NEW YORK: Donald Trump lashed out yes-terday at screen legend Meryl Streep, accus-ing her of being an overrated “flunky” ofHillary Clinton after the actress berated himat the Golden Globes ceremony. In what hasbecome an early morning custom for thenotoriously thin-skinned president-elect,Trump took to Twitter to settle scores withthe three-time Oscar winner. “Meryl Streep,one of the most overrated actresses in

Hollywood, doesn’t know me but attackedlast night at the Golden Globes,” Trumpwrote. “She is a Hillary flunky who lost big.”

Streep berated Trump for his divisiverhetoric as she received a lifetime achieve-ment award at the Golden Globes onSunday in Los Angeles. The 67-year-oldfought to control her emotions as shereceived a standing ovation during her

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Kuwait Airways union stagessit-in to demand rights

‘La La Land’ waltzes to big victory at Golden Globes

Ronaldo wins FIFA’s player of the year award

MoH to announce increase inexpat fees

Assembly panel says deputy

speaker’s election incorrect

MP Adasani to grill housing minister over violationsBy B Izzak

KUWAIT: The National Assembly’s legal and legislativecommittee ruled yesterday that the election of deputyspeaker Essa Al-Kandari was illegal and did not followprocedures specified in the constitution and theAssembly charter. The committee’s decision was takenby three votes against two, with one abstention. Nowthe issue goes to the Assembly, which is expected todecide to refer the issue to the constitutional court for amandatory decision.

On the first day of the new Assembly last month,Kandari was declared elected as deputy speaker afterdefeating his only competitor, Islamist opposition MPJamaan Al-Harbash, by a single vote. But Kandari’s wincame after a second round of voting that many legalexperts say was unnecessary and illegal. In the firstround of voting, Harbash secured 32 votes againstKandari’s 31, with one ballot empty. The election wasjudged by Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem as unconstitu-tional, since Harbash failed to get the simple majority ofthe 64 members present, which is 33.

But Harbash protested that according to a constitu-tional court ruling in 1996, the empty ballot shouldhave been discarded from the total members presentand the number should have become 63, which meansthat he had secured the simple majority needed (32votes) and should have been declared the deputyspeaker.

Ghanem however said that since the 1996 ruling, theAssembly charter had been amended and it stipulatesthat even the empty ballot should be counted as part ofmembers present, and accordingly ruled that Harbashdid not get the required simple majority of votes andordered a revote, in which Kandari won by a single vote.

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KUWAIT: Shuwaikh Port is seen shrouded in fog early yesterday. Bad weather halted operations atShuwaikh, Shuaiba and Doha ports, which were expected to resume activity once weather conditions andvisibility improved. Also, 14 incoming flights were re-routed to airports in Dammam, Doha and Manamasince 0400 local time until visibility was restored and flights resumed to Kuwait International Airport at0700 local time. — KUNA

Fog shuts ports, flights re-routed

KUWAIT: Kuwaiti Oil Minister Essam Al-Marzouqyesterday described as encouraging oil productionreductions announced so far. Kuwait heads a com-mittee to monitor crude output cuts. The

Organization of thePetroleum ExportingCountries agreed inNovember to cut its pro-duction by 1.2 million bar-rels per day startingJanuary to reduce a globalsupply glut that had keptprices painfully low.

A group of 14 non-OPECproducers, led by theworld’s top crude producerRussia, agreed in

December to lower their output by another 600,000bpd, making the total pledged cuts at 1.8 millionbpd. “So far, all Gulf producers, Iraq and Russia haveannounced their commitment to the cuts,” Marzouqtold a news conference after talks with OPEC secre-tary general Mohammad Barkindo. “These commit-ments make up between 60 percent and 70 percentof the pledged cuts” from the beginning of January,said the minister. “We expect the compliance to thecuts to be big because of its impact on boostingprices.”

Kuwait heads the five-member Joint MinisterialMonitoring Committee set up to monitor compli-ance with the pledged cuts. Marzouq said he dis-cussed with Barkindo mechanisms to monitor thecuts by OPEC and non-OPEC members. The Kuwaitiminister said they discussed monitoring output ofeach member country and also the level of exportswith the assistance of international companies.

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Kuwait expects

big commitment

to oil cut deal

Essam Al-Marzouq

Newsi n b r i e f

UAE orders removal of ‘Persian Gulf’ from book

DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates has ordered theremoval from a textbook of the term “Persian Gulf” forthe waterway that is the subject of a bitter naming dis-pute with Iran, a newspaper reported yesterday. TheUAE education ministry stepped in after complaints thatthe book was using that name instead of “Arabian Gulf”that Arab countries use to describe the body of water,Emirat Al-Youm said. The ministry said the fourth gradetextbook, which featured a map with the name, hadbeen on “trial and will be corrected in future prints”, thedaily reported. The authorities would distribute stickersto “cover the mistake”, it added.

Eight killed in attack on Sinai police post

CAIRO: An assault involving a car bomb against anEgyptian security checkpoint in the Sinai Peninsulakilled seven policeman and a civilian yesterday, the inte-rior ministry said. The ministry said assailants tried driv-ing a vehicle packed with explosives into a checkpoint,but police fired on it, setting it off before it reached thepost. The assailants also fired rocket propelled grenadesat the checkpoint in the North Sinai city of El-Arish.Seven policemen and a civilian passerby were killed inthe attack, the ministry said, adding that policemenwho returned fire killed five militants. Eight people werealso wounded in the attack, state newspaper Al-Ahramreported on its website.

Police arrest 17 over Kardashian Paris heist

PARIS: French police arrested 17 people in raidsyesterday over the armed robbery of US reality TVstar Kim Kardashian in Paris last year based onDNA found at the crime scene, police sources said.Police swooped in the Paris region and the southof France following forensic work at the luxury res-idence in the capital where Kardashian was tiedup and robbed of jewelry worth around nine mil-lion euros ($9.5 million) in October. The oldest sus-pect being held is a 72-year-old man arrested afterpolice broke open the gate of a pink-walled villatypical of the Provencal city of Grasse. Theyoungest is in his early 20s. Three women wereamong those arrested, including one aged 65 whowas picked up in the southern Gard region,according to a source close to the probe.

Trump lashes out after Streep rebuke

WASHINGTON: A US Navy destroyerfired three warning shots at four Iranianfast-attack vessels after they closed in ata high rate of speed near the Strait ofHormuz, two US defense officials toldReuters yesterday. The incident, whichoccurred Sunday, comes as USPresident-elect Donald Trump preparesto take office on Jan 20. In September,Trump vowed that any Iranian vesselsthat harass the US Navy in the Gulfwould be “shot out of the water”.

The officials, speaking on the condi-tion of anonymity, said the USS Mahanestablished radio communication withthe Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corpsboats but they did not respond torequests to slow down and continuedasking the Mahan questions. The Navydestroyer fired warning flares and a USNavy helicopter also dropped a smokefloat before the warning shots werefired. The Iranian vessels came within800 m of the Mahan, which was escort-

ing two other US military ships, theysaid. The IRGC and Trump transitionteam were not immediately availablefor comment.

Meanwhile, Iranian lawmakersapproved plans yesterday to expandmilitary spending to five percent of thebudget, including developing thecountry’s long-range missile programwhich Trump has pledged to halt. Thevote is a boost to Iran’s military estab-lishment - the regular army, the eliteIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps(IRGC) and defense ministry - whichwas allocated almost 2 percent of the2015-16 budget.

But it could put the Islamic Republicon a collision course with the incom-ing Trump administration, and fuelcriticism from other Western stateswhich say Tehran’s recent ballistic mis-sile tests are inconsistent with a UNresolution on Iran.

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US ship fired warning

shots at Iranian boats

Tehran to develop missiles

BEVERLY HILLS, California: Meryl Streep accepts the Cecil B DeMille Award at the74th Annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday. — AP

SHANGHAI: “Jia Jia” can hold a simple conversation andmake specific facial expressions when asked, and hercreator believes the eerily life-like robot heralds a futureof cyborg labor in China. Billed as China’s first human-like robot, Jia Jia was first trotted out last year by a teamof engineers at the University of Science andTechnology of China. Team leader Chen Xiaopingsounded like a proud father as he and his prototypeappeared yesterday at an economic conference organ-ised by banking giant UBS in Shanghai’s futuristic finan-cial center.

Chen predicted that perhaps within a decade artifi-cially intelligent (AI) robots like Jia Jia will begin per-forming a range of menial tasks in Chinese restaurants,nursing homes, hospitals and households. “In 5-10 yearsthere will be a lot of applications for robots in China,”Chen said. With flowing black hair and dressed in a tra-ditional Chinese dress, Jia Jia looks strikingly real. Yether charm has its limits and simple questions frequentlystump her.

Still, Chen said his team has made great progressover the past two years in developing her AI. She wasable accurately to answer a query about the day’s

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Chinese robot turns on charm

SHANGHAI: Humanoid robot Jia Jia is seen followinga presentation at a conference yesterday. — AFP

L O C A L

TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

KUWAIT: His Highness the AmirSheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-JaberAl-Sabah received at Bayan Palaceyesterday Amiri Diwan Advisor DrYousef Hamad Al- Ibrahim, ChiefE xe c u t i ve O f f i ce r o f Pro te g e sorganization Shamlan Al-Bahr, andm e m b e r s o f t h e o rg a n i z a t i o nw h i c h a d vo c a te s t r a i n i n g a n dsharpening skills of the youth. Theorganization holds seminars andtraining courses for the young citi-zens to study their talents and helpthem boost their skills, employinginnovative methods.

His Highness the Amir, addressingthe guests, re-affirmed that the Statewould put all available resources at thedisposal of caring for the junior nation-als. During the audience, attended byDeputy Amiri Diwan Affairs Minister AliJarrah Al-Sabah, Bahr addressed HisHighness with the term, ‘Yoba’ (Kuwaitidialect for father), noting that HisHighness had hosted a delegationfrom Proteges when it was foundedseven years ago and since then, theprogram has produced batches of

highly skilled youth who earned inter-national honoring and praise.

Mohammad Al-Mnaikh recalled

that His Highness during the firstmeeting with the program membershad encouraged them to press ahead

and let no obstacle stand in theirface. “Proteges has developed into aleading organization tasked with

enhancing leadership skills amongthe youth,” he said, noting that itsmembers’ number has grown from 25

to 150. “We are not present solely inKuwait, for we have reached eightother states and have become linkedup with f ive universit ies,” saidMnaikh, who developed from a stu-dent in the program to a guide.

Mnaikh requested that HisHighness furnish him and his col-leagues with further support “so thatwe could double our performance.”The program has paved the way formany young Kuwaitis to excel andturn into highly renowned leaders;namely Noura Al-Hajri and Bader Al-Tahous. Another activist mentionedthat the organization distributed35,000 books to those in need andrefugees.

Reciprocating, His Highness theAmir said he was deeply touched forbeing addressed with the term‘Yoba’.”This is a grand overture ... ittouched my heart deeply ... indeedyou are all my children and I assureyou that you won’t stop halfway andwe will manifest the goodness inourselves by back ing you,” HisHighness said. —KUNA

Amir encourages advocates of Proteges program for youth care

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah poses for a group picture with Amiri Diwan Advisor Dr Yousef Hamad Al-Ibrahim, Chief Executive Officer of Proteges organizationShamlan Al-Bahr, and members of the organization. —Amiri Diwan photos

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-JaberAl-Sabah received yesterday at Bayan Palace Minister of Health DrJamal Al-Harbi, who was accompanied by Dr Muthana Al-Sartawi.Sartwai briefed His Highness the Amir on an innovative kneereplacement surgery procedure that he had pioneered. HisHighness the Amir extoled the medical achievement that hedescribed as an honor for the country, adding that such accom-plishments will help propel Kuwait to the upper echelons of thehealthcare worldwide. The meeting was attended by DeputyMinister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah.

Moreover, the Minister of Health said that the meeting withHis Highness the Amir was called to give Sartawi the credit hedeserves for conducting this intricate surgery that ensures maxi-mum convenience for patients undergoing the procedure.

Meanwhile, Dr Sartawi noted that he was “honored to havemet His Highness the Amir,” attributing his success to “pecuniarysupport provided by Kuwait.” He also added that this accomplish-ment will motivate him to attain further progress.

Sartawi later met with His Highness the Crown Prince SheikhNawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, extoled the medical achieve-ment that he described as an honor for the country, and wishedthe physician further success in the healthcare field.

In other news, His Highness the Amir received Minister of Oil,

Electricity and Water Essam Al-Marzouq at Bayan Palace, in pres-ence of His Highness the Crown Prince. Minister Marzouq wasaccompanied by OPEC’s Secretary General Mohammad Barkindo.

His Highness the Amir also received Chairman of KuwaitScience Club (KSC) Ahmad Al-Manfouhi, Deputy Chairman TalalAl-Kharafi and other senior KSC officials. His Highness the Amirheaped praise on KSC for its work to allow youth have the oppor-tunity to hone their skills, wishing the club persistent success andprosperity.

Sports upbringingIn the meantime, His Highness the Amir received Amiri Diwan

Advisor Dr Yousef Hamad Al-Ibrahim and members of the KuwaitiYouth Sports Campaign which advocates youth sports upbring-ing, where Kuwait will have generations of athletes skilled in vari-ous games.

The Amir’s guests briefed His Highness about objectives ofthe campaign which seeks to guide young citizens get engagedin positive and useful activities “and create a generation of juniorOlympic-level athletes in various sports in coordination with rele-vant international sports academies.” His Highness the Amir, dur-ing the audience, attended by Deputy Amiri Diwan AffairsMinister Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah, praised the campaigners for advo-

cating promotion of the sports culture in the Kuwaiti society andcreating integrated athletic generations.

Member of the campaign Abdullah Al-Ugab indicated at ablueprint for upbringing integrated sports generations, in coordi-nation with international organizations and academies, namelythe Olympic University in Sochi, Russia, a Russian school for chil-dren’s sports training and the Olympic Sports Academy inColorado, the US. The campaign will be proclaimed in February,in tandem with the National Days’ celebrations.

Another member, Abdullah Dehrab, said he and his col-leagues had already prepared documentaries about Kuwaitichampions who made achievements in and outside the country,noting that a number of excellent Kuwaiti athletes are — unfairly— not quite popular. Some video clips about the national cham-pions have been posted on the social media, drawing muchappreciation and applause, he said, hoping that all athletes behonored at a celebration in Jaber Stadium, adding that he pre-sented His Highness the Amir with an integrated study withrespect of these matters.

Qais Al-Dabbous, also a member in the campaign, said the rel-evant media campaign had begun a month ago, with the postingof clips on the digital media providing brief information abouttop Kuwaiti champions, namely Jassem Yaacoub, Saad Al-Houti,

Ahmad Al-Taraboulsi and the famous female swimmer, Fay’ Al-Sultan, as well as others.

Aid campaignsSeparately, His Highness the Crown Prince received Chairman

of Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) Dr Hilal Al-Sayer, whooffered to him an explanation over KRCS’ aid campaigns for dis-placed people from the war-torn Syrian city of Aleppo. HisHighness the Crown Prince urged for increased solidarity to copewith humanitarian challenges, as he lauded KRCS’ aid provided tothe needy all across the globe. His Highness also met withKuwait’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom Khaled AbdulazizAl-Duwaisan. Furthermore, His Highness the Crown receivedPresident of the National Security Bureau (NSB) Sheikh Thamer AliSabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah. The NSB Chairman was accompaniedby shareholders of a global water resources company, whobriefed His Highness the Crown Prince on the company’s plans todiversify water resources in a bid to ensure water and food securi-ty. His Highness the Crown Prince extoled the company’s efforts,wishing them continued success and prosperity. The meetingwas attended by head of protocols at His Highness the CrownPrince’s Diwan Sheikh Mubarak Sabah Al-Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah. —KUNA

Amir gives credit to physician behind innovative surgery

Members of the Proteges hold pictures showing activities carriedout by the organization.

Members of the Proteges are pictured during the reception.

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah meets with Minister of Health Dr Jamal Al-Harbi, who was accom-panied by Dr Muthana Al-Sartawi. —Amiri Diwan and KUNA photos

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah meetswith OPEC’s Secretary General Mohammad Barkindo, in the presence ofHis Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and Minister of Oil, Electricity and Water Essam Al-Marzouq.

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah meetswith Amiri Diwan Advisor Dr Yousef Hamad Al-Ibrahim and members ofthe Kuwaiti Youth Sports Campaign.

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah meetswith Chairman of Kuwait Science Club (KSC) Ahmad Al-Manfouhi,Deputy Chairman Talal Al-Kharafi and other senior KSC officials.

His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah meets with Chairman of Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) DrHilal Al-Sayer.

His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah meets with President of the National Security Bureau SheikhThamer Ali Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah and shareholders of a global waterresources company.

L O C A L

TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

Cabinet decides to incorporate

philanthropy into school curricula

Panel to investigate Anti-Corruption Authority

Arab Parliament chief

hails Amir’s role for

promoting human rights

CAIRO: Chairman of the Arab Parliament Dr Meshaal Al-Salmi yesterday lauded efforts of His Highness the AmirSheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah at the level ofpromoting human rights at the local and Arab levels.

Salmi was addressing the 12th session of the ArabHuman Rights Committee, tasked with discussing the FirstNational Report, presented by the State of Kuwait, inimplementation of the Arab Human Rights Charter. Heaffirmed Kuwait’s keenness on presenting its first reportabout the human rights’ status in the Arab countries, not-ing the political leadership’s great confidence in the Arabmechanisms in the realm of human rights and resolve tomeet aspirations of the Kuwaiti people in this regard.

The State of Kuwait has substantiated its commitmentsto human rights by approving relevant treaties and accordsand by presenting the regular reports according to sched-ules at Arab and international conventions and quarters.

The Kuwaiti constitution stipulates human rights’ princi-ples, justice, freedoms, protection of the family, mother-hood and childhood, said Al-Salmi, adding that the latestsuccessful parliamentary elections, held in November, sig-naled a clear evidence of the well-established democracyin the Kuwaiti society. He drew attention to recurring casesof human rights abuses in the Arab world, particularly inSyria, Iraq, Libya, Yemen and Somalia.

Earlier, Arab League’s Human Rights CommitteeChairman Dr Hadi Al-Yami hailed the State of Kuwait’s dis-tinctive experience in the humanitarian domain, namelywith respect of human rights. Yami lauded the rich Kuwaitiexperience at this level in a statement, inaugurating the12th session of an affiliate panel, Kuwait has succeeded inbolstering its humanitarian role through democracy, insti-tutional performance by the government, the parliamentand the judiciary, he said, also lauding role of the Kuwaitipress and media as well as the dynamic Kuwaiti people atsuch levels.

There is political will behind the Kuwaiti achievements,though “there is no ceiling for human rights,” Yami added.He welcomed the participating Kuwaiti delegation, headedby the Permanent Delegate to the United Nations,Ambassador Jamal Al-Ghuneim, also expressing satisfac-tion at outcome of a visit, paid by the commission mem-bers to Kuwait, last May. The panel members, during thevisit, examined the Kuwaiti efforts in bolstering and pro-tecting human rights, he said, expressing gratitude toKuwaiti societies for taking part in the session and present-ing reports, in addition to the one put forward by theGovernment of Kuwait. The Arab committee’s responsibili-ties are turning greater due to turbulent conditions in “ourArab homeland,” he said, indicating that the dramaticevents “undoubtedly affect human rights.” —KUNA

KUWAIT: At the behest of His Highnessthe Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-JaberAl-Sabah, the Cabinet has decreed tointroduce philanthropy and volunteerismto school curricula, given the merit of suchvirtues. In a statement issued after itsweekly meeting yesterday, the Cabinetnoted that philanthropy and volunteerismwill be offered as an individual course thataims to instill in pupils these moral attrib-utes. Moreover, the education system inthe country will be propped up after thisdecision is implemented, the statementadded.

In September 2014, the United Nations(UN) honored His Highness the AmirSheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, christening him a ‘Humanitarian

Leader ’ and Kuwait a ‘HumanitarianCenter’, in appreciation of the country’ssteadfast humanitarian efforts.

Anti-Corruption AuthorityMeanwhile, the Cabinet has agreed to

form a committee to examine facts ger-mane to a law dealing with the Anti-Corruption Authority, Minister of Justiceand Minister of State for NationalAssembly Affairs Dr Falah Al-Azab saidyesterday.

In a statement after the Cabinet’s meet-ing, the Minister of Justice said that thecommittee is due to submit a report to theCabinet upon completion of its work.According to clause number 9 of law num-ber 2/2016 per taining to the Anti-

Corruption Authority, “membership in theauthority’s security council is valid for fouryears and can only be renewed once.“Moreover, any member of the securitycouncil “will face suspension in case ofnegligence.” If any position in the securitycouncil is vacant, “an interim replacementwill be named immediately.”

Fight against terrorThe ministers examined a host of politi-

cal issues at the Arab and internationallevels during the meeting. On that regard,Kuwait aff irmed solidarity with theKingdom of Saudi Arabia asserting that itwill continue to stand alongside Riyadh,putting all resources at the disposal of thefight against “the forces of evil and devia-

tion seeking to undermine security andstability in this brotherly country.”

In a statement read after the meeting,the Cabinet lauded the Kingdom’s firmnessin facing and wiping off terrorism, notingthat it has followed up on recent securityincidents in the Kingdom and efforts of theauthorities for safeguarding the country’ssecurity and stability. Saudi Minister ofInterior announced two days ago that twoterrorists were killed and a Saudi police-man was wounded in a shootout in Al-Yasameen district in the north of the capi-tal, Riyadh. Riyadh declared that one of thetwo terrorists was a member of the so-called Islamic State who mastermindedfabricating explosives, rigging and trainingsuicide attackers. —KUNA

KUWAIT: His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah chairs the Cabinet’s meeting yesterday. —KUNA

KUWAIT: A beacon in Kuwait’s charitable history in the last 50 years, the Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) has been illustrating what the country’s message is all about under the Humanitarian Leader; HisHighness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. In December 1965, 18 philanthropists had set the society’s charter, with its principles derived from global humanitarian values. On January 10,1966, the Society was officially proclaimed, as it then joined the International Conference on the Red Cross and Red Crescent, embarking on its humanitarian mission around the world. —KUNA

KRCS beacon in Kuwait’s charitable history

The late Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and thelate Chairman of KRCS Barjas Al-Barjas attend the inauguration ofthe new KRCS building.

KRCS trucks sent to help Palestinians in Gaza.

KRCS distribution of humanitarian aid for victims in north Lebanon. KRCS distribution of humanitarian aid in the Philippines.

KRCS distribution of humanitari-an aid for displaced Syrians.

Trucks loaded with humanitarian aid for flood victims. KRCS distribution of humanitarian aid in north Basra, Iraq.

L O C A LTUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

Photoo f t h e d a y

KUWAIT: This file photo shows a minaret and a ‘Boom’ ship’s bow, located at the Radisson Blu Hotel on Blajat Street. A traditional Arabic sailing vessel, the Boom was the main dhow used for pearl div-ing and trade during the pre-oil era of Kuwait’s history. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

KUWAIT: Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs SheikhNasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah received yester-day Uzbekistan’s Ambassador to Kuwait DrBakhromjon Aloev. The minister underscored thedepth of ties with the Asian nation and keennessto bolster bilateral relations.— KUNA

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh SabahAl-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah sent a cable of con-dolences yesterday to Egyptian PresidentAbdel-Fattah Al-Sisi, expressing his deepestsympathies over the victims of an attack on asecurity checkpoint in Sinai province. — KUNA

KUWAIT: National Assembly Speaker MarzouqAli Al-Ghanem received yesterday the USAmbassador to Kuwait Lawrence Silverman, onthe occasion of the start of the US envoy’stenure. — KUNA

In Brief

Amir extendscondolences

Parliament Speakerreceives US envoy

Diwan Minister meets envoy

KUWAIT: From locally inspired designs to avant-garde and ultra-modern designs, 30 students fromKuwait University’s College of Architecture show-cased 15 architectural designs for Jazeera Airwaysnew terminal in an exhibit hosted by Jazeera Airwaysand attended by university faculty, senior executivesfrom Kuwait’s Directorate General of Civil Aviationand Jazeera Airways.

The student exhibit received a warm welcome fromJazeera Airways staff, and was toured by KuwaitUniversity’s Dean of College of Architecture Dr OmarKhattab, student project supervisor Dr Mohammad AlJassar, and from Jazeera Airways, Chief OperatingOfficer and Accountable Manager Abdullah Al Hudaid,Vice President for Ground Operations Naser Al Obaid.

Following the tour, the airline awarded the topthree designs as part of its support for initiatives takenby the students. The awarded students were:- First place: Aisha Al Saraawy and Nouf Bin Nasser- Second place: Mohammad Al Mansour and YehyaAdnan- Third place: Hussa Al Fozan and Haya Al Anjari

Chief Operating Officer and Accountable ManagerAbdullah Al-Hudaid said, “The projects we saw todayexceeded our expectations by all measures. We oftensee architecture students focusing on designing resi-dential buildings in their university years, however,this exhibition reflected a move to infrastructure driv-en by their need to find solutions to the problems andchallenges they are facing first hand. I thank the Deanof College of Architecture Dr Omar Khattab and theproject’s supervisor Dr Mohammad Al Jassar for takingthis initiative and giving their students the newJazeera Airways Terminal assignment and congratula-tions to the winners who we hope to become pioneersof the aviation infrastructure sector.”

The students’ projects were inspired by the airline’sJuly announcement that it obtained the government’sapproval to build and operate a dedicated passengerterminal at Kuwait International Airport. JazeeraAirways plans to launch the terminal in 2018.

The airline’s new terminal will feature state-of-the-art check-in facilities and features tasked to streamlinethe traveler’s on-ground experience and make it has-sle-free, both on departure and arrival. The terminalwill provide a range of check-in options, includingconventional check-in counters, self check-in bagdrops, remote check-in, mobile check-in, and an elec-tronic immigration pass. The terminal is part of the air-line’s ‘Next Big Thing’ series of value boosting projectsand initiatives tasked with creating a better travelexperience on ground and in the air.

Kuwait University students showcasedesigns for Jazeera Airways’ new terminal

LO C A LTUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

By Meshaal Al-Enezi

KUWAIT: Kuwait Airways’ employeessyndicate yesterday organized a sit-inoutside KAC headquarters in Dajeej todemand the rights of pilots, engineersand other employees that it says havenot been honored. MP MohammedAl-Khodair took part in the demon-stration and stressed that lawmakerswill demand these rights as well. Henoted that law number 6/2008 is veryclear and the fact that it was not putinto practice means the governmentis taking the parliament too lightly.

Kuwait Lawyers Society secretaryMohannad Talal Al-Sayer claimedKuwait Airways and its subsidiarycompanies have been trying to shakeout and get rid of Kuwaiti employees.He stressed the lawyers society fullysupports Kuwait Airways employeesand protection of their rights. Alsospeaking was the head of KAC retireesAhmed Al-Randi, who said retiredKuwait Airways employees are stand-

ing side by side by those still in serv-ice. He added some retirees have alsobeen deprived of some rights such asannual free tickets.

Fishermen unionKuwait Fishermen Union held a

seminar at its headquarters in Sharq,which was attended by KuwaitCoastguards’ marine formations assis-tant director Col Tareq Al-Wazeq, thePublic Authority for AgriculturalAffairs and Fish Resources’ marinecontrol manager Marzouq Al-Habbi,the union’s lawyer Saleh Al-Harranand a number of board members.

Chairman Thaher Al-Sowayyanreviewed the problems fishermenfaced during the season that ended inthe beginning of January and stressedthat the decision to transfer fishermento Um Al-Maradem Island had nega-tively affected them and caused con-siderable losses because of the extra60 miles they had to sail, leaving themless time for fishing. Sowayyan added

that the decision to stamp fishermen’spassports in and out and having toleave the passports with fishermenmade many of them flee, leaving spon-sors to suffer unbearable lossesbecause many of their boats stoppedoperating. Had added that the stamp-ing also used up passport pages andfishermen will have to pay KD 50 toissue new ones. “Half of Kuwait’s fish-ing fleet will not work this coming sea-son if the situation remains the same,”he warned. Wazeq stressed that pass-ports had to be stamped for securityreasons and added that the fact thatsome fishermen absconded was a mat-ter amongst fishermen themselves.

Comprehensive healthcareMP Dr Mohammed Al-Howailah

recently filed a proposal to fully equipall polyclinics in Kuwait to act as com-prehensive healthcare centers withthe aim of lessening pressure on pub-lic hospitals. He also suggested havingsome of those centers work 24/7.

By A Saleh

KUWAIT: Deputy Foreign MinisterKhaled Al-Jarallah said Kuwait andIraq have already discussed hold-ing a special conference to rebuildMosul after liberating it from IS, aswel l as the possibi l i ty that adonors’ conference be hosted inKuwait for this purpose. “Iraqishave been requested to prepare avision of the conference,” Jarallahadded, noting that the Iraqi sidepromised to come up with thevision and discuss it with Kuwaitsoon.

Jarallah said legal affairs man-agers at both foreign ministrieswil l meet soon to discuss thedetails of demarking marine bor-ders af ter mark 162. He alsodenied the presence of any prob-lems or disputes concerning oil-fields or other natural resourceson the borders. Jarallah addedthat discussions also tackled navi-gation through Abdullah Creekand that both sides agreed to puta related agreement s igned in2014 into practice. “Signing anagreement to organize aviationbetween both countries will helplaunch commercial f l ightsbetween Baghdad and Kuwaitsoon,” he concluded.

Foreign workersMP Mubarak Al-Hajraf said that

at a t ime when oi l producingcounties are reorganizing labormarkets to create new job oppor-tunities, encourage the youth tojoin the private sector and reducedependence on expatriate labor,the government in Kuwait keepsrecruiting foreign workers. “Thisindicates the government and theconcerned minister’s failure andlack of vision to nationalize jobsand substitute expats with citi-zens,” he stressed.

Hajraf also criticized what hecalled as allowing some foreignembassies’ staff to interfere in thePublic Authority for Manpower’sdecis ions on behalf of theirnationals and at the expense ofemployers. “The Minister of SocialAffairs and Labor has been preju-

diced on dealing with citizens andaccuses them of traff ick ing inexpats, as if they (expats) and theirembassies are not responsible aswell,” he added, noting that thelabor law needs real amendmentsto explain both sides’ rights andobligations.

Hajraf called for putting an endto what he described as the chaosat the manpower authority at theexpense of Kuwait’s reputation.“Expats should not be allowed totransfer residency visas as long asemployers respect the provisionsin the contracts signed with them,namely those concerning labor,vocational and financial rights.This will help differentiate thosewho come to Kuwait to work andthose who only come to maketrouble and transfer visas as theywish,” he said, pointing out thatchaos in Kuwait ’s labor marketencourages expats to purchasevisas and do freelance jobs.

Moreover, Hajraf said that thelabor law has many loopholessuch as accepting grievances filedby expats working for people oth-er than their sponsors and thatthis encourages many of them toabscond and get temporary visasto cancel the old one and shiftsponsors, or even buy ‘free’ visasand start working on their own.“Expats have taken advantage ofthe weak laws and file more thanone complaint without showingup for hearings, so that they can

finally be allowed to transfer visas,”he explained.

Traffic jamsDuring a meeting of the govern-

ment public services committeeheaded by Minister of Social Affairsand Labor and Minister of State forEconomic Affairs Hind Al-Subaihand attended by M inister ofPublic Works (MPW) AbdulrahmanAl-Mutawa, the finance ministryheld MPW responsible for trafficjams in areas surrounding theministries complex because ofdelays in adjust ing the routesaround the complex. At the sametime, MPW promised to carry outshor t-term solut ions within amonth. Speak ing dur ing themeeting, the finance ministry ’sassistant undersecretary for publicser vices Nabil Al-Abduljaleelstressed that the finance ministryhad done its part over a year ago,while MPW did not.

‘Positive’ meetingWell-informed sources at the

Ministry of Electricity and Water(MEW) said that ministry officialsrecently held a joint meeting withState Audit Bureau officials to dis-cuss the remarks mentioned in arecent report. “The meeting wasver y posit ive,” stressed thesources, noting that MEW prom-ised to tackle the remarks andavoid violations and discuss themat the parliament on Jan 16.

Kuwait Airways union stagessit-in to demand rights

Passport stamping adds to fishermen’s woes: union

KUWAIT: Members of Kuwait Airways’ employees syndicate stage a sit-in outside KAC headquarters in Dajeej yes-terday. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Kuwait to help Iraq rebuildMosul: Deputy Foreign Minister

MP wants to Limit expats’ right to change employers

Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Al-Jarallah

MP Mubarak Al-Hajraf

F r o m t he A r a bic pr e s sTUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

CrimeR e p o r t

€85,000 in

cash stolen

FightA restaurant was the scene of a fight that included

seven Bangladeshi workers on one side, while the otherhad various nationals including a Palestinian, Egyptian,Jordanian and some women. A source said the fightstarted because customers had doubts the food wasexpired. The Bangladeshis complained at Jabriya policestation, while one of them was admitted to the inten-sive care unit (ICU) after suffering a brain hemorrhage.Meanwhile, a Kuwaiti man was admitted to the ICUafter being stabbed during a fight at a camp. Detectiveswent to Adan Hospital to question the person whobrought the injured there.

Enraged camelA Bangladeshi man had to be taken to hospital

and admitted to the ICU after an enraged camel bithim in the head. His sponsor said the camel becameangry without provocation and attacked the shep-herd. — Al-Anbaa

Let me confess to you that I have been afflicted withsomething I cannot get rid of, although I knowwhat caused it. Maybe some of you can provide

some advice to find a way out of it. To start with, thanksbe to Almighty Allah, this it is a worldly matter. I havebeen afflicted with people always thinking I am writingabout and referring to them in my articles or on socialmedia networks. They believe they are my worst night-mares. Well, feeling like this, I will have to tell them - assomeone responded in a similar situation - that “there ismore than one bird in my trap”!

Therefore, to those who think and suspect that Iam referring to them, they ought to know that I neverpay attention to trivialities and ‘small’ people whom I

hardly notice. So, if they are spreading rumors that Imean them, they have to know that they are not upto such an honor and those I really refer to knowthemselves very well.

So, I do beg all those poor birds trying to gain fameand importance by tweeting very often, to rest assured.They are not on my nightmare list and have never evenbeen dreams I seek to realize because mine are muchbigger. They should know I would only mention themon entering and getting out of a place that requires aspecial prayer. May Allah save the true real birds so thatwe can enjoy listening to them and spare us from thosethinking they are real birds, while they are four-legged!- Translated by Kuwait Times from Al-Anbaa

A four-legged bird

Al-Jarida

The year 2016 witnessed many terrorist acts,leaving countless widows and orphans in theirwake. It was a year when economy collapsed,

parties and religions differed, while races and coun-tries parted away. Twelve months that saw sadness,ignorance, poverty and death. But despite of all this,we still believe that love exits.

Most countries were affected with economiccrises, and many of us lost people who are near anddear ones. We mourned over the killings and explo-sions in neighboring countries, and said goodbye to

2016 with tears while some people even forgot howto smile. Although the losses were massive, weshould start a new year with our hearts filled withlove and happiness.

It is not a mathematical formula, but a philo-sophical principle: as long as human beings exist,love will prevail, so let us wish that our new year willbe all about peace and love. This phrase alone con-tains the two words that mean everything to ahuman being. In a heart filled with love, there is noplace for violence. So, let our first words in this newyear be: Oh Allah, You are peace and peace is fromYou. God is love, and we love those who love You,the Owner of majesty and honor.

— Translated by Kuwait Times

New year

of hope

Al-Jarida

By Dr Nermin Al-Houti

Al-Jarida

KUWAIT: Criminal detectives are working on a case involv-ing €85,000 in cash that were reportedly stolen from amoneychanger in Farwaniya. It is feared the two thievesmay have left the country as soon as they committed thecrime. Sources said two English-speaking men went to amoney exchange shop in Farwaniya and asked for €82,000in cash. The two told the cashier they wanted to count themoney, then when they finished, they gave the cashier anATM card, but there was no balance in the bank account.The two told him to keep the money aside until they go tothe bank and find out what’s wrong. When they did notreturn, the cashier opened the bag, only to be surprisedthe money was forged. When security tapes werereviewed, it was discovered that the thieves had swappedthe real notes with forged ones. The two are thought to beRussian and Turkish.

By Saad Al-Motesh

Let us wish that our new year

will be all about peace and love.

FightingcorruptionCorruption

KUWAIT: Preparations for the Horeca Kuwait 2017 exhibi-tion are steadily progressing, and the event is attractingmore companies to take part, since it is an event whichprovides a golden opportunity to exchange expertise tomeet the local market’s needs and future expansion plans.

In this regard, Nestle Professional announced its inten-tion to join other companies specialized in hospitality,hotel equipment, catering, transportation, cooking gas anddesign, which have already signed up to take part inHoreca Kuwait 2017 exhibition.

Nestle Professional’s CEO Samer Jarjourah said that hiscompany provides top quality products and is highly capa-ble of providing full support to food service operators. “Ourcompany has ideal food and beverage solutions,” he under-scored, inviting guests to visit Nestle Professional’s boothat the exhibition.

Meanwhile, Tamor Wa Asal (Dates and Honey) Centeralso announced plans to participate in the exhibition.“Such specialized events help us survey clients’ demandsand open new scopes for commercial agreements anddeals with various companies,” the center’s director AhmadAbdulamir Khan said, stressing the ‘essential role’ thatHoreca Kuwait plays in this regard.

In addition, Khan stressed that Tamor Wa Asal providestop quality supplies of dates, including all varieties of topdemand in Kuwait. It also supplies varieties of dates stuffedwith chocolate, nuts and others, he added. Furthermore, henoted that the center provides sugar-free honey, in addi-tion to other types of high quality honey that earned itquality and safety certificates presented by Kuwait Institutefor Scientific Research (KISR) and other specialized organi-zations.

Horeca Kuwait 2017 has so far attracted over 80 compa-nies due to display their products in the presence of agroup of international experts and chefs and a large groupof company and hotel owners. The exhibition is organizedby Leaders Group in collaboration with Hospitality ServicesCompany at Kuwait International Fairgrounds in Mishref onJanuary 16-18, 2017.

Nestle, Tamor Wa

Asal join Horeca 2017

Samer Jarjourah

Ahmad Abdulamir Khan

KUWAIT: The new list for prices of health services offeredto expatriates in Kuwait is set to be released today, aMinistry of Health official said on Sunday. The announce-ment will be made during a press conference to be attend-ed by radiologists, lab technicians and other specialistsfrom the ministry, said Dr Mahmoud Abdulhadi, theAssistant Undersecretary for Legal Affairs. He was speakingduring a ceremony to honor two doctors, which was alsoattended by Health Minister Dr Jamal Al-Harbi and his topundersecretary Dr Khaled Al-Sahlawi.

‘Long overdue’Dr Harbi defended the upcoming increases by saying

that they are ‘long overdue’ and reiterated that the fees willstill be less by 20 compared the private sector for certainlab tests, x-rays and other services. “The project to increasefees of health services offered to expatriates, including resi-dents and visitors, come after a very long time in which thecurrently nominal fees have not been subjected to anyrevisions,” the minister said. “Yet, those fees continue to beheavily costly for the state.”

Asked about the expected high increase in fees of cer-tain treatments and medications, Harbi noted that expatswho cannot afford paying the new fees can seek alterna-tives such as private healthcare insurance. “Those medica-

tions are costly for the state, and everyone has to pay fortreatment, especially people on visit visas,” he affirmed.

Spending cutThe new step matches the government’s general auster-

ity measures that target reducing expenses and limit theeffect of a projected budget deficit due to the decline in oilprices. “There are three million expats that the ministryprovides treatment services for in exchange for small feescompared to the local and regional markets, somethingthat adds an extra burden on the state,” Dr Sahlawi said.

The ministry also hopes that the recent fee raises wouldincrease the number of people who seek treatment at pri-vate hospitals and clinics, and thus alleviating some of thepressure on the state’s jam-packed public medical facilities.On that regard, Dr Sahlawi noted that the Health InsuranceHospitals Company will start partial operation during thefirst quarter of this year by starting to offer services througha number of clinics, before going into full operation in 2020.

The shareholding company, also known as ‘Daman’,was established in recent years to build three hospitalsand fifteen polyclinics that would provide full medicalservices for expatriates working in the private sector inKuwait; whereas access to public hospitals would afterthat be restricted to Kuwaitis, domestic workers and

possibly expats working in the public sector.

Energy tariffsIn a related note, a senior physician at Kuwait’s private

sector warned that prices of medical services offered at pri-vate hospitals and clinics in Kuwait are bound to increaseonce the hike of electricity and water tariffs becomes effec-tive on May. “[increasing energy tariffs] requires reviewingthe relationship between medical facilities and insurancecompanies since the contracts between them were signedaccording to the current rates,” said Dr Adel Ashkenani,Chairman of the Union of Owners of Private MedicalProfessions. He noted that keeping medical fees the sameafter energy rates increase would create a ‘disturbance’ inthe private medical sector.

Dr Ashkenani also rebuffed reports suggesting that theHealth Ministry is working on releasing a unified list forfees of services presented in the private sector. “This isimpossible because rents are not the same, costs differfrom one clinic to another, and the prices of medical equip-ment vary depending on their quality and country of ori-gin,” he explained. The union will soon meet with MinisterDr Harbi to discuss the effect of the energy tariffs’ increaseon fees of private medical services, he noted. — Translatedfrom the Arabic press

Ministry announces expat

health fees increase todayEnergy tariffs hike to increase private services’ fees

Health Minister Dr Jamal Al-Harbi Dr Mahmoud Abdulhadi Dr Khaled Al-Sahlawi

Armed robberyHawally and Jahra prosecutors asked detectives to look

for three persons who robbed two Indians in Nugra andDoha. A security source said an Indian woman told Nugrapolice that she was robbed by a man with a knife, who tookKD 100 and two mobiles in an elevator. Meanwhile, an Indianman told Waha police he was robbed of KD 70 and a mobile.

KUWAIT: Interior Ministry’s Undersecretary Lieutenant General Suleiman Al-Fahad yesterday honored Staff Sergeant Adel Ali from the Traffic General Department who wasinjured in line of duty while chasing and arresting a reckless driver. Lt Gen Fahad also met with members of Kuwait Fishermen Union to discuss their demands, the InteriorMinistry said in a statement.

In the run-up to the presidential electionsin 2013, hand in hand with Khatami, the twofigures played a key role in uniting andorganizing people in favor of the moderateRouhani, who could not have secured theoffice without reformist support. In an inter-view last year Rafsanjani recounted events

leading to the end if Ahmadinejad’s reign. “Isucceeded in partially changing the situa-tion under the worst circumstances. Peoplewon in 2013, as bravely as they started therevolution,” he told the reformist Shargh dai-ly. “I can die in peace now, as people maketheir own choices.” — AFP

TEHRAN: Iran began three days of mourning yes-terday after the death of ex-president AkbarHashemi Rafsanjani, a pillar of the Islamic revolu-tion who became a leading counterweight tohardliners. Tributes poured in for the moderatecleric, including from President Hassan Rouhani,who was reportedly at Rafsanjani’s bedsidebefore he died of a heart attack aged 82. “Islamlost a valuable treasure, Iran an outstanding gen-eral, the Islamic revolution a courageous flag-bearer and the Islamic system a rare sage,”Rouhani said.

Iran’s political and religious leadership attend-ed a memorial service at Hussainiya Jamaran, areligious hall in northern Tehran run by the familyof Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder ofthe Islamic republic. Rafsanjani, who after servingfor two terms became a cautious reformist to off-set the hardliners clustered around a successor,Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, will be buried Tuesdayat Khomenei’s mausoleum in southern Tehran.

The ISNA news agency said his death Sundaywas a “great loss for the moderates,” describing theayatollah as “the sheikh of moderation”. Rafsanjaniwas a key backer of Rouhani and supported Iran’slandmark nuclear deal with world powers.Rouhani is expected to stand for a second four-year term in a May vote and has now lost a keysupporter in the crucial run-up to the election.

Black banners The front pages of yesterday’s newspapers

were dominated by the face of Rafsanjani, whoserved as president from 1989 to 1997, and blackbanners were raised on Tehran’s streets. All musicconcerts and television comedy programs werecalled off as a sign of respect. At yesterday’smemorial service, student Ali Tafreshi said hecried for three and half hours after he heardRafsanjani had died. “This cannot be compensat-ed. We have no one like him, as the supremeleader said. A pillar is missing from the revolu-tion’s building,” he said.

Rafsanjani’s youngest son Yaser, 46, thankedpeople mourning his father for their “loyalty andkindness”. “I see scenes of affection that I cannotbelieve. People’s prayers for our father consoleour hearts,” he told state television. Rafsanjani wasborn on Aug 25, 1934 in southern Iran to the fam-ily of a wealthy pistachio farmer. He studied theol-ogy in the holy city of Qom before entering poli-tics in 1963 after the shah’s police arrestedKhomeini.

A confidant of Khomeini, Rafsanjani was thespeaker of parliament for two consecutive termsuntil Khomeini’s death in 1989. Rafsanjani’s presi-dency, a breathing space after the end of the1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, was marked by reconstruc-tion, cautious reform and repairs to Iran’s relations

with its Arab neighbors. But it was also marred byhuman rights violations, rampant inflation anddifficult relations with Europe, not least withBritain after the “death sentence”, or fatwa, hand-ed down to writer Salman Rushdie by Khomeini.

‘I can die in peace’ Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is

expected to lead special Islamic prayers per-formed for the deceased during Tuesday’s funeralservice. State television yesterday looped oldinterviews by Rafsanjani and Khamenei, empha-sizing the lasting bond between two stalwarts ofthe 1979 revolution. Rafsanjani was always amember of Iran’s top clerical body, the Assemblyof Experts, charged with appointing - and ifrequired dismissing - the country’s supremeleader. He chaired the influential committee forseveral years.

The ayatollah played an important role in theelection of the reformist Mohammad Khatami,who succeeded him as president from 1997 to2005. Rafsanjani suffered a big blow when helost in the presidential vote’s second round tohardline Ahmadinejad in 2005. But he roseagain, this time more determined in helping thereformist and moderate camps defeat ultra-con-servatives, under whom Iran’s relations with theWest plummeted.

Worst rain ‘in 30 yrs’ heaps misery on flood-hit Thai south

Page 12

‘Moment of truth’ as new Cyprus peace talks beginPage 10

TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

TEHRAN: Hassan Khomeini (center), grandson of Iran’s late founder of the Islamic Republic, sits with relatives around the coffin of former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani during a mourning ceremony for Rafsanjani at Jamaranmosque on Sunday. Fatemeh and Mehdi, the children of Rafsanjani are seen at left. — AFP

Iran mourns ‘sheikh of moderation’

Tributes pour in for Rafsanjani • Three days of mourning begin

DAMASCUS: Syrian President Bashar Al-Assadhas vowed to retake an area that suppliesDamascus with water and rejected any negoti-ations on his departure at upcoming talks inKazakhstan. Millions of people have been with-out water for weeks after fighting damaged keyinfrastructure in the Wadi Barada region out-side Damascus that is the main water source forthe capital. The government says former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front, knownpreviously as Al-Nusra Front, is present in WadiBarada, and blames rebels there for cuttingwater to Damascus since Dec 22.

“The role of the Syrian Army is to liberatethat area in order to prevent those terroristsfrom using that water in order to suffocate thecapital,” Assad told French media in an inter-view aired yesterday. Assad’s forces have beenbattling rebels in Wadi Barada for weeks andthe fighting has continued despite the start onDec 30 of a nationwide ceasefire brokered byRussia and Turkey. Assad said the ceasefire wasbeing “breached on a daily basis” and mainlyaround Damascus “because the terrorists occu-py the main source of water” in Wadi Barada.He said “more than five million civilians havebeen deprived of water for the last threeweeks” as a result of the fighting.

The United Nations says 5.5 million peoplein and around Damascus are without water.Assad said that Fateh al-Sham is “occupying”the Wadi Barada region, 15 km northwest ofthe capital. But rebels deny that the jihadistsare in the area and say the water supply wassevered after government strikes hit pumpingfacilities. Assad also insisted that the ceasefiredoes not include Fateh al-Sham or its formida-ble rival, the Islamic State group.

Assad said his government was ready tonegotiate on “everything”, but rejected anynegotiations towards his departure from powerat talks set to be held in late January inKazakhstan’s capital Astana. “My position isrelated to the constitution, and the constitutionis very clear about the mechanism in which youcan bring a president or get rid of a president,”he said. “So, if they (the opposition) want to dis-cuss this point, they have to discuss the consti-tution, and the constitution is not owned bythe government or the president or by theopposition. “It should be owned by the Syrianpeople, so you need a referendum,” he said.

The Astana talks, organized by regime alliesRussia and Iran and rebel backer Turkey, aim topave the way towards an end to a nearly six-year war that has killed 310,000 people and dis-placed millions. — Agencies

Assad vows to retake

area near Damascus

I N T E R N AT I O N A LTUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

BEIRUT: When Palestinian Fuad AbuKhaled fled Syria’s war in 2013, he soughtrefuge among his own, looking for soli-darity among Palestinian refugees basedin Lebanon’s Shatila camp. But insteadhe found a community already strug-gling to get by and sometimes resentfulof new arrivals who are testing the limit-ed resources of the UN agency dedicatedto helping Palestinian refugees. “Despitethe fact he’s Palestinian and I’mPalestinian, I’m Syrian and he’s fromLebanon,” said Abu Khaled, who fled theYarmuk camp in Damascus with his fami-ly after fighting began there.

“He sees you as coming to take hisplace, exploit him, take his daily rations,”he told AFP at the camp in southernBeirut notorious for violence in the past.Abu Khaled is one of at least 31,000Palestinians who have taken refuge inLebanon since Syria’s conflict began inMarch 2011, part of a larger influx ofsome one million refugees from Syria.And Lebanon was already home to

about 450,000 Palestinian refugees,mostly the descendants of those whofled their homes when the state of Israelwas created in 1948, or during subse-quent conflicts.

Seated on a thin mattress in the one-bedroomed flat he shares with his wifeand eight children, Abu Khaled said hesimply couldn’t make ends meet.Fighting in Syria destroyed the 52-year-old’s grocery shop, and the aid hereceives from the UN agency forPalestinian refugees UNRWA and othercharity groups has proved insufficient. “Ithink if the situation continues like thisthe people could explode,” he said.

‘Not welcome any more’ In another part of the camp, Najah

Awad sits in a modest room where she haslived with her three children since fleeingYarmuk in 2013. In the beginning “theywelcomed us. But not anymore,” she said.“Now they see us as taking their jobs, tak-ing their livelihoods.” UNRWA Syria’s direc-

tor Matthias Schmale acknowledged thestruggles faced by Palestinian refugeesfrom Syria, as well as those in Lebanonhosting them. “The longer this displace-ment from Syria lasts and the more pres-sures grow on UNRWA and indeed thehost population of Palestine refugeesfrom Lebanon, I think we cannot rule outtensions,” he said in English.

But he stressed Palestinian refugeesin Lebanon had displayed impressivegenerosity under difficult circumstances,sharing resources and in some caseseven hosting Syrian Palestinians. “It takesa lot of solidarity if you yourself livebelow the poverty line,” he told AFP.Some five million Palestinian refugees inLebanon, Jordan, Syria, the West Bankand Gaza are registered to receive helpfrom UNRWA, which was created afterIsrael’s creation.

The organisation is frequently under-funded, but has come under new pres-sure with the conflict in Syria, wheresome 410,000 Palestinians now depend

entirely on UNRWA handouts. Inresponse, the agency launched a $410million (390 million euro) emergencyfunding appeal on Monday. ForPalestinians in Lebanon, including thosecoming from Syria, the hardships areexacerbated by tight restrictions on theirability to work.

Surviving on half needs Abu Khaled is breeding canaries, hop-

ing to sell the noisy chicks squeaking in acage in his living room for up to $30each. His wife is still recovering from ahernia operation. While UNRWA paid halfthe hospital bill, he struggled to raise therest of the money. Some 90 percent ofPalestinian refugees from Syria inLebanon live under the poverty line, a2016 study by UNRWA and the AmericanUniversity in Beirut found. Nine percentcannot meet even their basic foodrequirements. Najwa Hazeneh, aPalestinian from Yarmuk who works withcharities in the camp, said some families

have only 50 percent of their needs.“They might cover that by going intodebt, and usually they go without lots ofthings. Some people go without medicaltreatment. The mother becomes thedoctor of the family. Sometimes they gowithout certain foods.”

Abu Khaled said he knew peoplestruggling to meet their most basicneeds. “It’s a catastrophe for those forcedto flee. A family in a good situation getstwo meals a day. An average one getsone. I know some that get none,” he said.Despite the hardships, Mohammed AbuAli of Fatah al-Intifada, one of severalPalestinian armed factions that controlShatila camp, said Lebanese Palestinianswere committed to helping theirbrethren. “We share everything. We can’thave them being in the dark while wehave electricity, or them not havingwater while we do,” he said, sitting in mil-itary fatigues under a Palestinian flag athis office. “We hope UNRWA sees thatthey need to help us both.” — AFP

Syria refugees test Palestinian solidarity in Lebanon

ANKARA: Turkey yesterday urged the EuropeanUnion to revive stalled negotiations on Ankarajoining the bloc, saying without it Europe was“incomplete” and calling for visa-free travel forits citizens immediately. “The EU is still a strate-gic choice for our country,” President said RecepTayyip Erdogan, while insisting Ankara wouldnot blindly accept the EU’s “inconsistent policiesand double standards towards our country”.Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu saidhe wanted more chapters in the accession talksto be opened “by lifting artificial obstacles to ourEU membership”.

A “chapter” is a specific area of negotiation,

ranging on issues from human rights to econom-ic cooperation. Cavusoglu did not specify whichchapters he meant. He also said Turkey expects“visa liberalisation for Turkish citizens to be pro-vided immediately”, a reference to EU commit-ments on visa-free travel for nearly 80 millionTurkish citizens made in March under an EU-Ankara deal to curb migrants entering Europe.

Progress on visa-free travel has been held upby EU demands - rejected outright - thatErdogan amend Turkey’s draconian anti-terrorlaws to ensure they do not breach human rights.Erdogan threatened in December to cancel themigrant deal, which has dramatically reduced

the numbers crossing into Europe via Greece.The accession talks stalled after a failed coup inJuly by a rogue Turkish military faction was fol-lowed with a crackdown that saw mass arrests ofnot only officers but also journalists, activists,academics and others.

‘Progress’ “We’ve played an important role in Europe’s

past and will do so in the future,” Cavusoglu said,adding: “A Europe without Turkey is incomplete.”Relations between the EU and the NATO mem-ber state have soured in the past year overhuman rights and freedom of speech issues. US-Turkey relations were also strained in the after-math of the failed coup attempt, with Ankaraaccusing the Pennsylvania- based Islamicpreacher Fethullah Gulen of being the master-mind behind the putsch.

But Erdogan and Cavusoglu said they wereconvinced relations would improve underincoming US president Donald Trump. “I believedialogue with Trump will be stepped-up on bothsides, with progress on regional issues,” the pres-ident told an ambassadors meeting. For his part,Cavusoglu said he thought the US would “notcontinue to make the same mistakes it has previ-ously made”. He repeated a demand for theUnited States to extradite Gulen and his top fol-lowers to Turkey - request that has been maderepeatedly since the thwarted July 15 coup.

He also called on the US to halt support forthe Syrian Kurdish Peoples’ Protection Units(YPG), which Turkey see as linked to the out-lawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).Washington considers the YPG as an ally in thefight against the so-called Islamic State (IS)jihadist group in Syria. “Turkey and the US aretwo strategic partners, with potential (and) pow-er to create positive effects in a wide geographi-cal region,” Cavusoglu said. — AFP

Erdogan sees better ties

with US under TrumpTurkey says EU ‘incomplete’ without it

ANKARA: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech during the launch of the9th Ambassadors Conference at the Presidential Complex yesterday. — AFP

ANKARA: Riot police detain a protester as dozens of demonstrators gathered yester-day in front of Turkey’s parliament to protest proposed amendments to the country’sconstitution that would hand sweeping executive powers to President Recep TayyipErdogan’s largely ceremonial presidency. — AP

ISTANBUL: Turkey’s parliament yesterdaybegan debating a controversial new draftconstitution aimed at expanding the pow-ers of the presidency under Recep TayyipErdogan, which is expected to be put to areferendum by the spring. The new consti-tution, which would replace the basic lawdrawn up after Turkey’s 1980 military coup,seeks to establish for the first time a presi-dential system for ruling the modernrepublic created from the ashes of theOttoman Empire.

Critics have claimed the move is part ofa power grab by Erdogan - Turkey’s premierfrom 2003-2014 and then president - forone-man rule in the wake of the failedcoup in July. But Erdogan and the rulingJustice and Development Party (AKP) saythe presidential system would bring Turkeyinto line with countries such as France andthe United States and is needed for effi-cient government. The debates on the 18-article new constitution began after thedraft was agreed by a parliamentary com-mission. The two readings are expected tolast 13-15 days.

A small group of protesters rallied out-side the parliament building in Ankaraahead of the debate, but police broke upthe gathering using pepper spray on thedemonstrators. The AKP needs more than330 votes - a three fifths majority - for thebill to be submitted to a referendum forvoters’ approval. However, the Nov 2015election left the AKP short of a super major-ity in parliament and it is relying on thesupport of the opposition right-wingNationalist Movement Party (MHP), thefourth largest in the legislature.

Once approved by parliament, a referen-dum is expected to take place within 60days, indicating a date in late March or ear-ly April. Pro-government newspapers havepredicted a thumping victory for the rulingparty although other commentators havebeen more cautious.

‘Dictatorship or stability?’ The new constitution is opposed by the

biggest opposition party, the RepublicanPeople’s Party (CHP), whose deputy chair-man Bulent Tezcan said it would restorepowers “to the palace” taken away from theOttoman Sultan a century ago. “It will bethe dissolution of all that our republic hasachieved,” he said, criticising the draft aspaving the way for “one man dictatorship”.But AKP lawmaker Halil Firat, who helpeddraw up the proposed new constitution,said it would make clear the roles of gov-ernment and president. “Stability will beachieved. Decision-making will be quick.”

Under the proposed new constitution,the president would not have to sever linkswith a political party, as is the case now eventhough Erdogan co-founded the AKP. It isalso expected to lead to the creation of theposts of vice presidents and the abolition ofthe office of prime minister. There would nolonger be a formal cabinet but there will beministers. The president will have the powerto appoint and fire ministers.

The draft law says the president wouldbe elected for a five-year term and serve fora maximum of two mandates. If Erdogan’sexisting time as president is not counted, itwould mean in theory he could stay inoffice until 2029, with the next electionsdue in 2019. Parliamentary elections wouldbe held every five years - not four as atpresent - and on the same day as presiden-tial polls. Both elections would be sched-uled to take place on Nov 3, 2019.

Along with a slew of terror attacks, thepolitical uncertainty has been one of thefactors pressuring the Turkish lira which haslost 18 percent in value against the dollarover the last three months. Analysts atRenaissance Capital said almost all deci-sions in Ankara had been seen through theprism of Erdogan’s dream of creating theexecutive presidency and a victory couldallow much-needed stability. “This is whyErdogan ultimately achieving his objectiveof an executive presidency is potentiallythe difference between a very strong 2017for Turkish assets and a very weak one,”they said. — AFP

Turkey begins debate on new

Erdogan presidential powers

DUBAI: Yemeni pro-government forces havelaunched a major offensive to push Shiiterebels from coastal areas, in a move analystssay aims to end a military stalemate andjumpstart political talks. But the forces loyalto President resident Abedrabbo MansourHadi - who are backed by a Saudi-led militarycoalition - are facing divisions within theirranks that are hampering their efforts.

Supported by coalition air and sea sup-port, loyalist forces launched operation“Golden Spear” on Saturday in Yemen’s west-ern Dhubab district, about 30 km north of thestrategic Bab al-Mandab Strait. The goal is todrive Houthi rebels from all of Yemen’s RedSea coast, which stretches some 450 km.Battles have raged since the launch of theoffensive, with at least 68 fighters, including55 rebels, killed so far, according to local mili-tary sources. The rebels, backed by Shiitepower Iran, seized control of large parts ofYemen including the capital Sanaa in 2014.Fearing a rise in influence in its southernneighbor for regional rival Tehran, SaudiArabia launched the intervention the follow-

ing March. But despite thousands of airstrikes and the sending of coalition troops tosupport Hadi’s forces, the loyalists have beenunable to dislodge the rebels from key posi-tions including in Sanaa. UN-backed peacetalks have repeatedly broken down, despitethe more than 7,000 people killed in the con-flict and an escalating humanitarian crisis.

‘Change on the ground’ needed The latest offensive “is important to

reignite the political process,” Yemen’sForeign Minister Abdel Malek al-Mekhlafitold AFP. “The Houthis will not accept dia-logue” unless they are forced into talks by a“change on the ground”, he said. In 2015coalition-backed government forces man-aged to recapture five southern provinces,but their advance has stalled. The rebels -and their allies of renegade troops loyal toex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh - continueto control Sanaa, their heartland aroundthe city of Saada and other northernprovinces, and most of the southwesternTaez province. — AFP

New Yemen offensive underway

Israel buries soldiers killed in attack

Smoke billows in the distance as Yemeni pro-govern-ment forces patrol during clashes against Shiite rebelsin Yemen’s western Dhubab district, about 30 km northof the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait yesterday. — AFP

JERUSALEM: Hundreds of Israelis attended funeralsyetserday for four soldiers killed when a Palestinianrammed a truck into troops visiting a popular touristsite in a stark reminder of tensions despite a recent lullin violence. Sunday’s attack, which also saw the drivershot dead, came after months of relative calm and ledPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to spark debate bysuggesting it was inspired by the Islamic State group.

Police arrested nine people and removed a memorialtent set up in the Palestinian’s east Jerusalem neighbour-hood, located near the site of the incident. Five of the ninearrested were relatives of the attacker, 28-year-old Fadi Al-Qunbar, police said. His cousin said he was religious likeother members of the family, but dismissed Netanyahu’sstatement that Qunbar was an IS supporter.

“There was nothing in his life saying he was ISIS,”Mohammad Al-Qunbar, 43, said as he sat near whatwas left of the tent in the Jabal Mukaber neighbor-hood. “He never contacted ISIS and he doesn’t knowISIS,” he said, using an alternative acronym for thejihadist group. He added: “We were shocked, for sure.We never expected anything like this from Fadi. Butwhat happened has happened and we only say there isno might and power but that of God.” Israeli ministersdecided Sunday to take a series of actions, includingdemolishing Qunbar’s home and withholding his body,local media reported. They also decided to hold with-out charge under a policy known as administrative

detention those who publicly support IS, according toan Israeli official.

‘Supported’ IS? Netanyahu’s assertion that Qunbar “according to all

indications supported” IS, without providing details ofwhat led to the conclusion, sparked debate yesterday.In making the statement, Netanyahu argued, as he hasrepeatedly in the past, that Israel faces the same “ter-rorist” attacks that have hit countries such as Germanyand France. However, the incident in many ways fit thepattern of a wave of Palestinian lone-wolf assaults thatbegan in October 2015, though seemingly with theintent to cause more casualties than usual.

A heavier truck was used - a flat-bed model with acrane in the rear - and an entire group of soldiers weretargeted. Israeli security officials have said that IS influ-ence among Palestinians is limited. A poll released inDecember found that only five percent of Palestiniansbelieve that IS represents true Islam. Sunday’s attackoccurred after hundreds of soldiers arrived at the siteas part of a tour on the history of Jerusalem.

The location overlooks holy sites such as the Domeof the Rock and provides one of the most spectacularviews of the city. A video shared online showed a truckdrive through a group of soldiers standing next to abus. The driver then pulls off to the side and tries toreverse back towards where the soldiers were hit

before the truck eventually comes to a stop. Visitors,including soldiers, are seen running for cover. Soldiersopened fire, as well as at least one civilian. It was notclear whether the attack was planned or spontaneous.The military identified the victims as three women -Yael Yekutiel, 20; Shir Hajaj, 22; and Shira Zur, 20 - andone man, Erez Orbach, 20.

‘Candle for you’ Later at the scene, soldiers could be seen distraught

over the incident as rescue workers provided psycho-logical support. Israeli media published the last mes-sage Hajaj’s mother sent to her by phone. “My dear, mylife, talk to me, please,” it said. Around 1,000 people,including fellow soldiers, attended Hajaj’s funeral yes-terday at Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem.Her casket was draped in an Israeli flag.

Family members cried out in grief when her coffin waslowered into the ground. “You think that you will be onthe front page of the papers for a prize or an invention,”one of her sisters said. “But instead in the papers todaythere was a memorial candle for you.” A wave ofPalestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks erupted inOct 2015, but the violence had greatly subsided in recentmonths. The last time an Israeli was killed in an attack wasOct 9, 2016. Since Oct 2015, 247 Palestinians, 40 Israelis,two Americans, a Jordanian, an Eritrean and a Sudanesehave been killed, according to an AFP count. — AFP

JERUSALEM: Palestinian boys look at a poster of 28-year-oldPalestinian Fadi Al-Qunbar at his family home in the EastJerusalem neighborhood of Jabal Mukaber yesterday, a day afterhe killed four Israeli soldiers in a truck-ramming attack beforebeing shot. — AFP

I N T E R N AT I O N A LTUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

RAMALLAH: Palestinian president Mahmud Abbashas written to US President-elect Donald Trump urg-ing him not to move the American embassy toJerusalem, official Palestinian media said yesterday.The Palestinian news agency Wafa did not say whenthe letter was sent but said it aimed to explain the“risks” of moving the embassy from Tel Aviv toJerusalem. Abbas warned the move would have a “dis-astrous impact on the peace process, on the two-statesolution and on the stability and security of the entireregion,” Wafa said.

Trump has said he plans to relocate the embassyfrom Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in a controversial move bit-terly opposed by Palestinians as a unilateral actionwhile the status of the city remains contested. Israelsupports the move and has encouraged previouspresidents to take similar steps to no avail. Abbas alsosent letters to other world powers including Russia,China and the European Union, calling on them to“spare no effort” to prevent the United States from

making the move, Wafa said. The Palestinians regardIsraeli-annexed east Jerusalem as the capital of theirfuture state, while Israel proclaims the entire city as itsundivided capital. The United States and most UNmember states do not recognize Jerusalem as Israel’scapital, and the city’s status is one of the thorniestissues of the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.Trump spokeswoman Kellyanne Conway last monthtold a US radio channel moving the embassy was a“very big priority” for the president-elect.

Trump has also nominated David Friedman, asupporter of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, ashis ambassador to the Jewish state. In a Trump tran-sition team statement last month, Friedman said hewanted to work for peace and looked forward to“doing this from the US embassy in Israel’s eternalcapital, Jerusalem”. Israel captured east Jerusalem inthe Six-Day War of 1967 and subsequently annexedit in a move never recognized by the internationalcommunity. — AFP

GUADALAJARA, Mexico: The suspect in theshooting of a US consular official in Mexico’swestern city of Guadalajara is an American whowill be deported back to his country, officialssaid Sunday. Hours after authorities announcedthe suspect’s arrest, the attorney general’s officeand the foreign ministry issued a joint statementsaying he would face justice in the United Statesfor the “sordid and cowardly” shooting.

The official was shot on Friday in a brazenattack by a man wearing a black wig and a bluenurse uniform outside a shopping center ’sgarage in Mexico’s second biggest city. Officialshave not indicated the possible motive norrevealed the identities of the victim or the sus-pect. The suspect was arrested by Mexicanauthorities in “close collaboration” with the FBIand the US embassy, the joint statement said,without providing more details about the day orcircumstances of the capture.

The victim, who was hospitalized, was in stablecondition, it said. A US government official toldAFP the victim was a vice consul at the consulatein Guadalajara. Mexican authorities said he han-dled interviews of visa applicants. An official at theJalisco state prosecutor’s office told AFP on condi-tion of anonymity that the suspect is 31 years oldand of Indian origin. The FBI had offered $20,000for information about the shooter’s identity.

US embassy urges caution The US consulate in Guadalajara posted sur-

veillance camera footage showing the official,dressed in shorts and a sleeveless shirt, payinga parking ticket at an automated machine. Thegunman is then seen following him. Anothersecurity camera shows the gunman laterstanding outside the garage. When the offi-cial’s black car stops at the exit, the shooterraises his gun and opens fire.

A bullet hole is seen on the windshield andthe official opens his door before the footageends. Jalisco’s state attorney general, EduardoAlmaguer, described the shooting as a “directattack” on Saturday. US Secretary of State JohnKerry thanked the Mexican government for the“swift and decisive arrest of a suspect in theheinous attack against our Foreign ServiceOfficer colleague”.

“The safety and security of US citizens andour diplomatic staff overseas are among ourhighest priorities,” Kerry said in a statement,wishing the official a “speedy recovery”.

Friday’s shooting prompted the US embassyto issue a security message on Saturday urgingUS citizens in Guadalajara to “restrict theirmovements outside their homes and places ofwork to those truly essential”. “They shouldalso take care not to fall into predictable pat-

terns for those movements that are essential,”the message continued. “They should vary thetimes and routes of their movements.”Guadalajara and the rest of the state havebeen hit by violence perpetrated by the pow-erful Jalisco New Generation drug cartel inrecent years.

Previous attacks US officials have faced attacks in Mexico in

the past. In 2010, a consular official, her hus-band and the spouse of another consular offi-cial were killed in the northern city of CiudadJuarez, which was mired in an ultra-violentdrug war at the time. An alleged leader of theBarrio Azteca gang was extradited to theUnited States, where he was sentenced to lifein prison for ordering the murder.

A year later, gunmen from the Zetas drug car-tel opened fire on a vehicle of two USImmigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)agents in the northern state of San Luis Potosi,killing one of the officers. In 2012, two US officials- widely reported to be CIA agents - and aMexican marine where wounded when theywere shot at by federal police officers as theydrove south of Mexico City. Fourteen officerswere charged with using excessive force, withofficials citing a case of mistaken identity. — AFP

COLUMBIA, South Carolina: As the EastCoast waits to thaw out from a weekend icymess, another storm is bringing rain andthe potential of the worst flooding in morethan a decade to the West coast. At leastfour deaths have been blamed on the EastCoast storm, which dropped more than afoot of snow in southern New England,caused a former governor to fall on his icydriveway in Mississippi and caused schoolsin North Carolina to cancel classes yester-day. Out West, forecasters are warning ofheavy rains in northern California andNevada through the middle of the weekalong with an ice storm in Oregon.

In the East, the worst, lingering prob-lems were expected in North Carolinawhere up to 10 inches of snow and sleetfell in places Saturday. The deep freeze fol-lowed. Forecasters predict temperatureswon’t get above freezing in much of thestate before today afternoon, a big prob-lem in a place where officials depend onusually mild weather to melt away the iceand snow on less traveled routes. One per-son died in Montgomery County when acar slid off icy Interstate 73/74 into a treeSunday morning, Gov Roy Cooper said.

The other three deaths related to thestorm occurred in Virginia, Georgia andKentucky, and officials said they were theresult of cars traveling on roads made slickby ice. Other traffic deaths were beinginvestigated to determine if weatherplayed a factor. Early yesterday, low tem-peratures in North Carolina ranged fromzero in Reidsville and Roxboro near theVirginia state line to 29 degrees at CapeHatteras. The National Weather Service hadwinter weather advisories in effect for 75 ofNorth Carolina’s 100 counties until late yes-terday morning. Driving conditions were

dangerous across because of leftover snowand ice and cold temperatures.

There was one happy ending. Two hikersmissing for more than a day in the frigidNorth Carolina mountains without foodand water and only a small fire for warmthwere rescued from waist-high snow. A heli-copter using a tool that can detect heatfound the hikers about 5 p.m. Saturday inthe Shining Rock Wilderness area about 25miles southwest of Asheville. Cooper saidrescuers got to the men about two hourslater, just in time to save them.

School systems across North Carolinawent ahead early Sunday and canceled yes-terday’s classes in part because of icy roads,but also because of bitter cold tempera-tures making it dangerous for childrenwithout proper clothes to wait for busesand difficult to keep buildings warm. Manyschools and government offices wereclosed yesterday. North Carolina StateUniversity also canceled classes.

When the thaw does come later in theweek, it will be quick. Highs in the Southare forecast in the 70s on Friday. In theWest, forecasters said flooding from thestorm moving onshore and a second pre-dicted bout of heavy rain today couldcause flooding in northern California andNevada similar to problems in 2005 and2006 that sent 5 feet of water into ware-houses in Sparks, Nevada, and hazardouswaste barrels floating away.

The icy weather also prompted anincrease in emergency room visits fromfalls. In Mississippi, a family spokesman said93-year-old former Gov. William Winter wasexpected to recover and was in fair condi-tion after suffering a concussion when hefell on the steep, icy driveway of hisJackson home. — AP

Mexico arrests American

in US diplomat’s shootingSuspect is of Indian origin

US West girds for floods,

East Coast in deep freeze

MEXICO CITY: A man wearing a Batman costume rides his decked-out bicycle along Reforma Avenue on Sunday. This main avenue is closed totraffic every Sunday, and open only to bicycles and pedestrians. — AP

MOSCOW: The Kremlin yesterdaybranded a hacking report by US intelli-gence baseless and amateurish, sayingMoscow is growing tired of denyingclaims the Russian government med-dled in the US election. “These arebaseless allegations substantiated withnothing, done on a rather amateurish,emotional level that is hardly worthy ofprofessional work of truly world-classsecurity services,” Kremlin spokesmanDmitry Peskov told journalists.

US intelligence agencies on Fridayreleased a report saying that RussianPresident Vladimir Putin personallyordered a campaign of hacking andmedia manipulation to upend thecampaign of Democratic presidentialcandidate Hillary Clinton. The Kremlin’s

comments were the first official reac-tion by Moscow to the public report,which was half the length of the classi-fied version presented to PresidentBarack Obama and President-electDonald Trump. “We still don’t knowwhat data is really being used by thosewho present such unfounded accusa-tions,” Peskov said, insisting theKremlin was “categorically denying anyimplication” it was responsible for thealleged hacking.

‘Full on witch hunt’ “We are growing rather tired of

these accusations. It is becoming afull-on witch hunt,” Peskov said, echo-ing Trump’s claim ahead of Friday’sbriefing by spy chiefs that the hacking

revelations were a “political witchhunt” aimed at discrediting him.Peskov added that “witch hunts” by USpoliticians are usually followed by“more sober specialists, more soberapproaches which seek dialoguerather than emotional fits.”

The declassified US intel reportcontained largely open-source infor-mation to show that Russian statemedia followed a pro-Trump line andsaid there was “high confidence” inintelligence from multiple sourcesthat Putin ordered the campaign totilt the vote, without revealing thosesources. In December, the WhiteHouse said the GRU Russian militaryintelligence orchestrated a hack,helped by the Federal Security Serviceand various third parties, thoughwithout saying exactly how thealleged hack was perpetrated.

Trump did not reject the report’sfindings that Russia-ordered hackingoccurred, but denied that it swayedthe election outcome and blamed“gross negligence by the DemocraticNational Committee” for lax cybersecurity. His incoming chief of staffReince Priebus told Fox News Sundaythat “he’s not denying entities inRussia are behind these particularhackings.” President Barack Obama,who has received the same briefing,said Sunday that he underestimatedthe impact of Russian hacking andthat “this is something that Putin hasbeen doing for quite some time inEurope”. — AFP

CARRBORO, North Carolina: A city worker removes snow from a crosswalk as a winterstorm blankets the area on Jan 7, 2017. — AP

Russia ‘tired’ of US claimsKremlin slams ‘amateurish’ hacking report

Abbas writes to Trump

opposing embassy move

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin listens during a meeting at theKremlin yesterday. — AP

I N T E R N AT ION A LTUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

WARSAW: A cold snap gripping Europehas killed more than 30 people in recentdays, left thousands of travellers strand-ed in snow-covered Turkey and broughtfresh misery for migrants and the home-less. The double-digit sub-zero tempera-tures hit Poland particularly hard, withthe mercury plummeting below minus20 degrees Celsius (minus 4 Fahrenheit)in some regions.

Sunday was the country’s worst 24hours so far for cold-related deaths.“Yesterday, 10 people died of cold,”Poland’s centre for national security(RCB) said yesterday in a statement,adding to the same number of fatalitiesover the preceding two days combined.

The number of hypothermia victimshas reached 65 since November 1, thecentre added, and local authoritiesissued smog alerts across Poland amid adeep freeze yesterday. Greece and Italyhave also seen fierce cold weather overthe past week and in both countries sev-eral migrants died of hypothermia.

Istanbul paralyzedHeavy snowfall in Turkey’s main city

Istanbul paralysed traffic for a thirdstraight day while the Bosphorus Strait,

one of the world’s busiest shipping bot-tlenecks, was shut due to poor visibility.

Ferry services between the Europeanand Asian sides of the city werescrapped and schools across the cityclosed. Flagship carrier Turkish Airlinessaid 314 flights were cancelled on

With the CEO Bilal Eksi telling angrypassengers that snow had caused a lackof take-off and landing slots at Ataturkairport. Some international flights wereexpected to resume after 6:00pm (1500GMT) Monday, but all domestic flights toand from the airport had been scrapped.On a normal day, it can handle morethan 1,500 landings and take-offs.

Eksi earlier said over 600 flights werecancelled on Sunday and more than10,000 travellers unable to reachIstanbul had been put up in hotelsworldwide. In the Czech Republic, sixpeople died during the weekend, veryprobably of hypothermia, four of themfreezing to death in Prague, mediareports said. A 68-year-old homelessman was found frozen to death in theMacedonian capital Skopje while inSerbia, the southeastern town ofSjenica saw the mercury plunge to -33degrees Celsius.

‘Nobody is helping us ‘ Traffic on the Danube and Sava rivers

was halted in Serbia. Scores of migrantsin the capital Belgrade took shelter in awarehouse near the railway station,spurning shelters provided by the gov-ernment for fear they would be deport-ed back to their countries. “It’s very diffi-cult, especially at night,” said Niamat, a13-year-old Afghan. The temperatureovernight was -15 degrees Celsius.

“I have been waiting here for threemonths and I do not know when I willbe able to continue my journey,” said theyoung migrant, who is travelling alone.Ismail, aged 16, added: “Nobody is help-ing us, it’s very cold and I’m worried howwe will endure this.” Schools were closedacross cities in central Siberia yesterdaybut classes resumed in Moscow wherethe temperature rose by seven degreesto -20 degrees Celsius. The Russian capi-tal recorded its coldest OrthodoxChristmas Night for 120 years at theweekend, according to media reports.

Two people died of hypothermia inMoscow between December 31 andJanuary 9, Russian news agenciesreported. Greece, with more than60,000 mainly Syrian refugees on its ter-

ritory, has moved many migrants to pre-fabricated houses and heated tents.

At the Moria refugee camp on theisland of Lesbos more than 2,500 peopleare living in tents, without hot water orheating, including women, children andthe handicapped, said Apostolos Veizisfrom the charity Doctors Without

Borders. He said there were more than300 people in a similar situation on theisland of Samos. In Italy, the cold snapclaimed two more lives: an 82-year-oldman who died in a house without heat-ing near the southern city of Brindisi anda 78-year-old man in a village in north-ern Sicily. —AFP

BUDAPEST: Ice floats over the Danube river in Budapest yesterday. Last night, acold wave across central Europe caused a drastical temperature drop of around20 to 28 Celsius degrees below 0. —AFP

Europe cold snap kills dozens, fuels travel chaos

Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci (center) is welcomed by Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva Michael Moller (left) andSpecial Adviser of the Secretary-General on Cyprus Espen Barth Eide (right) upon his arrival for UN-sponsored Cyprus peace talks Yesterday.—AFP

GENEVA: The leaders of both sides of ethnicallydivided Cyprus began new unification talks yes-terday but sought to temper hopes of a swiftbreakthrough, though its UN envoy said a dealto resolve one of Europe’s most enduring con-flicts was within reach.

Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci andGreek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiadeslaunched a week of consultations in Geneva totackle dozens of disagreements stemming fromthe 1974 division of the Mediterranean island.The talks will focus initially on how to handleproperty disputes stretching back more than 40years. But with several past reconciliation effortshaving failed, both leaders have been carefulthis week to cool expectations of a quick fix, andthe United Nations special envoy for Cyprus alsostressed yesterday that the talks were open-end-ed. “We are now in the final moment. We arenow really in the moment of truth. This is actual-ly where will find out if this can be solved,” saidEspen Barth Eide, a Norwegian diplomatappointed to the UN envoy’s job in 2014.

“I’m not saying on a specific date. Because it’sopen-ended,” told a news briefing, urgingislanders estranged for decades to “seize themoment”. The talks are scheduled to broaden onThursday to include Britain, Greece and Turkey,the guarantor powers of Cyprus under a convo-luted treaty foisted upon the former colonywhen it became independent from Britain in1960. Their concerns will include security, andspecifically the role Turkey and its 30,000 troopsstationed in northern Cyprus will play in anyreunification of the country as a two-state feder-ation. The rival sides are poles apart on that issue.

EXPECTATIONS TEMPEREDAsked on arrival at the United Nations in

Geneva if he was optimistic, Anastasiades said:“Ask me when we are finished.”

Akinci was equally circumspect, saying onSunday: “We are not pessimistic, but I see noneed for exaggerated expectations that every-thing will just happen. We are expecting a diffi-cult week.” New UN Secretary-General AntonioGuterres, who is expected to attend the confer-ence on Thursday, has described the talks as an“historic opportunity” for a breakthrough.

But the issues are difficult. Power-sharing,redrawing territorial boundaries, and securityissues in a future reunited homeland have allfrustrated past negotiations.

Property rights are also a sensitive issue forthousands of internally displaced people whowere driven from their homes in periods of con-flict before, during and after Turkey invaded theisland’s north after a brief Greek-inspired coup in1974. A combination of restitution, compensa-

tion and exchange were being discussed yester-day, with International Monetary Fund andWorld Bank officials included in the talks, thoughit was unclear how any deal might be paid for.

MOMENTUMDespite the expressed caution, mediators are

keen to press on while both communities are ledby political moderates. Both Anastasiades andAkinci are from Limassol, a port city on Cyprus’ssouthern coast. Akinci belongs to a dying gener-ation of Turkish Cypriots who speaks almost flu-ent Cypriot Greek.

Dozens of issues remaining after 18 monthsof talks in Cyprus need to be resolved in the nexttwo days before the sides submit maps outliningtheir proposals for the future boundaries of theisland’s two constituent states.

“It’s not easy to make these final agreements... It is also possible because I don’t know any

issue in these negotiations that really cannot besolved if sufficient will is available,” Eide said.

Any agreement must be put to separate refer-endums in the two communities, with diplomatsanticipating a vote around June. A previouspeace blueprint put to referendum in 2004 wasaccepted by Turkish Cypriots but rejected byGreek Cypriots.

Analysts see the talks as a unique opportuni-ty to settle a conflict which has brought NATOmembers Greece and Turkey to the brink of warand which is an obstacle to Turkey’s ambitions ofjoining the European Union. “If this time it failsbetween these two pro-solution leaders ... thena huge motivation will be lost,” said academicAhmet Sozen, who has followed the on-offpeace talks for years. “The two leaders havereached a lot of convergences beyond any otherset of negotiations in the past. That’s for sure.And it would be a sin to waste this.” —Reuters

Cyprus leaders seek deal in ‘historic opportunity’

‘Moment of truth’

Ivory Coast PM resigns,dissolves government

ABIDJAN: Ivory Coast Prime MinisterDaniel Kablan Duncan resigned and dis-solved the government yesterday, a movethat had been expected following electionslast month but which was delayed twodays by an army mutiny.

Duncan had been expected to standdown on Saturday, but held off after dissi-dent soldiers took over army bases in citiesacross the West African country on Fridaydemanding bonus payments. It took 48hours to reach the deal to quell the revoltin an army that is made up of governmenttroops and former rebels and riven withdivisions. “I have tendered my resignationand that of the government,” he said after ameeting with President Alassane Ouattara.

Ouattara kept hold of his majority in theDec. 18 parliamentary polls. But legislativeelections are usually followed by a changeof government as a matter of procedure.

The resignations pave the way for the

implementation of measures contained in anew constitution. Ivory Coast is French-speaking West Africa’s largest and mostprosperous economy, as well as the world’sleading grower of cocoa. In 2011 itemerged from a spate of short wars and aprotracted crisis lasting nearly a decade toretake its place as the economic engine ofthe region.

Ouattara signed a new constitution thathad been approved by referendum into lawin November, casting it as the way toensure peace is maintained in Ivory Coast.

It modifies clauses in the old constitutionthat lay behind the conflict, especially con-cerning nationality requirements for presi-dential candidates. Though largely resolved,the aftermath of the conflict has left thegovernment hostage to an ill-disciplinedand factionalised military, and Ouattara’sinability to reign it in threatens to under-mine its economic success. —Reuters

BELFAST: Northern Ireland Deputy FirstMinister Martin McGuinness resigned yester-day over his power-sharing partner’s han-dling of a controversial energy scheme, amove likely to collapse the region’s govern-ment and trigger an election.

The surprise resignation comes weeksbefore the British government is due to trig-ger the process of leaving the EuropeanUnion, a decision that has divided NorthernIreland, which has Britain’s only land borderwith the EU. McGuinness’s Irish nationalistSinn Fein party had urged pro-British FirstMinister Arlene Foster of the DemocraticUnionist Party (DUP) to step aside over abotched scheme that could cost the provincehundreds of millions of pounds.

“The First Minister has refused to standaside. Therefore it is with deep regret andreluctance that I am tendering my resignationas deputy First Minister,” McGuinness said in astatement. “Sinn FÈin will not tolerate thearrogance of Arlene Foster and the DUP. Wenow need an election to allow the people tomake their own judgement.”

McGuinness, who has recently taken abreak from some of his duties because of anundisclosed illness, told the BBC that hewould say at a later date whether or not hewould be well enough to run as a candidatein any election. McGuinness said Sinn Feinwould not nominate anyone to fill the vacan-

cy, meaning the power-sharing governmentwill collapse at the latest once the seven daysallowed for this elapse. It would then be up toLondon’s Northern Ireland secretary to pro-pose a date for the election.

GROWING TENSIONSinn Fein says Foster failed to close down

the green energy scheme, which aimed toencourage businesses to burn wood pelletsrather than fossil fuels, when it became clearthat it was open to abuse. The scheme gavebusinesses 1.60 pounds for every poundspent. Foster says she closed it down as soonas the potential abuse was recognized.

Tensions have been growing in recentmonths in the power-sharing government,created after a 1998 peace deal that endedthree decades of violence between pro-British unionists and Irish nationalists whowanted to join the Republic of Ireland, andallowed border checkpoints to be disman-tled. Unlike Foster’s DUP, Sinn Fein cam-paigned against Britain leaving the EU, andMcGuinness has called for a referendum onNorthern Ireland joining the Republic ofIreland to avoid an exit, which could see bor-der checks reinstated. Overall, 52 percent ofthe United Kingdom voted in favour of leav-ing the EU in June’s referendum, but 56 per-cent of those voting in Northern Irelandbacked remaining. —Reuters

N Ireland’s McGuinness quits in move to trigger election

Merkel: No ‘cherry picking’ for Britain in Brexit talks

BERLIN: The European Union must consid-er limiting Britain’s access to its market ifLondon fails to accept the bloc’s ‘four free-doms’ in Brexit negotiations, GermanChancellor Angela Merkel said yesterday.Merkel’s remarks add to pressure on BritishPrime Minister Theresa May, who has beencriticized for hinting at a “hard Brexit” - inwhich border controls are prioritized overmarket access - and had to clarify her com-ments. The most controversial of the ‘free-doms’ in Britain is freedom of movementwithin the EU. “One cannot lead these(Brexit) negotiations based in the form of‘cherry picking’,” Merkel said in a speechbefore members of the German CivilService Association in the city of Cologne.

“This would have fatal consequences forthe remaining 27 EU states,” added Merkel.“Britain is, for sure, an important partnerwith whom one would want to have goodrelations even after an exit from the EU.” Butit was important, said the chancellor, “thaton the other hand, we are clear that, forexample, access to the single market is only

possible under the condition of adherenceto the four basic principles. Otherwise onehas to negotiate limits (of access).”

May said yesterday that a clean breakwith the EU’s single market is notinevitable, clarifying comments that hadpushed down the pound on the possibilityof a hard Brexit.

She had said during an interview at theweekend that Britain would not be able tokeep “bits” of its membership of the bloc.May has repeatedly said she will not revealher strategy before triggering Article 50 ofthe EU’s Lisbon Treaty to start some of themost complicated negotiations since WorldWar Two. She has largely stuck to the scriptthat she wants Britain to regain controlover immigration, restore its sovereigntyand also to get the best possible tradingrelations with the EU.

The single market emerged from the1992 Maastricht Treaty on European inte-gration. This enshrines the EU’s “four free-doms” - of movement of goods, capital,people, and services. —Reuters

COLOGNE: A history teacher teaches Muslim females German history in a classroom ofthe “Muslim education center Cologne” in Cologne, western Germany, yesterday.—AFP

5 suicide bombers die, kill 3 in Nigeria attack

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria: Five suicide bomberstrying to infiltrate Nigeria’s northeastern cityof Maiduguri have died in explosions thatkilled at least three civilians, police said yes-terday, blaming Boko Haram Islamic extrem-ists. Sunday night’s blasts occurred more than10 kilometers (6 miles) apart on the city’seastern outskirts, deputy superintendentVictor Isuku said.

Three men strapped into explosive vestsand firing assault rifles approached a militarycheckpoint at about 8:20 pm, he said. Oneexploded, killing all three and a civilian self-defense fighter. Two hours later, two femalebombers blew up, killing themselves and twounidentified people. Soldiers and civiliansfighting alongside them have stopped manysuicide bombers before they can reach heavi-

ly populated targets in recent months.Nigeria’s army yesterday warned against a

new terror tactic, saying two women suicidebombers recently knocked on the doors ofhomes 200 meters (yards) apart inMaiduguri’s Kalari neighborhood, near one ofSunday’s explosions. It said the bombers det-onated when the doors were opened by ayoung girl and a man, killing both civiliansand themselves. “The general public is herebyadvised to be cautious and wary of strangepersons knocking at their doors,” said thestatement. The suicide bombings and attackson remote military outposts and villages con-tinue despite President Muhammadu Buhari’sannouncement last month that Boko Haramhas been crushed since the military destroyedtheir last Sambisa Forest stronghold.—AP

I N T E R N AT I O N A LTUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

YANGON: At least 65,000 Rohingyahave f led to Bangladesh fromMyanmar-a third of them over the pastweek-since the army launched a crack-down in the north of Rakhine state, theUN said yesterday. The figure marks asharp escalation in the numbers flee-ing a military campaign which rightsgroups say has been marred by abusesso severe they could amount to crimesagainst humanity.

They also come the same day theUN’s human rights envoy for Myanmar,Yanghee Lee, began a 12-day visit toprobe violence in the country’s border-lands that will take her to the army-controlled area. “Over the past week,22,000 new arrivals were reported tohave crossed the border from Rakhinestate,” the UN’s relief agency said in itsweekly report.

“As of 5 January, an estimated 65,000people are residing in registered camps,makeshift settlements and host commu-nities in Cox’s Bazaar” in southernBangladesh, said the Office for theCoordination of Humanitarian Affairs.The exodus of Rohingya from northernRakhine began after Myanmar’s armylaunched clearance operations whilesearching for insurgents behind deadlyraids on police border posts threemonths ago.

Escapees from the persecuted Muslimminority in Bangladesh have given har-rowing accounts of security forces com-mitting mass rape, murder and arson.

The stories have cast a pall over theyoung government of Aung San Suu Kyi,with mainly Muslim Malaysia being espe-cially critical. Myanmar’s governmenthas said the claims of abuse are fabricat-

ed and launched a special commission toinvestigate the allegations.

Last week it presented its interimreport denying accusations of “genocideand religious persecution” and sayingthere was insufficient evidence thattroops had been committing rape. Thatjudgement came days after a videoemerged showing police beatingRohingya civilians, something the gov-ernment said was an isolated incidentafter the officers were arrested.

Yesterday the UN’s Lee began herown probe with a visit to Kachin state,where thousands have been displacedby fighting between ethnic rebels andthe army. Lee, who has faced threats anddemonstrations on previous visits overher comments on Myanmar’s treatmentof the Rohingya, is due to visit Rakhinebefore leaving on January 20.

“The events of the last few monthshave shown that the international com-munity must remain vigilant in monitor-ing the human rights situation,” inMyanmar, Lee, the UN special rapporteuron human rights in Myanmar, said in thestatement. Suu Kyi, a former politicalprisoner and champion of democracy inthe then military-ruled Myanmar, cameto power in April after a landslide elec-tion win, installing her confidant, HtinKyaw, as president.

However, increasing violence in bor-der regions has raised questions aboutSuu Kyi’s commitment to human rightsand ability to rein in the military, whichretains a major political role.

The government has restricted aid tonorthern Rakhine State, where mostpeople are Rohingya Muslims denied cit-izenship in Myanmar, and prevented

independent journalists from visiting.Muslim-majority Malaysia and Indonesia,which has the world’s biggest Muslimpopulation, have raised concern over theRakhine crisis, which security officialsbelieve is attracting the attention ofinternational militant groups.

Lee will also investigate the impact oncivilians of intensified fighting betweenthe army and rebels in Kachin and Shanstates, which she said “is causing somedisquiet regarding the direction that thenew government is taking in its first yearof administration”.

Aye Win, UN spokesman in Myanmar,said Lee had arrived in Myanmar late onSunday and was due to fly to the KachinState capital of Myitkyina yesterday.Presidential spokesman Zaw Htay said thegovernment would provide Lee withsecurity to visit conflict areas. —Agencies

22,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh in one week: UN

Newsi n b r i e f

Three Indians killed in attack on Kashmir camp

SRINAGAR: Three civilian workers were killed yesterdaywhen unidentified militants attacked a military road con-struction camp in Indian-administered Kashmir, the armysaid. A spokesman said the army had launched a search forthe attackers, who fled after firing at the General ReserveEngineering Force camp near the international borderwith Pakistan while the workers were sleeping. The areahas been relatively calm in recent weeks following anupsurge in cross-border firing after a deadly attack on anIndian army base in September that New Delhi blamed onmilitants from Pakistan. “Terrorists fired at the camp at1:30am and killed three casual laborers. A search operationis launched to nab the attackers,” army spokesman ManishMehta said.

Relatives say anti-Taleban Pakistani activist is missing

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani university professor, poetand rights activist who has been critical of the Talibanand also of the government’s efforts against militants,has been missing since last week, his family said yes-terday. Salman Haider disappeared on Friday, hisbrother Faraz Haider said. He said Salman’s wife got atext message on her phone to go and collect his carfrom a roadside on Islamabad’s outskirts. Pakistan’sministry of interior yesterday ordered police to step upefforts to find the missing activist. No militant grouphas so far claimed that it abducted the activist and nogovernment department or intelligence agency hassaid it detained or arrested him. Local media havereported that a number of other activists like SalmanHaider - who ran popular social media accountsknown for liberal and leftist views - have also gonemissing. These social media accounts - some of whichare no longer accessible - often highlight what theydescribe as Pakistan’s dual policy of fighting some mili-tants but supporting others.

Chinese police kill 3 ‘rioters’ in Xinjiang

BEIJING: Chinese police shot dead three “rioters” in therestive Xinjiang region after they resisted arrest, statemedia reported yesterday, in the second such incident inless than a fortnight. The shooting happened Sunday fol-lowing a manhunt for three suspected members of a “vio-lent terror group” linked to a 2015 attack in Pishan county,according to the regional government’s official Tianshanwebsite. No details were given about the attack two yearsago. The killing came less than two weeks after three “riot-ers” were shot dead for allegedly attacking a CommunistParty office in Xinjiang. China tends to reserve the “terror”or “terrorist” label for attacks involving the mostly MuslimUighur ethnic minority. The far-western region is thehomeland of the Uighurs-many of whom complain of dis-crimination and controls on their culture and religion-andis often hit by deadly unrest.

MUMBAI: Women’s groups in India are planning nation-wide rallies on Jan 21 to protest the alleged mass molesta-tion in the city of Bengaluru on New Year’s eve, and subse-quent comments by politicians blaming the women forthe crime.

The India protests, publicized under the hashtag#IWillGoOut on social media, are meant to coincide withthe “Million Women March” in Washington on Jan 21, theday after Donald Trump’s inauguration as president of theUnited States.

Several women said they were groped and assaulted bya mob on a crowded central street of the technology hubBengaluru on Dec 31, despite the presence of a large num-ber of policemen. The state home minister later told televi-sion networks “such incidents do happen”, while anotherpolitician blamed women for following “western culture”,dressing inappropriately and staying out late.

“That something like this could happen in a city like

Bengaluru, in a crowded public space, is shocking. It couldhave happened to any of us,” said ElsaMarie D’Silva,founder of Safe City, an online project that collects reportsof harassment and maps areas unsafe for women.

“To see these reactions from authorities who are meantto protect us is even more distressing.” The attacks, reminis-cent of those blamed on migrants in German cities lastyear, have shocked women across India, since Bengaluru -home to young technology professionals - is regarded assafer for women than New Delhi, which has among thenation’s highest reports of rape and other crimes.

The politicians’ comments echo those made after previ-ous incidents of violence against women, including thefatal gang rape of a young woman on a bus in New Delhi inDecember 2012. That incident sparked nationwide protestsand led to stricter rape legislation. It also led to a campaignby women’s groups called ‘Why Loiter?’ that encouragedwomen to walk the streets of their cities at night, to defy

men who said women should not be out at night followingthe Delhi rape.

More than 34,000 rapes were reported in India in 2015,according to the National Crime Record Bureau. Moreassaults go unreported because women fear being stigma-tized. The “Million Women March” in Washington is inresponse to Trump’s attitude toward women, and fears thathis presidency could set back or destroy many women’srights. Similarly, activists hope the marches in at least adozen cities in India will draw attention to women’s rightsand the patriarchal mindset that blames women and ques-tions their right to be out, said D’Silva, who is organizingthe event in Mumbai.

“We don’t talk enough about violence against women inthis country, nor are we doing enough to prevent it,” shesaid. “We must keep up the pressure on our institutions toensure our safety, and keep pushing for a change in atti-tudes and behavior towards women.” — Reuters

India women plan protests

against mass molestationPoliticians ‘blame’ women for Bengaluru rape

ISLAMABAD: Two Pakistani research groups havenoted that the country saw a significant drop inmilitant violence last year, crediting the militaryfor the decrease in attacks. The two Islamabad-based groups say that large-scale military opera-tions in the lawless tribal regions borderingAfghanistan, in the chaotic port city of Karachiand the sparsely populated Baluchistan provinceare behind the drop. But for the trend to contin-ue, they say, authorities need to disband sectarianand anti-Indian extremists based in the populousPunjab province.

The findings, which are based on the groups’records, were released last week and on Sunday. Oneof the groups, the Center for Research and SecurityStudies, said there was a 45 percent drop in violence-related deaths in 2016, compared to the previous

year. The Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies, whichtallies violent incidents, registered a 28 percent dropin attacks in 2016, compared to 2015.

Still, both organizations tempered the findingsby warning that the trend could be halted unlessmilitant groups are disbanded and called forimproving relations with neighboring India andAfghanistan. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif echoedsome of those sentiments last week, when he tolda writers’ conference that Pakistan needs to createan effective narrative that promotes tolerance.“We are forgetting how to speak of mutual love,integrity, compassion and empathy,” he said. Hisgovernment introduced legislation in 2016 out-lawing hate speech and denying clerics from rivalIslamic sects the right to use their loudspeakers attheir mosques. However, Sharif’s government has

not succeeded in disbanding outlawed sectariangroups that re-emerge later under a differentname. Also, lawmakers from his own PakistanMuslim League have been seen on campaignplatforms with members of the outlawed Sunniextremist group Sipah-e-Sahabah, which has linksto the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, another violentSunni extremist group that has been blamed forseveral attacks last year, particularly in southwest-ern Baluchistan. “A government that is going intoan election next year doesn’t want to lose votes,”said Imtiaz Gul, executive director of the Centerfor Research and Security Studies, whichauthored one of the reports. “The banned outfitshave madrassas that still operate, they have sym-pathies and influence.”

Sectarian violenceA mostly Sunni Muslim country, Pakistan has

for years been convulsed by brutal sectarian vio-lence that has killed thousands. Most of the vic-tims have been minority Shiite Muslims.

Asadullah Khan, an analyst with Pakistan’sInstitute of Strategic Studies says that “it isn’tenough to ban” militant groups, which then sur-face under a new name. “We have to get rid ofthem altogether,” Khan said. Prominent on themilitant landscape dotting Pakistan are also theAfghan Taleban, Pakistan’s own Taleban groupand its splinters, as well as the feared Haqqaninetwork. Then there are several anti-Indiangroups, labelled terrorists by the United Statesand India - such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, which wasbanned but remerged as Jamaat-ud-Daawa andJaish-e-Mohammed. Pakistan has fought threewars with archrival India, most often over the dis-puted Himalayan region of Kashmir. Pakistan’sreluctance to abandon militant groups altogetheris inextricably linked to its perceived security con-cerns, said Marvin Weinbaum of the Middle EastInstitute in Washington “They remain viewed asvalued proxies in a Pakistani strategic security cal-culus focused on Kashmir and the perceivedthreats posed by an India-aligned Afghanistan,”said Weinbaum. — AP

Pakistani groups note drop

in violence, credit military

BENGALURU: French Minister of Foreign Affairs and International DevelopmentJean-Marc Ayrault (centre) waits on a platform with his delegation before taking ametro train ride in Bengaluru yesterday. French Foreign Minister Jean-MarcAyrault began a four-day visit to India with a meeting on January 8 with PrimeMinister Narendra Modi to bolster the “strategic partnership” between the twocountries. — AFP

LAHORE: Hafiz Saeed (third left), the leader of Pakistan’s anti-Indian group Lashkar-e-Taiba,that was banned but resurrected as the Jamaat-ud-Daawa, prays for Indian Kashmiris withothers during an anti-Indian rally in Lahore. —AP

YANGON/KUALA LUMPUR: Myanmar saidyesterday it had sent out safety instructionsto its workers in Malaysia after attackershacked five of them to death with swords,weeks after it barred workers from goingthere, partly because of security fears.

Tension between the Southeast Asianneighbors has risen in recent months overthe fate of Myanmar’s stateless RohingyaMuslim minority, with Malaysia accusingMyanmar of genocide over its treatment ofthem. Myanmar rejects reports of abusesby its security forces against the Rohingyasin the course of a crackdown launchedafter attackers killed nine Myanmar police-men in border posts near the Bangladeshborder on Oct. 9.

On Thursday, four masked men wieldingswords attacked Myanmar workers afterthey had left a factory in the Serdang dis-trict on the outskirts of the Malaysian capi-tal, Kuala Lumpur. Five were killed and twowounded. Malaysian police said sevenMyanmar men had been detained shortlyafter the attack and they did not see any“religious motivations” behind it. They gaveno more details.

Mostly Buddhist Myanmar stopped itsworkers going to Malaysia in December, afterNajib Razak, prime minister of the predomi-nantly Muslim country, described Myanmar’streatment of the Rohingya as “genocide” andcalled for foreign intervention.

Labour-short Malaysia hosts about

147,000 Myanmar workers, according toMyanmar data. The spokesman for theMyanmar president’s office, Zaw Htay, saidsafety instructions had been issued toMyanmar workers in Malaysia and illegalMyanmar workers there were urged to con-tact the embassy, state media quoted himas saying. Myanmar was working withMalaysian authorities to investigate theattack and the ban on workers going toMalaysia would remain in force, he said.

Nyunt Win, deputy director general atMyanmar ’s Labour, Immigration andPopulation Ministry, said security worrieshad been one reason for the ban on work-ers going to Malaysia.

“There are several reasons for the banon Myanmar migrant workers going toMalaysia, including security concerns andthe fact that they are trying to stir up politi-cal troubles against Myanmar,” Nyunt Winsaid. He did not elaborate. Last week,Malaysia’s top counter-terrorism officialtold Reuters in an interview that Myanmarfaced a growing danger of attacks by for-eign supporters of Islamic State recruitedfrom Southeast Asian networks in supportof the Rohingyas. Malaysian authoritiesdetained a suspected IS follower planningto go to Myanmar to carry out attacks, thehead of the Malaysian police counter-ter-rorism division, Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay,said, adding that Myanmar targets outsideMyanmar were also at risk. — Reuters

Myanmar warns its workers in

Malaysia after 5 hacked to death

KABUL: An elderly Afghan vendor waits for customers as he drinks his tea, at a road-side stand, in Kabul yesterday. —AP

I N T E R N AT I O N A LTUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

TOKYO: Japan’s ambassador to South Korea returned to Tokyo yester-day, reiterating its frustration over a statue of a “comfort woman” whichhas reignited a diplomatic row over Tokyo’s wartime sex slavery.

Tensions spiked on Friday when Tokyo said it would recall its envoyover the statue which was placed outside its consulate in Busan lastmonth, symbolising women forced to work in Japanese military broth-els mostly during World War II. Japan argues it is against a 2015 agree-ment between the neighbours meant to put an end to the hugelyemotional and decades-long “comfort women” issue with a Japaneseapology and payment of money.

“It is extremely regrettable that the girl statue was set,” ambassadorYasumasa Nagamine told reporters ahead of his departure from SeoulMonday morning, adding that he would discuss the issue with govern-ment officials, possibly including Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida.

The plight of the women has marred relations for decades but thetwo governments reached an agreement in late 2015 to finally resolveit. Under that accord, which both countries described as “final and irre-versible,” Japan offered an apology and a one-billion yen ($8.6 billion)payment to surviving Korean comfort women.

Critics of the accord say the deal did not go far enough in holdingJapan responsible for wartime abuses during its 1910-45 colonialrule over the Korean peninsula. Mainstream historians say up to200,000 women, mostly from Korea but also other parts of Asiaincluding China, were forced to work in Japanese military brothelsduring World War II. — AFP

SEOUL: South Korean special prosecutors teamhave filed fresh charges including bribery against aclose friend of impeached President Park Geun-hye,the central figure in a political scandal that hasengulfed the country, the team said yesterday.

Choi Soon-sil, in jail since late October and on tri-al since last month, already faces charges of abuseof power and attempted fraud. Yesterday, Lee Kyu-chul, spokesman for the special prosecution team,said it had filed the additional charges.

He declined to provide further details during a

regular briefing. Choi’s lawyers were not immediate-ly available for comment. Choi, 60, who has knownPark for four decades, is accused of colluding withPark to pressure big businesses, including SamsungGroup, to contribute to non-profit foundationsbacking the president’s initiatives.

Choi has denied any wrongdoing. Also yesterday,two senior executives of Samsung Group werequestioned as part of the corruption probe. SouthKorean prosecutors are trying to ascertain whetherSamsung, the country’s biggest conglomerate,

sought favours from Choi and Park in return forfunding some of their initiatives. No Samsung offi-cials have been accused of wrongdoing.

As part of their investigation, prosecutors arealso looking into Samsung’s sponsorship of theequestrian riding career of Choi’s daughter, ChungYoo-ra, 20, who was arrested in Denmark after beingsought by South Korean authorities. Chung hasbeen accused of criminal interference related to heracademic record and other unspecified charges.

Upon their arrival at the special prosecutor’s

office yesterday, Choi Gee-sung and ChangChoong-ki, executives from Samsung’s future strate-gy office, declined to comment. The two were beingquestioned as witnesses but their status canchange, the special prosecutor’s office has said.

Park has denied any wrongdoing but admittedcarelessness in her dealings with Choi, who isaccused of wielding inappropriate influence overstate affairs. The Constitutional Court will decidewhether or not to uphold Park’s impeachment, aprocess that could take months. — Reuters

S Korean leader’s friend Choi now charged with bribery

SHANGHAI/TAIPEI: State-run Chinese tabloidGlobal Times warned US President-elect DonaldTrump that China would take “take revenge” if hereneged on the one-China policy, only hoursafter Taiwan’s president made a controversialstopover in Houston.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen met senior USRepublican lawmakers during her stopover inHouston on Sunday en route to Central America,where she will visit Honduras, Nicaragua,Guatemala and El Salvador. Tsai will stop in SanFrancisco on Jan 13, her way back to Taiwan.

China had asked the United States not toallow Tsai to enter or have formal governmentmeetings under the one China policy. Beijingconsiders self-governing Taiwan a renegadeprovince ineligible for state-to-state relations.The subject is a sensitive one for China.

A photograph tweeted by Texas GovernorGreg Abbott shows him meeting Tsai, with asmall table between them adorned with the US,Texas and Taiwanese flags. Tsai’s office said yes-terday she also spoke by telephone with US sen-ator John McCain, head of the powerful SenateCommittee on Armed Services. Tsai also metTexas Senator Ted Cruz.

“Sticking to (the one China) principle is not acapricious request by China upon US presidents,but an obligation of US presidents to maintainChina-US relations and respect the existingorder of the Asia-Pacific,” said the Global Timeseditorial on Sunday. The influential tabloid is

published by the ruling Communist Party’s offi-cial People’s Daily.

Trump triggered protests from Beijing lastmonth by accepting a congratulatory telephonecall from Tsai and questioning the US commit-ment to China’s position that Taiwan is part ofone China.

“If Trump reneges on the one-China policyafter taking office, the Chinese people willdemand the government to take revenge. Thereis no room for bargaining,” said the Global Times.

Cruz said some members of Congress hadreceived a letter from the Chinese consulate ask-ing them not to meet Tsai during her stopovers.“The People’s Republic of China needs to under-stand that in America we make decisions aboutmeeting with visitors for ourselves,” Cruz said ina statement.

“This is not about the PRC. This is about theUS relationship with Taiwan, an ally we are legal-ly bound to defend.” Cruz said he and Tsai dis-cussed upgrading bilateral relations and further-ing economic cooperation between their coun-tries, including increased access to Taiwan mar-kets that would benefit Texas ranchers, farmersand small businesses.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kangyesterday urged “relevant US officials” to handlethe Taiwan issue appropriately to avoid harmingChina-US ties. “We firmly oppose leaders of theTaiwan region, on the so-called basis of a transitvisit, having any form of contact with US officials

and engaging in activities that interfere withand damage China-US relations,” Lu said.

In a dinner speech Saturday to hundreds ofoverseas Taiwanese, Tsai said the United Statesholds a “special place in the hearts of the peopleof Taiwan” and that the island via bilateralexchanges has provided more than 320,000 jobsdirectly and indirectly to the American people,her office said yesterday. Tsai said Taiwan lookedto create more US jobs through deeper invest-ment, trade and procurement.

DialogueTsai’s office said James Moriarty, chairman of

the American Institute in Taiwan, which handlesUS-Taiwan affairs in the absence of formal ties,told the Taiwan president in Houston that theUnited States was continuing efforts to persuadeChina to resume dialogue with Taiwan. China isdeeply suspicious of Tsai, who it thinks wants topush for the formal independence of the island.

The Global Times, whose stance does notequate with government policy, also targetedTsai in the editorial, saying that the mainlandwould likely impose further diplomatic, econom-ic and military pressure on Taiwan, warning that“Tsai needs to face the consequences for everyprovocative step she takes”. “It should alsoimpose military pressure on Taiwan and push itto the edge of being reunified by force, so as toeffectively affect the approval rating of the Tsaiadministration.” — Reuters

China paper warns of revenge

if US drops one China policy

Taiwan president in controversial US transit

PHUKET: Residents from the southern Thai village of Bake, which was affected bysevere flooding in the past few days, stand next to food donations given to them byregional community leaders in Narathiwat province yesterday. —AFP

BANGKOK: The heaviest rains in 30 yearshave caused the floods sweeping southernThailand, the kingdom’s junta leader saidyesterday, as the army ramped up efforts toreach remote inundated areas. At least 21people have been killed and nearly onemillion people affected by the floods afterdays of unseasonably heavy rain across thecountry’s southern neck.

Downpours and flash floods have alsodisrupted holidays on tourist islandsincluding Samui and Phangan, disappoint-ing tens of thousands of visitors huntingThailand’s peak season sun.

Despite the end of the monsoon seasonweeks ago, there were no immediate signsof respite for the flood-battered region. The“severe flooding is because of the worstrainfall in more than 30 years”, PrimeMinister Prayut Chan-O-Cha told reporters.Prayut, who led the 2014 coup, warned cli-mate change meant floods and droughtswere increasingly likely and “Thailand mustprepare to handle these problems”. Soldiers

have been deployed to provide relief pack-ages and rescue stranded people in theworst-hit areas.

Meanwhile boats with special pump-ing equipment have been dispatched toNakhon Si Thammarat province, which hasseen floods reach rooftops in some areas,causing deaths and extensive damage toproperty. Television images showed vil-lagers wading through muddy water inremote flooded hamlets, scant belongingsheld high.

In areas where the water had receded,locals slopped out mud from their homesand surveyed broken roads, bridges andruined farmland. Thailand’s south is heavilyreliant on tourism and agriculture, includ-ing rubber, fruit and palm oil plantations,and the floods will likely have a significanteconomic impact.

In the northeast-a prominent rice grow-ing region-farmers face a different dilem-ma, a water shortage caused by two yearsof drought. — AFP

Worst rain ‘in 30 years’

heaps misery on Thai south

MANILA: Masses of Catholic devotees in the Philippine capital braved siz-zling weather and terrorist fears yesterday in a frenzied bid to touch a cen-turies-old statue of Jesus Christ that is believed to have miraculous pow-ers. The annual parade, which police said attracted more than one millionpeople, is one of the world’s biggest displays of Catholic devotion andshowcases the Philippines’ status as the Church’s bastion in Asia.

Many Filipinos believe touching or getting close to the life-sized statue,which was brought to the Philippines in the early 1600s when the nationwas a Spanish colony, can lead to the healing of otherwise incurable ail-ments and other good fortune. “If you seek a favour it will be granted aslong as you pray hard,” Lolit Gonzales, 45, told AFP as she sat on the side-walk after taking her turn pulling on a thick length of rope that moved thestatue’s carriage forward.

The Manila manicurist attributed the healing two years ago of a painfulright knee, which her doctor had told her required surgery and medicinesthat she could not afford, to taking part in the procession at that time.Gonzales said she had returned yesterday to ensure her knee ailment didnot recur, since she had no health insurance and was the only breadwin-ner in her family.

Extreme devotion The pilgrims walked Manila’s concrete streets as the temperature

climbed above 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) withoutfootwear as a sign of penance and to imitate a barefoot Jesus carrying thecross before he was crucified. As the procession continued into the night,the Philippine Red Cross said its medical staff had treated about 1,200people along the route for dizziness, bruising and sprains. However, therewere no major casualties.

The statue is called the Black Nazarene because of its charred colour,believed to have occurred when it survived a fire aboard a ship whenbeing brought to the Philippines from Mexico. Replica crosses and otherreligious icons and images followed the cross carriage six abreast, borneon the back of trucks, atop pedicabs and manually drawn carriages in anextremely slow procession.

One small truck carried nuns in white robes sprinkling holy water onthe sweaty pilgrims and reciting the Holy Rosary prayer in Spanish. Suchextreme forms of worship are a hallmark of the Philippines which is 80 per-cent Roman Catholic, a legacy of four centuries of Spanish colonialism thatended in 1898. President Rodrigo Duterte often gives conflicting signalsabout his religious convictions and criticises the Church’s leaders, but he

MANILA: Filipino Roman Catholic devotees raise their hands in prayer during a raucous procession to celebrate the feast day of the BlackNazarene yesterday in Manila. —AP

Huge crowds stage frenzied

Catholic procession in Manila

HONG KONG: Hong Kong pro-democracylegislator Nathan Law hit out yesterday at“violent attacks” by pro-China protesters atthe city’s airport on his return from a politi-cal forum in Taiwan.

Law, 23, encountered the crowd in thearrivals hall late Sunday. Protesters, whoaccuse Law of favouring independence forHong Kong, shouted, threw liquid in hisface and tried to hit him as airport securitystruggled to bundle him through.

It came after Law and other high-profileHong Kong pro-democracy activists includ-ing Joshua Wong, had been greeted bypro-China protesters in Taipei as theyarrived for the forum on Saturday.

The two-day event was an exchange ofviews between democratic movements inHong Kong and Taiwan. “There is never jus-tification for violence, not even in the nameof patriotism,” Law said in a statement yes-terday.

“I will continue to fight for democracyand the right of self-determination of HongKong people.” At a press conference yester-day afternoon he described the attackersas an example of “gangster politics” andaccused the Chinese Communist Party oftrying to suppress democratic movements.

Fellow pro-democracy lawmaker EddieChu, who also travelled to Taiwan, saidthere was now a “globalised...anti-democra-tic violent network” controlled by Beijing.Law and Chu are among a new group oflegislators who support the idea of self-determination for semi-autonomous HongKong-a notion that has infuriated Beijing,

which resumed sovereignty in 1997. Atone point during Sunday’s attack, televi-sion footage showed Law stumbling downa staircase after a water bottle was thrownat him. Protesters shouted: “Trip and die!”and one called Law a “traitor”.

Law said he suffered scratches andbruises and had reported the incident topolice. Police said two arrests had beenmade relating to attacks on journalists cov-ering the incident.

Once a taboo concept, the idea of inde -pendence for Hong Kong has gatheredmomentum since mass protests in 2014failed to win political reform and as fearshave grown that Beijing is tightening itsgrip on the city.

Two pro-independence lawmakers werelast year barred from taking up their seatsin the legislature because of irregularities inthe way they took the oath of office.

Law and three other pro-democracylawmakers will face a court hearing inFebruary that will also seek to disqualifythem on the same grounds.

They say they are not categorically pro-independence but feel Hong Kongersshould have a choice about their future.

The forum in Taipei was hosted byTaiwan’s New Power Party, which advocatesrecognition of Taiwan as a nation.

Even though Taiwan has been self-rul-ing since the end of a civil war on themainland in 1949, China still sees it as partof its territory. Beijing has threatened totake action if Taiwan ever formally declaresindependence. —AFP

HONG KONG: Hong Kong pro-democracy legislator Nathan Law (centre L), along withEdward Yiu (L), Joshua Wong (centre R) and Eddie Chu (R), hold a press conference inwhich they show photos of injuries sustained to Nathan Law after he was attacked bypro-Beijing supporters at Hong Kong International Airport on his return from arecent trip to Taiwan, in Hong Kong yesterday.—AFP

Pro-democracy HK lawmaker

condemns ‘violent attacks’

Japan envoy returns

home in S Korea

‘comfort women’ row

offered encouragement yesterday to those involved in the procession.“Prayers are likely answered because we do not give up or get tired fromasking God for the fulfilment of our heart’s desires,” Duterte said. “Such isthe phenomenal expression of faith of the millions of devotees in the formof gratitude, petition, and sacrifice shown in the image of the BlackNazarene every feast day on the 9th of January every year.” — AFP

N E W STUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

Continued from Page 1

Kandari later said that the decision of the committeeis not the final word on the issue, which will be decidedby the constitutional court. Member of the panel MPKhaled Al-Shatti also said that the decision was politi-cally-motivated and the final say on the issue will be bythe constitutional court.

Also, the legal committee approved nine proposalsto amend the nationality law of 1959. The amendmentsbasically prevent the government from revoking the cit-izenship of any Kuwaiti without a final court verdict. Theamendments were proposed by opposition MPs angryafter the government revoked two years ago the citi-zenship of several opposition figures and members oftheir families. The committee also approved a draft lawcalling to abolish the DNA testing law that was passedvirtually without debate by the previous pro-govern-ment Assembly.

In another development, opposition MP Riyadh Al-Adasani said yesterday that he plans to file to grill StateMinister for Housing Yasser Abul next week over allegedviolations in a large number of housing projects.Adasani accused the minister of not doing enough to

speed up housing projects, saying that the ministry hadKD 4 billion at its disposal but spent only 16 percent ofit on some of the 45 projects underway. He alsocharged that the minister is responsible for the badselection of contractors and failing to monitor them,resulting in slow and incompetent implementation andaccidents.

Meanwhile, Minister of Information and Youth SheikhSalman Al-Humoud Al-Sabah said yesterday Kuwait hasextended all cooperation with the InternationalOlympic Committee within the framework of the consti-tution and the law with regards to lifting the suspen-sion on Kuwaiti sports. He said after attending a meet-ing of the Assembly’s sports and youth committee thatthe IOC is responsible to listen to the wishes of theKuwaiti government and people to lift the suspensiontemporarily until the laws have been amended.

But MP Hamdan Al-Azemi called on the minister toresign immediately after the Kuwaiti football team wasbanned from taking part in the qualifying rounds of theAsia Cup on Jan 11. The lawmaker accused the ministerand the government of ignoring the issue of lifting thesuspension and being engaged in settling political andpersonal scores.

Assembly panel says deputy speaker’s...

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Barkindo described as historic the agreement between

the 24 OPEC and non-OPEC producers. Marzouq said thecommittee would meet in Vienna on Jan 21 and 22 tofinalize the monitoring mechanisms. — AFP

Kuwait expects big commitment to oil cut...

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acceptance speech for the Cecil B DeMille Award, handedout by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. “You and allof us in this room, really, belong to the most vilified segmentsin American society right now. Think about it. Hollywood, for-eigners and the press,” she said to her peers with a laugh, ref-erencing Trump’s campaign that frequently disparaged immi-grants and what he called biased media.

The US entertainment industry broadly supported Trump’sDemocratic opponent Hillary Clinton, with many stars pub-licly endorsing her White House run. Streep trashed theincoming president for an infamous campaign speech duringwhich he did a decidedly unflattering impression of disabledNew York Times reporter Serge Kovaleski. “It was thatmoment when the person asking to sit in the most respectedseat in our country imitated a disabled reporter - someone heoutranked in privilege, power and the capacity to fight back.It kind of broke my heart when I saw it,” she said.

“I still can’t get it out of my head because it wasn’t in a movie.It was real life. And this instinct to humiliate, when it’s modeledby someone in the public platform, by someone powerful, it fil-ters down into everybody’s life, because it kind of gives permis-sion for other people to do the same thing. Disrespect invitesdisrespect. Violence incites violence,” she said. “When the pow-erful use their position to bully others, we all lose.”

Trump has denied mocking Kovaleski and again defendedhimself yesterday against Streep’s accusation. “For the 100thtime, I never ‘mocked’ a disabled reporter (would never dothat) but simply showed him ‘groveling’ when he totallychanged a 16 year old story that he had written in order tomake me look bad,” Trump said in a series of tweets. “Justmore very dishonest media!” he added. Trump also told theNew York Times in a brief telephone interview that he had notseen Streep’s speech but was “not surprised” to be criticizedby “liberal movie people”.

Streep spoke out with less than two weeks to go untilTrump’s inauguration. “Hollywood is crawling with outsiders

and foreigners. If you kick ‘em all out, you’ll have nothing towatch but football and mixed martial arts, which are not thearts,” she said, holding back tears. She urged the “principledpress to hold power to account, to call them on the carpet forevery outrage,” to cheers from the floor.

Streep, considered among the best actresses of her gener-ation, was presented with the DeMille award to mark a careerwhich has seen her win eight Golden Globes and collect 29nominations. She was nominated for best actress in a musicalor comedy film at the glitzy ceremony at the Beverly HiltonHotel for her performance in Stephen Frears’s “Florence FosterJenkins” but lost out to Emma Stone.

The speech by Streep, who had a primetime speaking slotat last year’s Democratic National Convention praisingClinton’s “grit and grace”, quickly became the most-talkedabout moment of the Golden Globes. Global digital market-ing company Amobee said it sparked some 627,000 Tweets infour hours. Not all the responses were complimentary. “ThisMeryl Streep speech is why Trump won. And if people inHollywood don’t start recognizing why and how - you willhelp him get re-elected,” Meghan McCain, daughter ofRepublican Senator John McCain, wrote on Twitter.

“Why do you guys think we care what your political viewsare. Stick to what you do best and why we follow youraccount. For the acting and fashion. #enoughalready,” wroteDebweb142 on the Instagram page of “Sex and the City” starSarah Jessica Parker who had praised Streep. Shonda Rhimes,creator of hit TV shows “Scandal” and “Grey’s Anatomy”, wasamong Streep’s supporters. “How DARE Meryl exercise herright to free speech like that’s a thing we are allowed to dohere in Ameri- wait...hmm,” Rhimes tweeted.

But Trump aide Kellyanne Conway said yesterday thatStreep was misusing her platform. “I’m concerned that some-body with a platform like Meryl Streep is also, I think, incitingpeople’s worst instincts when she won’t get up there and say,‘I didn’t like it, but let’s try to support him and see where wecan find some common ground with him’,” Conway said onthe “Fox & Friends” TV program yesterday.— Agencies

Trump lashes out after Streep rebuke

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The resolution, adopted last year as part of the deal tocurb Iran’s nuclear activities, calls on Iran to refrain fromwork on ballistic missiles designed to deliver nuclearweapons. Tehran says it has not carried out any work onmissiles specifically designed to carry such payloads.

Tasnim news agency said 173 lawmakers voted in favorof an article in Iran’s five-year development plan that“requires government to increase Iran’s defense capabili-ties as a regional power and preserve the country’s nation-al security and interests by allocating at least five percentof annual budget” to military affairs.

Only 10 lawmakers voted against the plan, whichincludes developing long range missiles, armed dronesand cyber-war capabilities.

The Obama administration says Iran’s ballistic missiletests have not violated the nuclear agreement withTehran, but Trump, who criticized the accord as “theworst deal ever negotiated”, has said he would stopIran’s missile program. “Those ballistic missiles, with arange of 1,250 miles, were designed to intimidate notonly Israel ... but also intended to frighten Europe andsomeday maybe hit even the United States,” he told theAmerican Israel Public Affairs Committee AIPAC inMarch. “We’re not going to let that happen.”

The increase in military spending is part of a growthplan for 2016-2021 first announced in July 2015 by theSupreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Khamenei sup-ported last year’s nuclear deal with world powers that

curbed Iran’s nuclear program in return for lifting of inter-national sanctions. However, he has since called for Iran toavoid further rapprochement with the West, and maintainits military strength.

Iran has test-fired several ballistic missiles since thenuclear deal and the US Treasury has imposed new sanc-tions on entities and individuals linked to the program.Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said last yearthat the missile launches were “not consistent with theconstructive spirit” of the nuclear deal, but did not saywhether they actually violated the UN resolution.

The United States, Britain, France and Germany wroteto Ban in March about the missile tests, which they saidwere “inconsistent with” and “in defiance of” the councilresolution. Most UN sanctions on Iran were lifted afterthe deal but Iran is still subject to a five-year UN armsembargo - unless approved in advance by the UNSecurity Council. Although the embargo is not techni-cally part of the nuclear agreement, the UN resolutionenshrining the deal requires the UN Secretary-Generalto highlight any violations.

In a report submitted to the Security Council before hewas succeeded by Antonio Guterres on Jan 1, Banexpressed concern that Iran may have violated the embar-go by supplying weapons and missiles to Hezbollah. TheLebanese Shiite organization is one of several groupsbacked in the Middle East by mainly Shiite Iran in itsregional rivalry with Sunni Muslim Gulf Arab states, a com-petition for influence that is played out in conflicts or pow-er struggles in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen.— Agencies

US ship fired warning shots at Iranian...

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weather, hold basic conversations and recognize thegender of her questioners. “You are a handsome man,”she complimented one, but when asked later if she has aboyfriend, replied, “I prefer to stay single.”

Rapid advancements are being made in artificial intel-ligence and such products stole the limelight at lastweek’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. A rangeof products were unveiled that can respond to voicecommands to play music at home and follow otherremote-control orders - or even think on their feet byaccessing and “learning” from the Internet cloud.

One company, Hanson Robotics, unveiled its life-like“Professor Einstein”, which has realistic facial expressions

and can engage in informative conversations such as les-sons in math and science. Jia Jia is not quite there yet, butChen sees a bright future for her kind in China. He saidgrowing prosperity was causing many young Chinese toeschew jobs like waitressing, while an ageing populationwould require more hands on deck in hospitals and nurs-ing homes - even if they aren’t human hands.

Chen showed a video of a less life-like, but more func-tional, robot making and serving tea to team members athis university lab in the eastern province of Anhui. Chen,however, dismissed sci-fi fears of future robots gettingtoo smart for our own good. “As long as this is done in astep-by-step and controlled manner, I don’t think therewill be a big impact on society. It won’t harm humanbeings,” he said.— AFP

Chinese robot turns on charm

A Palestinian rides his horse along the shore of the Mediterranean Sea as the sun sets during cold, stormyweather in Gaza City yesterday. — AP

A N A L Y S I STUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

THE LEADING INDEPENDENTDAILY IN THE ARABIAN GULF

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Focus

After vowing a smooth transition,President Barack Obama andDonald Trump are presiding over

one of the most tumultuous transfers ofpower in US history. Assassinationsnotwithstanding, American presidentialtransitions have generally been peacefulaffairs. But that doesn’t mean they havebeen smooth. Andrew Johnson was effec-tively barred from attending UlyssesGrant’s swearing in. Herbert Hoover andFranklin Roosevelt did not speak to eachother on inauguration day.

Bill Clinton’s staff removed the “W” keysfrom dozens of White House keyboardsbefore George W Bush moved in. But fewtransitions have been as tempestuous asObama’s passing of the baton to Trump.When the pair met in the Oval Office a fewdays after Trump’s shock November victory,the tone was cordial enough. Hailing an“excellent conversation,” Obama said “it isimportant for all of us, regardless of partyand regardless of political preferences, tonow come together, work together, to dealwith the many challenges that we face.”

Quite a show of unity for two men whoare as different as two politicians can be:Obama, a 55-year-old former law lecturer, isas systematic as Trump, a 70-year-old reali-ty TV mogul, is impulsive. But Obama’s ear-

ly strategy of flattering his way into Trump’sgood graces has melted away with eachincendiary tweet. In the span of a fewweeks, the president-elect has pickedfights with Mexico, China, Toyota, LockheedMartin, the media, Arnold Schwarzeneggerand the cast of “Hamilton”.

He has also taken aim at Obama person-ally. “Doing my best to disregard the manyinflammatory President O statements androadblocks. Thought it was going to be asmooth transition - NOT!” Trump tweeted inlate December. Trump infuriated the WhiteHouse by offering a running commentaryon Obama’s final weeks, criticizing his deci-sion not to veto a UN resolution on Israelisettlements and the transfer of prisonersout of Guantanamo Bay prison.

“Trump has incinerated the ‘one presi-dent at a time’ rule. His behavior during thetransition has been just as erratic as we’vecome to expect on most matters” said LarrySabato, head of the Center for Politics atthe University of Virginia. The president-elect “has been acting as though he wasco-president-or maybe already president.It’s a total break with tradition,” said Sabato.

Red tide But it is the scandal over Russian

involvement in the election that has put

Obama and Trump most sharply at odds.The White House imposed sanctions onMoscow and released a steady drip of evi-dence that the Kremlin tried to put its handon the electoral scale, culminating in anintelligence report that was shocking in itsbluntness. “We assess Russian PresidentVladimir Putin ordered an influence cam-paign in 2016 aimed at the US presidentialelection,” the joint CIA, NSA and FBI reportread. “We also assess Putin and the RussianGovernment aspired to help President-elect Trump’s election chances.”

Fearing that assessment will forever putan asterisk by his historic victory, Trumphas lashed out at US intelligence andappeared to side with Russia in a way thatis unthinkable for the White House. TeamObama’s comments about Trump havebecome increasingly pointed. In a farewelladdress, Michelle Obama urged youngAmericans not to fear the future but fightfor it. “You cannot take your freedom forgranted,” she said. “You have to do yourpart to protect and preserve those free-doms. Don’t be afraid. Be focused, be deter-mined, be empowered,” she said. “Lead byexample, with hope, never fear.”

In an interview with his former aideDavid Axelrod, President Obama himselfwent as far as suggesting that he could

have beaten Trump in the election were heallowed to run for a third term - a remarkthe president knew would smart. “The out-going administration has made life morethan usually difficult for the incomingadministration,” said David Clinton anexpert in presidential transitions at BaylorUniversity.

Obama may be right. His approval ratingis around 55 percent according to Gallup,putting him in the league of Bill Clintonand Ronald Reagan as they departed.Trump’s approval rating is 43 percent,according to the Real Clear Politics average,notably low for someone who just won anelection. But that will be of little comfort toObama with his signature policies - fromcurbing emissions to the nuclear deal withIran - in such grave danger. “Most ofObama’s legacy is dead and gone, or will bein the coming weeks and years,” saidSabato.

In a last-ditch bid, Obama has jumpedback into the political fray with a series ofinterviews and speeches aimed at stoppingTrump from rolling back landmark healthcare reforms. Today in Chicago, he willdeliver a farewell address that is set tofocus as much on the future as on the lasteight years. The message for Trump isunlikely to be subtle. —AFP

Obama, Trump cap tempestuous transition

British Prime Minister Theresa May was hailed asa steadying influence when she took over acountry deeply divided by the EU referendum,

but six months later she is facing widespread criticismfor her apparent Brexit indecision. The Conservativeleader’s refusal to outline a detailed strategy for nego-tiating Britain’s future ties with the European Unionhas only deepened suspicions among politicians of allstripes that she does not have a grand plan.

However, the British public still appear to havefaith in their leader, who remains well ahead of theopposition Labour party in the polls. May, the daugh-ter of an Anglican vicar, entered Downing Street onJuly 13, promising stability after a tumultuous fewweeks following Britain’s shock vote to end its four-decade membership of the EU. The 60-year-old for-mer interior minister, who kept a low profile on theRemain side of the referendum campaign, appearedto be a strong and sensible choice to lead the country.

But her tendency towards micromanagement anda perceived pettiness, demonstrated by the barringof a rebel MP who criticized her leather trousers, haveprompted concerns. “I never really saw very muchimagination, or flexibility, or instinct, or vision, whichI think is what you need in a prime minister,” LiberalDemocrat lawmaker Nick Clegg, the former deputyprime minister, told AFP. May’s talk of standing up forordinary people also took a hit when she back-tracked on plans to rein in excessive executive pay,although she used a speech Monday to renew herpromise. Outlining her vision of a “shared society”,she said there was an opportunity after Brexit toaddress inequality and injustice and “build a moreunited country”.

‘Theresa Maybe’ A similar reluctance to spell out her Brexit propos-

als has frustrated MPs on both sides, and her repeat-ed insistence that “Brexit means Brexit”, which shepresented initially as a promise to fulfill the referen-dum vote, has for many become a hollow mantra.May insisted on Sunday that she wants to tackleimmigration and take “control over our borders”, buthas also said she would like access to the single mar-ket - two things that European leaders have said areincompatible.

Her refusal to share her strategy with parliamenthas led to a distracting legal battle at the SupremeCourt, which is due to pronounce later this month onwhether Downing Street or MPs have the final say ontriggering the divorce. The Economist this weekdubbed her “Theresa Maybe” on its front page, carry-ing a damning assessment of her record, and barely aday goes by when she is not criticised in newspaperson the left and the right.

However, columnist Peter Oborne from the pro-Brexit Daily Mail, said the Economist article was a“crude hatchet job” motivated by a wider desireamong “powerful interests at the heart of the BritishEstablishment... to threaten stopping Brexit”. The pub-lic are also largely immune to the pundits’ complaints.According to Matt Singh, a polling specialist, May hassucceeded in locking in a solid lead for herConservatives - aided by the disarray in the opposi-tion Labour party. “When she took over, she providedreassurance, stability. She has done well,” PawelSwidlicki, an independent expert on Europe, told AFP.But he added: “She has a clear vision of where shewants to end up, not how to get there.”

‘Difficult equations’ The unexpected resignation last week of Ivan

Rogers, Britain’s ambassador to the EU, laid bare theconcerns over May’s strategy, making clear that evenhe did not know what the government’s negotiatingobjectives were. A European diplomat speaking oncondition of anonymity noted that May is facingsome “difficult equations”. “She must find a balancebetween the desire to control the access of EU work-ers into Britain and the necessity of preservingBritain’s economic interests”, while also taking intoaccount her party and the public’s concerns, he said.She is not helped by the lack of preparation for Brexitby her predecessor David Cameron, who had refusedto acknowledge it as a possible outcome andresigned after a referendum vote last year to leavethe EU. —AFP

Six months in, Brexit shadow

looms over May

Germany is reviewing its powers to block foreignacquisitions after a spate of Chinese takeovers, butthe government’s commitment to free trade beats

its concerns about haemorrhaging strategic technologiesand will limit any changes. A more hostile German tonetowards Chinese takeovers set in last year when Berlinactively, though unsuccessfully, sought to line up aEuropean offer to counter a Chinese bid for industrial robotmaker Kuka.

Chancellor Angela Merkel had held up Kuka as an exam-ple of a cutting-edge German industrial company, tellingworkers on a visit to its Augsburg headquarters in 2015:“We can be proud that in Germany companies like Kuka,for example, are at home.” The takeover of Kuka by Chinesehome appliance maker Midea hurt that pride. As a result,Berlin is reviewing its legal means of blocking foreigntakeovers, while also pushing for European measures tosafeguard key technologies.

The government review is being led by EconomyMinister Sigmar Gabriel, whose centre-left SocialDemocrats (SPD) are the junior partner in Merkel’s rulingcoalition with her conservative bloc. She is ultimately likelyto rein him in. “If they change something, I don’t think itwill be fundamental,” said Mikko Huotari at the MercatorInstitute for China Studies (MERICS) in Berlin. “Nothing isgoing to happen if the chancellery does not push this.”

Merkel is deeply committed to free trade, adopting themotto “Shaping an Interconnected World” for Germany’sG20 presidency this year, with which she is aiming to resistU.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s protectionist instincts.Even during the Kuka takeover, Merkel stressed thatGermany is generally open towards investments fromChina, though in return she said it expects that Chinaopens up and offers the same investment conditions.

Since making those comments last June, Merkel haslargely stayed out of the Chinese investment issue, leavingGabriel to lead the review and ruffle feathers during a tripto Beijing in November, when he clashed with China’s trademinister. “We didn’t mince our words - on either side,”Gabriel told reporters after meeting the minister, when hepressed his concerns about Chinese companies buyingGerman businesses while restricting German firms’ accessto Chinese markets.

Hitting the brakesGabriel’s bluster is having a tangible impact: Chinese

interest in a takeover of German lighting group OsramLicht AG has cooled amid signs of mounting politicalopposition here, two people familiar with the matter said.There is also greater scrutiny of M&A deals in China, wherethe authorities have begun checking some outboundinvestment projects as part of a crackdown on illegal cross-border currency deals due to concerns over increased pres-sure on China’s foreign exchange reserves and externalpayments.

These checks will make it harder for Chinese firms to

justify takeovers of German targets unless there is a clearstrategic fit, investment bankers say. “Both sides are step-ping on the brakes a little,” said Berthold Fuerst, DeutscheBank’s Germany co-head of corporate finance. Chinesefirms withdrew four M&A deals in Germany last year, threeof which had a combined value of $579 million, ThomsonReuters data shows. Data on the value of the fourth wasnot available.

In total, Chinese firms spent nearly $10 billion on 56M&A deals here last year, Thomson Reuters data shows.Berlin is worried about losing strategic technologies, andtrade unions are worried about jobs. While the Germangovernment reviews how it handles Chinese takeovers,investment bankers expect China-related deals here tocool off for a while. “Chinese corporate buyers can beexpected to operate under the radar for a while and alsowork on deal alternatives, such as the acquisition of minor-ity stakes,” said Barclays’ Germany chief Alexander Doll.

Behind the bluster...tinkeringEmbarking on his review of government powers to

block foreign takeovers, Gabriel said last June: “One cannotsacrifice German companies and German jobs on the altarof open markets.” Germany’s tool for restricting or blockingforeign takeovers is its Foreign Trade and Payments Act, orAussenwirtschaftsgesetz. Yet Germany’s deep commitmentto global free trade, from which it prospers, means majorchange is unlikely. German officials speak of an “adjust-ment” of the rules on foreign takeovers, rather than a“tightening”.

At present, the law only gives Berlin scope to intervenewith “restrictions or obligations” in the event that an acqui-sition “endangers the public order or security of the FederalRepublic of Germany”. It says such restrictions or obliga-tions “can particularly be imposed” on military equipment,and with companies that produce IT technology productswith “security functions to process classified state material”.

If the government were to interpret these criteria toowidely, it would likely run up against resistance from thecourts. Berlin has generally been ‘hands off’ about foreignacquisitions here. Of 338 government audits of foreigninvestments since 2008, only one has been initiated by theministry. The others were all at the request of the foreignbuyers, who wanted compliance clearance. One recentexample of government intervention came in 2014, whenBerlin imposed restrictions on BlackBerry’s acquisition ofencryption technology firm Secusmart, only approving thedeal after BlackBerry gave assurances confidential informa-tion would not be passed on to foreign spy agencies.

Berlin has yet to nix a Chinese takeover, though China’sFujian Grand Chip Investment Fund dropped its bid forGerman chip equipment maker Aixtron last month afterthe United States blocked the deal on security grounds.Government sources, speaking on condition of anonymity,said the economy ministry could present proposals tochange the rules on screening foreign takeovers before

September’s federal election but it was unclear if thesewould be enacted by then.

Huotari at MERICS said Berlin could tighten the rules abit: “What they might do is change the thresholds of whenthey look at things, and maybe add dual use goods to thelists of critical technologies.” Achieving a higher degree ofscrutiny at EU level will also be difficult as France andGermany are the main countries concerned about hemor-rhaging technological know-how to China. Other coun-tries - eager for investment - have fewer concerns. Askedabout how concerned China is about the extra attentionChinese acquisitions in Germany are now getting fromBerlin, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuangsaid business deals between China and Germany were a“win-win”.

Business resistanceFor many German businesses, China remains crucial.

German automakers continue to enjoy success in theworld’s largest car market. Data published by Volkswagenlate last year showed Chinese demand will drive salesgrowth of its core brand in the coming months. But whilethe Chinese buy up firms with strategic technologiesabroad, foreign auto brands are only allowed to manufac-ture cars in China through joint ventures with local part-ners, and typically are limited to two partners.

Furthermore, Beijing’s China 2025 plan calls for a pro-gressive increase in domestic components in sectors suchas advanced information technology and robotics. Thismeans Germany’s export exposure to China, for years asource of economic strength, is turning into a risk forsome sectors where the Chinese are becoming dominant.In recent years, Chinese companies have already unseat-ed their German peers as the world’s biggest suppliers ofsolar cells.

Rather than a partner, German officials see China as acountry with interests that it is seeking to promote - byacquiring know-how in technology and high-end engi-neering. “I have never sensed this so strongly before:China does not want any friends, nor partners, for Chinaall that counts is their own interests,” one German dele-gate said during Gabriel’s November trip to China. YetGerman business leaders are largely reluctant for theirgovernment to impede Chinese takeovers and acquisi-tions here. Many need the investment and find theChinese reliable partners.

Putzmeister, a German maker of pumps for concrete, hasseen its workers’ jobs secured and its sales rise nearly a thirdsince Chinese competitor Sany bought it in 2012. “Theexperience with investors from China is consistently good,”said Thilo Brodtmann, chief of Germany’s VDMA engineer-ing industry association. With industry in her ear, Merkel hasasked her advisers to brief her on Chinese takeovers even asGabriel leads his review. She is unlikely to stymie theinvestment inflow. One government source said: “We must-n’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.” —Reuters

Don’t expect protectionism from Germany

ZURICH: Lionel Messi will not attend the FIFAawards ceremony later, when CristianoRonaldo is expected to be named the world’sbest player for 2016. Barcelona says it decid-ed Messi would skip the event in Zurich andbe “prioritizing preparations” for a matchtomorrow. Messi’s teammates, includingNeymar, who could be named in a World XIvoted for by players, will also not travel.Ronaldo is favored to win his fourth FIFAplayer award after helping Portugal andReal Madrid become European champi-ons last year. Messi has five FIFA bestplayer awards and has been runner-up in all other years since 2007.Barcelona hosts Athletic Bilbaotomorrow in the Copa del Rey. Thedefending champions lost thefirst leg 2-1 in Bilbao. —AP

S P O RT STUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

KARACHI: Pakistan were forced yesterday to addJunaid Khan to their squad for a five-match one-dayseries in Australia, after Mohammad Irfan returnedhome because his mother died. The 27-year-old Junaidwas not named in the initial squad of 15 announcedon December 30. “Following Irfan’s return to Pakistandue to his mother’s death, the chief selector Inzamamul Haq after consulting the team management hasnamed fast bowler Junaid as Irfan’s replacement,” saida release by the Pakistan Cricket Board. This is the sec-ond addition to the one-day squad after spinning all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez was added as the 16thmember on Saturday. Junaid has not p layed forPakistan since May 2015. He has 78 wickets in 52 one-day internationals and recently took 20 wickets in 14matches in the Bangladesh Premier League, aTwenty20 competition. — AFP

Junaid to replace returning Irfan for Australia ODIs

ASUNCION: Paraguay football hero Roberto Cabanas has died after suffering aheart attack yesterday aged 55, his brother said. The striker was a hero

of top Argentine league side Boca Juniors and played alongsideBrazilian legend Pele for the New York Cosmos in the 1980s. “It is

confirmed that my brother has died. He had a heart attack” inthe Paraguayan capital Asuncion, Valerio Cabanas told localradio station ABC. With his voice breaking, Valerio Cabanassaid the player’s sudden death took the family by surprise. “Hedidn’t have so much as a headache. He didn’t say anything to

us” to indicate he was unwell, he said. Known in his homecountry as “ The Panther,” Cabanas played in the

Paraguay side that won the Copa America in 1979. Atthe 1986 World Cup in Mexico he scored two

goals against Belgium in a key group stagesmatch. He started out with Asuncion clubCerro Porteno before moving at the age of

19 to the Cosmos, where he lined up along-side Pele and Franz Beckenbauer. —AFP

Paraguay hero Cabanas dead

Barcelona pulls Messi from FIFA awards ceremony

By Abdellatif Sharaa

KUWAIT: Kuwait Shooting Sport Club shoot-ers dominated competitions of Mustafa Karamand Sons tournament which concluded onSaturday night at Sheikh Sabah Al-AhmadComplex, in the presence of Kuwait and ArabShooting Federations President Eng DuaijKhalaf Al-Otaibi, Secretary General of Kuwaitand Arab Shooting Federations Obaid Al-Osaimi, Mustafa Karam company representa-tive Ahmad Mustafa Karam, KSSC AssistantSecretary Eng Mohammad Al-Ghurab,Treasurer Essa Butaiban, Assistant treasurerAdnan Al-Ibrahim, and Board Member DrNedal Al-Asem.

Obaid Al-Osaimi in his speech thanked thesponsor for their support adding that officialssupported Kuwaiti shooting activities for along time, and backed outstanding shootersof the national team. Al-Osaimi said 90 shoot-ers participated in the tournament which wit-nessed very strong competition and resultswere close as shooters were keen on winningthe cup.

Meanwhile KSSC Chairman Eng Duaij Al-Otaibi was pleased for the success of the tour-

nament and the positive results made by par-ticipants. He said the board of directors looksforward to have a broad base of promisingshooters to participate in various futureevents.

Results of the tournament were as follows:Skeet Men:Saud Habeeb, Mansour Al-Rahidi, Nasser Al-DaihaniTrap Men:Saad Al-Hubaida, Khalid Al-Mudhaf,Abdelrahman Al-FaihanDouble Trap Men:Ahmad Al-Afasi, Fahad Al-Mutairi, Saad LafiTrap Women:Sarah Al-Hawal, Shahad Al-Hawal, Asmaa Al-QatamiSkeet Women:Sheikha Al-RashidiIman Al-Shamma, Munira Al-SubaitiSkeet Juniors:Nasser Al-Mutairi, Ahmad Al-Awad, Hamad Al-KhaldiTrap Juniors:Fares Al-Mutairi, Bader Al-Adwani, Yousuf Al-Rashidi.

Mustafa Karam and Sons shooting tournament concludes

KUWAIT: Zain, the leading telecom-munications company in Kuwait, con-gratulated Kuwaiti Jet Ski championYousef Al Abdulrazzaq, who recentlyachieved the World Championshiptitle for the year 2016 during the fifthand final round of the World Jet SkiChampionship held at Sharjah, UnitedArab Emirates.

Zain expressed its pride in AlAbdulrazzaq’s latest achievement,which the Kuwaiti champion attainedfor the third consecutive year as partof the UIM World Championship. AlAbdulrazzaq competed against pro-fessionals from across the globe, andachieved the first place titles inRunabout GP1 and Ski Ladies cate-gories. Zain’s support to the KuwaitiChampion Yousef Al Abdulrazzaq dur-ing the past 10 years comes in linewith the company’s CorporateSustainability and SocialResponsibility strategy towardsKuwaiti sports and athletes. AlAbdulrazzaq achieved this prestigioustitle for the third consecutive year for

the first time, and continues to raisethe Kuwaiti flag high by achievingmany internationally renowned titlesyear after year.

Zain’s role not only concentrates oneconomic and business activities, butalso extends to contribute significant-ly in various areas within the Kuwaitisociety, including sports. The compa-ny has endless confidence in the com-petencies of Kuwaiti athletes and theircapabilities in excelling in differentfields, on both regional and interna-tional levels.

I t is worth noting that AlAbdulrazzaq represented Kuwaitthroughput the past years in severallocal and international competitions,winning a number of prominent titles,which encouraged Zain to continuesupporting him. Al Abdulrazzaqattained the World Championship titlein several professional categories sev-en different times. Through his mostrecent achievement, Al Abdulrazzaqhave maintained his lead in eight dif-ferent titles across the years.

Zain congratulatesJet Ski Champion Yousef

Al Abdulrazzaq

KAPALUA: Justin Thomas knew he was playingwell enough to start the year with a victory inthe SBS Tournament of Champions. He justdidn’t expect to have to play so many goodshots in the end to win.

Even on Maui, life can move pretty fast.Thomas had a five-shot lead with five holes toplay when he holed a 10-foot birdie putt on the13th hole. Three holes later, he stood on theedge of the 16th green and watched HidekiMatsuyama stand over a 10-foot birdie putt thatwould have tied him for the lead.

Asked if there was ever a time in his golfinglife that he feared blowing a tournament,Thomas replied, “Today count?” The thought did-n’t linger. He told his caddie, Jimmy Johnson, asthey walked to the 17th tee that he would havegladly taken a one-shot lead with two holes toplay before the tournament started. Thomasthen hit an 8-iron from 214 yards so pure thathe stopped to admire it as it settled 3 feet awayfor birdie, and he closed by smashing a 369-yarddrive - his 10th tee shot of at least 350 yards forthe week - that set up a simple two-putt birdiefor a 4-under 69.

He wound up with a three-shot victory overMatsuyama that made him sweat a little morethan he imagined Sunday at Kapalua. He won forthe third time in his third season on the PGATour, and they all have one thread.

“I apparently have to fly at least 12 hours toget a win on the PGA Tour,” Thomas said. His oth-er two victories were in Malaysia each of the lasttwo years at the CIMB Classic. The one differenceat Kapalua was that his parents were there to seeit for the first time. Mike Thomas is the longtimehead pro at Harmony Landing outside Louisville,Kentucky, and still his coach.

His mother, Jani, was in tears. No surprisethere. “I definitely made them stress a little bitmore than probably they would have liked,”Thomas said. “But yeah, I love having themthere.” The first PGA Tour of the new year didn’tfeel much differently from the old year.

Matsuyama had won three straight tourna-ments - and four of his last five - coming intoKapalua. Thomas was the only player who hadbeaten him dating to his Oct. 16 victory in theJapan Open. The 24-year-old from Japanappeared to have taken himself out of con-tention with two soft bogeys on the front andlosing ground early on the front nine. But play-ers who are on a winning streak find a way toget in the mix, and Matsuyama was no excep-tion. It started with his eagle on the 14th to getwithin three shots. Matsuyama could have donea little more to squeeze Thomas.

Thomas avoided one big mistake on theninth hole when he snap-hooked a tee shot intothe native grass. Not only did a TV spotter locatethe ball, it was sitting high enough above theroots to hack it out into the fairway, and heescaped with par.

He wasn’t so fortunate on the 15th when hehit a fat hook with a 4-iron into the hazard, lefthis wedge short of the green and made doublebogey. And he missed the 10-footer on 16 thatwould have tied it.

And on the 17th, after Thomas stuffed the 8-iron into 3 feet, Matsuyama went after a 30-footputt knowing he had to make it to stay in thegame. It ran 8 feet by the hole, he missed thatone to take bogey and the game was over.

“Justin had a little trouble at 15 and then Iwas really in it,” Matsuyama said. “But my putterlet me down there at 16, 17 and 18.”

Thomas, who finished at 22-under 270,moved to No. 12 in the world. Defending cham-

pion Jordan Spieth got through a round withouta big number and closed with a 65 to tie for thirdwith Ryan Moore and Pat Perez. It also enabledhim to stay at No. 5 by a fraction overMatsuyama.

Spieth and Thomas first met 10 years ago onthe junior circuit and have been close friendsever since. Spieth and Jimmy Walker were by the18th to congratulate Thomas, and Spieth told

him, “Go sign your card.”“I think it’s potentially floodgates opening,”

Spieth said of Thomas’ victory. “The guy hits itforever. He’s got a really, really nifty short game.He manages the course well. He’s playing thegolf course the way it should be played, andhonestly, he’s taking advantage of the easierholes. “It’s awesome to see,” Spieth said. “He’sgoing to be tough to beat next week, too.” —AP

Thomas holds on to beat Matsuyama at Kapalua

KAPALUA: Justin Thomas holds the champions trophy after the final round of the Tournamentof Champions golf event, Sunday, at Kapalua Plantation Course in Kapalua, Hawaii. — AP

NEW YORK: World number two Rory McIlroyhas said he still resents the Olympic Gamesfor forcing him to choose between Britainand Ireland and revealed that Tiger Woodssends him texts in the early hours.

The Northern Irishman, who agonised foryears before opting to represent Ireland, ulti-mately withdrew from last year ’s Rio deJaneiro Games after citing health fears overthe Zika virus.

The four times major winner told Ireland’sIndependent newspaper in an interview thatit was a choice he had never wanted tomake.

“When it (golf ’s return to the Olympics forthe first time since 1904) was announced in2009 or whatever, all of a sudden it put me ina position where I had to question who I am.Who am I? Where am I from? Where do myloyalties lie?,” he said.

“Who am I going to play for? Who do I notwant to piss off the most? I started to resentit. And I do. I resent the Olympic Gamesbecause of the position it put me in...”

McIlroy sent gold medal winner JustinRose a text after the Briton’s success in Riooffering congratulations and saying he washappy for him. Rose replied by saying the

other players wanted to know whetherMcIlroy felt he had missed out. “I said: ‘Justin,if I had been on the podium (listening) to theIrish national anthem as that flag went up, orthe British national anthem as that flag wentup, I would have felt uncomfortable eitherway.’,” recalled McIlroy.

“I don’t know the words to either anthem;I don’t feel a connection to either flag; I don’twant it to be about flags; I’ve tried to stayaway from that.” While Northern Ireland ispart of the United Kingdom, which takespart in the Olympics as Britain, its athletesare eligible to compete for Ireland.

McIlroy described former world numberone Woods, who makes his official comebackafter a long injury layoff later this month, as“an intriguing character”.

“He’s thoughtful. He’s smart...he readsstuff and educates himself on everything.But he struggles to sleep, which I think is aneffect of overtraining,” he said.

“He’d be texting me at four o’clock in themorning: ‘Up lifting. What are you doing?’”

“Erica (Stoll, McIlroy’s fiancee) actually gotpissed off with it. He was texting me in themiddle of the night and I was like, ‘Tiger is inthe gym’.” —Reuters

Rory McIlroy still resents Olympics

for forcing his hand

S P O RT STUESDAY, JANUARY 10 , 2017

NEW YORK: There was a coaching clinicin Berlin back in 2014, when SanAntonio coach Gregg Popovich pacedalong the sideline for a while and talkedabout his various philosophies and keysto basketball success.

It didn’t take him long to mention hisdisdain for the 3-point shot, which is nosecret. So imagine this irony: His Spurs,this season, are shooting the 3 as well asjust about any team in league history.

Overlooked, perhaps, in their 30-7start this season is this. The Spurs areconnecting on 41.3 percent of their 3s -on pace to be the third-best success ratesince the shot was added to the NBAgame nearly four decades ago. Only the1996-97 Charlotte Hornets (42.8 per-cent) and last season’s Golden State

Warriors (41.6) shot it better than SanAntonio has to this point.

“I hate it,” Popovich said that day inBerlin. “It’s not real basketball.” Ah, but itcan be part of smart basketball, as theSpurs keep showing. Houston hasmissed more 3s this season than theSpurs have taken - by a lot, too. EnteringSunday, only Chicago was averagingfewer 3-point attempts per game thanSan Antonio.

But the Spurs take good ones.They’re making 45 percent of theircorner 3s, 40 percent of ones takenfrom above the break. And the Spursare on pace to be the first team inNBA history to shoot better than .400from 3-point range and .800 from thefoul line.

CONFUSING HAWKSKyle Korver has now been traded to

the Cavaliers and Paul Millsap will likelybe next to leave Atlanta. So if (or when)the Millsap deal happens, the entirestarting lineup from the Hawks teamthat won 60 games just two seasonsago will be gone. And amid all thischange and rumor, the Hawks keep win-ning. Atlanta plays at Brooklyn tonight.Should the Hawks win there, it would beseven straight victories for Atlanta - thelongest streak by any team in theEastern Conference so far this season.

It also would make the Hawks thefirst team this season to have both aseven-game winning streak and a sev-en-game losing streak. The Clipperscame close, winning seven in a row

once and later losing six straight.

THE WEEK AHEADA look at some of the games to

watch this week: Oklahoma City atChicago, Monday. Jimmy Butler’s lastsix games for the Bulls - 34.2 points, 8.7rebounds, 5.7 assists, 72 for 83 from thefoul l ine. Boston at Toronto, today.Celtics have scored 100 or more in 11straight games, one away from match-ing their longest such streak underBrad Stevens.

Indiana vs. Denver in London,Thursday. The NBA hits London for theseventh time. A 3 p.m. weekday start forfans in Indiana, 1 p.m. for those inDenver. Memphis at Houston, Friday.Hard to find two coaches who have

done better so far than the Rockets’ MikeD’Antoni and the Grizzlies’ David Fizdale.Minnesota at Dallas, Sunday. The Mavsmoved up the start, so this game shouldend about the same time the Cowboys-Packers playoff game kicks off.

STAT LINE OF THE WEEKJimmy Butler, Chicago. As if the 52

points, 12 rebounds and 21-for-22 showat the foul l ine wasn’t enough lastMonday against Charlotte, gander atthese: He had 17 points in a fourth-quarter span of 3 minutes, 53 seconds,and his 21 made free throws were morethan the Hawks, Pistons, Pacers,Grizzlies, Heat and Magic all totaled intheir first two games against theHornets this season. — AP

Sorry, Pop: The Spurs are historically good at 3-pointers

TORONTO: Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) scores as Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan (10) defends and guard Kyle Lowry (7)and forward Patrick Patterson (54) look on during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Toronto on Sunday.—AP

CLEVELAND: Kyrie Irving, LeBron James andKevin Love combined for 80 points and theCleveland Cavaliers blew a 20-point third-quar-ter lead but hung on to beat the Phoenix Suns120-116 on Sunday. James had 12 of his 28points in the fourth quarter, including two three-pointers 25 seconds apart to stretch a two-pointCleveland edge to a 115-109 lead with 2:47 left.Irving scored 27 points and Love added 25points for Cleveland, which beat Phoenix for thefourth straight time. The Cavaliers won 15 oftheir last 18 games and have their best 36-gamestart since going 30-6 to start the 2008-09 sea-son. Cleveland is 8-2 against the WesternConference.

WARRIORS 117, KINGS 106Losers after putting up a 24-point lead in

their previous contest, Golden State overcame alethargic first half thanks to 17 second-halfpoints from Stephen Curry and beat Sacramentoat the Golden 1 Center. Curry finished with 30and Kevin Durant added 28 as Golden Stateavoided back-to-back losses. The Warriors haveplayed 124 straight contests without losing con-secutively, the longest streak in NBA history.

ROCKETS 129, RAPTORS 122James Harden scored 40 points and added 11

assists and 10 rebounds for his 10th triple-dou-ble of the season and Houston came back todefeat Toronto to extend 9ts winning streak toeight games. Harden has had at least a double-double in 17 straight games. Montrezl Harrellscored 28 points and Eric Gordon added 19 —both off the bench-and Trevor Ariza had 17points for Houston.

GRIZZLIES 88, JAZZ 79Point guard Mike Conley scored 19 points

with nine assists and Memphis held off Utah atFedExForum.

Power forward Zach Randolph gave Memphisa double-double off the bench with 13 pointsand 11 rebounds. Marc Gasol (17 points) hitthree free throws to hike the lead to 85-77 andUtah never drew closer than six points.

PISTONS 125, TRAIL BLAZERS 124 (DOUBLE OT)

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s three-pointerwith 9.4 seconds left in double overtime liftedDetroit over Portland Trail at Moda Center.Reggie Jackson scored 31 points, AndreDrummond contributed 28 points and 14rebounds, and Caldwell-Pope added 26 pointsfor the Pistons. Detroit, which edged theCharlotte Hornets on Thursday, won consecutivegames for the first time in more than a month.

LAKERS 111, MAGIC 85Julius Randle scored 19 points and D’Angelo

Russell and Brandon Ingram contributed 17apiece as Los Angeles beat Orlando at StaplesCenter. Timofey Mozgov collected 15 points and

nine rebounds for the Lakers, winners of three oftheir last four games. Los Angeles forward LuolDeng had 11 points.

76ERS 105, NETS 95Rookie Joel Embiid scored 20 points in 24

minutes as Philadelphia rallied from an 11-pointhalftime deficit and matched its win total fromlast season with a victory over Brooklyn. DarioSaric also scored 18 and came within three of hiscareer high as the Sixers won for the third timein four games and improved to 6-8 in their last14 games. Robert Covington overcame gettingpoked in the eye twice and added 15 while ErsanIlyasova contributed 14 as Philadelphia wondespite shooting 39.4 percent.

WIZARDS 107, BUCKS 101Jabari Parker scored 28 points and Malcom

Brogdon added a career-high 22 but it wasn’tenough for Milwaukee to overcome Bradley Bealand John Wall, who combined for 42 to leadWashington to victory. Beal scored 27 while Walladded 16 for the Wizards, who also got 20 fromMarkieff Moriss and 17 from Kelly Oubre, Jr.Washington shot 48.8 percent from the floor andknocked down 10 of 32 3-pointers.

CLIPPERS 98, HEAT 86J.J. Redick scored 25 points, and Los Angeles

coasted over shorthanded Miami at StaplesCenter. Chris Paul added 19 points, 18 assistsand six rebounds for the Clippers, who won theirfourth in a row. The number of assists allowedPaul to top 8,000 career assists. Paul now has8,012. Marreese Speights delivered 19 points offthe bench for Los Angeles. Brandon Bass con-tributed 12 points. —Reuters

LeBron James, Cavaliers hold off Suns 120-116

LOS ANGELES: Orlando Magic guard D.J. Augustin, right, shoots as Los Angeles Lakers centerTarik Black defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, in Los Angeles. —AP

LONDON: England flanker Chris Robshawwill miss the Six Nations after undergoingshoulder surgery that will keep him out ofaction for three months, his clubHarlequins announced yesterday.

The former England skipper, 30, injuredhis left shoulder during Harlequins’ 24-17English Premiership defeat at Worcester onNew Year’s Day and was due to go underthe knife on Monday.

It will keep him out of England’s entireSix Nations title defence, which beginsagainst France at Twickenham on February4 and concludes against Ireland in Dublinon March 18. “Chris Robshaw will undergosurgery on his left shoulder today to repairan injury sustained in the match againstWorcester Warriors on New Year’s Day,”Quins said in short statement on their web-site. “He is expected to be out of competi-tive action for around 12 weeks.Harlequins will provide relevant updates onhis progress as appropriate.”

Although he lost the captaincy to DylanHartley following Eddie Jones’s appoint-ment as head coach, Robshaw-capped 55times-played a key role as England regis-tered a perfect run of 13 wins in 2016.

His absence is the latest blow for Jones,

who already had injury doubts over for-wards Joe Marler, Mako Vunipola andJames Haskell.

Billy Vunipola will miss the early roundsof the Six Nations after undergoing kneesurgery and Hartley will be short of matchfitness after his six-week suspension.Flanker Haskell lasted only 35 seconds inhis comeback from a toe injury in Wasps’22-16 win over Leicester on Sunday aftersuffering a concussion as he tackledFreddie Burns.

Wasps rugby director Dai Young saidHaskell was “totally fine”, but the 31-year-old must nonetheless undergo the usualconcussion protocols before he can returnto action.

His Quins team-mate Marler has beennursing a calf injury, while Mako Vunipola isyet to return to action after a knee prob-lem. Saracens lock George Kruis (fracturedcheekbone) and Wasps lock JoeLaunchbury (calf ) are also currently on thesidelines, although they are expected toreturn to action soon. Northampton hookerHartley will be available for England’s SixNations opener against France, but he willhave only just completed his ban for strik-ing Leinster’s Sean O’Brien. — AFP

England lose injured Robshaw for Six Nations

PARIS: Clermont made it eight wins ineight home games with a bonus-point 30-6rout of three-time European championsToulon on Sunday which preserved theirTop 14 lead.

Having suffered a surprise 26-20 loss toToulouse last weekend, Clermontbounced back with a dominant four-tryperformance, reclaiming the top spotthey had brief ly rel inquished to LaRochelle on Saturday. “This is a great startto January with a lot hinging on it for ourseason,” said Clermont centre RemiLamerat who scored his team’s fourth try.“Not only is it good to have beaten Toulonbut it ’s even better to have taken theoffensive bonus point which was not anobjective. Now, we will be able to takethis form into the European Cup.”

Clermont were 8-3 ahead at the intervalwith Camille Lopez scoring the first half ’sonly try. They stepped on the gas after thebreak with a penalty try followed by a scoreby Wesley Fofana, who intercepted a care-less pass by Toulon’s Australian full-backJames O’Connor, and a late try fromLamerat. Clermont ended the weekendwith a one-point lead over La Rochelle andare five ahead of Montpellier in third.Toulon stay fifth, 10 points off the pace.Toulon’s misery was compounded whenveteran French winger Vincent Clerc, start-ing for only the second time this seasonafter undergoing an Achilles tendon opera-tion, was replaced late on with what lookedlike a serious left leg injury.

“ Toulon were European championsthree times but we have to admit now thatthis period is over,” said Toulon coach MikeFord. “We have to go back to work andimprove certain things.” French internation-al winger Yoann Huget grabbed two latetries to seal Toulouse’s 18-15 comeback winat Stade Francais, condemning the Parisside to a first home defeat of the season.

VITO ON SCORESHEET Stade were in control at 15-6 with just

10 minutes left after Jules Plisson, playinginstead of injured South African star MorneSteyn, had kicked four penalties and a dropgoal for a per fect five-from-five haul.Toulouse fly-half Samuel Marques hadpopped over a penalty either side of theinterval to keep the visitors, who hadstunned leaders Clermont 26-20 last week-end, in touch.

But the match turned after 63 minuteswhen Stade lock Paul Gabrillagues was yel-low-carded for repeated infringements.

Toulouse pounced to cut the deficit to15-11 thanks to Huget’s opening try on 70minutes which came just moments afterthey had been unfortunate not to havebeen awarded a penalty try.

Sebastien Bezy converted for 15-13before Huget grabbed his second, crucialtry almost from the restart after full-backMaxime Medard had caught Stade on theback foot with a smart breakaway.

Bezy missed the conversion butToulouse clung on for a victory whichmoved them up to fourth place in the tablewhile Stade are fifth from bottom. “It’s agreat win for us,” said Toulouse coach UgoMola. “In recent games, things didn’t go ourway. But tonight, it all worked out in ourfavour.” Stade boss Gonzalo Quesadabelieves Huget’s deciding try should havebeen ruled out for a forward pass.

“It ’s tough but we have nothing toreproach the players for. On the contrary,they showed great spirit against a verygood Toulouse side.” On Saturday, LaRochelle had snatched top spot with abruising 22-8 win over an indisciplinedCastres who gave up 20 penalties and sawskipper Rodrigo Capo Ortega and RoryKockott yellow-carded while replacementprop Yohan Montes was red-carded forappearing to aim a head butt atMohammed Boughanmi after being on thepitch for just five minutes.

All Blacks World Cup-winning flankerVictor Vito scored his first try for LaRochelle. — AFP

Clermont keep perfect record in Toulon rout

CLERMONT-FERRAND: Clermont’s French scrum-half Morgan Parra (R) prepares tofeed the ball into a scrum during the French union rugby match between ASMClermont and RC Toulon at the Michelin stadium in Clermont-Ferrand, central France,on Sunday. — AFP

S P O RT STUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

MUMBAI: England’s Eoin Morgan insist-ed yesterday he had no regrets over hiscontroversial decision to skip last year’stour of Bangladesh, ahead of his returnto the one-day captaincy in India thisweek. Morgan, skipper of England’sTwenty20 and 50-over sides, came in forcriticism for opting out of theBangladesh series over security con-cerns, with several commentators sayinghis decision had damaged his authority.

But speaking to journalists inMumbai, where England play two warm-

up matches this week before their firstODI against India on Sunday, Morgansaid he was comfortable with the deci-sion and it was now time to move on.

“I don’t regret that at all. It was a deci-sion I’m very comfortable with,” Morgansaid. “It was a decision I considered allconsequences (to) when I did. Sittinghere or sitting at home I would havebeen very comfortable with it.”

Jos Buttler stepped up to the captain-cy when England played three ODIs inBangladesh in October, with Morgan

opting out of the tour in the wake of adeadly attack on a cafe in Dhaka whichwas popular with foreigners. FormerEngland skipper Nasser Hussain saidMorgan had “let England down” by stay-ing at home. Another ex-captainMichael Vaughan wrote in the DailyTelegraph that players would not forgethow their leader “went missing at a diffi-cult time”. Morgan, who has recentlybeen playing T20 cricket with theSydney Thunder franchise in Australia’sBig Bash League, denied it had felt weird

to link up with his international team-mates again. “No, not at all, I wasextremely excited. I think a major part ofthat was getting some cricket under mybelt in the run-in to the series, which I’vemanaged to do,” said Morgan.

“I’m really excited about the upcom-ing series and the next five, six months,which is going to be a big part in ourlead towards the World Cup” beingstaged in England in 2019.

After the Bangladesh tour, Englandwere hammered 4-0 by India in a five-

match Test series under the captaincy ofAlastair Cook. But England’s short-formcricket has shown a big improvementsince they crashed out of the 2015 ODIWorld Cup. They were the beaten finalistsin last year’s World T20 tournament inIndia. Senior batsman Joe Root is expect-ed to be back in the side for the first ODIin Pune after staying back for the birth ofhis child, although Morgan indicated thathe could be rested at some stage. Afterthe three ODIs, the two teams will playthree T20 internationals. —AFP

‘No regrets’ for Morgan as he resumes captaincy

COLOMBUS: Columbus Blue Jackets’ Sam Gagner, top, celebrates their goal against Philadelphia Flyers’ Steve Mason during the overtime peri-od of an NHL hockey game Sunday, in Columbus, Ohio. The Blue Jackets beat the Flyers 2-1 in overtime. — AP

ANAHEIM: Matt Dumba and Jared Spurgeonscored early in the second period as theMinnesota Wild beat the Ducks 2-1 Sunday incoach Bruce Boudreau’s triumphant return toAnaheim. Boudreau was fired by the Ducks aftertheir first-round playoff exit last year despiteleading Anaheim to the past four consecutivePacific Division titles and Game 7 of the 2015Western Conference finals. The veteran coachhas turned his new team into an early-seasonStanley Cup contender with 14 wins in its last 16games. Devan Dubnyk made 23 saves for theWild, while Ryan Kesler scored and John Gibsonstopped 34 shots for the Ducks, whose three-game winning streak ended.

BLUE JACKETS 2, FLYERS 1, OTNick Foligno scored 2:33 into overtime to lift

Columbus to victory. The Flyers’ Brayden Schennhad tied it with 17 seconds left to send the gameinto the extra period. Foligno then lifted a shotover Philadelphia goalie Steve Mason’s shoulderto get the win for the Blue Jackets, their firstsince a 16-game winning streak ended with twostraight losses. David Savard also scored forColumbus and Sergei Bobrovsky had 25 saves.The win kept Columbus atop the division with athree-point lead over Pittsburgh and the NewYork Rangers.

BLACKHAWKS 5, PREDATORS 2Ryan Hartman scored off a goalmouth scram-

ble in the third period and tacked on two emp-ty-netters to help Chicago beat banged-upNashville. Artemi Panarin and NiklasHjalmarsson also scored for the Blackhawkswhile Patrick Kane added three assists, runninghis team-best total to 32 in 43 games, and CoreyCrawford made 25 saves. Hartman was creditedwith his eighth of the season when RichardPanik’s shot created a scrum in front of the netand the referees ruled the puck crossed the linebefore the goal was dislodged. It looked as if thepuck might have gone off Hartman’s left handwhile he battled Nashville defenseman YannickWeber for position. Nashville pulled Pekka Rinnefor an extra attacker with 1:39 left and Hartmanadded two more goals for his first career hattrick. The big night for the rookie moved himinto fifth on the team with 10 goals.

HURRICANES 4, BRUINS 3, OTSebastian Aho’s second goal of the game,

1:34 into overtime, lifted Carolina past Boston.Derek Ryan and Jay McClement also scored forthe Hurricanes and Camm Ward finished with 32saves. Carolina won two of the three meetingsbetween the teams, with all three going beyondregulation. Tim Schallar, David Backes and BradMarchand scored for Boston and Zane McIntyrestopped 26 shots in his first career appearanceagainst Carolina.

PENGUINS 6, LIGHTNING 2Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 28 shots in his

fifth straight win, leading Pittsburgh past TampaBay. Connor Sheary had a goal and an assist andEric Fehr, Chris Kunitz, Scott Wilson, Phil Kesseland Kris Letang also scored for the Penguins.Sidney Crosby and Matt Cullen each had twoassists. Jonathan Drouin and VladislavNamestnikov scored for the Lightning and

Andrei Vasilevskiy made 31 saves in his thirdstart in four days. Drouin put the Lightning up 1-0 at 2:19 of the second period before thePenguins scored the next four goals to take con-trol of the game.

SENATORS 5, OILERS 3Mark Stone had a goal and two assists and

Mike Condon stopped 35 shots as Ottawa beatEdmonton. Zack Smith, Mike Hoffman and KyleTurris each added a goal and an assist while

Tom Pyatt also scored for the Senators, whoended their four-game losing streak. PatrickMaroon had two goals and Leon Draisaitl alsoscored for the Oilers. Connor McDavid had twoassists and Jonas Gustavsson made 13 saves.Edmonton entered the third period trailing 4-3and desperately pressed for the tying goal butCondon shut the door. The Oilers outshot theSenators 17-3 in the period and 29-8 over thefinal 40 minutes. Turris scored into an emptynet to seal the win. —AP

Minnesota beat Anaheim, Blue Jackets down Flyers

SYDNEY: Steve O’Keefe’s hopes of joiningthe Australian slow-bowling attack in thefour-Test series in India from next monthhave been boosted after the left-arm spin-ner was withdrawn from the remainder ofthe Big Bash League to prepare for the tour.

The 32-year-old returned home injuredafter playing his third test in Sri Lanka lastJuly and was only recalled to the nationalteam for last week’s final test of the homesummer against Pakistan.

O’Keefe had been named in the SydneySixers squad to make his return to BBLaction in yesterday’s match against theMelbourne Renegades at the SCG beforeCricket Australia pulled him out. He willnow focus on the five-day format and willbe part of a group of players travelling toDubai for a training camp ahead of theIndia tour.

“Post the Sri Lanka tour last year wehave been in talks with Cricket New SouthWales and Steve on the best way for him toprepare for the ... tour of India,” CA teamperformance boss Pat Howard said.

“After his recent injuries, which havecaused him to miss Sheffield Shield match-es this season, he has had a lot less red ballmatch practice than other players that are

likely to tour India and it is important hegets as much bowling in the format he isgoing to play.

“His focus will now be on grade andfutures league cricket before likely beingone of the first players to depart for Dubaiin late January.” O’Keefe was impressive onhis Australia return, posting match figuresof four for 103 during the hosts’ third testwin against Pakistan at the SCG and will beexpected to partner off-spinner NathanLyon in India. Leg-spinner Adam Zampabelieves he has done enough to stake aclaim for selection in the test squad, citinghis experience of playing the IndianPremier League and last year ’s WorldTwenty20 in the South Asian country.

“I’ve performed well in the World T20and the IPL and I think I’ve really earned therespect of some of the Indian players overthere as well,” Zampa, who plays the short-er formats for Australia, said.

“To have my experience over there Ithink it would lead me in good steadtowards playing in India.” Australia have notwon a test series in India since 2004 andwere blanked on their previous trip to thesubcontinent’s spin-friendly conditions inSri Lanka last year. —Reuters

Australia withdraw O’Keefe from Big Bash

India bat makers say there’s no stopping for big hitters

MEERUT: As factory worker Jitender Singhcarves another slab of thick willow, heinsists that proposals to limit the size ofcricket bats won’t tame the big hitters.

“I don’t think the thickness matters. It’smore about the balance of the bat and thetalent of the batsman,” said Singh.

He has made bats for many leadingplayers including South Africa’s AB deVilliers, who holds the record for the fastesthundred in a one-day international-off just31 balls. “We can provide a thick or thinblade but it’s the batsman who knows besthow to use it,” he added at the factory ofBDM, one of India’s leading cricket gearsuppliers, in Meerut in India’s northernstate of Uttar Pradesh. The World Cricketcommittee of the Marylebone Cricket Club(MCC), who are the guardians of the game’srules and regulations, recommended lastmonth that limitations be placed on thethickness of bats.

They believe bigger weapons havemade it too easy to smash fours and sixes.“(The) balance of the game has tilted toofar in the batsman’s favour. The time hascome to limit the sizes of bat edges anddepths,” the committee said. It suggested amaximum thickness of 40 millimetres atthe edge of the bat rising to 67mm at thespine during its two-day meeting in India’sMumbai. Thirty years ago a batsman’sweapon of choice averaged 30mm to32mm thick at the edge but today’s biggerbats are a chunky 45mm to 50mm.

BAT EVOLUTION The only current size restrictions are on

length and width. They state that the over-all length of the bat shall not be more than38 inches (96.5 centimetres) and the widthof the bat shall not exceed 4.25 inches (10.8centimetres) at its widest part.

The proliferation of the high-octaneTwenty20 format in which matches arewon primarily on the number of bound-aries struck has fuelled the rush to biggerbats. However some claim that modernbatsmen are simply bigger, stronger andmore athletic and would be hitting moreboundaries anyway. Jatin Sareen, manag-ing director of SS Sports, also in India’s bat-making hub of Meerut, agrees with Singh

that limiting a bat’s size won’t make any dif-ference. “I don’t agree (with the MCC pro-posal). Nor will it give any benefit to thegame. Bats will have the same power asthey have (now),” he told AFP. The cricketbat has evolved significantly down theyears from the original paddle-like shape tothe popular scooped-back variety totoday’s familiar boat-shaped bat.

Rakesh Mahajan, co-owner of BDM,insists that through the changes the con-stant has remained the batsman’s skill.

SKILL FACTOR “English and Australian players didn’t

use boat-shaped bats. Now everybody isusing them,” he said.

“Skill remains the same, you see. It’s stillthe batsman’s talent that gets him runs andnot the thickness of the bat.”

Cricketers have long experimented withdifferent weapons. Back in 1979 Australia’sDennis Lillee controversially came out tobat in a Test with an aluminium bat whichwas subsequently banned. CountrymanMatthew Hayden wielded a “mongoose” inthe 2010 IPL which had a long handle andshort blade, while West Indian AndreRussell is using a unique black bat inAustralia’s Big Bash League.

Stories of India great Mansur Ali KhanPataudi in the 1960s picking up whateverbat was nearest before walking out to thecrease are legendary. But 50 years on,cricketers are involved in every aspect ofthe manufacture of their bats.

“They come down to the factory to dis-cuss their needs and demands,” saidSareen. If the MCC main committee agreesto the limit the thickness of bats then theregulations will become part of the laws ofthe game from October next year. FormerIndia fast bowler Chetan Sharma doesn’texpect the game to shift suddenly awayfrom the batsmen.

“You can’t bring back days of WG Grace-like (thin) bats. If those bats came backthen bowlers would have an advantage,” hetold AFP.

“If a batsman has class, he will score aboundary. As a fast bowler I don’t see muchdelight in this. For a spinner maybe the six-es and fours may reduce.” — AFP

MEERUT: In this photograph taken on December 14, 2016, an Indian craftsman workson unfinished cricket bats in a factory in Meerut, some 70kms north-east of NewDelhi. As Indian factory worker Jitender Singh carves out another big-hitting slab ofthick willow he insists MCC proposals to limit the size of cricket bats won’t tameTwenty20 marauders. — AFP

LONDON: South African all-rounder DavidWiese has followed the lead of countrymenKyle Abbott and Rilee Rossouw after Englishcounty Sussex announced his arrival on athree-year contract yesterday. Abbott andRossouw effectively ended their internationalcareers by signing for Hampshire last weekand Wiese has followed suit. The 31-year-old,who had two spells at Sussex last season, hasplayed six one-day internationals and 20Twenty20s for South Africa. “I am very excitedto be joining Sussex on a long-term deal,”Wiese said in a Sussex press release.

“I thoroughly enjoyed my stint with the

club last year and it made my decision somuch easier when offered to return. Sussex isan extremely ambitious club and I look for-ward to being part of their future. “I wouldlike to thank Cricket South Africa for givingme the opportunity of fulfilling my lifelongdream of representing my country in thesport I love.” Sussex head coach Mark Davissaid: “We are thrilled to have David joining usat Sussex Cricket.

“He is an extremely accomplished all-round cricketer who is effective in all formatsand will bring great experience and skill toour group.” — AFP

Wiese swaps South Africa for Sussex

MUMBAI: Indian cricket team members warm up during a training session in Mumbai, India,yesterday. England and India are scheduled to play three one-day internationals beginningJanuary 15 followed by three Twenty20 matches. — AP

S P O RT STUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

LONDON: Jose Mourinho is preparingto face the man who has been dubbedthe “new Jose Mourinho.” TheManchester United manager will lead histeam against Hull today in the first leg ofthe League Cup semifinals. Hull iscoached by Marco Silva, a Portuguesemanager who has drawn comparisonswith Mourinho.

“I’m Marco Silva only,” said Silva, whohas been called a “kid friend” byMourinho. “He’s a friend also,” Silva said.“All Portuguese coaches are proud ofhim for what he did before and for me,what he continues to do in his career.”

Hull has been struggling in the

Premier League, sitting in last place withonly 13 points, while United has woneight consecutive matches and nextfaces Liverpool in the league on Sunday.

“We play against Liverpool, a bigmatch for us, but we want to be in the(League Cup) final,” Mourinho said. “Sowe are going to face this Hull match witheverything we have, all the power wehave, as we know it’s two legs but thesecond leg is away. If we can do some-thing in the first leg that gives us theadvantage, so we will try to do that.”

Liverpool plays at Southampton onWednesday in the other League Cupsemifinal, only days after the team was

held to a 0-0 draw by Plymouth in the FACup. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopphas since defended his decision of mak-ing 10 changes and fielding the club’syoungest ever starting lineup againstPlymouth. “If you want to see it (theresult) in a bad way then I am 100 per-cent responsible, I have no problem withthat,” Klopp said. Besides the two legs ofthe League Cup and the match againstUnited, Liverpool also has a replay atPlymouth and matches against Swanseaand league leader Chelsea in January.

UNITED RECALLAfter resting a number of key players

in Saturday ’s 4-0 FA Cup win overReading, Mourinho said he will recallAntonio Valencia, Ander Herrera, PaulPogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic onTuesday.

Defender Marcos Rojo is a doubt witha muscle injury, however, after comingoff in the first half against Reading.United are unable to call on defenderEric Bailly, who is away at the AfricanCup of Nations.

ROONEY TO WAIT?With Zlatan Ibrahimovic back in the

starting lineup, Wayne Rooney may haveto wait for his chance to become

Manchester United’s all-time leadingscorer after netting his 249th goal for theclub against Reading, equaling BobbyCharlton’s milestone.

FONTE DILEMMASouthampton, which lost all three of

its Premier League games over the holi-day period and was held to a 2-2 drawby Norwich in the FA Cup over the week-end, has been hit by a transfer requestfrom captain Jose Fonte.

The Portugal defender was left outagainst Norwich and it remains to beseen if manager Claude Puel will recallthe 33-year-old Fonte. —AP

Jose Mourinho to face the ‘new Mourinho’ in League Cup

LIBREVILLE: A new-look Ivory Coast will defendtheir Africa Cup of Nations title while the hosts’lightning-quick striker Pierre-EmerickAubameyang leads the cast of superstar namesas the 2017 tournament begins in Gabon onSaturday.

As Borussia Dortmund striker Aubameyangprepares to carry the hopes of the small centralAfrican nation on his shoulders at the biennialAfrican football showpiece, the fleet-footedRiyad Mahrez will aim to top a magnificent 12months by taking Algeria to the February 5 finaland the continental title.

Mahrez heads for Gabon fresh from winningthe Confederation of African Football player ofthe year prize for 2016, pipping last year’s win-ner Aubameyang.

“The next thing after this award is the AfricaCup of Nations. My team will try to do goodthings there,” the French-born star of LeicesterCity’s Premier League title triumph said aftersecuring the CAF prize.

Algeria and a Senegal side-the top-ranked inAfrica-led by Liverpool forward Sadio Mane arethe major contenders to succeed the IvoryCoast, who beat Ghana on penalties in the finalin Equatorial Guinea two years ago.

But they will face each other in a Group B thatalso contains Tunisia and outsiders Zimbabwe.

“Our group is difficult, with some top Africansides. It is not going to be easy with the condi-tions in Africa but we have to be prepared andwe have a great team,” Mahrez told beIN Sportsrecently.

The Elephants of the Ivory Coast have seeninspirational playmaker Yaya Toure retire sincetheir 2015 win while forward Gervinho is injuredand Michel Dussuyer has succeeded fellowFrenchman Herve Renard as coach.

“The objective is of course to defend the titlethat was proudly acquired in 2015,” saidDussuyer, one of 12 men from Europe or SouthAmerica coaching in the 16-team tournament.

“It will not be easy. There are fine teams whoaspire to win the trophy, but we have theweapons to go far.”

The Elephants will come up against their oldcoach Renard in Group C with his new sideMorocco, and they are the favourites to reachthe quarter-finals ahead of DR Congo and theTogo of Emmanuel Adebayor.

“I have made reaching the quarter-finals anobjective that we absolutely must attain. If weget there then we will see what we can do,” said

the perennially bronzed and white-shirtedRenard, who also coached Zambia to glory thelast time the Cup of Nations was staged inGabon-jointly with Equatorial Guinea-in 2012.

POLITICAL CRISIS Egypt are back for the first time since winning

a record seventh Cup of Nations in Angola in2010 and will pin their hopes on Roma wingerMohamed Salah.

They are one of six teams who qualified hav-ing missed out in 2015. Another, Uganda, willcome up against Egypt in Group D, as will Maliand Ghana.

The only nation making its Cup of Nationsdebut is Guinea-Bissau, who have the honour offacing Aubameyang’s Gabon in the openinggame at the Stade de l’Amitie in the capitalLibreville on January 14.

Gabon, an oil-rich country of barely 1.8 mil-lion people, has been in some disarray ever sinceincumbent President Ali Bongo was declared the

winner of a contested election in August. Defeated opposition chief Jean Ping contin-

ues to dispute the result and post-election vio-lence left at least three people dead and sawmore than 800 arrested.

Opposition activists have called on citizens toboycott the tournament, which will see gamesstaged in Port-Gentil, Franceville and Oyem aswell as the capital.

Gabon, which in 2014 was awarded the host-ing of the tournament due to the turmoil inLibya, is struggling with an economic crisis aswell as a political one.

However, Bongo, who invited Lionel Messi tothe country to lay the foundation stone of thestadium in Port-Gentil in 2015, is hoping thefootball can act as a distraction.

He has called for the Cup of Nations to be atime for “joy, coming together and shared happi-ness” and insisted that “political dialogue willopen the day after the tournament” in anattempt to usher in a period of calm. —AFP

Aubameyang, Mahrez lead stars targeting Cup of Nations glory

ABUJA: File photo shows Algerian and Leicester forward Riyad Mahrez holds a trophy afterbeing crowned African Footballer of the Year in Abuja, on January 5, 2017. — AFP

SYDNEY: Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia hits a return to Laura Siegemund ofGermany during their women’s singles first round match at the Sydney Internationaltennis tournament in Sydney yesterday. — AFP

SYDNEY: Slovakia’s world number sixDominika Cibulkova dropped just twogames in blistering heat to win her open-ing match at the Sydney International yes-terday. The diminutive Cibulkova, whoupset world number one Angelique Kerberto win the WTA finals in Singapore lastOctober, swept past Germany’s world num-ber 31 Laura Siegemund 6-2, 6-0.

Cibulkova, who lost to China’s Li Na inthe 2014 Australian Open final, will nextplay Canadian wild card Eugenie Bouchardin the second round of the WTA lead-intournament to next week’s AustralianOpen. “When you start a season, youalways start with some confidence, notdoubt, but you always need to get into thismatch rhythm,” said Cibulkova. “It’s noteasy if I would expect myself to play like Idid in the (WTA) final against Kerber, I thinkthat would be too much expectation. “Thisis the time of the year when you just haveto warm up yourself in the matches.”

Cibulkova, who lost to AgnieszkaRadwanska in the Sydney final four yearsago, was knocked out in the quarter-finalsof last week’s Brisbane International byFrance’s Alize Cornet in straight sets.Kerber and Radwanska, the top two seeds,have a bye into the second round atSydney.

Former world number one and seventhseed Caroline Wozniacki dumped Olympicchampion and last year’s finalist Monica

Puig out of the tournament 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.Puig, who lost to Russia’s Svetlana

Kuznetsova in last year’s final, had 12 breakpoint opportunities but could only convertthree, while Wozniacki put away three offour break points.

British sixth seed Johanna Konta wastoo strong for Australian Arina Rodionova6-3, 6-4 and fellow Australian SamanthaStosur again bombed out in the first round,going out 6-3, 6-1 to Russia’s AnastasiaPavlyuchenkova. “It was tough conditionsout there. I don’t really know what to say,”said Stosur, who has not won a match inalmost five months. “I don’t feel like Iplayed bad. I don’t feel like I played obvi-ously as well as I can. It was just kind ofdone, and that was it.” Russian eighth seedElena Vesnina withdrew with a lower backinjury when trailing American CocoVandeweghe 6-2, 4-0.

Russian-born Australian Daria Gavrilovaadvanced with a 6-3, 7-6 (7/1) win overCroatia’s Donna Vekic in a night match. Inthe men’s draw, Australian qualifierMatthew Barton eliminated British numbertwo Kyle Edmund 7-6 (7/3) 7-6 (7/5) andwill next face either Gilles Muller orAlexandr Dolgopolov.

German fifth seed Philipp Kohlschreiberousted Italy’s Fabio Fognini 6-4, 6-4 andItalian Paolo Lorenzi needed two tiebreak-ers to overcome German Florian Mayer 7-6(7/4), 4-6, 7-6 (7/5). —AFP

Cibulkova wins, Wozniacki dumps Puig in Sydney

LIBREVILLE: Gabon witnessed one of the mostsensational finishes to an Africa Cup of Nationstournament when no-hopers Zambia stunnedthe Ivory Coast to win the 2012 final. Zambiafailed to qualify this time, but the Ivorians willbe among the favourites again when the com-petition returns to the central African state withthe first fixtures scheduled for Saturday.

AFP Sport rates the chances of the 16 chal-lengers for the $4 million (3.8 million euros) firstprize (last three competitive results in bracketswith W denoting a win, D a draw and L a loss):

FAVOURITES EGYPT(WWW)

Back among the elite and in good form.After winning three consecutive Cup of Nationstitles, they failed to qualify for the past threetournaments. At 43, Essam El Hadary remainsamong the best African goalkeepers whileMohamed Salah is the star player.

IVORY COAST(DWD)

A work-in-progress team after time caughtup with the ‘golden generation’ of Kolo andYaya Toure, Didier Zokora and Didier Drogba.Doggedness as much as anything else won thetitle two years ago and they will need evenmore of that quality to remain champions.

Morocco(WDD)

Being coached by French wizard HerveRenard automatically places them among thefavourites as he has won the title twice in threeattempts with Zambia and the Ivory Coast. AMehdi Benatia-marshalled defence is amongthe best, but Youssef El Arabi must recapture hisscoring form.

SENEGAL(WWL)

African pundits insist they are among thelikeliest title winners despite only one win fromsix matches in their past two tournamentappearances. Their attack appears potent withSadio Mane and Keita Balde, but many of thevictories last year were against weak opposi-tion.

CONTENDERS ALGERIA(WDL)

A slump during World Cup qualifiers has castdoubts over the ‘Desert Foxes’ with a home

draw against Cameroon followed by an awayloss to Nigeria. New African Footballer of theYear Riyad Mahrez is less threatening than sixmonths ago and coaching changes have nothelped.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO(WWW)

Looked strong as they walloped a resurgentCentral African Republic to seal Cup of Nationsqualification, then trounced Libya and won atricky challenge in Guinea in World Cup ties.They have plenty of potential match-winnersand a constantly improving coach in FlorentIbenge.

GABON(WDD)

Cup of Nations hosts regularly box abovetheir weight-most recently in 2015 when star-less Equatorial Guinea reached the semi-finalsdespite hiring a coach just a couple of weeksbefore the kick-off. Gabon boast a star striker inPierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and that givesthem a chance.

GHANA(DDL)

Midfielder Andre ‘Dede’ Ayew says they areamong the favourites, and Ghana must hopehis return from injury will end a rotten run withhome draws against Rwanda and Uganda fol-lowed by a beating in Egypt. Skipper-cum-strik-er Asamoah Gyan has been a shadow of his for-mer self.

OUTSIDERS BURKINA FASO(WDW)

Among the great Cup of Nations unpredicta-bles. Reached 2013 final having started as no-hopers, then exited after first round two yearsago without a win. The brute force of AristideBance and dribbling of Jonathan Pitroipa couldspell trouble for defences.

CAMEROON(WDD)

Liverpool defender Joel Matip was amongseven of the preliminary squad who opted out,saying their club careers across Europe weremore important than the Cup of Nations. Anerratic side with a good draw away to Algeriafollowed by a poor draw at home againstZambia.

TOGO(DDW)

Would be among the ‘no-hopers’ but for oneman, veteran French coach Claude Le Roy. Hehas gone to the Cup of Nations eight times andreached the knockout phase on all but oneoccasion. Clubless striker Emmanuel Adebayordesperate to prove that he is not a spent force.

TUNISIA(WWW)

Making unparallelled 13th consecutiveappearance at the tournament, but have onlyone set of gold medals to show for it. Could winthe tournament, or be out after first round. CoachHenryk Kasperczak took them to second place 21years ago during a previous spell in charge.

NO-HOPERS GUINEA-BISSAU(WWL)

Coach Baciro Cande insists they are moreshocks to come from a team captained by mid-fielder Bocundji Ca that topped a group theywere widely expected to prop up as the opposi-tion included former champions CongoBrazzaville and Zambia, and Kenya.

MALI(WLD)

After years relying considerably on thestealth of midfielder Seydou Keita and thestrength of striker Cheik Diabate, both havepassed their sell-by date and the cupboardlooks bare. A goalless home draw with Gabonin their last competitive match does not inspireconfidence.

UGANDA(WDW)

Back at the Cup of Nations 39 years after fin-ishing runners-up to hosts Ghana in a theneight-team competition. Another bunch of sil-ver medals is a highly unlikely scenario, though,even if they boast the new Africa-basedFootballer of the Year in goalkeeper DenisOnyango.

ZIMBABWE(WWL)

A couple of first-round exits was the fate ofZimbabwe during two previous appearancesand it is hard to see them avoiding another ear-ly flight home despite a powerful attack star-ring Khama Bill iat and Belgium-basedKnowledge Musona. —AFP

Ivory Coast among many Africa title hopefuls

Lopez survives scare in Auckland opener

AUCKLAND: Spanish veteran FelicianoLopez scraped through the openinground of the ATP Auckland Classic yester-day after a scare from local wildcardMichael Venus.

With the top-ranked players at theNew Zealand tournament given a byethrough to the second round, the lesserseeds took centre stage but struggled todominate.

Lopez, seeded sixth, came frombehind to grind out a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 winover New Zealander Venus, a doublesspecialist rated number 1,035 in the sin-gles rankings.

“ The match was very close and itcould have gone either way,” said theSpaniard, who is using the tournamentas a warm-up for this month’s AustralianOpen. American seventh seed SteveJohnson also made a faltering start in his6-4, 6-3 win over Stephane Robert ofFrance.

Robert, 36, belied his age, attackingthe net and chasing down returns. ButJohnson eventually wrested control afterwinning three successive games to takethe first set.

“It’s tough at the start of the year, you

don’t have much momentum and you’retrying to figure out your game again,”said world number 33 Johnson.

“(Robert) came out and played a greatreturn game but I was able to stay in itand just kind of hang around.” DutchmanRobin Haase overcame local hope FinnTearney 6-4, 7-5 but the world number58 was also unconvincing.

He fell behind 3-0 in both sets andacknowledged it was only his superiorexperience in pressure situations thatgot him through.

“With the wind here, you try to playyour game but you have to adjust,” hesaid. “I think I did that a little bit better inthe end.”

Czech Jiri Vesely, the 2015 champion,ousted Horacio Zeballos of Argentina 6-4, 6-3, while Tunisia’s Malak Jaziriadvanced with a 7-6 (7/1), 6-3 win overDiego Schwartzman of Argentina.

Germany’s Dustin Brown beat MichaelMmoh of the United States 7-6 (7/4), 3-6,6-4. The tournament’s top four seeds,including four-time winner David Ferrerand defending champion RobertoBautista Agut, will play in the secondround tomorrow. —AFP

S P O RT STUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

LONDON: Chelsea manager AntonioConte said his club may appeal againstthe red card shown to John Terry duringthe Premier League leaders’ 4-1 FA Cupdefeat of Peterborough United. Terry,who was making his first appearance intwo months, was dismissed in the 67thminute at Stamford Bridge on Sundayafter a clumsy last-man challenge onPeterborough striker Lee Angol.

But Conte believes the 36-year-oldcentre-back, who is out of contract atthe end of the season, was hard done byand questioned the decision of refereeKevin Friend. “I think it wasn’t right, thisdecision from the referee,” said theChelsea manager.

“He didn’t take the opponent andalso the second reason was becausebehind John there was BranislavIvanovic to cover John. “It’s a pity when

this happens, because the red card is notgood. You have to respect the referee’sdecision, but in this case maybe we willdo an appeal for this situation.

“The situation is very clear and I thinkJohn didn’t deserve this.” Terry was side-lined with injury at the start ofNovember and has been a spectatorduring Chelsea’s surge to the top of thePremier League table on the back of a13-game winning run.

The former England defender’s futureremains uncertain beyond the end ofthe season, but Conte said it was tooearly to discuss the possibility of a newdeal. “I think that now we are in January,”he said. “First of all this type of decision,it ’s important to make this decisiontogether (with) the club and not alone.

“I’m pleased for John, because he’sshowing me great commitment when I

ask him to play, when he doesn’t play,because he’s helping me a lot in thechanging room.

“He’s showing me to be a good play-er, but above all a good man. “Now it’simportant to continue in this way,because we have to play the second halfof the season, the FA Cup. We have a lotof commitments.”

BATSHUAYI ‘IMPROVING’ Chelsea were leading through goals

from Pedro Rodriguez, Michy Batshuayiand Willian before Terry’s dismissal. TomNichols replied for third-tierPeterborough, but Pedro wrapped upthe win with his second goal.

Conte welcomed the return of cen-tre-back Kurt Zouma following an 11-month absence with a knee injury andalso explained why he has recalled

Nathan Ake from a loan spell atBournemouth.

“There were many good things, butthe most important was the return ofZouma after 11 months. It was fantasticfor him,” Conte said. “I recalled Akebecause I think he is showing to beready to stay in the Chelsea squad.Chelsea is his home.

“He is showing that he deserves tostay in a great team like Chelsea. Hegives me an important option becausewe are playing with three centraldefenders.

“He can play on the left or in the mid-dle, and we must see in training if he canplay at wing-back. We wanted to bringhim back because he gives me a goodsolution.” Conte refused to comment onreports he wants to swap Batshuayi forSwansea City striker Fernando Llorente,

but said the young Belgium internation-al had impressed him.

“Michy played a good game,” Contesaid. “During the game he always stayedinto the idea, into the philosophy, intoour idea of football. He showed me greatcommitment and great work-rate.

“Also he scored. For a forward it’salways important to score for his confi-dence. He’s a young player, he’s workinga lot, is improving. “Now it’s importantfor him to continue in this way and togive me the opportunity to have anoth-er solution in our squad.” Peterboroughmanager Grant McCann said: “It was agood learning curve for our boys.

“We could have come here anddefended deeper and tried to frustratethem. But I thought we may as wellcome here and give it a go. I thought wedid that.” —AFP

Chelsea ponder appeal after Terry FA Cup red

ZURICH: FIFA president Gianni Infantino (C) poses with football player legends for a group picture after a FIFA Football Legends football game ahead of The Best FIFA Football Awards 2016 yesterday at the FIFA’s headquarters inZurich. — AFP

MADRID: Barcelona’s poor start to 2017 contin-ued as they lost further ground on Real Madridat the top of La Liga despite a sensational lastminute Lionel Messi free-kick salvaging a 1-1draw at Villarreal on Sunday.

The Spanish champions lost their openinggame of the year at Athletic Bilbao in the Copadel Rey on Thursday and now trail Real by fivepoints having also played a game more.

Italian forward Nicola Sansone looked to havehanded Villarreal a first win over Barca since2008, but Messi’s late intervention denied thehosts on the day they announced a sponsorshipdeal to rename El Madrigal the Ceramic Stadium.A draw leaves Villarreal still in fifth, a point adriftof Atletico Madrid in the final ChampionsLeague place.

“It can’t be a positive analysis of the gamebecause we needed the three points and I thinkwe did enough to deserve the three points,”Barca boss Luis Enrique told Spanish TV stationMovistar.

However, Enrique insisted Barca remain verymuch in the title hunt despite their chances nowdepending on a Madrid collapse in the secondhalf of the season.

“There is still half the season to go and I amsure we will have the chance to fight for theleague,” he added.

“The only chance we will have to fight for thetitle, though, is by getting back to winning soon.To keep playing like this but with a differentresult.” Barca dominated possession throughout,but struggled to create clear-cut chances againstthe tightest defence in La Liga.

Indeed it was the hosts who enjoyed the bestopportunity of the opening half when formerBarca midfielder Jonathan dos Santos blastedover when unmarked at the back post from aflowing counter-attack. Messi came close inunusual fashion as his thumping header from acorner was tipped over by Sergio Asenjo beforeLuis Suarez’s fiercely hit drive was also too closeto the Villarreal ‘keeper.

Another Villarreal counter-attack caught theSpanish champions cold at the start of the sec-ond-half as Alexandre Pato’s perfectly weightedpass picked out Sansone and his effort backacross goal nestled in the far corner. Barca had afine chance to immediately respond when aquickly taken Messi free-kick freed Neymarinside the area, but again the Brazilian’s effortlacked the power or accuracy to unduly troubleAsenjo. The visitors had huge claims for a penal-ty waved away when Villarreal captain Brunodeflected Messi ’s effort over with an out-stretched hand and seconds later Messismashed the inside the post with a fine effortfrom the edge of the box.

The controversial penalty calls were evenedup as referee Ignacio Iglesias Villanueva was alsounmoved when Sansone’s shot struck JavierMascherano’s hand inside the Barca box.

And Messi finally broke Villarreal’s resistenceas he was fouled on th edge of the area andstepped up to arrow a free-kick perfectly intothe top corner. Villarreal ended with 10 men asJaume Costa saw a second yellow card deep intostoppage time, but there was barely time torestart the game before blew for full-time andarguably brought the curtain down on Barca’stitle defence. Elsewhere, Celta Vigo moved intothe top half of the table as Iago Aspas movedlevel with Cristiano Ronaldo on 11 La Liga goals

for the season in a 3-1 win over Malaga.Athletic Bilbao remain seventh after being

held 0-0 in a Basque derby at home to Alaves.

And Real Betis moved nine points clear of therelegation zone thanks to a 2-0 win over fellowstrugglers Leganes. —AFP

Messi to the rescue, but Barca lose ground on Real

TURIN: Juventus’ Gonzalo Higuain scores his side’s third goal during a Serie A soccermatch between Juventus and Bologna at Juventus Stadium in Turin, Italy, Sunday. —AP

MILAN: Gonzalo Higuain hit a brace eitherside of Paulo Dybala’s first-half spot-kick asJuventus moved four points clear of Roma onSunday with a comfortable 3-0 win overBologna in Turin. In their first competitivematch since losing the Italian Super Cup toAC Milan in Doha days before Christmas,Juventus were without Gianluigi Buffon,Leonardo Bonucci, Dani Alves and PatriceEvra for the visit of Roberto Donadoni’s men.

But Bologna’s last win over Juve came inFebruary 2011, and their hopes of launchingany kind of challenge suffered a setback onseven minutes when Miralem Pjanic foundHiguain with a searching pass that theArgentinian smashed on the volley past thehands of Antonio Mirante. Dybala doubledJuve’s lead minutes before half-time by fir-ing low into the bottom corner after StefanoSturaro had earned a generous penaltyupon colliding with Marios Oikonomou onthe edge of the area. Higuain put the matchbeyond all reach when he rose unchal-lenged to nod past Mirante from StephanLichsteiner’s perfectly-weighted cutback on55 minutes after a great counter-attackingmove that left Bologna in disarray. Higuain’s12th goal of the season moved him to with-in two of league-leading compatriot MauroIcardi of Inter Milan, but the Argentinemoved from Napoli in the summer to wintitles and is edging closer every week. “I’mhappy for the result because Roma had gotto within a point and although we have agame in hand, it was important to win thisone,” Higuain told Mediaset.

The champions have a game in hand fol-lowing the postponement of their leaguefixture against Crotone due to end-of-yearSuper Cup commitments and coachMassimiliano Allegri told Sky Sport: “It wasimportant to put a bit of distance betweenus and the rest.

“It’s a great championship this seasonand it could go right down to the wire.“Roma are only four points behind us and afew other teams are not far behind. Ournumber one priority is to win the title, and itwon’t be easy after five in a row.”

Allegri will be watching Roma, Napoli,Lazio and AC Milan particularly closely afterthis weekend after all four rivals chalked upwins. Only one goal behind league leaderIcardi, Roma striker Edin Dzeko hit a series

of blanks as the Giallorossi laboured to a 1-0win at Genoa where Armando Izzo’s disas-trous first-half own goal secured the points.Roma coach Luciano Spalletti refused tocriticise Dzeko, telling Rai Sport: “He had agreat game because he never once made iteasy for the opposition defence. “He puthimself about, especially at the end of thegame to make sure we got the result wewanted.”

Napoli, 2-1 winners over Sampdoria onSaturday when Lorenzo Tonelli grabbed alast-gasp winner on his debut for the south-erners, held on to third. Deservedly so, saidNapoli coach Maurizio Sarri: “I think wedeserved to win this game: we had nineshots on goal compared to their three and25 shots compared to their seven,” said Sarri.Lazio remain in fourth, only a point behindNapoli, after Ciro Immobile made up forLucas Biglia’s penalty miss at the StadioOlimpico by striking in the final minute tosecure a 1-0 win over dogged Crotone. Atthe San Siro Carlos Bacca ended his 98-daygoal drought with an 88th minute winneragainst Cagliari that saw AC Milan up to fifthto close within nine points off the summit.

Atalanta’s stunning season continuedwith a 4-1 away win at Chievo whereAlejandro Gomez notably hit a first-halfbrace to send the Bergamo side up to sixthat just seven points behind Juve. Earlier,Ivan Perisic scored twice including a latewinner as Inter Milan began the New Yearwith a 2-1 comeback win at Udinese. — AFP

Higuain double as Juve move four clear of Roma

VILLARREAL: FC Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, center, celebrates after scoring with teammate ArdaDura, right, during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Villarreal and Barcelona at theCeramica stadium in Villarreal, Spain, Sunday. — AP

Matches on TV (Local Timings)

ENGLISH LEAGUE CUPManchester United v Hull City 23:00beIN SPORTS

SPAIN COPA DEL REYAtletico de Madrid v Las Palmas 23:15beIN SPORTS 3 HD

ITALIAN CUPSSC Napoli v Spezia Calcio 23:00beIN SPORTS

LONDON: Manchester United manager JoseMourinho has pledged to bring out the heavyartillery for today’s League Cup semi-final firstleg at home to Premier League basement clubHull City. United cruised into the FA Cupfourth round on Saturday after registering aneighth consecutive win by crushing second-tier Reading 4-0 at Old Trafford. They face ashowdown with fellow League Cup semi-final-ists Liverpool in the league at the weekend,but with a day out at Wembley only 180 min-utes away, Mourinho does not want to takeany chances.

“We play against Liverpool, a big match forus, but we want to be in the final,” he said.

“So we are going to face this Hull matchwith everything we have, all the power wehave, as we know it’s two legs, but the secondleg is away. “If we can do something in thefirst leg that gives us the advantage, we will tryto do that.”

Mourinho made a number of changes forthe visit of former United defender Jaap Stam’sReading and has revealed he will restore sev-eral first-team regulars for the visit of Hull.

“I play with the players that didn’t play(against Reading),” said Mourinho, who wonthree League Cups over his two spells asChelsea manager. “I played with fresh playersand I don’t want to say anything about first-choice or second-choice, but we played withfresh players, the players who didn’t playagainst West Ham.

“In the next match against Hull City we aregoing to play again with fresh players. So it’seasy to know our team-Zlatan (Ibrahimovic),(Paul) Pogba, (Ander) Herrera, (Antonio)Valencia.” Wayne Rooney equalled BobbyCharlton’s United scoring record by netting his249th goal for the club against Reading, buthe is likely to drop to the bench against Hull.

Centre-back Marcos Rojo is a doubt afterbeing withdrawn against Reading with a mus-cular problem. With Eric Bailly having depart-ed for the Africa Cup of Nations with IvoryCoast, it could leave Phil Jones and ChrisSmalling as United’s only fit senior centre-backs.

FONTE FOCUS Marco Silva made a winning start to life as

Hull head coach with a 2-0 victory overSwansea City in the FA Cup on Saturday andhe will relish the prospect of tackling fellowPortuguese Mourinho. “I t is a fantasticmoment for the club that we play ManchesterUnited in a semi-final,” Silva said.

The carrot of a potential final appearanceagainst arch rivals United is sure to motivateLiverpool when they travel to Southamptonon Wednesday for the first leg of their semi-final. Having fielded Liverpool’s youngest everteam in their 0-0 FA Cup draw at home tofourth-tier Plymouth Argyle on Sunday, man-ager Jurgen Klopp is also expected to revert toa full-strength team.— AFP

Man United, Liverpool eye League Cup final showdown

17India bat makers say there’s no stopping big hitters

TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

18Cibulkova wins, Wozniacki dumps Puig in Sydney

Messi to the rescue, but Barca lose ground on Real Page 19

ZURICH: Real Madrid and Portugal’s forward and winner of The Best FIFA Men’s Player of 2016 Award Cristiano Ronaldo stands on stage with Houston Dash and US midfielder and winner of The Best FIFA Women’s Player of 2016Carli Lloyd following The Best FIFA Football Awards 2016 ceremony, yesterday in Zurich. — AFP

ZURICH: Cristiano Ronaldo claimed FIFA’s inauguralbest player of the year award yesterday, the latest prizefor the Real Madrid and Portugal star after a glittering2016 for club and country.

Leicester City’s Claudio Ranieri received the bestmen’s coach award following his side’s fairytale PremierLeague triumph.

But the night again belonged to the 31-year-oldRonaldo, who edged out long-time nemesis LionelMessi for the trophy as well as France’s AntoineGriezmann, the top player at this summer’s Europeanchampionship.

Ronaldo had already won the Ballon d’Or after his

third Champions League title, thanks in major part tohis 16 goals in 12 games, as well as triumphing withPortugal at Euro 2016 — the country’s first major prize.

“2016 was the best year of my career,” Ronaldo saidafter being handed the prize from FIFA President GianniInfantino. “It was a year that was magnificent at a per-sonal level and at a sports level,” he added on the stagein Zurich.

Ranieri, 65, who saw off Real boss Zinedine Zidaneand Portugal manager Fernando Santos, said the bestcoach honour was “incredible” after receiving the prizefrom Argentine football legend Diego Maradona.

Under Ranieri’s leadership, Leicester pulled off one of

the greatest shocks in English football history by defy-ing title odds of 5,000-1 to lift the Premier League tro-phy last season.

Having miraculously avoided relegation the previousseason, the Foxes rode that wave of momentum all theway to the title. US midfielder Carli Lloyd scooped thebest women’s player of 2016, the two-time Olympicgold medallist adding to her 2015 FIFA Women’s WorldPlayer of the Year accolade. The American finishedahead of Brazilian star Marta and Germany’s MelanieBehringer. Spain’s La Liga accounted for nine of the 11players in the FIFPro team of the year with Ronaldo andMessi headlining a star-studded line-up.

Ronaldo was joined by Real team-mates SergioRamos, Marcelo, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric while theside comprised four Barcelona players with GerardPique, Andres Iniesta and Luis Suarez joining Messi.

Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer-named tothe FIFPro World 11 for the fourth year running-was theonly player selected without links to Spain’s top twoclubs. Juventus defender Dani Alves was included for asixth time having help Barca to a league and cup dou-ble before leaving the Camp Nou for Italy last June.

World football’s governing body has launched thenew award series after ending its six-year collaborationwith France Football magazine for the Ballon d’Or. — AFP

Ronaldo, Ranieri scoop top FIFA awards

LONDON: Heavy squad rotation and dwin-dling attendances over the third-roundweekend suggested the FA Cup, once thejewel in the crown of English football, islocked in a downward spiral. The FA Cup isthe game’s oldest knockout competition,dating back 146 years, and boasts a historyrich with famous upsets and unforgettablefinals. But it is increasingly seen as aninconvenience for the big teams, for whomChampions League qualification is all-important, while financial concerns meanleague position is the top priority for manysmaller clubs. “The FA Cup is a great com-petition, but there are other priorities now,”said Cardiff City manager Neil Warnock,whose side lost 2-1 to second-tier rivalsFulham.

“A club like ours cannot afford to godown.” The FA Cup final was once the onlymatch shown live on British television andthe tournament’s third round-when top-flight teams enter the competition — hasproduced some memorable shocks.

But in recent times the glamour clubshave made their priorities clear by fieldingweakened teams in order to keep theirleading players fresh for more importantchallenges ahead.

The Premier League’s leading scorers,Diego Costa, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and AlexisSanchez, did not see even a second ofaction in the FA Cup at the weekend.

Premier League leaders Chelsea, FA Cupholders Manchester United and TottenhamHotspur each made nine changes to theirteams and although they all progressed,other top-tier sides came unstuck.

Bournemouth-now of the Premier

League, but who stunned ManchesterUnited as Third Division underdogs in 1984— lost 3-0 at third-tier Millwall after man-ager Eddie Howe changed his entire start-ing XI. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp,meanwhile, selected the club’s youngestever team-with an average age of 21 yearsand 296 days-and saw them taken to areplay by fourth-tier Plymouth Argyle.

Football Association chief executiveMartin Glenn defended the big sides’ rightto make changes, saying blooding youngplayers was “not a bad thing”.

‘DEVASTATED’ The sense of disinterest was reflected in

the attendances, which were largely downon the average crowds for league games.Just 17,632 fans turned up to watchSunderland draw 0-0 against top-flightrivals Burnley at the Stadium of Light,which habitually hosts crowds of close to42,000. And only 5,199 people watchedCardiff (average attendance 16,414) lose toFulham in a match that kicked off at theinconvenient hour of 11:30 GMT. It was adifferent story for the competition’s min-nows, however, showing the FA Cup con-tinues to hold special meaning for thosesides closer to the base of the English foot-ball pyramid than the top.

Non-league Sutton United, who pulledoff a famous upset against Coventry City in1989, saw their attendance leap from anaverage of 1,518 to 5,200 for their 0-0 drawat home to third-tier AFC Wimbledon. Itwas a similar story for their National League(fifth-tier) rivals Barrow, who lost 2-0 toRochdale. — AFP

FA Cup lustre fades as top teams shroud their stars

ZURICH: Diego Maradona yester-day backed controversial plans toexpand the World Cup to 48teams, a day before world foot-ball’s powerful governing councilfaces a key decision on the issue.“It sounds like a fantastic idea tome,” the 56-year-old, whoinspired Argentina to World Cupglory in 1986, told reporters atFIFA’s Zurich headquarters.

“This will give more possibili-ties to countries that have neverreached that level of competi-tion.” FIFA president GianniInfantino, who took charge of thescandal-tainted world body lastyear, has made expanding theWorld Cup from the current 32teams the centrepiece of hisadministration.

But his plans have faced criti-cism including warnings that itwill dilute the quality at football’sshowcase event. “The quality willnot fall,” said Maradona, drippingwith sweat after rumbling his waythrough a mini tournament offormer football greats and cur-rent executives.

Infantino has been courtingsupport from the game’s mostpowerful figures ahead of today’smeeting.

Among those playing on the

snow-lined pitch Monday wasUEFA boss Aleksander Ceferin,who has voiced scepticismtowards expansion, and CONCA-CAF chief Victor Montagliani, whois open to a bigger tournament.Former French internationalDavid Trezeguet said more WorldCup berths could give “possibili-ties to countries and especiallyplayers who have never experi-enced this beautiful competition”,while acknowledging that detailsstill needed to be worked out.

Among the major concernsfrom critics is that a longer tour-nament would increase pressureon an already strained clubschedule. The influentialEuropean Clubs Association, ledby German great Karl-HeinzRummenigge, has come outagainst an enlarged World cup,citing football’s overloaded cal-endar.

Infantino says that moneyshould not drive any decision, buta confidential FIFA report seen byAFP projects that a 48-team tour-nament would bring a cash boostof $640 million (605 millioneuros) above projected revenuesfor next year’s finals in Russia.

The influential council willreview five proposals today: leav-

ing the World Cup unchanged at32 teams, two proposals for a 40-team competition and two 48-team scenarios.

Infantino is said to be backinga 48-team option with 16 groups

of three, which would come intoeffect for the 2026 competition.Any decision made today willhave to be approved by FIFA’s full211 members at the body’s nextcongress. — AFP

ZURICH: Gianni Infantino, left, FIFA President, and Diego ArmandoMaradona, a former Argentine footballer, pose for a photo on thegreen carpet while arriving for the The Best FIFA Football Awards2016 ceremony in Zurich, Switzerland, yesterday. — AP

Maradona backs 48-team W Cup

BusinessTUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

Kuwait credit growth slowsto 5.1% after repayment

Page 22

Trump praises Ford, Fiat Chrysler for US investments

Page 23

NBK holds training course for journalists

Page 26

Qatar Airways unveils biggest travel festivalPage 23

DETROIT: Attendees look at the Volkswagen lineup of cars and SUVs during the 2017 North American International Auto Show in Detroit yesterday. — AFP ( See Also Pages 23, 25)

DUBAI: Egypt's main stock index corrected yester-day as local traders booked profits and Gulf mar-kets diverged with United Arab Emirates marketsoutperforming as traders focused on financialshares while a retreat in oil prices weighed onSaudi Arabian petrochemical producers.

Cairo's main index fell 0.9 percent, snappingfour straight sessions of gains. Local institutionswere net sellers of Egyptian shares by a large mar-gin, while foreign funds were net buyers, boursedata showed. Many analysts believe this is a nor-mal correction, not uncommon after a market hasclimbed 45 percent since the floatation of the cur-rency on Nov. 3 last year.

Arab Cotton Ginning was the worst performeron the EGX30, dropping 4.0 percent. El SewedyElectric lost 2.0 percent. Yesterday it announcedthat a subsidiary had won a bid for an engineeringand construction project with the state ownedelectricity company. The value and start date ofthe project was not disclosed. Analysts at Cairo'sNaeem Brokerage believe this project will have lit-tle impact on the valuation of Sewedy becausethey have already factored new projects valued at6 billion Egyptian pounds for 2017.

Riyadh's index lost a further 0.8 percent, tak-ing its losses since the start of the year to 1.8 per-cent. Oil-derivative producers weighed on marketperformance as Brent crude futures retreated toaround $56 a barrel. Rabigh Refining andPetrochemical fell 2.1 percent.

But Jarir Marketing added 0.2 percent afterthe electronics and bookstore retailer reported a3.5 percent increase in fourth-quarter net profiton Monday as sales of electronic goods rose. Net

profit came in at 215.3 million riyals ($57.4 mil-lion) in line with the 203.0 million riyals forecastby analysts.

Analysts at Al Rajhi Capital said in a note thatthe strong revenue growth implies that samestore sales growth is the best in seven quarters."Jarir's Q4 revenue growth at 17.7 percent year-on-year was much ahead of our flattish estimate,driven by higher sales of electronics, mainlysmartphones according to the company'sannouncement. iPhone 7 sales in the Kingdomcommenced in Q4 and is likely to have played amajor role in driving smartphone sales."

UAE BEATSDubai's index closed 0.8 percent to 3,721

points in a second session of heavy trade, break-ing above technical resistance at the mid-December peak of 3,659 points, facing nextresistance at the October 2015 peak of 3,740points. The top gainers were smaller companiesin finance and insurance; Ajman Bank jumped7.8 percent.

Some traders have been speculating theremay be consolidation in the finance industry fol-lowing the merger of National Bank of AbuDhabi (NBAD) and First Gulf Bank , which is set tocomplete this year. Shares in NBAD climbed 2.4percent, helping the Abu Dhabi index finish 0.6percent higher. Another lender which tradersexpect to merge in the coming year, UnionNational Bank added 2.4 percent. Qatar's index,however, lost 0.2 percent as investors cashed out ofsome of the recent gains. Islamic bank Masraf Al-Rayan fell 1.5 percent. — Reuters

Egypt corrects, Saudi index extends losses

MIDEAST STOCK MARKETS

DETROIT: The Chevy Bolt has been named top carin North America, an important milestone for a carGeneral Motors hopes will finally get Americanshooked on electric vehicles.

The Honda Ridgeline grabbed the honor for toptruck. Utility vehicles were honored separately forthe first time, with the Pacifica minivan from FiatChrysler snagging that award. The honors wereannounced yesterday morning at Detroit's CoboCenter as the North American International AutoShow's press preview days kicked into high gear.

The Bolt beat out the Genesis G90 and VolvoS90 for the car award. The electric car fromChevrolet went on sale late last year. It gets morethan 200 miles per battery charge, which is morethan the average American drives in a day. The Boltalso sells for around $30,000 when a federal taxcredit is included. Electric vehicles have failed tocatch on with most American consumers, butGeneral Motors hopes the improved range and

price help shift opinions. Mark Reuss, GM's head ofglobal product development, described the Bolt asa "moon shot."

"We didn't have all the answers when we start-ed the program - in terms of how far we weregoing to get range-wise, how light are we going toget the car and ... sell price," he said. "We hit on allcylinders on this, so to speak, even though there'snot any in the car." The Ridgeline scored the truckaward over Ford F-Series Super Duty and theNissan Titan. Pacifica got the nod for the utilityaward over the Jaguar F-Pace and Mazda X-9.

Timothy Kuniskis, Fiat Chrysler's car chief, saidhe's "amazingly proud" that a minivan scored theutility honor. The award recognizes the automak-er's commitment to the foundation it establishedfor the family hauler while reinventing it somethree decades later, he said.

"This is really all-new from the ground up,"Kuniskis said of the Pacifica, a sleeker, swept-back

minivan that hit showrooms last spring as areplacement for the Town and Country and DodgeGrand Caravan. Among its firsts: hands-free slidingdoors that open when the driver sticks a foot underthem. "We love minivans - we sold a quarter-mil-lion minivans this last year that just ended," headded. "Our designers just did an amazing job oftaking something that has to be very functionaland making it look very beautiful at the same time."

About 60 automotive journalists serve as judgesfor North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle ofthe Year awards. Eligible vehicles must be new orsubstantially changed.

Organizers accept no advertising, thoughautomakers try to capitalize on the marketing valueof the awards, in their 24th year. The awards pro-gram launched in 1993, and patterned itself afterthe European Car of the Year. Organizers accept noadvertising, though carmakers try to capitalize onthe marketing value of the honors. — AP

Chevy Bolt gets top car award Pacifica top utility vehicle at Detroit Auto Show

DETROIT: General Motors Executive Chief Engineer Autonomous & Electrified Vehiclesand New Technology Pam Fletcher, left, and Bolt Chief Engineer Josh Tavel stand next to aChevy Bolt after being named top car in the North America at the North AmericanInternational Auto show yesterday. — AP

Dubai loans loom forairport expansion

and Expo 2020DUBAI: Dubai is finalizing loans to fund the expan-sion of Al-Maktoum International Airport and thebuilding of its Expo 2020 exhibition centre, sourcestold Reuters yesterday.

The government is due to get commitments from banksover the next two weeks for a $3 billion loan to back the$35 billion airport project, while the exhibition centre isestimated to require total financing of around $7 billion,they said. The $3 billion loan for the airport expansion issplit between a $2 billion conventional tranche and a $1billion-equivalent, local-currency Islamic tranche, thesources added.

Banks participating in the transaction, coordinated byHSBC, can commit funding across the two tranches, saidone of the sources, adding that the loan will have a sev-en-year maturity.

Dubai's department of finance was not immediatelyavailable for comment on the loan plan. It represents thefirst financing phase for the expansion of the Al Maktoumairport, which will take 12 years to complete, the sourcessaid. Once expanded, the new airport will be the world'slargest passenger and cargo hub, with the capacity to han-dle more than 220 million passengers and 12 million tonsof cargo per year, the government said in a statement. TheExpo Dubai site, located near Al Maktoum airport, will befinanced by a combination of commercial bank debt anddebt guaranteed - or directly provided - by export creditagencies. The commercial part of the financing could rangebetween $2 and $3 billion, the sources said. HSBC is coordi-nating the export credit agency-backed financing of theproject. A spokesman for Expo 2020 declined to comment.

The fundraising exercise for Expo 2020 is not expected tosee major progress until February at the earliest as the gov-ernment is prioritizing the financing of Al Maktoum airport.

Expo Dubai will be the first World Expo hosted in theMiddle East. Between October 2020 and April 2021, it isexpected to host 25 million visitors, according to the Expo2020 website. — Reuters

WASHINGTON: In its final reportbefore handing the reins over toPresident-elect Donald Trump, theObama administration defended itshandling of China trade disputes andits success in obliging Beijing to openits market further.

The US Trade Representative saidin its annual report to Congress thatcontinued dialogue with China overtrade disputes, backed up by formalcomplaints in the World TradeOrganization when necessary, haveyielded results for US companies,although "significant trade distor-tions" remain.

China is now the second largestmarket for US goods exports,expanding 505 percent since joiningthe WTO in 2001, to $116 billion as of2015, the report said. Servicesexports reached $48 billion in 2015,an increase of 802 percent since2001. Since China joined the WTO,the United States has filed 20 WTOdispute cases against China, morethan twice as many as any other WTOmember.

Trump has taken a hardline withChina, threatening to immediatelyimpose 45 percent import tariffs onChinese goods once he takes office,saying the world's second biggesteconomy has stiffed the US throughcurrency manipulation and illegalsubsidies. That antagonism hasraised fears among US businessesthat their exports to China will bethreatened, especially since Beijing

has signaled it will retaliate.Strong support across America's

industrial "Rust Belt," and frustrationover lost jobs blamed on globaliza-tion, helped carry Trump to victory inthe November election.

But the Obama administration hasrepeatedly touted engagement andenforcement as tools it has used suc-cessfully with China to prompt it toopen its markets. However, the USTRacknowledges that more progress isneeded, saying the current leader-ship in Beijing has not followedthrough on pledges to open theeconomy further.

"Many of the problems that arisein the US-China trade and invest-ment relationship can be traced tothe Chinese government's interven-tionist policies," the USTR said. Thosepractices, and the large role of state-owned enterprises in China's econo-my, "continue to generate significanttrade distortions that inevitably giverise to trade frictions." The USTR said"if China is going to deal successfullywith its increasing economic chal-lenges at home, it must allow greaterscope for market forces to operate,which requires altering the role ofthe state in planning the economy."

Major concerns remain aboutChina's protection of intellectualproperty rights, the country's sup-port for state-owned companies,subs id ies , and lack of mar ketaccess for agr icul tura l goods,among others. — AFP

Obama govt defends China trade policy

B U S I N E S STUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

Newsi n b r i e f

Saudi’s Jarir Marketing Q4 profit rises 3.5%

DUBAI: Jarir Marketing, one of Saudi Arabia’s largestretailers, reported a 3.5 percent increase in fourth-quarter net profit yesterday as sales of electronicgoods rose. It made a net profit of 215.3 million riyals($57.4 million) in the three months to Dec. 31, up from208.1 million riyals in the same period a year earlier, itsaid in a bourse statement. Six analysts polled byReuters had on average forecast Jarir would make aquarterly net profit of 203.0 million riyals. The compa-ny said the improvement was due to rising demandfor electronic items, mainly smart phones, and anincrease in the number of its stores to 45 from 40.Selling and distribution costs fell, it said. Saudi compa-nies issue brief earnings statements early in thereporting period before publishing more detailedresults later. Estimated turnover in the fourth quarterwas 1.79 billion riyals, up 17.7 percent on the samethree months of 2015.

Saudi’s ACWA Power to issue $1bn bond

DUBAI: Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power will issue a $1 bil-l ion bond in February, Chairman MohammedAbunayyan told reporters yesterday. The water andpower plant developer had announced its debt rais-ing plans in November, but postponed the bondbecause of “timing contsraints and requests frominvestors for more time to evaluate the proposedoffering,” according to a document issued by the leadarrangers in December. ACWA has mandated Jefferies,Citi, CCB Singapore, Mizuho and Standard Charteredto arrange the bond.

ISTANBUL/ANKARA: Turkey’s lira tum-bled more than two percent to a recordlow against the dollar yesterday asinvestors fretted about political and eco-nomic stability and a deputy prime min-ister said the economy was being target-ed by “sabotage and attacks”. Once oneof the world’s most promising emergingmarkets, Turkey has been plagued byIslamic State and Kurdish militant bomb-ings and by a failed coup last July. Aplanned referendum on controversialproposals which would boost PresidentTayyip Erdogan’s powers has added tothe uncertainty.

After years of solid growth, the econ-omy shrank 1.8 percent in the thirdquar ter, bringing pressure fromErdogan, a fierce critic of high interestrates, to lower borrowing costs even asthe lira slide is exacerbated by US ratehike expectations.

The l ira weakened as far 3.7380against the dollar yesterday, far outstrip-ping losses in other currencies. It hasslumped 22 percent against the US cur-rency since the start of last year.

“At this rate, it will reach our year-endtarget of 3.85 percent before the monthis out,” said Kapital FX deputy researchdirector Enver Erkan. The lira’s falls yester-day were driven partly by a strengthen-ing in the dollar after US payrolls data

showed strong underlying wage growth,boosting the case for more Fed rateincreases in 2017.

Erdogan has repeatedly cast Turkey asthe victim of international attempts toundermine its economy, commentsechoed by Deputy Prime MinisterNurretin Canikli yesterday. “We knowthere are sabotages and attacks aimed atthe economy and economic perceptions.There is a campaign to force a hike ininterest rates,” he told A Haber television.

“Interest rates are set by the centralbank, and it is unacceptable for others toput pressure on this,” he said. Turkey’scentral bank kept rates on hold lastmonth but is expected to come underfresh pressure from financial markets toraise them when it meets on Jan. 24.

Adding to the bad news, ratingsagency Moody’s said yesterday Turkishbank profits will be hit significantly thisyear by increased non-performing loansand warned of a “general worsening” inthe investment climate.

Bulent Gedikli, an adviser to Erdogan,said on Twitter that Moody’s prediction“does not correspond to the reality ofTurkey’s economy”. Canikli said that con-trary to Moody’s forecasts, gross non-per-forming loans would not reach 4 percentthis year and asset quality would notworsen. — Reuters

EXCHANGE RATES

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co.

ASIAN COUNTRIESJapanese Yen 2.615Indian Rupees 4.510Pakistani Rupees 2.934Srilankan Rupees 2.053Nepali Rupees 2.823Singapore Dollar 212.790Hongkong Dollar 39.563Bangladesh Taka 3.893Philippine Peso 6.173Thai Baht 8.601Malaysian Ringgit 223.230

GCC COUNTRIESSaudi Riyal 81.881Qatari Riyal 84.334ani Riyal 797.427Bahraini Dinar 815.330UAE Dirham 83.599

ARAB COUNTRIESEgyptian Pound - Cash 21.250Egyptian Pound - Transfer 16.073Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.232Tunisian Dinar 133.590Jordanian Dinar 432.400Lebanese Lira/for 1000 2.046Syrian Lira 2.188Morocco Dirham 30.839

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIESUS Dollar Transfer 306.850Euro 323.270Sterling Pound 379.270Canadian dollar 229.680Turkish lira 87.300

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd

BAHRAIN EXCHANGE COMPANY WLL

Swiss Franc 302.020Australian Dollar 222.200US Dollar Buying 305.650

GOLD20 Gram 238.2410 Gram 122.045 Gram 57.97

Rate for Transfer Selling RateUS Dollar 306.550Canadian Dolla 230.500Sterling Pound 384.385Euro 322.080Swiss Frank 300.105Bahrain Dinar 812.640UAE Dirhams 83.855Qatari Riyals 85.080Saudi Riyals 82.675Jordanian Dinar 433.540Egyptian Pound 16.830Sri Lankan Rupees 2.060Indian Rupees 4.530Pakistani Rupees 2.924Bangladesh Taka 3.887Philippines Pesso 6.143Cyprus pound 168.345Japanese Yen 3.600Syrian Pound 2.435Nepalese Rupees 3.825Malaysian Ringgit 69.340

CURRENCY BUY SELLEurope

British Pound 0.369279 0.379279Czech Korune 0.003802 0.015802Danish Krone 0.038891 0.043891Euro 0. 313975 0.322975Norwegian Krone 0.031398 0.036598Romanian Leu 0.070497 0.070497Slovakia 0.009229 0.019229Swedish Krona 0.029450 0.034450Swiss Franc 0.292152 0.303152Turkish Lira 0.082529 0.092829

AustralasiaAustralian Dollar 0.213906 0.225908New Zealand Dollar 0.205822 0.215322

AmericaCanadian Dollar 0.222898 0.231898Georgina Lari 0.138751 0.138751US Dollars 0.303100 0.307500US Dollars Mint 0.303600 0.307500

AsiaBangladesh Taka 0.003578 0.004160Chinese Yuan 0.042632 0.046132Hong Kong Dollar 0.037520 0.040270Indian Rupee 0.002789 0.005523

Indonesian Rupiah 0.000018 0.000024Japanese Yen 0.002515 0.002695Kenyan Shilling 0.002984 0.002984Korean Won 0.000244 0.000259Malaysian Ringgit 0.064568 0.070668Nepalese Rupee 0.002944 0.003114Pakistan Rupee 0.002620 0.002910Philippine Peso 0.006083 0.006383Sierra Leone 0.000053 0.000059Singapore Dollar 0.206584 0.216584South African Rand 0.016294 0.024794Sri Lankan Rupee 0.001651 0.002231Taiwan 0.009393 0.009573Thai Baht 0.008228 0.008778

ArabBahraini Dinar 0.808282 0.816782Egyptian Pound 0.013279 0.022532Iranian Riyal 0.000085 0.000086Iraqi Dinar 0.000181 0.000241Jordanian Dinar 0.428238 0.47238Kuwaiti Dinar 1.000000 1.000000Lebanese Pound 0.000153 0.000253Moroccan Dirhams 0.020263 0.044263Nigerian Naira 0.000407 0.001042Omani Riyal 0.791501 0.797181Qatar Riyal 0.083569 0.085019Saudi Riyal 0.080833 0.082133Syrian Pound 0.001303 0.001523Tunisian Dinar 0.128697 0.136697Turkish Lira 0.082529 0.092829UAE Dirhams 0.082215 0.083915Yemeni Riyal 0.000999 0.001079

Chinese Yuan Renminbi 31.240Thai Bhat 9.535Turkish Lira 87.725

NBK MONEY MARKETS REPORT

Iraq oil exports from Basra at record 3.51m bpd

BAGHDAD: Oil exports from Iraq’s southern Basra portsreached a record high of 3.51 million barrels per day(bpd) in December, the oil ministry said yesterday. Iraq’sOil Minister Jabar Ali Al-Luaibi said the unprecedentedlyhigh exports from the south would not affect Iraq’s deci-sion to lower production in January in line with anOPEC agreement, however, according to a ministrystatement. Luaibi welcomed what he said were“improved prices” of oil resulting from the OPEC deci-sion. The Organization of the Petroleum ExportingCountries (OPEC)agreed in November to cut output by1.2 million barrels per day from January 2017 to supportprices. Iraq, OPEC’s second-largest producer, said itwould reduce output by 200,000 bpd to 4.351 millionbpd. However, it increased Basra crude supplies forJanuary to its customers in Asia after cutting prices tothree-month lows, traders have said, meaning it wouldhave to cut exports from the north to comply with theOPEC agreement.

Kuwait credit growth slows

to 5.1% after repayment

DUBAI: Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD), theDubai government’s main investment arm, is likely toissue its planned US dollar-denominated bond thismonth but has yet to decide whether it will be a sukukor a conventional bond, sources said yesterday.

The bond will be benchmark-sized, which traditional-ly means upwards of $500 million, and ICD has pickedbanks to arrange the issue, the sources familiar with thematter told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymi-ty because the information is private. An ICD spokes-woman did not respond to a request for comment viaemail. The company, which holds stakes in EmiratesAirline and Emirates NBD, has selected Citi, EmiratesNBD, HSBC, JP Morgan, NBAD and Standard Charteredto arrange the upcoming debt issuance. Dubai IslamicBank could also be involved should the deal be a sukukrather than a conventional transaction, one of thesources said.

The issue is expected to be one of a number of dollarbond issues out of the Gulf this year as banks, compa-nies and governments plan debt issues to improve theirliquidity and to replenish their coffers, strained by loweroil prices. Banks are likely to issue their bonds beforecompanies and governments, sources said. Lenderssuch as Bahrain’s Gulf International Bank, Kuwait’s WarbaBank and UAE’s Dubai Islamic Bank have either alreadylined up arrangers for their planned debt sales or haveapproached banks to prepare their bonds.

ICD sold a maiden US dollar bond in 2014, when itraised $1 billion in debt split between a $700 millionsukuk and a $300m conventional bond. Citi, DubaiIslamic Bank, Emirates NBD, HSBC and StandardChartered arranged the 2014 bond. —Reuters

ICD expected

to issue dollar

bond this month

LONDON: Gold firmed yesterday as uncer-tainty ahead of Donald Trump’s inaugura-tion as US President this month supportedprices after the previous session’s retreat,though an uptick in the dollar kept a lid ongains. The metal, which posted its biggestweekly increase in two months last week,lost some ground on Friday after a US pay-rolls report supported the view that theFederal Reserve will raise interest rates thisyear, boosting the dollar.

However, it found good support around$1,170 an ounce, the 23.6 percent retrace-ment of its November to Decemberdecline. Spot gold was up 0.5 percent at$1,178.50 an ounce at 1250 GMT, while USgold futures for February delivery rose$5.10 to $1,178.50.

“Trump is speaking this week,” saidJulius Baer analyst Carsten Menke. “OnWednesday he has a press conference,which will be very interesting given howgold has reacted since his election.” Goldslid more than 12 percent in the pastquar ter as Trump’s e lec t ion v ic tor yboosted expectations that his tax andspending policies would boost the dol-lar and inflation, prompting more USrate increases.

“From our perspective, in terms of theoverall economic backdrop, we see no rea-son to change our views,” Menke said. “Weare still bullish on the dollar, we still see

more upside for bond yields, which ofcourse translates into some headwinds forgold.” Hedge funds and money managerscut their bullish positions in COMEX goldcontracts for the eighth straight week inthe week to Jan. 3, taking their holdings tothe smallest in 11 months, data showedon Friday.

Gold is highly sensitive to rising USinterest rates, which increase the oppor-tunity cost of holding non-yielding bul-lion while boosting the dollar, in which itis priced.

“The December FOMC minutes releasedon Wednesday emphasized that the Fed isalso uncertain about the direction of fiscalpolicy after Trump’s win,” Capital Economicssaid in a note. “We still expect the centralbank to hike interest rates four times thisyear in response to some of Trump’s moreinflationary policies.”

Strong outflows from gold-backedexchange-traded funds have lessened oflate, while seasonal buying in the big Asiangold markets, where India is deep intowedding season and China is approachingthe Lunar New Year, has been strong.

Silver was down 0.1 percent at $16.46an ounce, while platinum rose 0.4 percentto $970.75. Palladium was little changed at$756, having touched a five-week high at$768.10. It rallied more than 11 percentlast week. — Reuters

Turkish lira slumps to

record low, govt says

economy under attack

Gold rises as markets

await Trump, but

dollar limits gains

KUWAIT: Credit contracted in October, coinciding with alarge repayment by a Kuwaiti corporate, with growth slow-ing to 5.1 percent year-on-year (y/y). Credit fell by KD 700million, with most of the decline coming from lending forsecurities purchases. Household loans picked up strengthon the month, while business credit was mostly weaker.Private and government deposits saw moderate declines inOctober, though money supply growth accelerated, bene-fiting from basis effects.

Household lending was strong in October, rising by KD93 million, with growth steady at 7.0 percent y/y, drivenexclusively by installment loans. The gains followed aSeptember in which credit was flat. At 10.6 percent y/y, theannual average growth in household lending was slightlylower than last year’s 12.5 percent y/y, but remained rela-tively healthy.

Lending to nonbank financial companies saw a healthynet gain and maintained positive growth from a year ago.Sector debt added KD 24 million during the month, withgrowth picking up to 6.6 percent y/y. The sector appears tohave largely completed deleveraging that began in thewake of the 2008 financial crisis.

All remaining credit contracted by KD 817 million, withgrowth easing to 4.1 percent y/y. The contraction coincid-ed with a single corporate debt repayment of KD 688 mil-lion following the recent sale of a large stake in a listedcompany. A large part of the drop in all remaining creditcame from a KD 480 million decrease in lending for thepurchase of securities. Other business sectors were mostlydown. Decreases were visible in the construction, realestate, trade, industry, and “other” sectors. Meanwhile,there was a notable increase in crude oil & gas.

Private deposits resumed their decline in October,dropping by KD 98 million, though broad M2 money sup-ply growth picked up to 5.0 percent y/y, on basis effects.

Growth in the narrower M1 money supply also improvedto 4.5 percent y/y. Declines were concentrated in KD sightand foreign currency deposits; this was offset by a stronggain in time deposits. Government deposits alsodecreased by KD 95 million, but growth remained strongat 20 percent y/y.

Banking system liquidity improved in October, furtherbolstering its healthy levels. Bank reserves (i.e. cash,deposits with the CBK and CBK bonds) added KD 953 mil-lion to reach KD 5.7billion or 9.5 percent of total bankassets. The increase was in both time deposits with the CBKand CBK bonds. This coincided with an increase of a similar

magnitude in CBK foreign reserves, pushing them to KD9billion. Meanwhile, net domestic government debtissuance, which taps bank liquidity, was steady; outstand-ing public debt instruments (PDIs) rose by KD 200 millionduring October to KD 2.97 billion.

Interest rates have been relatively steady. The 3-monthKuwait interbank offered rate (Kibor) edged lower inOctober to 1.54 percent and has been declining steadilysince(Chart 5).The rate ended 2016 at 1.44 percent, appar-ently unfazed by the CBK’s 25 bps discount rate hike inDecember. Meanwhile, customer deposit rates were littlechanged in October.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

B U S I N E S S

BEIJING: People walk past a McDonald’s fast food restaurant in Beijing yes-terday. —AFP

BEIJING: US fast-food giant McDonald’s will sella controlling stake in its China and Hong Kongbusiness for up to $2.08 billion to a consortiumincluding state-owned Citic and the CarlyleGroup, it was announced yesterday. The deal ispart of an international turnaround plan by theGolden Arches as it struggles with sluggishgrowth at home.

Citic Limited, Citic Capital Holdings, CarlyleGroup and McDonald’s will form a companythat will act as a franchisee for the chain’s busi-ness in mainland China and Hong Kong for 20years, the companies said in a joint statement.Citic is a vast Chinese state-owned conglomer-ate with interests in businesses ranging fromenergy and manufacturing to real estate.

It said in a statement to the Hong KongStock Exchange that the purchase woulddeepen its exposure to China’s consumer sec-tor, “which is poised to be the main driver ofChina’s economy for decades to come”. Theburger chain last year announced plans to sellits over 2,600 restaurants in China and Hong

Kong, after sales took a hit as tensions in theSouth China Sea dented US companies’ earn-ings in the country.

Its China business also suffered a blow in2014 after a food safety scandal involving oneof its meat suppliers. The deal gives McDonald’spartners “who have an unmatched understand-ing of the local markets and bring enhancedcapabilities”, CEO Steve Easterbrook said in thestatement.

Citic and Citic Capital will have a stake of52 percent, Carlyle will take 28 percent andMcDonald’s will retain 20 percent of the newcompany.

It will focus on growth in China’s smallerregional cities and plans to open more than1,500 restaurants in the mainland and HongKong over the next five years. “Citic andCarlyle’s resources will allow McDonald’s toexpand rapidly and refurbish old restaurants,which is expensive to do,” Ben Cavender ofChina Market Research Group toldBloomberg News. —AFP

McDonald’s sells China operations for $2.08bn

DETROIT: President-elect DonaldTrump praised Ford Motor Co and FiatChrysler Automobiles NV yesterday forannouncing new investments in theUnited States after he made US autoproduction a key part of his campaign.Ford announced last week it wouldabandon plans to build a $1.6 billionplant in Mexico and would invest $700million in a Michigan plant over fouryears, while Fiat Chrysler said Sunday itwill invest $1 billion and add 2,000 jobsat plants in Ohio and Michigan to buildnew SUVs and pickup trucks.

Both companies have said they madethe decision for business reasons andnot because of pressure from Trump, butpraised the president-elect for seekingto improve the climate for businesses tooperate in the United States. FiatChrysler chief executive SergioMarchionne said at the Detroit auto

show on Monday that the decision hadbeen in the works for a long time andwas “coincidental” to Trump’s tweet lastweek criticizing the company. “We didn’ttwist ourselves into a pretzel (to makethis decision)... It wasn’t a preemptivestrike against a tweet,” Marchionne saidduring a roundtable discussion.

Marchionne was asked about tariffsthat Trump has threatened to impose onvehicles imported to the United Statesfrom Mexico and elsewhere and he saidthat Fiat Chrysler will live with any newrules. However, he added that it was“quite possible” that heavy tariffs onMexican imports could force the compa-ny to close Mexican plants.

Trump, a real estate developer whotakes office on Jan. 20, has repeatedlysingled out companies in the auto sectorand other industries for not doing moreto keep jobs in the United States.

Trump, a Republican, also criticizedToyota Motor Corp last week for shiftingproduction of its Corolla from Canada toMexico. The company has said there isno impact on US employment as a resultof the change. “It’s finally happening -Fiat Chrysler just announced plans toinvest $1BILLION in Michigan and Ohioplants, adding 2000 jobs,” Trump said in atweet yesterday. In a follow up tweet, headded: “Ford said last week that it willexpand in Michigan and US instead ofbuilding a BILLION dollar plant inMexico. Thank you Ford & Fiat C(hrysler).”

Ford announced on Monday it willbuild the Bronco SUV and Ranger pickupat its Wayne assembly plant but will shiftproduction of its Ford Focus car. Becauseof low demand, it will shift the Focus toan existing Mexican factory, rather thanto a new factory as was announced inApril. —Reuters

Trump praises Ford, Fiat Chrysler for US investments

DOHA: Qatar Airways’ popularTravel Festival is back and has beensignificantly enhanced for 2017,inviting world travellers to takeadvantage of a number of excep-tional deals across the airline’s glob-al network. Extraordinary deals canbe found on the World’s BestBusiness Class and Economy Class,along with special companion fares,discounts on group bookings and akids fly free offer on sale between 9and 16 January 2017.

The Qatar Airways Travel Festivalonline Treasure Hunt will also onceagain offer Qatar Airways’ millions ofsocial media followers the opportu-nity of searching for a zero fareGolden Ticket to one of the airline’sexciting global destinations, withclues being released via the airline’sFacebook, Instagram and Twitterpages throughout the sale period.

Qatar Airways passengers canchoose from even more excitingplaces to explore starting in 2017with the launch of new services toAuckland, New Zealand; Canberra,Australia; Dublin, Ireland; Las Vegas inthe United States, Rio de Janeiro,Brazil; Santiago, Chile; to name a few.Offers available throughout theTravel Festival are applicable onEconomy and Business Class returnairfares, with a travel period between11 January and 15 December 2017 tothe more than 150 destinationsworldwide, including the MiddleEast, Europe, East Asia, Asia Pacific,and Africa.

Passengers can explore Londonfrom KWD 135 per person, chase anendless summer in Europe withflights to Barcelona from KWD 129per person, or experience culture

like no other in the Far East withflights to Bangkok from KWD 107per person. Travellers can avail theexceptional promotion offers bybooking at qatarairways.com or bycontacting their nearest QatarAirways sales agent.

For the first time since starting thetravel festival, Qatar Airways has part-nered with leading global financialservices company, Visa, providing eli-gible card holders with discounts ofup to 15 per cent extra on flight

bookings. Travellers can also takeadvantage of the airline’s partnershipwith AccorHotels, receiving a 10 percent discount when booking accom-modation via the airline’s website.

Qatar Airways Chief CommercialOfficer, Dr. Hugh Dunleavy, said: “TheQatar Airways Travel Festival has fastbecome an exciting global eventthat offers great value and encour-ages our travellers to keep exploring;and I’m thrilled to be able to bring itback for its third installment. The

New Year is the perfect time to startthinking about travel plans for theyear ahead and the travel festivalallows travellers to take advantage ofa number of fantastic deals and pro-motions across our entire network atexceptional prices.

Free upgrades“Our guests also have the oppor-

tunity to enjoy free upgrades to ourBusiness Class or can benefit fromfurther discounts on group book-

ings - our travel festival is designedto encourage our valued guests togo places together and creatememories with those who theycherish the most.”

The airline’s Privilege Club mem-bers also have the opportunity toearn double Qmiles on bookingsmade throughout the promotionperiod, while travellers can also wina number of exciting prizes includ-ing upgrades to the World’s BestBusiness Class, Silver and Gold

Privilege Club memberships, up to100,000 Qmiles, access to Al MahaLounges, Qatar Duty Free vouchersas well as vouchers to The AirportHotel’s wellness spa inside HamadInternational Airport. Guests canalso take advantage of fantasticdeals on hotels and accommodationpackages in partnership with QatarAirways Holidays.

The Qatar Airways Travel Festivalprovides the perfect opportunity fortravellers to treat their nearest anddearest to award-winning servicewhen they go places together, withthe airline receiving a number ofaccolades in 2016. Qatar Airwayswas named Skytrax’s Best StaffService in the Middle East, World’sBest Business Class 2016 and BestBusiness Class Airline Lounge as wellas Best Business Class from BusinessTraveller Awards. The airline recentlyannounced a number of newenhancements to its cabin to ele-vate the passenger experience,including new BRICS and CastelloMonte Vibiano Vecchio amenity kitsfor Business Class passengers, andrefreshed Hasbro children’s enter-tainment kits for the airline’syoungest travellers.

Passengers taking advantage ofthe Qatar Airways Travel Festival areencouraged to turn two holidaysinto one by planning a stopover inDoha, with a new transit visascheme offering visitors a free tran-sit visa for up to 96 hours on yourway to or from your final destina-tion. Combine a quick visit to Doha,with its historic sites and five-starshopping and resorts, with a dreamholiday - only available to QatarAirways passengers.

Qatar Airways unveils biggest travel festival ever for 2017

Companion fares, kids fly free and other fantastic deals

KUWAIT: The days of easy oil extractionhave long since passed with an estimated13bn barrels of heavy crude oil to be foundin Kuwait’s oil fields. Central to the govern-ment’s oil strategy Project Kuwait, heavy oilreserves will be key to achieving the objec-tive of increasing oil production capacityto 4m barrels per day (bpd) by 2020. Crudeoil is and will remain the backbone ofKuwait ’s economy for the foreseeablefuture. The leading method of producingheavy oil is steam flooding, a type of ther-mal Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) whereheat is used to facilitate production of theviscous oil. In Kuwait, planned steam flood-ing projects will burn large volumes ofimported natural gas or other costly fuelsto produce steam, which will compromiseexport revenues and other gas dependentindustries. Furthermore, using these fuelsin the oil production process contributesheavily to carbon emissions and furtherincreases energy consumption.

At the same time, the country is mak-ing significant investments in growing itsrenewable energy portfolio. His Highness

The Amir of Kuwait has outlined his visionof achieving 10 percent of energy capaci-ty through renewables by 2020 and 15percent by 2030. Renewable energyinvestments and conventional oil produc-tion have always been seen at two com-peting and opposing ends of the energy

spectrum. However, to realize both TheAmir ’s vision and the goals of ProjectKuwait, the government must look to cut-ting edge technology and new initiativesin the conventional sec tor. The newinvestment trend of converging renew-able energy with conventional oil produc-tion is coming of age in many regionsaround the world and is now a mandatorymove for Kuwait to secure its future inboth oil and renewable sectors. This ideaof converging conventional and renew-ables may seem out of reach, but onelocal company has brought this capabilityto Kuwait.

Founded in 2009, GlassPoint is a leadingsupplier of solar energy solutions to the oiland gas industry worldwide. The company

created a novel concept to reduce the costof solar thermal energy needed by heavyoilfields, by bringing the solar collectorsinside a commercial greenhouse.GlassPoint’s solar EOR technology uses thesun’s energy to generate steam, reducing afield’s EOR gas consumption by up to 80percent.

Industry veteran Hussain Shehab is atthe helm of GlassPoint Kuwait and helpedthe company establish a local presenceback in 2014. “Using solar at large scale inthe oilfield gives Kuwait’s oil producers aneconomical and emissions-free alternativeto traditional steam flooding and empow-ers them to contribute to His Highness TheAmir ’s vision for renewable energy,”Shehab says.

Low costs“GlassPoint’s technology uses large mir-

rors to concentrate sunlight and boil waterdirectly into steam. Our mirrors areenclosed in commercial greenhouses, help-ing us reduce materials and keep costs low.This means a lot to producers especially inthe current economic climate,” addedShehab. GlassPoint’s innovation of bringingthe collectors inside the greenhouse elimi-nates wind load and protects from sandand other harsh desert conditions. It alsoenables the of use ultra-light weight, thinmirrors or reflectors, which are suspendedfrom the roof of the greenhouse using afraction of the raw materials compared tooutdoor solar thermal systems. This has aflow-on effect on cost reduction-from ship-

ping and installation costs, to using smaller,off-the-shelf motors and drive systems thatmove the mirrors to track the sun.GlassPoint ’s technology was designedspecifically for the oil and gas industry andhas been proven to work on oil fields in theUS and here in the Middle East.

The Sultanate of Oman’s largest oilproducer Petroleum Development Oman(PDO), Royal Dutch Shell and the StateGeneral Reserve Fund of Oman have allbacked GlassPoint and its solar oilfieldtechnology. A 7MWth pilot project hasbeen fully operational on PDO’s Amal oil-fields situated in the Omani desert since2013. The pilot was delivered safely, ontime and on budget, and exceeded allperformance targets even during severesandstorms.

Following the success of the pilot,GlassPoint was awarded the commercial-scale project Miraah in 2015 by PDO.Currently under construction, Miraah willbe one of the world’s largest solar plantsdelivering over one gigawatt of peak ther-mal energy, generating 6,000 tonnes ofsteam per day. Once complete, Miraah willsave one of Oman’s oil fields 5.6 trillionBritish Thermal Units (BTUs) of natural gasannually. This same amount of gas couldbe used to provide residential electricity to209,000 people. The project is also expect-ed to reduce carbon emissions by over300,000 tons annually, which is equivalentto taking 63,000 cars permanently off theroads. The benefits Miraah will bring toOman and its economy seem a natural fitfor Kuwait’s oil industry and to achievingrenewable targets.

“As we’ve proven in Oman, solar steamis a viable alternative to natural gas forEOR. This is especially relevant to Kuwaitbecause meeting Kuwait’s goals for heavyoil production will require burning morenatural gas than Kuwait currently burns forpower generation and is in contradictionto The Amir’s vision for a renewable energyfuture.” Shehab says. Given the ambitiousgoals set out to diversify the nation’s ener-gy mix, ensure energy security, and protectthe environment, there is no better time tostart than the present for Kuwait to look atalternative oil extraction methods likewhat GlassPoint offers.

GlassPoint Solar technology facilitates promising alliance

DETROIT: Ford Motor Co Executive Chairman Bill Ford (left) listens asPresident and Chief Executive Mark Fields speaks at the North AmericanInternational Auto show yesterday. —AP

Hussain Shehab

BU S INE S STUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

HONG KONG: World stock markets were mixedyesterday while the dollar regained somestrength after a US job report showed strongwage gains, giving more ammunition to US poli-cymakers planning further rate rises.

US stock indexes edged mostly lower in trad-ing yesterday, led by declines in energy compa-nies. Oil and gas companies fell the most as theprice of crude oil headed lower. Materials stocksnotched the biggest gain. Investors had their eyeon the latest company earnings and deal news.

KEEPING SCORE: The Dow Jones industrialaverage fell 52 points, or 0.3 percent, to 19,910as of 10:18 a.m. Eastern Time. The Standard &Poor’s 500 index slid 5 points, or 0.3 percent, to

2,271. The Nasdaq composite index rose 2points, or 0.1 percent, to 5,523.

OIL WOES: Rig operator Transocean slumped4.4 percent and Southwestern Energy fell 4 per-cent as the price of oil headed lower. Transoceanslipped 55 cents to $54.49, while SouthwesternEnergy was down 41 cents at $9.84.

DISSAPOINTING RESULTS: Acuity Brandsslumped 16 percent after the lighting makerreported quarterly results that fell well short ofwhat analysts were expecting. The stock lost$38.30 to $199.06.

STRONG QUARTER: Electronic payment pro-cessing company Global Payments climbed 6.8percent after it reported better-than-anticipated

quarterly results. The stock added $5.08 to $79.53. SOLD: Surgical Care Affiliates surged 15.9

percent after the surgical care center operatoragreed to be acquired by UnitedHealth for $2.3billion in cash and stocks. The deal comes asUnitedHealth, the nation’s biggest health insur-er, looks to expand its Optum health business.Shares in Surgical Care Affiliates added $7.74 to$56.49. UnitedHealth slipped $1.12, or 0.7 per-cent, to $161.29.

PHARMA DEAL: Merrimack Pharmaceuticalsjumped 12.5 percent on news the drugmaker isselling its first approved drug, a pancreatic cancertreatment called Onivyde, to French drugmakerIpsen in a deal worth at least $575 million.

Merrimack gained 45 cents to $4.05.PET PLAY: VCA vaulted 28.1 percent

after the pet health care company agreedto be acquired by food and drinks compa-ny Mars Inc. for around $7.7 billion. Thedeal also includes $1.4 billion in debt.Shares in VCA added $19.92 to $90.68.

In Europe, Germany’s DAX was down 0.5percent, while France’s CAC 40 was 0.7 per-cent lower. Britain’s FTSE 100 was up 0.4percent. Indexes in Asia were mixed. HongKong’s benchmark Hang Seng index rose0.3 percent, while South Korea’s Kospislipped 0.1 percent. Markets in Japan wereclosed for a holiday.

BONDS: Bond prices rose. The yield onthe 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.3Y per-cent from 2.42 percent late Friday.

ASIA’S DAY: Hong Kong’s benchmarkHang Seng index advanced 0.3 percent toclose at 22,558.69 while the ShanghaiComposite in mainland China rose 0.5 per-cent to 3,171.24. South Korea’s Kospislipped 0.1 percent to 2,048.78 whileAustralia’s S&P/ASX 200 jumped 0.9 per-cent to 5,807.40. Markets in Japan wereclosed for a holiday. Benchmarks inSoutheast Asia were mixed.

ANALYST VIEW: “US markets haveclosed off the first week of the year with asteady set of gains across sectors and the

same can be seen in most Asian markets,”said Jingyi Pan, market strategist at IG inSingapore. “With improving indicators inthe US and across Asia, we could see a sec-ond set of gains ... in this data-filled week.”

WEEK AHEAD: Potential market-mov-ing events this week include the release ofChina inflation and Japanese consumerconfidence figures today. On Wednesday,US President-elect Donald Trump hasscheduled a long-awaited news conferenceon his global business empire, thoughAsian markets won’t be able to react untilthe following day. Chinese trade data andUS retail sales numbers are due at the endof the week.

CHINA OUTFLOWS: Official datashowed that China’s foreign exchangereserves contracted in December for thesixth straight month, falling by $41 billionto just over $3 trillion according to thePeople’s Bank of China. The central banksaid Saturday its effort to stabilize the yuanwas a major reason for the drop in forexreserves. The latest figures underlineBeijing’s willingness to use its huge stock-pile of foreign currency to stabilize theyuan, which has been declining as resi-dents and companies send more moneyoverseas amid flagging confidence inChina’s economy. —AP

World stocks mixed after US data back Fed outlook

LONDON: The London stock marketreached another record high yesterdayas the pound slumped to the lowest lev-el in three months on Brexit concerns.At the same time, eurozone indiceswere down across the board, takingtheir cue from Wall Street, whichopened softer as it took a breather fromlast week’s gains, while the euro wassteady against the dollar.

London’s benchmark FTSE 100 indexreached an intra-day high of 7,239.26points in morning deals, extending arecord run higher that began ahead ofthe new year.

The pound tumbled yesterday afterBritish Prime Minister Theresa May insist-ed at the weekend that Britain wouldhave control over its borders after Brexit,suggesting she would be prepared toquit Europe’s trading zone to achieve it.“The latest slide has been in response tocomments from May at the weekend,when she said Britain’s exit negotiationswill ‘not be about keeping bits of mem-bership’,” said Fawad Razaqzada atForex.com

The pound dropped one cent againstthe dollar to $1.21 after May signaled inan interview with Sky News over theweekend that the UK is likely to leave thebloc’s single market in goods and servic-es. She said Britain won’t try to keep “bitsof membership” once it leaves. EU mem-bership guarantees free movement ofpeople, money, goods and servicesacross its 28 countries.

The British government is interestedin limiting immigration while retainingaccess to the EU market for its compa-nies. But the EU says Britain cannot pickand choose what parts of EU member-ship it keeps.

Some traders read May’s comments inthe interview to suggest she was pre-pared to pull Britain from the single mar-ket and have it trade with the EU as if itwere any other country outside Europe,without any form of privileged status.

May denied setting Britain on theroad to a “hard Brexit.” “I don’t acceptthe terms hard and soft Brexit,” shesaid. “What we’re doing is going to get(an) ambitious, good, best-possible

deal for Br i ta in .” The pound hasdropped almost a fifth against the dol-lar since the June 23 vote.

“May’s comments suggest it will be ahard exit from the EU, as Britain seeks tocontrol immigration and law-makingamong other things. Though the Brexitvote has only had a limited impact onthe economy thus far, the uncertaintycould weigh on business spending in themonths ahead,” he said. May’s commentscome as London prepares to invokeArticle 50, which starts a two-year count-down to Britain exiting the EuropeanUnion.

‘Back foot’ “Sterling is on the back foot yester-

day after Theresa May’s comments weretaken as a sign the UK governmentwould prioritize immigration controlsover single market access,” said NeilWilson, senior market analyst at ETXCapital trading group. “Domestic pop-ulist politics trumps the trade card fornow, it seems and that is weighing onthe pound, whilst simultaneously giv-ing another boost to the FTSE 100” andits listed multi-nationals including oilgiants BP and Shell.

Elsewhere yetserday, Asian stockmarkets climbed after a strong pre-weekend lead from New York wheretwo of the three main indices closedat record highs.

But Wall Street started the weekslightly weaker. “There’s lots of turbu-lence, which is contributing to the morecautious tone at the start of the week,”said Patrick O’Hare of Briefing, predictinga “period of consolidation.” Investors areupbeat that US President-elect DonaldTrump will introduce measures that willfire the world’s top economy.

Investors were looking ahead to aspeech by Federal Reserve boss JanetYellen on Friday, which would be poredover for clues about the bank’s outlookfor its next interest rate hike. WithTrump’s promises of big spending andtax cuts expected to fuel inflation, betsare on the Fed to hike rates at least threetimes this year, after December ’sincrease. — Agencies

London stock market hits record high on slumping pound

NEW YORK: Executives and guests of Pampa Energia, an Argentine electric company,photograph their colleagues during the opening bell of the New York StockExchange yesterday. — AP

LONDON: Mars Inc is buying pet hospitaloperator VCA Inc for $7.7 billion in a dealthat will tighten the Whiskas and Pedigreepet food maker’s grip on the pet care mar-ket. The deal will help privately held Mars,better known for candies such as M&M’sand Snickers, add about 800 pet hospitalsto its network of more than 900 clinics,which includes the 61-year-old Banfield pethospital chain.

The combination of Mars Petcare andVCA will dominate the veterinary careindustry in the United States, grabbing aneven bigger share of the nearly $4 billionglobal pet care market.

McLean, Virginia-based Mars is already

the biggest pet food company in the world -it held a quarter of the global pet food mar-ket as of 2015 - followed by Nestle SA, themaker of the Purina cat and dog food brand.Mars has been diversifying its business ascalorie-conscious consumers increasinglyshun chocolates and candies, a trend thathas weighed on the $183 billion global con-fectionery market. Rival Hershey Co is alsoexpanding beyond chocolates it boughtKrave, a beef jerky maker, in 2015, whileMondelez International Inc recently intro-duced Good Thins, its first snack brand inmore than a decade. Mars said it would offer$93 per share, a premium of 31.4 percent toVCA’s Friday closing price. — Reuters

Mars to buy pet healthcare provider VCA for $7.7bn

TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

B U S I N E S S

DETROIT: Germany’s auto industry yesterdayargued for freer trade within North Americaand between the United States and Europe, asglobal auto brands gathered to showcase theirwares in Detroit.

The plea at the opening of the annualDetroit auto show comes as auto makers bracefor continued confrontation with US President-elect Donald Trump, who has threatened toslap import tariffs on several major manufac-turers for selling Mexican-made cars on the USmarket. At a news conference at the start of theshow, Matthias Wissmann, head of Germanauto federation VDA, underscored that mem-ber companies, which include BMW,Volkswagen and Daimler, had quadrupled pro-duction in the US since 2009, producing850,000 vehicles in the United States in 2016.

“That is a clear commitment to the US as anindustrial location,” said Wissmann, reiteratingthe VDA’s favorable stance on free-trade. “Forus, the question of how Washington will valueglobalization in the future is particularly impor-tant,” he added, pointing to the NorthAmerican Free Trade Agreement, which linksMexico, Canada and the United States.

“It would certainly also be smart not to callthe absence of import duties within NAFTAinto question.” VDA members produced425,000 units in Mexico in 2016, according toWissmann.

Wissmann also said only 41 percent of USproduction by German automakers remained

in the United States, as the majority is forexport. “That means that just over half of thejobs that the German manufacturers have cre-ated here in their US plants depend onexports,” said Wissmann, who put the number

of US workers employed by German auto mak-ers and parts suppliers at 110,000.

Wissmann also noted that the proposedtrade pact with the European Union, theTransatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership

or TTIP, would allow US-built cars duty free intothe EU market. Near-term prospects for theadoption of the TTIP appear slim to nil, withtalks at a standstill and Trump showing nosign of changing his antipathy to such trade

deals. “We assume that the new administra-tion will aim to strengthen US industry,”Wissmann said. “We hope that the new presi-dent will be open to this trade-policy inter-est of his domestic industrial base.” —AFP

German auto industry pleads for free trade

DETROIT AUTO SHOW

DETROIT: President and CEO of Honda North America John Mendel stands next to the Honda Ridgeline afterwinning the truck of the year at the North American International Auto show yesterday in Detroit. —AP

DETROIT: Lincoln shows off the Navigator concept at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS)yesterday in Detroit, Michigan. —AFP

DETROIT: Audi of America displays the R8 V10 at the North AmericanInternational Auto Show (NAIAS) yesterday. —AFP

DETROIT: Audi of America displays their cars. —AFP

FRANKFURT AM MAIN: German car-maker Mercedes-Benz yesterday saidit had overtaken homegrown rivalBMW to deliver the most luxury vehi-cles of any manufacturer in 2016.

The Stuttgart-based firm soldalmost 2.1 million vehicles world-wide, marking growth of 11.3 percentcompared with 2015, parent compa-ny Daimler said in a statement. It wasthe first time Mercedes sold morethan two million vehicles in a year,allowing it to reclaim the top spot itlost to its Munich rival in 2005.

“Extraordinary growth, especiallyin China and Europe, has placed us atthe top in the luxury segment,”Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche said.Mercedes had achieved its best yearever by sales for the sixth time in arow, he added. China was a powerfulgrowth market, with Mercedes boost-ing sales there by 26.6 percent overthe year.

While the group also saw double-digit sales growth in Europe, adding12.4 percent, US business shrankslightly by 0.8 percent. Daimler alsoreported best-ever sales for its Smartcompact car, which added 21 percentcompared with 2015 to hit 144,500vehicles sold worldwide.

BMW is set to release its figuresfor the full year 2016 later yesterday.But data issued in December showedthat in the first 11 months of the year,the Munich-based manufacturer soldjust over 1.8 million vehicles — 5.6percent higher than in 2015, but wellshort of Mercedes’ full-year total.

Meanwhile, Volkswagen’s luxurybrand Audi reported yesterday thatit had sold 1.87 million vehicles in2016, up 3.8 percent on the previ-ous year but likely relegating it tothird place.

The Ingolstadt-based firm suffered“strong headwinds from many impor-tant markets,” board memberDietmar Voggenreiter acknowledged.Some Audi cars were among theVolkswagen vehicles affected by the‘dieselgate’ scandal, which saw theauto giant admit to building devicesdesigned to cheat regulatory emis-sions tests into 11 million vehiclesworldwide. —AFP

Mercedes claims luxury pole position over BMW German firm sells 2.1 million vehicles worldwide in 2016

DETROIT: Media examine the 2018 Lexus LS Sedan at its reveal at the 2017 North AmericanInternational Auto Show yesterday. —AFP

Airbus may post 8% risein 2016 deliveries

DETROIT: Fresh off a record year for US auto sales, car-makers meet in Detroit next week to show buyers what’scoming next - and ponder their own future under aTrump administration.

More than 40 new vehicles will debut at the NorthAmerican International Auto Show, which is one of thelargest shows in the US After record sales of 17.55 millionin 2016, US sales of new cars and trucks are expected tocool off a little this year, but demand remains strong.

Even if they can count on US buyers, automakers aren’tsure what to make of President-elect Donald Trump. Trumphas criticized Ford, General Motors and Toyota for makingvehicles in Mexico and exporting them to the US. He isthreatening a 35-percent border tax, which could throwthe industry into disarray. But automakers are also hopefulthat Trump will lower corporate taxes and loosen fueleconomy standards and other regulations.

“It is the year of unknowns,” said Michelle Krebs, a sen-ior analyst with the car-buying site Autotrader.com. Here’swhat to look for at the Detroit show, which is open to thepublic from Jan. 14-22.

BIG DEBUTS: New versions of some important prod-ucts will debut at the show. Toyota will show off the newCamry sedan, which has been the best-selling car in the US

since 2002, and Honda will pull the wraps off the newOdyssey minivan. Americans are increasingly favoringSUVs over cars, and automakers are scrambling to meetthat demand. GM will have new versions of its popularGMC Terrain and Chevrolet Traverse SUVs. Nissan will showa smaller version of its Rogue SUV, while Volkswagen willhave a stretched version of its Tiguan. Even Chineseautomaker GAC Group, which doesn’t yet sell vehicles inthe US, will be showing off an SUV. As usual, there will besome surprises. Kia is teasing a high-performance sportscar and Ford - which shocked the show with its GT last year- is mum on its plans.

MOBILITY BUZZ: Seismic changes are coming to theauto industry in the form of car-sharing and self-drivingvehicles. Carmakers are trying to get on board. For thefirst time, a convention dedicated to mobility will run dur-ing the auto show press days. Dubbed Automobili-D, theevent will feature booths from more than 100 tech start-ups, auto suppliers and carmakers with innovations likecar seats that can sense when you’re drowsy and softwarethat can navigate the car in stop-and-go traffic. Waymo -Google’s self-driving car project - will kick off the event byshowing its new autonomous minivan developed withFiat Chrysler. —AP

PARIS: Airbus is set to post an 8 percent risein deliveries for 2016, beating expectations,after a sprint to the finish line that narrowedthe gap with arch-rival Boeing, according toindustry experts and records of aircraftmovements. The European planemaker wasforced to sharply accelerate deliveries inDecember to meet its target after produc-tion problems earlier in the year.

It delivered over 100 jets last month, aReuters analysis of flight-tracking data sup-plied by FlightRadar24, unofficial airportdata and plane-watcher reports suggests,lifting its 2016 tally well above 680 includ-ing 60 of the delayed A320neo. One indus-try expert estimated the total as high as688, well above the company’s informal tar-get of more than 670.

Airbus remains in second place behindBoeing, but its upward trajectory contrastswith the 2 percent drop in 2016 deliveriesreported by its US nemesis last week, to748 planes.

The higher-than-expected Airbus per-formance, up from 635 in 2015, is also thelatest evidence that planemakers areboosting deliveries to whittle down recordorder backlogs and hoard cash as they facewarnings of slowing demand later thisdecade. Boeing temporarily slowed outputlast year for industrial reasons but, likeAirbus, plans further output increases.

An Airbus spokesman declined to com-ment. The European planemaker is keepingoperational data tightly under wraps aheadof its annual news conference onWednesday.

Airbus’s December deliveries would seta monthly record for the company, beatingthe previous peak by more than a quarter.The gap between Christmas and New Year,traditionally a groggy period for Europeanindustry, saw a record burst of activity atAirbus plants in France and Germany andincluded one of its busiest ever days witheight jets flying away on Dec. 29.

“I was amazed,” said a veteran of suchoperations. Aiming to stay ahead of Boeingin the race for new orders, rather thandeliveries where it lags, Airbus may bookfor December at least part of a recent orderfor 100 jets from Iran and tie up loose endsincluding completing a deal with India’sGoAir. It may also announce a significantorder from Saudi carrier flynas.

Airbus needs to announce at least 259orders for December to beat Boeing’s 2016total of 668. With outspoken sales chiefJohn Leahy expected to retire in the secondhalf of this year, Airbus is looking to end2016 with a flourish, though analysts sayprices could suffer due to weakening glob-al economies.

CASH GENERATIONAirbus delivered at least 70 A320-family

narrow-body jets in December, accordingto the sources and data, also a record.These included at least 17 of the newA320neo, whose ramp-up had been dis-rupted by delays in receiving new fuel-sav-ing engines from Pratt & Whitney. Thatbrought 2016 deliveries of narrow-bodyjets - the most cash-generating models - toover 540. It also delivered more than 140wide-bodies. Airbus expected to delivermore than 670 aircraft in 2016, unofficiallyrevised up from 650 in October. It is accel-erating deliveries of the existing A320 tokeep cash pouring in from airlines while itadopts a more conservative timeframe forthe switchover to the A320neo.

Narrow-body deliveries generate cashfor other developments and are increasing-ly vital as demand for larger wide-body air-craft suffers from a looming capacity glut.Experts say the delays in A320neo deliver-ies have masked some pressure on demandfor those models too, caused by low oilprices that can make earlier versions just asattractive. On its other main profit-driver,Airbus delivered over 62 long-haul A330s in2016, according to the estimates.

But it was forced to step up customerfinancing to maintain that pace as majorcustomer Turkey faced turmoil after a failedcoup and as European states withheldexport credits in a row over Airbus pay-ments to sales agents. Airbus itself provid-ed the financing for all seven new TurkishAirlines A330s in 2016, industry sources say.

Despite separate delays due to short-ages of cabin equipment, Airbus unex-pectedly hit a target for at least 50 deliver-ies of the newer A350 after 16 inDecember, sources said last week. Thatincludes one or two jets paid for but notyet in operation.

The rush to get planes away extendedto the mammoth A380 as Airbus deliveredseven in December, including three in twodays to dominant customer Emirates. Thatbrought the annual total to 28, up onefrom the previous year and enough tokeep Europe’s troubled superjumbo proj-ect at breakeven in 2016. However, it plansto cut A380 output from next year afterdemand sagged for the world’s largestfour-engined jets.

The program took another blow in lateDecember when Dubai-based Emirates,under pressure from the impact of low oilprices on Gulf economies, delayed some2017 deliveries. That could put the iconicdouble-decker plane back into loss in2017, marring celebrations for its 10 yearsin service. —Reuters

Google, Camry and the shadow of Trump

b u s i n e s sTUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

KUWAIT: NBK Personal Banking ServicesDeputy General Manager MohammedAl-Othman said that local banks arecapable of facing credit declines espe-cially in personal loans with the help ofspecial packages that could attract newclients, focus on mega projects and geo-graphical expansion in various markets.

Speaking to trainees attending NBK’straining course organized for economicsreporters in various audio-visual media,

Al-Othman said that NBK was keen onimplementing the regulations andguidelines issued by the central bankregarding personal loans.

He also discussed the new regula-tions issued in this regard. The trainingcourse was launched on October 22 andis scheduled to last till April.

Al-Othman said NBK launched specialservices for people with special needs byproviding special ATM machines with

vocal instructions. He also noted thatsome employees received special train-ing on using sign language and printingforms with Braille language and ATMcards with clients’ photos.

Al-Othman said NBK operates thelargest network of branches in Kuwaitwith 68 branches and 270 ATM machines,over 1600 employees and over a millionclients. “Some clients are the fourth gen-eration of our clients”, he pointed out.

NBK holds training course

for economics journalists

KUWAIT: As a part of its policy tofrequently visit and follow up theprojects marketed by the Groupand to ensure that such projectshave been or are executed accord-ing to the agreed standards, WaleedAl-Qaddoumi, Managing Director ofTop Real Estate Group andMohamed Farghaly, the Group’sExective manager have recently vis-ited the projects located in theTurkish Republic, which are promot-ed by the Group.

The visit covered the regions ofIstanbul, Bodrum and Kusadasi. Al-Qaddoumi expressed his full satis-faction with the progress of theprojects under construction, which,will be delivered on time. The visitalso included a meeting with anumber of the Company’s clientswho took over their residentialapartments in several projects,notably Terrace Tema and TerraceMix, which were executed by

Inanlar Real Estate DevelopmentCompany. On the other hand, thecustomers expressed their satisfac-tion with the projects quality andvariety of services offered thereinwith utmost happiness to have aproperty in Turkey.

Al-Qaddoumi stated that Inanlarprojects have significantly attractedcustomers from Kuwait, Qatar andSaudi Arabia where Top Real EstateGroup managed to market and sellthe largest proportion in these proj-ects due to its great confidence inthe developer who executes theprojects according to the highestengineering standards. Their proj-ects offer high quality and commit-ment to high-end distinctive finish-ing in those projects. Al-Qaddoumiadded: Furthermore, confidence inthe Turkish real estate market is acritical factor, which enabled theGroup to market the largest num-ber of units despite negative events

that took place during 2016 inTurkey or other regions of theworld. Such events had impact onthe performance of various sectorsincluding real estate industry, whichwitnessed slowdown and decline insales in the majority of world coun-tries including Turkey. AlQaddoumiadded that the events that tookplace in Turkey such as failed coupattempt, terrorist acts in severalareas or the decline the Turkish cur-rency etc., did not hinder the eco-nomic and urban activity in thecountry, and did not limit thedemand for acquisition of propertyin Turkey. Confidence in Turkey’seconomic and political potentialand its ability to overcome adversityand hardships enhanced the contin-uing attraction of different seg-ments of investors, particularly inthe real estate sector.

Al-Qaddoumi added that theGroup is currently doing highly suc-

cessful business with InanlarCompany over the past five yearsand continues to promote theCompany’s projects in Kuwait, Qatarand a number of Arab countries.There comes on the top of suchprojects the Terrace Lotus Projectlocated in Beylikduzu, Istanbul. Headded that the project offers uniqueprime location on E-65 Highway,which provides easy transportationwhere it is possible to access themain education, health and shop-ping centers within few minutes. Hepointed out that the project is locat-ed just 10 minute drive from AtaturkAirport, 3 minutes from TIMHighway, 6 minutes from Edo NavalBus Station and 15 minutes from theMarmara. The distance will also beonly minutes from the new under-ground station, which is set to becompleted in 2019.

Al-Qaddoumi added that TerraceLotus apartments, which are locat-ed in the most expensive and mostbeautiful sites in the area, have dif-ferent sizes ranging from 90 to 240square meters. The project compris-es 40 floor at height of 150 meters.The project has 149 residential unitsand 44 retail shops in the shoppingmall. Apartment spaces vary from 1,2, 3 or 4 bedrooms with prices start-ing from TL 567 thousand. Theadvance payment is 20% and theprogress payment is 20% while theremaining amount will be paid in 40monthly installments. The project isset to be completed by Q4 in 2017with estimates and projections thatthere will be an increase of 40% inthe property value upon comple-tion of the project implementation.

On the other hand, Al-Qaddoumisaid that the Group would offer alimited number of units in theTerrace Mix and Terrace Tema proj-ects, which are ready for immediateoccupation with payment facilitiesup to 24 months. Al-Qaddoumi stat-ed that the acquisition in Turkeyremains a demand by investorsseeking to utilize the promisingopportunities offered by the realestate market, particularly at thepresent period as the Turkish Lirahave been declining against theKuwaiti Dinar, which constitutes agreat benefit for the buyers.

Investor-demand prompts Top Real

Estate Group acquisitions in Turkey

Al-Qaddoumi sees opportunities in Turkey property market

Serdar Inan, Inanlar owner explains to Al-Qadddoumi the stages of construction in the TerraceLotus Project in the presence of Farghali and Gulson.

DETROIT: Fiat Chrysler representative Tim Kuniskis addresses the mediaafter the Pacifica minivan from Fiat Chrysler won utility vehicle of the year atthe North American International Auto show yesterday. —AP

WASHINGTON: Fiat Chrysler on Sundayannounced it was creating 2,000 jobs in theUnited States, coming as President-electDonald Trump has been publicly scoldingautomakers for investing in Mexico. TheAmerican-Italian firm will invest $1 billionby 2020 in two of its factories in theMidwestern states of Michigan and Ohio,where the new jobs will be based, the com-pany said in a statement coming on the eveof the Detroit auto show.

The Warren Truck Assembly Plant inMichigan will produce the Jeep Wagoneerand Grand Wagoneer, as well as the Ramheavy duty truck which is currently pro-duced in Mexico, the company said.

The Toledo Assembly Complex in Ohiowill build a new Jeep pickup truck. “FCA USis further demonstrating its commitment tostrengthening its US manufacturing base,”it said, adding that it has created 25,000jobs in the country since 2009.

Trump, who campaigned on promisesof creating industrial jobs in the Americanheartland, took to Twitter this past weekto blast automakers with operations orplans to build plants in Mexico. Heslammed General Motors for making someof its Chevy Cruze models south of theborder, and Toyota, which is building anew plant there.

Today, US automaker Ford announced itwas scrapping construction of a $1.6 billionplant in Mexico to instead invest in theUnited States and create 700 jobs, citing a“vote of confidence” in the economic agen-

da of the incoming president. Fiat Chryslerso far has escaped Trump’s Twitter wrath,but it ’s due to start importing JeepCompass models from Mexico as soon asthis month.

The company was rebuilt in 2009 afterits predecessor the Chrysler Group wentbankrupt and required a federal bailout tostay in business. It has three manufacturingsites in Mexico-in Toluca, Ramos Arizpe andSaltillo-where it produces pickups as wellas the Fiat Fremont and the Fiat 500.

Other auto groups have preemptivelysaid they will be flexible in the new era ofAmerican politics.

“We are pragmatic, we will adapt toany situation,” said the chief of theRenault-Nissan alliance, Carlos Ghosn,speaking at the Consumer ElectronicsShow in Las Vegas.

In December, American air conditionermanufacturer Carrier backed off a plannedtransfer of 1,000 jobs to the Mexico, after adeal with Trump-and for $7 million in taxcuts.

Mexico’s relatively low wages, its prox-imity to the US market and the free tradedeals the country has with 46 countriesmake it attractive to foreign investors.

The main pact is the North AmericanFree Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that Mexicoenacted with the United States and Canadain 1994. During the campaign Trumprelentlessly attacked NAFTA, promising torenegotiate or withdraw from the agree-ment all together. —AFP

Fiat Chrysler announces

creation of 2,000 US jobs

KUWAIT: Gulf Bank held its Al-Danah daily draws on 8 January2017 announcing the names of itswinners for the week of 2 January- 5 January 2017. The Al-Danahdaily draws include draws eachand every working day for twoprizes of KD 1,000 per winner.

The winners are: (Monday 2/1): Ibrahim Ahmad

Ibrahim Al-Rashed, AbdulredhaAbdullah Ali Ashkanani

(Tuesday 3/1): Khalid FahadAbdullah Al-Raqem, AbdullahJasem Mohammed Al-Durea

( Wednesday 4/1): KhalifaMohammed Ibrahim Al-Baloushi,Ahmad Hussain Ahmad Bahrouh

(Thursday 5/1): Waleed HamadMohammed Al-Sumait, FahadNasser Fahad Al-Mutawa

Gulf Bank’s Al-Danah 2017draw lineup includes daily draws(2 winners per working day eachreceive KD1000). Al-Danah’s 1stQuarterly draw for the prize ofKD200,000 will be held on 30March, the 2nd quarterly draw forthe prize of KD250,000 will beheld on 29 June and the 3rd quar-terly draw for the prize ofKD500,000 will be held on 28September.

The final Al-Danah draw forKD1 million will be held on 11January, 2018 whereby the Al-Danah millionaire will beannounced.

Five reasons why the Al-Danahaccount is the best:1) Kuwait’s single biggest yearly

cash prize of KD 1 million2) Kuwait’s biggest quarterly cash

prizes, up to KD500,000 3) Two winners of KD1,000 every

working day4) The most chances to win5) Only Bank that transfers your

chances to win from year toyearOnly Al-Danah makes million-

aires. Al-Danah also offers a number

of unique services including: theAl-Danah Deposit Only ATM cardwhich helps account holdersdeposit their money at their con-venience; as well as the Al-Danahcalculator to help customers cal-culate their chances of becomingan Al-Danah winner.

Gulf Bank’s Al-Danah account isopen to Kuwaiti and non-Kuwaitiresidents of Kuwait. Customerswho open an account and/ordeposit more will enter the drawwithin two days. To take part inthe Al-Danah 2017 upcomingquarterly and yearly draws, cus-tomers must have an Al-Danahaccount containing at least KD200; customers can visit one ofGulf Bank’s 56 branches, transferon line, or call the CustomerContact Center on 1805805 forassistance and guidance.

DETROIT: The Volkswagen executive who oncewas in charge of complying with US emissionsregulations has been arrested in connection withthe company’s emissions-cheating scandal, a per-son briefed on the matter said yesterday.

Oliver Schmidt, who was general manager ofthe engineering and environmental office for VWof America, was arrested during the weekend inthe federal criminal investigation, said the per-son, who didn’t want to be identified becausethey are not authorized to speak on the case.

Schmidt is the second VW employee to bearrested as the probe led by the US Attorney’sOffice in Detroit continues. The New York Timesreported that he’s expected to be arraignedMonday on a conspiracy charge in a federalcourtroom in Detroit.

Schmidt’s bio for a 2012 auto industry confer-ence said Schmidt was responsible for ensuringthat vehicles built for sale within the US andCanada comply with “past, present and future airquality and fuel economy government standardsin both countries.” It says he served as the com-pany’s direct factory and government agencycontact for emissions regulations.

Volkswagen has admitted that it programmeddiesel-powered vehicles to turn pollution con-trols on during tests and turn them off in real-world driving. The scandal has cost VW sales andhas tarnished its brand worldwide. A lawsuit filedlast year by the New York state attorney generalsaid that Schmidt “played an important role” inconcealing the deception from regulators.

Volkswagen said in a statement yesterday thatit is cooperating with the Justice Department inthe probe. “It would not be appropriate to com-ment on any ongoing investigations or to discusspersonnel matters,” the statement said. A mes-sage was left Monday for a Justice Departmentspokeswoman in Detroit. Peter Carr, a Justicespokesman in Washington, did not immediatelyreturn an email seeking comment. Herbert Diess,a member of Volkswagen AG’s board of manage-ment, appeared in Detroit Sunday evening to

introduce a new version of VW’s Tiguan SUVahead of the North American International AutoShow. He wouldn’t comment when asked if someVolkswagen executives refused to come to theauto show for fear of being arrested.

“I’m here, at least,” he said.Asked about the Justice Department investi-

gation, Diess also wouldn’t comment, but said hehopes it’s resolved “as soon as possible.”

The company has agreed to either repair thecars or buy them back as part of a $15 billion set-tlement approved by a federal judge in October.Volkswagen agreed to pay owners of 2-literdiesels up to $10,000 depending on the age oftheir cars. In October, VW engineer James RobertLiang, of Newbury Park, California, pleaded guiltyto one count of conspiracy to defraud the gov-ernment and agreed to cooperate with investiga-tions in the U.S. and Germany. Liang was the firstperson to enter a plea in the wide-ranging case,and authorities were expected to use him to goafter higher-ranking VW officials.

A grand jur y indic tment against L iangdetailed a 10-year conspiracy by Volkswagenemployees in the US and Germany to repeatedlydupe US regulators by using sophisticated emis-sions software. The indictment detailed e-mailsbetween Liang and co-workers that initiallyadmitted to cheating in an almost cavalier man-ner but then turned desperate after the decep-tion was uncovered.

Tests commissioned by the nonprofitInternational Council on Clean Transportation in2014 found that certain Volkswagen models withdiesel engines emitted more than the allowablelimit of pollutants. More than a year later,Volkswagen admitted to installing the softwareon about 500,000 2-liter diesel engines in VWand Audi models in the US Later the companysaid some 3-liter diesels also cheated.

The Environmental Protection Agency foundthat the 2-liter cars emitted up to 40 times thelegal limit for nitrogen oxide, which can causehuman respiratory problems. —AP

Gulf Bank announces

winners of Al-Danah

daily draws

2nd VW employee arrested

over emissions scheme

Venezuela

boosts minimum

wage by 50%

CARACAS: Embattled President NicolasMaduro on Sunday raised the minimum wageby 50 percent in Venezuela, a country withastronomical inflation. Maduro said he wasraising the minimum wage to 40 bolivars,about 60 dollars at the highest officialexchange rate, or $12 on the black market.

“To get the year started, I have decidedto raise the minimum wage,” the presidentsad on his weekly show on state television.The wage comes with an additional foodbonus of about 93 dollars, which did notchange. Venezuela grapples with theworld’s highest inflation rate-set to hit 475percent this year, according to theInternational Monetary Fund.

As the Latin American country floundersthrough a devastating economic crisis, infla-tion has gutted the value of the bolivar.

Venezuela has been rocked by low pricesfor its key export, oil. Now in its third year ofa deep recession, it is facing severe short-ages of food, medicine and basic house-hold goods.

Maduro blames the crisis on a “capitalistconspiracy” backed by the United States. Hisopponents say it was caused by the failure of18 years of leftist policies under Maduro andChavez.

Nearly 80 percent of Venezuelans disap-prove of Maduro’s leadership, according to arecent survey by polling firm Datanalisis. —AFP

TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

T E C H NOLO G Y

DUBAI: Canon Europe, leader in imag-ing, celebrates a significant milestone forone of its core sustainability pro-grammes, Miraisha, as it reaches its two-year anniversary. The programme, whichis run closely with Canon Central & NorthAfrica, has trained over 2,500 partici-pants since its inception in 2014, aims topromote job opportunities in Africa byoffering workshops to photographers,videographers, film-makers and printbusiness owners.

Miraisha, which means future liveli-hood - ‘Mirai’ being future in Japaneseand ‘Maisha’ being livelihood in Swahili -provides people with the skills to devel-op their careers in professional photog-raphy or print by utilising Canon’s coreexpertise in imaging and its network ofprofessionals. Initiatives range from fash-ion and street photography classes tofilmmaking workshops and print trainingfor SMEs.

Stuart Poore, Director ofSustainability at Canon Europe com-mented, “The Miraisha programme trulyembodies our corporate philosophy ofKyosei: living and working together forthe common good. In just two years, ithas already achieved impressive resultsand had a major impact on the lives andbusinesses of participants - more than140 photographers have received workwith a paid commission and more than20 have received awards and recognition

for their work. Print shop owners havealso benefited, for example, one has wona contract from a large African Bank, cit-ing the training from Canon being a win-ning factor for them. We are absolutelydedicated to the Miraisha programmeand look forward to carrying out manymore seminars, workshops, training andmentorships in the future.”

A summary of key initiatives from theprogramme so far include:

• Ghanaian Professional PrintExcellence Training

-Canon is currently working with localbusiness partner, MFI Ghana, and not-for-profit organisation, Invest in Africa, to

deliver training to 22 local ProfessionalPrinters in the Accra region. The trainingfocuses on improving the entrepreneur-ial, business management and technicalskills of employees, helping local SMEsmeet the print demands of multinationalcompanies active in Ghana, who mayotherwise have looked outside of thearea.

• Photography workshops withCanon Master, Gary Knight - the worldrenowned photojournalist has run anumber of workshops in Kenya andNigeria, to not only train, teach andmentor, but build and bring together acommunity of photographers in Africa.

Among the 57 participants who havetaken part in the workshops, many havehad stories published in magazines andnewspapers including, Vogue Italiaonline and The Standard (Kenya). Onestudent won the Discovery Award attheRecontres d’Arles 2016 for her proj-ect, ‘Stranger in a Familiar Land’.

• Film and Photography ExcellenceProgramme in partnership with KenyattaUniversity-Canon will work closely withKenyatta University as part of a three-year partnership, delivering practical andtheoretical training to students througha structured photography and film pro-gramme. Students are able to experi-

ence hands-on time with the latestequipment during the intensive trainingsessions.

• Film and Photography ExcellenceProgramme in partnership with NAFTI -Canon and the National Film and TVInstitute, Ghana (NAFTI), agreed to athree-year partnership, with the goal ofcreating new and rewarding careers forcreative young professionals. IsaacYeboath, a student who took part in arecent workshop said, “It pays to stayabreast with leading standards andchampions, especially in a fast changingfield such as photography - this work-shop was perfect for just that!”

Canon celebrates anniversary of Miraisha sustainability programme in Africa

LAS VEGAS: As technology caters to anever-younger crowd, developers are creat-ing new tools for infants and their parents,and even aiming at the yet-to-be born. TheConsumer Electronics Show, which conclud-ed Sunday, had a “baby tech” zone whichincluded an array of gadgetry for new par-ents and those expecting to be. Californiastartup Hatch Baby showed its changingtable that automatically weighs the babyand keeps track of diaper changes to helpmonitor infant health.

The company also showcased its homeultrasound device that allows expectantparents to see the baby in utero and shareimages over social networks. Anotherexhibitor, Bloomlife, will rent a sensor whichattaches to the mother’s belly to monitorcontractions. Bloomlife’s Angela Sylcott saidsome expectant mothers use the device inthe final weeks of pregnancy to know whento go to the hospital, but that it can also beuseful for “moms who have a history ofpreterm labor or a medical condition.”

Technology is also looking to shake upthe breast pump industry. Naya Health’ssmart pump, said founder Jeff Alvarez, wasdeveloped when his wife was having trou-ble producing milk. “We knew there was anopportunity,” he said. It can help workingmothers, for example, produce a supply ofmilk in advance of a business trip, he noted.Alvarez said the device helps a womanrelax, enabling her to produce more, andmonitors production via a mobile applica-tion. A “wearable” pump developed by start-up Willow puts the pump directly in the bra,with wireless controls.

Engineer Shannon Kozin said the deviceis “mobile and completely hands free,”allowing women to go about their normallives while they are producing milk andavoid bathroom breaks. “It brings dignityand humanity” to the process, she said. Thezone also showed a variety of sensors thatparents can use to monitor a baby’s vitalsigns.

Happiest Baby, founded by the author ofearly childhood books Harvey Karp, pro-duces its Snoo bed which is equipped withmicrophones so that parents can hear thebaby’s crying and offering calming noises tohelp lull the infant back to sleep. The bed is“one little attempt to give parents a bitmore sleep,” Karp said. — AFP

DUBAI: A survey conducted by Kaspersky Laband B2B International has uncovered thatbanks and payment organizations are findingit difficult to manage online financial fraud intoday’s connected and complex technologi-cal landscape. Over a third (38%) of organiza-tions admit that it is increasingly hard to tellwhether a transaction is fraudulent or gen-uine. The explosive growth of e-payments,combined with new technological develop-ments and shifting business needs, has forcedcompanies to enhance the effectiveness oftheir business processes in recent years. Inmany cases, this has been achieved by imple-menting e-flow systems for interacting withsuppliers and clients etc. E-payments of alltypes have become so ubiquitous today thatit is absolutely impossible for businesses tocompletely avoid electronic transactions ofany kind. As companies become increasinglyimmersed in digital environments, ensuringbusiness continuity and protecting them-selves against cyber threats will be crucial. Asthe number of online transactions increases,so does the level of online fraud, with 50% offinancial services organizations surveyedbelieving online financial fraud is increasing.It is clear that financial institutions need tomake every effort to protect their businessand customers from cybercriminals.

The survey showed that 41% of businesseshave implemented an in-house cyber securitysolution and 45% rely on a third-party solu-tion from their bank, to mitigate the risks.Still, 46% of companies have either only par-tially implemented a solution against finan-cial fraud, or have not implemented one at all.Among financial organizations, only 57%have a dedicated anti-fraud security solution.

According to these findings, about half ofthe organizations operating in the electronicpayments landscape use non-specialist solu-tions, which, according to statistics, are unreli-able against fraud, and show a high percent-age of false positives. The incorrect use ofsecurity systems can also lead to transactionsbeing blocked. It should also be noted thatthe deviation of payments may lead to a lossof customers and, ultimately, profits. This istherefore a critical issue for every business.Fraud itself is not only problem, financialinstitutions need to reduce the number offalse alarms in their systems, to provide thebest customer service possible.

“Considering the aggressive competitionin today’s fierce financial services market andthe extreme disruption from non-traditionalproviders, a trusted relationship between cus-tomers and their financial institutions is a deci-sive factor for the long-term prosperity of anycompany. The interdependence of the digitalrelationships between all financial servicesmarket players also means that if any organiza-tion in the value chain experiences a digitalservice issue (whether due to fraud, breach,cyber-attack, etc.) , the damage can quicklyspread to the other organizations in that digi-tal financial service value chain. As the alreadyhigh volume of customer demand for onlinetransactions continues to increase, all compa-nies (its customer facing digital platforms,infrastructure, data, and employees) should besecure, convenient, and prepared. It’s crucial,therefore, to use specialized fraud preventionsolutions that will provide customers with themost convenient and safest service possible,”comments Ross Hogan, Kaspersky Lab GlobalHead of Fraud Prevention.

LAS VEGAS: Here are some key highlights ofthe 2017 International Consumer ElectronicsShow, which concluded Sunday:

ALEXA EVERYWHERE Amazon’s virtual assistant Alexa was the sur-

prise star of the show, with dozens of new prod-ucts and services integrating the voice-accessedmachine smarts into appliances, TVs, speakers,lamps, cars and more. Analysts said the gainsfor Alexa could help unify a fragmented marketfor connected devices, and bring artificial intelli-gence to more people, from young to old.

ROBOTS WITH CHARACTER Robots showed off new skills and “personali-

ty.” Hanson Robotics unveiled its life-like“Professor Einstein,” which has realistic facialexpressions and can engage in informative con-versations such as lessons in math and science.Other robots acquired intelligence from theinternet cloud, giving them the ability to chatperson-style and tend to monitoring homes orother tasks. A robot from Taiwan played chess-moving pieces against human opponents-toshowcase how able it was at making sense ofwhat it “sees.”

CARS GET MORE AUTONOMY (AND FASTER) The secretive electric car startup Faraday

Future, backed by a Chinese billion, showed itsfirst production car, the FF91, aimed at takingon Tesla. The company showed how fast it canaccelerate-getting to 60 mph (100 kph) in 2.39seconds-and began taking pre-orders for 2018.The other major car-makers were not idling,instead showcasing moves toward autonomousdriving, electric power, and better connections-including integrating with smart home systems.

THINNER, SMARTER TVS LG Electronics showed off a “wallpaper” thin

television, while rivals Sony and Samsungunveiled technology for more realistic displays.A push was on to entice people with 4K ultra-rich screens. Sales of televisions globally havebeen slipping, a seeming result of viewersturning to smartphones, tablets, and comput-ers for video, according to the US ConsumerTechnology Association trade group behindCES. Those who do buy televisions, however,are expected to prefer high-definition models.

SMARTPHONES NOT DISAPPEARING CES featured a surprising number of smart-

phone launches, including one from Taiwan’sAsus that can use Google’s Project Tango 3Dtechnology and virtual and augmented reality.This came as the industry prepared to markthe 10th anniversary of the launch of theiPhone on January 9 and with some partici-pants noting that much of the industryrevolves around the smartphone.

New mid-range handsets were unveiledby South Korea’s LG, China’s ZTE andHuawei, which also revealed its ambition fora greater share of the US market by launch-

ing its flagship large-screen handset.

VIRTUAL REALITY While not appearing ready for prime time,

virtual reality sought its stride at the show.Show floor space devoted to virtual reality

abounded with companies diving into the mar-ket with headsets, content, or tools for bettercreating or delivering immersive experiences.Taiwan-based HTC announced initiatives aimedat getting developers to create more VR experi-ences and unveiled plans for arcades in publicvenues so more people could give it a try. Vive isup against PlayStation VR and Facebook-ownedOculus Rift. Each company has been wooingsoftware developers and refining its hardwareto better entice users.— AFP

KUWAIT: In its efforts of fueling digital transfor-mation in the region, Microsoft has launchedAzure Skills - Cloud related trainings and certifi-cation offers for IT Professionals across theCountry. With the aim of increasing adoption fornew Cloud technologies, the Azure Skills pro-gram will help participants advance their techni-cal acumen on Cloud; driving true digital trans-formation and contributing to the country’sinnovation, economic competitiveness, andsmart initiatives.

IDC forecasts that by 2020, more than one inthree IT positions will be cloud related.Moreover, the research reveals that the availabili-ty and skill level of Cloud professionals have adirect impact on businesses. While IT employ-ment worldwide will grow about 4% every yearfrom 2015 to 2020, all of that growth will occurin cloud-related positions. Azure training andcertification offers are a high-value, simple, andcustomizable way to increase the technical skillsof individuals and enterprise IT teams, and helpparticipants to earn valuable Microsoft CertifiedProfessional (MCP) status to advance theircareers and clearly stand out.

IT professionals signing up for the courseswill have access to a broad range of technicalresources and trainings at different levels - fromfree Massively Open Online Courses (MOOC) in aself-paced interactive environment, to full certifi-cation offerings. Those opting for a free trainingwill have access to Microsoft’s online catalogueof new Azure fundamentals and technical train-ings, added each month. Digital certificates ofcompletion for each course will be given uponsuccessful achievement. IT Professionals choos-ing more advanced options will be required totake Azure certification exams of their choice,including practice tests, to gain MicrosoftCertified Professional status. Microsoft will alsoprovide special courses for participants to getthe best of multi-cloud platforms and advancetheir careers.

“Industries are facing a bold new world withthe amazing technological developments in thecloud, giving rise to unprecedented challengesand opportunities.” Said Samer Abu Ltaif,Regional General Manager, Microsoft Gulf.“Emerging technologies in the fields of hybridcloud, mobility, data analytics and machine intel-ligence are changing nearly every aspect of theIT landscape, making it imperative for organiza-tions to identify and fill the skills gap. Microsoft

trainings and certifications will enable ITProfessionals to address these technologicalchallenges and develop skills crucial for embark-ing on this massive transformation.”

Over 80% of enterprise IT organizations willcommit to hybrid cloud architectures encom-passing multiple public cloud services, by theend of 2017. These adoptions will change andreprioritize skills required, and IT organisationswill need to design and orchestrate a full stackof services to support new applications. Azureand hybrid cloud related trainings will enableorganisations to plan, build, and operate cloudservices to reduce management complexity andlower operating costs; ultimately reducing risk,increasing compliance, and delivering betterbusiness value.

“Acquiring cloud skills has become a criticalcomponent in organisational success. Our AzureSkills courses and certifications will enable ITexperts to reimagine their firm’s IT infrastructure,preparing them for a competitive digital future”added Abu Ltaif.

IDC also reported that investment in digitaltransformation initiatives will reach $2.2 trillionby 2019. With more than 80% of Microsoft cus-tomers having already deployed or embraced thecloud, the surging cloud momentum is real andwill continue to rise. Microsoft cloud is a growingcollection of integrated services - analytics, com-puting, database, mobile, networking, storage,web apps and more - for moving faster, achievingmore, and saving costs. Adding Azure skills to anorganization’s toolbox will enable it to becomemore nimble and successful in a digital economy,meeting customer needs on any cloud platform.

LAS VEGAS: The Sound Soother from Project Nursery, offering preloaded lullabies and nature sounds and Bluetooth streaming capability, is ondisplay at the 2017 Consumer Electronic Show (CES) on Sunday. — AFP

Tech moves into nursery

Samer Abu Ltaif

Microsoft’s new cloud trainings and certifications to bridge skills gap

Organizations unable to distinguish an attack from normal customer activity

Highlights of 2017 CES

LAS VEGAS : A robot developed by Taiwanengineers moves chess pieces on a boardagainst an opponent, at the 2017Consumer Electronic Show (CES).—AFP

HEALTH & SCIENCETUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

LAS VEGAS, Nevada: The “prosthetic hand” from BrainRobotics, controlledby signals sent from the residual muscles on an amputee’s limb, a processthat involves some machine learning technology, is displayed at the 2017Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas. —AFP photos

LAS VEGAS, Nevada: The “prosthetic hand” from BrainRobotics, controlledby signals sent from the residual muscles on an amputee’s limb, a processthat involves some machine learning technology, holds a bottle for display.

LAS VEGAS: Emerging technology is givingnew hope for the handicapped, and har-nessing brainwaves for the physically dis-abled and helping the visually impairedwith “artificial vision” are just the start.Many systems showcased at the ConsumerElectronics Show in Las Vegas are aimed atimproving quality of life for people withdisabilities. BrainRobotics, a Massachusetts-based startup, showed its prosthesis thatcan be controlled by residual musclestrength of an amputee with better effi-ciency than similar devices, according todevelopers.

Bicheng Han, a doctoral candidate atHarvard University who founded the group,said the goal is to “provide low cost func-tional prosthetics” at a cost of around$3,000, or far less than the tens of thou-sands of dollars for similar devices.Robotics engineer Kacper Puczydlowskisaid the hand, which could hit the marketnext year, is “the most natural to use” andgets its ability by analyzing muscle func-tion and using a classification algorithm forspecific hand functions, such as graspingobjects or pointing fingers. “An averageuser, with at least 50 percent of their resid-ual muscle, should be able to be trained inunder a month, within their home,” he said.Over time the group wants to use technol-ogy from its sister company BrainCo to har-ness brain waves for improved function.BrainCo already markets a headband whichhelps identify patterns of brain waves tohelp improve focus and treat children withlearning disabilities.

Artificial vision Several technologies are also being

developed for the visually-impaired. Israeli

startup Orcam showed its device calledMyEye, which can be attached to arms ofeyeglasses and is being marketed byFrench eyewear giant Essilor. The deviceaims to give greater independence to thosewith trouble seeing: it has a tiny cameraand whispers into a user’s ear, and has theability to read texts and identify peopleand objects on supermarket shelves. Thecompany was founded by Amnon Shashuaand Ziv Aviram, who are also the co-founders of auto tech firm Mobileye, whichis developing systems for accident avoid-ance and self-driving vehicles.

Danish-based manufacturer Oticonshowed its new hearing aid, which workswith objects in a connected home. Usingwireless Bluetooth connectivity, it can alertusers to a doorbell or smoke detector-or letthe wearer known when coffee is ready.South Korean group Hyundai meanwhileshowed its exoskeleton, known as H-MEX,that can offer mobility to the handicapped.

It can allow a paraplegic to stand andeven walk up stairs, according to engineerJung Kyungmo. The exoskeleton covers theentire spine and back of the legs, attachingat the waist, thighs and knees. The compa-ny has no plans for a consumer version butis working with hospitals and researchers.French-based startup Japet introduced itsAtlas exoskeleton, or brace, which takespressure off the vertebral column for peo-ple with chronic back pain, according to co-founder Damien Bratic.

The brace uses small motors and analyt-ics that can help in rehabilitation. Braticsaid the device could be available in 2017or 2018 and that the company hopes todevelop similar devices for cervical supportand for muscle disabilities.—AFP

Emerging tech aims to improvelife for handicapped

ATLANTA: Congressional Republicans’ drive torepeal the 2010 health care law has financialand political repercussions for GOP leaders inthe states and gives Democrats potentialopenings as they struggle to reclaim powerlost during President Barack Obama’s tenure.Some Republican governors, in particular, arewary about what their Washington colleaguesmight do with Obama’s signature law, expos-ing a fissure in a party that has consolidatedcontrol in the nation’s capital and dozens ofstatehouses around the country in accompani-ment with President-elect Donald Trump’s vic-tory in November.

“ I think they talk a lot about repeal. Ihaven’t heard a lot about replace,” Ohio’s GOPGov. John Kasich said last week in Cleveland,as he warned against making fast, sweepingchanges. “The fact of the matter is we have alot more people covered.” He asked “whathappens to these people” in the event of a fullrepeal. Democrats, meanwhile, bemoan thepossibility of stripping insurance from some20 million Americans who lacked it before thelaw was passed in 2010. But they also see apolitical opportunity after six years of beingblamed by Republicans - and often by voters -for every insurance premium or deductibleincrease, coverage denial or long wait for aspecialist.

“You bought it, you own it,” said pollster

Paul Maslin of Wisconsin, who has worked forfederal and state Democratic campaignsaround the countr y. Montana Gov SteveBullock , a Democrat who embraced theAffordable Care Act in a GOP-leaning state,said the repeal attempts offer another chanceto explain the complex law - something evenObama has said he didn’t do as well as hecould. “It’s easy in Washington to say whatyou’re going to do and not do,” Bullock said.“Outside Washington, this is about communi-ties and people’s lives, and from that perspec-tive, I think good policy also happens to begood politics.”

Trump, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis.,and others have yet to offer details beyondtheir promise “to repeal and replaceObamacare.” The law’s main features are insur-ance exchanges where middle-income con-sumers buy private policies. Many get premi-um subsidies financed by taxes on the mostgenerous insurance policies. Secondly, the lawexpanded eligibility for Medicaid, the govern-ment insurance program for the poorest andmany disabled Americans. Among the regula-tory changes were requiring insurers to covermore healthcare services; preventing insurersfrom denying coverage because of pre-exist-ing health conditions and limiting lifetimecaps on coverage.

Changes to the law could quickly impact

states’ Medicaid budgets, the financial stand-ing of public and private hospitals, and theestimated 20 million Americans who havegained health insurance under the law. Rippleeffects would reach health-care providers frompharmacies to physical therapists. State elect-ed officials in both major parties focus onpractical effects, but acknowledge that voters’reaction will help shape the midterm electionsthat will serve as the first electoral barometersof the Trump era.

Democrats have high hopes in governor’sraces: 38 seats will be on the ballot in the nexttwo years, with Republicans defending 27, and16 open by term limits or retirements. Severalof those open-seat elections will occur in pres-idential battleground states like Ohio andMichigan, where Republican governors largelyembraced the Affordable Care Act. The cyclealso will give Democrats a shot at winningback some of the 900-plus state legislativeseats they lost since Obama was elected, per-haps rolling back supermajorities the GOPnow enjoys in many state capitals.

Joe Schiavoni, a Democratic state senatorin Ohio, already is eying the 2018 governor’srace. Kasich is term-limited, and Schiavonisaid it’s likely the Republicans vying to suc-ceed him will be pushed by a conservativeprimary electorate to abandon the outgoingg o ve r n o r ’s h e a l t h c a re p o s i t i o n s .

Meanwhile, Schiavoni says, he’s travelingthe state focusing on the law’s benefits fornewly insured patients.

“If we rip up this law, all that goes by thewayside,” he said, framing the law as a net posi-tive for the economy. At the federal level,Democrats face a tough path back to a Senatemajority, because their caucus must defend 25seats, including 10 in states Trump won; in theHouse, Democrats still face district boundariesthat favor Republicans nationally. Yet the partyhopes health care is important enough to drivea wave election if the GOP inflames the elec-torate, a reverse of what occurred in 2010when Republicans rode anger about the law tothe House majority.

Bullock and other Democrats say the GOPboxed itself in by promising a full repeal even asmany Republicans, including Trump, embracethose more popular - but expensive - provisions.The law, Bullock said, “is not a buffet line.” IowaGov Terry Branstad, another Republican whoaccepted Medicaid expansion and is nowTrump’s choice for ambassador to China, iscounting on Vice President-elect Mike Pence’sexperience as Indiana governor to help ease theway. “That is kind of reassuring to us that we’regoing to be able to make a transition,” he said.Still, he added: “They also have the responsibili-ty to replace it with something that is affordableand sustainable.” —AP

State GOP wary as Republicans push repeal of health law‘I think they talk a lot about repeal. I haven’t heard a lot about replace’

NEW YORK: How might a breadbasket for the table be countedunder America’s new calorie post-ing rules? What about seasonalitems, croutons for salads, or pizzathat’s cut into squares? Restaurantand grocery chains scrambling topost calorie counts on their menusby spring have peppered the Foodand Drug Administration withqueries that offer a window - oftencomplex, occasionally comic - intothe ingredient riddles they are try-ing to solve. One example: If a piz-

za chain gets pepperoni from mul-tiple suppliers, which calorie countshould be used? The FDA’s advice:Whichever is fattiest.

“You would not be penalizedfor over-declaring calories versusunder-declaring,” the agencyresponded last March, accordingto the correspondence obtainedthrough a public records request.Some cities and states alreadyrequire restaurant chains todivulge calorie counts. But the fed-eral regulation, set to take effect inMay for eateries with 20 or morelocations, would make the infor-mation more widely available.What’s more, it requires supermar-

ket and convenience store chainsto start posting calories for theirprepared foods.

Whether President-electDonald Trump and the newCongress try to make any changesto the regulation - passed as partof the health care overhaul - isn’tyet known. The restaurant industryassociation favors a national stan-dard over a patchwork of locallaws, though grocery and conven-ience store groups are hoping for adelay in enforcement and more

flexibility in how they can disclosethe calorie counts. For now, thetopics addressed by the FDA helpillustrate what diners can expect tosee on their menus.

Q: How should the caloriecounts be determined?

A: The FDA says food sellersneed to use a “reasonable basis fordetermining the calorie informa-tion.” Lab analysis is one option,but businesses could also get theinformation from databases, cook-books, recipes, manufacturers,nutrition labels, or a combinationof those options.

Q: What about that bread bas-ket? Or seasonal menus?

A: Calorie counts aren’trequired for items that are onmenus for less than 60 days a year.And in general, restaurants don’thave to cite the calories for itemsthat aren’t listed on menus. So abasket of dinner rolls or the chipsand salsa placed on a table as acourtesy would also be exempt, aswould any “secret menu” itemsthat have become trendy at placessuch as Starbucks.

Q: A circular pizza is dividedinto a “party-cut” grid, rather than

traditional slices. Can the chainprovide an average calorie count,even though the pieces are differ-ent sizes?

A: Initially, the FDA told aChicago-based pizza chain itwould need to declare calories forthe entire pizza, if the piecesweren’t uniform. But Marla Topliff,president of Rosati’s Pizza, said theagency subsequently agreed toallow the chain to post calories foran average piece in a party-cut pie.Topliff said having to list caloriesfor an entire pie would be unfair toparty-cut pies, if traditionally cutpies were listed per slice. “Youcould see where they would be a

disadvantage,” she said.Q: How should calories be listed

for customizable dishes? Forinstance, a fast-food salad that cancome with grilled or fried chicken,a packet of croutons and variousdressing options.

A: Giving a range could be OK,with the upper end including themost caloric options (yes, includ-ing the croutons). But even as theycomply with the regulations, somerestaurant operators question howuseful a wide span would be. “Thevalue is kind of lost to the con-sumer, if you’re telling the con-sumer the range could be 400 to1,200 calories,” Annica Kreider, arepresentative for MellowMushroom, an Atlanta-based pizzachain, said in a phone interview.She was among those whoemailed with the FDA.

Q: For grocery stores, howshould serving sizes be deter-mined at hot food bars where peo-ple serve themselves?

A: The FDA said utensils such asladles that can scoop a consistentamount each time can be consid-ered a serving size. With utensilssuch as tongs, the serving size hasto be by weight or a commonhousehold measure, such as a halfcup. Those serving sizes and corre-sponding calorie counts wouldhave to be listed near the food,such as on the sneeze guard glassor on a sign.

Q: What happens at self-servedrink stations?

A: The calorie counts don’t haveto be right on the drink nozzles,but should be visible by dispenser.What’s listed should be for filledcups, without ice. The idea is to dis-close the maximize number ofcalories people might guzzle. Forfountain drinks filled behind thecounter, restaurants can list thecalorie count for a cup with ice - aslong as the restaurant always putsa standard amount of ice in thecups.

Q: Do calorie counts need to belisted on coupons? “The issue ofcoupons has been a source ofsome confusion and uncertainty,” aregulatory lawyer wrote.

A: Nope. Coupons are generallyconsidered marketing materialsthat do not require calorie infor-mation. —AP

Counting croutons: Restaurants tally items for calorie rules

NEW YORK: In this file photo, items on the breakfast menu, including the calories, are posted ata McDonald’s restaurant in New York. —AP

PARIS: Children of women who take heart-burn medicine during pregnancy are athird more l ikely to develop asthma,according to a study published yesterday.However, it remains unclear whether themedication itself, or some other factor, isresponsible for that increased r isk ,researchers repor ted in the Journal ofAllergy and Clinical Immunology.

“This association does not prove thatthe medicines caused asthma in these chil-dren,” said Aziz Sheikh, co-director of theAsthma UK Centre for Applied Research atthe University of Edinburgh and co-authorof the study.

“Further research is needed to betterunderstand this link.” Heartburn-discomfortcaused by acid passing from the stomachup into the oesophagus-occurs frequentlydur ing pregnanc y due to hormonal

changes and pressure on the stomach fromthe expanding womb. Certain drugs canblock this acid reflux, and have long beenthought not to affect the development ofthe baby.

Previous research had inconclusivelypointed to an increased risk of allergies inoffspring due to an impact on the immunesystem. To dig deeper, sc ient ists f romEdinburgh and Finland reviewed eight pre-vious studies involving more than 1.3 mil-lion children, drawing on healthcare reg-istries and prescription databases. Theyfound that children born of mothers takingantacids were at least a third more likely tohave visited a doctor for asthma symptoms.

Asthma is a chronic lung disease thatinflames and narrows the airways. It fre-quently starts in childhood. Symptomsinclude wheezing, shortness of breath and

coughing. More than 330 million peopleworldwide suffer from asthma, with anespecially high incidence in low- and mid-dle-income countries, according to TheGlobal Asthma Report 2014. Experts com-menting on the study did not challenge thelink between the heartburn drugs and asth-ma in kids, but cautioned against jumpingto conclusions.

“It may be that the heartburn in itselfmay be the most important associationrather than the drugs used to treat it,” saidJean Golding, an emeritus professor of pae-diatric epidemiology at the University ofBristol. Obesity in the expecting mothercould a lso play a key role, sa id Sei fShaheen, a respiratory epidemiologist atQueen Mary University of London, notingthat few of the studies took this factor intoaccount. —AFP

Study links antacids in pregnancy to asthma in kids

H E A LT H & S C I E NC ETUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

CHENGDU, China: At 4:00 am the kettles crack-le on a charcoal stove as regulars crowd insidean ancient Chinese temple turned teahouse, arelic in a country being overrun by Starbuckscafes. Wearing a cap and a blue vest, Li Qianggets up in the middle of the night, as he doesevery day, to light the fire and prepare portionsof tea in tiny cups that can be purchased for amodest two yuan (29 US cents) each. Outsidethe Guanyin Pavilion teahouse, named for thegoddess the temple was once dedicated to, eld-erly men chat as they wait for the 300-year-oldbuilding’s large wooden doors to open.

Inside, decorations from past eras are visiblein the shadows: religious frescoes and motifs onhigh beams, dating from before it was convert-ed just over a century ago. Lower down, decay-ing paintings on wooden panels depictCommunist China’s founder Mao Zedong sur-rounded by solar rays, or slogans glorifyingsocialism and hoping for the Great Helmsman’slongevity. “Nothing has changed since theCultural Revolution,” says Li. The 50-seat tea-house in Chengdu, capital of the southwesternprovince of Sichuan, and the way of life it repre-sents are a throwback to the past in a societythat is becoming increasingly frenetic and inter-nationalized by its status as the world’s second-largest economy.

Unlike upmarket teahouses in the city centre,the state-owned establishment does not offerrare and expensive teas at premium prices.Instead customers sit on bamboo chairs in smallgroups, under the pale glow of naked lightbulbs suspended from the high ceil ing.“Nowhere else in Chengdu will you find a similartea house,” says customer Ning Shucheng, whois in his 80s. “There are none. They have beenruined or completely demolished.”

‘Second family’ -Teahouses were once emblematic of Chinese

urban culture but are now struggling to revital-ize their public image in the face of ever-expanding foreign or foreign-inspired coffeechains. “Here we are all local people, faithful,”laughs another customer, a 73-year-old sur-named Zhang. Pouring boiling water into ther-mos bottles decorated with flowers, Li greetedeveryone. “For them this is a second home, it’slike being in a family,” he explains, especially forthose whose own children l ive far fromChengdu. Li was around 30 when he wasappointed manager more than two decadesago, but has been careful not to change any-thing during his tenure.

He muses: “What’s the point? This is a placethat breathes humanity, the lives of the regu-lars. This is not profitable, admittedly, but howcould I give it up? Some regulars walk 10 kilo-meters every morning to come here.” Acrossthe street, an umbrella repairer opens his stall,while a butcher can be heard chopping meat inthe distance. Under a lean-to, a hunchbackedhairdresser plugs in his hair clippers.

The teahouse offers customers a place tosocialize and escape a materialistic and individ-ualistic society they struggle to fit into, accord-ing to Tian Zaipo, a comparatively young clientat 50. “In today’s world people are getting fur-ther and further apart,” he says. “It’s so good tosee your friends here.” But he acknowledgesthat a new generation of Chinese beveragedrinkers preferred coffeeshops-US chainStarbucks had only 400 outlets in the country in2011, but within five years had almost six timesas many, and was aiming to double that. “Theyoung people do not come anymore,” said Tian.

Barbarian invasion But there is one new group of visitors to the

Guanyin Pavilion-the establishment and its clien-tele have become renowned as a picturesquesubject among China’s army of amateur photog-

raphers, a crucial market for camera manufactur-ers such as Canon and Nikon. Soon after the mid-morning arrival of an ear cleaner-a traditional butdeclining Sichuanese service to scrub out earcanals for 20 yuan-a dozen camera-wielding shut-terbugs piled in. Without hesitation, request orconsent, they proceeded to rearrange the crock-

ery, and sometimes even the customers them-selves, to improve their compositions. The tea-house is renowned for its timelessness, but man-ager Li resents its resulting popularity. The pho-tographers never buy a cup of tea, he said-and forhis part, he does not let them sit down. “It’s evenworse at the weekend,” he grimaces.—AFP

Cup of nostalgia at timeless

Chinese teahouse

‘Nothing has changed since the Cultural Revolution’

CHENGDU, SICHUAN, China: This picture shows an elderly man looking on at a hundredyears old teahouse in Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan province. —AFP photos

CHENGDU, SICHUAN, China: Li Qiang, a hundred years old teahouse owner, counting hismoney in his teahouse in Chengdu.

CHENGDU, SICHUAN, China: A group of men chatting in a teahouse in Chengdu, south-west China’s Sichuan province.

Studies find worrying

over - and underuse of

medicine worldwide

LONDON: Up to 70 percent of hysterec-tomies in the United States, a quarter ofknee replacements in Spain and more thanhalf the antibiotics prescribed in China areinappropriate, overused healthcare,researchers said yesterday. Experts whocarried out a series of studies across theworld found that medicine and healthcareare routinely both over- and underused,causing avoidable harm and suffering andwasting precious resources. The studies,commissioned by The Lancet journal andconducted by 27 international specialists,also found rates of Caesarian section deliv-eries are soaring - often in women who donot need them - while the simple use ofsteroids to prevent premature births haslagged for 40 years.

“A common tragedy in both wealthy andpoor countries is the use of expensive andsometimes ineffective technology whilelow-cost effective interventions are neg-lected,” the experts wrote in a statementabout their findings. The World HealthOrganization estimates that 6.2 millionexcess C-sections are performed each year- 50 percent of them in Brazil and Chinaalone. Vikas Saini, one of the lead authorsof the study series and president of the USLown Institute in Boston, said factors driv-ing the global failure to the right level ofcare include “greed, competing interests

and poor information”, which he said com-bine to create “an ecosystem of poorhealthcare delivery.”

Co-lead researcher Shannon Brownleeadded: “Patients and citizens need tounderstand what’s at stake here if theirhealth systems fail to address these twinproblems. In the US, we are wasting billionsof dollars that should be devoted toimproving the nation’s health.” The studyseries analysed the scope, causes and con-sequences of underuse and overuse ofhealthcare around the world. It found thatboth can occur in the same country, thesame organization or health facility, andeven afflict the same patient.

The researchers noted that a study inChina found 57 percent of patients receivedinappropriate antibiotics; that inappropriatehysterectomies in the United States rangefrom 16 to 70 percent; and inappropriatetotal knee replacement rates were 26 per-cent in Spain and 34 percent in the UnitedStates. Rates of inappropriate hysterec-tomies were 20 percent in Taiwan and 13percent in Switzerland, they found.Underuse leaves patients “vulnerable toavoidable disease and suffering” theresearchers said, while overuse causesavoidable harms from tests or treatments atthe same time as wasting resources betterspent on much-needed services. —Reuters

MOSCOW: A Russian zoo has eutha-nized its entire bird population after anoutbreak of avian flu, local authoritiessaid yesterday. The zoo in the city ofVoronezh, some 450 kilometers (280miles) south of Moscow, was home tospecies including parrots, eagles, hawksand owls. But it took the drastic stepto put down its remaining 141 birdsafter 35 died from avian flu earlier thismonth, local authorities said in a state-ment carried by Russian news agen-cies. The Voronezh zoo itself declinedto comment when contacted by AFPyesterday.

A number of European countries haverecently taken measures to curb the out-break of a virulent strain of bird flusweeping the continent. Authorities in

southwest France last week began a cullof hundreds of thousands of ducks usedto produce foie gras, a controversial deli-cacy made from the livers of ducks andgeese after force-feeding. The strain ofthe H5N8 virus has been detected in 17European countries, according to WorldOrganization for Animal Health-includ-ing Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark,Poland, Hungary and Sweden.

The H5N1 strain of bird flu has killedmore than 420 people, mainly in south-east Asia, since first appearing in 2003.Another strain of bird flu, H7N9, hasclaimed more than 200 lives since emerg-ing in 2013, according to World HealthOrganization figures. There was no wordon which bird flu strain had hit theRussian zoo. —AFP

Russian zoo culls all

its birds over avian flu

BEIJING: The Southern Chinese city ofGuangzhou will suspend the trade of liveand slaughtered poultry for three-day peri-ods during January to March, the govern-ment said, to prevent the spread of avianflu to humans. The ban, effective from 16thto 18th of each of those months, willexclude frozen poultry products, accordingto a statement on the website ofGuangzhou government. NeighboringSouth Korea and Japan are battling out-breaks of bird flu that have forced farmersto cull millions of birds and raised concernsabout the risks of it spreading to neighbor-ing countries.

Under the ban, poultry wholesale mar-kets and poultry trading at agriculturalproducts fairs will remain closed, while liveand slaughtered poultry cannot be stored

in the markets. The local governmentissued the ban to reduce the chances ofhuman bird flu infection, as right now “it isthe peak season for outbreaks,” said theofficial statement. Human bird flu infectioncases have been reported in severalprovinces this winter, includingGuangdong, Jiangsu, and Fujian.

Three cities in eastern China’s Jiangsuprovince suspended live poultry tradingafter neighboring provinces reportedhuman bird flu cases. Local governments inFujian and Anhui provinces have alsorestricted poultry trade. China’s Ministry ofAgriculture said earlier that the recent out-breaks of bird flu have been handled in a“timely and effective” manner withoutspreading and have not affected chickenproducts or prices. —Reuters

China’s Guangzhou to halt

poultry trade for three

days during Jan-March

W H AT ’ S ONTUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

The Contemporary Art Platform (CAP) is pleased toannounce the opening night of ‘UNTIL’ exhibition byGhada Al-Kandari taking place on Wednesday the

11th of January 2017.

About the exhibition“Two years ago I constructed my first origami polyhe-

dron,” Kandari said. “I was unaware that this one objectwould be instrumental in shaping many paintings and sto-ries to come. And many, many polyhedra to follow. But

such is the pattern that plays itself out in my life as anartist: creations are influenced by both the banal and theimportant in life, not imitating art but mirroring it.”

“As I prepared for this exhibition, the mood of my workkept shifting from purpose to purpose. Until love, untilpeace, until I’m settled in a place I want to be. Always wait-ing for the big Until,” she said.

About the artistGhadah Al-Kandari is a Kuwaiti artist born in Delhi in 1969.

In 1992 she received a BA in Mass Communications from theAmerican University in Cairo. But it was a six-week paintingcourse at the School of Visual Arts that “shaped my currentpainting style, which was also influenced early on by bothclassical painters: Cezanne, Matisse, Schiele, Modigliani andKlimt, and comic books: Mad Magazine, Archie and Asterix.”

Her body of work ranges from large-scale acrylic paint-ings, primarily figurative, exploring the wide spectrum ofhuman emotion and familial complexities, to smaller inti-mate pen and ink surreal drawings detached and focused

on everyday happenings. The artist had numerous soloexhibitions in Kuwait, and has participated in several groupexhibitions locally and internationally, including the ArabCulture in Diaspora exhibition in Kuwait, Femmes ArtistesDu Koweit at the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris (2006),Approaches to Figurative Practices at the Third Line Gallery,Dubai (2007), and JAMM Contemporary Art Auction inKuwait (2010). Since 2009, Ghadah Alkandari uses her blog‘prettygreenbullet’ as a platform to display her work on adaily basis.

Ghada Al-Kandari

CAP hosts Ghada Al-Kandari’s gallery

When do we really stop to experiencewhat we feel? Those fleeting moments,which we miss in our day to day hum-

drum of life. The Splash Calendar 2017 calendarattempts to capture the raw emotions one feelsincorporating the core elements of nature. Thethought provoking calendar was unveiled byReem Acra the Lebanese fashion designer.

Renuka Jagtiani, Vice-Chairperson, LandmarkGroup and Raza Beig, CEO-Splash and ICONICand Director, Landmark Group at a glitteringparty at Vii Lounge, Dubai.

This year the calendar is special. Splashopened the model castings for its customerswho are aspiring models giving them an oppor-tunity to be involved with a brand they love and

are loyal to for years. Twelve of our customersgraced the calendar this year shot by the TejalPatni, celebrated photographer and an integralpart of the calendar every year. The styling ofthe calendar for the first time was envisionedand designed by the in-house team who hascreated the masterpieces.

Each image invites you to experience a world

of dreams. Those small magical moments thatwe experience like a ray of light, a whiff of air, aripple in the ocean that sometimes transcendsyou to a realm where every imagination is possi-ble, every dream a reality and every reality adream. It is in this bliss that we see the power,the power of being, the power in small things.

“The 2017 calendar is powered with emo-

tions and reflects on the hurricane of senti-ments we feel weaved into the fashion routethat Splash knows so well. It is also a veryunique calendar where we have on board 12 ofour customers carefully chosen to experiencethis journey of the brand that they have lovedfor years,” said Raza Beig, CEO-Splash and ICON-IC and Director, Landmark Group.

Eyes Wide Open: 7th edition of Splash Calendar

Last year was yet another outstanding one forthe Commercial Bank of Kuwait (CBK) interms of its social responsibility program. It

was full of activities that demonstrated CBK’scommitment to its social responsibility towards allsegments of society and non-governmentalorganizations.

And in recognition for its efforts in the socialresponsibility domain, CBK was as a ‘LeadingCompany in Social Responsibility’ in GulfCooperation Council (GCC) states in 2016. Thehonoring came at the sidelines of the 33rd GCCSocial Affairs and Labor Ministers’ meeting held inRiyadh. During the event, the ‘Hawwen Alaihom’(make it easier for them) campaign was chosen asa leading social responsibility project.

‘Hawwen Alaihom’ is an innovative campaignthat was launched five years ago with the aim oflending a helping hand to outdoor laborers

including construction and cleaning workers whoare working in harsh weather conditions. CBKworkers presented gifts to workers on specialoccasions during the campaign, including iftarand suhour meals during the Holy Month ofRamadan. In addition, CBK provided full supportto various social, cultural, educational, sports andenvironmental activities organized by all ofKuwait’s six governorates.

Moreover, CBK’s Public Relations and MediaDepartment organized its ‘Ya Zein Torathna’ (ourbeautiful heritage) cultural campaign for the fifthyear in a row to highlight Kuwait’s traditions andheritage. The campaign included activities such aslaunching the ‘Tijari Neghborhood’ pavilion thatwas set up in many shopping malls, and whereheritage was introduced to visitors. In addition,wonderful cultural events were held at theShaheed Park, including an event that highlight-

ed old Kuwaiti professions and old songs. CBK also contributed in decorating and illumi-

nating its headquarters with pictures selectedfrom its calendar during the National and

Liberation days. The bank also visited social carehouses as well as the Kuwait Cancer ControlCenter (KCCC) during the National Day anniver-saries. Furthermore, bank workers visited the

Kuwait Down Syndrome Society and Al-BabtainCenter for Burns and Plastic Surgery to celebrate‘girgean’ with children.

As part of its voluntary activities, CBK organ-ized a blood donation campaign for its employ-ees in various positions, and issued its annualcalendar highlighting Kuwait’s heritage. And outof its keenness to stay in touch with clientsthrough all media platforms, the bank launcheda TV commercial during Ramadan. Furthermore,it organized several health and awareness cam-paigns to promote its banking services and pro-motional offers.

Realizing the significance of modern socialmedia networks, CBK launched a WahtsApp serv-ice and its own accounts on various social medianetworks. It also issued a special booklet thatincludes all the social responsibility activitiesorganized in 2016.

CBK showcases its 2016 social responsibility activities

inf or m at ionTUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

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

Ophthalmologists

Dr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444

Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222

Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171

Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999

Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700

Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223

Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223

Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT)

Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510

Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660

Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478

Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996

Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988

Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166

Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426

General Practitioners

Dr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123

Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312

Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920

Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465

Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528

Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781

Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501

Urologists

Dr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534

Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955

Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660

Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120

Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427

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

info@soorcenter.comwww.soorcenter.com

Psychologists/Psychotherapists

PRIVATE CLINICS

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

Kaizen center25716707

Noor Clinic23845955

INTERNATIONALCALLS

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T V PR O G R A M STUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

01:00 Hard Target 03:00 Snakehead Swamp 04:45 Betrayed 06:30 Divergent 09:00 Apocalypse Pompeii 10:45 Real Steel 13:00 Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark 14:30 Divergent 17:00 The Machine 18:45 Real Steel 21:00 Automata 23:00 Tomorrowland

00:00 Dr. Dee: Alaska Vet 00:55 Gator Boys 01:50 River Monsters 02:45 Gorilla School 03:10 Gorilla School 03:40 Dr. Dee: Alaska Vet 04:35 Tanked 05:25 Mutant Planet 06:15 Gator Boys 07:02 River Monsters 07:49 Dr. Dee: Alaska Vet 08:36 Night 09:00 Night 09:25 America's Cutest Pets 10:15 Dr. Dee: Alaska Vet 11:10 Weird Creatures With Nick Baker 12:05 Tanked 13:00 America's Cutest Pets 13:55 Gorilla School 14:20 Gorilla School 14:50 Dr. Dee: Alaska Vet 15:45 Gator Boys 16:40 Weird Creatures With Nick Baker 17:35 Tanked 18:30 River Monsters 19:25 Rugged Justice 20:20 Lone Star Law 21:15 Tanked 22:10 Weird Creatures With Nick Baker 23:05 Rugged Justice

00:35 Casualty 01:30 Undercover 02:35 Prey 03:30 Orphan Black 04:15 Silent Witness 05:10 Casualty

06:00 The Musketeers 07:00 Casualty 08:00 Casualty 08:50 Death In Paradise 09:45 Call The Midwife 10:40 The Musketeers 11:35 Casualty 12:30 Death In Paradise 13:25 Call The Midwife 14:20 The Musketeers 15:15 Casualty 16:15 Death In Paradise 17:10 Stella 18:05 The Musketeers 19:00 Doctors 19:30 Doctors 20:05 Death In Paradise 21:00 New Tricks 22:00 Sherlock 23:35 Orphan Black

00:05 Tosh.0 00:30 The Daily Show With Trevor Noah 01:00 The Half Hour 01:25 South Park 01:50 South Park 02:15 Tosh.0 02:40 Inside Amy Schumer 03:05 South Park 03:30 South Park 04:00 The Daily Show With Trevor Noah 04:25 Disorderly Conduct: Video OnPatrol 05:15 Key And Peele 05:40 Impractical Jokers 06:05 Ridiculousness 06:30 Tattoo Disasters 06:55 Tattoo Disasters 07:20 Catch A Contractor 08:15 Disorderly Conduct: Video OnPatrol 09:05 Impractical Jokers 09:30 Ridiculousness 09:55 Tosh.0 10:20 Key And Peele 10:45 Workaholics 11:10 The It Crowd 11:35 Ridiculousness 12:00 Tattoo Disasters 12:25 Tattoo Disasters 12:50 Idiotsitter 13:15 Workaholics 13:40 The It Crowd 14:05 Disorderly Conduct: Video OnPatrol 14:55 Ridiculousness 15:20 Tattoo Disasters 15:45 Tattoo Disasters 16:10 Idiotsitter 16:35 Ridiculousness 17:00 Impractical Jokers 17:30 Workaholics 17:55 Tosh.0 18:25 Workaholics 18:50 Frankenfood 19:15 Frankenfood 19:39 The It Crowd 20:03 Tattoo Disasters 20:27 Tattoo Disasters 20:50 Idiotsitter

21:13 Important Things With DemitriMartin 21:37 Ridiculousness 22:00 The Daily Show With Trevor Noah 22:30 The Meltdown With Jonah AndKumail 22:54 The Jim Gaffigan Show 23:18 Broad City 23:42 Broad City

00:15 Destroyed In Seconds 00:40 Ultimate Survival 01:30 Invent It Rich 02:20 Don't Drive Here 03:10 David Baddiel On The Silk Road 04:00 Destroyed In Seconds 04:25 Destroyed In Seconds 04:50 Ultimate Survival 05:40 How It's Made 06:05 How It's Made 06:30 Storm Chasers 07:20 Mythbusters 08:00 Do You Know? 08:15 Kenny The Shark 08:35 Adventure 8: Zoo Games 09:00 K9 Cops 09:45 How It's Made 10:05 How It's Made 10:30 Invent It Rich 11:20 Mythbusters 12:10 Storm Chasers 13:00 K9 Cops 13:50 Ultimate Survival 14:40 How It's Made 15:05 How It's Made 15:30 Storm Chasers 16:15 Mythbusters 17:00 Kenny The Shark 17:20 Adventure 8: Zoo Games 17:45 Do You Know? 18:00 Lost & Found With Mike & Jesse 18:50 Guinness World RecordsSmashed UK 19:40 Invent It Rich 20:30 How It's Made 20:55 How It's Made 21:20 Mythbusters 22:10 Lost & Found With Mike & Jesse 23:00 Guinness World RecordsSmashed UK 23:50 What Happened Next?

00:00 Binny And The Ghost 00:25 Sabrina Secrets Of A Teenage

Witch 00:50 Sabrina Secrets Of A TeenageWitch 01:10 Hank Zipzer 01:35 Binny And The Ghost 02:00 Violetta 02:45 The Hive 02:50 Sabrina Secrets Of A TeenageWitch 03:15 Sabrina Secrets Of A TeenageWitch 03:40 Hank Zipzer 04:05 Binny And The Ghost 04:30 Violetta 05:15 The Hive 05:20 Sabrina Secrets Of A TeenageWitch 05:45 Sabrina Secrets Of A TeenageWitch 06:10 Hank Zipzer 06:35 Binny And The Ghost 07:00 Violetta 07:45 The Hive 07:50 Mouk 08:00 Dog With A Blog 08:25 Dog With A Blog 08:50 Tsum Tsum Shorts 08:55 Miraculous Tales Of Ladybug AndCat Noir 09:20 Elena Of Avalor 09:45 Star Darlings 09:50 Liv And Maddie 10:15 Jessie 11:30 16 Wishes 13:00 The 7D 13:10 Austin & Ally 13:35 Austin & Ally 14:00 Liv And Maddie 14:25 Liv And Maddie 14:50 Shake It Up 15:15 Shake It Up 15:40 Dog With A Blog 16:30 Good Luck Charlie 16:55 Good Luck Charlie 17:20 Girl Meets World 17:45 Girl Meets World 18:10 Elena Of Avalor 18:35 Miraculous Tales Of Ladybug AndCat Noir 19:00 The Next Step 19:25 Descendants Wicked World 19:30 Liv And Maddie 19:55 Star Darlings 20:00 Bunk'd 20:25 Disney Mickey Mouse 20:30 Austin & Ally 20:55 Descendants Wicked World 21:00 Backstage 21:25 Tsum Tsum Shorts 21:30 Elena Of Avalor 21:55 Best Friends Whenever 22:20 Jessie 22:45 Jessie 23:10 Jessie 23:35 H2O: Just Add Water

00:00 Sofia The First 00:30 Sofia The First 00:55 PJ Masks

01:20 Henry Hugglemonster 01:35 The Hive 01:45 Loopdidoo 02:00 Henry Hugglemonster 02:15 Calimero 02:30 Art Attack 02:50 Zou 03:05 Loopdidoo 03:20 Henry Hugglemonster 03:35 Calimero 03:50 Zou 04:05 Art Attack 04:30 The Hive 04:40 Loopdidoo 04:55 Henry Hugglemonster 05:10 Art Attack 05:35 Loopdidoo 05:50 Calimero 06:05 Art Attack 06:30 Henry Hugglemonster 06:45 Zou 07:00 Art Attack 07:30 Henry Hugglemonster 07:45 Loopdidoo 08:00 Zou 08:15 Calimero 08:30 Loopdidoo 08:45 Henry Hugglemonster 09:00 Minnie's Bow-Toons 09:05 PJ Masks 09:15 Goldie & Bear 09:30 Jake And The Never Land Pirates 09:45 Miles From Tomorrow 09:55 Sofia The First 10:20 Doc McStuffins 10:35 Goldie & Bear 10:50 Sheriff Callie's Wild West 11:00 PJ Masks 11:15 Jake And The Never Land Pirates 11:30 Minnie's Bow-Toons 11:35 Sofia The First 12:00 Sofia The First 12:30 Doc McStuffins 12:55 Doc McStuffins 13:20 Sheriff Callie's Wild West 13:50 Sheriff Callie's Wild West 14:15 Gummi Bears 14:40 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 15:10 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 15:35 Jake And The Never Land Pirates 16:00 Jake And The Never Land Pirates 16:30 Little Mermaid 16:55 Unbungalievable 17:00 Miles From Tomorrow 17:30 Jake And The Never Land Pirates 17:55 The Lion Guard 18:20 Goldie & Bear 18:50 PJ Masks 19:15 Sofia The First 19:40 Doc McStuffins 20:05 Jake And The Never Land Pirates 20:30 Little Mermaid 21:00 Sofia The First

21:30 Sofia The First 22:00 Unbungalievable 22:05 Goldie & Bear 22:35 Miles From Tomorrow 23:00 Sheriff Callie's Wild West 23:25 Gummi Bears 23:55 Minnie's Bow-Toons

00:30 Fast N' Loud 01:20 Wheeler Dealers: Trading Up 02:10 Gold Rush 03:00 Deadliest Catch 03:50 Sean Conway - Running Britain 04:40 Fast N' Loud 05:30 The Liquidator 06:00 How Do They Do It? 06:30 How Do They Do It? 07:00 Deadliest Catch 07:50 Wheeler Dealers: Trading Up 08:40 Fast N' Loud 09:30 Big Giant Swords 10:20 The Liquidator 10:45 How Do They Do It? 11:10 How Do They Do It? 11:35 Gold Rush 12:25 Deadliest Catch 13:15 Sean Conway - Running Britain 14:05 How Do They Do It? 14:30 Storage Hunters UK 14:55 The Liquidator 15:20 Alaska: The Last Frontier 16:10 Big Giant Swords 17:00 Deadliest Catch 17:50 Fast N' Loud 18:40 Wheeler Dealers: Trading Up 19:30 How Do They Do It? 19:55 How Do They Do It? 20:20 Big Giant Swords 21:10 Storage Hunters UK 21:35 The Liquidator 22:00 Still Alive 22:50 Kings Of The Wild 23:40 Venom Hunters

00:00 Programmes Start At 6:00am KSA 07:00 Supa Strikas 07:25 Supa Strikas 07:50 Counterfeit Cat 08:00 Star vs The Forces Of Evil 08:15 K.C. Undercover 08:40 Atomic Puppet 09:10 Lab Rats 09:35 Danger Mouse 10:00 Lab Rats: Bionic Island 10:50 Kirby Buckets 11:20 Kirby Buckets 11:45 Gravity Falls 12:10 Gamer's Guide To Pretty MuchEverything 12:35 Gamer's Guide To Pretty MuchEverything 13:00 Counterfeit Cat 13:30 K.C. Undercover 13:55 K.C. Undercover 14:20 Star Wars Freemaker Adventures

14:45 Lab Rats: Bionic Island 15:10 Disney Mickey Mouse 15:15 Lab Rats: Bionic Island 15:40 Counterfeit Cat 15:50 Star vs The Forces Of Evil 16:05 K.C. Undercover 16:30 Atomic Puppet 16:55 Lab Rats 17:25 Danger Mouse 17:50 Future-Worm! 18:15 Lab Rats vs Mighty Med 19:05 Disney Mickey Mouse 19:10 Supa Strikas 19:35 Supa Strikas 20:00 Star Wars Freemaker Adventures 20:25 Gamer's Guide To Pretty MuchEverything 20:55 K.C. Undercover 21:20 Counterfeit Cat 21:45 Mighty Med 22:10 Pickle And Peanut 22:40 Disney Mickey Mouse 22:45 Guardians Of The Galaxy 23:10 Ultimate Spider-Man 23:35 Boyster

00:00 E! News 00:15 Live From The Red Carpet 02:15 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 03:05 Hollywood Cycle 03:55 Hollywood Cycle 04:45 LA Clippers Dance Squad 05:40 LA Clippers Dance Squad 06:30 Celebrity Style Story 07:00 Kourtney & Kim Take New York 07:55 E! News 08:10 Kourtney & Kim Take New York 09:10 E! News 10:10 Kourtney & Kim Take New York 11:10 Kourtney & Kim Take New York 12:05 Kourtney & Kim Take New York 13:00 E! News 13:15 Kourtney & Kim Take New York 13:40 Kourtney & Kim Take New York 14:10 Kourtney & Kim Take New York 15:05 Kourtney & Kim Take New York 16:00 E! News 16:15 So Cosmo 16:45 Celebrity Style Story 17:15 Live From The Red Carpet 19:05 Botched 19:30 Botched 20:00 E! News 21:00 Live From The Red Carpet 23:00 Fashion Police

00:00 Restaurant Stakeout 01:00 Mystery Diners 01:30 Mystery Diners 02:00 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives 02:30 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives 03:00 Man Fire Food 03:30 Man Fire Food 04:00 Chopped 05:00 Guy's Grocery Games 06:00 Barefoot Contessa: Back To Basics 06:30 Barefoot Contessa: Back To Basics 07:00 The Kitchen 08:00 The Pioneer Woman 08:30 The Pioneer Woman 09:00 Siba's Table 09:30 Siba's Table 10:00 Anna Olson: Bake 10:30 Anna Olson: Bake 11:00 The Kitchen 12:00 The Pioneer Woman 12:30 The Pioneer Woman 13:00 Siba's Table 13:30 Siba's Table 14:00 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives 14:30 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives 15:00 Chopped 16:00 The Kitchen 17:00 Anna Olson: Bake 17:30 Anna Olson: Bake 18:00 Chopped 19:00 Iron Chef America 20:00 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives 20:30 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives 21:00 Man Fire Food 21:30 Man Fire Food 22:00 Man v Food 22:30 Man v Food 23:00 Iron Chef America

00:15 Coronation Street 00:40 Coronation Street 01:10 Masterpiece With Alan Titchmarsh 02:00 Emmerdale 02:30 Coronation Street 03:00 Coronation Street 03:30 Alphabetical 04:25 Endeavour 06:15 Safe House 07:10 Masterpiece With Alan Titchmarsh 08:05 Alphabetical 09:00 Endeavour 10:30 Royal Stories 11:00 Safe House

11:55 Masterpiece With Alan Titchmarsh 12:50 Alphabetical 13:45 Emmerdale 14:15 Coronation Street 14:45 Coronation Street 15:15 Masterpiece With Alan Titchmarsh 16:10 Alphabetical 17:00 Murdoch Mysteries 17:55 Murdoch Mysteries 18:50 Safe House 19:45 Emmerdale 20:15 Coronation Street 20:45 Coronation Street 21:10 Alphabetical 22:00 Murdoch Mysteries 22:55 Murdoch Mysteries 23:50 Emmerdale

00:00 Monster Quest 01:00 Hangar 1: The UFO Files 02:00 How The States Got Their Shape 03:00 Ancient Impossible 04:00 America's Book Of Secrets 04:50 Ancient Aliens 05:40 Monster Quest 06:30 Hangar 1: The UFO Files 07:20 How The States Got Their Shape 08:10 The Universe 09:00 Ancient Impossible 10:00 America's Book Of Secrets 11:00 Ancient Aliens 12:00 Monster Quest 13:00 Hangar 1: The UFO Files 14:00 How The States Got Their Shape 15:00 Ancient Impossible 16:00 America's Book Of Secrets 17:00 Ancient Aliens 18:00 Monster Quest 19:00 Hangar 1: The UFO Files 20:00 How The States Got Their Shape 21:00 Ancient Impossible 22:00 America's Book Of Secrets 23:00 Ancient Aliens

00:30 American Pickers 01:20 The Curse Of Oak Island 02:10 The Curse Of Oak Island 03:00 Hunting Hitler 03:50 Storage Wars 04:15 American Pickers 05:05 Pawn Stars 05:30 Pawn Stars 06:00 Mountain Men 07:00 Swamp People 07:50 Ax Men 08:40 Counting Cars 09:05 Counting Cars 09:30 Pawn Stars 09:55 Pawn Stars 10:20 Storage Wars 10:45 Storage Wars 11:10 American Pickers 12:00 Gold Hunters: Legend Of TheSuperstition... 12:50 Time Team 13:40 Swamp People 14:30 Ax Men 15:20 Mountain Men 16:10 Ice Road Truckers 17:00 Counting Cars 17:25 Counting Cars 17:50 Pawn Stars 18:15 Pawn Stars 18:40 Hunting Hitler 19:30 The Curse Of Oak Island 20:20 Ax Men 21:10 American Pickers 22:00 Mountain Men 22:50 Sean Bean On Waterloo 23:40 Ozzy & Jack's World Detour

00:20 Rustic Adventures Italy 00:45 Rustic Adventures Italy 01:10 Home Strange Home 02:00 Food Lover's Guide To The Planet 02:25 Miguel's Tropical Kitchen 02:50 Street Food Around The World 03:15 Street Food Around The World 03:40 Wineroads 04:05 Great Escapes 04:30 Miguel's Feasts 04:55 The Food Files 05:20 The Food Files 05:45 Ariana's Persian Kitchen 06:10 My Dubai 06:35 What's For Sale? 07:00 What's For Sale? 07:25 Food School 07:50 Food Lover's Guide To The Planet 08:15 Miguel's Tropical Kitchen 08:40 Street Food Around The World 09:05 Street Food Around The World 09:30 Wineroads 09:55 Great Escapes 10:20 Miguel's Feasts 10:45 The Food Files 11:10 The Food Files

11:35 Ariana's Persian Kitchen 12:00 My Dubai 12:25 What's For Sale? 12:50 What's For Sale? 13:15 Food School 13:40 Food Lover's Guide To The Planet 14:05 Miguel's Tropical Kitchen 14:35 Street Food Around The World 15:00 Street Food Around The World 15:30 Wineroads 15:55 Great Escapes 16:25 Miguel's Feasts 16:50 The Food Files 17:20 The Food Files 17:45 Ariana's Persian Kitchen 18:15 My Dubai 18:40 What's For Sale? 19:10 What's For Sale? 19:35 Food School 20:05 Great Escapes 20:30 Miguel's Feasts 21:00 The Food Files 21:25 The Food Files 21:50 Ariana's Persian Kitchen 22:15 My Dubai 22:40 What's For Sale? 23:05 What's For Sale? 23:30 Food School 23:55 Food Lover's Guide To The Planet

00:20 Megacities 01:10 The Border 02:00 Highway Thru Hell 03:00 Dirty Rotten Survival 03:55 Continent 7: Antarctica 04:50 The Border 05:45 Born To Ride 06:40 Access 360 World Heritage 07:35 Live Free Or Die 08:30 Highway Thru Hell 09:25 Bad Trip 10:20 Born To Ride 11:15 Years Of Living Dangerously 12:10 Continent 7: Antarctica 13:05 Air Crash Investigation 14:00 Bad Trip 15:00 Highway Thru Hell 16:00 Live Free Or Die 17:00 Years Of Living Dangerously 18:00 Continent 7: Antarctica 19:00 Air Crash Investigation 20:00 Live Free Or Die 21:00 Years Of Living Dangerously 21:50 Continent 7: Antarctica 22:40 Air Crash Investigation 23:30 Live Free Or Die

00:30 Search For The Giant Octopus 01:20 Hippo vs Croc 02:10 India's Lost Worlds 03:00 Black Mamba: Kiss Of Death 03:50 Savage Kingdom 04:45 Ultimate Animal Countdown 05:40 World's Wildest Encounters 06:35 Black Mamba: Kiss Of Death 07:30 Savage Kingdom 08:25 Ultimate Animal Countdown 09:20 World's Wildest Encounters 10:15 World's Deadliest 11:10 Monster Fish 12:05 Natural Born Monsters 13:00 Shark Alley 13:55 Game Of Lions 14:50 Savage Kingdom 15:45 Ultimate Animal Countdown 16:40 Expedition Wild 17:35 World's Deadliest 18:30 Monster Fish 19:25 Natural Born Monsters 20:20 Ultimate Animal Countdown 21:10 Expedition Wild 22:00 World's Deadliest 22:50 Monster Fish 23:40 Natural Born Monsters

00:00 Jayne Mansfield's Car 02:00 Abandoned 04:00 Good People 06:00 The Beat Beneath My Feet 08:00 A Teacher's Obsession 10:00 The Better Angels 12:00 Abandoned 14:00 Odd Thomas 16:00 Breaking Through 18:00 The Better Angels 20:00 Siberian Education 22:00 October Gale

00:00 Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll 00:30 Two And A Half Men 01:00 Two And A Half Men 01:30 Happy Endings 02:00 Happy Endings 02:30 You're The Worst 03:00 You're The Worst

03:30 Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll 04:00 New Girl 04:30 Baby Daddy 05:00 Angie Tribeca 05:30 The Tonight Show Starring JimmyFallon 06:30 Breaking In 07:00 Til Death 07:30 Living With Fran 08:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers 09:00 Angie Tribeca 09:30 Breaking In

10:00 New Girl 10:30 Dr. Ken 11:30 Living With Fran 12:00 The Tonight Show Starring JimmyFallon 13:00 Til Death 13:30 Angie Tribeca 14:00 Breaking In 14:30 Living With Fran 15:00 Baby Daddy 15:30 Dr. Ken 16:30 Happy Endings 17:30 Til Death 18:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers 19:00 New Girl 19:30 Baby Daddy 20:00 Young & Hungry 21:00 The Tonight Show Starring JimmyFallon 22:00 Happy Endings 23:00 Family Guy

00:00 Inside Out 02:00 Hotel For Dogs 04:00 Clockstoppers 06:00 American Girl: Isabelle Dances IntoThe Spotlight 08:00 Alone For Christmas 10:00 Inside Out 12:00 American Girl: Isabelle Dances IntoThe Spotlight 14:00 Snow Day 16:00 Bark Ranger 18:00 American Girl: Saige Paints TheSky 20:00 Jem And The Holograms 22:00 Christmas Trade

00:30 The Last Witch Hunter 02:15 Glass Chin 04:00 Suffragette 06:00 Spooks: The Greater Good 08:00 The Rewrite 10:00 Suffragette 11:45 Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials 14:00 Star Wars: The Force Awakens 16:15 Risen 18:00 Everest 20:00 Joy 22:15 Creed

01:00 Wanderlust 03:00 Norbit 05:00 Passed Away 07:00 How Do You Know 09:00 Under The Tuscan Sun 11:00 Passed Away 13:00 Norbit 15:00 Jack 17:00 Under The Tuscan Sun 19:00 Ghostbusters 21:00 It's Complicated 23:15 Are You Here

01:30 Two Men In Town 03:30 Trash 05:30 WarGames 07:30 The Rainmaker 10:00 Wuthering Heights 12:00 Two Men In Town 14:00 Grand Central 16:00 Neil Young: Heart Of Gold 18:00 Wuthering Heights 20:00 Eight Men Out 22:00 Love & Mercy

00:30 Ploddy Police Car On The Case 02:00 Ghatothkach - Master Of Magic 03:45 Baby Geniuses And The SpaceBaby 05:30 Miffy The Movie 07:00 The Adventures Of Don Quixote 08:30 Bolts And Blip 10:15 Pixies 12:00 Ploddy Police Car On The Case 13:30 Baby Geniuses And The SpaceBaby EVEREST ON OSN MOVIES HD

WANDERLUST ON OSN MOVIES COMEDY HD

THE MACHINE ON OSN MOVIES ACTION

ClassifiedsTUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

DIAL161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY (05/01/2017 TO 11/01/2017)

SHARQIA-1MOANA 1:00 PMMOANA 3:15 PMMOANA 5:30 PMMOANA 7:45 PMASSASSIN’S CREED 10:00 PMASSASSIN’S CREED 12:30 AM

SHARQIA-2THE GREAT WALL 11:30 AMTHE GREAT WALL 1:30 PMTHE GREAT WALL 3:45 PMTHE GREAT WALL 6:00 PMTHE GREAT WALL 8:15 PMTHE GREAT WALL 10:30 PMTHE GREAT WALL 12:45 AM

SHARQIA-3ASSASSIN’S CREED 12:45 PMASSASSIN’S CREED 3:30 PMDANGAL -Hindi 6:15 PMTHE GREAT WALL 9:30 PMTHE GREAT WALL 11:45 PM

MUHALAB-1DANGAL -Hindi 1:00 PMSNOW WHITE’S NEW ADVENTURE 2:30 PMFRISNOW WHITE’S NEW ADVENTURE 4:30 PMASSASSIN’S CREED 6:30 PMDANGAL -Hindi 9:00 PMASSASSIN’S CREED 12:15 AM

MUHALAB-2SNOW WHITE’S NEW ADVENTURE 11:45 AMMOANA 1:45 PMMOANA 4:00 PMMOANA 6:15 PMTHE GREAT WALL 8:30 PMTHE GREAT WALL 10:45 PMTHE GREAT WALL 1:00 AM

MUHALAB-3THE GREAT WALL 12:30 PMTHE GREAT WALL 2:45 PMTHE GREAT WALL 5:00 PMTHE GREAT WALL 7:15 PMTHE GREAT WALL 9:30 PMTHE GREAT WALL 11:45 PM

FANAR-1SNOW WHITE’S NEW ADVENTURE 11:30 AMASSASSIN’S CREED 1:45 PMSNOW WHITE’S NEW ADVENTURE 4:30 PMSNOW WHITE’S NEW ADVENTURE 6:30 PM

ASSASSIN’S CREED 9:00 PMASSASSIN’S CREED 11:30 PM

FANAR-2MOANA 12:00 PMMOANA 2:30 PMMOANA 5:00 PMMOANA 7:30 PMTHE FOUNDER 10:00 PMTHE FOUNDER 12:30 AM

FANAR-3SING 11:45 AMDANGAL -Hindi 2:00 PMDANGAL -Hindi 5:15 PMDANGAL -Hindi 8:30 PMTHE GREAT WALL 11:45 PM

FANAR-4THE GREAT WALL 11:30 AMTHE GREAT WALL 1:45 PMTHE GREAT WALL 4:00 PMTHE GREAT WALL 6:15 PMTHE GREAT WALL 8:30 PMTHE GREAT WALL 10:45 PMTHE GREAT WALL 1:00 AM

MARINA-1THE GREAT WALL 11:45 AMMOANA 2:00 PMMOANA 4:15 PMMOANA 6:45 PMTHE GREAT WALL 9:00 PMTHE GREAT WALL 11:15 PM

MARINA-2THE GREAT WALL 1:00 PMTHE GREAT WALL 3:15 PMTHE GREAT WALL 5:30 PMTHE GREAT WALL 7:45 PMTHE GREAT WALL 10:00 PMTHE GREAT WALL 12:15 AM

MARINA-3FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS 12:30 PMASSASSIN’S CREED 2:45 PMFLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS 5:15 PMFLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS 8:00 PMASSASSIN’S CREED 10:15 PMASSASSIN’S CREED 12:45 AM

AVENUES-1THE FOUNDER 11:45 AMPASSENGERS 2:15 PMTHE FOUNDER 4:45 PM

PASSENGERS 7:15 PMTHE FOUNDER 9:45 PMTHE FOUNDER 12:15 AM

AVENUES-2THE GREAT WALL -3D- 4DX 1:00 PMTHE GREAT WALL -3D- 4DX 3:15 PMMOANA -3D- 4DX 5:45 PMTHE GREAT WALL -3D- 4DX 8:15 PMASSASSIN’S CREED -3D- 4DX 10:30 PMTHE GREAT WALL -3D- 4DX 1:00 AM

AVENUES-3SING 1:30 PMSING 3:45 PMDANGAL -Hindi 6:00 PMDANGAL -Hindi 9:15 PMTHE GREAT WALL 12:30 AM

AVENUES-4DANGAL -Hindi 12:30 PMMOANA 1:30 PMFRIASSASSIN’S CREED 3:45 PMDANGAL -Hindi 6:15 PMNO THUSpecial Show “ROGUE ONE:A STAR WARS STORY” 6:30 PMTHUASSASSIN’S CREED 9:30 PMASSASSIN’S CREED 12:05 AM

AVENUES-5THE GREAT WALL 1:15 PMTHE GREAT WALL 3:30 PMTHE GREAT WALL -3D 5:45 PMNO SUNSpecial Show “LA LA LAND” 5:30 PMSUNTHE GREAT WALL 8:00 PMTHE GREAT WALL 10:15 PMTHE GREAT WALL 12:30 AM

AVENUES-6ASSASSIN’S CREED 12:00 PMASSASSIN’S CREED 2:30 PMASSASSIN’S CREED 5:00 PMASSASSIN’S CREED 7:30 PMASSASSIN’S CREED 10:00 PMASSASSIN’S CREED 12:45 AM

AVENUES-7THE GREAT WALL 11:30 AMTHE GREAT WALL 1:45 PMTHE GREAT WALL 4:00 PMTAHT AL TARABEZA 6:15 PM

Arrival Flights on Tuesday 10/1/2017Airlines Flt Route TimeMSC 405 Sohag 00:05KAC 776 Riyadh 00:20KLM 411 Amsterdam/Dammam 00:20JZR 267 Beirut 00:30JZR 539 Cairo 00:40THY 772 Istanbul 00:55MSC 411 Asyut 01:00QTR 1086 Doha 01:15KAC 102 London 01:25THY 764 Istanbul 01:50DLH 635 Doha 01:55PGT 858 Istanbul 02:00AXB 395 Kozhikode 02:00ETH 620 Addis Ababa 02:05GFA 211 Bahrain 02:30UAE 853 Dubai 02:30OMA 643 Muscat 02:55KKK 6506 Istanbul 02:55FDB 069 Dubai 03:05RJA 644 Amman 03:05ETD 305 Abu Dhabi 03:10MSR 612 Cairo 03:10QTR 1076 Doha 03:30KAC 358 Kochi 03:30KAC 206 Islamabad 03:45KAC 1544 Cairo 03:55LMU 5510 Cairo 04:00KAC 418 Manila 04:25THY 6376 Istanbul 05:05JZR 529 Asyut 05:15DHX 170 Bahrain 05:20KAC 354 BLR 05:20KAC 344 Chennai 05:35KAC 332 Trivandrum 05:45THY 770 Istanbul 05:55KAC 384 Delhi 06:05KAC 364 Colombo 06:05KAC 346 Ahmedabad 06:25BAW 157 London 06:40PAL 668 Manila/Dubai 07:00FDB 5061 Dubai 07:15FDB 053 Dubai 07:50KAC 302 Mumbai 08:20UAE 855 Dubai 08:40KAC 382 Delhi 08:45ABY 125 Sharjah 09:05ETD 301 Abu Dhabi 09:05QTR 1070 Doha 09:30FDB 055 Dubai 09:40SVA 512 Riyadh 10:00AVV 651 Asyut 10:10GFA 213 Bahrain 10:40IRA 675 Lar 10:40SYR 341 Damascus 11:00MSC 403 Asyut 11:15JZR 165 Dubai 11:30MEA 404 Beirut 11:55QTR 8511 Doha 12:00MSC 401 Alexandria 12:30JZR 561 Sohag 12:40FDB 075 Dubai 12:50UAE 871 Dubai 12:50KAC 680 Dubai 12:55MSR 610 Cairo 13:00AXB 393 Kozhikode 13:10BON 101 Sarajevo 13:30KAC 564 Amman 13:40

KAC 788 Jeddah 13:45KAC 792 Madinah 13:50QTR 1078 Doha 14:10FDB 059 Dubai 14:20SVA 500 Jeddah 14:30KAC 692 Muscat 14:30GFA 221 Bahrain 14:40KAC 542 Cairo 14:45KAC 672 Dubai 14:50KNE 529 Jeddah 14:55KAC 618 Doha 15:00ETD 303 Abu Dhabi 15:15KAC 286 Dhaka 15:20OMA 645 Muscat 15:35UAE 857 Dubai 15:45ABY 127 Sharjah 15:50KAC 154 Istanbul 15:55QTR 1072 Doha 16:10JZR 535 Cairo 16:10FDB 051 Dubai 16:25KAC 662 Abu Dhabi 16:35RJA 640 Amman 16:55CLX 7785 Doha 17:00KAC 118 New York 17:00SVA 510 Riyadh 17:15GFA 215 Bahrain 17:30JZR 777 Jeddah 17:45JZR 325 Al Najaf 17:50NIA 251 Alexandria 17:55UAE 875 Dubai 18:00FDB 063 Dubai 18:10JZR 177 Dubai 18:20MSR 620 Cairo 18:30QTR 1080 Doha 18:50KAC 746 Dammam 19:10ABY 123 Sharjah 19:25KAC 502 Beirut 19:30GFA 217 Bahrain 19:30KAC 778 Riyadh 19:35KAC 674 Dubai 19:45FDB 057 Dubai 19:50KAC 514 Tehran 19:50KAC 168 Paris 19:55MSR 618 Alexandria 20:05OMA 647 Muscat 20:10QTR 1088 Doha 20:35KAC 562 Amman 20:40DLH 634 Frankfurt 20:45KAC 616 Bahrain 20:50FDB 5053 Dubai 20:50JAI 572 Mumbai 20:55KAC 786 Jeddah 21:15ETD 307 Abu Dhabi 21:20MEA 402 Beirut 21:20ALK 229 Colombo 21:25KAC 172 Frankfurt 21:35UAE 859 Dubai 21:40GFA 219 Bahrain 21:45QTR 1082 Doha 22:00JZR 125 Bahrain 22:05KLM 415 Amsterdam/Dammam 22:10NIA 151 Cairo 22:10ETD 309 Abu Dhabi 22:15AIC 987 Chennai/Hyderabad 22:25PIA 239 Sialkot 22:35JZR 241 Amman 22:45JZR 185 Dubai 23:15FDB 071 Dubai 23:45JAI 574 Mumbai 23:50

Departure Flights on Tuesday 10/1/2017Airlines Flt Route TimeAIC 976 Goa/Chennai 00:05FDB 072 Dubai 00:40ETD 920 Abu Dhabi 00:45JAI 573 Mumbai 00:50MSC 406 Sohag 01:00BBC 144 Chittagong/Dhaka 01:30KLM 411 Amsterdam 01:35MSC 412 Asyut 01:55KAC 417 Manila 02:00KAC 285 Dhaka 02:25THY 773 Istanbul 02:25DLH 635 Frankfurt 02:55AXB 396 Kozhikode 02:55ETH 621 Addis Ababa 03:05PGT 859 Istanbul 03:35UAE 854 Dubai 03:45KKK 6505 Istanbul 03:55OMA 644 Muscat 03:55THY 765 Istanbul 04:00MSR 613 Cairo 04:10ETD 306 Abu Dhabi 04:10KAC 167 Paris 04:25QTR 1077 Doha 04:40LMU 5511 Cairo 05:00QTR 1087 Doha 05:50JZR 560 Sohag 06:05FDB 070 Dubai 06:30THY 6376 Dubai/Istanbul 06:35KAC 153 Istanbul 06:50THY 771 Istanbul 06:50JZR 164 Dubai 06:55RJA 645 Amman 07:05GFA 212 Bahrain 07:15KAC 541 Cairo 07:15KAC 787 Jeddah 07:45KAC 171 Frankfurt 07:55FDB 5062 Dubai 07:55KAC 563 Amman 08:00KAC 679 Dubai 08:10BAW 156 London 08:40FDB 054 Dubai 08:55KAC 791 Madinah 09:00KAC 691 Muscat 09:00KAC 117 SNN/New York 09:00JZR 534 Cairo 09:15KAC 101 London 09:35ABY 126 Sharjah 09:45UAE 856 Dubai 09:55KAC 671 Dubai 10:05ETD 302 Abu Dhabi 10:10FDB 056 Dubai 10:35QTR 1071 Doha 10:40SVA 513 Riyadh 11:00AVV 652 Sohag 11:10KAC 617 Doha 11:10KAC 501 Beirut 11:15GFA 214 Bahrain 11:25IRA 674 Lar 11:40SYR 342 Damascus 12:00KAC 661 Abu Dhabi 12:05JZR 776 Jeddah 12:05MSC 404 Asyut 12:15MEA 405 Beirut 12:55QTR 8512 Doha 13:30MSC 402 Alexandria 13:30JZR 176 Dubai 13:45AAG 143 IQA 14:00

MSR 611 Cairo 14:00FDB 076 Dubai 14:05AXB 394 Kozhikode 14:10UAE 872 Dubai 14:15JZR 324 Al Najaf 14:25BON 102 Sarajevo 14:55KAC 673 Dubai 15:00KAC 561 Amman 15:00FDB 060 Dubai 15:10KAC 785 Jeddah 15:15PAL 669 Dubai/Manila 15:20GFA 222 Bahrain 15:25KAC 513 Tehran 15:25QTR 1079 Doha 15:40SVA 501 Jeddah 15:45KNE 530 Jeddah 15:55KAC 777 Riyadh 16:00KAC 745 Dammam 16:00ETD 304 Abu Dhabi 16:20KAC 357 Kochi 16:20ABY 128 Sharjah 16:30OMA 646 Muscat 16:35JZR 266 Beirut 17:05JZR 240 Amman 17:15FDB 052 Dubai 17:25KAC 615 Bahrain 17:35KAC 343 Chennai 17:40QTR 1073 Doha 17:40UAE 858 Dubai 17:45JZR 538 Cairo 17:45RJA 641 Amman 17:55KAC 331 Trivandrum 18:00SVA 511 Riyadh 18:15GFA 216 Bahrain 18:20KAC 205 Islamabad 18:25CLX 7785 Luxembourg 18:30JZR 184 Dubai 18:40NIA 252 Alexandria 18:55FDB 064 Dubai 19:05JZR 124 Bahrain 19:15UAE 876 Dubai 19:30MSR 621 Cairo 19:30QTR 1081 Doha 19:50ABY 124 Sharjah 20:05GFA 218 Bahrain 20:15FDB 058 Dubai 20:35KAC 361 Colombo 20:35KAC 1543 Cairo 21:00MSR 607 Luxor 21:05OMA 648 Muscat 21:10KAC 345 Ahmedabad 21:30QTR 1089 Doha 21:35DLH 634 Doha 21:35FDB 5054 Dubai 21:50DHX 171 Bahrain 21:50JAI 571 Mumbai 21:55KAC 351 Kochi 22:00KAC 783 Jeddah 22:10ETD 308 Abu Dhabi 22:15KAC 413 Bangkok 22:15KAC 203 Lahore 22:15MEA 403 Beirut 22:20ALK 230 Colombo 22:25GFA 220 Bahrain 22:30KAC 301 Mumbai 22:45KAC 381 Delhi 22:45UAE 860 Dubai 22:55ETD 310 Abu Dhabi 23:05NIA 152 Cairo 23:10QTR 1083 Doha 23:20KLM 415 Dammam/Amsterdam 23:20PIA 240 Sialkot 23:35

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

You turn a negative to a positive quickly today. Find a blank sheet of paper,start writing out what you are grateful for and keep this list with you during

the day. Before commenting on how you feel, look at where the truth has stopped andemotions have begun. Stay with the truth-listen to music or get busy with some project.Of course, if you are in a workplace, consider a walk at the noon break or visit a pet store,music store or library-any place that will help you to move into a positive awareness. Youcould come up with new discoveries, creative ideas or inventions when you return to theworkplace. You feel positive and creative this evening. Your passions are high and an inti-mate time with your loved one can be sensational.

Aries (March 21-April 19)

STAR TRACK

Conversations with co-workers are fun, but may be short today. There is a lotof work set out for you, but you are happy and there is plenty of work. Harmonious timeswith the family are available at home late this afternoon. Everyone goes to his or her owncorner to do homework, read, work on a hobby or tend to responsibilities. There may be ablock meeting tonight in your neighborhood that will help to eventually eliminate somecommunity problems this year. Be sure to attend this meeting because you will be able tooffer a different slant to a subject matter. Did you ever think of the kitchen as a place ofawarenessyou and a loved one enjoy uninterrupted conversations in the kitchen thisevening. Perhaps new scheduling is in order for the family.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

Shift a negative to a positive by changing your surroundings or your mind.Group meetings can be confusing if they are not organized-you could help with theorganizing. This would be a good time to make notes and write up your synopsis of themeeting as well as your thoughts in order to bring about an improvement to group gath-erings. Remember that you may not be able to change things overnight; just keep yournotes and all the facts together. Today you will have an opportunity to use your great wit.Your practical vision and common sense will create recognition in your career. Communityneeds keep coming to your attention and you may find an interest in involving yourselfmore and more with a new library or some useful citizen's project.

You love to visit a music store or a bookstore during your noon breaks-todayis no exception. The friends you have made during your visit to these places are quiteenjoyable. You talk over philosophy, religion and all that is mystical and you enjoy playingor listening to music. Your value system and the way you care for others may shoot up anotch to a higher plane because of these days. A hot topic in the workplace may haveyour blood pressure up this afternoon-wait, give someone else a chance; this is his or herissue-not yours. You stay with your own itinerary later today. At home this evening, youmay not want to go out again-a friend's phone conversation may surprise you and youmay find time moving along quickly with lots of laughter.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

In-depth discussions and probing conversations find you at your mentalbest. Others are able to follow your lead and much can be accomplished in your workworld. Your mind could be quite clear and natural for giving instructions, helping or teach-ing. A love for the unusual may show itself in the way you express yourself-you are mostoriginal. If you are speaking to a crowd today, you will be expressive and meaningful.Because of your enthusiasm, people listening in the back of the room are already figuringout how to put their own ideas to work, perhaps, as you did. A volunteer group that youare usually involved with may want you to join them once again this year. It is throughhelping others that we gain much satisfaction.

Leo (July 23-August 22)

Learn how to handle interruptions and avoid overwork that leads tostress. Enthusiastic people like yourself will accept the stress as a challenge to show offyour ability to solve problems. What if you are in a position to have no outside interrup-tionsyou may be competing with your own time schedule. You cannot avoid stress butyou can handle it. Your success this month will be large in measure. This day may be a bittaxing. After a meal, the pressures seem to ease a great deal. It would be a good idea towalk outside for a short time of exercise. Tonight brings clear communication with yourloved ones. Forgiveness and understanding arouse deep feelings and a healing is possiblewhere needed. Family scenes at your house are positive.

Virgo (August 23-September 22)

Be aware that although this month can be rather slow, the rest of the yearwill be faster than most of us can keep up with easily. Fight the urge to try new things justnow. Make this a time of planning instead of action. Take advantage of this time to planyour goals for work, play, health regimen, finances and do not leave out romance! Get ridof anything that has outlived its purpose and can no longer give you pleasure or serveyou. This is a way to clear a space for new and wonderful growth coming your way soon.Figuring out ways to make your nest egg grow can be a preoccupation with family mem-bers. There are some good choices; vote on one and get prepared to follow through withthe decision. Romance is in the air.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

As you get on the freeway this week, be observant and try not to prove apoint with your vehicle; you will be safe. A new game or some sort of toy is in the forecast .. . Perhaps you have decided to spend a few gift cards. Your creative insights can enrichyour business today. You may decide a new direction or addition to your business expert-ise is needed at this time. This may call for added education. There are good energiesaround whatever you set out to accomplish. A good investment at this time will bringmany profits later. An advisor may be necessary with this regard. Since you have had manyadventures in life, a friend may call for your advice. This may involve travel. Whatever thescenario, you will be able to help make your friend's life better.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21)

This morning is full of wonderful sights. It may be the weather or it may bea new life form. Whatever the case, a situation that is easy to observe and

absorb goes with your spirit throughout the day. When a friend or work partner is not asenergetic to learn or accomplish new things, you seem to understand that they are not asexcited and energized about life as you. A situation today will uncover and explain a pre-vious misunderstanding. You may be reminded in subtle ways, thank goodness, that it isgood to be humble. You will find that an after-work gathering of friends is quite enjoy-able. Sharing interests, experiences and ideas boosts the spirit for all participants.Unconventional romantic and social connections are likely this evening.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)

With your imagination, you could design your own internet website and quityour day job. Your creative mind may have sent you off into many different directions late-ly, but if somebody told you he or she would give you lots of money to design a uniqueweb page for his or her, you would focus your ideas and become an instant success.Accomplishments would be many, and in no time, you could be receiving awards for yourdesigns. It is all about incentive; you will soon have plenty of incentive to grow and stretchand move beyond the boundaries you have set for yourself. It all starts today! Perhaps notwith a web design but the creative possibilities are endless. Think outside the box. The cel-ebrations tonight are outside.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

Wonderful ideas could benefit you and others if you could write themdown as they come to you. New technologies are difficult to learn, but you

will discover something very special. Whether you are in your own business or working forsomeone else-you will make great progress today. You have an opportunity to give adviceto young people today. When you answer questions, you are good at making people feelcomfortable and the little humor you add endears you to many. People remember yourconcerns and want to help you with your special project. Tonight you may try to encour-age creativeness among the members of your household. Do not become too frustrated ifan older person has a change of mind after getting you deeply involved.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

There is a need to do your own thing today, and if allowed to do so, you willmake a great deal of progress. You will have insight into your path of progress. Perhapsyou will be able to ease up on the pressure you have put yourself through lately. You willsoon be paying a debt from last year and clearing away old paperwork as well. Old busi-ness that was not finished at the end of last year can be completed now. New ways tocommunicate will make themselves clear; conversations and interactions go well. A dia-logue with an older person may take place this afternoon and lessons are learned. Newinsight is coming to help you in caring for your health. This may take the form of a newbook by a new author. Good luck surrounds you today.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18)

CROSSWORD 1486

ACROSS1. Noisy talk.4. Of or relating to or characteristic of Assam or

its people or culture.12. The central part of a car wheel (or fan or

propeller etc) through which the shaft oraxle passes.

15. An extension at the end and at right anglesto the main building.

16. Tiny bits of protoplasm found in vertebrateblood.

17. A period marked by distinctive character orreckoned from a fixed point or event.

18. (informal) Of the highest quality.19. Someone given to disputes over words.20. Title for a civil or military leader (especially

in Turkey).21. A complex red organic pigment containing

iron and other atoms to which oxygenbinds.

23. Strike with disgust or revulsion.25. A highly unstable radioactive element (the

heaviest of the halogen series).26. A silvery soft waxy metallic element of the

alkali metal group.27. (Irish) Mother of the Tuatha De Danann.29. A person who eats human flesh.33. A historical region of southwestern India

on the west coast.37. A river that rises in northern Colombia and

flows generally eastward to the Orinoco incentral Venezuela.

40. Having deeply indented margins but withlobes not entirely separate from each oth-er.

41. The bags of letters and packages that aretransported by the postal service.

44. Solid swollen underground bulb-shapedstem or stem base and serving as a repro-ductive structure.

45. An inflammatory complication of leprosythat results in painful skin lesions on thearms and legs and face.

47. Any of various plants of the genus Althaea.48. Female ruff v 1.50. A software system that facilitates the cre-

ation and maintenance and use of an elec-tronic database.

52. A river that rises in northeastern Turkey(near the source of the Euphrates) andflows generally eastward throughArmenia to the Caspian Sea.

53. A river in north central Switzerland thatruns northeast into the Rhine.

56. A Russian river.58. A doctor's degree in dental surgery.59. The capital and largest city of Bangladesh.62. Date used in reckoning dates before the

supposed year Christ was born.64. Large family of important mostly marine

food fishes.67. A rare heavy polyvalent metallic element

that resembles manganese chemicallyand is used in some alloys.

69. Type genus of the family Arcidae.73. A medicinal drug used to evoke vomiting

(especially in cases of drug overdose orpoisoning).

77. A river in north central Switzerland thatruns northeast into the Rhine.

78. Resinlike substance secreted by certain lacinsects.

79. Sturdy annual of Peru.81. An agency of the United Nations affiliated

with the World Bank.82. (Judaism) Sacred chest where the ancient

Hebrews kept the two tablets containingthe Ten Commandments.

83. Striped hyena of southeast Africa thatfeeds chiefly on insects.

84. A young woman making her debut intosociety.

DOWN1. Not only so, but.2. Type genus of the Alcidae comprising solely

the razorbill.3. Swiss painter influenced by Kandinsky

(1879-1940).4. Of or related to aplite.5. A position in a grammatical linguistic con-

struction in which a variety of alternativeunits are interchangeable.

6. Small low-growing annual or perennialherbs of temperate and cool regions.

7. (music) Characterized by avoidance of tradi-tional Western tonality.

8. The 13th letter of the Hebrew alphabet.9. Either of two large African antelopes of the

genus Taurotragus having short spirallytwisted horns in both sexes.

10. (of champagne) Moderately dry.11. A colorless volatile water-soluble liquid

aldehyde used chiefly in manufacture ofacetic acid and perfumes and drugs.

12. A collection of objects laid on top of eachother.

13. The capital and largest city of Mongolia.14. Any of numerous local fertility and nature

deities worshipped by ancient Semiticpeoples.

22. Small wildcat of the mountains of SiberiaTibet and Mongolia.

24. Fudge made with brown sugar and butterand milk and nuts.

28. A radioactive element of the actinideseries.

30. A genus of orb-weaving spiders includingcommon garden spiders and barn spiders.

31. A worker who attaches something by nail-ing it.

32. A small cake leavened with yeast.34. On a ship, train, plane or other vehicle.35. Read anew.36. The segment of the public that is easily

influenced by mass media (chiefly British).38. A soft silvery metallic element of the alkali

earth group.39. A fraudulent business scheme.42. A genus of Ploceidae.43. In addition.46. A Mid-Atlantic state.49. Of or relating the the Vedas or to the

ancient Sanskrit in which they were writ-ten.

51. A light strong brittle gray toxic bivalentmetallic element.

54. Any of various spiny trees or shrubs of thegenus Acacia.

55. Water frozen in the solid state.57. A small pellet fired from an air rifle or BB

gun.60. A city in southern Turkey on the Seyhan

River.61. Any system of principles or beliefs.63. A white metallic element that burns with a

brilliant light.65. South American armadillo with three

bands of bony plates.66. Any of various floor-like platforms built

into a vessel.68. A British peer ranking below a Marquess

and above a Viscount.70. A sudden short attack.71. (of a young animal) Abandoned by its

mother and raised by hand.72. An Arabic speaking person who lives in

Arabia or North Africa.74. Experiencing or showing sorrow or unhap-

piness.75. The compass point midway between west

and northwest.76. The airforce of Great Britain.80. A hard brittle blue-white multivalent

metallic element.

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Gemini (May 21-June 20)

TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

l if e st yleF E A T U R E

Draped in dazzling kimonos, thousands ofexpensively made-up young Japanesewomen marked their entry into adulthood

yesterday-with many planning a night on thebooze to celebrate. Formal "Coming of Age" cere-monies, which began as a rite of ancient samuraifamilies, were held nationwide for Japan's 20-year-olds, reminding them of their responsibilities afterbecoming old enough to legally drink and smoke.As they fidgeted with mobile phones and stifledyawns during the speeches, the contrast in finan-cial outlay between the sexes was obvious, withmost males opting for the kind of plain businesssuit they will wear as future "salarymen".

"I'm happy I can finally drink alcohol and goclubbing," college student Rumiko Matsumoto toldAFP while getting a $100 manicure in Tokyo'strendy Shibuya district ahead of the ceremony."When my nails are dry, I have to get my eyelashextensions done, do my hair and get fitted for mykimono. "I'm very nervous," she added. "It's a spe-cial day, the first step towards being an adult. "Myparents told me I have to take responsibility for myown actions now. But first I want to celebrate bygoing drinking."

As more than four thousand gathered at Tokyo'sToshima-en amusement park yesterday, the fog ofhairspray used to fix exquisitely coiffured permshung in the cold air as young women queued for arollercoaster ride. Some women make appoint-ments a year in advance to have their hair andmake-up done and beauty salons often stay openall night to meet the rush for styling. Many payover $10,000 for their glittery kimonos, with beautytreatments such as elaborate nail decorations oftencosting hundreds of dollars more.

'Yikes, I'm an adult' "I did think 'yikes, I'm an adult' when I turned

20," said sales assistant Reiko Nakamura as a beau-tician fussed over her synthetic lashes. "I have tothink about my future so it's a little scary," sheadded, admiring her dagger-sharp Hello Kitty nails."For now I just want to enjoy a night out drinkingwith friends I haven't seen since primary school."Celebrated on the second Monday of the year fromsnow-swept northern Japan to the subtropicalsouth, Coming of Age Day includes those whoturned 20 over the previous year or will do sobefore March 31 this year.

The age a young person entered adulthood was

set at 20 for both genders in 1876. Crowds ofkimono-clad ladies and suited young men offeredprayers at Tokyo's Meiji Shrine over the holidayweekend, while thousands more flocked to TokyoDisneyland and posed for photos with Mickey andMinnie Mouse. In Japan's disaster-hit northwest,however, ceremonies were tinged with sadness asyoung people remembered classmates who per-ished in the 2011 tsunami.

There were an estimated 1.21 million newadults as of January 1 -- a decrease of some 50,000from last year and half the 1970 peak of 2.46 mil-lion, according to government figures, mirroringthe country's shrinking population. Japan's annualbirth rate recently dipped below one million for thefirst time in over 100 years, reflecting its rapidlyageing society. But a population crisis was the lastthing on Riki Hayashi's mind after a ceremony inTokyo. "The speeches went on for ages," he said."We will all be getting drunk tonight." — AFP

Twenty-year-old Japanese female tour guides, dressed in traditionalkimonos, wash their hands during a purification ceremony to celebratetheir Coming-of-Age at Meiji shrine in Tokyo. — AFP photos

20-year-old men and women draped in traditional kimonos are celebrat-ed by Mickey Mouse (second right) and Minnie Mouse (second left) dur-ing their ‘Coming-of-Age Day’ ceremony.

Draped in traditional kimonos, 20-year-old women gatherfor their "Coming-of-Age Day" ceremony.

Draped in traditional kimonos, 20-year-old women gatherfor their "Coming-of-Age" ceremony.

20-year-old men and women draped in traditional kimonos are celebrated by Disney characters during their ‘Coming-of-Age Day’ ceremony.

Hair today, hungover tomorrow as young Japanese come of age

20-year-old women draped in traditional kimonos and men clad in businesssuits gather for their "Coming-of-Age Day" ceremony.

In this photo, a twenty-year-old Japanese woman gets manicure at a nail salonin Tokyo to prepare for "Coming of Age Day" ceremonies.

Draped in traditional kimono, a 20-year-oldwoman gather for her "Coming-of-Age Day" cer-emony.

A twenty-year-old Japanese woman gets manicure at anail salon in Tokyo.

A twenty-year-old Japanese female tour guide, dressed intraditional kimono, washes her hand during a purificationceremony to celebrate her Coming-of-Age at Meiji shrinein Tokyo.

20-year-old women draped in traditional kimonos and men clad in business suits are celebrated by Mickey Mouse (right)during their "Coming-of-Age Day" ceremony.

A twenty-year-old Japanese woman gets Pedicure at a nailsalon in Tokyo.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

l if e st yleF A S H I O N

Hollywood's A-listers basked in the afternoon sun asthey strode up the red carpet in Los Angeles forSunday's Golden Globes ceremony. Here are a few

key takeaways from the first major fashion parade ofTinseltown's awards season:

Pretty in pink Pink was definitely one of the colors of the night.

Emma Stone, who took home the best actress in a come-dy/musical for the whimsical "La La Land," donned asleeveless pale pink Valentino gown with glittering silverstar accents. On her arm? Her brother. Two youngactresses went for pink Gucci: "Rogue One" star FelicityJones looked lovely in a pastel gown with black and sil-ver detailing, while Zoe Saldana chose a ruffled two-tonefrock with a sweet bow at the waist.

Angela Bassett, a star of FX's anthology series "AmericanHorror Story," opted for a form-fitting rose Christian Sirianogown with tiny straps and a fluttering ruffled neckline.And Lily Collins-nominated for her work on Warren Beatty's"Rules Don't Apply"-looked like a princess in a lacy sweep-ing Zuhair Murad gown with cap sleeves.

Ladies wear the pants too A few of Hollywood's top stars showed that the red car-

pet is about more than gowns. Evan Rachel Wood, a bestactress nominee in the television drama category for HBO'ssci-fi western "Westworld," rocked a tuxedo from Altuzarra,saying she wanted young girls to know that dresses werenot "a requirement." Octavia Spencer, up for a best sup-porting actress award for her work on "Hidden Figures," thestory of three black women mathematicians who helpedNASA launch some of its first space missions, was elegantin a Laura Basci tux.

"I was actually pretty good at math. Once I got to cal-culus, I just stopped," Spencer said with a laugh abouther own studies. "American Crime" nominee FelicityHuffman, who sported a sleeveless Georges Chakrajumpsuit with a gold and si lver bodice and whitetrousers, said she wore it in honor of Democratic presi-dential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Pops of color Beyond the timeless chic of black and white ensembles,

bright colors cropped up on the Globes red carpet. ViolaDavis, a winner for best supporting actress in a film for herwork on "Fences," shone in a one-shoulder sparkling canaryyellow Michael Kors gown. A very pregnant NataliePortman, a best actress in a drama nominee for her por-trayal of Jackie Kennedy in "Jackie," was glowing in a yellowPrada gown with an Empire waist and jeweled details onthe cuffs. Sleek hair and dangling diamond chandelier ear-rings-key choices by Hollywood's A list on Sunday-com-pleted the look, which was reminiscent of the former firstlady's aesthetic.

"It was a great opportunity and challenge to get to play

her," she told E! network on the red carpet. JessicaChastain, nominated in the same category as Portman forgun lobby drama "Miss Sloane," opted for a sky blue Pradagown with floral accents and a plunging neckline-filledwith a diamond necklace.

Plunging necklines Actresses such as Chastain showing a bit of decolletage

is nothing new, but plenty of sternums were on displaySunday night. Kristen Bell, a star of NBC comedy "The GoodPlace," rocked a sparkling-and very low-cut-black JennyPackham gown. Gal Gadot, the Israeli former beauty queenwho will soon star in "Wonder Woman," made her babybump sexy in a sleek black and silver Mugler gown withspaghetti straps, a deep v-neckline and a daring front slit.

And Mandy Moore, a nominee for the new NBC fami-

ly drama "This Is Us," looked glam in a navy NaeemKhan gown with a sheer cape overlay that plungedopen to her waist.

And a few misses Two stars who often make best-dressed lists were a

bit off their game. Nicole Kidman, nominated for herwork on "Lion," earned mixed reviews for her barely-there silvery sequined and embroidered AlexanderMcQueen gown with bare shoulders and draped sleevesending in long frilly cuffs. "Manchester by the Sea" starMichelle Williams also didn't earn unanimous praise forher lacy off-the-shoulder confection from Louis Vuitton,accessorized with a black ribbon choker tied in a bowand a peroxide blonde pixie haircut. — AFP

Sofia Vergara

Priyanka Chopra Emma Stone Felicity Jones Zoe Saldana

Lots of pink - and women intuxes - on Globes red carpet

Natalie Portman Viola Davis

Kristen Bell Felicity Huffman Angela Bassett

Evan RachelOctavia SpencerLily Collins Jessica Chastain, left, and Reese Witherspoon

TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

F A S H I O N

l if e st yle

Michelle Williams Mandy Moore Gal Gadot Nicole Kidman

Naomi CampbellKendall Jenner, left, and Kylie JennerHailee Steinfeld

Chrissy Teigen

Heidi Klum Gwendoline Christie Brie Larson Goldie Hawn Kelly Preston

Trace LysetteJulianne HoughLisa RinnaNaomie Harris

Elsa Pataky, left, and Chris Hemsworth

TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

l if e st yleA W A R D S

Whimsical modern-day musical "La La Land" pirou-etted its way into major Oscars contention Sundayas it swept the board at the Golden Globes, the

glitziest party of the showbiz year. Damien Chazelle's nos-talgic tribute to the Golden Age of Hollywood musicalspicked up all seven of the statuettes for which it was nomi-nated-giving the film momentum as it launches its cam-paign for next month's Academy Awards.

Its success struck an optimistic note during a three-hourceremony marked by impassioned political speeches voic-ing anxiety over Donald Trump's election following a cam-paign which stirred simmering racial tensions. "This is a filmfor dreamers," said Emma Stone, who took home the prizefor best actress in a musical/comedy for her role as aspiringactress Mia. "I think that hope and creativity are two of themost important things in the world. And that's what thismovie is about." Her co-star Ryan Gosling-who plays jazzpianist Sebastian-won best actor honors, while Chazelletook home prizes for best director and screenplay.

"La La Land" had earned awards for best original scoreand best song for "City of Stars" shortly after the glitzy cer-emony began-setting the tone for a record-breaking night.Prior to Sunday, the record for the most Globes was sharedby the 1975 release "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" andthe 1978 movie "Midnight Express," with six wins apiece.Gosling joked about breaking up his statuette to sharewith Stone and Chazelle, before getting serious with aheartfelt tribute to his partner, the actress Eva Mendes. "Iwould like to try to thank one person properly and saywhile I was singing and dancing and playing piano andhaving one of the best experiences I've ever had on a film,my lady was raising our daughter, pregnant with our sec-ond, and trying to help her brother fight his battle withcancer," he said.

'I love you' Kenneth Lonergan's unflinching "Manchester by the

Sea" earned a Globe for Casey Affleck as best actor in a dra-ma, but the film lost out to Barry Jenkins's coming-of-agemovie "Moonlight" for best drama. But that coveted prizewas the only one for "Moonlight," a disappointing haul con-sidering it had six nominations, including for the directorand cast members Naomie Harris and Mahershala Ali. Therewas also a shock in the best actress in a drama category,where Natalie Portman was expected to pick up the awardfor her intense turn as Jackie Kennedy in "Jackie." Instead,the award went to Isabelle Huppert for French rape-revenge tale "Elle," which also captured best foreign lan-guage film over the heavily favored German-Austrian dram-edy "Toni Erdmann."

"It was wonderful to work with you-you are wonderful. Ilove you, I love you, I love you," "Elle" director PaulVerhoeven told Huppert. Viola Davis picked up best sup-porting actress in a film for "Fences," the screen adaptationof August Wilson's play.

'Extraordinary women' On the television side, FX true crime anthology "The

People vs O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story" took homeprizes for best limited series or TV movie, and best actressfor Sarah Paulson for her portrayal of prosecutor MarciaClark. But AMC crime drama "The Night Manager" swept upthree acting prizes for Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Laurie and

Olivia Colman. Netflix newcomer "The Crown," a sagaabout Britain's royal family, picked up statuettes for bestdrama series and best actress for Claire Foy, who stars asa young Queen Elizabeth II. The 32-year-old Britishactress said she wanted to thank some "extraordinarywomen" including the queen, who she praised for hermore than 60 years on the throne.

"I think the world could do with a few more womenat the center of it , i f you ask me," she said. ActorDonald Glover-who is due to star in the next "Star Wars"spin-off film-picked up the best comedy televisionseries award for "Atlanta," which he created, and laterwon a best actor statuette.

'Outsiders and foreigners' The US presidential election was on the minds of those

at the Beverly Hilton, with many winners giving acceptancespeeches calling for tolerance and unity. Screen legendMeryl Streep took Trump to task in an emotional speech asshe accepted a lifetime achievement award. "Hollywood iscrawling with outsiders and foreigners," she told the presi-dent-elect. "If you kick 'em all out, you'll have nothing towatch but football and mixed martial arts, which are notthe arts." Without naming Trump, she described his unflat-tering impression of a disabled reporter as heartbreaking.

"Disrespect invites disrespect. Violence incites violence,"she said. Host Jimmy Fallon also cracked several Trumpgags. "This is the Golden Globes, one of the few places leftwhere America still honors the popular vote," Fallon said inhis opening monologue. For the first time, the arrival ofHollywood's A-listers on the red carpet a top moment forfashion lovers-was live-streamed on Twitter. One trendquickly identified was the preponderance of beards of theguests, with a picture of "Breaking Bad" villain BryanCranston in full facial hair sparking the Twitter hashtag#breakingbeard. — AFP

(From left) The cast and crew of "Moonlight," winners of Best Motion Picture - Drama, pose in the press room during the74th Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel. — AP/AFP photos

This image released by NBC shows Adele Romanski, foreground center, with the cast and crew of ‘Moonlight,’ acceptingthe award for best motion picture drama.

The cast and crew of ‘La La Land’ poses in the press room with the award for best motion picture - musical or comedy. Casey Affleck poses in the press roomwith the award for best performanceby an actor in a motion picture - dra-ma for "Manchester by the Sea".

Isabelle Huppert accepting the awardfor best actress in a motion picturedrama for her role in "Elle".

Damien Chazelle poses in the pressroom with the award for best screen-play - motion picture for "La La Land".

This image released by NBC shows the cast and crew of ‘La La Land’ winner of the award for best motion picture musicalor comedy.

'La La Land' waltzes off with big win at Golden Globes

This image shows Ryan Gosling with the award for bestactor in a motion picture musical or comedy for "La LaLand".

Actors Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, winners of the BestPerformance by an Actor/Actress in a Motion PictureComedy or Musical for ‘La La Land’, pose in the press room.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson with his award for best supportingactor in a motion picture for his role in "NocturnalAnimals".

Emma Stone poses with her award for best actress in amusical or comedy for her role in ‘La La Land’.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

l if e st yleA W A R D S

Motion PicturesMotion Picture, Drama: "Moonlight."Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy: "La La Land."Actor, Motion Picture, Drama: Casey Affleck, "Manchester by the Sea."Actress, Motion Picture, Drama: Isabelle Huppert, "Elle."Director, Motion Picture: Damien Chazelle, "La La Land."Actor, Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy: Ryan Gosling, "La La Land."Actress, Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy: Emma Stone, "La La Land."Supporting Actor, Motion Picture: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, "Nocturnal Animals."Supporting Actress, Motion Picture: Viola Davis, "Fences."Foreign Language Film: "Elle."Animated Film: "Zootopia."Screenplay, Motion Picture: Damien Chazelle, "La La Land."Original Score, Motion Picture: Justin Hurwitz, "La La Land."Original Song, Motion Picture: "City of Stars," "La La Land."

TelevisionTV Series, Drama: "The Crown."Actor, TV Series, Drama: Billy Bob Thornton, "Goliath."Actress, TV Series, Drama: Claire Foy, "The Crown."TV Series, Musical or Comedy: "Atlanta."Actor, TV Series, Musical or Comedy: Donald Glover, "Atlanta."Actress, TV Series, Musical or Comedy: Tracee Ellis Ross, "black-ish."Limited Series or TV Movie: "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story."Actor, Limited Series or TV Movie: Tom Hiddleston, "The Night Manager."Actress, Limited Series or TV Movie: Sarah Paulson, "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story."Supporting Actor, Series or TV Movie: Hugh Laurie, "The Night Manager."Supporting Actress, Series or TV Movie: Olivia Colman, "The Night Manager."Cecil B. DeMille Award: Meryl Streep. — AP

Winners

This image released by NBC shows Damien Chazelle, winner of the best director for "La LaLand.

This image shows Justin Hurwitz, from left, Justin Paul andBenj Pasek, winners of the best original song for ‘La LaLand.’

This image shows director Paul Verhoeven accepting the award for best foreign film for"Elle."

The cast and crew of ‘Atlanta’ poses in the press room with the award for best television series - musical orcomedy.

This image shows ViolaDavis with the award forbest supporting actress ina motion picture for‘Fences.’

This image shows Peter Morgan, from left, Stephen Daldry and the cast and crew of "TheCrown," winner of the best drama TV series.

This image shows Nina Jacobson, foreground center, with the cast and crew of ‘The People v. O.J.Simpson’: American Crime Story,’ winner of the award for best limited series or motion picturemade for TV.

Justin Hurwitz poses in the press roomwith the award for best original song formotion picture for "City Of Stars" and bestoriginal score - motion picture for "La LaLand".

Hugh Laurie poses in the press room withthe award for best performance by anactor in a supporting role in a series, limit-ed series or motion picture made for tele-vision for ‘The Night Manager.’

Donald Glover poses in the press roomwith the award for best performance by anactor in a television series - musical orcomedy for ‘Atlanta’.

This image shows Tracee Ellis Ross withaward for best actress in a TV series musi-cal or comedy for ‘black-ish’.

This image shows Claire Foy with the award for best actress in a TV series drama for "TheCrown".

Meryl Streep poses in the press room withthe Cecil B. DeMille award.

Writer Stephen Glover (left) and actor/writer DonaldGlover, winners of Best Series - Musical or Comedy for'Atlanta,' attend the 18th Annual Post-Golden GlobesParty.

Sarah Paulson poses in the press roomwith the award for best performance by anactress in a limited series or a motion pic-ture made for television for "The People v.O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story".

This image shows Tom Hiddleston with theaward for best actor in a limited series orTV movie for ‘The Night Manager.’

This image shows presenters Kristen Bell, left, and CubaGooding Jr.

This image shows presenters Kristen Wiig, left, and Steve Carell. This image shows Amy Schumer, left, and Goldie Hawn.

Billy Bob Thornton, winner ofthe award for best actor in a tel-evision drama for "Goliath".

This image shows presenterSofia Vergara.

This image shows presenterMichael Keaton.

38TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

'La La Land' waltzes off with big win at Golden Globes

(From left) Sistine Stallone, Scarlet Stallone and Sophia Stallone arrive at the 74th annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. — AFP

Anwar Al-Ades hasn't bathed properly in two weeksbecause of water shortages in Syria's capital Damascus,but all that is about to change at the city's oldest bath-

house. The elegant Al-Malik Al-Zahir hammam dates back to 985AD but is experiencing unprecedented demand since fightingcut water supplies to the capital, leaving millions facing short-ages. "I haven't bathed since the water to Damascus was cut off,"34-year-old Ades told AFP as he changed into a towel.

"Since then, the priority for the water we do get has beenwashing up and drinking. Bathing has become a secondarything, particularly since it's winter." Most of capital's water supplycomes from the rebel-held Wadi Barada region, some 15 kilome-ters northwest of Damascus. Fighting has raged in the area forweeks, damaging key water infrastructure, and continueddespite the start of a nationwide truce on December 30.

That has left up to 5.5 million people in Damascus and itssuburbs facing water shortages, the United Nations says. But thecrisis has proved something of a boon for Al-Malik Al-Zahir, oneof many traditional bathhouses in Damascus, which has its ownprivate water supply from a well. Hammams have a long historyin the Middle East and Turkey, but in recent years Damasceneshave tended to visit them only on special occasions, with just adozen or so customers visiting Al-Malik Al-Zahir each day beforethe water crisis.

Clientele has doubled "I haven't been to the hammam for 12 years, since my

wedding day," said Habib Issa, a 32-year-old hairdresser, relax-ing in the reception area. "I have a contingency plan for elec-tricity and fuel shortages, but it never crossed my mind tomake one for water," he said. "At this rate, we'll need a plan forwhen there's no air left in the city!" Like many bathhouses, Al-Malik Al-Zahir is divided into three key sections, with its heartthe central steam room. Inside, a central platform is ringedwith little booths, each equipped with taps supplying plenti-ful hot and cold water, as well as bowls and soap. Next is the

area set aside for massages and scrubdowns by hammamstaff, and when the process is complete, customers proceedto the reception area. The large room is laid out like a court-yard, with an ornate central fountain featuring delicate inlaidtile in the shape of a flower. The floors are covered withzigzag patterns in white and sand coloured tile, while stainedglass windows color entering light a deep blue or red.

Customers waiting their turn, and those relaxing after a goodscrub, lounge on cushioned chairs on an elevated platform thatruns around the edge of the room. Staff deliver tea, water pipes,snacks and dessert as clients unwind under the watchful eye ofowner Bassam Kebbab, whose phone rings constantly.

"The number of customers has almost doubled, and the rea-son they're coming these days is different, now it's a necessitywhereas before it was just for leisure," he told AFP. "We try not toturn any customers away, and we ask people not to linger toolong so we can meet the needs of the greatest number of peo-ple who want to bathe," he said.

Waiting for water to return As he moves through the different parts of the hammam,

eager customers call incessantly and he books appointments forcoming days, apologizing to disappointed clients hoping tocome the same day. "I've already cancelled a booking from mer-chants who wanted to book the whole hammam, extendedworking hours until past midnight, and bought more soap andequipment to meet increased needs," he said. But he hasn'tincreased his prices, still charging an entrance fee of just 1,200Syrian pounds (around $2.40), with massages and scrubs costinga little more. "When I walk around and hear people speaking,they're all talking about one were," Kebbab said.

Abdullah Al-Abdullah, 46, was relaxing after his bath in thereception, getting ready to eat the lentil dish known asmujadara, a traditional post-hammam favorite. "At home, I haveshortages of electricity, heat and water. When the power is on,there's no water, and when the water comes, there's no electrici-ty," he told AFP. "So I had to come to the hammam to find water,electricity and warmth in one place," he said. Despite his relativeyouth, he sports a head of completely grey hair, a testament tothe hardships of nearly six years of war, he said.

Syria's conflict began in March 2011 with anti-governmentprotests and has evolved into a complex civil war that has killedover 310,000 people and displaced more than half the country'spopulation. "Half my hair went grey in the first year of the war,the other half in the following years," said Abdullah, an electri-cian. "I've lost so many of the basics of life but my family and Ijust can't stand losing water." — AFP

In Damascus, an old solution to

water shortages: The hammam

Syrian men visit the Al-Malik Al-Zahir Hammam in

the capital Damascus onJanuary 7, 2017 as an

ongoing water crisis con-tinues due to the fighting

between governmentforces and rebel fighters.

— AFP photos