO had agreed inDecember to increase the presence ofAWACS early warning planes over Turkey toincrease the country’s air defenses. He saidthe decision was taken before Friday’s inci-dent. — AP

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

KHAN YUNIS, Palestinian Territories: AzzaAl-Najjar struggles in vain to keep her two-year-old warm by wrapping him in blanketsin her prefabricated metal home as a winterstorm lashes the Gaza Strip. “The cold increas-es the suffering of people here,” the 24-year-old mother says. “My son has breathing prob-lems and with the weather his condition hasworsened.”

The family has been staying in the tempo-rary home in the city of Khan Yunis in south-ern Gaza since theirs was destroyed in the2014 war between Israel and Palestinian mili-tants in the enclave. But recent rains batteringthe besieged Strip have seen schools androads closed, while families like Najjar’s havewatched water and mud seep through thedoorway into their homes.

She, her husband and two children-theyoungest of whom is just six months old-livein a metal box just five meters by threemeters. It includes just one bedroom, a smallcorner for cooking and a bathroom. “There isno electricity, water, food or gas,” she says.“We don’t even have firewood.” Israel has fornearly a decade imposed a blockade onaround 1.8 million people living in Gaza.

“Our life here is poverty, worries, blockadeand homelessness.”

‘Cold like a morgue’ Her husband Samir, bundled up under

blankets, watches helplessly as water gushespast their home. “We live-but that’s onlybecause we’re not dead,” says the 30-year-old,who became wheelchair-bound after beingshot by Israeli forces in 2008. The family sur-vives on donations from charities that “are notenough”, he adds.

Their home is one of around 100 that anNGO from the United Arab Emirates built as atemporary measure after the war, but that arewoefully inadequate for the winter rains.Some families have stretched plastic sheetingover their roofs in a bid to prevent leaks. WithUN schools closed by the weather, older kidsplay idly in the rain.

Three huddle around a small fire in a des-perate bid to warm frozen bones. Life in amobile home is “cold like a morgue in winterand like a furnace in summer,” said AbdullahAl-Najjar, 48, who also lives with six familymembers in one of the temporary shelters.

Aid delayed Azza Al-Najjar stresses that speeding up

the reconstruction of Gaza is the “mostimportant thing” for her family. The UnitedNations has completely rebuilt just one of the

20,000 homes rendered totally uninhabitablein the July-August 2014 war.

Over 120,000 more homes were at leastpartly damaged, according to the UnitedNations. Tens of thousands of them haveundergone repairs with its assistance, the UNsays, but many families are still waiting forfunds. The 50-day conflict-which included anextensive Israeli bombing campaign killed2,200 Palestinians and 73 people on theIsraeli side, and left much of Gaza in ruins.

An agreement between the Palestiniangovernment, Israel and the United Nationsallows in a small amount of building materialsfor reconstruction, but Israel’s blockade per-sists and the Egyptian border has remainedlargely closed. Billions pledged by donorshave been slow to arrive.

Meanwhile, the unemployment rate hasreached 45 percent, according to the WorldBank. And with the bad weather, many haveseen what little they have washed away.Colonel Abdul Aziz Attar, a civil defense offi-cial, says crews aided 200 families in thesouthern Gaza Strip and rescued dozens fromhomes in Rafah, which has been partiallyflooded. “We had to evacuate citizens in fish-ing boats,” he says.

The United Nations has provided plastic

sheets and other aid to around 500 of theworst-hit families. It has also deployed emer-gency teams in various parts of the Gaza Stripto mitigate the flooding. But Gaza’s housingminister Mufid Al-Hasayneh told AFP it wouldtake more than 130,000 apartments to houseall those whose homes were destroyed in

three Israeli offensives against the enclavesince 2008. This month Qatar provided morethan 1,000 apartments to Gaza residents. Still,it is not enough. Azza Al-Najjar says she andher neighbors have “heard a lot of promises,from the UN and others.” “But we still don’tknow when our houses will be rebuilt.” — AFP

GENEVA: The future of the biggest push to dateto end Syria’s tangled civil war looked highlyuncertain yesterday with the main oppositiongroup threatening to walk away before plannedpeace talks even begin in earnest.Representatives from the umbrella body formainstream opposition groups, who arrived inGeneva late Saturday, are refusing for now toenter the hoped-for talks with President BasharAl-Assad’s government.

The High Negotiations Committee (HNC), setto meet with UN envoy Staffan de Mistura yester-day, are demanding that humanitarian aid firstgets through to besieged towns, that bombing ofcivilians ceases and that hundreds of prisonersare released.

“If the regime insists on continuing to committhese crimes then the HNC delegation’s presencein Geneva will not be justified,” coordinator RiadHijab warned in a statement in Arabic postedonline Saturday. “The delegation will inform deMistura of its intentions to withdraw its negotiat-ing team if the UN and world powers are unableto stop these violations,” he said.

Opposition delegates were due to meet withenvoys from Western countries yesterday morn-ing, followed later by preliminary talks betweenthe opposition and de Mistura. In addition theSyrian government’s chief negotiator, UN envoyBashar Al-Jaafari was expected to make a state-ment to reporters, sources said.

Meanwhile there was no abating of the vio-lence on the ground, with at least 12 people

killed and dozens injured in a double bomb blastnear the Shiite shrine of Sayyida Zeinab, south ofDamascus, yesterday morning, a monitor said.

And highlighting the dire humanitarian situa-tion, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) Saturday said16 more people had starved to death in Madaya,one of more than a dozen towns under blockadeby regime or rebel forces. Since December, 46people have died of starvation in the town, andMSF warned dozens more were on the verge ofdeath in the town where many residents report-edly have been surviving on boiled grass.

They are among more than 4.5 million peoplewith “immense humanitarian needs” are living inareas extremely hard to access because of fight-ing, according to the International Committee ofthe Red Cross (ICRC).

‘Siege soup’ On Friday, the scheduled start of a planned six

months of talks, protesters in Geneva highlightedthe plight of ordinary Syrians with “siege soup” ofgrass and leaves. The war that has killed morethan 260,000 people since 2011 is a complex con-flict sucking in-on different sides-Turkey, Iran andGulf states and also Western countries and, sinceSeptember, Russia.

A fresh spat between Russia and Turkey erupt-ed Saturday after Ankara accused Moscow of vio-lating its airspace two months after it shot downa Russian jet. The chaos in Syria has allowed theextremist Islamic State group to overrun swathesof Syria and also Iraq, giving it a launch pad for

attacks the world over, most notably in Paris onNovember 13 with 130 dead.

Half of Syria’s population has fled their homes,forcing millions to seek refuge in neighboringcountries and also in Europe, where the influx isproving to be a major political and socialheadache. On Saturday, dozens of migrant men,women and children, including Syrians, drownedwhen their boat sank off of Turkey-adding to thealmost 4,000 who perished trying to reachEurope by sea in 2015.

Ambitious roadmap The intra-Syrian negotiations, if they get

going, are part of an ambitious roadmap set outin November in Vienna by all the external powersinvolved. The process envisions elections within18 months but leaves unresolved the future ofAssad, whose regime has been making gains onthe ground since Russia began supporting himwith airstrikes in September.

Another thorny issue is which rebel groups willbe involved in the talks, although all sides agreeon the exclusion of extremists from Islamic Stateand the Nusra Front tied to Al-Qaeda. Ahrar Al-Sham, one of the most controversial groups in theHNC because of its ties to Nusra, was not repre-sented in Geneva, HNC spokesman Riad NaasanAgha said. And the powerful Army al-Islam rebelgroup “is here, they are a negotiator,” he toldreporters, but said HNC chief negotiator andArmy of Islam member Mohammed Alloush hadnot arrived yet. — AFP

Turkey sends warning to Russia after latest airspace violation

Syria peace talks in peril before they even begin

Main oppn group threatens to walk away

RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories: APalestinian opened fire at a checkpointnear a Jewish settlement in the West Bankyesterday, wounding three Israelis beforebeing shot dead, officials said, the latest infour months of violence.

An attempted car-ramming alsooccurred later in the day at a militarycheckpoint in the West Bank north ofJerusalem, with the attacker shot and tak-en to hospital for treatment, Israel’s militarysaid. No Israelis were reported wounded.The Israeli army said the shooting attacktook place near the Beit El settlement,close to Ramallah. Israeli medics said twoof the three wounded had serious injuries.

“A gunman opened fire near Beit El,north of Jerusalem,” the Israeli military saidin a statement. “Forces at the sceneresponded to the attack and shot theassailant, resulting in his death. ThreeIsraelis were wounded and are being evac-uated for emergency medical treatment inhospital.” It was not immediately clearwhether the victims were civilians or mem-bers of the security forces.

An AFP journalist saw the body of thePalestinian man killed near the checkpoint.A bullet-riddled silver car apparently usedin the attack was next to the body. The carhad plates seeming to indicate it belongedto the Palestinian government. APalestinian intelligence source said Israeliauthorities had informed them that theman, Amjad Sukari Abu Omar, around 30years old, worked as a bodyguard for thePalestinian attorney general’s office.

Palestinian ambulances sought to movetoward the body, but were prevented fromdoing so by Israeli soldiers. The body waslater handed over to Palestinian authori-ties. A wave of Palestinian knife, gun andcar-ramming attacks erupted in October.Most of the attacks have been stabbings,though shootings have occasionallyoccurred. The violence has killed 25 Israelis,as well as an American and an Eritrean,according to an AFP count. At the sametime, 160 Palestinians have been killed byIsraeli forces, most while carrying out

attacks but others during clashes anddemonstrations.

French push for peace Some analysts say Palestinian frustra-

tion with Israel’s occupation of the WestBank, the complete lack of progress inpeace efforts and their own fractured lead-ership have helped feed the unrest. Israelsays incitement by Palestinian leaders andmedia is a main cause of the violence.

Many of the attackers have been youngpeople, including teenagers, who appearto have been acting on their own.International efforts to halt the violencehave so far failed. French Foreign MinisterLaurent Fabius said Friday his country waslooking to revive plans for an internationalconference aimed at bringing about thetwo-state solution.

Should efforts to breathe life into themoribund peace process fail, France wouldmove to unilaterally recognize Palestine asa state, Fabius said. Peace talks collapsed inApril 2014 and the situation has since dete-riorated, with the prospects of fresh dia-logue appearing increasingly remote.Palestinian leaders welcomed the initiative,having long argued for an internationalprocess to end the Israeli occupation andbring about the two-state solution.

Israeli Prime Minister BenjaminNetanyahu yesterday criticized France’sthreat to recognize a Palestinian state,arguing that it gives Palestinians no incen-tive to compromise. “This will be an incen-tive for the Palestinians to come and notcompromise,” Netanyahu said at the startof a cabinet meeting. “The substance ofnegotiations is compromise and theFrench initiative, as it has been reported, ineffect gives the Palestinians in advancereasons not to do so.”

The rightwing premier said “I believethat we will see a sobering up on this issue.In any case, we will work to bring thisabout and our position is very clear: We areprepared to enter into direct negotiationswithout preconditions and without dictat-ed conditions.” — AFP

Shooting wounds Israelis in West Bank, attacker killed


KHAN YUNIS, Palestinian Territories: Samir Al-Najjar sits on a wheelchair next tohis prefabricated metal home in the southern Gaza Strip town. — AFP

Homeless Gazans struggle during harsh winter

RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories: Israeli soldiers react as they secure the scene of areported Palestinian shooting attack at a checkpoint near the Beit El settlement,close to West Bank city. — AFP

RIYADH: Saudi authorities havearrested nine American citizensamong 33 “terror ” suspectsrounded up over the past days,the Saudi Gazette newspaperrepor ted yesterday. FourAmericans were arrested onMonday and five others overthe past four days, the paperreported citing an unidentifiedsource.

The arrests also included 14Saudis, three Yemenis, twoSyrians, an Indonesian, aFil ipino, an Emirati , aKazakhstan national and aPalestinian, the paper said. Itdid not say if any of the “terrorsuspects” was l inked to theIslamic State group, which hasclaimed several deadly attacks

against security and Shiites inthe kingdom in recent months.

On Friday, a suicide bomberattacked a Shiite mosque inEastern Province killing fourpeople before worshippers dis-armed and tied up his accom-plice who had fired on them.

IS, a radical Sunni group thatconsiders Shiites heretics, didnot claim that attack. The SaudiGazette said some 532 IS sus-pects accused of plottingattacks in the k ingdom arebeing questioned ahead of theirtrial at the criminal court inRiyadh. They are members of sixcells arrested in “pre-emptive”raids across the kingdom andinclude a Saudi woman and aFilipina, the paper said. — AFP

Saudi authorities arrest 9 American ‘terror’ suspects

NEW YORK: Bernie Sanders, the Democratic presiden-tial hopeful beating Hillary Clinton in the Iowa polls, isthe country’s longest serving independentCongressman who is calling for a political revolutionin America. An outsider like Donald Trump, albeit atthe opposite end of the spectrum, the 74-year-oldDemocratic socialist may be the eldest contender inthe White House race but he has done the most toinspire passionate support among young liberals.

Outwardly serious-even friends call him grumpy-the senator from Vermont has spent a lifetime in pub-lic office addressing income inequality and fumes thatthe top 0.1 percent of Americans owns as muchwealth as the bottom 90 percent.

Bernie, as he is known to fans, calls inequality thegreat moral, economic and political issue of the times,and demands campaign finance reform that wouldprevent billionaires from spending unlimited funds inpropelling their candidates to the White House.

He has drawn thousands to his rallies, winningendorsements from Oscar-winner Susan Sarandonand Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, which concocted a newflavor “Bernie’s Yearning”-mint covered in a thickchocolate-in his honor.

“We are touching a nerve with the American peo-ple who understand that establishment politics is justnot good enough. We need bold changes, we need apolitical revolution,” he said during a CNN townhalldebate in Iowa today. Written off by his opponents asa wacky socialist, Sanders admits to being taken aback

by the extent to which his message has resonated in aDemocratic race where Hillary Clinton is expected towin the nomination.

He has run a progressive campaign calling for uni-versal health care coverage, a $15 minimum wage,reining in Wall Street, free tuition at public universities,taxing the wealthy and pulling 27 million Americansout of poverty. The big question, as with Trump, iswhether Sanders can transform his popularity amongpeople who generally do not vote into turnout today.

Struggled for money Born in Brooklyn, New York on September 8, 1941

and brought up in a hard-working Jewish family thatcould never afford to move out of their small apart-ment, he has spoken of knowing first hand the strug-gle for money. His father was a Polish immigrantwhose family was wiped out in the Holocaust. Heattended James Madison High School and BrooklynCollege, before transferring to the University ofChicago. As a student, he became involved in the civilrights movement and took part in the march onWashington, where Martin Luther King Jr delivered his“I Have a Dream” speech in 1963. After graduating,Sanders worked on an Israeli kibbutz and moved toVermont where he worked as a carpenter and film-maker.

In 1981, he was elected as mayor of Burlington, thestate’s largest city, by a mere 10-vote victory and wenton to win another three terms. Under his administra-

tion, the city made strides in affordable housing, pro-gressive taxation, environmental protection, child careand women’s rights. In 1990, he was elected to theHouse of Representatives as an independent forVermont, taking his fight against inequality toCongress. After 16 years in the House, he was electedto the Senate and is serving his second term after win-ning re-election in 2012 with 71 percent of the vote.

Pillar of integrity In 2014, he worked with Republican Senator John

McCain to pass legislation to make it easier for veter-ans to get medical care, beating the partisan gridlockthat has paralyzed much of Washington life in recentyears.

He registered as a Democrat last year andannounced his presidential run. Sanders has steadfast-ly refused to wage personal attacks on Clinton, includ-ing over the email scandal that dogged her stint assecretary of state, or her husband’s extra-maritalliaisons. “The American people are sick and tired ofhearing about your damn emails,” he said during a tel-evised debate in October, while acknowledging it wasnot good politics to let Hillary off the hook. In the end,his outburst hogged the headlines, earning him plau-dits for his integrity. It is a message lapped up byDemocrats disillusioned with the Clintons andAmericans asking why they work so hard and yet lagso far behind other industrialized nations in havingthe right to paid leave and health care. — AFP

Sanders: Democratic socialist calling for political revolution

Inspiring passionate support in young liberals

IOWA: Democratic Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders speaks at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. — AFP

I N T E R N AT I O N A LMONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2016

AMES: If the Republican establishment canindeed strike back, as several 2016 presidentialcampaigns are hoping, this might be MarcoRubio’s moment. Florida’s freshman senator ismaking his mark just before the Iowa caucuses,the crucial first contest in the party nominationraces.

At rallies and coffee shops across the state,he presents himself as the rational, policy-focused conservative in the campaign, counter-ing the heated rhetoric of frontrunner DonaldTrump and the Tea Party ideology of core con-servative Ted Cruz. He is attracting interest fromyoung voters who share his optimism aboutAmerica and appreciate his family story of adynamic son of Cuban immigrants who pulledhimself up by his own bootstraps.

And he his courting Iowa’s all-importantevangelical voters, invoking God and religionnow perhaps more than ever. “He draws from allcorners of the party,” Rubio’s communicationsdirector Alex Conant said at a Saturday rally inAmes, one of several Rubio is holding up untilcaucus time today.

While he still trails billionaire Trump and fel-low US senator Cruz in polls, a stronger-than-expected bronze medal finish here would boosthis claim as the pre-eminent mainstreamRepublican in the race going into the votes inNew Hampshire and South Carolina.

“Traditionally there are three tickets out ofIowa, and we’d be thrilled with a strong thirdplace,” said Conant, downplaying expectationseven as Rubio narrows the gap on Cruz. So whyisn’t Rubio eyeing Iowa’s top two spots? “We’rerunning against the greatest showman on Earth,and the greatest ground game that’s ever beenassembled in Iowa,” Conant observed aboutTrump and Cruz.

“If we can finish ahead of the other tradition-al Republican candidates going into NewHampshire, I think that’s a strong position for us.”

Rubio is well ahead of Jeb Bush, the formerFlorida governor and son and brother of twopresidents, and governors Chris Christie of NewJersey and John Kasich of Ohio.

In New Hampshire, however, he trails Kasichand Bush, along with Trump and Cruz. In Iowa,though, Rubio has risen to 14.5 percent in theRealClearPolitics poll average, while secondplace Cruz has slipped to 24.5 percent support.Trump has also declined, but still leads at 30.8.

While Cruz recently had been launching acomprehensive assault against Trump, he nowtrains his fire on Rubio, a sign the Texan is con-cerned about Rubio’s Iowa rise. On the cam-paign trail now, Cruz regularly invokes Rubio’sname, often to slam his positions on immigra-tion.

On the ‘same wavelength’ Rubio is doing something regularly in Iowa

as well-talking a lot about God. Like his rivals,Rubio has launched a full court press to wooevangelicals, the religious conservatives so vitalin first-to-vote Iowa. “Our rights don’t come fromour government, our rights don’t come from ourlaws,” he said in Ames. “Our rights come from ourCreator.”

The 44-year-old Rubio’s secret weapon mightwell be young voters, who are expressing dissat-isfaction with Trump’s coarse, confrontationalrhetoric and are turning to Rubio as an opti-mistic 21st century leader. “Rubio and I are onthe same wavelength on a lot of importantissues,” said Nathan Haila, 36, a product managerfor a manufacturing company.

He said he appreciates some aspects ofTrump’s message, “but at the end of the day, pol-icy matters.” Trump’s relentless combativeness,insults and simplifications of complex policyissues can be counterproductive, Haila said. “It’shard to hear sometimes through the rhetoricwhat somebody’s actually going to do.” — AFP

Marco Rubio hitting timely stride ahead of Iowa vote

IOWA: Republican presidential candidate, Sen Marco Rubio, R-Fla, speaks during acampaign rally, Saturday, Jan 30, 2016, in Des Moines. — AP

‘Leave us alone’: Oregon town tired of standoff

BURNS: People who live in Burns, thesmall high desert town near a wildliferefuge that has been occupied by anarmed group for a month, say they aresick of the disruption to their lives. “Wejust want to go back to the way wewere,” Barbara Ormond, who owns aquilt store in downtown Burns, saidSaturday. “We want everyone to leaveus alone.”

Four people occupying an Oregonwildlife refuge held their positionSaturday and posted live videosdescribing their situation and reiterat-ing their demand that they be allowedto leave with being arrested. The jailedgroup’s leader, Ammon Bundy, and 10others who were arrested earlier in theweek remained in custody. Through his

lawyer, Bundy on Saturday again calledon the remaining occupiers to leave.The FBI has said it’s trying to resolvethe situation peacefully. While thestandoff that originated over federalland-use policies has led to filled-uphotels and restaurants as police, pro-testers and media have flocked to thearea, locals say the conflict is upsettingand pitting neighbor against neighbor.

Community dissension “It’s tearing the community apart,”

said Bonnie Angleton, who owns a giftshop downtown. “I care about the peo-ple who live here.” Kate Marsh, an artistin town, said many residents work forthe government, while others havetheir livelihoods depend on govern-

ment agencies. “There is some dissen-sion in the community,” Marsh said.

Authorities say Bundy, the leader ofthe group that seized the MalheurNational Wildlife Refuge, and othersused the social media and other plat-forms to summon recruits to join theirtakeover. Court documents against the11 occupiers under arrest show FBIagents have scrutinized social mediapostings, interviews and online talkshows that have been made during thestandoff that began Jan 2.

Bundy and several other jailed lead-ers appeared Friday in federal court inPortland, where a judge denied theirrelease. US Magistrate Judge StacieBeckerman said Bundy, his brotherRyan Bundy and Ryan Payne pose adanger to the community, and she isconcerned they would not followorders to return to Oregon for criminalproceedings. The only woman arrestedso far in the standoff, Shawna Cox, willbe allowed to go home while her casemakes its way through the court sys-tem. But Beckerman said that won’thappen until after the armed occupa-tion ends. Ammon Bundy’s lawyer,Lissa Casey, said her client is notaligned with those remaining at therefuge near Burns and he wants to goback to his family. Bundy and his fol-lowers took over the refuge to demandthat the federal government turn pub-lic lands over to local control. Theyhave complained about what they sayare onerous federal rules governinggrazing and mining rights across theWest. — AP BURNS: Protesters stand in front of the Harney County Courthouse. — AP

CHICAGO: A white police officer plans tosue the estate of a black teenager he shotdead because he was traumatized by thefact that he accidentally killed the teen’sneighbor in the incident, his lawyer saidSaturday.

“The damage is my client feels horri-ble that Bettie Jones is dead because ofthe actions he was forced to take,” attor-ney Joe Brodsky said. “It’s affected himgreatly. It’s a burden he’s going to have tocarry for the rest of his life.” TheDecember 26 shooting came as the UScity was reeling from a series of incidentsin which police were accused of beingtoo ready to pull the trigger on their serv-ice weapons.

The family of Quintonio LeGrier, 19,has repeatedly said there was no reasonwhy police should have opened firewhen responding to a domestic distur-bance at their home. They have sued

both the city and the officer who shothim: Robert Rialmo, 27. A wrongful deathsuit filed by LeGrier’s father, Antonio,argues that the teen “never had posses-sion or control of a weapon” and was nota threat to Rialmo or anyone else at anypoint. Rialmo was standing outside whenhe opened fire on LeGrier, who wasinside the building, the lawsuit said.Antonio LeGrier is also suing for wrongfularrest after police made him leave hisdying son in order to file a statementabout the incident. City officials haveapologized for the death of Jones, a 55-year old mother of five, but have saidLeGrier’s shooting was justified.

The city has released few detailsabout the incident except to say thatLeGrier was brandishing a baseball batwhen he was shot after his father calledfor help in the wee hours of the morning.LeGrier, an engineering student who was

struggling with mental health problems,had called 911 for help several times ear-lier that evening but the dispatcher didnot send an officer to the house until hisfather called. Brodsky said that makes theincident a “double tragedy because if myclient had advance knowledge he wasdealing with a mentally ill person he mayhave handled this in a different way.”

‘Winning the lottery’ Police tactics and racism have been

the subject of a national debate sinceprotests erupted in Ferguson, Missouri, inmid-2014 over the shooting death of ablack teenager, 18-year-old MichaelBrown. The US Justice Department isinvestigating how Chicago police useforce after the death of another blackteenager, Laquan McDonald, who wasshot 16 times as he was walking awayfrom officers. — AFP

Cop to sue estate of black teen he killed


ADDIS ABABA: UN Secretary General, Ban ki-Moon gives an address at the 26th presidential summit of the African Union onJanuary 30, 2016. — AFP

ADDIS ABABA: A proposed peacekeeping force fortroubled Burundi appeared in doubt yesterday, asAfrican leaders pulled back from sending troops amidvehement opposition from the government inBujumbura. The UN has warned Burundi risks a repeatof a 1993-2006 civil war, with hundreds killed sinceApril 2015, when President Pierre Nkurunzizaannounced he would stand for a controversial thirdterm in office. At least 230,000 people have fled toneighboring countries.

Burundi has consistently opposed the idea of theAU’s proposed 5,000-strong peacekeeping mission,saying the deployment of troops without its expresspermission would be tantamount to an “invasionforce”. The AU charter’s Article 4 (h) gives the pan-African bloc the right to intervene in a fellow nationstate “in respect of grave circumstances, namely: warcrimes, genocide and crimes against humanity.”

But top African Union diplomats said that sendingtroops without Burundi’s approval was “unimagin-able,” and suggested the bloc might rather send a“high-level delegation” to hold talks with the govern-ment. “It has been, I think, bad communication. It wasnever the intention of the African Union to deploy amission to Burundi without the consent of Burundianauthorities,” Ibrahima Fall, AU Special Representative

for the Great Lakes Region, told French radio RFI yes-terday. “This is unimaginable,” the Senegalese diplo-mat added.

‘We don’t do enough’ AU leaders are debating the crisis in Burundi on

the second and final day of the 54-member bloc’ssummit in Ethiopia. The talks are being held behindclosed doors and it is unclear when a final decision willbe taken. Analysts say other African nations are waryof setting a precedent of deploying troops against thegovernment’s wishes.

Chad’s President Idriss Deby, speaking after hetook over the post of African Union chairman onSaturday, warned colleagues against inaction. “Ourorganization acts as it has for the past 20 or 30 years:we meet often, we talk too much, we always write alot, but we don’t do enough, and sometimes not all,”Deby said.

Nkurunziza’s quest to remain in power sparkedweeks of street protests that were brutally suppressedand a failed coup. Since his re-election in July, clashesbetween government loyalists and the oppositionhave become increasingly violent. The political rheto-ric has also become more ethnically-charged, spark-ing fears the ruling party may be trying to drive a

wedge between majority Hutus and minority Tutsis.

Leaders ‘must be held responsible’ UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, speaking on

Saturday as the AU summit opened, made cleartroops were needed to stem the violence. “Leaderswho stand by while civilians are slaughtered in theirname must be held responsible,” Ban said, insistingthat the Burundi crisis required the “most serious andurgent commitment”.

He said the UN backed the AU’s proposal “todeploy human rights observers and to establish a pre-vention and protection mission”. But Burundi hasremained defiant in its opposition and has apparentlywon supporters.

Asked whether Bujumbura had the support of oth-er nations opposed to the plan, Burundian ForeignMinister Alain Nyamitwe insisted it did. “Yes, verystrong (support), you will see,” he said on Friday. Whilethe official theme of the AU meeting is human rights,leaders are again dealing with a string of crises acrossthe continent during talks at the organization’s head-quarters in the Ethiopian capital. Rather than a newAU mission, other nations have called for better sup-port for existing forces, including the 22,000-strongAU mission in Somalia (AMISOM). —- AFP

COPENHAGEN: A performance at Copenhagen’sRoyal Theatre faces an unusual problem: Thestars of the show-sold out in advance — couldface deportation before the final curtain falls. In“Uropa-An asylum-seekers’ ballet”, six migrantstell their stories with the help of dancers from theRoyal Danish Ballet, hoping to change percep-tions of refugees in a country that has recentlyrolled out some of Europe’s strictest asylum rules.

“The hardest part is, during the rehearsals,to speak about your own issues... withoutshowing any feelings,” said Salam Susu, a 32-year-old PhD student in musicology from theSyrian city of Homs. Disco funk music and balletmoves are mixed with harrowing tales of perse-cution and rape in the performance, whichopened just days after Danish lawmakers votedto allow police to confiscate valuables fromrefugees and delay family reunifications bythree years.

With few props on stage, dialogue anddance are at the centre of the English-languageplay, which opened on Friday and runs for threeweeks. Although the script involves Susu andher partner, a music teacher, describing howtheir lives descended into chaos as Syria’s civilwar escalated, they say rehearsals helped taketheir minds off the nagging uncertainty thatpermeates life in an asylum centre.

Three days before the opening of “Uropa”-the title being a play on the Danish words forunrest, “uro”, and Europe-they were finally toldthat their applications for asylum had beenaccepted. “It’s crazy, I cannot believe that beforethe premiere we had our asylum,” Susu laughed.

Shrinking cast Others have been less fortunate since an

original lineup of 10 were recruited last year:Two cast members have had their asylum appli-

cations rejected and one person has gone intohiding. A fourth asylum seeker, MahyarPourhesabi from Iran, was sent to France underthe Dublin Convention, which requires asylumseekers to have their requests processed in thefirst EU country where they arrive.

In a segment of the play he appears to besitting in an Internet cafe, speaking to the audi-ence via a video link about living on the streetsof Paris and sleeping in airports and train sta-tions. “The asylum system here is not workingwell at all,” he says. Director Christian Lollike saidthere was no guarantee the remaining cast ofsix wouldn’t be decimated further, but main-tained that using real migrants on stage was anessential part of the show.

“The meeting of their ‘real’ presence and thedancers, these two languages, when they meetthat’s when something new is happening,” hesaid. Lollike has previously cast maimed Danishwar veterans in a “war ballet”, and he courtedcontroversy in 2012 by staging a play based onthe manifesto of Norwegian mass killer AndersBehring Breivik.

“I’m hoping that people will have anotherview on what is an asylum seeker... And I(would) like the refugees to speak for them-selves and to tell them how they have experi-enced coming to Denmark and meeting theDanish system,” he said.

Changing perceptions In one scene the actors echo some of the

main arguments used by Danes who want tocurb immigration. “How much tolerance can weafford?” asks Ali Ishaq, a 45-year-old gay manfrom Pakistan. “Shall we tolerate these migrantswho prevent their children from going to stateschools? Or who force their women to dress orbehave in a certain way?” he says. — AFP

Disappearing cast threatens Danish asylum-seekers ballet

AU force for Burundi in doubt amid govt refusal

‘Leaders stand while civilians are slaughtered’

MOSCOW: At least 12 people, includingthree children, perished in a fire in aMoscow factory that caused the roof tocollapse, Russian authorities said yesterday.Investigators said the blaze engulfed anarea covering 3,000 square meters in a fac-tory situated in the east of the Russian cap-ital, which makes clothing according tolocal media.

“Twelve bodies were recovered” at thesite, emergency ministry spokeswomanOksana Zolotova told TASS news agency.Authorities said the victims of the fire werelikely migrants who worked and lived atthe factory. Russia’s child rights commis-sioner, Pavel Astakhov, wrote on Twitter

that three children had died in the blaze. “ Three children were killed, one of

whom was a baby,” Astakhov wrote.“Preliminary evidence suggests thatmigrants lived at their workplace, someeven with their children.” The fire broke outat around 1800 GMT on Saturday and wasonly extinguished around five hours later,authorities said. The cause of the blazeremains unknown. A criminal investigationwas launched to determine whether it mayhave erupted due to negligence or arson.The emergency situations ministry initiallyreported that there had been no fatalitiesin the fire, but investigators later said thatbodies had been found at the site. — AFP

At least 12 dead inMoscow factory

LONDON: BBC presenter Terry Wogan, one of Britishtelevision’s most familiar faces and long-runninganchor of its Eurovision coverage, died of cancer yes-terday aged 77, his family announced. “Sir TerryWogan died today after a short but brave battle withcancer. He passed away surrounded by his family,” saida family statement.

Irish-born Wogan had a successful televisioncareer, most notably anchoring Britain’s flagship chatshow during the 1980s, and hosted a hugely popularradio show for 27 years, retiring in 2009. PrimeMinister David Cameron said Britain had lost a hugetalent.

“I grew up listening to him on the radio and watch-ing him on TV,” he wrote on Twitter. “His charm and witalways made me smile. “Britain has lost a huge talent-someone millions came to feel was their own specialfriend,” he added. Wogan started his career as abanker in Ireland but after five years left to become aradio newsreader, beginning a remarkable broadcastcareer that was recognised with first an OBE and thena knighthood in 2005.

He began presenting the BBC Radio 2 breakfastshow in 1972, helping it become Europe’s most-lis-tened radio broadcast with a combination of smooth

Irish charm and a subversive sense of fun. He alsohosted BBC TV chat show “Wogan” from 1982 until1992, presiding over many memorable momentswatched by millions of viewers.

They included football legend George Best turningup drunk, former sports presenter David Icke pro-claiming himself as “a son of the Godhead”, US actorChevy Chase remaining silent throughout the inter-view and music icon David Bowie refusing to cooper-ate. “David Bowie, well he probably wasn’t at his bestwhen I interviewed him,” he later said. “I thought a sol-id slap would have helped the situation. I didn’t hithim, of course, but it came close.”

‘Most remarkable’ Eurovision host Tony Hall, the BBC’s director general, led the trib-

utes, calling Wogan “a national treasure”. “For 50 yearsSir Terry graced our screens and airwaves,” he added.“His warmth, wit and geniality meant that for millionshe was a part of the family.” Broadcaster and journalistPiers Morgan called him “one of the greatest broad-casters who ever lived”.

Wogan offered commentary on the EurovisionSong Contest from 1980 until 2008, garnering a hugefollowing with his light-hearted cynicism of the kitsch

music competition. In an address to Eurovision dele-gates shortly after handing over the British commen-tary to fellow Irishman Graham Norton, Wogan criti-cised countries who voted together along politicallines in the annual singing contest.

He told them to stop taking the event so seriouslybecause “everybody knows it is rubbish”. Despite occa-sionally irritating organisers with his remarks, forinstance when he named the 2001 hosts “Dr Deathand the Tooth Fairy”, Eurovision yesterday tweetedthat it was “deeply saddened” by Wogan’s passing.

“He was without doubt the most remarkableEurovision commentator in history,” the organisationsaid. Wogan, born in Limerick in 1938, also hostedpopular quiz show “Blankety Blank” and annualfundraising event “Children in Need” for over 30 years.

“Sir Terry has always been at the heart of theCharity,” said the fundraiser. “We will miss him somuch.” He even entered the pop charts in 1978 withhis version of popular English folk song “The FloralDance”. A keen golfer, Wogan holds the distinction forsinking the longest ever televised putt, holing from 33yards during a pro-celebrity tournament. He is sur-vived by three children, another one dying shortlyafter birth, and wife Helen Joyce. — AFP

LONDON: This file photo taken on September 7,2009 shows TV and radio presenter Terry Wogantaking part in a charity recording of a Children inNeed album, joining forces with Pink Floyddrummer Nick Mason, ex-Rolling Stone BillWyman, singer Midge Ure and many others atAbbey Road studios. — AFP

MOSCOW: In this photo taken late Saturday, Jan 30, 2016, firefighters pre-pare to work to extinguish a fire at a textile workshop. — AFP

Beloved BBC presenter Terry Wogan dies at 77

ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopia is struggling from itsworst drought for 30 years with millions in direneed of life saving aid, UN Secretary-GeneralBan Ki-moon warned yesterday. At least 10.2million people need food aid in Ethiopia, a fig-ure the UN has warned could rise sharply, as“forecasts indicate that it could double withinmonths” casting a fifth of the population intohunger.

Floods and failed rains caused by the ElNino weather phenomenon have sparked adramatic rise in the number of people goinghungry in large parts of Africa, with Ethiopia ofspecial concern. “People of the country are fac-ing the worst drought in 30 years. ...the scale ofemergency is too much for any single govern-ment,” Ban told reporters in the Ethiopian capi-tal. “Immediate support will save lives and alsosupport the impressive development thatEthiopia has made during the last decade.”

Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister DemekeMekonnen warned his country had less thanhalf of the $1.4 billion (1.3 billion Euros) need-ed. “Last year Ethiopia was hit by one of thestrongest El Nino events on record... the scaleand severity of humanitarian needs have sig-nificantly increased,” he said. Food insecurity isa sensitive issue in Ethiopia, Africa’s secondmost populous nation which enjoys near-dou-ble-digit economic growth, but which hasstruggled to change its image followingfamine in 1984-85 after extreme drought.

‘Disturbing sense of deja vu’ “Those who remember Ethiopia in the

1980s may feel a disturbing sense of deja vu,”

the UN Office for the Coordination ofHumanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a reportearlier this month. “The country is once againfacing devastating climatic conditions: Rainshave failed; millions of people need food aid;children are suffering from severe malnutri-tion.”

Thousands have left hardest hit regions,with stream of refugees still travelling acrossthe Gulf of Aden to Yemen despite the conflictraging there. Nearly 100,000 Ethiopians andSomalis last year travelled by boat to Yemen,according to UN figures.

El Nino is triggered by a warming in sea sur-face temperatures in the Pacific Ocean. It cancause unusually heavy rains in some parts ofthe world and drought elsewhere. In southernAfrica, around 14 million people across south-ern Africa face going hungry after a prolongeddrought wrecked harvests, with Malawi amongthe worst hit countries. Little rainfall in 2015has left 2.8 million people in Malawi facinghunger, 1.9 million in Madagascar and 1.5 mil-lion in Zimbabwe, where last year’s harvest washalf that of the previous year.

In war-torn South Sudan, borderingEthiopia, UN-backed experts warned late lastyear of a “concrete risk of famine” with tens ofthousands of people feared to be starving todeath outside areas aid workers can reach.

Some aid has been delivered, but civiliansreport dire conditions. The conflict has trig-gered a humanitarian crisis with 2.3 millionpeople forced from their homes and 5 million-around half the population-in need of emer-gency food aid. — AFP

GORAYE: This file photo taken on March 24, 2006 showssheep carcasses covering the ground on the path lead-ing toward the crater of an extinct volcano in Goraye inthe Borana district of southern Ethiopia. — AFP

Millions of Ethiopians facing worst drought for decades

THESSALONIKI: Two men with Swedish pass-ports and carrying machetes and other “com-bat paraphernalia” have been arrested inGreece, suspected of links to jihadist groups,Greek police sources said yesterday.

A 28-year-old man of Bosnian descent anda 19-year-old of Yemeni origin were travellingby bus when they were arrested Thursday inthe northern city of Alexandroupolis, near theTurkish border, according to police sources.Inside their luggage were found twomachetes, army uniforms and other “combatparaphernalia”, the sources said.

Both men have been charged with carry-ing weapons and will go before a magistrateon Tuesday, police said. The 28-year-old isknown to European authorities for ties tojihadists, having been convicted in the past

for planning a terrorist attack and was underthe close eye of Swedish authorities, policesources said.

Mega Channel reported yesterday that in2005 the man was arrested in Bosnia afterthe police, during a raid at his house, found asuicide belt, explosives and a video showinga man with a covered face threatening ter-rorist acts against the US Capitol and theWhite House. He was sentenced to up to 14years in Bosnian prison, but was released in2011 and asked for political asylum inSweden, according to Greek police sources.The two men arrived in Greece by plane fromSweden “ten days ago”, and they travelled bybus to Thessaloniki and then toAlexandroupolis with tickets bound forTurkey, police said. — AFP

Suspected jihadists arrested in Greece

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Electrical Design Team LeaderNesma & Partners Contracting Co., Ltd. - KSA

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NEW DELHI: India took a step towardmodernizing its cities by awarding 20with funds to solve problems fromshoddy sewage treatment to snarledtraffic. The government eventuallyplans to spend $15 billion to remake100 cit ies over f ive years, UrbanDevelopment Minister Venkaiah Naidusaid. The first 20 to receive financinginclude the capital of New Delhi, thewestern cit ies of Pune, Jaipur andAhmadabad, and the southern cities ofChennai and Kochi.

Since Prime Minister Narendra Modifirst touted his vision for creating so-called smart cities across India, therehas been little clarity over what “smart”actually means beyond a better life forthe country’s 400 million city dwellers.While India has rapidly urbanized in

recent decades, most towns and citiesstill lack basic infrastructure like runningwater or stable electricity. Many featurehuge slums housing millions of poor.

The cities were selected based ontheir proposals after more than 15 mil-l ion Indian cit izens weighed in onwhich problems should be solved first,marking “a paradigm shift” in havingIndia’s development guided by thepublic, Naidu said.

Some sent ideas to city officials viasocial media. Others entered local con-tests for designing logos or writingessays. Bhubaneswar, the capital of theeastern state of Orissa, unfurled a 10-kilometer-long (6-mile-long) canvasbanner across the city and invited resi-dents to scroll down their suggestions.“We are big believers in the power of

competition to spur bottom-up creativ-ity, citizen engagement, and strongerproposals,” said James Anderson ofBloomberg Philanthropies, whichadvised the government on the pro-gram.

Some of the proposals mentioned aneed for better transportation, sewagetreatment, security or trash manage-ment. Many envisioned fundingthrough public-private partnerships.The Rajasthani heritage city of Jaipurwants to improve waste management,while New Delhi plans to install under-ground fiber-optic cables for moreInternet connectivity. The traff ic-clogged city of Chennai has plans forimproving public transportation as wellas dealing with disasters like last year’sdevastating floods. — AP

BEIJING: China strongly condemnedthe United States after a US warshipdeliberately sailed near one of theBeijing-controlled islands in the hotlycontested South China Sea to exercisefreedom of navigation and challengeChina’s vast sea claims.

The missile destroyer USS CurtisWilbur sailed within 12 nautical miles ofTriton Island in the Paracel chain “tochallenge excessive maritime claims ofparties that claim the Paracel Islands,”without notifying the three claimantsbeforehand, Defense Departmentspokesman Mark Wright said Saturdayin Washington.

China, Taiwan and Vietnam haveoverlapping claims in the Paracels andrequire prior notice from ships transit-ing what they consider their territorialwaters. The latest operation was partic-ularly aimed at China, which has raisedtensions with the U.S. and its SoutheastAsian neighbors by embarking on mas-sive construction of man-made islandsand airstrips in contested waters.

Vietnamese Foreign Ministryspokesman Le Hai Binh said thatVietnam respects “innocent passage” ofships through territorial waters in linewith international law. State mediaquoted Binh as reiterating Vietnam’ssovereignty over the Paracels andSpratlys and calling on nations toactively and practically contribute topeace and stability in the South ChinaSea.

The US has claimed the attempts torestrict navigational rights by requiringprior notice are inconsistent with inter-national law and pledged to regularlycarry out similar maneuvers. In October,another US warship sailed in the nearbySpratly Islands near Subi Reef, whereChina has built one of seven artificialislands.

‘Unprofessional and irresponsible’The latest operation also drew

Beijing’s ire. Defense Ministryspokesman Yang Yujun issued a state-ment saying the “unprofessional andirresponsible” US action “severely violat-ed Chinese law, sabotaged the peace,security and good order of the waters,and undermined the region’s peace andstability.” In an opinion published yes-terday by the official Xinhua newsagency, China described the maneuveras a “deliberate provocation” that raiseddoubts about the United States’ sinceri-ty just days after Secretary of State JohnKerry visited Beijing for meetings aboutthe South China Sea and North Koreathat were called productive by bothsides.

China’s official response has beenrestrained compared to the public out-rage seen online, according to Xinhua. Asocial media search yesterday showed asmattering of posts calling on China toadopt a tougher military postureagainst US encroachment - if not wagewar with the United States.

China claims almost the entire SouthChina Sea and its islands, reefs andatolls on historic grounds. The area hassome of the world’s busiest shippinglanes, and US officials say ensuring free-dom of navigation is in US nationalinterests, while not taking sides in theterritorial disputes.

China seized the unpopulated TritonIsland, an area of 1.2 square kilometerfrom former South Vietnam in 1974. InMay 2014, China parked a huge oildrilling platform off the Vietnamesecoast in the area, prompting Vietnam tosend fishing boats and coast guard ves-sels to harass the rig and nearbyChinese vessels. Skirmishes led to colli-sions and the capsizing of at least oneVietnamese boat. — AP

China reviles US for Warship near island

NAYPYIDAW: In a modest dormitory in Myanmar’scapital Naypyidaw, novice MP Tin Thit recites a poemhe has penned called “No Retreat”, steeling himself toenter Myanmar’s parliament carrying the dreams of anation left traumatized by army rule.

A poet, editor, activist-and now newly elected MP-he is among hundreds of political newcomers poisedto take their seats today in the country’s most demo-cratic legislature in generations, following the hugeNovember landslide win by Aung San Suu Kyi’sNational League for Democracy (NLD).

“This is our era,” the newly minted NLD lawmakertold AFP on Saturday as he prepared for a last-ditchround of parliamentary training organised by his par-ty, brushing off concerns about his and his colleagues’lack of experience. “This is our responsibility. We willjust do the job we have to do,” he said. The new parlia-ment marks a momentous political shift for a countrythat was held in the chokehold of oppressive juntarule for decades. Many of the NLD MPs have servedprison time in Myanmar’s long struggle for democrat-ic change. They are a diverse bunch, countingsingers, lawyers and businessmen among their ranks.But few have any experience of the cut and thrust ofMyanmar’s complex parliamentary process. They willneed to show the country’s 51 million people thatthey can deliver the “change” that was virtually thesole message of Suu Kyi’s triumphant election bid.And that will not be easy.

Poverty endemic While the junta handed power to a quasi-civil-

ian reformist government in 2011, the Southeastnation remains blighted by poverty and corrup-tion. Junta-era neglect has left a legacy of ravagededucation, healthcare, infrastructure and a creak-ing bureaucracy. Ethnic minority divisions havealso torn deep fractures across the nation and civilwars continue to ravage border areas, fought by amilitary that has ensured it will retain huge politicaland economic powers under the new government.

“Our region is another world,” said Cing NgaihMang, a newly elected MP for a small ethnic minor-ity party from western Chin State, marveling at thegrandeur of Myanmar’s junta-built capital. “The dif-ference in development is like comparing earthand sky,” she told AFP, adding that she had beenwatching parliamentary TV to brush up on proto-col.

For his part Tin Thit never aspired to be a politi-cian. But he managed to topple former defenseminister Wai Lwin in November’s vote, winning alower house seat in the military heartland ofNaypyidaw. Some 390 NLD MPs are due to taketheir seats in the national parliament on Monday,turning the tables on the army-backed party thatdominated the legislature alongside a bloc ofunelected military MPs for the last five years.

While the NLD-led parliament will be seen asessentially a rubber stamp for Suu Kyi’s govern-ment, complex political maneuvering awaits in thecoming days. The parliament will shortly nominatea new president to replace incumbent Thein Sein, aformer general, in late March.

‘We can endure’ Suu Kyi is barred from the position by a military-

scripted constitution because she married and hadchildren with a foreigner. She has vowed to rule“above” the next leader, a move that is likely to puther at loggerheads with the army which holds aneffective veto on charter change because it retains aquarter of seats in the legislature. Only around twodozen NLD MPs entering parliament Monday, includ-ing Suu Kyi, have prior legislative experience, mean-ing the party has few veterans to show new lawmak-ers the ropes. To combat this the party has been run-ning workshops in recent weeks, while new MPsflocked to Naypyidaw to watch their predecessors inthe last days of the previous parliament which endedon Friday.

At a series of squat regimented housing blockswhere shabby one-storey dorms cost $4 a day, newMPs were moving in. “We can endure it, we came herefor the country,” said one NLD lawmaker who asked toremain anonymous, adding many had “served time inprison” and could get by without luxury. Tin Thit saidthe experience was like a reunion, with former cell-mates, school friends and other acquaintances gath-ered together in a the junta-built capital. He servedseven years in jail for poems deemed critical of thestate. But the 49-year-old is also eager to put the pastbehind him, in a sentiment that reflects the extraordi-nary scenes of camaraderie in the parliament inrecent days as the army elite sought to hand overpower with grace-even throwing a party to mark theoccasion.”We need to move forward,” he said. — AFP

New era as Suu Kyi’s MPs brace for office

A poet, editor and an activist - now elected MPs

NAYPYIDAW: In this photo taken on January 30, 2016, newly-elected National League of Democracy (NLD) members of parliament sit in a busas they depart the city development committee compounds for parliament. — AFP

MANILA: Philippine President BenignoAquino has ordered special efforts toensure a peace agreement with Muslimrebels is implemented even after his termends this year, his spokesman said yester-day. Congressional leaders have said theyare unlikely to pass the peace bill beforethe president’s term ends in June.

Aquino had ordered “consultation andmeetings with the stakeholders as well asmeaningful action so we can continue thepeace process”, his spokesman HerminioColoma told reporters. Aquino had hopedto pass the bill to seal a peace accord withthe largest Muslim rebel group, the MoroIslamic Liberation Front (MILF). But oppo-sition from some legislators had delayedits passage despite his lobbying.

Aquino’s chief peace negotiatorTeresita Deles had told him that her officewould be meeting concerned partiesespecially the MILF to firm up the mecha-nisms and the transition for when the

peace deal is implemented, Coloma said.“We need to do all that is possible toensure the full implementation of theComprehensive Agreement... beyond thisadministration,” he quoted Deles as say-ing.

The draft law is aimed at ending aMuslim separatist revolt in the mainsouthern island of Mindanao that hasclaimed over 100,000 l ives since the1970s. The law would create anautonomous area and grant a measure ofself-rule to the Muslim minority in thesouth of the largely Christian nation.

Aquino wanted it passed this year butthe timetable was set back severely fol-lowing public outrage over the death of44 police commandos in an encounterwith Muslim separatist guerrillas last year.Adding to the time pressure is parlia-ment ’s scheduled adjournment inFebruary before the campaign for presi-dential and other elections in May. — AFP

Philippine leader: Muslim peacebid to continue after his term

NEW DELHI: In this June 12, 2015 file photo, an Indian motorist rides past anoverflowing roadside garbage-dumping site. — AP

BEIJING: Chinese are packing train andbus stations as the peak travel seasonkicks into high gear this weekend withhundreds of millions of people goinghome for Spring Festival celebrations -or head for vacation destinations.Chinese travelers are expected to make2.9 billion trips during the 40-day peri-od between Jan. 21 and March 3, withthe majority of those trips falling in theweeks around the Feb 8 Lunar NewYear, the Ministry of Transport said.

“I have my parents back in myhometown and I must go back andhave the family reunion,” said Ma Xijie, amigrant worker from Sichuan provincewho was travelling back home by trainwith his son and wife. “It’s great to havethe whole family sit down and enjoy afamily dinner together. I have beenworking far from home with my kid fora whole year,” he said.

At the Beijing railway station, stu-dent Ren Chongyuan from Shandongprovince said it was a bit easier to buytickets this year, but he still had to booktwo months in advance. This year’s trav-el crush - considered the largest annualhuman migration - may be relativelyless severe due to a lackluster economy.

In coastal Zhejiang province nearShanghai, officials expect a 4.4 percentdrop in passenger traffic as jobs dry up

and migrant laborers pack up early tohead to their family homes in China’shinterlands well before the New Year.

By comparison, Chinese made 3.6 bil-lion trips during the same holiday peri-od in 2014. — AP

China braces for 2.9bn Lunar New Year trips NEW DELHI: A disabled passen-ger said yesterday she wasforced to crawl on New Delhiairport’s tarmac after Air Indiafailed to provide a wheelchairwhen her plane landed, an alle-gation the carrier denies. AnitaGhai, 53, a leading disabilityrights activist, said she was leftstranded after arriving in Delhifrom the northern Indian city ofDehradun on Saturday evening.

After being helped downsteps from the plane by airlinestaff and a friend, Ghai said nowheelchair was available for herto reach the terminal-boundbus several meters away. “Wewere kept waiting on the tar-mac for half an hour before apassenger coach came to pickme up. I had to crawl on the tar-mac to board the coach,” Ghaisaid. “I kept on reminding thestaff to arrange a wheelchairthroughout the journey but tomy shock when we landedthere was none and all they saidwas there were security rea-sons.”

Ghai, who is confined to awheelchair after suffering polioas a child, described the inci-dent as shocking and embar-rassing. Air India denied theincident, saying there was adelay in bringing the wheelchairbecause the plane was parkedin an outlying bay. “We stronglydeny the statement... We at AirIndia give utmost importance topassenger’s safety and comfort,”it said in a statement, accordingto the Press Trust of India.

It is not the first time India’sstate carrier, which has notmade a profit since 2007, hasbeen in the news for the wrongreasons. Last month, a London-bound flight with more than200 passengers was forced toreturn to Mumbai after threehours in the air over a suspect-ed rat sighting in the cabin. Aplane carrying 160 passengerswas forced this month to returnto Delhi almost 30 minutes intoa Milan-bound fl ight aftersmoke was detected in thecabin. — AFP

Disabled passenger claims Air India made her ‘crawl’

BEIJING: A train station worker uses a speaker phone to alert Chinese travelers to board their trains at the south trainstation. — AP

India cities get funds to tackle woes, modernize

N E W SMONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2016

Continued from Page 1

The area around the shrine has been targeted in pre-vious bomb attacks, including in Feb 2015 when two sui-cide attacks killed four people and wounded 13 at acheckpoint. Also that month, a blast ripped through abus carrying Lebanese Shiite pilgrims headed to SayyidaZeinab, killing at least nine people, in an attack claimedby Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front. The area around theshrine is heavily secured with regime checkpoints set uphundreds of metres away to prevent vehicles from get-ting close.

According to the Britain-based Observatory, mem-bers of Lebanon’s powerful Shiite militant groupHezbollah are among those deployed at the check-points. Hezbollah is a staunch ally of Syria’s PresidentBashar Al-Assad and has dispatched fighters to bolsterhis troops against the uprising that began in March 2011with anti-government protests. Early on, the group justi-fied its intervention in Syria by citing the threat toSayyida Zeinab.

Sayyida Zeinab, south of Damascus, contains thegrave of a granddaughter of Prophet Muhammad(PBUH) and is particularly revered as a pilgrimage site byShiites. It has continued to attract pilgrims from Syria

and beyond, particularly Shiites from Iran, Lebanon, andIraq, throughout the nearly five-year war. Sunni Muslimextremist groups such as IS consider Shiites to beheretics and have frequently targeted them in attacks.

More than 260,000 people have been killed in Syria’sconflict, which has also displaced upwards of half thecountry’s population internally and abroad. It hasevolved into a complex, multi-front war involving rebels,jihadists, regime and allied forces, Kurds and air strikesby both government ally Russia and a US-led coalitionbattling against IS. In a new effort to find a political solu-tion to the conflict, UN Syria envoy Staffan de Misturahas invited regime and opposition delegations toGeneva for fresh talks.

But while the opposition agreed to travel to Genevaafter days of delays, it has so far refused to engage inindirect talks with the government. It is demanding thatUN Security Council resolutions on ending sieges andprotecting civilians be implemented first. On Sunday,De Mistura held informal talks with the main oppositiondelegation, saying afterwards that he remained “opti-mistic and determined”. The Damascus delegation’schief negotiator, Syria’s UN envoy Bashar Al-Jaafari,accused the opposition of being “not serious” about thetalks. — Agencies

Bombings near Damascus shrine kill more...


With large financial buffers and substantial room forborrowing, the government is well positioned to weathera sustained period of decline in oil prices. Central govern-ment debt remains very low at about 9.9 percent of GDPin 2016 and is issued for monetary policy purposes ratherthan to finance government spending. Governmentfinancial assets are substantial and include the invest-ments of the two state oil funds. The actual level of gov-

ernment assets is uncertain as public disclosure ofreserve fund assets is prohibited by law, but is reportedto be between 150 percent and 250 percent of GDP.

Reflecting low hydrocarbon prices, Kuwait’s currentaccount surplus is expected to fall below 10 percentof GDP this year and over the intermediate term.Gross external debt, which is mostly owed by the pri-vate sector, is reasonably low at around 19 percent ofGDP, and is entirely dwarfed by the government’sexternal assets.

Agency predicts budget surplus


In another development, MP Abdullah Al-Turaijicalled on the interior minister to deport Iraqi singerHatem Al-Iraqi who has been invited to take part in theHala February festival. Turaiji said that the singer isknown to have praised former Iraqi dictator SaddamHussein, who ordered Iraqi troops to invade Kuwait in1990, and has sang songs to praise Yemen’s Houthirebels against whom Kuwait is fighting along with SaudiArabia. The lawmaker criticized Information MinisterSheikh Salman Al-Humoud Al-Sabah for granting the

permission for the entry of the Iraqi singer. He howeveradded that the minister had promised that the singer’sconcert will not be telecast live by Kuwait TV.

Also, MP Abdullah Al-Maayouf lashed out at Minister ofJustice and Islamic Affairs Yaqoub Al-Sane claiming thatthe minister has exploited his posts to appoint his support-ers in key posts in the two ministries. The lawmakeraccused the minister of making politically-motivatedappointments to boost his electoral position as he is anelected MP included in the Cabinet. Maayouf threatenedto grill the minister if he does not stop such appointmentsand urged the Cabinet to investigate the matter.

Subsidy cuts won’t affect low-income...


Prices, he said, had increased “up to 100 percent inthree years” in the Sarajevo region of Bosnia, a nationstill rebuilding after its devastating 1990s inter-ethnicwar.

In 2010 Bosnia began phasing out visas for nationalsof most Gulf countries and the number of tourists fromthe region has since steadily increased to 24,500 out of360,000 visitors to the Sarajevo area last year, accordingto official figures. “They are not the most numerous, butthese Gulf tourists spend much more than others, about150 euros per day per person in addition to hotel costs,”said Asja Hadziefendic Mesic, spokeswoman for theSarajevo tourist board.

At the October opening of the Sarajevo resort, a Ä25-million ($27-million) Kuwaiti investment, local school-children waved the flags of both Bosnia and Kuwait asBosnian Muslim political leader Bakir Izetbegovic hailedthe country’s rivers and greenery. “Bosnia is a Europeancountry... it has water, forestry, mining, and energy andtourism potential. Our brothers (from the Gulf ) spottedthis,” he said. About 20 km away in Blazuj village, anotherresidential area is being built by the Kuwaiti company Al-Diyar, which sold almost all of its luxury apartments inadvance to Gulf nationals.

“So far we have invested 14 million euros. The cus-tomers are different, there is no profile,” said directorAbdullah Al-Kulaib. “We had those who knew nothingabout Bosnia, who never set a foot here, even some whodo not like nature, but they are buying,” he said, addingthat the company was preparing another six similar proj-ects. The grandest of the proposed ventures comes fromEmirati company Buroj Property Development, which inOctober announced a Ä930-million investment to buildan entire “tourist city” on a plot of 137 hectares.

Work is set to begin in April on the complex at thefoot of Bjelasnica, one of four mountains surroundingSarajevo. The design includes thousands of homes, sev-eral hotels, a shopping mall and a hospital. One of the

key drivers in attracting Arab investment has been theBosna Bank International (BBI), founded in Sarajevo in2000 by Gulf banks on Islamic banking principles, whichorganises an annual conference to draw such finance tothe Balkans. “This is just the beginning, we just openedthe door,” said Amer Bukvic, BBI director. He suggestedthat political instability in the Middle East has alsofuelled Gulf nationals’ interest in buying a pied-a-terrein Europe, “in case it is needed”.

The facilities already in place for Bosnia’s Muslims -about 40 percent of the 3.8 million-strong population -make the country an especially attractive choice forsuch visitors. “When they want to eat in restaurants,they don’t have to ask whether it is halal. There are alsomosques everywhere where they can pray,” said Khaja.During and after Bosnia’s 1992-1995 war, Gulf countriesoffered humanitarian aid and financed the reconstruc-tion of homes and mosques, often accompanied bystricter interpretations of Islam, such as SaudiWahabism.

A small minority of Bosnian Muslims adopted thesestricter forms, and local analysts have consistentlywarned against the religious influence that accompa-nied foreign aid. While hoteliers and restaurateurs nowwelcome the injection of Arab tourists’ cash - even offer-ing menus in Arabic - others have observed the phe-nomenon with caution. Some media outlets and usersof online forums have spoken of an “invasion” or evensuggested that the region around the capital is becom-ing an “emirate”. “The Gaza Strip of Sarajevo”, appearedas a September headline in the magazine SlobodnaBosna (Free Bosnia).

A hotelier in the capital, declining to be named, toldAFP that he had benefited from the “rush” of Gulftourists in recent years, but was firmly opposed to theconstruction of neighborhoods intended only for Arabcustomers. “They will use these houses and apartmentsmaybe a month or two a year, paying once at the begin-ning and never again. The best tourist for a country isthe one who rents a hotel room,” he said. — AFP

Gulf tourist influx to Bosnia fuels luxury...

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahucalled yesterday for a more “sober” approach towards theIsraeli-Palestinian conflict in dismissing a French peace ini-tiative as only encouraging Palestinians to shun compro-mise. The proposal on Friday by French Foreign MinisterLaurent Fabius for an international peace conference wasthe latest sign of Western frustration over the absence ofmovement toward a two-state solution since the collapseof US-brokered negotiations in 2014.

Fabius said that if the French plan did not break thedeadlock, Paris would recognize a Palestinian state. Such astep would raise concern in Israel that other Europeancountries, also long opposed to its settlement-building inoccupied territory, would follow suit. In public remarks tohis cabinet, Netanyahu did not explicitly reject the notion ofan international conference - an aide said Israel wouldexamine such a request once it was received - but he madeclear that reported details of the plan made it a non-starter.

Netanyahu said a “threat” to recognize a Palestinianstate if France’s peace efforts did not succeed, constituted“an incentive to the Palestinians to come along and notcompromise”. “I assess that there will be a sobering upregarding this matter,” Netanyahu added. “In any event, wewill make effort so that there is a sobering up here, and ourposition is very clear: We are prepared to enter direct nego-tiation without preconditions and without dictated terms.”

On Saturday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbaswelcomed the French proposal, telling an African summitin Ethiopia that “the status quo cannot continue”. ButWashington responded with caution to the French move,saying it continued to prefer that Israel and thePalestinians reach an agreement on final-status issuesthrough direct talks. US Secretary of State John Kerrycalled Abbas and the two discussed the French initiativeand “the tense political situation in the region,” WAFA, theofficial Palestinian news agency reported yesterday.

While aware the initiative may struggle to get off theground, French officials said Paris had a responsibility toact now in the face of Israeli settlement activity and theprospect of continued diplomatic inaction as the UnitedStates focuses on a presidential election in November.And, the officials said, Netanyahu had gone a step too farin accusing UN Secretary of State Ban Ki-moon of giving a

“tailwind to terrorism” by laying some of the blame forfour months of stabbings and car rammings byPalestinians at Israel’s door. Ban angered Israel by sayinglast week that it is “human nature to react to occupation”.

The United States, European Union - Israel’s closestallies - have also issued unusually stern criticism of Israel inrecent weeks, reflecting their own frustration with thepolicies of Netanyahu’s right-wing government. The criti-cism, particularly about the settlements, where some550,000 Jews live in around 250 communities scatteredacross the West Bank and East Jerusalem, has raisedPalestinian hopes that world powers might finally beminded to support a UN resolution condemning Israel’spolicy outright.

AttacksSince October, Palestinian attacks, partly fuelled by ten-

sions over the freeze in peace talks, have killed 26 Israelisand a US citizen. In an incident yesterday, a Palestiniangunman wounded three Israelis near the West Bank settle-ment of Beit El and was then shot dead by soldiers, theIsraeli army said. Palestinian officials said he worked as abodyguard for a Palestinian prosecutor in the West Bankcity of Ramallah. Shortly after that attack, a Palestinianmotorist was shot and wounded when he tried to rundown soldiers at a military checkpoint in the West Bank,the army said.

Over the past four months, Israeli forces have killed atleast 152 Palestinians, 98 of them assailants according toauthorities. Most the others have died in violent protests.“I don’t see anything that warrants living as long as theoccupation smothers us and kills our brothers and sisters... You were first and I am following you,” the Beit Elassailant, Amjad Abu Omar, wrote on Facebook.

Palestinians seek a state in Gaza, the West Bank andEast Jerusalem, parts of which have been occupied byIsrael since the 1967 Middle East war. Palestine has non-member observer status at the United Nations and its flagflies with those of member states at UN headquarters inNew York. Sweden became the first EU member nation torecognize the Palestinian state in 2014. A total of 136 UN-member countries, mostly in Africa, Latin America andAsia, now do so. — Reuters

Bibi rejects ultimatum on Palestine statehood

RIYADH: Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz meets Turkish Prime Minister Ahmed Davutoglu in the capital.Davutoglu wrapped up a three-day visit to the oil-rich kingdom and met King Salman to review bilateralrelations and cooperation between the two countries in various fields. — AFP

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ANALY S I SMONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2016

The leader of Al-Qaeda’s Syrian wing tried unsuccessfully ata recent meeting to convince rival Islamist factions tomerge into one unit, several insurgency sources have told

Reuters. Abu Mohamad al-Golani, head of the Nusra Front, evensuggested he was willing to change the name of his group if theothers, including the powerful Ahrar al-Sham organization,agreed to the deal, the sources said. But he made clear that Nusrawould not cut its ties with Al-Qaeda, and its allegiance wouldremain to Ayman al-Zawahri, who took over as leader after USNavy SEALS killed Osama bin Laden in 2011.

Much was riding on the outcome of the meeting, which thesources said took place about 10 days ago. Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham are the most powerful groups in northern Syria: When theybriefly teamed up with other Islamists last year in an alliancecalled the Fatah Army, the rebels scored one of their biggest vic-tories by seizing the city of Idlib. Some rebels believed a mergerwould create a stronger rival to Islamic State and might attractmuch-needed military support and recognition from regionaland international powers.

But the leaders left without an agreement, and the sourcessaid the atmosphere was tense, with Nusra blaming Ahrar al-Sham for the failure. A few days later, members of the two groupsclashed in the towns of Salqin and Harem in Idlib province, nearthe border with Turkey. Several fighters were killed on both sides,but other insurgent groups brokered a quick ceasefire. Jihadisources, including some from Ahrar al-Sham, say it is only a mat-ter of time before another battle between the two erupts. Theysay the rift between them is getting deeper, although mediationcontinues. One restraining factor has been an imminent assaultby the Syrian army and its allied forces in northwestern Syria.

“The situation is charged, the failure of initiatives could causean explosion,” said a jihadi in Idlib who is close to the two groups.“What happened just avoided all-out conflict, all-out battle. But itwill be hard to tell what will happen in the future.” Outright warbetween Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham would still further complicatethe five-year Syrian conflict, in which rebel groups are mush-rooming under different slogans and sometimes fighting eachother.

A delegation from Syria’s main opposition group, the Saudi-backed Higher Negotiation Committee (HNC), arrived in Genevaon Saturday to join United Nations-mediated peace talks,demanding President Bashar al-Assad’s government be made tocomply with a UN resolution on humanitarian aid and humanrights.

Nusra and Islamic State - designated as terrorists by the UN -have been excluded from the Geneva talks, the first attempt intwo years to end a war that has killed a quarter of a million peo-ple. Ahrar al-Sham, which presents itself as a Syrian nationalistforce in contrast to Al-Qaeda’s global jihadist ideology, recentlyjoined the HNC but Russia opposes its participation in the talks.

Lack of TrustDistrust between Nusra and Ahrar is mutual. Nusra accuses its

Islamist rival of being a front for Turkey, addressing not the “inter-ests of Muslims” but the agenda of Ankara in order to be part of afuture political deal to rule Syria. Ahrar and other groups arepushing Nusra to cut its ties with Al-Qaeda as a step towardsbecoming more fully engaged in the struggle against Assad. “Theproblem is with the Qaeda link and its ideological implications.Nusra insists on its agenda, it doesn’t want to manoeuvre at all,”said a frustrated Ahrar commander, accusing it of “damaging therevolution”.

In the first few weeks after last year’s capture of Idlib, the twogroups divided responsibilities and territory without problems.But gradually divisions began to surface, as Ahrar and otherinsurgents became wary of Nusra and accused it of trying toseize power and sidelining them. “Nusra cannot work with oth-ers, they have a dominating project, they do not accept the oth-ers,“ said a fighter from Ahrar al-Sham in Idlib via the Internet.Some insurgents are suspicious of Nusra’s long-term agenda inthe region and globally, distrusting its declaration that it has noambitions outside Lebanon and Syria. “This declared goal is aninterim one. After it wins and establishes itself in Syria, they willmove to the next step, which objects to the goal of the revolu-tion,” said an Islamist rebel who is allied with Ahrar al-Sham. “Theywill join the global jihad and this is against our revolution. Ourrevolution is limited to Syria.”

No JeansOn the ground, Nusra imposes strict Islamic rules in villages

and towns where it shares power. It has banned women fromwearing make-up, showing their hair or wearing tight clothes likejeans, and applied a policy of segregation between the sexes. Allthese moves have served to assert its dominance, while provok-ing other groups. “There is no group on the ground that actuallyobjects to having an Islamic government but the implementa-tion and methods are different,” said another Islamist fighter froma group that is allied with Ahrar. —Reuters

Focus

Syrian rebel splits deepen after failed ‘merger’ with Nusra

By Mariam Karouny

By Aaron Maasho and Edmund Blair

On a treeless plain in eastern Ethiopia, thousands of desti-tute pastoralists have set up camp outside the tiny villageof Fedeto. Over the past six months the camp has swelled

as one of the worst droughts in decades has decimated herds,dried up pasture and made even drinking water scarce. “We wan-dered for three months, losing every single animal apart from twodonkeys,” said Saido Ahmed Keyat, a 29-year-old mother of five,whose family had boasted 200 sheep and goats, 15 cattle, eightcamels and seven donkeys. “All my children are malnourished.They need milk, they need many things.”

Ethiopia’s failed rains, which meteorologists blame on the ElNino weather phenomenon, have created a drought in someareas of the country worse than the 1984 crisis. Back then, watershortages and conflict combined to cause a famine that killed anestimated one million people. In the years since, Ethiopia hastransformed under a government that promotes rapid economicdevelopment, although it is criticised for limiting many politicalfreedoms. One of its signature schemes is a rural support pro-gramme designed to keep Ethiopians from starvation.

The new drought is putting that model to the test. More than10 million people are now critically short of food, according to fig-ures compiled by the government with its humanitarian partners.That is putting a strain on the government as well as the budgetsof international aid groups and donors. “The scale of the need isreally huge and has outstripped the Ethiopian government’s abili-ty to do this on their own,” Carolyn Wilson, chief executive of chari-ty Save the Children told Reuters after touring some of the afflict-ed regions in the country’s north and east.

In all, an estimated $1.4 billion is needed for food and otherresources in 2016, according to the government and aid partners.The government said about 30 percent of that had been raisedfrom donors so far. The WFP said last week about $500 million wasneeded by the end of February to extend the aid effort beyondApril. In a world facing the demands of the migrant crisis and con-flicts in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, that won’t be easy. “It’s not that

donors have not responded,” said WFP Country Director JohnAylieff. “But they have not managed to keep pace.”

New VisionToday’s needs would be far greater were it not for the massive

changes in Ethiopia over the past three decades. In 1984, thethen-communist government known as the Derg tried to hide thefamine, while conflict and social engineering projects like farmcollectivisation exacerbated the scale of hunger. Rebels toppledthe Derg in 1991 and the government that followed has deliveredstellar economic growth rates, hitting double digits in some years,visible from endless construction in the capital and new highwayscrossing the nation.

In 2005, Ethiopia started the Productive Safety NetProgramme, which was helping 7.9 million people facing chronicfood insecurity even before the latest drought. Those peoplereceive food or cash transfers in return for community work. Todeal with the drought, the government allocated $272 millionextra spending in 2015 and a further $109 million this year, MikituKassa, head of the National Disaster Risk ManagementCommission, told Reuters. To put that extra spending in perspec-tive, it is roughly equivalent to Ethiopia’s entire state budget twodecades ago, he said.

The government says no one has so far died from starvation.Some of those in the worst affected area contradict this. Onewoman in Fedeto said 20 had died in the past two months,though it was not possible to verify this. Mikitu said the govern-ment would spend what it takes if aid did not flow, although hesaid it could mean cutbacks on other projects. But he said thegovernment’s “mega projects” - new national railways, roads anddams - would go ahead.

Those projects are part of plans to industrialise Ethiopia.Eighty percent of the nation still relies on agriculture, mostly rain-fed pastures or subsistence smallholdings. The better transportlinks have already proved vital, allowing easier access for reliefworkers. “The nature of the government that we had in 1984 isquite different from the current government,” Mikitu said in Addis

Ababa, where Sub-Saharan Africa’s first metro system opened lastyear and now snakes its way above traffic-clogged streets.

Safety NetsThe architect of modern Ethiopia, rebel leader-turned-prime

minister Meles Zenawi, told a 1991 news conference in AddisAbaba that his gauge of success would be “if Ethiopians were ableto eat three meals a day.” Ethiopia has not yet achieved that goal.Critics of the government - Meles died in 2012 but many of hispolicies continue under successor Hailemariam Desalegn - say it isauthoritarian and stifles opponents. No opposition party won aseat in last year’s parliamentary election.

The US State Department said then that it remained “deeplyconcerned by continued restrictions on civil society, media, oppo-sition parties, and independent voices and views.” Ethiopian offi-cials deny restricting freedoms. But in their determination not tolet fresh images of hunger overshadow the government’s devel-opment credentials, some ministers sent conflicting signals earlyin the crisis about how bad it was and how much help was need-ed, aid workers say. “We have to walk on egg shells in terms ofwhat we can say,” said one international aid worker, who has fol-lowed Ethiopia’s progress since the 1980s.

Disaster management chief Mikitu blamed any confusion onthe speed at which numbers of those facing critical food short-ages grew. In January 2015 it was 2.9 million but swiftly rose -often in increments of several million - to 10.2 million byDecember. But even the government’s ability to gather such fig-ures is testament to the way Ethiopia has changed. Fedeto, in aremote area of the hard-hit Sitti region, has benefited from thatchange. A tiny clinic, one of thousands built around the countryover the past two decades, doles out rations and treats the mal-nourished. The village also has a water tower and a school.

That helps, though only up to a point. The administrator of thevillage of 600 people said he was struggling to meet the needs of7,500 exhausted arrivals who are now camped nearby. “There is alot of pressure on us,” Dahir Omar Hosh said. “People are still com-ing.” —Reuters

Drought tests a changed Ethiopia

By Tim Hepher

In Dec 2012, aircraft trader James Kimreceived a letter from a companybased in Cyprus offering to buy four

jetliners. It was brief and to the point. Thehitherto unknown firm was “ready, willingand able” to buy four used Airbus A340jets for which Kim was trying to broker asale. “I talked to them and when I got theLetter of Intent with an Iranian name, Iinformed them that a deal was not possi-ble because of sanctions,” Kim, managingdirector of British-based aircraft tradingcompany AvCon Worldwide, told Reuters.

The company that tried to buy them,registered in a Nicosia apartment withtwo directors with names that soundedIranian, vanished from the radar, Kim saidin a telephone interview. The planes, forwhich there is little demand, remain withtheir Asian owner but the suspectedapproach typifies a shadowy trade in air-planes and parts that spanned the globefor decades. Suspected front firms soughtto trade in spare parts and even wholeaircraft, according to people involved inthe trade and other experts who mostlyspoke on condition of anonymity. “TheIranians would set up companies to try todo deals and then fold them up. Theydidn’t stay around for long,” said Kim.

The methods used to evade sanctionsmirror those used in other countries thatare or have been under internationalsanctions in recent decades, such asSouth Africa, Cuba, Zimbabwe, Iraq andNorth Korea. After the lifting of nuclear-related sanctions on Jan. 16, Iran’s avia-tion industry is coming out of the shad-ows. With an order for 118 Airbus jets wit-nessed in Paris by President HassanRouhani, Iran moved swiftly to exchangea collection of vintage jets held togetherwith smuggled parts for a new fleet capa-

ble of taking on rival Gulf carriers.Like Cuba’s preserved 1950s automo-

biles, the aircraft they will replace sym-bolize the ingenuity wrought by sanc-tions but also the scale of the task need-ed to reconnect the economy. “Our strat-egy until now has just been to survive,”Iranair chairman Farhad Parvaresh said.

Airline ‘Masterminds’At Tehran’s airport, rows of mothballed

aircraft still sit with bright orange coverson their engines, ready to give up theirparts for other old planes needingrepairs. Through constant patching,transplants from grounded donor jetsand discreet purchases, Iran’s fleet stayedaloft although with an alarming safetyrecord. “It was state-of-the-art ‘Under theTable’,” Heydar Vatankhah, deputy manag-ing director for engineering and mainte-nance at Iran’s Kish Air, said of the overalleffort. “Every airline has a mastermind onthis,” he said.

Vatankhah spent 31 years helping tomaintain an ancient fleet at state-ownedIranair including the world’s oldest pas-senger 747, built in 1976 before themajority of Iranians were born, accordingto aviation consultancy CAPA, whichorganized an aviation summit in Iran inJanuary. One Iranian airline official, whoasked not to be identified, said he hadobtained a Western-built engine weeksafter it left the factory by passing itthrough three countries.

While Iran says it can manufactureparts, the preference was for genuinecomponents, but they came at a price.“It’s simple. If this costs $10,000, I had topay $70,000,” the engineering chief of anIranian airline said, waving a can of sodato illustrate his point. Others said theypaid four or five times over the odds. Asthey did so, the middlemen prospered.

“After decades of doing this you see a lot.Everyone takes their cut. It’s a dirty busi-ness,” the engineering chief said.

As confidence grew, a smuggled jetflew directly to Tehran Mehrabad airport,a former senior I ranian official said.However, Iran’s covert resupply operationclashed increasingly with foreign law andintelligence agencies. The United Stateshas targeted dozens of front companiessuspected by diplomats of links to Iran’selite Revolutionary Guards, widely seenas a beneficiary of the sanctions trade.“They (the West) listened to our calls andread our emails; of course we knew that,”said one airline employee. “But we arecommercial people, not military men,” hesaid, adding the deals had been elusivebut not always complicated. “They knowwhere the wall is, but not where the holeis,” he added.

New Ambitions, New ChallengesThe United States last year imposed

sanctions on two firms in Iraq and theUnited Arab Emirates for helping Iran’sMahan Air purchase second-hand aircraft.The airline, Iran’s largest, was blacklistedin 2011 for allegedly ferrying operatives,arms and funds for the RevolutionaryGuards’ overseas unit. It remains undersanctions. Iran says it has been forced touse the black market to preserve safetyfollowing fatal accidents and sanctionsthat prevented it from gaining access toparts and manuals. The West says thesanctions were effective in convincingTehran to negotiate the recent deal oncurbing its nuclear activities.

“It was a great suffering for all of us, sowe haven’t been able to develop in thisfield,” lawmaker Mahdi Hashemi, head ofthe parliament ’s DevelopmentCommission, told the CAPA event.

Now, Iran’s plans to absorb 500 new

aircraft in the next decade look set toturn the well-worn system of improvisedrepairs and clandestine purchases on itshead. As middlemen dissolve into thepost-sanctions landscape, with many ofthem expected to reinvent themselves aslegitimate partners for investors, the air-lines must contend with foreign regula-tors and insurers whose mindset is com-pliance. The can-do mentality which keptIran’s rotting fleet flying through sanc-tions will be less welcome in future.

That means airlines must adapt to aforest of norms required by manufactur-ers, investors, lenders, lessors and regula-tors, said Mark Tierney, director ofCrabtree Capital, which provides strategicadvice and transaction execution servicesfor airlines, aircraft and engine-leasingcompanies and financial institutions. Theproblems of resuming normal operationsdo not end there. A revolution in planedesign has taken place while Iran was offthe market. While mastering every nutand bolt of the Boeing 747, its engineersmust get used to new types like theA350. “The level of training and technolo-gy in airlines to be able to bring those air-craft in and operate without problemsdoesn’t happen overnight,” Dick Forsberg,strategy chief of leasing company Avolon,told a panel of Iranian officials.

Even with sanctions lifted, airlines maystruggle to get some existing aircraftrepaired while waiting for the newEuropean jets, to which Iran hopes to addover 100 Boeings. Many are so riddledwith contraband parts that they wouldbe unlikely to pass muster with repairshops, an engineer said. In response,Airbus has agreed to help Tehran complywith foreign regulators and to providerepairs and training: crucial steps as Iranrebuilds its aviation industry fromscratch. —Reuters

How Iran kept flying under sanctions

MONTREAL: Light heavyweight world champion Sergey “Krusher”Kovalev successfully defended his three titles Saturday, demolishingchallenger Jean Pascal in a rematch of their March fight. The 32-year-old Russian dominated every round, masterfully cutting off the ringand landing left jabs at will before Pascal’s trainer Freddie Roach put astop to the slaughter before the start of round eight-givingKovalev a seventh-round technical knockout. This was theCanadian’s first fight with six-time trainer of the yearRoach, but the outcome was virtually the same as hisMarch light heavyweight fight against Kovalev, whichended with an eight-round TKO for the Russian. Kovalevretained his World Boxing Association, InternationalBoxing Federation and World BoxingOrganization titles as he improved to 29-0-1 with 26 knockouts. Kovalev knockedPascal down in the first round with astraight left jab but the referee ruled ita slip.—AFP

S P O RT SMONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2016

MARIBOR: Organizers cancelled a women’s World Cup slalomafter 25 starters yesterday because the deteriorating course madea fair race impossible. Days of mild temperatures softened theRadvanje course, which started to wear soon after the race started.The snow surface broke in many spots after just a few skiers hadcompleted their runs. Rainfall further affected the conditions.According to the athletes’ representative, Sarka Strachova of theCzech Republic, most skiers didn’t want the race to be started. “It’salways difficult to decide whether a race should take place or not,”Strachova said. “I spoke with several racers. Most of them wereagainst it, some coaches as well. But (skiing’s governing body) FISand organizers wanted to stage the race at all costs.” Strachova,who wore bib No. 4, said the course was only good enough for theearly starters. “The lower number definitely was an advantage,” the2007 world slalom champion said. “Of course it’s not fair.” FIS andlocal organizers suspended the race after 25 starters to allowcourse workers on the piste, before calling off the event just min-utes later.

WCup slalom cancelled due to soft course

PARIS: Monaco have sealed a deal to bring Jemerson to the principality on afour-and-a-half year contract from Atletico Mineiro in his native Brazil. Thecentral defender, who was likened to German legend Franz Beckenbauer,

played over 100 times for Mineiro and scored seven times. The 23-year-old received his first call-up to the Brazilian national squadin November, but did not play. Jemerson arrived in Monaco onSaturday, has passed his medical and could play for LeonardoJardim’s men very soon. He told the club website that he wantsto play international football and in the Champions League,saying that Monaco is a “big European club with a high profile.”

Jardim is building a squad with plenty of Portuguese-speaking players as Jemerson joins the likes of Fabinho,

Ricardo Carvalho and Joao Moutinho at the Stade LouisII. According to various sources, the fee will be in theregion of 11million euros ($11.9million). Meanwhile

Monaco have released Spanish defender Borja Lopezafter his unsuccessful loan spell at Arouca in

Portugal, and the 21-year-old will now play forBarcelona B. — AFP

Monaco bring Brazilian Jemerson to Europe

Kovalev destroys Pascal in rematch

HEUSDEN-ZOLDER: Cycling was being forced toconfront a new controversy yesterday after thesport’s head confirmed the first top-level case of“technological fraud” with a hidden motor beingfound on a Belgian cyclist’s bike.

The motor was discovered inside the frame ofthe machine being used by teenager Femke Vanden Driessche at the world cyclo-cross champi-onship in Zolder, Belgium, Bryan Cookson, thepresident of the International Cycling Union(UCI), said.

“It’s absolutely clear that there was techno-logical fraud. There was a concealed motor. Idon’t think there are any secrets about that,”Cookson told a news conference.

Yet the 19-year-old Van den Driessche deniedsuggestions she had deliberately used amotorised bike in the women’s under-23 raceand was in tears as she told Belgian TV channelSporza: “The bike was not mine. I would nevercheat.”

Van den Driessche said the bike looked iden-tical to her own but belonged to her friend andthat a team mechanic had given it her by mis-take before the race.

The bike was later seized after she had with-drawn from the race on Saturday with amechanical problem.

“It wasn’t my bike, it was my friend’s and wasidentical to mine,” Van den Driessche toldBelgian TV channel Sporza.

“This friend went around the course Saturdaybefore dropping off the bike in the truck. Amechanic, thinking it was my bike, cleaned itand prepared it for my race.”

Van den Driessche said she feared her careercould now be over but she still hoped for a sec-ond chance and was not afraid of any investiag-tions into the case.

“I’m aware I have a big problem. I have donenothing wrong,” she said.

In a sport that has long battled with a majordoping problem, suggestions and rumours of‘motorised doping’ have long floated around toobut nothing has been proved in major competi-tion until this case.

It prompted Cookson, who confirmed thecase would be investiaged by the UCI’s discipli-nary commission, to say: “We’ve heard some sto-

ries for a long time now about the possibility ofthis.

“We have been alive to a potential way thatpeople might cheat and we have been testing anumber of bikes and a number of events for sev-eral months.

“I am committed and the UCI is committed toprotecting the riders who do not want to cheatin whatever form and to make sure that the rightriders win the race.” —Reuters

Cookson confirms motor found on bike in new cycling storm

HEUSDEN-ZOLDER: British Brain Cookson, Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) president, speaksduring a press conference at the world championships cyclocross cycling yesterday in Heusden-Zolder. The world championships cyclocross cycling takes place this week-end. — AFP

GEELONG: Britain’s Peter Kennaugh of Team Sky celebrates after winning the men’s elite cycling race in the 2016 Cadel Evans Great Ocean RoadRace in Geelong yesterday. — AFP

SYDNEY: Current British road race championand Olympic gold medallist Peter Kennaughwon the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Racein Australia yesterday, as fellow countrymanMark Cavendish pulled out before the finish.

Kennaugh (Team Sky) won the second edi-tion of the 174-kilometre (108-mile) race inGeelong, Victoria, in four hours, four minutesand 59 seconds, six seconds ahead of localsprinter Leigh Howard (IAM Cycling) andItalian Niccolo Bonifazio (Trek-Segafredo).

Australian Simon Gerrans (ORICA-GreenEDGE), who claimed a record fourthTour Down Under in Adelaide last weekend,finished fifth. Britain sprint great Cavendish(Team Dimension Data), the winner of 26 Tourde France stages, and Australia’s Caleb Ewan

(ORICA-GreenEDGE) did not complete therace.

Kennaugh, who won gold at the LondonOlympics in the team pursuit, made his movewith 10 kilometres to go, and was able tokeep ahead of the chasing pack.

“They (Team Sky) were telling me to staycalm. I went up the road just over a lap to goand they said it wouldn’t work,” the 26-year-old told broadcaster Channel Seven on hissolo victory.

“But they told me just to hit it, kind of whatRichie Porte did on Willunga (in the TourDown Under). Just commit. “I know a lot ofthings about power all the time and I’m notone who likes numbers and that kind of stuff.

“But I’ve been doing a lot of work on that

stuff and tried to pace myself to the finish. Ihad the legs. I felt terrible for the first half ofthe race and then obviously came around.”

Australia’s Cadel Evans, whom the race isnamed after, hailed Kennaugh’s win anddescribed the race as fantastic. “The guysraced hard. As we saw, chopping and chang-ing, back and forth, I expect more from theexpected favourites so to speak,” he toldChannel Seven.

“But Peter Kennaugh, often riding in theservices of others, got a great win. He stayedon after the race last year and trained away.It’s good to see him get repaid for that.”

Australian Amanda Spratt (ORICA-AIS) wonthe women’s race on Saturday with a time oftwo hours, 58 minutes and 45 seconds. — AFP

Brit Kennaugh wins Australian road race

SINGAPORE: Jordan Spieth of the United States prepares to play on the third holeduring the final round of the SMBC Singapore Open golf tournament at Sentosa GolfClub’s Serapong Course yesterday, in Singapore. — AP

SINGAPORE: A thunderstorm halted thefinal round of the SMBC Singapore Openyesterday just as world number one JordanSpieth was attempting to go a strokebehind leader Song Young Han on the 18thhole.

This left the competition in a cliffhangeras the South Korean had two more holes toplay and was lining up a 10-foot par on the16th. The $1.0 million tournament will nowbe decided when play resumes Mondaymorning at the Sentosa Golf Club’sSerapong Course.

The South Korean is looking to securehis first career title after taking six-runners-up places in Japan and South Korea duringthe past three years.

Inclement weather and fading lighthave dogged the competition sinceThursday, suspending play that had to beresumed the following day.

A total of 15 players had to completeround three this morning, with Spieth play-ing two holes and Song five. The sessionended with the Texan trailing the SouthKorean by five strokes. Plagued by erraticform in the last three days, Spieth conced-ed he was rushing his game, trying to dotoo much and making the wrong decisions.Heading into the final round, the 22-year-old resolved to change his approach to nar-

row the gap.“I have got to hit as many greens in reg-

ulation as possible, I just have not donethat,” said the American. “All it takes is a lit-tle bit of a spark, a little confidence with myball striking to make sure I have got thatdistance control down and the putting willcome.”

Spieth lived up to his expectations andput on a commanding performance, shoot-ing five birdies against a bogey beforeheading into the final hole to shave Song’slead.

“My game really started to come togeth-er on the back nine,” said the world numberone. “I was putting some pressure on theleader. Assuming I make that putt on 18that is going to put some pressure on him.”

Song put on a blistering eight-under-par 63 performance on Friday that equalledthe course record, but only managed twoand one under in the next two days beforeplay was suspended.

“I am really tired, it has been a longwait. Coming back tomorrow is okay forme as the course should be in a bettercondition (less wet),” said the 24-year-old.“Tomorrow I will just play shot by shotand hope I can get the win. I have had alot of second place finishes and it is timefor a victory.” —AFP

Spieth, Song in cliffhanger as weather suspends play

LOS ANGELES: KJ Choi, chasing his first USPGA victory in nearly five years, closed with abirdie to share the lead after Saturday’s thirdround of the $6.5 million Farmers InsuranceOpen.

The 45-year-old South Korean shot aneven par 72 to match American Scott Brownon nine-under 207 after 54 holes at TorreyPines near San Diego.

Choi, the most successful Asian malegolfer in PGA history, has won eight titles onthe US tour, the most recent of them at the2011 Players Championship when he won aplayoff over David Toms.

Jimmy Walker fired a 68 to share third withfellow American Gary Woodland on 208 topace 21 rivals with four strokes of the co-lead-ers entering the final round, when wet andwindy conditions are predicted.

“It’s going to be a grind for everybody,”Brown said. “Under par or even par is going tobe a really good score. You’ve just got to stayout there and be patient.”

Choi stumbled early, answering a bogey atthe fifth with a birdie at the sixth but taking adouble bogey at the seventh, where he foundthe rough on his second and third shots andthree-putted from 18 feet. Another bogey atthe 12th seemed to signal more trouble.

But Choi rebounded, landing hisapproaches at the par-5 13th and par-4 13thwithin three feet of the cup to set up birdies.

At the par-3 16th, he found a bunker butsank a clutch nine-foot par putt. At 17, Choihad an 85-foot approach from dense roughover a bunker and rolled the ball two feetfrom the cup to salvage par.

At 18, Choi planted another approachthree feet from the cup and rolled it home toshare the lead.

Hoping to qualify for his first Masters startso he can enjoy his hometown’s storied event,Brown missed a seven-foot birdie putt at the18th that would have given him to outrightlead.

Brown capped a run of three birdies in fiveholes with a four-foot putt at the par-3eighth, then played the back nine at par.Walker charged into contention despite find-ing only three fairways.

“I know I can’t do that again,” Walker said.“That’s a lot of crazy short game up anddowns. It’s not much fun. I’ve got to work onit. I don’t want that again.” Sweden’s JonasBlixt fired his second consecutive 66 to sharefifth on 209 with countryman FreddieJacobson and Americans John Huh andMichael Kim.—AFP

S Korea’s Choi clings to share of PGA lead


NEW YORK: The Super Bowl has pro-duced plenty of memorably tensemoments and unfathomably wild finish-es. Just last year, the pinnacle of the NFLseason was punctuated by a last-secondinterception in the end zone by NewEngland that sealed a victory overSeattle, when the Seahawks decided topass instead of run and the Patriotsmade them pay.

Then there are the not-so-nerve-wracking games that are decided byhalftime. Even with a format designedto pit the two best teams against eachother for the championship, or at leastproduce a high-caliber contest, plentyof duds have emerged.

Here’s a look back at three of thebiggest blowouts in Super Bowl history:

THE BIG, BAD BEARSThe Chicago Bears were dominant dur-

ing the 1985 regular season, finishing 15-1while allowing an average of 12.4 pointsper game. So this lopsided result washardly a surprise.

The New England Patriots were thewild-card team from the weaker AFC andmaking their first trip to the big game. TheBears were confident enough that year tofilm the famed “Super Bowl Shuffle” video,with players dancing to vintage 1980ssynthesized rap music in full uniform witha series of simple rhymes touting their tal-ent and inevitable title.

They had no trouble backing up thebravado with a 46-10 victory. With sevensacks and only seven yards rushingallowed, the defense led by Super BowlMVP Richard Dent put the Patriots in their

place. Walter Payton had a quiet game onthe ground, but he was hardly needed.The Bears led 23-3 at halftime and 44-3 inthe third quarter, after defensive tackleWilliam “The Refrigerator” Perry rumbledin for a 1-yard touchdown run.

FANTASTIC 49ERSJoe Montana and the San Francisco

49ers managed to outscore their ownnickname in this 55-10 trampling of theDenver Broncos, still the most points everscored by a Super Bowl team and thelargest margin of victory in the game’s his-tory. The first two possessions of the sec-ond half by the Broncos ended with inter-ceptions thrown by John Elway, and theoutcome was never in doubt. By the timeMontana threw his fifth touchdown passof the night, the 49ers led 41-3 in the third

quarter. That was more than enough forhim to win his third Super Bowl MostValuable Player award.

SUPERIOR SEAHAWKSThe 48th Super Bowl was as low on

drama as it was high on hype, withDenver’s dazzling offense facing Seattle’sstingy defense for the first Super Bowlheld in the nation’s biggest market.

Propelled by an NFL-best 55 touch-down passes by Peyton Manning duringthe 2013 regular season, the Broncos setan all-time record with 606 points, anattack so potent they were slight favoritesentering the game. The Seahawks,though, were more than ready for themwith their hard-hitting, hustling, high-motor secondary dubbed the “Legion ofBoom.”

This was the first Super Bowl held out-door in a northern location, but instead ofsnowy or cold, it was a balmy 49 degreesat k ickoff at MetLife Stadium in NewJersey. The opening kick was the last timeManning and the Broncos were actually init.

The first snap sailed past Manning andinto the end zone for a safety 12 secondsinto the game, the quickest score in SuperBowl history. The Seahawks built a 22-0lead by halftime, padded by a 69-yardinterception return by Malcolm Smith forone of four turnovers by the Broncos.Percy Harvin took the third-quarter kick-off back 87 yards for another score, andRussell Wilson tacked on two more touch-down passes after that to leave no doubtabout the league’s best team that yearwith a 43-8 decision. —AP

The biggest blowouts in Super Bowl history

MELBOURNE: Andy Murray, right, of Britain is congratulated by Milos Raonic of Canada after winning their semifinal at the Australian Open ten-nis championships in Melbourne, Australia. — AP

MELBOURNE: Angelique Kerber’s upset winover Serena Williams at the Australian Open andMilos Raonic’s second Grand Slam semifinalappearance will ensure they’re the biggestmovers among top players in projected rankingsto be released this week.Seventh-seededKerber’s three-set win on Saturday, which pre-vented Williams from securing her 22nd majortitle, is expected to result in the German playermoving to No. 2 on the WTA Tour. The rankings,expected to be released Monday, should showWilliams at No. 1, Kerber at No. 2 and SimonaHalep, who lost in the first round at MelbournePark, dropping one spot to No. 3.

“She’s had a great month,” Williams said ofKerber. “She got to the finals in Brisbane. Shewon here. So, yeah. I was surprised and reallyhappy for her. I’m like, ‘Whoa, No. 2.’ What’s after

2 is 1, so I guess I better be careful.”AgnieszkaRadwanska, who lost to Williams in the semifi-nals, remains at No. 4, while Garbine Muguruzadrops two places to fifth.

Maria Sharapova, the 2015 finalist who lost toWilliams in the quarterfinals this year, moves tosixth, followed by Flavia Pennetta, Carla SuarezNavarro, two-time Wimbledon champion PetraKvitova and Lucie Safarova.

Safarova did not play in Melbourne due to abacterial infection. On the men’s side, Raonic,the 25-year-old Canadian who lost in the semifi-nals to Andy Murray, was expected to be biggestmover among the top 15 on the ATP Tour,improving three places to No. 11.

It was Raonic’s second major semifinal afterlosing to Roger Federer in the final four atWimbledon in 2014. Quarterfinalist David Ferrer

moved to sixth place in a straight switch withTomas Berdych, who slips down to eighth.

The top five remained unchanged. Six-timechampion Novak Djokovic and five-time losingfinalist Murray would have remained 1-2 regard-less of the result of their Sunday night final,which Djokovic won in straight sets.

Federer, who lost to Djokovic in the semifi-nals, remains at No. 3, Stan Wawrinka at 4 andRafael Nadal, a first-round loser to FernandoVerdasco in Melbourne, rounds out the top 5.

Following Ferrer is Japan’s Kei Nishikori,unchanged at 7 after losing to Djokovic in thequarterfinals.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga moves to No. 9, replacingfellow Frenchman Richard Gasquet, who dropsto 10. Following Raonic is No. 12 John Isner ofthe United States. —AP

Kerber, Raonic biggest rankingsmovers after Australian Open

BERLIN: There was no rest for newly-crowned Australian Open cham-pion Angelique Kerber after a whirlwind of partying and engage-ments before jetting home yesterday to prepare for the Fed Cup. The28-year-old German earned her first Grand Slam title by shockingworld number one Serena Williams 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in Saturday’s final inMelbourne. After countless interviews, posing for pictures and under-going a drugs test, Kerber eventually got back to her hotel around3:00 am local time on Sunday morning, then went straight out party-ing. The new champion was sleepless in Melbourne, but brushed offany tiredness to celebrate on Sunday by swimming in the Yarra rivernext to the Rod Laver Arena, in echoes of the dip American JimCourier took after his 1992 championship win on the same court.

The new world number two made the plunge along with her team,including coach Torben Beltz and physiotherapist Simon Iden, plus aGerman Eurosport commentator, who made a bet with Kerber tojump in the river if she won. “It was cold, but it was worth it,” saidKerber after her dip. “I haven’t slept for a minute, I only had appoint-ments to get to,” she told broadcaster ZDF, having become the firstGerman since Steffi Graf in 1999 to win a Grand Slam title.

“I managed to eat a banana after the final and then it was the nextday. “I had never been so tired as in that moment,” she said after anight of partying as, despite only leaving the stadium in the earlyhours, “we still managed to go for a drink,” Kerber added with a grin. “Istill can’t believe it. I’ve made history. A dream has come true. “I’mready for anything now-even the wedding with ‘Petko’,” she joked afterher Fed Cup team-mate Andrea Petkovic wrote: “Angelique, you’recrazy! I want to marry you!” on Twitter.

After posing for her official winner’s photo in Melbourne’s BotanicalGardens, Kerber flew back to Europe on Sunday night and had thechance to catch up on sleep on the long flight via Bangkok toFrankfurt, Germany, then onto Posen in Poland.

From there, she will drive to Puszczykowo, where she lives near toher grandparents.

“We’ll celebrate there with some sparkling wine. I am really lookingforward to getting home,” she said. “My family have always stood byme and given me strength, even in moments when I didn’t believe inmyself.”

There will be little time to enjoy her success, because on Tuesdayshe will join up with her Germany team-mates to prepare for nextweekend’s Fed Cup first-round match against Switzerland in Leipzig.

There promises to be some fun for Kerber’s team later in the year asshe will make good on a bet with her coach Beltz to skydive together,take a dancing class with her support staff and her physio will markher victory in ink by getting a tattoo. “It will be the trophy fromMelbourne,” he admitted. —AFP

MELBOURNE: Germany’s Angelique Kerber poses with The Daphne AkhurstMemorial Trophy as she celebrates her victory in the women’s singles finalon day fourteen of the 2016 Australian Open tennis tournament inMelbourne yesterday. — AFP

Soares wins two Grand Slam titles on same day

MELBOURNE: Brazil’s Bruno Soares liftedthe Australian Open mixed doubles tro-phy yesterday-the same day he also wonthe men’s doubles, in the early hours ofthe morning.

Soares and Russia’s Elena Vesnina,seeded five, beat the unseeded pairing ofAmerican Coco Vandeweghe and herRomanian partner Horia Tecau 6-4, 4-6,10-5 on Rod Laver Arena. The win comesafter Soares and Jamie Murray, the broth-

er of singles finalist Andy, beat Czech vet-eran Radek Stepanek and CanadianDaniel Nestor in three sets for the men’stitle in a 1:00 am finish.

“I feel like I’ve been on this court forthe last 24 hours,” said Soares, who nowhas 22 men’s doubles titles and also wonthe US Open mixed doubles in 2012 and2014. “But it’s a good feeling. Elena car-ried me the whole week. She was awe-some.” —AFP

No rest as busy Kerber jets off for Fed Cup

MELBOURNE: Elena Vesnina of Russia (R) and partner Bruno Soares of Brazil (L) kissthe winner’s trophy at the awards ceremony following their victory over CocoVandeweghe of the US and Horia Tecau of Romania in the mixed doubles final on day14 of the 2016 Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne yesterday.—AFP

MELBOURNE: Andy Murray declared “Ijust want to get home” and headedstraight for the airport yesterday as heraced to be reunited with his pregnantwife after his Australian Open finaldefeat.

Murray, who has been on baby alertall tournament with his wife, Kim Sears,due to give birth within weeks, said hewas getting the next flight home afterhis loss to world number one NovakDjokovic.

“I’m proud that I got into this posi-tion, you know. Just quite looking for-ward to getting home now,” Murray saidin a quickfire press conference beforerushing for his plane.

The British world number two hadpledged to quit the tournament if hiswife went into labour, and he was alsoclose to pulling out when his father-in-law Nigel Sears collapsed at Rod LaverArena last week.

“It was a tough, tough couple of days.Thankfully, he’s fine now. Yeah, I justwant to get home,” said London-basedMurray.

He added: “I’ve been held on flightsfor, it feels like five days. I’ve been heldon almost every single flight, so the firstone out of here, I’m leaving. It’s at 1:00, I

think.” Earlier Murray had tears in hiseyes and a faltering voice as he paidtribute to his wife after he was wellbeaten 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 (7/3) — his fifthdefeat in the Melbourne final.

“You’ve been a legend for the lasttwo weeks. Thank you so much for all ofyour support and I’ll be on the nextplane home,” the Scot said at the on-court awards ceremony.

He later explained it had been a diffi-cult tournament as he was beset by dis-tractions, but which also, however,seemed to take the sting out of his lat-est Grand Slam disappointment.

With the defeat, Murray became onlythe second man in the post-1968 Openera-after Ivan Lendl, his former coach-tolose five finals at the same Grand Slamtournament.

“Regardless of today’s result, it’s beenhard. Had I lost in the third or fourthround it still would have been difficultwith ever ything that ’s happened,”Murray said.

“She’s been amazing. Handledeverything unbelievably well. Yeah, Ihave to thank her for allowing me toplay and stay here with everythingthat was going on. But, yeah, it wastough.” — AFP

Dad-to-be Murray on ‘next plane home’ after Aussie loss

MELBOURNE: Andy Murray of Britain gestures as he speaks during at a press confer-ence following his loss to Novak Djokovic of Serbia in their men’s singles final matchon day 14 of the 2016 Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne.— AFP


PakistanAzhar Ali c Guptill b Henry 3 Ahmed Shehzad c Guptill b Boult 12 Mohammad Hafeez c Milne b Santner 76Babar Azam c Guptill b Henry 83 Shoaib Malik c Ronchi b Boult 32 Sarfraz Ahmed c Ronchi b Milne 41Mohammad Rizwan run out (Elliott) 16 Wahab Riaz c Guptill b Anderson 11Mohammad Amir c Ronchi b Milne 1Rahat Ali c Ronchi b Milne 0Mohammad Irfan not out 0 Extras (w14, nb1) 15 Total (10 wickets; 47.3 overs) 290 Fall of wickets: 1-16 (Shehzad), 2-20 (Azhar Ali), 3-154 (Hafeez), 4-215 (Malik), 5-227 (Babar), 6-256 (Rizwan), 7-279 (Riaz), 8-284 (Amir), 9-284 (Rahat Ali), 10-290 (Ahmed) Bowling: Boult 9-0-60-2 (w3, nb1), Henry 10-0-44-2 (w3), Anderson 4-0-26-1 (w1), Santner 5-0-56-1 (w1), Milne 9.3-0-49-3 (w2), Elliott 10-0-55-0 New ZealandMartin Guptill c Hafeez b Azhar 82Brendon McCullum c Irfan b Amir 0Kane Williamson st Sarfraz Ahmed b Azhar 84Henry Nicholls lbw Amir 5Grant Elliott c Babar b Malik 10Corey Anderson c Babar b Irfan 35Luke Ronchi b Riaz 20Mitchell Santner not out 10Adam Milne not out 0Extras (lb5, w14) 19Total (7 wickets; 42.4 overs) 265Fall of wickets: 1-6 (McCullum), 2-165 (Guptill), 3-180 (Williamson), 4-188 (Nicholls), 5-210 (Elliott), 6-253 (Ronchi), 7-256 (Anderson)Did not bat: Matt Henry, Trent BoultBowling: Irfan 8-0-60-1 (w5), Amir 9-0-39-2 (w2), Rahat Ali 7-0-54-0(w2), Wahab Riaz 8.4-0-51-1 (w3), Shoaib Malik 3-0-19-1, Azhar Ali 7-0-37-2 (w2)Toss: Pakistan Result: New Zealand by three wickets (D/L method).

SCOREBOARDAUCKLAND: Completed scoreboard in the third ODI between NewZealand and Pakistan in Auckland yesterday:

WELLINGTON: Joe Webber scored a tryafter the siren to lift New Zealand overSouth Africa 24-21 in yesterday’s final ofthe Wellington leg of the World RugbySevens Series, defending the title wonon home soil last year.

Webber also scored in extra time togive New Zealand a win over SouthAfrica in pool play. New Zealand beatKenya 33-0 in Sunday’s quarterfinals andEngland 22-5 in the semifinals whileSouth Africa defeated Australia 26-14and World Series leader Fiji 31-0.

South Africa was on course for victory

when it led 21-7 just after halftime butReiko Ioane scored twice in the secondhalf and Webber crossed with the lastplay of the match.

“We talked about it the whole week,we needed a lot of heart and a lot ofticker,” New Zealand captain TimMikkelson said. “We talked about put-ting the mana (pride) back in the jerseyafter the last couple of tournaments andthat’s really what we wanted to do thisweekend.”

Things weren’t going New Zealand’sway in the final from the moment All

Blacks superstar Sonny Bill Williams fum-bled the opening kickoff, giving SouthAfrica a long early possession. That ledto tries by Philip Snyman and RoscoSpeckman which gave South Africa a 14-0 lead after five minutes.

New Zealand appeared over-anxiouswith its few scraps of possession but itmanaged to compose itself and to scorea vital try through Akira Ioane justbefore halftime. South Africa extendedthe lead to 21-7 when Seabelo Senatiascored the opening try of the secondhalf. New Zealand continued to play

erratically but the match turned in itsfavor when Speckman was sin-binned inthe seventh minute of the second half.Ioane scored twice in his absence andNew Zealand dragged itself back intothe match at 21-19.

Regan Ware then made two vitalplays in the dying moments of thematch, first making a tackle deep in hisown half to stop a seemingly certainSouth African try, then kept the ball alivenear the South Africa goal line to createthe last chance for Webber.

New Zealand came into its home

tournament in seventh place in theWorld Series standings after being rav-aged by injuries in the first two tourna-ments at Dubai and Cape Town.Yesterday’s win thrust it back into Seriescontention but, more importantly,restated its challenge to South Africaand Fiji for the gold medal at this year’sOlympics. South Africa leads the Seriesstandings by two points from Fiji whichbeat England 24-12 in the playoff forthird place. New Zealand moved up tothird ahead of next weekend’s leg inSydney. — AP

N Zealand beat S Africa to win Wellington Sevens

SYDNEY: India Cricket team celebrates winning the T20 International cricket series against Australia in Sydney, Australia, yesterday. — AP

SYDNEY: Shane Watson’s unbeaten hun-dred could not prevent Australia falling toa seven-wicket defeat to India in the thirdand final Twenty20 match yesterday asSuresh Raina hit a four on the last ball tocomplete a 3-0 clean sweep in the series.

India were chasing 198 to win and need-ed 17 runs in the final over as Yuvraj Singhhit a four and a six off the first two ballsfrom paceman Andrew Tye and Raina hitthe final ball through point with his team

needing two.All-rounder Watson, leading Australia in

the absence of the injured Aaron Finch,powered the hosts to 197-5 with anunbeaten 124 after winning the toss andopting to bat.

Australia made five changes to the sidethat lost the last match in Melbourne toconcede an unassailable 2-0 lead in theseries, handing debuts to batsman UsmanKhawaja and par t-time wicketkeeper

Cameron Bancroft.Watson, named player of the match, was

the fulcrum around which the hosts’ bat-ting revolved and it was due to his 71-ballknock, which was studded with 10 foursand six sixes, that Australia posted a strongtotal.

India replied with half-centuries from in-form opener Rohit Sharma (52) and ViratKohli (50), who was named the player ofthe series, and then Raina’s 25-ball 49 to

chase down the steep target.Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan got India off

to a rollicking start, scoring 46 in just 3.2overs, with fast bowler Shaun Tait going for24 runs in the third over.

Rohit and Kohli then added 78 for thesecond wicket to keep India strongly oncourse, before both batsmen fell to legspinner Cameron Boyce.

Yuvraj, who did not get an opportunityto bat in the last two matches, was sent in

ahead of captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni atnumber five and though the left-handerstruggled initially to put bat on ball, heproduced the goods when his team need-ed.

Raina and Yuvraj added 53 for theunbroken fourth wicket.

The 3-0 sweep in Australia took India tothe top of the T20 rankings in a timelyboost ahead of the World Twenty20 athome from March 8-April 3. —Reuters

India clinch thriller to complete sweep over Aussies

Australia InningsUsman Khawaja c Dhoni by Nehra 14Shane Watson not out 124Shaun Marsh b Ashwin 9Glenn Maxwell c Raina b Yuvraj 3Travis Head b Jadeja 26Chris Lynn c Jadeja b Bumrah 13Cameron Bancroft not out 0Extras: (2lb, 4w, 2nb) 8TOTAL: (for five wickets) 197Overs: 20Fall of wickets: 1-16, 2-69, 3-175, 4-168, 5-193.Did not bat: Andrew Tye, Cameron Boyce, Scott Boland, ShaunTait.Bowling: Ashish Nehra 4-0-32-1, Jasprit Bumrah 4-0-43-1 (2nb),Ravichandran Ashwin 4-0-36-1 (1w), Ravindra Jadeja 4-0-41-1, Yuvraj Singh 2-0-19-1, HardikPandya 2-0-24-0 (3w).India InningsRohit Sharma c Watson b Boyce 52Shikhar Dhawan c Bancroft b Watson 26Virat Kohli b Boyce 50Suresh Raina 49 not outYuvraj Singh 15 not outExtras: (1b, 7w) 8TOTAL: (for three wickets) 200Overs: 20.Fall of wickets: 1-46, 2-124, 3-147.Did not bat: Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, RavindraJadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Ashish Nehra.Bowling: Shaun Tait 4-0-46-0 (4w), Scott Boland 3-0-34-0 (2w),Shane Watson 4-0-30-1 (1w), Andrew Tye 4-0-51-0, CameronBoyce 4-0-28-2, Glenn Maxwell 1-0-10-0.Result: India won by seven wickets to take series 3-0.

SCOREBOARD SYDNEY: Scoreboard yesterday from the third and finalTwenty20 international between Australia and India at theSydney Cricket Ground:

SYDNEY: Former Test captain MichaelClarke yesterday said he was returning tocricket six months after he retired, tellingAustralian media he had “unfinished busi-ness” in the shorter form of the game.

The 34-year-old, who bowed out inAugust after the disastrous Ashes series inEngland, said his first game would be withhis grade club Western Suburbs againstRandwick-Petersham in Sydney on February20-21.

“ To step away from cricket for fourmonths has been great, I have found mybody has enjoyed it and my mind has reallyenjoyed it too,” Clarke told News Corp news-papers.

“At the same time I’ve realised the gameof cricket is in my blood. I’ve been lookingfor an outlet to replace what I’ve chosen towalk away from.” One of the outstandingbatsmen of his generation, Clarke said he“missed the game” and would “never saynever to anything”.

“All I know is, I’ll never say never to any-thing. I’ll start with Western Suburbs and wewill see where it takes me. For now, myfocus is definitely the shorter format of thegame.”

The batsman, who became AustralianTest captain in 2011, last year pulled out ofhis Big Bash League deal with theMelbourne Stars but said Sunday he wasinterested in returning to Australia’s domes-tic Twenty20 league.

“I still believe I have some unfinishedbusiness in the Twenty20 department ofcricket. We’ve got BBL, IPL, a number oftournaments around the world that allowyou the opportunity to go and play that,” hetold commercial broadcaster Channel Nine.

“When I was playing for Australia I wasfocused on Test and one-day cricket. Iwalked away from that, now I have theopportunity to focus on the shorter form ofthe game if I enjoy this game.”

Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann wel-comed Clarke’s return. “He’s a pretty goodplayer, his record speaks for that,” Lehmanntold reporters in Sydney.

“As far as I know and I spoke to him thismorning, it’s just about playing that firstgrade game in February and see where ittakes him from there.” —AFP

Michael Clarkecomes out of

retirement

AUCKLAND: A record partnership by Martin Guptill and KaneWilliamson gave New Zealand victory with two balls to spare in atense third one-dayer against Pakistan in Auckland yesterday.The three-wicket win in the rain-abridged match also wrappedup the series for New Zealand 2-0.

Initially set a target of 291 to win, New Zealand made a disas-trous start with Brendon McCullum out for a first-ball duck. ButGuptill and Williamson restored order with a 159-run stand, aNew Zealand ODI record for the second wicket, to set the sideup before a lengthy rain delay shortened the match by sevenovers.

When play resumed, New Zealand were set a revised targetof 53 off 45 balls, which they reached with two balls to spare andwith the help of a contentious umpire’s call.

With 27 balls remaining and New Zealand still 38 runs shortof their target, Corey Anderson appeared to have been caught

behind but was given not out and Pakistan had used up theirreview. The ODI series win added to New Zealand’s golden sum-mer after they also beat Pakistan 2-1 in the Twenty20s and beatSri Lanka in Tests, ODIs and Twenty20s.

In the decider against Pakistan, Azhar Ali won the toss andopted to bat first which initially proved productive.

While Babar Azam and Mohammad Hafeez were together itlooked like they would threaten the Eden Park ODI inningsrecord of 340. Even with Hafeez back in the pavilion, Pakistanwere 207-3 with 20 overs remaining.

But they were soon to run out of steam with their last sixwickets falling for 63 runs and they were all out for 290 with 15balls remaining. McCullum’s comeback was very brief afterbeing sidelined for five weeks by a back complaint.

The first ball he faced from Mohammad Amir was hooked tolong leg where Mohammad Irfan took a smart catch on the run.

Enter Williamson to partner Guptill in a record stand, two betterthan the previous best 157 which Guptill had set with McCullumfour years ago against Zimbabwe.

Azhar removed the pair in the space of eight deliveries.Guptill was first to go for 82 caught at point by Hafeez, andWilliamson was stumped for 84.

Azhar may consider himself a part-time bowler but showedall the guile of a career leg-spinner when he outwittedWilliamson charging down the wicket by getting the ballthrough to wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed. Henry Nicholls, whoset up the first ODI win, and Grant Elliott both fell cheaply asNew Zealand slipped from 165-1 to 210-5.

Lusty hitting from Anderson with 35 off 29 narrowed the gapand with six required off the last over, Mitchell Santner hitboundaries off the first and fourth deliveries to get New Zealandhome. — AFP

Guptill, Williamson set up N Zealand two-ball win

AUCKLAND: New Zealand players celebrate winning the series 2-0 after the third one-day international cricket matchbetween New Zealand and Pakistan at Eden Park in Auckland yesterday. —AFP


PHILADELPHIA: Ish Smith #1 of the Philadelphia 76ers passes an alley-oop to Nerlens Noel #4 against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday atthe Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Warriors defeated the 76ers 108-105. —AFP

PHILADELPHIA: Harrison Barnes hit a 3-pointer with 0.2 seconds remaining and theGolden State Warriors escaped with a 108-105victory over the Philadelphia 76ers onSaturday. Klay Thompson had 32 points andStephen Curry scored 23 points for theWarriors, who nearly blew a 24-point second-half lead. Draymond Green added 10 pointsand 13 rebounds for Golden State, whichopened a three-game road trip with theirsixth straight victory while matching theNBA’s best start through 47 games. They tiedthe 1966-67 76ers, who also won 43 of theirfirst 47. Isaiah Canaan had 18 points to leadthe 76ers, who dropped to 7-41.

PACERS 109, NUGGETS 105, OTMonta Ellis scored a season-high 32 points

and grabbed nine rebounds to lead theIndiana Pacers past the Denver Nuggets. Ellismissed a 3-pointer with the game tied at 99 asregulation ended, but he converted a three-point play with 20.4 seconds left in overtimeto seal it and send the Pacers to a secondstraight victory. Danilo Gallinari led Denverwith 23 points, and Kenneth Faried added 16points and 12 rebounds. Pacers starting cen-ter Ian Mahinmi sat out with sore lower back.

RAPTORS 111, PISTONS 107DeMar DeRozan had 29 points and the

Toronto Raptors beat the Detroit Pistons topush the team’s franchise-best win streak to11 consecutive games. Kyle Lowry had 18points and backup center Bismack Biyomboadded 12 points and 13 assists. Cory Josephalso had 16 points off the bench. Reserveguard Brandon Jennings led the way forDetroit with 22 points, with starter KentaviousCaldwell-Pope contributing 15. AndreDrummond had 11 points and 12 reboundsfor his NBA-leading 39th double-double.

PELICANS 105, NETS 103Jrue Holiday hit a 15-foot shot with 1.3 sec-

onds remaining and the New Orleans Pelicansheld off the Brooklyn Nets. New Orleans’Anthony Davis scored 20 points and grabbed16 rebounds in his first game back after sittingout with a concussion. Davis started 0 for 10from the floor before finding his rhythm. ThePelicans (18-28) and Davis were helped byRyan Anderson’s 24 points off the bench.Holiday’s final shot gave him a team-best 26points. Brook Lopez scored 33 points and had10 rebounds to lead the Nets, who lost for thethird straight game and allowed an opponentto shoot 44 percent or better for the 12th con-secutive game.

SPURS 117, CAVALIERS 103LeBron James scored 29 points and Kevin

Love and Kyrie Irving added 21 apiece as theCleveland Cavaliers finally took down one ofthe NBA’s elite teams, beating the SanAntonio Spurs. The Cavs won their fourthstraight under coach Tyronn Lue, who waspromoted after David Blatt was fired on Jan.22. Cleveland came in 0-5 against SanAntonio, Golden State and Chicago, three top-tier teams who figure to contend with themfor a title this season. Kawhi Leonard scored24 and LaMarcus Aldridge 15 for the Spurs.

WIZARDS 123, ROCKETS 122John Wall had 19 points, 13 assists and

eight rebounds and the Washington Wizardsrallied for a win over the Houston Rockets tosnap a three-game losing streak. Ramon

Sessions had 17 points off the bench, JaredDudley had 16 points and Marcin Gortat had13 points and 11 rebounds. The Wizards shot52 percent. James Harden had 40 points, 11assists and seven rebounds, but Houston lostits third straight. Dwight Howard had 20points and seven rebounds for the Rocketsbut was ejected for the second straight game.

GRIZZLIES 121, KINGS 117Jeff Green scored 29 points, Marc Gasol

had 22 points, six rebounds and five assists,

and the Memphis Grizzl ies thwar ted afourth-quarter rally to defeat the SacramentoKings. The Kings, who lost their four thstraight, pulled within 118-117 on a 3-point-er from Darren Collison with 18.7 secondsleft. Courtney Lee converted two free throwsfor a 120-117 lead. On the next possession,Coll ison lost the ball, the Kings’ 19thturnover, and Memphis held on for its thirdstraight win and ninth in the last 11. RudyGay led the Kings with 21 points, including13 in the fourth. — AP

Barnes’ late 3-pointer lifts Warriors over 76ers, 108-105

Eastern ConferenceAtlantic DivisionW L PCT GB

Toronto 32 15 .681 —Boston 27 21 .563 5.5New York 23 26 .469 10Brooklyn 12 36 .250 20.5Philadelphia 7 41 .146 25.5

Central DivisionCleveland 34 12 .739 —Chicago 26 19 .578 7.5Indiana 25 22 .532 9.5Detroit 25 23 .521 10Milwaukee 20 29 .408 15.5

Southeast DivisionAtlanta 27 21 .563 —Miami 26 21 .553 0.5Charlotte 22 25 .468 4.5Washington 21 24 .467 4.5Orlando 20 25 .444 5.5

Western ConferenceNorthwest Division

Oklahoma City 36 13 .735 —Portland 22 26 .458 13.5Utah 21 25 .457 13.5Denver 18 30 .375 17.5Minnesota 14 34 .292 21.5

Pacific DivisionGolden State 43 4 .915 —LA Clippers 31 16 .660 12Sacramento 20 27 .426 23Phoenix 14 34 .292 29.5LA Lakers 9 40 .184 35

Southwest DivisionSan Antonio 39 8 .830 —Memphis 28 20 .583 11.5Dallas 27 22 .551 13Houston 25 25 .500 15.5New Orleans 18 28 .391 20.5

NBA Results/Standings

Cleveland 117, San Antonio 103; Houston 122, Washington 123; Memphis 121, Sacramento 117; Indiana109, Denver 105 (OT); Toronto 111, Detroit 107; New Orleans 105, Brooklyn 103; Philadelphia 105, GoldenState 108.

BERLIN: Former German FA (DFB) presi-dent and ex-FIFA official Theo Zwanziger isdue in court tomorrow over comments hemade last year, claiming Qatar is “the can-cer of world football”. The 70-year-oldtrained lawyer will appear in Duesseldorf’sregional court when his case starts after theQatar Football Association (QFA) filed a civillawsuit for damages over his commentsconcerning the Arab States’ hosting of the2022 World Cup.

The case highlights the sensitivity sur-rounding the decision in December 2010by world football’s governing body FIFA toaward the tiny Arab state the right to stagea World Cup finals. The QFA is suing afterZwanziger told public broadcasterHessischer Rundfunk: “I have always saidthat Qatar was a cancerous growth onworld football. It all started with that deci-sion.”Switzerland’s prosecutor is investigat-ing both FIFA’s decision to award the 2018World Cup finals to Russia and the 2022tournament to Qatar amidst accusations ofbribery and corruption.

The Qataris want to prevent any repeti-tion of the comments from Zwanziger, whowas elected to FIFA’s executive committeefrom 2011-2015, and was DFB president

from 2006 until 2012.Zwanziger is confident about his chance

of winning his case, while the Qataris viewthe Germans’ words as “unacceptable slan-der and vilification” of the Arab state andit’s citizens, according to court documents.“The case is quite simple. In Qatar, I proba-bly wouldn’t be allowed to say that. Buthere I can,” Zwanziger told SID, an AFP sub-sidiary. “It comes down to sharply criticis-ing something that is incompatible withmy social ideas. Of course, I’ll be in court.”

Zwanziger’s lawyer has submitted a 22-page response to the civil lawsuit, whichcontains a biological clarification of theword ‘cancer’. He has repeatedly criticisedthe awarding of the World Cup to Qatar,but insists his words were directed againstFIFA’s system of awarding the 2022 WorldCup and the choosing of Qatar, not at thecountry itself or it’s citizens. Zwanziger isbeing sued for the nominal sum of 100,000euros ($108,305).

Frankfurt authorities are currently inves-tigating Zwanziger and two other formerDFB officials for suspected tax fraud overan irregular 6.7 million euros payment toFIFA relating to the 2006 World Cup, whichwas held in Germany. — AFP

Ex-FIFA official facescourt over Qatar slur

DOHA: FIFA presidential frontrunnerSheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa toldAFP yesterday that only he or Europe’sGianni Infantino can win the race tobecome leader of world football. TheAsian Football Confederation presidentalso said any candidate who does not have“a minimum number” of votes should notstay in the contest for the February 26vote, piling pressure on the other threecampaign contenders. South Africanmedia are already speculating that theonly African candidate Tokyo Sexwalecould withdraw this week, though hedenied this to AFP. Asked who how manycandidates had a chance of winning thepresidency of the scandal-tainted FIFA, theBahrain sheikh said: “Realistically for thefive, I think two.”

Pressed on who they are, he added: “Ithink Gianni has the support of the (UEFA)confederation and I think Asia has its can-didate. From what I hear, from what I feel, Ithink its between me and him.”

Infantino is the UEFA general secretary.The other three candidates are Sexwalefrom South Africa, Jordan’s Prince Ali binHussein, a former FIFA vice president, andJerome Champagne from France, a formerFIFA official.

Speaking in English and Arabic, SheikhSalman said he was increasingly confidentof victory. “When I took the decision to runin the election, I thought I had a goodchance.

FIFA DEAL LOOMS “And now we are approaching the elec-

tion date and after all the last contactswith the confederations and the nationalfederations, I am confident and optimisticand I can see that things are improving dayby day.” He added: “From my point of viewthings are more than good.” All 209 FIFAmember associations will vote at a specialcongress in Zurich for a successor for SeppBlatter, who stepped down and was subse-quently banned from FIFA, following cor-

ruption allegations engulfing football’sgoverning body. The sheikh and Infantinoare seen as the frontrunners and he hintedthat a deal between the two could be pos-sible ahead of the vote. “You have to leavethe door always open, you cannot shut thedoor on any candidate.”

He was speaking in Doha after attend-ing the finals of the AFC Under 23 champi-onship, which finished on Saturday.

Infantino was also in Qatar over theweekend, as well as Sexwale. SheikhSalman added that anyone who had nochance of winning should now considerdropping out of the race.

“Well, I think that, you know, any candi-date who feels that he cannot bring, let’ssay, a minimum number (of votes), I don’tthink he should continue.”

In his election manifesto, he has arguedfor more than 32 national sides to play ateach World Cup and said on Sunday thatno more than 40 teams should contest thetournament.

He also reiterated his support forQatar’s controversial hosting of the tourna-ment in 2022. During his campaign thesheikh has been criticised by human rightsgroups who accuse him of involvement inthe oppression of pro-democratic demon-strations in 2011 in Bahrain and the use oftorture, claims which he denies.

The rival candidates have been on aglobetrotting campaign seeking supportfor their bids to take over FIFA. The worldfootball body is reeling from US corruptioncharges against 39 football officials, mar-keting executives and two companies.Swiss investigators are looking into theattribution of the 2018 and 2022 WorldCups to Russia and Qatar respectively.

Blatter is separately under formal inves-tigation in Switzerland for criminal mis-management over a “disloyal” $2 millionpayment made to UEFA president MichelPlatini. Blatter and Platini were bannedfrom all football activity for eight years byFIFA’s ethics tribunal in December. — AFP

Sheikh Salman says FIFA race is duel with Infantino

DOHA: The head of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and FIFA presidentialcandidate, Bahraini Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa answers AFP journalists’questions during an interview yesterday in the Qatari capital Doha. FIFA presiden-tial frontrunner Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa told AFP that only he orEurope’s Gianni Infantino can win the race to become FIFA’s next president. — AFP

GLASGOW: Ross County came from behindto shock 10-man Celtic 3-1 at Hampden Parkyesterday to reach the Scottish League Cupfinal.

Celtic had made a dream start with GaryMackay-Steven opening the scoring afterjust 25 seconds but Martin Woods levelledmatters from the penalty spot in the 15thminute after Efe Ambrose was sent off forbringing down Alex Schalk.

County moved ahead in the 48th minutecourtesy of a Paul Quinn header beforeSchalk made it 3-1 15 minutes later with ashot into the roof of the net from a tightangle. Leigh Griffiths then saw his 76thminute penalty saved as County, whofamously knocked Celtic out of the ScottishCup at the same stage in 2010 while theywere a First Division side, held on to sendthe holders out and end the Glasgow giants’hopes of a domestic treble.

Celtic’s start couldn’t have been better asCallum McGregor threaded a ball betweentwo Ross County players for Griffiths whorolled the ball across the box for Mackay-Steven to tap in.

Ambrose then had a header cleared offthe line from Richard Foster as Celtic cameclose to adding another. County didn’t takelong to settle and soon had a chance of theirown as Schalk forced Craig Gordon into asuperb save with a rasping strike from theedge of the box.

A moment of madness from Ambrosethen allowed County to level the match.Jackson Irvine’s clever flick released Schalkand the striker was sent tumbling to the

ground following contact with Ambrose. Referee Craig Thomson didn’t hesitate in

showing the Celtic defender a straight redcard and Woods expertly despatched theresultant penalty as he sent Gordon thewrong way.

Celtic manager Ronny Deila brought onnew signing Erik Sviatchenko for his debutas he reorganised his side and it was theHoops who continued to press despitebeing down to 10 men.

Stuart Armstrong came close with a curl-ing effort that landed on the roof of the netbefore County ‘keeper Scott Fox parried aMikel Lustig header before bravely saving atthe feet of Nir Bitton and Sviatchenko.

Ross County soon made their extra manadvantage count with a goal just over twominutes after the restart.

Captain Andrew Davies did well tostretch and head a corner to the back postback into the centre of the six-yard boxwhere Quinn bulleted a header past Gordon.

County then exploited the gaps in Celtic’sdefence to move further ahead in the 63rdminute. Irvine threaded a pass to Schalkdown the inside left-channel and the Dutchstriker unleashed a powerful strike from atight angle that flew into the roof of the net.

Celtic were presented with a goldenchance in the 76th minute when refereeThomson awarded a penalty when substi-tute Brian Graham handled in the box butGriffiths, normally deadly from the spot,saw his effort kept out by the legs of Fox.Ross County will play Hibernian in thefinal. —AFP

WOLFSBURG: Wolfsburg’s Vieirinha, left, and Cologne’s Matthias Lehmann, right,challenge for the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between VfLWolfsburg and 1. FC Cologne in Wolfsburg, Germany, yesterday. —AP

Ross County stun Celtic to reach Scottish League final


BANGKOK: It took just 30 minutes forLeicester City’s Thai billionaire owner todecide to buy the English soccer club in2010. It now looks like an inspired invest-ment. The club was struggling in Englishsoccer’s second tier at the time. It hassince won promotion to the premiership,and, remarkably, sits at the very top ofthe world’s richest league with over halfthe season gone.

Manchester United, Manchester Cityand Arsenal are all chasing hard, but inone of the sport’s biggest surprises ofrecent years, the giants of the nationalgame can’t catch a team that many hadexpected to be dragged into a relegationscrap.

For the owner, duty free magnateVichai Srivaddhanaprabha, the priority isto ensure the club from central Englandand its supporters do not get carriedaway. And while his son and club vicechairman, Aiyawatt, prefers to keep dis-cussions on soccer and money separate,Leicester’s ascent brings with it plenty ofbusiness opportunities.

“Anything can happen, so we need tokeep our feet on the ground,” saidAiyawatt, who runs the club from“behind the scenes” while his fathermakes strategic decisions.

“It doesn’t just depend on us,” he toldReuters in Bangkok. “The big teams arenot doing well ... That’s why middle orsmall teams can make some difference.This season is a bit unusual, but it’s quitegood for football in England.”

It could also be good for King Power,

the travel retail company Vichai foundedin 1989 that employs more than 10,000people, dominates major airports inThailand and has branched into restau-rants, hotels and solar power.

Vichai, a self-made businessmanwhose personal fortune is estimated byForbes at $3 bill ion, wants to useLeicester’s growing international appealto boost Thai brands abroad via a newonline business under development.

“People around the world know thiswebsite through Leicester City FootballClub which several billion people watchclosely already,” Vichai told reportersrecently. “We will use this channel tomake our website known.”

King Power is aiming for revenues of85 billion baht ($2.4 billion) in 2016, a 25percent increase from 68 billion baht lastyear, although the www.kingpoweron-line.com website is still only a small partof that.

WHERE DID IT ALL GO RIGHT?Leicester’s performance means the

100 million pounds or so ($140 million)that Vichai and his family have pouredinto the club so far will reap dividendsmore quickly.

With premiership survival all butguaranteed, Leicester can plan ahead onsurer footing.

Next season will bring the biggestpayday yet for Premier League clubsthanks to a record-breaking 5.1 billionpound television deal with Sky and BTthat runs from 2016 to 2019.

Champions Chelsea received 99 mil-lion pounds last season while evenfourth-placed Manchester Unitedsecured a payout of 96.8 million.

A finish in the top four means a tilt atthe Champions League, qualification forwhich is estimated to be worth another40 million pounds.

“We are getting a significant amountof international attention and are on theradar of more international companies,”said Ian Flanagan, Leicester City’s com-mercial director. “We are the good newsstory of the Premier League this year.”

Aiyawatt, nicknamed “Top”, puts thesuccess down to old-fashioned familyvalues. “It’s the culture that we broughtto the team,” he said, when asked toexplain Leicester’s improvement.

“It’s the Thai culture. We give our timeto the staff, the players, and to the man-ager. We try to manage it like a family, tryto listen to the problems of every singlemember of staff.”

The owners have avoided supporters’animosity that marked some foreign for-ays into English soccer, including thepurchase of Manchester United by theGlazers from the United States.

Another wealthy Thai, ousted primeminister Thaksin Shinawatra, took overManchester City between 2007 and2008. Although he reportedly sold it at aprofit, his involvement was cut short andhe was sentenced to prison for graft.Thaksin lives in self-imposed exile andmaintains his innocence.

There have also been canny player

signings and managerial appointmentsat Leicester, whose success has helped itmake up ground on traditional soccerpowerhouses in Thailand.

On the rooftop of a Bangkok shop-ping complex during Leicester’s recentmatch against Liverpool, about 200 peo-ple gathered to follow the game.

“I’m very proud to see them grow tothis level,” said 39-year-old TanapornMeesrisom, who was in the crowd.

“The fan base will definitely grow. Iused to be a Liverpool fan, but now I’mrooting for Leicester to win the champi-onship.”

SELF-MADE MANAccording to an interview last year in

a local luxury magazine, Vichai, one ofThailand’s top 10 richest men, studied inTaiwan and the United States as a child.

His interest in the duty free businessbegan during his school days in Taiwan,because flights back to Thailand stoppedover in Hong Kong.

“As I grew up I saw duty free business-es from all over the world. I found it aninteresting business ... so I said to myself Imight be able to do it,” Vichai told PraewMagazine.

He began as an agent for luxurybrands before investing in a duty freebusiness in Hong Kong that he eventual-ly acquired.

According to Praew, he developedcontacts at home and won lucrative con-cessions to run duty free shops fromAirports of Thailand, the mainstay of his

private company.The country ’s k ing bestowed on

Vichai and his family a new surname, anact seen as a great honour in theSoutheast Asian country where themonarch is highly revered.

Vichai’s passion for sport, particularlypolo and soccer, led him to England anda shirt sponsorship with Leicester City.He came then to acquire the club for areported 39 million pounds.

“The day that we bought the team, Ican say that we made a 30-minute deci-sion,” said Aiyawatt. “It’s something thatwe love. We went to the stadium, and weloved the crowd.”

The first big leap for the club and itsowners came in 2014, with promotion tothe top division after a 10-year absence.

“Money-wise, that would only comewhen we were in the Premier League sowe pushed a lot of money, time andeffort to make it happen,” Aiyawattrecalled.

An equally tough test will be to turnthis season’s early form into more lastingsuccess for Leicester and rivals who havesprung surprises and added to theLeague’s appeal.

“The nature of this season’s PremierLeague has led to a number of interna-tional companies taking greater interestin clubs outside the established elite,which I’m sure will present opportunitiesthose clubs can seek to maximise,” saidcommercial director Flanagan. “Whetherthis trend continues in future seasonsremains to be seen.” —Reuters

Thai owners chase gold and glory after Leicester’s remarkable run

CARLISLE: Everton’s Argentinian defender Ramiro Funes Mori (R) challenges Carlisle United’s English striker Alex Gilliead (L) during the EnglishFA Cup fourth round football match between Carlisle United and Everton at Brunton Park, in Carlisle, north west England, yesterday. — AFP

MILAN: Gonzalo Higuain hit his 22nd goal inas many Serie A games to keep his record-chasing quest intact yesterday as Napolireclaimed top spot with a 5-1 drubbing ofEmpoli. Champions Juventus had earliergone top with a 4-0 rout of Chievo in Veronawhere Alvaro Morata hit a brace to take hisgoals tally to four this week after nettingtwice in a 3-0 Cup semi-final win over InterMilan. But Napoli, bidding for their firstleague crown since Diego Maradona’s heydayat the club in 1990, restored their two-pointadvantage to further underline their ‘scudet-to’ credentials.

Napoli now sit top on 50 points, twoahead of Juventus and eight in front ofFiorentina after La Viola failed to break downGenoa in a scoreless stalemate at the LuigiFerraris.

It means Inter Milan, one point behindPaulo Sousa’s men in fourth, can move up tothird place with a win away to AC Milan in thecity derby at the San Siro in yesterday’s latefixture.

“We started well, but it wasn’t easy tocome back from their opener because fromtheir last seven away games Empoli have wonfour times,” Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri toldmedia afterwards.

“We went on to fix things in the endbecause the lads had the right attitude. “Butnow we have to look to Wednesday when weplay Lazio, and hopefully we’ll get it rightagain.” As Napoli target a first title in 26 years,Higuain is chasing Serie A’s all-time record of35 goals scored in a single, 20-team leagueseason, set by AC Milan forward GunnarNordahl in 1950.

With 16 games remaining, the Argentinianinternational is not slowing down althoughhe was replaced halfway during the secondhalf when he received treatment after land-ing heavily from a mid-air clash. After Empoli‘keeper Lukasz Skorupski parried an earlychance from Higuain, the San Paolo wasstunned into silence when Leandro Paredes’s

free kick took a wicked deflection to leaveReina wrong-footed in the Napoli net on thehalf hour. But the goal served only to spurNapoli into life and when Insigne burst downthe left minutes later, the diminutive play-maker had time to pick out Higuain, whonodded past Skorupski from close range.Napoli won a free kick four minutes later andInsigne stepped up to curl the ball pastSkorupski to give the hosts a 37th minutelead, taking his own personal tally in theleague to 10.

The half ended on a sour note after ElseidHysaj and Allan were both cautioned forfouls, ruling them out of the midweek clashwith Lazio. But Napoli were unstoppableafter the interval, Jose Callejon playing a rolein all three goals on his way to a personaldouble. Napoli stretched their lead to 3-1seven minutes after the restart when MicheleCamporese deflected Callejon’s delivery pastSkorupski at the keeper’s near post.

The two-goal cushion was enough forSarri, who spent two years at Empoli prior tosucceeding Rafael Benitez at Napoli, toreplace Higuain with Manolo Gabbiadini 20minutes from the end, with Dries Mertensreplacing Insigne three minutes later.

It proved a judicious move, Mertens turn-ing provider with a great curling delivery forCallejon to poke the ball past Skorupski at hisback post seven minutes from time.

With two minutes on the clock, Callejonstruck his second when the ball fell kindlyand his angled strike sneaked inside the nearpost. Earlier, Juventus coach MassimilianoAllegri was quick to play down his side’s titlehopes despite equalling a club record of 12consecutive wins. “There are still 16 gamesleft and lots of points to play for so it’s farfrom over,” Allegri told Sky Sport.

“It’s the players who go out there and play,they win the games and I’m only there to lenda hand. “To me, records don’t matter. What’sthe point of winning 20 in a row if it doesn’twin you the title.” — AFP

Higuain hits 22nd goal as Napoli reclaim top spot

Everton spoil Carlisle’s big day in the FA Cup

CARLISLE: Carlisle United had dreamed of an FACup fairytale back at their Brunton Park home thathad been so heavily damaged in December’s floods,but Everton ruined the fourth tier side’s big daywith a comprehensive 3-0 win in the fourth roundyesterday.

It was an emotional occasion for Carlisle follow-ing the devastation wrought by Storm Desmondwhich had left much of the Cumbrian city deluged,including the football stadium, where water rose ashigh as the crossbars.

Following a major relief effort, with players,management and staff helping with the clean-up asthe club were forced to play away from home,Carlisle had returned to League Two action at anewly-relaid Brunton Park last week. Still, every-one’s thoughts remained on their money-spinning,glamour Cup tie against five-time winners Everton,seeking their first final success in the old competi-tion since 1995. Yet their hopes of achieving anupset befitting of the occasion in front of a sold-outcrowd were doused within two minutes as AaronLennon swept down the right wing and crossed lowfor Arouna Kone to tap home the simplest of goals.When the rampant Lennon cut past a static defend-er to fire home a second after 14 minutes, a longafternoon looked in prospect for the home side butCarlisle held out until a brilliant 65th minute RossBarkley strike from the edge of the penalty areamade it 3-0.

Everton manager Roberto Martinez told BTSport afterwards: “We knew that you can allowthese games to be very complicated. I thought wedealt with it with an incredible professionalism.

The start of the game allowed us to control therest of it. “The fourth round of the FA Cup alwaysbrings excitement. I thought we played well andcontrolled the threat that Carlisle can bring.”

Everton missed out on the chance of a Wembleyfinal in the League Cup when they lost the secondleg of their semi-final to Manchester City onWednesday, going out 4-3 on aggregate, butLennon is eyeing some FA Cup glory.

“We knew we had to get back to winning waysand fast. We had to get over Wednesday’s disap-pointment and we are in the draw later today,” hesaid.

The fourth round was being completed laterwith Chelsea playing at Championship side (secondtier) Milton Keynes Dons ahead of the fifth rounddraw yesterday evening. — Reuters

NAPLES: Napoli’s Argentinian-French forward Gonzalo Higuain kicks the ball duringthe Italian Serie A football match SSC Napoli vs Empoli FC yesterday at the San Paolostadium in Naples. — AFP

MILAN: Juventus clocked up their 12th suc-cessive Serie A win yesterday when theyswept aside Chievo 4-0 away in a hopelesslyone-sided encounter. Alvaro Morata setJuventus on their way with two first-half goalsbefore Alex Sandro and inspirational midfield-er Paul Pogba added two more in the secondhalf. The win left Juventus, who are aiming fora fifth successive title, with 48 points from 22games, one ahead of Napoli who began theweekend as leaders and are at home toEmpoli later on Sunday (1400 GMT).

It also equalled their record number of con-secutive league wins in a single season.Juventus needed only six minutes to take thelead when Stephan Lichtsteiner’s low crossfound Morata at the far post and the Spaniardtapped in from close range. Morata, whoscored twice in the Wednesday’s 3-0 ItalianCup win over Inter Milan, took his tally to four

in a week with another tap-in six minutesbefore the break after Paulo Dybala and SamiKhedira combined to carve open the Chievodefence. Juve’s spluttering start to the season,which included a 1-1 draw at home to Chievo,was a distant memory as they continued todominate the game after the break.

They added a third in the 61st minutewhen Lichtsteiner played a one-two withDybala and fed the ball to Pogba who in turnplayed it into the path of Alex Sandro, whorifled it home emphatically.

Pogba completed the rout when he col-lected the ball just outside the area, weavedhis way past two defenders and side-footed alow shot past exasperated Chievo goalkeeperAlbano Bizzarri. The Frenchman was denied asecond goal by the crossbar in stoppage timeafter a stunning piece of control to bringdown a long pass out of defence. — Reuters

Juve thump Chievo for 12th league win in a row

VERONA: Juventus’ team jump to celebrate at the end of the Serie A football matchbetween Chievo Verona and Juventus at Bentegodi Stadium in Verona yesterday. — AFP

MADRID: Gary Neville’s terrible La Liga runsince taking charge of Valencia continued asLos Che lost 1-0 to Sporting Gijon yesterday,the team’s first home defeat since November2014.

Antonio Sanabria’s penalty five minutesinto the second-half handed Sporting theirfirst away win since October as Valencia paidfor missing a host of clear-cut chances, mostnotably through captain Alvaro Negredo.

Neville has now not won in eight leaguegames since taking charge last month.

Victory moves Sporting out of the relega-tion zone up to 16th with Valencia now just

six points off the drop zone in 12th.Boosted by their progression to the semi-

finals of the Copa del Rey in midweek,Valencia had started brightly as SofianeFeghouli blasted over from a good positionbefore Andre Gomes’s powerful drive wasparried by Ivan Cuellar.

However, they were made to pay for onemoment of rash indiscipline as Danilo clippedJony as he broke into the box and Sanabriaconverted the resulting penalty for his 10thgoal of the season. Australian internationalMatt Ryan then made a fine save from Jony’sfree-kick to keep Valencia in the game.— AFP

Sporting Gijon pile misery on Valencia

15Brit Kennaugh wins Australian road race


India clinchthriller to complete sweepover Aussies

Thai owners chase glory after Leicester’s remarkable run Page 19

MELBOURNE: This combo of file photos shows Serbia’s Novak Djokovic kissing the Norman Brookes Trophy after his six victories — (top L to R) 2008, 2011, 2012 and (bottom L to R) 2013, 2015 and yesterday — in themen’s singles finals at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne. Djokovic beat Andy Murray in straight sets to win his sixth Australian Open title yesterday. — AFP

MELBOURNE: World number one Novak Djokovichammered a misfiring Andy Murray in straight sets towin a record-equalling sixth Australian Open title andstrengthen his grip on men’s tennis yesterday.

The Serbian world number one swept to a 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 (7/3) victory in two hours, 53 minutes to hand Murrayhis fifth defeat in the Melbourne Park final.

Djokovic equalled the tally of Australia’s RoyEmerson, who won the tournament six times between1961 and 1967, an achievement that had goneunmatched in the 49 years since. It was also Djokovic’s11th Grand Slam title, putting him in equal fifth placeon the all-time list alongside Rod Laver and Bjorn Borg,behind leader Roger Federer’s 17.

“It’s an incredible feeling, especially because of thefact that I managed to make history tonight and equalRoy Emerson’s record of six Australian Opens,” Djokovicsaid. “This trophy is even more unique for me tonightand when you have an opportunity to make history itadds to the motivation and incentive before you comeout on the court.”

Djokovic underlined his status as the dominant forcein Melbourne, after downing Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to winhis first major title in 2008 and beating Rafael Nadal inan epic final in 2012, along with his four wins overMurray in 2011, 2013, 2015 and now 2016.

Djokovic also extended his Grand Slam winningstreak to 21 matches. He has not lost a match at themajors since he was defeated by Stan Wawrinka in lastyear’s French Open final at Roland Garros.

While Djokovic was further enhancing his reputation,Murray has the unwanted statistic of becoming only thesecond man in the post-1968 Open era to lose fiveGrand Slam finals at any one major.

Ivan Lendl, Murray’s former coach, lost five finals atthe US Open in 1982-1984 and 1988-1989, before win-ning at Flushing Meadows in 1985-1987.

MAKING A STATEMENT Murray had tears in his eyes at the presentation

when he thanked his pregnant wife Kim Sears, who isdue to give birth to their first child in the coming weeks.

“You’ve been a legend for the last two weeks. Thankyou so much for all of your support and I’ll be on thenext plane home,” he said in a faltering voice.

Djokovic won 24 more points than Murray, 123-99, inthe final, while Murray made a total of 65 unforcederrors-including 28 off his forehand and 29 off his back-hand.

Djokovic faced a break point in his opening servicegame but then went on a blazing run, breakingMurray’s serve twice to claim the opening set in 30minutes.

Murray survived four break points to hold serve in amarathon 12-minute third game as he tried to stay inthe second set against the pressing Serb.

But Djokovic gained another psychological break-through with a service break in the seventh game afterMurray overhit a forehand to trail 4-3.

Fighting Murray broke back in the following gamewith his backhand clipping the baseline, which wasconfirmed by Djokovic’s challenge.

Murray fought off two break points in a fiercely con-

tested ninth game in a war of the attrition between thetwo long-time rivals, who have known each other sincetheir junior days.

But Djokovic fought back from 0-40 down to breakMurray’s serve for a fourth time, in a game featuringone exhausting 36-shot rally, to lead 6-5 and serve forthe second set.

The Serb claimed a two sets to love lead after win-ning an 80-minute battle for the second set, leavingMurray with it all to do.

Djokovic tightened the noose with another servicebreak in the first game of the final set, with Murray’stask looking herculean to take the final to five sets.

Murray broke back in the sixth game but in thetiebreaker the Scot served two double-faults asDjokovic steamed to five match points, and belted anace on the third match point to seal the championship.

It was yet another big statement from the peerlessSerb against a major rival, after he swamped RafaelNadal 6-1, 6-2 at Doha and convincingly beat Federer inthe Melbourne semi-finals. — AFP

Djokovic thrashes Murray for sixth Aussie Open title

MILTON KEYNES: A first-half Oscar hat-tricktogether with Eden Hazard’s first goal of theseason gave Chelsea a comfortable 5-1 victoryat Milton Keynes Dons in the FA Cup yesterday.Chelsea remain undefeated in eight gamesunder interim manager Guus Hiddink and thisimpressive fourth-round display confirmed theprogress that they have made under theDutchman.

The win ensures that Chelsea remain in con-tention to repeat the FA Cup success theyenjoyed when Hiddink was last in interimcharge of the club in 2009.

And the manager had every reason to besatisfied with the way his side eased their wayto victory at Stadium MK, albeit against second-tier opposition. Oscar’s goals grabbed theattention, but Hazard’s penalty, his first goal in30 appearances for his club, came as a hugerelief. Burkinabe international Bertrand Traorewas also on target with his first Chelsea goal.Hiddink signalled his intentions by fielding astrong side, although he did take the opportu-nity to hand rare starts to left-back BabaRahman and young midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

With loan signing Alexandre Pato not eligi-ble to play and both Loic Remy and RadamelFalcao injured, Diego Costa led the line and hiswork alongside Oscar quickly nixed any chanceof an upset.

After a dominant start, Chelsea took a 15th-minute lead courtesy of a defensive mistake. Anunderhit back-pass by Kyle McFadzean allowedCosta to advance on goal and the strikerunselfishly squared the ball for Oscar to finishinto an empty net.

It was to MK Dons’ credit that they respond-ed positively and drew level six minutes laterwhen Darren Potter’s shot took a deflection offNemanja Matic and looped over the leapingThibaut Courtois.

However, the gulf in quality between theteams meant it was only a matter of time beforeChelsea asserted their superiority, although

goalkeeper David Martin did his best to holdthem at bay, saving well from Hazard beforeCosta nicked the ball off the toe of Oscar infront of goal. Another chance quickly cameOscar’s way and this time the Brazilian made nomistake with a well-placed finish in the 32ndminute. The playmaker, operating on the righton this occasion with Loftus-Cheek filling thecentral role, completed his hat-trick when hecut in from the left and found the corner of thegoal with a well-placed right-foot shot. Thehome side had offered little resistance and thepattern of the game was maintained after thebreak when Hazard was tripped by Potter in the55th minute. Chelsea skipper John Terry inter-vened to ensure Hazard took the penalty andthe Belgium rolled the ball home to his obviousrelief. Substitute Traore then completed a rou-tine victory for the visitors when he finished

with a first-time shot after Hazard had chasedCesc Fabregas’s pass out to the byline beforesetting up the Burkina Faso youngster. In theday’s other tie, Everton got over their mid-weekLeague Cup elimination against ManchesterCity by winning 3-0 at fourth-tier Carlisle Unitedcourtesy of goals from Arouna Kone, AaronLennon and Ross Barkley. But the match wasmarred by racist abuse directed at Everton’splayers after Kone’s second-minute opener,which prompted referee Lee Mason to ask for awarning message to be read out over the pub-lic address system. “I thought it was dealt within a very good manner,” Everton managerRoberto Martinez told BT Sport.

“We agreed to make an announcement. Ithought the referee was very good in how hedealt with that. It was just a reaction, somethingthat we don’t want to see.” —AFP

Chelsea cruise in FA Cup

MILTON KEYNES: Milton Keynes Dons’ Jordan Spence, left, competes for the ball withChelsea’s Pedro during the English FA Cup fourth round soccer match between MiltonKeynes Dons and Chelsea at Stadium mk in Milton Keynes, England, yesterday. — AP

BERLIN: Robert Lewandowski netted both goals as leaders Bayern Munichearned a 2-0 win over Hoffenheim yesterday to stay eight points clear in theBundesliga.

After the league’s top scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had scored twice forBorussia Dortmund to reach 20 league goals on Saturday, Lewandowski is nowjust behind with 19.

The Poland striker gave Bayern the lead at Munich’s Allianz Arena after blast-ing home Douglas Costa’s low cross on 32 minutes.

He doubled his tally with some clinical finishing after a superb through ballfrom Bayern captain Philipp Lahm on 64 minutes. It could have been three asChile midfielder Arturo Vidal hit the post. Hoffenheim remain second from bot-tom as they failed to secure their maiden win over Bayern at the 16th attempt.

There was bad news for Bayern coach Pep Guardiola before kick-off as JaviMartinez dropped out with a knee injury. It forced Guardiola into playing a three-man defence leaving Holger Badstuber as their only fit centre-back with JeromeBoateng and Medhi Benatia currently sidelined.

Their Champions League last 16, first-leg clash at Juventus is just three weeksaway with the return leg in Munich on March 16.

Meanwhile, Wolfsburg remain winless in their four games since beatingManchester United in the Champions League after being held to a 1-1 draw athome to Cologne.

Wolfsburg face Belgian side Gent in the away leg of their last-16 tie in Europeon February 17. But Dieter Hecking’s side have now lost two and drawn two intheir last four games since knocking United out of the Champions League with a3-2 win last December.

The hosts went ahead when right-winger Vieirinha fired in a cross, whichfound Julian Draxler unmarked for the Germany international to fire home on 67minutes. Cologne equalised eight minutes later when Anthony Modeste curledhis shot around Wolves ‘keeper Diego Benaglio. The result left Wolfsburg sev-enth-outside the European places for next season-and Cologne ninth.

On Saturday, Dortmund enjoyed a 2-0 win over Ingolstadt to go ten pointsclear of third-placed Hertha Berlin. Dortmund could consider themselves fortu-nate though as captain Mats Hummels escaped a red card for a foul in the area.

He then scored a second-half own-goal, which the referee refused to award toIngolstadt after a foul in the build-up, before Aubameyang struck twice.

Hertha threw away a 2-0 lead as hosts Werder Bremen roared back with threegoals in ten second-half minutes to claim a point in a 3-3 draw.

Ivory Coast veteran Salomon Kalou struck Berlin’s third goal to leave Hertha 3-1 up in Bremen with 20 minutes left. Then Bremen veteran Claudio Pizarro netteda penalty before defender Santiago Garcia fired in a shot which was later creditedto Pizarro, who nudged the ball over the line to level the scores.

Bayer Leverkusen climbed to fourth with a 3-0 win at Hanover 96, whodropped to the bottom, with Javier Hernandez scoring twice in the romp. — AFP

Lewandowski nets twice as Bayern down Hoffenheim

BusinessMONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2016

Oil prices may rise up to $50pb in Q1: Analyst

Page 22

Innovative technology driving Nissan’s growth in Middle East

Page 25Al-Nahedh outlines KFH policy in an interview

Page 23NBK ‘the most valuable banking brand in Kuwait’

Page 26

TOKYO: People walk on a pedestrian crossing at a shopping street of Ginza area in Tokyo. Japan’s core inflation rate slipped to 0.5 percent in 2015, as low oil prices hindered efforts by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to spur growth bypushing prices higher, according to data released on Friday. — AP

KUWAIT: Gulf Bank yesterday announced anoperating profit before provisions of KD 108million for the year ended, 31 December 2015,and a net profit at KD 39 million, which is a 10percent increase over 2014. At the end ofDecember 2015, the Bank’s total assets wereKD 5,438 million. The growth in deposits was 5percent, increasing the total deposits at thebank to KD 4,563 million. Total shareholders’equity increased by 5 percent to KD 538 mil-lion.

Loan quality remains strong, reflecting theBank’s prudent underwriting policies and pro-cedures. Non-performing loans (NPLs) declinedfrom 3.2 percent at the end of 2014 to 2.7 per-cent at the end of 2015 and coverage (collater-als and provisions) on NPLs improved to 348percent.

Commenting on the results, Omar KutaybaAlghanim, Gulf Bank’s Chairman said: “ Thesepast several years have marked the culmina-tion of the journey to transform Gulf Bank with2015 decisively demonstrating the Bank hasmoved onto a different path of growth andinnovation. We have seen a 10 percent growthin profits; strengthened our balance sheet;diversified our portfolio to reduce concentra-tions in risk sectors; recorded net double digitgrowth in net profit for two straight years; cov-erage (collateral and provisions) on NPLsreached 348 percent; and our retail sector con-tinues to achieve strong growth. Furthermore,the Bank closes the year with an “A” rating fromthe three leading credit agencies, havingreceived upgrades from both Moody’s andStandard & Poor’s. All of these indicators arepositive and we will be proposing cash divi-dends for our shareholders, of 4 fils per share,at our upcoming Annual General Meeting.”

Alghanim continued: “I am excited by thetransformation of the bank and looking for-ward to continuing to innovate and grow innew areas, particularly with new technologies.Furthermore, our qualitative indicators onclient satisfaction are up, which is a leadingmarker for even better future results. During2016, we are reinforcing our commitment toattract, develop, and retain the best talent; tothat end, our methods, systems and practiceswill be revamped to world-class standards. Iwould like to thank the Board of Directors, ourShareholders, the Central Bank of Kuwait, theCapital Markets Authority, and our staff fortheir support throughout the year.

César Gonzalez-Bueno, Gulf Bank’s CEO said:“The Bank’s strategic direction, set by theChairman and the Board, was successfullyimplemented during 2015. There was netgrowth in Wholesale, despite the purposeful

decrease in high-risk sectors and clients. InRetail, we had double-digit growth in con-sumer loans and a 4 percent growth in our cur-rent and savings accounts, both of which havebeen faster than market growth. Following therevamp of two of our customer segments, theKuwaiti salary proposition increased by 12 per-cent and the youth/student focused Redincreased by 52 percent. In terms of new prod-ucts, we launched our new loyalty programGulf Rewards which is the fastest and mostrewarding loyalty program in Kuwait. Itincludes Gulf Points for flights and hotelsredemptions and ‘Entertainer’, Kuwait’s firstgeo-locator mobile application that gives cus-tomers exclusive offers in Kuwait, UAE, andLondon. I am encouraged by our results andproduct launches in 2015, we will carry thismomentum of transformation and healthygrowth into 2016. In Wholesale, new productsand enhanced services will soon hit the marketand in Retail, major improvements in productsand channels are about to be launched.”

Gulf Bank now rated “A” by leading rating agencies

The Bank closes the year with three “A” rat-ings from the leading international credit rat-ing agencies. These upgrades in ratings aresignificant as they come in an era of decliningoil prices and a weakening global economy. InJune 2015, the Bank received a rating upgradefrom Standard & Poor’s to A- from BBB+. InNovember, the Bank received a rating upgrade

from Moody’s to A3 from Baa1. Throughout2015, the Bank maintained it’s A+ rating fromFitch Ratings. These agencies have noted thework the Bank has completed a wide restruc-turing of its portfolio and working out signifi-cant volumes of impaired loans. These ratingsalso reflect the Bank’s strict risk standards,along with its resilient core profitability, andadequacy of its capital buffers. The agenciesalso affirmed the Bank’s asset quality, capital-ization, solid-revenue-generating capacity, andsound risk-management systems and prac-tices.

Social responsibility focuses on health/fitness and youth

The Bank continues to dedicate itself tosponsorships and events that benefit the com-munity at-large. The Bank successfully con-cluded the first Gulf Bank 642 Marathon,Kuwait’s first and only full road race to be inter-nationally accredited by the world’s governingbody for the sport of track and field athletics.The Gulf Bank 642 Marathon was a walking andrunning event (5km, 10km, 21km, and 42Km)and the three longer distance categories nowappear in the international calendar of racesand serve as qualifying races for other worldmarathons. The event was well received as theywere 2,400 participants who came from over74 countries.

The Bank was a lead sponsor of INJAZ-Kuwait, and will continue its strategic partner-ship to help deliver Arabic and English lan-

Gulf Bank net profit rises 10% to KD 39m4 fils per share cash dividend recommended

guage education programs on entrepre-neurial and leaderships skills to helpyouth build successful careers. The Bankwas also a platinum sponsor of theNational Union of Kuwaiti Students con-ference in the USA (NUKS-USA), where itheld several skills and career workshops.Additionally, it also sponsored the TmkeenYouth Empowerment Symposium, aKuwaiti initiative delivered by youth tothe youth in Kuwait. Furthermore, theBank also sponsored the Jahazeen 2 train-ing and development program in cooper-ation with Kuwait ’s Manpower andGovernment Restructuring Program(MGRP).

AwardsDuring 2015, the bank growth and

soundness was strongly acknowledgedby the financial services and bankingindustry with numerous prestigiousawards. In 2015, the Bank won over 20awards spread over different sectors of itswork. These awards provide a benchmark

for the financial sector, recognizing themost successful and innovative bankingsolutions. With certain awards they areglobal market comparisons, and in otherinstances the awards are country specific,so that the competition is within the samemarket and regulatory framework.

The awards include “Best Retail Bank inKuwait” by The Asian Banker; “Best RetailBank in Kuwait” and “Best Retail CustomerService Bank in Kuwait” fromInternational Finance Magazine (IFM);“Best Commercial Bank” and “BestInnovation in Retail Banking” fromInternational Banker; and “Best CustomerExperience Overall Branch” and “BestBranch Experience” from Ethos IntegratedSolutions; “Best Car Loan” and “BestCustomer Service (Retail)” from BankerMiddle East, “Best Cash ManagementBank in Kuwait” by The Asian Banker; and“Best Customer Service (Retail)”, “Best CarLoan”, as well as ‘Best Cash Management’awards from Banker Middle East KuwaitProduct Awards 2015.

Omar Alghanim, Chairman Gulf Bank CEO César Gonzalez-Bueno

By Hayder Tawfik

KUWAIT: The bank of Japan surprised the global financial mar-kets by taking interest rates into negative territories. The officialrate now stands at minus -0.1 percent. The surprise action wasso powerful that it immediately lead to a surge in global equityand bond markets and a weakness of 2 percent in the Japaneseyen against the US dollar. It seems that most central banksaround the world are worried about what is happening inChina and mostly worried about the Chinese central bankdevaluing the Yuan. Some are talking about a global economicslowdown in the coming months. Even the US economy isshowing signs of fatigue. US gross domestic product for the lastquarter of 2015 has slowed down sharply to an annualized rateof just 0.7 percent, as tumbling oil prices and weak exportsmostly hit by surging dollar held back economic growth.

The surprise action by the bank of Japan proves the pointthat global inflation is no longer a threat and the risk of globaldeflation is a big risk. The main global deflationary risk couldcome from China. China is very good at exporting cheap goodsand for them exporting deflation through even cheaperexports is not a problem. Also this action by the bank of Japan

could ignite global competitive currency devaluation.

Can Japan succeed in coming out of the deflationary spiral?Japan will ultimately come out of the vicious deflationary

slump only when the Yen is allowed to weaken a lot. ?One ofthe main external cause of Japanese deflation has been thecontinues foreign direct investment in China. DomesticallyJapan has an excess of domestic supply capacity that has beenanother cause of the internal deflation. A devaluation of the Yenis way over due and should lead to a reduction of both sourcesof deflation and unfortunately will lead to a much bigger prob-lem and that is a global deflation. The Japanese old grave sys-tem of savings by the public and the private has to be disman-tled if Japan ever needs to get out of the deflationary circles. Adevalued Yen will temporarily create inflation and a boom inexports but a deflation will come back if the domestic savingscarry on piling up.

Because of the staggering foreign direct investments inChina over the past decades and Japanese direct investmentsthroughout the world in particular Japanese producers ofexportable goods whose direct investments, driven by thestrong yen, are having the most deflationary impact on the

global economy. As longas the Yen stays strongthis keeps their domesticoperating costs prohibi-tively high relative toChina and other countriesin Asia such as Thailandthat has attracted billionsof dollars of Japanesedirect investments. Amore important source ofa deflationary threataround the world is theovercapacity and excesssupply of producedgoods. Globally, every economy that relies on manufacturingindustry is exporting its excess supply to one another. The glob-al economy needs consumptions rather than productions orlets say inflation. The weakness of the Japanese Yen and theChinese Yuan has already forced central banks around theworld to cut interest rates in the hope of devaluing their curren-cies. — Rasameel

Al-Anwar board approves Falcon Insurance stake sale

DUBAI: Oman’s Al Anwar Holding said yesterday its boardhad approved a proposal to sell a stake in its affiliate FalconInsurance for 1.2 times book value. The transaction, which thediversified holding company said on Jan. 13 had been pro-posed by an “interested party” through Oman Arab Bank, issubject to the completion of due diligence and regulatoryapprovals, according to a bourse filing. Al Anwar, which holds51 percent of Falcon Insurance, had said in June that it wasplanning an initial public offer of shares in the insurer.Yesterday’s statement did not make clear whether Al Anwarwould sell its entire stake or only part of it, or who the buyerwould be. Falcon Insurance was one of five companies due tolist on the Oman stock exchange in 2016, the head of themarket regulator was quoted as saying by a local newspaperearlier this month.

B U S I N E S S


Newsi n b r i e f

EXCHANGE RATES

Bahrain Exchange Company

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co.

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd

ASIAN COUNTRIESJapanese Yen 2.573Indian Rupees 4.494Pakistani Rupees 2.896Srilankan Rupees 2.115Nepali Rupees 2.815Singapore Dollar 213.530Hongkong Dollar 38.973Bangladesh Taka 3.871Philippine Peso 6.334Thai Baht 8.469

GCC COUNTRIESSaudi Riyal 81.070Qatari Riyal 83.510Omani Riyal 789.631Bahraini Dinar 807.360UAE Dirham 82.770

ARAB COUNTRIESEgyptian Pound - Cash 38.300Egyptian Pound - Transfer 38.872Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.419Tunisian Dinar 149.170Jordanian Dinar 428.230Lebanese Lira/for 1000 2.026Syrian Lira 2.167Morocco Dirham 31.005

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIESUS Dollar Transfer 303.850Euro 331.500Sterling Pound 434.050Canadian dollar 213.080Turkish lira 100.550Swiss Franc 301.140Australian Dollar 213.000US Dollar Buying 302.650

CURRENCY BUY SELLEurope

British Pound 0.425443 0.434443Czech Korune 0.004168 0.016168Danish Krone 0.040063 0.045063Euro 0.323887 0.331887Norwegian Krone 0.030599 0.035799Romanian Leu 0.072597 0.072597Slovakia 0.009074 0.019074Swedish Krona 0.031361 0.036361Swiss Franc 0.293082 0.303282Turkish Lira 0.095588 0.105888

AustralasiaAustralian Dollar 0.202780 0.214280New Zealand Dollar 0.189744 0.199244

AmericaCanadian Dollar 0.207171 0.215671US Dollars 0.299750 0.304250

US Dollars Mint 0.300250 0.304250

AsiaBangladesh Taka 0.003517 0.004117Chinese Yuan 0.044712 0.048212Hong Kong Dollar 0.036896 0.039646Indian Rupee 0.004217 0.004607Indonesian Rupiah 0.000017 0.000023Japanese Yen 0.002487 0.002667Kenyan Shilling 0.002963 0.002963Korean Won 0.000242 0.000257Malaysian Ringgit 0.067162 0.073162Nepalese Rupee 0.002881 0.003051Pakistan Rupee 0.002589 0.002869Philippine Peso 0.006265 0.006545Sierra Leone 0.000070 0.000076Singapore Dollar 0.208993 0.214993South African Rand 0.012275 0.020775Sri Lankan Rupee 0.001762 0.002342Taiwan 0.008916 0.009096Thai Baht 0.008134 0.008684

ArabBahraini Dinar 0.799079 0.807079Egyptian Pound 0.035399 0.039735Iranian Riyal 0.000084 0.000085Iraqi Dinar 0.000200 0.000260Jordanian Dinar 0.424564 0.432064Kuwaiti Dinar 1.000000 1.000000Lebanese Pound 0.000150 0.000250Moroccan Dirhams 0.021497 0.045497Nigerian Naira 0.001255 0.001890Omani Riyal 0.7828900 0.788480Qatar Riyal 0.082749 0.083962Saudi Riyal 0.080140 0.081090Syrian Pound 0.001288 0.001508Tunisian Dinar 0.146009 0.154009Turkish Lira 0.095588 0.105888UAE Dirhams 0.081746 0.082895Yemeni Riyal 0.001373 0.001453

UAE Exchange Centre WLL

CURRENCIES TELEX TRANSFER PER 1000Australian Dollar 202.30Canadian Dollar 218.22Swiss Franc 304.94Euro 332.67US Dollar 304.45Sterling Pound 437.40Japanese Yen 2.61Bangladesh Taka 3.881Indian Rupee 4.504Sri Lankan Rupee 2.118Nepali Rupee 2.813Pakistani Rupee 2.898UAE Dirhams 0.08285Bahraini Dinar 0.8091Egyptian Pound 0.03878Jordanian Dinar 0.4330Omani Riyal 0.7906Qatari Riyal 0.08394Saudi Riyal 0.08115

Rate for Transfer Selling RateUS Dollar 304.350Canadian Dollar 217.315Sterling Pound 436.095Euro 330.075Swiss Frank 310.175Bahrain Dinar 805.175UAE Dirhams 83.105Qatari Riyals 84.320

Saudi Riyals 81.840Jordanian Dinar 428.735Egyptian Pound 38.757Sri Lankan Rupees 2.119Indian Rupees 4.495Pakistani Rupees 2.897Bangladesh Taka 3.871Philippines Pesso 6.361Cyprus pound 579.695Japanese Yen 3.555Syrian Pound 2.380Nepalese Rupees 3.805Malaysian Ringgit 72.045Chinese Yuan Renminbi 46.605Thai Bhat 9.425Turkish Lira 101.620

GOLD20 Gram 224.37010 Gram 115.1105 Gram 58.400

US dollar up against Kuwait dinar at 0.303

KUWAIT: The exchange rate of the US dollar against the Kuwaitidinar rose yesterday exchanging at KD 0.303, the euro was at KD0.328 compared to the exchange rates for last Thursday, said astatement by the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK). According to theCBK, the exchange rate of the Sterling pound was stable at KD0.431 while the Swiss franc was at KD 0.296. Exchange rate of theJapanese Yen remained the same at KD 0.002.

Dana Gas pipeline rupture hits Khor Mor plant

DUBAI: United Arab Emirates-based Dana Gas said on Sundaythat a gas pipeline between power plants in the Kurdistan regionof Iraq had ruptured, interrupting supply from its Khor Mor gasplant. The Jan 29 rupture between the Chemchemal and Erbilpower stations meant the Khor Mor plant was offline for a fewhours, and Chemchemal was operating at around 50 percent ofits production capacity, Dana Gas said in a filing to the Abu Dhabistock market. No injuries were reported because of the incidentand repair work was underway, with a target of restoring full pro-duction levels at Khor Mor within one week, the statement added.The pipeline, which supplies gas used to generate around half theelectricity in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, was blown up on Friday,knocking out power, a police chief and electricity official toldReuters at the time.

Egyptian pound stayssteady at forex sale

CAIRO: The Egyptian pound held steady against the dollar atan official foreign currency auction yesterday but strength-ened on the black market. Egypt, which depends on importsfor its food and energy, is facing a foreign currency crisis andauthorities are under increasing pressure to devalue thepound. But the central bank surprised markets when itstrengthened the pound by 20 piasters in November and hasheld it steady ever since. The central bank sold $39.1 millionat a cut-off price of 7.7301 pounds to the dollar yesterday,unchanged from the previous auction. The official rate is stillfar stronger than the black market rate which, strengthenedto around 8.75 from 8.78 on Thursday. To help relieve a dollarshortage that has seen imports of essential goods piling up atports, the central bank on Tuesday raised the cap on foreigncurrency deposits at banks fivefold to $250,000.

LONDON: Oil prices could rise between $40-50per barrel by the end of the first quarter of thisyear, Kamel Al-Harami, an oil analyst said. Heattributed the rise in oil prices that reached$34.15 pb on Friday to Russia’s positive stanceseeking to consult with key oil producersacross the globe including OPEC memberstates in this regard. Russian Minister of Energyannounced on Thursday that his country isready for participating in the coming OPECmeeting due in February, welcoming consulta-tions on the possibility of cutting output byfive percent in order to address the decline inoil prices.

Understanding between Russia and SaudiArabia, which is expected to be developedclearly in the coming period, will have a posi-tive impact on oil prices, Al-Harami told KUNAin an interview, expecting that oil prices willrise by the end of first quarter of this year to$40pb.

Al-Harami defended the decision taken bySaudi Arabia and all GCC member states for not

cutting oil production, saying “the Gulf stancewas clear since November, 2014, which calledfor coordination among OPEC and non-OPECproducers to decrease production so as to stopthe continued low prices.” He noted that sur-plus production of all oil producing countries,in particular non-OPEC countries like Russia,led to a decline in oil prices.

Oil markets need coordination betweenOPEC and non-OPEC producers, mainly Russia,to maintain prices between $40-50 pb, he said.

He stressed the necessity of cooperationamong all oil producing countries to addresscheap oil, including shale oil, offshore oil andoil from Siberia, which are excavated at highprices.

He affirmed that oil prices will not rise to$100 pb during the next decade for many caus-es, mainly a slowdown in global growth andeconomic problems facing Europe. He urgedRussia, as a major oil producer, to work withSaudi Arabia so as to find a possibility to cutproduction to help all producers obtain satis-

factory prices. Russian Foreign Minister SergeiLavrov will visit UAE and Oman in the begin-ning of February to discuss some issues, includ-ing the situation of oil markets.

Market impactedKuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) in January was

drastically affected with control of companieswith cheap shares over performance, fluctua-tion in oil prices and expectation of data ofcompanies in the last quarter of 2015, said twoKuwaiti analysts. Selling pressures were presentin all sessions during January, negatively affect-ing the sectors’ indicators, the analysts toldKUNA on Sunday, in two separate interviews.Pressures the market suffered from duringJanuary’s trading were caused by reluctance ofmany dealers to get into selling orders so as toavoid losses, Mohammad Al-Tarrah said, addingas a result, the price index went down to 5, 000points in some sessions.

Many managers of financial portfoliosturned to shares, below 50 fils, as they had

attractive prices and had become an opportu-nity for all that may not be provided nextmonth, when companies would announcetheir financial results in the last quarter of lastyear, he said.

On his part, Hamad Al-Hajri, said small deal-ers will follow up in February on movement ofmajor groups to imitate them in a bid to com-pensate some losses in the last quarter of lastyear, due to decline in oil prices. Phycology ofmany dealers controls their decisions in themarket, he said, urging key investment groupsto support performance, instead of helpingtheir companies make gains.

KSE ended trading yesterday in the greenzone. The price index was up by 104.13 pointsto reach 5,114.52 points, the weighted indexalso went up by 8. 56 points to stand at 353.43points, as well as the KSX 15 which increasedby 20.12 points, to read 829.8 points. Trade val-ue was KD 25.3 million while the volume wasat 286 million shares, done through 6,433deals. — KUNA

Oil prices may rise up to $50pb in Q1: Analyst

Unstable oil prices haunted KSE in January

TOKYO: People walk past in front of Bank of Japan. The Bank of Japan on Friday introduced a negative interest policy for the first time, seekingto shore up a stumbling recovery in the world’s third-largest economy. — AP

DUBAI: Iran aims to boost its crude oilproduction capacity by 160,000 barrelsper day following the completion ofexpansion projects at its North Azadeganand Yadavaran oilfields, a senior Iranianoil official was quoted as saying. The twooilfields are both operational and readyto be officially inaugurated after the Feb.26 parliamentary elections, AbdolrezaHaji-Hosseinnejad was cited as saying byIran’s oil ministry news agency Shana onSaturday. Haji-Hosseinnejad is head ofIran’s Petroleum Engineering andDevelopment Company (PEDEC).

North Azadegan can produce 75,000bpd and Yadavaran 85,000 bpd, he said.The gas section of Yadavaran oil field iswaiting for LNG facilities to become pro-ductive, he added. China’s Sinopec andChina National Petroleum Corp (CNPC)

started developing the two fields, bothlocated in south-western Iran, but Irancompleted the work due to internationalsanctions on Tehran, the official said.Iran terminated CNPC contract to devel-op the Azadegan oilfield in 2014 afterthe Chinese energy giant ignoredrepeated appeals to continue workingon it. Yadavaran has reserves of 31 bil-lion barrels of light and heavy crude oilwhile North Azadegan has a 5.7 billionbarrels of crude reserves. I ran alsoexpects crude production at its NorthYaran oil field to reach 30,000 bpd byMarch 2017, the end of the next Iranianyear, while South Azadegan will reach aproduction capacity of 60,000 bpdaround the same date, Haji-Hosseinnejad said, according to Shana.— Reuters

China worries push Japan into negative interest rates

Iran aims to boost oiloutput capacity by

160,000 bpd

KUWAIT: “KFH’s policy focuses on increasingsustainable profitability and the core bankingbusiness. This has been translated in the 2015financial results where KFH posted a net profit ofKD 145.8 million, an increase by 15.3 percentover last year. The finance portfolio increased by8.1 percent to KD 8.127 billion, which is ahealthy rate. KFH continues its efforts in expand-ing its banking business at the level of the Groupwhile reducing the profits related to marketvolatility”, said Kuwait Finance House -CEOMazin Saad Al-Nahedh.

He added in an interview with CNBC Arabiyaconducted at KFH headquarters, that KFH’sexposure to stocks is minor, indicating that 92percent of guarantees on offered financing areagainst monetary or real estate guarantees.

Al-Nahedh explained that KFH’s provisions in2015 reached KD 147 mln, noting that the totalprovisions of the Group as of the end of 2015reached KD 668 million, an increase by 1.83 per-cent over the same period last year. These provi-sions are distributed as KD 492 million as financ-ing provisions, and KD 176 million as investmentprovisions.

He clarified that the non-performing loansNPLs dropped to 1.98 percent as of end 2015from 2.46 percent in 2014. They dropped to 3percent from 3.9 percent for the Group. The cov-erage of NPLs reached 114 percent. These num-

bers puts KFH on the right track. KFH is continu-ing its prudent policy in setting aside provisionsagainst NPLs, noting that the bank had alreadyset aside provisions against all its NPLs.

Furthermore, capital adequacy ratio (CAR)reached 16.67 percent after the distribution ofprofits to shareholders as 17 percent cash distri-butions and 10 percent bonus shares. KFHshrank its share in Alafco Aviation Lease andFinance Company to 47 percent from 53 per-cent, not to mention that the Gulf InvestmentCorporation entered as a major shareholder inthe said company.

Al-Nahedh stated that the fluctuations in oilprices and viewing this commodity as the mainsource of the economy affect the budget, indi-cating that the government has taken severalsteps that contribute in boosting the economy.He calls on further government projects that areconsidered vital and energize the market. Al-Nahedh voiced hope for the government toissue sukuk or bonds especially that banks enjoyhigh levels of liquidity which is a chance forthem to participate in bridging the budgetdeficit.


B U S I N E S S

KFH focuses on increasing sustainable

profitability, core banking business

Al-Nahedh outlines policy in an interview with CNBC

Al-Nahedh speaking to CNBC

MIAMI: A Chevron sign in Miami. Chevron Corp reported financial earningson Friday. —AP

BEIJING: Mid-tier Chinese banks areincreasingly using complex instru-ments to make new loans andrestructure existing loans that arethen shown as low-risk investmentson their balance sheets, masking thescale and risks of their lending toChina’s slowing economy.

The size of this ‘shadow loan’book rose by a third in the first halfof 2015 to an estimated $1.8 trillion,equivalent to 16.5 percent of allcommercial loans in China, a UBSanalysis shows. For smaller banks,the rate is much faster. This growingpractice, which involves financialstructures known as DirectionalAsset Management Plans (DAMPs)or Trust Beneficiary Rights (TBRs),comes at a time when some mid-tier lenders, under pressure fromChina’s slowest economic growth in25 years, are already delaying therecognition of bad loans.

“These are now the fastest grow-ing assets on the balance sheets ofmost listed banks, excluding the BigFive, not just in percentage termsbut absolute terms,” said UBS finan-cial institutions analyst JasonBedford, a former bank auditor inChina who focuses on the issue.

“The concern is that the lack oftransparency and mis-categoriza-tion of credit assets potentially hideconsiderable non-performingloans.”

To provide a buffer againsttough times, banks are required toset aside capital against their creditassets - the riskier the asset, themore capital must be set aside,earning them nothing.

Loans typically carry a 100 per-cent risk weighting, but theseinvestment products often carry aquarter of that, so banks can keepless money in reserve and lendmore.

Banks must also make provisionof at least 2.5 percent for their loanbooks as a prudent estimate ofpotential defaults, while provisionsfor these products ranged betweenjust 0.02 and 0.35 percent of thecapital value at the main Chinesebanks at the end of June, Moody’sInvestors Service said in a note lastmonth.

At China’s mid-tier lenderIndustrial Bank Co, for example, thevolume of investment receivablesdoubled over the first nine monthsof 2015 to 1.76 trillion yuan ($267billion).

This is equivalent to its entireloan book - and to the total assets inthe Philippine banking system, fil-ings showed. Industrial Bankdeclined to comment for this story.

Investment receivables mayinclude such benign assets as gov-ernment bonds, but increasinglythey include TBRs and DAMPs at

mid-tier lenders. At EvergrowingBank, investment receivablesreached 397 billion yuan inSeptember, surpassing its loan bookof 290 billion yuan. The bank saidlast year practically all of its invest-ment receivables were DAMPs andTBRs.

REGULATOR ON ALERTChina Zheshang Bank, another

smaller lender, also saw its invest-ment receivables double over thesame period, the bank’s prospectusto sell shares in Hong Kong shows.Zhang Changgong, the bank’sdeputy governor, said banks wereincreasingly becoming return-seek-ing asset managers, not merelenders.

“In the past banks (made loansand) held assets. Now banks man-age assets,” he said. The rapidgrowth of investment receivables,from less than $300 billion in 2012,comes despite a decision in 2014 byChina’s banking regulator to restrictpurchase of TBRs and DAMPs underrepurchase agreements in the inter-bank market, in a move to restrictthe growth of these assets.

But DAMPs and TBRs soon reap-peared on bank balance sheetsunder the line ‘investment receiv-ables’. The China Banking RegulatoryCommission (CBRC) is paying closeattention to investment receivables,

officials told Reuters.China Guangfa Bank’s Tianjin

branch was fined last year for usingits own funds to invest in a struc-tured product that was providing$1.5 billion yuan in financing to areal estate company to avoid loanrecognition and proper provision-ing, the CBRC said in a note on itswebsite.

The listing of Bank of Jinzhou,another small Chinese lender, nearlyderailed last year when it revealed indocuments prepared for the sharesale that it was exposed to troubledsolar company Hanergy Group, pri-marily through such products.

The bank subsequently sold offthe bulk of its risk. To structure thesedeals, a bank typically engages afriendly trust, securities, or assetmanagement company to set up afinancing arrangement for a bankclient. The bank then buys the bene-ficiary rights to the investmentproduct using a special purposevehicle. Typically, the originatingbank assumes all risk should theborrower default.

“If the originating bank does notpromise to pay from its own pocketshould any default happens, notrust company would agree to col-laborate,” said a senior executive at aChinese mid-tier bank, whodeclined to be named due to thesensitivity of the issue. —Reuters

China banks’ ‘shadow loans’

rose by third in H1 2015

LAGOS: Onele Vincent and his colleagues are fedup with the rising cost of living. So they decidedto do something about it and led a noisy protestat a top Lagos hotel where they work. “Things aremore expensive, rent is high, food is high,” Vincenttold AFP last week in the lobby of the SouthernSun hotel, a favourite of the monied elite, politi-cians and expatriates. “Everything has increasedand yet the staff salary has remained the same.”Vincent and the other hotel workers are far fromlone voices in Nigeria, where many are feeling thepain as Africa’s biggest oil producer struggles toadapt to the record lows of global oil prices andits naira currency is under devaluation pressure.

Daily newspaper headlines warn of “Hardtimes ahead”, while many billboards in the com-mercial hub of Lagos stand stark white, just blanksigns, an indication that companies are trimmingcosts. Even high fliers are taking a hit. Importers ofFrench wine complain that demand has dried up.Luxury car dealers and real estate agents say busi-ness has dwindled.

Africa’s leading economy is projected to havegrown by 3.0 percent in 2015, its slowest pace inover a decade, according to an InternationalMonetary Fund report in January. Unlike Norway,which invested hundreds of billions of dollars ofits oil money into stocks, bonds and real estate,Nigeria spent its riches when times were good.Now that crude prices have slumped more thantwo-thirds since $100 per barrel in mid-2014,Nigeria is exposed.

Dollar reserves currently stand at a low of $28billion — $20 billion less than in April 2013. Thereis only enough for five months of imports for acountry heavily dependent on foreign goods.

‘Lack of direction’ While the huge drop in oil prices is a major

headache for Nigeria, analysts say it is the govern-ment’s response that is the biggest cause for con-cern. The central bank governor, GodwinEmefiele, on Tuesday dismissed calls to devaluethe naira in his monetary policy committee state-ment.

Instead he chose to continue propping up thecurrency at 197-199 naira to the dollar and main-tain foreign-exchange restrictions. As a result, thenaira on the black market is hovering around arecord low of 305, fuelling complaints fromdomestic and foreign businesses who can’t accessdollars needed for imports.

With little domestic manufacturing and yearsof under-investment, mismanagement and cor-ruption in the oil sector, Nigeria depends onimports for almost everything, from milk andmachinery to petroleum products. Jitteryinvestors, fearing the inevitable devaluation of thenaira, have held off doing business in the countryuntil there is a clearer monetary policy.

“The situation right now is causing a lot of anx-iety and uncertainty because no one knows howto plan for it,” said Anna Rosenburg, emergingmarkets analyst at Frontier Strategy Group.“Everyone is complaining about the lack of direc-tion from the government.”

Investment limbo Attempts to shore up the naira are designed

to protect the nation’s dollar reserves. But thetight forex controls have led to accusationsgrowth is being strangled in Africa’s most popu-lous country. “At this stage, a weaker naira is lessimportant for fostering the resumption of need-ed international investment flows than the liftingof the foreign exchange restriction,” JFRuhashyankiko, a Goldman Sachs economist, saidin an investor note.

Now Nigeria is in limbo, badly needing foreigninvestment but unable to get any. “If you’re notattracting those inflows and you’re not generatinga surplus from the export of oil, then it’s going tobe more difficult to sustain foreign exchangereserves where they are,” added Razia Khan, aneconomist at Standard Chartered Bank.

“That could impact on its perceived creditworthiness, which isn’t a good thing when Nigeriais thinking of borrowing externally to fund someof its more ambitious infrastructure programmes.”

President Muhammadu Buhari last monthannounced a record six trillion naira ($30 billion)budget to avoid a recession, planning to pourmoney into massive road and railway projects.

But the budget is based on an oil price of $38per barrel, above the current market price ofaround $33, and relies heavily on borrowed mon-ey. After Buhari remarked in December that hewould consider devaluing the naira, someinvestors took it as a sign the currency situationwould be resolved early in the new year. Yet onThursday Buhari put those hopes on the backburner, saying on a visit to Kenya he will not havethe naira “killed” and is “optimistic” his policies willsoon stabilise the economy. —AFP

Nigeria faces currency woes

in wake of oil price plunge

BEIJING: China is struggling to reconcile itspush for economic reforms and a freelytraded currency with curbing massive out-flows of capital sparked by worries over itsslowing economy-and a lack of communi-cation is fuelling fear. The thorny problemrepresents the so-called “impossible trinity”,as China’s ruling Communist Party seeks tocontrol the exchange rate and monetarypolicy, while at the same time moving tofreer capital flows, analysts said.

Around $1.0 trillion left China last year,according to Bloomberg Intelligence. InDecember alone capital outflow from thecountry was nearly $160 billion, it said.

The cash haemorrhage reflects growingconcern about the economy against abackdrop of volatility in the stock and cur-rency markets, which has led bothinvestors and savers to shed their yuan,also known as the renminbi (RMB).

“The recent flood of capital leavingChina has been driven primarily byincreased scepticism that the People’s Bank(the central bank) will hold to its pledge tokeep the renminbi stable,” said MarkWilliams, chief Asia economist at CapitalEconomics.

At the recent World Economic Forum inDavos, billionaire investor George Sorostold Bloomberg TV that the world’s secondlargest economy, where growth has alreadyslowed to a 25-year low, was heading formore trouble.

“A hard landing is practically unavoid-able,” he said, pointing to deflation andexcessive debt as a reason for China’s slow-down.

His remarks angered the Chinese media,which accused him of “declaring war” onthe currency.

Soros-whose enormous trades are stillblamed in some countries for contributingto the Asian financial crisis of 1997 — in the1990s led speculators in bets against theBank of England, which unsuccessfullysought to defend the pound’s exchangerate peg.

No policy to devalue The yuan has retreated against the dol-

lar by 1.3 percent since the start of January,having already slid more than 4.5 percentagainst the greenback in 2015.

Beijing keeps a grip on currency flowsand the yuan can only move up or downagainst the dollar by two percent dailyfrom a mid-rate set by the People’s Bank ofChina (PBoC), the central bank. But after asurprise devaluation last August-a moveintended to bring it closer to its marketvalue according to Beijing-the yuan isbeing dragged down by the vast outflowsof capital.

Chinese citizens are allowed to convertthe equivalent of $50,000 from the domes-tic currency under an annual quota, thoughmany seek ways to evade the barrier. Apopular method is borrowing the quota ofother people, such as family members.

When the PBoC in mid-December sig-nalled a change in the way it manages theyuan’s value by measuring the unit againsta basket of currencies instead of pegging itto the dollar, the move increased the levelof anxiety. —AFP

China grapples with

yuan contradictions

Mideast funds

see risk of further

losses in markets

DUBAI: Many Middle East fund managers expect tostart rebuilding their regional equities holdings in thenext few months and have become less bearishtowards bonds, a monthly Reuters survey shows.

The survey of 14 leading fund managers, conduct-ed over the past 10 days, does not suggest funds areheavily bullish on stocks; many see a risk of furtherlosses as austerity policies, adopted by governmentsin response to low oil prices, weigh on economies. Butthe survey does suggest that funds have gone so farunderweight on equities that they feel there is littleroom to continue cutting allocations, and that thenext major change in allocations will be to increasethem.

Forty-three percent of respondents expect to raisetheir Middle East equity allocations in the next threemonths, while 7 percent expect to cut them. That is lit-tle different from last month’s survey, when 50 per-cent anticipated increasing equity exposure and 14percent expected to reduce it.

“Volatility in the international markets increasedpressure on oil prices, which dropped to levels belowmany of the Gulf countries’ conservative averagecrude price assumptions used for their 2016 statebudgets,” said Mohammed Ali Yasin, managing direc-tor at Abu Dhabi’s NBAD Securities.

But he added, “We believe the first quarter of 2016is an opportunity to build a portfolio based on valuestocks with low price-to-equity values and high divi-dend yields.”

Sachin Mohindra, portfolio manager at Abu Dhabi’sInvest AD, said that while he expected markets toremain weak and volatile over the next quarter, therewould be bright spots in some companies that wereresilient to the economic downturn.

The survey also shows managers becoming some-what less bearish on fixed income, after January’sglobal market volatility appeared likely to make theUS Federal Reserve more cautious about tighteningmonetary policy. Fourteen percent of fund managersnow expect to reduce their allocations to regionalfixed income and 7 percent to increase them, com-pared to ratios of 36 percent and zero last month.

UAE, QATARThe United Arab Emirates remains by far the

favoured equity market among its peers in the region.Fifty-seven percent of managers expect to increaseexposure there and 7 percent to reduce it, comparedwith 71 percent and zero in December.

Qatar also looks like a major beneficiary of anyrebuilding of equities positions. Forty-three percentexpect to increase their Qatari allocations, the highestlevel since February 2014, and 7 percent to reducethem; last month, the figures were 36 percent and 7percent. —Reuters

KUWAIT: Commercial Bank of Kuwait heldthe Al Najma Account draw on 31stJanuary, 2016. The draw was held underthe supervision of the Ministry ofCommerce & Industry represented bySaquer Al Manaie.

The winners of the Al Najma daily draw are:

Mohammad Den Mohammad Sarwar —KD 7000, Romani Malak Ateyah Malak— KD

7000, Sadeqa Sayed Ibraheem SayedHasenny Fard — KD 7000, Abdulaziz AliAbdulRedha Abbas — KD 7000, SalehGhloum Ali Mubarak— KD 7000.

Commercial Bank of Kuwait takes thisopportunity to congratulate all lucky win-ners and also extends appreciation to theMinistry of Commerce and Industry fortheir effective supervision of the drawswhich were conducted in an orderly andorganized manner.

Al-Tijari announces

winners of Najma Account

ABU DHABI: First Gulf Bank, the largest lenderby market value in the United Arab Emirates,beat estimates yesterday as it reported an 11percent rise in fourth-quarter profit.

It is the second Abu Dhabi bank to reportpositive earnings yesterday after Abu DhabiCommercial Bank posted a 16 percent quarterlyprofit gain. It had up until now been a broadlydisappointing earnings season for the emirate’slenders, with National Bank of Abu Dhabi andUnion National Bank reporting falling profits.

FGB made a net profit of 1.72 billiondirhams ($468.4 million) in the three monthsending Dec. 31 compared with 1.55 billiondirhams in the same period a year earlier, it saidin a statement. Analysts polled by Reuters hadforecast an average net profit for the quarter of1.46 billion dirhams.

The earnings improvement was largely due

to 681 million dirhams of what the bank called“other operating income”, although it did notspecify what this derived from. This incomehelped offset writedowns that had more thandoubled year on year to 507 million dirhams, aswell as a 6 percent decline in fees and commis-sion income.

Net interest income rose 2 percent to 1.66billion dirhams. For 2015, the bank said netprofit was 6.01 billion dirhams, up 6 percentfrom 2014, which Chief Executive AndreSayegh said was achieved despite “a challeng-ing operating environment”.

In November, FGB cut close to 100 jobs,sources told Reuters, part of an increasing waveof redundancies at Emirati banks as they adjustto deteriorating market conditions caused bylower oil prices after a period of significantexpansion. —Reuters

UAE’s First Gulf Bank

Q4 net profit up 11%

B U S I N E S SMONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2016

LONDON: If there were any suggestion that the fearsthat have gripped stock markets since the start of2016 were the isolated stuff of paranoid financialinvestors, that evaporated with Friday’s shockingmeeting of the Bank of Japan. Before the EuropeanCentral Bank’s own January meeting a week ago, theassumption of many watchers was that the world’sbig central banks would try their best to reestablishcalm by doing little to tweak their current stances.

Instead, first the ECB’s Mario Draghi and now the

BoJ’s Haruhiko Kuroda, stunning economists by cut-ting interest rates into negative territory on Friday,have sent the clearest of signals that the global econ-omy is again nearing the brink.

Three of the big US banks - Morgan Stanley, Bankof America and Citi - all warned this week that therisks of a global recession before the end of 2016were rising.

“We’re only one month into the year and two ofthe major central banks have already surprised mar-

kets,” said Nick Gartside from J P Morgan’s AssetManagement arm.

“Both banks are reacting to economic reality.Growth and inflation are meaningfully undershoot-ing targets and more stimulus is needed to get bothhigher.”

This month trails only marginally behind the post-crisis mess of 2009 as the worst start to a year for USand global stocks in decades; hedge funds are begin-ning to bet on a large currency devaluation by China;

GLOBAL ECONOMY WEEKAHEADand, even with a recovery this week, oil hasreached $30 a barrel. Yet that all comes justweeks after the US Federal Reserve felt bullishenough about its domestic economy to raiseinterest rates for the first time in almost adecade. A raft of economic numbers in the firstweek of February, culminating in next Friday’sUS jobs numbers, should put more skin onthose bones, as may the Bank of England’squarterly inflation report on Thursday.

“Our impression is that, rather than dis-missing recent developments as transitory,authorities seem rattled and uncertain,” econ-omists from France’s BNP Paribas said in aweekly briefing note.

CHINESE NEW YEARThe week begins with a bang with PMI

sentiment numbers out of China, a majorleading indicator and the first one of sub-stance from the world’s second biggest econ-omy in almost two weeks.

The turmoil on China’s stock markets atthe turn of the year was one trigger for thebroader global sell-off and Shanghai shareshave continued to slide in the past week incontrast to greater stability elsewhere. Beijingwill look to the Lunar New Year at the end ofthe week for some breathing space in itsefforts to head off more pressure on the yuanand with it the immediate threat of a round ofcorporate debt defaults that economists rateat the top of a pile of global financial risks.

A series of official communiques warnedspeculators off the yuan this week, althoughpricing suggests that hedge funds - whetheror not they include Hungarian financier

George Soros - have only added to bets it willmove. Beijing has held the yuan steadyagainst the dollar for two weeks and taken aseries of steps to stop capital from leaving thecountry. But it still faces an essential conun-drum of how to deflate a huge bubble ofexcess borrowing and money supply thatconsumers and companies want to sendabroad.

“If the Chinese felt this situation was out ofcontrol, they would do more,” said MarkFarrington, portfolio manager at hedge fundMacro Currency Group in London.

CRUDELYThe other big floating factor is oil. Oil prices

have been helped by some signs that OPEClynchpin Saudi Arabia and other mainstays ofthat group of producing countries may beready to talk more on managing output.

But Russian Deputy Prime Minister ArkadyDvorkovich, sounded a more measured toneat a news briefing in Moscow on Friday.Barclays and other market analysts cast doubton the chances of a swift rapprochementbetween producers, whose excess of outputover supply has driven the value of some U.S.produced crude grades to near zero.

“There is a vast difference between ameeting to exchange views on the state ofthe markets and a meeting to agree on a cut,”Barclays Head of Energy CommoditiesResearch Michael Cohen wrote on Friday. “Wesee this as nothing more than an attempt toshift market sentiment, and we do not expectthat it will change the physical market imbal-ance.” —Reuters

Who’s afraid of the big bad recession?


NBK MONEY MARKETS REPORTAnother bomb dropped on investors this Friday, withthe Bank of Japan adopting a negative interest-ratestrategy in the face of a weakening economy and aglobal slowdown. The move to penalize banks’reserves will be added to the BOJ’s asset-purchaseprogram already in place. With a 5 to 4 vote, Kurodaintroduced a negative rate of 0.1 percent on certainexcess holdings of cash.

The decision came after year on year inflationcame at -0.3 percent where expectations were for aflat number. Industrial production and householdspending also weakened, which prompted the BoJto intervene on Friday.

Last week, BoJ governor Kuroda said there wereno signs that the global economic slowdown haddamaged Japan corporates plans; however the moveclearly proves policy makers have acted in anattempt to avoid Japan entering in a major slow-down.

In summary, the BoJ adopted the same strategyas the ECB in an attempt to tackle inflation and theYen reacted instantaneously tumbling after the

announcement. The negative rate interest rates poli-cy takes effect on February 16 and will operate simi-lar to programs in Europe.

In addition to the move, the BoJ delayed its targetdate of reaching its 2 percent inflation goal by sixmonths, aiming for the first half of fiscal 2017, whilealso downgrading current year forecasts. The Yen ini-tially plummeted over 2 percent, rallied back, andclosed the extremely volatile Friday at 121.14 againstthe dollar. Japanese equity markets also reacted vio-lently to the move with the Nikkei up over +3 percentinitially, then tumbled to losses of -1 percent, butbounced back to end the week adding 2.8 percent.

Clearly, the measures taken by the BoJ are aimedat cheapening the currency. Similarly to the Euro, thenegative rates should encourage investors to choosethe Yen as a funding currency. With its latest meas-ures, the Bank of Japan entered again into a currencywar on the back of China trying to devalue itsRenminbi in the ongoing persistent commodityprice disinflation. The BoJ will allow Japan to borrowmore growth from its trading partners and limit the

severity of the imported disinflation. The BoJ’s moveshould ultimately result in more currency wars andcontinuing slowdown in global trade and growth.

In this whole chaos, the Euro traded in a narrowrange the whole week between 1.07090 and the1.0960 level. As mentioned earlier, the Yen was themajor loser closing the week dropping 4 percentagainst the dollar. Growth currencies behaved wellthis week helped by a dovish Fed and the BoJ tryingto refuel a risk taking environment. Canadian Dollarclosed the week up 2 percent against the dollarwhile the Australian Dollar closed 1.7 percent

For now, we remain in a binary scenario. EitherChinese worries abate with oil stabilizes at aroundthese levels as we had witnessed in August-September 2015, or China continues to devalue itscurrency, the US slows down, and the volatility envi-ronment we have witnessed in the beginning of theyear returns back.

On the commodities side, oil once again domi-nated the news this week as headlines which endedup just being rumors suggested that Russia and

OPEC were looking at setting up talks to discuss pro-duction cuts. Crude peaked at $34.82 following thenews before settling down to close the week at$33.62. Brent followed suit at $35.99, however endedthe week at $35.80

Bleak US data This week, very soft durable and capital goods

order numbers in the US raised the prospects of fur-ther downside risk to activity levels in Q1 2016.

Headline durable goods orders for Decembercame at -5.1 percent much below expectations for amore modest -0.7 percent drop. The data excludingtransportation was also weak at -1.2 percent againstexpectations of -0.1 percent. Core capital goodsorders fell -4.3 percent against expectations of - 0.2percent, which was the largest monthly decline sinceOctober 2014.

The data showed a significant downwardmomentum in private domestic demand. In addition,the ongoing weakness in oil prices has put a lot ofpressure on corporate activities in the US implying a

significant pullback in capital spending in 2016.Another weak data was the Dallas Fed January

manufacturing activity index coming at -34.6, its low-est level since April 2009 against consensus of -14.0.One respondent said that “We expect the continueddepression in the oil and gas industry to negativelyimpact our customer base and result in significantdemand reduction.

On the employment front, initial jobless claimsdecline 16k last week to 278k which was slightly bet-ter than the 281k expected. In addition, the latesthousing market data was less supportive with pend-ing home sales only up +0.1 percent against expec-tation of 0.9 percent increase last month. The onlypositive other release was the Kansas City Fed manu-facturing activity index which was unchanged at -9with expectations of -10

KuwaitKuwaiti dinar at 0.30310The USDKWD opened at 0.30310 yesterday

morning.

Japan adopts negative interest rates

Kuwait Times: What are your views on theperformance of the automotive sector in theGCC region?

Cherfan: If we look at the overall perform-ance of the automotive sector on a calendaryear basis then the GCC market is consideredstable. However, we have seen a recent pro-gressive market decline over the last couple ofmonths. When operating in tough market con-ditions, we need to be more dynamic andmake an effort to be closer to the needs of ourcustomers.

At Nissan, we have continued to deliveragainst our Power 88 brand strategy into ourfinancial year 2015, adding to our constantline-up of models available in the region. Asproof of this we have launched the all newNissan Maxima 2016 and also introduced theperformance arm of Nissan in the region -known as NISMO. Alongside the launch of theNISMO brand in the Middle East, we alsorevealed a world premiere - the Nissan PatrolNISMO.

KT: With low oil prices, UAE fuel deregula-tion, expected cuts in fuel subsidies in otherGCC countries, how do you see the auto sectorbehaving in 2016?

Cherfan: This year there has been addedpressure on the Middle East’s GDP due to fluc-tuations in oil price. However, reports showthat GDP growth across GCC region in particu-lar will remain positive with a slight downwardtrend compared to last year.

At this stage, it is still too early to see anyeffect of petrol price deregulation in the UAEon the automotive sector. However, this strate-gic decision should encourage people acrossthe country to consider using more fuel effi-cient vehicles such as Hybrids.

At Nissan we are believers in supportingsustainable driving technology and offeringgreater fuel efficiency across all of our models.The All New Nissan Maxima 2016, which waslaunched recently in the Middle East, is a greatexample of how innovative technology canprovide high performance teamed with beingthe most fuel efficient car in its segment. Its3.5-liter VQ-series V6 has been redesignedwith more than 60 percent new parts (com-pared to the previous generation 3.5-liter V6).This revised engine helps it achieve an antici-pated 15 percent increase in highway fueleconomy to an EPA estimated 30 miles per gal-lon.

We also recently launched the PathfinderHybrid in the UAE, which offers a best-in-classrange of 785KM on a single tank and a furtherefficient fuel consumption of 9.1L/100km.

*Fuel economy based on 2016 EPA fueleconomy estimates for 2016 Nissan Maxima.Actual mileage may vary with driving condi-tions - use for comparison only.

KT: How would you sum up performanceof your auto brand in 9M 2015?

Cherfan: The first half of 2015 (April toSeptember) was a successful period this yearfor Nissan on a global level. We saw net rev-enue of 5.93 trillion yen, an increase of 15.3percent versus 5.14 trillion yen a year ago. Interms of operating profit, it was 395 billionyen, up from 261.9 billion yen, a 50.8 percentincrease.

Nissan’s net income was 485.0 billion yen,an increase of 37.4 percent versus 237 billionyen in the prior year, as for the unit sales count,

we witnessed an increase of 9.5 percent to7,222,000. To sum it up, the company sold 2.62million vehicles globally during the period, a1.3 percent rise year-on-year, and that is some-thing that we are very proud about.

In 2015 Nissan was also named as one ofthe world’s most valuable brands, according toInterbrand, the world-leading brand consul-tancy. In its Best Global Brands Study 2015,which also named Nissan as the fastest-risingautomotive brand, Nissan ranked 49, up from56 in 2014. The study also valued Nissan’sbrand at $9.082 billion, up 19 percent from2014.

KT: Which was the biggest market inGCC/Middle East, what were the best perform-ing models, and where did you see maximumgrowth?

Cherfan: Earlier in May 2015, weannounced our financial results for our 2014fiscal year (April 1st to 31st March), whichdemonstrated that in the UAE, Nissan main-tained its strong No 2 position in the salescharts, selling 63,036 units - up by 10 percentversus 2013 and achieving 15.3 percent mar-ket share. Nissan’s purchase consideration inthe UAE has also increased by 46 percent inthe past two years, closing the gap with themarket leader.

In KSA, after the first full year of operationof its revival plan, Nissan with its Kingdomwide dealer Alissa Auto has reached the 3rdposition in sales with 61,806 units, reaching 7.2percent market share, which represents 141.7percent growth year on year vs FY13.Furthermore Nissan Brand PurchaseConsideration has strengthened by 27 percentreaching the second position in the market.

In our last financial year, the Nissan line-uphas performed extremely well across the spec-trum but sales of the famed Patrol, dubbed the

‘Hero of all Terrains in Life’, the facelifted Juke,the Nissan Sunny, Pathfinder and X-Trail havebeen exceptional.

The Nissan Juke, over the past year, hasforged ahead with highly impressive salesresults. The vehicle now has a six per centshare of the SUV-S market segment - jumpingfrom five per cent a year ago. In the UAE, theJuke’s share has jumped from eight to 11 percent and, in March 2015, it was the best-sellingcar in its segment in the entire country. It’s asuccess story repeated throughout the regionand, as Nissan Middle East looks forward to2016, it does so from a position of enormousstrength through ‘Innovation that Excites’.

The Nissan Sunny also attributed to therecord breaking results, by achieving 29,688units in 2014 with 30 percent sales growthfrom last year. Nissan Pathfinder recorded 15per cent growth with 6,800 units and theNissan X-Trail recorded a significant growthincrease of 300 per cent with 4,400 units. Wehave also witnessed a significant rise in fleetsales in the recent results within our LCV seg-ment, with the Nissan Urvan recording a 24percent growth in GCC compared to last year.

Our growth strategy is to focus on estab-lishing the highest levels of quality andexpanding our network in Saudi Arabia, whichcurrently represents a significant market shareof our business model.

KT: What do connected cars mean for theindustry? When we’ll have such vehicles in theregion?

Cherfan: Consumers nowadays want tech-nologies and automated systems that enablethem to drive safely, for longer. While zero-emission vehicles are one solution to mega-city pollution, another will be greater vehicleautonomy. Autonomous technology alreadyexists in our industry. Motorists don’t thinktwice about using automatic transmissions orcruise control. The next step - and it’s a big

step - is to secure both the regulatory frame-work and consumer adoption to makeautonomous driving a reality.

At Nissan we are already working withindustry leaders to seek workable regulatorystandards. We have shown, in road tests, hownew technologies such as automatic lane-changing and automated parking can enhancethe driving experience, and make it safer.

There is a big difference betweenautonomous drive technology championed byNissan, and self-driving cars. AutonomousDrive is about relieving motorists of everydaytasks, particularly in congested or long-dis-tance situations. The driver remains in control,at the wheel, of a car that is capable of doingmore things automatically. Self-driving cars, bycomparison, don’t require any human interven-tion - and remain a long-way from commercialreality. They are suitable only for tightly-con-trolled road-environments, at slow speeds, andface a regulatory minefield.

That is why Nissan is focused onautonomous drive technologies that we knowwill work, and can be introduced over the next4 to 5 years. We aim to be ready with revolu-tionary, commercially viable autonomous driv-ing technology by 2020, with a goal of bringingthe next two autonomous-drive technologiesto market by 2016.

An example of this technology is our“Safety Shield” - a system of cameras, sensorsand actuators that monitors risk all around thecar and can help to avert an accident. Thisincludes fully-automated parking systems anda traffic-jam pilot, in which cars will have thecapability to drive autonomously and safely oncongested highways. This will be followed in2018 by the introduction of multiple-lane con-trols, allowing cars to autonomously negotiatehazards and change lanes. Before the end of

the decade, we will introduce intersection-autonomy, enabling vehicles to negotiate citycross-roads without driver intervention.

Today cars like the new Qashqai and new X-Trail have advanced park-assist systems. By2017, we expect parking to be fully automated,and by 2019 increasingly remote - so that carscan be parked in a controlled setting without adriver at the wheel.

In addition, we have already starteddeploying the idea of connected cars in theregion with our latest announcement of the‘Nissan SmartCar’ mobile app in partnershipwith Etisalat. The ‘Nissan SmartCar’ mobile appis the region’s first connected car deployment,which is the coming together of communica-tions and auto technologies, information sys-tems and safety devices for increased levels ofsophistication and automation in vehicles.

Through the recently launched mobile app,powered by Etisalat’s network and M2MControl Center platform, the all-new NissanMaxima 2016 and the Nissan Patrol MY16 willprovide customers with convenience, controland security. It will allow drivers to remotelylock or unlock their vehicles, control coolingand even instantly message the owner if the

car is involved in a collision.Nissan has already started pre-installing a

small device within the car, which will be con-nected via an Etisalat M2M SIM card. Nissan’spartnership with Etisalat on this strategic proj-ect ensures the smart application will run suc-cessfully on any smartphone, operating systemor service network.

All this shows that Nissan is pioneering amore intuitive partnership between car anddriver, relieving the motorists of tasks that canbe safely automated.

KT: What are the new technologies thatyour brand has adopted in terms of improvingvehicle performance, efficiency, safety etc.?

Cherfan: As a customer centric company,we try and understand what is important toour perspective buyers and then ensure thatwe can offer models that offer the features thatpeople need.

Performance with the All New NISMO Line-UpIn terms of offering new models with

improved performance, Nissan just launchedour motorsport brand, NISMO in the MiddleEast. By bringing the ‘NISMO’ Brand to theMiddle East, we are proving our passion forperformance, as well as heralding the next stepin ‘Innovation that Excites’ for regional motor-sports enthusiasts.

As part of our performance road car line-up, we showcased three NISMO models - the370Z NISMO, the GT-R NISMO, and the PatrolNISMO. The Patrol NISMO was a world-pre-miere for Nissan as we could not havelaunched NISMO in the region without includ-ing our most iconic model - the Nissan Patrol -in the range of NISMO vehicles.

We Recognized that off-roading andmotorsports form the life-blood of regionaldrive enthusiasts, therefore we believe the time

is right to introduce the Patrol NISMO in theMiddle East as proof of our commitment tomaking thrilling driving experiences accessibleto all our customers.

Efficiency & Sustainability in the All NewMaxima 2016

In recent years we have noticed that therehas been a peak in the interest of more fuelefficient vehicles that also come with a host ofsafety and technology features. We are bigbelievers in supporting sustainable drivingtechnology and offering greater fuel efficiencyacross all our models.

These features are all also included in ourNissan Pathfinder Hybrid. We believe this mod-el appeals to a wide consumer base. With itsimpressive power and space as an SUV, it is agreat choice for the outgoing explorer. Its fuelefficiency credentials also make it a desirablechoice for families that do a lot of driving andare more conscious about running costs.

Safety & Security in the All New NissanMaxima 2016

Nissan’s commitment to the highest stan-dards and best value in total cost of mainte-

nance is steady is one of the leading featuresof our all-new Nissan Maxima 2016. Nissan’ssafety rating and commitment to keep totalcost of maintenance very competitive acrossthe Middle East will bolster sales substantiallyover the coming years. Additionally a host offactors contribute to the Nissan Maxima’s low-er running costs such as greater fuel efficiency,new technologies, build quality, durability andsafety.

In terms of its safety features, the all newNissan Maxima’s next-generation premium-level technology features includes a standard7.0-inch Advanced Drive Assist Display (ADAD)within the instrument cluster. The vehicleboasts an extensive range of safety, securityand driving aids, including Predictive ForwardCollision Warning (PFCW), Intelligent CruiseControl (ICC), Forward Emergency Braking(FEB), Rear Cross Traffic Alert (CTA) and BlindSpot Warning (BSW).

The all new Nissan Maxima 2016 also offersan available Driver Attention Alert (DAA) sys-tem which monitors steering input patterns toestablish a baseline and helps alert the driverwhen drowsy or inattentive driving is detected(only on Nissan Maxima SR grade).

In addition, the all new Nissan Maxima2016 showcases ‘Safety Shield’, which is a sys-tem of cameras, sensors and actuators thatmonitors risk all around the car and can helpto avert an accident. This includes fully-auto-mated parking systems and a traffic-jam pilot,in which cars will have the capability to driveautonomously and safely on congested high-ways.

KT: What are the major challenges for theauto sector/your brand in the GCC?

Cherfan: In addition to the oil price andcurrency fluctuation challenges which wehighlighted earlier, it is about constantly listen-

ing to the market needs and deliver on ourstrategy.

Under the Power 88 Mid Term plan, NissanMiddle East is focusing on Brand Power withthe constant renewal of our Line-up. Thisincludes engagement with our audiences, inparticular the youth, through unique and dif-ferentiating platforms such as GT Academy,which takes virtual gamers and transformsthem into racers. In addition to this, we arefocusing on Sales Power with quality andquantity of the network, and a strong empha-sis on customer experience excellence.

At Nissan, we continuously listen to ourcustomers’ needs through which we recog-nized that off-roading and motorsports formthe life-blood of regional drive enthusiasts.As proof of our commitment to makingthrilling driving experiences accessible to allour customers, we recently added the PatrolNISMO and the Patrol Desert Edition to thePatrol family.

Nissan Patrol NISMO, a race-inspired ver-sion of Nissan’s legendary SUV-Patrol pow-ered with a Takumi tuned engine that pro-duces 428 HP for exhilarating performance.The model comes with a torque improve-ment of over 70 percent rev-range, NISMO22” RAYS forged-alloy wheels and NISMOtuned suspension using ‘Bilstein’ shockabsorbers for improved handling and ridecomfort.

Nissan Patrol Desert Edition, a new modelconceptualized and developed in collabora-tion with the Middle East’s most famous andinfluential motorsports personality, DrMohammed Ben Sulayem, is powered byNissan’s powerful 5.6L V8 engine that gener-ates a formidable 400hp and 560Nm oftorque. It is mated to a 7-speed automatictransmission that incorporates manual modeand synchronised rev control - a set up thatguarantees unmatched driving enjoyment,

whatever the terrain.KT: Do you think the auto sector’s growth

in the GCC will slow down as the market isover-served?

Cherfan: Our regional strategy for successis based on the well-known Nissan globalgrowth strategy ‘Power 88’, which our CEOCarlos Ghosn announced we would achieveby 2016. Under the Power 88 Mid Term planwe have announced Nissan Middle East tar-geting to sell over 300K units by FY16 andreach 10 percent Market Share in the wholeregion and 14.5 percent Market Share in theGCC.

Under the Power 88 Mid Term plan, NissanMiddle East is focusing on Brand Power withthe constant renewal of our Line-up. Thisincludes engagement with our audiences, inparticular the youth, through unique and dif-ferentiating platforms such as GT Academy,which takes virtual gamers and transformsthem into racers. In addition to this, we arefocusing on Sales Power with quality andquantity of the network, and a strong empha-sis on customer experience excellence.

As an example and as a proof to our con-stant line up renewal over the last months wehave launched the all new Nissan Maxima2016 and introduced the performance arm ofNissan in the region known as NISMO with theannouncement of a world premiere - theNissan Patrol NISMO. In addition, we alsolaunched the Nissan Patrol Desert Edition incollaboration with the Middle East’s mostfamous and influential motorsports personali-ty, Dr Mohammed Ben Sulayem. To continuekeeping our consumers at core and providingwith best auto experience, we launched the‘Nissan SmartCar’ mobile app in collaborationwith Etisalat.

At Nissan, we strive to create unique expe-riences to engage with our audiences. Our‘Nissan Patrol: The Movie’ activation at therecent Dubai International Motor Show is anexample of reaching out to our direct and indi-rect consumers. ‘Nissan Patrol: The Movie’ usesthe latest in green screen technology andblockbuster cinema camera equipment sothat people can have the chance to star in anaction-packed movie trailer, featuring the 2016Nissan Patrol.

KT: How is Nissan contributing to the glob-al efforts being made around the climatechange?

Cherfan: At Nissan, we are big believers insupporting sustainable driving as a contribu-tion to all the global efforts that are beingmade by governments and industry leadersaround climate change. As a testament to that,the Renault-Nissan alliance provided 200 elec-tric vehicles to the International Conference atCOP21 that took place in Paris earlier inNovember. The fleet covered around 400 kmduring the event and emitted zero emissionswhile driving.

The fleet was the world’s largest electricvehicle fleet ever provided to an internationalconference, and further strengthened thealliance’s position as the official passenger-carprovider for the United Nations’ COP21 climateconference.

The COP21 car fleet featured the RenaultZOE subcompact car, the Nissan LEAF com-pact car and the 7-seater Nissan e-NV200 van.The vehicles were available to shuttle dele-gates 24 hours, seven days a week to and fromthe Le Bourget conference venue, as a com-plement to public transportation.

This marked the first time the UN haveused a zero-emission or 100 percent electricfleet for its entire passenger-car shuttle at a cli-mate summit, and we were glad to be the offi-cial transportation partner.

In addition to that, earlier in May 2015 weannounced our great progress in reducingCO2 emissions and improving sustainability inour global corporate activities in fiscal year2014, while simultaneously increasing vehicleproduction and plant energy efficiency. Thecompany achieved a 22.6 percent cut in CO2when compared to fiscal year 2005, thusachieving its goal to reduce CO2 emissionsfrom corporate activities by 20 percent duringthat period.

Nissan continues to work toward achievingits environmental targets set forth in the com-pany’s action plan, Nissan Green Program2016 (NGP2016), through a number of innova-tive sustainability initiatives in CorporateCarbon Footprint Minimization and ZeroEmission Vehicle Penetration.

Innovative technology driving Nissan’s growth in Middle East

Q&A with Samir Cherfan, Managing Director of Nissan Middle East

Samir Cherfan, ManagingDirector of Nissan Middle East


KUWAIT: Al-Mazaya Holding hasannounced its financial results for the fis-cal year ended December 31, 2015. Theannouncement was made following ameeting of the board of directors thatwas held January 28, 2016. The meetingwas chaired by Chairman Rashid Al-Nafisi and attended by members of theboard and the group’s CEO.

Addressing the meeting, Rashid Al-Nafisi said: “The Company has continuedto achieve positive leaps in its financialresults and reported a net profit of KD9.32 million by end of 2015, with agrowth of 15.2 percent, compared to KD8.09 million at the end of 2014. Earningsper share (EPS) was calculated at 15.04fils for 2015, compared to 13.05 fils for2014,” said Al Nafisi .

“ This achievement was made byincreasing sales on available projectsand increasing the occupancy rate of itsincome generating projects, which ulti-mately led to a 258.9 percent growth inthe operating revenues to KD 59.82 mil-lion, for 2015 - up from KD 16.66 millionfor 2014,” he added.

Stressing that this significant leap inrevenue was a direct result of its compre-hensive marketing plan, Al-Nafisi fur-thered that the huge demand for theunits available for sale and investor con-fidence in the company brand has result-ed in a 385.6 percent growth in salesrevenue. Revenue went from KD 10.97million, in 2014, to KD 53.27 million in2015. Total rental revenues jumped by16.4 percent, from KD 5.30 million to KD6.17 million over the same period.

Al-Nafisi added that Al-Mazaya’sboard of directors has recommended 7percent cash dividend - a clear sign of itscommitment to share the company’sexcellent results with shareholders and aproof of the company’s current financialstrength and solvency, as well as thecompany’s balanced future plans. The

recommendation will be submitted tothe annual general assembly forapproval and will comply with all therequirements of the Capital MarketsAuthority and the governmental regula-tors.

Financial statementsWith regard to Al-Mazaya’s financial

position in 2015, Al-Nafisi said that thecompany was able to maintain a steadygrowth in balance sheet and financialsolvency and showed a keenness to ful-fill its obligations to third parties, whiletaking care of the growth in sharehold-ers’ equity by entering new projects, aswell as completing and handing overexisting projects.

Al-Nafisi presented the other detailsof financial results for the period endedDecember 31, 2015, disclosing that thetotal assets of the company stood at KD251.04 million, while the total equity isKD 111.45 million, as of December 2015.

From his side, Eng Ibrahim Al-Soqabi,Group CEO of Al-Mazaya Holding, said:Al-Mazaya Holding is immune to eco-nomic and geopolitical fluctuations inthe surrounding region and internation-ally.

2015 accomplishmentsAl-Soqabi said that Al-Mazaya’s major

achievements in 2015 included:* The acquisition of a commercial

tower in Riyadh, KSA, through a sub-sidiary company. The tower is situated inthe Al-Olia area and was acquired forSR130m (KD10.5 million). The tower hasan annual investment yield of up to 9

percent.* Through one of its subsidiaries (Al-

Mazaya Real Estate Development), Al-Mazaya purchased a plot of land, locatedin the Sharq area of Kuwait City, whichworth KD 8 million. Master plan and con-cept design of the project is currentlybeing developed and an engineeringfirm will be appointed to commence thedesign and licensing works.

* Al-Mazaya had awarded the con-struction contract for its 17-storey med-ical facility in Sabah Al-Salem, Kuwait toa leading contractor. Drilling and pilingworks on the 2,000 square metre projectcommenced in preparation for the struc-tural works, which will take 20 months tocompletion.

* Al-Mazaya had achieved 35 percentcompletion on the first phase of QueueLine residential project, which consists of

four new buildings in Dubailand, Dubai.Construction works are progressing byleaps and bounds with handover of thefirst phase of this project expected bythe end of 2016.

* As a result of its strategic alliance forthe Ritim Istanbul development (a jointventure project with Dumankaya RealEstate - Turkey), over 70 percent of unitswere sold. The project is 85 percentcompleted and the project’s full comple-tion is expected next April 2016.

* Al-Mazaya continued its extensivepromotional campaigns to sell QueuePoint project, in Dubai. The project is 85percent completed and 80 percent soldout, which is positively reflected on theoperating revenue generated from salesin the company’s financial results in2015.

* The completion of the LogisticsServices Project in Bahrain, culminated ina spectacular ceremony attended bypress, media and businessmen. Whichwitnessed also the launch of the market-ing campaign to lease the project, whichprovides storage solutions, the currentoccupancy rate is 45 percent.

* Al-Mazaya is about to award con-struction contract for the Al MazayaResidence project in Al-Mawaleh, Al-Seeb Governorate, in Muscat to a leadingcontractor. Al-Mazaya has launched theoff-plan sale.

* Al-Mazaya boosted income, gener-ated from existing fully occupied proj-ects, by renewing lease contracts andincreasing rates to reflect the currentmarket prices and the quality servicesprovided by the Property ManagementDepartment. This step helped to increasethe operating revenue generated fromlease operations.

* Al-Mazaya participated in seven realestate exhibitions in 2015, establishingits visibility and status as a leading realestate company and a regional brand

that offers the very best real estate prod-ucts.

* NBK Capital estimated the fair valueof Al-Mazaya stock at KD 0.165, after tak-ing all the precautionary measures of thevaluation standards into considerationand following an in-depth study of thecompany’s projects and financial posi-tion.

Al-Soqabi also elaborated on thecompany’s five-year borrowing plan,saying: “Al-Mazaya has successfullyaccomplished one of its key objectivesfor 2015; converting all its loans intoIslamic financing, these facilities will beused in new investment opportunitiesthat will drive growth in accordance withthe corporate strategic plan. Al-Mazayahas managed to convert all of its loansinto Sharia-compliant financing.”

Besides, Al-Soqabi added that thecompany’s success in getting these facili-ties reflects its strong financial positioncompared to its peers. Borrowing in Al-Mazaya Holding is less costly than theaverage rate for the Kuwaiti market.

The company has structured its facili-ties’ maturities into medium and long-term maturities and has cut finance cost,which boosted the company revenuesand reduced its periodic financial obliga-tions. In conclusion, Al-Soqabi said thatAl-Mazaya is currently studying manyinvestment opportunities in the marketsin which it operates, particularly in theGCC and Turkey, which are the mostappropriate to the company’s expansionstrategy.

Al-Mazaya has gained great confi-dence in these markets following thecompletion of many real estate projects.He further underlined that the compa-ny’s growth in these markets will resultin additional strategic partnerships withelite investors who are set to achieve thehighest returns, while serving the inter-est of the company and investors alike.

Al-Mazaya reports KD 9.32m net profit for 2015Operating revenue jumps 258.9% to KD 59.82m

Lincoln adds premium Sound of Revel audio systems to its luxury vehicles

Chairman Rashid Al-Nafisi Eng Ibrahim Al-Soqabi

DUBAI: A listening experience comparable to what’s offered onlythrough very high-end home audio systems is now available in theall-new Lincoln MKX midsize utility.

Revel, HARMAN International’s most exclusive loudspeaker brand,worked with Lincoln engineers and designers to craft a 13-speakerRevel audio system and a 19-speaker Revel Ultima system for the all-new Lincoln MKX.

Since 1996, Revel has served its audiophile customer base withexceptional, award-winning home-audio equipment. Emphasisingscience-based speaker architecture and acoustic precision, Revel sys-tems are designed to re-create a musical performance as preciselyand purely as it was recorded.

“The Revel audio system available in the all-new Lincoln MKX rep-resents a new approach to ensure all occupants - not just the driver -enjoy the best listening experience,” said Kevin Voecks, Revel productdevelopment manager. “Over the course of three years and hundredsof hours of tuning and refining, our collaboration with Lincoln hascreated the most authentic audio experience possible.”

Lincoln and Revel designers worked closely to establish a speakergrille design that complements luxurious Lincoln interiors while pass-ing rigorous acoustical testing for optimal performance. Vehiclesequipped with a Revel Ultima sound system will include upgradedaluminium speaker grilles for an elegant experience.

Lincoln MKXThe exterior of the MKX luxury midsize SUV embodies elegance in

motion, complemented by a dramatic design with a modern, con-temporary silhouette and well-balanced proportions. The interiordesign blends functionality with fluid, flowing forms to inspire asense of luxurious adventure. Powered by the 2.7-litre twin-tur-bocharged Ti-VCT EcoBoost V6, the MKX also comes with a line-up ofinnovative features including a revolutionary 360 degree camera.

KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) wasrecognized as the most valuable bankingbrand in Kuwait in 2016 according to BrandFinance, the renowned brand valuationagency. NBK ranks among the Top Tier of theMost 500 Valuable Banking Brands in theworld. According to Brand Finance, NBK’sBrand value reached $1.39 billion, up 33 per-cent year-on-year. Also, NBK’s brand rating isranked AA, among the top in the region.

This recognition reflects customers andshareholders’ trust in NBK as well as the bank’sstrong reputation locally and regionally.

David Haigh, Brand Finance CEO, said: “NBKhas performed exceptionally well again thisyear. Brand value is up 33 percent, the fastestgrowth of any of the larger GCC banks. At theglobal level, its performance is equally impres-sive, rising 26 places up the international rank-ings to 127th. After joining the ‘billion dollarbrands club’, NBK has the potential to becomeone of the world’s top 100 banking brandstoo. In its home country, NBK is unrivalled. Ithas overtaken its competitors to become thenation’s premier banking brand.”

Brand Finance’s valuation assesses the dol-

lar value of the reputation, image and intellec-tual property of the brand. It considers a num-ber of relevant attributes such as financial per-formance, revenue forecasts, growth rates,brand strength index, sustainability and ana-lysts’ insights, amongst others.

NBK continues to collectively enjoy thehighest ratings from the three internationalrating agencies; Moody’s, Fitch Ratings andStandard and Poor’s. The Bank’s ratings aresupported by its high capitalization, prudentlending policies, and its disciplined approachto risk management, in addition to its highlyrecognized and very stable managementteam. NBK was also named among GlobalFinance’s list of the 50 safest banks in theworld for the tenth consecutive time.

NBK enjoys the widest banking presencewith a local and international network reach-ing 4 continents. NBK’s international presencespans many of the world’s leading financialcenters including London, Paris, Geneva, NewYork and Singapore, as well as China(Shanghai). Meanwhile, regional coverageextends to Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt,Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Turkey.

NBK the most valuable banking brand in

Kuwait: Brand Finance

KUWAIT: Burgan Bankannounced yesterday the namesof the lucky winners of its Yawmiaccount draw, each taking homea prize of KD 5,000.

The lucky winners for the dai-ly draws took home a cash-prizeof KD 5,000 each, and they are: 1. Mohammad Abdullah Ali2. Anita Bukharey3. Alaweyah Hazaa Sari Al Enzi4. Omar Ali Fahad Al Zumai5. Jasem Issa Ahmad Al Yaqoub

To further add to the anticipa-t ion of Yawmi account cus-tomers, Burgan Bank now offersa Quar ter ly Draw with morechances to win higher rewards,entitling one lucky customer to

win KD 125,000 ever y threemonths. The Yawmi Account nowoffers daily and quarterly draws,the quarterly draw requires cus-tomers to maintain a minimumamount of KD 500 in theiraccount for 2 months prior todraw date. Additionally, everyKD 10 in the account, will entitlecustomers to one chance of win-ning. If the account balance isKD 500 and above, the accountholder will be qualified for boththe quarterly and daily draws.

Burgan Bank encouragesever yone to open a Yawmiaccount and/or increase theirdeposit to maximize theirchances to becoming a winner.

The more customers deposit, thehigher the chances they receiveof winning.

For more information onopening a Yawmi account orabout the new quarterly draw,customers are urged to vis i ttheir nearest Burgan Bankbranch and receive al l thedetails, or simply call the bank’sCall Center at 1804080 wherecustomer service representativeswill be delighted to assist withany quest ions on the Yawmiaccount or any of the bank ’sproduc ts and ser vices.Customers can also log on toBurgan Bank’s www.burgan.comfor further information.

KUWAIT: Qalaa Holdings (CCAP.CAon the Egyptian Exchange), anAfrican leader in energy and infra-structure, announced yesterdaythat its subsidiary MENA Glass Ltd.has reached financial close on thesale of the entirety of its stake inMisr Glass Manufacturing Company(MGM), a leading regional producerand exporter of glass containers,and the entirety of its stake inUnited Glass Company (UGC) toMiddle East Glass ManufacturingCompany, at a combined equityvalue for 100 percent of both MGMand UGC of c. EGP 828 million.

Qalaa Holdings had maintainedan effective ownership of 15.2 per-

cent in MGM and UGC. “Our exit from MGM and UGC

marks the year ahead of us as onewhere Qalaa will continue to pushforward in the delivery of its strate-gy and the execution of our assetdivestment program,” said QalaaCo-Founder and Managing DirectorHisham El-Khazindar. “We are confi-dent that MGM will continue itsgrowth trajectory under the stew-ardship of Middle East Glass as weourselves devote maximum atten-tion to high-growth business -buoyed by Qalaa’s now more liquidand increasingly deleveraged bal-ance sheet - in the sectors deemedvital for the region’s development

such as refining, energy distributionand transportation and logistics.”

The exit is helping acceleratethe delivery of Qalaa’s strategy,with its key elements beingdeleveraging at the holding andplatform company levels; acquisi-tion of additional stakes in key plat-form companies; selective invest-ments within existing platformcompanies; and share buybacks solong as the company’s shares tradeat a significant discount to their fairmarket value.

Pharos Holding acted as finan-cial advisers, and Zaki Hashem LawOffice acted as legal counsel, to thesellers on the transaction.

Burgan Bank announces names of winners of Yawmi account

Qalaa Holdings MENA Glass Ltd closes sale of MGM and UGC

t e c h n o l o g yMONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2016

SAN FRANCISCO: IBM says formerWeather Co. CEO David Kenny will be thenew boss for Watson, the Jeopardy-win-ning “cognitive computing” service that’sa central element of CEO VirginiaRometty’s campaign to find new revenuefor the struggling tech giant.

Watson is a computing system thatuses machine-learning and natural-lan-guage skills to analyze and find trends indata from a wide variety of sources. IBM

has been promoting Watson and relatedtechnology as a powerful tool for use inhealth care, retailing and other indus-tries.

The Armonk, New York, companyannounced last year that it was buyingThe Weather Co., including its websites,apps and data platform, for an undis-closed sum. The cable-T V WeatherChannel was not part of the deal and iscontinuing to operate independently.

Analysts say IBM Corp. is hoping toleverage The Weather Co.’s vast trove ofclimate data as well as its Internet plat-form, which delivers weather forecastsvia free consumer apps along with moreextensive services sold to airlines, insur-ance companies and other businesses.

IBM said Kenny will oversee theWatson business and related partner-ships with outside developers who canbuild software that uses Watson’s tech-

nology. Michael Rhodin, who previouslyled the Watson unit, will move to a jobdeveloping new business uses forWatson.

The Weather Co. and its current serv-ices will become part of IBM’s Data andAnalytics unit.Rometty has vowed toincrease IBM’s revenue from new typesof commercial technology, includingcloud computing and data analytics,because its mainstay hardware and serv-

ices businesses are no longer growing.The company reported earlier thismonth that its overall revenue for thelast three months of 2015 was down forthe 15th consecutive quarter. IBM’sboard has backed Rometty’s efforts. Thecompany disclosed late Thursday thatshe will receive a $4.5 million perform-ance bonus in addition to her $1.6 mil-lion salary for 2015. She received a $3.6million bonus in 2014. — AP

WASHINGTON: A number technology start-ups are devising creative new ways of detect-ing concussions in pro and amateur athletes,using apps, tablets and sensors to monitor theoften debilitating brain injury.

Sports organizations increasingly are look-ing for better concussion detection methods,and a sense of urgency has grown with therelease of the 2015 film “Concussion” starringWill Smith on the problem of chronic braininjury suffered by American football players.

Although some concussions may beunavoidable in contact sports, an importantconcern is getting a rapid diagnosis to keep aninjured player off the field, to avoid potentiallysevere secondary impacts. Also key is followup,to determine when a player is ready to return.

When players take a hit, “they will alwayssay they are fine,” said Adam Gross, chief execu-tive of Bethesda, Maryland-based startupRightEye, which has developed a one-minuteeye-tracking test that helps reveal the extent oftrauma to the brain.

“This is a tool that could keep parents fromsending their kids (with concussions) back onthe field.” RightEye says its test-with a speciallyconfigured computer that monitors how quick-ly the eyes follow moving objects-can be usefulfor monitoring someone recovering from aconcussion.

Eye movement offers insight into brainhealth and brain trauma, and can also helpdetect other disorders such as dementia orAlzheimer’s disease, according to the company.

The service, being marketed to sportsteams and eye professionals, can be used tohelp improve performance of athletes and oth-ers such as military marksmen. “This can beused in the locker room, but it is more valuablein helping people recover from a concussion,”said RightEye president Barbara Barclay.

Another system designed to be used on thesidelines in sports is the King-Devick test, atablet-based system which can be easilyadministered after an impact. Steve Devick, anoptometrist who helped develop the test inthe 1970s as a tool to diagnose learning dis-abilities and later helped adapt it to diagnoseconcussion, calls it a “proven” detection systemwhich can be simply administered in less thantwo minutes.

PLAYERS ‘OBVIOUSLY CONCUSSED’ Devick said many professional sports

teams-including the National Football League,America’s most popular sport-still use “seat ofthe pants” methods for concussion diagnosissuch as asking questions or requiring a playerto follow finger movements.

“All NFL games will have four or five doctorson the sidelines but you can still sometimes seea player go back on the field who is obviouslyconcussed,” he said.

Such concerns were raised at last year’sSuper Bowl, when Patriots’ star Julian Edelmanreturned to action even after he appeared dis-oriented.

The NFL, which has implemented a “concus-sion protocol” for suspected brain trauma,announced at the start of the season it wouldbe evaluating new technologies including fromthe Illinois-based King-Devick group as part ofplayer safety efforts.

The King-Devick test requires an athlete toread single-digit numbers displayed on cardsor on a tablet to test “saccadic” eye movement-very fast, almost imperceptible movementsfrom one eye to the other-which according toresearch can be used to diagnose concussionand other neurological disorders.

Other systems are also being explored bytech startups. Arizona-based startupSaccadous is developing a tablet-based systemwhich, unlike those of RightEye and King-Devick, tracks involuntary “micro” eye move-ments.

“We measure 100 micro-movements tomake a determination about what is going onin the brain,” said Saccadous co-founder andchief executive Craig Cafarelli. He added thatusing this system measuring involuntary“micro-saccades” is better than a cognitive testwhich can be gamed by athletes who want toreturn to action.

“Our goal would be to have a baseline ofevery player in a healthy state, so we know ifwe scan them again, we could compare itagainst the baseline,” he said.

COLLEGIATE SOLUTIONSNCAA, the governing body for US collegiate

sports, in January reached a settlement withathletes to provide $70 million for research inconcussion testing.

A handful of universities have agreed toequip their American football players with hel-met sensors that measure the speed, intensityand location of hits to the head as part of itsconcussion research. Some high school foot-ball programs also use helmet sensors.

Data collected will help improve detectionand provide a foundation to improve helmetdesign and ratings, according to Stefan Duma,head of Virginia Tech University’s departmentof biomedical engineering and mechanics,which is working on the research.

The University of California at Los Angelesmeanwhile is using a grant from the NCAA andthe Department of Defense to use “big data” toassess concussion injuries and recovery.

The goal “is to develop scientific, evidence-based tools that will enable doctors to moreaccurately gauge when it is safe for an athleteto return to play,” UCLA neuroscientistChristopher Giza said in announcing the pro-gram last year. — AFP

BEIJING: Joysticks at their fingertips, the mostlymale students packing the classroom lift their virtualhelicopters into the air, part of a new cottage indus-try that’s sprung up in China: Drone pilot schools.

China is already the world’s biggest drone manu-facturer, churning out remote-controlled flyingmachines that range from 3-D urban mappers totear-gas spraying models for police. But it lacks quali-fied pilots to fly them.

Young men in particular are flocking to droneschools such as TT Aviation Technology Co., one ofmore than 40 in China, hoping to land a potentiallylucrative job in an exciting new field.

TT Aviation offers a two-week intensive course for8,000 yuan ($1,200) where students learn regulationsand how to pilot using simulators and real drones. Atthe end of the course, they can try to earn the licenserequired by China’s Civil Aviation Administration tooperate drones that are heavier than 7 kilograms (15pounds) and fly higher than 120 meters (400 feet).

Xu Honggang, 24, believes the license will opendoors to piloting jobs that make at least 5,000Chinese yuan per month ($780), higher than aver-age. Some experienced pilots bring in double thatamount, he said.

“I want to build my own company with droneservices,” Xu said one recent afternoon next to a

grassy field where his instructor demonstratedbasic moves with a small radio-controlled helicopter.“I like to work for myself. This is a new and popularline of work.”

The opportunities appear promising. More than10,000 new pilots are needed this year across allindustries in China, but only 1,000 pilots now holdlicenses, said Yang Yi, the general manager of TTAviation, which also manufactures and sells dronesto private and public sector customers.

“The drone pilot and the car driver are the same:They both need systematic skill training and regulat-ed studying to make sure everyone knows the rulesbefore the real operation,” she said.

Drones are touted as game-changers in a rangeof industries, including agriculture, logistics, film pro-duction and law enforcement.

HIGH DEMANDThe sector has gotten support from the central

government, which is keen on promoting roboticsand automation to sustain economic growth as laborcosts rise. Chinese firms are making inroads produc-ing unmanned machines beyond industrial use aswell. Baidu, the Beijing-based search engine, is devel-oping a self-driving car while DJI, a Shenzhen-baseddrone maker valued by US investors at $8 billion, has

cornered more than half the world consumer dronemarket.

So far, more than half of TT Aviation’s productsare used in agriculture. China has vast farmlands, andthere is a high demand for drones to be used in pes-ticide spraying because the labor force is shrinkingeven as labor costs rise, said Yang.

The company said police will use drones forpatrols, while utilities use them for maintaining elec-tricity infrastructure or mapping pipelines.

The Shandong Qihang Surveying and MappingTechnology Company has used photographs takenby its drones to build vast urban databases and 3-Dmodels of cities. Every building can be catalogued,with information about the people and businessesbehind every window stored in a database - a valu-able technology for government bodies like the cen-sus bureau, urban planners and public security agen-cies, said company vice president Wu Haining.

“With oblique photograph technology andthrough cooperation with the government, people

will be able to check any uploaded personal infor-mation in a room from any building in our 3-D map,”said Wu, whose company also produces surveillancedrones with five cameras.

The rapid development of new types of dronesrequires a pool of trained and specialized drone

operators, Wu said.Even as drones offer law enforcement sharply

expanded capabilities, authorities in China, as inmany other countries, are scrambling to regulatetheir use. The country is now beginning to setnationwide regulations on where they can fly, whichare applauded by many in the Chinese industry.

NATIONWIDE REGULATIONS “We need pilots with licenses, because safety is

the biggest concern in the operation of drones.Although we have insurance, we still need strict reg-ulations for studying and training to avoid any inci-dents,” Wu said.

On a recent afternoon, a group of drone-flyingaficionados tried out their models in the outskirts ofBeijing near the city’s 6th Ring Road, a highwayaround the city about 15 to 20 kilometers (8-12miles) from the city center. The capital requires per-mission to fly a drone inside that ring.

“This is only a toy for entertainment, I won’t usethis for any other purpose,” said Sun Xiaoqiang, aBeijing resident who has been flying drones for twoyears, when asked about the regulations.

“I have no bad intentions, it’s only for entertain-ment, so I think they should open a certain airspacefor us.” — AP

Technology sector tackles America’s concussion epidemic

BEIJING: In this Oct. 17, 2015 photo, a drone-flying aficionado prepares his model aircrafts for flight on the outskirts of Beijing. Even as dronesoffer law enforcement sharply expanded capabilities, authorities in China, as in many other countries, are scrambling to regulate their use. Thecountry is now beginning to set nationwide regulations, which are applauded by many in the Chinese industry. — AP

BETHESDA: Tech sector tackles America’s concussion epidemic RightEye Presidentdemonstrates her company’s eye-tracking technology at offices in Bethesda,Maryland on January 27, 2016. A number technology startups are devising creativenew ways of detecting concussions in pro and amateur athletes, using apps, tabletsand sensors to monitor the often debilitating brain injury. — AFP

IBM names Weather Co chief as Watson’s new boss

BEIJING: In this Oct. 17, 2015 photo, an instructor explains the operation of a drone to stu-dents at a school run by TT Aviation Technology in Beijing. — AP

Drone schools spread in China to field pilots for new sector

MIT wins design competition for Elon Musk’s Hyperloop

In this undated file conceptual design file rendering provided by SpaceX shows aHyperloop passenger transport capsule within a tube, that would zoom passengercapsules through elevated tubes. — AP

This conceptual design file rendering provided by SpaceX shows a Hyperloop pas-senger transport capsule within a tube that would zoom passenger capsulesthrough elevated tubes. Three Southern California companies plan to build tracksto test how well the speed-of-sound transportation concept known as the “hyper-loop” works in the real world. — AP

COLLEGE STATION: MIT student engineers won acompetition to transform SpaceX and Tesla Motors co-founder Elon Musk’ idea into a design for a Hyperloopto move pods of people at high speed.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, based inCambridge, Massachusetts, was named the winnerSaturday after a competition among more than 1,000college students at Texas A&M University in CollegeStation.

The Hyperloop is a high-speed ground transportconcept proposed by Musk to transport “pods” of 20 to30 people through a 12-foot diameter tube at speedsof roughly 700 mph.

More than 100 university teams presented designconcepts to a panel of judges in an event that beganFriday.

Delft University of Technology from TheNetherlands finished second, the University ofWisconsin third, Virginia Tech fourth and theUniversity of California, Irvine, fifth.

The top teams will build their pods and test themat the world’s first Hyperloop Test Track, being builtadjacent to SpaceX’s Hawthorne, California, headquar-ters. — AP

H E A LT H & S C I E N C EMONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2016

ZIKA, Uganda: Down winding pathsthrough dense jungles, GeraldMukisa kicks up the dry leaves noisilywith his feet to provide warningsounds, noting that the late after-noon heat is “snake time”. The forest iscalm. Only the sound of insects, bird-song and the rustle of monkeys inthe jungle canopy above disturb theair. It was here in the thick woodlandof Zika forest, some 25 kilometers (15miles) from Uganda’s capitalKampala, that the mosquito-borneZika virus was first discovered in1947. The virus, linked to a surge inbirth defects, is “spreading explosive-ly”, World Health Organization chiefMargaret Chan said this week. Anemergency meeting on the outbreakis due today.

Mukisa, who has worked to guardthe forest for the past seven years,only found out about the virus thattakes its name two weeks ago. “A fewpeople who live nearby the forestand have heard about it are gettingworried,” he said. “Many others don’tknow about it.” Days ago, the tropicalZika forest was a little-known reservevisited only by bird watchers and sci-entists. “Students come every week,coming from all over the world,” saidMukisa, 50, proudly showing off aguest book with signatures and com-ments from the US, Canada, Franceand Germany, among other coun-tries. “There are so many types oftrees, and all sorts of birds.”

Jimmy Carter came to birdwatch Most local cases of the virus were

mild, resulting in rash, fever, and redeyes in a small fraction of cases.Global health authorities barely tooknotice until an outbreak on theMicronesian island of Yap in 2007. Anoutbreak that began last year in

Brazil has been blamed for a surge inbirth defects with thousands ofbabies born with small heads, anincurable and sometimes fatal condi-tion known as microcephaly.Uganda’s health ministry is keen topoint out it has no known cases ofthe virus, and that the currentAmericas’ outbreak did not originatein East Africa. “We have not recordeda case in Uganda in several years andwe don’t have such an outbreak,” theministry said in a statement.

“As a country, our disease and epi-demic response systems are strongas evidenced in the way we havehandled past viral hemorrhagic feveroutbreaks.” Uganda has suffered out-breaks of Ebola in the past, as well asa mysterious illness known as “nod-ding disease”. Today the forest, closeto the main highway from Uganda’sinternational airport at Entebbe tothe nearby capital Kampala, remainsa research site for the Uganda VirusResearch Institue (UVRI), an environ-mental health and protection agencyfounded in 1936, which is headquart-ed some 15 kilometers (nine miles)

away. “Warning! Uganda VirusResearch Institute Land. Don’tTrespass”, reads one metal sign amidthe thick vegetation, the red paintpeeling in the sun. Ruth Mirembe, 24,who lives beside the forest, learntabout the virus on Facebook. “I’m notworried,” she said.

Virus changes over time Also spelt Ziika, the 12 hectare (30

acre) site with over 60 different typesof mosquito, means “overgrown” inthe local language, Luganda.

UVRI notes proudly the “mostprominent visitor” to Zika was theformer US President Jimmy Carter“who came on a bird watching tour”.The details of the virus’ discovery,written up in a 1952 paper by Britain’sRoyal Society of Tropical Medicineand Hygiene, described the “forestedarea called Zika”, where scientistswere researching yellow fever amongsmall rhesus macaque monkeys. “Thisarea of forest consists of a narrow,dense belt of high but broken canopygrowth with clumps of large trees,”the 1952 paper read. — AFP

DHAKA: A Bangladeshi father dubbed“Tree Man” for massive bark-like wartson his hands and feet will finally havesurgery to remove the growths thatfirst began appearing 10 years ago, ahospital said yesterday. Abul Bajandar,from the southern district of Khulna,was undergoing preparations for thesurgery to cut out the growths weigh-ing at least five kilograms (11 pounds)that have smothered his hands andfeet. “Initially, I thought that they’reharmless,” the 26-year-old told AFP atthe Dhaka Medical College Hospital(DMCH). “But slowly I lost all my abilityto work. There are now dozens of twoto three inch roots in both my hands.And there are some small ones in mylegs,” said Bajandar who was forced toquit working as a bicycle puller.

A team of doctors has been formed

to perform the operation at DMCH,Bangladesh’s largest state-run hospi-tal, which has decided to waive costsof the treatment. Tests are underwayto ensure Bajandar’s root-like wartscan be removed surgically withoutdamaging major nerves or causingany other health problems. The mas-sive warts, which first started appear-ing when he was a teenager butbegan spreading rapidly four yearsago, have been diagnosed as epider-modysplasia verruciformis, anextremely rare genetic skin diseasethat makes the person susceptible toskin growths. “Popularly it is known astree-man disease,” DMCH directorSamanta Lal Sen told AFP.

“As far as we know there are threesuch cases in the world includingAbul Bajandar. It is the first time we

have found such a rare case inBangladesh,” he said. An Indonesianvillager with massive warts all overhis body underwent a string of oper-ations in 2008 to remove them.Bajandar’s elder sister, Adhuri Bibi,said hundreds of people have visitedtheir home in Khulna over the yearsto see the “Tree Man”. “Even here atthe hospital, hundreds have alreadygathered,” she told AFP. Bajandar, afather of one, said he tried cuttingthe warts when they first appeared,but it was extremely painful. “Afterthat I went to a village homeopathand herbal specialist. But those medi-cines only worsened my condition.”He also consulted doctors in neigh-boring India, but he and his familycould not afford the cost of the oper-ation there. — AFP

Surgery for Bangladesh’s ‘Tree Man’ to remove warts

DHAKA: Abul Bajandar (left), 26, dubbed “Tree Man” for massive bark-like wartson his hands and feet, sits at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. — AFP

GENEVA: Swiss doctors have separatedeight-day-old conjoined twin sistersfused at the liver and chest-the youngestever successfully separated, a Swisspaper reported yesterday. Five surgeons,assisted by two nurses and six anaesthe-siologists, carried out the successful,five-hour operation last month to sepa-rate the tiny identical twins, the Le MatinDimanche weekly reported. Maya andLydia were born at Bern hospital twomonths prematurely along with theirtriplet sister Kamilla on December 2.

The two were joined by the liver andthe chest. The conjoined twins were ini-tially stable and doctors had planned toallow them to settle after birth and sep-arate them after a few months. But aftera week, their situation deteriorated dra-matically: one suffering from hyperten-sion and the other suffering from theopposite condition, known as hypoten-sion. Both conditions were life-threaten-ing to the frail twins, who weighed just1.1 kilo (2.4 pounds) each, and the doc-tors decided their only chance wasattempting surgery never before per-formed on such young infants.Separating the babies’ liver put both

under massive pressure, said BarbaraWildhaber, head of the paediatric sur-gery unit at the Geneva UniversityHospital, who headed the team that car-ried out the surgery on December 10.

“We were prepared for the death ofboth babies, it was so extreme,” she toldLe Matin Dimanche. But the surgery suc-ceeded. “I t was magnificent! I willremember it my entire career,”Wildhaber said. Since their surgery,Maya and Lydia have been recoveringwell, they have put on weight and havebegun breast feeding, the paper report-ed. The pair is among only about 200separated conjoined twins currently liv-ing around the globe, it said. Alsoknown as Siamese twins, conjoined sib-lings are identical twins who in rare cas-es, about one in 200,000 live births, areborn with their skin and internal organsfused together, according to theUniversity of Maryland Medical Centrewebsite. About half are stillborn, and thesurvival rate is between five and 25 per-cent. They develop from a single egg,which splits in the case of healthy twins,but not fully in the case of conjoinedsiblings. — AFP

Youngest ever conjoined twins separated in Switzerland

LOS ANGELES: A new coffee dietclaiming to help lose weight andimprove IQ is gaining a major followingin the United States-and raising eye-brows among doctors skeptical of itsbenefits. Dave Asprey, the founder andCEO of the “Bulletproof Diet,” pulls nopunches when making claims for hisradical health recipe, cup of coffee inhand. “You become a better employee,better parent, better friend, better per-son,” said the former Silicon Valleyentrepreneur now living in Canada.“My energy changes, my brainchanges. I can pay attention, I can fol-low through.”

The cornerstone of Asprey’s diet is adrink called Bulletproof Coffee, a modi-fied version of the caffeinated bever-age which uses beans stripped ofmycotoxins-essentially mold that formsduring the fermentation process. Addto that butter from grass-fed cows andmedium-chain triglycerides (MCT) oil.The ingredients are blended togetherto produce a creamy, naturally sweetbeverage a bit like a milkshake, takenat breakfast in lieu of a meal. “So youdrink a couple of these and all of a sud-den you don’t care about food for avery long time,” said Asprey. “Your brainhas energy that doesn’t come fromsugar, you didn’t want sugar in yourcoffee and you lose the craving andyou sort of have freedom.”

Asprey used to weigh 300 pounds,

and spent much of his life battling tolose weight. The coffee diet idea cameto him during a trip to Tibet in 2004. Hewas weak with altitude sickness whiletraveling in the mountainous region-until he drank yak butter tea. Aspreywas so impressed by the energeticeffect of the drink that he tried toreproduce it at home. After years of try-ing all kinds of ingredients and combi-nations, he unveiled a patented formu-la in 2009 through his blog and onsocial media, claiming the coffee andan associated health regimen helpedhim attain a “bodybuilder” physique.

‘Better our body’ Asprey’s diet is now one of the most

popular in the United States, where athird of the population of some 320million is obese. And his modified cof-fee has become the first link in anempire that includes the New YorkTimes bestselling book “TheBulletproof Diet.” In addition to peoplelooking to lose weight, it attracts ath-letes and supporters of “biohacking,” amovement that combines biology andfood technology to improve physicaland mental capacity. “Me and my wifeare in the fitness industry, so we aretrying to do things that better ourbody,” said Justin Lovato, a burly per-sonal trainer.

Past the hit of morning coffee, themethod advocates a diet free of gluten

and sugar that draws around half of itscalories from “healthy fats” such as MCToil, 20 percent from protein-preferablygrass-fed meat and dairy or wildcaught seafood-and the rest fromorganic fruit and vegetables. Otherfoods are classified as “bulletproof”,“suspect” or “kryptonite” according tohow they fit into the diet’s categoriesand meals are taken on a set schedule.

A young athlete who gave his name

as Ray said drinking the coffee everymorning “increases your energy levelsfor sure.” “You don’t feel sleepy any-more, you don’t have the crash I wouldsay after 20 minutes. Its effects arelonger” than any of the products hehas tested before, Ray added. Aspreyalso advocates brief bursts of high-intensity exercise, with a focus onallowing the body to recuperate withfood and sleep. — AFP

Coffee diet woos Americans with ‘Bulletproof’ pledge

Entebbe, Uganda : A tour guide walks in the Ziika forest in Uganda, near Entebbe. — AFP photos

JAKARTA: An Indonesian research insti-tute said yesterday it had found one pos-itive Zika case on Sumatra island, addingthat the virus has been circulating in thecountry “for a while”. Indonesia’s healthministry could not immediately com-ment on the repor t by the Ei jk manInstitute for Molecular Biology. The mos-quito-borne virus has sparked wide -spread alarm in parts of the Americas. Itis suspected of causing grave brain dam-age in newborns and has similar symp-toms to dengue fever.

The institute said a 27-year-old manliving in Jambi province on Sumatraisland who had never travelled overseashad been found to be infected. It said itstumbled on the case while studying adengue outbreak in the province.Researchers set aside specimens whichproduced dengue symptoms such asrashes and fever but which tested nega-tive for dengue, and researched them fur-ther. “Out of the 103 (dengue-negative)specimens that we checked, we foundone positive for Zika,” the institute’s

deputy director, Herawati Sudoyo, toldAFP.

Zika is transmitted by the Aedesaegypti mosquito, which also spreadsdengue fever and the chikungunya virus.It produces flu-like symptoms including alow-grade fever, headaches, joint pain andrashes. Sudoyo said the specimens weretaken during a dengue outbreak in Jambibetween December 2014 and April 2015.It was not known how and when the man,who never travelled overseas, contractedthe virus. “We concluded that the virushas been circulating in Indonesia for awhile,” Sudoyo said. The World HealthOrganization warned in the past week thevirus is “spreading explosively” in theAmericas, with three million to four mil-lion cases expected this year. Hardest-hitso far has been Brazil, with more than 1.5million cases since April. Health authori-ties there are investigating the possiblelinkage between Zika and more than3,400 suspected cases of microcephaly-abnormally small skulls and brains-inbabies born to infected mothers. — AFP

Researchers say Zika case found in Indonesia

NEW YORK: When chemotherapy is inshort supply, doctors should choose kids toreceive treatment based on which patientshave the best odds of being cured by thedrugs, argues a group of oncologists.Shortages of life-saving cancer medicinesfor children are frequent and can compli-cate typical treatment protocols, creatingsubstantial ethical challenges, the doctorswrite in the Journal of the National CancerInstitute. “Curability, prognosis, and theincremental importance of a particulardrug to a given patient’s outcome are thecritical factors to consider when decidinghow to allocate scarce life-saving drugs,” DrYoram Unguru of Johns Hopkins Universityin Baltimore and colleagues write in thecommentary.

While shortages may occur for a varietyof reasons, they are particularly commonfor generic injected medicines and happenfrequently in the US, the authors note.There are about 265 drugs currently inshort supply in the US, down from a peakof 320 as of September 2014. The firstresponse to a shortage should be to maxi-mize efficiency and minimize waste inusing available supplies, the authors argue.After that, when there is no longer enoughmedicine to go around, clinicians shouldconsider curability based on evidence thatpoints to survival odds, taking into accounthow well a medicine works for a particulartumor type as well as individual patientcharacteristics.

Doctors might, for example, considerskipping one drug in short supply whenthere is another widely available medicine

that could produce similar survival odds,even if the alternative drug doesn’t neces-sarily offer children as much time beforesymptoms worsen. When the chances ofsurvival are widely different, it may beclear-cut to give the child with better oddsthe medicine. But when survival odds aresimilar, for instance the difference between70 percent and 80 percent, this is no longeran ideal way to ration scare chemotherapy,argue the authors, who declined to beinterviewed. Tumor type also matters.

Larger quantitiesFor example, if injectable methotrexate

is in short supply, it makes more sense toprioritize children with acute lymphoblasticleukemia (ALL) over kids with bone malig-nancies known as osteosarcoma becausemore evidence points to the effectivenessof this drug for ALL, the authors argue.Phase of treatment is important, too. Achild recently diagnosed with ALL, forexample, may have a larger disease burdenand a greater need for chemotherapy thananother kid who has already been in treat-ment for a while and is taking medicine tohelp prevent tumors from returning. Inaddition, k ids who need only a smallamount of medicine for a course of treat-ment might get priority over children whowould need larger quantities, the authorssuggest. Clinicians should consider thisethical framework for rationing scarce can-cer drugs in the absence of a nationwidepolicy spelling out the best way to dole outchemotherapy during a shortage, theauthors conclude. — Reuters

An ethical way to choose which kids get chemo during a shortage?

Into Zika’s heart: The Ugandan forest where virus was found

‘We have not recorded a case in Uganda’

NEW YORK: The British Dietetic Association listed the “Bulletproof”method among its top 10 celebrity diets to avoid for 2016. — AFP

Entebbe, Uganda : A picture shows a sign post in the Ziika forest inUganda.

KUWAIT: Diabetes is a significant prob-lem in Kuwait where it has been esti-mated that up to 1 in 4 of the adult pop-ulation suffers from the disease. Since2011 the University of Dundee, a worldleader in clinical diabetes care and dia-betes research, in partnership with theDasman Diabetes Institute (which wasestablished by Kuwait Foundation forthe Advancement of Sciences “KFAS”),with its mission to prevent, control andmitigate the impact of diabetes inKuwait have created and delivered a

Postgraduate Masters program inDiabetes Care, Education andManagement. This program is availableto a wide range of Kuwait based health-care professionals who study part timewhile working.

Through face-to-face and innovativeblended, interactive teaching, the pro-gram enables healthcare professionalsto provide more effective care for theirpatients. They gain specialized knowl-edge of diabetes along with the educa-tional and management training that

supports them in effective communica-tion with colleagues and patients.

The program is flexible, allowing stu-dents to choose modules from a rangeof clinical, management or educationbased topics that are most relevant totheir professional requirements.Throughout their studies studentsundertake multiple work-based devel-opment projects as assignments withthe aim of immediately improving anddeveloping diabetes healthcare provi-sion and reflective practice throughout

healthcare practices in Kuwait. So far,over 260 students have enrolled in theprogram and collectively they haveachieved over 1000 work-based proj-ects, directly impacting diabetes care inKuwait.

The second Graduation Ceremonyyesterday marked the successfulachievements of over 40 post-graduatestudents giving the program a total ofalmost 100 graduates. For all studentsthe Graduation at the DasmanDiabetes Institute is the pinnacle ofthree years of hard work and dedica-tion and Sunday’s celebration bringstogether dignitaries from across Kuwaitand Scotland to celebrate their consid-erable achievements.

H E A LT H & S C I E N C EMONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2016

KUWAIT: An innovative new class of medi-cines for type 2 diabetes (T2D) will soon beavailable to patients in Kuwait MoH and pro-vides a much-needed alternative treatmentoption for people with the disease. T2D is acommon disease on the increase. Recent fig-ures from the International DiabetesFederation show that almost 37 million peo-ple in the MENA region have diabetes, whichif left unchecked is predicted to nearly doubleby 2035. Kuwait has the second highest com-parative prevalence in the region, with anestimated 20% of the population affected.

Dr Waleed Al-Dahi (Consultant Endocrine& Diabetes, Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital), ProfDr Nabila Abdella (Professor of Medicine &Consultant Diabetologist, Mubarak Hospital)and Dr Thaier Almuaili (Consultant Internist &Diabetologist, Al-Amiri hospital and DasmanDiabetes Institute), three experts in the field,said that in the early stages T2D is often man-aged with oral treatments combined withlifestyle modifications that include increasing

physical activity and following a healthy diet.

Best control“Unfortunately diabetes is a progressive

disease and despite a person’s best efforts,the reality is that most people will reach astage when it is appropriate to consider aninjectable therapy to get the best control oftheir disease,” Prof Dr Nabila Abdella said.

“Until now this usually meant startinginsulin therapy, which is a big step for manypeople,” Prof Dr Nabila Abdella said. “A lot ofdifferent anxieties come up, including a fearof hypoglycaemia, which is when your bloodsugar becomes dangerously low,” she said.“People are also concerned about putting onweight,” Prof Dr Nabila Abdella said.

Dr Waleed Al-Dahi welcomed the avail-ability of the new injectable medicines -called glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor ago-nists (GLP-1 RA) - as an effective alternative tobasal insulin therapy for those failing on oraltherapy. “Each year brings new advances and

we can now offer our patients an effectivetreatment with a very low risk of hypogly-caemia and unwanted side effects like weightgain,” he said. “And this is with a weekly injec-tion so the needle burden is much lowercompared with insulin,” he added.

Extensive experienceFollowing the MoH approval

AstraZeneca, one of the world’s leadingpharmaceutical companies, will launch itsBydureon Pen, which is a unique pre-filled,single-use pen injector containingExenatide, a medicine with extensive experi-ence globally. In studies Bydureon hasshown to significantly reduce HbA1c levels -a marker of how much sugar a person has intheir blood - by up to 2% from an averagestarting level of 8.3%. Weight loss, as anadditional benefit to diabetic patients, wasalso seen in the studies.

Dr Thaier Almuaili said if all the globalexperience with Bydureon was added

together, it would equal around 3.8 millionpatient years of treatment since the medicinewas first introduced. ‘Patient years’ is a repre-sentation of the total person-time on

Bydureon in clinical trials, and is calculated byadding the number of patients in a groupand multiplying that number with the num-ber of years that patients are in a study.

Diabetes doctors welcome novel once weekly diabetes treatment to Kuwait MoH

KUWAIT: (From left) Dr Waleed Al-Dahi, Consultant Endocrine & Diabetes,Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital, Prof Dr Nabila Abdella, Professor of Medicine &Consultant Diabetologist, Mubarak Hospital, Dr Thaier Almuaili, ConsultantInternist & Diabetologist, Al-Amiri hospital and Dasman Diabetes Instituteand representative from AstraZeneca.

Dr Qais Al-Duwairi

CAMA«ARI, Brazil: Camacari was inchaos, its hospitals overflowing withsick people desperate to know whatwas happening to them, never sus-pecting theirs would be the firstconfirmed cases of Zika in Brazil. Inthe city where the virus made itsexplosive debut in early 2015, anx-ious residents asked themselves:Was it dengue? An allergic reactionto contaminated water? The “myste-rious” disease, people called it, whilemedical reports referred to it as“undetermined eczematous syn-drome,” noting the skin irritationassociated with it.

“My two children and I got sick.In my neighborhood, nearly every-body became infected,” saidVanessa Machado dos Santos, whomakes a l iving sell ing coconutwater in this torrid city, about 50kilometers (30 miles) from Salvadorin the northeastern state of Bahia.“Our skin began to itch, we hadfever, headaches and body aches, alot of pain in our joints,” she toldAFP. Sometime later, the 35-year-old was told that what she was feel-ing was caused by the Zika virus,but she sti l l had her doubts.“Nobody knew much about it-thatit was like dengue, that it was car-ried by mosquitos, that it camefrom another country. We heard alot of stories about the famousZika,” she said. “Was I scared? Ofcourse! We didn’t know what wascoming next. You are always afraidof the unknown.”

Plea for help It was April 2015 and the hospi-

tals were inundated in this city of200,000. Antonio Carlos Bandeira, adoctor at the Santa Helena hospital,thought the syndrome had to beidentified with urgency, so he con-tacted Gubio Soares, a virologist heknew at the Federal University ofBahia. There were so many cases atthe time, that the call to Soares was“truly a plea for help,” Bandeirarecalled. Judging by the symptomsand explosive contagion-”therewere entire buildings full of sickpeople,” Bandeira said-they

assumed it was an arbovirus, thegeneric name for viruses transmit-ted by insects or other animals, likedengue or chikungunya.

In his laboratory at the universi-ty’s Institute of Health Sciences,Soares and his colleague Silvia Sardifocused on 20 samples frompatients in Camacari. They hit uponthe villain: Zika, which was firstidentified in 1947 in Africa, and hadsurfaced in the Pacific islands in2007 and 2013, but with limitedimpact.”I had read interesting stud-ies on Zika. Parallel to that, I sawpictures of people infected with thevirus. I discussed it with Silvia Sardi,we did the tests and they were con-clusive,” he said.

“And that’s how we identified itfor the first time in Brazil.” That wason April 28, 2015. The next day,Brazilian health officials made thefinding public.

Self-diagnosis via TV At around the same time,

Lucienne Ferrera was feeling sick.She had rashes on her skin, somefever and little energy to work ather poultry store in Candeias, 30kilometers from Camacari.”I haditching, fever and discomfort allday. But at night, watching thenews on television, they said therewas a new virus, Zika. That’s how Ifound out,” she said with a laugh.“Later when I went to the doctor, hetold me he didn’t know about it. Soeven for them it was a mystery.”

From Brazil, the virus has spreadrapidly through the Americas. It isbelieved to have arrived in thecountry during the World Cup inmid-2014, with the first cases, onlyconfirmed later, occurring in thestate of Rio Grande do Norte. Still tobe determined is whether the virus,as researchers suspect, is responsi-ble for a surge in cases of micro-cephaly, an untreatable conditionin which babies are born with smallheads and brains. A year after theoutbreak in Brazil, Zika remains amystery, with no known vaccine,and many other countries now feel-ing its effect. — AFP

A plea for help inBrazil city where Zika

first confirmed

Four years of postgraduate diabetes education marked

W H AT ’ S ONMONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2016

The media has become a critically influen-tial force in the contemporary society asit has the power even to determine the

fortunes of political parties today, said CGouridasan Nair, a well-known Indian journal-ist and Associate Editor of The Hindu,

Trivandrum edition. Delivering a keynotespeech on ‘Media and Society’ at the MalayaliMedia Forum, Kuwait’s annual conference onJanuary 28th at the Indian Community School,Khaitan, Nair said, in India, the media hasdemolished the conventional structures of

several political organizations by swaying thepublic opinion in favor or against them. Withthe mushrooming of television channels andsocial media, political decision-making hasbecome virtually impossible without takinginto account the views of the media be it posi-

tive or negative. Indian Embassy second secre-tary A K Srivastava inaugurated the three-dayconference while MMF General ConvenorAbdulfattah Thayyil presided over the meet-ing. A souvenir, edited by Muhammad Riyaz,was released on the occasion. Convenor

Muneer Ahamed welcomed the gatheringwhile Anwar Sadath Thalassery proposed avote of thanks. A cross section of the Indiancommunity attended the conference whichconcluded yesterday. MMF, Kuwait is a forumof Malayali journalists working in Kuwait.

MMF, Kuwait holds media conference

Al Mulla Exchange, Kuwait’s leadingexchange company, opened its 67thbranch in Kuwait on 27th January 2016,

adding to its wide network to serve customersall across Kuwait. The new branch, located in

Mangaf, is the third outlet in the area, and like allthe other branches of Al Mulla Exchange, it iswell located with ample parking space to enablecustomers with fast and easy service.

In his statement after the launch of the

branch, Al Mulla Exchange’s General Manager,Rakesh Joshi, said that Mangaf is a strategiclocation for the exchange company, “as thereare very few companies providing similar serv-ices in the area. This is our third branch in

Mangaf, and we are expanding in the areabecause we are aware of the demand for ourservices. Our aim is to get as close to our cus-tomers as possible, so our services become eas-ily accessible to all.”

Moreover, he noted that this year will seefurther expansion of Al Mulla Exchange, takingthe company’s leading position in the marketeven higher. The exact address of the newbranch is block 4, street 30, building 34, Mangaf.

Al Mulla Exchange widens its network with the 67th branch in Kuwait

Rani R Raad has been appointed tothe new role of President, CNNInternational Commercial. In this

role, Raad will continue to be responsiblefor CNN’s commercial functions outsidethe US In addition, the development ofTurner International’s programmatic trad-ing strategy will be facilitated under hisleadership.

Previously as Executive Vice-Presidentand Chief Commercial Officer, CNN

International, Raad has led the CNNInternational Commercial group since itwas created in 2013 to directly align all ofCNN’s international commercial activityinto one organization. This activity spanscore business activities such as advertisingsales, content sales and partnerships, busi-ness development, marketing andresearch. Gerhard Zeiler, President, TurnerInternational, to whom Raad reports, said:“Rani has a remarkable track record in

leading a diverse portfolio of commercialinitiatives across international markets. Hehas built a new digital team that is theauthority in this space and has trans-formed the commercial operation for CNNinternationally, bringing in a new leader-ship team to deliver best-in-class andaward-winning ad sales solutions as well asre-setting the licensing and content salesbusinesses to yield a suite of new brandedinitiatives around the globe.”

Rani Raad said: “I’m excited and passion-ate about the role that CNN continues toplay in today’s fast-changing news andmedia landscape. As the world’s newsleader, our commitment to innovationunderpins our commercial activities as wellas the brand’s editorial output. I look for-ward to being part of this change as webring to market even more sophisticated,data-driven and creative solutions for ourwide range of commercial partners.”

Rani Raad appointed President, CNN International Commercial

The 139th birth anniversary ofBharath Kesari MannathuPadmanabhan was celebrated by

Nair Service Society (NSS) Kuwait onJanuary 22 at Marina Hall, Touristic Park,Abbassiya from 5.30 pm onwards.

The function was presided by NSS vicepresident Sreekumar and was inauguratedby A K Sreevastava, Second Secretary,Indian Embassy, Kuwait by lighting thelamp. Renowned South Indian film direc-tor, producer, lyricist and music directorSreekumaran Thampi was the chief guest.

S Vijayakumar, General Secretary in hisspeech remembered the great efforts ofMannath Padmanabhan in the formationof NSS and welcomed everyone to thefunction. Vice President Sreekumar gavehis presidential address. Sunil Menon, NSSPatron and Deepa Pillai, Vanitha Samajamconvenor gave felicitation speeches.

Sreekumaran Thampi was honored witha ponnada and a memento by NSS Kuwait.He delivered an inspirational speech aboutthe life of Mannath Padmanabhan andurged everyone to stay together and work

hard to achieve their goals.Guna Prasad, Treasurer expressed vote of

thanks. There were documentary shows onthe life of Mannath Padmanabhan,Sreekumaran Thampi and the welfare activ-ities of NSS Kuwait. The academic achieversawards were given by Sreekumaran Thampito the children of NSS members for theiroutstanding performance in the 10th and12th standard CBSE examinations.

The cultural program was a great suc-cess and a memorable one. The mainattraction of the evening was the

Bharathanatyam performance by ParisLaxmi. She won the hearts of all by hergraceful movements, expressions and theease of performance. Pallippuram Sunilperformed “Poothanamoksham” anddelighted everyone with his Kathakaliskills. The musical entertainment by thetrio Sachin Warrier, Malavika Anilkumarwith Asianet fame Aneesh at keyboardmesmerized the audience with melodiesand fast numbers. Kalabhavan Satheeshentertained all with his comedy and mim-icry skills.

NSS Kuwait celebrates Mannam Jayanthi 2016

W H AT ’ S ONMONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2016

In-line with the Hala February Festival andthe Kuwait Liberation and National DayCelebrations, Millennium Hotel and

Convention Centre Kuwait is pleased toannounce its exclusive packages for the monthof February.

Dani Saleh, Area General Manager ofMillennium & Copthorne Hotels in Kuwait, said,“In accord with the hotel management’s strate-gy to further promote tourism in Kuwait, we

take pleasure in introducing these exceptionaloffers in time for the “Hala February” festivalcelebrations, targeting both locals and foreign-ers.” He added, “Every year, February is alwaysfilled with special events, and in celebration ofthe “Hala February” festival and Kuwait’sLiberation & National Days, which turn Kuwaitinto a tourist spot as many people visit thecountry during this time both for leisure andbusiness. Not only do we strive to provide our

guests with an unforgettable stay, but alsooffer them great value and spectacular pro-grams that exceed their expectations.”

Other than the Exceptional Room RateOffer, the hotel has a celebratory accommoda-tion package that brings family-orientedopportunities to enjoy the comfort of well-appointed guestrooms and suites, togetherwith a host of dining options in our “Pay 2, Stay3” Queen Suite Package that provides guests

with a complimentary third night for every twoconsecutive paid nights, which includes freeLimousine airport transfer service, internation-al buffet breakfast, complimentary access tothe gym and heated Pool, and free Wi-Fi.

Millennium Hotel & Convention CentreKuwait is one of the premier 5-star hotels in thecountry, offering 295 luxurious accommoda-tions and top-of-the-line facilities that includean outdoor swimming pool, a health club with

a modern techno gym, and a sauna and steamroom. Situated in Salmiya, it is 15 minutes awayfrom Kuwait International Airport, and a 10-minute drive from prime shopping areas. Thehotel also offers a variety of cuisines in whichdiners can choose from the international buffetto local Kuwait specialties at the LamarInternational Restaurant, or simply relax andenjoy excellent coffee or tea concoctions andgood conversation at the Library Cafe.

Millennium Hotel & Convention Centre celebrates Hala February in style

In line with its continuous efforts to introducean extensive culinary offerings from aroundthe globe, the Regency Hotel, Kuwait in

cooperation with the Greek Embassy and underthe patronage of His Excellency Dr Theodoros JTheodorou, and on the 7th February, 2016 isproudly inaugurating “From Greece to Kuwait’”five days food promotion at Silk Road; the

hotel’s elegant main restaurant in Kuwait. The promo will feature a selective collection

of Greek food specialties and flavors intro-duced by Greek Guest Chefs hosted from therenowned Crete, Greece based hotel “MinoaPalace Hotel”. Minoa Palace Hotel’s culinaryteam is led by Chef Yiannis Tsivourakis andChef Papaderakis Michalis. They believe that

Greek food has its own distinctive aroma andtaste. Chef Yiannis Tsivourakis’s mission is tointroduce the culinary delights ofMediterranean-style dishes to the people inKuwait. Tsivourakis is one of the few chefs whouses olive oil almost exclusively as the mainingredient for all his culinary creations and sec-ond on his list of favorite ingredients, after

olive oil is horta, which are wild greens com-bined with meat and fish.

Commenting on this event, the GeneralManager of The Regency hotel, Kuwait, MrAurelio Giraudo said “we are so excited aboutthe debut of the Greek food festival in our SilkRoad restaurant. It is an another initiative thatcomplements and sustains our positioning as

number one and the leader of luxury in themarket with all that we do and offer to ourclients”.

Silk Road restaurant in The Regency hotel,Kuwait is one of the finest restaurants, offeringin addition to its finest selections of flavors anddishes, a panoramic view of the Arabian Gulfand the hotel’s outdoor leisure facilities.

The Regency Hotel inaugurates the ‘From Greece to Kuwait’ food festival

Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST)yesterday hosted the latest Cross Cultural Diwaniya(CCD) on its campus, where people from various

backgrounds meet to exchange views and promote criticalthinking and progressive discussions on the most relevantand culturally significant issues of the day. Last night’s dis-cussion touched on the topics of human rights and citizen-ship in Kuwait.

The event, which was open to the general public, wasofficially opened by CCD Founder, Faisal Al Fuhaid. Thiswas followed by a brief introduction and two 45 minuterounds of structured discussions moderated by Dr Rania AlNakib, Assistant Professor of Humanities and SocialSciences at GUST.

CCD Founder, Mr Faisal Al Fuhaid, said, “By providing apublic forum for people to discuss important issues withinKuwaiti society goes to show how seriously we take theCross Cultural Diwaniya. Years from now, I want this to hap-pen naturally with people hosting their own diwaniyas andopening them to people from different backgrounds and

schools of thought. By doing so, social cohesion andunderstanding amongst the people of Kuwait willincrease.”

The Cross Cultural Diwaniya has become a landmark ofdebate and intelligent discussion, and tackles importantand sensitive issues head on. Recent topics examinedinclude the correlation between religion and spirituality,feminism, the rights of migrant workers, mental healthcarein Kuwait, and the recent bombing of the Imam Al SadiqMosque by an ISIS suicide bomber.

Assistant Professor of Humanities and Social Sciences atGUST, Dr Al Nakib, said, “Last night’s Cross-CulturalDiwaniya explored the idea of transformative citizenshipthrough the lens of human rights. Issues covered includedthe difference between universal rights and citizen entitle-ments; the tensions between human rights, culture, andreligion; the demise of national citizenship; and civicresponsibility and action.” The Cross Cultural Diwaniya,occurs monthly, is open to everyone, and is free of chargeto attend.

GUST hosts 24th Cross Cultural Diwaniya

Top chefs from JumeirahMessilah Beach Hotel and Spacompeted in a series of live

culinary shows and won three goldmedals at the fifth edition of HorecaKuwait. The event is the country’slargest annual exhibition held for thehospitality, catering and food indus-tries and was hosted at the hotel’sBadriah Ballroom for the third con-secutive year.

Chefs from across hotels andrestaurants in Kuwait competed in aseries of live culinary shows which

were judged by a panel of interna-tional chefs from the Middle East andEurope. Chefs at Jumeirah MessilahBeach Hotel and Spa won gold in thelive meat contest, live traditionalArabic mezze competition and livecooking out of the basket competi-tion. Seven silver medals were wonfor the three plated desserts presen-tation, fruit carving, sushi contest,ice-carving competition and singletier novelty cake preparation.

A further eight bronze medals,eleven merits and two hygiene

awards were also won across severalcategories. General Manager, HakanPetek, said: “We are delighted tohave successfully hosted this exhibi-tion for the third year which is held inhigh regard in the hospitality indus-try. Badriah Ballroom was the idealplatform to demonstrate our culinaryexcellence, the latest innovationsand new products in the food andhospitality sector. I wish to congratu-late all the chefs for their participa-tion and I am proud of their out-standing efforts.”

Talented chefs at Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa win awards at Horeca

Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel gold winners of culinary show.

03:35 Wild Iberia04:25 North America05:15 Deadly Islands06:02 Wildest Africa06:49 Wild Things With DominicMonaghan07:36 Call Of The Wildman08:00 Call Of The Wildman08:25 Too Cute!09:15 River Monsters10:10 Treehouse Masters11:05 Tanked12:00 Too Cute!12:55 Bondi Vet13:50 River Monsters14:45 Gator Boys15:40 Treehouse Masters16:35 Tanked17:30 The Lion Man17:55 The Lion Man18:25 River Monsters19:20 Dinosaurs In The Outback20:15 Tanked21:10 Gangland Killers22:05 Treehouse Masters23:00 Dinosaurs In The Outback23:55 Gator Boys

T V PR O G R A M SMONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2016

AGE OF DINOSAURS ON OSN MOVIES ACTION HD

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY ON OSN MOVIES ACTION HD

03:40 Storage Hunters04:05 The Liquidator04:30 Storage Wars Canada05:00 What Happened Next?05:30 How Stuff Works06:00 Siberian Cut06:50 Cuban Chrome07:40 Misfit Garage08:30 Storage Hunters08:55 The Liquidator09:20 Storage Wars Canada09:45 What Happened Next?10:10 How Stuff Works10:35 Fast N’ Loud11:25 Street Outlaws12:15 Street Outlaws13:05 Storage Hunters13:30 The Liquidator13:55 Storage Wars Canada14:20 Siberian Cut15:10 Cuban Chrome16:00 Misfit Garage16:50 What Happened Next?17:15 How Stuff Works17:40 Gold Rush18:30 Gold Divers19:20 Troy20:10 The Liquidator20:35 Auction Hunters: Pawn ShopEdition21:00 Gold Rush21:50 Gold Divers22:40 Catching Monsters23:30 Cuban Chrome

03:42 Food Factory07:37 How Do They Do It?08:23 Mythbusters09:08 How The Universe Works09:53 Prototype This10:38 How It’s Made11:00 How It’s Made11:23 Strangest Weather On Earth12:08 What Could Possibly GoWrong?12:53 Prototype This13:38 Mythbusters14:23 How It’s Made14:46 How It’s Made15:10 How The Universe Works15:57 Strangest Weather On Earth16:44 What Could Possibly GoWrong?17:31 Prototype This18:18 How The Universe Works19:05 Weird Or What?19:50 Strangest Weather On Earth20:40 How The Universe Works21:25 How It’s Made21:50 How It’s Made22:15 Mythbusters23:00 Strangest Weather On Earth23:45 How The Universe Works

03:10 House Of Horrors:Kidnapped03:35 House Of Horrors:Kidnapped04:00 Deadline: Crime With TamronHall04:45 Scorned: Crimes Of Passion05:30 California Investigator05:55 California Investigator06:20 The Will07:10 The Will08:00 Dr G: Medical Examiner08:50 On The Case With PaulaZahn09:40 Fatal Encounters10:30 Murder Shift11:20 Deadly Affairs12:10 True Crime With AphroditeJones13:00 The Will13:50 I Almost Got Away With It14:40 California Investigator15:05 Dr G: Medical Examiner15:55 Fatal Encounters16:45 On The Case With PaulaZahn17:35 Murder Shift18:25 I Almost Got Away With It19:15 The Will20:05 Deadly Affairs20:55 True Crime With AphroditeJones21:45 California Investigator22:10 Who On Earth Did I Marry?22:35 Who On Earth Did I Marry?23:00 House Of Horrors:Kidnapped23:25 House Of Horrors:Kidnapped23:50 California Investigator

12:45 Fish Hooks13:10 Good Luck Charlie13:35 I Didn’t Do It14:00 Dog With A Blog14:30 H2O: Just Add Water14:55 Girl Meets World15:20 Liv And Maddie15:45 Jessie16:10 Violetta17:00 The Next Step17:25 Liv And Maddie17:50 Jessie18:15 Austin & Ally18:40 I Didn’t Do It19:05 H2O: Just Add Water19:30 Violetta20:20 The Next Step20:45 Good Luck Charlie21:10 Good Luck Charlie21:35 H2O: Just Add Water22:00 Binny And The Ghost22:25 Sabrina Secrets Of ATeenage Witch22:50 Sabrina Secrets Of ATeenage Witch23:10 Hank Zipzer23:35 Binny And The Ghost

03:15 Botched04:10 Botched05:05 E! Entertainment Special06:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians06:55 Keeping Up With TheKardashians07:50 Style Star08:20 E! News09:15 Giuliana & Bill10:15 Giuliana & Bill11:10 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills12:05 E! News13:05 Dash Dolls14:05 Hollywood Cycle15:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians16:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians17:00 Stewarts And Hamiltons18:00 E! News19:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians20:00 House Of DVF21:00 WAGs22:00 WAGs23:00 Sex With Brody23:30 Fashion Bloggers

03:00 Ching’s Amazing Asia03:30 Ching’s Amazing Asia04:00 The Freshman Class04:30 The Freshman Class05:00 Chopped06:00 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives06:30 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives07:00 Man Fire Food07:30 Man Fire Food08:00 Chopped09:00 Grandma’s Secret CookbookSpecial09:30 Grandma’s Secret CookbookSpecial10:00 The Kitchen11:00 Barefoot Contessa: Back ToBasics11:30 Barefoot Contessa: Back ToBasics12:00 Chopped13:00 Guy’s Big Bite13:30 Guy’s Big Bite14:00 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives14:30 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives15:00 Roadtrip With G. Garvin15:30 Roadtrip With G. Garvin16:00 Chopped17:00 The Kitchen18:00 Siba’s Table18:30 Grandma’s Secret Cookbook19:00 Chopped20:00 Guy’s Grocery Games21:00 Staten Island Cakes22:00 Mystery Diners22:30 Mystery Diners23:00 BBQ Crawl

03:25 Safe House04:20 The Jonathan Ross Show05:15 The Chase: CelebritySpecials06:10 Cook Me The Money07:05 Coach Trip07:30 The Jonathan Ross Show08:25 Code Of A Killer09:20 Murdoch Mysteries10:15 The Chase11:10 Coach Trip11:35 The Chase: CelebritySpecials12:30 Cook Me The Money13:25 Emmerdale

03:15 The Hive03:20 Sabrina Secrets Of ATeenage Witch03:45 Sabrina Secrets Of ATeenage Witch04:10 Wolfblood04:35 Wolfblood05:00 Violetta05:45 The Hive05:50 Mouk06:00 Lolirock06:25 Sofia The First06:50 That’s So Raven07:15 Gravity Falls07:40 Jessie08:05 Shake It Up08:30 Shake It Up08:55 That’s So Raven09:20 That’s So Raven09:45 Austin & Ally10:10 Austin & Ally10:35 A.N.T. Farm11:00 A.N.T. Farm11:25 Jessie11:50 Jessie12:20 Hank Zipzer

13:50 Coach Trip14:20 Coronation Street14:45 Murdoch Mysteries15:35 Pick Me!16:30 Vera18:20 Who’s Doing The Dishes?19:10 Coronation Street19:35 Pick Me!20:30 Vera22:20 Coronation Street22:50 Emmerdale23:15 Who’s Doing The Dishes?

03:50 Big Fish, Texas04:45 Brave New World05:40 Prospectors06:05 Prospectors06:35 Planes That Changed TheWorld07:30 Brain Games07:55 Brain Games08:25 80s: The Decade That MadeUs09:20 World’s Toughest Fixes10:15 Lawless Island11:10 Time Scanners12:05 Taiwan: Island Of Fish13:00 80s: The Decade That MadeUs14:00 Science Of Stupid14:30 Hacking The System15:00 Planes That Changed TheWorld16:00 Lawless Island17:00 Taiwan: Island Of Fish18:00 Taiwan: Island Of Fish19:00 Cosmos: A SpacetimeOdyssey20:00 Lawless Island20:50 Taiwan: Island Of Fish21:40 Taiwan: Island Of Fish22:30 Planes That Changed TheWorld23:20 Prospectors23:45 Prospectors

03:00 Last Man Standing03:30 The Goldbergs04:00 Men At Work04:30 The Tonight Show StarringJimmy Fallon05:30 My Big Fat Greek Life06:00 Til Death06:30 Mad Love07:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers08:00 Men At Work08:30 My Big Fat Greek Life09:00 Last Man Standing09:30 Grandfathered10:00 Melissa & Joey10:30 Mad Love11:00 The Tonight Show StarringJimmy Fallon12:00 Til Death12:30 Men At Work13:00 My Big Fat Greek Life13:30 Community14:00 The Goldbergs14:30 Grandfathered15:00 Melissa & Joey15:30 Mr. Robinson16:30 Til Death17:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers18:00 Last Man Standing18:30 The Goldbergs19:00 The Grinder19:30 Melissa & Joey20:00 Bad Judge20:30 Marry Me21:00 Mr. Robinson22:00 South Park22:30 Man Seeking Woman23:00 The Big C23:30 Bad Judge

03:00 Show Me A Hero04:00 Drop Dead Diva05:00 Good Morning America06:00 Royal Pains07:00 Drop Dead Diva08:00 American Crime09:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show10:00 Royal Pains11:00 Drop Dead Diva12:00 Coronation Street12:30 Coronation Street13:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show14:00 American Crime15:00 Live Good Morning America17:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show18:00 American Crime19:00 Scandal20:00 How To Get Away WithMurder21:00 Quantico22:00 Rosewood23:00 Allegiance

04:00 Northmen: A Viking Saga06:00 Marvel’s Next Avengers:Heroes Of Tomorrow08:00 Percy Jackson And TheLightning Thief10:00 Age Of Dinosaurs11:45 Guardians Of The Galaxy14:00 Breakdown15:45 The Prince17:30 Percy Jackson And TheLightning Thief19:45 Guardians Of The Galaxy22:00 The Bourne Legacy

04:00 Marvel’s Next Avengers:Heroes Of Tomorrow-PG06:00 Percy Jackson And TheLightning Thief-PG1508:00 Age Of Dinosaurs-PG1509:45 Guardians Of The Galaxy-PG1512:00 Breakdown-PG1513:45 The Prince-PG1515:30 Percy Jackson And TheLightning Thief-PG1517:45 Guardians Of The Galaxy20:00 The Bourne Legacy-PG1522:15 13 Sins-PG15

04:00 Down To Earth06:00 Happy Gilmore08:00 Orange County10:00 Down To Earth12:00 Christmas At Castlebury Hall14:00 Encino Man16:00 Orange County18:00 Pitch Perfect20:00 22 Jump Street22:00 Behaving Badly

03:00 Memorial Day (2011)-PG1505:00 Two Men In Town-PG1507:15 Shadow Witness-PG1509:00 My Piece Of The Pie-PG1511:00 Two Men In Town-PG1513:00 Return To Nim’s Island-PG15:00 Yellow Rock-PG1517:00 My Piece Of The Pie-PG1519:00 Crawl-PG1521:00 Reach Me-PG1523:00 Afternoon Delight-18

03:00 The Butler05:15 Lost Christmas07:00 Diana09:00 Jodorowsky’s Dune11:00 Lost Christmas13:00 Awakenings15:00 The Fold17:00 Jodorowsky’s Dune19:00 White Bird In A Blizzard21:00 The Brass Teapot23:00 Five Easy Pieces

03:00 Odd Thomas-PG1504:45 X-Men: Days Of Future Past07:00 Imogene-PG1509:00 Selma-PG1511:15 A Gift Of Miracles-PG1513:00 Dragonheart 3: TheSorcerer’s Curse-PG1515:00 Penguins Of Madagascar17:00 The Last Days On Mars-PG1519:00 Lucy-PG1521:00 I Am Soldier-1823:00 Ouija-PG15

04:15 Ghatothkach - Master OfMagic06:00 Pim And Pom: The BigAdventure07:30 Dixie And The ZombieRebellion09:00 Echo Planet10:30 Marco Macaco12:00 The Tale Of The PrincessKaguya14:30 Christmas Is Here Again16:00 The Olsen Gang In DeepTrouble18:00 Echo Planet20:00 Egon And Donci

21:30 Christmas Is Here Again23:00 The Olsen Gang In DeepTrouble

04:00 Planes: Fire And Rescue-PG06:00 Maleficent-PG08:00 Admission-PG1510:00 Fatal Instinct-PG1512:00 The Maze Runner-PG1514:00 Next Goal Wins-PG16:00 Admission-PG1518:00 Ashes-PG1520:00 Boyhood-PG1522:45 Before Midnight-18

03:40 Secret Eaters04:30 Jon & Kate Plus 805:00 Little People, Big World05:30 Cake Boss06:00 Say Yes To The Dress ‚ÄìBridesmaids06:25 Randy To The Rescue07:15 Hoarding: Buried Alive08:05 7 Little Johnstons08:30 7 Little Johnstons08:55 My Big Fat Fabulous Life09:20 My Big Fat Fabulous Life09:45 Jon & Kate Plus 810:10 Little People, Big World10:35 My Five Wives11:25 Cake Boss11:50 Dare To Wear12:40 Randy To The Rescue13:30 Extreme I Do’s

14:20 Randy’s Wedding Rescue15:10 Jon & Kate Plus 815:35 Little People, Big World16:00 Hoarding: Buried Alive16:50 My Five Wives17:40 Cake Boss18:05 Say Yes To The Dress18:30 Secret Eaters19:20 The Autistic Gardener20:10 Randy To The Rescue21:00 Born Without Limbs21:50 Curvy Brides22:15 Curvy Brides22:40 Long Island Medium23:05 Body Bizarre23:55 Born Without Limbs

00:25 Great Balls Of Fire!02:10 The Big Man04:05 Teen Witch05:35 Robinson Crusoe07:05 Duplex08:35 Billy Two Hats10:15 Hoosiers12:10 The Man In The Iron Mask14:20 Miracles15:45 Seven Years In Tibet18:00 Robinson Crusoe19:30 George Washington21:00 Fear The Walking Dead22:00 Rob Roy

00:00 First Baby Songs00:03 Wish Upon A Star00:09 The River

00:19 Shooting Star00:23 Wish Upon A Star00:28 Goodnight Teddy Bear00:33 Ocean00:43 Magic Lantern00:48 First Baby Songs00:49 Twinkle Star00:59 Concertino01:04 First Baby Songs01:05 The Amazing World01:08 First Baby Songs01:10 Twinkle Star01:18 Ocean01:28 The Amazing World01:32 Flowers01:42 Shooting Star01:45 Concertino01:50 Twinkle Star01:59 Wish Upon A Star02:04 Wish Upon A Star02:09 Ocean02:19 Twinkle Star02:29 The Amazing World02:32 Moon02:41 Shooting Star02:45 Flowers02:55 Wish Upon A Star17:45 Baby TV23:45 Baby TV

00:10 DCI Banks01:00 Spooks01:55 Spooks02:50 BBC Entertainment03:00 BBC First HD Preview08:00 Doctor Who: The Time OfThe Doctor09:05 Doctor Who09:55 Doctor Who10:45 Doctor Who11:35 Doctor Who

12:20 Doctor Who13:10 Doctor Who14:00 Doctor Who14:50 Doctor Who15:40 Doctor Who16:30 Doctor Who17:20 Doctor Who18:20 Doctor Who19:25 Doctor Who: The HusbandsOf River Song20:30 Sherlock: The AbominableBride22:00 Ripper Street23:00 Doctor Who: The HusbandsOf River Song

00:00 Killer Kids01:00 The Haunting Of...02:00 I Survived03:00 Killer Kids04:00 Killer Kids05:00 The Haunting Of...06:00 I Survived07:00 The FBI Files08:00 The FBI Files09:00 Private Crimes09:30 Frenemies10:00 Crimes That Shook Britain11:00 Nightmare In Suburbia12:00 Beyond Scared Straight13:00 I Didn’t Do It14:00 Crime Stories15:00 Crimes That Shook Britain16:00 Private Crimes16:30 Frenemies17:00 The FBI Files18:00 Beyond Scared Straight19:00 Crime Stories20:00 Nightmare In Suburbia21:00 Crimes That Shook Britain22:00 Private Crimes22:30 Frenemies23:00 Killer Kids

00:05 Henry Hugglemonster00:20 Calimero00:35 Zou00:50 Loopdidoo01:05 Art Attack03:05 Art Attack03:30 Henry Hugglemonster03:45 Calimero04:00 Zou04:15 Loopdidoo04:30 Art Attack04:55 Henry Hugglemonster05:05 Calimero05:20 Zou05:30 Loopdidoo05:45 Art Attack06:10 Henry Hugglemonster06:20 Calimero06:35 Zou06:45 Loopdidoo07:00 Art Attack07:25 Henry Hugglemonster07:35 Calimero07:50 Zou08:00 Loopdidoo08:15 Art Attack08:35 Henry Hugglemonster08:50 Calimero09:00 Zou09:20 Loopdidoo09:35 Art Attack10:00 Calimero10:10 Zou10:25 Loopdidoo10:40 Miles From Tomorrow11:05 Sofia The First: Once UponA Princess11:45 Jake & The Never LandPirates12:10 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse12:35 Doc McStuffins13:00 Sofia The First13:30 Jake & The Never LandPirates14:00 Miles From Tomorrow14:25 Special Agent Oso14:40 The Hive

ClassifiedsMONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2016

Kuwait

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

DIAL161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Arrival Flights on Monday 1/2/2016Airlines Flt Route TimeMSC 415 Sohag 00:05BBC 044 Dhaka/Dammam 00:05MSC 403 Asyut 00:15JZR 267 Beirut 00:30JZR 539 Cairo 00:40FDB 069 Dubai 00:55RJA 642 Amman 01:05THY 772 Istanbul 01:05DLH 635 Doha 01:35ETH 620 Addis Ababa 01:45PGT 858 Istanbul 02:00UAE 853 Dubai 02:30GFA 211 Bahrain 02:30OMA 643 Muscat 02:55FDB 067 Dubai 03:05MSR 612 Cairo 03:10CEB 7694 Manila 03:15QTR 1076 Doha 03:15KKK 6507 Istanbul 03:20ETD 305 Abu Dhabi 03:25JZR 503 Luxor 04:25DHX 170 Bahrain 05:40THY 770 Istanbul 05:55FDB 5061 Dubai 06:30BAW 157 London 06:40JZR 529 Asyut 06:50PAL 668 Manila/Dubai 06:55KAC 412 Manila/Bangkok 07:20QTR 1086 Doha 07:40FDB 053 Dubai 07:45SVA 512 Riyadh 07:50KAC 302 Mumbai 07:50KAC 206 Islamabad 08:25KAC 352 Kochi 08:30UAE 855 Dubai 08:40KAC 362 Colombo 08:50ABY 125 Sharjah 09:00KAC 284 Dhaka 09:10ETD 301 Abu Dhabi 09:20QTR 1070 Doha 09:25FDB 055 Dubai 09:40IRA 667 Esfahan 10:00OMA 641 Muscat 10:05GFA 213 Bahrain 10:40UAE 873 Dubai 11:05AXB 889 Mangalore/Bahrain 11:15JZR 165 Dubai 11:30MEA 404 Beirut 11:55FDB 075 Dubai 12:25MSC 401 Alexandria 12:30JZR 561 Sohag 12:45UAE 871 Dubai 12:50MSR 610 Cairo 13:00KAC 382 Delhi 13:50KNE 460 Riyadh 13:50KAC 672 Dubai 14:00QTR 1078 Doha 14:10

FDB 057 Dubai 14:10SVA 500 Jeddah 14:30KAC 538 Sohag 14:50KAC 788 Jeddah 14:50GFA 221 Bahrain 15:00KNE 472 Jeddah 15:05OMA 645 Muscat 15:30KAC 562 Amman 15:40ABY 127 Sharjah 15:45UAE 857 Dubai 15:55QTR 1072 Doha 16:10FDB 051 Dubai 16:30ETD 303 Abu Dhabi 16:40KAC 542 Cairo 16:55RJA 640 Amman 16:55SVA 510 Riyadh 17:15GFA 215 Bahrain 17:30MSR 614 Cairo 17:50KAC 118 New York 17:55JZR 777 Jeddah 17:55KAC 502 Beirut 18:00UAE 875 Dubai 18:00FDB 063 Dubai 18:05JZR 177 Dubai 18:20KAC 786 Jeddah 18:30KAC 618 Doha 18:35ABY 123 Sharjah 18:45QTR 1080 Doha 18:55KAC 614 Bahrain 19:10KAC 774 Riyadh 19:25GFA 217 Bahrain 19:30KAC 514 Tehran 19:35KAC 104 London 19:40KAC 674 Dubai 19:45KAC 154 Istanbul 19:45KNE 480 Taif 20:10FDB 061 Dubai 20:20OMA 647 Muscat 20:20DLH 634 Frankfurt 20:55JAI 572 Mumbai 20:55QTR 1088 Doha 21:00FDB 5053 Dubai 21:00ETD 307 Abu Dhabi 21:20MEA 402 Beirut 21:20ALK 229 Colombo 21:25UAE 859 Dubai 21:40GFA 219 Bahrain 21:45QTR 1082 Doha 22:00JZR 125 Bahrain 22:00SYR 341 Damascus 22:05AIC 975 Chennai/Goa 22:25ETD 309 Abu Dhabi 22:25FDB 059 Dubai 22:30JZR 239 Amman 23:05JZR 185 Dubai 23:15FDB 071 Dubai 23:45THY 764 Istanbul 23:50JAI 574 Mumbai 23:55MSC 403 Asyut 23:55

Departure Flights on Monday 1/2/2016Airlines Flt Route TimeAIC 982 Ahmedabad/Chennai 00:05MSC 502 Alexandria 00:05JZR 528 Asyut 00:05PIA 206 Lahore 00:40FDB 072 Dubai 00:40JAI 573 Mumbai 00:55MSC 416 Sohag 01:00MSC 404 Asyut 01:15BBC 044 Dhaka 01:35THY 773 Istanbul 02:30DLH 635 Frankfurt 02:35ETH 621 Addis Ababa 02:45KAC 381 Delhi 03:30UAE 854 Dubai 03:45PGT 859 Istanbul 03:55OMA 644 Muscat 03:55FDB 068 Dubai 04:00MSR 613 Cairo 04:10ETD 306 Abu Dhabi 04:15KKK 6508 Istanbul 04:20QTR 1077 Doha 05:00THY 765 Istanbul 05:15CEB 7695 Manila 05:20JZR 560 Sohag 06:10FDB 070 Dubai 06:30JZR 164 Dubai 06:55RJA 643 Amman 07:05THY 771 Istanbul 07:05FDB 5062 Dubai 07:10GFA 212 Bahrain 07:15KAC 537 Sohag 08:20FDB 054 Dubai 08:30QTR 1087 Doha 08:40BAW 156 London 08:45SVA 513 Riyadh 08:50KAC 671 Dubai 09:15KAC 787 Jeddah 09:25ABY 126 Sharjah 09:40KAC 541 Cairo 09:55UAE 856 Dubai 09:55KAC 561 Amman 10:00ETD 302 Abu Dhabi 10:25KAC 501 Beirut 10:30FDB 056 Dubai 10:35KAC 153 Istanbul 10:40KAC 165 Rome/Paris 11:00QTR 1071 Doha 11:00IRA 666 Esfahan 11:00OMA 642 Muscat 11:05GFA 214 Bahrain 11:25AXB 890 Mangalore 12:15JZR 776 Jeddah 12:20KAC 103 London 12:25UAE 874 Dubai 12:30MEA 405 Beirut 12:55KAC 785 Jeddah 13:00FDB 076 Dubai 13:10

MSC 402 Alexandria 13:30JZR 176 Dubai 13:45MSR 611 Cairo 14:00UAE 872 Dubai 14:15KAC 617 Doha 14:45KNE 481 Taif 14:50PAL 669 Dubai/Manila 14:55KAC 673 Dubai 15:00KAC 513 Tehran 15:10FDB 058 Dubai 15:10QTR 1079 Doha 15:10SVA 501 Jeddah 15:45GFA 222 Bahrain 15:45KAC 613 Bahrain 15:50KAC 773 Riyadh 15:50KNE 473 Jeddah 16:05ABY 128 Sharjah 16:25OMA 646 Muscat 16:30JZR 266 Beirut 17:05JZR 238 Amman 17:30ETD 304 Abu Dhabi 17:30FDB 052 Dubai 17:35QTR 1073 Doha 17:40JZR 538 Cairo 17:45UAE 858 Dubai 17:45RJA 641 Amman 17:55SVA 511 Riyadh 18:15GFA 216 Bahrain 18:20JZR 184 Dubai 18:40MSR 615 Cairo 18:50JZR 124 Bahrain 19:10FDB 064 Dubai 19:20ABY 124 Sharjah 19:25UAE 876 Dubai 19:30GFA 218 Bahrain 20:15KAC 283 Dhaka 20:35KAC 353 BLR 20:40KAC 361 Colombo 20:45QTR 1081 Doha 20:50KAC 351 Kochi 20:50KNE 461 Riyadh 21:10KAC 331 Trivandrum 21:10OMA 648 Muscat 21:20FDB 062 Dubai 21:20DLH 634 Doha 21:45DHX 171 Bahrain 21:50JAI 571 Mumbai 21:55JZR 502 Luxor 22:00QTR 1089 Doha 22:00KAC 301 Mumbai 22:10ETD 308 Abu Dhabi 22:10MEA 403 Beirut 22:20ALK 230 Colombo 22:25FDB 5053 Dubai 22:30GFA 220 Bahrain 22:30UAE 860 Dubai 22:55SYR 342 Damascus 23:05QTR 1083 Doha 23:05KAC 205 Islamabad 23:10ETD 310 Abu Dhabi 23:15KAC 411 Bangkok/Manila 23:35FDB 060 Dubai 23:35

SHARQIA-1AMERICAN HERO 12:15 PMALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE ROAD CHIP 2:00 PMALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE ROAD CHIP 4:00 PMALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE ROAD CHIP 6:00 PMAMERICAN HERO 8:00 PMAMERICAN HERO 9:45 PMAMERICAN HERO 11:30 PMAMERICAN HERO 1:15 AM

SHARQIA-2CONCUSSION 12:00 PMCONCUSSION 2:30 PMCONCUSSION 5:00 PMCONCUSSION 7:30 PMCONCUSSION 10:00 PMCONCUSSION 12:30 AM

SHARQIA-3STANDOFF 11:45 AMSTANDOFF 1:30 PMSTANDOFF 3:30 PMSTANDOFF 5:15 PMTHE BOY 7:00 PMSTANDOFF 9:00 PMTHE BOY 10:45 PMSTANDOFF 12:45 AM

MUHALAB-1EXPOSED 11:45 AMEXPOSED 1:45 PMNO FRI+SATALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE ROAD CHIP 1:45 PMFRI+SATALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE ROAD CHIP 3:45 PMALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE ROAD CHIP 5:45 PMEXPOSED 7:45 PMEXPOSED 9:45 PMEXPOSED 11:45 PM

MUHALAB-2AMERICAN HERO 1:00 PMAMERICAN HERO 2:45 PMSAALA KHADOOS - Hindi 4:30 PMAMERICAN HERO 6:45 PMRIDE ALONG 2 8:30 PMAMERICAN HERO 10:30 PMAMERICAN HERO 12:15 AM

MUHALAB-3CONCUSSION 11:30 AMCONCUSSION 2:00 PMCONCUSSION 4:30 PMCONCUSSION 7:00 PMCONCUSSION 9:30 PMCONCUSSION 12:05 AM

FANAR-1AMERICAN HERO 12:00 PMAMERICAN HERO 2:15 PMAMERICAN HERO 4:15 PMAMERICAN HERO 6:15 PMTHE REVENANT 8:00 PMAMERICAN HERO 11:00 PMAMERICAN HERO 12:45 AM

FANAR-2STANDOFF 12:45 PMALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE ROAD CHIP 2:45 PMALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE ROAD CHIP 4:45 PMALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE ROAD CHIP 6:45 PMSTANDOFF 8:45 PMSTANDOFF 10:30 PMSTANDOFF 12:15 AM

FANAR-3RIDE ALONG 2 12:30 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 2:15 PMRIDE ALONG 2 5:15 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 7:00 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 10:00 PMRIDE ALONG 2 1:00 AM

FANAR-4CONCUSSION 12:15 PMCONCUSSION 2:45 PMCONCUSSION 5:15 PMCONCUSSION 7:45 PMCONCUSSION 10:15 PMCONCUSSION 12:45 AM

FANAR-5THE BOY 1:00 PMTHE BOY 3:00 PMTHE 5TH WAVE 5:00 PMTHE BOY 7:30 PMTHE 5TH WAVE 9:30 PMTHE BOY 12:05 AM

MARINA-1AMERICAN HERO 12:45 PMTHE 5TH WAVE 2:30 PMAMERICAN HERO 4:45 PMAMERICAN HERO 6:30 PMTHE 5TH WAVE 8:15 PMAMERICAN HERO 10:45 PMAMERICAN HERO 12:30 AM

MARINA-2CONCUSSION 11:45 AMALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE ROAD CHIP 2:15 PMCONCUSSION 4:15 PMCONCUSSION 6:45 PMCONCUSSION 9:15 PMCONCUSSION 11:45 PM

MARINA-3EXPOSED 11:30 AMEXPOSED 1:45 PMALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE ROAD CHIP 3:45 PMALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE ROAD CHIP 5:45 PMRIDE ALONG 2 8:00 PMEXPOSED 10:00 PMEXPOSED 12:05 AM

AVENUES-1RIDE ALONG 2 12:45 PMRIDE ALONG 2 2:45 PMRIDE ALONG 2 4:45 PMRIDE ALONG 2 6:45 PMLOST IN THE SUN 8:45 PMRIDE ALONG 2 10:45 PMRIDE ALONG 2 12:45 AM

AVENUES-2MIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 12:15 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 3:15 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 6:15 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 9:15 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 12:15 AM

AVENUES-3AMERICAN HERO 11:45 AMAMERICAN HERO 1:45 PMAMERICAN HERO 3:45 PMAMERICAN HERO 5:45 PMAMERICAN HERO 7:45 PMAMERICAN HERO 9:45 PMAMERICAN HERO 11:45 PM

AVENUES-4CONCUSSION 12:00 PMCONCUSSION 2:45 PMCONCUSSION 5:30 PMCONCUSSION 8:15 PMCONCUSSION 11:00 PM

360º- 1ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE ROAD CHIP 1:00 PMALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE ROAD CHIP 3:15 PMALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE ROAD CHIP 5:30 PMALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE ROAD CHIP 7:45 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 10:00 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 12:15 AM

360 º 2EXPOSED 12:30 PMEXPOSED 2:45 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 5:00 PMEXPOSED 7:15 PMEXPOSED 9:30 PMEXPOSED 11:45 PM

360º- 3STANDOFF 12:00 PMSTANDOFF 2:00 PMALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE ROAD CHIP 4:00 PMSTANDOFF 6:00 PMSTANDOFF 8:00 PMSTANDOFF 10:00 PMSTANDOFF 12:05 AM

AL-KOUT.1CONCUSSION 12:00 PMCONCUSSION 2:30 PMCONCUSSION 5:00 PMCONCUSSION 7:30 PMCONCUSSION 10:00 PMCONCUSSION 12:30 AM

AL-KOUT.2RIDE ALONG 2 12:15 PMALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE ROAD CHIP 2:00 PMALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE ROAD CHIP 4:00 PMALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE ROAD CHIP 6:00 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 8:00 PM

KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TOWEDNESDAY (28/01/2016 TO 03/02/2016)

Automated enquiryabout the

Civil ID card is1889988

CHANGE OF NAME

I, Ameya MakarandDhongade, holder of IndianPassport No: M1041651,R/o 5, RunanubandhSociety, Park Avenue, D.P.Road, Aundh, Pune 411007,Maharashtra, changed myname as Amey MakarandDhongade. (C 5121)1-2-2016

Balaveni Dadala daughter ofDadala Pullaiah and DadalaNagaratnamma bearing anIndian Passport No. G0613666 and having anaddress H.No.31672,Rajalakshmi Nagar, Kakinada,East Godavari, AndhraPradesh, India has embracedIslam and changed the nameas AYSHA. (C 5120)31-1-2016

ACCOMMODATION

Sharing accommodationavailable for decent execu-tive bachelors/ family atAbbassiya. Separate bath-room/ balcony. Near UnitedIndian School. Contact:50903076. (C 5122)1-2-2016

This is a time in which it would be easy to make bad choices. You tend tosee difficult situations as you wish they were rather than as they truly are. This can beuplifting, or it might just put your head in the clouds. Difficulties, blocks and all manner ofhot spots can be discovered and worked through. You have the knowledge and theresolve to accomplish positive results. People could learn from the way you can turn a dif-ficult situation into a positive outcome. Finish every day and be done with it. Some frustra-tions may appear, but do your best to create a positive change and then move forward.Close personal ties to other people are a focal point for your feelings this evening, andthey are all positive. Marriage, friends and children are in this arena.

The new broom sweeps clean; old patterns of organization and power areripe for an innovative approach. It could be your turn to help in decision-making responsi-bilities. Be clear about your intentions and your expectations and you will see all sorts ofconflicts disappear. Activities are becoming fast-paced now-there is just no time to stay ona problem for long. Use your passion to benefit your best interest and in order to gain asense of strength and balance. Your love relationship has undergone some positivechanges and will continue to gain in positive strength as long as you remain honest andup front with how you feel. Make sure your reality matches your income. It could be timeto reassess your budget. You will see positive results this year.

Stop wandering around and get down to business-particularly mentally.Know where you want to go and what you want to accomplish. Taking

responsibility for errors of the past and the ways you contribute to your own undoing arevery important issues at this time. Dodging them may be the easier thing to do, but thatonly puts off a day of reckoning. A world of people out there will help you achieve yourgoals-listen. This may be learning to ski or successfully teaching another. You can show agreat deal of compassion to the needs of another this afternoon and you are in a goodposition to help people, particularly because you have just a good give-and-take attitude.Later today, you will find festive involvement with neighbors and relatives.

Your inner attitude has a lot to do with how you make and spend yourmoney. You may just naturally stand in front of a store item and ask yourself if you thinkyou will really want a particular item in a month. You may also ask yourself if you couldsell this item if it became necessary. Your sense of value comes into play. You might con-sider how you have invested your income in the past and create plans for future invest-ments. Now is a good time to think through any changes, adjustments, motivations orperhaps plans toward your goals. During an enjoyable lunch you may swing by a friend’shouse to see what they think about certain investments. A change in direction is possible.Loved ones gather

Your attitude is positive this morning and any frustrations at this time willnot last long. In learning how to eliminate the stress in your life, you create better healthpractices and set examples for others. Listen carefully to a lecture or a program on a cur-rent radio medium today-someone may be coloring a story and you may do a littleresearch of your own to understand the whole truth. The afternoon offers encourage-ment and guidance for unexpected events. Financial ties to other people are highlighted-money matters and investments are a focus this afternoon-the news is good! Faith, opti-mism and a yearning to explore all kinds of new horizons are some of the focal points inyour life at this time. This evening you may want to relax with music.

You enjoy organizing and supervising fast moving projects with coopera-tive, inspired people. If you are trying to complete a project for charity you will have plen-ty of volunteer help. The secret to success here is to direct the talented where the need isand put those talented at the lead of a group. Caution with extravagant spending thisafternoon. You will want to reward the workers but someone amongst you may knowwhere pizza can be bought at a big discount. There may be a few things you have beensaving your money for but there could also be some information you do not yet know.You may join a group of friends in some other fun activity later today, perhaps to cele-brate a successful charity endeavor or just the fun of a carefree afternoon.

This is a time during which you could accomplish a lot through sheer disci-pline. You will prosper by staying focused on your own goals. Don’t be afraid to projectyour image, particularly when you see that you can add some real perspective to yourstanding on the social scene. You can make some wise decisions that will help toincrease your finances. A separate issue may come up regarding a joint venture. This willneed to be revisited next week but meanwhile time will give you a chance to think. Youmay have a valid point when it comes to a discussion today but now is not the time to tryto prove your point, just list your thoughts. Be careful of what you discuss in a group set-ting. Big ears are connected to a big mouth as well. Enjoy reading tonight.

You could be in the public eye today, especially with peers that want tohang out on the golf scene this afternoon-you may have an invitation. You may find thatyou enjoy your job but a little time away from the workplace is quite pleasant. Challengeswith a teenage son may be unexpected but rewarding in many ways. The way youinstruct this teenager shows a great deal of involvement and interest in young people, aswell as the patience that many need to display. You will be able to communicate withclear instructions and self-discipline. Research may be in order this afternoon and you canbecome quite enthralled with the new products that are in the stores. Many singers wereborn on this day-you may find that the radio music is most pleasant.

Alternative health care is a consideration this year and you may want toconsult with a naturopathic doctor to get the healthiest options. Rather than trying to beadaptable to circumstances you are determined to rearrange or move things around tofit the most positive outcome. You can have a personal and positive influence on others.Other people are attracted to you naturally and because of the distractions, you mayhave to work a little harder than most to stay organized. Network whenever possible.Conversations involving themes of trust, responsibility and commitment can be enjoyedthis evening. Love, romance and pleasurable activities are definitely accented at thistime. Flowers in your home will be cheerful this evening.

You have what it takes to meet your financial responsibilities now. The onlyproblem is that you may not know it. Money is a symbol of success, among

other things. We want what money can buy, not necessarily the money itself. There are afew people with lots of perks in life and they keep going for more perks. It would be niceto see that these people share, as well as take the time to enjoy the little extras that theycan buy. Wise people will achieve the second benefit . . . The time to enjoy what they have.Make it a point to loosen the pressures that you put upon yourself today. Join in with aloved one to co-create a beautiful meal tonight.


Aries (March 21-April 19)

STAR TRACK

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Leo (July 23-August 22)

Virgo (August 23-September 22)

Libra (September 23-October 22)

Scorpio (October 23-November 21)

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Aquarius (January 20- February 18)

CROSSWORD 1155

ACROSS1. A communication system using fiber opticcables.5. Feeling or caused to feel uneasy and self-con-scious.12. An accountant certified by the state.15. Surpassing the ordinary especially in size orscale.16. (Japanese) Very thinly sliced raw fish.17. Relating to or characteristic of or occurring inthe air.18. The capital and largest city of Yemen.19. A landlocked desert republic in north-centralAfrica.20. Worn or shabby from overuse or (of pages)from having corners turned down.22. Lac purified by heating and filtering.24. Large brownish-green New Zealand parrot.26. A wound resulting from biting.27. Any customary and rightful perquisite appro-priate to your station in life.28. African tree having an exceedingly thick trunkand fruit that resembles a gourd and has an ediblepulp called monkey bread.30. A public promotion of some product or serv-ice.32. A soft silvery metallic element of the alkaliearth group.33. A rare heavy polyvalent metallic element thatresembles manganese chemically and is used insome alloys.34. An ancient city of Sumer located on a formerchannel of the Euphrates River.35. A woody climbing usually tropical plant.38. Any of several small ungulate mammals ofAfrica and Asia with rodent-like incisors and feetwith hooflike toes.40. The capital and largest city of Bangladesh.44. Relating to the use of or having the nature ofan interrogation.48. The complete duration of something.49. (of spatial position) In or brought into line withor into proper relative position.51. Long and light rowing boat.52. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on askewer usually with vegetables.53. (electronics) Designating sound transmissionor recording or reproduction over a single chan-nel.55. A flat wing-shaped process or winglike part ofan organism.62. The seventh month of the Moslem calendar.67. Noisy talk.71. A loose sleeveless outer garment made fromaba cloth.72. An act of scaling by the use of ladders (espe-cially the walls of a fortification).76. The cry made by sheep.77. A master's degree in education.78. Surveillance of some place or some person bythe police (as in anticipation of a crime).79. Electronic warfare undertaken under directcontrol of an operational commander to locatesources of radiated electromagnetic energy forthe purpose of immediate threat recognition.80. A sweetened beverage of diluted fruit juice.81. Old World buntings.82. A unit of length of thread or yarn.

DOWN1. (heraldry) An ordinary consisting of a broad hor-izontal band across a shield.2. Large elliptical brightly colored deep-sea fish of

Atlantic and Pacific and Mediterranean.3. Infections of the skin or nails caused by fungiand appearing as itching circular patches.4. The skin that covers the top of the head.5. Remote city of Kazakhstan that (ostensibly forsecurity reasons) was made the capital in 1998.6. An indehiscent fruit derived from a single ovaryhaving one or many seeds within a fleshy wall orpericarp.7. The residue that remains when something isburned.8. A celibate and communistic Christian sect in theUnited States.9. The dressed skin of an animal (especially a largeanimal).10. The square of a body of any size of type.11. Small cubes with 1 to 6 spots on the faces.12. A member of an American Indian peoples ofNE South America and the Lesser Antilles.13. A representation of the Virgin Mary mourningover the dead body of Jesus.14. A unit of dry measure used in Egypt.21. Away from the mouth or oral region.23. Hungarian choreographer who developedLabanotation (1879-1958).25. The blood group whose red cells carry boththe A and B antigens.29. Wild sheep of northern Africa.31. Force to go away.36. Jordan's port.37. (Babylonian) A goddess of the watery deepand daughter of Ea.39. (Jungian psychology) The inner self (not theexternal persona) that is in touch with the uncon-scious.41. A roll of tobacco for smoking.42. A mound of stones piled up as a memorial orto mark a boundary or path.43. The space between two lines or planes thatintersect.45. A rare silvery (usually trivalent) metallic ele-ment.46. A former copper coin of Pakistan.47. The corporate executive responsible for theoperations of the firm.50. A preacher of the Christian gospel.54. Suggestive of the supernatural.56. A radioactive element of the actinide series.57. A silvery soft waxy metallic element of thealkali metal group.58. Date used in reckoning dates before the sup-posed year Christ was born.59. A white metallic element that burns with abrilliant light.60. Excessively fat.61. The capital and largest city of Liechtenstein.63. In bed.64. Similar to the color of jade.65. Cook and make edible by putting in a hotoven.66. Any of a group of antidepressant drugs thatinhibit the action of monoamine oxidase in thebrain and so allow monoamines to accumulate.68. Norwegian mathematician (1802-1829).69. (law) A comprehensive term for any proceed-ing in a court of law whereby an individual seeks alegal remedy.70. God of love and erotic desire.73. What you can repeat immediately after per-ceiving it.74. A compartment in front of a motor vehiclewhere driver sits.75. The 7th letter of the Greek alphabet.

Yesterday’s Solution



WORD SEARCH PUZZLE

34s t a r s

Daily SuDoku

There is a more influential quality to your lifestyle now-taking on a leader-ship role means more to you now than in the past. This may mean a leadership role in areligious group or a sports group or in the workplace as a guide or entertainment director.You may have designs on a move in a direction that will benefit you more prestigiouslyand you will go about your day finding ways to accommodate those that can help youachieve your desires. There is a need for a sharp mind and a little business expertise. Aftermuch concentration you will finally be able to enjoy the afternoon for yourself. You mightdecide to work toward getting a head start on your taxes-a little at a time.

Early morning exercise is enjoyed by you, as the best shot in the arm energiz-er. Pace yourself and be sure to take a water break now and then. In order to

think clearly and be at top speed, you must make sure all avenues of your life are in bal-ance. This afternoon you will find your concentration more in focus and the duties ofspouse or mate can be accomplished quickly. You may have a strong need to be respect-ed on the home front. Your power may depend more on how you relate to what is impor-tant to you, as well as what you expect from each member of the household. Clear com-munication will show others where to tread-boundaries perhaps.

inf or m at ionMONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2016

Ahmadi Sama Safwan Fahaeel Makka St 23915883Abu Halaifa Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd 23715414Danat Al-Sultan Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd 23726558

Jahra Modern Jahra Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 24575518Madina Munawara Jahra-Block 92 24566622

Capital Ahlam Fahad Al-Salem St 22436184Khaldiya Coop Khaldiya Coop 24833967

Farwaniya New Shifa Farwaniya Block 40 24734000Ferdous Coop Ferdous Coop 24881201Modern Safwan Old Kheitan Block 11 24726638

Hawally Tariq Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St 25726265Hana Salmiya-Amman St 25647075Ikhlas Hawally-Beirut St 22625999Hawally & Rawdha Hawally & Rawdha Coop 22564549Ghadeer Jabriya-Block 1A 25340559Kindy Jabriya-Block 3B 25326554Ibn Al-Nafis Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St 25721264Mishrif Coop Mishrif Coop 25380581Salwa Coop Salwa Coop 25628241

OphthalmologistsDr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223

Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT)Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426

General PractitionersDr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501

UrologistsDr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427

For labor-related inquiries and complaints:

Call MSAL hotline 128

Sabah Hospital 24812000

Amiri Hospital 22450005

Maternity Hospital 24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital 25312700

Chest Hospital 24849400

Farwaniya Hospital 24892010

Adan Hospital 23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital 24840300

Al-Razi Hospital 24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital 24874330/9

Kaizen center 25716707

Rawda 22517733

Adaliya 22517144

Khaldiya 24848075

Kaifan 24849807

Shamiya 24848913

Shuwaikh 24814507

Abdullah Salem 22549134

Nuzha 22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh 24814764

Qadsiya 22515088

Dasmah 22532265

Bneid Al-Gar 22531908

Shaab 22518752

Qibla 22459381

Ayoun Al-Qibla 22451082

Mirqab 22456536

Sharq 22465401

Salmiya 25746401

Jabriya 25316254

Maidan Hawally 25623444

Bayan 25388462

Mishref 25381200

W Hawally 22630786

Sabah 24810221

Jahra 24770319

New Jahra 24575755

West Jahra 24772608

South Jahra 24775066

North Jahra 24775992

North Jleeb 24311795

Ardhiya 24884079

Firdous 24892674

Omariya 24719048

N Khaitan 24710044

Fintas 23900322

GOVERNORATE PHARMACY ADDRESS PHONE

Plastic Surgeons

Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf 22547272

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari 22617700

Dr. Abdel Quttainah 25625030/60

Family Doctor

Dr Divya Damodar 23729596/23729581

Psychiatrists

Dr. Esam Al-Ansari 22635047

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan 22613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians

DrAdrian arbe 23729596/23729581

Dr. Verginia s.Marin 2572-6666 ext 8321

Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan 22655539

Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami 25343406

Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly 25739272

Dr. Salem soso 22618787

General Surgeons

Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer 22610044

Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher 25327148

Internists, Chest & Heart

Dr. Adnan Ebil 22639939

Dr. Mousa Khadada 22666300

Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan 25728004

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra 25355515

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub 24726446

Dr Nasser Behbehani 25654300/3

Paediatricians

Dr. Khaled Hamadi 25665898

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed 25340300

Dr. Zahra Qabazard 25710444

Dr. Sohail Qamar 22621099

Dr. Snaa Maaroof 25713514

Dr. Pradip Gujare 23713100

Dr. Zacharias Mathew 24334282

Dermatology

Dr. Mohammed Salam Bern University 23845955

Dentists

Dr Anil Thomas 3729596/3729581

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar 22641071/2

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed 22562226

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer 22561444

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan 22619557

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash 22525888

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan 25653755

Dr. Bader Al-Ansari 25620111

Neurologists

Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri 25633324

Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan 25345875

Gastrologists

Dr. Sami Aman 22636464

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly 25322030

Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali 22633135

Endocrinologist

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman 25339330

Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 25658888

Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924

Physiotherapists & VD

Dr. Deyaa Shehab 25722291

Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees 22666288

Rheumatologists:

Dr. Adel Al-Awadi 25330060

Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah 25722290

Internist, Chest & Heart

DR.Mohammes Akkad 24555050 Ext 210

Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital 25339667

Consultant Cardiologist

Dr. Farida Al-Habib 2611555-2622555 MD, PH.D, FACC Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

Soor CenterTel: 2290-1677Fax: 2290 1688

[email protected]

Psychologists/Psychotherapists

PRIVATE CLINICS

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

Kaizen center25716707

Noor Clinic23845955

INTERNATIONALCALLS

Afghanistan 0093

Albania 00355

Algeria 00213

Andorra 00376

Angola 00244

Anguilla 001264

Antiga 001268

Argentina 0054

Armenia 00374

Australia 0061

Austria 0043

Bahamas 001242

Bahrain 00973

Bangladesh 00880

Barbados 001246

Belarus 00375

Belgium 0032

Belize 00501

Benin 00229

Bermuda 001441

Bhutan 00975

Bolivia 00591

Bosnia 00387

Botswana 00267

Brazil 0055

Brunei 00673

Bulgaria 00359

Burkina 00226

Burundi 00257

Cambodia 00855

Cameroon 00237

Canada 001

Cape Verde 00238

Cayman Islands 001345

Central African 00236

Chad 00235

Chile 0056

China 0086

Colombia 0057

Comoros 00269

Congo 00242

Cook Islands 00682

Costa Rica 00506

Croatia 00385

Cuba 0053

Cyprus 00357

Cyprus (Northern) 0090392

Czech Republic 00420

Denmark 0045

Diego Garcia 00246

Djibouti 00253

Dominica 001767

Dominican Republic 001809

Ecuador 00593

Egypt 0020

El Salvador 00503

England (UK) 0044

Equatorial Guinea 00240

Eritrea 00291

Estonia 00372

Ethiopia 00251

Falkland Islands 00500

Faroe Islands 00298

Fiji 00679

Finland 00358

France 0033

French Guiana 00594

French Polynesia 00689

Gabon 00241

Gambia 00220

Georgia 00995

Germany 0049

Ghana 00233

Gibraltar 00350

Greece 0030

Greenland 00299

Grenada 001473

Guadeloupe 00590

Guam 001671

Guatemala 00502

Guinea 00224

Guyana 00592

Haiti 00509

Holland (Netherlands) 0031

Honduras 00504

Hong Kong 00852

Hungary 0036

Ibiza (Spain) 0034

Iceland 00354

India 0091

Indian Ocean 00873

Indonesia 0062

Iran 0098

Iraq 00964

Ireland 00353

Italy 0039

Ivory Coast 00225

Jamaica 001876

Japan 0081

Jordan 00962

Kazakhstan 007

Kenya 00254

Kiribati 00686

Kuwait 00965

Kyrgyzstan 00996

Laos 00856

Latvia 00371

Lebanon 00961

Liberia 00231

Libya 00218

Lithuania 00370

Luxembourg 00352

Macau 00853

Macedonia 00389

Madagascar 00261

Majorca 0034

Malawi 00265

Malaysia 0060

Maldives 00960

Mali 00223

Malta 00356

Marshall Islands 00692

Martinique 00596

Mauritania 00222

Mauritius 00230

Mayotte 00269

Mexico 0052

Micronesia 00691

Moldova 00373

Monaco 00377

Mongolia 00976

Montserrat 001664

Morocco 00212

Mozambique 00258

Myanmar (Burma) 0095

Namibia 00264

Nepal 00977

Netherlands 0031

Netherlands Antilles 00599

New Caledonia 00687

New Zealand 0064

Nicaragua 00505

Nigar 00227

Nigeria 00234

Niue 00683

Norfolk Island 00672

N. Ireland (UK) 0044

North Korea 00850

Norway 0047

Oman 00968

Pakistan 0092

Palau 00680

Panama 00507

Papua New Guinea 00675

Paraguay 00595

Peru 0051

Philippines 0063

Poland 0048

Portugal 00351

Puerto Rico 001787

Qatar 00974

Romania 0040

Russian Federation 007

Rwanda 00250

Saint Helena 00290

Saint Kitts 001869

Saint Lucia 001758

Saint Pierre 00508

Saint Vincent 001784

Samoa US 00684

Samoa West 00685

San Marino 00378

Sao Tone 00239

Saudi Arabia 00966

Scotland (UK) 0044

Senegal 00221

Seychelles 00284

Sierra Leone 00232

Singapore 0065

Slovakia 00421

Slovenia 00386

Solomon Islands 00677

Somalia 00252

South Africa 0027

South Korea 0082

Spain 0034

Sri Lanka 0094

Sudan 00249

Suriname 00597

Swaziland 00268

Sweden 0046

Switzerland 0041

Syria 00963

Serbia 00381

Taiwan 00886

Tanzania 00255

Thailand 0066

Toga 00228

Tonga 00676

Tokelau 00690

Trinidad 001868

Tunisia 00216

Turkey 0090

Tuvalu 00688

Uganda 00256

Ukraine 00380

United Arab Emirates 00976

United Kingdom 0044

Uruguay 00598

USA 001

Uzbekistan 00998

Vanuatu 00678

Venezuela 00582

Vietnam 0084

Virgin Islands UK 001284

Virgin Islands US 001340

Wales (UK) 0044

Yemen 00967

Yugoslavia 00381

Zambia 00260

Zimbabwe 00263

36L IFESTYLEF e a t u r e s


By Nawara Fattahova

For the first time since Hala February waslaunched 17 years ago, the festival’sadministration decided to hold a musical

concert on Saturday. Although the next daywas a regular working day, the 2,000-seat the-atre at the Ice Skating Rink was fully booked.Four singers participated in the concert, andthe majority of the audience comprised ofyoungsters who stayed at the theatre until 4:30am.

The third musical concert of the festivalstarted at 10:45 pm with young Kuwaiti singerIbrahim Dashti. He participated in the popularreality show ‘Star Academy’ in 2009, andalthough he didn’t win, he became famous andstarted producing singles, and released analbum last year. He is also an actor and TV pre-senter. Dashti had many fans at the concertwho were singing his popular songs, and healso sang a song in Turkish. As the concertstarted late and three other singers were onthe program, the organizers made him finish

soon, so he abruptly concluded at 11:35 pmwhile his fans were shouting for him not toleave.

The second singer to come onstage wasyoung Kuwaiti singer Musaed Al-Blushi, whobegan at midnight. Blushi has released fivealbums, but only a few of his songs have beenpopular. His fans enjoyed singing with him tillhe concluded at 1:05 am.

The third star of this concert was the long-awaited Iraqi singer Hatem Al-Iraqi, who cameonstage at 1:40 am. He expressed his greathonor and happiness to finally perform inKuwait for the first time, although his songs arevery popular in Kuwait. His fans couldn’t stopapplauding, whistling and calling his name. Heis known for his romantic sad songs andmawwals. He started singing in the early 1990s,and became the first folkloric singer in Iraq. Hisfame spread internationally and he released hisfirst album in 2002, which was followed by oth-er albums. He concluded at 3:10 am, while fanswere calling on him to stay and continuesinging.

Iraqi’s performance was not without contro-versy, as people were upset by a decision bythe Ministry of Information to cut the livebroadcast on KTV and radio stations 103.7 and93.3 of the concert after Blushi finished. Somebloggers posted comments that this decisioncame as some people refused to have an Iraqisinger singing at the festival, while someexplained that there were concerns of a repeti-tion of the scenes that took place with TamerHosni the previous night.

This concert concluded with youngMoroccan singer Saad Lamjarred, who cameonstage at 3:45 am. Even at such a late hour,more than half of the audience was still pres-ent to enjoy the last part of the concert. Heparticipated in the popular show ‘Super Star’ in2007, and in 2009 released his first song inCalifornia. Lamjarred welcomed the audiencein English and then said in Arabic that he wasextremely happy to sing in Kuwait for the firsttime, and that Kuwait is the first Gulf country toinvite him to hold a concert. He concluded at4:30 am.

Hala February festivalcelebrated with Dashti, Al-Blushi, Al-Iraqi and Lamjarred

“Grease,” the 1950s-set musicalromp that was a stage andscreen smash in the 1970s, is

rebooting as a Broadway-meets-Hollywoodhybrid for its 21st-century television closeup. Fox ’s “Grease: Live” (7-10 pm ESTSunday) aims to revisit the puppy-love storyof Sandy and Danny, played by JulianneHough and theater veteran Aaron Tveit,with a supercharged blend that weds the-ater’s immediacy and cinematic flair. Insteadof one stage, the broadcast is using severalindoor sets and outdoor studio locations tocreate Rydell High School, including its gymand exterior, along with teen hangoutsincluding the Frosty Palace soda shop. Asmall army of camera operators will be

deployed to capture the action in close-upand longer shots.

Some of the 20 cameras will be takenoffline - almost unprecedented in live TV -and shifted among nearly four-dozen posi-tions in the production, which is beingshot at the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank,Calif. Cast members will be on the movetoo, relying on golf carts to rush them fromone scene to another during commercialbreaks. Rain was predicted Sunday, butumbrellas are at hand and the show will goon, producer Paramount Television said.

“Grease: Live” is building on the currentsmall-screen fascination with musicals,which started with NBC’s l ive telecastsincluding “The Sound of Music” and “The

Wiz” and may include “Hairspray,” also fromNBC, and, f rom ABC, a possible movieupdate of “Dirty Dancing.” In a Friday nightdress rehearsal performed before an eagerfriends-and-family audience, the intricatepuzzle came together precisely, startingwith an elaborate, continuous-shot open-ing with Jessie J singing “Grease (is theword)” as she roamed the studio and end-ing with an outdoor carnival scene. “We’lldo i t stra ight through, l ike we’ l l do i tSunday for 143 mi l l ion of our c losestfriends,” director Thomas Kail (“Hamilton”)told the audience at the start. He is over-seeing the stage direc t ion, with AlexRudzinski serving as the live televisiondirector.

(Kail was indulging in a flourish of rat-ings hyperbole - “ The Sound of Music,”NBC’s biggest live-musical draw, was seenby 19 million viewers.) After the rehearsalwrapped on t ime, a beaming Houghflashed a thumbs-up sign to the crowd. Inthat three-hour window, cast members andan ensemble of dancers and singers franti-cally switched costumes and sometimeshairstyles and makeup as they pivoted fromone scene to the next in real time. The TVmusical includes Vanessa Hudgens as Rizzo,Carly Rae Jepsen as Frenchy, Keke Palmer asMarty, Ana Gasteyer as Principal McGee andMario Lopez as slick DJ Vince Fontaine.

Original “Grease” stars Didi Conn, whoplayed Frenchy, and Barry Pearl, who co-

starred as Doody, are back in cameos. Asmiling Conn, decked out in a waitress out-fit, drew applause and shouts from the audi-ence when she dropped by the gym set pre-rehearsal. Other crowd-pleasing momentsincluded a performance by guest stars BoysII Men of “Beauty School Dropout”; a cheer-leader challenge between Hough’s Sandyand Elle McLemore’s Patty, and a cleverly-staged sequence that moves a Palmer soloof “Freddy My Love” from a girls’ sleepoverto a USO stage show and back again. Andno surprise here: Big cheers greeted thehigh-energy dance contest scene in whichHough, Tveit and the entire cast got to showoff their moves and the audience rocked outto “Born to Hand Jive.” —AP

Fox’s ambitious ‘Grease’ ups the live TV musical ante

Kuwaiti singer Ibrahim Dashti Kuwaiti presenter Iman Najm Kuwaiti singer Musaed Al-Blushi

Iraqi singer Hatem Al-Iraqi Moroccan singer Saad Lamjarred

37LIFESTYLEMONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2016

A w a r d s

“The Birth of a Nation,” writer-director-starNate Parker’s stirring drama about the lifeof Nat Turner and the slave rebellion he

led in antebellum Virginia, won the grand jury prizeand the audience award for American dramatic fea-tures at the Sundance Film Festival on Saturdaynight. The film’s double-fisted victory sealed itsstanding as the sensation of the festival’s 2016 edi-tion, following its record-shattering $17.5 millionacquisition earlier in the week by Fox Searchlight.

This is the fourth year in a row that a single filmhas taken the top two prizes in the US dramaticcompetition, following “Fruitvale Station” (2013),“Whiplash” (2014) and “Me and Earl and the DyingGirl” (2015). That general trend aside, many hadanticipated precisely this outcome for “The Birth ofa Nation,” whose rapturous reception on Mondayseemed to chime with a number of issues affectingthe culture in general and the film industry in par-ticular. A seven-year labor of love for “Birth” willenter the marketplace with high hopes and expec-tations as an acclaimed work by a black filmmakerin an industry under fire for its lack of diversity inthe wake of the #OscarsSoWhite controversy.

Creating a platformParker nodded to that particular issue when

accepting the grand jury prize: “Thank you,Sundance, for creating a platform for us to grow, inspite of what the rest of Hollywood is doing.”Parker wasn’t the only filmmaker of color to makereference to diversity in his acceptance speech.Accepting his US documentary directing prize for

“Life, Animated,” Roger Ross Williams, who becamethe first African-American director to win a docu-mentary short Oscar six years ago (for “Music byPrudence”), noted, “In this age of #OscarsSoWhiteand diversity, I want to thank Sundance for honor-ing me.”

Just as diversity took the stage at the ScreenActors Guild that same night (with wins for IdrisElba, Viola Davis and Queen Latifah), so this year’sSundance-and its slate of dramatic competitionwinners-seemed to stand in especially pointedcontrast to the Academy’s recent woes. Actingawards were given to Joe Seo and MarkeesChristmas for their performances in “Spa Night”and “Morris From America,” respectively, whileDaniel Kwan shared the directing award with hisco-helmer Daniel Scheinart for “Swiss Army Man,”their divisive lost-in-the-wilderness comedy star-ring Daniel Radcliffe and Paul Dano.

Getting snapped“Yes, we are the movie with a farting dead

corpse, and somehow we still won this award,”Kwan said of “Swiss Army Man,” which premieredearly in the festival and quickly became one of itsmost divisive and attention-grabbing entriesbefore getting snapped up for distribution by A24.Elsewhere in the US dramatic competition, theWaldo Salt Screenwriting Award went to writer-director Chad Hartigan for “Morris From America,”his dramedy about an African-American teenagerwho has relocated with his father to Heidelberg,Germany; the film also drew an acting award for

Markees Christmas. Other thesping prizes weregranted to Joe Seo for his role as an Asian-American teenager coming out against the back-drop of LA’s Korea town in “Spa Night,” and toMelanie Lynskey for her performance as a womanorchestrating a couples’ get-together in “TheIntervention.” A special jury award was presentedto director Miles Joris-Peyrafitte for “As You Are,”his well-observed ‘90s-set drama of adolescentangst.

Special jury awardThe US documentary grand jury prize was

awarded to “Weiner,” Josh Kriegman and ElyseSteinberg’s juicy portrait behind the scenes of dis-grace politician Anthony Weiner’s mayoral cam-paign. The audience award went to “Jim: TheJames Foley Story,” Brian Oakes’ portrait of thephotojournalist murdered by ISIS in 2014. Thedirecting prize went to Williams for “Life,Animated,” his portrait of a young autistic man andhis transformative relationship with Disney animat-ed films. Elsewhere in that category, Robert Greenereceived a special jury award for writing “Kate PlaysChristine,” his layered look at actress Kate LynSheil’s preparations for the role of the late TV jour-nalist Christine Chubbuck, while director PennyLane and Thom Stylinski for their editing on“NUTS!,” a portrait of a small-town Kansas doctorwho discovered an unusual cure for impotenceusing goat testicles.

Other special prizes were given for social impactto “Trapped,” Dawn Porter’s documentary follow-

ing two Southern abortion clinics, and for veritefilmmaking to “The Bad Kids,” Keith Fulton and LouPepe’s portrait of several troubled adolescents atCalifornia’s Black Rock High School. In the WorldCinema dramatic competition, the grand jury prizewent to “Sand Storm,” Israeli helmer Elite Ziker’sdebut feature about women caught between theforces of modernity and patriarchy in a Bedouindesert village. “Between Sea and Land,” ManoloCruz and Carlos del Castillo’s drama about a moth-er and her muscular dystrophy-afflicted son livingnear the Colombian coast, drew both the audienceaward and a special jury prize for actors Cruz andVicky Hernandez.

Vision and designIn the same category, the directing laurels went

to Belgian helmer Felix van Groeningen (“TheBroken Circle Breakdown”) for “Belgica,” a tale oftwo brothers trying to launch a nightclub in Ghent.Another special jury award, for unique vision anddesign, was bestowed on Polish directorAgnieszka Smoczynska for her 1980s-set mermaidmusical-horror film, “The Lure.” In the WorldCinema documentary competition, both the grandjury prize and the audience award went to“Sonita,” director Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami’sportrait of the eponymous Iranian rapper. MichaelMarczak drew the directing prize for “All TheseSleepless Nights,” a year-in-the-life portrait ofWarsaw youth.

Three special jury awards were presented forbest editing to Mako Kamitsuna and John

Maringouin for “We Are X”; best cinematography toPieter-Jan De Pue for “The Land of theEnlightened”; and Heidi Brandenburg and MathewOrzel for “When Two Worlds Collide.” The audienceaward for the Next section was given to KeremSanga for “First Girl I Loved,” a lesbian romancebetween two Southern California high schoolers.Earlier in the week, Ciro Guerra’s “Embrace of theSerpent” received the $20,000 Alfred P SloanFeature Film Prize, presented annually to a film thatfocuses on science or technology as a theme. TheColombian film, which is nominated for the for-eign-language film Oscar, bowed in the festival’sSpotlight sidebar. Also previously announced, theSundance Institute NHK Award for a visionaryemerging filmmaker was presented to Japanesewriter-director Atsuko Hirayanagi for “Oh Lucy!,”which screened in competition at the festival.

The Sundance Institute Global FilmmakingAwards, given to emerging independent filmmak-ers around the world for their future projects, wentto Armando Capo, “August” (Cuba); Abdella Taia,“The Treasure” (Morocco); Geetu Mohandas,“Insha’ Allah” (India); and Antonio Piazza and FabioGrassadonia, “Sicilian Ghost Story” (Italy).The cere-mony was hosted by Taika Waititi, the NewZealand director and Sundance veteran whose lat-est feature, “Hunt for the Wilderpeople,” bowed inthe festival’s Premieres section. Kicking off the pro-ceedings with a stated desire to leave Park Cityimmediately, Waititi quipped, “We’re on a moun-tain. We’re not meant to be here. We’re not meantto survive here. We’re dying.” —Reuters

Sundance: ‘The Birth of a Nation’ sweeps top prizes

Nate Parker, the star, director and producer of “The Birth of a Nation,”holds aloft the US Dramatic Audience Award for the film during the 2016Sundance Film Festival Awards Ceremony. —AP photos

Daniel Kwan, left, and Daniel Scheinert, co-directors of “Swiss Army Man,”accept the US Dramatic Directing Award.

Craig Robinson, a cast member in “Morris from America,” holds aloft hisUS Dramatic Special Jury Award for Individual Performance.

Sonita Alidazeh, left, subject of the documentary film “Sonita,” and the film’s director RokhsarehGhaem Maghami accept the World Cinema Documentary Grand Jury Prize for theGerman/Iranian/Swiss film.

Agnieszka Smoczynska, director of the Polishfilm “The Lure,” celebrates onstage after thefilm won the World Cinema Dramatic SpecialJury Award.

Colombian actor Manolo Cruz, left, co-director and cast member in“Between Sea and Land,” celebrates with co-director Carlos del Castilloafter winning the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting.

US Dramatic CompetitionGrand Jury Prize: “The Birth of a Nation”Audience Award: “The Birth of a Nation”Directing: Daniel Scheinart and Daniel Kwan,“Swiss Army Man”Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: Chad Hartigan,“Morris From America”Special Jury Award: Miles Joris-Peyrafitte, “AsYou Are”Special Jury Award for BreakthroughPerformance: Joe Seo, “Spa Night”Special Jury Award for Individual Performance:Markees Christmas, “Morris From America”Special Jury Award for Individual Performance:Melanie Lynskey, “The Intervention”

US Documentary CompetitionGrand Jury Prize: “Weiner”Audience Award: “Jim: The James Foley Story”Directing Award: Roger Ross Williams, “Life,Animated” Special Jury Award for Editing: Penny Lane andThom Stylinski, “NUTS!”Special Jury Award for Social Impact: DawnPorter, “Trapped”Special Jury Award for Writing: Robert Greene,“Kate Plays Christine”Special Jury Award for Verite Filmmaking: KeithFulton and Lou Pepe, “The Bad Kids”

World Cinema Dramatic CompetitionGrand Jury Prize: “Sand Storm”Audience Award: “Between Sea and Land”Directing Award: Felix van Groeningen, “Belgica”Screenwriting: Ana Katz and Ines Bortagaray, “Miamiga del parque”Special Jury Award for Acting: Vicky Hernandezand Manolo Cruz, “Between Sea and Land”Special Jury Award for Unique Vision andDesign: Agnieszka Smoczynska, “The Lure”

World Cinema Documentary CompetitionGrand Jury Prize: “Sonita”Audience Award: “Sonita”Directing Award: Michal Marczak, “All TheseSleepless Nights”Special Jury Award for Editing: Mako Kamitsunaand John Maringouin, “We Are X”Special Jury Award for Cinematography: Pieter-Jan De Pue, “The Land of the Enlightened”Special Jury Award for Debut Feature: HeidiBrandenburg and Mathew Orzel, “When TwoWorlds Collide”

Other awardsNext Audience Award: “First Girl I Loved”Alfred P Sloan Feature Film Prize: “Embrace ofthe Serpent”. —Reuters

The full list of winners

Miles Joris-Peyrafitte, co-writer/director of “As You Are,”accepts the US Dramatic Special Jury Award.

Roger Ross Williams, director of “Life, Animated,”accepts the US Documentary Directing Award.

Michal Marczak, director of the Polish documentary film “All These SleeplessNights,” accepts the World Cinema Documentary Directing Award.

Elite Zexer, director of “Sand Storm,” accepts the World CinemaDramatic Grand Jury Prize.


l if e s t y l e

Laura Prepon, center, and the cast and crew of “Orange is the New Black” accept the award for outstanding ensemble in a comedy series.

The Screen Actors Guild Awards were notso white. While the Academy Awardsremain enveloped in a crisis over the

diversity of its nominees, the 22nd annual SAGAwards on Saturday presented a stark antidoteto the rancor that has overwhelmedHollywood’s awards season. Awards werehanded out to Queen Latifah, Uzo Aduba, ViolaDavis and Idris Elba (twice), as the actors guildcast a loud vote in favor of diversity on big andsmall screens.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to diverseTV,” said Elba in his third trip on stage as a pre-senter. His first two were to accept awards forhis supporting performance in the Netflix childsoldier drama “Beasts of No Nation” and for hislead performance in the BBC miniseries“Luther.” The night’s top honor, best ensemblein a film, went to the newspaper drama“Spotlight,” which came into Saturday badly inneed of some momentum. The ensembleaward had seemingly come down to“Spotlight” or - the film with the wind at itsback - Adam McKay’s high finance tale “The BigShort,” which last week took the ProducersGuild’s top award. “No way,” said Mark Ruffalo,one of the film’s stars.

Sexual abuseHe praised the writer-director Tom

McCarthy and co-writer Josh Singer for theirpurposeful accuracy in penning the journalis-tic procedural about the Boston Globe’s report-ing on sexual abuse by Catholic priests. Thetwo, he said, “took every single opportunity totell the truth. They didn’t take any cheap way. Itwas always the truth.” Elba made no direct ref-erence to the crisis that has swept throughHollywood in the last two weeks - which mighthave been far less severe had he been nomi-nated by the Academy Awards, as manyexpected. But it was on the minds and tonguesof seemingly everyone in Los Angeles’ ShrineAuditorium on Saturday night.

Accepting the most outstanding ensembleaward, comedy series, for “Orange Is the NewBlack,” co-star Laura Prepon gestured to thecast of the prison comedy standing behindher. “Look at this stage,” said Prepon at LosAngeles’ Shrine Auditorium. “This is what wetalk about when we talk about diversity.”Individual actor SAG winners the last threeyears have exactly corresponded with eventualOscar winners, which meant that SAG winnersLeonardo DiCaprio (“The Revenant”), BrieLarson (“Room”) and Alicia Vikander (“The

Danish Girl”) all appear to have cemented theirstatus as favorites. Each won, as expected.

“For any young actors out there, I encour-age you to watch the history of cinema,” saidDiCaprio, who is expected to land his firstOscar after four previous nominations. “As thehistory of cinema unfolds, you realize that weall stand on the shoulders of giants.” But sup-porting actor will differ this year. The catego-ry’s perceived favorite is Sylvester Stallone forthe Rocky sequel “Creed.” Stallone, though,wasn’t nominated by the screen actors. Actorsmake up the largest branch of the Academy ofMotion Pictures Arts and Sciences, which iswhy the SAG Awards are a closely watched har-binger of the Oscars. But the Screen ActorsGuild is massive by comparison: some 160,000members to the academy’s 6,000-plus. Votingfor the SAG Awards, which concluded Friday,also overlapped with the widespread debateover the industry’s inclusiveness that followedAcademy Awards nominations that resurrectedthe “OscarsSoWhite” backlash of last year.

Signature phraseLatifah gave one of the evening’s most stir-

ring speeches while accepting the award formost outstanding female performance in a TV

‘Spotlight’ wins best ensemble at not-so-white SAG Awards

UzoAduba

with theaward for

out-standing

actress ina comedy

seriesand out-standing

ensem-ble cast

for‘orange is

the NewBlack’.

JeffreyTamboraccepts

the awardfor out-

standingmale actorin a come-

dy seriesfor

“Transparent”.

AliciaVikander

acceptsthe award

for out-standing

femaleactor in asupport-

ing rolefor “The

DanishGirl”.

A W A R D S

Leonardo DiCaprio accepts the award for outstanding maleactor in a leading role for “The Revenant”.—AP/AFP photos

Brie Larson accepts the award for outstanding female actor in aleading role for “Room”.The cast of “Spotlight,” from left, Billy Crudup, Brian d’Arcy James, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, John Slattery, Michael Keaton and Liev

Schreiber pose in the press room with the award for outstanding cast in a motion picture for “Spotlight”.


l if e s t y l e

Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio, “The Revenant” Actress: Brie Larson, “Room”Supporting actor: Idris Elba, “Beasts of No Nation”

Supporting actress: Alicia Vikander, “The Danish Girl” Cast: “Spotlight”Stunt ensemble: “Mad Max: Fury Road”

Television:Actor in a comedy series: Jeffrey Tambor,“Transparent”Actress in a comedy series: Uzo Aduba, “Orange isthe New Black”Comedy series cast: “Orange is the New Black”Actor in a movie or miniseries: Idris Elba, “Luther”Actress in a movie or miniseries: Queen Latifah,“Bessie”Drama series cast: “Downton Abbey”Actor in a drama series: Kevin Spacey, “House ofCards”Actress in a drama series: Viola Davis, “How to GetAway With Murder”Stunt ensemble: “Game of Thrones”Life Achievement: Carol Burnett—AP

Complete list of winners at 22nd annual SAG Awards Movies:

A W A R D S

Idris Elba poses in the press room with the award for outstanding male actor in asupporting role for “Beasts of No Nation” and the award for outstanding male actorin a TV movie or miniseries for “Luther”.

movie or miniseries for HBO’s Bessie Smith tale “Bessie.”“I hope that anyone out there who does not come inthe package that people say you should, keep fightingfor it,” said Latifah. “Flip those rocks over. Keep pushing,keep turning, you can do it. You build your own boxes,not people. So knock that thing away and do you!”Backstage, Latifah said diversity was good business:“Hopefully our business will continue to supply thedemand that people are asking for. The people want it.Give it to the people.” Aduba, accepting her secondstraight SAG Award for best actress in a comedy in“Orange Is the New Black,” didn’t address the topicstraight on. But she praised creator Jenji Kohan formaking “a show that reflects and represents so manypeople.”

For the third time, “Downton Abbey” won bestensemble in a drama series. Best actor in a TV comedywent to Jeffery Tambor for the acclaimed Amazonseries “Transparent.” Kevin Spacey won his second SAGAward for “House of Cards” - another win for Netflix onthe night. The great comedian Carol Burnett acceptedthe SAG lifetime achievement award from presentersTina Fey and Amy Poehler. Recalling the uphill battleshe faced, Burnett remembered being warned that“comedy variety is a man’s game.” She then dramaticallyshook her head and mouthed: “No.” Surveying theroom, she concluded with a tug of the ear and her sig-nature phrase: “I’m so glad we had this time togeth-er.”—AP

Queen Latifah accepts the award for outstanding female actor in a TV movie orminiseries for “Bessie”.

Sarah Silverman, left, and Jason Bateman present the award for outstanding maleactor in a comedy series.

Kevin Spacey accepts the award for outstanding maleactor in a drama series for “House of Cards”.

Carol Burnett accepts the Screen Actors Guild lifeachievement award.

Viola Davis accepts the award for outstanding female actorin a drama series for “How to Get Away with Murder”.

Tina Fey, left, and Amy Poehler present the ScreenActors Guild life achievement award.

Kristen Wiig, left, and Jon Hamm present the award foroutstanding female actor in a comedy series.

Joe Manganiello, left, and Sofia Vergara arrive at the22nd annual Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Demi Moore presents the award for outstanding castin a motion picture.

Julian Ovenden, from left, Tom Cullen, Allen Leech, Kevin Doyle, and Jeremy Swift pose in the press room withtheir awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series for “Downton Abbey”.

Julianne Moore presents the award for outstandingmale actor in a leading role.

Diane Lane, from left, Bryan Cranston and HelenMirren introduce their film “Trumbo”, nominated forbest cast in a motion picture.

38‘Spotlight’ wins best ensemble at not-so-white SAG Awards


Whether the dresses boasted cutouts, sequins or AngelinaJolie-esque slits, color electrified the SAG Awards red car-pet. Here are 10 of the night’s brightest color purveyors.

1) Alicia Vikander:The best supporting actress winner and fashion world’s latest IT

girl wowed in a shimmering Louis Vuitton gown with sequinedblocks of color.

2) Claire Danes:Also playing with color blocking, the “Homeland” star chose a

Stella McCartney gown with contrasting shades of blue-which sheaccessorized with a Tiffany & Co diamond and lapis bracelet,diamond earrings and rings.

3) Anna Faris:Channeling Old Hollywood glamour, Faris went for a red short-

sleeved Naeem Khan number with simple diamond studs.4) Uzo Aduba:The best comedy actress champ channeled a winner right from

the start with this metallic green gown and boxy clutch.5) Lily Rabe:Rabe’s romantic yellow and white Lela Rose dress, paired with a

bold red lip, came straight off the SS16 runway.6) Nicole Kidman:The “Grace of Kelly” nominee picked a glitzy pink, lavender and

rose metallic Gucci gown with sequin embroidery and trompe l’oeildetailing.

7) Sofia Vergara:Vergara took her electric pink fitted gown up a notch with a

chunky David Webb double scroll necklace and diamond earrings.8) Julianne Moore:Moore sure loves to get her sparkle on, as seen here with an iri-

descent lime number with cutouts-to which she added 25.27-caratChopard diamond earrings set in platinum, and several diamondrings.

9) Laverne Cox:Cox chose a whimsical Prabal Gurung gown in a deep red hue,

plus delicate Lorraine Schwartz jewelry.10) Brie Larson:The “Room” star caught eyes-and the prize-wearing this slit- and

cutout-boasting Versace dress in an complementary powder bluecolor.—Reuters

Ten bright uses of coloron the red carpet

Alicia Vikander

Nicole Kidman

Anna FarisUzo AdubaLily Rabe

Laverne CoxBrie LarsonJulianne Moore

Christina Ricci

Sofia Vergara

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