SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq: Ex-Iraqi pres-ident and Kurdish leader Jalal Talabanidied on Tuesday in Germany, officials inhis party told AFP. Talabani, 83, wasIraq’s president from 2005 to 2014 and akey figure in Iraqi Kurdistan, where vot-ers last week overwhelmingly backedindependence in a disputed referendum.“Our leader died in Germany,” an officialwith Talabani’s Patriotic Union ofKurdistan (PUK) said.

A family member said Talabani’shealth had taken a turn for the worseand had been transported to Germany,along with his wife and two children,before the referendum. “We pray to Godthat his death will help to bring backgood relations between the brothers ofIraq.” Iraqi Kurdish lawmaker Zana Said

paid tribute to Talabani as “the onlypresident whose death saddens Arabs,Kurds and all other ethnicities”. “Wepray to God that his death will help tobring back good relations between thebrothers of Iraq.”

Talabani’s death, following a decades-old struggle for Kurdish statehood, cameafter Iraq’s Kurds voted 92.7 percent infavor of independence in the Sept 25referendum.

Continued on Page 11

ISSUE NO: 17346

32 Pages 150 Fils

www.kuwaittimes.net

Established 1961 The First Daily in the Arabian Gulf

4 Astronomy journal uses Kuwaiti’s pic of eclipse

Tom Petty, heartland rocker with dark streak, dead at 66

US trio wins physics Nobel for spotting wrinkles in cosmos

Qatari female jockey gallops into male-dominated world

MUHARRAM 14, 1439 AHWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2017

1632

By B Izzak and A Saleh

KUWAIT: Public hospitals recorded a 30 percent drop inthe number of expatriate patients since new charges forhealth services were introduced at public medical facilitieson Sunday, Health Minister Dr Jamal Al-Harbi said yester-day. He added domestic helpers and bedoons whose secu-rity IDs have expired have been exempted from the newmedical charges.

Harbi said the old medical charges for domestic helperswill remain, but the new fees will not be applied to them.Bedoons or stateless people whose security identificationcards have expired by not more than one month will alsobe exempted along with other bedoons who carry thoseIDs, the minister said.

The ministry of health raised medical fees for expatri-ates from the beginning of October. In some cases, theincrease is more than fivefold. Expatriates have alreadybeen paying fees for a wide range of medical services atpublic hospitals and clinics, but the government decided toimpose the huge increase in the face of slumping oil prices.Kuwaitis continue to receive medical services completelyfree of charge.

Harbi also said expatriate children under 12 years of agesuffering from cancer or birth defects will be treated free ofcharge, and that spouses of Kuwaitis and their children arealso exempt. Directors of hospitals and head of concernedsections can also exempt expatriates suffering from cardiacdiseases and intensive care unit charges, the minister said.

Meanwhile, MP Rakan Al-Nasef said the NationalAssembly report on the deal to buy around 28 Eurofighterjets at a cost of around $9 billion will be completed nextmonth. The lawmaker made the comments after a parlia-mentary committee following up issues raised in thegrillings of the prime minister met yesterday with thedefense minister to discuss the deal.

Continued on Page 11

30% drop in expats visitingpublic medical facilities

Domestic workers, bedoons exempt from new health charges

Max 41ºMin 25º

KUWAIT: The Central Statistical Bureau (CSB)said yesterday the workforce in Kuwait, exclud-ing housekeepers, hit 2,009,071 in June. The fig-ure reflects an increase by 70,828 or 3.6 percentfrom the corresponding month last year, accord-ing to the CSB’s quarterly report that surveyedthe period ending on June 30, 2017.

The total workforce, including housekeepers,hit 2,684,334, increasing by 83,929 or 3.2 per-cent in this period, with the private sectorremaining the main employer. The private sectorabsorbed 60.3 percent of the total workforce,but Kuwaiti workers represented only 4.4 per-cent of such workers. The Kuwaiti workforcegrew from 348,792 to 358,854, an increase of 2.9percent from June 2016, with the public sectoremploying 80 percent of them. The number ofKuwaitis employed by the public sector went up3.3 percent from 277,935 to 287,236 in the peri-od surveyed.

The number of female workers rose by 3.9percent and male workers by 1.6 percent.Meanwhile, the ratio of Kuwaiti workforce to thetotal workforce went slightly down - from 18 per-cent in June 2016 to 17.9 percent in June. Thenumber of non-Kuwaiti workers went up by 3.8percent from 1,589,451 to 1,650,217. The reportnoted that there were no remarkable changes inthe structure of various groups of nationalitiesworking in Kuwait.

Expats from Asian non-Arab countries con-tinue to be the largest group of workers inKuwait, accounting for 50.3 percent, followed bythose from the Arab countries, who represent30.1 percent. The number of Indian workers inKuwait went up by 6.6 percent, from 519,466 inJune 2016 to 553,781 in June 2017, while thenumber of Egyptians grew by 2.4 percent to463,804. The percentage of Kuwaiti workerswith bachelor degrees went up from 35.1 to 36.8percent, while the percentage of non-Kuwaitiworkers with bachelor degrees rose from 20.5 to22.7 percent.

According to the latest statistics of the PublicAuthority for Civil Information, expatriates makeup 69.7 percent of the total population of Kuwaitof 4.5 million with 3.1 million residents. Kuwaitisform 30.2 percent of the populace with 1.3 millioncitizens. — KUNA

Kuwait workforce up 3.6% in June

23

Kurdish leaderand ex-Iraqipresident Talabani dies

Jalal Talabani

DOHA: Iran’s foreign minister held talkswith the emir of Qatar yesterday aimedat strengthening “co-operation,” nearlyfour months into a Saudi-led blockadeagainst the Gulf emirate. Sheikh Tamimbin Hamad Al-Thani and Iran’sMohammad Javad Zarif met at a time ofheightened Gulf tensions, with Qatariofficials warning the ongoing Arabblockade would only drive Doha towardsregional powerhouse Iran.

Qatar’s state news agency said thepair discussed the impasse in the region,which has seen Saudi Arabia, the UnitedArab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cutties with Doha over its ties with Iran andaccusations that it supports extremists.“During the meeting, they reviewed rela-tions of cooperation between the twocountries in various fields as well asexchanged views on the current situa-tion in the region,” read the statement

from Qatar News Agency.The meeting also comes as a new

academic survey published this weeksuggests that the average citizens in theArab nations of the now-fractured GulfCooperation Council do not see Iran

Continued on Page 11

Defiant Qataremir meetsIran’s Zarif

DOHA: Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim binHamad Al-Thani greets Iran’s ForeignMinister Mohammad Javad Zarif yes-terday. — AFP

LAS VEGAS: People attend a candlelight vigil at Las Vegas City Hall onMonday after a gunman killed at least 59 people and wounded morethan 500 others when he opened fire on a country music concert lateOct 1, 2017. — AFP

LAS VEGAS: America mourned the vic-tims of the worst gun massacre in recentUS history yesterday as investigatorsprobed the motive behind a so far appar-ently senseless attack on Las Vegas con-certgoers. US President Donald Trumpbranded the attacker - who raked a crowdof thousands with gunfire from a 32nd-floor hotel room, leaving 59 dead and atleast 527 injured - a “demented man”.

But beyond that diagnosis, authoritieswere at a loss as to why a 64-year-oldgambler and retired accountant hadhauled a vast arsenal of weapons to thehotel and launched his assault.Meanwhile, a grim parade of victimsbegan to be identified in the media, eachnew name stirring emotions as Americaonce again grappled with calls forreforms to its permissive firearm controllaws and angst over its pervasive gunculture.

Trump, questioned by reporters as heleft the White House to survey hurricanerelief in Puerto Rico, was not ready tosuggest answers. “What happened inLas Vegas is in many ways a miracle,” hesaid. “The police department has donesuch an incredible job, and we’ll be talk-ing about gun laws as time goes by.” USofficials have reacted cautiously to aclaim by the Islamic State jihadist groupthat the shooter, Stephen CraigPaddock, had carried out Sunday night’smassacre on its behalf.

Experts cautioned that the group -under pressure in its Syrian and Iraqiheartlands - may be trying to rally itssupporters with a false claim. In a state-ment, IS claimed Paddock was one of its“soldiers” but the FBI said it had foundno such connection so far and the localsheriff described him as a lone “psy-chopath”. (See Page 8)

US mourns Las Vegas massacre victims as shooter motive sought

KUWAIT: Zain Group, the leading mobile telecom inno-vator in eight markets across the Middle East and Africa,announced the establishment of an innovative new edu-cational program in collaboration with Nuqat, a not-for-profit organization established in Kuwait in 2009.

Together, the two organizations are set to introducea development initiative dubbed IN•DIG•GO, which isan alternative thematic-based educational program forchildren between the ages of 6 and 11 years. The pro-gram is aimed at strengthening the understanding ofthe participants, expanding their knowledge, and devel-oping their soft and learning skills.

The program, the first-of-its-kind in the region, willinitially be launched as a pilot supporting children ofZain employees in Kuwait. The initial engagement willlast for 12 weeks from January until April 2018 and thiswill act as a learning platform for all stakeholders.Thereafter the intention is to roll out the program on alarger scale.

The collaboration is a result of the shared beliefbetween Zain and Nuqat that an educational programcapable of equipping future generations with skills and

methodologies necessary to face the challenges that lieahead is pivotal.

Commenting on the collaboration, Bader Al-Kharafi,Zain Vice-Chairman and Group CEO said, “Youthdevelopment and education are central themes to ourcorporate sustainability and building capacity activi-ties, and we are firm believers that preparing youth forthe future is not just our responsibility, it is our duty.”

Al-Kharafi continued, “Zain believes in the talent and

enthusiasm of young people in Kuwait and across theregion, and wherever we can lend a hand to improvingtheir circumstances and prospects, we shall do. We arepleased to be cooperating with an organization withthe passion and foresight of Nuqat, and together I amconfident we shall be able to achieve remarkable resultsin sowing the seeds to create future entrepreneurs andbusiness leaders.”

Continued on Page 11

Zain, Nuqat to introduce creativenew education program for children

KUWAIT: Zain Vice-Chairman and Group CEO Bader Al-Kharafi is seen with IN•DIG•GO ProgramDirector Maha Al-Essa, Head of Youth Empowerment, Zain Group, Maryam Saif and KnowledgeDirector of Nuqat Hussa Al-Humaidhi.

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir SheikhSabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah receivedat Bayan Palace yesterday the credentials of anumber of Arab and foreign diplomats. Thecredentials were handed in by the newlyappointed ambassadors of Belgium, Nigeria,Jordan, Burkina Faso, Czech, as well as theUnited Kingdom to Kuwait.

The ceremony was attended by ActingPrime Minister and Minister of Foreign AffairsSheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah,Deputy Minister of the Amiri Diwan Sheikh AliAl-Jarrah Al-Sabah, Undersecretary at theAmiri Diwan Ibrahim Al-Shatti, head of HisHighness the Amir’s office Ahmad Al-Fahad,Advisor at the Amiri Diwan MohammadAbulhassan, head of Amiri protocols Khaled Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah, Assistant Minister forForeign Affairs Ambassador Dahri Al-Ajran, andhead of the Amiri guard authority brigadier.

Culture and scienceLater yesterday, His Highness the Amir

received Minister of Education and Minister ofHigher Education Dr Mohammad Al-Fares andthe newly-elected Director of the Arab LeagueEducation, Culture, and Scientific Organization(ALECSO) Dr Saud Al-Harbi. His Highness theAmir congratulated Dr Harbi on winning thetrust of ALECSO’s members during the meet-ing. He said that the win reflects Kuwait’s repu-tation as a center for culture and science.

Meanwhile, His Highness the Amir SheikhSabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah receivedHis Highness Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. Separately, His Highness theCrown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received His Highness SheikhNasser Al-Mohammad, as well as FarwaniyaGovernor Sheikh Faisal Al-Humoud Al-MalekAl-Sabah.

Terror attackIn other news, His Highness the Amir sent

Monday a cable to Bahraini King Hamad binIssa Al-Khalifa over the terrorist attack that hitthe fellow Gulf country earlier in the day. In the

L o c a l Wednesday, October 4, 2017

3Established 1961

Amir receives newenvoys’ credentials

GENEVA: Kuwait yesterday requested agrace period from the United NationsCompensation Commission tasked withIraq’s dues, after its occupation of Kuwait,

to evaluate payment options for a remain-ing $4.6 billion. Baghdad, in August, askedKuwait to consider receiving the amountthrough four options, the UNCC head andKuwaiti representative Khaled Al-Mudhaftold the commission’s 83rd session.

These include the sale of natural gasat an “agreed price” between the twocountries, negotiating the decrease ofIraqi oil and derivative imports, lesseningthe dues according to the Paris Club sus-tainable solutions or transforming theamount to a bilateral debt. Kuwait iscommitted to reaching an agreementwith the Iraqi government, while takinginto account an agreed extension of adeadline for the handover until 2018,added Mudhaf. — KUNA

KUWAIT: Speaker of the NationalAssembly Marzouq Al-Ghanem headed tothe US State of Maine on a short visit tomeet with former President George H WBush, said a statement by a media sourceyesterday. According to Al-Destor (theconstitution) TV channel, Speaker Ghanemis expected to deliver a written letter fromHis Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to Bush.

The source affirmed that Ghanemwould also convey greetings from theKuwaiti people to the former President forhis historic stance during the Iraqi invasion

in 1990 and the subsequent liberation ofKuwait in 1991. The visit came on an invita-tion from Bush who wanted to express hisgratitude to the Kuwaiti NationalAssembly for its support during the healthsetback he suffered recently, said the tele-vision channel.

Speaker Ghanem is expected to head toGeneva, Switzerland, afterwards to meetwith the International ParliamentaryUnion’s (IPU) President Saber HChowdhury ahead of the union’s confer-ence to be held in Saint Petersburg in mid-October. — KUNA

Kuwait asks fortime to reviseGulf Warcompensations

KUWAIT: Kuwait has never failed to assist needynations across the world with effective and timely aid,the Filipino ambassador to the country said yesterday.After meeting with the deputy chairman of Kuwait RedCrescent Society (KRCS) Anwar Al-Hasawi, RenatoVilla told the press that Kuwait has set an example for

philanthropic work through the gracious aid it has giv-en countries mired in conflict. The Filipino envoy addedthat his encounter with Hasawi acquainted him with theKuwaiti charity’s latest activities. Meanwhile, KRCS’deputy president promised that the charity’s altruisticendeavors would continue unabated.

In other news, Kuwait’s Deputy Prime Minister andMinister of Defense Sheikh Mohammad Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah discussed with the Ambassador ofFrance to Kuwait Christian Nakhle about the bilateralcooperation. “The defense minister endorsed the deep-rooted ties between the two nations, and discussedwith the French diplomat issues of common interest andmeans to boost and enhance them,” the ministry said ina press release. — KUNA

Filipino envoy thanksKuwait for aid tohapless nations

KUWAIT: The International StudentNetwork (ISN) in cooperation with the USEmbassy in Kuwait, hosted an educational fairat the Regency Hotel on Monday. CulturalAttache Zennia Paganini inaugurated theevent. The fair include representatives fromseven US colleges and universities who pro-vided information about their schools andanswer questions from students and parentsabout educational opportunities in the UnitedStates.

The following universities attended theevent: Jackson College, Grand Valley StateUniversity, Adelphi University, West VirginiaUniversity, Bradley University, Snow Collegeand Drury University. EducationUSA adviserswere there to answer students’ questionsabout higher education in the US, including

International Student Networkholds education fair in Kuwait

Speaker Ghanemto meet Bush Sr

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah receives the credentials of the newly appointedambassador of the United Kingdom. — KUNA

Kuwait Times Editor-in-Chief,Management and Staff

cable, His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah dis-played Kuwait’s strongest condemnationtowards the attack that led to the injury of fivesecurity personnel in the capital, Manama.

His Highness the Amir also said that Kuwaitwill stand against those eager to cause terror andinstability in Bahrain, affirming that Kuwaitis werestanding in solidarity with the Bahraini leadershipand people. His Highness the Crown Prince and

His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah also sent similarcables to the Bahraini Monarch. Also, NationalAssembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem sentcables to Speaker of Bahrain’s Council ofRepresentatives Ahman bin Ibrahim Al-Mullahand President of the Consultative Council Ali binSaleh Al-Saleh, in which he strongly denouncedthe terrorist attack. — KUNA

Amir condemns terror attack in Bahrain

KUWAIT: Speaker of the National Assembly MarzouqAl-Ghanem headed to the US yesterday. — KUNA

KUWAIT: US Cultural Attache Zennia Paganini inaugurates the educationalfair. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Students listen to an explanation from therepresentative of one of the participatingUS universities.

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

4L o c a l

Established 1961

By A Saleh

KUWAIT: Kuwait Red Crescent Society(KRCS) launched a fund raising campaign tillOctober 12, to help bedoon students pay theirtuition fees. KRCS have received 13,000 appli-cat ions to join i ts ‘Educate for a brighterKuwait’ campaign which was launched lastSaturday at the Avenues designed to raise fundsto educate the children from needy families inKuwait. KRCS’s human resources developmentmanager, Lama Al-Othman said that 2,500 stu-dents will be selected from those who match theconditions to pay part of their tuition fees. Sheadded that many cit izens and expats havealready started donating for this project.

Contracts terminatedHigh-ranking sources at the Ministry of

Information stressed that contracts of a num-ber of typists and technicians working at thenews and political programs sector had beenterminated as part of the ministry’s policy ofterminat ing contracts with non-ministryemployees. The sources added that the deci-sion helps Kuwaitize all jobs in the sector thatis highly capable of dealing with any job-relat-ed problems.

Competitiveness indexThe Global Competitiveness Report 2016-

2017 issued by the World Economic Forumranked Kuwait fifth amongst Arab states and52nd Worldwide on its competitiveness index.The index that included 137 countries hadSwitzerland on top of the list followed by theUnited States in second place and Singapore inthird place. The index uses 12 indicators in rank-ing countries according to their institutions,infrastructure, general economic environment,health, basic education, high education andtraining, goods market efficiency, labor marketefficiency, developing stock markets, readinessfor technology, market size, business develop-ment and creativity.

Refinery employeesKuwait Integrated Petrochemical Industries

Company (KIPIC) announced that the third andlast batch of former Shuaiba refinery employeesincluding 160 team heads, engineers and opera-tors have joined the company. KIPIC’s CEO,Hashim Hashim stressed that this last group willbe an important addition to the company andwill play a major role in operating Al-Zour refin-ery. Al-Zour refinery’s Deputy CEO Hatem Al-Awadhi said that the group includes people withmajor skills and that they be subjected to spe-cial training programs at Mina Abdullah and Al-Zour units.

Fundraiser to helpbedoon studentspay tuition fees

Kuwait Times Editor-in-Chief,Management and Staff

KUWAIT: Kuwait City recorded an air quality score thatis considered unhealthy for members of sensitive groupsyesterday afternoon, according to a new monitor installedby the US Embassy in Kuwait.

The US Embassy in Kuwait installed an air qualitymonitor (AQM) on embassy grounds in Bayan, as part ofan initiative by the US Department of State and the USEnvironmental Protection Agency (EPA), the embassysaid in a message sent to US citizens in the country yes-terday.

According to the EPA AirNow website, Kuwait Cityrecorded the highest air quality index (AOI) reading at2:00 pm yesterday, which is 112 AQI. This reading ranksunder ‘unhealthy for sensitive group’ in the level of healthconcern, which means ‘members of sensitive groups mayexperience health effects. The general public is not likelyto be affected.’ Otherwise, the state’s capital recordedmoderate AQI readings throughout the day, except for

1:00 pm (106) and 3:00 pm (102). The US Embassy’s airquality monitor is just one health resource for the US citi-zen community.

The monitor measures Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 par-ticulates on and near the embassy compound. PM 2.5 is astandard recognized by the US EPA and allows us tocompare against US standard measures. Particulates lessthan 2.5 micrometers in diameter (PM 2.5) are referred toas “fine” particulates and are believed to pose the largesthealth risks-those risks are likely to be more severe forsensitive populations, including people with heart or lungdisease, children, and older adults.

The US EPA has developed a formula to convert PM2.5 readings into an air quality index (AQI) value that canbe of assistance in making health-related decisions. Forexample, an AQI value of 50 represents good air qualitywith little potential to affect public health, while an AQIvalue over 300 represents hazardous air quality.

Kuwait City records‘moderate’ air quality By Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: Fire broke out in a house in Salwa, promptingSouth Salmiya and Mishrif fire stations to respond. The firewas on the ground floor, and was put out quickly. Threepeople suffered smoke inhalation and were treated on siteby paramedics. Meanwhile, fire broke out on the seventhfloor of a Salmiya building, prompting Salmiya and Hawallyfire stations to respond. The building was evacuated, andthe fire extinguished. No injuries were reported.

Environmental lawsActing Interior Ministry Undersecretary Lt Gen Sheikh

Mohammad Al-Yousuf Al-Sabah said the Coast Guard ofBorders Security Sector and environment police are car-rying out their duties in implementing laws issued by theEnvironment Public Authority, as well as the Public

Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources. Hereiterated that concerned authorities at the InteriorMinistry implement laws protecting the environment andfish resources.

WASHINGTON: Kuwait’s General Consulate in LosAngeles on Monday said no Kuwaitis were harmed in themass shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada. Some 58 peoplehave been killed and more than 500 injured after a manopened fire on a crowd attending a country music concertin Las Vegas, in what is now branded the deadliest massshooting in modern history of the United States. However,the Consulate in a statement advised Kuwaitis in LasVegas to follow instructions issued by local authorities.The Consulate said it had contacted the state authoritiesover the safety of Kuwaitis, which in turn assured none ofthem were harmed. It also urged citizens to contact theConsulate in case of emergency through the numbers:3105560300 or 3102793644, or through the email:kuwaitconsulate@info.org. — KUNA

Three hurt inSalwa house fire

No Kuwaitisharmed in Vegasmass shooting

LONDON: The British Astronomical Associationyesterday published a photograph taken by KhaledAl-Jamaan from Kuwait of the August 21 solareclipse in the United States. The image was featuredin a BAA Journal report about the total solar eclipse,which crossed the complete width of the US fromeast to west. The report explained that Jamaan tookthe picture in Charleston, South Carolina, with highprecision, allowing it to reveal the lunar detail. TheKuwaiti’s work was displayed ahead of the work ofseveral international astronomers. Established in1890, BAA has gained an international reputationfor the quality of its observational and scientificwork in astronomy. “Its membership is open to allpersons interested in astronomy,” BAA said on itswebsite. —KUNA

Journal uses Kuwaiti’s photo of US solar eclipse

TOKYO: State-run KuwaitPetroleum International (KPI) andJapan’s leading refiner IdemitsuKosan Company are set to jointlybegin operating a service stationbusiness in Vietnam nextThursday, Idemitsu said in a pressrelease yesterday. KPI andIdemitsu will run the business inthe capital Hanoi through IdemitsuQ8 Petroleum, their 50-50 jointventure, the Tokyo-based firmsaid, adding that it wil l beVietnam’s first wholly foreign-owned service station.

“This service station will differ-entiate itself from local competitorsthrough proactively adopting andfirmly establishing operationsexpertise based on Idemitsu’s expe-riences operating service stations inJapan and KPI’s experiences oper-ating service stations under the Q8brand in Europe,” it said.

The service station is locatedinside Hanoi’s Thang Long

Industrial Park, home to the facili-ties of numerous Japanese firms,according to the press release.“Starting with this service station,Idemitsu Q8 Petroleum first willbuild a sales channel by opening anetwork of service stations con-centrated on the area,” saidIdemitsu.

The two companies are majorinvestors in the Nghi Son Refineryand Petrochemical LLC, which isconstructing Vietnam’s second oilrefinery to be operational in 2017.The 200,000-barrel-per-day NghiSon Refinery and PetrochemicalProject is 35.1 percent evenlyowned by KPI and Idemitsu, 25.1percent by state-ownedPetroVietnam and 4.7 percent byJapan’s Mitsui Chemicals Inc. KPI’sparent company Kuwait PetroleumCorporation (KPC) will supply allthe feedstock for the facility, whichwill also include petrochemicalunits, energy facilities, a pipeline

and storage systems, along with aninformation management system.

Crude exportsIn other news, Kuwait’s crude oil

exports to Japan declined 2.3 per-cent in August from a year earlier to6.18 million barrels, or 199,000 bar-rels per day (bpd), for the first fallin four months, government datashowed. But Kuwait overtookQatar to become Japan’s third-biggest oil provider, supplying 6.2percent of the Asian nation’s totalcrude imports, the JapaneseNatural Resources and EnergyAgency said in a preliminary report.

Japan’s overall imports of crudeoil edged down 0.1 percent year-on-year to 3.21 million bpd for thefirst decline in two months.Shipments from the Middle Eastaccounted for 87.8 percent of thetotal, up 3.1 percentage points fromthe year before.

Saudi Arabia remained Japan’snumber one oil supplier, withimports from the kingdom jumping38.4 percent from a year earlier to1.35 million bpd, followed by theUnited Arab Emirates with 879,000bpd, up 7.4 percent. Qatar rankedfourth and Russia fifth, respectively.Japan is the world’s-third biggestoil consumer after the US andChina, importing virtually all its fos-sil fuels. —KUNA

KPI, Japan’s Idemitsu to open Vietnam’s 1st service station

L o c a l Wednesday, October 4, 2017

5Established 1961

Al-Anbaa

I am not so fond of the songs sung by Iraqisinger Kathem Al-Saher, neither his voice. Imight not even know any of his songs except forone of his first ones; ‘Abart Ash-shat Ala Modak’(I crossed the river for your eyes). Contrarily, Ihated him and his songs at a certain age. I stillremember when I was living in Cairo, Egypt in1992 or 1993 after Kuwait was liberated and mydriver played a song and I asked who the singerwas. The man mentioned Kazem El-Saher’sname and I immediately ejected the cassettetape and threw it out of the car into the streetleaving my driver in shock as he only knew thatthe man was a good singer who had made aconsiderable number of fans in Egypt.

As we had just liberated Kuwait and were stilloverwhelmed by grievance and the stories ofPOWs and tortured Kuwaitis, I blamed him forhaving a tape for a singer who belongs to acountry that invaded mine, destroyed, killed andtook many as POWs. I am mentioning this intro-duction after hearing news about inviting Saherto sing in Kuwait with all the reactions this invi-tation has already created, as many citizensreject it on grounds that Saher has sung glorify-ing Saddam Hussein and, since the latter invadedKuwait, he is our enemy and all our enemy’sfriends are our enemies.

Well, these groups seem to have forgottenthat many Kuwaitis had supported, loved andpraised Saddam in certain situations before heinvaded their country. And if Saher praisedHussein in his songs, he was nothing more thanan Iraqi citizen who could not sing away fromother flocks or squadrons that included all Iraqisingers in and outside Iraq. Accordingly, I seethat inviting Saher to sing in Kuwait must bealienated from such tragic political past as hewas not the culprit or the one who applauded it.

— Translated by Kuwait Times

Singers’ squadronsBy Saleh Al-Shayeji

MANAMA: TAKAUD, the specialistprovider of savings, investment and pen-sion solutions for the MENA region, yes-terday announced that it will hold the sec-ond MENA Pensions Conference onNovember 28, 2017, at the Four SeasonsHotel in Manama, under the patronage ofthe Central Bank of Bahrain. The themes ofthe 2017 Conference will focus on enhanc-ing pension benefit sustainability throughPublic-Private Partnerships, and saving andinvesting for the long term.

Pension benefits are under strain glob-ally. The success stories of public-privatepartnerships (P3) internationally may beuseful for the GCC and MENAregion and will be examined atthe Conference. P3 has greatlyenhanced several sectors,including pensions in manycountries. Now is the time toexplore these kinds of optionsso that pension systems in theregion can become morerobust and economically sus-tainable going forward.

“Global experience showsthat pensions require multiplepillars-among the government,corporate and individual sec-tors-to be more sustainable. The crucialrole of corporations in the future well-being of employees, and the responsibilityindividuals have for their own retirementsecurity need to be emphasized in thisregion. Building effective local models andinstitutional frameworks for pensionswould be key prerequisites to move in thisdirection, which is the focus of this confer-ence,” said Ebrahim Ebrahim, TAKAUD’sChief Government Business andCommunications Officer.

The Conference brings together repre-sentatives of public pension funds andfinancial institutions in the region, as wellas global asset managers and private pen-sion providers, so that all can contribute tothe examination of issues and the crystal-

lization of workable solutions.Integral to the challenge of sustainable

pension solutions is the art and science ofinvesting for the long term. This is vital toboth institutional and individual investors.With retirement being a very long timeaway for most people, pension investmentsmust always take the long view. This focuswill be of particular interest to pensionfunds, fund managers, trustees of corpo-rate savings schemes and individualinvestors saving for retirement.

“Economically speaking, no governmentcan do the job of providing pensions secu-rity on their own forever, especially if we’re

talking about providing ade-quate income replacementduring a retirement period thatcan easily extend to threedecades and more,” addedEbrahim. “The 2017 MENAPensions Conference is aboutcreating awareness, broaden-ing the focus to include boththe public and private sectors,and facilitating wider partici-pation by companies and indi-viduals. “It is certainly time forthe region to create a widerframework for more sustain-

able retirement options for people,” addedEbrahim.

This year’s conference will also featurean exhibition of participants within thepensions ecosystem, including private pen-sion scheme administrators, asset man-agers, trust providers, Fintech applicationvendors and related financial servicesproviders. The Conference is being co-sponsored by a number of institutions,including Allianz Global Investors (a globalasset manager), Robeco (a global assetmanager), FIS Global (the world’s leadingFintech company), and Intertrust (a globalcorporation in fund and corporate servic-es) amongst others. Additional sponsorsand more details will be announced in thecoming weeks.

Gun stolen

An officer told police that his personal pistol (a 9 mmColt) was stolen from his car, which he had leftunlocked. A security source said the officer may becharged with negligence. Forensics officers collectedevidence and detectives are working on the case.

CRIMES

Weapons cache found in Um Al-Haiman

KUWAIT: Workers in the Um Al-Haiman desert foundweapons and ammunition in bags while they were dig-ging. The weapons included six AK-47s, a pistol, asmoke grenade and a box of bullets, besides 1,000loose rounds. State security and criminal detectiveswere informed, and investigations are underway.

No evidence

Police had to release a bedoon woman for lack of evi-dence after her Gulf national husband accused her offorging official documents and having an Iraqi pass-port. A security source said the Gulf national claimedhis wife told him she is from a Gulf country, but he dis-covered she is of Iraqi origin. When he questioned her,she confessed and showed him her passport. The wife,meanwhile, claimed this was a malicious accusation andthat she is a bedoon. The enraged husband said he willfile a complaint at the public prosecution.

—Translated from the Arabic press

Breach of trust

A citizen accused an Egyptian of putting her in troubleafter a car rental agency complained against her for notreturning a car she rented years ago. The agencyclaimed the woman rented the car in 2011 and stoppedpayments two years ago. She also refused to return thecar, the agency claimed, and filed charges of breach oftrust. Detectives who handled the case found thewoman was about to leave the country, so they went tothe airport and arrested her. The woman said she rent-ed the car in 2011, but when it broke down in 2015, sheasked an employee at the agency to take it back, but hetold her to keep it for a while and promised not to addany charges. The employee will be questioned.

TAKAUD hostssecond MENA PensionsConference in Nov

Ebrahim `Ebrahim

State

Departments

Al-Jarida

KUWAIT: Al-Ahli Bank of Kuwait (ABK) yesterdayannounced its partnership with Royale Hayat Hospital, to

raise awareness of breast cancer during October. In thespirit of encouraging screening during this special month,ABK female cardholders are offered two packages. Thebreast screening package which is a general checkup andsuitable for everyone includes a mammogram and anultrasound for the price of KD 20 only, a discounted ratefrom an original cost of KD 45. The second offer is thebreast imaging package which includes a mammogramand an ultrasound has further diagnostic analysis and isoffered to those who have history or pain for the value ofKD 35, a discounted rate from an original cost of KD 75.ABK supports the month of cancer through numerouscampaigns including breast cancer awareness and a num-ber of other cancer related campaigns focusing on pre-vention and awareness.

ABK, Royale Hayatpartner for breastcancer awareness

KUWAIT: Associate Professor at theDrama Critique and Literature at theHigher Institute for Dramatic Arts DrNermin Al-Houti said she is glad to par-ticipate in Khalid bin Hamad Award forYouth Theater in its 3rd edition, which isdesignated for an important group of thesociety, the youth, as well as people withspecial needs.

Dr Houti said that she wishes to seeKuwait’s Ministry of Youth Affairs paymore attention to youth people, who rep-resent the majority in the Kuwait society,adding that she believes that the ministryshould pay greater attention to people

with specialneeds and inte-grate them in allcultural andsports fields. DrHouti added thatshe hopes theKuwaiti govern-ment providesthem with activi-ties that developtheir skills, andhave that inpractice, not justin press statements.

Dr Houti received an invitation toattend the festival of Khalid bin HamadAward for Youth Theater 2017 for nationalclubs and the handicapped, which startedyesterday and concludes in October 21,2017. It is organized by Bahrain’s youthministry. Dr Houti will comment on the‘We Did Not Start’ play for DirectorJassim Talaq, which will be performed onstage tomorrow.

Professorparticipates intheater award

Dr Nermin Al-Houti

InternationalBizarre attacks inHavana hit American spy network

Page 9

Las Vegas shooting, the bloodiest in modern historyPage 8

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2017

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump along with Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen Pence takepart in a moment of silence for the victims of the Las Vegas shootings, on the South Lawn of the White House. — AFP

HONG KONG: Across the globe, risks of terrorism andother violence have made tight security at hotels andresorts routine, even in countries where strict gun con-trol laws may help prevent the kind of shooting attackthat occurred Sunday night in Las Vegas. Securityvaries widely from place to place: in many cities luxuryhotels have entrances that open straight into shoppingmalls. Hotel lobbies often serve as a refuge from noisy,chaotic city streets, and are generally easily accessible.

But increasingly, hoteloperators are deployingarmed guards, vehiclebarricades, x-raymachines and othersecurity devices toreduce risks. The mostrecent major incident inAsia, at the ResortsWorld Manila casino inthe Philippines, sharedsimilarities with the LasVegas attack. The attacker in that case was a man with agambling addiction who got past hotel security with anammunition vest and assault rifle, carrying out an arsonattack that left 37 dead, mostly from smoke inhalation.The attacker later killed himself.

Afterward, Resorts World said it had hired a securitycontractor, Blackpanda, and established new emergency,

safety and security protocols. A nearby casino resort,City of Dreams, also said it had tightened security. Evenbefore the attack, visitors to Resorts World, like manyother hotels, office complexes and shopping malls inManila, were required to pass through metal detectorsand have their bags checked in x-ray scanners to enter.

Such precautions are not the rule across Asia, butluxury hotels in the region generally are on the alert forterrorist attacks and other violence. In 2009, attackers

in Indonesia smuggledexplosives past securityguards and metal detec-tors, setting off a blast atthe Marriott and theRitz-Carlton hotels inJakarta that killed eight.Six years earlier, terror-ists set off a car bomb atthe Jakarta Marriott,killing 12. In India in2008, terrorists targeted

two luxury hotels, a train station and restaurant in a 60-hour siege in Mumbai that left more than 160 dead.

Hotel chains operating in India including Accor, Hyattand Marriott now use handheld trace detectors and x-ray scanners to check for explosives and contraband.The upscale Lemon Tree Hotel at New Delhi’s airportbrought in a facial recognition system to keep track of

visitors. “Both Indonesia and India have strengthenedhotel security since these events and others in theregion too,” said Mario Hardy, CEO of the Pacific AsiaTravel Association. “Vehicles are checked and manyhotels have added X-ray scanners at the entrances ofthe hotels and CCTV monitoring.” He added that, “asconsumers we may sometime see those as nuisance; butI think events such as these remind us all the importanceof security measures.”

‘Bump-stocks’The gunman who unleashed hundreds of rounds of

gunfire on a crowd of concertgoers in Las Vegas hadtwo “bump-stocks” that could have converted semi-automatic firearms into fully automatic ones, officialssaid. The devices have attracted scrutiny in recent yearsfrom authorities. California Sen Dianne Feinstein haslong railed against them. Several years ago, she told TheAssociated Press she was concerned about the emer-gence of new technologies that could retrofit firearms tomake them fully automatic.

“This replacement shoulder stock turns a semi-auto-matic rifle into a weapon that can fire at a rate of 400 to800 rounds per minute,” she said. A semi-automaticweapon requires one trigger pull for each round fired.With a fully automatic firearm, one trigger pull canunleash continuous rounds until the magazine is empty.The purchasing of fully automatic weapons has been

significantly restricted in the US since the 1930s. In1986, the federal National Firearms Act was amendedfurther to prohibit the transfer or possession of machineguns by civilians, with an exception for those previouslymanufactured and registered.

Numerous attempts to design retrofits failed untilrecent years when bump stocks came on the market.The device basically replaces the gun’s shoulder rest,with a “support step” that covers the trigger opening.By holding the pistol grip with one hand and pushingforward on the barrel with the other, the shooter’s fingercomes in contact with the trigger. The recoil causes thegun to buck back and forth, “bumping” the trigger.Technically, that means the finger is pulling the triggerfor each round fired, keeping the weapon a legal semi-automatic. Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock had 23guns in his hotel room. Two officials familiar with theinvestigation told the AP that Paddock had two bumpstocks. They are investigating whether those stockswere used to modify weapons used in the massacre,according to the officials, who were briefed by lawenforcement and spoke on condition of anonymitybecause the investigation is still unfolding. Paddockkilled 59 people and wounded hundreds more at acountry music festival near his hotel. Police stormed his32nd floor hotel room and found that he had killed him-self after committing the deadliest mass shooting inmodern US history. — Agencies

For many hotels, terror risks make tight security a routine

Hotel operators deploying armed guards, barricades, x-ray machines

BHILWARA: Gulabi Kumawat was an elderly widowliving in a modest home in India’s Rajasthan state, untilthe day she was branded a witch by fellow villagers andher life went catastrophically wrong. Beaten. Buried.She was set alight and left for dead. SomehowKumawat escaped the pit and lived to tell the tale, firstfleeing her Borda village for the safety of a relative’shome and then onto Bhilwara city, where she now lives. Fourteen years later and she remains landless. Her plot- little more than an acre (4,046 sq mt) - and her homeof almost 50 years are both gone. “They tried to grabmy land and sell it without my consent. When I con-fronted them, they called me a “dayan” (witch), blamedme for many bad things in the village and nearly killedme,” said Kumawat, 95, her voice rising barely above awhisper. “They have known me all their life. How did Isuddenly become a dayan?” she said, her gaunt faceetched with sadness.

Blame the womenKumawat’s story is not unusual in Rajasthan, a state

better known for stately forts and grand palaces thanwitch hunting. Scores of women have been brutallyattacked after being branded a witch over the last fewdecades; several have died. The Mewar region, a former

princely state that includes Bhilwara and the popularlake city of Udaipur, is particularly notorious, account-ing for most cases in Rajasthan. Activists say womenhave been beaten, knifed, sexually assaulted, strippednaked and paraded, thrown into wells, buried alive, setalight or disfigured with acid. Others are killed.

In most cases, the victims were poor, lower-caste, sin-gle women who either had no sons or lived alone. Mosthad land or property coveted by a relative or higher-caste person. The practice of blaming “witches” foreverything from inadequate monsoon rains and failedbusinesses to infertility, illness or a sudden death, iswidely prevalent across several Indian states, and datesback centuries. In such cases, villagers consult with ashaman or godman, who often blames a witch for somemisfortune. Family members are also complicit, and oftenuse this as a way to settle scores, often over land, or tothrow a female relative out of the house. “The feudal sys-tem, a rigid caste hierarchy and patriarchy encourage thepractice, with illiteracy and superstition also to blame,”said activist Tara Ahluwalia, who has recorded 88 casesof witch hunting in Bhilwara since 1982. “We file reports,but no action is taken,” said Ahluwalia, who keeps metic-ulous records of each case in a folder with photographs,hospital statements and related police reports.

Witches buried and burnedfor land in princely India state

Living corpseThe practice of witch hunting is not unique to India.

Instances have been recorded elsewhere in Asia and inAfrica. Thousands of elderly Tanzanian women havebeen strangled, knifed to death and burned alive overthe last two decades after being denounced as witches,usually for their land. In India, nearly 2,500 murdersrelated to witchcraft have been recorded since 2000,according to official data. Victims are often expelledfrom their homes and villages. Those who stay are iso-lated and live in constant fear.

Despite a 2015 state law banning the practice,there have been no convictions in Rajasthan, such isthe reluctance of local officials and police to check thecustom, activists say. “We fought for a law for 25years, but the law is not being implemented. What isthe point of the law if it cannot protect thesewomen?” Ahluwalia told the Thomson ReutersFoundation. “The case is forgotten, and only the victimcontinues to suffer. Once you are branded a witch, thestigma is for life, and it slowly kills her; she is like a liv-ing corpse,” she said. — Reuters

NEW DELHI: Indian workers remove religious offerings and frames of the idol ofgoddess Durga which were immersed in the Yamuna River after the Durga Pujafestival yesterday. — AFP

Gunman’s device turns a weapon into automatic

I n t e r n a t i o n a l Wednesday, October 4, 2017

7

US-led coalition airstrike kills 18 civilians in Raqqa

Israel sees Assad winning, urges more US involvement

Established 1961

News in brief

UAE jails Iranian ABU DHABI: A United Arab Emirates Appeals Courthas upheld a 10-year jail sentence against an Iranianconvicted of breaching international sanctions againstTehran, state media reported yesterday. The StateSecurity Court upheld the man’s conviction on chargesof “sharing intelligence with Iran, importing electricitygenerators and devices used in the Iranian nuclear pro-gram from the United Kingdom and attempting to ille-gally re-export these devices to Iran,” the official WAMnews agency reported. The man, whose identity has notbeen disclosed, was found guilty by a lower court inApril and sentenced to 10 years in jail to be followed bydeportation. Nuclear-related international sanctions onIran were lifted following a landmark deal reachedbetween Tehran and major powers in 2015. But theUAE and other Sunni-ruled Gulf Arab states remaindeeply opposed to the influence of Shiite-dominatedIran in the Middle East.

UK to limit acid sales MANCHESTER: Britain will limit sales of sulphuric acidand outlaw the sale of such corrosive substances tochildren after a steep rise in attacks, Britain’s interiorminister said yesterday. “We are going to stop peoplecarrying acid in public if they don’t have a good rea-son,” Home Secretary Amber Rudd told party activistsat the Conservative Party Conference in the northernEnglish city of Manchester. “Acid attacks are absolutelyrevolting,” Rudd said. “Furthermore, given its use inthe production of so-called ‘mother of Satan’ home-made explosives, I also announce my intention to dras-tically limit the public sale of sulphuric acid.”

Homemade bomb found PARIS: French police arrested five people, includingone on a terror watchlist after discovering a suspectedhome-made bomb in one of Paris’s most exclusiveneighborhoods at the weekend, officials said. Policediscovered two gas cylinders in the hallway of a build-ing in the city’s western 16th district in the early hoursof Saturday morning and two others on the pavementoutside. A mobile phone attached to the cylinders isbeing investigated as a possible detonator, a securitysource said late Monday. Speaking to Franceinfo radioyesterday, Interior Minister Gerard Collomb revealedthat one of the arrested men was on a police terrorwatchlist. “That shows that the threat level in France isextremely high,” added the minister, who said the inci-dent and a knife attack in Marseille on Sunday that lefttwo women dead underlined the importance of a toughnew security law.

US envoy meets Putin MOSCOW: The new US ambassador to Russia pre-sented his diplomatic credentials to President VladimirPutin at a ceremony yesterday in the Kremlin, a movethat marks the formal start of Jon Huntsman’s work inRussia. Huntsman, who has twice served as a USambassador, arrived in Moscow on Sunday to takeover from John Tefft, who left after serving in Russiafor three years, a period that was marred by a deepand rapid deterioration of ties, unseen since the end ofthe Cold War. The US-Russia relationship has souredeven further in recent months following a series ofexpulsions of diplomats and closures of diplomaticmissions. In his address to Huntsman, Putin offeredRussia’s condolences over Monday’s deadly shootingattack in Las Vegas and expressed hope for better tieswith the US.

BEIRUT: A US-led coalition air strike killed at least 18civilians yesterday in the Islamic State group’s formerstronghold of Raqqa, the Syrian Observatory for HumanRights monitor said. “International coalition planes tar-geted water wells where a group of civilians were gath-ered in the north of Raqqa city, killing at least 18 civil-ians,” Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said.The Britain-based group said four children were amongthe dead.

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, an allianceof Kurdish and Arab fighters, broke into Raqqa in June andhas since wrested 90 percent of the city from IS. Butactivists say coalition strikes in support of the operationhave killed hundreds ofcivilians and caused enor-mous damage. The coali-tion says it takes “extraor-dinary care” to avoidcivilian casualties in itsstrikes and that it investi-gates credible claims ofcivilian deaths.

In late September, thecoalition acknowledgedthe deaths of 735 civiliansin its strikes on Syria and Iraq since 2014. But activists saythe toll is much higher. Raqqa has faced water shortagesfor months because of damage to pipelines caused by sus-pected coalition strikes. Even in the early days of theRaqqa assault, residents said they feared being caught inair strikes or shelling when they ventured to wells or theEuphrates River that runs south of the city to draw water.

Meanwhile, Israel’s defense minister said yesterdayPresident Bashar Al-Assad was winning Syria’s civil warand urged the United States to weigh in as Damascus’sIranian and Hezbollah allies gain ground. AvigdorLieberman’s comments marked a reversal for Israel, wheretop officials had from the outset of fighting in 2011 untilmid-2015 regularly predicted Assad would lose control ofhis country and be toppled. “I see a long international

queue lining up to woo Assad, include Western nations,including moderate Sunnis. Suddenly everyone wants toget close to Assad. This is unprecedented. Because Assadis winning, everyone is standing in line.”

In late 2015, Russia helped Assad turn the tide with amilitary intervention that put Moscow’s forces in the fieldalongside Israel’s most potent foes - Iran and the Lebaneseguerrilla group Hezbollah - opposite Syrian rebels. TheUnited States has focused its Syria operations on fightingrebel jihadis like Islamic State - dismaying Israel, which hastried to persuade both Washington and Moscow that Iran’sexpanding clout is the greater threat.

In its decades under Assad family rule, Syria has beenan enemy of Israel, withtheir armies clashing in1948, 1967, 1973 and 1982.While largely keeping outof the Syrian civil war,Israel has tried to sway theworld powers involved inthe conflict and cautionedit could strike militarily toprevent Iran and Hezbollahentrenching further on itsnorthern front.

“We hope the United States will be more active in theSyrian arena and the Middle East in general,” Liebermansaid. “We are faced with Russians, Iranians, and also theTurks and Hezbollah, and this is no simple matter to dealwith, on a daily basis.” Lieberman did not elaborate onwhat actions he sought from the Donald Trump adminis-tration, which Israel has been lobbying for reassurancesthat Iranian and Hezbollah forces will not be allowed todeploy near its border or set up bases within Syria. “TheUnited States has quite a few challenges of its own, but asa trend - the more the United States will be active, thebetter it will be for the State of Israel,” Lieberman said.

Also, a drone strike killed at least eight members of thepowerful Hezbollah militia in Syria, where the Lebanesegroup is fighting alongside the regime, a Britain-based

monitor said. An unidentified “drone hit a Hezbollah posi-tion near the town of Sukhna (in central Homs province)killing eight fighters, and injuring more than 20,” said RamiAbdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for HumanRights monitor. A source on the ground confirmed thestrike, giving a toll of seven dead from Hezbollah, and saidit was still unclear who had carried out the attack.Hezbollah is a key force multiplier for Syrian President

Bashar Al-Assad, and has fought alongside his troopsacross the country against rebel forces. Assad’s forces andallied fighters are currently waging a campaign in Syria’svast Badiya desert region against the Islamic State group.

The campaign backed by Assad ally Russia has cap-tured large swathes of territory from the jihadists, butthey have launched deadly counterattacks on regimepositions. —Agencies

RAQQA, Syria: Members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Syrian fightersbacked by US Special Forces, search newly taken areas near the central hospitalof Raqqa. SDF are battling to clear the last remaining Islamic State group jihadistsholed up in their crumbling stronghold of Raqqa. —AFP

Drone strike kills eight Hezbollah

fighters in Syria

BEIRUT: The Islamic State group is under attack acrossthe remaining parts of its self-proclaimed caliphate, butwhat happens to its thousands of fighters as their grouploses grip on territory? Facing multiple offensives, thejihadist group has lost the Libyan city of Sirte, Iraq’sMosul and Ramadi, and is now on the verge of being oust-ed from its former Syrian stronghold Raqa. At its peak IScounted tens of thousands of fighters among its ranks, withUS officials estimating as many as 40,000 foreign fighterstravelled to join the jihadists over the years.

How many have been killed, arrested? Forces attackingIS have regularly reported the deaths and arrests of largenumbers of jihadists, but their figures are often vague andcannot be independently verified. “We can’t give an exactnumber of those arrested but we can say that there are agood number of them being detained by our forces,” saidMustafa Bali, spokesman for the US-backed SyrianDemocratic Forces currently battling IS in Syria. In Iraq’sMosul, journalists saw the bodies of jihadists killed infighting on the streets, but they numbered no more than afew dozen at any time, far less than the hundreds authori-ties often said had died in combat.

Other IS fighters may have been arrested and then exe-cuted. In July, the Human Rights Watch group accused aunit of Iraq’s army of carrying out summary executions ofsuspected jihadist prisoners. —AFP

ERBIL: Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region plans to holdpresidential and parliamentary elections on Nov 1, theErbil-based Rudaw TV said yesterday, as the Kurdish lead-ership cements its case for independence. A referendumheld on Sept 25 in the country’s Kurdish-held northernregions delivered an overwhelming ‘yes’ for independence,raising fears in Iraq and abroad of ethnic strains and aweakening of a US-backed campaign against Islamic State.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said yesterdayTurkey would impose further sanctions on northern Iraqover the vote. Powerful neighbors Ankara and Tehran fearit could fuel Kurdish separatism within their own borders.The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), however, hasnot declared independence and the elections are for theparliament and presidency of the region, not for an inde-pendent state.

Baghdad retaliated to the referendum with an interna-tional flights ban on Kurdish airports, while Iran andTurkey launched joint military drills with Iraqi troops attheir borders with Iraqi Kurdistan. The Shiite Arab-ledIraqi government has rejected a KRG offer to discussindependence. It demanded Kurdish leaders cancel theresult of the referendum or face continued sanctions, inter-national isolation and possible military intervention.

Saddam overthrow Masoud Barzani, the heir of a dynasty who have led a

Kurdish struggle for independence for over a century,has held the KRG presidency since its establishment in2005, two years after the U.S.-led invasion that toppledSaddam Hussein.

His tenure was extended beyond his second term, in2013, as fresh turmoil engulfed the region and Islamic

State overran, in 2014, about a third of Iraq, threateningthe Kurdish region. It was unclear whether Barzani wouldor could stand in the November poll as Kurdish law says apresident cannot stay in office for more than two terms.

Campaigning for the two elections will start on Oct 15,Rudaw TV cited the High Elections and ReferendumCommission chief Hendrean Mohammed. Islamic State’sself-declared “caliphate” effectively collapsed in July,when their stronghold in Mosul, west of the KRG capital

Erbil, fell to a US-backed Iraqi offensive with the partici-pation of Kurdish Peshmerga fighters. The Kurdish pushfor independence is meant to capitalize on their key con-tribution to the war on Islamic State after the group over-whelmed Iraqi forces in 2014.

The US administration, which had strengthened itsalliance with Iraq’s Kurds during the war on Islamic State,is taking the side of Baghdad in the crisis, in refusing torecognize the outcome of the referendum. —Reuters

Kurdistan region plans to hold elections Nov 1

ERBIL: An Iraqi Kurd waves the Kurdish flag as they celebrate the independencereferendum in the streets of the northern city of Erbil. —AFP

CAIRO: Egypt has arrested 22 people in the past threedays as part of a crackdown on gays after a rainbow flagwas raised at a concert, activists and rights groups saidyesterday. At least 33 people have been arrested sinceSept 23, after a group of people were seen raising the flagthe day before in a rare public show of support for lesbian,gay, bisexual and transgender rights in the conservativeMuslim country.

The public prosecutor announced an investigation afterlocal media launched ahighly critical campaignagainst those who raisedthe rainbow flag at aMashrou’ Leila concert, apopular Lebanese alter-native rock band whoselead singer is openly gay.On Monday police arrest-ed Ahmed Alaa andSarah Hegazy, the latterbeing the first womaninvolved in such an inci-dent in years, in relation to the case, their lawyer said.

They were both charged with “joining a group formedin contrary to the law” and “propagating that group’sidea”. Hegazy faced a further charge of “promoting sexualdeviancy and debauchery” and the Supreme StateSecurity Prosecution ordered them detained for 15 days,lawyer Amr Mohamed said. Two men had been arrestedearlier in relation to the flag incident but one was released.

The remaining arrests were unrelated to the incident buthave all been over the perceived sexual orientation of thedefendants and came after it.

At least 10 men were arrested between Sept 28-30 andsix others earlier that week, judicial sources said. All 16went on trial on Sunday charged with “promoting sexualdeviancy” and “debauchery”, euphemisms for homosexual-ity. A verdict is due on Oct 29. One man has been sen-tenced to six years in jail over similar charges. Mashrou’

Leila released a statementon Monday condemningthe arrest campaign andcalling for solidarity withthose arrested. “Wedenounce the demoniza-tion and prosecution ofvictimless acts betweenconsenting adults. It issickening to think that allthis hysteria has been gen-erated over a couple ofkids raising a piece of

cloth that stands for love,” the band said.Although homosexuality is not specifically outlawed in

Egypt, it is a conservative society and discrimination is rife.Gay men are frequently arrested and typically charged withdebauchery, immorality or blasphemy. Those arrested aresubjected to anal examinations to determine whether theyhave had gay sex, which rights groups Amnesty Internationaland Human Rights Watch say amounts to torture. — Reuters

Egyptian security forces arrest dozens in anti-gay crackdown

Crackdown sparked by raising

of rainbow flag

Fleeing offensives, where are the IS militants going?

BARCELONA: For or against independence, Catalansare reeling from police violence during an independ-ence referendum banned by Madrid but far from lock-ing horns with the Spanish government, they call fordialogue. At the entrances to their offices, in front ofpress kiosks, in cafes and in queues at the market, thetalk of the town in Barcelona is Sunday’s vote that wasmarred by police use of force. Madrid was against thereferendum and had long told Catalan separatist lead-ers they could not go ahead with it, but they did any-way. Riot police moved in on polling stations in townsand cities across Catalonia to stop people from voting,in some cases baton-charging and firing rubber bulletsto disperse crowds.

‘Really pained’ Antoni Crespo, 85, chats to a friend at the University

of Barcelona, where this retired shoemaker is studyingfor a masters in philosophy. “I’m really pained, reallysad, really anxious, really disillusioned, really concernedabout what happened,” Crespo, a supporter of inde-pendence said. Footage of police grabbing those whowere preventing them from closing polling stations,dragging some by the hair or hitting them with batonshave spread through the media and social networks.According to regional authorities, close to 900 peoplereceived medical attention. The interior ministry saidclose to 40 police agents also needed medical aid. “Thishas hurt this country’s spirit, I don’t want to say it was a

humiliation because that’s a very serious word... butwe’re hurt, those in favor of the ‘yes’ and those for the‘no’,” Crespo adds.

He was referring to the question of the referendum:“Do you want Catalonia to become an independentstate in the form of a republic?” “What happened yes-terday has no name, it’s a disgrace,” says Sergi Capell,50, the boss of a design studio and communicationsagency, at the entrance to Barcelona’s Real CirculoArtistico, an arts institute where he is about to speak ata conference. He was taking photos on the streets onSunday, and while he says he isn’t for independence, he

feels “indignation.” Some Catalans who weren’t think-ing of voting in the referendum changed their mindwhen they saw how police acted. It’s the case of JuliaMayayo, a 26-year-old nurse, who returned toBarcelona a week ago after three years working inBritain. “I don’t believe in an independent Cataloniaoutside of the European Union,” she says. “Comingfrom England, from Brexit, it was like coming back andmaking the same mistake.” But on Sunday she saw hertwo sisters, 16 and 18, terrorized over the possibilitythat police could erupt into the polling stations wherethey were working as volunteers. — AFP

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

8I n t e r n a t i o n a l

BAMENDA, Cameroon: Demonstrators march during a protest against perceiveddiscrimination in favor of the country’s francophone majority in Bamenda, themain town in northwest Cameroon and an anglophone hub. — AFP

Established 1961

LAS VEGAS: Police sought clues yesterday to explain whya retiree with a penchant for gambling but no criminalrecord set up a sniper’s nest in a high-rise Las Vegas hoteland poured gunfire onto a concert below, slaying dozensof people before killing himself. The Sunday night shootingspree from a 32nd-floor window of the Mandalay Bayhotel, on the Las Vegas Strip, killed at least 59 peoplebefore the gunman turned a weapon on himself. More than500 were injured, some trampled, in the deadliest massshooting in modern US history.

The gunman, identified as Stephen Paddock, 64, left noimmediate hint of his motive for the arsenal of high-pow-ered weaponry he amassed, including 34 guns, or the car-nage he inflicted on a crowd of 22,000 attending an out-door country music festi-val. Paddock was notknown to have served inthe military, or to havesuffered from a history ofmental illness or to haveregistered any inkling ofsocial disaffection, politi-cal discontent or radicalviews on social media.

US officials also dis-counted a claim ofresponsibility by the militant Islamic State group. “We havedetermined to this point no connection with an internation-al terrorist group,” Aaron Rouse, special agent in charge ofthe Federal Bureau of Investigation field office in LasVegas, told reporters on Monday. Police said they believedPaddock acted alone but were at a loss to explain whatmight have precipitated it. “We have no idea what his beliefsystem was,” Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo toldreporters. “I can’t get into the mind of a psychopath.”

Although police said they had no other suspects,Lombardo said investigators wanted to talk withPaddock’s girlfriend and live-in companion, MarilouDanley, who he said was traveling abroad, possibly inTokyo. Lombardo also said detectives were “aware of oth-

er individuals” who were involved in the sale of weaponsPaddock acquired. Still, the closest Paddock appeared tohave ever come to a brush with the law was for a trafficinfraction, authorities said.

Itinerant existenceThe death toll, which officials said could rise, surpassed

last year’s record massacre of 49 people at a gay nightclubin Orlando, Florida, by a gunman who pledged allegiance toIslamic State. Paddock, however, seemed atypical of theovertly troubled, angry young men who experts said havecome to embody the profile of most mass shooters. Publicrecords point to an itinerant existence across the US Westand Southeast, including stints as an apartment manager

and aerospace industryworker. But Paddockappeared to be settling into a quiet life when hebought a home in aNevada retirement com-munity a few years ago,about an hour’s drive fromLas Vegas and the casinoshe enjoyed.

His brother, Eric,described Stephen

Paddock as financially well-off and an avid enthusiast ofvideo poker games and cruises. “We’re horrified. We’rebewildered, and our condolences go out to the victims,”Eric Paddock said in a telephone interview from Orlando,Florida. “We have no idea in the world.” Las Vegas’s casi-nos, nightclubs and shopping draw more than 40 millionvisitors from around the world each year, and the Strip waspacked with visitors when the shooting started shortly after10 pm local time on Sunday.

Bloodshed, pandemoniumThe gunfire erupted during the Route 91 Harvest music

festival as country music star Jason Aldean was performing.The musician ran off stage as the shooting progressed.

Las Vegas mass shooting, the bloodiest in modern history

RALEIGH: An employee of North Raleigh Guns demonstrates how a ‘bump’stock works at the Raleigh, NC shop. — AP

Video of the attack showed throngs of people screaming inhorror and cowering on the open ground, hemmed in byfellow concert-goers, as extended bursts of gunfire strafedthe crowd from above from a distance police estimated atmore than 500 yards. Those at the edges of the crowd fledas best they could, many trampled or hurt jumping overfences while the shooting went on, by some accounts, forabout 10 minutes.

The bloodshed ended after police swarming the hotel

closed in on the gunman, who shot and wounded a hotelsecurity officer through the door of his two-room suite andthen killed himself before police entered, authorities said.Police said 23 guns were found in Paddock’s suite, alongwith more than 10 suitcases. Lombardo said a search of thesuspect’s car turned up a supply of ammonium nitrate, afertilizer compound that can be formed into explosives andwas used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing of a federaloffice building that killed 168 people. — Reuters

DAKAR: A once-fringe separatist movement inCameroon’s Anglophone regions is gaining groundafter a year of state repression that has underminedmoderate voices and raised concerns the majorityFrench-speaking nation may face a prolonged periodof violence. Soldiers shotdead at least eight peopleand wounded others in thetwo English-speakingregions on Sunday, theanniversary of AnglophoneCameroon’s independencefrom Britain.

Amnesty International saidon Monday at least 17 peoplehad died in the clashes. Thegrowing influence of the sep-aratists, who include armedradical elements, is one of the most serious threats tostability in the central African oil producer sincePresident Paul Biya took power 35 years ago. “Lastyear, separatists couldn’t rally people on the streets.But people have seen family members arrested andkilled, and they have switched over,” said Tapang Ivo

Tanku, an Anglophone activist based in the UnitedStates.

Like many moderates who say they are marginal-ized by Biya’s Francophone-dominated government,Tanku has campaigned for a peaceful solution: a two-

state federation - oneFrench speaking, the otherAnglophone - under onepresident. “I am in theminority now,” he toldReuters from New York.

The strife began inNovember, when English-speaking teachers andlawyers in the Northwestand Southwest regions,frustrated with having towork in French, took to the

streets calling for reforms and greater autonomy. Sixpeople were killed in those protests, and in the monthsthat followed, the government deployed thousands ofpolice and elite soldiers, implemented a blanket inter-net blackout and arrested dozens of activists, dubbingthem “terrorists”.

Cameroon crackdown fueling Anglophoneindependence push

United in sadness over police violence, Catalans seek dialogue

The thousands who protested on Sunday aroundthe country were no longer calling for reform, but fora separate state for Cameroon’s nearly five millionEnglish speakers. “We told them our problems. Theyresponded with force, killing us,” said a young studentin Bamenda, one of the largest Anglophone cities. “Weneed our own country.” The true size and influence ofthe movement remains hard to gauge. Many leadersare in jail or exile, and it’s unclear how strong alliancesare between a multitude of factions with competingvisions of how to achieve their goals. Few analystsbelieve a split is imminent.

There is no doubt the separatists’ popularity andability to stir turmoil has grown, however. Separatiststold Reuters that they were responsible for an impro-vised bomb that last month wounded three police-men in Bamenda. “Nothing great can be achieved byusing verbal excesses, street violence and defyingauthority. Lasting solutions to problems can be foundonly through peaceful dialogue,” Biya said in a state-ment on Twitter following Sunday’s violence. Anuprising by Biafran separatists in neighboringNigeria in the 1960s sparked a civil war that killedaround 1 million. — Reuters

BERLIN: Germany’s Sept 24 national election hasshown the country is divided by new, less visible“walls”, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier saidyesterday, the anniversary of German reunification.Speaking 27 years after East and West Germanywere reunited following the 1989 fall of the BerlinWall, Steinmeier said the election, which saw thefar-right enter parliament, had exposed “large andsmall cracks” in society and he called on democrat-ic lawmakers to work together to fight any returnto nationalism.

“On September 24th, it became clear that otherwalls have arisen, less visible, without barbed wireand death-strips, but walls that stand in the way ofour common sense of ‘us’,” Steinmeier said in aspeech in the western city of Mainz. ChancellorAngela Merkel won a fourth term in office in theelection, but the vote brought a far-right party intoparliament for the first time in more than half a cen-tury. A fractured vote means she will have to governwith a far less stable coalition. Steinmeier, a centre-left Social Democrat who was foreign ministerbefore taking up the largely ceremonial presidencyrole in March, said that Germany now has “wallsbetween our living environments”. — Reuters

New ‘walls’ nowdivide Germany,president says

BARCELONA: Protesters gather during a demonstration at the Placa dela Universitat square during a general strike in Catalonia called byCatalan unions in Barcelona yesterday. — AFP

Arsenal of 34weapons, ammo,explosives found

We need ourown country“ “

Police seek clues; over 500 injured, some trampled in panic

SRINAGAR: A group of rebels fightingIndian rule stormed a paramilitary campnear the airport in disputed Kashmir yes-terday, in a brazen attack targeting one ofthe region’s most strategic and well-guarded zones that left at least four dead.Police said the militants breached multiplelayers of high security outside and insidethe camp while exchanging intense gun-fire with government forces for nearlynine hours.

At least three suspected militants andone border guard officer were killed, policeInspector General Muneer Ahmed Khantold reporters in Srinagar, the region’s maincity. At least three soldiers were injured,police said. The rebels, dressed in militaryuniforms, began the attack by hurlinggrenades and spraying automatic gunfireat the camp, which houses a battalion ofIndia’s Border Security Force, police said.Nearby residents said they heard dozensof blasts and gunfire.

Previously, the camp served as one ofseveral notorious interrogation centerswhere authorities detained, questioned andallegedly tortured suspected rebels andtheir sympathizers. The camp sits on aplateau next to Srinagar’s main airport,separated only by barbed wire. Officialssaid the airport, which is run and controlled

by the military, was safe. Still, authoritiessuspended flights for about four hoursbefore resuming operations around noon.

At least one early morning flight fromNew Delhi was canceled and three othersdelayed. Counterinsurgency police andparamilitary commandos rushed to thescene and armored vehicles dotted theroad leading to the airport. One militantwas killed in the initial firing, a police offi-cer said. The officer, who spoke on condi-tion of anonymity in line with departmentpolicy, said two other militants were killedinside the main building of the camp wherethey had taken refuge and were firing outat the soldiers.

Many top former bureaucrats, policeofficials and politicians have residences inthe area. India’s Home Minister RajnathSingh complimented the soldiers, saying inNew Delhi that “it was a good operationthat they have conducted,” the Press Trustof India news agency reported. OfficerKhan said the militants entered the campafter they cut barbed wire, and blamed theJaish-e-Mohammad militant group for theattack. However, no anti-India rebel groupimmediately commented on the fighting.

Most attacks target military and para-military convoys or police outposts, butrebels have staged similar attacks in

recent months, including one attack inAugust in which four police officials, fourparamilitary soldiers and two suspectedmilitants were killed after rebels stormed apolice camp, triggering daylong fighting.

Last year, the rebels mounted theirdeadliest attack on a military base inrecent years after militants sneaked into acrucial Indian military base and killed atleast 19 soldiers. The four attackers werealso killed. India later retaliated, saying itsspecial forces conducted a “surgical strike”against militants inside the Pakistani-con-trolled part of Kashmir. Islamabad rejectedthe Indian account, saying it was routinecross-border fire. Since then, the nuclear-

armed rivals have engaged in regular firingalong their de facto frontier.

Anti-India rebels in Muslim-majorityKashmir have been fighting for independ-ence or a merger with Pakistan since 1989,with the violence and subsequent Indianmilitary crackdown claiming at least70,000 lives since then. The region isdivided between India and Pakistan, withboth claiming the territory in its entirety.India accuses Pakistan of arming and train-ing the rebels, which Pakistan denies. Anti-India sentiment runs deep in the region,and most people support the rebels’ causewhile also participating in civilian streetprotests against Indian control. — AP

I n t e r n a t i o n a l Wednesday, October 4, 2017

9

HAVANA: Frightening attacks on US personnel in Havanastruck the heart of America’s spy network in Cuba, withintelligence operatives among the first and most severelyaffected victims, The Associated Press has learned. It was-n’t until US spies, posted to the embassy under diplomaticcover, reported hearing bizarre sounds and experiencingeven stranger physical effects that the United States real-ized something was wrong, individuals familiar with thesituation said.

While the attacks started within days of PresidentDonald Trump’s surprise election in November, the pre-cise timeline remains unclear, including whether intelli-gence officers were the first victims hit or merely the firstvictims to report it. The US has called the situation “ongo-ing.” To date, the Trump administration largely hasdescribed the 21 victimsas US embassy personnelor “members of the diplo-matic community.”

That description sug-gested only bona fidediplomats and their familymembers were struck,with no logical motivationbeyond disrupting US-Cuban relations. Behindthe scenes, though, inves-tigators immediately started searching for explanations inthe darker, rougher world of spycraft and counterespi-onage, given that so many of the first reported casesinvolved intelligence workers posted to the US embassy.

Element of mysteryThat revelation, confirmed to the AP by a half-dozen

officials, adds yet another element of mystery to a year-long saga that the Trump administration says may not beover. The State Department and the CIA declined to com-ment for this story. The first disturbing reports of piercing,high-pitched noises and inexplicable ailments pointed tosomeone deliberately targeting the US government’s intel-ligence network on the communist-run island, in whatseemed like a bone-chilling escalation of the tit-for-tat spygames that Washington and Havana have waged over thelast half century.

But the US soon discovered that actual diplomats at theembassy had also been hit by similar attacks, officials said,further confounding the search for a culprit and a motive.Of the 21 confirmed cases, American spies suffered some

of the most acute damage, including brain injury and hear-ing loss that has not healed, said several US officials whoweren’t authorized to speak publicly on the investigationand demanded anonymity. They heard an unsettling soundinside and in some cases outside their Havana homes,described as similar to loud crickets. Then they fell ill.

Over time, the attacks seemed to evolve. In many of themore recent cases, victims didn’t hear noises and weren’taware an attack was occurring, identifying the symptomsonly later. That has raised concerns among investigators thatthe attacks may be getting more sophisticated and harder todetect, individuals briefed on the investigation said.

Though the State Department has called all the cases“medically confirmed,” several US officials said it’s unclearwhether all of the victims’ symptoms can be conclusively

tied to attacks.Considering the deepsense of alarm amongAmericans working in theembassy, it’s possiblesome workers attributedunrelated il lnesses toattacks. Almost nothingabout what has transpiredin Havana is perfectlyclear. But this is Cuba. Fordecades, Washington and

Havana pushed their rivalry to unprecedented levels ofcovert action.

Bitter historyThe former enemies tracked each other’s personnel,

turned each other’s agents and, in the case of the CIA,even mounted a failed attempt to overthrow the Cubangovernment in the 1961 “Bay of Pigs” invasion. There werehopes, though, that the two nations were starting to putthat bitter history behind them after renewing diplomaticrelations in 2015. When the attacks first occurred, the USand Cuban governments were hard at work on clinchingnew commercial and immigration agreements. No newspat among intelligence services was publicly known.

Eleven months on, the US cannot guarantee the threatis over. Last week, the State Department warnedAmericans to stay away from Cuba and ordered more thanhalf the embassy staff to leave indefinitely. The US hadpreviously given all embassy staff the option to comehome, but even most of those struck by the mysteriousattacks had opted to stay, individuals familiar with the sit-

Bizarre attacks in Havana hit America’s spy network

Intelligence operatives - the most severely affected victims

HAVANA: Photo shows the US embassy in Havana after the United States announcedit is withdrawing more than half its personnel in response to mysterious healthattacks targeting its diplomatic staff. — AFP

uation said. For those staying and new arrivals, the US hasbeen giving instructions about what to watch and listen forto identify an attack in progress. They’re also learningsteps to take if an attack occurs that could mitigate therisk, officials said.

But the US has not identified whatever device isresponsible for the harm. FBI sweeps have turned up noth-ing. So to better identify patterns, investigators have cre-ated a map detailing specific areas of Cuba’s capital whereattacks have occurred, several individuals familiar with thematter said. Three “zones,” or geographic clusters ofattacks, cover the homes where US diplomats live and sev-eral hotels where attacks occurred, including the historicHotel Capri. Since first disclosing the situation in August,

the United States had generally avoided the word“attacks.” It called them “incidents” instead until lastFriday. Now, the State Department deems them “specificattacks” targeting Americans posted in Havana, withoutsaying what new information, if any, prompted the new-found confidence they were indeed deliberate. The mostobvious motive for attacking Americans in Havana wouldbe to drive a wedge between the US and Cuba. If that’s thecase, the strategy appears to be succeeding.

Last week’s embassy drawdown added to the growingfriction between the nations. And an accompanying newtravel warning deemed Havana’s hotels unsafe for visitors,threatening to drive down tourism, a backbone of Cuba’seconomy. —AP

Established 1961

Rebels storm Indian paramilitary camp in Kashmir; 4 killed

SRINAGAR: Smoke and dust rises from an Indian BorderSecurity Force (BSF) building that was held by suspected mili-tants, after it was hit by explosives fired by government forces inSrinagar yesterday. —AFP

A bone-chilling escalation of

the spy games

SANTA CLARA: Santa Clara has been asso-ciated with Ernesto “Che” Guevara eversince he won the final battle of the Cubanrevolution here. Now, 50 years after hisdeath, the boys who bear his name carry thetorch of perpetuating his legacy. Every yearon June 14, a special honor is bestowed onthe first boy born at the town’s MarianaGrajales maternity hospital. The proud par-ents are asked if they assent to give the revo-lutionary hero’s name to their boy.

Thus, 24 little Ernestos or “Ernesticos”have been baptised without ever the honorbeing declined. In Santa Clara-which Che’sforces captured in a decisive battle inDecember 1958 - it’s an offer you can’trefuse. “‘El Che’ is emblematic here. He isin us, and drives us,” said Noris CardenasMartinez, director of the city’s Che GuevaraMemorial. The 1958 battle cementedGuevara’s status as a hero of the Cuban

revolution and effectively meant the end ofthe dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. It waslittle surprise that when his remains werebrought back from Bolivia in 1979, FidelCastro dedicated a mausoleum to Che inthis central city. The site will host the maincommemorative ceremonies for the 50thanniversary of his death on October 8.

Privilege and dutiesEvery morning across Cuba, schoolkids

in the nation of 11 million take the oath of thepioneers, vowing to “be like Che.” But for theErnesticos of Santa Clara, the commitmenttakes on much greater meaning. LazaroErnesto is only 12. But despite his tenderage, he said he has taken pride in strict per-sonal conduct ever since he became awareof the legacy he carries. “I have to behave,study, be honest and be good with my class-mates-and my family,” he said in his parents’

modest house under the watchful eye of hismother Mayelin Moran Contreras. Shy, a fanof the soccer star Lionel Messi - born, likeGuevara, in Rosario, Argentina-LazaroErnesto said he is “proud to be named” forChe. Buy he gets still nervous every June 14when his classmates congratulate him on hisbirthday, thus reminding him of his special

responsibility, he said. Daniel Ernesto han-dles his moniker more coolly. At 24, he is theoldest of the Ernesticos still residing in SantaClara. An IT technician at the town’s pediatrichospital and a fervent collector of Che T-shirts, Daniel Ernesto is used to being recog-nized from articles in the newspapers or TVinterviews. —AFP

‘Ernesticos’ keep cultof Che alive in Cuba

SANTA CLARA, Cuba: Cuban Lazaro Ernesto, one of the so-called ‘Ernesticos’ -named in honor of Argentine-Cuban guerrillafighter Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara- visits the Che GuevaraMausoleum, in Santa Clara city. —AFP

US, North Korea: To talk or not to talk?WASHINGTON: Now is not the time to talk to NorthKorea, the White House declared yesterday, asPresident Donald Trump appeared to undermineefforts to force Pyongyang to the table. Until thisweekend, Washington’s plan to counter Kim Jong-Un’sincreasingly sophisticated nuclear arsenal seemed tobe to employ sanctions and diplomatic pressure toconvince him to talk. Secretary of State Rex Tillersonconfirmed this on Saturday in Beijing when he toldreporters Washington is using diplomatic channels toprobe Kim’s willingness to discuss disarmament.

But then Trump tweeted, telling his “wonderful”chief diplomat that he was “wasting his time” trying tonegotiate with Kim’s regime. Many commentators andformer diplomats in Washington saw this as a snub-even a humiliation-for Tillerson, and rumors that thesecretary might resign surfaced once again. Tillerson’saides dismissed such talk, insisting that Trump’s tweetswere a message to Kim that time was running out forhim to respond to Tillerson’s overture or face tougheraction. Then on Monday, Trump’s spokeswoman SarahHuckabee Sanders stated bluntly: “We’ve been clearthat now is not the time to talk.”

Sanders told reporters the only reason to talk withKim’s regime would be to seek the release of threeAmericans held in North Korean jails. “There is a dif-ference between talking and putting diplomatic pres-sure-and we strongly support putting diplomatic pres-sure on North Korea which we’re continuing to do-butnow is not the time simply to have conversations withNorth Korea,” she said. This would seem to contradictwhat Tillerson had said on Saturday, when he wasasked how he would know if and when North Korea isprepared to discuss denuclearizing the Korean penin-sula. “We are probing, so stay tuned,” he said.

“We ask. We have lines of communications toPyongyang. We’re not in a dark situation, a black out,”he added. “We can talk to them, we do talk to them.”The State Department was quick to point out thatthese overtures had not revealed any sign that Kim isin fact ready for dialogue, but Tillerson had at leastconfirmed that channels are open. This had been wide-ly suspected in Washington policy circles, but by mak-ing it front-page news Tillerson seems to have irkedTrump. “The main channel is the so-called New Yorkchannel, the connection to North Korea’s diplomaticmission to the UN,” explained Jim Schoff, a formerhead of North Korea strategy at the Pentagon.

‘Multiple attempts’ Washington’s chief envoy for dealing with the North

Korea crisis, Ambassador Joseph Yun, used this chan-nel to Pyongyang’s diplomats in New York to negotiatethe release of US student Otto Warmbier-who diedafter his return. “There have been, as I understand,multiple attempts for several months by that channel totry to initiate general dialogue both on the remainingAmericans held there and expressing openness to talkabout denuclearization,” Schoff said. Schoff, now asenior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment forInternational Peace, said those connections had indeedproved “unfruitful” but warned that Trump’s dismissivetweets had weakened Tillerson’s hand. “It does hurtthe secretary’s credibility,” he said. “They agreed upona North Korean policy and strategy, and it contains anopenness to dialogue. —AFP

The hurricane that leveled Puerto Rico lastmonth has given fresh impetus to adecades-old argument on the island: Thatthe US territory would fare better finan-cially as a US state. For Fermin Seda, 68, aretiree in the southern city of Salinas, thereis no doubt. “I want statehood,” Seda said.“I think it would be better than what weare now.” Puerto Rico’s status as a UScommonwealth means its 3.5 millionAmerican citizens do not pay federal taxes,vote in presidential elections or receiveproportionate federal funding on programslike the Medicaid health insurance systemfor the poor.

For Jose Fuentes, chairman of PuertoRico Statehood Council, a pro-statehoodorganization in Washington, Puerto Ricowould have been in a better position to han-dle the blow from Hurricane Maria if it hadthe income and political power of a state.Becoming a state would strengthen thepolitical standing of the island, which cur-rently has only a single non-voting memberof Congress, and increase its eligibility forfederal aid, Fuentes said.

Maria was the strongest storm to hitPuerto Rico in 90 years and her devastation

“really bolsters the case for equal treatmentfor Puerto Rico,” said Jake Johnston, aninternational research associate at theWashington think tank Center for Economicand Policy Research. Puerto Rico’s stagnanteconomy and mounting debt have left theisland with old, vulnerable infrastructureand buildingsand a limitedcapacity tor e b u i l d ,Johnston said.The creakyinfrastructurewas no matchfor Maria’sfierce windsand waterand likelyhampered thee m e r g e n cyresponse, as officials struggled with a near-total power outage, and a lack of water, fueland communications, he said.

Vote in Favor Changing the statehood question has

been a hotly debated topic. Puerto Ricans

voted overwhelmingly in favor of statehoodin June, with 97 percent support, althoughthe turnout was less than a quarter of eligi-ble voters. “How can we still have a colonialterritory with more than 3.5 million US citi-zens without access to equal rights or havethe same political power?” Governor

R i c a r d oRossello saidon Monday.Rossello, whocampa ignedon a push forstatehood, hadsaid in Junethat Congressshould act onthe vote.

Making thenon-bindingvote reality

requires action from Congress, but theRepublican-controlled House ofRepresentatives and Senate is not likely toact for a territory that leans Democratic.The amount of federal funds flowing in andout of the island would change dramaticallyif it were a state: It would receive as much

as 76 percent more federal funds for thefour biggest US programs impacted understatehood, including Medicaid andSupplemental Security Income, accordingto a 2014 analysis by the United StatesGovernment Accountability Office (GAO).However, in turn, Puerto Ricans would haveto pay federal income tax.

One thing that would not change withstatehood is Puerto Rico’s standing with theFederal Emergency Management Agency:FEMA’s obligations to Puerto Rico are thesame as to a state. Democratic leaders inCongress and some residents in Puerto Ricohave accused the Republican administrationof being more sluggish in its response thanit would to a disaster on the US mainland.But FEMA has defended its aid effort forthe island.

“I go to bed every night knowing that Ihave done the best I can to marshal all ofthese federal resources” to the island,FEMA administrator Brock Long toldCNN last week. With our without state-hood, FEMA said in a statement it “will behere for years to come, helping PuertoRico not only in its response, but also itsrecovery.” —Reuters

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

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If US President Donald Trump and his top diplomatare playing “good cop, bad cop” with North Korea, itdoesn’t appear to be working: Entreaties of diploma-cy aren’t yielding meaningful talks, and militarythreats aren’t scaring Pyongyang into halting itsnuclear advance. Instead, America’s mixed messagingmay be increasing the risk of miscalculation by theisolated, communist government, which lacks insightinto the Trump administration’s thinking and couldmistake brinkmanship for an overt threat of war.

Although American military action could invitedevastating consequences for its South Korean ally,Trump has threatened to use military options andoffered sometimes apocalyptic visions of the Northunless it ends its nuclear and missile testing. NorthKorea has launched intercontinental ballistic missilesthat can potentially strike the US mainland and amonth ago conducted its largest ever undergroundnuclear explosion. It has threatened to explodeanother nuclear bomb above the Pacific.

Amid all the threats, however, some level of US-North Korean diplomacy has survived. Speaking lastweekend in China, which wants Washington toresume a full dialogue with Pyongyang, Secretary ofState Rex Tillerson fueled speculation of a newdiplomatic effort, acknowledging open channels ofcommunications between the two countries. Hourslater, Trump chimed in. “I told Rex Tillerson, our won-derful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his timetrying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man,” Trumptweeted Sunday, once again deploying his pet namefor North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. “Save yourenergy Rex, we’ll do what has to be done!”

The jarring tweet fueled a narrative that Trumpwas undermining his chief interlocutor with theworld. But officials close to Tillerson insisted that thepair were on the same page, and that Trump wasmerely sending a message to North Korea that itwould have to show up in serious negotiating moodto any diplomatic talks. Whatever the intent, confu-sion was the result. And on Monday, White Housespokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders compoundedthe impression that the White House views diploma-cy as a dead end.

The only conversations the US is willing to havewith North Korea are about the fate of the threeAmericans being held there, she said. Back-channeltalks in the spring led to the release of college stu-dent Otto Warmbier, who returned home with braindamage and died days later. “Beyond that there willbe no conversations with North Korea at this time,”Sanders said.

Lack of Results While the episode represents the latest example

of the president appearing to step on his top diplo-mat’s toes, even if advertently, perhaps more con-cerning for the United States is the lack of resultsTrump’s hardnosed approach or Tillerson’s softertack have produced. Trump’s “bad cop” may havegalvanized action by China, the North’s traditionaldiplomatic protector and main trading partner, whichhas agreed to tough new UN sanctions on its ally’sprimary sources of revenue for weapons develop-ment. The measures include banning imports ofNorth Korean coal, iron ore and textiles, and newlimits on crucial oil and petroleum supplies.

But none of the economic pressure has forced Kim’sgovernment to even slow down a nuclear accelerationthat could soon put the entire United States withinrange. Tillerson’s “good cop” has hardly fared better.The North professes to not even be interested in diplo-macy unless the US abandons its “hostile policy”.During his meetings in Beijing, the Chinese assuredTillerson they would implement the UN sanctions andpress their local authorities near North Korea’s borderto stamp out banned activity, according to a StateDepartment official familiar with the talks.

China wants the North to halt its nuclear and mis-sile tests, however remote the goal, and is eyeing thewinter months when there are no US-South Koreanmilitary exercises that often exacerbate tensions onthe divided Korean Peninsula. The official wasn’tauthorized to speak publicly on the matter anddemanded anonymity. Even that appears a remotepossibility. Analysts and even governments inbetween say Trump is making it increasingly difficultfor the North to have confidence in any diplomaticeffort with the United States, given his threats todemolish a 2-year-old arms control pact with Iran.

And back-channel diplomacy between senior USand North Korean diplomats - primarily aimed atfreeing detained Americans - hasn’t helped repairany trust. In fact, the two sides have barely communi-cated for the last couple of weeks and there is nosign North Korea wants to re-engage, according toofficials with knowledge of the discussions. The“good cop, bad cop” ploy is unlikely to work, saidEvans Revere, a former State Department officialwho took part in unofficial talks in Switzerland withNorth Korean officials last month. The North, he said,wants only to speak to Washington as “one nuclearpower to another”. — AP

Trump, Tillerson doing ‘good cop’, ‘bad cop’?

Should Puerto Rico be a US state?

Spain’s image on the world stage has been tarnished bythe worldwide broadcast of images showing its policeattacking would-be voters in Catalonia, and those tacticshave not slowed the Catalan government’s march towardindependence. So the question lingers: Why, in the age ofthe smartphone, would Spain use force this way in order toquash a disputed independence referendum? Why not justdeclare the vote illegal and ignore it? Why hand the inde-pendence movement a public relations victory by usingpolice to attack women, children and the elderly?

Analysts say the Spanish government apparently felt sothreatened by the accelerating independence movementthat it believed a show of force was needed to make itabundantly clear that even harsher tactics would be used ifneeded to keep Spain intact. The government was alsoconfident, apparently with reason, that European Unionleaders would not condemn the tactics Spain used to helpprevent more splintering of the 28-nation bloc.

Chatham House director Robin Niblett said the Spanishgovernment felt it had to act despite the consequencesbecause it could not let the vote, suspended by theConstitutional Court, proceed. “I’m sure they expected itto get ugly,” he said. “I’m sure they knew there was a realrisk of it looking like democracy was being suppressed.But they know they have support in the rest of Spain, sothe political risk domestically was worth taking.”

He conceded the cost was high because of the disturb-ing images that emerged. “They didn’t want shots of policepulling women by the hair,” he said. “That’s stupid, that’sreally frustrating to them. In a way that becomes the sto-ry.” Spain’s leaders have not backpedaled or apologizedfor the use of force, an indication they are willing to takewhatever international opprobrium comes their way. Infact, criticism from Europe’s leaders has been relativelylight, coming mostly from opposition figures.

Andrew Dowling, a specialist in Catalan history atCardiff University in Wales, said “any government in theworld” would have taken similar action if under directthreat. “The Spanish government felt it had to stop thevote because they knew within 48 hours the CatalanParliament would declare independence and then there is areally big crisis,” he said. “They knew a ‘yes’ vote in favorof independence was guaranteed because most ‘no’ votersweren’t going to participate. I think the very strong polic-ing was used to send a message.”

The Spanish government, he said, was counting on theCatalan police to remove people from voting places, but

the regional officers “just stood by with their arms folded.”So authorities sent in Spanish riot police, who had beenbrought in on ships for just such a possibility. Dowlingbelieves some police officers had been bored by their longconfinement on the ships in the Barcelona port and tookout their frustration on the public. “Some of the violencewas pretty shocking, unrestrained, and it didn’t take intoaccount age or gender,” he said. “In the age of the iPhone,it gives vivid testimony.”

The global broadcasting of the images, and the front-page display of the photos, may have strengthened thehand of independence movement leaders in their quest forinternational support, even if there is little appetite forbreaking up a major European state at a time of risinginstability in many parts of the world. There is also stronganecdotal evidence, based in part on AP interviews, thatsome who had planned to sit the referendum out, or tovote to remain part of Spain, instead voted for secessionbecause of anger about police tactics.

Elisa Arouca said she was waiting to vote outside aBarcelona school when police yanked her and otherprospective voters out of the way, smashed open the

school door, and seized the ballot boxes inside. “I wasalways against independence, but what the Spanish stateis doing made me change my mind,” she said beforeseeking out another place to vote - this time in favor ofindependence.

By this yardstick, the Spanish government’s approachwas not successful. “They increased the independencevote by sending the police in,” said Nafees Hamid, aresearch fellow at Artis International who has writtenextensively about Catalonia. “It definitely hurt them. If theindependence movement was trying to malign the image ofthe Madrid government, they accomplished that goal.There were some who wanted just that, that was theirstrategy, and it really paid off.”

He does not believe, however, that the police violencewas widespread. He said he spent voting day touringBarcelona and did not witness any abuses.”I saw policeeverywhere,” he said. “They were not attacking buildingsor stopping people from voting. It could be that the vastmajority of thousands of police did not intervene, but therewere some that did. It could be more at the level of indi-vidual police captains.” —AP

Spanish police attacks - mistake or part of plan?

“Maria strongest storm to hit Puerto Rico in 90 years”

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Spanish police officers immobilize some people outside a polling stationin Barcelona on Oct 1, 2017 on the day of a referendum on independencefor Catalonia banned by Madrid. —AFP

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Maryam Saif, Head of Youth Empowerment, ZainGroup, firmly believes this is a long-term vision stating,“The notion of instilling creativity and critical thinkinginto the youth will absolutely support the future gener-ations become prepared leaders. By developing the 4C’s in children, we are preparing them to overcomemental blocks that will support them throughout boththeir academic journey and career path.”

Hussa Al Humaidhi, Knowledge Director of Nuqat,commented, “Creative education sits at the core of what

we do as an organization. Nuqat is thankful and hon-ored to work with Zain on this exciting pilot program.Our beliefs are strongly aligned that only throughequipping our future generations with the right skillsetand ambition, will we be able to progress as a communi-ty and as a nation.”

Maha Al Essa, IN•DIG•GO Program Director said,“Nuqat has earned a track record in developing andfacilitating skill-building and learning programs.However, what makes this program unique is two keyelements. The first being the fact that it engages schoolteachers and creative professionals, the second being itsthematic-learning approach where each student will beable to develop their 4C’s of Creativity, Communication,Critical Thinking and Collaboration.”

Nuqat has a successful track record of conductingworkshops for all ages across a wide array of creativedisciplines. The Nuqat team will oversee and coordinatethe development and implementation of IN•DIG•GOwith a group of creative professionals who will be sup-ported by school teachers from different backgroundsand subjects. Together they will craft the program, withthe creative professionals instructing the courses.

Zain, Nuqat to introduce creativenew education program for children

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He said the committee heard the technical opinion overthe deal in order to help the panel prepare its report,especially with regards to the response of the ministry toremarks made by the Audit Bureau. Nasef said the minis-

ter of defense and the ministry team reaffirmed their trustin the procedures of the deal and the final decision.

MP Faisal Al-Kandari meanwhile claimed that OilMinister Essam Al-Marzouq has called for a crucial meet-ing of the board of directors of Kuwait Petroleum Corp(KPC) to take a number of “suspicious” decisions. Thelawmaker said that the meeting is expected to changeleading positions at the four major oil companies and thenask the boards of those companies to approve thechanges. Kandari warned the minister against taking thesesuspicious and illegal decisions and threatened to grill himat the start of the next term, starting on Oct 24. The law-maker warned that the political cost of the anticipateddecisions will be too high and the minister will not be ableto bear it.

30% drop in expatsvisiting public medical facilities

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The vote, rejected by Baghdad as illegal, has putdeep strain on ties between the Kurds and central Iraqiauthorities, who have cut off international flights to theregion and threatened further action. Talabani was anavuncular politician and a skilled negotiator, who spentyears building bridges between the country’s dividedfactions, despite his efforts for Kurdish independence.

His wife and companion in political struggle, Hero,and his Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) party voicedonly lukewarm support for the Sept 25 referendum.Unlike Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) leaderMassoud Barzani of the rival Kurdish Democratic Party(KDP), the PUK has had traditionally good ties with Iranand Iranian-backed Shiite groups which are effectivelyruling in Baghdad. The Baghdad government, Iran and

Turkey all strongly opposed the referendum.Born in 1933 in the mountain village of Kalkan,

Talabani studied law at Baghdad University and did astint in the army before joining the KDP of MullahMustafa Barzani, father of current Kurdistan regionalpresident Massoud. Talabani took to the hills in a firstuprising against the Iraqi government in 1961 butfamously fell out with Barzani, who sued for peace withBaghdad, and joined a KDP splinter faction in 1964.

Eleven years later, he established the PUK afterBarzani’s forces, abandoned by their Iranian, US andIsraeli allies, were routed by Saddam Hussein’s army. Hebecame president in April 2005 after the first post-Saddam election in Iraq and continued in the post until2014, when he was replaced by the current president,Fuad Masoum. Iraq’s head of state plays a largely cere-monial role and is elected by members of parliament.

In Aug 2008, the married father of two underwentsuccessful heart surgery in the United States, then in2012 he was flown to Germany after suffering a stroke,casting doubt over his ability to ever return to Iraq. Hedid go back in July 2014, with Iraq in crisis after theIslamic State group had taken control of swathes of thecountry, and was replaced by Masoum following a par-liamentary election. — Agencies

Kurdish leader andex-Iraqi president Talabani dies

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as an existential threat in the same way their leadersdo. “None of the regional crises have a military solu-tion,” Zarif said at the meeting, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency. All sides should “give prior-ity to regional initiations for restoring collective stabilityand security”.

Yesterday’s visit was notable as it was Zarif’s first sinceQatar’s political isolation began on June 5. The Iranian for-eign minister on Monday visited Oman - which hasremained neutral on the Gulf crisis - meeting with SultanQaboos in Muscat. Qatar’s relationship with Shiite-domi-nated Iran, seen as the major rival to Sunni-ruled SaudiArabia in the Middle East, is one of the major factorsunderpinning the crisis between Qatar and its former allies.

Last week, Qatar’s foreign minister Sheikh Mohammedbin Abdulrahman Al-Thani warned that the political andeconomic boycott imposed on Qatar was pushing Dohacloser to Tehran. “They accuse Qatar of being close to Iranbut with their measure... they push Qatar towards Iran.They are giving Qatar like a gift to Iran,” SheikhMohammed said in a speech in Paris.

Doha in Jan 2016 had pulled its ambassador fromTehran in solidarity with Saudi Arabia over attacks on itsdiplomatic mission there - attacks spurred by Riyadh’sdecision to execute a prominent Shiite cleric in the king-dom. But in August, Qatar announced it was restoring full

diplomatic relations with Iran by returning its ambassador.Qatar and Iran share the world’s largest natural gas field -which Doha calls the North Field and Iran South Pars - andwhich has been responsible for the emirate’s dramatictransformation over the past 20 years.

Leaders in the Sunni Arab countries of the Gulf, thosein Saudi Arabia and the UAE especially, view Iran withsuspicion after its advances on the battlefields of Iraq andSyria against the Islamic State group. They also worryabout Iran’s nuclear program and the 2015 deal thatTehran struck with world powers over it.

But face-to-face surveys of over 4,000 GCC citizensconduced in recent months found that with the exceptionof Bahrain, the spread of extremist organizations like theIslamic State group and Al-Qaeda represented theirbiggest worry, said Justin Gengler, a senior researcher atthe Social and Economic Survey Research Institute atQatar University.

Gengler said the survey, funded by the Qatar NationalResearch Fund before the diplomatic crisis began andconducted along with researchers from the University ofMichigan, was conducted in every GCC country exceptthe UAE. Gengler first published his results Monday inForeign Affairs. The margin of error was below 4 percentamong the surveys in each country.

Asked about the results, Gengler said Iran offered aconvenient foe for Gulf nations struggling with internalproblems and low global oil prices. “If it’s not the case thatpeople feel threatened militarily by Iran, how is it that gov-ernments continue to talk about it?” Gengler told AP. “Atthe end of the day in the Gulf, regime stability is the No. 1priority guiding every decision rulers make. ... Elites havetheir objectives and citizens have their own priorities indaily life and they don’t always match up.” — Agencies

Defiant Qatar emirmeets Iran’s Zarif

Mount Agung volcano is seen at sunrise from Amed beach in Karangasem on Bali island yesterday. Thousands of residents who fled a rumbling volcano on Bali arerefusing to leave evacuation centers after being told to return to their homes outside of the immediate danger zone. — AFP

CHARLOTTE: Robert Yates, apioneering NASCAR owner andengine bui lder who with DaleJarrett won the 1999 Cup title, hasdied at 74. He was voted into theHall of Fame in May and will beinducted next year.

Yates had liver cancer and sonDoug Yates announced the deathMonday night on Twitter. “He wasa leader and inspired everyonearound him to do their best and totake it to a new level,” Doug Yatessaid in a post by Roush YatesEngines. Roush Yates also postedto its social media accounts thatYates died “surrounded by hisfamily and loved ones.”

Robert Yates Racing won 57races and 48 poles. Yates was anoted engine builder who helpedguide Bobby Allison to the 1983Cup title, with Daytona 500 victo-ries for Davey Allison in 1992 andJarrett in 1996 and 2000.

“First and foremost an engineguy, Robert will be remembered asa person who helped build thesport with dedication and hardwork,” said Edsel B. Ford II, aboard member of Ford Motor Co.“His legacy at NASCAR will bedefined by his roles as an enginebuilder, championship team owner,co-founder of Roush YatesEngines and ult imately by the

innovation that he brought to all ofthese endeavors and more.

“Much like my great-grandfa-ther, Henry Ford, Robert was a tin-kerer. They both leave behind alegion of admirers and friends whobenefited from their mentorshipand their passion.” Yates’ son tookover Roush Yates Engines, whichpowered Kurt Busch to theDaytona 500 victory in February.Ricky Stenhouse Jr. also droveYates engines to victories atTalladega and Daytona this year.

Tony Stewart, who moved fromStewart-Haas Racing to Ford andYates engines this season, said thesport “lost one of the most inven-tive minds and kindest personali-ties.” The team honored Yates witha throwback paint scheme onDanica Patrick’s car at Darlington.

“I’m glad I got to know him andproud our race team was able tohonor him this year at Darlington,”Stewart said. “He leaves a stronglegacy that is carried on by his son,Doug, and all of their employees atRoush Yates Engines.” — AP

ADELAIDE: An Ashes series shorn of BenStokes would be a great shame for cricketbut England are heading for defeat with orwithout the troubled all-rounder, formerAustralia batsman Greg Blewett has said.Test vice-captain Stokes and opener AlexHales have been suspended from interna-tional cricket indefinitely, pending aninvestigation into an altercation outside anightclub in Bristol last week.

Stokes was initially named in the 16-man squad for the Ashes tour starting inNovember but the England and WalesCricket Board (ECB) rowed back on thedecision a day later Blewett, who struck acentury on his test debut during the 1994-95 Ashes series, cast doubt on Stokes’schances of playing a full part in the series.

“I’m sure they will (sanction him). Theyare having their internal investigation. Thatwil l play out,” Blewett, a 46-testrighthanded batsman, told Reuters in aninterview in Adelaide yesterday. “It wouldbe a shame if he’s not out here. I thinkeveryone wants to play against thestrongest possible team.

“It would be a shame if he doesn’t comeout because he’s a bit of a drawcard, he’s aworld class all-rounder and will leave amassive hole in their team. “But even if hewas (to come), I think Australia are goingto be too good at home anyway. With orwithout Ben Stokes I don’t see a differentresult but I think England would love tohave him in their side.” The Sun newspaperpublished footage of what it said was abrawl between the player and two otherpeople, one clutching a bottle. The authen-

ticity of the images could not be verifiedby Reuters.

Media reports said Stokes, who suf-fered a minor fracture of a finger on hisright hand, apologised to the ECB for hisarrest on suspicion of causing actual bodi-ly harm and described his state of mind as‘fragile and devastated’. Blewett, who wasAustralia’s fielding coach until steppingdown in August, has taken on assistantroles with Sheffield Shield side SouthAustralia and the Adelaide Strikers in the‘Big Bash’ domestic Twenty20 competition.

Also coach of South Australia’s men’sunder-19 side, Blewett said he would takea dim view of any player out drinking inthe early hours of the morning and daysbefore a match. “I wouldn’t be over themoon, put it that way, because I did seethe footage and it’s not great,” Blewettsaid, referring to the video posted by TheSun. “I’m sure he’s got his side to the storywhich we haven’t necessarily heard yet.“Yeah, you would be disappointed, I thinkthey were only a couple of days away fromthe next one-day international so I thinkany coach would be disappointed with thatsort of behaviour.”

The Stokes incident has revived thedebate as to whether curfews should beenforced during series, but Blewett said hewas against such measures. “Generally,you’d say players these days are a hell of alot more professional than what we used tobe,” said the 45-year-old.

“These things don’t pop up all thatoften these days, but when they do, obvi-ously you need to address it.” The poten-

tial absence of Stokes would heap furtherpressure on England’s bowlers and a bat-ting order featuring players like openerJames Vince and Dawid Malan who are yetto establish themselves.

Blewett said Australia and the team’sformidable pace attack led by MitchellStarc would provide the toughest of initia-tions. “Two or three of those guys in thesquad haven’t had a great start to their

careers,” he said. “It’s not going to get anyeasier when they come out here. “And it’slooking like Australia are going to be fullstrength with their bowling attack so (they)are going to be up against it.” — Reuters

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

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LAUSANNE: Opponents to amateur boxing chief Wu Ching-Ko haveappealed to IOC president Thomas Bach to intervene to protect the “financialstability of world boxing”. Wu’s position has been challenged by the AIBA’sexecutive committee, who claim the Taiwanese had led the sport to the brinkof bankruptcy. In a letter to Bach dated September 29, theexecutive committee (EC) said Wu “has kept hidden... thefact that auditors KPMG are unhappy with AIBA accountsand will not approve them”. “We therefore asked PresidentWu for a full and open accounting of AIBA finances, whichwe believe are on the brink of technical bankruptcy orinsolvency. President Wu has refused to reply to us,” thecommittee said in the letter. The committee members sufferedan initial setback last week when a Lausanne court con-firmed Wu as president following a motion of no-confidence against his leadership.—AFP

LONDON: Wales forward Gareth Bale has been ruled out of their cruciallast two World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Ireland due to a calfinjury, The Football Association of Wales (FAW) said yesterday. Bale, whomissed Real Madrid’s weekend league game against Espanyol, had arrivedwith the rest of the Wales squad on Sunday and attended an awards dinner

in Cardiff. “But following dialogue with Real Madrid, Bale was sent fora scan and results confirmed that he wouldn’t be fit to feature,” theFAW said in a statement. “Barnsley striker Tom Bradshaw will nowjoin up with the rest of the squad later today.” Bale is the most high-

profile player in the Welsh side and the country’s hopes of quali-fying for next year’s World Cup in Russia are still hanging inthe balance. Chris Coleman’s team are second in Group D,four points behind leaders Serbia and one clear of Irelandin third. They play in Georgia on Friday and host Irelandthe following Monday in their final qualifier. —Reuters

CAPE TOWN: World champions New Zealand face a difficult battle tosqueeze in time for recovery and preparation ahead of their last game inthis year’s Rugby Championship against South Africa at Newlands onSaturday, hooker Dane Coles said. The majority of the squad arrived onMonday after a long trip from Buenos Aires where they beat Argentina36-10 on Saturday to secure the annual southern hemisphere competi-tion’s title for the fifth time in six years. “I think this is the toughest weekwe have but we are pretty lucky we’ve got a lot of guys who have donethis trip before,” he told a news conference on Tuesday as the All Blacksrested at their team hotel ahead of Saturday’s test. It takes three sepa-rate flights over more than 24 hours to get from the Argentine capital toCape Town. New Zealand have only had a regeneration session in thepool since and will probably not take to the practice field beforeThursday, some 48 hours before the game. “It’s a shorter week, we arenot on the field that much and there are a lot more meetings andemphasis on recovery. — Reuters

Weary All Blacks in race to recover for Springboks test

Bale ruled out of WCup qualifiers

Boxing chief appeal for IOC intervention

England set to lose Ashes, with or without Stokes: Greg Blewett

LONDON: File photo shows England’s Ben Stokes during the third One Day International against West Indiesat Bristol County Ground, England. — AP

NASCAR champion owner, engine maker Robert Yates dead at 74

Robert Kubica

Robert Yates, left, with Winston Kelley.

LONDON: Polish driver Robert Kubica will test withWilliams this month as he chases a Formula Onecomeback after a seven-year absence. The formerworld champions have yet to finalise their 2018 lineup,with Brazilian veteran Felipe Massa’s place potentiallyat stake.

While there was no official comment from Williams,media reports yesterday said the 32-year-old wouldhave an initial run out at Silverstone after this week-end’s Japanese Grand Prix. He will then have a fullerassessment at Budapest’s Hungaroring in a 2014 car,with the team’s British reserve driver Paul di Resta alsofeaturing in the two-day test for comparison.

A well-placed source confirmed to Reuters that thereports were accurate but emphasised it was not aquestion of a “shoot-out” between the two for the seat.Kubica partially severed his right forearm in an horrific

2011 crash during a rally that he had entered for funbefore the start of the Formula One season, and thereare lingering doubts about his arm movement.

The Pole is being assisted in his bid to return to thesport by Germany’s 2016 world champion NicoRosberg, who started his grand prix career withWilliams in 2006 before moving to Mercedes. He com-pleted 142 laps of the Hungarian Grand Prix circuit inAugust in a test with Renault.

The French team have opted to replace under-per-forming Briton Jolyon Palmer with Spaniard CarlosSainz instead, however. Williams are the only top-fiveteam still with an undecided lineup and Kubica’s onlyrealistic chance, given that Sauber are expected to takeon Ferrari-backed drivers and Toro Rosso’s focus is onyoung talent coming through the Red Bull programme.

Renault said after that August test that they had notseen any “obvious roadblocks” to the former race win-ner’s return but nor had they got all the answers theywere looking for. Di Resta, who stood in for an unwellMassa in Hungary at this year’s race, is also in the framefor the seat while Massa has said he wants to continue.

The Brazilian, now 36, was due to retire last year butreturned when Valtteri Bottas moved to Mercedes inJanuary as Rosberg’s replacement. Canadian teenagerLance Stroll, whose billionaire father has been fundinga test programme using a 2014 car for his son to gainexperience, is sure to stay. — Reuters

Kubica to test with Williams after seven-year absence

Stokes was initially named in the 16-man squad

NEW YORK: The NHL became entwined with theOlympics before young stars like Connor McDavid, JackEichel or Auston Matthews even pulled on a pair of skates.Nagano in 1998 started a string of five consecutiveOlympics featuring NHL players, a tradition that becameso routine that young players around the world addeddreams of winning a gold medal to their hopes of somedaylifting the Stanley Cup.

“I’ve always been alive in the days where the NHLteams allow their players to go to the Olympics,” Eichelsaid. “I’ve had a lot of good memories watching theOlympics and seeing a lot of great players play, so it’ssomething you’ve always looked up to.”

There’s nothing to look forward to this time: Instead ofgoing to South Korea this winter to play for their homecountries, NHL players face an 82-game season that willkeep right on going on during the Olympics. The Gameswill instead include a mix of players from the minors, col-leges and Europe.

“It’s going to be weird for everybody,” said ColoradoAvalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon, who was hopingto make Canada’s Olympic team. “It won’t feel right watch-ing other guys wear that maple leaf and they’re good play-ers, but they’re not the best players in the world at thattournament. Whoever wins it, hopefully Canada wins it.That’d be awesome. But it just won’t feel the same. They’renot world champions, technically, because they’re not thebest players.”

Almost six months since the league announced it wouldskip the Pyeongchang Olympics, most of the NHL’s bestplayers are resigned to their missed opportunity. ThatCanada won’t have Sidney Crosby and Jonathan Toews togo for the three-peat, that McDavid, Matthews and Eichelwon’t make their Olympic debuts quite yet.

Russian superstar Alex Ovechkin, who was vocal aboutsaying he’d go no matter what, said last month that he andother players have never had to choose between their NHLteams and the Olympics, and “should not have to be inposition to make this choice.” Washington Capitals team-mate Evgeny Kuznetsov said after not making the team forSochi that he thought about signing in the KontinentalHockey League so he could play in Korea, while country-man Vladimir Tarasenko simply expressed frustration thata lifelong dream and a chance at Russia’s first Olympicgold with NHL players was snatched away.

“It’s very disappointing you’re not going to have thechance to be there when we have as short of careers as wedo,” Swedish defenseman and Ottawa Senators captainErik Karlsson said. “It’s going to be some guys’ onlyopportunity to go and they’re not going to be able to sinceit’s not our decision to not attend.”

That decision belonged to NHL owners, who saw notangible benefit from stopping the season for over twoweeks to let players take part in the Olympics. “The fact ofthe matter is, we find the Olympics incredibly disruptivewith no positive benefit, no opportunity to promote ourpresence or anything else of the Olympic experience,”Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “We have enough expe-rience to understand what the Olympics represents. Thepeople who suggest that somehow this is an opportunityto grow the game, it didn’t grow the game in Japan, itdidn’t grow the game in Italy.”

The league believes playing exhibition games in Chinaand regular-season games in Sweden does more to growthe game than the Olympics. But NBC Sports, which hasthe league’s national television rights, will instead beshowing the Olympics this February with no NHL gamesscheduled on its networks between Feb. 8 and Feb. 25, theday of the gold-medal game, and the trade deadline set forFeb. 26. During that time, New York Rangers captain RyanMcDonagh expects teammates to root for their countries.Considering the 13-hour difference from the Eastern timezone (noon ET is 1 a.m. the following day in Pyeongchang),

it may be difficult for players to watch, but many will try.“Like any fan of sport I like to watch the Olympics, so

I’ll definitely be paying attention to it,” McDavid said.Two-time US Olympian Patrick Kane said he will be inter-ested to see which players are chosen.

A lot of players have friends or former teammates in therunning to make a national team, which adds a silver liningto the bitter disappointment. “There’s going to be a coupleguys that I know who are going who maybe would nothave had an opportunity to play in the Olympics ever,”Rangers defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk said. “I’ll be pullingfor them, but it’s almost going to be like a world juniors sit-uation where you’re rooting for your team and you’rerooting for your country, but you wish you were there toparticipate. It’s going to be cool to see them in that light,but I wish I was there with them.”

The possibility certainly exists that the NHL returns toOlympic competition in 2022 in Beijing and goes again in2026, especially if the Games are in North America. That’sa concern for another year, and McDonagh expects theimportance of this season and playoff races will be ampledistraction come February.

“It might be a little bit of a unique situation,”McDonagh said. “As soon as you get into that game-dayroutine and stuff, your focus will kind of take over and takecare of itself and you’ll understand the importance ofwhat’s in front of you here and not wishful thinking of whatcould be.” — AP

BEIJING: World number one Rafael Nadal saved twomatch points to avoid a shock defeat in the first roundof the China Open, seeing off Lucas Pouille in threesets yesterday.

The Frenchman broke Nadal on the way to takingthe first set 6-4, and the world number 23 came withina whisker of sealing an upset when the second setwent to a tie break.

But Nadal, 31, with the Beijing crowd backing himon the outdoor hard court, held his nerve when twicestaring defeat in the face and fought back to win thetie break 8-6.

The pair headed into a final-set shootout and againPouille refused to buckle, Nadal getting the criticalbreak of serve in the 11th game before serving for theset and match 7-5. Nadal, a 16-time Grand Slam cham-pion, tumbled and lost a shoe at one point, and saidafterwards he was fortunate to be in the second round.

“He played well, I think, very aggressive. He’s serv-ing well,” said Nadal, who lost to Pouille the last timethey met, at last year’s US Open. “For me it was a littlebit difficult at the beginning, then I started to play bet-ter. “But still, I didn’t have the control of the match foralmost all the time. “I am very, very happy to bethrough.” Nadal narrowly avoided the fate of fellowSpaniard and top-ranked Garbine

Muguruza, who exited in the first round on Mondaywhen she retired from her match with a virus. Also intothe second round in the men’s draw are Nick Kyrgios,Juan Martin del Potro, the American John Isner andthird seed Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria.

SHARAPOVA PRIMED FOR HALEP Maria Sharapova said her third-round clash with

world number two Simona Halep today would help hergauge progress since returning from a 15-month dop-ing ban.

The Russian former number one, on the comebacktrail since April following the ban for taking the bannedsubstance meldonium, had to dig deep as she defeatedcompatriot Ekaterina Makarova in three sets.

Sharapova, a lowly 104 in the world and on a wild-card at the China Open, has yet to win a tournamentsince returning to tennis. The five-time Grand Slamchampion said she had endured “a few ups and downs”in seeing off Makarova 6-4, 4-6, 6-1.

But the 30-year-old is relishing her showdown withthe Romanian Halep: “We know each other’s gamesvery well, that’s no secret.

“They’ve always been very challenging, tough, com-petitive, emotional.” Sharapova, a crowd favourite inBeijing, added: “But I love the challenge of playingagainst someone that’s number two in the world.

“She’s a great player, she’s had a great year. “Anytime you’re able to face an opponent that’s done some-thing right and well, it’s great to see where you are andwhere your level is.”

The Halep meeting will be a replay of the first-round match between the pair at the US Open inAugust, when Sharapova made an impressive returnto Grand Slam competition before exiting in thefourth round.

Sharapova boasts a 7-0 record against Halep, whomade it into the next round after MagdalenaRybarikova retired ill in the second set. KarolinaPliskova, the fourth seed from the Czech Republic,booked her spot in round three with a 6-4, 6-4 victoryover Andrea Petkovic of Germany. — AFP

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

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LOS ANGELES: The NHL is set for its 100th seasonof play with a record 31 teams and Pittsburgh lookingfor the three-peat, but for the first time since 1994there will be no break for the Olympics. ThePenguins, who beat the Nashville Predators in sixgames to win their second-straight Stanley Cup title,will get the season started today with a banner-raisingceremony at the PPG Arena before they host the St.Louis Blues.

Penguins star Sidney Crosby turned 30 in Augustbut isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. He haswon three Stanley Cups, two Olympic gold medalsand two consecutive Conn Smythe trophies as theMVP of the playoffs. “I feel good. I take care ofmyself,” he said. “But I am still trying to get faster,whether that happens or not, we will have to wait andsee.” NHL players have taken part in the last fiveWinter Olympics but that won’t happen this timearound. The league announced they would not begoing to Pyeonchang, South Korea and that meansthere will be no break in the regular season schedulelike they have done in the past. Several playersincluding Russia’s Alex Ovechkin have vowed to takepart in the Games anyway.

There is hope for Olympic participation in thefuture though. The NHL did go overseas for two pre-season games last month between the VancouverCanucks and Los Angeles Kings in China, the host ofthe 2022 Olympics. The Chinese are building state-of-the-art rinks and attracting new players every yearand with a population of 1.4 billion people, the NHLwould love to tap into that.

“The effort here is to build from the grassroots upand to try to grow the appreciation for the sport, theunderstanding of the sport,” said deputy commission-er Bill Daly. “We’ve certainly made the Chinese IceHockey Federation and the Chinese government awarethat we’re willing to help any way we can as they gearup and prepare for the 2022 Beijing Olympic Games.”The league, which began in 1917 with five clubs,added its 31st team when the expansion Vegas GoldenKnights were awarded a franchise in June 2016. TheKnights begin play this season in the Pacific Divisionof the Western Conference. The Golden Knights havemolded a rag-tag bunch of experienced veterans andpromising picks from two drafts into the first expan-sion team in 17 years. “We are not interested in beinganyone’s doormat,” GM George McPhee said.

SHOCK EXIT The Blackhawks, still reeling from their shock first-

round exit from the postseason by the overachievingPredators, made good on their promise to shakethings up in the offseason. But some moves, like bring-ing back ageing 35-year-old veteran Patrick Sharpappear to be a step backward. Chicago also dealtaway star defenceman Niklas Hjalmarsson and for-ward Artemi Panarin in moves that smack of despera-tion. “It is a different season. We will be playing forkeeps and getting off to a big start,” promised coachJoel Quenneville. The Penguins added some muchneeded muscle and a protector for the concussion-prone Crosby by acquiring enforcer Ryan Reavesfrom St. Louis Blues for Oskar Sundqvist and a firstround draft pick.

Key offseason moves included forward PatrickMarleau joining the Toronto Maple Leafs after 19seasons with San Jose, Penguins Stanley Cup serieshero Chris Kunitz signing a one year deal withTampa Bay and forward Jordan Eberle being tradedby the Edmonton Oilers to the New York Islandersfor Ryan Strome. — AFP

Penguins aim for3rd straight title as Knights’ era begins

Nadal survives Beijing scare, Halep sets up Sharapova rematch

BEIJING: Maria Sharapova of Russia hits a return during her women’s singles match againstEkaterina Marakova of Russia at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing yesterday. — AFP

NHL stars who grew up with Olympicsface season without it

File photo, Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (29) skates past in thesecond period of an NHL hockey game in Denver.— AP

Pliskova books her spot in round three with victory over Petkovic

MONTREAL: Kohei Uchimura’s eight-year reign as theundisputed king of gymnastics came to a dramatic end onMonday after the hobbling Japanese star was eliminatedduring qualifiers at the World Championships.

Reigning Olympic champion Uchimura, who had beenchasing a remarkable seventh straight individual all-around title in Montreal, saw his hopes go up in smokeafter the vault rotation.

After a superb jump, the 28-year-old could be seenclutching his left ankle and was in visible discomfort as helimped away from the podium. He bravely grimaced hisway through the parallel bars routine but stumbled badlyon his landing, clearly struggling with his lower leg. Thetwo-time Olympic champion then scratched from the hori-zontal high bar, ending his attempted defence of a title hehas held since triumphing at the 2009 WorldChampionships in London.

“I feel very sorry for the people who came to support

me,” Uchimura told NBC Sports. “I apologise to my team-mates,” he added, revealing that he feared the worst afterthe vault. “After the vault, I couldn’t even walk,” he said. “Ijust wanted to keep trying to finish the competition.”

Uchimura was later seen on crutches as he gave sup-port to his Japan team-mates. Uchimura had foreshadowedhis sad exit on the eve of the championships, admitting thatafter nearly a decade at the pinnacle of his sport he wasfinding it harder and harder to arrive in peak form. “WhenI participated at the World Championships for the firsttime, I was 20 years old, and now I’m 28 now and at myseventh Worlds. So the question of age is a new element,”Uchimura had said.

“With age, one loses some muscle tone and also makesmistakes in complicated routines. Maintaining strength andmuscle tone requires a completely different kind of prepa-ration beforehand,” added Uchimura, who took up thesport at the age of three under the guidance of his parents,who were both competitive gymnasts.

The Japanese star will now turn his attention to theTokyo 2020 Olympics. He has already hinted he may pre-fer to concentrate on one or two apparatus specialtiesrather than another all-around title.

With Uchimura out of the reckoning, the leading qual-ifier for the all-around title which will be settled onThursday was Cuba’s Manrique Larduet with a lead of86.699. Uchimura’s great r ival Oleg Verniaiev ofUkraine-who came within a whisker of beating theJapanese star at the 2016 Olympics-was second with a

total of 85.431. Uchimura’s exit on Monday also furtherdeprives the championships of star power. The women’scompetition is already missing the undisputed queen ofthe sport, Simone Biles of the United States. Biles hastaken a year-long sabbatical following her victory at theRio Olympics in 2016. — AFP

Upset as injured Uchimura’s reign ends at Worlds

Kohei Uchimura

VILNIUS: In basketball-obsessed Lithuania, women’sfootball is gaining new fans after the sensational debutof 10-year-old Zemyna Lekaviciute as the Baltic state’syoungest-ever scorer in a second-division match.

After just five minutes on the pitch, Zemyna took apass and sent the ball past goalkeeper AgneRatkeviciute, who is more than twice her age, handingher Zalgiris Vilnius reserves team a 10-0 lead overSesupe. “This was her very first appearance in (second-division) Lyga 1 and she became the youngest scorer inLithuania,” beamed Svajunas Stravinskas, manager ofthe women’s football academy at Zalgiris. Passing theball to Zemyna was Greta Jaroseviciute, the otheryoungster on the pitch born in 2006.

Wearing the green shirt of the Zalgiris reserve team,and reaching barely up to her fellow players’ shoulders,Zemyna also grabbed an assist for a late goal thatpushed the final score up to 11-0.

‘MAXIMALIST’ It all started four years ago. “One day, when my dad

and I were going home from the kindergarten, we sawan ad inviting kids to play football,” says Zemyna, flash-ing a smile. At seven, when she started elementaryschool, she also started training with boys. “We strong-ly encouraged her to play,” says her father EvaldasLekavicius, sitting on the team bench and talking abouthis passion for football and small teams like Iceland orthe Balkan countries.

“Today her greatest advantage is her speed,” hesays, praising also his daughter’s character. “Zemyna isa maximalist. In our family, she has the strongest char-acter,” Lekavicius added with a smile. At almost eleven,the girl wearing the number three, which her dad hadworn during his amateur career, has become the hopeof Lithuanian women’s football, together withJaroseviciute. Zemyna has been practising passes, tac-tics and skills with much older girls three times a week

on one of the few pitches in central Vilnius since 2016.Speed and ball control are her favourite aspects of thegame. “Zemyna plays like a boy of the same age,” saysher coach Oleg Kricun. “She’s a dribbler like no other.Her goal was extraordinary: a child who scores eventhough the ball arrived at the height of her belly,” headded. On the day of the game, Zemyna’s parents werenot at the stadium. “When Zemyna scored, the coachcalled us and said-’there you go’,” says her 42-year-oldfather, who works in genetic engineering.

NOT JUST FOOTBALL In her room, Zemyna displays a cup and 27 medals

from other sports. Football is just one of her many pas-sions. There is also scout camp, and she is dreaming

about competing in a biathlon, a winter sport combin-ing cross-country skiing and shooting.

Women’s football in Lithuania is suffering from alack of finances. Zemyna’s three weekly training ses-sions cost 45 euros ($50), against the average monthlywage of 817 euros. Equipment and transport are inaddition. Zalgiris’s women’s football team is the onlyVilnius-based team also playing in Lyga A, the coun-try’s top flight division. It has received 3,000 euros insupport from the city of Vilnius, while the men’s teamsecured a subsidy of 868,000 euros.

Lithuania’s female footballers are now pinning theirhopes on the 2018 under-17 European championshiphosted by the country to help promote the sport andmake life rosier for young players like Zemyna. — AFP

S p o r t s Wednesday, October 4, 2017

15

PARIS: As qualifying for the 2018 World Cup reachesits climax, Lionel Messi’s Argentina find themselves introuble, Syria face a play-off to keep their remarkabledream alive and European champions Portugal havework to do.

ARGENTINA IN DANGERBrazil secured their place in next year’s finals back in

March, but three automatic berths remain up for grabs inSouth America ahead of the final two rounds of qualify-ing matches. Two-time World Cup champions Argentinahaven’t missed the tournament since 1970, but five-timeBallon d’Or winner Messi and his compatriots, runners-up in Brazil three yearsago, are currently lan-guishing in fifth place.While that would notspell the end of the roadfor Argentina, insteadsending them into a two-legged play-off againstNew Zealand, even that isfar from assured withCopa America holdersChile lurking just a point behind in sixth.

GERMANY CRUISING, FRANCE ON THIN ICEEurope will provide 14 of the 32 competing teams in

Russia, the hosts included. But so far only Belgium havepunched their ticket to the finals going into the last twosets of fixtures.

World champions Germany, who need just a draw inNorthern Ireland tomorrow, lead a handful of othersides who can wrap up qualification this week. Englandare five points clear in Group F, while Serbia are in con-trol of their section and 2010 champions Spain have theedge over Italy in their two-horse race.

The nine group winners progress automatically,while all but one of the runners-up advance to the play-off round to determine the final four qualifiers.Portugal, while sure of at least making the play-offs,

face a critical final match at home to Switzerland asCristiano Ronaldo and his team-mates look to overturna three-point deficit in Group B.

France hold a tentative one-point cushion overSweden in Group A and will be all too aware of thedangers posed by a trip to Bulgaria, the countryresponsible for their absence at the 1994 World Cup.

NIGERIA AND TUNISIA WITHIN SIGHTFive places are on offer in Africa, but none as yet

have been claimed. Nigeria are closing in on a sixthWorld Cup appearance, with reigning continentalchampions Cameroon and Algeria out of the running in

a challenging section,but Zambia could stilldeny the Super Eagles.Tunisia are well posi-tioned to end a 12-yearWorld Cup exile, leadingnearest rivals theDemocratic Republic ofCongo by three points,while Egypt are in con-trol of their destiny.

But other groups remain wide open with just thefirst-place finishers qualifying for Russia. Ivory Coasttop Group C on seven points, but both Morocco (six)and Gabon (five) still harbour genuine hopes. It is asimilar situation in Group D after FIFA’s decision toannul South Africa’s 2-1 win over Senegal fromNovember 2016 — a match manipulated by a Ghanaianreferee. Burkina Faso and Cape Verde head the pool onsix points, but Senegal trail by just a point with theirmatch against Bafana Bafana to be replayed inNovember.

WAR-TORN SYRIA HEAD INTO PLAY-OFFSIran, Japan, South Korea and Saudi Arabia will rep-

resent Asia in Russia next year, but Syria and Australiawill attempt to join them via the play-offs. Syria pro-longed their fairytale World Cup campaign with a dra-

matic stoppage-time equaliser in their final groupmatch to set up a double-header against Australia onOctober 5 and 10. The Socceroos are bidding for afourth straight finals appearance while Syria, who havenever reached the World Cup before, have kept theirdream alive despite the brutal civil war that has forcedthem to play all their home games abroad.

They will take on Australia in Malaysia in the first legbefore travelling to Sydney for the return. The winnerof the tie will meet the fourth-placed team from CON-

CACAF with a spot in Russia at stake.

MEXICO AND WHO ELSE?Mexico will compete at their seventh straight World

Cup next summer, with Costa Rica also on the verge ofdirect qualification. But a third automatic berth is still inplay, while the fourth-placed side can also qualifythrough the inter-continental play-offs. Panama, inthird, lead the United States and Honduras by a singlepoint with two rounds of games still to play. —AFP

Two-time champions Argentina in danger, Syria targets World Cup

Australia meet Syria in first leg of their playoff

Established 1961

SAO PAULO: Little more than a year has goneby since Tite took over as coach of a Brazil sidestill reeling from embarrassing exits in theWorld Cup and Copa America but in that shortt ime he has transformed the team intofavourites for Russia 2018.

No one could have imagined just how influ-ential the former Corinthians coach would bebut nine wins in 10 World Cup qualifiers arejust reward for a return to the form that wonthem a record five World Cup titles.

“There is no questioning the enormous qual-ity of Brazil’s players, Tite and backroom staff,”the normally cautious former World Cup winnerTostao wrote before the final two qualifiersagainst Bolivia and Chile. “The team is ready.”

Tite retained several players who had mis-fired under Luiz Felipe Scolari during the 2014World Cup and his successor Dunga but hetransformed their front line with the introduc-tion of attack-minded youngsters PhilippeCoutinho and Gabriel Jesus.

In midfield he recalled Paulinho and RenatoAugusto, his former charges at Corinthians.With Real Madrid’s Casemiro an automaticchoice to anchor the team and Neymar still theundisputed talisman, the side is settled andthere are no major disagreements over the first11 for the first time in years.

Tite’s task between now and next June ismostly deciding who will support those leadingmen. The problem, if there is one, comes withBrazil’s almost customary over-confidence.They are the only side to play in every WorldCup and even after their 7-1 hammering byGermany in the 2014 semi-finals on home soil,they believe they are special.

Just as in 2006, when Brazil sailed throughthe qualif iers with players l ike Ronaldo,Roberto Carlos, Ronaldinho and Adriano, theygo to Russia as one of the clear favourites. ButBrazil were knocked out at the quarter-finalstage by France and over confidence was oneof the reasons cited.

Tite is a master of playing down expecta-tions and - crucially in a nation that famouslyhas 200 million coaches - he commands therespect of both players and press. That has giv-en him an authority that few Brazil managersthis century have enjoyed and he has used it towarn their outstanding form is no guarantee ofsuccess.

“We are at a stage of strengthening, consoli-dating and growing,” he said when announcinghis squad for this week’s games. “We’re not inthe comfort zone stage but rather a confidencezone stage.” — Reuters

Lithuanian girl, 10, takes women’s football by storm

Zemyna Lekaviciute (left) with the ball.

BUENOS AIRES: Argentina’s footballers (L-R) midfielder Enzo Perez, defender GabrielMercado, forward Mauro Icardi and midfielder Emiliano Rigoni train in Ezeiza, Buenos Airesyesterday ahead of their 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia South American football qualifieragainst Peru to be held in Buenos Aires tomorrow. — AFP

From ridiculous to sublime, Tite turns Brazil around

Nine group winners progress

automatically

WASHINGTON: The Cleveland Indians, seeking their firstcrown since 1948, and the Los Angeles Dodgers, whosetitle drought only dates to 1988, are the clubs to beat asthe Major League Baseball playoffs begin.

Only last year, the Chicago Cubs ended the longesttitle drought in North American sports history, winningtheir first World Series crown since 1908 by defeatingCleveland in a dramatic seventh-game showdown.

Now the Indians, who unleashed an American League-record 22-game win streak, are back in the playoffs andwith the AL’s best record at 102-60, the second-most sea-son wins in club history. Now they own baseball’s longesttitle drought. “From the start of the season, our goal hasbeen to get back to the postseason and then go as far we

can,” shortstop Francisco Lindor said. The Indians boastone of baseball’s top pitchers in right-hander CoreyKluber, who went 18-4 with a majors-best 2.25 earned-run average and 265 strikeouts this season. And Triberight-hander Carlos Carrasco of Venezuela went 18-6.

Indians outfielder Jay Bruce, who joined Cleveland atmid-season, could feel the hunger for another chance atthe crown the minute he walked into the locker room. “Ithink the expectations for this year were set from lastyear’s experience and accomplishments and the failure towin game seven of the World Series, although that wasn’ta failure by any means,” Bruce said. “But every guy in ourclubhouse feels like they should have won it last year. Ifelt that as soon as I got here.”

While Cleveland lost the World Series to a team with achampionship drought 40 years longer than their own,they could face a team whose title drought is 40 yearsshorter in the Dodgers, who led the major leagues with a104-58 mark. Their 57 home wins also topped the majors.And the Dodgers counter with a mound ace of their ownin left-hander Clayton Kershaw, who went 18-4 with aNational League-best 2.31 ERA, second only to Kluber inthe majors, and 202 strikeouts. Los Angeles also featuresright-handed closer Kenley Jansen, whose 41 saves shared

the NL best. The playoffs open with two one-game wild-card showdowns between the best non-division winners-the New York Yankees entertain Minnesota on Tuesday inthe American League while Colorado will visit Arizonatoday. The Yankees-Twins winner gets a best-of-fiveseries against the Indians that opens at Cleveland onThursday, the same day the Boston Red Sox visit Houstonin the other American League semi-final series. In theNational League, the Colorado-Arizona winner visits theDodgers to open their National League semi-final serieswhile the defending champion Cubs travel to Washingtonfor their opening matchup.

Houston’s Jose Altuve, a Venezuelan second baseman,led the major leagues with a .346 batting average.Yankees’ slugger Aaron Judge led the AL with 52 homeruns and his powerful hitting could spark the 27-timeWorld Series champions to yet another deep playoff run.Washington second baseman Daniel Murphy matchedDodgers third baseman Justin Turner at .322 to sharethird in the NL batting race and the Nationals also a for-midable starting rotation of pitchers paced by right-han-ders Max Scherzer, 16-6 with a 2.51 ERA and 268 strike-outs, and Stephen Strasburg, 15-4 with a 2.52 ERA and204 strikeouts.—AFP

Indians, Dodgers teams to beat as playoffs begin

DOHA: A Qatari woman who created ripples byappearing on television without a headscarf hasbroken new ground as a jockey in the conserva-tive Gulf country, where men usually hold thereins. Maryam al-Subaiey has defied expecta-tion and tradition-as well as any fear of contro-versy-to pursue her “dream” of racing horses,which even a nasty fall this year could not crush.

“I don’t have to do things that societyexpects from me as a woman,” Subaiey, 31, toldAFP. “I am expected to be a businesswoman andeventually get married and have kids.” She adds:“But being a female athlete, this is not some-thing that is considered Qatari. “It’s just notexpected. It’s very different.”

RACING AGAINST TRADITION Subaiey’s dream came true on February 24 at

Qatar’s pastoral Racing and Equestrian Club, agreen oasis on the western fringes of the capitalDoha. There, on the undercard of an eight-racemeeting, she took to the track for the very firsttime. Subaiey didn’t win-she finished eleventhout of 14 runners in the “ThoroughbredHandicap” on her mount “Comedy Night”. Butmore notable than her final position was the factshe competed at all. Women have raced beforein Qatar-indeed there was another non-Qatarifemale jockey in the same handicap and thereare local media reports dating back to 2008about a 14-year-old amateur riding at theequestrian club. But although records are notconclusive, officials told AFP that Subaiey wasthe first ever Qatari female jockey to take part insuch a ranking event. “I still can’t believe that Iam here,” she said immediately afterwards.“The importance of my presence here isn’t justthe fact that I am the first female Qatari jockey-Iam here for all female Qataris and all femaleKhaleejis,” she said, referring to women fromthe Gulf.

BACKLASH Her groundbreaking ride also took many in

attendance by surprise. “To be honest, I didn’tthink there were female jockeys here,” said oneWestern racegoer.

Subaiey is well-known among some Qataris.Last year, she appeared on France 24 Arabic tel-evision to discuss how Qatari women view theirrole in society. There was a backlash though asshe appeared on screen not wearing a head-scarf. One online commenter called her “a badexample” for Qatari women. Another morevehement poster wrote: “Education is no good ifit results in disobeying God’s orders.”

Subaiey-speaking at the racetrack without aheadscarf-responded simply: “I have the free-dom to choose what and what not to wear.”

‘NOT PRESTIGIOUS’ Subaiey’s gallop into history began back in

August 2014 during what she described as a“very difficult time in my life”. She had lost herjob as a video director for a local television sta-tion and wanted a change of direction.

Although she had ridden horses as a childshe had no experience as a jockey. But she said:“This is something I wanted to do for a verylong time. I love horses and I thought, whynot?” One of those why nots was social conven-tion in Qatar. — AFP

Sport

KANSAS CITY: Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith (11) tries to avoid Washington Redskins linebacker Ryan Kerrigan (91) during the first half of an NFL football game inKansas City on Monday. — AP

England set to lose Ashes, with or without Stokes

Nadal survives Beijing scare, Halep sets up Sharapova rematch

Lithuanian girl, 10, takes football by storm1513 14

KANSAS CITY: Rookie kicker Harrison Butker booted a43-yard field goal with four seconds remaining as theKansas City Chiefs remained the NFL’s only unbeatenteam with a 29-20 win over the Washington Redskins.

Butker delivered the goods in his first NFL game, con-necting on three second-half field goals after missing hisfirst attempt late in the second quarter. His winning blastbroke a 20-20 tie.Butker’s 26-yard field goalin the final seconds of thethird quarter tied thegame at 17-17, and his 32-yard kick with 4:55 left inthe fourth quarter put theChiefs ahead 20-17.

Linebacker JustinHouston returned a fum-ble for a 13-yard touch-down on the last play ofthe game to cap the scoring. There was a moment ofsilence before the game for victims of Sunday night’s LasVegas concert massacre.

Washington players linked their arms for the Americananthem and the Chiefs players stood for the song with the

exception of Marcus Peters and Kenneth Acker who sat onthe bench. Washington’s Dustin Hopkins tied the game at20 by making a 40-yard field goal with 47 secondsremaining before quarterback Alex Smith drove the Chiefs50 yards in six plays for the winning score.

Rookie Kareem Hunt, the league’s leading rusher, car-ried Kansas City during its comeback from a 10-7 halftime

deficit. The NFL’s leadingrusher collected 101 yardson 21 carries, with 78yards coming in the sec-ond half. Smith gave theChiefs their first lead ofthe game midway throughthe third quarter with aone-yard touchdown run.The Redskins had one lastchance to win the gameon the final play.

Washington fumbled on a quick succession of laterals onthe final play, but Houston recovered the loose ball andwent in for the score. Smith completed 27 of 37 passes for293 yards and one touchdown. Redskins quarterback KirkCousins was 14 of 24 for 215 yards and two scores. — AFP

DOHA: Female Qatari jockey Maryam Al-Subaiey (C) participates in ahorse race at the Racing and Equestrian Club in Doha on February 24,2017.— AFP

Qatari femalejockey gallopsinto maledominated world

Established 1961

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2017

NFL result/standings

American Football ConferenceAFC East

W L T OTL PF PA PCTBuffalo 3 1 0 0 73 54 .750NY Jets 2 2 0 0 75 92 .500New England 2 2 0 0 129 128 .500Miami 1 2 0 0 25 57 .333

AFC NorthPittsburgh 3 1 0 1 90 59 .750Baltimore 2 2 0 0 60 80 .500Cincinnati 1 3 0 1 64 67 .250Cleveland 0 4 0 0 63 107 0

AFC SouthTennessee 2 2 0 0 100 126 .500Jacksonville 2 2 0 1 109 74 .500Houston 2 2 0 0 110 88 .500Indianapolis 1 3 0 1 71 136 .250

AFC WestKansas City 4 0 0 0 122 77 1.000Denver 3 1 0 0 98 74 .750Oakland 2 2 0 0 91 79 .500LA Chargers 0 4 0 0 72 93 0

National Football ConferenceNFC East

Philadelphia 3 1 0 0 103 92 .750Washington 2 2 0 0 91 89 .500Dallas 2 2 0 0 94 97 .500NY Giants 0 4 0 0 60 95 0

NFC NorthGreen Bay 3 1 0 0 102 81 .750Detroit 3 1 0 0 99 70 .750Minnesota 2 2 0 0 79 76 .500Chicago 1 3 0 0 61 104 .250

NFC SouthCarolina 3 1 0 0 78 70 .750Atlanta 3 1 0 0 104 89 .750Tampa Bay 2 1 0 0 71 64 .667New Orleans 2 2 0 0 93 78 .500

NFC WestLA Rams 3 1 0 0 142 105 .750Seattle 2 2 0 0 94 77 .500Arizona 2 2 0 0 74 91 .500San Francisco 0 4 0 1 66 94 0

Kansas City 29, Washington 20.

Butker kicks winning goal in debut

Players linkedtheir arms for

US anthem

Kuwait’s credit growth slowsslightly in July to 3.5% y-o-y

Al Mulla Group brings Konica Minolta print services to Kuwait

Honeywell hosts oil & gas industry leaders 2218 19

BRUSSELS/ LONDON: The European Union insistedyesterday that Brexit negotiations with Britain will notmove on to the question of future relations until enoughprogress has been made on divorce issues, such as howmuch the country’s exit bill should be. Britain desperatelywants talks to move on to future trade and securityarrangements but EU Commission President Jean-ClaudeJuncker said that more needs to be done on the withdrawalissues first.

Juncker told the European Parliament that “we have notmade the sufficient progress needed” and the legislatorsbacked him, approving a resolution underscoring the samepoint with a vote of 557 to 92 with 29 abstentions. It fur-ther underscored the unity of the 27 EU nations as theyface off with Britain in the talks. The EU wants London tocommit to guaranteeing the rights of EU citizens already inBritain, making sure border posts do not reappear betweenthe UK’s Northern Ireland and Ireland itself and pay up foreverything it had agreed to while it was a member.

Juncker said “the taxpayers in the EU 27 should not payfor the British decision” to leave, while the bloc’s chiefnegotiator, Michel Barnier, said “serious differencesremain” on how many bills the U.K. still has to settle.Estimates vary widely from 20 billion euros ($27 billion) toover three times that amount.

“Serious rifts remain, especially on the financial set-tlement,” Barnier said. “We will not pay at 27 what has

been decided at 28, it is simple as that.” The parliamen-tary resolution called for postponing any move to widenthe talks with Britain unless “a major breakthrough”takes place during the fifth round of negotiations inBrussels next week.

Observers said decisive progress was highly unlikely.Yesterday’s moves further dampened hopes that the EUleaders might give the green light to an expansion in thetalks at a summit on Oct19-20. Many lawmakerswere also dismissive ofBritain’s Conservativegovernment, which iswidely seen as insecureand bumbling.

Meanwhile, fearingtheir version of Brexit maybe losing ground, right-wing members of Britain’sruling Conservatives areusing their party conference to speak out-led by a media-savvy traditionalist drawing packed crowds. ForeignSecretary Boris Johnson fired the starting gun last monthwith an article outlining Britain’s glorious future outsidethe EU, followed up last weekend with an interview settingout his “red lines”. Accused of disloyalty, he has largelykept a low profile at this week’s conference in Manchester,

northwest England, but MP Jacob Rees-Mogg-who has asimilar mix of charm and wit-has stepped in. A devoutCatholic with a cut-glass accent who only wears suits andtakes his nanny campaigning, Rees-Mogg has beenespousing the benefits of a clean break with the EU inback-to-back fringe meetings.

“The government has been too eeyore-ish,” he told anoverflowing event at Manchester town hall, referring to the

pessimistic character inthe Winnie-the-Poohbooks by A.A. Milne. Hesaid there was “nothing tofear” from leaving thebloc without a deal, andrejected warnings of theeconomic damage of quit-ting Europe’s single mar-ket. “Brexit is a fabulousopportunity for us toprosper,” he said to huge

cheers. At a crucial time in Brexit talks, when PrimeMinister Theresa May has started making concessions thatwould ease the break with the EU, his upbeat call forBritain to stand firm has resonated.

“People need to be more optimistic. It’s all about beingproud of our nation,” said Lawrence Mitchell, 26, whocame on his day off to hear the MP speak.

Meanwhile, Britain’s construction companies inSeptember reported the sharpest fall in activity since justafter June 2016’s Brexit vote, as clients put projects onhold due to uncertainty over the economy.

Although construction makes up just 6 percent ofBritain’s economy, the survey suggested it was likely todrag on official third-quarter growth figures, just as theBank of England gets ready to raise interest rates. The IHSMarkit/CIPS construction purchasing managers’ index(PMI) sank to 48.1 in September from August’s reading of51.1, its lowest since July 2016 and far below all forecasts ina Reuters poll of economists.

Anything below 50 is considered a contraction. Sterlingweakened by around a quarter of a cent against the dollarand fell to a day’s low against the euro after the data.“Theconstruction sector is entering its own recession,” SamuelTombs of Pantheon Macroeconomics said. “The govern-ment’s shift to a more accommodating stance in Brexittalks has done little to convince builders that clients willsanction delayed projects soon.” Construction - which haslong lead times for projects, and relies heavily on labour fromthe EU - has been particularly hurt. Official data last monthshowed construction orders fell more than 12 percent year-on-year in the three months to June, and the PMI has shownlower orders for the past three months. Expectations for thefuture were at their second-lowest level since 2013, yester-day’s survey also showed. — Agencies

UK construction industry jolted by Brexit fears

Brexit talks still stuck over UK exit bill MANCHESTER: Britain’s Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson delivers his speech on the third day of the Conservative Party annual conference at the Manchester CentralConvention Centre in Manchester yesterday. — AFP

BusinessEstablished 1961

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2017

Industry sentiment at second-lowest

level since 2013

DUBAI: A number of banks in the United Arab Emiratesare in talks with international counterparts to sell downtheir Qatar exposure as the Gulf’s diplomatic crisis dragson without resolution. In recent weeks, banking sourcessay, it has become clear to many UAE bankers that Qatar’sisolation could potentially last for years. Saudi Arabia, theUnited Arab Emirates,Bahrain and Egypt cutdiplomatic and transportties with Doha on June 5.At the time,

UAE banks pulled backfrom new business withQatari institutions butlargely hung on to existingsyndicated loans whichthey had extended toQatari banks. Some UAEbanks did discuss the possibility of selling off their expo-sure, but very little of any actual business was done andprospective sellers were reluctant to lower the prices ofthe loans significantly, the sources said.

Now, however, the idea has firmed as mediation efforts

have made no apparent progress. UAE Minister of Statefor Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said this week thatQatar knew what it needed to do to end the dispute, so theissue was no longer a priority for the four states.

UAE banks holding Qatari loans have become “moreaggressive over the past couple of weeks” in offering the

loans for sale in the sec-ondary market, said onebanker at a Europeanbank specializing in finan-cial institutions.Prospective sellers, inclu-ding First Abu Dhabi Bank, have been in talks with aselect group of potentialbuyers over the past twoweeks to sound out theirappetite for Qatari bank

loans, the sources said. A spokeswoman for First AbuDhabi declined to comment.

Qatari banks have traditionally relied heavily on exter-nal financing and raised over $10 billion through syndicat-ed loans since early 2014, Thomson Reuters data shows. A

large proportion of that total was lent by banks in theUAE, the region’s financial center. First Abu Dhabi, thelargest bank in the UAE, participated in several syndicatedloans to Qatari banks over the past few years, includingloans to Ahli Bank, Commercial Bank of Qatar (CBQ) andQatar National Bank (QNB).

Loans to QNB, the country’s largest lender, and CBQare among assets now being offered for sale, the sourcessaid. A spokesman for QNB said: “It’s a normal practice inthe industry that lenders to banks through syndicatedloans sell part or all of their exposure in the secondarymarket. “Nevertheless, as far as QNB is concerned, we canconfirm that we have not received recently any unusualrequests for our approval to sell any exposure to QNB inthe secondary market, which is required. Accordingly, wecan confirm that there is no systematic selling by bankswho participated in QNB syndicated loans.”

Spokespeople for CBQ did not respond to emails andtelephone calls seeking comment. While most Qatari loanson offer are to Qatari banks, some corporate and projectfinance loans are also being offered, the banker at theEuropean institution added. Holders of Qatari debt mayfind it hard to sell without accepting significant discounts.Credit rating agencies have downgraded Qatar since thedispute erupted and all three major agencies have negativeoutlooks on the country. Qatar’s ratings are still high -Fitch has it at AA-minus - but potential buyers may beespecially wary of loans with over a year to run, given therisk of the dispute worsening. — Reuters

Poorer countries’ remittances to growagain in 2017: WBWASHINGTON: Remittances, a major source of revenue forthe world’s poorest countries, are due to grow again this yearafter falling two years in a row, the World Bank said yesterday.

Such cash transfers to low and middle-income countriesare on course to rise by 4.8 percent in 2017, reaching $450billion. Economic expansion in Russia, Europe and theUnited States will see migrants and families send increasingamounts of cash back to Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe,Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, according toa World Bank report.

But growth will be subdued for East Asia and South Asia,home to major recipient countries, the report found. As oilprices fall, Gulf countries, traditionally large sources of out-bound remittance flows, are spending less and discouragingrecruitment of foreign workers.

“Remittances are a lifeline for developing countries,” DilipRatha, lead author of the bank’s Migration and DevelopmentBrief, said in a statement. “This is particularly true followingnatural disasters, such as the recent earthquakes in Mexicoand the storms devastating the Caribbean.” — AFP

UAE banks ‘more aggressive’ about selling Qatar loans

Gulf disputeContinuesto drag on

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

18B u s i n e s s

Established 1961

Kuwait’s credit growth slowsslightly in July to 3.5% y-o-y

July sees a net decline of KD 143 million in credit

NBK ECONOMIC REPORT

EXCHANGE RATES

Bahrain Exchange Company

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co.

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd

ASIAN COUNTRIESJapanese Yen 2.680Indian Rupees 4.622Pakistani Rupees 2.874Srilankan Rupees 1.975Nepali Rupees 2.893Singapore Dollar 223.030Hongkong Dollar 38.799Bangladesh Taka 3.700Philippine Peso 5.930Thai Baht 9.064

GCC COUNTRIESSaudi Riyal 80.881Qatari Riyal 83.304Omani Riyal 787.682Bahraini Dinar 805.370UAE Dirham 82.577

ARAB COUNTRIESEgyptian Pound - Cash 19.850Egyptian Pound - Transfer 17.136Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.217Tunisian Dinar 123.710Jordanian Dinar 427.810Lebanese Lira/for 1000 2.021Syrian Lira 0.000Morocco Dirham 32.487

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIESUS Dollar Transfer 303.100Euro 357.050Sterling Pound 403.880

CURRENCY BUY SELLEurope

British Pound 0.394725 0.404725Czech Korune 0.005651 0.017651Danish Krone 0.043550 0.048550Euro 0. 348959 0.357959Georgian Lari 0.121935 0.121935Norwegian Krone 0.0.33702 0.038902Romanian Leu 0.077212 0.077212Russian ruble 0.005209 0.005209Slovakia 0.009039 0.019039Swedish Krona 0.032912 0.037912Swiss Franc 0.303266 0.314266

AustralasiaAustralian Dollar 0.227902 0.239902New Zealand Dollar 0.210609 0.220109

AmericaCanadian Dollar 0.236322 0.245322US Dollars 0.299000 0.303420US Dollars Mint 0.299500 0.303420

AsiaBangladesh Taka 0.003250 0.003834

Chinese Yuan 0.043974 0.047474Hong Kong Dollar 0.036713 0.039463Indian Rupee 0.004196 0.004884Indonesian Rupiah 0.000018 0.000024Japanese Yen 0.002592 0.002772Korean Won 0.000253 0.000268Malaysian Ringgit 0.068172 0.074172Nepalese Rupee 0.003024 0.003194Pakistan Rupee 0.002749 0.003039Philippine Peso 0.005848 0.006148Singapore Dollar 0.216449 0.226449Sri Lankan Rupee 0.001600 0.002180Taiwan 0.009813 0.009993Thai Baht 0.008710 0.009260

ArabBahraini Dinar 0.796984 0.805484Egyptian Pound 0.014228 0.020136Iranian Riyal 0.000084 0.000085Iraqi Dinar 0.000193 0.000253Jordanian Dinar 0.422896 0.431896Kuwaiti Dinar 1.000000 1.000000Lebanese Pound 0.000151 0.000251Moroccan Dirhams 0.021231 0.045231Omani Riyal 0.780853 0.786533Qatar Riyal 0.078964 0.083904Saudi Riyal 0.079740 0.081040Syrian Pound 0.001285 0.001505Tunisian Dinar 0.118429 0.126429Turkish Lira 0.079745 0.090045UAE Dirhams 0.081098 0.082798Yemeni Riyal 0.000985 0.001065

Rate for Transfer Selling RateUS Dollar 302.100

Canadian Dollar 244.875

Sterling Pound 408.660

Euro 359.530

Swiss Frank 293.695

Bahrain Dinar 801.800

UAE Dirhams 82.640

Qatari Riyals 83.465

Saudi Riyals 81.420

Jordanian Dinar 427.375

Egyptian Pound 17.133

Sri Lankan Rupees 1.975

Indian Rupees 4.631

Pakistani Rupees 2.866

Bangladesh Taka 3.721

Philippines Pesso 5.947

Cyprus pound 17.979

Japanese Yen 3.705

Syrian Pound 1.590

Nepalese Rupees 2.902

Malaysian Ringgit 72.835

Chinese Yuan Renminbi 46.145

Thai Bhat 10.105

Turkish Lira 85.730

Canadian dollar 243.160Turkish lira 85.260Swiss Franc 311.990Australian Dollar 238.390US Dollar Buying 301.900

GOLD20 Gram 249.07010 Gram 127.4505 Gram 64.570

KUWAIT: Credit was down in July, with growth slowingslightly to 3.5 percent year-on-year (y/y). The month sawa net decline of KD 143 million in credit. Most of theweakness in July was from the regular start-of-quarterdrop in securities lending, though there was also somesoftness in other business sectors. By contrast, lending tothe real estate sector and households was robust. Privatedeposits were down, while rates climbed.

Household lending was strong in July, with growthaccelerating to 7.2 percent y/y. Personal facilities exclud-ing securities lending added a net KD 119 million duringthe month, though this followed a flat month. The gainscontinued to come frominstallment loans, whileconsumer loans were off,contracting by 5.3 per-cent y/y.

Business credit(excluding nonbanks)dropped by KD 281 mil-lion, with growth falling to1.8 percent y/y. Thelargest decline was inlending for the purchaseof securities, which dropped by KD 211 million; this fol-lowed a similar increase the month before, part of a regu-lar quarterly pattern. But there was also weakness else-where. The construction and oil and gas sectors sawnoticeable declines, with the former contracting by 5.7percent y/y. Most other sectors were flattish. As a result,growth in “productive” business sectors (excluding realestate and securities lending), which had been quitestrong, slowed to 4.4 percent y/y, though this is also dueto some base effects.

Meanwhile, real estate sector credit continued torecover in July. The sector, which had seen its borrowingcontract by 3.6 percent during 2016, has recorded posi-

tive credit growth thus far in 2017. Year-to-date, lendingto the sector has grown by an annualized 8.1 percent. TheJuly gain, at KD 109 million, was the largest monthly gainthus far this year. This coincides with some stabilization inthe real estate market.

Private deposits declined in July, though once againthis was partially offset by a rise in government deposits.Private deposits fell by KD 252 million, most of it from adecline in foreign currency deposits. KD sight and savingsdeposits were also down, though gains in KD timedeposits offset some of that. Money supply (M2) growthbenefited from some base effects but remained subdued

at 1.2 percent y/y. M1growth was stronger at7.1 percent y/y.Government depositsrose by KD 113 million,but growth slowednonetheless to 6.4 per-cent y/y due to baseeffects.

The banking system’sl iquid reserves, or“excess liquidity”, was

steady in July at 7.5 percent of bank assets. Bankreserves (cash, deposits with the CBK, and CBK bonds)increased by KD 62 million to KD 4.7 billion. This coin-cided with KD 200 million in net issuance of public debt.This increased outstanding domestic public debt instru-ments (PDIs) to KD 4.17 billion, or an estimated 11 per-cent of GDP.

Domestic interest rates rose in July in line with June’sincrease of the overnight repo rate by 25 basis points. The3-month interbank rate was up 9 basis points in July; rateshave been mostly steady since. Customer deposit ratesalso moved up by 7-16 bps during the month. They arenow up by 36-48 bps since December 2016.

Household lending

still strong

SYDNEY: Australia’s central bank left interestrates at a record low yesterday with the boardupbeat about the economy, while sounding awarning about the strength of the local dollar.

The Reserve Bank has slashed rates by 300basis points since November 2011 to 1.50 per-cent as the country wrestles with its transitionaway from an unprecedented boom in mininginvestment. But it has left rates on hold sinceAugust last year and is yet to show its handregarding its next move.

RBA governor Philip Lowe acknowledgedthat the Australian economy had shrugged offthe sluggish start to the year, boosted by gov-ernment and consumer spending, with growth of0.8 percent in the June quarter. “This outcomeand other recent data are consistent with theBank’s expectation that growth in the Australianeconomy will gradually pick up over the comingyear,” he said after a monthly board meeting.

“Over recent months there have been moreconsistent signs that non-mining businessinvestment is picking up. A consolidation of thistrend would be a welcome development.”

But the bank remained concerned about highlevels of housing debt in cities where propertyprices have soared, at a time when wagesgrowth remains low. It also noted the ongoingstrength of the Australian dollar, which waskeeping inflation below its target band. “The

higher exchange rate is expected to contributeto continued subdued price pressures in theeconomy,” said Lowe. “It is also weighing on theoutlook for output and employment.

“An appreciating exchange rate would beexpected to result in a slower pick-up in eco-nomic activity and inflation than currently fore-cast.” The dollar fell following the rateannouncement, dropping below 78 US cents forthe first time since mid-July and remaining atthat level by mid-afternoon. AMP Capital chiefeconomist Shane Oliver said the post-meetingstatement “continues to imply a neutral shortterm bias on interest rates”.

“Basically the RBA and official interest ratesremain stuck between a rock and a hard place,”he said. “Improving global growth, strong busi-ness confidence and jobs growth, the RBA’s ownexpectations for a growth pick up and alreadyhigh levels of household debt argue against arate cut.

“But record low wages growth, low under-lying inflation, the impending slowdown inhousing construction, risks around the con-sumer and the strong dollar argue against arate hike.” Westpac Institutional Bank’s BillEvans said he expected rates to remain onhold in 2018 and 2019. —AFP

ANKARA: President Recep TayyipErdogan yesterday urged the Turkishcentral bank to cut interest ratesdespite a jump in inflation to over 11percent, warning of “calamities” if therates were not snipped. The Turkishstate statistics agency said consumerprices rose 11.2 percent in Septemberfrom the same period the year earlier,compared with 10.68 inflation inAugust.

But Erdogan, who is keen to encour-age the economic growth that has beenthe bedrock of his electoral success,warned the nominally independent cen-tral bank it was high time to slash rates.“If the interest rates fall, inflation falls. Ifthe interest rate is high, it (inflation) willalso be high,” Erdogan told rulingJustice and Development Party (AKP)lawmakers.

Conventional economic wisdom sug-gests inflation should, however, godown as interest rates are raised as thissoftens demand and weakens the mon-ey supply growth in an economy.

Central banks such as the EuropeanCentral Bank have in the past usedinterest rate hikes as a monetary policytool to bring inflation down in line with

target levels.But Erdogan said: “The reduction of

interest rates is, unfortunately, I say thisopenly, still not at the point we want itto be,” Erdogan said. “If we cannotsecure the fall in interest rates, if wecannot succeed here, then beware-plenty of calamities await us. We mustdefinitely deal with this,” he added. ButLiam Carson, emerging Europe econo-mist at London-based CapitalEconomics, said in a note the inflationdata meant expected rate cuts were“looking less likely”.

Economists say the Turkish centralbank has limited room for manouevreas the president has previouslyindulged in repeated verbal assaultsagainst the bank because of its reluc-tance to lower interest rates. In recentmonths, it has opted to keep ratessteady as inflation remains high. Theone week repo rate is currently fixed at8.0 percent, a level the bank leftunchanged as its last meeting inSeptember.

Inflation had been at its highest levelfor over eight years in April, reaching11.87 percent before falling to 9.79 per-cent in July and then rising again.

Turkey is set apart “in a world wherefew countries are troubled by too-highinflation,” said Inan Demir of NormuraInternational. “We see headline infla-tion climbing towards 11.5 percent overthe coming two months, before declin-ing in December due to supportivebase effects,” he added in a note. Theembattled Turkish lira lost 0.4 percentin value against the US dollar, rising to3.58 lira to the greenback after 0900GMT yesterday. —AFP

Table 2: Consolidated bank balance sheets

Australia keeps rates on hold, sounds dollar warning

SYDNEY: Pedestrians using their phones pass a building site inSydney on yesterday. Australia’s central bank left interest ratesat a record low with the board upbeat about the economy, whilesounding a warning about the strength of the local dollar. —AFP

Erdogan urges Turkey rate cuts despite inflation surge

LONDON: Indian tycoon Vijay Mallya appeared in aLondon court yesterday after being rearrested earlier inthe day amid an ongoing extradition request from India,where he is accused of fraud.

The flamboyant financier, who co-owns Formula Oneteam Force India, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’Court after Indian authorities laid further money launder-ing charges. Dressed in a blue jacket and black trousers,Mallya spoke only to confirm his name and address and toreject the new extradition request, filed to take intoaccount the latest charges.

He was released on bail immediately after yesterday’sarrest, and is due to face a full extradition hearing startingon December 4. Mallya left India in March 2016 owingmore than $1 billion after defaulting on loan payments tostate-owned banks and allegedly misusing the funds.

He was originally arrested and bailed in April followingan extradition request from India in early February. Indianinvestigators demanded the 61-year-old be brought hometo face fraud charges related to the bank defaults.

Mallya insisted he was innocent and denied fleeing thecharges in his homeland, following the legal hearing inLondon in June. “I deny all allegations that have beenmade and I will continue to deny them,” he said outsidecourt. “I have not eluded any court. If it is my lawful dutyto be here, I’m happy to be here,” he added. “I’ve givenenough evidence to prove my case.”

Known for his lavish lifestyle, Mallya made Kingfisherbeer a global brand and ran a now-defunct airline with thesame name. Mallya stepped down as the director of theIndian Premier League cricket team Royal ChallengersBangalore last year.

His financial dealings are being investigated by the fed-eral Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement

Directorate, a financial crimes agency. Mallya was onceknown as the “King of Good Times” but dropped offIndia’s most wealthy list in 2014, engulfed by the massivedebts of his grounded carrier Kingfisher Airlines.

He has been living in a sprawling $15 million (13 millioneuro) mansion in southeast England but has deniedabsconding. — AFP

KUWAIT: Al Mulla Office Automation, is a division of AlMulla International General Trading Furniture andEquipment Co, a subsidiary of the Al Mulla Group alongwith Konica Minolta Business Solutions (Middle East) suc-cessfully hosted an event in Jumeirah Messilah Hotel BallRoom, on 19th September. The Seminar was held toenhance user-experiences in Kuwait with OPS (OptimizePrint Services). The event was attended by 125 guests fromvarious segments of the government and private sector,including representativesfrom the Ministry, OilSector, Banks, Telecom,Corporate and commercialbusiness houses of Kuwait.A wide range of latestMFPs (Multi-FunctionalPrinters) products andsoftware solutions offeredby Konica Minolta, weredemonstrated during theevent.

Reliability of the various Office Automation servicesoffered by the Company remains its core strength.Advanced technologies such as ‘Visibility AcquiringInsights’ help customers in understanding and managingbetter their overall printing expenses. To be able to printfrom any devices, anytime and anywhere, and in therequired format, helps its customers in achieving greaterinternal efficiency, within their organization. OPS providegreater practicality and benefits that result in huge costsavings to any organization by setting the right strategy for

printing, security, documents and talents through optimiza-tion, efficiency, security and mobility.

The event was opened by Mohamed Wasel, GroupManager Sales and inaugurated by Hormuzda B. Davar,Managing Director TM & FS of Al Mulla Group. Heemphasized the fact that the “Al Mulla Group does not selljust multi-functional copier devices, but sells completesolutions that improve significantly the productivity of itscustomers, with an end-to-end visibility of the Cost of

Ownership”. Larry Leow, OPS

Manager at KonicaMinolta (Middle East)explained the OPS con-cept, “by focusing andoptimizing our clientsprint Infrastructure,improving business effi-ciencies and productivity,companies that haveundergone consultation

commonly achieved greater business benefits, reducingprinting expenses by up to 30 percent.” Concluding hisspeech with the message, “Let Al Mulla Group deliver &manage IT for you so that you, our esteemed customer, canfocus on your core business”.

During the event Tina Vilaca, Solution ArchitectManager, demonstrated Smart Solutions using KonicaMinolta’s latest cutting-edge technologies such as WorkFlow, Print management, Security, Capture via scan, Routecontent to Document Management Solutions, Print & Copy

with usage tracking reports, Roaming and Secure Printamongst others. As a part of his presentation, Deepu,Marketing Manager Office Products, demonstrated PrintOperation through Mobile Devices.

The Office Automation Division of Al Mulla Group hasseveral high-profile customers such as Ooredoo, Aramexand Al Rayan Holdings, who have all recently successfullyimplemented an OPS strategy within their respectiveorganizations and are enjoying significant cost savings.

Santanu Das, General Manger, Office AutomationDivision, launched a new Mobile App (Mobile Application)as a part of Al Mulla Group’s continuing initiatives in offer-ing high quality services to its customers. The user-friendlymobile App works on both Apple and Android platforms,and offers a variety of user-centric services such as order-ing consumables, requesting servicing, renewal of ServiceContracts, obtaining quotations and tracking the perform-ance of machines. The Office Automation service centerincorporates an Oracle database with a custom made frontend based on Developer 2000, a system specificallydesigned for call center activity. Well trained Arabic andEnglish speaking personnel are designated as work con-trollers who receive customer calls and dispatch technicians.

Each machine is labeled with a unique computer numberenabling easy identification. Every customer call is regis-tered referring to the unique computer number and subse-quently the details of call completion are entered in thesystem database for analysis and future corrective action.With the above facilities:

* It is ensured that 100 percent customer calls areattended within 2 to 4 hrs.

* Regular preventive maintenance calls are assigned tothe technicians automatically.

* Customer calls are analyzed and (if need be) propercorrective action taken

At the end of the event, Fuzio, Area Business Manager,Konica Minolta (Middle East), presented an award to AlMulla Office Automation Division in recognition of its con-tinuous outstanding performance over the last three years.

B u s i n e s s Wednesday, October 4, 2017

19

Al Mulla Group brings Konica Minolta’s optimized print services to Kuwait

Al Mulla Office Automation and Konica Minolta host event

Established 1961

KAMCO GCC MARKETS MONTHLY REPORT

Seminar enhancesuser-experiences

in Kuwait with OPS

Indian tycoon Mallya appears in UK court on new charges

LONDON: Indian tycoon Vijay Mallya leaves Westminster Magistrates’ Court in centralLondon yesterday. — AFP

MOSCOW: A dearth of young people joining Russia’s work-force because of a low birth rate will shave several percent offpotential economic growth in the next five to six years,Economy Minister Maxim Oreshkin said. In an interview atthe Reuters Russian Investment summit, he said the laborshortage made it hard for technology companies, among oth-ers, to recruit staff they need-hurting a sector the governmenthas identified as vital to reviving economic growth.

Russia’s birth rate hit a low in 1999 after living standardsfell following the Soviet Union’s collapse. The impact is beingfelt now as people born at that time reach school-leaving age.“In countries with a normal demographic pyramid, a new gen-eration comes in with modern skills and takes up jobs in amodern economy and modern industries, and with theirarrival the labor market changes in favor of new sectors,” hesaid. In Russia’s case, Oreshkin said, this was not happening.“This is a very serious thing. The process is going to continue

for five to six years,” he said. Asked if he could measure thedownward effect on growth in Russia’s gross domestic prod-uct, one of the main gauges of economic health, Oreshkinsaid: “Compared to the 2000s, it will be several percent.” Hesaid that forecasts showed the situation would improve fromaround 2022. Until then, he said, Russia’s only solution was toretrain people now in their 30s, 40s and 50s in the new skillsrequired for a modern economy. “To a large extent economicgrowth depends on howthings proceed with theprocesses of changing peo-ple in these middle genera-tions,” Oreshkin said.

He did not spell out anyother solutions to the prob-lem. The Russian economygrew annually by nearly 7percent on averagebetween 2000 and 2008before the global financialcrisis caused a slowdown. A slump in global oil prices andWestern sanctions imposed over Russia’s role in the Ukrainecrisis in 2014 contributed to a new contraction before theeconomy returned to growth in 2016. The official forecast forGDP growth this year is 2.2 percent.

The finance ministry predicts a 4 percent decline in the

working population by 2035. Others forecast even toughertimes ahead. The Institute for Social Analysis and Forecastingat the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economyand Public Administration (RANEPA) sees the work forceshrinking by about 0.8-0.9 million people a year until 2025.“This will be worsening. There won’t be any miracles, youcannot fool demography,” said Tatiana Maleva, who headsRANEPA. A RANEPA survey showed Russia’s labor force,

which has risen since 1999,stood at 76.3 million peoplein July 2017, down by 1 mil-lion a year earlier.

A decline in immigrationand fewer people of retire-ment age staying in theworkforce contributed tothe dip, Maleva said. Thefigures make grim readingfor President VladimirPutin, who warned during

the 2012 presidential election campaign that Russia riskedturning into an “‘empty space’ whose fate will not be decidedby us” if its demographics did not improve. Among companiesstruggling to find enough young people with the right skills isAngstrem, a group of firms that make components for elec-tronic products. — Reuters

‘No miracles’: Labor shortage setto hit Russia’s GDP

KUWAIT: Kuwait Finance House (KFH) announced thewinners of “Hesabi” for Youth draw. The draw was heldunder the supervision of Ministry of Industry andCommerce.

The winners are Hedaya Farhan and Ahmad Alhajery.KFH awarded each winner with a cash prize of monthlyKD 200 for a year. KFH launched this draw in an attemptto reward the youth segment of customers by providingthem with programs tailored especially for the youth tosuit their lifestyles and meet their expectations. Hesabi”program has been designed to meet the needs of youthfrom 15 to 21 years old and to go in line with their activelife style. This program presents for youth many exclusiveoffers and a wide range of privileges including HesabiATM card with a unique design, eligibility to issue Hesabprepaid card (as per credit regulations of KFH), distin-guished offers and discounts etc.

KFH was established in Kuwait in 1977 and is enlistedin the Kuwait Stock Exchange. KFH Group is a global pio-neer in the field of Islamic banking services, where it offersa wide array of Islamic products and services, not to men-tion a high standard of innovation and client service.

KFH manages its operations in the GCC, Asia, andEurope through over 480 branches, including KFH-Turkey,in order to offer services for the bank’s clients in Turkey,Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Germany, Jordan, andDubai. KFH’s mission is to achieve highest levels of excel-lence and innovation in the field of client service, whiledeveloping common interest for all those concerned withthe financial institution. KFH’s vision is to spearhead theglobal development in Islamic financial services, and toupgrade the bank into the level of becoming the most sus-tainable profitable Islamic bank in the world.

KFH’s values include cementing leadership through allits businesses, including leadership in the Islamic bankingservices worldwide, through innovation and in client serv-ice and the development of its employees. In addition, KFHis committed to all its procedures, and to setting up long-life partnerships with the concerned authorities.

KFH announces winners of Hesabi Draw

KUWAIT: Al Mulla Office Automation Service receiving three years of contin-uous best service provider to customers award for Konica Minolta MFP.

KUWAIT: Managing Director TM & FS of Al Mulla Group inaugurating KMOPS event.

KUWAIT: Fuzio Ymayo Filho, Area BusinessManager-Konica Minolta, presenting awardto Santanu Das, General Manager - AlMulla International General TradingFurniture and Equipment Company

Russia birth rate fell after Soviet Union’s demise

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

20B u s i n e s s

Established 1961

NEW YORK: US stock indexes ticked higher in early trad-ing yesterday and tacked on a bit more to their records seta day earlier. Trading was again very quiet, with only mod-est moves for bond yields, commodities and other markets.Stock markets were closed in Germany, China and SouthKorea for holidays.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index inched up by 1 pointto 2,530, as of 9:45 a.m. Eastern time. The Dow Jonesindustrial average rose 28, or 0.1 percent, to 22,588, andthe Nasdaq composite rose 10, or 0.2 percent, to 6,529.The Russell 2000 index of small-cap stocks inched downby less than a point to 1,509. All four indexes set a recordon Monday after a reading on US manufacturing growthhit its highest level in 13 years.

Homebuilder Lennar jumped to one of the biggestgains in the S&P 500 after it reported stronger sales and

earnings for the latest quarter than analysts expected.Interest rates remain relatively low, and the strengtheningjob market is helping to convince more people to buyhomes. Lennar rose $1.72, or 3.3 percent, to $54.54.

General Motors and Ford Motor were also among themarket’s leaders after each reported strong sales growth inthe United States for last month. GM climbed $1.03, or 2.4percent, to $43.18, and Ford gained 21 cents, or 1.8 per-cent, to $12.31.

Tesla fell after the car company said production bottle-necks meant fewer of its Model 3 cars are coming off theline than expected. The production miss in the third quar-ter raises questions about whether Tesla will be able tomeet future targets for its much-anticipated car. Tesla fell$6.38, or 1.9 percent, to $335.15.

“The global markets trudge on, searching for opportu-

nities, realizing these tragedies are becoming all too com-monplace,” said Stephen Innes, head of Asia-Pacific trad-ing at OANDA. “And as cynical as that may seem, that isthe reality we’ve come to accept,” he said. US manufac-turing activity rose to its highest level in 13 years lastmonth, making investors bullish about the country’supcoming third-quarter earnings season. Traders notedthat President Donald Trump’s market-friendly tax reformproposals, including a plan to cut the corporate tax ratefrom 35 percent to 20 percent, have also buoyed the moodof investors.

US crude slidesBenchmark US crude fell 14 cents to $50.44 per barrel.

That follows a $1.09-per-barrel slide on Monday as wor-ries mount that the world has more than oil available than

it needs. Brent crude, the standard for international oilprices, rose 10 cents to $56.22 a barrel. Bonds prices weremixed. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note held steadyat 2.34 percent. The two-year yield fell to 1.47 percentfrom 1.49 percent, and the 30-year yield inched up to 2.88percent from 2.87 percent.

European stock markets edged higher yesterday,underpinned by a firmer opening on Wall Street, asinvestors built on the new records reached the previousday, traders said.

After Asian stocks had risen strongly earlier, Europemodestly took up the baton, with London and Paris edginghigher, while Frankfurt was shut for a German public holi-day. Madrid meanwhile fell, but far less sharply than onMonday in the wake of a police crackdown on a bannedCatalonia independence referendum. — Agencies

Global stocks rise as Wall St breaks new records

KUWAIT: Malabar Gold & Diamonds, one among theBIG 5 jewelry retailers globally with a strong retailnetwork of over 185 retail outlets spread across ninecountries is launchingthree new stores on 5thOctober 2017 (tomor-row). The brand isextending its presencein Kuwait by opening anew showroom in Al-Salam Mall, Salmiya ontomorrow at 6 pm.Having 6 outlets spreadacross Kuwait, this isMalabar Gold &Diamonds’ 7th outlet in Kuwait. By opening the newshowroom in Al-Salam Mall, Salmiya, the total numberof showrooms of Malabar Gold & Diamonds will jump

to 190 globally. Malabar Gold & Diamonds is alsoopening tow showrooms on the same day in Dubai.Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor Khan will inaugu-

rate the new show-rooms.

This new outletunveils a significantlylarge collection of tradi-tional as well as contem-porary designer jewel-ries. The exquisite rangeof collections in the newoutlet can hold youspell-bound with theirawe-inspiring beauty

and classic designs. Like all their other outlets, thisoutlet also will exhibit a wide range of diverse andtrendy designs in gold (18K, 22K & 24K), IGI certified

diamonds and precious gem jewelry from Italy,Singapore, Bahrain and India.

New store will participate in the biggest offer inthe market which was recently announced by MalabarGold & Diamonds which is giving an opportunity towin 100 kilos of gold. With every purchase of gold &diamond jewelry worth KD 40, customers get achance to enter raffle draws to win 1/4 (Quarter) kggold each in 6 raffle draws. Adding to the above, cus-tomers also get two gram gold coin on diamond jew-elry purchase of KD 400 and a one gram gold coinon purchase of diamond jewelry worth KD 250. Notonly that, customers can protect the gold rate atMalabar Gold & Diamonds by paying 10 percent ofthe entire amount on the selected gold jewelry until17th Oct 2017. A true shopper’s delight, Malabar Gold& Diamonds has also unveiled a huge collection ofjewelry in gold, diamonds and precious gems from

different parts of the world to enthrall the jewelrylovers. Malabar Group has established its presence inthe Kuwait market in a surprisingly short span oftime. The group strives to continue embarking on itsjourney by further expanding in the near future. InKuwait, Malabar Gold & Diamonds operates in Al-Rai- Lulu Hypermarket, Souk Al-Watya - Maliya, Dajeej- Lulu Hypermarket, Fahaheel, Hawally - GrandHypermarket & Mahboula.

B u s i n e s s Wednesday, October 4, 2017

21

Malabar Gold & Diamonds to open 3 outlets on October 5 in Kuwait, Dubai

Established 1961

Special inaugural offers - win

100 kilos of gold

Jewelry retailer’s 190th showroom globally at Al-Salam Mall, Salmiya

KUWAIT: VIVA, Kuwait’s fastest-growing and mostdeveloped telecom operator, announced the winner ofthe big prize for September 2017, in addition to the dai-ly prize’s winners in 9th and final week of the all new“allo” draw for its prepaid customers.

Ruby Jairan Tatlonghari won the big monthly prize of$30,000 for September 2017. As for the winners of the$1,500 daily prize, their names were as follows: FatimaMohammed Ali, Ahmad Majeed Abbas Dashti, RedhaMohammad Ali Abd Al-Hussain, Eloisa Oablo Leabres.

Winners will be announced throughout the cam-paign with a grand total of almost $150,000 to give

away! VIVA customers can enjoy this wonderful oppor-tunity to win amazing cash prizes of $1,500 daily and$30,000 monthly, throughout the campaign by simplybuying a new “allo” line or recharging their current linethrough Direct Debit, VIVA website, VIVA’s Kiosks,VIVA App or by calling 102. Every KD 1 spent, earnsVIVA customers 10 chances to win, increasing theirwinning chances the more they spend.

VIVA is the fastest-growing telecom operator inKuwait. Launched in December 2008, VIVA makesthings Possible for its customers by transforming com-munication, information and entertainment experiences.The company has rapidly established an unrivalled posi-tion in the market through its customer centric approach.VIVA’s quest is to be the mobile brand of choice inKuwait by being transparent, engaging, energetic andfulfilling. VIVA continues to take a considerable share ofthe market by offering an innovative range of best valueproducts, services and content propositions; a state ofthe art, nationwide network and world-class service.VIVA offers internet speeds of more than 100 Mbps,due to the implementation of the most advanced fourthgeneration (4G LTE) network in Kuwait resulting insuperior coverage, performance and reliability.

VIVA announces bigprize winner of$30,000 in 9th andfinal week draw

KUWAIT: As part of its Dining Program, launched inJuly 2017, Gulf Bank announced in cooperation withSlim Chickens restaurant, to offer its credit card-holders an opportunity to enjoy instant 15 percentdiscounts, when purchasing at Slim Chickens restau-rant using their Gulf Bank’s credit cards.

Gulf Bank customers can enjoy various discountsand privileges at reputable and renowned restau-

rants and coffee shops in Kuwait through Gulf BankDining Program, all Gulf Bank’s credit cardholderswill get up to 20 percent instants discounts at over300 of your favorite restaurants in Kuwait includesall type of cuisines, when using their credit cards onall transactions. Gulf Bank is committed to providingcustomers with exceptional value and exciting offersthat meet their needs, in addition to presenting themwith one of the widest selections of financial prod-ucts and banking services currently available inKuwait.

Gulf Bank offers itscredit cardholdersinstant discounts atSlim ChickensRestaurant

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

22Te c h n o l o g y

Established 1961

DUBAI: The leading global ICT solutionprovider Huawei is hosting its second annualInnovation Day, with the theme “Exploration,Lights the Way Forward”. Scheduled to takeplace on the first day of GITEX 2017 at SheikhMaktoum Hall, DWTC, “Huawei ME InnovationDay” will explore the role of ICT innovations indriving digital transformation and building sus-tainable knowledge-based economies inthe Middle East.

Huawei ME Innovation Day is part of aglobal initiative to address pioneeringissues in the world of ICT. The Middle Eastversion aims to create an industry commu-nications platform, accelerate the digitiza-tion process and position the Middle Eastas leading hub of global innovation.

This year’s Innovation Day theme,“Exploration, Lights the Way Forward”,highlights the Middle East’s rich heritageof innovation, openness and perseverance,values also embraced by Huawei . Theseshared values are at the heart of the event,and embodies the spirit of partnership Huaweibrings to its operations in the region.

Huawei will use the event to encourage anopen conversation on the ways in which ICTinnovation will shape key sectors and assistcountries in achieving their national vision goals.It will also serve as a platform to explore thecurrent and future challenges key sectors face intheir pursuit of digital transformation. The agen-da falls in line with Huawei’s regional vision of

developing sustainable, smart cities throughcutting edge technology and strategic partner-ships.

As part of the event, Huawei will launch awhite paper entitled “Investing in ICT willimprove Government KPI’s across Economic,Social and Sustainability domains”, which studiesthe impact of digital technologies on the transfor-

mation of economies in the Middle East. Thestudy, developed in collaboration betweenHuawei and a leading global business consultan-cy, explores a number of relevant themes, rangingfrom smart government to mobility, assessing thedegree of digital maturity of governments in theregion against international best practices. It willalso provide a view towards the future, identify-ing key opportunities for public sector digitaldevelopment throughout the Middle East.

Way forward The event will address key topics such as

tech’s growing ability to drive industries for-

ward, the role of governments in encouragingICT innovation and meeting the KPIs of nationalvision agendas, and how vertical industries inthe Middle East can take advantage of newtechnologies. There will also be a keynotespeech by Ugo Valenti, CEO of the BarcelonaSmart City World EXPO.

The event will include a panel discussioncomprised of leaders from a variety of relevantsector such as education, telecommunications,banking and finance, set to deep-dive into therole of ICT in business development, achievingcommercial growth, and innovation’s impact onaccelerating economies and driving governmentagendas. “The Middle East is a historic centerof exploration and innovation, from the inven-tion of algebra to the creation of the first uni-versity. We are now seeing an era where theregion is reclaiming leadership in these areas,as pioneers of the digital transformation,” said

Charles Yang, President, Huawei MiddleEast.

“We at Huawei are eager to assistour partners in the region in realizingthis transformation, meeting theirnational visions through smart initia-tives, the bui lding of knowledgeeconomies and the expansion of theMiddle East’s digital ecosystem,” hecontinued. “Huawei continues to viewthe Middle East as a key market wherewe contribute to the development of

the ICT sector through transforming indus-tries, improving efficiencies, and revolutioniz-ing the way in which people here live theireveryday lives.

At Innovat ion Day this year, we wi l lexplore these advances as enablers of explo-ration and innovation for the future.” HuaweiME Innovation Day is expecting several hun-dred attendees, including UAE governmentofficials, key Huawei channel partners, indus-try opinion leaders and inf luencers, andselected students from Huawei’s Seeds for theFuture CSR program.

Huawei to address the future of digital transformation in region

2nd ‘Huawei Middle East

Innovation Day’

By Ben Garcia & Agencies

KUWAIT: Honeywell Technology convened atwo-day Technology Summit yesterday forKuwait’s oil and gas industry leaders. Thesummit discussed the future direction of theindustry, in support of the country’s long-termvision to become a global hub for oil, gas andpetrochemicals industry. The event, held underthe patronage of Kuwait National PetroleumCompany (KNPC), was attended by morethan 300 industry representatives from majorlocal organizations such as Kuwait OilCompany, Kuwait Integrated PetrochemicalIndustries Company, EQUATE PetrochemicalCompany and Kuwait Institute for ScientificResearch.

In addition to the distinguished industryguests, the event also welcomed Patricia L.Fietz, Charge d’affaires, US Embassy, State ofKuwait. Fahad Al-Humaidy Al-Daihany,Deputy CEO for Mina Ahmadi Refinery fromKNPC commented, “As we work towards ournational goals and visions, it is critical that weimplement the latest solutions that will helpdrive growth and achieve greater results. Webelieve events like these help shape new

strategies for the future and provide us withan opportunity to develop skills and transferknowledge. We are delighted to lead thismovement towards smarter technologies with-in the energy sector and we thank our long-standing partner Honeywell for its commit-ment to Kuwait’s ongoing development.”

The Honeywell Technology Summit show-cased the importance of connected technolo-gies and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)for the future development of the country’senergy sector and the people who work with-in it. Digitization is expected to play a key rolein maximizing the future value of the industry,which is a core priority outlined in KuwaitPetroleum Corporation’s 2030 Oil and GasStrategy. This drive towards greater connec-tivity is also an important focus in achievingthe goals set out in Kuwait national develop-ment plan 2035.

“Technology and innovation are transform-ing the way we do business in Kuwait, particu-larly in the oil and gas sector,” said George BouMitri, President for Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan andLebanon, Honeywell. “Connected technologiesare making processes more efficient and pro-ductive, and we are excited to be a part of thistransition. We have been in Kuwait for morethan half a century and this wealth of experi-ence has enabled us to play a central part in thedevelopment of some of the country’s most sig-nificant oil and gas projects,” he said.

“We are thrilled with today’s event andlook forward to continuing to support localindustries in Kuwait as they work towardsachieving the goals of Vision 2035,” he added.Bou Mitri said Honeywell’s presence in Kuwaitis evident especially in the oil and gas sectorswhich spans more than 50 years now. One ofthe subjects discussed in the summit was the

Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) or thetechnology that enable systems to be con-nected to most of the devices may it bemechanical and digital machines, objects, ani-mals or people to transfer data over a networkwithout requiring human-to-human orhuman-to-computer interaction.

IIoT is about connecting assets in a plant,connecting processes and people; it’s a coremultiplier to help our customers. This is for theindustry to help them do their jobs, for exam-ple we are doing this in the oil and gas inNorth of Kuwait for production efficiency. Inthe coming year or so, it will be adopted on afaster pace. The timing for this year’s summitis crucial because it can really help in manyways. Kuwait’s plan is to expand the produc-tion up to 4 million barrel per day, the chal-lenge is to manage these facilities, and thetechnological advancement happening onglobal level is crucial.

“It is a good thing that they are adoptingthe technology locally. We have projectstoday, you have thousands of people workingthere, the people are operating it, how do youensure that you have the people ready tooperate and what the technology can bring

you today to enable a pro-ductive, safe, complaintoperations of these facili-ties; the tools we are oper-ating now are exhibited inthe venue; these are thetools that can support theoperation across the boardand these are the technolo-gy we offer. The HoneywellCompany is helping indus-tries to jump to the next

level and make it more connected and busi-ness oriented to improve business opera-tions,” Bou Mitri said.

According to Ujwal Kumar, Honeywell VicePresident Global Sales, Kuwait is one of thekey growth platforms for Honeywell. “Weexpect our Kuwaiti customers to invest in dig-italization, new service models and we arevery excited about the summit. Here we canbring in technology ideas around the globe,share and brainstorm with the leaders, opera-tors and the technical people,” he said.

Weather technologyOn the issue of whether technology is

reducing the use of manpower in a workplace,Kumar said it hasn’t. “Technology is helpingpeople get more (production wise) in manyways; it is leveraging the technology to sup-port people by working in a safer environ-ment,” Kumar noted. “We are helping Kuwaittowards the 2030 vision. We need more peo-ple to get ready for the growth,” he added.

Honeywell also supports people in devel-oping skills through continues training ses-sions and workshops to be able to cope upwith the fast changing tech-savvy environ-ment. “We still have the traditional way ofsending people to places, like London, so asto acquire knowledge and improve their skillsand efficiencies, but on other hand we havedigital tools or competency management toolsto help them; we have that available in hand,”he added.

The drive towards digitization in Kuwaitforms part of a wider Middle East picture,where digital markets are expanding at anoverall compound annual growth rate of 12percent. It is estimated that digitization couldadd as much as $ 820 billion to regional GDP

by 2020. Studies also show that the adoptionof digital solutions within the energy sector isincreasing as IT spending within the MiddleEast oil and gas industry grew to around$1.66 billion last year.

“Kuwait has ambitious plan; Honeywell ishere to support them with regards to aligningwith Kuwait growth. We are very much com-mitted to sharing them through people anddeveloping local people’s competency andskills. They will invest in new areas and weare committed to bringing them new tech-nologies that can help in the new era of tech-nology, we are bringing a new generation ofgrowth through digital tools, we have the sol-id foundation in gathering data’s and analyz-ing them in the most secure and safest way,we think that cyber security is an integralpart of new age era and we are bringing it tothem,” he reiterated.

“We have invested a lot in people andtechnology; in the R & D department, wehave spent millions of dollars to help them,”Kumar said. Honeywell has a long history ofsupporting Kuwait’s industries - including

petrochemicals - through leading-edge tech-nologies, efficient business solutions, localtraining, and research and development initia-tives. Over the last 50 years, Honeywell hasdelivered more than 2,000 projects for morethan 165 customers in Kuwait and is currentlyinvolved in supporting the development ofseveral of the country’s hospitals, airports,refineries, hotels, and education institutes.

Secure solutionsAt the event, Honeywell showcased a com-

plete set of secure, IIoT-ready solutionsacross all elements of the industrial internet.Along with the Connected Plant technologies,the technology summit presented the latestinnovations for the oil and gas industryincluding: Process Reliability Advisor is partof Honeywell Connected Plant and usesHoneywell UOP process models for ongoingmonitoring, early event detection and mitiga-tion of performance issues before theybecome costly. Maintenance TrainingSimulator is a hands-on demonstration of thenext generation of mixed reality worker train-

ing, which can enhance skills and reduceclassroom time.

Enterprise ICS Cyber Security Solutioncombines the ICS ShieldTM platform withRisk Manager and other Honeywell cybersecurity technologies to provide multi-ven-dor, multi-site cyber security that’s scalableto meet customer needs. Safety Manager SCprovides an “out of the box” SIL certifiedsafety platform that can be easily configuredto meet SIL2 and SIL3 applications acrossthe plant ranging from small packaged sys-tems to large distributed architectures.

Experion Local Control Network (LCN)enables customers to use their TPS/TDCinvestment as the foundation for incrementalprocess automation upgrades for a secure,seamless integration with Experion PKS.

ControlEdge PLC, when combined withExperion, dramatically reduces integrationcosts for ancillary plant operations, minimizesdowntime through unified support, decreasesrisk with embedded cyber security, and low-ers total cost of ownership through extendedsystem lifecycle.

Honeywell hosts oil & gas industry leaders to support Kuwait’s vision

Tech summit discusses future direction of oil industry

KNPC patronizesevent, 300 industry

reps attend

LONDON: The European Court of Justicehas been asked to consider whetherFacebook’s Dublin-based subsidiary canlegally transfer users’ personal data to its USparent, after Ireland’s top court said yester-day that there are “well-founded concerns”the practice violates European law.

In a case brought after former US defensecontractor Edward Snowden revealed theextent of electronic surveillance by Americansecurity agencies, the court found thatFacebook’s transfers may compromise thedata of European citizens.

The case has far-reaching implications forsocial media companies and others who movelarge amounts of data via the internet.Facebook’s European subsidiary regularlydoes so.

Ireland’s data commissioner had alreadyissued a preliminary decision that such trans-fers may be illegal because agreementsbetween Facebook and its Irish subsidiarydon’t adequately protect the privacy ofEuropean citizens. The commissioner askedthe High Court to refer this finding to theEuropean Court of Justice because the datasharing agreements had been approved bythe European Union’s executive Commission.Ireland’s data commissioner “has raised well-founded concerns that there is an absence ofan effective remedy in US law for a EU citizenwhose data are transferred to the US wherethey may be at risk of being accessed andprocessed by US state agencies for national

security purposes in a manner incompatible”with the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights,the High Court said yesterday. Austrian pri-vacy campaigner Maximillian Schrems,who has a Facebook account, challengedthis pract ice through the Ir ish courtsbecause of concerns that his data wasbeing illegally accessed by US securityagencies.

In an earlier ruling in the case, theEuropean Court of Justice found that the so-called Safe Harbor regime, which Facebookpreviously relied on when transferring datato the US, violated EU law because it didn’tprovide effective legal remedies. The SafeHarbor regime had been established in 2000by the EU executive Commission, whichfound that US data protection laws wereadequate to protect the rights of EU citizens.The Irish Data Commissioner decided to seekjudicial review of standard contractual claus-es in part because of “the very significantcommercial implications arising from the val-ue of data exchanges to EU-US trading rela-tionships.”

The US government and three other par-ties were allowed to file friend of the courtbriefs in the case. —AP

DUBLIN: Max Schrems facesthe media after leaving theHigh Court in Dublin, Ireland,yesterday.—AP

KUWAIT: Awarding the sponsors during Honeywell Technology Summit.

KUWAIT: Honeywell Technology Summit being inaugurated

European court asked to rule on Facebook data transfers

KUWAIT: George Bou Mitri,Honeywell President (right)and Ujjwal Kumar, VicePresident Global Sales talk-ing with Kuwait Times

H e a l t h Wednesday, October 4, 2017

23Established 1961

STOCKHOLM: US astrophysicists Barry Barish, KipThorne and Rainer Weiss were awarded the NobelPhysics Prize yesterday for the discovery of gravitationalwaves, offering a sneak peak at the Universe’s verybeginnings. Predicted by Albert Einstein a century ago aspart of his theory ofgeneral relativity, gravi-tational waves are “rip-ples” in space-time-thetheoretical fabric of thecosmos. They are theaftermath of violentgalactic events, such ascolliding black holes orimploding massive stars,and can reveal eventsthat took place billionsof years ago.

The first detection ofgravitational waves hap-pened in September2015 at the US-basedLaser InterferometerG r av i t a t i o n a l - waveObservatory (LIGO),where the three Nobellaureates worked. “Theirdiscovery shook theworld,” said Goran KHansson, the head of theSwedish Royal Academyof Sciences which selects the Nobel laureates. Announcedin February 2016 to great excitement in the scientific com-munity, the discovery was hailed as the historic culmina-tion of decades of research. It has clinched numerousastrophysics prizes.

In 1984, Thorne, now 77, and Weiss, 85, co-createdLIGO at the prestigious California Institute ofTechnology, which has taken home 18 Nobels since theprizes were first awarded in 1901. Barish, 81, joined theproject in 1994 and helped bring it to completion. LIGOis now a collaboration between more than 1,000

researchers from 20 countries. The 2015 observation wasof two black holes smashing into each other some 1.3 bil-lion light-years away.

“Although the signal was extremely weak when itreached Earth, it is already promising a revolution in

astrophysics,” the Nobelacademy said.“Gravitational waves are anentirely new way of follow-ing the most violent eventsin space and testing thelimits of our knowledge.”Gravitational waves areminuscule, and near-unde-tectable because theyinteract very weakly withmatter and travel throughthe Universe at the speedof light unimpeded. Theripples emitted by a pair ofmerging black holes, forexample, would stretch aone-million-kilometer ruleron Earth by less than thesize of an atom. Since 2015,the enigmatic ripples havebeen detected three moretimes: Twice by LIGO andonce by the Virgo detectorlocated at the EuropeanGravitational Observatory

(EGO) in Cascina, Italy. “Einstein was convinced it wouldnever be possible to measure them,” the jury said. “TheLIGO project’s achievement was using a pair of giganticlaser interferometers to measure a change thousands oftimes smaller than an atomic nucleus, as the gravitationalwave passed the Earth.”

‘Universe full of music’ Black holes emit no light, and can only be observed

through gravitational waves that occur when they collideand violently merge-offering scientists a means of study-

ing them. “If we could hear all the waves and not only thestrongest ones, the entire universe would be full of music,like birds chirping in a forest, with a louder tone here anda quieter one there,” the academy said.

Weiss was awarded half the prize, which comes withnine million Swedish kronor (about $1.1 million or940,000 euros), while Barish and Thorne shared the rest.“It’s really wonderful. I view this more as a thing that rec-ognizes the work of about a thousand people,” Weiss saidshortly after the announcement. “It took us a long time...two months... to convince ourselves that we had seen

(something) that came from the outside and was truly agravitational wave.”

Thorne said he had expected the discovery to be hon-ored with a Nobel one day. “I didn’t hope it would go tome personally, I hoped it would actually go to the entirecollaboration ... which designed, built, and perfected thegravitational waves detector which made the discovery,”he said. Caroline Crawford, an astronomer at CambridgeUniversity, told AFP the discovery “holds the potential fora completely new way of observing parts of the cosmos,the parts... completely obscured from our view.” — AFP

US trio wins Nobel Physics Prize for spotting wrinkles in cosmos

Historic culmination of decades of

research hailed

‘It is already promising a revolution in astrophysics’

STOCKHOLM: Nobel Committee for Physics members announce the 2017 Nobel Prize winnersin Physics yesterday at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in. 2017 laureates for theNobel Prize in Physics are: Rainer Weiss, Barry C Barish and Kip S Thorne. — AFP

A combo made of file photos shows (LtoR) RainerWeiss, Barry Barish and Kip Thorne, who won theNobel Physics Prize 2017. — AFP

STOCKHOLM: Native peoples struggling to retain orregain stewardship of forests that sustained them forcountless generations may finally have backing from anorganization with both swag and sway. The InternationalLand and Forest Tenure Facility-the first and only globalinstitution dedicated to securing the land rights of indige-nous communities worldwide-was formally launched inStockholm yesterday.

Funded by Sweden, Norway and the Ford Foundation, amajor US philanthropy, the Tenure Facility has alreadyprovided grants and guidance for pilot projects in Peru,Mali, and Indonesia, helping local communities leveragerarely enforced laws to protect their land and resources.Disputes over land rights in tropical forests teeming withexploitable resources-from hard woods to precious stonesto oil-can quickly escalate into deadly conflict, and localpeoples more often than not wind up on the losing end.

More than 200 environmental campaigners, nearly halffrom indigenous tribes, were murdered around the world

in 2016 alone, according to watchdog NGO GlobalWitness. Restoring some measure of control to the originalinhabitants of forests appropriated by corrupt govern-ments or extraction industries has also proven an effectivebulkhead against global warming, according to a 2014global survey by the US-based World Resources Institute,a think tank. In Brazil, for example, deforestation in indige-nous community forests from 2000 to 2012 was less than 1percent, compared with 7 percent outside those areas.

‘Unrelenting conflicts’ Tropical vegetation soaks up planet-warming CO2

emitted by the burning of fossil fuels. Destroying theseforests outright not only reduces the area available toabsorb carbon dioxide, it also releases CO2 into theatmosphere, accounting in recent decades-along withagriculture and livestock-for more than a fifth of globalgreenhouse gas emissions.

“We see climate change and inequality as two of thegreatest existential threats facing the planet,” said FordFoundation president Darren Walker. “Creating mecha-nisms that allow indigenous peoples and local communitiesto gain tenure over their land or forests is a way to tackleboth these problems,” he told AFP ahead of a conferencekeyed to the launch.

Walker has pledged five million dollars, and expects-based on other grants in the pipeline-the facility to have100 million within a year. The project aims over the span of

a decade to boost forestland properly titled to indigenouspeoples by 40 million hectares, an area twice the size ofSpain. Such efforts, they calculate, would prevent defor-estation of one million hectares and the release of 500 mil-lion tons of CO2, more than the annual emissions of Britainor Brazil. “The Tenure Facility provides a powerful solutionto save the world’s forests from the ground up,” said CarinJamtin, director general of the Swedish InternationalDevelopment Cooperation Agency, a key funder.

Corruption and abuses More than two billion people live on and manage half

the world’s land area in customary or traditional systems,yet indigenous communities have formal legal ownershipof only 10 percent. And even where they do have title, cor-ruption and abuses have led to protracted conflicts withlocal and national governments, companies and migrantworkers. Native populations can even run afoul of majorgreen initiatives to fight climate change or stem biodiversi-ty loss. A controversial UN-backed program, for example,known as REDD+ — Reducing Emissions fromDeforestation and Degradation-creates incentives to keepforests intact, paid for by rich nations or companies seek-ing to offset pollution under carbon trading schemes. Butthe projects that REDD+ finances can push aside theneeds and rights of indigenous peoples who are oftenmost directly affected by the changes set in motion, criticssay. A peer-reviewed 2013 study-one of the few to exam-

ine the impacts on local communities-concluded that lessthan half of 50-odd projects in Africa, Latin America andAsia did anything to alleviate the poverty of forest-depen-dent peoples. But many did enhance their land tenurerights, they concluded. — AFP

First global pact backing indigenous land rights launched

RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazilian indigenouspeople stage a protest against a govern-ment oil fields auction, outside a hotel inRio de Janeiro. — AFP

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

24W h a t ’ s O n

Established 1961

LOYAC recently concluded the first drama, art and musicclasses held for Syrian refugee children at the Fa’our RefugeesCamp at the Syrian-Lebanese borders. The classes were host-ed for the first time and lasted for three months. A special ceremony was held on the occasion and was attend-ed by LOYAC’s Chairperson Fare’a Al-Saqqaf and veteranKuwaiti actress Soud Abdullah in addition to over twenty ofLOYAC’s young volunteers.

The ceremony also included some acts, scenes and famoussongs performed by children in addition to an art galleryshowing children’s drawings done under the supervision of artteachers Ahmad, Carol and Marrwa.

Speaking on the occasion, Abdullah said that she was gladto take part in such a humane activity that helped bring a smileto those children’s faces. She also noted that she stronglybelieves that voluntary work enhances human values throughart, the way LOYAC does.

Meanwhile, Saqqaf said that LOYAC teams had been work-ing with the children for months to provide some educationand primary services they needed so that they can get oversome of their sufferings because of war. “We are looking for-ward to opening two more classes to teach the children how towrite and read in addition to some math,” she added.

LOYAC concludes art classesfor Syrian refugee children

Bringing a smile to children’s faces

The British Academy of International Arts (BAIA) and the BritishAcademy of Sport (BAS) held their annual Carnival on the BSK cam-pus in Salwa over the weekend, attracting hundreds of families keento attend the first big event of its kind in the new academic year. Witha food court located to ‘welcome’ guests as they entered the campus,activities and games for children and some forty booths where therewas something for everyone. As the sun set and the temperaturedropped there was a wonderful carnival atmosphere to greet theGerman Ambassador Karlfried Bergner as he performed the officialopening. The VIP party, led by Madam Vera Al-Mutawa MBE,Chairman, Sadiq Al-Mutawa toured the BAIA and BAS stands beforemaking their way around the Carnival.

BAIA has the most extensive range of accredited and recreationaldance courses in Kuwait. These include ballet, tap, jazz and moderndance, all leading to internationally recognized examinations. BAIAalso offers a comprehensive range of theatre, music and art coursesfor children from three years so there was keen interest from childrenof all ages to sign up.

BAS too has an extensive range of sports activities on offer includ-ing swimming, gymnastics, karate, football, basketball, tennis, volley-ball and Zumba. In addition, the annual basketball and volleyball tour-naments between Embassy teams are an eagerly awaited fixture, asare the overseas educational trips that have proven very popular for anumber of years.

The stage was always a focus for activity, with games and compe-titions arranged by Decathlon, the BAS yearly sponsor who providednumerous prizes for the winners. In addition, BAIA and BAS studentsput on a variety of wonderful displays in dance, Zumba and Karate.Masafi, the yearly sponsor for BAIA and BAS ensured that the spec-tators were never without a drink, providing a seemingly unlimitedsupply of water and juices. IHG Crowne Plaza, yearly sponsor forBAIA and BAS tempted people with their huge variety of BBQ foodsand sandwiches whilst Skin Food, a Carnival sponsor were on handwith their range of organic cosmetic products.

Big thanks must go to Cozmo bowling and Kidzania who providednumerous prizes for many of the games. With such pleasant weatherthe evening was enjoyed by all, with the many newcomers to Kuwaitseeing just how much there is on offer for them and their families fromso many of Kuwait’s leading companies.

BAIA, BAS holdannual carnival

Indian Learners Own Academy (ILOA) baggedthe ‘Excellence in Quality’ Award at theInternational Conference held in Lucerne,Switzerland in July 3, 2017. Europe BusinessAssembly (EBA) was proud to present ILOA,Kuwait as a leading educational industryprovider.

ILOA was awarded with the EuropeanQuality Award for the high quality of theAcademy’s production and services, strongposition in the national market and in interna-tional ratings, successful implementation ofmodern management technologies, high staffqualification and efficient marketing strategy.The award was received by Asha Sharma,Principal of ILOA in the presence of ChairmanD.K Sharma.

ILOA truly believes that good educationplays a crucial role in building a bright futurefor children. The school is committed to providean atmosphere to its students where they all canimbibe good values and learn new things everyday. The school celebrates this successachieved through the sheer hard work andexcellent performances of both the students aswell as teachers.

Recognition of ILOA’s performance stan-dards by national and International organiza-tions holds a special and significant meaning forthe management, staff, parents and students.Since its inception in 2010, the school set itsfocus on providing quality education to stu-dents. In order to achieve this, ILOA undertookconscious steps to instill efficiency and effec-tiveness in its management processes, opera-tional methodologies and curriculum delivery.

ILOA was honored with several national andinternational awards for achieving excellence inschool education. Recognized for impartingeducation using benchmarked quality practices,

ILOA is committed to a well-rounded and holis-tic approach for nurturing young minds for abetter tomorrow.

Behind every high-achieving school is agreat Principal. Creating a culture that givesevery child the opportunity to thrive academi-cally requires a high degree of leadership, ded-ication, motivation and hard-work. This dictumis true about Asha Sharma, one of the mostsuccessful CBSE Principals in the Middle East.With over 40 years of service in the field ofeducation as a teacher and an administrator,she has been bestowed with several accoladesand honors for her immense contribution to the

field of education. To begin with, she wasawarded ‘Dedicated Teachers Award’ by LionsClub, Ghaziabad. In the year 2007, shereceived ‘National Award for the Best Teacher’from the then President of India, Pratibha Patel,in recognition of meritorious service renderedin the field of education. Besides, she was alsoawarded ‘National CBSE Mentoring Award’ inSeptember 2015 from HRD Minister SmritiIrani. In 2016, she received a prestigious awardat the 7th International Education Summit inDelhi on 5 and 6 August for breaking newgrounds in deep learning through Innovation inTeaching Pedagogy.

ILOA receives‘Excellence inQuality’ award

T V Wednesday, October 4, 2017

25Established 1961

00:30 USS Indianapolis02:40 Spooks: The Greater Good04:25 Dick Tracy06:10 The Call Up07:40 Knight And Day09:40 Spooks: The Greater Good11:25 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles13:10 Beyond Redemption14:40 Knight And Day16:40 Echo Effect18:10 Survivor19:50 Blood Diamond22:20 In Time

00:45 Treehouse Masters01:40 Rugged Justice02:35 Swamp Brothers03:00 Swamp Brothers03:25 Pit Bulls & Parolees04:15 Dinosaurs In The Outback05:02 Wildest Middle East05:49 Untamed & Uncut06:36 Going Ape07:00 Going Ape07:25 Swamp Brothers07:50 Swamp Brothers08:15 Treehouse Masters09:10 Rugged Justice10:05 Wildest Middle East11:00 Swamp Brothers11:28 Swamp Brothers11:55 Pit Bulls & Parolees12:50 Saving A Species: Gorillas OnThe Brink With...13:45 Baby Panda’s First Year14:40 Saba And The Rhino’s Secret15:35 China’s Last Elephants16:30 Running With Wolves17:25 Dr. Jeff: Rocky Mountain Vet18:20 Treehouse Masters19:15 Rugged Justice20:10 Swamp Brothers20:38 Swamp Brothers21:05 Dr. Jeff: Rocky Mountain Vet22:00 Treehouse Masters22:55 Wildest Latin America23:50 Untamed & Uncut

00:55 Line Of Duty02:00 The Coroner02:45 Silent Witness03:45 Doctor Foster04:40 Holby City05:30 Doctors06:00 EastEnders06:30 Father Brown07:25 Stella08:10 Holby City09:10 Holby City10:10 Father Brown11:00 The Coroner11:50 Stella12:40 New Tricks13:35 Holby City14:30 Father Brown15:20 Stella16:10 New Tricks17:10 The Coroner18:00 Doctors18:30 EastEnders19:00 Father Brown19:50 Poldark20:45 Last Tango In Halifax21:40 Born To Kill22:30 The Coroner23:25 Father Brown

00:00 The Jail Atlanta: 60 Days In01:00 It Takes A Killer01:30 It Takes A Killer02:00 The First 4803:00 Evil Up Close04:00 The Jail Atlanta: 60 Days In05:00 It Takes A Killer05:30 It Takes A Killer06:00 Cold Case Files07:00 Cold Case Files08:00 It Takes A Killer08:30 It Takes A Killer09:00 Homicide Hunter10:00 Evil Up Close11:00 Evil Up Close12:00 Evil Up Close13:00 Evil Up Close14:00 It Takes A Killer14:30 It Takes A Killer15:00 Cold Case Files16:00 The First 4817:00 The First 4818:00 Robbie Coltrane’s CriticalEvidence19:00 It Takes A Killer20:00 Homicide Hunter21:00 Cold Case Files22:00 My Haunted House23:00 Escaping Evil: My Life In ACult

00:05 Jon Richardson - Nidiot Live00:55 Russell Howard’s Stand UpCentral01:20 Russell Howard’s Stand UpCentral01:45 Inside Amy Schumer02:10 Another Period02:35 South Park03:00 The Daily Show With TrevorNoah03:25 Inside Amy Schumer03:50 Another Period04:15 Idiotsitter04:40 Nathan For You05:05 Tosh.005:30 Disaster Date05:55 Ridiculousness Arabia06:20 Urban Tarzan06:45 Urban Tarzan07:15 Impractical Jokers VIIISpecial - Unseen Scenes07:40 Impractical Jokers VIII -Anatomy Of A Challenge08:05 The Jim Gaffigan Show08:30 Brotherhood08:55 Workaholics09:20 Idiotsitter09:45 Nathan For You10:10 Tosh.010:35 Urban Tarzan11:00 Urban Tarzan11:25 Disaster Date11:50 Comedy Central PresentsComedy 3alwagef12:18 Impractical Jokers12:40 Impractical Jokers VIIISpecial - Unseen Scenes13:05 Impractical Jokers VIII -Anatomy Of A Challenge13:30 Nathan For You13:55 The Jim Gaffigan Show14:20 Brotherhood14:45 Workaholics15:10 Friends15:35 Ridiculousness Arabia16:00 Comedy Central PresentsComedy 3alwagef

16:30 Impractical Jokers16:55 Workaholics17:20 Brotherhood17:45 Idiotsitter18:10 The Jim Gaffigan Show18:35 Impractical Jokers VIIISpecial - Unseen Scenes19:00 Impractical Jokers VIII -Anatomy Of A Challenge19:25 Impractical Jokers19:50 Friends20:35 Real Husbands Of Hollywood21:00 The Daily Show With TrevorNoah21:30 Detroiters22:00 Tosh.022:50 Real Husbands Of Hollywood23:15 South Park23:40 The Daily Show With TrevorNoah

00:30 Playhouse Masters01:20 React To That02:10 World’s Top 503:00 Ultimate Survival03:50 Destroyed In Seconds04:40 How It’s Made05:05 How It’s Made05:30 Playhouse Masters06:20 Mythbusters07:00 Playhouse Masters07:50 Finding Bigfoot08:40 How It’s Made09:05 How It’s Made09:30 Mythbusters10:20 Ultimate Survival11:10 Don’t Drive Here12:00 Hello World!12:25 Hello World!12:50 How It’s Made13:15 How It’s Made13:40 How It’s Made14:05 How It’s Made17:00 Don’t Drive Here17:50 Incredible Food Race18:40 Kids Do The Craziest Things19:05 Kids Do The Craziest Things19:30 How It’s Made19:55 How It’s Made20:20 Destroyed In Seconds20:45 Destroyed In Seconds21:10 Don’t Drive Here22:00 Animal Nation With AnthonyAnderson22:50 Ultimate Survival23:40 Finding Bigfoot

00:30 Ghost Asylum01:20 Adnan Syed: Innocent OrGuilty?02:10 True Nightmares03:00 Forbidden: Dying For Love03:48 Disappeared04:36 California Investigator05:01 California Investigator05:24 I Almost Got Away With It06:12 Beauty Queen Murders07:00 Disappeared07:50 California Investigator08:15 California Investigator08:40 I Almost Got Away With It09:30 Beauty Queen Murders10:20 Vanity Fair Confidential11:10 Disappeared12:00 Disappeared12:50 California Investigator13:15 California Investigator13:40 I Almost Got Away With It14:30 Beauty Queen Murders15:20 Vanity Fair Confidential16:10 Unravelled17:00 Disappeared17:50 California Investigator18:15 California Investigator18:40 I Almost Got Away With It19:30 Beauty Queen Murders20:20 Vanity Fair Confidential21:10 Evil Online22:00 Evil Online22:50 I Am Homicide23:40 Ghost Brothers

00:00 Hank Zipzer00:25 Alex & Co.00:45 The Hive00:50 Evermoor Chronicles01:15 Sabrina Secrets Of A TeenageWitch02:05 Binny And The Ghost02:30 Binny And The Ghost02:55 Hank Zipzer03:15 The Hive03:20 Hank Zipzer03:45 Alex & Co.04:10 Alex & Co.04:35 Sabrina Secrets Of A TeenageWitch05:00 Sabrina Secrets Of A TeenageWitch05:25 Binny And The Ghost05:45 The Hive05:50 Rolling With The Ronks06:00 Jessie06:25 Liv And Maddie06:50 Tsum Tsum Shorts06:55 Descendants 2: It’s GoingDown07:20 Elena Of Avalor07:45 Miraculous Tales Of Ladybug& Cat Noir08:10 Bunk’d08:35 Bunk’d09:00 K.C. Undercover09:25 K.C. Undercover09:50 Stuck In The Middle10:15 Stuck In The Middle10:40 Adventures In Babysitting12:10 The Zhuzhus12:20 Liv And Maddie12:45 Liv And Maddie13:10 Bizaardvark13:35 Bizaardvark14:00 Jessie14:25 Descendants 2: It’s GoingDown14:50 Bizaardvark15:15 Elena Of Avalor15:40 Stuck In The Middle16:05 Liv And Maddie16:30 Descendants Wicked World16:35 Bunk’d17:00 K.C. Undercover17:25 Miraculous Tales Of Ladybug& Cat Noir17:50 Girl Meets World18:15 Star Wars Forces Of Destiny18:20 Bizaardvark18:45 Best Friends Whenever19:10 Disney Mickey Mouse19:15 Liv And Maddie19:40 Elena Of Avalor20:05 Jessie20:30 Cracke20:35 K.C. Undercover21:00 K.C. Undercover21:25 Stuck In The Middle21:50 Sunny Bunnies21:55 Bunk’d22:20 Miraculous Tales Of Ladybug& Cat Noir22:45 Lolirock23:05 Disney Mickey Mouse23:10 Sabrina Secrets Of A TeenageWitch23:35 Binny And The Ghost

00:00 Henry Hugglemonster00:15 Calimero00:30 Art Attack00:55 Henry Hugglemonster01:05 Loopdidoo01:20 Henry Hugglemonster01:35 Calimero01:50 Henry Hugglemonster02:05 Art Attack02:30 Henry Hugglemonster02:40 Loopdidoo02:55 Henry Hugglemonster03:10 Art Attack03:35 Loopdidoo03:50 Calimero04:05 Art Attack04:30 Henry Hugglemonster04:45 Henry Hugglemonster05:00 Art Attack05:30 Henry Hugglemonster05:45 Loopdidoo06:00 Henry Hugglemonster06:15 Calimero06:30 Loopdidoo06:45 Henry Hugglemonster07:00 Sofia The First07:30 The Lion Guard08:00 Mickey And The RoadsterRacers08:30 Doc McStuffins09:00 Jake And The Never LandPirates09:45 Minnie’s Bow-Toons10:00 Jake And The Never LandPirates10:30 Mickey And The RoadsterRacers11:00 PJ Masks11:30 My Friends Tigger & Pooh12:00 Goldie & Bear12:30 Sofia The First13:00 Jake And The Never LandPirates13:30 PJ Masks14:00 My Friends Tigger & Pooh14:30 The Lion Guard15:00 Sheriff Callie’s Wild West15:30 Mickey And The RoadsterRacers16:00 Sofia The First16:30 Miles From Tomorrow16:45 Doc McStuffins17:15 The Lion Guard17:45 Sofia The First18:15 Goldie & Bear18:45 Mickey And The RoadsterRacers19:15 Doc McStuffins Toy Hospital19:45 PJ Masks20:15 The Lion Guard20:45 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse21:15 Goldie & Bear21:45 Doc McStuffins Toy Hospital22:15 Goldie & Bear22:45 Jake And The Never LandPirates23:30 Minnie’s Bow-Toons23:45 Loopdidoo

00:20 Misfit Garage01:05 The Island With Bear Grylls01:50 Bear Grylls: Mission Survive02:35 Boy To Man03:20 Fast N’ Loud04:05 Kings Of The Wild04:50 Alaska: The Last Frontier05:35 How Do They Do It?06:00 Outback Truckers06:45 Misfit Garage07:30 Fast N’ Loud08:15 Kings Of The Wild09:00 Storage Hunters UK09:25 How Do They Do It?09:47 How Do They Do It?10:10 The Island With Bear Grylls10:55 Bear Grylls: Mission Survive11:40 Boy To Man12:25 How Do They Do It?12:47 Storage Hunters UK13:10 Alaska: The Last Frontier13:55 Kings Of The Wild14:40 Outback Truckers15:25 Fast N’ Loud16:10 Misfit Garage17:00 How Do They Do It?17:25 How Do They Do It?17:50 Garage Gold18:20 Garage Gold18:50 Kings Of The Wild19:40 How Do They Do It?20:10 How Do They Do It?20:35 How Do They Do It?21:00 Strip The City21:50 Abandoned Engineering22:40 Breaking Magic23:30 Fast N’ Loud

06:00 Disney1106:25 Supa Strikas06:50 Marvel’s Spider-Man07:15 Right NOW Kapow07:40 Mech-X408:05 Star Wars: The FreemakerAdventures08:10 Lab Rats08:35 Lab Rats09:00 Lab Rats12:00 The Suite Life Movie13:30 Phineas & Ferb13:45 Zeke And Luther14:10 Disney Mickey Mouse14:15 Gamer’s Guide To PrettyMuch Everything14:40 Gravity Falls15:05 Lab Rats Elite Force15:30 Milo Murphy’s Law15:55 Right NOW Kapow16:25 Walk The Prank16:50 Penn Zero: Part Time Hero17:15 Mech-X417:40 Marvel’s Spider-Man18:05 Supa Strikas18:30 Star Wars: The FreemakerAdventures18:35 Disney1119:00 Lab Rats19:25 Right NOW Kapow19:50 Marvel’s Rocket And Groot19:55 Mech-X420:20 Walk The Prank20:45 Gamer’s Guide To PrettyMuch Everything21:10 Gravity Falls21:35 Marvel’s Rocket And Groot21:40 Disney Mickey Mouse21:45 Lab Rats: Bionic Island22:35 Phineas And Ferb23:00 Programmes Start At 6:00am

00:05 WAGs Miami00:55 WAGs Miami01:50 E! News02:50 Celebrity Style Story03:20 Celebrity Style Story03:50 So Cosmo04:40 So Cosmo05:30 Celebrity Style Story06:00 Just Jillian06:55 E! News07:10 Just Jillian

08:10 E! News: Daily Pop09:10 Keeping Up With TheKardashians15:10 Keeping Up With TheKardashians16:05 Keeping Up With TheKardashians20:00 Hollywood Medium WithTyler Henry21:00 Hollywood Medium WithTyler Henry23:00 E! News23:15 Eric And Jessie23:40 Eric And Jessie

00:00 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives00:30 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives01:00 Man Fire Food01:30 Man Fire Food02:00 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives02:30 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives03:00 Man Fire Food03:30 Man Fire Food04:00 Chopped05:00 Guy’s Grocery Games06:00 Barefoot Contessa06:25 Barefoot Contessa06:50 Anna Olson: Fresh07:15 The Kitchen08:05 The Pioneer Woman08:30 The Pioneer Woman08:55 Siba’s Table: Fast Feasts09:25 Siba’s Table: Fast Feasts09:55 Cooking For Real10:25 Cooking For Real10:55 The Kitchen11:45 Bake With Anna Olson12:10 The Pioneer Woman12:35 The Pioneer Woman13:00 Siba’s Table: Fast Feasts13:30 Siba’s Table: Fast Feasts14:00 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives14:30 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives15:00 Chopped16:00 The Kitchen17:00 Cooking For Real17:30 Cooking For Real18:00 Chopped19:00 Guy’s Grocery Games20:00 Chopped21:00 Chopped South Africa22:00 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives22:30 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives23:00 Chopped

00:10 Chopping Block01:00 Emmerdale01:30 Coronation Street02:00 Coronation Street02:25 Paul O’Grady: For The LoveOf Dogs02:50 Catchphrase03:25 Doctor Thorne04:20 The Jonathan Ross Show05:15 Couples Come Dine With Me06:10 Chopping Block07:00 Paul O’Grady: For The LoveOf Dogs07:25 Catchphrase08:00 Doctor Thorne09:00 The Jonathan Ross Show10:00 Couples Come Dine With Me10:55 Chopping Block11:45 Paul O’Grady: For The LoveOf Dogs12:10 Catchphrase12:45 Emmerdale13:15 Coronation Street13:45 Coronation Street14:15 Chopping Block15:10 The Chase16:00 Midsomer Murders17:50 Couples Come Dine With Me18:45 Emmerdale19:15 Coronation Street19:45 Coronation Street20:10 The Chase21:00 Midsomer Murders22:50 Emmerdale23:15 Coronation Street23:40 Coronation Street

00:00 Ancient Discoveries01:00 Weapons At War02:00 In Search Of Aliens02:50 Ancient Aliens03:40 Ancient Aliens04:30 The Greeks05:20 Ancient Discoveries06:10 The Universe07:00 Weapons At War08:00 In Search Of Aliens09:00 Ancient Aliens10:00 Ancient Aliens11:00 The Greeks12:00 Ancient Discoveries13:00 Weapons At War14:00 In Search Of Aliens15:00 Ancient Aliens16:00 Ancient Aliens17:00 The Universe18:00 Ancient Discoveries19:00 Weapons At War20:00 In Search Of Aliens21:00 Ancient Aliens22:00 United Stuff Of America23:00 The Greeks

00:20 Mountain Men01:10 New Age Of Terror02:45 Pawn Stars03:15 American Pickers04:05 Pawn Stars04:30 Pawn Stars05:00 Swamp People06:00 Big Easy Motors06:25 Big Easy Motors06:50 Duck Dynasty07:40 Counting Cars08:30 Pawn Stars09:20 Aussie Pickers10:10 Ax Men11:00 Car Hunters11:25 Car Hunters11:50 Duck Dynasty12:15 Duck Dynasty12:40 Counting Cars13:05 Counting Cars13:30 Time Team14:20 Swamp People15:10 Alone16:00 Time Team16:50 Swamp People17:40 Mountain Men18:30 Swamp People19:20 Mountain Men20:10 Cars That Made America21:50 Forged In Fire22:40 Forged In Fire23:30 Cars That Made America

00:45 The Shelbourne01:10 Street Food Around TheWorld01:40 Gok’s Chinese Takeaway

02:35 Carnival Eats03:00 Testing The Menu With NicWatt03:30 Miguel’s Tropical Kitchen03:55 Miguel’s Tropical Kitchen04:25 Chocolate Covered04:50 Chocolate Covered05:20 Lee Chan’s World Food Tour05:45 John Torode’s MalaysianAdventure06:15 Around The World In 80Dishes07:10 Gok’s Chinese Takeaway08:05 Carnival Eats08:30 Testing The Menu With NicWatt09:00 Miguel’s Tropical Kitchen09:25 Miguel’s Tropical Kitchen09:55 Chocolate Covered10:20 Chocolate Covered10:50 Lee Chan’s World Food Tour11:15 John Torode’s MalaysianAdventure11:45 Around The World In 80Dishes12:40 Gok’s Chinese Takeaway13:35 A Is For Apple14:00 Carnival Eats14:30 Miguel’s Tropical Kitchen14:55 Miguel’s Tropical Kitchen15:25 Chocolate Covered15:50 Chocolate Covered16:20 John Torode’s MalaysianAdventure16:45 John Torode’s MalaysianAdventure17:15 Around The World In 80Dishes18:10 My Pacific Quest19:05 Chocolate Covered19:30 Chocolate Covered20:00 John Torode’s MalaysianAdventure20:30 John Torode’s MalaysianAdventure21:00 Around The World In 80Dishes22:00 My Pacific Quest22:55 Gok’s Chinese Takeaway23:50 A Is For Apple

00:10 Big Fish, Texas01:00 Wicked Tuna02:00 Air Crash Investigation03:00 Seconds From Disaster03:30 Seconds From Disaster04:00 Big Fish, Texas05:00 Britain’s Greatest Machines06:00 Salvage Code Red07:00 Genius08:00 Dog Whisperer09:00 Sea Patrol10:00 Nazi World War Weird11:00 Pope vs Hitler13:00 Incredibly Small World14:00 Exploring Malaysia14:30 Exploring Malaysia15:00 Dog Whisperer16:00 Nazi World War Weird17:00 Last Days Of Man18:00 Last Days Of Man19:00 Dark Secrets Of The Lusitania20:00 Nazi World War Weird20:50 Last Days Of Man21:40 Last Days Of Man22:30 Dark Secrets Of The Lusitania23:20 Exploring Malaysia23:45 Exploring Malaysia

00:20 Crocpocalypse01:10 Monster Fish: Fantastic Beasts02:00 Man-Eater Of The Congo02:50 Monster Fish03:45 Man v. Animal04:10 Man v. Animal04:40 Caught In The Act05:35 Man-Eater Of The Congo06:30 Monster Fish07:25 Man v. Animal07:50 Man v. Animal08:20 Caught In The Act09:15 Warrior Bees10:10 World’s Deadliest Killers11:05 Strangest Bird Alive12:00 River Jaws: Monster Catfish12:55 Dragon Island13:50 Monster Fish14:45 Man v. Animal15:10 Man v. Animal15:40 The Monster Project16:35 Cougar v. Wolf17:30 Savage Kingdom18:25 Bite, Sting, Kill19:20 Man v. Animal19:45 Man v. Animal20:10 The Monster Project21:00 Cougar v. Wolf21:50 Savage Kingdom22:40 Bite, Sting, Kill23:30 River Jaws: Monster Catfish

00:12 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles00:36 Rabbids Invasion01:00 Rabbids Invasion01:24 Sanjay And Craig01:48 Sanjay And Craig02:12 Winx Club02:36 Winx Club03:00 Harvey Beaks03:24 Harvey Beaks03:48 The Loud House04:12 The Loud House04:36 Breadwinners05:00 Breadwinners05:24 Get Blake05:48 SpongeBob SquarePants06:12 SpongeBob SquarePants06:36 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles07:00 The Loud House07:24 Rabbids Invasion07:48 Get Blake08:12 Harvey Beaks08:36 Sanjay And Craig09:00 Rank The Prank09:24 Henry Danger09:48 100 Things To Do Before HighSchool10:12 Game Shakers10:36 Regal Academy11:00 Winx Club11:24 SpongeBob SquarePants11:48 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles12:12 The Loud House12:36 Rabbids Invasion13:00 Breadwinners13:24 Sanjay And Craig13:48 Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn14:12 School Of Rock14:36 100 Things To Do Before HighSchool15:00 Hunter Street15:24 Breadwinners15:48 SpongeBob SquarePants16:12 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles16:36 The Loud House17:00 Sanjay And Craig17:24 Harvey Beaks17:48 Hunter Street18:12 Henry Danger18:36 Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn19:00 School Of Rock19:24 Game Shakers19:48 The Thundermans20:12 SpongeBob SquarePants

20:36 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles21:00 The Loud House21:24 Sanjay And Craig21:48 Rabbids Invasion22:12 Breadwinners22:36 Harvey Beaks23:00 SpongeBob SquarePants23:24 SpongeBob SquarePants23:48 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

00:01 Max & Ruby00:23 Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom00:34 Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom00:45 The Day Henry Met00:50 The Day Henry Met00:55 Blaze And The MonsterMachines01:18 Blaze And The MonsterMachines01:40 Zack & Quack02:01 Shimmer And Shine02:23 Olive The Ostrich02:28 Olive The Ostrich02:34 Paw Patrol02:57 Little Charmers03:09 Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom03:21 Dora The Explorer03:43 Max & Ruby04:07 The Day Henry Met04:12 Nella The Princess Knight04:35 Shimmer And Shine04:58 Wallykazam!05:21 Zack & Quack05:32 The Day Henry Met05:38 Blaze And The MonsterMachines06:00 Rusty Rivets06:13 Paw Patrol06:37 Dora The Explorer07:00 Zack & Quack07:21 Bubble Guppies07:44 Blaze And The MonsterMachines08:07 Paw Patrol08:30 Shimmer And Shine08:53 Nella The Princess Knight09:15 The Day Henry Met09:22 Paw Patrol09:45 Rusty Rivets09:57 Wallykazam!10:20 Fresh Beat Band Of Spies10:42 Zack & Quack10:52 Team Umizoomi11:15 Shimmer And Shine11:39 Shimmer And Shine12:01 Max & Ruby12:25 Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom12:36 Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom12:47 The Day Henry Met12:52 The Day Henry Met12:57 Blaze And The MonsterMachines13:19 Blaze And The MonsterMachines13:41 Zack & Quack14:03 Shimmer And Shine14:25 Olive The Ostrich14:30 Olive The Ostrich14:35 Paw Patrol14:58 Little Charmers15:10 Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom15:22 Dora The Explorer15:44 Max & Ruby16:06 The Day Henry Met16:11 Nella The Princess Knight16:35 Shimmer And Shine16:59 Wallykazam!17:21 Zack & Quack17:32 The Day Henry Met17:38 Blaze And The MonsterMachines18:00 Rusty Rivets18:13 Paw Patrol18:37 Dora The Explorer19:00 Zack & Quack19:21 Bubble Guppies19:44 Blaze And The MonsterMachines20:07 Paw Patrol20:30 Shimmer And Shine20:53 Nella The Princess Knight21:15 The Day Henry Met21:22 Paw Patrol21:45 Rusty Rivets21:57 Wallykazam!22:20 Fresh Beat Band Of Spies22:42 Zack & Quack22:52 Team Umizoomi23:15 Shimmer And Shine23:39 Shimmer And Shine

00:20 The Shaggy Dog02:00 Hocus Pocus03:40 Treasure Planet05:20 I’ll Be Home For Christmas06:50 Hocus Pocus08:30 The Shaggy Dog10:15 Tinker Bell And The LostTreasure11:45 Treasure Planet13:30 The Emperor’s New Groove15:00 Kronk’s New Groove16:20 The Parent Trap18:30 The Haunted Mansion20:00 Pirates Of The Caribbean:Curse Of The Black Pearl22:25 The Emperor’s New Groove23:50 Kronk’s New Groove

01:10 Hector And The Search ForHappiness03:10 Once I Was A Beehive05:10 Fierce Creatures06:45 Impromptu08:35 Once I Was A Beehive10:35 Fierce Creatures12:15 Impromptu14:15 Babe: Pig In The City16:05 Leap Of Faith18:05 Father Of The Bride20:00 What’s Your Number?21:50 The House Bunny23:30 My Man Is A Loser

00:05 Barry Lyndon03:10 The Client05:15 The End Of The Tour07:10 Steve Jobs: The Man In TheMachine09:25 Goal!11:30 The Client13:35 East Side Sushi15:35 The Age Of Adaline17:35 I Am Bolt19:30 Reds22:50 99 Homes

00:25 Tom And Jerry: Back To Oz01:55 Space Dogs 2: Adventure ToThe Moon03:20 Operation Arctic05:00 Ratchet And Clank06:40Vickie And The Treasure Of Gods08:25 Mune09:55 Azur & Asmar: The Prince’sQuest

11:35 Catcher: Cat City 213:05 Operation Arctic14:45 Ratchet And Clank16:25 Hocus Pocus Alfie Atkins17:45 Azur & Asmar: The Prince’sQuest19:30 Rh+ The Vampire Of Seville20:55 Frog Kingdom22:30 Hocus Pocus Alfie Atkins23:45 Mune

00:40 Black Snake Moan02:40 Joy04:45 A.I. Artificial Intelligence07:10 Rocky Balboa08:55 Up Close And Personal11:00 Before We Go12:40 Joy14:45 Last Action Hero17:00 Kicking And Screaming18:40 This Means War20:20 Pretty Woman22:20 Boyz In The Hood

00:30 How Do They Do It?00:55 Food Factory01:20 Through The Wormhole WithMorgan Freeman02:10 Invent It Rich03:00 The Future Of...03:48 Mythbusters04:36 How Do They Do It?05:00 Food Factory05:24 Through The Wormhole WithMorgan Freeman06:12 Invent It Rich07:00 How Do They Do It?07:26 The Future Of...08:14 Mythbusters09:02 Invent It Rich09:50 How Do They Do It?10:14 Food Factory10:38 Through The Wormhole WithMorgan Freeman11:26 The Future Of...12:14 Mythbusters13:02 How Do They Do It?13:26 Food Factory13:50 Invent It Rich14:38 The Future Of...15:26 Through The Wormhole WithMorgan Freeman16:14 Mythbusters17:02 Invent It Rich17:50 The Future Of...18:40 Mythbusters19:30 Hacking The Wild20:20 How Do They Do It?20:45 Food Factory21:10 Invent It Rich22:00 Hacking The Wild22:50 The Future Of...23:40 Mythbusters

00:30 The Faculty02:15 King Arthur04:15 There Will Be Blood06:50 Hurricane Season08:30 The Pledge10:30 Good Will Hunting12:45 Shanghai14:30 King Arthur16:30 Closed Circuit18:15 The Faculty20:00 Daddy And Them21:45 John Rabe23:30 John Rabe

00:00 Grey’s Anatomy03:00 Fashion Star04:00 House Of DVF05:00 MAFS: The First Year06:00 Grey’s Anatomy09:00 Fashion Star10:00 House Of DVF11:00 MAFS: The First Year12:00 Grey’s Anatomy15:00 Fashion Star16:00 House Of DVF17:00 MAFS: The First Year18:00 Cedar Cove21:00 Fashion Star22:00 House Of DVF23:00 MAFS: The First Year

00:20 Diagnose Me01:05 An Hour To Save Your Life01:50 Monsters Inside Me02:35 Finding My Twin Stranger03:20 Sister Wives04:05 Toddlers & Tiaras04:50 Your Style In His Hands05:35 Say Yes To The Dress:Bridesmaids06:00 Obsessive CompulsiveCleaners06:45 Oprah: Where Are TheyNow?07:30 Oprah’s Master Class08:15 Sister Wives09:00 Cake Boss09:25 Toddlers & Tiaras10:10 Obsessive CompulsiveCleaners10:55 Two In A Million: Boys OfSteel11:40 Outdaughtered: Busby Quints12:25 Finding My Twin Stranger13:10 Say Yes To The Dress UK13:55 Toddlers & Tiaras14:40 Sister Wives15:25 Two In A Million: Boys OnFire16:10 Love At First Swipe16:35 Cake Boss17:00 Oprah: Where Are TheyNow?17:50 Obsessive CompulsiveCleaners: Country House...18:50 Your Style In His Hands19:40 Say Yes To The Dress:Bridesmaids20:10 Cake Boss21:00 My 600lb Life: Where AreThey Now?21:50 The Day I Almost Died22:40 Bizarre ER23:30 90 Days To Wed

00:00 Most Terrifying Places InAmerica01:00 Mysteries At The Museum02:00 Bizarre Foods With AndrewZimmern03:00 Booze Traveler04:00 Titanic: Mysteries At TheMuseum05:00 Most Terrifying Places InAmerica06:00 Mysteries At The Museum07:00 House Hunters International09:00 Texas Flip And Move10:00 Hotel Impossible

You are willing to lend a helping hand to a friend today. Your psychologi-cal understanding of others is fine tuned and you are able to understand a situation orplea for help in short time. You have resources and can quickly access a situation andfind avenues of help that will make a positive difference in this person’s life. Feeling goodabout yourself this afternoon, you may take some time to browse through a bookstoreor department store and enjoy the lights and activities around you. Be careful that youdo not overspend or indulge too much for now. You are happy to have friendly peoplearound you this evening that basically have similar interests. Communication is interest-ing and inspiring. Laughter is easily enjoyed.

Aries (March 21-April 19)

STAR TRACK

Legal issues are in the air. Just wave your hand above your head and youwill pick a topic out of the air. Today, this strong inclination toward the legal, justice andbalance type of issues may come to you through a volunteer situation that you see needsattention. This could be helping to do research for the pro bono projects that come aboutwhen the special-needs citizen needs counsel. Perhaps you could create a group of peo-ple that want to eventually work in the legal system and want to gain experience and tobe helpful to those that cannot afford legal help. You feel a love of order and law—anappreciation for responsibility and duty. You could find you are appreciated for yourability to act and get things done. Express yourself; your heart will be lifted.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

You are fulfilled by meeting challenges and overcoming obstacles today.You could be excited about working with someone new. Your directional

abilities are in high focus. You find that you can think things through and really use yourmind to make clear choices. Career decisions are straightforward and easy to make. Achange in your environment is on the horizon. You could receive unexpected help from asenior or someone in command. A person or teacher could appear. Deep and penetratinganalysis, particularly with a group or in relation to your situation, may be beneficial. Funand sometimes mind-boggling conversations send you into some research hunting thisevening. Perhaps you are fascinated by an awareness of some scientific discovery.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

Challenges call for a check-up regarding your nutritional intake and yourstamina capabilities. If these are not up to par, you could be left with a con-

fused feeling and perhaps a headache. Before the day gets underway, make sure yournutrition is taken care of and your frame of mind is positive. You could be helping otherslearn how to live a less stressful life. Thinking things through, accounting for all the details,making careful measurements—these and similar experiences keep your mind active andinvolved. An interest in health and work may come into focus. You attract money today.This is a very good day for job-related events. There are opportunities to correct, changeor improve on working situations. You are very motivated.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Leo (July 23-August 22)

Deep and penetrating analysis, particularly with a group or in relation toyour situation, may be in order. Others could seek you out for your psychological insightand understanding. Consider making changes in your environment. Finding answers takeson a special significance now. This is another good day for requesting that someonereturn a loan. There is a heightened interest in getting things organized into a rationalsystem. Partnerships, especially those involving business contacts, are agreeable for thisnext week—now is the time to get the presentation in order. There is an opportunity toattend a social event this evening. If you decide to go . . . You will be most elegant. Yourcaring attitude toward others attracts people to you.

Virgo (August 23-September 22)

A young person may need your guidance and today is a good time to helpthis person think through some decisions. Helping those who cannot help themselves—and getting such help if you need it—is very important to you. A creative part of you isunleashed this afternoon and you spend a great deal of time with a hobby or inventionthat will sell very well if you decide to sell. You might consider getting a patent on yourwork so that only you can make a claim to your invention. There is a cornucopia of sub-jects in which you could delve into now that would help quench your need to escape. Takea day away from your daily work. Pump a little iron this evening and get the body ener-gized and refreshed. Consider a light meal for tonight.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

This day begins and ends with positive communication. Friends may seekyou out for your guidance regarding some future event, perhaps issues surrounding areunion or some other gathering like a charity ball. You will be able to handle any of thequestions without any difficulties and quick results benefit many. Getting several differentgroups together for committees will help make the event be more organized and present-able. Although all of this attention may make you feel important, you will be very happy tobe in a less demanding situation. You can relax tonight. A date night may not be a latenight but it has the potential of being a delightful evening. Perhaps you will enjoy a movie

or a pizza dinner.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21)

You will be able to dedicate more time to your loved ones this evening butfor now, you may feel the push to complete tasks and get down to your day

job. It is easy to reach burnout by stretching your physical energies—try to set a reason-able pace. Relationships—romantic, business, social—are the arena where this drama isplayed. Try a new approach with your loved one that would involve open communication .. . Plan a weekend getaway for the near future. In coming to know the other person, thereis a better understanding of the individual self. Marriage is strongly indicated. Harmony islong lasting. You are coming to a period of greater than usual emphasis on emotionalsecurity, which is likely to manifest as putting down roots somehow.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

You are willing to work hard, particularly when you know you are onlymoments away from achieving the results you desire. Get your ideas out

there. Business travel or conferences provide an excellent forum for your plans. This busi-ness travel may also allow you to meet others who are on a path similar to yours. Todayyou will meet influential people that will help you advance in your career. Everythingseems to be working to your advantage. Be willing to return the favor to a young co-worker this afternoon. Clear decisions are getting easier to find; thank goodness. Thisevening is a good time for surrounding yourself with friends and for having a good time.You appreciate your particular situation and enjoy support from those around you.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

There is a need to be respected—it is an emotionally charged issue at thistime. Watch yourself move throughout the day and make note of how you respond,progress, solve problems, laugh and perhaps just how you relate to others, and you willeither gain a confirmation that will help you gain confidence or you will see positive waysto make yourself known. This is the time of recognition and it doesn’t necessarily mean therecognition of others. This afternoon it is important to read the directions when it comesto a technical problem. A handbook or the nearby hardware store is packed withresources you need. You are able to adjust, change or fix the technical problem; cheer.Tonight there are pleasant surprises from a family member.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18)

CROSSWORD 1726

ACROSS1. A strong-smelling plant from whosedried leaves a number of euphoriant andhallucinogenic drugs are prepared.5. A salt used especially in baking pow-der.11. God of death.15. A collection of things (goods orworks of art etc.) for public display.16. A port city of south central Ukraineon an arm of the Black Sea.17. Any culture medium that uses agar asthe gelling agent.18. A commercial leavening agent con-taining yeast cells.19. A proteolytic enzyme obtained fromthe unripe papaya.20. Type genus of the Majidae.21. A smiler whose smile is offensivelyself-satisfied.23. A feeling of intense anger.24. The eleventh month of the civil year.25. An awkward stupid person.29. A crystalline metallic element notfound in nature.31. A plant hormone promoting elonga-tion of stems and roots.32. Always the same.34. A flat wing-shaped process or wing-like part of an organism.37. Of or relating to acetone.40. Large hawk of the northern hemi-sphere that feeds chiefly on small rodentsand is beneficial to farmers.43. Small genus of erect perennial shrub-by herbs.44. Genus of sticky herbs with yellowflowers open in morning or evening butclosed in bright light.45. (botany) Of or relating to the axil.48. The capital and largest city of SouthKorea.49. Type genus of the Aceraceae.50. Cubes of meat marinated and cookedon a skewer usually with vegetables.51. The extreme end of something.52. A historical region of southwesternIndia on the west coast.55. The money risked on a gamble.58. The most common computer memorywhich can be used by programs to per-form necessary tasks while the computeris on.59. A port city in southwestern Turkey onthe Gulf of Antalya.61. Irish abbess.65. A wind instrument.69. A river in north central Switzerlandthat runs northeast into the Rhine.70. Characteristic of or relating to win-ter.73. A republic in southern Europe on theItalian Peninsula.74. A benevolent aspect of Devi.75. A pungent colorless unsaturated liq-uid aldehyde made from propene.77. The sense organ for hearing andequilibrium.78. East Indian tree bearing a profusionof intense vermilion velvet-texturedblooms and yielding a yellow dye.79. Rootless carnivorous swamp plantshaving at the base of the stem a rosetteof foliage and trap-leaves consisting ofslender tubes swollen in the middle.80. (Irish) Mother of the ancient Irishgods.

DOWN1. The compass point that is one pointsouth of southeast.2. A set of questions or exercises evalu-ating skill or knowledge.3. Small branch or division of a branch.4. A Chadic language spoken in Chad.5. The capital of the state of Kansas.6. The sixth month of the civil year.7. Informal abbreviation of `representa-tive'.8. The wife or widow of a czar.9. Of or relating to or characteristic ofAsia or the peoples of Asia or their lan-guages or culture.10. Reindeer or caribou.11. A member of a Mayan people ofsouthwestern Guatemala.12. Title for a civil or military leader(especially in Turkey).13. The seventh month of the Moslemcalendar.14. An anti-TNF compound (trade nameArava) that is given orally.22. The basic unit of money in Zambia.26. (Sumerian) Evil storm god represent-ed as a black bird.27. A group of animals (a herd or flock)moving together.28. Any member of the Amniota.30. A waste pipe that carries awaysewage or surface water.33. United States inventor who manufac-tured the first elevator with a safetydevice (1811-1861).35. American poet (born in England)(1907-1973).36. Of a period of maximal use ordemand or activity.38. A member of a people inhabiting theArctic (northern Canada or Greenland orAlaska or eastern Siberia).39. Colony of the United Kingdom locat-ed on a limestone promontory at thesouthern tip of Spain.41. United States financier (born inFrance) who helped finance the War of1812 (1750-1831).42. Fleshy spore-bearing inner mass ofe.g. a puffball or stinkhorn.46. In bed.47. (British) Property that provides taxincome for local governments.53. A motley assortment of things.54. Punish with an arbitrary penalty.56. An island in the Aegean Sea in theSaronic Gulf.57. Deeply moved.60. A white soft metallic element thattarnishes readily.62. Avatar of Vishnu.63. A republic in the Middle East inwestern Asia.64. A circular segment of a curve.66. The United Nations agency con-cerned with atomic energy.67. A series of steps to be carried out orgoals to be accomplished.68. Long-bodied long-tailed tropicalAmerican wildcat.71. The molecular weight of a substanceexpressed in grams.72. American prizefighter who won theworld heavyweight championship threetimes (born in 1942).76. That is to say.

Yesterday’s Solution

Yesterday’s SolutionDaily SuDoku

Wordsearch Puzzle

There is a yearning to broaden your horizons and reach for the ultimateexperience, although it is only a regular workday. Settle down and think

about planning some adventure so that your day-to-day challenges will not seem so bor-ing. Law, politics, education, travel and religion are some of the areas where an emotional-ly-charged drama will be played. This could be a difficult time to relax and remain calm asyou may not appreciate the easy way or clear-cut option and may choose instead a moredifficult path. Get out-of-doors and enjoy some fresh air this evening. Later, you will havetime to be quiet and enjoy some relaxation time by yourself—regain some focus. Do aneighbor a favor this evening. Run an errand or fix a hinge.

With you, dreams and ideals have become a way of life. You seek to bringthem down to earth and make them real. You will, as a song says, never let

your dreams depart. Yours is a path leading to a career in music, mysticism or the arts.You understand the forest behind the trees and the unity beyond all separateness. Youcould discover yourself through creativity and self-expression, especially at this time.Increased confidence and a more outgoing manner may be the key that opens new doorsin your career. A kind of romantic thinking characterizes your approach to life thisevening. This could mean a longing for a soul mate or a yearning to save the world; itcould mean carrying a torch, as well. Secret loves, lost loves—all you need is love.

Yesterday’s Solution

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

26S t a r s

Established 1961

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

DIAL161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Arrival Flights on Wednesday 4/10/2017Airlines Flt Route TimeTHY 772 Istanbul 00:10

JZR 553 Alexandria 00:15

KAC 786 Jeddah 00:30

JZR 267 Beirut 00:35

KAC 102 London 00:55

BRZ 211 TBS 01:00

DLH 635 Doha 01:00

JZR 539 Cairo 01:20

MSR 618 Alexandria 01:35

UAE 853 Dubai 01:40

RJA 642 Amman 01:45

THY 1464 Istanbul 01:50

KKK 6506 Istanbul 01:55

KLM 446 Bahrain 02:05

PGT 830 Istanbul 02:10

QTR 1086 Doha 02:10

ETH 620 Addis Ababa 02:15

GFA 211 Bahrain 02:15

KAC 418 Manila 02:50

OMA 643 Muscat 03:05

ETD 305 Abu Dhabi 03:10

KAC 382 Delhi 03:15

MSR 612 Cairo 03:15

FDB 069 Dubai 03:15

QTR 1076 Doha 03:45

KAC 544 Cairo 03:50

KAC 796 Madinah 03:55

RBG 559 Alexandria 04:10

KAC 346 Ahmedabad 04:15

UAE 873 Dubai 04:15

KAC 358 Kochi 04:50

FEG 931 Alexandria 05:00

DHX 170 Bahrain 05:10

THY 770 Istanbul 05:25

KAC 344 Chennai 05:30

KAC 332 Trivandrum 05:40

KAC 362 Colombo 05:50

BAW 157 London 06:05

KAC 284 Dhaka 06:35

KAC 206 Islamabad 06:40

WAN 342 Sohag 06:40

KAC 302 Mumbai 06:55

KAC 156 Istanbul 07:05

FDB 053 Dubai 07:50

KAC 384 Delhi 08:00

UAE 855 Dubai 08:25

ETD 301 Abu Dhabi 08:55

ABY 125 Sharjah 09:00

QTR 1070 Doha 09:25

IRA 665 Shiraz 09:25

FDB 055 Dubai 09:40

IRC 6511 ABD 09:50

IRM 1188 Mashhad 09:55

MSC 415 Sohag 10:15

GFA 213 Bahrain 10:40

MEA 404 Beirut 10:55

WAN 114 Bahrain 11:00

QTR 1074 Doha 11:00

SYR 341 Damascus 11:00

AXB 889 Mangalore/Bahrain 11:05

JZR 561 Sohag 11:10

KAC 614 Bahrain 11:15

KAC 742 Dammam 11:45

JZR 165 Dubai 11:50

IAW 157 Al Najaf 12:00

KAC 774 Riyadh 12:45

UAE 871 Dubai 12:45

THY 766 Istanbul 12:50

FEG 953 Asyut 12:55

KIS 7136 Mashhad 13:00

WAN 954 GYD 13:00

MSR 610 Cairo 13:00

KAC 662 Abu Dhabi 13:15

CLX 792 Luxembourg 13:15

KAC 672 Dubai 13:55

QTR 1078 Doha 14:10

KAC 364 Colombo 14:15

SVA 500 Jeddah 14:15

GFA 221 Bahrain 14:15

KAC 618 Doha 14:20

FDB 059 Dubai 14:20

JZR 903 GYD 14:25

KAC 540 Sharm el-Sheikh 14:35

IRC 6521 Lamerd 14:40

KAC 788 Jeddah 14:55

KAC 304 Mumbai 14:55

KAC 692 Muscat 14:55

KNE 529 Jeddah 14:55

ETD 303 Abu Dhabi 15:05

KAC 562 Amman 15:10

OMA 645 Muscat 15:10

KAC 502 Beirut 15:25

WAN 436 Al Najaf 15:25

KAC 412 Bangkok 15:30

ABY 127 Sharjah 15:35

UAE 857 Dubai 15:45

SAW 705 Damascus 15:50

SVA 504 Madinah 16:00

RJA 640 Amman 16:00

QTR 1072 Doha 16:15

FDB 051 Dubai 16:15

JZR 535 Cairo 16:20

KAC 118 New York 16:25

JZR 787 Riyadh 16:35

NIA 361 Alexandria 16:50

KAC 542 Cairo 17:05

KAC 514 Tehran 17:10

SVA 510 Riyadh 17:15

GFA 215 Bahrain 17:30

JZR 777 Jeddah 17:35

JZR 177 Dubai 17:45

QTR 1080 Doha 18:10

JZR 483 Istanbul 18:30

MSR 620 Cairo 18:30

KAC 512 Mashhad 18:40

UAE 875 Dubai 19:05

GFA 217 Bahrain 19:05

FDB 063 Dubai 19:10

ABY 123 Sharjah 19:20

KAC 154 Istanbul 19:30

KAC 616 Bahrain 19:40

KAC 674 Dubai 19:40

KAC 776 Riyadh 19:50

FDB 057 Dubai 19:50

KAC 104 London 20:00

OMA 647 Muscat 20:05

KAC 620 Doha 20:05

DLH 634 Frankfurt 20:15

MEA 402 Beirut 20:15

QTR 1088 Doha 20:40

KNE 231 Riyadh 20:50

KAC 564 Amman 21:00

KAC 172 Frankfurt 21:05

ETD 307 Abu Dhabi 21:10

KLM 445 Amsterdam 21:15

ALK 229 Colombo 21:15

UAE 859 Dubai 21:15

GFA 219 Bahrain 21:50

QTR 1082 Doha 22:00

ETD 309 Abu Dhabi 22:10

JZR 125 Bahrain 22:15

AIC 975 Chennai/Goa 22:25

BBC 043 Dhaka 22:30

JZR 241 Amman 22:55

RBG 551 Alexandria 23:00

JZR 185 Dubai 23:00

RBG 555 Alexandria 23:25

MSR 2614 Cairo 23:30

FDB 071 Dubai 23:35

PIA 239 Sialkot 23:40

Departure Flights on Wednesday 4/10/2017Airlines Flt Route TimeAIC 988 Hyderabad/Chennai 00:05

JAI 573 Mumbai 00:30

MSR 2615 Cairo 00:30

MSC 406 Sohag 00:30

FDB 072 Dubai 00:30

WAN 341 Sohag 01:30

THY 773 Istanbul 01:40

KAC 363 Colombo 01:55

DLH 635 Frankfurt 02:00

MSR 619 Alexandria 02:35

THY 765 Istanbul 02:50

KKK 6505 Istanbul 02:55

ETH 621 Addis Ababa 03:05

PGT 831 Istanbul 03:10

UAE 854 Dubai 03:30

KLM 446 Amsterdam 03:30

OMA 644 Muscat 04:05

QTR 1087 Doha 04:10

ETD 306 Abu Dhabi 04:10

MSR 613 Cairo 04:15

KAC 417 Manila 04:20

JZR 560 Sohag 04:45

RBG 550 Alexandria 05:00

KAC 103 London 05:00

QTR 1077 Doha 05:30

KAC 303 Mumbai 05:50

FEG 954 Asyut 05:55

UAE 874 Dubai 06:15

RJA 643 Amman 06:25

THY 771 Istanbul 06:25

GFA 212 Bahrain 06:50

FDB 070 Dubai 07:05

JZR 164 Dubai 07:15

KAC 171 Frankfurt 07:50

KAC 501 Beirut 07:50

KAC 613 Bahrain 07:55

BAW 156 London 08:20

FDB 054 Dubai 08:30

KAC 741 Dammam 08:30

KAC 773 Riyadh 08:35

KAC 539 Sharm el-Sheikh 08:40

KAC 661 Abu Dhabi 08:45

BRZ 212 TBS 09:00

KAC 101 London 09:00

JZR 902 GYD 09:00

KAC 117 New York 09:15

KAC 787 Jeddah 09:15

KAC 671 Dubai 09:15

KAC 691 Muscat 09:30

KAC 561 Amman 09:30

JZR 534 Cairo 09:30

ABY 126 Sharjah 09:40

JZR 482 Istanbul 09:40

UAE 856 Dubai 09:50

ETD 302 Abu Dhabi 10:00

KAC 541 Cairo 10:00

KAC 617 Doha 10:15

IRA 664 Shiraz 10:25

KAC 153 Istanbul 10:30

QTR 1071 Doha 10:35

FDB 056 Dubai 10:35

IRC 6522 Lamerd 10:40

AAG 146 IQA 11:00

IRM 1189 Mashhad 11:10

MSC 416 Sohag 11:15

GFA 214 Bahrain 11:35

MEA 405 Beirut 11:55

SYR 342 Latakia 12:00

JZR 776 Jeddah 12:00

AXB 890 Mangalore 12:05

QTR 1075 Doha 12:10

VIZ 205 IQA 12:30

KAC 511 Mashhad 12:45

KAC 513 Tehran 12:45

IAW 158 Al Najaf 13:00

JZR 786 Riyadh 13:10

JZR 176 Dubai 13:10

THY 767 Istanbul 13:45

FEG 932 Alexandria 13:55

MSR 611 Cairo 14:00

KIS 7137 Mashhad 14:00

UAE 872 Dubai 14:15

CLX 792 Hanoi 14:30

GFA 222 Bahrain 15:00

KAC 673 Dubai 15:00

FDB 060 Dubai 15:05

QTR 1079 Doha 15:15

IRC 6512 ABD 15:30

KAC 563 Amman 15:40

SVA 501 Jeddah 15:45

KNE 530 Jeddah 15:55

KAC 619 Doha 16:00

KAC 775 Riyadh 16:05

OMA 646 Muscat 16:10

ABY 128 Sharjah 16:15

ETD 304 Abu Dhabi 16:20

KAC 615 Bahrain 16:30

SAW 706 Damascus 16:50

RJA 641 Amman 16:55

SVA 505 Madinah 16:55

FDB 052 Dubai 17:05

KAC 503 Beirut 17:15

JZR 266 Beirut 17:15

QTR 1073 Doha 17:25

JZR 552 Alexandria 17:25

JZR 240 Amman 17:30

KAC 361 Colombo 17:35

UAE 858 Dubai 17:40

KAC 357 Kochi 17:40

WAN 115 Bahrain 17:45

NIA 362 Alexandria 17:50

KAC 381 Delhi 17:50

KAC 283 Dhaka 18:00

KAC 343 Chennai 18:00

SVA 511 Riyadh 18:15

GFA 216 Bahrain 18:20

JZR 184 Dubai 18:25

JZR 538 Cairo 18:30

KAC 785 Jeddah 18:45

QTR 1081 Doha 19:15

JZR 124 Bahrain 19:20

MSR 621 Cairo 19:30

GFA 218 Bahrain 19:50

FDB 064 Dubai 19:50

ABY 124 Sharjah 20:00

FDB 058 Dubai 20:30

UAE 876 Dubai 20:35

KAC 331 Trivandrum 20:35

KAC 353 Bangalore 20:55

DLH 634 Doha 21:00

KAC 1543 Cairo 21:00

OMA 648 Muscat 21:05

MEA 403 Beirut 21:15

KNE 232 Riyadh 21:40

KAC 301 Mumbai 21:40

KAC 203 Lahore 21:45

QTR 1089 Doha 21:50

KAC 205 Islamabad 21:55

ETD 308 Abu Dhabi 22:00

KAC 155 Istanbul 22:15

ALK 230 Colombo 22:20

KLM 445 Bahrain 22:25

UAE 860 Dubai 22:35

KAC 383 Delhi 22:35

GFA 220 Bahrain 22:50

ETD 310 Abu Dhabi 23:00

JZR 528 Asyut 23:05

KAC 783 Jeddah 23:10

QTR 1083 Doha 23:20

RBG 552 Alexandria 23:40

American Airlines 22087425

22087426

Kuwait Airways 171

Jazeera Airways 177

Jet Airways 22924455

FlyDubai 22414400

Qatar Airways 22423888

KLM 22425747

Air Slovakia 22434940

Olympic Airways 22420002/9

Royal Jordanian 22418064/5/6

Reservation 22433388

British Airways 22425635

Air France 22430224

Emirates 22921555

Air India 22438184

Sri Lanka Airlines 22424444

Egypt Air 22421578

Swiss Air 22421516

Saudia 22426306

Middle East Airlines 22423073

Lufthansa 22422493

PIA 22421044

Alitalia 22414427

Balkan Airlines 22416474

Bangladesh Airlines 22452977/8

Czech Airlines 22417901/

2433141

Indian Airlines 22456700

Oman Air 22958787

Turkish Airlines 22453820/1

Aeroflot 22404838/9

ClassifiedsWednesday, October 4, 2017

AIRLINES

112

Automatedenquiry about the

Civil ID card is

1889988

Established 1961

Opportunity to Contractors andTrading Companies

FOR SALEVarious Spare Parts forHVAC, Refrigeration andMechanical Equipment.

Tel: 24832094 / 24832073 / 94412750

Email: nisinfo@yahoo.com

Wednesday, October 4, 2017L i f e s t y l e M u s i c & M o v i e s

Established 1961 28

The 25-year-old singer was thrust into the limelightafter starring in Disney’s ‘Camp Rock’ in 2008 andreleased her debut single ‘This Is Me’, and thoughDemi still can’t really get her head around hercelebrity status, she thinks she has learnt to “manipu-late” her stardom to talk about issues and causes thatare important to her. Speaking in Notion magazine,she said: “Fame is weird, but I manipulate it for thebetter. We already are in a very narcissistic career -‘look at me, look at me’. I use that as a way to use myvoice for more than just singing. If you are not using

your voice and not standing up for the things youbelieve in, and not being vocal about certain topics,then you’re just basking in the glory of a very egotis-tical career.” And the ‘Cool For The Summer’ hitmak-er believes there are a lot of artists who do not speakout about their beliefs and other important mattersbecause they want to be “politically correct” or donot want to say anything that could be considered tobe controversial which then could harm their career,something which Demi finds “frustrating”. Demi hasspoken very honestly and candidly about her battle

with alcohol and drug addiction, eating disorders andfight to stop self-harming with her completing a stintin rehab in 2011 to deal with her problems. The popstar - who also lives with bipolar disease - is alwaysdisappointed with her peers who are guarded as shebelieves those in the public eye have a responsibilityto “do something good”.

Lovato thinks fame is ‘weird’

The pair played doomed lovers Rose Dewitt Bukater andJack Dawson in James Cameron’s 1997 disaster epic, butalthough their alter egos were struck by Cupid, Winsletdidn’t develop a little crush on DiCaprio - who is still one ofHollywood’s most eligible bachelors. But Kate insists the lackof a romantic spark between them was a good thing becauseit has allowed them to maintain a friendship which has lasted20 years. In an interview on UK TV show ‘Lorraine’, sherevealed: “It was seven months of very intense work, we wereboth really very young. And luckily, and this was the fortu-nate thing, we never fancied each other! I know that’s reallyannoying to hear, sorry. We really never did. So it did meanthat we were able to have this ... be able to tease each other,which we still do, which is really amazing.” Two decades on,

‘Titanic’ - which won 11 Academy Awards including theOscars for Best Picture and Best Director for Cameron - isgaining a new audience of fans, including Kate’s own childrenand their friends who can quote the film’s famous lines. The41-year-old British beauty - who has 16-year-old daughterMia with her first husband Jim Threapleton, 13-year-old sonJoe with second husband Sam Mendes and three-year-oldson Bear with her current spouse Ned Rocknroll - said: “Thelovely thing about ‘Titanic’ for me now, my children and theirfriends ... their friends say, ‘Oh I love the bit in ‘Titanic’ whenyou did...’ they are reciting lines from ‘Titanic’ that, I mean,I’ve long forgotten!

Kate Winslet was neverattracted to DiCaprio

The 21-year-old actress - who has emerged as one of themost sought-after actresses in Hollywood following her star-ring role in ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ - claims to have rec-ognized her own influence as her social media following hasgrown. The outspoken star - who has 10 million followers onTwitter - explained: “I can genuinely say that I’m not thesame person I was a year ago. As my social platforms grew, Irealized that my voice was so much more important than Ihad originally thought. “I think if every young person under-stood the power of their voice, things would be a lot differ-ent. And it’s becoming more popular to be outspoken.” Shealso claimed to have benefited from being a lighter-skinnedactress in Hollywood. Speaking to Glamour magazine,Zendaya reflected: “Can I honestly say I would be in theposition I’m in if I weren’t a lighter-skinned black woman?No.” Zendaya said, too, that there’s still a lot of work thatneeds to be done to encourage more minorities into theentertainment industry. She said: “A lot of people who aren’tpeople of colour can’t quite understand what it’s like togrow up and not see yourself in mainstream media. And youknow, there is so much work left to be done.”

Zendaya has realized

the ‘power’ of her own voice

The 24-year-old singer and songwriter has admitted sheboasts a healthy and balanced diet, which sees her eat cleanand nutritious meals “eighty per cent” of the time, but shecannot entirely give up her sweet treats that she will indulgein “20 per cent”. Speaking about her eating plan to PEOPLE,the blonde-haired beauty said: “Eighty percent healthy and20 percent giving in to cravings. “I genuinely love food so Inever want to completely cut my guilty pleasures out of mydiet. I believe in the power of moderation.” The ‘Peter Pan’hitmaker has revealed she will tuck into an omelet everymorning, will snack on nuts, she will enjoy a Mediteraneansalad with sundried tomatoes and chickpeas for her lunchbefore eating roast chicken with steamed vegetables for herdinner with an occasional glass of wine after a performance.Kelsea got engaged to her partner Morgan Evans inDecember last year, and the star has revealed her fianc�often “steals” her skincare products. Speaking previouslyabout her lover, she said: “My fiance always steals any of myface and skincare stuff. I’ll have it in my bag ready to leaveand I’ll leave, and it won’t be in my bag anymore.”

Kelsea Ballerinirefuses to cut her‘guilty pleasures’

Russell Crowelaunches range

of tea bagsThe 53-year-old actor handed out free boxes ofCrowe’s Tea to fans while he was touring with hisband Indoor Garden Party, and Russell is said to beexcited about his latest business opportunity. Aninsider explained: “Russell is excited about his newventure. The tea bags are proving a real hit too.”Russell’s product is expected to hit supermarketshelves in the near future, with fans having alreadygiven the tea bags their seal of approval. Thesource told the Daily Star newspaper: “They’vegone down a storm at his recent gigs. We’re certainthey’ll be hitting the supermarkets in no time.”Russell has created the tasty beverage in conjunc-tion with Yorkshire Tea and to mark their relation-ship, the Hollywood star even dropped in at thefirm’s headquarters in Harrogate in England todeliver a surprise performance. Yorkshire Tea mar-keting director Dom Dwight admitted to beingcaught completely by surprise by the acclaimedactor, who won an Academy Award for his starringrole in the Ridley Scott-directed drama ‘Gladiator’.He said: “It was a complete surprise for staff whenRussell and the band parked up their tour bus for atea break on their way to the City Varieties. “Wecan’t thank them enough for dropping by and treat-ing us to a performance.” Bob Dylan

pays tributeto his

Tom PettyThe 76-year-old singer and his late friend - who passedaway on Monday aged 66 after having his life supportturned off following a cardiac arrest - co-founded super-group Traveling Wilburys with George Harrison, Jeff Lynneand Roy Orbison, and the ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’ hitmakerhas been “crushed” by his pal’s death. He said in a statementto Rolling Stone magazine: “It’s shocking, crushing news. Ithought the world of Tom. He was a great performer, full ofthe light, a friend, and I’ll never forget him.” Several otherbig-name stars from the world of music have paid tribute toTom - who was also known for his group Tom Petty and theHeartbreakers - including fellow music legend Billy Idol, 61.He wrote on Twitter: “Shocked & upset 2 hear about #tom-petty ‘we got lucky when we found u....’...RIP (sic)” MeatLoaf, 70, praised the ‘Free Fallin’’ hitmaker as a “great rock-er” but insisted the star’s hit music will ensure he “still liveswith us”. He wrote on Facebook: “More sad news today with

Passing another great Rocker Tom Petty, Great Writer withclassic songs that marked a time in many peoples lives , lov-ing fans who he also loved. The world lost a great one today.He still lives with us in his music. As his daughter said earliertoday a normal guy who loved what he did . Our prayers goout to Tom and his family. (sic)” He also wrote: “Gone toosoon!! Tom lives on with the memories he left us, and thelove he gave. Prayers to Tom and his family (sic)” KISSfrontman Paul Stanley, 65, was also devastated about Tom’sdeath, admitting he has “loved” the late star’s music.

Cindy Crawfordrefused to walk

alongside daughterKaia Gerber

The 51-year-old supermodel returned to the runway lastmonth to star in Donatella Versace’s showcase, but when thestar’s 16-year-old child asked if the pair would grace thecatwalk together, Cindy snubbed her in favour of reunitingwith models of her own age and the stars she worked withduring the peak of her career, such as Naomi Campbell,Claudia Schiffer, Helena Christensen and Carla Bruni.Speaking about the event, the brunette beauty said: “I wasbooked before Kaia - I don’t think Donatella [Versace] evenknew that Kaia was doing shows and we had been talkingfor months about how many of us could get there for thattribute to [her brother] Gianni. “When Kaia got the part shesaid, ‘Wait, are we going out together?’ I said, ‘I hope not, Idon’t want to stand next to you, I want to stand with thewomen my age.’” Although mother and daughter did notgrace the platform side by side, Cindy was honored to walkin the same show as Kaia, which she doesn’t think will hap-pen again. She added: “It was pretty cool, that probablywon’t happen again, to be in the same show.’” The fashionicon - who also has son Presley Gerber with her husbandRande Gerber - has revealed she gave Kaia tips on model-ing and advised her not to opt for the “vacant stare androbotic walk” that she has noticed models doing.

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Sofia Vergarasleeps inceramic wraps The 45-year-old actress has admitted she “loves”products, and when her husband Joe Manganiello isnot home she will smother her body and hair incoconut oil, and will cover her body in the product,which helps to moisturize and relax the muscles.Speaking about her skincare regime to Us Weekly,the brunette beauty said: “But when I have time athome, I’ll do masks, I will put coconut oil all over myhair. When Joe is out of town I sleep in ceramicwrap and coconut oil everywhere. I love products.”And the Colombian style icon has revealed she feels“beautiful” or “clean” if she doesn’t shower. Sheadded: “If I don’t shower I don’t feel beautiful orclean, I feel like if I don’t shower, I’m puffy.” But the‘Modern Family’ star - who portrays Gloria Delgado-Pritchett in the ABC series - has admitted her beautyregime changes depending on her work schedule.She explained: “It depends because usually I am upat 5am going to ‘Modern Family’, so by 6 or 6.30am Iam in full make-up, dressed like Gloria, so that’s dif-ferent than my regular day when I do a little bit offoundation, tinted moisturiser.” Sofia has launched anew underwear range titled EBY, which stands for“empowered by women”, and sees 10 per cent of theproceeds of towards the Seven Bar Foundation thathelps to aid underprivileged women across theglobe. Speaking about her latest venture, Sofia said:“It’s very special because it is a business that isempowering women to get their own business going.EBY means Empowering By You, it means by yougoing into your computer, subscribing to join EBY,getting your box of underwear that you will receivevery month. We will be giving 10 per cent off the netsales of the underwear to empower women in differ-ent countries.

The ‘Sorry’ hitmaker has been offering as much as $100,000a month for accommodation in the sun-kissed Californiancity, but homeowners in the exclusive area have reportedlyspurned his offers on account of his previous behavior. Asource explained: “Justin wants to rent a big estate, butmany of the owners of the big Beverly Hills properties, whichare for rent, have clubbed together to agree that nobodyshould rent to Justin.”You would think that they would wantthe cache of having him at their homes - and Justin is offer-

ing $100,000 a month for places that aren’t anywhere nearworth that. “But he and his entourage have a reputation oftrashing his rental homes and then being difficult where itcomes to paying for the repairs.” As a result, Justin hasinstead taken to living in a hotel, leaving some of the guestsopen-mouthed as he’s been casually walking by them on adaily basis. The insider told the New York Post newspaper’sPage Six column: “He’s become a resident at a hotel, wherethe well-heeled guests have been doing double takes seeing

him at breakfast on his own with his tattoos and baggypants.” In 2014, Justin was forced to pay a neighbor$80,000 after he was proven to have thrown eggs from hisown home in Calabasas.

Bieber’s reputation keeps Beverly Hills restricted

The 42-year-old singer-songwriter has received multipleoffers to appear on talent programs, such as ‘The X Factor’or ‘American idol’ - but Enrique has declined each and everyopportunity because he would rather enjoy watching theshows from the comfort of his own living room. The ‘Hero’hitmaker told The Sun newspaper: “I turned them all down.Not because I don’t like the shows, because I actually watchthe shows and enjoy them. “Whether it’s ‘X Factor’ in the UKor ‘American Idol’ or ‘The Voice’ here in the US, it’s still TV.“It takes quite a big chunk out of your time. To do that andtour at the same time, I don’t think I could do it.” In fact, itwas previously claimed that Enrique’s jam-packed schedulehas meant he’s never even introduced his long-time girl-friend, retried tennis star Anna Kournikova, to his dad. The

Spanish singer has been dating the blonde beauty since2001, but because Anna, Enrique and his chart-topping dadJulio are rarely in the same country at the same time, theyhave never come face to face. The dark-haired hunk recentlyconfessed: “They still haven’t met, no. They have to meet atsome point.”

Enrique has rejected

numerousjudging gigs

Shelton’s experience on

‘The Voice’ madehim paternal

The 41-year-old country star - who has been dating his for-mer on-screen colleague Gwen Stefani since 2015 - hasadmitted that mentoring the acts on the show has led him tofeel more fatherly than the experience of helping to raise theblonde beauty’s three young boys, Kingston, 11, Zuma, nine,and Apollo, three. Asked whether being around the boys hadsparked a paternal instinct in him, Blake - who started datingGwen after her split from Gavin Rossdale - shared: “‘TheVoice’, I think, sparked that in me, if anything. “I neverthought in a million years when I signed on to do that showthat I would ever be so defensive when it comes to reading ablog or critique about one of my artists. “[In the] first seasonor two, I couldn’t help it. I would just lose my mind when Iwould see someone picking on a kid, you know.” Blake -who was previously married to fellow music star MirandaLambert - recently took his girlfriend, her kids and Gwen’sentire family to Oklahoma, the state where he was born, forthe grand opening of his new restaurant, Ole Red. And thesinger admitted to relishing the experience of showing themaround a place that remains so close to his heart.

Sam Heughanworks out

‘every day’ The 37-year-old actor has admitted he has an intense fitnessroutine, but because of his hectic work schedule, which seeshim jet off across the globe, he sometimes struggles to findthe time to keep fit. Speaking to the Metro newspaper abouthis exercise plan, the Scottish hunk said: “Probably every day.“It’s tough [to stay in shape] because I travel a lot. “I’m reallyinto a healthy lifestyle”. And Sam - who portrays Jamie Fraserin the popular series ‘Outlander’ - has been able to “relax” hisfitness regime recently because he has not needed to go top-less in the program recently. He added: “The last few monthsI’ve relaxed a bit because I didn’t have to take my top off forthe show or a magazine shoot.” And the star “dreads” havingto strip off for scenes because he has to undergo a lot ofpreparation in advance, and then has to sit for “three hours”to have a prosthetic piece attached to his back. When asked ifhe feels a pressure to look good, he said: “We have to pre-pare for those [topless] scenes. I dread them more because Ihave a full prosthetic on my back, which takes two to threehours to put on.” The ‘A Princess for Christmas’ star set upthe charity My Peak Challenge to raise funds to advanceresearch for diseases such as leukemia and lymphoma, andthe program includes a daily workout and meal plan for itssubscribers. Speaking about the foundation, he said: “I creat-ed a charity fundraiser a couple of years ago called My PeakChallenge. We now have raised almost �375,000 forleukemia and lymphoma research. We supply almost 10,000subscribers with a daily workout and meal plan. “

The ‘Hills’ star and her husband Spencer Pratt splashed outon the impressive amount of crystals - which they have longbelieved represents spiritual protection and health - whenthey welcomed their first son, Gunner Stone, into the worldon Sunday. Taking to Twitter, Spencer wrote: “Shout out@crystalarium1 for dropping off $27,000 in crystals for thebirth (sic)” And Crystalarium in West Hollywood, who sup-plied the crystals, tweeted from their own account:“Congrats to @heidimontag and @spencerpratt on their newarrival! “Sending love and blessings! We can’t wait to meetGunner Stone! ... We were honored to be a part of the birth!And we’re super excited for your awesome family!! (sic)”Heidi had previously revealed why her husband Spencerwanted to have crystals in the delivery room when they wel-

comed their first child. She shared: “Spencer wants me tohave crystals in the birthing room. They represent spiritualprotection, health and a higher realm of love.” The crystalswere also present at the couple’s baby shower and the cou-ple couldn’t believe how lucky they were to get pregnant soquickly. She added: “That we’re even having a kid and thatwe got pregnant the first month trying and that Spencer andI are at this point in our lives ... it just felt like a really heavensent thing.” Speaking about the birth, Heidi shared: “We areso blessed to have a beautiful healthy baby boy. It was thehardest and most rewarding experience.” And Spenceradded: “[It’s] officially the most lit day of my life.”

Heidi Montag gave birth surrounded by $27,000 crystals

AP: Did you two know each other before?FORD: Him? No. I met him once or twice casually. But I

knew his work. I loved his ambitions. I loved his choices. Iloved the filmmakers he chose to work with when he couldhave had much more obvious choices and I loved what it pro-duced ... But the producers had been thinking about him any-way so it didn’t matter what I thought.

AP: You had some pretty harrowing stunts, including a bigset piece in a water tank.

GOSLING: It was a lot like it looks like on camera.FORD: Things go a lot slower when you’re working with

mechanical beasts and wave machines. The time between thetime it takes to take the takes takes... Let me say that again:The time between the time it takes to take the takes, it’s notthe time it takes to take the takes, it’s the time between it takesto take the takes that takes the time.

GOSLING: Is this what peyote feels like?FORD: (laughs) I wouldn’t know.

AP: Ryan now is basically the same age you were whenyou became very famous. Ryan, do you hope to follow inHarrison’s footsteps and still be doing this when you’re 75?

FORD: Let’s call it tracks, not footsteps.GOSLING: His experience is so unique to him. The fact

that he, at my age was, well, not beginning, he’d been doing itfor a long time before, but at the same time you were a fullyformed person before this whole other element got intro-duced. I guess I can’t really say that...

FORD: You’re being generous. I was a late bloomer. Ittook me a long time to get me to where you are. I don’t knowhow old you are. I really don’t. But I think I was about 25 or26 when I was under contract at Columbia. However muchpast 25 you are ... It takes more now. You have to be a lotmore real than the business is.

GOSLING: Really?FORD: Back then it was more business than reality. They

just wanted to twist you into a shape that resembled some-thing else, something successful. They didn’t give a rat’s assabout what was individual about you. Anything that mightpotentially be interesting about you was just not of interest.The business has matured a lot since then and has attractedmore mature artists.

AP: Is there anything that worries you about the state ofHollywood or where it’s going?

FORD: I’m not a generalist. There is no such thing asHollywood anyway. It’s an imagination. There are moviesbeing made all over the world, stories being told. Incrediblefilms being made in countries you’ve never even heard of thatare just as advanced and emotionally interesting. Hollywood isa state of mind. It’s a tourist attraction. But, having said that,there are still enormous resources available for filmmakers.There are opportunities. There are people in the movie busi-ness who have a keen understanding of the business and anappreciation for the work and the work that the workers do.But the notion of Hollywood is kind of broken.

AP: What do you think, Ryan?GOSLING: I’m learning. I’m taking notes too.

AP: Ryan, does this film have you thinking about whetheryou’d revisit any of your characters some 35 years later?

GOSLING: The thing is any actor would be lucky to cre-ate one character in their career that anyone would want torevisit, let alone multiple times, let alone multiple characters.It’s pretty unparalleled what he’s doing.

FORD: Participating in my own luck, that’s what I’m doing.I grew up in a lucky time in “Hollywood.”

GOSLING: Like I said, I’m just taking notes. — AP

Wednesday, October 4, 2017L i f e s t y l e Fa s h i o n

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head to head in Harrison Ford has a running joke that he can’t remember Ryan Gosling’s name. “I was delighted for a chance to work with the kid. What’s his name?”Ford told The Associated Press earlier this year. He did it again recently on a talk show, this time sitting next to Gosling. “Ryan?” Ford asked his “BladeRunner 2049” co-star after a brief pause, dutifully playing the part of the “slightly aloof 75-year-old legend.” “It’s Ryan,” responded Gosling, 36, in adeadpan voice, playing the “bemused co-star” role in the bit. Or perhaps it’s not a bit at all. It’s hard to tell with these two, who somehow manage towhiplash between sincerity, sarcasm and humor in a three-word response. In a recent interview with The AP it is clear, however, that Ford and Goslingare genuinely amused by one another, even if Ford might not actually know how old his co-star is.

These images released by Warner Bros Pictures show RyanGosling and Harrison Ford in scenes from “Blade Runner 2049.”

Nguyen Thi Kim Han (R) sips on a juice as she sitswith her two daughters near the Korea Center forUnited Nations Human Rights Policy (KOCUN) in CanTho. — AFP photos

Vietnamese bride Huynh Thi Thai Muoi (R) and herSouth Korean husband Kim Kyeong-Bok after theirarrival at Incheon airport, west of Seoul.

In this Sept 21, 2017 file photo, actors Harrison Ford, left, andRyan Gosling pose for photographers during the photo call for“Blade Runner 2049” in London. — AP photos

In attacking a country music concert, theassailant in Las Vegas has targeted one of themoreconservative segments of US culture inwhich guns have more often been a topic ofcelebration. Sunday evening’s shooting, thedeadliest in modern US history, struck a sold-out performance by chart-topping countrysinger Jason Aldean whose songs have cham-pioned the values and grievances of working-class America. Yet the stereotypical images ofcountry are changing and Aldean is one of itsmore musically fluid stars with an opennessto incorporating R&B and hip-hop influences.Once rooted in former Confederate states,country music has grown rapidly across theUnited States in the past decade. Aldean washeadlining the three-day Route 91 Harvestfestival on the Las Vegas Strip which waslaunched in 2014.

Aldean, who last year won the top prize atthe Academy of Country Music Awards, hasspoken to Middle America with songs such as“Fly Over States,” a tale of men flying first-class from New York to Los Angeles whocan’t understand the heartland. On “TheyDon’t Know,” the title track of his last album,Aldean again speaks of outsiders who drivepast farmers but “ain’t seen the blood, sweatand tears it took to live their dreams.”

Aldean, a 40-year-old Georgia native whorecently put on sale the sprawling Tennesseeranch where he hunts deer and turkeys, lastyear told Rolling Stone Country that DonaldTrump pulled off his election upset by speak-ing to the “every-day guy who is going towork and wanting a normal life for his family”but feels forgotten.

Whiter, older demographic Authorities did not immediately assign a

motive to 64-year-old gunman StephenPaddock. Live music has increasingly becomethe target of attacks, with the genres varyingwidely. A May bombing struck a concert inManchester, England of pop star ArianaGrande, whose fan base is full of young girls,while a devastating assault on a Paris club in2015 hit the urbane crowd of rockers Eaglesof Death Metal. Surveys have found thatmore than 90 percent of country listeners arewhite, with the music most popular in theDeep South and Great Plains, although theNashville-based industry takes pains tostress that it is making inroads with minori-ties. A Nielsen study last year found that fansalso skewed older, with the average person ata US country music show nearly 45 yearsold.—AFP

When baby-faced Huynh Thi Thai Muoi left herhome in rural Vietnam to begin a life in SouthKorea with a man she barely knew, she feared itwas a gamble. She didn’t speak the language, hernew husband was nearly twice her age, and sheknew little about her new home, but the 23-year-old high school dropout was looking for love-anda fresh start. “I want a new life, I want to chal-lenge myself and see whether I can thrive or not,”said Muoi, whose chubby, acne-marked cheeksmake her look younger than she is.

Muoi was introduced to 43-year-old bachelorKim Kyeong-Bok through her cousin, who is alsomarried to a Korean, and the couple wed withindays of meeting. She is one of some 40,000Vietnamese brides in South Korea, a top destina-tion for women looking for love and a ticket out ofpoverty. Many know little about the countrybeyond K-pop bands or Korean movies and endup marrying virtual strangers. But for Muoi, hernew life in the city of Gwangju-and her new hus-band-have, so far, surpassed her hopes.

“My husband really loves me, more than Iexpected,” she gushed. Despite the language bar-rier, Kim is teaching her to shop and cook, andhopes she will make friends at a nearby communi-ty centre for foreign brides. “When I first met her,I thought to myself, ‘this is the woman who willbecome my wife’. I was very happy,” explainedKim, who had rejected the first Vietnamese girlpresented to him as a bride option.

Marriage gapBut Muoi is one of the lucky ones. Many other

Vietnamese women have found their new lives

are not what they dreamed: thousands havereturned home divorced and unhappy. “Thewomen don’t have enough information abouteither their husbands or what migrating and liv-ing in Korea would be like,” said Youn Sim Kim,director of the Korea Center for United NationsHuman Rights Policy (KOCUN), an NGO insouthern Can Tho province where many of thebrides come from.

One in five Vietnamese-Korean couples filedfor divorce in 2015, according to the latest datafrom Statistics Korea. “I thought life would beokay like it was in Vietnam, maybe the only dif-ference would be the food,” said Le Thi The, adivorcee now living in Can Tho. The honeymoonperiod abruptly ended days after she arrived anddiscovered her husband was not the man shethought he would be. “I asked him to come homeand he got mad at me, he threw all my stuff out ofthe house,” The said.

Most Vietnamese brides usually settle in ruralareas in South Korea, a prospect that has becomeless attractive to eligible Korean women who havestreamed into fast-growing cities to climb thecareer ladder. An increasing number say that mar-riage isn’t a must. “In some of those areas there’sa gender imbalance, whereby a lot of the SouthKorean women who are from the rural areas aremigrating to urban centres, leaving a shortage,”said Paul Priest, acting chief of mission at theInternational Organization for Migration inVietnam. The bulk of women filling the marriagegap come from Vietnam’s Mekong Delta or ruralChina, largely drawn to South Korea’s dizzyingpace of development of the past half century.

Lost everything The headache continues for returnees to

Vietnam since their divorces aren’t legally recog-nized and their Korean-born children aren’timmediately eligible to attend local schools.Mother-of-two Nguyen Thi Kim Han married aKorean man in 2007 to help her poor family. Buthe turned out to be a closeted gambling addictwho emptied the family’s bank account-twice.

“At first he was nice with a gentle manner, wedidn’t have that much money but it wasn’t thatimportant,” she told AFP, sobbing. But she laterdiscovered he lost all their money in poor tradeson the stock market. “Not a single penny left... Iwas in shock,” Han said. After he did it a secondtime, she took the girls back to Vietnam, butstruggled to get them into school, eventually man-aging with KOCUN’s help.

Established in 2011, the centre preparesbrides-to-be for life in Korea, teaching themabout climate and culture, language and localfood, and also supports returnees. Most couplesmeet through illegal marriage brokers in Vietnam,notorious for arranging bride-viewing sessionsfor Korean men in seedy backrooms. But police inVietnam have cracked down on the brokers, andthe South Korean government has tightened visarules, so such foreign marriages are starting todecline. — AP

This combination photo shows country performers, top row fromleft, Luke Combs, Thomas Rhett, Luke Bryan, and from bottomleft, Maren Morris, Carrie Underwood and Reba McEntire whotook to social media to express their sadness after the massshooting in Las Vegas. — AP

Attack strikes country music, bastion of US traditionalism Vietnamese brides say

‘I do’ to South Korea

Ford and Gosling go

L i f e s t y l e Wednesday, October 4, 2017

31Established 1961

Fa s h i o n

Models present the creations for Chanel during the women’s2018 Spring/Summer ready-to-wear collection fashion show inParis. — AFP photos

P A R I S

Models present the creations by Agnes bduring the women’s 2018 Spring/Summerready-to-wear collection fashion show inParis. — AFP/AP photos

Tom Petty, the Southern-accented rocker whose clas-sic melodies and dark storytelling created 40 years ofhit songs, died Monday of cardiac arrest, his familysaid. He was 66. Petty, who sold 80 million records,passed away Monday evening surrounded by lovedones after a confusing day in which several mediaoutlets reported and then retracted premature newsof his death. “On behalf of the Tom Petty family weare devastated to announce the untimely death of ourfather, husband, brother, leader and friend Tom Petty,”a family statement said.

Early on Monday, Petty suffered cardiac arrest athis home in Malibu, exactly a week after he tri-umphantly put on what would be his career-cappingconcert. The rocker had wrapped up a tour celebrat-ing 40 years of his bandThe Heartbreakerswith three sold-outshows at the iconicHollywood Bowl. Heclosed the encore withone of his earliest andbest-known songs-

“American Girl,”which tells of an ambi-tious girl “raised onpromises” but nowcontemplating suicide,set to electric guitarharmonies from the golden age of rock ‘n’ roll. Thesong was one of many by Petty about struggling toovercome long odds. “I Won’t Back Down,” perhapshis best-known song, took on a second life as a USpatriotic anthem after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

The singer and guitarist-recognizable for hisshoulder-length blonde hair-delivered his vocals inshort punches that showed an underlying bitterness,such as on “You Don’t Know How It Feels,” or with awistfulness as on “Free Fallin’,” a breakup story thatends in loneliness for all. The rocker’s characters-

small-town Americans full of aspirations but runninginto a wall of setbacks-reflected the hardscrabbleearly life of Petty.

His grandfather was a logger from Georgiarumored to have fled south to Florida after axing aman to death in an argument. Petty was born inGainesville in northern Florida to a belligerentlydrunk father who sold wholesale tobacco and candy.Petty recalled that his father, intoxicated and unim-pressed by his son’s passion for music, oncesmashed up the boy’s record collection. The futurerocker said he told him, “Dad, if you’ll just leave mealone, I’ll be a millionaire by the time I’m 35.” Andhis remark proved prophetic.

Rock as early escape Petty, speaking in

2015 to Men’s Journal,credited his motherKitty with saving himby reading to him,introducing him to popstandards and show-ing him “there wasmore to life than red-necks.” But heremained haunted byhis father and con-sumed by inner rage.

“Any authority I didn’t agree with could just make mego crazy,” he said of his early adulthood. He struggledwith depression most of his life and formed an addic-tion to heroin, although later in life his only substancewas marijuana and he calmed himself with transcen-dental meditation.

Petty embraced the American South, especially onhis 1985 album “Southern Accents,” but with a soundthat was more Florida quirky than hillbilly. Thealbum’s song “Rebels” spoke of Southern mischie-vousness while the trippy “Don’t Come Around Here

No More”-co-written with David A. Stewart of TheEurythmics and accompanied by an “Alice inWonderland” themed video-cemented Petty’s stand-ing among stoners. “‘Don’t Come Around Here NoMore’ changed the way I looked at songwriting andproduction. So odd and complex yet direct all atonce,” the indie rocker and producer Jack Antonoffwrote on Twitter.

Advocate for artists Touring the United States for “Southern

Accents,” he pinned up a Confederate flag on stage-a move he later regretted, telling Rolling Stone that“people just need to think about how it looks to ablack person” as he likened the controversial symbolto a Nazi swastika. In a speech in February as he

was presented a lifetime achievement award at theGrammys, Petty said he owed his greatest debt toAfrican Americans such as Chuck Berry who createdrock ‘n’ roll. But he discovered rock ‘n’ roll thanks toBritain when he saw The Beatles perform on “The EdSullivan Show” in 1964.

“I had my eyes opened like so many others and Ijoined the conspiracy to put black music on thepopular white radio,” Petty said. In the late 1980s,Petty joined one of The Beatles, George Harrison, ina supergroup, the Traveling Wilburys, that also fea-tured Bob Dylan. The project was short-lived afterthe death of another member, Roy Orbison.—AFP

LifestyleEstablished 1961

A model wears a creation for the Chanel Spring/Summer 2018 ready-to-wear fashion collection presented in Paris. — AP

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2017

In this file photo taken on February 2, 2008 shows musi-cian Tom Petty performing during halftime at Super BowlXLII at the University of Phoenix Stadium.

Tom Petty, iconic rocker with dark streak, dead at 66

Candles and flowers are placed on the Hollywood Walkof Fame Star of the late Tom Petty in Hollywood.

This file photo taken on March 15, 2004 shows TomPetty(R) and Dhani Harrison, the son of the late GeorgeHarrison, performing a song of George Harrison after thelate Beatle was inducted during the 19th Annual Rockand Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.

In this Sept 17, 2017 file photo, Tom Petty of Tom Pettyand the Heartbreakers appears at KAABOO 2017 in SanDiego. — AP/AFP photos

In this June 16, 2006 file photo, TomPetty performs at the BonnarooMusic & Arts Festival in Manchester.

So odd and complex yet direct

all at once“ “