Fadhl under fire for call to legalize liquor - Kuwait Times

NEW YORK: Hundreds of officers outsidethe church where a funeral was held for apoliceman killed along with his partner inan ambush shooting turned their backson the mayor as he spoke during yester-day’s service.

The reaction from officers watching

Officer Rafael Ramos’ funeral on giant TVscreens followed comments from policeunion officials who had said Mayor Bill deBlasio contributed to a climate of mistrustthat contributed to the killings of the twoNew York Police Department officers.

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12Yangon votes

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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2014 RABI ALAWWAL 6, 1436 AH www.kuwaittimes.net

Fadhl under fire for

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‘MP seeks to distort Kuwait’s history and image’

By B Izzak

KUWAIT: A number of lawmakers, former MPs and reli-gious societies have strongly condemned MP Nabil Al-Fadhl for saying that liquor was part of Kuwait’s historyand ancestors were tolerant towards allowing its con-sumption in the past. Fadhl, an independent MP withliberal-secular views, made the statements with the aimto prepare the grounds for calling to allow the use ofliquor in the country.

Kuwait totally banned liquor in a law issued by thefirst National Assembly in 1964 although the country’spenal code had stipulated stiff penalties for the use ofliquor four years earlier. Since its ban, authorities regu-larly bust large quantities of smuggled whisky from Gulfstates where it is allowed like Dubai and also seize local-ly made liquor.

Before his liquor statements, Fadhl had also called forlifting tough restrictions on musical concerts in thecountry that were imposed 10 years ago allegedlyunder pressure from the then strong Islamist groups. Hehad also vowed to challenge an article in the Kuwaiticonstitution banning non-Muslims from getting Kuwaiticitizenship.

Critics charged that Fadhl was trying to legalize theuse of liquor which is totally banned in Islam. MP SaudAl-Huraiji said that by issuing such a statement, Fadhlhad clearly undermined the image of Kuwaitis and thecountry’s history, adding that the statement is a clearmanifestation that the lawmaker is ignorant about hisreligion.

Huraij said it is regrettable that a member of Kuwaitiparliament who has taken the oath to safeguard theKuwaiti constitution and laws, has failed to keep hispledge by calling to legalize the use of liquor. “Fadhl isdistorting the history and the image of Kuwait and itspeople who have elected him” he said. Islamist MPHumoud Al-Hamdan said that the ancestors of Kuwaitiswere well known of their fight against moral corruptionincluding the use of liquor.

Continued on Page 13

SEOUL: North Korea has compared President BarackObama to a monkey and blamed the US for shuttingdown its Internet amid the hacking row over themovie “The Interview.” The North has denied involve-ment in a crippling cyberattack on Sony Pictures, buthas expressed fury over the comedy, which depictsthe assassination of North Korean leader Kim JongUn.

Sony Pictures initially called off the release of thefilm, citing threats of terror attacks against US movietheaters. Obama criticized Sony’s decision, and themovie opened this past week.

Yesterday, the North’s powerful National DefenseCommission, which is led by Kim and is the country’stop governing body, said Obama was behind therelease of “The Interview.” It described the movie asillegal, dishonest and reactionary. “Obama alwaysgoes reckless in words and deeds like a monkey in atropical forest,” an unidentified spokesman at thecommission’s Policy Department said in a statementcarried by North Korea’s official Korean Central NewsAgency.

It wasn’t the first time North Korea has used crudeinsults against Obama and other top US and SouthKorean officials. Earlier this year, the North called USSecretary of State John Kerry a wolf with a “hideous”lantern jaw and South Korean President Park Geun-hye a prostitute. In May, the North’s official newsagency published a dispatch saying Obama has the“shape of a monkey.” The defense commission alsoblamed Washington for intermittent outages of NorthKorean websites this past week, which happened


N Korea compares Obama to monkey

Hacking row over ‘The Interview’ rages

This photo combination shows US President Barack Obama (left) and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.North Korea has compared Obama to a monkey and blamed the US for shutting down its Internet amidthe hacking row over the movie “The Interview.” —AP

A double-decker bus travels over Standedge between snow-covered fields atdusk near the village of Diggle, northern England, yesterday. Overnight flurriesleft parts of Britain blanketed in snow yesterday, causing power shortages anddelays at airports. —AFP

LONDON: Overnight flurries left much ofBritain blanketed in snow yesterday,causing power shortages and delays atairports. More than 100,000 homes inBritain were left with power shortages assnow affected electricity cables, withsome 3,000 customers in eastern centralEngland still affected early yesterday.

The heaviest snow was in Leek, west-ern central England, where 11 centime-tres fell. “The worst of the snow haspassed through. There is quite a bit ofice, especially over the higher ground inthe north of England,” said a spokesmanfor the Met Office national weather serv-ice.

“Overnight tonight ice is going to bemore of a problem.” Flights to Europeandestinations took off with delays fromManchester Airport, the third-biggest inBritain. Liverpool and Leeds Bradford air-ports in northern England closed tem-porarily late Friday, causing a handful ofdiversions. Meanwhile in Sheffield,

northern England, many drivers weremarooned in

heavy snow. One coachload ofLondon-bound passengers spent thenight sheltering in a church, while theBBC had footage of people skiing in thecity’s streets. Forecasters predict thattemperatures could drop as low as minus10 degrees Celsius (14 degreesFahrenheit) next week.

Storm winds gusting up to 160 kilo-meters (100 miles) per hour yesterdayforced the temporary closure of France’sport of Calais on the English Channel andthe suspension of car ferries to and fromBritain, officials said. Ferry and port trafficwas halted for just under two hours, withnormal operations resuming at 900 GMT,according to the harbor master’s office.

Officials stopped traffic around 710GMT after a car ferry exiting the port wasforced to turn back because the highwinds prevented it from being able tosafely cross the channel. — AFP

Snow flurries

blanket BritainDUBAI: Bahrain’s main opposition movement Al-Wefaq said yesterday that it had re-elected theleader of the banned Shiite group, who was sum-moned by police hours later. Sheikh Ali Salman, 49,was handed a new four-year term at Al-Wefaq’s gen-eral congress on Friday night, in a meeting held tocomply with a law on associations that led to thethree-month ban.

The interior ministry ordered Salman to appearbefore police investigators on Sunday, said Al-Wefaq,which described the move as “serious”. Neither theopposition group nor the ministry, which confirmedthe summons, said why it was issued. Policedeployed in force as the notice was delivered to theAl-Wefaq chief ’s residence on the outskirts of thecapital Manama, witnesses said.

It came a day after thousands of Shiites protestedalong a road linking two of their villages nearManama to call for the dismissal of the parliamentand government. “Bahrain Authority is illegitimate.The people will continue struggle for freedom,” saidsome of the English-language banners they heldaloft during a march. Following the demonstration,which ended without incident, the opposition issueda statement saying “the government and the currentparliament have no popular mandate”.


Bahrain opposition

chief re-elected

KUWAIT: Dependent visas are no longeroffered to expatriates to bring their parentsto the country, said Interior MinistryAssistant Undersecretary for Nationality andIqama Affairs Major General Sheikh MazenAl-Jarrah.

Announcing several new measures withregard to the iqama law for expats, he saidthe new rules are being executed with aview to balancing the demographic struc-ture in the country, bearing in mind that thenumber of expat population in Kuwait hasreached 2.5 million.

Al-Jarrah said that as parents reunion

visas are no longer issued, visit visas areavailable for those who wish to bring theirfathers and mothers. Dependent visas werestopped because there is no benefit fromthem, he said. An expat pays KD200 fordependent visa for a parent in addition toKD50 as health insurance fee, while thecountry spends around KD15,000 on eachperson as healthcare cost, he said quotinghealth ministry statistics.

Al-Jarrah announced that there is a pro-posal to impose fees on visit and commer-cial visas. We have noticed several cases ofmanipulation in this regard,” he said “Fees

will be similar to those imposed by otherGCC countries because some citizens andcompanies bring in workers with free visitvisas and then employ them while authori-ties exert efforts to chase violators in vain,”he added.

Al-Jarrah said, “Now, visit visas are freeand we will allow them once a year for threemonths. But we will impose fees on thosewho want more than that, because the statedoes not benefit from the current visit lawwhich can easily be manipulated,” he men-tioned.


No dependent visas for expat parents

Police outside cop funeral

turn backs on NYC mayor

NEW YORK: Justin Ramos, the son of slain New York City police officer RafaelRamos (left) is comforted by his mother, Maritza Ramos, following funeral serv-ices at Christ Tabernacle Church yesterday in New York. — AP (See also Page 9)

By Ali Boshehry Managing DirectorGlobal Markets

Hamburger was first introduced tothe public in Kuwait when KuwaitFood Company (Americana)

launched a branch of the famousAmerican fast food restaurant, Hardee’s,in the country in 1981. Wendy’s followedafter but shut its operation soon after. 13years later McDonald’s was launched inKuwait in 1994 with its first branch onGulf Road. The entry of Johnny Rocketsin Kuwait in 1995 was the beginning ofpremium hamburger chains which didnot exist in Kuwait before. JohnnyRockets’ first branch in Salmiya was thefirst to provide customers a differenthamburger experience from fast food.Prior to that consumers in Kuwait mainlyassociated hamburgers with McDonald’s,Hardee’s, and Burger King. For 15 years,hamburgers were either served in casualdining restaurants or fast food restau-rants up until 2010 when ElevationBurger, with its organic food-based con-cept, set the stepping stone for the fastcasual dining experience in Kuwait. It isworth to note that locally developedhamburger concepts launched before2010. Burger Boutique launched in 2005followed by The Burger Hub in 2006 andSlider Station in 2007. These brands suc-ceeded in stimulating the hamburgermarket in general and plant the seedsfor future change. Despite the fact thatthese locally developed concepts aremainly in the casual dining category buttheir fresh take on hamburgers attractedearly investors to the hamburger restau-rant business such as TABCo andAlshaya. Their early entry into the indus-try did not go beyond a short lived hypeamong youngsters and slowly fadedaway. They fell into the same trap thatmost local businesses fall into which isturning their 100 square meter restau-

rant concept into a brand that lives withgenerations. The clear definition of busi-ness concepts powered by strong opera-tional management and social engage-ment are key to growth in the foodser-vice industry.

Smart consumers“Organic food was not popular in

Kuwait, and people didn’t really seem totalk about it much. However, we took thebet that people are smarter than whatgeneral market census might say,” asstated by Ali Ashkanani, CEO of TABCoInternational, Elevation Burger operatorin Kuwait. The opening of ElevationBurger in the Avenues in 2010 was thewake up call to many investors to realizethe potential success of such concepts inKuwait. Many international chains suchas Shake Shack, SmashBurger, andFatBurger entered the Kuwaiti marketshortly after and were able to take a con-siderable share from those that havebeen operating in the country since the1990s. Today, the current hamburgersupply in Kuwait is one of these fourconcepts: fast food hamburger, fast casu-al hamburger, hamburger catering, andcasual dining hamburger channels. Thisniche category, fast casual hamburger, istransforming from an emerging trend tobecome a category by itself. Fast casualhamburgers are not like other food serv-ice trends that popped into the marketand died quickly such as frozen yogurtand cupcake stores. First, hamburgersare not seasonal meals to be affected bythe long months of summer or few coldmonths of winter in Kuwait. Hamburgerscan be consumed multiple times weeklybecause they are fast, priced reasonably,and are considered a full fledge meal.Second, consumers in Kuwait areexposed to the international food sceneand the hamburger culture is deeplyintegrated in their travel abroad formany decades which makes it strongly

accepted by consumers of different ages.Such strong association and acceptanceof the meal makes consumers considerthis particular food option at least threetimes a week. As a matter of fact, 15,000Kuwaitis formed an 11 kilometer drive-through line at the opening of the firstMcDonald’s in Kuwait in 1994. We sawpeople lining up for frozen yogurt butnot as much. The line for frozen yogurtand cupcake stores got shorter andshorter over time mainly because theyare new derivatives of existing food con-cepts that did not capture a long termappeal.

Full grown categoryThe hamburger trend is now a full

grown category and is here to stay. Asper the market research studies conduct-

ed by Global Markets, there are currentlyaround eight international chainedbrands in Kuwait with more than 30branches and generating more thanKWD 11 million in value sales annuallyunder the fast casual hamburger catego-ry. Some of these brands such asElevation Burger and Shake Shack arerapidly increasing their branch countand competing head to head withbrands outside their category such asMcDonald’s and Burger King.

The rapid transformation witnessedin this new category will also result in amarket correction which will lead toclosing of entire chains or branches.Investors who already invested in thisnew category and those looking toinvest should study the existing compe-tition and strategize to ensure the suc-

cess of their investments. Three elementsthat currently differentiate the successfulfast casual brands are: menu prices, geo-graphic branch allocation, and socialengagement. The fast casual category ischaracterized by offering affordablequality food in a fast food theme.Pushing prices into the casual diningprice range while offering limited cus-tomer service and smaller food portionswill push customers to seek other alter-natives. Geographic branch allocation isanother factor that is hugely misread inthe market. For some reason, franchiseowners of this category enjoy compet-ing with each other door to door. TheAvenues for example features six outletsand Divone complex in Abu Al Hasaniafeatures three outlets. Such high concen-tration of the same food service catego-ry will result in oversupply of the sameproduct to the same consumer demo-graphic. Owners should scout and posi-tion themselves outside the traditionalfood and beverage areas such asSalmiya, Hawally, Kuwait City, andMahboula. There are new residentialareas outside the old commercial param-eters that need to be considered. Socialengagement is another critical factor toincrease consumer retention in the longterm which is something needed for ayoung category. Solid social media pres-ence accompanied by strong socialresponsibility activities plays a major rolein establishing brands as friendly day today companions rather than destination.The category is still young and it wouldbe interesting to see how it will evolvefurther.

About Global MarketsGlobal Markets is a market research

and a business intelligence company thatwas established in 2010 in Kuwait. Thecompany estimates market sizes andshares by conducting primary and second-ary research.

L O C A LSUNDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2014

SPECIAL REPORT

The evolution of Kuwait’s

hamburger restaurant businessFast casual hamburger concept emerging as own category

KUWAIT: Kuwaiti poet Dr Suad Al-Sabahwill be honored during the ‘Hala February2015’ Festival in recognition of her role andefforts in support of culture in the Arabworld, community service and in theencouragement of science and scientists,

the festival’s Higher Organizing Committeeannounced yesterday.

Honoring Dr Suad Al-Sabah during thefestival, which kicks off on January 8, alsocomes as a result of her leading role inencouraging the Arab youth on the literary,scientific and artistic creativity, Waleed Al-Saqoubi, member of the SupremeCommittee and head of the media commit-tee of the festival, said in a press statement.

He recalled Dr Suad’s launching of manyinitiatives and incentive awards in the sci-entific, literary and artistic fields, especiallythe Fine Arts and her role in linking theArab culture with the western one throughan annual award in London for the bestEnglish literature on the Middle East.

He added that Dr Suad is a valuable lit-erary and cultural personality locally andregionally and has published several booksand works in poetry, literature and eco-nomics fields, in addition to her practice offine art, in which she excelled since her ear-ly literary presence so far, thus, enablingher to find for herself and for the Kuwaitiwomen a prominent place among thegiants of Arab literature of poets andartists. — KUNA

KUWAIT: Further developing bilateral relationson all possible domains will be the main themeof the fourth meeting of the joint Kuwaiti-Iraqihigh committee scheduled in the Iraqi capitalBaghdad today.

The meeting, to be co-chaired by Kuwaiti FirstDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of ForeignAffairs Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabahand Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim Al-Jaafari, willfocus on means to boost relations between thetwo countries through the efforts of the commit-tee which was established on January 12, 2011.

Since 2011, a number of key issues on the

improvement of Kuwaiti-Iraqi relations were dis-cussed by the senior officials of both countries.Accords concerning the coordination of mar-itime efforts in Khor Abdallah waterway, cus-toms cooperation and investments wereamongst the most important deals struck duringthe committee’s meetings. Also since the launchof the committee, high-level visits by Kuwaitiand Iraqi officials occurred.

In 2012, His Highness the Amir Sheikh SabahAl-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah led Kuwait’s delega-tion to the Arab summit which was held inBaghdad cementing Kuwait’s efforts to reconcile

with Iraq. Conversely, a high-level delegation ledby then Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari visitedKuwait in 2013. The visit resulted in the signingof two memos within the framework of the bor-der control and development.

Though diplomatic relations were officiallyconsummated in 2008 with the mutual openingof Kuwaiti and Iraqi embassies in the capitals ofboth countries, the strongest gesture of reconcil-iation came when an aircraft belonging to theIraqi airways landed at Kuwait airport onFebruary 27, 2013, ushering a new era inKuwaiti-Iraqi relations. — KUNA

Kuwaiti-Iraqi higher

committee meets in Baghdad

First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah

Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim Al-Jaafari

‘Hala February 2015’ Festival

honors Dr Suad Al-Sabah

Dr Suad Al-Sabah

KUWAIT: Egyptian President AbdelfattahAl-Sisi is scheduled to visit Kuwait onJanuary 4, a high ranking source said yes-terday. Prior to his visit, a media delega-tion from Egypt will arrive in Kuwait onJanuray2.

Al-Yawm Al-Sabe newspaper said onits network site quoting a presidentialsource as saying President Sisi will dis-cuss bilateral issues in addition toregional and international issues ofmutual concern. Several Egyptians inKuwait are preparing to receive presi-dent Al-Sisi on his arrival with Kuwaitand Egypt national flags along with wel-coming banners.

Egypt President

Sisi due on Jan 4

Egyptian President Abdelfattah Al-Sisi

KUWAIT: The National Fund forSmall and Medium Enterprises(SMEs) Development has entereda new stage after its issuance ofits executive regulation,Chairman Mohammad Al-Zuhairsaid yesterday. The executiveregulation is integral to theFund’s legislative structure as itexplains in detail the means andmechanisms of enforcing the rel-evant law so that it can achieveits targets, Zuhair told KUNA. TheSMEs field is a sophisticated oneunder its new definition and sothe regulation was carefully pre-pared to guarantee that the lawwould be soundly implementedto realize the set goals, servingentrepreneurs and beneficiaries,he added.

The 42-item executive regula-tion defines the Fund’s targetsand domains, as well as the man-agement mechanisms on theadministrative, technical, finan-cial and organizational levels, inline with law 98/2013. It alsospecifies the powers of the Fund’sboard of directors, starting withsetting the general policies anddeciding on feasible initiatives

and projects reaching to found-ing measures, in addition to pro-tecting entrepreneurs’ ideas,drawing up regulations to guar-antee that the offered financingis proportional with the financial

ability of the proposed project.One of the major terms for a proj-ect according to the executiveregulation is that costs must notexceed KD 500,000, Zuhair said.Over the past period, the Fund’sboard was busy over preparationof its strategy for the coming fiveyears, based on encouragingentrepreneurs and project own-ers. — KUNA

KUWAIT: The Information Ministry has ham-mered out a KD495,000 contract with a localcompany to carry out diverse art activities perti-nent to the National Operetta 2015, which is acore feature of Kuwait’s annual national celebra-tions. The National Operetta is of paramountsignificance due to the fact that it enjoys thesponsorship of His Highness the Amir SheikhSabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, HisHighness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and His Highness thePrime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-HamadAl-Sabah, Saud Al-Khaldi, rapporteur of theorganizing committee, told KUNA yesterday.

The National Operetta is the fruit of persist-ent cooperation between the ministries ofinformation and education. Kuwait is geared upfor marking the National Day, Liberation Day

and annual anniversary of His Highness theAmir’s assumption of power, not to mentionongoing celebrations on the occasion of the UNhonoring of His Highness the Amir as aHumanitarian Leader and Kuwait as aHumanitarian Center, he said.

Minister of Information and Minister of Statefor Youth Affairs and Chairman of the StandingCommittee of celebrating the National EventsSheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah and members of the committee areclosely monitoring preparations and arrange-ments for the National Operetta, he added.

The operetta should obviously reflect realloyalty to the nation and its wise leadership,emphasize national unity and demonstrate thecivilized image of the State of Kuwait, Khaldipointed out. — KUNA

Local company contracted

for National Operetta

SMEs fund enters

executive stage: Chairman

Dr Mohammad Al-Zuhair

KUALA LUMPUR:Indonesia is grateful forKuwait’s support duringthe Tsunami which hit thecountry in 2004 whichkilled nearly 230,000 peo-ple, Kuwait’s Ambassadorto Indonesia Nasser Al-Enizisaid yesterday. During hisparticipation in the decadeanniversary of the Tsunami,Enizi told KUNA thatKuwait, through KuwaitRed Crescent Society (KRCS) and oth-er entities, helped in relief aid effortsto support the Indonesians duringtheir crisis. Among the Kuwaiti effortswas the construction of a 150-housetown named after late Amir SheikhJaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah,

said the Kuwaiti diplomat,noting that the town alsohad a mosque and a healthcenter to serve theIndonesian populace occu-pying the area. He indicat-ed that Kuwait’s contribu-tions were well received bythe Indonesian govern-ment which named theGulf country as one of thestrongest contributors ofrelief aid efforts after the

devastating Tsunami.The Tsunami which hit Indonesia

in 2004 was a result of an earthquakein the Indian Ocean. In addition toIndonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand,Maldives, and Somalia were alsoaffected by the quake. — KUNA

Indonesia grateful for Kuwait’s

support during Tsunami

Nasser Al-Enizi

By A Saleh

KUWAIT: The electronic media law hasbeen reviewed, and InformationMinistry Sheikh Salman Al-Humoud willpresent it to the Council of Ministersnext January. Sources said that the gov-ernment will send it to the NationalAssembly not later than February 2015.

Multimillion depositsThe committee investigating the

deposits and transfers of million willhold a meeting today to continuemeetings with officials in preparationfor its report. The committee is expect-ed to discuss comments of the AuditBureau and testimonies of the CentralBank Governor and his answer specificrequests by the committee. The com-mittee will meet Foreign MinistryUndersecretary Khalid Al-Jarallah dur-ing its next meeting.

Parliament to receive

e-media law in February


By Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: Three citizens lost their lives yesterdaymorning during a horrific accident on theSeventh Ring Road. Firemen helped in extricat-ing the bodies from the wreckage. An investiga-tion was opened to determine the circum-stances behind the accident. It was the secondfatal crash to take place on the same road with-in a 48-hour period, as one man died and sixothers were injured in a 5-car pileup Thursdaynight.

This came while the Ministry of Interiorreleased a report that credits enforcement of‘improved traffic laws’ for a recorded drop inreducing road fatalities in recent years.

“Some believe that the current applicabletraffic laws in the country are strict and severe,”reads the report that was published by KuwaitNews Agency (KUNA) yesterday. “However atthe same time, their effective role in the reduc-tion of accidents and fatalities cannot be deniedas shown by statistics from the GeneralDirectorate of Traffic.”

According to the report, the ministry’s statis-tics showed significant decrease in the numberof fatalities as a result of road accidents in thepast three years “with 555 fatality cases report-ed in 2012 against 333 cases till last Septemberof this year, in addition to 8,000 road accidentswhich dwindled to only 1,200 during the sameperiod.”

The report also points out studies conductedon the local road networks, which show that“such roads can absorb nearly 950,000 vehicles,while the number of registered vehicles in thecountry is currently standing at some 1.92 mil-lion vehicles.”

“[This matter] has led to increased traffic con-

gestion and the numbers of accidents and cita-tions,” the report indicates.

“These studies prompted the Ministry of theInterior to take a number of measures to reducethe growing number of vehicles throughamending regulations of the Traffic Act, includ-ing the tightening of penalties against the gravebreaches, as well as reconsidering the processof drivers license issuance for residents,” thereport says.

“Local traffic laws have been keen since theissuance of the first systematic traffic law num-

ber 67/1976 to take all measures to reduce acci-dents and cases of deaths, especially with theincreasing number of vehicles and the exten-sion of road networks in the country,” the reportcontinues.

“The ministry has embarked on making sev-eral steps aimed at reducing the traffic viola-tions and accidents through the installation ofadvanced modern radars and cameras on high-ways and roads for the detection of irregulari-ties, particularly violations pertinent to over-speeding,” the report concludes.

Three deaths in Seventh

Ring Road crashMinistry’s report shows drop in fatal car accidents

KUWAIT: Zain, the leading telecom-munications company in Kuwait,announced its sponsorship of theVOYA Film Festival 2014 which is thefirst international film festival organ-ized by Kuwaiti youth. The event is

an opportunity for talented younglocal filmmakers to show off theirprojects in a vibrant environment,and represent a positive image ofKuwait on an international forum.

Zain’s sponsorship of the film fes-

tival falls under the company’sCorporate Social Responsibilitystrategy, which aims to support theachievements and talents of youngpeople on a local, regional, andinternational basis. Zain looks to

continue highlighting the accom-plishments of Kuwait’s future lead-ers as well as to develop their skillsand talents further to fulfill theirpotential.

Zain representatives attendedthe opening of the VOYA FilmFestival, which was held in LosAngeles in late November and aseries of short films that were writ-ten, directed, and filmed by a groupof ambitious young Kuwaitis wereshown at the event. Projects under-taken by other Arab youth were alsohighlighted, with an honoring cere-mony incorporated into the pro-gram to identify distinguished con-tributors to the film industry.

The festival’s upcoming activitieswill include a variety of professionalworkshops organized in collabora-tion with leading filmmaking acade-mies from around the world, while agroup of invited international moviestars will participate and share theirexpertise in the fields of acting anddirecting.

The VOYA Film Festival aims tobecome one of the most anticipatedevents in media by being positionedas a regional hub for creativity andinnovation in the world of filmmak-ing. The festival offers distinctiveprograms that can contribute to theglobal community while it alsoshowcases the work of Kuwaiti andArab filmmakers.

Zain sponsors VOYA

Film Festival 2014

KUWAIT: An Iraqi reportedly attempted tosmuggle in black beads covered in soapinto the country through airport to per-form sorcery. He was arrested by airportcustoms officials and was sent toQashaniya police station.

According to a customs source, a certainquantity of soap was found with blackbeads inside his bag at the customs check-point. When asked he said these beadswere for performing magic and sorcery tomake a living. Some Kuwaiti currency wasalso found with him.

TrespassingA mentally disturbed man was sent to

the psychiatric hospital for evaluation afterhe made an attempt to forcefully enter apalace. Police received a call about theman’s attempt. On reaching the place, theydiscovered that the man was mentallyunstable.

Meth possessionTwo bedoon drug dealers were arrested

with the possession of half a kilo of methand large sums of money in Sulaibiya, saidsecurity sources. Meanwhile, a citizen wasarrested with meth in Fahaheel, said securi-ty sources. Case papers indicate that apolice patrol spotted the suspect burningsome items in a garbage bin, and onapproaching him, he jumped into anunmarked pick-up and drove off. Chasinghim into the desert, the suspect’s vehicleturned over and he was rescued unharmed.Checking on the suspect, he was foundwanted for detention at the psychiatric dis-eases hospital.

Shooting reportA 22-year-old Saudi was injured when a

friend shot him in Jahra and fled the scene,said security sources, noting that theinjured man, who was found wanted forseveral drug-related cases, was rushed tohospital. A search is on for the shooter.However, initial investigations suggest thatthe two friends argued over their illegaldrug business.

Iraqi bid to smuggle in

sorcery beads foiled

By Nawara Fattahova

KUWAIT: Well-known dietician MaryamAl-Turki said yesterday that there is a 30percent increase in obesity among chil-dren and teenagers in the past 10 years.“One of the most impor tant reasonsbehind this sharp increase is technology,”she said during the third conference ofchildhood obesity under the sponsorshipof Seham Al-Fraih titled ‘The Children ofTechnology.’

Al-Turki compared some of the dailyactivities, hobbies and light exercises withusing the technology from the energyexpenditure point of view and concludedthat any light physical activity would burnat least three more calories than using thelaptop or smart tablets or smart phones.

On the other hand, Al-Turki supportedthe positive uses of technology such ashealth applications and calory countersthat help a lot of child and teenagerpatients in reaching their weight goals.

Al-Turki referred to Mark Zuckerburg

who invented the social media siteFacebook. “He used the computer formore than 7 hours a day even when hewas less than 19 years old. And today he isone of the youngest billionaires, healthyand slim with no recorded health issues,”she pointed out.

Child obesity increased

by 30% within decade

Maryam Al-Turki

CAIRO: The Kuwaiti embassy appealed toKuwaiti residents, students and vacationersin Egypt to be extra cautious when they goout and not to carry big sums of money.

The embassy warned in a statementFriday that some people pose as policemenfor extortion purposes. It urged Kuwaitis inthe country to be as careful as ever, verifyany security people IDs and to reject beingtaken “anywhere and for whatever reasons.”The embassy announced phone numbersto contact in case of need.

Arbitration conferenceIn other news, Kuwaiti Minister of

Justice and Minister of Awqaf and Islamic

Affairs Yaacoub Al-Sanaa arrived in CairoFriday to partake in the first Arab interna-tional arbitration conference, slated fortoday and tomorrow.

The Minister was received at the airportby Charge d’Affaires of Kuwait Embassy inCairo Mohammad Al-Mohammad andHead of the Egyptian Bar Association, ArabLawyers Union and Arab Center forInternational Arbitration Sameh Ashour.

During his three-day stay in Egypt, theMinister wil l meet Egyptian PublicProsecutor Hesham Barak at, AwqafMinister Mohammad Mokhtar Gomaa,and Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmad Al-Tayyeb. —KUNA

The Kuwait Dive Team removed a 21-feet boat that sunk at the marina of theFahaheel Sea Club. Divers used airbags and water pumps to float the 2-tonboat to the surface, the operation’s supervisor Faisal Al-Harban said in apress statement.

Kuwaitis in Egypt urged

to be extra cautious

KUWAIT: The Health Ministry will continue toencourage medical centers to follow and imple-ment the quality and safety recognition programto further improve healthcare in the country, aministry official said yesterday. Speaking at a cer-emony to honor the infectious disease hospital’scommitment to the program, Health Ministry

media executive Ghalia Al-Mutairi said that thehonoring was to show the ministry’s diligence toprovide high standards of treatment. The min-istry is concerned in applying international stan-dards for healthcare and the program was anextension of such policy, said the official.

On his part, head of the infectious disease

hospital Dr Jamal Al-Duaij said that the hospitalwas fully invested in following the program toensure that patients were given the best medicalcare possible. He thanked the hospitals staff fortheir efforts and stressed that the infectious dis-ease hospital will continue to carry out policiesto provide better healthcare. —KUNA

Safety recognition program’s

implementation encouraged

KUWAIT: The Interior Ministry stressed thatsecurity men are constantly exerting their effortsto seize unlicensed weapons and ammunition.

The ministry is monitoring fireworks used atwedding parties, camping areas and other occa-sions, the ministry’s Security Media Department(SMD) said in a statement yesterday. The ministrywill never hesitate to enforce the law on every-one who holds unlicensed weapons, or ammuni-

tion or jeopardizes the country’s facilities andpublic and private properties, it pointed out.

The SMD appealed to all picnickers in thedeser t and camping locations not to useweapons either for hunting or for any otheractivities for the safety of people, the state-ment said, noting that people who violate theregulations will be turned over to securityauthorities. —KUNA

Ministry bent on seizing

unlicensed weapons

As part of Kuwait’s cooperation with other countries in security, police and military fields, Jordan’s Prince Hashim Bin Al-HusseinSpecial Operations School recently celebrated the graduation of 42 trainees from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. The studentsunderwent a special forces’ training course that included a walkathon, street combat, shooting various types of weapons, dealingwith explosives and mountain climbing exercises. After returning home, Kuwaiti Graduates were honored by Major GeneralJamal Al-Sayegh, Ministry of Interior’s Assistant Undersecretary for Operations Affairs, and Major General Zuhair Al-Nasrallah,the Police Patrols Department’s Director.

By Labeed Abdal

[email protected]

Latest sanctions

against Russia

US President Barack Obama signed a billauthorizing new sanctions against Russiaand providing extra aid to Ukraine, which

came simultaneously with the fall of the Russian cur-rency, the ruble, and the plummeting oil prices, thathas left the country in economic turmoil. The USstep comes as a reminder of the East vs West strug-gle, which previously led to the fall of the SovietUnion.

The White House even expressed concern, sayingthat the bill contains sanctions that ‘do not reflect onthe nature of the ongoing negotiations’. Obama saidthat the bill will not be imposed ‘at this time’, and Ibelieve that the two sides need to seize the oppor-tunity to negotiate to reach peaceful solutions andavoid escalations.

The bill that was passed by the US Congressincludes sanctions on Russian defense, arms andenergy companies. Meanwhile, Russian DeputyForeign Minister Sergei Rybakov said that the billreflect ‘anti-Russia sentiments’. These sanctions,which stem from the Ukrainian crisis, directly affectthe Russian economy, threatening it with further tur-moil in 2015. All we call for is freedom and democra-cy to be restored in Ukraine, away from the gamesthat the superpowers play.

In my view


By Muna Al-Fuzai

[email protected]

Domestic workers

and Christmas

Kuwait has a huge expatriate population with60.7 percent of its people constitute expatri-ates. They are of different nationalities and

majority of them are Asians. Paradoxically, Kuwaitisconstitute only 33% of the total population.

That underlines the fact that expats are the pillarsof the workforce in the country and life will be hardfor us without the thousands of domestic workers inthe country. This also underscores the fact that theyalso have a right to go to church on a Christians Day ifthey wish.

I was invited to a social function on the morning ofDecember 24 on the eve of the Christmas Day. While Iwas greeting some of the female workers presentthere with Merry Christmas , I was almost hit by twoKuwaiti ladies who told me that I should not wishmaids on Christmas!

‘Why not?’ I asked. That means these maids will notbe allowed to go to church tomorrow? I asked. And Iwas shocked to hear a firm ‘no’.

I tried to reason out with them saying that theseworkers usually wish everyone during Eid celebration.I was showing the same gesture to them on greatoccasion like Christmas. I don’t see any harm in doingso,” I told them.

As usual, the two ladies tried to use the typicalweapon of ‘haram and hell’ to justify their position torefrain from congratulating maids on Christmas.Ending up the conversation with the ladies, I toldthem if this was your attitude towards your own

domestic workers, then why did you hire Christianmaids? You call them infidels, still you leave your chil-dren and your houses to their supervision? Don’t askfor respect which you fail to give,” I told them and leftthe place. They made me feel sick with their arroganttone and insolent thinking.

Perhaps, the new labor law may be guaranteeingthe right for holidays for a domestic worker. But howmany sponsors respect the law and grant their work-ers the holidays? How many domestic workers havebeen given permission to go to church and be a partof Christmas celebrations? Some may argue that thephotographs published in newspapers would provethat thousands of expatriates have participated inChristmas celebrations. but how many of them aredomestic servants?

I believe that the exchange of greetings betweenpeople of different religions express mutual respectand acceptance of other religions and cultures. Thisgesture shows the high morality and respect for oth-er religions, particularly Christianity and Judaism. Iknow many do shot share my views. But I also knowthat there are many Kuwaitis like my views. Thedomestic workers also have legitimate religious rightsand we must respect their sentiments.

Local spotlight

Al-Jarida

Statements ...

Looking up the initials GID, you will find thatthey refer to the term gender identity disorder,which is the official definition used by doctors

and psychiatrists to describe and diagnose peopleexperiencing noticeable gender conflict with theirbirth-determined gender. Such disorders results frompsychological as well as biological reasons, whichmeans that in many cases, those experiencing it maynot be responsible for it and are to be considered vic-tims of the surrounding environment, be it the familyor the society, and sometimes their genetic makeup,which forces them to live with it for the rest of theirlives.

In other words, unlike many other disorders thesociety sympathizes with like dyslexia or genetic dis-orders that cause disability, GID does not get thesame sympathy. Contrarily, it is met by people’sanger, resentment and abuse in our societies becausewe grew up with the concept that ‘a man is a manand woman is a woman’. We never accept compro-mises and any exception to this rule is considered anunacceptable and shameful abnormality.

I really fail to understand this sarcastic approach toGID, especially since science admits that such a disor-

der exists and that individuals have no control over itin most cases. I might accept that, as individuals, wemay reject having people with GID within our friends,which is OK because we are all free to select thosewithin our social circle from outside family or bloodkinship. But to reject their presence despite ourknowledge that many of them have nothing to do

with his/her case is a totally unjustified exclusion. Even if we overlook the social side of the issue and

social ill-treatment of people with this disorder -because the whole society has been brought up notto accept gender abnormalities - how on earth will

we accept that the government will deal with such adisorder as a crime without sending these people tothe relevant MoH department and treatment andcorrectional facilities to determine the best way todeal with them?

Some GID cases may undergo gender changingsurgeries abroad so that they can fit within a deter-mined gender identity which might help solve theirdisorder. In fact, many people opt to treat any physi-cal problem that annoys them and this can be provedby the legal spread of plastic surgery clinics in Kuwaitto treat obesity cases not caused by psychological orgenetic reasons. This only happens because obesepatients are greedy for food and hate exercise.Nevertheless, we accept such plastic surgeries.

I believe that it is the state’s responsibility to rede-fine some social misconceptions to the whole societyon the one hand, and to government establishmentson the other because we ought to take what is scien-tifically proven to be a psychological disorder even ifwe do not like it. To determine what is acceptable andwhat is rejected according to our limited understand-ing is the biggest crime ever!

—Translated by Kuwait Times from Al-Jarida

GID: Gender Identity Disorder

kuwait digest

By Ali Mahmoud Khajah

Unlike many other disor-ders the society sympathizeswith like dyslexia or geneticdisorders that cause disabil-

ity, GID does not get thesame sympathy.

I was almost hit by twoKuwaiti ladies who told me

that I should not wish maids on Christmas!

Bethlehem has always loomed large in our imagina-tion. For generations, the feelings evoked by thistown have been captured in multiple art forms,

serving to inspire both believers and non-believers withits message of hope and the joyful promise of new life.

For those who do not know the place, Bethlehem pos-sesses a timeless quality, derived from these artistic cre-ations. It is a place of mystery and contradictions. It is thepeaceful little town that played an out-sized role in histo-ry; the birthplace of Jesus, the child born in a cave, herald-ed by angels, and visited by shepherds and kings. Forhundreds of millions of Christians world-wide, these arethe images that define Bethlehem. Sadly, in reality, all ofthis is but a fantasy, since the pressures of daily life con-fronted by the residents of this historic community paint aremarkably different portrait. Suffering under an Israelimilitary occupation since 1967, Bethlehem is slowly beingstrangled. It is losing land to settlement construction,hemmed in by a 30 foot high concrete wall, stripped of itsresources, and denied access to external markets. As aresult, 25% of Bethlehem’s people are unemployed, while35% live below the poverty level.

Before the occupation, for example, thousands ofPalestinians in Bethlehem were employed as craftsmenknown worldwide for their olive-wood and mother-of-pearl artifacts. Today, denied the ability to freely exportand hurt by the instability of the occupation, that industryemploys only a few hundred. Similarly, Bethlehem’stourism has suffered. Israeli companies that dominate thatfield bring tourists to stay in hotels in areas they control,making day trips to Bethlehem’s holy places. The crowdscome to the town, but their revenues disproportionatelygo the Israelis.

The town has lost so much land to Israeli confiscationfor settlement construction that, because it can no longerexpand, it must build vertically. As a result, what is left ofBethlehem has become overcrowded, with traffic con-gesting its narrow streets.

Crude effortIsraeli leaders often complain that they must expand

their settlements further so that their young can findhousing. And they insist that they must continue to buildtheir wall, in order to protect their people who live inthese illegal colonies. What they do not say is that theexpansion of the mammoth projects at HarHoma, Gilo,HarGilo, BetarIlit, Giva’ot, and more are occurring at theexpense of Palestinians living in the Bethlehem region.The Israelis call these colonies “neighborhoods ofJerusalem”. This is but a crude effort to obfuscate the reali-ty that they are all built on Bethlehem area land-illegallyconfiscated by Israel and then unilaterally annexed towhat they call “Greater Jerusalem”. As a result, Palestiniansnow retain only tenuous control of 13% of the Bethlehemregion-with the Israelis still threatening to take more. Infact, the 22 Israeli settlements built in the Bethlehemregion, the roads that connect them, and the wall thatprotects them were all built on land taken fromPalestinians. And the new expansion plans for Jewish-onlyhousing and the extension of the wall simply means thatmore land will be taken, leaving less for Palestinians.

Look at a map and you will see that Bethlehem is but afew miles from Jerusalem. As late as 20 years ago, stand-ing near Manger Square, one could look out over a greenspace, the hill of JabalAbulGhnaim, and see the Holy City.The trip, by car, was only 15 to 20 minutes. Today thatview has been obliterated by the 30 wall, and that greenspace, where Palestinian families once picnicked, is nowthe site of the monstrous concrete settlement ofHarHoma-home to 25,000 Israelis. As a result of the settle-ments, Jewish-only roads, and the wall, an entire genera-tion of young Palestinians have grown up never havingbeen to Jerusalem. Not only that, but the entire popula-tion has been cut off from the city that was theirmetropol-the hub that provided them medical, social,educational services, markets and sources of employ-ment, and venues for cultural and spiritual enrichment.All that is now beyond their reach.

World CourtToday, the Palestinian population of the Bethlehem

region is 210,000. There are over 110,000 Israeli settlers,

with plans to double that number in the near future.Facing this human onslaught, Palestinians have takentheir case to the World Court which ruled that the settle-ments and the wall are illegal-in clear violation of interna-tional laws designed after World War II to protect therights of people living in territories occupied in time ofwar. In response, Israel, with the backing of the US, actswith impunity continuing to build, to move its people intoPalestinian land, and to take still more land.

Looming large over the lives of Bethlehemites is theIsraeli plan to extend the wall in the north through one ofthe last remaining green spaces in the region. This portionof the wall is designed to zig-zag along a path that will cutthrough the vineyards and olive orchards of the Conventat Cremisan, separating the children of BeitJala from theirschool, and confiscating land owned by 54 Palestinianfamilies. Once completed, the wall will allow the Israelis toexpand and connect two settlements of Gilo and HarGilo.It is, as described by Bethlehem’s mayor, Vera Baboun, “thefinal knot in the noose around the neck of Bethlehem”.

All this is happening while Christians in the West bliss-fully sing of the “peaceful little town”, not hearing the criesof its people. More disturbing is the degree to which poli-cymakers and those who should know better deliberatelyturn a deaf ear to Palestinian appeals for recognition oftheir plight, thereby enabling the continuation of thisinjustice. Meanwhile, in Bethlehem, hope gives way todespair and thoughts of peace to feelings of anger.Attention must be paid to this tragedy.

Just for a moment, think of Bethlehem and instead ofimagining the shepherds and the angels, think of life as itis in that town today. Imagine what you would feel if youlived in Bethlehem and saw your land taken to make wayfor homes and roads for another people. And imaginehow you would feel if your sons and daughters wereforced into exile to find employment, to make way for thesons and daughters of another people who have come tolive on your land. Then listen carefully and hear the cry ofthe people of that little town.

NOTE: Dr James J Zogby is the President of the ArabAmerican Institute

The Silent Cry of Bethlehem

washington watch

By Dr James J Zogby

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2014

Syria says ready to meet opposition in Moscow

Page 8

Mourners gather for slain NY policemanPage 9

MOGADISHU: Hundreds of newly-trained Al-Shabab fighters perform military exercises in the Lafofe area some 18km south of Mogadishu, in Somalia. A Somali intelligence official says Zakariya Ismail Ahmed Hersi, a leader with theIslamic extremist group Al-Shabab who has a $3 million bounty on his head, has surrendered to police in Somalia. —AP

Somali Islamist with $3m US bounty on head surrendersGroup attacked African Union base in Mogadishu

MOGADISHU: A leader ofSomali Is lamist group Al-Shabaab, who has a $3 million USbounty on his head, has surren-dered, a Somali governmentsource and local media said yes-terday. Zakariya Ismail AhmedHersi was one of seven alShabaab leaders for whom theUS State Depar tment in 2012offered a total of $33 million inreward money for informationthat led to their capture.

If confirmed, Hersi’s surrenderwould be a second major blow toal Shabaab’s leadership in just afew months. In September thegroup’s main leader, Ahmed AbdiGodane, was assassinated by aUS drone str ike. “Al-Shabaableader Zakariya Ismail surren-dered to government forces in ElWak, Gedo region. He is expectedto be flown to Mogadishu tomor-row,” a senior government officialtold Reuters. State radio websiteRadio Muqdisho also reportedHersi’s surrender and said he was“the general secretar y of Al-Shabaab’s finance (department)”but did not give reasons for hissurrender.

A member of Al-Shabaab’smedia team told Reuters by tele-phone that the group had seenmedia repor ts about Hersi ’sarrest and was “going to investi-gate whether or not the mantalked about belonged to us”.While the government offered anamnesty to al Shabaab membersin September, none of the keyleaders of the group has so fartaken up the offer.

The Al-Qaeda-aligned groupwants to topple the Western-backed Mogadishu governmentand impose its own strict versionof sharia law in the countr y.

Although Al-Shabaab still con-trols chunks of the countryside insouth and central Somalia, thisyear it has lost several key townsduring two major offensives byAfrican Union peacekeepers andthe Somali National Army.

However, the group continuesto carry out hit-and-run attacksin Somalia and in neighboringKenya, where it has killed hun-dreds of people over the past 18months. I t attacked a majorAfrican Union base in the Somalicapital Mogadishu on Thursdayin an audacious raid that lastedseveral hours.

“Zakariya Ahmed was a verysenior person who worked withGodane,” said regional militaryofficial Jama Muse, referring toformer Shebab leader AhmedAbdi Godane, killed by a US airstrike in September.

“He was in charge of intelli-gence and finances. He was oneof the senior Al-Shabab com-manders who the Americans puta lot of money on their head,” headded.

Another Somali military offi-cial, Mohamed Osmail, said themilitant was hiding in a house inthe border town in the El-Wakarea, and made contact with gov-ernment off ic ials in order tohand himself in.

Another intelligence sourcesaid the surrender was believedto have been motivated by aseries of recent bloody splits andpurges within the group, withGodane having ruthlessly elimi-nated many of his rivals and hissuccessor, Ahmad Umar AbuUbaidah, continuing to maintainstrict internal security. Althoughpresented by the officials as a

senior Shebab operative, it wasunclear if Zakariya Ahmed hadsti l l been active within theShebab in recent months orweeks, or if he was among a largegroup of commanders who hadalready fallen out with Godaneprior to his death-some of whomwere killed in a purge.

‘Intelligence bonanza’The surrender brings some

welcome good news forSomalia’s fragile, internationally-backed government as well asthe Afr ican Union’s AMISOMforce, who have been facing analmost constant wave of attacksfrom the Shabab despite recentterritorial gains in the south andcentre of the Horn of Afr icanation. The Somali governmenthas also been locked in bitterinfighting, with the president thismonth falling out with his primeminister.

According to a Western intelli-gence source, the surrendercould deliver an “intell igencebonanza” that could prove highlydamaging to the Al-Qaeda-linkedgroup.

The source said members ofAMISON or the African Unionforce in Somalia, in particularKenya, will be urgently trying torecover actionable intelligenceon Shebab operations in theborder region, the scene of tworecent massacres on Kenyan soilcarried out by the militants.Thesurrender comes two days afterShebab mil i tants carr ied outanother high-profile raid in thecapital Mogadishu, where theystruck AMISOM’s heavily-forti-f ied headquar ters and k i l ledthree soldiers and a civilian con-tractor. —Agencies

Pakistani gets 26 years in jail for hoax bomb threats

LAHORE: A Pakistani man was sen-tenced to 26 years in jail for makingtwo hoax calls to police claiming hehad planted bombs in crowded pub-lic places, prosecutors said yesterday.Mohammad Yousuf, who is in his 30s,made the calls in July in the centralcity of Multan, telling police that hehad placed bombs in a market and abusy children’s park.

Police, bomb disposal experts andrescue workers were forced to rush tothe scene at the time but found noth-ing. “Yousuf confessed and was sen-

tenced to 26 years in jail for both thebogus calls and fake information,”Ashfaq Malik, Multan’s deputy prose-cutor general, told AFP.

Police said Yousuf used the simcard of one of his friends, whom hewanted to entrap because of busi-ness rivalry. Police in August tracedthe sim card and arrested bothYousuf and his friend.

Judge Sajjad Sheikh announcedthe verdict in a Multan anti-terrorcourt on Wednesday and it was pub-licized by prosecutors yesterday.

Sheikh Saeed, another governmentprosecutor and a police official inMultan, confirmed the verdict.Pakistan has ramped up its anti-terrorstrategy in the wake of the December16 slaughter at an army-run school inPeshawar, where 134 children wereamong the victims gunned down byheavily-armed Taleban militants.Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif also saidon Thursday that the country will setup military courts for terror-relatedcases, as part of an ambitious anti-terrorism plan. —AFP

I N T E R N AT I O N A LSUNDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2014

KONYA: Turkey’s Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (right) and Hamas leaderKhaled Mashaal greet each other during a meeting of Turkey’s ruling partyin Konya yesterday. —AP

DAMASCUS: Syria’s regime is willing tomeet the country’s opposition inMoscow to seek a way out of the nearlyfour-year civil war, a government officialsaid yesterday. “Syria is ready to partici-pate in a preliminary and consultativemeeting in Moscow to respond to theaspirations of Syrians who are trying tofind a solution to the crisis,” the foreignministry official said, quoted by SANA

state news agency.The decision followed talks between

Syria and Russia about a possible meet-ing, the official said. “The Syrian ArabRepublic has always been ready for dia-logue with those who believe in its uni-ty, sovereignty and freedom of choice,”the official added.

Syria’s war began as a pro-democra-cy revolt, but escalated into a multi-sided civil war drawing foreign jihadistsafter President Bashar Al-Assad’s regime

began a massive crackdown on dissent.An estimated 200,000 people have

been killed, and half the populationhave been forced to flee their homes.Russia has been trying to relaunchpeace talks for Syria that would includemeetings between delegates of theregime and the fractured opposition.

The Russian foreign ministrydeclined to comment yesterday. But on

Thursday, Moscow said that it plannedto host delegations from the Syrianopposition in late January, possibly fol-lowed by a visit by regime representa-tives that could bring the two sidestogether for talks. Assad has said hebacks the efforts by his key ally. Themain opposition coalition held talkswith Syria’s government earlier this year.

But they collapsed as the oppositiondemanded Assad’s resignation, whilethe regime insisted the main focus of

the negotiation should be on fighting“terrorism”.

Since then, some opposition figureshave suggested that a deal could seeAssad remain in power for a limitedtime. The change in tone reflects grow-ing concern over advances by jihadistswho have expelled more moderateopposition rebels from large areas.

Foreign fighters have flocked to join

Al-Qaeda-linked militants and theIslamic State (IS) group which led anoffensive that seized large parts of Syriaand Iraq, committing widespread atroci-ties.

A monitoring group said yesterdaythat IS had lost ground in the Syriantown of Kobane, where Kurdish fightersnow control more than 60 percent ofterritory. The strategically located townon the border with Turkey has become amajor symbol of resistance against IS.

The jihadists launched a major offen-sive in mid-September to try to captureKobane, and at one point controlledmore than half of the town, known inArabic as Ain Al-Arab.

But supported by US-led air strikesand reinforced by Kurds from Iraq,“Kurdish forces now control more than60 percent of the city”, said Rami AbdelRahman, director of the Britain-basedSyrian Observatory for Human Rights.“IS has even left areas that the Kurds didnot enter for fear of mines,” he added.

The US-led coalition pounded theIslamic State group with 39 air strikesThursday and Friday, including morethan a dozen near the flashpoint Syriantown of Kobane. The 13 strikes conduct-ed Thursday in Kobane, which is knownas Ain Al-Arab in Arabic, destroyed 17fighting positions, as well as IS buildings,staging areas and a vehicle, the US-ledanti-IS coalition said in a statement.

On Friday four air strikes destroyedthree IS buildings and two vehicles inthe area, it added.

The statement updated an earlierreport by the US Defense Department,which had erroneously stated that all ofthe strikes occurred on Friday, andwhich had set the total number ofstrikes at 31.

Fighting over Kobane began in mid-September, when the jihadists movedto take over the town on the borderwith Turkey. The US-led coalitionlaunched air strikes against the IslamicState group in Syria on September 23.Over Thursday and Friday, there were 19strikes in Syria by coalition fighter andbomber aircraft, as well as drones.Coalition raids also struck tactical units, adrilling tower and an assembly area, thestatement said.

In Iraq, the coalition carried out 20strikes according to the updated docu-ment: 15 on Thursday, mostly inNinevah and Anbar, two of the mainfronts in the fight against IS there, andfive on Friday in the same provinces.The strikes destroyed an IS rocket sys-tem and vehicles, equipment, a mortarposition, fighting position and a modu-lar refinery. The jets and drones alsotargeted IS tactical units and a check-point. —Agencies

Syria says ready to meet

opposition in MoscowUS-led coalition hits IS jihadists with 39 air strikes

CAIRO: The Arab League’s Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby (right) meets with Hadi Bahra, the headthe Syrian National Coalition, the country’s main political opposition group, left, and Haitham Al-Maleh, a member of the group (second left) at the League’s headquarters in Cairo yesterday. —AP

ANKARA: Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal yes-terday praised Turkey as a “source of power”for all Muslims in gratitude to Turkey’s lead-ers for supporting the Palestinian cause.

“A democratic, stable and developedTurkey is a source of power for all Muslims,”Meshaal said in an address to the rulingJustice and Development Party (AKP) annualcongress in the conservative centralAnatolian city of Konya. Meshaal said a“strong Turkey means a strong Jerusalem, astrong Palestine,” voicing hopes to “liberatePalestine and Jerusalem,” according to thestate-run Anatolia news agency.

His brief address was interrupted repeat-edly by cheering crowds in the hall wavingTurkish and Palestinian flags and chanting:“Allahu Akbar (God is greatest)” and “Downwith Israel!” The Hamas chief often shows up

at the ruling party’s events. He also attendedthe AKP’s congress in 2012 when PresidentRecep Tayyip Erdogan was serving as primeminister.

Current Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu,in his speech said Turkey’s red flag featuringa crescent with a star was a “symbol of theinnocent in the world.” “God is witness ... wewill make this red flag a symbol of the inno-cent. This red flag will fly side by side withthe flags of Palestine, free Syria and all otherinnocents’ flags anywhere in the world,” hetold the congress.

Turkey’s leaders, in particular Erdogan,are known for their angry outbursts at Israel.A staunch supporter of the Palestiniancause, Erdogan has often blasted the Jewishstate over its military assaults on the GazaStrip, which is ruled by Hamas. —AFP

Hamas chief lauds

Turkey as ‘source of

power’ for Muslims

CAIRO: Mona Soueif (center), the sister of Alaa Abdel Fattah, attends theretrial of her son and 24 others, in the courtroom in Cairo yesterday. —AFP

TRIPOLI: A car bomb exploded yesterdayoutside the diplomatic security building inTripoli but caused no casualties, a Libyanofficial said, with the Islamic State groupclaiming responsibility.

Colonel Mubarak Abu Dhaheer, whoheads the security department in charge ofprotecting diplomatic missions, said theblast in central Tripoli caused some damageto the building but that no one was hurt.

“This is a criminal act aimed at undermin-ing security and stability and at targetingpolicemen tasked with guarding diplomaticmissions,” said Abu Dhaheer. The jihadistIslamic State (IS) organization said it carriedout the bombing, according to the US-based monitoring group SITE Intelligence.

“The provincial division of the IslamicState (IS) for Tripoli, Libya, claimed a carbombing at the diplomatic security buildingin the capital, and provided a photo of the

blast,” SITE said. Three years after MuammarGaddafi was toppled and killed in a NATO-backed revolt, Libya is awash with weaponsand powerful militias, and run by rival gov-ernments and parliaments. Fajr Libya (LibyaDawn), a coalition of Islamist militias, seizedTripoli in August after weeks of deadly fight-ing with a nationalist group. The violencetriggered an exodus of foreigners from theLibyan capital and prompted the closure ofseveral embassies, with many relocating toneighboring countries. Abu Dhaheer saidpolice were investigating the car bombingand were also looking into a fire that brokeout at the shuttered Saudi embassy, damag-ing three cars.

In November, two car bombs struck nearthe shuttered Egyptian and United ArabEmirates embassies in Tripoli. Italy is one ofthe few countries to keep an embassy openin the Libyan capital. —AFP

Car bomb hits diplomatic

security building in Tripoli

CAIRO: An Egyptian appeals court yesterday reducedjail sentences given to eight men over a gay weddingvideo that went viral on the Internet to one year each,from three years. Their arrests in September were part ofa series of highly publicized raids targeting suspectedhomosexuals in the conservative country.

A lower court convicted them in November of broad-casting images that “violated public decency”. The menwere detained after a video, filmed aboard a Nile river-boat, showed what prosecutors said was a gay weddingceremony, with two men kissing, exchanging rings andcutting a cake with their picture on it. The video receivedwidespread attention on websites such as Facebook,Twitter and YouTube. The defendants’ families, who wereexpecting their acquittal, screamed and wept on hearingthe new sentences, according to an AFP reporter.Homosexuality is not specifically banned under Egyptianlaw and the men were initially accused of debauchery.

That charge was dropped after an invasive anal examof the men showed that they did not have receptive analsex. The defence repeatedly denied that the men weregay, and insisted that the lower court had caved in topopular pressure.

One of the defendants told a television talk show pri-or to their arrest that the video was recorded during abirthday party. In the past, Egyptian homosexuals havebeen jailed on charges ranging from “scorning religion”to “sexual practices contrary to Islam,” the country’s dom-inant religion.

In April, a court sentenced four men accused ofhomosexuality to up to eight years in prison. —AFP

Egypt cuts jail terms in gay wedding case

SANAA: Yemen’s Ansarullah Shiite militiavowed yesterday to press ahead with anoffensive it launched in September to consoli-date its grip across Yemen, despite fierceresistance from Sunni tribes and Al-Qaeda.The Arabian Peninsula country has beenrocked by instability since the Shiite fighters,also known as Huthis, seized control of Sanaain September.

They have since expanded their presencein central and western Yemen, but have metfierce resistance from powerful Sunni tribes-men backed by fighters from Al-Qaeda. “TheYemeni people is determined to pursue itsrevolution... and combat corruption,”Ansarullah chief Abdulmalik Al-Huthi said in astatement published by Yemeni media. Hesaid he will also push ahead with the offensiveto “guarantee security” and “put an end topolitical tyranny”-repeating slogans used bythe Huthis to justify launching their campaignin September.

On the streets of central Sanaa, meanwhile,hundreds of youths staged a rally demandingthat the Huthi militiamen withdraw from thecapital, an AFP correspondent said.

The demonstrators marched to the may-or’s office carrying banners that read:

“No to armed groups” and “Yes to security

and stability”. On September 21, the Huthissigned a UN-brokered deal with the govern-ment under which they had pledged to laydown their arms and pull out of the city. Theyhave yet to respect the terms of the agree-ment. In his statement, the Huthi leader alsocalled on supporters to “organize better inorder to prepare for any eventuality”, withoutelaborating. He also warned of “strict meas-ures” that could be adopted, but again did notprovide any details on what these might be.

In another development, Ansarullah hastold residents in areas it controls that Saturdaywill no longer be considered part of the week-end because it is “the rest day of the Jews”, amilitia official said.

Yemen, like some other Arab countries,observes the weekend on Friday and yester-day. The militia official said the new regulationhas entered into force in the Huthi strongholdof Saada in the remote north, as well as in theneighboring province of Amran. In the south,meanwhile, two soldiers were killed yesterdayand four wounded in a roadside bomb explo-sion in Hadramawt province, a military sourcesaid.

The source blamed Al-Qaeda’s Yemen fran-chise for the blast which he said was detonat-ed by remote control. —AFP

Shiite militia vows to press on with Yemen offensive

SANAA: Yemeni protesters shout slogans during a rally in Sanaa yesterday against the deployment of armedmilitias from the Shiite Huthi movement across the country and in the capital. —AFP

CAIRO: Egypt ’s prosecutor hasreferred a female writer to trial forallegedly insulting Islam by criticizingthe slaughter of animals during amajor religious festival, a judicial offi-cial said yesterday.

“Happy massacre,” Fatima Naootwrote on her Facebook page inOctober during Eid Al-Adha, theMuslim feast of sacrifice. Animals areslaughtered during Eid to commemo-rate the willingness of Abraham tofulfil God’s command to sacrifice hisown son, although in the end Godprovided him with a sheep. “Massacrecommitted by men over the past 10centuries and followed by men eachyear with a smile,” Naoot wrote at thetime.

Naoot, who is Muslim, deleted herposts from Facebook after controver-sy erupted about them. But a judicialofficial said yesterday that she admit-ted during questioning that she hadwritten them. The 50-year-old colum-nist denied she had any intention to

insult Islam, the official told AFP,adding she had also been chargedwith “making fun of the right to sacri-fice”.

“It is the price paid by those whocarry torches of enlightenment atevery age,” Naoot wrote on Fridayafter having been informed of her tri-al which is due to start on January 28.She said that in October she hadposted messages on Facebook tocongratulate Muslims for Eid Al-Adhabut “urged them to respect the offer-ing and not humiliate it by floodingthe ground with animal blood”.

Egypt’s constitution outlaws insultsagainst the three monotheist reli-gions recognized by the state-Islam,Christianity and Judaism. Earlier thisyear a female Coptic teacher wasjailed for six months after parents ofher students accused her of evangel-izing and insulting Islam.

In June, in a separate case a CopticChristian man was sentenced to sixyears in jail for insulting Islam. —AFP

Egypt writer to face trial

for ‘insulting Islam’


Mourners gather for slain NY policeman

Activists urged to halt demos until police funeralsNEW YORK: Police officers in dress uniform andother mourners joined a somber, four-block lineoutside a New York City church on Friday for thewake of one of two officers shot by a man whosaid he was avenging the killing of unarmedblack men by police.

Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were slain lastSaturday afternoon while sitting in their patrolcar in Brooklyn. Singled out because of their uni-forms, their deaths have become a rallying pointfor police and their supporters around the coun-try, beleaguered by months of street rallies byprotesters who say police practices are markedby racism.

Stephen Davis, the police department’s chiefspokesman, said yesterday’s service may proveto be the largest funeral in the police depart-ment’s history, with tens of thousands of people,including US Vice President Joe Biden, expectedto fill the church and the streets outside.

Draped in the New York Police Department’sgreen, white and blue flag, Ramos’s coffin wascarried into a church in his Queens neighbor-hood by police officers as colleagues from hisBrooklyn station house stood saluting. Ramos,40, had been on the force for two years and wasraising two teenage sons with his wife Maritza.“Dad, I’m forever grateful for the sacrifices youmade to provide for me and Jaden,” his son,Justin, said in an emotional voice during amemorial service held after the wake, projectedon a large screen in the streets outside. “He wasmy absolute best friend.”

Ramos’s funeral came at the end of a weekduring which heated rhetoric and blame marked

a city that had largely escaped some of the moreviolent outbursts seen in six months of nation-wide protests against police use of force. Inextraordinary scenes at the hospital where Liuand Ramos were taken on Saturday, police unionleaders, angered by Mayor Bill de Blasio’s quali-fied support of the protesters, said the mayorhad “blood on his hands”. As the mayor arrived atthe hospital, some officers turned their backs tohim in a pointed display of disrespect.

Two days later, a visibly angered mayor chas-tised some journalists at a news conference forwhat he called “divisive” coverage, while urgingactivists to halt demonstrations until after thepolice funerals. Activists denounced the requestas suggesting they were partly to blame for thedeaths. Small groups of protesters continued totake to the streets chanting “How do you spellmurderer? NYPD” and other anti-police chants.

The mayor has said he hopes the funerals willhelp mend the city’s fractured mood, although abanner carried over the Hudson River behind aplane a few miles from the wake on Friday sug-gested not everyone was seeking unity: “DeBlasio, Our Backs Have Turned To You,” the mes-sage read, paid for by an anonymous group ofcurrent and retired police officers, according tothe police blogger John Cardillo. Marta Mares,who said she only learned Ramos was her neigh-bor after his death, arrived at the church twohours early.

“We want to support NYPD officers becausenow we can see what danger they are in, espe-cially under Mayor de Blasio,” she said. “We loveyou guys,” a woman shouted as Bill Bratton, the

city’s police commissioner, headed into thechurch.

Tens of thousands expected Police from departments around the country,

including those in St. Louis, Atlanta, New Orleansand Washington, DC, were expected to joinnational, state and city leaders for the funeralservice at the church yesterday. Nearly 700 offi-cers had taken up an offer JetBlue Airways Corpto fly two members of each law enforcementagency to New York for free, an airline spokes-woman said.

Police had yet to announce details for thefuneral of Liu, 32. The execution-style killing wasso swift, police said, that the officers may nothave seen their assailant, Ismaaiyl Brinsley, 28, aman described by city officials as emotionallytroubled. After shooting the officers, he shothimself and died in a nearby subway station. Hehad begun the day by shooting and woundinghis ex-girlfriend in Baltimore.

Brinsley, who was black, wrote online thathe wanted to kill police officers to avenge thedeaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown,unarmed black men killed by white policemenin New York and Ferguson, Missouri. The deathsof Garner and Brown and the decisions not toprosecute the officers responsible ignitedprotests across the country, renewing a debateabout race in America that has drawn in USPresident Barack Obama. Relatives of Garnerjoined civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharptonon Christmas Day to say prayers for both Ramosand Liu. — Reuters

NEW YORK: New York City police officers watch over the lines outside the wake for NYPD officer Rafael Ramos in New York. —AFP

Newsi n b r i e f

Canada mall shooting hurts 1, no ‘active shooter’

OTTAWA: A single shot fired outside an Ottawamall left one person with minor injuries Friday inwhat police were treating as an isolated incident.Staff Sgt. Rick Keindel said police arrested twosuspects and were looking for two others. “It’s notan active shooter situation,” he said. “It seems likean isolated thing.” The shooting occurred onBoxing Day, one of Canada’s busiest shoppingdays of the year. It occurred on a pedestrian walk-way at the Tanger Outlets mall around 3:45 p.m.,Keindel said. The victim had non-life-threateninginjuries and was in stable condition. DutyInspector Mark Patterson said the victim wasknown to police and was not co-operating withinvestigators and that the guns and gangs unithad been called in, Patterson said. Keindel saidabout a dozen officers cordoned off the area. Hesaid no weapon had been recovered at the scene.Local media reported that shoppers weren’tbeing allowed into the mall.

Quake hits off Panama’s Pacific coast, no damage

PANAMA CITY: A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck offPanama’s Pacific coast yesterday, the US Geological Surveysaid, but there were no immediate reports of damage. TheUSGS said the quake, initially reported as having a magni-tude of 6.0, was relatively shallow at a depth of 6.2 miles(10 km) below the seabed. It struck in the early evening132 miles (213 km) south of the town of David.

Argentine President Fernandez fractures ankle

BUENOS AIRES: Argentine President CristinaFernandez has fractured her left ankle and has beenordered by doctors to keep it still, the governmentsaid in a statement yesterday. The statement, signedby her medical team, did not mention howFernandez hurt herself but said she sustained thefracture on Friday. “Immobilization, symptomatictreatment and monitoring of progress was indicated,”her doctors said. The 61-year-old returned to BuenosAires on Friday after a holiday visit to her homeprovince of Santa Cruz and would rest in the presi-dential quarters, the state news agency Telam said.The two-term president has had various health prob-lems in recent years. She underwent an operation toremove blood that had pooled on her brain last year,and last month spent a week in hospital for treat-ment of an infection.

HOUSTON: Doctors in Houston havedecided to keep former US PresidentGeorge H W Bush in the hospital for afourth night since his bout with shortnessof breath, though his condition hasimproved and he “remains in high spirits,”his spokesman said on Friday.

Bush, 90, was taken by ambulance toHouston Methodist Hospital on Tuesdaynight and admitted for observation afterexperiencing breathing difficulties earlierthat evening, according to his spokesman,Jim McGrath. There has been no word onwhether the nation’s 41st president is suf-fering from any particular ailment. McGrathsaid on Wednesday that Bush’s prognosiswas positive and that he was being kepthospitalized as a precaution.

On Thursday, Bush received a ChristmasDay visit from his wife, Barbara, as well ashis son Neil and daughter-in-law, MariaBush, and was described as being in “great

spirits.” “President Bush remains in highspirits and continues to make progress, buthe will remain at the Houston MethodistHospital this evening,” McGrath said in anupdated message on Friday.

Bush, who was president from 1989 to1993, was admitted to the same hospital inNovember 2012 for treatment of bronchitisand related ailments. He was so ill at onepoint that he was believed to be near deathbut ultimately recuperated and wasallowed to go home after seven weeks.

The former Republican president suffersfrom Parkinson’s disease and cannot use hislegs. But he celebrated his 90th birthday onJune 12 by skydiving near Kennebunkport,Maine, with the Army’s Golden Knight para-chute team.

His eldest son, former President GeorgeW Bush, this year published a best-sellingbook about his father, titled “41 - A Portraitof My Father.” —Reuters

Former PresidentBush to spend 4th night

in Houston hospital

US mission in Havana to become embassy amid thaw

HAVANA: A half-century after Washingtonsevered relations with Cuba, the UnitedStates’ seven-story mission looms overHavana’s seaside Malecon boulevard as thelargest diplomatic outpost in the country.Cuban guards stand at close intervals onthe street outside, and islanders line up bythe thousands each year for a shot at acoveted visa.

The gleaming US Interests Section sud-denly is poised to become an even moreimportant presence in Cuba as the twocountries negotiate the first phase of theirhistoric detente - transforming the com-plex into a full embassy that would reflectthe Obama administration’s hopes of newinfluence on the communist island.Roberta Jacobson, assistant US secretary ofstate for Western Hemisphere affairs, willbe the highest known US administrationofficial to visit in decades when she comesnext month for annual talks on migrationthat will now also focus on the details ofre-establishing full diplomatic relations.

The discussions are expected to coverexpanding staffing in the two countries’interests sections and letting diplomatstravel outside their respective capitalswithout having to ask permission.

Also part of the reopening of theembassy: symbolic measures such as rais-ing the American flag on the Malecon.“Opening an embassy is a symbolic ges-ture, but symbols are really important,”John Caulfield, who was Interests Sectionchief from 2011 to 2014, said by phonefrom Jacksonville, Florida, where heretired.

“This is a pretty powerful symbol by ourpresident that we want to have a morenormal relationship with Cuba despite thefact that we have the obvious differences,”he added.

Cuba’s interests section is a statelymanor in Washington’s Adams Morganneighborhood. It, too, stands to becomean embassy. Diplomats say privately thatWashington hopes to boost staffing inHavana, currently at about 50 Americansand 300 Cuban workers, as more Americantravelers and trade delegates are expectedto come here under new rules to be set bythe White House softening the US tradeembargo on Cuba.

An agreement could also ease or scraprules that require US diplomats to channelall requests through Cuba’s ForeignMinistry; the diplomats would be able todeal directly with at least some otherbranches of government.

The US Interests Section has often beena flashpoint for conflict, and its decades ofhybrid status reflect the dysfunctional rela-tionship between the two deeply inter-twined countries. The building first openedas an embassy in 1953, the same year FidelCastro launched an ill fated assault on abarracks that is considered the onset of theCuban Revolution. Eight years later, withCastro then in power, the countries broketies and Switzerland stepped in to safe-guard both the embassy and the ambas-sador’s residence, a sprawling, immacu-lately groomed estate in Havana’s finestneighborhood.

After the break, Washington was with-out a presence in Cuba until 1977, whenthe interests sections were opened underPresident Jimmy Carter. The missions tech-nically operate under the aegis of the “pro-tecting power” Switzerland. Cuba later

built the adjacent “Anti-Imperialist Plaza,”which has hosted nationalist rallies whereCastro gave long speeches railing againstWashington, and concerts demanding thereturn of the Cuban intelligence agentswhom the US freed last week as part of thedetente. Huge marches streamed past theInterests Section in 2000 to demand thereturn of the young Cuban rafter ElianGonzalez.

On the wall of a conference room in themission hangs the bronze head of an eaglethat topped the nearby USS Maine monu-ment until it was ripped down in a 1961anti-Yankee protest following the failedBay of Pigs invasion. The wings and bodysit in a musty Cuban museum storageroom awaiting a possible reunion with thehead on the day that Havana andWashington become friends.

In 2006, US diplomats abruptly installedan electronic billboard that scrolled mes-sages extolling democracy and humanrights to Cubans on the street below. Anoutraged Cuban government erecteddozens of black flags to obscure the signs.“The consequence of that was, for years,they did not allow us to import lightbulbs,”Caulfield recalled with a chuckle.

The US Interests Section is closelywatched by cameras and guards on bothsides, a function of both the longtime ten-sions and general increased security atAmerican diplomatic missions following9/11. Cuban police make pedestrians crossthe street to use another sidewalk, and noparking is allowed.

Some neighbors say they love livingnearby: Nobody ever gets robbed, and theemployees and visa-seekers support localbusinesses that were allowed to openunder President Raul Castro’s economicreforms of recent years.

“Because the whole area is so wellguarded, it ’s very safe,” said PedroHernandez, 73, who runs a modest snackbar out of his home. “There are no prob-lems with crime of any kind, and that’s verygood for us.” American diplomats say low-level harassment was routine for manyyears, as Cuba restricted their movementsand activities and dragged its feet on per-mission to do standard maintenance.Cuban state media routinely portrayed thebuilding as a den of spies.

Both sides gradually moved toward aremarkably civil relationship in recentyears. The electronic sign came down in2009, as did the black flags - though theystill fly on special occasions. The countriesstarted granting diplomatic travel permis-sion more easily. Envoys exchanged homephone numbers and even dined togetheroccasionally. Long-stalled talks on migra-tion and restoring mail service resumed.

Once details of the new diplomatic rela-tionship are worked, actually turning themission into an embassy requires littlemore than changing a few signs and order-ing a new letterhead, experts said.

“A few strokes of the pen and that’s it,”said Wayne Smith, who was a junior diplo-mat in Cuba when relations were severedin 1961 and returned to head the InterestsSection in the late 1970s.

Some who served in the US InterestsSection are awaiting the change with amixture of excitement and wistfulness atnot being here for the transition. “I wouldhave loved to be there to raise that flag,”Caulfield said. —AP

This Jan 3, 1961 file photo shows Cubans lining up outside the US embassy in hopesof getting visas after President Fidel Castro ordered the embassy to reduce its staffwithin 48 hours in Havana, Cuba. After the diplomatic break in 1961, Washingtonwas without a presence in Cuba until 1977, when the interests sections were openedunder President Jimmy Carter. — AP

MEXICO CITY: Mourners carry the coffin of priest Gregorio Lopez during a funeral inAltamirano, Guerrero State, Mexico, on Friday. Priest Lopez was kidnapped andkilled in Altamirano community. — AFP

MEXICO CITY: Some three thousand peo-ple took to the streets of downtown MexicoCity on Friday, three months after the dis-appearance and likely massacre of 43 stu-dents. The students went missing onSeptember 26, in an apparent massacre bya police-backed gang that sparked nation-wide protests and caused a crisis forPresident Enrique Pena Nieto.

The latest marches in Mexico City wereled by parents and other relatives andfriends of the missing, including studentsfrom their teacher training college insouthern Guerrero state.

“We want them alive,” protesters chant-ed, walking behind gigantic portraits of themissing students and a huge Mexican flagwhose red and green colors were replacedby black.

“What does Ayotzinapa want?” protestleaders called out, referring to the name ofthe students’ school. “Justice! Justice!” thecrowd responded. If all the students areconfirmed dead, it would rank among theworst mass murders in a drug war that haskilled more than 80,000 people and left

22,000 others missing since 2006 in Mexico.Authorities say the aspiring teachers

vanished after gang-linked police attackedtheir buses in the city of Iguala, allegedlyunder orders from the mayor and his wifein a night of terror that left six other peopledead. The police then delivered the youngmen to members of the Guerreros Unidosdrug gang, who told investigators theytook them in two trucks to a landfill, killedthem, burned their bodies and dumpedthem in a river. For now, only one of thestudents has been positively identifiedfrom charred remains, which leaves littlehope of finding the 42 others.

On Christmas Eve, the students’ parentshad already protested under heavy rains infront of the Los Pinos presidential palace.And in a sign of the violence that continuesto reign in Guerrero state, the body of apriest was found with a bullet wound tothe head.

Gregorio Lopez Gorostieta was discov-ered in the Tierra Caliente region twomonths after another priest’s body wasfound. — AFP

Thousands protest in Mexico City over missing students

ROME: A baby born at sea on Christmas Dayafter his Nigerian mother was plucked froma floundering migrant boat by the Italiannavy has been baptised Testimony Salvatorein honour of the medics who delivered him.

The two-day old infant, who weighed inat 2.7 kilogrammes (just under six pounds),and his 28-year-old mother were both recov-ering in hospital yesterday after what was asmooth delivery in testing circumstances,according to the gynaecologist who over-saw it. The cheering Christmas tale came asit was reported that Italian authorities haveidentified a 32-year-old Egyptian man as alynchpin in the large-scale people smug-gling that has been instrumental in sendingasylum seekers and economic migrantsacross the Mediterranean in unprecedented

numbers this year.Described as a trafficking “superboss” and

named as Ahmed Mohamed Farrag Hanafi,the alleged trafficking overlord is now beingpursued by the Egyptian authorities at Italy’srequest, Corriere della Sera reported. Thebroadsheet daily said he was based in theKafr el-Sheikh Governorate in northernEgypt and had been identified as a result ofintercepted mobile calls to traffickers work-ing for him on boats leaving Libya.

Really scared Little Testimony entered the world at 20

minutes before midnight on December 25,aboard the Italian navy vessel Etna as itheaded to the Sicilian port of Messina.

The ship had just helped to rescue hun-

dreds of would-be immigrants from boatsdestined for, but ill-equipped to reach,Europe’s southern shores.

“The lady was brilliant,” said gynaecolo-gist Maita Sartori. “She did everything her-self, all we had to was to be there and moni-tor the labour, talking to her in English.”

The mother, whose first name is Kateaccording to Italian media, was travellingwith Testimony’s 15-month-old sister andwas quoted as saying: “I’m really happy withthe birth of my son. I was really scared buteverything went well in the end.”

She told reporters the family had leftNigeria two months ago and that she andher youngest child had boarded a boat inLibya on December 23, having left her hus-band and two older sons, aged 6 and 10, in

neighbouring Algeria. Italian naval vesselspicked up a total of 2,300 people from trou-bled boats over the Christmas period, liftingto almost 170,000 the number of migrantsfrom north Africa registered as having land-ed on Italian soil this year.

More than 80 percent of the migrantsleave from Libya, where traffickers are ableto operate with impunity because of thechaos engulfing a country that has disinte-grated into warring fiefdoms.

The conflict in Syria/Iraq and repressionin Eritrea have been the two biggest factorsbehind the migrant surge this year withSyrian and Eritrean nationals accounting forover half the people landed in Italy this year.Typically, refugees boarding boats in Libyahave paid traffickers several thousand dol-

lars each for what is sold as a ticket toEurope. Increasingly however it appears thatthe people smugglers simply aim to get theboats into open water and rely on thehuman cargo being picked up by either theItalian navy or by passing merchant shipswhich are obliged, under the law of the sea,to respond to distress calls.

Responsibility for patrolling Europe’ssouthern shores in theory lies with Triton, amultinational operation run by theEuropean borders agency Frontex. But inpractice the Italian navy has continued tocarry out most of the rescues despite official-ly scaling back its own Mare Nostrum opera-tion at the end of October after failing topersuade other EU governments to helpfund it. —AFP

Christmas baby cheer as Italy names trafficking ‘superboss’

KIEV: A handout picture taken and released by the Ukrainian PresidentialPress-Service shows Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (R) welcomingUkrainian troops freed from captivity after they arrived at an airport nearKiev early yesterday. —AFP

STOCKHOLM: Sweden’s govern-ment yesterday announced a dealwith the opposition that will avertthe country’s first snap elections inmore than half a centur y andcounter the rising influence of theanti-immigrant far right.

The deal announced by PrimeMinister Stefan Loefven, in officefor less than three months, will seethe minority centre-left govern-

ment remain in power. The farright has however threatened ano-confidence vote.

Loefven had called early elec-tions this month after the populistand anti- immigrant SwedenDemocrats torpedoed his fledglinggovernment’s budget.

The crisis had dealt a severeblow to Sweden’s self-image as atolerant nation and illustrated the

rising political fortunes of anti-immigrant par ties in much ofEurope. “Thanks to the agreementwe have found enabling a minoritygovernment to govern, the gov-ernment will not organise earlyelections,” Loefven, a SocialDemocrat, said.

The Sweden Democrats, whichhad said they wanted to turn thenow-cancelled election into a ref-

erendum on immigration, reactedwith anger and disappointment tothe news of the surprise deal.

“We don’t have any confidencein Loefven as prime minister,” saidMattias Karlsson, interim leader ofthe Sweden Democrats, in aninterview with public televisionSVT.

He said the party will subjectLoefven’s government to a vote of

no confidence, but did not saywhen.

Growing immigration The Sweden Democrats-which

won 13 percent of the vote in par-l iamentar y elections held inSeptember-launched their budgetspoiler on December 3 as a protestover the government’s pro-immi-gration policies.

The Sweden Democrats hasgrown from a virtual non-entity adecade ago to the country’s third-largest party today, riding a waveof concern among many Swedesabout a growing influx of foreign-ers, especially refugees from coun-tries outside Europe.

Government figures suggestthat Sweden, with a populationjust below 10 mil l ion, could

receive up to 105,000 asylum seek-ers next year.

“Basically, the idea is to notallow the Sweden Democrats tohave any influence,” said CamillaSandstroem, a political scientist atthe University of Umeaa in north-ern Sweden.

The snap poll had been calledto take place on March 22. If it hadgone ahead, it would have beenthe first early elections in political-ly stable Sweden since 1958.

Some Swedes said they wererelieved they would not have tocast their votes again so soon afterthe previous elections.

“I think it’s great we won’t havea snap election,” said Per Lager, a38-year-old daycare worker.

“The top priority is to make surethe Sweden Democrats don’t haveany influence, and they won’t getthat now.”

Saturday’s announcement of adeal implies that Loefven can con-tinue to rule in a coalition with theGreens, and that the four-partycentre -right opposition, theAlliance, will not oppose the budg-et in a new vote.

The agreement, which will rununtil 2022, means that whicheverof the six parties are in oppositionwill commit to not voting againstthe government’s budget.

“It illustrates a common featureof Swedish politics-you look forlong-term solutions,” saidSandstroem from UmeaaUniversity. “This is a victory forSweden,” said Anne Kinberg Batra,set to take over as leader of theModerates, the largest oppositionparty, and widely tipped to oneday become the Nordic country’sfirst female prime minister.

The six parties have agreed tofocus on defence, energy and pen-sions as three areas where left andright in parliament will be able tocooperate in the future.

“Sweden has a proud traditionfor solving diff icult problemsacross party boundaries whichdoesn’t exist in any other country,”Loefven said. —AFP

Sweden avoids snap poll in

deal that counters far rightSwedes concern about growing influx of foreigners

STOCKHOLM: Sweden’s Prime Minister and Social Democratic Party leader Stefan Lˆfven, left,and Moderate Party leader-elect Anna Kinberg Batra speak during a press conference at theSwedish Parliament in Stockholm, Sweden, yesterday. —AP

KIEV: Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenkoyesterday welcomed home as heroes 145soldiers freed by pro-Russian rebels duringthe largest prisoner swap of the eight-month separatist war.

The Western-backed leader, beamingand wearing a black bomber jacket, walkedup to the back cargo bay of a military trans-port plane that landed at a military airportoutside Kiev in the dawn hours of Saturdayto hail the men. He firmly shook hands andtightly embraced them-some young andothers sporting greying beards-as they trun-dled down the steps wearing regular civilianclothes and knitted skull caps in the searingcold.

“My heart as that of a president and citi-zen is brimming with joy that you as I hadpromised-will be able to meet the New Yearwith your families and comrades and arms,”Poroshenko said as the released men hud-dled around him on the tarmac.

Ukraine’s chronically underfunded armyhas been criticised heavily by the public forfailing to stamp out a revolt that has claimed4,700 lives and continues to threaten theformer Soviet republic’s very existence.

Poroshenko appeared to be addressingthat rebuke by praising the men for “notbreaking or changing and firmly keepingyour military morale, demonstrating thebest qualities of a Ukranian warrior”.

Ukraine’s allies in Europe hope thatFriday’s exchange will mark a watershedmoment in a war that seems at a stalematebut still rages on because of the immensemistrust between the two sides.

Kiev on Friday freed 222 insurgent fight-ers captured around the main rebel strong-hold of Donetsk and its surroundingregions.

But the original deal-agreed with thehelp of European and Russian mediators inthe Belarussian capital Minsk onWednesday-called for the release of 150

state troops and 225 militants.“Unfortunately, not everyone was

released. Another four of your comradeswill come back on (Saturday),” Poroshenkosaid in reference to a much smaller prisonerswap expected to take place in another partof eastern Ukraine.

“But we will search for and find everyoneand not leave anyone behind,” Poroshenkopromised.

“The country will fight for each one of itsfaithful sons.” Yesterday’s swap was due toinvolve both sides’ fighters captured inDonetsk’s neighbouring breakaway regionof Lugansk.

Stalled peace talks The Minsk negotiations were called to

reinforce a largely ignored peace planstruck in September that aimed to bothstem the bloodshed and ease the crisis inEast-West relations the conflict has sparked.

The eastern revolt began only weeksafter Russia’s March seizure of Crimea andappeared to have been staged in reprisal forthe February ouster in Kiev of a Moscow-backed president.

Russia had initially denied parachutingin its troops to capture the Black Sea penin-sula. But President Vladimir Putin laterawarded medals to soldiers involved in theCrimean campaign.

And the Kremlin’s rejection of chargesthat it was now doing the same in Ukraine’sseparatist east have convinced few Westernnations.

Russia-its economy already under severepressure from the plunge in the value of itsoil exports-is suffer from increasing heavyUS and EU financial penalties as a result.

The Kremlin fired back at the West bypublishing a revised military doctrine onFriday that decries the “reinforcement ofNATO’s offensive capacities on Russia’sborders”. —AFP

Poroshenko hails Ukraine

‘warriors’ freed by rebels

LONDON: The pro-independenceScottish National Party is set to domi-nate Scotland in the United Kingdomgeneral election in May, according to apoll out yesterday, potentially giving itthe balance of power.

The ICM poll in The Guardian news-paper put the SNP, which wantsScotland to leave the UK, on 43 percent,which, if reflected at the ballot box,could leave the left-wing party as king-makers in the London parliament.

It could also severely dent the cen-tre-left opposition Labour Party’s hopesof overtaking Prime Minister DavidCameron’s Conservatives and returningto power in the May general election.

The online poll of 1,004 adults put theSNP on 43 percent (up from 20 percentin the 2010 general election) in Scotland,with Labour on 26 percent (down 16percent). Cameron’s centre-right Torieswere on 13 percent (down four), withtheir centrist Liberal Democrat coalitionpartners on six percent (down 13).

The SNP’s membership has morethan tr ipled to 90,000 since theSeptember 18 referendum on Scottishindependence, when 55 percent ofScots voted to remain part of the UK.

“We are prospectively looking at thecollapse of citadels that have always

been Labour since the 1920s,” saidProfessor John Curtice of StrathclydeUniversity.

“It is becoming clear that the inde-pendence referendum has reset all thedials,” the electoral behaviour experttold The Guardian, calling it “the politi-cal transformation of a nation”.

The SNP won six of Scotland’s 59seats in the 650-member British parlia-ment at the last general election in2010, while Labour won 41.

The ICM poll would give the SNP 45seats and Labour 10, on a uniformswing. Scotland is set to get sweepingnew powers, including setting its ownincome tax rates, under plans unveiledlast month by a cross-party commissionon greater devolution set up after thereferendum.

“More and more people are puttingtheir trust in the SNP to stand up forScotland’s interests, and ensure thatWestminster delivers the powers need-ed,” said Angus Robertson, the SNP’sgeneral election campaign director.

Jenny Marra, Labour’s health spokes-woman in Scotland, said: “We can sendSNP MPs to the House of Commons toprotest against the Tories, or we cansend Scottish Labour MPs to replace theTories.” —AFP

Separatists to dominate

Scotland in UK election

NICOSIA: Capt. Adamos Marneros gazed with fore-boding at the dots on the radar screen of his passen-ger jet as it prepared for landing on Cyprus. It wasbefore dawn on July 20, 1974, and the view of fromhis cockpit confirmed his suspicions: Turkish warshipswere approaching the Mediterranean island in aninvasion triggered by a coup by Greek Cypriots aim-ing to unite with Greece. “I couldn’t allow myself to befrightened because I would be unable to do my joband land the plane safely,” Marneros told TheAssociated Press. Marneros was then a 27-year-oldpilot with national carrier Cyprus Airways who hadreceived his captain’s stripes only two months earlier,

the first Cypriot to win the post in the company’s his-tory. Flight 317, taking off from London Heathrowwith a brief stopover in Rome, would go down as thelast to land at the country’s transportation jewel,Nicosia airport, before it was shut down barely sixyears after its completion. The invasion that Marneroswitnessed from the skies cleaved the island in twoalong ethnic lines with breakaway Turkish Cypriots inthe north and internationally recognized GreekCypriots in the south.

Once an emblem of the young republic’s growingconfidence just 14 years after independence fromBritish colonial rule, the airport overnight became a

symbol of a future hijacked by unresolved conflict.Aboard the aircraft were only 10 passengers made upof two families - a Greek one and a Turkish Cypriotone.

Marneros says he had deep misgivings aboutmaking the flight to Nicosia. After a sleepless night inhis London hotel room watching TV reports of thebuildup to invasion, he pleaded on three separateoccasions with the airline’s boss to cancel the flight.The reply was unequivocal every time:

You must bring the aircraft back to Nicosia.Approaching the island in the darkness, Marneros gotpermission from Nicosia air traffic control to flyaround the island at 14,000 feet (4,300 meters) for alook at what was happening. Below him the hulkingsilhouettes of warships were creeping toward Cypriotshores. His warnings to the airport control tower weremet with what he said were half-hearted attempts toease his concerns.

The Trident aircraft touched down just before day-break, and Marneros was last to leave the airport inthe ensuing evacuation. As he left in his car, Marneroscaught sight of Turkish paratroopers just north of theairport drifting down from the skies.

Eyeballs“I could see the paratroopers’ eyeballs,” he said,

“and the guns strapped to their gear.” His aircraft, oneof the airline’s four Tridents, was later wheeled to thehead of the runway in a bid to prevent Turkish planesfor landing. It was promptly blown to bits by Turkishbombs. The rusting hulk of another Cyprus AirwaysTrident now sits on the airport’s apron, gutted andstripped of everything from its flight deck and fuse-lage. Parts of its engines were used to allow a pair ofother Tridents to eventually fly to the UK. The airportwas the scene of intense fighting during the invasionas Turkish forces tried to seize it and effectively encir-cle the capital. Taking heavy losses, the attackersfailed amid fierce resistance, prompting UnitedNations peacekeepers to take it over and declare it aUN protected zone. —AP

Pilot recalls last flight

to Cyprus airport

NICOSIA: In this Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2014 photo, sunlight pours through the skylightsabove bird dropping-laden seats in the departure lounge of the long-abandonedNicosia airport that lies inside a United Nations-controlled buffer zone separating thebreakaway Turkish speaking north of ethnically divided Cyprus from the internation-ally recognized Greek speaking south. Once an emblem of the young republicís grow-ing confidence just 14 years after independence from British colonial rule, the airportovernight became a symbol of a future hijacked by unresolved conflict. —AP


ORAKZAI: Pakistani security personnel and media gather around the bodies ofalleged Taleban militants after a gunbattle in Orakzai tribal districts near the Afghanborder yesterday. At least 55 militants have been killed in airstrikes by Pakistanifighter jets and gunbattle with ground forces in the country’s troubled northwest,military said. — AFP


PENGKALAN CHEPA: Rescue teams struggledyesterday to reach inundated areas of northeastMalaysia as victims accused the government ofbeing slow to provide assistance after the coun-try’s worst flooding in decades.

Malaysians have vented their anger at PrimeMinister Najib Razak after the release of photoswhich went viral on social media showing himplaying golf with US President Barack Obamaduring the storms.

The number of people forced to flee theirhomes climbed past 120,000 with weather fore-casters warning of no respite for the northeast-ern states of Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang.

The under-fire Najib, meanwhile, arrived inKelantan to lead the national flood responseafter cutting short his vacation in Hawaii andwas expected to meet flood victims.

Torrential northeast monsoon rains leadingto massive flooding in northeast Malaysia hastaken the lives of five people. This region is regu-larly hit by flooding during the annual monsoon,but this year’s rains have been unusually bad.

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassinadmitted rescuers were facing challenges withpower outages and roads being washed away bythe floods.

“I admit the situation is challenging to the

rescue workers and we are trying our best tomake sure that the food arrives to the victimsdepending on the flood situation,” he was quot-ed as saying by the Star newspaper.

Military helicopters and trucks were seen inKota Bharu area, which is near the border withsouthern Thailand, but rescue efforts were beinghampered by fast rising waters and strong cur-rents while roads to hard-hit areas were impass-able. “The severity and scale of the floods hadtaken the authorities completely by surprise as itwas worse than anticipated, overwhelming alldisaster management plans and preparations,”Lim Kit Siang, veteran opposition MP with theDemocratic Action Party said in a statement yes-terday.

‘I have lost everything Kelantan, one of the worst-affected areas, is

led by the opposition Pan-Malaysian IslamicParty (PAS) and is one of the poorest states inthe country.

From the air, parts of the state capital KotaBharu resembled a vast, muddy lake, with rowafter row of rooftops peeking out of the murkywaters. Tempers were frayed among peoplesheltering at a crowded relief centre just outsideKota Bharu, with fears the situation would wors-

en as it continued to rain in surrounding areas.“I am angry with them (the government). We

don’t care about their politics. We just want thegovernment to do what they should do and helpus,” 23-year-old Farhana Suhada, who works for acourier service, told AFP.

Holding on tightly to her six-month-old baby,she said: “For breakfast I had three biscuits andtea. There’s not enough water and no food at allfor my baby. I had to buy my own milk.”

Farhana was forced to abandon her homefour days ago after flood waters rose quicklyalmost to neck level.

“I have lost everything, including huge dam-age to my house and my car and motorcycle,”said Suhada, who was among 200 people seek-ing refuge in a two-storey school. Many floodvictims were seen lying on the floor while chil-dren ran around. The Universiti Sains Malaysiahospital, located in Kota Bharu, was busy

handling flood victims flown in from nearbyareas-including a pregnant woman from PasirMas district where strong winds and currentshave made rescue operations difficult.

“It’s been three days, but the currents are stillvery strong and the bad weather conditions aremaking it difficult for everyone,” a rescue workertold AFP on condition of anonymity. — AFP

Rescuers struggle to reach flood victims in Malaysia

Najib arrives in flood hit area

PESHAWAR: At least 55 militants werekilled in airstrikes and a gun battle withground forces in Pakistan’s troubled north-west where the military launched a majoroffensive this year, officials said yesterday.

The army intensified its offensive afterthe massacre of 150 people in a school inPeshawar this month, a carnage whichPakistan described as its own “mini 9/11”and a game-changer in the fight againstextremism.

Troops raided a militant hideout lateFriday in an area adjoining Orakzai andKhyber tribal districts-near the Afghan bor-der-where the insurgents had gathered fora meeting, the military said in a statement.

“An intense battle took place, in which16 terrorists were killed and 20 injured,” itsaid, adding that “fleeing terrorists leftbehind nine dead bodies of their accom-plices”.

Troops arrested two critically woundedmilitants while four soldiers were alsowounded in the battle, the statement said.

Separately, 39 militants, including tworebel commanders, were killed in airstrikes

in the northwest late Friday and an ammu-nition depot was also destroyed, accordingto military spokesman Major General AsimBajwa.

It was not possible to independentlyverify the casualties as media are bannedfrom visiting the far-flung area.

In another incident, police said theyarrested an important Taliban commanderwho was wanted for attacks on police andwas also involved in the killing a local jour-nalist in northwestern KhyberPakhtunkhwa province.

The army has been waging a majoroffensive against longstanding Taliban andother militant strongholds in the restivetribal areas on the Afghan border for thelast six months.

The offensive gathered momentumafter the December 16 attack on an army-run school in Peshawar which killed 150people, 134 of them children.

The Pakistani military says it has killedmore than 1,700 militants so far in its heavyoffensive in the tribal zone, with 126 sol-diers having lost their lives. —AFP

Pakistan airstrikes, gun battle kill 55 militants

BAKU: Azerbaijan has raided and closedthe local offices of a US-funded radio sta-tion in a move that has left Washington“deeply disturbed” and raised concernsabout the treatment of non-state mediain the tightly-controlled Caucasusnation.

The offices of Radio Azadliq in thecapital Baku were sealed on Friday afterprosecutors and armed police confiscat-ed equipment and computers during araid, the station’s director, Kenan Aliyev,told AFP yesterday.

The station provides Azerbaijani-lan-guage programming in the US-fundedRadio Free Europe/Radio Liberty net-work directed at Eastern Europe andCentral Asia.

The radio network has its roots in aCold War programme started by the USto counter Soviet propaganda. “Our jour-nalists are being summoned to the pros-ecutor’s office for questioning. We fearfor our safety,” Aliyev said.

“We are witnessing yet another roundof the authorities’ crackdown on freemedia.” The US State Department said itwas “deeply disturbed” by the raid. “Wecall on the responsible authorities torespect Azerbaijan’s international com-mitment to protecting media freedom,”said a senior State Department official.

The administration of AzerbaijaniPresident Ilham Aliyev had no immedi-ate comment on the action, but said astatement would be made “soon”.

Crackdown on foreign-funded groups The raid came after a prominent

investigative reporter working for RadioAzadliq, Khadija Ismayilova, was arrestedin early December and placed in pre-trialdetention for two months.

Amnesty International condemnedher arrest as a move to “gag free media”in Azerbaijan. Radio Azadliq’s Aliyev said,citing prosecutors, that the raid on theoffices was linked to a probe into thework of foreign-funded non-govern-mental organisations in the energy-richcountry. In recent months, Azerbaijaniprosecutors have staged similar raids onother foreign-funded groups, includingthe Baku offices of the Washington-based National Democratic Institute,

which was eventually shut down.The legal assault on Radio Azadliq

sparked widespread concern. Press free-dom group Reporters Without Borderssaid RFE/RL was “the latest victim of thegovernment’s campaign to stamp outmedia pluralism”. “President I lhamAliyev’s government is methodicallycrushing each of the remaining inde-pendent news outlets one by one,”Johann Bihr, head of Eastern Europe andCentral Asia for the watchdog, said in astatement. Jeff Shell, chairman of theWashington-based Broadcasting Boardof Governors, a bi-partisan federalagency overseeing US internationalbroadcasting services, said the raid was“unwarranted” and “an escalation of the

Azeri government’s abusive attempt tointimidate independent journalists andrepress free media”. Dissent in Azerbaijanis often met with a tough governmentresponse. Rights groups say authoritieshave been clamping down on oppo-nents since Aliyev’s election to a thirdterm last year. Aliyev, 53, came to powerin 2003 following a controversial elec-tion. He took over after the death of hisfather Heydar Aliyev, a former KGB offi-cer and Communist-era leader who hadruled newly independent Azerbaijanwith an iron fist since 1993.Headquartered in Prague and funded bythe US Congress, RFE/RL broadcasts to21 countries across Eastern Europe,Central Asia, and the Middle East. —AFP

US ‘disturbed’ at Azerbaijan raiding Radio Liberty

KOTA BHARU: Flood victims greet Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak (C) as he arrives at an evacuation center in Pasir Mas, on the outskirts ofKota Bharu yesterday. Rescue teams struggled yesterday to reach inundated areas of northeast Malaysia as victims accused the government ofbeing slow to provide assistance after the country’s worst flooding in decades. — AFP

Indonesia arrests six for attempting to join IS

JAKARTA: Indonesian police yesterdayarrested six people attempting to fly toSyria to join the Islamic State group, offi-cials said, the latest in a wave of potentialsympathisers emerging from the world’smost populous Muslim nation.

Those arrested at Jakarta’s SoekarnoHatta airport at dawn included a coupleand their 10-year-old child, with police say-ing they were attempting to travel on fakepassports.

The alleged organiser of the trip wasalso captured after the arrests. “ Theyadmitted during an investigation that theywant to carry out jihad and be martyrs indefending (IS),” said Jakarta policespokesman Rikwanto. “We hope to find outmore details from the organiser, includingwho funded the trip,” he added.

The number of IS supporters embarking

from Indonesia soared to 264 in Octoberfrom 86 in June, the National Counter-Terrorism Agency (BNPT) chief Saud UsmanNasution was quoted as saying in theJakarta Post.

In total, an estimated 514 Indonesianshave gone to Syria and Iraq to fight along-side IS-around half of them students ormigrant workers based in nearby countries,according to Nasution.

A large number of Muslims around theworld have gravitated towards the radicalgroup, which this year declared a caliphatespanning territories it captured in Syria andIraq. Indonesia has waged a crackdown onterror groups over the past decade follow-ing attacks against Western targets, includ-ing the 2002 Bali bombings-a campaignthat has been credited with weakening keynetworks. —AFP

RAWALPINDI: A supporter of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) hangs a poster of slain for-mer premier Benazir Bhutto at her assassination site in Rawalpindi yesterday, on herseventh death anniversary. Bhutto was assassinated in a gun and suicide attack afteraddressing an election campaign rally in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, near thecapital Islamabad. — AFP

NEW DELHI: A fire broke out in a timbershop on the outskirts of the Indian finan-cial capital of Mumbai early yesterday,burning eight people to death, policesaid.

The victims were workers who weresleeping in the shop, located in theBhiwandi area of western Maharashtra

state, said police officer Ramesh Patil.Authorities are investigating the cause

of the fire. The Press Trust of India newsagency said a dozen fire engines tookhours to extinguish the blaze, which alsospread to some adjacent shops. Threeother people sustained burn wounds andwere hospitalized, it said. —AP

Eight killed in fire near Mumbai

MUMBAI: A firefighter douses a fire at a timber shop in Bhiwandi, India, yesterday.The fire near the Indian financial capital of Mumbai early yesterday burnt eight peo-ple to death, police said. The victims were workers who were sleeping in the shop,said police officer Ramesh Patil. —AP

GARDEZ: Afghanistan’s NATO-led foreign force mistakenlykilled three civilians in an air strike, Afghan officials said yes-terday, less than a week before most foreign troops are dueto pull out at the end of a 13-year mission.

The mistaken killing of civilians in air strikes has been asource of anger throughout the force’s mission, frequentlystraining ties between the NATO force and the government.The latest incident took place in Logar province just south ofthe capital, Kabul, on Friday, and it involved nomads whohad clashed in a dispute over land, provincial officials said.Authorities in the area were negotiating a ceasefire butNATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) appar-ently mistook the nomads for insurgents preparing anattack, officials said.

“ISAF launched an air strike which killed three people andwounded two,” said Logar police chief Abdul Hakim Ishaqzai.He said it was common for nomads, who move around thecountry with flocks of livestock, to be well-armed. Disputesover grazing land are common.

“The people who were killed were inside a house,” hesaid. The NATO force did not immediately respond to arequest forcomment but said it would issue a statement lat-er. At least 3,188 civilians have been killed Afghanistan in2014, according to the United Nations, a nearly 20 percentrise on the previous year and the highest since the UnitedNations began keeping records in 2009.

Meanwhile, at least four intelligence officials and a civil-ian were killed in a roadside bomb that ripped through theirvehicle in southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan, offi-cial said yesterday. The governors spokesman, SamimKhpalwak told media that the blast took place in the IbrahimKhalifa Baba area of Dand district, adding that the NationalDirectorate of Security (NDS) officials had gone to the areaon excursion. Confirming the casualties he said that a fifthNDS official was injured in the blast. No group claimedresponsibility of the blast but the official accused Talibanrebels for the incident. The roadside blast came at a timewhen NATO /ISAF forces are preparing to leave Afghanistantill the end of the year handing overall security situation toAfghan forces. —Agencies

NATO force mistakenlykills 3 Afghan nomads

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

SHANGHAI: Senior Chinese andVietnamese officials have agreed to settletheir maritime disputes without resortingto “megaphone diplomacy”, the officialXinhua news service said yesterday.

The agency’s report follows a meetingin Hanoi on Friday between Chinesepolitical advisor Yu Zhengsheng andVietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen TanDung, and it comes as Beijing backs offfrom aggressive attempts to press its ter-ritorial claims in the South China Sea.

“Megaphone diplomacy can only trig-ger volatility in public opinion, whichshould be avoided by both sides,” thereport quoted Yu as saying. “The mar-itime issue is highly complicated and sen-sitive, which requires negotiations tomanage and control differences,” he said.

Although major trading partners andsharing the same nominal commitmentto communism, China and Vietnam havea long history of distrust and conflict,including a short war in 1978 when

Chinese troops invaded Vietnam inresponse to Hanoi’s invasion ofCambodia, run at the time by the China-backed genocidal Khmer Rouge regime.

Both governments, which lay claim torevolutionary credentials of resistance toforeign invaders, must also placate theirrespective nationalists demanding moreaggressive defence of territory.

The conflict has been aggravated inrecent years as China has grown moreassertive about its claims in South China

Sea, which set China’s sea border hun-dreds of kilometres south of its land massto hug most Vietnam’s coast.

China pressed those claims dramati-cally early in 2014 by placing an oildrilling rig in waters claimed by Vietnam,then confronted Vietnamese vesselsattempting to approach the platformwith water cannon and ramming tactics.

Vietnamese citizens reacted by trash-ing Chinese factories (and factories theymistook for Chinese) inside Vietnam, and

the government moved to warm militaryties with the US and also bought twoKilo-class attack submarines from Russiaas a deterrent.

Beijing has since removed the oil rigand has signalled it wants better relationswith Vietnam. China has recentlylaunched initiatives for a regional invest-ment bank and an infrastructure fundthat would position it as a benevolentdriver of regional economic develop-ment. —Reuters

China, Vietnam to address maritime disputes

MINDANAO: In this photo taken on December 26, 2014, members of thecommunists’ armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA), walk past a hammerand sickle flag displayed in a village as they mark the 46th anniversary of itsfounding, on the southern island of Mindanao. —AFP

YANGON: Residents of Myanmar’scommercial hub Yangon went tothe polls yesterday for the firstmunicipal elections in six decades,with voters enthusiastic forchange even though many knewlittle about the candidates or theirpolicies.

The election is being closelywatched as a test of the country’sdemocratic credentials ahead of a

landmark nationwide poll slatedfor November next year, despitestrict curbs on who could voteyesterday and the limited powerof the councillors they were elect-ing.

For many the ballot for the YangonCity Development Committee, whichclosed yesterday afternoon, was thefirst chance to vote under the coun-try’s quasi-civilian government, which

replaced outright military rule in2011.

It was also a rare opportunityto have a say over the future ofMyanmar’s biggest city, where res-idents grumble about runawayconstruction and soaring rents,worsening traffic, poor sanitationand weak pollution control.

“It’s very difficult to have bigexpectations as this is the first

YCDC election for 60 years,” KhinMaung Tun, 50, a resident inThaketa township told AFP. “Butwe came here to vote and showour spirit.”

Despite such enthusiasm, localmedia said turnout was low,although there were no officialfigures immediately available.

Restrictions on who can voteenfranchised just 400,000 of the

city ’s several million residents,while other clauses have strictlycontrolled who can stand for theYCDC.

Just under 300 candidates,among them businessmen, retiredcivil servants and activists, arecompeting for 115 positions onthe committee-although the topposts will remain largely appoint-ed.

Campaigns were muted- ornon-existent-in a country wherepoliticians are unused to wooingthe electorate, although electionofficials said the ballot would betransparent, free and fair.

Turn up and vote Despite the lack of intimacy

with the candidates’ politics, manyresidents appeared determined to

vote after years of repressed dem-ocratic aspirations under juntarule.

“I do not know anything aboutcandidates. I just found out theirnames while voting,” Phone MawLynn, a resident in Sanchaungtownship told AFP after voting.

“I hope for some significantchange by voting,” he said withoutrevealing who he voted for.

While yesterday ’s electionmarked a major step by the YCDC,which has not been chosen bypopular ballot since 1949, analystscautioned against reading toomuch into the vote.

Ahead of the ballot, critics saidthe poll was deeply flawed, citingthe rule of just one person perhousehold being allowed to vote,the narrow age restrictions forcandidates and a ban on politicalparties from taking part.

Appointees will still outnumberelected figures on the city’s topcouncil within the YCDC, whichhas major responsibilities overinfrastructure, heritage and taxcollection in Yangon.

“I t may be free and fair. Butbecause this election is free andfair, we can not assume the com-ing 2015 general election will befree and fair also,” said independ-ent polit ical analyst Yan MyoThein.

The polls are only the secondmajor vote since the 2010 generalelections, which were marred bywidespread accusations of cheat-ing and the absence of Aung SanSuu Kyi’s opposition party, whichboycotted the election. By-elec-tions in 2012 held in a handful ofconstituencies across the countrywere considered much freer andallowed the veteran democracycampaigner Suu Kyi to enter par-liament for the first time.

But she remains barred fromrunning for president under thecurrent constitution, although herNational League for Democracypar ty is pressing hard for anamendment.

The NLD is expected to sweepnext year’s poll, following up onits 2012 success. —AFP

Yangon votes for first

time in six decades‘We came here to vote and show our spirit’

YANGON: Volunteers make preparations ahead of voting at a polling station in Yangon yester-day. Myanmar’s main city went to the polls yesterday for the first municipal vote in six decades,but observers warn the process is riddled with flaws and could cast a shadow over crucial 2015general elections. —AFP

BEIJING: China has jailed six members of afringe religious group known as “AlmightyGod” for up to five years for promoting theirfaith, state-media reported yesterday.

China has cracked down hard on thegroup, whose members believe that Jesuswas reincarnated as a Chinese woman,detaining and imprisoning thousands sincelabelling it a “cult” in the 1990s.

The court in the western city of Lanzhousaid their activities “seriously disturbedsocial order and the work of state agencies”,the official Xinhua news agency said in abrief dispatch.

The six members were found to haveheld fundraising events and promotionalactivities, Xinhua said without giving details.

They were each sentenced to betweenthree and five years in jail. The court couldnot be reached for comment. China’s rulingCommunist party is wary of independentorganisations, and has cracked down harsh-ly on groups it labels “cults”, most notablythe Falungong spiritual movement.

It has detained tens of thousands ofFalungong members, according to rightsgroups, with some saying they have been

tortured for refusing to give up their beliefs.A Chinese court in October sentenced

two members of Almighty God to death forbeating a woman to death at a McDonald’srestaurant in the eastern province ofShandong. The incident prompted arenewed crackdown on Almighty God,though the group on its official website dis-tanced itself from the pair and said they hadbeen forced into confessing.

Beijing has for years struggled to sup-press the group, which has attracted follow-ers across China’s countryside. The move-ment’s founder is reported to have fled tothe United States.

Almighty God has told members that a“female Jesus” called on members to

overthrow the Communist Party, which itrefers to as “the big red dragon”, the state-run Global Times reported.

China tightly controls the exercise of reli-gion, permitting worship at government-controlled Buddhist, Daoist, Muslim,Protestant and Catholic establishments butbanning other religious organisations.Beijing often proclaims that it grants citizenswide-ranging religious freedoms. —AFP

China jails six ‘cult’

members in crackdown

YANGON: Around 500 people including dozensof Buddhist monks protested near the Chineseconsulate in Myanmar’s central city of Mandalayyesterday demanding the closure of a flashpointcopper mine.

It was the largest protest since the fatalshooting of a woman demonstrating againstthe Letpadaung mine in the northwestern townof Monywa-a Chinese backed venture doggedby complaints of land grabbing and environ-mental damage.

Khin Win, in her 50s, was killed last Mondaywhen police opened fire on protesters trying tostop the mine company building a fence in terri-tory disputed with local farmers.

The mine-run by Chinese firm Wanbao aspart of a joint venture with a major local militaryconglomerate —- has raised questions aboutMyanmar’s reliance on investment from neigh-bouring China, which gave crucial political sup-port to the former junta.

“We want the truth of what happened inLetpadaung as Khin Win was killed. We wantthe authorities to take appropriate action,” TheinAung Myint, a protest organiser fromMovement for Democracy Current Force(MDCF) told AFP. Small but near-daily protestsagainst Wanbao have been held in Yangon andMandalay. “We are not against China. We are

neighbours. But we are worried that relationsbetween China and Myanmar may be dam-aged,” by the mine dispute, Thein Aung Myintadded.

Mandalay police confirmed the protest, say-ing hundreds were in attendance but no arrestswere made. Keen to prevent the issue snow-balling, Wanbao has recognised the woman’s“senseless death” as “painful and poignant”,while China’s foreign ministry on Wednesdayalso expressed its regret.

The Letpadaung copper mine has triggeredseveral rounds of fierce opposition from localvillagers.

In November 2012 a botched police raidusing phosphorus on a protest at the mine leftdozens of people, including monks, with burninjuries.

That crackdown, the harshest since the endof outright army rule in 2011, sparked fury in theBuddhist-majority country.

Earlier this year two Chinese workers werekidnapped at the site by activists, though theywere later released unharmed.

A new quasi-civilian government has imple-mented headline-grabbing reforms in recentyears, including releasing political prisoners andallowing opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyiinto parliament. —AFP

Hundreds protest against

China-backed mine

BEIJING: In the grainy video, Zhang Xiuhong cansee her daughter ride her bike down a country roadon her way to school one spring afternoon six yearsago. In the next shot, Yao Li rides down a driveway afew moments after her classmates walk by. Then,the pictures stop: The 15-year-old disappeared justminutes after that surveillance footage was taken,leaving only a shoe as a clue in a nearby ditch.

Zhang and her husband have since searched allover China for Yao Li, hoping to rescue her from achild trafficking industry that swallows up thou-sands of boys and girls every year. Along the way,the couple have also been harassed, arrested andjailed repeatedly by police who accuse them of stir-ring up trouble by joining with other parents andtaking their search to the streets.

“We go out and search, and then all these policesurround us,” Zhang said in the dingy room she andher husband share near where her daughter waslast seen. “Nobody’s watching for my daughter.Nobody’s doing anything. How can we have anymore hope?”

In a tightly monitored society where authoritiesdetain even relatives of air crash victims demand-ing government action, Zhang and other parents ofmissing children have learned that they must fighton two fronts.

First, they’re up against a sprawling, opaque net-work of abductors and illegal buyers and sellers ofchildren. And since police efforts to find childrenoften leave parents unsatisfied, they must negoti-ate with authorities to hunt for the kids themselves.

Illegal adoptionAs many as 70,000 children are estimated to be

kidnapped every year in China for illegal adoption,forced labor or sex trafficking, making it one of theworld’s biggest markets for abducted children,according to the state-run newspaper China Daily.By comparison, in the US, about 100 children areabducted annually by people who are strangers tothem, said the Polly Klaas Foundation, a nonprofitdedicated to preventing crimes against childrenand assisting in the recovery of missing ones.

The US State Department said in its annual traf-ficking report this year that China “does not fullycomply with the minimum standards for the elimi-nation of trafficking.”

Chinese authorities have tried to show they’retackling the problem, including launching a specialanti-kidnapping task force in 2009, which govern-ment media say has busted 11,000 traffickinggangs and rescued more than 54,000 childrenacross the country.

In October, the issue was highlighted in theChinese-produced movie “Dearest,” which told thetrue story of a couple who found their abductedson after searching for three years. Still, many par-ents say they toil largely on their own, with thepolice at best leaving them alone.

Xiao Chaohua, whose son was 5 when he disap-peared outside his shop in 2007, said appeals togovernment-run TV to broadcast pictures andnames of individual children are largely rejected, asare suggestions to develop a Chinese version of USAmber Alert warning systems to spread informa-tion about missing children through roadway signsor other means.

“They won’t broadcast it because if they do, it’llexpose one of China’s problems - the fact that chil-dren go missing here,” Xiao said.

The Public Security Ministry, which runs the anti-kidnapping task force, did not respond to severalphone calls and a fax seeking comment.

According to Pia Macrae, China director for theinternational nonprofit group Save The Children,Chinese police are often more willing to help fami-lies with greater means, and even then frequentlydon’t tell parents what they’re doing. —AP

Agonizing, lonely search

for missing kids in China

BEIJING: In this Dec 2, 2014 photo, Xiao Chaohua walks past his van displaying pho-tos of the missing children across China, which created by him to seek public atten-tion to locate the children, parked outside his house in Beijing, China. As many as70,000 children are estimated to be kidnapped every year in China for illegal adop-tion, forced labor or sex trafficking, making it one of the world’s biggest markets forabducted children, according to the state-run newspaper China Daily. —AP


MANDALAY: Buddhist monks attend a protest, demanding the closureof a flashpoint copper mine, near the Chinese consulate in Myanmar’scentral city of Mandalay yesterday. —AFP

N E W S


Continued from Page 1

Hamdan said it is not acceptable from a member of par-liament to issue statements that include false informationabout the history of Kuwait and also calling to allow liquor.MP Faisal Al-Kundari said Fadhl is trying to confusebetween the noble traditions of Kuwaitis and those who

intruded their life and brought with them liquor and eventraded in it.

Former MP Faisal Al-Muslim strongly lashed out at Fadhl’scalls and criticized MPs who did not condemn Fadhl. TheIslamist Social Reform Society also strongly condemnedFadhl’s call to allow liquor saying that Kuwait remained anIslamic state that had applied the principles of Islam.

Fadhl under fire for call to legalize...


after the US had promised to respond to the Sonyhack. The US government has declined to say if it wasbehind the shutdown.

There was no immediate reaction from the WhiteHouse yesterday. According to the North Korean com-mission’s spokesman, “the US, a big country, started dis-turbing the Internet operation of major media of theDPRK, not knowing shame like children playing tag.”DPRK refers to the North’s official name, the Democratic

People’s Republic of Korea. The commission said themovie was the result of a hostile US policy toward NorthKorea, and threatened the US with unspecified conse-quences.

North Korea and the US remain technically in a stateof war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with anarmistice, not a peace treaty. The rivals also are locked inan international standoff over the North’s nuclear andmissile programs and its alleged human rights abuses.The US stations about 28,500 troops in South Korea asdeterrence against North Korean aggression. — AP

N Korea compares Obama to monkey


Regarding the fees on iqamas, Al-Jarrah said that “assoon as we finish organizing the visits and dependencyvisas we will start with iqamas”. He said iqama rules areold as they have been in force for more than 50 years.“We do not agree with the current fees nor with thestate’s policy to diversify income sources, adding that allthe iqama fee structure in the country needs to bereviewed,” he said.

About the issue of domestic help, Al-Jarrah said “rulesconcerning the citizens including the one on domestichelp will not be subjected to any change.”

Regarding the objections raised by some embassies inKuwait and some members of parliament on imposing

penalties on expats for not informing immigration depart-ments about renewal of passports, Al-Jarrah said “Allcountries have their own sovereign right to implementtheir own law. We do not object to laws when they imple-ment them that affect our citizens in their countriesbecause it is their sovereign right. Similarly, they must alsounderstand our sovereign rights when we implementlaws in our country. He said the Egyptian embassycharges KD30 for passport renewal in Kuwait although itcosts only KD7 in Egypt,” he said. He said the country hasbecome a refuge for illegals and law violators because ofour leniency. Now, we are in the process of executing lawsto safeguard the interests of the state. Those who want torespect our laws are welcome but the doors are open forthose expats who do not respect our laws,” he added.

No dependent visas for expat parents Continued from Page 1

In July, the justice ministry sued Al-Wefaq demanding itrectify its “illegal status following the annulment of four gen-eral assemblies for lack of a quorum and the non-commit-ment to the public and transparency requirements for hold-ing them”. The Manama administrative court slapped Al-Wefaq with the ban on October 28 and gave it three monthsto hold an assembly to elect its leaders. The ruling came afterAl-Wefaq announced it was boycotting a parliamentary elec-tion in November, the first in the Gulf state since Sunniauthorities crushed Shiite-led pro-democracy protests in

2011. Al-Wefaq, which withdrew its lawmakers from parlia-ment in protest, denounced the vote as a “farce”. It has calledfor an elected prime minister who is independent from theruling royal family.

Pro-government Sunni candidates, including Islamists,won 27 of the 40 parliamentary seats in the November 22election, with the rest taken by Shiites including threewomen. The parliament can examine bills proposed byKing Hamad and has monitoring powers, while the MajlisAsh-Shura, a consultative council whose 40 members areappointed, can block legislation coming out of the lowerhouse. — AFP

Bahrain opposition chief re-elected

ALBERTVILLE: Snow fall as vehicles move bumper-to-bumper along the motorway near Albertville yesterday as they make their way into the Tarentaise valley in the heart of the French Alps,home to many of the famous French ski resorts. — AFP


Inside Christ Tabernacle Church in Queens,however, mourners gave de Blasio politeapplause before and after his speech. Themayor said hearts citywide were aching afterthe Dec. 20 shootings that left Ramos and hispartner, Wenjian Liu, dead.

“All of this city is grieving and grieving forso many reasons,” de Blasio said. “But the mostpersonal is that we’ve lost such a good man,and the family is in such pain.”

Police union officials have blamed deBlasio for fostering anti-police sentiment for

his support of protesters angry that nocharges will be filed in the police deaths ofMichael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and EricGarner on Staten Island. At a hospital after theofficers’ slayings, the police union’s president,Patrick Lynch, and others turned their backson de Blasio in a sign of disrespect. Lynch saidthe mayor had “blood on his hands.”

Weeks before the shooting, Lynch hadsuggested that officers sign a petitionrequesting that the mayor not attend theirfunerals were they to die in the line of duty.

De Blasio has stood firmly by the policesince the shooting, calling on the demonstra-

tors to temporarily halt their protests andpraising officers after the police departmentannounced the arrest of a seventh personsince the shooting for making threats againstpolice.

De Blasio and Lynch nodded at each otheras they exited the church Saturday and linedup to wait for the casket. The mayor followedVice President Joe Biden and Gov. AndrewCuomo on the roster of speakers eulogizingRamos yesterday.

Officers inside and outside the churchapplauded when Biden called the NYPD thefinest in the world. “When an assassin’s bullet

targeted two officers, it targeted this city andit touched the soul of an entire nation,” thevice president said. Cuomo called the day-light shootings of the officers as they sat intheir cruiser on a street in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant section “an attack on all of us.”

The attack shook the city and put an endto large-scale local protests criticizing policeover a series of high-profile, in-custodydeaths. Funeral plans for Ramos’ partner,Officer Wenjian Liu, have yet to beannounced. When the Ramos family arrivedat the church yesterday, the elder son - wear-ing his father’s

NYPD jacket - was hugged by a police offi-cer. Ramos, a 40-year-old married father oftwo, was studying to become a pastor andkept Bible study books in his locker, his com-manding officer said. Officer DustinLindaman of the Waterloo Police Departmentflew from Iowa to attend Ramos’ funeral.

“He’s one of our brothers, and when thishappens, it affects everyone in law enforce-ment - it absolutely affects everyone,” he said.“We wanted to show our support.” A blockfrom the church, retired NYPD Officer JohnMangan held a sign that read: “God Bless theNYPD. Dump de Blasio.” —AP

Police outside cop funeral turn backs on NYC mayor

By Peter Apps

From financial crisis in Russia to cyber warfare withNorth Korea, 2014 has generated new flashpointsright into its final days, setting 2015 up to be just as

turbulent. Almost all of the major confrontations, such asthe battle with Islamic State militants, the West’s stand-offwith Russia over Ukraine and the fight against Ebola, willrumble on.

Others could erupt at short notice. “Normally after ayear like this you might expect things to

calm down,” said John Bassett, former senior officialwith British signals intelligence agency GCHQ now an asso-ciate at Oxford University. “But none of these problemshave been resolved and the drivers of them are not goingaway.” The causes are varied - a global shift of economicpower from the West, new technologies, regional rivalriesand anger over rising wealth gaps.

In June, a report by the Institute for Economics andPeace showed world peace declining for the seventh con-secutive year since 2007, reversing a trend of improvementover decades. The same group said in November deathsfrom militant attacks leapt 60 percent to an all-time high,primarily in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria,this at a time when the West’s ability to respond militarily isconstrained as Washington and its European allies cutdefense budgets.

RUSSIAN ENIGMAWhile Western policymakers hope Russia’s economic

crisis will curb Vladimir Putin’s ambitions, others worry it

could make him more unpredictable. “It’s not necessarilygoing to make Russia any better behaved,” saysChristopher Harmer, a former US navy pilot now senior fel-low at the Institute for Study of War. NATO officials say thealliance would treat any aggression, even covert, in NATOmember Baltic states as an act of war.

China is building up its military might. It lays claim toalmost all the South China Sea, believed to be rich in oiland gas. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam andTaiwan also have claims. In the East China Sea, a string ofislets claimed by both China and Japan have strained tiesseverely. Some officials and analysts say Western over-stretch means a confrontation in one part of the world canencourage potential adversaries elsewhere to try theirluck, a potential factor in North Korea’s increasedassertiveness.

Washington has accused Pyongyang of launching acyber attack on Sony Pictures after its film on the fictionalassassination of leader Kim Jong Un. North Korea hasrejected the charge.

“The recent hack on Sony has highlighted the vulnera-bility of the West to the growing threat posed by cyberattack,” said Alastair Newton, senior political analyst atNomura.

MIDDLE EAST MAELSTROMWashington’s adversaries are becoming more adept at

“ambiguous warfare”, using deniable tactics or proxyforces such as the “little green men” in unmarked uniformsand vehicles the West says Russia deployed in Ukraine.Covert tactics may no longer be enough to satisfy Israel it

can slow Iran’s nuclear program. With a mid-year deadlinefor a deal, some analysts believe Israel’s governmentmight launch a military strike to knock it back.

“If Iran agrees a deal, and that remains a big “if”, thatcould constitute a trigger for such an event,” said NigelInkster, former deputy chief of Britain’s Secret IntelligenceService (MI6) and now head of transnational threats atLondon’s International Institute for Strategic Studies.

He said much would depend on whether Israeli PrimeMinister Benjamin Netanyahu wins March elections andhow hardline a coalition results.

On one threat, most of the world’s powers are coalesc-ing. Pushing back Islamic State in Iraq and Syria is a highpriority for western states, Gulf powers and Turkey, Russiaand China.

Whether they can bridge differences on the fate ofSyria’s President Bashar Al-Assad, however, remainsunclear. Already some worry the anti-IS operation initiallyto safeguard minority refugees in northern Iraq is suffer-ing “mission creep” as US elections hove into view.

More than 1,000 members of the 82nd AirborneDivision will deploy to Iraq in the New Year to help trainIraqi forces. The first months of 2015 will also be key intackling a very different foe: Ebola. A major US militarydeployment to build treatment centres in Liberia is credit-ed with helping slow new cases there but the virus contin-ues to spread in Sierra Leone and Guinea.

“It really is an unusually broad range of challenges,” saidKathleen Hicks, US Principal Deputy Secretary of Defensefor Policy from 2012-13 and now with the Centre forStrategic and International Studies. —Reuters

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All articles appearing on thesepages are the personal opinion ofthe writers. Kuwait Times takes noresponsibility for views expressedtherein. Kuwait Times invites read-ers to voice their opinions. Pleasesend submissions via email to: [email protected] or via snailmail to PO Box 1301 Safat, Kuwait.The editor reserves the right to editany submission as necessary.

A N A L Y S I SSUNDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2014

After a stormy year, 2015 may be no calmer

For two decades, the parents of a Cuban manconvicted of spying for the United Statesbelieved he was innocent. Now that all signs

suggest he was a double agent working forWashington, they say they can only wish him ahappy future. Rolando Sarraff was sentenced to 25years for collaborating with the United Stateswhile he worked for Cuba’s Directorate ofIntelligence, helping the Americans crack codesthat exposed Cuban spies working in the UnitedStates, according to former US intelligence offi-cials who knew of his case.

Sarraff, 51, is widely believed to be the spy thatUS President Barack Obama spoke of last weekwhen he announced an end to five decades ofenmity with communist-run Cuba and a prisonerswap that accompanied it. Obama said his “sacri-fice has been known to only a few” and praisedhim for providing information that led to severalCuban spies in the United States, including thethree he was swapped for. Several current and for-mer US officials identified that spy as Sarraff,according to The New York Times.

His parents said they are desperate to hearfrom their son as they haven’t spoken with himsince before Obama’s Dec 17 announcement.

“I always thought that (he was innocent) but,well, I don’t have any information,” his father, alsocalled Rolando Sarraff, said on Friday from thefront door of the couple’s simple apartment in anupscale neighborhood of western Havana. “Look,the Cuban government hasn’t said anything andneither has Obama, so there is an agreementbetween the two governments not to say any-thing, I guess,” the 79-year-old father said. “Theimportant thing is that my son be well.”

Neither Washington nor Havana have saidwhere the spy has been since his release fromprison.

For years, Sarraff’s parents spoke with him onthe phone and visited him regularly in prison, andthey believed their son’s claim that he was inno-cent. A family blog described him as unjustlyimprisoned. Then last week he was apparently tak-en from prison with no explanation from eitherthe Cuban or US governments.

His parents said they last saw him two daysbefore the joint announcement by Obama andCuban President Raul Castro that they wouldrestore diplomatic ties and swap prisoners. Whenthey called their son the following day, they weretold he was no longer available. If the UnitedStates negotiated Sarraff’s release, it would con-firm he was a turncoat. It was unknown if Sarraffhad not contacted his family because US or Cubanofficials told him not to or for his own reasons.

“Our longing is that he be happy and that he’swell and that he has a plan for his future, becauseno prisoner can have a plan for his future,” hismother, 76-year-old Odesa Trujillo, said on Friday.“He has to move forward.”

The parents, both retired journalists who sufferfrom health problems, declined to talk about howthey felt about their son’s case but his motherdefended him as a good person. “He’s a great son,a great friend, a great everything, and if one dayyou get to speak with him I’m sure that you willsee how cultured he is,” she said. In the prisonerexchange, Obama commuted the sentences ofthree Cuban intelligence agents while Cubareleased the spy and US aid contractor Alan Gross.It also committed to freeing 53 people that the USgovernment considers political prisoners,although their identities remain a mystery ninedays later. —Reuters

By Rosa Tania Valdés

Focus

Parents of Cuban who

spied for US say they

only hope he’s well

By Dan De Luce

After 13 years, the United States iswinding down its war inAfghanistan, plagued by doubts

about what was accomplished at such ahigh cost. Instead of a sense of triumph atthe close of the longest conflict inAmerica’s history, there is mostly regret andfatigue over a war that claimed the lives ofmore than 2,300 American troops and costmore than a trillion dollars.

US commanders insist the Afghan secu-rity forces will hold the line in a stalematewith the Taleban. But some officials fear arepeat of Iraq, in which an American-trained army virtually collapsed in the faceof a jihadist onslaught. A large majority ofAmericans now say the war was not worthit, and only 23 percent of US soldiersbelieve the mission has been a success,according to recent polls.

But when it began, the war enjoyedoverwhelming support and victory seemedwithin reach. Less than a month after Al-Qaeda’s attacks of September 11, 2001,president George W Bush captured thenation’s sense of righteous anger as heannounced military action in Afghanistanin a televised address in October.

The goal was to “disrupt the use ofAfghanistan as a terrorist base of opera-tions,” Bush said, and to attack the Talibanregime that had hosted Al-Qaeda andrefused to hand over its leaders.

Toppling the Taleban US objectives were met with stunning

speed. Al-Qaeda training camps werewiped out and Northern Alliance fighters-backed by US-led air strikes and a smallnumber of American special forces-toppledthe Taleban regime within a month.

For the United States, the war seemedall but over. But the Taleban eventuallyregrouped from safe havens in neighboringPakistan, even as Washington’s attentionshifted to a new war in Iraq. The Talebangrew into a virulent insurgency thatexploited resentment of a corrupt, ineffec-tive government in Kabul.

The United States formed the backboneof an international force that found itself ina protracted fight with insurgents. The US-led contingent steadily expanded-while thegoals of the war became increasingly ambi-tious as well.

Washington and its allies embraced the

lofty ideals of nation-building, vowing tofight corruption, foster economic develop-ment, and forge a “stable, democratic state”in an impoverished land mired in war fordecades. The results were often disappoint-ing. International aid helped build roadsand schools, but it also was blamed forfueling rampant corruption, with some ofthe money ending up with the insurgents.

Attempts to broker peace talks with theTaliban in recent years came to nothing.Critics say Washington missed a chance atcutting a deal early in the war, when theinsurgents were on the retreat.

Fighting the elusive Taleban, with theirhomemade bombs and Pakistani sanctuar-ies, proved frustrating for Western troops,who struggled to grasp the language andtribal rivalries of an alien culture.Commanders appealed for more troops.And Washington kept sending forces “inthe vain hope that something might some-how improve,” wrote retired general DanielBolger, author of “Why We Lost.”

Having reached a peak of more than100,000 US forces, the American presenceis down to about 11,000 troops, now thatNATO’s combat mission is over.

‘Big test’ The balance sheet for the campaign is

decidedly mixed. The interventiondeprived Al-Qaeda of a sanctuary, oustedthe Taleban from power, eased the repres-sion of women and created an Afghanarmy that could make it difficult for theinsurgents to return to their once domi-nant role, analysts said.

But Al-Qaeda-even after its leaderOsama bin Laden was killed by US com-mandos-has spawned cells elsewhere andinspired new extremists in Syria and Iraq,while women’s advances are fragile andcould easily unravel. The Taleban may nolonger run ministries but they are far fromdefeated and could yet turn the tideagainst the Kabul government’s army,which has suffered unsustainably high

casualties and desertions.“The Taleban have nowhere near the

power they did in 2001, but they are cer-tainly not finished,” said Vanda Felbab-Brown, a senior fellow at the BrookingsInstitution think tank. US officials hope ahuge investment in the Afghan securityforces will pay off, but already the insur-gents have clawed back control in someareas in the south where American troopshave pulled out.

The newly created security force, rid-dled with ethnic divisions, remains “a ques-tion mark,” Felbab-Brown said. “Next year isa big test for them,” said Carter Malkasian,author of a book on the war who workedas a US diplomat for two years in southernHelmand province.

“If they lose ground, that’s an indica-tion that this war is going to keep going,”he said. “If that happens, the Taleban aregoing to get bolder, because the Talibanare not going to see a reason to negoti-ate.” —AFP

US plagued by doubts as it exits Afghan war

KABUL: US Senator John McCain (left) meets with Afghan Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah (right) at theSapedar Palace in Kabul on Decr 25. —AFP

ATLANTA: Reserve forward Jared Dudley made all10 shots, including four 3-pointers, and scored aseason-high 24 points Friday night to lead theMilwaukee Bucks to a 107-77 victory over theAtlanta Hawks. Brandon Knight added 16 pointsfor Milwaukee, which ended Atlanta’s five-gamewinning streak. The Hawks had won 14 of 15 butwere routed in front of a rare sellout crowd athome.

After Dudley made back-to-back 3-pointers fora 21-18 Milwaukee lead with 2:51 left in the firstquarter, the Bucks led the rest of the way and wentahead by 30 in the final period. Paul Millsap led theHawks with 22 points and 11 rebounds.

CAVALIERS 98, MAGIC 89LeBron James had 29 points and eight assists,

helping Cleveland rally for the win. Kevin Lovescored 22 points and reserve Dion Waiters added17 for Cleveland, which bounced back from a 101-91 loss at Miami on Christmas. Tristan Thompsongrabbed 13 rebounds.

The Cavaliers played without point guard KyrieIrving, who was sidelined by a bruised knee. TobiasHarris led Orlando with 16 points. Nik Vucevic had12 points, seven assists and eight rebounds, and

reserve Evan Fournier scored 15. The Magic lost forthe fifth time in the last six games.

PISTONS 119, PACERS 109Greg Monroe had 19 points and 15 rebounds,

Andre Drummond scored 20 points and Detroitended a four-game skid. The Pistons had sevenplayers score in double figures. KentaviousCaldwell-Pope had 15 points, and BrandonJennings finished with 14 points and 10 assists.

Roy Hibbert paced Indiana with 19 points, butfoul trouble sent him to the bench in the thirdquarter, and the Pistons took advantage. Theyoutscored the Pacers 36-29 in the period to take an11-point lead into the fourth.

NETS 109, CELTICS 107Jarrett Jack made a tiebreaking jumper with 28

seconds left, lifting Brooklyn to the road win. Jackhad 27 points and Alan Anderson scored 15 for theNets, who won their third straight and improved to12-2 against sub-.500 teams. Mason Plumlee had14 points and 12 rebounds.

Jeff Green scored 22 points for Boston, whichhas dropped three in a row. Jared Sullinger had 19points and eight rebounds. The Celtics had a

chance to tie it at the buzzer, but Sullinger’s shotfrom the left baseline rimmed out.

PELICANS 97,SPURS 90Anthony Davis had 22 points, 12 rebounds and

five blocks, leading New Orleans to a 97-90 victoryover slumping San Antonio. The Pelicans earnedconsecutive wins over the Spurs for the first time inteam history. They also won 100-99 in San Antonioon Nov. 8.Ryan Anderson scored 22 points for NewOrleans (15-14), and Jrue Holiday added 15 pointsand seven assists. San Antonio has dropped six ofseven. I t was coming off a 114-106 loss toOklahoma City on Christmas. Tim Duncan had 20points and 11 rebounds for the Spurs (18-13), andCory Joseph also scored 20 points. New Orleansscored 20 points off 17 San Antonio turnovers.

ROCKETS 117, GRIZZLIES 111James Harden had 32 points and 10 assists for

Houston, and Josh Smith scored 21 points in hisRockets debut. Trevor Ariza had 15 points for theRockets, who took over the top spot in the WesternConference’s Southwest Division. Dwight Howardhad only six points, but connected on all four of hisfree throws in overtime. He also grabbed 11rebounds.

Marc Gasol led Memphis with 29 points, andBeno Udrih scored 17. Vince Carter had 10, includ-ing a pair of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter thatfueled a Memphis rally.

The teams were tied at 104 at the end of regula-tion after Gasol’s jumper at the end of the fourthbounced away.

THUNDER 98, HORNETS 75Russell Westbrook scored 29 points, and

Oklahoma City snapped Charlotte’s four-game win-ning streak. The Hornets scored the game’s firstbasket, and then the Thunder reeled off ninestraight points to take a lead they never relin-quished in winning for the second straight day.Oklahoma City’s Serge Ibaka had 13 points, 14rebounds and four blocks. Brian Roberts led theHornets with 17 points. The Thunder played theirfifth straight game without Kevin Durant, who hasa sprained ankle.

MAVERICKS 102, LAKERS 98Rajon Rondo scored a season-high 21 points in

his fourth game with Dallas, and Dirk Nowitzki had14 while moving up another spot on the NBA’sscoring list. Rondo, traded from Boston last week,also had eight rebounds and seven assists in Dallas’franchise-best fifth straight win against the Lakersin the regular season. Kobe Bryant missed his thirdstraight game for Los Angeles to rest his sore body.

He could return Sunday at home against Phoenix.Carlos Boozer scored 18 points for the Lakers, wholost again on the second night of a back-to-backafter beating NBA-leading Golden State in the firstgame without Bryant. Nowitzki passed Elvin Hayesfor eighth on the NBA’s scoring list, and 10th on thecombined NBA-ABA list. Nowitzki, in his 17th sea-son, finished at 27,322 points, nine ahead of Hayes.

NUGGETS 106, TIMBERWOLVES 102Kenneth Faried had a career-high 25 rebounds

to go along with 26 points, and Denver beatMinnesota. Wilson Chandler scored 21 points forthe Nuggets, who had lost two in a row. Ty Lawsonfinished with 16 points and 11 assists.

Faried tied the NBA’s highest rebounding totalthis season. Mavericks center Tyson Chandler alsohad 25 rebounds in a 109-102 victory over the NewYork Knicks on Nov. 26. It was Faried’s best gamesince he had 22 points and 17 rebounds in a victoryover Detroit on opening night. Thaddeus Young ledMinnesota with 23 points. Rookie guard AndrewWiggins had 22 points for the Timberwolves, whohave lost seven straight and 13 of 14.

TRAIL BLAZERS 114, 76ERS 93Damian Lillard had 28 points and nine assists,

and Portland won for the seventh time in eightgames. Lillard, who had scored at least 40 points intwo of Portland’s previous three games, had 19second-half points for the Blazers (24-7). WesleyMatthews went 7 of 14 from 3-point range and fin-ished with 25 points.

Joel Freeland pulled down a career-high 17rebounds, most by a Blazer this season. TonyWroten, who missed Philadelphia’s last game witha right knee sprain, came off the bench to score 22points. Michael Carter-Williams had 17 points.Philadelphia (4-24) had won two in a row.

SUNS 115, KINGS 106Marcus Morris had 20 points and nine

rebounds for Phoenix, and Isaiah Thomas keyedthe decisive run against his former team. In his firstgame back in Sacramento, Thomas led an 18-7spurt to start the fourth quarter that put Phoenixup by 15. The former Kings fan favorite finishedwith 17 points, five assists and three rebounds injust 29 minutes. Darren Collison scored 19 pointsfor the Kings, who sorely missed DeMarcusCousins inside. The franchise center sat out with astomach illness. Interim coach Tyrone Corbin saidthe illness is unrelated to the viral meningitis thatsidelined Cousins for 10 games previously. — AP

S P O RT SSUNDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2014

TOKYO: Japan coach Javier Aguirre denied yesterday any involvement in match-fixing inSpain and called for calm from the team’s supporters during their Asian Cup defence.

The Mexican was among 41 people named by Spain’s anti-corruption prosecutor in courtthis month following a probe into Real Zaragoza’s 2-1 win at Levante on the final day of the2010-11 campaign. The victory ensured Zaragoza, coached by Aguirre, avoided relegation.

The Japan Football Association has sent a delegation to Spain to conduct a probe into thecase but said Aguirre will remain in charge for next month’s Asian Cup in Australia.

Speaking through a translator, Aguirre said he believed Spanish soccer was clean and theinvestigation would not impact Japan’s preparations for the tournament.

“I worked in Spain for 12 years and I have never done anything unethical orunprofessional,” Aguirre told reporters at the JFA’s headquarters in Tokyo onSaturday.

“I would like to tell our supporters to stay calm during this investigation.We need their support to take the Asian Cup title. “I will be concentratingand preparing for the Japan team to win the Asian Cup.” The 56-year-old

Aguirre replaced Italian Alberto Zaccheroni, who stepped down after Japanwere eliminated in the first round of this year’s World Cup in Brazil.

The prosecutor in Spain alleges the Levante players were paid a totalof 965,000 euros to deliberately lose the game. “I will be cooperat-

ing with the Spanish authorities and seeing this case through tothe end,” Aguirre added. — Reuters

MELBOURNE: Australia all-rounder Mitchell Marshhas been ruled out of the fourth and final testagainst India after aggravating a hamstring injury.Marsh strained his hamstring during the secondtest in Brisbane and was sidelined for the ongoingthird test in Melbourne. “Mitchell Marsh had scanson his injured hamstring this morning afterreporting some soreness yesterday. The scansconfirm that he has suffered a setback in his rehaband will not be available for the Sydney testmatch,” team physio Alex Kountouris said in astatement.

Kountouris said the team’s focus would be toget Marsh fit for the one-day international tri-series against England and India which starts Jan.12. Debutant batsman Joe Burns replaced Marshin the team for the third Test. Australia lead theseries 2-0.

Marsh to miss

final TestMADRID: Not content with four titles in 2014, including his second ChampionsLeague, prolific Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo is determined to make nextyear an even bigger success. Ronaldo netted 51 goals in 47 appearances last sea-son, setting a record of 17 goals for one edition of Europe’s elite club competition,as Real secured a record-extending 10th continental crown and the King’s Cup.The Portugal captain continued where he left off in 2014-15 as the world’s richestclub by income claimed the European Super Cup and Club World Cup and he hasamassed an incredible 32 goals in 25 games in all competitions.

His haul of 25 in 14 La Liga matches is a Spanish record and he looksset to smash the biggest total for a season in Spain’s top flight of 50scored by Lionel Messi in 2011-12.

“It would be a dream if 2015 was like 2014 or even better,” Ronaldosaid in an interview published in sports daily As yesterday.”It is possi-ble to do it because Madrid is always a candidate to win the competi-tions it is playing in,” added the 29-year-old. “We have a team spiritthat can help us win the most titles possible and we will fightto the death to get them.” Ronaldo attributed much ofReal’s recent success to the arrival of coach CarloAncelotti, who replaced the divisive JoseMourinho at the end of the 2012-13 sea-son. —Reuters

Aguirre denies match-fixing Ronaldo eyes bigger success

Eastern ConferenceAtlantic Division

W L PCT GB Toronto 22 7 .759 - Brooklyn 13 15 .464 8.5 Boston 10 17 .370 11 NY Knicks 5 26 .161 18 Philadelphia 4 24 .143 17.5

Central DivisionChicago 20 9 .690 - Cleveland 18 11 .621 2 Milwaukee 15 15 .500 5.5 Indiana 10 20 .333 10.5 Detroit 6 23 .207 14

Southeast DivisionAtlanta 21 8 .724 - Washington 20 8 .714 0.5 Miami 14 16 .467 7.5 Orlando 11 21 .344 11.5 Charlotte 10 20 .333 11.5

Western ConferenceNorthwest Division

Portland 24 7 .774 - Oklahoma City 15 16 .484 9 Denver 13 17 .433 10.5 Utah 9 20 .310 14 Minnesota 5 23 .179 17.5

Pacific DivisionGolden State 23 5 .821 - LA Clippers 20 10 .667 4 Phoenix 17 14 .548 7.5 Sacramento 12 17 .414 11.5 LA Lakers 9 21 .300 15

Southwest DivisionHouston 21 7 .750 - Memphis 21 8 .724 0.5 Dallas 21 10 .677 1.5 San Antonio 18 13 .581 4.5 New Orleans 15 14 .517 6.5

NBA results/standings

Brooklyn 109, Boston 107; Cleveland 98, Orlando 89; Milwaukee 107, Atlanta 77; Detroit 119,Indiana 109; Houston 117, Memphis 111 (OT); New Orleans 97, San Antonio 90; Oklahoma City98, Charlotte 75; Dallas 102, LA Lakers 98; Denver 106, Minnesota 102; Portland 114, Philadelphia93; Phoenix 115, Sacramento 106.

TOULON: Australia back James O’Connorsays he leaves Toulon after Sunday’s Top 14clash against Stade Francais after “a greatsix months” with the French champions.

The 24-year-old is heading home to joinQueensland Reds in a bid to boost hischances of being selected for the Wallabies’2015 World Cup squad.

“I’ve picked up so many things from mytime here,” he said yesterday.”I’ve learnt agreat deal from this team. Playing with topplayers gives you confidence.

“There’s a real culture of winning here,I’m sure the boys are going to win the Top14 and the European Champions Cup.”Explaining his decision to return home headded: “I’m going back to Australia in thehope of fulfilling a dream: to play in theWorld Cup. “I will do everything to earn myselection, first of all in the Super 15, thenwith the national team.” O’Connor wasdropped by Australia in September 2013 in

the wake of an incident at Perth airport thatreportedly saw him escorted from thepremises for arguing with airline staff.

The then Australia coach Ewen McKenziedeclared that O’Connor would have to“modify (his) behavior” if he wanted to res-urrect his international career.

The player noted: “I didn’t leave on goodterms. I’ve got things to prove to my coun-try.” O’Connor has turned out 10 times forToulon, scoring four tries with a total of 59points. Reflecting on his Top 14 spell hesaid: “I’ve grown up. I’ve really developedmy game, especially in attack, in learninghow to make good decisions. I understandrugby better now.” He quits Toulon mean-while with fond memories of his half year inFrance. “I love the way of life in France, theculture and their style of living suits me per-fectly. “I reckon it’s the ideal place for me tobetter express myself both on and off thepitch.” — AFP

O’Connor leaves Toulon to

pursue World Cup dream

Bucks shoot down Hawks

ATLANTA: MilwaukeeBucks’ Johnny

O’Bryant III (3) blocks ashot by Atlanta Hawks’Paul Millsap (4) duringthe first half of an NBA

basketball game. — AP


SYDNEY: The racing yacht Loyal leaves the heads of Sydney Harbor during the start of the Sydney Hobart yacht race, Friday Dec. 26, 2014. Loyal was sitting in fourth before being forced yesterday to retire from the race due to reportsof a damaged hull. — AP

HOBART: Seven-time champion Wild Oats XIedged ahead of American super maxiComanche on the second day of the annualSydney to Hobart yacht race, with Comancheskipper Ken Read calling it a “very frustratingday.” Comanche, which was launched inOctober and is being tested in race conditionsfor the first time, led defending championWild Oats XI for much of the race since itsstart Friday in Sydney Harbour.

But by late afternoon yesterday, Wild Oats

opened up a 30-nautical-mile lead over theAmerican boat, with both yachts completingnearly half of the 628-nautical-mile race toHobart, the capital of the island state ofTasmania.

“We’ve had better days, that’s for sure,”Read said in a telephone interview with TheAssociated Press. “It’s been increasingly frus-trating. There are troughs that moved overtop of us and sucked us all in instead of mov-ing us ahead. But the boat has been spectacu-

lar. “Yesterday this time we were all smiles, wehad a great beat on the coast. But eventhough our dream weather turned into anightmare, there’s no quit on this boat, sowe’ll see.” The leading yachts were looking tofinish the race late Sunday, well outside therace record of 1 day, 18 hours, 23 minutes, 12seconds that Wild Oats XI set in 2012.

Ragamuffin, another super maxi and skip-pered by 87-year-old Syd Fischer, was in thirdplace, followed by another American entry,

super maxi Rio 100.Perpetual Loyal was earlier sitting in fourth

place before being forced to retire due to adamaged hull - the first of the five super max-is in the race to retire and one of eight yachtsto pull out following a rough first night at sea.

Perpetual Loyal sk ipper Anthony Belldecided to withdraw early Saturday after theboat started taking on water while off Edenon the New South Wales state south coast.The boat, which includes professional surfer

Sally Fitzgibbons, former world championboxer Danny Green and Olympic sailor TomSlingsby among its crew, returned to its homeclub at Sydney’s Rose Bay. “We’re not exactlysure how it happened,” Slingsby said. “Wewere coming off some big waves but we alsocould have hit something during the nightwhen we were fall ing off these waves.”Brindabella, the 1997 champion, also retiredfrom the original 117-yacht fleet with rudderproblems. — AP

Wild Oats XI overtakes Comanche for Hobart lead

ST. PETERSBURG: Jacoby Brissett threw for262 yards and one touchdown and Matt Dayesscored on runs of 24 and 15 yards to helpNorth Carolina beat Central Florida 34-27 inthe Bitcoin Bowl on Friday night at TropicanaField. Brissett tossed a 37-yard TD pass toJohnathan Alston to put the Wolfpack aheadfor good in the second quarter. Running backShadrach Thornton got NC State going earlywith an 18-yard scoring pass to JaylenSamuels.

Brissett was 15 of 26 with no interceptions,completing passes to eight receivers. Thorntonrushed for 96 yards on 17 carries and Dayes fin-ished with 78 yards on 13 attempts to key aground attack that produced 188 yards.

UCF’s Justin Holman threw for 291 yards,including TD passes of 6, 14 and 2 yards toJosh Reese, who had six receptions for 75yards. Reese’s second touchdown cut it to 34-20 with 11 minutes remaining.

At Detroit, Josh Hicks ran for 202 yards and

a touchdown and Rutgers beat North Carolina40-21 in the inaugural Quick Lane Bowl at FordField.

Gary Nova threw for 184 yards and twotouchdowns, and Robert Martin ran for 100yards and two scores to help the ScarletKnights cap their first Big Ten season.

Rutgers led 40-7 before the Tar Heels scoredtwice in the final 7 minutes. Houston Bates had4 1/2 sacks against his former team to helpLouisiana Tech beat Illinois 35-18 in the Heartof Dallas Bowl at the Cotton Bowl. Bates gradu-ated from Illinois with a year of eligibilityremaining and transferred to Louisiana Tech tofinish his college career close to home.

Kenneth Dixon scored one of his twotouchdowns on an 80-yard reception, andXavier Woods returned an interception 69yards for a score for the Bulldogs. Dixonbecame Louisiana Tech’s career rushing leader,finishing with 63 to push his three-seasontotal to 3,410. — AP

LONDON: Arsene Wenger admits losingOliver Giroud once again is a body blow toArsenal’s Champions League push. Giroudis facing three games out after his red cardin the 2-1 Boxing Day win against QPR. TheFrenchman was sent off for a headbutt onNedum Onuoha and his lack of disciplinewill see him first sit out today’s London der-by at West Ham.

Having made a major impact since hisreturn from ankle surgery that sidelinedhim for three months, Giroud’s absence isthe last thing the Arsenal manager needsat this pivotal stage of the season. “Oliviertouched him (Onuoha) and he should nothave done it,” said Wenger.

“He knows he made a mistake and Iknow him well enough to think that he willnot do it again. “He told me he was pushedin the back and projected against the‘keeper. Maybe the injury he had playedon his mind and he was scared to beinjured again. Usually he is a guy in controlof his response.

“You never need that - that’s for sure. Inmy job you have to deal with it with thestrengths and sometimes the mistakes ofpeople.”

Wenger might have celebrated his 400thPremier League win in charge of Arsenalbut he won’t be raising a glass to Giroud.The striker’s physicality will be missed at

Upton Park, especially with the aerial bom-bardment West Ham put teams under withAndy Carroll in their ranks.

Much will rest on the shoulders of AlexisSanchez, who scored and then createdTomas Rosicky’s goal in another man-of-the-match showing. “Sanchez has shownhis ability to create chances and his com-mitment to the side, which has made sucha difference for us this season,” saidWenger.

“He is a guy full of confidence and play-ing with some real style.” Despite the win,Arsenal are still 15 points behind leadersChelsea and Wenger added: “We find our-selves detached from the teams above usat the moment, with a bit of ground tomake up. “We can’t get too carried awaywith trying to make up that ground at themoment, just to concentrate on what we’redoing. “I don’t give importance to the tableat the moment. There’s 20 games to go. It’svery tight and it’s down to consistencynow. We know every game now is down toconsistency and reproducing the perform-ances.” After a record-equalling ninestraight away defeats in the PremierLeague, QPR will be thankful to return tohome soil when they face another Londonderby in Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Harry Redknapp will go head-to-headwith Crystal Palace manager Neil Warnock,the man who helped QPR win promotion in2011 but was sacked just months later.

“He did a great job, didn’t he, at QPR?,”said Redknapp. “You can only do with whatyou have got.

“If you can go out and buy the bestplayers you will have the best teams. If youhave a small budget it’s a different game.“But I think Palace are a good side and he isdoing a good job now.”— AFP

NC State wins Bitcoin Bowl

Jacoby Brissett

Wenger facing up to Giroud blow

LONDON: Premier League strugglersCrystal Palace ended manager NeilWarnock’s brief second spell in charge yes-terday following a dismal run of one win in12 games, the club said in a statement.

A 3-1 home defeat by Southampton onFriday left Palace in the relegation zone,third from bottom on 15 points from 18games. Warnock, appointed in August, isthe first Premier League manager to losehis job this season. “Crystal Palace FootballClub can today confirm that Neil Warnockhas been relieved of his duties and is no

longer first-team manager,” Palace said ontheir website (www.cpfc.co.uk).

“The club would like to put on record itsthanks to Neil for all his hard work andenergy over the past four months.” TheLondon club have lost three and drawnthree of their last six games, their last wincoming against Liverpool on Nov. 23.Palace make the trip across London to faceQueens Park Rangers on Sunday with KeithMillen taking charge as caretaker manager.Warnock, 66, returned to Selhurst Parkafter Tony Pulis, who had steered them to

an 11th-place finish against the odds lastseason, departed two days before the startof the current campaign.

Warnock left Palace in 2010 after theywent into administration, joining QueensPark Rangers and taking them into thePremier League before being sacked eightmonths later, in January 2012.

The following month he was appointedmanager of Leeds United, only to be firedjust over a year later. Warnock has man-aged 13 clubs, starting in non-League foot-ball almost 35 years ago. — Reuters

Warnock sacked by Palace after dismal run

Arsene Wenger


KABUL: The story of Afghan cricket is a rare brightspot in the troubled country’s recent past, full ofunlikely successes and glory that have helped unifya divided nation. Unless you’re a woman player.

A national women’s cricket team formed in 2010with some fanfare was quietly dissolved this yearamid Taliban threats, insecurity and conservativebeliefs that led to a shortage of players.

“It does not exist,” said the newly appointedchairman of Afghanistan’s cricket board, NasimullahDanish, when asked about the team. “The situationis not very much prepared for developing women’scricket in Afghanistan.” Activists say the fate of thesquad is indicative of a wider lack of institutionalsupport for women in sport in a country wheremany men are deeply uncomfortable with the ideaof their sisters and daughters competing in public.

It is also a reminder of the ambiguous results ofmillions of dollars spent by donors on women’sdevelopment in Afghanistan - a problem detailed ina December report by a U.S. watchdog on spendingin the country (http://bit.ly/1wOLDzX).

The founder of the national women’s team,Diana Barakzai, resigned in April. She said the crick-et board obstructed the team because of a belief

that women should not leave home unescorted, orbe given the chance to learn the sport.

“Afghanistan’s cricket board does not supportcricket for women, even though I have 3,700 girlcricketers across Afghanistan,” said Barakzai, who,like many other Afghan cricketers, learned thegame as a refugee in Pakistan and says her missionis to teach more women to play.

“I hope their attitude will change,” she said.Danish is dreaming big for the men’s game. Hewants to make Afghanistan a top cricketing nationwithin 10 years, from having next to no base adecade ago. Since 2000, when the Taliban ended aban on the sport, cricket has developed rapidly,with an Afghan league and a men’s team that hasmade its mark internationally.

When the men’s team qualified for the 2015World Cup in Australia, street celebrations brokeout across Afghanistan, highlighting the power ofsport to unite the fractious country. For manyyoung Afghans, sports stars are the first heroes theyhave known that are not carrying Kalashnikovs.

TALIBAN THREATBut Danish will also have to help build up the

women’s squad if he is to achieve his goal of mak-ing Afghanistan a full member of the InternationalCricket Council by 2025, since a national women’steam is one of the criteria for joining.

He drew a sharp breath, however, when askedabout developing the sport for women, which heinsists he supports fully.

“(The Taleban) said ‘you should not developwomen’s cricket, it is not in Islam, it is not inAfghanistan culture. If you do so, we will not beresponsible for your players’,” Danish said, describ-ing a threatening phone call from the militants.

Resistance from conservative families who don’twant their daughters to play adds to the challenge,he said in his bustling office in Kabul CricketStadium. Danish accused Barakzai of running theteam, which included members of her family, forpersonal interest. Barakzai laughed at that sugges-tion and accused the board of misusing U.S. aidmoney. Danish said he was investigating the admin-istration of the board under the former chairman hetook over from last week, but that he had notuncovered evidence of corruption.

Insecurity adds to the problems for women, saidTuba Sangar, who now heads the women’s depart-

ment at the cricket board, and it meant skilledsportswomen from across the country do not get achance to play, limiting the talent pool.

“Every day, every week there are bombs, whenthese security problems are happening, how canthe families deal with it? They don’t let their daugh-ter come and play cricket,” said Sangar.

She says the board has been supportive of herattempts to revive the team, but that the lack ofplayers and coaches means it will take time beforeAfghan women are ready for cricket internationals.

Heather Barr, Human Rights Watch’s seniorresearcher on women’s rights in Asia, said the com-mitment of the government to women’s sport was“cosmetic” and aimed at pleasing aid-donor nations.“Unfortunately, it’s part of a broader pattern of theAfghan government promising the moon onwomen’s rights ... while making little effort to followthrough and sometimes sabotaging efforts frombehind the scenes,” Barr said.

The collapse of the squad has not ended foreigndonor support for women’s cricket. In June, the USEmbassy announced a $450,000 grant to promotethe sport through a training exchange with playersfrom India and Pakistan. — Reuters

Afghan women’s cricket crushed by threats

PORT ELIZABETH: South Africa Faf du Plessis drives the ball for his century during the second day of the second Test against West Indies. — AP

PORT ELIZABETH: Faf du Plessis completed hisfourth Test century and was dismissed immedi-ately afterwards on a rain-hit second day of thesecond Test between South Africa and the WestIndies at St George’s Park yesterday.

Only half an hour’s play was possible in PortElizabeth, during which six overs were bowledand South Africa moved from their overnight270 for two to 289 for three.

“It was a very frustrating day,” said Du Plessisafter play was finally called off more than four-and-a-half hours after the stoppage.

“We had a very good day one and were exact-ly where we wanted to be.” With more rain pre-dicted for today, Du Plessis admitted it might bedifficult for South Africa to force a series-clinch-ing win to follow their victory by an innings and220 runs in the first Test in Centurion.

“ut there?s still quite a lot of time left,” he said.“We will just have to do what we plan to do a lotquicker. We?ve got a very good bowlingarmoury but on the St George’s Park wicket itdoes take a bit longer.”

Du Plessis, on 99 overnight, flicked JeromeTaylor’s first ball of the day for four runs to raisehis century off 229 balls. He hit 13 fours and twosixes. But he was out to the next ball, a perfectoutswinger which found such a faint edge thatumpire Paul Reiffel remained unmoved as wick-

etkeeper Denesh Ramdin and the bowler cele-brated.

The West Indians sought a review and Reiffelwas forced to change his decision when ‘Snicko’revealed the tiniest of scratches off the bat. Itwas the first wicket of the series for Taylor.

AB de Villiers joined captain Hashim Amlaand hit two handsome drives for four off JasonHolder. He was on nine not out and Amla was

unbeaten on 23. West Indian opening batsmanKraigg Brathwaite said patience would be thekey when the tourists eventually batted.

He said the West Indian players had beenencouraged by the way they bowled on the firstday but wanted to get on the field to make upfor the chances they had missed during a 179-run second wicket partnership between DuPlessis and Dean Elgar. — AFP

Rain dampens SA chances

South Africa, first innings(Overnight 270-2)A. Petersen c Johnson b Gabriel 17D. Elgar c Ramdin b Peters 121F. du Plessis c Ramdin b Taylor 103H. Amla not out 23A. de Villiers not out 9Extras (lb4, nb7, w5) 16Total (3 wkts, 94 overs) 289Fall of wickets: 1-47 (Petersen), 2-226 (Elgar), 3-274 (Du Plessis)

Bowling: Taylor 22-4-74-1 (2nb, 1w), Peters 15-6-44-1, Holder 16-5-34-0 (1nb), Gabriel 15-0-52-1 (3nb), Benn 25-3-81-0 (1nb), Samuels 1-1-0-0To bat: S. van Zyl, T. Bavuma, V. Philander, D.Steyn, M. Morkel, Imran TahirWest Indies: D. Ramdin, K. Brathwaite, D.Smith, L. Johnson, M. Samuels, S. Chanderpaul,J. Holder, J. Taylor, S. Benn, S. Gabriel, K. PetersMatch situation: South Africa are 289 for threein the first innings.

SCOREBOARDPORT ELIZABETH, South Africa: Scores at close of play on the second day of the rain-affect-ed second Test between South Africa and the West Indies at St George’s Park in Port Elizabethyesterday.

CLEVELAND: For this golden anniversary,there won’t be any gifts exchanged or cham-pagne-sipping celebrations. There’s no reasonto party or toast these 50 years, a half-centuryof sports suffering and failure best forgotten.

This Saturday will mark the 50th anniver-sary of Cleveland’s last pro sports champi-onship when the Browns beat the heavilyfavored Baltimore Colts 27-0 to win the NFLtitle, the last for the franchise and the city.Since then, the Browns, Indians and Cavaliershave gone a combined 141 seasons withoutwinning it all. That’s five decades. That’s 18,262days. That’s a long time.

“It’s hard to believe,” Hall of Fame runningback Jim Brown said. “Because when you lookback at 50 years, something’s wrong, becausesomebody should’ve figured out something.... We’ve got money and we’ve got a newbuilding and we’ve got green grass and wecan draft players, and we can’t do any betterthan that?”

Cleveland’s title drought is the longest forany North American city with three pro fran-chises. San Diego has gone 51 years since theChargers won an AFL title, but the Californiacity no longer has an NBA team and it’s a littleeasier to handle misery when it’s sunny and70 most of the year.

In Cleveland, generations of fans have onlyknown what it’s like to finish second or thirdor worse, which is why superstar LeBronJames’ decision to come home last summerand re-sign with the Cavs was cheered as if hehad delivered that elusive championship.Around here, “wait until next year” isengrained in the population’s collective psy-che. It hasn’t all been bad. There have been afew magical seasons, they just didn’t endmagically but with heartbreak. The Brownsmade it to three AFC title games from 1987-1990, but lost each time to Denver and quar-terback John Elway. Two of those defeatshave been given lasting nicknames: “TheDrive” and “The Fumble.” The Indians, whohaven’t won a world championship since1948, ended a 41-year drought by getting tothe World Series in 1995 only to lose toAtlanta. Cleveland returned two years laterbut lost Game 7 in extra innings to Florida.

With All-Stars Mark Price and BradDaugherty, the Cavaliers had some title-wor-thy teams in the 1980s that were stopped byMichael Jordan. They made it to the NBAFinals for the first time in 2007, but wereswept by San Antonio.

It’s enough to sour the biggest optimist,and the title-less decades have led to theoriesthat a curse has been placed on the city’sthree teams.

Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer grew upin Cleveland, where sports pain is part ofevery kid’s upbringing. “I lived through the

World Series, we were so close,” he said. “ThenLeBron and them went to the championship,but it wasn’t even close. But it’s Cleveland.”

But on Dec. 27, 1964, when LBJ was in theWhite House and the Beatles had invadedAmerica, the Browns ruled. Facing a high-scor-ing Baltimore squad favored by double digitsand loaded with future Hall of Famers likeJohnny Unitas, Lenny Moore and RaymondBerry, the Browns won their first title since1955. Wide receiver Gary Collins caught threetouchdown passes in the second half fromFrank Ryan, Lou Groza kicked two field goalsand Cleveland’s defense pitched an unlikelyshutout in front of 79,544 fans.

When he reflects on a game mostCleveland fans know only through black-and-white footage, Brown, who rushed for 114yards, remembers one play vividly.

“My greatest memory of the game is GalenFiss breaking through the line and tacklingLenny Moore for about a 7-yard loss,” the 78-year-old Brown said. “Galen was a real finelinebacker, but he wasn’t a great linebacker.But that day he played fantastic. When youcan tackle Lenny Moore 1-on-1, you’re doing ahell of a job. And so when I let my mind goblank and I think of these things, that comesup almost like No. 1. After that I think, boy,what a great team effort.

This is what team sports are all about.” TheColts, coached by Don Shula, came in averag-ing more than 30 points per game. They wereexpected to bulldoze the Browns, who went10-3-1 in the regular season under BlantonCollier and had nearly cost themselves achance at the championship with a late-sea-son loss at St. Louis.

However, they recovered by beating theNew York Giants 52-20 to get to their first titlegame since 1957. As kickoff approached, theBrowns were given little chance by odds mak-ers. “They were just supposed to wipe us offthe mat,” Brown said. “They didn’t give us nokind of chance, made them a three-touch-down favorite, no respect. The game wasn’tgoing to be anything because we just couldn’thold up against that team. So it was tremen-dous to overcome that and to turn it aroundin such a dynamic way, because we had noexpectations.”

An end to the drought could be in sight.When he returned from Miami, James broughtwith him something dearly needed: hope.

The four-time league MVP understands hemay be the best chance to end Cleveland’sfutile run. “I guess it’s hard to believe it’s beenthat long, but hopefully we can change that,”James said. “It shouldn’t take away from thegood things that this city has done for itssports teams, though. People get so wrappedup into that, hopefully we can fix this realsoon.” — AP

Cleveland reaches

50 years of sports futility

Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James

K ARACHI: Ace Pak istan spinnerSaeed Ajmal announced he will notfeature in next year ’s World Cupafter he failed to completely correcthis bowling action which led to hissuspension three months ago, anofficial said yesterday.

The 37-year-old Ajmal appearedbefore a Pak istan Cricket Board(PCB) committee on Saturday beforetaking the decision. “Ajmal has takenthis decision all by himself as he hasnot been able to completely correcthis action and he will hold a pressconference in a couple of days toannounce his decision,” PCB chair-man Shaharyar Khan told media.

Ajmal ’s bowling action wasreported during the Galle Test in SriLanka in August. His action wasfound i l legal on a bio-mechanicassessment a month later which ledto his suspension.

“The remedial work on his actionwill take some time so we are notsending him for an unofficial test,”said Khan. Under the InternationalCricket Counci l ( ICC ) rules al lbowlers are allowed to bend theirelbow by 15 degrees beyond whichthe action is deemed illegal.

The suspended bowlers need toremodel their action after whichthey undergo reassessment to getclearance. Ajmal did remedial workunder former Pak istan spinnerSaqlain Mushtaq who also advisedhim to take some more time.

Mohammad Akram, head coachat Pakistan’s national cricket acade-my, said Ajmal has taken an honestdecision. “Ajmal wants to play asworld number one bowler and notsomeone who wants to hide for hisaction,” Akram told AFP. “Saqlainadvised him to concentrate on crick-et after the World Cup which he hasaccepted and withdrew from theWorld Cup,” said Akram.

Pak istan face another raceagainst t ime on al l -rounderMohammad Hafeez whose actionwas also reported last month. PCBhas decided to send Hafeez toChennai, India for unofficial testsbefore applying for reassessmentwith the ICC.

Ajmal’s absence will badly ham-per Pakistan’s chances in the WorldCup to be held in Australia and NewZealand in Februar y-March nextyear. —AFP

Ajmal withdraws

from World Cup

Saeed Ajmal


BRAZIL: Gothic folklore met modern den-tistry, with the whole world watching. Thiswas the World Cup and the Bite of Brazil —a mouthwatering, open-jawed, succulentchomp on an unsuspecting victim thatwould have done proud any vampireworth his cape.

Perhaps odder things happened insports in 2014, but for sheer audacity, andon a global stage no less, the bite byUruguay’s Luis Suarez takes the (tempo-rary porcelain) crown.

Uruguay was playing Italy in June, eachlooking to reach the round of 16. Suarez,one of soccer’s top scorers, nuzzled up toGiorgio Chiellini late in the game and sud-denly, inexplicably sunk his teeth into theshoulder of the Italian defender as if hewere a dish of veal piccata.

The two fell to the tur f. A baffledChiellini — unable to ward off the vampir-ic attack for lack of a mirror or garlic clove— displayed for an entire stadium evi-dence of fang marks. He lowered his shirtsleeve and, like a Hollywood starlet from abygone era, bared his shoulder. Suarez,meanwhile, held his upper teeth while onthe ground as if he were a patient in achair and assisting a dental technician tak-ing X-rays. Suarez, it turns out, has a longoral history. This was the third time in fouryears he bit an opponent. At first, hedenied biting Chiellini, saying he lost hisbalance and tumbled. He also said Chiellinihit him in the eye earlier in the match. Healso said Chiellini pushed his shoulder intothe Uruguayan’s mouth. He said manythings.

Uruguay won the game 1-0 but Suarezwas suspended for four months. FIFA said“such behavior cannot be tolerated.” Histeammates were soon gone, as well, after aloss to Colombia in the next game. Suarezeventually came clean and apologized. Noless a person than Chiellini asked FIFA toreduce the suspension. He said thingshappen on the field. As for Suarez, hepromised — with his uppers and lowers —to never bite anyone again.

Other wayward spots visited by sportsthis year:

ANIMAL HOUSE: The Portland TrailBlazers discovered a rattlesnake in theirlocker room in San Antonio. “I don’t knowif that’s ever happened before,” Portlandcoach Terry Stotts said. “That sounds likean ABA story.” . Golfer Luke Donald wasless concerned by a charge from the rest ofthe field than he was with a large babooncharging him during a tournament in theSouth African wilderness. “They are bigand strong and you wouldn’t want to messwith them,” he said. . Golf also proved ahazard in Malaysia for Spain’s PabloLarrazabal, who threw down his scorecard,tossed off his shoes and jumped in a laketo escape a swarm of monstrous hornets. “I

In year of odd bounces,

reality bites at WCupdidn’t know what to do,” he said. “My cad-die told me to run, so I start running like acrazy guy.”

LOVE AND DEATH: The Winnipeg BlueBombers of the Canadian Football Leaguebecame wedding planners. The teamoffered couples the chance to say “I do” onits field, completing perhaps the ultimateHail Marry. . The family of a Puerto Ricanboxer wanted to honor his passion. Sothere he was, or there the body ofChristopher Rivera Amaro was, standingupright with boxing gloves in the corner ofa simulated ring at his wake in a San Juanfuneral home.

CHIP SHOT: Webb Simpson is a champi-on golfer, and an obliging sort. So when hesaw a bunch of kids hanging around theclubhouse at Pinehurst — site of the men’sand women’s U.S. Open — he made it apoint to sign autographs. He noticed onegirl with braces off to the side. He askedher if there was anything he could do. “No,”said 11-year-old Lucy Li. “I’m playing in thetournament next week.”

TRASH STALKERS: They were the sani-tary kings of the World Cup. And it mat-tered little that their team lost. Aftergames, Japan’s fans scooped up the messleft in the stadium. Other fans get drunkand fight. The Japanese put their blue trashbags to work, drawing on a tradition ofrespect and decorum. So now, as FIFA triesto clean the muck from its befouled sta-bles, the course of action is clear: Assignthe job to Japan.

FIDDLER ON THE GOOF: ForgiveOlympic leaders if they don’t swoon to thestrains of Vanessa-Mae’s violin. The celebri-ty musician who lives in Britain and skiedfor Thailand at the Sochi Games is not whatshe’s cracked up to be. She competed asVanessa Vanakorn, taking the last name ofher Thai father. No problem there. But herqualifying races for Sochi were rigged, andthe IOC months later banned her for fouryears, not that she was headed to theWorld Cup circuit. At Sochi, she finished67th and last in the giant slalom, morethan 50 seconds behind. How slow was theviolinist? Adagio, for sure.

FIELDER’S CHOICE: Hailed like aPharaoh, Derek Jeter was bestowed withcountless gifts as he left baseball. Even theEarth itself paid tribute. A cornfield in cen-tral New Jersey was cut in such a way topresent an image of the Yankee captain’sface, along with a baseball and his No. 2.“This was just something totally different,”said Cindy VonThun, whose in-laws ownthe farm. “To walk out in the field and to beon the path and to say ‘I’m in Derek Jeter’schin,’ it’s pretty cool.” – AP

BRAZIL: Brazil’s Neymar is fouledby Colombia’s Juan Zuniga

during the World Cup quarterfi-nal soccer match between Brazil

and Colombia at the ArenaCastelao in Fortaleza. —AP

BRAZIL: In this June 24, 2014,file photo, Uruguay’s Luis

Suarez holds his teeth afterrunning into Italy’s Giorgio

Chiellini’s shoulder during agroup D World Cup soccer

match in Natal, Brazil. Perhapsodder things happened in

sports in 2014, but for sheeraudacity, and on a global stage

no less, the bite by Suarez takesthe (temporary porcelain)

crown. —AP


Matches on TV (Local Timings)

English Premier League

Tottenham v Man United 15:00beIN SPORTS 1 HDbeIN SPORTS 11 HDSouthampton v Chelsea 17:05beIN SPORTS 1 HDbeIN SPORTS 11 HDAston Villa v Sunderland 18:00 beIN SPORTS 2 HDQPR v Crystal Palace 18:00beIN SPORTS 5 HDMan City v Burnley 18:00beIN SPORTS 4 HDWest Ham v Arsenal 18:00beIN SPORTS 7 HDStoke City v West Bromwich 18:00beIN SPORTS 6 HDHull City v Leicester 18:00beIN SPORTS 9 HDNewcastle v Everton 19:15beIN SPORTS 1 HDbeIN SPORTS 11 HD

MANCHESTER: The English Premier Leagueseason is approaching its halfway point and anumber of storylines are beginning to takeshape.

Chelsea and Manchester City are unstop-pable forces and will fight it out for the title.Manchester United’s resurgence, based on itsglut of attacking riches, is offering a tantalizingglimpse of what to expect next season with itsdefense sorted out.

And the fight for the final ChampionsLeague place could involve five or six teamsand be the most thrilling in years. The secondpart of the festive fixture pileup takes place onSunday, when squad strength is set to comeinto play as 18 of the league’s 20 teams playtheir second matches in the space of 48 hours.Chelsea holds a three-point lead over Cityheading into a tricky-looking away match atSouthampton, which has recovered from ablip and is back in the top four.

With City on a seven-match winning streakand at home to relegation-threatened Burnley,there is a chance of a twist in the title race.

Third-place United is unbeaten in eight match-es, winning seven of them, but faces a test ofits new-found credentials in an away match atTottenham - one of a slew of teams in thechasing pack in the hunt for European footballnext season.

Elsewhere, West Ham meets Arsenal in amatch pitting fifth vs. sixth respectively, whileLiverpool hosts Swansea in another gamebetween two teams in the top nine and inreach of the top four.

Here are some things to know about the19th round of games, which marks the mid-point of the campaign:

VINTAGE TERRYScoring goals at one end and keeping them

out at the other, John Terry is a player rebornat Chelsea. Chelsea manager Jose Mourinhosees “my John of 2004, ‘05, ‘06” in the recentdisplays of the former England captain, whohas been a rock in the team’s superb start tothe season.

Terry has scored goals in each of his last

two games and helped Chelsea keep cleansheets in six of its last seven matches. Terrywas Chelsea’s captain during Mourinho’s firstspell as manager at Stamford Bridge, helpingthe team to back-to-back Premier Leaguetitles in 2005 and ‘06.

Key to Chelsea’s obduracy in defense is theform of holding midfielder Nemanja Matic,who has been one of the star players in thePremier League this season and a brilliant pro-tector of the back four. “He’s been a revelationfor us,” Terry said.

SOUTHAMPTON RECOVERYSouthampton was Chelsea’s nearest chal-

lenger only a month ago, before a defeat toMan City sparked a run of four league lossesthat burst the bubble at St. Mary’s Stadium.

The south-coast side is back in form aftersuccessive wins against Everton and CrystalPalace, scoring three goals in both games, andcould give Chelsea problems.

“For everybody, Chelsea are the biggesttest,” Southampton manager Ronald Koeman

said. “In my opinion, they are the best team inthe Premier League until now, but we believein ourselves and it will be a great game.”Southampton has struggled against the topteams this season, though, losing to Liverpool,City, Arsenal and Man United.

ROONEY REVELLINGWayne Rooney has dropped back into cen-

tral midfield as Man United manager Louis vanGaal looks to find a spot for all his attackingplayers - and the England captain is respond-ing with some of his best form in years.Rooney scored twice in Friday’s 3-1 win overNewcastle to take his team-high tally to ninegoals for the season. He has scored eight timesin his last eight games for club and country,and is keeping up his scoring form despiteplaying in midfield for United.

“It’s a role that I’ve played many times and Iknow I can play,” said Rooney, who has playedbehind Radamel Falcao and Robin van Persiefor the last two games. “The manager has giv-en me even more license to get forward and

get into the box from that role.Comparing himself to United great Paul

Scholes, Rooney added: “As Paul did manytimes over his career, he could see the ballwhen it was wide and see the space and runinto it.”

EVERTON STRUGGLINGIt’s been a tough season for the Merseyside

clubs - but while Liverpool appears to be onthe rise, nothing is going right for Everton.

The blue half of Merseyside has lost four ofits last six Premier League games to drop to12th place in the standings. The team is 13points behind where it was last season after 18games, with its regression perhaps due to itsinvolvement in the Europa League.

Everton lost 1-0 at home to Stoke on Fridayduring which defender Phil Jagielka, Americangoalkeeper Tim Howard and winger KevinMirallas were injured and are all set to misstoday ’s trip to Newcastle. “It is a pivotalmoment in the season for us,” Everton manag-er Roberto Martinez said. — AP

Hibs dent

Rangers

title hopesEDINBURGH: Hibernian secured their biggest victoryover Rangers since 1912 as a turbulent week for theGlasgow giants ended in a 4-0 thrashing yesterday.

In a week where manager Ally McCoist was placedon gardening leave and serious concerns were raisedabout the running of the club at a stormy AGM, it washoped the focus would revert back to the Ibrox club’schallenge for the Scottish Championship title at EasterRoad. However, caretaker manager Kenny McDowall’sreign as Rangers boss got off to a disastrous startwhen David Gray fired home a superb eighth minuteopener followed four minutes later by a JasonCummings strike. There was to be no second halfcomeback for Rangers with Scott Robertson and LiamCraig compounding their misery as Hibernian ran riot.

The defeat, Rangers’ fifth in just 17 matches, all butends their hopes of beating Hearts to the one auto-matic promotion spot back to the Premiership, withthe Jambos able to open up a 15 point lead at the topof the table if they defeat Livingston.

“I’m hugely disappointed, especially for our supportwho were here today. Obviously finding yourself 2-0down after 12 minutes isn’t an ideal start,” a clearlydespondent McDowall said.

“I think the best team won and I don’t have anyexcuses at all.” Hibernian, who had a shaky start to theseason under new manager Alan Stubbs, have nowcompleted the double over Rangers following their 3-1win at Ibrox in September to close to within fourpoints of the Gers in second place.

“From the beginning to the end, it probably doesn’tget much better than that. I feel the lads have just pro-duced a complete performance,” Hibs boss Stubbssaid. “We dominated in every area of the field and theplayers deserve all the credit. The way we played todaywas outstanding, we scored some brilliant goals.”

McDowall opted to make no changes to theRangers side that defeated Livingston last week whileHibs manager Stubbs kept faith with the same playerswho had won their previous two matches. Any hopesMcDowall harbored of getting his Gers reign off to aperfect start took a dent almost immediately as hisside conceded two goals in four minutes.

The first came from Gray, who collected the ballwide right and, as the Gers defence stood off him, hesmacked a sensational 20 yard strike into the top cor-ner past the helpless Steve Simonsen.

Rangers had barely regrouped when Hibs addedanother through Cummings. Keeper Simonsen wascaught in no man’s land when Craig knocked ScottAllan’s excellent cross-field pass back across goal andCummings bundled the ball home with a queue ofHibs’ players waiting to finish. Cummings then testedSimonsen with a stinging shot that the keeper couldonly palm away as Hibs bossed proceedings.

It took Rangers until the 37th minute to have theireffort on goal with Lee McCulloch sending his headerfrom a Steven Smith corner widely over the bar.

In a rare foray forward Lee Wallace managed toswing a decent delivery from the left into the box butMiller powered a header wide under pressure.

Rangers tried to respond in the second with LiamFontaine clearing a Nicky Law strike off the line but anAllan-inspired Hibs soon killed off their hopes. Themidfielder’s sublime pass slipped in Robertson whocurled a shot beyond Simonsen in the 63rd minute.

Allan was again the architect in the 70th minute ashe burst forward down the inside right channel andchipped a beautiful ball across goal for Craig who senta measured volley low into the bottom right-hand cor-ner of the net. — AFP

LONDON: Alexis Sanchez helped maintain10-man Arsenal’s Champions League pushas his man-of-the-match display con-demned Queens Park Rangers to a 2-1Premier League defeat on Friday.

The Chilean forward went from zero tohero after squandering an early penaltyand then putting Arsenal ahead with a37th-minute header.

Arsenal striker Oliver Giroud was sent offfor violent conduct before Sanchez’s mazyrun carved out a second goal for TomasRosicky.

Charlie Austin’s late penalty had nervesjangling at the Emirates Stadium, but it wastoo little, too late for QPR, who fell to arecord-equalling ninth straight awaydefeat. In a bid to end his side’s woes awayfrom Loftus Road, QPR manager HarryRedknapp recalled Rio Ferdinand for thefirst time since October and he formed partof a new three-man defensive set-up.

But those carefully-laid plans shouldhave been thrown out of the windowinside the opening eight minutes. FormerArsenal left-back Armand Traore, amongthose called in by Redknapp, tripped theall-action Sanchez for a clear penalty.

Sanchez stepped up instead of regulartaker Santi Cazorla, but saw his tame spot-kick pushed out by QPR goalkeeper RobGreen, who also scrambled away therebound. Arsenal pressed and probed foran opener, but a combination of last-ditchdefending and inaccurate final balls letthem down. Giroud went close from dis-tance before forcing an acrobatic save fromGreen with a 28th-minute free-kick.

It was one-way traffic and the pressurefinally told when Sanchez made amends byheading Arsenal into the lead. Kieran Gibbsdrilled a cross into the box from the leftand Sanchez exploited inattentive defend-ing from Traore to head home his 15th goalof the season.

It was the least the hosts deserved. QPRhad failed to register a meaningful attemptat goal, but they did sound a note of cau-tion as Steven Caulker headed Eduardo

Vargas’s cross just wide before the break.The visitors were given an unexpected

helping hand when Giroud was sent off fora moment of madness in the 53rd minute.The France striker took exception afterNedum Onuoha pushed him from behindas he chased a through-ball and rose fromthe floor to headbutt the QPR defenderright in front of referee Martin Atkinson,who had no option but to send him off.

The angry look on Arsenal managerArsene Wenger’s face as Giroud trudged

past him spoke volumes. The incidentthreatened to turn the game on its head,but instead Arsenal extended their lead viaveteran Czech midfielder Rosicky in the65th minute.

Sanchez turned creator with a wonder-ful run and pass that culminated in a deli-cately-weighted pass for Rosicky, whoplaced a deflected shot beneath Green toend his nine-month wait for a goal.

The game looked up for QPR, but theywere thrown a 79th-minute lifeline when

Mathieu Debuchy was harshly adjudged tohave tripped substitute Junior Hoilettinside the penalty area.

In-form striker Austin did the rest, slam-ming the spot-kick down the centre of thegoal to register his 12th goal of the cam-paign. But besides a Vargas header thatwas scrambled clear and despite a nerv-ous atmosphere inside the ground, therewas to be no grandstand f inish asWenger’s team saw out the game with rel-ative ease. — AFP

LONDON: Chelsea’s captain John Terry (center) celebrates scoring his side’s first goal with his teammates CescFabregas (left) and Diego Costa during the English Premier League soccer match.

OLD TRAFFORD: Manchester United’s Robin van Persie (centre right) celebrates with teammates after scoringagainst Newcastle during the English Premier League soccer match. — AP photos

Plotlines emerge as EPL reaches halfway

LONDON: While Chelsea and ManchesterCity slug it out at the top of the PremierLeague, Louis van Gaal’s Old Trafford revo-lution gathers ever more momentum inthe red half of Manchester.

The Dutchman endured a tricky startto his reign but seven wins in eightleague games have put United hot on theheels of the pacesetters.

If the current United side can emulatethe teams of Alex Ferguson who wererenowned for a strong second half of theseason, Van Gaal’s men could yet havetheir say in the destiny of the title. Unitedvisit Tottenham Hotspur in a lunchtimekickoff today as the games continue toflow thick and fast over the festive period.“The signs have been good in recentweeks,” midfielder Michael Carrick told the

club website (ManUtd.com). “We were bit-terly disappointed not to win last week (atAston Villa) but we beat Newcastle andnow have two big away games. They willbe a good test for us to see where we areat.” After the trip to Spurs, United-sevenpoints behind City and 10 adrift ofChelsea-are away at Stoke on New Year’sDay. “We’re continuing to look up and willcontinue to try to catch them (City andChelsea),” Carrick said. “We’re not satisfiedwith third-it’s obviously an improvementand we’re getting better, but we want tokeep looking up.”

Seventh-placed Spurs have won threeon the bounce with striker Harry Kaneemerging as one of the stars of the sea-son, his first-minute strike in the 2-1 victo-ry over Leicester on Friday taking his tally

to 15 in all competitions. “We’ve built upsome momentum now with some wins,”he said. “United have picked up form. It’sgoing to be a tough game but we areconfident at the minute. We’re ready forit.” Chelsea make the trip south to face afourth-placed Southampton side whoappear to have got over their blip follow-ing a flying start to the campaign.

“We have found the belief again,” saidSouthampton manager Ronald Koemanafter Saints followed up a 3-0 drubbing ofEverton with a 3-1 success at CrystalPalace on Friday. “We know Chelsea arestrong. It will be a challenge.” ManuelPellegrini’s City will set a club record of 10wins in succession in all competitions ifthey can take three points at home toBurnley. — Reuters

United gathering

pace under Van Gaal

Sanchez rescues Arsenal

LONDON: Arsenal’s Per Mertesacker (left) competes for the ball with Queens Park Rangers Steven Caulker (center) and JordonMutch during the English Premier League soccer match. — AP

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Warnock sacked by Palace after dismal run Page 16

MELBOURNE: Australia’s Joe Burns (left) fields a ball of India’s Murali Vijay during play on day two of their third cricket Test. — AP

MELBOURNE: Steve Smith put Australia in command ofthe third Test with a memorable innings to leave Indiawith a massive task to stay alive in the Border-GavaskarTrophy series in Melbourne yesterday. Smith blasted animperious 192 off 305 balls with 15 fours and two sixesto spearhead Australia to a formidable 530 and thentook a diving catch to have the tourists at 108 for one atthe close on the second day and trailing by 422 runs.

India’s first task was to avoid the follow-on target of331 while the Australians, leading the four-match series2-0, will be pressing for victory over the final three days.

Murali Vijay passed fifty for the fourth time in theseries and was unbeaten on 55 with Cheteshwar Pujaranot out 25 after Smith swooped to take a catch low offthe ground at second slip to dismiss Shikhar Dhawan for28 off Ryan Harris.

It could have been better for Australia but wicket-keeper Brad Haddin dropped Pujara on 12 off the bowl-ing of Josh Hazlewood.

Smith dominated day two with his highest Test scoreand was the last wicket to fall when he went after a bigshot with fielders on the boundary in pursuit of a dou-ble century.

It was his third century of the series, his fifth for theyear and was replete with all his quirky shotmaking toleave India skipper M.S. Dhoni at a loss as to how tocontain him.

“I feel pretty good at the crease. Everything isworking for me at the moment which is nice and themost pleasing thing is that we’ve got 530 runs on the

board and that’s a very good first innings total for us,”Smith said.

“It was pretty fun to be honest. It was nice to be ableto play a few shots there at the end and try and get thetotal up as high as we could.”

Smith bettered his previous highest score of 162 notout in the first Adelaide Test by dancing down the wick-et to plonk spinner Ravi Ashwin high into the standswith a mighty six.

The new skipper was aided by lusty knocks fromHaddin (55), Mitchell Johnson (28) and Ryan Harris (74)as Australia took apart the Indian attack.

As a double century beckoned for Smith, Dhoniplaced all his fielders close to the ropes in damage limi-tation but in the end the Aussie skipper threw away hiswicket going for a big heave off Umesh Yadav only to bebowled.

Smith has now accumulated 567 runs in the series forthree times out at an average of 189. “We looked to getthem out pretty early this morning. Unfortunately,Smith batted really well and they got a (few) too manyruns for our liking,” Ashwin said.

“But if you look at the overall game, the score is pret-ty par for this wicket. It seems slow and pretty flat aswell. “We’ll take 1-108 and we’d like to pile on the runstomorrow,” while adding with a smile: “We’ll make 650and try to put them back in.”

Paceman Harris brought up his highest Test scorewith a six off Ashwin and then was out next ball legbefore wicket for 74 off 88 balls.

He put on 106 runs for the eighth wicket with Smithand looked unruffled against the nonplussed Indianbowlers. Nathan Lyon was out going for a big heave offMohammed Shami for 11 with another 48 runs addedoff 38 balls.

Australia lost two wickets in the morning session butadded 130 runs to their overnight score of 259 for five.Haddin played himself back into form after a run of 15

innings without a fifty, reaching his 18th Test half-centu-ry and his highest score for almost a year with his 55.

The veteran wicketkeeper tried to leave a Shamidelivery but got a bottom edge and was caughtbehind. Haddin put on 110 runs for the sixth wicketwith Smith, while Johnson hit a breezy 28 off 37 ballswith five fours before he was stumped off Ashwinshortly before lunch. — AFP

Smith fireworks leave India reeling

Australia 1st innings (overnight 259 for 5)C. Rogers c Dhoni b Shami 57D. Warner c Dhawan b Yadav 0S. Watson lbw b Ashwin 52S. Smith b Yadav 192S. Marsh c Dhoni b Shami 32J. Burns c Dhoni b Yadav 13B. Haddin c Dhoni b Shami 55M. Johnson stp Dhoni b Ashwin 28R. Harris lbw b Ashwin 74N. Lyon b Shami 11J. Hazlewood not out 0Extras (b1, lb9, w1, nb5) 16Total (all out, 142.3 overs) 530Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Warner), 2-115 (Rogers), 3-115 (Watson),

4-184 (Marsh), 5-216 (Burns), 6-326 (Haddin), 7-376(Johnson), 8-482 (Harris), 9-530 (Lyon), 10-530 (Smith) Bowling: I. Sharma 32-7-104-0 (5nb), Yadav 32.3-3-130-3,Shami 29-4-138-4 (1w), Ashwin 44-9-134-3, Vijay 5-0-14-0

India 1st innings

M. Vijay not out 55S. Dhawan c Smith b Harris 28C. Pujara not out 25Extras 0Total (1 wicket; 37 overs) 108 Fall of wickets: 1-55 (Dhawan)Bowling: Johnson 9-3-24-0, Harris 7-3-19-1, Hazlewood 9-4-19-0, Watson 4-0-14-0, Lyon 8-0-32-0.

SCOREBOARD

MELBOURNE: Scoreboard at the close on the second day of the third Test between Australia and India at the MelbourneCricket Ground yesterday:

CHRISTCHURCH: New Zealand had the scentof victory after only the second day of the firstTest against Sri Lanka yesterday after a scintil-lating bowling spell forced the tourists to fol-low on 303 runs in arrears. After New Zealandposted 441 in their first innings at Hagley Ovalin Christchurch, a four-pronged pace attack ledby Trent Boult dismissed Sri Lanka for 138inside 43 overs.

“That first innings was something special. Itjust seemed to happen against a quality sideso it was brilliant,” New Zealand’s chief destroy-er Boult said after returning figures of three for25 off 11 overs.

Sri Lanka made a more solid start to theirsecond innings, reaching 84 without loss atstumps, but with three days remaining theywere still 219 runs in arrears and Boult believedthe signs were good for New Zealand.

“It’s a great opportunity to win a Test matchin New Zealand,” the left-arm quick said. Hedescribed the pitch as “inconsistent” with theamount of assistance it gave but said if theNew Zealand bowlers kept the pressure on“then I think we’re going to be successful”.

New Zealand had resumed the second day at429-7 and lost their last three wickets for a cheap12 runs in 32 balls as their innings folded for 441.

The quick end signalled that the bowlershad found how to exploit the green-tingedsurface and 13 wickets fell in two sessions afterthe batsmen led by New Zealand skipperBrendon McCullum’s 195 had dominated thefirst day.

In a pre-lunch onslaught Boult rippedthrough Sri Lanka’s top order starting with theremoval of Dimuth Karunaratne for noughtwith his fourth delivery to bring up his 100thTest dismissal.

He followed with the wickets of KaushalSilva for four and Sri Lanka dangerman KumarSangakarra for six. Sangakkara was six runsshort of becoming only the fifth player toreach 12,000 Test runs when he was beaten bya late swinging Boult delivery that caught anoutside edge and was snapped up by TimSouthee at third slip.

Southee split the webbing between thethumb and forefinger of his left hand securingthe catch and required five stitches.

But the injury did not affect his right-armdeliveries and after a tight but fruitless open-ing spell he joined the action after lunch,claiming Lahiru Thirimanne (24) and NiroshanDickwella (two) in the space of four balls.

Neil Wagner chimed in with the wickets of

Prasanna Jayawardene, Angelo Mathews andTharindu Kaushal before Jimmy Neeshammopped up the tail with the wickets ofDhammika Prasad and Suranga Lakmal.

Amid the carnage, only Mathews carried thefight to New Zealand as he raced from 40 to his19th half-century with a four and six off succes-sive deliveries from Wagner.

But his bell igerence was to prove hisdownfall when he charged at Wagner a thirdtime and skied a top edge to Tom Latham atthird man.

In addition to Boult’s impressive figures,Wagner took three for 60, Southee two for 17and Neesham two for 28.

In their second innings Karunaratne wasnot out 49 at stumps with Silva on 33, withKarunaratne receiving a life when he wasdropped on 10 by substitute Cole McConchieoff Boult’s bowling.

New Zealand’s first innings folded tamelywith only Mark Craig, not out 12, offeringtoken resistance as Mathews and Lakmalremoved Southee and Boult without scoring.

Lakmal also removed Wagner for four tofinish with three for 90 while the more eco-nomical Mathews took three for 39. — AFP

Sri Lanka in fight to survive against NZ

New Zealand 1st innings (overnight 429-7)T. Latham c Kaushal b Eranga 27H. Rutherford b Lakmal 18K. Williamson b Prasad 54R. Taylor run out (Silva) 7B. McCullum c Karunaratne b Kaushal 195J. Neesham c Sangakkara b Mathews 85BJ Watling lbw Mathews 26M. Craig not out 12T. Southee c Thirimanne b Mathews 0N. Wagner c Kaushal b Lakmal 4T. Boult c Jayawardene b Lakmal 0Extras (lb4, w2, nb7) 13Total (all out, 85.5 overs) 441Fall of wickets: 1-37 (Rutherford), 2-60 (Latham), 3-88 (Taylor), 4-214 (Williamson), 5-367 (McCullum), 6-420 (Neesham), 7-429 (Watling), 8-431 (Southee), 9-440 (Wagner), 10-441 (Boult)Bowling: Lakmal 19.5-3-90-3 (2nb), Eranga 18-1-82-1, Mathews 12-2-39-3, Prasad 12-2-62-1 (2w),Kaushal 22-0-159-1 (5nb), Thirimanne 2-0-5-0

Sri Lanka 1st innings

D. Karunaratne lbw Boult 0K. Silva lbw Boult 4

K. Sangakkara c Southee b Boult 6L. Thirimanne c Craig b Southee 24A. Mathews c Latham b Wagner 50N. Dickwella c McCullum b Southee 2P. Jayawardene c Williamson b Wagner 10D. Prasad c McCullum b Neesham 18T. Kaushal c Williamson b Wagner 6S. Eranga not out 10Suranda Lakmal c McCullum b Neesham 2Extras (lb3, w2, nb1) 6Total (all out, 42.4 overs) 138Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Karunaratne), 2-8 (Silva), 3-15(Sangakkara), 4-58 (Thirimanne), 5-60 (Dickwella), 6-88 (Jayawardene), 7-105 (Mathews), 8-118(Kaushal), 9-128 (Prasad), 10-138 (Lakmal)Bowling: Boult 11-4-25-3 (1w), Southee 12-4-17-2,Neesham 6.4-1-28-2 (1w), Wagner 11-0-60-3 (1nb),Craig 2-0-5-0Sri Lanka 2nd inningsD. Karunaratne not out 49K. Silva not out 33Extras (1lb, 1nb) 2Total (0 wickets, 35 overs) 84Bowling: Boult 7-2-16-0, Southee 7-2-11-0, Wagner11-1-37-0 (1nb), Craig 7-2-12-0, Neesham 2-1-4-0,McCullum 1-0-3-0.

SCOREBOARD

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand: Scoreboard at close of the second day of the first Testbetween New Zealand and Sri Lanka at Hagley Oval in Christchurch yesterday:

BusinessSUNDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2014

US stocks close higher,

extend gains for the week

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‘Britain in

Kuwait 2015’

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Kalyan Jewellers opens

three showrooms Kuwait

Page 23Abe unleashes stimulus plan to spur growth

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PROVIDENCE: File photo shows Hillary Rodham Clinton addressing supporters of Rhode Island Democratic gubernatorial nominee Gina Raimondo during a Raimondo campaign event at Rhode Island College in Providence, R.I.Rejuvenating the economy figured prominently in the first Clinton presidential campaign and could form the foundation of the next one. — AP

Clinton economic approach under scrutinyHillary voices concerns about concentration of wealth

WASHINGTON: Rejuvenating the economyfigured prominently in the first Clinton’s presi-dential campaign and could form the founda-tion of the next one’s.

More than two decades after Bill Clintonwon the presidency, Hillary Rodham Clintonis considering another White House bid - andfor her, too, it’s still “the economy, stupid.” Butthe former secretary of state has not yet out-lined the specific steps to address incomeinequality and economic anxieties for mid-dle-class families. Democrats are watchingclosely, including members of the party’s lib-eral wing who are wary of her ties to WallStreet and six-figure speaking fees.

Clinton is widely expected to announce apresidential campaign next year and remainsthe prohibitive favorite to succeed PresidentBarack Obama as the party’s nominee in2016. But how she navigates a party animat-ed by economic populism, an approach per-sonified by Massachusetts Sen. ElizabethWarren, could represent one of her biggesthurdles. Democrats bruised from GOP gainsin the 2014 elections are pushing for big poli-cy changes - raising the minimum wage andpay equity, for example - that favor thedeclining middle class.

“We don’t win when we play small-balland calibrate. Why not try to be bold?” saidAnna Galland of MoveOn.org, whichlaunched a draft campaign to lure Warren

into the race.Warren says she’s not running for presi-

dent, but her confrontational approach onWall Street and reducing the gap betweenthe rich and poor has generated a loyal fol-lowing. She showcased this posture duringDecember’s “lame duck” session of Congress,when she led the charge against a $1.1 trillionomnibus spending bill - ultimately signed byObama - that repealed part of the Dodd-Frank financial law and loosened contributioncaps for some political donors. Clinton has yetto comment on the spending plan.

ProsperityDuring the fall elections, Clinton often

pointed to the broad prosperity during herhusband’s administration and advocated forpolicies to raise the minimum wage, addresspay equity for women and provide paid leavefor new mothers.

In a nod to liberals, Clinton has voicedconcerns about the concentration of wealth,pointing to the rise in income and wealth tothe top 0.01 percent of the population. “Someare calling it a throwback to the ‘Gilded Age’of the robber barons,” Clinton said in May.

Clinton also has stumbled on the econo-my. At a fall event, she drew criticism fromRepublicans when she said “don’t let anybodytell you that it’s corporations and businessesthat create jobs.” She quickly cleaned up

those comments, arguing that trickle-downeconomics had failed.

Her supporters point to her 2008 primarycampaign, when she scored wins in Ohio andPennsylvania, as an indicator of how shecould connect with working-class families.They also downplay the differences betweenher and Warren on the economy.

“I think the debate is not going to beabout big major fundamental directions forthe economy. The disagreement will be howto get there,” said former Vermont Gov.Howard Dean, who has backed Clinton.

Clinton could have more opportunities toconnect with - or alienate - liberals in 2015.One moment could come on the nominationof Lazard investment banker Antonio Weiss tolead a Treasury Department office overseeingdomestic finance. Weiss, Warren contends,would represent a long line of Wall Streetexecutives who are part of the revolving doorbetween Washington and the financial mar-kets.

Clinton has not yet spoken publicly aboutWeiss’ nomination. She remains a favorite ofWall Street from her time representing NewYork in the Senate. At a recent conferencesponsored by the New York Times’ DealBook,Goldman Sachs chairman and CEO

Lloyd Blankfein said he had “always been afan of Hillary Clinton” and argued it wasimportant for political leaders to have rela-

tionships with key institutions. “I certainlydon’t think it’s a virtue to declare a big seg-ment of the economy off limits,” he said.

Economic growthPromoting economic growth and wages

will also be on the calendar. The AFL-CIO hasinvited Warren to deliver the keynote addressat its national summit on wages in earlyJanuary, giving her a plum appearance beforelabor leaders.

About a week later, the Center forAmerican Progress, which was founded by ex-Clinton administration officials, will release areport offering ways to spur middle-classgrowth, ideas that might guide Clinton’sagenda. The panel is co-chaired by LawrenceSummers, a former Treasury secretary underBill Clinton.

Tad Devine, an adviser to Vermont Sen.Bernie Sanders, who is considering a 2016presidential campaign, noted that Bill Clintoncampaigned in 1992 as a different kind ofDemocrat willing to reform welfare andappeal to centrists. This time, he said, HillaryClinton will need to make a decision of howshe will position herself on the economy.

“There is a huge audience right now forpeople who want to have a completely dif-ferent economic theory of what’s wrongwith the country and how to fix it,” Devinesaid. — Reuters

BERLIN: Germany’s finance minister warned Greecethat any new government must respect commit-ments made by its predecessor, as the countrymoved closer to early elections that EU officials fearwould be won by a radical leftist party.

Wolfgang Schaeuble spoke after German lawmak-ers last week backed plans to give troubled Greece atwo-month loan extension while international credi-tors finish an audit to determine the release of itsnext 7.0 billion euros ($8.7 billion).

“We will continue to help Greece along the path ofdifficult reforms,” Schaeuble said in an interview withGermany’s Bild newspaper published yesterday. But ifGreece “decides to take another path, that will bemore difficult,” the conservative finance ministerwarned.

Greece moved a step closer on Tuesday to earlyelections that could undermine its internationalbailout and rekindle the eurozone crisis, after law-makers failed for a second time to elect a president.

The government candidate, EU EnvironmentCommissioner Stavros Dimas, fell 32 votes short ofthe required 200 votes, meaning a third and final votewill be held on December 29.

European Union and International Monetary Fundofficials fear an early election would be won by radi-cal leftist party Syriza and could undo many ofGreece’s ongoing fiscal reforms.

Syriza, which wants to end a four-year austeritydrive and re-negotiate Greece’s bailout, holds asteady lead in opinion polls. Greece’s dire financesnearly destroyed the euro in 2012, and despite twobailouts worth 240 billion euros and most of the debtheld by private investors being wiped out, the econo-my has only begun to recover after six years of con-tracting.

The reforms required by the EU and IMF haveimproved the government’s finances, but have takena terrible toll on Greeks as unemployment soaredabove 27 percent and many people have had wagesand benefits cut.

Schaeuble said Greece had made “huge progress”in recent years, but issued a sharp warning in the faceof the growing challenge Syriza is posing to theAthens government.

“New elections would change nothing with regardto Greek debt. Every new government must respectthe agreements made by their predecessors,” he said.

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras warned this weekthat early general elections, which could be held assoon as January 25, constituted a “national danger”that must be avoided. — AFP

Germany ministerwarns Greeceover reforms

SHANGHAI: China will dramaticallyexpand the size of a free trade zone (FTZ)in Shanghai to include the city’s commer-cial centre where major multinationalcompanies and Chinese banks have theirheadquarters, state media reported.

The official Xinhua news agency citedthe conclusion of the 12th meeting of theNational People’s Congress on Friday, butit did not given a date for the formalexpansion nor mention any new policiesfor the zone.

Under the plan, the zone will beenlarged to include the Lujiazui financialdistrict, Shanghai’s riverside commercialcentre and home to its tallest skyscrapers.It will include the Jinqiao and Zhangjiangdistricts nearby.

The expansion will allow companies inthose areas to take advantage of existingpreferential policies for companies in thefree trade zone and it fulfils a governmentcommitment to expand the zone once

conditions were deemed ripe.The zone was launched in 2013 to

much fanfare but it has failed to live up toexpectations. Media reports predictingthat opening the FTZ would be followedby deep liberalisation to China’s capitalaccount, the scrapping of wide restric-tions on foreign investment, and even thelowering of China’s censorship firewallinside the zone went largely unfulfilled.

At the same time, the leadership gavethe green light to many projects outsidethe zone that duplicated or exceeded thepolicy benefits the Shanghai municipalgovernment hoped would remain exclu-sive.

Not only did Beijing authorise compet-ing zones in other cities, it also launchednationwide pilots testing liberalisation forcurrency controls and cross-border invest-ment - most recently the Shanghai-HongKong Stock Connect programme - thatdiminished the zone’s relative appeal.

Ending isolationThe Shanghai zone’s geographic isola-

tion out near the airport and the port areawas also a disadvantage.

Companies with existing footprints inthe city were reluctant to relocate givenuncertainties about the depth of Beijing’scommitment to the Shanghai FTZ - a cau-tion now paying off for those who waited.

In addition, analysts said that whilemany of the liberalisations implementedin the zone targeted service industries, thezone’s separate areas were all far from thecentral business district. Long commutesto meetings deterred many companiesthat might have otherwise been interest-ed, analysts said. In addition, real estatespeculation grew so fierce that the zonegovernment stepped in to control prices.The Xinhua report also said that the geo-graphic limits of trade zones inGuangdong, Fujian province and the cityof Tianjin had been set. — Reuters

China Shanghai FTZ to expand to include commercial centre

ZELIENOPLE: This Sept 10, 2014, file photo shows signswelcoming visitors to a model home as construction isunder way at a housing development in Zelienople, Pa.Few issues in a presidential campaign come close tobeing as meaningful as the economy. — AP

EXCHANGE RATES

Bahrain Exchange Company

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co.

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd

ASIAN COUNTRIESJapanese Yen 2.443Indian Rupees 4.647Pakistani Rupees 2.918Srilankan Rupees 2.222Nepali Rupees 2.904Singapore Dollar 222.740Hongkong Dollar 37.817Bangladesh Taka 3.751Philippine Peso 6.573Thai Baht 8.927Irani Riyal transfer 61.555Irani Riyal cash 121.740

GCC COUNTRIESSaudi Riyal 78.258Qatari Riyal 80.624Omani Riyal 762.540Bahraini Dinar 779.460UAE Dirham 79.921

ARAB COUNTRIESEgyptian Pound - Cash 43.950Egyptian Pound - Transfer 40.943Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.370Tunisian Dinar 157.500Jordanian Dinar 414.160Lebanese Lira/for 1000 1.969Syrian Lira 2.092Morocco Dirham 33.035

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIESUS Dollar Transfer 292.350Euro 359.940Sterling Pound 458.800Canadian dollar 253.320Turkish lira 126.800Swiss Franc 299.340Australian Dollar 239.370US Dollar Buying 292.150

GOLD20 gram 238.10010 gram 121.7405 gram 61.560

COUNTRY SELL CASH SELLDRAFTEurope

Belgian Franc 0.007640 0.008644British Pound 0.450768 0.459768Czech Korune 0.004921 0.016921Danish Krone 0.044110 0.049110Euro 0.352802 0.360802Norwegian Krone 0.035456 0.040656Romanian Leu 0.084186 0.084186Slovakia 0.008593 0.018593Swedish Krona 0.033606 0.038608Swiss Franc 0.291108 0.301308Turkish Lira 0.124804 0.131804

AustralasiaAustralian Dollar 0.230339 0.241839New Zealand Dollar 0.222091 0.231591AmericaCanadian Dollar 0.247414 0.255914US Dollars 0.289400 0.294100US Dollars Mint 0.289900 0.294100AsiaBangladesh Taka 0.003438 0.004038Chinese Yuan 0.046110 0.049610Hong Kong Dollar 0.035758 0.038508Indian Rupee 0.004399 0.004800Indonesian Rupiah 0.000019 0.000025Japanese Yen 0.002358 0.002538Kenyan Shilling 0.003284 0.003284Korean Won 0.000257 0.000272Malaysian Ringgit 0.080747 0.086747Nepalese Rupee 0.003000 0.003170Pakistan Rupee 0.002749 0.003029Philippine Peso 0.006483 0.006763Sierra Leone 0.000065 0.000071

Singapore Dollar 0.218818 0.224816South African Rand 0.019295 0.027795Sri Lankan Rupee 0.001880 0.002460Taiwan 0.009160 0.009340Thai Baht 0.008589 0.009139

ArabBahraini Dinar 0.772055 0.780055Egyptian Pound 0.039520 0.042620Iranian Riyal 0.000081 0.000082Iraqi Dinar 0.000194 0.000254Jordanian Dinar 0.409898 0.417398Kuwaiti Dinar 1.000000 1.000000Lebanese Pound 0.000145 0.000245Moroccan Dirhams 0.023926 0.047928Nigerian Naira 0.001192 0.001827Omani Riyal 0.756316 0.761996Qatar Riyal 0.079906 0.081118Saudi Riyal 0.077630 0.078330Syrian Pound 0.001740 0.001960Tunisian Dinar 0.154130 0.162130Turkish Lira 0.124804 0.131804UAE Dirhams 0.078928 0.080077Yemeni Riyal 0.001325 0.001405

UAE Exchange Centre WLL

COUNTRY SELL DRAFT SELL CASH Australian Dollar 231.71 228.71Canadian Dollar 256.71 257.71Swiss Franc 302.93 300.93Euro 362.08 363.08US Dollar 293.55 296.55Sterling Pound 461.65 464.65Japanese Yen 2.49 2.51Bangladesh Taka 3.761 4.031Indian Rupee 4.636 4.936Sri Lankan Rupee 2.220 2.655Nepali Rupee 2.893 3.428Pakistani Rupee 2.918 2.790UAE Dirhams 79.77 80.23Bahraini Dinar 779.11 781.18Egyptian Pound 40.93 41.53Jordanian Dinar 417.10 422.75Omani Riyal 761.26 768.56Qatari Riyal 80.83 81.38Saudi Riyal 78.19 78.59

Rate for Transfer Selling RateUS Dollar 291.750Canadian Dollar 260.085Sterling Pound 456.630Euro 366.500Swiss Frank 303.035Bahrain Dinar 775.760UAE Dirhams 79.330Qatari Riyals 80.935Saudi Riyals 77.975Jordanian Dinar 411.660Egyptian Pound 40.707Sri Lankan Rupees 2.225Indian Rupees 4.716Pakistani Rupees 2.867Bangladesh Taka 3.759Philippines Pesso 6.481Cyprus pound 715.865Japanese Yen 3.480

Syrian Pound 2.710Nepalese Rupees 3.945Malaysian Ringgit 87.645Chinese Yuan Renminbi 48.035Thai Bhat 9.885Turkish Lira 131.225

Al Mulla Exchange

Currency Transfer Rate (Per 1000)US Dollar 292.750Euro 360.650Pound Sterlng 458.300Canadian Dollar 254.150Indian Rupee 4.635Egyptian Pound 40.925Sri Lankan Rupee 2.219Bangladesh Taka 3.733Philippines Peso 6.558Pakistan Rupee 2.916Bahraini Dinar 779.550UAE Dirham 79.700Saudi Riyal 78.150*Rates are subject to change

B U S I N E S SSUNDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2014

US stocks close higher,

extend gains for the week

Utilities stocks biggest gainersNEW YORK: Wall Street’s “SantaClaus” rally kept delivering gifts aday after Christmas. The Dow Jonesindustrial average, Standard & Poor’s500 index and the Russell 2000index of small-company stocksclosed at all-time highs on Friday.

The modest pickup in stocks,which gave the Dow its seventhconsecutive gain, came on a day ofrelatively light trading following theholiday break for US markets.Utilities stocks were among thebiggest gainers.

Oil prices continued to decline.That made traders hopeful forstronger consumer spending head-ing into next year, since driverswon’t need to pay as much to fill uptheir cars. “Holiday sales look good.The consumer is in good shape,” saidDavid Chalupnik, head of equities atNuveen Asset Management. “We’reending the year strong and myguess is the market continues totrend higher through year-end andJanuary is probably going to be agood month as well.”

The Dow gained 23.50 points toclose at 18,053.71. That’s up 0.1 per-cent from its previous record highon Wednesday.The Standard &

Poor’s 500 index added 6.89 points,or 0.3 percent, to 2,088.77. That’s up0.3 percent from the S&P 500’s most-recent all-time high recorded onTuesday. The Nasdaq compositerose 33.39 points, or 0.7 percent, to4,806.86. The last time the index washigher was March 28, 2000, duringthe heady days of the dot-com bub-ble.

The Russell 2000 climbed 8.42points, or 0.7 percent, to 1,215.21.That’s an increase of 0.5 percentfrom the Russell’s previous all-timehigh on March 4.

US government bond prices rose.The yield on the 10-year Treasurynote dipped to 2.25 percent. Thestock market has been mostlyclimbing since hitting a recent lowof 17,069 on Dec. 16 on worriesabout plunging oil prices and asharp drop in Russia’s currency.Since then, investors have beenencouraged by signs of a strength-ening U.S. economy, which the gov-ernment estimates grew in the July-September quarter at the fastestpace in 11 years. Consumer spend-ing and personal incomes havebeen rising. The economy has beencreating more jobs.

Markets’ historyThe markets also have history on

their side. December is typically thebest month of the year for stocks,while January is the second-best,Chalupnik noted.

The stock market opened higherFriday and held steady the rest ofthe day. There wasn’t any major USeconomic or corporate news. MajorEuropean markets were closed forthe holiday. Markets in Asia postedslight gains. Investors kept an eyeon oil prices, which have been amajor focus in over the past fewweeks. Benchmark US crude oil fell$1.11 to close at $54.73 a barrel. Oilprices have fallen by about a halfsince the summer as traders worrythat there won’t be enough globaldemand for the abundant suppliesof oil being produced. Eight of the10 sectors in the S&P 500 index rose,led by utilities stocks. The sector isup 27.9 percent this year. Energyposted the biggest decline, deepen-ing its slide this year to 9 percent.Celgene notched the biggest gainamong individual stocks in the S&P500, adding $3.75, or 3.4 percent, to$113.35. Newfield Explorationdeclined the most, shedding 89

cents, or 3.2 percent, to $26.97.Most metals prices rose. Gold

gained $21.80 to $1,195.30 anounce. Silver rose 44 cents to $16.15an ounce, and copper fell four centsto $2.81 an ounce. In other energytrading, Brent crude, a benchmarkfor international oils used by manyUS refineries, fell 79 cents to close at$59.45 a barrel in London.

On the NYMEX, wholesale gaso-line fell 0.4 cent to close at $1.509 agallon, heating oil fell 1.6 cents toclose at $1.908 a gallon and naturalgas fell 2.3 cents to close at $3.007 per1,000 cubic feet. Among other stocksmaking big moves Friday: VirginAmerica rose 5.9 percent after severalfinancial firms issued bullish recom-mendations for the airline company’sstock. Its shares added $2.42 to$43.42.Cytokinetics gained 4.6 per-cent on news the company will con-tinue advancing development of amuscle-weakness treatment with itspartner, Astellas Pharma. The stockrose 27 cents to $6.14.

Juno Therapeutics climbed 21.9percent. The biotech companyclosed its initial public offering onWednesday. The stock gained $8.74to $48.73. —AP

LINCOLN: This April 10, 2014, file photo, shows a sign to a job fair on the campus of Kaplan University in Lincoln, Neb. Few issuesin a presidential campaign come close to being as meaningful as the economy. —AP

Credit Suisse bid to dismiss

US mortgage suit denied

NEW YORK: Swiss banking giant CreditSuisse can be prosecuted for its role in theUS housing finance meltdown, according toa court decision, which dismissed the com-pany’s bid to halt a suit.

The bank had filed a motion to have asuit for fraud over the sale of questionablemortgage securities that dealt buyers $11.2billion in losses in the housing crisis dis-missed.

But Justice Marcy Friedman of New York’sSupreme Court authorized the state’s attor-ney general to pursue the suit in a decisionWednesday. Freidman denied the bank’sclaim that a three-year statute of limitationshad been exceeded, insisting that the statehad six years to file against Credit Suisse.

New York Attorney General EricSchneiderman sued Credit Suisse inNovember 2012, stating that the Swiss bankdeceived investors over the quality of resi-

dential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS)that it sold in 2006 and 2007.

The suit said that the bank knew that theRMBS it was selling as quality investmentswere full of high-risk, subprime home loansthat the bank’s own traders branded“garbage.”

The decision opens the way for a settle-ment between state authorities and thebank or proceedings that could result inheavy fines of up to several billion dollars.

In 2013, US bank JPMorgan agreed topay $13 billion to federal and state agenciesfor losses related to falsely marketed mort-gage-backed securities, bringing an end toproceedings initiated by Schneiderman andothers.

Citigroup and Bank of America paid $7billion and nearly $17 billion respectivelythis year to settle claims over risky mortgagesecurities. —AFP

HONG KONG: A Chinese investment firm hasacquired a major stake in South Korea’s thirdranked cinema chain Megabox.

According to local reports, Oriental StarCapital is to pay $515 million (KRW570 billion)for the 50% stake in Megabox held by KoreaMultiplex Investment, a group of investors head-ed by Australian banking and funds groupMacquarie.

JContentree Corp., a Korean media group,holds a 46% stake and now has 30 days to eitherbeat Oriental’s offer or sell its shares.

Megabox has a roughly 20% share of theKorean exhibition market and was previouslypart of a vertically integrated group with theShowbox production and distribution company.Showbox still owns a small circuit of Megabox-branded cinemas in China.

The deal comes only days after Korea’s FreeTrade Commission fined the two market leadersCJ-CGV and Lotte Entertainment for unfair com-petition, in particular to how the exhibition firmsfavoured movies from their affiliated distributioncompanies. Oriental Star is understood to have

been an investor in the telecoms, media andentertainment sector, including games. It is notclear whether the firm is seeking to buy theKorean company as a long term investment orwhether it is acting as a stalking horse for theultimate owner. Other recent Chinese moves inthe Korean entertainment space have includedZhejiang Huace’s stake buy in the recently float-ed distributor and producer Next EntertainmentWorld. Another Chinese investor was this monthannounced as buying Hoyts, Australia’s numbertwo cinema chain. —Reuters

Chinese investor to buy

Megabox cinema chain

FRANKFURT: A Lufthansa airplane is de-iced during snowfall before takeoffat the airport in Frankfurt, Germany, yesterday. —AP

MINSK: Belarussian strongman AlexanderLukashenko yesterday sacked his primeminister and four other top officials as theex-Soviet state reels from the effects ofRussia’s economic crisis next door.

Lukashenko dismissed MikhailMyasnikovich, in office since December2010, and appointed his chief of staffAndrei Kobyakov as his new head of gov-ernment, his administration said.

Lukashenko also replaced the head ofthe central bank and three other top offi-cials including the ministers of economyand industry.

Those five people “are paying with theirheads for the country ’s economic andfinancial situation,” the president said in astatement. “The economy is an area whichcalls for the greatest responsibility and rep-resents the greatest danger.”

The tightly-controlled country’s eco-nomic ills present a serious challenge toLukashenko’s 20-year rule. The countryfaces a presidential vote next year.Lukashenko has indicated he would seekre-election in case of popular support.

Although the Belarussian ruble is notofficially pegged to the Russian currency,the country is highly dependent on its for-mer master Moscow and is hugely sensitiveto its economic woes.

The collapse of the Russian ruble thismonth sparked panic, with Belarussiansrushing to convert their savings into dol-lars.

Since the start of the year theBelarussian ruble has lost about half of itsvalue. The run on the Belarussian rubleforced the central bank to announce a“temporary” tax of 30 percent on all pur-chases of foreign currency and raise inter-

est rates to 50 percent.Lukashenko has admitted that his coun-

try’s economy has been hit hard as around40 percent of its exports are bound forRussia.

Earlier this month, the Belarussianstrongman tasked the government withconducting transactions with Russia settledin dollars or euros. “Fluctuations on theRussian currency market are unfath-omable,” he said at the time.

Under pressure from falling oil pricesand Western sanctions over Ukraine, Russiais sliding into a full-blown economic crisiscomplete with the collapse of the ruble andgrowing inflation.

‘Country needs reforms’ Independent political analyst Alexei

Korol said the Belarussian government re-shuffle was a band-aid solution that wouldnot help address the root causes of its eco-nomic troubles.

“The country needs deep economicreforms. Instead he is re-shuffling an oldpack of cards,” he told AFP, referring toLukashenko.

“He won’t embark on reforms becauseat the end of the day they would lead tothe collapse of his authoritarian regime,” headded.

“It’s important for Lukashenko to passthe buck onto his team.” The former head ofthe Belarussian central bank, StanislavBogdankevich, also said that the move sig-nalled Lukashenko’s apparent unwilling-ness to conduct sweeping reforms. “Youhave to openly say that the economy is incrisis and you have to come up with neweconomic policies,” said the opposition-minded figure. —AFP

Belarus strongman sacks

PM amid economic woes


B U S I N E S S

BAYAN INVESTMENT WEEKLY REPORT

KUWAIT: Crowds thronged Kalyan Jewellers’much-anticipated showroom launch at Al-Raias popular film stars and Kalyan JewellersBrand Ambassadors Amitabh Bachchan,Nagarjuna, Prabhu and Manju Warrier regaledthe huge crowds and inaugurated the 75thstore of Kalyan Jewellers. The stars were over-joyed with the massive turnout of nearly 3,000fans and yet, a bit overwhelmed with the mag-nitude. The stars strutted onto the stage erect-ed outside the main showroom entrancereceiving a huge applause. The audience wascompletely star-struck with the four stars.However, the appearance of Indian cinema’sbiggest icon Amitabh Bachchan, who has ahuge fan following in Kuwait, created frenzy,with crowds jostling to get a glimpse ofBachchan.

Bachchan strode in majestically and wavedto the audience. He was the cynosure of alleyes, notwithstanding the presence ofNagarjuna, Prabhu and Manju Warrier. In hisdeep baritone voice he said, “This is my firsttrip to Kuwait. Looking at the affection from allof you, this is not the last trip - I can tell you Iam going to come again and again. We haveall come here for the opening of KalyanJewellers’ stores-my relationship with KalyanJewellers dates back years. I am here in Kuwaitbecause of them-I am sure if you extend thesame love and affection that you have show-ered on me to Kalyan, all of us will be blessedby Kalyan Jewellers. I hope I get to see youagain.” Bachchan then recited the poem fromone of his movies ‘Kabhi Kabhie’ much to thethrill of the audience.

The stars greeted the crowd and thankedthem for the support. After a brief appearance,the stars were taken inside the showroom for aspecial preview before disappearing. To cele-brate this occasion, Kalyan Jewellersannounced a special inaugural offer.Customers who buy jewellery worth KD 150will get a free gold coin and also be eligible towin the mega prize of KD 75,000 from a luckydraw.

The stars inaugurated the second and thirdKalyan Jewellers showrooms at Maliya (KuwaitCity) and Fahaheel. Later in the evening, theyattended a fusion concert by BalabhaskarChandran at Jumeirah Messilah beach Hotel aspart of the launch celebrations.

Kalyan Jewellers is one of the most trustedbrands in India and has developed a deep

connect among its stakeholders with its brandpromise of ‘ Trust is Everything’. KalyanJewellers has developed a distinct imageamong consumers by smartly leveraging itsbrand ambassadors. Kalyan was the first jew-ellery brand in the country to have a male as abrand ambassador, successfully defying theconvention in jewellery marketing.

Kalyan Jewellers has also invested in educa-tional campaigns for consumers to share theirinsights on buying jewellery. AmitabhBachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan are thebrand ambassadors of Kalyan Jewellers. Thebrand also has regional icons like PrabhuGanesan, Nagarjuna, Shivaraj Kumar andManju Warrier associated with the brand.Kalyan Jewellers has been ranked among Top10 Trend Setting Brands in India (Pitch, 2013).

KUWAIT: (Fourth from left) Prabhu Ganesan, Amitabh Bachchan, Manju Warrier, Nagarjuna Akkineni and T.S. Kalyanaraman, Chairman & MD of Kalyan Jewellers inaugurating the Al-Rai showroom in Kuwait.

Kalyan Jewellers opens three showrooms KuwaitBachchan mania grips as huge crowds attend Al-Rai, Maliya, Fahaheel launch events

Amitabh Bachchan waves to the crowd. Nagarjuna, Manju Warrier and Prabhu Amitabh Bachchan

Nagarjuna interacts with the huge crowd.

KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) end-ed last week in the green zone. The PriceIndex closed at 6,577.81 points, up by 5.58%from the week before closing, the WeightedIndex increased by 5.95% after closing at441.59 points, whereas the KSX-15 Indexclosed 1,069.99 points up by 7.19%.Fur thermore, last week ’s average dai lyturnover increased by 17.44%, compared tothe preceding week, reaching KD 36.15 mil-lion, whereas trading volume average was356.55 million shares, recording an increaseof 72.57%.

Kuwait Stock exchange was able to com-pensate some of its previous weeks’ losses,as its three stock indicators ended the week’strading activity with varied gains, supportedby the purchasing power witnessed by manylisted stocks and headed by the large-capand operational stocks. This performancecame among a noticeable improvement inthe trading activity compared to the preced-ing week, whereas the optimistic environ-ment witnessed by the market was reflectedon the trading activity, and had a positiveimpact on the market capital, which realizeda weekly gain of 6.09% after it reached KD28.19 billion by the end of last week, com-pared to a KD 26.57 billion by the end of thepreceding week.

The stock market initiated the first sessionof the week with a noticeable growth for thethree indices, supported by the active pur-chasing activity witnessed by many stocks inall sectors, especially the blue-chip stocksthat affected the performance of KSX-15index in particular, and was able to realizethe highest gain ever for one day, as its gainsincreased more than 5% in the same session,which positively affected the market capitalto increase by more than 3%. In addition,the stock market continued its upward direc-tion in the next session despite the profitcollection operations that were present dur-ing the session, as the heavy purchasingoperation executed on the blue-chip stocks,and the return of the positive speculativeoperations, caused the market to continueits upward direction.

In the mid-week session, the stock mar-ket was able to resist the profit collectionoperations that were strongly present duringmost of the trading periods, and the threeindicators were able to end the session in thegreen zone, with limited gains, among a

sl ight decrease in the trading activity.However, the stock market continued toincrease on Wednesday’s session, supportedby the optimism trend in controlling thetraders spirits, with a concentrated purchas-ing operations on the small-cap stocks, espe-

cially in the Real Estate and the FinancialServices sector.

On the last session of the week, the stockmarket witnessed a mixed performance forits three indices, whereas the Price Index wasable to continue its positive performance,

ending the session in the green zone, whilstthe Weighted and KSX-15 indices couldn’t, toend the session with losses affected by theprofit collection operations, but was notenough to push both indices to close in thered zone on the weekly level, however light-ened its gains.

For the annual performance, the priceindex ended last week recording 12.87%annual loss compared to its closing in 2013,while the weighted index decreased by 2.49%,and the KSX-15 recorded 0.15% growth.

Sectors’ IndicesAll of KSE’s sectors ended last week in the

green zone except for one sector. Last week’shighest gainer was the Telecommunicationssector, achieving 11.46% growth rate as itsindex closed at 547.48 points. Whereas, inthe second place, the Real Estate sector’sindex closed at 1,133.03 points recording9.81% increase. The Financial Services sectorcame in third as its index achieved 6.82%growth, ending the week at 847 points. TheHealth Care sector was the least growing asits index closed at 940.27 points with a2.79% increase. On the other hand, theConsumer Services sector was last week’sonly loser as its index declined by 0.58% toend the week’s activity at 1,086.62 points.

Sectors’ ActivityThe Financial Services sector dominated a

total trade volume of 814.65 million shareschanging hands during last week, represent-ing 45.70% of the total market trading vol-ume. The Real Estate sector was second interms of trading volume as the sector’s trad-ed shares were 22.30% of last week’s totaltrading volume, with a total of 397.51 millionshares.

On the other hand, the Banks sector ’sstocks were the highest traded in terms ofvalue; with a turnover of K.D 46.96 million or25.98% of last week’s total market tradingvalue. The Financial Services sector took thesecond place as the sector ’s last weekturnover was K.D 40.35 million represented22.32% of the total market trading value.

KSE ends week in green zone


Al-Shall Weekly Economic ReportKUWAIT: The Public Administration inKuwait seems to be living for the nowand the present only and it neither recol-lects nor benefits from the human lega-cy of all nations that have experiencedthe same. It is neither capable nor will-ing to recall Kuwait’s experience in simi-lar crises. Therefore, the PublicAdministration officials returned torepeating the same misconceptions,such as the following:

A. Funding the Deficit The Finance Minister complains that

he and his Government warned againstthe current position of the publicfinance deficit but no one did heed theirwarnings. If that deficit occurs, there iscomparison between the commercialborrowing and borrowing from the pub-lic reserves for funding the deficit. It isnonsense for the highest authority in theState to complain from corruption whileit is increasing; similarly, there is nosense for its higher financial authority tocomplain while until a few months agoor even in last July the financial policybecomes more loose. The right conceptis that responsibility is proportional toauthority and not to the complaint. Thecomparison between the two choicesabove is a misconception because themeaning for both is one and the same,i.e. deferred and illegal withdrawingfrom the future generations reserve ifthe weakness of oil prices continues tothe medium and long terms, which isexactly what happened in the 1980s and1990s. The correct approach is to controlthe expenses to be within the limit ofrevenues either by controlling expensesor creating sustainable revenue sourcesto finance the deficit such as taxes andfees, or a combination of both.

B. Adjusting Withdrawal Ratesin Favor of the Generations Reserve

The Future Generations Fund (FGF)was created in 1970s to control the ceil-ing of public expenditures at a limitwhich does not exceed 90% of publicrevenues, i.e. obligatory saving for thefuture generations. What happened lateron was in fact a revocation to this rightconcept. The decision of the Council ofMinisters a few years ago to increase thededuction to 25% at the oil boomingtime was a naïve decision because thesaving was higher than this percentagedespite the outrageous increase in pub-lic expense, and returning to the 10%now with the first shock in the oil marketis granted and will be followed by moreborrowing than the deduction if oilprices sustain their decline.

C. Supporting the Stock Market The third of the flawed concepts was

implemented by Kuwait after everystock market crash and failed miserablyevery time, yet it continues to be consid-ered as a viable option. If failing locallywasn’t enough to deter governmentinstitutions from pre-determining andguaranteeing stock prices, then itsimplementation and subsequent failurein global markets should have.Government bodies should not guaran-tee the price for select stocks, it shouldinstead adopt policies that protect allelements of the local economy. Thesepolices should be aimed at promotingan appropriate working environmentthat creates a platform to ethically andsecurely trade the aforementionedstocks. In reality, government supportcame in the form of the reactionary pur-chase of stocks in attempt to stimulate adeclining market, which is equivalent tothe theft of money that is owned bythose who deserve it, and given to thosewho don’t. The basic principle is toadopt proactive polices that will reducethe supply of stock through appropriatemarket procedures, by means of liquida-tion, merging, and then restructuringfalling stocks. This will support theprocess of restoring confidence in themarket resulting from the knowledgethat its listed companies are safe, whichin return will provide a much neededboost to the demand side. Increasingdemand through market functions iswhat the government should intend forits polices to achieve, and it’s what thegovernment failed to do during thefinancial crisis at 2008 and has to endurethe consequences of the repeated fail-ure of political policy.

D. Low Oil Prices Will Not AffectDevelopment Projects

In HH the Amir’s speech in the DohaGCC Summit Conference the currentmonth, there is an explicit statement ofthe negative impact of low oil prices onthe development programs in the Gulf

States. In Kuwait three ministers declarethat there will be no impact for weak oilmarket on development projects. It issupposed that one PublicAdministration should have unifiedspeech. When oil prices decline by 40%or more in a country whose budget rev-enues rely on oil revenues by about 92%,it is certain that all development pro-grams will be adversely affected. Butwhat development programs are wetalking about? There are two mistakes inthe Ministers statements. The first is thatdevelopment is sustainable perform-ance, while the thinking of the Councilof Ministers does not go beyond theforthcoming fiscal year obligations; thesecond is the unanimous agreement onthe failure of development projects sofar. We wonder about the developmentprojects that would not be affectedwhich are meant by the Ministers.

2. The Monthly Report of the State, Financial Administration

Accounts — November 2014 In its monthly follow-up report for

the State’s financial accounts (as pub-lished on its website) until November2014, the Ministry of Finance indicates acontinued rise in the revenues side. Until30/11/2014, i.e. eight months of the cur-rent fiscal year 2014/2015, total collect-ed revenues amounted to approximatelyKD 19.029 billion, about 94.8% of thetotal estimated revenues for the entirecurrent fiscal year at approximately KD20.069 billion, a noticeable decline by -9.4% below the total received revenuesduring the same period of last fiscal year2013/2014 in the amount of KD 21.012billion.

In details, the bulletin estimates actu-al oil revenues until 30/11/2014 byabout KD 17.949 billion, about 95.4% ofthe estimated oil revenues for the entirecurrent fiscal year in the amount ofabout KD 18.806 billion, or about 94.3%of total received revenues. Therefore,received oil revenues during the firsteight months of the current fiscal yearwere less by about KD -1.730 billion,about -8.8% below its counterpart valueduring the same period of last fiscal year.An amount of KD 1.080 billion was col-lected from non-oil revenues during thesame period, at a monthly average ofabout KD 134.995 million, while the esti-mated for the entire current fiscal yearwas about KD 1.263 billion. This meansthe realized amount will be more for theentire fiscal year by about KD 357 millionthan the estimate.

Expenditures allocations for the cur-rent fiscal year were estimated at aboutKD 23.212 billion, of which an amount ofKD 8.491 billion was actually spent -according to the bulletin- until30/11/2014, a monthly average ofspending by KD 1.061 billion. We, how-ever, recommend not to rely on this fig-ure because there are expenses whichhave become due but have not beenactually spent. In addition, spending inthe late months of the fiscal year will behigher when settlements in the lastmonth of the fiscal year and conse-quently in the final account. Althoughthe bulletin concludes that the budgetsurplus in the end of the first eightmonths of the current fiscal year scoredabout KD 10.537 billion, we publish itwithout recommending its endorsementas we believe that the actual surplus fig-ure of the budget will be less than thepublished figures when the final accountis issued. The current fiscal year willshow a negative decreasing trend forfirst and second half revenues, with fourmonths of weaker revenues still remain-ing.

3. Aggregated Performance for Banks’ Sector

Last week we finished our last analy-sis of nine banks performance in the firstnine months of this year. With our analy-sis to ‘Warba Bank’ in this weekly report,our analysis completed to the ten banks’performance. Aggregated figures indi-cate that the net profits of all banks, aftertax deduction and non-controlling inter-ests, amounted to KD 491.1 million, upby KD 78.1 million, or by 18.9%, vis-a-visKD 413 million for the same period in2013. All banks recorded improvementin their profitability, but with dominancefor a drop in the total provisions. Thatwas also accompanied by a remarkableimprovement in both assets prices orquality. Likewise, financial solvency ofthe sector, both commercial and Islamic,has improved. There remains an indica-tor of a gradual recovery in the growthof lending by the entire sector. It howev-er will remain lagging by about -45.1%when compared with the same period

in 2008 (before the impact of the globalfinancial crisis).

Financial performance data, com-pared with the same period of the previ-ous year, point to a rise in the banks’total operating incomes by about 2%compared to 6.6% value of banks’ oper-ating expenses, resulting in a slightdecline in net operating income, prior toprovisions and distributing to deposi-tors, to KD 1.175 billion versus KD 1.183billion, down by -0.7%.

Provisions fell during the first ninemonths of this year by KD 122.1 mil-lion, or -24.7%, which was directlyreflected on the high value of the banks’net profits. Proportion of total provi-sions to the net profits equaled 75.8%,down from 119.7% for the same periodof last year. Distributions to depositorsincreased by approximately KD 37 mil-lion, or by 18.9%, compared to the sameperiod last year, though it did not takeinto account integrating ‘BoubyanBank’s’ data with the ‘National Bank ofKuwait’ data. Unnecessary provisionsremain profits that could be called ifneeded, or risk reserve that could becancelled when risks subsided. (P/E) tothe banks sector (ten banks) scoredabout 29.5 times compared to 33.2times for the same period of last year.

‘Al Juman Center’ states that banksvary in their provisions ratio to their bal-ance of loans and advances. The highestwent for the ‘Gulf Bank’ by about 7.2%,then for “Al-Ahli Bank of Kuwait” byabout 6.9%, and the lowest for ‘WarbaBank’ by about 1.4%. The general aver-age of the ten banks was around 5%.The concentration of loans andadvances is still high. The share of theNational Bank of Kuwait of the net loansand advances scored about 30.6% and21.4% for Kuwait Finance House, i.e. twobanks alone have captured 52% therefrom, and the other eight banks got theother half, or 48%, with Warba Bankbeing the lowest by 0.9%, and KuwaitInternational Bank by 2.8%, both areIslamic banks.

The statistical bulletin (September2014) of the Central Bank of Kuwaitstates that the balance of the total cred-it facilities for residents, provided fromlocal banks scored approximately KD30.621 billion, representing approxi-mately 56.7% of total local banks’ assets,a rise by about KD 2.196 billion from theend of September 2013, with a growthrate of 7.7%. Total personal facilitieswithin these were KD 12.203 billion, or39.9%, of total credit facilities (approxi-mately KD 10.961 billion in the end ofSeptember 2013), a growth rate ofapproximately 11.3%. Value of install-ment loans within them included aboutKD 7.832 billion, or by 64.2% of the totalpersonal facilities, to purchase of securi-ties, including approximately KD 2.843billion, or by 23.3% of the total personalfacilities. Consumer loans amounted toKD 1.194 billion.

The National Bank of Kuwaitachieved the highest value in the profitsamong the ten banks capturing aboutKD 203.9 million, or by 41.5% of the netprofits of

the ten banks, a rise by approximate-ly 12.7%, compared with the same peri-od in 2013. Kuwait Finance Houseachieved the second highest profitscapturing about KD 90.94 million, or by18.3% of the net profits of the tenbanks, with a growth rate by 1.1%, com-pared with the same period of the previ-ous year, taking advantage of thereduced in total provisions. Warba bankwas the lowest in term of profits, withonly KD 318 thousand compared to aloss of approximately KD 3.1 million. TheCommercial Bank of Kuwait achievedthe highest growth rate in profits by227.6%, to KD 25.3 million, comparedwith KD 7.734 million. Burgan Bankachieved about KD 48.7 million com-pared with KD 17.6 million, with agrowth rate by 176.9%. This means allbanks have overcome the difficult situa-tion. It could be said that the path ofbanks sector, despite weak growth ofthe financing activity, its main activity,and its deviation towards the real estateand installment loans with big risks, isimproving despite the hot regionalgeopolitical conditions and the localpolitical conditions. Monitoring andmeasuring the negative impact thatmay result from the very weak oil mar-ket if it continues.

4. Warba Bank Financial Results — 30 September 2014

The bank announced results of itsbusiness for the first nine months of thisyear, which indicate that the net bankprofit, after deducting taxes, scored KD318 thousand vis-vis a loss by KD 3.1million in the same period 2013. Thismeans the bank recorded a noticeablerise in its profits by KD 3.4 million. Dueto the rise in operational incomes by amore value than the rise in total opera-tional expenditures.

In details, the bank’s total operationsincomes increased by about KD 5.5 mil-lion and scored KD 13.2 million (KD 7.7million in the same period 2013), due toincrease in the item of placements andfinancing incomes by KD 4 million to KD9.7 million (KD 5.8 million in the sameperiod 2013). The bank’s financing port-folio increased to KD 346.8 million (KD182.5 million in the same period 2013),i.e. with a growth rate by 90%. Likewise,item of investments income increasedby KD 1.4 million to KD 2.5 million ver-sus KD 1.1 million, while the item of for-

Weekly performance of Kuwait Stock Exchange

eign exchange gain (loss) decreased byKD 115 thousand to a loss by KD 44thousand versus a profit by KD 71 thou-sand.

Total operations expenditures andprovisions for impairment increased byless than the increase in total operationsincomes. They increased by KD 1.2 mil-lion to KD 10.6 million (KD 9.4 million inthe same period of 2013). Items of alloperations expenditures (staff costs,

general and administrative expenses,depreciation and financing costs)increased by KD 2.3 million, or 33.9%, toKD 9.3 million versus KD 6.9 million.While item of provision for impairmentdecreased by KD 1.1 million, or 45.9%,and scored KD 1.3 million (KD 2.4 millionin the same period last year). Item ofdistributions to depositors increased byKD 829 thousand and scored KD 2.3 mil-lion (KD 1.5 million in the same periodlast year). This explains the increase inthe net profit margin before the esti-mated distributions to depositors to26.8% in the first nine months of thisyear compared with a loss by 29% in thesame period of last year.

The bank’s financial statements indi-cate that the bank’s total assets

increased by KD 101.6 million, or by25.1%, to KD 507.1 million (KD 405.5million in the end of 2013). Total assetsincreased by KD 120.4 million, or by31.1%, when compared with KD 386.7million in the same period 2013. Item offinancing receivables increased by KD128.7 million, or by 59%, to KD 346.7million (68.4% of total assets) comparedwith KD 218 million (53.8% of totalassets) in the end of 2013. It increasedby 90.1% or KD 164.3 million versus KD182.5 million (47.2% of total assets) inthe same period of 2013.

I tem of placements with banksincreased by KD 8.4 million, or by 11.6%,to KD 81 million (16% of total assets)compared with KD 72.6 million (17.9%of total assets) in the end of 2013. Whileit decreased by 22.3%, or KD 23.3 mil-lion compared with KD 104.3 million(27% of total assets) in the same periodof 2013.

Figures indicate that the bank’s liabil-ities (without including total equity)increased by KD 100.2 million, or by31.8%, and scored KD 415 million (KD314.9 million in the end of 2013) andincreased by KD 118.9 million, or by40.2%, if compared with the total in the

end of the same period of last year. Results of analyzing the bank’s finan-

cial statements calculated on annualbasis indicate that all bank profitabilityindexes achieved noticeable rise. Thereturn on average equities (ROE)achieved 0.5% compared with a loss by -4.5%. Likewise, the bank achievedreturn on average capital (ROC) by0.4% versus a loss by -4.2%. The returnon average assets (ROA) increased to0.1% versus a loss by -1.4%. EPS scored0.3 fils versus a loss by -3.1 fils. (P/B)scored 2.9 times versus 3.8 times.

5. The Weekly performance of Kuwait Stock Exchange

The performance of Kuwait StockExchange (KSE) for the last week wasmore active, where all indexes showedan increase, the traded value index, thetraded volume index, the transactionsindex, and the general index showed anincrease, AlShall Index (value index)closed at 447.5 points at the closing oflast Thursday, showing an increase of32.8 points or about 7.9% compared tothe end of the previous week, while it’sa decrease by 7.2 points or about 1.6%compared with the end of 2013.


WALL ST WEEK AHEAD

ACV is often the only document you have to pro-mote yourself to a potential employer. It is yourchance to make a good impression. Even if you

have all the credentials in the world, a poorly writtenCV will not make the cut. A well-constructed CV, on theother hand, could ultimately land you that dream jobor help you move up the career ladder.

Here, the career experts at Bayt.com, the MiddleEast’s leading job site, present four tips to rewrite yourCV if you want to move to a higher position:

1. It’s about them not youJob seekers tend to focus on what they want from a

company without considering the value they could giveback to the employer. When an employer is skimmingthrough your CV, they are usually concerned about onething: “Will this person create value for my company?”

You can start by tailoring your career objective so itmatches what the company is looking for. Use the key-words that employers have put in the job description.Depending on the role, you must state how manyyears of experience you have accumulated, and thatyou’re not only a specialist in your particular field, buta leader. In fact, 25% of employers in the Middle Eastand North Africa (MENA) region say that experience isthe most important part in a CV, as stated in theBayt.com ‘Modern Job Search in the MENA’ poll,November 2013.

2. Achievements have a higher weight thanresponsibilities

Now that you’re applying for a higher position inthe career ladder, your achievements are much moreimportant than your day-to-day activities. The employ-

er wants to know if you’re a leader, and if hiring youwill help them solve problems. As such, always have a“Key Achievements” section in your CV, highlightinghow you have solved a specific company problem,motivated the rest of your colleagues, and so forth.Remember to use examples from your career todemonstrate your prowess.

3. Be specific and preciseThere is no better way to describe your achieve-

ments than using concrete examples. Instead of writ-ing “I exceeded my monthly sales target,” you could say“I exceeded my monthly sales target of $5,000 by 20%every month.” Employers want to know that investingtheir resources in you will be worth their money, andbeing extremely specific about what you have donewill win you some brownie points.

4. Design your CV like a proYour CV might have the best content, but if it

isn’t designed in a professional manner, it won’tgrab the attention of the person reading it. Use for-matting, especially the bold tool, to your advantage.Highlight keywords as well as numbers.

Make sure to proofread your CV at least twicebefore sending it out to employers in order to checkfor any grammatical errors.

Additionally, 45% of employers in the regionwant job seekers to include a picture in their CV,according to the Bayt.com ‘Modern Job Search inthe MENA’ poll, so make sure to insert a professionalphoto. Don’t forget to use a readable font size andcolor.

Apply these tips to your CV, and employers willsoon be knocking at your door!

How to rewrite your CV to move to a higher position

DANJIANKOU: This photo taken on November 2, 2014 shows visitors on top of the Danjiangkou dam at Danjiankou in China’s central Hubeiprovince. The height of the dam was raised to increase the size of the Danjiangkou reservoir, which will provide water from central regions ofChina to Beijing in one of the most ambitious engineering projects in Chinese history. — AFP

DANJIANGKOU: A towering dam in centralChina holds back a vast expanse of waterdestined to travel over 1,000 kilometresnorth to Beijing, but critics say it will onlytemporarily quench the city’s thirst.

China’s capital on Saturday received itsfirst flows from the South-North WaterDiversion Project, one of the most ambitiousengineering projects in Chinese history.

After decades of planning and at least$33 billion of investment, over a billion cubicmetres of water is projected to flow to thecapital every year, through more than 1,200kilometres of channels and pipes-the dis-tance from London to Madrid.

“Beijing is now formally receiving water”from the project, the city’s government saidin a text message. Another 8.5 billion cubicmetres-equivalent to 3.4 million Olympic-sized swimming pools-will reach provincesalong the way, planners say.

China’s government says the project,which will ultimately have three routes andan estimated $81 billion total cost, will solvea chronic shortage in China’s northern cities.

Water availability per person in Beijing ison a par with Middle Eastern countries suchas Israel, threatening economic growth, thekey source of support for China’s rulingCommunist party.

“This water needs to go to the North,”said a tour guide surnamed Chen, standingatop the 110-metre-high dam at theDanjiangkou reservoir in the centralprovince of Hubei, which sits 120 metersabove Beijing’s sea-level to allow flow bypure gravity.

Among the engineering feats involvedare a 7.2 kilometre-long tunnel beneath theYellow river-China’s second biggest water-way-described in official reports as “themost enormous river crossing project inhuman history”.

To carry the flow over one river in Henanprovince, Chinese engineers built a 12 kilo-metre aqueduct-the longest in the world.But critics say that the scheme’s success isjeopardised by declining rainfall in thesouth, and it will only act as a temporarystopgap in the north’s insatiable demand.

Mao Zedong Northern China supports nearly half the

country’s population and economy along-side two-thirds of its arable land, but has justa fifth its total water supply, according to theWorld Bank.

Looking over the Yellow river in 1952,Communist China’s founding father, MaoZedong is reported to have said: “The northof China needs water and the south hasplenty. It would be fine to borrow some ifpossible.”

At a time when a single word from Maocould launch a project, studies were swiftlybegun but technical concerns and lack ofcapital meant the idea was shelved until arevival by then-president Jiang Zemin,

whose government approved it in 2002.Its construction has since taken on added

urgency with water levels per person inBeijing falling to just 120 cubic metres-lessthan Algeria and roughly on par withYemen, both desert countries.

The project’s eastern route, built alongthe 1,400-year-old Grand Canal, begantransporting water from the Yangtze toShandong province last year but has beendogged by pollution concerns, and somefear the same fate could befall the priciercentral section.

State broadcaster CCTV reported lastyear that the Danjiangkou reservoir hadbecome a “cesspool” due to rampant dis-charge of sewage into its tributaries, withhuman waste and animal corpses a com-mon sight in one of them.

Officials have reportedly closed thou-sands of factories upstream fromDanjiangkou, and this year announced thatthe water was good enough to drink.

‘Very short-sighted’ But years of declining rainfall in southern

China means it now regularly sees droughtsof its own, and analysts say the project willexacerbate those strains.

“The basic trend in the South is that rain-fall decreases each year,” said Wu Xinmu, ofthe Water Research Institute at China’sWuhan University.

Flow on lower sections of the riverswhich feed the Danjiangkou reservoir willdecline dramatically and the project will“threaten the local supply of drinking waterand influence farming irrigation and indus-trial production” in parts of central China,researchers at the University wrote in areport. The central route has forced the relo-cation of more than 330,000 people, accord-ing to state-run media.

But the 1.05 billion cubic metres it isintended to deliver to Beijing every year willbe not be enough to end the city’s thirst.

As China’s cities become richer, waterconsumption by citizens has rocketed, and isset to grow further.

The capital’s annual water use hasreached 3.6 billion cubic metres, and withsupplies at only about 2.1 billion cubicmetres it already faces a 1.5 billion cubicmetre shortfall every year.

Environmentalists say water conservationis an urgent priority, and prices currentlywell below global averages at around 4 yuanper cubic metre-need to rise. A “supply-sideapproach” exemplified by the project “doesnot address the underlying causes of theregion’s water stress”, said Britt Crow-Miller,assistant professor of geography at PortlandState University, who has studied it.

“China’s current development model isvery short-sighted,” she added. “It’s aboutkeeping things growing at all costs... anddeferring the consequences as far into thefuture as possible.” — AFP

Doubts as China project’s

water reaches capital

TOKYO: Japan’s Cabinet approved 3.5 trillion yen($29 billion) in fresh stimulus yesterday for the ail-ing economy, pledging to get growth back on trackand restore the country ’s precarious publicfinances.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is wrapping up hissecond year in office hard-pressed to salvage arecovery that fizzled into recession after a sales taxhike in April. The stimulus plan endorsed by theCabinet includes 600 billion yen ($5 billion) ear-marked for stagnant regional economies. It alsolays out Abe’s vision for countering longer termtrends such as Japan’s surging public debt and adeclining and aging population. “A strong econo-my is the wellspring of Japan’s national strength,”said a summary of the plan released by the govern-ment. It pledged to restore vitality to local regionsto enable young Japanese “to have dreams andhopes for the future.” But the document alsoacknowledged the narrow policy options open toJapan’s leaders given the country’s massive publicdebt, which is twice the size of the economy. Thegovernment is sticking to its pledge to balance itsbudget by 2020, despite a recent decision by Abeto defer a tax hike due for next year until April2017. Abe has sought to spur growth and end along spell of deflation through aggressive mone-tary easing and increased public spending. He alsopromised to undertake bold steps to breakthrough the “bedrock” of Japan’s vested interestsand bureaucracy, but has made little headway inareas such as labor and farm sector reforms.

After taking office for a third term following asnap election earlier this month, the prime ministerfaces growing pressure to show that his“Abenomics” strategy for nurturing growth throughinflation can succeed.

The Democratic Party of Japan, the leadingopposition party, issued a statement Saturdayexpressing its disappointment with the stimulusplan, which it said relied on old pork barrel tacticsthat have failed in the past.

It said DPJ lawmakers would push for policies“investing in people,” to help improve incomes andboost growth. Japan’s central bank is buying up to80 trillion yen ($660 billion) in assets each month,mostly government bonds, to help spur inflation,but so far has not attained its target of 2 percentprice increases overall. Data released Fridayshowed inflation eased slightly in November asincomes and household spending dropped.

Since wage increases have not kept pace withinflation, rising share prices and corporate profitshave done little to stimulate consumer demand,apart from a rush of purchasing ahead of the Apriltax hike.

The stimulus endorsed Saturday is to be paid forout of previously unused budget allocations.Instead of the “trickle down” approach of many ear-lier policies, some support planned for local gov-ernments will be handouts to be used as shoppingvouchers to entice people to spend more. Overall,1.2 trillion yen ($10 billion) will go to consumersand businesses and 1.7 trillion yen ($14.1 billion) isallocated for disaster prevention and reconstruc-tion of stricken areas, such as the northeasterncoast, which is still recovering from the devastationof the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami andnuclear disaster. The plan is packed full of goodies,

such as help for rice farmers due to price declinesand relief for truckers and fishermen from high fuelcosts. But it also includes items addressing socialills, such as measures against suicide and childabuse. The government will also provide funds toback loans to small and medium size businessesthat have struggled with rising costs thanks to aweakening of the yen, which has boosted theprices Japanese pay for energy, food and otherimported goods. Another key aim is to ensureimproved job prospects for younger Japanese inregions that are suffering from severe populationdecline as jobseekers crowd into the cities.

The government set targets for creating newjobs and for encouraging city dwellers to move tothe countryside. One proposal calls for movingsome government research institutes to theprovinces, and away from Tokyo. — AP

Abe unleashes stimulus

plan to spur growthCabinet approves 29 billion for ailing economy

TOKYO: In this Dec. 15, 2014 file photo, Japanese Prime Minister and leader of the rulingLiberal Democratic Party Shinzo Abe, left, arrives for a press conference at the party headquar-ters in Tokyo. Japan’s Cabinet yesterday approved about 3.5 trillion yen ($29 billion) in freshstimulus, including subsidies and job creation, to help pull the world’s third-largest economyout of recession. — AP

PANAMA CITY: The consortium expanding thePanama Canal is making fresh claims for costoverruns totaling $737 million, officials saidFriday. Canal administrator Jorge Quijano toldreporters that the Panama Canal Authority hadreceived two claims on Tuesday that “will beevaluated” to determine if there is probablecause. But he warned that “at first glance, theissues will be very difficult for the counterpartyto justify.”

And in the latest setback for the behind-schedule, over-budget upgrade, a union repre-sentative said excavation work was on hold afternegotiations broke down between the consor-tium and workers who have been on strike sinceTuesday. About 1,000 workers are on strike,demanding better safety and treatment. Talksbetween the two sides are due to resumeMonday. One of the consortium’s latest claims,

for $333 million, is related to the weight of thegate for the third set of locks it is building forthe canal-at 55,000 tonnes, compared to the35,000 tonnes initially planned.

But Quijano pointed to a clause in the con-tract according to which the canal authoritywould pay up to the value of a gate weighing49,000 tonnes.

The second claim, for $404 million, is due todelays in the fourth phase of excavation in thePacific sector. The consortium, Grupos Unidospor el Canal, says that the delay in excavationwork may mean it will not receive water neededto test the gates. Quijano, however, said he has a“plan B” to provide the necessary water for test-ing. The canal authority will pay another $120million in adjustments to the contract and othersmall claims, Quijano said.

Work began in 2007 to expand the canal with

a third set of locks to enable it to handle themodern mega-freighters that global shippingcompanies prefer.

But the $5.25 bill ion project has beenplagued by delays, strikes and a bitter disputeover $1.6 billion in cost overruns with the con-sortium carrying out the upgrade, led bySpanish construction firm Sacyr.

Initially scheduled for completion in 2014,the project’s due date has been pushed back toearly 2016. Nearby Nicaragua, meanwhile,launched construction this week on a rival canal,a $50 billion project that the Chinese firmbehind it plans to complete in five years.

Quijano estimated that the Nicaragua Canalconstruction would reduce by up to 30 percentthe transit of ships through the Panama Canal,because it is closer to the lucrative market in theUnited States. -

NEW YORK: Wall Street was generally calmerin 2014 than in previous years, but that does-n’t mean the stock market was devoid of dra-ma. Big selloffs in biotechnology and socialmedia stocks had strategists predicting doomin the spring, and the plunge in oil prices hasclouded the outlook for the coming year. Itwas a year when Cynk Technology, a develop-ment-stage company with no revenue, wasbriefly worth $6 billion, and when a long-for-gotten closed-end fund focused on Cuba -the Herzfeld Caribbean Basin Fund - sawmore trading in one day in December than ithad in six years.

With that in mind, Reuters asked WallStreet strategists a few questions on oddthings to watch for in 2015.

The big AppleShares of Apple Inc, the most valuable

publicly traded US company, will finish higherfor a sixth straight year. With a current marketvalue of about $663 billion, if one were topick a company that would be the first to hit$1 trillion in value, Apple’s a safe choice - butnot next year, investors said. The iWatch, itslatest product, may not be enough to propelthe stock further.

“I don’t really see this company as havinganother blockbuster category of products.The watch doesn’t feel like a great idea. I’mkind of out of the Apple mystique thing,” saidKim Forrest, vice president and senior analystat Fort Pitt Capital Group in Pittsburgh.

Nasdaq 5000With its gains on Friday, the Nasdaq

Composite Index sits just about 200 pointsshy of the vaunted 5,000 level, which it hasnot seen in nearly 15 years - and its all-time

intraday high of 5,132.52 reached on March10, 2000, isn’t far off.

“I think Nasdaq will test and probablyachieve higher highs than we did in 2000because I think we’re in a secular bull marketthat has another eight to 10 years left to run,”said Jeffrey Saut, managing director atRaymond James & Associates.

For the Nasdaq to hit 5,000, it would take again of 4 percent. And to get to that all-timehigh, it would take about a 7 percentincrease. Whether that’s warranted is some-thing over which investors disagree. “Whatwe need now is for fundamentals like revenueand earnings to catch up with current valua-tions,” said Jack Ablin, chief investment officerat BMO Private Bank in Chicago.

More trading events expectedAfter a series of market-crippling opera-

tional glitches in recent years, found every-where from Nasdaq to options markets,investors are bracing for more such events.

This year, a gold-mining exchange-tradedfund, Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF, dove10 percent in the waning seconds of tradingone day in early December. Earlier in the year,high-frequency trading firm Virtu Financialcanceled an initial public offering after therelease of Michael Lewis’ book “Flash Boys”brought negative publicity to computerizedtrading. None of these incidents were as dam-aging as the May 2010 “flash crash.” The mostnotable in 2014 came out of the bond marketin mid-October, when 10-year Treasuriesyields crashed more than 0.3 percentagepoint without warning. “There definitely willbe an event. At least one, probably more,” saidJoe Saluzzi, co-manager of trading at ThemisTrading in Chatham, New Jersey. —Reuters

Big questions for

markets for 2015

Panama Canal claims $737m in cost overruns


FUJAIRAH: Fujairah’s quarry productsindustry is gaining positive attentionfrom the GCC and beyond - with produc-tion expected to experience continualgrowth in terms of volume, rising fromthe current 100 million tons in 2015 to145 million tons by 2019. The emirateexpects to receive more than AED 25 bil-lion in infrastructure projects in thecoming five years; accompanied by an11% additional residential supply to theemirate. In addition, the constructionboom currently sweeping the entireregion has played a large role in devel-oping Fujairah’s quarry product industry,with a pipeline of construction projectsthat exceeds USD 2.5 trillion. All of thesemarket dynamics have significantly

boosted an already successful localindustry.

The UAE is the world’s third largestexporter of quarry products, withFujairah situated at the heart of currentproduction- catering to local and region-al needs. According to MEED VenturesOnsite, the total value of constructionprojects either planned or underway inthe UAE is $549bn. Two major events,the World Expo in 2020 and the FootballWorld Cup in 2022, hosted by Dubai andQatar respectively, will support thegrowth in real estate and constructionsectors - with further significant addi-tional contracts from Kuwait; one of theregion’s biggest quarry productimporters. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

is a key player also in the advancementof regional quarry product expansionwith a commitment to invest anotherSAR 8 billion in Oil & Gas and retail inFujairah specifically. This combination ofeconomic factors impacting Fujairah’squarry production is expected toincrease operations by 8% annually forthe next 5 years to meet growingdemands both locally and regionally.

The construction boom is subse-quently having a direct impact on therole of crushers - machinery designed tocope with the toughest quarry aggre-gates, completing a process vital to theexporting of quarry materials, thusimpacting and expanding the role ofcrusher’s and their capacities in Fujairah.

One of the companies meeting theneeds of the market and supplying thequarry product demand is Fujairahbased Oryx Industries, an industry lead-ing Gulf producer of building materials,with a track record of excellence in thefields of supplying ready-mix concreteand the sourcing and transportation ofhigh quality quarry products. Fujairahbased companies like Oryx Industriesare playing an important role in thegrowth and development of the UAE,and will continue to be vital in the futuredevelopment of the region. In anticipa-tion with increasing demand for build-ing materials, Oryx Industries added toits capacities after acquiring OryxCrushers early 2014. Since then, Oryx

Industries carried out major enhance-ments to the newly acquirer crusherswhich included installing primary andsecondary jaw crushers from industryleader Metso (Finland). This has allowedproduction capacities to reach 3mntons annually. This expansion will giveOryx Industries a total production of8mn tons per annum, about 8% ofFujairah’s total gabbro production in2015. With a production capacity of 8million tons of high quality mined quar-ry products, and quarry reserves ofmore than 400 million tons (sufficientfor more than 40 years) Oryx Industriesand their crusher capabilities looks setto be a major player in the future ofFujairah’s growing economy.

Crusher capacity in GCC steps up to meet rising demands

HH Sheikh Nasser Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah

Matthew Lodge, British Ambassador to Kuwait

Ahmed Ismail Behbehani

‘Britain in Kuwait 2015’9th trade exhibition to showcase over 70 stands

KUWAIT: The ‘Britain in Kuwait’ 2015 exhibitionis set to take place at the Salwa Sabah AlAhmad Ballroom under the patronage and inpresence of His Highness Sheik h NasserMohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah; from the 15thto the 17th of January, 2015.

The ‘Britain in Kuwait’ exhibition was estab-l ished in 1997 to sol idify the trade t iesbetween the two nations and reinforce thelong standing relationship that joins themtogether, and continues to grow stronger untilthis day.

Matthew Lodge, British Ambassador toKuwait said, “A great selection of Britain’s topcompanies operating in and out of Kuwait willcome together under one roof to showcase thebest of their products and services, with theaim of better servicing existing and potential

clients. This is a significant event that we areproud to be part of, as it allows us to build fur-ther on the successful relationship we current-ly enjoy with Kuwait and its people.”

The majority of industries and sectors inKuwait will be represented during the exhibi-tion; these include retail, education, health-care, motor industry, hospitality, aviation andmany more. Zain & AlZayani are participatingas ‘Platinum Sponsors’ and a host of other com-panies are taking part, including NBK, BritishPetroleum, British Airways, Alghanim Travel ,Costa Coffee, East India Tea Company, TheBritish Council, Orbit/Showtime, G4 Security,Inchcape Shipping, HCA International ,Burlington Stone, British Business Forum, theBrit ish School of Kuwait , Kuwait EnglishSchool, Kuwait Banking Association and the

Kuwait Investment Promotion Office. A num-ber of exciting activities will take place at theevent, with some companies promotingnumerous first to market promotions.

On behalf of the organizers, Ahmed IsmailBehbehani said: “It is a privilege to play a sig-nificant role in creating the platform thatbrings together so many esteemed companiesthat have contributed greatly to the economyof Kuwait. This event is not only about thecompanies exhibiting their services, but ratherreinforcing their commitment to developingthe different sectors across Kuwait”.

Following on from Great British Week, whichwas held in April, 2014, ‘Britain in Kuwait’ willprovide an excellent and high profile start tothe series of activities planned to be held inKuwait during 2015.

KUWAIT: Kuwait Energy (the Company)yesterday announced that the consortium-comprised of Kuwait Energy (70% andoperator) and Dragon Oil (30%) has madeits second oil discovery at ‘Block 9’ in Iraq.

The successful discovery was at the con-sortium’s second target, the Yamama for-mation at 4,000 meters, in its Block 9 explo-ration well, ‘Faihaa-1’, located in NorthernBasra, Iraq.

Preliminary tests of the Faihaa-1Yamama formation resulted in oil flow rates

of circa 5,000 and 8,000 barrels of oil perday (BOPD) of 35 API crude on 32”/64” and64”/64” chokes respectively.

The consortium will conduct moredetailed testing on Yamama towards theend of the year.

Sara Akbar, CEO of Kuwait Energy, said:“This is the second discovery in the firstwell drilled in Block 9, so we are delightedto have accomplished additional progress.We are confident that Block 9 has strongexploration potential.”

Kuwait Energy announces second oil discovery

KUWAIT: Gulf Bank held its Al Danahdaily draws on December 21st, 2014,announcing the names of its winnersfor the week of December 14th toDecember 18th. The Al Danah dailydraws include draws each working dayfor two prizes of KD 1000 per winner.

The winners were: (Sunday 14/12): AbdulrazzaqMohammed Fahmi Al-Jabban, YaqoubAbdulredha Hussain Kabli.(Monday 15/12): FadeelahAbdulrasoul Al i Hassan Al-Arbash,Nabeel Mohammed Roudhan Al-Roudhan.(Tuesday 16/12): Omar Saad Al-Ajmi,Ammar Essa Hassan Sowayed.(Wednesday 17/12): Moneera KhaledYousef Al -Mutawa, FatmahMohammed Khalif Sabti.( Thursday 18/12): Bejad HamadMerwi Al-Adwani, Sameerah MansourQasem Al-Saraf.

Gulf Bank ’s Al Danah 2014 drawlineup includes daily draws (2 winnersper work ing day each receive KD1000). The final Al Danah draw for theM il l ion Dinars wi l l be held on 8January, 2015 whereby the Al DanahMillionaire will be announced along-

s ide winners of KD 50,000 and KD250,000.

Al Danah allows customers to wincash pr izes and s imultaneouslyencourages them to save. Each KD100gives the customer 1 chance dai lywhich accumulates day by day. Themore money saved and the longer it isin the account, the more chances indi-viduals stand to win. Every

Al Danah prize draws will automati-cally be deposited into the winner’saccount within two working days.

Al Danah also offers a number ofunique services including the Al DanahDeposit Only ATM card which helpsaccount holders deposit their moneyat their convenience; as well as the AlDanah calculator to help customerscalculate their chances of becoming anAl Danah winner.

Gulf Bank ’s Al Danah account isopen to Kuwaitis and all residents ofKuwait . Customers that open anaccount with the minimum balance ofKD 200, will automatically enter the AlDanah upcoming draws as long as theymeet the required minimum hold ofeach draw. To be part of the Al Danahdraws, customers can visit one of GulfBank’s 58 branches, transfer on line, orcall the Customer Contact Center on1805805 for assistance and guidance.Customers can also log on to www.e-gulfbank.com/aldanahwinners, to findout more about Al Danah and who thewinners are.

Gulf Bank announces winners of Al Danah daily draws

UAE: ICDL Arabia, the governing bodyand certification authority for the ICDLcertification program in Egypt, GCCStates and Iraq, has expanded on therecent findings of the 2014 report pub-lished by the InternationalTelecommunication Union (ITU), theUnited Nations’ specialized agency forICT, pointing out the outstanding per-formance of the GCCcountries in thereport. The ITU’s flag-ship annual report‘Measuring theInformation SocietyReport’ has identifiedGulf countries amongthe group of ‘mostdynamic countries,’having recordeda b o v e - a v e r a g eimprovements in theirICT DevelopmentIndex (IDI) rank overthe past 12 months.

According to theUN report, Bahrain,UAE, Qatar, SaudiArabia and Oman arethe top five amongArab States and within the top 60 global-ly in the IDI, a composite measure thatranks 166 countries according to theirlevel of ICT access, use and skills. In theArab States, Bahrain ranked number onewith an IDI of 7.40 while the UAE jumped14 places to earn second rank with an IDIof 7.03. Qatar was third with 7.01, fol-lowed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia(KSA) in fourth and Oman in fifth posi-tion with IDIs of 6.36 and 6.10, respec-tively.

Jamil Ezzo, Director General, ICDLArabia, said: “These are exciting times forthe ICT sector as the world is shiftingtowards a smarter society characterizedby the integration of fresher technolo-

gies, the adoption of new standards andlegislations on digital advancement, andthe emergence of products and solutionsfor mobility, business and the likes. Therecent UN study demonstrates the GCCcountries leading role in the technologyshift, with five GCC states joining theworld’s top 60 countries in ?CT develop-ment. The UAE in particular has made a

significant improve-ment, jumping 14 posi-tions to its current glob-al ranking of 32.”

The IDI top 30 rank-ings include Australia,Bahrain (rank 27),Canada, Japan, Macau,New Zealand, Singapore,and the USA. Denmarkwas ranked first, fol-lowed by the Republic ofKorea which ranked sec-ond. The UAE, Qatar, KSAand Oman are at 32, 34,47, and 52, respectively.Almost all countries sur-veyed improved their IDIrankings, with the CISand Arab States demon-strating the highest

improvements in regional IDI averages.The report further highlighted that

Internet usage continued to grow steadi-ly at 6.6 per cent globally in 2014. Thenumber of Internet users in developingcountries has doubled in the last fiveyears (2009-2014), with two thirds of allpeople online now living in the develop-ing countries the end of 2014, almost 44per cent of households globally will haveInternet access at home, up from 40 percent last year and 30 per cent in 2010. Indeveloped countries, , 78 per cent ofhouseholds now have home Internetaccess, compared to 31 per cent in devel-oping countries, with just 5 per cent inthe 48 UN Least Developed Countries.

GCC countries dominate top 5 Arab states recording

in ICT development Index

ICDL Director General, Jamil Ezzo ABU DHABI: Etihad Airways, the national air-line of the United Arab Emirates, launched itsfirst A380 service to London Heathrow in theearly hours of tomorrow, December, morn-ing. The double decker aircraft will operateon EY11, one of the three daily LondonHeathrow services, departing at 2.35 am andarriving at the world’s busiest airport at6.35am. By August 2015, ever y EtihadAir ways f l ight between Abu Dhabi andLondon will be an A380 service.

Etihad Airways unveiled the A380 to anaudience of 200 media at a high profile galain Abu Dhabi on Thursday 18 December, hav-ing taken delivery of the aircraft from Airbusin Hamburg earlier in the week.

Guests travelling on the inaugural flightwill be given a commemorative A380 certifi-cate as well as passport holders and luggagetags. Guests will also have complimentary

wi-fi access and the airline will host socialmedia activities during the flight.

James Hogan, President and ChiefExecutive Officer of Etihad Airways, said: “Theresponse from air travellers to our new A380,particularly The Residence by Etihad pent-house suite, has been incredible and we’redelighted to introduce the aircraft into com-mercial service.

“This last week has seen the successfulfinal testing and preparations for the inaugu-ral historic flight to London Heathrow andwe look forward to welcoming guests ontothe A380 aircraft at Abu Dhabi Airport.”

The Residence by Etihad is a three roomsuite - with living room, bathroom and bed-room - that offers a level of luxury and priva-cy normally associated with private jet travel.

Located in the forward upper section ofthe A380 The Residence by Etihad offers

guests a personal Butler who, for the inaugu-ral flight, will be British national, GeorginaHenderson.

Georgina and other Etihad Airways Butlershave all received specialist training at theSavoy Butler Academy in London prior to thelaunch of the A380.

The A380 also features First Apartments,which are fully private suites with a separatereclining lounge seat and full-length bed, aswell as a chilled mini-bar, personal vanityunit and wardrobe. A total of 70 BusinessStudios are located on the upper deck of theA380all offering aisle access and a fully flatbed of up to 80.5 inches long. The upperdeck of the A380 is allocated to the premiumcabins.

The Economy Smart Seat also debuts onthe A380 and has enhanced comfort with theunique ‘fixed wing’ headrest on each seat.

Etihad Airways Airbus A380 launch maiden flight to Heathrow

LOS ANGELES: “The Interview” took in morethan $1 million in a limited Christmas Dayrelease, a solid showing that could be quicklyeclipsed by the money Sony Pictures makeswith its groundbreaking online debut of theraunchy comedy. That the farcical film - whichangered North Korea and triggered a devas-tating cyberattack on the studio - is now aguinea pig for Hollywood’s digital future con-stitutes another bizarre twist in the month-long Sony Pictures saga. After large movietheater chains refused to screen the comedyfollowing threats of violence from hackerswho opposed the film, Sony stitched togethera limited release in 331 mostly independenttheaters and a $5.99 video-on-demand (VOD)rental option on YouTube, Google Play andother sites.

“I’d be surprised if this wasn’t one of thebiggest VOD events ever,” said Jeff Bock, a boxoffice analyst at Exhibitor Relations, whothinks Sony could have charged more.

Until Sony discloses the online revenues, itis hard to know if the studio will come any-where near recouping the $44 million it costto make the film, plus the $30 million-$40 mil-lion that some estimate was spent on market-

ing the film and its stars, Seth Rogen andJames Franco.

The comedy, steeped in gross-out, bath-room humor, depicts the travails of two jour-nalists who get enlisted to assassinate NorthKorea leader Kim Jong Un. It might not be atypical Christmas Day release, but it filled the-aters and got lots of laughs.

Sony “got $1 million in sales, that’s a nicebit of gravy... knowing the main release isn’thappening the way it should be,” said GiteshPandya, editor of boxofficeguru.com.

The theatrical release so far amounts toless than 10 percent of the cinemas that hadbeen planned for a wide release in the UnitedStates and Canada. The film was expected togross at least $20 million over the long holi-day weekend if in wide release, according toBoxoffice.com.

TIDE TURNINGThe day before Christmas, Sony Pictures

released the movie online via Google Inc’sYouTube and Google Play, Microsoft Corp’sXbox gaming console and a Sony dedicatedwebsite. Sony is looking for more partners fordigital distribution, though hundreds of thou-

sands of people have reportedly downloadedthe film from pirate sites. The controversygave the film exposure to audiences thatmight never have gone to see it otherwise,and many who showed up on Christmas Daysaid they were there to support free speech.One of those was David Humdy, 65, an enter-tainment industry accountant who saw thefilm in Los Angeles and declared it “silly, enter-taining, better than I thought.”

The extensive press coverage could alsoboost the film in overseas markets, whereRogen and Franco are not yet big stars.

Pandya believes Sony Pictures will be ableto absorb losses easily, as it is not unusual fora film of such a budget to fall short.

“It’s hard to find a way that they recoup itall because they did end up spending a lot ofmoney on marketing for a theatrical releasethat never happened,” he added.

But the fracas forced Sony to explore morefully a territory looming on the Hollywoodhorizon: “day-and-date” simultaneous VODand theatrical release. VOD deals tend to givestudios a higher slice of revenue than the 50-50 split they share with U.S. and Canadianmovie theaters. — Reuters

t e c hnolo g ySUNDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2014

‘The Interview’ makes $1 million

before online revenue rolls in

SAN FRANCISCO: This March 8, 2012 file photo shows attendees walking past the Sony PlayStation PS Vita console on display in the SonyPlayStation booth at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. —AP

SAN FRANCISCO: Sony’s PlayStation networkremained offline Friday on the second day of anoutage that began roiling the online world justas eager video game players were unwrappingnew consoles on Christmas morning.

Microsoft’s Xbox Live service, which also wentdown Thursday, was back online Friday althoughthe company reported reported problems withsome functions in the afternoon.

Credit for the disruptions was claimed onTwitter by a group of self-proclaimed hackerscalled Lizard Squad - or someone purporting tospeak for it. But many video game enthusiastsand some other hacker groups quickly con-demned their actions. Even the notorious KimDotcom, a New Zealand-based online entrepre-neur who’s been accused of abetting Internetpiracy, got into the act by offering free vouchersfor his online privacy service if the Lizard Squadwould agree to restore the Xbox network.

A Lizard Squad account on Twitter appearedto credit Dotcom’s offer for the partial restora-tion of Xbox service on Friday. But exactly whathappened is still unclear: Neither Sony norMicrosoft would say what disrupted their net-works. And experts say it’s difficult to trace thesource of attacks or confirm claims of responsi-bility.

Sony Online Entertainment said on its web-site Friday that its Playstation network was stilldown, adding on Twitter: “We are working torestore full network services for all platforms -thanks, as always, for your patience!” A Microsoft

support site said Xbox Live was available at mid-day Friday, but it reported new problems in theafternoon.

Signs of trouble emerged earlier this monthwhen someone using a Lizard Squad account onTwitter began threatening to disrupt gamingservices on Christmas - and then boasted ofcausing the outages on Thursday. A person orgroup using the same name on Twitter tookcredit last August for similar attacks in whichhackers overwhelmed company servers with aflood of Internet traffic, disrupting the onlinegaming networks operated by Sony, Riot Gamesand other companies. The same Twitter accountwas also used in August to make an apparentlyfalse report that a bomb was on an airliner carry-ing a Sony executive.

So far, there’s no specific evidence to linkthese episodes with last month’s malwareattacks on Sony’s movie division. The currentepisode doesn’t appear to have exposed anycorporate or customer data. But one expert saidFriday that the Lizard Squad group is capable ofserious disruption.

“They’re well-practiced and, from what I see,they’ve got the capability to take down a lot ofthings,” said Dan Holden, director of securityresearch for Arbor Networks, a cyber-defensecompany based in Burlington, Massachusetts.He added that little is known about the group orwhere its members are based. “Their cause is alittle bit oddball,” said Holden, adding that thegroup appears to be motivated primarily by a

desire for visibility and “lulz,” which is Internetslang for laughs. Holden said he recentlydescribed them on his blog as “hacktivists” oronline political activists, until the group contact-ed him on Twitter and asked to be called “cyber-terrorists.”

Holden said the attacks did cause economicdamage to gaming companies. “It’s certainlycosting money all the way around to defendagainst these attacks,” he said, adding that Sonymay also face the ire of customers whose brand-new PlayStations wouldn’t work on ChristmasDay.

Lizard Squad’s claimed attack on Sony’s gam-ing network last summer has also promptedspeculation it might be involved in theNovember hack of Sony Pictures Entertainment,which the FBI has blamed on North Korea. Whileexperts say it’s possible the North Korean gov-ernment worked with independent hackers,Holden also noted that Lizard Squad Twitteraccounts appeared to applaud the Internet out-age that afflicted North Korea this week. “It’stotally speculative,” he said of suggestions thatLizard Squad might be involved in the SonyPictures attack.

Meanwhile on Friday, someone using a LizardSquad Twitter account claimed the group wasshifting its attention to attack a widely usedInternet encryption service called Tor. Late in theday, a Tor spokeswoman said the service wasresponding to an attack but did not expect any“performance effects.” — AP

PlayStation, Xbox outages spark

debate over hacker claims

NEW YORK: In this photo taken July 14, 2010, an electric plug charges a Smart Carelectric drive vehicle in New York. People buying all-electric cars where coal suppliesthe power may think they are helping the environment. But a new study shows thosecoal-powered plug-in vehicles can be making the air dirtier and worsening globalwarming. — AP

NEW YORK: Tesla said improvements it ismaking to its older Roadster model will letthe electric car travel about 400 miles on asingle charge.

The Palo Alto, California, company saidthat a new battery, new tires, and otherimprovements will boost the car’s range 40to 50 percent compared to the original.

Tesla plans to demonstrate the higherrange with a drive from San Francisco toLos Angeles - about a 400-mile trip - earlynext year.

Tesla Motors Inc. CEO Elon Musk tweet-

ed about the upgrade Thursday and Teslaposted more details on its website Friday.Tesla stopped making Roadsters in 2012,the year it introduced the Model S.

The company said not to expect anymajor upgrades in the battery or range ofits Model S “in the near term.” Musk saidthat upgrade will happen eventually.

The Model S comes with two batteryoptions. The larger battery has a range of265 miles, according to EPA testing. Sharesof Tesla rose $5.98, or 2.7 percent, to$228.24 in afternoon trading.— AP

Tesla upgrading Roadster car

TOKYO: Toshiba Corporation has devel-oped a new technology for 3D displaysthat do not require users to wear dedicat-ed 3D glasses that uses a low-crosstalk,high-definition LCD GRIN lenswith a 15-inch 4K LCD panel.

The technology realizes a highlyportable, compact display that canswitch between 3D mode with high-defi-nition resolution and 2D mode withultrahigh-definition 4K resolution. Thetechnology and the new display will beunveiled at the “2015 InternationalConsumer Electronics Show” that will beheld in Las Vegas from January 6-9, 2015.

Toshiba has developed and marketedglasses-free big-screen 3D televisionsand laptop computers for the consumermarket. Technologies established in com-mercialization of these products werealso used to develop specialized prod-ucts for the professional business market,efforts that culminated in the introduc-tion of the world’s first glasses-free 3Dmedical display on the market.

Achieving the high level 3D perform-ance required in B2B fields has typicallyrelied on specialized plastic lenses forprofessional 3D displays. However,Toshiba’s specialized 3D display is alsorequired to function as a 2D display forusers who need to view 2D images. Thisis especially important for mobiledevices, where there is a high demandfor a product that allows users to easilyswitch between high-quality 3D andultrahigh- definition 2D without anyneed for an additional display.

Toshiba met this demand by develop-

ing a new low-crosstalk high-definitionliquid crystal GRIN lens system which suf-fers no degradation in image brightnessin 3D mode and no deterioration ofimage quality in 2D mode. The lens sys-tem reduces the abnormal alignment ofliquid crystal molecules near the bound-aries of liquid crystal lens, reducingcrosstalk to 2%, against 5% in conven-tional 3D displays.

This is achieved by optimizing the ori-entation of the liquid crystal moleculesand the angle of the liquid crystal GRINlens relative to the direction of polariza-tion of the liquid crystal panel. By com-bining this technology with a 15-inch 4KLCD panel, 3D resolution has beenincreased more than fivefold, making itpossible to view high-quality 3D imageson the same display used for ultrahigh-definition 2D images.

Moving forward, Toshiba plans to fusethe new technology with a partial 2D/3Dswitching function which can be appliedto any screen size and position, and toaim for its rapid commercialization in B2Bindustrial and medical products thatrequire glasses-free high-definition 3Ddisplays.

Crosstalk indicates the separation per-formance of parallax images in 3D mode;the lower the crosstalk, the higher thedefinition of the 3D display. GRIN:Gradient-index lens. In a GRIN lens, therefractive-index distribution is formed byapplying a voltage to the liquid crystalcell. 3840 ◊ 2160 pixels. In comparisonwith the Dynabook Qosmio T851(launched 2011). — Agencies

Toshiba develops

new 3D displays

URUGUAY: Wheat is unloaded from a combine harvester into a tractor at a wheatfield near the city of Mercedes, in Soriano department, 270 km northwest ofMontevideo in this file photo. — AFP

MONTEVIDEO: Uruguay, a country of 3.3 millioninhabitants and four times as many cows, hopesto feed 50 million people thanks to drones,“smart” combines and other high-tech farmingtechniques. At a farm a two-hour drive outsidethe capital Montevideo, combines on auto pilotmeticulously harvest every millimeter of field.

The farmer inside the machine, instead ofdriving, follows its progress on a screen as it col-lects data on crop yields per square meter thathe will analyze to improve next year’s harvest.

“For us, harvesting information is as impor-tant as harvesting grain,” said farmer GabrielCarballal. Carballal, 40, began working on hisfamily farm in 1999, originally using traditionalmethods. But then came a “revolution” in plant-ing technologies, machinery and crop manage-ment techniques, he told AFP. That revolutionhas nearly doubled his yields in the course of adecade, thanks to genetically modified seeds,high-tech machines and “direct sowing”-a tech-nique that involves planting seeds directly intolast year’s fields, with minimal tilling, to protectthe soil.

At the same time Uruguay, where the agricul-

ture industry was traditionally geared towardcattle ranching, nearly tripled its crop land to 1.5million hectares (3.7 million acres).

The small country, an agricultural dynamowith a temperate climate that is sandwichedbetween South American giants Argentina andBrazil, leads the world in arable land per person,with 15 million hectares. It is also likely the onlycountry with four cows per person, each of themequipped with an electronic ear chip to traceevery cut of beef in this nation of steak lovers.

By betting on technology and boosting pro-ductivity, Uruguay has already gone from pro-ducing enough food for nine million people in2005 to enough for 28 million people today.

The government has set a target of eventual-ly feeding 50 million people, 15 times the popu-lation. Behind this “agro-intelligent Uruguay,” asthe government puts it, are decades of jointresearch by the state and private farmers andranchers, said Agriculture Minister TabareAguerre.

“We’re using the soil more intensively. Sincewe have more than 50 years of research tellingus which variables affect erosion and loss of soil

quality, we’ve developed public policies... thatapply a mathematical model predicting erosion,”he told AFP.

That model enables the government to regu-late soil usage with drones and satellite imageryto ensure farmers are following the rules.

“It ’s developed as public policy but it ’sapplied on the ground by nearly 500 privateagronomics engineers,” said the minister.

The government’s flagship project is a nation-al information system that will centralize datafrom each agricultural sector to guide policy-makers.

The goal is to increase competitiveness butalso protect family farms — 75 percent of thetotal, but disappearing fast-and preserve thecountry’s resources, said Aguerre.

“Protecting soil quality doesn’t mean notusing the soil, it means using it responsibly,” hesaid. He pointed to the example of Uruguayancattle ranchers, who cut emissions by 28 percentfrom 1990 to 2010. “With science, we can intensi-fy production and be more environmentallyresponsible in terms of greenhouse gas emis-sions,” he said — AFP

Uruguay has big plans for smart agriculture

URUGUAY : Young bulls remain at the “Toros de Kiyu” test station, in Kiyu, 61 km westof Montevideo. Uruguay is the only country in the world to achieve 100% tracebilityof cattle. — AFP

H E A LT H & S C I E N C ESUNDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2014

EUROPE: Those sun salutations and downwarddogs could be as good for the heart as cycling orbrisk walking, and easier to tolerate for olderpeople and those with health challenges, accord-ing to a new review of existing research. Based on37 clinical trials, researchers found that doingyoga lowered blood pressure, cholesterol, heartrate and other cardiovascular risk factors in incre-ments comparable to those seen with aerobicexercise.

“Taken together, these improvements couldfacilitate and complement a regimen toward bet-ter cardiovascular health,” said Paula Chu, a doc-toral candidate in health policy at Har vardUniversity in Cambridge, Massachusetts, who ledthe study.

She and her co-authors caution in theEuropean Journal of Preventive Cardiology, how-ever, that larger studies are needed to under-stand how yoga improves health, how much of itis ideal and if there are differences in benefitsfrom various types of yoga before the practicebecomes a standard prescription for heart dis-ease.

Nonetheless, yoga’s benefits have been longsuspected, said Dr Larry Phillips, a cardiologist atNYU Langone Medical Center in New York. “I thinkwhat we’ve seen is with yoga and the relaxationand behavior modification that goes along withit, there is a benefit to all patients, but especiallythose with heart disease,” said Phillips, who wasnot involved in the new analysis. “Here we areable to see there are more measurable benefitsthan we’ve seen before,” he told Reuters Health.

Yoga originated in India more than 5,000 years

ago, and has become a popular mind-body thera-py in the West. Yoga’s breath control and bodypostures are believed to help nourish self-aware-ness, control stress and develop physical strengthand balance. The more traditional Hatha style ofyoga is the most widely practiced in the US. Butmany specialized yoga “products,” such as hotyoga, power yoga and yoga retreats are part of abillion-dollar yoga industry. One study estimatesthat 15 million Americans have practiced yoga atleast once, according to Chu and her co-authors.

Metabolic syndromeThey focused on yoga’s effects on cardiovascu-

lar disease, as well as risk factors including highblood pressure, high blood sugar, excess abdomi-nal fat and abnormal cholesterol levels that makeup a profile - known as metabolic syndrome - thatoften leads to heart disease and diabetes. Thestudy team analyzed 37 randomized, controlledtrials involving 2,768 people through December2013. The trials either looked at yoga compared tono exercise or to aerobic exercises. Participants’average age was 50 and they were followed foranywhere from 12 weeks to one year.

Those who did yoga had significant improve-ments in a range of risk factors. Systolic bloodpressure (the top number) dropped by an averageof 5.21 mm Hg, and diastolic pressure (the bottomnumber) dropped 4.9 mm HG. LDL “bad” choles-terol fell by an average 12.14 mg/dl and HDL“good” cholesterol rose by an average 3.20 mg/dl.Average heart rate was lower by a little over 5beats per minute and weight loss averaged a bitover 5 pounds. These changes were similar to the

improvements seen among people who did aero-bic exercise instead.

Silver yogaThere were no changes, though, in fasting glu-

cose levels or A1C, a measure of long-term bloodsugar control in diabetics. Chu and her colleaguesnote that one weakness of the results is that theanalyzed trials included various types of yoga thatwere practiced for different amounts of time.These included Silver yoga (for seniors), Iyengaryoga (a form of Hatha that emphasizes correctpostures), Viniyoga (which includes chanting) andVinyasa (breath-synchronized movements.)

There were also a wide range of populations,from the young and healthy to older people withhistories of heart disease, Chu told Reuters Health.“We are not recommending anyone ditch theirmedicines or established medical or physicalpractices,” she said. “Individuals can talk to theirdoctors about whether yoga is a viable option forthem.”

Yoga classes may be offered at health clubs,spas, senior centers and in other sett ings.Individual classes at stand-alone yoga centerstend to range from $15 to $30. Phillips said heencourages his patients to develop a healthylifestyle and exercise regimen, which couldinclude yoga. He urges people to find a classthat is appropriate for their comfort level andabil ity. “ I think the effects of relaxation dodecrease stress levels and have a benefit to theheart,” said Phillips, adding that he had founddoing yoga boosted his own mood and energylevel. — Reuters

Yoga may benefit heart

health as much as aerobics

NEW YORK: In poor, mostly Latino areasof Denver, Colorado, people who suffercardiac arrest are less likely to get help inpart because distrust of law enforcementand language barriers stop bystandersfrom call ing 911 or learning CPR,researchers say.

“We always sort of take it for grantedthe people will call 911, and this is thefirst study to really take a step back andsay, gosh there’s real barriers that weneed to talk about,” said Dr ComillaSasson, who led the new study. Peoplewho live in poor and minority neighbor-hoods are more likely to suffer cardiacarrest outside of a hospital, and less like-ly to receive bystander cardiopulmonaryresuscitation (CPR) or to survive, Sassonand her colleagues write in Annals ofEmergency Medicine. The results of thesurvey point out several misconceptionsthat need to be addressed in such com-munities, like the fear that first respon-ders “aren’t going to help you unlessyou’re documented or that they’re goingto arrest you,” Sasson, an emergencyphysician at the University of ColoradoSchool of Medicine, told Reuters Health.

“It’s something we spent a lot of timehere in Denver really talking to ourpolice officers and talking to our com-munity members to let them know thatif you call 911 we’re not going to ask foridentification - we’re here to help you,”Sasson said. For their study, Sasson andcolleagues recruited residents of fivelow-income, primarily Latino neighbor-hoods in Denver to form focus groupsand do individual interviews to find outwhat might prevent them from calling911, learning CPR or performing it.

Criminal historyA total of 55 people participated in

six focus groups, along with an addition-al nine individual interviews. Theresearchers identified six major barriersto calling 911, including the fear of lawenforcement if the bystander wasundocumented or had a criminal history.Participants also misunderstood or werenot aware of Good Samaritan laws andworried that law enforcement or the vic-tim’s family would blame them if the per-son did not survive.

Cultural and language issues werealso important. For instance, there wasconsiderable concern about the propri-ety or safety of touching another person,especially a stranger, in the chest area oron the mouth. “I don’t know if it’s limitedto Hispanic culture or not, but the hesi-tancy to touch another person, especial-ly in the chest, and if it’s a woman, oh my

goodness . . . Uh, there is great hesitationon the older people’s part,” said one par-ticipant.

Many also expressed the fear of notbeing able to communicate with anemergency dispatcher. “One of thethings we found that’s specific to theLatinos in Denver, and I think it’s some-thing that’s important for people toknow, is when you do call 911 how tosay the right words to get throughfaster,” Sasson said.

It can take 5 to 10 minutes for the dis-patcher to communicate with somebodywho doesn’t speak English while tryingto figure out the medical emergency,Sasson said, so she trains people in thecommunity to say “heart stopped,Spanish interpreter” when they call 911.“It’s not rocket science by any means,but ‘heart stopped’ triggers that this is amedical emergency,” Sasson said, andsaying “Spanish interpreter” immediatelylets the operator know they don’t speakEnglish.

Cardiac arrestThe main reasons people gave for not

learning CPR included the cost, lack ofclasses and not being aware of how CPRcan save lives. “We know from theresearch we’ve done that Latinos are 30percent less likely to have CPR performedand what the study really showed it wasnot that Latinos don’t want to do CPR orthat they’re afraid of it,” Sasson said. It’struly, I think, that we haven’t gotten themessaging out on how important it isand how easy it is to do, especially nowthat you can do it without breathing intosomebody’s mouth - you can do hands-only CPR.”

Sasson said the American HeartAssociation has a Spanish-language web-site at heart.org/rcp with training materi-als and a 60-second video that peoplecan watch to learn how to do hands-onlyCPR in Spanish. “Cardiac arrest is a majorpublic health problem and bystanderCPR significantly improves your odds ofsurvival on the order of tripling (them)and there’s large disparities in whoreceives bystander CPR,” Dr Ben Bobrow,who wasn’t involved in the study, toldReuters Health. “There’s both economicand racial disparities in who has access tolife-saving therapy like CPR and it’s unac-ceptable that people shouldn’t haveaccess to simple life-saving interventionslike CPR,” said Bobrow, who is medicaldirector of the EMS and Trauma Systemin the Arizona Department of HealthServices and the University of ArizonaCollege of Medicine in Tucson. — AP

Language barriers and

fear of police may

prevent minority 911 calls

TAIPEI: A hippo that panicked while beingtransported by truck in Taiwan jumped fromthe vehicle, breaking a leg and causing con-fused residents to report spotting a dinosauron the loose. Television footage showed theenormous animal lying on the road with awhite fluid oozing from its eyes after itjumped through a truck window and landedon a parked car before falling onto the roadon Friday. The sound of the collision startledpeople nearby who flocked to see the ani-mal and contacted the police in centralMiaoli County.

One woman was quoted by the UnitedDaily News as saying that she ran out of herhouse after hearing the crash and thoughtshe saw “a dinosaur” lying on the road. The

truck driver was quoted by the newspaperas saying that he saw the hippo “flying out”of the vehicle after getting spooked duringthe drive. The injured animal, named “A Ho”after the Chinese name for hippo Ho Ma, layon the road for a few hours before being putinto a cargo container and taken back to itsfarm in central Taichung city, officials said.

Taiwanese authorities said Saturday thatthe animal’s owner could face a fine of upto Tw$75,000 (US$2,400) for violating ani-mal protection laws after the hippo suf-fered a broken leg and damage to its teeth.Local media said the hippo was a starattraction at its farm and had evenappeared in a popular television soapopera several years ago. — AFP

Hippo jumps from moving

truck in Taiwan, startling locals

FREETOWN: Leoneans observed asomber Christmas in their homes onThursday, after the government bannedtraditionally boisterous holiday celebra-tions to prevent the spread of deadlyEbola in the worst-hit country. Smallgroups of Christians in formal attire werepermitted to attend church services, butthe family gatherings, beach parties,concerts and dancing that usuallyaccompany the holiday were banned tohelp slow the deadly virus.

Police patrolled the capital’s twistingstreets and manned temperature checkpoints to watch for symptoms of thehaemorrhagic fever. On the radio, musi-cians who would normally be perform-ing at live concerts played Ebola aware-ness jingles.

“We want to avoid contact because ofthis deadly disease. It’s necessary but Iam not really happy. Normally we have alot of fun with family and friends, but wejust have to stay home,” said KadijaKargbo, a cleaner in the capitalFreetown.

She planned to stay indoors andwatch films with her children instead ofcelebrating at the beach this year. At aRed Cross treatment center in the east-ern city of Kenema, a small group ofpatients gathered around a cassetteplayer listening to Christmas carols, saidJestina Boyle, a psychosocial assistantwith the Red Cross.

Full personal“Some are sitting and listening and

those who are too weak can hear it fromtheir beds,” said Boyle by telephonebefore doing her morning round to visitthe sick. “I will sing gospel for them. I willgive them encouraging words and tellthem not to lose hope.” The center held asmall concert for patients earlier thisweek. A nurse in full personal protectiveequipment entered the patient area anddanced, holding the hands of two chil-dren. One patient stood and dancedwhile others watched from their beds.

With more than 9,000 cases, SierraLeone now accounts for nearly half ofthe known cases of Ebola in this year’sWest African outbreak, the worst ever.Neighboring Liberia and Guinea havealso been badly hit. President Ernest BaiKoroma has announced a new operationto identify the sick in an effort to slowthe disease’s spread. Further north in thedistrict of Port Loko, officials havedeclared a three-day lockdown andasked residents to stay indoors.

Sierra Leoneans have a reputation forpartying in the face of hardship and barswere often heaving during successiverebel incursions into the capital duringmore than a decade of civil war that end-ed in 2002. “People know about Ebolabut we are worried that we’ve had it solong that they normalize the situationand party,” said OB Sisay, director of thesituation room at the National EbolaResponse Centre, explaining the meas-ures. He said police had received instruc-tions to break up gatherings and arrestthe organizers. — Reuters

Somber Christmas,

gathering sbanned in

Ebola-hit Sierra LeoneFRESNO: Loggers cutting down forests burned inwildfires could bring about the extinction ofCalifornia spotted owls, wildlife advocates saidTuesday as they sought protection for the birdsunder the federal Endangered Species Act. Thepetition says emerging science has shown thatthe owls thrive in old growth forests that are stillliving as well as those that have been burned andturned black by high-intensity forest fires.

That finding contradicts current commonpractice of the US Forest Service, which opens upsome burned forests to loggers, the petitionstates. US Forest Service spokesman John Heilsaid officials don’t believe the California spottedowl is in danger of extinction. The agency main-tains that massive wildfires are the greatest threatto the owls and works to ensure the owl’s habitatis maintained or improved, he said.

Spotted owls have declined throughoutCalifornia by about 40 percent in the past threedecades, said Chad Hanson, a forest ecologist atthe John Muir Project of Earth Island Institute andone of the petitioners. There are an estimated1,200 pairs nesting in the state stretching fromLassen National Forest in the north to SanBernardino National Forest in the south, he said.

Without federal protection, Hanson said theowls could be gone after another three decadesof logging.

“You don’t call that a decline,” he said. “Scienceis telling us loudly that this species is at seriousrisk of extinction.” The US Fish and Wildlife Service,which denied protection to the spotted owl in2006 under a similar request, has three months todecide if there is evidence to support the requestand open a deeper discussion. Officials at the USDepartment of the Interior and US Fish andWildlife Service declined to comment, saying theyhad not yet seen the 130-page petition.

Large swathsRangers monitor California spotted owls and

are currently updating a 1992 study to deter-mine what help is needed. That study should beready early next year with a conservation strate-gy complete by 2016, Heil said. Mike Albrecht, alogger and owner of Sierra ResourcesManagement, said removing burned trees cre-ates healthier forests, which benefits spottedowls and people. Loggers have left large swathsof forests in California untouched, which areopen to wildlife, he said.

“It’s a little misleading to blame logging ormassive fires or any one thing on the demise of

the spotted owl,” he said. “We’re all working hardto preserve it.” Monica Bond, a biologist with theWild Nature Institute and one of the petitioners,said a 400-square-mile area burned in the 2013Rim Fire is a prime example of the logic in thepetition.

Spotted owls have flourished a year after theSierra Nevada’s largest fire in recorded historyraced through Stanislaus National Forest andYosemite National Park, she said. Hanson andBond have taken part in a lawsuit attempting tostop logging in the Rim Fire area. “The fact is thatlogging is going to hurt owls,” she said. “It’s timeto give this owl some help.” — AP

Wildlife groups seek

help for California owl

CALIFORNIA: This June 1995 file photo shows a Northern Spotted owl taken in Point Reyes. —AP

H E A LT H & S C I E N C ESUNDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2014

NEW YORK: Teenagers are more likely than middleaged drivers to die in crashes while driving older,smaller cars, according to a recent study. Based on acensus of fatal car accidents over five years,researchers found that four out of five teens killedwere driving cars that were at least six years old andnearly half drove cars that were more than 11 yearsold. In addition, nearly one third of the teens killedwere driving small or mini cars.

“Many teenagers are driving - and dying in - theleast protective types of vehicles,” said Anne McCartt,a senior vice president of research at the InsuranceInstitute for Highway Safety (IIHS) who led the study.Car accidents are the leading cause of death amongUS teenagers, and teens are three times more likelythan adults to have a motor vehicle accident,McCartt told Reuters in an email.

Teens are less mature and often more confidentthan adult drivers, leading them to speed and neg-lect to wear seatbelts, said Keli Braitman, an assistantprofessor of psychology at William Jewell College inLiberty, Missouri, who studies teenage drivers.

“Because of their lack of experience, they’re alsoless able to recognize and handle emergencies andhazards when they arise,” she told Reuters Health inan email. Braitman was not involved in the newstudy. McCartt and another researcher used data onfatal accidents from the Fatality Analysis ReportingSystem covering 2008 through 2012. They examinedthe types and sizes of cars driven by 15- to 17-year-olds who were driving when killed in a crash, thencompared results to drivers between 35 and 50 yearsold who died behind the wheel.

In the sample of around 2,500 teens, 82 percentwere killed in crashes while driving cars over six

years old and 48 percent drove cars over 11 yearsold. Among the 19,000 middle-aged drivers killed,77 percent were in cars more than six years old and46 percent had cars over 11 years old.

Older driversThe car sizes involved in the fatalities differed

considerably between age groups. Among theteens, 29 percent were driving a mini or small carand 23 percent were driving a mid-size car whenthey crashed. In comparison, 20 percent of middle-aged drivers had a mini or small car and 16 percent amid-size, when killed. Older drivers were more likelyto be in large pick-up trucks (17 percent, versus 10percent of teens) and midsize SUVs ( 11 percent, ver-sus 9 percent of teens), according to the results pub-lished in Injury Prevention.

“Newer vehicles tend to fare better in crashesthan older vehicles, and are more likely to have safe-ty features,” Braitman said. She listed electronic sta-bility control (ESC), a program that automaticallyapplies breaks when the car skids, as a key feature.Another important safety feature is side air bags,which Braitman said can protect both the driver andpassengers in a crash. “Smaller, lighter vehicles don’tafford as much crash protection as bigger, heaviervehicles,” McCartt said.

One limitation of the study, Braitman noted, isthat the researchers did not compare data on peoplekilled in crashes to those who didn’t die. This makesit difficult to say, for example, whether teens aremore often killed in older cars because these cars aremore dangerous or because teens are more likely todrive older cars. According to McCartt, parents areconcerned with safety, but often do not have up-to-

date information on safety features. The IIHS, whichfunded the study, offers an online guide for parentsto help them choose the safest possible used cars ata reasonable price.

The guide, titled “Safety rides shotgun: the bestused vehicles for teen drivers,” advises against high

horsepower, and recommends bigger, heavier carsas well as cars with ESC and good crash test ratings.“A teenager’s first vehicle is more than just a financialdecision. Parents need to do their homework andfactor in safety as well as affordability,” McCarttsaid.— Reuters

Teen drivers may run a fatal risk in older, smaller cars

DUBLIN: Ireland’s high court ruled doctors can with-draw life support for a clinically-dead pregnantwoman on Friday, in the latest case to trigger heateddebate on the country’s stringent abortion laws.Despite requests from the woman’s family for her tobe allowed to die, doctors continued life support asthe Irish constitution says a woman and her unbornchild have an equal right to life. The woman was 14weeks pregnant when she was declared clinicallydead on Dec 3 after suffering a brain injury. She hasbeen on life support since but is “deteriorating rapid-ly”, the court heard.

The case touched on a deeply divisive issue inIreland, which has a controversial constitutional banon abortion, with even the head of the CatholicChurch in the country saying, “A woman isn’t simplyan incubator.”

The high court’s judgment accepted medical evi-dence that the fetus has “no realistic prospect ofemerging alive” and that only legal uncertainty hadbrought the case to this point.

“To maintain and continue the present somaticsupport for the mother would deprive her of dignityin death and subject her father, her partner and heryoung children to unimaginable distress,” the judg-ment said. It described continuing medical treatmentas “a futile exercise which commenced only becauseof fears held by medical specialists of potential legalconsequences”. The case reignited fierce social ten-sions in majority Catholic Ireland over the rights ofunborn children, prompting the Archbishop ofDublin Diarmuid Martin to speak out on the issue.

“From the point of view of Catholic teaching ingeneral medical ethics, there is no obligation to useextraordinary means to maintain a life,” Martin toldNewstalk radio. “A woman isn’t simply an incubator.”In a statement following the judgment, the Irishhealth service welcomed the judgment andexpressed “deepest sympathy to the family... in thetragic and extremely difficult situation they havefound themselves in.”

‘Too restrictive’ But experts said similar cases could emerge in the

future due to the broad language of the eighthamendment to the Irish constitution. Though intend-

ed to outlaw abortion, the wording of the amend-ment does not refer specifically to termination andaffords equal rights to a woman and her unbornchild “as far as practicable”.

“The (court’s) decision was based on the absenceof a realistic prospect of a live birth,” ConorO’Mahony, a senior lecturer in constitutional law atUniversity College Cork wrote in an analysis of thejudgment. “As long as the eighth amendmentremains in the constitution in its present form, thepossibility of such a deeply tragic and private casebeing decided in the very public and distressing sur-roundings of the courts will be present.” The broadwording of the law has also been blamed for causingconfusion in emergency situations in the past.

Earlier this month, Health Minister Leo Varadkarsaid the constitutional rules around abortion are “toorestrictive” and have a “chilling effect” on doctors.“Difficult decisions that should be made by women

and their doctors, a couple or next-of-kin... on thebasis of best clinical practice, are now often made onfoot of legal advice. That is not how it should be.”

A series of protests have demanded the amend-ment be repealed, but Prime Minister Enda Kennyhas ruled out a referendum before the next generalelection, which is due in 2016. In 2013, after anotherdivisive debate and a supreme court ruling, Dublinintroduced new laws allowing for terminations inlimited circumstances if the life of the mother was atrisk.

It followed the death of 31-year-old Indian dentistSavita Halappanavar in a Galway hospital in October2012, in a case that generated global attention.Halappanavar had sought a termination when toldshe was miscarrying, but the request was refused asthe fetus was alive and her life appeared not to be indanger. She died of blood poisoning days after mis-carrying. — AFP

Irish court: Life support

can end for pregnant woman

DUBLIN: In this Saturday, Nov, 2012 file photo, abortion rights activists hold candles and dis-play pictures in memory of Savita Halappanavar, a 31-year-old Indian dentist who died ofblood poisoning after being denied an abortion in a Dublin hospital, during a protest rallyoutside Ireland’s government headquarters. — AP

NEWYORK: Regardless of IQ, people whowork at complex jobs have a slightly high-er chance of being better thinkers as theyage, a recent study suggests. “When welook at the association between complex-ity of work with people or data, we seethat those in more complex jobs general-ly do better on a range of cognitive abilitymeasures,” said Alan Gow, one of thestudy authors.

“That’s not necessarily surprising . . .but we were able to add an interestingtwist,” said Gow, an assistant professor ofpsychology at the School of Life Sciencesat Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh,Scotland. The researchers knew from ear-lier work that complex jobs might helpprotect cognitive ability later in life. Sothey added the childhood IQs of 1,066people in Scotland from a 1936 study totheir analysis.

They also grouped the people fromthat study according to profession - forexample, architect, engineer and lawyer(higher thinking jobs) or typist and sales-person (requiring less complicated think-ing).

The study participants, all age 70 dur-ing the new analysis, took cognitive teststhat determined general thinking ability,speed and memory. Their educationaland criminal backgrounds and access toservices were also factored in. By includ-ing data on IQ from the participantswhen they were 11 years old, “the associ-ation between more complex jobs andbetter cognitive outcomes is reduced, butthere remains a small additional benefitfor our cognitive abilities from being inmore complex jobs,” Gow told ReutersHealth in an email.

Complex jobChildhood IQ explained about half of

the difference in later thinking ability inthe participants. And complex jobs wereresponsible for about 1 to 2 percent of

the cognitive differences between peoplelater in life, according to the results in thejournal Neurology. The researchers saidthe cognitive benefit of a complex jobwas similar to the benefits of not smokingon later cognition.

“It’s been proposed, for example, thatmore complex work with people and datamight require the deployment of variouscognitive abilities; this may develop theseskills, or at least protect them fromdecline, and people are exploring whatthose suggested mechanisms mightactually look like in terms of changes inthe brain,” Gow said. He’s been looking ata variety of lifestyle factors that mightpredict cognitive ability in older people,including leisure and physical activity andsocial networks and support.

“The reason I focus on factors likethese is that many, though not all, ofcourse, are amenable to change. If we canidentify the things that protect or harmour cognitive abilities, we will be able toprovide clear information or design betterinterventions,” Gow said.

“I think the opportunity to use ourthinking and reasoning skills and continu-ally use them throughout our lives likelycontributes to our ability to stay sharp,”said Sian Beilock, a psychology professorat the University of Chicago.

“So being able to do complex thinkingand reasoning in our profession is oneway to continually flex our cognitivehorsepower or brain power,” said Beilock,who was not involved in the study. Otherways to ward off cognitive declineinclude exercise, and remembering ourstrengths, rather than dwelling on whatwe’re forgetting, he said. “Doing things toget rid of those worries, whether remind-ing yourself you have lots of experienceor jotting down things (like worries) innotes . . . can help ensure you can use allthe brain power at your disposal,” Beilocksaid. — Reuters

Complex jobs might help

maintain brain fitness in aging

W H AT ’ S ONSUNDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2014

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Kuwait Science Club announces results

The Kuwait Science Club announced results of Kuwait’s 5th Conference on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, which took place on 1 - 3December 2014. The results include establishing a union of organizations that provide care for people with disabilities. Several Kuwait University stu-dents took part in 36 workshops that took place during the conference, featuring experts in the fields from the United States of America.

American Society of Safety Engineers,Kuwait Chapter has introduced GulfCooperation Council (GCC) HSE

Excellence Award to recognize leadership,excellence and encourage exceptional per-formance in the field of Health, Safety andEnvironment in private sector companies inthe Gulf Region.

American Society of Safety Engineers-Kuwait chapter, a non-profit VoluntaryOrganization has devised this award schemeto recognize and reward those GCC privatesector organizations who have been success-ful over the course of the years in managingthe Occupational Health, Safety andEnvironment risks of workplace, developmentand performance of its HSE Management

System. The award is patronized by KuwaitPetroleum Corporation (KPC), endorsed bythe international organizations such asInternational Association Of DrillingContractors (IADC) and supported byInstitution of Occupational Safety and Health,UK (IOSH)

The awards will be presented to the organi-zations under five categories such as engi-neering and construction, manufacturing, oiland gas, facility and maintenance and sector(Specific Contract / Project Site). Based on theaward criteria and evaluation, Gold, Silver,Bronze and Merit awards are presented undereach Category.

In addition to this, two special additionalawards are announced in this year award pro-

gram which is Excellence in Corporate SocialResponsibility and Environmental ExcellenceAward. The four other special awards such asManagement of Driving safety award, HSEManagement Initiative award, Best DebutAward and Gold Medal Award are continuedfrom previous years and launched in thisaward program as well.

The award submission will be evaluated byindependent panel of HSE professionals ofASSE, headed by President of ASSE - USA andVice President Region VI- USA and ASSEKuwait Chapter.

The launch of the brochure for the GCC HSEexcellence award was held on 16th ofDecember in a gathering of invited guestsfrom various companies across GCC, ASSE

Executive Committee, ASSE Advisory membersand the ASSE members.

The GCC HSE Excellence Award committeeDirector Bala Siva SrikanthAdivi briefed thegathering on the award programs, its benefitsand salient features of application mechanism.

ASSE President Mohammed Riaz statedthat it will be a good opportunity for the pri-vate sector companies to show case their HSEperformance and benchmark their position.

The details are available in the web sitehttp://www.asse-hseawards.com The last datefor award submission is February 15 2015.

The list of winners under different cate-gories will be announced at the end of March2015 and the gala award ceremony will be onApril 22, 2015 at Hilton Kuwait.

ASSE introduces GCC3 HSE Excellence Award

Dearest Urmi, Avery Happy birth-day to you. You

are a wonderful sourceof joy in our life. Mayyour special day bringyou an extra share ofeverything which makesyou the happiest in theworld. May God blessyou with love & successon every step in life.

Best wishes from: Didun, Mummy, Papa, Baramama, Bara mami, Mejo mama, mejo mami,Rongo mama, chhoto mami, Mimi, Mou didi,Sharmi didi, Ria didi, Rimi, Sonu, Tutu kaka, kaki,Pishu, Ranti dada, Mamoni, Kona pishi, Somudada, Manu kaka Debu dada, Minu & Riddhimaan.

Greetings

W H AT ’ S ONSUNDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2014

The School of Engineering at theAustralian College of Kuwait (ACK)organized its first ‘Engineering Day’ exhi-

bition, whereby students from the College’sfour Engineering programs - Mechanical,Electrical, Civil and Oil and Gas / Petroleum -showcased their final graduation projects. The

exhibition was developed as a platform to pro-vide students the opportunity to present theirinnovative concepts, reflecting their knowl-edge, competency and special technical skillsacquired during their studies at the School ofEngineering. In total, there were 68 projectspresented by 77 Engineering students. The top

4 projects were then chosen as winners fromeach department and were awarded by theCollege’s President, Professor MohammadTerro. On this occasion, Dr Mohammad Ghaith,Head of School of Engineering, said: “I amoverwhelmed and extremely pleased with thesuccess of our first Engineering Day exhibition.

It was a brilliant showcase of our students’ cre-ative capabilities and knowledge in the field ofengineering, and I am extremely confidentthat they will be of great value to Kuwait’sgrowing labor market.”

ACK proudly integrates project-basedlearning (PBL)into its unique mix of vocational

and theoretical curriculum. The “EngineeringDay” was a direct reflection of this approach,representing ACK’s students’ abilities in con-ceptualizing and executing complex projectsfrom start to finish, preparing them for realworld experiences in the competitive field ofengineering.

‘Engineering Day’ at Australian College of Kuwait

The Commercial Bank of Kuwait was themain sponsor of the Australian Collegeof Kuwait’s football tournament which

started in November until December.Sixteen teams consisting of ACK studentsparticipated. A representative from the bank,Bashar Al-Bader, was on hand during theclosing ceremony to crown the first and sec-ond place teams plus give prizes to the bestplayer, best goal keeper and top scorer.

Al-Tijari is keen on supporting students,and youth in general, throughout the year intheir academic activities and help them increating a brighter future for Kuwait. TheCommercial Bank of Kuwait provides thebest account for college students in the formof @Tijari, a savings account for customersaged 15 - 21 years old and can be openedwith KD 10 only. Holders of the @Tijariaccount receive exclusive discounts atnumerous clothing stores, restaurants, gymand more in addition to be invited to manyexciting events that the banks organizeseach year. Furthermore, college studentswho transfer their social allowance to CBKreceive a KD 50 welcoming gift.

ACK Football Tournament winners honored

The Sultan Center (TSC)flagged off the opening of itsorganic food section at the

chain’s Qurum store on Sunday,December 21, 2014. TSC Naturalswill be a section solely dedicated toorganic food, featuring over 2,000products sourced internationallyfrom countries such as the UK, US,Italy and Australia.

“TSC is always keen to offer itsvaluable customers the finest exclu-sive and unique products fromevery spot of the globe. This newstore comes to delight our clientshealth conscious with their favorite

products. Our extensive range cov-ers every category of products thatour customers need and demand,like beauty care products, groceries,beverages, toys, bed linen andcookware “ said Makram Malaeb -Group International & Non FoodCommercial Director.

“By establishing a dedicated sec-tion to organic food, the companyaims to give Oman the best in termsof quality produce that is fresh andorganically produced, he added.

Guided by a mandate to guaran-tee customers a unique and pleas-ant shopping experience, TSC

Naturals also maps out the compa-ny’s direction for 2015 and its goalsto advocate healthy living throughthe consumption of organicallyfarmed products.

“Our customers will be able tocomplement their shopping at TSCNaturals with other healthy prod-ucts from our specialist bakery,butchery, delicatessen and the wideassortment of local and importedfruits and vegetables. Our new andexclusive line of ‘Sultan Organic’products provide customers with ahealthy choice and better value formoney,” concluded Malaeb.

Sultan Center inaugurates

TSC Naturals in Oman

Kuwaiti inventorMohammad Behbahaniwas honored by the

Council of Saudi Chambers forwinning first place in the 2ndGulf campaign for the “GCCInventors 2014,” held recentlyin Riyadh. Behbahani also wonfirst place for his “portablearmrest for seating” inventionin a competition held at theKuwait Science Club twoweeks ago.

Upon his return from Saudi Arabia,Behbahani told said that providing com-petitive atmosphere to Arab inventors

would only motivate them todo more and encourage themto express their creative ideasthrough practical inventionsthat could be put to use inday-to-day life.

“GCC Inventors 2014” washeld under the patronage ofSecretary General of the GCCAbdullatif Al-Zayani. TheAward aimed at helping theyouth to realize their aspira-tions by organizing events,

workshops, meetings, training courses, andinteraction with their international coun-terparts. —KUNA

Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait awarded outstand-ing students at Abdullah Al Mubarak AlSabah High School for boys, as part of its

‘Best Student Award’ initiative. The ‘best student’ award went to Omar

Mohammed Abdulmen’em, fahad Nashi Fahad,Ahmad Essam Mahmoud, Mubarak Jamal AlRubaian and Abdulateef Jumaa Al Mahmeed forachieving superlative percentages in theirgrades.

Ali Al Baghli, ABK’s PR Manager stated, “Atthe outset we would like to congratulate theoutstanding students for their efforts at such acreditable performance. Congratulations alsogo out to their parents and the administrativeand educational faculty of Abdullah AlMubarak Al Sabah High School for their dedi-cation and perseverance at honing the stu-dents to this level.”

Baghli added, “This comes as part of the

social responsibility initiatives that are offeredto develop and support varying segments ofsociety in Kuwait. It also reiterates ABK’s com-mitment to participating in educational sup-port, which is the core of any successful anddeveloped society.”

Abdullah Mubarak Al Haggan, the schoolmanager thanked ABK’s generous initiative insupporting and encouraging students as theychart their educational journey.

Inventor wins first place

in GCC inventions award

ABK awards outstanding high school students

00:45 The Fighters01:35 How It’s Made02:00 How It’s Made02:25 How It’s Made02:50 How It’s Made03:15 How It’s Made03:40 How It’s Made04:05 How It’s Made04:30 How It’s Made05:00 How It’s Made05:30 How It’s Made06:00 Fast N’ Loud06:50 Kindig Customs07:40 Highway To Sell08:30 Gold Rush09:20 Gold Rush10:10 Alaskan Bush People11:00 Airplane Repo11:50 Street Outlaws12:40 How It’s Made13:05 How It’s Made13:30 How It’s Made13:55 How It’s Made14:20 How It’s Made14:45 Container Wars15:10 Container Wars15:35 Container Wars16:00 Container Wars16:25 Container Wars16:50 Garage Gold17:15 Garage Gold17:40 Dukes Of Haggle18:05 Dukes Of Haggle18:30 Dukes Of Haggle18:55 Troy19:45 Close-Up Kings20:35 Magic Of Science21:00 Magic Of Science21:25 Gold Rush22:15 Gold Rush23:05 Alaskan Bush People

07:00 Tastiest Places ToChowdown07:25 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives09:05 Siba’s Table09:30 Have Cake, Will Travel10:20 Barefoot Contessa - BackTo Basics10:45 Barefoot Contessa - BackTo Basics11:10 Siba’s Table11:35 Siba’s Table12:00 Guy’s Big Bite12:25 Unique Eats13:15 Hungry Girl14:05 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives15:45 Barefoot Contessa - BackTo Basics16:10 Barefoot Contessa - BackTo Basics16:35 Siba’s Table17:00 Siba’s Table17:25 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives18:40 Barefoot Contessa - BackTo Basics19:05 Barefoot Contessa - BackTo Basics19:30 Siba’s Table20:20 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives21:10 Barefoot Contessa - BackTo Basics21:35 Barefoot Contessa - BackTo Basics22:00 Chopped22:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives

T V PR O G R A M SSUNDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2014

00:30 Fashion Bloggers00:55 Fashion Bloggers01:25 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills01:50 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills02:20 THS03:15 Eric And Jessie: Game On03:40 Eric And Jessie: Game On04:10 E! Investigates05:05 Pop Innovators06:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians06:55 Keeping Up With TheKardashians07:50 Style Star08:20 Beyond Candid WithGiuliana09:15 House Of DVF10:15 House Of DVF11:10 Fashion Bloggers11:35 Fashion Bloggers12:05 E!ES13:05 Pop Innovators14:05 Kourtney And Khloe TakeThe Hamptons15:00 Kourtney And Khloe TakeThe Hamptons16:00 Giuliana & Bill17:00 Giuliana & Bill18:00 E! News19:00 Eric And Jessie: Game On19:30 Eric And Jessie: Game On20:00 Untold With MariaMenounos21:00 Kourtney And Khloe TakeThe Hamptons22:00 House Of DVF23:00 E!ES

00:05 Barefoot Contessa - BackTo Basics00:30 Barefoot Contessa - BackTo Basics00:55 Siba’s Table01:20 Siba’s Table01:45 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives02:10 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives02:35 Fast Food Gone Global03:25 Charly’s Cake Angels03:50 Siba’s Table04:15 Siba’s Table04:40 Barefoot Contessa - BackTo Basics05:05 Barefoot Contessa - BackTo Basics05:30 Reza, Spice Prince Of India05:50 Siba’s Table06:10 Have Cake, Will Travel06:35 Have Cake, Will Travel

THE WOLVERINE ON OSN MOVIES HD

The Last Stand ON OSN MOVIES ACTION HD

01:15 Murdoch Mysteries02:55 Emmerdale05:00 Breathless05:55 The Jonathan Ross Show06:45 Holiday: Heaven On Earth07:15 The Royal VarietyPerformance 201409:45 Tricked10:40 Big Star’s Little Star11:35 Paul O’grady For The LoveOf Dogs12:30 Murdoch Mysteries14:05 Cilla15:00 Big Star’s Little Star15:55 Paul O’grady: For The LoveOf Dogs...16:50 The Jonathan Ross Show17:45 Tricked18:30 Paul O’grady For The LoveOf Dogs19:00 Big Star’s Little Star19:55 Tricked20:50 The Jonathan Ross Show21:45 Murdoch Mysteries23:15 The Royal VarietyPerformance 2014

08:00 Storage Wars08:30 Storage Wars09:00 Storage Wars09:30 Storage Wars10:00 Storage Wars10:30 Storage Wars11:00 Pawn Stars UK11:30 Pawn Stars UK12:00 Pawn Stars UK12:30 Pawn Stars UK13:00 Down East Dickering14:00 American Pickers15:00 Counting Cars15:30 Counting Cars16:00 Storage Wars Texas16:30 Storage Wars Texas17:00 Storage Wars Texas17:30 Storage Wars Texas18:00 Storage Wars18:30 Storage Wars19:00 Storage Wars19:30 Storage Wars20:00 Storage Wars20:30 Storage Wars21:00 Pawn Stars

00:00 Diggers00:30 Diggers01:00 Hard Time02:00 Chasing UFOs03:00 Jurassic C.S.I.04:00 Cosmos: A SpacetimeOdyssey05:00 Naked Science06:00 Master Of Disaster07:00 Beyond Magic With Dmc08:00 Diggers08:30 Diggers09:00 Hard Time10:00 Chasing UFOs11:00 Britain’s Underworld12:00 Salvage Code Red13:00 The Truth Behind14:00 Britain’s Greatest Machines15:00 Family Guns16:00 The Living Edens (Rev)17:00 Wild Untamed Brazil18:00 Ultimate Airport Dubai19:00 Family Guns20:00 The Living Edens (Rev)21:00 Wild Untamed Brazil22:00 Ultimate Airport Dubai23:00 Britain’s Underworld

07:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers08:00 Growing Up Fisher08:30 Better Off Ted10:00 Young & Hungry10:30 My Name Is Earl11:00 The Tonight Show StarringJimmy Fallon12:30 Growing Up Fisher13:00 Better Off Ted13:30 My Name Is Earl15:00 Young & Hungry15:30 The Daily Show GlobalEdition16:00 The Colbert Report GlobalEdition17:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers18:30 The Goldbergs19:00 Dads19:30 Baby Daddy20:00 Friends With Better Lives20:30 Mystery Girls21:00 The Daily Show With JonStewart21:30 The Colbert Report22:00 Saturday Night Live23:00 Mixology23:30 Friends With Better Lives

00:00 Rake01:00 The Strain02:00 Sons Of Anarchy03:00 Supernatural06:00 Rake08:00 Bones12:00 Emmerdale12:30 Coronation Street13:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show14:00 Bones15:00 Rake16:00 Emmerdale16:30 Coronation Street17:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show18:00 Bones19:00 Once Upon A Time21:00 The Killing22:00 The Americans23:00 Supernatural

00:00 Franklin & Bash02:00 Good Morning America03:00 Grimm04:00 The Knick06:00 Good Morning America07:00 Emmerdale07:30 Coronation Street08:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show09:00 2410:00 Emmerdale10:30 Coronation Street11:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show12:00 Burn Notice13:00 Franklin & Bash14:00 2416:00 Live Good Morning America17:00 Burn Notice18:00 Franklin & Bash19:00 2420:00 Burn Notice21:00 Franklin & Bash22:00 Grimm23:00 The Knick

00:00 The Day-PG1502:00 The Cold Light Of Day-PG1504:00 One Good Cop-PG1506:00 The Expatriate-PG1508:00 American Warships-PG1510:00 Tactical Force-PG1512:00 The Last Stand-PG1514:00 The Expatriate-PG1516:00 The Call-PG1517:45 Police Story-PG1519:45 Oblivion-PG1522:00 Plunkett & Macleane-PG15

00:00 The Hitchhiker’s Guide ToThe Galaxy-PG1502:00 Mystery, Alaska-PG1504:00 Standing Ovation-PG1506:00 Hello Ladies: The Movie-PG1508:00 Open Season-FAM10:00 Mystery, Alaska-PG1512:00 The Little Rascals Save TheDay-PG14:00 So I Married An AxeMurderer-PG1516:00 Open Season-FAM18:00 Dumb And Dumberer: WhenHarry Met Lloyd-PG1520:00 Friends With Kids-PG1522:00 The Heartbreak Kid-18

01:00 My Last Day Without You-PG1503:00 How I Live Now-PG1505:00 Heaven’s Door-PG07:00 Temptation: Confessions OfA Marriage Counselor-PG1509:00 Five Thirteen-PG1511:00 Heaven’s Door-PG13:00 Beasts Of The SouthernWild-PG1515:00 Everything Must Go-PG1517:00 Five Thirteen-PG1519:00 Maladies-PG1521:00 Safe Haven-PG1523:00 12 Years A Slave-18

00:00 Mo Better Blues-1802:30 Nobody Walks-PG1504:00 Blackfish-PG1505:30 Snow Falling On Cedars-PG1508:00 Eastwood Directs: TheUntold Story-PG1509:30 Captain Phillips-PG1511:45 Hold Fast-PG1513:30 A Cool Dry Place-PG1515:30 Captain Phillips-PG1518:00 The Best Man-PG1520:00 Great Expectations-PG1522:00 Love Is All You Need-18

01:00 Dream House-PG1503:00 Superman: Unbound-PG05:00 The Croods-PG07:00 Austenland-PG1509:00 The Monuments Men-PG1511:00 A Good Day To Die Hard13:00 Lego Batman: The Movie -DC Super Heroes Unite-PG15:00 The Bag Man-PG1517:00 The Monuments Men-PG1519:00 Escape Plan-PG1521:00 White Bird In A Blizzard23:00 The Wolverine-PG15

02:00 ICC Cricket 36002:30 Live Cricket10:30 Fedex Cup Playoffs OfficialFilm11:30 PGA Tour Year in Review12:30 Ryder Cup Official Film14:00 European Tour Weekly15:00 Rugby League FinalHighlights15:30 Live PDC World DartsChampionship19:30 NFL Gameday20:00 Top 14 22:00 Live PDC World DartsChampionship

00:30 Futbol Mundial01:00 NHL03:00 Live NHL06:00 Trans world Sport07:00 European Tour Weekly08:00 PDC World DartsChampionship12:00 Super League FinalHighlights12:30 NRL Final Highlights13:00 Rugby League 4NationsFinal Highlights13:30 Super Rugby FinalHighlights14:00 Currie Cup Final Highlights14:30 ITM Cup Final Highlights15:00 NHL17:00 NFL Gameday17:30 Trans world Sport18:30 NHL20:00 NFL Gameday21:00 Live NFL

00:00 Big Bash League T20Highlights01:00 ICC Cricket 36001:30 Big Bash League T20Highlights02:30 Live Australia v IndiaInternational Test10:30 ICC Cricket 36011:00 Live Big Bash League T2014:30 ICC Cricket 36015:00 LG ICC Awards 201416:00 Big Bash League T20Highlights17:00 Big Bash League T2020:30 ICC Cricket 36021:00 ICC Cricket World Cup Tales21:30 ICC Cricket World Cup Tales22:00 Big Bash League T20Highlights23:00 LG ICC Awards 2014

00:30 Barbie Magic Of TheRainbow02:00 Marvel’s Next Avengers:Heroes Of Tomorrow03:30 The Chronicles Of Narnia:Prince Caspian06:00 Garfield’s Fun Fest08:00 Unstable Fables: TheGoldilocks & The Three Bears10:00 Home Alone 311:30 Blue Elephant13:00 Wheelers14:30 Cinderella16:00 Shark Bait18:00 Home Alone 320:00 Arthur’s Missing Pal22:00 Cinderella23:30 Shark Bait

00:30 The Daily Show GlobalEdition01:00 The Colbert Report GlobalEdition01:30 Saturday Night Live02:30 Mixology04:00 Growing Up Fisher04:30 The Tonight Show StarringJimmy Fallon05:30 Better Off Ted06:30 My Name Is Earl

00:00 The Expatriate02:00 The Day04:00 The Cold Light Of Day06:00 One Good Cop08:00 The Expatriate10:00 American Warships12:00 Tactical Force14:00 The Last Stand16:00 The Expatriate18:00 The Call19:45 Police Story21:45 Oblivion

01:00 The Four-U03:00 Coyote Ugly04:45 The Horse Whisperer07:30 Spy Kids 4-PG09:15 The Hurricane11:45 Stepmom14:00 Marvel’s The Avengers16:30 The Four-U18:30 Elvis Has Left The Building-U20:00 Terminator III-PG21:45 Double Team23:30 Cinderella Man

Pregnant03:40 I Didn’t Know I WasPregnant04:05 Driving Me Crazy05:00 Driving Me Crazy06:00 Something Borrowed,Something New06:25 Super Soul Sunday07:15 Driving Me Crazy08:05 Ultimate Shopper08:55 Cake Boss09:20 Cake Boss09:45 Cake Boss10:10 17 Kids And Counting10:35 Little People, Big World11:00 Toddlers & Tiaras11:50 Say Yes To The Dress12:15 Say Yes To The Dress12:40 Super Soul Sunday13:30 World’s Worst Mum14:20 Randy To The Rescue15:10 Something Borrowed,Something New15:35 Cake Boss16:00 Driving Me Crazy16:50 17 Kids And Counting17:15 Little People, Big World17:40 Toddlers & Tiaras18:30 Something Borrowed,Something New18:55 Say Yes To The Dress19:20 Say Yes To The Dress19:45 Super Soul Sunday20:35 Cake Boss21:00 Cake Boss21:25 Cake Boss21:50 Bakery Boss22:40 Long Island Medium23:05 Secret Eaters

01:45 Fast & Furious 6-PG1504:00 Hot Rod-PG1505:45 Sky Force-FAM07:30 Red Sky-PG1509:30 Turbo-PG11:15 Fast & Furious 6-PG1513:30 The Host-PG1515:45 Red Sky-PG1517:45 G.I. Joe: Retaliation-PG1519:45 Star Trek Into Darkness-22:00 Breakout-PG15

00:00 Dark Passage-FAM01:50 Sweet Bird Of Youth03:50 Dark Passage-FAM05:40 TCM Presents Under The...-U07:00 The Main Attraction-PG08:30 Penelope-FAM10:10 Invasion Quartet-FAM11:35 Courage Of Lassie-FAM13:05 Valley Of The Kings-FAM14:35 Edge Of The City-PG16:00 3 Godfathers-FAM17:45 4 For Texas-PG19:40 They Died With Their BootsOn-FAM22:00 Julius Caesar-FAM

00:45 Return To Amish01:35 Body Bizarre02:25 I Didn’t Know I WasPregnant02:50 I Didn’t Know I WasPregnant03:15 I Didn’t Know I Was

00:00 Fit For Fashion01:00 The Listener02:00 The Listener03:00 According To Jim05:00 MasterChef Australia07:30 The Bridge08:30 How I Met Your Mother08:55 How I Met Your Mother09:30 Detroit 1-8-710:30 No Ordinary Family11:30 Army Wives14:00 Fit For Fashion15:00 The Listener16:00 The Listener17:00 Grey’s Anatomy18:00 Off The Map19:00 Off The Map20:00 Castle21:00 Happy Endings21:25 Happy Endings22:00 The Bridge23:00 The Walking Dead

00:00 Pawn Stars00:30 Pawn Stars01:00 Ice Road Truckers02:00 American Restoration02:30 American Restoration03:00 Counting Cars03:30 Counting Cars04:00 Pawn Stars04:30 Pawn Stars05:00 Pawn Stars05:30 Pawn Stars06:00 Pawn Stars06:30 Pawn Stars07:00 Pawn Stars

ClassifiedsSUNDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2014

Kuwait

Fajr: 05:16

Shorook 06:41

Duhr: 11:49

Asr: 14:39

Maghrib: 16:58

Isha: 18:20

Prayer timings

KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TOWEDNESDAY (25/12/2014 TO 31/12/2014)

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

DIAL161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Arrival Flights on Sunday 28/12/2014Airlines Flt Route TimeKAC 502 Beirut 00:05JAI 574 Mumbai 00:10JZR 239 Amman 00:25JZR 267 Beirut 00:30JZR 539 Cairo 00:40THY 772 Istanbul 00:45FDB 069 Dubai 00:55QTR 1084 Doha 01:00RJA 642 Amman 01:05PGT 858 Istanbul 01:35ETH 620 Addis Ababa 01:45GFA 211 Bahrain 02:30UAE 853 Dubai 02:35JAI 526 Chennai/Abu Dhabi 02:50FDB 067 Dubai 02:55MSR 612 Cairo 03:10ETD 305 Abu Dhabi 03:10CEB 7694 Manila 03:10KKK 6507 Istanbul 03:20QTR 1076 Doha 03:45MSC 401 Alexandria 04:05JZR 555 Alexandria 04:25THY 770 Istanbul 05:35DHX 170 Bahrain 05:40QTR 8632 Doha 06:25KAC 544 Cairo 06:40BAW 157 London 06:40JZR 563 Sohag 06:45KAC 412 Manila/Bangkok 07:10FDB 053 Dubai 07:45QTR 1086 Doha 07:50SVA 512 Riyadh 07:55KAC 352 Kochi 08:10KAC 302 Mumbai 08:20KAC 206 Islamabad 08:25KAC 332 Trivandrum 08:30UAE 855 Dubai 08:40KAC 362 Colombo 08:45ABY 125 Sharjah 09:00ETD 301 Abu Dhabi 09:20FDB 055 Dubai 09:40QTR 1070 Doha 10:00GFA 943 Bahrain 10:15GFA 213 Bahrain 10:40IRA 665 Shiraz 10:50UAE 873 Dubai 11:00SYR 341 Latakia 11:10MSC 405 Sohag 11:25MEA 404 Beirut 11:55UAE 871 Dubai 12:50MSR 610 Cairo 13:00KAC 514 Tehran 13:10IRC 528 Ahwaz 13:15JZR 561 Sohag 13:45KAC 382 Delhi 13:45QTR 1078 Doha 14:05KNE 472 Jeddah 14:25SVA 500 Jeddah 14:30

FDB 057 Dubai 14:30IRC 6507 Shiraz 14:50GFA 221 Bahrain 15:00KAC 788 Jeddah 15:10KAC 284 Dhaka 15:15JZR 175 Dubai 15:20UAE 857 Dubai 15:45ABY 127 Sharjah 15:45FDB 051 Dubai 16:00JZR 535 Cairo 16:10KAC 562 Amman 16:20JZR 787 Riyadh 16:25QTR 1072 Doha 16:40RJA 640 Amman 16:55ETD 303 Abu Dhabi 16:55SVA 510 Riyadh 17:15GFA 215 Bahrain 17:30KAC 742 Dammam 17:45GFA 944 LCA 17:50JZR 777 Jeddah 17:55UAL 982 IAD 17:55UAE 875 Dubai 18:00JZR 177 Dubai 18:20KAC 542 Cairo 18:25FDB 063 Dubai 18:40ABY 121 Sharjah 18:40KAC 786 Jeddah 18:45QTR 1080 Doha 18:50KAC 618 Doha 19:15AXB 393 Kozhikode 19:15KAC 674 Dubai 19:25GFA 217 Bahrain 19:30JZR 483 Istanbul 19:35KAC 166 Paris/Rome 19:40KAC 502 Beirut 19:50KAC 102 New York/London 19:55JAI 572 Mumbai 20:00KAC 774 Riyadh 20:00OMA 647 Muscat 20:20FDB 061 Dubai 20:20MSR 606 Luxor 20:45DLH 636 Frankfurt 20:50ALK 229 Colombo 21:10MEA 402 Beirut 21:20ETD 307 Abu Dhabi 21:30FDB 073 Dubai 21:35UAE 859 Dubai 21:40GFA 219 Bahrain 21:45QTR 1074 Doha 21:55JZR 135 Bahrain 22:05KLM 417 Amsterdam 22:15ETD 309 Abu Dhabi 22:15KAC 172 Frankfurt 22:20FDB 059 Dubai 22:30AIC 981 Chennai/Hyderabad/Ahmedabad 22:30UAL 981 Bahrain 23:10JZR 185 Dubai 23:15THY 764 Istanbul 23:35PIA 205 Lahore 23:40FDB 071 Dubai 23:45

Departure Flights on Sunday 28/12/2014Airlines Flt Route TimeAIC 976 Goa/Chennai 00:05JZR 562 Sohag 00:05AGY 681 Alexandria 00:15FDB 072 Dubai 00:45UAL 981 IAD 00:55JAI 573 Mumbai 01:10DLH 635 Frankfurt 02:15KAC 283 Dhaka 02:25ETH 621 Addis Ababa 02:45THY 773 Istanbul 02:55PGT 859 Istanbul 03:25KAC 381 Delhi 03:40UAE 854 Dubai 03:50FDB 068 Dubai 03:55ETD 306 Abu Dhabi 04:05MSR 613 Cairo 04:10KKK 6508 Istanbul 04:10QTR 1085 Doha 04:30CEB 7695 Manila 04:40MSC 406 Sohag 05:05QTR 1077 Doha 05:15THY 765 Istanbul 05:40FDB 070 Dubai 06:30JAI 525 Abu Dhabi/Chennai 06:35RJA 643 Amman 07:05JZR 560 Sohag 07:10GFA 212 Bahrain 07:15THY 771 Istanbul 07:30QTR 8632 Doha 07:55FDB 054 Dubai 08:25BAW 156 London 08:45QTR 1087 Doha 08:50SVA 513 Riyadh 08:55KAC 513 Tehran 08:55KAC 171 Frankfurt 09:05JZR 534 Cairo 09:15KAC 787 Jeddah 09:25ABY 126 Sharjah 09:40UAE 856 Dubai 09:55KAC 117 New York 10:05ETD 302 Abu Dhabi 10:20KAC 561 Amman 10:25FDB 056 Dubai 10:35JZR 482 Istanbul 10:35JZR 174 Dubai 10:45QTR 1071 Doha 11:00GFA 943 LCA 11:00KAC 541 Cairo 11:05GFA 214 Bahrain 11:25IRA 664 Shiraz 11:50KAC 501 Beirut 12:00SYR 342 Latakia 12:10KAC 103 London 12:20JZR 776 Jeddah 12:20MSC 402 Alexandria 12:25UAE 874 Dubai 12:30MEA 405 Beirut 12:55KAC 785 Jeddah 13:00

JZR 786 Riyadh 13:10JZR 176 Dubai 13:45MSR 611 Cairo 14:00UAE 872 Dubai 14:15IRC 529 Ahwaz 14:15KAC 741 Dammam 14:45KAC 673 Dubai 15:00KAC 617 Doha 15:00QTR 1079 Doha 15:05FDB 058 Dubai 15:10KNE 473 Jeddah 15:20SVA 503 Jeddah/Madinah 15:45GFA 222 Bahrain 15:45IRC 6508 Shiraz 15:50KAC 773 Riyadh 16:20ABY 128 Sharjah 16:25FDB 052 Dubai 17:00JZR 266 Beirut 17:05QTR 1073 Doha 17:40UAE 858 Dubai 17:45JZR 538 Cairo 17:45ETD 304 Abu Dhabi 17:50RJA 641 Amman 17:55SVA 511 Riyadh 18:15GFA 216 Bahrain 18:20GFA 944 Bahrain 18:35JZR 184 Dubai 18:40JZR 238 Amman 18:50JZR 134 Bahrain 19:10UAL 982 Bahrain 19:15ABY 122 Sharjah 19:20UAE 876 Dubai 19:40QTR 1081 Doha 19:50FDB 064 Dubai 19:55AXB 393 Kozhikode 20:15GFA 218 Bahrain 20:15KAC 361 Colombo 20:50KAC 343 Chennai 20:55JAI 571 Mumbai 21:00KAC 351 Kochi 21:15FDB 062 Dubai 21:20OMA 648 Muscat 21:20DLH 636 Dammam 21:35MSR 619 Alexandria 21:45DHX 171 Bahrain 21:50ALK 230 Colombo 22:10ETD 308 Abu Dhabi 22:15KAC 301 Mumbai 22:15MEA 403 Beirut 22:20FDB 074 Dubai 22:30GFA 220 Bahrain 22:30UAE 860 Dubai 22:50KAC 205 Islamabad 22:55ETD 310 Abu Dhabi 23:00QTR 1075 Doha 23:05JZR 502 Luxor 23:05KLM 417 Dammam/Amsterdam 23:15KAC 415 Jakarta/Kuala Lumpur 23:25KAC 411 Bangkok/Manila 23:30FDB 060 Dubai 23:55

SHARQIA-1INTO THE WOODS 11:45 AMINTO THE WOODS 2:15 PMANNIE 4:45 PMINTO THE WOODS 7:15 PMANNIE 9:45 PMINTO THE WOODS 12:15 AM

SHARQIA-2NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB 12:00 PMNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB 2:00 PMNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB 4:00 PMNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB 6:00 PMNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB 8:00 PMNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB 10:00 PMNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB 12:05 AMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 10:00 PMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 12:05 AM

SHARQIA-3PADDINGTON 11:30 AMPADDINGTON 1:30 PMPADDINGTON 3:30 PMPADDINGTON 5:30 PMPADDINGTON 7:45 PMESCOBAR: PARADISE LOST 10:15 PMESCOBAR: PARADISE LOST 12:45 AM

MUHALAB-1ESCOBAR: PARADISE LOST 11:45 AMANNIE 1:45 PMANNIE 2:15 PMANNIE 4:45 PMMUKUNDA -Telugu 4:15 PMANNIE 7:15 PMESCOBAR: PARADISE LOST 9:45 PMESCOBAR: PARADISE LOST 12:15 AM

MUHALAB-2INTO THE WOODS 12:00 PMINTO THE WOODS 2:30 PMINTO THE WOODS 5:00 PMINTO THE WOODS 7:30 PMMUKUNDA -Telugu 10:00 PMINTO THE WOODS 10:00 PMNO THU+FRIINTO THE WOODS 12:45 AM

MUHALAB-3PADDINGTON 12:15 PMPADDINGTON 2:15 PMPADDINGTON 4:15 PMPADDINGTON 6:15 PMNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB 8:15 PMNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB 10:15 PMNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB 12:30 AMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 10:15 PMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 12:30 AM

FANAR-1ANNIE 11:30 AMANNIE 2:00 PMANNIE 4:30 PMESCOBAR: PARADISE LOST 7:00 PMANNIE 9:30 PMESCOBAR: PARADISE LOST 12:05 AM090 (Kuwaiti Film) 9:30 PM090 (Kuwaiti Film) 11:15 PM090 (Kuwaiti Film) 1:00 AM

FANAR-2NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: ECRET OF THE TOMB 12:15 PMNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: ECRET OF THE TOMB 2:15 PMNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: ECRET OF THE TOMB 4:15 PMNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: ECRET OF THE TOMB 6:30 PMNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: ECRET OF THE TOMB 8:30 PMNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: ECRET OF THE TOMB 10:30 PMNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: ECRET OF THE TOMB 12:30 AM

FANAR-3THE WATER DIVINER 11:30 AM

PADDINGTON 1:45 PMPADDINGTON 3:45 PMTHE WATER DIVINER 5:45 PMPADDINGTON 8:15 PMTHE WATER DIVINER 10:15 PMTHE WATER DIVINER 12:45 AM

FANAR-4INTO THE WOODS 11:45 AMINTO THE WOODS 2:15 PMINTO THE WOODS 4:45 PMINTO THE WOODS 7:15 PMINTO THE WOODS 9:45 PMINTO THE WOODS 12:15 AMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 NGEL OF DEATH 9:45 PMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 NGEL OF DEATH 12:05 AM

MARINA-1PADDINGTON 12:30 PMPADDINGTON 4:19 PMANNIE 4:45 PMPADDINGTON 7:15 PMANNIE 9:15 PMANNIE 11:45 PM

MARINA-2NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: ECRET OF THE TOMB 11:45 AMNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: ECRET OF THE TOMB 2:00 PMNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: ECRET OF THE TOMB 4:00 PMNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: ECRET OF THE TOMB 6:00 PMNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: ECRET OF THE TOMB 8:00 PMNO WEDNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: ECRET OF THE TOMB 10:00 PMNO WEDTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 NGEL OF DEATH 8:00 PMWEDTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 NGEL OF DEATH 10:00 PMWEDNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: ECRET OF THE TOMB 12:05 AM

MARINA-3INTO THE WOODS 12:00 PMINTO THE WOODS 2:30 PMINTO THE WOODS 5:00 PMTHE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES 7:30 PMINTO THE WOODS 10:15 PMINTO THE WOODS 12:45 AM

AVENUES-1P.K -HINDI 12:30 PMP.K -HINDI 3:30 PMP.K -HINDI 6:30 PMP.K -HINDI 9:30 PMP.K -HINDI 12:30 AM

AVENUES-2MONTANA 11:45 AMMONTANA 2:00 PMMONTANA 4:15 PMMONTANA 6:45 PMNO THU+FRIMONTANA 9:00 PMNO THU+FRI+SATMONTANA 11:30 PMMONTANA 1:30 PMMUKUNDA -Telugu 4:00 PMMUKUNDA -Telugu 7:00 PMMUKUNDA -Telugu 10:00 PM

AVENUES-3THE WATER DIVINER 12:00 PMTHE WATER DIVINER 2:30 PMTHE WATER DIVINER 5:00 PMTHE WATER DIVINER 7:30 PMTHE WATER DIVINER 10:00 PMTHE WATER DIVINER 12:30 AM

AVENUES-4NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: ECRET OF THE TOMB 12:45 PMPADDINGTON 3:00 PMNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: ECRET OF THE TOMB 5:15 PM

112

CHANGE OF NAME

I am Shivaji Jaivant Rajput,Indian national, PassportNumber G6775517, perma-nent address house no.1126, Muslim Wada,Industrial Road, Bicholim,Goa, hereby changing myname to Shiva JaiwantRajput, (C 4893)27-12-2014

I, Utukuru RamaGubbaiah, holder of IndianPassport No. J2020031hereby changed changedmy name to Utukuru RamaSubba Reddy. UpparapalliKonduru Penagalur,Kadapa, A.P. (C 4891)

I, Harsh Mehta, holder of

Indian Passport No.F3832096, resident of2559B, Gali No. 3, RampuraMohalla, Hisar, Haryana,India, have changed myname from Harsh Mehta toHarsh Ahuja. In future, I willbe known as Harsh Ahuja.(C 4892)25-11-2014

You should be feeling really good about making your own way and discover-ing solutions to whatever problems you have. The good life and all that is fine and pleasur-able may be what you value most just now. Expressing yourself comes quite naturally andworks very well with your thoughts and ideas. Others will follow your lead at this time dueto your power of persuasion. Expect a gratifying conversation between someone aboutwhom you care deeply-a healing takes place. Some nice compliment may reach you todayin the form of flattery on your preferences or personal effects. It should be a breeze to enjoyand find value in your own life circumstances. You feel especially good-hearted toward afriend or loved one this evening.

Today has every indication of being your day-you may find it particularly easyto express yourself. You appear very relaxed. Being able to understand those around youcould create opportunities for you to be the go-between for problem-solving situations, ifyou want. You know how to give others encouragement, even when there seems to be nopossible way. There is a sense of support and harmony from your co-workers and family,making this a happy time. These people could have a big impact on your goals and make ahuge impression. Gathering and exchanging information becomes paramount. Expect amentally and socially active period. Getting your personal affairs organized will help youalong in your career path.

You may find it easy to read people and that should give you a better under-standing of and sensitivity to their needs, which in turn will put you in a posi-

tion to communicate concerning groups and the community in general. Interacting withthose in your neighborhood as well as your family helps to placate a big emotional need.Making sure you are understood when you speak is an important issue to you just now. Youwill, however, have no problem in convincing others of new projects or particular ideas-youjust naturally have a talent for conversing with those around you. You will find it necessaryto be out and about gathering new information to share with others. A pleasant conversa-tion will ensue with loved ones tonight.

Deep and penetrating discussions and investigative conversations could findyou at your mental finest. Your perceptive abilities are at a high point. You

have no problem in getting your thoughts and ideas across to other people at this time-good communication. An interest in charities or volunteering comes to your attention againand again. Self-sacrifice can be noble if the cause is worthy; otherwise, it can be a terriblewaste. Now is the time to be sure which is which. You have the ability to know where to drawthe line and now is the time to make those decisions and turn them into goals. An unexpect-ed turn of events could be profitable this evening. Before you get the check you have spentthe money in your mind-spend wisely.

Because of your ability to be conservative, as well as thorough, someone maycome to you with a proposal to take charge of some project requiring a conservative mind.You work through the business madness like no other person. Clear thoughts and answersare available to you and it is easy to see why higher-ups would call on you to help in a diffi-cult job or in a deadline situation. You may tend to be somewhat of a loner this afternoonand find the simple life much more appealing. Hoopla and fanfare is just not your cup of tea.Perhaps all that rushing about during the day has created the need to find a quiet atmos-phere for the evening. A loved one is most comforting this evening and the two of you mayenjoy a long after-dinner stroll.

Correct choices and deciding which path is best, may be at odds with yoursense of value. You may not rate highly the easy way, or the clear-cut option, and maychoose instead a more difficult path for your life experiences and lessons. There is a contin-ued accent on your career. You may receive a challenging new assignment or job offer atthis time. Your personality is valuable in business dealings. Friendships and involvement ingroup activities play a more important part in your life. Being able to communicate and getyour message across to others is very important to you. Your timing should be perfect andthose around you should find you most expressive. You could find yourself enjoying thesupport that is given to you at this time.

You may find it difficult to buckle down to your more routine duties thisday. You could find yourself in a rather dreamy kind of mood. Perhaps a poem has beenrunning around in your mind and you want to finish it. As a new life phase begins foryou, satisfaction could be coming from your work, health or a creative venture. Thesethings may lead to love and a new self-image if you will stick with them. If you have nottaken a creative writing course, this next year might be a good time to consider it. Itshould be easy for you to enjoy and value your own life situation, or to feel particularlykind towards a friend or loved one. Someone may compliment you on your talents andthe way that you handle yourself. Your domestic life is in a good place: harmony.

You are mentally alert and ready to achieve and accomplish things. Youmay be very convincing in what you say and think. With all of this emotional energy, youcould lecture, teach or represent your company. Being closely involved with another per-son may well become your highest priority. Your career direction gets some real focusand life’s problems seem easy to solve. You may find yourself benefiting from conversa-tions with an older individual or someone in authority. Marriage contracts and partner-ships are seen as a means of success and happiness. The most unusual people are attract-ed to you at this time. Show the world you have character and good taste. Lots of goodnews pours in at the same time. Get ready . . . Company is coming.

Today you contact those key people that can contribute to your businesssuccess. It is who you know, not necessarily what you know, that makes a

difference-be friendly. A stabilizing factor for your emotions may come from a marriage orother close relationship, which gives rise to great expectations now. This is a good time toenjoy your association and ties to other folks and to strive for peace and harmony in all ofyour endeavors. You may find yourself wanting to collect all of the information about adisturbing subject that you possibly can, in order to share with those around you.Knowing a little about many things is your calling card. Have faith in a loved one thisevening. Do not worry about circumstances that are out of your control.

You are most practical when it comes to dealing and working with others. Youwork hard at developing a system for getting things organized as a sense of ambition andcommon sense is practiced. All lines of communication should be open to you at this timeand you should feel particularly in touch and in rapport with others. Now is a time when youcan probably expect a little push in the right direction and some sort of positive recognitionfrom those around you. Needing and wanting to be respected is an emotionally chargedissue at this time and could be one of your motivating factors. You are called on to show offyour talents this evening and you could find yourself in some sort of entertainment arena orpiano bar; you are encouraged.


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 768

ACROSS1. Standard time in the 8th time zone westof Greenwich, reckoned at the 120thmeridian west.4. A feeling of great (usually exaggerated)elation.12. A polymer of vinyl chloride usedinstead of rubber in electric cables.15. (informal) Of the highest quality.16. A container used to keep bread or cakein.17. An implement used to propel or steer aboat.18. People having the same social or eco-nomic status.20. A metric unit of volume equal to onetenth of a liter.21. The practice or manner of preparingfood or the food so prepared.23. A town and port in northwestern Israelin the eastern Mediterranean.25. A domed or vaulted recess or projec-tion on a building especially the east endof a church.26. An indehiscent fruit derived from a sin-gle ovary having one or many seeds withina fleshy wall or pericarp.30. A porch along the outside of a building(sometimes partly enclosed).33. Leaf or strip from a leaf of the talipotpalm used in India for writing paper.34. A genus of Indriidae.35. An implement with a flat part (of meshor plastic) and a long handle.39. An electrically charged particle.42. Someone who practices homosexuali-ty.43. Gull-like jaeger of northern seas.46. The branch of engineering science thatstudies the uses of electricity and theequipment for power generation and dis-tribution and the control of machines andcommunication.47. (Norse mythology) The primeval giantslain by Odin and his brothers and fromwhose body they created the world.48. In a vehement outcry.50. A small cake leavened with yeast.53. A river in north central Switzerland thatruns northeast into the Rhine.54. A condensed but memorable sayingembodying some important fact of experi-ence that is taken as true by many people.57. A colorless and odorless inert gas.58. The blood group whose red cells carryboth the A and B antigens.59. A Mid-Atlantic state.62. A compartment in front of a motorvehicle where driver sits.65. Noisy talk.70. (Old Testament) In Judeo-Christianmythology.72. A Tibetan or Mongolian priest ofLamaism.74. Deciduous South African tree havinglarge odd-pinnate leaves and profuse fra-grant orange-yellow flowers.75. A collection of facts from which conclu-sions may be drawn.76. A Bantu language spoken by the Chagapeople in northern Tanzania.79. Cylindrical green fruit with thin greenrind and white flesh eaten as a vegetable.80. Mild yellow Dutch cheese made inballs.81. Of or belonging to an aecium.82. In bed.

DOWN1. Large burrowing rodent of South andCentral America.

2. The clock time given by a clock carriedon board a spacecraft.3. Hard strong durable yellowish-brownwood of teak trees.4. The compass point that is one pointsouth of due east.5. An ancient city of Sumer located on aformer channel of the Euphrates River.6. A tricycle (usually propelled by ped-alling).7. (Jewish cookery) A loaf of white breadcontaining eggs and leavened with yeast.8. A doctor's degree in optometry.9. A mature blood cell that contains hemo-globin to carry oxygen to the bodily tis-sues.10. An informal debt instrument.11. With respect to an axis.12. A cgs unit of dynamic viscosity equal toone dyne-second per square centimeter.13. (Norse mythology) Race of ancientgods sometimes in conflict with the Aesir.14. Any of various plants of the familyCruciferae having edible pungent-tastingleaves.19. A region of Malaysia in northeasternBorneo.22. Marked by conspicuous display.24. A digital display that uses liquid crystalcells that change reflectivity in an appliedelectric field.27. A blue dye obtained from plants ormade synthetically.28. An upholstered seat for more than oneperson.29. (Norse mythology) Goddess of old agewho defeated Thor in a wrestling match.31. Called forth from a latent or potentialstate by stimulation.32. A cyst on the underside of the tongue.36. An adult female person (as opposed toa man).37. Type genus of the Amiidae.38. A unit of pressure equal to 0.001316atmosphere.40. Cubes of meat marinated and cookedon a skewer usually with vegetables.41. Having little physical or spiritualstrength.44. Primitive chlorophyll-containing main-ly aquatic eukaryotic organisms lackingtrue stems and roots and leaves.45. Being one hundred more than threehundred.49. Suggestive of the supernatural.51. The capital and chief port of Qatar.52. On or toward the lee.55. Flightless New Zealand birds similar togallinules.56. Used especially in treating bruises.60. A restraint used to slow or stop a vehi-cle.61. Held back.63. (Babylonian) God of storms and wind.64. A Chadic language spoken south ofLake Chad.66. Type genus of the Alcidae comprisingsolely the razorbill.67. (New Testament) The sages who visitedJesus and Mary and Joseph shortly afterJesus was born.68. A state in northwestern North America.69. Material used to daub walls.71. A member of a Mayan people of south-western Guatemala.73. (British) A waterproof raincoat made ofrubberized fabric.77. A rare silvery (usually trivalent) metallicelement.78. A silvery ductile metallic elementfound primarily in bauxite.

Yesterday’s Solution



WORD SEARCH PUZZLE

34s t a r s

Daily SuDoku

You could be flexing your independence today, as well as getting right in themiddle of anything that is new, unusual or different. Get organized and pour

your effort into the most important priorities. You may just relish getting away from the oldtried and true routine this afternoon or you could work to set your sails in another direction-towards change. Community activities fascinate you. Look beyond the surface meanings forthe insights you seek at this time. Responsibilities and outside commitments demand yourattention. Your presence is beneficial and comforting to others. Tonight is a good time toupdate your checkbook, pay bills and look at ways in which you could take on a new finan-cial strategy.

You really must consider slowing down a bit and having a good breakfastbefore your day begins. You can process your activities better with some pro-

tein to start the day. Co-workers may need your input today and you are on your toes withquick answers and help wherever you are needed. Customers have questions. You are agood teacher and many times the new employees learn by watching. There are so many fun-ny and unusual situations during your usual work day that you could write a comedy showfor television. Why not begin now to take a few notes and see how your writing developsyou enjoy talking, writing and keeping a finger on the pulse of all that’s happening. Tonightis for enjoying a special celebration.

inf or m at ionSUNDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2014

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

Scherzinger apologizesto former bandmates

Nicole Scherzinger wants to apologize to her former ThePussycat Dolls bandmates. The ‘Boomerang’ hitmaker fea-tured in the band alongside fellow members Carmit Bachar,

Ashley Roberts, Jessica Sutta, Melody Thornton and Kimberly Wyattfor five years, but admits she was often “distant and stand-offish”because of an eating disorder. When asked who she would like tosay sorry to, she said: “The other members of the Pussycat Dolls.There were a lot of moments when I was with them that I was dis-tant and stand-offish. I never opened up to them to talk about myproblems and I would shut myself away - and push them away -because I was battling this horrible secret illness, bulimia.” Thesinger - who has since enjoyed a prosperous solo career - joined theband as the lead vocalist in 2005 and enjoyed chart success withthe band with their hit singles ‘Don’t Cha’, ‘When I Grow Up’ and ‘JaiHo! (You Are My Destiny)’, before their split in 2010. The 36-year-oldstar - who is currently dating Formula One champion LewisHamilton - recently admitted the disease had a huge impact on herlife for over a decade but has since overcome the problem. She toldEvent magazine: “Between 18 right up to my mid-30s I sufferedfrom bulimia. It was all wrapped up with my low self-esteem and acrippling lack of confidence. It’s taken me a long time to deal withthese issues and I feel so annoyed that I let that disease take over.”


G O S S I P

l if e s t y l e

Angelina Jolie “didn’t eat much” on the set of ‘Unbroken’. The 39-year-old actress - who directed the biographical drama about World War IIhero, Louis Zamperini - ate like the cast members who played prison-

ers of war, according to Japanese pop star Miyavi, who plays prison guard,The Bird, in the film. The 33-year-old singer-turned-actor said: “She came tothe set every day, giving advice to the actors, and she actually didn’t eatmuch [either]. “She was so thin because most of the actors were not able toeat because they’re prisoners in the prison camp.” Miyavi praised his direc-tor’s “determination” and “professionalism”, revealing that her attitudethroughout the filming process was the reason for its success. He explained:“She was so determined. I was also surprised how skinny she got. You know,she was not eating much. I felt so bad I was the only one who got fat duringfilming. “I really respect her professionalism, her attitude towards the cre-ation - she’s so determined and passionate. It was intense on set but withher motivation and attitude we were on the same page.” Jack O’Connell, 24,who plays the title character also revealed how Angelina would help himand try out all of his stunts first - including a scene where he supports theweight of a heavy wooden plank above his head for hours. He toldRadioTimes.com: “She did test out all of my stunts before I had to do them.The plank - I’m not sure if that can be regarded as a stunt - but, in any case,she was under it before I turned up on set.”

Jolie

’sUn

brok

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et

Warwick Davis: Star Wars will be amazing

The

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kiss

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ic

Andy Serkis wants to play Quasimodo. The 50-year-oldactor is known for portraying Caesar the ape in the‘Planet of the Apes’ franchise and would love to use the

same motion-capture technology to take on the role ofHunchback of Notre Dame after being inspired by CharlesLaughton’s performance in the 1939 film of the same name. Hesaid: “I’ve always been a huge fan of Charles Lawton’s perform-ance in ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ so somewhere alongthe line I’ve always wanted to play that character.” However, thestar - who portrayed late singer Ian Dury in 2010 biopic ‘Sex &Drugs & Rock & Roll’ - insists he doesn’t ever usually set hissights on a particular role unless he has signed up for that spe-cific part. He added: “I only really think about things like that ifthey present themselves to me. Unlike films I want to make as adirector, with The Imaginarium Studios I’m very clear about thestory I want to tell as a director.

“Ian Dury is an example of a role I sought and we put thattogether because I was a huge fan of him and he really meant alot to me, the process of working with his family was amazing.”

Serkis wants Quasimodo role

The Vamps’ James McVey would never kiss agirl to one of his own songs. The ‘Somebodyto You’ hitmaker has revealed he thinks it

would be far too “cringe” to lock lips with a girlwhile listening to one of his and his bandmates’ -Brad Simpson, Connor Ball and Tristan Evans -songs. Quizzed on whether he’d ever had a kiss toone of his own songs, he said: “No way. I wouldnever want to. It would be cringe.” Tristan agreedand said: “We’re very involved in the sound of oursongs so we have to listen to them quite a lot.

Kissing to them might be weird.” The heartthrobsalso confessed that while they appreciate theirfans’ passion, they find it slightly strange thatsome girls get emotional to their music. Whenasked if they find it weird knowing their songsmake girls cry, James said: “Kind of. It’s nice thatpeople can feel the emotion that was originallyput in the song though.” Brad added: “Most of thesongs we’ve released are upbeat so maybe it’s alittle weird.”

Nadine Coyle is feeling “vulnerable” on her second solo album.The 29-year-old singer is working on the follow up to her debutsolo LP ‘Insatiable’ which was released in 2010, and admits the

album’s content will be risky because she will be singing about somany personal things. She said: “I’m really laying it all out there, whichis scary. I’m making myself vulnerable.” The musician - who is datingformer American football player Jason Bell - gave birth to her daugh-ter, Ana?ya, in February, and explained the newborn has helped her toreflect on life in a more truthful way. Speaking about the unguardednature of her music, she continued: “But having a baby forces you tolive a bit more honestly.” Despite planning on returning to music fol-lowing an extended hiatus, the former Girls Aloud star confessed shefeels completely different to the woman she was when she was in theband, and confessed she has no wish to reunite with her bandmates,Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts andKimberley Walsh. She told HELLO! magazine: “I can barely remembermy old life. I think, ‘How did I get through 24 hours without a baby tolook after?’ “It was a wonderful thing to spend my teens and early 20sdoing, but I don’t miss anything.” The comments come just a monthafter the star said she would be up for getting back together with thegroup at some point in the distant future. When asked if she wouldever reunite with her former bandmates, she said: “Why not! 10 yearsdown the line. I would never rule [reuniting] out.”—Bang Showbiz

Sir Ian McKellen feels “lucky” to portray Gandalf. The veteran actor has por-trayed the wizard in both the ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘Hobbit’ movie series andthinks it is rare for such an interesting part to come along that is not a villain.

He said: “I love Gandalf. Aren’t I lucky? “The best parts are usually the villains butnot this.”Gandalf’s a good guy and it’s a good part. He says the right things, hebelieves the right things. An actor can have fun with it.” Ian believes if the fantasytales - which are based on J.R.R. Tolkein’s 1930s novels - were presented to studiosas new now they would never go into production because they are so much “oftheir time”. He said: “There’s lots of Tolkein that must be confusing to people.Where are the women? Have you noticed that all the main characters smoke? “Ifyou’d written this story from scratch, there’s no way a studio would have allowedit. They are of their time. “But they are about the end of the world, when culturesclash and changes occur, and about something as important as the world wars.”Ithink that might be why they endure. Of course, they’re extremely well written.Tolkein is as good as Dickens at sketching a scene.”

Ian McKellen adoresGandalf role

Christmas LPon Jessie J’s ‘wish list’

Jessie J wants to release Christmas album. The ‘Keep Us Together’ singer says it’son her “wish list” to record a festive LP but she wouldn’t want to just record a col-lection of covers, she wants to write new Yuletide classics. She told BANG

Showbiz: “I would love to do a Christmas album it’s one of the things on my wish list.But I want to write some new classic Christmas songs, I don’t want to just sing‘Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer’.” Jessie insists one of the best things about havinga big Christmas hit is that you make lots of money from it every single year. Sheexplained: “During the Christmas period, if you wrote ‘Winter Wonderland’, its bril-liant. That’s where the money is, songwriting.” Although not a Festive smash, Jessiebanks a sizeable sum from Miley Cyrus’ 2009 hit ‘Party in the U.S.A.’, which she co-wrote with Lukasz Gottwald and Claude Kelly and is played all the time at Disneytheme parks. She said: “I get paid something every time that track is played in a pub-lic domain, all the writers get money.”

Warwick Davis thinks ‘Star Wars: The ForceAwakens’ is going to be an “amazingmoment” for cinema. The 44-year-old

actor - who starred in ‘Return of the Jedi’ as EwokWicket - has been cast in the much-hyped sci-fisequel and he’s revealed he can barely containhis excitement for its release. Warwick told BANGShowbiz: “What I’m most excited by is chance tosee members of the old cast in the poster.”I’vebeen a fan of ‘Star Wars’ ever since the first film[‘Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope’] came out in1977. This just feels like an amazing moment.”Warwick also played several parts in ‘Star WarsEpisode I: The Phantom Menace’, includingGreedo the Elder. He recently confirmed he willstar alongside returning cast members HarrisonFord, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher, as well asnew faces John Boyega, Daisy Ridley and OscarIsaac, in the eagerly-awaited seventh film in thefranchise. Warwick revealed the news via theofficial ‘Star Wars’ YouTube account by posting aspoof video - titled “Will Warwick Davis Appear inStar Wars Episode VII?” - showing him sat by hisphone waiting for a call from director J.J.Abrahams.

When he finally gets the call, the actor isheard saying on the line: “Hello Warwick Davis.Yes J.J. hi. Would I like to appear in ‘Star Wars:Episode VII’? Let me think about it. Just got tocheck the diary, yep good.”

Coyle teases ‘vulnerable’new album

37L I F E S T Y L ESUNDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2014

M U S I C & M O V I E S

Lawrence, Pratt top highest-grossing actors listFormer “Saved by the Bell” actorDustin Diamond, who played thenerdy “Screech” on the high

school sitcom, has been arrested forstabbing a man with a switchblade at abar north of Milwaukee, Wisconsin,police said on Friday. Dustin Diamond,37, and his girlfriend were arrestedshortly after they drove away from theGrand Ave Saloon in the town of PortWashington following the altercationon Thursday night, police said in astatement.

The man Diamond is suspected ofstabbing at the saloon was treated forwounds that were not life threateningand he is recovering at home, accord-ing to Port Washington police.Celebrity website TMZ showed videoof a man it identified as Diamondstanding next to a table soccer boardwhile someone exclaims that he has aknife. Police arrested Diamond for reck-lessly endangering safety, carrying a

concealed weapon and possessing aswitchblade knife, said an OzaukeeCounty Sheriff’s Office jail clerk.

He appeared in court on Friday andhis bail was set at $10,000, with hisnext court appearance scheduled forDec 29, the clerk said. Diamond’s pub-lic defender could not be reached forcomment. The former child actor’sgirlfriend was charged with disorder-ly conduct, police said. Diamondplayed socially awkward but brainystudent Samuel “Screech” Powers as acast member in the sitcom “Saved bythe Bell,” which ran from 1989 to1993 and was popular with childrenand teenagers. Since then, he hashad a number of smaller televisionroles and has made appearances onreality programs and game shows. Helived in Port Washington as recentlyas 2009, according to an article fromthat year in the Milwaukee JournalSentinel.—Reuters

Former ‘Saved bythe Bell’ actor Diamond

arrested in Wisconsin

This Friday, Dec 26, 2014 booking photo provided by the Ozaukee County Sheriffshows Dustin Diamond. —AP

The actors and actresses who generatethe most money for Hollywood aren’talways the ones with the highest

salaries. Last week, Forbes magazine posted alist of the actors who provide the worstreturn on investment; this week the magazinetallied the highest- grossing actors overallaccording to figures from BoxOfficeMojo.

1. Jennifer Lawrence is the highest gross-ing actor in Hollywood with “The HungerGames: Mockingjay - Part 1” and “X-Men: Daysof Future Past.” The two films grossed a total$1.4 billion worldwide.

2. Chris Pratt, with his lead roles in“Guardians of the Galaxy” and “The LegoMovie,” grossed $1.2 billion globally.

3. Scarlett Johansson grossed $1.18 billionworldwide with her roles in “Captain America:The Winter Soldier,” “Lucy” and “Under theSkin.”

4. Mark Wahlberg starred in “Transformers:Age of Extinction,” which grossed $1 billionworldwide, and “The Gambler,” which is esti-mated to have made $5 million on its Dec. 25release.

5. Chris Evans’ lead roles in “CaptainAmerica: The Winter Soldier” and“Snowpiercer” grossed $801 million globally.

6. Emma Stone starred not just in “TheAmazing Spider-Man 2” but also in two indiehits: Woody Allen’s “Magic in the Moonlight”and “Birdman,” with all three totaling $764worldwide so far.

7. Angelina Jolie’s earnings as the directorof “Unbroken” don’t figure into this list, but itdoesn’t matter since “Maleficent” was herbiggest hit to date as an actress, with a total$758 million worldwide.

8. -10. “X-Men: Days of Future Past” starsJames McAvoy, Michael Fassbender andHugh Jackman typically split their timebetween blockbusters and indie films. While“X-Men” racked up $746 million worldwide,McAvoy’s role in “The Disappearance ofEleanor Rigby” and Fassbender’s in Sundancefavorite “Frank” didn’t add much to their totalgross figure.—Reuters

“The Interview” was never supposedto be a paradigm-shifting film. Butunusual doesn’t even begin to

describe the series of events that transpiredover the past few weeks, culminating in thetruly unprecedented move by a major studioto release a film in theaters and on digitalplatforms simultaneously. Sony is in unchart-ed waters now with the film, which earned$1.04 million from 331 locations on Thursday,according to studio estimates, in addition tothe untold VOD grosses.

“Considering the incredibly challenging cir-cumstances, we are extremely grateful to thepeople all over the country who came out toexperience “The Interview” on the first day ofits unconventional release,” said Rory Bruer,president of worldwide distribution for SonyPictures in a statement. For a film that wouldhave just come and gone in the usual 3,000theaters without much fanfare, the $40 mil-lion comedy has now become an accidentalcase study in the world of day-and-datereleases, in which titles are available both intheaters and for digital rental simultaneously.

The industry is watching closely to see justwhere audiences will choose to place theirdollars in the coming days and weeks. The bigquestion is whether or not this strategy couldbe viable for major releases in the future.While a $3,142 per-theater average and sold-out showings when audiences had the optionto watch the film from the comfort of theirown homes is nothing to scoff at, analystsagree that it probably doesn’t signal thebeginning of a significant change in howHollywood does business. Day-and-datereleases are nothing new, for one.Independent distributors have embraced thisstrategy for years. But those are generallysmall films with even smaller budgets_onesthat can’t afford a more traditional, wide-spread marketing campaign.

For the major studios, it’s never really beenan option. Theater chains depend on exclu-sive first-run content to survive. If audienceswere given the choice to just rent anythingfrom a mid-budget comedy to a $200 millionblockbuster on the day of its release, theaterswould undoubtedly suffer. “The last thing themajor theater chains want is for this kind ofstrategy to be employed by the major studioson a more frequent basis,” saidBoxOfficeGuru.com editor Gitesh Pandya.Earlier this year, Warner Bros. experimentedwith an unconventional day-and-date releasefor “Veronica Mars.” Theater chains Regal andCinemark declined to screen the film becauseof its online availability. The film ended upshowing on 270 screens, most of which wereAMC.

Major releases“The relationship between big studios and

exhibitors is so monumental that they’re notgoing to start changing things around any-time soon. Possibly down the road, little by lit-tle. But the old-school model of putting yourmajor releases in 3,000 theaters nationwidewill stay intact for the time being,” Pandyasaid. Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media ana-lyst for box office tracker Rentrak, agreed.“Theatrical is the engine that drives every-thing else. I don’t think this is a sudden gate-way to studios wanting to release films thisway,” he said. Also, “The Interview” is an imper-fect case. Patriotism, free speech, pure curiosi-ty and even the desire to be part of thenationwide conversation have all played in towhy audiences flocked to theaters onChristmas Day to see the movie.

“Awareness is through the roof,”Dergarabedian said. “People went out to thetheaters and made an event out of it. They’regoing to be talking about this for a long time.That’s a very interesting and unusual phe-nomenon that’s usually reserved for films like‘The Hobbit’ or ‘Star Wars.’ “ Added Pandya:“Audiences who would otherwise never go tosee a Seth Rogen movie were hearing about itand decided to come out to see what all thefuss is about.”

‘The movie is mediocre’Long-term prospects for “The Interview” at

the box office remain a mystery. Pandyabelieves that theatrical grosses will be front-loaded, and that’s at least partially attributa-ble to the quality of the film. “The movie ismediocre,” he said. “If it were a brilliant film,the word of mouth would carry it week toweek.” He predicts a dramatic drop off whenthe holidays end. Also, the public may neverknow how the movie fared on the digital plat-forms. Smaller distributors like Radius-TWC,who released “Snowpiercer” on demand whileit was still in theaters, have started pullingback the veil on VOD financials, but it’s unlike-ly that Sony will ever give the public a peekinto “The Interview’s” success or failure online.“I’m sure they’re not that impressive. For stu-dios, the biggest part of reporting box officeis to brag,” Pandya said. “If the numbers aren’tbrag-worthy, they’re probably going to keepit in their own files.” “The Interview” mightnow forever be in the history books, but itprobably won’t change the way audiences seenew movies. For the big movies, theatrical willalways come first, Dergarabedian said. “It’s asystem that works and audiences like it,” hesaid.—AP

Will ‘The Interview’ change how Hollywood does business?

In this Wednesday, Dec 17, 2014 file photo, a banner for “The Interview” is posted outsideArclight Cinemas in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles.—AP

Box Office: ‘Interview’ tops $3 million, ‘Hobbit,’ ‘Woods,’

‘Unbroken’ continue to surprise

“The Interview” has left a solidimpression at the box office,despite the sea of trouble lead-

ing up to its release. After opening to $1million-plus on Christmas Day, the Sonycomedy is headed for $2.8 million thisweekend. As expected, the controversialpic is far behind wide releases: “TheHobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” isthe clear winner for the second consecu-tive weekend, while “Into the Woods” and“Unbroken” are in a tight race for secondand third place, with “Woods” leading.

If estimates hold-each movie is pro-jected to haul at least $45 million duringthe four-day holiday period-the finalweekend of the year will finish strong, upas much as 10% from the same timeframe in 2013. Sony’s “Interview” wasdropping off on Friday, earning $725,000at 331 US locations. This could partly beattributed to its day-and-date VODrelease; it’s available on YouTube, GooglePlay, Xbox and Sony’s own site. Majorchains such as AMC, Regal and Carmikerefused to show the film due to its VODrelease.

Peter Jackson’s “Hobbit” finale broughtin $15.7 million on Friday as it eyed a no.1 finish and second weekend totalbetween $42 million and $43 million. Thefantasy epic is down just 22%, bringingits impressive 12-day total to $170 mil-lion. Disney’s “Into the Woods” came inthird on Friday, but will finish the week-end as a runner-up. Like its competitor

“Unbroken,” the musical comedy hascome in above estimates, reeling in $12.2million on Friday for a weekend above$33 million and a four-day total of $48million.

Directed by Rob Marshall, the movie -adapted from Stephen Sondheim’s musi-cal - boasts an all-star cast that includesMeryl Streep, Emily Blunt, Johnny Deppand Chris Pine. Angelina Jolie’s“Unbroken” is hot on the heels of “Intothe Woods.” The war drama fromUniversal made $12.3 million on Friday inthe US, barely edging out “Woods,” butwill fall to third come Sunday for an esti-mated weekend finish of $32 million. Thiswould bring its four-day total far aboveforecasts to $47 million.

A couple of holdovers, “Night at theMuseum: Secret of the Tomb” and“Annie,” both family-friendly fare, round-ed out the top five. “Night at theMuseum” was fourth on Friday with $1.9million. The Fox sequel is en route to $21million plus, which will raise its two-weekcume to $56 million. Sony’s “Annie” tookin $6.1 million on Friday on its way to aweekend north of $17 million, raising itscume to more than $46 million. Othernew releases, Paramount’s remake of“The Gambler” and the Weinstein Co.’s“Big Eyes,” are headed for just under $14million and above $4 million, respective-ly.—Reuters

Jennifer LawrenceChris Pratt

Scarlett Johansson


l if e s t y l eF E A T U R E S

The presents are unwrapped. The children’sshrieks of delight are just a memory. Nowit’s time for another Yuletide tradition:

cleaning up the needles that are falling off yourChristmas tree. “I’m not particularly worriedabout it ... I’ll just sweep it up,” said Lisa Smith-Hansford of New York, who bought a small treeat a Manhattan sidewalk stand early this week.She likes the smell of a real tree, she said, com-paring it to comfort food.

But others do mind. Consumers consistentlycite messiness as one of the most common rea-sons they don’t have a real tree, says the NationalChristmas Tree Association. Keeping a tree well-watered goes a long way toward minimizing theneedle problem. But beyond that, scientists aretrying to find ways to make trees less messy andkeep them fresh through the holidays.

It’s in the genesSome kinds of trees, like the noble fir or Fraser

fir, are better than others at maintaining mois-ture and keeping their needles once they’re in

your house, says Gary Chastagner of WashingtonState University. But even within a given species,some trees are better than others, he said.Needle retention is an inherited trait: if a treedoes well, so will the offspring that grow fromthe seeds in its cones.

Seeking the champsAt a research station in Puyallup, Washington,

Chastagner works to identify individual treesthat hold onto their needles best. He testsbranches cut early in the fall, which encouragesneedle loss because they haven’t experiencedcold weather. He lets them dry out and his teamevaluates them after about 10 days, looking forbranches that do not shed any needles. Needlesstart to fall off branches from some trees withinthree to five days when the branch is gentlyrubbed, even if they aren’t dry and brittle. A poorperformer may lose all of them within a week.

Good branch is good signIf a branch does well, it means the tree has

good genetics for keeping needles. So growerscan seek out seeds from those trees to produceseedlings for future planting. These progenyshould do well, too. With a federal grant,

Chastagner is also working with others to identi-fy genetic markers that indicate whether a treewill resist needle shedding. That would make thetree-screening process much faster and perhapslead to breeding experiments to produce superi-or trees.

Another global warming worryTrees that experience warm autumns tend to

have more needle loss later, Chastagner said. Soif global warming leads to warmer falls in thefuture, it could be bad news for Christmas trees,he said. But since his studies focus on treebranches harvested before cold autumn weathersets in, they may identify trees that will do well ina warming world, he said.

For now, water that treeChastagner emphasizes that homeowners

can minimize needle shedding by keeping theirdisplayed trees well-supplied with water. In fact,when he has set up trees for research in earlyDecember and kept them watered, somespecies, like noble and Nordmann fir, have goneeven three months with only minimal shedding.“The potential is phenomenal,” he said. — AP

Scientists target mess from Christmas tree needles

Gary Chastagner, a Washington State University plant pathology professor, stands amongtrimmed Douglas fir trees suspended in a temperature and humidity-controlled room at aschool research facility in Puyallup, Wash. — AP photos

Cuttings from Douglas fir trees are suspended in water. Needles cover the floor under a Douglas fir tree.

Needles on a Canaan fir tree hold drops ofwater.

Fans of the popular British period dra-ma “Downton Abbey” can visit a num-ber of sites depicted in the television

series about life among the upper crust ear-ly last century. From wandering around theVictorian stately home that is the centre-piece of the show to afternoon tea at thehome of the Dowager Countess ofGrantham, visitors can enjoy their ownmoments of intrigue and drama at the fol-lowing Downton Abbey destinations. Thearticle below is an edited version of a blogcompiled by the travel site GoEuro.co.uk.

Highclere Castle, the setting forDownton Abbey Undoubtedly the jewelamong the many splendid Downton loca-tions on the list, Highclere Castle inNewbury, Berkshire is where the series isset. The castle is the home of the eighthEarl of Carnarvon and his wife and is openduring the summer months, when the earland countess move to a summer cottage,and on select days during the rest of theyear. Tickets have already sold out for 2015so visitors need to plan well ahead.

Basildon Park, used for Grantham HouseAlso located in Berkshire, Basildon Park

is used in the series as the fictional Earl ofGrantham’s London residence, GranthamHouse. A Georgian mansion owned by theNational Trust, the house offers Downtonfans a behind-the-scenes video and guidedtours throughout November. InverarayCastle Scotland, used as Gleneagle CastleThis beautiful Scottish castle was the set-ting for the 2012 Christmas episode wheremany juicy plot lines were hatched. It is thefamily home of the dukes of Argyll and isthe seat of the Clan Campbell. The stunningcastle and grounds, located on the shoresof Loch Fyne, are open to visitors from Aprilthrough October and offer an array of activ-ities and events.

LondonThe Criterion and Rules, two of London’s

oldest restaurants. The Criterion opened in1873 and remains one of the most luxuri-ous places to dine in the capital. This iswhere Lady Edith and Michael Gregsonshared their first kiss and where he laid outhis doomed plans to go to Germany inorder to divorce his mentally ill wife and be

with Edith. Visitors can absorb the deca-dence and feel the excitement of a secretlunch date here, or stop in for a cocktail atthe long bar.

Season five also saw Downton charac-ters dining at London’s oldest restaurant,Rules. Founded in 1798 by Thomas Rule asan oyster bar just off the market in CoventGarden, it now serves traditional Britishfood and has been a dining favourite of therich and famous throughout its more than200-year history.

Surrey and Sussex, EnglandByfleet Manor (The Dowager’s House)

and Horsted Keynes Station (Downton TrainStation) Nestled in Byfleet near Surrey,Byfleet Manor is a private house that isused as the location for the DowagerCountess of Grantham’s residence. Mostrecently in the Downton universe, theimperious Dowager, Violet, and IsobelCrawley have been seen taking tea thereand debating whether Isobel will in factmarry Lord Merton. The house is privateand not usually open to the public to visitalthough it can be booked for privateevents and takes private reservations forafternoon tea.

Horsted Keynes Station, used asDownton Station Nearby in West Sussex isHorsted Keynes Station, which is used asDownton Station in the series. The actualstation of Horsted Keynes is on the BluebellRailway, a preserved 11-mile (18-kilometre)line that uses steam trains. Afternoon tea isserved on some trains on the railway line,which also hosts Christmas and otherevents. Oxfordshire, England Bampton(Downton Village)

Last but not least is the location for thevillage where Downton is set. DowntonVillage is fictional and is supposed to belocated in Yorkshire, northern England, butis actually filmed in Bampton inOxfordshire, hundreds of miles to thesouth. The village is historic and pictur-esque, and its easy access to London madeit perfect for filming. Here visitors will findSt. Mary’s church, which can be seen inmany Downton episodes, and the pubwhich serves as the Grantham Arms in theseries. — Reuters

Downton Abbey destinations for fans of British period drama

Trip Tips:

They were a rare sign of individuality duringthe grim Communist era. But nowHungarians are turning their backs on their

gaily-painted “Cube” houses, ashamed of thesimple geometric patterns and trompe-l’oeileffects that brightened their darkest days. In the1960s and 1970s the “Kadar Cube”-named afterthe all-powerful communist leader of the timeJanos Kadar-transformed the Hungarian coun-tryside. Some 800,000 of these simple 100-square-metre (1,080-square-foot) homes still dotthe landscape in the country of 10 million,including in Kozarmisleny, near the southern cityof Pecs. But what makes some of them standout are their unexpectedly cheery and modernfacades, far removed from the dull greyness sooften associated with Communist-era construc-tions. “The houses were boring, so I thought let’sfigure something out,” said Istvan Pucher, a 72-year-old mason who built over 220 cube housesand individually decorated at least a tenth ofthem. Pucher developed his own designs andpatterns, reminiscent of vintage op art (opticalart) and soon it became a trend, with neighborswanting different designs.

“People heard of it by word of mouth,” thecheery, white-haired Pucher told AFP. Supplieswere scarce-Hungary was then part of the Sovietblock-but with the limited tools, colours andtechniques at their disposal, masons createdfalse box windows and painted trapezoids, trian-gles and swirls in vibrant colours on these squatlittle homes.

At the time, the ornamentation represented asubversive desire for individuality, even if theauthorities pretended that was not the case.“Unconsciously with the individual designs peo-ple defined themselves against the homogenis-ing efforts of socialism,” said film-maker JozsefSzolnoki, who has helped document the verybest examples with his German photographerwife Katharina Roters.

A past best forgotten She has travelled around Hungary for 10

years seeking out the most artistic and unusualcube houses, praising what she described as an“ornamental phenomenon that has become acode, a language of its own.” But she is one ofthe few to appreciate their beauty. “Why arethey interesting? I don’t see it!” said Aniko, anelderly woman passing by with her shoppingbags in Ujpetre, one of the many villages boast-ing decorated cube houses. Before Roters ven-tured out there was never any real interest in thedesigns. “This was a blind spot in Hungary,”Roters told AFP.

Her husband puts it down to an unspokenbargain between the communist leadership andthe people after the 1956 uprising, which wasbrutally suppressed by Soviet tanks and fol-lowed by massive reprisals. In exchange for theirquiet submissiveness, Hungarians were affordedhigher living standards and more freedom thanin the rest of the eastern bloc.

Now an uncomfortable reminder of this, thecolorful houses are at best ignored, at worstdespised. “There is a lot of psychological sup-pression in not seeing these buildings,” Szolnoki

said. “The drama is that the houses rewrote thecountry’s image, yet they remained invisible.”

While there are no definite figures, a fewthousand decorated cube houses still remain inHungary. But they are slowly disappearing ashouses are renovated and owners want to erasememories of a depressing past. “They deserveattention to remind us of that time, when weworked for simple people who were happy tohave a comfortable new home,” said Pucher.Despite the attention, he doesn’t consider him-self an artist. “I just did my job,” he said. — AFP

Subversive or submissive? Hungarydivided over its Cube houses

Cars drive in front of new versions of cube houses in Kozarmisleny. — AFP photos

Former mason Istvan Pucher looks out of the window of his cube house in Kozarmisleny.

Cube houses are pictured in Ocsard village.Former mason Istvan Pucher, a 72-year-old pensioner shows his cre-ation, a cube house in Kozarmisleny.


l if e s t y l eF E A T U R E S

Just for fun, let’s try to picture the year in popculture, all in one image. We might beginwith a singer oddly named Adele Dazeem,

belting “Let I t Go” from Disney ’s “Frozen.”Suddenly a friend would pour a bucket of icewater over her head. Adele would immediatelytweet the moment on her new iPhone 6, hashtag#icebucketchallenge, while Ellen would pop outand take a group selfie that would#BreaktheInternet. Now let’s get more serious.It’s always a challenge to capture a year in popculture, but we try nonetheless. Herewith, ourannual, highly selective trip down memory lane:

January:Pharrell Williams has lots of reason to be hap-

py this month. After a huge 2013, the producer-rapper-singer gets an Oscar nomination for“Happy” on the “Despicable Me 2” soundtrack. Aweek later, he wins four Grammys, includingalbum and record of the year for producing thefunk-electronic anthem “Get Lucky.” Happy, Lucky... the guy certainly picks apt song titles.

February:The ground shifts in the late-night TV land-

scape: Jimmy Fallon takes over for Jay Leno andimmediately establishes himself as the new king,with a younger, fresher vibe perfect for next-dayYouTube viewing of bits like celebrity lip-syncingduels. Kicking off an eventful year in the techworld, Facebook pays a massive $19 billion forWhatsapp, the popular mobile messaging serv-ice favored by teenagers and young adults - whosee Facebook as something better suited to theirparents. At New York Fashion Week, emergingstar Lupita N’yongo makes a front-row splash atCalvin Klein.

March:It’s Oscar time, and this year’s show - the

most-watched in a decade - gives us a slew ofpop culture moments. Introducing Idina Menzel,John Travolta mangles her name in epic fashion,creating a new star: “the one and only AdeleDazeem.” Ever the Broadway trouper, Menzeldoesn’t miss a beat as she sings the girl-poweranthem “Let It Go.” N’yongo completes her rapidascent to superstardom with a supporting-actress trophy for “12 Years a Slave,” also theyear’s best picture. And speaking of superstars,Ellen Degeneres takes that famous selfie with agaggle of ‘em, causing Twitter to crash for 20minutes and beating the previous champion forretweets, a photo of Barack and Michelle Obama.Time for a new phrase in Hollywood-speak:“CONSCIOUS UNCOUPLING,” the term used byGwyneth Paltrow to describe her enlightenedsplit from Chris Martin. Oh, and Obama pitcheshis health plan to young people via an unusualplatform: Zach Galifianakis’ comic Web series“Between Two Ferns.” Some conservative com-mentators call it undignified.

April:Yet more epic shifts in late-night: David

Letterman announces he’ll retire in 2015. Hisreplacement is Comedy Central star StephenColbert, adored by the younger demographic.Letterman quips: “I happen to know they wantedanother guy with glasses.” And now, we knowyou were getting antsy for KIMYE news, so here itis: Kim Kardashian and soon-to-be hubby KanyeWest make the prestigious cover of VOGUE,sparking existential angst among some fashion-istas. Kardashian tweets that it’s “a dream cometrue!!!”

May:But the real dream comes when KIMYE ties

the knot at a Renaissance fortress in Florence,Italy, following lavish pre-wedding festivities inFrance. Angelina Jolie makes a splash as“Maleficent,” giving us a new take on the Disneycharacter that’s now more superheroine than vil-lainess. Also making a splash: Laverne Cox, theopenly transgender actress on “Orange is theNew Black,” featured on the cover of Time maga-zine.

June:Let’s turn to sports: It’s World Cup time, and

who says America doesn’t love soccer? Peopleare glued to their TVs, iPads, phones and otherdevices for the US games, and a hero is born: TimHoward, the US goalie, who even in a 2-1 defeatto Belgium makes a record-setting 16 saves. Hebecomes a social media darling - on Wikipedia,he briefly becomes the Secretary of Defense,edging out Chuck Hagel. And he inspires anInternet meme naming all the “ Things TimHoward Could Save.” (Example: The dinosaursfrom extinction.)

July:A collective “Awwwwww” ricochets ‘round

the world as Britain’s mediagenic royal couple,William and Kate, release photos of the equallymediagenic prince george, upon his first birth-day. Turns out his fashion choices - lots ofblues, and bib overalls - prove as influential ashis mom’s. Cox, meanwhile, is nominated for

an Emmy - the first nomination for an openlytransgender person. I t ’s also time for thecampy “Sharknado 2.” A shark in the New Yorksubway? No big deal. Manhattanites have seenrats that big.

August:Whoever would have thought a lowly bucket

of ice would become a pop culture phenom?Celebs and regular folks alike take on the ALS IceBucket Challenge, generating many millions ofdollars to fight the disease. Epic screams areheard, but the most entertainingly blood-cur-dling comes from Oprah Winfrey. And whatwould August be without a wedding? Brangelinafinally ties the knot, at a small ceremony on theirFrench estate. A very sad note to the month: Thedeath of Robin Williams, whose manic energygraced screens big and small, leaves a gapinghole in the cultural landscape.

September:Back to weddings - and in this year of celebri-

ty knot-tying, nothing is bigger than the lavishVenice festivities surrounding the nuptials of the

bachelor who said he’d never marry againGeorge Clooney and British human rights lawyerAmal Alamuddin. Think traffic jams of paparazzion gondolas. This isn’t even the only Hollywoodcelebrity wedding in Italy this month - NeilPatrick Harris, next year’s Oscar host, marriespartner David Burtka. Big tech news: The newiPhone 6 arrives, with its larger screen andinevitable prestige factor. APPLE also unveils itssmartwatch, bringing the features of an iPhoneto one’s arm, and Microsoft spends $2.5 billionfor the company that created the hit game“Minecraft,” popular on mobile phones. Sadly, theworld loses deliciously tart-tongued Joan Rivers,

a trailblazer for women in comedy.

October:More life cycle events: Kate Middleton

appears in public for the first time sinceannouncing that she’s expecting her second roy-al heir. As for Hollywood royalty, JenniferLawrence, about to make a splash with the latest“Hunger Games” installment, speaks out on thehacking scandal that led to nude photos of her -intended for her boyfriend - being published onwebsites. “It is not a scandal. It is a sex crime,” shesays.

November:Remember when Ellen’s selfie sorta broke the

Internet? Well, Kim Kardashian (yes, her again),aiming to do the same, poses nude for Papermagazine, and the focus on her posterior leadsto all sorts of talk about “the year of the booty.”Kudos to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, whichtweets a photo of a strikingly similar figure fromone of its 4000 B.C. statues, noting that they can“BreaktheInternet” too. Taylor Swift, meanwhile,takes a stand, asking SPOTIFY to stop streamingher music, and setting up an intriguing standoffbetween the industry’s most popular artist andits top music streaming service. On a MUCHmore serious note, Bill Cosby, once America’smost beloved TV dad, faces a cascade of allega-tions that he drugged and sexually assaultedwomen decades ago. The comedian’s plannedreturn to television is shelved, and his career suf-fers perhaps irreparable damage.

December:Suddenly it ’s the only thing anyone in

Hollywood is talking about: The devastatingSONY hacking scandal. After several weeks ofembarrassing disclosures in hacked emails, thefocus turns sharply in mid-December to genuinefear, as hackers threaten violence and mayhem attheaters showing “ The Interview,” the SethRogen-James Franco film depicting the fictionalassassination of North Korean leader Kim JongUn. Theater chains pull out, and Sony finallyshelves the movie. The fallout is still developing,but it’s clearly a sober ending to a dramatic yearfor the entertainment industry. — AP

Ice buckets, breaking the Internet:

A year in pop culture

39Ice buckets, breaking theInternet: A year inpop culture


File photo shows a Palestinian dressed as Santa Claus holds balloons at Manger Square, outside the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed by Christians to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, in the West Bank city of Bethlehemon Christmas Eve Wednesday. — AP

Modern-day cats aren’t associated withdeities like they were in ancientEgypt, but the Internet has gotten

them a little closer. We adore Nora the piano-playing cat. We chuckle as a comical felinenamed Maru leaps into cardboard boxes. Werevel in Grumpy Cat ’s permanently sourexpression. And with millions watching videosof other kitties getting tongue baths fromhorses and playing peekaboo with their own-ers, cats have become online stars.

For feline fans, it’s a sea change. In theaffections of Americans, cats often get short

shrift compared with dogs. Some see cats asaloof, poor companions and indifferent toattention that dogs enjoy. But with cats’celebrity expanding, experts say cyberspace isaiding their plight.

“Social media has put pets front and cen-ter,” said Christie Keith, social media consultantfor Maddie’s Fund, a California-based founda-tion that works to save pets’ lives. Socialmedia, she said, “is revolutionizing how wehelp animals.” The Internet has created a vastaudience of potential adopters. To save pets’lives, animal welfare organizations are reach-

ing out to an audience addicted to cat videos.Shelters use social media to promote every-thing from adoption campaigns to free vacci-nations, spaying and neutering.

Although there are no comprehensivenationwide statistics, recent studies of target-ed communities and available data indicateincreases in animal shelters releasing cats toowners or agencies such as rescues that guar-antee adoption.

In one of the studies, conducted by theAmerican Society for the Prevention of Crueltyto Animals, shelters and rescue organizationsin six areas from Florida to Washington statesupplied data from 2007 to 2011. Overall, therates for dogs and cats released to people oragencies rose from 41 percent to 65 percent.Cats showed a whopping 111 percent boost.

It’s difficult to pinpoint how much of thisgood news stems from the Internet, but manyonline campaigns have seen successes. A yearago, just before Christmas, the Dumb FriendsLeague in Denver posted a photo and story onFacebook of an 11-year-old cat that had beenin its shelter for nearly eight months. Oldercats like Ripley are often overlooked by poten-tial adopters.

New homeFor her online appearance, Ripley donned a

tiny Santa suit. The posting got hundreds ofshares and “likes” and netted her a new home,said Megan Rees, spokeswoman for the organi-zation. The organization has increased its adop-tion rate of adult cats by 13 percent over thepast year, with help from its website, Facebookand Twitter. The Oregon Humane Society also

turns to Facebook to help get pets adoptedover the holidays. The organization’s page, withthe headline “Home For The Holidays,” showsfour homeless animals wearing Santa hats: acat, a dog, a rabbit and a parrot. It also has seensocial media users share the group’s photos ofadoptable pets. On average, kittens featured onthe organization’s website find new homeswithin half a day of appearing online. It takesabout seven days for adult cats after they areposted online.

Despite the successes, too many cats and

other pets still get dumped at shelters becausethe owner doesn’t like the animal’s personalityor can’t afford to keep it. But as viewers keepreturning to videos of Nora pawing the ivoriesand Maru running and sliding into cardboardboxes, they are strengthening their bond withthe feline species. “There’s something quite fas-cinating and fun about cat videos,” said Dr EmilyWeiss, senior director of research and develop-ment for the ASPCA. “What’s more compellingthan some random compilation of cats doingstuff like knocking things over?” — AP

Feline fame in cyberspace gives species a boost

A cat rests on the throne bed in the King Tut-theme cat playroom at the Oregon HumaneSociety in Portland. — AP photos

A cat checks out his surroundings in the King Tut-theme cat playroom.

With a bark of excitement, Titti, Tato andCarmela scamper down the corridors ofthe Bollate prison near Milan and are

enveloped by prisoners who shower them withtreats, pats and hugs. It’s pet therapy day, andValeria Gallinotti, founder of the Dogs Inside asso-ciation, has brought her labrador, doberman anda mongrel to play with inmates in Italy’s model jail,where a host of such initiatives keep repeatoffender rates at a record low. Convicted murder-ers and sex offenders scoop up the canines forkisses, burying their hands in their fur and playendless games of fetch with tennis balls in theprison yard, chasing them oblivious to the rain.

“My dream was to organize pet therapy ses-sions in prison because it’s the one place wherethere is a total lack of affection, where dogs cancreate calm, good moods, emotional bonds andphysical contact,” Gallinotti, 47, told AFP. She vol-unteers once a week to teach the prisoners howto train the animals with treats handed out for sit-ting, shaking paws and lying down-as well as howpet therapy works so that some can go on to setup their own initiatives once released.

“I have always loved animals, I had a cat anddog at home, and pet therapy has been wonder-ful,” said Nazareno Caporali, who is serving life for

murder, The 53-year-old, who divides his timebetween the dogs and studying for a third univer-sity degree, said he wanted to pass on the joys ofpet therapy to others. “I hope one day we will beable to give to someone else what we havereceived, by doing pet therapy with people withAlzheimer’s or children with psychophysical prob-lems, with the same dignity it’s been done withus,” he said, as Titti, tired out by the game, settlesdown for a snooze nearby.

Murder, Mafia and a fresh start The theory of using animals as agents of social-

ization and relaxation dates back to the 18th cen-tury. Later Sigmund Freud and FlorenceNightingale favored the use of dogs or other petsduring during sessions or while treating patients.It is also a way of tackling solitude within the tow-ering walls at the medium-security facility innorthern Italy, set up in 2000 as an experimentalproject designed to cater to prisoners who wish tostudy or learn work skills.

Maurizio, 36, who was found guilty of orderingfive mafia killings and expects to serve at least 30years of a sentence which officially ends in 2087,has done time in over 15 prisons and said Bollateis “by far the most advanced in terms of giving you

opportunities to recreate yourself”. Italy has thesecond-highest level of prison overcrowding inEurope, partly due to the number of convicts whocommit crimes once released, landing them backbehind bars.

While 78 percent of prisoners in Italian jails goon to become repeat offenders, in Bollate just 20percent do so. With training for cooks, electriciansand carpenters, as well as courses such as paint-ing, yoga and gardening on offer, there’s a waitinglist to get in. In exchange for a chance to spendtheir mornings playing tennis, learning a foreignlanguage or playing with dogs, inmates mustagree to conditions including living with sexualoffenders, traditionally housed separately.

Nicolo Vergani, 25, a former Red Cross volun-teer, said he wanted to work with animals once hehas finished serving time for sexual acts withminors, and hopes to specialize in zoology afterhe gains his biological science degree. “I do pettherapy to prepare me in even a small way forwhat I’d like to do in the future,” he said, as his fel-low inmates tried to stop the dogs from eating thecakes and pizzas they had made for lunch in theovens in their cell-blocks. —AFP

An inmate plays with a dog as part of the “pet therapy project” at the Bollate penitentiary nearMilan, on November 26, 2014.

Doggy love works wondersat model Italian prison

While 78 percent of prisoners in Italian jailsgo on to become repeat offenders, inBollate just 20 percent do so. — AFP photos

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