28ISSUE NO: 17731

28 Pages 150 Fils

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Iran, Iraq, Saudis power into Asian Cup knockout phase

JAMADA ALAWWAL 7, 1440 AHSUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2019

Architects call for saving Sawaber, turning it into mixed-use building3 9

Max 21ºMin 08º

Pompeo ‘optimistic’ both Syrian Kurds, Turkey can be protected

New alliance increases pressure on India’s BJP

US begins withdrawing gear from Syria, but not troopsABU DHABI: Washington’s top diplomat saidyesterday he was “optimistic” a way could befound to protect Syrian Kurds while allowingTurks to “defend their country from terror-ists” following a US pullout from Syria. “Weare confident we can achieve an outcome thatachieves both of those,” Secretary of StateMike Pompeo told journalists in Abu Dhabi.The Gulf emirate is his latest stop in a region-al tour aimed at reassuring allies after a shockDecember announcement by PresidentDonald Trump that US troops would be with-drawn from Syria.

Pompeo’s remarks follow tensions betweenthe US and Turkey over the fate ofWashington’s Syrian Kurdish allies in the fightagainst Islamic State group militants. Turkeyhad reacted angrily to suggestions that Trump’splan to withdraw troops was conditional on thesafety of the US-backed Kurdish fighters, seenby the Turkish government as terrorists. US-ledoperations against IS in Syria have been spear-headed on the ground by the Kurdish-domi-nated Syrian Democratic Forces.

Ankara sees the backbone of that alliance,the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG),

as a terrorist group linked to the KurdistanWorker’s Party (PKK) which has fought adecades-long insurgency against the Turkish

state. Pompeo said that Washington recog-nized “the Turkish people’s right and

Continued on Page 24

ABU DHABI: Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan speaks with US Secretaryof State Mike Pompeo during a meeting at Al-Shati Palace in the UAE capital yesterday. — AFP

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: Kuwait Fire ServiceDirectorate’s PR department said sixpeople were killed and five others wereinjured in a head-on collision betweenan SUV and a taxi on Road 500 lead-

ing to Wafra farms. Those in the taxi -all expats - were killed, while those inthe SUV - a Kuwaiti family - wereinjured. Nuwaiseeb fire center firemenrushed to the scene, and the bodies ofthe deceased were recovered byforensics.

6 killed in horrific crash

KUWAIT: The wreckage of an SUV and taxi are seen after they collided.

TORONTO: Saudi asylum seeker Rahaf Mohammed Al-Qunun smiles as she is introduced to the media atToronto Pearson International Airport alongside Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland (right)yesterday. — AFP

TORONTO: A young Saudi woman who caused a sensa-tion by defying her family and seeking asylum abroad waswelcomed with open arms in Toronto yesterday at the endof an exhausting international odyssey. Foreign MinisterChrystia Freeland greeted Rahaf Mohammed Al-Qunun,18, after she landed in Toronto, wearing a blue ball cap anda gray hoodie emblazoned in red with the word “CANA-DA”. Smiling broadly, she posed for photographers withFreeland at her side, but made no statement. “She had apretty long journey and is exhausted and prefers not totake questions for the moment,” Freeland said.

Qunun captured the world’s attention with a trail ofTwitter posts that ignited a #SaveRahaf movement as shefled what she said was an abusive family in ultraconserva-tive Saudi Arabia. Thai authorities backed down on anattempt to deport her after she arrived in Bangkok on a

flight from Kuwait a week ago, turning her over to theUN’s refugee agency instead. Then on Friday, PrimeMinister Justin Trudeau made the surprise announcementthat Canada would take her in.

The move is sure to further strain Canada’s relationswith the kingdom. That relationship went sideways lastAugust over Ottawa’s rights criticism of Saudi Arabia,prompting Riyadh to expel the Canadian ambassador andsever all trade and investment ties in protest. Canada alsosparked fury in Riyadh by demanding the “immediaterelease” of jailed rights campaigners, including SamarBadawi, the sister of jailed blogger Raif Badawi, whosefamily lives in Quebec.

Qunun’s attempt to flee Saudi Arabia was embraced byrights groups as a beacon of defiance against repression.“Ms Al-Qunun’s plight has captured the world’s attentionover the past few days, providing a glimpse into the pre-carious situation of millions of refugees worldwide,” saidFilippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees(UNHCR). “Refugee protection today is often underthreat and cannot always be assured, but in this instanceinternational refugee law and overriding values of human-ity have prevailed.”

Continued on Page 24

Young Saudi teen arrives in Canada to official welcome

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump saidFriday he would make it easier for top-skilled work-ers to stay in the United States and become citizens,offering uncharacteristic praise for immigrants’ con-tributions. Trump pledged to reform coveted H-1Bvisas, for which three-quarters of applicants are fromIndia, most of them in the technology sector. “H1-B(sic) holders in the United States can rest assuredthat changes are soon coming which will bring bothsimplicity and certainty to your stay, including apotential path to citizenship,” Trump said on Twitter.“We want to encourage talented and highly skilledpeople to pursue career options in the US.”

It was unclear what Trump meant by a “potentialpath to citizenship” for H-1B visa holders, whoalready are eligible to be sponsored by employersfor legal permanent residency, which would thenmake them eligible to become US citizens. Whenasked about Trump’s tweet, US Citizenship andImmigration Services spokesman Michael Bars pro-vided a statement about a formal proposal inDecember for changes to the H-1B process, whichare likely to become final later this year.

The proposal is designed to increase by 5,340, or16 percent, the number of H-1B beneficiaries whohold advanced degrees from American universities. Itwould also streamline the application process with anew electronic registration system. “These proposedregulatory changes would help ensure more of thebest and brightest workers from around the worldcome to America under the H-1B program,” Bars said.

Continued on Page 24

Trump promises citizenship path for skilled workers

WASHINGTON: A US Park police officer rides a horse past the US Treasury duringthe 22nd day of the US government shutdown yesterday. — AFP

PARIS: Firefighters extinguish a fire after an explosion at a bakery yesterday. — AFP

WASHINGTON: The partial US gov-ernment shutdown entered a record22nd day yesterday, as President DonaldTrump remains steadfast in his demandfor $5.7 billion to build a Mexico borderwall and Democrats in Congress deter-mined to refuse the funds. The presidentissued a series of tweets yesterday in aneffort to defend his stance and goadDemocrats to return to Washington andend what he called “the massive humani-

tarian crisis at our Southern Border”.“Democrats could solve the

Shutdown in 15 minutes!” he said in onetweet, adding in another, “We will be outfor a long time unless the Democratscome back from their ‘vacations’ and getback to work. I am in the White Houseready to sign!” But most lawmakers lefttown on Friday and will not return beforetomorrow, leaving little chance for anysolution to the stalemate before then.

The impasse has paralyzedWashington - its impact felt increasinglyaround the country - with the presidentretaliating by refusing to sign off onbudgets for swaths of governmentdepartments unrelated to the dispute. Asa result, 800,000 federal

Continued on Page 24

Govt shutdown becomes longest in US history

PARIS: A powerful gas explosion torethrough a building in central Paris yes-terday, killing two firefighters and aSpanish woman, injuring dozens of peo-ple and badly damaging nearby apart-ments, officials said. Around 200 fire-fighters were mobilized to battle the firethat broke out after the blast and evacu-ate victims and residents in the area,Interior Minister Christophe Castanertold reporters at the scene. The explo-sion came with the city on edge duringthe latest “yellow vest” anti-government

demonstrations, which have oftendegenerated into violence and vandalismin Paris and other cities in recent weeks.

Cars were overturned by the blastand glass and rubble was strewn acrosslarge swathes of the street after theexplosion gutted the lower part of thebuilding. Dozens of residents were treat-ed by rescue workers on the street. “Iwas sleeping and was woken up by theblast wave,” Claire Sallavuard, who liveson the Rue de Trevise where the explo-sion occurred, told AFP. “All the windowsin the apartment exploded, doors wereblown off their hinges, I had to walk onthe door to leave the room, all the kidswere panicking, they couldn’t get out oftheir room.”

“Firefighters advised us to leave butthe elevator shaft had been blown

Continued on Page 24

2 firefighters, tourist killed in Paris blast

Sunday, January 13, 2019

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Kuwait hosts Strategic Dialoguesession with US on Tuesday

KUWAIT: Kuwait hosts on Tuesday the 3rd Kuwait-USStrategic Dialogue Session, to be co-chaired by the twocountries’ foreign ministers, with aim of further cementingrelations and cooperation to new levels. The previousStrategic Dialogue sessions were held in the US in 2016and 2017, during which the two countries signed coopera-tion agreements and memoranda of understandings(MoUs) over security, counter-terrorism, economy, trade,education, oil, custom and consular affairs, raising to 23number of deals between the two countries.

This year’s session will be co-chaired by Kuwait’sDeputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh SabahAl-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and US Secretary of StateMike Pompeo. The strategic dialogue will set a roadmapfor cooperation between Kuwait and the US for the next25 years in different fields. Trade exchange amounted to$4 billion and Kuwait was investing $400 billion in the US.Kuwait and the US are also important players in the count-er-terrorism efforts as well as in the global fight againstthe so-called Islamic State (IS).

Continuous workThe two countries seek, through strategic dialogue, to

boost cooperation and coordination over regional andinternational issues, US Ambassador to Kuwait LawrenceSilverman said. The dialogue is a foundation for “our con-

tinuous work” and was supported by the leaderships in thetwo countries, he added. Since the strategic dialogue wasestablished in October 2016, said Silverman, work groupsbegan implementing cooperation means in defense, trade,security, investment, consular affairs and education.

Relations between the Kuwaiti and American armies areexcellent, he said, and the US commitment to defendingKuwait’s security was firm.

Silverman said the US was providing technical supportfor Kuwait army and security forces. He added US andKuwaiti military personnel were working together ontraining of Kuwait armed forces. America is the secondlargest exporter of goods and services to Kuwait, said

Silverman. The US, he affirmed, welcomed His Highness theAmir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s initia-tives aimed at maintaining security of Kuwait, as well asachieving security and stability in the region. Kuwait alsoplayed a key role in regional issues, he said, hosting donorconferences for Syria and an international meeting for thereconstruction of Iraq last February.

Silverman also noted Kuwait’s leading humanitarian rolein the region and the world. The US delegation to thestrategic dialogue will exchange views over pressingregional challenges including Yemen, Syria and Iran, saidSilverman, in addition to bolstering counter-terrorismcooperation and coordination within the UN SecurityCouncil. Among authorities taking part in the dialogue fromKuwait are Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Interior, Defenseand Higher Education, Directorate General for CivilAviation, Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion authority(KDIPA), Kuwait Investment Authority, National SecurityBureau, Directorate of Custom, and Communication andInformation Technology Regulatory Authority (CITRA).

AgreementsMeanwhile, a Kuwaiti official said that signing an

agreement to boost their ongoing Strategic Dialogue andothers in defense, security and economic affairs will be onthe agenda of Pompeo’s visit to Kuwait. During his past

trip to Washington in September, His Highness the AmirSheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah signed numer-ous deals illustrating the two countries’ intent to furthercement their relationship, according to Reem Al-Khaled,Kuwait’s assistant foreign minister for the Americas. InKuwait, a meeting for Pompeo with His Highness is sched-uled, whereby, along with Deputy Prime Minister andForeign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, the three will discuss developments on issues ofmutual significance, added Khaled.

The talks will also present an opportunity to delve intoseveral regional and global matters, namely the Gulf dispute,relations between Gulf states and Iran and the situations inSyria, Yemen and Libya. About the Strategic Dialogue, cur-rently in its third annual session, this will include the usualtopics of defense, education, economics, consulate and cus-toms affairs, civil aviation and cyber security - with the mat-ters of trade and scientific research introduced to the foldfor the very first time. The Kuwaiti official also pointed outthat five working groups, stemming from the dialogue, havebeen meeting on several occasions during the year. One ofthese will host businesspersons and companies at an eco-nomic and investment forum jointly organized by theKuwaiti and US chambers of commerce, both of whom areexpected to sign a memorandum of understanding aimed atboosting economic relations. — KUNA

Yemen, Syria,Iran on

meetings’agenda

Pompeo’s Kuwait visit to witness defense, security, economic-related deals

Kuwait calls onDRC parties topractice restrainNEW YORK: The State of Kuwait calledon parties in the Democratic Republic ofthe Congo (DRC) to practice restrain andcomposure to prevent more loss in humanlives in the south-central African country.In a speech to a UNSC meeting on theCongo, Kuwait’s PermanentRepresentative to the UN headquarters inNew York Ambassador Mansour Al-Otaibi said that the members of the coun-cil had followed the developments in theDRC since planning the elections onNovember 5, 2017 and executing it onDecember 30, 2018. The elections processsaw a setback of a sort with the burningof some 8,000 electronic voting machineson December 13, 2018.

Despite the odds, the DRC governmentmanaged to hold an election with the sup-port of the African Union and other entities,said Al-Otaibi who commended the govern-ment for its efforts. The elections — whichwere legislative, municipal, and Presidential— saw a wide-scale participation from theCongolese people as well as a variety ofparties in the country, said the Kuwaitidiplomat, adding that the people of the DRCshould not slide into chaos, which may ruineverything that the people worked for. Headded that the 38 million Congolese whowent out to vote must safeguard their coun-try and fend off any attempt to ignite riotsand armed conflicts.

The priority should be towardsaddressing the humanitarian situation inthe DRC with the spread of Cholera andEbola in areas where conflict prevent peo-ple from receiving proper medical atten-tion, said the Ambassador who indicatedthat according to WHO statistics onDecember 22, 2018, some 326 cases out of563 Ebola patients have died. — KUNA

US Secretary of State Mike PompeoKuwait’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister

Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-SabahUS Ambassador to Kuwait Lawrence Silverman Kuwait’s assistant foreign minister

for the Americas Reem Al-Khaled

KUWAIT: The Ambassador of France to Kuwait Marie Masdupuy hosted a reception on the occasion of the visit of RegionalDirector of Atout France in the Middle East Karim Mekachera, for the launch of the Arabic version of the official website oftourism in France ‘France.fr.’ Diplomats and media persons attended the event, which took place at the ambassador’s resi-dence over the weekend. — Photos by Joseph Shagra

NEW YORK: Kuwait’s Permanent Representative to the UN headquarters in New YorkAmbassador Mansour Al-Otaibi speaks during a UNSC meeting on the Congo. — KUNA

No Kuwaiticasualties amongParis blast victims PARIS: Kuwait’s Ambassador in ParisSami Al-Sulaiman confirmed yesterdaythat there were no Kuwaiti nationalsamong the injured in the explosion at abakery in the center of the capital.Sulaiman said that the embassy contact-ed the French authorities immediatelyafter the accident to make sure therewere no Kuwaitis among the wounded.He expressed the Kuwaiti leadership’swishes for speedy recovery of theinjured, urging Kuwaitis present in Paristo stay away from the scene, to be vigi-lant and to contact the embassy in caseof any emergency.

A strong blast occurred in the capi-tal Paris, which killed and wounded anumber of people and shattered glassof surrounding shops. Police said gasleak at a bakery in the Nintharrondissement caused a fire and thepowerful explosion. — KUNA

Ambassador Sami Al-Sulaiman

L o c a l Sunday, January 13, 2019

3

It is well known that the Kuwaiti nationalitylaw has defined the terms and regulationsof granting Kuwaiti nationality. This matter

is under the discretion of the ministry of interi-or as a security authority in the state. Thisissue has several facets, from legal to humane,and I would like to take up the matter as aKuwaiti citizen. It seems that most of the talk isalways about the children of the Kuwaiti manwho gets married to a non-Kuwaiti, but little ismentioned about this non-Kuwaiti woman andher rights as a wife, or the potential complica-tions that such marriages may face.

This issue has always been argumentativebetween supporters and opponents and theconditions related to naturalization of thiswoman in case she wants to get Kuwait inationality. Some of the conditions in the laware known to all - the first requirement forobtaining Kuwaiti nationality is that the personmust be born in Kuwait or abroad to a Kuwaitifather. So obtaining Kuwaiti nationality will bea normal matter through official channels. Thisapplies to all children regardless of the numberof wives or their nationalities.

Other conditions for getting Kuwaiti citizen-ship include providing the country with greatand exceptional services. There are other con-ditions too, but I don’t want to dwell on themtoday because I would like to focus on the nat-uralization of non-Kuwaiti women who marryKuwaitis. I am not against the marriage of anyKuwaiti man to a non-Kuwaiti woman, as it is aprivate decision. But I hope any man whowants to marry a non-Kuwaiti explains to herthe situation - good or bad - especially in caseof divorce or death or separation, becausefrankness and honesty is needed to protect herrights as a human and a wife, if not a mother.

Article 8 of the nationality law stipulatesthat the marriage of a foreign woman to aKuwaiti will not allow her to become Kuwaitiunless she declares to interior minister herdesire to obtain nationality. This conditionrequires that they continue their marriage forat least five years from the date of declaringtheir desire to obtain citizenship.

For years, it was necessary to submit arequest to declare the desire as a condition forthe wife to obtain Kuwaiti nationality and aperiod of five years of marriage. A proposalwas raised by the National Assembly aimed atcanceling the declaration of the desire as acondition for the wife to get Kuwaiti nationali-ty. But I think the desire of the wife is a must -maybe she has no interest.

The government allows a Kuwaiti husbandto naturalize his foreign wife after five years ofmarriage, while the old time limit for Kuwaiticitizenship was 20 years. I think this matterwas an issue between supporters and oppo-nents for many years. I see that the decision tomarry any national is personal, but a man isobliged to take care of his wife and protect herlegal status in the country, especially in thecase of having children, because after all she isthe mother. Kids will always need their motherregardless of her nationality, their age or statusof marriage.

There is another matter issue - polygamy.Parliamentary proposals on the humanitarianaspect focused on allowing Kuwaitis to natu-ralize more than one wife in case of havingmultiple wives. However, the response of theinterior ministry to these proposals confirmedits rejection out of concern of exploitation bymen who may misuse this to naturalize foreignwomen for money, as well as the impact on themarriage rates of Kuwaiti women.

Some who are against mixed marriage relyon their views about some cases of womenwho married cit izens, and when they gotKuwaiti nationality, forced them to divorce andleave the children. Some of these wives hadchildren from former spouses, so they broughtthem to Kuwait to live under their sponsorship,while some returned to their former husbandsand brought them to Kuwait. I think these cas-es are possible scenarios, but not for everyone.

I think natural ization of a foreign wifeshould depend on the time period and the con-sent of the competent security authorities, aswell as her personal desire and consent. Shecan choose between her original nationalityand the nationality of the husband. I believethat a non-citizen woman who has spent manyyears in the care of her husband and has chil-dren must have full legal protection to ensureher stay in the country in al l cases, evendivorce or death of the spouse.

Marrying aforeigner

Muna@kuwaittimes.net

By Muna Al-Fuzai

local spotlight

By Faten Omar

KUWAIT: A gathering to walk, talk andenvision Kuwait’s most recognizable andhistoric land-marks - theresidential Al-Sawaber com-plex - was heldin Sharq yes-terday. Thewalking tourwas organizedby ‘Save Al-Sawaber’ totalk about thehistory of thecomplex, whichmay soon become a memory after it isdemolished.

Mohammad Al-Jassar, a faculty mem-ber at Kuwait University’s College ofArchitecture, told Kuwait Times that thegathering included several architects whoare interested in the design of the com-plex, and they are asking the governmentnot to demolish it. “We are here today tolisten to a tour about Sawaber’s historybefore the demolition begins. As archi-tects, we are hoping the complex won’t bedemolished but revived by giving it to aninvestor. It can be turned into a shoppingarea, apartments or offices with a uniquearchitectural design. Rather than being

demolished, the team is proposing that thecomplex be rehabilitated and regeneratedas a mixed-use urban development build-ing while maintaining elements of the orig-

inal characterand structure,”he said.

“The demo-lition of thecomplex willresult in a largeamount ofwaste. Buildingwaste oftenincludes con-crete, metal,glass, plastic,wood, asphalt,

bricks and more. Not only does this pol-lute the land and the air, but the trans-portation required to remove such wastehas a major impact on the environment aswell. This is why most countries levy a taxon demolishing buildings to encourageinvestors to revive them and protect theenvironment,” said Jassar.

“Sawaber is very valuable to the her-itage of Kuwait. It also stands as a symbolof a very important era in the history ofthe modern state of Kuwait. It representsthe 20th century buildings of the city,”said Architect Zahra Ali Baba, Chairwomanof the Chapter of DocomomoInternational, which is dedicated to the

advocacy and conservation of modernheritage in Kuwait. “Sawaber was a neigh-borhood where all families lived and kneweach other, but in multistoried buildings.The complex is a modern heritage buildingof cultural and historical significance, butthe project has now been marked for dem-olition,” she noted.

The government has used variousmeans to empty the complex of residentsin order to have it demolished. Fourteenfamilies have refused to move and they’restill in their apartments, but most of the

tenants have left. Some were offered anapartment in Northwest Sulaibikhat,while others were offered financial com-pensation.

The complex was built in 1981,designed by famed architect and urbanplanner Arthur Erickson. Al-Sawaber rep-resents a distinct architectural, economicand cultural period in Kuwaiti history. Oneof the first complexes in the country, it islocated on approximately 245,000 squaremeters of prime real estate property in theheart of Kuwait’s financial district. The

Architects call for saving Sawaber, turninglandmark into urban development building

Team leads tour at historic site ahead of planned demolition

KUWAIT: The gatherers pose for a group picture outside Al-Sawaber complexyesterday. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Participants in a gathering to protest the planned demolition of Al-Sawabercomplex.

The residential Al-Sawaber complex in Sharq.

By A Saleh

KUWAIT: Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states willsign an agreement today with the Ethiopian govern-ment to start a feasibility study on electrical grids link-age of GCC states and Ethiopia as part of a four-yearcooperation agreement. In this regard, GCCInterconnection Authority’s CEO Ahmed Ali Al-Ibrahimsaid GCC states have great hopes for this agreement,since Ethiopia owns huge water resources that couldbe used in generating electricity to be later exportedto GCC states.

Ibrahim said Ethiopia’s hydropower is cheap andeasy to use, while Ethiopia needs such projects to pro-vide GCC states with electricity during peak con-sumption hours. He added that GCC interconnectionhad saved $220 million for GCC states to bring the

total profits since launching the project in 2011 to $2.5billion. He also expected saving $30 billion over thenext 22 years.

Ibrahim added that southern Iraq will be connectedto the GCC grid this year to provide it with 500megawatts pending further connection with centraland northern Iraq. Meanwhile, Ibrahim said that anagreement to import electricity from Europe duringthe summer and exporting electricity to it during win-ter is still being studied.

Oil sector engineersStatistics issued by the oil minister’s office showed

citizens with oil and chemical engineering degreesworking for Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) andits subsidiaries form 84 percent of the total workforce,while expats only 16 percent - ie 2,021 Kuwaitis and329 expats. Statistics also showed KPC and its sub-sidiaries recruited 412 Kuwaiti engineers over the pastthree years, adding that the corporation has a five-yearplan to hire a total of 749 Kuwaiti engineers by the endof the plan.

Rain damageWell-informed sources at the Ministry of Public

Works said that the committee investigating the recent

rain damage crisis will report to Minister JenanBushehri within two weeks. The sources added that thecommittee is scheduled to conclude its investigationsby Jan 31, but remarked it is keen on getting the jobdone as soon as possible. The sources explained thatthe committee had questioned the companies execut-ing the projects which witnessed problems during therain except for five that failed to send their representa-tives despite being notified.

Price listsMinister of Commerce and Industry and Minister

of State for Services Affairs Khaled Al-Roudhanstressed that the Ministry of Commerce and Industry(MoCI) is about to finish a project to electronicallymonitor prices, adding that the program will provideconsumers with weekly price lists of around 500items on sale at various outlets so that they can com-pare and select the best outlets. Roudhan added somegoods and services, such as restaurant and waterdelivery services, domestic labor recruitment and gascylinders are subject to pricing and that MoCI willlaunch 24/7 inspection campaigns at various co-opsand outlets. Roudhan said all stores and commercialcompanies have been compelled to display pricesclearly on posters.

GCC states planto link powergrid with Ethiopia

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: Ardhiya and IndustrialShuwaikh fire stations responded to acall about a fire in a vehicle in a mall’sparking lot. Firefighters managed to putout the fire and prevent the flames fromspreading to other vehicles. No injurieswere reported.

Separately, Kuwait Municipality

announced that the Mubarak Al-Kabeeremergency team made several achieve-ments during Dec 2018 as part of thecampaign “Contact Us”, aiming at remov-ing all encroachments on state property,street ads, roaming vendors and otherviolations. It said inspections resulted inissuing 55 violations and removal of 350ads of various sizes that were placed atrandom in streets and squares.

Zahra Ali BabaMohammad Al-Jassar

Car burns in mallparking, no injuries

KUWAIT: Damage on the car’s interior left by the fire.

KUWAIT: Undersecretary of Kuwait National Guard Lt Gen Hashem Al-Refaiehonored a drug prevention team which included members of the nationalguard and the Interior Ministry. The team recently conducted an ‘early drugdetection’ campaign as part of partnership in this field between KuwaitNational Guard and the Interior Ministry.

Sunday, January 13, 2019

4L o c a l

Photo of the Day

KUWAIT: A pink sunrise fills up the sky in Kuwait City. — Photo by Jassem Al-Motar (KUNA)

KUWAIT: Under the aus-pices of Minister of State forEconomic Affairs Mariam Al-Aqeel, the 2019 HorecaKuwait exhibition will beopened tomorrow at KuwaitInternational Fairgrounds inMishref with participation ofcompanies specialized inhospitality, catering and hotelequipment. The three-dayevent is organized by theLeaders Group Company forConsulting and Developmentin collaboration with theHospitality Services Company.

In this regard, Leaders Group stressed that Horeca is aunique event in Kuwait in terms of its type and size. Theorganizing committee also noted that the opening ceremo-ny would be attended by heads of diplomatic, commercialand touristic missions designated in Kuwait, public sectorofficials, heads of boards of directors, experts and headsof chef unions in a number of European, Arab and Asiancountries, who would take part in the cooking competi-tions held at the exhibition’s sidelines.

The committee’s statement added that all booths anddisplay spaces had been booked very early, and explainedthat the opening ceremony would feature a speech by theminister, followed by a speech by Leaders Group’s GeneralManager Nabila Al-Anjeri, then a tour for officials andguests around the exhibition to be briefed about variousitems on display and the cooking competition activities.The organizing committee also announced that the exhi-bition is sponsored by around 80 companies, adding thatover 320 participants from Kuwait and other countrieswould take part in 21 competitions.

Two symposiumsMeanwhile, Leaders Group announced that this year’s

activities include two main symposiums featuring ten spe-cialized speakers who will discuss the future of the sectorson display. The first seminar takes place on the first day ofthe exhibition from 5-6 pm under the title of ‘The Rise ofHomegrown Food and Beverages Trend in Kuwait,’ while thesecond seminar will be held on the second day at the sametime under the title of ‘Healthy Food and Beverages Trend inKuwait,’ the company said in a statement yesterday.

Speakers on the first seminar include Amer Zeltoun,Managing Partner at Maki Group; Chef Faisal AI-Nashmi,Director of Culinary Development at Al-Makan United

Company and co-owner ‘Street Al-Makan’, ‘Table Otto’,‘Pam+ cow’ and ‘Street Cafe’; Chef Samaan HilaI, ManagingPartner of Brainsteam (Lebanon); Jad Alameddine, Directorof Food and Beverage at Mohamed Naser Al-Hajery andSons Company; and Amr Al-Refal, Founder and CEO of‘Solo Co.’ Nagi Morkos, Managing Partner of HodemaConsulting Services, will moderate the seminar.

Speakers on the second day include Dana Al-Salem,Managing Partner of Re-Store, Farm Manager and SadeerFarms; Amal Chahine, Managing Partner of Ovo; Dalal Al-Tawheed, Co-Founder of Clean Eats; and Rashid Sultan,Founder and Managing Partner of Savor Ventures. Nada

Alameddine, Partner at Hodema Consulting Services, willmoderate the seminar.

In the meantime, Horeca Kuwait’s executive managerand secretary general of the Hotel Owners UnionMohammed Najia said that the exhibition has been gainingmomentum on an annual basis. He added that the newseminars started in 2018 and highly appealed to hospitalitycompanies and specialized visitors. Furthermore, Najianoted that the three-day cooking competitions include320 contesters in various categories and that the jury pan-el includes heads of culinary unions and academies fromaround the world.

Horeca culinary exhibition kicks offtomorrow featuring 320 participants

Ten experts to lecture about home-cooking, healthy food

Jury panelfrom around

the world

Nabila Al-AnjeriMariam Al-Aqeel Mohammed Najia

A seminar held during last year’s exhibition.

Health Ministryhosts ‘ManagingChange’ workshopBy Abdellatif Sharaa

KUWAIT: Health Ministry Undersecretary for Drug and Food ControlDr Abdullah Al-Bader said the health ministry believes in the importanceof developing manpower as a cornerstone in the development of theministry. He said the ministry began training heads of drug inspection,registration and control sectors as a start of this mission, as these sec-tors are highly important.

Bader spoke during a workshop organized by the health ministry incooperation with Life Science Academy under the slogan ‘ManagingChange’, which was presented to the leaders of the drug inspection, reg-istration and control sectors to train the rest of the sectors, adding atraining plan will be implemented soon. CEO of the Life ScienceAcademy Mohammad Nahis Al-Enezi said the development of manpow-er resources and training them is highly required in all institutions of thecountry, particularly in the health ministry. He added that the role of theacademy in polishing the skills and experiences of workers in healthcareis fundamental to enable them to present the best up-to-date services. KUWAIT: Participants at the workshop pose for a group photo.

COLOMBO: A group of female well-achievers havearrived in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo and already vis-ited some of the nation’s iconic sites. Excursion of thehigh school female students is as part of the ‘Be Amongthe Excellent’ annual cultural program organized byKuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development(KFAED). They started their journey by touring promi-nent tourist attractions and enjoying shopping in thecity, as well as visiting the Old Parliament, IndependentSquare, the mini White House, besides many otherinteresting places in Colombo. The students expressedtheir happiness and excitement for discovering SriLanka’s attractions and culture, and for being briefedon projects funded by KFAED there.

Student Manayer Al-Enezi said, “At first I hesitatedto go on a trip to Sri Lanka, but later I changed mymind, as despite the simple life style, we were able tolearn about many new cultures.” Meanwhile, studentNour Al-Dubaib said, “I really enjoyed our trip today inColombo, as we visited many tourist attractions.”

The students are due to depart Colombo today,heading to Kandy, as they will visit elephants’ reserve,as well as viewing KFAED projects of renovatedbridges, and other development projects in areas andvillages there. They have also conducted other enter-taining and cultural tours like visiting a Sri Lankan vil-lage and Royal Botanic Gardens. Their visit to SriLanka will end by January 18.

Sharifa Al-Sabah, a press official at KFAED andhead of the delegation, had said upon departure thatSir Lanka was chosen due to the nation’s solid ties withKuwait through KFAED, as well as for the country’sgeographical and cultural diversity.

KFAED has contributed to a number of key projectsin Sri Lanka, she said, indicating that the 12 Kuwaitifemale well-achieves would be acquainted during thevisit with the country’s cultural landmarks and theFund’s activities there. The delegation also includesFatma Al-Tirkait from KFAED, as well as Manal Al-Mutairi and Sheikha Al-Kouh from the Ministry ofEducation.

TajikistanMeanwhile, a delegation, compromising of 12

excelling male high school students, headed to Tajikistanon a trip sponsored by KFAED in coordination with theMinistry of Education. As part of the 11th ‘Be Among theExcellent’ program, the KFAED continues to providesupport to excelling students via trips to countries andareas benefiting from the fund’s loans and grants. Sarraf

said that the fund was and will continue to be an entitythat would support to education and students. The trip,which will last until January 17, aims at broadening thestudent’s knowledge about other countries and also actas a medium to inform them about Kuwait’s generouscontributions to the world, said Sarraf. He added that thecurrent trip will include meetings with Tajik officials andalso would include visits to cultural, historic, and touristicsites. The KFAED and the Ministry of Education hadchosen the students according to their achievements,revealed Sarraf.

In the meantime, Tajikistan’s Ambassador to KuwaitZubaydov Zubaydullo Najotovich lauded His Highnessthe Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah forbuilding a reputation for Kuwait as a nation of activepolitical role and strong humanitarian reputation.Ambassador Najotovich said that Tajikistan was eager towelcome the 12-student delegation. The KFAED-spon-sored trip will include various activities and visits, show-ing the fund’s contribution to the development ofTajikistan, said the Ambassador.

The students will view KFAED’s efforts in Tajikistanand hopefully the trip will leave an impression on them,affirmed the Ambassador who hoped that the visit wouldcontribute to the further development of bilateral ties.The KFAED had help Tajikistan to develop its infrastruc-ture and boots the country’s energy capacity throughvarious projects in Tajikistan, a country known for itswater resources representing around 60 percent ofdrinkable water in the central Asia region.

During his last visit to Kuwait, President of TajikistanEmomali Rahmon discussed with His Highness the AmirSheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah the possibil-ity of boosting cooperation within water resources. Heindicated that Tajikistan is seriously focusing on promot-ing water resources worldwide through its cooperationwith the UN on the ‘2018-2028 International Decade forAction, Water for Sustainable Development,’ an initiative

gathering 170-member countries. Regarding relationswith Kuwait, Ambassador Najotovich revealed that sincethe opening of the embassy in 2012, Tajikistan andKuwait had set plans to boost ties on all possiblespheres. He commended the level of cooperationbetween Kuwait and Tajikistan, namely within the cultur-al domain with the continuous visits by Tajik musicalgroups to the Gulf country. — KUNA

L o c a l Sunday, January 13, 2019

5

Kuwaiti female well-achieversvisit landmarks in Sri Lanka

Excelling male students head to Tajikistan on KFAED-funded trip

COLOMBO: A group of Kuwaiti female students pose for a picture at the Independence Square in Colombo, Sri Lanka. —KUNA

A group of male Kuwaiti students take a picture before heading to Tajikistan on a KFAED-funded trip.

KUWAIT: Zain, the leading digital service provider inKuwait, announced its Gold sponsorship of the annualOmrah trip organized by the National Union of KuwaitStudents (NUKS) - Kuwait University branch. The trip tothe Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, held from 9 - 12 January,features nearly 150 students and their families. Zain’s sup-port to the NUKS annual Omrah trip comes in line withits commitment towards supporting and encouraging var-ious student activities, which falls under the company’sCorporate Sustainability and Social Responsibility strate-gy. Zain’s strategy closely focuses on contributing to thedevelopment of the education sector by partnering withmany organizations, including student bodies, to invest ineducation, which the company considers an essential ele-

ment of the further progress of national economy. The Omrah trip, organized annually by the National

Union of Kuwait Students (NUKS) - Kuwait Universitybranch, featured this year nearly 150 students, their fami-lies, and religious figures that contributed to enriching thetrip’s program. The annual Omrah trip is considered one ofthe most prominent student activities organized by NUKSfor Kuwait University’s students with the aim of enrichingtheir spiritual aspect. Zain’s support to NUKS springsfrom the company’s core Corporate Sustainability andSocial Responsibility strategy. The company believes thatsupporting the various educational programs and initia-tives provides young people with skills and tools necessaryto help them highlight and develop their potential, ulti-mately contributing to Kuwait’s progress.

As a leading national company, Zain firmly believes inthe importance of contributing to the progress of the edu-cation sector, and looks to empower and prepare thenation’s youth for the important roles they will play in thefurther progress of the country.

Zain sponsors NUKSannual Omrah trip

KUWAIT: Zain and NUKS KU staff with participants in the Omrah trip.

KUWAIT: Zain, the leading digital service provider inKuwait, hosted the orientation session for the partici-pants of LOYAC’s Thailand Program at the ZainInnovation Center (ZINC) in the company’s main head-quarters in Shuwaikh. The program is organized by LOY-AC, a non-profit organization that aims at developing theyouth’s talents and skills, and comes in exclusive sponsor-ship by Zain.

Zain’s exclusive sponsorship to this cultural programcomes as part of the company’s Strategic Partnership withLOYAC, which continues this year for over 15 consecutiveyears. The partnership comes in line with the company’sCorporate Sustainability Strategy, which closely focuseson enriching innovation and creativity within Kuwait’syouth, especially in regards to developing and nurturingthe skills of young girls, expanding their cultural senses,and empowering them within the community.

Zain hosted the orientation session for LOYAC’sThailand Program at the Zain Innovation Center (ZINC)in the company’s main headquarters in Shuwaikh withthe attendance of the participating girls, their parents,as well as Zain and LOYAC’s teams. During the session,the girls and their parents were briefed about the trip’sfull program, its activities, and the destinations that willbe visited. Zain’s exclusive sponsorship to this culturalprogram comes in line with its commitment to supportany entity that offers the proper educational environ-ment for the next generation as per the highest interna-tional standards. The company will spare no efforts inoffering its support to such initiatives and programs thatserve the community and contribute to the furtherprogress of the country.

The Thailand Program, organized by LOYAC, aims atoffering girls aged 14 - 18 with an opportunity to takepart in an educational and cultural trip to the Kingdom ofThailand. The trip’s program was designed to offer par-ticipants a chance to learn about Thai culture, exploreBangkok and its markets, as well as explore distant Thaivillages through volunteering. The program aims toenrich the girls’ skills, develop their personalities, as wellas offer them the chance to be confident in themselvesand work as one team. The trip features many activities,

including bamboo utensils and pot making, Thai cuisinecooking lesson, community service to renew and buildhomes of elderly and underprivileged families, and more.

The Zain Innovation Center (ZINC) is a hub for entre-preneurs and digital investments launched as a platformfor the innovations of students, youth, and entrepreneurs.ZINC encourages young minds to think and act creative-ly outside of the norm in an open, supportive environ-ment for entrepreneurs to generate new ideas and devel-op them into viable opportunities.

Last year, Zain’s support to LOYAC extended to agreat number of educational initiatives and programs thatcatered to developing the youth’s skills and talents,including the KON Social Entrepreneurship Programbrought to Kuwait in collaboration with Babson Collegein Boston, considered the most prestigious entrepreneur-ship college in the United States and the number oneinstitution in the world for entrepreneurship education.The company also offered its exclusive support toLOYAC’s Internship Program at the United Nation’sInternational Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD),as well as the LOYAC AC Milan Soccer School, and more.

During October - December 2018, Zain hosted stu-dents of the LOYAC part-time training program whoworked at the company’s various divisions, giving theman opportunity to gain experience in the private sectorwork environment. Zain also offered the students finan-cial rewards in recognition of their efforts and as anencouragement to their dedication.

Zain is proud to be one of the Strategic Partners ofLOYAC since its inception, especially that it is consideredone of the most prominent national programs that caterto the youth and offers them a healthy and empoweringenvironment to develop their skills and talents in an edu-cational, fun, and social atmosphere.

Since its inception in 2002, LOYAC has grown to bethe first choice of the youth in Kuwait when it comes toinnovative and high quality educational programs. LOY-AC runs several programs for the youth to develop theirprofessional skills, enhance their personal growth and tohelp them find their sense of purpose by extending them-selves to others.

Zain hosts LOYAC’s ThailandProgram orientation session

KUWAIT: Zain LOYAC Thailand Program participants with Zain and LOYAC teams at ZINC.

KUWAIT: The Ministry of Commerce andIndustry issued 22,904 commercial l icensesincluding 18,057 for sole proprietorship compa-nies between January 1 and end of December,2018. The ministry said, in a press release yester-day, that it had issued the permits to the sole pro-prietorship companies and 12,067 for companiespost establishment via Kuwait business center —the single counter. Moreover, the department hadreleased other types of licenses for mobile busi-nesses, 346, for small businesses and 5,178 onesfor branches of the single owner companies.

Economic hurdles In other news, Minister of State for Economic

Affairs Mariam Al-Aqeel said yesterday that Arab

nations are fully capable of dealing with anyobstacles that could impede economic growth anddevelopment. Cross-nation cooperation is theonly way forward to ensure that the Arab region’sdevelopment goals ultimately come to fruition, theminister said in a statement after she recentlypresided over pan-Arab talks on economic devel-opment. The mounting challenges facing manyArab nations, including difficulties thrust upon jobseekers, “behoove us to take all necessary meas-ures to keep economic growth steady,” sheexplained. Earlier last week, senior officials fromthe Kuwait-based Arab Planning Institute cametogether for talks focusing on what more theorganization can do to contribute to economicdevelopment in the region. — KUNA

23,000 business permits issued

InternationalNew alliance raises pressure on the BJP

Ruling ANC kick starts South African election season Page 8 Page 9

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2019

Established 1961

NIMES: A demonstrator holds a placard reading “Power to the People” as he poses with the Arena of Nimes in background during an anti-government demonstration called by the Yellow Vests “Gilets Jaunes” movement. — AFP

PARIS: Thousands of anti-government demonstratorsmarched in cities across France yesterday in a newround of “yellow vest” protests against PresidentEmmanuel Macron, accused of ignoring the plight ofmillions of people struggling to make ends meet.Officials have vowed zero tolerance for the violencethat has marred the weekly protests since they begantwo months ago, deploying some 80,000 securityforces nationwide.

In Paris, epicenter of the fiery street clashes andvandalism that have made global headlines, 5,000 riotpolice were on hand, using tall barricades and armoredvehicles to lock down the central Place de la Concordeand surrounding districts. Hundreds of officers werealso on guard on the Champs-Elysees, where banks,jewelry stores and other shops had boarded up win-dows in anticipation of renewed looting and violence.

Yet many cafes and retailers on the iconic avenueremained open for business, as several thousands ofprotesters marched calmly from the Place de la Bastilletoward the Arc de Triomphe early in the afternoon.Many sang the “Marseillaise” national anthem, while

others held signs saying “Insecurity is not a job!”At times the crowd yelled “Free Christophe!” in ref-

erence to Christophe Dettinger, the former professionalboxer arrested last week after being filmed bashing twopolice officers during the Paris demos. Police said some30 people had been detained in the capital earlier forcarrying weapons or other charges. “We’ve come toParis to make ourselves heard, and we wanted to seefor ourselves at least once what’s going on here,” saidPatrick, 37, who told AFP he had travelled from theSavoie region of western France.

‘Macron resign!’ In the well-heeled race-horsing town of Chantilly

just north of Paris, 1,000 or so protesters marchedthrough the centre before descending on the hippo-drome where they delayed the start of a race, localmedia said. And another 1,200 protesters gathered inthe central city of Bourges, where some yellow-vestorganizers were hoping to those from areas far fromthe capital.

Signs said “Macron resign!” and “France is angry,”

while local prosecutor Joel Garrigue said five peoplehad been detained after police discovered a cache ofball bearings during a search of their car. The protestsalso spilt over the border into eastern Belgium late onFriday, where one of around 25 protesters manning ablockade died after being hit by a truck, Belgianmedia reported.

Mutual mistrust Officials had warned of bigger and more violent

protests than last week, when demonstrators rammed aforklift truck through the main doors of a governmentministry in Paris. “Those who are calling to demon-strate tomorrow know there will be violence, andtherefore they are in part responsible,” InteriorMinister Christophe Castaner said in a Facebook inter-view Friday with Brut, a digital news site favored bymany yellow vests.

But many yellow vests pointed to images of a policeofficer repeatedly striking an unarmed man on theground during a protest last week in Toulon, accusingthe police of excessive use of force. The movement,

which began as protests over high fuel taxes, has snow-balled into a wholesale rejection of Macron and hispolicies, which are seen favouring the wealthy at theexpense of rural and small-town France.

Politicians inspire ‘distrust, disgust’ Macron has called for a national debate starting next

week to hear voters’ grievances, hoping to satedemands for more of a say in national law-making andtamp down the protesters’ anger. He has alreadyunveiled a 10-billion-euro ($11.5 billion) financial reliefpackage for low earners, and axed the planned fuel taxhike. But the public consultations risk being hobbled byrecord levels of distrust towards politicians and repre-sentatives of the state.

A poll by the Cevipof political sciences institutereleased Friday showed 77 percent of respondentsthought politicians inspired “distrust”, “disgust” or“boredom”. And Macron may not have done himself anyfavors on Friday, when he told a gathering at the ElyseePalace that “too many of our citizens think they can getsomething without making the necessary effort.” — AFP

‘Yellow vests’ mobilize for more protestsMacron accused of ignoring the plight of millions of people

KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysianstate announced it had a new sultanyesterday, who is expected to beelected king after the former monarchresigned following his reported mar-riage to a Russian former beautyqueen. Tengku Abdullah Shah hasreplaced his father, Sultan AhmadShah as the ruler of Pahang state, theofficial Bernama news agency said,citing a senior palace official.

Local reports said the move wasdesigned to pave the way for SultanAbdullah to be chosen as the nextking of Malaysia by the Council ofRulers, who will chose a new king onJanuary 24. Malaysia is a constitution-al monarchy with a unique arrange-ment where the national thronechanges hands every five yearsbetween rulers of the country’s ninestates. Pahang state is due to providethe next ruler.

The country was thrown intoshock Sunday when reigning king

Sultan Muhammad V resigned unex-pectedly after just two years of rule,following reports that he married anex-beauty queen in Russia inNovember during a purported two-month medical leave. The resignationwas the first for the country since itsindependence from British rule in1957. Royal officials have not com-mented on the reported wedding, orsaid what condition prompted theformer king to take the leave.

Sultan Abdullah Shah, 59, is a pop-ular figure in the sports scene and iscurrently president of the AsianHockey Federation and a councilmember of football’s world governingbody, FIFA. While their role is cere-monial, Malaysia’s royalty commandgreat respect, especially fromMalaysia’s predominantly MuslimMalays, and criticizing them is regard-ed as offensive. Portraits of the kingand queen adorn government build-ings throughout the country.— AFP

Trump blasts FBI counterintel probe WASHINGTON: President Donald Trumpblasted the FBI yesterday, insisting it acted “forno reason & with no proof” when it opened aninvestigation into whether he was acting onRussia’s behalf after he fired the agency’sdirector, James Comey, in May 2017. The NewYork Times reported that the FBI launched thepreviously undisclosed counterintelligenceinvestigation to determine whether Trumpposed a national security threat, at the sametime that it opened a criminal probe into possi-ble obstruction of justice by the president.

The FBI investigation was subsequentlyfolded into the broader probe by SpecialCounsel Robert Mueller into Russia’s meddlingin the 2016 election and possible collaborationby the Trump campaign. No evidence has pub-licly emerged that Trump was secretly in con-tact with or took direction from Russian offi-cials, the Times said.

Trump reacts “Wow, just learned in the Failing New York

Times that the corrupt former leaders of theFBI, almost all fired or forced to leave theagency for some very bad reasons, opened upan investigation on me, for no reason & withno proof, after I fired Lyin’ James Comey, atotal sleaze!” Trump tweeted. According toTrump, “the FBI was in complete turmoil ...because of Comey’s poor leadership” and the

way he handled the investigation into HillaryClinton’s use of a private server to send somegovernment emails.

“My firing of James Comey was a great dayfor America,” Trump claimed, describing theformer FBI director as “a Crooked Cop who isbeing totally protected by his best friend, BobMueller.” The Times said that the FBI had beensuspicious of Trump’s ties to Russia during the2016 campaign. But it held off on opening aninvestigation until the president sacked Comey,who refused to pledge allegiance to Trump androll back the nascent Russia investigation.

A ‘witch hunt’? Trump has repeatedly criticized the Mueller

investigation as a “witch hunt” and views it asan attempt to besmirch the legitimacy of hispresidency. His press secretary, Sarah Sanders,said in a statement yesterday that the latestcharges are “absurd,” adding, “James Comeywas fired because he’s a disgraced partisanhack... (and) President Trump has actually beentough on Russia.”

Mueller, meanwhile, has issued dozens ofindictments and steadily chalked up convictionsof some of the president’s close associates —including his former national security advisor,his former personal lawyer, and his ex-cam-paign chief. The ex-national security advisor,Michael Flynn, pleaded guilty to lying to inves-tigators about his Moscow ties.

The lawyer, Michael Cohen, has been sen-tenced to three years in prison for multiplecrimes, including felony violations of campaignfinance laws that prosecutors allege were car-

ried out under Trump’s direction. And Trump’sformer presidential campaign chair, PaulManafort, has been convicted in one casebrought by Mueller and pleaded guilty inanother, over financial crimes related to hiswork in Ukraine before the 2016 campaign, andfor witness tampering.

Cell phone records show that Cohen wasnear Prague during the summer of 2016, sup-porting claims that he met there with Russianofficials during the presidential election cam-paign, McClatchy news service has reported.Cohen, who will testify in Congress onFebruary 7, insists that he has never been toPrague, but added in a tweet: “#Mueller knowseverything!”

Manafort, meanwhile, has admitted to shar-ing polling data with a Russian during the 2016presidential race, according to a court filinginadvertently made public by his lawyers. CNNreported that the intended recipients were twopro-Russia Ukrainian oligarchs. Manafort hasdenied lying to investigators about his dealingswith the Russian, Konstantin Kilimnik, a politicalconsultant with alleged intelligence ties, claim-ing he merely forgot details during the hecticcampaign. The specifics of the Mueller allega-tions were not previously known publicly, hav-ing been blacked out in a heavily redactedDecember 7 filing by the prosecutor’s team. Butin Manafort’s response, the electronic format-ting for the redaction could easily be bypassed,revealing exactly what he was accused of lyingabout. Mueller’s grand jury investigation, mean-while, has been extended by a judge beyond itsoriginal 18-month mandate. — AFP

Malaysian state chooses new sultan, expected to be elected king

I n t e r n a t i o n a l Sunday, January 13, 2019

7Established 1961

Obama protege Julian Castro set to join 2020 raceSAN ANTONIO: Former mayor of SanAntonio, Texas and Obama-era cabinetmember Julian Castro was expected yes-terday to launch his bid to become thenation’s first Hispanic president, schedul-ing his announcement in a border statecentral to America’s immigration debate.Castro would become the most high-pro-file Democrat to date to officially enterthe 2020 race, which is expected toinclude a diverse field of candidates eagerto challenge President Donald Trump.

But the 44-year-old would be amongthe underdogs in a political showdownthat may well feature heavyweights likeformer vice president Joe Biden, US sen-ators Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sandersand Kamala Harris, and perhaps evenbillionaire businessman MichaelBloomberg. Congresswoman TulsiGabbard of Hawaii, a progressiveDemocrat, said Friday she will officiallyannounce her presidential run in thecoming days.

Castro’s strong oratory skills, experi-ence as Barack Obama’s housing secre-tary and as mayor of the nation’s seventh

largest city, not to mention his telegeniccharisma, could help propel the Texasnative into the top tier. He would alsobecome the third prominent Latino pres-idential candidate in four years, afterRepublican senators Ted Cruz andMarco Rubio fought Trump for their par-ty’s nomination in 2016.

Castro’s candidacy could also helprevive Democratic enthusiasm amongLatino voters, who supported HillaryClinton but at a lower rate than Obama.Trump made immigration a flashpoint ofthat race, and it remains among thenation’s most contentious issues. The USgovernment remains locked in a partialshutdown, soon to begin its fourth week,over Trump’s demand for $5.7 billion inborder wall funding.

A “great guy” Castro’s national profile took off in

2012 when he became the first Latino togive a keynote address at the DemocraticNational Convention. Four years later hewas a finalist to be Clinton’s runningmate. Castro, a fierce Trump critic, is athird generation American. Last year hesaid he probably would not be in theUnited States if today’s strict immigrationpolicies were in place when Castro’sgrandmother crossed the border as ayoung girl in 1922.

In his convention speech Castro high-lighted “an unlikely journey” that he has

lived, including growing up with twinbrother Joaquin, who is a US congress-man. The phrase became the title of hisnew memoir that was published lastmonth. He has kept the contents of hisannouncement secret, but he is widelyexpected to reveal his White Houseambitions. “I’ll tell you and I’ll tell theworld what I’m going to do,” he said thisweek on MSNBC.

Castro does not yet have the nationalrecognition of luminaries Biden, Sandersand Warren. Dena Grayson, aDemocratic strategist, said Castro is a“great guy” and “phenomenal publicspeaker” who has potential broad appealin states with large numbers of Hispanicvoters, like California, Texas and Florida.But standing out in a crowded field willbe “difficult,” Grayson added. —AFP

WASHINGTON DC: In this file photo taken on April 18, 2016 Secretary of Housingand Urban Development Julian Castro addresses the North American BuildingTrades Union National Legislative Conference. —AFP

CongresswomanGabbard set torun for presidentWASHINGTON: Democratic congress-woman Tulsi Gabbard, an Iraq war veteranwho met dictator Bashar Al-Assad in Syriaduring that country’s devastating civil war,said Friday that she is launching a US presi-dential bid. “I have decided to run and willbe making a formal announcement withinthe next week,” Gabbard told CNN.

If elected, the 37-year-old lawmakerwould be the youngest president in US his-tory. She is the first Hindu member ofCongress and its first Samoan American.“There are a lot of reasons for me to makethis decision. There are a lot of challengesthat are facing the American people that I’mconcerned about and that I want to helpsolve,” she said, citing health care accessand climate change among them.

Gabbard sits on the House ForeignAffairs Committee, where she is able toinfluence US foreign policy. “There is onemain issue that is central to the rest, andthat is the issue of war and peace,” Gabbardadded. “I look forward to being able to getinto this and to talk about it in depth whenwe make our announcement.” Gabbard wasborn in American Samoa and was raised inHawaii, where she is known to surf.

The previous Democratic president,Barack Obama, was also raised in Hawaii,and is the only president who was born inthe island state. Gabbard’s announcementcomes ahead of what is expected to be awave of high-profile candidates throwingtheir hats in the ring. Senator ElizabethWarren has formed an exploratory commit-tee for a presidential bid, and last weektook a high-profile trip to the early votingstate of Iowa.

Former vice president Joe Biden andprogressive Senator Bernie Sanders, whomGabbard supported over Hillary Clinton inthe 2016 Democratic primaries, are alsomulling entering the race. —AFP

PHILADELPHIA: In this file photo US Representative Tulsi Gabbard speaks duringDay 2 of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center. —AFP

Kidnapped US teenfound alive months after parents’ murderGORDON: A 21-year-old man has been charged withmurdering the parents of an American teen as part of acalculated plot to kidnap her, police said Friday, after 13-year-old Jayme Closs was found alive following threemonths in captivity. The subject of a nationwide searchsince her parents were found murdered in their home inrural Wisconsin in October, Closs made a seeminglymiraculous escape Thursday afternoon, seeking helpfrom a neighbor who alerted authorities.

Minutes later, police arrested the man she identifiedas her captor, Jake Thomas Patterson, and have chargedhim with abducting Closs and fatally shooting her par-ents. “Jayme was taken against her will and escapedfrom the residence in which she was being held andfound help,” Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald toldreporters. The teen was said to be in good health andwas to be reunited with her extended family late Friday.She was cleared to leave the hospital and has been talk-ing to investigators. “She is doing as well as circum-stances will allow,” Fitzgerald said. Patterson, who hadno previous criminal record in Wisconsin, is accused ofcarefully planning his attack — specifically targeting theyoung teen for reasons that remained unclear. He was toappear in court Monday.

Crying teen sought neighbor’s help Closs was being held in a rural home approximately

75 miles north of her home in Barron, Wisconsin. Sheescaped and ran to a vacation cabin where JeanneNutter was just returning from walking her dog ataround 4:30 pm Thursday. “She said she was lost, shedidn’t know where she was,” Nutter told AFP. “I didn’tknow the situation until she got near me, and then shetold me her name, and I knew who she was because I’dseen her picture everywhere.”

The 66-year-old took the teen to a neighbor’s home,where they called police. Nutter said Closs appearedtraumatized but in good physical condition, wearing anoversized sweatshirt and large shoes that were clearlynot her own. “She was crying when I first met her, butonce I grabbed hold of her and held her as she walked,then she was calm,” she said.

Trail had gone cold Detectives have not yet established what had hap-

pened to the teen over the last three months, the motivefor the kidnapping, or how she escaped. Patterson wasthe authorities’ only suspect, described as unemployedand a long-time resident of rural Gordon. He was arrest-ed Thursday without resistance while driving in his car.Police believe he had been searching for Jayme.

The sheriff said they found a number of weapons athis home, including a shotgun that resembled the oneused to shoot open the Closs’s front door in the middleof the night on October 15 and kill Jayme’s parentsJames Closs, 56, and Denise Closs, 46. A nationwidesearch for Jayme had left law enforcement frustratedwith few clues and a trail that had gone cold.

“The suspect had specific intentions to kidnap Jaymeand went to great lengths to prepare to take her,” thesheriff said, such as shaving his head to avoid leavingtraces of identifying evidence behind. There were noimmediate links that explained how or why Pattersonallegedly targeted Jayme Closs. While the young manworked at the same meat processing plant as Jayme’sparents nearly three years ago, he did so for only oneday and police said there is no evidence that there wasany contact between them. “At this time, nothing in thiscase shows the suspect knew anyone at the Closs homeor at any time had contact with anyone in the Closs fam-ily,” Fitzgerald said. —AFP

OTTAWA: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau onFriday accused China of ignoring a former Canadianenvoy’s “diplomatic immunity” when it detained him lastmonth along with a compatriot. Michael Kovrig wasarrested on December 10 in China, after taking a leavefrom his diplomatic posting to work for theInternational Crisis Group (ICG) think tank.

China detained former diplomat Michael Kovrig andbusinessman Michael Spavor last month, accusing themboth of activities that “endanger China’s security”-aphrase often used by Beijing when alleging espionage.Their detentions are thought to be in retaliation forCanada’s arrest on a US request of Huawei vice presi-dent Meng Wanzhou, who is accused of violating Iransanctions.

“It is unfortunate that China has arbitrarily andunfairly detained two Canadian citizens, and indeed inone of the cases is not respecting diplomatic immunity,”said Trudeau. “This is something that we are engagedright now both with Chinese officials and with our part-ners around the world where there is a concern for theneed for all countries to do like Canada and to respectthe rule of law and the independence of our judicialprocesses.”

It was the first public comment on Kovrig’s status.Officials previously said he was on an unpaid leavefrom his Canadian government job. According to theVienna Convention, persons carrying a diplomaticpassport enjoy immunity when they are abroad.Trudeau’s statement therefore suggests that Kovrigcarried such a passport while on sabbatical, which ispossible if authorized by Canada’s foreign ministry.

Ottawa has called-backed by Australia, Britain,France, Germany, the European Union and the UnitedStates-for the Canadians’ immediate release. OnThurday, the Netherlands, Latvia, Lithuania, andEstonia also added their voices of support for Canada.China’s Ambassador to Canada Lu Shaye, in a letter toa Canadian newspaper on Wednesday, accused Ottawa

and its allies of applying a “double standard” in criticiz-ing the detentions of Kovrig and Spavor while defend-ing Meng’s arrest, attributing this to “Western egotismand white supremacy.”

Voting rights In other news, Canada’s top court on Friday con-

firmed the voting rights of expatriates by ruling that alaw-already repealed last month-wrongly denied thoseliving abroad for five years or more a chance to cast aballot. In a 5-2 decision, the Supreme Court said theregulation infringed on Canadian expats’ constitutionalright to vote, which Chief Justice Richard Wagnercalled a “fundamental political right” and “a core tenetof our democracy.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal governmenthad already reformed the elections act, doing away withthe five-year provision last month. But the ruling wasstill widely viewed as important in that it would preventfuture governments from bringing back the restrictions.The impugned sections of the act had been on thebooks since 1993 but had only been used during theprevious Tory government’s decade in office, to 2015.

The law was challenged by two Canadians living inthe United States. They both tried to vote in the 2011election but were rebuffed due to the residencyrequirement. Over the past century, Canada hasexpanded the right to vote, originally restricted toproperty-owning men aged 21 or older, to women,racial minorities, persons once described as sufferingfrom a “mental disease,” prison inmates and soldiersand diplomatic staff posted abroad. Residence, thecourt noted, was one of the last restrictions on the rightto vote in Canadian federal elections.

The majority of the court said the government failedto justify the measure, and called it overly broad.“While it seeks to bar people from voting who lack asufficient connection to Canada, no correlation hasbeen shown between, on the one hand, how long a

Canadian citizen has lived abroad and, on the otherhand, the extent of his or her subjective commitment toCanada,” said the ruling. “Many non-resident citizensmaintain deep and abiding connections to Canadathrough family, online media and visits home, and bycontributing taxes and collecting social benefits,” thejustices noted.

In a dissenting opinion, Justices Suzanne Cote andRussell Brown called the five-year rule “a reasonable

limit” on voting rights. “Opening the vote to long-termnon-residents... would be a regressive development,undermining the longstanding and entirely salutarypractice in Westminster parliamentary democracies ofprivileging local connections in deciding who may electlocal representatives,” they wrote. According to thegovernment, an estimated three million Canadians ornine percent of the population live abroad. Expatriatevoting has historically been low. —AFP

Canada’s top court confirms expats’ voting rights

Trudeau: China ignored diplomatic immunity in detaining Canadian

LA MALBAIE, CANADA: Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hold a meeting on the sidelinesof the G7 Summit in La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and US PresidentDonald Trump denounced China’s “arbitrary detention” of two Canadians during a telephone call. —AFP

Iowa congressman under fire for racismWASHINGTON: The lone black Republican in the USSenate launched a blistering attack Friday on a fellowRepublican congressman who has been accused of makingracist comments. “Some in our party wonder why Republicansare constantly accused of racism — it is because of oursilence when things like this are said,” Senator Tim Scott saidof the remarks by Representative Steve King of Iowa.

King, in an interview with The New York Times this week,asked how the terms “white nationalist” and “white suprema-

cist” had become offensive to Americans. “White nationalist,white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that lan-guage become offensive?” King said. “Why did I sit in classesteaching me about the merits of our history and our civiliza-tion?” Scott responded to King’s remarks with a column inThe Washington Post, and they were also denounced by sev-eral other members of the Republican Party. “Anyone whoneeds ‘white nationalist’ or ‘white supremacist’ defined,described and defended does lack some pretty commonknowledge,” said the senator from South Carolina.

“White nationalists and white supremacists have strewn(havoc) across our nation for hundreds of years,” he said.“When people with opinions similar to King’s open theirmouths, they damage not only the Republican Party andthe conservative brand but also our nation as a whole,”

Scott said. Kevin McCarthy, leader of the Republicanminority in the House of Representatives, also condemnedKing’s comments.

“Everything about white supremacy and white nationalismgoes against who we are as a nation,” McCarthy said. “Steve’slanguage is reckless, wrong, and has no place in our society.”King insisted to the Times that he was not racist and pointedout pictures on Twitter of him meeting people of various reli-gions and races. “I want to make one thing abundantly clear; Ireject those labels and the evil ideology that they define,”King added in a statement. King described himself — “like theFounding Fathers” — as an advocate for Western values and“simply a nationalist.” King is known for espousing hard-lineviews on immigration and has long backed building a wallalong the southern border with Mexico. —AFP

Sunday, January 13, 2019

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

12 civilians killed in jihadist attack in Burkina FasoOUAGADOUGOU: Twelve civilians were killed onThursday during a jihadist attack in the north ofBurkina Faso, which has been battling a wave ofIslamist violence, officials said Friday. The west Africancountry declared a state of emergency in severalprovinces at the end of last year and on Thursdayreplaced its army chief as it struggled to put a stop toa spate of such attacks.

In the latest violence, gunmen attacked a villagemarket in broad daylight, the security ministry said ina statement issued late Friday. “Around 30 armed indi-viduals perpetrated... a terrorist attack in the village ofGasseliki,” it said, giving a toll of 12 dead and twowounded. “A barn, a cart and six shops were also setalight,” it added. A local source told AFP that theattackers “ransacked stores and opened fire on peoplewho had gathered for the weekly market”.

Jihadist attacks began in northern Burkina Faso in2015 but then spread to the east, near the border withTogo and Benin. The country is part of the vast Sahelregion and one of the poorest states in the world. Theregion turned into a hotbed of violent extremism andlawlessness after chaos engulfed Libya in 2011, whichwas followed by an Islamist insurgency in northernMali and the rise of Boko Haram in northern Nigeria.

Most attacks in Burkina Faso itself have beenattributed to the jihadist group Ansarul Islam, whichemerged near the Mali border in December 2016, andto the JNIM (the Group to Support Islam andMuslims), which has sworn allegiance to Al-Qaeda inthe Islamic Maghreb. Ansarul Islam emerged as vio-lence spilled over from Mali, where radical Islamistsseized key Sahara towns in 2012 before being oustedby French troops. Smaller groups are also active, withthe overall number of fighters estimated to be in thehundreds, according to security sources. —AFP

DURBAN: South African President Cyril Ramaphosaunveils the ANC’s election manifesto yesterday withpledges to transform the economy and fight corruptionas the ruling party tries to woo voters. Ramaphosa isset to release details of the manifesto before tens ofthousands of supporters in the eastern city of Durban,marking the start of four months of hectic campaigning.

The African National Congress (ANC), which hasruled since the end of apartheid 25 years ago, is tippedto win the election in May despite faltering support,internal divisions and a sluggish economy. The party ofNelson Mandela suffered a slump in popularity underthe scandal-ridden presidency of Jacob Zuma, who wasousted last February after nine years at the helm. But arecent IPSOS survey predicted the ANC could garneras much as 61 percent in the national and provincialelections.

At the legislative level, that would put it on a parwith its performance in 2014, when it picked up 62 per-cent. In South Africa’s parliament, the party which holdsa majority of seats also selects the president. The fore-cast upswing is pinned on the appointment of moderatepro-business reformer Ramaphosa as president afterANC lawmakers forced Zuma to resign as corruptionscandals piled up.

In an address earlier this week marking 107 yearssince the party was founded, Ramaphosa admitted thatin “recent times, our movement has fallen short of ourpeople’s expectations”. And at a dinner on Friday nighthe said some South Africans “tell harrowing storiesabout what has not changed” since the end of apartheidin 1994. “Our manifesto is a coherent and bold plan fora better life for all, addressing the persistent realities ofunemployment, poverty and inequality,” he said.

The ANC now has a clear plan to boost the econo-my, create jobs and reduce inequality, he said. “We willstep up the fight against corruption throughout societyand safeguard the integrity of the state”. Tens of thou-

sands of party activists dressed mostly in yellow partycolours converged at the 85,000-seater soccer stadi-um in the coastal city of Durban for the launch of themanifesto where they danced to music.

In a noisy and colorful display, dozens of motorbikeriders flying ANC flags, circled the pitch - revving uptheir bikes to chants and applause from supporters onthe terraces. In a bruising internal party battle,Ramaphosa won a power struggle to succeed Zuma,whose favored candidate was Zuma’s former wife.Senior party officials have this week fanned out acrossthe surrounding Kwa-Zulu Natal province, spreadingthe message of a revived and unified party.

Party revival? “We are confident that this manifesto will lead to the

renewal of the mandate of the ANC to govern,” ANCSecretary General Ace Magashule told reporters. “Theunity is there. It is visible.” Launching its election mani-festo in heavily-populated KwaZulu-Natal — Zuma’shome province and former stronghold — is a strategicchoice after last year’s divisions. Ramaphosa has pub-licly tried to mend ties, sitting next to Zuma and prais-ing him at party events.

In policy terms, the manifesto is set to underline theANC’s commitment to land reform to tackle racialinequality — setting the stage for one of the election’sfiercest battlegrounds. One of Ramaphosa’s flagshippledges is to change the constitution to allow land to betaken from minority white owners without compensa-tion — a plan aimed at attracting landless black votersbut that has alarmed many foreign investors.

The South African economy is forecast to havegrown just 0.7 percent last year, with unemploymentremaining at record highs of over 27 percent. The ANCwill face the main opposition Democratic Alliance andthe radical leftist Economic Freedom Fighters party inthe election. Both parties hope to make gains due to the

ANC’s poor recent record and discontent over starkpost-apartheid inequality. But they have struggled todent the ruling party since Zuma’s fall.

Unemployed mother of six, Marriam Xobololo, 53,from the rural area of eNgcobo in the Eastern Capeprovince has voted for the ANC since 1994. “Whenyou join the ANC, it’s like when you accept Christ inyour heart. The ANC is just like Christ in my heart,” she

said as she waited for Ramaphosa to speak. “I will for-ever vote for ANC, and I will die and perish voting forthe ANC. We are nothing without ANC”. LungileNogabe, a businessman who drove to Durban from thecentral city of Bloemfontein, said: “We lost support asour members were disappointed, especially by corrup-tion. Now that we have a new president, you will seewonders.” —AFP

‘Our movement has fallen short of our people’s expectations’

Ruling ANC kick starts South African election season with slew of pledges

DURBAN: African National Congress (ANC) Secretary General Ace Magashule, Deputy Secretary JessieDuarte, former President Jacob Zuma, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Deputy PresidentDavid Mabuza and Treasurer General Paul Mashatile toast during the African National Congress’ (ANC)107th anniversary celebrations at the Moses Mabhida Stadium. —AFP

Pro-Kabilacamp wins DRClegislative poll KINSHASA: Parties supporting outgoingDemocratic Republic of Congo presidentJoseph Kabila won a majority in long-delayed legislative elections, accordingto an AFP tally of results released yes-terday, as the opposition sought arecount of the disputed presidential poll.

Pro-Kabila parties had passed the250-seat threshold required to secure amajority in the 500-seat national assem-bly, according to collated results from theIndependent National ElectionCommission (CENI). More than 15,000candidates were running in the poll,which determines who will control parlia-ment for the next five years. Pro-Kabilacandidates had secured 288 of the 429seats so far declared, with 141 going tothe opposition.

The huge central African country,which straddles an area the size of west-ern Europe, has been in the grip of a two-year political crisis triggered by Kabila’srefusal to step down when his two-termconstitutional limit expired at the end of2016. A presidential election to choose asuccessor was delayed three times beforefinally taking place on December 30, thesame day as the legislative poll. The poll’srunner-up Martin Fayulu, an oppositioncandidate tipped by pollsters as the likelywinner of the vote, told supporters onFriday he would demand a recount.

He said he would challenge CorneilleNangaa, head of the election commission“to produce the tally reports from pollingstations in front of witnesses” andCongolese and international observers.

Provisional results released on Thursdaygave Felix Tshisekedi, a rival oppositioncandidate, 38.57 percent of the vote, justahead of Fayulu with 34.8 percent.Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, the candi-date backed by Kabila, came a distantthird with 23.8 percent.

The declared result was a surprise tomany observers of the mineral-rich butpoverty-stricken country, which has suf-fered two major wars in the past 22years, as well as bloodshed in electionsin 2006 and 2011 that saw Kabilareturned to office. Pre-election opinionpolls had flagged Fayulu as clear favoritewhile Kabila critics predicted an out-come rigged in favor of Shadary. Thepowerful Roman Catholic church bluntlysaid CENI’s provisional result “does notcorrespond” with data that its 40,000election monitors had collected atpolling stations.

Fayulu’s bloc on Friday said he was thetrue victor, claiming he had garnered 61percent of the vote. Candidates have 48hours after the result to file any appeal,and the Constitutional Court has a week inwhich to deliberate. “We don’t expect theelection to be annulled, but (a decision infavour of) a recount,” Fayulu said.

Unstable giant Polling day had unfolded relatively

peacefully, but suspicions over the counthave deepened. The turmoil has darkenedhopes that the country will have its firstpeaceful handover of power since itgained independence in 1960.International reactions to the results havebeen guarded. Most leaders issued state-ments calling for any disputes to beresolved peacefully, but notably lackingany congratulations for Tshisekedi.

Competing appeals in the dispute werepitched to the UN Security Council onFriday. CENI chief Nangaa, speaking by

video conference, pleaded for “the newauthorities to be supported by the inter-national community”. Bishop MarcelUtembi, head of the Catholic church’sconference of bishops, urged the SecurityCouncil to ask CENI to release therecords of vote-counting at polling sta-tions to allow for verification.

Tshisekedi-Kabila deal? Analysts said they believed Kabila, 47,

had sought to avoid the expected back-lash and international condemnation thatwould have followed had Shadary — thecandidate he publicly supported — beendeclared winner. According to this sce-nario, he therefore struck a deal withTshisekedi, head of the country’s oldestand biggest opposition party.

Some commentators suggested Kabilawould have sought immunity from prose-cution for his iron-fisted 18-year rule, and

protection from assets seizure in returnfor offering his support. Thursday’s pre-dawn announcement brought thousandsof Tshisekedi supporters onto the streetsin celebration, while others who hadbacked Fayulu came out to protest. Theauthorities late Friday imposed an 8pm-5am curfew in Kikwit, a Fayulu strong-hold in the west of the country, city mayorLeonard Mutangu told AFP.

Five civilians were killed there onThursday in a police operation to curbpost-election violence, said NationalPolice spokesman Colonel Pierrot-Rombaut Mwanamputu. Seventeenpolice were injured, he said, denying ear-lier reports of police fatalities. A relaystation of the national radio and televi-sion broadcaster, RTNC, was also ran-sacked, he added. In the eastern city ofGoma, at least one person was killed,officials said. —AFP

KINSHASA: Police stand in front of supporters of Democratic Republic of Congoopposition leader and presidential candidate Martin Fayulu as they take part ina protest to contest presidential election results. —AFP

Venezuela legislature calls for protest tooust MaduroCARACAS: Venezuela’s sidelined opposi-tion-controlled legislature is calling for amass protest against President NicolasMaduro in a bid to oust the socialist leaderin favor of “a transitional government.”Maduro, 56, was sworn in for a secondterm on Thursday, having won a controver-sial election in May that was boycotted bythe opposition and branded a fraud by theUnited States, European Union andOrganization of American States.

The president of the National Assembly,Juan Guaido, said Friday that the constitu-tion gives the legislature the right to assumetransitional power after declaring Maduro a“usurper,” but said it would need militarybacking and for people to take to the streetsto demand change. “Is it enough to lean onthe constitution in a dictatorship? No. Itneeds to be the people, the military and theinternational community that lead us to take

over,” said the 35 year-old Guaido, speakingto a crowd of around 1,000 opposition sup-porters in Caracas. In response, prisons min-ister Iris Varela threatened Guaido onTwitter, saying she had a cell ready for him— as Maduro dismissed the opposition as“little boys.” “I hope you quickly name yourcabinet to know who is going to accompanyyou,” Varela said.

Foreign support for Guaido But Guaido’s announcement was wel-

comed outside of Venezuela. US NationalSecurity Advisor John Bolton said theadministration of President Donald Trump“resolutely supports the VenezuelanNational Assembly, the only legitimatebranch of government duly elected by theVenezuelan people,” and especially sup-ports “the courageous decision” by Guaidoto “declare that Maduro does not legiti-mately hold the country’s presidency.”

In Washington, OAS Secretary GeneralLuis Almagro recognized Guaido as headof state, as the person at the top ofVenezuela’s only legitimate governingbody. “We welcome the assumption of@jguaido as interim President ofVenezuela,” Almagro tweeted. Brazil’s far-right government welcomed Guaido’sreadiness to “constitutionally assume theVenezuelan presidency.”

Guaido called for a mass protest onJanuary 23 — the day in 1958 on which themilitary dictatorship of Marcos PerezJimenez fell. The National Assembly hasdismissed Maduro’s election as illegitimate,but the body has been sidelined by thepresident’s power grab. Having lost control

of the legislature in 2016, Maduro last yearcreated a rival Constituent Assembly filledwith loyalists. And all decisions taken bythe National Assembly are considered nulland void by Venezuela’s Supreme Court,the pro-government Supreme JusticeTribunal. —AFP

CARACAS: View of a flag with a design against Venezuelan President NicolasMaduro during an extraordinary open meeting of Venezuela’s opposition-ledNational Assembly, in front of the UNDP headquarter. —AFP

Many feared dead after petrol tanker blast in NigeriaWARRI: Nigerian police yesterday said many people werefeared dead after a petrol tanker veered off the road, caughtfire and exploded as people tried to recover fuel. The vehiclecrashed in the Odukpani area of the southeastern state ofCross River, just north of the state capital, Calabar, at about5pm (1600 GMT) on Friday. Local residents rushed to col-lect the leaking fuel when it caught fire, triggering the blast.

Cross River state police spokeswoman Irene Ugbo saidthe blast could have been sparked by the clashing of steelcontainers used to scoop up the petrol. “I can’t confirm theexact number of casualties,” she said, adding: “The casual-ties are high.” The injured were taken to the University ofCalabar Teaching Hospital for treatment to varyingdegrees of burns. One local resident, Akpan Imon, said atleast 18 people were killed. “I counted 18 bodies includingwomen and children burnt beyond recognition,” he said.

“I believe the casualty level could be more becausepeople from other neighboring communities had throngedthe scene.” Another local, Sunday Ibor, said “over 20 bod-ies” were taken to the local government secretariat. Petroltanker and pipeline blasts are common in Nigeria, wheredespite the country’s multi-billion-dollar oil and gas indus-try, most people live in poverty. Fires and explosions oftenoccur as people try to siphon fuel from pipelines and alsofollowing accidents involving fuel tankers on badly main-tained road. —AFP

I n t e r n a t i o n a l Sunday, January 13, 2019

9

Myanmar Reuters journalists lose appeal against 7-year jail sentence

Judge says the original verdict was a ‘reasonable decision’YANGON: Two Reuters journalists jailed for seven yearswhile investigating atrocities committed against theRohingya in Myanmar had their appeal dismissed Friday,dismaying colleagues and tearful family members who hadheld slim hopes they would walk free. Reporters Wa Lone,32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, were arrested in Yangon inDecember 2017 and later jailed for violating the statesecrets act, a charge Reuters said was trumped up to muz-zle their reporting.

Prosecutors say the two had classified informationregarding security operations in Rakhine state, from wherehundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims fled during anarmy-led crackdown the United Nations has described as“ethnic cleansing”. Aung Naing, a judge at the YangonRegional High Court, said the original verdict was a “rea-sonable decision” delivered in line with the law. “The courtdecides to dismiss the appeal,” he said.

The reporters’ wives cried after the decision, whichcondemns the pair to continue their incarceration atYangon’s notorious Insein prison, where they have beenheld for the last 13 months. “I feel really sad that what wehoped for did not happen,” a stone-faced Chit Su Win,who is married to Kyaw Soe Oo, told reporters outside thecourt. Wa Lone’s wife Pan Ei Mon — who has given birthto a baby girl since her husband was put behind bars —was similarly despondent. “I don’t want to talk about thedecision today as it is not good news,” she said.

Presidential pardon? The two men — who were not present for the decision

— have insisted they were victims of a police set-up,pointing to testimony from a serving officer who said asuperior ordered others to entrap them. At the time of thearrest they were probing the extrajudicial killing of 10Rohingya at Inn Din village in northern Rakhine state.

“They remain behind bars for one reason: those in pow-er sought to silence the truth,” Reuters editor-in-chief

Stephen J Adler said in a statement Friday. The original tri-al was widely regarded as a sham and seen as punishmentfor their investigation and a warning shot to other media.Outside the country, the two men have been hailed asmedia freedom heroes and jointly named Time magazine’sPerson of the Year 2018, alongside other high-profile jour-nalists. But they have gained little sympathy withinMyanmar.

The violent military campaign in 2017 forced more than720,000 Rohingya across the border to Bangladesh, withrefugees bringing accounts of murder, rape and arson. UNinvestigators have called for top generals to be investigat-ed for genocide and singled out de facto civilian leaderAung San Suu Kyi for criticism for failing to condemn theoperations. The image of the formerly renowned championof human rights has been further damaged by the Reutersconviction.

In her most comprehensive comments on their case inSeptember, Suu Kyi denied the pair had been jailed“because they were journalists” and endorsed the courtdecision that “they had broken the Official Secrets Act”.Options are dwindling for the two young men. The legalteam can lodge an appeal with Myanmar’s Supreme Courtbut some see a presidential pardon as another way out,even though the president Win Myint is a Suu Kyi loyalist.

International condemnation The United States said it was “deeply disappointed”

by the verdict and pledged to press the journalists’ case.“A free and independent press should be protected inany democracy. Today’s ruling casts doubt not only onfreedom of expression in Burma, but also raises questionsabout Burma’s commitment to the rule of law,” StateDepartment spokesman Robert Palladino said, usingMyanmar’s former name.

Reacting outside the court, European Union ambassa-dor to Myanmar Kristian Schmidt said he looked to the

president to “correct the injustice”. Speaking on the BBC,UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt urged Suu Kyi “to lookat whether that due process” was followed in the case,calling on the fallen rights icon to take “a personal interest

in the future of these two brave journalists.” Myanmar’sarmy gets 25 percent of parliamentary seats unelectedunder a constitution it wrote and runs all defense affairswithout input from the civilian government. — AFP

Thai securityforces kill two linked to school shootingBANGKOK: Two insurgents believed to be tiedto a motorcycle drive-by shooting at a school inThailand’s south were shot dead yesterday,police said, as UNICEF warned of trauma forchildren near the scene of the lunchtime vio-lence. Since 2004 clashes between Malay-Muslim rebels and the Buddhist-majority Thaistate that annexed the area over 100 years agohave killed nearly 7,000 people, mostly civiliansof both faiths.

The conflict rarely makes global headlinesbut is a reality for residents of border provinceswhere security forces maintain a large footprint,aided by poorly paid defense “volunteers”drawn from local communities. The four menkilled in Thursday’s shooting were all Muslimsand were guarding a school in Pattani provincewhen the attackers struck just before lunchtimewith students mere meters away.

Pattani provincial police commander PiyawatChalermsri told AFP yesterday that two peoplewith alleged ties to the school violence werekilled in a shootout yesterday morning. Thoughhe did not give information about their identitiesor affiliation, he said he was “confident that they

are the same group who carried out the attackThursday” by driving by on motorbikes.Authorities have also detained one suspect andare questioning five others, while a militarysource said an eight-year-old had been grazedby a bullet but not seriously injured.

UNICEF Thailand representative ThomasDavin said Friday that one child at the Bukohschool attack was reportedly injured by debrisand some who may have witnessed the attackcould face long term psychological trauma.“This attack has undoubtedly put the schoolchildren, the teachers and school personnel inharm’s way. It has put children at grave risk ofinjury or death,” he said. “Such violence couldalso affect parents’ willingness to send theirchildren to school — potentially to the detri-ment of many children’s learning and futuredevelopment.”

The 15-year insurgency has seen scores ofteachers killed, slain for their perceived collabo-ration with the Thai state, which led to the useof armed guards at schools.

The death toll in the conflict dropped to arecord low last year as Thailand’s junta tight-ened its security operations. But recent weekshave seen an uptick in violence, as rebels showthey remain able to carry out more pinpointedoperations.

In a rare statement dated January 4 the mainrebel group — the Barisan Revolusi Nasional(BRN) — swore to “keep fighting” while warn-ing people not to help or support the state. ButThai authorities as well as the Malaysian facili-tator of the talks have recently expressed confi-dence they will make progress soon. — AFP

New alliance raises pressure on the BJPLUCKNOW: Two regional parties thatwere former bitter rivals announced anunlikely alliance yesterday to fight IndianPrime Minister Narendra Modi’s rulingHindu nationalist party in a looming gener-al election. The Samajwadi Party (SP) andthe Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) — keyplayers in the northern state of UttarPradesh — said they would set aside theirdifferences to jointly fight Modi in thebedrock state.

The two central-left parties have wide-spread support among lower castes andpoor voters across the state — India’smost populous, with 220 million people.Uttar Pradesh is a bellwether of nationalpolitics, accounting for 80 of the 552 mem-bers of parliament in New Delhi. An elec-tion is expected to be held in April andMay and one recent poll indicated Modi’sBharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may fall shortof a majority.

Akhilesh Yadav, the Samajwadi Partyhead, said the alliance would counter the“divisive politics” of the BJP, which won alandslide victory in 2014. “The BJP isdividing the country, it is stoking fear andhatred among communities,” Yadav told anews conference sat alongside Mayawati,a popular low-caste leader who heads the

BSP. The parties, which will contest 38seats each out of the state’s 80, left themain opposition Congress party out ofthe alliance.

The two have been fierce rivals inrecent years. They teamed up in 1993 andformed the Uttar Pradesh state governmentbut relations soured after Mayawati saidshe was assaulted by Samajwadi Partyactivists in 1995. Modi’s BJP suffered a rarereverse when it lost three key state elec-tions to Congress last month, amid discon-tent over unemployment and economic

inequality. A BJP spokesman played downthe importance of the alliance.

“We are confident. Even if all the partiescome together, we will still win,” SudhanshuTrivedi told reporters in Delhi where theBJP is holding a key convention. Modi ral-lied 10,000 party workers at the conven-tion, dismissing critics who say his policiesharm the poor. “During our time there hasnot been a single corruption allegationagainst us,” he said “We believe in treatingeveryone equally and taking the country onthe path of development.” — AFP

YANGON: This file photo taken on September 03, 2018 shows Myanmar journalist Wa Lone (C) is escorted bypolice after being sentenced by a court to jail. — AFP

LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav (R) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)leader Mayawati take part in a press conference to announce their political alliance. — AFP

Sunday, January 13, 2019

10A n a l y s i s

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Washington Watch

Republicans play‘Israel Card’ and failBy Dr James J Zogby

As this past week began, with the shutdown ofparts of the US government entering its thirdweek, Republicans, desperate to force the

Democrat’s hand, decided to play the “Israel card.”The effort failed. The standoff between the WhiteHouse and the Democrats that caused the shutdown isthe result of President Trump’s insistence that any newcongressionally approved budgets for this year mustinclude over $5 billion to cover the cost of the “wall”he has promised to build on the US border withMexico. This is the third such standoff over this verysame issue in Trump’s two years in office.

Exactly one year ago, Democrats offered theAdministration a compromise in the form of trade-offs.They agree to support wall-funding in exchange forWhite House concessions on the status of undocu-mented minors. At first Trump agreed, but after blow-back from hardline conservatives, he backed awayfrom the compromise and upped the ante by insultingimmigrants from African countries and calling for anend to “family unification” visas.

Now, with Democrats in control of Congress, thePresident and the Republicans in Congress have hard-ened their stance, in effect saying, “no wall, no budg-et”. Recognizing that their position is increasinglyuntenable, since a majority of the public don’t wantor see any need for a wall, they have tried a two-pronged approach. On the one hand, CongressionalRepublicans have attempted to shift the discussionfrom a “wall” to the more general need for more bor-der security. For his part, Trump and his White Housespokespersons, while continuing to insist on a wall,have tried to use fear tactics warning of thousandsof terrorists and drugs “flowing unimpeded acrossthe border.”

Into the second week of the standoff, following theswearing-in of the new Congress, Democrats declaredthat the first priority of this Congress should be pass-ing the budget and reopening the government. As theirfirst act, the House of Representatives passed a com-promise budget bill that the Republican Senate hadendorsed just one month ago. That bill didn’t pass theRepublican-controlled House and so never went anyfurther. After passing this budget bill , the newDemocratic-controlled House sent it to the Senate forapproval. Because Trump now doesn’t approve of thiscompromise, the Republican leader of the Senaterefuses to bring this bill, which just weeks ago he hadsupported, to a vote. Until he does, Democrats in theSenate have said that they feel it inappropriate to con-duct any other Senate business.

It was at this point, Republican Senator MarioRubio, with the blessing of the Senate MajorityLeader, tried to “pull a fast one” on the Democrats byintroducing Senate Bill 1 (SB1) “StrengtheningAmerica’s Security in the Middle East.” SB1 has fourparts. The first is a wide ranging and significantupgrade of US security assistance to Israel. Next is areauthorization of US-Jordan defense cooperation.Then comes a number of provisions that deal withsanctions against Syria and assistance to Syrian peo-ple. The final portion of the bill is called the“Combating BDS Act of 2019” - an effort to supportstate and local governments that criminalize or punishthose who engage in boycotts, divestment, or sanc-tions against “Israel or areas under Israeli control.”

Despite disclaimers that SB1 doesn’t predetermineIsrael’s borders or violate US citizen’s Constitutionallyprotected rights, it actually does both. By including“areas under Israel’s control” for “protection” againstBDS, the bill clearly accepts Israel’s occupation ofmuch of the West Bank. And by its very nature, SB1 isa violation of US citizen’s rights to engage in freespeech and freedom of choice - which is why the billhas been opposed by the American Civil LibertiesUnion and a host of liberal and conservative rightsorganizations. It was precisely because of the concernwith the violation of free speech that this anti-BDS billhas not passed in earlier congresses.

By putting these anti-BDS provisions in the bill andincluding another Israel-related related section,Republicans hoped to accomplish two objectives:break the resolve of the Democrats who object to con-ducting “business as usual” until a budget is passedand use “support for Israel” as a wedge issue to try topeel American Jewish support away from theDemocratic party. As clever as they thought their crassexploitation of Israel may have been, it didn’t work.

The first Democrat to publicly object to Rubio’s ploywas Senator Bernie Sanders who tweeted: “It’s absurdthat the first bill during the shutdown is legislation whichpunishes Americans who exercise their constitutionalright to engage in political activity. Democrats mustblock consideration of any bills that don’t reopen thegovernment. Let’s get our priorities right.” In response,newly sworn-in Representative Rashida Tlaib tweeted:“They forgot what country they represent. This is the USwhere boycotting is a right & part of our historical fightfor freedom and equality. Maybe a refresher on our USConstitution is in order, then get back to opening up ourgovernment instead of taking our rights away.” Rubioand a host of American Jewish groups and advocatesjumped on this bizarrely charging that Tlaib was sug-gesting that Jews have “dual-loyalty.”

NOTE: Dr James J Zogby is the President of theArab American Institute

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s much-marketedspeech in Cairo was rich in straw man fallacies whileshort on substantive specifics, a speech bursting with

contradictions that reminded me just how hard it must beto speak for a president who has, at best, an incoherentforeign policy. Pompeo’s speech appeared to have threeintended audiences, none of which was actually present inthe American University in Cairo auditorium: The OvalOffice; the Saudi royal court; and President Trump’s politi-cal base, which hungers for ABO (“Anything but Obama”),however inaccurate.

The strange revisionism of Pompeo’s Cairo speech washard to miss. He began by excoriating Barack Obama forwords the former president never spoke. Referring toObama’s 2009 Cairo speech, Pompeo said that Obama hadtold Egypt that “radical Islamist terrorism does not stemfrom an ideology” and that “9/11 led my country to aban-don its ideals”. Pompeo argued that Obama was guilty ofseeing the United States “as a force for what ails theMiddle East,” and that “the results of these misjudgmentshave been dire.”

Of course, Obama never said any of that. As his presi-dency began, in a Middle East still roiled by the Americaninvasion of Iraq - a blunder opposed by most of the Arabworld - Obama defended the United States: “America isnot the crude stereotype of a self-interested empire. TheUnited States has been one of the greatest sources ofprogress that the world has ever known.” He did make itclear that “I have unequivocally prohibited the use of tor-ture by the United States,” and for good reason:

President George W Bush’s own administration hadcome to believe that Guantanamo and the fallout of theAbu Ghraib torture scandal had badly damaged America’simage, aided terrorist recruitment, and made it harder forthe United States to bring Arab allies to its side. Obamanever said that radical terrorism was devoid of ideology; infact, like his predecessor, he argued that “America is not -and never will be - at war with Islam.” He separated the

terrorists from the religion, in order to pull the Muslimworld closer in isolating and fighting those very extremistswho were bastardizing a religion.

It’s not a new phenomenon for the Trump administra-tion to rewrite the history of the Obama administration.But this time it was particularly brazen. Pompeo arguedthat, after Syria’s 2013 poison gas attacks, “in our hesita-tion to wield power, we did nothing”; he neglected to men-tion that it was Republican Senate Leader MitchMcConnell who opposed granting Obama the authorityhe’d asked for to conduct airstrikes, or that then-privatecitizen Trump opposed US intervention of any kind inSyria. But the big question is why an American secretaryof state would travel to the heart of the Arab world todeliver a speech largely intended for partisan politicalconsumption at home?

One might argue that Pompeo had little choice but toengage in rhetorical broadsides, given the difficulty ofexplaining Trump’s vision. The secretary argued that “theage of self-inflicted American shame is over”; he mightwant to check with his commander in chief, who hasfamously defended autocrats who kill journalists and inno-cents and said, “our country does plenty of killing too”. Itrequires extraordinary rhetorical dexterity to attack hispredecessors for “abandoning” the Middle East less than amonth after Trump, without warning, announced a unilater-al, precipitous withdrawal of US special forces from Syria,prompting the resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattisin protest.

But my lasting worry about Pompeo’s speech is morethan its contradictions; it’s the willful misunderstanding ofwhat Obama sought to achieve in the region. Pompeodoesn’t need to agree with Obama’s policies to understandand be informed by their motivation. Obama in 2009sought a “reset” with the populations of the Middle Eastbecause he diagnosed the danger of America’s imagebeing defined in the region to serve our adversaries’ agen-das; the Arab Spring which followed two years later con-

firmed why the United States needs to tend to its image onArab streets, not just with autocratic allies: there’s noguarantee their reigns will endure.

Pompeo should worry now that Trump, in mismanagingAmerica’s image, has once again handed Iran and others aconvenient weapon of mass distraction. He should certain-ly worry that Trump’s decision to put all his eggs in thebasket of personal relationships with two or three leadersin the volatile region could prove short-sighted.

Pompeo should also remember that the Obama adminis-tration performed a delicate diplomatic dance: rather thanplunge into a unilateral war with Iran, Obama won evengrudging Gulf Arab support for an Iran nuclear weaponsagreement that is still working in spite of the absence of theUnited States. By seemingly taking sides on ancient Sunni-Shiite sectarian divisions between Riyadh and Tehran,Trump is exacerbating tensions instead of seeking anuneasy equilibrium that serves America’s interests.

And, of course, in decrying the Obama approach thatsuccessfully decimated Islamic State (which hasn’t changedin practice under Trump but has shifted in rhetoric)Pompeo forgets that Secretary of State John Kerry beganhis diplomacy to organize the coalition against IslamicState in Jeddah. Having the kingdom - home of Makkah andMadinah - prominent in a coalition against Sunni extremistswas pivotal in mounting an operation that couldn’t be mis-taken as a war against Islam. It was Saudi Arabia thatappreciated the ways the Obama administration bent overbackwards to demonstrate that we were not at war withtheir religion.

Pompeo, like all secretaries of state, will ultimately bejudged on substance, not speeches. But make no mistake,Thursday in Cairo, he made his own job a little harder. Somelistening is in order - to the Arab Street, and to history.

NOTE: David Eckels Wade was chief of staff to thechairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee andchief of staff to the US Department of State from 2013-2015. The opinions expressed here are his own. — Reuters

Strange revisionism of Pompeo’s Cairo speech

As US govt shutdown drags on, where is McConnell?

When President Donald Trumpstormed out of a White Housemeeting with congressional

leaders last Wednesday, US SenateMajority Leader Mitch McConnell satthere silently, uttering not a word as thetalks blew up, according to others in theroom. The No. 1 Republican inCongress, who rose to power on hisreputation as a master of legislativewrangling, has had little to say in publicor private during a partial federal gov-ernment shutdown that began on Dec 22and has no end in sight.

Showing no interest in defying hispresident and Trump’s demand that trig-gered the shutdown for funding for aUS-Mexico border wall opposed byDemocrats, McConnell has kept a lowprofile. This posture, allies and oppo-nents said, is about McConnell protect-ing himself, vulnerable Republicans andtheir control of the Senate ahead of the2020 elections. At the core ofMcConnell’s quiet loyalty to Trump,despite past friction between them, is acalculation that Trump’s popularity withRepublican voters makes standing byhim, in the long run, politically wiser thanresponding to short-term worries aboutthe shutdown, aides and experts said.

“The leader is prepared to engage,but the leader always wants to be able tolook ahead and see the two or three oth-er moves ahead of the immediate move,”Republican Senator Thom Tillis toldReuters, referring to McConnell. Thecost of this long-term focus, Democratssaid, is that McConnell has ceded con-trol of the Senate to Trump for the dura-

tion of the shutdown fight by pledging toblock any shutdown-ending legislationthe president would not sign.

Democratic Senator Joe Manchin,who helped negotiate an end to an earli-er shutdown, said this of McConnell’sabsence from negotiations: “Basically,that’s what’s holding everything up.”Nancy Pelosi, speaker of theDemocratic-controlled House ofRepresentatives, is passing shutdown-ending spending bills in her chamber,including one on Friday. If McConnellwould only put those measures on theSenate floor for a vote, Democratsargue, senators from both parties wouldsupport them. That would then pressureTrump, according to the Democrats, tosign the bills into law and reopen gov-ernment, even if the measures lacked the$5.7 billion in wall funding he isdemanding. McConnell has made clearthis will not happen.

Slip out the backTwice now, House Republican leaders

Kevin McCarthy and Steve Scalise haveemerged from high-level White Houseshutdown talks to address reporters,once with Trump and once with VicePresident Mike Pence. While McCarthyand Scalise went to the microphones,McConnell returned unobtrusively to theCapitol. A senior Democratic aidedescribed McConnell’s demeanor inmeetings with Democrats about theshutdown as more “subdued” than whenhe helped end previous shutdowns.

One other possible explanation forthis, Democrats said, is that McConnellwas burned by Trump last month whenthe president reversed position andrejected a bipartisan, Senate-passedspending bill that would have avertedthe shutdown. About a quarter of thegovernment closed after Trump rejectedthat bill, unexpectedly demanding thatany measure to restore funding to agen-cies whose funding expired for unrelatedreasons must include more than $5 bil-lion for his wall. — Reuters

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks to the press during a tour of the newly-inaugurated Al-Fattah Al-Alim Mosque in Egypt’s New Administrative Capital, 45 km eastof Cairo, on Jan 10. — AFP

No, Brexit Britaindoesn’t want itsempire back

Britain is moving towards an exit fromthe European Union on March 29,possibly with no agreement, and thus

courting - according to the Bank ofEngland - an 8 percent drop in GDP and a7.5 percent rise in unemployment. A drearprospect, attended by matching drearcommentaries on the stupidity of the 52percent of the British electorate who votedfor Brexit in 2016.

Some observers have seen the vote asevidence that imperial urges still dominate.In March 2017 Washington Post foreignaffairs reporter Ishaan Tharoor wrote ofBrits “harboring delusions of empire(while)...the fantasy of Britain’s past col-lides almost farcically against Britain’spresent.” As this year began, he returned tothe imperial theme, solemnly warning that,for Brits “the old colonial hubris” isomnipresent, but “along with imperial nos-talgia comes a fair amount of delusion.”

It’s one of the most common fantasiespresently peddled about the mindset of theUK - that it is mired, hopelessly, in a mourn-ing of greatness gone, and a dream to regainit. The British journalist Paul Mason writes of“the self-deluded narrative that has guidedthe whole Brexit strategy: the idea that ‘our’former colonies will want to form a new,white, English-speaking trading area - nick-named Empire 2.0 - to replace the EU.” TheIrish writer Fintan O’Toole, believes that theEnglish think that if “England is not an impe-rial power, it must be the only other thing itcan be: a colony,” seeing himself, with nos-talgic shivers, threatened once more by aresurgent Germany.

Yet no body of opinion, no organization,no individual capable of thought wants anempire. Government ministers, chargedwith carrying out the will of the electorate,talk up - probably over-optimistically - thechances of a network of trade agreements,

many with former colonies such asAustralia, Canada, New Zealand and theUnited States itself. One of the biggestboosters is UK Business Secretary GregClark, who invokes “fantastic opportunitiesfor the future” for “a country that issuperbly well-positioned in most of the bigtransformations that are taking placeacross the world today.” He’s routinelymocked as a fantasist, but he’s doing whatany politician who believes in a course ofaction does - he’s talking it up. His rhetoricisn’t a sign that he believes Britannia canagain rule the waves, or the continents.

The charge of imperial nostalgia whichBrexiteers are supposed to nurse is oftenaccompanied by grim reports of a countrytearing itself apart. The Spectator com-mentator Stephen Daisley laments that “theHouse of Commons, once respectedaround the world as the gold standard ofpolitical debate, has become a source ofnational embarrassment, a symbol of afractious and directionless nation.”Parliament, to be sure, has been in severaluproars this past week - both inside thechamber, where the Speaker was accusedof abusing his neutrality by breaking a ruleto favor those who want to remain in theEU, and outside, where a mob of largelyyoung, male pro-Brexiteers screamed“Nazi!” and “Fascist” at Remainers.

This is what is called democracy andpolitical debate - if not the gold standard,certainly an upsetting, but always vivid,exchange of views. Journalism, whichlamented the blandness of politics, now hasits wish for passion - and appears to hate it.These deeply consequential arguments, inboth the UK and the US, appear to haveremained - just about - within a non-violentframe. They have not in France, where atleast nine have died as protests spreadacross the country. This is not bloody revo-lution - the violence, frightening as it is, hasbeen largely confined to buildings and cars.Rather, what comes to the surface are ele-mental issues of politics: Unemployment,inequality, marginalization, fear of the future.

NOTE: John Lloyd co-founded theReuters Institute for the Study of Journalismat the University of Oxford. The opinionsexpressed here are his own. — Reuters

LONDON: Ten years after China helpedstave off the threat of a global depressionwith a huge stimulus plan, investors arelooking once again towards Beijing as theworld economy heads for a slowdown, orworse, in 2019.

Booming China has accounted for abouta third of the growth in the global economyin recent years. So recent signs that it islosing momentum is unsettling when the USboom, turbo-charged by President DonaldTrump’s tax cuts of 2017, seems to havepeaked and Europe’s heavyweights arestalling.

China’s slowdown is already being feltaround the world, from Apple’s profit warn-ing due to weaker sales of its iPhones tocarmaker Jaguar Land Rover laying offworkers, after a 22 percent fall in sales inthe country in 2018.

Policy sources told Reuters in Beijing onFriday that the government is planning alower economic growth target of 6-6.5 per-cent for 2019 after an expected 6.6 percentin 2018, which would be the slowest expan-

sion since 1990.In the first few days of 2019, China

raised infrastructure spending with a $34billion railway investment and its centralbank loosened the screws on banks toencourage them lend more, its fifth suchmove in a year. “China, that’s what worriesme most,” Joachim Fels, managing directorand global economic advisor at bond giantPacific Investment Management Company,said as he surveyed the outlook for theworld economy in 2019.

As well as cutting China’s appetite forimports, a deeper slowdown could weakenits yuan currency and fan the flames of thetrade war between Beijing and Washington.However, Fels said his recession models for2019 were flashing only orange warnings-not red-in part because the US FederalReserve was likely to pause its run of inter-est rate hikes after one or two more increas-es. China is expected to do more to act tohelp its economy too, although officials inBeijing say they do not plan a stimulus ofthe magnitude of the nearly $600 billion

package unleashed in 2008, shortly after thecollapse of Lehman Brothers.

“I find it hard to look at it historically andbet against the Chinese authorities manag-ing to stabilize their economy,” JimMcCormick, global head of desk strategyfor RBS division NatWest Markets, said.

“When China wants to stabilize its econ-omy, they tend to be successful.”

In November, the Organization forEconomic Co-operation and Developmenttrimmed its forecasts for Chinese growth to6.3 percent in 2019 followed by 6.0 percentin 2020.

Since then, the impact of US-Chinatrade tensions have become more appar-ent, OECD senior economist MargitMolnar said, suggesting the forecasts couldbe lowered again.

Higher borrowing by local governmentsin China suggested a pick-up in infrastruc-ture spending was coming, she said, poten-tially helping to offset signs of fragile confi-dence among Chinese consumers.

“The major issue is to guarantee a grad-

ual slowing,” Molnar said.

Investors breathe easier For the time being, the concerns of

investors in late 2018 about the global econ-omy have eased, leading to a tentativerecovery in battered stock markets. A roundof talks between US and Chinese trade offi-cials in Beijing did not end in acrimony. Andin Europe, a slowdown is probably in partdue to one-off factors such as new pollutionrules for carmakers and the impact of the‘gilets jaunes’ protests in France which hasbeen felt in the supply chains that stretchacross the border into Germany.

Steven Bell, chief economist with BMOGlobal Asset Management, said surveys ofpurchasing managers in the private sectoraround the world suggested a broad pick-up in industrial production was not far off.And for many consumers in rich economies,low inflation and gradually rising wages willhelp their spending power.

But even if the world economy avoids apainful slowdown this year, it faces daunting

fundamental challenges. Many countriesseem stuck in a rut of slow productivitygrowth which puts a brake on earnings andhas propelled the rise of populist politics,from Trump to the protests in France.

In Britain, the radical left-wing leader-ship of Britain’s opposition Labor Party isworrying investors after Prime MinisterTheresa May split her Conservative Partywith her plan to ease Britain out of theEuropean Union at the end of March.Gabriel Sterne, head of global macroresearch at Oxford Economics, said thepressure on politicians to heed the frustra-tion of voters after years of austerity couldhelp end an overly tight squeeze on publicspending by some governments.

“By contrast, a worst-case scenario isone in which frustrated politicians launchhasty attacks or takeovers of key institu-tions, compromising central bank independ-ence and launching unsustainable fiscalexpansions,” he said. “Afflicted advanced-economy assets could even behave as if inan emerging market crisis.” — Reuters

Faisal Tareq Arab is Gulf Bank’s newest Al-Danah millionaire

Qatar’s economic outlook remainspositive as confidence returns

Not just for kids: A leap for seniors at Vegas tech show1512 14

BusinessEstablished 1961

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2019

As world stumbles into 2019, recession models flash orange warnings

Global investors look to China amid slowdown

HONG KONG: Pedestrians walk on a pavement along Russell Street in the shopping district of Causeway Bay in Hong Kong on Friday. Russell Street replaced New York’s Upper Fifth Avenue as the world’s most expensive retailstreet by rental value, according to property consultants Cushman & Wakefield in November last year. — AFP

Zimbabwe plans new currency as dollar shortage creates havocHARARE: Zimbabwe will introduce a newcurrency in the next 12 months, the coun-try’s Finance Minister said, as a shortage ofUS dollars plunges the financial system intodisarray, forcing businesses to close andthreatening unrest. The southern Africannation abandoned its own hyperinflation-wrecked currency in 2009 at the height ofan economic recession, adopting the green-back and other currencies including sterlingand the South African rand.

But without enough hard currency toback up the $10 billion of electronic fundstrapped in local bank accounts, businesses

and civil servants are demanding paymentin cash which can be deposited and usedto make payments both inside and outsidethe country.

Mthuli Ncube told a townhall meetinglate on Friday that a new local currencywould be introduced in less than twelvemonths. “On the issue of raising enoughforeign currency to introduce the new cur-rency, we are on our way already, give usmonths, not years,” he said.

Zimbabwe currently has less than twoweeks import cover, according to centralbank data, and the government has previ-ously said it would only consider launch-ing a new currency if it had at least sixmonths of reserves. Locals are haunted bymemories of the Zimbabwean dollar, whichbecame worthless as hyperinflation spi-ralled to reach 500 billion percent in2008, the highest rate in the world for acountry not at war, wiping out pensionsand savings.

A surrogate bond note currency intro-duced in 2016 to stem dollar shortages hasalso collapsed in value.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa isunder pressure to revive the economy but,in something of a vicious circle, the dollarshortages are undermining efforts to winback foreign investors sidelined under hispredecessor Robert Mugabe. With less than$400 million in actual cash in Zimbabweaccording to central bank figures, there arefuel shortages and companies are strugglingto import raw materials and equipment,forcing them to buy greenback notes on theblack market at a premium of up to 370percent. The Confederation of ZimbabweIndustries has warned some of its memberscould stop operating at the end of themonth due to the dollar crunch. Zimbabwe’siconic manufacturer of cooking oil andsoap, Olivine Industries said yesterday ithad suspended production and put workerson indefinite leave because it owed foreignsuppliers $11 million. A local associate ofglobal brewing giant Anheuser-Busch Inbevsaid this week it would invest more than$120 million of dividends and fees trappedin Zimbabwe into the central bank’s savingsbonds. — Reuters

HARARE: Public transport drivers complain about having to pay for fuel in US dollars at a fuelstation, on Friday in Harare. Motorists are spending nights waiting in long queues for petrol anddiesel as the country is experiencing crippling fuel shortages. — AFP

Sunday, January 13, 2019

12B u s i n e s s

Established 1961

Traditional Kuwaiti band Catch the cash game Last year’s Danah millionaire on stage

Children’s activities One of ‘Al-Danah Hour’ winners Mohammed Al-Qattan and Ahmed Al-Ameer withlast year’s millionaire The draw

The crowd

Gulf Bank’s team

KUWAIT: Gulf Bank has announced the winner of itsannual Al-Danah KD 1 million draw. Faisal Tareq Arabwas named as this year’s winner at an exciting eventheld at The Avenues on 10th January 2019. The eventwas held in the presence of a representative from theMinistry of Commerce and Industry and EY, it was alsobroadcasted live on 88.8 FM Q8 Pulse.

Fun for the whole familyKicking off at 4pm, the entertaining event had fun for

the whole family, with activities ranging from face-painting and handicrafts, to a host of games and chal-lenges. The audience were then treated to a live per-formance by a Kuwaiti Band. Their popular traditionalsongs and dances, inspired by Kuwait’s seafaring tradi-tions, added to the electric atmosphere of the event.

‘Catch the cash’Gulf Bank’s exclusive and wildly popular ‘Catch the

Cash’ game took center-stage at the event, drawing inthe crowds, as hundreds of people registered for achance to enter. As the live entertainment concluded andthe main event began, participants’ names were selectedthrough a draw. This year’s edition of the game had twoboxes giving people twice the chance to participate andwin. The challenge was to catch as much cash within 10seconds, with the total prize amounting to KD 3,000.

‘Danah hour’This year’s event saw the introduction of ‘Danah

Hour’. A designated booth offered valuable instantprizes to those named ‘Dana’, as well as entry to asurprise draw. Winners of the draw were announcedat the event, with 10 lucky winners awarded a prize of

KD 200 each credited to their Al-Danah account.

‘Al-Danah millionaire’Mohammed Al-Qattan, Deputy General Manager for

Consumer Banking and Ahmed Al-Amir, AssistantGeneral Manager of External Communication at GulfBank, took to the stage, alongside the youngest Al-Danah millionaire from last year, twelve-year-old ObaidSaad Al-Rasheedi and his father to announce this year’swinner. In the presence of a representative from theMinistry of Commerce and Industry representative andEY. Obaid Saad Al-Rasheedi pressed the button reveal-ing this year’s winner. Faisal Tareq Habeeb Arab wascrowned the 2018 Al-Danah millionaire, winning thegrand prize of KD 1,000,000, Gulf Bank extends its sin-cere congratulations to Kuwait’s newest Al-Danah mil-lionaire.

‘Interview with Ahmad Al-Amir, GM’“Congratulations to Mr Faisal Arab, and thank you to

all those who joined us at the event. The turn-out wasincredible and we hope that everyone enjoyed thisyear’s entertainment. The Al-Danah account rewardscustomers with the chance of incredible prizes and welook forward to continuing our legacy of makingKuwaiti millionaires in the years to come. “

About Al-Danah AccountAl-Danah is Gulf Bank’s flagship account, open to

Kuwaiti and non-Kuwaiti residents of Kuwait.Customers require a minimum of KD 200 to open anaccount and the same amount should be maintained forcustomers to be eligible for the upcoming Al-Danahdraws. Customers who open an account and/or deposit

more will enter the weekly draw within two days. TheAl-Danah draw distributes more than KD 2 million inprizes every year.

Al-Danah offers several unique services to customers,including the Al-Danah Deposit Only ATM card, whichallows account holders to deposit money into theiraccounts at their convenience. Account holders can alsocalculate their weekly, quarterly, and yearly chances ofwinning the draws through the ‘Al Danah Chances’ cal-culator available on the Gulf Bank website and app.

To take part in the upcoming Al-Danah quarterlyand yearly draws, customers must meet the required

hold period for each draw. Al-Danah chances are addedon a daily basis, the more customers save and thelonger they save for, the higher their chances of win-ning. Furthermore, loyal customers will be rewardedand have their previous year’s chances transferred tothe next year.

Customers can visit one of Gulf Bank’s 58 branches,transfer online, place queries through the official GulfBank WhatsApp service on 65805805 or call the cus-tomer contact center on 1805805 for assistance andguidance. Customers can also visit the website to findout more about Al-Danah and its winners.

Faisal Tareq Arab is Gulf Bank’s newest Al-Danah millionaire

Live announcement made at The Avenues

Mohammed Al-Qattan, Deputy General Manager for Consumer Banking, announces the winner’s name

B u s i n e s s Sunday, January 13, 2019

13Established 1961

Lebanon dollar-bondstumble after debt rescheduling reportLONDON/BEIRUT: Lebanon’s dollar-denominat-ed sovereign bonds tumbled for a second day onFriday following a Bloomberg report quoting thefinance minister saying a fiscal reform plan includ-ed a debt rescheduling. Finance Minister AliHassan Khalil said such a rescheduling would beundertaken in coordination with lenders and thecentral bank, Bloomberg said, citing a statement.The plan did not include any change to Lebanon’sfixed exchange rate, it added.

Lebanon’s dollar-denominated bonds suffered asecond day of hefty falls with many issues tradingat record lows.

The 2025 bond dropped 5.25 cents to a freshrecord low of 73.50 cents in the dollar.

According to a summary of the comments toBloomberg circulated by the finance ministry,Khalil did say the plan under consideration includ-ed a rescheduling, but he denied there was anyintention to “restructure” Lebanon’s public debt,which is equal to around 150 percent of GDP.

But a Lebanese newspaper cited him onThursday as saying the ministry was “preparing afinancial correction plan including restructuring ofpublic debt”, which triggered Thursday’s sell-off indollar-denominated debt. Asked by Reuters onFriday whether a haircut - or writedown in value -

was under consideration, Khalil said: “There isabsolutely no intention of touching the value ofLebanese bonds or taking a percentage of them.”

“The proposals are an operation to organize andmanage the debt and to move ahead with reformmeasures that reduce the burden of it,” he added.

Tim Ash at BlueBay Asset Management said thecomments had caused concern in the markets.

“The damage is done ...(this) just reflects theextent of the problems faced by Lebanon - there issimply no space for failing to adopt the righttone/language in all this,” he said.

Khalil told Reuters on Thursday that Lebanonwas studying ways to manage its public debt and itsstructure as part of plans for public finance reform.

The International Monetary Fund urgedLebanon in June to carry out “an immediate and

substantial fiscal adjustment” to improve debt sus-tainability. More than eight months since an elec-tion, political leaders have still not been able toagree a new government that could set aboutreforms to boost confidence.

Khalil, a top figure in the Amal Movement led byParliament Speaker Nabih Berri, has recentlybecome more vocal in his warnings about theeconomy. Last month, he said Lebanon was in aneconomic crisis that had started to turn into afinancial one which he hoped would not become amonetary one.

Khalil has held the post of finance minister since2014 and is expected to retain the position in the newgovernment. A deal on forming the new cabinet to beled by Saad Al-Hariri appeared close last month butthe last obstacle was not resolved. —Reuters

Cheaper gasoline weighs on US consumer prices in DecemberWASHINGTON: US consumer prices fell for the firsttime in nine months in December amid a plunge ingasoline prices, but underlying inflation pressuresremained firm as rental housing and healthcare costsrose steadily. Overall, the report from the LaborDepartment on Friday painted a picture of inflation thatwas under control, with increases in some categoriesoffset by declines elsewhere. This likely supports recentstatements by Federal Reserve officials pledgingpatience in raising interest rates this year.

“The Fed will take this as further proof that pricepressures are building more slowly than some havefeared based on the strong growth of late and tightlabor market,” said James McCann, senior global econ-omist at Aberdeen Standard Investments in Boston. “Itcertainly seems to justify the Fed’s message aboutbeing more patient on rate increases.”

The Consumer Price Index dipped 0.1 percent lastmonth, the first drop and weakest reading since March,after being unchanged in November. In the 12 monthsthrough December, the CPI rose 1.9 percent, slowingfrom November’s 2.2 percent gain.

Excluding the volatile food and energy components,the CPI increased 0.2 percent, advancing by the samemargin for a third straight month. In the 12 monthsthrough December, the so-called core CPI rose 2.2 per-cent, matching November’s increase. December’s infla-tion readings were in line with economists’ expecta-tions. The CPI rose 1.9 percent in 2018, slowing from a2.1 percent increase in 2017. But the core CPI jumped2.2 percent, up from 1.8 percent in 2017.

The Fed, which has a 2 percent inflation target,tracks a different measure, the core personal con-sumption expenditures (PCE) price index, for mone-tary policy.

The core PCE price index increased 1.9 percentyear-on-year in November after rising 1.8 percent inOctober. It hit 2 percent in March for the first timesince April 2012. The US central bank has forecast twointerest rate hikes this year, but several policymakers,including Chairman Jerome Powell, have said theywould be cautious about tightening monetary policy.

Powell reiterated that view on Thursday, saying“especially with inflation low and under control wehave the ability to be patient and watch patiently andcarefully” while the central bank monitored economicdata and financial markets for risks to growth.

Minutes of the US central bank’s Dec. 18-19 policymeeting published on Wednesday showed “many” offi-cials were of the view that the Fed “could afford to bepatient about further policy firming.”

But with core inflation remaining firm despite astrong dollar and slowing global growth, economistssay further rate increases this year cannot be ruled out.In addition, a tighter labor market is boosting wagegrowth. “If core inflation holds firm, the Fed will contin-ue to consider additional rate hikes this year,” said SamBullard, a senior economist at Wells Fargo Securities inCharlotte, North Carolina. The Fed lifted borrowingcosts four times in 2018. The dollar was little changedagainst a basket of currencies, while US Treasuryprices rose. Stocks on Wall Street were trading lowerafter a five-day rally. —Reuters

Sunday, January 13, 2019

14B u s i n e s s

Established 1961

NBK Economic Report

KUWAIT: Qatar’s economy has been performing well,with output expected to increase by an annual averageof 2.7 percent over 2018-2020 from 1.6 percent in 2017on the back of gains in the non-hydrocarbon sector,especially in manufacturing and construction, and in thegas sector, where the authorities are intent on expand-ing LNG capacity by 43 percent by 2024.Underpinning economic activity is the government’sexpansive public investment program, which is nowreaching an advanced stage with the FIFA World Cuponly three years away.

Qatar’s public finances are also on a firmer footing,with the country’s first fiscal surplus in three yearsexpected in 2018, at 3.1 percent of GDP, and its foreignreserves back on the rise, thanks to higher oil and gasprices and restrained public expenditure growth.

Moreover, businesses and investors appear to haveregained their confidence in Qatar’s economy: non-res-ident deposits are returning, private sector creditgrowth, led by corporates, is in the double digits, andthe stock market just ended 2018 posting the highestyearly gains in the region at 21 percent.

Nevertheless, challenges remain, including continueddependence on the hydrocarbon sector, which is at themercy of volatile energy prices, rising borrowing costslinked to tightening US monetary policy and regionalgeopolitical risks, with no sign yet of a resolution to theGCC boycott.

Infrastructure investmentThe non-hydrocarbon sector will continue to spear-

head economic growth, rising by 4.1 percent y/y and4.8 percent y/y in 2019 and 2020, respectively, andsupported by the government’s $200bn infrastructureinvestment program under the auspices of the QatarNational Vision 2030.

Activity in 2018 was dominated by output gains inthe manufacturing and construction sectors, with theLaffan refinery ramping up production and furtherprogress made in relation to transportation, entertain-ment and real estate infrastructure projects ahead ofthe World Cup in 2022. The benefits resulting from reg-ulatory reforms introduced over the last two years, suchas allowing 100 percent foreign ownership across allsectors, accelerating the issuances of commercial and

industrial licenses and offering long-term expatriatespermanent residency in Qatar, should also accrue overthe forecast period. In the gas sector, the authorities’intention to expand LNG production capacity by 43percent to 110 million tons per annum (mtpa) by 2024could see real output gains appear as early as 2020-Qatar Petroleum (QP) has already issued its first tenderfor drilling rigs. Hydrocarbon sector real GDP growthshould, therefore, rise from 0.3 percent in 2018 to 0.9percent by 2020.

Inflation subdued Inflation, which is expected to average 0.3 percent in

2018, has been weighed down by continued weaknessin the real estate sector (due to oversupply and themoderation in population growth) and by base effectsrelating to the spike in food prices in 2017 in the after-math of the GCC trade boycott. Both CPI componentswere in negative growth territory in November 2018,falling by 2.6 percent y/y and 2.4 percent, respectively.Inflation (avg.) should pick up slowly to 2.3 percent in2020 (but to more than 3.5 percent if the VAT is intro-duced in 2020).

First fiscal surplus Qatar’s fiscal balance is expected to shift into a sur-

plus of 3.1 percent of GDP in 2018, following three con-secutive years of deficits. While this is due primarily tohigher oil and gas revenues following the increase inenergy prices, restrained expenditures (cuts to subsi-dies, merging of ministries etc.) and some increase innon-oil revenues are also responsible. The fiscal deficithas been financed primarily by domestic debt, althoughQatar returned to the international bond markets inApril 2018 with a successful $12bn sale. There were noshortage of takers.

The external current account balance, which movedinto a surplus in 2017, also improved. Looking ahead,while energy prices are expected to be softer in 2019-20,it is unlikely that either account will slip back into a deficit.

Meanwhile, official QCB reserves (gross) in October2018, were at $28.2bn, not far off pre-blockade levels.Banking sector has recovered from post-blockade cap-ital flight, while credit growth continues to be robust.

Furthermore, thanks to timely injections of liquidity

by the Qatari sovereign wealth fund, the QIA, the gov-ernment was able to offset the outflows of non-residentdeposits that followed the dispute. Overall, foreign bankliabilities-deposits from overseas banks, non-residentsand debt securities-have increased by about 20 per-cent, as of October 2018, with non-resident inflows inparticular recovering after bottoming out at QR135bnin November 2017, a drop of 27 percent from pre-embargo levels. Growth in the overall and private sectordeposit base has been weak, though, running at 1.5 per-cent y/y and 0.5 percent y/y in October 2018, respec-tively. Base effects relating to 2017’s sizeable govern-ment deposit placements are also at play, though.

Private sector credit growth, on the other hand, hasoutpaced deposit growth (+11.4 percent y/y), thanks toincreased demand from the services, general trade andreal estate sectors. This is positive for the broadereconomy, coming against a backdrop of rising borrow-ing costs-the Qatar Central Bank (QCB) raised itsbenchmark QMR deposit rates four times in 2018 (25bps each time) in line with the US Fed’s monetary tight-ening schedule.

Qatari equities The benchmark Qatar Exchange (QE) index rose 21

percent in 2018, outperforming regional stock indices.Starting from a lower base compared to its GCC neigh-

bors following 2017’s negative performance, Qatariequities benefitted from sizeable portfolio inflowslinked to the MSCI rebalancing and generally positivesentiment linked to higher energy prices. The authori-ties’ relaxation of foreign ownership limits and the rat-ing agency Moody’s affirmation of the sovereign’s Aa3rating and its revision of the outlook on the govern-ment’s long-term issuer ratings from negative to stablealso helped to instill confidence in Qatar’s economy.

Qatar’s economic outlook remainspositive as confidence returns

Growth driven by continued infrastructure investment

Microsoft reveals regional organizations’ 2019 ‘manifesto’ on digital transformationKUWAIT: Almost three in four Middle East organizations thathave not yet moved their digital estates and IT environments tothe cloud, plan to do so in 2019, a Microsoft survey hasrevealed. The finding was one of many found by Microsoft in thecompany’s construction of the “2019 Middle East DigitalTransformation Manifesto” - covering experiences, attitudesand intentions of the region’s businesses and government agen-cies regarding technological change.

More than 1,300 technology and digital decision makersfrom across the Middle East took part in the survey. Nearly halfof all respondents (48 percent) said that their organization hadyet to move some or any of its IT infrastructure to a third-partycloud. But more than 73 percent plan to do so in the comingyear. The recent finding reflects previous, similar discoveriesmade by Microsoft and independent global research firms, sug-gesting region-wide accelerated engagement with cloud com-puting and related technologies.

Artificial intelligence is one such example. Almost two in fiveMiddle East organizations (39 percent) have already adopted AIsolutions and more than one third (37 percent) are planning toadopt in 2019. Companies are getting bolder with their budgetsin embracing AI. Some 72 percent are planning to spend on AIthis year, suggesting that most previous adopters are planningfurther investments. Around one in three (34 percent) plan aspend of greater than 5 percent of their budget on AI, and 9percent are setting aside more than 10 percent.

Attitudes towards the security of third-party datacentershave also progressed. Findings on cybersecurity reveal a trou-bling threat landscape from which migrating organizationsappear eager to escape. Some 63 percent of respondents saidtheir company lost either productivity or data to a cyber inci-dent in 2018; 46 percent of these victims were affected morethan once; and almost one in 10 victims reported incidents“once a week or more”.

“The overarching lesson from these findings is that theregion’s need for a trusted, secure, intelligent cloud has neverbeen greater,” said Ihsan Anabtawi, Chief Operating andMarketing Officer for Microsoft Gulf. “Concerns over securityand escalating IT budgets, as well as the desire to develop intel-ligent digital ecosystems that serve business needs in real time,are driving more and more organizations to the cloud.Microsoft’s commitment to regional economic development -demonstrated by our contribution to infrastructure development,entrepreneurial mentorship and job creation - will take anotherhuge step forward, when we open our first Middle East hyper-scale cloud datacenters in Abu Dhabi and Dubai this year”.

A recent IDC report shows that the cloud and the Microsoft

ecosystem will bring over 520,000 jobs to the Middle East &Africa region over the next five years. More importantly, theWorld Bank recently concluded that for every technology jobcreated worldwide, 4.3 more are generated across sectors andincome groups.

While creating new job opportunities across the ecosystem,the new UAE datacenters will adhere to Microsoft’s trusted-cloud principles of security, privacy, compliance and trans-parency, helping organizations meet customers’ needs whilealso delivering data residency, low latency, security and localcertification requirements. In addition to its commitment to theregion, Microsoft’s decision to establish the datacentersemerged from multiple market-research programs and discus-sions with customers and partners throughout the Middle East.

“We called this study the ‘Middle East DigitalTransformation Manifesto’ because it is the clearest indicationyet of the business community’s ambitions and intentions withregards to digital transformation. Microsoft’s mission is toempower every person and every organization on the planet toachieve more. It is our obligation and privilege to move forwardwith our customers - to help them engage citizens and con-sumers, empower employees, optimize operations and reinventbusiness models. We will continue to play our part in spurringentrepreneurship, accelerating innovation and fuelling growth,”added Anabtawi.

Top IT trends that will redefine businesses in 2019By Sami Abi Esber

We are livingin an era ofunparalleled

innovation. As new andemerging technologiescontinue to redefine ITand business, the paceof change and techno-logical advancement isaccelerating. Today, weare looking at asmarter, intell igentfuture driven by tech-nologies such as cloud,artificial intelligence,blockchain, internet ofthings, and more. Whilethe industry has already embarked on its digitaltransformation journey, businesses are yet torealize the full potential of these technologies andhow they will shape the way we do business inthe future.

In the coming years, new digital businesses andbrands will bring greater focus into the regionand will help accelerate the ICT business. Acrossthe Middle East, Africa and Turkey, banking,finance, healthcare and utilities are taking the leadin driving digital transformation. The local driversfor such initiatives center around customer expe-rience enhancement and achieving competitiveadvantage. These initiatives are driving invest-ments into mobility, analytics, cybersecurity andcloud solutions.

Regardless of the industry or enterprise, oneor the other technology will definitely play a partin transforming the business by offering benefitslike cost savings, improved security and bettercustomer experience, among others. Here wedefine the top technologies that regional organi-zations can leverage to transform their businessin 2019:

1. Internet of ThingsWith the acceleration of digital transformation

in the region, more and more devices are gettingconnected. Although the adoption of IoT will bemassive, it is still slow as the devices are not stan-dardized. From autonomous vehicles to drones tosensors in oilfields, healthcare, transport, Oil &Gas etc., IoT will have a huge impact on enter-prises and consumers. Our Group is developinginnovative IoT solutions and is working with IBMand other major players like Microsoft, Cisco &GE to implement solutions l ike PredictiveMaintenance instead of the traditionalPreventative Maintenance model for Oil and Gas

assets and Real Estate facil ities based onMaximo. One of our affiliated companies recentlysigned an agreement with Etisalat to jointly offerSmart Integrated Facility Management Solutionsto achieve Cost savings, Operational efficienciesand enhanced Customer satisfaction.

2. Artificial IntelligenceThe use of AI technologies is now penetrating

many aspects of business. A recent survey byServiceNow across Europe, Middle East andAfrica indicates that customer service is an areathat is showing a fast return on investment.Companies across these regions are deploying AItechnologies to revolutionize customer service asmore and more consumers are showing anacceptance to AI-driven experiences. Nearly 30percent of EMEA organizations have introducedAI technologies to customer service and 72 per-cent of those are already seeing benefits thatinclude freeing up agent time, more efficient pro-cessing of high-volume tasks and providingalways-on customer support.

3. BlockchainInterest in blockchain technologies in the

region is growing rapidly. The pace is being setby the government and public sector includingeducation, healthcare, finance, distribution andservices. The most popular blockchain use casesin the coming years will be cross-border paymentand settlements, asset and goods managementand identity management. Across the private sec-tor, we have seen announcements of recent initia-tives by The Atlantis, Jordan Investment Bank,Noon Capital, DIFC, Halal Guide, amongst others.Global blockchain player, ConsenSys recentlyconducted a blockchain developer training andhackathon camp in Lebanon.

4. Multi-CloudEnterprises in the region are now using multi-

ple cloud solutions whether on-premises, publiccloud, or a hybrid of both. In the coming years,upfront costs will become less important as cloudvendors continue to produce convincing use cas-es. AI and machine learning will be fundamental inincreasing the levels of automation. Corporatecloud literacy is becoming an operational prereq-uisite as technological progress accelerates inEMEA. With a multi-cloud strategy, businessescan decide how to distribute workloads to cloudplatforms that are best suited for specific tasks.

5. Big DataWith massive volumes of data being generated

every second from connected devices, machinesand IoT, Big Data is definitely a trend to watchout for. Big Data is the new oil as it has the poten-tial to empower organizations to make betterbusiness decisions, in real time. By unlocking theorganization’s data, they can fundamentallychange the way it operates and steer the transfor-mative, digital journey the company’s stakehold-ers expect. Note: Sami Abi Esber is President -MDS Gulf, Board Member-Midis Group.

Sami Abi Esber, President- MDS Gulf, Board

Member-Midis Group

If US again risks default, Fed has ‘loathsome’ playbook SAN FRANCISCO: Should political deadlock inWashington again bring the world’s biggest econo-my to the brink of a debt default, the US centralbank has a playbook that includes options one poli-cymaker once labeled “loathsome,” but, perhaps,necessary.

The policymaker was Jerome Powell, now the FederalReserve chairman and a Fed governor in October 2013when a political debate over federal spending brought

the country to the verge of reneging on trillions of dol-lars of financial obligations. To prepare for that possi-bility, two Fed staffers penned a memo outlining nineactions the Fed could take if failure to raise the US debtceiling triggered a debt default.

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke then convened a video-conference with fellow policymakers, a transcript ofwhich was among a trove of Fed documents from thatyear published Friday, the 21st day of a partial govern-ment shutdown that has revived memories of 2013,when government funding lapsed for more than twoweeks amid a protracted debt crisis. Options includedseveral that policymakers readily supported, includingexpanding ongoing bond purchases and providingemergency lending. —Reuters

H e a l t h & Te c h n o l o g y Sunday, January 13, 2019

15

LAS VEGAS: With artificial intelligence to detect falls, vir-tual reality to combat isolation and “powered” clothing toassist the incapacitated, the tech world is stepping up itseffort to “disrupt” aging.

At the Consumer Electronics Show this week in LasVegas, exhibitors were showcasing new ways to help theelderly remain independent, mentally fit and connected.

Some systems took a page from the gaming world ofyoungsters to help seniors “travel” to new places and con-nect with loved ones. “Everyone knows seniors get lonelybut that isolation can also lead to a lot of medical prob-lems, including the acceleration of dementia,” said KyleRand, founder and chief executive of Rendever, a startupwhich works with assisted living homes to give seniors away to virtually visit remote locations.

“They can stand atop the Eiffel Tower, they can go onan African safari, or revisit their childhood home.”Rendever was launched in the Washington DC tech incu-bator created by the American Association of RetiredPersons (AARP), which in recent years has been fundingefforts to develop new technologies for seniors.

In the consumer space from the AARP incubator,Alcove VR enables seniors to be part of a virtual worldwith loved ones who may be far away.

“You can step into a virtual living room (with a friend orfamily member and just hang out,” said Cezara Windrem,the AARP product manager for Alcove.

Alcove was launched this week as a free application onOculus, the Facebook-owned virtual reality unit. TheAARP exhibit also included VRHealth, which offers cogni-tive behavioral therapy using virtual reality, and Pillo, adevice which serves as a personal assistant and medicationdispenser focused on health for seniors.

Virtual caregivers Other exhibitors showcased technology that could help

seniors remain in their homes, and give family memberspeace of mind by monitoring their condition, in some casesusing predictive analytics to determine if they are at risk.

Walabot, a wall-mounted monitoring system developed bythe Israeli startup Vayyar, uses radio waves and three-dimensional imaging to keep tabs on seniors living alone.

“You don’t need to wear anything, there are no cam-eras,” said Ofer Familier, head of business development forVayyar. The company, which makes a range of sensorequipment, says Walabot can detect subtle changes in gait,movement or breathing which could signal a risk of a fallor other problem.

“We can detect falls, but the predictive aspect of it is tomonitor changes in behavior so we can alert family mem-bers,” Familier said. Also launched at CES was the AddisonVirtual Caregiver, a video-based assistant with a femaleavatar which can converse, offer reminders on medicationand detect potential health issues. With the data gatheredfrom the device, “we can classify people as high-risk orlow-risk fallers,” said David Keeley, research director forAddison parent firm SameDay Security.

“We can predict the rate of functional decline”Alicia Mangram, a Phoenix-based trauma surgeon who

is an advisor to Addison, said the system can be useful inhelping seniors remain independent. “Right now when wesend people home (from a hospital) we don’t know whathappens to them,” Mangram said. “This allows us to checkon them.” Florida-based startup CarePredict exhibited itssystem based on a wearable band that helps monitor sen-iors in assisted living facilities.

“We can passively and unobtrusively monitor the dailyactivities of seniors, and our predictive tools can helpidentify if they are at risk of falls, depression, malnutritionor urinary tract infections,” said CarePredict’s JerryWilmink. Tech firms see a promising market in these kindsof devices, with public attention focused by the AppleWatch’s feature of fall detection.

According to research firm eMarketer, Americans ofage 55 and older are the fastest-growing group of elec-tronic wearable users in the US, largely due to the devices’enhanced health features.

Artificial musclesFor those with mobility issues, the California startup

Seismic unveiled its wearable tech body suit which canaugment a user’s muscles and help them maintain posture.The “core wellness suit,” which weighs under five poundsand can be worn under street clothes, has robotic compo-nents that provide up to 30 watts of power to each hip andthe lower back to support sitting, standing, lifting, or car-

rying-similar to an exoskeleton but without the bulk. SarahThomas, a Seismic vice president and advisor to techstartups, said the new product is designed not only for theelderly but for factory workers to ease fatigue and anyonewith mobility issues. Thomas said tech products for seniorsshould not be “stigmatized” with unsightly products. “Weshould be designing with age in mind but without theageist perspective,” Thomas told a CES panel. —AFP

Not just for kids: A leap for seniors at Vegas tech show

SpaceX to lay off10% of workforceSAN FRANCISCO: Elon Musk’s rocket companySpaceX will reduce its workforce by about 10percent of the company’s more than 6,000employees, it said on Friday. The company said itwill “part ways” with some of its manpower, cit-ing “extraordinarily difficult challenges ahead.”

“To continue delivering for our customers andto succeed in developing interplanetary space-craft and a global space-based Internet, SpaceXmust become a leaner company. Either of thesedevelopments, even when attempted separately,have bankrupted other organizations”, aspokesman said in an email.

In June, Elon Musk fired at least seven peoplein the senior management team leading a SpaceXsatellite launch project, Reuters reported inNovember. The firings were related to disagree-ments over the pace at which the team wasdeveloping and testing its Starlink satellites.

SpaceX’s Starlink program is competing withOneWeb and Canada’s Telesat to be the first tomarket with a new satellite-based internet service.The management shakeup involved Musk bringingin new managers from SpaceX headquarters inCalifornia to replace a number of the managers hefired in Seattle. Last month, SpaceX launched itsfirst US national security space mission, when aSpaceX rocket carrying a US military navigationsatellite blasted off from Florida’s Cape Canaveral.In December, the Wall Street Journal reported thatSpaceX was raising $500 million, taking its valua-tion to $30.5 billion. — Reuters

Oceans warming faster than expected, set heat record in 2018: ScientistsOSLO: The oceans are warming faster than previously estimated,setting a new temperature record in 2018 in a trend that is dam-aging marine life, scientists said on Thursday.

New measurements, aided by an international network of3,900 floats deployed in the oceans since 2000, showed morewarming since 1971 than calculated by the latest UN assessmentof climate change in 2013, they said. And “observational recordsof ocean heat content show that ocean warming is accelerating,”the authors in China and the United States wrote in the journalScience of ocean waters down to 2,000 metres (6,600 ft).

Man-made greenhouse gas emissions are warming the atmos-

phere, according to the overwhelming majority of climate scien-tists, and a large part of the heat gets absorbed by the oceans.That in turn is forcing fish to flee to cooler waters.

“Global warming is here, and has major consequences already.There is no doubt, none!” the authors wrote in a statement.

Almost 200 nations plan to phase out fossil fuels this centuryunder the 2015 Paris climate agreement to limit warming. USPresident Donald Trump, who wants to promote US fossil fuels,plans to pull out of the pact in 2020. Data due for publicationnext week will show “2018 was the warmest year on record forthe global ocean, surpassing 2017,” said lead author Lijing Cheng,of the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the Chinese Academyof Sciences. He told Reuters that records for ocean warming hadbeen broken almost yearly since 2000.

Overall, temperatures in the ocean down to 2,000 metres roseabout 0.1 degree Celsius (0.18F) from 1971-2010, he said. The2013 UN assessment estimated slower rates of heat uptake butdid not give a single comparable number. A separate study onMonday, by the European Union’s Copernicus Climate ChangeService, said 2018 was the fourth warmest year for global surfacetemperatures in records dating back to the 19th century. — AFP

LAS VEGAS: The VR Fetus app from South Korean startup GirjaeSoft is displayed at CES 2019 at the Las VegasConvention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada on Friday. A pregnant woman can monitor fetal growth informationvia the app, and can see 3D images of the fetus using GirjaeSoft’s dedicated virtual reality head-mounteddevice (HMD) and a connected ultrasound machine. — AFP

Sunday, January 13, 2019

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Established 1961

Sunday, January 13, 2019

History was made today in The Indian CommunitySchool Senior when the Diamond Jubilee cele-brations was flagged off by the Inauguration of

Higher Education Fair 2019 amidst much pomp andglory. The Principal and Senior Administrator of ICSKDr V Binumon welcomed the galaxy of invited guest.The Chief Guest of the function HE Dato’ MohammadAli Selamat, the Ambassador of Malaysia to Kuwait,Guest of Honor Raj Gopal Singh, Deputy Chief ofMission and Appellate Authority, Indian Embassy andSpecial Guest Dr PR Venketaram inaugurated theHigher Education Fair 2019 by lighting the lamp.Addressing the august gathering HE Dato’ MohammadAli Selamat remarked that it was an exemplary fair,giving opportunity to multitude of students aspiring torealize their dreams. He also mentioned the hospitality

of ICSK, which reverberated in the beautifully ren-dered Malaysian National Anthem by the school coir“Swaranjali”.

The special guest and the world renowned careerGuru Dr PR Venketaram articulated that the HigherEducation fair and the personal career guidance werevery professionally arranged for the first time for 4consecutive days under the guidance and support ofthe Management of the school, the Principal and histeam. He also put in a word of advice to the childrenand the parents stressing that the choice of a rightcourse was the most important condition to acquire anappropriate career.

Dr PR Venketaram also added that he was over-whelmed and motivated by the response of parents andchildren during the counseling session and he high-

lighted the fact that it was the first time in his careerthat he had conducted a one to one counseling formore than 50 students in one day. The inaugural func-tion also witnessed ‘Guru Pranamam’ a special eventhonoring the Principals of various schools in Kuwait.

All universities participating in the higher educa-tion fair were felicitated with mementoes during thisfunction. The grand and solemn function was accentu-ated by the rhythmic dances of Athira, Amelendu,Athishni, Bhawna, Divya, Mriga, Beneetta and Akshitaaccompanied by the versati le Anaghaon themaniveena. The program concluded with the vote ofthanks by the deputy Vice Principal Mrs Susan RajeshPothen. The Grand Inauguration sailed smoothly to itsdestination by the scintillating steering of the host,Mrs Sandhya Menon.

Report on inaugural function of ICSK Higher Education Fair 2019

Within its voluntary pro-grams for girls aging 14-18,LOYAC will organize a trip

to Thailand in the period of January14-21. The program was introducedduring a meeting between LOYACrepresentatives and those of ZAIN,the trip’s sponsor at Zain’s headquar-ters. LOYAC’s communal services

manager, Yosra Al Essa said that theprogram reflects LOYAC’s keennessto provide youth with experiencesand skills that would help developtheir personalities and self-reliance.It also helps promote voluntary andrecreational skills along with work-ing within groups and openness toother cultures.

LOYAC to organize a trip to Thailand

Safir Fintas Kuwait Hotel organized a blood dona-tion campaign in collaboration with the KuwaitCentral Blood Bank. The initiative stems from the

belief in the importance of making social contributions.The one-day event was open to all colleagues of SafirFintas Hotel, whose donated blood to be used to savethe lives of many people, especially women giving birth,premature babies, and people involved in accidents.

Saif Eddin Mohammed, the General Manager of SafirFintas Kuwait Hotel, commented, “We are pleased thatthe Kuwait Central Blood Bank is supporting our cam-paign, to promote awareness about the importance ofsecuring a source of safe blood, which is critical to sav-ing many people’s lives.” And he thanked the BloodBank representatives for supporting the responsiblebusiness commitment of Safir Fintas Kuwait Hotel, andall colleagues, to make a positive contribution to thelocal community.”

Safir Fintas Hotel organizes blood drive

India is passing through a critical phase, says Karat

India is passing through a critical phasetoday with the current NDA governmentseeking to undermine the secular fabric of

the country and destroy its democratic insti-tutions, said Prakash Karat, the politburomember of the Communist Party of India(Marxist), here on Friday.

Addressing the valedictory session ofKerala Arts Lovers Association’s (KALAKuwait) 40th anniversary celebrations, Karat,the high-ranking political leader from Indiasaid, “The country is going to witness parlia-mentary elections within next 100 days. it isimperative on the part of all secular demo-cratic parties in the country to rally forcesagainst the present ruling coalition in Indiaand defeat it in the elections,” he said.

Unleashing a scathing attack on the pres-ent National Democratic Alliance (NDA) gov-ernment, he alleged that the governmentfailed in delivering all of its promises it madewhen it came to power in 2014. The economyis in crisis today with the country witnessingan economic slowdown. Disgruntled farmersare up in arms against the government. Thepublic sector has become even more weakerwhile banking sector is in dire straits today.Job scenario turned bleak in the past year, asalmost 11 million Indians lost their jobs in2018 alone, he pointed out.

“Today, the fundamental secular fabric ofthe country is threatened. The NDA is pro-pounding a politics of division in a secularcountry where its constitution guarantees

equal rights to every citizen. Social justiceand equity is denied to people today. Dalitsand Muslims are lynched in the name of pro-tecting cows,” he said.

Karat also attended a ‘Meet the Press’program on Thursday in which he acknowl-edged the key role of the Congress party inthe coming elections as the key opposition.However, he ruled out the possibility of abroader pan-India alliance as socio-politicalequations in each state are different. “It ispossible to forge alliances against BJP atregional levels as we see in Uttar Pradeshwhere Samajwadi Party and Bahujan SamajParty have formed a grand alliance againstNDA,” he said.

Karat said Rafale deal was the largestdefense scam in India’ where the Indian AirForce wanted 126 aircraft originally whichwas reduced to 36 under the new deal. Healso questioned how Anil Ambani’s Reliance

Defence became the Indian offset partner ofFrench firm Dassault Aviation. “If the resultsof the state elections held recently in thecountry are any indication, there will be anon-BJP government at the center after theLok Sabha elections,” he said. The BJP con-ceded power to the Congress in three keyHindi heartland states in the recent elections.

KALA Kuwait honored 40 of its old mem-bers who completed decades of their servicesin the association at the conference. Earlier,KALA General Secretary Saji ThomasMathew welcomed the gathering and gave abrief on organization’s charity and welfareactivities during 2018. Naganathan deliveredthe presidential address. J Saji, T V Hikmath,N Ajithkumar, Ramesh Kannapuram, AbeyVaricaud, Sherif Thamarassery, Rama Ajith,Praseeth Karunakarn, M.D Musafir andAnilkumar were among others who spoke onthe occasion.

Announcementfrom SouthAfrican Embassy

The Embassy of the Republic ofSouth Africa to the State ofKuwait in collaboration with the

National Council for Culture, Arts andLetters has the pleasure to announcethat it will be hosting a South AfricanMultiple Award winning Jazz MusicGroup from 12 - 18 January 2018. TheMusic Group is led by a Jazz legendMcCoy Mrubata, a Saxophonist, fluteplayer, music teacher and composer.The Group will present a resoundinguniquely South African Jazz performanceat the Al Qurain Festival on Tuesday 15January 2019 at 19h30 at AbdulhusseinAbdul Redah Theatre in Salmiyah.

Mrubata was born in 1959 in CapeTown’s historic Langa Township, SouthAfrica. He grew up with the sounds ofAfrican music: the soulful hymns of theZion Church, the chants and rhythms oftraditional healers and the brassy jive ofthe Merry Macs band who rehearsedopposite his home. McCoy Mrubata is ahighly experienced and well-travelledJazz Music legend who has conductedmusic workshops and lectures for grad-

uate and postgraduate students at sever-al international universities in Africa,Europe and the USA.

Mrubata won a number of prizesincluding: Gilby’s Music For Africa(1991), five time winner of the SouthAfrican Music Award for the “Best JazzAlbum” category, Angola COCAN AfricaCup Of Nations CompetitionAmbassador (2010) and Winner of theKenny Center Gold Medal Award (2018).The South African Embassy and theNational Council for Culture, Arts andLetters look forward to seeing you atAbdulhussein Abdul Redah Theatre toenjoy the Heart and Soul of Africa.

CROSSWORD 2108

ACROSS1. A bachelor's degree in naval science.4. A clap of the hands to indicate approval.12. Any high mountain.15. Resinlike substance secreted by certain

lac insects.16. Often cultivated for the decorative

foliage.17. (computer science) The smallest dis-

crete component of an image or pic-ture on a CRT screen (usually a col-ored dot).

18. Title for a civil or military leader (espe-cially in Turkey).

19. The act of slowing down or fallingbehind.

20. (British) The side of a vehicle nearestthe kerb.

22. A small cake leavened with yeast.24. An amino acid that is found in the cen-

tral nervous system.26. A Bantu language spoken by the

Chaga people in northern Tanzania.27. Of or relating to the nervous system.30. The capital and largest city of Greece.34. A thin wedge of material (wood or

metal or stone) for driving intocrevices.

35. One thousandth of a second.37. (informal) Being satisfactory or in satis-

factory condition.41. East Indian cereal grass whose seed

yield a somewhat bitter flour, a staplein the Orient.

44. Be compatible or in accordance with.46. A metal-bearing mineral valuable

enough to be mined.47. A condition (mostly in boys) character-

ized by behavioral and learning disor-ders.

49. Seed of a pea plant.50. Russian mathematician (1856-1922).53. North Atlantic rockfish.56. An edge tool with a heavy bladed head

mounted across a handle.57. Ratlike rodent with soft fur and large

ears of the Andes.62. The basic unit of money in Bangladesh.66. Where the air is unconfined.68. Somewhat ill or prone to illness.70. Small buffalo of the Celebes having

small straight horns.71. A relative position or degree of value in

a graded group.73. West Indian tree having racemes of

fragrant white flowers and yielding adurable timber and resinous juice.

74. Of a light yellowish-brown color n 1.77. A decree that prohibits something.78. The quality of a color as determined by

its dominant wavelength.79. German romantic composer known for

piano music and songs (1810-1856).80. A loose sleeveless outer garment made

from aba cloth.

DOWN1. Divulge information or secrets.2. Kamarupan languages spoken in north-

eastern India and western Burma.3. Someone who works (or provides work-

ers) during a strike.4. A lipoprotein that transports cholesterol

in the blood.5. A river in central Brazil that flows gener-

ally northward (with many falls) to jointhe Tocantins River.

6. A syllabic script used in writing Sanskritand Hindi.

7. The district occupied entirely by the cityof Washington.

8. (astronomy) An indistinct surface fea-ture of Mars once thought to be a sys-tem of channels.

9. Towards the side away from the wind.10. (Irish) Mother of the ancient Irish gods.11. The 3 goddesses of fate or destiny.12. Relating to or having the characteristics

of bees.13. A projecting ridge on a mountain or

submerged under water.14. Appeal or request earnestly.21. The second great battle of the

American Civil War (1862).23. (Jungian psychology) The inner self

(not the external persona) that is intouch with the unconscious.

25. A soft silvery metallic element of thealkali earth group.

28. Half the width of an em.29. Large burrowing rodent of South and

Central America.31. The middle region of the body of an

arthropod between the head and theabdomen.

32. A person responsible for hiring work-ers.

33. A brittle gray crystalline element that isa semiconducting metalloid (resem-bling silicon) used in transistors.

36. Flesh of young Atlantic cod weighingup to 2 pounds.

38. A cap with a flat circular top and avisor.

39. (Greek mythology) Greek god of war.40. Not only so, but.42. The sound made by a pigeon v 1.43. A silvery soft waxy metallic element of

the alkali metal group.45. Keep in mind or convey as a conviction

or view.48. A licensed medical practitioner.51. To some (great or small) extent.52. An ACE inhibitor (trade name Vasotec)

that blocks the formation ofangiotensin in the kidney and soresults in vasodilation.

54. A small but appreciable amount.55. Of or relating to a fetus.58. The Jewish rite of circumcision per-

formed on a male child on the eighthday of his life.

59. A net or mesh foundation for lace.60. Make amends for.61. (Greek mythology) A maiden seduced

by Zeus.63. Jordan's port.64. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked

on a skewer usually with vegetables.65. A city in southern Turkey on the

Seyhan River.67. Relatively small fast-moving sloth.69. Earn on some commercial or business

transaction.72. Rate of revolution of a motor.75. A chronic progressive nervous disor-

der involving loss of myelin sheatharound certain nerve fibers.

76. (astronomy) The angular distance of acelestial point measured westwardalong the celestial equator from thezenith crossing.

Friday’s SolutionDaily SuDoku

Wordsearch Puzzle Friday’s Solution

Sunday, January 13, 2019

18S t a r s

Established 1961

Friday’s Solution

You may find yourself wanting to discover more about your roots.Where did you come from? What obstacles did your ancestors face? This is agreat time to do some research and discover more about your heritage. Just asthe past seems to be of great importance to you, so is the future. You are in agreat frame of mind to do some future planning. Get your affairs in order. Spendsome time researching the financial investments you have been considering.Change can bring great reward, Aries.

Aries (March 21-April 19)

STAR TRACK

You may find yourself in a bit of a conflict when it comes to balancingyour Home Life and work life. You may find yourself passing an opportunity by atwork because it will interfere with time with your family. This may be a hard deci-sion to make at this time, but the payoff with your family will be well worth it. In atime for you to make sure your priorities are straight. You have a strong apprecia-tion of your past. You are able to reflect and realize the obstacles and problems ofyour past talk to the lessons that made you and you are today.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

Love and expressing all the deep emotions you have for othersbecomes very important to you. You may be feeling a need to be needed. Neverdoubt that you are. You may find yourself in deep appreciation of everyone andeverything around you. You are able to find beauty in every situation and in every-thing that surrounds you. This is time in your life filled with love and others aredrawn to your loving ways and kind heart. Be careful today, as all around youbecomes so appealing. You may want steer clear of the mall to resist the urge tobring all that catches your eye home with you, Cancer, a shopping spree could notonly find you loving all you see, but also wanting to bring home everything you see!

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Leo (July 23-August 22)

Family seems to be where your focus is. You desire a strong founda-tion and have been working hard to establish this in your world. You may findsomeone younger seeking advice and looking to you for assistance. You will beable to guide them with ease. Helping others brings great satisfaction to you andin a way will fulfill the need to be needed you have been desiring. It is a greattime to sit and have a meaningful conversation with a loved one. Virgo, you willbe able to relate your ideas with ease and grace and this conversation will bevery beneficial to your relationship. Today will find you very successful whenorganizing the actions of those around you. You are very focused on those clos-est to you. These personal relationships are your driving force and you are in avery content and peaceful state.

Virgo (August 23-September 22)

Out with the old. Bring on the new, exciting and wild. What a rebel youare! If it goes against tradition you are all about it today. You crave excitementand the same old, same old, just isn’t going to cut it for you. Change is in the air. Anew hairstyle, a new outfit, or a visit to a new place tonight may be just what youneed to add a little excitement to your life, Libra. Go have some fun!

Libra (September 23-October 22)

You are a practical person with an abundance of common sense. Youare able to use both of these qualities as assets to make your way to the top inthe career world. You may be feeling a need to change your focus and tightenyour circle a bit. You feel as if you need to spend more of your time and attentionon you and yours. At this point you may have accomplished your goal in theworkplace but feel you need to continue to work on your goal at home. This willbe a balancing act to continue to make sure you thrive in every area of your life.Your communication skills are at all time high and you are able to relate andinteract with ease to all who surround you.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21)

The sky is the limit for you today. You are optimistic and can accom-plish anything you set your mind to. You have faith and are willing to takechances on an emotional level that may bring great reward and happiness yourway. You may be deep within your feelings and have a desire to experiencesomething new. An emotional wanderlust, if you will, is the desire of your heart.Today you are all about you. Your wants, needs, and desires, take over and allyou can do is pursue what your heart wants. This is a very productive day for youphysically and emotionally. You will find peace and happiness in accomplishingthe goals you have set for yourself today, Sagittarius. Reach for the stars! Youmay just be the one that can touch them.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

You are one of a kind. Relationships take on greater meaning in yourlife. You want everything in your world in its place and everything running smooth-ly. One thing out of place will cause stress and tension in for you. You have a talentfor bringing those around you into harmony and this makes you a wonderful leader.You are placing great focus on your marriage or a close relationship with someonedear to you. This is a great move and will result in a strong bond you have beencraving. Pisces, all is well in your world and the steps you are taking will developfeed the deep roots needed for lasting love and support from many close to you.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday. The sun came upthis morning, and you are still here. Try to focus on the present. Stressing aheadrearely changes outcomes. Many of the “what ifs” you fret about will never happen.Save your energy to deal with the realities. You are flexible, and you have the cop-ing skills to handle whatever comes up. No problem is too large for you to conquer.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18)You don’t care how, you want it now! This is your attitude when itcomes to life today. You have taken love a step farther. Obsession is a moreappropriate description of how you feel about your goals. This could be anextremely passionate time in your world. Jealousy and possessiveness may beemotions that play a role in your world. You may find your ambition is in over-drive and you will not stop until you have exactly what your want.

You may feel as if you are encountering negativity and not everyone issupportive when it comes to very sensitive issues you are dealing with in your life.These issues are very personal, and you may just be sharing with the wrong peo-ple. You will find someone close to you who will serve as a confidant who isextremely understanding and supportive of all that makes you unique. Capricorn,now is a great time to think outside of the box and follow that new path or projectthat is calling your name. You may reap great reward from trying something new.

You are a practical person with an abundance of common sense. Youare able to use both of these qualities as assets to make your way to the top inthe career world. You may be feeling a need to change your focus and tightenyour circle a bit. You feel as if you need to spend more of your time and atten-tion on you and yours. At this point you may have accomplished your goal in theworkplace but feel you need to continue to work on your goal at home. This willbe a balancing act to continue to make sure you thrive in every area of your life.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2019

Established 1961

Lifestyle

A young Indian Sikh demonstrates his ‘Gatka’ traditional martial art skills during the ‘Nagar Kirtan’ procession ahead of the birth anniversary of the 10th Sikh Guru Gobind Singh in Amritsar.— AFP

Bollywood filmmakers are seeking tocash in on this year’s Indian generalelection with a host of political movies,some of which smack of propagandaaccording to critics. The Hindi film

industry has a long tradition of producing politi-cally tinged flicks but industry watchers say 2019’sofferings are more partisan than ever before.“What we have this year are quite a few films,some of which are biopics, that appear to beuncritical and unabashedly push the agenda of aparticular party, its policies and political philoso-phies,” said reviewer Nandini Ramnath.

“The Accidental Prime Minister” and “Uri: TheSurgical Strike” are released on Friday. Filmsabout the lives of two prominent politicians air lat-er in January while a biopic on Prime MinisterNarendra Modi is also in the works. The silverscreen and politics have often intertwined in India.Many actors have become politicians whileBollywood has not shied away from tackling polit-ical issues in its plotlines. “Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro”(Let it be, friends) became a cult classic in 1983for its satirical takedown of corruption while2010’s “Peepli Live” was praised for tackling thedifficult subject of farmer suicides.

Political movies have also fallen foul of the gov-ernment. “Kissa Kursi Ka” (Story of the Chair) and“Aandhi” (Storm) were both banned by then primeminister Indira Gandhi in the 1970s. The former(1977) was viewed as satirising her politics whilethe latter (1975) was allegedly based on her rela-tionship with her estranged husband, who diedseveral years earlier.

The real and the reel Supporters of Gandhi’s party, Congress, have

tried to stir up controversy around the “TheAccidental Prime Minister”, holding protests andeven going to court, unsuccessfully, to try to blockits release. They claim it portrays senior Congressmembers in a bad light and is propaganda forModi and his ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya

Janata Party (BJP) — allegations the directordenies. The Hindi-language film sees veteran actorAnupam Kher, a vocal supporter of Modi, play theleader’s predecessor Manmohan Singh, also of theCongress party, as premier.

It is based on a memoir written by SanjayaBaru, a former advisor to Singh. “This film is notabout politics but about the relationship betweenDr Singh and Sanjaya Baru through Baru’s eyes.They are both heroes of the film. It’s not propa-ganda,” director Vijay Gutte told AFP. Some socialmedia users and film critics have accused Kher ofcomically mimicking Singh’s slow and measuredway of walking and talking but the actor believeshe has captured his mannerisms perfectly.

“It will take you a little time to distinguishbetween the real and the reel,” Kher tweeted lastmonth when posting a photo of Singh alongsideone of himself in character. “That is the authentici-ty and the sincerity one has applied in portraying#DrManmohanSingh,” he added.

Spread ideasSeveral movies touching on politics were

released during India’s last election year in 2014,notably “Youngistan” and “Bhoothnath Returns”in which superstar Amitabh Bachchan played aghost running against an evil candidate.Filmmakers say it makes good business sense torelease movies with a political backdrop in therun-up to an election while others may be secret-ly hoping that they translate into votes as well.The nationalistic, all-guns-blazing “Uri: TheSurgical Strike” which celebrates the Indianarmy’s strikes on militants in 2016 in response to araid that had killed 19 Indian soldiers, is likely tobe popular.

Modi was widely lauded for the operation andthe film sees Vicky Kaushal play an army major incharge of avenging the attack-which Indiablamed on its arch enemy Pakistan-on the Uri

base. “Thackeray”, a biopic about divisiveMumbai politician Bal Thackeray, who died in2012, is tipped to be a hagiography designed toboost support for the Shiv Sena-a Hindu chauvin-ist party he led and founded.

A Shiv Sena politician has written the screen-play of the movie which is scheduled to hitscreens on January 25, around what would havebeen Thackeray’s 93rd birthday. January will alsosee the release of the first of a two-part Telugu-language biopic on actor-turned Andhra Pradeshpolitician N.T. Rama Rao. “... Popular cinema hasemerged as an arena for propaganda, with agreater ability to sway opinion and spread ideasthan other media,” said Ramnath, a critic forScroll.in.—AFP

Reelpolitik: India election

films get Bollywood vote

(Left to right) In this filephoto Indian Bollywood

actors Vicky Kaushal,Paresh Rawal, Yami

Gautam and Mohit Rainapose for a picture during a

promotional event for theupcoming Hindi film ‘Uri:

The Surgical Strike,’ inMumbai.

In this file photo Indian Bollywood actor Anupam Kher posesfor a picture during a promotional event for the Hindi film ‘TheAccidental Prime Minister’ in Mumbai. — AFP photos

Sarah Hyland opens up about

her fight with depressionhe 28-year-old actress has opened up about her depressionwhich affected her when she had a secret second kidney trans-plant after her first one failed, and now she has spoken candidlyabout how she got. Appearing on ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’,

she said: “I would write letters in my head to loved ones of why I did it andmy reasoning behind it, how it was nobody’s fault. I didn’t want to write itdown on paper because I didn’t want anybody to find it. That’s how serious Iwas ... It ended up being myself that got me out of that. I had to do it on myown. I told myself I had to do it on my own.” The ‘Modern Family’ star turnedto a friend and verbalized her thoughts, which sparked a change and“helped immensely”. However, Sarah was keen to point out that while itworked for her, she understands everyone with depression handles it differ-ently. She added: “Every person with their anxiety or depression or if youhave suicidal thoughts, every individual is different, so I wouldn’t just rely oneverything that I say. “I’m just sharing my story. But I think talking to some-one and saying it out loud really, really makes it sound almost ridiculous andit puts it into perspective.” Now, almost two years on from the second proce-dure, the star is feeling much better and can now enjoy her life, includingvacations to Mexico with her boyfriend Wells Adams.

L i f e s t y l e Sunday, January 13, 2019

20 Established 1961

G o s s i p

he 22-year-old model - who tied the knot withJustin Bieber last year- admitted that she can’thelp but compare herself to her famous friendsbut she is learning to love herself for who she

is. She told Buzzfeed: “I’ve struggled with comparison. Icome from a world of modeling where it’s really easy tocompare myself to my own friends. You’re just surroundedby a lot of beauty. I would say that every girl struggleswith comparing themselves, whether it’s on social media or[something else]. There’s always going to be other womenor other girls that you feel insecure around, or that you

compare yourself to: What if she’s this and I’m not this? orWhat if I’m this and she’s this? That is always happeningno matter what, you know?” And Hailey revealed that sheoften takes social media breaks so that she can concen-trate on herself. She explained: “It just does something toyour soul, I think, if you pay too close attention to it.Taking breaks from social media, I think, is really impor-tant. I have times where I’ll just take the app off my phonefor like a week or a couple of days.”

Hailey Bieber often feels insecure

T

T

Harry Stylesis reportedly dating model

Kiko Mizuharahe 24-year-old musician is believed tohave met the Japanese-American beautyin Tokyo, which he has visited severaltimes recently and the pair are said to

have grown close, according to The Sun. They havealso followed each other on Instagram. Kiko, 28, wasborn in Dallas but raised in Japan and along withmodeling, has also branched out into acting andsinging. While Harry has starred in ad campaigns forfashion house Gucci, Kiko has worked closely withChanel’s Karl Lagerfeld. Harry has been single sincesplitting from model Camille Rowe in July after ayear of dating. Harry and Camille reportedly partedways as they were unable to strike a balancebetween their careers and their love lives. The splitreportedly came just two weeks after the 24-year-old singer completed his 89-date world tour on July14. Their break-up came as a surprise as pals ofHarry had previously insisted the pair seemed “hap-py and well-suited”. An insider said of theirromance: “He’s very protective of his relationshipsso isn’t going to want to make a big show of things.They are well suited and seem happy. She’s a realstar on the rise.” The ‘Sign of the Times’ hitmaker’srelationship with Camille came just one month afterhe parted ways with food blogger Tess Ward. Hehas also previously been linked to Kendall Jenner,Taylor Swift and Caroline Flack.

T

Jennifer Lopezconstantly tries

to evolvehe 49-year-old singer-and-actress worries about getting “stuck” sois always pushing herself to do new things and transform her career.She said: “I am constantly trying to evolve and to not get stuck. “Ithappens to people - you look at them and think, ‘She got stuck or

she let herself go.’ “ The ‘Second Act’ actress insists things don’t have to declineas a person gets older because there’s always an opportunity to make changesand keep “growing” and it’s only people’s own perceptions that hold them back.She told Britain’s Grazia magazine: “There’s this terrible idea that you get to acertain age and just plummet downwards. I don’t believe that at all. “You canalways reinvent. You can always make a change. You can always keep growing.“I believe that you can keep getting better and better and better. The only thingstopping you is you.” The ‘On the Floor’ hitmaker recently admitted she has ahard time saying no because she doesn’t want to miss out on anything, but asshe’s gotten older, she’s learned how to be more selective over the work shetakes on. She said: “It’s hard for me to say no, and it always has been. I’ve alwaysbeen this person who takes on a lot because I love so many things. I love acting.I love making movies, I also love making television. I love performing live ...When opportunities come, it’s hard for me to say no. But what I think I’velearned, and what I’m trying to do now at this point in my life is to say no a littlebit more and hone it down to working smarter instead of working all the time.Which, it gets tiring.”

T

he 30-year-old model married the Maroon 5 frontman - withwhom she has two daughters, Dusty Rose, two, and Gio Grace,10 months - in 2014, and has said the story of their romancefirst began when he contacted her for a role in a music video,

and stayed in touch over email. She said: “I met my husband through amutual friend. Adam was looking for a girl for a music video that could dosome action stuff, and our friend was like, ‘You should meet Behatibecause she’s a total tomboy and down for anything.’ So he emailed measking if I could do it. I ended up not doing it, but we kept emailing eachother. It was such a natural correspondence that we kind of fell in loveover email.” And after being smitten with each other for a month, they metfor the first time when Behati went to LA for a job, and insists it was “loveat first sight” when they finally laid eyes on each other. She added: “Amonth later, I went to LA for a job, and that was the first time we met inperson. I remember walking in: I opened the door, and it was the classicmoment where the light shines into the dark studio and everyone turnedto look at me. He had boxing gloves on and he came to hug me-it was soawkward. Then he took me for dinner and we talked for hours and had thebest time. It was love at first sight, it was crazy.”

Behati Prinsloo,Adam Levine ‘fell in love over email’

T

Sunday, January 13, 2019L i f e s t y l e G o s s i p

Established 1961 21

he 28-year-old actress hasbeen nominated for severalawards including Oscars,BAFTAs, and Golden Globes,

but admits she still isn’t confident in herown abilities, as she says she often has a“crisis of faith” in which she convincesherself she isn’t good at her job. She said:“I have a huge crisis of faith and convincemyself that I’m a terrible actor and I’m notactually any good at my job.” And the‘Mary Queen of Scots’ star says it’s oftenup to her 29-year-old husband TomAckerley to convince her of her talents.She added to Australia’s Daily Telegraphnewspaper: “My husband (Tom) is like ‘OKyou know you say this every single time,you know this happens the week leadingup’ ... and then the first day is done and I’mlike, ‘I think I can do this’.” Meanwhile,Margot recently revealed she finds it“uninspiring” to be cast as “the wife or thegirlfriend” in movies, and said she wascareful about what roles she accepted ear-ly in her career so as not to be typecast inroles that would be “the catalyst for themale story line”.

Kehlani is ‘really excited’to give birth

he 23-year-old singer is expecting her firstchild with her guitarist Javie Young-White, andhas said she can’t wait to welcome her daugh-ter into the world in a few months time,

because she’s always been “interested” in the “extremepain but also extreme beauty” of childbirth. She said: “Thisis weird but I’m really excited to [give] birth. I’m reallyexcited to experience that, just because I’ve always beeninterested in the birth process my whole life. If I hadenough free time and I wasn’t wrapped up in music, I’dprobably be a doula or something. “But just to feel whatthe surrender feels like - completely surrendering to theentire process of being in extreme pain but also extremebeauty, it’s very ceremonial for me. So I’m really excitedfor that.” The ‘Nights Like This’ singer went on to shareher concerns about becoming a parent, particularly assomeone in the public eye. Meanwhile, Kehlani recentlyopened up about her battle with prenatal depression, asshe insisted her pregnancy has been difficult. She wrote onsocial media: “2 days away from the 3rd trimester and thishas been the hardest thing ever.”

T

Anne Haawaynervous about

hosting the Oscarshe 36-year-old actress hosted the Academy Awardsceremony with James Franco back in 2011, and has saidthat whilst it seemed easy at the time, the tricky partcame with facing news reports and social media posts

the day after, which evaluated her performance. She said: “Thenext day. Finding out how you actually did. Because it feels nice,everybody tells you it’s going well while you’re doing it. Whileyou’re doing it, it’s like doing anything, you know?” But the‘Ocean’s 8’ star insists that it doesn’t matter if a host “bombs” theirperformance, because they’re still “lucky” to have had the chanceto take part in the prestigious event. Speaking to ‘EntertainmentTonight’, she said: “My approach to all this stuff is really simple:we’re lucky. Whether or not it does well or it bombs, this is the stuffof dreams. This is not something to get upset about. Now, thatbeing said, when it really bombs, it does sting a bit. I think it mightend up being a net positive over life. Well, the lessons that Ilearned, the life lessons about who to trust and when to trust them,that’s going to be the net positive.” Anne’s comments come as theupcoming 2019 Oscars ceremony, which is due to take place nextmonth, is still searching for a host, after Kevin Hart stepped downfrom the role when historic homophobic tweets he had made wereresurfaced.

Margot Robbie thinks she’s a ‘terrible actor’T

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he 46-year-old actor and profes-sional wrestler has hit out at theyounger generation, claiming theyare ruining the hard work of people

who “fought for freedom and equality”, by try-ing to find more reasons to be “offended”. Hesaid: “So many good people fought for free-dom and equality - but this generation arelooking for a reason to be offended. If you arenot agreeing with them then they are offended- and that is not what so many great men andwomen fought for.” The ‘Rampage’ star saysthe world has come a long way in terms of

equality and acceptance, but believes “gener-ation snowflake” is doing more harm thangood to the movement. Speaking to the DailyStar newspaper, Dwayne added: “We thank-fully now live in a world that has progressedover the last 30 or 40 years. People can bewho they want, be with who they want, andlive how they want. “That can only be a goodthing - but generation snowflake or, whateveryou want to call them, are actually putting usbackwards.”

Dwayne Johnson slams youth for getting offended

he ‘Revenant’ actor’s house in Los Angeles is oneof the stops on a bus tour of celebrity propertiesand protective Irmelina Indenbirken, 75, hasreportedly taken drastic measures to try and keep

tourists away from the abode. A source told The Sun newspa-per: “Leo’s mum is very protective of him and has takenmeasures into her own hands to keep tourists away. “She hasbeen known to spray anyone who comes near with a gardenhose, including the bus tour, which has left some fans verysoggy. “It’s happened several times, she has a good aim andhas absolutely no qualms about dousing them. “In her eyes,people can be fans of Leo without having to go near hishouse.” It was recently revealed the 44-year-old actor is sell-ing off one of his Los Angeles properties for £1.3 million.Leonard bought the Spanish-style abode in Silver Lake 19years ago for £608,000 after he shot to fame with ‘Titanic’,and now he is set to receive double what he originally paidafter putting the house on the market. The multi-level homeboasts four bedrooms and four-and-a-half bathrooms andcomes with an elevator, pool and a fountain. Leonardo haspreviously sold properties in Malibu and Studio City andrecently purchased Moby’s old home, which is next door tohis own Los Feliz residence.

Leonardo DiCaprio’s mother soaks nosy fans with a hose

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Anna Faris, ChrisPratt ‘work really

hard’ to be supportivehe 42-year-old actress officially divorced Chris in November2018, and has said that whilst their break-up did come with“bitterness and pain”, the couple - who are now both in newrelationships, Anna with Michael Barrett and Chris with

Katherine Schwarzenegger - do their best to remain civil and “happy” forthe sake of their six-year-old son Jack. Speaking on her ‘Unqualified’ pod-cast, she said: “Chris and I work really hard ‘cause we have Jack, that issort of the long game idea and making sure Jack is really happy, whichmakes us really happy. We have sort of the luxury of circumstance. Youknow, we are both in other loving relationships ... but it is ... it’s like how doyou not in general sink into a place of bitterness? “I do want to reiteratethough, that I acknowledge, we all do, everyone acknowledges, that thereis bitterness and pain with all breakups and that hopefully makes us allhuman. But the long game is just the worst being the bigger person. It justis. It sucks until, then what happens though, is that everyone’s happy.”

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Sunday, January 13, 2019

Fe a t u r e s

Established 1961 22L i f e s t y l e

Grooming equipment is seen at the Bespoken Man. A worker grooms a client at the Bespoken Man. A client looks on as he is shaved at the Bespoken Man.

Before male beauty parlors began poppingup in South Africa a few years ago, image-conscious men like Gerhard Joubert felt

awkward being pampered and preened in salonsfilled with women. “It’s a male environment. Theygive you a whisky if you want a whisky. In the olddays we had to go to female hair salons,” saidJoubert, reclining in a luxury leather chair for apedicure in Sorbet Man, a men-only parlor inJohannesburg.

“I think we need to look better after ourselves.I think it’s often been ignored, particular in SouthAfrica.” Two decades ago, well-groomed celebri-ties such as David Beckham began to change tra-ditional attitudes towards masculinity, encourag-ing swathes of men to take greater care of theirappearance and embrace the use of beauty prod-ucts. South Africa has been slow to catch the

“metrosexual” wave, but a growing middle classand the spread of fashion trends on social mediahas seen global companies such as Unilever,Procter & Gamble and L’Oreal target more prod-ucts at African men.

Salon chains are opening men-only parlors tosell these products and to meet the demand foreverything from manicures to eyebrow threading.Sorbet Man was launched as a spinoff from awomen’s salon brand three years ago and nowhas 20 franchise stores. It expects turnover to rise50 percent this year. Rival male beauty shops arespringing up. “I think over the years the stigmaabout male grooming has really limited men frombasically expressing themselves,” said DexterPillay, co-owner of Bespoke Man, a salon inJohannesburg’s business district.

“It’s changed now so drastically where men are

more metrosexual.” The global male groomingproduct market is expected to reach $76 billionby 2023 from $58 billion in 2017, according toindustry research. Africa offers companies thechance to target millions of new consumers.“Africa’s youthful population is seen as a marketopportunity as manufacturers look to target theyoung modern male who is becoming increasinglyconscious about appearance,” said NicolaCooper, a trend analyst. — Reuters

Whisky with your wax? South Africarides ‘metrosexual’ wave

FIA worker gestures as he grooms aclient at the Bespoken Man, a full-service

gentleman’s barber shop in Sandton,South Africa. — Reuters photos

London rapperOctavian hopes

award will inspireother homeless youth

London rapper Octavian, who on Friday won theprestigious BBC Music Sound of 2019 award, saidhe hoped his success would inspire other youth who

were homeless. “A few years ago I was sleeping betweentube stations, the streets and sofa-surfing. Everyone’ssituation is different,” Octavian told the ThomsonReuters Foundation by email.

“I hope ... the progression I’ve had in my career sofar gives hope to homeless people that things canchange,” said the 23-year-old, whose full name isOctavian Oliver Godji. The award has previously beenwon by artists such as Adele, 50 Cent and Sam Smith.Octavian became homeless at 14, and spent years on thestreets and sofa-surfing, he told the BBC, avoidingdrugs, unable at times to afford even a bus ticket - butalways involved in music.

News of his win was welcomed by Centrepoint, aBritish homelessness charity. “Octavian winning the BBCMusic’s Sound of 2019 shows that if homeless youngpeople get the support they need they can go on toachieve their potential,” Paul Noblet of Centrepoint said.The charity estimates about 103,000 young peopleasked for help from their local councils last year becausethey were homeless or at risk of homelessness.

Octavian told the BBC that he was often shunned,unable to afford food or clothes, and had fought with hismother, teachers and the authorities. “I was just a badkid. I didn’t know how to harness my emotions,” he said,adding that finding his craft had saved him. “It shows methat anything’s possible.” The artist with Angolan her-itage, and who counts Drake among his fans, blendedhouse, grime and dancehall to catch the attention of thejudges with his first full-length mixtape ‘Spaceman’released last year.

“Octavian is not in any genre - he is absolutely in hisown lane,” said radio DJ Benji B. “He makes music that isunique to him, and that is one of the many things thatmakes him such a great artist.” Octavian is not the firstcelebrity to have fallen on hard times before making hisname: musician Ed Sheeran said he slept outsideBuckingham Palace and on London underground trains,while actors Halle Berry and James Bond star Daniel Craigspent time in shelters and on park benches. —Reuters

Michael Jacksonestate slams sex abuse documentary

Anew documentary that accuses Michael Jacksonof sexually abusing two boys has beendenounced by the late pop star’s estate as an

“outrageous and pathetic” attempt to exploit his name.“Leaving Neverland,” which is to premiere at theSundance Film Festival later this month, recounts thestory of two men who are now in their 30s and allegethey were sexually abused by the King of Pop whenthey were seven and 10.

“This is yet another lurid production in an outra-geous and pathetic attempt to exploit and cash in onMichael Jackson,” the singer’s estate said in a state-ment carried by US media. It added that the “so-called” documentary was “just another rehash of dateda discredited allegations. It’s baffling why any crediblefilmmaker would involve himself with this project.” Asynopsis reads: “At the height of his stardom, MichaelJackson began long-running relationships with twoboys, aged seven and 10, and their families.

“Now in their 30s, they tell the story of how they

were sexually abused by Jackson, and how they cameto terms with it years later.” The filmmakers have con-firmed to Rolling Stone magazine that the accusersfeatured in the documentary are choreographer WadeRobson, who filed a lawsuit against Jackson in 2013claiming the singer molested him when he was seven,and James Safechuck, who sued Jackson’s estate oversexual abuse charges.

Both lawsuits were dismissed in 2017. Director DanReed, who is behind a documentary on the 2015 terrorattack against the French satirical magazine CharlieHebdo, has defended his two-part documentary,named for Jackson’s famed California ranch. “If there’sanything we’ve learned during this time in our history,it’s that sexual abuse is complicated, and survivors’voices need to be listened to,” he said in a statement.

“It took great courage for these two men to telltheir stories and I have no question about their validi-ty. “I believe anyone who watches this film will see andfeel the emotional toll on the men and their familiesand will appreciate the strength it takes to confrontlong-held secrets.” Jackson, who died on June 25 2009after being given an overdose of the anesthetic propo-fol, faced multiple allegations of child sex abuse duringhis lifetime. He was acquitted of abuse at a 2005 trialin California and paid a $15 million court settlement in1994 over allegations involving another child.—AFP

In this file photo Pop star Michael Jackson performs the firstof two concerts at the National Stadium in Singapore. — AFP

“Green Book” screenwriter NickVallelonga has issued an apolo-gy for an anti-Muslim tweet

from 2015 in which he expressed supportfor false claims that Muslims were cele-brating in New Jersey following the 9/11terror attacks. “I want to apologize. I spentmy life trying to bring this story of over-coming differences and finding commonground to the screen, and I am incrediblysorry to everyone associated with GreenBook,” he said in a statement lateThursday.

“I especially deeply apologize to thebrilliant and kind Mahershala Ali, and allmembers of the Muslim faith, for the hurt Ihave caused,” he said. “I am also sorry tomy late father who changed so much fromDr Shirley’s friendship and I promise thislesson is not lost on me. ‘Green Book’ is astory about love, acceptance and over-coming barriers, and I will do better.” Ali,who is Muslim, on Sunday won a GoldenGlobe award for his role as the real-lifepiano virtuoso Don Shirley in “GreenBook.”

The film, which picked up two otherGolden Globes and is expected to be nom-inated for the Oscars, recounts the unlikelyfriendship between Shirley, who was black,and his driver, Tony Lip (Vallelonga’sfather), during a concert tour through thedeep south in 1962. Vallelonga deleted hisTwitter account after the controversialtweet dating back to November 2015recently resurfaced on social media. Thetweet came in response to then candidateDonald Trump’s claim that he saw thou-sands of people cheering in Jersey Cityafter the terror attacks.

“@realDonaldTrump 100% correct,”Vallelonga wrote at the time. “Muslims inJersey City cheering when towers wentdown. I saw it, as you did, possibly on localCBS news.” Participant Media, which co-financed and produced “Green Book,” hasalso released a statement denouncingVallelonga’s tweet. “We find MrVallelonga’s Twitter post offensive, danger-ous and antithetical to Participant Media’svalues. We reject it in no uncertain terms,”it said.

Earlier this week, the film’s director,Peter Farrelly, was also in hot waterbecause of stories in several media outletsin 1998 recounting his habit of flashing hispenis as a prank. He issued a statement onWednesday apologizing for his behavior.“True. I was an idiot. I did this decades agoand I thought I was being funny and thetruth is I’m embarrassed and it makes mecringe now. I’m deeply sorry.”—AFP

‘Green Book’ writer apologizesfor anti-Muslim 9/11 tweet

In the National Museum of Damascus,archaeologist Muntajab Youssef workson an ancient stone bust from Palmyra,

one of hundreds of artifacts his team ispainstakingly restoring after they weredamaged by Islamic State. Centuries-oldstatues and sculptures were wrecked bythe jihadists when they twice seized con-trol of the old city in central Syria duringthe country’s war, which will go into itsninth year in March.

The 1,800-year-old bust of a bejeweledand richly clothed woman, The Beauty ofPalmyra, was damaged during the firstoffensive on the city by Islamic State fight-ers in 2015. After Syrian government forcestook back the city with Russian militarysupport in March 2016, the bust, alongsideother damaged ancient monuments, wastaken to Damascus and archived in boxes.When restoration work on it began lastyear, Youssef said it was in pieces.

“The hands and face were lost com-

pletely, also parts of the dress and thereare areas that are weaker,” Youssef, whohas been working on the bust for twomonths, said. Youssef is one of 12 archaeol-ogists working on the arduous restorationjob, which first began with the of movingthe damaged pieces to Damascus.Mamoun Abdulkarim, the former Head ofSyrian Antiquities, said that in some casesbrokenartefacts were transported in emptyammunition boxes provided by the Syrianarmy in Palmyra.

How many artifacts there are in total isdifficult to say, given the state they werefound in. The lack of documentation for theartifacts also adds to the restoration chal-lenge. “A big part of the documentation inthe Palmyra museum, was damaged withthe antiquities and computers,” archaeolo-gist Raed Abbas said. “A statue needs pic-tures ... in order to be rebuilt.”—Reuters

Archaeologists restore ancient Palmyraartifacts in Damascus museum

In this file photo ‘Green Book’ co-writ-ers Brian Currie, left, and NickVallelonga, right, attend the 2019National Board Of Review Gala atCipriani 42nd Street in New York City.

A specialist works on a damaged statue from Palmyra at Syria’s National Museum ofDamascus, Syria. — Reuters

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Arrival Flights on Sunday 13/1/2019Airlines Flt Route TimeJZR 254 Amman 00:05JAI 572 Mumbai 00:15FEG 1241 Alexandria 00:30JZR 734 Cairo 00:50THY 772 Istanbul 00:50KAC 102 London 00:50PGT 858 Istanbul 01:00KAC 504 Beirut 01:15DLH 625 Dammam 01:25UAE 853 Dubai 01:45THY 764 Istanbul 01:50IGO 1757 Kochi 01:55ETH 620 Addis Ababa 02:15JZR 722 Alexandria 02:15RBG 551 Alexandria 02:25KLM 446 Bahrain 02:30GFA 211 Bahrain 02:30QTR 1086 Doha 02:40OMA 643 Muscat 02:55RJA 648 Amman 02:55KKK 1268 Istanbul 03:05ETD 305 Abu Dhabi 03:05PGT 860 Istanbul 03:10MSR 612 Cairo 03:15JZR 1736 Cairo 03:30KAC 414 Bangkok 04:00QTR 1076 Doha 04:00LMU 510 Cairo 04:00IGO 1751 Chennai 04:10KAC 418 Manila 04:25KAC 784 Jeddah 04:30DHX 170 Bahrain 04:35JZR 406 Kochi 04:45FDB 069 Dubai 05:00KAC 382 Delhi 05:05JZR 404 Hyderabad 05:10THY 770 Istanbul 05:10KAC 1544 Cairo 05:10KAC 284 Dhaka 05:15JZR 112 Doha 05:25KAC 332 Trivandrum 05:40KAC 344 Chennai 05:50JZR 402 Mumbai 06:05KAC 302 Mumbai 06:25QTR 8511 Doha 06:40KAC 678 Dubai 06:55BAW 157 London 07:05JZR 708 Luxor 07:15KAC 358 Kochi 07:35FDB 053 Dubai 07:50KAC 384 Delhi 08:00UAE 855 Dubai 08:35JZR 408 Ahmedabad 08:45ETD 301 Abu Dhabi 09:05ABY 125 Sharjah 09:05QTR 1070 Doha 09:30IGO 1753 Ahmedabad 09:40IRA 665 Shiraz 09:40FDB 055 Dubai 09:40IRC 528 Ahwaz 10:00SVA 512 Riyadh 10:00GFA 213 Bahrain 10:40JZR 702 Asyut 11:05JZR 122 Dubai 11:20QTR 1074 Doha 11:35JZR 216 Jeddah 11:45MEA 404 Beirut 11:55KAC 614 Bahrain 12:25SAW 701 Damascus 12:30JZR 714 Sohag 12:35UAE 871 Dubai 12:50KAC 742 Dammam 12:50

MSR 610 Cairo 13:10AXB 393 Kozhikode 13:15QTR 1078 Doha 13:35KAC 774 Riyadh 14:00KAC 792 Madinah 14:05KAC 204 Lahore 14:05FDB 059 Dubai 14:20KAC 672 Dubai 14:25KAC 364 Colombo 14:30GFA 221 Bahrain 14:40KAC 618 Doha 14:40SVA 500 Jeddah 14:45KAC 692 Muscat 14:55KNE 529 Jeddah 15:05KAC 788 Jeddah 15:10ETD 303 Abu Dhabi 15:15JZR 222 Riyadh 15:30KAC 562 Amman 15:35OMA 645 Muscat 15:35KAC 304 Mumbai 15:40UAE 857 Dubai 15:45JZR 732 Cairo 15:50KAC 118 New York 16:05ABY 127 Sharjah 16:05KAC 516 Tehran 16:20JZR 212 Jeddah 16:25KAC 502 Beirut 16:30KAC 542 Cairo 16:30QTR 1072 Doha 16:35FDB 051 Dubai 16:40JZR 114 Doha 17:10SVA 510 Riyadh 17:15GFA 215 Bahrain 17:30JZR 104 Bahrain 17:45JZR 214 Jeddah 17:45UAE 875 Dubai 18:00FDB 063 Dubai 18:15JZR 302 Istanbul 18:15JZR 124 Dubai 18:20MSR 620 Cairo 18:30QTR 1080 Doha 18:30SYR 341 Damascus 19:00RJA 640 Amman 19:00ABY 123 Sharjah 19:25RBG 555 Alexandria 19:25GFA 217 Bahrain 19:30KAC 616 Bahrain 19:30KAC 156 Istanbul 19:30FDB 057 Dubai 19:50KAC 776 Riyadh 19:50KAC 104 London 19:55KAC 166 Rome 20:10KAC 620 Doha 20:15OMA 647 Muscat 20:20DHX 172 Bahrain 20:20QTR 1088 Doha 20:35KAC 674 Dubai 20:35DLH 624 Frankfurt 20:45FEG 1441 Asyut 20:45KAC 172 Frankfurt 21:15ETD 307 Abu Dhabi 21:20ALK 229 Colombo 21:20MEA 402 Beirut 21:20UAE 859 Dubai 21:35GFA 219 Bahrain 21:45KAC 676 Dubai 21:45KAC 564 Amman 21:55JAI 574 Mumbai 22:00QTR 1082 Doha 22:05ETD 309 Abu Dhabi 22:15AIC 981 Chennai/Ahmedabad 22:25KAC 622 Doha 22:30KAC 786 Jeddah 22:45JZR 128 Dubai 23:15FDB 071 Dubai 23:45

Departure Flights on Sunday 13/1/2019Airlines Flt Route TimeJZR 407 Ahmedabad 00:05AIC 988 Hyderabad/Chennai 00:05TRQ 231 KRT 00:30FDB 072 Dubai 00:40BBC 044 Dhaka 00:45JZR 707 Luxor 01:00JAI 571 Mumbai 01:15FEG 1342 Sohag 01:30JZR 111 Doha 01:45KAC 363 Colombo 01:50KAC 677 Dubai 01:50KAC 417 Manila 02:00DLH 625 Frankfurt 02:25THY 773 Istanbul 02:30PGT 859 Istanbul 02:55IGO 1758 Kochi 02:55ETH 621 Ababa 03:05RBG 552 Alexandria 03:05UAE 854 Dubai 03:40KLM 446 Amsterdam 03:55OMA 644 Muscat 03:55THY 765 Istanbul 04:00QTR 1087 Doha 04:00KKK 1269 Istanbul 04:00ETD 306 Abu Dhabi 04:05MSR 613 Cairo 04:15PGT 861 Istanbul 04:25JZR 701 Asyut 04:30LMU 511 Cairo 05:00IGO 1752 Chennai 05:10KAC 103 London 05:10KAC 203 Lahore 05:10QTR 1077 Doha 05:30DHX 173 Bahrain 05:30FDB 070 Dubai 05:50JZR 215 Jeddah 06:00KAC 303 Mumbai 06:10JZR 713 Sohag 06:15JZR 121 Dubai 06:35THY 771 Istanbul 06:40GFA 212 Bahrain 07:15RJA 649 Amman 07:15KAC 171 Frankfurt 08:10KAC 165 Rome 08:20QTR 8512 Doha 08:40FDB 054 Dubai 08:50KAC 501 Beirut 09:00KAC 787 Jeddah 09:05KAC 613 Bahrain 09:05JZR 731 Cairo 09:10BAW 156 London 09:10KAC 791 Madinah 09:10KAC 117 New York 09:15KAC 691 Muscat 09:20KAC 541 Cairo 09:30KAC 561 Amman 09:40ABY 126 Sharjah 09:45KAC 101 London 09:45KAC 741 Dammam 09:45KAC 671 Dubai 09:45UAE 856 Dubai 10:00JZR 301 Istanbul 10:05ETD 302 Abu Dhabi 10:10KAC 773 Riyadh 10:10FDB 056 Dubai 10:35KAC 617 Doha 10:35JZR 211 Jeddah 10:40IRA 664 Shiraz 10:40IGO 1754 Ahmedabad 10:40QTR 1071 Doha 10:45KAC 155 Istanbul 10:45IRC 529 Ahwaz 10:55

SVA 513 Riyadh 11:00GFA 214 Bahrain 11:25KAC 515 Tehran 12:00JZR 213 Jeddah 12:00JZR 221 Riyadh 12:00MEA 405 Beirut 12:55QTR 1075 Doha 13:00SAW 702 Damascus 13:30JZR 113 Doha 13:30JZR 123 Dubai 13:40MSR 611 Cairo 14:10UAE 872 Dubai 14:15AXB 394 Kozhikode 14:15JZR 103 Bahrain 14:40QTR 1079 Doha 15:00FDB 060 Dubai 15:10GFA 222 Bahrain 15:25KAC 673 Dubai 15:40SVA 501 Jeddah 15:45KAC 775 Riyadh 15:50KNE 530 Jeddah 16:00KAC 615 Bahrain 16:05KAC 619 Doha 16:10KAC 563 Amman 16:10ETD 304 Abu Dhabi 16:20KAC 283 Dhaka 16:30OMA 646 Muscat 16:35KAC 785 Jeddah 16:40ABY 128 Sharjah 16:45KAC 675 Dubai 17:05KAC 503 Beirut 17:15FDB 052 Dubai 17:40UAE 858 Dubai 17:45QTR 1073 Doha 17:50JZR 721 Alexandria 18:00KAC 331 Trivandrum 18:00KAC 343 Chennai 18:00JZR 733 Cairo 18:10SVA 511 Riyadh 18:15GFA 216 Bahrain 18:20KAC 621 Doha 18:25JZR 127 Dubai 18:35JZR 403 Hyderabad 18:40JZR 501 Lahore 18:40KAC 381 Delhi 18:55JZR 253 Amman 19:15FDB 064 Dubai 19:20UAE 876 Dubai 19:30MSR 621 Cairo 19:30QTR 1081 Doha 19:55RJA 641 Amman 20:00SYR 342 Damascus 20:00RBG 556 Alexandria 20:05ABY 124 Sharjah 20:05GFA 218 Bahrain 20:15FDB 058 Dubai 20:35KAC 301 Mumbai 20:35KAC 345 Ahmedabad 20:40JZR 401 Mumbai 20:55KAC 353 Bengaluru 20:55KAC 357 Kochi 21:00OMA 648 Muscat 21:20DLH 624 Dammam 21:30FEG 1344 Sohag 21:45DHX 171 Bahrain 21:50QTR 1089 Doha 22:00ETD 308 Abu Dhabi 22:10KAC 1543 Cairo 22:15MEA 403 Beirut 22:20ALK 230 Colombo 22:25KAC 383 Delhi 22:30GFA 220 Bahrain 22:30KAC 783 Jeddah 22:55UAE 860 Dubai 23:00JAI 573 Mumbai 23:00KAC 411 Bangkok 23:00ETD 310 Abu Dhabi 23:05QTR 1083 Doha 23:25

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Sunday, January 13, 2019N e w s

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(Turkish President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan’s right todefend their country from terrorists”. But, he added,“we also know that those fighting alongside of us for allthis time deserve to be protected as well”. Pompeo saidhe had spoken to Turkey’s Foreign Minister MevlutCavusoglu. “Many details (are) still to be worked outbut I’m optimistic that we can achieve a good out-come,” he said.

Multiple operations including American-backedassaults have ousted IS militants from most of theswathes of Syria and Iraq they captured in 2014. ButTrump’s announcement raised fears of a long-threat-ened Turkish assault against the Kurds. On Thursday,Cavusoglu repeated that threat, telling NTV television:“If the (pullout) is put off with ridiculous excuses likeTurks are massacring Kurds, which do not reflect thereality, we will implement this decision.”

That came after a tense meeting between Turkishofficials and Trump’s national security adviser JohnBolton in Ankara, aimed at coordinating the pulloutprocess after Bolton set conditions that appeared topostpone it indefinitely. The terms included the totaldefeat of IS - still active in some parts of Syria - andensuring protection for Kurdish fighters. The US-ledcoalition launched operations against IS in Sept 2014,forming the SDF a year later with some 25,000 Kurdishfighters and 5,000 Arabs - all Syrian.

Backed by US arms and air support, the YPG-dominated group has overrun the de facto Syriancapital of IS, Raqqa, and a large part of Deir Ezzorprovince. But that stirred Turkish fears of a break-away Kurdish state on its border. As well as fightingIS, the YPG has also battled pro-Ankara forces innorthwestern Syria, pulling SDF forces away from thebattle against jihadists in the east of the country.Trump’s announcement last month prompted the YPGto call on Syrian government troops to deploy along-side their own forces in the north to help counter apotential Turkish offensive.

A spokesman for the US military said Friday it hadbegun “the process of our deliberate withdrawal fromSyria”. But US defense officials quickly sought to clari-fy that while gear was being pulled out, “we are notwithdrawing troops at this stage”. Late Friday,Pentagon spokesman Cmdr Sean Robertson said thatOperation Inherent Resolve “is implementing the order-ly withdrawal of forces from northeast Syria within aframework coordinated across the US government”.

The withdrawal, Robertson said, “is based on opera-tional conditions on the ground, including conversationwith our allies and partners, and is not be subject to anarbitrary timeline.” He added: “For purposes of opera-tional security, we will not discuss specific troop move-ments or timelines. However, we will confirm that therehas been no redeployment of military personnel fromSyria to date. The mission has not changed.”

US defense officials said the withdrawal was only ofcertain types of gear, and not troops. “We are not with-drawing troops at this stage,” one US defense officialsaid. A second US defense official told AFP that themilitary had conducted a number of preparations for adeliberate withdrawal. “That includes planning for themoving of people and equipment, preparation of facili-ties to accept retrograde equipment,” the official said,noting that no troops had been withdrawn. The SyrianObservatory for Human Rights reported earlier that theUS-led coalition in Syria had started scaling down itspresence at Rmeilan airfield in the Hasakeh province ofnortheastern Syria. But the first defense official said thiswas merely part of a regular troop movement.

Democratic congressman Adam Schiff, who chairsthe House Intelligence Committee, blasted the with-drawal plans. “The Trump Administration’s foreign poli-cy is as deeply flawed in its conception as it is danger-ously incompetent in its execution,” Schiff said onTwitter. Though Trump has said he wants a withdrawalto be coordinated, gradual and “prudent,” observershave stressed that his announcement was having thesame impact as a withdrawal itself. “The damage isdone,” said Fabrice Balanche, a geographer and Syriaexpert. “On the ground, the announcement of the pull-out is as if they were already gone.”

Syria’s devastating conflict began in 2011 with anti-government demonstrations that were brutally crushed,sparking a complex war involving multiple foreign mili-tias and jihadist groups, as well as regional and interna-tional powers including the US. The withdrawalannouncement had also sparked concerns among Arabstates and Israel that it could open the way to growingIranian influence.

Pompeo has pledged to “expel every last Iranianboot” from Syria, and yesterday sought to downplaythe impact of the US pullout on this goal. “The fact thata couple of thousands of uniformed personnel in Syriawill be withdrawing is a tactical change,” he said. “Itdoesn’t materially alter our capacity to continue to per-form the military actions that we need to perform.” TheUS is looking to create an anti-Iran front - the MiddleEast Strategic Alliance - bringing together Gulf coun-tries as well as Egypt and Jordan. Washington is set toconvene an international summit in Poland next monthfocusing on stability in the Middle East, including Iran’sinfluence. — Agencies

Pompeo ‘optimistic’both Syrian Kurds...

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Raif Badawi’s wife Ensaf Haidar also praised Canada,calling Freeland on Twitter “the real hero” behindefforts to prevent Qunun’s repatriation to Saudi Arabia.Qunun alleged that she was abused by her family - whodeny the allegations - and rights groups also said shehad renounced Islam, risking prosecution in SaudiArabia. Qunun first said she was aiming for Australia,where officials had suggested they would give seriousconsideration to her claim for asylum, which wasendorsed as legitimate by the UNHCR on Wednesday.

But late Friday Thailand’s immigration police chiefSurachate Hakparn said a smiling and cheerful Rahafwas bound for Toronto and had left on a flight after11pm (1600 GMT). “She chose Canada ... (and) Canadasaid it will accept her,” Surachate told reporters atBangkok’s main airport. “She is safe now and has goodphysical and mental health. She is happy.” Qunun leftfrom the same airport where her quest for asylum beganin a swift-moving process that defied most norms.

On Friday afternoon Qunun posted a cryptic tweeton her profile saying, “I have some good news andsome bad news.” Her account was deactivated shortlyafterward in response to death threats she had faced,her friends said. But she was back online later in theday, tweeting: “I would like to thank you people forsupporting me and saving my life. Truly I have neverdreamed of this love and support.”

Qunun’s skillful use of Twitter saw her amass tens ofthousands of followers within a week, highlighting herplight at a time when Saudi Arabia’s human rightsrecord is under heavy scrutiny following the murder ofjournalist Jamal Khashoggi last year. Her deployment ofsocial media allowed her to avoid the fate of countlessother refugees who are quietly sent back home or leftto languish in Bangkok detention centers. She refusedto see her father, who traveled to Thailand andexpressed opposition to her resettlement. Surachatesaid her father and brother were due to return home ona flight in the early hours of yesterday.

Although Qunun’s asylum case moved quickly, thefinal maneuvers that led to her flight to Canada remainlargely a mystery. Surachate had told reporters earlierFriday that “two or three” countries were ready to offerher asylum. The Southeast Asian country is not a signa-tory to a convention on refugees, and asylum seekersmust be referred to a third country. — AFP

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The real estate mogul ran for president as a hardlin-er on immigration and has previously vowed to crackdown on H-1Bs by encouraging reporting of visa fraudand insisting that businesses first hire Americans. Hispromise on H-1Bs came just as Trump is pressing tobuild a wall on the Mexican border to keep out unau-thorized immigrants and asylum seekers, most of whomare low-skilled, in a showdown with Congress that hastriggered a shutdown of the federal government.

While it was unclear what prompted Trump’s tweet, TheWashington Post on Friday ran a front-page article on howtech workers are increasingly moving from the UnitedStates to Canada due to the hassle in obtaining H-1B visas.Silicon Valley and India have both pushed hard for a moregenerous visa system for skilled foreign employees, sayingthey are indispensable in powering the tech industry, butcritics charge that native-born Americans should have pri-ority for the generally well-paying jobs.

Doug Rand, a former White House official in theObama administration who worked on immigrationissues, said the proposed changes to the lottery selec-tion process were at best modest and at worst couldcause chaos. Some immigration experts do not believethe new registration system will be ready in time for thenext lottery, which occurs in the spring. “The odds thata complicated new electronic processing system will beeffectively launched by DHS in time for the next lotteryon April 1 is low probability and has nothing to do with

a potential path to citizenship,” Rand said.Throughout his presidency, Trump has sought to

stem illegal immigration and to deport more immigrantsliving in the United States illegally. His administrationhas also worked to limit legal immigration, includingthrough a proposal that would penalize aspiring immi-grants who use public benefits. Trump has also deridedvisas granted to family members of U.S. residents orcitizens as “chain migration,” and backed a Republicanproposal in 2017 that would have slashed legal immi-gration in half.

“The devil is in the details, said Todd Schulte, presi-dent of FWD.us, a nonprofit group which advocates forpro-immigration policies. He said his group, which wasfounded by tech executives including Facebook founderMark Zuckerberg, remains “skeptical of vague pro-nouncements given the administration’s track record.”US companies often use H-1B visas to hire graduate-level workers in specialized fields including informationtechnology, medicine, engineering and mathematics.But the visa program has also drawn criticism for beingused heavily by foreign outsourcing companies thatsqueeze out American firms.

The United States each year grants 85,000 H-1Bvisas, including 20,000 that are reserved for workerswith master’s degrees or higher. H-1B visas are grantedto professional workers sponsored by employers for aperiod of three years, which can be extended once. Thevisa can still be simpler to obtain than seeking tobecome a permanent resident and eventually citizen ofthe United States. Studying official data, the CatoInstitute last year estimated the wait for an Indianseeking an EB-2 visa, which provides permanent resi-dency based on advanced academic achievement, hadrisen to 151 years - at which point, barring a medicalmiracle, the applicant would be dead. — Agencies

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employees - workers as diverse as FBI agents, air trafficcontrollers and museum staff - did not receive paychecksFriday. The shutdown became the longest on record atmidnight Friday (0500 GMT Saturday), when it overtook a21-day stretch in 1995-1996 under president Bill Clinton.

On Friday, however, Trump backed off a series of pre-vious threats to end the deadlock by declaring a nationalemergency and attempting to secure the funds withoutcongressional approval. “I’m not going to do it so fast,” hesaid at a White House meeting. Trump described an emer-gency declaration as the “easy way out” and saidCongress had to step up to the responsibility of approv-ing the $5.7 billion he says is needed. “If they can’t do it...I will declare a national emergency. I have the absoluteright,” he said.

Until Friday, Trump had suggested numerous times thathe was getting closer to taking the controversial decision.One powerful Republican ally, Senator Lindsey Graham,tweeted after talks with Trump: “Mr. President, Declare anational emergency NOW.” But the president himselfacknowledged in the White House meeting that an attemptto claim emergency powers would likely end up in legalbattles going all the way to the Supreme Court - as otherRepublicans and some of his advisers have reportedly cau-tioned him. Opponents say that a unilateral presidentialmove would be constitutional overreach and set a danger-ous precedent in similar controversies.

The standoff has turned into a test of political ego, par-ticularly for Trump, who came into office boasting of hisdeal-making powers and making an aggressive borderpolicy the keystone of his nationalist agenda. In two of histweets yesterday, Trump pushed back on a media reportthat his White House was “chaotic” with no plan or strate-

gy to end the shutdown. “The Fakes always like talkingChaos, there is NONE...” he tweeted. “I do have a plan onthe Shutdown. But to understand that plan you would haveto understand the fact that I won the election, and I prom-ised... a Wall at the Southern Border. Elections have conse-quences!”

Democrats, meanwhile, seem determined at all costs toprevent the president from getting the wall he has oftenpromised in his campaign-style rallies. Both Democratsand Republicans agree that the US-Mexican border pres-ents major challenges, ranging from the violent Mexicandrug trade to the plight of asylum seekers and poormigrants seeking new lives in the world’s richest country.But Trump has turned his single-minded push for morewalls into a political crusade that opponents say is a stuntto stoke xenophobia in his rightwing voter base while will-fully ignoring the border’s complex realities.

For the president, who visited the Texas border withMexico on Thursday, the border situation amounts to aninvasion by criminals. Only in recent days has he begundescribing the problem as “humanitarian”. Some studiesshow that illegal immigrants generally commit fewer crimesthan people born in the United States, although not every-one agrees on this. More certain is that while narcotics doenter the country across remote sections of the border,most are sneaked through heavily guarded checkpoints invehicles, the government’s own Drug EnforcementAdministration said in a 2017 report.

Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader in the House ofRepresentatives, said money should be spent on bordersecurity but not on walls. “We need to look at the facts,”she said. Separately, Puerto Rico’s governor urged Trumpto not redirect emergency funds from projects to help thestorm-ravaged island to wall construction along the US-Mexico border. Ricardo Rossello’s plea followed reportsthe White House has asked the Army Corps of Engineersto look into ways to divert funds destined for natural dis-aster relief for the wall. In September 2017, HurricaneMaria tore through the US territory in the Caribbean,killing some 3,000 people, causing catastrophic materialdamage and crippling the island’s power grid. — AFP

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out, there was no railing, nothing, and there was toomuch smoke,” she said.

Besides the two dead firefighters, 47 other people wereinjured in the blast, 10 of them seriously, the Paris prosecu-tor’s office said. A source in the Spanish foreign ministrysaid a woman who was holidaying with her husband inParis died in hospital after the blast while another Spanishnational was also injured. Around 100 police officersblocked off several streets in the area, home to restaurantsand tourist attractions including the Musee Grevin waxmuseum and the popular Rue des Martyrs.

Police also closed off streets in front of the GarnierOpera house as emergency services landed two helicop-ters in front of the historic building to evacuate victims.The explosion occurred shortly after 9:00 am (0800

GMT) in building that housed a bakery as well as a restau-rant on the ground floor in the Ninth Arrondissement. “Ithappened when there were people in the street, and fire-fighters inside,” the interior minister said.

The shockwave was felt as far as four blocks away,Commander Eric Moulin of the Paris fire service said,adding that rescuers were still searching for other victims.Firefighters had been responding to an alert of a gas leakat the site when the explosion occurred, Paris prosecutorRemy Heitz said at the scene. “First there was a gas leakand the firefighters arrived, then there was an explosionthat caused the fire,” Heitz said.

Dozens of tourists, suitcases in hand, were evacuatedfrom the many nearby hotels in the area, a popular week-end shopping destination for locals and visitors alike.Other residents were in bathrobes or quickly dressing inthe street as police helicopters circled overhead. “Wewere sleeping when we heard the noise, it sounded like anearthquake,” a teenager who lives on a nearby street toldAFP. “We came downstairs and we saw a building on fire,”her brother said. Many homes and buildings in Paris usegas for heating and cooking, though explosions due toleaks are relatively rare. — AFP

2 firefighters, tourist killed

KHARTOUM: As angry protests pile pres-sure on Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashirto step down, key powers are standing by hisregime to ensure stability in a strife-tornregion, analysts say. Demonstrations thaterupted in the provinces last month after thegovernment tripled the price of bread haveescalated into nationwide protests that ana-lysts say pose the biggest challenge toBashir since he took power in an Islamist-backed coup in 1989.

But despite bloodshed that Sudaneseauthorities say has claimed 22 lives, outsideplayers ranging from Gulf rivals Qatar andSaudi Arabia to major powers China, Russiaand the United States all see an interest inthe 75-year-old staying at the helm. “Allcamps in the region are at each other’sthroat, but somehow they agree on Bashir,”said Abdelwahab Al-Affendi, author and anacademic at the Doha Institute for GraduateStudies. “They seem to favor continuity.They believe that any other alternative mightnot be favorable to them and to the region.”

Egypt, which has deep historical ties withSudan, has called repeatedly for stability inits southern neighbor, with its commandingposition on the Nile on whose waters theyboth depend. “Egypt fully supports the

security and stability of Sudan, which is inte-gral to Egypt’s national security,” PresidentAbdel Fattah al-Sisi told a top Bashir aidewho visited Cairo last week. Days earlier,Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukryexpressed confidence that Sudan would“overcome the present situation”.

Relations between Cairo and Khartoumhad deteriorated sharply in 2017 over terri-torial disputes, but in recent months the twogovernments have ironed out their differ-ences, with Sudan even lifting a 17-monthban on Egyptian agricultural produce.

Arab governments have scrambled toprovide support, anxious to avoid any repe-tition of the upheavals that rocked the regionin 2011. “There has been evidence of tangiblesupport to Bashir... be it from Egypt, Saudior Qatar,” said Affendi. “These allies areagainst any kind of successful uprising. Theyfeel that if it happens, then they will be next,”he said, adding that the Arab Spring has notbeen forgotten.

Qatar’s ruler Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani called Bashir just days after theprotests erupted to offer his support. Duringhis long years in power, Bashir has built uprelations with all of the region’s bickeringdiplomatic players, through a string of some-

times spectacular foreign policy twists. Justdays before the protests erupted, he travelledto meet Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad inthe first visit to Damascus by any Arab leadersince the Syrian civil war erupted in 2011.“His foreign policy is in all directions drivenby economic pressures,” said a Europeandiplomat on condition of anonymity.

The regime hosted Al-Qaeda founderOsama bin Laden in the 1990s, and thendeveloped ties with Shiite Iran before sev-ering them in 2016. In Oct 2017, increasedcooperation with Washington helpedKhartoum get a decades-old US tradeembargo lifted. Washington has still keptSudan on its blacklist of “state sponsors ofterrorism” along with Iran, North Koreaand Syria.

And although the US and the EuropeanUnion do not openly back Bashir, who iswanted by the International Criminal Courton war crimes charges including genocide inDarfur, they work with Khartoum to ensurethat “Sudan remains stable”, the diplomatsaid. Any kind of instability in Sudan couldtrigger a new wave of Sudanese migrantsheaded towards Europe, he added.

Sudan’s strategic location in the Horn ofAfrica is a blessing for Bashir, said Amal El-

Taweel of the Cairo-based Al-Ahram Centerfor Political and Strategic Studies. “I thinkthe international and regional powers willnot allow Sudan to fall,” she told AFP. “But alot depends on how the balance of powershifts on the streets,” she added. “The worldalso doesn’t want to see another new bastionof hardliners that might be created if some-

thing like this happens.”Bashir surprised the West when he

dumped Tehran for Riyadh in 2016. The shiftwas not just diplomatic. The Sudanese leaderalso sent hundreds of troops to join theSaudi-led coalition battling Iran-linked Shiiterebels in Yemen, in what he called an “ideo-logical” decision. — AFP

Regional powers stick with Bashir amid Sudan protests

OMDURMAN: Sudanese Muslims gather outside the Al-Nilayn mosque after Friday prayers inKhartoum’s twin city on Friday. — AFP

SYDNEY: Petra Kvitova outlasted Ashleigh Barty in afinal-set tiebreak to win the Sydney International for thesecond time yesterday. The Czech 2015 champion andfifth seed fought back from dropping the opening set andan early break in the final set to beat the top-rankedAussie, 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7/3) in two hours 19 minutes.

It was a gutsy performance from the two-timeWimbledon champion who only finished her semi-finalagainst Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the early hours of yes-terday. Kvitova had beaten Barty both the previous timesthey played, including in the Birmingham final in 2017,but she had to dig deep to win her eighth straight final,coming back from an 0-3 deficit in the final set.

“I left everything out there. I was cramping in the end.It wasn’t the best,” Kvitova said. “She’s Aussie, so sheused to these conditions. I played three times in thenight, so for me it was totally different conditions, whichfrom the beginning I feel very, very slow.

“So it just took me a while to get used to the rhythmand get back to the play. “It was such a great final. It wasa big fight until the end. That’s the way a final should be.”Kvitova prevailed despite her serve being broken sixtimes in the match but she finished with 31 winners toBarty’s 23.

Barty raced through the opening set after breakingthe big-serving Kvitova in the first game on back-to-back double faults. Kvitova began to hit her spots withher powerful groundstrokes in the second set and brokeBarty for 6-5 and then served out the set in the nextgame with a backhand winner that clipped the back ofthe baseline on her second set point.

Barty broke early to lead 3-0 in the final set, butKvitova broke back in the fifth game to level at 3-3.Barty saved four break points in the ninth game but withthe break in hand, Kvitova couldn’t serve out the match.She broke again in the 11th game but began to strugglephysically and back-to-back double faults took the

deciding set to a tiebreak.The Czech fired a running cross-court forehand win-

ner on match point to claim her 26th career title and asixth WTA title in the past 12 months. “Of course, it’stough to take. It’s been a hell of a week. I mean, I couldn’thave left anything more out on the court,” Barty said.

“Petra came up with the goods when she needed ittoday. Sometimes when you play Petra, you have thosematches where a lot of the time it’s out of my control.”

Earlier, Australian teenager Alex De Minaur won twomatches in a day to claim his first career ATP title at theSydney International yesterday. De Minaur, 19 and ranked29, conquered the fresher Italian Andreas Seppi 7-5, 7-6(7/5) in the final after overcoming Frenchman Gilles Simonin a rain-postponed semi-final earlier in the day.

De Minaur’s triumph made him the youngest winnerof the Sydney tournament since his mentor LleytonHewitt claimed it as a 19-year-old in 2001. Sydney-bornDe Minaur is the first Australian champion at the 134-year tournament since Bernard Tomic in 2013.

“It’s crazy that this actually happened,” De Minaurtold the crowd shortly after his victory. “I thought itwouldn’t happen. Third time lucky, and you guys don’tknow how much it means to do it in front of all you guys,in front of my home.”

In his second straight Sydney final, the fifth seed won75 percent of first-serve points to improve on his run-ner-up finish to Russian Daniil Medvedev last year. DeMinaur has soared 208 places to 29 in the ATP Rankingsand was named ATP Newcomer of the Year after earning28 tour-level victories throughout his 2018 campaign.

After conceding a break of serve in the opening gameof the match, De Minaur levelled the opening set at 3-3.The first set appeared to be heading towards a tie-breakuntil De Minaur broke in the 12th game, attacking Seppi’sforehand to force errors and earn short balls in returnfrom his opponent.

Seppi was again the first to strike in the second set.The Italian earned his first break point of the set beforecapitalising on a De Minaur double-fault to lead 4-3. Butthe Australian youngster broke back for 4-4 as Seppi

made consecutive groundstroke errors. In the tie-break,De Minaur recovered from a mini-break down threetimes, before clinching the title on his first championshippoint as Seppi netted a backhand. —AFP

Kerber keeping Open expectationsin checkMELBOURNE: Wimbledon championAngelique Kerber yesterday said herconfidence and motivation were skyhigh and her form good, but she isthinking no further than round one ofthe opening Grand Slam of the year.

Despite her reticence to look too farforward, the world number two is seenas one of the favourites for theAustralian Open crown, carrying goodmomentum into the tournament after astellar 2018. The 30-year-old has theexperience to make another deep run atMelbourne Park, having won in 2016.

“Now we have a new season com-ing, and the motivation is really highagain,” she said ahead of her firstround clash with Poland’s Polona

Hercog. “You know, for me it’s impor-tant to be going on court and trying tomake the transit from my practice ses-sions to the match ones.

“I was really working hard in the pre-season, and now I’m really looking for-ward to having the competition andplaying matches again,” added theGerman star. Kerber fell to world num-ber one Simona Halep 9-7 in the thirdset of an epic semi-final battle last yearbut was not prepared to outline heraspirations for 2019.

“I’m not putting too much expecta-tion on me, with the results and every-thing like that,” she said. “I’m here to,like always at the Grand Slams, find myrhythm, play the first round, try to do mybest, then look day by day.

“I know that I am playing good rightnow, that I had good matches, that Ihave the confidence. But still it’s noteasy being here. The tournament startsfrom zero.” Kerber is working with newcoach Rainer Schuttler, who reached theAustralian Open final in 2003 where helost to Andre Agassi.

German Tennis Association’s BarbaraRittner, who helped develop Kerber as a

teenager, said recently that Schuttlerwould add more “daring” to her game.Kerber said he was her first coach whoactually played at the top level, and thiswas proving invaluable.

“He knows how it is to being under

pressure, to having emotions on court.He understands my thinking,” she said.“You know, on court he is also a hardworker. He loves the sport like me, weare both really trying to do our best. Wehave the passion.” — AFP

S p o r t s Sunday, January 13, 2019

25

Petra Kvitova digs deep to outlast Barty in Sydney final

De Minaur downs Seppi to win first ATP title at Sydney

Established 1961

New kid Zverev sad at ‘coolest dude’ Murray quitting tennisMELBOURNE: Brightest new kid on the blockAlexander Zverev said yesterday he was sad tohear “super nice” Andy Murray say the AustralianOpen could be his last tournament. Murray onFriday shocked the tennis world by declaring thathis chronic hip pain had not been eased by surgerya year ago and he could end his storied career inMelbourne next week.

World number four Zverev is the flag-bearer forthe next generation of stars, having beaten RogerFederer and Novak Djokovic to win the biggestcrown of his career at the ATP Finals last year.

And he said he would always appreciate whatthe 31-year-old three-times Grand Slam winnerMurray had done for the sport and new players likehimself as they emerge on tour. “Obviously he’s oneof the best guys on tour outside the court. He’salways super nice to be around, super nice to kindof be in the locker room with,” Zverev toldreporters at Melbourne Park.

“The media always kind of puts him as a boringguy who doesn’t give interviews well or somethinglike that. No, he’s actually one of the funniest andcoolest dudes out there. “We as players, well, youcan see how much we really like, really appreciatewhat he’s done.”

Zverev said despite his stellar 2018 season hehad little expectation coming into the season’s firstGrand Slam, having only ever reached one quarter-final in 14 previous appearances at the majors.

“I’ve never been past the third round (inMelbourne), so we’ll see how it goes,” said theyoung star who faces Slovenia’s Aljaz Bedene in thefirst round. “But I just want to enjoy being here. Ijust want to enjoy playing as much as I can. I justwant to enjoy playing in the biggest stadiums,playing in the biggest matches.

“Once I learn how to really enjoy it and reallyfind fun in what I do, I think everything else willtake care of itself.” World number two RafaelNadal has endured some epic encounters withMurray down the years and said he had felt for theBrit after his jaw-dropping, tear-filled press con-ference on Friday.

“Yeah, of course it is very bad news,” said theSpanish 17-times Grand Slam champion. “Butbeing honest, when you are going on court everyday without the clear goal because you cannotmove well, you have pain, then is a moment to takea decision.”

Nadal, 32, gave a heartfelt tribute to his long-standing rival and recognised that with Federernow aged 37 and Djokovic 31, the era of the “bigfour” was drawing to a close. “It will be a veryimportant loss for us, for the world of tennis, for thetour, for the fans, even for the rivals that have beenpart of a great rivalry between the best players fora long time, and a great competitor. But that’s life.“We will miss him. But today is him. Tomorrowanother one. We are not 20 anymore.”

Nick Kyrgios had been one of the first to paytribute to Murray on social media and toldreporters Saturday: “He’s a legend. Someone thateveryone could relate to, especially myself.Everyone knows how sad it is.” — AFP

SYDNEY: Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic (R) holds the trophy with Australia’s Ashleigh Barty after winning inthe women’s final match at the Sydney International tennis tournament in Sydney yesterday. — AFP

MELBOURNE: Angelique Kerber of Germany hits a backhand return during a training ses-sion in Melbourne yesterday, ahead of the Australian Open tennis tournament. —AFP

Quick learner Halep ready for Slam crown number twoMELBOURNE: World number one Simona Halepyesterday admitted losing the 2018 Australian Openfinal was a painful moment, but it taught her how tobetter handle pressure situations which she has sinceput to good use.

The Romanian was targeting a first ever GrandSlam title in that match against Caroline Wozniackiand looked on track to win before folding in the thirdset. Halep had won her service game and then brokethe Dane to get a 4-3 lead.

She served for what would have been a 5-3 advan-tage but Wozniacki broke then held serve for lead 5-4. The fired-up Dane went on to break again and win7-6 (7/2), 3-6, 6-4, leaving Halep crushed.

“I didn’t want to think that much about thatmatch because it was really painful to lose it,” shesaid at Melbourne Park when asked to reflect onwhat went wrong. “But I learned some things fromthat match. That break (at 4-3) broke me a little bitin that moment.

“Now I know how to manage better if that happensagain. “She was better at that moment and maybefresher than me because I played so many longmatches before. She was actually less tired than meand deserved to win. She was stronger,” she added.

A gutsy Halep took what she learned into the nextmajor of the year, the French Open, and made nosimilar mistakes, romping through the third set of thefinal 6-1 against Sloane Stephens to finally clinch hermaiden Slam title.

“It made a big difference (because) I can say insidemyself I did what I wanted to do. I won a Grand Slamfinally,” said the 27-year-old. “Now I can say I’m areal number one Before I said without a Grand Slam,you are not a real number one.

“I’m happy. I’m enjoying the time. EverythingI’ve done last year made me be more relaxed,” sheadded. The stellar year saw Halep end 2018 as theworld number one, despite her season ending early

in October when she suffered a herniated disc inher back.

She called the injury “very scary” and literally didnothing for six weeks to get over it. But the lay-offmeans she will start her Australian Open campaignagainst Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi with limited court timeafter crashing out of the warm-up SydneyInternational at the first hurdle.

Despite playing just one game since October,Halep insisted she was fit and ready to go. “I practisedvery well these past few days. I’m looking forwardactually to the start. But I have three more days, so Iwill chill another day, then I will start to be focused forwhat I have to do during the match,” she said.

Along with the injury, another low point of 2018was losing coach Darren Cahill, who left to spendmore time with his family. Halep said the team aroundher was close-knit and finding a suitable replacementwas not easy.

But she suggested that could change soon. “Everytime you commit to someone in your team, you haveto give 100 percent. So I was not ready in the off-sea-son,” she said of hiring a new coach.

“Now I’m feeling that I’m getting better. As I sayalways, at this level it is impossible without coach. Somaybe in the close future I will have someone. But forthe moment, I’m just by myself.” — AFP

Simona Halep

Shy Osakaworking to bemore matureMELBOURNE: US Open winner Naomi Osakaadmitted yesterday that she was naturally shy andsaid one of her key goals in the off-season hadbeen to work on her confidence and become moremature.

The likable 21-year-old Japanese was catapult-ed into the global spotlight when she won the USOpen last year, beating Serena Williams, whosetantrum at the umpire in the final almost overshad-owed her achievement.

The breakthrough made her a new standardbearer for tennis in her homeland, Asia and the nextgeneration of women, and she is working hard onliving up to the hype. While focusing on her gameduring the off-season, she has also been concen-trating on better dealing with the off-court respon-sibilities that come with being a major winner.

“For me one of my biggest goals is to be moremature, like to mature as a person,” she said aheadof her opening round clash at the Australian Openagainst Poland’s Magda Linette next week. “And Ifeel like in a way I am, but in other parts I’m very,like, three years old mentality, you know? I feellike just levelling that out is one of my biggestgoals I had during the off-season.”

Winning in Flushing Meadows has meant Osakanow has to do far more media, and her confidencein that department is growing. But she admits tostill struggling in one-on-one situations. “I mean, inpress I feel comfortable because I’m being askedquestions,” she said, when it was noted that sheseems more relaxed in media conferences.

“But you know when you have to do smalltalk, like, ‘hello, how are you?’, after that, I don’tknow what to do.” Asked what she does in thosesituations, she replied: “I go, ‘uhm, okay’, then Iwalk away. —AFP

SYDNEY: Australia fended off an explosive centuryfrom Rohit Sharma to post a morale-boosting 34-runvictory over India in the first one-day international inSydney yesterday. The Australians made 288 for five offtheir 50 overs after winning the toss and restricted Indiato 254 for nine.

Sharma blasted 133 off 129 balls in a scintillating effortto keep India in the contest, while man-of-the-match JhyeRichardson took four for 26 for Australia. It was a tonic forthe ailing Australians, coming off their first-ever home Testseries defeat to Virat Kohli’s India and after winning justthree of their previous 24 ODIs.

Test discard Peter Handscomb topscored with 73 off61 balls for Australia with Usman Khawaja and ShaunMarsh also registered half-centuries. “I am very pleasedwith the performance,” Australia skipper Aaron Finch said.

“I think the way they rebuilt, Rohit and MS Dhoni, weknew they will take it deep and we managed to pick upthe wickets at the right time. “We can always improve,our execution with the ball was at times off. It will be agood series.”

Handscomb, passed over this week by selectors for thismonth’s two Tests against Sri Lanka, led the way with sixfours and two sixes. Fellow Test discard Marsh knockedup 54 off 70 balls while Khawaja made 59 from 81.

India’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar finished with two for 66and wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav claimed two for 54. “Weare not very pleased with the way we played,” Kohli said.“I thought we were fine with the ball, score of 300-pluswas par on that wicket. We thought 280 was chaseable onthat wicket but losing three wickets in such a short span oftime is never good.

“Rohit was outstanding and MS Dhoni supported himwell but we could have done better with the tempo ofthe game.” India lurched to a disastrous start, losingthree wickets in the first six overs, from which they failedto recover. Shikhar Dhawan was out on the sixth ball ofthe innings when he was leg before wicket for a first-ballduck to ODI debutant Jason Behrendorff.

It got worse for India when Kohli was caught at squareleg off Richardson for three and two balls later AmbatiRayudu was trapped leg before wicket by Richardson

after a review for a two-ball duck, leaving India rocking atfour for three.

Former World Cup-winning captain M.S. Dhoni put on137 runs with Sharma for the fourth wicket to stabiliseIndia’s rocky start before he was out leg before wicket toBehrendorff for 51 and his 68th ODI half-century.

Dhoni, 37, who has captained India 332 times acrossthe three formats, faced 96 balls and hit three fours and asix. Sharma kept India in the contest with some prodi-gious hitting, blasting six sixes and 10 fours.

But his mighty knock came to an end when he skiedMarcus Stoinis to Glenn Maxwell at deep mid-wicket toend India’s remaining hopes. All-rounder Stoinisremained unbeaten on 47 off 43 balls with two fours andtwo sixes, while limited-over specialist Glenn Maxwell fin-ished 11 off just five balls in Australia’s innings.

Aaron Finch fell for six in the third over when he wasbowled by Kumar for the paceman’s 100th ODI wicket.Alex Carey fell in Kuldeep’s first over when he attemptedto cut the leg-spinner, only to get an outside edge toSharma at slip for 24 off 31 balls.

Khawaja and Marsh put on 92 runs for the thirdwicket before Khawaja was out leg before wicket tospinner Ravindra Jadeja for 59 in the 29th over. Khawajawas struck on the front pad while attempting to sweepand sought a review but there was no ‘hot spot’ detect-ed off the bat.

Marsh looked well set before he holed out toMohammed Shami off Kuldeep at long on, ending a 53-run stand with Handscomb, who later found Dhawan atextra cover off Kumar. The second match in the three-match series takes place in Adelaide on Tuesday. — AFP

Olivier wrecks Pakistan againJOHANNESBURG: Duanne Olivier took his thirdfive-wicket haul of the series as South Africa gained a77-run first innings lead on the second day of thethird and final Test against Pakistan at the WanderersStadium yesterday.

The fast bowler took five for 51 as Pakistan were

bowled out for 185. The tourists lost their last fivewickets for 16 runs. South Africa were 25 for one intheir second innings at tea, losing stand-in captainDean Elgar, who was caught behind off MohammadAmir for five.

Olivier was twice involved in crucial breakthroughsin Pakistan’s innings. He ended an hour of frustrationfor South Africa when he took two wickets in four ballsimmediately after the morning drinks break, ending thestubborn resistance of nightwatchman MohammadAbbas, who batted for 88 minutes and faced 51 balls inscoring 11. Three balls later Asad Shafiq ducked abouncer but was caught behind off his glove.

Abbas and opening batsman Imam-ul-Haq, whowent on to make 43, were both dropped twice duringthe first hour of play. South Africa also missed tworun-out opportunities. Pakistan were reduced to 91for five when Imam was caught at second slip offVernon Philander but Babar Azam (49) and captainSarfraz Ahmed (50) put on 78 off only 61 balls for thesixth wicket.

Kagiso Rabada ended the stand when Sarfraz wascaught at first slip and four balls later Olivier hadAzam caught at long leg. Olivier made it a doublestrike when Faheem Ashraf was out first ball, splicing amistimed pull to short leg. — AFP

S p o r t s Sunday, January 13, 2019

26 Established 1961

England’s ‘biggest year in a generation’ starts with WI testLONDON: England begin a 2019 that England andWales Cricket Board (ECB) chief executive TomHarrison believes represents a “once in a genera-tion” opportunity with a West Indies tour that couldyet prove uncomfortably awkward.

With both a World Cup-a tournament theEngland men’s team have never won-and an Asheson home soil on the horizon, it will be a challenge forEngland’s leading cricketers in both the one-day andTest formats to maintain their focus on the challengein front of them rather than be distracted by the big-ger prizes ahead.

A three-Test tour and five-match one-day seriesin the Caribbean, which gets underway with awarm-up fixture against a West Indies Board XI inBarbados next week, should provide a good barom-eter of England’s progress.

Joe Root’s Test side are second in the worldrankings, while Eoin Morgan’s men top the equiva-lent one-day standings. By contrast, the West Indiesare currently eighth in the Test table and ninth in theODI list.

England, fresh from an emphatic away Test serieswin in Sri Lanka that followed a home success againsttop-ranked India, will be firm favourites. And yetEngland have won only one Test series in the WestIndies since 1968, when Michael Vaughan’s teamsealed a 3-0 victory in 2004.

They’ve toured the Caribbean twice more sincethen, losing 1-0 in 2009 and then drawing 1-1 fouryears ago after a build-up where ECB chairmanColin Graves had dismissed the West Indies as“mediocre”.

Root’s men will have to cope with the pressureof being overwhelming favourites to beat a strug-gling West Indies side who will be coached by anEnglishman in the recently-appointed RichardPybus. Yet for England, the stakes are even higherin what will be Australian coach Trevor Bayliss’sfinal year in charge before stepping down.Following their miserable first-round exit at the2015 World Cup, former England captain turnedECB supremo Andrew Strauss, made limited-overscricket a priority.

This year’s edition will prove the worth of thatpolicy. More than that, the fact the Ashes and theWorld Cup fall in the same season-something thathasn’t happened since the inaugural 1975 men’sWorld Cup in England-could provide the ECB witha massive opportunity to connect with a widerBritish sporting public who have lost contact withthe game.

Many casual fans, and potential cricket lovers,were ‘abandoned’ when the ECB decided to end livefree-to-air television coverage of home internation-als after England’s 2005 Ashes triumph in favour ofmore lucrative deals with satellite broadcasters.

But as Michael Atherton, the former Englandcaptain turned The Times cricket correspondentwrote, the absence of a major international footballtournament in 2019 offers cricket the chance to“own” the summer in its birthplace. — AFP

JOHANNESBURG: Pakistan batsman Imam-ul-Haq (R) avoids a bounce during the second day of the thirdCricket Test match between South Africa and Pakistan at Wanderers cricket stadium yesterday inJohannesburg, South Africa. —AFP

Doncic’s 3-pointer helpsMavs sink Timberwolves DALLAS: Rookie sensation LukaDoncic drained the game-winning 3-pointer, scored a team-high 29 pointsand finished two rebounds shy of atriple-double to lead the DallasMavericks to a rare road win, 119-115over the Minnesota Timberwolves onFriday in Minneapolis. Doncic, the sec-ond-leading All-Star vote-getter in theWestern Conference so far, went toe totoe with the Wolves’ Karl-AnthonyTowns, who finished with a game-high30 points plus 11 rebounds and fourblocks. Doncic had 12 assists. Doncic’sgame-winner, shot over Towns’ out-stretched arm, swished through with22.9 seconds left for a 117-115 lead. Itcame just seconds after he threw awayan inbounds pass with Minnesota lead-ing 115-114. However, the Wolves gave itright back to set up the 19-year-old’sheroics. Harrison Barnes added 23 pointsfor the Mavericks. Minnesota’s AndrewWiggins, coming off a 40-point per-

formance, finished with 17 points, andDerrick Rose had 21 off the bench.

ROCKETS 141, CAVALIERS 113James Harden posted his fourth 40-

point triple-double on the season, andhost Houston turned an early run into ablowout of Cleveland, which lost its 12thstraight game. Harden finished with 43points, 10 rebounds and 12 assistsdespite sitting out the fourth quarter.His 13th 40-point game this season set afranchise record. Harden converted all11 of his free throws. All 10 of hisrebounds came on the defensive end.Houston’s Clint Capela had 19 points,four rebounds and two blocked shots in30 minutes. Cedi Osman pacedCleveland’s starters with 15 points whilethe backcourt of Alec Burks and CollinSexton totaled 27 points, 10 reboundsand nine assists.

WARRIORS 146, BULLS 109Klay Thompson buried three consec-

utive 3-pointers in the first 70 secondsas host Golden State ran away fromChicago in Oakland, Calif., and won itsthird straight game. The win capped oneof the highest-scoring, season-seriessweeps in NBA history, with theWarriors having blown out the Bulls149-124 in Chicago on Oct. 29.Thompson, who scored 52 points in theOctober game, scored a game-high 30

points. Stephen Curry backedThompson with 28 points and a game-high eight assists for the Warriors, andKevin Durant added 22 points. ZachLaVine produced a team-high 29 pointsfor the Bulls.

JAZZ 113, LAKERS 95Donovan Mitchell finished with 33

points and a career-high nine assists tolead Utah’s rout of Los Angeles Lakers inSalt Lake City. Three Jazz players fin-ished with double-doubles: Rudy Gobert(12 points, season-high 18 rebounds); JoeIngles (14 points, career-high 12rebounds); and Derrick Favors (15 points,season-high 13 rebounds). MichaelBeasley scored 17 points to lead theLakers. Brandon Ingram added 15 points,and Kyle Kuzma chipped in 11 points andeight rebounds. Los Angeles lost for thesixth time in nine games without LeBronJames, who remained in Los Angeles dueto a groin injury.

RAPTORS 122, NETS 105Kawhi Leonard scored 20 points and

nabbed 11 rebounds as Toronto won itsseason-high seventh consecutive homegame at the expense of Brooklyn. Leonardhas scored at least 20 points in a career-best 18 straight games for the Raptors,who avenged a 106-105 overtime loss inBrooklyn on Dec 7. Pascal Siakam added16 points for the Raptors, and Serge Ibaka

had 14 points and nine rebounds.D’Angelo Russell amassed 24 points, sixrebounds and nine assists for the Nets.

HAWKS 123, 76ERS 121John Collins hit the go-ahead jumper

with 9.5 seconds remaining to liftAtlanta past host Philadelphia, whichplayed without All-Star center JoelEmbiid, sidelined due to a sore left ankle.Kevin Huerter led the Hawks with acareer-high 29 points, Collins added 25,and Dewayne Dedmon had 19. RookieTrae Young scored 18 points. JimmyButler paced the Sixers with 30 points,but he missed a pair of free throws with2.4 seconds remaining after making hisfirst 12. Philadelphia’s Ben Simmonsrecorded his seventh triple-double ofthe season with 23 points, 15 assists and10 rebounds. JJ Redick scored 20 points.

BLAZERS 127, HORNETS 96CJ McCollum scored 30 points

despite sitting out the fourth quarter ashost Portland won its fourth straightgame and 11th in its last 15, romping pastCharlotte. Damian Lillard added 20points and Jusuf Nurkic collected 11points, 11 rebounds and eight assists forthe Trail Blazers. Kemba Walker scored18 points but made only 5 of 19 shotsfrom the field for the Hornets, who lostfor the seventh time in 10 outings. JeremyLamb added 15 points. — Reuters

Sharma fireworks thwarted as Australia beat India in 1st ODI

Test discard Handscomb topscored with 73 off 61 balls for Australia

SYDNEY: Australia’s wicketkeeper Alex Carey (L) appeals unsuccessfully for the LBW wicket of India’s batsmanMahendra Singh Dhoni (C) during the first one-day international (ODI) match between Australia and India at theSydney Cricket Ground in Sydney yesterday. —AFP

SCOREBOARD

South Africa, first innings, 262Pakistan, first innings (overnight 17-2)Imam-ul-Haq c Elgar b Philander 43Shan Masood c De Kock b Philander 2Azhar Ali c De Kock b Philander 0Mohammad Abbas c De Bruyn b Olivier 11Asad Shafiq c De Kock b Olivier 0Babar Azam c Rabada b Olivier 49Sarfraz Ahmed c Amla b Rabada 50Shadab Khan c De Bruyn b Rabada 5Faheem Ashraf c Zubayr Hamza b Olivier 0Mohammad Amir c Zubayr Hamza b Olivier 10Hasan Ali not out 0Extras: (b5, lb10) 15Total: (49.4 overs) 185Fall of wickets: 1-6 (Masood), 2-6 (Azhar), 3-53 (Abbas), 4-53(Shafiq), 5-91 (Imam), 6-169 (Sarfraz), 7-169 (Azam), 8-169(Ashraf), 9-185 (Amir)Bowling: Steyn 12-4-35-0, Philander 13-4-43-3, Rabada 11.4-0-41-2, Olivier 13-2-51-5.

Scores at the end of Pakistan’s first innings on the second day ofthe third and final Test against South Africa at the WanderersStadium yesterday:

SCOREBOARD

AustraliaA. Carey c Sharma b Kuldeep 24A. Finch b Kumar 6U. Khawaja lbw b Jadeja 59S. Marsh c Shami b Kuldeep 54P. Handscomb c Dhawan b Kumar 73M. Stoinis not out 47G. Maxwell not out 11Extras: (b4, lb2, nb2, w6) 14Total: (5 wickets; 50 overs) 288Fall of wickets: 1-8 (Finch), 2-41 (Carey), 3-133 (Khawaja), 4-186(Marsh), 5-254 (Handscomb)Did not bat: J. Richardson, N. Lyon, P. Siddle, J. BehrendorffBowling: Kumar 10-0-66-2 (1w), Ahmed 8-0-55-0 (2w, 2nb),Shami 10-0-46-0 (3w), Kuldeep 10-0-54-2, Jadeja 10-0-48-1,Rayudu 2-0-13-0.

IndiaR. Sharma c Maxwell b Stoinis 133S. Dhawan lbw b Behrendorff 0

V. Kohli c Stoinis b Richardson 3A. Rayudu lbw b Richardson 0M.S. Dhoni lbw b Behrendorff 51D. Karthik b Richardson 12R. Jadeja c Marsh b Richardson 8B. Kumar not out 29K. Yadav c Khawaja b Siddle 3M. Shami c Maxwell b Stoinis 1Extras: (lb7, nb1, w6) 14Total: (9 wickets; 50 overs) 254Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Dhawan), 2-4 (Kohli), 3-4 (Rayudu), 4-141(Dhoni), 5-176 (Karthik), 6-213 (Jadeja), 7-221 (Sharma), 8-247(Yadav), 9-254 (Shami) Did not bat: K. AhmedBowling: Behrendorff 10-2-39-2 (1w, 1nb), Richardson 10-2-26-4(3w), Siddle 8-0-48-1, Lyon 10-1-50-0, Stoinis 10-0-66-2 (2w),Maxwell 2-0-18-0.

Result: Australia win by 34 runs

Collated scoreboard in the first one-day international between Australia and India at the Sydney Cricket Ground yesterday:

S p o r t s Sunday, January 13, 2019

27

LONDON: Declan Rice’s first West Ham goal secureda 1-0 win over Arsenal in a capital city derby clash atthe London Stadium. The victory in yesterday’s earlykick-off saw the Hammers move up to eighth in thePremier League table, on 31 points, ahead of the bulkof the weekend’s fixtures.

Teenage midfielder Rice gave himself an earlypresent for his 20th birthday on Monday by scoringthe only goal of the game three minutes into the sec-ond half. “I can’t put it into the words,” an elated Ricetold Sky Sports. “The lads are always on at me to takethe shot on more.”

West Ham captain Mark Noble was almost aspleased as Rice himself, adding: “I am delighted forthis young man to score the goal...He is a special tal-ent and keeps working hard.” Defeat dented Arsenal’sbid to break into the top four, with the Gunners stilladrift of Chelsea-their next opponents-in the race fora Champions League place.

“It is difficult to win if you don’t score,” saidArsenal’s Laurent Koscielny, after a defeat that meantthe Gunners had won just one of their last seven awayPremier League matches. The defender, lookingahead to next weekend’s clash with Chelsea at theEmirates Stadium, said: “It is a home game against anopponent in the top four. We know what we need todo. We need to prepare all week for this importantteam.”

West Ham named Marko Arnautovic in their start-ing line-up despite the Austrian forward’s brother andagent saying Thursday he wanted to move to theChinese Super League. And it appeared Arnautovicwas waving goodbye to the home fans in a LondonStadium record of over 59,000 when substituted in

the 71st minute. “We will see what happens in the nextdays,” said Manuel Pellegrini, the West Ham manager.“It is an issue that the club must see what is the bestfor the player, for the club and for everyone.” FormerArsenal favourite Samir Nasri started against his oldclub as the midfielder made his Premier League debutfor the Hammers.

Koscielny and Shkodran Mustafi returned frominjury for Arsenal but there was no place in theirsquad for Mesut Ozil. The match was goalless at theinterval following near-misses by Arsenal midfielderMatteo Guendouzi and Hammers playmaker FelipeAnderson.

That all changed in the 48th minute courtesy ofRice, a Republic of Ireland Under-21 international.Granit Xhaka’s poor clearing header fell to Anderson,whose ball came to Rice via a neat lay-off from Nasriand Rice’s first-time shot gave Arsenal goalkeeperBernd Leno little chance.

Arsenal pressed for an equaliser but the Hammerssurvived three minutes of stoppage time as they heldon for victory. Earlier, Burnley beat Fulham 2-1 atTurf Moor yesterday thanks to two own goals to makeit three straight league wins for Sean Dyche’s side andleave the visitors deep in relegation danger.

German international Andre Schurrle put Fulham,without an away win this season, ahead in brilliantfashion in the second minute, bringing down a longball from Denis Odoi and blasting, first time, past TomHeaton. Burnley got back on level terms though in the20th minute when Jeff Hendrick’s low drive was turnedinto his own net by Fulham defender Joe Bryan. Threeminutes later and Hendrick had forced another owngoal-his drive headed in by Odoi to put the Clarets 2-

1 up. Burnley defender James Tarkowski had to clear aLuciano Vietto drive off the line shortly after the inter-val and Fulham had most of the pressure after thebreak without creating many clear-cut chances.

Burnley did not have a shot on target in the gamebut move up to 15th place with the win, whileFulham are next to bottom on 14 points, five pointsfrom safety. — Agencies

Rice scores first Hammers goal to defeat Arsenal

Fulham sunk by two own goals at Burnley

LONDON: West Ham United’s Irish defender Declan Rice (C) jumps highest but heads the ball narrowly wide duringthe English Premier League football match between West Ham United and Arsenal at The London Stadium, in eastLondon yesterday. — AFP

Matches on TV (Local Timings)

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUEEverton FC v Bournemouth FC 17:15beIN SPORTS HD 2Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United 19:30beIN SPORTS HD 2

SPANISH LEAGUEAtletico de Madrid v Levante 14:00beIN SPORTS HD 3Athletic de Bilbao v Sevilla FC 18:15beIN SPORTS HD 3FC Barcelona v SD Eibar 20:30beIN SPORTS HD 3Real Betis v Real Madrid CF 22:45beIN SPORTS HD 3

FRENCH LEAGUEFC Nantes v Stade Rennais 17:00beIN SPORTS HD 6Toulouse FC v RC Strasbourg 19:00beIN SPORTS HD 6Dijon v Montpellier HSC 19:00beIN SPORTS HD 4Olympique Marseille v AS Monaco FC 23:00beIN SPORTS HD 6

ASIAN NATIONS CUP 2019North Korea v Qatar 14:00beIN SPORTSOman v Japan 16:30beIN SPORTSTurkmenistan v Uzbekistan 19:00beIN SPORTS

Immobile fires Lazio into Coppa Italia quarter-finalsMILAN: Ciro Immobile scored a first-half brace asLazio booked the first Coppa Italia quarter-final berthyesterday with a 4-1 win over third-division Novara ina game which was marred by racist and anti-semiticchants from a small section of the crowd at the StadioOlimpico.

The chanting came from Lazio’s North End and wasalso aimed at police who had clashed with fans onWednesday at Piazza della Liberta in the capital whencelebrations to mark the club’s 119th anniversary turnedviolent.

Lazio dominated the last-16 tie against the Serie Cside from northern Italy with Immobilie setting up LuisAlberto’s 12th-minute opener for the Romans. Novaragoalkeeper Elia Benedettini saved Immobile’s 20th-minute penalty, but the Lazio forward netted therebound, adding a second 15 minutes later for his 13thgoal in all competitions this season.

Serbian midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic blastedin a free-kick to give the hosts a comfortable four-goallead just before the break. Umberto Eusepi pulled agoal back for Novara when he slotted in a penaltyawarded for a Luiz Felipe handball after consultationwith VAR just after half-time.

Lazio, who won the last of their six Coppa Italia tro-phies in 2013, will next play either Inter Milan orBenevento in the quarter-finals. Juventus begin theirquest for a fifth consecutive Coppa Italia later onSaturday at Bologna, as former five-time winners ACMilan are away to Sampdoria, who last won the Cup 25years ago.

The Italian league is still on its winter break butJuventus and AC Milan are warming up for the SuperCup final in Saudi Arabia next Wednesday. —AFP

LEICESTER CITY: Southampton moved out of the rel-egation zone with a 2-1 win over Leicester City in thePremier League yesterday despite playing half thematch with 10 men at the King Power Stadium.

Saints came into the contest having picked up fourpoints in their last two Premier League away games,and found themselves in front after 11 minutes throughJames Ward-Prowse’s penalty.

Their task was seemingly made more difficult whenYan Valery was sent off for a second yellow card justbefore halftime but Shane Long squeezed the ball hometo double Southampton’s advantage just before thebreak. Leicester committed more bodies forward in thesecond period and soon got themselves back in thematch through Wilfred Ndidi’s scrappy goal in the 58thminute. No team has given up more points from leadingpositions than Southampton this season, but they dugin and held out for another three crucial points. The winmoves Southampton up to 16th while Leicester fol-lowed up their humiliating FA Cup defeat by LeagueTwo side Newport County with a loss that sees themdrop to eighth.

Meanwhile, bottom club Huddersfield Town endedtheir eight-match losing streak in the Premier Leaguewith a goalless draw at fellow strugglers Cardiff Cityyesterday.

Cardiff, in 17th place, did not manage a shot on tar-get and Huddersfield were left fuming over a decisionfrom referee Lee Mason.

Mason pointed to the spot when Florent Hadergjonaj

went down under challenge from Joe Bennett butchanged his mind after consulting his assistant.

Huddersfield had lost their previous six games atCardiff in all competitions but after having the better ofSaturday’s match will be disappointed not to have

picked up all three points.The Terriers had 61 percent of possession and Jason

Puncheon and Steve Mounie both went close to abreakthrough. The Yorkshire club remain bottom on 11points, eight points away from safety. —Reuters

Ten-man Southamptonout of drop zone withLeicester win

LEICESTER: Southampton’s English midfielder James Ward-Prowse (L) vies with Leicester City’s English midfield-er Demarai Gray during the English Premier League football match between Leicester City and Southampton atKing Power Stadium in Leicester. — AFP

TOKYO: Former Japan striker Kazuyoshi Miura, whoturns 52 next month, has extended his record as the J-League’s oldest player after renewing his contract withYokohama FC, the club said. The veteran footballer,admiringly nicknamed “King Kazu” for his spiritedonfield style, will kick off his 34th career season thisyear, the second division club announced Friday.

“I thank fans for supporting me all the time,” Miurasaid in a brief statement. “I want to work out at fullstretch every day... and play as many games as possibleby making every minute count.” In 2017, Miura sur-passed football’s previous professional longevityrecord and became the oldest player to score a com-petitive goal in a professional match. Both records werepreviously held by English legend Stanley Matthews.

Last year he played nine games for Yokohama butfailed to score. Miura left Japan for Brazil in 1982 andsigned a contract with Santos FC in 1986 to make hisprofessional debut. He made his Japan debut in 1990and pushed for the country’s first ever World Cupappearance in 1998 but failed to join the final squad forFrance despite scoring 55 goals in 89 games for thenational side.

He was one of the stars of the professional J-Leagueat its 1993 launch before joining Italy’s Genoa on loanthe following year. Miura, who has played forYokohama since 2005, has said he wants to play onuntil he turns 60. Yokohama lost in the first divisionplay-offs last year. Their 2019 season kicks off onFebruary 24. —AFP

MANCHESTER: Manchester United boss OleGunnar Solskjaer says Marcus Rashford has thepotential to be as good a centre-forward as Englandteammate Harry Kane as the pair prepare to face offin the Premier League this weekend.

Rashford is expected to line up as the spearheadof United’s attack when they face Kane’s Tottenhamat Wembley today with both the team and striker ona hot run of form under the interim manager.

Rashford looks reborn under interim coachSolskjaer, scoring three times in the centre-forwardposition as United have rattled off four straightleague wins since the Norwegian took over from thesacked Mourinho in December to close in on theChampions League places.

“He can become a top, top striker,” saidSolskjaer. “We can talk about Harry Kane and hisclass and I’m sure Marcus as well. He’s got thepotential to get up there. “He’s got frightening pace,he’s now become stronger and can hold the ball upfor us. He’s a great link player.”

Kane, 25, has set the goalscoring standards inEnglish football over the past three years-he wasthe league’s top scorer in 2015/16 and 2016/17before finishing runner-up to Liverpool’s MohamedSalah last season.

He won the Golden Boot at last year’s World Cupand this season is joint-top scorer alongsideArsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on 14 goals.Rashford, 21, scored four goals in his first two seniormatches for United after being been given his debut

by then-manager Louis van Gaal in February 2016,and established himself as a regular squad memberat Old Trafford. However, he was regularly restrictedto substitute appearances after Jose Mourinhoreplaced Van Gaal as manager later that year, andwas often asked to play in a left-sided role, withRomelu Lukaku as the central attacker.

Since returning to United, where he played as astriker between 1996 and 2007, Solskjaer has spo-ken repeatedly of the need to return to the attrac-tive, attacking football that they played for much ofAlex Ferguson’s reign.

A central part of Ferguson’s philosophy was thedevelopment of players from the club’s academy,which Rashford joined at the age of seven.

United have a proud history of producing theirown talent, having included at least one youth-teamgraduate in every first-team matchday squad sinceOctober 1937. Solskjaer sees Rashford’s academybackground as valuable, suggesting the forward haslearned from a young age about the attacking styletraditionally associated with United. “Marcus hasbeen brought up here,” he said. “There were a cou-ple of training sessions here (I watched) with theyoung kids, and Chongy (Tahith Chong) and Angel(Gomes) and him and Jesse, they played together ina certain way. He’s a very exciting player to workwith.” Solskjaer, loaned to United by Norwegianclub Molde for the rest of this season, reiterated thatthere have been no discussions with United’s execu-tive vice-chairman Ed Woodward over the perma-nent job despite his desire to take the hot seat.

“No, we’ve not had that conversation,” saidSolskjaer. “You don’t plan five or six months aheadand then suddenly change that after two weeks. No,nothing’s changed. We just keep working every sin-gle day on improving the team here.

“I work with a fantastic coaching staff, I have tosay. We’ll put a plan together on how we want tolook the next few months.” — AFP

Rashford can be as good as Kane, says Utd boss Solskjaer

Japan golden oldie ‘King Kazu’ renews contract before 52nd birthday

SportPetra Kvitova digs deep to outlast Barty in Sydney final

Sharma fireworks thwarted as Australia beat India in 1st ODI

Rice scores first Hammers goal to defeat Arsenal2725 26

Established 1961

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2019

Iran, Iraq, Saudis soar into last 16

ABU DHABI: Iran’s midfielder Sayed Ashkan Dejagah (C) dribbles past Vietnam’s midfielder Duc Huy Pham (L) and Vietnam’s midfielder Quang Hai Nguyen (R) during the 2019 AFC Asian Cup group D football match between Vietnam and Iran at the al-NahyanStadium in Abu Dhabi yesterday. — AFP

ABU DHABI: Back-from-retirement Sardar Azmounfired Iran into the Asian Cup knockout phase yester-day as Carloz Queiroz’s side were joined by archri-vals Iraq and fellow former winners Saudi Arabia inthe last 16. Azmoun, 24, quit the national team afterfans rounded on him following Iran’s exit at lastyear’s World Cup, but he was the toast of Tehranonce again with both goals in a 2-0 win overVietnam. Saudi Arabia, who like Iran are three-timeformer winners of the Asian showpiece, beatLebanon 2-0, while teenager Mohanad Ali inspired2007 champions Iraq to a 3-0 win over Yemen.

Iran, Iraq and Saudi, with seven titles betweenthem, joined already qualified South Korea, Chinaand Jordan as the round of 16 began to take shape.Queiroz singled out Azmoun after the Rubin Kazanforward’s double made him the tournament’s topscorer with three goals, and gave Iran a recordninth successive first-round victory. “He’s a finish-er,” said the Portuguese, now in his eighth year asIran coach. “We have high hopes for him for thiscompetition. But the way the team is contributing

around him, and our movement in the last third, arevery interesting.”

Iran, looking to end a 43-year title drought sincelast winning Asian football’s most coveted prize,could have scored four or five but for some poorfinishing in Abu Dhabi. “It’s a pity our performancedidn’t produce a couple more goals,” Iran coachQueiroz told reporters. “But winning is the bestmedicine in football. To win two games and scoreseven goals - I have to praise my players because Iam very demanding.”

Solo goal Saman Ghoddos and Mehdi Taremi went close

for Asia’s top-ranked team before Azmoun rose tohead home a Ghoddos cross after 38 minutes.Azmoun lashed in his third of the tournament fromthe edge of the box 20 minutes from time to make itseven unanswered goals for Iran, who crushedYemen 5-0 in their opening Group D game. InSharjah, 18-year-old Ali scored a wonderful sologoal to put Iraq 1-0 up after 11 minutes, although

questions must be raised of the Yemeni defence.Pouncing on a loose back pass, Ali held off three

defenders before rifling his shot past Yemen goal-keeper Jalal Hassan for his second of the tourna-ment. Bashar Resan doubled Iraq’s lead midwaythrough the first half when his deflected shot driftedin off the upright with Hassan slow to get across. Alihit the post in one of the rare highlights of the sec-ond half before Alaa Abbas grabbed Iraq’s third ininjury time, finishing sharply after Ahmed Yaseen’sheader into his path.

Iran and Iraq will meet in Dubai on Wednesday todecide who tops Group D in a repeat of their com-bustible quarter-final of 2015, which Iraq won onpenalties. Saudi Arabia also maintained their perfectrecord as they beat Lebanon 2-0, winning theiropening two games for the first time since 1996 -when they last won the title. Fahd Al-Muwalladsmashed a loose ball into the roof of the net withjust 12 minutes gone, and on 67 minutes Hussain Al-Moqahwi finished at the far post from HatanBahbri’s teasing cross. — AFP

BRIGHTON: Liverpool bounced back from two consecu-tive defeats to remain on course for a first league title in 29years, but were made to wait before breaking down anobdurate Brighton thanks to Mohamed Salah’s 50th-minute penalty in a 1-0 win yesterday.

Victory reestablished Jurgen Klopp’s side’s seven-pointlead over Manchester City at the top of the table, whichwas reduced to four when the champions inflictedLiverpool’s only Premier League defeat of the campaign tobreathe new life into the title race nine days ago.

Liverpool were far from their fluent best on England’ssouth coast, but ground out a vital win to settle any nervescaused by that defeat thanks to a 13th clean sheet in 22league games this season. Klopp made wholesale changesfor Monday’s FA Cup elimination to Wolves to underlinehis priorities for this season and he recalled a host of first-team regulars, including Salah.

However, the Egyptian and the rest of Liverpool’s for-ward line were starved of service before the break asBrighton sat deep and the visitors dominated possessionwithout any cutting edge. Roberto Firmino just failed to

reach a dangerous Andy Robertson cross, while XherdanShaqiri nodded inches wide.

But neither side managed a single shot on target in thefirst half as Glenn Murray headed Albion’s best chanceover the bar. Salah immediately signalled a change inLiverpool’s intent after half-time as his powerful shot atthe end of a purposeful run was well saved by DavidButton. Brighton, though, were architects of their owndownfall moments later. Salah was given too much roominside the area to turn and Pascal Gross then hauled downlast season’s Premier League player of the year.

Salah stepped up to blast the penalty past Button andmove level with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and HarryKane as the league’s top-scorer on 14 goals for the season.One moment of madness from Gross undid ChrisHughton’s gameplan to defend and frustrate the leagueleaders. Yet, the German midfielder had a chance to makeamends almost immediately with Brighton’s best opportu-nity to level, but his shot was bravely blocked by Fabinho.From then on Liverpool looked more likely to add to theirlead than concede as Firmino’s fierce strike from outsidethe box was placed too close to Button before GeorginioWijnaldum and Sadio Mane fired wide.

Salah passed up a glorious chance two minutes fromtime when he turned James Milner’s driven cross widefrom point-blank range. That could have proved costlywhen Florin Andone escaped in behind the Liverpooldefence in stoppage time, but his low cross found no tak-ers. And Liverpool held out to ensure a largely forgettable90 minutes could be remembered as another importantstep on course to the title come May. —AFP

Salah penalty sends Liverpool seven points clear again

BRIGHTON: Liverpool’s Brazilian midfielder Roberto Firmino (L) vies with Brighton’s English midfielder Dale Stephens (R) during theEnglish Premier League football match between Brighton and Hove Albion and Liverpool at the American Express CommunityStadium in Brighton, southern England yesterday. — AFP

DUBAI: Saudi Arabia’s goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais (yellow jersey)punches the ball during the 2019 AFC Asian Cup group E football matchbetween Lebanon and Saudi Arabia at the Maktoum bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Stadium yesterday. — AFP