KT 8-8-2016 .qxp_Layout 1 - Kuwait Times
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TEHRAN: Iran executed a nuclear scien- tist who defected to the US and returned to the Islamic Republic under mysterious circumstances a year later, an official said yesterday, acknowledging for the first time that the nation secretly detained, tried and convicted a man authorities once heralded as a hero. Shahram Amiri vanished in 2009 while on a religious pil- grimage to Muslim holy sites in Saudi Arabia, only to reappear a year later in a series of contradictory online videos filmed in the US. He then walked into the Iranian interests section at the Pakistani Embassy in Washington and demanded to be sent home. In interviews, Amiri described being kidnapped and held against his will by Saudi and American spies, while US offi- cials said he was to receive millions of dollars for his help in understanding Iran’s contested nuclear program. He was hanged the same week as Tehran execut- ed a group of militants, a year after his country agreed to a landmark accord to limit uranium enrichment in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. Continued on Page 13 3 29 16 20 SUBSCRIPTION MONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016 THULQADAL 5, 1437 AH www.kuwaittimes.net Companies with less than five workers can pay staff in cash Jailed Pistorius treated in hospital for wrist injuries Ibrahimovic fires Man Utd to Community Shield win Egypt bids farewell to Nobel winning chemist Zewail Min 32º Max 48º High Tide 03:23 & 15:01 Low Tide 09:23 & 21:40 40 PAGES NO: 16956 150 FILS MPs again discuss petrol price hike, mull options Lawmakers demand comprehensive economic reforms By B Izzak KUWAIT: Lawmakers yesterday again called on the gov- ernment to apply the economic reforms package and not the petrol price hike alone in order to provide protection to citizens. The call came following a meeting by MPs at the speaker’s office to study the implications of the price hike and ways to convince the government to take meas- ures to compensate Kuwaiti citizens. MP Abdullah Maayouf said that a scheduled meeting with the prime minister and the government today has been postponed till the following day because the minis- ters will be engaged in the weekly Cabinet meeting. MP Ahmad Lari said the government is required to imple- ment economic reform recommendations made by the National Assembly’s financial and economic affairs com- mittee in February. He acknowledged that Kuwait is facing a tough eco- nomic situation, but its position is better than other oil- exporting countries, although “we need to be more cau- tious to prevent the budget deficit from increasing”. Lari said it was agreed to hold a meeting between lawmakers this week to discuss the petrol hike decision, which was issued last week and becomes effective from the start of September. He said that among the options to face the impacts of the decision is either to provide citizens with direct compensation or offering them a limited quantity of petrol every month at the current prices. But the law- maker insisted that the issue of delaying the implemen- tation of the decision is not one of the options. Maayouf said MPs agree on the general framework to compensate citizens, but there is no agreement on all details, adding that if the government insists on the increase, it must provide aid to citizens. Continued on Page 13 RIO DE JANEIRO: An overview shows France’s Kevin Le Roux serving the ball during the men’s qualifying vol- leyball match between France and Italy at the Maracanazinho stadium yesterday during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. — AFP (Full coverage on Pages 17-20) KUWAIT: Kuwait’s partial deregulation of gasoline prices represents a politically and economically bold move in a country where subsidies are amongst the highest in the world at a per capita level, said Firas Raad, World Bank Country Manager in Kuwait, yesterday. Energy subsidies in Kuwait represent a major burden on public finances with estimates ranging from 1.3 to 5.7 percent of GDP, with the higher estimates taking into account the costs of energy subsidies to public health and the environment, Raad told KUNA. These significant energy subsidies in Kuwait have resulted in major distortions in the economy, including staggeringly high levels of energy con- sumption, much higher than those expected, given the demographic and economic growth trends of the country, he said. The adoption of an automatic mechanism by Kuwait should be viewed as the first stage of a transition to a fully liberalized pricing and supply regime. Such a regime has typically been a more effective approach to avoiding subsidies and protecting the budget. The current environment of low oil prices repre- sents an opportunity to reform energy subsidies with minimal impact on consumers, while generat- ing fiscal savings at a time when fiscal pressures are increasing. Continued on Page 13 World Bank hails petrol price hike as ‘bold move’ Iran executes nuclear scientist TEHRAN: In this file photo taken on July 15, 2010, Shahram Amiri, an Iranian nuclear scientist, attends a news briefing while holding his son Amir Hossein as he arrives at the Imam Khomeini Airport from the United States. — AP DUBAI: Authorities in the United Arab Emirates have warned the public that “criminal groups prop- agating radical ideologies” could spread violent ideas and rebellious behavior among young people through video gaming. The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) issued the warning in a statement carried by the state news agency WAM late on Saturday. It urged parents to prevent teenagers from establishing relations with strangers through chat channels in games. Criminal groups “are trying to recruit young peo- ple and adolescents through some electronic games”, WAM quoted Mohammed Al-Zarooni, the TRA’s director for policy and programs, as saying. He said the groups identified weaknesses in their tar- gets through conversations and then exploited them by directing them to commit crimes. In partic- ular, some criminals used war games to encourage the use of weapons. The TRA did not identify the criminal groups or elaborate on their intentions, and violent crime in the UAE is rare. But in 2013 the UAE jailed dozens of local citizens for plotting to overthrow the govern- ment, and it has launched a series of trials against suspected sympathizers of the Muslim Brotherhood. — Reuters UAE warns youth may be radicalized via video games ALEPPO: Rebel fighters fire towards positions of regime forces in Ramussa on the southwestern edges of this northern city on Saturday. — AFP BEIRUT: Syrian regime forces redeployed yesterday to try to avoid being surrounded in neighborhoods they control in Aleppo, after a rebel alliance said it had broken a three-week government siege. A coalition of rebels and jihadists surged through regime territory on Saturday to open a new route into the northern city’s besieged eastern neighborhoods, home to an esti- mated 250,000 people. The operation trig- gered celebrations in eastern districts and sparked fears in regime-controlled western areas of the divided city of food and fuel shortages. Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the rebel action was one of the most signifi- cant setbacks for government forces since the conflict erupted in March 2011. “Despite more than 600 Russian strikes, the regime forces were not able to hold on to their positions,” he said. Steadfast regime ally Moscow has provided air support for Continued on Page 13 Syria army redeploys after rebels break Aleppo siege ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his wife Emine wave to the crowd during a Democracy and Martyrs’ Rally yesterday. — AP ISTANBUL: More than a million Turks gathered in Istanbul yesterday for a rally called by President Tayyip Erdogan to denounce a failed coup - a show of strength staged in the face of Western criticism of widespread purges and detentions. The “Democracy and Martyrs’ Rally” at the Yenikapi parade ground, built into the sea on the southern edge of Istanbul’s peninsu- la, marks the climax of three weeks of nightly demonstrations by Erdogan’s supporters, many wrapped in the red Turkish flag, in squares around the country. Banners read “You are a gift from God, Erdogan” or “Order us to die and we will do it”. But it was also the first time in decades that major opposition parties joined a rally in sup- port of the government in the nation of almost 80 million. “We’re here to show that theses flags won’t come down, the call to prayer won’t be silenced, and our country won’t be divided,” said Haci Mehmet Haliloglu, 46, a civil servant who travelled from the Black Sea town of Ordu for the rally. “This is something way beyond pol- itics, this is either our freedom or death,” he said, a large Turkish flag over his shoulder and a matching baseball cap on his head. The parade ground, built to hold at least a million people, was overflowing, with access roads clogged by crowds. The events were broadcast live on public screens at demonstra- tions across Turkey’s 81 provinces. Erdogan has vowed to rid Turkey of the network of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whose followers in the security forces, judiciary and civil service he accuses of orchestrating the attempted power grab and of plotting to overthrow the state. Gulen - an ally of Erdogan in the early years after his Islamist-rooted AK Party took power in 2002 - denies the charges and has denounced the coup, which came at a critical time for a NATO “frontline” state facing Islamist militant attacks from across the border in Syria and an insurgency by Kurdish rebels. Since the coup, Turkish authorities have suspended, detained or placed under investigation tens of thousands of people, including soldiers, police, judges, journalists, medics and civil servants, prompt- ing concern among Western allies that Erdogan is using the events to tighten his grip on power. “The triumph is democracy’s, the squares are the people’s,” said flyers put through doors overnight advertising free bus, ferry and sub- way transport to yesterday’s rally. The slogan adorns banners hung from bridges and build- ings across the country. Erdogan, a polarizing figure seen by opponents as intolerant of dis- sent, has invited the heads of the secularist and nationalist main opposition parties to address the crowds in a display of national unity in defi- ance of Western criticism. “The only way to eliminate coups is to revive the founding values of the Republic. These val- ues that make our unity should be spoken out loud at Yenikapi,” said Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the secularist opposition CHP, in a tweet ahead of the rally. Turkey’s top Muslim cleric and chief rabbi also attended. But the pro- Kurdish HDP, the third-largest party in parlia- ment, was not invited due to its alleged links to Kurdish militants, prompting anger on social media from its supporters. The brutality of July 15, in which more than 230 people were killed as rogue soldiers com- mandeered fighter jets, helicopters and tanks, shocked a nation that last saw a violent military power grab in 1980. Even Erdogan’s opponents saw his continued leadership as preferable to a Continued on Page 13 Erdogan stages rally in show of strength
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Transcript of KT 8-8-2016 .qxp_Layout 1 - Kuwait Times
TEHRAN: Iran executed a nuclear scien-tist who defected to the US and returnedto the Islamic Republic under mysteriouscircumstances a year later, an official saidyesterday, acknowledging for the firsttime that the nation secretly detained,tried and convicted a man authoritiesonce heralded as a hero. Shahram Amirivanished in 2009 while on a religious pil-grimage to Muslim holy sites in SaudiArabia, only to reappear a year later in aseries of contradictory online videosfilmed in the US. He then walked into theIranian interests section at the Pakistani
Embassy in Washington and demandedto be sent home.
In interviews, Amiri described beingkidnapped and held against his will bySaudi and American spies, while US offi-cials said he was to receive millions ofdollars for his help in understandingIran’s contested nuclear program. He washanged the same week as Tehran execut-ed a group of militants, a year after hiscountry agreed to a landmark accord tolimit uranium enrichment in exchangefor the lifting of economic sanctions.
Continued on Page 13
3 29 16 20
SUBSCRIPTIO
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MONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016 THULQADAL 5, 1437 AH www.kuwaittimes.net
Companies with less than fiveworkers can pay staff in cash
Jailed Pistorius treated in hospital for wrist injuries
Ibrahimovic fires Man Utd to Community Shield win
Egypt bids farewell to Nobel winning chemist Zewail
Min 32ºMax 48ºHigh Tide
03:23 & 15:01Low Tide
09:23 & 21:4040 P
AG
ESN
O: 1
6956
150
FILS MPs again discuss petrol
price hike, mull optionsLawmakers demand comprehensive economic reforms
By B Izzak
KUWAIT: Lawmakers yesterday again called on the gov-ernment to apply the economic reforms package and notthe petrol price hike alone in order to provide protectionto citizens. The call came following a meeting by MPs atthe speaker’s office to study the implications of the pricehike and ways to convince the government to take meas-ures to compensate Kuwaiti citizens.
MP Abdullah Maayouf said that a scheduled meetingwith the prime minister and the government today hasbeen postponed till the following day because the minis-ters will be engaged in the weekly Cabinet meeting. MPAhmad Lari said the government is required to imple-ment economic reform recommendations made by theNational Assembly’s financial and economic affairs com-mittee in February.
He acknowledged that Kuwait is facing a tough eco-nomic situation, but its position is better than other oil-exporting countries, although “we need to be more cau-tious to prevent the budget deficit from increasing”. Larisaid it was agreed to hold a meeting between lawmakersthis week to discuss the petrol hike decision, which wasissued last week and becomes effective from the start ofSeptember. He said that among the options to face theimpacts of the decision is either to provide citizens withdirect compensation or offering them a limited quantityof petrol every month at the current prices. But the law-maker insisted that the issue of delaying the implemen-tation of the decision is not one of the options.
Maayouf said MPs agree on the general framework tocompensate citizens, but there is no agreement on alldetails, adding that if the government insists on theincrease, it must provide aid to citizens.
Continued on Page 13
RIO DE JANEIRO: An overview shows France’s Kevin Le Roux serving the ball during the men’s qualifying vol-leyball match between France and Italy at the Maracanazinho stadium yesterday during the Rio 2016Olympic Games. — AFP (Full coverage on Pages 17-20)
KUWAIT: Kuwait’s partial deregulation of gasolineprices represents a politically and economicallybold move in a country where subsidies areamongst the highest in the world at a per capitalevel, said Firas Raad, World Bank Country Managerin Kuwait, yesterday. Energy subsidies in Kuwaitrepresent a major burden on public finances withestimates ranging from 1.3 to 5.7 percent of GDP,with the higher estimates taking into account thecosts of energy subsidies to public health and theenvironment, Raad told KUNA.
These significant energy subsidies in Kuwaithave resulted in major distortions in the economy,including staggeringly high levels of energy con-sumption, much higher than those expected, giventhe demographic and economic growth trends ofthe country, he said. The adoption of an automaticmechanism by Kuwait should be viewed as the firststage of a transition to a fully liberalized pricing andsupply regime. Such a regime has typically been amore effective approach to avoiding subsidies andprotecting the budget.
The current environment of low oil prices repre-sents an opportunity to reform energy subsidieswith minimal impact on consumers, while generat-ing fiscal savings at a time when fiscal pressures areincreasing.
Continued on Page 13
World Bank hailspetrol price hike
as ‘bold move’
Iran executes nuclear scientist
TEHRAN: In this file photo taken on July 15, 2010, Shahram Amiri, an Iraniannuclear scientist, attends a news briefing while holding his son Amir Hossein as hearrives at the Imam Khomeini Airport from the United States. — AP
DUBAI: Authorities in the United Arab Emirateshave warned the public that “criminal groups prop-agating radical ideologies” could spread violentideas and rebellious behavior among young peoplethrough video gaming. The TelecommunicationsRegulatory Authority (TRA) issued the warning in astatement carried by the state news agency WAMlate on Saturday. It urged parents to preventteenagers from establishing relations with strangersthrough chat channels in games.
Criminal groups “are trying to recruit young peo-ple and adolescents through some electronicgames”, WAM quoted Mohammed Al-Zarooni, theTRA’s director for policy and programs, as saying. Hesaid the groups identified weaknesses in their tar-gets through conversations and then exploitedthem by directing them to commit crimes. In partic-ular, some criminals used war games to encouragethe use of weapons.
The TRA did not identify the criminal groups orelaborate on their intentions, and violent crime inthe UAE is rare. But in 2013 the UAE jailed dozens oflocal citizens for plotting to overthrow the govern-ment, and it has launched a series of trials againstsuspected sympathizers of the MuslimBrotherhood. — Reuters
UAE warns youth may be radicalized
via video games
ALEPPO: Rebel fighters fire towards positions of regime forces in Ramussa on thesouthwestern edges of this northern city on Saturday. — AFP
BEIRUT: Syrian regime forces redeployedyesterday to try to avoid being surroundedin neighborhoods they control in Aleppo,after a rebel alliance said it had broken athree-week government siege. A coalitionof rebels and jihadists surged throughregime territory on Saturday to open a newroute into the northern city’s besiegedeastern neighborhoods, home to an esti-mated 250,000 people. The operation trig-gered celebrations in eastern districts andsparked fears in regime-controlled western
areas of the divided city of food and fuelshortages.
Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the SyrianObservatory for Human Rights, said therebel action was one of the most signifi-cant setbacks for government forces sincethe conflict erupted in March 2011.“Despite more than 600 Russian strikes, theregime forces were not able to hold on totheir positions,” he said. Steadfast regimeally Moscow has provided air support for
Continued on Page 13
Syria army redeploys after rebels break Aleppo siege
ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his wife Emine wave to thecrowd during a Democracy and Martyrs’ Rally yesterday. — AP
ISTANBUL: More than a million Turks gatheredin Istanbul yesterday for a rally called byPresident Tayyip Erdogan to denounce a failedcoup - a show of strength staged in the face ofWestern criticism of widespread purges anddetentions. The “Democracy and Martyrs’ Rally”at the Yenikapi parade ground, built into thesea on the southern edge of Istanbul’s peninsu-la, marks the climax of three weeks of nightlydemonstrations by Erdogan’s supporters, manywrapped in the red Turkish flag, in squaresaround the country. Banners read “You are a giftfrom God, Erdogan” or “Order us to die and wewill do it”.
But it was also the first time in decades thatmajor opposition parties joined a rally in sup-port of the government in the nation of almost80 million. “We’re here to show that theses flagswon’t come down, the call to prayer won’t besilenced, and our country won’t be divided,”said Haci Mehmet Haliloglu, 46, a civil servantwho travelled from the Black Sea town of Ordufor the rally. “This is something way beyond pol-itics, this is either our freedom or death,” he said,a large Turkish flag over his shoulder and amatching baseball cap on his head.
The parade ground, built to hold at least amillion people, was overflowing, with accessroads clogged by crowds. The events werebroadcast live on public screens at demonstra-tions across Turkey’s 81 provinces. Erdogan hasvowed to rid Turkey of the network of US-basedcleric Fethullah Gulen, whose followers in thesecurity forces, judiciary and civil service heaccuses of orchestrating the attempted powergrab and of plotting to overthrow the state.
Gulen - an ally of Erdogan in the early yearsafter his Islamist-rooted AK Party took power in2002 - denies the charges and has denouncedthe coup, which came at a critical time for aNATO “frontline” state facing Islamist militantattacks from across the border in Syria and aninsurgency by Kurdish rebels. Since the coup,Turkish authorities have suspended, detainedor placed under investigation tens of thousandsof people, including soldiers, police, judges,journalists, medics and civil servants, prompt-ing concern among Western allies that Erdoganis using the events to tighten his grip on power.
“The triumph is democracy’s, the squares arethe people’s,” said flyers put through doorsovernight advertising free bus, ferry and sub-
way transport to yesterday’s rally. The sloganadorns banners hung from bridges and build-ings across the country. Erdogan, a polarizingfigure seen by opponents as intolerant of dis-sent, has invited the heads of the secularist andnationalist main opposition parties to addressthe crowds in a display of national unity in defi-ance of Western criticism.
“The only way to eliminate coups is to revivethe founding values of the Republic. These val-ues that make our unity should be spoken outloud at Yenikapi,” said Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leaderof the secularist opposition CHP, in a tweetahead of the rally. Turkey’s top Muslim clericand chief rabbi also attended. But the pro-Kurdish HDP, the third-largest party in parlia-ment, was not invited due to its alleged links toKurdish militants, prompting anger on socialmedia from its supporters.
The brutality of July 15, in which more than230 people were killed as rogue soldiers com-mandeered fighter jets, helicopters and tanks,shocked a nation that last saw a violent militarypower grab in 1980. Even Erdogan’s opponentssaw his continued leadership as preferable to a
Continued on Page 13
Erdogan stages rally in show of strength
L O C A LMONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016
KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah meets with UN Special Envoy for YemenIsmail Ould Cheikh Ahmed. — Amiri Diwan and KUNA photos
His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah meets with National Assembly Speaker MarzouqAli Al-Ghanem.
KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-AhmadAl-Jaber Al-Sabah received yesterday at Bayan Palace FirstDeputy Premier and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and UN Special Envoy forYemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed.
During the meeting the Yemeni Envoy expressed grati-tude to His Highness the Amir for hosting Yemeni talks,praising His Highness’s efforts to end the conflict andachieve security and stability to the Republic of Yemen.
His Highness the Amir stressed on the importance ofcontinuing negotiations between the Yemeni parties toachieve positive results and to maintain security and stabil-ity to the Yemeni people. The meeting was also attendedby Amiri Diwan Advisor Mohammad Daifallah Sharar.
Earlier, His Highness the Amir received His Highness theCrown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah,National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Ali Al-Ghanem andHis Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.
Meanwhile, His Highness the Crown Prince receivedGhanem, His Highness Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak, SheikhSabah Al-Khaled, Deputy Prime Minister and InteriorMinister Sheikh Mohammad Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah,Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense SheikhKhaled Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah, and Deputy Prime Minister,Minister of Finance, and Acting Oil Minister Anas Al-Saleh.He also hosted Information Minister, Minister of State forYouth Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-HumoudAl-Sabah and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs SheikhMohammad Al-Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah. — KUNA
Amir receives FM, UN Envoy
His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah meets withDeputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, and Acting Oil Minister Anas Al-Saleh.
His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah meets withInformation Minister Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah and Ministerof State for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Mohammad Al-Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah.
KUWAIT: Kuwait, proving its leading role ininternational scene by always cal l ing forpeace and extending a helping hand for theneedy, hosted inter-Yemeni negotiationswhich concluded Friday after over 90 days ofmarathon talks.
UN Secretary General Special Envoy to YemenIsmail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, announcing end oftalks at a news conference earlier, expressedgratitude for Kuwait and His Highness the AmirSheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah forhosting the negotiations and approving toextend them for a week when the original dead-line expired. He said Kuwait has proven its keen-ness on peace and stability in Yemen.
Ahmed said His Highness the Amir’s “personalintervention and wise leadership in somemoments were key to salvage the consultations”between the Yemeni parties. He said FirstDeputy Prime Minister and Foreign MinisterSheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah was inclose contact with the negotiators to facilitatethe talks. He added that Kuwait’s hosting of thetalks has paved the way for a solid ground for anagreement “we hope to see the light soon” inorder to end the conflict in Yemen.
Ahmed said the progress of talks so far was“positive,” citing the warring parties’ sitting onone negotiating table. He did not rule out thenext round of talks, expected within a month, tobe held in Kuwait too. “The option that Kuwaithosts the consultation is still on the table,” headded. Ahmed said he was confident Kuwaitwould not hesitate in hosting the next round if itwas asked, because it was keen on achievinginternational peace.
Talks’ resultsMeanwhile, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled held yes-
terday a luncheon in honor of UN Special Envoyfor Yemen and his accompanying delegation.During the formal lunch, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled and the envoy discussed the results ofthe UN-brokered peace talks, hosted by Kuwaitover four months, among the Yemeni parties.Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled lauded efforts of the UNenvoy in completing the talks aimed to meetaspirations of Yemeni people, represented inmaintaining security and stability.
It was attended by Deputy Foreign MinisterAmbassador Khaled Al-Jarallah, Foreign MinisterAssistant at the Minister’s office AmbassadorSheikh Dr Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah, Kuwait’s Ambassador to Yemen Fahad Al-Mai, Assistant Foreign Minister for the DeputyForeign Minister’s Office Affairs AmbassadorAyham Al-Omar, Ambassador Salem Ghassab Al-Zamanan, Deputy Assistant Foreign Minister forthe Foreign Minister ’s Bureau AffairsAmbassador Saleh Salem Al-Loghani and a num-ber of senior officials at the ministry.
‘Thank you Kuwait’Under the hashtag #thankyoukuwait, Yemeni
political activists and journalists have bidfarewell to Kuwait after the end of the UN-bro-kered peace talks, which the country has beenhosting since last April.
They expressed, via various social media siteson Saturday, their gratitude and appreciation to
His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-AhmadAl-Jaber Al-Sabah, government, and people ofKuwait for hosting the talks between disputedYemeni parties.
They also thanked Kuwait for its supportivestand to the Yemeni people, and for providing all
facilities and overcoming all difficulties in orderto achieve the peace and stability that Yemenisaspire. Hopes are still pending on Yemeni war-ring parties’ commitment to continue theirnegotiations in the next stage until attaining thedesired peace and ending the war. — KUNA
Kuwait’s hosting of inter-Yemenitalks proves role in int’l scene
Yemeni activists bid farewell to Kuwait
KUWAIT: First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-HamadAl-Sabah and the UN Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed attend a lunch ban-quet held in the envoy’s honor. — KUNA
KUWAIT: His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah inaugurates the Najez project. — KUNA photos
Ministry secures transactionsfor sick, handicapped at home
KUWAIT: His Highness the Prime MinisterSheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah inaugurated the ‘Najez’ projectwhich secures mobile services for theMinistry of Justice. The inauguration tookplace yesterday at Bayan Palace.
The project is designed to make trans-
actions for the elderly, the sick and citizensof special needs and deliver the services totheir houses. His Highness the Premierlauded the project, noting necessity ofstaying abreast of modern technology andpreparing the national cadres to master-mind the advanced technology. — KUNA
KUWAIT: Minister of the Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabahhosted yesterday Dr Mohammad Hassan Al-Attar, adviser of the Kuwait Foundation forAdvancement of Sciences, accompanied by Dr Bassam Abdulkarim Al-Feili, director ofKFAS’ development program. —KUNA
MONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016
L O C A L
By Attorney Fajer Ahmed
Rental laws
Kuwait’s population increased by 100,000 fami-lies in the past 10 years, not counting the thou-sands of people that are coming to Kuwait to
work. Therefore, it is no surprise that Arabic newspa-pers had headlines yesterday about governmentplans to increase housing units in Kuwait, with anestimated 28,300 units set to house more than 40,000people being built right now in South Mutlaa.
Until then though, there seem to be many com-plaints on the rental situation in Kuwait by bothKuwaitis and expats alike. Issues such as hiking uprents without notice, renewal of contracts, mainte-nance disputes and so on. I have gathered repeatedquestions by my readers and have answered them ingeneral, hoping that they will help as many people aspossible.
Five-year periodQuestion: I have been living in an apartment for
12 years and I renewed my tenancy agreement withthe landlord in 2015. Can the landlord increase therent before the five-year period is complete?
Fajer: Generally speaking, rent for private or resi-dency (non-commercial) properties can only beincreased once every five years. With that said, yourlandlord can increase the rent if you agree to the pro-posed increase in rent. This is very tricky. Let me givean example.
Your rent is KD 200 and five years have not passedfor you as a tenant in the flat. Your landlord requestsan increase to KD 300. You feel pressured. You end uppaying him the KD 300. Your payment can be seen asproof that you agree to the proposed increase in rent!
Your landlord can also by law increase the rentbefore five years, if you are paying 50 percent lessthan the market price. Let me give another example.You are paying KD 200. Your neighbors are all payingKD 450 for the same apartment. Than your landlordhas the right to increase the rent. This can also betricky, because sometimes it is not so clear if some-one is paying 50 percent less than the market price.The court has the final discretion in such matters.
Eviction threatQuestion: I am staying in a flat and I think I have
an expired contract. My flat rent was KD 200 but itsuddenly increased by 60 percent. I have only beenliving here for a year. The landlord would not agree toprovide me with a copy of the new contract. He hasthreatened me by claiming he will cut off my electric-ity and water. Recently, he has threatened to evict mefrom the flat by sending his sons over late at night tocreate trouble. Yesterday, his sons arrived with anintention to fight! Is this right? What can I do?
Fajer: Generally speaking, I do not give advice onsuch issues without reviewing contracts and otherdocuments, because what is written is highly impor-tant and can make a difference. So assuming yourcontract has ended, (although it is worth mentioningthat rental contracts do renew automatically), yourlandlord has no right to behave this way. I suggestyou start paying the rent at the court, and if he is vio-lent or tries to create trouble again, do not hesitate tocontact the police.
Grace periodQuestion: Please I want to ask a question that is
disturbing my mind about rent. I rented a room fivemonths ago for a year and the owner of my flat istelling me to move out. I told him that how can youask me to move out on the 23rd of the month? Howmany days or months as grace does the landlordneed to give me? And is the grace with payment orwithout payment of the rent?
Fajer: First of all, your landlord cannot ask you tomove out without a reason! There should be a solidreason for him/her to ask you to move out. The onlyway your landlord can kick you out without a graceperiod is if you have done any of the following:
1) If tenant has not paid rent.2) If the tenant rents out the residency to a third
person without permission.3) If the residence is being used for illegal activi-
ties.4) If the building is no longer safe.Another common reason might be that the build-
ing will be demolished or if the building violates anyhealth and safety regulations. The grace period usual-ly is six months. Has your landlord given you a validreason? If not, then I suggest you pay the rent at thecourt and not to him directly, and don’t leave thebuilding.
15 daysQuestion: My contract has ended and my land-
lord is asking me to leave, which I understand, butshouldn’t I be entitled to a grace period?
Fajer: Your grace period by law depends on howoften you pay rent. If you pay rent monthly, like mostof Kuwait, than your grace period is 15 days.
For any legal questions or queries, [email protected].
Legalese
By Meshaal Al-Enezi
KUWAIT: Businessmen who employ lessthan five workers can pay their salaries incash without the need to transfer themthrough banks, according to a new deci-sion issued by the Public Authority forManpower (PAM). Employers in this casewho fail to transfer the salaries of theiremployees should prepare a record prov-ing that the payments were made on time,said Aseel Al-Mizyed, Spokesperson andDirector of Public Relations andInformation at PAM. The inspection depart-ment will prepare a register of those pay-ing employees their salaries without trans-ferring it to banks, she added.
Workers’ deathSecretary General of the Ministry of
Electricity and Water ’s (MEW ) WorkersUnion Nawaf Buyabes asked for informa-tion about the drowning deaths of con-tract workers on Saturday at the WestDoha station. He demanded an investiga-tion to make sure about the contractor’scompliance with safety and security pro-cedures. Buyabes said this incident is notthe first of its kind, as there have beenmany accidents in the past and the faultis that of the companies that are notqualified, along with the existence ofgrave mistakes and violat ions. Hedemanded that all companies providesafety and security requirements in a way
that f its the nature of work they aredoing.
Gas pricesMunicipal Counci l member and
Farwaniya Committee Chairman Nayef Al-Sour criticized the government’s inten-tions to hike gasoline prices, adding thatthe simple citizen will be harmed by thisunstudied decision. He said Kuwait isamong the major oi l producers andexporters, and subsidizing fuel is amongthe priorities that “we have been used tofor years.” He said this unfair decisionmust be scrapped, especially that thedecision will cause limited income peo-ple to lose much.
KUWAIT: Aseel Al-Mizyed, Spokespersonand Director of Public Relations andInformation at the Public Authority forManpower. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat
Companies with less than 5workers can pay staff in cash
Union demands probe into workers’ death
By A Saleh
KUWAIT: The Public Authority for Housing Welfare hasplaced low-cost house project on its priority list, relyingon amendments to law 36/2016 that were approved byboth legislative and executive branches during Ramadanthat lead to several choices for final implementation. Ifcompleted, makeshift houses in Sulaibiya and Taima willbe removed within four years. Sources said law 45/2007commits the housing authority to establish a Kuwaitishareholding company that designs, executes, operatesand maintains low-cost homes to replace existing housesin Jahra and Sulaibiya. Sources said that only one compa-ny submitted a bid earlier, which made the authorityamend the law in cooperation with the NationalAssembly, allowing the housing care authority to consid-er several options to carry out the project. The low-costhome project will be built four kilometers south of SalmyRoad, 45 km from Kuwait City.
Makeshift homesto be removedin four years
By Hanan Al-Saadoun
KUWAIT: Firemen put out a fire that broke out in a store ofwedding and celebratory materials in Farwaniya Saturdaynight. Farwaniya, Ardhiya, and technical rescue responded.The fire was on the first floor, which had cardboard boxesand tables. The fire was put out and no injuries werereported.
Coastguard operationsCoastguardsmen carried out several missions in July, as
24 persons were assisted at mid-sea. The Interior Ministry’sRelations and Security Information Department said coast-guard patrols assisted 62 vessels, in addition to surfacing aboat and five floating bodies. Seven boats where orderedaway from off-limits areas and three from Kuwait territorialwaters. Four persons were rescued from drowning andefforts were made to locate five persons missing, while 82jet-skis were moved away from beaches. Patrols found 17violations of fish resources, besides carrying out patrols tosecure sensitive areas.
Traffic violationsMeanwhile, the traffic department issued 41,100 cita-
tions, impounded 1,939 vehicles and six motorcycles, jailed86 persons and sent 25 persons for deportation for drivingwithout a license. This happened during operations for traf-fic police last week, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
No injuries inFarwaniya fire
KUWAIT: Kuwait authorities havearrested a citizen who allegedly wasinvolved in trying to recruit militantsin India in support of the Islamic State(IS). The man was identified, reported-ly through the support of Indian intel-ligence but was arrested in Kuwait.
Named as Abdullah Hadi AbdulRehman Al-Enezi, the citizen arrangedfinances for the travel of severalIndian nationals from India to Syria,the Times of India has reported. Thecitizen has reportedly admitted to ‘ter-ror financing and recruiting for IS’.
According to the report, fourIndians traveled to Syria via Iraq in2014 with money arranged fromKuwait. One of the suspects, identifiedas Areeb Majeed was the first IS oper-ative to be arrested by Indian agen-cies when he was placed under arrestupon his return to India in November2014. Abdullah Hadi reportedly trans-ferred money to Majeed, whoreceived his number from anotherperson he contacted because heneeded money to travel further toSyria from Iraq, the report indicates.
“Officials say that Kuwait has not onlyarrested Abdullah Hadi but has alsoverified his links with Islamic terrorfinancing ring,” it added.
“[Indian authorities] hadapproached 11 countries includingKuwait, US, Turkey, Luxemburg,Singapore, Australia, Canada,Afghanistan, Hong Kong, China andothers seeking details on contacts,finances, travel details andchats/email conversations of AreebMajeed and three others,” the reportreads.
Kuwait arrests man suspected offunding IS sympathizers in India
KUWAIT: Al-Ahli Bank of Kuwait (ABK) recently announcedthe successful completion of its First Aid Training Sessionfor employees. The session, which was held in theLearning and Development Unit at ABK’s Hawally branch,saw two groups of employees receiving training from rep-resentatives of the National Campaign for Life Saving, aprogram initiated by the Ministry of Health. At the end ofthe training employees who successfully complete andpass will be certified by the American Heart Association.
The course focuses on equipping individuals with basic
first aid practices and the necessary responses for emer-gency cases such as electric shock treatment, cardiopul-monary resuscitation (CPR) and preliminary revival.
ABK believes in preparing employees for any given sce-nario as part of their well-rounded training at the Bank.Equipping them with essential skills such as first aidensures that they can meet any reasonable health emer-gency challenge. For more information about ABK pleasevisit eahli.com or contact an ABK customer service agentvia ‘Ahlan Ahli’ at 1899899.
ABK employees successfullycomplete first aid training
KUWAIT: Kuwait Municipality carried out a campaign to refurbish signboards and ensure that stores’ signs match their licenses. The campaign resulted in issuing 18 citationsfor non-renewal, having an unlicensed sign and other violations. — By Hanan Al-Saadoun
L O C A LMONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016
KUWAIT: Gulf Bank successfully concluded itsplatinum sponsorship of the 28th MemorialJourney for Pearl Diving, The journey, whichlasted between 28 July - 4 August, is organizedeach year by the Committee of the MarineHeritage of the Kuwait Sea Sport Club, underthe Patronage of His Highness the Amir SheikhSabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
The closing ceremony known as ‘Youm Al-Quffal’, the traditional Kuwaiti term used towelcome home sailors from long voyages, washeld on Thursday, 4 August. The ceremonywas attended by Sheikh Salman Al-HomoudAl-Sabah, Minister of Information and Ministerof State for Youth Affairs, who was represent-ing HH the Amir, along with local dignitaries,ministry representatives, Gulf Bank seniormanagement representatives and friends,families and relatives of the young sailors.
The delegation welcomed back and hon-ored the young Kuwaiti divers and the cap-tains of the dhows, who were upholding thetraditional legacy of Kuwait and helping toperpetuate the memory of the long and dan-gerous journeys Kuwait sailors took to findpearls each year. The sound of traditional
Kuwaiti tunes played by a local folkloric groupenchanted the crowds as the divers show-cased the pearls and shells they had collectedduring their trip.
The Pearl Diving Memorial Journey is oneof the initiatives that Gulf bank sponsors on anannual basis. The sponsorship forms a keypart of Gulf Bank’s long-term commitment topreserving the heritage and continuing thetraditions of Kuwait’s unique past. Recreatinga journey each year helps to remind youngKuwaiti generations of the difficulties andchallenges faced by their forefathers in earn-ing their living, along with a message urgingthese generations to uphold the traditionsand values their ancestors developed duringthat time.
Gulf Bank continues to maintain andstrengthen its position as an integral part ofthe Kuwaiti society. The Bank supports andemphasizes the true Kuwaiti identity and theimportance of the Kuwaiti traditions and cus-toms, through sponsoring different of socialactivities and events. For more details aboutGulf Bank initiatives, please visit the bank’swebsite www.e-gulfbank.com.
Gulf Bank hails success of 28thmemorial journey for pearl diving
KUWAIT: The National Council for Culture, Artsand Letters has hosted Saturday evening a per-formance of ‘City Mice’ play as a part of the 18thculture festival of children and youngsters. Theplay, performed by a troupe called Al-Jeel Al-Wa’i,calls for relying on young people and giving thema real chance to contribute to the society develop-ment and building.
“It sends a message to friends and familiesthat they are a source of safety and strength andthrough their unity and cooperation they can
defeat evils and bad people,” the play DirectorHani Abdulsamad said. It teaches children andyoungsters problem-solving technics and incul-cates noble values among children from theirearly age, he added. He noted that the play hassnatched the first place in the recently held ArabFestival for Children’s Theater. The play relatesthat the story of a group of mice living in an oldhouse which has been recently sold to a mer-chant who wants to turn it into a cat shop.
Once they know, they meet to discuss how to
deal with the imminent danger, one of them pro-posed leaving the house while a young ratadvised them to stay and try scare away the newowner through making him believe that thehouse is full of ghosts.
They approved the second advice and throughtheir cooperation and unity reached their goal.Minister of Information and Minister of State forYouth Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah Salem Al-Sabah inaugurated the 18th cultural festival forchildren and youngsters on July 31th. — KUNA
‘City Mice’ play teaches childreneffective problem-solving technics
KUWAIT: Scenes from the play. — KUNA
Speaker visits CubaKUWAIT: Kuwait’s Ambassador to Cuba Bader Al-Awadihas met with president of the foreign affairs committeein the Cuban National Assembly of People’s PowerYolanda Ferrera Gomez. Awadi said in a statement yes-terday that the meeting was to coordinate prepara-tions for the Speaker of the National AssemblyMarzouq Al-Ghanem’s visit to the Republic nextOctober. Awadi added that he values the role playedby the Cuban National Assembly in enhancing bilateralrelations and cooperation between the two countriesin the past years. — KUNA
Educational cooperationCAIRO: Outgoing head of Kuwait’s Culture Bureauin Cairo Dr Fareh Al-Enazi underlined the impor-tance of cementing Kuwaiti-Egyptian relations inall domains, especially the educational and culturalones. In a ceremony held to hand over his respon-sibilities to the new head of the Bureau Dr AhmadAl-Mutairi, he lauded the current level of coopera-tion between the Bureau and the EgyptianMinistry of Higher Education. Egyptian officialshave been keen on welcoming and helpingKuwaiti students in Egypt, he noted. — KUNA
Equestrian ‘godfather’KUWAIT: Kuwait has lost the ‘godfather of equestrian,’ thelate Mohammad Hadi Al-Otaibi, said Information MinisterSheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah.“Kuwait lost a cavalier; who for the last five decades,pledged himself to serve this authentic Arabian sport. Theknight has finally dismounted his stallion,” Sheikh Salman,also Minister of State for Youth Affairs, said in a statementmourning Otaibi’s passing. Along with equestrian, Otaibi’sname was linked with camel races, as he founded the Al-Ahmadi Equestrian Club, which contributed to the sport’spopularity, the minister noted. — KUNA
Photoo f t h e d a y
In Brief
KUWAIT: Fresh shrimp returned to local markets after fishing in international waters opened last week. Shrimping in territorial waters will begin in the middle of themonth, which would help drop prices. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat
L O C A LMONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016
AMMAN: Two Kuwaiti academicsstressed yesterday the importance ofusing all available means of communi-cation and Information Technologiesin the educational process. This camein remarks after participating in theFifth Conference for Talent andExcellence Researches on Educationand Means of Communication andInformation Technology” hosted bythe University of Jordan.
Dr Nadia Al-Oraifan, GeneralSupervisor of Social Studies atKuwait ’s Ministry of Education,stressed the importance of trainingthe teachers on using the socialmedia in the educational processdue to its positive impact. Shepointed out that the rapid develop-ment of information technology inthe current era requires a constanteducational improvement by usingall available means of communica-
tion and Information Technologies.Meanwhile, Dr Saleh Al-Saeed,
social studies advisor in Al-JahraEducational area, said the participa-tion in the conference is a goodopportunity to know the reality ofeducation in the Arab region, andto find the best ways and tools todevelop the educational processthrough the use of social media.
The two-day conference tacklededucation issues and means ofcommunication and InformationTechnology with regards to the stu-dent character, education pro-grams, education for persons withdisabilities, innovation, creativityand academic achievement, learn-ing environment and school man-agement and teachers, techniquesand methods of educational andpsychological counseling amongothers. — KUNA
Academics stress importance of socialmedia in education
Dr Nadia Al-Oraifan (left) and Dr Saleh Al-Saeed.
KUWAIT: Director General of thePublic Authority for Youth (PAY )Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi announcedyesterday that the authority wouldorganize a ceremony Thursday to
launch its strategy for the comingfive years. He expressed gratitude toHis Highness the Amir Sheikh SabahAl-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah for hissponsorship of the event to be heldat Abdullah Al-Jaber Theater in thecampus of Kuwait University. HisHighness the Amir ’s patronagereflects his great care and supportfor youth and their issues, he noted.
Mutairi unveiled that the strategywould translate His Highness theAmir’s directives for building thecapacity, supporting and empower-ing youth as well as for creating aconducive environment for theirsuccess, creativity and innovation.The multi-faceted strategy aims toharness the skills of Kuwaiti youth,both males and females, and to helpthem find new and creative solu-tions to overcome challengesimposed by the rapidly changingworld, he said. — KUNA
KUWAIT: Aviation Lease and Finance Company(ALAFCO) announced yesterday that it has complet-ed the acquisition of a nine-aircraft portfolio from GECapital Aviation Services (GECAS). Kuwait-basedALAFCO said in a statement that the portfolio com-prises of highly attractive Airbus and Boeing aircraftalready on long-term lease to well-established air-lines in Asia, with three of the airlines joining ALAFCOas new customers.
ALAFCO added that it’s keen on serving the needsof its new customers Lion Air, Juneyao Airlines andCitilink, as well as expanding its existing relationshipwith Nok Air. Lion Air is Indonesia’s largest privately-run airline and one of the largest low-cost carriers inthe Southeast Asia region, while Juneyao Airlines ispart of a major privately owned Chinese group.
Thai Airways International-Thailand’s flag carrierowns the largest stake in Nok Air, while Citilink is thelow-cost subsidiary of the national carrier ofIndonesia (Garuda Indonesia). ALAFCO also men-tioned that the acquisition is in line with its growthstrategy, which includes the acquisition of aircraftwith lease attached from other lessors, as well as saleand lease-back transactions with airlines.
Additionally, ALAFCO has contracted with Boeingand Airbus to acquire 117 new technology aircraft tobe delivered between 2017 and 2021. ALAFCO aimsto have a fleet of more than 100 aircraft by the end ofthe decade. The statement pointed out that the cus-tomers and aircraft involved in this transaction
include Lion Air (2x B737-800), Juneyao Airlines (2xA321-200), Citilink (3x A320-200) and Nok Air (2xB737-800). ALAFCO is a global aircraft leasing compa-ny which is headquartered in Kuwait. Its main activi-ties include aircraft operating leases, sale and lease-backs and aircraft lease management. Its portfolio
consists of 62 Airbus and Boeing aircraft comprisingof A320, B737 and B777 aircraft which are leased to19 airlines in 13 countries across the world, and italso invests in new technology aircraft and has a firmorder of 117 aircraft comprising of 85 A320neo, 12A350-900XWB, and 20 B737max aircraft. — KUNA
ALAFCO acquires portfolio of 9passenger aircraft from GECAS
PAY to unveil five-yearyouth strategy Thursday
Director General of the PublicAuthority for Youth (PAY)Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi
F r o m t he A r a bic pr e s sMONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016
Al-Jarida
It was a sunny day in Central Park in New York, when aferocious dog attacked a girl. A man rescued her fromthe dog, using a pen as a weapon, killing the dog in the
process. Meanwhile, a photojournalist who passed by tookpictures of what happened, then approached the man andthanked him for risking his life to rescue the girl from thesavage dog. He asked him to take his picture, telling himthat his image and a caption about his heroic action willappear on the front page of the paper, and the headline willbe: “New York hero risks life and rescues little girl from sav-age dog.”
The man smiled and said, “But I am not from New York”.The journalist said no problem, we will change the headlineto be “American risks life to rescue girl from rabid dog”. Theman said, “But I am not an American. I am from Pakistan.”The photojournalist said the headline will then be “Muslimfrom Pakistan attacks American dog and kills it with sharpobject”.
This is the way Muslims have become, not only inAmerica, but rather around the world, as their image islinked with terrorism, and even their good deeds meannothing. At the end of June, in Dearborn Heights inMichigan, a woman fainted while driving her car. When ashop owner and a mechanic noticed the car was movingslowly and ran a red light, they ran to it and succeeded instopping the car.
The two broke one of the back windows and saved the
woman from death. An eyewitness told TV that he saw howthe woman was unconscious and white foam was comingout of her mouth, and how “Tariq Al-Gharabally, who wasrepairing a car nearby, rushed to her along with the shopowner to help the woman”, and Tariq said he would do thesame to rescue any person. The regretful thing is that whatthis Kuwaiti citizen did went by without receiving the atten-tion of many within the craziness that our societies aregoing through domestically and abroad!
lll
A priest stood at the end of Sunday prayers and askedhis parishioners: What is the percentage of those who for-give the sins of their enemies? The hands of 80 percent ofthose who were present were raised, so he repeated thequestion with a stronger tone, so all hands were raised,except for one old lady. The priest looked at her and asked:Are not you ready to forgive your enemies? She answeredwith a smile on her face: I do not have enemies.
The priest was astonished, and said this is extraordinary!How old are you? She said 98 years. The priest said this iswonderful - 98 years and you do not have enemies. Whydon’t you come forward and tell us the secret. How can awoman this old not have enemies, so the lady walked slow-ly towards the podium, and all were holding their breathwaiting to hear what she would say. When she reached thepodium, she looked around and said: I lived longer - they alldied! —Translated by Kuwait Times
The Pakistani man and the old lady
Al-Qabas
By Ahmad Al-Sarraf
CrimeR e p o r t
Terror suspect linked
to IS fighter in Libya
KUWAIT: A security source gave details about a Filipinamaid who was arrested on Friday, and who had pledgedallegiance to the so-called Islamic State (IS). The sourcesaid the link between the woman and the terroristorganization is her husband. who is fighting with IS inSirte in Libya. The Filipina was monitored through theInternet, using a laptop she brought from her country.The source said her husband enlisted her with thegroup and sent her to Kuwait, and she communicatedwith him in secret and provided him with the requiredinformation. The source said there was no prior knowl-edge about the Filipina; rather her arrest came as partof efforts to protect the country and following accountslinked with the extremist organization. He said theFilipina was monitored as soon as she contactedaccounts related to IS that are known to state security.He added the Filipina contacted IS while at her spon-sor’s house, who hired her through a domestic helpoffice. The source denied that her sponsor or the officethat brought her had any knowledge of her joining IS,as investigations have proved.
Three brothers arrested with drugs
Three brothers ended up at the Drugs ControlGeneral Department (DCGD) with 92 Captagon pillsand seven heroin joints. A police patrol noticed acar with three persons inside attempting to hide.The car was stopped and the three, all brothers,seemed to be abnormal because of drugs use. Theywere sent to the DCGD.
Fugitive caught
A Syrian man who was arrested with of 70 homebrewedliquor bottles in Mahboula was found wanted to serve atwo-year jail sentence. A security source said a patrol inMahboula spotted the man in a car and stopped him,and bottles of locally-made liquor were found. He alsowas found wanted to serve the jail sentence. He wassent to concerned authorities.
Work mishap
An expatriate fell to his death at the clean fuel refin-ery in Fahaheel. Policemen went to the scene andfound the Pakistani on the ground, who died afterfalling from a building under construction. Thebody was recovered by the coroner. Investigationsare underway to make sure no foul play is involved.
Subsidies
Newsi n b r i e f
Fuel price increase to bedelayed till year’s end?
KUWAIT: A meeting today between membersof the parliament and cabinet could end with adecision to delay increasing fuel prices untilthe end of the year, Annahar reported yester-day quoting parliamentary sources. The post-ponement al lows the parl iament ’s economicaffairs committee to review the government’sstudies for increasing fuel prices, as well as dis-cuss the decision’s possible negative impactsand work on alternative mechanisms to providef i n a n c i a l s u p p o r t f o r K u w a i t i c i t i z e n s , t h esources said. — Annahar
Female judges inevitable
KUWAIT: There is no prohibition on appointingfemale citizens as judges in Kuwait. Head ofthe Supreme Judicial Counci l Yousuf Al-Mataw ’a said, adding that this wi l l l ikelybecome a reality after the performance ofwomen hired as prosecutors is evaluated.Furthermore, Mataw’a added that hiring morefemale prosecutors is currently put on holdpending the evaluation of the performance ofthe current prosecutors. —Al-Qabas
E-media law violators
KUWAIT: The Ministry of Information will send ‘fieldinspectors’ to detect violations to the e-media lawwhich went into effect recently, Head of theElectronic Publishing Department Lafi Al-Subaie said.Any website or online publication method will not beallowed to cover conferences, seminars or any otherpublic events unless they are licensed under the e-media law, he added. —Al-Jarida
Kuwait helps Saudi
K U WA I T: K u w a i t p ro v i d e d S a u d i A r a b i awith 365 megawatts through the GCC pow-er grid on Saturday, after the kingdom lost3 , 6 0 0 o f i t s p r o d u c t i o n c a p a c i t y. S a u d iA r a b i a h a d r e q u e s t e d a s s i s t a n c e f r o mKuwait after power frequency dropped to49.8 her tz due to, and Kuwait offered toh e l p b y p r o v i d i n g e l e c t r i c i t y f o r t h r e ehours, sources said. —Al-JaridaCrackdown
Farwaniya Security Director Brig Saleh Al-Enezilaunched a security campaign in Jleeb and Farwaniya,resulting in the arrest of 72 expats in brothels and agambling den. Twenty-two expats, including 14women, were found in violation of residency law, whilean expat attempted to escape, leading to the discoveryof a gambling den. Meanwhile, 41 expats (men andwomen) were arrested in brothels and were sent fordeportation. Separately, an Asian man was arrested andwas found to be intoxicated, with 60 bottles in his car.He was sent to concerned authorities.
One hurt in fight
Passersby told police a fight between two menwas taking place in Maidan Hawally, so policewent and broke up the fight. The two are citizensand were friends before they had financial differ-ences, and one of them stabbed the other. Theinjured man was taken to Mubarak Hospital andthe other was detained on attempted murdercharges. —Al-Rai and Al-Anbaa
KUWAIT: The Jaber Hospital will either berun by a foreign administration under thegovernment’s supervision, or through part-nership between local and foreign compa-nies, Minister of Social Affairs and Labor,State Minister for Planning andDevelopment Hind Al-Subaih said. The cabi-net has assigned the Kuwait InvestmentAuthority to study the most viable option interms of providing the best quality medicalservice to citizens, Subaih added.
Jaber Hospital, which is slated to open lat-er this year, is considered the largest hospitalin the Middle East with a total of 1,168 beds.The hospital also has three helipads, a park-ing lot with a 5,000 car capacity in additionto 50 ambulances. It also has a protective
shelter. The hospital covers an area of 220meters squared with a construction areareaching 725 meters squared.
Health Minister Dr Ali Al-Obaidi haddescribed the hospital as an integratedhealth center. It has five towers of patientsrooms at a height of nine floors and eachtower can be expanded in the future. Headded that the hospital has eight entrances,150 elevators, a catastrophe center which isconsidered the first of its kind in Kuwait inaddition to a medical mall that is one kilome-ter long, containing various shops and rest-ing areas for patients and visitors. TheMinister had earlier indicated that treatmentat the hospital would be offered exclusivelyto Kuwaiti citizens. —Al-Jarida
Foreign administration for
Jaber hospital possible
K U WA I T: R i h a m G e n e r a l Tra d i n g a n dContracting Company W L L, a Fouad AlGhanim and Sons company and sole dis-tr ibutor for genuine JCB constructionequipment, power generation products,spare parts and services in Kuwait, hassigned a $1 mil l ion deal with Mushri fTrading and Contracting, covering thedel iver y of machiner y and ful l opera-tional and servicing requirements.
The deal includes the delivery of 11JCB construction machines, including fiveJCB 455 ZX Wheel Loaders, two JCB 3CXBackhoe Loaders, and four JCB R135 HDSkid Steers, all of which will be utilized byM u s h r i f Tr a d i n g a n d Co n t r a c t i n gCompany across its ongoing projects inK u w a i t . R i h a m G e n e r a l Tr a d i n g a n dContracting Company W.L.L will also pro-vide Mushrif with full operational andservice requirements, as well as certifiedoperator training for the same construc-tion equipment.
“Our partnership with Mushrif Tradingand Contracting Company is a key mile-
s t o n e fo r b o t h c o m p a n i e s ,” D a v i dPeterson General Manager said. “RihamG e n e r a l Tr a d i n g a n d Co n t r a c t i n gCompany W.L.L has been a trusted part-ner of construc t ion f i rms throughoutKuwait who trust our product quality andp ro fe s s i o n a l i s m . T h e n e w d e a l w i t hMushrif Trading further strengthens oursuppor t of key projec ts and develop -ments within Kuwait.”
Heavy equipmentRiham General Trading and Contracting
Company W L L provides heavy equipmentsuch as excavators, wheel loading shovels,telescopic handlers, and backhoes, alongwith a wide array of machine attachmentsand a full range of power products withgenerators from 15KVA -3000KVA. Throughits after sales team, the company alsooffers its clients on site operational flexibil-ity together with full service, repair, diag-nostic and troubleshooting services.
“The quality and reliability of the equip-ment we use is paramount for each and
every project that Mushrif is involved in,and working with Riham General Tradingand Contracting Company W L L offered usthis guarantee along with an excellentafter sales team providing us with the sup-port that we need,” John Dunne, OSSDPlant Direc tor, Mushr i f Trading and
Contracting Company said.Mushrif is a leading Kuwait-based com-
pany with operations in civil constructionand infrastructure; oil and gas; treatmentplants and pumping stations; buildings;and facilities operation and maintenance.I t is currently involved in construction
works to improve the flow of traffic at AlBidda Roundabout, and operating andmaintaining the Al-Jahra Pumping Stationand the Kabd Wastewater Treatment Plantin Kuwait. Previous projects included theMarine Science Centre at Kuwait Universityand Abu Dhabi’s landmark Central Market.
Riham, Mushrif companies sign $1 million
deal for JCB construction machinery
11 JCB construction machines delivered
Clinton’s ‘Moscow Spring’ ended as Putin returned to power
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Hunger a weapon of war in Syria, Yemen, NigeriaPage 8
MONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016
OTISFIELD, Maine: In this Aug 4, 2016 photo, teens leave an all-camp meeting at the Seeds of Peace camp. — AP
OTISFIELD, Maine: The nation’s divide has become badenough that a camp created to help Arab and Israeliteens find common ground is putting an emphasis onhatred and violence in the US. Officials at Seeds ofPeace, a lakeside camp in the woods of Maine, thoughtthings were bad when they made their decision to holdthe special pilot program. Then came racial discord overpolice shootings and divisive political rhetoric.
“People are coming to the realization that this stuffdoesn’t just happen all over the other side of the world.It’s happening here,” said 17-year-old camper MattSuslovic of Portland. Executive Director Leslie Lewinsaid the goal is to tackle deep-seated racism, anti-refugee and anti-Muslim sentiment, socio-economicissues, gender discrimination and LGBT issues throughthe sharing of personal stories and discussion.
That sounds like a tall order. But camp officials saytheir formula of dialogue has worked since 1993, whenSeeds of Peace first brought together Israeli andPalestinian teens. The 67-acre camp has expanded itsreach over the years, bringing in teenagers from othertrouble spots such as Afghanistan, India, Bosnia andPakistan. The special session that began last week fea-tures teens from all religious, racial and ethnic back-grounds from Los Angeles, New York and Chicago. Alsoparticipating are teens from Maine and Syracuse, NewYork, who’ve been coming to the camp for years. Theformula is the same: Each day, campers spend 110 min-utes in dialogue sessions, where they share their stories,listen to fellow campers and try to understand eachother. In their free time, they share in traditional sum-
mer camp activities like boating, swimming, games, dra-ma, art and music. Tim Wilson, who’s been with Seeds ofPeace since the beginning, encourages campers to bitetheir tongues and listen to what others have to say. “Myfather told me, ‘God gave you two ears and one mouthfor a reason,’” he said in an oft-repeated phrase at camp.
It can be a bit disorienting at first. The lush greeneryand cool lake is just as foreign to big-city teenagers as itis for teenagers coming from the 120-degree heat of aMiddle Eastern summer. Kejuan Smith, 15, of Chicago,found himself plucked from his dangerous neighbor-hood and plopped in the woods where he was serenad-ed by coyotes on his first night. Most teens leave feelingempowered - and wanting to return.
Salat Ali, whose parents are Somali, said he quicklylearned upon his arrival in Syracuse from a refugeecamp at age 11 that things weren’t going to be perfect.He lived in a poor neighborhood, and others constantlypicked fights with him. But he found his voice at Seedsof Peace, and he’s returned as a counselor. “I used to feellike I was by myself. Now people have my back. This ismy renaissance,” said Ali, now 22 and attending college.“This is exactly the feeling I was looking for. These arethe friends I wanted. These people make me feel like myfamily.”
Trang Nguyen, 15, also of Syracuse, said she remainsoptimistic despite episodes of hatred and the divisiverhetoric of the presidential campaign. “If it can happenhere on a small scale, then it’s possible on a larger scale,”she said. “There are a lot of messed up things, but it canchange. This is living proof.” — AP
Peace camp shifts aim to divided US
Seeds of Peace brings together teens from warring countries
WINDHAM, New Hampshire: Republican Donald Trumpquestioned Democrat Hillary Clinton’s fitness to be presi-dent Saturday night, saying “she’s got problems” andthat Americans “don’t want someone who’s going toshort-circuit”. Trump told a crowd of supporters that he’snot sure the former first lady and secretary of state is upto the job. “Honestly, I don’t think she’s all there,” Trumpsaid at a rally in a steamy gymnasium.
Clinton this week said that she “may have short-cir-cuited” when she claimed that FBI Director James Comeysaid “my answers were truthful and what I’ve said is con-sistent with what I have told the American people” abouther use of a private email server during her tenure in theState Department. She had made the claim in an inter-view with Fox News. Comey told Congress that investi-gators had “no basis to conclude she lied to the FBI.” Buthe has also questioned the accuracy of some of the pub-lic statements she’s made about the issue.
Clinton’s statement drew rebuke from fact checkersas well as Trump, who earlier Saturday tweeted that,“Anybody whose mind ‘SHORT CIRCUITS’ is not fit to beour president! Look up the word ‘BRAINWASHED’. Trump
spoke the day after he ended a standoff with HouseSpeaker Paul Ryan and endorsed his re-election bid. Thepresidential nominee’s decision to withhold his supporthad underscored the deep divide that remains betweenTrump and much of the Republican Party.
On Saturday, he didn’t mention Ryan or otherRepublicans with whom he has feuded and kept hisbarbs focused on Clinton and President Barack Obama,as fellow Republicans had urged him to do. Trumpclaimed that Islamic State militants were watching theelection closely and “salivating” at the prospect of a sec-ond Clinton White House. “Remember, ISIS is looking,folks. They dream of Hillary Clinton,” he said.
In response, the Clinton campaign issued a statementsaying, “It’s unfortunate that Trump’s only method ofdealing with his own disastrous week is to lash out withmore absurd personal attacks.” Trump’s mention ofClinton was met with frequent chants of “lock her up”and other insults from the crowd. When Trump declaredthat Clinton was “a liar” and “a horrible, horrible humanbeing” who wasn’t fit to serve in the White House, oneman in the crowd started barking like a dog. — AP
Trump claims Clinton
not fit to be president
ADEN: A suicide bomber rammedhis vehicle into a large group ofarmy reinforcements in southYemen yesterday, killing five sol-diers, military officials said.Another seven soldiers werewounded in the attack targetingtroops who had been sent fromthe main southern city of Aden toLahj province to fight jihadists,the sources said. A military officialsaid it was unclear whether theattack had been carried out by Al-Qaeda or the Islamic State group,both of which have gainedground in the south and claimed
deadly anti-government assaultsin the past.
The bombing came hours afterclashes between troops andjihadists in Lahj, the military offi-cials told AFP, adding that Saudi-led coalition jets also took part inthe fighting. Also yesterday, sus-pected members of Al-Qaedashot dead an army colonel innearby Abyan province, a militarysource said.
The gunmen on a motorbikeopened fire at Colonel AbdullahShamba, killing him immediatelybefore driving off, the official said.
Shamba headed a local anti-Al-Qaeda militia in Abyan.
Late on Saturday, coalition jetsattacked Al-Qaeda positions inAbyan’s provincial capital ofZinjibar and in the nearby town ofJaar, military sources said.Government forces backed by theArab coalition began an all-outoffensive in March againstjihadists in south Yemen, recap-turing main cities they had held.But they later retreated fromZinjibar after Al-Qaeda militantsstruck back.
Jihadists have exploited the
power vacuum created by theconflict between the governmentand Huthi rebels and their allies toexpand their presence in southand southeast Yemen.
The Arab coalition which backsthe Yemeni government againstpro-Iran rebels has also turned itssights on the jihadists, and theUnited States has pressed itsdrone war against them.Washington considers the Yemen-based Al-Qaeda in the ArabianPeninsula, or AQAP, to be theextremist network ’s deadliestfranchise. — AFP
I N T E R N AT I O N A LMONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016
BEIRUT: Islamic State suicide bombersyesterday attacked a military base forUS-backed fighters near the Syrian-I raqi border, leaving several deadbefore blowing themselves up, rebelsources and the militants said yester-day. They said the dawn attack on theheavily defended military camp nearthe Syrian Al-Tanf border crossing withIraq involved at least one explosive-laden vehicle that rammed the gate ofthe base which was set up by the fledg-ling, Pentagon-trained New Syria Army.Another rebel said the militants werenot able to storm the heavily fortified
camp where large sand barriers havebeen erected to prevent such incur-sions and attacks in an area where themil itants operate with hit and runattacks.
“It’s a well-defended camp and theytried to storm it but the suicide vehiclewas targeted and hit,” said Said Seif Al-Qalamoni, a rebel familiar with operat-ing in the same area. He added thatthere were at least one dead and sever-al wounded. Qalamoni said jets fromthe US-led coalition against IslamicState shortly after struck at severalvehicles believed to be driven by the
militants in the sparsely populateddesert area. Amaq, a news agency affili-ated to Islamic State, said two suicidebombers had attacked the camp anddetonated an explosive -laden carbefore storming the compound anddetonating their suicide vests.
The New Syria Army was formedaround 18 months ago using insur-gents driven from eastern Syria at theheight of Islamic State’s rapid expan-sion in 2014. Diplomats and rebelsources say US special forces are train-ing hundreds of f ighters from thegroup in camps in Jordan. The Tanf
crossing, which was captured fromIslamic State militants last year, is a 240k m (150 miles) drive from Syria’sancient city of Palmyra, also known asTadmur.
Scores of Islamic State militantsmoved south into southern Syria andthe Tanf area after they were driven outof Palmyra in central Syria this year. Themilitants, who control a swathe of terri-tory spreading from Iraq into centralSyria, still control the Al-Bukamal Syria-Iraq border crossing near Deir Al-Zour.The New Syria Army, with the backingof Western special forces and US-led air
strikes, launched an attack last Junefrom the Tanf base on Al-Buk amalnortheast of Tanf.
But the operation, which aimed tocapture the town and cut supply linesfor the group between Syria and Iraq,failed after rebels were encircled on theapproaches of the town after thejihadists mounted a counter-attack.The New Syria Army’s base in Tanf hasbeen hit twice previously by Russianair strikes, even after the US militaryused emergenc y channels to askMoscow to stop after the first strike, USofficials say. —Reuters
IS hits US-backed Syrian rebel base near Iraq border
PARIS: While grain silos in many Western coun-tries may overflow this winter, tens of millions ofpeople risk going without food as hunger isbeing used more than ever as a weapon of war.More than 50 million people living in 17 con-flict-ridden countries are in “severe food insecu-rity”, two UN agencies warned recently. The pro-tracted conflicts in Yemen and Syria place thosetwo nations at the top of the list established bythe Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)and the World Food Program (WFP). In Yemen,14 million people-over half the population-arenow considered to be facing a food crisis oremergency. Meanwhile in Syria, 8.7 million peo-ple or 37 percent of the pre-conflict population,“need urgent food, nutrition and livelihoodsassistance”, in particular aid to farmers, said theagencies.
The same goes for parts of northeasternNigeria, which has borne the brunt of an insur-gency by Boko Haram islamists since 2009, andwhere the aid group Doctors Without Bordersestimates half a million people face a humanitar-ian catastrophe. Thousands of hungry peopleforced from their homes by fighting there had towait until the end of July to receive their firstfood aid.
Syria wheat harvest halved Meanwhile, most of the world’s top wheat
producers are enjoying bumper crops, pushingprices down on global commodity markets andbenefiting countries like Egypt that are depend-ent upon imports. But for countries gripped byconflict, importing food is logistically difficult ifnot impossible and at prices out of the reach ofmost of the population which have lost theirlivelihoods. Maintaining local agricultural pro-duction, even traditional small-scale farms, thusoften becomes critically important for reducinghunger while helping keep down the number ofrefugees, said the head of the FAO’s emergencyunit, Dominique Burgeon. “It is clear that agricul-ture plays an important role in the resilience ofpopulations faced with the shock of war,” he toldAFP in a telephone interview.
In certain parts of Syria this year people whohave been displaced from other regions arehelping till the fields and take in the harvest.Even so, that hasn’t saved the agricultural sector,on which four-fifths of the rural population
depends, from collapse. “In Syria, all the industri-al chicken farms have been destroyed, whichaffects the poorest people as chicken was themost affordable source of protein,” said Burgeon.The FAO estimates that only 1.9 million tons ofwheat will be harvested this year in Syria, lessthan half of the 4 million tons it produced beforethe war. Nevertheless, it has had difficulties inpersuading donor nations to reach into theirpockets to fund purchases of seeds, fertilizersand tools for Syrian farmers.
More farming = less migration “We want to show the impact of food security
on the stabilization of the population,” saidBurgeon, expressing his disappointment thatthe appeal for $86 million of funds has so farreceived only a tenth of that sum. In June, PopeFrancis condemned the fact it is often more diffi-cult to deliver humanitarian aid than to obtain
weapons. “It makes no difference where armscome from; they circulate with brazen and virtu-ally absolute freedom in many parts of theworld,” said the pontiff during a visit to the WFP’sheadquarters. “As a result, wars are fed, not peo-ple.” But the farm aid needs to be adapted toweather conditions in target countries.
Burgeon warned that despite the best ofintentions certain non-governmental organiza-tions risked doing harm by importing seeds notappropriate for the local climate, which would“set the country back years”. Farmers in Syriaare already finding it impossible to obtain seedsdeveloped by local agronomists due to the war,which has forced the closure of the nation’sseed bank. Syria has become the first nation tomake a withdrawal at the world’s seed bankburied in a mountain off the Svalbard islands inthe Arctic Ocean to replace destroyed localseeds. —AFP
Hunger a weapon of warin Syria, Yemen, Nigeria
‘As a result, wars are fed, not people’
SYRIA: File photo shows Syrians unload boxes after a 48-truck convoy from the ICRC, SARC and UN entered the Syrian rebel-held town ofTalbiseh, a besieged area in northern rural Homs. —AFP
ZUBAIR, Iraq: Hundreds of Iraqis from thesouthern district of Zubair clashed withsecurity forces yesterday when theyattempted to block a road leading to oilfields during a protest. Police held dozensof demonstrators following the incident,which did not lead to any injuries amongthe protesters nor the security forces, anAFP correspondent reported. Zubair liesnear the country’s main port city of Basra,450 kilometers (280 miles) southeast ofBaghdad. The protesters tried to blockaccess to some oil fields in the area to presstheir demand for jobs in the sector, which isthe backbone of the nation’s economy.Exports from Iraq’s southern oil fieldstopped 3.2 million barrels last month. Thecountry is the world’s fourth producer and
holds the world’s fifth-largest reserves.“Zubair’s oil is being stolen by thieves”
the protesters chanted. “It’s our oil, we havea right to it,” was another of their slogans. “Igraduated in computer engineering fiveyears ago and I still haven’t found a job,”said one of the demonstrators, AhmedHassan Al-Tamimi. “Most of the youth inZubair is unemployed. Even when the oilcompanies are hiring, they bring peoplefrom other provinces and nobody caresabout our area because we don’t belong toany party and have no connections,” hesaid. Despite its oil wealth, the Basra regionsuffers from poor services and was at theheart of the protest movement sparked lastsummer by exasperation over the lack ofelectricity and water. —AFP
Protesters clash withpolice near Iraq oil site
GAZA: A Palestinian representative of US-based Christian charity World Visiondenies Israeli allegations that he funneledmillions of dollars in aid money to theIslamist militant group Hamas, his lawyersaid yesterday. Mohammad El Halabi,World Vision’s manager of operations inthe Gaza Strip, was arrested by Israel onJune 15 while crossing into the enclave,which is under the de facto rule of Hamas,a group on the Israeli and US terrorismblacklists.
Briefing reporters on Thursday, a seniorIsraeli security official said Halabi, who hasrun the group’s Gaza operations since2010, had been under surveillance. TheIsraeli official said Halabi confessed tosiphoning off some $7.2 million a year,about 60 percent of World Vision’s Gazafunding, to pay Hamas fighters, buy arms,pay for other activities and build fortifica-tions. “Mohammad (El Halabi) denies all
these accusations. He denied it all,”Jerusalem-based lawyer MohammadMahmoud, who was assigned to representEl Halabi by the charity group, told Reutersby phone yesterday..
Mahmoud said he met his client duringa court session last week, and these werehis first comments made publicly. WorldVision had already said it was “shocked” byIsrael’s allegations, and while it had no rea-son to believe them to be true, it wouldreview the evidence. Hamas has deniedany connection to Halabi. After the casewas made public, Australia suspended aidto World Vision.
The US State Department, according toone official, is concerned by the allegationsand following the investigation closely.Yesterday, dozens of Palestinians who usedto benefit from World Vision aid in Gazarallied in solidarity with Halabi, demandinghis release. —Reuters
SANAA: This file photo shows Yemeni men carrying food aid provided by the World FoodProgram (WFP) to help families affected by the ongoing conflict between loyalist forces andHuthi rebels, in the Yemeni capital Sanaa. —AFP
Palestinian denies funneling charity money to Hamas
Bomber kills five soldiers in Yemen
JERUSALEM: Palestinian women hold pictures of prisoners during a protestdemanding better detention conditions for Palestinians who are imprisoned inIsraeli jails, in front of the offices of the International Committee of the Red Cross(ICRC) in East Jerusalem yesterday. Families of prisoners continued to protest a dayafter more than 300 Palestinian prisoners reportedly halted a hunger strike afterIsrael prison authorities agreed to end ‘humiliating’ body searches and returnrecently transferred prisoners. The banner in the background shows Bilal Kayed, aprisoner who has reportedly been fasting for almost two months over his detentionwithout trial. — AFP
Women and children eat on the floor in an overcrowded space at Dibaga camp forinternally displaced civilians yesterday. — AP
I N T E R N AT I O N A LMONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016
WASHINGTON: As secretary of state, Hillary Clintonbasked in a diplomatic “Moscow Spring,” seizing onVladimir Putin’s break from the presidency to helpseal a nuclear arms-control treaty and secureRussia’s acquiescence to a NATO-led military inter-vention in Libya. But when Putin returned to the topjob, things changed.
Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee,has vowed to stand up to Putin if elected, drawingon her four years of ups and downs as the publicface of President Barack Obama’s first-term “reset”with Russia. By comparison, her Republican oppo-nent, Donald Trump, has rung alarm bells inWashington and Europe with his overtures to theauthoritarian Russian leader. But Clinton’s wrangleswith Russia led to mixed results. And her fortunesdipped dramatically after Putin replaced DmitryMedvedev as president in May 2012.
Just weeks later, Russia outmaneuvered her innegotiations over a complicated Syria peace plan,dealing her what was arguably her worst diplomaticdefeat. While Clinton hailed it as a triumph, the waronly escalated. And while her aides still insist shecame out on top, the blueprint effectively gaveSyria’s Moscow-backed president, Bashar Assad, aveto over any transition government, hampering allmediation efforts still.
“There is no doubt that when Putin came backin and said he was going to be president, that didchange the relationship,” Clinton said in aDemocratic debate last year. “We have to standup to his bullying and specifically, in Syria it isimportant.”
Clinton’s history with Russia is significant giventhe surprising role Russia has played in the US presi-dential campaign. Clinton and her supporters sayshe would be far tougher on Moscow than Trump,whose unusual foreign policy statements includemusings about NATO’s relevance and suggestionsthat he could accept Russia’s annexation ofUkraine’s Crimea region. Russia’s reported hackingof Democratic Party email accounts also has led tocharges that Putin’s intelligence services are med-dling in the election, and Trump aided that percep-tion by publicly encouraging Russia to find andrelease more of her emails.
Clinton’s first encounters in Russian diplomacybegan on much more hopeful note. MeetingForeign Minister Sergey Lavrov in 2009, Clintoninitiated the effort to repair years of bitter rela-tions, punctuated by a Russian war with neigh-boring Georgia a year earlier. Offering a large redreset button, Clinton outlined a broad agenda ofcooperation.
DividendsThe new policy paid dividends. With Putin
focused on domestic matters during a four-yearstint as prime minister, Medvedev opened up anew corridor for US forces and materiel heading
to Afghanistan. The two nations sealed theirmost ambitious arms control pact in a genera-tion. Washington and Moscow united on newIran sanctions. Years of trade negotiations culmi-nated in Russia’s entry into the World TradeOrganization. But it was perhaps Clinton’s unlike-liest diplomatic breakthrough that began thedownward spiral: Libya. As America’s Europeanallies sought a military intervention againstLibyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, Clintonplayed the role of skeptic, refusing to jumpaboard. When she finally did, it proved critical inpersuading Russia to abstain. The rebels over-threw Gadhafi five months later.
Returning as president in May 2012, Putin was
immediately confronted with Syria’s Libya-likeescalation from Arab Spring protests to full-scalecivil war. He played his cards differently thanMedvedev, hinting to Obama that he could drophis support for the Syrian leader while shieldingAssad from any UN pressure or foreign action thatmight chase him from power. Seeking Russia’scooperation, Obama and Clinton avoided any talkthat might threaten Russian equities in Syria,including a large naval base there. Their messagewas clear: The US wouldn’t try to pull a futurepost-Assad government out of Moscow’s orbit.
It didn’t matter. When the UN proposed apeace plan that involved ushering Assad out ofpower and included penalties for noncompli-
ance, the Russians balked. Faced with stale-mate, the U.S. and Russia arrived at a formulafor a new government comprised of individualschosen by the “mutual consent” of Assad andthe opposition.
SyriaAlthough Clinton claimed credit for the June
30, 2012, compromise in Geneva, it appeared tobe Russia’s objective all along. Assad is still presi-dent. Clinton has acknowledged her frustrationwith an increasingly hostile Russia on Syria andother matters as her time in office wound down.In her final months, Russia ordered the end of allU.S. Agency for International Development pro-
grams in the country. It approved a new law con-straining the work of Russian and foreign non-governmental organizations. It banned U.S. adop-tions of Russian children.
In December 2012, Clinton accused Putin oftrying to “re-Sovietize” its region. And just beforeleaving, she wrote a memo to Obama urging himto finally suspend a reset that ended once andfor all with Russia’s military incursions in Ukraineand annexation of Crimea in 2014 - well afterClinton had left government. “Strength andresolve were the only language Putin wouldunderstand,” Clinton wrote in her memoir “HardChoices,” published shortly afterward. It’s a les-son she could say she learned firsthand. —AP
Clinton’s ‘Moscow Spring’
ended as Putin returnedWrangles led to mixed results
VLADIVOSTOK, RUSSIA: In this Sept. 8, 2012 pool-file photo, Russian PresidentVladimir Putin meets with then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. —AP
PHILADELPHIA: Pennsylvania’s attorneygeneral goes on trial yesterday in a perjuryand obstruction case that comes at theend of a tumultuous four years in officemarked by petty feuds, a pornographicemail scandal and political intrigue.
Kathleen Kane remains on the job eventhough she lost her law license over herfelony arrest. An ethics board accused herof “egregious conduct” amid criminalcharges she leaked grand jury material to anewspaper to embarrass enemies andthen lied about it under oath.
The state Supreme Court voted to stripKane of the law license, a move sheattacked given that two justices wereforced to step down as part of her crusadeto our state employees who traded offen-sive, racist and sometimes pornographicemails. Dozens of people in her office werealso fired or disciplined.
Old boys networkKane, 50, has said she won’t give up
fighting what she calls the “old boys net-work” in state government, but she didnot seek re-election this year, and herterm expires in January. She was the firstwoman or Democrat elected to the$159,000-a-year job. “You can arrest metwo times, you can arrest me 10 times. I’msure this isn’t the end of the game,” Kanesaid after prosecutors added morecharges to the case. “But I will not stopuntil the truth comes out, and I will notstop until the system operates the way it’ssupposed to.”
Kane has hired prominent lawyers to
defend her: First, Bill Clinton confidanteLanny Davis and now, New York moblawyer Gerald Shargel. Several former topaides are set to testify against her. The trialjudge won’t let the defense wade into theporn email probe.
Jury selection in Kane’s trial startsMonday in suburban Philadelphia, whereshe appeared before a grand jury investi-gating the leak of 2009 grand jury infor-mation about a former NAACP official.The official was never charged withwrongdoing.
Kane’s attorneys have argued that sheonly authorized the release of nonsecretinformation relating to who was charged -and who wasn’t - by her predecessors. Andshe denied that she was sworn to secrecyabout those prior investigations, accordingto the arrest warrant. “I was a stay-at-homemom at the time. ... None of us were sworninto that grand jury,” she testified, accord-ing to the affidavit.
However, prosecutors said they found asigned oath to the contrary during asearch of her Harrisburg offices. Kane ischarged with perjury, a felony, for alleged-ly lying to the grand jury, and eight misde-meanor counts that include obstruction,official oppression, conspiracy and falseswearing.
Her driver, Patrick “Rocco” Reese, wasconvicted of contempt of court last yearafter a judge said he illegally snoopedthrough emails about the special grandjury investigation of his boss. Reese is theformer police chief in Dunmore, nearKane’s hometown of Scranton. —AP
Term about over, Pennsylvania’s
top prosecutor goes on trial
WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA:Johnny Small was just 15 whenpolice came to arrest him in 1988 -so young he assumed he was introuble for a curfew violation.Instead, police charged him withfirst-degree murder of a womanwho owned a tropical-fish store - aplace Small says he’d never even vis-ited. He was convicted and sen-tenced to life behind bars, mainly onthe testimony of co-defendant - afriend who once lived with Small’sfamily. That man, David Bollinger,has since recanted. Bollinger says hetestified only because prosecutorspromised his charged would bedropped in exchange, and threat-ened the death penalty if he didn’tcooperate.
Now, at 43, Small has a chance atfreedom. A hearing is scheduled to
begin Monday for Small, who hasalways maintained his innocence.The judge could vacate the convic-tion, order a new trial or uphold theconviction. Small “has spent hisentire adult life and part of his child-hood in prison for a crime he didnot commit,” a defense motion says.Now, he’s grateful his one-timefriend, Bollinger, came forward,even though it took decades, hetold The Associated Press in an inter-view at New Hanover County
Correctional Center. “He’s doingwhat he thinks is right, what heknows is right,” said Small, addingthat he hasn’t communicated withBollinger since his former friend tes-tified. “And I’m happy for that. Butam I going to jump for joy? No.Because he should have.”
If releasedIf Small is released, he’ll be in a
world that he’s seen only on televi-sion. Before prison, he listened tomusic on cassette tapes. He’s neverused a cellphone or Facebook. Hehas driven a car, but not legally, hesaid, breaking into one of his fewsmiles during the interview.
He’s made no big plans if he’sreleased other than seeking thera-py, leaving Wilmington and gettinga job. Defense attorney Chris
Mumma is hopeful Small will go free- no physical evidence tied him tothe death of Pam Dreher at her fishshop - and she says in court filingsthere’s “absolutely no remaining evi-dence of guilt in the case.”
Prosecutors declined to com-ment, but in response to defensemotions say the latest evidence“does little other than discredit orimpeach witness testimony, makingit insufficient to support a claim fora new trial and certainly does not
support outright dismissal of thecase.”
A record number of peoplefalsely convicted of crimes - 149 -were exonerated in 2015, accord-ing to the National Registry ofExonerations. The registry is aproject of the University ofMichigan Law School and hasdocumented more than 1,850such cases in the U.S.
Bollinger called the N.C. Centeron Actual Innocence in 2012, sayinghis testimony was false. Small’sdefense motion lays out other dis-crepancies, including problems withthe Crimestoppers call that leadpolice to Small and Bollinger.
At trial, Bollinger testified that hehad no deal with prosecutors. Afterthe state Court of Appeals upheldSmall’s conviction in 1991, thecharge against Bollinger wasdropped. Bollinger ’s attorneydeclined to comment to TheAssociated Press.
Small says he doesn’t blameBollinger anymore. “I just let it gobecause it was hurting me morethan it was doing anything,” Smallsaid. “I was hurting myself. Carryingaround all that hate, what’s it goingto do? It’s going to destroy you.”
Tropical Paradise owner Dreherwas 32 when she died of a singlegunshot wound to the head. The APreached her brother, Mark AlanSmith, who declined to comment.Her husband, David Dreher, couldn’tbe reached. Reports at the time ofDreher’s death said police believedrobbery was the motive - $173 wasmissing from the register - but herpurse and jewelry were left behind.
Margie Hilburn, 95, who livesacross the street from David Dreher,remembers Pam Dreher as “a lovelyperson ... and it broke David’s heartwhen he found out that somebodykilled her. “Small has endured hisown losses while imprisoned. Hismother died in February, and Smallattended her funeral with two cor-rectional officers. “It’s hard enoughliving here day by day, knowingshe’s gone,” he said, holding backtears. “So I can only imagine whatMrs. Dreher ’s family is goingthrough.” —AP
Convicted of murder as a teen,
man now has shot at freedom
WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA: A silk lily and frayed purple rib-bon decorate the grave of Pam Dreher at Oleander MemorialGardens. —AP
NORRISTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA: In this April 20, 2016 file photo,Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane arrives for a pretrialhearing in her grand jury leak case at the Montgomery County court-house. —AP
I N T E R N AT I O N A LMONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016
LUSAKA: Zambia’s main oppositionleader has accused the government ofusing repressive laws to restrict his elec-tion campaign and said violence by sup-porters of the ruling Patriotic Front (PF)would prevent Thursday’s polls frombeing free and fair.
However, the African Union (AU)observer mission said political parties inZambia were still able to conduct theircampaign activities without major dis-ruption despite some incidences of vio-lence. Zambia holds presidential and
parliamentary elections on Aug. 11.President Edgar Lungu faces a strongchallenge from opposition leaderHakainde Hichilema after last year’sneck-and-neck race.
Lungu has been in power in thesouthern African nation since winningelection in January 2015 following thedeath of his predecessor, Michael Sata,in October 2014. “Only yesterday, thepresident cancelled two of my rallies inEastern province. Why would he notwant us to campaign the way he is cam-
paigning?” Hichilema, one of Zambia’swealthiest businessmen and knownlocally as “HH”, told Reuters.
“Also the violence that is obtaining inthe country does not lend the condi-tions suitable for a free, fair and credibleelection,” he said in an interview.Zambia’s electoral commission on July 9suspended campaigning for 10 days intwo areas, including the capital Lusaka,due to escalating political violence.
Despite the unfavorable conditions,Hichilema urged his supporters not to
be intimidated and to turn out in largenumbers, saying it was still possible towin the elections. “Zambians must notfear, the fear is being created so thatthey don’t vote,” he said.
The leader of the AU observer mis-sion, former Nigerian presidentGoodluck Jonathan, said violence haddecreased following the 10-day suspen-sion of campaigning. He said both theruling party and opposition had accusedeach other of violence.
“There are these fears but we still
believe that the elections can be con-ducted in a manner that will be satisfac-tory,” Jonathan said when asked aboutconcerns that the elections would notbe free and fair.
He said candidates in Thursday’s elec-tions must be ready to accept any result.“Nobody must just assume that I mustwin the elections. Work hard to win theelection, accept the results of the elec-tion and ensure peace in Zambiabecause you are interested in the peo-ple,” Jonathan said. —Reuters
Zambian opposition leader says election will not be free and fair
PARIS: A relative of one of the jihadist killersof journalists at French satirical magazineCharlie Hebdo has been arrested in Turkey onhis way to Syria, a judicial source said yester-day. Mourad Hamyd, brother-in-law of CherifKouachi who was behind the January 2015attack in Paris that killed 12, was detained inTurkey last month on suspicion of seeking toenter Syria, the source said.
Hamyd, wrongly identified on socialmedia in the aftermath of the attack as beingone of three Charlie Hebdo killers, wasdenied entry to Turkey and sent to a deten-tion centre in Bulgaria on July 28, the sourceadded in confirming a French media report.
The source said French anti-terrorist inves-tigators are preparing a European arrest war-rant for Hamyd, whose sister was CherifKouachi’s wife. Kouachi carried out the
Charlie Hebdo killings with his brother Said.Hamyd came under initial suspicion of actingas the brothers’ getaway driver and he wasbriefly detained before being released with-out charge.
He later told AFP in an interview he wasshocked by the killings, which he describedas “a horrible crime” and described himself asa normal student living with his parents. Headded he barely had any contact with CherifKouachi.
According to a July tally by French PrimeMinister Manuel Valls, France is home to morethan 2,100 people-French nationals or for-eigners-known to have links to Syrian andIraqi Islamist groups.
Valls added that 203 of them who havespent time in those countries have returnedto France. —AFP
BRUSSELS: Belgium yesterday opened a terror-ism probe into a machete assault that woundedtwo policewomen, in what appeared to be thelatest in a string of jihadist attacks in Europe. “Wehave been informed by federal prosecutors thatan investigation has started for attempted ter-rorist murder... given certain elements (in thecase),” Prime Minister Charles Michel toldreporters. Michel, who saluted the courage ofthe police victims, was referring to the attacker’scry of “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest) during theassault in front of a police station.
No information was given about the identityof the attacker, who had been shot and killed bypolice, at the press conference in Brussels whichfollowed a meeting of Belgium’s security servic-es. Saturday afternoon’s attack outside the mainpolice station in the city of Charleroi, around 60kilometers south of Brussels, left one of thepolicewomen with “deep wounds to the face”while the other was slightly injured, Belga newsagency said.
Charleroi police said the attacker was killedwhile the two victims were out of danger. Policespokesman David Quinaux told broadcaster RTL-TVI the assailant had “taken a machete out of asports bag he was carrying and dealt very vio-lent blows to the faces of the two policewomen.”
Belgium has been on high alert since suicidebombers struck Brussels airport and a metro sta-tion near the European Union’s institutions onMarch 22, killing 32 people.
Those attacks were claimed by the IslamicState (IS) jihadist group, which controls largeareas of territory in Iraq and Syria and hasclaimed numerous terror strikes in Europe overthe last year.
‘Cool heads’ Belgium’s unit for terror threat analysis coor-
dination said it would keep the alert levelunchanged at level three on a scale of four,meaning an attack is viewed as “possible andlikely.”
With regard to attacks specifically on police
the unit maintained a level two threat requiring“particular vigilance.” Michel meanwhile saluted“the exceptional courage of the policewomenwho suffered this serious attack” and “did whatthey had to and doubtless thereby prevented aneven greater tragedy.
“We maintain cool heads and blood,” addedthe premier, who said unspecified measureswould be taken to bolster security for policewhile noting that Belgium was confronting asimilar threat to that faced by its Europeanneighbors. —AFP
Terror probe opened over
attack on Belgian police
CHARLEROI, WALLONIA, BELGIUM: Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel (L) and Charleroi’smayor Paul Magnette (R) arrive at the hospital Notre-Dame in Charleroi, yesterday where theinjured policewoman is staying a day after a machete-wielding man wounded two police-women in a jihadist attack in Charleroi before being shot dead. —AFP
JOHANNESBURG: South Africa’s mainopposition Democratic Alliance said yester-day that it was seeking coalition partners torun major cities including the capital andbusiness centre Johannesburg after defeat-ing the ruling ANC in local polls. “Informaldiscussions (have) started. We are now inthe process of setting up meetings,” DAlawmaker James Selfe told AFP withoutindicating who the party was talking to.
“We have a lot of experience in coali-tions and I’m confident it will work out,”said Selfe. The DA, led by Mmusi Maimane,topped the poll in municipal elections inthe capital Pretoria, taking 93 seats out of214 to 89 for the African National Congress,which suffered its worst result since theend of white-minority rule 22 years ago,falling below 60 percent of the vote for thefirst time. Maimane on Saturday describedthe results as “a tipping point for the peo-ple of South Africa,” while ANC deputyleader Cyril Ramaphosa, Zuma’s vice-presi-dent, said the party would heed the elec-torate’s message.
With no party securing an absolutemajority, the two main parties are set totalk to radical leftist Economic FreedomFighters (EFF). Led by populist JuliusMalema, formerly of the ANC, the groupsays it is open to a role in a coalition-”except with the ANC.” Despite that initialpublic stance, the Sunday Times newspaperreported that the ANC and the EFF were infact in talks in Pretoria, where the EFF gar-nered 25 seats. Although a link-up betweenthe latter two parties would appear politi-cally more logical than between the EFFand the centre right DA, it would have torise above two years of harsh criticism by
Malema of President Jacob Zuma.Following the ANC’s poor showing,
Zuma’s position as head of state is now inquestion, even though his mandate still hasthree years to run, the poll having beenwidely seen as a referendum on his scan-dal-ridden leadership.
Saturday, independent political analystDaniel Silke told AFP he saw a DA tie-upwith EFF as difficult. “I don’t think EFF is thebest coalition partner for DA as they arediametrically opposed on every issue-itcould be unstable,” Silke said.
‘No ideological barrier’ Selfe said, however, it was feasible. “With
EFF we are equally keen to provide goodquality services for the people and particu-larly for the poorest of the poor. There’s noideological barrier with EFF on this,” heinsisted. There is uncertainty in the busi-ness capital Johannesburg, where the ANCalso lost its majority in Johannesburg, as itdid in Pretoria and also, humiliatingly, inPort Elizabeth, officially known as “NelsonMandela Bay” after the late former ANCleader and president.
The ANC did top the poll inJohannesburg but it missed a majority by15 seats while the EFF captured 30. In PortElizabeth, the DA requires four seats inorder to be able to govern, but should beable to receive sufficient support from sev-eral smaller parties. Although at the nation-al level ANC remains the nation’s top party,it saw its support plunge to 59.3 percentnationwide, a drop of eight points from2011. The parties now have two weeks toform coalitions and elect new municipalcouncils. —AFP
PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA: President Jacob Zuma, attends the declaration announce-ment of the municipal elections on Saturday. —AP
Opposition seeks partners
after S Africa poll success
IDOMENI: With Turkey in crisis and Europe’s bor-ders closed, smugglers in northern Greece areexpecting a profitable summer. Greek police saytraffickers are using increasingly sophisticatedmethods - motorcycle spotters, maps of bordersurveillance “blind spots,” and even policeinformants - to move out refugees who havebeen stuck in this Greek border town formonths.
Higher smuggling fees and steadily worsen-ing odds of success have done little to dent thedetermination of migrants like Sorah Rahimi. The22-year-old psychology student traveled fromAfghanistan with his mother who is in poorhealth - and is an ideal target for smugglingrings that are re-emerging in the region. Heagreed to pay traffickers 2,500 euros ($2,750) totravel from Greece’s northern border withMacedonia to Sweden, but only made it a fewmiles before being spotted by police and turnedback. “We need to get to Sweden. Our wholefamily is there. We no longer have anything inAfghanistan,” Rahimi told the AP before beingtaken to a migrant shelter in northern Greece.
Borders shut Tens of thousands of migrants have been
stuck on their journey north across Europe.Governments across the continent slammedtheir borders shut in March to avoid a repeat ofthe mass migration in 2015, when more than amillion refugees and migrants arrived, triggeringa string of political upheavals.
The trip north has become increasingly riskyand time-consuming. Rahimi spent threemonths at the port of Piraeus, near Athens,before traveling north by train.
Last month’s attempted coup in Turkey, fol-lowed by a draconian government crackdownthere on perceived government opponents , hasadded to the uncertainty. Traffickers in Greecehave re-appeared in greater numbers since thegovernment cleared a massive makeshift campat Idomeni on the Greek-Macedonian border inlate May, according to officials from the coun-try’s border guard, national police and securitydivision interviewed by the AP.
In a recent operation, police arrested 29alleged members of two trafficking rings innorthern Greece. One gang had received infor-mation from a Greek police officer on gaps in thenight vision camera network on the Greek-Turkish border.
Police said the smugglers brought some 600migrants into Greece from Turkey over severalmonths and helped them reach other countries,using a fleet of taxis, scout vehicles, prepaid“burner” cellphones, and a system of code wordsthat included: “dogs” for police, “garbage trucks”for police cars, and “cement blocks,” “fish,” or“kebabs” when referring to the migrants them-selves. “At least six (Greek) taxi drivers were
MADRID: Spanish authorities have evacu-ated 500 more residents in the path of afive-day-old forest fire on the Atlanticisland of La Palma.
The regional government for the CanaryIslands archipelago says the evacuation oftwo neighborhoods in the town of Villa deMazo took place yesterday morning shortlyafter midnight as the fire spread throughthe hilly terrain.
The latest evacuation comes only hoursafter authorities said some of the 2,500 res-idents previously evacuated could returnto their homes. The blaze has claimed thelife of one forest worker and destroyed
around 4,000 hectares (9,900 acres) of for-est on the volcanic island off the northwestcoast of Africa.
An unnamed 27-year-old German manadmitted to police Friday that he had start-ed the fire accidentally by burning some ofhis soiled toilet paper. Spanish media sayhe has been charged with grave negli-gence and was denied bail after a judicialhearing Saturday while police continuetheir investigation. Some 350 firefighters,supported by four planes and eight heli-copters dumping water, are battling the firebut strong winds and high temperaturesare complicating their efforts. —AP
Smuggling surges in Greece as
migrant frustrations grow
CANARY ISLANDS, SPAIN: In this image made from video on Saturday, Aug. 6, 2016, aforest fire rages in La Palma. —AP
Spain: 500 more evacuated
due to La Palma forest fire
Investigation has started
involved in the smuggling rings, charging a reg-ular fare while knowingly participating in theillegal activity,” the Greek Police’s Brig. GeorgePantelakos said. “Every transfer assisted byscouts on motorcycle, in an effort to avoiddetection.” Other suspects were from Syria, Iraq,Armenia, Albania and Kazakhstan. Five policeofficers have also been arrested in Macedonia,accused of helping smugglers north of the Greekborder. In Greece alone, more than 57,000migrants are stranded, most staying at about 60government-run camps around the country. TheEuropean Union’s law enforcement agencyEuropol analyzed data from anti-smugglingoperations over the first six months of 2016. Itfound fees charged last year by traffickers for theentire trip from Syria and other warzones to theEU are now often set as the rate for crossing asingle border. Migrants are also more likely to beheld up for months and become vulnerable toexploitation. “Last year, the trips were sometimescompleted in one to two weeks; now a journeycan last for months,” the agency said. “While in2015, 0.2 percent of migrants declared that theyhad to work to pay back smugglers, this rose to 5percent in 2016.”
PeakedWhen the numbers peaked in late March,
14,000 people were camped out at Idomeni.Now all that remains there are aluminum postsused for emergency lighting. Sunflowers haveappeared in fields that a few weeks ago werepacked with tents. But the migration problem
has not been resolved. Dozens of migrants arestill hiding in cornfields, under bridges and inforests near Idomeni. Since the refugee campwas cleared, between 50 and 100 migrants a dayare spotted trying to cross the border and beingturned back, according to police estimates.
Some are found hidden in vans, buses, cars ortrains. Others try their luck on foot, looking forgaps in the razor-wire border fence along riverbanks and mountain trails. Lina Siopi, a 44-year-old from Idomeni, owns a coffee shop outsidethe village railway station and says migrants areroutinely found hidden in freight cars anddetained. “We see it all the time. In the latest inci-dent ... a family was hiding under a sheet of tarp(in a freight carriage). I don’t know where theywere from: a couple with two sons,” she said. InThessaloniki, Greece’s second largest city, onehour’s drive south of the Macedonian border,smugglers brazenly negotiate terms withmigrants camped out at parks near the city’smain train station. They have the upper hand,since most migrants have already been in thecountry for several months. Afghan refugeeFatima Davoodi has agreed on a price alreadyand is waiting for smugglers to pick up her, herhusband and two sons, aged six and 10. “I can’ttell you the sum. We want to make it to Finlandand will pay the (full) amount when we getthere,” said Davoodi, a 32-year-old from Mazar-i-Sharif in northern Afghanistan. “I’m ready toleave for the border. We know it’ll be tough. Butif you don’t believe you’ll make it, you won’t,” shedeclared.— AP
Relative of Charlie
Hebdo killer arrested
I N T E R N AT I O N A LMONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016
MANILA: Philippine President Rodrigo Dutertepublicly linked more than 150 judges, mayors, law-makers, police and military personnel to illegaldrugs Yesterday, ordering them to surrender forinvestigation as he ratcheted up his bloody waragainst what he calls a “pandemic.” Duterte prompt-ly relieved members of the military and police henamed from their current posts and ordered gov-ernment security personnel to be withdrawn frompoliticians he identified in a nationally televisedspeech. He also ordered gun licenses of thosenamed revoked.
“All military and police who are attached tothese people, I’m giving you 24 hours to report toyour mother unit or I will whack you. I’ll dismiss youfrom the service,” Duterte said in the speech at amilitary camp in southern Davao city.
He said that the list of politicians, judges and lawenforcers given to him by the military and policemight or might not be true, but that he had a dutyto disclose to the public how the drug problem hadbecome so pervasive. “There is no due process inmy mouth,” Duterte said. “You can’t stop me and I’mnot afraid even if you say that I can end up in jail.”The list of names, which Duterte said includedsome friends, has been validated by authorities butdid not contain details of the officials’ alleged
involvement to the drug trade or offer any evi-dence. Some names were incomplete, while othershad no rank or government position.
Judges and generalsThey included eight judges, as well as five retired
and current generals. The rest were mostly townmayors and police officers. One retired general,Vicente Loot, has been previously named in publicby Duterte and has denied any wrongdoing. “It’s apandemic,” said Duterte, a former mayor of Davao,where he built a reputation for his crime-bustingstyle that allegedly involved extrajudicial killings.
Duterte’s latest salvo ups the ante in his war ondrugs, which has already left more than 400 sus-pected dealers and pushers dead and more than4,400 arrested in more than a month since he tookoffice. Nearly 600,000 people have surrendered toauthorities, hoping to avoid getting killed.
The crackdown has been one of the biggest andbloodiest in the Philippines’ recent history and hasalarmed human rights groups and the dominantRoman Catholic Church. But Duterte has dismissedtheir concerns and has openly threatened to killcrime suspects, assuring law enforcers that hewould defend them if they face lawsuits while bat-tling criminality.
Church leader Archbishop Socrates Villegasissued a statement, read in churches Sunday in hisnorthern district, expressing deep concerns overthe killings of drugs suspects and lamenting a lackof widespread outrage over the deaths. “Is nothumanity going down to the dregs when blood-thirsty humans encourage the killers and ask formore blood?” Villegas said. “Will you kill me againand again on social media for saying this?”
Vice President Leni Robredo, who is on a trip tothe U.S., said media can do a lot to help raise aware-ness on the need to stop the killings. “There havebeen a few voices already out there against extraju-dicial killings, but I think that public outcry is notthere yet,” Robredo said. “I think all of us should doour share in making sure that this has to stop.”
Duterte also attended the wake of four soldierswho were killed in two clashes with communistrebels last week in the gold-mining town ofMonkayo in southern Compostela Valley. Three ofthe soldiers were killed by a land mine blast, themilitary said.
Duterte criticized the rebels for using landmines, which have also killed civilians. He warnedthat if anyone else dies from a rebel land mineattack, he would call off peace talks that are sched-uled to start Aug. 20 in Norway. —AP
Philippine leader links 150 judges, politicians to drugs
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan: A senior Afghanpolice official regarded as one of the country’smost powerful men has banned the use of thePakistani currency in the key southern provinceof Kandahar. The police chief of Kandahar, Gen.Abdul Raziq, said he has declared the use of thePakistani rupee in business transactions a crime.But he says he hasn’t yet decided on the punish-ment.
The rupee has been widely used inAfghanistan’s eastern and southern provincesbordering Pakistan. The Iranian currency is usedin the western border provinces. “I’m not againstbusiness, but I don’t want any other currency tobe used in our country, especially the Pakistanand Iranian currencies,” Raziq told TheAssociated Press Sunday.
Raziq’s ban came into effect last week. Traderssaid it had an immediate effect, with the Afghanistrengthening in recent days. “This is very goodnews, as people have been confused about whatcurrency they should use and keep,” saidKandahar tribal elder and businessman, AhmadShah Khan.
He said the Afghani had strengthened to 560for 1,000 Pakistani rupees, from 630 per 1,000before the ban. The official Central Bankexchange rate Sunday was 622 per 1,000. TheAfghani has also strengthened against the dol-lar, from 68 to 65 since the ban was introduced,traders said. The official rate is currently 67.5afghanis to the dollar.
Azrakhsh Hafizi, the head of the internationalrelations committee of the Afghan Chamber ofCommerce welcomed Raziq’s decision andurged officials nationwide to adopt the ban offoreign currencies.
Use of US dollarThe use of the US dollar in transactions else-
where in the country, including the capitalKabul, should also be banned, Hafizi said. “Thecentral bank almost every week buys Afghanis inthe market in order to maintain the stability ofthe Afghan currency but if we used only theAfghan currency all over the country therewould be no need,” he said.
Raziq’s move coincides with a cooling of rela-
tions between Afghanistan and Pakistan follow-ing the breakdown of a peace process initiatedlast year by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani andthe apparent failure by Pakistani authorities tomove against Taleban leaders believed by Kabulto enjoy refuge over the border.
Taleban leaders moved into Pakistan whenthe US invaded in 2001, ending their brutal five-year rule of Afghanistan. They are widelybelieved to live under Pakistan’s protection andto direct their war against Kabul, now in its 15thyear, from cities including Quetta and Peshawar.
Raziq said the currency ban is in retaliationagainst Pakistan’s protection of the Taleban, acharge Pakistan denies. “Pakistan is not onlyusing bombs against us, they use every othertactic they can to destroy us - and that includesour businessman,” he said. Pakistani authoritieshave held up Afghan goods, including fresh pro-duce, at border points until the fruit and vegeta-
bles rotted, Raziq said. There are signs thatAfghanistan is starting to look elsewhere forimported products as a way of pressuringPakistani authorities into complying with Afghandemands that they force the Taleban into talksto end the war.
Wheat imports - which totaled 2.4 million tonslast year, according to the U.S. Department ofAgriculture - have traditionally come fromPakistan. But an increase in the customs dutycharged by Afghan authorities has cut importsfrom Pakistan, with the business now going toCentral Asian states. Hafizi said the value ofimports from Pakistan had fallen by $700 millionsince the start of the current financial year inJanuary. Afghanistan is in the depths of an eco-nomic crisis, with gross domestic product growthclose to zero and the government’s plans forboosting growth and creating jobs stalled by itsinability to improve the security situation. —AP
Afghan general bans Pakistani
rupee in southern province
Dollars could be next
KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN: Gen. Abdul Raziq, Kandahar police chief, speaks during an inter-view with The Associated Press on Thursday. —AP
BANGKOK: Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha leaves after casting his votein a referendum on a new constitution at a polling station yesterday. —AP
BANGKOK: Thailand voted yesterday toapprove a new constitution drawn up bythe ruling junta, preliminary resultsshowed, in a major victory for the army anda blow to the stuttering pro-democracymovement.
Partial results released by the ElectionCommission late yesterday showed 62 per-cent of voters had approved the charter,with 90 percent of votes counted so far.Authorities estimated a subdued turnout ataround 55 percent of Thailand’s 50.2 millionregistered voters, after a poll run-up thatsaw independent campaigning and opendebate barred.
Yesterday’s referendum was the firsttime Thais have been able to go to the pollssince army chief turned Prime MinisterPrayut Chan-O-Cha toppled the electedgovernment of Yingluck Shinawatra in2014. The military says its new constitutionwill curb endemic political corruption andbring stability after the dizzying merry-go-round of recent years.
Critics say it aims to neuter civilianpoliticians and tighten the grip of the mili-tary-and its allies in the royalist elite-overthe country. The kingdom is split after adecade of political turmoil that has dam-aged growth, seen democracy shuntedaside and left scores dead in rival streetprotests.
The preliminary results starkly illustratethe kingdom’s bitter geographic divide.Only the impoverished and rural northeast-a region that has voted in droves for suc-cessive governments turfed out by thearmy-and the deep south-hit by a Musliminsurgency-voted against the charter.
Jatuporn Prompan, leader of the anti-junta Red Shirt movement, which isstrongest in the northeast, hit out at theresult. “I want to tell Prayut that your victo-ry is nothing to be proud of as your oppo-nents had no chance to fight,” he toldreporters, referring to the ban on cam-paigning before the vote. “I am still con-vinced that power will return to the peoplesome day,” he added. However millions vot-ed in favour of the military’s charter, espe-cially in the capital and the south.
Coup leader casts vote Thailand has a long history of turbu-
lence. The military has successfully seizedpower 12 times since the end of absolutemonarchy in 1932 and this constitutionwill be the kingdom’s 20th.But the latest
chapter in the political crisis-dubbed the“lost decade” has been particularly painful.
Since a 2006 coup toppled PrimeMinister Thaksin Shinawatra, Yingluck’s bil-lionaire brother who is now in self-exile,power has flipped between elected gov-ernments linked to him and rule by thearmy and its establishment supporters.
Shinawatra parties have won all gener-al elections since 2001, scooping up votesof the rural poor and urban working classwith policies promising greater wealthand opportunity.
Their success has riled the military andits political friends who accuse the clan ofdebasing the country with graft and nepo-tism and have hit back through coups andthe courts. The tension has been com-pounded by the frail health of 88-year-oldKing Bhumibol Adulyadej, as elites jostleahead of the transition.
After casting his own vote in Bangkokjunta leader Prayut urged people to vote,adding: “This is democracy so all eligiblevoters please come out.”
Prayut banned open debate on thecontentious charter and scores of peoplehave been arrested under a special law tocurb opposition. The most divisive clausescall for a junta-appointed senate-includ-ing six seats reserved for military com-manders-to check elected lawmakers andincreased powers for courts, which arealready accused of political bias. Anotherclause makes it easy to begin impeach-ment proceedings.
Junta opponents believe the charterwill further warp democracy. They fearthe appointed senate will straitjacketelected politicians while a new propor-tional representation voting system couldproduce weak coalition governments.“The coup makers tore up the old consti-tution and robbed us of our rights, pro-moting themselves to control the govern-ment,” ‘No’ voter Ohm Kontaogan, 35, toldAFP in Bangkok. It is a “robber’s constitu-tion”, he added.
At one Bangkok poll ing station anactivist was arrested for deliberately spoil-ing his ballot paper. Video footageshowed the man wearing a “No Coup” t-shirt and shouting “Down with dictator-ship, long live democracy”. Prayut hadpromised to hold elections in the summerof 2017, whether or not the charter waspassed. But his previous election datepromises have slipped.—AFP
Victory for generals as Thais
vote for junta charter
DHAKA: A court in Bangladesh issued war-rants yesterday for the arrest of four sus-pected members of a banned group,Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB),in connection with the killing of a Japanesecitizen last year, a prosecutor said.
Kunio Hoshi, 65, was gunned down inOctober by masked men on a motorcyclewhile on his way to visit a grass farm proj-ect in the northern district of Rangpur, lessthan a week after an Italian aid worker hadbeen killed in a similar way in Dhaka’sdiplomatic quarter.
The court issued the arrest warrantsafter deciding to press ahead with pro-ceedings against four other suspectedmembers of the outlawed group, publicprosecutor Nayan Noor Rahman told
reporters. Police believe that the group,which has pledged allegiance to IslamicState, carried out a July 1 attack on a cafe inwhich 22 people were killed, mostly for-eigners, before security forces ended a 12-hour siege, killing five gunmen.
Islamic State and al Qaeda have claimeda series of killings of liberals and membersof religious minorities in Bangladesh in thepast year.
Islamic State also claimed responsibilityfor the cafe attack but the government hasdismissed suggestions the group has apresence in Bangladesh. While authoritiesblame the violence on domestic militants,security experts say the scale and sophisti-cation of the cafÈ attack suggested links toa trans-national network. —Reuters
Bangladesh issues arrest warrants
over killing of Japanese citizen
TOKYO: Japanese will tune in toEmperor Akihito’s rare video mes-sage today following reports thathe would abdicate in the next fewyears, which initially came as shockbut was welcomed by many as adeserved rest for the 82-year-oldbeloved monarch.
In the pre-recorded message,Akihito will talk about his duties asa “symbol emperor” as stipulated bythe constitution, palace officialssaid. He will most likely avoid theexplicit expression of abdication,which would involve political andlegal procedures that he is notallowed to discuss.
Akihito still works, though hisaides have shifted some of hisduties to Crown Prince Naruhito -the elder of his two sons and mostlikely successor. Yet, Akihito hasreferred to his old age in recentyears, admitting to making smallmistakes at ceremonies. During theAug. 15, 2015, anniversary of theend of World War II, Akihito startedreading a statement when he wassupposed to observe a moment ofsilence.After the initial surprise, thepublic warmly welcomed thereported abdication plan, sayingthe hard-working emperordeserves to enjoy his long-overdueretirement. Lifting the abdicationban, a practice inherited from theprewar constitution, would alsobring the imperial life closer to thepublic.“Changing that will reflectthe reality of Japanese society firstof all, the way that almost all peo-ple here feel about working and lifeand career building,” said RobertCampbell, a University of Tokyoprofessor and expert on Japanesehistory and culture.
Given too much work According to a nationwide tele-
phone survey by Kyodo Newsagency this month, nearly 90 per-cent of the respondents said Akihitois given too much work, while morethan 85 percent said an abdicationshould be legalized as an option toAkihito and his successors.Akihitohas reportedly told palace officialsand his families that he doesn’t wishto cling to his title with drasticallyreduced responsibility or by arrang-ing a substitute, and his two sonshave accepted the idea. The quietdiscussion reportedly started aboutfive years ago, around the time hehad health problems - he was hos-pitalized for bronchitis in 2011, andhad heart bypass surgery in 2012.
Palace officials quickly deniedthe report, because the emperor isnot supposed to say anything thatwould cause a change to the exist-ing system, including his constitu-tional status.
Experts and media have specu-lated that Akihito will seek to abdi-cate while he is still in good healthso he can monitor Naruhito, who isseen not quite ready for succession.“If he does decide to abdicate, Ibelieve that one of the reasons maybe that he wants to oversee thechange in reign ... in peaceful andsuccessful way,” Campbell said.Akihito ascended to the throne in1989 after the death of his father,Hirohito, who was considered adeity until Japan’s defeat in the
World War II, fought in the name ofthe emperor.
Akihito brought the cloisteredimperial family closer to the publicand broke with other traditions,including his marriage to a com-moner. He has repeatedly said herespects Japan’s postwar pacifistconstitution and is committed to hisstatus as the symbol and the unityof the people, not thesovereign.Some speculate thatAkihito’s abdication may be anattempt to put a break on PrimeMinister Shinzo Abe’s plan to rewritethe constitution. Abe and his ultra-conservative supporters want toscrap a part of the war-renouncingarticle and upgrade the emperor tothe sovereign again. —AP
QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES: In this July 1, 2016,file photo, Philippine President Rodrigo Dutertegestures during the “Assumption of Command”of new Police Chief, Director General RonaldDela Rosa at Camp Crame, Philippine NationalPolice headquarters. —AP
After shock, Japan warms up to
emperor’s possible abdication
TOKYO: In this Dec. 23, 2014 file photo, Japan’s Emperor Akihito, third from left, accompanied by his wifeEmpress Michiko, fourth from right, and their family members, wave to well-wishers as they appear on thebalcony of the Imperial Palace to mark the emperor’s 81th birthday. —AP
N E W SMONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016
Continued from Page 1
He however declined to say what measures lawmakersmight take if the government refuses to compensate citizensfor the rise, saying this will be decided when it happens.
MP Yousef Al-Zalzalah said that during the discussion
of the issue of raising petrol prices at the financial com-mittee, it was agreed with the government that if thepetrol price is raised, the government will automaticallyprovide support to citizens. He said that by raising theprices and not providing compensation, the governmenthas committed a mistake, which should be rectified.
MPs again discuss petrol price hike, mull...
Continued from Page 1
The decision to remove subsidies is also strategicallyaligned with Kuwait’s vision to further diversify theeconomy and enhance its competitiveness. In the medi-um and long run, subsidy reforms are expected toencourage a move towards more labor-intensive indus-tries, which in turn is expected to result in greater jobcreation for Kuwaiti nationals.
The impact of higher retail transport fuel pricesdepends on the short and long-run responsiveness ofconsumers to price shocks, he said. International experi-ence shows that consumption of transport fuel is lessresponsive to price increases than other consumer itemssuch as electricity. While rising retail prices will increasethe cost of running a car, Kuwait remains relativelycheap compared to markets in Europe. On a per literbasis, the new retail gasoline price is still less than half ofthe cost of gasoline in Europe and is still the lowest inthe GCC countries. Accordingly, car ownership and usemay still increase at least in the short run, Raad added.
International experience suggests that the impact oftransport fuel subsidy reforms is more effective whenundertaken in conjunction with complementary poli-cies which Kuwait is also actively pursuing. Such poli-cies include the strengthening of public transportwhich benefits all segments of the population especial-ly the more vulnerable. It also improves economic effi-
ciency by reducing congestion and air pollution.Last but not least, energy subsidy reforms provide a
significant opportunity to reform the energy sector andremove inefficiencies along the entire value chain. Thehigh subsidies that have been maintained over manyyears have created substantial distortions in the energysector driving extensive use of crude oil in electricitygeneration whereas natural gas would be technicallymore efficient. It has also driven the inefficient use ofconsumer appliances particularly air conditioningwhich in turn has fueled the growth in electricitydemand.
The best approach for Kuwait to reform the energysector is to target efficiency gains through a mix of sup-ply and demand-side policies and broader reforms topromote renewable energy. The new fuel pricing policywill be in effect as of 1-9-2016 in line with the policiesadopted in the GCC countries. The new prices includeoctane-91 petrol jumping to 85 fils per liter, octane-95going up to 105 fils per liter and ultra-premium rising to165 fils per liter.
Kuwait is the last GCC state to embark on “restruc-turing the fuel prices”, however the new ones remainthe lowest among the council countries, as well asglobally. Meanwhile, the Cabinet has tasked a specialcommission to reexamine state subsidies and the fuelprices every three months, to be in harmony withglobal rates. — KUNA
World Bank hails petrol price hike...
Continued from Page 1
Speaking to journalists yesterday, Iranian judiciaryspokesman Gholamhosein Mohseni Ejehi said Amiri wasconvicted of spying charges in a death-sentence caseupheld by an appeals court. “This person who had accessto the country’s secret and classified information had beenlinked to our hostile and No. 1 enemy, America, the GreatSatanm” Ejehi said. “He provided the enemy with vital andsecret information of the country.” Ejehi did not explainwhy authorities never announced Amiri’s conviction,though he said Amiri had access to lawyers.
News about Amiri, born in 1977, has been scant sincehis return to Iran. Last year, his father Asgar Amiri told theBBC’s Farsi-language service that his son had been held ata secret site. Ejehi said Amiri’s family mistakenly believedhe only received a 10-year prison sentence. On Tuesday,Iran announced it had executed a number of criminals,describing them mainly as militants from the country’sKurdish minority. Then, an obituary notice for Amiri circu-lated in his hometown of Kermanshah, a city some 500 kmsouthwest of Tehran, according to the Iranian pro-reformdaily newspaper Shargh.
Manoto, a private satellite television channel based inLondon believed to be run by those who back Iran’s oustedshah, first reported Saturday that Amiri had been executed.BBC Farsi also quoted Amiri’s mother saying her son’s neckbore ligature marks suggesting he had been hanged bythe state. AP could not immediately reach Amiri’s family.
Amiri’s disappearance came amid a concerted Westerneffort to thwart Iran’s nuclear program under the govern-ment of hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. TheStuxnet computer virus, widely believed to be a joint US-Israeli creation, had begun disrupting thousands of cen-trifuges at a uranium enrichment facility in Iran. The USalso actively recruited nuclear scientists to defect, while aseries of bombings suspected to be carried out but neveracknowledged by Israel killed others.
In June 2010, a shaky online video emerged of Amirisaying he had been kidnapped by American and Saudiagents and was in Tucson, Arizona. A short time later, heappeared in a professionally shot online video near a chessset, saying he wanted to earn a doctorate in America andreturn to Iran if an “opportunity of safe travel” presented
itself. His wife and son remained behind in Iran. “I have notdone any activity against my homeland,” he said. But soon,another clip by him contradicted that and then heappeared at the Pakistani Embassy.
Hillary Clinton, then-US secretary of state, stressed Amirihad been in America “of his own free will”. “He is free to go,”she said. US officials at the time told the AP that Amiri waspaid $5 million to offer the CIA information about Iran’snuclear program, though he left the country without themoney. They said Amiri, who ran a radiation detection pro-gram in Iran, travelled to the US and stayed there for monthsunder his own free will. Analysts abroad suggested Iranianauthorities may have threatened Amiri’s family back in Iran,forcing him to return.
But when he returned to Iran and was welcomed withflowers by government officials, Amiri said Saudi andAmerican officials had kidnapped him while he visited theSaudi holy city of Madinah. He also said Israeli agents werepresent at his interrogations and that that CIA officersoffered him $50 million to remain in America. “I was underthe harshest mental and physical torture,” he said.
Amiri’s case indirectly found its way back into the spot-light in the US last year with the release of StateDepartment emails sent and received by Clinton, now theDemocratic presidential candidate. The release of thoseemails came amid criticism of Clinton’s use of a privateaccount and server that has persisted into her campaignagainst Republican candidate Donald Trump. An email for-warded to Clinton by senior adviser Jake Sullivan on July 5,2010 - just nine days before Amiri returned to Tehran -appears to reference the scientist.
“We have a diplomatic, ‘psychological’ issue, not a legalone. Our friend has to be given a way out,” the email byRichard Morningstar, a former State Department specialenvoy for Eurasian energy, read. “Our person won’t be ableto do anything anyway. If he has to leave so be it.” Anotheremail, sent by Sullivan on July 12, 2010, appears toobliquely refer to the scientist just hours before hisappearance at the Pakistani Embassy became widelyknown. “The gentleman ... has apparently gone to hiscountry’s interests section because he is unhappy withhow much time it has taken to facilitate his departure,”Sullivan wrote. “This could lead to problematic news sto-ries in the next 24 hours.” — AP
Iran executes nuclear scientist
Continued from Page 1
forces loyal to President Bashar Al-Assad since Sept 20.Official media denied that the siege had been broken butimplicitly admitted that regime forces were on the defen-sive and that pro-government areas were facing shortagesin the country’s ravaged second city. State television saidyesterday: “Our forces have redeployed after absorbing theattack of thousands of mercenaries, and the army hasfound a new route to allow food and gas in.” “The army hasfound an alternative way to move food and fuel supplies”into western Aleppo, it said. The Observatory reportedintermittent air strikes and clashes yesterday on the city’ssouthern edges, where rebels overran buildings in a mili-tary academy the previous day.
Rebel units on Saturday pushed northeast into theRamussa district where they linked up with other insur-gents who had fought from inside the city. Footage postedby rebels showed their fighters embracing and celebratingthe end of the government siege, in place since July 17.Yesterday, rebel forces brought seven pick-up trucks full offruit and vegetables into eastern districts of Aleppo to bedistributed to local markets, an opposition fighter said.Video footage seen by AFP showed crates of plums, toma-toes, watermelons and vegetables lined up along a road.An AFP journalist said hungry residents quickly bought upthe supplies.
The Observatory’s Abdel Rahman said the route intoeastern districts is open only to fighters. “Not a single civil-ian has left the eastern districts because the road is toodangerous and not secured,” he said. The rebel advancenow puts the estimated 1.2 million people in government-held districts under opposition encirclement, he added.“The western districts of Aleppo are now besieged. There
are no safe routes for civilians in government-held districtsto use to get into or out of the city,” he told AFP.
Families in western neighborhoods have meanwhilerushed to stock up on food and water in preparation for asiege. “Unfortunately, after the road was cut, the price of aloaf of bread immediately shot up from 200 to 800 Syrianpounds,” said Walaa Hariri, a 48-year-old mother of threefrom the Furqan district. “I sent my sons to school but theyare all nervous, and the teachers replaced their regular les-sons with courses on what to do if there is shelling,” shesaid. A man aged 37 who declined to be identified said hehas “faith in the army, but I can’t help being scared”. “Foodis already getting more expensive and the coming daysrisk being very difficult,” he added.
The battle for Aleppo is among the fiercest so far inSyria’s chaotic multi-front war, which has killed more than280,000 people. Rebel and regime forces have fought tocontrol the provincial capital since mid-2012, transformingSyria’s former economic powerhouse into a divided,bombed-out city. SANA said 10 civilians were killed onSaturday in rebel shelling of two government-held dis-tricts, and the Britain-based Observatory reported thedeath of a girl in opposition fire yesterday.
Pope Francis yesterday denounced the “unacceptable”number of civilian victims in Aleppo, mentioning in partic-ular the number of children killed in the conflict. TheObservatory said at least 130 civilians have been killedsince the opposition alliance launched its offensive onsouthern Aleppo on July 31. More than 700 fighters fromboth sides were killed in the onslaught, most of themrebels because of the regime’s air superiority, it said. Syria’sconflict erupted in March 2011 with protests againstAssad’s rule but has since evolved into a brutal war thathas drawn in world powers. — AFP
Syria army redeploys after rebels break...
Continued from Page 1
successful coup renewing the cycle of military inter-ventions that dogged Turkey in the second half of the20th century.
Secularists and nationalists who oppose Erdoganalso loathe Gulen’s followers, used by Erdogan in yearspast to undermine the power of secularist generals sus-picious of his ruling AK Party’s Islamist ideals. They haveso far been limited in their criticism of purges of allegedGulenists, though they have raised questions about thepace and scale of the detentions. “Erdogan has beenbrutal and unfair to us in the past, but I believe he hasnow understood the real importance of the republic’svalues,” said Ilhan Girit, 44, a musician and CHP support-er, carrying a flag of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder ofthe modern secular republic.
A convoy of nationalists on motorbikes passed as hespoke. Such solidarity may not last. There are alreadyopposition concerns that the restructuring of the mili-tary lacks parliamentary oversight and is going too far,with thousands of soldiers discharged, includingaround 40 percent of generals. Erdogan said this weekhe had initially misread the intentions of Gulen, whosenetwork was once close to the AKP, and asked: “May mypeople and God forgive me.” “He is such a big leaderthat he can admit his mistake. No president has ever
apologized to his people before,” said Gurkan Cendeli,21, a student from the southern city of Adana. “Readyfor your order, commander-in-chief,” read the slogan onhis T-shirt.
The extent of the purges in Turkey, which has NATO’ssecond largest armed forces and aspires to membershipof the European Union, has drawn criticism in the West.In comments published yesterday, the leader ofGermany’s liberal Free Democrats said he saw parallelsbetween Erdogan’s behavior and the aftermath of theReichstag fire in 1933, portrayed by the Nazis as aCommunist plot against the government and used byAdolf Hitler to justify massively curtailing civil liberties.
Turkish officials have angrily rejected suggestionsthat the purges are out of proportion, accusing Westerncritics of failing to grasp the magnitude of the threat tothe Turkish state and of being more concerned aboutthe rights of coup plotters than the brutality of theevents themselves. Amid the cooling of ties with theWest, Erdogan is due to meet Russian President VladimirPutin tomorrow in St Petersburg for talks intended toend a period of tension after Turkey downed a Russianfighter jet near the Syrian border last November. “At thetalks with my friend Vladimir, I believe, a new page inbilateral relations will be opened. Our countries have alot to do together,” Erdogan told the TASS news agencyin an interview published yesterday. — Reuters
Erdogan stages rally in show of strength
ISTANBUL: People wave Turkish national flags as they gather in Yenikapi yesterday during a rally against thefailed military coup on July 15. — AFP
By Daniel Bosque
North Korea may be isolated in theinternational community but it nowhas a modest ally on the Spanish
coast - the Pyongyang Cafe, a small barfounded to support Kim Jong-Un’s strong-man rule. Located in the Mediterranean cityof Tarragona where Roman ruins vie forattention, the establishment sports a hugeNorth Korean flag behind the bar, wheretea typical from the country and Asianbeers are served. Socialist propagandaposters brought all the way fromPyongyang adorn the walls of the modernbar, and in a corner stands a bookshelf fullof works by leaders of the Kim dynasty thathas ruled North Korea since 1948, translat-ed into Spanish.
“Nor th Korea is the world’s bigunknown,” says Alejandro Cao de Benos,founder of the bar that opened mid-Julyand also president of the KoreanFriendship Association, which has dele-gates in more than 30 countries and isofficially recognized by Pyongyang. WhileNorth Korean restaurants complete withtradit ional food and dancing havepopped up across Asia, the 41-year-oldsays this is the only such Western estab-l ishment. A restaurant opened inAmsterdam in 2012, but closed severalmonths later. “We want to break with allthe myths, manipulation. And as notmany people can go to Korea, because it’scomplicated and far, they can come to ourcafe,” says Cao de Benos.
Defending Kim’s Regime Appointed special delegate for interna-
tional cultural relations by Pyongyang in2002, Cao de Benos is the only Westerner tooccupy a post in the North Korean regime,even if it is merely honorary. A staunchcommunist, his interest in the countrypeaked after the dissolution of the SovietUnion, and he came to know some NorthKorean families in Madrid. He started trav-elling to the country, and says his interestfor North Korea eventually “turned into my
passion”. As such, Cao de Benos regularlyappears in the media to defend a countrylong criticized for its human rights viola-tions and nuclear tests. In a 2014 report,the United Nations highlighted a long listof crimes committed in North Korea - exter-mination, slavery, torture, rape, forcedabortions, political persecution, disappear-ances among others.
Angel Gonzalo, spokesman for AmnestyInternational, says the situation in thecountry is “distressing”. “People are com-
pletely at the mercy of what Kim Jong-Undecides for them,” he says. “It’s difficult tofind a right that is not being violated.” Notso, counters Cao de Benos. “Access to food,a home or work is much more widespreadin North Korea than in any other capitalistcountry,” he says. “Those are the real humanrights in which we believe.”
He claims that Pyongyang is the victimof defamation for not following Westerndoctrines or obeying the United States, anddismisses critical reports - whose authorsare not allowed into the country - for beingbased solely on refugee testimonies. ButSokeel Park of Liberty in North Korea, anassociation that helps North Koreanrefugees in Seoul, says these are genuine.“We have thousands or tens of thousandsof people describing the same picture ofthe country,” he says.
Cultural CenterNevertheless, the mysterious country
sparks interest in an otherwise open, glob-alized world. Cao de Benos says his associ-ation counts some 17,000 members andthe bar has been welcoming around 35people a day on average in its first openingdays. He aspires to make it a cultural centercomplete with talks on gastronomy andtradition, film screenings or lectures. Butits first event - a talk on tourism - attractedjust 10 people. “Lots of people think thatyou can’t travel to North Korea and that’snot true,” Sergio Guijo, director of theSpain-based agency Travel Corea, told theattendees. — AFP
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A N A L Y S I S
MONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016
Focus
Acapulco surfers
seek to escape
crime wave
By Laurent Thomet
Luis Rey Hernandez feels safe and happy when he’son his surfboard, riding waves off the shores ofAcapulco. But when he’s not inside the barrel of a
wave, the 17-year-old surfer has to navigate the roughstreets of the resort city on Mexico’s Pacific coast. LuisRey, a rising star who became national champion inthe under-18 category in June and is known as “TheKing”, has heard shootouts. He once saw a body lyingon the street.
“The violence in Acapulco is very bad. The govern-ment, the president - they do nothing. We’re goingdown the wrong path because we hear gunshots, (wesee) dead people,” Luis Rey said as he stood with hissurfboard on the sandy Revolcadero beach after catch-ing some waves. “You’re always afraid to leave yourhouse,” said the fit teenager, whose black hair has red-dish locks from sun exposure. “At sea, I’m not afraid. Ifeel happy there.”
Acapulco is famous for its cliff divers, who wow visi-tors with daring drops into the ocean. But surfing hasgained popularity among youths in neighborhoodsworn down by poverty and merciless drug violencethat have turned the city into Mexico’s murder capital.
Surfing on Car Frames Javier Hernandez Castanon, the 58-year-old presi-
dent of the Guerrero State Surfing Association, said“gringos” brought the sport to Acapulco in the 1960s,at a time when the city was popular among Hollywoodstars. “Since we didn’t have surfboards, we started surf-ing on car (tire) inner tubes, and then on wood trunks.The boards began to arrive in the 1970s,” saidHernandez, who is known as “La Charra” and is LuisRey’s uncle. The surf association had 50 registeredmembers in Acapulco in the 1960s, growing to morethan 200 in the 1990s and over 700 today.
But the veteran surfer said the crime wave “affectssurfing because violence is unfortunately attractingevery youth”. “We need support to attract young peo-ple to surf, something different,” Hernandez said. Threeof his four children migrated to Chicago 12 years agoafter they were threatened by a gang demanding a taxon their beach gear rental business. Two cartels arefighting over local drug sales in the city. More than1,300 people have been murdered since 2015, includ-ing three on the beach this year.
Jose Manuel Trujillo, a local star known as “Yuco,”said that without surfing, he may have been draggedinto the gang underworld like some of his friends in hisdistrict of Tres Palos. Three of his friends were killed intheir teens. “They are young people who lack educa-tion and poverty takes them down that path, the easi-est one,” said Trujillo, 29. “Thanks to surfing, I stayedaway from that path.” Wearing a hat from his sponsor,energy drink maker Monster, and sporting a smile dot-ted with braces, Trujillo now tours the world, sells hisown T-shirt brand on the beach or the internet, andeven got a role in the Hollywood shark thriller “TheShallows” starring Blake Lively.
Fleeing Acapulco “Yuco” and “The King,” who is his brother-in-law, par-
ticipated at the Vans Surf Open Acapulco competitionin mid-July, an international event that attracted some100 surfers from around the world. But event directorGustavo Duccini said some surfers stayed away afterthe US State Department issued a travel warning inApril that barred US government employees from visit-ing the city. “It’s exaggerated but it has repercussions,”said Duccini.
Luis Rey finished second in the junior categorybehind Oaxaca state’s Jhony Corzo at the competition.The Mexican Surfing Federation calls them “the twobest youths in the country.” Luis Rey wants to surf hisway out of town. “I’d like to live in another countrythat’s calmer, where one can go out for a walk,” saidLuis Rey, who has surfed since age nine. “There aregood waves in Hawaii. There’s almost no violence.”While he’s sponsored by Vans, the skater shoe compa-ny, getting money to compete abroad is still a strugglefor a teenager whose father earns a living by rentingout a jetski and other gear at the beach. Other bud-ding and accomplished surfers from Acapulco facesimilar financial hurdles. A child’s surfboard can cost atleast $240 at a local shop. — AFP
Pyongyang Cafe, a Kim ally on Spanish coast
By Anne Chaon
Thousands of people are fleeing the conflict roilingAfghanistan, but American backpacker John Miltonrecently made the reverse journey to the war-rav-
aged country - for a holiday. Armed with little more thantravel guidebooks and an unflagging spirit of adventure,hardy bands of “war tourists” such as Milton visitAfghanistan’s pristine mountains and medieval ruins everyyear, ignoring warnings of kidnappings and bombings. ATaleban attack on Thursday on a group of American andEuropean tourists in western Herat province, which leftsome of them wounded, has brought into sharp focus suchglobal thrill-seekers who imperil their lives to vacation inwar zones. “Visiting conflict zones and off-the-beaten-pathdestinations is so much more rewarding than the usualglobal tourist destinations,” said Milton, a 46-year-old for-mer investment banker, who visited Afghanistan in Juneand has also vacationed in Somalia and North Korea. “(My)family and friends think I am a fool to take such risks but...if you are not willing to risk the unusual, then you will haveto settle for the ordinary. I just don’t want to die withouthaving any scars!”
In Thursday’s attack a tourist bus carrying eight Britons,three Americans and one German national came underTaliban fire as it was being escorted through a volatile dis-trict in Herat by the Afghan army. The attack, which leftseven people wounded including the Afghan minibus driv-er, prompted scorn on social media, with many question-ing why the tourists were travelling overland at a timewhen most Western embassies warn their citizens againstall travel in the country.
The owner of Hinterland Travel, a Britain-based adven-ture travel agency which reportedly organized the tour,was also said to be among the injured and was pilloried forwhat was widely perceived as recklessness. He was notreachable for comment.
‘Worth the Risk’ But warzone tourism is hardly limited to Afghanistan. In
2013, Japanese trucker Toshifumi Fujimoto, bored with hishumdrum job, jaunted through the war-torn Syrian city ofAleppo, telling AFP that his previous adventures had takenhim through Yemen among other Middle East hotspots.Such tourists are the exception rather than the norm, saidJames Willcox, founder of another England-based adven-ture travel operator Untamed Borders, which organizestrips to Afghanistan, Somalia and Somaliland. “One of themain reasons people come on our trips... is to (see) coun-
tries for the multi-faceted, complex places they are. We donot choose destinations because they are dangerous,”Willcox told AFP. “Very few would come because of brag-ging rights in my opinion. Most people are not impressedby someone having visited Afghanistan.” Afghanistan isendowed with stunning landscapes and archaeologicalsites, but many are located in areas plagued by insurgency.But a few areas are safely reachable by air. The ancient cityof Bamiyan, famous for empty hillside niches that oncesheltered giant Buddha statues that were blown up by theTaleban, is one of them. The central province, a landscapeof russet-hued cliffs, was once a caravan stop along thefabled Silk Road and is currently at the center of Afghanefforts to boost tourism revenue.
The northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, famous for its blue-tiled mosque and Panjshir Valley, known for its snow-capped peaks and precious stones, are some other rela-tively peaceful areas. “Yes, (Afghanistan) is a risky destina-
tion but it’s a calculated risk,” said Milton. “If done properlythen the risks can be mitigated quite well and the rewardsgreatly outweigh the risks - access to a country and culturethat not many people get to experience.”
As Thursday’s attack overshadowed the tourism sector,the culture ministry said the industry was vital forAfghanistan’s future. “Afghanistan desperately needs for-eign tourists,” ministry spokesman Haroon Hakimi toldAFP, adding that 20,000 foreigners visited Kabul last year.“The economy is in shambles and this is an importantsource of revenue.” Jonny Blair, a 36-year-old Irish back-packer, said he was undaunted by the violence. “My last-ing memory of Afghanistan was playing football withchildren by the Buddha monastery in Samangan (north-ern Afghanistan) (and) a night out drinking tea and smok-ing shisha (water pipe) in Mazari-Sharif,” he told AFP. “It’stotally worth the risk.” — AFP
War tourism: Adventure or reckless hedonism?
This photograph received from Irish tourist Jonny Blair on Saturday shows Blair (center right) drinking tea andsmoking shisha with three Afghan companions in Mazar-i-Sharif during his travels in Afghanistan. — AFP
Special delegate for North Koreaís Committee for Cultural Relations with ForeignCountries, Alejandro Cao de Benos poses in his bar ìPyongyang Cafeî, dedicated tofriends of the Democratic Peopleís Republic of Korea on July 30, 2016 in Tarragona.—AFP
LOS ANGELES: Daniel Berger is in a familiar spot after firing an eight-under 62for a three-shot lead after the third round of the Travelers Championship onSaturday. The last time the 2015 PGA Tour rookie of the year held a 54-hole leadby three shots was in June when he went on to win the St. Jude Classic for hisfirst victory on the US Tour. On Saturday, Berger rolled in nine birdies to takesole possession of the lead at 15-under 195 at the River Highlands golf coursein Cromwell, Connecticut. “It’ll be a lot easier stepping up on the tee box havinga PGA Tour win under my belt than if I didn’t,” said Berger. Berger made threeconsecutive birdies beginning at No. 11 and seven in a nine-holestretch. His only blemish was a bogey on the fourth hole. Heeven had a chance at a 15-foot birdie putt on No. 18 but missed.“It was just a great day,” Berger said. “I feel like the group reallygot off to a hot start on the back nine, and we just kind of car-ried it into the last hole.” Berger’s threesome included SouthAfrica’s Tyrone Van Aswegen (65) and Russell Henley (65), whoalong with Scotland’s Russell Knox (64) are tied for second.Patrick Rodgers (66) is five strokes adrift in fifth place.Brooks Koepka (64) and England’s Paul Casey (66) are sixshots back and tied for sixth. —AFP
S P O RT SMONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016
CANTON: Brilliant moves and brutal strength. MarvinHarrison epitomized the first, Orlando Pace exemplified thesecond. Together, they entered the Pro Football Hall of Fameon Saturday. Harrison, the record-setting wide receiver for theColts, and Pace, a powerful offensive force at left tackle for theRams, were the first members of the eight-man class of 2016inducted into the hall. Harrison’s 143 receptions in 2002 are anNFL record. He retired in 2008 with 1,102 catches, now thirdbehind Jerry Rice and Tony Gonzalez. He had eight consecu-tive seasons with at least 1,100 yards receiving forIndianapolis, and won a Super Bowl in February 2007. Hisreceptions, 14,608 yards and 128 touchdowns are all Coltsfranchise records. He topped the 100-catch mark four straighttimes as Peyton Manning’s prime target. He came full circle onSaturday. “I worked extremely hard to get to this point,” saidthe Colts’ first-round draft choice in 1996. “I played my firstNFL game right on this very field.” Harrison made eight ProBowls, was a three-time All-Pro, and missed only 18 games in13 NFL seasons. —AP
Harrison, Pace enter Pro Football Hall of Fame
RIO DE JANEIRO: Tensions flared between Olympic champion Mack Hortonand China’s Sun Yang in the moments after their tightly-fought men’s 400 metrefreestyle final, as the Australian confirmed reports that he had earlier describedhis rival as a “drug cheat”. Horton, who defeated London champion Sun onSaturday, confirmed remarks he had made to the Australian Associated Press(AAP) about tensions between the two during training. “I used the word ‘drug
cheats’ because he tested positive,” he told reporters about thereport that was published before Saturday’s final. Sun, sitting
next to Horton at the media conference, served a three-month ban in 2014 after testing positive for a banned stim-ulant. He said China’s sports programmes were clean. “Onthe competition stage, every athlete deserves to be respect-ed and there’s no need to use these sort of cheap tricks toaffect each other,” the 24-year-old Sun added. Sun, who
broke down in tears while talking to reporters after the raceand became red-eyed again after the press conference, has
suffered a number of setbacks since he wontwo gold medals at the London Games in2012.— Reuters
Horton, Sun in storm over ‘cheats’ remarks
Berger in lead at Travelers
OAKLAND: Ben Zobrist #18 of the Chicago Cubs is tagged out at home plate by Stephen Vogt #21 of the Oakland Athletics during the second inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Saturday in Oakland, California. — AFP
OAKLAND: Right-hander Jake Arrietapitched eight shutout innings and endedhis three-game losing streak as the ChicagoCubs defeated the Oakland A’s. Arrieta (13-5) allowed three hits, struck out four andwalked one, winning for the first time sinceJune 27 against Cincinnati. Arrieta, thereigning National League Cy Young Awardwinner, was 0-3 with a 4.88 ERA in his previ-ous five starts after going 12-2 with a 2.10ERA in his first 16. Ben Zobrist went 2-for-5and drove in two runs for the Cubs.
DODGERS 3, RED SOX 0Ross Stripling worked five shutout
innings and the Los Angeles Dodgers’bullpen did the rest in Los Angeles’ win. A.J.Ellis, Corey Seager and Adrian Gonzalezeach drove in a run for the Dodgers.Stripling (3-3) struck out four and walkedone while allowing four hits. He threw 75pitches (49 strikes) before manager DaveRoberts lifted him in the bottom of the fifthfor pinch hitter Chris Taylor. Relievers GrantDayton and Joe Blanton combined for threescoreless frames before Kenley Jansenpitched a perfect ninth for his 33rd save.
INDIANS 5, YANKEES 2Corey Kluber threw eight strong innings
for Cleveland, and Andrew Miller earned his10th save-his first since the Indians acquiredhim from the Yankees last Sunday-with aone-hit ninth. Kluber (11-8) allowed tworuns-both in the second inning-on five hitsand one walk while striking out eight.
RAYS 7, TWINS 3Rays pitcher Chris Archer, with one win in
his past 10 starts, held the Twins to threehits in six innings. Archer struck out sevenbatters to give him 168 for the season, mov-ing ahead of Detroit’s Justin Verlander forthe American League lead.
ROYALS 4, BLUE JAYS 2Danny Duffy won his seventh straight
decision and Eric Hosmer delivered a clutchtwo-run single in the fifth inning to paceKansas City’s win. Duffy (8-1) limited theBlue Jays to two runs and five hits over 6-2/3 innings, while striking out six and walk-ing two. Toronto’s Devon Travis opened thegame with a home run for the secondstraight day. The Blue Jays made it 2-0 in thetop of the fifth on Travis’ RBI single. TheRoyals forged ahead in the bottom of the
inning with three runs, the big hit beingHosmer’s two-run single.
WHITE SOX 4, ORIOLES 2The White Sox broke a tie with runs in the
seventh and eighth innings and made themstand up. After scoring a run on OmarNarvaez’s RBI single in the seventh to lead3-2, Adam Eaton led off the eighth with hisninth home run to give closer DavidRobertson a two-run lead in the ninth.Robertson picked up his 27th save toreward Nate Jones with a win for pitching 1-1/3 scoreless innings of relief.
PIRATES 5, REDS 3Ivan Nova was impressive in his
Pittsburgh debut, surrendering three runsthrough seven innings in his first start sincebeing acquired from the New York Yankees.Starling Marte led Pittsburgh’s offense bygoing 2-for-4 with two RBIs, and AndrewMcCutchen, John Jaso and FranciscoCervelli each added an RBI. Brandon Phillipshit two home runs off Nova.
RANGERS 3, ASTROS 2Jonathan Lucroy belted two home runs
to support a relief corps that produced 5-1/3 strong innings in the Rangers’ victory.Lucroy smacked his 15th and 16th homerson the season in the sixth and eighthinnings. Rangers starter Lucas Harrell yield-ed just one run but gave up five hits andfive walks in his 3-2/3 innings of work.
BRAVES 13, CARDINALS 5Braves starter Roberto Hernandez won
his first major-league game in more than ayear with the help of four homers by histeammates. Ender Inciarte and Matt Kemphad two-run homers, and Freddie Freemanand Adonis Garcia had three-run shots forAtlanta, which used a six-run ninth to putthe game away. Hernandez lasted five-plusinnings, giving up six hits and three runswith a walk and four strikeouts.
TIGERS 6, METS 5Miguel Cabrera drove in three runs with a
double and a single to reach 74 RBIs and thestreaking Tigers won for the 10th time intheir last 11 games. New York took advan-tage of two Detroit errors to cut a thee-rundeficit to 6-5 in the seventh. FranciscoRodriguez posted his 32nd save of the sea-son with a run-free ninth.
GIANTS 7, NATIONALS 1Eduardo Nunez went 4-for-5 with two
triples and a double and scored three timesand Brandon Belt had three hits and drovein two runs as the Giants beat StephenStrasburg. Nunez, acquired in a trade withthe Minnesota Twins on July 28, entered thegame hitless in his previous 16 at-bats. Hetripled and scored in the fourth and fifthand tied a career high for hits in a game.Giants starter Matt Cain (4-6) went fiveinnings plus one batter and gave up zeroruns on five hits with three walks and fourstrikeouts. Strasburg (15-2) lost for the sec-ond time in his last four starts after allowingfour runs and eight hits while striking outeight in 4-2/3 innings-his shortest outing ofthe season.
ROCKIES 12, MARLINS 6Charlie Blackmon had four hits, including
a homer, and four RBIs as the Rockies par-layed a seven-run sixth inning into a victory.Miami’s Ichiro Suzuki, pinch-hitting in theeighth, chopped a bouncer and beat thethrow of third baseman Nolan Arenado forhis 2,999th career hit, ending an 0-for-11drought with his single. Ichiro batted in theninth against Scott Oberg, and he hit a highbouncer that Oberg jumped and grabbed.The ball slipped out of his glove and Obergslipped as he retrieved and threw with aknee on the ground just in time.
BREWERS 15, DIAMONDBACKS 6Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun hit two homers
and tied a franchise record with seven RBIsand Keon Broxton had five hits in theBrewers’ victory. Braun hit three-run homersin the sixth and seventh innings to give theBrewers a 9-0 lead. He had a sacrifice fly inthe first inning and a single in a six-runninth. Broxton had four singles and a dou-ble and two RBIs, and Jonathan Villar hadfour hits and two RBIs for the Brewers.
PADRES 9, PHILLIES 7Christian Bethancourt hit a three-run
double in the first inning and YangervisSolarte drove in another three runs on a pairof singles to lead San Diego. The Padresscored four runs in the first off Phillies right-hander Jake Thompson, who was makinghis major-league debut. Thompson allowedsix runs in 4-1/3 innings to take the loss.Left-handed Padres reliever Buddy
Baumann retired all five hitters he faced,with three via strikeouts, to get his firstmajor-league win.
MARINERS 8, ANGELS 6Former Angel Shawn O’Malley hit a
three-run homer that gave Seattle its firstlead as the Mariners rallied from a big earlydeficit to beat Los Angeles. O’Malley, whomade his major league debut with theAngels in 2014 but was released after theseason, hit his second home run of the sea-
son to put the Mariners ahead 8-6. MikeTrout belted a first-inning homer that gaveLos Angeles a 3-0 lead for the secondstraight game. The Angels led 5-1 in thethird inning and were clinging to a 6-4 leadwhen reliever Jose Valdez came on in theseventh and promptly walked three of thefour batters he faced. After Seattle’s LeonysMartin cut the Los Angeles lead to 6-5 witha bases-loaded sacrifice fly, O’Malley tookAngels reliever Deolis Guerra deep to rightfield. — Reuters
Arrieta goes 8 innings as Cubs beat A’s 4-0
MLB Results/Standings
American LeagueEastern Division
W L PCT GB Baltimore 62 47 .569 - Toronto 63 48 .568 - Boston 60 49 .550 2 NY Yankees 55 55 .500 7.5 Tampa Bay 45 64 .413 17
Central DivisionCleveland 62 46 .574 - Detroit 61 49 .555 2 Chicago White Sox 53 57 .482 10 Kansas City 52 58 .473 11 Minnesota 44 66 .400 19
Western DivisionTexas 64 47 .577 - Houston 57 53 .518 6.5 Seattle 56 53 .514 7 LA Angels 49 61 .445 14.5 Oakland 48 62 .436 15.5
National LeagueEastern Division
Washington 65 45 .591 - Miami 58 52 .527 7 NY Mets 56 54 .509 9 Philadelphia 51 61 .455 15 Atlanta 40 70 .364 25
Central DivisionChicago Cubs 68 41 .624 - St. Louis 58 52 .527 10.5 Pittsburgh 55 53 .509 12.5 Milwaukee 49 59 .454 18.5 Cincinnati 44 65 .404 24
Western DivisionSan Francisco 63 47 .573 - LA Dodgers 61 49 .555 2 Colorado 55 55 .500 8 San Diego 48 62 .436 15 Arizona 44 66 .400 19
Cleveland 5, NY Yankees 2; LA Dodgers 3, Boston 0; Chicago Cubs 4, Oakland 0; Tampa Bay 7, Minnesota 3;Pittsburgh 5, Cincinnati 3; San Francisco 7, Washington 1; Detroit 6, NY Mets 5; Chicago White Sox 4, Baltimore2; Texas 3, Houston 2; Atlanta 13, St. Louis 5; Kansas City 4, Toronto 2; Colorado 12, Miami 6; San Diego 9,Philadelphia 7.
KUWAIT: Kuwait national team yesterdaywon the Desert hockey tournament afterdefeating “American Army team” 15-0.
Chairman of Winter Games Clubs FehaidAl-Ajmi told KUNA that the tournamentwhich included three US Army teams aswell as the Kuwaiti team, aimed to enhancethe capabilities and skills of the Kuwaitiplayers, as well as strengthening relationsbetween the two countries.
He praised the continuing support ofthe Public Authority of Sports by sponsor-
ing this event, as well as facilitating the par-ticipation of the teams in foreign leagues.
For his part, Director of the teams in theWinter Games Club Yousef Al-Kandaripraised the tournament and the profession-al performance of players, adding that suchmeetings help players gain important expe-rience through their contact with otherteams. The tournament included three USArmy teams as well as the Kuwaiti nationalteam, held in ice skating ring of the KuwaitTouristic Enterprises Company. —KUNA
Kuwait hockey team wins Desert hockey tournament
S P O RT SMONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016
JOHANNESBURG: South African athleteand convicted murderer Oscar Pistoriushas returned to his cell after being treat-ed in hospital for injuries from a fall,prison officials said yesterday, as hisbrother denied claims he had deliberate-ly hurt himself.
Pistorius, sentenced to six years in jailfor murdering his girlfriend, “had to bedetained Saturday afternoon at the hos-pital after falling off his bed,” prison serv-ices spokesman Singabakho Nxumalosaid, adding: “He’s back in our care now.”
But a South African newspaperreported that the double-amputeesprinter, the only athlete to have com-peted in both Paralympic and Olympicraces, was treated for cuts on his wrists.
According to City Press, citing anotherinmate at the prison, Pistorius had to goto hospital after deliberately harminghimself. “Two warders with knowledge ofthe hospital section said blades weresubsequently found in Pistorius’s cellduring a search yesterday afternoon,” thenewspaper said. It also said a securityguard at Kalafong Hospital in Pretoriawhere Pistorius was taken said the 29-year-old “had bad cuts on his wrists andthe doctors kept wrapping bandagesaround them.”
‘UNTRUE AND SENSATIONAL’ Pistorius’s brother Carl however
rejected what he called “sensational”media reports. “We have just seen Oscar
and he is doing well,” Carl Pistorius saidon Twitter yesterday. “I know that thereare reports saying that he had tried toinjure himself they are completelyuntrue and sensational. He slipped in hiscell and injured himself, nothing serious.”
When asked about the report of cutwrists, Nxumalo said he couldn’t “discussdetails on a particular offender’s person-al conditions in the public domain.”
Pistorius was convicted of shootingdead his partner Reeva Steenkamp, amodel and law graduate, in the earlyhours of Valentine’s Day in 2013, sayinghe mistook her for a burglar when hefired four times through the door of hisbedroom toilet.
Pistorius, who pleaded not guilty at
his trial in 2014, has always denied killingSteenkamp in a rage, saying he was try-ing to protect her.
The Paralympian gold medallistknown as the “Blade Runner” for the car-bon fibre prosthetics he wore to com-pete was previously a role model for dis-abled people worldwide.
He is now “broke and broken” accord-ing to his lawyer, alone in a cell in themedical wing of the Kgosi Mampuru IIprison in Pretoria, where he has beenserving out his six-year sentence due tohis handicap.
But the high-profile legal proceedingsalso exposed a darker side of the starathlete: offering glimpses of a danger-ously volatile man with a penchant for
guns, beautiful women and fast cars.After first being found guilty of culpa-
ble homicide, equivalent to manslaugh-ter, an appeal court upgraded his convic-tion to murder in December last year.
South African prosecutors have calledhis sentence “shockingly too lenient” andsaid last month they would seek toappeal against it.
At his sentencing, High Court judgeThokozile Masipa had listed mitigatingfactors for giving him less than half theminimum 15-year term for murder,including the athlete’s claim he believedhe was shooting an intruder.
“He cannot be at peace. I’m of theview that a long term of imprisonmentwill not serve justice,” Masipa said. —AFP
Pistorius injured in prison fall, treated in hospital
New Zealand first inningsM. Guptill lbw b Tiripano 87T. Latham c and b Williams 136K. Williamson c Ervine b Chinouya 113R. Taylor not out 124H. Nicholls lbw b Cremer 15BJ Watling not out 83Extras (12b, 3lb, 1w, 8nb) 24Total (4 wkts dec, 150 overs) 582Fall of wickets: 1-169 (Guptill), 2-329 (Latham), 3-369 (Williamson), 4-389 (Nicholls).Did not bat: Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, TimSouthee, Neil Wagner, Trent Boult.Bowling: Tiripano 25-4-102-1, Chinouya 22-6-64-1,
Chibhabha 12-2-45-0, Cremer 36-2-147-1,Nyumbu 34-3-107-0, Williams 13-0-62-1, SikandarRaza 4-0-17-0, Masvaure 4-0-23-0.
Zimbabwe first inningsT. Mawoyo not out 20C. Chibhabha not out 31Extras (4b) 4Total (for 0 wkts, 30 overs) 55Still to bat: Craig Ervine, Sean Williams, SikandarRaza Butt, Prince Masvaure, Peter Moor, GraemeCremer, Donald Tiripano, John Nyumbu, Mike Chinouya.Bowling: Southee 9-8-4-0, Boult 5-3-6-0, Santner7-1-28-0, Wagner 5-2-8-0, Sodhi 4-2-5-0.
SCOREBOARDBULAWAYO, Zimbabwe: Scoreboard at the close of play on the second day of the second Test betweenZimbabwe and New Zealand yesterday:
Pogba record deal set for green light subject to medical
LONDON: France midfielder Paul Pogba’s worldrecord transfer to Manchester United fromItalian champions Juventus is poised to goahead subject to him passing a medical, theclubs confirmed yesterday. The long-runningsaga suddenly took a huge step forward whenJuventus announced they had granted permis-sion for the 23-year-old to undergo the medicalat a club he left four years ago for a pittance.The move is also subject to Pogba agreeing hispersonal terms with the club. “Yes, Pogba hasbeen authorised to undergo a medical inManchester,” a Juventus spokesman told AFP.
United confirmed the news with a shortstatement on their club website. “Paul Pogbahas been granted permission to have a medicalin order to finalise his transfer from Juventus toManchester United,” it read. United managerJose Mourinho, who is on the verge of securingthe fourth of his four transfer targets in the closeseason, said he would not talk about it until afterUnited’s clash with champions Leicester City inthe Community Shield at Wembley later onSunday.
Pogba, who was part of the France side thatlost to Portugal in the Euro 2016 final last month,tweeted rather enigmatically: “When too manypeople talk nobody understands-talk very soon”.
Early signs that a deal was imminent camewhen Pogba didn’t travel with the Juventussquad to London for a 3-2 friendly win againstWest Ham United yesterday.
Media reports said the French internationalhad already arrived in Manchester. The fee forthe transfer is expected to exceed £100 million($130.4 million, 117.7 million euros) for a playerwho was able to leave United for just £800,000in 2012 and of whom United icon Alex Ferguson,then the manager, said at the time had shownno respect to the club. Pogba, who enjoyed asuccessful time at Juventus winning four Serie Atitles and reaching the 2015 Champions Leaguefinal, has been courted by United for quite sometime although it is really only in this close seasonthey have persisted.
However, initially they faced reported compe-tition from European champions Real Madrid, amove Pogba was rumoured to prefer so he couldlink up with coach Zinedine Zidane.
However, Real, never ones to shirk payinghuge money for stars like Gareth Bale andCristiano Ronaldo in recent years, didn’t pursuethe player, leaving Pogba’s options to eithermoving to United or remaining with Juventus. Areported initial £86 million bid was rejected byJuventus. Pogba went on holiday to the United
States after the Euro final defeat leaving his pow-erful agent Mino Raiola to sort a deal out butmatters had still not been resolved by the timehe returned. Mourinho, though, hinted stronglylast week that Pogba would become a Unitedplayer although he added he wanted everythingsigned off by August 14 when they open theirPremier League campaign againstBournemouth. The huge fee has drawn criticismand raised eyebrows from some of Mourinho’srivals such as old sparring partner Arsene
Wenger and Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp.Mourinho gave them short shrift remarking
their comments were not “ethical”. Pogba’s arrivalwould secure the four signings Mourinho had sethis sights on when he replaced Louis van Gaal atthe end of last season. Pogba will join youngIvorian defender Eric Bailly, Armenian internation-al Henrikh Mkhitaryan and veteran Swedish strik-er Zlatan Ibrahimovic in arriving at Old Traffordthis summer. Mkhitaryan and Ibrahimovic areboth also represented by Raiola. —AFP
France’s midfielder Paul Pogba.
BULAWAYO: New Zealand captain Kane Williamson lifts his bat in celebration of hiscentury during the second day of the second test in a series of two matches betweenZimbabwe and New Zealand at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo yesterday. — AFP
BULAWAYO: Zimbabwe’s top order finallyshowed some backbone yesterday but thehosts were nevertheless facing an uphillbattle in the second Test after New Zealandposted an enormous total on day two atQueens Sports Club.
After spending the better part of twodays in the field as New Zealand racked up582 for four declared, Zimbabwe respond-ed with a dogged stand between openersTino Mawoyo and Chamu Chibhabha to goto stumps on 55 without loss. It was amuch improved start for the hosts, whoslumped to 36 for four and 17 for four dur-ing an innings defeat in the first Test, andgave them some confidence after theirbowlers had proved ineffective on a docilepitch. Zimbabwe endured a tough first dayin the field as New Zealand put on 329 fortwo, and their fortunes with the ball on thesecond day were little better. Althoughthey dismissed both Kane Williamson andHenry Nicholls in the opening session,Williamson had already reached three fig-ures to become the first New Zealand bats-man to score centuries against all of theother nine Test nations.
A day shy of his 26th birthday, he wasalso the youngest of the 13 Test batsmen toachieve the feat, and did it in fewer Teststhan anyone else. The New Zealand cap-tain did, however, depart in a soft fashionwhen he guided a wide delivery from MikeChinouya straight to gully to fall for 113.Nicholls scored just 15 before he mis-judged the length of a Graeme Cremer
delivery and was trapped lbw whilst tryingto sweep.
SELFLESS WATLING Although that gave Zimbabwe some
respite, it also brought Ross Taylor and BJWatling together and the pair picked upwhere they had left off in the first Test,when they compiled a 253-run partnership.On Sunday they added an unbroken 193for the fifth wicket, with Taylor backing upthe 173 not out that he scored in the firstTest with an unbeaten 124. Watling was 83not out when New Zealand went to tea,but turned down an offer from Williamsonto join Taylor and Tom Latham on the list ofNew Zealanders with centuries in bothTests, allowing the captain to declareinstead. “I think it was more important togive ourselves the time to bowl,” saidWatling. “We had enough runs on theboard and we knew it was going to be hardwork to take 20 wickets.” That proved to bethe case when Zimbabwe’s openers shutup shop in the first part of their reply, scor-ing just 20 runs from the first 19 overs asthey successfully saw off the new ball. Thatallowed them to open up in the last 10overs of the day, with Chibhabha movingto 31 and Mawoyo reaching stumps on 20.“We’re going to come up with some plansovernight and hopefully come out and pickup a few wickets early tomorrow,” saidWatling. “The wicket is lower and slowerthan it was in the first Test, and we’re goingto have to play the long game.” — AFP
Zimbabwe dig in after Kiwis post huge total
NEW YORK: Alex Rodriguez will play his finalmajor league game next Friday with the NewYork Yankees and then become a special adviserand instructor with the team.
Rodriguez and the club made the announce-ment before yesterday’s home game againstCleveland. “This is a tough day. I love this gameand I love this team,” he said, often choking up.“And today I’m saying goodbye.”
A-Rod will play against Tampa Bay at YankeeStadium on Friday night before ending hiscareer as one of the most prolific and polarizingfigures in baseball history. The 41-year-old desig-nated hitter, a three-time AL MVP and 14-timeAll-Star, is hitting .204 this season with ninehome runs and 29 RBIs in 216 at-bats. His wors-ening slump finally relegated him to the benchfor most of the past month, with Rodriguez get-ting only one start and seven at-bats in 14games since July 22 - he wasn’t in the startinglineup Sunday against the Indians.
With Brett Gardner, Brian McCann and histeammates in attendance at a packed news con-ference, Rodriguez said he was thankful he’d geta few more at-bats in front of family and friends.
“We all want to keep playing forever,”Rodriguez said. “But it doesn’t work that way.”When the fourth-place Yankees (55-55) tradedveterans Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller,Carlos Beltran and Ivan Nova leading up to lastMonday’s trade deadline, they made it clear theywere turning toward a youth movement.
Rodriguez has 696 home runs and trails onlyBarry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755) and BabeRuth (714) on the all-time list. After Rodriguez’slast game, he will be unconditionally released bythe club and he’ll back home to Florida. He saidhe thought his off-the-field duties would beginat spring training next year in Tampa.
Rodriguez has a $20 million salary this yearand is owed $20 million more in 2017, the finalseason of a $275 million, 10-year contract thatwas the baseball’s largest when he signed it.He’ll get that full amount.
LEADER AND MENTOR“After spending several days discussing this
plan with Alex, I am pleased that he will remain a
part of our organization moving forward andtransition into a role in which I know he canflourish,” Yankees Managing General Partner HalSteinbrenner said in a statement.
Said Yankees general manager BrianCashman: “He’s always been a leader and men-tor.” Earlier this week, Rodriguez talked about hisfuture without detailing what it would entail.“No matter what happens, I’m at peace withmyself,” Rodriguez said Tuesday.
“I think I can contribute. I think I can help out
in the clubhouse,” he added, “but if not, I havetwo beautiful daughters waiting for me inMiami.” On Friday, the Yankees called a newsconference with 36-year-old first baseman MarkTeixeira, who announced he will retire at the endof the season.
Rodriguez helped the Yankees win the 2009World Series but had been in repeated contro-versy since he arrived ahead of the 2004 seasonin a trade with Texas.
He won his second and third AL MVP awardswith the Yankees but has been a pariah for some
since his 2009 admission he used performance-enhancing drugs while with Texas earlier in hiscareer. Starting in 2008, Rodriguez made six tripsto the disabled list in six seasons for a strainedright quadriceps (2008), right hip surgery (2009),a strained left calf (2010), right knee surgery(2011), a broken left hand (2012) and left hip sur-gery (2013).
Major League Baseball suspended him onAug. 5, 2013, for the remainder of that seasonand all of 2014 for violations of baseball’s drugand labor contract caused by use and posses-sion of numerous prohibited performance-enhancing substances and attempting to coverup his violations.
BEEN TO HELL AND BACKIn his remarks yesterday, Rodriguez said he’s
“been to hell and back.” Rodriguez returned fromhip surgery and played while appealing the sus-pension, and the following January an arbitratorcut the penalty to all of the 2014 season.
“He’s always had some ups and downs, buthe’s always gotten back up,” Cashman said. A-Rod made a successful return last year, when theYankees made him a fulltime DH, but his offenseslid late in the season and hit .224 from Sept. 1on. That left him with a .250 average for the yearwith 33 homers and 86 RBIs.
His slump continued at the start of this sea-son when he hit .185 with four homers and eightRBIs in April and .130 with two homers and sixRBIs in May, when he was on the disabled listfrom May 4-26 because of a strained right ham-string. His average rose to .267 with two homersand 13 RBIs in June before dropping again.
Rodriguez started his big league career withSeattle in 1994 and signed a $252 million, 10-year contract with Texas before the 2001 season,the largest agreement in baseball history. Whenthe Rangers decided to trade him, a proposeddeal to Boston fell through before the trade toNew York. He agreed to shift from shortstop tothird base as part of the trade to the Yankees,who already had Derek Jeter at shortstop.
A-Rod opted out of the contract after the2007 season, became a free agent and signedthe $275 million deal with the Yankees.— AP
Alex Rodriguez to play final major league game next Friday
Alex Rodriguez
S P O RT SMONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016
RIO DE JANEIRO: Russia’s Olympic ban and China’sruthless selection policy helped pave the way forThailand’s Sopita Tanasan win the first weightliftinggold medal of the Rio Games in the women’s 48kg onSaturday.
Tanasan, daughter of an international boxer,became Thailand’s fourth gold medallist in women’sweightlifting with a total of 200kg. China had thefavourite for the contest in Hou Zhihui, who lifted210kg in her national championships in April, but,being allowed to enter only four lifter overall, sent herhome from their pre-Games training camp in SaoPaulo last week when they decided they had a betterchance in the heaviest category, +75kg.
Hou injured her knee in July but thought she hadrecovered enough to compete. Wang Guoxin, headcoach of China’s women’s team, opted instead to sendfor Meng Suping. He said the decision was influencedby Russia’s ban from Rio for “bringing the sport intodisrepute” with their doping record.
Once that ban was confirmed last week it meantthe hot favourite in the +75kg, Tatiana Kashirina,would not compete.
“Yes, Kashirina’s absence did give us a big opportu-nity to win in that division, because only Meng andKashirina have the ability to lift over 300kg in total,”said Wang. Meng arrived in Rio today on Saturday.
Tanasan, 21, won by 8kg from Indonesia’s SriWahyuni Agustiani. In third place was Japan’s HiromiMiyake, the 2012 silver medallist who was competingin her fourth Games.
“When asked if she would try for a fifth time in herhome country at Tokyo 2020 she said, “I want to enjoythis medal now and I will think about that when Ireturn home.”
Another of Sopatan’s strongest rivals, Vietnam’s ThiHuyen Vuong, failed to register a total after three fail-ures in the snatch. Margarita Yelisseyeva, ofKazakhstan, who finished fifth, had plenty of supportin the crowd at the Riocentro arena but not behind thescenes within the sport.
The International Weightlifting Federation voted inJune to ban Kazakhstan and Belarus from the Games,along with Russia, because of their positive dopingcases in retested samples from 2008 and 2012. The banwas subject to the International Olympic Committeecompleting the legal processing of those tests beforethe entry deadline, and that did not happen. Bothnations have teams of eight lifters in Rio, while Russiawas excluded on evidence from the McLaren Reportinto state-sponsored doping. — Reuters
Tanasan takes first gold for Thailand
GYMNASTICS
RIO DE JANEIRO: Japan’s Kohei Uchimura falls while competing in the qualifying for the men’s horizontal bar event of the Artistic Gymnastics at the Olympic Arena duringthe Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday. — AFP
WEIGHTLIFTING
RIO DE JANEIRO: Sopita Tanasan of Thailand wavesto her fans from the podium after receiving thegold medal in the medal ceremony of the women’sweightlifting 48kg competition during the Rio 2016Olympic Games at the Riocentro Pavilion in Rio deJaneiro, Brazil, on Saturday. —AFP
ARCHERY
RIO DE JANEIRO: South Korea’s archers rout-ed the United States to win the men’s teamgold at the Rio Olympics on Saturday andrestore a dynasty broken by the Americans atLondon four years ago.
The peerless trio of Kim Woo-jin, Ku Bon-chan and Lee Seung-yun roared to a 6-0 winon a baking hot day at the Sambodromo,clinching South Korea’s fifth team title andfourth in the last five Olympics.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment, to getgold, for four years,” beaming world champion
Kim, who fired a 72-arrow world record duringFriday’s ranking round, told reporters.
“We trusted each other, and it happened. Itjust happened.”
The US team, who ended the SouthKoreans’ run of three titles in the London semi-finals, were left with a second successive silverafter the Koreans closed out the match in stylewith a run of perfect scores.
Australia celebrated their first archerymedal in 12 years by defeating China for thebronze.
All three Olympic debutants, Kim, Ku andLee, showed no sign of rookie nerves as theytrampled over Netherlands and Australiabefore saving their best for the gold medal-decider. Cheered by a rowdy Korean contin-gent in the terraces, the trio threw down thegauntlet in the opening set, hitting the inner-most gold circle six times in succession toscore the maximum 60 points.
More than a statement, the opening salvowas a winding blow for the more seasoned USteam of three-time Olympian Brady Ellison,
Jake Kaminski and Zach Garrett. They shot wellin response but could manage only 57 pointsfor the set and from there the pattern of thematch was fixed.
The Korean onslaught was relentless.The 23-year-old Ku took the perfect score
of 10 points with all six of his arrows, andmissed only once.
Standing on the podium in the middle of ateam of world champions, Ku kissed his medaland beamed, while Lee wiped a tear from hischeek during their national anthem.
The team sealed South Korea’s 20th archerygold medal from 37 Olympic titles contestedsince the sport returned in its modern formatin 1972. With its professional teams and pun-ishing training regimes, the depth of Koreanarchery is unmatched and the nation will bedisappointed if it fails to sweep all four titles atRio. “There really wasn’t anything we couldhave controlled,” Kaminski, who lost theLondon final against Italy with Ellison, saidresignedly. “I definitely feel we left it all outthere.” — Reuters
South Korea restore order with men’s team gold
RIO DE JANEIRO: Dethroning champions China isthe number one target for Japan at the Rio Olympicsbut after a day of falls and botched landings inmen’s qualifying on Saturday, Kohei Uchimura andhis team mates were left with sore bodies andbruised egos.
Uchimura suffered the most spectacular of fallsfrom the horizontal bar-an apparatus on which he isthe world champion — as he lost his grip followinga release-and-catch manoeuvre and landed on hisback with a thud.
The glaring errors on every apparatus barring thefloor exercise by the reigning Japanese world cham-pions meant their total of 269.294 was surpassed byChina (270.461), the United States (270.405) andRussia (269.612).
London Games bronze medallists Britain, jubilanthosts Brazil-who were fielding a full team in themen’s Olympic competition for the first time-Ukraine and Germany also qualified for today’s teamfinal. Japan’s woes were put in context whenFrenchman Samir Ait Said and German gymnastAndreas Toba provided a painful reminder of justhow dangerous gymnastics can be. Ait Said suffereda broken leg that was left dangling from below hisknee following a crash landing from the vault andhad to be taken out of the arena on a stretcher.
Toba may have suffered an injury to his anteriorcruciate ligament following a fall from a tumblingrun on the floor exercise. Incredibly he went on toperform on the pommel horse but as he limped offthat apparatus, with his arms around his teammates, it was clear his Rio adventure was over.
“I cried like a little kid,” Toba told reporters. “Theinjury on my knee is big, but the emotional injury isway bigger. A first diagnosis said it is the ACL.”
While Japan lived to fight another day, Uchimuralost his chance to be in the running for the horizon-tal bar gold as his score of 14.300 left him well out-side the top eight scores needed to reach the appa-ratus final. That mishap did not stop him from reach-ing the all around final, where he will be bidding tobecome the first gymnast since compatriot SawaoKato in 1972 to win successive Olympic titles in theevent that tests skills across six apparatus.
Japan can now forget about Saturday’s horrorshow since none of the scores will be carriedthrough to Monday’s team final but they cannotafford a repeat performance if they want to endChina’s eight-year reign as Olympic champions.
“What happened today can only make mestronger,” Uchimura, who finished second in the allaround standings behind Ukrainian Oleg Verniaievand also made the cut for the floor final, toldreporters. “I need to repress my feelings so I can per-form better at the next competition.” While in quali-fying four competitors from each country competeon each apparatus with only the top three scorescounting towards the total, in the final each nationwill put forward three athletes and all three scoreswill count.
Since 1994, Chinese men have won 10 of 12world championship team titles and three of the lastfour Olympic golds on offer. The team that were top-pled from their perch by Japan at last year’s worldchampionships will be eager to prove on Mondaythat they have recovered from their bronze medalfinish in Glasgow. —Reuters
Uchimura fall caps horror show from Japan
RIO DE JANEIRO: There was plenty ofchest thumping and free flowing tearson Saturday as Olympic championArthur Zanetti and his band ofBrazilian brothers produced the per-formance of their lives to reach themen’s team gymnastics final on theirGames debut.
A nation that had never fielded afull team at the Olympics beforeSaturday showed what the fans hadbeen missing as they fuelled a carnivalatmosphere in the arena with theirpumped up celebrations each timethey nailed a routine.
As Brazil’s first and only Olympicgymnastics champion, rings specialistZanetti spent the last four years beinga poster boy for the Rio Games and hewas the man everyone wanted to seeon Saturday.
In his only performance of the day,he maintained straight bodylines as helifted himself into a succession ofstrength moves-such as the invertedcross, the Maltese manoeuvre and the
handstand-in a routine packed withhigh difficulty.
It was just a shame that his per-formance was in front of rows androws of empty red seats as barely threethousand fans had been able to gainentry into the 13,200-capacity arena bythe time he mounted the rings withthe chants of “Zanettti, Zanetti,Zanetti” ringing in his ears.
Many fans were left fuming becauseby the time they had been allowed in,Zanetti was done for the day. “I don’tbelieve it. It’s absurd, ridiculous. What Imost wanted to see was Zanetti on therings,” Natalia Carvalho told Reutersafter discovering she was too late tosee him despite sprinting into the ven-ue once she had cleared security.
“It’s a lack of respect for the fanswho bought tickets. It’s a shame.”
Liliane Oliveira, from Minas GeraisState, added: “It lacked organisation,there were only two entrances to allarenas of the Olympic Park and thesecurity check was taking too long.
They should have prepared better forthis.” While Zanetti qualified for therings final after earning Brazil’s highestscore of the day with 15.533, DiegoHypolito showed there was still plentyof explosive tumbles left in his 30-year-old body as the 2005 and 2007 floorworld champion produced a perform-ance that earned him 15.500.
The man who failed to live up toexpectation at the Beijing and LondonGames was left an emotional wreck assoon as he nailed his final tumble andburst into tears.
He will get a chance to battle it outfor a medal on the floor exercise aftermaking the eight-man cut for the final.“I started crying because I had workedfor 12 years for this moment,” saidHypolito, who earned the loudestcheers of the day after making amendsfor falling flat on his face in London.
“After two Olympic failures, it is verydifficult to show your face again at theOlympic Games. Today, my soul wascleansed.” — Reuters
Tears and cheers as Zanetti, Hypolito shine
RIO DE JANEIRO: Injured French gym-nast Samir Ait Said is back on his feet.Sort of. A day after gruesomely breakinghis leg while vaulting during men’sOlympic preliminaries, Said posted aFacebook video from his hospital bedthanking people for the outpouring ofsupport and pledging to return to thesport eventually.
Said underwent surgery on Saturdaynight to repair the tibea he fracturedwhile trying to land on vault. The imageof his leg bent grotesquely at a nearly 90degree angle went viral immediately.Said praised his French teammates,some of whom managed to qualify forevent finals later this week despitebeing visibly rattled after watching Saidleave the Rio Olympic Arena on astretcher. “I’m behind all my pals,” Saidsaid. “They managed to keep their acttogether after my fall. That must havebeen really difficult. They were real war-riors. So come on boys, be strong, I’mwith you.”
Said plans to return to the arena as aspectator and has not ruled out makinga run at the 2020 games in Tokyo.“Believe me the adventure of Tokyo
2020 is still possible,” he said. “And assoon as I’m back on my feet I’ll be back
in training and searching for thatOlympic gold.” — AP
Injured French gymnast Said undergoes surgery
RIO DE JANEIRO: An overview shows France’s Samir Ait Said being stretcheredoff after being injured while competing in the qualifying for the men’s vaultevent of the Artistic Gymnastics at the Olympic Arena during the Rio 2016Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday. — AFP
S P O RT SMONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016
JANEIRO: Paula Pareto became Argentina’s firstwoman Olympic gold medal winner in the judo asBrazilian Sarah Menezes’ dream of delivering thehosts first medal was ended by injury. Pareto saw offSouth Korea’s Jeong Bo-Kyeong in the 48kg final toadd to the bronze medal she won in Beijing eightyears ago. Defending champion Menezes ended inthe Olympic hospital with a disclocated shoulder. “Itis great for women’s sport (in Argentina),” said Paretoafter her win. “If you enjoy what you do that is thekey. I am glad to be an example of what you can dowith hard work.”
Pareto also became Argentina’s first judo goldmedallist. “I have dreamed of this for so long and Iam very happy for the support I received from thefans,” she added after celebrating wildly in front of asizeable Argentine support at the Carioca Arena inRio’s Olympic park. “It is something incredible. Iwould never have thought I would do something likethis. “It is something that will mark my career and therest of my life.” For 2012 champion Menezes, thedream of retaining her title on home soil was dashedwhen she was beaten by Cuban Dayaris MestreAlvarez in the quarter-finals.
Menezes still had a shot at the podium throughthe repechages, but suffered a dislocated elbow inher clash with Urantsegtseg Munkhbat of Mongolia.“She has been taken to the hospital at the Olympicvillage,” confirmed Manoela Penna, spokesperson forthe Brazilian judo federation. Japan’s Ami Kondo andOtgontsetseg Galbadrakh of Kazakhstan took thetwo bronze medals.
Pareto struggled early in the final and the contesteven had to be briefly halted as she received treat-ment when she took an unintentional blow to theface from Jeong. However, the 30-year-old battledback to land a waza-ari and defended her advantageto add Olympic gold to the world championship shewon last year. “I didn’t think of the medals I had wonbefore, but I thought about all the effort and every-thing I have fought for (to get here),” added Pareto. “Iam especially proud to be able to attract attention toa sport that is not well known in Argentina.” —AFP
Brazil’s pain,Argentina’s
gain as Paretowins gold
Nishikori eases in Rio, Radwanska crashes
TENNIS
JUDO
RIO DE JANEIRO: Serbia’s Novak Djokovic returns a ball during the doubles match he and Nenad Zimonjic play against Croatia’s Marin Cilic and Marin Draganja in the men’stennis competition at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday. — AP
RIO DE JANEIRO: Japanese fourth seed KeiNishikori reached the Olympic tennis sec-ond round Saturday but jet-laggedAgnieszka Radwanska crashed out, com-pleting her miserable and exhausting firstweek in Rio.
Nishikori, a quarter-finalist in 2012,breezed past Spanish left-hander AlbertRamos-Vinolas, 6-2, 6-4, in just 79 minutes.Ramos-Vinolas, who made the FrenchOpen quarter-finals this year, realised it wasnot to be his day in the second game of thesecond set. Nishikori allowed his racquet tofly from his hand on service but he scram-bled to retrieve it before unleashing a win-ner past the bemused Spaniard.
“Usually I would give up the point whenI lose the racquet but not this time,” saidNishikori, who arrived in Rio having fin-ished runner-up to world number oneNovak Djokovic in Toronto last week.
“I saw that I had a chance to win thepoint, so I hung in there.” Nishikori nextplays Australia’s John Millman, whobecame the first player to clinch a ‘double
bagel’ — 6-0, 6-0 — in Games history.The 27-year-old Millman swept past
Ricardas Berankis in just 50 minutes, mak-ing it a miserable summer for theLithuanian. At Wimbledon, Berankis wasknocked out in the first round by Britain’sworld number 772 Marcus Willis, a clubprofessional. “I’m not really sure that’s sunkin,” said Millman. “To be put in the recordbooks is ridiculous.”
AGA CRASHES OUT Fourth seeded Radwanska slumped to a
6-4, 7-5 loss against China’s world number63 Zheng Saisai as afternoon temperaturesrocketed to 32 degrees.
The Polish star only arrived in Rio onWednesday night after having to fly fromMontreal, where she competed last week,to New York to Lisbon and then to Rio.
In all, she was on the move for 55 hoursand covered around 14,000 kilometres.
“I spent three days in an airport so thatwas not the best preparation. I could haveused more practice,” said former
Wimbledon runner-up Radwanska.Zheng’s win was the second top victory
of the day for China after national numberone Zhang Shuai saved three match pointsto beat Swiss 12th seed Timea Bacsinszky,6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 7-6 (9/7).
Zheng said she realised that Radwanskahad been struggling. “She didn’t play herbest tennis. I know she arrived late so I amreally lucky,” said Zheng.
TSONGA HANGS ON Men’s fifth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga over-
came a scare from Tunisia’s Malek Jaziri totriumph 4-6, 7-5, 6-3. Jaziri, on a career highof 58 in the world, served for the match at5-4 in the second set.
Tsonga, the world number nine, madethe quarter-finals of the London Olympicsin 2012. “I was very concerned because Iwas thinking this may be my last OlympicGames,” said Tsonga, a four-time GrandSlam semi-finalist.
Japan’s Taro Daniel, ranked at 117,defeated US 14th seed Jack Sock, 6-4, 6-4.
The 23-year-old New York-born, Spain-based Daniel next faces Britain’s KyleEdmund. Sock said he had been ill in Rio,with a local doctor telling him he was suf-fering from “walking pneumonia”.
Meanwhile, 43-year-old Leander Paes’sseventh Olympics ended quickly when heand Indian partner Rohan Bopanna lost 6-4,7-6 (8/6) to Lukas Kubot and MarcinMatkowski of Poland.
The evergreen Paes was a singles bronzemedallist at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.He shrugged off the controversy surround-ing his Rio selection after it was claimedBopanna preferred to play with SakethMyneni. “It had no effect on us. We gave iteverything we had and fought hard,” saidPaes. Later today, fifth seeded VenusWilliams, the 2000 champion in Sydney,starts against Belgium’s Kirsten Flipkens.
At 36, Williams is the oldest player in thewomen’s draw in Rio. Defending champi-ons Andy Murray and Serena Williams aswell as Djokovic and 2008 champion RafaelNadal all start their campaigns. — AFP
RIO DE JANEIRO: Former Olympic champion VenusWilliams was eliminated in the first round at the RioGames on Saturday after Belgian underdog KirstenFlipkens mounted a spirited fight back to cause thebiggest upset of the opening day.
Another notable casualty on the first day of competi-tion was former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic, who surgedahead in the first set against world No. 12 Carla SuarezNavarro but lost 2-6 6-1 6-2 after two error-strewn sets.
With US Secretary of State John Kerry and gymnas-tics gold medal favourite Simone Biles looking on, sev-en-times grand slam winner Williams won the first setbut became frustrated as the match wore on, losing 4-66-3 7-6(5) to the world number 62. Flipkens collapsedon to the court after winning the final set tie-breakerand the rowdy Brazilian crowd serenaded her withchants of “ole, ole, ole”.
Flipkens later thanked the “amazing” Brazilian crowdfor helping her pull off one of the biggest wins of hercareer. “To beat Venus Williams on the centre court, oneof the biggest champions in our history, that (gave me)
goosebumps all over the place,” she told reporters.The loss will not be the end of the competition for
2000 Sydney Games champion Williams, however, asthe 36-year-old is bidding to win her fourth doublesgold medal with sister Serena. Former French Openwinner Ivanovic rued letting her chances slip away.
“I had a chance to come back in the third set butevery time I came close to pegging her back, I missedthe opportunity,” said the world No. 26.
Ivanovic’s match, like all the others on centre court,was played in a stadium that was more than half empty,something likely to disappoint organisers.
But the size of crowds did not bother Japan’s KeiNishikori, who opened the men’s singles tennis tourna-ment on centre court by knocking out Spain’s AlbertRamos-ViÒolas with ease, winning 6-2 6-4 in two sets.
Some players said conditions were tricky due to soar-
ing temperatures and a strong breeze drifting acrossfrom the ocean. “Here it’s very difficult to play becauseit’s fairly open, there is constantly some kind of wind,”said Croatia’s Marin Cilic, who beat Bulgaria’s GrigorDimitrov 6-1 6-4. One player who thrived in the Rio sunwas Australia’s John Millman, who become the firstOlympian to win a men’s singles match without losing agame.
Millman’s “double-bagel” 6-0, 6-0 victory cameagainst Lithuania’s Ricardas Berankis. The Australian,who has battled back to fitness after several shouldersurgeries that threatened his career, took part in Friday’slate-night opening ceremony, which many Olympianscompeting early on Saturday skipped. “That was a real-ly stirring moment for me. It’s hard to explain the emo-tions I got walking into that stadium, and obviously thatcarried over to today,” said the 27-year-old. —Reuters
Venus Williams knocked out in Rio Games upset
Olympic Games medals table at the end of day one ofcompetition in Rio de Janeiro.
G S B Total Australia 2 0 1 3 Hungary 2 0 0 2 U.S. 1 4 0 5 South Korea 1 1 0 2 Japan 1 0 4 5 Argentina 1 0 0 1 Belgium 1 0 0 1 Russia 1 0 0 1 Thailand 1 0 0 1 Vietnam 1 0 0 1 China 0 2 3 5 Italy 0 1 1 2 Kazakhstan 0 1 1 2 Indonesia 0 1 0 1 Denmark 0 1 0 1 Brazil 0 1 0 1 Poland 0 0 1 1 Uzbekistan 0 0 1 1 Spain 0 0 1 1 Canada 0 0 1 1
MEDALS TABLE
RIO DE JANEIRO: Belgium’s Kirsten Flipkens reacts after winning a point during her women’s first round singlestennis match against USA’s Venus Williams at the Olympic Tennis Centre of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Rio deJaneiro on Saturday. — AFP
Mudranov predicts more gold for Russia
RIO DE JANEIRO: Beslan Mudranov won Russia’s first goldmedal at the Rio Games in judo on Saturday and fired awarning shot that his country had plenty more to prove.
Mudranov’s victory comes two days after Russia’s judoteam was officially cleared to participate in the Olympicsafter his country escaped a blanket ban over its dopingrecord. “There has been a lot of psychological pressure thatour country Russia has been subject to. Here, to win a goldmedal on the very first day, of course it means a lot for mycountry,” Mudranov told reporters through an interpreter.
“Of course, our country will prove to everyone that wecan win the gold, I’m pretty confident that this is not thelast gold medal we have won,” he said.
Mudranov’s gold in the men’s -60kg follows his compa-triot Arsen Galstyan’s triumph in the same weight class inLondon four years ago.
In a tense duel with Kazahkstan’s Yeldos Smetov thatwent into “golden score” extra time, Mudranov threwSmetov to score a match-ending waza-ari and earn his firstOlympic medal. Japan’s Naohisa Takato and DiyorbekUrozboev of Uzbekistan took bronze.
The World Anti-Doping Agency had called for a totalban on Russian athletes in Rio in response to the inde-pendent McLaren report that found evidence of state-sponsored doping by Russian athletes at the 2014 WinterOlympics in Sochi.
Mudranov said such a ban would not have been right.“The president of the International Olympic Committee(IOC), he should realise that it would be unjust for the ath-letes who have spent their entire life preparing for thecompetition - for some of them it would probably be theonly Olympic Games in their life,” he said. Mudranov addedthat there had been some nerves amongst the judo teamon the day of the IOC announcement but overall they hadbeen confident they would be allowed to compete. “Wecame here prepared and no one broke down under thispsychological pressure,” he said. — Reuters
RIO DE JANEIRO: Gold medal winner Argentina’sPaula Pareto, second from left, poses with silvermedal winner Jeong Bok-yeong, left, from SouthKorea and bronze medallists Japan’s Ami Kondo,second from right, and Kazakhstan’s OtgontsetsegGalbadrakh, right, after the women’s 48-kg judo-competition at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Riode Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday. — AP
S P O RT SMONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016
RIO DE JANEIRO: Hoang Xuan Vinh may have justended Vietnam’s six-decade wait for a first Olympicgold medal on Saturday but he wasn’t about to makea song and dance about his historic feat. The 41-year-old military officer finally struck the Olympicbullseye for Vietnam to deny Brazil an opening daytitle at the Rio Games. Vinh fell into the arms of hiscoaches after his near-perfect final shot in the men’s10m air pistol.
He duelled with Sao Paulo-born Felipe AlmeidaWu who had taken the lead after the penultimateround. The Vietnamese history-maker claimed thetitle with a total points haul of 202.5. Crowd favouriteWu, almost 20 years his junior, took silver only .3adrift. If Vinh was feeling as proud as punch at finallyending a quest for his country that first began inHelsinki in 1952, he wasn’t about to show it. “I’m verylucky, it’s the first gold medal in Vietnam’s history, Ifeel very lucky, thank you everybody,” he said at apress conference. “Making this gold medal is a lifememory, never forget this. Because (it is the) firsttime making a gold medal for Vietnam.” Wu, Brazil’sfirst Olympic shooting medallist since 1920, praisedhis uplifting home support and said he hoped hisperformance would boost his sport’s popularity infootball-mad Brazil.
On winning the 2016 hosts’ first medal of theseGames, he added: “There are no words to describehow happy I am. We work very hard, and everythingis worth the pain. Pain on my shoulder, pain in myback, but I will forget about all this pain now.”
“It is just perfect. I hope that the sport of shootingbecomes more popular in Brazil. I don’t know how,but I hope people get interested for this sport andstart to practise, and I think that is a good thing, towin a medal. I hope it will be good for shooting.”
‘Try, try, try’ Bronze went to Pang Wei, while South Korean
defending champion Jin Jongoh trailed in fifth.Jin had his head in his hands walking off after fail-
ing to replicate his heroics at London 2012.He also won 50m pistol gold four years ago and
will be hoping to turn around his form when hedefends that title later in the competition. The first ofthe eight finalists to be knocked out was theNepalese-born Indian Jitu Rai.
Russia’s representative Vladimir Gontcharov wasnext for the chop, followed by Italy’s GiuseppeGiordano, Jin, and Juray Tuzinsky. That left the stageclear for the three-cornered climax. Pang’s exit set-ting up a tense face off between the two militarymen. Wu had his partisan fans leaping out of theirseats when he hit the front, but Vinh fired his 20thand final shot true and straight to nail it in the styleof a worthy successor to Jin. Vinh recounted: “TheBrazilian shooter was very fast and stronger, but Ithink only ‘try, try, try’. On the last shot I don’t thinkgold or silver. I think only try.” —AFP
Modest Vinh makes history for Vietnam
US romp past China 119-62 in Olympic basketball opener
SHOOTING
SOCCER
BASKETBALL
RIO DE JANEIRO: An overview shows USA’s centre DeMarcus Cousins (R) fighting for the ball with China’s forward Zou Yuchen during a Men’s round Group A basketball matchbetween China and USA at the Carioca Arena 1 in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. — AFP
RIO DE JANEIRO: Republican presiden-tial nominee Donald Trump may fretabout the United States’ trade imbalancewith China but on the basketball court itis all one way business, as it was again onSaturday as the US opened the Olympictournament with 119-62 thrashing.China (0-6) has never beaten the US onOlympic hardwood and there was notthe faintest hint that this was going to bethe evening that drought would end,even when Ding Yanyuhang scored thefirst points on a pair of free throws. Thatwas the high point for China, the last andonly time they would lead, as the US clin-ically rolled to a 59-30 halftime advan-tage, leaving a flat atmosphere inside thepacked Carioca Arena.
Bored fans quickly resorted to enter-taining themselves by doing the wavewhile the biggest buzz of the night wasgenerated by a halftime show of ropejumping acrobats. This U.S. squad maybe more “B Team” than “Dream Team”with many top players, including four-time National Basketball Associationmost valuable player LeBron James andtwice reigning MVP Stephen Curr y,deciding to stay home but there hasbeen no noticeable drop in skill or quali-ty. Every player on the US roster got onthe score sheet in the opener with fourgetting into double figures led by KevinDurant with 25. “I thought China playedreally hard, they have a lot of youngplayers and they are getting better andwe were good,” said US coach MikeKrzyzewski. “We’re older and more tal-ented and we played really hard andshared the ball. “The Olympics are differ-ent, they’re big, for 10 of the guys it istheir first Olympics, it’s different, it’s new.“I don’t know if they were nervous asexcited. “They know from being in theopening ceremonies last night this is ahuge stage.”
Going for a third straight gold, the vic-tory extended the US Games winningstreak to 18-0, dating back to the bronzemedal game of the 2004 AthensOlympics. Outside of Olympic competi-tion, the U.S. is on a 68-game unbeatenrun (45 straight wins in FIBA and FIBAAmericas competitions, and 23 consecu-tive wins in exhibition games) that goesback to 2006.
The last time the China and the USclashed on the Olympic stage was 2008in Beij ing in an intriguing matchupplayed in front of a standing room onlycrowd that included US President GeorgeW. Bush and an estimated one billion tel-evision viewers. The US won that game101-70 victory and has been even moredominant since.
More recently, the two teams met in apair of exhibition games in the run in toRio with Team USA winning by 50 and 49points.
The 57-point margin of victory inSaturday opener was the biggest since a133-70 result at the 1996 Atlanta Games.The result was not unexpected for ayoung Chinese team. “This result wasalready kind of expected before thegame even started,” said China coachWang Zhelin. “Our target before thegame was to try to get things better. “Itis a precious opportunity for our team toimprove our tactics. We have playedTeam USA three times this summer andthis is a very good opportunity for us tolearn.” — Reuters
RIO DE JANEIRO: Athletes compete during thewomen’s 10-meter air pistol qualification atOlympic Shooting Center at the 2016 SummerOlympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, yesterday. — AP
RIO DE JANEIRO: Andrew Bogut refusedto allow his NBA Finals injury to dash hisOlympic dreams, and the big man pow-ered Australia past France in the Rio bas-ketball opener despite a heavily taped leftknee. The new Dallas Maverick had 18points on a series of alley-oop dunks as herepeatedly got behind the French defencefor an 87-66 win on Saturday.
Bogut, 31, helped Golden State wintheir first NBA title in 40 years in 2015 andreel off a record 73 regular-season victo-ries this year before falling one game shyof repeating.
He was crucially knocked out in gamefive with left-knee bone bruises, and a gru-elling rehab ensued.
But Bogut, who missed London 2012due to injury, was not to be denied. “All Ithought about was that I was not going tohave it taken away from me. If I’m ready to
go, I’m going, if I’m not, we pull the plug,”he said. Bogut, who has caused a stir in Riofor his strident criticism of the conditionsin the athlete’s village, hit nine of 10 shotsand dominated inside as Australia jumpedahead off France early in the Group Aclash. “I didn’t think I was going to havethe impact that I did,” Bogut admitted. “ButI felt good out there and I caused someeasy baskets early on that got my confi-dence rolling.”
With Patty Mills of the NBA’s SanAntonio Spurs scoring 21, the win got theAustralians off to a positive start in a com-petition the USA is once again heavilyfavoured to win.
NO SPARK FROM PARKER Matthew Dellavedova, a member of
this year ’s NBA champion ClevelandCavaliers, now playing for Milwaukee,
added 10 assists while Aron Baynes had 14points and a game-high eight rebounds.
France’s star guard Tony Parker-Mills’sSpurs team-mate-led his homeland with18 points, all but two of those coming in alate first-half spurt that pulled the Frenchto within three at half-time.
But the French never found a rhythm asthe Aussies steadily pulled away, withBogut slamming down two quick dunks tocap a 10-0 run early in the fourth quarterthat put them up by 19.
Addressing the controversy over hisTwitter comments on the athlete’s villageproblems, Bogut apologised if he offend-ed his Brazilian hosts.
“I apologise to the people of Brazil. Inever intended it to be a shot at them,” hesaid. “It’s more a shot at the IOC to get outof the penthouse suites they are staying inand get things rolling a bit better.”—AFP
RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazil striker Martalaughed off comparisons with Neymar onSaturday after she scored twice in Brazil’s 5-1 victory over Sweden at the Rio Olympics.With the home fans chanting ‘Marta is bet-ter than Neymar,’ five-times World Player ofthe Year Marta led her side to their secondconsecutive win in front of 43,000 fans inRio de Janeiro.
Barcelona forward Neymar carries thehopes of the home nation on his shouldersin the men’s competition as they seek towin Olympic gold for the first time, whileMarta will be no less key to Brazil’s chancesof success in the women’s tournament. “Weknow Neymar is our best player right nowand he is fantastic, we support him and hesupports us but we’ll leave the comparisonto the fans,” Marta said. “We have Marta, wehave Neymar, we have Cristiane, we’re allBrazilian.” While Brazil ’s men failed toimpress in a laboured 0-0 draw againstSouth Africa on Thursday, home fansdelighted in the football played by thewomen’s team, who outclassed Swedendespite being two places below them in theworld rankings. Brazil, ranked eighth in theworld, opened the scoring through Beatrizafter 21 minutes when she ran through ongoal, outmuscled a defender and poked theball home. Sweden had a goal disallowedshortly after then fell 2-0 behind in 24 min-utes when Marta crossed the ball along thesix-yard box and Cristiane’s clever flick tooka deflection on its way to the net.
Marta got the third from the penaltyspot just seconds before half time and thenscored Brazil ’s fourth with 10 minutesremaining when she slotted home fromeight yards after playing a fortunate one-two off a Swedish defender. Beatriz got hersecond in the 86th minute when she creat-
ed a yard of space in the box and curled theball into the far corner of the net.
Lotta Schelin got a consolation goal forthe Swedes with two minutes remaining.
The only blip for Brazil, who have scoredeight in two games after beating China 3-0,was seeing Cristiane carried off with a thighinjury after 66 minutes.
While Brazil have already sewed up a
place in the next round, Marta said theywould not hold back against South Africa intheir next group game.
“This means we are calmer but we can’tlet that influence us and relax,” she said. “Wewere delighted that we had the same per-formance as in the first game and that is ourchallenge, to keep that going all the way tothe final.” — Reuters
RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazil’s Cristiane, center, runs with the ball past Sweden’s CarolineSeger, left, and Lisa Dahlkvist, third from left, during a group E match of the women’sOlympic football tournament between Sweden and Brazil at the Rio Olympic Stadiumin Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday. — AP
Marta stars for five-star Brazil
RIO DE JANEIRO: Canada’s Megan Lukan, top, attacksduring the women’s rugby sevens match against Britainat the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, yes-terday. — AP
Bogut fights throughinjury to power Australia
16Zimbabwe dig in
after Kiwis post
huge total
MONDAY, AUGUST 8, 201617
Tanasan takes first
gold for Thailand
Modest Vinh makes history for Vietnam Page 19
RIO DE JANEIRO: Gold medalist Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu, center, silver medalist United States’ Maya DiRado, right, and bronze medalist Spain’s Mireia Belmonte Garcia stand together after the women’s 400-meter individualmedley during the swimming competitions at the 2016 Summer Olympics, Saturday, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. — AP
RIO DE JANEIRO: Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu ended herlong wait for Olympic victory and Australia captured twogold medals in an exhilarating first day of swimmingcompetition that saw three world records smashed in Rioon Saturday.
Hosszu, five times a world champion but without amedal from three previous Olympics, demolished theworld record by 2.07 seconds in the final of the women’s400 metres individual medley. Australia’s womenretained their Olympic title by winning the 4x100m
freestyle relay in world record time, with sisters Bronteand Cate Campbell swimming the last two stages tooverhaul the United States, despite the efforts of KatieLedecky on the anchor leg. Mack Horton’s victory in themen’s 400 freestyle also meant Australia had already dou-bled their gold medal tally from a disappointing showingfour years ago.
The day’s record spree began with Britain’s AdamPeaty, who broke his own world mark of 57.92 in theheats of the 100 breaststroke when he clocked 57.55.Tipped to become the first British man to win an Olympicgold since 1988, he then swam 57.62 in the semi-finals.
FIRST HONOURS TO JAPANIn the first of four evening finals, Japan’s Kosuke
Hagino won the men’s 400m individual medley, the gru-
elling discipline that combines butterfly, backstroke,breaststroke and freestyle. Hagino, the bronze medallistin 2012, won with a time of four minutes, 6.05 seconds toend a U.S. stranglehold on the event dating back to 1996.
Chase Kalisz of the United States, who had beenfastest in the heats, finished second and Japan’s DaiyaSeto took the bronze. In the men’s 400 freestyle,Australia’s Horton edged out defending champion SunYang of China and Italy’s Gabriele Detti, pulling ahead inthe final quarter after shadowing Britain’s James Guy andConor Dwyer of the US for much of the race. Hosszu thengrabbed the spotlight with a stunning victory in the 400individual medley.
Having suffered a nightmare Olympics in London,where she started as a hot medal prospect but cameaway empty-handed, she led from start to finish and
stormed down the final length with the crowd roaringher on to the record.
“It’s just crazy that I’ve been able to swim two secondsfaster than anyone ever, ever did. It’s just crazy,” said theHungarian, who will also contest the 200 IM, 200 butter-fly and 100 and 200 backstroke.
In the women’s relay, the Australians led off withEmma McKeon while Brittany Elmslie swam the secondleg before Bronte Campbell overhauled the Americansand handed over to sister Cate, who touched in threeminutes, 30.65 seconds, beating the previous worldrecord of 3:30.98 they set in Glasgow in 2014.
“Definitely my favourite race ever,” said Cate Campbell.“In an Olympic final with my sister and two girls I haveknown since I was 12, 13 years old - and a gold and aworld record.” — Reuters
Golden start for Australia on day of records
SWIMMING
RIO DE JANEIRO: China’s bid for shoot-ing gold came up short on the openingday of the Rio Olympics and was notlooking good yesterday’s day two after atwo-time defending gold medalist failedto qualify.
Zhang Mengxue gladly picked up theslack, continuing China’s dominance inwomen’s 10-meter air pistol. Zhang over-came some early jitters in the finals withsome big scores on Sunday, earningChina’s fourth air pistol gold in the pastfive Games.
“I remember a coach told me once,the only person who could destroy mewas myself,” Zhang said through aninterpreter. “So I just did my utmost tobe myself today.”
China has dominated the air rifle andpistol shooting events at the Olympics,earning nine gold medals since the 2000Sydney Games.
The Chinese came up short of goldthe first day in Rio, finishing with a silverand a pair of bronze medals. China’s bidfor gold in women’s air pistol seemed totake a big hit when Guo Wenjun, thetwo-time defending champion, strug-gled in qualifying and finished 30th.
Zhang qualified sixth for the eight-person elimination finals and openedwith three straight 9s with a field thatseemed to struggle with nerves early.She steadied herself with a 10.8 on herfifth shot and took the lead after eightshots. Zhang stretched her lead as thecompetition continued and all butlocked up gold with a perfect 10.9 in thepenultimate round. She finished with199.4 points in the 20-round final, put-ting her 2.3 ahead of Russia’s VitalinaBatsarashkina.
“Before the last shot, I knew I was in
an advantage, but I wanted to concen-trate,” Zhang said. “So I did my utmoston the last shot.” All three medals wentto first-time Olympians after AnnaKorakaki captured bronze to become thefirst Greek woman to earn an Olympicmedal in shooting.
“I’m really excited that I’m the firstwoman through all these years to win anOlympic medal,” said Korakaki, who had177.7 points through 18 rounds. — AP
LONDON: Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s winner ensuredthat Jose Mourinho’s reign at Manchester Unitedgot off to a winning start as the FA Cup holdersbeat champions Leicester City 2-1 in England’sCommunity Shield season curtain-raiser atWembley yesterday.
Ibrahimovic leapt above Leicester captain WesMorgan in the 83rd minute to head AntonioValencia’s cross beyond Kasper Schmeichel, mark-ing his official debut with a decisive contribution.
Jamie Vardy had earlier equalised after capitalis-ing on a hideous lapse from Marouane Fellaini fol-lowing Jesse Lingard’s superb solo opener in the31st minute.
United, who confirmed in an official statementbefore the match that Juventus have given mid-fielder Paul Pogba permission to have a medicalwith the club, started brightly, with Wayne Rooney
and Ibrahimovic forming a lively forward pairing.Another new signing, Eric Bailly, made an
encouraging start, although he was regularly test-ed by Vardy, who displayed the same tenacity anddirectness that characterised his excellent perform-ances last term.
Leicester threatened on the break, and Vardy’sfine interplay with Shinji Okazaki resulted in thelatter sending a lofted shot just wide of David DeGea’s goal in the 18th minute. Okazaki was deniedby the crossbar a minute later when he met MarcAlbrighton’s corner with a powerful header as thechampions served a warning of their offensivethreat. However, it was Lingard who opened thescoring after the half-hour mark.
The forward, whose sublime volley settled theFA Cup final against Crystal Palace in May, pickedthe ball up inside the Leicester half and slalomed
past a quartet of attempted blocks before firing alow shot beyond Schmeichel. The pace and move-ment of Leicester’s half-time substitute AhmedMusa unsettled United and Vardy equalised soonafter the break, latching on to a blind backpassfrom Fellaini before rounding De Gea and finishingemphatically into an empty net in the 52ndminute.
Schmeichel was forced out of his area to snuffout a pair of United attacks as Mourinho’s sidepushed for a winner, while Musa missed thechance to become an instant hero at his new clubwhen he sent an effort onto the roof of the net.Ultimately, it was Ibrahimovic who made the differ-ence. Having vowed to win a trophy in his firstmatch with United, he duly did so by rising to meetValencia’s cross and deliver the first silverwear ofthe Mourinho era. — Reuters
Ibrahimovic gives Mourinho
first trophy at Man United
LONDON: Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney holds the trophy after Manchester won the Community Shield soccer match against LeicesterCity, at Wembley stadium in London, yesterday. — AP
Zhang gives China another
women’s air pistol gold
SHOOTING
RIO DE JANEIRO: Gold medal winnerChina's Zhang Mengxue celebrates onthe podium during the medal ceremonyfor the women's 10m air pistol shootingevent at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games atthe Olympic Shooting Centre in Rio deJaneiro yesterday. — AFP
BusinessMONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016
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An aerial view shows the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine on April 26, 2006. From the air, one can see the damaged reactor encased in cement and steel, image left, put in place after the 1986 explo-sion to cut down on radiation leaking into the environment. —AP
KIEV: Imagine one of the largest solar farmsever at the site of the world’s worst man-made nuclear disaster that struck Chernobylin modern-day Ukraine and sowed panicacross Europe. That is the grand vision ofUkrainian Environment Minister OstapSemerak, backed up by big-time investorssuch as the European Bank for Reconstructionand Development (EBRD).
The Chernobyl catastrophe of April 1986 leftthousands dead or dying and created a con-taminated no-man’s land in northern Ukrainein which only a few hundred elderly people stillcling on to their homes. The 30-kilometre-wide“exclusion zone” surrounding the stricken sta-tion is primarily covered in forests and filledwith radiation levels that make most foods pro-duced there unsafe. But Ukraine believes thereare also around 6,000 hectares of open land
that can be filled with solar panels that mayone day produce about as much energy asChernobyl’s ill-fated reactor number four did inits time.
The EBRD has already said it was willing tosupport the project as long as Ukraine attract-ed the $1 billion (1.1 billion Euros) needed tofulfill its first stage. “A fairly large number ofvarious companies across the world are inter-ested,” Semerak told AFP. “I think that, in case ofsuccessful negotiations, this project could belaunched in full next year.”
Baby steps Ukraine is keen to break its dependence on
energy giant Russia in the wake of a 2014 pro-EU revolution that was followed by theKremlin’s annexation of Crimea and the out-break of a pro-Moscow insurgency in the coun-
try’s east that has claimed more than 9,500lives. About 50 percent of the former Sovietrepublic’s energy is still produced by itsremaining nuclear stations. Thermal powergeneration makes up for much of the rest.
Official statistics show solar panels account-ing for less than one percent of the energyconsumed in Ukraine. The very first stage ofthe project should see Ukraine partner up withtwo private foreign firms to build a few smallsolar plants that generate about six megawattsof power by the end of this year. That is still justa tiny fraction of the 4,000 megawatts pumpedout by Chernobyl in its Soviet-era heydays.
Semerak thinks investors will be drawnby existing electricity lines and a profes-sional personnel that is working on clean-ing up the remainders of the Chernobyl sta-tion and installing a giant dome around it
to keep the atmosphere safe.Semerak adds that purchasing land
required for the solar farm is remarkably cheapbecause it is unsafe for farming and has littleother use. “The radiation level have droppedimmeasurably over the past 30 years,” Semeraksaid in a telephone interview. “Of course, thisterritory still cannot be used for farming,” hesaid. “But it is suitable for innovative and scien-tific project.” Semerak added that the project’ssuccess would create other possibilities forwhat is considered one of the most unhealthyparts of Europe that would see Chernobylbecome an “innovation zone”.
Investment risks Yet questions remain about whether
Semerak’s plan is actually feasible. Foreigninvestors view Ukraine with a great deal of cau-
tion because of the separatist conflict and itstensions with Russia as well as corruption thathas permeated both the government in Kievand the regions.
“I think this project will require a great dealof money,” Dmytro Lukomsky of the Rentechnosolar station construction firm told AFP. “If wefind the investors, the prospects are fairly good.And if we do not-the chances of things workingout are small.” Energy expert Oleksiy Khabatyuknoted that Ukraine only this year crawled out ofa two-year recession and the prospects forfuture growth were minimal because of endlesspolitical upheaval and tensions with Russia.“The instability that we see in our economy, inour political life and the military threat-none ofthese things stimulate the attraction of invest-ments,” Khabatyuk said. “The overall investmentclimate is not attractive.” —AFP
Ukraine sees solar as Chernobyl’s future$1 billion needed to fulfill its first stage
DUBAI: Second-quarter earnings in SaudiArabia’s petrochemical industry beatexpectations as producers reaped thebenefits of volatile oil prices, but compa-nies look unlikely to be as lucky in the sec-ond half of this year. Combined net profitsof the kingdom’s 14 listed petrochemicalfirms, announced over the past couple ofweeks, fell by a fifth from a year earlier to6.8 billion riyals ($1.8 billion) in the April-June period, but they beat the forecasts ofanalysts, who had on average expected a40 percent plunge.
Two firms posted profits while analystshad predicted losses. Saudi Kayan, an affil-iate of Saudi Basic Industries (SABIC),swung to a net profit of 91.0 million riyals($24.3 million), ending a run of fivestraight quarterly losses and exceedinganalysts’ average estimate of a loss of184.2 million riyals. That was good newsfor Saudi Arabia’s stock market, wherepetrochemical firms account for about aquarter of the bourse’s capitalization of$385 billion.
To a large degree, however, profit mar-gins were inflated by fortunate timing inthe way oil and feedstock prices movedduring the period - a pattern which maynot be repeated. “Higher spreads pushedup margins, which exceeded expectations,but this is not sustainable as oil prices
have started to decline,” said MohammadAl-Shammasi, chief investment officer ofRiyadh-based Derayah Financial. SaudiArabia’s petrochemical sector is underpressure from two sides. In foreign mar-kets, it faces weak petrochemical pricesand competition; combined revenuesdropped 16 percent in the second quarter,in line with analysts’ forecasts.
Huge budget deficit Meanwhile, costs are rising at home
after the government, grappling with ahuge budget deficit due to low oil prices,cut feedstock, fuel and electric power sub-sidies in its 2016 budget. More subsidycuts are expected in coming years, furtherreducing Saudi firms’ cost advantage overforeign rivals. So far, however, oil pricemoves have worked to the firms’ advan-tage. In the first quarter of 2016, whenmany companies bought feedstock, Brentcrude oil was around $30-35 a barrel,keeping feedstock prices low.
A rebound of oil prices, to a range of$40-50 in the second quarter, let firms sellproducts made with this feedstock at fatprofit margins. National IndustrializationCo swung to a quarterly profit after fivestraight quarters of losses because of highspreads across propane-derived products.Saudi propane prices rose 7.4 percent in
the second quarter compared to the firstquarter but prices of polypropylene, theend-product, increased about 13.5 per-cent, Aljazira Capital said.
The biggest firm, SABIC, reported a23.2 percent drop in second-quarter profitto 4.74 billion riyals, but came ahead ofanalysts’ forecast of 3.92 billion riyals.Producers took advantage of favorablespreads by operating their facilities closeto, and in some cases beyond, full capacityin the second quarter, said Jassim Al-Jubran, analyst at Aljazira Capital.
But the profitable divergence betweenfeedstock and petrochemical productprices will only continue if oil prices keeprising steadily in the months to come.Analysts said such an uptrend lookedunlikely in the coming months. In fact,Brent has been trending lower since earlyJune, and now stands at around $45 com-pared to $50 at mid-year. “A stabilization inoil prices will adjust margins and bringthem back down again,” said Iyad Ghulam,head of research at NCB Capital. SanthoshBalakrishnan, equity analyst at RiyadCapital, said: “Barring any event that willswing oil violently in either direction, Ithink petrochemical earnings are set to fallfor full-year 2016,” though he added thedrop was unlikely to be as sharp as the fallof three-fifths seen in 2015. —Reuters
Saudi petchem industrymargins benefit from oil
Gulf starts week on strong footing, Egypt slips back
MIDEAST STOCKSDUBAI: Strength in international equities markets at the end oflast week helped lift share prices in the Gulf on Sunday with mar-kets most exposed to foreign capital inflows outperforming, whileEgypt slipped on profit-taking. Dubai’s index climbed 1.1 percent.Four-fifths of the traded shares advanced, with companies whichhave not yet reported quarterly earnings attracting the most vol-ume. Builder Arabtec climbed 3.4 percent and amusement parkdeveloper Dubai Parks and Resorts added 1.7 percent.
Blue chips helped push Qatar’s index up 1.0 percent withVodafone Qatar advancing 2.4 percent. Pertrochemical conglom-erate Industries Qatar, which reported strong earnings late lastweek, jumped 3.9 percent. Abu Dhabi’s index edged up 0.4 per-cent as local traders bought small and mid-cap stocks. InsurerMethaq Takaful Insurance jumped 8.1 percent in heavy trade andAbu Dhabi National Energy rose 2.0 percent. In Saudi Arabia theequities index rose 0.7 percent as all 14 petrochemical stocksadvanced; heavyweight Saudi Basic Industries added 0.6 percent.
Nama Chemicals, a small petrochemical producer, added 3.3percent after it announced its board had recommended a 30 per-cent share capital increase through a rights issue valued at 400million riyals ($106.7 million). The company said proceeds wouldbe used to finance the production of new specialty chemicals.Large-cap companies in other sectors also gained with telecom-munications operator Etihad Etisalat (Mobily) climbing 4.1 percentand retailer Jarir Marketing advancing 4.3 percent.
EgyptCairo’s main index fell 0.4 percent, ending three sessions of gains
that had taken the benchmark to a 13-month high on Thursday.Losers outnumbered gainers 13 to 12 as foreign funds were net sell-
ers of Egyptian shares, bourse data showed. Telecommunicationsoperator Global Telecom Holding lost 3.3 percent.
Some second-tier stocks seen as laggards rose sharply, howev-er, with GB Auto surging 5.7 percent. Oriental Weavers, which hadjumped 10.0 percent on Thursday after it announced a five-yearplan to boost production capacity across all product lines,climbed a further 6.9 percent. On Thursday Egypt said it was mak-ing good progress in negotiations with the InternationalMonetary Fund on a loan program, and expected parliament topass a long-awaited value-added tax by early September. “AsCairo inches closer to inking a deal with the IMF, the stock marketwill continue to be supported,” said Wafik Dawood, portfolio man-ager at Cairo-based Compass Capital. —Reuters
Gold prices drop sharply KUWAIT: Gold prices fell sharply on Friday after announcing USlabor market’s data which had also an impact on the US Dollarand global markets, said a Kuwaiti expert yesterday. Despite therelease of the data that created 255,000 jobs in the US labormarket and stabilized unemployment rate by 9.4 percent, it ledto a rise in the exchange rate of US Dollar, Rajab Hamed, CEO ofSabayik Al-Kuwait Company, told KUNA in an interview.
There is an inverse relationship between the US Dollar andgold prices; a rise in the former leads to a decline in the latterand vice versa, he said, noting that gold prices dropped fromUSD 1,365 per ounce to USD 1335 as a result of releasing thedata. He pointed out that the gold prices stabled at USD 1,335per ounce as a result of increased demand for US Dollar as adecline in gold increases purchases. —KUNA
B U S I N E S SMONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016
EXCHANGE RATES
Al-Muzaini Exchange Co.
CURRENCY BUY SELLASIAN COUNTRIES
Japanese Yen 2.975Indian Rupees 4.532Pakistani Rupees 2.905Srilankan Rupees 2.084Nepali Rupees 2.189Singapore Dollar 226.650Hongkong Dollar 39.046Bangladesh Taka 3.860Philippine Peso 6.463Thai Baht 8.720
GCC COUNTRIESSaudi Riyal 80.790Qatari Riyal 83.210ani Riyal 786.902Bahraini Dinar 804.570UAE Dirham 82.484
ARAB COUNTRIESEgyptian Pound - Cash 29.975Egyptian Pound - Transfer 34.486Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.216Tunisian Dinar 137.320Jordanian Dinar 427.500Lebanese Lira/for 1000 2.019Syrian Lira 2.0159Morocco Dirham 31.137
EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIESUS Dollar Transfer 302.800Euro 339.140
Malaysian Ringgit 75.755Chinese Yuan Renminbi 45.845Thai Bhat 9.610Turkish Lira 101.174
CURRENCY BUY SELLEurope
British Pound 0.389942 0.404942Czech Korune 0.004488 0.016488Danish Krone 0.041314 0.046314Euro 0.0330894 0.0339894Norwegian Krone 0.031871 0.037071Romanian Leu 0.086803 0.086803Slovakia 0.009016 0.019016Swedish Krona 0.031490 0.036490Swiss Franc 0.302849 0.313849Turkish Lira 0.097238 0.107538
AustralasiaAustralian Dollar 0.222954 0.234954New Zealand Dollar 0.210462 0.219962
AmericaCanadian Dollar 0.224931 0.233931Georgina Lari 0.136668 0.136668US Dollars 0.298500 0.303200US Dollars Mint 0.299000 0.303200
AsiaBangladesh Taka 0.003387 0.003971Chinese Yuan 0.044104 0.047604Hong Kong Dollar 0.036942 0.039692
Indian Rupee 0.004327 0.004716Indonesian Rupiah 0.000019 0.000025Japanese Yen 0.002914 0.003094Kenyan Shilling 0.003112 0.003112Korean Won 0.000262 0.000277Malaysian Ringgit 0.072141 0.078141Nepalese Rupee 0.002853 0.003023Pakistan Rupee 0.002721 0.003011Philippine Peso 0.006329 0.006629Sierra Leone 0.000067 0.000073Singapore Dollar 0.220433 0.230433South African Rand 0.016173 0.024673Sri Lankan Rupee 0.001656 0.002236Taiwan 0.009305 0.009485Thai Baht 0.008317 0.008867
ArabBahraini Dinar 0.796083 0.804583Egyptian Pound 0.025253 0.030371Iranian Riyal 0.000084 0.000085Iraqi Dinar 0.000181 0.000241Jordanian Dinar 0.422641 0.431641Kuwaiti Dinar 1.000000 1.000000Lebanese Pound 0.000146 0.000246Moroccan Dirhams 0.019613 0.043613Nigerian Naira 0.001248 0.001883Omani Riyal 0.779554 0.785234Qatar Riyal 0.082305 0.083755Saudi Riyal 0.079607 0.080907Syrian Pound 0.001282 0.001502Tunisian Dinar 0.133805 0.141805Turkish Lira 0.097238 0.107538UAE Dirhams 0.080962 0.082662Yemeni Riyal 0.001367 0.001447
Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd
Rate for Transfer Selling RateUS Dollar 303.300Canadian Dollar 230.225Sterling Pound 397.020Euro 336.920Swiss Frank 298.195Bahrain Dinar 801.000UAE Dirhams 82.725Qatari Riyals 83.940Saudi Riyals 81.520Jordanian Dinar 426.955Egyptian Pound 34.024Sri Lankan Rupees 2.083Indian Rupees 4.530Pakistani Rupees 2.889Bangladesh Taka 3.855Philippines Pesso 6.456Cyprus pound 159.680Japanese Yen 3.970Syrian Pound 2.405Nepalese Rupees 3.830
Sterling Pound 399.700Canadian dollar 232.030Turkish lira 101.540Swiss Franc 312.160Australian Dollar 234.370US Dollar Buying 301.600
GOLD20 Gram 269.68010 Gram 137.6805 Gram 69.690
Bahrain Exchange Company
BoE expands its stimulus programUS non-farm payrolls beat market expectations
Markaz: Most of the MENA markets end July in green
KUWAIT: Kuwait Financial Centre “Markaz” recentlyreleased its Monthly Market Research report. In thisreport, Markaz examines and analyzes the perform-ance of equity markets in the MENA region as wellas the global equity markets for the month of July.
The report stated that July was a marginally posi-tive month for the MENA indices, with most marketsending the month in green, as positive quarterlyearnings led to increased investor activity. Marketsin Egypt (13.1%), Qatar (7.3%) and Dubai (5.2%) per-formed well, while Saudi’s TASI (-3.0%) and Kuwaitweighted (-0.2%) indices lagged behind. The nega-tive performance of the largest GCC market led toflat performance of S&P GCC index. Other indiceswitnessed slight rise in index values, despite thesteepest monthly fall in oil prices in 2016. EgyptHRMS index rose in the last week of the month, asthe country’s plan to secure a USD 12bn loan fromthe International Monetary Fund (IMF) was close tofruition. The loan is being sought to ease a cripplingdollar squeeze, and restore confidence in the econo-my, and would be the fund’s biggest aid package ina region that has been pummeled by political unrestand oil price fall.
The report added that blue chips drove Qatar’sindex surge, with real estate (8.52%), telecoms(7.94%) and banking stocks (7.1%) performing wellin July. The recently announced Qatar’s fuel subsidyreform will also help shrink its budget deficit byreducing expenditures; a move that will help invest-ments in private sector. Saudi index fell due to fall inoil price, and the continued resilience of shale oil, asincreasingly efficient US shale production continuesto drive a wedge in OPEC’s strategy of flooding themarket with excess crude.
Blue Chips had a mixed July, with EmaarProperties (UAE) and Ezdan Holdings (Qatar) endingthe month at the top, gaining 10% and 9.6%, respec-tively. National Commercial Bank (Saudi Arabia) andFirst Gulf Bank (UAE) witnessed a slump, losing 6.0%and 4.4%, respectively. Positive Q2 results con-tributed to improved market performance for mostcompanies in the region, as investors returned tothe markets post Ramadan. Dubai ’s EmaarProperties reported a 8% rise in Q2 net profit, asstrong investor demand led to higher revenuerecognition. Ezdan Holdings half-yearly profit wentup 8%, driven by rise in operations. Despite postinga profit of 3.2% in Q2, shares of National CommercialBank declined the most in July, as the bank pro-posed a lower dividend for the first half of the year,as compared to the previous year. Q2 profits of FirstGulf Bank slipped 10%, meeting analyst estimates,while the merger between FGB and National Bank ofAbu Dhabi was confirmed early in July.
Rise in Debt issuanceAccording to IIF, GCC countries are turning to
both domestic and foreign debt markets to financetheir rising fiscal deficits, and this trend is likely topersist in the short to medium term. Since mid-2014,the drop in oil prices has shifted the large aggregatecurrent account surpluses of GCC countries, accu-mulated in the past decade, to a deficit of USD 35bnin 2015, and this is expected to widen to USD 89bnor 6.5% of the GDP in 2016. The large resident capi-tal outflows in the form of investments, whichpeaked at USD 384bn in 2013, have virtually disap-peared, and international reserves are being used tofund widening deficits. Prior to 2016, GCC sovereigndebt issuance had been relatively sparse, barringBahrain, particularly in foreign currency, and usuallyreserved for benchmarking or for monetary policypurposes. Thus far, in 2016, both Abu Dhabi andQatar have tapped international markets with size-able issues.
Fall in Real Estate transactionsSaudi Arabia has registered a sharp drop of 56.7%
in the total weekly sales, settling at USD 0.5bn, thelowest weekly level in a decade. Experts claim thisdrop in sales was caused by the low demand thatfollowed the implementation of the so-called whiteland fees regulation, which pushed people whowant to buy properties to wait for a real decline inprices.
Oil Market ReviewBrent crude fell sharply by 14.5% in the month of
July, closing at USD 42.46 per barrel; the lowestclose in 4months. Oil output from the Middle Eastrose to a record high in June, with production risingabove 31mn barrels per day for the third month run-ning. Supply from the Organization of the PetroleumExporting Countries has risento 33.41 million barrelsper day (bpd) in July from a revised 33.31 millionbpd in June, adding downward pressure on prices.
NBK MONEY MARKET REPORT
US Non-Farm Payrolls jumped in Julyfor a second month and wagesclimbed, pointing to renewed
strength in the US labor market that is like-ly to sustain consumer spending into thesecond half of the year. Indeed, the weekended on news that the US economy cre-ated 255,000 new jobs in July against180,000 expected but down from June’supwardly revised 292,000. Unemploymentrate stood unchanged at 4.9% in July,against expectations of 4.8%.
According to the report, the rate of hir-ing is more than enough to gradually elim-inate labor-market slack, a goal of FederalReserve officials who’ve kept interest rateslow to spur growth. Wage growth offeredmore promising signs of acceleration, withaverage hourly earnings for workersincreased by 8 cents, or 0.3%to $25.69from June to July. From a year earlier, aver-age hourly earnings were up 2.6%. Theaverage weekly hours of work rose 0.1hour to 34.5 hours in July from 34.4 hoursin June. The strong labor markets andwage data indicate a continuation ofhealthy households this year despite allthe global worries.
Despite the positive US news, renewedquestions about the global growth picturehave investors pricing in little chance of aninterest-rate increase at the Fed’s 21September meeting and only 35% odds ofa move by year end. These uncertain timeshave clearly weighed on the Fed’s outlookand potential monetary policy actions. Onthe currency front, the Euro opened theweek at 1.1173against the US Dollar andmanaged to reach a short lived high at1.1233. The pair slowly weakened as spec-ulations heightened over further stimulusmeasures by the ECB and the strong com-ing US data. The currency closed the weekat 1.1090.
The Sterling Pound opened the week at1.3229 and reached a high of 1.3371against USD ahead of the Bank of Englandmeeting. However, the Pound quicklyweakened and reached a low of 1.3099after the MPC lowered its interest ratesbenchmark. Indeed, the Monetary PolicyCommittee introduced a larger thanexpected monetary policy easing program.A new Term Funding System has beenlaunched to help banks pass on lower ratesand mitigate any adverse impact on thebanking sector.
Although there had been some expecta-tion of further quantitative easing, the BoEwent big with an announcement of 60 bil-lion Pound of gilt purchases and a 10billionPound corporate bond buying program.The BoE Governor said the MPC needed toact decisively as the Brexit vote had causeda “regime change”. The question remainswhether all this additional QE will have asignificant impact on the real economy.Yields are already extremely low and uncer-tainty is the largest impediment to growth.The stimulus package may support confi-dence but the BoE still forecasts a signifi-cant economic downturn. The Currencymanaged to close the week at 1.3075.
In Asia, the Japanese Yen remains as asafe haven for investors and keeps onextending its value compared to the othercurrencies. The outperformance on the Yencontinues to pressure Japanese equities aswell. The USDJPY opened the week at102.05 and managed to reach a low of100.6538 as the BOJ disappointed marketswith a less aggressive than expected eas-ing. The pair closed the week at 101.80after the strong US data.
On the commodities side, oil prices felllast week, pushing US crude back below$40 a barrel as persistent worries of a sur-plus offset the impact of a weak dollar thatinitially supported the market. Gold priceson the other hand continue to trade high-er surging on Thursday following anannouncement from the Bank of Englandthat it would lower interest rates and pres-ent further monetary stimulus. The proba-bilities of additional stimulus packagefrom BoJ, ECB and BoE have causedinvestors continuous demand for the pre-cious metal.
Personal Consumption Expendituresincreased below forecasts
US Personal Consumption Expendituresincreased by 0.1% in June, slightly belowmarket forecasts of a 0.2% increase follow-ing a gain of 0.2% over the previous month.The gains are reflected by an uptick inspending for gas, electricity and healthcareservices, which were partially offset by areduction in spending in new vehicles.Over the past twelve months, the PCE PriceIndex has increased by 0.9% howeverremaining unchanged from the year-over-year gains exhibited in May.
The core PCE Index, which strips outvolatile food and energy prices, rose by0.1% in June, in line with market expecta-tions and below May’s 0.2% monthlyincrease. On an annual basis, core personalconsumption expenditures have risen by1.6%. During last week’s Federal OpenMarket Committee meeting, the committeesaid market based measures of inflationcontinue to remain low, as the core PCE
index hovers below its long-term targetedobjective of 2%.
Slowing US ISM manufacturing The Institute for Supply Management
index of manufacturing activities droppedby 0.6% to 52.6 in July from 53.2 in June,however missing market expectations of53.0. The index has now increased for fivestraight months. Construction spendinghowever fell in July. On a different front, theInstitute for Supply Management Non-manufacturing Index showed a level of55.5 in July, one point lower than the Junereading of 56.5. This represents a continuedgrowth in the non-manufacturing sectorthough at a slower rate.
EUROPE & UKEuro Zone Final Manufacturing
PMI dropsThe final Manufacturing PMI came at
52.0 in July, down from June’s six-monthhigh of 52.8 and slightly above estimatesof 51.9. The PMI has now signaled expan-sion for 37 consecutive months. The mainfactor underlying the drop in the headlineindex was a softer positive contributionfrom new order growth. Although the rateof job creation came lower, it remainedamong the fastest registered over the pastfive years. This partly reflected further solidgrowth in production volumes, which heldsteady at June’s six-month peak. Exportsalso improved, although at a slightly slow-er pace, in part supported by the weakEuro exchange rate. The downside of aweaker Euro directly affected an increasein import costs, alongside higher oil prices,
led to the first increase in average pur-chase prices for a year.
Austria and the Netherlands were thebest performers and also saw markedexpansions during July. In Austria’s casethis reflected a slight deceleration from therecent highs in output and new ordergrowth achieved in June, whereas theNetherlands posted mild accelerations.Both nations registered quicker rates of jobcreation. The upturns in Italy and Spain lostmomentum during July, with the Italianand Spanish PMI hitting 18 and 31-monthslows respectively. Italy reported weakerincreases in production, new orders andemployment.
UK Construction PMI beat expectations UK Construction PMI signaled a further
downturn in construction output for themonth of July. Construction PurchasingManagers index indicated a 45.9 level inJuly, slightly down from 46.0 in June andbelow the 50.0 threshold for the second
month running. In parallel, new order vol-umes fell at a slower pace than the three-and-a-half year low seen in June. Economistshad suggested that economic uncertaintyfollowing the EU referendum was the mainfactor weighing on business activity in July,especially in the commercial building sector.There were also reports however suggestingthat demand patterns had been moreresilient than expected, and some firmslinked new enquiries from internationalclients to exchange rate depreciation.
BoE cuts interest rates The Bank of England cut its interest rates
for the first time in more than seven yearsand will restart the printing press after the“Brexit” vote. Officials, led by GovernorMark Carney, slashed their growth forecastsby the most ever and voted unanimouslyto reduce the benchmark by 25 basispoints to a record-low 0.25%. While sayingthey had scope to do more if needed,including taking the interest rate close tozero, they also announced a plan to lend asmuch as 100 billion pounds to banks toensure the measures reach the real econo-my. The Monetary Policy Committee’smeasures include a plan to buy 60 billionpounds of government bonds over sixmonths, as much as 10 billion pounds ofcorporate bonds in the next 18 months anda potential 100 billion-pound loan programfor banks.
According to the governor Carney, “Wetook these steps because the economicoutlook has changed markedly, Indicatorshave all fallen sharply, in most cases to lev-
els last seen in the financial crisis, and insome cases to all-time lows.” On the topic ofnegative interest rates, he said. “I’m not afan of negative interest rates,” noting thatthey had produced “negative conse-quences” elsewhere.
As mentioned above, growth forecast fornext year were cut to 0.8% from 2.3% andlowered its 2018 prediction to 1.8% from2.3%. According to the BoE report, “recentsurveys of business activity, confidence andoptimism suggest that the UK is likely to seelittle growth in GDP in the second half ofthis year.” This year’s growth forecast wasleft unchanged at 2%. For the current quar-ter, the BOE predicts an expansion of just0.1%.
ASIA The RBA lowers cash rate to all-time low
The Reserve Bank of Australia loweredthe cash rate to an all-time low by 25 basispoints to 1.5% as expected by most marketparticipants. This is the second easing this
year as it seeks to defend the economy fromdeflation and restrain a currency that’s toostrong. The RBA maintained that the econo-my continues to grow “at a lower than aver-age pace”. And, “recent data confirm thatinflation remains quite low”.
In its quarterly statement, the RBA pre-dicted annual growth of 2.5 to 3.5%through December, accelerating to around3 to 4% in 2018. Core inflation was expect-ed to remain below the 2% for most of theforecast period through 2018. While theRBA forecasts the currency to remain at cur-rent levels, “it represents a significant sourceof uncertainty” given its potential to react tochanged growth outlooks, commodityprices and policy decisions at home orabroad. China, also “remains an importantsource of uncertainty” from a possible slow-down in the property market to howauthorities balance supporting growthwhile enacting disruptive reforms.
Chinese manufacturing activity grew forthe first time in seventeen months in July asoutput and new orders increased. Outputhit a two-year high and new orders expand-ed at the fastest pace in seventeen monthsdue to a stronger domestic demand. TheCaixin China General Manufacturing PMIcame in at 50.6 for July, up significantly by2.0 points from the reading in June, mark-ing the first expansion since February 2015.The sub-indexes of output, new orders andinventory all surged past the neutral 50-point level that separates growth fromdecline. This indicates that the Chineseeconomy has begun to show signs of stabi-lizing due to the gradual implementation ofactive fiscal policy.
B U S I N E S SMONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016
LONDON: Italy’s troubled lenders are offering lucrativeopportunities for investment banks, with Monte deiPaschi di Siena set to pay some of the highest fees inEurope this year to arrange its high stakes rescue plan. Theemergency deal, orchestrated by Mediobanca andJPMorgan, to save the 544-year-old bank, will incur about250 million Euros ($278.43 million) in underwriting feesfor a proposed 5 billion euro capital hike, according tothree sources involved in the deal. That comes on top ofnearly 400 million Euros the bank has paid in the past twoyears for other capital hikes.
There is no certainty the proposed rescue plan will pro-ceed, but if it is carried out successfully, investment banksworking with Monte dei Paschi will have generated a pay-day of close to 1 billion Euros over the past three years,though the bank’s market value currently stands at 747million euros. “The scale of fees that potentially are therein the Italian banking market - from restructurings andconsolidation - are substantial,” said Peter Hahn, professorof banking at the London Institute of Banking & Finance.
Monte dei Paschi emerged as the worst performer inEuropean stress tests on July 29 and Italy’s largest lender,UniCredit , was also among the banks which fared badly.Monte dei Paschi’s poor showing in the tests - which pre-dicted its capital would be wiped out if there was a severeeconomic downturn - came despite it tapping investorsfor cash twice since 2014. Last year the bank paid 130 mil-lion euro to a pool of banks for a 3 billion euro cash call. In2014 it spent more than any other company in Europe oninvestment banking fees, paying advisers nearly $304 mil-lion for its 5 billion capital hike, according to ThomsonReuters data.
By contrast Deutsche Bank paid about 119 millionEuros ($133.18 million) in 2014 to underwriters for its 8 bil-lion euro capital hike, according to the prospectus for itsrights issue. A spokeswoman for Monte dei Paschideclined to comment for this story. If successful, thebank’s rescue plan will see even higher fees as it involvesthe creation of a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to hooverup Monte dei Paschi’s bad loans.
That part of the plan could net banks up to 300 millioneuros, sources said, pointing to the need for a 6 billioneuro syndicated bridge loan to provide financing to thespecial purpose vehicle to begin buying up the debt. Abridge loan - which Monte dei Paschi said in its turn-around plan is a possibility - is seen by sources asinevitable since the timetable to split the Tuscan lenderinto a good and bad bank and simultaneously raise cash istoo tight. Monte dei Paschi and its global coordinatorsJPMorgan and Mediobanca aim to carry out the cash callby the end of the year, most likely in November, thesources said. JPMorgan and Mediobanca declined to com-ment for this article. The large bill reflects the risk that thedeal will not happen because investors are reluctant tosign up to the capital increase due to Monte dei Paschi’shistory of failed turnaround plans, uncertain market con-ditions and fear of increased exposure to the euro zone’sthird largest economy. — Reuters
DUBAI: Al Mazaya Holding has acquiredthe remaining 50% stake of RitimIstanbul project in Turkey, raising itsshare of the project to 90%. The deal isvalued at 77 million Turkish Lira (around25 million USD). On this occasion, theGroup CEO of Al Mazaya Holding,Engineer Ibrahim Al Soqabi, said: “Thisacquisition reflects the confidence of AlMazaya in Ritim Istanbul project; it alsoreflects the high potential of the project(especially as 80% of it has already beensold while construction is reaching 95%completion) and it has yielded positivereturns on the company.”
He added: “ The deal has positive
financial returns for Al Mazaya from theprofits generated by the acquisition andalso from consolidating the project’s bal-ance sheet into ours-the handover ofthe project started in the second quar-ter of this year, which led to pocketingprofits from this handover process. Also,the revenue generated from leasing theretail space, which is already 60%leased, will yield positive financialreturns for Al Mazaya and contribute toits profitability in the coming period;this will prove to be particularly truewith Al Mazaya’s stake in the projectreaching 90%, which will be incorporat-ed into the company’s Q3 2016 balance
sheets and profits once all deal proce-dures are finalized.” The company alsostands to achieve extra profit from theacquired stake, which includes profitsfrom possible sales of the remaining res-idential units and offices, and also prof-its from the retail complex that is cur-rently offered for lease and already run-ning at 60% capacity.
Furthermore, Al Soqabi stated that AlMazaya has protected itself from curren-cy depreciation by ensuring leaseholdretail complexes are in Euros or its equiv-alent in Turkish Lira. This will protect thecompany from any consequences thatmay result from the depreciation of the
Turkish currency. Ritim Istanbul is con-sidered a large property project on39,000 square meters of land on theAsian side of Istanbul, and contains 6towers with presidential and officesunits. There is also a retail complexspread across over 22,000 square metersof land, encompassing 1,113 residentialunits, 147 retail shops and 113 offices.
The project also has a unique locationoverlooking Maltepe area, neighboringone of the most beautiful locations onthe Asian side overlooking the Princessislands. The project was designed andimplemented with the latest construc-tion methods, and its high quality
reflects its success. Al Soqabi conclud-ed: “Mazaya entered the Turkish markettwo years ago and aimed to diversify itsproperty investments and geographicreach in the region. In 2014, Mazayaensured that every possible protectivemeasure was in place before testingthe new Turkish market. We are verygrateful to have achieved our goaldespite the geopolitical struggles inthe region during the constructionperiod. It’s great to see that the compa-ny is gaining from its investment inRitim Istanbul project, especially aftercompletion and the handover of unitsto homeowners.
Al Mazaya Holding acquires 50% stake of Ritim Istanbul project
NAIROBI: When Kenya Airways published thecountry ’s worst-ever corporate results lastmonth, the scale of the loss revealed the effectsof several disastrous decisions that the nationalcarrier is struggling to reverse. The airline’s “Prideof Africa” slogan rang uncomfortably hollowwhen the 26.22-billion-shilling ($259-million)loss was announced, driven by higher borrowingcosts and unfavorable exchange rates. KenyaAirways, founded in 1977 following the demiseof East African Airways, was considered a cashcow just a decade ago, but is now floundering,said independent analyst Aly-Khan Satchu.
Record loss “In the history of Kenya, no other listed com-
pany has ever recorded such an important loss,”Satchu said. A misguided expansion strategylaunched in 2011 is the root of the catastrophicstate of the firm, a move that called for the pur-chase of new Boeing planes with the objectiveof doubling the size of its network. But sincethen the Ebola virus and terror attacks on thecontinent have decimated Africa’s tourist num-bers, while rivals such as state-owned EthiopianAirlines and Qatar Airways have boosted theirofferings.
The firm has also lost out on rock-bottom fuelprices. Like many airlines, it “hedges” its fuelcosts by entering into a fixed-price contracts. ButKenya Airways was locked into longer term con-tracts than most of its competitors, whichgained a competitive advantage as fuel priceshave plunged since mid-2014. Foreign currency“and fuel hedging are exceptional items, yes, buta company like KQ (Kenya Airways) should beable to deal with this,” said Satchu about the air-line’s latest results. To the dismay of KenyaAirways’ two biggest backers-Air France-KLMand the Kenyan government-the firm’s shareprice has dropped from 140 shillings in 2006 to3.85 shillings. The company’s debts exceed a bil-lion dollars.
National pride at stakeDespite the gloom, analysts still see some
cause for optimism in the numbers. Revenuewas up five percent and operating losses shrank
thanks to a series of shock treatments imposedon the airline by management last year. “Theoperational result is what I’ll take from the latestresults,” said Eric Musau, analyst at Kenya’sStandard Investment Bank. “KQ is on the righttrack, even if they could do a bit more in termsof assets sales,” he told AFP, describing the netloss as largely down to exceptional factors. Anumber of structural changes are beginning toshow fruit.
Kenya Airways has sold or rented out planesthat were sitting idle, reducing its fleet size by athird, and has rid itself of an expensive perma-nent landing slot at London’s Heathrow airport,opting to rent one instead. What is at stake ismore than just cash. “It is a matter of nationaland geopolitical interest for Kenya to have anational carrier. You can’t be the economicleader of the East African region if you don’thave a national carrier,” emphasized Satchu. “I
wonder whether Kenya’s shoulders are broadenough to rescue KQ again and again. Kenya isnot a country like UAE or Qatar,” which under-write world-class airlines such as Qatar Airways,he added.
Kenya Airways’ pilots have had a particularlyfraught relationship with management, which atone point suggested they could be lent on occa-sion to rapidly growing Ethiopian Airlines.Protests and strikes followed and the idea was
abandoned, but the firm still has to deal with abloated workforce left over from the disastrousexpansion plan. The fleet and those who fly it arein the sights of chief executive Mbuvi Ngunze.“The first thing that we are doing now is makingsure that we get our business at the right size inorder to grow responsibly, and that right size isboth revenue and costs,” he said. Ngunzeannounced in March the airline will cut 600 jobsout of its 4,000-strong workforce. — AFP
Kenya Airways: ‘Pride of Africa’
tries to stop a disastrous fall
Struggling to reverse streak of terrible decisions
NAIROBI: This file photo taken on August 14, 2009 shows Kenya Airways on the tarmac atNairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. — AFP
ABOU AL-MATAMIR: Men and women har-vest Merlot grapes under the scorching sunin one of Egypt’s up-and-coming vineyards,as the Muslim-majority desert countrystrives to win over international wine con-noisseurs. “It’s a great story, what we’vedone with Egyptian wine,” said a proudLabib Kallas, as he inspected vines plantedin reclaimed desert land north of Cairo on ahot day in July.
For decades a single Egyptian companyproduced wine that was derided by localsand expatriates alike, but today aficionadossay the North African country offers a vari-ety of good white wines. The vineyard thatKallas is visiting-which spans around 420acres some 50 kilometers north of the capi-tal-is just one of several providing grapes totwo companies now making wine in Egypt.Since the early 2000s, Kouroum of the Nile-where Kallas heads production-andDomaine de Gianaclis have launched anambitious quest: to revive the country’swine production by importing grape vari-eties from France, Italy and also Spain-Merlot, Syrah, Viognier and Vermentino.
Cairo’s upscale restaurants and bars usu-ally stock only Egyptian wine. In a some-what conservative society that mostlyviews alcohol negatively, authoritiesimpose a prohibitive custom tax of 3,000percent on imported wine. Originally prac-ticed in Egypt under the pharaohs, large-scale winemaking was resurrected underBritish colonialism, before the industrystarted declining after the army took overthe country in a 1952 coup. Today a dozenwine varieties of reds, whites and roses areavailable on the market. “We’ve planted alot of vines. We pay a lot of attention toquality,” said Sebastien Boudry, a Frenchwinemaker at Domaine de Gianaclis, nearAbu Al-Matamir, a village in the Nile Delta170 kilometers northwest of Cairo.
In 2002 the Heineken Group acquiredGianaclis, which had been nationalized inthe 1960s. The climate in Egypt is a chal-lenge to winemakers. They must account forscorching temperatures and compensate forthe almost total absence of rain usingsophisticated irrigation systems. “When it’sover 50 degrees, the vines cannot do muchbeyond surviving-let alone produce sugarsor aromatic substances,” said Boudry, whohandles 230 hectares of vineyards.
‘Fresh and fruity’The efforts appear to have been fruitful,
with some local wines grabbing interna-tional awards. They are “qualitatively good,nice and fresh,” said Jean-Baptiste Ancelot,founder of Wine Explorers, the world’s firstinventory of wine-producing countries.“Not necessarily great wines, but wines ofimmediate pleasure,” said Ancelot, who vis-ited Gianaclis in 2014. “The whites are themost successful. You can find wines that areboth fresh and very fruity-of the exotic fruittype: peach, pineapple, and a little passionfruit,” said the expert.
At Kouroum of the Nile-who say theirgrapes and wine are organic-the pride ofthe house is the white Beausoleil. It is theonly variety made 100 percent fromEgyptian grapes known as Banati, which in2016 won a silver medal at the internation-al wine contest in Brussels. The companyproduces more than two million litersannually: between 700,000 and 800,000bottles for individuals, with the rest-morethan two thirds-distributed in bags-in-box-es to Cairo hotels. But with few touristscoming to Egypt over the past six yearsamid the bloody crackdown and jihadistattacks that followed the 2011 uprising, thewine industry is struggling to absorb theseshocks. “Tourism accounts for more than 70percent of production. If the tourists do notreturn, we will have to look into exporting,”said Shaker Nawal, marketing director atKouroum of the Nile. But it is difficult toimagine the niche industry competing withWestern heavyweights-or even those in theregion such as Lebanon, which producesmore than eight million bottles a year andexports a third of its production. “This willremain a curiosity wine,” said Kallas, aLebanese living in Egypt.
“A Parisian who orders an Egyptian wineat a restaurant rather than French orSpanish wine must have a curious nature.”But he thinks the company’s wine can pen-etrate Asian markets. As he sat enjoying anEgyptian Omar Khayyam rose with friendsby the Nile, Dutch ambassador GerardSteeghs was optimistic. When he firstarrived in Egypt, he said he was told: “Thereis the ‘headache wine’ and there is the winethat is ok. But there is no good wine.” Today“they still have the ‘headache wine’, but youalso have really good wine,” he said. — AFP
CAIRO: People shop at a liquor store in the Zamalek district. — AFP
Egypt wineries struggling
to revive derided industry
KUWAIT: Mezzan Holding KSC, one of thelargest manufacturers and distributors offood, beverage, FMCG and pharmaceuticalproducts in the Gulf, announced the com-pany ’s f inancial results for Q2 2016.Second quarter Revenue increased toKD52.8 mil l ion, representing a 2.4%increase on the same period in 2015, thusbringing its year-to-date Revenue toKD108.5 mill ion, representing a 3.9%increase on the same period in 2015.
Mezzan Holding CEO, Garry Walsh, said:“We were pleased with our overall per-formance given some of the macro-eco-nomic challenges across the markets weoperate in as we highlighted earlier in theyear. Our consumer staple por tfoliodemonstrated its resilience in these mar-ket conditions, while new business, distri-bution gains, and market share gains insome of our key businesses in Kuwait,Jordan and Qatar added to the growthmomentum. We are also pleased toannounce that we are making goodprogress on the creation of the our previ-ously announced joint-venture in SaudiArabia that will give Mezzan Holdingaccess to the Gulf’s largest food and con-sumer market. We expect to finalize thetransaction in four weeks.”
In June, the company announced thatit is in talks with Saudi Arabia’s Al FaisaliahGroup, a leading diversified businessgroup, for the establishment of a jointventure in Saudi’s food manufacturing anddistribution sector. The joint venture willenable Mezzan Holding to manufacture,market and distribute food products in
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and award itexclusive rights to continue to manufac-ture, market and distribute Al FaisaliahGroup’s bakery and snacks products line,as well as the exclusive rights to import,manufacture, sel l and distribute al lMezzan Holding brands. The JV companywill be headquartered in Riyadh, the capi-tal of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Under the terms of the JV agreement,Mezzan Holding will acquire a 70% stakethrough a capital increase in a food andbeverage manufacturing and distributionentity, Al Safi Food Company, currentlyowned by Al Faisaliah, which will retainthe remaining 30% stake. The transactionis expected to close in four weeks subjectto satisfying certain precedent conditionsand obtaining regulator y approvals.Mezzan Holding’s investment in the JV isexpected to be between KD7 million andKD7.7 million.
Walsh said, “Our full year outlook onunderlying performance remains the samewith high single digit and low double digitrevenue growth, with some leverage onthe Net Profit line, which is in line with thetargets we set at the beginning of theyear. We expect to see a stronger secondhalf to the year as new business comes onstream and we begin to lap the Cateringdeclines in the second half of 2015. Wewill continue to invest prudently in ourbrands and infrastructure to ensure wedeliver quality products to our customersand consumers, while continuing to insistthat we spend wisely as we seek to maxi-mize shareholder value.”
HONG KONG: Crypto-currency exchangeBitfinex, which lost $72 million to hackerslast week, told customers yesterday theywould lose just over 36 percent of theassets they had on the platform butwould be compensated for these losseswith tokens of credit. The Hong Kong-based exchange said losses from thetheft would be shared, or “generalized”,across al l the company ’s c l ients andassets, widening the group of thoseaffected announced last week.
“This is the closest approximation towhat would happen in a liquidation con-text,” Bitfinex said on its website early yes-terday. “Upon logging into the platform,customers will see that they have experi-enced a generalised loss percentage of36.067 percent.” The company said itwould also give all affected clients a “BFX”token crediting their losses that could beredeemed by the exchange or for shares iniFinex, the exchange’s parent company.Bitfinex said it would explain its method-ology in a later update and that it wastalking to investors about how to fullycompensate its customers.
Hackers stole 119,756 bitcoin fromBitfinex last week in the second-biggestbreach of a crypto-currency exchange
ever, in US dollar terms. The hack account-ed for about 0.75 percent of all bitcoins incirculation.
The exchange is the world’s largest fortrading digital currencies such as bitcoin,litecoin and ether, and is used for its deepliquidity in US dollar/bitcoin trades. It isstill not clear how the hackers gainedaccess to the company ’s customeraccounts. However, both Bitfinex and out-side experts have dismissed suggestionsthe breach was due to the security of theblockchain, the decentralised ledger thattracks ever y bitcoin transaction, andwhich traditional banks are consideringadopting to increase the speed and trans-parency of their transactions.
Bitfinex said last week it expected to“socialize” its losses across bitcoin bal-ances and active loans to bitcoin/US dol-lar positions. Its statement yesterday,however, indicated a wider application ofthe losses to all accounts, which alsoinclude other digita l currencies.Yesterday, it said customers should beable to log on to its platform within thenext 24 to 48 hours. Blockchain analysiscompany Chainalysis separately con-firmed to Reuters that it is helping trackthe stolen bitcoins. — Reuters
Mezzan Holding CEO Garry-Walsh
Mezzan Holding reports
Q2 2016 financial results
Monte Dei Paschi woes
add up to large fees
for investment banks
Bitfinex exchange customers to
get 36 pct haircut, debt token
B U S I N E S SMONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016
LONDON: Bumper July jobs data from theUnited States have again begun to stokeexpectations of a September rate hike from theFederal Reserve, just when other major centralbanks around the globe are unleashing ever-looser policy. That slightly more positive tonemay linger as a backdrop for the global econo-my in the coming week, with growth data duefor the euro zone, Germany and Italy, alongwith key releases on inflation, industrial pro-duction and retail sales in China.
New Zealand’s central bank is also expectedto join the easing brigade with a cut onThursday. In the past week, the Bank ofEngland fired its first post-Brexit salvo - cuttingBank Rate to a new record low of 0.25 percentwhile also reigniting its asset purchase pro-
gram - and hinted further easing was in thepipeline. Governor Mark Carney said he hadunveiled an “exceptional package of measures”because the economic outlook had changedmarkedly following the June Brexit vote. TheBank expects the economy to stagnate for therest of 2016 and suffer weak growth next year.
Slow growth and virtually non-existent eurozone inflation will also force the EuropeanCentral Bank to extend and expand the scopeof its asset purchase program, a Reuters poll ofeconomists showed last month. Early indica-tions suggest the bloc has so far largelyshrugged off Britain’s decision to quit theEuropean Union but preliminary data due onAugust 12 are expected to show the rate ofeconomic growth across the currency union
halved to 0.3 percent in the second quarter.Germany will also publish its GDP numbers,
likely to show a slowdown, but rising employ-ment and wages should continue to supportdisposable income growth in the second halfof the year. Italy probably maintained its slowand steady pace. “With the UK potentially onthe brink of recession, the resilience in eco-nomic sentiment indicators on the other sideof the English Channel in July is perhaps sur-prising,” said Christian Schulz at Citi.
Japan rising above expectations The Bank of Japan disappointed markets
last month by keeping bond purchases steady,defying expectations it would buy up more,and made traders even more nervous after
Central banks unleashing ever-looser policy announcing it would re-evaluate policiesin September. Japan’s economic growthis also expected to have slowed last quar-ter, weighed down by weak domesticdemand and stagnant exports, a Reuterspoll found on Friday.
That would be a setback for PrimeMinister Shinzo Abe who has said the toppriority for his reshuffled cabinet is grow-ing the economy and beating deflation.“The world’s third-largest economy, con-tinues to take centre stage in globalmacroeconomic developments, partlydue to the sense that it operates as alodestar for the trajectory of both devel-oped and emerging economies,” saidRichard Iley at BNP Paribas.
The actual GDP data won’t be pub-lished until August 14 but on Wednesdaythe Cabinet Office publishes June coremachinery orders, a leading indicator ofcapital spending, which likely rose for thefirst time in three months. Three years ofreflationary monetary, fiscal and reformpolicies dubbed “Abenomics” have donelittle to revive the economy, and financialmarkets are growing worried the BOJ is
running out of ammunition. “To quashtalk that its arsenal is empty, the Bank ofJapan might decide at its Septembermeeting to stop targeting the monetarybase, which conflicts with the negative-rate policy,” I ley said. Skittish globalinvestors may be reassured by fairlysteady growth expected in a flurry ofChinese data in coming weeks, but tepiddemand, slowing investment and risingdebt levels remain pressing concerns forthe world’s second-largest economy.
Beijing will publish data on trade, con-sumer prices, industrial production andretail sales in the week With economicgrowth comfortably within the govern-ment’s target range but credit growthnear all-time highs, analysts have paredback calls for the first Chinese interest ratecut since October. “Although signs weregrowing that the People’s Bank of Chinacould introduce more stimulus to boostgrowth, recent comments suggest thatthe bank is sufficiently happy with thepace of growth to keep monetary policy“prudent” this year,” said Oliver Kolodseikeat IHS Markit. — Reuters
B U S I N E S SMONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016
LONDON: Some tax proceeds from shalegas developments in Britain could be giv-en directly to residents, Prime MinisterTheresa May said yesterday, in a bid tohelp clear the path for an industry ham-pered for years by local opposition tofracking. Britain is estimated to have sub-stantial amounts of shale gas trapped inunderground rocks yet fracking applica-tions have struggled to find approvalfrom local communities, concerned aboutnoise and environmental impacts.
Last year, then finance minister GeorgeOsborne said the government would cre-ate a shale wealth fund that would
receive up to 10 percent of tax revenuefrom shale gas developments for invest-ments in communities affected by theprojects. May, who took over as primeminister last month after Britain’s June 23vote to leave the European Union, saidshe wanted to look at the option of thismoney being paid directly to residentsrather than to local authorities.
“The government I lead will be alwaysbe driven by the interests of the many,ordinary families for whom life is harderthan many people in politics realize,” Maysaid in a statement yesterday, ahead ofthe launch of a consultation on the fund.
“This announcement is an example ofputting those principles into action. It’sabout making sure people personallybenefit from economic decisions that aretaken, not just councils, and putting themback in control over their lives.”
The government said the new fundcould deliver up to 10 million pounds pereligible community. It did not say howmuch each household could receive, butlocal media reported it could be as muchas 13,000 pounds in some areas. Only oneshale gas well near Blackpool, inLancashire, has so far been fracked inBritain but was later abandoned when
some of the work undertaken triggeredan earth tremor. That resulted in an 18-month ban on the hydraulic fracturing -or “fracking” - technology used to extractgas from shale rock.
In May, Third Energy received the firstplanning approval for a shale gas frack-ing well since 2011. It says it will starthydraulic fracturing at its KirbyMisperton site in North Yorkshire innortheast England before the end of theyear. Last year, competitor CuadrillaResources had two permits rejected byofficials in Lancashire. Cuadrilla hasappealed against the decision and the
government has since changed the rulesto have the ultimate say in shale gasrelated application.
The British pound’s weakness since theBrexit vote has made it more expensive toimport gas, helping the case for shale gaswhich had been hurt in the past by weakoil prices and by opposition to planningapproval from local campaigners. May,who last month delayed a decision toapprove the building of Britain’s firstnuclear power plant in decades, hasstressed the importance of secure energysupplies, which shale advocates say is oneof their industry’s strengths. —Reuters
UK considering plan to pay homes affected by fracking
HOUSTON: In this Thursday, Oct 8, 2015, file photo, Southwest Airlines CEOGary Kelly speaks during a preview of the new international concourse atHouston Hobby Airport. —AP
LONDON: Britain’s decision todelay f inal approval for theHinkley Point nuclear powerplant r isks cooling relationswith economic powerhouseChina under new prime minis-ter Theresa May, analysts say.May ’s predecessor DavidCameron, who quit after theJune referendum vote to leavethe European Union, madestrong ties with Beijing centralto his economic policy.
During a state visit last year,
Britain rolled out the red carpetfor Chinese President Xi Jinpingas it sought to attract investmentto its austerity-hit economy.Cameron said Britain would beChina’s “best partner in the West”as they signed £40 billion (47 bil-lion euros, $53 billion) of deals,including Beijing taking a £6 bil-lion stake in Hinkley Point,Britain’s first new nuclear plant ina generation. A ceremony to signthe £18 billion Hinkley Point deal
was planned for July 29, the dayafter the other player in the deal,French energy giant EDF, finallyapproved the project which haddeeply divided its top manage-ment as critics fear it could bank-rupt the French utility.
However, the French govern-ment, which owns 85 percent ofEDF, has been doggedly deter-mined to get Hinkley Pointapproved as it sees the project ascrucial for the long-term viabilityof France’s nuclear industry. But
Britain’s new leader May, whotook power on July 13, hadalready decided to delay the finaldecision on the project, which isnow expected in September.There are questions overwhether the delay could jeop-ardize ties between Britain andChina, the world’s secondbiggest economy, at a timewhen London will need to buildstrong trade links post-Brexit.“They (the British government)
have created a bit of a problem,”Professor Kerry Brown, directorof the Lau China Institute atKing’s College London, told AFP.“The more of a sense that we’reopen for business at themoment, the better.”
National security fears Chinese state media reacted
to the delay by saying it “addsuncertainties to the ‘Golden Era’of China-UK ties”. Beijing “cannottolerate” any accusation that its
investment would threatenBritish national security, the offi-cial Xinhua news agency said.While it is still unclear whetherMay, a former home secretary,will scrap or approve the project,her joint chief of staff has previ-ously made his skepticism clear.
Nick Timothy wrote it was“baffling” that Britain had wel-comed investment by state -owned Chinese companies giv-en fears they could build weak-
nesses into IT systems, “whichwill allow them to shut downBritain’s energy production atwill”. “No amount of trade andinvestment should just i fyallowing a hostile state easyaccess to the country’s criticalnat ional infrastruc ture,” headded in a Conservative Homeblog last year.
There are also questions overwhether the project representsvalue for money and its environ-mental credentials. The Britishpress has welcomed the delay.The Observer newspaper said inan editorial that, while the movehad “ruffled diplomatic feathers”,it was “the right decision” giventhe financial and security risks.The Independent said it thoughtSino-British relations wouldremain positive but that “wewould be wise not to be over-reliant on anyone to keep ourlights on”.
‘Costly, unnecessary risk’ Howard Wheeldon, a defence
and strategic analyst with hisown consultancy, predicted thedelay “probably marks the end ofthe scheme as we have come toknow it.” “We just cannot affordto take such a massive, costlyand-given that it will only supplyseven percent of the UK’s elec-tricity needs-unnecessary risk,”he said. Analyst Brown notedthat while Beijing could beunderstanding of an “initial cau-tiousness” under a new Britishadministration, that would likelychange if the project is scrapped.“They would read this all as asign that the UK-China relationshave become cautious again,going back to the default whichis just to be a bit wary of eachother,” he said. The prime minis-ter’s official spokeswoman insist-ed the government would “con-tinue to seek a strong relation-ship with China” and needed a“reliable and secure energy sup-ply”. But with May’s governmentshaking off much of Cameron’seconomic legacy-signaling a lesshardline approach to austerityand introducing a new industrialstrategy-the options look wideopen. —AFP
UK ties with China at risk
over nuclear plant dealDelay for approval for Hinkley Point grows discord
LONDON: The Hinkley Point C nuclear power station site undergoes construction nearBridgwater, England. —AFP
DALLAS: Directors of Southwest AirlinesCo say the CEO is staying put even if unionleaders want to get rid of him. Late Friday,the airline released a letter in which direc-tors said they were unanimous in support-ing CEO Gary Kelly. The board cited a longlist of achievements since Kelly becameCEO in 2004. It said the unions’ call for hisremoval was without merit and reckless,
and there was no guarantee that unionswould like new management any better.This week four union leaders, frustratedover the lack of agreement on new laborcontracts, had called for Kelly and ChiefOperating Officer Mike Van de Ven to bereplaced after a technology outage causedthe airline to cancel more than 2,000flights. —AP
Southwest Airlines tells
unions CEO is staying
NEW YORK: Several private universities areboosting stipends and benefits ahead of a fed-eral ruling that could clear the way for gradu-ate students to form unions. To some grad stu-dents, it’s an attempt to persuade them thatthey don’t need collective bargaining to get araise. Union backers say pay hikes are nice butwhat they want most is more control over theirwork as teaching and research assistants.
Right to organize“The message isn’t that graduate students
need more money,” said Ben Cohen, who stud-ies biomedical engineering at CornellUniversity, which recently raised stipends by 2percent and increased child-care subsidies forgraduate students. “The message is that gradu-ate students deserve to have a voice in theirrepresentation,” he said. Thousands of graduatestudents at public universities are alreadyunionized, but New York University is the onlyprivate university in the US where graduatestudents now have union representation. Thatcould change in the months ahead. The NLRB,which ruled in 2000 that grad students had aright to collective bargaining only to reverseitself in 2004, has been revisiting the issue yetagain in cases involving Columbia Universityand the New School, both in New York City.
Both pro- and anti-union forces say theyexpect the current board, appointed by
President Barack Obama, to again declare thatgrad students have a right to organize. A rulingis expected before Obama leaves office. Lastmonth, Columbia announced it would raise thestandard nine-month graduate stipend of$26,286 by 17 percent over the next four years.That came after the university acted last May toincrease child-care subsidies and paid parentalleave. Among other universities that haveincreased pay and benefits for graduate stu-dents, the University of Chicago announced a$2,000 graduate student stipend increase overtwo years last December. Brown Universityraised stipends and added money for dentalcoverage and travel to conferences.
Brian Carlson, a Massachusetts-based lawlawyer who represents educational institutions,said the increases in pay and benefits are likelyintended to dissuade graduate students fromunionizing. “When graduate students are hap-py they are less likely to be receptive to calls toorganize,” Carlson said. University administra-tors argue that graduate students are notemployees, even though they help teach andconduct research.
The other seven Ivy League institutions plusStanford and the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology filed a brief with the NLRB on Feb29 supporting Columbia against the unioneffort. They warned that allowing graduate stu-dents to unionize would represent “an inappro-
priate intrusion into long protected areas ofacademic freedom and autonomy.”Unionization of grad students, they warned,also has the potential “to transform the collab-orative model of graduate education to one ofconflict and tension.”
Labor organizers at Columbia, where gradstudents have been considering an affiliationwith the United Auto Workers union, have bothcelebrated the recent boost in pay and bene-fits, and characterized them as an attempt atappeasement. Olga Brudastova, a Columbiagraduate student in civil engineering, calledthe four-year raise package “a classic tactic foran anti-union campaign, so that at the end ofthe day they are able to say, ‘Oh, we are doingeverything for you, even for the future, not justfor now.’” A Columbia spokesman declined tocomment.
Ian Bradley-Perrin, who is studying for a PhDin the history of public health at Columbia, saidthat in addition to increasing pay and benefits,university officials began last spring to invitesmall groups of graduate students to lunchmeetings where a negative view of unions waspresented. “At one point the dean said therewas no successful student union in the coun-try,” Bradley-Perrin said. The UAW is also seek-ing to represent graduate students at HarvardUniversity, where President Drew Faust hasspoken out against the union drive. —AP
Universities to boost stipends
ahead of grad unions ruling
TRENTON: The 2 million-square-footbuilding where Bell Labs scientistshelped launch modern cellular net-works before it became one of thecountry’s largest vacant office buildingsis drawing companies with the lure ofworking at a complex surrounded bytechnological history. A water tower inthe shape of a transistor, which thecompany’s scientists created in 1947 aspart of their continuing mission toimprove and expand communications,stands over the Bell Works complex inHolmdel, near the site where the BigBang theor y of the universe wasproven.
With that history, the developer whoacquired the building in 2013 after itsat vacant for seven years is hoping tolure tech entrepreneurs and others tothe glass and steel structure originallydesigned by Eero Saarinen, who alsodesigned St Louis’ Gateway Arch.Somerset Development President RalphZucker envisions the office space as a“metroburb” anchored by tech compa-nies that are joined by retail, entertain-ment, health care and nearby homes.“I t ’s an attractive building with anincredible history that was a cradle ofmany innovations,” said Zucker.
Aside from the allure of being sur-rounded by histor y, the state’sEconomic Development Authority alsooffered millions in tax credits to compa-nies considering moving to the com-plex. Bell Works is about 60 percent fullafter last month’s lease signing byhuman resources software provideriCIMS as the anchor tenant. iCIMSreceived a 10-year, $38 million tax cred-it. Other tenants include the softwarecompany WorkWave, data storage start-up Symbolic IO and cloud-based com-munications services designer AcaciaCommunications. Plans also call for TollBrothers to develop up to 40 single-family homes and 185 age-restrictedtownhomes, as well as a field house forsports.
‘Farm town to corporate destination’ Mayor Eric Hinds said the redevelopment
will build on the work of the past, whichitself transformed Holmdel from “a farmtown into a corporate destination.” Bell Labsbegan in 1925 when AT&T and WesternElectric consolidated engineering depart-ments to solve the problems of a newtelecommunications network, said Bell Labsarchivist Ed Eckert. “It gathered a uniquevariety of research areas in one company,”said Eckert. “The scientists were really goodat looking at the big problem and comingup with a solution and improving on it.”
The company operated out of officesthroughout the New York area and scientistsworked to link the nation by phone. Thenext step was bridging the Atlantic Ocean.Needing to conduct experiments away fromradio static generated in the city, the com-pany acquired land in Holmdel, about 45miles from New York. It was there in 1932that Karl Jansky, who was studying how toexpand overseas calls, discovered radioastronomy by bouncing radio signals off theMilky Way.
The mission to expand and improvetelecommunications continued andresearchers looked toward space whenthey developed the Telstar satellite commu-nications system. It was also during the1960s, Bell Labs scientists created the Unixcomputer still used today. The companyhas 14 Nobel Prize winners, includingSteven Chu, who developed methods tocool and trap atoms with laser light whenhe worked in Holmdel. Bell Labs’ radio tele-phone division moved into the Holmdelresearch lab complex in 1962. It was put upfor sale in 2006 and the breakup of AT&T in1984 meant Bell Labs went through severalevolutions. Despite perceptions, it neverwent away. Today, it is known as Nokia BellLabs in Murray Hill, New Jersey. PresidentMarcus Weldon said the mission to inventthe future of communications remains thesame. “The names of the labs havechanged,” said Weldon. “But as we enter thenetwork, we take on pre-eminence impor-tance.” —AP
Former Bell Labs site seeks
to inspire new inventors
MUNICH: This file photo taken on November 18, 2010 shows a Boeing air-plane of the German airliner Air Berlin starting from the Franz-Josef-Straussairport in Munich, southern Germany, on November 18, 2010. The Germanairliner announced the creation during this year of a business class on itsflights in Germany and Europe. —AFP
b u s i n e s sMONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016
RIO DE JANEIRO: Nissan Motor Co, Ltdunveiled the working prototype of its futuris-tic BladeGlider vehicle, combining zero-emissions with high-performance in a revo-lutionary sports car design. The vehicles,developed from concept cars first shown atthe Tokyo Auto Show in 2013, have arrived inBrazil to symbolize future technologies thatwill combine Intelligent Mobility, environ-mentally-friendly impact and sports-car driv-ing capabilities.
Carlos Ghosn, President and ChiefExecutive Officer, Nissan Motor Co, Ltd., said:“These prototypes epitomize Nissan’s drive toexpand its Intelligent Mobility philosophy,where driving pleasure combines with envi-ronmental responsibility. Nissan believes thatenthusiasts should look forward to a zeroemission future and BladeGlider is a perfectdemonstration of that. It’s the electric vehiclefor car-lovers.”
The debut of the Bladeglider prototypes
forms part of Nissan’s ongoing commitment tothe development of zero-emission vehiclesand new automotive technologies includingautonomous drive systems and connectivity.Nissan already sells the world’s highest-vol-ume zero-emission car, the LEAF, and is pio-neering Intelligent Mobility systems that willbe deployed in a range of vehicles over com-ing years. With the Bladeglider, Nissan’s visionwas for an agile, efficient EV that would pro-vide new dimensions of driving fun andexcitement - a car that would ‘glide’, thanks tothe near-silent performance of its electricpowertrain and aerodynamic shape.
After two years of work on design, engi-neering and development, Nissan BladeGliderhas evolved further into an exciting, real-lifestudy into the potential of advanced EV per-formance. BladeGlider epitomizes IntelligentMobility, a philosophy to make its cars moreexciting by redefining how they are driven,powered and integrated into society. The
demonstration models feature an advancedchassis configuration with a narrow front trackand wider rear track for optimum aerodynam-ic efficiency and handling stability. High-waist-ed, rear-hinged dihedral doors provide a dra-matic entry and exit to the cabin. The openroof of BladeGlider is reinforced with an inte-grated roll-over protection structure, provid-ing the exhilaration of an open-topped racecar with the safety of a coupe.
Wheel-mounted controls for BladeGlider’ssystems feed into an advanced display show-ing speed, state of battery charge, regenera-tion mode and torque map. Flanking the cen-tral display are two screens, with the imagesof rear-view cameras mounted just behindthe front wheels. An alternative to door-mounted mirrors, this dual screen designimproves the aerodynamic efficiency ofBladeGlider. The driver sits in arrowhead for-mation slightly in front of two passengers,who enjoy extended legroom. The view for all
occupants is panoramic, thanks to the seam-less cockpit windscreen.
Power is 100 percent electric, with excep-tional powertrain performance delivered byNissan’s technical partner for the BladeGliderproject, UK-based Williams AdvancedEngineering. Maximum speed of the demon-stration models is in excess of 190km/h*, with0-100km/h taking less than 5 seconds*. Therear wheels’ drive is provided by two 130kWelectric motors - one for each wheel. The sys-tem features torque vectoring, controlling thetorque delivered to the driven wheels, improv-ing the handling even further. With torquevectoring, if the car starts to understeer, itautomatically sends more torque to the out-side wheel to restore the handling balance.
Designed to add to the driving experiencerather than govern it, the torque vectoring sys-tems has three settings: off, agile and driftmode. Power is supplied by a high perform-ance five module lithium-ion 220kW battery.
Bespoke cooling systems have been devel-oped for both the battery and the motors. Theinterior of the BladeGlider reflects the vehicles’sporting intentions, with 4 point safety har-nesses for each occupant. The seats offerexceptional support to sides and legs of thedriver and passengers. The seats are trimmedin a highly tactile blend of fabric and epoxyresin coating, resulting in a tough and grippymaterial that has the effect of comfortablyadhering occupants securely in place.
There are two color trims - Cyber Green andStealth Orange. These colors are used for theupper portions of the seat back, and framedwith a silver reflective material to create aneye-catching, sporty look. The base of theseats are in black, patterned material, with aband of green and orange trim framing thecushion. Two BladeGliders will be presented inRio de Janeiro in August. One will be on staticdisplay in Rio while the second will be offeringdynamic rides to media and VIPs.
Nissan BladeGlider brings cutting-edge intelligent mobility to life
MANAMA: Under the patronage of the CentralBank of Bahrain, TAKAUD, the specialist providerof savings, investment and pension solutions forthe MENA region, is bringing together govern-ment and financial services industry leaders con-cerned with the development of a robust pen-sion provision for citizens and expatriate workersthroughout the region. The inaugural MiddleEast Pensions Conference will be held in Bahrainat the Four Seasons Hotel on October 18, 2016.
The Conference is expected to attract a largenumber of delegates from government pensionadministrations, pension funds, asset manage-ment firms, actuaries, law firms, custodians,trust providers and financial services profession-als. It is also of interest to executives and seniorspecialists in human resources, compensationand benefits and staff running employee sav-ings schemes.
The goal of the conference is to raise aware-ness and initiate action to bring the Middle Eastto the standard of developed countries, withpensions encompassing three sectors: the gov-ernment sector providing the first layer of pen-sion provision to citizens; the corporate sectorproviding a second layer of workplace pensionsavings to employees; and individuals them-selves providing a third layer of personal savingsto augment their standard of living in retire-ment. Not only is this three-pillar pension formatin line with the World Bank’s recommendationsfor an integrated pension infrastructure, but it
also ensures a more secure and sustainable pen-sion planning for individuals.
While GCC countries are already highlydeveloped with respect to government pensionbenefits for citizens, the inaugural pensionsconference will address current challenges, andthe advantages of enhancing pension savingsbenefits provided by corporations. Studies byseveral global employee benefits specialists
show that pension benefits are highly effectivein promoting employee retention and loyalty;hence enhancing productivity levels.
The conference will examine the benefitsof fac tor ing in a pension benef i t to theemployee value proposition. It will also lookat the existing expertise, systems, specialistfirms, products and collaborations that couldpotentially build a home-grown solution thatexpands the regional pension industry andaddress local needs.
Development of the pension sector is criti-cal for more than individuals. TAKAUD esti-mates that pension assets in the GCC can reacha value of USD $1.9 trillion if retirement sav-ings among individuals and corporations growto the average levels now seen in other coun-tries. While such growth would benefit peopleliving and working in the region, it also repre-sents an outstanding opportunity for theregional financial services industry. TAKAUD’sChief Executive Officer, Luc Metivier said, “Theprospect of a secure retirement is essential tothe well-being of individuals and families. Todevelop a culture supportive of retirement sav-ings, we need concerted actions by the gov-ernment, corporate and financial services sec-tors. With appropriate regulatory and statutorystandards, technology systems and options forasset diversification, this region can matchinternational standards and provide exception-al security to our valued workforce.”
KUWAIT: Ahli United Bank announced the launchof its instant Pearls discount program for theBank’s credit card and prepaid card holders. Theprogram provides a wide range of valuable instantdiscounts for the Bank’s customers that cover mul-tiple sectors and is in line with customer needs.The new program reflects the Bank’s desire todevelop and deliver new products and services.
Through the new instant Pearls discount pro-gram, customers will receive up to 50% discounton goods and services when using their AhliUnited Bank credit cards and prepaid cards acrossa select array of establishments participating inthis program. These include over 100 renownedbrands across hotels and hospitality, restaurants,cafes, travel agencies, medical centers and hospi-tals, dental clinics, pharmacies, fitness centers,fashion and sports brands, cosmetics and fra-grances, retail stores, car rentals as well as servicesfor the home. The new instant Pearls discountprogram delivers real value for the Bank’s creditcard and prepaid card holders who will receivediscounts and rewards without being tied to aspecific limit on purchases from major retailersacross Kuwait.
Moreover, AUB continues to offer a broadarray of competitive benefits to its customers. TheBank successfully launched its travel rewards pro-gram “Pearl Awards”, which is offered to AUB’scredit card holders, and who receive 3 pearlpoints against every 1 KD spent in any of theestablishments participating in the discounts pro-
gram around the world. These points can be con-verted to air miles and used at Kuwait Airways,Qatar Airways or Gulf Air. Customers may alsoreceive free travel and medical insurance duringemergencies anywhere around the world whenusing their Ahli United Bank credit cards to pur-chase their airline tickets.
Takaud to host first Middle Eastpensions conference in Bahrain
Luc Metivier - CEO of TAKAUD
AUB launches instant Pearls discount program
KUWAIT: Burgan Bank announced thenames of the lucky winners of its Yawmiaccount draw, each taking home a prize ofKD 5,000. The lucky winners for the dailydraws took home a cash-prize of KD 5,000each, and they are:
1. Fajer Sabah Salem Al Shareefi2. Ahmad Saad Mohammad Al Sahlawi3. Katabjiwala Salma Saifuddin4. Yousuf Hasan Jawad Mohammad Qarashi5. Hamad Faraj Hussain Al FadhelIn addition to the daily draw, Burgan Bank
also offers a Quarterly Draw with morechances to win higher rewards, entitling onelucky customer to win KD 125,000 every threemonths. The Yawmi Account offers Daily andquarterly Draws, the Quarterly Draw requirescustomers to maintain a minimum amount of
KD 500 in their account for 2 months prior todraw date. Additionally, every KD 10 in theaccount, will entitle customers to one chanceof winning. If the account balance is KD 500
and above, the account holder will be quali-fied for both the quarterly and daily draws.Burgan Bank encourages everyone to open aYawmi account and/or increase their depositto maximize their chances to becoming a win-ner. The more customers deposit, the higherthe chances they receive of winning.
For more information on opening a Yawmiaccount or about the new quarterly draw, cus-tomers are urged to visit their nearest BurganBank branch and receive all the details, or sim-ply call the bank’s Call Center at 1804080where customer service representatives willbe delighted to assist with any questions onthe Yawmi account or any of the bank’s prod-ucts and services. Customers can also log onto Burgan Bank’s www.burgan.com for furtherinformation.
KUWAIT: Commercial Bank of Kuwait heldthe Al Najma Account daily draw on 7thAugust, 2016. The draw was held under thesupervision of the Ministry of Commerce &Industry represented by Mr Saquer AlManaie. The winners of the Al Najma DailyDraw are:-1) Sayedali Yaqoub Sayedali GhareebKD 7000/-2) Musaed Subah Mohamed Lafta KD 7000/-
3) Ali Abdullah AlGhathban KD 7000/-4) Asma Mohammad Baitar KD 7000/-5) Asim Murtaza Bhutto KD 7000/-
Al Najma awards are now brighter andbigger than ever. With the revamped AlNajma account, all your dreams will beturned to reality. On top of offering thehighest daily prize in Kuwait for KD 7,000,now our Mega prize draws got bigger toreach KD 250,000.
Al Tijari announces the winners of Al Najma Account
Burgan Bank announces thewinners of Yawmi account
DUBAI: Organizations in the MENAregion are taking steps to embrace the‘Office of the Future’ concept, revolu-tionizing how their employees workand operate. This is evident in theOffice Insights 2016 report released byCanon which states that 63% of organ-izations in the MENA region see valuein the ability to print remotely from asmartphone, tablet or laptop.
The findings reveal that the combi-nation of rapidly advancing technolo-gy, the growth of cloud-based servicesand an increased abi l i ty to workremotely have unlocked opportunitiesfor greater working efficiency andempowerment in high-growth mar-kets across the region.
Canon’s Office Insights 2016 reportstudies information management andtechnology’s role in how it is man-aged. The study leverages findingsfrom business decision-makers andend-users across Central and EasternEurope, Eurasia, the Middle East andAfrica. Decision makers were asked todiscuss and expand on the topics ofremote pr int ing, Br ing Your O wnDevice (BYOD), digital spend andautomation.
“It ’s clear that businesses acrossregional markets are being empow-ered by innovative technology, and
are welcoming futuristic ways of work-ing to drive growth,” says HendrikVerbrugghe, Marketing Direc tor,Canon Middle East and Canon Centraland North Africa. “However, it is notwithout i ts set of chal lenges andtherefore it is crucial we address con-cerns and provide the right level ofguidance for each unique market, toensure businesses are mak inginformed and beneficial technologyinvestments.”
Of the countries surveyed, the mosttechnologically advanced marketswere the United Arab Emirates (UAE)and Saudi Arabia, all of which weremost likely to increase spending onoffice technologies over the next threeyears with 27% saying they will spendmore on printing, copying and scan-ning software and device.
New print ing technologies arebeing particularly welcomed by busi-ness leaders in the region. Ease of useand convenience has boosted the useof multi-functional devices (MFDs),which in turn has increased productiv-ity - with Saudi Arabia being one ofthe countries most likely to see furthergrowth as a result. Business leaderswere most likely to believe that basicprinters will soon lose out to MFDs,and that they’ll use the devices a lotmore in three years’ time.
Moreover, faster internet speedsmake it more likely for business lead-ers in the countries to drive the adop-tion of cloud services and wirelessdocument sharing and remote print-ing, especia l ly in the UAE. Theappetite and interest for BYOD style ofworking is also strongest in SaudiArabia (62%). Working remotely iscommon practice, with respondentsrating tablets as ‘critical’ devices - par-ticularly those brought into the work-place and 47% of all businesses arekeen to al low BYOD to access thecompany ’s corporate net work .However, security concerns are limit-ing BYOD progress in the UAE andMorocco, says the report.
t e c h n o l o g yMONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016
RIO DE JANEIRO: Besides dazzling feats of ath-leticism, dazzling new technologies will be ondisplay at the Olympics. About 217 million view-ers in the US alone tuned in to the LondonOlympics four years ago, making it the mostwatched TV event in history. The television audi-ence is expected to increase for the RioOlympics, which formally opened on Friday.Others will tune in online or watch the games inperson in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. That makes theOlympics an excellent showcase for new andemerging technologies. Such brands as Visa andSamsung are taking the opportunity to show offtheir wares.
VISA’S PAYMENT RINGVisa, a 30-year Olympics sponsor, is running
the payment systems at the Olympics. Visa isequipping about 4,000 payment terminals atsouvenir shops, concession stands and otherOlympic venues with a wireless technologycalled near-field-communication, or NFC. It’s thetechnology that powers mobile-payment servic-es such as Apple Pay, Google Pay and SamsungPay, though only Samsung’s has launched inBrazil. Visa is giving payments rings to 59 ath-letes to wear on their fingers. With a tap on anNFC payment terminal, they can charge theirVisa accounts. Giving the ring to Olympic ath-letes like swimmer Missy Franklin and decathleteAshton Eaton lets Visa test the technology, whilegarnering buzz as athletes tweet about themand wear them around the Olympic village.
SAMSUNG’S SPECIAL EDITION GALAXYSamsung, another Olympic sponsor, is deliv-
ering a special Olympic Games edition of itsGalaxy S7 Edge phone to 12,500 Olympians. Thephone is branded with the Olympic rings andhas Olympics-themed wallpapers loaded on thedevice. The company also made 2,016 of theOlympic phones for the public to buy in selectedcountries, including Brazil, the US and SouthKorea. One feature Samsung expects to make asplash: The phones will come with a flag app,which athletes will be encouraged to hold up asthey walk together by country during Friday’sopening ceremonies. “They can use the entirescreen of the S7 to become a flag,” said PioSchunker, Samsung’s global head of brand inte-
grated marketing. “They will be waving thenational flag through the S7.”
NBC GETS INTO VR, GETTY GOES 360Expect to see virtual-reality content, along
with 360-degree video and images. NBC, whichhas television and online rights in the US, plans85 hours of VR coverage through the NBC Sportsapp on Samsung’s Gear VR headset. VR eventswill include opening and closing ceremonies,men’s basketball, gymnastics and track and field.They will typically be shown on a one-day delay.
Getty, the Olympics’ official photographyagency, launched a virtual-reality division inJune to focus on 360-degree images. Getty shotsome 360-degree images at the LondonOlympics in 2012 as the technology was emerg-ing. This time in Rio, every Getty photographerwill have a 360-degree camera. “We are only onthe cusp of what will be a tectonic plate shift inVR,” Getty CEO Dawn Airey said. Meanwhile,Facebook’s Oculus VR business, which devel-oped the technology behind Gear VR, plans toshowcase more than 400 360-degree imagesfrom various photographers. It will be available
through the Oculus 360 Photos app on Gear VRand Oculus’ own Rift headset.
HIGH-TECH COVERAGENBC owner Comcast Corp. is showcasing its
X1 set-top box, giving its customers a way tosearch for live coverage and replays by country,athlete and sport. It’s also integrating voicesearch into the system. Viewers, for instance, canget the latest medal count by speaking, “How isthe USA doing?” The company is also offering away to zip to gold-medal event highlights andrestart events that have already begun.
The high-tech coverage makes use of thebox’s connection to the internet and increasingpresence in Comcast subscriber homes. Comcastsays about 40 percent of its 22.4 million videocustomers have X1. Comcast is aiming to reach50 percent by the end of the year. The X1 inno-vation is one way Comcast is trying to help view-ers sort through some 6,000 hours of Olympicscoverage on television and online. If it boostsaudiences for the Olympics, it ’ l l also helpComcast recoup some of the $4.4 billion thatNBC paid for the US broadcast rights over sixyears. — AP
Olympics offer a showcase
for VR tech, payments ringDazzling new technology to be displayed
This July 2016 image provided by Comcast Corp shows a X1 Olympics demo captured in Philadelphia.
NEW YORK: This June 2, 2016 photo shows a Visa payment ring near a payment terminal. — AP
KUWAIT CITY: Cisco yetserdayannounced data center technologyinnovations in three key areas: net-working, hyperconverged infra-structure, and hybrid cloud orches-tration which will enable applica-tion-centric hybrid cloud deploy-ments. Cisco continues to lead datacenter innovation with SDN-readyNexus switches that deliver cloudscale 10/25/40/50/100Gpbs, withup to 10 times performanceimprovement at industry leadingprice points. The new switchingplatforms provide the scale, teleme-try, security, and performance need-ed for distributed containers andmicroservices, as well as the losslesstraffic needed for IP storage andhyperconverged infrastructure. Thenew switches give Cisco customersa two-year innovation advantageover competitive technology.
Cisco also unveiled CiscoHyperFlex(tm) Systems, built onCisco’s industry-leading UCS com-pute platform, which brings a newarchitectural approach to hypercon-verged infrastructure. CiscoHyperFlex Systems simplify policy-based automation across network,compute and storage for the widestset of enterprise applications. CiscoHyperFlex surpasses first generationhyperconverged solutions, whichwere severely limited in terms of theperformance, flexibility, and opera-tional simplicity required by today’sIT environment of microservices,containers, new applications andclouds. This expands Cisco’s portfo-lio of complete software-definedinfrastructure - from compute with
UCS, network with ACI and SDNsolutions, to now HyperFlex for stor-age. Earlier this year, Ciscoannounced its intent to acquireCliQr Technologies Inc. The CliQrCloudCenter platform will providecustomers with comprehensive yetsimplified, application-centricorchestration for private, hybrid andpublic clouds.
CliQr provides customers with asingle, intuitive platform that helpscustomers manage the entire appli-cation lifecycle across hybrid ITenvironments, whether simple orcomplex. The CliQr platform tiesbusiness applications to heteroge-neous data center infrastructure,running across bare-metal, contain-ers and virtualized environments.These announcements are the firstof many hardware and softwareinnovations Cisco plans to bring tomarket in 2016. The goal is to help
customers achieve highly secure,simplified, scalable and cost-effec-tive data centers that keep pacewith the speed of business, andaccelerate adoption of hybrid cloudenvironments.
Cisco HyperfFlex(tm) SystemsBased on Cisco’s award winning
UCS technology, CiscoHyperfFlex(tm) Systems representthe next generation in hypercon-verged infrastructure with a leap intechnology that delivers the indus-try ’s first complete end-to-endhyperconverged solution. TheHyperFlex portfolio extends Cisco’sUCS and converged infrastructurebusinesses, which together haveover 50,000 customers worldwide.The HyperFlex series makes an idealplatform for customers deployingenterprise applications in their datacenters, and for remote and branchoffices where hyperconverged infra-structure is expected to become amulti-billion industry over the nextthree to four years.
The new Nexus 9000 switches deliver:
● Industry leading performancefor 100Gbps, with 25 percent morenon-blocking performance, at 50percent the cost of comparablesolutions, plus greater reliabilityand lower power
● Real time network telemetryat 100Gbps wire rate, enabling net-work security with pervasiveNetFlow and fabric wide trou-bleshooting
● The ability to scale up to 10
times in IP addresses and endpoints at cloud scale, and supportover a million containers per rack.
● Unique cloud services withadaptive capacity and congestioncontrol, allowing customers to sup-port lossless traffic for IP storage,hyperconverged and convergedinfrastructure on a single unifiedfabric that enables applicationcompletion times 50 percent fasterthan traditional competitive plat-forms.
● Future-proofing with cloudeconomics for the transition tohyperconverged infrastructure andapplications based on microser-vices and containers
Automation with Cisco Nexus Fabric Manager
The new Cisco Nexus FabricManager automates the completefabric lifecycle management with asimple point-and-click web inter-face, and offers automated configu-ration snapshots and rollbacks.Nexus Fabric Manager builds andself-manages a VXLAN-based fabric,dynamically configuring switchesbased on simplified user-basedactions. A IT manager can fullydeploy a VXLAN-based fabric in justthree steps, complete with zerotouch provisioning, and canupgrade all fabric switches to a newsoftware release in only four mouseclicks. Cisco’s hardware and soft-ware innovations will help IT organ-izations to accelerate the adoptionof the hybrid cloud environmentsthat will fulfill their business needstoday and into the future.
WASHINGTON: Eight months after raisinghopes that they may have found an intriguingnew particle that cannot be explained by theexisting main physics theory, disappointedscientists are saying: Never mind. It was just astatistical burp, not a breakthrough,researchers reported Friday. “Basically we seenothing,” said Tiziano Camporesi, a chief scien-tific spokesman at the European Center forNuclear Research . Early unconfirmed read-ings of a new particle in December by physi-cists at the center, called CERN, set the physicsworld abuzz. Scientists there had discoveredthe Higgs boson or “God particle” in 2012, andtwo new readings from the Large HadronCollider made it seem as though they mayhad found a revolutionary new particle. In themonths that followed, scientists pored overmore data from high-speed atom crashes whiletheorists tried to figure out what it all means.But the new data ruled out any particle existingat the energy level they had been looking at. Ata Chicago physics conference, Dave Charlton,another CERN chief scientific spokesman, saidthe additional data showed that what they hadseen earlier was just a random “statistical fluke.”California Institute of Technology physicist SeanCarroll, who wasn’t part of the CERN team, said:“It’s a shame there wasn’t a particle there, butthere aren’t any big ideas that would rise or fallon it being there.” — AP
Just a burp: Intriguing hints
of physics particle evaporate
Shadi Salama, Channel Leader -Middle East Theatre
WASHINGTON: More than 100 globaldesign professionals on Thursday offeredsupport to Apple in its long-runningpatent design battle with Samsung, nowbefore the US Supreme Court. The group,which includes US fashion designer CalvinKlein, Nicolas Ghesquiere of the Frenchgroup Louis Vuitton and renownedGerman industrial designer Dieter Ramsjoined an amicus brief supporting Apple’scontention that Samsung’s $548 millionpenalty for infringing on a design patentshould stand.
The case is expected to result in a land-mark decision on whether total profitsfrom an unlawfully copied design shouldbe assessed as a penalty, in the first majordesign patent case at the top US court inover a century. The amicus brief filed onbehalf of design professionals, researchersand academics said they have no financialinterest in the case but argue on the basisof “fundamental principles of visualdesign.” They cite precedents like the Coca-Cola bottle, which is an integral part of thevalue of the product, according to thebrief.
“The history of industrial design and theexperience of America’s most profitableindustries demonstrate that a product’svisual design becomes the product itself inthe mind of consumers,” they argued. “It isthe design of a successful product thatembodies the consumer’s understandingof and desire to own and interact withit.”Other signatories of the brief includeBentley Motors designer Stefan HansSielaff, Terence Conran of Conran Holdingsand fashion designer Alexander Wang.
Clash with tech firms The arguments run counter to those
offered by many in the technology indus-
try, who claim that upholding the awardwill only encourage frivolous suits filed by“patent trolls” that make no products. Abrief filed earlier this year by Google,Facebook, eBay, Dell, Hewlett-PackardEnterprise and others said allowing theaward to stand “will lead to absurd resultsand have a devastating impact on compa-nies... that spend billions of dollars annual-ly on research and development for com-plex technological products and theircomponents.”
The tech firms argued that awarding adesign patent holder the total profit froman infringer’s product when the designcovers only a relatively minor portion ofthe product “is out of proportion with thesignificance of the design and out of touchwith economic realities.” A California juryruled that Samsung had infringed on theUS firm’s patent for the iPhone, includingfor its design, in smartphones made by theSouth Korean giant.
The Supreme Court in February agreedto hear the case, opening the door toreducing the hundreds of millions of dol-lars in damages owed in the blockbusterpatent case between the world’s biggestsmartphone makers. The justices will notreconsider Samsung’s guilt, but will look atwhether the penalty was excessive forcopyright infringement of certain electron-ic components.
Samsung last year agreed to pay Applesome $548 million, pending the outcomeof the appeal. But Samsung argued that$399 million of the penalty was excessivebecause it was based on the premise that“Apple was ‘entitled to’ those entire profitsno matter how little the patented designfeatures contributed to the value ofSamsung’s phones,” according to theappeal brief. — AFP
MENA ‘Office of the Future’ vision
is closer than ever: Canon report
Hendrik Verbrugghe, MarketingDirector, Canon Middle East
Top designers back Apple
in Samsung patent appeal
Cisco unveils data center innovations
to accelerate hybrid cloud deployments
GENEVA: In this March 22, 2007 file pho-to, the magnet core of the world’slargest superconducting solenoid mag-net (CMS, Compact Muon Solenoid) atthe European Organization for NuclearResearch (CERN)’s Large Hadron Collider(LHC) particle accelerator. — AP
H E A LT H & S C I E N C EMONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016
WASHINGTON: As Zika escalates into a publichealth crisis and the number of mosquito-transmitted cases grows, Republicans andDemocrats are pointing fingers over the failureby Congress to commit federal dollars to fightthe virus. President Barack Obama onThursday sought to pressure congressionalRepublicans over the issue, encouraging vot-ers to “call your members of Congress and tellthem to do their job.” “The money that weneed to fight Zika is rapidly running out. Thesituation is getting critical,” Obama said at anews conference.
Yet lawmakers left Washington in mid-Julyfor a seven-week recess without approvingany of the $1.9 billion that Obama requestedin February to develop a vaccine and controlthe mosquitoes that carry the virus. Abortionpolitics played a central role in the impasse.Republicans angered Democrats by adding a
provision to a $1.1 billion take-it-or-leave-itmeasure that would have blocked PlannedParenthood clinics in Puerto Rico from receiv-ing money. House Speaker Paul Ryan, writingin USA Today on Thursday, did not mentionthat provision in blaming Democrats forblocking the legislation. Their obstruction,according to Ryan, R-Wis, is “a blatant ploy inan election year.”
Also Thursday, 47 Senate Democrats calledon Ryan and Senate Majority Leader MitchMcConnell, R-Ky., to reconvene Congress andimmediately address the Zika threat. Theyfaulted GOP leaders for allowing “poison pillspecial-interest priorities” into the bill. ButMcConnell has signaled he is in no rush toreturn. Writing in the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader on Monday, he criticized Democrats forbalking at passing the bill. He said they’ll getanother chance after Labor Day when
Congress is back in session. Some importantpoints to know about the issue:
Zika money being spent ‘aggressively, prudently’
Health and Human Services Secretary SylviaBurwell warned lawmakers on Wednesday thather Zika budget is running out quickly. Withoutmore money soon, she said, the “nation’s abilityto effectively respond to Zika will be impaired.”Burwell’s letter sought to counter Republicanswho’ve criticized the Obama administration fornot using several hundred million dollarsalready in the budget for Zika prevention. Themoney was initially allotted for fighting Ebolabut was redirected to address Zika. Sen MarcoRubio, R-Fla, said Tuesday that’s there’s noexcuse for not spending money that Congresshas provided. “Why are they holding that mon-ey back?” he asked.
Burwell said her agency is committed tousing “scarce federal dollars aggressively andprudently.” The Centers for Disease Controlreceived the bulk of the $374 million “repur-posed” for Zika domestic response efforts, shesaid, and it will exhaust the remainder of themoney by Sept 30. Money for vaccine develop-ment will run out even sooner, she said. Thesecond phase of clinical trials would bedelayed as a result, and Americans would haveto wait longer for a vaccine, according toBurwell. “Now that the United States is in theheight of mosquito season and with theprogress in developing a Zika vaccine, theneed for additional resources is critical,”Burwell wrote.
Don’t expect Congress to interrupt its recessSen Bill Nelson, D-Fla, said Congress does
not have to interrupt its break to pass the bill.Republicans quickly dismissed his proposal.Nelson’s state has become the epicenter forZika in the US At least 15 people are reportedto be infected with the virus in Miami’sWynwood arts district. These are believed to bethe first mosquito-transmitted cases in themainland United States. Nelson said in a letterTuesday to McConnell that the Senate couldpass a bill through a procedure known as a proforma session that requires the presence ofonly a few senators.
But even Nelson is not optimistic that willhappen, and he took a jab at McConnell, pre-dicting the Senate would move swiftly if a trans-mitted Zika case was reported in Kentucky. DonStewart, McConnell’s spokesman, said Nelson’sproposal was not plausible unless Democratswere willing to end their filibuster of a Zika billthe House has passed. Otherwise, the Senatewould be only approving an earlier version ofthe legislation that Obama could not sign intolaw, Stewart said.
Zika is a looming economic developmentproblem too, according to Rubio. Many Floridabusinesses depend heavily on tourism and thestate’s economy could be hurt if potential visi-tors decide to stay away, he said. “I can foreseenow when people that are planning to come toFlorida, to go fishing perhaps, will decide tocancel their trip because they’re worried aboutmosquitoes and they’re worried about Zika,”Rubio said. White House spokesman JoshEarnest said Wednesday that it ’s up toCongress to pass the legislation so that morecan be done. “They left on a seven-week recessa day early, at the height of mosquito seasonand basically told the American people, ‘goodluck,’” Earnest said. —AP
As Zika fears escalate, lawmakers point fingers from afar
‘Zika is risky for business too’
WASHINGTON: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky speaks during a newsconference on Capitol Hill in Washington. —AP photos
WASHINGTON: File photo shows Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on WesternHemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, andGlobal Women’s Issues Chairman Sen Marco Rubio, R-Fla.
MIAMI: A view of the outdoor business The Wynwood Yard that has beenclosed since last Aug 2, due to the cases of Zika in the area in the Wynwoodarea of Miami. —AP photos
TAMPA, Florida: Thank goodness it’s theslow season in Florida. At least that’s whatofficials and representatives of the state’smultibillion-dollar tourism industry arethinking in the wake of the news that 16people have been infected with Zika in asmall, trendy neighborhood in Miami. Theoutbreak has sent another chill through theSunshine State’s all-important tourismindustry just weeks after the Orlando night-club massacre and the killing of a 2-year-old boy by an alligator at nearby WaltDisney World.
Florida officials have gone into damage-control mode, with Gov. Rick Scott insist-ing, “We have a safe state!” during a tour ofthe Zika hot zone in Miami’s Wynwood dis-trict. Tourism is Florida’s biggest industry.Visitors spent some $89 billion here lastyear. And Disney is America’s No. 1 touristattraction. Outside of a few business own-ers in the affected square-mile neighbor-hood, however, Zika appears to have donelittle damage to tourism so far.
“We have not had anyone cancel a tripto Florida because of Zika,” said JennyCagle, vice president of Elm Grove Travel inWisconsin. “It’s definitely a conversation.People are talking about it.” DemetraPrattas, vice president of Turon Travel, aNew York-based company that books arttours and trips, including the annual ArtBasel festival that includes events inWynwood, said: “I don’t think it’s a factor indeciding where to go. We’ve had no cancel-lations.”
The governor has been on something ofa statewide Zika tour, meeting with countyhealth officials and business owners inMiami and along the Interstate 4 corridorthat runs through Orlando. He said touristsshould use caution and not worry aboutmosquitoes, adding that Florida knowshow to prepare for crises because of its hur-ricanes. “We will make sure all the touristsfeel comfortable coming to Florida,” he saidThursday in Wynwood, site of the first mos-quito-transmitted cases of Zika on record inthe continental US. “We’ve got to continueto support these businesses because, why?They have employees and those employeesneed their jobs.”
Consult the doctorHe said the state is doing everything it
can to test people, spray against mosqui-toes, get rid of the standing water in whichthey breed, and encourage people to useinsect repellent. The Visit Orlando tourismboard issued a statement noting that nolocally acquired cases of Zika have beenreported in the Orlando area, which is over200 miles from Miami. The board gaveassurances that “safety is the top priority forour region.” The next few months will becrucial, said Henry Harteveldt, founder ofthe San Francisco-based AtmosphereResearch Group, a travel-industry watcher.
“If Florida is able to address this effi-ciently and quickly and be able to pro-nounce with confidence that they’ve beenable to eradicate, there won’t be long-termconsequences,” he said. “If Zika remains along-term challenge, it’s possible somepotential tourists might think twice.”Federal health officials have warned preg-nant women to avoid Wynwood becausethe virus can cause severe birth defects,including stunted heads. England’s publichealth agency is advising mothers-to-be topostpone non-essential trips to Florida.
US experts say expectant mothers plan-ning a visit to the state should consult withtheir doctor. For the most part, theme parkvisitors should be fine, said North CarolinaState University entomologist MichaelReiskind, because the mosquito speciesmost likely to spread the disease is lessprevalent in Orlando and the theme parksare likely to spend heavily on insect control.Kathy Torian, a spokeswoman for VisitFlorida, the state’s tourism arm, said anec-dotally there were minimal cancellations inthe wake of the Orlando shootings and theDisney alligator attack. In 2015, 106.3 mil-lion people visited Florida, a record num-ber. Some tourists are shrugging off thedangers. “I feel very safe in Orlando. Therecent tragedies and even the Zika con-cerns have not deterred me in any wayfrom enjoying my vacation,” said a vaca-tioning Tam Fuller, of Atlanta. “I keep mykids close to me at all times and stay awareof my surroundings, so I never feelunsafe.”—AP
Florida officials go intodamage-control mode over Zika
MIAMI: A tour bus makes a stop in front of the Wynwood Walls in theWynwood area of Miami.
WASHINGTON: A trendy Miami neighborhoodat the epicenter of the first US outbreak of theZika virus is safe to visit, Florida Governor RickScott said yesterday. “We are doing a very goodjob of working to get rid of the mosquitoes,” hesaid on NBC’s Meet the Press. “We have beenable to reduce the area that we had a concernabout by 10 blocks on Friday.” The Centers forDisease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterdayissued an unusual domestic travel warning for aone-mile section north of downtown Miamiwhere mosquitoes have spread the virus to 16people.
In particular, it advised women who are preg-nant to avoid travel to the area, a popular artsand restaurant district known as Wynwood, orconsult their doctor if they live there. The viruscan cause microcephaly, a severe birth defect inwhich babies are born with abnormally smallheads and permanent brain damage. Scott saidhe had visited the neighborhood on Thursdayand it was “absolutely” safe. “We’re making sureeverybody pregnant has the opportunity to getan assessment and test if they want it,” he said.“And we’re keeping everybody informed. Whatwe’re doing is working.”
He said he had asked the CDC for 10,000additional Zika prevention kits, which containmosquito repellent, condoms and tabs to treatstanding water. “We still need the federal gov-ernment to show up, the president andCongress have to work together and this is aninternational issue, not just a Florida issue,” hesaid. President Barack Obama asked Congress inFebruary to allocate $1.9 billion for the fightagainst Zika, but was met with resistance byRepublican lawmakers who said the fundsshould instead be moved from coffers previouslyreserved for fighting the Ebola outbreak. —AFP
Zika-hit Miami neighborhood safe: Florida governor
WASHINGTON: Women shouldhave the chance to get long-act-ing birth control like intrauterinedevices (IUDs) before they leavethe hospital with a new baby, aleading group of US obstetri-cians recommends. TheAmerican College ofObstetricians and Gynecologists(ACOG) has long advocated thatwomen have access to IUDs andcontraceptive implants alongwith other birth control options.
But this is the first time ACOGhas explicitly recommended thatwomen having babies in thehospital get the opportunity toreceive IUDs and implants beforethey go home. The advantage ofthis approach is that it may helpavoid pregnancies spaced tooclose together that carry a risk ofserious complications for bothmothers and babies. “Immediatepostpartum long-actingreversible contraception (LARC)has been shown to be a conven-ient and effective option for
women desiring postpartumbirth control,” said Dr. AnnBorders of the University ofChicago, who helped draft theACOG recommendations.
“Providing effective contra-ception before a women goeshome from the hospital elimi-nates significant barriers” manywomen face after they’ve had ababy, Borders added by email.This Is the First US State to MakeBirth Control Available Over-the-Counter For example, she said,“Women may lose insurancepost-delivery, miss their postpar-tum follow up visit, their post-partum care site may not offerLARC placement or may requirepre-approval or more than onevisit for placement.” In the US,almost half of pregnancies areunplanned.
While many women plan toresume or start birth controlafter having a baby, up to 40%don’t go to the follow-upappointment that’s needed to
get a prescription for pills or animplant or IUD, according toACOG. One of the biggest barri-ers to women receiving IUDs orimplants right after delivery isfinancial. Insurance typically paysa lump sum for labor and deliv-ery, without giving doctors orhospitals money to cover thecost of providing long-actingcontraception during the hospi-tal stay, said Dr. Michelle Monizof the University of Michigan inAnn Arbor.
If doctors instead give womenIUDs or implants at a follow-upappointment in an outpatientsetting several weeks later, thenthey do get paid by the insur-ance companies, Moniz, whowasn’t involved in the ACOG rec-ommendations, said by email.Supreme Court Will Hear Faith-Based Objections to ObamacareBirth Control “It’s not offered bymost maternity care settingsbecause it’s not reimbursed bymost payers,” Moniz said.
This is gradually changing,Moniz said. Medicaid, the gov-ernment health insurance pro-gram for the poor, pays forroughly half of US births andcovers IUDs and implants rightafter delivery in at least 20 states.Contraceptive implants are flexi-ble plastic rods about the size ofa matchstick that are insertedunder the skin in the upper arm.They can be used to preventpregnancy for several years.IUDs are T-shaped devices aboutthe size of a quarter that areinserted into the uterus. Thedevices can be used for severalyears; they prevent pregnancyby stopping sperm from reach-ing the egg. While placing anIUD immediately after birth car-ries a slightly increased risk thatit may loosen and fall out, therisks of other complications,such as infections, are small andsimilar to the odds of side effectsfrom an IUD placed later in thedoctor’s office. —Reuters
As more and more sick patients are goingonline and using social media to search foranswers about their health, it’s raising a lotof thorny ethical questions for doctors.“The internet and ready access to vastamounts of information are now perma-nent aspects of how we live our lives,including how we think about and dealwith our health problems,” Dr ChrisFeudtner, director of medical ethics at theChildren’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said byemail. Social media in particular can affecthow patients interact with doctors andwhat type of care they expect, Feudtnerand colleagues write in an article aboutethics in the journal Pediatrics.
“Clinicians should ask about whatpatients and families have read on theInternet, and then work through that infor-mation thoughtfully, as sometimes Internetinformation is not helpful and sometimes itis helpful,” Feudtner said. “Doing this takestime and effort, yet trust is built with timeand effort.” To explore the ethical challengesposed by patients’ virtual lives, Feudtner andexamined a fictional case blending elementsof several recent real-life situations.
In this hypothetical case, the parents ofa 10-year-old boy hospitalized with cancerstarted a blog. Doctors, nurses and other
hospital staff were among the 1,000 sub-scribers to his blog. A year after his hospitalstay ended, the boy relapsed, and his par-ents launched an online petition seekingaccess to an experimental cancer treatmentthat was only available through clinical tri-als. No trials were accepting new patients.The petition draws 60,000 supporters injust 48 hours, and news crews descend onthe hospital.
Web-based resourcesAside from the obvious pressure this
puts on one team of clinicians at one hospi-tal to help one very sick child, this situationraises broader ethical issues about howtreatment decisions should be made.Fairness issues arise because not all familieshave the same access to social media orskill at using online communities to advo-cate for the care they want to receive, doc-tors argue in the article. Hospitals and oth-er healthcare institutions need to have poli-cies in place to handle situations whenpatients’ social media posts go viral andtake steps to respond proactively. Cliniciansneed to know they will be supported forproviding appropriate care even when thisclashes with what patients and familiesadvocate for on social medial. —AP
Doctors should offer women birth control right after babies arrive Patients on social media
cause ethics headache for doctors
H E A LT H & S C I E N C EMONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016
SEATTLE: At the annual Gender Odysseyconference this week in Seattle, parentsand healthcare providers who care fortransgender and gender-nonconformingchildren are receiving a crash course on aworld often left unexplored. GenderOdyssey began 15 years ago in Seattle asa collection of people discussing trans-gender and gender-nonconformingissues, but it has since ballooned toinclude programming specifically forfamilies and healthcare providers. Thisweek, more than 1,200 attendees areexpected. “I wanted us to come togetherand give and take,” said Aidan Key, whofounded the conference.
The goal of the professional program-ming is to advance medical standardsand guidelines. Meanwhile, the familyprogramming focuses on parents’ andchildren’s experiences, and their future.
Parents “feel like they’re having to advo-cate for their children in an arena theynever thought they’d have to navigate,”Key told Reuters Health.
“At the very least, what I want them toknow is that their child can have a fan-tastic future,” said Key. “I want them to beable to leave and have a connection thatwill help sustain them throughout theyear.” After not finding the right fitamong a few support groups, EvelynMontanez, a mother and teacher fromRedmond, Washington, came to GenderOdyssey in 2015 at the suggestion of afamily member. This year at GenderOdyssey, Montanez said she’ll be payingspecial attention to sessions about med-ical care and insurance as her son, who istransgender, enters college.
“It’s an incredible safe space to talkabout our experiences and a space to
share positive things,” said Montanez.“Last year was positively overwhelming,”she said. “There was so much informa-tion I was learning. All the workshopswere amazing, but what stood out to mewas the student panel - the kids. It wasreally good for me as a mom to seewhere the kids are at different stages.”There are no national estimates of thenumber of transgender or genderdiverse youth in the US, but The WilliamsInstitute at the UCLA School of Law saysabout 1.4 million US adults identify astransgender.
Communities and families This year, medical professionals
attending Gender Odyssey are offeredsessions on barriers to care for trans-gender and gender-nonconformingyouth, talking to young children about
gender, and hormone use among gen-der diverse youths. Medical school cur-ricula currently devote only about fivehours to issues affecting lesbian, gay,bisexual and transgender communities,said Dr Aron Janssen, who is clinicaldirector of the gender and sexualityservice at NYU Langone Medical Centerin New York City.
“As physicians at least we have an eth-ical responsibility to treat the patientswho come through our doors,” saidJanssen. “It’s not an excuse to say youhaven’t been trained.” Janssen saidhealthcare providers, parents and chil-dren can all benefit from conferenceslike Gender Odyssey, but for those whocan’t attend, online resources are avail-able. He usually recommends GenderSpectrum and TransYouth Family Allies.
According to Key, one of the most
powerful and consistent benefits forchildren and families is meeting otherpeople with similar backgrounds. “Youcan immediately find kinship and findsomeone who understands your experi-ence,” he said. Montanez said her goalthis year is to exchange phone numbersand email addresses with two families atthe conference who live outside theSeattle area. “I think now that I’m goingto be an empty nester, I want to be moreinvolved with communities and fami-lies,” she told Reuters Health. “I think it’simportant to hear they’re not alone andthey have friends going through thesame thing.” Every person develops agender identity, Janssen said, and thatidentity doesn’t always align with whatis typically portrayed in the media andonline. “There is beauty in that diversity,”he said. —Reuters
Families and doctors who care for trans kids get help at conference
H E A LT H & S C I E N C E
LONDON: Londoners will soon be able toget air quality reports when they checkwhether their bus is about to arrive. MayorSadiq Khan has ordered that 2,500 bus stopinformation signs display air quality alertson high pollution days.
Some 140 dot-matrix message boardson roads leading to London will also dis-play the information, along with instruc-tions for drivers to switch off their engines
while stuck in traffic to reduce emissions.Electronic update signs at subway stationswill also display information on air quality.The initiative, which begins Aug 15, is partof Khan’s crusade to clean up the air in theBritish capital. After taking office earlier thisyear, the mayor commissioned a surveyshowing that nearly 80 percent of thosewho responded were interested in receiv-ing pollution data. —AP
London to offer alerts on air quality at bus stops
LONDON: In this file photo, a new Routemaster double decker bus arrives atVictoria bus station in London. —AP
CAIRO: Nobel prize-winningEgyptian-American chemist AhmedZewail was given a state funeralwith military honors yesterday inCairo attended by Egypt’s presidentand top officials. Zewail, who servedas a science and technology advisorto US President Barack Obama, diedon Tuesday in the United Statesaged 70. A naturalised US citizen,Zewail won the Nobel prize forchemistry in 1999 for his ground-breaking work in the study of chem-ical reactions in extremely shorttimescales. Egypt organized twohigh-profile processions to bidZewail farewell yesterday before hewas laid to rest.
President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, Al-Azhar ’s Grand Imam Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Defense Minister Sedki Sobhiand Egyptian-British surgeon SirMagdi Yacoub attended one proces-sion at a military complex. Livefootage on state television showedthe scientist’s coffin shrouded in anEgyptian flag and drawn by horseson a carriage flanked by men in mili-tary uniform. The mournersmarched inside the military complexin eastern Cairo to funeral musicfrom a military band. Mournersincluding Prime Minister SherifIsmail, Foreign Minister SamehShoukry and the defense ministerthen presented their condolences toZewail’s family.
The coffin was then transportedby ambulance to the second proces-sion from a university he founded atthe Zewail City of Science andTechnology. Zewail was later buriedin a family plot inside an Islamic-style tomb which his spokesman,Sherif Fouad, said he had boughtjust six months ago “as if he knewhis time was nearing its end”. Familymembers, friends, fans and journal-ists were present at the burial whenthe body wrapped in a white clothwas lowered into the tomb. Zewailwas among four Egyptians to win aNobel prize and the country’s firstscientist to do so.
‘Global citizen’ Former Egyptian president
Anwar Sadat shared the peace prizein 1978 with the late Israeli prime
minister Menachem Begin forreaching a historic peace dealbetween their two countries.Novelist Naguib Mahfouz won the1988 Nobel prize for literature.Mohamed ElBaradei, then directorgeneral of the International AtomicEnergy Agency, received the 2005peace prize for his efforts to pro-mote the safe and peaceful use ofnuclear energy. Zewail’s workshowed that it is possible using alaser technique to study in slowmotion how atoms in a moleculemove during a chemical reaction.According to the Nobel Prize web-site, Zewail’s work led to the birth ofthe research area called femto-chemistry, “which enables us tounderstand why certain chemicalreactions take place but not others”.
His discoveries offered scientistsgreater insight into chemical andpharmacological processes withimplications across a range of disci-plines including human health, elec-tronics and high precision machin-ery. In 2009 Zewail was appointed toObama’s Council of Advisors onScience and Technology, and laterthat year he was named the first US
science envoy to the Middle East.Until his death Zewail-who was mar-ried with four children-worked atthe California Institute ofTechnology. Caltech presidentThomas Rosenbaum describedZewail as a “quintessential scholar
and global citizen”. Zewail was amember of several prestigious sci-entific institutions, including theNational Academy of Sciences andthe US American Academy of Artand Sciences. He was also a fellow ofLondon’s Royal Society. —AFP
Egypt bids farewell to Nobel prize-winning chemist
CAIRO: This file photo taken on September 11, 2012 shows US-Egyptian Nobel prize-winning scientist Ahmed Zewail address-ing members of the constitution committee at the Shura coun-cil in Cairo. —AFP photos
CAIRO: Egyptians take pictures with their phones as the coffin of Nobel prize-winning Egyptian-American chemist Ahmed Zewail is carried out of an ambulance at the Sixth of October ceme-tery for the last part of his funeral procession.
CHARLESTON, South Carolina: Girlexposed to brain-eating amoeba facesbleak odds : An 11-year-old South Carolinagirl has irreparable brain damage aftercontracting a rare, often-fatal infectioncaused by an amoeba from a river whereshe was swimming, according to aFacebook page set up on her behalf.
The girl, identified by local media asHannah Collins of Beaufort, is believed tohave been exposed to the brain-eatingamoeba on July 24 in Charleston County’sEdisto River, the state health departmentsaid this week.
She is being treated at the MedicalUniversity of South Carolina in Charleston.A post Thursday night on the “Prayers forHannah Katherine” Facebook page said the
hospital had done everything it could forthe girl. “We have all been waiting andpraying for a miracle,” the post said. “Weare now waiting for her to join the angelsin heaven.”
Representatives of the MedicalUniversity of South Carolina and the stateDepartment of Health and EnvironmentalControl would not release information onthe patient on Friday. The US Centers forDisease Control and Prevention confirmedthis week that a South Carolina residenthad been exposed to the Naegleria fowleriorganism, which is found in warm freshwa-ter and triggers an infection that destroysbrain tissue. The fatality rate for an infectedperson is more than 97 percent, accordingto the CDC. —Reuters
South Carolina girl exposed to brain-eating amoeba faces bleak odds
W H AT ’ S ONMONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016
Landmark Group, the Middle East - basedretail and hospitality conglomerate,launched Facebook at Work to 10,000
employees across 11 countries. The move isexpected to encourage collaboration and helpemployees communicate more efficiently inreal-time, using rich, two-way communication.
Facebook at Work allows Landmarkemployees to connect easily with each otheracross departments and geographies, bothfrom their desktop computers and from theirmobile devices, using best-in-class Androidand iPhone apps.
“Facebook at Work is a simple way for col-leagues to communicate and share acrosstime zones and global offices,” said JulienCodorniou, director, Facebook at Work. “We’reexcited for Landmark to realize the benefits ofFacebook at Work, with increased productivityand collaboration across 10,000 employees in11 countries.”
Vipen Sethi, CEO, Landmark Group shared,“We are pleased to announce that LandmarkGroup has chosen Facebook at Work to con-nect Landmarkers across the Middle East andIndia. For a large and diverse company likeours, Facebook at Work is an ideal solution forour employees to connect and collaboratefaster and more efficiently across teams andregions”.
The decision to select Facebook at Work asthe Group’s official internal collaboration plat-form and team communication and collabora-tion tool was influenced by several factors.One important consideration was thatemployees were already familiar withFacebook, and use it in their everyday lives.This meant that adopting the enterprise ver-sion would require little or no training. Keyfeatures of Facebook at Work include InstantMessaging, Groups, News Feed, free HD video& audio calling, Search, Events and Polls - all ofwhich can be used by Landmarkers to improvethe quality and speed of their day-to-dayinteractions and team efforts with colleagues.
Savitar Jagtiani, Business Head E-Commerce, Landmark Group said, “Facebookat Work allows our colleagues to connect, col-laborate and engage in real-time, acrossgeographies and makes us a dramaticallymore dynamic organization. We are also theworld’s first major retailer to do so, andbelieve the greater interconnectedness willonly drive our efforts forward. This is theenterprise collaboration platform we’ve beenlooking for”.
Facebook at Work was piloted in theorganization for over six months, and duringthis time the Landmark team created andrefined an administrative strategy to ensure
that the platform serves the company’s userand business goals.
Employees’ personal and professional pro-files at Facebook at Work are kept completelyseparate, with dedicated mobile apps for‘Work’ and ‘Work Chat’. The data shared on
Facebook at Work is accessible only to the eli-gible members of the Landmark community.HR management systems were also integrat-ed to ensure that the on-boarding of new joi-nees is a seamless process.
Based on the rapid acceptance and posi-
tive feedback from the Group’s employeebase, Facebook at Work is quickly becomingan important platform for greater productivityand better team communication across theboard.
Landmark Group becomes first companyin Middle East to adopt Facebook at Work
Launches enterprise version of Facebook to 10,000 employees
Holiday Inn Kuwait Al-Thuraya City isdelighted to announce details of theupcoming raffle draw following the
hotel’s summer promotion. Kuwaiti nation-als and locals staying at the Holiday Innduring the months of June and July wereentitled to raffle coupons for the draw of aDiscovery Sport 2016. There were a total of
1,000 coupons associated with this promo-tion. The winner of the draw will beannounced on 15th August 2016, at 11:00am, in Al-Thuraya City’s Auditorium and inthe presence of a joint committee from theMinistry of Commerce and Industry and theMinistry of Interior.
Al-Thuraya Cityannounces raffle draw
Dr Gargi Jain, wife of IndianAmbassador to Kuwait, hosted afarewell luncheon for Catherine
Silliman, wife of American Ambassador toKuwait who recently ended his tenure inKuwait. Attending the event were promi-nent ladies of the Indian communityincluding Najida Reaven, Mamta Kalra,Mandira Malhotra, Charu Batra, Seema
Goel, Alka Kumar, Gauri Tyagi, Wadhawan,Usha Suri, and Amrita Kabra, and ManudenGolder, wife of Deputy Chief of Mission(DCM) of Indian Embassy. The occasion alsomarked the beginning of PIW (Power ofIndian Women group), which aims toencourage meaningful service and interac-tion within ladies of the Indian community.
Power of Indian Womengroup launched during
farewell luncheon
Officials of the Writers’ Forum, Kuwait paid a visit toHis Excellency, the Ambassador of India, Sunil Jainto invite him as the Chief Guest for the forthcoming
event of the Writers’ Forum Multi-lingual Kavi Sammelan /Mushaira on August 15, 2016.
President of the Forum, Umesh Sharma presented theinvitation and requested the Ambassador to grace theoccasion as Chief Guest along with Dr Gargi Jain which heaccepted. During the meeting, Sunil Jain was apprised ofthe uniqueness of this function and the WFK. Sharma
underlined the significance of the WFK as a symbol of‘Unity in Diversity’ and a step to foster ‘National Integration’.
Those who attended the meeting were:Umesh Sharma - PresidentDr Wasim Siddiqui - Vice PresidentSunil Sonsi - Joint SecretarySyed Qamar Minto - Executive MemberAfroz Alam - Anchor of the event
Writers’ Forum meetsIndian Ambassador
Bahrain Exchange Company W L L (BEC),one of Kuwait’s leading worldwide moneytransfer and foreign exchange companies,
yesterday announced the expansion of its retailnetwork with the opening of its 40th branch,located in Murgab.
The opening of the new Murgab branch,BEC’s 3rd outlet in the area, represents a keymilestone for BEC, who have increased their net-work in Kuwait by 14 percent in the past 18months. The new Murgab branch is situatednear the Al-Ghannam Complex on Al-Hilal Streetand will be open from 9am to 9pm every day,offering highly competitive rates on currencyexchange and BEC’s full suite of money transferservices including cash pick-up and credit toaccount through EzRemit and MoneyGram.
To mark the milestone opening, BEC gaveaway 500 gifts to the first 500 customers whotransacted at the branch. Commenting on themilestone celebration and the inauguration ofthe branch Mr. Mathews Varghese, GeneralManager of BEC said, “I am honored to officialdeclare our 40th branch is now open for busi-ness. This is a great landmark for BEC and we arevery proud of the extensive branch network wehave built across Kuwait. As part of our growthstrategy we endeavor to expand our networkeven further in the coming months, openingadditional conveniently located branches acrossthe country to accommodate the needs of ourloyal customers.”
BEC currently has 40 branches convenientlylocated all across Kuwait and specializes in send-ing money around the globe safely and quicklyto over 46,000 locations in 30 countries throughits own money transfer product - EzRemit. Itsglobal reach is extended to over 200 countriesthrough its partnership with MoneyGram aninternational remittance company.
BEC reaches 40thbranch milestone
W H AT ’ S ONMONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016
Award-winning Australian Chef Peter Kuruvita. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat
Celebrity Chef Kuruvita creates tea twist recipesInspiring people to go beyond typical cup of joy
Tea Lounge (t-Lounge), the worldrenowned producer-owned teabrand hosted the award-winning
Australian Chef, restaurateur and culinaryauthor, Peter Kuruvita for an inspiring ses-sion on tea gastronomy. The event, held atDilmah signature t-Lounge located atAvenues Mall, The Mall area saw the atten-dance of media, top food influencers andspecial invitees.
To celebrate the revolution in tea in thefield of innovative cuisine and gastrono-my, Peter crafted five tea-inspired dishes;Tea Marshmallows, Rose with FrenchVanilla Doughnuts, First Ceylon SouchongChicken Wrap, Dilmah Earl Grey InfusedChocolate Truffle and Italian AlmondLamb Kebab. Each of the recipes showcas-es Peter’s creativity and inspiration in giv-
ing cuisine a new twist using Dilmah teaand taking flavors to new heights with avariety of exciting tea gastronomy suitedfor any occasion and moment.
Premium qualitySpeaking at the event, Peter explained
the value of different teas when creatingtea-infused dishes. “Every tea and herbalinfusion has a different offering. And toget the most out of each tea, you need tounderstand the unique brewing needs.Similarly, Dilmah Tea presents premiumquality and custom tea blends that areable to please a variety of palettes of thefinest gourmet tea, presenting tea as anessential in food, drink and life,” he said.
Peter has worked with Dilmah Tea in anambassadorial role for many years, cre-
atively contributing to the concept of teagastronomy and adjudging the annualworldwide event, the Real High TeaChallenge by Dilmah. The brand also sup-ports Peter throughout his culinaryadventure in Sri Lanka and utilises hisexpertise in developing the concept oftea gastronomy, and in creating a trend oftea-inspired cuisine in the global foodscene.
Dilmah’s t-tK or ‘Tea Kitsch’ enthusiastsand fans can now savor not only tea gas-tronomy but also the upscale lifestylelocally at the t-Lounge. t-tK is a centuriesold Sri Lankan tea making tradition whereblack tea is brewed strong, combinedwith condensed milk and ‘pulled’ by pour-ing the mixture from one stainless steeljug to another.
Inspiring appreciationDesigned with the concept of inspiring
appreciation of the finest Ceylon teaexperience, the t-Lounge experienceincludes fine tea, served hot, chilled,sparkling or in tantalizing mocktails orshooters. Guests can also find specialtytea mixes such as Dilmah’s Jade ButterflyHandmade White Tea, Naturally MintyCeylon Pekoe, Minty Oolong andCinnamon Orange Chilled Tea. These teasare offered with delightful casual, comfortfood, some of which are prepared with teaas an ingredient or paired with specificteas.
In addition, Dilmah’s t-Lounge not onlyoffers casual visitors an upscale and ele-gant gourmet experience, but also catersto tea enthusiasts. Tea aficionados will be
delighted with the availability of themuch sought after limited editionSeasonal Flush and Single Estate teas, per-fect for gifting or any special occasion. Inaddition, the t-Lounge in collaborationwith the Dilmah School of Tea will hostdedicated tea education and tastingevents.
Dilmah’s tea is unique in its taste that ispicked, perfected, packed and branded atsource, direct to consumers. First startedas a family business brand, Dilmah pre-serves their commitment towards thequality of its tea collections. Dilmah cur-rently has a total of nine branded t-Lounges around the world namely inKuwait, China, India, Sri Lanka, Poland andMalaysia.
T V PR O G R A M SMONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016
FAST & FURIOUS 6 ON OSN MOVIES ACTION HD
SKY HIGH ON OSN MOVIES FAMILY
04:00 Jack The Giant Killer06:00 Fast & Furious 608:15 Metro10:15 Non-Stop12:15 Heatstroke14:00 Fast & Furious 616:15 Metro18:15 Non-Stop20:15 The Expendables 322:30 Waist Deep00:15 The Helpers02:00 Jersey Shore Shark Attack
03:00 Love, Rosie05:00 The Song07:00 The End Of The Tour09:00 The Imitation Game11:15 Everest13:30 The Good Lie15:30 Some Girls17:30 The Age Of Adaline19:30 Jupiter Ascending22:00 Breaking At The Edge00:00 The Taking Of DeborahLogan01:30 The Forger
06:00 Boyster06:10 Super Matrak06:35 Super Matrak07:00 Pokemon Bw: Adventures InUnova07:25 K.C. Undercover07:50 Supa Strikas
03:00 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives03:30 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives04:00 Chopped05:00 Man Fire Food05:30 Man Fire Food06:00 Man Fire Food06:30 Man Fire Food07:00 Chopped08:00 Barefoot Contessa08:30 Barefoot Contessa: Back ToBasics09:00 The Kitchen10:00 Trishaʼs Southern Kitchen10:30 Trishaʼs Southern Kitchen11:00 Chopped12:00 Guyʼs Big Bite12:30 Guyʼs Big Bite13:00 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives13:30 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives14:00 Man Fire Food14:30 Man Fire Food15:00 Chopped16:00 The Kitchen17:00 Trishaʼs Southern Kitchen17:30 Trishaʼs Southern Kitchen18:00 Chopped19:00 Guyʼs Grocery Games20:00 Restaurant Takeover21:00 Mystery Diners21:30 Mystery Diners22:00 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives22:30 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives23:00 Iron Chef America00:00 Restaurant Takeover01:00 Mystery Diners01:30 Mystery Diners
03:00 Mighty Joe Young05:00 The Hunchback Of NotreDame07:00 G-Force09:00 Blank Check11:00 Home13:00 The Santa Clause15:00 National Treasure17:15 The Kid19:00 Sky High21:00 A Far Off Place23:00 National Treasure01:15 Sky High
03:00 The Simpsons03:30 Black-Ish04:00 The Goldbergs04:30 The Tonight Show StarringJimmy Fallon05:30 Community06:00 George Lopez06:30 Breaking In07:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers08:00 The Goldbergs08:30 Community09:00 The Simpsons09:30 The Last Man On Earth
THE GOOD LIE ON OSN MOVIES HD
03:10 Spooks04:05 Doctors04:35 Eastenders05:05 The Musketeers06:00 Doctors06:30 Eastenders07:00 Casualty07:55 Death In Paradise08:50 Call The Midwife09:45 The Musketeers10:40 Doctors11:15 Eastenders11:45 Death In Paradise12:40 Call The Midwife13:35 The Musketeers14:30 Doctors15:00 Eastenders15:30 Death In Paradise16:25 Call The Midwife17:20 The Musketeers18:15 Casualty20:00 The Living And The Dead21:00 The Living And The Dead22:00 Ripper Street22:55 Spooks23:50 The Living And The Dead00:50 The Living And The Dead01:50 Ripper Street02:45 Spooks
03:40 Auction Hunters: Pawn ShopEdition04:05 Auction Hunters04:30 Dallas Car Sharks05:00 How Stuffʼs Made05:30 How Do They Do It?06:00 Alaska: The Last Frontier06:50 Kindig Customs07:40 Fast Nʼ Loud08:30 Auction Hunters: Pawn ShopEdition08:55 Auction Hunters09:20 Dallas Car Sharks09:45 How Stuffʼs Made10:10 How Do They Do It?10:35 Fast Nʼ Loud11:25 Fat Nʼ Furious: RollingThunder12:15 Street Outlaws13:05 Auction Hunters: Pawn ShopEdition13:30 Auction Hunters13:55 Dallas Car Sharks14:20 Alaska: The Last Frontier15:10 Kindig Customs16:00 Fast Nʼ Loud16:50 How Stuffʼs Made17:15 How Do They Do It?17:40 Gold Divers18:30 Yukon Men19:20 The Island With Bear Grylls20:10 Auction Hunters20:35 Dallas Car Sharks21:00 Gold Divers21:50 Yukon Men22:40 Outback Truckers
03:15 The Hive03:20 Sabrina Secrets Of ATeenage Witch03:45 Sabrina Secrets Of ATeenage Witch04:10 Hank Zipzer04:35 Binny And The Ghost05:00 Violetta05:45 The Hive05:50 Mouk06:00 Hank Zipzer06:25 Jessie06:50 Disney Mickey Mouse06:55 Miraculous Tales Of LadybugAnd Cat Noir07:20 Dog With A Blog07:45 Bunkʼd08:10 Austin & Ally
08:35 Shake It Up09:00 Hannah Montana Forever09:25 Hannah Montana Forever09:50 Wizards Of Waverly Place10:15 Wizards Of Waverly Place10:40 Good Luck Charlie11:05 Good Luck Charlie11:30 Jessie11:55 Jessie12:20 Miraculous Tales Of LadybugAnd Cat Noir12:45 Hank Zipzer13:10 Austin & Ally13:35 Austin & Ally14:00 Liv And Maddie14:25 Liv And Maddie14:50 Dog With A Blog15:15 Hank Zipzer15:40 Bunkʼd16:05 Disney Mickey Mouse16:10 Gravity Falls16:35 Miraculous Tales Of LadybugAnd Cat Noir17:00 Backstage17:50 Girl Meets World18:15 Liv And Maddie18:40 Best Friends Whenever19:05 Austin & Ally19:30 Jessie19:55 Violetta20:45 Good Luck Charlie21:10 H2O: Just Add Water21:35 H2O: Just Add Water22:00 Binny And The Ghost22:25 Sabrina Secrets Of ATeenage Witch22:50 Sabrina Secrets Of ATeenage Witch23:10 Hank Zipzer23:35 Binny And The Ghost00:00 Violetta00:45 The Hive00:50 Sabrina Secrets Of ATeenage Witch01:15 Sabrina Secrets Of ATeenage Witch01:40 Hank Zipzer02:05 Binny And The Ghost02:30 Violetta
03:45 Loopdidoo04:00 Art Attack04:25 Henry Hugglemonster04:35 Calimero04:50 Zou05:00 Loopdidoo05:15 Art Attack05:35 Henry Hugglemonster05:50 Calimero06:00 Zou06:20 Loopdidoo06:35 Art Attack07:00 The Hive07:10 Zou07:25 Loopdidoo07:40 Jungle Cubs08:05 Sofia The First08:30 Miles From Tomorrow08:40 PJ Masks09:10 Doc McStuffins09:40 Doc McStuffins09:55 Minnieʼs Bow-Toons10:00 Sofia The First10:30 Sofia The First11:00 The Lion Guard11:30 Jake And The Never LandPirates12:00 Jake And The Never LandPirates12:30 Gummi Bears13:00 Sofia The First13:30 Doc McStuffins14:00 The Lion Guard14:30 Aladdin14:55 Jake And The Never LandPirates15:05 Goldie & Bear15:30 Miles From Tomorrow16:00 Doc McStuffins16:25 Doc McStuffins16:55 Sofia The First17:25 Sofia The First17:50 The Lion Guard18:15 Jake And The Never LandPirates18:45 Jake And The Never LandPirates19:00 PJ Masks19:30 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse20:00 Doc McStuffins20:30 Sofia The First21:00 PJ Masks21:30 Aladdin22:00 Jungle Cubs22:25 Gummi Bears22:50 Zou23:05 Henry Hugglemonster23:20 Calimero23:35 Zou23:50 Loopdidoo00:05 Art Attack00:30 Henry Hugglemonster00:45 Calimero01:00 Zou01:15 Loopdidoo01:30 Art Attack02:00 Calimero02:15 Zou02:30 Loopdidoo02:45 Art Attack
08:15 Phineas And Ferb08:40 Camp Lakebottom09:05 Disney Mickey Mouse09:10 Gravity Falls09:35 Lab Rats10:00 Rocket Monkeys10:25 Ultimate Spider-Man10:50 Boyster11:20 Boyster11:45 Pair Of Kings12:10 Pair Of Kings12:35 Lab Rats13:00 Lab Rats13:30 Phineas And Ferb13:55 Phineas And Ferb14:20 Kickinʼ It14:45 Pokemon Bw: Adventures InUnova15:10 Disney Mickey Mouse15:15 Supa Strikas15:40 Supa Strikas16:05 Lab Rats16:30 Pickle And Peanut16:55 Kirby Buckets17:25 K.C. Undercover17:50 Annedroids18:15 Gamerʼs Guide To Pretty...18:40 K.C. Undercover19:05 Disney Mickey Mouse19:10 Gravity Falls19:35 Pickle And Peanut20:00 Lab Rats20:25 Supa Strikas20:55 K.C. Undercover21:20 Gamerʼs Guide To Pretty...21:45 Guardians Of The Galaxy22:10 Marvel Avengers Assemble22:40 Disney Mickey Mouse
04:00 Green Card06:00 Mr. Destiny08:00 Father Hood10:00 Green Card12:00 Win A Date With TadHamilton!14:00 Se Puder... Dirija!16:00 Father Hood18:00 Easy A20:00 Wish I Was Here22:00 Thank You For Smoking00:00 Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser02:00 Easy A
03:00 Nathan For You03:25 Nathan For You03:50 Ridiculousness04:15 Ridiculousness04:40 Disorderly Conduct: VideoOn Patrol05:30 Tosh.005:55 Tosh.006:20 Frankenfood06:50 Frankenfood07:15 Catch A Contractor08:05 Disorderly Conduct: VideoOn Patrol08:55 Nathan For You09:20 Nathan For You09:45 Ridiculousness10:10 Ridiculousness10:35 Key And Peele11:00 Impractical Jokers11:25 Catch A Contractor12:15 Nathan For You12:40 Nathan For You13:05 Ridiculousness13:30 Ridiculousness13:55 Disorderly Conduct: VideoOn Patrol14:45 Hungry Investors15:35 Catch A Contractor16:30 Nathan For You16:55 Nathan For You17:25 Lip Sync Battle17:50 Ridiculousness18:15 Ridiculousness18:39 Key And Peele19:03 Brotherhood19:27 MLE St Patrickʼs DayChowdown20:13 Catch A Contractor21:00 The Daily Show - GlobalEdition21:30 Hannibal Buress: AnimalFurnace22:18 Frankenfood
22:42 Tosh.023:05 I Live With Models23:30 The Daily Show - GlobalEdition00:00 Tosh.000:25 Underground With DaveAttell00:50 Another Period01:15 Tosh.001:40 The Daily Show - GlobalEdition02:05 Hannibal Buress: AnimalFurnace
23:30 Fast Nʼ Loud00:20 Kindig Customs01:10 Gold Divers02:00 Yukon Men02:50 Outback Truckers
03:00 Mythbusters03:48 Mythbusters04:36 Mythbusters05:24 Mythbusters06:12 Mythbusters07:00 How Do They Do It?07:26 Smash Lab08:14 How The Universe Works09:02 Mega Builders09:50 How Do They Do It?10:14 Food Factory10:38 How Itʼs Made11:02 How Itʼs Made11:26 Smash Lab12:14 How The Universe Works13:02 How Do They Do It?13:26 Food Factory13:50 Mega Builders14:38 How Itʼs Made15:02 How Itʼs Made15:26 Smash Lab16:14 How The Universe Works17:02 Mega Builders17:50 Smash Lab18:40 How The Universe Works19:30 Joe Rogan QuestionsEverything20:20 How Do They Do It?20:45 Food Factory21:10 Extreme Engineering22:00 Joe Rogan QuestionsEverything22:50 How The Universe Works23:40 Smash Lab00:30 How Do They Do It?00:55 Food Factory01:20 Joe Rogan QuestionsEverything02:10 How The Universe WorksDiscovery World03:00 Discovery World09:00 Discovery World15:00 Discovery World21:00 Discovery World
03:15 Botched04:10 Botched05:05 Botched06:00 Fashion Bloggers06:25 Keeping Up With TheKardashians07:20 Keeping Up With TheKardashians08:20 E! News08:45 E! News09:15 Keeping Up With TheKardashians
10:15 Keeping Up With TheKardashians11:10 Keeping Up With TheKardashians12:05 Keeping Up With TheKardashians13:05 E! News13:35 E! News14:05 Hollywood Medium WithTyler Henry15:00 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills16:00 EJ NYC17:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians18:00 Keeping Up With The
Kardashians19:00 E! News19:30 E! News20:00 WAGs21:00 WAGs22:00 LA Clippers Dance Squad23:00 E! News23:30 E! News00:00 EJ NYC00:55 Hollywood Medium WithTyler Henry01:50 Botched02:20 E! News02:45 E! News
03:40 Lost Magic Decoded05:20 Decoding The Past06:10 Ancient Discoveries07:00 Missing In Alaska08:00 In Search Of Aliens09:00 Ultimate Guide To ThePresidents10:00 Lost Magic Decoded12:00 Decoding The Past13:00 Missing In Alaska14:00 In Search Of Aliens15:00 Ultimate Guide To ThePresidents16:00 Lost Magic Decoded18:00 Decoding The Past19:00 Hangar 1: The UFO Files20:00 Ancient Discoveries21:00 The Universe22:00 Missing In Alaska23:00 Monster Quest00:00 In Search Of Aliens01:00 World War II: Lost Films02:00 Ancient Discoveries02:50 The Universe
03:40 Shipping Wars04:05 Shipping Wars04:30 Pawn Stars05:00 Mankind The Story Of All OfUs06:00 Alone06:50 Swamp People07:40 Mountain Men08:30 American Restoration08:55 Shipping Wars09:20 Shipping Wars09:45 American Restoration10:35 Ice Road Truckers11:25 Mankind The Story Of All OfUs12:15 American Pickers13:05 Storage Wars13:30 Storage Wars13:55 Pawn Stars14:20 Pawn Stars14:45 Down East Dickering15:35 Shipping Wars16:00 Grave Trade16:50 Mountain Men17:40 Swamp People18:30 Mankind The Story Of All OfUs19:20 American Pickers20:10 Pawn Stars20:35 Pawn Stars21:00 Storage Wars21:25 Storage Wars21:50 American Pickers22:40 The Curse Of Oak Island23:30 Storage Wars23:55 Storage Wars00:20 American Pickers01:10 Storage Wars Miami01:35 Storage Wars Miami02:00 Swamp People02:50 Mountain Men
03:25 Itʼs Not Rocket Science04:20 Donʼt Tell The Bride05:15 Come Dine With Me Couples06:10 The Doctor Blake Mysteries07:05 Chopping Block08:00 Itʼs Not Rocket Science08:55 Donʼt Tell The Bride09:50 Come Dine With Me Couples10:40 The Chase11:35 Chopping Block12:30 The Doctor Blake Mysteries13:25 Emmerdale13:50 Coronation Street14:20 Coronation Street14:45 Come Dine With Me Couples15:35 Chopping Block16:30 Together17:00 Tracey Ullmanʼs Show17:25 Donʼt Tell The Bride18:20 Emmerdale18:45 Coronation Street19:10 Coronation Street19:35 Chopping Block20:30 Together21:00 Tracey Ullmanʼs Show
21:25 Donʼt Tell The Bride22:20 Coronation Street22:50 Emmerdale23:15 The Doctor Blake Mysteries00:10 The Chase01:00 Emmerdale01:30 Coronation Street02:00 Coronation Street02:30 The Doctor Blake Mysteries
03:45 Wild Untamed Brazil04:40 Dead Or Alive05:35 Deadly Instincts06:30 Unlikely Animal Friends07:25 Wild Untamed Brazil08:20 Dead Or Alive09:15 Extreme Animal Babies10:10 I, Predator11:05 Animal Armory12:00 Shark Men12:55 Snow Leopard OfAfghanistan13:50 Planet Carnivore14:45 Predator Fails15:40 Dead Or Alive16:35 Extreme Animal Babies17:30 The Bear Evidence18:25 Animal Armory19:20 Predator Fails20:10 Dead Or Alive21:00 Extreme Animal Babies21:50 The Bear Evidence22:40 Animal Armory23:30 Shark Men00:20 Snow Leopard OfAfghanistan01:10 Planet Carnivore02:00 Night Stalkers02:50 Swamp Men
03:50 Wicked Tuna04:45 Alaska Wing Men05:40 Yukon Gold06:35 Africaʼs Lost Eden07:30 Ultimate Survival Alaska08:25 Kingdom Of The Oceans09:20 Alaska Wing Men10:15 The Great Human Race11:10 Alaska Fish Wars12:05 Wicked Tuna13:00 Yukon River Run14:00 Ultimate Survival Alaska15:00 Wild Hawaii16:00 The Great Human Race17:00 Salmon Wars18:00 Wicked Tuna19:00 Wild Hawaii20:00 The Great Human Race20:50 Salmon Wars21:40 Wicked Tuna22:30 Wild Hawaii23:20 Yukon Gold00:10 The Great Human Race01:00 Salmon Wars02:00 Wicked Tuna02:55 Wild Hawaii
03:00 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles03:24 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles03:48 Henry Danger04:12 Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn04:36 The Haunted Hathaways05:00 Max & Shred05:24 Henry Danger05:48 Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn06:12 SpongeBob SquarePants06:36 SpongeBob SquarePants07:00 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles07:24 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles07:48 Winx Club08:12 Harvey Beaks08:36 Breadwinners09:00 Get Blake09:24 Rabbids Invasion09:48 Henry Danger10:12 Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn10:36 The Haunted Hathaways11:00 Winx Club11:24 SpongeBob SquarePants11:48 SpongeBob SquarePants12:12 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles12:36 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles13:00 Breadwinners13:24 The Loud House13:48 Harvey Beaks14:12 Rabbids Invasion14:36 Henry Danger15:00 Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn15:24 SpongeBob SquarePants15:48 SpongeBob SquarePants16:12 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles16:36 The Loud House17:00 Sanjay And Craig17:24 Harvey Beaks17:48 Breadwinners18:12 Henry Danger18:36 Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn19:00 100 Things To Do BeforeHigh School19:24 Game Shakers19:48 SpongeBob SquarePants20:12 SpongeBob SquarePants20:36 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles21:00 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles21:24 Breadwinners21:48 Breadwinners22:12 Sanjay And Craig22:36 Sanjay And Craig23:00 SpongeBob SquarePants23:24 SpongeBob SquarePants23:48 Henry Danger00:12 Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn00:36 Max & Shred01:00 The Haunted Hathaways01:24 Sanjay And Craig01:48 Sanjay And Craig02:12 SpongeBob SquarePants02:36 SpongeBob SquarePants
10:00 Brooklyn Nine-Nine10:30 Breaking In11:00 The Tonight Show StarringJimmy Fallon12:00 George Lopez12:30 The Goldbergs13:00 Community13:30 Breaking In14:00 Black-Ish14:30 The Last Man On Earth15:00 Brooklyn Nine-Nine15:30 Fresh Off The Boat16:00 Last Man Standing16:30 George Lopez17:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers18:00 The Simpsons18:30 Black-Ish
02:00 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives02:30 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives
03:10 Henry Hugglemonster03:20 Calimero03:35 Zou
03:00 Baby Geniuses And TheMystery Of The Crown Jewels04:30 Hatching06:00 Cher Ami08:00 Ghatothkach - Master OfMagic10:00 The Adventures Of DonQuixote11:30 Minuscule: Valley Of TheLost Ants13:00 Baby Geniuses And TheMystery Of The Crown Jewels14:30 Goat Story 216:00 Ploddy Police Car On TheCase18:00 The Adventures Of DonQuixote20:00 Baby Geniuses And TheSpace Baby
ClassifiedsMONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016
Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)
DIAL161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATIONArrival Flights on Monday 8/8/2016
Airlines Flt Route TimeMSC 415 Sohag 00:10THY 772 Istanbul 00:10JZR 239 Amman 00:20JZR 267 Beirut 00:30FDK 803 Damascus 00:35FDB 069 Dubai 00:55DLH 635 Doha 01:00QTR 1086 Doha 01:15JZR 539 Cairo 01:20KAC 1802 Cairo 01:30PGT 858 Istanbul 01:40ETH 620 Addis Ababa 01:45RJA 642 Amman 01:45THY 1464 Istanbul 01:50YYY 5555 Bahrain 01:50FEG 933 Sohag 05:00DHX 170 Bahrain 05:10THY 770 Istanbul 05:15JZR 529 Asyut 06:00JZR 555 Alexandria 06:15PAL 668 Manila/Dubai 06:25KAC 412 Manila/Bangkok 06:30BAW 157 London 06:40JZR 1541 Cairo 07:10FDB 5061 Dubai 07:15KAC 382 Delhi 07:30KAC 206 Islamabad 07:40KAC 302 Mumbai 07:50FDB 053 Dubai 07:50KAC 354 BLR 08:00KAC 156 Istanbul 08:00ETD 919 Abu Dhabi 08:20KAC 362 Colombo 08:20KAC 352 Kochi 08:20UAE 855 Dubai 08:25ETD 301 Abu Dhabi 09:00KAC 284 Dhaka 09:00ABY 125 Sharjah 09:05IRA 667 Esfahan 09:15QTR 1070 Doha 09:20JAV 621 Amman 09:25FDB 055 Dubai 09:40CCE 345 Sohag 10:00UAE 873 Dubai 10:40GFA 213 Bahrain 10:40AXB 890 Mangalore/Bahrain 10:55MEA 404 Beirut 11:00JZR 561 Sohag 11:25JZR 165 Dubai 11:50FDK 801 Damascus 12:15FDB 075 Dubai 12:25MSC 401 Alexandria 12:30UAE 871 Dubai 12:45FEG 953 Asyut 12:55MSR 610 Cairo 13:00THY 766 Istanbul 13:10KNE 231 Riyadh 14:00KAC 672 Dubai 14:00QTR 1078 Doha 14:05FDB 057 Dubai 14:20GFA 221 Bahrain 14:20SVA 500 Jeddah 14:30KAC 540 Sharm el-Sheikh 14:50
KAC 742 Dammam 14:55KAC 788 Jeddah 15:00KNE 529 Jeddah 15:05ETD 303 Abu Dhabi 15:10OMA 645 Muscat 15:10ABY 127 Sharjah 15:35UAE 857 Dubai 15:45NIA 251 Alexandria 15:50RJA 640 Amman 16:00FDB 051 Dubai 16:10QTR 1072 Doha 16:15JZR 535 Cairo 16:20JZR 563 Sohag 16:25KAC 562 Amman 16:55ATG 2271 Sharjah 16:55KAC 118 New York 17:00SAW 705 Damascus 17:05SVA 510 Riyadh 17:15GFA 215 Bahrain 17:30JZR 177 Dubai 17:45JZR 777 Jeddah 17:50THY 1282 TZX 17:50QTR 1080 Doha 17:55JZR 483 Istanbul 18:20MSR 620 Cairo 18:30KAC 786 Jeddah 18:35KAC 774 Riyadh 18:35KAC 502 Beirut 18:35KAC 542 Cairo 18:55KAC 618 Doha 18:55KAC 103 London 19:00UAE 875 Dubai 19:05GFA 217 Bahrain 19:05KAC 614 Bahrain 19:10FDB 063 Dubai 19:10ABY 123 Sharjah 19:15JAI 572 Mumbai 19:35KAC 674 Dubai 19:45KAC 154 Istanbul 19:45FDB 059 Dubai 19:50DLH 634 Frankfurt 20:05KNE 381 Taif 20:10MEA 402 Beirut 20:15OMA 647 Muscat 20:20JZR 189 Dubai 20:25MSR 618 Alexandria 20:30QTR 1088 Doha 20:35FDB 5053 Dubai 20:55KAC 174 Munich 21:00ETD 307 Abu Dhabi 21:05UAE 859 Dubai 21:15ALK 229 Colombo 21:20THY 764 Istanbul 21:30QTR 1082 Doha 21:55GFA 219 Bahrain 22:00ETD 309 Abu Dhabi 22:10JZR 125 Bahrain 22:15AIC 975 Chennai/Goa 22:25BBC 143 Dhaka 22:40JZR 185 Dubai 22:55RBG 555 Alexandria 23:15JAI 574 Mumbai 23:20MSR 614 Cairo 23:30FDB 071 Dubai 23:35KLM 411 Amsterdam/Dammam 23:40
Departure Flights on Monday 8/8/2016Airlines Flt Route TimeAIC 982 Ahmedabad/Chennai 00:05BBC 044 Dhaka 00:10JAI 573 Mumbai 00:25MSR 615 Cairo 00:30FDB 072 Dubai 00:30PIA 206 Lahore 00:40MSC 416 Sohag 01:05FDK 804 Damascus 01:35THY 773 Istanbul 01:40DLH 635 Frankfurt 02:00ETH 621 Addis Ababa 02:45THY 765 Istanbul 02:45PGT 859 Istanbul 02:55UAE 854 Dubai 03:45THY 769 Istanbul 03:45KAC 417 Manila 03:55RJA 645 Amman 03:55MSC 502 Alexandria 04:00OMA 644 Muscat 04:05FDB 068 Dubai 04:05ETD 306 Abu Dhabi 04:10MSR 613 Cairo 04:15KKK 6505 Istanbul 04:20PGT 861 Istanbul 04:30QTR 1077 Doha 04:35CEB 019 Manila 04:50JZR 560 Sohag 05:00THY 1465 Istanbul 06:00FEG 954 Asyut 06:00RJA 643 Amman 06:25QTR 1087 Doha 06:30THY 771 Istanbul 06:45GFA 212 Bahrain 06:50FDB 070 Dubai 07:05JZR 164 Dubai 07:15FDB 5062 Dubai 07:55BAW 156 London 08:25FDB 054 Dubai 08:30KAC 173 Munich 08:35KAC 539 Sharm el-Sheikh 08:50KAC 671 Dubai 09:15KAC 787 Jeddah 09:30JZR 534 Cairo 09:30JZR 482 Istanbul 09:40ABY 126 Sharjah 09:45JZR 562 Sohag 09:50UAE 856 Dubai 09:50ETD 302 Abu Dhabi 10:05IRA 666 Esfahan 10:15ETD 920 Abu Dhabi 10:20JAV 622 Amman 10:25QTR 1071 Doha 10:35FDB 056 Dubai 10:40KAC 153 Istanbul 11:00KAC 501 Beirut 11:00CCE 346 Sohag 11:10KAC 561 Amman 11:20KAC 165 Rome/Paris 11:25KAC 741 Dammam 11:35GFA 214 Bahrain 11:35AXB 890 Mangalore 11:55MEA 405 Beirut 12:00KAC 541 Cairo 12:05KAC 103 London 12:10
UAE 874 Dubai 12:10JZR 776 Jeddah 12:15KAC 785 Jeddah 13:00JZR 176 Dubai 13:10FDB 076 Dubai 13:10FDK 802 Damascus 13:15MSC 402 Alexandria 13:30FEG 934 Sohag 13:55MSR 611 Cairo 14:00THY 767 Istanbul 14:10UAE 872 Dubai 14:15PAL 669 Dubai/Manila 14:45KNE 382 Taif 14:55KAC 773 Riyadh 15:00KAC 673 Dubai 15:05GFA 222 Bahrain 15:05FDB 058 Dubai 15:05KAC 617 Doha 15:15QTR 1079 Doha 15:15SVA 501 Jeddah 15:45JZR 188 Dubai 15:50KNE 530 Jeddah 15:55KAC 613 Bahrain 16:00OMA 646 Muscat 16:10ABY 128 Sharjah 16:15ETD 304 Abu Dhabi 16:20NIA 252 Alexandria 16:50RJA 641 Amman 16:55FDB 052 Dubai 17:00JZR 266 Beirut 17:10QTR 1073 Doha 17:25UAE 858 Dubai 17:40SVA 511 Riyadh 18:15SAW 706 Damascus 18:20GFA 216 Bahrain 18:20JZR 184 Dubai 18:20ATG 2271 Istanbul 18:30JZR 538 Cairo 18:30JZR 238 Amman 18:45KAC 1801 Cairo 18:55THY 1283 TZX 19:05QTR 1081 Doha 19:05JZR 124 Bahrain 19:20MSR 621 Cairo 19:30GFA 218 Bahrain 19:50FDB 064 Dubai 19:50ABY 124 Sharjah 19:55KAC 361 Colombo 19:55FDB 060 Dubai 20:30KAC 283 Dhaka 20:30UAE 876 Dubai 20:35JAI 571 Mumbai 20:35KAC 331 Trivandrum 20:45DLH 634 Doha 20:50KAC 353 BLR 20:55KAC 351 Kochi 21:00KAC 543 Cairo 21:00KNE 232 Riyadh 21:10MEA 403 Beirut 21:15OMA 648 Muscat 21:15JZR 554 Alexandria 21:15MSR 619 Alexandria 21:30QTR 1089 Doha 21:45DHX 171 Bahrain 21:50ETD 308 Abu Dhabi 21:55ALK 230 Colombo 22:20FDB 5054 Dubai 22:25UAE 860 Dubai 22:25THY 1413 TZX 22:25KAC 381 Delhi 22:25KAC 301 Mumbai 22:30KAC 345 Ahmedabad 22:55GFA 220 Bahrain 23:00KAC 205 Islamabad 23:00ETD 310 Abu Dhabi 23:05QTR 1083 Doha 23:20KAC 411 Bangkok/Manila 23:25RBG 556 Alexandria 23:55
112
PRAYER TIMINGS
Fajr: 03:45Shorook 05:12Duhr: 11:54Asr: 15:29Maghrib: 18:35Isha: 19:59
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KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY (04/08/2016 TO 10/08/2016)
SHARQIA-1MIN 30 SANA 12:30 PMMIN 30 SANA 3:30 PMMIN 30 SANA 6:30 PMMIN 30 SANA 9:30 PMTHE CONJURING 2 12:30 AM
SHARQIA-2SUICIDE SQUAD 12:00 PMSUICIDE SQUAD -3D 2:30 PMTHE LEGEND OF TARZAN 5:00 PMSUICIDE SQUAD 7:15 PMSUICIDE SQUAD -3D 9:45 PMSUICIDE SQUAD 12:15 AM
SHARQIA-3THE LEGEND OF TARZAN 1:00 PMTHE LEGEND OF TARZAN 3:15 PMJASON BOURNE 5:30 PMTHE LEGEND OF TARZAN 8:00 PMABU SHANAB 10:15 PMTHE LEGEND OF TARZAN 12:45 AM
MUHALAB-1MIN 30 SANA 1:00 PMMIN 30 SANA 4:00 PMABU SHANAB 7:00 PMMIN 30 SANA 9:15 PMMIN 30 SANA 12:15 AM
MUHALAB-2THE LEGEND OF TARZAN 12:30 PMALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS 2:45 PMTHE LEGEND OF TARZAN 5:00 PMTHE CONJURING 2 7:15 PMTHE LEGEND OF TARZAN 10:00 PMTHE LEGEND OF TARZAN 12:30 AM
MUHALAB-3SUICIDE SQUAD -3D 11:30 AMSUICIDE SQUAD 2:00 PMSUICIDE SQUAD -3D 5:30 PMTHE LEGEND OF TARZAN 8:00 PMSUICIDE SQUAD 10:15 PMSUICIDE SQUAD 12:45 AM
FANAR-1MIN 30 SANA 1:00 PMMIN 30 SANA 4:00 PMMIN 30 SANA 7:00 PMMIN 30 SANA 10:00 PMABU SHANAB 1:00 AM
FANAR-2ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS 12:30 PMTHE LEGEND OF TARZAN 3:00 PMALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS 5:15 PM
THE LEGEND OF TARZAN 7:30 PMTHE LEGEND OF TARZAN 9:45 PMTHE LEGEND OF TARZAN 12:05 AM
FANAR-3NERVE 11:30 AMFINDING DORY 1:30 PMSULTAN- HINDI 3:45 PMNERVE 7:00 PMNERVE 9:15 PMMIN 30 SANA 11:30 PM
FANAR-4SUICIDE SQUAD 11:30 AMSUICIDE SQUAD 2:00 PMSUICIDE SQUAD 4:30 PMSUICIDE SQUAD 7:00 PMSUICIDE SQUAD 9:30 PMSUICIDE SQUAD 12:15 AM
FANAR-5THE CONJURING 2 12:15 PMNERVE 3:00 PMTHE CONJURING 2 5:15 PMJASON BOURNE 8:00 PMTHE CONJURING 2 10:30 PMNERVE 1:15 AM
MARINA-1THE LEGEND OF TARZAN 1:00 PMFINDING DORY 3:30 PMTHE LEGEND OF TARZAN 5:45 PMABU SHANAB 8:00 PMJASON BOURNE 10:15 PMTHE LEGEND OF TARZAN 12:45 AM
MARINA-2SUICIDE SQUAD 11:45 AMSUICIDE SQUAD 2:15 PMTHE CONJURING 2 4:45 PMSUICIDE SQUAD 7:30 PMSUICIDE SQUAD 10:00 PMSUICIDE SQUAD 12:30 AM
MARINA-3MIN 30 SANA 12:45 PMTHE LEGEND OF TARZAN 1:30 PMALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS 3:45 PMMIN 30 SANA 6:00 PMMIN 30 SANA 9:00 PMMIN 30 SANA 12:05 AM
AVENUES-1JASON BOURNE 12:30 PMJASON BOURNE 3:15 PMTHE CONJURING 2 6:00 PMJASON BOURNE 8:45 PM
JASON BOURNE 11:30 PM
AVENUES-2TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES 12:15 PMALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS -3D-4DX2:45 PMSUICIDE SQUAD -3D- 4DX 5:15 PMTHE LEGEND OF TARZAN -3D-4DX 7:45 PMSUICIDE SQUAD -3D- 4DX 10:15 PMSUICIDE SQUAD -3D- 4DX 12:45 AM
AVENUES-3NERVE 11:30 AMNERVE 1:45 PMNERVE 4:00 PMNERVE 6:15 PMNERVE 8:30 PMNERVE 10:45 PMNERVE 1:00 AM
AVENUES-4THE LEGEND OF TARZAN 12:00 PMTHE LEGEND OF TARZAN 2:15 PMMIN 30 SANA 5:00 PMSpecial Show “SUICIDE SQUAD” 5:00 PMMIN 30 SANA 8:00 PMSpecial Show “SUICIDE SQUAD” 8:00 PMMIN 30 SANA 11:00 PM
360º 1SUICIDE SQUAD -3D 12:15 PMSUICIDE SQUAD -3D 2:45 PMSUICIDE SQUAD 5:15 PMSUICIDE SQUAD -3D 7:45 PMSUICIDE SQUAD 10:15 PMSUICIDE SQUAD 12:45 AM
360 º 2TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: OUT OF THE SHAD-OWS 12:00 PMTEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: OUT OF THE SHAD-OWS 2:30 PMSULTAN- HINDI 5:00 PMSULTAN- HINDI 8:15 PMTHE CONJURING 2 11:30 PM
360º- 3ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS 12:45 PMFINDING DORY 3:00 PMALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS 5:15 PMFINDING DORY 7:30 PMALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS 9:45 PMALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS 12:05 AM
AL-KOUT.1SUICIDE SQUAD 12:00 PMSUICIDE SQUAD 2:30 PMSUICIDE SQUAD 5:00 PM
SUICIDE SQUAD 7:30 PMSUICIDE SQUAD 10:00 PMSUICIDE SQUAD 12:30 AM
AL-KOUT.2MIN 30 SANA 12:00 PMMIN 30 SANA 3:15 PMMIN 30 SANA 6:15 PMMIN 30 SANA 9:15 PMMIN 30 SANA 12:15 AM
AL-KOUT.3THE LEGEND OF TARZAN 12:15 PMALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS 2:30 PMTHE LEGEND OF TARZAN 4:45 PMTHE LEGEND OF TARZAN 7:15 PMJASON BOURNE 9:30 PMTHE LEGEND OF TARZAN 12:05 AM
ABAIRAQ-1SUICIDE SQUAD -3D 12:00 PMTHE LEGEND OF TARZAN-3D 2:30 PMSUICIDE SQUAD -3D 4:45 PMTHE LEGEND OF TARZAN-3D 7:15 PMSUICIDE SQUAD 9:30 PMSUICIDE SQUAD 12:05 AM
BAIRAQ-2MIN 30 SANA 12:15 PMFINDING DORY 3:15 PMMIN 30 SANA 5:30 PMMIN 30 SANA 8:45 PMMIN 30 SANA 11:45 PM
BAIRAQ-3THE LEGEND OF TARZAN 1:00 PMALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS 3:15 PMTHE LEGEND OF TARZAN 5:30 PMALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS 7:45 PMTHE LEGEND OF TARZAN 10:00 PMTHE LEGEND OF TARZAN 12:15 AM
PLAZANERVE 3:15 PMSUICIDE SQUAD 5:15 PMKASABA -Malayalam 7:45 PMTHE CONJURING 2 10:30 PM
LAILATHE LEGEND OF TARZAN 3:15 PMTHE LEGEND OF TARZAN 5:30 PMMIN 30 SANA 7:45 PMSUICIDE SQUAD 10:45 PM
AJIAL.1KASABA -Malayalam 4:00 PMKASABA -Malayalam 6:45 PM
CHANGE OF NAME
SITUATION WANTED
I, Challa Nagarjuna, holderof Indian Passport No:H4746507 resident of D.No.3/153-A, Vallur, Kadapa Dist,A.P, India, has been convert-ed to Islam, in future I willbe known as Shaik Abdulla.(C 5198) 7-8-2016
I, Linguntla Babu S/o LateVenkataiah, holder ofIndian Passport No:K9653001, have changedmy name to M.N. ReddaiahNaidu S/o Late Venkataiah.Address: Mudrapalle (Vi &Po), Penagalur (Mandal),Kadapa (Dist), AP.5-8-2016
I, Mukil Arasan, holder ofIndian Passport No.G9180281, resident at No:19, R.O.B. main street, Hall
Garden, Royepettai,Chennai - 14, India. Havechanged my name fromMukil Arasan in future, I willbe known as AbdulRahman. (C 5197)
Accountant - Indian, expe-rienced having extensiveknowledge in handling allkinds of accounts (includ-ing system establishmentand management) rightfrom JV to finalization andmanagement reportingmore than 20 years in thefield now seeking full timeor part time assignmentwith transferable iqama.Contact: [email protected](C 5199)7-8-2016
URGENTLY REQUIRE
Female Office Lady with Transferable Residence
(Article No. 18)
Interested candidates please email your CV [email protected] or call 2226 7373
MONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016
Your friends, partners and relationships mean a lot to you. They are a pri-mary source of strength and you always look to them for mutual support and encour-agement. You are indeed a social being and will no doubt weave this fact into yourlifestyle. You are above all, a natural go-between or mediator between the generations.It may be your turn to check on a senior member of your family. Consider checking onthis person before shopping for him or her. This way you will be gathering the mostneeded items. A family gathering later today will get your attention and you may becalled upon to help others see two sides of any question. You have a strong and posi-tive effect on your friends and family. Early this evening you could plant onions.
Aries (March 21-April 19)
STAR TRACK
You appreciate tradition and can be quite happy when others do not tryto change your surroundings-that old chair is perfect where it sits. You are very method-ical and practical when it comes to balancing the matters of home, family and career-often at the expense of your social life. However, today close relationships take onimportance. You and family members may enjoy a meal away from home with lots oftime for chatter. Feeling cared for and needed is comfortable and you love to create anatmosphere of camaraderie. When everyone has a home of his or her own, you maywant to continue this tradition once every week. There is conversation along this linetoday. You decide to complete a few things on your to-do list later this afternoon.
Taurus (April 20-May 20)
You can expect a little extra support from those around you. You may feelthat you are in touch and in harmony with others and that the lines of com-
munication are open. The support you need is there for whatever you would like to accom-plish, or not accomplish, today. If you promised someone you would teach him or herabout fishing or about golf . . . This is the time. You could find that you are appreciated foryour feelings and your ability to share your day. The love and respect is present because ofyour attitude and concern for others. You hate routines and love the outdoors, travel andsports. This is considered a lucky time for you and you make plans for future get-togethers
with your family and friends. A homemade ice cream contest may be planned.
Gemini (May 21-June 20)
Many lines of communication are opened and you gain more recognitionas a result. Your love of simplicity is good for politics too. It brings out the
truth and a sense of honesty in a group. You are freedom loving and at times, independ-ent. This is a creative period for you, a time to take a chance, a time to be appreciated andadmired. You can really get your ideas across to others. You will be reminded of a resolu-tion about diet and nutrition at this time. Romance and other things that tug at theheartstrings come your way as a new cycle begins. A child or lover may come to meaneverything. You are happy in austere settings and enjoy getting back to the basics.Religion, truth and the world of philosophy and ideas are of interest today.
Cancer (June 21-July 22)
Leo (July 23-August 22)
Your inner resources and emotions are accented this Monday. You canexpect a sense of support and goodwill from those around you for whatever you wouldlike to achieve. You are in a planning mood and are very clearheaded and able to view allthe alternative paths. Go ahead and make those decisions. You can see the road aheadand will make the right choices. There is an interest and ability in athletics, exercise,working with the physical body and the out-of-doors, which should be life-long. Anotherform of this could be in training or coaching others. This is what you may find yourselfdoing in the afternoon. Romance is your trademark and this evening you may come upwith some fascinating ideas in how to add some extra spice to your romancing.
Virgo (August 23-September 22)
There are talents expressed today to ground and make spiritual ideas apractical matter-bringing them down to earth and into everyday life. You have great disci-pline when it comes to working with spirituality and unity-whatever binds or links all of ustogether. There is smooth progress ahead of you today and all opposition, if any, seems tohave melted away. You would be able to teach others through your own experiences. Yougrasp the principles that bind things together, the essentials of practical religion-a down-to-earth mysticism. Provided you do not spend it all on the fancy things that catch youreye, this can be a financially favorable period. This is a great time to reflect and understandyour situation-just how you feel you are progressing in your life.
Libra (September 23-October 22)
The world is a sacred place to you and you have an absolute commitmentto spiritual ideas. Intuition is a fact of life and you most often display your
sensitive, kind and gentle side. You are a romantic, with a tender heart. You always workfor a real future, doing what has to be done. You love all that is musical and artistic. Youare sensitive to all that is psychic and you enjoy real faith. You may decide to dive in to oneof your hobbies and could even decide to do some reading or writing, perhaps a short sto-ry. Obtaining and exchanging information is of emotional significance for you. Becominginvolved with neighbors or siblings satisfies a deep emotional need. Communicating feel-ings in a clear manner is important now.
Scorpio (October 23-November 21)
Someone that speaks a foreign language may come to your attention thismorning. You will be able to help them in some way that others will not.
Perhaps your helpfulness will be most appreciated as you help teach the meaning of driv-ing symbols or smooth out a misunderstanding from some slang phrase. You find it easyto work with the emotions and feelings of others and with great imagination. You enjoyworking with groups of people as well. You are in a great mood of self-enjoyment. Youmay see value in or feel love for an older person or someone in authority-perhaps someneighbor. This is a great time to be with friends or a loved one. You have a built-in sense ofwhat others want and can come up with just the right image.
Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)
Capricorn (December 22-January 19)
You create ways to ground yourself and gain a focus this morning. Yoursense of direction and guidance are the key to understanding you at any in-depth level. Ifyou and your loved one have been together a long time-you will find a new type of com-munication between you. Perhaps a couple of walkie-talkies while out bird watchingwould be the new fun activity. Some good creative thinking may help you form a fewideas and goals that you can write down and form in a letter or a poem or perhaps a to-dolist. When the weather is too hot to stay outside you and your mate may decide an earlymovie or a bookstore is the perfect place to be for a timeout from your outdoor fun. You
may sharpen your wits with some interesting reading.
Pisces (February 19-March 20)
If necessary, this is the time to make amends. Making peace with the pastand meditating on things unseen become important to you now. Someone
needs your attention and you may be able to guide others in some caregiving concern.Do not be afraid to speak your mind. You work with understanding in areas of the mindthat are the most personal or private: in-depth psychology. You tend to be radical when itcomes to self-analysis, which means healthcare, food and mental health, etc. Serving andcaring for yourself and others are primary sources of inner growth and changes for thenext few years. A burning zeal for the ideal world and your need to be included in a groupof likeminded souls are major factors in your makeup.
Aquarius (January 20- February 18)
CROSSWORD 1336
ACROSS1. A religious belief of African origin involv-ing witchcraft and sorcery.4. A flask that holds spirits.12. A dissolute man in fashionable society.15. A number of sheets of paper fastenedtogether along one edge.16. Outer membrane covering an axon.17. (informal) Of the highest quality.18. Romanian violinist and composer(1881-1955).20. (Hawaiian) A small guitar having fourstrings.21. A city of central China.23. Ctenophore having short tentacles.25. A large shallow lake in westernHungary.27. Power to control.29. A popular island resort in theNetherlands Antilles.30. A nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug(trade name Clinoril).33. The cry made by sheep.36. Appeal or request earnestly.37. Horny plate covering and protectingpart of the dorsal surface of the digits.39. Not easy.41. The 7th letter of the Greek alphabet.42. According to the Old Testament hewas a pagan king of Israel and husband ofJezebel (9th century BC).44. Take in solid food.47. A large cask especially one holding avolume equivalent to 2 butts or 252 gals.48. Any of several related languages of theCelts in Ireland and Scotland.50. A very poisonous metallic element thathas three allotropic forms.53. The capital and largest city ofBangladesh.56. A large genus of dicotyledonous treesand shrubs of the family Aquifoliaceae thathave small flowers and berries (includinghollies).57. English writer who published a transla-tion of romances about King Arthur takenfrom French and other sources (died in1471).59. A port city in southwestern Turkey onthe Gulf of Antalya.61. (Mexican) Corn and cornmeal doughstuffed with a meat mixture then wrappedin corn husks and steamed.64. The sense organ for hearing and equi-librium.65. A heavy brittle metallic element of theplatinum group.66. Bake in an oven.72. An association of countries in the west-ern hemisphere.73. A genus of Portunidae.76. A plant hormone promoting elonga-tion of stems and roots.77. A branch of the Tai languages.78. Refer to another person for decision orjudgment.79. Government agency created in 1974 tolicense and regulate nuclear power plants.80. Ancient Hebrew unit of liquid measure= 1.5 gallons.81. Chiefly tropical or xerophytic woodyplants.82. East Indian tree bearing a profusion ofintense vermilion velvet-textured bloomsand yielding a yellow dye.
DOWN1. An organization of countries formed in1961 to agree on a common policy for thesale of petroleum.2. Something causes misery or death.3. In the Roman calendar.4. A large estate in Spanish-speaking coun-
tries.5. Ticks having a hard shield on the backand mouth parts that project from thehead.6. A radioactive metallic element that issimilar to tellurium and bismuth.7. An acute febrile highly contagious viraldisease.8. The basic unit of money in Albania.9. Naked freshwater or marine or parasiticprotozoa that form temporarypseudopods for feeding and locomotion.10. A gray lustrous metallic element of therare earth group.11. Coffee-flavored liqueur made inMexico.12. An Indian side dish of yogurt andchopped cucumbers and spices.13. The United Nations agency concernedwith civil aviation.14. English Quaker who founded thecolony of Pennsylvania (1644-1718).19. Any of a number of tiny parallelgrooves such as.22. A region of Malaysia in northeasternBorneo.24. A genus of tropical American plantshave sword-shaped leaves and a fleshycompound fruits composed of the fruits ofseveral flowers (such as pineapples).26. Someone who engages in arbitrage(who purchases securities in one marketfor immediate resale in another in thehope of profiting from the price differen-tial).28. Someone who works (or providesworkers) during a strike.31. (used of opinions and actions) Farbeyond the norm.32. Restraint consisting of a rope (or lightchain) used to restrain an animal.34. A sultanate in northwestern Borneo.35. An accessory or adjoining anatomicalparts or appendages (especially of theembryo).38. (archaic or Scottish) Faithful and true.40. An island consisting of a circular coralreef surrounding a lagoon.43. (astronomy) The angular distance of acelestial point measured westward alongthe celestial equator from the zenith cross-ing.45. Type genus of the family Arcidae.46. A light strong gray lustrous corrosion-resistant metallic element used in stronglight-weight alloys (as for airplane parts).49. Swedish oceanographer who recog-nized the role of the Coriolis effect onocean currents (1874-1954).51. Common Indian weaverbird.52. A crown-like jewelled headdress wornby women on formal occasions.54. A city and port in northern Jutland.55. A small tree.58. A substance used to produce fermen-tation in dough or a liquid.60. A character used in printing to indicatea cross reference or footnote.62. A genus of Indriidae.63. An elementary particle responsible forthe forces in the atomic nucleus.67. Informal terms for money.68. An elaborate party (often outdoors).69. Swedish soprano who toured theUnited States under the management of P.T. Barnum (1820-1887).70. A village in eastern Ireland (northwestof Dublin).71. Noisy talk.74. One of the most common of the fivemajor classes of immunoglobulins.75. A close friend who accompanies hisbuddies in their activities.
Yesterday’s Solution
Yesterday’s Solution
34s t a r s
Daily SuDoku
Wordsearch Puzzle
You find new ways to serve others and you have brilliant insights into diet,health, ecology, conservation, etc. There is talk of new ideas and new ways to make a liv-ing. You are economy savvy, always able to salvage and redeem anything. Even thoughthis is a day away from work you seem to relax best by working. This is a time of muchenergy and drive, perfect for starting something out or becoming involved in your hob-by. Very physical too-exercise may be in order. Remember that although the sun is veryimportant to your mental health, your physical shell needs protection from prolongedheat and sunlight. There is a chance to have a special time with someone you love thisevening. This is a happy time to celebrate.
A new piece of furniture or something else that needs assembly will haveyour attention this morning. If you have instructions, you can do anything!
You are exacting when it comes to getting down to the basics. This tendency for perfec-tion may continue as you enjoy other people’s art expression this afternoon. Your taste inart and appreciation in general are heightened. An art exhibit or presentation, perhaps acollection of some sort, has fascinated you and this is where your interests may be muchof this day. Purchasing some item that will be increasing in value is profitable. Thisevening is a great time to have some deep discussions with a loved one. This private timeand interest in each other create a wonderful bonding.
Yesterday’s Solution
inf or m at ionMONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016
Ahmadi Sama Safwan Fahaeel Makka St 23915883Abu Halaifa Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd 23715414Danat Al-Sultan Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd 23726558
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Capital Ahlam Fahad Al-Salem St 22436184Khaldiya Coop Khaldiya Coop 24833967
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Ophthalmologists
Dr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444
Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222
Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171
Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999
Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700
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Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223
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Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510
Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660
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Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996
Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988
Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166
Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426
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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
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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
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Amiri Hospital 22450005
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Adan Hospital 23940620
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Physiotherapy Hospital 24874330/9
Kaizen center 25716707
Rawda 22517733
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W Hawally 22630786
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Ardhiya 24884079
Firdous 24892674
Omariya 24719048
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Fintas 23900322
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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
Psychologists/Psychotherapists
PRIVATE CLINICS
William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677
Kaizen center25716707
Noor Clinic23845955
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MONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016
l if e s t y l eG O S S I P
Delevingnewas losing her ‘mind’
making ‘Suicide Squad’
Cara Delevingne felt like she was losing her ‘mind’ whilemaking ‘Suicide Squad’. The 23-year-old actress, who starsas Enchantress in the much-anticipated new comic book
movie, has revealed she fantasized about killing people in“demonic” moments during filming. She explained: “I tried toimagine the darkest thing for a long time, like seeing peoplecrumble and their skin melt in front of me or making peopleimplode and trying to use my imagination in dark ways. “Iremember seeing a guy behind a bar cutting up a cucumber thenseeing him cut all the way up his hand and I thought, ‘I’m losingmy mind! “Is this going to stick? Am I going to have to be sent inand locked away? “I don’t like being by myself anyway but it wasmore scary when I was acting out the role. “I didn’t like goinghome and being alone with these thoughts. “When I was in theoutfit, I was far more demonic than I’m shown on screen, my char-acter definitely felt evil and living in that was very emotional. “Istudied addiction, desperation, that void. It was draining, desper-ate, exhilarating and maddening.” Asked whether she could everbe as evil as her on-screen character, Cara told The Sun on Sundaynewspaper: “I’d rob a bank if I could get away with it. I would kill.”Meanwhile, Cara revealed she took inspiration for the film fromher own childhood, when she was obsessed with witchcraft. Sheexplained: “I’ve always been a big fan of witches so I knew a bitabout that in the magic sense of it. I thought of her as a demon.“It was more about finding the evil in myself and finding thedemon and the darkest parts of myself, why people do things andwant to destroy the world and, most of all, have no heart. Or ifthey did, why did they lose it all? What happened to them?”
The 26-year-old beauty - who shotinto the limelight in 2008 when shestarred as Isabella ‘Bella’ Swan in the
popular franchise ‘Twilight’ - is desperate-ly trying to carve out a career as a direc-tor but has admitted she still loves acting- although she doesn’t like the things thatcome with it. She explained: “When I’mmaking a movie or developing some-thing, I really do forget about ‘celebrity’and that I have some responsibility tointeract with the public on what is for mea very personal level, but for them notpersonal at all. It’s an entirely imbalancedrelationship.” However, the blonde beautymay not like the consequences that comewith her high-profile career but she hasadmitted her work has saved her on morethan one occasion. She said: “I have areally strong sense of identity when I’m
working. If I’m having a bad day, or some-thing existential or hormonal... if any-thing brings me down, I’m lucky if I haveto go to work that day. And that could beanything.” And, although she’d like toshed her identity for a day, Kristenbelieves she would be desperate to get inthe public eye if she wasn’t famous. Sheexplained to ELLE magazine: “Maybe I’dbe more confident. Maybe I’d have a pub-lic Instagram and be obsessed with howmany followers I had, as I’d need all theattention. “I’d be one of those peopletalking really loudly in restaurants. I’dneed to per form. Actors want to belooked at. I am the antithesis of thatwhen I’m in public. Then I’m like, ‘Pleaseeveryone, I don’t want to exist.’ But thereis still a strong desire in me to be seen. It’sso weird.”
Kristen Stewarthates being a celebrity
Mel B is to star on the Australian
‘X Factor’Mel B is reportedly set to star on the Australian ‘X Factor’.
The 41-year-old singer, who is currently on the panel of‘America’s Got Talent’, is poised to become the fourth
judge on ‘The X Factor’, meaning she will appear onscreenalongside Iggy Azalea,Adam Lambert andGuy Sebastian. Theimminent move is seenas a sign that Mel has along-term future work-ing with music mogulSimon Cowell. Asource told The Sunyeasterday: “Mel is areal favorite withSimon. He loves herstraight-talking atti-tude.” Mel previouslyserved as a judge onthe Australian versionof ‘The X Factor’ from2011 to 2012, and onthe British version in2014. The rumorcomes shortly afterMel, Geri Horner andEmma Bunton hintedat a possible SpiceGirls reunion. The trio are reportedly keen to reunite in order tomark the 20th anniversary of their debut single ‘Wannabe’. Theyall appeared in a video in which they thanked the fans for theirloyal support over the past two decades and hinted at somepossible reunion concerts. However, Mel has been tight-lippedabout the specific details of the supposed comeback. She said:“You know what? All will be revealed very, very soon. “We havea few interesting things that we will be sharing with every-body, or the people that want to know. It’s gonna be very inter-esting.” However, it appears that any possible reunion will notinvolve Mel C and Victoria Beckham, both of whom are said tobe opposed to the idea.
Lindsay Lohan is “scared” of her ex-fiance Egor Tarabasov. The ‘Mean Girls’actress recently split from the Russian
businessman amid claims he has beenunfaithful towards her and a photographhas since emerged showing the duo fight-ing on a beach on the Greek island ofMykonos, where they travelled last monthto mark Lindsay’s 30th birthday. Lindsayhas accused Egor of being abusive towardsher, saying: “I realize now you can’t stay in arelationship just for love. “No woman canbe hit and stay with that person if that per-son isn’t prepared to say sorry.” The dramat-ic scuffle occurred following an argumentin a black 4x4, during which Lindsay hurledEgor ’s phone out of the window. Theflame-haired actress is reluctant to go intodetail about the incident but suggestedEgor’s judgment was clouded by alcohol.She told the Mail on Sunday newspaper:“Egor drank too much and he went crazy.”The duo had another fight on the balconyof the flat they shared in Knightsbridge,London, which was filmed by a neighbor.During that incident, Lindsay accused Egorof assaulting her, shouting: “Please, please.He just strangled me. He almost killed me.”The police were subsequently called to thescene but no-one was charged. Reflectingon the balcony incident, Lindsay said: “Egorand I had been out for dinner. We danced, itwas fun. “When we got home I went to bed
and Egor went out. A few hours later hecame back and when I woke up he wasstanding over me. He wasn’t himself, hewas being very aggressive and he attackedme.” The pair have not seen each othersince, but Lindsay admits to feeling unsafe.She explained: “I’ve kept quiet for so longbut now I’m scared of what Egor might doto me and to himself’ “It’s not the first time.That’s the problem. But this time, someonesaw. I didn’t call anyone, I’ve dealt withenough police in LA. I just left the houseand went to the Connaught [Hotel] for thenight. “I contacted my good friend [Israelisocialite] Hofit Golan who was in St Tropez.She said, ‘Get on a plane, come and meetme,’ so I did. I needed some time for myself.“I’ve spent the past week fishing on myfriend Marco Mavilla’s yacht with his lovelyfamily in Sardinia.” Despite this, Lindsay hascontacted Egor in recent days and suggest-ed the two could still reconcile their differ-ences. She shared: “I need closure. I gen-uinely fell in love with him but he broke mytrust and made me feel unsafe. “I know I’mnot an angel but I’ve tried to fix things. It’sdown to him now. I had suggested we gofor couples’ counseling but there comes atime when I have to put myself first, myfamily, and also think about my careerwhich I’ve worked so hard for. I also don’twant to let my fans down by not being thestrong woman I have become.”
Lohan ‘scared’ of ex fiance
Princess Beatrice has reportedlysplit from her long-termboyfriend Dave Clark. The duo
have been dating for a decade butthe British royal is said to have calledtime on their relationship followingmake-or-break talks over whetherthey should get married. A sourceexplained: “After ten years together,Beatrice and Dave had to wonderwhy they were not married. “Theytalked it through and decided to taketime apart to reflect on the future.They remain friends and the decisionto break up was mutual.” The 27-year-old Princess is reported to have beendisappointed that Dave, 32, neverasked her to marry him after shemoved to the US to be with him.However, the Princess’ mother, SarahFerguson, is said to be shocked bythe news. An insider told the Mail onSunday newspaper: “Sarah considersDave to be part of the family. She isvery sad it didn’t work out. They havebeen together longer than manymarriages last.” But after the duoagreed that marriage was not a likelyprospect in the near future, they
decided to terminate their relation-ship altogether. The source shared:“Beatrice has become a lot moreassertive and confident recently. Shegave Dave an ultimatum, but it back-fired because he did not ask her tomarry him. They both agreed thatwith no marriage in their future, itwas time to go separate ways.”
The ‘All About that Bass’ hitmaker has admitted she’sdeveloped a soft spot for the One Direction hunkbecause he was the only member of the boy band -
comprised also of Harry Styles, Liam Payne and LouisTomlinson - who stopped to speak to her when they rubbedshoulders at an event. She explained: “One Direction, give methe blonde one! He’s a gentleman. All the other boys walkedby and he came up to me and I got swept off my feet by hisIrish charm. I like normal people. I like, funny, normal, nicepeople.” And the 22-year-old heartthrob isn’t the only manMeghan has got her eye on as she also wouldn’t turn down EdSheeran if he asked to take her out on a date because she likes
down to earth men. She said: “I like guys that are really nice, agentleman. If you can chill with my bros and my family, youare in. I just got to look for older men who already have theirstuff together. I wouldn’t reject Ed Sheeran. I’d love to be hisdate to prom.” Meanwhile, the 22-year-old beauty hasn’t hadthe best of luck on the dating front but is hoping she’ll even-tually find her “soul mate” when she’s not looking for him. Sheexplained to We Love Pop magazine: “I haven’t had a relation-ship since I was 18. I just haven’t met the right guy. My mumwas 19 and my dad was 40 when they met and they’re stilltogether so she found her soul mate younger and he foundhis a bit older. I have no idea when I’ll find mine.”
Meghan Trainor has a crush on Niall Horan
Princess Beatrice and long-termboyfriend Dave Clark split
Brooklyn Beckham and ChloeMoretz have been offered theirown reality show. The couple
are reportedly the subject of a bid-ding war between US networks whoare “desperate” to sign them up for adocumentary millions, and are willingto pay “millions” to persuade them tolay bare their lives on screen. A sourcesaid “American networks are desper-ate to sign them up. “MTV and E! areboth interested, apparently. “They’reprepared to offer them millions - theythink it would be TV gold. Brooklyn isfrom one of the most famous familiesin the world and Chloe is a Hollywoodstar... “TV execs have been followingtheir romance for a while and timingfor a show is per fect. They havelegions of fans desperate to find outwhat their life together is like behindclosed doors.” However, the couple’sfamilies are unconvinced by the plan,
with 17-year-old Brooklyn’s mother,fashion designer Victoria Beckham,particularly opposed to the idea,especially because of the criticism shereceived from her own 2007 show‘Victoria Beckham: Coming toAmerica’. A source told heat maga-zine: “Neither of Brooklyn’s parents arehappy but it’s Victoria who is particu-larly resistant. “She thinks Brooklyn istoo young. He understands their con-cerns but it has caused quite a lot oftension because he likes the idea ofusing his celebrity status for a project“But until he’s 18 next March. he hasto get his mum and dad’s permissionto do any TV show. “Victoria remem-bers being described as vapid andself-indulgent after her show and shewants to protect her kids from thatkind of scrutiny. Reality TV is not thekind of exposure they want. It couldbe damaging for brand Beckham.”
Beckham and Moretzoffered ‘their
own reality show’
MONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016
l if e s t y l eG O S S I P
Tyga gave Kylie Jenner a $200,000 carfor her 19th birthday. The 26-year-oldrapper presented his girlfriend with a
Mercedes-Maybach ahead of her birthdaynext week. Kylie posted a short video fea-turing the car on Snapchat and said: “Happyearly birthday to me. Yay! I love you, T.” Sheadded a picture of the interior and wrote:“Almost too boss for me.” Tyga previouslyadmitted he had some difficulty trying todecide on a gift for his girlfriend. He said: “It’sreally just about what you feel. How do youget someone that has everything, youknow?” Tyga’s present came just days afterKylie treated herself to a new luxury custom-made Land Rover. The ‘Keeping Up With theKardashians’ star splashed out on the SUV,which features flat screen TVs, two-toneleather seats and glows purple in the darkfrom the inside. Taking to her Snapchat toshare a video tour of her new wheels, shesaid: “My new car, this is one of a kind. I got a
little excited and treated myself for my birth-day. How amazing is this white and marooninterior. “The car glows purple inside in thedark.” The motor also features black tintedwindows, maroon seats and steering wheel,as well as drinks holders and trays. She cap-tioned the video: “One of kind. Happy birth-day to me.” It’s not the first time Kylie hasshown off her cars to her fans on socialmedia. In November, she boasted aboutfour of her luxury vehicles, including aRange Rover Autobiography, Mercedes-Benz Wagon and Rolls-Royce Ghost. Herfleet also included a white Ferrari 482 Italia,worth $320,000, given to her by Tyga for her18th birthday. Kylie hasn’t always had greatluck when it comes to cars though as sheand Tyga were involved in a car crash inOctober when his $320,000 Rolls Royce washit from behind by another vehicle. The inci-dent occurred in Los Angeles after he hadperformed at nightspot 1OAK.
Kylie Jenner got a $200,000Maybach from Tyga
Angelina Jolie is set to take up a teachingposition at Georgetown University. It waspreviously announced that the 41-year-old
actress and human rights campaigner has joinedthe London School of Economics as a visiting pro-fessor and now Us Weekly reports that she “will dothe same guest spot at LSE’s sister school,Georgetown. No details about her position atGeorgetown have been revealed but GeorgetownInstitute for Women, Peace and SecurityAmbassador Melanne Verveer held talks with theactress in May. She said: “I was pleased to meet withAngelina Jolie during my recent trip to London onways we at Georgetown University can continue thecollaboration between our sister programs on bothsides of the Atlantic. We look forward to welcomingAngelina and former foreign secretary Hague toGeorgetown in the future.” At LSE Angelina will givea series of lectures to students of the new one-yearMSc course on women, peace and security, whichwill run from the beginning of the 2017 academic
year. Angelina - who helped to launch the MSc lastyear with Britain’s former foreign secretary, WilliamHague - said: “I am very encouraged by the creationof this master’s program. I hope other academicinstitutions will follow this example, as it is vital thatwe broaden the discussion on how to advancewomen’s rights and end impunity for crimes thatdisproportionately affect women, such as sexualviolence in conflict. I am looking forward to teach-ing and to learning from the students as well as tosharing my own experiences of working alongsidegovernments and the United Nations.” According tothe LSE, the course is intended to “develop strate-gies to promote gender equality and enhancewomen’s economic, social and political participationand security”. Visiting professors including Angelinaand Mr. Hague will give lectures, participate in work-shops and undertake their own research. An LSEspokeswoman said they will teach “as often as theirschedules, and their commitment as agreed withthe director, will allow”.
Angelina Jolie to teach at Georgetown University
Brady explainswhy he missed Bundchen’s
runway return
Tom Brady didn’t travel to Brazil for the Olympicswith his wife Gisele Bundchen because he is attraining camp. The 39-year-old NFL star is
extremely proud of his wife, who walked the runway atthe Opening Ceremony in Rio de Janeiro on Friday butadmitted a few weeks before the Games that he wasunsure if he would be able to make it. In a just-releasedinterview, Tom told PEOPLE: “For me, [the Olympics]are right in the middle of training camp so I need totalk my coach out of a couple days. I haven’t askedthem so, we’ll see!” The New England Patriots quarter-back also spoke of 36-year-old Gisele’s love for hernative country and insisted she would not miss theOlympics for anything. He said: “She loves the country.She has never forgotten where she’s come from. She’ssuch a great role model. Obviously she’s my wife, so I’mbiased, but I think she is someone that represents hercountry. I think she stayed really true to her roots. Ifyou came to our house, you’d think we’d been living inBrazil. Everyone around speaks Portuguese. Which Iwish I’d learned more at this point. “We come fromvery similar families and backgrounds. I think family isso important for the both of us. Now that we have kids,I think so much is focused how are kids are and raisingthem the right way and being the kind of parents thatwe want to be for them. We both had great parentsgrowing up. We had great examples of husband andwife. It ’s a constant communication. We’ve beentogether for a long time now. I found a great life part-ner.” Tom and Gisele, who have been married for sevenyears, have children Benjamin, five, and Vivian, three,together, while he also has son John, eight, with for-mer partner Bridget Moynahan.
Ruby Rose has lashed out after shewas forced to cancel two showsdue to tonsillitis. The ‘Orange Is The
New Black’ star took ill during a break inIbiza with pals and has been told by doc-tors not to fly but Ruby got annoyedwhen fans questioned her illness. Shewrote: “It’s upsetting to see people ques-tioning me getting tonsilitis .. And can-celling 2 of 15 shows in a month..Off theback of filming a movie. “But I don’t party,I’ve not been to one club except whenplaying here and I’ve had a 3 day vacationwith childhood friends I flew out.. “..Where we slept, watched movies andwent to the beach. I don’t drink as every-one knows, I’m run down and got tonsilli-tis its that simple. X “Lastly, I trained hardfor 3 films and continue to train hard,
more than ever in my life.. I’m fit ( wellbefore I got sick ). That’s all. “I don’t carewhat “people think” but I wanted to clearit up for the fans. however you shouldknow me by now. Off socials again while Irest (sic).” Ruby originally shared a mes-sage on Instagram to announce her ton-silitis, writing: “Tonsilitis and unable to flybecause of the pain it’s causing my ears :(means no more shows and I have to stayput before returning home :( sorry guys.I didn’t even know you could get tonsili-tis after like, 16 (sic).” And when one fanquestioned why she wasn’t at BrightonPride in the UK, she quoted the tweetand wrote: “Announced yesterday. -Have tonsillitis and it ’s also causingextreme ear pain and I’ve been advised Ican’t fly (sic).” — Bang Showbiz
Ruby Rose lashesout at haters
Tara walked out of her interview on Jenny’sSirius XM show last month when the starasked her questions about ‘Marriage Boot
Camp: Reality Stars’ and whether she would getmore plastic surgery, instead of talking abouther movie ‘Sharknado’ and Tara is still annoyed.She told Hollywood Today Live: “We never evenhad beef, so I don’t know where that came from.I think she actually purposefully did that to getratings. Why else do that? It didn’t make anysense. It wasn’t like there’s history there, becauseI’ve never met her. “Something like that is so sil-ly. We’re here to talk about ‘Sharknado’ and to gointo stuff that has nothing to do with somethingelse and keep going and going and going. Andthey’re saying like, ‘Come on guys, let’s be happyand talk about’ Sharknado’ and it didn’t end thatway. I was like, ‘Good for you, Jenny. At least now
people know you have a show.’” And Tara, 40,insists she won’t be returning to Jenny’s show.She said: “I definitely don’t think I’ll be going onher radio show anytime soon.” Meanwhile, Tararecently revealed she Tara Reid doesn’t trust herboyfriend Dean May, who she is starring in‘Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars’ with. Shesaid: “The moments on the camera are ... lightsand, like, trying to be a star. ... I don’t trust him - Idon’t know what he’s going to say and do.Obviously, he has some master plan, which Idon’t have.” Tara also told her co-star Toya Wrightthat the club promoter has been acting differ-ently than she expected him to. She said: “Whenthe show’s on, he’s trying to cause tension andlook cool and make me look stupid. I never knewwe were competing for this. I would have neverdone this.”
Tara Reid has slammed Jenny McCarthy
Kevin has told TheInsider with Yahoo:“August 8, I’m tying
the knot.” However, Kevindid not reveal where thewedding will take place.Kevin - who was married toTorrei Hart from 2003 to2011 - previously spokeabout settling down withEniko, joking he was readyto “lock this love up in abox”. He said: “That’s rightladies. I’ve got to put thischocolate in the freezer.” “Soif you wanted a piece, you better take thatwant and put it in your pocket, becauseyou ain’t gonna get it, because it’s happen-ing. I’m going to lock this love up in a box.”The star also revealed that he has left all ofthe wedding planning up to Kevin
explained: “To be honestwith you, I don’t know whatthe hell is going on. I toldher, ‘Do what you want todo, and just come back tome with a finished product.’“She has a number, if shegoes above this number it’snot happening. That’s all Idid, I gave her a budget.”Kevin announced he hadproposed to Eniko on her30th birthday on hisInstagram account. He usedthe social media site to
post a picture of himself standing in frontof his longtime girlfriend, who was proudlydisplaying an engagement ring with ahuge smile on her face. He captioned thephotograph: “She said YEEEEESSSSS......#Happy #MyRib #iLoveHer (sic)”
Kevin Hart is set totie the knot today
The 35-year-old realityT V star rarely postsabout her seven-
month-old son on socialmedia and claims her reluc-tance to do so made somepeople think he didn’t exist.Speaking at the BlogHerconference in Los Angeles,Kim said: “If you don’t sharesomething, it’s like it doesn’texist. “I wasn’t posting aboutmy son because I want himto go to the park like everynormal human being. Butsome people thought I had a full fake babybecause I wasn’t posting.” And Kim alsoinsisted that she and her sister KourtneyKardashian are adamant that their childrenare not used in plotlines on their reality TVshow. She said: “I’m protective of my lifewith my kids. You might see them on the‘Keeping Up With The Kardashians’ a bit,but not real stories. “Selfishly, I am lucky
they can be in the otherroom while I ’m filming.Kourtney and I don’t havestories about our children.That is one thing I don’tshare.” And Kim wants herchildren to have “as normala life as possible”. The star -who is married to rapperKanye West - said: “I hopethey learn to understandthey can do anything theywant to do and to alwaysbe kind. You can’t underes-timate kindness. “I hope
they are good people and live as normal ofa life as possible. “I hope they are outspo-ken and follow their truths. I hope they seeno one is perfect. Everyone makes mis-takes. You can get through anything. “Aslong as you surround yourself with familyand friends and try not to make the samemistake twice. Learn from your mistakesand grow from that.”
Kim Kardashian West: People thought I faked my son
Michael Lohan says EgorTarabasov is “a piece ofgarbage”. The 56-year-
old father of Lindsay Lohan isfurious after video and picturesemerged of the pair having aviolent physical altercation on abeach in Greece and Michaelwants to confront Egor directly.He told RadarOnline: “I think he’sa piece of garbage and he’s acoward,” “I welcome the oppor-tunity for him to sit down withme face to face. But he isn’tworth going to jail for.” Michael previously vowedto put Egor in hospital, claiming that Lindsay, 30,told him the Russian millionaire hit her. Michaelsaid: “Lindsay said that he hit her. I can’t wait to getmy hands on this guy, I literally cannot wait to beface to face with this kid. I am going to jail and heis going to the hospital. “All I have to say is he bet-ter not show up here. If he is in the United Statesand I find out where he is, there is going to be a
problem.” Although Egor, 23,threw Lindsay, a lavish 30thbirthday party in Greece lastmonth, Michael claims Lindsayactually paid for the bash andhas accused Egor of takingadvantage of her. Speaking toHollywoodLife.com, Michaelsaid: “Lindsay paid for her ownbirthday party. Egor has beentaking advantage of Lindsay,there is no question whatsoev-er. He didn’t even pay the lastmonth’s rent. He is full of c**p, a
con man.” Meanwhile, Lindsay’s mother recentlyinsisted the actress is not pregnant, even thoughLindsay sparked speculation she is expecting ababy after tweeting a photo of herself with a fakebaby bump from her 2009 film ‘Labour Pains’, andwriting: “I am pregnant”. Lindsay’s tweet cameafter another furious bust-up with Egor and Dinatold TMZ that the star was distraught after theirargument and “overreacted”.
Michael Lohan: Egor is‘a piece of garbage’
MONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016
F E A T U R E S
l if e s t y l e
In these 1825 drawingsprovided by theUniversity ofMichigan’s William LClements Library, asketches of sections ofthe Erie Canal byEpiscopalian ministerJohn Henry Hopkins isshown. —AP photos
In the fall of 1825, John Henry Hopkinstraveled from Buffalo to Albany on the ErieCanal just days after the 363-mile water-
way had opened. Along the way, theEpiscopal minister from Pennsylvania drewscenes of what was then considered a marvelof modern engineering. This month, the co-founder of a Vermont history museum is trav-eling by tugboat on the canal, stopping atabout 30 communities over the next sixweeks as he discusses the waterway’s impacton the nation’s growth in the 19th centuryand hands out prints of Hopkins’ artwork,many of them never published and rarelyseen by the general public.
“He left us an incredible series of images ofthe communities, of the canal, that fill in atremendous amount of information,” Cohnsaid in a telephone interview from aboard theCL Churchill, a 52-year-old wooden tugboatowned by the Lake Champlain MaritimeMuseum in Vergennes.
Starting this weekend, Cohn and his fellowcrewmembers will visit communities along thecanal as far west as Rochester, giving publictalks about the waterway and presentingcopies of Hopkins’ artwork to local museumsand historical societies. Cohn was meetingFriday with state Canal Corp. officials to ironout the details of his itinerary, which will beposted on the museum and canal agency’swebsites starting early next week.
The voyage is aimed at bringing attentionto next year ’s 200th anniversar y of thebeginning of construction of the Erie Canal,with events planned each year through
2025, according to Canal Corp. spokesmanShane Mahar. The waterway was officiallyopened in October 1825 by Gov. DeWittClinton, who traveled on the canal by boatfrom Buffalo to Albany, then on toManhattan. Once there, he dumped a caskof Lake Erie water into New York Harbor to
signify the “wedding of the waters” linkingthe Great Lakes to the East Coast.
Around that time the Irish-born Hopkins,then a 32-year-old newly ordained clergymanfrom Pittsburgh, began his own voyage bycanal boat from Buffalo to Albany, eventuallyheaded for Manhattan to attend a religious
conference. A talented artist and architecturalillustrator, he created 37 watercolor and pencilsketches of canal scenes. They include a rendi-tion of the Genesee River falls at Rochesterand the elevated towpath built over theCayuga swamp in central New York. The 1,300-foot-long timber structure was replaced by anaqueduct in the 1840s.
“It’s a priceless document as well as a won-derful painting,” Cohn said. He came across theHopkins collection last year while doingresearch at William L Clements Library at the
University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. One ErieCanal expert said he was “blown away” whenCohn showed him prints of the Hopkins draw-ings, considered some of the earliest imagesof the waterway before the invention of pho-tography in the late 1830s. “We don’t have alot of images of the very first version of theErie Canal,” said Duncan Hay, historian for theErie Canalway National Heritage Corridor.“Finding drawings tucked away in a manu-script collection in another part of the countryis pretty exciting.” — AP
Erie Canal trip touts waterway’s history, early depictions
In this 1825 watercolor painting provided by the University of Michigan’s William L ClementsLibrary, a section of the Erie Canal by Episcopalian minister John Henry Hopkins is shown.
Aderanged apartment block landlord gradu-ates from electronic eavesdropping toplaying sick and deadly jokes in “ The
Tenants Downstairs,” a lusciously photographedand wildly uneven cavalcade of grotesque come-dy, torture porn and all-round depravity. Based onthe novel by popular Taiwanese author GiddensKo and starring Hong Kong exploitation mainstaySimon Yam (“Dr. Lamb”) as the malevolent manip-ulator, this procession of perversity will likelystruggle to attract general audiences but doespossess cult and remake potential. Festivals seek-ing glossy gross-outs will get their money’s worthhere. “Tenants” commences its lease in Taiwan cin-emas on August 12.
“Tenants” marks the directing debut of AdamTsuei, a former music industry bigwig whosecredits as producer include hit adaptations of Ko’snovels “You are the Apple of My Eye” (2010) and“Cafe. Waiting. Love” (2014). The differencebetween those fluffy romantic comedies and thissocial horror movie could not be more pro-nounced. The major difference between Ko’s nov-el and his screenplay is the introduction of a con-ventional interrogation-and-flashback format.Before his dreadful deeds are shown, theunnamed and unrepentant landlord (Yam) tells apolice detective (Kai Fung) to prepare for “a storyout of your imagination.”
Installed surveillance equipmentThat’s about it for traditional narrative. What
follows is a parade of increasingly kinkysequences that make good on the landlord’spromise but provide little insight into his back-ground or motives.
With no sympathetic characters emerging any-where else, many viewers will be hard pressed tofeel much besides shock as the freak showunfolds. Ko’s screenplay omits the novel’s descrip-tion of how the landlord acquired the buildingand installed surveillance equipment to satisfy hisvoyeuristic impulses. Here, he’s simply a grungymiddle-aged guy who shows up at a decrepitbuilding with a set of keys and finds it alreadywired up with cameras and monitors.
In an unexplained flash, the place is fully reno-vated and occupied by tenants specifically select-ed for what the landlord considers to be sociallydeviant qualities and strong entertainmentpotential. The tenants are an interesting bunch.Kuo Li (Lee Kang-shen) and Linghu (BernardSenJun) are a gay couple attempting to hide theirrelationship. Divorced gym instructor Chang(Chuang Kai-hsun) is a ball of pent-up rage.Depressed single father Wang (Phil Yan) harborsincestuous desire for his young daughter (AngelHo). Li Xing is terrific as Miss Chen, an office work-er with a high sex drive. Boyan (Yan Sheng-yu) is avideo game-addicted student whose only otherpastime is onanism.
‘love interest’If there’s a “love interest” here it’s Yingru (Ivy
Shao, excellent), a beautiful young womanwhose apartment is stacked with ominouslyheavy suitcases, and whose bathtub contains anunfortunate young man being subjected to thevilest torture. After discovering Yingru’s secretand forming a bond with her, the landlord startsorchestrating events aimed at bringing out thevery worst in everyone and pushing them tocommit unspeakable acts.
At this point the film goes into overdrive, withmixed results. On the amusing side, the landlorddrugs Boyan and moves his naked body all overtown, making the geeky guy believe he’sachieved his dream of teleportation. But the toneis overwhelmingly and oppressively sadistic ashapless victims succumb to mental meltdownsand indulge in atrocious behavior including rape,murder, and amateur surgery. Yam’s full-bloodedperformance shows yet again why he’s one ofChinese-language cinema’s most dependableportrayers of oddballs and psychos. Supportingperformances are spot-on right down the line.Production designer Kei Itsutsuji and cinematog-rapher Jimmy Yu have a field day with the layoutand atmosphere inside Yingru’s chamber of hor-rors, which would be a cover story in the glossyhome decor magazine from hell. — Reuters
Film review
‘The Tenants Downstairs’It took a half-century for DNA sleuthing to
finger Albert DeSalvo as the BostonStrangler. Now a new movie is revisiting
one of America’s most notorious serial killercases and the bizarre involvement of a manwho claimed psychic powers to help policeinvestigate. “Stranglehold” will tell the story ofthe Boston Strangler Task Force - a specialunit assembled by the Massachusetts attor-ney general’s office to capture the manbehind nearly a dozen unsolved murders ofwomen between 1962 and 1964.
Director Barry L. Levy grew up hearing
about the Strangler as a child in suburbanNewton and Natick. A news article aboutPeter Hurkos, the enigmatic Dutch-born psy-chic who helped investigators search forclues, rekindled his interest. “The Stranglerwas that story that, when you were a kid,everyone heard,” Levy told The AssociatedPress. “Ever since I knew I wanted to be adirector, I knew this is what I wanted to do.”It’s the latest in a series of film projects focus-ing on high-profile Boston crimes. Last year’s“Black Mass” told the story of notorious gang-ster James “Whitey” Bulger. Mark Wahlberg’s“Patriots Day,” about the Boston Marathonbombings, opens Dec. 21 in Boston andnationwide in January; and a 2017 release isplanned for “Stronger,” with Jake Gyllenhaalplaying marathon bombing victim JeffBauman.
DeSalvo, a factory worker imprisoned onunrelated charges, admitted to killing 11women in the Boston area during that period,but he later recanted and was never chargedwith the murders. He was stabbed to death inprison in 1973, and his role wasn’t clear until2013, when DNA tests confirmed he killedMary Sullivan - the last of the victims - andlikely was responsible for the deaths of theother victims. The Strangler’s victims, whoranged in age from 19 to 67, were sexually
assaulted and killed - crimes that terrorizedthe region and grabbed national headlines.
Casting is underway for “Stranglehold,”which marks Levy’s directorial debut. Levywas a screenwriter on 2008’s “Vantage Point,”about an attempt to assassinate the U.S. pres-ident in Spain, and 2013’s “Paranoia,” a corpo-rate espionage thriller. Levy isn’t divulgingmany details, but Hurkos - who claimed hebecame psychic in 1941 after falling from aladder and suffering a brain injury - figuresprominently in the script. Hurkos’ contribu-
tions to the investigation were dubious atbest: At one point he was arrested for imper-sonating a police detective and harassing apotential witness. Levy said he hopes to filmin Boston as early as this winter to give themovie the grit and authenticity it needs. LosAngeles-based Broken Road Productions isproducing the film. A release date hasn’t beenset. Despite the DNA testing that closed thecase, victims’ families still wonder if DeSalvoreally committed all the murders or whetherthere were copycats. — AP
New movie to explore bizarrehunt for the Boston Strangler
Will Smith is in the Middle Eastto promote the movie “SuicideSquad”, but he says it’s also a
chance to counter an increasingly anti-Muslim climate surrounding the USpresidential race. Smith, who plays thesharpshooter Deadshot in the film, sayshe’s having fun and sharing pictures ofhis time in Dubai, showing that “Hey, itdoesn’t look like they hate me, does it?”He told reporters Sunday the electionsbrought many issues to the surface, andthat ultimately it’s for the best.
“As painful as it is to hear DonaldTrump talk and as embarrassing as it isas an American to hear him talk, I thinkit’s good,” Smith said. “We get to knowwho people are and now we get tocleanse it out of our country.” — AP
Will Smith showing different side of Mideast on promo tour
Will Smith speaks at a press confer-ence in Dubai, United Arab Emiratesyesterday. — AP
In this Feb 26, 1967 black and white file photo, the crowd jeers self-confessed BostonStrangler Albert DeSalvo, lower left, as he is led outside the Lynn, Mass. police sta-tion. — AP photos
In this Feb 25, 1967 black and white filephoto, self-confessed Boston StranglerAlbert DeSalvo is taken into custodyafter his capture north of Boston inLynn, Mass.
MONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016
l if e s t y l eF E A T U R E S
Shafie Jusoh loves traditional Malaysiankites so much that he can’t get a goodnight’s rest unless he’s been working on
them daily. “I need to make kites every day, ifnot I can’t sleep,” the 69-year-old said. Hebegan making them when he was a youngboy, skipping classes to entertain his flights offancy. “If you don’t do it every day, you willlose the technique,” he added. Shafie is amonga diminishing group of Malaysian master kite-makers who have dedicated their lives tobreathing life into the ancient craft.
A color ful giant two-meter kite withextended wings greets visitors at the entranceof Shafie’s dark and dusty studio in a sleepy vil-lage in Kelantan state. “I made this kite 30years ago. You need 25 men to fly it,” the self-taught kite-maker quipped proudly as heshowed a faded photo of it soaring in the air. Awooden table at his studio is lined with severalawards from government agencies for hisefforts promoting Malaysia’s kites, a nationalsymbol, worldwide. He recalled one particularvisit to Paris many years ago, where he hadbrought over 30 Malaysian kites to an exhibi-tion and all were sold quickly. “To the foreign-ers, the kites are just so unique and they loveit” he said.
Passion and patience The early morning rays stream through a
rickety green window, dancing on the thick
veins on his arm as he flips and turns his knife,cutting a spiny bamboo stick to perfection.After thinning out several bamboo sticks, hebends and ties them with strings to form themain kite frame. Separately, using a small knife,he cuts out intricate floral designs on an assort-
ment of coloured paper. These are painstaking-ly pasted onto tracing paper which is thenglued to the main bamboo frame. The kite isthen left indoors for a day to let the glue dry.
A ribbon is attached tightly to two ends ofthe kites and this produces a loud “swoosh”
sound when the kite makes sharp turns in thesky. The entire process can take between twoweeks to three months depending on the sizeand the intricate nature of the kite. “You needboth the passion and the patience to makekites,” Shafie explained. There are several kindsof Malaysian kites, with various shapes basedon stingrays, cats and peacocks. There is also akite called “wau jala budi” where its curvyshape, some believe, is inspired by the outlineof a woman’s body.
But the “wau bulan” or moon kite with itslower tip resembling a crescent, an Islamicsymbol, is the most popular in Kelantan. Ittakes around a week or two to produce a smallmoon kite and is sold for around 400 to 500ringgit, said Shafie. Some moon kites though
can be as high as three metres. The biggermodels can cost as much as 9,000 ringgit. The“wau bulan” is also the inspiration behind theMalaysia Airlines logo.
Dwindling interest Many of Shafie’s customers are keen kite
flyers but some also purchase his designs asdecorative pieces for their homes. As he hasbuilt up such a reputation for his artisticpieces, his studio is also a popular pit-stop forinternational tour groups from Europe andNorth America visiting Kelantan. He enlists hiswife Wan Enbong Wan Deraman to help whenthere are large orders. The state’s annual kitefestival causes a surge in demand, with manylocal students buying his pieces. “My studentslike these traditional kites because of the his-torical knowledge and art involved,” oneteacher told AFP.
While the people of Kelantan, known for itscrafts, still love such Malaysian kites, interest iswaning. There are fears the ancient skills,passed from one generation to the next, willdie out. “It takes many, many years to masterthe craft and the situation in Kelantan andelsewhere in Malaysia is that there are very fewcraftsmen who still have the traditional knowl-edge,” said Pauline Fan, creative director ofPusaka, an organization that works to docu-ment and protect traditional Malay arts. Shewarned: “It’s intricate and hard and most youngpeople don’t have the patience to do it...oncethe masters and the knowledge are gone, itwill be difficult to get it back.” As for Shafie, hehas no plans to retire any time soon and hopesthere is still time for him to pass on his knowl-edge and skills to others. He said: “Some stu-dents, even a few outside of Kelantan, havecome to ask me to teach them.” — AFP
This picture shows kitemaker Shafie Jusoh making final touches on a traditional ‘waubulan’ kite at his studio in Pantai Cahaya Bulan on the outskirts of Kota Bharu, peninsularMalaysia’s northeastern Kelantan state. — AFP photos
Malaysia’s dying art:
Traditional kite-making in peril
kitemaker ShafieJusoh launching a
traditional ‘waubulan’ kite.
Kitemaker Shafie Jusoh, preparing thebamboo frame for a traditional “wau bulan”kite at his studio in Pantai Cahaya Bulan.
Kitemaker Shafie Jusoh inspecting the bamboo frame of a traditional ‘wau bulan’ kitebeing crafter at his studio in Pantai Cahaya Bulan.
The beret has come a long way since itshumble beginnings as the headgear ofchoice for pelota players in the Basque
country, becoming a must-have accessory asfar afield as China.
The jaunty topper preferred by CheGuevara and Pablo Picasso added a saucytouch to Monica Lewinsky’s look in a famousphoto of her getting a hug from then presi-dent Bill Clinton at a 1996 White House event.In Oloron-Sainte-Marie, France’s “BasqueBeret Capital”, one company, the House ofLaulhere, lays claim to being the oldest pro-ducer of the flat cap, turning them out fornearly 200 years.
The beret will never go out of fashion, sayscommercial director Mark Saunders. “Theimage of the Frenchman with a baguetteunder the arm and a beret on his head is obso-lete only in the minds of the French,” says the47-year-old Irishman. “Overseas, the beret isthe emblem of France, synonymous with luxu-ry and fashion,” he says, noting that Monaco’sPrincess Charlene donned a Laulhere beret forher first public appearance after the birth ofher twin girls two years ago.
Laulhere is now one of the last firms to pro-duce berets that are 100 percent made inFrance. “Just 30 years ago in this region therewere 22 beret factories,” Saunders says in flu-
ent French tinged with an Irish brogue. A fewnew manufacturers have sprung up recently innearby Bearn, including some that simply putthe finishing touches on berets that they buywholesale, he notes.
“We are not the last French maker but thelast historic maker of the French beret,”Saunders says with a twinkle in his eye.Laulhere has a counterpart in the SpanishBasque country just over the border, BoinasElosegui, in the town of Tolosa in the shadowof the Pyrenees. Founded in 1858, it is the onlySpanish company to make fine quality Basqueberets. Like Laulhere, at Boinas Eloseguialmost the entire process from weave to finishis carried out by hand using pure virgin meri-no wool. Laulhere’s unique know-how earnedthe company the coveted national distinctionsof Living Heritage Enterprise and GuaranteedOrigin France in 2012.
‘Top secret’ equipment “One of the secrets is the felting, in which
the berets are washed for between five andseven hours with water from the river Gave,”Saunders said. “The minerals in the Gave watergive the Laulhere berets their feel, which youcannot achieve with tap water.” The firm wason the edge of bankruptcy in 2012 when itwas bought by the Cargo holding company
grouping around 15 small businesses in south-western France. Now, with a staff of 45 produc-ing 200,000 berets per year and a turnover of2.9 million euros ($3.2 million) in 2015, thecompany has three main markets.
The traditional “Heritage” beret makes up35 percent of its output; another 30 percentgoes to military clients in France and aroundthe world, with the rest going to haute-cou-
ture thanks to the fashion trend set by design-ers such as Dolce & Gabbana, John Galliano,Louis Vuitton and Ralph Lauren. ? It is also theofficial supplier of France’s rugby team.
Nearly a third of its production is for export,with clients in around 20 countries includingJapan, China and the United States. Theprocess involves 10 main stages using pur-pose-built “top-secret” equipment. The knit-ting is now mechanized, but all the otherstages are performed by hand-including felt-ing, dying, shaping, shaving, finishing and gar-nishing. The basic beret costs 25 euros ($28),while luxury models can be priced at as muchas 1,400 euros. — AFP
The Basque beret, from peasant cap to ‘emblem of France’
These file photos taken in Oloron Sainte-Marie, in the French Basque area, southwesternFrance, shows employees working on a beret at Laulhere factory. — AFP
39Malaysia’s dyingart: Traditional kite-makingin peril
MONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016
People dance in a pool as they attend the Arenal Sound music Festival held on Burriana beach. Arenal Sound Festival is a 5 days music festival attended by around 240,000 people on the east coast of Spain betweenValencia and Castellon. — AFP
When Team USA lines up for the open-ing ceremony of the Rio Olympics onFriday night, the team will don cus-
tom-fitted Polo Ralph Lauren ensembles satu-rated with the red, white and blue of theAmerican flag. It was a uniform months in themaking. Each American athlete trekked to theGeorge R. Brown convention center inHouston for what’s called team processing. It’sa 12-day affair where more than 700 athletesand staff are fitted for the Olympics.
The athletes are given their opening andclosing ceremony looks as well as a collectionof Polo clothing to wear while at the games. Alarge ballroom of the convention center istransformed into a Polo showroom wheremannequins display the closing ceremonylooks, the Polo logo is everywhere and theOlympic rings also grace the walls as trendymusic pumps through the space. There’s alarge room where racks upon racks of clothingsits waiting to grace one of these athletes, andboxes of shoes piled at least seven feet highawait their owners.
There’s one side for the men and anotherfor the women where each athlete tries on hisor her clothing. It is there that they can consultwith one of two stylists about the looks andwhere 16 tailors pull, fold and pin the clothingto make sure everything fits per fectly.Clothing that needs alterations is then takento a room where about a dozen people wait tomake the changes and have them back to theathletes within three hours. Fencers and sisters
Kelley and Courtney Hurley had some funstanding on a podium and working on theirmodeling poses after donning the gear. Thepair was impressed with the look.
“They fit nicely. I’m super impressed,” saidKelley, a bronze medalist in 2012. “I like themmore than the last ones. In London we had likelong skirts that were kind of awkward to wear.With these, these are slick. I’m going to wearthese all the time. I’m actually going to wearthem in real life.” The star of the opening cere-mony outfits is undoubtedly the expertly tai-lored deep navy blazers with gold buttonsthat feature the US Olympic team logo and awhite embroidered Polo pony.
Electroluminescent panelsThe back of the jacket features “USA” in
large block letters in the same white as thepony. The jackets will be paired with selvedgewhite denim jeans that are inscribed with thewords “Faster, Higher, Stronger” on the insideof the waistband and are also detailed withred and blue stitching on the cuff. A classicstriped T-shirt will be worn underneath thejacket and the look is completed with red,white and blue boat shoes, striped cottonbracelets and navy grosgrain belts.
When superstar swimmer Michael Phelpstakes his spot in the parade as the country’sflag bearer, his jacket will be on another level.To note the honor of being chosen as the flagbearer, Ralph Lauren added some specialtouch to his jacket. His jacket will feature elec-
troluminescent panels to illuminate the USOlympic team symbol and the lettering on theback of his jacket. “It’s an honor that is deserv-ing of special commemoration, and this year,
we wanted to celebrate and illuminate - literal-ly - that honor by designing this revolutionaryjacket,” said David Lauren, Ralph Lauren’s exec-utive vice president of global advertising, mar-keting and communications. The closing cere-
mony outfits maintain the same aesthetic asthe opening ones, but are a bit more casual.They feature a button-down shirt in red, whiteor blue featuring the pony logo, a striped T-shirt and white chino shorts. — AP
The autistic youth who designed adinosaur-print pouch which thewife of Singapore’s prime minister
took to the White House has little ideahow much of a celebrity he has becomesince pictures of it went viral. Sales of the$11 blue-and-white pouch have soaredsince Ho Ching was photographed carry-ing it during husband Prime Minister LeeHsien Loong’s official visit to the UnitedStates. Ho bought the purse last week-end at a fundraising event for the AutismResource Centre (ARC) in Singapore, forwhich she is an advisory.
The dinosaur motif was designed bySee Toh Sheng Jie, 19, who attends thePathlight school for students withautism run by the ARC. Photos of Hoholding the pouch on the White Houselawn sparked huge demand, withPathlight saying its stock of 200 sold outwithin a day and it was now on backo-rder with a two-month wait. Ho, alsoone of Asia’s most powerful business-
women, garnered praise on socialmedia for her unusual choice of acces-sory. “So good of Mrs Lee to use it atsuch a high profile occasion! Great jobADP artist Sheng Jie!” wrote Facebookuser Su Yeo. Another user, Leong GeokHoon, called it a “world class fashion ofthe heart” while others noted that whileHo could have chosen any other design-er, she went with one from a cause shesupports. “It gave such a great mileagefor the artists on our ArtistDevelopment Program and The ArtFaculty merchandise,” Pathlight principalLinda Kho told AFP.
See Toh’s family has also been over-whelmed with media attention but forthe autistic teenager, the son of a taxidriver with a love for dinosaurs and bee-tles, it makes little difference. When AFPvisited the family’s suburban govern-ment-built housing flat, he nonchalantlysat at a table in the living room drawinghis favorite dinosaurs and watching tele-
vision. He has filled countless notebooksand folders with his drawings, his par-ents said.
“When the school first told us thatMs Ho Ching brought Sheng Jie’s pouch
to the White House, we thought it was ajoke,” said See Toh’s father, Jason. Whenshown a picture of Ho with the bagbearing his design, See Toh was delight-ed, his parents added. “He is not very
communicative but when we once gavehim a dinosaur toy during a tantrum, hecalmed down.
That’s when we knew he likeddinosaurs,” the elder See Toh told AFP.The youth has an encyclopedic knowl-edge of dinosaurs and must watch every
dinosaur movie he comes across. He alsomakes intricate dinosaur toys from poly-mer clay, filling an entire display cabinetin the family’s flat. “We’ll just let him dowhat he likes because you can’t forcehim to draw when he doesn’t want,”Wendy See Toh said. — AFP
This file photo taken on August 2, 2016 shows First Lady Michelle Obamaarriving with Ho Ching, wife of Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee HsienLoong, for a State Arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White Housein Washington, DC.
Teen unaware of fame afterdino pouch graces White House
Nineteen-year-old Singaporean youth See Toh Sheng Jie works on adinosaur drawing at his home in Singapore.
Red, white, blue and flashy: USA’s Opening Ceremony gear
In this July 25, 2016 photo, Olympic closing ceremony fashions by Polo Ralph Lauren are dis-played at the United States Olympic Committee processing station in Houston. — AP photos
Olympic fencers Courtney Hurley, left, andKelly Hurley model the opening ceremonyfashions by Polo Ralph Lauren at theUnited States Olympic Committee process-ing station in Houston.
