ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoganyesterday threatened to destroy a planned US-backed30,000-strong border security force in northern Syria,describing it as an “army of terror”. Turkey fears thatthe mooted new force will be comprised of the KurdishPeople’s Protection Units (YPG) militia, whom Ankaraaccuses of being terrorists and have been a constantbone of contention in Turkey-US ties.

The new upsurge of tensions between Ankara andWashington also comes as Erdogan has repeatedlythreatened that Turkey could launch a cross-borderoperation to oust the YPG from the Kurdish-held townof Afrin in northern Syria. “America has acknowledged itis in the process of creating a terror army on our border.What we have to do is nip this terror army in the bud,”Erdogan said in a televised speech outside Ankara.

The YPG played a key role in the Syrian DemocraticForces (SDF) alliance that last year ousted Islamic Statejihadists from their stronghold of Raqqa in northern Syria.American officials said at the weekend that the new force

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ISSUE NO: 17432

32 Pages 150 Fils

www.kuwaittimes.net

Established 1961 The First Daily in the Arabian Gulf

RABI ALTHANI 29, 1439 AHTUESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2018

Panel votes to refer scores of health officials to prosecution

MPs vow to grill Assembly minister over false info

Max 21ºMin 06º

News in brief

UAE: Qatar ‘intercepted’ planes

ABU DHABI: The United Arab Emirates accusedrival Qatar of “intercepting” two Emirati passengerplanes en route to Bahrain yesterday in the latestincident between the Gulf rivals. Qatar denied thatthe first plane had been intercepted, but there wasno immediate denial from Doha for the secondincident. The UAE “General Civil AviationAuthority received a message from a national car-rier yesterday morning that an aircraft on a routineflight to Manama was intercepted by Qatari fighterjets”, it said in a statement carried by the statenews agency. The authority said it was “a flagrantand serious threat to the safety of civil aviation anda clear violation of international law”. The authori-ty later said a second Emirati passenger planebound for Bahrain was also intercepted by Qatarifighter jets. A spokeswoman for Qatar’s foreignministry denied as “completely false” the first inci-dent had occurred.

3 Health minister operates on girl to implant cochlea

CoCo goes bananas as US players slip at Aussie Open28 Lebanon bans Spielberg film

and Israeli adventurer biopicTrump denies he’s a racist as Americans honor King6 16

By B Izzak

KUWAIT: A probe committee investigating allegedcorruption and financial and administrative violations atthe health ministry yesterday approved recommenda-tions to refer former health ministers and a large num-ber of present and former officials to the public prose-cution and the anti-corruption authority for investiga-tion into alleged corruption.

Rapporteur of the panel MP Saadoun Hammad saidthe committee issued recommendations regarding sevenissues it investigated. In the first issue regarding sendingcitizens for medical treatment abroad, the committeecalled for referring a former health ministry undersecre-

tary and top officials at the foreign medical treatmentdepartment to the public prosecution and the anti-cor-ruption authority.

Regarding alleged violations at health offices abroad,the committee called for referring a former health ministryundersecretary, top officials and officials at the Frankfurtand Washington health offices to the prosecution and theanti-corruption authority for investigation. Hammad saidthe committee called for referring a former health ministerto the ministers’ trial court for investigation related toalleged corruption in the recruitment of nurses fromabroad. It was reported that ministry officials had receivedmillions of dinars from foreign nurses, mainly from India, tosecure employment at the health ministry.

The committee also recommended referring a formerundersecretary, a former director of nursing services andformer directors of companies that signed contracts withthe ministry between 2013 and 2017 to the public prose-cution and the anti-corruption authority for investigation.It also called for referring a former minister and formertop officials for investigation regarding an expansionproject at Adan Hospital. The committee also asked theNational Assembly to extend its mandate for another yearto follow up the implementation of the recommendations.

Meanwhile, MP Riyadh Al-Adasani yesterday said hewill file to grill new state minister for national assemblyaffairs and ex-MP Adel Al-Khorafi over allegations heprovided false information. Adasani said he will be joined

by opposition MP Adel Al-Damkhi in the grilling, whichwill be submitted only after the grilling against the minis-ter of social affairs and labor is completed. He said thatKhorafi submitted a proposal signed by a former defenseminister, which is against the constitution, adding he willwrite to the prime minister to dismiss the minister.Adasani also called on the minister to step down, addingthat if he is not sacked or does not resign, he will file togrill him.

Also, MP Thamer Al-Suwait yesterday submitted adraft law to amend the Kuwaiti nationality law to grantstateless or bedoon wives of Kuwaiti nationals Kuwaiticitizenship five years after the marriage without waitingfor them to apply.

MUMBAI: India’s plan to introduce orange-coloredpassport jackets for some migrant workers is dis-criminatory and could increase the vulnerability ofworkers often duped by middlemen who promisethem jobs, said legal experts and campaigners. TheMinistry of External Affairs said last week migrantworkers who need emigration clearance - those whohave not passed 10th grade at school - to travel to agroup of 18 countries, mostly in the Gulf region,would soon be issued orange passports.

“Passport holders with ECR (Emigration CheckRequired) status would be issued a passport withorange color passport jacket and those with non-ECR status would continue to get a blue passport,”

spokesman Raveesh Kumar said on Friday. Indianpassports, barring official and diplomatic passports,are navy blue.

The government’s plan was roundly criticized.“You cannot divide people on the basis of educa-tional qualifications; it’s discriminatory,” said SIrudaya Rajan, professor at the Centre forDevelopment Studies in Thiruvananthapuram in thesouthern state of Kerala, from where many migrantworkers originate. “An orange cover shows a personis not well educated, and makes them vulnerable toexploitation. These are already vulnerable peoplewho need more protection, not discrimination,” hetold the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

There are an estimated six million Indian migrantsin the six Gulf states of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, SaudiArabia, United Arab Emirates and Oman, many ofthem trafficked and exploited. Many are duped byjob agents, and trapped in low paying jobs with fewbenefits or protections. “Treating India’s migrantworkers like second class citizens is completelyunacceptable,” Rahul Gandhi, leader of the opposi-tion Congress party, said in a tweet.

Continued on Page 11

Activists slam orange Indian passports, digital identity project

Erdogan threatens to destroy US-backed Syria ‘terror army’

ANKARA: Turkish President Recep TayyipErdogan (right) and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamimbin Hamad Al-Thani meet at the PresidentialComplex yesterday. — AFP

KUWAIT: The AdvisoryTechnical Committee at theArab Health Ministers’Council selected Kuwait’srepresentative, AssistantUndersecretary for GeneralHealth Dr Majida Al-Qattan,as president of the committeeduring its next round. Qattansaid her choice to head thiscommittee during the roundthat will last until Jan 19 is in agreement with decisionsissued during the previous round to empower women.She said the committee is responsible for preparingmeetings of the Arab Health Council, in addition to pro-posing and following work of the technical secretariat.She said the committee’s efforts aim at finding Arabintegration in the health field. Qattan said the committeereviewed recommendations issued by the executivecouncil’s subcommittees, which work throughout theyear. She said that among the most important items thatwere discussed for the 49th round is the role of e-healthand its importance in developing healthcare systems,and the selection of the Arab Health Day logo for 2018.

Qattan headshealth committee

Ritz-Carlton Riyadh to reopen

RIYADH: The luxury Riyadh hotel used as aprison during Saudi Arabia’s crackdown on corrup-tion will reopen for business next month, accordingto a company employee and its website, suggestingauthorities are close to settling the cases of manysuspects. Dozens of princes, senior officials andtop businessmen were detained and confined in theopulent Ritz-Carlton Riyadh as the governmentlaunched the purge in early November. The hotelwas closed to normal business. Yesterday, anemployee at the office taking bookings for thehotel told Reuters by telephone that bookings bythe public would be accepted from Feb 14. Thehotel’s website now accepts bookings from Feb 14,quoting a nightly rate for its cheapest room of2,439 riyals ($650). In a statement, a spokespersonfor the Marriott hotel group , which owns the Ritz-Carlton brand, said: “The hotel is operating underthe directive of local authorities and not as a tradi-tional hotel for the time being.”

GHALA, Oman: Omani Mahmoud bin Yousef Temtemifound himself in a pastoral predicament this autumn -his neighbor’s flock of sheep had overrun his farm andgobbled up his crops, threatening his income. Ratherthan make a scene or turn to the police, Temtemi choseto raise his complaint in Omani tradition: Through thelocal “sabla”, or council. Dressed in a robe and embroi-dered cap, Temtemi took his place on a sunny Fridaymorning at his neighborhood sabla in the village ofGhala - held outdoors on a patch of sidewalk.

“The farm is our livelihood,” Temtemi told an AFP

correspondent attending the meeting. “I told myself Iwould lodge a complaint at the sabla, where the ownerof the sheep would be present.” In Ghala, just outsidethe capital Muscat, the sheikh humbly brings breakfastfor meetings of the council. The youngest serves coffee.The fellowship broke the ice for the mediation Temtemisought.

Acknowledging a problem needed to be solved, themen filed over to the meeting hall - a sparse room withlittle more than benches built into the walls. The elderslistened to the farmer’s story, discussed, then decidedon compensation from the sheep owner. “He will pay150 riyals ($390) and keep an eye on his sheep,” said asatisfied Temtemi.

Oman’s sabla is a unique form of consensus buildingthat many see as central to the Gulf nation’s traditions,and which some want to see adapted to the age of thesmartphone.

Continued on Page 11

Ancient Omani mediation method gets a makeover

GHALA, Oman: Omani men chat in the meetingroom of the traditional local council known asthe “sabla” in this small village near Muscat onOct 27, 2017. — AFP

LONDON: Britain’s Guardian newspaper adopted a newtabloid format and a redesigned masthead with simpleblack lettering from yesterday as part of a drive to cutcosts. The left-leaning newspaper previously had a blueand white masthead and in 2005 had adopted a Berlinerformat, midway between a broadsheet and a tabloid. “Ourmove to tabloid format is a big step towards making TheGuardian financial sustainable,” the paper’s editor-in-chief Katharine Viner said in a piece for the first new edi-tion. She called it “bold, striking and beautiful”.

Speaking at the relaunch, she vowed that “Guardianjournalism itself will remain what it has always been:Thoughtful, progressive, fiercely independent and chal-lenging; and also witty, stylish and fun.” The Guardian isselling or scrapping its three presses worth £80 million($110 million) to cut costs and printing will be out-sourced to tabloid-format presses run by Trinity Mirrormedia group.

The website, which attracts 150 million monthly uniquebrowsers worldwide, has also undergone a redesign. Thecompany is aiming to break even by April 2019, mainlythrough cutting costs and boosting digital ad revenue to

make up for a sharp decline in print ad revenue. The firsttabloid edition’s main front-page photograph was ofChelsea Manning, the whistleblower whose leaked diplo-matic cables were published by the Guardian, and who isnow running for the US Senate.

Tabloid rival The Sun poked fun at its highbrow com-petitor, boasting on its front page that it was “20p lessthan The Mirror, £1.50 less than the tabloid Guardian”.“From one tabloid to another, here is our suggestion forthem to turn around their failing fortunes: Actually reportsome exclusive, rip-roaring stories ... We know that is an

Continued on Page 11

UK’s Guardian goes tabloid to reduce costs

The new look tabloid Guardian is seen next tothe old broadsheet version of the nationalnewspaper yesterday. — AFP

Dr Majida Al-Qattan

L o c a l Tuesday, January 16, 2018

2

KUWAIT: Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah,Ghanaian Foreign Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey and other officials inaugurate the GhanianEmbassy in Kuwait yesterday. —Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah and his Ghanaiancounterpart Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey meet inside the Ghanian Embassy in Kuwait.

Established 1961

By Nawara Fattahova and agencies

KUWAIT: The forthcoming conference on recon-struction of Iraq will have broad international par-ticipation and a significant contribution, a Kuwaitiofficial said yesterday. Invitations to the conferencehave already been delivered to the participatingcountries, international organizations of the UnitedNations, international financial institutions, and civilsociety organizations in various countries of theworld, Kuwait’s Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Al-Jarallah told reporters after the opening of theEmbassy of Ghana in Kuwait.

Kuwait will host an international conference fromFebruary 12 to 14 on reconstruction in parts of Iraqdevastated by the war against the so-called IslamicState (IS). Donor countries and organizations areexpected to announce financial contributions at themeeting.

Meanwhile, Jarallah reiterated the strong and his-toric relations between Kuwait and Egypt, and thatthree days after the Egyptian Foreign Ministerissued a statement announcing his country’s strongties with Kuwait, in response to some media reportsclaiming that Egypt’s relations with Kuwait andsome other GCC states are tense.

Important milestoneThe embassy of the Republic of Ghana in Kuwait

opened yesterday in Hateen in a ceremony attendedby Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign MinisterSheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah, Jarallah, GhanaianForeign Minister Shir ley Ayorkor Botchwey,Ghanaian Ambassador to Kuwait Alhaji Rufai YahayaIddi and other officials from both countries.

“This event is an important milestone in diplomat-

ic re lat ions betweenKuwait and Ghana. Dueto increasing political andeconomic re lat ionsbetween the two coun-tries, Kuwait opened itsembassy in Accra in 2015.For the same reasonGhana decided last yearto establ ish a res identdiplomatic miss ion inKuwait at the ambassado-rial level to accelerate thediplomatic , economic,investment and traderelations between the twocountries. Our embassy inRiyadh was ear l ieraccredited to Kuwait,” said Botchwey.

“Kuwait has made great strides to strengthen itsties with the world, particularly with African coun-tries. In 2013, Kuwait hosted the third Arab-Africasummit, in which Ghana among other African coun-tries participated. Today, through the desire ofKuwait to open up to Africa, many Africans canexplore the potential and opportunities that existbetween their countries and Kuwait,” she said.

“The opening of the Kuwaiti embassy in Accra in2015 and the opening of our embassy here will fur-ther strengthen bilateral relations for the mutualbenefit of our two countries and peoples. There area significant number of Ghanaian citizens and stu-dents in Kuwait, and opening our embassy here isopportune to address some of their concerns. Iadvise my compatriots to be law-abiding and main-tain the good relations that exist between Ghana

and Kuwait. Opening a new mission is not an easytask, so I want to thank the leadership of Kuwaitthat contributed in opening our embassy. I alsoappreciate the role of the other African embassies inKuwait to facilitate the opening of our mission,”Botchwey said.

Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid noted that opening theGhanaian embassy in Kuwait will complete bilateralcooperation between the two countries. “Kuwait hasgreat relations and cooperation with Ghana in all

fields. This ceremony shows Kuwait’s interest inArab-African cooperation and to be present inGhana. There are about 25 non-Arab Afr icanembassies in Kuwait, while Kuwait has diplomaticmissions in various African countries. Kuwait-African cooperation is continuous. There are manyprojects ongoing, including by the Kuwait fund thatis very active in Africa including Ghana. I believethat Kuwaiti-Ghanaian relations will develop withthe opening of the Ghanaian embassy here,” he said.

Deputy FM confirms broad participationin Iraq’s reconstruction conference

Kuwaiti, Ghanaian foreign ministers attend embassy opening

Deputy Foreign MinisterKhaled Al-Jarallah

speaks to reporters.

Policemen secure the embassy premises yesterday.

KUWAIT: Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs SheikhAli Jarrah Al-Sabah received at Seif Palace yes-terday the Ambassador of the United States toKuwait Lawrence Silverman. He also received

Ambassador of Turkey to Kuwait Aisha Hilal .Deputy Amiri Diwan Minister Sheikh MohammadAl-Abdul lah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah attendedboth meetings. —KUNA

KUWAIT: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation(DGCA) held a training on rescue missions for an airplanecrash outside Kuwait International Airport yesterday. Thedirectorate is continuously developing its safety and secu-rity measures, as well as standards for search and rescueoperations, DGCA President Sheikh Salman Al-HomoudAl-Sabah said in a press statement.

Meanwhile, DGCA said that the training is part of itsemergency plan, aiming to boost the skills of all bodies incharge of rescue missions. It added that the training wasexecuted in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior,

Ministry of Defense, Kuwait Fire Service Directorate(KFSD), Ministry of Health, Kuwait Oil Company (KOC),Kuwait Airways, Kuwait General Administration ofCustoms and Wataniya Airways.

DGCA had announced on Sunday that a private small-size airplane made an emergency landing at KuwaitInternational Airport due to a malfunction in its tires. Theplane made an emergency landing due to a technical errorin its tires, it added in a statement, and necessary measureswere implemented. It did not specify what was the problemof the tires. It confirmed that no one was hurt. —KUNA

Amiri Diwan Minister meets US, Turkish ambassadors

Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah meets with Ambassador of Turkey to KuwaitAisha Hilal.

KUWAIT: Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah meets with Ambassador of theUnited States to Kuwait Lawrence Silverman. —KUNA

DGCA President Sheikh Salman Al-Homoud Al-Sabah and other officials attend the drill.

KUWAIT: A picture shows training in progress on rescue missions for an airplane crash outside KuwaitInternational Airport. —KUNA

DGCA holds training on rescue operations for airplane crash

L o c a l Tuesday, January 16, 2018

3Established 1961

By A Saleh

KUWAIT: Efforts to nationalize leadingpositions in the banking sector have beenrelatively fruitful so far, according toWell-informed banking sources whostressed that 33 percent of those posi-tions, including CEOs, their deputies,department man-agers and headsof various sec-tions are current-ly occupied byKuwaitis. Thesources addedthat local banksrecently receivedinstructions toincrease Kuwaitiemployees to 70percent in vari-ous bankingpositions. The sources said that severalleading banks in Kuwait are already man-aged by Kuwait is “who have shownremarkable competence and achievedunprecedented success.” The sourcesalso noted that Kuwait Central Bank isvery committed to such steps and hadearlier urged local banks to set well-defined schedules to put such instruc-tions into practice and limit the use offoreigners for training purposes only.

ReplacementMeanwhile, the Fatwa and Legislation

Department recently became the first gov-ernment body to implement the policy of

replacing expats with citizens 100 per-cent, Al-Qabas reported yesterday quot-ing informed sources. The sourcesexplained that the department’s director,Chancellor Salah Al-Mas’ad, issued adirective yesterday terminating all expat‘legal researchers’ and urged the CivilService Commission (CSC) to provide

Kuwaiti candi-dates who canreplace them. Thesources explainedthat this decisionfollowed an earli-er one terminat-ing expats work-ing in secretarialand other admin-istrative jobs.They also notedthat another deci-sion will be issued

soon to terminate expat advisors, afterwhich, aside from security staff , thedepartment will be entirely staffed by cit-izens. Moreover, the sources stressed thatKuwaitis will be carefully selected due tothe sensitivity of work in such an advisorydepartment. In addition, the sources saidthat terminated expats will be notified andgiven the legal grace period of one tothree months before terminating them.

Clean fuel projectKuwait National Petroleum Company

(KNPC) has so far received $2.5 billion ofthe foreign funding for the clean fuel proj-ect, while the balance of $3.7 billion will

arrive within six months. Notably, theclean fuel project is one of the largest byKuwait to renovate Ahmadi and MinaAbdullah refineries with a total value ofKD 4.68 billion, of which KD 3.2 billion inself-funding and local loans has so farbeen spent on the project. KNPC signedthe largest foreign funding contract inKuwait’s history in May 2017 to fund thesecond phase of the project, worth $6.2billion. KNPC has set a timetable formonthly payments as per bills presentedby international consortia executing theproject, taking into consideration that 92percent of the project has been concludedand 95 percent of the equipment has beensupplied. Around 110 local and interna-tional companies with over 45,000 peopleare working on the project.

Senior officials’ appointmentsDecree number 1/2018 was issued yes-

terday pertainin the appointment of seniorofficials at the state security department,said informed sources, noting that FawwazMeshaal Al-Sabah, Abdullah Mubarak Al-Hajraf and Abdul Aziz Abdullah Khalaf Al-Salem have been appointed as assistantundersecretaries at the department.Meanwhile, decree number 2/2018 wasissued pertaining subjecting the supervi-sion of the Public Authority forAgricultural Affairs and Fish Resources(PAAAFR) to Minister of InformationMohammed Al-Jabri . A third decree(3/2018) was issued appointing SalehSulaiman Hamad Al-Mulla as assistantundersecretary at the ministers’ council.

Local banks instructed to increaseKuwaiti employees to 70 percent

Fatwa and Legislation Department lays off expat researchers

KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti Cabinet hasordered separate investigations intoalready awarded public tenders. Theorder, which was done during a cus-tomary cabinet meeting headed byHis Highness the Prime MinisterSheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-HamadAl-Sabah, came following requests bysome state agencies to scrap previ-ously awarded public tenders. Thecabinet asked the concerned ministerto conduct all-out investigations inorder to find the reason for failure tosign relevant contracts in spite of ear-lier awarding decrees and availablefinancial allocations. Necessary legalaction must be taken in case ofproven fraud in this regard, the cabi-net instructed. Also locally, the cabi-net asked the Public Authority forCommunications and InformationTechnology to carry out a territorialcommunication pathway, upon a rele-vant recommendation from its eco-nomic committee.

At the onset of the meeting, FirstDeputy Prime Minister and DefenseMinister Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah briefed the cabineton the outcomes of his recent visit toBahrain, including his meetings withthe kingdom’s leaders. Deputy PrimeMinister and Foreign Minister SheikhSabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabahapprised his colleague of the resultsof a recent visit to Kuwait by Ghana’sMinister of Foreign Affairs and

Regional Integration Shirley AyorkorBotchwey, during which mutual issueswere discussed and a consultationmemorandum of understanding wassigned.

Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled did thesame thing regarding Indian Ministerof State for Foreign Affairs V K Sing’slatest visit to the country, togetherwith his talks with Kuwaiti officials onways of promoting bilateral coopera-tive ties in all fields. He also expound-ed on the outcomes of talks withSpecial Representative of UNSecretary-General for Iraq Jan Kubisin Kuwait on Thursday, which focusedon the issues of Kuwaiti prisoners ofwar, missing, properties and nationalarchives, as well as Iraq’s reconstruc-tion conference due in Kuwait onFebruary 12-14.

The ministers were further briefedby Deputy Prime Minister and InteriorMinister Sheikh Khaled Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah on Saudi Interior MinisterPrince Abdelaziz bin Saud’s meetingswith Kuwaiti officials on bilateralsecurity cooperation. In Arab andMuslim domains, the Kuwaiti cabinethighly commended Jordanian securityauthorities for having recently aborteda terrorist plan by the so-calledIslamic State (IS) to target the king-dom. It also sharply condemned recentattacks in Pakistan and Iraq, which lefta number of policemen and peoplekilled or wounded. In this regard, thecabinet reiterated Kuwait’s principledand unwavering stand that decries ter-rorism in all manifestations and forms,while urging the international commu-nity to step up efforts to fight terror-ism and thwart terrorist acts thatbreach all heavenly religions andhuman values and norms. — KUNA

Cabinet ordersprobe inawarded tenders

$2.5 billionreceived for clean

fuel project

By Meshaal Al-Enezi

KUWAIT: Minister of Social Affairs andLabor and Minister of State for EconomicAffairs Hind Al-Sabeeh issued a ministerialdecision annulling a previous decree todissolve the Kaifan Co-op Society’s boardof directors. The new decision, whichseemingly came in response to a grillingmotion filed in parliament against Sabeeh,urged the appointed board to hand over alldocuments and society-related work to theprevious board within three days.

Meanwhile, the ministry’s assistantundersecretary for co-op societies affairsSheikhah Al-Adwani announced opening aregistry for candidates running in electionsfor co-op societies whose boards had beendissolved over serious financial and admin-istrative violations. Adwani explained thatboard elections will be held in Abdullah Al-Mubarak, Doha, Sulaibikhat, Subahiya,Dasma and Bneid Al-Gar, Wafra and Sharqco-op societies, and voters will choosenine-member boards in each. Adwaniexplained that supplementary elections willbe held where some board members wererelieved from office in Jahra, Mubarak Al-Kabeer and Qurain and Saad Al-Abdullah

co-op societies.

FabricationsHis Highness Sheikh Nasser Al-

Mohammed Al-Sabah’s attorney Emad Al-Saif denied social media reports claimingthat his client had met with the families ofconvicts indicted in the Abdaly cell case,and described those allegations as “fabri-cations”. Saif stressed that HH SheikhNasser highly respects the judiciary andhas full trust in sentences passed by itshonorable and fair judges. Saif said allega-tions on Twitter that Sheikh Nasser met thefamilies in the presence of MP AdnanAbdulsamad are completely untrue andstressed that he will take legal measuresagainst those promoting such rumors.

Complicated surgery Health Minister Sheikh Dr Basel Al-

Sabah yesterday conducted a complicatedsurgery to implant a cochlea in a six-year-old girl. The minister stressed in a state-ment after the operation that his ministerialduties will not come in the way of perform-ing his humanitarian duties as a surgeon.Sheikh Basel added that the two-hour sur-gery was held at Zain Hospital, where hewas assisted by Kuwaiti doctors. He addedthat the child’s condition is now stable.Sheikh Basel said that such surgeriesreflect advances in Kuwait’s health system,adding that the Ministry of Health is ontrack towards relying on Kuwaiti medicalstaff to perform complicated surgeries inKuwait, and thus reduce the need to dis-patch patients abroad for treatment.

Dissolved co-opsociety’s boardreinstated

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: Abdali customs arrested anIraqi driver who tried to smuggle nearly100 rare birds into Kuwait yesterday. Ninefalcons, 69 sandgrouse birds, and 19 hom-ing pigeons were caught with the man inthe operation that was carried out in coop-eration with the Interior Ministry. The sus-pect was taken to the environmental policefor further action.

Residency violators caughtResidency detectives arrested 25 expa-

triates who are in violation of the residencylaw. Detectives received tips about a resi-dence in Ahmadi governorate harboringseveral residency violators, and most ofthem were reported absconding. The housewas raided following the necessary legalprocedures. The house was being used toprovide unlicensed domestic help services,in addition to hosting immoral acts, theInterior Ministry said in a statement. Ninemen and 16 women were arrested, and they

all confessed to absconding from their orig-inal sponsors. They were sent to concernedauthorities for further legal action.Meanwhile, several security campaignswere held, during which 31 absconders andwanted persons were arrested. Furthermore,31 residency violators and a number of peo-ple found without IDs were detained, while66 traffic citations were issued.

Man tries tosmuggle in100 rare birds

KUWAIT: This picture shows falconscaught with a passenger who tried tosmuggle them into Kuwait through theAbdali border checkpoint yesterday.

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

4L o c a l

Established 1961

Photo of the Day

KUWAIT: This photo shows the first sunrise of the year, taken early morning on January 1, 2018 at the fishing pier near Kuwait Towers.— Photo by Ahmed Bahr

Kazma narrates stories ofpeace, war in Kuwait’s history

Kuwait was known as Kazma in early 17th centuryKUWAIT: Kazma, which means ‘water well’, is a city in Kuwaitwith a long history, located in Al-Jahra Governorate, 40 kmnorth of Kuwait City, was well known to Arabs and Persianssince the early Islamic eras.In 636 AD, the historicalBattle of Chains betweenMuslims, led by Khalid ibnAl-Walid, and the PersianEmpire was fought in Kazma.

Until the beginning of the17th century, Kuwait wasknown as Kazma in varioushistorical manuscripts anddata, this land broughttogether stories of peace,development, war and ter-rorism. Throughout its histo-ry, the name Kazma hasbeen associated with many stories, beautiful memories anddevelopmental achievements of Kuwait; this name also bearsbitter memories of Kuwait in the 1980s and early 1990s.

During the World War I (1914-1918), the name of Kuwaitemerged through the important and pivotal role of Kazmaport in receiving British ships during the war to bring thewar-wounded persons in small floating hospitals from ShattAl-Arab to India to receive treatment.

Kazma clubThe name of Kazma was also associated with one of the

most important football clubs in the history of Kuwaiti sports,which was founded in 1964, and the main stadium which iscalled ‘Al-Sadaqa W Al-Salam’ witnessed various events,including the hosting of the Peace and Friendship Cup in1989, a year after the end of Iran-Iraq War, to bring peaceand reconciliation between the two countries. In 1954, theKuwaiti National Airlines company celebrated the arrival ofthe first airplane, which was called ‘Kazma’. The Dakota DC3airplane landed in the old airport amid celebration of the newera of aviation. Moreover, the first newspaper to be issued

and published in Kuwait was also called ‘Kazma’ magazine,which is a monthly artistic social newspaper. Its first issuewas published in 1948. In 1959, the first Kuwaiti oil tanker

‘Kazma’ docked at thenorthern terminal of Al-Ahmadi Port. The 46,000-ton ship was built byJapan in 1958.

It was the vanguard ofoil tanker flying theKuwaiti flag and in thosedays it was considered asuper tanker. In the con-text of the humanitarianassistance, Kuwait openedin April 2017 ‘Kazma’school for displaced Iraqistudents in the city of Irbil.

The school was funded by Kuwait Red Crescent Society(KRCS). —KUNA

Kazma portplayed key rolein World War I

KUWAIT: The present location of Kazma City onKuwait’s map. —KUNA

Kazma; a new Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft thatjoined Kuwait Airway’s fleet last year.

The Kuwaiti oil tanker ‘Kazma III’.‘Al-Sadaqa W Al-Salam’ in Kazma Football Club hosts the Peace and Friendship Cup in 1989.

An artwork displayed at the gallery.KUWAIT: Paintings displayed at Ahmad Al-Adwani Gallery as part of Al-Qurain Cultural Festival. —KUNA

Kuwaiti artists displaypaintings at Al-QurainCultural FestivalKUWAIT: Kuwaiti artists displayed 125 paintings at Ahmad Al-AdwaniGallery on Sunday as part of Al-Qurain Cultural Festival. The galleryincluded paintings from 78 artists who were 30 years and above, only 10of them won Essa Saqer Creative Award.

Dr Bader Al-Duweesh, the National Council for Culture Art and Letters’(NCCAL) Assistant Secretary General for Art, said the gallery was one ofthe most important within Al-Qurain Festival because it was held with thelaunch of the cultural event. Mohammad Al-Asousi, NCCAL AssistantSecretary General for Culture, said that the gallery comprised realistic,classic and abstract paintings, in addition to sculptures and pottery. Hesaid each winner would get KD 750, a piece of works of Essa Saqer and acertificate. —KUNA

By Faten Omar

KUWAIT: The Horeca Kuwait 2018 exhibition openedyesterday at the Kuwait International Fairground inMishref with the participation of over 80 companiesspecialized in hospitality, catering and hotel equip-ment, including many international brands interested inthe Kuwaiti and Gulf markets.

The seventh edition of Horeca Kuwait is organizedby the Leaders Group Company for Consulting andDevelopment in collaboration with the HospitalityServices Company. “We confirm that Horeca Kuwait isthe largest exhibition held in some important touristiccountries,” said Nabila Al-Anjari, chairperson of theorganizing committee of the exhibition and generalmanager of Leaders Group.

“We have the right to be proud of our ability toimprove Kuwait’s commercial and tourism competitive-ness. This is a sign of the great progress achieved byour exhibition, which has become a destination for allcompanies, international chefs, hotels, restaurants, hos-pitality and culinary arts experts,” she stressed. “Itseems that new segments and companies have becomemore interested in participating in the exhibition due

to their interest in establishing close relationships withthe hospitality industry or in preparation for otherprojects in this field.”

She noted that the participation shows that Horecais moving in the right direction towards making Kuwaitan economic center thatis comparable to themost important centersin the hospitality andcommercial tourismindustry in terms of dis-playing, promoting,developing, diversifyingand integrating servicesin these sectors.

Important gatheringExecutive director of

the exhibition and sec-retary general of thefederation of Kuwaiti hotel owners MohammadNajia said: “Kuwait is witnessing an important andinfluential gathering, which is an indication of devel-opments in the hospitality sector. Companies and

institutions related to the hospitality industry willtake notice of this.”

Najia said this year, the exhibition has been a bigsuccess in terms of the space sold, the large number ofnew companies participating and quantitative and

qualitative momentum innew activities andevents. He said thisyear’s program includessessions for the first timedealing with specialistsand entrepreneurs, suchas over food safety andthe impact of new inno-vations on restaurantprojects, investment andtrade, in addition tocooking competitions.“We can say that thegrowth this year of the

exhibition has exceeded 200 percent,” he added.“The exhibition is excellent and successful year

after year with our cooperation and partnership withLeaders Group,” said Jumana Damous, General

Director of Hospitality Services. She added thatHoreca will reflect positively on many aspects of tradeand economic activity.

The three-day event from Jan 15-17, 2018 includes avariety of activities and cooking competitions withmany categories that cater to various appetizers,desserts and hot and cold beverages. Meanwhile, asession sponsored by the South African embassy washeld yesterday afternoon, where the delegation pre-sented a session on trade and investment in this field. Itwas followed by a family competition to prepare thebest burger.

Cooking competitions are held under the supervi-sion of world-class chefs, including the President ofthe International Federation of Chefs Chef Lautner, theformer chef Samaan Helal, the president of the localkitchen chef, Chef Maroun Chedid, the French ambas-sador to the Middle East Chef Charles Azar and others.

The opening ceremony of the exhibition wasattended by ambassadors, diplomats and businessattaches, executive managers of hotel groups, food andhospitality services, experts from Kuwait and abroad,and hundreds of local and international chefs involvedin culinary arts.

L o c a l Tuesday, January 16, 2018

5Established 1961

Specialized inhospitality,

catering and hotel

equipment

(From left) Khaled Fawzi, Nabila Al-Anjari, Huda Al-Enzi and Jumana Damous. Participants pose for a group photo during the event.

Americana’s pavilion.A visitor takes a fruits’ cup from one of the participat-ing pavilions in the exhibition. Another group of participants pose for a group photo.

KUWAIT: Officials inaugurate the Horeca Kuwait 2018 exhibition yesterday at the Kuwait International Fairground in Mishref. —Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Horeca Kuwait 2018 opens atKuwait International Fairground

Event helps improve Kuwait’s commercial and tourism competitiveness

NBK putsinnovationinto practiceKUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) partici-pated in the Innovation Challenge program organizedby Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement ofSciences (KFAS) in cooperation with UCLAAnderson School of Management. The program isaimed to develop the team’s innovation capabilitiesthrough resolution of a challenge or a specific inno-vation project related to NBK.

The Innovation Challenge started in Kuwait onJanuary 7, 2018 and will continue for four months.Towards the end of the program, the assigned team

will undergo the final module in UCLA AndersonSchool of Management.

NBK is committed to being one of the biggestadvocates of corporate social responsibility in Kuwait,and in specific in the fields of education, supportingstudents and national talents. The Bank believes in theimportance of providing Kuwaiti youth with theopportunities that will enable them to perform anddemonstrate their capabilities, as well as in investingin them through training programs held throughoutthe year to help them gain experience and qualifica-tions and arm them to enter the work market.

NBK places as well great importance in supportingthe development of its employees through specializedtraining programs designed as per academic and sci-entific standards, providing them with diversifiedtraining and professional development programswhich are delivered by leaders in the banking andfinancial sector.

NAJAF: Iraqis carry the coffin of a victim during a funeral in the holy city of Najaf yesterday, following twin suicide bombing in the capital Baghdad. —AFP

BAGHDAD: Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi calledfor the elimination of jihadist “sleeper cells” yesterday aftera twin suicide bombing killed 31 people in Baghdad in thesecond such attack in three days. There was no immediateclaim of responsibility, but most such attacks in Iraq are thework of the Islamic State jihadist group. The bombingcomes after Abadi’s government declared victory over IS inDecember and as the country gears up for parliamentaryelections.

“Two suicide bombers blew themselves up in TayyaranSquare in central Baghdad,” said General Saad Maan,spokesman for the Joint Operations Command, whichincludes the army and police.

A police officer reported “31 dead and 94 wounded”.Tayyaran Square is a bustling commercial centre and aplace where day laborers gather in the early morning wait-ing for jobs. It has been the site of deadly attacks in thepast. Iraqi analyst Hisham Al-Hashemi said attacks at thesquare since 2011 have killed 180 people, “often in the run-up to elections or just after the polls”. They aim to “createchaos and exacerbate sectarian divisions,” he said. Security

forces cordoned off the scene of the blasts as ambulancesgathered in the area, an AFP journalist said.

May elections Abadi held an emer-

gency meeting with theJoint OperationsCommand and intelligenceofficials after the attack, hisoffice said, asking them to“eliminate IS sleeper cells”and ensure the security ofcivilians. Analysts havewarned that IS wouldincreasingly turn to suchtactics as it was pushedunderground after losingterritory spanning theIraq-Syria border. Just hours after the first attack, anotherbombing in the east of Baghdad killed one person andwounded three, the police officer said. Attacks increased in

Baghdad after the start in 2016 of a battle to retake secondcity Mosul from IS. Iraqi forces retook the northern city inJuly last year. In December, the government announced the

“end of the war” againstIS, which has beenexpelled from theBaghdad region and urbanareas of Iraq that it con-trolled. Jihadist elementsare still active, however.On Saturday, a suicidebomb attack near a securi-ty checkpoint killed atleast five people in north-ern Baghdad. There wasno immediate claim ofresponsibility for thatbombing. The bombings

come as Iraq gears up for elections in May, with votersdeeply concerned about security in a country wracked byviolence since the 2003 US-led invasion.

‘Victory Alliance’ On Sunday, Abadi said he would stand for re-election in

the parliamentary polls as the head of a new coalition.Abadi’s newly created “Victory Alliance” will competeagainst the “State of Law” bloc of Nuri Al-Maliki, his prede-cessor and a key rival who now holds the post of vice presi-dent. Both Abadi and Maliki are members of the Shiite Dawaparty. Abadi was little known when he became premier threeyears ago, after Maliki ceded power to him in August 2014amid IS’s sweeping offensive across the country.

Since taking over, Abadi has also rebuilt the armedforces and taken back disputed areas in the north from theKurds, dashing their hopes for independence. He succeed-ed in convincing the Hashed Al-Shaabi, a Shiite-dominat-ed paramilitary force that helped fight IS, to join his“Victory Alliance”. The Hashed, or Popular MobilisationUnits, are now seeking to become a key political player inIraq after proving to be a formidable force on the battle-field. In November, IS claimed an attack by suicidebombers on a market on the outskirts of Baghdad thatkilled 11 people. —AFP

Baghdad suicide attacks kill 31Iraq’s PM calls for elimination of jihadist ‘sleeper cells’

Indian state to criminalize sex buyers to choke up the demandMUMBAI: Andhra Pradesh will become the first state in India totarget people who purchase sex in brothels as part of a crackdownon the sexual slavery of women and children, authorities said. Indiahas strict laws against human trafficking, sexual abuse and operat-ing brothels. Pimps, brothel managers and traffickers are oftenprosecuted. Yet, those who buy sex from people forced to work inbrothels, including children, rarely face charges. That needs tochange, authorities say. “People who purchase sex go scot free,”said H Arun Kumar, the state government’s commissioner forwomen’s development and child welfare.

Andhra Pradesh last week appointed a panel of legal expertsand campaigners to study anti-trafficking laws that could beapplied to buyers of sex, and to make recommendations within 60days. Panel member Sunitha Krishnan pointed to a section of theImmoral Trafficking Prevention Act, which says charges may beapplied to a “person who carries on prostitution and the personwith whom such prostitution is carried on”. Campaigners say thatanti-trafficking efforts will not work as long as police fail to targetpeople who visit brothels where sexual slavery occurs.

“The buyers are the ones creating the demand,” Krishnan toldthe Thomson Reuters Foundation. “Girls will continue to be solduntil buyers are criminalized.” Of an estimated 20 million sex work-ers in India, 16 million women and girls are victims of trafficking,according to a 2013 report called by four non-profit groups, includ-ing Dunya and the Omidyar Network. Public calls to criminalizethose paying to have sex with children have increased recently, anda politician from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party set up achange.org petition last month to seek tougher action.—Reuters

The second such attack

in three days

InternationalKashmir border violence kills 12

Page 9Indian police investigate brutal rape, murder of teenagers Page 8

TUESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2018

Established 1961

‘Am not racist,’ Trump insistsWASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump vehe-mently denied Sunday that he was a racist, after his vul-gar disparagement of African countries and Haiti com-plicated a bipartisan deal on immigration. “I’m not aracist. I am the least racist person you have ever inter-viewed,” Trump told reporters at the TrumpInternational Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida,where he was having dinner with Republican HouseMajority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

Trump appeared to give up for dead an immigrationdeal, coming back on the issue in a pair of early morningtweets three days after reportedly referring to Africanand Haitian immigrants as coming from “shithole coun-tries,” triggering global condemnation.”DACA is proba-bly dead because the Democrats don’t really want it,”Trump tweeted, referring to the Deferred Action forChildhood Arrivals program at the heart of the immigra-tion impasse. Hundreds of thousands of immigrantsbrought to the country illegally as children-so-called“Dreamers”-face deportation unless a compromise canbe reached that would grant them rights to stay.

A bipartisan deal to resolve the Dreamers issue inreturn for changes demanded by Republicans in the wayvisas are allocated collapsed in acrimony Thursday overTrump’s remarks, which were widely denounced as racist.“I think this man, this president, is taking us back toanother place,” John Lewis, a Georgia congressman whowas on the front lines of the 1960s civil rights movement,said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.” “I think he is a racist.”

‘Defend the indefensible’ Senator David Purdue, a Republican from Georgia,

called charges that Trump is racist “ridiculous” and hisreported remarks a “gross misrepresentation” of theWhite House meeting on immigration. But otherRepublicans, pained by the turn of events, spoke out

against the president as debate over the slur spilledinto Sunday television talk shows. “I can’t defend theindefensible,” said Mia Love, a Haitian-American con-gresswoman from Utah who campaigned on Trump’sbehalf in the country’s Haitian community. “I still thinkthat he should apologize,” she said on CNN’s “State ofthe Union.” “I think that there are people that arelooking for an apology. And I think that that wouldshow real leadership.”

Trump’s “shithole countries” remarks were confirmedby Senator Dick Durbin, a Democrat who attended theWhite House meeting, after it was reported by TheWashington Post and other media. But Trump has stuckwith a vague denial that he used such language, and sofar has made no move to apologize, hurting prospects fora deal on DACA and making life uncomfortable forRepublicans as they look ahead to midterm elections thisyear. The president sought to shift from the defensive byportraying Democrats as not truly interested in an immi-gration deal.

“They just want to talk and take desperately neededmoney away from our Military,” he tweeted. “I, asPresident, want people coming into our Country whoare going to help us become strong and great again,people coming in through a system based on MERIT.No more Lotteries! #AMERICA FIRST.” In Florida,Trump added: “I don’t think Democrats want to make adeal. The folks from DACA should know the Democratsare the ones that aren’t going to make a deal.” He insist-ed the White House was “ready, willing and able tomake a deal on DACA.”

‘A deal to be had’But Senator Jeff Flake, a Republican who has been

critical of Trump, said Democrats were serious about abipartisan deal on immigration. He said the compromisepresented to the White House Thursday would end a visalottery system and so-called chain migration under whichlegal immigrants can bring in family members. TheDreamers would be allowed to stay but not become UScitizens, according to Flake. The senator from Arizonasaid Trump’s remarks came in reaction to an element of

the deal that would reallocate the visas given out in a lot-tery to immigrants who are currently in a protected sta-tus, like Haitians and the Dreamers. “I believe there is adeal to be had,” he said.

Trump announced in September he was scrapping theDACA program but delayed enforcement to giveCongress six months-until March-to craft a lasting solu-tion. On Tuesday, however, a federal judge ordered thegovernment to keep DACA going pending resolution ofcourt challenges to the president’s decision. Unless theorder is overturned by a higher court, DACA recipientswill now be eligible to submit renewal applications andthe government will be required to “post reasonablepublic notice” that the program is once again active.Meanwhile, dimming prospects for a 2018 spendingagreement means lawmakers will have to resort to a tem-porary funding extension to avert a government shut-down on January 19.—AFP

FLORIDA: US President Donald Trump speaks toreporters at Trump International Golf Club in West PalmBeach. —AFP

I n t e r n a t i o n a l Tuesday, January 16, 2018

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Oil tanker sinking off China raises environmental fears

Bodies of only three of the 32 crew members found

Established 1961

News in briefPhilippines widens evacuation MANILA: The Philippines ordered the forced evacuationof people from two more municipalities near a restive vol-cano yesterday as the chief volcanologist warned of apossible hazardous eruption “within weeks or even withindays”. More than 12,000 residents have already fled toevacuation centers after the 2,462-metre Mayon volcano,in central Albay province, began spewing ash on Saturdayand unleashed burning mud and rocks on Sunday. “Thereis an ongoing forced evacuation from the municipalities ofDaraga and Legazpi because of the lava flow,” RominaMarasigan, spokeswoman for the National Disaster RiskReduction and Management Council, told reporters. “Thelava flow has reached some areas around three kilometersaway from the volcano.” Mayon, a tourist attractionbecause of its near-perfect cone shape, showed a brightcrater glow on Sunday, signifying lava had started to flowfrom the crater.

Cyclone death toll hits 51 ANTANANARIVO: The cyclone that slammed intoMadagascar earlier this month has claimed 51 lives, with54,000 people displaced by flooding, heavy rain and highwinds, authorities said. Tropical cyclone Ava made landfallon January 5, lashing the eastern part of the African islandfor 24 hours, with many rivers overflowing, roads cut offand bridges submerged. Twenty-two people are still miss-ing while 161,000 others have been affected following thestorms, the National Bureau for Risk and CatastropheManagement (NBRCM) said late Sunday. The toll fromAva stood at 29 dead and 80,000 affected one week ago.Madagascar, one of the world’s poorest countries, is regu-larly hit by cyclones. In March last year, cyclone Enawokilled at least 78 people.

Turkmenistan bans ‘bad habits’ ASHGABAT: Tightly controlled Turkmenistan has bannedbroadcasters from showing sex and encouraging “badhabits” in a law designed to create a “positive image” ofthe Central Asian country on the air. The law, signed bystrongman President Gubanguly Berdymukhamedov overthe weekend according to state newspaper NeutralTurkmenistan, cites “protection of minors” as the reasonfor the ban on erotic content. While the legislation doesnot specify what “bad habits” broadcasters should avoidpromoting, Berdymukhamedov’s government has waged awar on smoking in the republic of five million. The docu-ment equally does not explain how content will be judged“pornographic” or “sexual-erotic.” In practice, televisionchannels have long shown versions of foreign films withsexual and suggestive scenes edited out. The new law alsosays broadcasters must aim “to create TV and radio pro-grams (showing) a positive image of Turkmenistan.”

2 Moroccan porters die RABAT: Two women carrying goods between Moroccoand Spain’s Ceuta enclave were killed yesterday in astampede at the border between the two countries, arights group and officials said. The stampede took placeat the Tarajal II crossing for pedestrians between theMoroccan border town of Fnideq and Ceuta, rightsactivist Mohamed Benaissa said. Two women in their 40snamed Ilham and Souad, both from Fnideq, were killed,the head of Morocco’s Northern Observatory for HumanRights said. Known as “mule women” on the Spanish sideof the border and “hamalat” or porters in Morocco, theseimpoverished women eke out a living lugging back-breaking goods between the two countries. Ilham andSouad were about to cross the border with merchandisewhen the stampede occurred. Local officials said in astatement that authorities were investigating the deaths.Last year, at least four female porters were trampled todeath in crushes at the same border crossing. The portersoften carry loads much heavier that their own weightstrapped to their backs.

BEIJING: The sinking of an Iranian tanker off China couldseverely damage marine life, environmental expertswarned yesterday, as state media reported an oil spillcovering up to 50 square miles at the scene. The Sanchi,carrying 136,000 tons of light crude oil from Iran, wentunder on Sunday after a new and massive fire erupted,sending a cloud of black smoke as high as one kilometerabove the East ChinaSea. The bodies of onlythree of the 32 crewmembers have beenfound since the vesselcollided with the CFCrystal, a Hong Kong-registered bulk freighter,on January 6, sparking afire that Chinese rescueships struggled to extin-guish.

Iranian officials saidthere was no hope offinding survivors amongthe crew of 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis, promptinggrief and anger among families of the sailors in Tehran.“Oil spills from the ship are still burning” at the scene,China’s transport ministry said yesterday. An oil spill 11.5miles long and up to 4.6 miles wide surrounded the site asof yesterday afternoon, according to the official People’sDaily newspaper. Dramatic photos showed a huge columnof black smoke rising from bright red flames. Alaska-based oil spill consultant Richard Steiner called the acci-dent “the single largest environmental release of petrole-um condensate in history”.

“Given the poor condition of the hull of the ship after aweek of explosions and fire, it is my assumption that noneof the cargo holds or fuel compartments remain intact,and thus all of the condensate and fuel has beenreleased,” Steiner said. Even if only 20 percent of the ves-

sel’s cargo was released into the sea, it would still be anamount about equivalent to Alaska’s disastrous 1989Exxon Valdez crude oil spill, he said. “I don’t know of anycondensate spill into a marine environment larger than1,000 tons, and most that we know of have been less thanone ton,” he said. The Sanchi’s own fuel tank was able toaccommodate some 1,000 tons of heavy diesel, according

to Chinese media.

‘Worst situation’On Sunday state

broadcaster CCTV citedZhang Yong, a senior engi-neer with China’s StateOceanic Administration, asplaying down environmen-tal concerns. The Sanchi’slight crude would have“less impact on the ocean”than other kinds of oil, and“minimal” impact onhumans, given how far the

incident occurred offshore, he said. But the sinking of theship before more oil had a chance to burn off was “theworst situation” possible, Ma Jun, director of the Instituteof Public and Environmental Affairs, told the Global Timesnewspaper.

“The condensate oil, a kind of ultra-light oil onSanchi, is different than other types of crude oil and ispoisonous to marine life,” he warned. Unlike crude, con-densate does not form a traditional surface slick whenspilt. Instead, it generates a toxic underwater plume ofhydrocarbons invisible from the sea surface. Whales,porpoises, seabirds, fish, and plankton in contact withthese hydrocarbons in the East China Sea will either diequickly or develop “sub-lethal injuries” such as physio-logical impairment, reproductive failure and chronic dis-eases, said Steiner.

The region is also a crucial spawning site for manylarge fish species, whose eggs and larvae have “undoubt-edly been exposed” to the toxic compounds, he said. “Justbecause there is no traditional surface slick does notmean there is minimal impact. While the toxic phase of thespill may only last a few months, the injury to populations

could persist much longer,” he said. He slammed govern-ments for failing to gather environmental data morequickly. “As no one has been conducting a scientificassessment of (the environmental impact), the govern-ments and ship owners are likely to claim, erroneously,there was limited damage.” —AFP

No hope of finding survivors

AT SEA: Photo shows smoke and flames coming from the burning oil tanker ‘Sanchi’ at seaoff the coast of eastern China. —AFP

French guards block prisons after attack by Al-Qaeda convictPARIS: French prison officers blocked access to severaljails around the country yesterday to demand tighter secu-rity after three officers were injured in an attack by aGerman terror convict last week. The officers’ unions saythe blade attack by Christian Ganczarski, who is serving an18-year sentence over the 2002 bombing of a Tunisian syn-agogue, illustrated the lax approach of prison authorities toviolent convicts. Prison guards used washing machines anda pile of burning tyres to block access to the high-securityprison in Vendin-le-Vieil on the border with Belgium wherehe is being held.

Around 100 officers took part in the protest, an AFPjournalist at the scene said. In an apparent attempt todefuse the situation the prisons service announced that thedirector of the facility had asked to be “relieved of his com-mand” following calls by wardens for him to be shown thedoor. Officers also demonstrated outside Fresnes prisonsouth of Paris, one of France’s largest where riot police weredeployed, as well as in Marseille and Lyon.

A former top Al-Qaeda member, Ganczarski is accusedof masterminding the 2002 suicide blast at an historic syna-gogue on the Tunisian island of Djerba, in which 21 peoplewere killed. He was sent to jail in 2009. He lunged at guardson Thursday after learning he might face extradition to theUS in connection with investigations into the September 11,2001 attacks, according to union sources. The prison serv-ice said he was armed only with scissors and a razor blade.Prison guards’ unions said his detention conditions had

recently been eased despite surveillance indicating he wasplanning an attack. The outgoing head of the prison said heshowed no signs of aggression. On Saturday, trade unionswalked out of talks with the justice ministry saying they hadfailed to receive a “concrete answer” to their demands totighten security around dangerous inmates. The prison

where Ganczarski is held will soon be housing SalahAbdeslam, the sole surviving suspect in the November 2015Paris attacks which left 130 people dead. Abdeslam will bemoved to Vendin-le-Vieil from a prison south of Paris inFebruary during his trial in Belgium over a shootout withpolice in that country.— AFP

Palestinians meet to respond to Trump’s ‘slap of the century’RAMALLAH: Palestinian leaders metyesterday to plan a response to whatthey see as US President Donald Trump’sattack on their long bid for statehood,after Mahmud Abbas denounced WhiteHouse peace efforts as the “slap of thecentury”. The rare meeting of thePalestinian Central Council-a high-rank-ing arm of the Palestine LiberationOrganization-was called after Trump’scontroversial December 6 recognition ofJerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Palestinians want the annexed easternsector of the city as the capital of theirfuture state and president Abbas hassaid Trump’s stance means the US can nolonger be the mediator in peace talkswith Israel. The US president has soughtto bring Israel and the Palestinians backto the negotiating table, with talks stalledsince 2014. Speaking Sunday evening atthe opening of the council, which bringstogether Palestinians from multiple polit-ical parties, Abbas told delegates: “Wesaid ‘no’ to Trump, ‘we will not acceptyour project.’”

“The deal of the century is the slap ofthe century and we will not accept it,”the 82-year-old leader added, referringto Trump’s pledge to reach the “ultimatedeal”. He instead called for an interna-tionally mediated peace process. Israelis unlikely to accept any other mediatorthan the United States, accusing United

Nations bodies of systematic biasagainst it. The delegates began meetingyesterday morning, with talks expectedto end in the evening with a joint state-ment. The last meeting of the PCC in2015 called for the ending of securitycoordination with Israel, but its decisionswere non-binding and it was neverimplemented.

‘Israel ended Oslo’The Palestinians’ relations with the US

leadership have deteriorated rapidlysince Trump’s election. He came to pow-er promising to lead the most pro-Israeladministration in history, but also to pur-sue a peace deal. His envoys, includingsenior advisor and son-in-law JaredKushner, had been shuttling between thetwo sides in search of common ground.But Trump also infuriated the Palestiniansby refusing to commit to the idea of anindependent Palestinian state andrecently threatened to cut hundreds ofmillions of dollars of US aid.

The Jerusalem announcementprompted the Palestinians to freeze tieswith the administration, and Abbas isexpected to shun Vice President MikePence when he visits the region nextweek. On Sunday night, Abbas attackedthe US ambassadors to Israel and theUnited Nations, David Friedman andNikki Haley, calling them a “disgrace”.Both Trump appointees have been strongsupporters of Israel, with Friedman hav-ing backed Jewish settlements in theoccupied West Bank.

An indignant Abbas also said thatTrump had accused them of refusingpeace negotiations. “May God demolishyour house. When did we refuse?” hesaid, using a common Arabic curse.Israeli media focused heavily on thephrase yesterday, while Defence MinisterAvigdor Lieberman said the statement

showed Abbas was “losing his wits andgiving up negotiations.”

In a speech during a state visit toIndia, Israeli Prime Minister BenjaminNetanyahu did not mention Abbas’scomments. Abbas said all options wereon the table for responding to Trump’sJerusalem declaration, but did notspecifically mention suspending recog-nition of Israel or ending security coor-dination with the Jewish state-bothpolicies mooted in the days before thecouncil. He did, however, say the Osloaccords that led to the creation of hisPalestinian Authority and envisioned afinal resolution to the conflict were in

effect finished. “I am saying that Oslo,there is no Oslo. Israel ended Oslo,” hesaid, referring to persistent Israeli set-tlement building and other issues seenas eroding the possibility of a two-statesolution to the conflict. Hamas, theIslamist party that rules Gaza, is nottaking part in the council-arguing itshould have been held abroad to avoidIsraeli pressure.

In a statement yesterday the partysaid Abbas’s speech “did not meet theambitions of our people.” “The centralcouncil must end Oslo and stop securitycoordination and withdraw the recogni-tion (of Israel).”—AFP

NORD: The high-security prison of Vendin-le-Vieil, northern France, is pictured after three prisonguards have been injured in a blade attack by a German Al-Qaeda militant. —AFP

JERUSALEM: File photo shows US President Donald Trump (left) and Israel’sPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shaking hands after delivering a speechat the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. —AFP

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

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

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NEW DELHI: Indian police said yesterday they wereinvestigating the gang rape and murder of two teenagegirls whose mutilated bodies were found just hours apartin a state bordering New Delhi. The brutality of the crimesin Haryana, a deeply conservative state in northern India,has created shockwaves even in a region with a grimrecord of violence against women. Police are pursuing agroup of men suspected ofraping and murdering a 15-year-old girl fromKurukshetra district whosebadly disfigured body wasfound dumped in a streamon Friday.

District police chiefAbhishek Garg said the girlhad sustained terribleinternal injuries suggestingthe attackers used a bluntobject during the attack.“At least four men are sus-pected to be behind thecrime,” said district policechief Abhishek Garg. “A massive search is underway toarrest the perpetrators”, he added. Just hours after thegrisly discovery, police in Panipat district on Saturdayfound the body of a 12-year-old girl in a pond. Panipatpolice chief Rahul Sharma told AFP that two men, bothneighbors of the victim, had been arrested over the crime.

Both had confessed to luring the girl to their housebefore raping and killing her, Sharma said. The crimesunderscore India’s atrocious record on sexual violence,which remains high despite authorities vowing to stampout the scourge. Official figures show nearly 36,000minors were sexually assaulted in 2016. A UN Committee

on the Rights of the Child in 2014 said one in three rapevictims in India was a minor and expressed alarm over thewidespread sexual abuse of children.

In a separate incident on Sunday, a 22-year-old womanwas allegedly kidnapped and raped inside a car by fourmen in Haryana before being dumped by her attackers ona roadside. The high rates of assault continue despite an

overhaul of laws in thewake of a high-profilefatal gang rape of a Delhistudent in 2012 thatsparked mass protests.That crime shone a spot-light on the rising levelsof violence againstwomen in India, and sawthe introduction of toughpenalties for offendersand accelerated trialsthrough court.

Inmates drug guards In another develop-

ment, three inmates have made a daring escape from ahigh-security jail in eastern India using desserts laced withsedatives and bed sheets to abseil down the walls, a prisonofficial said yesterday. The trio of Bangladeshis incarcerat-ed at Alipore Jail in Kolkata remain at large after pulling offthe audacious prison break over the weekend. West Bengalstate’s prison director Arun Gupta said the runaways madetheir dash after drugging their jail guards and fellowinmates with spiked dessert. “The trio mixed sedatives inthe sweets brought from the jail canteen, and served theseto inmates and some prison guards on Saturday night,” saidGupta. They then cut through the bars on their cell window

and used bed sheets knotted into a length to descend thesix-meter walls to the ground below. Their absence was notdetected until prison wardens conducted the morning head

count, Gupta said. “It appears guards on the watch towerswere sleeping when the three escaped. Three wardens havebeen suspended,” he said. — Agencies

Indian police investigate brutal rape, murder of two teenagers

LONDON: The leader of Britain’s anti-European UnionUKIP Party said he had split with his new girlfriendafter a newspaper published derogatory comments shemade about Prince Harry’s fiancee Meghan Markle andblack people. Henry Bolton, 54, who became the ailingUK Independence Party’s fourth leader in a year whenhe was elected last September, said he had ended hisrelationship with model Jo Marney after the “appalling”text messages she sent to a friend were published.

Marney, 25, who began dating Bolton just afterChristmas, had described US actress Markle, whosefather is white and mother is African-American, as a“dumb little commoner” and said “her seed with (sic)taint our royal family”, according to the texts printed inthe Mail on Sunday newspaper. Marney also describedblack people as ugly. “The romantic element of therelationship is over,” Bolton told BBC radio, saying theyhad split up on Sunday night. “However appalling andinsulting those comments she made in those direct per-sonal messages were ... I honestly don’t believe thoseare her core beliefs.”

Harry said Markle had been subjected to “outrightsexism and racism” on social media when he revealedthey were first dating in 2016 and that there had alsobeen racial undertones in newspaper comment pieces.The couple announced in November that they wereengaged and will marry in May. Led by the charismaticNigel Farage, UKIP won nearly four million votes in2015, 12.6 percent of those cast, on its anti-EU platform,projecting it to the forefront of British politics eventhough it only managed to win one seat in parliament.

Its success helped force former Conservative primeminister David Cameron, who once dismissed the partyas being full of “fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists”,to agree to hold the 2016 referendum on whether toleave the EU and played a role in encouraging Britonsto vote for Brexit. But UKIP has been riven by internalstrife since the referendum as it struggles for directionand a clear purpose and it won just 1.8 percent of thetotal votes cast in a national election last June. Marneywas suspended from UKIP after the texts became pub-lic on Sunday and senior party figures called for Bolton,a former army infantry officer who also served in thepolice, to step down himself. —Reuters

Inmates drug guards, abseil from jail using bed sheets

Leader of UKIP splits with girlfriend after ‘appalling’ messages

Key moments in year one of the Trump presidencyWASHINGTON: Here is a look at several key moments inthe first year of Donald Trump’s turbulent presidency:

Travel ban: the legal saga Out of the blue, one week after taking office, Trump

decreed a 90-day ban on arrivals of people from sevenMuslim majority countries and a 120-day ban on all refugeearrivals. Chaos broke out at US airports, with travelersdetained upon arrival, and Americans nationwide stagedprotests against a measure seen as discriminating againstMuslims-though Trump said it aimed to keep out extremists.

Trump’s move kicked off a legal saga that has draggedon through the first year of his presidency-and is not yetover. The initial ban was quickly blocked in court, as was amodified version removing Iraq from the countries targeted,and a third iteration adding citizens of North Korea andsome Venezuelan officials. Last month, the Supreme Courtauthorized enforcement of the ban’s third version as thelegal challenges against it make their way through thecourts.

Sacking James Comey In one of the most momentous moves of his young presi-

dency, Trump abruptly fired FBI director James Comey onMay 9, sacking the man leading a probe into whether hiselection campaign colluded with Russia in an effort todefeat Hillary Clinton. Trump later acknowledged he hadthe Russia probe in mind when he sacked Comey. In theend, Trump’s move backfired. The sacking led to theappointment of a more powerful, independent counsel,Robert Mueller, to head the Russia investigation-whichTrump dismisses as “fake news.”The former FBI directormay also be looking at whether Trump and his inner circlesought to obstruct justice. Two Trump associates, includingcampaign manager Paul Manafort, have been indicted so far.

Two more-including former national security advisorMichael Flynn-have admitted lying to investigators and havebecome government witnesses.

‘Pittsburgh, not Paris’ On June 1, 2017, Trump announced America was pulling

out of the Paris climate deal, reversing its commitment tofight global warming in spite of appeals from environmentalgroups, foreign leaders, industry and even his own daughterIvanka.

Trump painted the accord as a “bad deal” for the USeconomy, declaring he “was elected to represent the citi-zens of Pittsburgh, not Paris.” This month, he said the UnitedStates could “conceivably” return to the deal under morefavorable terms, renewing questions about whether he isbluffing-and simply wants easier emissions targets.

Pushing N Korea’s buttons In his maiden speech to the UN General Assembly last

September, Trump fired the opening salvo in what would bemonths of brinkmanship with North Korea’s leader KimJong-Un-a.k.a. “Rocket Man”-vowing to destroy thenuclear-armed country if it threatened America. As 2017came to a close, the North Korean nuclear threat hadsoared dramatically-with Kim boasting that his missile arse-nal can hit any city on the US mainland, and Trump facedcriticism for stirring tensions. The new year opened to signsof a potential cooling, as Pyongyang reached a landmarkagreement to send athletes to the Winter Olympics in theSouth-with the White House arguing Trump’s tough rheto-ric, coupled with intense diplomatic pressure, had helpedbring the Koreas together. But many analysts fear Trump’serratic outbursts-he recently boasted he has a “much big-ger” nuclear button than Kim-dangerously raise the risk of amiscalculation that could lead to disaster.

Merry Christmas, America On December 22, Trump signed into law the most

sweeping rewrite of the US tax code in decades, sealing hisbiggest legislative victory to date-after the stinging failureto repeal his predecessor’s health care law, Obamacare.Delivering on a core electoral pledge, Trump billed the $1.5trillion of tax cuts as a “Christmas gift” for the Americanpeople. Opposition Democrats branded it a giveaway tothe wealthiest that risks blowing a hole in the national

debt. But Trump and his Republicans are confident theoverhaul will play to the party’s advantage in this year’scrucial mid-term elections.

Trump the peacemakerTrump came to office boasting he could achieve the

“ultimate deal” for Middle East peace, something that haseluded US presidents for decades. On December 6, hethrew those efforts into jeopardy by recognizing Jerusalemas Israel’s capital, a decision that overturned decades ofUS policy. The status of Jerusalem is deeply contentious:Israel claims the whole of the disputed city as its capital,while Palestinians see east Jerusalem as the capital of theirfuture state. Trump’s move triggered a spasm of protests,with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas warning hewould “no longer accept” any peace plan proposed by theUnited States. Since Trump took office, traditionalRepublicans had competed for the president’s ear with theanti-Washington populists who carried him to power.Steve Bannon chief among them. In the opening days of2018, the establishment regained the upper hand. Formonths, the president let the firebrand Bannon, who washis top strategist, conduct open war against theWashington “swamp” of party leaders and lawmakers theysaw as undermining Trump’s revolution. —AFP

Brutality of the crimes sends shockwaves

MUMBAI: An Indian student walks past a wall pock-marked with bullet holes opposite the Nariman House culturaland religious centre of the ultra-orthodox Jewish Chabad-Lubavitch movement in Mumbai yesterday. —AFP

Abducted Chibok girls ‘vow’ not to return to parents KANO: Islamist militants Boko Haram yesterday released anew video purporting to show at least 14 of the Chibokschoolgirls whose mass kidnapping nearly four years agobecame a symbol of Nigeria’s brutal conflict. But despite aconcerted global campaign for their release, and talksbetween the government and the militants, the girls shown inthe recording vowed not to return to their parents. The 20-minute-long video is the first since May last year, whenanother woman who also claimed to be among the 219seized from the town in Borno state said she wanted to stay.

Both videos will compound the suffering of the girls’families and friends but also indicate the extent to whichthey may have become influenced by their captors. All ofthose who were shown on camera were wearing black orblue hijabs and at least three were carrying babies. One ofthe students, her face covered by a veil, said: “We are theChibok girls that you cry for us to return to you. By thegrace of Allah, we will not return to you. “Poor souls, wepity our other Chibok girls who chose to return to Nigeria.Allah blessed you and brought you to the caliphate for youto worship your creator. “But instead you chose to returnto unbelief.”

Secular ‘folly’ It was not clear when or where the latest message, in

Hausa and the local Chibok language, was recorded orwhether those who appeared on camera were underduress. The woman speaking said the Boko Haram faction-al leader Abubakar Shekau had “married us off”. “We livein comfort. He provides us with everything. We lack noth-ing,” she added. Shekau was also seen, firing a heavymachine gun and making a 13-minute-long sermon inwhich he said the remaining girls had “understood the fol-

ly” of secular education. Boko Haram’s name broadlytranslates into English from the Hausa that is widely spo-ken in northern Nigeria as “Western education is sinful”.The group has repeatedly attacked and destroyed schoolsteaching a secular curriculum in its campaign to create ahardline Islamic state in northeast Nigeria.

The jihadists seized 276 students from the GovernmentGirls Secondary School in the mostly Christian town onApril 14, 2014, triggering global condemnation. Fifty-nineof them managed to escape in the hours that followed. Acampaign for the release of their classmates has had thesupport of Hollywood stars to global leaders. A total of107 girls have now been either found, rescued or releasedas part of government negotiations with the Islamic State

group affiliate. They have now returned to the northeastand are back in education at the American University ofNigeria, in the Adamawa state capital, Yola.

On January 4, the Nigerian army said it had rescuedanother of the girls’ classmates in the Pulka region ofBorno, near the border with Cameroon. Boko Haram hasused kidnapping as a weapon of war in the conflict, whichhas killed at least 20,000 people in northeast Nigeria anddisplaced more than 2.6 million. Thousands of women andyoung girls have been seized and held hostage, includingas sex slaves, while men and young boys have beenforcibly recruited to fight alongside the militants. Thevideo also shows a group of police women, who were alsoabducted in Borno state last year.—AFP

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump participates in aroundtable at the White House in Washington, DC. —AFP

Britain to scrutinize ‘sexual harassment’ LONDON: A committee of British lawmakers will launchan inquiry into the sexual harassment of women and girlsin public places such as streets, public transport, shops,bars and clubs. The cross-party Women and EqualitiesCommittee will examine what more can be done to combatunwanted sexual attention in public spaces other than theworkplace, it said. “We are putting a spotlight on a prob-lem that seems to be so routine in women’s lives, and yethas received very little attention in public policy,” saidMaria Miller, committee chair, in a statement. “We want tofind out why it happens, what the government is doing toroot it out, and what more can be done.”

A 2016 national survey published by YouGov found that85 percent of women aged 18 to 24 had experiencedunwanted sexual attention in public places while 45 per-cent had experienced unwanted sexual touching. Theinquiry follows the emergence of widespread allegations inBritain, the United States and globally about sexual assaultand harassment. Britain’s parliament was among the insti-tutions to become embroiled in a sex scandal after abuseallegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinsteinprompted thousands of women and men to share storiesabout improper behavior.

British Prime Minister Theresa May and other partyleaders have agreed to introduce new safeguards for thoseworking in parliament to try to contain a growing sexualharassment scandal there. —Reuters

KANO: Photo from a video grab released by Islamist militants group Boko Haram shows schoolgirls abducted from thenortheast Nigerian town of Chibok in April 2014. - AFP

I n t e r n a t i o n a l Tuesday, January 16, 2018

9

ISLAMABAD: Four Pakistani soldiers were killed yester-day in shelling by Indian forces in the disputed Kashmirregion, the Pakistani army said, the latest clash betweenthe nuclear-armed neighbors who have also beenexchanging heated challenges. A decades-old dispute overthe mostly Muslim Himalayan region of Kashmir, claimed infull but ruled in part by both Pakistan and India, has heatedup in recent years after a2003 ceasefire broughtmore than a decade of rela-tive peace. “Troops werebusy in line communicationmaintenance when theywere fired upon and hit byheavy mortar round,” thePakistani military said ofthe attack in which the fourmen were killed, in theJandrot region.

Pakistani forcesresponded, killing threeIndian soldiers and wound-ing several, it said. India’s military told Reuters thatPakistani forces fired first and no casualties were recordedon the Indian side. On another section of the so-calledLine of Control (LoC) dividing Kashmir between the twosides, India said its forces yesterday killed five member ofa pro-Pakistan militant group trying to slip into IndianKashmir. “They crossed the Jhelum river which is de factoborder in the area. We allowed them to cross the river andchallenged them. All of the five who crossed the river werekilled,” said an Indian officer, Major General Gulab SinghRawat.

A Pakistani military spokesman was not immediatelyavailable for comment on the second incident. India accus-es Pakistan of backing Islamist militants and encouraging

them to attack soldiers in Indian-controlled Kashmir,where a separatist insurgency has simmered for years, andin other parts of India. Pakistan denies that and says Indiamust hold negotiations on the future of Kashmir. Theneighbors have fought three wars since their independ-ence from Britain, two of them over Kashmir.

Calling nuclear bluffArtillery exchanges

across the LoC werecommon for years beforethe 2003 ceasefire inKashmir largely broughtan end to violence butclashes have again beenincreasing over the pastcouple of years.Relations have been par-ticularly tense since Indiasaid it had carried outcross-border surgicalstrikes against militants

hiding in Pakistan in 2016. Pakistan said Indian forces never crossed onto its terri-

tory. On Friday, Indian army chief General Bipin Rawat saidhis forces were willing to carry out operations insidePakistan despite the risk of a nuclear conflict, the Indiandaily the Hindustan Times reported. “If we will have toreally confront the Pakistanis, and a task is given to us, weare not going to say we cannot cross the border becausethey have nuclear weapons. We will have to call theirnuclear bluff,” Rawat said at a press briefing.

The comment drew derision from Pakistan’s foreignminister who termed the statement “irresponsible” and an“invitation for nuclear encounter”. “If that is what theydesire, they are welcome to test our resolve. The general’s

doubt would swiftly be removed,” Khwaja Asif said onTwitter. Pakistan’s military has said 52 civilians were killedand 254 wounded by Indian shelling in the region last year,

more than in all of the previous 14 years combined. Thetwo sides accuse each other of repeated violations of the2003 ceasefire.—Reuters

Four Pakistani soldiers killed in India fire across tense frontier

The latest clash between nuclear-armed neighbors

Established 1961

News in brief

Turkey’s ‘Istanbul Canal’ISTANBUL: The Turkish government yesterday unveiledthe route of its planned new canal for Istanbul, a hugelyambitious 45 kilometer project designed to be its answer tothe famed artificial shipping lanes in Panama or Egypt’sSuez. The project, first announced by President RecepTayyip Erdogan while he was prime minister in 2011, is byfar the most complex of a string of new ventures for thecity. The government argues it will create attractive newliving areas and take pressure off the Bosphorus Strait thatsplits the European and Asian sides of the city and is oneof the world’s busiest shipping lanes. Transport andCommunications Minister Ahmet Arslan said that the canalwould begin in the Istanbul district of Kucukcekmece onthe Sea of Marmara, where there is already an inland lake.It will then head north towards the Sazlidere reservoirbefore emerging into the Black Sea just north of Durusu.

Nine dismembered bodies MEXICO CITY: Nine dismembered bodies were foundpiled in a truck on Saturday night in the violent Mexicanstate of Veracruz, the governor said on Sunday, describingthe crime as a clash of rival gangs. Most of the dead werebelieved to be members of drug gangs, VeracruzGovernor Miguel Angel Yunes told a news conference,citing tattoos found on the bodies. Before the discoveryof the truck in Xalapa, the capital of the oil-rich state,authorities found the body of another man, who apparent-ly had been killed as he tried to flee his captors, Yunessaid. “It is clear that this was a confrontation betweencriminals,” he said. Escalating tension between druggangs contributed to a record high number of murders inMexico in 2017, and it was a particularly bloody year inVeracruz. Murders in the Gulf state rose about 35 percentthrough November last year compared with the sameperiod in 2016. Four of the 12 killings of reporters inMexico last year took place in the state.

Women alcohol ban COLOMBO: Sri Lanka reimposed a decades-old law ban-ning the selling of alcohol to women and preventing womenfrom working in liquor stores on Monday - just days after itwas lifted. Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera revokedthe 1979 ban last week. “I spoke with the finance minister,...prime minister, and several other ministers and askedthem to cancel the gazette immediately. The gazette will bewithdrawn from tomorrow,” President Maithripala Sirisenasaid at an election rally on Sunday. The move comes as thegovernment’s main coalition partners, the centre-left SriLanka Freedom Party and Prime Minister RanilWickremesinghe’s centre-right United National Party, arecampaigning for long-delayed local elections. Officials atthe finance ministry said the ban was lifted after repeatedrequests from the tourism industry to extend bar hours andallow female tourists to buy alcohol. But that move wascriticized by opposition parliamentarians who said themove would damage Sri Lanka’s Buddhist values.

Clashes kill 9 in LibyaTRIPOLI: Fighting at the Libyan capital’s only workinginternational airport killed nine people yesterday, officialssaid, after militiamen attacked it in an attempt to free col-leagues held at a jail there. Although Mitiga airport wasevacuated when the clashes erupted, it was not yet knownwhether the casualties were all fighters or included civil-ians. “Initial toll following the fighting on the perimeter ofMitiga airport: 5 dead at Mitiga hospital and 4 dead at thecardiac surgery hospital in Tajura”, the national unity gov-ernment’s health ministry said on Facebook. It said itwould give the number of wounded in a later statement.Mitiga, a former airbase in eastern Tripoli, has been acivilian airport since the city’s main international airportwas badly damaged in fighting between rival militias inmid-2014. The North African country has been wrackedby chaos since the 2011 uprising that toppled and killedlong-time dictator Muammar Gaddafi, with rival authori-ties and militias battling for control of its oil riches.

Pakistani forces respond, killing 3 India soldiers

Floor at Indonesia stock exchange tower collapsesJAKARTA: At least 75 people were injured yesterdaywhen a mezzanine floor at Indonesia’s stock exchangebuilding collapsed into the lobby, police said, with victimscarried out of the debris-filled building on stretchers.Dramatic CCTV footage showed a group of some 40 visit-ing students on a balcony section plunge as the floor gaveway with a cascade of glass, metal and other materialcrashing onto the ground floor where several others werewalking. A Jakarta police spokesman said the collapse wasan accident and not the result of an explosion.

National police spokesman Setyo Wasisto said 75 peo-ple had been injured. There were no reports of deaths sofar. Television images showed chaotic scenes as victimswere taken to hospital or lay on the ground outside thetower complex in the centre of the sprawling city’s busi-ness district. “I saw many people bleeding,” student RizkiNoviandi, who was taking part in a competition at theexchange building, told Metro TV. “So many people werecarried out of the building and were left on the grass out-side... until the ambulances arrived.”

The lobby was filled with debris and toppled-overplants near a Starbucks coffee outlet, as hundreds of build-ing employees were evacuated from the complex which wasbombed by Islamist militants in 2000. At least 10 peoplewere killed and dozens injured by a car bomb in that attack.“Our search and rescue teams, the police, doctors, the fire-fighters are all still working,” Wasisto said. “They are clean-ing the debris and also searching for other possible injuries,”he added. Those hurt mostly sustained injuries to their legsand arms, including broken bones, a spokesman for onelocal hospital said.Jakarta police spokesman Argo Yuwonoadded: “The accident happened at the first floor... It’s a floorwhere many employees are passing by.”

‘Panicking’ The collapse took place in one of two towers in the

complex. “There was a sound, like something had fallenoff a building structure, for about 20 seconds. Everyonewas panicking and people were immediately being evacu-ated,” Amailia Putri Hasniawati, a journalist based at theexchange, told AFP. It was not immediately clear whatcaused the accident at the tower in Sudirman district,which was built in 1995.

“Material degradation could be the cause,” construc-tion expert Iswandi Imran told local TV. “It could be cor-rosion or anything which slowly degrades the strength ofthe structure so it cannot take the weight any longer. Butall that has to be investigated.” Despite the chaos yester-

day, trading continued as usual in the afternoon sessionwith the main index closing 0.2 percent higher. The acci-dent happened shortly after noon local time while the mar-ket was on its lunchtime break.

“There was a loud banging so people who were insideimmediately ran outside of the building,” said Metro TVjournalist Marlia Zein. The local office of the World Bank ishoused on the 12th floor of the complex, according to itswebsite. Reports at the time of the 2000 bombing saidone of the men responsible was a member of the Free AcehMovement, a separatist group which had been fighting fora free Islamic state in Aceh province since the mid-seven-ties. Some 200 cars were also damaged in the blast in anunderground parking lot.—AFP

JAKARTA: Indonesian policemen stand guard outside the building of Bursa Efek Jakarta of theStock Exchange after one part of it collapsed in Jakarta yesterday. —AFP

Bangkok brothel raid sparks bribery, trafficking probeBANGKOK: Five Thai policemen anda human trafficking official are underinvestigation for allegedly receivingfree services from a Bangkok mas-sage parlor accused of coercingunderage girls into the sex trade,authorities said yesterday. Acting on atip-off, police raided the ‘VictoriaSecret’ parlor last week in a Bangkokneighborhood notorious for its gaudyand cavernous brothels where sex isillegal-but openly sold. They foundmore than 100 sex workers fromThailand, Myanmar, Laos and China,at least three of whom were under 18and had been forced into the industry.

A ledger discovered during theraid and circulated by local medianamed more than 20 officials who hadreceived free food, booze and evenmassages, with a superintendentamong five local cops on the list. Anunnamed human trafficking officialand a tax officer were also namedamong the recipients facing a probeby the anti-graft office. Monthlyreceipts dated from March 2014 toOctober 2017 gave a detailed break-down of each gratuity. InteriorMinistry official Kongrob Kratumnatconfirmed the documents were “real”,adding detectives were also examin-ing a computer seized at the parlor.

“There is still a lot of informationrelated to many government officialsleft on the computer which will take

time to investigate,” he told reporters.Reports suggested the brothel wasalso linked to cross-border traffickingof women from poor Southeast Asiancountries through Thailand and ontoMalaysia. Thailand is renowned forits laissez-faire attitude towards pros-titution, which is illegal but widely tol-erated. Public officials are routinelyimplicated in kickback scandalsallowing the sex industry to flourish,but police rarely face prosecution in acountry where wealth and rankshields wrongdoers from the law.

The age and background of anoth-

er 25 sex workers from the parlor isbeing checked in case they are alsominors, an official from Thailand’sDepartment of Special Investigation(DSI) told reporters yesterday.“Eighty-five other women could becharged for illegally selling sex anddeported,” the official added,requesting anonymity. In 2017,Thailand, which draws millions ofmigrant workers from poorer sur-rounding nations, remained on Tier 2of a US watchlist for failing to meet“the minimum standards” to combathuman trafficking.—AFP

BANGKOK: An employee from the DSI (Department of SpecialInvestigation) sorts through evidence from ‘Victoria Secret’ mas-sage parlor, after police raided the premises due to suspicions ofunderage trafficking and prostitution. —AFP

KASHMIR: A Kashmiri resident rests on a bench as Indian paramilitary troopers stand guard in Srinagaryesterday. —AFP

Philippine news website license revoked; media bodies outragedMANILA: The Philippine corporate regulator has rescind-ed the operating license of an online news platform thathas been critical of President Rodrigo Duterte’s policies,arguing it used a “deceptive scheme” to violate restric-tions on foreign ownership of media. The Securities andExchange Commission (SEC) yesterday said news websiteRappler (www.rappler.com) had violated foreign equityrestrictions on media because it “sold control to foreign-ers”, a decision Rappler said was baseless because its twoforeign investors owned no shares in the company.

SEC Secretary Armando Pan said the Jan. 11 decisionannounced yesterday was, however, “not final and execu-tory”, and Rappler “may continue” to operate pendingappeal. Philippine journalist groups expressed outrage atthe decision and called on media organizations to resistefforts to silence journalists. Rappler has had a rocky rela-tionship with the administration of Duterte, who has pub-licly shown annoyance at its reporting and says it is entire-ly owned by Americans.

It is the latest critic or opponent of Duterte to be sub-jected to legal scrutiny brought about by the president’spolitical allies, some apparently in response to his frequentpublic outbursts against his detractors. Rappler said its fil-ings to the SEC in 2015 made it clear that foreigners hadinvested in some of its Philippine Depositary Receipts(PDRs), but did not own any shares. It said it wouldappeal, and operate as normal. “We will continue to holdpower accountable and we will continue to tell the truth,”Chay Hofilena, Rappler’s acting managing editor, toldreporters. “This has been a continuing wave of harassmentsince last year ... Now it’s out there in the open, we knowhow to deal with it.”

Rappler has not shied away from challenging Duterte’spolicies and its reporters have been subject to frequentthreats by his online army of supporters, often in responseto postings made by pro-Duterte bloggers, some of whomhold government positions. —Reuters

Two men of the right were pulled from pedestals thispast week: One, American, for being a source; theother, British, for having been a columnist. Their

rationalizations and attempts at exculpation raise the ques-tion: Does journalism operate in a space increasinglydivorced from sober fact and judgment? Is most of it beingenfolded, ever more completely, into entertainment or polit-ical intolerance?

The larger fall from the pomp of power has been that ofSteve Bannon, a journalist of the hard-edged right, who atthe beginning of Donald Trump’s presidency had beenchief strategist, and briefly a member of the NationalSecurity Council. Bit by bit distanced from the Oval Officehe had once entered at will, he was allowed to resign inAugust - after an interview with the American Prospectput him at odds with the president on North Korea.

It was another interview that forced Bannon to descendto a deeper circle of the Hell of Being Out of It. He spoketo Michael Wolff, author of “Fire and Fury: Inside theTrump White House,” which will be a hard act to beat asbook of the year 2018, so momentous has been its effect.Bannon said that Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, who plays animportant role in his administration as an adviser, is “dumbas a brick” and that a meeting between Trump campaignofficials - including the president’s son, Donald Jr. - andRussian lobbyists in Trump Tower was “treasonous.”

The president, Bannon’s erstwhile friend and employer,retorted that the former strategist had “lost his mind” afterhe left the White House, adding that “I don’t talk to him” -the ultimate insult. Bannon’s descent continued beyond hisfall from Trump’s graces. On Tuesday he resigned as execu-tive chairman of the right-wing Breitbart News after itsmain funder, Rebekah Mercer, lost confidence in him.

Battered on all sides, Bannon - who has not directly dis-puted his quotes in the book - issued a statement callingthe president’s son “a patriot and a good man,” describingthe reporting about Don Jr. as “inaccurate.”(Wolff is notrenowned for his accuracy, even if much of this book ringstrue.) Bannon says his support for the president was“unwavering.” He expressed regret for his delay in clarify-ing his comments, which he said had “diverted attentionfrom the president’s historical accomplishments.”

The British victim is Toby Young, a former journalist

who became an education entrepreneur, setting up “freeschools” - institutions that are funded by the state but,much like their American equivalent, charter schools,allowed more flexibility with regard to curriculum andadmissions. He was proposed as a board member for a newOffice for Students, designed to make universities moreaccountable to government, but this week he resigned, say-ing that the furor over remarks he had made in the pastwould be too much of a “distraction” for him to continue.

In columns, he had claimed that he found working-class

students at Oxford University - where he studied - to be“small, deformed... with acne and anoraks.” He commentedoften on the size of women’s breasts, wrote that wheelchairramps at schools were one of the negative effects of “inclu-sivity,” and advocated that embryos treated with genetically-engineered intelligence be made available to parents on lowincomes with below-average IQs. In a resignation statement,Young wrote that he was a passionate supporter of inclusivi-ty and “helping the most disadvantaged,” but that commentsin articles “when I was a journalistic provocateur” were ill-judged or wrong - “and I unreservedly apologize.”

DilemmasBannon’s regrets (he doesn’t believe in saying sorry) and

Young’s unreserved apologies point to two large dilemmasin contemporary journalism. That is, how to judge what iswritten as serious, or, to use Young’s word, as merely theposture of a “provocateur” - and how far news on partisan

websites can be trusted. Intriguingly, the Collins dictionarydefines “provocateur” differently in American and Britishusages, and in both cases, each of the differing definitionsfits both men well. In American English, it is a “writer, artist,political activist, etc whose works, ideas, or activities areregarded as a threat to accepted values or practices”. InBritish English, it is “a person who deliberately behavescontroversially in order to provoke argument or otherstrong reactions”. Bannon wished to be “a threat toaccepted values and practices;” those of the Democrats ofcourse, and in some ways even more to those closer to him- the Republican establishment. The Breitbart site, whichBannon took over when its creator, Andrew Breitbart, diedin 2012, puts out news which is conditioned by its politicalagenda. The main story in its January 10 edition is head-lined “Report: 485 scientific papers published in 2017undermine supposed ‘consensus” on climate change” - ameaningless figure, unless the total number of climatepapers is given, which it is not.

Breitbart is, of course, not alone. Fox News continues todominate the field in ideologically-driven news from theright. On the left, the less-watched MSNBC takes a steadi-ly liberal line, while CNN, Trump’s particular TV channelhate, also tends to liberalism. This trend is exacerbatingthe polarization of America.

The dilemma which Young dramatizes is less obvious,but perhaps more insidious. It is that, by - in the dictionarydefinition - “behaving controversially in order to provokeargument or other strong reactions,” he puts journalisticcommentary and opinion in a particular place. That is,largely divorced from observable reality or fairness, pro-duced very largely to attract attention - even if (sometimesespecially if) that attention is hostile. It may be amusing; itisn’t, it seems, serious. Young’s apology consigns it to thestatus of a provocation; the day of the sober commentaryof fact and balance is now for upmarket sites only, reviledby the new journalism as tedious. Both men, however, havebeen wounded by the clash of contemporary opinion jour-nalism and the public sphere. In the latter, some accountbeyond that of the market has sooner or later to be made.By apologizing (even in a Bannon-style non-apology) theyattempt to slough off their comments, reported or written,as matters of no consequence. —Reuters

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

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Established 1961 The First Daily in The Arabian Gulf

After a blistering year-and-a-half long surge,a sudden drop in some memory prices, fol-lowed by Samsung Electronics Co’s disap-

pointing profit estimate, is causing jitters amonginvestors who had bet the chip boom would last atleast another year. Amid news that the market hasstarted losing some steam - prices of high-endflash memory chips, which are widely used insmartphones, dropped nearly 5 percent in thefourth quarter - some analysts now expect theindustry’s growth rate will fall by more than halfthis year to 30 percent.

That led shares in Samsung to dip 7.5 percentlast week, while its home rival SK Hynix fell 6.2percent. But analysts say that there is unlikely tobe a sudden crash, and that 2018 should be a rela-tively stable year for chipmakers. The $122 billionmemory chip industry has enjoyed an unprece-dented boom since mid-2016, expanding nearly 70percent in 2017 alone thanks to robust growth ofsmartphones and cloud services that require morepowerful chips that can store more data.

Supply also has become more disciplined fol-lowing years of consolidation that reduced thenumber of manufacturers to a handful from around20 in mid-1990s. “Memory chips will likely see agradual price decline in 2018 if demand remainsstrong and appetite from servers holds,” said LeeJae-yun, analyst at Yuanta Securities Korea. Butgrowth of 30 percent is a strong gain in an indus-try known for volatility, and the market is still oncourse for its longest ever boom after shrinking 6percent in 2016.

Last year’s explosive growth gave chipmakerscash to reinvest and boost output, analysts said.The supply of NAND flash memory chips, in par-ticular, will grow 43 percent this year, up from lastyear’s 34 percent, causing prices to drop by about10 percent, brokerage Nomura estimates. Nomuraexpects growth in output will be largely led by thelikes of Western Digital, Toshiba Corp and MicronTechnology Inc as they seek to catch up with top-ranked Samsung, which controls about 40 percentof the flash memory chip market.

No Doom SeenSmartphone vendors have been including more

memory in their phones and charging more forthem, allowing them to weather last year’s pricesurge, analysts say. Average DRAM memory ofnew models launched last quarter increased by 38percent from the second quarter of 2016, whileNAND content measured by gigabyte jumped 84percent, according to an analysis by BNP Paribas.Such solid demand will keep the industry’s marginhealthy this year, and chipmakers’ investment inmore advanced technology will help them cut pro-duction costs and stay profitable even as pricesease, analysts say.

Macquarie estimates Samsung’s chip division’soperating profit margin jumped to 47 percent lastyear from 26.5 percent in 2016, and will rise fur-ther to 55.5 percent this year. While the NANDflash market may soften somewhat, the DRAMmemory chip market, which is about $20 billionbigger than the NAND industry, is seen as muchtighter. Prices are expected to gain nearly 9 per-cent because of a severe supply shortage.

With DRAM manufacturers’ rushing to ramp upproduction - they are likely to nearly quadruplecapital spending for 2017 and 2018 combined to$38 billion from 2016’s $10 billion - prices maydecline as much as 18 percent next year, accordingto Nomura. That gives some investors confidencein the industry’s long-term future. “Besides someminute adjustment, I am currently holding Samsungshares almost without change,” said Kim Hyun-su,fund manager at IBK Asset Management. “I don’tthink the share price is expensive as they haverecently been increasing dividends a lot - and as ofnow, the expected profit levels are very high.”

Pressure from ClientsSmartphone makers account for about one-third

of global memory chip demand, and many havebeen pressing suppliers to lower prices. In lateDecember, state-run China Daily reported China’sNational Development and Reform Commission(NDRC) was paying close attention to a surge inthe price of mobile phone storage chips and couldlook into possible price fixing by Samsung andothers that make them.

More than 50 percent of Samsung’s 2017 mem-ory business revenue came from China, accordingto chip price tracker DRAMeXchange. “Althoughsupply-demand dynamics are still solid, clients’pressure to lower prices make it hard to predict”what will happen, said MS Hwang, an analyst atSamsung Securities, which is an affiliate ofSamsung Electronics. —Reuters

End of chip boom? Memory chip price drop spooks investors

Bannon, Young and politics of provocation

Does journalism operate in space

divorced from fact, judgment?

Artisanal allure of Lamborghiniamong marvels of modernity

The Lamborghini factory inSant’Agata Bolognese feels like anAladdin’s Cave of luxury Italian cars

- a winning mix of modernity and crafts-manship which saw the company celebraterecord production levels last year. Thesupercar manufacturer, founded in 1963,delivered 3,815 vehicles in 2017, boostingits year-on-year sales by 10 percent. Butthere is little time for champagne quaffing:This summer will see the company releasea Super SUV, dubbed the Urus anddesigned for all terrains, from road, to offroad, on ice but also sand dunes.

Widening horizons also meant wideningfloor space, and the company doubled thesite in size from 80,000 square meters to160,000 square meters, an expansion thatwill allow it to double production in 2019.For now, five new Urus SUVs are beingproduced here a day - a figure that will top20 when the plant is running at full capaci-ty. The new building, inaugurated in May,boasts a new production line and cutting-edge technologies, including “cooperativerobots”, designed to make life easier forboth fellow robots and human operators.“It’s a very modern factory, but some ofthe production is still done by hand and isessential, it’s in the brand’s DNA,” Matteo

Martini from the manufacturing engineer-ing department told AFP.

Tractors to treasure The historic quarter of the factory,

refurbished in 2014, produces the Huracanand Aventador super sports cars, rattlingout a dozen of the first and half a dozen ofthe second per day. The waiting time for aHuracan can be eight months. The produc-tion line is divided into 23 stations, withworkers given 37 minutes to perform theirtasks as the seconds tick away on digitalclocks. For the Aventador, workers get 75minutes at 12 stations. There is more workdone by hand here, and it takes 44 days tomanufacturer the car.

Its monocoque, a technological jewel,weighs only 147 kilos and is moulded ofcarbon fiber. The cars cost a pretty pen-ny: the simplest Huracan model will setbuyers back some Ä180,000 ($215,000)and around Ä337,000 for the Aventador,but the price tag on limited series modelscan top one million euros. Lamborghinidevotees have the son of grape farmersto thank.

Ferruccio Lamborghini made a fortunein tractors before turning his hand to theluxury sports sector and setting out tomake “the perfect car”. Only 120 copieswere ever made of the first commercializedmodel, the 350 GT, and though productionnumbers increased, the company is keen tomaintain the idea of exclusivity. Customerscan personalize their cars, from wheel rimsto seam colors.

German perfectionism The leather for the interiors is checked

extremely carefully for possible imperfec-

tions or damage such as mosquito bites.The cars are not only road tested but arealso given the ‘waterfall’ treatment. “Theyare bombarded with 400 litres of waterper minute to check for possible seep-age”, says Attilo Mandetta, head of thefinishing department. Any defects, spottedby eagle-eyed workers armed with lamps,are marked with a small sticker so theycan be fixed.

“The whole factory is clinically clean.Everything is done with a very Germanrigour, established over the years followingLamborghini’s 1998 takeover by

Volkswagen,” Julien Diez, journalist forSport Auto magazine, told AFP. The factoryboasts 1,600 workers currently, withanother 200 to join the team by the end ofthis year. Lamborghini, which claims tooffer above-average salaries in the auto-motive sector, recently won the “TopEmployer Italia” award for the fourth yearin a row thanks to its treatment of staff andits medical care and extra-curricular offers.And employees such as Claudio Lammanaand Simone Occari say they are treatedlike “family” and “made to feel like peopleand not just numbers”. —AFP

A Lamborghini (left) is displayed alongside other exotic cars outside the presscenter at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) yesterday inDetroit.— AFP

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Established 1961 11

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The government has not released any other details ofthe plan, including a timeline for implementation. “Thegovernment could argue that these passports are for theworkers’ protection, but to a worker it may not seemthat way,” said Sehjo Singh, a director at advocacygroup ActionAid India. “The government must makeclear how this system will work in favor of the workers.”

Meanwhile, India’s ambitious biometric identityproject could lead to millions of people being deniedaccess to essential services and benefits in violation oftheir human rights, campaigners said, ahead of keycourt hearings on the legitimacy of the program. Indialaunched Aadhaar, now the world’s biggest biometricdatabase, in 2009 to streamline welfare payments andcut wastage in public spending.

The government has since made the card mandatoryto access a range of services, including benefits such asstate subsidies, pensions and scholarships. This “canobstruct access to several constitutional rights, includ-ing the rights of people to food, healthcare, educationand social security,” said Aakar Patel, executive direc-tor at Amnesty International India. “The government

has a legal and moral obligation to ensure that nobodyis denied their rights simply because they don’t have anAadhaar card,” he said in a joint statement with HumanRights Watch (HRW) at the weekend.

Officials at the Unique Identification Authority ofIndia (UIDAI), which oversees the program, did notrespond to an e-mail seeking comment. The SupremeCourt has been holding hearings on the legitimacy ofthe government’s demand to make Aadhaar mandatoryfor a range of services, despite the court ruling in 2014that the ID cannot be a requirement for welfare pro-grams. The top court is scheduled to resume hearingson Jan 17. Campaigners and technology experts haveraised concerns about privacy and the safety of thedata, the susceptibility of biometrics to failure, and themisuse of data for profiling or increased surveillance.

There have been reports of biometrics failing whenfingerprints have faded, and of deaths linked to denialof subsidized food when Aadhaar verification failed.Officials in Jharkhand state in October said Aadhaarwas not necessary to get subsidized grains, after thedeath of an 11-year-old girl who campaigners say diedof hunger because her family’s ration card was can-celled when it was not linked to their Aadhaar card. “Itis ironic that a 12-digit number aimed to end corrup-tion and help the poor has become the very reasonmany have been deprived of fundamental rights,”Meenakshi Ganguly, HRW’s south Asia director, said inthe statement. — Reuters

Activists slam orange Indian...

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was needed as the focus shifted from fighting ISextremists to border security in northern Syria.Erdogan yesterday reaffirmed that the Turkish armywas ready to launch an operation against the YPG inSyria. “The preparations have been completed, theoperation could start at any moment,” he said. Statemedia said that Turkey deployed two dozen armoredvehicles to the Syrian border yesterday.

Turkey accuses the YPG of merely being the Syrianoffshoot of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) whichhas waged a rebellion in the Turkish southeast for more

than three decades and is regarded as a terror groupby Ankara and its Western allies. The row is the latestdispute between Turkey and the United States thatgoes beyond the YPG and Syria to include argumentsover a New York court case, detained US consulatestaffers and the prosecution of Erdogan’s bodyguardsin the United States.

“A country - which we call as our ally - is insistingon having an army of terror along our border despiteour objections, warnings and well-meaning advice. Youwill be disgraced in front of your strategic ally,” hewarned Washington. “Don’t get between us and thegang of murderers. Otherwise we will not be responsi-ble for any unwanted incidents that could emerge lat-er,” he said. “Don’t force us to bury in the ground thosewho are with terrorists. Our operations will continueuntil not a single terrorist remains along our borders, letalone 30,000,” he added.

The US-led coalition said that 230 people aretraining to be part of the border security force. TheSDF - which is dominated by Kurdish elements afterthe capture of Raqqa - now controls territory border-ing Turkey to the north and Iraq to the east, andalongside land controlled by Syrian governmentforces to the west. Turkey, despite being a prime foeof the Syrian regime, has in the last months workedclosely with President Bashar Al-Assad’s ally Russia tobring peace to Syria.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in an annualMoscow press conference marked by strident anti-USrhetoric, also sounded alarm over the US plan. He saidit raised fears that “the course has been set on dividingup Syria” and was out of step with the peace talksaimed at ending the conflict. “Just like our Turkish part-ners... we are awaiting detailed explanation,” he said.

For once in agreement in Ankara, the Damascusregime lambasted the plan to create the force, saying itwould consider its members “traitors”. A foreign min-

istry source, cited by state news agency SANA, saidthe move “represents a blatant attack on the sovereign-ty and territorial integrity and unity of Syria.” Assad’sallies have also chimed in. In an apparent reference tothe force, senior Iranian official Ali Shamkhani said itwas “doomed to failure”, Fars news agency reported.

Turkey meanwhile is also keeping a close eye on thenorthwestern Syrian province of Idlib which is almostentirely controlled by anti-government forces dominatedby the jihadist Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS). It has urgedRussia and Iran to rein in their Syrian regime ally andstop bombing the area, in a dispute that has led to rarepublic tensions with Moscow. Russia is hoping to hold aSyria peace congress in Sochi on January 29-30 with thespecific aim of setting up a new constitution for post-warSyria. But Turkey has made clear it will go nowhere nearthe event if there is any representation by the YPG there.

Meanwhile, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin HamadAl-Thani held talks in Turkey yesterday with his chiefErdogan, as tensions again surged between the emirateand its regional foes. The talks, announced only hoursin advance, got underway at Erdogan’s presidentialpalace in the capital Ankara, the Turkish presidencysaid. Erdogan has been a major supporter of Doha inthe crisis that has left Qatar diplomatically and eco-nomically isolated.

On June 5 last year, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, theUnited Arab Emirates and Egypt cut ties with Qataraccusing it of backing extremism and fostering ties withtheir Shiite rival Iran. Doha, however, denies the claimsand Ankara has insisted there is absolutely no evidenceto back them. Erdogan has strongly denounced thesanctions against Doha and, in a show of solidarity,Turkey has also sent cargo ships and hundreds ofplanes loaded with foodstuffs.

In recent years, Qatar has emerged as Turkey’s topally in the Middle East, with Ankara and Doha closelycoordinating their positions on a number of issues.Notably, both are outspoken against Assad. Ankarahas a military base in Qatar, a key foothold for Turkeyin the Gulf. But Turkey also does not want to wreckits own relations with regional kingpin Saudi Arabiaand its hugely powerful new Crown PrinceMohammed bin Salman.

Erdogan has carefully worked to improve Ankara’srelations with Riyadh, hit in 2013 by the ouster of presi-dent Mohamed Morsi in Egypt, a close ally of Ankara.The Turkish leader has levied only the most veiled criti-cism against Saudi Arabia during the crisis, althoughthe pro-Erdogan Turkish press have repeatedly bashedthe kingdom. Tensions with the UAE however flaredwhen UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin ZayedAl-Nahyan retweeted a post on Twitter last month crit-ical of the former Ottoman rulers of the region. Ankarain response renamed the street in the Turkish capitalwhere the UAE embassy is located after the Ottomangovernor of the time. — AFP

Erdogan threatens to destroy US-backed...

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“This council is where the old and young come tolearn. The youth learn manners from their elders,” grey-bearded Sayeed bin Khalfan Nabhani said in Ghala.

Nabhani said the history of the sabla goes back“ages”, but some 40 years ago - after Sultan Qaboostook power in Oman - it was granted a degree of govern-ment recognition. “From the early 1970s, you had thegovernor and judge sitting at the council, along with wit-nesses and people of the villages - plus the person withthe problem,” said Nabhani. A solution is often foundbefore the judge is called to get involved, he said.

In far-flung areas, the sabla remains central to life, buteven there it is changing, with women for examplereserving the hall for their own meetings. Hilal Al-Siyabi,an Omani community activist, believes the sabla can - andshould - keep up with the times. In the lush Muscat sub-urb of Saael, a new kind of sabla is under construction. Ashell of a building stood off the main road, a mountainrange in the background.

Siyabi’s voice echoed as he pointed to where LCDscreens would be installed and computers set up for afuture Internet cafe. “We are leveraging on the conceptof sabla to do something much better - something whichis beneficial to today’s community,” he said. This centerwould embrace the whole family, he explained, with aspecial emphasis on the young.

Siyabi said an exploratory meeting three years earlierwas packed with curious residents - notably women.“Young women,” he said. “They were excited to havesuch a center. They said, ‘We are not working but we aregoing to sell our precious gold to contribute to somethinglike this.’” Siyabi said the government has fully supportedthe initiative, which seeks to build on tradition in a chang-ing world and keep conflict resolution local. He sees the

sabla evolving from its role as a mediation authority to atown hall-style forum and community center.

For Muscat-based public policy analyst Ahmed Al-Mukhaini, the sabla is a “microcosm” of the Omanistate: Discreet and tribal. “You don’t hang out yourdirty linen,” Mukhaini said, adding it was no surprisethe government supports the continuation of the sabla.Under Sultan Qaboos, Oman has not replaced the sabla- now a “benign form of assembly”, the analyst said, butinstitutionalized it, with modern forms of governmentcontinuing to function in the same patriarchal and hier-archical way. “In Oman they spend a lot of time on con-sensus building, versus majority-based decisions,”Mukhaini said.

Authorities in Muscat continue to recognize tribalchiefs as official representatives, registered with theinterior ministry. Each tribe’s “rasheed”, or interlocutor,functions as a conduit to the government, often feelingout sentiment on domestic policy changes, such asrecent healthcare privatization proposals. “I’m notaware of any other country where tribal leaders are ona payroll or where the system of sheikhdom is con-trolled by the government,” Mukhaini said.

Even the modern Shura council, Oman’s only electedbody, is dominated by tribal heavyweights - not thetechnocrats and intellectuals found in the council ofstate appointed by the sultan. “The system that remainsuntil now keeps tabs on public opinion or resentment,”said the analyst. When Qaboos overthrew his father in abloodless coup in 1970, the British-educated rulerreached out to the tribes in an early radio address,reassuring tribal leaders and promising to institutional-ize their role.

The sabla is so important to Omani culture that itwill even decide who will succeed the 77-year-old sul-tan when he dies. “Basic law gives the appointment ofthe next sultan to the royal family sabla,” Mukhaini said.If the cousins of Qaboos - he has no brothers or heirapparent - fail to choose a successor within a matter ofdays, Mukhaini said it will fall to the defense council,chief justice and shura council to reach a consensus,this time on behalf of the nation. — AFP

Ancient Omani mediation method

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alien concept to them, but it might help them flog acopy, or two,” said the editorial of the RupertMurdoch owned paper. But rightwing politicianPatrick O’Flynn, former political editor of the DailyExpress, complimented the new design, tweeting “Ireally like the look of the new tabloid Guardian. Welldone the design team.”

The newspaper’s aggressive expansion into the USand Australian markets, which involved the hiring of alarge staff, and its commitment to free online contentresulted in a huge profile-boost on the global stage anda Pulitzer Prize, but also huge financial losses. TheGuardian lost £44.7 million in the year ending April2017, following losses of £68.7 million the previousyear. The Scott Trust, which owns the paper, had over£850 million in its investment fund after selling one ofits most popular publications in 2013, which was meantto guarantee the paper’s independence and ethos with-out compromising to market forces. However, the scaleof the losses has forced the paper to cut costs, witharound 300 job losses. — AFP

UK’s Guardian goes tabloid...

A Turkish woman feeds seagulls as she travels from Europe to Anatolia on the Bosphorus yester-day in Istanbul. — AFP

Tuesday, January 16, 2018S p o r t s

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NORTH CAROLINA: Dustin Johnson and RoryMcIlroy have the potential to compete in long drivecompetitions, but would have to focus exclusively onthe discipline for a year or so to be competitive,according to world champion Justin James. Jameswon the world final in Oklahoma last year by smash-ing the ball 435 yards. Long hitters on the PGA Tourtypically drive about 330 yards. “Someone like D.J. orRory if they really trained for it, it’s possible (theywould be competitive),” the American told Reutersahead of Monday’s launch of the 2018 Volvik series.

“Those guys at the moment would not get within50 yards of anyone out here. “Our ball speed (leavingthe clubface) is more than 220 miles per hour. Theaverage on the PGA Tour is 170.” James added thatthe competition is completely different from the nor-mally quiet expected on the tee in regular golf, whilecompetitors have just two minutes to hit four drives,the longest of which counts, within a marked gridusually some 50 yards wide.

“It is challenging (to concentrate), drastically dif-ferent to professional golf, with music blaring in thebackground, fans yelling, an announcer,” James said.“The pace is so fast it’s hard to stay in rhythm andmake that good golf swing. It’s a very exciting envi-ronment.

“I am a guy who is low key and I’ve had an advan-tage having played (as a pitcher) in minor leaguebaseball, learning how to manage my (arousal) level. Itry to play it low key.” James, 26, knows well thatthere are many ingredients that must be baked intosmashing the ball vast distances. “You learn quicklyit’s much more than just putting work in the gym andtrying to swing at 150 mph,” he added. “There’s a lotof science, spin rate, angle of attack. How are youmaximizing. “I constantly work to make the biggestturn I can with correct mechanics. My hips take abeating.”

The World Long Drive Championship, now ownedby Golf Channel, comprises nine events in the US andone in Canada from March until the final in earlySeptember. Swede Sandra Carlborg is the reigningwomen’s champion.

Prize money in each event will be a minimum of$30,000 for the men and $15,000 for the women,with the final worth $270,000 and $40,000.International qualifiers also will be held in Japan,Germany, Britain and New Zealand, with the winnersof each advancing to the final.

A competing circuit, the Long Drive World Series,will also hold 10 events from February throughNovember, in 10 different countries, starting in Dubaiand culminating in Turkey. — Reuters

James startsanother longdrive to success

Kuwait wins three gold medals in annual shooting tourney

Strong start by Kuwaiti shooters in the Grand Prix

By Abdellatif Sharaa

KUWAIT: Kuwait’s 10 meter Air Rifle for womenshooter Maryam Arzouqi began the day by winningKuwait’s first gold medal in HH the Amir Sheikh SabahAl-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah 7th International GrandPrix Tournament being held at Sheikh Sabah Al-AhmadShooting Complex. Arzouqi scored 247.8 points, whileEgypt’s Shaimaa Hashad scored 242.5 and claimed sec-ond place and Bahrain’s Sara Al-Doseri won third placewith the score 222.8.

The event was very competitive between shootersespecially Arazouqi and Hashad, and it was decided inthe final round.

Secretary General of Arab and Kuwait ShootingFederations lauded the new record in the 10m air rifleevent, and was happy for the strong start by Kuwaitshooters in the Grand Prix.

Meanwhile in the Women’s Trap event Kuwait’sshooters Shahad Al-Hawal came on top with the scoreof 48 out of 50, and Sarah Al-Hawal was second toShahad by scoring 46 hits out of 50 as Italy’s IsabellaChristiana was third with 30 hits.

In the men’s trap event, Khalid Al-Mudhaf fromKuwait fought through stiff resistance and competitionand won first place and the gold medal, leaving Italy’sLuca Miotta in second place with the score of 46 and

Emanuele Buccolieri, also from Italy ended in thirdplace.

Meanwhile, the Asian Shooting Federation held itsmeeting Sunday evening at the Regency Hotel, themeeting was chaired by Sheikh Ali Al-Khalifa, whilePresident of Arab and Kuwait Shooting FederationsEng. Duaij Al-Otaibi attended the meeting. Those in themeeting, then met the honorary President of Asian andKuwait Shooting Federations Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-

Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah.Sheikh Ali Al-Khalifa said several issues related to

shooting including its future in Asia and internationally.He said it was good to have the suspension lifted on

Kuwait, adding that there will be good news at the“Olympic” level, and we are with Kuwait at all times.

Meanwhile, Engineer Duaij Al-Otaibi said “we arehappy with the large participation of shooters. He saidthe ASC approved the technical, training and officiating

course, and lauded the voluntary and employee teamsat the ASC for their hard work and efforts.

Shooter Maryam Arzouqi said the technical level ofthe tournament was distinguished due to the presenceof highly talented shooters, which made competitionmore exciting. She said that she benefited from thetraining camp that was held prior to the Grand Prix,especially that the trainers’ instructions gave her theability to secure the title.

LOS ANGELES: Anthony Davis scored a season-high48 points as the New Orleans Pelicans rallied from a19-point third quarter deficit to defeat the New YorkKnicks 123-118 in overtime on Sunday.

Davis also had 17 rebounds for the Pelicans, whowere down 16 after one quarter and behind by ninewith four minutes remaining in the contest. “I just kindof felt like tonight was definitely my night,” Davis said.Jrue Holiday added 31 points, and DeMarcus Cousinshad 15 points, 16 rebounds, seven steals and five assistsand for the Pelicans.

Holiday also had three baskets and a couple of freethrows in overtime to help seal the win in front of acrowd of 19,800 at Madison Square Garden. “We did agreat job in the overtime,” Pelicans coach Alvin Gentrysaid. “AD was just huge for us, and when you get intothose zones like that he’s really good.”

Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway each scored25 points for the Knicks, who lost their third straightand 10th in their last 12 games. Jarrett Jack had a sea-son-high 22 points, and Enes Kanter finished with 18points and 10 rebounds in the defeat.

Sunday’s loss was not a good sign for the Knicks,who start a seven-game, two-week, cross-country roadtrip on Monday against Brooklyn. “I think we’ve justgot to do a better job of when we’re up 12, 15 points,we’ve got to take it to another level, another notch,”Hardaway said. “We haven’t been doing that these lastcouple of games.”

Elsewhere, Jimmy Butler scored 24 points as theMinnesota Timberwolves extended their win streak tofive games with a 120-103 rout of the Portland TrailBlazers. Karl-Anthony Towns had 20 points and 11rebounds for his NBA-leading 37th double-double ofthe season for the ‘Wolves who recorded all five of theirwins at home. It is just the third time in club historythey have won five contests on a homestand.

Jamal Crawford came off the bench to score 10points as Minnesota’s new veterans and young starsstart to come together and learn how to close outgames. Damian Lillard scored 21 points, and C.J.McCollum and Pat Connaughton each had 18 forPortland, who were down by as much as 26 points.Portland suffered their third loss in a row as injurieshave taken their toll on the team this season.

Also, Goran Dragic’s 25 points propelled Miami to a97-79 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks that pushedthe Heat within one game of the Cleveland Cavaliers forthird place in the Eastern Conference. The Heat, a tadsluggish to start, used a 14-0 second-half scoring runto notch their seventh straight victory, tying the EasternConference-leading Boston Celtics for the longestactive winning streak in the league.

WINNING FORMULA “I thought the guys really stepped it up in the sec-

ond half,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. “It was

great to see those inspiring efforts. Even at the end, theloose balls, (James Johnson) diving on the floor. Youdon’t need to do that at that point, but that’s becomingthe DNA of this group.”

Dragic connected on nine-of-17 shots from the flooren route to his 25 points. Guard Josh Richardson added16 points and Tyler Johnson chipped in 14. “They’vewon seven in a row now and they’re playing hard on

both ends,” Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. Milwaukeeregained the advantage, but the Heat responded with ascoring explosion that started with a three-pointer byTyler Johnson and ended with a jump shot by Dragic.They enjoyed a double-digit cushion until they werecalled on to fend off a Bucks charge in the final frame.Dragic’s second-half surge included a burst of 11straight points, including three three-pointers. — AFP

Davis powers Pelicans, ’Wolves roll over Portland

NEW YORK: Jrue Holiday #11 of the New Orleans Pelicans passes the ball against the New York Knicks onSunday at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. — AFP

NBA results/standings

Eastern ConferenceW L PCT GB

Boston 34 10 77.3 -Toronto 29 12 70.7 3.5Cleveland 26 16 61.9 7Miami 25 17 59.5 8Washington 25 18 58.1 8.5Detroit 22 19 53.7 10.5Indiana 23 20 53.5 10.5Milwaukee 22 20 52.4 11Philadelphia 19 20 48.7 12.5New York 19 24 44.2 14.5Charlotte 16 25 39.0 16.5Brooklyn 16 27 37.2 17.5Chicago 16 27 37.2 17.5Orlando 12 31 27.9 21.5Atlanta 11 31 26.2 22

Western ConferenceGolden State 35 9 79.5 -Houston 30 11 73.2 3.5San Antonio 29 15 65.9 6Minnesota 29 16 64.4 6.5Oklahoma City 23 20 53.5 11.5New Orleans 22 20 52.4 12Denver 22 21 51.2 12.5Portland 22 21 51.2 12.5LA Clippers 21 21 50.0 13Utah 17 25 40.5 17Phoenix 16 28 36.4 19LA Lakers 15 27 35.7 19Dallas 15 29 34.1 20Memphis 13 28 31.7 20.5Sacramento 13 29 31.0 21

Minnesota 120, Portland 103; Phoenix 97, Indiana 120; New York 118, New Orleans 123 (OT); Miami 97,Milwaukee 79.

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Drones, aircraft and injuries fail to stop Marcel Hirscher

On the World Cup circuit, Hirscher is peerlessWENGEN: It takes more than an ankle injury, a mishapinvolving a military aircraft or a drone falling on to thepiste to stop Marcel Hirscher. The relentless Austrian isrecognised as one of the finest-ever skiers after winningsix successive titles in the overall World Cup, regarded asthe pinnacle for skiers as it combines results from all disci-plines over the whole season.

Yet, an Olympic gold remains conspicuously absentfrom the 28-year-old slalom specialist’s trophy cabinet. Hemissed out on medals at the2010 Games, finishing fourth inthe giant slalom and fifth in theslalom, and had to settle forsilver in the giant slalom inSochi where he was pipped bycompatriot Mario Matt on atough, controversial course.

It is not something thatbothers him unduly, however.“If I win gold, that would begreat,” he said last year. “But ifnot, I don’t think people aregoing to say that my careerwas rubbish.” On the WorldCup circuit, Hirscher is peerless. He won nine races on theway to claiming his first overall World Cup in 2012 and hasgone on to become the first skier to win it six times. Hopesof a seventh title this term appeared to be jeopardisedwhen he broke his ankle in a training accident in Augustbut Hirscher was never going to be bothered by that sortof setback. He won the giant slalom at Alta Badia by ahuge 1.70 metres and on Sunday filled one of the few holesin his career by winning the slalom at Wengen, the only so-called classic where he had not previously triumphed. Itwas his eighth World Cup win of the season and fifth in arow in the slalom. “Marcel is in a league of his own and it’s

really hard to compete with him... we are trying our best,”said Swedish skier Andre Myhrer after the Wengen race.The all-action Hirscher chooses motocross, kayaking andwhite-water rafting as his way of relaxing although helikes a quiet walk to wind down after a big race. It seemsthat nothing can get in his way. Two years ago, Hirscherwas nearly struck by a camera-carrying drone which fellfrom the air and missed him by centimetres during a WorldCup giant slalom at Madonna di Campiglio. He went on to

finish second.Last year, the giant slalom

at the world championships inSt Moritz was delayed after amilitary aircraft taking part ina training exercise cut thecable of an overhead televisioncamera. The camera fell intothe finish line area but noskiers were hurt and Hirscherwon the race.

Marc Girardelli, himself thewinner of five overall WorldCup titles, said Hirscher’s formafter his recovery may have

demoralised his rivals further. “It was a hammer blow forevery skier who has been preparing for months,” he said.“He has come back from injury, he is still in pain and is stillfaster than everyone else. I’ve never seen anything like it.”Twice overall World Cup champion Aksel Lund Svindaltold Reuters that Hirscher would almost certainly come tobe regarded as the sport’s second-greatest exponent afterIngemar Stenmark, who won 86 World Cup races.

“It’s his consistency... he is able to pull through raceafter race after race,” said Svindal. Svindal said Hirscher’sdominance was especially remarkable in a sport where theslightest mistake can prove disastrous.

“It’s small margins, if you make a mistake you’re out,”he said, adding that Hirscher’s avoidance of the speedevents did nothing to detract from his record. “If you can

have that kind of consistency, then it doesn’t matter, youdon’t need to do downhill. You’re still a worthy winner ofthe World Cup.” —Reuters

If I win gold, that would be great

LONDON: Canada’s speed skating team for theWinter Olympics in South Korea is much strongerthan four years ago and will offer medal threats inmultiple distances, according to the country’sDutch coach Bart Schouten.

Canada won only two medals at the SochiGames in 2014, with Denny Morrison taking silverin the men’s 1,000 metres and bronze in the 1,500,but the intervening years have seen the team stepup a level in terms of performance.

“We have multiple medal threats in multiple dis-tances and that is one of the goals we had asCanada,” Schouten told Reuters from his trainingbase in Calgary. “We just didn’t want to bedependent on, like in Sochi, one skater doing well.“We really had to go as a team to try to increaseour level in all the distances and to have multiplepeople be in a position to win a medal at theGames.

“I think we’ve really succeeded at that.” Canadais the only country that could potentially deny theDutch men a gold medal in the longer distancesthey have traditionally dominated. Ted-JanBloemen, the current world record holder in themen’s 10,000 and 5,000, is Canada’s strongestmedal prospect and Dutchman Sven Kramer’sclosest rival for gold at the Games.

Bloeman, who has dual Canadian-Dutch citizen-ship, was raised in the Netherlands but after failingto nail down a regular place in a commercial teamin that country, opted to race for Canada in 2014.

“He gave me a call and asked if he could skatefor Canada,” Schouten said. “We felt it was a greatopportunity for us to see if we could strengthenour long distance programme. “He was welcomedby all the other skaters on the team. They couldhave seen him as a competitor, but they really felthe could make everybody stronger, which he did.

“Since then he’s steadily progressed in a stablesituation where he felt at home and welcomed. “Ithink he improved technically and tactically, gotstronger physically, and as a result his performanc-es have been getting better and better.”

DEEP TALENT POOLThe popularity of ice hockey in Canada and a

network of speed skating clubs means the countryhas a healthy pool of skaters to chose from.Morrison and Bloemen are the senior members ofthe team at 32 and 31 respectively, while VincentDe Haitre is one of the youngest members in thesquad at 23.

“Vincent de Haitre is a possible medallist in the1,000 and the 1,500,” Schouten said. “And I thinkwe have a good chance in the 500 with twoskaters that won gold medals in the World Cupsthis year, Alex Boisvert-Lacroix and LaurentDubreuil.”

Ivanie Blondin will challenge for medals in themass start and the women’s 5,000 and 3,000, andCanada will also send strong teams for both themen and women’s team pursuit. “Canada is a reallystrong team where people are working togetherwell and I think we’ve stepped up a level of per-formance over the last couple of years,” Schoutensaid. “We’re really looking forward to bringing ourbest performances in Korea.” — Reuters

Canada set for multi-pronged assault in Pyeongchang

WEGEN: Winner Austria’s Marcel Hirscher (L) celebrates with third-placed Sweden’s AndreMyhrer (R) after the men’s Slalom race at the FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup in Wengen. — AFP

OSLO: Norway’s biathlon star Ole Einar Bjorndalen,who has won the most medals in the history of WinterOlympics, has been omitted from the team for nextmonth’s Games in Pyeongchang. “The results achievedby Ole Einar Bjorndalen during the World Cup... arenot good enough. He unfortunately did not meet thecriteria” of the selection, the head of the NorwegianOlympic and Paralympic Committee, Tore Oevreboe,said. Bjorndalen, who turns 44 in a few days, has com-peted in every Winter Olympics since the 1994 eventin Lillehammer, Norway, and was hoping to partici-pate in a seventh Olympiad in Pyeongchang nextmonth. “It sucks that I can’t go,” he told televisionbroadcaster TV2, adding that he disagreed with theNorwegian Olympic Committee’s decision.

“I think I could have found my form in time for theGames.” TV2 said Bjorndalen planned to make a deci-sion about his career at the end of the 2018 season.Holder of a record of 13 Olympic medals (eight gold,four silver and one bronze), Bjorndalen is the bestbiathlete in history and also counts 95 individual vic-

tories in the World Cup and 20 world titles.He won all four biathlon events-the sprint, the pur-

suit, the 20-kilometre individual and the 4x7.5kmrelay-at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

But in South Korea, Norway will be represented bybrothers Johannes and Tarjei Boe, Emil HegleSvendsen, Lars Helge Birkeland, Henrik L’Abee-Lundand Erlend Bjoentegaard. — AFP

Superstar Bjorndalen not picked for Pyeongchang

OBERHOF: File photo taken on January 05, 2018 shows Ole Einar Bjoerndalen of Norwaycompeting in the men’s 10 km sprint event at the IBU Biathlon World Cup in Oberhof.Bjorndalen, who has won the most medals in the history of Winter Olympics, was not cho-sen yesterday to go to next month’s Games in Pyeongchang. — AFP

BERLIN: Germany can rightfully expect bobsleigh medalsat next month’s Pyeongchang Winter Games, Olympicchampion and German youth coach Wolfgang Hoppe said,with the sport’s powerhouse looking to reclaim gold in thefour-man event.

Germany, either East, West or unified, have won sevenof the 10 four-man bobsleigh Olympic gold medals sincethe 1976 Innsbruck Games. They did not win in Vancouverin 2010, while the Russian winners of the 2014 Olympicshave since been disqualified for doping. The Germans havealso won the last three golds in the two-man bob.

“We will be challenging for medals,” said Hoppe, whowon six Olympic medals both for East Germany andGermany after reunification in 1990, and also coachedSandra Kiriasis to 2006 Olympic gold. He now works forthe bobsleigh federation as a youth coaching coordinator.

“The results of the past weeks have shown growth. TheCanadians and the Americans look good and Switzerland

can play a role. It is a question of the form on the day, afine-tuning of equipment. But I think we will be competingfor medals.” The Germans’ performances so far this seasonhave been impressive, with a top-three finish in St Moritzat the weekend in the four-man bob being denied only dueto a disqualification over weight.

“It is a purposeful sport, single-minded,” Hoppe said,adding that Germans received high-level training from avery young age given the competition. “The athletes havegood skills going into competitions. The are used to high-level training from youth level,” Hoppe said.

Germany is also the only nation in the world with foursliding centres. By comparison Canada and the UnitedStates have two while Switzerland has just one. “Thesefour tracks offer athletes the chance to use them regularly.That makes for intense training from early on,” Hoppe said.

The 60-year-old Hoppe, who won two gold medals atthe 1984 Sarajevo Olympics and was also unifiedGermany’s flag bearer at the 1992 Albertville Games, saidGerman reunification and the collapse of the Soviet Unionhad further increased competition among German athletes.

“From two countries we (Germans) suddenly became one,with a lot of good athletes and coaches. The Soviet Unionbroke away into several countries, Yugoslavia as well.” “Wein Germany in a way were disadvantaged because we had towork that much harder to just be selected to compete at bigevents. Competition was fierce.”—Reuters

MUNICH: German biathlete Laura Dahlmeier collects her team’s gear for the 2018 WinterOlympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, during the presentation in Munich, southernGermany yesterday. — AFP

Germany rightfully eye medalsagain: Hoppe

Dutch talisman Kramer hoping to strike 10,000m goldLONDON: The Dutch speed skating team at the WinterOlympics in South Korea is hoping their talisman SvenKramer can complete his dominance of the longer dis-tances with an elusive gold in the 10,000 metres.

The 31-year-old has won the event five times at theworld single distance championships and broken the worldrecord three times, and an Olympic gold in Pyeongchangwould ease the heartache he endured at the 2010Vancouver Games.

Kramer won gold in the 5,000 in Vancouver and fin-ished first in the 10,000 final, but was disqualified forchoosing the wrong lane after he received incorrectinstructions from his coach.

The seven-time Olympic medallist took gold in the5,000 and team pursuit at the Sochi Games four yearsago, but finished behind team mate Jorrit Bergsma in the10,000.

“That’s for sure his target,” Arie Koops, technical direc-tor of the Dutch speed skating association, told Reuters.“Of course he’d like some more medals not only that one,but gold in the 10,000 will be a special target for him.”

Yet the Dutch may not have it all their own way inSouth Korea, with Kramer and Bergsma likely to facecompetition from Canada’s Ted Jan-Bloemen, who wasborn in the Netherlands. The 31-year-old Jan-Bloemenobtained Canadian citizenship in 2014 and currently holdsworld records in both the 5,000 and 10,000, but nextmonth’s Olympics will be his first.

Kramer, in contrast, got his first taste of the WinterOlympics at Turin in 2006, where he won silver in the5,000 and bronze in the team pursuit. Speed skating runsin Kramer’s family-his father Yep competed in the 1980and 1984 Olympic Winter Games-and his experience onthe ice and reputation as one of the world’s best all-roundskaters make him a formidable opponent.

It was Kramer’s experience that led to him being namedto race in the mass start for the Netherlands at the Games,much to his own surprise as he is also in the 5,000 andteam pursuit.—Reuters

Tuesday, January 16, 2018S p o r t s

Established 1961 14

Captain Kohli shines, but South Africa on top in second Test

PRETORIA: India captain Virat Kohli blazed a magnificentcentury, but South Africa hold the upper hand as theyreached 90 for two in their second innings on a difficultwicket after rain and then bad light curtailed day three ofthe second Test yesterday.

The home side lead by 118 runs having bowled Indiaout for 307 after lunch, despite a classy 153 from Kohli,who played almost a lone hand in scoring half his side’sruns. AB de Villiers (50 not out) has taken the attack to theIndian bowlers after South Africa had sunk to three fortwo in their second innings on a wicket that is more Punethan Pretoria, with variable bounce and taking massiveturn for the spinners.

De Villiers will resume on day four with opener DeanElgar (36 not out), who has battled for rhythm but hung

around in an unbeaten third wicket partnership of 87.South Africa had been rocked earlier by a double-strike

from Indian seamer Jasprit Bumrah (2-30), who trappedboth Aiden Markram (1) and Hashim Amla (1) leg beforewicket with deliveries that skidded through after keepinglow. There would have been plenty of panic in the SouthAfrican dressing room at that point, but De Villiers startedplaying attacking shots from the moment he reached thewicket to transfer the pressure back onto the tourists.Kohli had spoken before the match about showing more

“intent” against South Africa’s seam attack and he dulydelivered, compiling a brilliant 153 not out from 217 balls.

He now has 21 Test tons to go with 15 half-centuries, aconversion rate when passing 50 that is only bettered inthe game by Australian great Don Bradman, who made 29hundreds and 13 fifties.

India had resumed on their overnight score of 183 forfive, but lost Hardik Pandya (15) to a farcical run out as theall-rounder ambled into his crease and failed to put his batdown, only to be undone by a direct hit from Vernon

Philander. Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin (38) shared aquick-fire seventh wicket stand of 71 in 14.2 overs, beforethe latter fell to Philander (1-46). Mohammed Shami (1)edged a Morne Morkel (4-60) delivery to slip, while thelatter also accounted for Ishant Sharma (3) when he wascaught at short-leg. Kohli was the last batsman out as hetried to attack the bowling, caught at deep mid-on to bebecome Morkel’s fourth victim of the innings. South Africawon the opening test of the three-match series by 72 runsin Cape Town. —Reuters

LONDON: England all-rounder Ben Stokes wascharged with affray yesterday following an incidentoutside a nightclub, casting fresh doubt over hisinternational future after he missed the side’s ill-fated Ashes tour.

Cricket chiefs said they would meet within thenext 48 hours to decide if he will be allowed totake part in England’s upcoming tour of NewZealand, for which he has already been selected.The confrontation in September in the southwest-ern city of Bristol reportedly left a man with a frac-tured eye socket and saw Stokes, 26, suspendedfrom international cricket until further notice by theEngland and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), meaninghe missed the Australia tour.

“The CPS was passed a file of evidence by Avonand Somerset Police on 29 November in relation toan incident of disorder in Bristol city centre,” said aspokesman for England’s Crown ProsecutionService.

“Further material was subsequently received inlate December. Following a review of all the avail-able evidence, the CPS has today authorised thepolice to charge three men with affray in connec-tion with the incident.”

Stokes will appear alongside two other men atBristol Magistrates’ Court on a date to be fixed fol-lowing the incident which took place in the earlyhours of September 25 after England had beatenthe West Indies in a one-day international match inthe city.

He had already been ruled out of England’songoing one-day series in Australia and his nextinvolvement in senior cricket could be in the lucra-tive Indian Premier League after he was cleared bythe ECB to play in a second season of the franchiseTwenty20 tournament.

England crashed to a 4-0 defeat in Australia inthe absence of the dynamic Durham all-rounder,who is an aggressive middle-order batsman, livelypaceman and excellent slip fielder. Stokes sparkedtalk of a possible England recall by playing forCanterbury, his New Zealand birth province, for amonth, but has since returned home to be with hiswife and young family.

Last week Stokes was included in England’s 16-man squad for their upcoming Test tour of hisnative New Zealand but the ECB added the riderthat “his involvement remains subject to any rele-vant legal or disciplinary developments in relationto the incident in Bristol in September”.

England cricket chiefs responded to Monday’sannouncement by saying they would decide thisweek if Stokes would be made available to play inNew Zealand. “ECB is aware that Ben Stokes hasbeen charged with affray in relation to an incidentin Bristol in September,” said a board spokesman.

“The board will now convene within 48 hours todecide on Ben Stokes’s availability to representEngland at this stage. A further announcement willbe made in due course.” Under English law, affray,which refers to fighting in public, can carry a sen-tence of up to three years in prison if the case isheard in a crown court. But if the case is tried in amagistrates’ court, the maximum penalty is a fine orsix months in prison. — AFP

Stokes charged with affray over nightclub fight

CENTURION: India’s captain Virat Kohli (L) raises his bat and helmet as he celebrates scoring a century (100runs) during the third day of the second Test cricket match between South Africa and India at Supersportcricket ground yesterday in Centurion. — AFP

Magnificent 153 runs from

217 balls

SCOREBOARD

South Africa, first innings, 335India, first innings (overnight 183-5)M. Vijay c De Kock b Maharaj 46L. Rahul c and b Morkel 10C. Pujara run out (Ngidi) 0V. Kohli c De Villiers b Morkel 153R. Sharma lbw b Rabada 10P. Patel c De Kock b Ngidi 19H. Pandya run out 15R. Ashwin c Du Plessis b Philander 38Mohammed Shami c Amla b Morkel 1I. Sharma c Markram b Morkel 3J. Bumrah not out 0Extras (b8, lb1, nb1, w2) 12Total (92.1 overs) 307Fall of wickets: 1-28 (Rahul), 2-28 (Pujara), 3-107 (Vijay), 4-132 (R.Sharma), 5-164 (Patel), 6-209 (Pandya), 7-280 (Ashwin), 8-281(Shami), 9-306 (I. Sharma)Bowling: Maharaj 20-1-67-1, Morkel 22.1-5-60-4 (1nb, 1w),Philander 16-3-46-1, Rabada 20-1-74-1, Ngidi 14-2-51-1 (1w).

South Africa, second inningsA. Markram lbw b Bumrah 1D. Elgar not out 36H. Amla lbw b Bumrah 1A. de Villiers not out 50Extras (lb1, w1) 2Total (2 wkts, 29 overs) 90Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Markram), 2-3 (Amla)Bowling: Ashwin 12-0-33-0, Bumrah 8-2-30-2 (1w), I. Sharma 4-0-14-0, Shami 5-1-12-0.Match situation: South Africa lead by 118 runs with eight wicketsremaining in the second innings.

CENTURION, South Africa: Scores at close of play on the thirdday of the second Test between South Africa and India atSuperSport Park yesterday:

South Africa lead the three-match series 1-0

WASHINGTON: Jacksonville rookie LeonardFournette ran for 109 yards and three touchdownsSunday, powering the Jaguars over the PittsburghSteelers 45-42 and within another victory of their firstSuper Bowl. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisbergercompleted 37-of-58 passes for a post-seasonPittsburgh record 469 yards and five touchdowns but itwas not enough for the hosts to advance in the NFLplayoffs.

Jacksonville moved into the American Conferencefinal next Sunday at defending champion New England,where the winner will advance to next month’s SuperBowl. It’s the third trip for the Jaguars so near the NFLchampionship spectacle, having lost to Tennessee in2000 and at New England in 1997 in prior conferencefinals.

The New Orleans Saints were set to face hostMinnesota later to determine which club would travelto Philadelphia for next Sunday’s National Conferencefinal. A blocked punt by Pittsburgh’s Robert Golden setup the Steelers for their first drive of the fourth quarterin Jaguars’ territory, but the hosts turned over the ballon downs and Jacksonville made them pay.

Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles hit Keelan Colewith a 45-yard pass to set up Fournette’s third touch-down run, a 3-yard trot up the middle, that gaveJacksonville a 35-21 edge with 10:34 remaining.

The Steelers took an all-or-nothing gamble onfourth down and Roethlisberger responded with hisfourth touchdown pass, connecting with Antonio Brownon a 43-yard scoring strike to pull Pittsburgh within35-28. Bortles answered with a 14-yard touchdownpass to Tommy Bohanon to complete a 75-yard marchand give Jacksonville a 42-28 lead with 4:19 remaining.

Roethlisberger wasn’t credited with a scoring toss

but his lateral to Le’Veon Bell allowed the rusher to runeight yards for a touchdown that pulled the Steelerswithin 42-35 with 2:18 remaining. Pittsburgh decided toattempt an onside kick to keep possession of the ball,but the Jaguars recovered and Josh Lambo kicked a45-yard field goal with 1:45 remaining.

The Steelers drove downfield again but used toomuch time, Roethlisberger’s 4-yard touchdown toss toJuJu Smith-Schuster too little and too late. Jacksonvillescored on the opening drive, Fournette diving one yardfor a touchdown to cap an eight-play, 66-yard march.

Roethlisberger, who threw a career-high five inter-ceptions against the Jaguars’ top-rated pass defendersin a 30-9 regular-season rout last October, tossedanother Sunday to Jacksonville’s Myles Jack.

On the next play, Fournette ran 18 yards around theright side into the front corner of the end zone and the

Jaguars led 14-0. Jacksonville’s T.J. Yeldon scored on afour-yard touchdown run 3:29 into the second quarterand the Jaguars surged ahead 21-0 as stunned Steelersfans shivered silently in the cold.

Roethlisberger answered with a 23-yard touchdownpass to Brown to get the Steelers on the scoreboard.But “Big Ben” lost a fumble caused by Jacksonville’sYannick Ngakoue and the Jaguars’ Telvin Smith recov-ered and returned the ball 50 yards for a touchdown.

Roethlisberger responded with a 36-yard touch-down pass to Martavis Bryant with 25 seconds remain-ing in the second quarter to pull the Steelers within 28-14 at half-time. After the second-half kickoff, theSteelers marched 77 yards in 10 plays withRoethlisberger flipping a 19-yard touchdown pass toLe’Veon Bell to lift Pittsburgh within 28-21 just 5:51 intothe third quarter. — AFP

Jaguars outlast Steelers to book playoff date with Patriots

PITTSBURGH: Leonard Fournette #27 of the Jacksonville Jaguars dives into the end zone for a touchdownagainst the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first half of the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Heinz Field onSunday in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. — AFP

DHAKA: Opener Tamim Iqbal struck anunbeaten half-century to guide Bangladeshto an eight-wicket win over Zimbabwe inthe opening match of a tri-nation one-dayinternational tournament in Dhaka yester-day. Tamim scored 84 off 93 balls at theSher-e-Bangla National Stadium asBangladesh cruised to 171-2 in just 28.3overs. The hosts earlier dispatchedZimbabwe for 170 in 49 overs as left-armspinner Shakib Al Hasan claimed 3-43.Sikandar Raza top-scored for the visitorswith 52 as well as taking 2-53. Bangladeshnever looked in trouble, with Shakib strik-ing twice in the first over after skipperMashrafe Mortaza won the toss and optedto bowl. Mashrafe and Mustafizur Rahmanquickly reduced Zimbabwe to 51 for four,before Raza provided some brief resist-

ance with his dogged 99-ball innings. Peter Moor supported Raza with 33

before Rubel Hossain (2-24) took twowickets off successive balls, fast-trackingZimbabwe’s collapse and becomingBangladesh’s fifth bowler to claim 100 ODIwickets. Mustafizur, who claimed 2-29,produced an off-cutter to uproot BlessingMuzarabani’s off-stump and endZimbabwe’s innings. Tamim, who hit eightfours and a six, lost his opening partnerAnamul Haque early on for 19 but added78 with Shakib (37) for the second wicketto set up the innings for Bangladesh.

Shakib-who won the man of the matchaward-said the win stood the hosts in goodstead ahead of their match against SriLanka, the other team in the tri-nationseries.

“Keeping up momentum is very impor-tant. This win should give us some confi-dence before facing Sri Lanka, who I thinkwill offer us a tough challenge,” he said.

Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremerblamed poor batting for their defeat. “Itwas not one of those wickets where youcould score easily. We had a lot of soft dis-missals in our batting line-up,” he said.Zimbabwe play Sri Lanka in their nextmatch of the tournament at the sameground tomorrow. — AFP

Tamim guides Bangladesh to easy win over Zimbabwe

DHAKA: Bangladesh cricketer Mushfiqur Rahim (L) plays a shot as the Zimbabwe wicket-keeper Brendan Taylor (R) looks on during the first One Day International (ODI) cricketmatch of the Tri-Nations Series between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe at the Sher-e-BanglaNational Cricket Stadium. —AFP

S p o r t s Tuesday, January 16, 2018

15

MADRID: Luis Suarez stole the show with a brace and anassist as Barcelona fought back from two goals down towin 4-2 at Real Sociedad on Sunday and restore theirnine-point lead at the top of La Liga.

Suarez struck in the 50th and 71st minutes, his first adelightful chip from just inside the area, after laying onPaulinho six minutes before the break to start the come-back from first-half goals from Sociedad’s Willian Jose andJuanmi.

A stunning Lionel Messi free-kick five minutes fromtime completed the comeback, which puts ErnestoValverde’s side on 51 points, well ahead of second-placedAtletico Madrid, 1-0 win-ners at Eibar on Saturday.

The win also movesBarca a full 19 points infront of arch-rivals RealMadrid, who are languish-ing in fourth and closer onpoints to the relegationzone than leaders Barcaafter Saturday’s 1-0 homedefeat by Villarreal.

Real’s embarrassmentallowed third-placedValencia to move eightpoints clear of Zinedine Zidane’s side with a 2-1 win atthird-from-bottom Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday,which came thanks to goals from Goncalo Guedes andRodrigo.

Barca came into Sunday’s clash having not won atSociedad since 2007 and with 34 minutes gone it lookedlike the hex was going to continue.

Jose gave the hosts a shock lead after just 11 minuteswhen he headed home Xabi Prieto’s superb cross, and ashambolic looking Barca were deservedly two down 23minutes later.

Juanmi burst through the away side’s distracted back-line to meet Sergio Canales’ excellent through ball, and theSpaniard saw his shot deflected off Sergi Roberto andcreep inside Marc-Andre Ter Stegen’s near post.

Suarez burst into life as the first half came to a closeand gave the Catalans hope with a fine low cross thatPaulinho just had to guide home to pull a goal back. TheUruguayan then scored a sensational equaliser in the 50thminute, striding towards Messi’s pass and clipping a loop-ing shot over Sociedad stopper Geronimo Rulli, beforeputting his side into the lead 21 minutes later.

Rulli’s long clearance was fired back with a powerfulshot by ThomasVermaelen that foundSuarez clean through onand ready to crash homeBarca’s third. Messi’s free-kick, a dipping curler thatany goalkeeper wouldhave struggled to save,was the icing on the cakefor Barca and theArgentine, who overtookGerd Muller to becomethe top scorer in the his-tory of Europe’s top five

leagues with his 366th La Liga strike.Real coach Zidane was given some respite from the

fierce criticism he received following Villarreal’s first everwin at the Bernabeu, as Sevilla missed the chance to drawlevel on points in the race for Champions League qualifi-cation when they lost 1-0 at lowly Alaves on Sunday.

Manu Garcia’s 52nd-minute strike pulled Alaves out ofthe relegation zone and left Sevilla sixth on 29 points,three behind fourth-placed Real. The defeat for Sevillaextends Vincenzo Montella’s losing start in La Liga, withthe Italian guiding his new club to two straight league

losses since replacing cancer-stricken Eduardo Berizzo,following last week’s 5-3 home Seville derby loss to Betis.

Espanyol played out a 1-1 draw with Athletic Bilbao in

Sunday’s other game, with Inaki Williams equalising for theBasques six minutes after Gerard Moreno’s 29th-minuteopener. — AFP

Suarez fires Barcelona nine clear in Sociedad fightback

Messi overtakes Gerd Muller with 366th La Liga strike

Established 1961

Arch-rivals Real Madrid in

fourth place

SAN SEBASTIAN: Barcelona’s Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez (R) celebrates his second goal with Barcelona’sArgentinian forward Lionel Messi (2R) and Barcelona’s Spanish defender Gerard Pique during the Spanishleague football match between Real Sociedad and FC Barcelona at the Anoeta stadium in San Sebastian. — AFP

Matches on TV (Local Timings)

FRENCH LEAGUEOlympique Marseille v Strasbourg 21:00beIN SPORTSGirondins de Bordeaux v Caen 21:00beIN SPORTS Monaco v OGC Nice 23:00beIN SPORTS

LONDON: Former West Bromwich Albion andCoventry forward Cyrille Regis, who blazed a trailfor black footballers in the English game has died atthe age of 59, the Professional Footballers’Association announced yesterday.

Regis, born in French Guiana, won five caps forEngland between 1982 and 1987, having been one ofthe stars of the Baggies team between 1977 and1984. He scored 112 goals in 297 appearances forAlbion before moving on to Coventry, winning theFA Cup with the Sky Blues in 1987.

Along with Laurie Cunningham and BrendonBatson, who joined West Brom in 1978, the trio ofblack players were nicknamed “The Three Degrees”after the singing trio of the same name.

Terribly sad news this morning that footballingpioneer Cyrille Regis has died aged 59,” the PFAtweeted. “A true gentleman and legend, he will bedeeply missed. Our sympathies to his family andfriends,”

Former England captain Alan Shearer tweeted:“What a man. What a centre-forward! One of myearliest football memories was walking into WBAfor a trial as a 13 year old kid, seeing Cyrille Regisand being in awe of him. RIP big man.” —AFP

Trailblazing black England player Regis dies, aged 59LONDON: Manchester United appeared to be closing

in on Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez yesterday, leadingthe chase to sign the Chile international ahead of long-time suitors and local rivals Manchester City.

If the transfer goes ahead it would be the secondblockbuster move of the January transfer windowinvolving Premier League clubs following PhilippeCoutinho’s big-money move from Liverpool toBarcelona. Sanchez, 29, looks to have played his lastgame for Arsenal, with manager Arsene Wenger sayingon Sunday that his move could be confirmed “in thenext 48 hours”.

However there is uncertainty as to whether he willpick the red or blue half of Manchester. Pep Guardiola’sCity, whose move for the player collapsed at the end ofthe summer transfer window, are understood to bereluctant to pay a reported fee in the region of £35 mil-lion ($48 million, 39 million euros) for a player who isout of contract at the end of the season.

United boss Jose Mourinho has done nothing to ruleout United’s interest in Sanchez, calling him a “phenom-enal player” and admitting that if there is a “fantasticopportunity” to sign a top player in the January transferwindow, the club would be interested.

Former England captain Alan Shearer said the sign-ing would be a huge coup for United because he hasbeen a Guardiola target for some time. “I don’t knowwhat Sanchez is thinking but my guess-and it is aguess-is that he will choose City,” Shearer said on theBBC website, adding that the player knows Guardiolafrom his time at Barcelona and would be joining the

best team in the country.But he admitted the forward would walk into

United’s team while he would not necessarily be anautomatic choice in City’s star-studded line-up.Runaway Premier League leaders City boast an daz-zling array of attacking talent with the likes of Kevin DeBruyne, Leroy Sane, David Silva, Raheem Sterling,Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero vying for places.

Sanchez would certainly feature for City, who losttheir unbeaten Premier League record at Anfield onSunday, as they chase silverware on four fronts but hewould struggle to pin down a permanent starting berthat the Etihad.

STARTING SPOT? Second-placed United, who are 15 points behind

City, also have an impressive selection of forwards butSanchez could expect more playing time alongsideRomelu Lukaku at Old Trafford, with doubts growingover the future of Zlatan Ibrahimovic following hisrecent return from a long-term injury.

Sanchez joined Arsenal from Barcelona in 2014 andin a stellar 2016/17 campaign scored 30 goals andmade 17 assists, though his form has since dipped. Hisloss would be a major blow for Arsenal, who face losinganother big-name player to one of the Manchesterclubs, with Sanchez likely to follow the path taken byRobin van Persie, who swapped the Emirates for OldTrafford in 2012.

A number of Arsenal players have also joined City inrecent years including Samir Nasri, Gael Clichy andKolo Toure. Wenger left Sanchez out of his squad toface Bournemouth on Sunday, where they slipped to adamaging 2-1 defeat, leaving them eight points off thetop four.

Arsenal themselves have been linked with a £35 mil-lion move for Bordeaux forward Malcom but Wenger,who said the club would need a replacement if Sanchezwere to leave, refused to confirm his interest in theBrazilian. — AFP

Man United tipped to beat City to Sanchez signing

CARDIFF: Former Manchester United great Ryan Giggssaid yesterday he was “itching” to get back into footballafter being unveiled as the new Wales boss-his first per-manent managerial post. Giggs, who replaces ChrisColeman, revealed he had sought advice from his formerUnited manager Alex Ferguson over the job.

The former winger, 44, has been out of football for 18months since leaving the coaching staff at Old Traffordwhen Jose Mourinho replaced Louis van Gaal in 2016. “I’mtremendously proud and excited to be the next Walesmanager and I can’t wait to get going,” Giggs said at hisofficial unveiling in Cardiff. “It’s a great opportunity andI’m excited. “I played 64 times for my country. I’d like tothink I’ll be the same kind of manager as I was a player,with professionalism but also a little bit of fun along theway.” Giggs said he had picked the brains of his formerboss at Old Trafford, under whom he spent almost hisentire career. “I’ve spoken to him over the last 24 hoursand I’ll speak to him in more depth but obviously I want tobe my own manager,” he said. “I was itching to get backinto football, that’s where I belong.”

Giggs’s first fixture in charge of Wales will be in the2018 China Cup against the hosts in Nanning on March 22.He had been the clear favourite for the Wales job since hedeclared his interest last month and the Welsh FA waskeen to make the appointment before the UEFA NationsLeague draw, which takes place in Switzerland on January24. Giggs, who was in charge of United as caretaker forfour games at the end of the 2013-14 season after David

Moyes was sacked, spent two seasons as Louis Van Gaal’sassistant coach. His departure from Old Trafford ended along association with the club where he made a record963 appearances as a player, scoring 168 goals. Giggsknows his status as one of Wales’s greatest players is noguarantee he will succeed as the national team’s boss.

“It opens doors but so many times it’s been said havinga good career as a player doesn’t make you a good man-ager,” he said. “I’ve got a great group of players to workwith who have been so successful over the last four or fiveyears. Who can forget watching us at the Euros? I want to

get us back there. “I think there’s a good balance. There’sexperienced players and good young players comingthrough and I can’t wait to work with them.”

Coleman spent nearly six years as Wales managerbefore leaving to take over relegation-threatenedSunderland in November. He became the most successfulmanager in Welsh football history when he guided thecountry to the semi-finals of Euro 2016 — Wales’s firstmajor tournament for 58 years-only to suffer theheartache of missing out on this year’s World Cup finals inRussia. — AFP

Man Utd great Giggs named Wales boss

SOUTH WALES: Newly appointed football manager of Wales, Ryan Giggs (C), President of the Football AssociationWales, David Griffiths (L) and Chief Executive of the Football Association Wales, Jonathan Ford pose for photog-raphers at the Hensol Castle hotel. — AFP

Cyrille Regis

Alexis Sanchez

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Stokes charged with affray over nightclub fight

Man United tipped to beat City to Sanchez signing1512 14

Established 1961

TUESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2018

MELBOURNE: Hungary’s Timea Babos hits a return against Coco Vandeweghe of the US during their women’s singles first round match on day one of the Australian Open tennis tournamentin Melbourne yesterday. — AFP

CoCo goes bananas, Americans slip up Bencic sends Venus crashing in MelbourneMELBOURNE: CoCo Vandeweghe’s petulant standoffover a shortage of bananas was the low point on a horrorday for the United States at the Australian Open yesterdayas a procession of American players skidded out of theseason’s first grand slam in the first round.

A miserable day session for America saw US Openchampion Sloane Stephens, seven-times grand slam win-ner Venus Williams, men’s 16th seed John Isner and eighthseed Jack Sock, the highest ranked US player in the men’sdraw, exit the tournament.

Meanwhile, top seed Rafael Nadal ruthlessly brushedaside Victor Estrella Burgos to power into the secondround of the Australian Open yesterday.

The world No1, a beaten finalist to Roger Federer inMelbourne last year, clinically took apart the 81st-rankedDominican to forge a 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 win in 94 minutes onRod Laver Arena.

He next plays Leonardo Mayer of Argentina. “I’m veryhappy to be back, it’s a very important beginning for me.It’s good news for me,” he said.

“I want to enjoy every moment I’m here on this court.”The Spaniard left nothing to chance with eight servicebreaks and 28 winners in a complete first-up performance,dispelling fears over any knee trouble.

Nadal, 31, wore no strapping on his knee, appeared to

move freely and combined his trademark power game fromthe back of the court.

It took his Australian Open record to 52-11 as he chaseshis second Melbourne Park title after beating Federer inthe 2009 final. Nadal, whois gunning for a 17th majortitle, was hampered by aknee injury at the tail-endof the 2017 season.

The evening broughtlittle relief, with defeatsfor Irina Falconi and KevinKing bringing the tally to12 Americans sent packingout of the 15 in first-roundaction. Vandeweghe wasgiven two code violationsduring her stormy 7-6(4)6-2 defeat by HungarianTimea Babos at the Hisense Arena.

The first came after she refused to restart play at theend of the first set until a ball-kid delivered her bananas.“How are they not on court? I mean, c’mon, that’s not myfault,” she said during an argument with the chair umpire.

“Why do I have to play under a different set of rules? I

don’t have to make myself uncomfortable because it’s illprepared. “I have needs and it’s not my fault that this courtis ill prepared.” The American was docked a point towardthe end of the second set after appearing to curse at 51st-

ranked Babos.Vandeweghe told

reporters she was nothappy about Babos get-ting “in her face” but theHungarian denied tryingto rile her up. “She alwaysdoes that (loses her tem-per),” Babos said. “A cou-ple of rackets are brokenevery match, this time itwas I believe a time viola-tion, but I’m not sure.“The second one I believewas an insult against me.

If the umpire heard it then it must have been this.”

STEPHENS OUTVandeweghe became the third of four American women

who made the semi-finals at last year’s US Open to fall atthe first hurdle at Melbourne Park.

The fourth, Madison Keys, begins her tournamentagainst China’s Wang Qiang today. US Open championStephens, the 13th seed, was bundled out in three sets byChina’s Zhang Shuai. It was her eighth successive defeatsince her maiden grand slam triumph. Fifth seed Williams,who lost last year’s final at Melbourne Park to her sisterSerena, was beaten in two sets by resurgent Swiss BelindaBencic. Venus praised her opponent for playing “aboveand beyond” but was otherwise tight-lipped and sullenduring her post-match media duties.

Isner was sent packing in four sets by unfancied localMatthew Ebden on Margaret Court Arena while Sockslipped to a 6-1 7-6(4) 5-7 6-3 defeat by 41st-rankedJapanese Yuichi Sugita on Show Court Two.

Ryan Harrison was a rare shining light as he battledmanfully to defeat Israeli Dudi Sela in a tough five-setter.There was also a dominant victory for Nicole Gibbs andMackenzie McDonald won a battle of qualifiers.

They were mere scraps on a day when the star span-gled banner was left decidedly mangled. “I don’t know, it’sa tough sport,” said Sock, who came crashing back toearth after the high of reaching the last four at the ATPTour Finals in November. “Obviously, it wasn’t my day ... itwasn’t some of the American women’s day but I guess thatit happens and that’s tennis.” — Agencies

Nadal kickstarts 2018 in style

PARIS: The referee who kicked a player during aFrench Ligue 1 game and then sent him off hasbeen suspended “until further notice”, the FrenchFootball Federation (FFF) said yesterday. TonyChapron kicked Diego Carlos of Nantes towardsthe end of Sunday’s match against Paris Saint-Germain after being knocked over when the paircollided in a bizarre incident.

Chapron then showed the player a second yel-low card. He apologised yesterday, saying Carloshad bumped into him but that his own reactionhad been “clumsy” and “inappropriate”. The FFFsaid its technical committee of referees haddecided that Chapron be “withdrawn... until fur-ther notice”.

He will be called to appear before the Frenchleague’s disciplinary commission to explain him-

self. The sanction means he has been removedfrom refereeing duties for tomorrow’s Ligue 1game between Angers and Troyes.

The FFF statement added that 45-year-oldChapron-who recently took charge of a game inChina-had reviewed video footage of the incidentand “noted that his fall had been caused acciden-tally.” Chapron apologised, saying in a statementto AFP yesterday: “The Nantes player, DiegoCarlos, crashed into me.

“At the time of the collision, I felt a sharp painwhere I had recently suffered an injury. My unfor-tunate reaction was to stick my leg out towardsthe player.” Footage of the incident quickly wentviral across the world.

Chapron and Diego Carlos were racing tocatch up with a breakaway by PSG’s KylianMbappe as the game, which the visitors won 1-0,moved into stoppage time at the Stade de laBeaujoire. The referee appeared to cut across theBrazilian defender and contact was made, sendingboth to the floor.

As he got up, Chapron kicked the player,catching him on his right foot. He then started towalk away before turning around and brandishinga second yellow card. He also awarded PSG afree-kick. “He told me that he had never wanted to

kick the player and that he had felt himself pushedin the back,” said Nantes president WaldemarKita after talking to Chapron.

“It’s a joke. I got 20 text messages from acrossthe world telling me this referee is a joke,” Kitatold French television. Nantes midfielder ValentinRongier had a good view of the incident andcalled for the referee to be given a lengthy ban.

“He says he slipped, but I know he kicked him,”Rongier told Canal+. “I know it’s very difficult toreferee but you have to question them from timeto time... We do that, we get a 10-match ban.”

Ex-Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas wasamong those to express their bemusement onTwitter, joking that the referee should have got ared card himself. “Surely the good man will haveapologised. It was spontaneous,” wrote Casillas.

“That said, for me it’s agression and red! Threematches minimum!” Chapron has been refereeingin France’s top flight since 2004 and has takencharge of more than 400 matches, including theFrench Cup final in 2014. Earlier this season hewas invited to referee in the Chinese SuperLeague, officiating the game between ShanghaiShenhua and Tianjin Teda in October. He recentlytold a French local television channel that hewould retire at the end of this season. — AFP

France suspends referee who kicked player

NANTES: Nantes’ Brazilian defender Diego Carlos (L) receives a redcard from French referee Tony Chapron during the French L1 footballmatch between Nantes and Paris Saint-Germain (Paris-SG) at the LaBeaujoire stadium in Nantes, western France, on Sunday. —AFP

DETROIT: A year after dressing down car-makers for cutting US jobs due to tradeagreements and automation, has PresidentDonald Trump delivered on his vow to turnthe tide?

The US president got some good news justfour days before the Detroit auto show whenFiat Chrysler announced it would shift pro-duction of its Ram 1500 to Michigan, adding2,500 jobs.

“Thank you Chrysler, a very wise deci-sion,” Trump said on Twitter. “The voters inMichigan are very happy they voted forTrump/Pence. Plenty of more to follow!”Notwithstanding FCA’s announcement lastweek, the overall picture for US auto jobs hasbeen much less impressive in the year sinceTrump became president, jobs figures show.

Net employment in the auto sector (manu-facturing and suppliers) stood at 783,200 atthe end of November, down from 788,900 atthe end of 2016, according to the US Bureau

of Labor Statistics. “Overall, US auto employ-ment was down slightly last year. Sales andproduction were also down, and employmentis closely tied to output,” said Kristin Dziczek,an expert at the Center for AutomotiveResearch.

Under pressure from Trump,General Motors promised last Marchto add or retain 900 jobs in Michiganover 12 months. But even if the biggestUS automaker made good on thatpledge, its overall US hourly work-force dropped to 52,000 at the end of2017 from 55,000 a year earlier. GMsaid the fall was due to shifting USconsumer buying trends, which led to“actions we took at a few car plants in2017 to adjust production as the market shift-ed from cars to crossovers/SUVs,” said GMspokesman Patrick Morrissey.

“Consumer preferences have rapidly shift-ed from cars to crossovers and trucks,” said

Dave Sullivan, an expert at AutoPacific.com,confirming GM’s stance. Examples of GM fac-tories hit by the company’s austerity includeLordstown, Ohio, where the Chevrolet Cruze

is produced and Grand River, Michigan, whichmanufactures the Cadillac CTS and ATS andthe Chevrolet Camaro. Ford has reversed apromise to keep production of the Ford Focusin Grand River, Michigan and will shift the

manufacturing to China.Trump’s agenda includes tax reform, trade

agreement rewrites, regulatory reform andworkforce policy. With the exception of tax

reform, “most of these issues have notyet been finalized,” said Keith Belton,who directors the manufacturing poli-cy initiative at Indiana University.

But “it is clear that the Trumpadministration has put manufacturingissues on its policy agenda,” Beltonadded. Data show US car imports haverisen from overseas manufacturingcenters, including China, India andMexico, which saw a 9.4 percent risein car exports to the US in 2017 from ayear earlier. But the enactment of US

tax reform could change the picture, creatingincentives for companies to produce in the USbecause of a lower tax rate.

Passage of the tax cut likely helped sealToyota and Mazda’s decision announced last

week to build a new factory in Alabama, saidCox Automotive economist Jonathan Smoke.“In and of itself it (lower taxes) probablywouldn’t be the single factor, but it probablyhelps to probably be the tiebreaker if you’retrying to make the decision,” Smoke said. Stillunresolved are talks between the US, Mexicoand Canada on a revamped NAFTA. The greatfear is that a US exit from NAFTA meansvehicles now made in Mexico and exported tothe US could face tariffs of 25 percent.

If a company decides that scenario isrealistic, “then a decision to do somethingnew in US vs Mexico suddenly becomes, ‘Oh,the US is favorable because that takes thatrisk off the table,’” Smoke said Manyautomakers say it is too soon to make anydecisions because of NAFTA.

“We continue to evaluate our footprint onan ongoing basis,” said Dan Ammann, presi-dent of GM, which exports trucks fromMexico to the US. — AFP

LONDON: British construction group Carillionannounced its immediate liquidation yesterdayafter the heavily-indebted company failed tosecure a financial rescue from the UK govern-ment and banks in last-ditch talks. Carillion,which employs 43,000 staff worldwide including19,500 in Britain, said that the government wouldnevertheless provide some funding to allow cur-rent state projects to continue, following crunchtalks over the weekend.

“This is a very sad day for Carillion, for ourcolleagues, suppliers and customers that we havebeen proud to serve over many years,” companychairman Philip Green said in a statement.

“Over recent months huge efforts have beenmade to restructure Carillion to deliver its sustain-able future... In recent days however we have beenunable to secure the funding to support our busi-ness plan and it is therefore with the deepest regretthat we have arrived at this decision.” Carillion is amajor UK government contractor involved in awide range of projects from schools to the multi-billion-pound High Speed Two (HS2) railway.

But it has been struggling for some time andin July last year issued the first of several profitwarnings. Carillion yesterday said “it had nochoice but to take steps to enter into compulsoryliquidation with immediate effect”. It added: “Anapplication was made to the High Court for acompulsory liquidation of Carillion before open-ing of business today and an order has beengranted to appoint the Official Receiver as theliquidator of Carillion.”

Despite the red flags, the government contin-ued to award the company major public con-tracts, including on the flagship HS2 project,leading to criticism. But the Conservative gov-ernment of Prime Minister Theresa May said itwasn’t its place to prop up the company. “This isa private sector company, it’s regrettable that it’snot been able to find a suitable refinancingoption with its lenders,” Cabinet Office ministerDavid Lidington told BBC radio.

EDINBURGH: Scotland’s economy wouldshrink by 8.5 percent if Britain leaves the EUwithout a deal, Scottish leader NicolaSturgeon warned yesterday as she pushed forBritain to stay in the European single market.

“There is no option short of EU member-ship that is as good as being in the EU,” FirstMinister Sturgeon said as she presented ananalysis of the economic impact of possiblefuture ties with the bloc.

“This is about degrees of what does theleast damage to our economy,” she told jour-nalists in the Scottish capital Edinburgh.According to the new analysis, Scotland’sGDP would plunge 8.5 percent by 2030 — or12.7 billion pounds ($17.5 billion, 14.3 billioneuros) — if no deal is reached with Brusselsand Britain has to fall back on World TradeOrganization rules.

This compares to a 6.1 percent (9.0 billion)fall if a free trade accord is signed with the

bloc, and 2.7 percent (4.0 billion) drop if theUK joins the European Economic Area andtherefore stays part of the single market.Sturgeon said the impact study served as“compelling” evidence that Britain shouldremain part of the single market, if it is notpossible to stay an EU member as herScottish National Party would like.

Scotland backed EU membership by 62percent in the June 2016 referendum, com-pared to the overall British vote on 52 percentin favor of Brexit. The SNP has previouslypushed for a second referendum on Scottishindependence from Britain, as a result ofBrexit, and Sturgeon said Sunday a decisionon holding another vote would be taken whenthe shape of the EU deal becomes clearer.

Sturgeon predicted a majority of Britishlawmakers would support single market mem-bership, despite Prime Minister Theresa Mayruling it out largely owing to its condition ofcontinuing free movement of people.

But the Scottish leader argued the EUmigration which comes as part of the singlemarket rules is “essential to our future eco-nomic prosperity”. “Growing our population,and particularly our working age population,is perhaps the greatest national challenge thatwe face,” she said. — AFP

GCC’s 2018 outlook for sovereigncreditworthiness remains negative

Euro hits 3-year high as Europe leads optimism

Turkish Airlines performed well beyond expectations in 20172118 20

Consumer preferences shift from cars to crossovers and trucks

US auto industry jobs fall under Trump

BusinessEstablished 1961

TUESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2018

DETROIT: Journalists photograph the new Mercedes G-Wagon at a Mercedes press event on the eve of the 2018 North American International Auto Show Press Preview in Detroit, Michigan, on Sunday. — AFP

UK construction firm Carillion collapses

‘No Brexit deal’ to cost Scotland £12.7bn: Official

Talks between US, Mexico and

Canada on NAFTA unresolved

The headquarters of the British construction group Carillion are pictured inWolverhampton, West Midlands yesterday. — AFP

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

18B u s i n e s s

Established 1961

EXCHANGE RATESAl-Muzaini Exchange Co.

ASIAN COUNTRIESJapanese Yen 2.724Indian Rupees 4.761Pakistani Rupees 2.728Srilankan Rupees 1.960Nepali Rupees 2.979Singapore Dollar 229.230Hongkong Dollar 38.540Bangladesh Taka 3.621Philippine Peso 6.005Thai Baht 9.492

GCC COUNTRIESSaudi Riyal 80.047Qatari Riyal 83.878Omani Riyal 783.654Bahraini Dinar 801.250UAE Dirham 82.180

ARAB COUNTRIESEgyptian Pound - Cash 18.350Egyptian Pound - Transfer 17.020Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.211Tunisian Dinar 123.310Jordanian Dinar 425.320Lebanese Lira/for 1000 2.010Syrian Lira 0.000Morocco Dirham 33.065

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIESUS Dollar Transfer 301.550

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd

BAHRAIN EXCHANGE COMPANY WLL

Euro 370.760Sterling Pound 416.140Canadian dollar 243.680Turkish lira 80.950Swiss Franc 314.110Australian Dollar 241.240US Dollar Buying 303.350

GOLD20 Gram 249.07010 Gram 127.4505 Gram 64.570

Rate for Transfer Selling RateUS Dollar 302.100Canadian Dollar 242.530Sterling Pound 409.633Euro 362.965Swiss Frank 297.145Bahrain Dinar 803.394UAE Dirhams 82.651Qatari Riyals 83.886Saudi Riyals 81.454Jordanian Dinar 427.373Egyptian Pound 17.118Sri Lankan Rupees 1.966Indian Rupees 4.743Pakistani Rupees 2.735Bangladesh Taka 3.664Philippines Pesso 5.998Cyprus pound 17.976

CURRENCY BUY SELLEurope

British Pound 0.408669 0.416169Czech Korune 0.006423 0.015723Danish Krone 0.045405 0.050405Euro 0. 363090 0.370590Georgian Lari 0.134308 0.13308Hungarian 0.001102 0.001292Norwegian Krone 0.034097 0.039297Romanian Leu 0.062327 0.079177Russian ruble 0.005315 0.005315Slovakia 0.008967 0.018987Swedish Krona 0.033746 0.038475Swiss Franc 0.305849 0.316649

AustralasiaAustralian Dollar 0.231567 0.243667New Zealand Dollar 0.213034 0.222534

AmericaCanadian Dollar 0.236889 0.245899US Dollars 0.297450 0.301870US Dollars Mint 0.297950 0.301870

AsiaBangladesh Taka 0.003276 0.003860Chinese Yuan 0.045398 0.048898Hong Kong Dollar 0.038455 0.039205Indian Rupee 0.004202 0.004843Indonesian Rupiah 0.000018 0.000024Japanese Yen 0.002640 0.002820Korean Won 0.000274 0.000289Malaysian Ringgit 0.072358 0.078358Nepalese Rupee 0.003009 0.003179Pakistan Rupee 0.002553 0.002843Philippine Peso 0.005952 0.006252Singapore Dollar 0.222830 0.232830Sri Lankan Rupee 0.001729 0.002309Taiwan 0.010102 0.010082Thai Baht 0.009092 0.009642

ArabBahraini Dinar 0.793236 0.801736Egyptian Pound 0.014359 0.020077Iranian Riyal 0.000083 0.000085Iraqi Dinar 0.000197 0.000257Jordanian Dinar 0.420703 0.429703Kuwaiti Dinar 1.000000 1.000000Lebanese Pound 0.000150 0.000250Moroccan Dirhams 0.021994 0.045994Omani Riyal 0.776929 0.782609Qatar Riyal 0.078538 0.083478Saudi Riyal 0.079327 0.080627Syrian Pound 0.001278 0.001498Tunisian Dinar 0.118299 0.126299Turkish Lira 0.075183 0.085483UAE Dirhams 0.080875 0.085483Yemeni Riyal 0.000980 0.001060

Japanese Yen 3.709Syrian Pound 1.586Nepalese Rupees 2.946Malaysian Ringgit 76.278Chinese Yuan Renminbi 46.859Thai Bhat 10.405Turkish Lira 80.548

MOODY’S INVESTORS SERVICE RATING OUTLOOK

GCC’s 2018 outlook for sovereigncreditworthiness remains negative

Muted growth, geopolitical tensions and structural challenges KUWAIT: Our outlook for sovereign creditwor-thiness in 2018 in the Gulf Cooperation Council(GCC) is negative overall, reflecting our expec-tations for the fundamental credit conditions thatwill drive sovereign credit over the next 12-18months. Unlike other regions of the world, higherand more stable global growth will not providemuch uplift to the GCC’s growth outlook.Although oil prices have risen significantly fromtheir trough in early 2016, most sovereigns in theregion will continue to run sizable fiscal deficitsand record an increase in their debt burdens.Moreover, long-standing geopolitical event riskshave come to the fore again and will play animportant role in defining sovereign credit quali-ty in 2018.

Three of the six GCC sovereigns hold nega-tive rating outlooks, while the remaining threehave stable outlooks. This marks a slightimprovement compared to the start of 2017when four of the six sovereigns carried negativeoutlooks, pointing to the likelihood of fewerdownward rating adjustments in 2018 comparedto 2017. To recap, in 2017, we took negative rat-ing actions on Qatar, Oman and Bahrain. We sta-bilized the outlooks on Kuwait and the UnitedArab Emirates.

“In late May 2017, we downgraded Qatar(Aa3 negative) by one notch to reflect its weak-ening external position and uncertainty over thesustainability of the country’s growth model. In afollow-up rating action in early July, we changedthe outlook to negative from stable in responseto the ongoing diplomatic crisis involving Qatar,some of its GCC neighbors, and some other,mostly Arab, countries.

In late May, we stabilized the outlooks on theratings of the United Arab Emirates (UAE, Aa2stable) and Abu Dhabi (Aa2 stable), as well asKuwait (Aa2 stable). This reflects our view thatall three were able to withstand the oil priceshock and have been able to maintain their cred-it profiles in a lower-for-longer oil price environ-ment, largely because of their large reservebuffers, but also in light of their ability to effec-tively implement fiscal and economic reforms.

In late July 2017, we downgraded Oman(Baa2 negative) by one notch due to the coun-try’s weaker-than-expected progress towardsaddressing structural vulnerabilities to a loweroil price environment, reflecting institutionalcapacity constraints to address large fiscal andexternal imbalances.

We also downgraded Bahrain (B1 negative)by two notches given the absence of a clear andcomprehensive consolidation strategy in light ofthe unabated sharp deterioration of the sover-eign’s balance sheet. In particular, we expect thegovernment’s debt burden and debt affordability

metrics to undergo a further significant weaken-ing from already very weak levels. The negativeoutlook reflects continued downside risks relat-ed to heightened government and external liq-uidity risks.

GCC growth will remain muted We forecast a slight pick-up in GDP growth

of close to 2 percent in 2018 for the GCC as awhole. While this will mark an improvement from2017 (0 percent), aggregate growth will remainwell below the average 5 percent per year thathad been recorded between 2010 and 2015 giv-en flat production in the hydrocarbon sector andslow recovery in non-oil growth.

Extension of the OPEC+ crude oil produc-tion freeze will keep real growth in the hydro-carbon sector flat. In late November 2017, OPECmembers and several non-OPEC countries6agreed to extend until the end of 2018 a crudeoil production freeze originally scheduled to endin March 2018. As a result, and assuming similar-ly strong compliance as in 2017, crude oil pro-duction in the GCC will remain flat throughout2018 at around 17.4 million barrels per day(mbpd). While some countries in the region, suchas Qatar and Oman, will see an up-tick in hydro-

carbon real GDP growth due to an expansion ofgas production, the region as a whole will con-tinue to record broadly flat production in thehydrocarbon sector in 2018.

Healthy global growth will have a very limitedimpact on output in the GCC, given the smallshare of tradable non-oil sectors in the regionaleconomy overall. On a country-by-countrybasis, only Bahrain and the UAE have meaningfulshares of nonhydrocarbon goods and servicesexports in relation to the overall size of theeconomy (averaging between 30 percent and 50percent of GDP over the past five years for theUAE and more than 50 percent for Bahrain). Bycomparison, these shares are small for Kuwaitand Saudi Arabia at less than 10 percent onaverage, while Oman and Qatar have shares of25 percent and 17 percent of GDP, respectively.

Continued fiscal consolidation - albeit moregradual - will keep non-oil growth below histori-cal averages. Growth performance in most GCCcountries has been driven by domestic demandover the past few years, and has largely beenlinked, both directly and indirectly, to fiscalspending. While we believe that the pace of fis-cal consolidation will likely slow somewhat, wesee very limited potential for a rapid recovery ingovernment consumption and public investment.Moreover, we expect that private consumptionwill be negatively affected by the introduction ofthe value-added tax (VAT) in some countriesfrom early 2018.

Faster-than-envisaged monetary policy nor-malization in the rest of the world - especially inthe US - poses a downside risk to growth. Giventhe US dollar pegs in all the GCC countriesexcept Kuwait, central banks in the region willcontinue to follow interest rate moves by theFederal Reserve. A faster increase in borrowingcosts than we currently assume would dampenalready weak credit growth and limit private-sector growth prospects.

Real GDP growth in the UAE, Qatar andOman will stay above the regional average, sup-ported by public investment in mega-projectssuch as Expo 2020, the FIFA World Cup 2022,and stepped-up gas production at the Khazzangas field, respectively. Bahrain will be the onlyGCC sovereign whose growth will slow in 2018,while Kuwait and Saudi Arabia will return topositive growth after contractions in 2017.

Growth in Saudi Arabia will recover onlyslowly. The 0.7 percent contraction in 2017 wasmainly driven by reduced crude oil production,while low growth in the non-oil sector highlightsthe government’s challenges in diversifying theSaudi economy.

We expect real GDP to grow by around 1percent in 2018 and to gradually increase in thefollowing years. The more gradual fiscal consoli-dation approach, as outlined in the government’s2018 budget, offers some upside to our growthforecasts. “Resilient non-oil-related growth off-sets Kuwait’s lower hydrocarbon production.Kuwait’s average daily oil production fell toaround 2.7 mbpd between January andNovember 2017, which is around 8.5 percentbelow the level recorded in the previous year.Similar to Saudi Arabia, we expect Kuwait’scrude oil production to remain flat in 2018, andforecast that relatively robust non-hydrocarbonsector growth will lift total real GDP growth to1.6 percent in 2018.

Qatar’s economy has been affected by theblockade, but remains relatively resilient.Growth will pick up in 2018 to 2.5 percent from2 percent in 2017, and will again be driven bythe non-hydrocarbon sector. Construction willremain the largest contributor to nonoil growthon the back of the government’s sizable invest-ment program, mainly linked to the 2022 FIFAWorld Cup. Growth effects from the lifting ofthe self-imposed gas production moratorium inthe North Field will only start to materializefrom 2020.

Gas production increases and delayed VATintroduction will support Oman’s growth in 2018.Although not an OPEC member, Oman is volun-tarily participating in the production cuts.However, gas production in the Khazzan field,which started in late September 2017, will offsetthe negative effect of crude oil production cutsand support real GDP growth in 2018. Weexpect the Omani economy to expand by 2.7percent in 2018, with somewhat stronger growthin the non-hydrocarbon sectors due to thedelayed VAT implementation.

“Robust non-oil growth to slow in Bahrain.Despite Bahrain’s severe fiscal pressures, realGDP growth remained relatively robust in 2017,at an estimated 2.6 percent. The non-hydrocar-bon sector continued to be the main growthdriver, whereas the hydrocarbon sector hasbeen contracting. In 2018, we expect that thefiscal constraints will bind more clearly. Weforecast that real GDP growth will slow to 2percent in 2018.

Higher oil prices, domestic politicsA stabilization of oil prices at the upper end

of our medium-term price range of $40-$60 perbarrel (see box at the end of the report for moredetails) could slow the pace of proactive fiscalconsolidation given that government revenueswill be bolstered. For some GCC sovereigns,domestic political gridlock and social stabilityconsiderations are also likely to affect the reformoutlook. “ No further revenue measures beyond

those announced and implemented so far. GCCcountries have introduced a mix of higher feesfor government services, adjustments to expatlevies, and excise taxes on certain productsthroughout 2017.

Some governments introduced new propertytaxation (for instance, Saudi Arabia on unusedland). However, there are no plans to change thecurrent structure of direct taxation of incomeand profits.8 VAT is the only major non-oil rev-enue measure, but is too small to change thestructural weakness in government revenues,which will remain dominated by oil and gas rev-enues for most of the GCC sovereigns.

“Revenue diversification will progress onlyslowly in the coming years. Revenues from

hydrocarbon sources will account for almost60 percent of GCC-wide government revenuesin 2018. While lower than the 80 percent onaverage between 2010 and 2015, the reductionin revenue dependency on oil and gas shows amixed picture.

The UAE and Saudi Arabia report thelargest decrease, with the share of oil and gasrevenues in total government revenues project-ed to be approximately 30 percentage pointslower by 2019 than its 2010-15 average.Bahrain and Qatar, on the other hand, areexpected to show the smallest reduction, withshares of around 70 percent, which is only 10-15 percentage points lower than during theperiod of high oil prices.

DUBAI: With every new year comes a newoutlook and a set of goals to be accomplished.A new poll by Bayt.com, the Middle East’sleading job site, entitled ‘New Year’sResolutions in the Middle East and NorthAfrica,’ illustrates a remarkably high moraleand optimism amongst professionals in theregion coming into 2018. More than four infive (83.9 percent) respondents say they arefeeling ‘positive’ about 2018. 8.7 percent saidthey have a ‘neutral’ outlook and only 7.4 per-cent had a ‘negative’ one.

On top of that, many professionals in theMiddle East are reportedly setting many newgoals for the New Year. Infact, 84 percent said they willset New Year’s resolutionsaimed towards their careers,their relationships, as well astheir personal goals.

New careersNine in ten (89.2 percent)

MENA professionals say theyset New Year’s resolutions atleast some of the time, with72.2 percent saying they‘always’ do. When it came toresolutions for 2018, a largemajority (82.5 percent) ofrespondents are going after a‘career change’. In fact, three quarters (74.6percent) of respondents said that ‘finding a newjob’ is their main career resolution for the year.

Other career goals included ‘learning newskills / pursuing higher education’ (9.6 per-cent), ‘getting a salary raise or a promotion’(5.3 percent), ‘being more productive’ (4.1 per-cent), ‘starting own business’ (3.1 percent),‘forming better relationships at work’ (1.7 per-cent), and ‘other’ career goals (1.6 percent).

Moreover, most MENA professionals havea positive outlook on their job hunt for 2018,with more than nine in 10 of current job seek-ers saying they ‘will find their ideal job’ thisyear. In pursuing the job hunt in 2018, themost important job attribute for a far majority(61.7 percent) of respondents is ‘careergrowth opportunities’, followed by a ‘competi-tive salary’ (13 percent), ‘work-life balance’(11.1 percent), ‘learning and training’ offerings(7.3 percent), and a ‘reputable company brand’(6.9 percent).

“It is inspiring to see that MENA profes-sionals have a very positive attitude towardsreaching their goals in the upcoming year,especially in regards to their job search andcareer growth aspirations,” said Suhail Masri,

VP Employer Solutions, Bayt.com. “Withthree-quarters of respondents searching fornew jobs in 2018, we at Bayt.com are excitedto help even more professionals fulfill theirgoals. In 2017, we’ve successfully posted over140,000 jobs and facilitated over 1.7 millionCV searches and over 1.5 million contactsbetween employers and job seekers. We lookforward to extending our help to more jobseekers and to make a greater number of jobsavailable in 2018 and the years to come.”

Personal Growth in 2018Aside from job-related aspirations, MENA

professionals also have ambi-tious personal goals for 2018.More than half (56.1 percent)of respondents say theymostly want to improve theirfriendships and relationships,while another quarter (25.3percent) say they want toimprove their finances andspending habits. Improvinghobbies and personal inter-ests (6.6 percent), spiritualand religious life (6.5 per-cent), and health and wellness(5.5 percent) are also amongrespondents’ personal priori-ties in 2018.

When it came to health and wellnessspecifically, 80.6 percent of respondents saidthey will eat healthy food and/or join a gym in2018. The rest of respondents (19.4 percent)said they are ‘already happy’ with their health.

In terms of execution, four in five (80.4percent) MENA professionals say they usuallycomplete their New Year’s resolutions with‘careful planning and hard work’, while most ofthe remainder (15.9 percent) say they do so by‘going with the flow and trying differentoptions’ to achieve their goals. Theseapproaches have reportedly been largely suc-cessful in past years: more than three quarters(78.3 percent) of respondents said they com-pleted at least some of their 2017 New Year’sresolutions, with 35.9 percent saying theycompleted all or most of them.

Data for the 2018 Bayt.com ‘New Year’sResolutions in the Middle East and NorthAfrica’ poll was collected online from 3December 2017 to 11 January 2018. Resultsare based on a sample of 8,849 respondents.Countries that participated include the UAE,Bahrain, Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait,Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Tunisia,Qatar, KSA, Yemen, and others.

Bayt.com Poll

The great majority of Middle Eastresidents feel positive about 2018

Suhail Masri

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

20B u s i n e s s

Established 1961

LONDON: The euro shot to a three-year high yesterday asoptimism around growth buoyed expectations of tightermonetary policy from European Central Bank, while thechance of a pro-European Union coalition in Germany alsoboosted confidence in the continent.

With the world in general and Europe in particularshowing signs of sustained economic growth, global stockbenchmarks jumped to new highs, even though investors arenow pricing in the withdrawal of central banks’ stimulus.That view was given further fuel last week by an account ofECB discussions that suggested policymakers may soonstart preparing the ground for a reduction in support.

The single currency climbed as much as 0.8 percent to$1.22965 at one stage yesterday, a price last seen inDecember 2014, just before the ECB first announced itsgovernment bond purchase program.

In addition, Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kurodaoffered a positive view on his nation’s economy and inflationyesterday, sending the yen to a four-month high against thedollar .

“The latest leg up in the euro has clearly come fromoptimism that the German government is moving towards anagreement for a coalition government,” said Investec econ-omist Victoria Clarke.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s CDU party and theSocial Democrats (SPD) are moving towards formal coali-tion talks, soothing concerns around Europe’s largest econ-omy. The SPD’s pro-European stance - leader MartinSchulz recently argued for a “United States of Europe” -also strengthens the case for investment in the euro.

“This follows an earlier move triggered by the crucialline in the ECB account which has got people thinking

about when the first move on rates will happen,” saidClarke.

Euro zone money markets now price in a 70 percentchance of a 10-basis-point rate increase by the ECB by theend of the year, up from 50 percent a week before. Thestrength in the euro pushed European stocks a touch lower,as exporters were hit by the currency strength. An index ofpan-European stocks was down 0.1 percent on the day, butstill not far from multi-year high hit last week.

The slight decline comes in the wider context of boomfor stocks so far in 2018, as investors bask in strong growthnumbers from most of the world’s largest economies.

MSCI’s all-country index of world stocks soared to newrecords overnight and MSCI’s Asia ex-Japan indexbreached its 2007 high for the first time to set a new all-time record.

Stocks in Hong Kong jumped 0.9 percent from Friday’srecord closing high. Investors were optimistic that Chinesegross domestic product data for the December quarter dueon Thursday would show growth of at least 6.7 percent forthe world’s second-biggest economy.

The momentum of global economic growth through theclosing months of last year is being underlined by the earlystages of the fourth-quarter earnings season. Earnings forS&P 500 companies are expected to increase on averageby 12.1 percent in the quarter, with profit for financial serv-ices companies likely to increase 13.2 percent, according toThomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Wall Street stocks set records on Friday and looked setto rise again, with US stock futures up 0.1 percent, but USmarkets will be mostly closed on Monday for the MartinLuther King Day holiday. —Reuters

Euro hits 3-year high as Europe leads optimism

New Ram pickup notches win for steel in US truck marketDETROIT: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NVyesterday unveiled a redesigned Ram largepickup that along with General Motors Co’snew Chevrolet Silverado, which debuted onSaturday, sealed a double victory for the steelindustry’s fight to remain the dominant metalin the auto market.

The 2019 Ram is made mostly of “realsteel,” Michael Manley, head of the globalRam and Jeep brands for Fiat Chrysler, toldreporters at a briefing ahead of the officialdebut of the truck at the Detroit Auto Show.The new Silverado also is made mostly ofsteel, including a high-strength steel cargobox, unlike the top-selling US pickup truck,Ford Motor Co’s F-150, which has a body andcargo box made of aluminum.

Ford jolted the industry in December 2014when it launched the current generation F-150with an all-aluminum body. Ford’s F-seriestrucks represented the largest-scale use ofaluminum in a high-volume vehicle, andrequired technological risk-taking at a levelrarely seen among the Detroit automakers.The aluminum F-150 was up to 700 pounds(318 kg) lighter than the previous steel model,and delivered an 11-percent improvement incombined city and highway fuel economy - asubstantial boost for Ford’s effort to meetescalating federal fuel efficiency targets.

However, it came at a cost. Rolled steelcosts around $800 per ton, while aluminum ismore than $2,000 per ton, estimated metalsindustry analyst Charles Bradford of BradfordResearch. The high-strength steels used in thenew Ram and Silverado cost more than stan-dard steel alloys, but still have the price edgeover aluminum, he said.

The auto show, officially called the NorthAmerican International Auto Show, opened tomedia on Sunday and runs until Jan. 28.

Low gas pricesSince the aluminum F-150’s launch, U.S.

auto executives have come to a consensusthat U.S. gasoline prices will be stable for thelong haul. In that environment, Ford’s rivals

chose to stick with steel, and aim for higherprofit margins. The automakers are lobbyingthe Trump administration for changes to fed-eral Corporate Average Fuel Economy, orCAFE, targets that would make it easier fortrucks to comply.

“CAFE standards have been driving muchof the shift to aluminum and the Trump admin-istration has really backed off those,” BillHickey, president of Chicago-based Lapham-Hickey Steel, which has seven steel processingplants in the Midwest and Northeast.

Fiat Chrysler is taking steps to improve thefuel efficiency of the 2019 Ram over the cur-rent model, which is rated at 20 miles per gal-lon in combined city and highway driving. Thenew Ram is more aerodynamic than its prede-cessor, and will offer a 48-volt hybrid systemon most gasoline versions, one of the highest-volume uses of such technology yet. Whenaccelerating from a stop, the hybrid systemwill use electricity to launch the vehicle beforethe gasoline engine kicks in.

The 2019 Ram is wider than the currentmodel and has a 4-inch longer wheelbase.Passengers get more leg room and FiatChrysler benefits from federal fuel economyrules that set lower mileage targets for wider,longer vehicles, company officials said. GM’snew Silverado’s wheelbase is also stretchedby four inches compared to the current model,and can carry more in the back. GM execu-tives on Saturday said it will nonetheless it is450 pounds lighter, and will be more efficient.

GM is taking between 200 and 500pounds out of all its new models using a mix

of materials, including high strength steel, andredesigning parts to reduce weight, said MarkReuss, head of the automaker’s global productdevelopment. “That’s a great formula withoutcharging all kinds of money for materials thatpeople don’t care about,” he said after theofficial debut of the 2019 Silverado in Detroiton Saturday.

GM and Fiat Chrysler together sold about1.3 million large pickup trucks in 2017, and theSilverado and Ram are respectively the second-and third best-selling model lines in the UnitedStates. Fiat Chrysler identified its steel suppliersas AK Steel, Nucor Corp and Arcelor Mittal.The auto industry accounts for about two-thirds of sales for AK Steel, and trucks andsport utility vehicles accounted for about three-fourths of those automotive sales, spokes-woman Lisa Jester wrote in an email. Shedeclined to comment on specific customers.

Fiat Chrysler engineers said using high-strength steel in the new Ram’s frame andbody helped cut a total of 225 pounds (102kg) from the vehicle’s weight, or about a 4percent reduction compared with the outgo-ing model. The new Ram has some aluminumparts, including the tailgate and certain com-ponents such as engine mounts and elementsof the suspension.

Cutting weight makes more room to boostpayload, and add luxury features to increaserevenue per truck, such as an optional 12-inchtouch screen to control entertainment andother features, and optional “barnwood”accents in the interior of the Western-themedLonghorn model. — Reuters

CBK upgradessecurity at all its ATMsKUWAIT: The Commercial Bank of Kuwait(CBK) updated all its ATMs using the mostsophisticated security standards to ward offpossible fraud and theft of clients’ informa-tion. The bank has become the first bank inKuwait to use this new security technology.

In this regard, CBK’s assistant manager forindividual banking services, Hameed IbrahimSalman said that the new update was part ofCBK’s policy in using the latest technologiesand highest security standards on all the

bank’s ATMs and e-channels.

He added that thatupdate process wasexecuted in collabora-tion with NCRInternational whichuses the SkimmingProtection Solution,which is a feature thatjams data theftdevices, the HardDesk Encryptiontechnology and the

Remote Bios Update to update the ATMssoftware and prevent hacking.

Salman added that the new technologieswere used in response to the Central Bank’sinstructions to all banks to apply strict securi-ty measures on all ATMs within a stipulatedtime-schedule.

B u s i n e s s Tuesday, January 16, 2018

21Established 1961

Turkish Airlines performed well beyond expectations in 2017

Hameed IbrahimSalman

KUWAIT: Turkish Airlines has completed theyear 2017 with a great success. The number ofpassengers in 2017 compared to previous yearwas increased of 9.3 percent and the flag carri-er carried 68.6 million passengers. Compared tothe previous year the load factor reached 79.1percent by increasing 4.7 points. The flag carri-er has reached highest December load factorrate with 79.5 percent in the last month of 2017in its history.

Chairman of the Board and the ExecutiveCommittee of Turkish Airlines M Ilker Ayci hadgave the first signal of the global carrier’sproven success at the end of 2017, in January2017 and Ilker Ayci had stated that; ‘’Webelieve that 2017 year will be much better yearthan 2016. We made our plans and savingsaccordingly. We are analyzing the conditions ofour home country, our region, our industry, thedevelopments and trends in aviation andtourism sector. I believe that we will complete2017 successfully and Turkish Airlines will com-plete the year with increased power, brand val-ue and market share once again’’.

Announced by Turkish Airlines; Evaluation ofDecember 2017 Traffic Results:

* Total Load Factor improved by 5.1 pointsto 79.7 percent with an increase of 8.9 percentin Available Seat Kilometer, while internationalLF increased by 5 points to 79.2 percent.Domestic and International flights have reachedthe highest LF of Turkish Airlines history.

* Double-digit growth in demand (revenueper kilometer) that commenced in July, kept onwith 16.3 percent demand growth.

* Total number of passengers carried wentup by 21.4 percent reaching 5.5 million passen-gers. Compared to December 2015, number ofpassengers carried and demand increased by 17percent.

* Excluding international-to-international

transfer passengers (transit passengers), num-ber of international passengers went up by 39percent.

* In December, cargo/mail volume increasedby 18.4 percent, compared to December 2016.Main contributors to the growth in cargo/mailvolume, are Middle East with 28.7 percentincrease and Europe with 24 percent increase.

* In December, Load Factor increased for allregions. Middle East, North America and Africashowed visible growth among other regionswith 7,1 points, 6.8 points and 5.6 pointsincrease, respectively.

Evaluation of January-December 2017Traffic Results:

* During January-December, increase indemand and total number of passengers was7.9 percent and 9.3 percent, respectively, overthe same period of last year. Total number ofpassengers reached to 68.6 million.

* During January-December, total LoadFactor improved by 4.7 points up to 79.1 per-cent, while international Load Factor increasedby 5 points, up to 78.4 percent.

Turkish Airlines achieves highest load factor in December with 79.7%

Gulf Bankannounces winners of Al-Danah daily draws KUWAIT: Gulf Bank held its Al-Danah dailydraws on 14 January 2018 announcing thenames of its winners for the week of 7 January- 11 January 2018. The Al-Danah daily drawsinclude draws every working day for twoprizes of KD 1,000 per winner.

The winners are: (Sunday 07/01): Mohammed HamidMohammed Al-Maqseed, Sharif Loutfi Al-Sebaii Shahata(Monday 08/01): Abdullah Ali AbdulredhaBakhsh, Lulwa Nasser Ghaleb Ali(Tuesday 09/01): Ayman Khaled Najem Ali,Nabeel Mohammed Roudhan Al-Roudhan(Wednesday 10/01): Amna MohammedAbdullah Al-Awadhi, Adnan AbdulkareemHussain Al-Yahya(Thursday 11/01): Dana Khaled Ahmad Akasha,Tamer Al-Sayed Abdulazeem Shabaan

Gulf Bank’s Al-Danah 2018 draw lineupincludes daily draws (2 winners per working

day each receive KD1000). Al-Danah’s 1stquarterly draw for the prize of KD 200,000will be held on 28 March, the 2nd Quarterlydraw for the prize of KD 250,000 will be heldon 27 June and the 3rd quarterly draw for theprize of KD 500,000 will be held on 26September. The final Al-Danah draw for KD 1million will be held on 10 January, 2019 where-by the Al-Danah millionaire will be announced.

Gulf Bank encourages you to increase yourchances by depositing more into your Al-Danah account, immediately from any localbank, using the new ePay (Self-Pay) service,which is available on Gulf Bank’s Online andMobile Banking.

Five reasons why the Al-Danah account isthe best:1) Kuwait’s single biggest yearly cash prize ofKD 1 million and the largest international bankprize according to Guinness World Records2) Kuwait’s biggest quarterly cash prizes, up toKD500,000 3) Two winners of KD1,000 every working day4) The most chances to win5) Only Bank that transfers your chances to winfrom the previous year to the current year

Only Al-Danah makes millionaires. Al-Danah also offers a number of unique

services including: the Al-Danah Deposit OnlyATM card which helps account holdersdeposit their money at their convenience; aswell as the Al-Danah calculator to help cus-tomers calculate their chances of becoming anAl-Danah winner.

Gulf Bank’s Al-Danah account is open toKuwaiti and non-Kuwaiti residents of Kuwait.Customers require a minimum of KD 200 toopen an account and the same amount must bemaintained as for customers to be eligible forthe upcoming Al-Danah draws. If the cus-tomer’s account balance falls below KD200 atany given time, a KD2 charge will be made ona monthly basis to the account until the mini-mum balance is met. Customers who open anaccount and/ or deposit more will enter thedaily draw within two days.

Lufthansa offers new and improved services for their lounge guestsFRANKFURT: With a large number of new andimproved service offerings, Lufthansa wants tomake the stay in the lounges as pleasant andentertaining as possible for their guests.Adaptable to content of the respective loungelocation, LoungeNet is a free of charge platformexclusively accessible for guests providing gen-eral information on the forthcoming trip, such asairport information and current flight status. Inaddition, the website also updates its discerningguests on special offers from the airline andpartners for a tailored experience. For example,Lufthansa guests can download eJournals at nocharge or view information on collecting andredeeming miles at Miles & More. In the“LoungeNet News” section, guests are informedabout new products and offers in the lounges,such as the opening of new lounges or offeringsin the spa facilities.

Lufthansa LoungeNet has also collaboratedwith TINTYOGA.com, a multilingual yoga web-site that brings together the world’s leadingteachers on a single platform. All lounge guestshave access to yoga relaxation exercises via theLoungeNet, which are adapted to the conditionsin the lounge. Through a link the guests canwatch practical application videos for neck andback pain as well as exercises to prevent jetlagwhich can easily be replicated in an armchair ofthe lounge.

In cooperation with Konica Minolta,Lufthansa has been offering a free print andcopy service in all lounges in Frankfurt andMunich for several months now. Lounge guestscan send their documents to print@lh-lounge.deand in return receive a PIN code with whichthey can initiate printing on the respective print-er in the lounge. This service has been availablein all lounges in Germany since last Novemberwhich is soon to be available in the Middle Eastand other markets.

Furthermore, business travelers with a lay-over in Frankfurt will have access to the spaservice in the Senator- and First-Class-Loungein the departure area B. The spa, run by the CHI-MAS Institute provides special offers on treat-ments such as manicure, pedicure, facials andvarious massages including hot stone, sports,head and the traditional Thai massage for travel-ers who want to relax and need a little “break”.

KUWAIT: Kuwait Finance House Group CEO,Mazin Al-Nahedh has honored members ofthe Golden Service Excellence Club in recog-nition of their outstanding performance andachievement in obtaining the full mark for all-year-round service excellence appraisal.

He expressed his thanks to employees fortheir efforts and performance throughout afull year, during which they succeeded inmaintaining their outstanding performance

level in service excellence, thus obtaininghighest appraisals. Their recognition confirmstheir high professionalism and endeavor toprovide their best performance in the interestof KFH and its customers, nevertheless, itproves their continued perseverance to devel-op and enhance their performance based onthe highest service excellence standards.

Al-Nahedh also urged the honorees to setan example to their colleagues and provide

them with all the support they need to strength-en KFH’s positive standing and upgrade collab-oration amongst staff to develop the one teamspirit. He affirmed KFH’s emphasis on customerservice by extending needed support to humanresources and their roles despite the greattechnological strides in various fields.

The honoring ceremony was attended byGroup Chief Strategy Officer Fahad Al-Mukhaizeem, Group Chief Retail and PrivateBanking Officer Waleed Mandani, GroupGeneral Manager Retail Banking FadiChalouhi, Executive Manager Group ServiceExcellence and Innovation Houssam Al-Khatib,in addition to team members of the executivemanagement for branches and showrooms.

KFH honors Golden Club members for service excellence

KUWAIT: Al-Nahedh and Executive Management with Golden Club members.

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

22Te c h n o l o g y

Established 1961

LAS VEGAS: Facebook on Thursday announced amajor update that will put friends and family abovepages or celebrities in a user’s news feed-and likelyresult in people spending less time on the leadingsocial network. The change to the way Facebookranks posts will put more weight on social interac-tions and relationships, according to News Feedproduct manager John Hegeman. “This is a bigchange,” Hegeman told AFP. “People will actuallyspend less time on Facebook, but we feel goodabout that because it will make the time they dospend more valuable, and be good for our businessin the end.”

For example, a family video clip posted by aspouse will be deemed more worthy of attentionthan a snippet from a star or favorite restaurant.“We think people interaction is more important thanpassively consuming content,” Hegeman said. “Thiswill be one of the more important updates that wehave made.” Facebook co-founder and chief MarkZuckerberg has said that bringing people togetherand strengthening communities in the real world arepriorities. The news feed ranking update, which isset to roll out globally in the coming weeks, isexpected to support that goal.

“As we roll this out, you’ll see less public contentlike posts from businesses, brands, and media,”Zuckerberg said in a post at his Facebook page.“And the public content you see more will be held tothe same standard-it should encourage meaningfulinteractions between people.” Google, Twitter andFacebook have come under fire for allowing thespread of bogus news-some of which was directedby Russia-ahead of the 2016 US election and in oth-er countries. Facebook has introduced a series ofchanges intended to address the problem.

“We are doing a ton of work to reduce the fre-quency of bad content on Facebook,” Hegeman said.“This update is more about amplifying the thingspeople value.” He cited academic research indicatingthat interacting with loved ones is crucial to a per-son’s wellbeing, while reading news articles orwatching shared videos may not be. “There is reallyno silver bullet here to determine what is most mean-ingful, but we are trying to mine the signals to getthe best representation that we can,” Hegeman said.

Known for setting annual personal goals rangingfrom killing his own food to learning Mandarin,Zuckerberg’s stated mission for this year is to ‘fix’ thesocial network, including by targeting abuse andhate, and making sure visiting Facebook is time wellspent. “I’m changing the goal I give our productteams from focusing on helping you find relevantcontent to helping you have more meaningful socialinteractions,” Zuckerberg said Thursday. —AFP

Facebook news feed update makesyour friends a priority

LAS VEGAS: Technology is going to the dogs. And to catsand horses, for that matter, as high-end gadgetry show-cased at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show offeredways that smart devices can improve the lives of animalsand their human friends-starting with a good night’s rest.US-based Petrics was at the show with what it billed asthe first pet smart bed, capable of keeping tabs on theirweight and time spent lounging.

The soon-to-be-released bed cools or warms to pro-vide comfy temperatures for naps, and synchronizes toactivity trackers that monitor how much exercise they aregetting so that owners get a complete daily report. Anarray of firms meanwhile showed off wearable devices tomonitor pets on the move, aiming to consign neighborhood“lost” posters to history.

Among them was Whistle, which is up to a third-gener-ation device equipped with GPS and mobile networkcapabilities. Custom “safe zones” can be set up around ahome and if pets wander out-of-bounds their humans willget smartphone messages allowing them to pinpoint wheretheir pooch, or kitty, is on the map. “If your pet gets outthey can be missing for hours or days,” said Whistlespokesperson Heather Wajer. “You can put up postersaround the neighborhood and search for them, or you canjust look at your phone and see where they are.”

Fido calls home Leaving your pet behind at home can cause anxiety

both for humans and their animals. While home camerasthat can stream feeds via the internet have been around forsome time, Petcube has improved on the basic concept byintroducing “smart” elements. With the help of artificialintelligence, pets movements in front of its camera willtrigger a video call to their human’s phone as well as apreview “pet selfie” clip. Its device also comes with laserpointers allowing people to remotely play with their furry

friends if they’re getting bored, and even reward goodbehavior by firing off treats during calls.

Petcube co-founder and chief executive YaroslavAzhnyuk estimated that 40 million households will useconnected pet devices by the year 2022. Meanwhile, start-up Pebby is working on a “smart robotic ball” with built-incamera, wi-fi, Bluetooth and laser pointer capabilities,affording more opportunities to play remotely.

Taking care of kitty’s business Cleaning your feline friend’s litter box is an unpleasant

but necessary task, unless you (and house guests) are pre-pared to stomach a strong stench. Now, though, automatedboxes are at hand that use sensors to detect when the ani-mal enters and leaves the unit, before giving the litter time toclump, then sifting through it and depositing the waste intoa carbon-filtered drawer. Litter-Robot sales hit new highson Black Friday and Cyber Monday due to the release of asmartphone application that gets data about kitty’s dailyvisits to the feline loo, according to founder Brad Baxter.

When animals left home alone need to get outside totake care of business, they can now do so throughPetWALK pet doors-sturdy barriers that are more secureand airtight than flaps, and are automatically triggered byRFID pendants. French saddle maker CWD meanwhile wasat CES with what it billed as the first smart saddle tailoredfor the equestrian sport of jumping.

Technology in saddles gathers data about stride,approach, recovery and more, then sends it to smart-phones and pairs it with video so riders can improve per-formance, research and development engineer CamilleHebert told AFP. CWD has partnered with French start-upArioneo to weave in an “iPulse” strap that adds data abouta horse’s heart rate. “Everything in our lives is smart,” saidWhistle’s Wajer. “If technology can help make our petslives better, than that is fantastic.” —AFP

Man’s best friend goes high tech at gadget fest

Devices that can improve the lives of animals

LAS VEGAS: The Jagger & Lewis emotional and activity tracker for dogs is seen at the EurekaPark startups area during CES 2018. —AFP

Why the HUAWEI Mate 10 Series are the best phones for your businessYour smartphone is your window to the world. It can do alot for you: it helps you connect with your clients, checkyour emails, do your work, check your social media chan-nels, and a lot more! As you kick start the year 2018, allyou need is a strong drive and a powerful phone, andnothing will stand in your way! Here are 10 reasons whythe HUAWEI Mate 10 Series smartphones are the bestdevices for your business!

1. They think like humans!No need for a PA anymore! The HUAWEI Mate 10

Series smartphones are powered by Huawei’s powerfulKirin 970, the first-of-its-kind processor in the world sup-ported by artificial intelligence. The smartphones also boasta dedicated NPU. The NPU is the new brain of the smart-phones, enabling them to think more like human beings; italso allows the devices to run 25 times better than a stan-dard CPU. Besides the exciting artificial intelligence capa-bilities, the NPU is constantly working in the backgroundto keep everything on the Mate 10 Series smartphonesworking smoothly. This makes the phones super-efficientand incredibly fast - setting out a new standard of whatbusiness users should expect from a smartphone.

2. A visual experience like no other!The HUAWEI Mate 10 Series feature a large display

with minimal bezels, which makes your visual experienceamazing! Easy on the eyes, they allow you to check docu-ments, read long emails and watch videos as they providehigh-quality imagery. Despite their glass design, the Mate10 Series smartphones feel secure in the hand and are lessslippery than other smartphones; they can survive rain andwater thanks to their IP67 rating!

3. They won’t let you down on battery!There’s nothing worse than having to start an important

phone call with “Sorry, I will call you later, my battery isdying on me!” When you’re on the move all day long witha smartphone in your hand, poor battery life is more thanjust an inconvenience. The HUAWEI Mate 10 Series smart-phones come with a massive 4,000 mAh battery and theinnovative Huawei Super Charge technology, which sup-ports heavy usage; in just 30 minutes, you can power upyour phone for two days of productivity!

4. The smartphones get to know you with time!Equipped with Huawei’s EMUI 8.0, the HUAWEI Mate

10 Series smartphones stay fast a year or two down theline when you first bought them. Boasting the intuitiveEMUI 8.0, they are fast and responsive; with time, theylearn your behavior and can predict the apps you use themost, which helps you save time and do your tasks morequickly and efficiently.

5. They can replace your laptop!When you’re on the move, you can easily use your

HUAWEI Mate 10 Series smartphones as a full-fledged

desktop. By plugging them into an HDMI adapter, you canrotate the screen in landscape mode (HUAWEI Mate 10Pro only) and start working; apps will automatically moveto column-split mode, and you can multitask and shiftbetween different accounts and apps without your smart-phone freezing or dying on you.

6. One smartphone, two lines!When you’re on a business trip, you surely need a local

line to do your calls and send texts. The HUAWEI Mate 10Series smartphones are dual-SIM devices that make iteasier for you to use your personal line and the local linewithout having to use two phones.

7. A strong connectivity wherever you are!The HUAWEI Mate 10 Series smartphones offer you a

fast and stable connectivity wherever you are. If you’re ina business meeting, you can receive phone calls and yourinterlocutor will hear you very clearly even when you’rewhispering as the smartphones use artificial intelligence toenhance volume and cancel noise.

8. Language is not a business obstacle anymore!You can have meetings with business partners from

around the world without having to worry about commu-nication. The HUAWEI Mate 10 Series smartphones offer areal-time accelerated translation feature supported by

artificial intelligence. Whoever you’re dealing with, thisfeature helps you understand conversations and texts inmore than 50 languages; 300% faster with artificial intelli-gence acceleration, the feature instantly translates for youso you can understand very clearly what your businesspartners are saying.

9. Private space and Huawei ShareEven when doing business, you can keep things per-

sonal! With this feature, you can setup a section of storagewith a different password to keep your personal files anddocuments in a private space.Huawei Share is a uniquefeature provided by HUAWEI Mate 10 Series smartphonethat allows you to share documents, files and videosquickly and easily; 100 times faster than Bluetooth, it pairsautomatically with other devices without the need to havea wireless connection.

10. International endorsement by recognized institutionsAs a testament to the excellent performance of the

HUAWEI Mate 10 Series smartphones, the HUAWEI Mate10 Pro has won several awards, notably the “phone of theYear” award by Android Authority, proving that excellenceisn’t just about standout features but rather consistentquality across the board. Gear up for 2018, knowing that apowerful smartphone is within your hands to help youboost your productivity and achieve excellence!

Yamaha motorcycle comes on command at CES eventLAS VEGAS: With a wave, Kinji Asamurasummoned a riderless motorcycle to his sidein the Yamaha booth at the ConsumerElectronics Show in Las Vegas this week.The concept electric motorcycle, called‘Motoroid,’ then balanced in position, hold-ing its place even when Asamura tried gentlyto push it over. Nearby, a robot that mightseem suited for a futuristic action film was

astride a production model Yamaha super-bike that it had ridden at speeds topping200 kilometers per hour on a test track.

“The motor bike is the recent past, andthe Motoroid is the future,” Yamahaspokesman John Boreland told AFP as heglanced from one two-wheeled creation tothe other. “The object is to see what lessonscan be learned to connect machine to humanmore effectively.” The robot-ridden Yamahamotorcycle, called ‘Motobot,’ is fast butblind, relying on pre-programmed routes,according to Yamaha. Lessons learned so farfrom the research model include that “humanbeings react a hell of a lot quicker,” accord-ing to Boreland,

Flesh-and-blood riders have also proven

better at grasping the courter-intuitivenotion of counter-steering and leaningthrough turns, he added. The Motoroid mod-el boasted autonomous features such as bal-ancing on its own, recognizing riders, andbeing summoned with a wave.

Wings on the back of the seat weredesigned with the help of a psychologist togently squeeze a rider’s lower back in asort of reassuring caress at potentially per-i lous high speeds, Boreland said.“Somewhere along the line, this will allmeld together so you’ll be part of the bikeand it wil l f igure things out for you,”Boreland said of insights and advancesresulting from the concept motorcycles,which are not for sale. —AFP

LAS VEGAS: The Yamaha MOTOROiD concept motorcycle is displayed at theYamaha booth during CES 2018 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. —AFP

H e a l t h Tuesday, January 16, 2018

23Established 1961

PARIS: The Paris Agreement goal of capping global warm-ing at 1.5 degrees Celsius will slip beyond reach unlessnations act now to slash carbon pollution, curb energydemand, and suck CO2 from the air, according to a draftUN report. Without such efforts, “holding warming to 1.5 C(2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) by the end of the 21st century [is]extremely unlikely,” said the 1,000-page report, preparedby hundreds of scientists. “There is a very high risk thatunder current emissions trajectories, and current nationalpledges, global warming will exceed 1.5 C above preindus-trial levels.”

On current trends, Earth’s thermometer will cross thatthreshold in the 2040s, said the report. The greenhouse gasemissions guaranteeing that outcome will have beenreleased within 10 to 15 years. Under any scenario, there isno model that projects a 66-percent-or-better chance ofholding global warming below 1.5 C, the synthesis of recentscientific studies concluded. With only a single degreeCelsius of warming so far, our planet is already coping with a

crescendo of climate impacts including deadly droughts,erratic rainfall, and storm surges engorged by rising seas.The landmark, 197-nation climate treaty, inked in 2015, callsfor limiting global warming to “well under” 2 C, and “pursu-ing efforts” for the 1.5 C cap. All countries made voluntarycarbon-cutting pledges, running out to 2030. At the sametime, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change(IPCC) was mandated to prepare a special 1.5 C report cov-ering impacts and feasibility. The final version, vetted bygovernments, will be unveiled in October.

Moral hazard Pressure for the lower temperature target and the report

came from nations whose fate could turn on the half-degreedifference between a 1.5 C and 2 C world. Rising seas, forexample, threaten the existence of small island states andcould displace tens of millions in Bangladesh, Vietnam andother counties with densely populated river deltas.

“There is a tipping point on sea level rise”-driven mainly

by melting ice sheets on Greenland and Antarctica-”some-where between 1.5 C and 2 C,” said Hans JoachimSchellnhuber, director of the Potsdam Institute for ClimateImpact Research. “With 2C, according to our models, sealevel will just keep on rising,” he told AFP. The pathways thatdo exist for stabilizing at 1.5 C would require breaching thatthreshold and then dialing down Earth’s surface temperatureby drawing CO2 out of the atmosphere and then using if forfuel or storing it underground. None of technologies that dothis exist today on an industrial scale, and some experts fearthe long-shot 1.5 C target could pose problems of its own.

“Any scenario for 1.5 C stabilization likely requires adubious dependence on ‘negative emissions’ technologies,whereas 2 C stabilization is still possible without that,” saidMichael Mann, director of the Earth System Science Centerat Pennsylvania State University. The lure of silver-bullet fix-es, he and others point out, could weaken resolve to reducegreenhouse emissions at their source-an unintended side-effect known as “moral hazard”. Ensuring even a 50/50

chance of a 1.5 C world would require the equivalent of a cli-mate change Marshall Plan, the study concluded.

Lifestyle changes By 2050, carbon dioxide emissions would need to fall to

“net” zero, meaning that any CO2 released into the air wouldhave to be offset. Renewable energy sources-mainly solarand wind-would by then be the dominant energy source,and burning coal a distant memory. Other planet-warminggases such as methane and HFCs would also have to bedrastically reduced.

“Rapid and large-scale behavior and lifestyle changes,”such as a shift away from eating meat, will also be essential,the report said. “We don’t have any margin for less than totalcommitment,” said Chris Field, Director of the StanfordWoods Institute for the Environment in California and a for-mer co-chair of the IPCC’s Working Group II. “Tackling cli-mate is making serious investments more than making exact-ly the right mix of investments.”— AFP

1.5 C climate goal very unlikely but doable: Draft UN report

Earth’s thermometer will cross that threshold in the 2040s

Kuwaiti child given a new lease onlife after childhood hypoglycaemiaKUWAIT: Young Kuwaiti child, Saad, has been given anew lease of life after being treated for a severe form ofchildhood hypoglycaemia using an alternativenon-surgi-cal procedure at Great Ormond Street Hospital forChildren in London (GOSH).

When Saad was just two years old, his mothernoticed his legs and arms were moving erratically. Saad’smother instantly knew that something was wrong.Although tests showed he had low blood sugar withoutdiabetes, Saad’s medical diagnosis was still uncertainand he spent a further two months in hospital in Kuwait.Saad was then referred to a specialist in the UK, DrShah, who specializes in Paediatric Endocrinology.

After visiting Dr Shah, Saad was diagnosed with

Congenital Hyperinsulinism (CHI), a very complex con-dition that causes severe hypoglycaemia (low blood sug-ar) in the neonatal, infancy and childhood period.Discussing the severity of the condition, Dr Shah said,“Hypoglycaemia, due to CHI, is a relativelyrare but serious condition occurring soonafter birth. Symptoms of hypoglycaemiacan include floppiness, shakiness, poorfeeding and sleepiness, all of which are dueto the low blood glucose levels. Seizures(fits or convulsions) can also occur, againdue to low blood glucose levels. If thechild’s blood glucose level is not corrected,it can lead to loss of consciousness,seizures (convulsions), potential braininjury and very rarely death.”

From May to September 2017, Saadstayed as an inpatient at GOSH. Saadunderwent a PET scan which confirmed hehas a diffuse form of CHI which means hewould not respond to standard medicaltreatment to stop insulin production and would likelyneed a major operation to remove 95 percent of thepancreas. However, instead of undergoing a near-totalpancreatectomy, an invasive operation with potentiallong-life complications, Dr Shah suggested newer forms

of medication which aim to stabilize blood glucose lev-els.

“After discussing various management options withthe family, they were keen to try injections before pro-

ceeding with a near-total pancreatectomy.This medication, which is given once every4 weeks, has allowed him to keep his bloodglucose stable on bolus feeds with signifi-cant improvement in quality of life as par-ents give one injection every 4 weeksinstead of 4 injections a day,” adds DrShah. Saad, who has now had his caremoved back to Kuwait, will need regularmonitoring in terms of his blood glucose aswell as for side effects of the medication.Some cases become milder overtime andchildren eventually come off medications.

On the care Saad received in London,Saad’s mother commented that, “Dr Shahwas the perfect doctor and gave us all theinformation we needed. He listens to the

family and completely understood my son’s needs. Saadenjoyed his time on the Bumblebee ward and the nursesat GOSH were also very caring with a personal touch.”Saad is currently doing well and will return to GOSH insix months’ time for a routine check-up.

Pentagon stays mum on fate of secret satelliteWASHINGTON: The mystery surrounding the fate of asecret military satellite deepened Thursday when thePentagon refused to answer even simple questions aboutwhether the mission to launch it had gone awry. OnSunday, private space firm SpaceX blasted a Falcon 9rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida carrying the secretgovernment satellite, known as Zuma.

US media this week reported that the billion-dollarpayload did not make it into orbit and was presumed tohave been lost. SpaceX said last Tuesday that the rocketworked fine, but its statement left open the possibilitythat something could have gone wrong after the launch.When asked at a press briefing if the Pentagon consid-ered the launch a success or a failure, two officialsdeclined to provide any information whatsoever becauseof the classified nature of the mission. “I would have torefer you to SpaceX, who conducted the launch,”Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said.—AFP

Dr Pratik Shah

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

24W h a t ’ s O n

Established 1961

69th Republic Day of India

The 69th Republic Day of India will be cele-brated in Embassy premises on Friday,26January 2018 with the hoisting of Indian Tri-

color at 9 AM by the Ambassador. This will be fol-lowed by the reading of President’s Message to theNation, patriotic songs by school children and anOpen House Reception. All Indian nationals andfriends of India in Kuwait are most cordially invitedto attend the function.

Symphony Style Hotel named ‘Best Luxury Family Hotel’ at World Luxury Hotel Awards

Symphony Style Hotel , QuorvusCollection’s flagship hotel in Kuwait,is celebrating further global recog-

nit ion after being named 2017 BestLuxury Family Hotel - Kuwait, at therecent World Luxury Hotel Awards.Judges on the World Luxury Hotel Awardspanel selected Symphony Style HotelKuwait for the high-profile award basedon its commitment to outstanding hote-liering and outstanding achievements inthe luxury hospitality industry.

The award fol lows the concertedefforts of the hotel to enhance its offering

to cater for all ages and ensure a memo-rable stay for the entire family. In 2017,the third& fourth floors of the hotel wereturned into a designated Kids Floor. TheKids Club features a 500 sqm multipur-pose play room, a dedicated cinema and alibrary, providing younger guests withaccess to a fun, educational and interac-tive space, under the supervision of high-ly-trained staff. The Kids Club also fea-tures a dining area for the little ones, andtheir own sleeping area.

Older children are also firmly in focusthanks to the Teens Hub, an interactive

zone aimed at older children and teens,featuring the latest video games and elec-tronic entertainment. With the childrenengaged and in safe hands, parents canrelax and rejuvenate with a soothingtreatment at Symphony Style Hotel’sstate-of-the-art Six Senses Spa orunwind on the suspended swimming pooldeck on the hotel’s second floor, whichoffers picture-perfect views over theArabian Gulf. The hotel’s ideal locationoffers the whole family easy access toworld-class shopping and l i festyleoptions at the adjacent Symphony Mall.

English LanguageProgram at ACK achieves EAQUALSAccreditation

The Evaluation and Accreditation of Quality LanguageServices (EAQUALS) has awarded the AustralianCollege of Kuwait an international accreditation for

the English Language Program for four years. EAQUALS is aprofessional leading association for language educationworldwide and aims to foster excellence in language educa-tion, who inspected the English Language Program at ACKin 2017 and met the highest standards required for theaccreditation. Following the inspection visit the teaching,course programs, course organization, learning resources,testing and evaluation were all judged to be of high quality.The Inspectors identified points of excellence in the cate-gories of management and administration, teaching & learn-ing, assessment & certification, academic resources, learningenvironment, client services, quality assurance, staff profile& development, staff employment terms and internal com-munications.

EAQUALS Accredited Members have achieved highestinternational standards verified by EAQUALS demandinginspection scheme and are committed to continuousimprovement. Accreditation is only awarded after a compre-hensive and rigorous quality assurance process, including anon-site inspection, repeated every four years. Only institu-tions that fully comply with the demanding EAQUALSQuality Standards can be accredited. EAQUALSAccreditation helps ACK to ensure that every aspect of thelanguage learning experience meets student and labor mar-ket highest expectations. Climate change poses a major threat to humanity.

Researchers and communities have shown us thatclimate change affects where people can live,

grow food, maintain infrastructure, and be healthy.Climate change is connected with many other globalissues. For example, climate change is linked to inequali-ty and ethics because developing countries are the leastresponsible for climate change, yet they are the most atrisk from its effects.

While concerted international action is crucial toreduce climate change- through stronger internationallegal mechanisms, greater financial resources and sup-port to green technologies - responses to climatechange start with each of us, with the ways by which wethink and act, with our attitudes and behaviours.

Kuwait National English School is undertaking awhole school approach, whereby students’ are learningabout climate change through the reinforcement of for-mal and informal messages promoted by the school’svalues and actions. In other words, students - girls andboys alike - and other members of the school communi-ty live what they learn, and learn what they live. Thewhole-school approach benefits our school and our sur-rounding community through the following ways:

l Students and staff have a greater sense of belong-ing in the school

l Students have more meaningful and hands-onlearning opportunities

l Schools achieve significant ecological footprintreductions

l Schools save money through efficient resource usel School campuses are greener and more beautifulA school culture of sustainability is one in which stu-

dents, staff and families hold shared values and beliefs

about the importance of taking action for a more sus-tainable society. Taking care of the environment andcontributing to reducing climate change is an integralpart of this. The students of Kuwait National English

School have participated in the promoting an awarenessof climate change by planting a range of plants andseeds. This will benefit our school as students becomeaware of the importance of plants in the environment.

Awareness of climate change at Kuwait National English School

TIES talks

Join a monthly public speaking club to develop yourcommunication skills and share information related tolife in Kuwait. Get public speaking tips, hear and eval-

uate a 15-minute speech, and pluck your courage for atwo-minute, impromptu speech. The topic for January’ssession is Food in Kuwait. The meet-up will be held onWednesday, January 24 and will start at 7pm.

Bhavans Kuwait 9thAnnual Athletic meet

“True champions weren’t born but trained.”The fortunate spectators at Kaifan stadiumwere again favoured by fortune as they

could witness in awe the scintillating performance ofthe young sportsmen of Bhavans, Kuwait celebratingtheir ninth Annual Sports Meet at Kaifan Stadium,Kuwait City on January 12, 2018, graced by theesteemed presence of the Chief Guest, Ambassador ofGuyana to Kuwait, His Excellency Dr Shamir Ally andthe Guest of Honor Dr Maryann Beebe Ally.

The Annual Athletic Meet began with the recitationof the Holy Quran followed by the Kuwait NationalAnthem. After the rendition of the beautiful prayer songby the school choir, the Head Boy of IES, KetanMaheshwari welcomed the guests. The elite league thatadorned the embellished pavilion were the Chief Guest,Ambassador of Guyana to Kuwait, His Excellency Dr.Shamir Al Ally and Guest of Honour D. Maryann BeebeAlly along with NK Ramachandran Menon, theChairman, Bhavans Middle East, T Premkumar(Principal, IES) and Mahesh Iyer, (Principal SIS), RathiRavindran, Vice Principals of IES, Suresh VBalakrishnan, Lalitha Premkumar and MeenakshiNayyar , Shaimaa Zaki (Administrative Manager, SIS)and Mohammad Khamis (Manager owner’s office).

The BSS (Bhavans Service Scheme) Cadets, the

office bearers of the School Supreme Council, alongwith the House Captains, Vice-captains, blossoms, andthe senior students of the four houses of Bhavansparaded elegantly with the drumbeats. The Chief Guest,Ambassador of Guyana to Kuwait, His Excellency DrShamir Ally and Guest of Honor Dr Maryann Beebe Allyalong with the other dignitaries received the reverentialsalute from the marching contingent.

The 15 sports champions who represented Bhavansat the national level in swimming and badminton, werethe privileged torchbearers of Bhavans. They escortedthe Vice Sports Captains, Vignesh Sivakumar and KiaraCzarina Reaven of IES in the ceremonial torch run. Thetorch of perennial flames was then lit by the SportsCaptain Karthik Sivakumar amid thunderous applauseencasing the stadium. The deputy Sports Captain

Anupama Nair administered the oath. Sanskriti Housewon the overall championship trophy. The second placewas secured by Satya House and the third place was

bagged by Seva House. The euphoric winners of thethree houses conjointly received the trophy from theChief Guest.

TV Tuesday, January 16, 2018

25Established 1961

01:30 Flight World War II02:55 The Veil04:25 Rumble06:00 The Huntsman: Winter’s War08:00 Hunting The Phantom10:05 The Veil11:35 Misfire13:10 The Huntsman: Winter’s War15:10 American Ninja16:50 The Call Up18:25 I Am Number Four20:15 Rise Of The Planet Of TheApes22:05 Check Point23:45 Rob The Mob

00:50 Untamed & Uncut01:45 Treehouse Masters02:40 Biggest And Baddest03:35 Swamp Brothers04:25 Shark Attack File 205:15 Alaska Monsters06:02 Wildest Latin America06:49 Untamed & Uncut07:36 Night08:00 Night08:25 Swamp Brothers09:15 Treehouse Masters10:10 Biggest And Baddest11:05 Wildest Latin America12:00 Swamp Brothers12:28 Swamp Brothers12:55 Shark Attack File 213:50 Alaska Monsters14:45 Biggest And Baddest15:40 Wildest Latin America16:35 Untamed & Uncut17:30 Treehouse Masters18:25 North Woods Law19:20 My Fat Pet20:15 Biggest And Baddest21:10 Swamp Brothers21:38 Swamp Brothers22:05 North Woods Law23:00 My Fat Pet23:55 Wildest Latin America

00:20 Call The Midwife: ChristmasSpecial 201701:50 The Level02:40 Casualty03:35 New Tricks04:30 Call The Midwife: ChristmasSpecial 201706:00 Doctors06:35 Casualty07:25 Dickensian08:15 Stella09:00 Casualty09:55 Casualty10:55 New Tricks11:50 Dickensian12:40 Stella13:35 Casualty14:25 Casualty15:20 New Tricks16:20 Dickensian17:10 Stella18:00 Holby City19:00 New Tricks20:05 Unforgotten21:05 Unforgotten22:00 New Tricks23:00 Class23:50 Holby City

00:00 Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart01:30 It Takes A Killer02:00 It Takes A Killer02:30 It Takes A Killer03:00 The Eleven04:00 Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart05:30 It Takes A Killer06:00 It Takes A Killer06:30 It Takes A Killer07:00 Homicide Hunter08:00 Crimes That Shook Britain09:00 It Takes A Killer09:30 It Takes A Killer10:00 Homicide: Hours To Kill11:00 Cold Case Files12:00 The First 4813:00 Crimes That Shook Britain14:00 It Takes A Killer14:30 It Takes A Killer15:00 Homicide: Hours To Kill16:00 Cold Case Files17:00 Homicide Hunter18:00 It Takes A Killer18:30 It Takes A Killer19:00 The First 4820:00 Homicide: Hours To Kill21:00 Crimes That Shook Britain22:00 Cold Case Files23:00 The First 48

00:05 Graves00:35 Nightcap00:55 Lip Sync Battle01:20 Lip Sync Battle01:45 Tosh.002:10 Chappelle’s Show02:35 Real Husbands Of Hollywood03:00 The Daily Show With TrevorNoah03:25 Tosh.003:50 Detroiters04:15 Kroll Show04:40 Key And Peele05:05 Important Things WithDemitri Martin05:30 Impractical Jokers05:55 Disaster Date06:20 Ridiculousness Arabia06:50 Framework07:40 The Jim Gaffigan Show08:05 Impractical Jokers08:30 Disaster Date08:55 Workaholics09:20 Kroll Show09:45 Key And Peele10:10 Important Things WithDemitri Martin10:35 The Jim Gaffigan Show11:00 Impractical Jokers11:25 Disaster Date11:50 Ridiculousness Arabia12:15 Impractical Jokers12:40 Friendszone13:05 Friendszone13:30 Important Things WithDemitri Martin13:55 Friends14:20 Friends14:45 Workaholics15:10 Key And Peele15:35 Kroll Show16:00 Friendszone16:30 Friendszone16:55 Friends17:20 Friends17:45 Disaster Date18:10 Ridiculousness Arabia18:35 Framework19:25 Impractical Jokers19:50 Real Husbands Of Hollywood20:12 Friends

20:35 Friends21:00 The Daily Show With TrevorNoah21:30 The Opposition With JordanKlepper22:00 Broad City22:25 Another Period22:50 Another Period23:15 Real Husbands Of Hollywood23:40 The Daily Show With TrevorNoah

00:30 Kids Do The Craziest Things00:55 Kids Do The Craziest Things01:20 Finding Bigfoot02:10 Somebody’s Gotta Do It03:00 Ecopolis03:50 Bear Grylls: Born Survivor04:40 Tanked05:30 How It’s Made05:55 How It’s Made06:20 Kids Do The Craziest Things06:40 Kids Do The Craziest Things07:00 Bear Grylls: Born Survivor07:50 How It’s Made08:15 How It’s Made08:40 Kids Do The Craziest Things09:05 Kids Do The Craziest Things09:30 Tanked10:20 Ecopolis11:10 Now That’s Funny12:00 Now That’s Funny12:50 How It’s Made13:15 How It’s Made13:40 Kids Do The Craziest Things14:05 Kids Do The Craziest Things14:30 Tanked15:20 Bear Grylls: Born Survivor16:10 Ecopolis17:00 Now That’s Funny17:50 Now That’s Funny18:40 Kids Do The Craziest Things19:05 Kids Do The Craziest Things19:30 How It’s Made19:55 How It’s Made20:20 Tanked21:10 Now That’s Funny22:00 Now That’s Funny22:50 Ecopolis23:40 Bear Grylls: Born Survivor

00:50 Murder By Numbers01:45 I Speak For The Dead02:40 Deadline: Crime With TamronHall03:35 I Speak For The Dead04:30 Murder By Numbers05:25 California Investigator05:50 California Investigator06:20 I Almost Got Away With It07:10 Nightmare Next Door08:00 California Investigator08:25 On The Case With Paula Zahn09:15 California Investigator09:40 California Investigator10:10 Nightmare Next Door11:05 Missing In Maui: ADisappeared Special12:00 Murder Calls12:55 On The Case With Paula Zahn13:50 I Almost Got Away With It14:45 Nightmare Next Door15:40 Disappeared16:35 American Monster17:30 On The Case With Paula Zahn18:25 California Investigator18:50 California Investigator19:20 I Almost Got Away With It20:15 Nightmare Next Door21:10 Disappeared22:05 Murder Chose Me23:00 Baby Vanished: PeopleMagazine Investigates23:55 Evil Online

00:10 Sabrina Secrets Of A TeenageWitch00:35 Binny And The Ghost01:00 Hank Zipzer01:25 Alex & Co.01:45 Disney Mickey Mouse01:50 Evermoor Chronicles02:15 Sabrina Secrets Of A TeenageWitch03:05 Binny And The Ghost03:55 Hank Zipzer04:15 Disney Mickey Mouse04:20 Hank Zipzer04:45 Alex & Co.05:35 Sabrina Secrets Of A TeenageWitch06:25 Binny And The Ghost06:45 Disney Mickey Mouse06:50 Rolling With The Ronks07:00 Miraculous Tales Of Ladybug& Cat Noir07:25 Miraculous Tales Of Ladybug& Cat Noir07:50 Tsum Tsum Shorts07:55 Elena Of Avalor08:20 K.C. Undercover08:45 Bunk’d09:10 Hotel Transylvania: The Series09:35 Tangled: The Series10:00 Descendants 211:50 The Zhuzhus12:05 That’s So Raven12:30 That’s So Raven12:55 Disney Mickey Mouse13:00 Bunk’d13:25 Tangled: The Series13:50 Jessie14:15 Hotel Transylvania: The Series14:40 K.C. Undercover15:05 Miraculous Tales Of Ladybug& Cat Noir15:30 Bizaardvark15:55 Elena Of Avalor16:20 Stuck In The Middle16:45 Star vs The Forces Of Evil17:00 Tangled: The Series17:25 Disney Cookabout17:50 K.C. Undercover18:15 Descendants Wicked World18:20 Bunk’d18:45 Hotel Transylvania: The Series19:10 Disney Mickey Mouse19:15 Liv And Maddie19:40 Miraculous Tales Of Ladybug& Cat Noir20:05 Sports Swap20:10 Miraculous Tales Of Ladybug& Cat Noir20:35 Disney The Lodge21:00 Alex & Co.21:25 Alex & Co.21:50 Lolirock22:15 Lolirock22:40 Evermoor Chronicles23:05 Rolling With The Ronks23:20 Miraculous Tales Of Ladybug& Cat Noir23:45 Lolirock

00:15 PJ Masks00:30 PJ Masks01:00 PJ Masks

01:30 Art Attack01:55 Henry Hugglemonster02:05 Loopdidoo02:20 Henry Hugglemonster02:35 Calimero02:50 Henry Hugglemonster03:05 Art Attack03:30 The Hive03:40 Loopdidoo03:55 Henry Hugglemonster04:10 Art Attack04:35 Loopdidoo04:50 Calimero05:05 Art Attack05:30 Henry Hugglemonster05:45 Henry Hugglemonster06:00 Art Attack06:30 Henry Hugglemonster06:45 Loopdidoo07:00 Henry Hugglemonster07:15 Calimero07:30 PJ Masks08:00 P-King Duckling08:25 Jungle Junction08:40 Special Agent Oso09:00 Handy Manny09:15 PJ Masks09:30 Puppy Dog Pals10:00 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse10:25 Mickey And The RoadsterRacers10:55 Sheriff Callie’s Wild West11:20 Sheriff Callie’s Wild West11:50 The Lion Guard12:15 The Lion Guard12:45 Sofia The First13:10 Sofia The First13:35 PJ Masks14:00 PJ Masks14:30 Doc McStuffins14:55 P-King Duckling15:20 Vampirina15:45 Sofia The First16:10 Puppy Dog Pals16:35 Mickey And The RoadsterRacers17:05 Jake’s Never Land Rescue18:00 PJ Masks18:25 Puppy Dog Pals18:50 Sofia The First19:20 Mickey And The RoadsterRacers19:50 Doc McStuffins20:10 The Lion Guard20:35 P-King Duckling21:00 Vampirina21:30 PJ Masks22:00 PJ Masks22:25 Sofia The First22:50 P-King Duckling23:20 Puppy Dog Pals23:45 Mickey And The RoadsterRacers

00:15 Yukon Men01:05 Finding Escobar’s Millions01:50 Treasure Quest: Snake Island02:35 The Wheel: Survival Games03:20 Street Outlaws04:05 Alaska: The Last Frontier04:50 Deadliest Catch05:35 How Do They Do It?06:00 Auction Kings06:23 Container Wars06:45 How Do They Do It?07:10 How Do They Do It?07:35 Alaska: The Last Frontier08:20 Auction Kings08:45 Container Wars09:10 Deadliest Catch09:55 Finding Escobar’s Millions10:45 Treasure Quest: Snake Island11:30 The Wheel: Survival Games12:20 Auction Kings12:43 Container Wars13:05 How Do They Do It?13:30 How Do They Do It?13:55 Deadliest Catch14:40 Yukon Men15:30 Finding Escobar’s Millions16:15 Treasure Quest: Snake Island17:05 The Wheel: Survival Games17:50 Alaska: The Last Frontier18:40 Deadliest Catch19:25 Yukon Men20:15 Street Outlaws21:00 Madiba21:50 Deadliest Job Interview22:40 Sean Conway: On The Edge23:30 Alaska: The Last Frontier

06:00 Disney1106:25 Supa Strikas06:50 Marvel’s Spider-Man07:15 Right Now Kapow07:40 Disney Mickey Mouse07:45 Walk The Prank08:10 Phineas And Ferb08:35 Mech-X409:00 Marvel’s Spider-Man09:25 Lab Rats09:50 Star Wars: The FreemakerAdventures10:20 Gravity Falls10:45 Kid vs. Kat11:10 Milo Murphy’s Law11:35 Right Now Kapow12:00 Lab Rats12:25 Lab Rats12:55 Pair Of Kings13:20 Pair Of Kings13:45 Phineas And Ferb14:10 Disney Mickey Mouse14:15 Phineas And Ferb14:40 The Suite Life Of Zack &Cody15:05 The Suite Life Of Zack &Cody15:30 Gravity Falls15:55 Gravity Falls16:20 Two More Eggs16:25 Lab Rats16:50 Lab Rats17:15 Kirby Buckets17:40 Kirby Buckets18:05 Supa Strikas18:30 Marvel’s Ant-Man18:35 Disney1119:00 Penn Zero: Part Time Hero19:25 Penn Zero: Part Time Hero19:50 Marvel’s Rocket And Groot19:55 Walk The Prank20:20 Walk The Prank20:45 Supa Strikas21:10 Supa Strikas21:35 Marvel’s Rocket And Groot21:40 Disney Mickey Mouse21:45 Lab Rats22:10 Lab Rats22:35 Phineas And Ferb23:00 Programmes Start At 6:00am

00:10 Hollywood Medium WithTyler Henry01:00 Hollywood Medium WithTyler Henry01:50 Hollywood Medium WithTyler Henry02:50 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills03:40 WAGs04:35 WAGs05:30 Celebrity Style Story06:00 So Cosmo06:55 E! News07:10 So Cosmo

08:10 WAGs LA09:10 WAGs LA10:10 WAGs LA11:05 WAGs Atlanta12:00 E! News12:15 The Platinum Life13:10 The Platinum Life14:05 The Platinum Life15:00 E! News15:15 My Fabulous Me15:45 My Fabulous Me16:15 My Fabulous Me16:40 Celebrity Style Story17:10 Revenge Body With KhloeKardashian18:05 Revenge Body With KhloeKardashian19:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians20:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians21:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians22:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians23:00 E! News23:15 WAGs LA

00:00 Restaurant: Impossible01:00 Mystery Diners01:30 Mystery Diners02:00 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 Contessa: Back ToBasics06:25 Barefoot Contessa: Back ToBasics06:50 Bake With Anna Olson07:15 The Kitchen08:05 The Pioneer Woman08:55 Siba’s Table09:25 Siba’s Table09:55 Cooking For Real10:25 Cooking For Real10:55 The Kitchen11:45 Cooking For Real12:10 The Pioneer Woman12:35 The Pioneer Woman13:00 Siba’s Table13:30 Siba’s Table14:00 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 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives20:30 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives21:00 Man Fire Food21:30 Man Fire Food22:00 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives22:30 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives23:00 Chopped

00:10 Chopping Block01:00 Emmerdale01:30 Coronation Street02:00 Coronation Street02:30 Cash Trapped03:25 The Voice UK 201804:40 Royal Stories05:15 Surprise Surprise06:10 Chopping Block07:05 Cash Trapped08:00 The Voice UK 201809:30 Royal Stories10:00 Surprise Surprise10:55 Chopping Block11:50 Cash Trapped12:45 Emmerdale13:15 Coronation Street13:45 Coronation Street14:15 Chopping Block15:10 Cash Trapped16:00 Vera17:50 Surprise Surprise18:45 Emmerdale19:15 Coronation Street19:45 Coronation Street20:10 Cash Trapped21:00 Vera22:50 Emmerdale23:15 Coronation Street23:40 Coronation Street

00:00 Ancient Discoveries01:00 Ancient Top 1002:00 Command Decisions02:30 Command Decisions03:00 In Search Of Aliens03:50 Ancient Aliens04:40 10 Things You Don’t KnowAbout...05:30 Ancient Discoveries06:20 Ancient Top 1007:10 The Universe08:00 Command Decisions08:30 Command Decisions09:00 In Search Of Aliens10:00 Ancient Aliens11:00 10 Things You Don’t KnowAbout...12:00 Ancient Discoveries13:00 Ancient Top 1014:00 Command Decisions14:30 Command Decisions15:00 In Search Of Aliens16:00 Ancient Aliens17:00 10 Things You Don’t KnowAbout...18:00 The Universe19:00 Ancient Top 1020:00 Command Decisions20:30 Command Decisions21:00 In Search Of Aliens22:00 Ancient Aliens23:00 How 2 WinHistory HD00:20 Swamp People01:10 Swamp People02:00 Secret War On Drugs03:40 The Warfighters04:30 Swamp People

05:15 Swamp People06:00 Mountain Men06:50 Forged In Fire07:40 How The World MadeAmerica09:20 American Pickers10:10 Ax Men11:00 Forged In Fire11:50 How The World MadeAmerica13:30 Swamp People14:20 Swamp People15:10 Mountain Men16:00 Forged In Fire16:50 How The World MadeAmerica18:30 Mountain Men19:20 Forged In Fire20:10 American Restoration

21:00 Ice Road Truckers21:50 Road Hauks22:40 Forged In Fire23:30 Mountain MenNat Geo People HD00:45 John Torode’s Asia01:10 Food Lover’s Guide To ThePlanet01:40 Charlie Luxton’s Homes ByThe Sea02:35 Cruise Ship Diaries

03:00 Cruise Ship Diaries03:30 Cradle Of Mandopop04:25 Andy And Ben Eat The World04:50 Andy And Ben Eat The World05:20 Fish Of The Day05:45 Fish Of The Day06:15 Carnival Eats06:40 Carnival Eats07:10 Charlie Luxton’s Homes ByThe Sea08:05 Cruise Ship Diaries08:30 Cruise Ship Diaries09:00 Cradle Of Mandopop09:55 Andy And Ben Eat The World10:20 Andy And Ben Eat The World10:50 Fish Of The Day11:15 Fish Of The Day11:45 Carnival Eats12:10 Carnival Eats12:40 Charlie Luxton’s Homes ByThe Sea13:35 Cruise Ship Diaries14:00 Cruise Ship Diaries14:30 Cesar Millan’s Dog Nation15:25 Building Wild16:20 Fish Of The Day16:45 Fish Of The Day17:15 Carnival Eats17:40 Carnival Eats18:10 Charlie Luxton’s Homes ByThe Sea19:05 Cruise Ship Diaries19:30 Cruise Ship Diaries20:00 Cesar Millan’s Dog Nation21:00 Building Wild22:00 Fish Of The Day22:25 Fish Of The Day22:55 Carnival Eats23:20 Carnival Eats23:50 Charlie Luxton’s Homes ByThe SeaNat Geo HD00:10 The Story Of Us With MorganFreeman01:00 Lawless Island Alaska02:00 Nazi Megastructures03:00 Supercar Megabuild04:00 The Story Of Us With MorganFreeman05:00 Shark Men

06:00 Fish Tank Kings07:00 Brave New World08:00 Science Of StupidCompilations08:30 Science Of StupidCompilations09:00 Shark Men10:00 Yukon Gold11:00 Wicked Tuna: North vs South12:00 Air Crash Investigation13:00 Brave New World14:00 Science Of StupidCompilations14:30 Science Of StupidCompilations15:00 Fish Tank Kings16:00 Yukon Gold17:00 Wicked Tuna: North vs South18:00 Air Crash Investigation19:00 Seconds From Disaster20:00 Yukon Gold20:50 Wicked Tuna: North vs South21:40 Air Crash Investigation22:30 Seconds From Disaster23:20 Science Of StupidCompilations23:45 Science Of StupidCompilationsNat Geo Wild HD00:20 Secrets Of The King Cobra01:10 World’s Deadliest02:00 Monster Croc Hunt

02:50 Monster Fish03:45 Wild Case Files04:40 Animal Fight Club05:35 Monster Croc Hunt06:30 Monster Fish07:25 Wild Case Files08:20 Animal Fight Club09:15 World’s Deadliest Animals10:10 Zoo Confidential11:05 Secret Life Of Predators -201612:00 Wild Dolphins12:55 Queen Of The Chase13:50 Monster Fish14:45 Wild Case Files15:40 Animal Fight Club16:35 World’s Deadliest Animals17:30 Zoo Confidential18:25 Nordic Wild19:20 Wild Case Files20:10 Animal Fight Club21:00 World’s Deadliest Animals21:50 Zoo Confidential22:40 Nordic Wild23:30 Wild Dolphins

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 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles07:24 Rabbids Invasion07:48 Get Blake08:12 Harvey Beaks08:36 Sanjay And Craig09:00 SpongeBob SquarePants09:24 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles09:48 Henry Danger10:12 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 Massive Monster Mayhem13:48 Hunter Street14:12 I Am Frankie14:36 The Thundermans

15:00 Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn15:24 School Of Rock15:48 SpongeBob SquarePants16:12 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles16:36 The Loud House17:00 Massive Monster Mayhem17:24 I Am Frankie17:48 Hunter Street18:12 Henry Danger18:36 Nicky, Ricky, Dicky And Dawn19:00 School Of Rock19:24 Game Shakers19:48 The Thundermans20:12 Ride20:36 SpongeBob SquarePants21:00 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles21:24 Sanjay And Craig21:48 Rabbids Invasion22:12 Breadwinners22:36 Harvey Beaks23:00 SpongeBob SquarePants23:24 SpongeBob SquarePants23:48 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

00:16 Shimmer And Shine00:39 Shimmer And Shine01:01 Max & Ruby01:24 Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom01:35 Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom01:45 The Day Henry Met01:50 The Day Henry Met01:56 Blaze And The MonsterMachines02:19 Blaze And The MonsterMachines02:41 Zack & Quack02:52 Kid-E-Cats02:57 Kid-E-Cats03:03 Shimmer And Shine03:25 Nella The Princess Knight03:36 Paw Patrol03:59 Little Charmers04:11 Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom04:23 Dora The Explorer04:45 Max & Ruby05:07 The Day Henry Met05:12 Nella And The PrincessKnight05:23 Nella And The PrincessKnight05:35 Shimmer And Shine05:58 Wallykazam!06:21 Zack & Quack06:31 The Day Henry Met06:38 Blaze And The MonsterMachines07:00 Rusty Rivets07:13 Paw Patrol07:37 Dora The Explorer08:00 Nella The Princess Knight08:12 Kid-E-Cats08:17 Kid-E-Cats08:21 Bubble Guppies08:45 Blaze And The MonsterMachines09:06 Paw Patrol09:29 Shimmer And Shine09:51 Nella And The PrincessKnight10:02 Nella And The PrincessKnight10:14 The Day Henry Met10:20 Paw Patrol10:44 Rusty Rivets10:55 Rusty Rivets11:06 Wallykazam!11:29 Bubble Guppies11:52 Team Umizoomi12:16 Shimmer And Shine12:38 Shimmer And Shine13:01 Max & Ruby13:24 Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom13:35 Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom13:45 The Day Henry Met13:50 The Day Henry Met13:55 Blaze And The MonsterMachines14:18 Blaze And The MonsterMachines14:41 Zack & Quack14:52 Kid-E-Cats14:56 Kid-E-Cats15:03 Shimmer And Shine15:25 Nella The Princess Knight15:37 Paw Patrol15:59 Little Charmers16:11 Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom16:23 Dora The Explorer16:45 Max & Ruby17:07 The Day Henry Met17:13 Nella And The PrincessKnight17:23 Nella And The PrincessKnight17:34 Shimmer And Shine17:58 Wallykazam!18:22 Zack & Quack18:32 The Day Henry Met18:38 Blaze And The MonsterMachines19:00 Rusty Rivets19:12 Paw Patrol19:37 Dora The Explorer20:00 Nella The Princess Knight20:11 Kid-E-Cats20:16 Kid-E-Cats20:21 Bubble Guppies20:45 Blaze And The MonsterMachines21:06 Paw Patrol21:29 Shimmer And Shine21:51 Nella And The PrincessKnight22:02 Nella And The PrincessKnight22:14 The Day Henry Met22:20 Paw Patrol22:44 Rusty Rivets22:55 Rusty Rivets23:06 Wallykazam!23:29 Bubble Guppies23:53 Team Umizoomi

01:10 The Adventures Of PepperAnd Paula02:45 Christmas Trade04:30 The Dog Lover06:15 The Adventures Of PepperAnd Paula07:50 Christmas Trade09:35 Minions11:10 A Tiger’s Tail12:35 Santa Claws14:05 Beethoven’s Second15:35 The Borrowers17:05 Coat Of Many Colors18:35 Operation: NeighborhoodWatch20:10 Santa Claws21:40 Beethoven’s Second23:10 The Borrowers

01:20 Hit By Lightning03:00 Preggoland04:55 Fan Girl06:35 Article 9908:25 Holiday Joy10:05 A Date With Miss Fortune11:50 Big13:40 Article 9915:30 Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot17:05 Are We Done Yet?18:45 Impromptu20:40 Pitch Perfect 222:40 Get A Job

00:15 Girl On The Edge02:15 To Kill A Mockingbird04:35 Far From Men06:30 All The Wilderness08:00 To Kill A Mockingbird10:15 Far From Men12:05 All The Wilderness13:35 Operation Avalanche15:20 Forsaken17:00 James White18:35 Pele: Birth Of A Legend20:35 A Mighty Heart22:35 The Survivalist

00:25 Space Dogs 2: Adventure ToThe Moon01:55 Twigson Ties The Knot03:25 Back To The Sea05:05 Phantom Boy06:40 Dinofroz The Origin08:10 Rock Dog09:50 The Happy Cricket11:20 Bark Ranger12:50 Papelucho & The Martian14:15 Twigson Ties The Knot15:45 Back To The Sea17:25 The Fairy Tales Tree18:50 Bark Ranger20:20 Felix All Around The World21:50 Teo: The Intergalactic Hunter23:15 The Fairy Tales Tree

00:20 Havana02:45 Leatherheads04:40 Oleanna06:15 Rocky II08:15 Baby’s Day Out09:55 Loch Ness11:45 Die Hard14:00 Brooklyn15:55 Rocky III17:40 Seven Years In Tibet20:00 Reality Bites21:40 Brooklyn23:30 Troy

00:40 Mythbusters01:30 How Do They Do It?01:55 Food Factory USA02:20 Invent It Rich03:10 How The Earth Works04:00 Da Vinci’s Machines04:48 Mythbusters05:36 How Do They Do It?06:00 Food Factory USA06:24 Invent It Rich07:12 How The Earth Works08:00 How Do They Do It?08:26 Da Vinci’s Machines09:14 Mythbusters10:02 How The Earth Works10:50 How Do They Do It?11:14 Food Factory USA11:38 Invent It Rich12:26 Da Vinci’s Machines13:14 Mythbusters14:02 How Do They Do It?14:26 Food Factory USA14:50 How The Earth Works15:38 Da Vinci’s Machines16:26 Invent It Rich17:14 Mythbusters18:02 How The Earth Works18:50 Da Vinci’s Machines19:40 Mythbusters20:30 How It’s Made20:55 How It’s Made21:20 How Do They Do It?21:45 Food Factory USA22:10 How The Earth Works23:00 How It’s Made23:25 How It’s Made23:50 Da Vinci’s Machines

01:15 Love And Other ImpossiblePursuits03:00 Committed04:30 Henry’s Crime06:15 Into The Woods08:15 The Illusionist10:05 Ginger & Rosa11:30 Gracie13:15 Snow Angels15:00 Love And Other ImpossiblePursuits16:45 Boys And Girls18:15 02:2220:00 The Mothman Prophecies22:00 Jindabyne

00:00 Devious Maids01:00 Devious Maids02:00 Mistresses03:00 Fashion Star04:00 MAFS: The First Year05:00 Project Runway06:00 Devious Maids07:00 Devious Maids08:00 Mistresses09:00 Fashion Star10:00 MAFS: The First Year11:00 Project Runway12:00 Devious Maids13:00 Devious Maids14:00 Mistresses15:00 Fashion Star16:00 MAFS: The First Year17:00 Project Runway18:00 Grey’s Anatomy19:00 Grey’s Anatomy20:00 Mistresses21:00 Fashion Star22:00 MAFS: The First Year23:00 Project Runway

00:20 Hodges Half Dozen01:05 Married By Mum And Dad01:50 Return To Amish02:35 The Spouse House03:20 Outdaughtered: Busby Quints04:05 Toddlers & Tiaras04:50 Randy To The Rescue05:35 Say Yes To The Dress06:00 Extreme Cheapskates06:22 Extreme Cheapskates06:45 Say Yes To The Dress UK07:07 Say Yes To The Dress UK07:30 This Is Life With CarissaCupido08:15 Outdaughtered: Busby Quints09:00 Cake Boss09:25 Toddlers & Tiaras10:10 Extreme Cheapskates10:32 Extreme Cheapskates10:55 Meet The Putmans11:40 Say Yes To The Dress UK12:02 Say Yes To The Dress UK12:25 Outdaughtered: Busby Quints13:10 Hodges Half Dozen13:55 Toddlers & Tiaras14:40 Outdaughtered: Busby Quints

Aries, for now your principles could clash with people around you, aninexperienced person does not reach the level of expertise you require. Clarity of mindmay be difficult; there may be confusion about what is right or wrong and you could bemisled. It will seem hard to get your nerves to settle down. Disagreements are likely witha boss or an elderly person; count to ten before you answer! Your environment could feeldissatisfying and claustrophobic during this cycle. Widen your search for new hobbiesand workout systems that could promote and support your physical and spiritual heal-ing. Tonight you could hear from someone you least expect; remember old friends andwhat they added or took away from your life, aries.

Aries (March 21-April 19)

STAR TRACK

Taurus, you desire the nicer things in life and could find yourself focusedon attaining them. Time spent alone could be quite helpful now; concentrating on yourenergies could uncover solutions than you think. You may need to step back for a betterview; observing is a much better tactic for understanding. You will come closer to seeingthe concerns of those around you. Work to find patience when dealing with a youthfulchallenger; this is someone who looks up to you. Someone is watching you closely; it willtake much determination and effort to stay on their good side. Going along with thewishes of others will make things easier for everyone involved; you are capable of thisnow. This evening brings good times with good people, taurus.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

Gemini, there is strong potential for conflict when certain people disputeyour strategies and methods. You may need to re-assess your personal or

professional positions; circumstances may force a new direction. You will be clear onwhat you are saying but others could have problems following along. You should focuson giving yourself council but not others. You could feel separated from the crowd andfind yourself seeking seclusion and inward development. Your intimate relationships playan important role in your life with assurance of your being loved and completely indis-pensible. Time spent with loved ones this evening will fit the bill; a beloved pet couldremind you of just how important and dear pure, true love is, gemini.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

Cancer, this is perfect timing for taking a good, long look in the mirrorwhen deciding how to handle a situation with someone you care for. Come

to an honest conclusion about yourself, where you ve been and where you re going. Thisis the time to go after what you want. You think about fixing something in your immedi-ate surroundings; this could mean something around the house, office or even a relation-ship. You may stumble over your words, take your time and think about what you wantto say. Words could fly out of your mouth that would cause harm. Spend extra time lis-tening to your inner voice in meditation. You are better prepared for challenges whenyou are centered within yourself, cancer.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Leo (July 23-August 22)

Virgo, your stars are aligned today to create an energy of quick wit andsharp tongue; your mood will tend toward irritated and passionate. An unexpected issuewill demand your immediate attention. Reign in your spending and that of either your busi-ness partner or mate. Take time when finishing intricate details that are the most important,and last, of the project. Issues that blocked or slowed your efforts will seem to vaporize;this could be regarding something you are working with in a newly emerging field of busi-ness. You will catch the ball and run with it today when no one else will and you will bevery glad you did. Rewards are sweet when they come from hard work and commitment.Pause for calm reflection and relaxation this evening, virgo.

Virgo (August 23-September 22)

Libra, the stars seem to have aligned to form perfect conditions for you toprogress with ease. You could look back on this time as one of your favorites because ofthe positive energy touching all you do. Making things happen and seeing them through isyour trademark; this will continue to help you climb the career ladder. You will be glad youbought something new to wear to a meeting when you are complimented on your polishedimage and professionalism. Never let you daydreams interfere with real world obligations.You may need some time away from the old routine. If you feel someone or some event haslet you down remember we are all only human and life brings all kinds of situations; youchoose who to allow into your inner circle, libra.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

Scorpio, instead of work, you think of traveling to new places in search ofnew experiences. You ve always had wanderlust and exploring in your blood and the olderyou get this seems to increase; such is the new cycle you have entered with the new year.You may hear from spiritual or volunteer connections you ve made through the years andshare a nice meal. This will recharge your attitude. The stars are aligned for smooth sailingthrough any obstacles or pauses you may encounter. An invitation this evening might bebetter declined as accepting it could lead to trouble. You seek to be in the driver s seatwhen it comes to a certain relationship; be careful with this. Someone could be annoyed

with your lifestyle; to thine own self be true, scorpio.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21)

Sagittarius, this cycle brings with it opening for new job offers; one of theseoffers a position that looks as though a dream has come true. You could find

yourself involved with earning a living helping people. Make a point of taking care ofspecifics regarding a certain unfinished project that is near deadline. Certain blockagesand pauses will end when you reach a point where you can see the cause. You could wantto do something you shouldn t such as make a purchase you know isn t prudent now. Youknow how to reach across and pull answers from the abyss when no one else will evenapproach it. You should be focused on dealing with someone who could be in trouble. Aloved one picks the entertainment tonight much to your surprise, sagittarius.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

Pisces, the stars configure to create a feeling of helping others; you alsowant to be recognized for your efforts. You could sometimes feel needy and

unappreciated. A compelling opportunity might appear seemingly out of thin air. You havea strong sense of providing a secure financial foundation for your future with the help of aninheritance or windfall. A medium size audience will welcome your words this afternoon orearly evening. Your winning, welcoming personality will gain new admirers. Suspicion maybe thrown on someone you love for being dishonorable. These instances can be expectedif there has been a lack of communication. Take some time and healing could happen;remember we all have faults. Listen to your head this evening, pisces.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Aquarius, there could be contention between you and another regarding avery touchy area for you both. Bickering and ill feelings are likely. You will go inward toreevaluate yourself and your opinions; don t stay there too long. Clear your mental state byrelaxing with a good book or film that will transport you to an enjoyable place. Seeds formnew projects are planted now by the places you go and the people you see; pay attentionto everyone you encounter today and this evening. You express yourself with ease andmost effectively at this time; people have no problem getting your point. This evening isperfect for family and close friends for dinner; you are respected and loved for your uniquequalities, aquarius.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18)

CROSSWORD 1810

ACROSS1. Someone who engages in arbitrage(who purchases securities in one marketfor immediate resale in another in thehope of profiting from the price differen-tial).4. Free from error.11. At a previous time.15. A person active in party politics.16. Beautiful daughter of Minos andPasiphae.17. An independent group of closelyrelated Chadic languages spoken in thearea between the Biu-Mandara and EastChadic languages.18. (Old Testament) The second patri-arch.20. A Chinese god worshipped in theform of an idol.21. Cause a floating log to rotate bytreading.22. Any of various plants of the genusSabbatia having usually pink cymoseflowers.25. A Formosan language.27. Attractiveness to the opposite sex.29. (old-fashioned) At or from or to agreat distance.36. Cubes of meat marinated and cookedon a skewer usually with vegetables.38. A island in the Netherlands Antillesthat is the top of an extinct volcano.39. A doctor's degree in music.41. (Old Testament) In Judeo-Christianmythology.43. A container.44. A lyric poem with complex stanzaforms.45. According to the Old Testament hewas a pagan king of Israel and husbandof Jezebel (9th century BC).47. Metal or plastic sheath over the endof a shoelace or ribbon.49. Small translucent lancet-shaped bur-rowing marine animal.52. Of or being the lowest female voice.53. A woman hired to suckle a child ofsomeone else.54. Make amends for.55. A member of the Mongolian peopleof central Asia who invaded Russia in the13th century.59. An esoteric or occult matter that istraditionally secret.66. A city in southern Turkey on theSeyhan River.69. God of love and erotic desire.70. Extremely pleasing.71. Inject into the vein.74. The network in the reticular forma-tion that serves an alerting or arousalfunction.75. A federal agency established to regu-late the release of new foods and health-related products.76. Paper that has been made translucentand waterproof by soaking in oil.77. A syndrome that occurs in manywomen from 2 to 14 days before theonset of menstruation.

DOWN1. Type genus of the Apidae.2. Large genus of erect or climbingprickly shrubs including roses.3. Divulge information or secrets.4. Tropical American tree producingcacao beans.5. A state in northwestern United Stateson the Pacific.6. A state in New England.

7. A Hindu prince or king in India.8. The capital and largest city of Japan.9. The portion of the vertebrate nervoussystem consisting of the brain and spinalcord.10. Testacean rhizopods.11. An abnormal particle (e.g. an air bub-ble or part of a clot) circulating in theblood.12. Radioactive iodine test that measuresthe amount of radioactive iodine takenup by the thyroid gland.13. An antidepressant drug that acts byblocking the reuptake of serotonin sothat more serotonin is available to act onreceptors in the brain.14. A fine grained mineral having a softsoapy feel and consisting of hydratedmagnesium silicate.19. Away from the mouth or oral region.23. The widely studied plant virus thatcauses tobacco mosaic.24. The sciences concerned with gather-ing and manipulating and storing andretrieving and classifying recorded infor-mation.26. An enclosed space.28. With no effort to conceal.30. Of or relating to or characteristic offeudalism.31. Not in a specified place physically ormentally.32. Someone who works (or providesworkers) during a strike.33. 1 species.34. The state of existing and being local-ized in space.35. A member of the eastern branch ofthe Sioux.37. An internal representation of theworld.40. When dried yields a hard substanceused e.g. in golf balls.42. A diagrammatic representation of theearth's surface (or part of it).46. Essential oil or perfume obtainedfrom flowers.48. A city of northern Poland near themouth of the Vistula River on a gulf ofthe Baltic Sea.50. Ratio of the adjacent to the oppositeside.51. A republic in southeastern Europe.56. The mission in San Antonio where in1836 Mexican forces under Santa Annabesieged and massacred American rebelswho were fighting to make Texas inde-pendent of Mexico.57. Tropical American tree bearing asmall edible fruit with green leathery skinand sweet juicy translucent pulp.58. A public promotion of some productor service.60. (Babylonian) God of storms andwind.61. A small cake leavened with yeast.62. A Polynesian rain dance performedby a woman.63. An association of people to promotethe welfare of senior citizens.64. (Islam) The man who leads prayers ina mosque.65. A girl or young woman who is unmar-ried.68. Former measure of the US economy.72. The branch of computer science thatdeal with writing computer programsthat can solve problems creatively.73. A trivalent metallic element of therare earth group.

Yesterday’s Solution

Yesterday’s SolutionDaily SuDoku

Wordsearch Puzzle

Leo, this cycle focuses upon the personal energy that creates love, homeand security. Someone will fill your whole heart. Enjoy being loved and

cared for, don t break it down and overanalyze. You could take on a difficult project thatyou will be able to convince others to help with. A perfect opportunity for a job willbecome known this month; this position would utilize your best talents. Your thoughts willwander to the heavens and what comes next; remember you can pull to you anything youneed or desire. Someone could join forces with another to challenge or upset you oversomething petty; remember some souls are not as evolved as you. Go out on a limb anddo something different today that takes you to a new and interesting place, leo.

Capricorn, you could have especially warm feelings for someone close toyou. A new acquaintance gets you and your quirky way of thinking. Your tal-

ent for group leadership bring compliments from the boss or work associates today. Yourstylistic and fashion energies are running high today and you enjoy the confidence thiscreates. Be thankful for your looks and where you ve placed yourself in life. You havemade your plan and worked it; way to go! There could be a confrontational person tocross your path today; you may find yourself philosophizing and overthinking. You cansometimes come across as very intimidating which spurs some people to be confronta-tional. No worries tonight, capricorn, you know who you are.

Yesterday’s Solution

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

26S t a r s

Established 1961

Tuesday, January 16, 2018I n f o r m a t i o n

Established 1961 27

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

DIAL161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Arrival Flights on Tuesday 16/1/2018Airlines Flt Route TimeJAI 572 Mumbai 00:05JZR 267 Beirut 00:30JZR 539 Cairo 00:50PGT 858 Istanbul 00:55THY 772 Istanbul 00:55WAN 416 Beirut 01:05KAC 102 London 01:20DLH 625 Bahrain 01:45UAE 853 Dubai 01:45THY 764 Istanbul 01:50AXB 395 Kozhikode 02:00ETH 620 Addis Ababa 02:15QTR 1086 Doha 02:20GFA 211 Bahrain 02:30KLM 446 Bahrain 02:30WAN 548 KTM 02:40OMA 643 Muscat 02:55KKK 1268 Istanbul 02:55RJA 644 Amman 03:05MSR 606 Luxor 03:05KAC 414 Bangkok 03:05ETD 305 Abu Dhabi 03:10MSR 612 Cairo 03:15QTR 1076 Doha 03:50LMU 5510 Cairo 04:00QTR 1090 Doha 04:05KAC 382 Delhi 04:15KAC 1544 Cairo 04:25KAC 418 Manila 04:25RSB 7861 Sharjah 04:30KAC 784 Jeddah 04:35KAC 284 Dhaka 04:50FDB 069 Dubai 04:55THY 6376 Istanbul 05:10JZR 609 Hyderabad 05:10DHX 170 Bahrain 05:20THY 770 Istanbul 05:25JZR 143 Doha 05:25KAC 346 Ahmedabad 05:30KAC 358 Kochi 05:40KAC 332 Trivandrum 05:40KAC 302 Mumbai 06:10KAC 678 Dubai 06:30WAN 338 Alexandria 06:40JZR 529 Asyut 06:50BAW 157 London 07:15FDB 053 Dubai 07:35KAC 354 Bengaluru 07:35KAC 384 Delhi 08:00UAE 855 Dubai 08:35ETD 301 Abu Dhabi 09:05ABY 125 Sharjah 09:05QTR 1070 Doha 09:10FDB 055 Dubai 09:40JZR 787 Riyadh 09:50SVA 512 Riyadh 10:00WAN 342 Sohag 10:15RSB 7863 IQA 10:30IRA 675 Lar 10:40GFA 213 Bahrain 10:40MSC 403 Asyut 11:15QTR 1074 Doha 11:20JZR 165 Dubai 11:30WAN 134 Doha 11:55MEA 404 Beirut 11:55SAW 701 Damascus 12:30JZR 561 Sohag 12:45UAE 871 Dubai 12:50MSR 610 Cairo 13:00AXB 393 Kozhikode 13:15KAC 774 Riyadh 13:40QTR 8511 Doha 13:55PAL 668 Manila 14:00KAC 618 Doha 14:15QTR 1078 Doha 14:20

FDB 059 Dubai 14:20KAC 206 Islamabad 14:20KAC 516 Tehran 14:20KAC 672 Dubai 14:25KAC 692 Muscat 14:35KAC 286 Dhaka 14:35GFA 221 Bahrain 14:40KAC 364 Colombo 14:40SVA 500 Jeddah 14:45KAC 304 Mumbai 14:50KNE 529 Jeddah 14:55KAC 788 Jeddah 15:10ETD 303 Abu Dhabi 15:15KAC 502 Beirut 15:30KAC 562 Amman 15:30OMA 645 Muscat 15:35UAE 857 Dubai 15:45QTR 1072 Doha 15:55ABY 127 Sharjah 16:00JZR 535 Cairo 16:00KAC 118 New York 16:00JZR 779 Jeddah 16:25FDB 051 Dubai 16:40RJA 640 Amman 16:55SYR 341 Damascus 17:00KAC 542 Cairo 17:05SVA 510 Riyadh 17:15GFA 215 Bahrain 17:30JZR 125 Bahrain 17:35JZR 777 Jeddah 17:40JZR 325 Al Najaf 17:50WAN 984 Tbilisi 17:50UAE 875 Dubai 18:00FDB 063 Dubai 18:10JZR 177 Dubai 18:15MSR 620 Cairo 18:30QTR 1080 Doha 18:50KAC 744 Dammam 19:10KAC 776 Riyadh 19:20KAC 662 Abu Dhabi 19:25ABY 123 Sharjah 19:25RBG 555 Alexandria 19:25GFA 217 Bahrain 19:30KAC 156 Istanbul 19:30WAN 356 Luxor 19:35NIA 161 Cairo 19:40KAC 674 Dubai 19:45FDB 057 Dubai 19:50KAC 616 Bahrain 19:55KAC 166 Rome 20:10KAC 620 Doha 20:15OMA 647 Muscat 20:20QTR 1088 Doha 20:45DLH 624 Frankfurt 20:45ICV 675 Luxembourg 21:10KAC 168 Paris 21:20ETD 307 Abu Dhabi 21:20ALK 229 Colombo 21:20MEA 402 Beirut 21:20KAC 786 Jeddah 21:25KAC 172 Frankfurt 21:30UAE 859 Dubai 21:35GFA 219 Bahrain 21:45KLM 445 Amsterdam 21:50WAN 116 Bahrain 21:50KAC 564 Amman 22:00QTR 1082 Doha 22:05ETD 309 Abu Dhabi 22:15AIC 987 Chennai/Hyderabad 22:25PIA 239 Sialkot 22:35JZR 241 Amman 22:40JZR 185 Dubai 23:10JAI 574 Mumbai 23:15MSC 405 Sohag 23:30BBC 043 Dhaka 23:30FDB 071 Dubai 23:45

Departure Flights on Tuesday 16/1/2018Airlines Flt Route TimeAIC 976 Goa/Chennai 00:05JZR 528 Asyut 00:15JAI 573 Mumbai 00:30MSC 406 Sohag 00:30FDB 072 Dubai 00:35MSC 412 Asyut 01:00JAI 571 Mumbai 01:05JZR 142 Doha 01:45KAC 677 Dubai 01:50KAC 285 Dhaka 01:55KAC 363 Colombo 02:00KAC 417 Manila 02:00THY 773 Istanbul 02:30PGT 859 Istanbul 02:30DLH 625 Frankfurt 02:45AXB 396 Kozhikode 02:55ETH 621 Addis Ababa 03:05UAE 854 Dubai 03:40QTR 1087 Doha 03:40KLM 446 Amsterdam 03:55KKK 1269 Istanbul 03:55OMA 644 Muscat 03:55THY 765 Istanbul 04:00MSR 607 Luxor 04:05ETD 306 Abu Dhabi 04:05MSR 613 Cairo 04:15LMU 5511 Cairo 05:00QTR 1091 Doha 05:05KAC 205 Islamabad 05:20RSB 7862 IQA 05:30QTR 1077 Doha 05:30FDB 070 Dubai 05:45KAC 303 Mumbai 06:05JZR 786 Riyadh 06:25JZR 560 Sohag 06:25THY 771 Istanbul 06:50JZR 164 Dubai 06:55RJA 645 Amman 07:05GFA 212 Bahrain 07:15KAC 167 Paris 07:35KAC 501 Beirut 08:00KAC 171 Frankfurt 08:00THY 6376 Dubai/Istanbul 08:10KAC 165 Rome 08:15FDB 054 Dubai 08:35KAC 787 Jeddah 08:40BAW 156 London 08:55KAC 117 New York 09:00JZR 534 Cairo 09:10KAC 691 Muscat 09:10KAC 561 Amman 09:40KAC 671 Dubai 09:45KAC 101 London 09:45ABY 126 Sharjah 09:45KAC 515 Tehran 10:00KAC 541 Cairo 10:00UAE 856 Dubai 10:00KAC 773 Riyadh 10:10ETD 302 Abu Dhabi 10:10KAC 617 Doha 10:15QTR 1071 Doha 10:20KAC 155 Istanbul 10:25FDB 056 Dubai 10:35JZR 778 Jeddah 10:40ZAV 4101 IQA 11:00SVA 513 Riyadh 11:00GFA 214 Bahrain 11:25RSB 7864 IQA 11:30IRA 674 Lar 11:40JZR 776 Jeddah 12:00MSC 404 Asyut 12:15QTR 1075 Doha 12:30MEA 405 Beirut 12:55SAW 702 Damascus 13:30JZR 176 Dubai 13:40

MSR 611 Cairo 14:00UAE 872 Dubai 14:15AXB 394 Kozhikode 14:15JZR 324 Al Najaf 14:25JZR 124 Bahrain 14:30KAC 661 Abu Dhabi 15:00KAC 673 Dubai 15:05FDB 060 Dubai 15:10KAC 785 Jeddah 15:25QTR 8512 Doha 15:25GFA 222 Bahrain 15:25QTR 1079 Doha 15:30SVA 501 Jeddah 15:45KNE 530 Jeddah 15:45KAC 283 Dhaka 15:50KAC 775 Riyadh 15:50KAC 743 Dammam 16:05KAC 563 Amman 16:10KAC 619 Doha 16:10PAL 669 Manila 16:10ETD 304 Abu Dhabi 16:20OMA 646 Muscat 16:35KAC 615 Bahrain 16:40ABY 128 Sharjah 16:40JZR 266 Beirut 17:15JZR 240 Amman 17:15QTR 1073 Doha 17:15FDB 052 Dubai 17:40KAC 361 Colombo 17:45KAC 357 Kochi 17:45UAE 858 Dubai 17:45RJA 641 Amman 17:55KAC 331 Trivandrum 18:00KAC 343 Chennai 18:00SYR 342 Damascus 18:00JZR 538 Cairo 18:15SVA 511 Riyadh 18:15GFA 216 Bahrain 18:20JZR 184 Dubai 18:30JZR 608 Hyderabad 18:40KAC 381 Delhi 18:50FDB 064 Dubai 19:10JZR 554 Alexandria 19:20UAE 876 Dubai 19:30MSR 621 Cairo 19:30QTR 1081 Doha 20:00RBG 556 Alexandria 20:05ABY 124 Sharjah 20:05GFA 218 Bahrain 20:15FDB 058 Dubai 20:35NIA 162 Cairo 20:40KAC 345 Ahmedabad 20:40KAC 301 Mumbai 20:50KAC 1543 Cairo 21:20OMA 648 Muscat 21:20DLH 624 Bahrain 21:30DHX 171 Bahrain 21:50QTR 1089 Doha 22:00KAC 411 Bangkok 22:05ETD 308 Abu Dhabi 22:10MEA 403 Beirut 22:20ALK 230 Colombo 22:25GFA 220 Bahrain 22:30KAC 783 Jeddah 22:35KAC 383 Delhi 22:40KLM 445 Bahrain 22:50UAE 860 Dubai 23:00KAC 795 Madinah 23:05ETD 310 Abu Dhabi 23:05ICV 675 Hong Kong 23:10QTR 1083 Doha 23:20PIA 240 Sialkot 23:35WAN 337 Alexandria 23:45

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22087426

Kuwait Airways 171

Jazeera Airways 177

Jet Airways 22924455

FlyDubai 22414400

Qatar Airways 22423888

KLM 22425747

Royal Jordanian 22418064/5/6

British Airways 22425635

Air France 22430224

Emirates 22921555

Air India 22438184

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Middle East Airlines 22423073

Lufthansa 22422493

PIA 22421044

Bangladesh Airlines 22452977/8

Indian Airlines 22456700

Oman Air 22958787

Turkish Airlines 22453820/1

Aeroflot 22404838/9

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AirlineSabah Hospital 24812000

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Ayoun Al-Qibla 22451082

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112

Tuesday, January 16, 2018L i f e s t y l e Fe a t u r e s

Established 1961 28

As the official timekeeper of the Olympic Gamesand the Youth Olympic Games, OMEGA yesterdaycelebrated the two-year countdown to the Winter

Youth Olympic Games Lausanne 2020, together with theevent’s organizing committee. When the opening cere-mony takes place on the 10th of January 2020, Lausanne2020 will mark the third edition of the Winter YouthOlympic Games. Around 1,880 young athletes from over70 nations will compete in 81 events around the Swisscity of Lausanne, on the shores of Lake Geneva, StMoritz, and in the nearby Vaud Alps and French Juramountains. Lausanne 2020 will be particularly notable forhaving the same number of male and female athletescompeting, as well as being the first time that ski moun-taineering appears on the Olympic Games program.

To start the clock for the two year countdown,Raynald Aeschlimann, President and CEO of OMEGA,was joined by Danka Bartekova, Chair of the OlympicCoordination Commission for Lausanne 2020; AlainZobrist, CEO of OMEGA Timing; Patrick Baumann,President of Lausanne 2020 and Ian Logan, CEO ofLausanne 2020.

During the official unveiling, Aeschlimann said:‘OMEGA is truly looking forward to Lausanne 2020. Tobe in this special location to serve the best young ath-letes in the world will be a great privilege. Of course,Switzerland is OMEGA’s home, so we’ll have an extrafeeling of pride when we welcome the world here.’

Bartekova also commented on the event, saying: ‘Weare privileged to share this moment together with ourfriends from OMEGA, a long-standing partner of theOlympic Games. OMEGA will not only provide the time-keeping for all sports at Lausanne 2020, but also thecountdown clock we are unveiling today. Thanks toOMEGA’s cutting-edge technology, the times and resultswill be transmitted to spectators and fans across theglobe. So, let me thank everyone at OMEGA for theirgreat support for Lausanne 2020.’

Baumann added his thoughts by saying: ‘Lausanne2020, the biggest winter multi-sport sporting event afterthe Olympic Games, innovates and involves the wholecountry and neighboring France, and promotes theOlympic values and the commitment to youth on a dailybasis. We look forward to continuing this momentum for

the next two years and are pleased to celebrate ‘TwoYears To Go’ today alongside OMEGA, a partner whoshares these same values with us and confirms its sup-port to the Olympic movement in all its facets.’

Known as the ‘Olympic Capital’, Lausanne has beenthe home of the modern Olympic Movement for morethan 100 years and houses both the IOC Headquartersand the Olympic Museum. Certainly, Lausanne 2020 willrepresent a truly memorable homecoming for the multi-sport event and will represent the first Olympic Games tobe held in Switzerland since the Olympic Winter GamesSt Moritz 1948 an event that OMEGA also timed.

For OMEGA, the Winter Youth Olympic GamesLausanne 2020 will be a ‘local’ occasion too, as thebrand’s own watchmaking headquarters in Bienne are sit-uated just over 100km from the host city. The event willadd even more experience to OMEGA’s already incredi-ble legacy of Olympic Games timekeeping.

OMEGA celebrates the two-year countdown to the Winter Youth Olympic Games Lausanne 2020

Raynald Aeschlimann

(From left) Photo shows Raynald Aeschlimann, Patrick Baumann, Danka Bartekova,GrÈgoire Junod, Philippe Leuba, Ian Logan and Alain Zobrist. Raynald Aeschlimann Alain Zobrist Patrick Baumann

Lebanon’s intelligence agency hasbanned Steven Spielberg’s latestfilm, political thriller “The Post”, and

Australian drama “Jungle” to comply witha boycott of Israel, an official told AFPyesterday. “Screening of the film ‘ThePost’ has been banned,” said the officialfrom Lebanon’s General Security authori-ty, speaking on condition of anonymity. Inaddition to controlling borders, Lebanon’sGeneral Security is responsible for cen-sorship of films, plays, and books.Spielberg “is blacklisted by the ArabLeague’s boycott office, which Lebanoncomplies with”, the official explained.

The Hollywood giant was blacklistedby the Cairo-based pan-Arab body afterhe donated $1 million to Israel during the2006 war between the Jewish state andLebanon. The two countries are still offi-cially at war. “The Post” is an acclaimedproduction starring Meryl Streep and

Tom Hanks on the behind-the-scenes sto-ry of the 1971 publication by TheWashington Post of the Pentagon Papers,which exposed the lies behind USinvolvement in the Vietnam War. The otherfilm that got the censorship axe was“Jungle”, a survival drama about Israeliadventurer Yossi Ghinsberg, who got lostin an uncharted part of the BolivianAmazon in 1981.

The film, starring Daniel Radcliffe, hadbeen screening for two weeks in Lebanonbut is now being pulled, the same officialtold AFP, explaining that the decision fol-lowed a number of complaints. He did notspecify their origin but a few days earlierthe Lebanese branch of the Campaign toBoycott the Supporters of Israel issued astatement against “Jungle” because itsmain character is an Israeli, as is one of itsproducers. — AFP

Lebanon bans Spielberg film and Israeli adventurer biopic

ABollywood epic about a legendaryHindu queen will finally be releasednext week despite months of violent

protests, Indian filmmakers have confirmed.“Padmaavat” was initially due to hit screens inDecember. But producers Viacom18 MotionPictures delayed the release following protestssparked by speculation that it would depict aromantic liaison between the queen and the13th and 14th century Muslim ruler AlauddinKhilji. Politicians had threatened to ban thefilm for distorting historical facts, even thoughhistorians say the queen, Padmavati, is a myth-ical character.

It will hit screens on January 25 after cen-sors cleared it for release subject to fivechanges, the producers announced lateSunday. Full-page advertisements appeared inIndian newspapers yesterday saying the filmportrayed the legendary queen “with utmostrespect”. Film-makers say the movie is basedon a work of fiction by a 16th-century Sufipoet, the epic entitled “Padmaavat”. Themovie’s title has been changed from“Padmavati” to “Padmaavat”, possibly toreflect the fact it is based on the work.

The film first ran into opposition in January2017 when protesters attacked director SanjayLeela Bhansali and vandalized the set duringfilming in Rajasthan. Protesters attackedanother set near Mumbai in March, burningcostumes and other props. They stepped up

demonstrations in November last year, includ-ing making a death threat against the leadactress Deepika Padukone and against thedirector Bhansali. India’s Hindi film industrychurns out hundreds of movies every year butfilmmakers often face intimidation from fringegroups. Critics say the censorship board actsin an overzealous way, fuelling fears over cre-ative freedom in the country. Ministers inRajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh havesaid the film will not be shown in those states.The movie stars Shahid Kapoor as MaharawalRatan Singh, the husband of Padmavati, andRanveer Singh as Khilji who leads an invasionto try to capture the queen. — AFP

French film star Catherine Deneuvewho touched off a worldwide feministbacklash over an open letter she had

signed bashing the #MeToo movementapologized to victims of sexual assault, andsaid there was “nothing good” aboutharassment. “I warmly greet all the victimsof these hideous acts who might have feltoffended by that letter which appeared inLe Monde (Tuesday). It is to them andthem alone that I offer my apologies,” theactress said in a letter published Sundayon the website of French daily Liberation.

Deneuve also said that there was “noth-ing in the letter” to Le Monde that said“anything good about harassment, other-wise I wouldn’t have signed it.” France’smost revered actress was among 100prominent women to sign the open letterdefending a man’s right to “bother” women,complaining that the campaign againstharassment had become “puritanical”. Theydeplored the wave of “denunciations”which has followed claims that Hollywoodproducer Harvey Weinstein sexuallyassaulted and harassed women overdecades..

They branded it a “witch-hunt” thatthey claim threatens sexual freedom. “Ilove freedom,” Deneuve wrote in the letterto Liberation. “I don’t like this characteris-tic of our era where everyone feels theyhave the right... to condemn. An era wheresimple denunciations on social networks

cause punishment, resignation, and... oftenmedia lynching,” she wrote. She alsoprotested not being considered a feminist.She recalled that she had been among thewomen who had signed a manifesto “I hadan abortion” in defense of abortion rightswritten by French feminist icon Simone deBeauvoir. As an actress since she was 17,Deneuve admitted that during her careershe had been “a witness to indelicate situa-tions” between men and women.

‘A free woman’ But that Le Monde letter triggered a

wave of protest from feminists and victimsof harassment and assault worldwide,including one of the women who hasaccused Weinstein of rape. Italian actressAsia Argento, who was among the first todenounce Weinstein, said in a tweet:“Deneuve and other French women tell

the world how their interiorized misogynyhas lobotomized them to the point of noreturn.” A group of leading French femi-nists also excoriated Deneuve in a coun-terblast letter to French radio, brandingher and the other signatories as “apolo-gists for rape”.

“Their letter is like a tired old uncle whodoesn’t understand what is happening,” thefeminists said. The letter’s assertions thatbeing “fondled on a metro... was a non-event” to some women, and a man’s rightto hit on a woman was fundamental to sex-ual freedom, sparked particular fury.“Catherine Deneuve might have very dif-ferent opinions about harassment if sheweren’t an extraordinarily beautiful, veryrich white woman living in a bubble ofheightened privilege. And had some empa-thy,” tweeted New York Times cartoonistColleen Doran. Against this chorus ofopposition, Deneuve wrote the letter to theleftist newspaper Liberation which hadinvited her to write to clarify her position.“I am a free woman and I will remain so,”she wrote. The solution to sexual harass-ment “will come with the upbringing of ourboys and girls,” she said, adding that busi-nesses must also set guidelines so that “ifthere is harassment, legal action will beimmediately taken.” “I believe in justice,”she said. — AFP

Controversial Indian film gets release date

French actress Catherine Deneuve

‘Feminist’ Deneuve apologizes to sex assault victims

File photo shows US film director Steven Spielberg (left), US actress Meryl Streep (cen-ter) and US actor Tom Hanks pose on the red carpet on arrival for the EuropeanPremiere of The Post in London. — AFP

L i f e s t y l e Tuesday, January 16, 2018

29Established 1961

Fa s h i o n

Animal rights activists made their presenceknown during Milan Fashion Week, with severaldozen attempting to block access to the Marnipreview. The show went on, running late as the

fashion world is wont with or without protests. One fur-wearing fashionista endured a shower of verbal abuse ashe ducked into the show at the last minute, but no vio-lence was reported.

No fur duringMilan Fashion Week

Models present cre-ations for fashion houseMarni during the Men’sFall/Winter 2019 fashion

shows in Milan.—AFP photos

Animal rights activists have claimed victories recently,with Armani and Gucci being among the latest to committo not using animal furs in future collections. Brands likeMarni, which was born out of a family fur business, havea tougher line to tread. Still, the runway show byFrancesco Risso, in his second year, included only oneobvious animal skin reference, and that was a shearlingcoat. Here are some highlights from the first day of MilanFashion Week, which also included fall-winter menswearshows by Emporio Armani, newcomer Isabel Benenato,Marni and Dolce & Gabbana:

Marni’s travel journalEntering the Marni showroom is to enter designer

Francesco Risso’s world, immediately. Rather than con-ventional seating, he offered objects to sit upon. Achild’s stuffed giraffe. A hose-less vacuum cleaner.Stacks of disused videocassettes. Sacks of flour, wholewheat. These are the details that fill Risso’s travel jour-nal. And the traveler’s wardrobe embrace a naive, awe-struck sense of the world, with oversized jackets andtrousers hand-painted with arm chairs, monkeys ormusical instruments.

Suits, puffer coats, nylon jumpsuits and anoraks roundout the collection. Overcoats, in salmon pink, or blue,look slept in. Blankets do the same tricks. Men, spanninggenerations, not just youthful, wear talisman around theirnecks: a string of found trinkets, or a plasticized bear. Therule, Risso said back stage, “is that there are no rules.”

Tuesday, January 16, 2018L i f e s t y l e Fa s h i o n

Established 1961 30

Models present creations for fashion houseDolce & Gabbana during the Men’s

Fall/Winter 2019 fashion shows in Milan.

Dolce & Gabbana’s king of angelsIt was a bling call at Dolce & Gabbana. The designing

duo of Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana construct-ed a Baroque Sicilian church faÁade as the backgroundfor their “King of Angels” collection. The show openedwith a tableau of young stars in formalwear, includingelaborately embroidered military-style jackets and floralsuits, walking beneath a pair of cherubs. The colorfulknitwear that featured cherubic putti in oval frameslooked inspired by church ceilings, and angelic visagesalso graced motorcycle jackets.

Dolce & Gabbana, as usual, offered a range of looks -with suits styled formally, layered with furry jackets andcoming pajama-inspired with robe overcoats. Thedesigners employed light-heartedness and humor withheart-shaped backpacks, as well as one that looked like agolden puppet peeking over the wearer’s shoulder. Thedesigners also emblazoned slogans such as “Time ofChange” and “Love is Love” across beanies, waistbandsand backsides. Nothing on the runway made the slogans’meanings explicit, although both could be interpreted ascalls for new attitudes. Colombian singer Maluma closedout the show in a glittering silver suit to match his stagepresence.

Unexpected Dolce&GabbanaDancers busted a move in Dolce&Gabbana active-

wear at an exclusive late-night “unexpected show” for asmaller fashion crowd. While active wear has long beenpart of the designers’ repertoire, they are putting newemphasis on the hot category. Their Millennial modelsshowed off the collection, ranging from baseball shirtsemblazoned with “King of My Life,” to soft bear-headhoodies, eliciting cheers and cat-calls from admiring on-lookers.

L i f e s t y l e Tuesday, January 16, 2018

31Established 1961

Fa s h i o n

Emporio Armani’sArching zippers, tufts of fur and smooth velvet gave

zest to Emporio Armani’s youthful tailoring for next winterand fall. While silhouettes mostly were relaxed, the palettewas dark, albeit geared toward the fun end of deep withblack, navy and slate giving way to mauve, other bluesand shades tinged with purple. Floral patterns and hyp-notic repeating graphics complemented the flowing sil-houette of open jackets and easy trousers. Swirls of coloralso burst forth on alpaca knitwear in soothing blues andicy greens. Designer Giorgio Armani has forsworn usingreal animal fur in all his lines, winning praise from animalrights activists. The fur accents on the boots and detach-able dyed collars therefore were surely faux.

A series of furry black coats were rendered fromcurly-haired sheepskin, according to the press release,and there were only pony-effect goatskin jackets. Zipperswere deployed with frivolity across knitwear, inviting theplayful to detach, or along sleeves, giving a cape-like feelwhen opened. Trousers were tapered, most elaborately sowith a button cuff. Pants were mostly relaxed for daytimeleisure and evening events, but tight for the sleek businesssuits worn tieless. Velvet worked for day or evening, ascasual wear in bomber jackets or elegant suits. Gloveswere the accessories of the choice, but the 83-year-oldArmani is not abiding the smartphone-driven trend ofreturning to the fingerless gloves of the 1980s. All of thedesigner’s gloves were perfectly winter-proof. — AP

Italian designer Giorgio Armani (center) poses with models after the show during the Men’s Fall/Winter 2019 fashion shows in Milanyesterday.

LifestyleTUESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2018

Established 1961

One of the participants displays fruits during the Horeca Expo yesterday in Mishref, Kuwait. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

An icy wind blows the windmill’s soaring sails, turn-ing them quickly and cranking the large stonewheels inside in a time-honored method of grind-

ing grain. “I live from the wind,” says Dutch millerMaarten Dolman, one of only about 40 people in theNetherlands to still earn a living from making flour in away that has changed little down the centuries. “It’s beenmy engine for the past 30 years,” he smiles, as jute sacksquickly fill with powdery white granules. After making hisearly morning deliveries to local bakeries, Dolman startson his daily production of up to 1,000 kilos (2,200pounds) of flour aided solely by the power of the bone-achingly cold wind, which moans across the low-lyingnorthern European country.

But the 56-year-old has renewed pride in his work athis windmill the “Windotter”, which stands tall above thesmall central town of Ijsselstein, population 35,000. Lastmonth “the craft of the miller operating windmills andwatermills” was officially included on UNESCO’s list of“the intangible cultural heritage of humanity”. “Our craftis now protected. It is very important as well for the nextgeneration coming after us to conserve and learn thisjob,” says Dolman.

From father to son The father of two, whose overalls and cap, and even

his round glasses, seem permanently covered in a lightdusting of white, says he was “born in flour.” His ownfather, who bought his first mill in 1960, taught him thetrade as a boy, and now one of Dolman’s two sons islearning the necessary skills from him to carry on thebusiness. Passing on his craft is a valuable mission in acountry where, at their peak in the 19th century, therewere once 9,000 windmills. Now professionals and vol-unteers help maintain and operate about 1,200 remainingwindmills to grind flour or regulate water levels-animportant defense, with some 70 percent of theNetherlands lying below sea level.

Dolman, chairman of the Guild of Traditional Flour MillMillers, helped lead the fight to win UNESCO recogni-tion, and said it meant “a lot” to be added alongside othercultural treasures, such as the art of the dough-twirlingpizza makers of Naples. The application, backed by theDutch ministry of culture, said in its submission that“wind and water are in plentiful supply in theNetherlands, and mills have therefore always been anintegral part of the Dutch landscape,” adding the “firstdescriptions of Dutch windmills date from around 1200”.“With a declining number of people earning their liveli-hood from the craft, millers today also play a key role intransmitting the cultural history of the practice,” theUNESCO site says.

In demand Inside the Windotter, time seems to have stood still.

An ancient telephone hangs on the wall, old tools layscattered about with tattered accounts books, all lightlycovered in flour. As the 26-metre (86-foot) long majesticsails creak away in the wind, Dolman’s wooden clogs tapup and down the steep stairways.It’s a scene far removedfrom the more polished line of some 19 windmills at thesouthwestern tourist attraction of Kinderdijk, which wereincluded on UNESCO’s list of cultural heritage in 1997.With its brick tower stretching up five floors, theWindotter is one of the country’s biggest windmills. Builtin 1732, it was completely restored in 1987.

Since then it has been at work fulltime, five days aweek. Bags of flour sell like hot cakes in the shop at itsbase, white or brown, or flour milled from rye, barley oroats. “Local residents but also people from further awaycome here to buy their flour for bread or pancakes,sometimes even arriving by bike in lousy weather,” saidone of the saleswomen. She is among a dozen volunteers,who help to run the shop.

Ensuring the craft survives Recognition means the UN’s educational, scientific

and cultural organization has committed to financing cer-tain activities to safeguard the millers’ craft, includingtraining, internships and educational activities. Since 1972

when it was founded with the help of Dolman’s father, theGuild of Volunteer Millers has offered courses in theoryand practice. For example, “aspiring millers learn tooperate a mill safely” and have to spend a minimum of150 hours doing practical work at different mills and inevery season. The courses include learning how to readthe wind, or how many sails are needed, and are given by105 instructors and 11 master millers. Almost 2,000 peo-ple have been awarded qualifications since the guild’scourses began. Dutch millers “must pass this on to youngpeople, who don’t have their roots in this field, so that thecraft survives,” insists Dolman. — AFP

Dutch millers get

fresh wind in their sails

Dutch miller Maarten Dolman is one of only about 40 peo-ple in the Netherlands to still earn a living from makingflour in the time-honored way of grinding grain throughthe power of wind in his windmill in the small central townof Ijsselstein. — AFP photos

In 1997 UNESCO listed the 19 windmills at the southwestern tourist attraction of Kinderdijk in the Netherlands on its list ofcultural heritage.

Dolman helped lead the fight for UNESCO to recognize ‘thecraft of the miller operating windmills and watermills’ asamong ‘the intangible cultural heritage of humanity’.