MANEESH BAKSHI DOHA

ABOUT 69 percent of deaths in Qatar are due to chronic heart conditions, while 23 percent are caused by traffic accidents, according to Pri-mary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) health expert.

Giving a presentation on the opening day of the 3rd International Primary Care Conference on Friday, Flora R Asuncion of the PHCC said about 88 percent of Qatari children have dental prob-lems, while 70 percent of the total population is overweight.

The conference was organ-ised by PHCC under the pa-tronage of Minister of Public Health HE Dr Hanan al Ku-wari in partnership with Ha-mad Medical Corporation.

Asuncion said the services offered by the primary health-care sector must receive im-petus from the government so that best services delivered to the community.

Managing Director of PHCC Dr Abdul Malik praised the Qatari leadership, which has invested heavily in the

improvement of the primary healthcare sector.

Dr Ahmad al Shatti from Kuwait said, “Primary health-care centres are cornerstones in the healthcare delivery system and are necessary for sustaina-ble development of individuals, communities and nations as suggested by the World Health Organization (WHO).”

Sessions on the first day also included discussions on minor surgical skills, knee and shoulder examination work-shop and identifying and sup-porting autistic children in the community workshop.

More than 700 interna-tional healthcare experts, key opinion leaders, primary care specialist, surgeons, physician and health practitioners have come to exchange ideas and strategies for the betterment of the primary healthcare system.

In the coming days, this conference will present a plat-form for knowledge sharing, a forum facilitating discussions of best practices and a stage reinforcing Qatar’s legacy to promote the health and well-being of people through the provision of outstanding healthcare service.

RIYADH Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri was expected to fly to France from Saudi Arabia on Fri-day, in a move aimed at defusing political turmoil sparked by his shock resignation in Riyadh. The Lebanese premier and his family are due to meet French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Saturday after allegations from Hariri's political rivals in Lebanon that he was being held hostage by the Saudi authorities. The announcement of the visit came after Hariri met French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian in Riyadh on Thursday. PAGE 13

HARARE Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe appeared pub-licly on Friday for the first time since the military takeover in a defiant gesture, but faces pres-sure to step down from his party ahead of weekend protests. Leaders of eight of ten regional branches of the ruling ZANU-PF party took to state television in an apparently coordinated push to call for him to go. PAGE 7

Hariri expected in France after Saudi hostage reports

Mugabe defiant despite mounting pressure to leave

CATHERINE W GICHUKIDOHA

PEOPLE from all walks of life took part in the eighth annual walka-thon organised to raise awareness about diabetes at the Oxygen Park in the Education City.

Orgnaised by Qatar Diabetes Association (QDA) and Land-mark, the ‘Beat Diabetes’ walka-thon saw over 9,000 people tak-ing part in the 1.5 km walk in the park and other activities such as blood sugar screening, educative sessions about the disease and physical activities like zumba.

The walkathon was part of the World Diabetes Day (WDD), which is observed on November 14.

“Our message to the com-

munity is diabetes is a burden. You have to know how to avoid it. Just doing simple things like eating healthy food and exercis-ing will help beat diabetes,” QDA Executive Director Dr Abdulla al Hamaq told Qatar Tribune.

He said events like this had an impact in the past.

“Next year we will organise the WDD at the Oxygen Park and we hope to reach 10,000 figure,” he said about the turnout.

The event gave people an op-portunity to be screened for blood glucose, he added.

“In November, people from all over the world take part in walks to mark the WDD. We or-ganise our walkathon annually to create awareness about diabetes and to recognise the people living

with diabetes,” he said. Landmark Group Qatar COO

Santosh Pai said, “Every year, this platform helps to remind people of the magnitude of the threat posed by diabetes and the ease with which the condition can be managed.”

“Through the Beat Diabetes initiative, Landmark Group en-courages people to stay proactive about their own health and the well-being of their loved ones. We want people to make a conscious effort to lead healthier lifestyles and regularly monitor their blood glucose levels. These are essen-tial to the long-term health of our family, community and nation,” he said.

More on page 16

Thousands join walkathon to beat diabetes

Quick read

Thousands of people thronged the Oxygen Park in Education City to take part in the eighth annual walkathon to raise awareness about diabetes, on Friday. (RAFEEK PALAYOOR)

The third edition of Fath Al-Kheir sea voyage kicked off from Katara beach on Friday. The voyage began with the dhow setting sail from Katara’s beach to the Corniche. The dhow is scheduled to head to Oman and Kuwait before retuning to Qatar on December 18, as citizens and expatriates celebrate Qatar’s National Day. The traditional dhow has 16 Qatari sailors on board and is led by Captain Mohamed Youssef al Sada and Abdullah al Tamimi. PAGE 16

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69% deaths in Qatar due to heart conditions: Official

FATH AL-KHEIR SEA VOYAGE KICKS OFF

AGENCIESWASHINGTON

DEPUTY Prime Minister and Foreign Minister HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrah-man al Thani on Friday com-pared Saudi Arabia’s political manoeuvres in Lebanon to its boycott of Qatar, and accused Riyadh of a dangerous escala-tion.

Sheikh Mohammed, who is in Washington, said Saudi Arabia has triggered crises across the region.

The FM said Qatar has the US backing to resolve the on-going crisis with the Saudi-led bloc.

“The Trump administra-tion is encouraging all sides to end the dispute and has of-fered to host talks at the Camp David presidential retreat, but only Qatar has agreed to the dialogue,” he added.

Sheikh Mohammed said he will meet Secretary of State Rex Tillerson next week after

having talks this week with Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Bob Corker and ranking member Ben Cardin as well as other congressional leaders.

But the FM maintained Qatar’s tough stance, arguing that Riyadh is responsible for detonating a series of Middle East crises, by intervening in Lebanon, boycotting Qatar and bombing Yemen.

“This is something we have just witnessed in the re-gion: Bullying small countries into submission,” the foreign minister said, suggesting that Saudi aggression is a new re-gional threat.

“Exactly what happened to Qatar six months ago is happening now to Lebanon,” he told reporters in Wash-ington.

“What we have seen now in the region is a lot of crises being started. The leader-ship in Saudi and the UAE should understand that there is a world order that should be respected. International law should be respected,” he said.

“There is no right for any country to interfere in other countries,” Sheikh Moham-med argued, warning: “There is a pattern that is very risky for the region, and very intim-idatory.”

Saudi actions in Lebanon akin to Qatar siege: FMSays Qatar has US backing to resolve dispute with Saudi bloc

Qatar Rail’s Doha Metro Project won the ITA Tunneling Awards 2017 for Major Project of the Year (over €500 million) after beating three other mega projects from Canada, Iran and India.

DOHA METRO WINS ITA TUNNELING AWARDS 2017

Minister of Public Health HE Dr Hanan al Kuwari at the 3rd International Primary Care Conference in Doha on Friday. (JALAL PATHIYOOR)

Exactly what happened to Qatar six

months ago is happening now to Lebanon... There is no right for any country to interfere in other countries’ affairs

HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani

SATURDAYNOVEMBER 18, 2017

SAFAR 29, 1439VOL.11 NO. 4093 QR 2

HAZY

HIGH : 29°CLOW : 23°C

Fajr: 4:32 am Dhuhr: 11:20 amAsr: 2:24 pm Maghrib: 4:45 pm Isha: 6:15 pm

Business 17Oil climbs, but still set for first weekly fall in six

Sports 24Russia’s Tuganov rules with Suspens Floreval

Chill OutThe gloom around the loom

MANEESH BAKSHI DOHA

THE message that Qatar is not alone in its fight for the honour of its sover-eignty is loud and clear to the whole world with the overt support of the entire Bangladeshi community liv-ing in Qatar, said Abdus Sattar, a prominent member of Bangladeshi expatriate community of Qatar.

Abdus Sattar, president of Jala-labad Association Qatar (JAQ), the largest social group of Bangladeshi nationals in Qatar, said he con-sidered Qatar, where he arrived in 1978 and has since then given his entire youth to, no less than his home country.

“Being the president of the lead-ing social organisation of Bangla-desh in Qatar, I can say on behalf of my community that we stand for the cause of Qatar and we support the stand taken by the leadership of Qa-tar against the unjust demands and the blockade imposed on our host country,” Sattar told Qatar Tribune in a recent interview.

Having lived in Qatar for so long, there is hardly an issue that Sattar is not aware of and for that reason, he is well respected in his community.

According to Sattar, Qatar is still considered as one of the most loved destinations for many Bangladeshi wishing to work abroad.

“Our common religion and sprawling Bangladeshi community that exists in Qatar are some of the factors that make Qatar one of the favourite destinations for Bangla-deshis seeking work outside. Qatar is also one of the safest places on earth and its recent labour reforms

have benefited the community immense-ly,” he said.

He added, “I would be failing my responsibilities if left without mention-ing the support of the embassy to the community in re-solving day-to-day issues of around 3 0 0 , 0 0 0 - m e m b e r community. Many of the labour related is-sues have been solved due to the intervention of the embassy officials who pleaded the case with respec-tive Qatari authorities.

“Qatar has come a long way enacting and implementing new laws that have greatly empowered the labour workforce that comes mainly from South Asian countries, including Bangladesh and others.

Enforcement of Wage Protection System (WPS) has brought a drastic fall in the cases of disputes related to matters such as no pay-ment or late pay-ment of salaries and so on.”

F r e q u e n t inspections un-dertaken by the Qatari labour

authorities and slapping fines on offenders have helped in the im-plementation of the recent labour reforms, according to Sattar, who also heads JAQ’s wing that looks after the benevolent activities in the community.

Talking about various cultural and social undertakings of JAQ, he said, “JAQ has been actively in-

volved in engaging its community in socially meaningful action-based programmes and its past activi-ties included things like organising beach cleaning action, blood dona-tion camp, sports tournaments for workers and many high-level educa-tional seminars to name few.”

He added, “Most of our pro-grammes are organised in partner-ship with leading government agen-cies such as HMC, PHCC and some of the ministries besides the support of embassy of Bangladesh.”

On future plans of the associa-tion, Sattar said, “We are now work-ing hard on getting an approval for the community recreation centre which is needed for holding social events. We hope to groom local talent and hold social and cultural events under one roof.

“Besides we are also pushing hard to have our second Bangladeshi school in Qatar. We believe that, at the current rate of expansion of our community, we certainly will need another school to accommodate the entire Bangladeshi expatriates for their schooling requirement.”

Sattar turns emotional when he reflects over his life and said, “Per-haps I have spent the entire prime of my life in Qatar and maybe I have lived more numbers of years in Qa-tar than in my country of birth, yet the feeling of living away from home has never depressed me in any way.

“I am really thankful to the peo-ple of Qatar for their hospitality and big-hearted welcoming nature that has made me happy all through this time while I remember all the good memories that I have acquired in these years.”

Bangladesh community stands with Qatar: Prominent expat

CATHERINE W GICHUKIDOHA

THE siege imposed on Qatar by some of its neighbouring coun-tries has been a ‘blessing in dis-guise’ for the country as it has expanded its import routes in many frontiers, especially for pharmaceutical distributors, ac-cording to an official of a major pharmacy chain.

Speaking to Qatar Tribune, International Medical Company Marketing Director Adham El Deeb said, “We have benefited from the blockade because we have increased our channels of imports and we have widened our opportunities of getting products from different parts of the world.”

He reiterated that before the blockade products came to Qatar through Saudi Arabia land border and the UAE by sea.

He said, “As these countries have imposed the siege on Qatar and because our products do not come through them anymore, we have looked for other routes. Our channels of imports are so diver-sified now and the blockade is not affecting us.”

El Deeb added that, just like many other companies in other countries in the region which relied on Jebel Ali Port for im-ports, they have got other al-ternative channels like Kuwait, Oman and India for their im-ports due to the blockade.

He said besides Oman and

Kuwait, they have continued to get products from other countries around the world.

“We rely on imports from all over the world, including the USA, France, Germany, Switzerland and other countries from Europe. We have over 100 suppliers from Korea, China and India where we get medicines and non-medicine products,” he said.

According to him, being the major distributor and the owner of Kulud chain of pharmacies, dis-tributing pharmaceuticals is both their social and practical responsi-bility towards the people of Qatar.

“We have always had the strat-egy of making sure that our stock stays at a level that allows guar-antee availability for the longest period possible. This is the com-pany’s policy and this is what has built the reputation for our phar-macies. This has been the guiding strategy for years from the begin-ning because we guaranteed avail-ability of products,” he said.

El Deeb added that the com-pany still had a stock that could last for a long time.

“Our policy is to have cover-age of at least six to eight months continuously though it varies from one product to another. This allows us to be sure that if some-thing happens at any point in time, we are covered. In general, we have stocks that can last us a year or more,” he said, adding that those products that have short ex-piry dates are of different case.

‘Siege, a ‘blessing’ for pharmaceutical distributors’

Stars of Science show heads to Oman for grand finale

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORKDOHA

FOUR of the Arab world’s top inno-vators will vie to be crowned winner of Qatar Foundation’s Stars of Sci-ence Season 9 in a special finale edi-tion of the show to be filmed in the Sultanate of Oman next week.

The setting for the season finale was chosen as part of the show’s re-cent collaboration with the Oman Technology Fund (OTF) and is in line with the show’s airing on sev-eral regional broadcasters, offering new and exciting opportunities to showcase Stars of Science to fans across the Arab world.

As the season approaches its nail-biting decider round, the Fantastic Four are running neck-and-neck; one of them will become the best Arab innovator, while the remaining candidates will be ranked accord-ingly. Voting has already started and will run until 2pm (GMT) on No-vember 23. To choose your favour-

ite Stars of Science innovation, vote online at www.starsofscience.com. The final episode of Stars of Science Season 9 is on November 25.

In the first customer validation episode, fans of Meshal Alshahrani and Mohammed al Jefairi jubilantly watched their favourite innovators sweep into the finals. Meanwhile,

Wassim El Hariri’s supporters had a bittersweet night; their hero was fearless every step of the way, yet was ultimately eliminated.

The most recent episode proved to be a night of high drama. Fouad Maksoud impressed the judges and customers with his quick wit and confident demeanour. He took the

lead in the jury scoring, leaping into the finale. In the duel between Ah-mad Nabeel and Mohamed Farag for the last finale spot, Ahmad’s quick thinking won the jury over. He edged past Mohamed with a mere three-point margin. Audiences will cer-tainly miss the thorough approach Mohamed brought to his work.

Stakes are the highest they’ve ever been, and the finalists are feel-ing the pressure. Each entrepreneur will have the opportunity to convince the public why their innovation will make a difference in the region and beyond. Voters and the Stars of Sci-ence jury will then declare the ver-dict during a thrilling finale filmed

from Muscat, Oman, next week with the collaboration of the OTF.

Meshal intends to help Muslim Hajj-goers better navigate Mecca with his Hajj Navigation Bracelet. The invention will direct Muslims to important places during the pil-grimage, minimising their chances of getting lost.

Mohammed aims for a more ac-cessible and enjoyable sign language instruction for those with hearing impairments. His innovation, the Deaf Interactive Robotic Teacher, is a device that uses the latest techno-logical advancements to teach sign language to children.

Ahmad wants to make surger-ies safer for both doctor and patient with his automated, self-cleaning laparoscope with a virtual beam that will support surgeons and medical students and save time in the oper-ating theatre.

Fouad Maksoud’s innovation is a great advancement in the nanote-chnology field. The multifunctional machine can be used for various purposes, such as making clothing waterproof and integrating healing medicine into the fibers of bandages.

Voting for Season 9 finale opens

Fouad Maksoud (left) and Ahmad Nabeel (right) bid farewell to Mohamed Farag (centre) during a Stars of Science customer validation episode.

02 Saturday, November 18, 2017

Mohammed al Jefairi (left) celebrates the result of the Stars of Science jury scor-ing during a customer validation episode.

Technology firms reach out to CMU-Q for young talentTRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK

DOHA

NEARLY 30 organisations in Qatar’s technology sector gath-ered at Carnegie Mellon Univer-sity in Qatar (CMU-Q) to meet and network with students in the computer science and infor-mation systems disciplines.

The second annual ‘Ca-reers Platform: Technology Edition’ provided an opportu-nity for employers in the grow-ing high-tech sector to meet the next generation of high-tech professionals.

Michael Trick, dean of CMU-Q, stressed the impor-tance of bringing together stu-dents and experts in the tech-nology sector. He said: “These

organisations are more than just potential employers, they are a resource for our students to learn how the industry is

growing in Qatar. Sometimes a small piece of information can open up a new world of ca-reer possibilities.”

The event provided an opportunity for employers in the growing high-tech sector to meet the next generation of high-tech professionals.

QU researchers develop new method fortesting clogging of membrane bioreactors

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORKDOHA

A research team from the Gas Processing Center (GPC) at Qatar University College of En-gineering (QU-CENG), along with external collaborators from Public Works Author-ity (Ashghal) and Qatargas, has developed a method for testing clogging of membrane bioreac-tors (MBRs).

The team includes GPC En-vironmental Engineering Chair Prof Simon Judd, GPC Post-doctorate Researcher Dr Pom-pilia Buzatu and CENG Depart-ment of Chemical Engineering Co-Principal Investigator Prof Hazim Qiblawey.

Themed ‘Membrane bio-reactor technology: a new ap-

proach for improved process robustness’, the work has been conducted as part of the Nation-al Priorities Research Program (NPRP) project.

The team studied munici-pal and industrial wastewater sludge samples from plants at Lusail and Ras Laffan. They used a bespoke test cell de-signed to allow direct viewing of the membrane channel for clogged solids. Sludge from existing operating MBRs has been introduced into the cell and their clogging behaviour has been observed directly. The image of the clogged membrane channel was then translated to a number indicating the extent of the clogging.

The study revealed that both ways in which the mem-

brane clogs the channels and the amount of clogging pro-duced depends on the source of the sludge and the process operating conditions. Remedial measures to avoid problems with membrane permeabil-ity recovery have been recom-

mended.Prof Judd said: “MBRs are

considered the technology of choice for advanced biologi-cal treatment of wastewater where space is limited and/or where treated water of high quality such as for irrigation is required. A technical challenge is the loss of membrane perme-ability, or the reduction of flow through the membrane.

“This is conventionally at-tributed to membrane surface fouling -- a very well-studied topic -- by dissolved organic material in the mixed liquor (or sludge) providing the biological treatment. This is one of only a handful of studies which have quantified clogging, and the only one to use direct observa-tion as the method.”

Prof Simon Judd

Being the president of the leading social organisation of Bangladesh in Qatar, I can say on behalf of my community that we stand for the cause of Qatar and we support the stand taken by the leadership of Qatar against the unjust demands and the blockade imposed on our host country. ~ Abdus Sattar

Solidarity

Qatar has come a long way enacting and implementing new laws that have greatly empowered the labour workforce that comes mainly from South Asian countries, including Bangladesh and others.

REUTERSMANILA

PHILIPPINE troops shelled positions held by a small group of pro-Islamic State militants in southern marshland on Fri-day, as the military pushed on with a new offensive after the country’s biggest urban battle in decades.

The army estimated 2,000 villagers had been displaced by several days of operations in a region straddling two prov-inces on the island of Mind-anao, as the army went after the Bangsamoro Islamic Free-dom Fighters (BIFF), a small and splintered rebel group in-spired by Islamic State.

The latest operation fol-lows the end last month of what was the Philippines’ biggest battle since World War Two, in which troops took five months to crush an alliance of Islamic State loy-alists including BIFF fighters in Marawi City.

The occupation of the city by the militants and their dogged resistance spread alarm in the region about the rise of extremism and radical aspirations to create an Islam-ic State caliphate.

Captain Nap Alcarioto, spokesman for the 6th Infan-try Division, said troops were shelling BIFF gunmen in sup-port of ground attacks in an area of marshland between

the provinces of Maguindanao and Cotobato, about 170 km (106 miles) from Marawi.

“We are still awaiting re-sults of operations,” he said.

The army said it was fight-ing a BIFF faction led by Abu Toraypie, a man allied with the Maute group, the biggest mili-tant group in an alliance that led the Marawi conflict.

Toraypie and some of his men had escaped from Ma-rawi and the army was trying to prevent them from regroup-ing, the army said.

Military aircraft dropped bombs on another BIFF wing in a town close by.

The BIFF broke away from the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) a

decade ago after becoming disillusioned with a protract-ed process with the govern-ment to grant autonomy to what is the mainly Catholic country’s only predominantly Muslim region.

Separately, army spokes-man Major-General Restituto Padilla said Marawi was clear of militants who had been hid-

ing in the ruins of the pum-melled city, but unexploded munitions and booby traps had yet to be cleared.

“The last firefight we had was on November 5 when we killed nine terrorists,” he told a news conference, adding all top militant leaders had been killed, although that was sub-ject to DNA confirmation.

Philippine troops hunt IS militants in marshland

(File photo) Government troops head to the frontline as fighting with Muslim militants in Marawi city enters its second week in southern Philip-pines. (AP)

Army estimates 2,000 villagers had been displaced, as they went after Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom FightersAFPMANILA

PHILIPPINE troops de-tained and tortured ci-vilians trying to flee a besieged southern city during a five-month battle with militants loyal to the Islamic State group, Am-nesty International alleged Friday.

The US-backed mili-tary campaign to retake Marawi claimed the lives of more than 1,100 people including around 900 mil-itants, displaced 400,000 residents and reduced large parts of the city to rubble.

Amnesty called on Ma-nila to investigate claims of “serious violations of inter-national humanitarian law and other serious violations and abuses of human rights law” in a report released a month after President Ro-drigo Duterte declared the city liberated from pro-IS gunmen.

“Philippine government forces violated the prohi-bition against torture and other ill-treatment of de-tainees, and allegedly com-mitted the crime of pillage,” the report said.

The rights group said it interviewed eight people, including seven Christian construction workers, who described how they were

subjected to “sustained beatings and threats of ex-ecution” by Philippine ma-rines.

Amnesty also said it spoke with several people who alleged that govern-ment forces looted civilian property of television sets, antiques, and computers while the militants stole weapons, jewellery and money from homes.

“Government forces may also have carried out disproportionate air and ground attacks,” it said, adding that the civilian death toll from bombings and militant killings “is likely significantly higher than the official count”.

The military said Am-nesty had been in contact with authorities as it was writing the report and was asked to submit the docu-ment to the foreign depart-ment or the permanent mis-sion to the United Nations so the government could reply.

Man arrested for politician’s death in Philippine bombing

AFPMANILA

THE former driver of a Fili-pino politician was jailed for life Friday over the assassina-tion of a rival congressman in a bombing a decade ago, offi-cials said.

Ikram Indama was found guilty of the November 13, 2007 murders of House of Representatives member Wa-hab Akbar and three other people in a motorcycle bomb attack, which wounded seven more including two other leg-islators.

Indama had worked as a driver for Gerry Salapud-din, a former congressman and Akbar’s bitter political rival in the mainly-Muslim southern Philippine island of Basilan.

State prosecutor Peter Ong told AFP Indama helped to assemble the bomb and then parked the vehicle outside the lobby of the House of Repre-sentatives.

“The court finds accused Ikram Indama guilty beyond reasonable doubt,” Manila re-gional trial court judge Ralph See said in his ruling.

Indonesian House speaker Novanto hospitalised after failed graft raid

AFPJAKARTA

THE speaker of Indonesia’s par-liament, implicated in a $170 million corruption case, was in hospital Friday after a bizarre drama in which he claimed to have been injured in a car crash shortly after a failed raid on his palatial estate.

The story has dominated headlines and news broadcasts this week in the graft-riddled southeast Asian nation, where images showed a grim-faced Setya Novanto laying in a Ja-karta hospital bed with medi-cal tubes in his nose.

Critics lashed out at No-

vanto, accusing him of trying to dodge anti-corruption of-ficials who want to question him in one of Indonesia’s worst graft scandals.

“These kinds of actions will make people question every-thing -- how can a leader have such little dignity?” said Jusuf Kalla, the country’s vice presi-dent and a member of Golkar, Indonesia’s second-biggest political party, which is head-ed by Novanto.

“Leaders have to obey the law and be trusted by people. If they run away like this, how can they be trusted?”

On Wednesday night, of-ficials from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) raided Novanto’s multi-million-dollar estate in a ritzy part of the capital, known for its extreme gap between rich and poor.

Indonesia evacuates villagers after shootings near Freeport copper mine

REUTERSJAKARTA/TIMIKA

INDONESIA on Friday be-gan evacuating villages that authorities said had been oc-cupied by armed separatists after a string of shootings near the giant Grasberg cop-per mine operated by Freeport McMoRan Inc in the eastern province of Papua.

Two police have been killed and at least 12 people have been wounded by gun-fire in the area since mid-August. Police have blamed an “armed criminal group”, but others have said the gun-men were linked to separatist

rebels.According to police re-

ports, the group occupied the villages of Banti and Kimbely near the mining town of Tem-bagapura and had prevented an estimated 1,300 residents from leaving, leading to food shortages.

Police and military leaders

said they have urged the gun-men to surrender, but have also warned that tough meas-ures could follow if their “per-suasive” approach fails.

Residents were being evacuated to a sports hall in Tembagapura, according to a source at Freeport.

More than 340 residents from the two villages were evacuated and the area had been secured by the police and military, according to a police statement.

“We hope they can return safely to their respective vil-lages,” Papua Police chief said in a video of the evacuation distributed by police.

Cambodia faces US, EU action over opposition party banREUTERS

PHNOM PENH

THE United States stopped election support for Cambodia with a promise of more “con-crete steps” and the European Union threatened vital trade preferences after the main op-position party to Prime Minis-ter Hun Sen was banned.

But China said it sup-ported Cambodia in following its own path, making no criti-cism of the government led by the former Khmer Rouge commander who is one of Beijing’s most important allies in Southeast Asia after more than three decades in power.

The ban on the Cambo-dia National Rescue Party (CNRP), decreed by the Su-preme Court at the govern-ment’s request, followed the arrest of its leader for treason. Kem Sokha is accused of plot-ting to take power with Ameri-

can help.Hun Sen’s critics called

the CNRP dissolution an at-tempt to steal the election and the death knell for democracy. Western donors have spent billions of dollars since 1993 trying to build a multiparty system following decades of war.

“On current course, next year’s election will not be le-gitimate, free or fair,” a White House statement said, promis-ing to take “concrete steps”.

The first of those was to end support for the Cambodi-an National Election Commit-tee ahead of the 2018 election, it said. In April, the US embas-sy announced a $1.8 million grant to assist local elections in 2017 and next year’s general election.

In Brussels, an EU spokes-man said the election could not be legitimate without the opposition and noted that re-

spect for human rights was a prerequisite for Cambodia’s access to EU trade preferenc-es under its “Everything But Arms scheme.”

That scheme, giving tariff-free access, and similar trade preferences in the United States have helped Cambo-dia build a garment industry

on low-cost labour. Between them, EU and US markets take some 60 percent of Cam-bodia’s exports.

“I am very worried after the dissolution of the party,” factory sewer Heng Kheang, 35, said as other colleagues nodded in agreement at their lunch break. “Workers will be most affected, more than the rich.”

In a symbolic step, the US Senate passed a resolution calling on the Treasury and State departments to consider placing Cambodian officials implicated in abuses on a watch list for asset freezes and travel bans.

Huy Vannak, undersecre-tary of state at Cambodia’s In-terior Ministry who is close to Hun Sen, said the US position was “made without considera-tion to the evidence and court hearing”.

“We hope that the US will

consider the overall bilateral relations with Cambodia and continue to collaborate with common interests of both countries,” he said.

In Beijing, foreign minis-try spokesman Geng Shuang told a news briefing that China supported Cambodia in pursu-ing its own development path. China is by far the biggest sin-gle donor to Cambodia and its biggest investor.

Hun Sen has been in a deepening war of words with the US embassy and State De-partment over a crackdown on his critics, but at the weekend posed with US President Don-ald Trump at a regional sum-mit and praised his policies of non-interference.

The fact that the threat of action came from the White House gave it greater weight than previous statements from the State Department calling for the release of Kem Sokha.

Exorcist’s action lands 2 vietnam

sisters in hospital

DPAHANOI

AN “exorcism” gone wrong has left two Vietnamese sisters in critical condition.

The family of the two women, who live in Binh Duong province adjacent to Ho Chi Minh City, had invited the self-styled exorcist to their house to cast “demons” out of an unidentified 47-year-old woman on November 14, the Vnexpress news site reported on Friday.

The woman had been speaking in tongues for a month prior to the ritual, be-lieving that she was channel-ling the spirits of her dead grandparents.

Using large rods fashioned from the wood of mulberry trees, the exorcist beat the woman for an hour until she fell unconscious.

Believing that the demon had moved to the woman’s sis-ter, the exorcist returned the next day to perform the same “exorcism” on her.

Both were sent to Ho Chi Minh City’s largest pub-lic hospital, where the older sister has respiratory failure and the younger has kidney failure.

Organized religion is rare in Vietnam, which is officially an atheist state. Local folk be-liefs and superstitions, how-ever, are common throughout the country.

Bomb plot foiled ahead of Asean meet, says Manila police

AFPMANILA

AN Islamist plot to bomb a Manila shopping mall as US President Donald Trump and other world leaders arrived in the city for a summit has been foiled, Philippine police said Friday.

Three alleged members of the Abu Sayyaf militant group

were arrested on November 10, authorities said, a day be-fore leaders began descend-ing on the capital for the As-sociation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit and other meetings.

“A terror attack could have happened if not for that inter-diction,” the police said in a statement, adding that pistols and grenades were seized from

the suspects.The high-profile gather-

ings ended on Tuesday with-out any security incidents and there was no suggestion world leaders were ever in danger.

The summit meetings were held in sealed off venues to which access was strictly lim-ited.

Police said they monitored one suspect’s Facebook posts,

in which he hinted at a plan to launch terror attacks in Ma-nila. Police did not say when the suspects were planning to carry out the attacks.

The posts included pho-tos of powerful firearms and improvised explosive devices, with captions saying they would be used to kill “kaffir” (non-Muslims) and “munafiq” (apostates).

Buddhist monks pass by a banner of opposition leader and President of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) Kem Sokha at the party’s headquarters in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Friday. (REUTERS)

Indonesian Parliament Speaker Setya Novanto

More than 340 residents from the two villages were evacuated and the area had been secured by the police and military, according to a police statement

The occupation of the city by the militants and their dogged resistance spread alarm in the region about the rise of extremism and radical aspirations to create an Islamic State caliphate

Amnesty also said it spoke with several people who alleged that govt forces looted civilian property while the militants stole weapons, jewellery and money

Amnesty calls on Manila to probe claims of rights violation in Marawi

Using large rods fashioned from the wood of mulberry trees, the exorcist beat the woman for an hour until she fell unconscious

Philippines / Southeast Asia 03Saturday, November 18, 2017

IANSBENGALURU

ASSERTING that the rela-tionship between the space agencies of India and Japan has had a "visible change", the Indian Space Research Organisation chief on Friday said the countries are working towards a joint lunar mission soon.

"We are looking at a possi-ble joint lunar mission which is still in a very preliminary stage. We are working on the details at the moment," state-run ISRO's Chairman AS Kiran Kumar told media persons here.

Kumar was speaking on the sidelines of the 24th Session of Asia Pacific Re-gional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF) here. Heads of space agencies of 10 countries from the Asia-Pacific region, government bodies and in-dustries related to space were at the event.

"The relationship between India and Japan in terms of the space agencies has had a visible change. We are work-ing together for possible fu-ture cooperative missions," the ISRO chief said. President of Japan Aerospace Explora-tion Agency (JAXA) Naoki Okumura said: "India and Japan have been having col-laborations in the space sec-

tor, which helps us share our knowledge and technologies.

"I believe that India and Japan will lead the space sec-tor in the Asia Pacific region through these collabora-tions." Japan and India had their own lunar missions in the past. In 2009, JAXA's lu-nar orbiter spacecraft Selene had impacted the lunar sur-face after successfully orbit-ing the moon for a year and eight months. Japan had also launched Hiten Spacecraft in 1990, the country's first lunar probe. India had launched its first lunar probe in 2008 through Chandrayaan-1, and is now gearing up for its next lunar mission Chandrayaan-2 in March next year. The two countries are also having dis-cussions on making use of their space technologies for providing inputs on weather monitoring, and also look to generate inputs together for climate change studies, he added.

India, Japan to launch joint lunar mission

IANSNEW DELHI

FOLLOWING deep concerns expressed by the diplomatic community over the bad pollu-tion levels in the national capi-tal, the government on Friday said that "top priority" is being accorded to the matter and said the conditions are "not unique to India".

Chief of Protocol in the Ex-ternal Affairs Ministry, Sanjay Verma, told Frank Hans Dan-nenburg Castellanos, Dean of the Diplomatic Corps and the Ambassador of the Dominican Republic, during a meeting here: "I would like to assure you that the Government of India is giving this matter top prior-

ity. "The conditions affecting us are historically not unique to India... These challenges are byproducts of rapid economic growth and development (that) are known to have affected sev-eral countries."

A statement issued here on Friday evening by Castellanos quoted Verma as saying that In-dia was "committed to dealing with this issue, including learn-ing from best practices emerg-ing from countries that have traversed this experience".

Castellanos sought the meeting with the Ministry of External Affairs after being ap-proached by many distressed diplomats who wanted to know what the Indian government was doing to alleviate the prob-

lem that had created choking conditions in the capital earlier this week. Costa Rican Ambas-sador Mariela Alvarez, in fact, shifted to Bengaluru and said on Tuesday that she was suf-

fering from upper respiratory infection.

According to Castellanos, Verma said that "the unusual deterioration in the quality of air is a product of multiple caus-es, most of which are indeed do-mestic, but have also been ag-gravated by a dust storm from a distant geography".

"The simultaneous aggre-gation of these cases has led us to an environmental challenge, which the government of India is determined to address and ameliorate," Verma said. In his statement, Castellanos said that he thanked Verma "and we both hope that the outcome of the ef-forts of both central and local governments will bring rapid and positive results, not only for

the diplomats living in India but also for every citizen, children and adults that live in this very active, energetic and busy city".

The Environment Pollu-tion Control Authority (EPCA) and Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) researcher Usman Nasim told IANS on Thursday the pollution levels in the region could go up in the coming days due to climatic conditions. "Pollution may increase in next few days due to withdrawal of north-west winds. As wind speed goes down, pollution levels may to go up. As per SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research), AQI (air quality index) will re-main 'very poor'," Nasim said.

Tackling pollution top priority, govt assures foreign envoysGovt assurance comes after diplomatic corps dean raises concern over toxicity of Delhi air

5 Congress defectors figure in BJP’s first list of Gujarat candidates IANS

GANDHINAGAR/NEW DELHI

THE Bharatiya Janata Par-ty (BJP) on Friday virtu-ally renominated all its sitting MLAs in Gujarat in the first list of 70 candidates it declared while giving tickets to five of the Congress MLAs who de-fected to it in August.

Significantly, the party has decided to field 16 Patels in the contest, in view of the fact that the party and its government in Gujarat have been facing an agitation by the Patidar com-munity led by young leader

Hardik Patel. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has been re-nom-inated from his traditional Ra-jkot West constituency, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel from traditional Mehsana seat, and state BJP chief Jitubhai Va-ghani from Bhavnagar West.

Earlier, Vaghani had re-fused to contest. The first phase of Gujarat Assembly elections for 89 seats will be held on De-cember 9 and for the remain-ing 93 on December 14. The results will be announced along with that of Himachal Pradesh assembly on December 18. Contrary to speculations that

many sitting BJP MLAs will be denied tickets this time, the party has dropped only three sitting MLAs.

Varshaben Doshi has been dropped from Wadhwan, and instead the ticket was given to Dhanjibhai Patel (Mackson). Patel is an industrialist and considered a leading personal-ity from the Patidar commu-nity. Nalin Kotadia, who won from Dhari in 2012 on Gujarat Parivartan Party (GPP) ticket and later joined BJP, has also been dropped.

The BJP has replaced him with four-time former MP

Dileep Sanghani, who used to contest from Amreli that he lost to young Congress leader Paresh Dhanani in the 2012 Assembly polls.

In a bid to wrest Amreli from the Congress, the BJP has shifted Bavkubhai Udhad from Lathi in Amreli district to con-test against Dhanani. Udhad is reckoned as a strong Pati-dar leader. The BJP has also dropped Bhavanaben Mak-wana from Mahuva Assembly constituency in Bhavnagar district.

Instead the party has given the ticket to her husband Ragh-

vjibhai Makwana. Although the party has dropped three sitting MLAs, it has repeated 49 sitting MLAs from their respective constituencies, while giving tickets to five Congress leaders who defected to BJP during the Rajya Sabha elections.

Of the remaining 13 candi-dates, five had lost in the 2012 elections, while the rest are new faces. The five Congress defectors -- Raghavjibhai Pa-tel, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, Ramsinh Parmar, Mansinh Chauhan, and CK Raulji -- have been renominated in their con-stituencies.

AFPAHMEDABAD

TRAFFIC chokes the centuries-old stone archway into Ahmedabad's historic quarter, the snarl of honk-ing rickshaws and sputtering buses coats the monuments of India's only heritage city in a greasy layer of soot.

Conservation experts warn Ahmedabad, one of the world's most polluted cities, faces a mam-moth task defending its newly won Unesco status as its fragile cultural icons decay under neglect, traffic and trash. The 600-year-old enclave was named India's first 'World Heritage City' in July -- despite warnings from some of Unesco's own experts that it lacked a convincing plan for protecting its ancient citadels, mosques and tombs.

Ahmedabad hosts the towering Bhadra fort, the legendary stone latticework of the 16th-century Sidi Saiyyed mosque, and countless rel-ics fusing the unique Hindu and Muslim architectural styles of its conquerors.

Authorities hope the global recognition from the UN's cultural body will restore community pride in the crumbling, garbage-strewn old city. "They themselves also will be slightly more restrained in dirty-ing the places," said P.K Ghosh, chairman of Ahmedabad Munici-pal Corporation's heritage conser-

vation committee, of the city's in-habitants.

But many families that once fastidiously tended to ornate wood-en homes in the old city are leaving in droves for the comforts of the modern city outside, tired of shab-by living conditions. Jagruti Vyas, a long-term resident, hoped the Unesco listing would bring stand-ards in her dilapidated neighbour-hood into line with newer areas beyond the old city's walls.

"We hope to see similar chang-es, such as this part of the city be-coming cleaner," she told AFP from the narrow doorway of her wooden home. But it is the pressures of modern Ahmedabad -- the chronic

air pollution, crushing traffic and chaotic urban sprawl -- that experts say are also rapidly eroding its cul-tural capital.

The cramped heritage district was never built for cars, yet today thousands of trucks and rickshaws are diverted through its narrow lanes and alleys. The grinding con-gestion tears apart roads and fouls the air with fumes, streaking stone-carved monuments with black ex-haust stains.

Long-flouted laws banning construction near heritage sites have also hampered efforts to save Ahmedabad's treasures from ruin.

In the heart of the old quarter, just the dome of a medieval mosque

is visible behind a tangle of shops, electricity wires and flats illegally erected around the sultanate-era relic. Ornate homes have been torn down and replaced by garish struc-tures "totally incongruous" with history, said Ghosh.

He said the heritage listing would give teeth to those safe-guarding Ahmedabad's archi-tectural heritage. "There will be stricter enforcement of the rules. "Pulling down the exquisite old ar-chitectural pieces will not be easy now," he told AFP.

Some long-neglected quarters, sealed off from the outside world by labyrinthine alleys, are well beyond restoration. Many traditional 'pols' -- clusters of settlements identified by Unesco as bearing "enormous" historical value -- are all but aban-doned, the iconic wooden homes collapsing from neglect.

A small boy was injured in October when a balcony caved in, while at least two people died in July when monsoon rains brought whole houses crashing down, me-dia reported.

Once grand havelis -- beautiful multi-level wooden mansions -- are being rented to poor migrants and businesses looking for warehouse space. Conservation architect and old city expert Khushi Shah said Ahmedabad was "one of the most unique urban settlements in India" that could not be recreated once it was gone.

A heritage home in an overbuilt urban area of Ahmedabad, Gujarat. (AFP)

Heritage city Ahmedabad races to save icons from polluted ruin

‘We are looking at a pos-sible joint lunar mission which is still in a very pre-liminary stage. We are working on the details at the moment,’ ISRO’s Chairman AS Kiran Kumar told media persons

India, France to cooperate on Indian Ocean region security

IANSNEW DELHI

AFTER officials of India, the US, Japan and Aus-tralia held the first-ever quadrilateral meeting in Manila last week on the security and development of the Indo-Pacific region, India and France on Friday agreed to cooperate on the security architecture of the Indian Ocean region.

"In terms of maritime security, both sides dis-cussed increasing coopera-tion in the Indian Ocean region where the presence of India and France is very important," External Af-fairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said in a joint ad-dress to the media with French Minister for Eu-rope and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian after delegation-level talks here.

"This cooperation is aimed at ensuring unhin-dered trade and movement and security of the inter-national sea lanes, fighting maritime terrorism and piracy, creating awareness about the oceanic region, building capacities on re-

gional and international platforms and increasing coordination at the official level," she said.

Her comments come after Sunday's India-US-Japan-Australia meeting in the Philippines capital where the officials agreed that "a free, open, prosper-ous and inclusive" Indo-Pacific served long-term global interests, giving impetus to an emerging quad of democracies amid China's rising military and economic power.

Sushma Swaraj said that in Friday's talks, both sides discussed all bilateral issues and matters of re-gional and global concern. The India-France relation-ship was elevated to that of a strategic partnership in 1998. India is the only country in Asia with which Paris has such a relation-ship. Stating that both In-dia and France were for a multi-polar world, she said that defence and security cooperation, space coop-eration and civil nuclear cooperation formed the three pillars of the bilateral relationship.

A tourist couple pose for photographs outside Jama Masjid amid heavy smog in New Delhi. (AFP)

I would like to assure you that the Government of India is giving this matter top priority. The conditions affecting us are historical not unique to India.Chief of Protocol in the External Affairs Ministry

India04 Saturday, November 18, 2017

IANSCHENNAI

THE Madras High Court on Friday confirmed the two-year jail term awarded to M Natarajan, husband of jailed AIADMK leader VK Sasikala, for evasion of cus-toms duty on the import of a luxury car.

The court also con-firmed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Spe-cial Court 2010 ruling of two-year jail for three oth-ers in the case.

In 1994, Natarajan im-ported a new Lexus car forg-ing the papers to show that

it made in 1993 and thus evaded a duty of over Rs 1.6 crore. The CBI had regis-tered a case against Natara-jan, his nephew V. Baska-ran, Balakrishnan, his son Yogesh Balakrishnan and two officials of the Indian Bank, of which one turned approver.

With Balakrishnan on the run, the case was pro-ceeded against the remain-ing four who were convicted by the CBI court.

They moved the Madras High Court against it. In-come Tax officials recently searched the premises of Na-tarajan for tax evasion.

Madras HC upholds 2-year jail to Natarajan

IANSNEW DELHI

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday reviewed progress of key infrastructure sectors, including roads, hous-ing, coal and power and hoped the advancement of the Union Budget date would lead to fur-ther improvement in perform-ance.

The review meeting, which lasted for about two-and-a-half-hours, was attended by top officials from the Prime Minit-er's Office (PMO), National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog and infra-structure ministries of the gov-ernment, according to a state-ment from the PMO.

In the course of the presen-tation by CEO NITI Aayog Am-itabh Kant, it was noted that remarkable progress has been made in several areas.

"Under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, 81 per-cent of the targeted habitations numbering about 1.45 lakh have so far been connected.

"Officials said progress is be-ing made towards connecting all the remaining unconnected habitations within a defined

timeframe," said the statement. The Prime Minister ob-

served that resources available for this work should be used

optimally throughout the year. Modi was informed of the expe-ditious resolution of complaints received on the Meri Sadak App.

"He called for detailed analy-sis of the complaints, so that timely remedial measures are initiated wherever required," it said. Reviewing progress to-wards the road map to deliver one crore houses in the rural areas by 2019, Modi said that the positive impact of housing on the lives of the beneficiaries should be suitably examined, and the focus should be on im-proving their quality of life.

Reviewing the coal sector, he called for renewed efforts towards underground mining and coal gasification, through infusion of latest technology inputs, according to the state-ment. Modi was also informed about progressing towards the targets for rural electrification and household electrification, it stated.

Modi reviews progress in key infrastructure sectorsPositive impact of housing on the lives of the beneficiaries should be examined, says PM

Kashmiri footballer quits militancyIANS

PULWAMA

MAJID Khan, a young football-er whose decision to join the LeT stunned Kashmirs, has given up militancy, the Army announced on Friday, with the 20-year-old making a brief appearance at a press conference here.

Amid conflicting reports whether Majid Khan had sur-rendered or was caught, Ma-jor General BS Raju said: "The brave young man, Majid Khan, decided on his own to shun vio-lence and returned to lead a nor-mal life, pursuing his academics and passion for football."

The Army, he said, merely facilitated his decision. "He was neither apprehended nor did he surrender. We only facilitated

his return," Gen Raju said, pro-viding no details about how Ma-jid made contact with the family or the security agencies.

Majid, wearing a black Kashmiri phiran, made a brief presence before journalists. But he did not speak and was quick-ly escorted out of the venue by a police officer. Gen Raju compli-mented his parents, especially the mother, whose persuasion he said helped the young man to change his mind. Majid's mother's passionate and wail-

ing appeal to her only son to return home went viral on social media -- just like Majid's ear-lier photographs showing him with an AK-47. Gen Raju, who commands the Army's Victor Force, which oversees all anti-military operations in southern Kashmir, urged other Kashmiri youths to also give up militancy.

"Those youths who have strayed and have committed no crime are welcome to come back and no action will be taken against them. I appeal also to those who might have commit-ted some crime to return within the parameters of law." The Kashmir Valley's police chief, Muneer Khan, said no charges would be pressed against Majid and he would be allowed to join his family.

IANSNEW DELHI

MULTI Drug Resistant organ-isms that cause deadly infec-tions are spreading resulting in community-acquired infections, reveals a new study by city's Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SRGH).

The new findings are worry-ing because the organisms are resistant to latest generations of antibiotics, leading to high mortality. The hospital analysed 201 patients with community-acquired infections for the study.

It found their infections car-ry "classically hospital strains" which were drug resistant with high mortality. Researchers said that these patients did not come in contact with any health facility in the last three months or more.

The study 'Association of high mortality with extended-spec-trum-lactamase (ESBL) positive cultures in community acquired infections', was conducted by Department of Critical Care of SRGH. ESBLs are organisms re-sistant to various newer genera-tion antibiotics and can be easily transferred in the community, the study said.

These resistant infections pose therapeutic challenges to doctors during treatment and may therefore be associated with high morbidity and mortality.

"The distinction between community-acquired and hospi-tal-acquired infections is becom-ing increasingly blurred," said Sumit Ray, author of the study and vice-chairman of critical care at SRGH.

"The main reasons for this are the spread of classically 'hospi-tal' strains, particularly resistant

Klebseilla and E. Coli, into the community and vice versa, and repeated admissions of individu-als to hospitals with long standing underlying diseases." He said in addition, the contribution of anti-biotic resistance due to easy avail-ability of antibiotics, often used without medical supervision, has resulted in the increasing reser-voir of potential infections.

"The resistance to high-end antibiotics by organisms con-tracted by patients in the commu-nity resulting in high mortality,

seen in our study, is a cause for worry and needs further research and proper action plan," Ray said.

According to the researchers, the striking point noted in the results is the emergence of E.coli as most common bacteria in the community causing bacteraemia, respiratory and urinary tract in-fection. They are also causing higher mortality in ESBL positive producers as compared to ESBL negative producers.

"A high percentage (63.44 per cent) of these E.coli was ESBL producers. This reflects the in-creased resistance pattern to high end antibiotics in hospital ac-quired infections due to inadvert-ent early use of third generation cephalosporins in the last decade, which is further trickling over into the community, because of plasmid-mediated transfer of its genetic materials during conjuga-tion," the study added.

The resistance to high-end antibiotics by organisms contracted by patients in the community resulting in high mortality is a cause for worry.

Drug-resistant organisms causing spike in infectious diseases: Study

Nitish gets JD-U’s ‘Arrow’ symbol; Sharad faction to battle onIANS

NEW DELHI

PUTTING an end to an over three-month-old battle be-tween the two warring factions of the Janata Dal United (JD-U), the Election Commission of India (EC) on Friday granted the "Arrow" symbol to the Nit-ish Kumar faction.

As the victor group wel-comed the poll panel's decision and urged the "strayed section of leaders" to join back the par-ty under Nitish Kumar's lead-ership, the rival Sharad Yadav faction declared that the battle would not end here.

The EC's decision may have ramifications over the disquali-fication case against party's rebel Rajya Sabha MPs Sharad Yadav and Ali Anwer Ansari, which is being heard by Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu.

In its order, the poll panel said: "The respondent group led by Nitish Kumar has dem-onstrated overwhelming ma-jority support in the legislature wing as well as majority in the National Council of the party, which is the apex-level or-ganisational body of the party. "Accordingly, the group led by Nitish Kumar is hereby recog-

nised as the Janata Dal-United in terms of Paragraph 15 of the symbols order."

"Consequently, the group led by Nitish Kumar is entitled to use the reserved symbol 'Ar-row' of the party as a recognised state party in Bihar," it added.

Sharad Yadav, a former President of the JD-U, had bro-ken away from Chief Minister and JD-U President Nitish Ku-mar after the latter joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alli-ance (NDA) in July-August this year. The Election Commission referred to the Supreme Court's verdict in the Sadiq Ali vs Elec-

tion Commission of India (AIR 1972 SC 187) case wherein the apex court upheld the principle of test of majority support in the organisational and legisla-

tive wings. The Sharad Yadav faction had contended that the election of the 195 National Council members done in Octo-ber 2016 and submitted to the EC on November 10, 2016 was not valid as the party's constitu-tion was not adhered to in the process.

It submitted that the Com-mission should look into the numerical strength of the Na-tional Council of the party con-stituted in 2013. However, the Commission in its order point-ed out that "there was no objec-tion from the petitioner against the said list prior to the present application".

Sharad Yadav.

Centre to observe ‘Qaumi Ekta Week’ from Sunday

IANSNEW DELHI

THE government on Friday said it will observe "Qaumi Ekta Week" (National Integra-tion Week) from Sunday to foster and reinforce the spirit of communal harmony, na-tional integration and pride in vibrant, composite culture and nationhood.

"The observation of Qaumi Ekta Week will help to high-light the inherent strength and resilience of our nation to withstand actual and poten-tial threats to the eclectic and secular fabric of our country, and nurture a spirit of com-munal harmony in its widest

sense," a Home Ministry state-ment said. The occasion, to be observed from November 19 to 25, would also provides an op-portunity to reaffirm age-old traditions and faith in the val-ues of tolerance, co-existence and brotherhood in a multi-cultural and multi-religious society, it said.

The National Foundation for Communal Harmony or-ganises communal harmony campaign coinciding with the Qaumi Ekta Week and ob-serves the Communal Har-mony Flag Day on November 25. "The Foundation promotes communal harmony and strengthens national integra-tion," the statement said.

ED summons Tejashwi, Rabri in 2016 money laundering case

IANSNEW DELHI

THE Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday said that it has summoned RJD chief Lalu Prasad's wife Rabri Devi and son Tejashwi Yadav in connec-tion with a money laundering probe into the 2006 IRCTC hotel maintenance contract case.

An ED official, confirming the dates of the summons, told IANS: "We have summoned Tejashwi and Rabri Devi on November 20 and 24 respec-tively." On November 13, the

financial-probe agency had questioned Tejashwi Yadav, for the second time for over eight-and-a-half hours.

He was questioned by the ED for over nine hours on Oc-tober 10. Rabri Devi, against whom the ED has issued seven summons, has not testified before the agency for ques-tioning in the case. The ED is probing financial irregularities in the case under the Preven-tion of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Tejashwi, his father and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad and other family members.

India, China discuss border issues, pledge peace

IANSNEW DELHI

IN the wake of the stand-off between Indian and Chinese troops at Doklam region in Bhutan earlier this year, officials from both sides discussed bor-der-related issues at the 10th round of the Working Mechanism for Consul-tation and Coordination (WMCC) on India-China Border Affairs in Beijing on Friday.

"The talks were held in a constructive and forward-looking manner," the Exter-nal Affairs Ministry said in a statement here.

"Both sides reviewed the situation in all sectors of India-China border and agreed that maintenance of peace and tranquility in the border areas is an impor-tant prerequisite for sus-tained growth of bilateral relations," it stated.

"In this regard, the two sides also exchanged views on further confidence building measures and strengthening of military-to-military contacts."

The meeting comes after Indian and Chinese troops were locked in an over two-month-long standoff at the Doklam plateau in Bhutan.

The crisis, which erupted in June over Chinese moves to build a road in an area claimed by Bhutan, ended in August, with both sides deciding to "disengage" from the face-off point.

Earlier this month, Beijing protested Defence Minister Nirmala Sithara-man's visit to Arunachal Pradesh but New Delhi re-asserted that the northeast-ern state was an integral part of India.

In the meeting, the In-dian delegation was led by Pranay Verma, Joint Secre-tary (East Asia), in the Min-istry of External Affairs, while the Chinese side was led by Xiao Qian, Director General, Department of Af-fairs, in the Ministry of For-eign Affairs The two delega-tions comprised diplomatic and military officials from each side, according to the ministry statement.

WMCC was established in 2012 as an institutional mechanism for consulta-tion and coordination for the maintenance of peace and tranquility in the In-dia-China border areas, as well as to exchange views on strengthening commu-nication and cooperation, including between their border security personnel.

The new findings are worry-ing because the organisms are resistant to latest gener-ations of antibiotics, leading to high mortality

The Kashmir Valley’s police chief, Muneer Khan, said no charges would be pressed against Majid and he would be allowed to join his family

French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian (left) meets Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Friday. ( AFP)

In the course of the presenta-tion by CEO NITI Aayog Amitabh Kant, it was noted that remarkable progress has been made in several areas

India 05Saturday, November 18, 2017

UN states call for end to Myanmar army operations

REUTERSUNITED NATIONS

A UNITED NATIONS Gen-eral Assembly committee on Thursday called on Myanmar to end military operations that have "led to the systematic violation and abuse of human rights" of Rohingya Muslims in the country's Rakhine state.

The move revived a UN resolution that was dropped last year due to the country's progress on human rights.

The General Assembly's Third Committee, which focus-es on human rights, voted 135 in favor, 10 against with 26 ab-stentions on the draft text that also asks UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to appoint a special envoy on Myanmar.

For 15 years the Third Com-

mittee annually adopted a reso-lution condemning Myanmar's human rights record, but last year the European Union did not put forward a draft text.

However, in the past three months more than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh after the My-anmar military began an operation against Rohingya militants, who attacked 30 se-curity posts and an army base in Rakhine state on Aug. 25.

This prompted the Organi-sation of Islamic Cooperation to put forward a new draft U.N. resolution, which will now be formally adopted by the 193-member General As-sembly next month. The reso-lution deepens international pressure, but has no legal con-sequences.

Human trafficking ‘rife’ in Rohingya camps: Aid agencies

AFPCOX’S BAZAR

WIDOWED and alone 21-year-old Umme Kulthum had hoped for a fresh start in Bangladesh, but was forced into prostitution instead, falling victim to what aid groups and officials say is a growing trafficking scourge tar-geting refugees.

Women and children make up the majority of the more than 600,000 Rohingya Mus-lims who have fled violence in Myanmar for neighbouring Bangladesh, many escaping with only the clothes on their

back and desperate to survive any way they can.

Confined to congested tent cities near the border without any prospect of work, refugees are willing to take whatever comes their way -- and many have fallen prey to traffickers, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Young girls in particular are at high risk, with the IOM documenting cases of refugees being lured with promises of marriage or jobs in big cities that end instead in forced la-bour or sex work.

"In one case, a number of adolescent girls, who were promised work as domestic helpers in Cox's Bazar and Chittagong, were forced into prostitution," the IOM said in a statement this week.

Kulthum lost her husband in the ethnic violence that tore through Myanmar's Rakhine state this year.

Separated from her parents and children during the jour-ney to Bangladesh, she was ap-

proached by a Rohingya man after arriving in Kutupalong, a gigantic camp housing hun-dreds of thousands of refugees.

His marriage proposal of-fered a brighter future away from the squalor of the camp and a chance to lay her unhap-py memories to rest.

But the couple were never married.

Instead Kulthum -- not her real name -- said she was tak-en to a brothel, where she was dosed with methamphetamine and forced to have sex with up to seven men a day.

She later learned the man who promised to marry her had been paid 8,000 taka ($100) to deliver her there.

"I became scared, but didn't have the least idea what was in store for me," she told AFP in the border district of Cox's Bazar.

Women and children make up the majority of the more than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar who have fled to Bangladesh

DPAKABUL

A TELEVISION journalist succumbed to injuries sus-tained from a suicide bomb-ing claimed by the Islamic State in Kabul on Thursday, officials said Friday.

A suicide bomber detonat-ed his explosive vest in front of a wedding hall in Kabul on Thursday.

The venue, normally used for weddings, was hosting a gathering of supporters of Atta Mohammad Noor, the gover-nor of the northern province of Balkh, officials said.

"It is very sad to say that our cameraman, Hussain Nazari, is not among us any-more," Sakhi Sakha, an advi-sor for the local TV channel, Rah-e-Farda, told dpa.

Another injured Rah-e-Farda journalist is under treatment at the moment, Sa-kha added.

The journalists had been sent to cover the gathering in support of Noor, Sakha said, adding that both of the jour-nalists sustained injuries in their abdomens.

Confirming the death of the TV employee, Kabul police spokesman Basir Mujahid said

that the number those killed in the suicide attack has in-creased to fifteen. Earlier Mu-jahid had spoken of 14 dead and 18 injured.

On 6 November, Islam-ic State militants attacked broadcaster Shamshad in Ka-bul, leaving at least one secu-rity guard dead and 20 other employees injured.

According to a report by the Afghan Journalists Safe-ty Committee in July, in the first six months of 2017, 10 journalists were killed and 73 cases of violence, includ-ing, "killing, beating, inflict-ing injury and humiliation,

intimidation and detention," had been reported, marking a 35-per-cent increase over the same period last year.

Kabul blast death toll hits 15

REUTERSISLAMABAD

PAKISTAN’S government on Friday issued a final warning to members of a hard-line Islamist party who have blocked a main road into the capital since last week, raising fears of a violent clash as they refuse to budge.

Hundreds of supporters of the Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan party have been blocked the road to Islamabad for nearly 10 days, demanding that the minister of law be sacked for what they term blasphemy.

"You all are being given a last warning," the Islamabad deputy commissioner said in the order.

A court had already or-dered the party to end the pro-test, the order added. "After this final announcement, you all are being warned to end the illegal sit in immediately."

Tehreek-e-Labaik blames the minister, Zahid Hamid, for changes to an electoral oath that it says amounts to blasphemy. The government puts the issue down to a clerical error.

Pakistan's blasphemy law has become a lightning rod for Islamists, especially since 2011 when the liberal governor of Punjab province, Salman Taseer, was murdered by a bodyguard for questioning the law that mandates the death penalty for insulting Islam or the Prophet Mohammad.

A spokesman for the Labaik party, Ejaz Ashrafi, refused to comply with the order.

"We're not moving," he said by phone form the sit-in.

A government official, Kha-lid Abbasi, said the protest-ers had set up pickets along the route they are occupying manned by party members car-rying iron rods and sticks.

Since they got the warn-ing, he said, hundreds of

more party workers have joined the sit-in.

Fearing violence, the gov-ernment has blocked several roads with shipping containers to corral the protesters, but that has caused hours-long traffic jams in and around the capital.

In 2007, a confrontation between authorities and sup-porters of radical preachers at an Islamabad mosque led to the death of more than 100 people.

"All resources can be used to break this sit-in," the deputy commissioner's warning said.

‘Last warning’ to Islamists blocking road to Islamabad

Head of the Tehreek-i-Labaik Yah Rasool Allah Pakistan (TLYRAP) religious group, Khadim Hussain Rizvi and others shout religious slogans on a blocked flyover bridge during a week-long protest in Islamabad, on Friday. (AFP)

DPAISLAMABAD

PAKISTANI agencies have arrested several suspected people smugglers in a swoop across the central province of Punjab following the death of 15 migrants near the coun-try's border with Iran.

The arrests were made by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and police in joint raids in the towns of Sialkot, Gujranwala and Gu-jrat in past couple of days, an official at the Interior Min-istry told dpa on Friday on condition of anonymity.

The crackdown was launched after the au-thorities discovered 15 abandoned bodies in a mountainous region near

Pakistan's border with Iran on Wednesday; an inves-tigation revealed they had planned to head to Europe.

All the victims hail from Punjab, Pakistan's most populous province and from where most people try to travel to Europe over land routes with the help of people smugglers.

Interior Minister Ah-san Iqbal ordered the secu-rity agencies to launch the crackdown, his office con-firmed overnight Thursday.

Nearly two dozen human smugglers and their agents were arrested in two days of raids, a police official said, adding that the crackdown was being widened.

Thousands of young Pa-kistanis try to reach countries like Germany, France, Italy and Spain every year in an-ticipation of a better future.

They pay millions to human smugglers to take them to Europe through a dangerous land and sea route that goes through Iran, Turkey and Greece.

Hundreds of illegal im-migrants either die on their way or end up in jails in one of the countries along the route.

Crackdown against traffickers in Pakistan after immigrant deaths

Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal

Protesters demand that the minister of law be sacked for what they term blasphemy

News in brief

ROME POPE FRANCIS on Friday said he "can't wait" for his upcoming visit to Myanmar, but in a message to the country avoided directly mentioning the Rohingya crisis. There have been reports that Francis has been urged to avoid specific references to the plight of the Muslim minority to prevent fric-tions with Myanmar authorities. (DPA)

TOKYO JAPANESE Foreign Minister Taro Kono is set to vis-it Bangladesh to discuss Rohingya Muslim refugees from My-anmar. Kono's three-day trip begins Saturday and will include talks with Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and a visit to one of the world's largest refugee camps, located in the coastal Cox's Bazar district. (DPA)

ISLAMABAD A CENTURIES-OLD"sleeping Buddha" statue has been unearthed during excavations near Bhamala Stupa in Haripur district of Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Directorate of Archaeology Abdul Samad said: "The 48-feet-long 'sleeping Buddha' statue dates back to the third century, which makes it the world's oldest 'sleeping Buddha' statue." (IANS)

Pope ‘can't wait’ to visit Myanmar, but skirts over Rohingya crisis

Japanese minister to visit Bangladesh on Rohingya crisis

World’s oldest ‘sleeping Buddha’ statue unearthed in Pakistan

Rohingya refugee children reacts to the camera while playing in the Pal-ong Khali refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, on Friday. (REUTERS)

An Afghan journalist is treated at a hospital after a sucide attack outside a wedding hall in Kabul, on Thursday. (AFP)

Sri Lanka cancels police leave after gang violence

AFPCOLOMBO

SRI LANKA has cancelled all police leave and stepped up patrols in Jaffna after a wave of violence in the is-land's former war zone, a minister said Friday.

Jaffna is the heartland of Sri Lanka's Tamil minor-ity and was the epicentre of the long separatist war that ended in 2009.

Tensions persist be-tween troops deployed in the area and the local Tamil population, and last year the government accused the military of backing a

gang terrorising civilians in the area.

On Friday Law and Or-der Minister Sagala Rat-nayaka said authorities were grappling with a fresh wave of gang-related violence, but denied it was related to last year's unrest.

He said eight people had been seriously wounded in two days in Jaffna, which lies 400 kilometres (250 miles) north of Colombo, in what appeared to be an ex-tortion racket.

"We have already arrest-ed six people from this new gang and we are looking for several others," he said.

More US troops arrive in AfghanistanAFP

WASHINGTON

APPROXIMATELY 3,000 additional American troops have now deployed to Af-ghanistan under President Donald Trump's revised strategy for the war-torn country, the Pentagon said Thursday.

The Pentagon had pre-viously put the number of US forces in Afghanistan at about 11,000 but Trump in August authorized an in-crease requested by the com-

mander on the ground, Gen-eral John Nicholson.

"We've just completed a force flow into Afghani-stan," Joint Staff Director Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie told Pentagon re-porters.

"The new number for Afghanistan is now approxi-mately 14,000. Might be a little above that, might be a little below that as we flex ac-cording to the mission."

The extra troops will help train and advise Afghan se-curity forces, who are strug-

gling to beat back a resurgent Taliban.

Nicholson has said he needs nearly 16,000 troops overall in Afghanistan, and NATO nations have pledged to help make up the differ-ence.

Aside from additional troops, Trump's plan also comprises an open-ended US troop presence in Af-ghanistan, where his pred-ecessor Barack Obama had ordered a calendar-based draw-down of American forces.

Up in armsISLAMABAD THE PROTESTERS belong to various ‘religious’ par-ties, including the Tehreek-i-Khatm-i-Nabuwwat, Tehreek-i-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLY) and the Sunni Tehreek Pakistan (ST), and have been calling for the sacking of Law Minister Zahid Hamid and strict action against those behind the amendment to the Khatm-i-Nabuwwat oath in the Elections Act 2017 which had earlier been deemed a ‘clerical error’ and restored to its original form on Thursday, November 16. To pressure the government on its demands, TLY has occupied the Faizabad Bridge which connects Rawalpindi and Islamabad through the Islamabad Expressway and Murree Road, both of which are the busiest thoroughfares in the twin cities. IHC Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui, who issued the order to clear the area earlier in the day, made the decision while hearing a petition filed by citizen Abdul Qayyum. (DAWN)

Zahid Hamid

Pakistan / South Asia06 Saturday, November 18, 2017

More mass evacuations in Russia after fake bomb alerts

AFPSAINT PETERSBURG

SCHOOLS, shopping malls and the Academy of Fine Arts in Saint Petersburg were evac-uated on Friday after a fresh wave of fake bomb alerts that have spread chaos in Russia since September and whose origin is still unknown.

Around 20 "schools from different districts of Saint Pe-tersburg were evacuated after bomb alerts," the police of Russia's second city said on Friday, the day of a visit by President Vladimir Putin.

Local press and social me-dia also reported the evacu-

ations of several shopping malls, the Academy of Fine Arts, the State Institute of Cin-ema and Television and other university buildings.

In early November, Mos-cow's Bolshoi Theatre and the GUM and TsUM luxury de-partment stores were evacu-ated following bomb alerts along with two top hotels near Red Square in the heart of the capital.

Friday's alerts were rem-iniscent of a series of phone-in false alarms in September that affected a total of 1.4 million people. No bombs were found at any of the ven-ues mentioned.

Nigerian charity steps in to help sick Chibok girlsREUTERS

CHIBOK, NIGERIA

A group of injured and sick Chi-bok schoolgirls freed by Boko Haram will be supported by a Nigerian charity to get the treat-ment they need, after the girls' parents said the government had failed to help them to pay their medical bills.

But campaigners said they were concerned about the health of all the kidnapped schoolgirls and said a clear process must be put in place to ensure their medical needs were met.

The mother of 27-year-old Naomi Adamu - one of more than 200 schoolgirls abducted

by the Islamist group in April 2014 - last week said she could not afford the surgery her daughter needed for a kidney condition.

In response, the Mur-tala Muhammed Foundation (MMF) said this week it would help Adamu and five other Chi-bok girls.

"We have written to the presidency asking for permis-sion to support Naomi with the treatment she requires," said Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode, MMF's head and a co-founder of the "Bring Back Our Girls" campaign that drew interna-tional attention to the abduc-tion.

"We are going to provide

Naomi and her family with ac-commodation in Abuja while she undergoes treatment. We will also provide her with psy-chological assessment."

While the Nigerian govern-ment provided the girls with some medical care and counsel-ling and had sponsored them on a catch-up course at the Ameri-can University of Nigeria (AUN) in Yola, the girls' parents said the government and university had passed the buck on paying for their continued healthcare.

Five of Adamu's classmates at AUN were suffering with in-juries inflicted in captivity, from shrapnel wounds to broken bones, said Yakubu Nkeki of the Chibok parents' association.

AFPNAIROBI

THREE people were shot dead Friday in Nairobi, as police dis-persed thousands of opposition supporters welcoming home their leader Raila Odinga from an overseas trip.

The three men, all with bul-let wounds in the upper body, were seen lying on the road in Muthurwa, a city suburb where riot police armed with tear gas, water cannons and rifles clashed with stone throwing protesters, part of angry battles

that lasted throughout the day.Odinga returned Fri-

day from a 10-day trip to the United States where he visited think tanks and sought support for his contention that fresh elections must be held, super-vised by an overhauled election board.

His National Super Alli-ance (NASA) coalition had called its supporters to a "Wel-come Back Baba Convoy" -- us-ing a nickname for Odinga -- to join the opposition leader on his way from the airport to a planned rally in the city cen-

tre. But a heavy deployment of police blocked roads and broke up crowds surrounding the convoy, unleashing liberal amounts of tear gas, copious jets from water cannon trucks and firing shots.

The clashes caused chaos in the capital that continued late into the afternoon.

Following the rerun vote, NASA launched a "National Resistance Movement" aim-ing to use civil disobedience and boycotts to challenge what it considers to be Keny-atta's illegal government.

3 dead as clashes mark Kenya opposition leader’s return

AFPHARARE

ZIMBABWEAN President Robert Mugabe attended a uni-versity graduation ceremony Friday, making a first public appearance since the military takeover that appeared to sig-nal the end of his 37-year reign.

Despite his show of defi-ance, pressure mounted on the 93-year-old leader to quit as veterans of Zimbabwe's inde-pendence war -- key players in the country's power structure -- called for mass anti-Mugabe demonstrations on Saturday.

Mugabe, 93, had been con-fined to house arrest after the military took over the country.

But on Friday, he walked into the ceremony venue in Harare dressed in a blue aca-demic gown and tasselled hat, before listening to speeches with his eyes closed and ap-plauding occasionally.

The generals took over late on Tuesday after vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa was abruptly sacked and Mugabe's wife Grace emerged in prime position to succeed her increas-ingly frail husband.

Mnangagwa, who had fled abroad after his firing, returned to the country on Thursday and seems poised to play a central role in shaping developments.

Mugabe has ruled Zim-babwe since 1980 and many citizens were stunned by the military's intervention, which was sparked by the bitter suc-cession battle between Grace and Mnangagwa.

"I'm happy with what the army has done, at least now we've got a future for our kids," Teslin Khumbula, the owner of a security company, said.

"We don't want Mugabe anymore. Please–everyone go to the streets."

Analysts say the military leadership was strongly op-posed to the rise of Mugabe's ambitious 52-year-old wife, while Mnangagwa has close ties to the defence establish-ment.

Mugabe and the army chiefs held talks on Thursday, but no official statement was issued on the status of negotia-tions that could see him eased out of office. Government tel-

evision showed Mugabe, the world's oldest head of state, at the talks smiling alongside army chief General Constan-tino Chiwenga.

Chris Mutsvangwa, chair-man of the independence war veterans' association which is seen as supporting Mnan-gagwa, said Friday that "the game is up" for Mugabe and called for a protests against the president.

"It's done, it's finished... The generals have done a fan-tastic job," he said at a press conference in Harare as he called for a mass demonstra-tion on Saturday. "We want to restore our pride and tomor-row is the day... we can finish the job which the army start-ed."

Veterans of Zimbabwe's independence war were loyal supporters of Mugabe, but they turned against him as friction grew between the president

and the military. Mnangagwa, 75, fled to South Africa follow-ing his dismissal and published a scathing rebuke of Mugabe's leadership and Grace's presi-dential ambitions.

The military said Friday they had detained some "crimi-

nals" in Mugabe's government in a reference to supporters of Grace's presidential ambitions.

Grace has not been seen since the takeover of the mil-itary, which has not overtly called for President Mu-gabe's resignation. Morgan

Tsvangirai, a former prime minister and long-time op-ponent of Mugabe, has said Mugabe must resign "in the interest of the people", add-ed that "a transitional mech-anism" would be needed to ensure peace.

Mugabe defiant, appears in public first time after ‘coup’

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe attends a university graduation ceremony in Harare, Zimbabwe, on Friday. (REUTERS)

REUTERSHARARE

LEADERS of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's party are making plans to force him from office if the 93-year-old leader resists pressure from the army to quit, a senior party source said on Friday.

The self-styled grand old man of African politics, the only leader Zimbabwe has known since independence in 1980, insists he is still in charge. But the source, a senior member of Mugabe's ZANU-PF party, made clear the party wanted him gone.

"If he becomes stubborn, we will arrange for him to be fired on Sunday," the source said. "When that is done, it's impeachment on Tuesday."

Zimbabwe's official news-paper, the Herald, ran photo-graphs late on Thursday that showed a grinning Mugabe shaking hands with military chief General Constantino Chiwenga, who seized power this week.

That suggested Mugabe was managing to hold out against Chiwenga's coup, with some political sources saying

he was trying to delay his de-parture until elections sched-uled for next year.

The ZANU-PF source said that was not the case. Anx-ious to avoid a protracted stalemate, party leaders were drawing up plans to dismiss Mugabe at the weekend if he refused to quit, the source said.

"There is no going back," the source said. "It's like a match delayed by heavy rain, with the home side leading 90-0 in the 89th minute."

Mugabe's options look lim-ited. The army is camped on his doorstep. His wife, Grace, is under house arrest, and her key political allies are in mili-tary custody. The police, once a bastion of support, have showed no signs of resistance.

‘There’s no going back,’ ruling party tells Mugabe

Key players in the country’s power structure, call for mass anti-Mugabe demonstrations today

News in brief

BEIJING: The Chinese and Russian militaries will next month hold anti-missile drills in Beijing, China's Defence Ministry said on Friday, amid concern in both countries about the deployment of a US anti-missile system in South Korea. China and Russia have both expressed opposition to the basing of the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system in South Korea, which Seoul and Washington say is needed to defend against the threat of North Korean missiles. China, along with Russia, has repeatedly expressed opposition to the THAAD deploy-ment, saying it will do nothing to help ease tension with North Korea. (REUTERS)

JOHANNESBURG: South Africa's Justice Minister Michael Masutha on Friday denied pa-role to the killer of anti-apartheid leader Chris Hani, saying he had not expressed remorse for the murder. Janusz Walus has served more than 20 years of a life sentence for the assassination of Hani, who was a senior member of the now-ruling African National Con-gress (ANC) and head of the South African Communist Party. Walus, 64, emigrated from communist Poland in 1981 and became involved in far-right politics in South Africa. He shot Hani outside the anti-apartheid activist's home in 1993. (REUTERS)

China, Russia to hold simulated anti-missile drill Killer of S African anti-apartheid leader Hani denied parole

Police clash with supporters of Kenyan’s opposition party National Super Alliance (NASA) leader Raila Odinga, in Nairobi, on Friday. (AFP)

Judge kidnapped as legal profession targeted in MaliBAMAKO: A district judge was kidnapped in central Mali late on Thursday, police and security sources said, two weeks after a High Court justice escaped an attempt on his life. Attacks on figures of state authority are common in northern and central Mali, where a jihadist insurgency and the near absence of government functions have fuelled lawlessness. "Judge Soungalo Kone was kidnapped on Thursday night by armed men who arrived at his house in Niono in a white vehicle," a local police source in the Segou region said, referring to the town where Kone lives and works. "He was returning home when armed men ap-peared, which indicates he was being watched," the source added. A security source said the kidnapping was being treated as the work of jihadists or someone local disgrun-tled with a court ruling. (AFP)

Chibok girls who were released by Boko Haram last year, attending a meeting with the Nigerian President in Abuja, Nigeria. (AFP )

If he becomes stubborn, we will arrange for him to be fired on Sunday, when that is done, then it’s impeachment on TuesdaySource

China sends envoy to N Korea; Trump hails ‘big move’

AFPBEIJING

CHINA dispatched a special en-voy to North Korea on Friday, a trip hailed as a "big move" by US President Donald Trump, who has urged Beijing to pile pressure on its nuclear-armed ally.

Diplomat Song Tao was travelling to the North on behalf of President Xi Jinping to brief officials on the recent Chinese Communist Party congress and other "issues of mutual inter-est", foreign ministry spokes-man Geng Shuang said.

But analysts expect Song to address the nuclear standoff, which has roiled relations be-tween the two Cold War-era al-lies as China has backed United Nations sanctions on North Korea over its missile tests and sixth nuclear blast.

Trump, who warned Xi dur-ing his trip to Beijing last week

that time was "quickly running out" to solve the nuclear crisis, took to Twitter on Thursday to hail the mission as "a big move, we'll see what happens!".

N Korea rules out negotiations on nuclear weaponsGENEVA: North Korea on Friday ruled out negotia-tions with the US as long as joint US-Seoul military exercises continue, and said that Pyongyang's atomic programme would remain as a deterrent against a US nu-clear threat. Han Tae Song, North Korea's envoy to the UN, said, "as long as there is continuous hostile policy against my country by the U.S. and as long as there are continued war games at our doorstep, then there will not be negotiations." (REUTERS)

Ousted VP returns to Zimbabwe as Mugabe refuses to quitHARARE: Zimbabwe’s former vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa, whose sacking last week triggered the military’s takeover, has returned to the country, an aide said Friday as ageing leader Robert Mugabe clung onto power. Mnangagwa, who is a leading candidate to succeed to President Mugabe, flew back to Harare on Thursday after nearly a week abroad as army chiefs and the president met to negotiate Mugabe’s exit from office. Mnangagwa, 75, was previously one of Mugabe’s most loyal lieutenants, having worked alongside him for decades. But he fled to South Africa following his dismissal and published a scathing rebuke of Mugabe’s leadership and Grace’s presidential ambitions. Eldred Masu-nungure, a lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe, said the formation of a “pre-election coalition” could be a viable response to the crisis. The international community has been watching the crisis closely. In Paris,

the head of the African Union, Guinea’s President Alpha Conde, warned that the continent “will never accept the military coup d’etat” in Zimbabwe and called for a return to the “constitutional order”. (AFP)

Emmerson Mnangagwa.

World 07Saturday, November 18, 2017

THE Republican tax proposals were bad from the get-go. But they have become steadily worse as they have been turned into bills which seem so cartoonishly

evil they could have been dreamed up by Mr Burns from “The Simpsons.”

Consider the latest changes to the Senate tax-cut bill being championed by the major-ity leader, Mitch McConnell, and his merry band. It lavishes generous permanent tax breaks on corporations, while modest tax cuts for the middle class would vanish into thin air after 2025. Millionaires would en-joy average tax cuts of $5,580 in 2027, ac-cording to the Joint Committee on Taxation, at which point families earning less than $75,000 a year would pay more taxes.

Let that sink in. This tax bill would take money from working families and give it to the world’s wealthiest people.

The hardest hit would be in high-cost states like California, New Jersey and New York because the bill gets rid of important deductions and the credit for state and local taxes.

Further, it calls for the repeal of the Af-fordable Care Act’s mandate for most people to have health insurance. This would leave 13 million people without insurance and drive up premiums for many others who are already struggling to afford coverage, all in the interest of reducing spending by $338 billion so Republican lawmakers can cut taxes for big businesses, despite Democratic opposition.

And if that weren’t bad enough, this bill, along with a similar measure that the House passed on Thursday with lightning speed, would, because of a 2010 budget law, trig-ger automatic cuts to Medicare and other important programmes that low-income and middle-class Americans depend on. All told, the bills would add more than 1 trillion dollars to the federal debt for future genera-tions to pay off.

What is this in service of? Republicans claim their big corporate tax cut will turbo-charge the economy by encouraging busi-nesses to invest, create jobs and give raises. Not even business chieftains believe this trickle-down argument. When an editor at The Wall Street Journal asked a gathering of chief executives this week if they would

invest more if Congress enacted the Repub-lican tax cut, few hands went up. Gary Cohn, President Donald Trump’s top economic ad-viser, who was a featured guest on stage at the time, seemed befuddled. “Why aren’t the other hands up?” he said.

The administration’s cluelessness about how working people might see this cynical play for the rich was confirmed a day later when Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and his wife, Louise Linton, were photo-graphed with a sheet of freshly printed one-dollar bills with his signature, smirking like a couple of Disney villains.

Few voters seem fooled. Just 25 percent approved of the tax plan in a recent Quin-nipiac poll, while 52 percent said they dis-approved of it. Even some Republican law-makers are beginning to catch on that this tax-cut plan is politically radioactive. Rep Peter King of Long Island says that if the tax plan becomes law, all Republican members of Congress from the Northeast could lose their seats. Sen Ron Johnson, a conserva-tive from Wisconsin, says he can’t vote for the bill because it treats big corporations so much better than small businesses. And Sen Susan Collins, a moderate Republican from Maine, is worried that repealing the ACA’s individual mandate could leave many mid-dle-class families worse off by increasing in-surance premiums despite any relief they get from a tax cut.

Republicans are pushing ahead to show their donors they can accomplish something, particularly letting them keep more of their money. Sen Lindsey Graham of South Caro-lina captured this spirit when he said “the financial contributions will stop” if Congress fails to pass a tax cut. The party has made clear where its values lie. Well-heeled cam-paign funders matter. Middle-class families don’t.

The opposition of Johnson, Collins and others has raised hopes that a handful of Re-publican senators can be persuaded to tor-pedo this tax-cut bill in the same way that three of them sent the effort to repeal the ACA down to defeat a few months ago.

It still boggles the mind that any law-maker could support a proposal that would do so much damage to working people and the fiscal health of the government.

A Cartoonishly ‘Evil’ Tax-Cut Bill

The tax proposal would do so much damage to working people and fiscal health of the government

Stop Predators Who Aren’t Famous

WATCHING high-powered sex of-fenders fall like dominoes recent-ly has involved plenty of schaden-freude for women in many fields. Those of us in the media and the

arts have been glad to watch the downfall of previously untouchable editors, produc-ers and comedians who everyone knew were creeps but few people could confront. As Harvey Weinstein can attest, in America today the right kind of bad publicity can undo even the rich and powerful.

But what about the women who are sexually harassed by men who aren’t even a little famous? It’s unlikely many news-papers care about a disgusting night-shift manager at the local Denny’s.

The fact is that sexual harassment is more about power than sex; any industry with extreme power differentials will be af-flicted by it. “Raising awareness” is crucial, but not enough.

The service industry, where more than half of workers are women, is especially plagued by sexual harassment. Tipped work is notorious: If you have to please the customer to get paid, you are constantly

having to decide between defending your-self and paying rent. The Restaurant Op-portunities Center, an advocacy group seeking fair wages and better treatment for workers, reports that a majority of res-taurant employees are sexually harassed weekly.

Domestic workers are another especial-ly vulnerable group. They are often immi-grant women of colour, sometimes without legal immigration status, sometimes liv-ing in their employers’ homes. This com-bination makes them uniquely subject to intimate harassment and intimidation. A majority of female farmworkers, who often toil in isolation in the field, have experi-enced sexual harassment or assault.

For these women, shaming their bosses on Twitter or going to a newspaper is, un-fortunately, rarely an option – if the preda-tor doesn’t have a big public profile, few will notice the complaint except, perhaps, the guy with the power to fire the person complaining. That’s why women in these fields often take another route: collective action.

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers, a worker-run human rights organisation based in Florida, for example, has incor-

porated sexual harassment rules and pen-alties into its Fair Food Programme, the labour agreement reached after an enor-mous struggle with fast food companies. It has worked. The coalition says it has gotten 23 supervisors disciplined for harassment and nine fired. “The bosses and even the growers in the agricultural industry are not public figures, and so public shaming does nothing to change their behaviour,” Julia Perkins, a spokeswoman for the Immoka-lee Workers, told me.

The Restaurant Opportunities Cent-er is, for its part, running a campaign to eliminate tipping and replace it with a fair minimum wage. The idea is to use collec-tive power to restructure power dynamics in whole industries.

These organisers stand in a grand tra-dition. The first female-led American la-bour struggle was started by teenage girls working in mills in Lowell, Massachusetts, in the 1830s. One of their central com-plaints was sexual harassment and assault by supervisors, which left them humiliated, enraged and often pregnant.

Sexual harassment continued to be a focus of union campaigns as America in-dustrialised – the untold story of the la-

bour battles of the 19th century. Not every campaign succeeded, and some unions excluded women workers altogether, but working women have always known that no one fights a gross boss alone.

A union is not, of course, a magical har-assment-fighting solution. Abuse can hap-pen within a union, too. In fact, the Service Employees International Union recently fired an executive vice president over sex-ual harassment allegations.

Ellen Bravo, one of the pioneering fem-inists behind 9to5, founded in 1973 to sup-port working women, has done hundreds of harassment training courses for unions. “What we wanted was to root out oppres-sion from the structures that were needed for change,” she said, “so we wanted to see the labour movement really grapple with sexism, and also racism and homophobia.”

When I talked to Bravo recently, she noted that she often showed recalcitrant male union members how they were under-mining solidarity in the shop and therefore their own bargaining position. In essence, tolerating harassment strengthens the boss. Groups like the Immokalee Workers, for example, show how fighting harassment can be incorporated into demands made by

men and women fighting together.Meanwhile, in workplaces all over the

country, power over others continues to breed sexual abuse. Every time a company fights a union drive, it might as well say, “Enjoy the predations of your manager!”

Women can put an end to this not just by organising their own workplaces but also by supporting others who are organ-ising or transforming unions. The grow-ing strength of women in workplaces from agricultural fields to restaurants to news-rooms to movie sets means a new sort of solidarity is possible across sectors.

We can imagine what that might look like. The members of Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, an organisation for female farmworkers, recently wrote an open letter to women in Hollywood, offering their sup-port and sharing their experiences fighting harassment. It was a powerful statement of solidarity. The women who are newly speaking out in the limelight should now rally alongside those who have been fight-ing sexual harassment in the shadows.

(Sarah Leonard is the features editor at The Nation and

an editor at large at Dissent.)

New York Times

SARAH LEONARD | NYT SYNDICATE

ESTABLISHED SEPTEMBER 3, 2006

PRINTED AT ALI BIN ALI PRINTING PRESS

HAMAD BIN SUHAIM AL THANI CHAIRMANADEL ALI BIN ALI MANAGING DIRECTORDR HASSAN MOHAMMED AL ANSARI EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

SYDNEY, Australia – Nearly 400 men are languishing on Manus Is-land in the South Pacific because they dared to try to reach Australia by boat. A majority of them have

been detained there for more than four years, and most are legally eligible for resettlement. Technically, the site is not a refugee camp but a “regional process-ing centre,” which is a misnomer because it implies a process and an outcome, and there is little sign of either for these men.

This is the culmination of Australia’s oppressive refugee policy, under which asylum-seekers who travel to the country by boat are prevented from ever settling here. This holds even if they are legally found to be genuine refugees. Instead, these “illegal maritime arrivals,” as the Australian government calls them, are shunted to poorer neighbouring countries – Nauru and Papua New Guinea, of which Manus Island is a part – indefinitely until they can be resettled somewhere that isn’t Australia.

The Manus crisis has unfolded slowly. In April 2016, the Papua New Guinea Su-preme Court found that the detention of the asylum-seekers on Manus Island was unconstitutional. In September, the Aus-tralian government agreed to pay detain-ees $53 million in compensation for their mistreatment.

A deadline was set for the closing of the camp by October 31. The men were to be moved to another location arranged by the Australian government. Electric-ity and running water were cut off at the Manus camp, and workers took down the perimeter fencing that protected the men from the local gangs who prey on them.

Hundreds of men have remained in the abandoned camp – because for some reason they are distrustful of the promis-es of the Australian government. A video from within the centre was released last week by the activist group GetUp showing cramped dormitories, mold-ridden show-ers and rainwater collected in garbage bins for drinking. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights described the situation as an “unfolding humanitarian emergency.”

Now that these conditions are being widely exposed, you might think that the Australian public will stand up and de-mand action. But this is highly unlikely.

Refugee policy is to Australians what gun policy is to Americans, our unshakable madness. Irrational, cruel and surprising to the outside world, we cling to our ideas despite all evidence. Many Australians are working hard to bring about a change in attitudes and policy, but harshness toward refugees who attempt to reach Australia by boat is an article of faith in our culture that is difficult to budge.

We are so committed to our refu-

gee policies that we have been willing to spend billions to ensure that “boat peo-ple,” as they are known, will never settle in Australia, even if it means behaving in ways that are contrary to international law. So mad have our refugee policies become that we even spent around $41 million on a deal with Cambodia to reset-tle our refugees, which ended up settling seven individuals, later whittled down to three, at a cost of more than $13 million per refugee.

In the past few years there have been six deaths of asylum-seekers on Manus, including by suicide and murder by the islanders, who have mixed feelings about the centre and its inhabitants. We knew, and we continued. For many Australians, the more distressed and ill these humans become, well, that is just further proof that they are too troubled, crazy and for-eign to belong here with us.

Expecting Australians to rise up when we see the full scope of our policies to-ward refugees misunderstands the pur-pose of these policies. The purpose is not to save us money; it would be cheaper to settle these men in Australia.

Cruelty is the very aim of our refugee policies. Where some may see human rights abuses, many Australians see poli-cies having their intended effect. Succes-sive federal elections have made it clear that voters will not accept anything less than ever-harsher treatment of refugees.

As the United Nations Human Rights Committee put it more politely in recent criticism, there is particular concern about the use of detention powers as a “general deterrent against unlawful entry rather than in response to an individual risk.” What else can explain Prime Minis-ter Malcolm Turnbull’s refusal of an offer by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand to take 150 of the men on Manus?

This state-approved cruelty toward refugees shows a darker side to the Aus-tralian character that we seldom admit to,

and it is related to the way we think about our history.

We do not accept our past; therefore we are not vigilant about our future. We celebrate our war dead, but other than that we live in an eternal present.

Australians like to chide South Afri-cans and Germans for their racist histo-ries, when in fact both those countries have done so much more to face up to what has occurred on their soil than Aus-tralians have ever done. We profess to love the underdog, but this sympathy for sporting teams does not extend to for-eigners facing battles of life and death.

As a former prime minister, John Howard, put it at a time of an earlier cri-sis brought about by our refugee policies, “We will decide who comes to this coun-try and the circumstances in which they come,” an idea that is laughable in many places of the world right now, like Leba-non or Lampedusa, Italy. We present our-selves as easygoing and open, yet we also relish the brutal exercise of authoritarian power when it comes to refugees.

It may be that the rules governing refugees and displaced people need to be transformed to reflect the changing nature of conflict and movement of people in the 21st century. Rather than leading mean-ingful and humane reform, Australia has led the Western world in undermining the very tenets of the right to seek asylum. In doing so, we are providing inspiration for far-right political movements in Europe and North America.

If only we could find a way to apply the best of our national character to the refugee problem, rather than the worst. As events continue to unfold on Manus Island, I hope the world is watching and holds us accountable for the failings that we will ignore.

(Lisa Pryor, a medical doctor, is the author, most recently, of

‘A Small Book About Drugs.’)

Australia’s Oppressive Policy

LISA PRYOR | NYT SYNDICATE

Rules governing refugees and displaced people need to be transformed to reflect the changing nature of conflict and movement of people in the 21st century

Women who are speaking out in the limelight should now rally beside those who have been fighting sexual harassment in the shadows

Opinion

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED ON THE OPINION AND ANALYSIS PAGES ARE THE AUTHORS’ OWN. QATAR TRIBUNE BEARS NO RESPONSIBILITY.

08 Saturday, November 18, 2017

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LOOKING at the reactions to Repub-lican tax plans, I found myself re-membering what people used to say about former Senator Phil Gramm, whose presidential ambitions never

went anywhere but who did help cause the 2008 financial crisis: “Even his friends don’t like him.”

So it is with GOP tax “reform,” espe-cially the Senate version, which would raise taxes on most individuals, especially in the middle and working classes, and add around 13 million Americans to the ranks of the uninsured, all to pay for big cuts in corporate taxes. The general pub-lic strongly disapproves – by a 2-1 major-ity, according to Quinnipiac, although the majority would be even bigger if people really understood what’s going on. But surely at least CEOs like the plan, right?

Actually, not so much. A few days ago Gary Cohn, Donald Trump’s chief eco-nomic adviser, met with a group of top executives. They were asked to raise their hands if lower taxes would lead them to raise capital expenditures; only a hand-ful did. “Why aren’t the other hands up?” asked Cohn, plaintively.

The answer is that CEOs, living in the real world of business, not the imaginary world of right-wing ideologues, know that tax rates aren’t that important a factor in investment decisions. So they realise that even a huge tax cut wouldn’t lead to much more spending.

And with that realisation, the ration-ale for this tax plan, such as it is, falls apart, leaving nothing but a scheme to make the rich – especially those who rake in investment income rather than work-ing for a living – richer at everyone else’s expense.

For what it’s worth, here’s the story the Trump administration and its allies are telling. Their claim is that cutting taxes on corporate profits would lead to an explosion in private investment and faster economic growth. Furthermore, the fruits of this growth would trickle down to American workers in the form of higher wages – and rising incomes would raise tax receipts, so the tax cuts would end up paying for themselves.

Even if some part of this story were true, there would be side consequences they’re carefully not discussing. After all, if we’re talking about a big increase in capital expenditure, where does the mon-ey for that expenditure come from? Noth-ing in the bill would make Americans con-sume less and save more. So the money would have to come from abroad – from selling stocks, bonds and other assets to foreigners, on a massive scale.

And this inflow of foreign money would drive up the value of the dollar and lead to huge trade deficits: accord-ing to my analysis of the most optimistic forecast out there, more than $6 trillion

in deficits over the next decade. These trade deficits would have a devastating ef-fect on manufacturing – remember those jobs Trump promised to bring back? – to the likely tune of more than 2 million jobs lost.

Oh, and about that economic growth: Foreign investors would be earning prof-its and taking them home. So much – probably most – of any growth we would get from cutting corporate taxes would accrue to the benefit of foreigners, not Americans.

But don’t worry too much about this stuff. Most serious economic analyses agree with those CEOs who disappointed Gary Cohn: Corporate tax cuts wouldn’t actually do much to raise investment. They would, however, explode the budget deficit.

So in an attempt to limit that deficit blowout, Senate Republicans are propos-ing significant tax increases on working families. In fact, according to Congress’ own Joint Committee on Taxation, taxes would rise on average for every group with incomes under $75,000 a year, and would surely rise for many families even in higher-income groups. The only sig-nificant winners would be those making more than $1 million a year. Populism!

Oh, and this doesn’t even take account of the health care sabotage that’s an inte-gral part of the Senate plan. By repealing

the mandate – the requirement that peo-ple purchase insurance – the plan would, as I said, cause 13 million to lose cover-age; that loss of coverage, and the associ-ated government subsidies, is why man-date repeal saves money that can be given to corporations.

But the move would also drive up premiums for those who keep their insur-ance, because the dropouts would tend to be those with lower health costs. So that’s an additional, hidden indirect tax on the middle class.

Nor does it take account of what would inevitably come next: tax-cut-induced def-icits would, by law, trigger cuts in Medi-care, and this would just be the start of a GOP assault on programmes like disability insurance that provide a crucial safety net for millions of working-class Americans.

All of which raises the question, why are Republicans even trying to do this? It’s bad policy and bad politics, and the politics will get worse as voters learn more about the facts. Well, last week one GOP congressman, Chris Collins of New York, gave the game away: “My donors are basi-cally saying get it done or don’t ever call me again.”

So we’re talking about government of the people, not by the people, but by wealthy donors, for wealthy donors. Everyone else hates this plan – and they should.

Rationale Of Trump Tax Plan Falls Apart

I RECENTLY read a report in your newspaper that said China and Phil-ippines have agreed not to use force in the South China Sea dispute. That should definitely be the case because I don’t think my country, the Philip-pines, would have the upper hand in a war against China anyway. Pray, they both stick to this agreement so that no one will end up getting hurt again, especially innocent fishermen who are just trying to earn a living. Here’s an idea, why don’t the countries involved in the sea dispute just band together and divide the natural resources that they can find in that part of the sea? Isn’t that the problem? Everybody wants a piece of the resources that can be found there. Is it really hard to get along and share when it comes to that? Maybe when everything that they deem useful there is finished, then they will stop fighting about it. Or is it possible to divide it equally? This argument has gone on for too long. Maybe the best way is to talk about it with everybody involved until they come to a reasona-ble solution where all the countries are able to benefit from the South China Sea. Neighbouring countries should work towards being united and fight-ing against common enemies, like ter-rorists and pirates instead of fighting among themselves. I hope it’s possible.

Llomer C

“Proclamation of European Pillar of #SocialRights is a

landmark moment for Europe. Our Union has always been

a social project at heart. It’s more than just a single

market and more than money. It’s about our values and the

way we want to live”

Jean-Claude Juncker

President of the European Commission

Solution to sea row

Bloggers’ Borough

WHO among us hasn’t, on occa-sion, called in sick when you really weren’t? Sick time is often a use-it-or-lose-it benefit, and that fuels the

temptation to hit the snooze button and just call in sick.

Using sick days to catch up on sleep, run errands or kick off the weekend early has become so commonplace that more than a third of full-time workers polled by CareerBuilder said they have gone into the office when they were legitimately sick so they could save their sick days for when they’re feeling better. But apparently some people lie better than others.

CareerBuilder’s annual survey, which covered a 12-month period ending in Sep-tember, found that 40 percent of workers had claimed to be sick when they actually weren’t, and 38 percent of employers had checked up on workers who called in sick. And how exactly did they do that? Easy-peasy: 43 percent of bosses busted an em-ployee who faked being sick by checking out their social media feeds.

Of course, some employees offered some pretty outlandish excuses for not

showing up at work. Here are some of the more dubious –

or creative? – excuses that employers in the survey reported hearing:

A bear was in the employee’s yard, and they were afraid to come out.

The employee had to reschedule a manicure because some of her artificial nails fell off.

The employee left all his clothes at the laundromat and had nothing to wear.

There was a solar eclipse and the employee wasn’t sure it was safe to leave the house.

A dog swallowed the employee’s car keys, so she was waiting for them to come out.

The employee couldn’t squeeze into her uniform and called in “fat.”

The employee broke his arm wres-tling a female bodybuilder.

Harris Poll conducted this survey on behalf of CareerBuilder, questioning 2,257 hiring and human resource managers and 3,697 employees.

ANN BRENOFF | THE HUFFINGTON POST

Health is Wealth

PEOPLE with desk jobs want to move more, a new study suggests.

“To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate how long desk-based workers actually want to sit, stand, walk and be physically active,” said study lead author Birgit Sperlich. She’s a postdoctor-al researcher at German Sport University Cologne.

Sperlich and her colleagues inter-viewed 614 people with desk jobs in Ger-many and found that they spent an av-erage of 73 percent of their working day sitting down. Meanwhile, only 10 percent of the day was spent standing, 13 percent was spent walking and a mere 4 percent was spent doing physically demanding tasks.

But the workers said they wanted to spend 54 percent of their work day sit-ting down, 15 percent standing, 23 per-cent walking, and almost 8 percent doing physically demanding tasks.

The workers spent about 5.4 hours per eight-hour day sitting, but they wanted to spend an additional 46 minutes walking and an additional 26 minutes standing, on average, the researchers said.

The findings were published No-vember 16 in the journal BMC Research Notes.

“So far, plans to increase physical ac-tivity in the workplace primarily focus on health outcomes without asking the tar-get group what they prefer,” Sperlich said in a journal news release.

“Interventions to reduce sitting time may need to include more options for walking rather than only for standing,” she added.

The American Academy of Family Physicians outlines the health risks of too much sitting.

Office Employees Don’t Like Being Chained To Their DesksHEALTHDAY NEWS | NYT SYNDICATE

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GET HEARD!QT NOW MAKESYOUR LIFESIMPLE

It appears that the proposed tax plans will only be making the already-wealthy happy, while hurting ordinary families. Even CEOs don’t seem to be in favour of it

09Saturday, November 18, 2017

Analysis

The Absolute Worst Excuses Ever For Calling In Sick

43 percent of bosses busted an employee who faked being sick by checking out their social media feeds

Most serious economic analyses agree with those CEOs who disappointed Gary Cohn: Corporate tax cuts wouldn’t actually do much to raise investment. They would, however, explode the budget deficit

Poverty of EconomicsPAUL KRUGMAN

NYT NEWS SERVICE

REUTERSWASHINGTON

JARED Kushner’s lawyer failed to give the US Senate Ju-diciary Committee documents President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser received about a “Russian backdoor overture and dinner invite,” the committee’s lead-ers said on Thursday.

In a letter to Kushner’s at-torney, Abbe Lowell, Senators Chuck Grassley and Dianne Feinstein, the Judiciary Com-mittee’s Republican chairman and top Democrat, listed the documents and emails among materials Lowell has failed to produce.

Kushner, the letter said, also forwarded to an unidentified campaign adviser emails from September 2016 concerning Wikileaks, the whistleblower group that published emails US intelligence agencies deter-mined Russian military intelli-gence had hacked from Demo-cratic Party accounts.

“It appears that your search may have overlooked several documents,” the letter said of Lowell’s responses to three requests for materials related to the committee’s in-vestigation on Russian inter-ference in the 2016 presiden-tial election.

“Mr. Kushner and we have been responsive to all requests,” Lowell said in a statement. “We provided the Judiciary Committee with all relevant documents that had to do with Mr. Kushner’s calls, contacts or meetings with Russians during the cam-paign and transition, which was the request. We also in-formed the committee we will be open to responding to any additional requests and that we will continue to work with White House Counsel for any responsive documents from after the inauguration.”

When asked about the let-ter, White House press secre-tary Sarah Huckabee Sanders referred reporters to Lowell. Trump denies any collusion between his campaign and Moscow.

Russia denies a Janu-ary report by three US in-telligence agencies that it conducted an influence op-eration to skew the 2016 presidential vote in favour of

Trump over his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.

Separately, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that Special Coun-sel Robert Mueller’s team last month subpoenaed Trump’s campaign for documents containing specified Russian keywords from more than a dozen officials. According to the Journal, a person familiar with the matter said the cam-paign has been complying vol-untarily with the request.

Grassley’s and Feinstein’s letter to Lowell also specified keywords, including Clinton, WikiLeaks, hacking, and the names of four Russian banks.

Kushner remains one per-son of interest to the investiga-tions by Mueller and congres-sional committees, according to a source with knowledge of the probes.

Among other things, in-vestigators want to know if Kushner knew during the 2016 campaign that Russia was hack-ing Democratic emails in an ef-fort to help Trump and whether he tried to create a secret back channel between the Trump

White House and the Kremlin, said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Investigators also want to know if Kushner took part in or knew of any post-election efforts by Trump’s former na-tional security adviser, Michael Flynn, or others to lift US eco-nomic sanctions on Russia in exchange for financial invest-ments or other business deals.

A May 26 Reuters report quoted two sources who said Kushner and Flynn discussed with former Russian ambas-sador to Washington Sergey Kislyak creating a “back chan-nel” between Trump and Rus-sian President Vladimir Putin that would bypass the State Department and US intelli-gence agencies.

Flynn, a former Army gen-eral who led the Defence Intel-ligence Agency and later was a

Trump campaign adviser, was fired in February as national security adviser after mislead-ing Vice President Mike Pence about his conversations with Kislyak.

The letter to Lowell also said he had failed to produce “communications with Sergei Millian, copied to Kushner.”

Millian, who has used mul-tiple aliases, is a Belarussian-born émigré who in 2006 helped incorporate the Russian-American Chamber of Com-merce, which sponsored trips to Russia by US businessmen.

After a December 2011 trip arranged by the chamber and a quasi-governmental agency in Russia called Ros-sotrudnichestvo, FBI agents questioned participants about whether Russian spies had approached them during the visit, one of the travellers said.

US Senators seek more info from Kushner in Russia probe

(File photo) White House Senior adviser Jared Kushner attends bilateral meetings held by US President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China. (REUTERS)

Kushner’s lawyer fails to give the US Senate files received about a ‘Russian backdoor overture, dinner invite’

Trump starts paying his own legal bills on investigation

REUTERSWASHINGTON

PRESIDENT Donald Trump has begun paying his own legal bills related to the Russia investigation and will no longer use political donations to his reelection campaign or the Republican Party to cover the costs, his attorneys confirmed.

Trump defence lawyer John Dowd said that follow-ing payments by the Repub-lican National Committee (RNC), the president began paying the bills and now wants to make the party “even.”

The expenses cover Trump’s personal lawyers working on special counsel Robert Mueller investigates possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia in last year’s election, and whether Trump may have obstructed justice by firing Federal Bureau of In-vestigation Director James Comey, among other actions.

Moscow has denied med-dling in the US election, and Trump has denied any collu-sion or obstruction.

The RNC did not respond to a request for comment.

The administration is also working with others to establish a fund for current and former staffers, Special White House counsel Ty Cobb said. Dowd said Don McGahn, the White House

counsel, and campaign law-yer Ben Ginsberg of Jones Day are working to structure that fund, which would be subject to rules that prohibit staff from receiving gifts or pro bono legal service.

The president is exempt from those rules, Dowd said.

“The geniuses are work-ing on it,” Dowd said. “If it passes muster with the tax lawyers and accountants, then it has to pass muster with the Office of Govern-ment Ethics.”

He added, “The presi-dent is worried about staff-ers who have good lawyers and they can’t afford them.”

During former President Bill Clinton’s administra-tion, private funds were raised to cover his own le-gal expenses related to the Whitewater investigation. Under former President George W. Bush, a legal fund was set up to help former staffer Lewis “Scooter” Libby, only after he had left White House employment.

McCain warns Trump over staffing Pentagon with industry insiders

REUTERSWASHINGTON

SENATOR John McCain warned President Donald Trump on Thursday against nominating any more defence industry insiders to top Pen-tagon posts, as his committee questioned an executive from Lockheed Martin Corp about potential conflicts of interest.

Concern over the close re-lationship between the Penta-gon and arms manufacturers has existed for decades but ap-pears to have intensified under Trump. He has drawn scrutiny

for filling posts throughout his government with high-rank-ing executives.

The latest example was his naming this week of former pharmaceutical executive and lobbyist Alex Azar to become Health and Human Services secretary.

McCain, chairman of the Senate’s armed services com-mittee, said he was troubled by the number of Defence Department nominees drawn from the defence industry. He said he would oppose any more such nominations after John Rood, Trump’s pick for the Pentagon’s No. 3 job, who appeared before the commit-tee on Thursday.

Congress sends $700 bn defence budget bill for Trump’s signature

AFPWASHINGTON

THE US Congress on Thurs-day overwhelmingly author-ized $700 billion in national defence spending for next year, a substantial increase over Donald Trump’s request, and sent the measure to the president for his signature.

The National Defence Au-thorization Act of 2018 is a ne-gotiated compromise between the two chambers of Congress. The Senate passed it Thursday on a unanimous voice vote,

two days after it cleared the House on a vote of 356 to 70.

The bill is some $26 billion above Trump’s initial military budget requests, and about 15 percent higher than the au-thorization in 2016, the last full year of Barack Obama’s presidency.

It provides for $626 billion in base budget requirements, $66 billion for Overseas Contin-gency Operations, or warfight-ing, and an additional $8 billion for other defence activities.

Increased spending is al-located for new F-35 fighter

jets, ships and M1 Abrams tanks, military pay is raised by 2.4 percent and $4.9 billion is reserved for Afghanistan se-curity forces, including a pro-gram integrating women into the country’s national defence.

It also authorizes $12.3 billion for the Missile Defence Agency to bolster homeland, regional, and space missile defences, including the ex-pansion of ground-based in-terceptors and the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system, which has been recently deployed in

South Korea.The figure is substantially

more than Trump’s baseline missile defence request, at a time of heightened tensions with North Korea over its test-ing of nuclear devices and bal-listic missiles.

Lawmakers including Sen-ator John McCain, a defence hawk who routinely berates administrations for not spend-ing enough to improve defence readiness, praised the bill’s passage as a sign Congress was eager to rebuild military strength.

REUTERSWASHINGTON

PRESIDENT Donald Trump finds the sexual misconduct allegations against US Senate candidate Roy Moore “trou-bling” and thinks he should leave the race if they are true, the White House said on Thurs-day, as party leaders in Alabama stood by their nominee.

Trump’s position did not go as far as other Republican leaders in Washington who have said they believe the women accusing the former Alabama Supreme Court chief justice and have demanded Moore withdraw from the race before the Dec. 12 vote.

“The president believes that these allegations are very troubling and should be tak-en seriously,” White House

spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said at a news briefing.

“The president said in his statement earlier this week that if the allegations are true, then Roy Moore should step aside. He still firmly believes that,” she said.

Asked if the president’s endorsement of Moore still stands, Sanders said Trump thinks Alabama voters should decide the winner of the race.

Trump supported the Re-publican National Commit-tee’s decision to withdraw resources from the contest, Sanders added.

In the past week, multiple women have accused Moore of sexual improprieties or un-wanted romantic advances they said occurred decades ago. Some of the women were teenagers at the time, and he

was in his 30s.Moore, 70, has denied

any wrongdoing. The married Christian conservative has said he is the victim of a witch hunt and has refused to drop out of the race.

The allegations are “not only untrue but they have no evidence to support them,” Moore told a news conference on Thursday after about 20 supporters, including religious leaders, said they still backed his candidacy.

In a tweet, he accused US Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and others of trying “to steal this election from the people of Alabama.”

The Alabama Republican Party on Thursday said its 21-member steering commit-tee would continue to support Moore.

“He deserves to be pre-sumed innocent of the accu-sations unless proven other-wise,” state party Chairwoman Terry Lathan said in a state-ment.

Reuters was unable to in-dependently verify the allega-tions by the women.

Before the allegations surfaced, Moore was heavily favoured to defeat Democrat Doug Jones in the special elec-tion next month.

Moore scored a decisive Republican primary victory in September over Luther Strange, who was appointed to fill the vacant seat after Jeff Sessions became US attorney general earlier this year.

Trump backed Strange in the primary but threw his sup-port to Moore after Strange’s defeat.

A poll released on Wednes-day by the Senate Republi-cans’ campaign arm showed Jones surging to a 12-point lead since the accusations be-came public.

A Democratic win in Ala-bama would be a blow to

Trump’s agenda and shift the political outlook for next year’s congressional elections, giv-ing Democrats a stronger shot at recapturing control of the Senate. Republicans currently hold 52 seats in the 100-mem-ber upper chamber.

Republican candidate for US Senate Judge Roy Moore and his wife Kayla Moore exit a news conference with supporters and faith lead-ers, in Birmingham, Alabama, on Thursday. (AFP)

NEWS IN BRIEF

US civil rights leader Jackson has Parkinson’s diseaseCHICAGO American civil rights leader Jesse Jack-son announced Friday that he has the degenera-tive neurological disease Parkinson’s. The 76-year-old, who once worked with Martin Luther King Jr for the cause of equal rights for African Americans, and currently heads a Chicago non-profit organi-sation, said it has become “increasingly difficult to perform routine tasks.” “My family and I began to notice changes about three years ago. For a while, I re-sisted interrupting my work to visit a doctor,” Jackson said in a statement. (AFP)

US Senate candidate Moore should leave race if allegations true: Trump

Trump defence lawyer John Dowd said that fol-lowing payments by the Republican National Committee (RNC), the president began paying the bills and now wants to make the party ‘even’

WhistleblowerKushner, the letter said, also forwarded to an uni-dentified campaign adviser emails from September 2016 concerning Wikile-aks, the whistleblower group that published emails US intelligence agencies determined Rus-sian military intelligence had hacked from Demo-cratic Party accounts

REUTERSWASHINGTON

US regulators on Thursday ap-proved the use of new technol-ogy that will improve picture quality on mobile phones, tablets and television, but also raises significant privacy con-cerns by giving advertisers dramatically more data about viewing habits.

The US Federal Commu-nications Commission voted 3-2 to allow broadcasters to voluntarily use the new technology, dubbed ATSC 3.0, which would allow for more precise geolocating of television signals, ultra-high

definition picture quality and more interactive program-ming, like new educational content for children and multiple angles of live sport-ing events.

The system uses preci-sion broadcasting and targets emergency or weather alerts on a street-by-street basis. The system could allow broadcast-ers to wake up a receiver to broadcast emergency alerts. The alerts could include maps, storm tracks and evacuation routes.

The new standard would also let broadcasters activate a TV set that is turned off to send emergency alerts.

Agency approves TV tech that gives better pictures

US Senator John McCain.

United States10 Saturday, November 18, 2017

REUTERSMEXICO CITY

A key round of talks to update the NAFTA trade pact for-mally opened on Friday with Canada and Mexico showing more flexibility about address-ing hardline US demands that they had previously dismissed as unworkable.

US President Donald Trump, who says the North American Free Trade Agree-ment is a “disaster,” has fre-quently threatened to ditch the pact unless big changes are made.

There is relatively little

time left to thrash out a deal under the current schedule. Negotiators met in Mexico City for the fifth of seven planned rounds that are due to wrap up by the end of March to avoid affecting Mexico’s presidential election.

Canadian and Mexican of-ficials initially indicated they would simply not discuss con-tentious US proposals such as a five-year sunset clause, and boosting the North American content of autos to 85 percent from the current 62.5 percent.

The focus in Mexico City would be on making argu-ments to the US side as to

why their proposals as written would not work, a Canadian government source said.

Canada, the source added, was happy to discuss so-called rules of origin governing auto content but insisted the 85 percent figure was impossible.

Canadian sources said on Monday they were open to a Mexican proposal to review NAFTA every five years rath-er than the US plan to bring in a sunset clause that would automatically terminate the deal if it was not renegoti-ated.

Canada and Mexico both send a large majority of their goods to the United States and prefer that the treaty contin-ued than deal with the eco-nomic disruption caused by a US withdrawal.

A Mexican official said the United States needed to make clear what they hoped to achieve with tougher rules of origin, given the difficulty of raising the threshold.

Noting that 85 percent was not feasible, the official said

Mexico did not want “a rup-ture” to occur in the talks.

However, the official add-ed that the North American auto industry has previously argued in favour of lower-ing the figure to improve its competitiveness with foreign rivals.

Washington also wants NAFTA to set a 50 percent minimum US content require-ment for autos, which Canada and Mexico say cannot work.

“Once (the Americans) have explained all that, we can see about finding common ground,” the Mexican official said.

A schedule for the fifth round seen by Reuters showed that rules of origin would be discussed beginning Saturday during the four final days of the talks.

REUTERSCARACAS/BOGOTA

VETERAN Venezuelan oppo-sition leader Antonio Ledez-ma, under house arrest after his 2015 arrest for alleged coup plotting, escaped across the border to Colombia on Friday.

Ledezma, the best-known detained opponent of leftist President Nicolas Maduro after Leopoldo Lopez, said he had gone past 29 police and army controls during a clandestine, overland journey that he kept secret from his loved ones.

“I ask my wife and daugh-ters to understand. They have suffered long hours of anguish without knowing where I was,” he told reporters in the Colom-bian border town of Cucuta af-ter crossing a bridge from San Antonio in Venezuela.

“It was my decision alone.”The 62-year-old former

Caracas metropolitan mayor had spearheaded street pro-tests against Maduro in 2014 that led to months of violence and 43 deaths.

Maduro mocked him as “The Vampire,” and officials accused him of helping violent hardliners, including dissident military officers plotting to top-ple the president via air strikes.

Ledezma denied those charges as being trumped up.

“Welcome to freedom!” tweeted former Colombian President Andres Pastrana, who is close to Venezuela’s opposition and the families of other jailed activists.

“I salute Antonio Ledezma, moral compass for Venezuela,” said Organization of American States (OAS) head Luis Alma-gro, who has also been a vocal backer of Venezuela’s opposi-tion.

With a 2018 presidential election looming, an array of major Venezuelan opposition figures are now in exile, deten-tion or barred from holding office.

Venezuela oppn leader Ledezma flees to Colombia

Canada, Mexico more flexible as key NAFTA round opens

Jerry Dias, head of Canada’s biggest private sector union Unifor, speaks with participants during ‘The Other Negotiation’ forum within the framework of fifth round of talks to mod-ernize the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) at Mexico Senate in Mexico City, Mexico, on Friday. (REUTERS

Trump has frequently threatened to ditch the pact unless big changes are made

NEWS IN BRIEF

BUENOS AIRES An Argentine military submarine with 44 crew members on board was missing at sea on Friday, prompting a massive search to locate the vessel which may have suffered a communication error, a navy spokesman said. The vessel was in the southern Argentine Sea when it gave its last location two days ago. “We are investigat-ing the reasons for the lack of communication,” Argentine naval spokesman Enrique Balbi told reporters. “If there was a communication problem, the boat would have to come to the surface.” (REUTERS)

BEIJING Panama and China agreed Friday to study the possibility of reaching a free trade agreement after the Central American nation ditched Taiwan and recognised Beijing. The memorandum of understanding was among 19 cooperation agreements signed by the two countries as Panama’s President Juan Carlos Varela met Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing. The two nations also reached agreements related to agriculture, civil aviation and maritime transport, as well as tourism to facilitate visits by Chinese tour groups to Panama. After the United States, China is the second-most frequent user of the Panama Canal. (AFP)

Argentine submarine with 44 members goes missing Panama eyes trade deal with China after ditching Taiwan

Open to a reviewCanadian sources said on Monday they were open to a Mexican proposal to re-view NAFTA every five years rather than the US plan to bring in a sunset clause that would automatically terminate the deal if it was not renegotiated

11Saturday, November 18, 2017

Chile’s presidential hopefuls wrap up campaigning

REUTERSSANTIAGO

CHILE’S presidential hope-fuls wrapped up campaigning on Thursday in a race that has pitted billionaire Sebastian Pinera’s promise for change against centre-left candidate Alejandro Guillier’s defence of a recent raft of progressive reforms.

With their six rivals trail-ing far behind, Pinera and Guillier are widely expected to place first and second, respec-tively, in Sunday’s election, al-lowing them to move on to an

eventual Dec. 17 run-off.Pinera, a 67-year-old

former president, has por-trayed himself as the best bet for reviving growth that has slowed in recent years in the world’s No.1 copper pro-ducer.

He has vowed to cut the corporate tax rate and scale back outgoing President Michelle Bachelet’s tax, la-bour and education reforms that Guillier has vowed to deepen.

Bachelet cannot run for office again because of term limits.

Trump to announce decision on N Korea ‘terrorism’ listing

AFPWASHINGTON

PRESIDENT Donald Trump will announce next week whether he is putting North Korea on a list of state spon-sors of terrorism, the White House said, opening the door to possible blacklisting.

“I believe the president will be making an announce-ment, a decision, on that in the first part of next week,” said White House press secretary Sarah Sanders.

Earlier this month a senior White House official, speak-ing on condition of anonym-ity, said North Korea “clearly fit the criteria” for being on

the list, suggesting the deci-sion will likely be bad news for Pyongyang.

Supporters of the move point to North Korea’s treat-ment of American student Otto Warmbier -- who died this year after being released from custody in North Korea -- as well as ties to Iranian and Syrian weapons programs.

The move is largely sym-bolic, doubling up on existing sanctions and restrictions on aid and exports.

But it could dent efforts to reach a diplomatic solution to the standoff over Pyongyang’s development of nuclear-tipped missiles capable of hitting the continental United States.

REUTERSCHARLESTON

A white former South Caro-lina police officer filmed as he fatally shot an unarmed black motorist in the back two years ago will be sentenced on Dec. 4 on a federal civil rights charge, court officials said on Friday.

Ex-North Charleston of-ficer Michael Slager pleaded guilty in May to violating mo-torist Walter Scott’s civil rights by using excessive force in the April 2015 shooting.

A widely distributed cell-phone video of the shooting taken by a bystander height-ened a national debate about police treatment of minorities

across the United States.The Dec. 4 sentencing

hearing will be held in US District Court in Charleston. Judge David Norton, who heard Slager’s guilty plea in May, has blocked out a week for the proceedings, his office said.

Slager, 35, faces a sentence ranging from zero years, or time served, to a maximum of life in prison on the civil rights charge. He has been in federal custody since his guilty plea just weeks before his federal trial was to start.

Slager fired eight shots at Scott’s back, hitting him five times. He opened fire after the motorist fled a traffic stop for a broken brake light and he and Slager fought.

Slager’s attorney Andrew Savage told Charleston’s Post and Courier newspaper on Fri-day that he would emphasize the fight and that the video did not show the whole story of what happened.

Mexican women testify over sexual

torture before rights court

REUTERSSAN JOSE

WOMEN who were sexually tortured by Mexican security forces over a decade ago tes-tified on Thursday before the Inter-American Court of Hu-man Rights, asking for an in-vestigation into the case that happened in the state once run by President Enrique Pena Nieto.

Several of the 11 victims told judges at the Costa-Rica based court about the abuse they suffered after they were detained following a protest in May 2006 at the town of San Salvador de Atenco, about 25 miles (40 km) northeast of Mexico City.

The town is located in the State of Mexico, which rings the capital.

“We’ve come here to speak out. In Mexico, justice has not been done,” said Maria Cris-tina Sanchez, 50, who detailed how she was beaten, sexually abused and how the case lan-guished in Mexico’s criminal justice system with no resolu-tion for years.

The women, known as the ‘Women of Atenco’, say they were thrown into a po-lice bus, raped and tortured following a two-day protest by a group of flower sellers who had negotiated a labour agreement that allowed them to set up stalls in a nearby downtown area.

The women were initially accused of illegally blocking public access, but later acquit-ted of the charges.

REUTERSAMERICANA

FEDERAL prosecutors in Bra-zil are conducting a criminal investigation into alleged in-ternational money launder-ing by a man at the centre of a Reuters inquiry into US Presi-dent Donald Trump’s first in-ternational hotel project.

Reuters reviewed more than 350 pages of a sealed investigation by federal po-lice into Alexandre Ventura Nogueira, who spent two years in Brazil after fleeing Panama in 2012. The inquiry

has not previously been dis-closed. Nogueira was instru-mental in selling many units in the Trump Ocean Club In-ternational Hotel and Tower in Panama City, an investi-gation by Reuters and NBC News found.

“Federal prosecutors in Sao Paulo have been investi-gating Alexandre Henrique Ventura Nogueira since 2013 for financial crimes and money laundering,” the prosecutors’ office said in a written state-ment. The inquiry slowed after Nogueira fled Brazil in October 2014, but the statement add-

ed: “The case remains open, Brazilian authorities are aware of the target’s suspicious ac-tivities in other countries, and we hope that will help to locate his whereabouts.”

Nogueira, 43, told Reuters

he had laundered money for corrupt officials in Panama but said he was not aware of a federal investigation into him in Brazil. He denied wrongdo-ing in Brazil, and does not face criminal charges there.

(File photo) US President Donald Trump during the inauguration of the Trump Ocean Club in Panama City, Panama. (REUTERS)

Former North Charleston officer Michael Slager pleaded guilty in May to violating motorist Walter Scott’s civil rights by using excessive force in the April 2015 shooting

Ex-broker in Trump Panama project under investigation in Brazil

Puerto Rico utility head quits after slow Hurricane Maria response

REUTERSNEW YORK

THE head of Puerto Rico’s in-debted utility has resigned fol-lowing criticism of the slow res-toration of power to the island after Hurricane Maria, the US territory’s governor said.

Ricardo Ramos, who was named head of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PRE-PA) in 2016, was also criticised over controversial contracts. His resignation was effective Friday, Governor Ricardo Ros-sello said in a statement, but no replacement was named.

PREPA’s board will meet later on Friday to discuss who will succeed Ramos, who was appointed by Rossello.

Maria knocked out power to all 3.4 million residents of Puerto Rico in late September, and only about half the island has been restored. The island has also experienced intermit-tent power interruptions to populated areas that had seen electricity restored over the past few weeks.

“The highest peak of gen-eration that we have had is 50 percent. In this week, we had about three general blackouts

in the island that kept San Juan in the dark for most of the week. That is totally unac-ceptable,” said Tomas Torres, executive director of the nonprofit Institute for Com-petitiveness and Sustainable Economy for Puerto Rico.

It took a week before PRE-PA was able to assess the dam-ages from the storm, which knocked out about 80 percent of its transmission capabilities.

Ramos was criticized for signing a $300 million contract with a little-known Montana company, Whitefish Energy Holdings, to restore power, and because he did not request aid from US utilities that is a normal procedure fol-lowing storms.

Venezuelan opposition leader Antonio Ledezma.

Ricardo Ramos’ resignation was effective Friday, Governor Ricardo Rossello said in a statement, but no replacement was named

South Carolina ex-cop faces Dec sentencing for motorist’s shooting

US / Americas

REUTERSANKARA

IRAN accused France of fuelling tension in the Mid-dle East by taking a "biased" stance on Tehran's regional policy, state TV reported on Friday.

"It seems that France has a biased view towards the on-going crises and humanitar-ian catastrophes in the Mid-dle East Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi was quoted as saying.

"This view fuels regional conflicts, whether intention-ally or unintentionally," he said.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Thursday that France was

worried about Iran's involve-ment in the Middle East cri-sis and its disputed ballistic missile programme.

"Iran's role and the differ-ent areas where this country operates worries us," Le Dri-an told a joint news confer-ence with his Saudi counter-part Adel Jubeir in Riyadh.

"I am thinking in particu-lar of Iran's interventions in regional crises, this hege-monic temptation and I'm thinking of its ballistic pro-gramme," he said.

Iran has repeatedly re-jected France's call for talks on its missile programme, saying it was defensive and unrelated to a nuclear agree-ment with world powers struck in 2015.

Paris suggested that new European Union sanctions against Iran may be dis-cussed over its missile tests. But EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini seemed to dismiss that idea on Tues-day, keen to avoid risks to the hard-won deal that curbed Iran's nuclear activity.

Biased French stance threatens regional stability, says Iran

AFPDOUMA, SYRIA

SHELLING by the Syrian re-gime on the rebel-held area of Eastern Ghouta near Damascus Friday killed at least 19 civil-ians, among them six children, a monitor said.

The deaths came amid an escalating cycle of tit-for-tat attacks between regime forces and rebels holding the enclave on the Syrian capital’s eastern outskirts.

Rebel shelling on Friday killed three civilians.

According to the Syrian Ob-servatory for Human Rights, 52 civilians have been killed since Tuesday, most of them in East-ern Ghouta, which has been besieged since 2013 and where humanitarian conditions are dire.

Thirteen people, including five children and three emer-

gency workers, were killed in regime shelling and air strikes in Douma, the Eastern Ghouta area’s main town, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.

Elsewhere in Eastern Ghouta, another six people were killed in regime air strikes, the monitor said.

On Tuesday, the Ahrar al-Sham group, which has posi-tions in Harasta, attacked a re-gime military base in the area, which is supposed to be a “de-escalation zone” under a deal between Russia, Iran and Tur-key to ease the level of violence.

The fighting on that front

has left at least 37 dead on the regime side, according to the Observatory, a toll the regime has not confirmed. Abdel Rah-man said “dozens” of Islamist rebels were also killed.

In a hospital in Douma, doc-tors and nurses were treating a continuous flow of the wounded as the sounds of crying children echoed through the facility, a media source said.

An elderly man with greying hair sought to calm a little girl in tears, her clothes covered in blood, while the bodies of three children killed in the strikes lay inert on a metal table. Two

other injured children sat on a bench, silent, their eyes wide, apparently still in shock. One had a bandaged foot.

Another wounded person had a bandage wrapped around his head, but blood had soaked through it.

On a white hospital bed, Abu Hisham’s face contorted in pain as he called out for his wife and children, who had been killed.

“Iman, where are the chil-dren?” he cried.

In retaliation for the latest deadly Ghouta shelling, rebels fired rockets into Damascus on Friday, killing three civilians, the same source said.

Six were killed the previous day, including Syria’s national karate coach Fadel Fadi, who died of his wounds after be-ing hit by shrapnel as he left his Damascus sports club, the SANA news agency reported.

6 children among 19 dead in shelling on Syria rebel enclave

A general view of the destruction following reported shelling by Syrian government forces, in the rebel-held town of Douma in Syria’s eastern Ghouta region. (AFP)

REUTERSANKARA

BRITAIN will soon repay a debt of over 400 million pounds ($527 million) to Iran, the Ira-nian ambassador said on Fri-day, but the payment was not linked to the case of a British-Iranian charity worker jailed in Iran.

"An outstanding debt owed by the UK to Tehran will be transferred to the Central Bank of Iran in the coming days. The payment has nothing to do with Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's case," Hamid Baeedinejad wrote on his Telegram channel.

Zaghari-Retcliff was de-tained in April 2016 in Tehran by Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards as she tried to leave Iran

after a visit with her two-year-old daughter.

She was sentenced to five years in prison after an Iranian court convicted her of plotting to overthrow the clerical estab-lishment. She denies the charg-es. Iran doesn't recognize dual citizenship for its nationals.

Britain's Foreign Office was not immediately available to comment on the Iranian am-bassador's comments.

On Thursday, British Prime Minister Theresa May's spokes-man denied there was any link between the debt and the char-ity worker's case. Tehran also dismissed the Telegraph report.

The Telegraph newspa-per reported on Thursday that Britain was working on a plan to pay Iran the debt, as part of

efforts to secure the release of Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

Britain owes the money af-ter Iran's Shah paid up front for 1,750 Chieftain tanks and other vehicles, almost none of which were eventually delivered after

the Islamic Revolution of 1979 toppled the US-backed leader.

In 2009, the International Chamber of Commerce ordered Britain to repay Iran £450 mil-lion ($592 million) for the tanks that were never delivered, but UN and EU sanctions levied against Iran prevented the re-payment.

Under a deal between Iran and six major powers in 2015, most sanctions on Iran were lifted last year, in exchange for Tehran curbing its nuclear pro-gramme.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman said that a range of issues would be discussed with Britain during a visit to Tehran this month by Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, Iranian media reported on Thursday.

Britain to pay 400 mln pound debt to Iran: Official

The deaths were the result of latest bout of tit-for-tat attacks by regime forces and rebels

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a total of 52 civilians have been killed in the process, most of them in Eastern Ghouta, which has been besieged since 2013 and where humanitarian condi-tions are dire

Russian bombers strike Islamic State targets in Syria

REUTERSMOSCOW/BEIRUT

RUSSIAN long-range bomb-ers struck Islamic State on Friday in Albu Kamal in east-ern Syria, where the jihadists have staged a counter-attack after the Syrian army de-clared victory over them.

Six TU-22M3 bombers took off from bases in Russia and overflew Iran and Iraq before launching the strike, the Russian defence ministry said in a statement reported by Russian news agencies.

Albu Kamal, a small town on the border with Iraq, was Islamic State's last Syrian stronghold, along with some neighbouring villages and desert areas.

The Syrian army said it and its allies, including the Lebanese Hezbollah group, took it from the militants on Nov. 9 and declared "the fall of the terrorist Daesh organi-sation's project in the region".

Islamic State fighters hid-den in Albu Kamal launched a counter-attack days later and forced the army and its allies to pull out of Albu Kamal, residents said on Nov. 13.

The army, which has driven Islamic State from huge swathes of central and eastern Syria in a multi-pronged campaign this year, re-entered the town soon af-terwards, a war monitor said.

TASS cited the minis-try as saying the planes had bombed Islamic State forti-fied positions, militants, and armoured vehicles.

Satellite and drone sur-veillance had confirmed that all of the designated targets had been destroyed, it said.

UN weighs new bid to save Syria gas attacks probe after Russia veto

AFPUNITED NATIONS, UNITED STATES

THE UN Security Council on Friday discussed a fresh bid to extend a UN-led investi-gation of chemical weapons attacks in Syria, a day after Russia vetoed a renewal of the probe.

Japan on Thursday pre-sented a draft resolution that would give the Joint Inves-tigative Mechanism (JIM) a 30-day extension to allow for negotiations on a compro-mise to salvage the panel.

"This is a way to avoid the death of the JIM, a way to give us time to think seriously about a lasting solution," said French Ambassador Francois Delattre ahead of a closed-door council meeting.

The council was to decide on the way forward, with dip-lomats saying they expected the draft resolution to be put to a vote later in the day.

The Japanese proposal came after a Russian veto -- Moscow's 10th on Syria -- of a US-drafted resolution that would have allowed the JIM to continue its work for a year.

The council also failed on Thursday to adopt a Russian-drafted resolution that would have also extended the JIM but also demanded a new investigation of the Khan Sheikhun attack.

Russia has strongly criti-cized the JIM after its latest report blamed the Syrian air force for a sarin gas attack on the opposition-held village of Khan Sheikhun that left scores dead. The attack on

April 4 triggered global out-rage as images of dying chil-dren were shown worldwide, prompting the United States to launch missile strikes on a Syrian air base a few days later.

Syria has denied us-ing chemical weapons, with strong backing from its main ally Russia.

The Japanese draft reso-lution would renew the JIM mandate for 30 days and task UN Secretary-General Anto-nio Guterres with submitting to the council in 20 days "pro-posals for the structure and methodology" of the panel.

The joint UN-Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemi-cal Weapons (OPCW) panel was set up by Russia and the United States in 2015 and unanimously endorsed by the council, which renewed its mandate last year.

The expert team is tasked with determining who is re-sponsible for the use of chem-ical weapons in Syria.

French Ambassador Francois Delattre.

Turkey pulls troops out of Norway NATO drill over ‘enemy’ listANKARA: Turkey is pulling 40 soldiers out of a NATO exercise in Norway, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday, after his name appeared in a list of enemies on a poster at the drill, an incident that drew an apology from both the military alliance and Oslo. Turkey has the second largest army in the alliance after the United States, and it borders Syria, Iraq and Iran, lending it great strategic importance for NATO. But the relationship has become increasingly fractious as Ankara drifts away from the alliance and the European Union, alarming the West. Erdogan said an "enemy poster", featuring his name on one side and a picture of modern Turkey's founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, on the other, was unfurled at the train-ing exercise in Norway, prompting a decision by Turkey's military chief and European Union minister to pull the troops out. "They said they had decided to pull our troops out and will do so, so we told them to not stop and go ahead take our 40 soldiers out of there," Erdogan told members of his ruling AK Party in Ankara. Commenting on the incident at the alliance's Joint Warfare Centre in Stavanger, Norway, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said: "I apologise for the offence that has been caused." "The inci-dents were the result of an individual's actions and do not reflect the views of NATO," said Stoltenberg, who is a former Norwegian prime minister, in a written statement. (REUTERS)

Kurd-held Afrin must be cleared of ‘terrorists’, says Turkish President Erdogan

AFPANKARA

TURKISH President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday said the Kurdish militia-held Syrian town of Afrin had to be cleared of "terrorists", days ahead of a summit meeting with Russia and Iran on Syr-ia's future.

Erdogan has repeatedly threatened to launch a mili-tary operation on Afrin, which is controlled by the Peoples' Protection Units (YPG) con-sidered by Turkey to be a ter-ror group.

But the YPG has been the main ally of the United States

in fighting jihadists in Syria, a policy that has infuriated An-kara.

"Afrin needs to be cleared of the YPG terror group," Erdogan said in a televised speech, adding that Turkish troops needed to be deployed there as in Idlib province.

"Otherwise, different ter-ror groups will occupy the area."

He slammed the United States over its support for the YPG, saying former president Barack Obama had failed to keep his promises while under Donald Trump Washington had continued to cooperate with the same group under the

name Syria Democratic Forces (SDF).

"It was a big disappoint-ment for us that America has not kept its promises, to a large extent, since the start of the Syrian crisis," he added.

"We don't want to enter into the same game in Afrin. A problem that we could solve quite easily together as allies is being dragged out by Ameri-can intransigence," he added.

Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan.

Hamid Baeedinejad.

I am thinking in particular of Iran’s interventions in regional crises, this hegemonic temptation and I’m thinking of its ballistic programmeJean-Yves Le Drian

Aden governor quits, accuses PM of corruptionADEN: The governor of Presi-dent Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's interim capital Aden has resigned, citing what he said was government corruption that had undermined his efforts to restore basic services to the city. The government denies charges of corruption and says it operates according to high standards of transparency. In a lengthy letter sent to Hadi, Muflehi said, "Unfortunately, I found myself caught in a bitter war against a huge camp of corruption whose brigades are well trained and fortifications are protected by guards led by Prime Minister Dr. Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr," Muflehi wrote in his resignation letter. The letter was also published by local media, including online newspapers Aden News and Aden al-Ghad. (REUTERS)

Three Yemeni cities run out of clean water due to lack of fuel for pumps

REUTERSGENEVA

THREE cities in Yemen have run out of clean water be-cause a blockade by a Saudi-led coalition has cut imports of fuel needed for pumping and sanitation, the Interna-tional Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Friday.

As a result of the devel-opment in Taiz, Saada and Hodeidah close to one mil-lion people are now deprived of clean water and sanitation as Yemen emerges from the world's worst cholera out-break in modern times, the ICRC said.

Other cities, including the capital Sanaa, are expected to be in the same situation with-in two weeks, ICRC said in a

statement. "With imports of fuel and other essential goods at a standstill for the past ten days, three Yemeni cities had to stop providing clean water in recent days, putting close to one million people at risk of a renewed cholera out-

break and other water-borne diseases," it said. "The water and sewage systems in Hode-idah, Saada and Taiz stopped operating because of a lack of fuel," the head of the ICRC in Yemen, Alexandre Faite, said in the statement.

(File photo) Internally displaced boys in Al Madab settlement, Hajja, Yemen, fetch water from a well to transport the water to their home 100km away.

Gulf / Middle East12 Saturday, November 18, 2017

AFPMOSUL, IRAQ

HUSSEIN Faleh has only one dream: to return to his home in the ravaged Old City of Iraq's Mosul.

But, more than four months after government forces declared victory in their operation to push the Islamic State group out of its largest stronghold, moving back into his house remains a distant prospect.

"I would love to go back and rebuild my house, but the security forces don't allow it," the unemployed father-of-three, 29, said.

While the fierce street bat-tles to reclaim the winding al-leyways of the second city's

historic centre ended in July, officials and residents say the deadly legacy of militant rule still haunts Mosul's old heart.

The famed area that once boasted traditional houses, mosques and churches is now largely a deserted tangle of metal and rubble–stalked by fears of booby traps left behind by IS or sleeper cells of fighters ready to strike at any moment.

"Civilians regularly fall victim to explosions," said Ghazwan al-Dauaui, who is in charge of human rights for the local authorities.

Only the sound of the near-by Tigris river or the noises of stray animals can be heard among the ruins of buildings that still bare IS slogans.

Every once in while, a blast

rings out as the security forces combing the Old City detonate ordnance left behind.

But their main job still remains hunting for any IS members who might have managed to go to ground when government troops arrived.

"IS fighters are still hiding in cellars where rubble has not been cleared away," said Kha-

laf al-Hadidi, a member of the provincial council.

"They survive thanks to stores of food and water."

Hadidi said that Iraqi per-sonnel regularly flush out and kill fighters but they "do not announce" it because the au-thorities are desperate to con-vince the population that they are finished with IS.

In this limbo of fear, it is no surprise that rumours swirl.

One has it that some jihad-ists manage not to come out for months as they feed intra-venously and wear adult nap-pies.

Sociologist Hamed al-Zubeidi, who is based in Mosul, says that so long as these "sleep-er cells" remain, life cannot re-turn to the city's historic centre.

Fears of bombs, IS cells haunt Mosul, months after ‘liberation’

A general view of the old city of Mosul in northern Iraq. Officials and residents say the deadly legacy of militant rule still haunts Mosul’s old heart. (AFP)

Hariri crisis a bid to stir regional chaos, says Lebanese FM

REUTERSBEIRUT

LEBANON'S Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil said on Friday a crisis triggered by the resigna-tion of its prime minister was part of an "attempt to create chaos in the region", in an inter-view with Russia Today. Saad al-Hariri quit as prime minister in a broadcast from Saudi Arabia

two weeks ago, saying he feared assassination and criticising the Saudis' regional arch-rival Iran along with its Lebanese ally Hezbollah. The actions of Har-iri, a Sunni Muslim leader and long-time Saudi ally, plunged Lebanon into a political crisis, putting the country centre stage in the rivalry.

He has yet to return to Beirut and is expected to leave

Saudi Arabia this weekend for France, where he will meet with President Emmanuel Macron.

Bassil is touring European and other capitals seeking dip-lomatic help to end the crisis. "We will respond and we have the full capacities to do so, but we hope it doesn't get to that," Bassil said in Moscow.

His comments to Russia Today were reported earlier on Friday by Lebanese broadcast-ers al-Jadeed, al-Manar and LBC without attribution.

French officials said they did not know how long Hariri would stay before returning to Beirut, but hoped his visit

would help ease the crisis by demonstrating he was not being held in Saudi Arabia.

A poster depicting Saad al-Hariri, is seen in Beirut, Lebanon on Friday. (REUTERS)

We will respond and we have the full capacity to do so, but we hope it does not get to that, Bassil said in Moscow

Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil.

Hariri all set to leave Saudi Arabia for France: MPREUTERS

BEIRUT

SAAD al-Hariri, who sparked a crisis by resigning as Leba-nese prime minister on Nov. 4 during a visit to Saudi Arabia, will leave Riyadh for France on Friday, a member of his party said, but will not return directly to Beirut after the vis-

it. "Today to Paris, this after-noon, and tomorrow a family meeting with (French Presi-dent Emmanuel) Macron," Okab Saqr, a member of par-liament for Future Movement, said.

Saqr said that after Har-iri's visit to France, he would have "a small Arab tour" be-fore travelling to Beirut. Ma-

cron, speaking in Sweden, said Hariri "intends to return to his country in the coming days, weeks".

Lebanese politicians from across the political spectrum have called for Hariri to re-turn to the country, saying it is necessary to resolve the crisis.

Foreign Minister Gebran

Bassil, who heads President Aoun's political party, said on Thursday Beirut could es-calate the crisis if Hariri did not return home.

"We have adopted self-restraint so far to arrive at this result so that we don't head towards diplomatic es-calation and the other meas-ures available to us," he said.

Saudi Arabia swapping assets for freedom of some held in graft purge: SourcesREUTERS

BEIRUT/RIYADH

SAUDI authorities are striking agreements with some of those detained in an anti-corruption crackdown, asking them to hand over assets and cash in re-turn for their freedom, sources familiar with the matter said.

The deals involve separat-ing cash from assets like prop-erty and shares, and looking at bank accounts to assess cash values, one of the sources told Reuters.

Dozens of princes, senior officials and businessmen, in-cluding cabinet ministers and

billionaires, have been detained in the graft inquiry at least partly aimed at strengthen-ing the power of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. These include billionaire Prince Al-waleed bin Talal, one of the kingdom's most prominent businessmen.

One businessman had tens of millions of Saudi riyals with-drawn from his account after he signed. In another case, a former senior official consented to hand over ownership of four billion riyals worth of shares, the source said.

The Saudi government earlier this week moved from

freezing accounts to issuing instructions for "expropriation of unencumbered assets" or seizure of assets, said a second source familiar with the situa-tion. There was no immediate comment from the Saudi gov-ernment on the deals and the sources declined to be identi-fied because these agreements are not public.

Analysts said the deals may help end uncertainty about the anti-corruption crackdown but could have an impact on Saudi Arabia's risk perception among investors.

"Eliminating uncertainty about what the Saudi authori-

ties are going to do goes a long way towards giving the mar-ket comfort that the regime is getting its house in order, and

plugging its deficit," said Louis Gargour, founder and senior portfolio manager at London-based hedge fund LNG Capital.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman shakes hands with Lebanese Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi during their meeting in Riyadh, recently. (REUTERS)

US monitoring Saudi situation amid post-purge wealth deals

WASHINGTON: The United States is closely watching the situa-tion in Saudi Arabia amid reported asset agreements between Saudi authorities and some detainees in an anti-corruption crackdown, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Friday. Asked about the agreements to hand over wealth for detainees’ freedom, Mnuchin told CNBC “I think that the Crown Prince (Mohammed bin Salman) is doing a great job at trans-forming the country,” adding that the United States was “obvi-ously monitoring the situation.” (REUTERS)

Egypt to open Gaza border for three days: Palestinian official

AFPGAZA CITY

THE largely sealed border be-tween Gaza and Egypt was set to open for three days for the first time since the Palestinian reconciliation deal, an official said on Friday.

Interior ministry spokes-man Iyad al-Bozum said the Rafah crossing from the coast-al Palestinian enclave into Egypt would be open from Saturday.

However, only humanitar-ian cases registered with the ministry would be allowed to leave, with this including up to 20,000 people in the empov-erished enclave of two million, he added.

Egypt's border with the Gaza Strip had been totally sealed since August, and was largely closed for years before-hand.

Under the terms of a Pal-estinian reconciliation agree-ment reached last month, Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas are supposed to cede power to West Bank-based rivals Fatah by December 1.

As a first step, they handed over control of the crossings on November 1.

That Egypt-brokered deal is expected to lead to more regular opening of the Ra-fah crossing, which Cairo has largely shuttered in recent years.

Saturday's opening is temporary, however, with the crossing due to close again on Monday. In a related de-velopment, the head of the

Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority's security services arrived in Gaza on Friday.

Majid Faraj met senior Ha-mas leader Yahya Sinwar.

All Palestinian factions are due to meet in Cairo next week

to discuss ways to move recon-ciliation forward.

Both Israel and Egypt have maintained blockades of Gaza for years, arguing that they are necessary to isolate Hamas.

Interior ministry spokes-man Iyad al-Bozum said the Rafah crossing from the coastal Palestinian enclave into Egypt would be open from Saturday. However, only humanitarian cases registered with the ministry would be allowed to leave, with this including up to 20,000 people in the empoverished enclave of two million, he added.

Interior ministry spokesman Iyad al-Bozum.

Pentagon steps up Somalia drone strikes

AFPWASHINGTON

THE US military has quietly upped the tempo of its opera-tions in Somalia, conducting a growing number of drone strikes against Al-Qaeda af-filiated Shabaab militants and other militants.

Since the start of the year, America has carried out 28 drone strikes in the Horn of Africa nation, with 15 of these coming since September 1, the military's Africa Command (AFRICOM) said.

That's a big increase from last year. According to the London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism, which maintains a tally of US operations in Somalia and

elsewhere, there were 15 an-ti-Shabaab air strikes in the whole of 2016.

The surge in activity comes as the US watches for an influx of fighters from the Islamic State group, which has lost almost all its territory in Iraq and Syria.

The US conducted a pair of drone strikes against IS in Somalia on November 3, the first time it has hit the jihad-ists there.

Though the Pentagon has provided few details about the strikes, spokes-man Colonel Rob Manning said this week that US forces had killed 40 Shabaab and IS fighters in a series of five strikes on Somalia between November 9 and 12.

Sudan should stop ‘church demolitions’, says US

AFPKHARTOUM

A top US official Friday called on Sudan to stop demolitions of churches, insisting that Wash-ington would push for human rights and religious freedom in the country. US Deputy Secre-tary of State John Sullivan also said that how Khartoum pro-motes freedom of expression and other human rights will be "critical" to future relations be-tween the two countries.

Sullivan is the highest-ranking Trump administra-tion official to visit Khartoum since the United States lifted a decades-old trade embargo on October 12. "The government of Sudan, including the federal states, should... immediately suspend demolition of places of worships, including mosques and churches," Sullivan said in a speech at Al-Koran Al-Karim University in Omdurman, the twin city of Khartoum on the western bank of the Nile.

Activists accuse Khar-toum of restricting freedom of expression and political space for opposition groups.

Iraqi forces recapture last IS-held border town

REUTERSBAGHDAD

IRAQI forces on Friday cap-tured the border town of Rawa, the last remaining town under Islamic State control, signalling the col-lapse of the group's self-pro-claimed caliphate.

Rawa's capture marks the end of Islamic State's era of territorial rule over a so-called caliphate that it pro-claimed in 2014 across vast swathes of Iraq and Syria.

Iraqi forces "liberated Rawa entirely, and raised the Iraqi flag over its build-ings," Lieutenant General Abdul Ameer Rasheed Yaral-lah said in a statement from the Joint Operations Com-mand.

Syria's army has also de-clared victory against Islamic State, but last week militants re-infiltrated Albu Kamal, near the border from Iraq, and are still fighting there, as well as in some villages and desert areas nearby.

News in brief

Palestinian shot for ‘ramming’ car into civilians JERUSALEM: A Palestinian rammed his car into two Israeli civilians in the oc-cupied West Bank Friday before trying to stab soldiers and being shot, the Israeli army said. The army said the attacker drove his car into the two Israelis near the Gush Etzion junction in the southern West Bank, leav-ing them both injured. "The assailant proceeded, armed with a knife, and attempted to stab (Israeli) soldiers," it added, saying he was shot and "severely injured" before harming anyone. (AFP)

IS fighters are still hiding in cellars where rubble has not been cleared away. They survive thanks to stores of food and water Khalaf al-Hadidi

Gulf / Middle East 13Saturday, November 18, 2017

AFPBRUSSELS

BELGIAN prosecutors asked a judge Friday to extra-dite axed Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont to Spain to face sedition charges over his region's independ-ence drive, with the court set-ting a date of December 4 for the next hearing.

Madrid issued a European arrest warrant for Puigdemont and four of his former minis-ters after they fled to Brussels last month and ignored a sum-mons to appear before a Span-ish judge, claiming they would not get a fair trial.

Lawyers for the Catalan separatists said prosecutors had formally asked the judge to approve the warrant during a hearing behind closed doors in Brussels on Friday -- the first round in what could become a protracted courtroom battle.

"The prosecutors asked for the execution of the Euro-pean arrest warrant" issued by Madrid, lawyer Christophe Marchand told reporters after-wards at the Palace of Justice in Brussels.

The proceedings were postponed until December 4, when the defence will put their case, a prosecutor's statement said.

"This decision was made to ensure that all parties in-volved can prepare and clari-fy their position regarding the execution of the European ar-rest warrants," the statement added.

But with both sides ex-pected to appeal if the judge rules against them, the case could drag on for up to three months, according to the Bel-gian justice minister.

This could leave Puigde-mont and his cadres still in Belgium when Catalonia goes to the polls on December 21 for an election ordered by Madrid to "restore normal-ity" to the wealthy northeast-ern region.

ECHR orders Greece to pay damages over probe of death in wiretap case

REUTERSATHENS

EUROPE’S top human rights court has faulted Greece for failing to fully investigate the death of a telecoms engineer in 2005 during a scandal over wiretapping of the country's political leadership.

Costas Tsalikidis, 38, was found hanged in his apart-ment in Athens in March 2005, around the time that Vodafone Greece told authori-ties of widespread wiretapping of much of the government, including the prime minister, via Vodafone's network.

Tsalikidis had worked for Vodafone.

On two occasions, Greek

judicial authorities ruled out foul play related to Tsa-likidis's death. He did not leave a note and his family said he was not suicidal. They took the case to the Euro-pean Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

"The Court considers that the national authorities failed to carry out an adequate and effective investigation into the circumstances surround-ing the death of Mr Tsa-likidis," the Strasbourg-based court said in a ruling dated Nov. 16.

It ordered Greece to pay Tsalikidis's family 50,000 eu-ros in damages for the state's failure to clarify circumstanc-es surrounding his death.

Sicilian Mafia ‘Beast’ Toto Riina diesAFPROME

FORMER "boss of bosses" Toto Riina, one of the most feared Godfathers in the his-tory of the Sicilian Mafia, died early Friday after bat-tling cancer.

Riina, who had been serv-ing 26 life sentences and is thought to have ordered more than 150 murders, had been in a medically induced coma after his health deteriorated following two operations.

The mobster, who turned 87 on Thursday, died in the prisoners' wing of a hospital in Parma in northern Italy, the government said.

Nicknamed "The Beast" because of his cruelty, Salva-tore "Toto" Riina led a reign of terror for decades after tak-ing control of Sicily's powerful organised crime group Cosa Nostra in the 1970s.

The highest-profile mur-ders he ordered were those in 1992 of anti-mafia judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, who had worked to bring more than 300 mobsters to trial in 1987.

"Riina will go down in his-tory as the man who destroyed Cosa Nostra," Mafia expert At-

tilio Bolzoni said."With his strategy of

bloody massacres in Sicily and across Italy... he turned an in-visible Mafia visible, with hun-dreds, thousands of murders, carried out first with Kalash-nikovs, then bombs."

But other anti-mafia ex-perts warned that the demise of the ex-superboss did not mean the end of Cosa Nostra.

"We must not lower our guard," Interior Minister And-

rea Orlando said."Though it may be less

noisy and bloody today, it is no less dangerous. The Mafia knows how to adapt," he said.

As anti-mafia prosecutor Giovanni Russo wryly noted, "business without gunshots is better business, so violence has become the last resort" for the criminal group, which har-bours ambitions for "interna-tional expansion".

Riina's family had been

given permission Thursday by Italy's health ministry for a rare visit to say goodbye, though Italian media reported that neither his wife nor chil-dren had made it in time.

"You're not Toto Riina to me, you're just my dad. And I wish you happy birthday dad on this sad but important day, I love you," one of his sons, Salvatore, wrote on Facebook.

Among his most famous crimes, Riina ordered the bru-tal murder of a 13-year-old boy who was kidnapped in a bid to stop his father from spilling Mafia secrets. The boy was strangled and his body dis-solved in acid.

AFPBERLIN

TOUGH talks to form Ger-many's next government stretched into overtime Fri-day, putting Chancellor An-gela Merkel's political future in the balance since failure to produce a deal could force snap elections.

Merkel's liberal policy on refugees, which let in more than a million asylum seekers since 2015, has come back to haunt her, with a motley crew of po-tential partners digging in their heels on diametrically opposed demands over immigration.

After weeks of quarrelsome exploratory talks, Merkel's CDU/CSU bloc, the pro-busi-

ness Free Democrats (FDP) and the left-leaning Greens are hoping to find enough common ground to begin formal coali-tion negotiations.

The awkward bedfellows have been pushed together by September's inconclusive elec-tion, which left Merkel badly weakened after the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD)

lured millions of voters angry over the refugee influx.

Merkel had initially said she wanted to wind up the negotiations by Thursday, but marathon overnight talks failed to produce a break-through.

Party leaders resumed their high-stakes haggling at midday Friday, and negotiators have signalled that the talks could drag into the weekend.

"We shouldn't put our-selves under pressure," said Peter Altmaier, Merkel's chief of staff.

He also voiced optimism about reaching a deal, saying that "the problem is solvable".

But the deputy leader of the liberal FDP, Wolfgang Ku-bicki, sounded more pessimis-tic, warning that "the positions have hardened".

Merkel herself acknowl-edged that "it will definitely be difficult, but it's worthwhile to go into round two today."

After suffering a humiliat-ing loss at the polls, the centre-left Social Democratic Party has gone into opposition and ruled out returning to a grand

coalition with Merkel.The chancellor, who has

steered Germany through crises including the global financial meltdown and the eurozone's debt woes, therefore risks hav-ing to face new elections if she fails to get the CSU, the FDP and the Greens on board.

But the potential tie-up, dubbed a "Jamaica coalition" because the parties' colours match those of the Jamaican flag, is untested at the national level, and questions abound about how stable such a gov-ernment would be.

Merkel’s fate in balance as German coalition talks drag on

AFPGOTHENBURG

EU President Donald Tusk warned Britain on Friday that it had until early December to make "much more progress" on divorce terms in order to unlock Brexit trade talks by the end of the year.

Reflecting growing impa-tience with London, Tusk's deadline followed talks with British Prime Minister Theresa May on the sidelines of an EU summit in Sweden that was meant to focus on reforms for the bloc's post-Brexit survival.

The European Union has for months demanded that Britain make "sufficient progress" on its divorce bill, citizens' rights and the Irish border in order to move on to talks about a future trade deal and transition period.

"We need to see much more progress on Ireland and on the financial settlement," Tusk, a former Polish prime minister, said at a press con-ference after the summit in the port city of Gothenburg.

"I made it very clear to Prime Minister May that this progress needs to happen at

the beginning of December at the latest" to allow time to prepare official guidelines for a summit in Brussels on De-cember 14 when leaders will discuss Brexit.

May and Tusk will make a further push on the issue next Friday, he said.

The EU chief was scathing when asked about comments by British Brexit negotiator David Davis that Britain had already made compromises, quipping: "I really appreciate Mr Davis's English sense of humour."

May, whose government has been pressing for talks on the post-Brexit future while shrugging off EU pressure on the divorce terms, was more upbeat as she left the summit.

"We've agreed that good progress has been made, more

does need to be done, but we're clear and I'm clear that what we need to do is move forward together," seeking the best deal for both, May said.

Under pressure at home and abroad over Brexit, May embarked on a diplomatic of-fensive in Gothenburg which also saw her meet French Presi-dent Emmanuel Macron as well as her counterparts from Ire-land, Poland and Sweden.

British media reports have suggested May could be ready to double the UK's 20 billion euro ($24 billion) offer on the exit bill in a bid to clear what has been the most difficult hurdle in talks so far. The EU says the bill is around 60 bil-lion euros.

But the Irish border issue has become particularly sensi-

tive, with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar threatening to block progress in December without a "written" guarantee that there will be no "hard bor-der" with Northern Ireland.

"If we have to wait until the new year, or if we have to wait for further concessions, so be it," Varadkar said.

The next EU summits are in February, March and June, which would leave little time for trade talks before Britain leaves the bloc in March 2019, though in theory Tusk can summon leaders for a special Brexit meeting at any time.

But Tusk's deadline does in theory give Britain an extra week to make concessions, af-ter the EU's Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier set his own two-week deadline on November 10.

EU’s Tusk sets early December Brexit ultimatum for PM May

The German Chancellor’s liberal policy on refugees, which let in more than a million asylum seekers since 2015, has come back to haunt her

The European Union has for months demanded that Britain make ‘sufficient progress’ on its divorce bill

May on diplomatic offensive

Not ready to let Brexit talks move on to trade: Ireland

REUTERSDUBLIN

BRITAIN and Ireland clashed over Brexit on Fri-day with Dublin saying it was not ready to allow talks to move on to trade issues next month and London ruling out the much longer transitional period pre-ferred by its neighbour.

The border between EU-member Ireland and North-ern Ireland, which will be the UK's only land frontier with the bloc after its de-parture, is one of three is-sues Brussels wants broadly solved before it decides in

December whether to move the talks onto a second phase about trade, as Brit-ain wants.

Meeting in Dublin, Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and his Irish counterpart Simon Coveney struck an amicable tone but remained far apart on sev-eral key aspects.

"Yes we all want to move onto phase two of the Brexit negotiations but we are not in a place right now that al-lows us to do that," Coveney said. "We have very serious issues, particularly around the border, that need more clarity."

Belgian prosecutors ask court to allow Catalan ex-leader’s Spain extradition

Axed Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont

Britain’s Prime minister Theresa May walks on a pier after leaving the luncheon during the European Social Summit in Gothenburg, Sweden, on Friday. (AFP)

Mafia boss Salvatore “Toto” Riina during his trial at the high security prison Ucciardone in Palermo. (AFP)

Syrian’s looming deportation rocks Slovenia

AFPLJUBLJANA

THE FATE of a Syrian mi-grant set to be deported is rocking Slovenian poli-tics, with Prime Minister Miro Cerar's allies turning against him and the oppo-sition threatening a mo-tion of impeachment.

Ahmad Shamieh, 42, arrived in the small Eu-ropean Union country in 2016 in a wave of mi-grants travelling along the so-called Balkan route from Greece to-wards northern Europe.

The father-of-five has made a large effort to in-tegrate, learning basic Slovenian, organising workshops for other mi-grants and becoming a popular figure in the local community.

But his asylum re-quest has been denied and Slovenian and Euro-pean Union courts have ruled that he must be sent back to neighbour-ing Croatia, where he first registered.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel

This decision was made to ensure that all parties involved can prepare and clarify their position regarding the execution of the European arrest warrantsMadrid statement

Merchant of deathRiina, who had been serving 26 life sentences and is thought to have ordered more than 150 murders, had been in a medically induced coma after his health deteriorated following two operations

UK / Europe14 Saturday, November 18, 2017

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The Last Word16 Saturday, November 18, 2017

Katara, Boston Global Institute sign MoU THE Cultural Village Foundation - Katara inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for cooperation with Boston Global Institute on Thursday.

Katara General Manager Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim al Sulaiti and Executive-Director of Boston Global Institute Dr Randya Ke-mer attended the signing event held at Ka-tara’s Amphitheatre.

Dr Sulaiti said, “It is our utmost pleas-ure to collaborate with the Boston Global Institute. The MoU aims to promote com-munication and exchange of knowledge in the fields of education, scientific research and vocational training, as well as to estab-lish beneficial joint conferences, seminars and workshops”

“Signing such agreements with na-tional and international organisations stems from Katara’s keenness to en-hance knowledge and spread the tempt-ing culture of creativity and innovation. This is in addition to building national capacities that are aligned with Qatar National Vision 2030, which is founded on providing knowledge to all genera-tions while responding to the needs of society, which is one of Katara’s top pri-orities,” he added.

Dr Kemer expressed her utmost ap-preciation and gratitude to the Cultural Village, saying, “We are looking forward to work closely with the Cultural Village on relevant workshops and training that stimulate from the arising culture and her-itage field.” (TNN)

3rd Fath Al-Kheir sails off from Katara beachTRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK

DOHA

THE third Fath Al-Kheir sea voyage, part of the Cultural Village Foundation - Katara’s 7th Traditional Dhow Festival, sailed off at 4pm on Friday.

A large number of digni-taries, including HE Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad al Thani, Minister of Energy and In-dustry HE Dr Mohammed bin Saleh al Sada, General Man-ager of Katara Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim al Sulaiti and former minister of culture, arts and heritage HE Hamad bin Ab-delaziz al Kuwari, as well as maritime enthusiasts from all walks of life gathered on Ka-tara beach to witness the event.

The voyage started with ‘Al-Dasha’, where the dhow

started sailing from Katara beach heading to the Corniche. Thereafter, the dhow is sched-uled to leave for Oman and Ku-wait, before returning to Qatar on December 18, as citizens and expatriates celebrate Qa-tar’s National Day.

The traditional dhow has 16 Qatari sailors led by Captain Mohamed Youssef al Sada and Abdullah al Tamimi.

The Traditional Dhow Festival is continuing at Ka-tara with activities and events scheduled to continue until November 18. This year’s fes-tival is special with its wide regional and international participation, including by Ku-wait, Oman, Iraq, Turkey, In-dia, Greece, Zanzibar and Iran.

The participating countries have also opened seafood ki-

osks at the venue, displaying their seafood cuisines.

In the evening, Omani and Qatari artistes dressed in

vivid traditional attires and equipped with drums en-thralled Katara’s visitors with maritime songs that their an-

cestors used to sing during pearl-diving and fishing.

Traditional Dhow Festival is at the forefront of the cul-

tural and heritage events host-ed by Katara annually. It has attained an important status at regional and international

levels with its diverse activities that highlight the rich regional and international maritime heritage.

Rare books exhibition and jazz music spice up Romanian Cultural Days event

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORKDOHA

A photo exhibition of rare books and a Jazz musical event heralded the four-day Romanian Cultural Days festival being held by the Romanian Cultural Institute in cooperation with the Embassy of Romania in Qatar and the Cultural Village Foundation - Katara.

The exhibition was inaugurated by Katara Human Resources Direc-tor Saif al Saeed and Ambassador of Romania to Qatar HE Dr Cris-tian Tudor.

The exhibition displays rare books of Romania and its people, Romanian folk tales, Romanian folk culture, the story of Carpathians Salt, Celestial maps of Cellarius on manual paper, among others, be-sides photos of erstwhile Romania and several mountain paintings. The expo has attracted a large number of Romanian history lovers.

The Jazz musical evening by the Pan Terra Jazz Band at the Drama Theatre was also enjoyed by an enthusiastic and distinguished audience, including the ambassa-dor of Romania to Qatar and other dignitaries.

A Romanian professional in Doha, Dana Popescu, who attend-ed the Jazz musical event with her friends, said: “It is very nice and

attractive. You can see Romania in the art form. I am sure music from our part of the world will be appre-ciated by the people in Qatar. It is indeed very appreciable of Katara to host something like this and we from Romania are glad and thank-ful. I hope more and more people come and see the exhibition and musical events.”

A lot of people from other na-tionalities were among the audi-ence too.

“Doha is a big melting pot and it brings such great cultures, his-tory and music to the fore for all of us to see, listen and enjoy. It’s great being here,” said one such music

aficionado who was present at the Jazz music event.

Three more music concerts were held at Katara Drama Thea-

tre starting at 7pm on November 15, 16 and 17 featuring Classical Music by ConTempo Ensemble, Folklore by Ioana Maria Ardelean

and Classical Music by the Arcadia Quarter on each day at the Drama Theatre, Building 16 of Katara Cul-tural Village.

Fun weekends for children at Doha Festival CityFROM a Nerf Wars Battlefield games to Lego workshops, a wide line-up of fun-filled activities awaits children on weekends at Doha Festival City, the largest entertain-ment, fashion and dining des-tination in Qatar.

Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday from November 23 to December 9, children can enjoy a whole host of fun and enter-tainment activities across the mall for free. Hitting Bullseye – Nerf Wars Battlefield Zone: Children will need to arm themselves with nerf guns and bullets in Doha Festival City’s Nerf Wars Battle-field Zone.Busy Builders – Lego Workshops: Bring out your inner building skills and get into the fun with two different ses-sions, a classic Lego Mozaics for 2-6 year olds, and Lego Chain Reactions for 7-12 year olds.Happy Dives – Ball Pit: Doha Festival City is bringing back the ultimate ball pit mania, where young ones can jump into hours of fun, perfect for toddlers and younger kids. (TNN)

THE Oxygen Park at the Education City was abuzz with activities as thousands participated in the Beat Diabetes’ walkathon wearing blue T-shirts and caps on Friday. The event started by releasing blue balloons. It also featured face painting for children and mass warm-up sessions led by First Fitness. Officials from Qatar Biomedical Research Institute were also present to educate people about stem cells while the participants were treated to a complimen-tary healthy meal.

Recent figures from the seventh edition of the Interna-tional Diabetes Federation’s (IDF) Diabetes Atlas indicate that the number of people living with diabetes around the world is expected to rise from 415 million to 642 million by 2040. A sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy eating habits and low levels of awareness are noted as key contributors to the rapid incidence of type 2 diabetes in Middle East and North Africa. (CATHERINE W GICHUKI/DOHA)

(PHOTOGRAPHS BY RAFEEK PALAYOOR)

Thousands participate in ‘Beat Diabetes’ walkathon at Education City’s Oxygen Park

AFP/IANSNEW DELHI

MOODY’S on Friday upgrad-ed India’s credit rating for the first time in more than a dec-ade, citing economic reforms introduced under Prime Min-ister Narendra Modi.

The move comes almost two months after the Moody’s

and Standard & Poor’s low-ered their ratings on regional rival China citing the country’s ballooning debt burden.

Moody’s raised its rating on India to Baa2 from Baa3, the first such move since January 2004, saying recent reforms would enhance productivity, stimulate foreign and domestic investment and foster “strong

and sustainable growth”.These include a new na-

tional goods and services tax and a controversial 2016 ban on high-value bank notes aimed at tackling widespread tax evasion.

“Continued progress on economic and institutional re-forms will, over time, enhance India’s high growth potential,” the agency said.

Modi swept to power in 2014 on a promise to reform India’s economy and create jobs for a burgeoning youth

population.But critics point out that

joblessness remains high and the reforms have not come without pain.

They have acted as a drag on growth, which hit a three year low of 5.7 percent in the first quarter of the current fi-nancial year.

Finance Minister Arun Jait-ley called the upgrade “a belat-ed recognition of all the positive steps which have been taken in India in the last few years”.

“It’s extremely encourag-

ing that there’s an internation-al recognition and it merely furthers our determination to follow the track which we have embarked upon,” Jaitley told reporters.

The move boosted Indian stocks more than one percent, while the rupee strengthened to 64.86 against the dollar, from Thursday’s 65.29.

“The decision to upgrade the ratings is underpinned by Moody’s expectation that con-tinued progress on economic and institutional reforms will,

over time, enhance India’s high growth potential and its large and stable financing base for government debt, and will likely contribute to a gradual decline in the general govern-ment debt burden over the medium term,” a Moody’s In-vestor Service release said.

“Moody’s believes that the reforms put in place have reduced the risk of a sharp in-crease in debt, even in poten-tial downside scenarios.”

The revision of the sov-ereign rating of India a notch

above investment grade also lifted investors’ sentiments at the Indian equity markets.

The S&P BSE Sensex closed the day’s trade 235.98 points up and NSE Nifty50 68.85 points up.

“Those (reforms) imple-mented to date will advance the government’s objective of im-proving the business climate, enhancing productivity, stimu-lating foreign and domestic investment and ultimately fos-tering strong and sustainable growth,” the agency said.

REUTERSLONDON

OIL prices rose on Friday but were still on track for a week of losses due to concerns about oversupply, as signs of rising US output were com-pounded by doubts that Rus-sia would support an OPEC deal to extend curbs on pro-duction.

Benchmark Brent crude oil LCOc1 was up 66 cents at $62.04 a barrel by 1400 GMT, recovering some ground after five sessions of losses.

US light crude hit a three-day high, rising more than $1 before easing back to $56.08, 94 cents up on the day.

“An end-of-week rebound is helping the energy complex claw back some of its recent losses though both crude markers are still on track for their first weekly decline in six,” oil brokerage PVM said on Friday.

A 5,000-barrel oil leak in South Dakota — that led TransCanada Corp to shut part of its Keystone pipeline system on Thursday — add-ed to the bullish tone, PVM said.

But prices were still on track to fall between 2 and 3 percent since the end of last week, as fears of oversupply in the United States weighed.

Crude oil production in the US C-OUT-T-EIA hit a record of 9.65 million bar-rels per day (bpd) this month,

meaning US output has risen by almost 15 percent since mid-2016.

The International Energy Agency said on Thursday that the United States would ac-count for 80 percent of the global increase in oil produc-tion over the next 10 years.

“Let’s assume that US oil production continues its up-ward trajectory. They could very well be at 10 million bpd by the end of 2017,” said Matt Stanley, a fuel broker

at Freight Investor Services (FIS) in Dubai.

Signs this week of rising

output in the United States have dampened the impact of a deal restricting output agreed by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Russia and several other producers.

Its curbs on oil output had propped up prices, taking Brent above $64 last week to highs not seen since 2015.

“Upside potential is being capped by oversupply con-cerns fueled by the surge in US crude production,” PVM

said. The agreement expires in March and was expected to be extended at OPEC’s next meeting on Nov. 30.

But signs that Russian support for the deal may be wavering have injected un-certainty and undermined the recent rally.

US investment bank Jef-feries said Russian backing for formalizing an extension appeared “questionable, even if only to defer the decision” to the first quarter of 2018.

Prices on track to fall between 2% and 3% on fears of oversupply in the United States

The agency lauds India’s new GST and a controversial 2016 ban on high-value bills

The International Energy Agency on Thursday said the US would account for 80% of the global increase in oil production over the next 10 years.

Oil climbs, but still set for 1st weekly fall in six

MADRID: Former IMF head Rodrigo Rato will go on trial for fraud over the failed 2011 listing of Bankia, a bank he led which later had to be rescued by the state, a Spanish court said Friday. Rato, a former Spanish economy minister, is accused along with three other executives of falsifying informa-tion about Bankia’s financial state to encourage investors to buy into its stock market listing in 2011. (AFP)

COPENHAGEN: Alphabet Inc’s Google said it has bought a plot of land in southern Denmark adjacent to a planned Apple Inc data centre to make sure it has the option of building one there too. Apple said in July it would spend around $950 million to build a centre with a planned opening in 2019. If Google fol-lows suit it would make the area one of the world’s largest data centre hubs, the local municipal-ity Aabenraa said. (REUTERS)

Google buys plot near Apple’s planned Danish data centre

Ex-IMF head Rato to be tried for banking fraud: Spain court

Moody’s upgrades India’s rating to Baa2, citing reforms

REUTERSMELBOURNE/SINGAPORE

TAKEOVER interest in Aus-tralia’s Santos, a company that not long ago was drown-ing in debt, shines a spotlight on a burgeoning hotspot for oil and gas producers: Papua New Guinea.

The South Pacific nation, one of the world’s least ex-plored countries but known for corruption and violence, has become a key source of growth for two of the world’s biggest energy companies — ExxonMobil Corp and Total SA — looking to expand their liquefied natural gas (LNG) businesses.

With oil and gas LNG-AS prices recovering this year

and LNG demand especially in China skyrocketing, inves-tors are scouring the globe for juicy investments, and Papua New Guinea has landed on their radar.

Now private equity wants to get in on the game, with US-based Harbour Energy eyeing a bid for Santos Ltd, Australia’s no.2 independ-ent gas producer, which has a 13.5 percent stake in Exx-onMobil’s Papua New Guinea LNG project (PNG LNG).

“As an acquisition, the prize jewels in Santos are its stakes in PNG LNG,” said Saul Kavonic of energy con-sultancy Wood Mackenzie.

Investors are attracted by Papua New Guinea’s high-yielding gas fields, with the

gas rich in liquids that gen-erate extra revenue, and eas-ily exported to North Asia’s booming markets as LNG on tankers.

Costs are low, a key to grabbing the next leg of growth in the LNG market, as plants in Australia and the United States flood the mar-ket with new supply.

Santos is not the only company to have caught the attention of investors be-cause of its Papua New Guin-ea assets.

Oil Search limited, Exx-onMobil’s partner in PNG, fended off an $8 billion ap-proach from Australia’s big-gest energy company, Wood-side Petroleum, two years ago, around the same time

Santos rebuffed a bid from a fund backed by the royal fam-ilies of Brunei and the United Arab Emirates.

ExxonMobil sealed its dominance in the country by taking over InterOil, another PNG player, for $2 billion earlier this year after trump-ing a bid from Total and Oil Search.

Regrouping after San-

tos spurned an A$9.5 bil-lion ($7.2 billion) approach, Harbour Energy may have to pay more than A$11 billion to snare its target in what would be one of the biggest oil and gas deals since Royal Dutch Shell took over BG Group to become the world’s biggest listed LNG producer.

Santos was in deep trou-ble just a few years ago, strug-gling with high debt and low oil and gas prices. But asset sales, debt reduction and cost-cutting have led it back to health.

Some analysts now say a bid even at A$11 billion would be too low, in part due to its production costs, to which Papua New Guinea contributes.

Bid for Santos puts spotlight on PNG’s juicy LNG assets

Investors are attracted by Papua New Guinea’s high-yielding gas fields.

Quick read

Exchange rateCurrency buy QR sell QR

US 3.6315 3.6495

Euro 4.2505 4.3751

Pound Sterling 4.7396 4.8642

Indian Rupee 0.0552 0.0564

Pakistani Rupee 00000 0.0350

Philippine Peso 0.0704 0.0727

SriLankan Rupee 00000 0.0244

Bangladeshi Taka 00000 0.0452

Nepalese Rupee 00000 0.0358

Japanese Yen 0.0321 0.0332

Kuwaiti Dinar 11.879 12.150

Omani Riyal 9.2560 9.5740

Saudi Riyal 0.9570 0.9791

UAE Dirham 0.9770 0.9968

Bahraini Dinar 9.5610 9.7650

Source: www.dohabank.com.qa

Dwindling British fortunes to be laid bare

REUTERSDUBLIN

THE diverging trajectories of Britain and other major econo-mies are set to be further laid bare in the coming week with London’s budget forecasters poised to cut their growth out-look and data elsewhere likely to remain solid.

Finance minister Philip Hammond will deliver Britain’s budget for 2018 on Wednesday, likely the last full spending and tax plan before the terms of Brex-it are hammered out with the economy set for a difficult year as its EU withdrawal approaches.

Under pressure for bold ac-tion after a disastrous election in June highlighted voters’ wea-riness with years of austerity, Hammond has almost no scope for sizeable tax cuts or a big in-crease in investment, unless he tears up his budget rules aiming to turn the deficit into a surplus by the mid-2020s.

Coming hot on the heels of the first increase in UK inter-est rates for over 10 years, Brit-ain’s budget forecasters have said they will “significantly” cut their outlook for productiv-ity growth, complicating an al-ready delicate task.

“The Chancellor is in an un-enviable position heading into the budget,” Mark Gregory, chief UK economist at account-ancy firm EY, wrote in a note.

“Given the major uncer-tainties facing the economy centred on Brexit, the Chancel-lor is reportedly concerned that investor confidence in the UK could be seriously damaged if he abandons the fiscal frame-work adopted only a year ago.”

“However if he maintains his fiscal stance, the UK econ-omy will be facing both mon-etary and fiscal tightening at the same time as growth slows - a potentially unappetising cocktail.”

Leak-induced spike A 5,000-barrel oil leak in

South Dakota — that led TransCanada Corp to shut part of its Keystone pipeline system on Thursday — added to the bullish tone

As an acquisition, the prize jewels in Santos are its stakes in PNG LNG.Saul Kavonic of energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie

Also see page 18

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2017

Tesla unveils prototype electric truck, sporty Roadster PAGE 19

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REUTERSLONDON/FRANKFURT

TOP national lenders Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank are stepping up efforts to offload distressed shipping loans, fi-nance sources said, as the Ger-man banking system grapples with $100 billion in toxic debt from the sector.

While the shipping sector is showing signs of recovery after a near-decade long down-turn, it is still struggling with an excess of ships and sluggish growth in global trade, which has led to some shipping com-

panies going to the wall.German banks, once global

leaders in ship financing, have written off billions of euros in loans to shipping companies, while other European lenders - facing capital pressure from regulators - have quit the busi-ness.

Two finance sources with knowledge of the matter said Deutsche Bank, Germany’s flagship lender, is looking to ringfence at least $250 million of distressed shipping loans and package them in a unit within the group, with a view to selling the debt going for-

ward.“The idea is to package

them together in one part of the bank - given how many units there are in Deutsche - and then look to sell them off at a discount. This appears to be a new approach by them,” one of the sources said.

It was unclear how long the process would take, but the source said further tranches of loans could also be transferred.

A third finance source said Deutsche had been looking at warehousing distressed ship-ping loans for some time.

The bank declined to com-

ment.In its quarterly results last

month, Deutsche said its loan exposure to the shipping sec-tor was approximately 5 billion euros ($5.90 billion). “A high proportion of the portfolio is sub investment-grade rated in reflection of the prolonged challenging market conditions over recent years,” it said.

In July 2016, sources told Reuters that Deutsche Bank was looking to sell at least $1 billion of shipping loans.

However, Deutsche’s 2016 annual report showed its loan exposure to shipping was still

around 5 billion euros - indi-cating little movement to date.

German banks are estimat-ed by shipping finance sources to be holding at least $100 billion in distressed shipping loans and shipping finance sources say much of this debt is unlikely to be recouped in full, meaning heavy losses on investments.

Banks in Germany were particularly exposed to con-tainer shipping, a market that has been weak for years.

In a separate move two fi-nance sources said Commerz-bank, Germany’s second big-

gest bank, had in recent weeks sold over $300 million of ship-ping loans to Germany’s Ber-enberg Bank and investment fund Cross Ocean Partners.

Berenberg told Reuters it had purchased “middle three-digit shipping loans from Commerzbank in conjunction with a U.S. private equity/debt fund”, without providing fur-ther details.

Commerzbank declined to comment, while Cross Ocean did not respond to requests for comment.

Commerzbank said this month it had reduced its ship-

ping portfolio by more than 30 percent - or 1.5 billion eu-ros - in the first nine months of this year to 3.3 billion euros, and the bank was on track for a year-end target of around 3 billion euros.

It added that it was consid-ering running down its ship-ping portfolio “even faster than planned”.

“The ship finance rundown will be almost completely fi-nalised well before the origi-nal 2020 target,” Commerz-bank’s Chief Financial Officer Stephan Engels told a Novem-ber earnings call.

Germany’s top banks step up efforts to offload toxic shipping debt

REUTERSLONDON

BRITISH economic growth will remain tepid over the coming few years, lagging well behind its peers, and could even be worse than econo-mists polled by Reuters cur-rently predict, as most say risks to their forecasts are to the downside.

These findings are in stark contrast to a Reuters poll also taken Nov. 13-16 on the euro zone, which found economists at their most optimistic about economic performance on the Continent since the financial crisis.

Rather than sinking into a predicted mild recession fol-lowing its shock June 2016 decision to leave the European Union, Britain was for a while one of the best-performing de-veloped economies.

But this year it has quickly fallen behind to be the laggard. Spending by consumers, who drove a large part of that early growth, is now being squeezed by price rises far outpacing wage increases.

"While we expect price pressures to ease in the new year, UK households will continue to see their spend-ing power decrease for some time as wage growth remains lacklustre," wrote Kay Daniel Neufeld, senior economist at the Centre for Economics and Business Research, a consul-tancy.

Median forecasts in the poll of nearly 80 economists, taken this week, was for the British economy to expand just 0.3-0.4 percent per quar-ter through to June 2018, with growth of 1.5 percent this year and 1.3 percent the next.

That is significantly slower than annual growth rates of 2.2 and 1.9 percent predicted for the euro zone economy, which over the past decade has tended to underperform Britain.

While the poll found only a median 20 percent chance of a UK recession in the coming year, 60 percent of economists who answered an extra question said the risk to their forecasts was to the downside.

"Risks to our main sce-nario for UK growth in 2018 are weighted somewhat to the downside due in large part to the risk of adverse political shocks, particularly around the Brexit negotiations," noted John Hawksworth, chief econ-omist at Pricewaterhouse-Coopers.

Britain is scheduled to leave the EU by the end of March 2019 when two years of negotiations over the divorce settlement and future rela-tionship come to a close.

So far, those negotiations have been far from fruitful. A Reuters poll last month said the most likely eventual out-come would be an EU-UK free trade agreement, but it also found the chance of a disor-derly Brexit - where no deal was agreed - had crept higher to 30 percent.

"We see Brexit as the main driver of the economic out-look, and given the uncertain-

ty about how the talks will play out, a wide range of potential outcomes for the economy," Morgan Stanley economists wrote to clients.

Similarly, foreign ex-change strategists in a recent Reuters poll said progress in the divorce talks would give the biggest boost to sterling in

the coming year.British inflation soared af-

ter sterling plummeted in the aftermath of the Brexit vote - it registered 3.0 percent in October. But it is likely to drift lower in coming years.

The poll predicted average consumer prices rising an av-erage 2.7 percent this year, 2.5 percent next and 2.2 percent in 2019 - all above the central bank's 2 percent target. A plu-rality of economists said fore-cast risks were skewed to the upside.

Inflation unexpectedly held steady last month, wrong-footing the Bank of England and raising fresh questions about the wisdom of its first rate rise in a decade earlier this month and just how fast the central bank will follow up with another.

The latest Reuters poll predicts the next increase, of another 25 basis points, not to come until towards the end

of next year. But that call was on a knife's edge, with 28 of 55 respondents going for a hike by year-end and 27 saying no change.

"We still think the Com-mittee - or a majority of its members - are minded to raise rates again. Whether the econ-omy retains enough momen-tum into 2018 to allow them to do so is another question," wrote Elizabeth Martins at HSBC.

Bank Governor Mark Car-ney has warned Brexit will make the economy even more inflation-prone and aggravate Britain's weak productivity growth.

The Office for Budget Re-sponsibility, established by the UK government to provide independent economic pre-dictions, will publish its latest forecasts for productivity on Wednesday, the day Finance Minister Philip Hammond presents his budget.

UK growth to lag peers; next rate hike year away

An English five pound note and coins are seen at a restaurant in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. (REUTERS/FILE)

Median forecasts in a poll of nearly 80 economists has UK growing at 0.3-0.4% against Eurozone’s 1.9-2.2%

Shell’s Muller quits as world’s biggest crude oil trader

REUTERSLONDON

THE world’s most power-ful crude oil trader, Royal Dutch Shell’s head of oil trading Mike Muller, has stepped down after 29 years with the company, an internal announcement reviewed by Reuters on Fri-day showed.

Muller, whose desk trades more oil than any rival, has relinquished his role with immediate effect and will leave at the end of the year “to pursue interests outside of Shell”.

His departure follows the appointment of Andrew Smith as Shell’s new head of supply and trading earlier this year.

Mark Quartermain, currently head of refined products trading, has been appointed Vice President Trading and Supply Crude with effect from Dec. 1.

Under Muller, a Cam-bridge university gradu-ate, Shell expanded trading aggressively, handling as much as 8 million barrels per day and often taking large position in core mar-kets such as the North Sea, home to benchmark crude Brent.

Smith recently said trading was Shell’s “nerve centre” as it shifts millions of barrels of crude and re-fined products from fields to its refineries and con-sumers.

Though Shell does not

disclose separately its rev-enue from supply trading, they often help offset de-clines in crude oil produc-tion when oil prices slump, as has been the case over the past three years, by making profits from price volatility and supply disruptions.

Shell, the world’s sec-ond largest publicly-traded oil company, traded more oil than any of its top rivals such as BP or trading hous-es Vitolor Glencore.

Shell also helped Mexico hedge its oil output for 2017 and in 2018 become the first oil major to join the pro-gramme, which has usually been dominated by big Wall Street banks.

Muller’s replacement Quartermain has been re-sponsible for driving the integration between trad-ing, supply and commer-cial fuels since 2014, when Shell launched a reform of its downstream business which involved bringing trading closer to serving the wider company rather than pursuing its own profits.

Brexit impact Risks to UK’s main

scenario for growth in 2018 are weighted somewhat to the downside due in large part to the risk of adverse political shocks, particularly around the Brexit talks

Progress in the divorce talks would give the biggest boost to sterling in the coming year, foreign exchange strategists say

Siemens to cut 6,900 jobs to tackle flailing turbines business

REUTERSFRANKFURT

SIEMENS will cut about 6,900 jobs, or close to 2 percent of its global workforce, mainly at its power and gas division, which has been hit by the rapid growth of renewables.

Most of the cuts, about 6,100, will be made before 2020 at Sie-mens's Power and Gas division, which once thrived on supplying large gas turbines for electricity generation but has been overtaken by the global surge in solar and wind capacity.

"The power generation indus-try is experiencing disruption of unprecedented scope and speed,"

Siemens management board mem-ber Lisa Davis said. "With their innovative strength and rapidly expanding generation capacity, renewables are putting other forms of power generation under increas-ing pressure," she added.

Siemens' Process Industries and Drives division, which makes large mechanical drives for oil and gas extraction and turbines, will also be hit, Siemens said, not ruling out forced layoffs as part of the plan.

Aside from loss-making wind power venture Siemens Gamesa , Process Industries and Drives was Siemens's least profitable business last quarter, with a profit margin of just 2.9 percent.

Siemens said roughly half of the job cuts would be made in Germa-ny, a move likely to be unpopular with politicians currently trying

to form a government. It did not specify the costs of the layoffs.

IG Metall, Germany's largest trade union, lashed out at manage-

ment, accusing Siemens of having been to late in responding to the crisis in conventional power gen-eration and demanding no forced redundancies be implemented.

"Job cuts of this magnitude are totally unacceptable given the company is in an outstanding overall position," said IG Metall board member Juergen Kerner, who also sits on Siemens's supervi-sory board.

German Economy Minister Brigitte Zypries urged Siemens to treat employees fairly. "The work-ers are very concerned and uncer-tain about their future. I hope that Siemens works closely with the unions to find fair solutions for the affected sites."

She said particularly sites in structurally weak regions should be preserved.

In contrast to arch-rival Gen-eral Electric, Siemens was able to shield itself from a sharp down-

turn in demand for large turbines thanks to an 8 billion-euro ($9 billion) order for power generation in Egypt - the largest in its his-tory - which has kept its German factories humming for the past two years.

As that order has now been fulfilled, both groups find them-selves staring into a future of vast overcapacity, where supply out-strips demand by a ratio of three to one, and prices have dropped 30 percent since 2014.

Demand for powerplant sized gas turbines has tumbled and is expected to bottom out at 110 tur-bines a year, compared with total global manufacturing capacity of around 400 turbines, Siemens said.

"The market is burning to the ground," Siemens board member Janina Kugel who is in charge of group human resources, told journalists in a call following the announcement.

A Siemens workers at turbine producing plant in Berlin. (REUTERS/FILE)

PRESSURE FROM RENEWABLES

Hammer to fall hardest in power & gas division Power industry experiences disruption

Mike Muller’s departure follows the appointment of Andrew Smith as Shell’s new head of supply.

Mike Muller

Economy & Business18 Saturday, November 18, 2017

REUTERSTOKYO

THE dollar steadied on Fri-day after coming off the week’s lows against its peers as earlier risk aversion in global financial markets re-ceded, pushing up US yields.

The dollar index against a basket of six major currencies was little changed at 93.822.

The index had edged up overnight to pull away from a four-week trough of 93.402

set on Wednesday. Wall Street shares rallied over-night after sagging through much of the week, causing a 4 basis points jump in the long-term Treasury yield to shore up the dollar.

The greenback was a shade lower at 112.935 yen.

The dollar had bounced overnight from a one-month low of 112.470 yen midweek as an ebb in investor confi-dence halted a surge in global equities and lifted the Japa-

nese currency.“While the comeback

in equities has stopped the recent decline in Treasury yields, focus remains on US tax reforms,” said Junichi Ishikawa, senior forex strate-gist at IG Securities in Tokyo.

“Yields cannot rise much further when it is unclear whether tax reforms can go through this year. Dollar/yen can test the 114.00 han-dle but lacks momentum for a sustained surge under such

conditions.”The US House of Repre-

sentatives on Thursday ap-proved a broad package of tax cuts sought by President Donald Trump. The debate now moves to the Senate, where Republican majority is smaller and no decisive action is expected until after next week’s Thanksgiving holiday.

The euro inched up 0.1 percent to $1.1785, trimming overnight losses.

The common currency

was on track to gain 1 percent on the week. It had rallied to a one-month high of $1.1862 on Wednesday after data showed strong growth for Germany’s economy in the third quarter.

Sterling extended gains after drawing support over-night when an initiative by European Central Bank Pres-ident Donald Tusk on Brexit negotiations was taken as mildly positive.

The pound rose 0.1 per-

cent to $1.3204 to put further distance between the week’s low of $1.3063 marked on Monday when perceived troubles for British Prime Minister Theresa May hurt the currency.

The Australian dollar was little changed at $0.7585 . It was poised to end 1 percent lower on the week, during which it sank to a near five-month low of $0.7567 on lower commodity prices and weak domestic data.

Dollar steadies after 4-week lows as risk aversion ebbs, yields rise

REUTERS

TWENTY-FIRST Century Fox Inc shares jumped 8 percent in premarket trading on Friday after sources said both Com-cast Corp and Verizon Com-munications Inc were also in-terested in buying parts of its studio and TV operations.

A week after reports of interest from Walt Disney Co in buying out much of Rupert Murdoch’s US film and televi-sion empire, the sources hint-ed at the prospect of a battle between other media suitors for the assets.

Buyers have expressed in-terest in Fox’s production stu-dios, cable networks FX and National Geographic, and in-ternational assets such as the

Star network in India and Sky Plc, sources told Reuters on Thursday.

“Either Disney or Comcast would be a good fit, but its al-ways about price and neither has to be a strategic buyer, only opportunistic,” said JBL Advisors analyst Jeffrey Logsdon.

Shares of other media companies which could be dragged into a round of con-solidation of US film and TV production and distribution were largely unchanged.

Comcast, the largest cable provider in the United States, has steadily boosted its con-tent ownership over the years and buying Fox’s assets would give it an international distri-bution footprint and strength-

en its position against Disney.Traditional media compa-

nies have been struggling with subscriber declines as stream-ing service Netflix has gained traction with younger audi-ences that shun traditional ca-ble and satellite offerings.

Netflix and Verizon shares were marginally higher in pre-market trade on Friday. Dis-ney and Comcast shares both inched down.

Fox and Disney are co-owners of Hulu, a streaming

service that offers on-demand and live TV packages. Hulu is also partially owned by Com-cast and Time Warner Inc.

Although acquisition of a movie studio and cable chan-nels would be a departure for wireless carrier Verizon, its in-terest in Fox assets was likely piqued by rival AT&T’s bid for HBO and CNN owner Time Warner, which is awaiting reg-ulatory approval.

“(I am) skeptical of a Ve-rizon deal, creative businesses are very tough to manage for an outsider,” Logsdon said.

Fox’s other assets include Fox television network, Fox News Channel and Fox Enter-tainment Group, which owns the popular movies studio 20th Century Fox.

Fox shares jump 8 percent on signs of more takeover interest

Buying Fox’s assets would give Comcast an international distribution footprint. (REUTERS)

The Tesla Semi, the company’s electric big-rig truck is seen in this undated handout image released on November 16, 2017. (REUTERS)

REUTERSHAWTHORNE

TESLA Inc has unveiled a pro-totype electric big-rig truck that it will start producing in 2019, throwing itself into a new market even as it struggles to roll out an affordable sedan on which the company’s future de-pends.

Chief Executive Elon Musk unveiled the big rig, dubbed the Tesla Semi, by riding the truck into an airport hangar near Los Angeles in front of a crowd of Tesla car owners and potential buyers.

Later the semi truck opened its trailer, and a new Roadster drove out. The car is an updated version of Tesla’s first production vehicle. It can seat four and travel 620 miles (1,000 km) on a single charge, a new record for an electric ve-hicle, Musk said. It can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour (100 km per hour) in 1.9 seconds.

Musk has described electric

trucks as Tesla’s next effort to move the economy away from fossil fuels through projects in-cluding electric cars, solar roofs and power storage.

Some analysts fear the truck will be an expensive dis-traction for Tesla, which is burning cash, has never posted an annual profit, and is in self-described “manufacturing hell” starting up production of the $35,000 Model 3 sedan.

Musk did not give a price for the truck.

Tesla also has to convince the trucking community that it can build an affordable elec-tric big rig with the range and cargo capacity to compete with relatively low-cost, time-tested diesel trucks. The heavy batter-ies eat into the weight of cargo an electric truck can haul.

The truck can go up to 500 miles (800 km) at maximum weight at highway speed, Musk said. Diesel trucks are capable of traveling up to 1,000 miles (1,600 km) on a single tank of

fuel. Musk said diesel trucks were 20 percent more expen-sive per mile to operate than his electric truck.

The Tesla Semi can also go from 0 to 60 mph in five sec-onds without cargo or reach 60 mph in 20 seconds at the maxi-

mum weight allowed on US highways of 80,000 pounds (36,300 kg).

“I can drive this thing and I have no idea how to drive a semi,” Musk joked.

Ahead of the unveiling, Tesla executives showed off

the Class 8 truck to journalists, describing it as “trailer agnos-tic,” or capable of hauling any type of freight. Class 8 is the heaviest weight classification on trucks.

The day cab - which is not a sleeper - has a less prominent nose than on a classic truck, and the battery is built into the chassis. It has four motors, one for each rear wheel. Tesla designed the cab with a roomy feel and a center seat for better visibility, executives said. Two touch screens flank the driver.

The truck has Tesla’s latest semi-autonomous driving sys-tem, designed to keep a vehi-cle in its lane without drifting, change lanes on command, and transition from one free-way to another with no human intervention. Reuters reported in August that Tesla was dis-cussing self-driving trucks with regulators in Nevada and Cali-fornia, but the company did not mention full autonomy in a release on the new vehicle.

CEO Elon Musk says his trucks will be 20 percent cheaper per mile to operate than diesel trucks

Tesla unveils prototype e-truck, sporty Roadster

Expensive distraction?

REUTERSYANGON

THE International Monetary Fund on Friday forecast an economic rebound in Myan-mar this year, but said the Rohingya refugee crisis may dampen investment as the country faces international pressure over its treatment of the Muslim minority.

More than 600,000 Ro-hingya have fled to Bangla-desh since late August, driven out by a military counter-in-surgency clearance operation in Buddhist-majority Myan-mar’s Rakhine State.

A top U.N. official has de-scribed the military’s actions as a textbook case of “ethnic cleansing”. Myanmar denies that.

While there is no sign of a major, direct economic im-pact, the crisis has dented hopes of a Western invest-ment boom as European and US companies are wary of the reputational risks of investing.

Last month, the World Bank froze $200 million in budget funding for Myanmar over the crisis.

“The internal conflict and humanitarian crisis in north-ern Rakhine State could af-fect development finance and investor sentiment, although direct economic impact ap-pears to have been largely lo-calised,” the IMF’s Myanmar mission chief, Shanaka Peiris, told reporters in the commer-cial capital of Yangon.

“Myanmar’s economy is rebounding and macroeco-nomic imbalances are stabiliz-ing. Growth is expected to re-bound to 6.7 percent,” he said.

However, the near-term growth trajectory was mod-erately weaker than previ-ously expected, reflecting a subdued pick-up in domestic investment and uncertainty surround the Rakhine State crisis, particularly for tour-ism, he said.

The IMF had previously downgraded its gross domes-tic product growth forecast for Myanmar for 2017-2018 to 6.7 percent from 7 percent, but Shanaka said it still repre-sented a “significant accelera-tion” compared with 5.9 per-cent from a year ago, thanks to a recovering agriculture sector and exports.

The government led by Aung San Suu Kyi had seen “a challenging first year”, he said, with lower-than-expect-ed growth, but the medium-term outlook remained “favo-rable” as higher tax revenues could support growth.

Frustration over the gov-ernment’s management of the economy has grown in recent months.

IMF sees stronger growth in Myanmar

Wall Street rallies driven by Cisco, Walmart

REUTERSNEW YORK

WALL Street’s main in-dexes rose sharply on Thursday boosted by earnings-related gains in Wal-Mart and Cisco, while a tax bill expected to boost corporate earnings passed its first, if smallest, hurdle.

Wal-Mart surged as much as 11 percent to a record high of $99.68 af-ter reporting its strongest US revenue growth since 2009 and soaring online sales. It ended up 10.9 percent at $99.62.

Cisco touched $36.67, its highest since February 2001, a day after quarterly profit beat expectations driven by gains from its newer businesses such as security, which more than offset declines in its tradi-tional switches and rout-ers. Its profit forecast also came in above estimates.

Cisco shares closed up 5.2 percent at $35.88.

“There was good news on old line companies Cisco and Walmart adapt-ing to the new economy,” said Brian Battle, director of trading at Performance Trust Capital Partners in Chicago, citing reasons for

the market’s advance.The US House of Rep-

resentatives voted largely along party lines to pass a tax overhaul expected to be a boost to stock prices if it becomes law, but the legislative battle now shifts to the Senate, where the Republican majority is much slimmer.

Republicans can lose no more than two Senate votes and at least two GOP senators have already spo-ken against the Senate version of the bill.

“The tax plan isn’t a foregone conclusion but it passed the lowest hurdle in the House,” Battle said, adding that the Senate vote will be a higher bar and “the reconciliation will be the real measure, if it happens.”

The Dow Jones Indus-trial Average rose 187.08 points, or 0.8 percent, to 23,458.36, the S&P 500 gained 21.02 points, or 0.82 percent, to 2,585.64 and the Nasdaq Compos-ite added 87.08 points, or 1.3 percent, to 6,793.29.

The S&P and the Dow posted their largest daily percentage gains in more than two months.

The CBOE Volatility index, the cost of protec-tion against a sudden drop on the S&P 500, posted its first decline in six days. It dropped 1.4 points to end at 11.76.

Wal-Mart on Thursday surged as much as 11 percent to a record high of $99.68.

Tesla Roadster 2 is shown in this undated handout photo, during a presentation in Hawthorne, California. (REUTERS)

Comcast Corp and Verizon Communications Inc have expressed interested in buying parts of its studio and TV operations

Economy & Business 19Saturday, November 18, 2017

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Legal & General Group PLC 269.30 0.56Lloyds Banking Group PLC 66.01 -0.08London Stock Exchange Group PLC 3,859.00 1.98Micro Focus International PLC 2,699.00 -0.11Mediclinic International PLC 560.50 -3.11Merlin Entertainments PLC 377.80 0.03Marks and Spencer Group PLC 301.40 -0.69Mondi PLC 1,738.00 -0.86WM Morrison Supermarkets PLC 208.59 -1.09National Grid PLC 884.20 -0.60NMC Health PLC 2,698.00 -0.74Next PLC 4,292.00 -0.65Old Mutual PLC 190.80 1.06Paddy Power Betfair PLC 8,775.00 -0.51Prudential PLC 1,892.50 0.67Persimmon PLC 2,686.00 0.30Pearson PLC 694.50 0.00Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC 6,376.37 -0.13Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC 273.73 -0.07Royal Dutch Shell PLC 2,341.50 0.45Royal Dutch Shell PLC 2,377.53 -0.02Relx PLC 1,746.00 -0.11Rio Tinto PLC 3,558.00 0.25Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC 892.50 -0.50Randgold Resources Ltd 7,060.00 0.50RSA Insurance Group PLC 609.50 -0.57Rentokil Initial PLC 323.80 0.09J Sainsbury PLC 227.50 -0.70Schroders PLC 3,496.00 -0.85Sage Group PLC 761.50 -0.26SEGRO PLC 558.50 -0.18Shire PLC 3,682.50 -1.64St. James’s Place PLC 1,154.00 1.05Smurfit Kappa Group PLC 2,300.00 2.82Sky PLC 936.50 3.71Standard Life Aberdeen PLC 421.60 1.25Smiths Group PLC 1,496.00 -0.66Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust PLC 456.05 -0.22Smith & Nephew PLC 1,333.67 -0.74SSE PLC 1,347.85 -2.32Standard Chartered PLC 721.60 0.06Severn Trent PLC 2,088.00 -2.61Tesco PLC 184.05 -0.16TUI AG 1,325.00 0.23Taylor Wimpey PLC 196.30 0.77Unilever PLC 4,171.00 -1.21United Utilities Group PLC 788.38 -5.51Vodafone Group PLC 229.50 0.46Worldpay Group PLC 408.60 -0.20WPP PLC 1,266.00 0.08Whitbread PLC 3,568.00 0.51

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Canara Bank Ltd 388.45 1.05Century Textile and Industries Ltd 1,315.25 1.90Coal India Ltd 272.50 1.32Colgate-Palmolive (India) Ltd 1,042.00 0.40Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals Ltd 243.80 0.56CRISIL Ltd 1,849.95 1.53Cummins India Ltd 855.30 0.23Dabur India Ltd 336.65 -0.84Dalmia Bharat Ltd 3,074.00 2.15Divi’s Laboratories Ltd 1,018.30 1.26DLF Ltd 223.90 7.18Dish TV India Ltd 76.25 -0.39Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Ltd 635.40 1.87Edelweiss Financial Services Ltd 291.50 4.13Eicher Motors Ltd 30,637.60 0.50Emami Ltd 1,279.15 -0.52Engineers India Ltd 183.55 -0.62Exide Industries Ltd 200.95 1.57Federal Bank Ltd 112.55 0.27GAIL (India) Ltd 444.55 -0.71Great Eastern Shipping Company Ltd 369.00 -0.71Gillette India Ltd 6,030.00 1.14GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Ltd 2,511.40 -0.90Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd 583.80 0.53GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Ltd 6,010.00 -0.33GMR Infrastructure Ltd 17.00 0.29Godrej Consumer Products Ltd 944.95 1.45Godrej Industries Ltd 553.25 2.43Gujarat Pipavav Port Ltd 131.00 -2.64Gruh Finance Ltd 506.25 0.59Gujarat State Petronet Ltd 207.70 0.24Hindalco Industries Ltd 258.80 1.35HCL Technologies Ltd 839.80 -1.30HDFC Bank Ltd 1,823.50 1.00Housing Development Finance Corporation Ltd 1,701.00 2.23Hindustan Unilever Ltd 1,277.00 0.03Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd 414.90 0.56Hero MotoCorp Ltd 3,636.00 -0.70Havells India Ltd 507.75 1.89Hindustan Zinc Ltd 310.75 2.97ICICI Bank Ltd 325.10 1.86ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company Ltd 391.85 2.94IDBI Bank Ltd 59.60 0.25Idea Cellular Ltd 95.20 -0.73IDFC Bank Ltd 55.05 1.47IDFC Ltd 61.10 0.66Indraprastha Gas Ltd 301.65 0.77Indian Hotels Company Ltd 111.80 0.81Indiabulls Housing Finance Ltd 1,180.50 0.16

Indusind Bank Ltd 1,630.85 1.70Info Edge India Ltd 1,170.55 0.06Infosys Ltd 970.95 -1.79InterGlobe Aviation Ltd 1,168.50 0.30Indiabulls Real Estate Ltd 217.00 3.36Indian Oil Corpn Ltd 395.05 0.69IPCA Laboratories Ltd 529.35 0.14IRB Infrastructure Developers Ltd 232.20 0.93ITC Ltd 257.55 0.98Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd 105.50 -0.09Jindal Steel And Power Ltd 164.85 -0.45JSW Steel Ltd 266.55 2.99JSW Energy Ltd 80.50 0.12Jubilant Foodworks Ltd 1,761.35 -0.74Jubilant Life Sciences Ltd 675.90 9.51Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd 493.35 -0.18Karnataka Bank Ltd 156.55 -0.19Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd 1,022.00 0.49Larsen & Toubro Ltd 1,221.25 0.30LIC Housing Finance Ltd 604.80 3.67L&T Finance Holdings Ltd 189.85 1.77Lupin Ltd 829.45 0.02Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd 1,416.65 0.12Max Financial Services Ltd 571.85 4.57Mphasis Ltd 709.45 -0.34Multi Commodity Exchange of India Ltd 947.80 1.78MindTree Ltd 514.80 0.89Mahindra and Mahindra Financial Services Ltd 436.10 -0.31Motherson Sumi Systems Ltd 357.75 -0.39Marico Ltd 306.55 0.79MRF Ltd 69,450.00 -0.23Maruti Suzuki India Ltd 8,340.70 2.15Muthoot Finance Ltd 455.20 -0.43National Aluminium Co Ltd 81.75 0.68Natco Pharma Ltd 903.85 1.04NCC Ltd 104.25 1.41Nestle India Ltd 7,670.00 0.14NHPC Ltd 26.95 -0.19NMDC Ltd 124.60 0.73NTPC Ltd 178.00 0.74Oil India Ltd 352.40 0.77Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd 177.50 -1.03Oracle Financial Services Software Ltd 3,648.00 -0.01Page Industries Ltd 23,534.55 -2.51Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd 208.90 0.22Pidilite Industries Ltd 840.00 2.63PI Industries Ltd 822.35 -1.47Piramal Enterprises Ltd 2,595.40 0.77Petronet LNG Ltd 255.00 0.97

PNB Housing Finance Ltd 1,371.50 2.60Punjab National Bank 190.70 0.66Procter & Gamble Hygiene and Health Care Ltd 9,100.35 2.72Power Finance Corporation Ltd 126.40 0.80RBL Bank Ltd 511.25 0.84Dr.Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd 2,325.05 -0.45Reliance Industries Ltd 909.70 0.80Rajesh Exports Ltd 762.45 1.05Reliance Communications Ltd 12.10 2.54Reliance Infrastructure Ltd 437.15 -1.85Reliance Power Ltd 36.90 0.41Rural Electrification Corp Ltd 160.60 3.18Steel Authority of India Ltd 78.75 1.88Sanofi India Ltd 4,497.40 0.91State Bank of India 337.40 1.18Shree Cement Ltd 18,245.00 1.98Shriram City Union Finance Ltd 2,016.05 1.16South Indian Bank Ltd 30.50 0.16Siemens Ltd 1,188.10 1.02SRF Ltd 1,772.95 1.82Shriram Transport Finance Company Ltd 1,295.00 5.52Strides Shasun Ltd 787.70 2.74Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd 517.05 1.65Supreme Industries Ltd 1,134.60 -1.30Sun TV Network Ltd 841.90 -0.35Suzlon Energy Ltd 13.75 2.23Tata Global Beverages Ltd 259.50 3.00Tata Motors Ltd 421.45 1.92Tata Motors Ltd 240.80 1.05Tata Communications Ltd 698.00 0.54Tata Consultancy Services Ltd 2,710.10 -1.33Tech Mahindra Ltd 485.05 -2.71Thermax Limited 1,019.50 -1.21Tata Steel Ltd 701.35 2.14Titan Company Ltd 786.45 2.04Torrent Power Ltd 262.55 0.59Torrent Pharmaceuticals Ltd 1,250.20 -1.50Ramco Cements Ltd 726.35 1.91Tata Chemicals Ltd 716.25 0.27Tata Elxsi Ltd 892.70 -0.26Tata Power Company Ltd 88.95 5.02TV18 Broadcast Ltd 45.70 4.46TVS Motor Company Ltd 707.10 0.26United Breweries Ltd 1,106.95 -1.44UltraTech Cement Ltd 4,277.30 0.00Union Bank of India Ltd 170.40 -1.70UPL Ltd 724.85 -0.79Vakrangee Ltd 656.05 0.47Vedanta Ltd 306.75 1.84

Karachi Stock 40,844.40 0.08 Pakistan Stock Exchange Ltd 40,844.40 0.08 Abbott Laboratories Pakistan Ltd 705.00 -2.49 Allied Bank Ltd 81.00 -0.61 Adamjee Insurance Company Ltd 56.70 -0.63 Amreli Steels Ltd 97.70 2.33 Meezan Bank Ltd 68.00 - Attock Petroleum Ltd 600.00 0.13 Allied Rental Modaraba 24.90 - Askari Bank Ltd 18.55 -0.38 Atlas Honda Ltd 525.00 -1.87 Attock Cement Pakistan Ltd 173.21 -2.14 Attock Refinery Ltd 328.00 -2.89 Bank Alfalah Ltd 40.51 0.62 Bannu Woollen Mills Ltd 56.50 -10.07 Bata Pakistan Ltd 2,600.00 0.39 Bestway Cement Ltd 146.00 -0.62 Bank Al-Habib Ltd 56.80 -1.10 Bank of Punjab 8.58 0.94 Cherat Packaging Ltd 189.00 -0.79 Cherat Cement Company Ltd 100.21 -1.27 Colgate-Palmolive (Pakistan) Ltd 2,310.00 -4.94 Crescent Jute Products Ltd 3.80 - Crescent Steel & Allied Products Ltd 133.50 1.68 Dawood Hercules Corporation Ltd 116.67 -1.61

D G Khan Cement Company Ltd 138.29 -0.99 Dolmen City REIT 11.19 - EFU General Insurance Ltd 142.00 - Engro Corporation Ltd 269.64 0.17 Engro Foods Ltd 83.86 0.06 Engro Fertilizers Ltd 67.40 1.60 Fatima Fertilizer Company Ltd 31.70 0.32 Fauji Cement Company Ltd 28.70 1.02 Fauji Fertilizer Company Ltd 82.50 0.21 Feroze1888 Mills Ltd 65.89 - Faysal Bank Ltd 21.60 1.41 Gadoon Textile Mills Ltd 190.00 -2.06 Ghani Glass Ltd 62.50 0.53 GlaxoSmithKline Pakistan Ltd 179.00 -0.59 Hascol Petroleum Ltd 282.50 0.23 Honda Atlas Cars (Pakistan) Ltd 570.00 0.07 Habib Bank Ltd 168.00 -0.14 Habib Metropolitan Bank Ltd 33.99 0.41 Hub Power Company Ltd 104.68 0.17 Hum Network Ltd 9.51 0.32 Ibrahim Fibres Ltd 68.98 - ICI Pakistan Ltd 793.00 - IGI Insurance Ltd 300.00 2.15 Indus Motor Company Ltd 1,750.00 0.17 International Steels Ltd 112.20 0.02

International Industries Ltd 243.26 3.76 JDW Sugar Mills Ltd 340.00 - Jubilee General Insurance Company Ltd 80.00 - Jubilee Life Insurance Company Ltd 750.00 0.06 Fauji Fertilizer Bin Qasim Ltd 34.00 -0.26 Jahangir Siddiqui & Company Ltd 22.30 4.99 KOT Addu Power Company Ltd 65.00 -1.56 K-Electric Ltd 5.37 -0.37 Kohat Cement Company Ltd 143.89 -0.43 Kohinoor Textile Mills Ltd 62.50 0.02 Lucky Cement Ltd 510.20 -1.45 MCB Bank Ltd 203.49 0.34 Mari Petroleum Company Ltd 1,590.00 -0.03 Millat Tractors Ltd 1,180.00 -0.67 Nestle Pakistan Ltd 12,000.00 - Maple Leaf Cement Factory Ltd 73.33 0.80 Murree Brewery Company Ltd 749.50 1.77 National Foods Ltd 310.00 - National Refinery Ltd 566.00 -2.99 National Bank of Pakistan 45.50 -0.20 Nishat Chunian Ltd 47.53 -0.04 Nishat Chunian Power Ltd 35.33 -1.86 Nishat Power Ltd 38.85 -2.39 Nishat Mills Ltd 145.51 -0.62 Oil and Gas Development Co Ltd 155.31 0.86

ORIX Leasing Pakistan Ltd 38.69 1.82 Packages Ltd 504.99 -0.97 Pakistan Tobacco Company Ltd 1,377.60 5.00 Philip Morris (Pakistan) Ltd 2,878.57 5.00 Pakistan International Bulk Terminal Ltd 18.26 1.73 Pakistan International Container Terminal Ltd 323.00 - Pioneer Cement Ltd 63.20 0.33 Punjab Oil Mills Ltd 215.00 -3.07 Pak Elektron Ltd 57.20 -0.52 Pakistan Oilfields Ltd 625.50 0.57 Pak Suzuki Motor Co Ltd 519.95 -0.04 Pakistan Services Ltd 1,000.00 - Pakistan Petroleum Ltd 195.93 1.76 Pakistan State Oil Company Ltd 335.49 -3.23 Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd 12.65 -1.09 Saif Power Ltd 30.00 - Standard Chartered Bank (Pakistan) Ltd 23.00 - Searle Company Ltd 335.25 -0.15 Shell Pakistan Ltd 340.00 -1.39 Shifa International Hospitals Ltd 260.00 1.96 Soneri Bank Ltd 13.25 0.15 Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Ltd 113.62 -5.37 Sui Southern Gas Company Ltd 36.20 4.20 Thal Ltd 500.00 0.09 TRG Pakistan Ltd 36.79 4.99

PRICE % CHANGE PRICE % CHANGE PRICE % CHANGE PRICE % CHANGE

PRICE % CHANGE PRICE % CHANGE PRICE % CHANGE PRICE % CHANGE

Dow Jones & Company Inc 23,388.27 -0.30Dow Jones & Company Inc 7,874.69 -0.48American Airlines Group Inc 47.57 -0.24Apple Inc 170.88 -0.13American Electric Power Company Inc 76.35 -0.53AES Corp 10.64 -1.21Alaska Air Group Inc 66.47 0.91American Water Works Company Inc 88.93 -0.85American Express Co 93.22 -0.36Boeing Co 262.33 -0.52Avis Budget Group Inc 34.73 1.17Caterpillar Inc 135.64 -0.53C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc 78.24 -2.69CenterPoint Energy Inc 28.99 -0.14Cisco Systems Inc 36.03 0.42CSX Corp 49.98 -0.28Chevron Corp 114.74 0.15Dominion Energy Inc 81.47 -0.60Delta Air Lines Inc 49.96 -0.98Walt Disney Co 103.68 0.08Duke Energy Corp 88.74 -0.53DowDuPont Inc 70.91 0.33Consolidated Edison Inc 87.05 -0.35Edison International 81.24 -0.62

Exelon Corp 41.15 -0.22Expeditors International of Washington Inc 59.10 -1.14FedEx Corp 217.07 -0.39FirstEnergy Corp 34.77 0.38General Electric Co 18.31 0.33Goldman Sachs Group Inc 237.99 -0.58Home Depot Inc 167.67 0.10International Business Machines Corp 150.08 0.64Intel Corp 45.07 -1.28J B Hunt Transport Services Inc 101.39 -1.54JetBlue Airways Corp 20.09 -0.84Johnson & Johnson 138.05 -0.59JPMorgan Chase & Co 98.00 -0.48Kirby Corp 63.15 -0.24Coca-Cola Co 45.65 -1.94Kansas City Southern 102.67 -0.82Landstar System Inc 95.25 -1.60Southwest Airlines Co 54.82 -0.81Matson Inc 27.51 -0.94McDonald’s Corp 167.14 -0.573M Co 228.36 -0.46Merck & Co Inc 55.00 -0.31Microsoft Corp 82.50 -0.84NextEra Energy Inc 156.45 -0.53

PRICE % CHANGE PRICE % CHANGE

PRICE % CHANGE

Standard & Poor’s Corp 2,581.76 -0.15Standard & Poor’s Corp 1,137.40 -0.22Apple Inc 170.88 -0.13AbbVie Inc 94.31 -0.17Abbott Laboratories 55.48 -0.11Accenture PLC 145.32 -1.17Allergan plc 173.93 -0.50American International Group Inc 59.90 -0.27Allstate Corp 100.03 0.46Amgen Inc 169.99 -0.46Amazon.com Inc 1,138.09 0.07American Express Co 93.22 -0.36Boeing Co 262.33 -0.52Bank of America Corp 26.64 -0.47Biogen Inc 311.41 -0.82Bank of New York Mellon Corp 52.66 0.82BlackRock Inc 476.33 0.49Bristol-Myers Squibb Co 61.17 -1.13Berkshire Hathaway Inc 181.23 -0.45Citigroup Inc 71.45 -0.31Caterpillar Inc 135.64 -0.53Celgene Corp 104.07 0.70Charter Communications Inc 348.72 2.38Colgate-Palmolive Co 72.01 -0.85Comcast Corp 36.57 -1.35Capital One Financial Corp 87.47 0.37ConocoPhillips 50.18 -0.08Costco Wholesale Corp 171.33 0.20Cisco Systems Inc 36.03 0.42CVS Health Corp 70.31 0.07Chevron Corp 114.74 0.15Danaher Corp 93.15 -0.46Walt Disney Co 103.68 0.08Duke Energy Corp 88.74 -0.53DowDuPont Inc 70.91 0.33Emerson Electric Co 59.98 1.63Exelon Corp 41.15 -0.22Ford Motor Co 12.01 -0.29Facebook Inc 179.94 0.19FedEx Corp 217.07 -0.39Twenty-First Century Fox Inc 29.63 3.60Twenty-First Century Fox Inc 30.29 3.31General Dynamics Corp 199.45 0.12General Electric Co 18.31 0.33Gilead Sciences Inc 72.35 -0.08General Motors Co 43.65 0.11Alphabet Inc 1,031.29 -0.12Alphabet Inc 1,046.44 -0.19Goldman Sachs Group Inc 237.99 -0.58Halliburton Co 41.65 0.34Home Depot Inc 167.67 0.10Honeywell International Inc 146.62 -0.18International Business Machines Corp 150.08 0.64Intel Corp 45.07 -1.28Johnson & Johnson 138.05 -0.59JPMorgan Chase & Co 98.00 -0.48Kraft Heinz Co 79.65 -0.04Kinder Morgan Inc 16.86 0.18Coca-Cola Co 45.65 -1.94Eli Lilly and Co 82.95 -0.59Lockheed Martin Corp 311.31 -0.43Lowe’s Companies Inc 79.96 0.62Mastercard Inc 148.61 -1.14McDonald’s Corp 167.14 -0.57Mondelez International Inc 42.71 1.23Medtronic PLC 79.48 0.28MetLife Inc 51.83 0.563M Co 228.36 -0.46Altria Group Inc 66.12 0.36Monsanto Co 118.42 -0.15Merck & Co Inc 55.00 -0.31Morgan Stanley 48.64 0.08Microsoft Corp 82.50 -0.84NextEra Energy Inc 156.45 -0.53Nike Inc 58.87 2.87Oracle Corp 49.10 -0.20Occidental Petroleum Corp 68.50 1.98Priceline Group Inc 1,748.98 1.00

PRICE % CHANGE

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Nikkei Inc 22,396.80 0.20Nippon Suisan Kaisha Ltd 586.00 -0.51Denka Co Ltd 3,890.00 0.13Sumitomo Metal Mining Co Ltd 4,441.00 0.14Hitachi Zosen Corp 600.00 0.17Mizuho Financial Group Inc 196.60 -0.71Maruha Nichiro Corp 3,135.00 0.16Shin-Etsu Chemical Co Ltd 12,360.00 -0.20DOWA Holdings Co Ltd 4,495.00 -1.43Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd 4,137.00 0.02Daiwa Securities Group Inc 697.90 -0.24Inpex Corp 1,260.50 0.24Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co Ltd 2,164.00 -0.41Furukawa Co Ltd 2,276.00 -0.13Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd 3,785.00 0.53Nomura Holdings Inc 640.30 -0.53Comsys Holdings Corp 3,020.00 2.37Mitsui Chemicals Inc 3,515.00 0.72Furukawa Electric Co Ltd 5,800.00 0.52IHI Corp 3,505.00 1.30Matsui Securities Co Ltd 973.00 -0.10Taisei Corp 6,090.00 0.33Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corp 1,174.50 0.82Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd 1,871.00 0.19Concordia Financial Group Ltd 589.00 1.55Sompo Holdings Inc 4,434.00 -0.76Obayashi Corp 1,460.00 0.07Ube Industries Ltd 3,255.00 0.93Fujikura Ltd 948.00 0.74Nissan Motor Co Ltd 1,070.00 0.52MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings Inc 3,704.00 -0.48Shimizu Corp 1,247.00 1.30Nippon Kayaku Co Ltd 1,695.00 -0.12Toyo Seikan Group Holdings Ltd 1,910.00 0.47Isuzu Motors Ltd 1,720.00 1.15Sony Financial Holdings Inc 1,783.00 -0.17Haseko Corp 1,751.00 0.11Dentsu Inc 4,755.00 -2.46Okuma Corp 7,000.00 -0.71Toyota Motor Corp 6,917.00 -0.65Dai-ichi Life Holdings Inc 2,134.50 -0.44Kajima Corp 1,139.00 0.09Kao Corp 7,074.00 -0.17Amada Holdings Co Ltd 1,460.00 0.76Hino Motors Ltd 1,336.00 0.38Tokio Marine Holdings Inc 4,875.00 2.87Daiwa House Industry Co Ltd 4,072.00 0.84Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd 6,210.00 0.23Komatsu Ltd 3,607.00 -0.22Mitsubishi Motors Corp 820.00 0.61T&D Holdings Inc 1,720.00 0.94Sekisui House Ltd 2,106.00 0.48Astellas Pharma Inc 1,460.00 -0.61

National Western Life Group Inc 333.76 -2.95Ameri Holdings Inc 3.25 -62.69Equinix Inc 471.00 -0.86Credit Acceptance Corp 282.00 -1.44ICU Medical Inc 208.15 -1.54Celyad SA 44.00 -7.43Electronic Arts Inc 108.24 -3.01Inogen Inc 117.02 -2.65OptimumBank Holdings Inc 5.48 -33.58Biogen Inc 311.41 -0.82Daily Journal Corp 240.08 -1.20Matthews International Corp 55.00 -4.76Amerco 355.07 -0.79Intuitive Surgical Inc 391.63 -0.55Varonis Systems Inc 49.40 -4.82Stamps.Com Inc 172.60 -1.51Lam Research Corp 210.69 -1.19AveXis Inc 96.60 -2.19Weibo Corp 115.75 -1.68Align Technology Inc 252.64 -0.89Capella Education Co 80.45 -2.78First Citizens BancShares Inc 398.29 -0.60PACCAR Inc 67.34 -3.39China Lodging Group Ltd 125.30 -1.70Broadcom Ltd 269.72 -0.88

NetEase Inc 366.05 12.20Priceline Group Inc 1,748.98 1.00Splunk Inc 81.24 17.23Charter Communications Inc 348.57 2.33Ross Stores Inc 72.20 9.91Diana Containerships Inc 12.84 94.55Ulta Beauty Inc 212.35 3.10Shoe Carnival Inc 26.66 29.23LendingTree Inc 285.40 2.15Childrens Place Inc 127.95 3.22Marketaxess Holdings Inc 180.12 2.20Mercadolibre Inc 266.03 1.35IPG Photonics Corp 236.26 1.28CoStar Group Inc 306.05 0.83NVIDIA Corp 214.09 1.17Tesla Inc 319.08 2.11America’s CAR-MART Inc 45.70 4.46bluebird bio Inc 162.65 1.56Cimpress NV 121.54 2.06Stitch Fix Inc 17.45 16.31Baidu Inc 241.20 0.79Cognex Corp 140.10 1.57Hibbett Sports Inc 16.90 13.80National Beverage Corp 104.32 2.36Viacom Inc 32.10 6.64

20 Saturday, November 18, 2017 Bulls & Bears

VINAY NAYUDUDOHA

THEY say age is no bar for those who want to succeed.

Russian rider Vladimir Tuganov is one such personal-ity, who brought himself into focus once again on Friday as he galloped over the fences at the Qatar Equestrian Federa-tion’s arena in style to win the feature class of Day Two of the QNB Qatar International Showjumping Championship at Al Rayyan and stay in con-tention for the FEI World Cup to be held in Paris in 2018.

Tuganov, 56, stole the Against the clock 145cm class show on his grey stud Suspens Floreval clocking 72.74secs to finish just 0.17secs ahead of the Qatari challenger Salmeen Sultan al Suwadi, who took

72.91secs on his mount Cantaro 32.

Another Qatar rider Hamad al Attiyah clocked

73.04secs to claim the third place on Clinton.

All top riders from this class have qualified for the Grand Prix World Cup compe-tition of two rounds (160cm) on Saturday.

Their highest scores through the championship will be taken into account and will determine selection for the FEI World Cup.

Tuganov surely has set his eyes on the team to Paris and seemed determined with his

showjumping. A Master of Sport of International Class in the Russian Federation and one who believes in the motto ‘If you want to succeed, work hard’, veteran Tuganov has

also represented Russia at the 2004 and 2012 Olympics.

He began riding at a young age and from 1976 to 1979 he was successful in junior event-ing. In 1983 he was crowned Soviet showjumping champi-on. He quit competitive riding for several years in the 1990s but returned to active compe-tition to realise his dream of competing at the Olympics.

His showjumping in the Qatar championship would be an inspiration to many of the young riders.

Meanwhile, in the Ta-ble A, Against the clock with jump-off (135cm) class, Qa-tar’s promising rider Mubarak Yousuf al Rumaihi continued to excel.

The Qatar Armed Forces showjumper, on his grey geld-ing mount SIEC Cosmos Win-jgaardhoeve Z, completed the routine with ease but swiftly taking 35.68secs.

Qatar’s Hamad Nasser al Qadi on St. Lucia stood sec-ond in 36.23secs while Awad al Qahtani, also of Qatar, finished third on Gerenie of Colors in 36.89secs.

Earlier in the 120cm class, Qatar’s Ghanim Nasser al Qadi on Fudine clocked 33.58secs to win the event, followed by compatriot Mohammed Salem al Marri in 36.62secs on Gin Tonic Van De Kranenburg.

Indonesia Ferry Wahyu Hadiyanto, riding Looping 46, came third in 37.18secs.

Russia’s Tuganov rules with Suspens FlorevalFifty-six-year-old veteran in race for 2018 FEI World Cup spot

Gharafa face Al Sailiya challenge

The QNB Stars League’s Round 8 fixtures on Saturday will see Al Gharafa host Al Sailiya, while Al Markhiya will take on Al Ahli at the Al Arabi Stadium in simultaneous kick-off mathes at 4pm. Qatar SC will play at home against Al Khor at 6.10pm.

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORKDOHA

GOING by their form and recent results Al Sailiya start as favour-ites against Al Gharafa for the Round 8 clash of the QNB Stars League on Saturday.

The sixth-placed Al Ghara-fa, coached by Frenchman Jean Fernandez, however, have the capacity to beat Al Sailiya, who are on a high hav-ing beaten Umm Salal.

Al Gharafa will still need to show consistency in their per-formance having been held by promoted team Al Markhiya in Round 7, after holding leaders Al Duhail in the previous week.

Al Gharafa have so far recorded only one victory, but have the most number of draws (four) among all teams.

Al Sailiya, guided by Tu-nisian coach Sami Trabelsi, broke into the top four with their victory over Umm Salal and are on 15 points.

Vladimir Weiss, Diego Amado and Luis Jimenez mainly carry Al Gharafa’s hopes, while Al Sailiya have the likes of Wagner Ribeiro, Temurkhuja Abdukholikov and Valentin Lazar.

Al Markhiya meet Al AhliBoth Al Markhiya and Al Ahli have amassed five points, but they are placed eighth and 10th respectively on goal difference. The Brigadiers’ have a goal dif-ference of 7 against the Oryxes’ 9.

The teams are more or less of same strength. They had played out a goalless draw in the fourth round of QSL Cup on November 12 and are in contention for the second semifinal spot from Group B from which Al Rayyan have al-ready progressed to.

Al Ahli’s injured Tuni-sian professional Yassine Chikhaoui is set to return to action from an injury he suf-fered in sixth minute of their match against Al Arabi in the sixth round, which resulted in him being taken off the pitch.

He had also missed Al Ahli’s Round 7 game that they lost to Al Sadd.

Ghanaian striker Kwame Karikari leads Al Markhiya’s charge.

Qatar SC play Al KhorThe bottom-placed two teams will look for a lifeline. Al Khor, under new coach Nassif Al Baya-wi, will look to capitalise on Qa-tar SC’s miserable run of late.

It will be Al Bayawi’s first league match in charge of The Knights. The Tunisian, who previously coached Saudi Ara-bian team Al Qadisiya, was ap-pointed to replace Frenchman Laurent Banide who was dis-missed after Round 6.

Incidentally, Al Khor and Qatar SC were locked in a goalless draw in the fourth round of QSL Cup played on November 13.

Al Khor coach Nassif Al Bayawi, speaking to the me-dia ahead of their match against Qatar SC, said, “I’m no stranger to Qatar foot-ball having assisted French coach Bernard Simondi at Al Kharaitiyat. I’m happy to be back coaching in this country and I look forward to my first league match, against Qatar SC, with a lot of hope. We’re definitely looking forward to a positive result.

“Qatar SC are bottom placed, but we aren’t taking them lightly. We’re just above them in the table. We’re com-ing from four straight defeats in the league and the players’ morale is very low. My imme-diate priority is to boost their morale and, hopefully, you’ll see a different Al Khor in the future games.

My immediate priority is to boost the morale of my players and hopefully, you’ll see a different Al Khor in the future games.Al Khor coach Nassif Al Bayawi

New Hope

Qatar’s Mubarak Yousuf al Rumaihi on SIEC Cosmos Winjgaardhoeve after winning the 135cm Against the Clock class event at the Qatar Equestrian Federation’s main arena in Al Rayyan on Friday.

POS CLUB M W L D GF GA GD PTS

1. AL DUHAIL 7 6 0 1 25 10 15 19 2. AL RAYYAN 7 6 1 0 19 10 9 18 3. AL SADD 7 6 1 0 17 8 9 18 4. AL SAILIYA 7 5 2 0 20 11 9 15 5. UMM SALAL 7 4 2 1 13 9 4 13 6. AL GHARAFA 7 1 2 4 8 9 -1 7 7. AL KHARAITIYAT 7 1 3 3 9 11 -2 6 8. AL AHLI 7 1 4 2 8 15 -7 5 9. AL ARABI 7 1 4 2 8 16 -8 5 10. AL MARKHIYA 7 1 4 2 5 14 -9 5 11. AL KHOR 7 1 5 1 7 14 -7 4 12. QATAR SC 7 1 6 0 6 18 -12 3

QNB STARS LEAGUE STANDINGS

Vladimir Tugalov of Russia, runner-up Salmeen Sultan al Suwaidi of Qatar and third-placed Hamad al Attiyah of Qatar with Usman Nasir, Member, Executive Board of Equestrian Federation of Pakistan, and Hamad bin Abdulrahman al Attiyah, President Qatar Equestrian Federation, after the prize-giving ceremony at the Qatar Equestrian Federation’s main arena in Al Rayyan on Friday.

CLASS 6: TABLE A, AGAINST THE CLOCK FEI ART. 238.2.1 (145CM)

QUALIFYING COMPETITION FOR FEI WORLD CUP

1. Vladimir Tuganov, Russia (Suspens Floreval); Faults 0; Time: 72.74secs; Prize: €15,4502. Salmeen Sultain al Suwaidi, Qatar (Cantaro 32); 0; 72.91secs; €12,3603. Hamad al Attiyah, Qatar (Clinton); 0; 73.04secs; €9,2704. Vladimir Tuganov, Russia (Qualidam; 0; 74.24secs; €6,180

CLASS 5: TABLE A, AGAINST THE CLOCK WITH JUMP-OFF ART. 238.2.2 (135CM)

1. Mubarak Yousuf al Rumaihi, Qatar (SIEC Cosmos Wijngaardhoeve Z); 0; 35.68secs; €2,5002. Hamad Nasser al Qadi, Qatar (St. Lucia); 0; 36.23secs; €2,0003. Awad al Qahtani, Qatar (Gerenice of Colors); 0; 36.89secs; €1,5004. Nasser al Ghazali, Qatar (Casmir’s Son); 0; 37.38secs; €1,000

CLASS 4: TABLE A, AGAINST THE CLOCK WITH JUMP-OFF FEI ART.238.2.2 (120CM)

1. Ghanim Nasser al Qadi, Qatar (Fudine); 0; 33.58secs; €1,5002. Mohammed Salem al Marri, Qatar (Gin Tonic Van De Kranenburg); 0; 36.62secs; €1,2003. Ferry Wahyu Hadiyanto, Indonesia (Looping 46); 0; 37.18secs; €9004. Gairat Nazarov, Uzbekistan (Vlacido); 0; 37.91secs; €600

RESULTS CSI4* DOHA

(CSI4*- W DOHA

1.30pm: Class 7: Table A, Against the Clock 130/135cm3.30pm: Class 8: Table A, One Round + Winning Round 145cm6pm: Class 9: Grand Prix – World Cup Competition (Two Rounds) 160cm.

SATURDAY SCHEDULE

Vladimir Tuganov of Russia on Suspens Floreval during the Table A, Against the Clock FEI Art. 238.2.1 (145cm) event of the FEI World Cup qualifying competition at the Qatar Equestrian Federation’s main arena in Al Rayyan on Friday. (PICS: LOTFI GARSI)

QATAR INTERNATIONAL SHOWJUMPING CHAMPIONSHIP

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2017

Serena weds AlexisNew Orleans in US is abuzz over tennis star Serena William’s wedding PAGE 22

Goffin sets up Federer clashDavid Goffin beats Dominic Thiem to meet Roger Federer in semis of ATP Finals PAGE 22

CRICKET TEST

INDIA VS SRI LANKA

AFPLAGOS

THE Nigerian women's bobsled team was celebrating on Friday after becoming the first from Africa to ever qualify for the Winter Olympics.

The Bobsled and Skeleton Federation of Nigeria posted a photograph on its Instagram account of the three-women team high-fiving one another with delight at making it to next year's games in Pyeongchang, South Korea and said: "Ecstatic to say the least."

"We are so proud of our Women's Bobsled team being eligible to qualify for the Winter Olympic Games," it added after they completed their last quali-fying run in Calgary on Thurs-day.

The qualification of Nigeria -- where temperatures are cur-rently upwards of 35 degress Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) -- has inevitably drawn com-

parisons with Jamaica's par-ticipation in the 1988 Games in Calgary, Canada, which led to the 1993 Hollywood film "Cool Runnings".

Nigeria's team -- driver Seun Adigun and brakewomen Ngozi Onwumere and Akuoma

Omeoga -- have done little to play down the comparison.

They crowd-funded the $150,000 (130,000 euros, £114,000) required to train and compete and through a mixture of savvy marketing and pub-licity have developed a strong online profile that has helped attract sponsorship from Visa and sportswear manufacturer

Under Armour.Reaction to their qualifica-

tion in Nigeria was largely one of surprise, with many peo-ple unaware the football-mad country even had a bobsled team. "I'm honestly not fully sure what a Bobsled team really is. But Go Nigeria!" wrote one user on Twitter.

The women, who were all born and grew up in the United States, have a background in athletics. Adigun, competed for Nigeria at the 2012 Olympics.

She told the BBC in April this year: "My goal is to get this team representation for this country (Nigeria) and this con-tinent (Africa) at the Olympic Games...

"We are from a continent that would never imagine slid-ing down ice at 80 or 90 miles an hour (130-145 kilometres per hour).

"The idea of being able to take to that in itself is empow-ering."

Nigeria’s bobsled women in Olympic first for Africa

Qatar’s Frijns emerges 3rd in qualifying at Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge ME

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORKDOHA

QATAR-RESIDENT Charlie Frijns emerged third while Kuwait-driver Zaid Ashkanani set the pace in a dramatic first qualifying session of the Por-sche GT3 Cup Challenge Mid-dle East Season 9 on Friday.

Ashkanani clocked an im-pressive 2:03:990 to sit on pole at the top of a 17-car grid featur-ing drivers from nine different countries, just ahead of Tom Oliphant of Great Britain in sec-ond at the Bahrain Internation-al Circuit in new GT3 Cup car.

Fellow team member and father to Charlie, Rob Frijns completes team Frijns Struc-tural Steel ME of Qatar and will start from 16th on the grid.

As with previous years, the opening round of the region’s most successful and profes-sional series is held in support of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) 6 Hours of Bahrain weekend. But Sea-son 9 signals the start of a new

era as all drivers took to the 5.40 km grand-prix configured track to qualify for Race 1 of Round 1 in control of the next generation of GT3 Cup car, with lap times noticeably quicker thanks to the four-litre six-cyl-inder flat engine with direct fuel injection delivering 485 hp.

Whether returning to the series or entering the competi-tion for the first time, adrena-line was high in the pits as drivers held their nerve before using their 30 minutes of quali-fying wisely.

After taking pole Ashkanani said: “Firstly, it’s great to be back. I have very fond memo-ries of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East and it is always exciting to be racing close to home. I had a success-ful summer in the Porsche Mo-bil 1 Supercup and I am hoping to replicate this form during this weekend.

“I’m pleased with my time and securing pole, but it is not going to be an easy race. The championship is attracting

more and more international names and the level of the re-gional drivers is getting strong-er each season. It’s encouraging to see so many Middle Eastern drivers in the championship, proving that there is a growing appetite for motorsport in the

region.Clocking a furious 2:04:067,

Charlie Frijns commented: “It’s great to be back in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East and even better to be compet-ing in the brand-new GT3 Cup car. You can really feel the extra

torque and power out especially on the straights and it feels great pushing the car to the limit. I wasn’t on new tyres today, but the times were still strong which is very encouraging for me.

“A lot of the drivers here have been driving in Europe

over the summer and unfortu-nately I wasn’t able to do so this year. I may take a little longer to get up to the pace, but I know the track well enough which paid off in qualifying. After missing out on the champion-ship title last season, I am more motivated than ever to make every round count and hopeful-ly lift the championship trophy in April next year.”

The Porsche GT3 Cup Chal-lenge Middle East will con-sist of six race weekends with

12 races over a period of six months. Drivers will compete across the region with con-firmed circuits including Du-bai Autodrome, Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi and Bah-rain International Circuit.

Season 9 sees drivers hail-ing from Germany, Great Brit-ain, Netherlands, Sweden as well as returning and new lo-cal stars from the Middle East region representing Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Ku-wait.

Ashkanani takes pole for opening race of Season 9

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORKDOHA

INTERNATIONAL Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF) President Mubarak al Khayarin has praised the or-ganisational and technical suc-cess of the ongoing World Bil-liards Championship.

The championship, which was held from November 9 to 15, was hosted by Qatar Bil-liards and Snooker Federation (QBSF) at Al Arabi Club's In-door Hall.

Over 19 top-class players from nine countries partici-pated in the tournament which featured the 150-up and the Long-up formats.

Speaking to the media, Khayarin said such successes are nothing new to QBSF, which has gained great ex-periences in organising such events for 10 years running.

He said the Doha event, which took place a few days after the Sheffield tournament, was far better than the latter in all comparison.

Khayarin said that all par-ticipating players have com-mended the organisational side of the tournament in terms of providing all forms of comfort.

He added that there is a consensus that QBSF has ex-ceeded all expectations with the organisation of the tourna-ment.

The IBSF president said that despite the lack of popu-larity of English billiards in Qatar in particular and the Gulf generally, the federa-tion worked hard to prepare Khamis al Obaidly to partici-pate in the Asian Champion-ships.

He added that the player took part in the World Billiards Championship, where he played well but the difference in experience did not allow him to achieve better results as expected.

Khayarin stressed that all hands are equally on deck to ensure a very successful IBSF World Snooker championship, which brings together the lead-ing world players, beginning from Saturday.

He added that as IBSF president, he aims to include billiards and snooker in the Ol-ympics and that he has made a lot of contacts with the Olym-pic Council of Asia under the presidency of Sheikh Ahmed al Fahad al Sabah to support this proposal.

IBSF chief praises Doha's organisation of world championship

Qatar’s Charlie Frijns during the qualifying rounds of the GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East Season 9 on Friday.

Charlie Frijns (right) qualifies for the opening race of the Porsche GT3CCME.

IBSF President President Mubarak al Khayarin.

(From left to right) Seun Adigun, Ngozi Onwumere and Akuoma Omeoga, the Nigerian bobsled team, pose for photographs after their qualification in Calgary on Thursday.

Reaction to their qualifi-cation in Nigeria was largely one of surprise, with many people unaware the football-mad country even had a bobsled team

QSL holds meeting on Arabi, Rayyan clash

QNADOHA

QATAR Stars League held a co-ordination meeting in Al Bidaa Tower on Thursday in prepara-tion for the big match between Al Arabi and Al Rayyan in the eighth round of the QNB Stars League at Hamad Stadium on Sunday.

During the meeting, a number of important issues were discussed, including at-tendance at the scheduled time for the two teams and organis-

ers, inviting the public to attend early to avoid crowding, fixing the opening time of the entrance gates to the public with the pres-ence of representatives of the two clubs at the gates to help facilitate public access without any obstacles or difficulties, as well as the cooperation with se-curity and organisers.

There will also be a dedi-cated event area on the day of the match, which will include a range of activities for all ages. It will open from 4:30 pm on the day of the match

Fleetwood fights back in second round in Dubai

AFPDUBAI

THE battle between Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose to finish the year as Europe's number 1 golfer took another twist on Friday in the DP World Tour Championship.

After two rounds, a famil-iar face topped the leaderboard in the $8 million (6.78 million euro) event. Matthew Fitz-patrick, the defending cham-pion, hit a second 67 to finish 10 under par.

But much of the focus in the European tour's season-ending event was on the two men lead-ing the "Race to Dubai". Fleet-wood, who struggled in the first round, shot a seven-under-par 65 in the second to make up five shots on Rose, who hit 70. Rose is tied for third, two shots ahead of Fleetwood who is in a four-way tie for 11th.

For Fitzpatrick, Friday was eerily similar to the final round last year when he won with a birdie on the 18th as Tyrrell Hatton made a bogey.

This time, Fitzpatrick sank a 25-footer on the final hole on the Earth course at Jumei-rah Golf Estates, while Hatton, 10-under through 17 holes, dropped a shot on the 18th from a horrible lie in the bun-ker to finish on nine-under par.

Rose can claim his second European end-of-season title by finishing first or solo second

if Fleetwood does not win, or with a top-five showing if his younger compatriot finishes down the leaderboard. Fleet-wood leads the race by 256,737 points.

"It's all about how you react to stuff, isn't it?" Fleetwood said after a birdie finish. "Yesterday, I was really unhappy with how I reacted early on. Got off to a bad start and got back into it and I didn't really play great.

"I was on the putting green till dark last night. Today was just a much better day. And I am happy I still have things in my hand instead of being way back."

Rose, who played another solid round with four birdies in increasingly difficult condi-tions, was disappointed with his three-putt bogey on the 18th.

"Slightly frustrating round," Rose said. "There were proba-bly a lot of chances I could have taken. But at the same time, it's a good mark. It's a good, solid effort after yesterday and puts me in great position for the weekend."

The only other player in contention, Masters champion Sergio Garcia, added a 69 to his opening-round 70 and is one shot behind Fleetwood.

Rookie Julian Suri (68) of the USA and Kiradech Aphib-arnrat (67) of Thailand were in tied third place at eight-under par 136 alongside Rose.

Tommy Fleetwood of England plays a shot during the second round of the DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai on Friday. (AFP)

Russian TV will ‘not show Winter Olympics’ if team bannedAFP

MOSCOW

RUSSIAN state television said Friday it would not broadcast the Winter Olympics from South Korea next year if the Russian team is banned from the games over doping.

The International Olympic Committee's executive board is due to meet next month to consider whether Russia can compete in Pyeongchang in February, after evidence of widespread cheating emerged in 2015.

"If our team is barred from participating in the Winter Ol-ympics, our channels will not show the games," the press service of the All-Russia State Television and Radio Broad-casting Company (VGTRK)

was quoted as saying by Inter-fax news agency.

The Kremlin said it could "understand" the decision of the state media group.

"Broadcasting the Olympic Games requires the acquisi-tion of rights that are very expensive. These sums are clearly spent in the hope of great interest from Russian viewers," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

"If our team is not partici-pating in the Olympics then the interest of Russian view-ers in these programmes will be reduced. "But it is still too soon to talk about that. Prepa-rations for the Olympics are ongoing and our sporting au-thorities are continuing with great patience in dialogue with international sporting bodies,"

he said.Three Russian channels

were originally set to broad-

cast the games: VGTRK's Ros-siya 1, the state-controlled Channel One and the sports

network Match TV, which is indirectly owned by the gas gi-ant Gazprom.

Channel One will also boy-cott the games if the national team is banned, the Russian business daily Vedomosti re-ported. Channel One would not immediately comment when contacted by AFP.

Match TV said its agree-ments to screen the games were still in force.

"Nobody has banned Rus-sia from the Games. We don't see any point in discussing the subject today," spokesman Le-van Matua told AFP.

This week the World An-ti-Doping Agency (WADA) maintained their suspension of the Russian body, RUSA-DA, which was first imposed in 2015.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Sports 23Saturday, November 18, 2017

AFPKOLKATA

CHETESHWAR Pujara stood firm against a relentless Sri Lankan pace attack as India stumbled to 74-5 before rain washed out the second day of the first Test before lunch on Friday.

Fast bowler Dasun Shana-ka struck twice on a cloudy morning session at Kolkata's Eden Gardens as the hosts struggled to build on their overnight 17-3.

Pujara, on 47, and wicket-keeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha, on six, were at the crease when rain arrived before lunch, preventing play for the rest of the day.

The continued adverse weather meant only 21 overs were played Friday, after just 11.5 overs were completed the previous day.

Pujara’s overnight part-ner Ajinkya Rahane became Shanaka's first victim, caught behind for four after a tenta-tive 21-ball stay at the crease.

Shanaka, playing just his second Test after his debut against England last year, also got Ravichandran Ashwin for

four, putting the hosts in trou-ble at 50-5.

Pujara, starting the day on eight, hit out when he could, finding the boundary nine times during his 102-ball stay so far.

Sri Lanka coach Nic Poth-as lauded “world class” Pujara for his gritty knock, saying the batsman's county experience helped him master the seam-ing conditions.

“He is obviously a world class player. That innings just showed you the benefits of him playing county cricket,” Pothas told reporters.

“That is genuinely a wick-et that you will find in Eng-land April-May. And he cer-tainly played the conditions very well.

“So far we have been pretty pleased of how we have gone about things. It is obviously very very challenging batting conditions... we are hoping things go our way,” the former South African player added.

Meanwhile Suranga Lak-mal, who took three wickets in six maiden overs on Thursday, conceded his first runs after 46 balls to return figures of 3-5. His victims on day one includ-ed India skipper Virat Kohli.

AFPLONDON

DAVID Goffin survived a shaky start to his ATP Finals shootout against good friend Dominic Thiem on Friday to win 6-4, 6-1 and advance to the semi-finals, where he has the daunting task of taking on Roger Federer.

The Belgian seventh seed lost the first three games against Austria's Thiem at London's O2 Arena but roared back to win six of the next seven and take the set. After Thiem received med-ical treatment for an apparent cut on his left knee, Goffin es-tablished an iron grip on the match with an early break in the second set as his fourth-seeded opponent continued to struggle to land first serves.

The pair were playing off for the last semi-final spot af-ter Federer, Grigor Dimitrov and Jack Sock sealed their places earlier in the week.

Goffin, who beat Rafael Nadal in his round-robin open-er in the Pete Sampras group, showed impressive mental strength to bounce back from his poor start to the match after

losing heavily to Dimitrov.In the evening match Dim-

itrov, who has already won the group, will play Pablo Carreno Busta, who replaced world number one Nadal after the Spaniard pulled out injured following his defeat by Goffin.

Federer, chasing a sev-enth end-of-season trophy, topped the Boris Becker group with American Sock in second place. Sock will play Bulgaria's Dimitrov in Saturday's other semi-final.

Goffin sets up Federer semis at ATP Finals

AFPNEW ORLEANS (LOUISIANA)

STAR wattage abounded in New Orleans on Thursday as A-list celebrities gathered for the wedding of tennis super-star Serena Williams and Red-dit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.

Despite the media frenzy, the happy couple released few details of their ceremony. But unnamed sources told People magazine and the Daily Mail that some 250 guests were invited to the festivities at the southern US city’s Contempo-rary Arts Center.

Music royalty Beyonce, legendary Vogue magazine editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, reality TV star Kim Kardashi-an, actress Eva Longoria and singer Ciara were all also seen arriving at the arts complex.

Security for the event, an-ticipated to last into the wee hours, was tight. An entire block in the Big Easy – a city known for its jazz music, good food and party atmosphere – was closed to traffic.

A steady train of black SUVs brought members of the wedding party to the event, as workers hurried final prepara-tions for the festivities.

According the entertain-ment website ETonline, the wedding was to have a “Beauty and the Beast” theme. It said

the tennis star's sister Venus was seen late on Wednesday leaving the arts center.

Workers could be seen early Thursday transforming the arts complex for the cer-emony, while the parking lot beside the building was full of tents and trucks unloading flowers, tables, carpets, ward-robe, and musicians.

The locally popular New Orleans funk and jazz band Naughty Professor was seen arriving in the late afternoon, as was the traditional Paulin Brothers Brass Band.

Chefs cooked in an outdoor tent, with feasting options in-cluding two food trucks as well as an outdoor bar.

The Daily Mail said the

event would cost more than $1 million and guests would be asked not to bring their cell phones, because an exclusive

photo deal had been signed with Vogue.

Williams, 36, a 23-time Grand Slam champion, and Ohanian, 34, welcomed their first child, daughter Alexis Ol-ympia, on September 1.

They announced their en-gagement in December after meeting in 2015 in Rome.

While New Orleans was no stranger to celebrities and weddings, the star wattage Thursday stirred up extra ex-citement in the city.

Linda Davis and Cora Ri-ley drove four hours from the small Louisiana town of De-Ridder just to get a glimpse of the tennis champion. They waited outside the arts com-plex for hours.

“We love her. She’s classy. She and Venus. They never complain,” Riley told AFP.

“We’re so glad she found happiness. Little baby Alexis is so precious,” said Mary Huber, who was among a small group who took a break from work to observe the hectic scene.

Williams won this year’s Australian Open while preg-nant, and is expected to de-fend her title in Melbourne in 2018 – just four-and-a-half months after giving birth to her child.

The Contemporary Arts Center is a large, four-sto-ry, multi-disciplinary com-plex boasting approximately 10,000 square feet (929 square meters) of gallery space.

New Orleans in US abuzz over Serena’s wedding

Hosts slide to 74-5 on Day Two of rain-affected Test

People gather outside the Contemporary Arts Museum, where Serena Williams got married to Alexis Ohanian on Thursday evening in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. (AFP)

India’s Cheteshwar Pujara during the second day of the first Test against Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Friday. (AFP)

Paine handed shock recall as Oz gambleAFP

SYDNEY

WICKETKEEPER Tim Paine was handed a shock recall af-ter a seven-year Test absence on Friday as Australia gam-bled on sweeping changes for the first two Ashes Tests against England.

Paine, who has not kept for Tasmania in their opening three Sheffield Shield games because of the presence of in-cumbent Test gloveman Mat-thew Wade, comes into the 13-man squad along with bats-men Cameron Bancroft and Shaun Marsh.

In a stunning selection, 32-year-old Paine, who was once on the brink of retire-ment over a serious finger fracture, was preferred to

Wade and Peter Nevill for his first Test match since October 2010.

Bancroft, a 24-year-old right-hander, is in line for his Test debut at the expense of opening batsman Matthew Renshaw following a prolific series of scores for Western Australia in this season’s domestic Sheffield Shield competition.

Bancroft, who is also a wicketkeeper, amassed an un-beaten 228 with other scores of 86, 76, 76 and 73 for his state side to force his Test claims, while Renshaw has struggled for runs for Queensland.

Shaun Marsh, 34, makes yet another return to the Aus-tralian side and is slated to bat at number six to shore up the batting instead of all-rounders Glenn Maxwell and Hilton Cartwright.

Only five players survive from Australia's last Test against Bangladesh in Sep-tember. The first Ashes Test is in Brisbane next week, with the second – a day-night match – in Adelaide from December 2.

The selections were de-scribed as "bombshells" in Australian press, while former Test bowler Stuart MacGill lashed the selectors as “morons”.

“Ashes selections.... made by morons mascarading (sic) as mentors. Times (sic) up gents,” he tweeted.

Tennis star Serena Williams and her beau Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.

Stars attendDespite the media frenzy, the happy couple released few details of their ceremony. Sources told People magazine and the Daily Mail that some 250 guests were invited to the festivities at the southern US city’s Contemporary Arts Center. TV star Kim Kardashian, actress Eva Longoria and singer Ciara were all seen arriving.

Belgium’s David Goffin gestures to the crowd after his straight sets win over Austria’s Dominic Thiem in ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 Arena in London on Friday. (AFP)

FORMER world number one Angelique Kerber on Thursday an-nounced that Belgian Wim Fisette will replace Torben Beltz as her coach in 2018. After winning two Grand Slams and an Olympic silver medal in 2016, the 29-year-old failed to claim a single title this year and fell to 21st in the world rankings, also losing her spot as German number one to Julia Goerges. Kerber and compatriot Beltz first worked together from 2011-13 and rejoined forces in 2015, with the German pair having their most successful season a year later. “It’s been tough but I’m about to start a new chapter in my career, with a new coach,” Kerber said on her official Twitter account. Fissette has previously worked with top players such as Kim Clijsters, Victoria Azarenka and Simona Halep, and coached Britain's Johanna Konta for the 2017 season. (REUTERS)

Belgian Fissette is Kerber’s new coach

Quick read

Pujara holds fort as India stumble

INDIA INNINGS: (OVERNIGHT 17-3)

L. Rahul c Dickwella b Lakmal .............. 0S. Dhawan b Lakmal ............................. 8C. Pujara batting .................................47V. Kohli lbw b Lakmal ............................ 0A. Rahane c Dickwella b Shanaka ........ 4R. Ashwin c Karunaratne b Shanaka ..... 4W. Saha batting ..................................... 6Extras: (lb1, b4) ................................... 5Total: (For 5 wickets, 32.5 overs) .......74

Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Rahul), 2-13 (Dhawan), 3-17 (Kohli), 4-30 (Rahane), 5-50 (Ashwin).Bowling: Lakmal 11-9-5-3, Gamage 11.5-3-24-0, Shanaka 8-2-23-2, Karunaratne 2-0-17-0.Toss: Sri Lanka.

SCOREBOARD

Australia’s Beth Mooney, who made 86 not out, celebrates

with Rachael Haynes in Sydney on Friday. (ICC-CRICKET.COM)

Australia retain women’s Ashes with T20 win

The SquadSteve Smith (capt), David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, Jackson Bird, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine, Chadd Sayers, Mitchell Starc.

PAINE’S GAIN: Cricket Australia XI’s captain Tim Paine during an Ashes tour match at the Ad-elaide Oval. Paine was handed a shock recall after a seven-year Test absence as Australia gambled on sweeping changes for the first two Ashes Tests against England. (AFP)

In a stunning selection, 32-year-old (Tim) Paine, who was once on the brink of retirement over a serious finger fracture, was pre-ferred to Matthew Wade and Peter Nevill for his first Test match since October 2010. Bancroft, a 24-year-old right-hander, is in line for his Test debut at the expense of opening bats-man Matthew Renshaw.

AFPSYDNEY

AUSTRALIA retained the women's Ashes with a six-wicket win over England in the first Twenty20 Interna-tional in Sydney on Friday.

A career-best haul of four for 22 from Megan Schutt restricted England to 132 for nine before Beth Mooney’s 86 – the highest score in a T20 in Australia – helped reel in the target with 25 balls to spare.

The two points from the victory clinched the se-

ries for Australia with two matches to play.

In the multi-format se-ries, the four points from two ODI wins, two points from the drawn day-night Test and the T20 victory enabled Aus-tralia take an unassailable lead and retain the trophy.

The highlight of the Ashes series was Ellyse Perry’s record-breaking 213 not out in the day-night Ashes Test last week.

The series now moves to Canberra for the final two ODIs on Sunday and Tues-day at Manuka Oval.

Sports22 Saturday, November 18, 2017

AFPMADRID

ACCUSTOMED to unrelent-ing success in recent seasons, both Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid enter Saturday's first ever Spanish capital derby at Atletico's new Wanda Metro-politano Stadium with little room for error.

Early season struggles have left both sides eight points adrift of La Liga leaders Barcelona and four points back on a revi-talised Valencia.

Twice finalists in the past four seasons, Atletico also look set for an embarassing group-

stage exit in the Champions League, whilst Real also suf-fered thier first group-stage de-feat for five years to Tottenham Hotspur earlier this month, although they should still progress to the last 16.

A large part in the downfall of both sides of the Madrid di-vide has been the poor form of their normally reliant source of goals in Cristiano Ronaldo and Antoine Griezmann.

The two went head-to-head for the Ballon d'Or last year af-ter Real and Ronaldo's Portugal edged out Atletico and Griez-mann's France in the Cham-pions League and Euro 2016

finals respectively.However, Ronaldo has

scored just once in seven La Liga appearances so far this season despite having 48 shots on goal.

"It's not my fault if (the ball) does not want to go in," Ron-aldo told French sports newspa-per L'Equipe on Thursday.

"People look at me like a goal machine, like a guy who has to score all the time."

However, Ronaldo's rest-lessness on the field has been mirrored by rising tension off it with more Madrid-based sports daily Marca reporting on his fractuous relationship with Real captain Sergio Ra-mos this week.

After the 3-1 defeat at Wembley to Spurs, Ronaldo admitted Madrid's squad that delivered a first La Liga and

Champions League double for 59 years last season had been weakened by the departures of

Alvaro Morata, Pepe and James Rodriguez among others. Ra-mos later described those com-

ments as "opportunisitic".Griezmann's commitment

has also been questioned de-spite the Frenchman turning his back on a move away from Spain to sign a new deal with Atletico just five months ago.

"Whoever doesn't want to be here should leave," Atletico midfielder Koke said on Thurs-day. Koke's return after a month out through injury should at least inject some creativity back into an Atletico side badly lack-ing a spark.

Griemzann hasn't scored in his last seven Atletico games and was even substituted by Diego Simeone before Tho-mas Partey's injury-time strike ground out a 1-0 win at Depor-tivo la Coruna two weeks ago.

"Compared to previous years it is different," admitted Griezmann.

"We have a new stadium, we are struggling to score goals and win games. At the back we are fine, we just need a bit of luck up front."

Atletico's slow adaptation to the 68,000-capacity Wanda Metropolitano has played its part in their struggles as Sime-one's men have failed to win any of their last four games at home in all competitions.

As well as Koke's return, Yannick Carrasco is fit again for Atletico. Real, by contrast, are still riddled with injuries with Gareth Bale ruled out for another month and doubts over Isco, Dani Carvajal, Keylor Na-vas and Mateo Kovacic.

Barcelona are also in action in Madrid on Saturday and can open up a seven-point lead at the top when they trav-el to Leganes.

Madrid giants face similar struggles ahead of derby

AFPLONDON

ARSENE Wenger has warned Tottenham that Arsenal will use Saturday's derby showdown to prove the balance of power in north London hasn't shifted permanently.

After decades of lording it over their neighbours from the other end of the Seven Sisters Road, Wenger's side have found themselves in the unpleasant position of playing second fid-dle to Tottenham over the last year.Tottenham will arrive at the Emirates Stadium sitting four points above the Gunners in the Premier League and still basking in the afterglow of their memorable victory over Euro-pean champions Real Madrid earlier this month.

While Mauricio Pochet-tino's team harbour ambitions of winning both the Premier League and Champions League, Arsenal are living in reduced circumstances.

Having finished below Tot-tenham last season for the first time in 22 years, a black cloud hangs over the Gunners, who appear destined for a grim fight for a top-four finish.

Many Arsenal fans have grown tired of Wenger's ex-cuses after 13 years without a title triumph and the indignity of missing out on a Champions League berth last term was the final straw for many.

Arsenal haven't beaten Tottenham in the league since March 2014, a barren streak stretching to six matches.

But despite a damaging defeat at leaders Manchester City in their last league game, Wenger is adamant his team are primed to end their frustrating

run against Tottenham.Asked if Arsenal were un-

derdogs in the derby, Wenger said: "No, not at all.

"I think Tottenham are a good side but we have the qual-ity to win this game and that's what we want to show.

"The conclusion of people will be the comparison of the two performances on Saturday. We have a good opportunity to show we are the strongest, so let's do it. "It's one of the fixtures that is very important for us and that we want to win, basically as well because in the table we have to make some ground up with the top teams.

"Our home strength will

certainly be vital to decide where we finish at the end of the season." Wenger's hopes of a much-needed victory weren't helped by the injury suffered by France striker Olivier Giroud during the international break.

Giroud will be sidelined on Saturday, meaning Wenger may have to start erratic for-ward Alexandre Lacazette who was left out of previous mar-quee match-ups with Liverpool and City.

"He didn't play away from home at City, I think that's the only game he didn't start (along with Liverpool). I trust him completely," Wenger said of his pre-season signing from Lyon.

Wenger vows to fix power shift in Spurs showdown

Early season struggles have left both sides eight points adrift of La Liga leaders Barcelona

A combo picture of Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann (left) and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo.

Tottenham will arrive at the Emirates Stadium sitting four points above the Gunners in the EPL

MADRID: Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has played down the rift between his captain Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo before Saturday's Liga derby at Atletico Madrid, saying on Friday that the two players had resolved their differences.

Marca reported on Thursday that tensions between two of Ma-drid's senior players had risen amid the team's inconsistent run of results, which includes defeats at Girona and Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League. After Madrid were beaten 3-1 by Spurs at Wembley on Nov. 1 Ronaldo put their malaise down to selling the likes of James Rodriguez and Alvaro Morata, a view Ramos rejected, describing the four-time Ballon d'Or winner's words as "opportunistic". "Sergio is very clever, he can say what he wants and so can Cristiano, they've spent so long playing together and have won a lot of things together and it doesn't mean anything if they disagree on something from time to time," Zidane said. (AFP)

BERLIN: Former England striker Gary Lineker and Russian sports journalist Maria Komandnaya will host the draw for the 2018 World Cup finals, football governing body FIFA said Friday.

"As a player, I was fortunate enough to take part in the World Cup finals on two occasions," Lineker was quoted in a FIFA state-ment. "It is quite special to be involved in yet another tournament - now on the stage, unveiling the results of the draw.

"I have been on the other side, waiting to find out my oppo-nents, and I know how exciting this occasion is."

The 56-year-old Lineker will lead the December 1 ceremony at the State Kremlin Palace in Moscow despite being a harsh critic of FIFA corruption and the award of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar.

FIFA deputy secretary general Zvonimir Boban said Lineker's "honest and open views together with his in-depth knowledge of the game greatly enrich the world of football journalism. (DPA)

Rift between Ramos and Ronaldo resolved, says Zidane

Former England striker Lineker to host World Cup draw in Moscow

BERLIN: Gabon striking star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has re-acted with disappointment to being suspended by Borussia Dort-mund ahead of Friday's Bundesliga game away to VfB Stuttgart.

Dortmund said the 28-year-old forward would be left out of the squad for "disciplinary reasons," reportedly arriving between 20 and 30 minutes late to training on Thursday.

It is Aubameyang's second internal suspension after he was left out of the squad for a Champions League game last Novem-ber for an unauthorized shopping trip to Milan.

"After Milan I could understand the punishment and the suspension because I went against an instruction," Aubameyang told the Bild newspaper late Thursday. "This time I really don't understand it. I didn't want to arrive too late." Aubameyang was the top scorer in the Bundesliga last season and has 10 goals in 11 Bundesliga games this season. (DPA)

BARCELONA: La Liga president Javier Tebas said on Friday Barce-lona supporters are free to chant in favour of independence for Catalonia at games but said any "insulting" chants against Spain could lead to the temporary closure of their Nou Camp stadium.

Pro-independence gestures have been on the rise at Barca's stadium since the banned referendum on Catalonia's split from Spain on Oct. 1, which has provoked a stand off between the Spanish central government and its richest region.

The league's organising body has cracked down on antisocial behaviour in stadiums across Spain since a Deportivo La Coruna supporter was murdered by Atletico Madrid fans before a match between the two sides in the Spanish capital in 2014.

La Liga releases a weekly memo denouncing insulting chants heard in games, arguing that chants promoting violence leads to a greater risk of violence occurring in and around stadiums. (AFP)

Aubameyang doesn't understand latest Dortmund suspension

Camp Nou could be closed if Barca fans insult Spain, says Tebas

News in brief

Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds’ players practise during a training session prior to their AFC Champions league final football match first leg in Riyadh on Friday. (AFP)

Getting set

Head-to-head (Last 10 matches)Tottenham 2-0 Arsenal (Premier League, April 2017)Arsenal 1-1 Tottenham (Premier League, November 2016)Tottenham 2-2 Arsenal (Premier League, March 2016)Arsenal 1-1 Tottenham (Premier League, November 2015)Tottenham 1-2 Arsenal (League Cup, September 2015)Tottenham 2-1 Arsenal (Premier League, February 2015)Arsenal 1-1 Tottenham (Premier League, September 2014)Tottenham 0-1 Arsenal (Premier League, March 2014)Arsenal 2-0 Tottenham (FA Cup, January 2014)Arsenal 1-0 Tottenham (Premier League, September 2013)

Premier League form guide (Last five matches)Arsenal - W L W W LTottenham - W W W L W

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger reacts during their EPL match against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester recently. (REUTERS)

Ibrahimovic, Pogba back for Man United, says Mourinho

AFPMANCHESTER

PAUL Pogba and long-term in-jury victim Zlatan Ibrahimovic will make their Manchester United returns against Newcas-tle United on Saturday, man-ager Jose Mourinho announced on Friday.

France midfielder Pogba has been out since Septem-ber with a hamstring injury, while former Sweden striker Ibrahimovic has not played since damaging knee ligaments against Anderlecht in April.

Argentinian defender Mar-cos Rojo is also set to return, having suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury in the same Europa League game as Ibrahi-movic. "Zlatan, last season we played with him every minute almost until he was injured," Mourinho told his weekly press conference at United's training base west of Manchester.

"This season we learn how to play without him, but he's a very important player for us.

"So welcome back and of course he is an incredible per-sonality to fight such an impor-tant injury. We were all saying in 2017 he will be back, but one thing is December 31, 2017 and

another thing is mid-Novem-ber. "He was, as an injured player, the same super profes-sional he is when he's fit. So fantastic work, same as Marcos.

"He had an important inju-ry too, a big surgery. He played with the young boys (United's Under-23s) on Wednesday and is fine. He is confident, is also ready. "Paul is obviously not the same dimension of injury. It was not a surgical situation, but it was also bad and all three are back." News of the trio's

availability is a welcome fillip for Mourinho, who has seen his team fall eight points below Manchester City in the Premier League title race. Ibrahimovic, 36, made a stunning impact on English football last season, top-scoring for United with 28 goals in 46 games before succumbing to his career-threatening injury.

Pogba, 24, was less con-spicuously successful following his return to the club from Ju-ventus in a then world-record $117.7 million transfer.

Manchester United’s manager Jose Mourinho walks on the red carpet as he arrives to attend the “United for UNICEF Gala Dinner” at Old Trafford in Manchester on Wednesday. (AFP)

Italy’s stars fall back to earth in Serie A

AFPMILAN

ITALY'S stunned internation-als return to the mundane set-ting of Serie A this weekend days after their star status in world football imploded with a shocking World Cup exit.

Goalkeeping great Gianluigi Buffon was back training with Juventus after his emotional retirement from international duty after two decades, prepar-ing for Sunday's game at Samp-doria, along with fellow 2006 World Cup winner Andrea Bar-zagli, and Giorgio Chiellini.

Daniele De Rossi, another former world champion, was back at Roma for Saturday's 'Derby della Capitale' against bitter city rivals Lazio.

"Obviously nobody expect-ed it to end this way. It was an immense letdown not just for us, but for all Italians," said Roma's Stephan El Shaarawy after the 1-0 aggregate play-off defeat by Sweden left four-time champions Italy out of the World Cup for the first time since 1958.

"I feel great bitterness, but we must get back on our feet and try to work towards the fu-ture," he added.

Juventus captain Buffon

and his Italian teammates can now fully focus on a chasing a seventh straight Serie A title and their Champions League campaign which continues against Barcelona midweek.

Napoli are top of the Italian league standings with 32 points from 12 games, a point ahead of Juventus with Inter Milan third on 30.

Massimiliano Allegri's Ju-

ventus head to Genoa to play Sampdoria, sixth with a game in hand, boosted by the return of German world champion Ben-edikt Hoewedes from injury.

Maurizio Sarri's Napo-li, meanwhile, are looking to bounce back after being held before the international break, as they host under-pressure AC Milan.

Vincenzo Montella's Milan are seventh after a 2-0 win over Sassuolo last time out but have struggled with big name rivals this season.

Juventus captain Buffon and his Italian teammates can now fully focus on a chasing a seventh straight Serie A title and their Champions League campaign

Sports 21Saturday, November 18, 2017

Saturday, November 18, 2017

COVE

R STORY

PG 2&

3

AMY QINNYT SYNDICATE

HE young woman sat at the foot of the wooden loom and began to weave. As her fingers passed the orange shuttle back and forth through the delicate

cotton threads, the creaky contraption sprang to life.

Yang Xiuying — a plucky woman no taller than the loom — peered over her granddaughter’s shoulder, inspecting the newly emerging fabric for flaws. Ever since she was a young girl, Yang, 74, has been weaving and dyeing indigo textiles using techniques that the ethnic Dong in the southern Chinese province of Guizhou have passed down from mother to daughter over generations.

“You can’t buy this type of handmade cloth at the market,” Yang said, patting

a bolt of gleaming indigo-coloured cloth with her wrinkled, navy-stained hands.

Here in Dali, an ancient village nestled in verdant hills, making indigo cloth has long been a part of life, no less important to the Dong than farming rice or fermenting fish.

Even in this era of fast fashion, many Dong women still devote countless hours to making the dark, glossy cloth. The fabric must be woven, wrung, scrubbed and pounded before it can be used to create traditional Dong cotton garments — dark navy costumes with colourful flower trim for the women and plain indigo for the men.

“For a Dong family, having a loom is just as important as having a cow,” said Lai Lei, the founder of a weaving and dyeing co-op in a nearby village. “As children, we grow up listening to the sound of the loom.” The village of Dali.

Yang Zhengxian and her daughter collect indigo in the village of Dali.Yang Xiukui prepares indigo fabric in the village of Dali, in China’s Guizhou province. It takes Dong women about two weeks to colour a single bolt of cloth into the desired rich shade of indigo.

Dyeing is so woven into Dali’s culture that the practice even survived the Cul-tural Revolution, when many other Dong traditions, such as shamanism, were stamped out by communists trying to destroy what they saw as a feudal past.

But the traditions have come under a different threat since China’s mar-ket economy has accelerated in recent decades. As the lure of work and educa-tion has drawn youth to China’s growing cities, few young Dong women are left in villages like this one.

Of those who remain, even fewer show interest in learning the labour-intensive techniques of indigo dyeing.

“I want to teach my daughters, but they don’t want to learn,” said Zhang Yuyuan, 75, as she stepped back from plunging fabric into a navy-blue bath. “They say, ‘We’ll just mess it up, so you should just do it.’”

Hoping to save Dali’s folk traditions, provincial officials in 2011 invited in the Global Heritage Fund, a preservation organisation based in California.

The Global Heritage Fund has begun working with Atlas Studio, a Beijing-based design studio, to set up a weaving and dyeing co-op in Dali. The aim is twofold: to create opportunities to work closer to home and to persuade young Dong women to learn their traditions.

“For a long time, Guizhou has known that one of its strongest cultural re-sources is the ethnic minority villages,” said Kuanghan Li, the China programme director of the Global Heritage Fund. “Now rural villages are a hot topic in China.”

Tourism has yet to take off in Dali, though it may only be a matter of time. Unlike many villages in China where preservation has been undertaken with a heavy hand, the village has the feel of an untouched oasis, in part because of its remote location.

Even today, it is accessible only by a narrow mountain road that winds through lush bamboo forests before descending into a valley where sloping gray-tiled rooftops huddle closely to-gether.

A recent visit to the village found the few hundred or so residents hard at work. Nearly every family grows its own rice and indigo, and both were ready for harvest.

In the busy autumn mornings, it is the Dong women who wake first. The roosters were still asleep and the sky dark when Yang Xiukui stepped outside to start her day’s work. She folded a long length of indigo cloth and lay it onto a flat stone surface.

Using a heavy wooden mallet, Yang, 55, began to pound the fabric. With each thump, the cloth grew brighter, acquir-ing a shiny gloss. That lustre — achieved through the application of cowhide extract and, at times, egg whites — is prized by Dong women. When they wear their handmade indigo clothes

for holidays and festivals, the women will inspect the sheen of one another’s handiwork in the spirit of friendly com-petition.

As Yang worked, a chorus of roosters joined the plinking of mallets to awaken the village. Sleepy children stumbled to school along stone-paved paths while

older people chatted on doorsteps of traditional wooden homes.

Yang brought the now-gleaming indigo cloth to a covered plastic tub in the corner of her still dark kitchen. She removed the lid, releasing a pungent, fermented odour. Inside was a dark blue, frothy liquid.

Almost every Dong woman over 40 has a plastic tub to hold indigo dye bath. By tradition, the placement of the tub within the house is crucial, and must be made according to principles of feng shui, the ancient practice of arranging objects to improve one’s luck.

Yang plunged the fabric into the dye bath, making sure to soak each section thoroughly. Several rounds of soak-ing and drip-drying later, she hung the heavy cloth on a wooden pole to dry. After a quick meal of chili fermented fish, sautéed vegetables and rice, she hopped onto the back of her husband’s motorbike and headed out for a full day of harvesting rice in the fields. It was only 9 am.

The next morning, Yang repeated the entire process. In total, it takes Dong women about two weeks to colour a single bolt of cloth into the desired rich shade of indigo.

“They say whoever has the dark-est stains on her hands makes the best cloth,” Yang said proudly, as she held out her purple-streaked hands.

A woman dries indigo cloth in the village of Dali.

Rice is dried on the roof of a home in the village of Dali. The accelerating flight of young villagers to find work or education in cities has imperilled a folk tradition the Dong people have kept alive for centuries: the weaving and dying of indigo textiles by hand.

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORKDOHA

HAVAN’S Public School organised the annual science exhibi-tion Scientia recently on the school’s Matar

Qadeem Campus. Principal MP Philip urged

the students to maintain a scien-tific and creative outlook in the quest for knowledge. EduBrisk Knowledge Solutions Pvt Ltd founder and CEO Saiju Aravind motivated students to focus on problem-solving and decision-making skills and enjoy learning experiences. He and a panel of judges applauded the ideas of the students.

The guests enjoyed the mime and robotic dance in which the students portrayed the journey of science through the ages. The simulation of artificial intel-ligence, in which the robot was brought alive, earned everybody’s

commendation and set the crea-tive ambience.

The preliminary round of the exhibition was carried out on all the three campuses. The event saw young scientists putting up exhibits comprising innovative work and still models related to Science, Mathematics and Com-puter Science.

Administration Director Anja-

na Menon, General Secretary KM Anil, Board Director Hameed, Headmistresses Shailaja Krishna-Kumar and Asha Shiju, and the academic and activity coordina-tors attended the event. They ap-preciated the efforts the students. The programme was compered by Remya Nandakumar while Science Department Head Gisha Anil proposed the vote of thanks.

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORKDOHA

ES Indian School conduct-ed a motivational session for the Classes X and XII

students on ‘Defeating the Fear of Exam’. The session aimed to help the students manage exam-related fears and prepare them for the board examinations with confi-dence.

Qatar Foundation Head of Business Planning Dr Rajeev Thomas was the resource person. The session covered the topics ‘The Power of Focus’, ‘From Fear to Confidence’, ‘Achieving a Peak Performance-Mindset’ and ‘Ex-ams – a Stepping Stone to Your Success’.

The programme was coordi-nated by the Department of Guid-ance and Counselling.

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORKDOHA

AKISTAN International School Qatar (PISQ) students attended a session on ‘Mycotoxins and Food

Chain – a tip of iceberg’ lecture recently. The lecture was deliverd by Dr Zahoor Ul Hassan from Qatar University. Principal Nargis Raza Otho, Boys’ Wing vice-principal, Girls’ Wing vice-principal

and PISQ staff were also present at the programme.

The programme started with a recitation of a few verses from the Holy Quran by Ilyas Haider. Event host Wasim Rana introduced the guest speaker, Dr Zahoor Ul Hassan. Hassan works as a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Biological and Envi-ronmental Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences in Qatar University. He holds

a degree in Veterinary Medicine and a PhD in Veterinary Pathology. He has been engaged in teaching Veterinary Pathology, Histopathology, Oncology, Clinical Pathology and related subjects in the field of animal sciences.

Through a PowerPoint presentation, Hassan discussed food mycology, my-cotoxins and their effects in avian and mammalian species. He also focused on the occurrence of toxigenic fungi, their

morphological and molecular identifi-cation, exploration of toxigenic genes and mycotoxins-producing potential of fungi. He also discussed the residual transmission of mycotoxins in animal products – milk, meat, eggs and other dairy products and discussed strategies that protect society from the harmful effects of mycotoxins.

The lecture was followed by a ques-tion and answer session.

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORKDOHA

AREEM recently provided its captains in Qatar free medical check-ups. The consultations were provided in cooperation with Aster Medical Center.

Focusing on major health issues and using early detection techniques, the medi-cal check-ups included consultation and tests for the captains’ BMI, blood pressure reading, lipid profile and blood sugar level. In cases where additional testing or inves-tigation was required, the captains received a discount on their future visits.

Careem Business Development Manag-er of Emerging Markets Husain Alshehabi

said, “In order to provide flexible, safe, and convenient services to our clients, it is important for us to ensure a fleet of happy, healthy captains. This is why we at Careem had our new medical check-up initia-tive, which has already benefited a large number of captains.”

This campaign is one of Careem’s many initiatives in Qatar that help provide the company’s local captains with support and motivation. These initiatives are made possible because of Careem’s leading posi-tion in the industry, giving it the means to provide more ways to enhance its captains’ quality of life. Careem also provides its captains with telecommunication benefits in the form of free data and credit and dis-counts on various grocery and retail items.

KATARA 7TH TRADITIONAL DHOW FESTIVAL

When: Till November 19 Time: 9 am to 12 pm Venue: Katar Beach 15 Admission: FreeWitness exciting activities and events throughout Katara 7th Traditional Dhow Festival. Experience a distinctive ambience that will showcase the authentic maritime traditions inspired by Qatar’s ancestors.

RIDE OF CHAMPIONS When: November 24Time: 6:30 amVenue: Qatar FoundationAdmission: Free Qatar Cyclists, under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture and Sport, have announced the return of the Ride of Champions. The 2017 event includes three events starting at 6:30 am (48km, 78km and 137.5km) for experienced adult cyclists departing from Qatar Foundation and heading towards Al Sha-haniya and back. A further festival of cycling starts at 9am for families, beginners and riders new to the sport at Qatar Foundation. All events are based out of Qatar Foundationís spectacular ceremonial court, with a live music, farmerís market, food stands, bike shops with mechanics, sponsors and more.Those who wish to participate can register at www.rocdoha.qa. Registration fee after November 12 is QR200 and open until November 20. The registra-tion fee includes event participation, a limited edition #rocdoha2017 Santini cycling jersey, a water bottle, event and bike numbers and finisher medal.

QATAR WINTER DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL 2017

When: November 24 Time: 8 am to 5 pm

Venue: Grand Hyatt DohaAdmission: FreeQatar Dragon Boat holds its first com-petition of the season. Sponsored by the Saracen Community Initiative.The competition is open to all recreational/corporate teams and premier dragon boat teams. Spectators are encourage to come watch the races during the day.

28TH DOHA INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR

When: November 29 to December 9 Venue: Doha Exhibition and Convention Center Admission: FreeOrganised by the Ministry of Culture and Sport, the 28th edition of Doha International Book Fair will comprise a variety of books from a great number of publishers and will host seminars, art shows and book signing events.

DRIVEN BY GERMAN DESIGN

When: Till January 14, 2018 Time: 9 am to 7 pm (Sat - Thur) | 1:30 pm to 7pm (Fri) Venue: Al Riwaq GalleryAdmission: Free Curated by renowned museum director Dr Mar-tin Roth before his passingw ‘Driven by German

Design’ features numerous design objects loaned from some of Germanyís most significant cultural institutions such as the Vitra Design Museum, Neue Sammlung, Porsche Museum and Museum f¸r Angewandte Kunst Frankfurt. The exhibition traces the development of German design over more than six decades, from the 1950s to the present day and provides a glimpse into the future.

IMPERIAL THREADS: MOTIFS AND ARTISANS

FROM TURKEY, IRAN AND INDIA

When: Till January 27, 2018 Venue: Museum of Islamic ArtAdmission: FreeThis exhibition highlights the exchange of artistic and material cultures in the early modern era (16th– 19th century). Focusing on carpets as the prominent medium, manuscripts, metalwork, ceramics, and other objects are also featured to further illustrate the historical and artistic context of this time. Beginning with the Timurid period in Iran and Central Asia (1370–1507), this exhibition shows the continuation of artistic practices shared amongst succeeding and neigh-bouring dynasties, namely the Safavids in Iran (1501–1736), the Ottomans in Turkey (1299–1923) and the Mughals in India (1526–1857).

CITY CIRCUIT

IANS

UFFERING from depres-sion and anxiety disorders? More physical activities and workouts may help uplift the mood and improve your

mental health problems, suggests a new study.

The study by Michigan State Uni-versity found that exercises can quick-ly elevate a depressed person, and patients should create a comprehen-sive exercise plan and work regularly to achieve the specific goal.

“Physical activity has been shown to be effective in alleviating mild to moderate depression and anxiety,” Carol Janney, Assistant Professor at Michigan State University in the US, said.

“Current physical activity guide-lines advise at least 30 minutes of exercise five days a week to promote mental and physical health,” Janney added.

The researchers studied over 295 mental health patients and asked if the patients wanted their therapists

to help them become more physically active.

The results showed over 80 percent of the patients believed that the exer-cises recommended by the researchers helped them in improving their moods and anxiety in less time.

The study, published in the journal General Hospital Psychiatry, noted the statements of more than half of the participants who claimed that their depressed mood limited their ability to exercise.

“Offering physical activity pro-grammes inside mental health clinics may be one of many patient-centred approaches that can improve the men-tal and physical health of patients,” Janney said.

Mental health experts such as psy-chiatrists and therapists may not have the necessary training to prescribe physical activity as part of their men-tal health practice, but by teaming up with the certified personal trainers or other exercise programmes may help in prescribing more physical activity in the clinic setting, the researchers added.

IANS

EOPLE who build their houses in the lap of Mother Nature may have a healthier brain and may be at a

lower risk of developing stress-related depression and anxiety disorders than those living near the urban green or wasteland, a research says.

The findings showed that city dwellers are at a higher risk of psychiatric illnesses such as depression, anxiety disorders and schizophrenia than countryside dwellers.

This is because life in a city is full of noise and pollution, and many people scramble in a confined space, increasing the risk for chronic stress.

In the study, appearing in the journal Scientific Reports, city dwellers showed higher activity levels of amygdala – a

central nucleus in the brain that plays an important role in stress processing and reactions to danger.

On the other hand, people living close to a forest showed indications of a physi-

ologically healthy amygdala structure and were therefore presumably better able to cope with stress compared to those living the urban green, water or wasteland, the researchers observed.

“Research on brain plasticity supports the assumption that the environment can shape brain structure and function. “That is why we are interested in the environmental conditions that may have positive effects on brain development,” said lead author Simone Kuhn, psycholo-gist at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) Hospital in Germany.

“Studies of people in the countryside have already shown that living close to nature is good for their mental health and well-being. We therefore decided to examine city dwellers,” Kuhn added.

By 2050, almost 70 percent of the world population is expected to be liv-ing in cities, the researchers said, adding that these results could therefore be very important for urban planning.

NYT SYNDICATE

HEY all stand neatly in a row: eight large panels on a barren dirt patch just a few hundred yards from the San Diego border with Mexico. Unveiled in late October,

these are the prototypes for the border wall President Donald Trump has vowed to erect on the southern border. Later this year, the federal government will test the panels for strength and effectiveness.

These prototypes make clear that a border wall is not simple: It can vary con-siderably in material, shape and cost. And while it is far from clear that Congress will pay for a wall or that any of these designs will be built at wider scale, they are real-life renderings of a promise that fuelled much of Trump’s campaign.

Six contractors have made bids on the wall, and the specific details of their plans are not public. But border security experts and engineers shared what they saw in

each design and what challenges each wall may face.

Every expert agreed on one thing: Find-ing a design that would work for the entire length of the border would be extremely hard, if not impossible. And many caution that such a wall may never happen.

The prototypes present the government with a number of choices:

Concrete or no concrete?

The prototypes include plain concrete walls and ones made of a combination of materials, what the government described as “other than concrete.” The term is intentionally vague, a signal to contractors to be creative and bring a design that US Customs and Border Protection had not considered.

Any barrier must be able to withstand at least 30 minutes of force from a “sledge-hammer, car jack, pick axe, chisel, battery-operated impact tools, battery-operated cutting tools, oxy/acetylene torch or other

similar hand-held tools,” according to the instructions for the prototypes.

Some “other than concrete” proto-types incorporate steel, which can be relatively easy to cut with a torch, while pure concrete is not. A hollow steel pipe whose walls are half an inch thick could easily be cut in less than an hour, accord-ing to Michael D Engelhardt, professor of structural engineering at the University of Texas at Austin.

Steel is also malleable. Engelhardt said that a small hydraulic arm (similar to the ‘Jaws of Life’ used to pry open a crumpled car) could easily be used to make an open-ing in such a wall: “The equipment is small (could likely fit in a backpack), inexpen-sive, widely available and can generate many tons of force.”

“Steel can rust really quickly,” said Cur-tis Patterson, a structural engineer based in San Diego who visited the prototypes with a team of Times journalists. He pointed to several rust spots that had already ap-

peared on one of the prototypes, less than a month after construction.

But some envision the mixed-material walls as having more technological capa-bilities. They might be called smart walls: walls that incorporate radar, acoustics and other types of surveillance embedded in the infrastructure. One of the contrac-tors bidding on the wall is ELTA North America, an Israeli defence contractor that specialises in radar and communication equipment.

“My sense is they will select multiple awards for these types of infrastructure,” said Jayson Ahern, a former acting com-missioner of Customs and Border Protec-tion who was involved in the construction of a border fence during the George W Bush administration. “Some will be for technology, some for when they just need a wall.”

Opaque or transparent?

David Aguilar, a former deputy com-

A border wall panel, with a prototype cost of $344,000. A border wall panel, with a prototype cost of $486,411.A border wall panel, with a prototype cost of $470,000.

A border wall panel, with a prototype cost of $320,000.

NYT SYNDICATE

HE Apple logo was green. The symbol for Foot Locker was a sneaker. And Starbucks? The famous siren on every frappuc-cino and chai latte was not ex-

actly the friendliest-looking sea dweller.When 156 people were recently

asked if they could draw some of the world’s most iconic brand logos from memory, some of their recreations were laughably off the mark. But something was not so funny for the companies that have tried to sear their brands into the minds of consumers everywhere: For 10 iconic brands including Walmart, Burger King, and Ikea, the overall per-centage of near-perfect drawings was just 16 percent.

That means fewer than one-fifth of the participants could remember the correct positioning of the familiar blue-and-red rectangle of Domino’s, or the three black stripes of Adidas. Even Tar-get — whose emblem involves a simple red bull’s-eye above the brand name — confused people: 41 percent forgot the number of circles.

“People spend so much on marketing to get people to recognise and remember their brand,” said Nelson James, co-founder and chief operating officer of the e-commerce site Signs.com, which led the study. “We just wanted to know — does it work?”

The answer is that being able to recognise a logo and being able to recre-ate it appear to be vastly different things. Although participants thought they had a good grasp on the designs, expressing confidence that they could redraw them without seeing them, their actual repro-ductions proved otherwise.

Logos are what companies use to help customers identify the brand, and choices like design, colour and font are “critical,” James said. “Having these logos where you can’t correctly recall details means something.”

In an age of digital saturation, per-haps many of these carefully constructed logos are not as memorable as we think. A study conducted in 2014 by psycholo-gists at the University of California, Los Angeles, similarly asked 85 participants if they could draw the familiar Apple logo from memory. More than half the subjects even identified themselves as strictly Apple users. Yet only one could draw the icon perfectly, as scored by a 14-point rubric.

Should Apple be worried? Not nec-

essarily. Dr Alan Castel, a psychology professor who was one of the authors of the study, said that the inability to accurately recall such daily ephemera as a brand logo really might be a beneficial quirk of our memory system.

“We don’t burden our memory with things we don’t need to know,” Castel said. He referred to a famous study in 1979 by psychologists Raymond Nicker-son and Marilyn Jager Adams, in which participants were asked to draw the face

of a penny. Most struggled.“It’s rare that you really need to recall

something from memory,” Castel said. “You simply recognise it, you see it on an item or a computer. You like it, you buy it.”

Still, in recent years, brands like Uber, YouTube, and Dropbox have rede-signed their logos, trying to make them more simple, more intuitive or more easily recognisable. In 2014, Airbnb announced its new logo, which it calls

the Bélo, in a video that noted that the design was easy for customers to draw.

Paul Stafford, co-founder of Design-Studio, the agency that led the rebrand-ing effort, said that Airbnb envisioned people renting out their homes and putting their own spin on the Bélo — on everything from magazines to bathrobes and shampoo bottles, like a hotel.

“We had to create something that was so simple that everybody could draw it and interpret it themselves,” Stafford said. “They also wanted people to be sharing it. Right down to the people tat-tooing the mark on their arms.”

Stafford, however, said that he did not think that being able to draw a logo necessarily indicates how well it resonates.

People often see logos so much that they feel like they know it. But they rarely critique it or study it enough to reproduce fine details — a phenomenon that psychologists like Castel call “inat-tentional amnesia.” When something is seen frequently, the information ends up being more easily ignored or forgotten.

Perhaps the most surprising result of the Signs.com study was the com-pany that fared best: Ikea. The Swedish furniture maker with the distinctive blue-and-yellow logo plastered across its giant retail stores was redrawn near-perfectly by 30 percent of the partici-pants.

Asa Nordin, who is a senior coordi-nator of Ikea trademarks at Inter Ikea Systems, said the unique shape, colours, and longevity of the logo — it has been around since 1983 — most likely contrib-uted to its memorability.

“The logo is merely the symbol for what the Ikea brand promises and delivers,” Nordin said in an email. “The logo shall mirror that ‘promise’ as near as possible, as well as stand out from its surroundings. To be consistent and unique is clearly a strength of a logo.”

The hardest logo to draw was Star-bucks, which was redesigned in 2011. It is also arguably the most complex.

“Simplicity is key,” James said. “That’s not necessarily a new concept. But this definitely corroborates that idea.”

But is any logo overwhelmingly memorable? James is now curious. Initially, he resisted putting an overly straightforward and ubiquitous sym-bol in his study, like those of McDon-ald’s or Nike.

“We thought it was too simple,” James said. “But, I wonder.”

A sculpture of the Airbnb logo in the company’s headquarters in San Francisco.

Patrons at a Starbucks in New York. Many participants in a recent study failed to recreate famous logos from brands like Apple and Starbucks.

NYT SYNDICATE

FTER he finished working on the final season of his critically acclaimed drama ‘Mad Men’, Matthew Wein-er found himself suddenly,

alarmingly, unable to write.A few months passed. Then a year.

Nothing came to him. Even his children started teasing him, badgering him about what his next project would be.

“I didn’t know what I was going to do next, and I was getting asked all the time,” he said. “I was worried I was not going to be able to write again.”

Finally, in the summer of 2015, Weiner called his friend, novelist AM Homes, for advice. She suggested he seclude himself at Yaddo, the artists’ colony in upstate New York. A few months later — “with some terror,” he said — he followed her advice. While there, he began writing an unsettling psychological thriller about a wealthy New York family whose lives inter-sect with a sociopathic construction worker.

The resulting book, Heather, the Totality, is slim, at just 138 pages. But it’s become one of the most anticipated literary debuts of the fall, with a pa-rade of endorsements from prominent novelists, including Zadie Smith, James Ellroy, Claire Messud, Philip Pullman and Michael Chabon, who described the novel in a blurb as a mashup of “Flaubert and Richard Yates, with a deeply twisted twist of Muriel Spark at her darkest.” Other writers compared Heather to works by Patricia High-smith, Evelyn Waugh and John Cheev-er, one of Weiner’s literary heroes.

It’s unusual for a debut author to be showered in such over-the-top acco-lades and compared to literary masters. But then again, Weiner, 52, has hardly been labouring in obscurity.

In a screen-writing career that spans more than 20 years, he’s been a creative force behind some of our era’s most revered cable dramas, shows that were credited with reinventing the narrative possibilities of televi-sion. He received two Emmys for ‘The Sopranos’, which he worked on as a writer and producer, and was the crea-tor, showrunner, head writer, director and executive producer for ‘Mad Men’, which aired for seven seasons and won four Golden Globes and 15 Emmys.

Writing fiction has long been a goal of his, but it always felt intimidating.

“I was always hoping I would do it,” he said during an interview this fall over lunch at the Carlyle Hotel on the Upper East Side, not far from where the novel takes place. “I just didn’t know if I could.”

Weiner’s foray into fiction surprised a lot of Hollywood observers. “Every-one was breaking down his door to do another show, and he goes off and does something that no one was expecting,” said Semi Chellas, a writer who worked on ‘Mad Men’. “The contrariness of going off and writing fiction after ‘Mad Men’ was very Matt.”

Heather unfolds in present-day Manhattan, and like so many gripping New York stories, the plot hinges on real estate. The couple at the centre of the story, Mark and Karen Break-stone, lead sheltered, privileged lives, and fawn over their perfect daughter, Heather. Mark, who works in finance, frets about his annual bonus and his status, while Karen stays home to tend to Heather, then becomes resentful when Heather grows up and no longer needs her.

The Breakstones’ quiet, simmer-ing dissatisfaction is interwoven with a darker, parallel story about a man named Bobby Klasky, who grew up ne-glected by his heroin-addicted mother and developed a violent streak. The two narratives collide when Bobby finds work on a construction crew that is renovating the penthouse in the Break-stones’ building and becomes obsessed with Heather.

The idea for Heather came from a scene Weiner witnessed when he was walking around the Upper East Side in the fall of 2015. He saw an attractive teenage girl walking into an apartment building where construction work was

being done and noticed one of the workers staring at her with what looked like a mixture of lust and menace. Weiner jotted down his observations in a notebook where he collects ideas and stray bits of dialogue, and was not sure if anything would come of it.

While he was at Yaddo, he kept thinking about the girl and the con-struction worker, puzzling over what he had seen, and began writing a fictional-ised story about the years leading up to the encounter. He wrote 5,000 words during the next 16 days and finished a draft in nine months.

Weiner is now back to writ-ing and producing TV — he’s currently working on his new show, ‘The Romanoffs’, an anthology series for Amazon that follows people who believe themselves to be descendants of the Russian imperial Ro-manov family.

He still seems surprised that he is adding novelist to his resume. He never expected to finish the book, much less publish it.

“It’s like someone who goes to the casino for the first time and wins,” he said.

Matthew Weiner on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, the setting of his new novel. After his popular television

series, ‘Mad Men’, ended, everyone was waiting for his next TV show. Instead, he wrote a novel.

IANS

IM Walker has re-imagined the world of Alice in Won-derland with stars like Lu-pita Nyong’o, Naomi Camp-bell and Whoopi Goldberg

for a calendar. And the British fashion photographer says culturally, people have “sugar-coated fairy tales in the last 50 years.”

“I think culturally we’ve sugar-coated fairy tales in the last 50 years. Children can really see and feel the darkness in things just as much as the lightness. And that’s something that Lewis Carroll completely got, and maybe that’s why it resonates so much,” Walker said in a statement.

Walker has shot The Pirelli 2018 Calendar, which was presented at the Manhattan Center in New York. The calendar has 28 shots consisting of 20 different and extraordinary sets for a new unique Wonderland.

“I always wanted to do it. I mean it’s an interesting thing that you look at a picture from a Pirelli Calendar and you know when it was taken; it’s very much of the time. And I always

like the way you’d look at it and you could see that the photographers were given freedom to voice their visual imagination,” Walker said.

He feels there is beauty in many different things.

“Something dying and decompos-ing is sometimes just as beautiful as something that’s just been born. I think there’s a misconception to only focus on the lighter side,” he added.

This year’s calendar features a list of black models and celebrities,

including Adut Akech, Adwoa Aboah, Alpha Dia, Djimon Hounsou, Duckie Thot, King Owusu, Lil Yachty, RuPaul,

Sasha Lane, Sean ‘Puff Daddy’ Combs, Slick Woods, Thando Hopa, Wilson Oryema, and Zoe Bedeaux.

IANS

WAYNE ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s 16-year-old daughter Simone Garcia Johnson has been named

the Golden Globe Ambassador for the upcoming 75th annual Golden Globe Awards. Hollywood Foreign Press As-sociation (HFPA) President Meher Tatna announced Simone’s name.

“As we look forward to the 75th an-niversary of the Golden Globe Awards, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association members decided to expand this role to embody the HFPA’s philanthropic efforts year round,” Tatna said.

“The honouree will now be referred to as the Golden Globe Ambassador and we could not think of a better representative than Simone to carry on this tradition, as her values closely reflect everything the HFPA stands for,” she added.

Simone said: “I’ve been lucky enough

to grow up in a household with strong role models and feel so honoured to represent the HFPA for its 75th Anniver-sary. As the newly minted Golden Globe Ambassador, I hope to serve as a role model to young people everywhere and empower them to speak out on issues they are passionate about.”

Dwayne Johnson and daughter Simone

IANS

ARIAH Carey has cancelled the first few shows of her up-coming ‘All I Want for Christ-

mas Is You’ tour due to upper respira-tory tract infection.

The 47-year-old took to Twitter on to announce the cancellation, stating that the illness came after she suffered from flu.

“Lambs! Just in time for the holiday gift-giving season. It seems I’ve received a present of my own; a lovely upper res-piratory (tract) infection after last week’s flu. Bleak,” Carey wrote.

“You know there is nothing I love more than celebrating the holidays with my festive Christmas show, but I have to take my doctor’s orders and rest until he says I can sing on stage,” she added.

Carey concluded her post by saying that she would try her best to recover so that she could return to the stage again.

The When you believe singer was supposed to kick off her annual Christmas tour on November 17, in Windsor, Canada.

Mariah Carey

The 2018 Pirelli calendar takes on an Alice in Wonderland theme with an all-black cast of renowned artists from around the world.

IANS

HRUTI Dhasmana is ‘thrilled’ to be part of the music album ‘Ananta Volume 1 - Maestros of India’, which is an official submission

for nomination in the 60th edition of Grammy Awards.

The Grammys are scheduled to take place in January next year.

Dhasmana lent her voice to the song Guru Govinda Govinda performed by tabla player Pandit Anindo Chatterjee, his son Anubrata Chatterjee and Sid-dhant Bhatia.

The track is a part of the music album produced by Bhatia and has reached the first ballot in the World Music Album category. It is a diverse mix of artistes from around the country.

“When I was informed about the acceptance for consideration for nomi-

nation, I was speechless and excited at the same time. It is a great pride and honour for me to be a part of such a huge project that is going for the world’s most prestigious award in mu-sic,” Dhasmana said.

“I am really blessed to have shared the space with the likes of legendary Pandit Anindo Chatterjee and Anubra-ta Chatterjee on the song; along with

many more veterans of the industry that include Sangeet Martand Pandit Jasraj. It has been a great learning experience for me and I thank Siddhant Bhatia to have bestowed his trust on me for this song,” she added.

The album has six tracks and in-cludes voices of 30 internationally re-nowned Indian artistes, some of whom are Grammy winners and nominees.

IANS

MITOSH Nagpal says Bol-lywood romance has become “cunning and clever.” He is

excited for the release of his film Panchlait which, after the late Raj Kapoor’s Teesri Kasam (1966), is based Phanishwar Nath Renu’s story.

The film is set in 1954 with a rural backdrop and tells the story of a village that has no electricity. “The story is from one of the most celebrated writers, Phanishwar Nath Renu so it is an opportunity for me. The kind of romance the film has, it has been missing from movies now-adays. It is an opportunity to present a sweet and cute kind of romance, which is difficult to do in a film.

“Today, Bollywood romance is cunning and clever, but this one has sweetness of that time so I was eager to do the film,” said Amitosh.

Director Prem Prakash Modi also emphasised the value of Indian lit-erature. “Why are we running after William Shakespeare and foreign stories? Our nation has abundant stories in literature and if we take them into consideration, then we will be able to make powerful cine-ma,” he said. “This film will show the roots, culture and reflect the values of our country. It showcases the strengths of our Indian literature,” added the director.

Amitosh Nagpal

Shruti Dhasmana

IANS

RJUN Kanungo, Darshan Raval and Akasa Singh will be per-forming at the second edition

of Windmill Festival, which is being touted as India’s first international children’s festival.

The festival, an initiative of Event Capital and Tribe Asia, is scheduled on December 16-17 at Jio Garden, Bandra Kurla Complex.

The fest will also see special per-formances by Harun Robert, known

professionally as Rob, Bhavya Pandit and Vipin Heero.

It will also include a day care cen-tre, play areas, a petting zoo, centre for robotics, a section for art, crafts, science, sport and music workshops, a concert arena, and sports arena. The activities are curated to suit the 0-3, 4-7 and 8-14 age group.

Event Capital CEO Swaroop Ban-erjee said: “We have prepared over 50 workshops for children. We want them to discover their innermost passion and work towards developing it.”

Arjun Kanungo

For Subscriptions Contact us at:Phone: 40002111 Mob.: 55878073Fax: 40002224 Post Box No.: 23493 Email: circulation@qatar-tribune.com

You have a penetrating, perceptive, investigative mind. You are courageous and dedicated to your work. This is a busy year and a year of choice. You have a great zest for life and want to nurture the happiness and beauty around you. Be grateful for what you have; do not focus on what you don’t have.

You are sharing your Birthday with: Margaret Atwood, author; Megyn Kelly, TV journalist; Alan Shepard, astronaut.

By King Features Syndicate, Inc.

Today’s New Moon makes this a good day to examine your spending habits. Do you abuse your budget by going into debt? Do you honour your responsibilities to others?

The New Moon today is the only New Moon opposite your sign all year. That means this is the perfect day to ask yourself how you can improve your closest relationships.

What can you do to improve your job and your health? (After all, there’s always room for improvement.) Think of a few things you can do.

Everyone is creative - not just rock stars. Do you value your creative talents? Do you take enough time to play as well as work? Think about this today.

What can you do to make improve-ments to your home and to your family relationships? These are areas that are important to you, and today’s New Moon is the time to make resolutions.

Are you clear in your communica-tions with others? Do you really listen, or are you just waiting for your chance to speak?

What is your attitude about money? If you think money is the root of all evil, then you won’t hold on to it for very long, will you? Your attitude to something affects how it manifests in your life.

Today the only New Moon in your sign all year occurs. Take a realistic look in the mirror to see what you can do to improve your appearance.

Think about your spiritual values and your inner world. What goes on inside you has an effect on what happens outside.

This is the perfect day to think about friendships. Your friends influence how you think, and how you think creates your decisions for your future.

This New Moon day is the time to think about your relationship with authority. You can be rebel-lious, but everyone on the planet has authority figures to face.

What further education or training can you get to enhance your job? What travel might you do to enrich your life?

ARIES TAURUS GEMINI CANCER LEO VIRGO

LIBRA SCORPIO SAGITTARIUS CAPRICORN AQUARIUS PISCES

and send it to Qatar Tribune.

Do send a hi-resolution image

complete with a caption, for us

to make the most of it.

Address

NOTICE: Timings are subject to change without prior notice.

MALL CINEMA

LANDMARK CINEMA

CITY CENTRE CINEMA VILLAGGIO CINEMA

JUSTICE LEAGUE (ACTION): 11.15 AM, 1.45 PM, 4.15 PM, 6.45 PM, 9.15 PM, 11.45 PM (3D) 12.45 PM, 3.15 PM, 5.45 PM, 8.15 PM, 10.45 PMTHEERAN ADHIGAARAM ONDRU (TAMIL): 11.15 AM, 2.15 PM, 5.15 PM, 8.15 PM, 11.15 PM

ASIAN TOWN CINEMA

MONSTER ISLAND (ANIMATION): 1.15 PM, 5.30 PM, 9.45 PM JUSTICE LEAGUE (ACTION): 10.30 AM, 11.15 AM, 1 PM, 2 PM, 3.45 PM, 4.45 PM, 6.30 PM, 7.30 PM, 9.15 PM, 10.15 PM, 1 AM, 12 AM (VIP) 11.45 AM, 12.45 PM, 2.30 PM, 3.30 PM, 5.15 PM, 6.15 PM, 8 PM, 9 PM, 10.45 PM, 11.45 PM (3D) 1.45 AM, 12.30 PM, 1.30 PM, 3.15 PM, 4.45 PM, 6 PM, 7 PM, 8.45 PM, 9.45 PM, 11.30 PM, 12.30 AM

FEMALE FIGHT SQUAD (ACTION): 2.30 PM, 7.15 PM, 12 AMWONDER (DRAMA): 12.15 PM, 2.30 PM, 4.45 PM, 7 PM, 9.15 PM, 11.30 PMKHAIR WA BARAKA (ARABIC): 11 AM, 1.15 PM, 3.30 PM, 5.45 PM, 8 PM, 10.15 PM, 12.30 AMTUMHARI SULU (HINDI): 11.45 AM, 4.30 PM, 9.15 PMTHEERAN ADHIGAARAM ONDRU (TAMIL): 11.15 AM, 2.15 PM, 5.15 PM, 8.15 PM, 11.15 PM

GHOST BRIDE (TAGALOG): 11 AM, 3.15 PM, 7.30 PM, 11.45 PMMURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS (CRIME): 10.30 AM, 12.45 PM, 3 PM, 5.15 PM, 7.30 PM, 9.45 PM, 12 AMTHOR: RAGNAROK (ACTION): 12.15 PM, 3 PM, 5.45 PM, 8.30 PM, 11.15 PM

GULF MALL CINEMA

AL KHOR CINEMA

MONSTER ISLAND (ANIMATION): 2.30 PM, 4 PMJUSTICE LEAGUE (ACTION): 5.30 PM, 7.30 PM, 9.30 PM, 11.30 PMWONDER (DRAMA): 7.15 PMKHAIR WA BARAKA (ARABIC): 11.30 PMTHARANGAM (MALAYALAM): 2.30 PM, 11 PMTHEERAN ADHIGAARAM ONDRU (TAMIL): 2.15 PM, 5.30 PM

TUMHARI SULU (HINDI): 8.30 PMGHOST BRIDE (TAGALOG): 5.15 PMSEVEN SUNDAYS (TAGALOG): 9.15 PM

MONSTER ISLAND (ANIMATION): 3.30 PM, 5.30 PMJUSTICE LEAGUE (ACTION): 5 PM, 7 PM, 9 PMFEMALE FIGHT SQUAD (ACTION): 11 PM

KHAIR WA BARAKA (ARABIC): 9 PMTHARANGAM (MALAYALAM): 2.30 PM, 11 PMTHEERAN ADHIGAARAM ONDRU (TAMIL): 5.15 PM, 8 PM, 11 PMGHOST BRIDE (TAGALOG): 7 PMTHE GIANT KING (ANIMATION): 3 PM

THARANGAM (MALAYALAM): 12.30 PM, 3.30 PM, 3.45 PM, 6.30 PM, 9.15 PM, 9.30 PM, 12.15 AM, 12.30 AMTHEERAN ADHIGAARAM ONDRU (TAMIL): 12.30 PM, 1.30 PM, 3.30 PM, 4.30 PM, 6.30 PM, 7.30 PM, 9.30 PM, 10.30 PM, 12.30 AM, 1.30 AMTUMHARI SULU (HINDI): 6.45 PM

SHERLOCK TOMS (MALAYALAM): 1 PM

JUSTICE LEAGUE (ACTION): 10.30 AM, 11.15 AM, 12.30 PM, 1 AM, 2 PM, 3.15 PM, 3.45 AM, 4.45 PM, 6 PM, 6.30 AM, 7.30 PM, 8.45 PM, 9.15 AM, 10.15 PM, 11.30 PM, 12 AM, 1 AM (3D) 12 PM, 2.45 PM, 5.30 PM, 8.15 PM, 11 PMFEMALE FIGHT SQUAD (ACTION): 2.15 PM, 7 PM, 11.45 PMWONDER (DRAMA): 12 PM, 2.15 PM, 4.30 PM, 6.45 PM, 9 PM, 11.15 PMKHAIR WA BARAKA (ARABIC): 12.30 PM, 2.45 PM, 5 PM, 7.15 PM, 9.30 PM, 11.45 PMTUMHARI SULU (HINDI): 11.30 AM, 4.15 PM, 9 PMTHEERAN ADHIGAARAM ONDRU (TAMIL): 11.45 AM, 2.45 PM, 5.45 PM, 8.45 PM, 11.45 PM

GHOST BRIDE (TAGALOG): 12.15 PM, 2.30 PM, 4.45 PM, 7 PM, 9.15 PM, 11.30 PM

MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS (CRIME): 11.15 AM, 1.45 PM, 4.15 PM, 6.45 PM, 9.15 PM, 11.45 PM

THOR: RAGNAROK (ACTION): 11 AM, 12.45 PM, 1.45 PM, 3.30 PM, 4.30 PM, 6.15 PM, 7.15 PM, 9 PM, 10 PM, 12.45 AM

GEOSTORM (ACTION): 12.45 PM, 5.15 PM, 9.45 PM

THE FOREIGNER (ACTION): 10.30 AM, 3 PM, 7.30 PM, 12 AM

MONSTER ISLAND (ANIMATION): 12.30 PM, 4.30 PM, 8.30 PMJUSTICE LEAGUE (ACTION): 10.30 AM, 12 PM, 1 PM, 2.45 PM, 3.45 PM, 5.30 PM, 6.30 PM, 8.15 PM, 9.15 PM, 11 PM, 12 AM, 12.30 AM, 12.45 AM, 1 AM (VIP) 12.15 PM, 3 PM, 5.45 PM, 8.30 PM, 11.15 PM (3D) 12.30 PM, 3.15 PM, 6 PM, 8.45 PM, 11.30 PMFEMALE FIGHT SQUAD (ACTION): 12 PM, 2 PM, 4 PM, 6 PM, 8 PM, 10 PM, 12 AMWONDER (DRAMA): 11 AM, 1.15 PM, 3.30 PM, 5.45 PM, 8 PM, 10.15 PMEARTH:ONE AMAZING (DOCUMENTARY): 10:30 AM, 2:30 PM, 6:30 PM, 10:30 PMKHAIR WA BARAKA (ARABIC): 11.15 AM, 1.30 PM, 3.45 PM, 6 PM, 8.15 PM, 10.30 PMTUMHARI SULU (HINDI): 12.15 PM, 3 PM, 5.45 PM, 8.30 PM, 11.15 PMTHEERAN ADHIGAARAM ONDRU (TAMIL): 11.30 AM, 2.30 PM, 5.30 PM, 8.30 PM, 11.30 PM, 12.30 AM

GHOST BRIDE (TAGALOG): 11.30 AM, 1.45 PM, 4 PM, 6.15 PM, 8.30 PM, 10.45 PM

MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS (CRIME): 10.45 AM, 1.15 PM, 3.45 PM, 6.15 PM, 8.45 PM, 11.15 PM

THOR: RAGNAROK (ACTION): 12.45 PM, 3.30 PM, 6.15 PM, 9 PM, 11.45 PM

ROYAL PLAZAMONSTER ISLAND (ANIMATION): 3 PM, 5 PM

JUSTICE LEAGUE (ACTION): 7.30 PM, 9.30 PM, 11.30 PMFEMALE FIGHT SQUAD (ACTION): 11.30 PMWONDER (DRAMA): 9.30 PMTHARANGAM (MALAYALAM): 5.15 PMTUMHARI SULU (HINDI): 2.30 PM, 8 PM THEERAN ADHIGAARAM ONDRU (TAMIL): 2.30 PM, 11 PMGHOST BRIDE (TAGALOG): 5.30 PM, 7.30 PM