BANGKOK: Thailand’s crown prince hasdivorced his wife, in a dramatic fall fromgrace for a senior princess at a time ofheightened anxiety over the health ofthe country’s revered but ailing monarch.A statement published by the palace inthe early hours of yesterdayin the Royal Gazette saidPrincess Srirasmi had relin-quished her royal status, amove that ends her 13-yearmarriage to Crown PrinceMaha Vajiralongkorn. Therare public airing of palaceintrigue comes after astring of the princess’ rela-tives were arrested in ahigh-profile corruptionscandal that has sent shock-waves through Thailand’s elite.

“The king has granted permission toannounce that Princess Srirasmi, the wifeof Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn,has informed in a written document thatshe has resigned from her royal status,”the palace said in a short statement, sig-

nalling an end to the marriage. Analystssaid the 62-year-old crown prince’s splitfrom his wife will deepen fears for themonarchy’s future as Thailand’s 87-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej enters thetwilight of his reign. In May, Thailand’s

military seized powerafter months of violentstreet protests saying itneeded to do so to pro-tect the monarchy andrestore order to the politi-cally divided nation.

The king - the world’slongest-serving monarch,who is revered by manyThais as a semi-divine fig-ure - has been largelyconfined to hospital this

year and pulled out of plans to hold apublic audience earlier this month dur-ing his birthday celebrations. Srirasmimarried the crown prince in 2001 andhad been expected to become queen.

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5Instagram helps entrepreneurs turn flash into cash 11

Indian police arrest ‘jihadi tweeter’ 17

Pakistan beat India, meet Germany in final 17

Feng dominates to win in Dubai

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014 SAFAR 22, 1436 AH www.kuwaittimes.net

Students take to streets

over child road safety

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Motorists urged to wear seatbelts, use child car seats

By Nawara Fattahova

KUWAIT: Students and administrative staff of theAmerican University of Kuwait (AUK) held an awarenesscampaign yesterday morning at three traffic lights onGulf Street, holding placards urging drivers to be safeon the road. The placards were in both Arabic andEnglish, with slogans calling on motorists to use seatbelts and child car seats. Drivers reacted to these mes-sages by beeping, waving and even buckling up.

According to Assistant Undersecretary for TrafficAffairs Maj Gen Abdullah Muhanna, 333 people died inroad accidents in the first nine months of 2014. Over73,000 road accidents and about 5 million traffic cita-tions were recorded in the same period, he said lastmonth. Driving with a child on the lap is also illegal inKuwait, but like seatbelt, child car seat and mobile use,the law is widely ignored.

“I’m glad that our campaign received a positiveresponse from the drivers. Many slowed down and readthe messages, and some fastened their seatbelts. Somecars drove by with children in the front seat or even onthe driver’s lap, and they looked ashamed. Some ofthem even stopped and placed their kids in the back-seat,” Sabeeka Al-Jasem, a member of AUKause toldKuwait Times. About 20 students and administrativestaff took part in the campaign.

Their goal for the year is to save children’s lives, anddoing so while driving is the campaign for this month.“Through this event we aim to raise awareness for driv-ers to buckle up while driving and to place their kids incar seats and make sure they are buckled up too. Wealso aim to make drivers avoid using mobile phonesduring driving, not speed, and not let kids sit in thefront seat. Through this campaign, we are sending amessage to the parents that their kids’ lives are in theirhands,” she added.

Continued on Page 13KUWAIT: Students hold placards on road safety on Gulf Street yesterday. — Photo by Yasser AL-Zayyat

KUWAIT: Interior Ministry Assistant Undersecretaryfor Traffic Affairs Maj Gen Abdullah Al-Muhanna saidthe ministry is coordinating with border posts andcar insurance offices in order to not allow any expatto leave the country until all traffic fines are paid. Hesaid that the presence of offices to collect fines atthe airport will make payment from those who

want to leave easy.He said the new

license law went intoeffect last week, and acommittee will followthe implementationof the ministerialdecision at the trafficdepartments. DeputyPrime Minister andInterior MinisterSheikh MohammedAl-Khaled Al-Sabahissued the ministerial

decision with someamendments to the traffic law on driving licensesfor non-Kuwaitis last month. Muhanna said the datacenter, social affairs ministry and traffic departmentare coordinating to implement the profession con-dition for expats applying for a driving license. Hesaid the decision will help reduce the number ofexpats who receive licenses and will partially reducetraffic congestions. — Al-Rai

Expats have to

pay traffic fines

before travelling

Abdullah Al-Muhanna

Thai crown prince divorces wife

KUWAIT: A girl flies a kite as the sun sets on Friday in Bnaider. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

AMSTERDAM: A Dutchman’s attempt ata romantic wedding proposal was simplysmashing. The unidentified lover in thecentral town of Ijsselstein rented a crane,planning to descend in front of his girl-friend’s bedroom window first thing yes-terday morning, play her a song andthen pop the question. Instead the cranetoppled over, smashing a large hole inthe neighbors’ roof. The man clamberedto safety and no one was injured.

According to the Algemeen Dagbladnewspaper, the girlfriend said “yes” any-

way. After speaking with police, the pairtraveled to Paris to celebrate. Then thecrane fell again during attempts to rightit with a larger crane, bashing in the restof the neighbors’ roof. The town’s mayorwas on the spot after the building wasdeclared unsafe. Six apartments wereevacuated. “We’re looking at the bestway to lift the crane without it fallingagain,” said emergency servicesspokesman Jelle Mulder. “The people inthe house the crane fell on are deeplyshocked,” he added. — Agencies

CAIRO: Eight-year-old Rahma was on her way homefrom school when she was raped - another victim ofa surge in child abuse that has been overshadowedby turmoil in Egypt. Two months on, she is stillreceiving psychotherapy and dreads going any-where near the spot where the assault took place,close to the family farm in the Nile Delta. In theshadow of deadly political violence ever sinceEgypt’s 2011 revolution, experts say the authoritieshave given a low priority to the plight of childrenand complain of a lack of legislation. Primary schoolpupil Rahma was assaulted in Kafr al-Sheikhprovince, 150 km north of Cairo. Her sister Amirasays that she “is no longer a virgin. The assault hasruined her future and caused severe internalinjuries. “The hardest part for Rahma is overcomingthe trauma,” Amira told AFP.

Continued on Page 13

IJSSELSTEIN, Netherlands: A crane which crashed into the roof of a house is seenfollowing an unusual marriage proposal by a man in this central Dutch town yes-terday. — AP

Dutchman tries to pop

question, wrecks house

Egypt child

abuse surges

amid turmoil

SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook chief MarkZuckerberg wants people to be able toquickly express broader ranges of feel-ings at the leading online social net-work, but a “dislike” button doesn’tmake the cut. During a question-and-answer session with an audience at theFacebook headquarters in NorthernCalifornia, available online Friday,Zuckerberg gave a thumbs-down to theidea of a button to register disdain forposts at the social network. “That’s notsomething that we think is good for the

world,” Zuckerberg said, expressing con-cern that “like” and “dislike” buttonscould turn into a voting system to judgeposts. “The thing that I think is veryvaluable is that there are more senti-ments that people want to express.”

While Facebook’s well-knownthumbs-up “like” buttons let people eas-ily show support or enthusiasm forposts, some folks think the sentimentseems off-target for somber subjectssuch as news of death or other sadness

Continued on Page 13

Facebook doesn’t love

idea of ‘dislike’ button

Srirasmi

L O C A LSUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014

Dr Hassan Al-Ansari Jaber Al-Harmi Mohammad Hajji

DOHA: A number of Qatari media figures saidthe recently-held GCC Summit’s honoring of HisHighness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah came to reassert his recognitionby the UN as a Humanitarian Leader, and Kuwaitas a Humanitarian Center. Dr Hassan Al-Ansari,editor-in-chief of the English-language daily,Qatar Tribune, indicated to KUNA the honoringof HH the Amir and Kuwait has come at a timewhile the whole world is witnessing tragedies.

The GCC Summit honoring of HH the Amirand Kuwait, upon an initiative taken by theQatari Amir, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani,served this international approach to expressgratitude to the Gulf country.

“HH the Amir is now among a small numberof leaders in the world, known for their sidingwith mankind,” he said, adding that hisapproach is also tangibly seen at the domestic

level, where special attention is dedication foreducation, health and housing, as well as othersectors, with the higher objective to secure citi-zens’ welfare, noting furthermore SheikhSabah’s policy of seeking to resolve the humani-tarian tragedy in Syria and other parts of theworld.

Heaping praise upon the Amir’s special traitsand unique diplomatic skills, Dr Ansari noted hisinstrumental role in bridging the gap of differ-ences among the GCC countries.

Meanwhile, Jaber Al-Harmi, the editor-in-chief of Al-Sharq newspaper, said HH the Amir’sefforts “spread across Kuwait’s borders reachinghuman beings everywhere,” also applauding hisconciliation efforts at the GCC level.

“We were particularly pleased with the GCCstep at the summit, for it was the first time inthe history of these summit that a GCC leader

would be granted such honoring,” Harmi said.Such a special treatment for HH the Amir is

quite expected, given his relentless bids tomake good deeds everywhere in the world, saysMohammad Hajji, the deputy editor-in-chief ofAl-Arab daily.

The UN honoring for Kuwait is actually anhonoring for the other GCC countries for it willreflect on all the Council member states, Hajjisaid.

Aisha Obaidan, a writer in Al-Raya newspa-per, echoed identical ideas and sentiments,underscoring Sheikh Sabah’s long record ofefforts for peace, conciliation and rapproche-ment “among the brothers.” Kuwait toppednations that have offered help for the Syrians,she said, underlining how Kuwait deserved tobe crowned with this unique internationaltitle. —KUNA

Amir’s GCC honoringwell earned: Journalists

KUWAIT: Kuwait celebrates today the 100th anniversary of hoisting the first StateNational Flag. The old red and white flag, marked in the center with the word Kuwait,was made during rule of the late Amir, Sheikh Mubarak Al-Kabeer (the Great). Thefirst National Flag was made upon directions of Sheikh Mubarak on December 14,1914. It continued to exist till November 23, 1961, during the era of late Amir, SheikhAbdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, when it was replaced with the new National Flag, withfour colors; green, black, white and red. — KUNA

NEW YORK: The State of Kuwait, since its inde-pendence in the 1960s, has demonstrated keen-ness on aiding nations in need for help, resistinginjustice and securing dignified living for the

impoverished, a Kuwaiti diplomat noted.Such an approach has resulted in viewing

humanitarian action as a feature of Kuwait’sidentity, therefore the United Nations hasrecently designated His Highness the AmirSheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah as aHumanitarian Leader and Kuwait as aHumanitarian Center, said Farah Al-Gharabally,the diplomatic attache serving with the Kuwaitimission at the United Nations, shedding lighton the background that has prompted the inter-national organization to grant such distinctivehonoring to the country’s top leader and Kuwaititself.

The diplomatic attache was addressing a UNsession examining plans for boosting UNhumanitarian and relief aid in catastrophesworldwide.

UN honoring of His Highness the Amir sig-nals the State of Kuwait’s respect for humanity,promoting peace and aiding those in need,Gharabally said, affirming that Kuwait wouldcontinue coordinating with the UN, aspiring torealize prosperity and stability for nations of theglobe.

The diplomat Gharabally indicated thatKuwait advocates international partnership, inthis respect, and unifying nations’ potentials

and efforts to alleviate human suffering.Global challenges, mounting threats against

the human race, such as natural catastrophes,poverty, hunger and illness, constitute some ofthe UN preoccupations and these problemshave prompted it to double regional and inter-national efforts to cope with such catastrophesand other challenges, she said.

She praised the UN allocation of $482 mil-lion, in 2013, from the UN humanitarian activi-ties fund and some $107 million for rapidresponse at times of crises, beside $175 millionto fund operations in emergencies.

The diplomat noted that Kuwait supports UNcalls upon the member states and charities totake pre -emptive action vis a vis crises,expressed concern at excerpts in a UN reportindicating that development rates in Gaza havebeen dropping, due to the continuing closure ofthe passageways and underground tunnels,through which the Gazans get their necessities.

Israeli occupation authorities have main-tained the blockade on Gaza for eight years,thus causing humanitarian tragedies in theenclave. She renewed the call upon the interna-tional community to coerce Tel Aviv lift the ille-gal siege of Gaza, immediately and without con-ditions. — KUNA

UN honored Kuwait forhumanitarian action record

NEW YORK: Farah Al-Gharabally speaks at theUN session. — KUNA DOHA: The human rights dossier is of

paramount significance and a top priorityto the State of Kuwait, KuwaitiAmbassador in Doha Metaeb Al-Mutotahsaid yesterday.

Speaking to KUNA following the open-ing of a regional training course onhuman rights conceptsand mechanisms heldespecially for Kuwaitidiplomats in GCC coun-tries, the ambassadorsaid the KuwaitiMinistr y of ForeignAffairs seeks to promoteand establish the con-cept of human rightswithin the diplomaticcorps.

The ministr y hasdeveloped an ambitiousplan of action purposedto promote the role andeffor t of the State ofKuwait in the domain ofhuman rights by meansof upgrading the effi-ciency of its off icialsthrough special izedtraining courses. Suchcourses are mainly intended to update theministry’s officials on the latest humanrights developments and offer themdiverse capabil it ies and sk i l ls in thisregard, he added. The supervisory team ofthe human rights promotion blueprintissues an annual publication on the

human rights situation in Kuwait, theambassador pointed out.

Mutotah reiterated his country’s fullcommitment to international humanrights conventions and agreements, citingthe recent UN honoring of His Highnessthe Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber

Al-Sabah as a relevantresonant paradigm.

For his part, DeputyChairman of the NHRCYusuf Obaidan said thathuman rights and rele-vant basic freedoms areof local, regional andinternational signif i-cance. The better theState respects and safe-guards human rights,the better it is placed onboth regional and worldmaps, he opined.

But, Obaidan empha-sized that it is sharedresponsibil ity of theentire international soci-ety to promote andsafeguard human rights.The five -day regionaltraining course is being

co-organized by Qatari National HumanRights Committee (NHRC) and GenevaInstitute for Human Rights (GIHR). EightKuwaiti diplomats working at USembassies in GCC countries are partakingin the course which kick-started in theQatari capital earlier today.—KUNA

Ambassador Metaeb Al-Mutotah

Human rights ‘top priority’for Kuwait: Envoy

CBK releases2015 calendar

KUWAIT: As part of its policy to revive old Kuwaitiheritage, the Commercial Bank for Kuwait issued itsannual calendar for 2015, with paintings thatreflect Kuwait’s heritage with stories, sayings,places and yards that have been passed down thegenerations.

Head of Advertisements and Public RelationsSheikha Nouf Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah said as the newyear approaches, bank clients and others wait forCBK’s calendar, which always focuses on an idealinked to old Kuwaiti heritage that is rich in exam-ple and meaning. Sheikha Nouf said CBK decidedto have its 2015 calendar display some old places,yards, popular markets, and historic gates of oldKuwait as a link between the past and present.

Sheikha Nouf Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah

FAO honors Kuwaiti forcontribution to ICN2

ROME: The United Nations Foodand Agriculture Organization(FAO) honored Kuwait’s Dr SarahAl-Rakayan for her valuable partic-ipation in the Second InternationalConference on Nutrition (ICN2)and for Kuwait’s prominent role ininternational affairs.

“FAO’s Director-General JoseGraziano da Silva granted Rakayan,a researcher at Roma Tre Universityand wife of Kuwaiti Ambassador toItaly Sheikh Ali Al-Khaled, a certifi-cate of appreciation for her notice-able contribution to the ICN2’s dis-cussions held here on November19-21,” the Kuwaiti Embassy toItaly told KUNA in a statement.

Da Silva expressed his specialappreciation to Kuwait’s effortsand its prominent role on theinternational level, the statementsaid, noting that he also com-mended contributions by Rakayan,who was the only Arab womanthat took part in the conference.

For her part, Rakayan extolledthe most significant results of theICN2 concerning Rome’sannouncement on nutrition andthe framework of action whichboth design a global strategy tocombat malnutrition. She under-scored the great significance ofsuch results for Kuwait particularlyin the educational, healthy andcultural domains for future gener-ations.

Rakayan gave a lecture in theconference on “nutr i t ion inKuwait’s healt policies”, in whichshe focused on health problemsrelating to malnutrition such asobesity in Kuwait, and how thegovernment is taking action anddrawing on knowledge from oth-er countries to tackle the prob-lem. At least 100 ministers, hun-dreds of officials from the govern-ments of member states andnutrition experts participated inthe event. — KUNA

ROME: Dr Sarah Alrkiyan is honored by FAO’s Director General Dr JoseGraziano da Silva. —KUNA

KUWAIT: The fact that the recent conference ofthe Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU) washeld in Kuwait reflects this Gulf country’s pio-neering media role, a senior official said yester-day.

It also shows that Kuwait is capable of host-ing and organizing various successful regionaland international conferences and gatherings,Assistant Undersecretary of the InformationMinistry for Media Planning and KnowledgeDevelopment Mohammad Al-Awwash toldKUNA.

The 34th general assembly of the Arab StatesBroadcasting Union (ASBU) kicked off onWednesday and concluded its activities onFriday.

Awwash was elected as president of theunion while Tunisian Mustapha Ballatif washandpicked as First Deputy President of theunion, and Jordanian Ramadan Rawashda asSecond Deputy. Sudanese Abdulraheem Yunus

was chosen as the union’s Director General.The holding of the ASBU under the aegis of

His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah is an unequivocalsign of Kuwait’ unshakable belief in the signifi-cance of cementing and beefing up cooperationamong Arab countries on various levels,Awwash said.

It also reflects the important role of massmedia in the dissemination of the genuine con-cept of development, culture, advancement andstability, he said, boasting that Kuwait is a co-founder of the ASBU.

He added that the ASBU General Assemblymembers had voiced pride at the UN honoringof His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah as a HumanitarianLeader in recognition of his humanitarian initia-tives. Awwash highly commended the ASBU as acommon Arab body that was established 60years ago to serve certain goals and purposes

and to fulfill the expectations and hopes of theArab people for more fraternity and amity.

On recent ASBU general assembly meetings,he said the participants discussed ways toenhance the general administration of socialmedia and communication, so that they cankeep up with the latest methods in media andtechnology.

The meeting also approved a media strategyto combat radicalism, including a number oftraining courses in media fields to bolsterhuman resources and members of the union, hepointed out.

Asked about this media strategy to fight thegrowing phenomena of terrorism and extrem-ism, the Kuwaiti official and ASBU chairman saidthe body said this strategy was adopted by Arabinformation ministers and would be referred tothe ASBU Secretariat for further deliberationsand final approval next January as a maximumdate. — KUNA

ASBU conference reflects Kuwait’s media role

L O C A LSUNDAY, DECEMBR 14, 2014

Top priority Stupid decision Anticorruption authorityBy A Saleh

KUWAIT: The parliament’s committee responsible forreplying to His Highness the Amir’s speech identifiedhousing as a top priority on the legislative and execu-tive authorities’ agendas, followed by education, health,national security, sports and taking care of youth. Thepanel, whose job is to analyze and prepare a reply toHH the Amir’s speech delivered during the parliamen-tary term’s inaugural session, has filed its report to bediscussed during this Tuesday’s session.

KUWAIT: MP Abdulhameed Dashty slammed thegovernment over unconfirmed news that formerlawmaker Aseel Al-Awadhi was appointed as a cul-tural attachÈ in Washington, DC. Dashty says that ifthe rumors were true, the move would be a ‘stupidstep of hiring an oppositionist.’ He added that thestep would encourage young Kuwaitis to join theopposition, and vowed to take ‘whatever is neces-sary’ to override the decision if the government failsto do the same.

KUWAIT: MP Kamel Al-Awadhi said that the fact thatthe Anticorruption Public Authority has yet to offi-cially launch its duties ‘cannot go on any longer,’ indi-cating that national funds are being wasted whenemployees there are being paid without working. Heacknowledged the authority’s importance though,and added that the only thing it needs to officiallylaunch one year and a half after its establishment arethe regulations that organize its work.

Photoo f t h e d a y

KUWAIT : The sun sets over Bnaider, some 33 kilometers south of Kuwait City, on December 12, 2014. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

In Brief

Faisal Abul receiving the honoring token.

Zain recognizedby Journey of Hope

KUWAIT: The organizational com-mittee of the Journey of Hope, aninitiative aimed at highlighting thesupport rendered to people withspecial needs, has honored Zain, theleading telecommunications com-pany in Kuwait, for its role in spon-soring the journey and the recep-tion ceremony held in MarinaCrescent. The reception was organ-ized under the patronage of HH theAmir Sheikh Subah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Subah.

His Excellency the Minister ofInformation and Minister of Statefor Youth Affairs, Sheikh Salman Al-Humoud Al-Subah, presented the

honoring token to Zain’s ChiefRegulatory, Legal Affairs andRoaming Officer, Faisal Abul duringthe honoring ceremony that wit-nessed the attendance of HisExcellency Sheikh Mohammad Al-Abdullah Al-Subah, Minister of Statefor Cabinet Affairs, and SheikhaSheikha Al-Abdullah Al-Subah. Theevent was also attended by a num-ber of ambassadors and ministers,with Zain being singled out for itssupport of the Journey of Hope,which highlights special needs cas-es in Kuwait.

Zain has supported the initiativesince its inception, given its efforts

to draw attention worldwide to theplight of people suffering frommental and physical disabilities. Thisvoyage not only highlighted thechallenges people with specialneeds face in Kuwait, but across theglobe.

Zain’s expansive Corporate SocialResponsibility and Sustainabilitypriorities focus on the well-being ofthe communities of the markets inwhich it operates and for this reasonthe company looks to maintain itssupport of numerous initiatives thatspread awareness and help make apositive difference to people’severyday lives.

KUWAIT: EQUATE Petrochemical Company,Kuwait’s first international petrochemicaljoint-venture, sponsored the 17th Career Fairorganized by Kuwait University’s College ofEngineering and Petroleum.

EQUATE Senior Executive for CorporateBusiness Development Tareq Al-Kandari said,“Being a firm believer in the importance ofestablishing strategic partnerships with vari-ous relevant organizations, EQUATE hasthroughout the years launched a number ofcritical initiatives with many bodies through-out Kuwait, with the aim of supporting anddeveloping Kuwaiti human resources. Theseinitiatives include university scholarships withthe Ministry of Higher Education for companyemployee and Kuwaiti high school graduates;Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) andsponsoring establishing academic and scien-tific facilities at a number of KuwaitUniversity’s colleges; as well as strong collabo-ration with Kuwait Institute for ScientificResearch (KISR) and Kuwait Foundation for theAdvancement of Sciences (KFAS), all of whichare aimed at embodying our ‘Partners inSuccess’ tagline. In addition, for quite someyears, the average Kuwaitization rate atEQUATE has exceeded 50 percent in terms oftotal employees, while over 90% of senior andmiddle management being nationals. EQUATE,naturally, continues its focus on developing

and training its human resources through anintegrated systematic approach to ensureoverall sustainability.” On his part, EQUATETalent and Performance Management LeaderMohammad Al-Sharhan said, “During 2008,EQUATE forged a comprehensive partnershipwith Kuwait University ’s College ofEngineering and Petroleum through signing

an MoU in academic and industrial fields tosupport the faculty’s activities and plans. TheMoU includes participating in career fairs,sponsoring conferences and seminars, estab-lishing first of their kind labs at Kuwaiti univer-sities, internships for engineering students, aswell as providing the college’s faculty mem-bers with information and data regarding the

petrochemical industry, such as products,manufacturing, along with Environment,Health and Safety (EHandS).

During the fair, EQUATE’s stand was visitedby Ministry of State for Youth AffairsUndersecretary Sheikha Alzain Sabah Al-Nasser Al-Sabah and over 400 individuals rep-resenting Kuwait University’s faculty members

and students, as well as others visiting the fair.Moreover, EQUATE was selected as one of thetop organizations participating in the exhibi-tion for the integrated recruitment processthrough its website www.equate.com, theunique design of its booth, along with theinteraction between its employees and all visi-tors.

EQUATE Sponsors Engineering College’s Career Fair

(From left) Dhari Al-Baghli, Dr Husain Al-Khayyat, Mohammad Al-Sharhan, Sheikha AlzainAl-Sabah, and Tareq Al-Kandari.

(From left) Tareq Al-Kandari speaking to Sheikha AlZain Al-Sabah, Dr Husain Al-Khayyatand participants in the fair.

LO C A LSUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014

CrimeR e p o r t

‘Drug Control’

guy arrested

for peddling

KUWAIT: An Egyptian man who works for the DrugsControl General Department (DCGD) was arrested fortrading in drugs. The expat who works as a mechanicwas placed under surveillance after information abouthim was provided to Director General Maj Gen Saleh Al-Ghannam. A security source said the suspect convincedthose dealing with him that he was safe because herepairs the cars of DCGD managers. The source saidthat close surveillance of the mechanic who owns acafe in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh showed that he sold drugs.He was arrested and informed police about his six part-ners.

Conman nabbedAdan detectives arrested a Syrian woman in MaidanHawally wanted by all detective departments for fraudcases that exceed KD 200,000. The woman made hervictims believe that she can process transactions at thetreatment abroad department as well as all state min-istries. A pensioner told Adan police that he wasconned by a Syrian who told him she can process hispapers at the treatment office for KD 2,000, thenignored him after receiving the money and did notanswer his calls. Police found she was born in 1971 andlives in Hawally. She was also found wanted for otherfraud cases. Detectives were able to locate her throughher phone, then went to the area and waited for heruntil she left the building she lives in. She was arrestedand taken to Adan detectives’ office for questioningand further action.

Domestic violenceA citizen accused her husband of beating her. Shehanded Adan police a medical report stating that shesustained bruises and accused her husband of causingthem. The husband is being summoned for question-ing. — Al-Rai

‘King’ alcohol dealer caughtMubarak Al-Kabeer security arrested an Asianman who sold liquor and was nicknamed “TheKing”. A security source said the suspect was run-ning a locally made liquor factory and several ofhis compatriots delivered the liquor to homes,cafes and places where Asian workers gather. Theman told police that he owns more than one fac-tory and all those working for him are visa viola-tors, and that his factories produce more than 500bottles. He said he sold them at prices as low as500 fils a bottle.

Physical assaultA citizen accused her ex-brother-in-law ofattempting to hit her car and harm her. She saidthat the man stopped her on Ghous Street, thenremoved her hijab and groped her. The womangave police the suspect’s car plate number andfiled a complaint.

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

K U WA I T : I n a t r a g i c a c c i d e n t , a t w o - y e a r - o l dKuwait i boy was k i l led when f i re broke out in a

room on the second floor of a building in Saad Al-Abdullah. The father woke up as his children, agedfive, three and two, were screaming after the firebroke out in their room. He was able to save two of

them and could not rescue the th i rd. Jahra andJ a h r a o c c u p a t i o n a l f i r e c e n t e r s d e a l t w i t h t h eblaze. Investigations are under way to determinethe causes of the fire.

Toddler killed in Saad Al-Abdullah fire

KUWAIT: Zain, the leading telecommunica-tions company in Kuwait, announced thecontinuation of its Community Partnershipof the second installment of the QoutMarket; an initiative held every firstSaturday in November through to Januaryin the Al-Rayya complex. The market is con-sidered Kuwait’s largest artisanal farmersgathering, and looks to support local foodproducers and craftsmen in showcasingtheir products.

Zain’s partnership with this unique ini-tiative is in line with the company’sCorporate Social Responsibility andSustainability vision that seeks to uplift thelives of the people in the communities inwhich it operates and encourage nationaldevelopment programs.

Qout Market is distinguished for beingthe first and only community-based farm-ers’ market that supports local farmers andartisans in the exchange thoughts and

ideas while offering visitors the opportuni-ty to learn more about locally manufac-tured products in a true farmers’ marketenvironment.

During the second market of this sea-son, Zain provided a photo booth that facil-itated visitors taking photos that wereprinted on film, and organized a photocontest through the company’s socialmedia channels.

Zain remains dedicated to supportingevents that showcase the talents of youngpeople in Kuwait, by encouraging out-standing projects and ideas. This is one ofthe main reasons why the companylaunched the Zain Great Idea program,which aims at investing in the creative abili-ties of young Kuwaiti entrepreneurs,preparing them to engage in the businessworld through encouragement and thenurturing of innovation within their busi-nesses.

KUWAIT: The Private Universities Councilhas turned down a request by theplanned private “university for medicalsciences” to inaugurate the university inthe coming academic year due to failureto meet required standards.

Dr Walid Al-Kanderi, the assistant sec-retary general at the council secretariatgeneral, said in a statement to KUNA thatthe planned university had turned downan inspection visit by the council techni-cal committee to the university buildingto check safety conditions at the premis-es.

However, the committee memberswent to the site and examined the build-

ing, but determined existence of insuffi-cient security and safety specifications,for the building had been constructed ata low-level plot of land surrounded byhigh sandy grounds, thus it would surebe swamped with water in the event ofheavy rains.

From an academic point of view, theuniversity has far not enrolled any mem-ber in the teaching board, has notinstalled some equipment, the laborato-ry and the medical clinic.

Therefore, Kanderi declared that thenew university would not open in thenext academic year due to lack of pre-paredness. — KUNA

Zain continues community

partnership with Qout Market

Private university

declared ‘not ready’

Zain’s corner at Qout Market

KUWAIT: Kuwait Airways Corporation(KAC) is getting ready to celebrate thearrival of two leased Airbus A320 planes tojoin its fleet on December 18 and 22, thenational carrier said yesterday.

The two leased planes are the first batchof 12 agreed upon planes which KAC leasesfrom Airbus to renew its fleet, Head of theKAC’s Media and Public RelationsDepartment Fayez Al-Enezi said in a pressstatement. He added that the KuwaitAirways has also signed a deal with Airbusto buy a total of 25 planes.

Airbus would continue delivering theremaining leased planes till September2015, Enezi said. He described the move as a“significant milestone” for the KAC which hasnot renewed its fleet for a long time ago.

The aircrafts are essential parts of KAC’sambitious growth plans and would helpboost KAC regional route network, Eneziindicated.

A KAC delegation headed by theCorporation’s Chairperson Rasha Al-Roumiwill head to Tolouse, France, to attend thedelivery of the first plane ceremony.

Kuwait Airways signed last February afinal agreement with European plane mark-er to lease 12 Airbus A320 jets and buy 25aircrafts, including 10 A350-900 and 15A320 neo family aircrafts, as part of the air-lines’ fleet renewal strategy. Among a seriesof moves to upgrade its fleet, the KAC alsoagreed last month to buy 10 wide-body777-300ER passenger aircrafts from manu-facturer Boeing. — KUNA

Violence against

children campaign

KUWAIT: The Ministry of Health launches a campaign todayto boost mothers’ awareness of the violence against childrenwith well-trained social workers taking part.

The campaign seeks further care for children, protectingthem against violence, Director of Social Health Departmentat the Ministry Dr Yacoub Al-Kandari said in a press statementon Friday. Material has been prepared targeting mothers, withthe aim of reducing persecution against their kids, and provid-ing them with due physical, mental and psychological care,Kandari added. — KUNA

KAC to receives Airbus

planes Dec 18-22

KUWAIT: Divers of the Environmental Voluntary Foundation (EVF) lifted 10 tons of iron pipes dumped in the sea waters off Bneid Al-Garpier, located close to Kuwait Towers. The divers used air-filled bags to lift the neglected pipes, team leader Walid Al-Shatti said yester-day. The pipes were towed onshore with a boat. A crane was also employed to bring up the large objects. The divers encountered somedifficulties due to bad under-water visibility and muddy sea-bed, Shatti added.— KUNA

Dr Yacoub Al-Kandari

Bedoons served,

employed in state

departmentsKUWAIT: The Central Apparatus for Illegal Residents’ Affairs had finalizedup to 9,294 bureaucratic transactions for illegal residents betweenJanuary, 2015, and end of November, the department said yesterday.

The paperwork, including transfers and messages with various govern-mental and non-governmental departments, was done for 148,950 ofthese residents. Paperwork accomplished for illegal residents concerningthe Ministry of Health came on top, totaling 4,723 for 6,985 individuals, theapparatus said in a statement, indicating these documents included birthand death certificates.

The department had addressed up to 2,299 applications to the Ministryof Justice, related to marriage and divorce certificates. They concerned upto 3,205 persons of these category, in addition to 830 ones, sent to theMinistry of Foreign Affairs, for 1,168 residents.

Meanwhile, the Civil Service Commission has approved employmentapplications by 907 illegal residents who do not work in the private sectoror the cooperative societies. It called upon freshly graduated, qualified res-idents with a diploma and above to report back to the commission toupdate their data, noting that jobs could be sought by this category of theresidents via the Chamber of Commerce. — KUNA

KRCS delivers

more aid to

Syrian refugees

BEIRUT: Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) dis-tributed food and blankets to some 250 Syrianfamilies who have taken up refuge in Hasbaya,southeastern Lebanon. The society envoy inLebanon, Dr Musaed Al-Enezi, told KUNA yester-day that the relief supplies were given to theSyrian refugees, as the latest batch of humanitari-an support granted to the Syrians to help themcope with difficult living conditions.

According to the UN, some three millionSyrians who have fled the violence at home toseveral neighboring countries, includingLebanon. Enezi added that study fees for 800Syrian students settled in the Bekaa valley, east-ern Lebanon, have been covered, noting that themoney is provided by the Kuwaiti “Nest” groupfor educating children. The group functionsunder KRCS’ umbrella. Kuwait has earmarkedmillions of dollars worth of aid to aid the Syrianrefugees. — KUNA

L O C A LSUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014

KUWAIT: American University of Kuwait (AUK) students hold signs on the Gulf Road yesterday as part of a campaign to spread awareness about safety driving. —Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

KUWAIT: Instagram is often seen as aplace to share “selfies”, fun and unfor-gettable snapshots, but the visualsocial platform has proven of greatpotential for a growing number ofKuwaiti entrepreneurs and internet-savvy consumers alike.

With hundreds of thousands ofusers in Kuwait and millions of photosshared on a daily basis,Instagram turned into a vir-tual goldmine for entrepre-neurs who figure out how touse the photo-driven site totheir advantage.

“A growing number ofpeople, particularly women,are turning to Instagram toeither market their products andbrands or purchase ones,” HashemBehbehani, Director General of CastleTechnology, an IT developer and e-commerce company, told KUNA.

Entrepreneurs who embracedInstagram are seeing a significantboost in their businesses. They havemanaged to lure a growing number ofclients with captivating imagery andvisually compelling content. “Foodstufftops the list of marketed products fol-lowed by cosmetics, clothes and acces-sories,” he said. Behbehani argued that

Instagram helps owners ofbusinesses, especially thesmall ones, to reach andeffectively interact with thebiggest number of clientsalmost instantly and withoutcost. “It is a great marketingtool for those who has nostore or company to display

or promote their products either forlack of enough capital to purchase orrent premises or because of thebureaucracy and time-wasting effortsto get a license,” he said.

Shopper Ibrahim Al-Essa echoed asimilar view. “Social networking web-sites, especially Instagram, havebecome virtual market that con-sumers follow up the latest displayedproducts at any time or any placethrough their computers or smartphones,” he told KUNA. Essa said thathe follows up the accounts of a num-ber of companies and home-basedbusinesses.

For her part, Dressmaker Iqbal Al-Ali said she has launched her home-based business in 2009 and was mar-keting its products among its relativesand acquaintances. But after usingInstagram to promote her products,demand has gone crazy, she said. Alinoted that Instagram has successfuldone the job at a very low cost. Sheargued that the high cost of shoprents, labor and the complication ofthe license-getting procedures have

Instagram helps entrepreneursturn flash into cash

dissuaded her from havingan outdoor business.

Pastry Shop Owner YusufAl-Hamad has a similar expe-rience. “A friend advised meto try to market my productsthrough Instagram. I have soshortly and to my surprisethe account went viral andthe number of followersincreased on a daily basis,”Hamad told KUNA.

“On parallel with the riseof Instagram account follow-ers, the demand for theproducts jumped,” he said,adding that he has toexpand his business andincrease the number ofworkers to meet the growingdemand. “For me, the mar-keting through Instagramwas a game-changer,” hepointed out.

Despite that there aresome people who still do nothave confidence in the prod-ucts marketed from theInternet as a whole, includingInstagram. “I do not likeproducts marketed throughthe internet because they donot subject to health, com-mercial and legal scrutiny,”Fatima Al-Nouri, whodescribes herself as a shop-ping addict, told KUNA.“There is no official mecha-nism to guarantee the quali-ty of the products or the

KUWAIT: Gulf Bank has announcedthat it is partnering with AlshamelTravel to offer its Priority Bankingclients exclusive benefits when theyuse their Gulf Bank credit cards whilebooking their travel arrangements.

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KUWAIT: Al-Sabah Hospital will organize an awarenesscampaign on colorectal cancer on December 25 in theAvenues Mall amid an increasing number of people whosuffer from this disease.

“Launching awareness campaigns is paramount if weseek prevention of chronic and dangerous diseases,”Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health Dr JamalAl-Harbi told KUNA, underlining that the ministry’s keen-ness on reactivating awareness within its strategic plans tofight diseases.

He commended the campaign entitled “Yes for life, Nofor colorectal cancer”, saying that the ministry would sup-port that campaign to target a large number of people andhelp them be aware of that disease whose rates haveincreased in Kuwait in recent times.

For her part, Head of Digestive System and Liver Unit atSabah Health District Dr Wafaa Al-Hashash underscoredthe necessity of awareness of preventing dangerous dis-eases from which the society suffers.

The event will include seminars and lectures on aware-ness and publications on colorectal cancer will be distrib-uted, she said, noting that the ministry gives top priority tosuch awareness campaigns for the safety of citizens. “The

ministry is keen on providing ideal health care for them,”she said.

The event is the fruit of strenuous efforts aimed at com-bating this malignant disease, she pointed out, affirmingthat the ministry harnesses all capabilities for the service ofthe people. —KUNA

Exclusive travel offers for GulfBank’s Priority Banking customers

Sabah Hospital holds colorectalcancer awareness campaign

Dr Jamal Al-Harbi

Al-A

nbaa

Political debate

Within 20 years, probably even sooner, thepopulation of Jerusalem will hit one mil-lion people. If the present demographic

breakdown continues, more than one-third ofthem will be Palestinians, most of whom are per-manent residents rather that Israeli citizens.

Whatever their legal status, they will need aplace to live, and Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat sayshe intends to build 50,000 apartments over thenext few years for both Israeli and Palestinian resi-dents of the city. About two-thirds of these newhomes will be built in primarily Jewish neighbor-hoods, and one-third in Arab neighborhoods.

“Jews prefer to live in Jewish neighborhoodsand Arabs prefer to live in Arab neighborhoods,”Barkat told a group of journalists on a press tour ofthe city. “You should be aware that there are moreArabs living in predominantly Jewish neighbor-hoods than there are Jews living in predominantlyArab neighborhoods. And the Arabs living theredon’t need any kind of protection.”

Barkat said he is committed to improving thequality of life in the Arab sector in east Jerusalem,which Israel annexed in 1967. Palestinians main-tain that east Jerusalem must by the capital of afuture Palestinian state. In an interview, he said heis committed to bringing the infrastructure in eastJerusalem in line with that of west Jerusalem.

“We are in the process of giving street namesand numbers to all of the streets in eastJerusalem,” he said. “We had 500 roads with nonames, so we are doing this with the local resi-dents. It’s important in the process of improvingquality of life and increasing the value of the prop-erties.”

There has long been a shortage of classrooms ineast Jerusalem and Barkat has built 171 new ones,including several brand-new schools like the Beit

Hanina Comprehensive School. The school serves620 girls from grades 7 -12. On a recent Sunday,several dozen girls were attending enrichmentclasses or working on a science project, eventhough it was a weekend.

“I like this school a lot and I am concentratingon science,” Samar Hamdan, 13, said. “I hope to bea doctor one day.”

Principal Lianna Jaber, a mother of threewho is also working on her PhD at HebrewUniversity, said the school encourages youngwomen to study math and science and pro-

vides extra-curricular support to do so.

East JerusalemThere is still a long way to go before Palestinians in

east Jerusalem receive the same services as theirJewish neighbors. Despite being 36 percent of thepopulation, less than ten percent of the Jerusalemmunicipal budget is allocated to projects and spend-ing in east Jerusalem, including only 2.1 percent of thecultural budget, 4.4 percent of the welfare budget and1.1 percent of the business development budget,according to Ir Amim, a dovish group that advocatesfor Palestinian rights.

Poverty levels in east Jerusalem are dramaticallyhigh, with more than three-quarters of the residentsdefined as poor. Most Palestinians in Jerusalem arepermanent residents rather than citizens, as they seeaccepting citizenship as legitimizing Israel’s annexa-tion of east Jerusalem, which they oppose. Accordingto the Association for Civil Rights, Israel has revokedthe Jerusalem residency of 14,309 Palestinians from1967-2013, if they have been out of the city for morethan seven years. Jews who leave for a similar amountof time do not lose their residency or citizenship.

“Successive Israeli governments have primarilysought to maintain the demographic balance and lim-it and restrict the number of Palestinians in Jerusalem,”Sarit Michaeli, the spokeswoman of Btselem, an Israelihuman rights group, said. “Israel has expropriated amassive amount of land in east Jerusalem, most of itPalestinian, to build neighborhoods for Jews.”

Mayor Barkat says he will build new housing proj-ects in all parts of Jerusalem, despite international crit-icism of some of the building. The ultra-Orthodoxneighborhood of Ramat Shlomo, in northernJerusalem, became a point of contention in 2010,when Israel announced it would build 1600 newhomes there just as US Vice President Joe Biden wasvisiting. Under US pressure, Israel backed off, butthese new homes are now part of Barkat’s new masterplan.

“Right now we are standing right here on thisporch, on the west side of Ramat Schlomo, which is apredominantly Jewish neighborhood, and on the maparound the neighborhood you see this strip,” Barkatsaid, holding up a large map showing where the newconstruction will be. “We will build 800 units here, andnorth of us another 800 units.”

If the building goes ahead, it could spark more ten-sions with the Obama Administration.

—The Media Line

Mayor presents new master plan for Jerusalem

in my view

By Linda Gradstein

L O C A LSUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014

Regardless of whether we approve the parlia-mentary proposal to organize students’ activi-ties or not, it will always remain a mere proposal

and if it includes any article violating the libertiesguaranteed by the constitution, the parliament willreject it through a committee that will discuss it andhighlight all constitutional violations in it. It mighteven be rejected by the government itself for thesame reason. If it is passed, it might be contested bythe constitutional court.

But nothing indicates that it is already passed sofar. It is still a suggestion like dozens of others that donot get passed overnight as some people think. Wehave to believe in the constitution and in the fact thatit will have the final decision on this and any otherproposals. Constitutional processing is not immediate.It involves very sophisticated procedures that, as I pre-sume, will end up rejecting this proposal.

This does not, of course, deny those against theproposal their right to express their opinion about therejection. It is part of public opinion, be it of the stu-dents, current or previous lawmakers, members of themedia or political activists.

What we are about to discuss here is that somepeople think that laws - any laws - can be made in asplit second and become applicable as soon as an MPproposes them, which is not true. For instance, thefamily fund bill remained a subject of controversybetween the government and many previous parlia-ments for long before it was prematurely passed,depriving tens of thousands of benefiting from it. Theanti-corruption law issued over a year and a half agostill needs its internal charter to be set and that is whythis most important authority is still inactive thoughits foundation law was made over 18 months ago!

Some people argue about the e-publication lawthat the information ministry submitted its draft to theCabinet for discussion. They believe it would takeeffect within days and forgot, or even do not know,that the mechanism followed in such cases is verycomplicated, because it will still have to be reviewedby the Cabinet, sent to the Cabinet’s legal committee,then sent to be reviewed by the parliament where itwill have to go through the parliamentary legislativecommittee, discussed by the lawmakers and then vot-ed on in one or two sessions. We are talking about avery long documenting, constitutional and legalprocess that takes at least 6-9 months!

Therefore, some people accuse the parliament ofachieving nothing, doing nothing and legislatingnothing, which might be true but, we have to realizethat setting laws takes long and has to go throughcomplicated paperwork and constitutional proce-dures that might be longer and more complicatedthat an empty spider’s web. Unfortunately, some peo-ple are very superficial in their judgments and this is afatal mistake, because we first have to understand theprocess followed in such cases before making anyjudgments or jumping to conclusions about whetherthis parliament has achieved anything - though I,myself, am not convinced with its performance so far!

—Translated by Kuwait Times from Al-Anbaa

Spider web and

e-publication

kuwait digest

By Thaar Al-Rasheedi

“Jews prefer to live inJewish neighborhoods andArabs prefer to live in Arab

neighborhoods,” Barkat tolda group of journalists on a

press tour of the city.

In a previous article, I wished that both formerpresidents Mubarak and Morsi be acquitted sothat Egypt can resurrect itself. Well, the first part

of my wish came true and Mubarak was acquitted, asduring his last years in office, he had been rulingaccording to the ‘hands off’ method, which meansruling remotely. Therefore, I find his acquittal well-justified. I also hoped that Morsi would be acquittedand that they both retire from politics and ask theirfollowers and supporters to support and back presi-dent Sisi in doing all the best for the entire Egyptianpeople and face the serious challenges in a very hotregion.

Though Morsi’s acquittal from allegedly killingItihadiya protestors needs greater efforts because hewas actually in power and positively practicing hisjob responsibilities, which means he was rulingaccording to the ‘hands-on’ technique, and thisrequires that the Muslim Brotherhood should stopmaking so much fuss about Mubarak’s acquittal inorder to avoid hindering the possibility of acquittingMorsi.

Unfortunately, the Muslim Brotherhood insistedon demonstrating , creating chaos and rejectedsome Brotherhood youths’ suggestions to stopdemanding impossible things such as returningMorsi to power and only settle for asking for possiblethings like only demanding his release, which is thefirst principle in politics which defines it as ‘the art of

asking for the feasible and not dreaming of theimpossible’.

In fact, the fact that Muslim Brotherhood has beendemanding a revolutionary trial for Mubarak reflectstheir confession that the acquittal verdict legally cor-rect according to the laws used in Egypt, becauselaws do not include the so-called and demanded‘political or revolutionary trials’, because they neverprovide just and fair prosecution. In fact, the first per-

son who demanded such trials in 1952 was SayyedQutub during the Kafr Addawwar demonstrations.Later on, the Revolution Leadership Council adoptedthis call and executed two young men in Sept 1952and in less than two years, Qutub himself and agroup of his companions were tried by the very same

revolutionary courts he called for and was then exe-cuted in 1965.

So, is it wise that the Brotherhood demands retri-als? Does not this mean that Morsi had intended rul-ing Egypt by force and oppression using revolution-ary trials that never provide defendants with fairdefence chances? The main question now is: Doesthe Brotherhood not know that demanding revolu-tionary trials for Mubarak would extend to includetrying Morsi, or do those abroad have no problemwith sacrificing him and the rest of the Brotherhoodmembers in prison to get to power and wealth them-selves?

What use will they get from retrying Mubarak oreven executing him? Will this solve Egypt’s prob-lems? What if the court acquits Morsi soon - will theMuslim Brotherhood condemn the verdict as well orwill they fall into contradiction by praising it? Thebottom line is that the Egyptian people wereabsolutely right in revolting on June 30 and the hon-orable judges were right in their verdicts, while theMuslim Brotherhood is still committing the verysame historic mistakes!

Finally, it was funny that a New York Times editori-al rejected Mubarak’s acquittal without even readinga single page of the case documents, while it keptsilent about the acquittal of US police who kill menand children a few yards away from its building!

—Translated by Kuwait Times from Al-Anbaa

kuwait digest

By Sami Al-Nisf

In fact, the fact that MuslimBrotherhood has been demand-

ing a revolutionary trial forMubarak reflects their confes-sion that the acquittal verdict

legally correct according to thelaws used in Egypt.

By Labeed Abdal

local@kuwaittimes.net

Child

protection

The Ministry of Health revealed statistics recent-ly that indicated that 150 abuse cases wererecorded in two years, including 120 against

children who mostly arrived to medical facilities withsigns of severe attacks. Those were only the recordedcases, and God knows how many cases are there ofchildren subjected to abuse but never reach hospi-tals or medical clinics.

Revealing the statistics and bringing the problemto public attention is the first step towards protect-ing children who are in need for a stand and a voiceto represent them. In the meantime, this step shouldbe followed by serious efforts to spread awarenessabout the many negative effects of violence againstchildren, and the importance of reporting every childabuse case.

The Health Ministry adopted an initiative to estab-lish a national committee for child protection, whichis necessary to keep children safe from all kinds ofabuse, especially since it is established in coordina-tion with other state departments including theMinistry of Education, Interior Ministry and Ministryof Social Affairs and Labor in addition to KuwaitUniversity. It is also important to provide qualifiedand trained staff to deal with children subjected toabuse, including doctors, nurses, sociologists andtherapists.

This serious issue requires collaborated efforts,which starts with awareness to report any cases ofchild abuse detected at home, school or anywhere.The fear of family disintegration should not be usedas an excuse not to report such cases, because thesafety and protection of children should be theprime goal. Hesitating to report a case could escalatethe problem. There are children who are subjected toabuse nearly on a daily basis at the hands of parentswho let out their daily stress and frustration on them.

We hope for further progress to the government’scommitment for protecting childhood as a priority inthe state’s development process, and cooperation withcivil society to protect all children living in Kuwait.

In my view

Acquitting Mubarak and Brotherhood’s mistakes

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014

Devotion, defiance draw millions to Iraq pilgrimage

Page 8

IS influence spreads to African jihadistsPage 10

MOSUL: In this June 22, 2014 file photo, people shop at a market in this northern Iraqi city. —AP

BAGHDAD: Saadi Abdul-R ahman wasrecently forced to pull his three childrenout of school in the Iraqi city of Mosul,where Islamic State militants have ruledwith an iron fist since June. The cost of liv-ing has soared there, and the family is bare-ly able to make ends meet, even after put-ting the kids to work. “We are not able topay for cooking gas, kerosene and food,”laments the 56-year-old retired govern-ment worker. “The situation in Mosul is mis-erable.”

The economy in the sel f -st y led“caliphate” declared by the Islamic Stategroup bridging Iraq and Syria is starting toshow signs of strain. Prices of most stapleshave more than doubled as coal i t ionairstrikes make it difficult for products tomove in and out of militant strongholds,leading to shortages, price-gouging andthe creation of black markets.

Resentment has grown among residentsunder the rule of the extremists, who ini-tial ly won suppor t with their abil ity todeliver services. In the early days of its rule,the Islamic State group subsidized foodand gas prices through the wealth it accu-mulated from oil smuggling, extortion andransom demands. They sold their smuggledoil at a discount - $25 to $60 a barrel for oilthat normally cost $100 a barrel or more,according to analysts and government offi-cials.

But in recent weeks, prices have soaredin militant-held cities. Items like kerosene,used for heating and cooking, are in shortsupply, while others, such as alcohol andcigarettes, strictly banned by the group, aremaking a comeback at higher prices on theblack market. Smoking is a punishableoffense in militant-held Mosul. But at awarehouse on the outskirts of the city, ciga-rettes, as well as hard-to-come-by essen-tials like kerosene, can be found at hugelyinflated prices on a black market run by theextremists. There, a pack of cigarettes sellsfor 30,000 dinars - the equivalent of $26 -more than double the pre-caliphate price,according to residents who spoke on condi-tion of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

‘Unsustainable Economy’ The militants “are developing an unsus-

tainable economy,” said Paul Sullivan, anexpert on Middle East economies at the

National Defense University in Washington.“Eventually the costs of keeping the subsi-dies and price controls going will overpow-er their smuggling funds, which are alsoused for offensive and defensive actions.They can collect taxes, extort money, andso forth,” he said. “But that will likely not beenough in the long run to keep such anunbalanced economic system going.”

In the Syrian city of Raqqa, the extrem-ists’ so-called capital, the breakdown ofsecurity along the border with Iraq in areasunder Islamic State control has led to flour-ishing trade with Mosul. Trucks are alsoable to access the city from Turkey, allow-ing for a steady supply of fruit and vegeta-bles, wheat and textiles. However, the costof living has surged since US-led airstrikesbegan in September, and power and watercuts grew more frequent, residents said.

I n addit ion, the str ic t socia l lawsimposed by the group have been very badfor business, said Bari Abdelatif, an activistin the Islamic State-controlled town of al-Bab in Syria’s northern Aleppo province.But, he said, foreign fighters were bringingwith them lots of hard currency, making upsomewhat for the shortfall. Last month,Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, the leader of theIslamic State group, decreed the minting ofgold, silver and copper coins for the mili-tants’ own currency the Islamic dinar - to“change the tyrannical monetary system”modelled on Western economies. But tradein most militant-held cities continues to bein Iraqi dinars and US dollars.

The start of winter has led to seriousshortages of gasoline and kerosene. Theofficial price for a liter of gas in govern-ment-controlled areas of Iraq is 450 dinars(40 cents) - but in Mosul, it sells for fourtimes that. Two hundred-liter barrels ofkerosene are now sold in Mosul for 250,000dinars ($220), versus the official price of30,000 dinars. In the western Iraqi city ofFallujah, under militant control for almost ayear, residents have started cutting treesfor firewood because kerosene is in suchshort supply. The city is surrounded by gov-ernment troops and near-daily shellingoften make parts of town too dangerous tovisit.

Food and fuel prices have risen sharplyas a result - a 50-kilo sack of rice costs75,000 dinars ($65), up from 10,000 ($9)

three months ago. A cylinder of cookinggas goes for 140,000 dinars ($115). That hasput many staples out of reach for Abdul-Rahman and his family in Mosul, even withthe additional money brought in by hissons, who left school to drive a taxi andwork in a restaurant.

Decline in Business A number of fac tors are dr iv ing the

shortages and price hikes, according to res-idents in Mosul and Fallujah, the group’sbiggest Iraqi strongholds. The militantshave imposed a tax on vehicles enteringtheir territory, leading to a decline in busi-ness. Deliveries are also subject to militanttheft, and coalition airstrikes and militaryoperations make many roads impassable.As a result, the trip from the Turkish borderto Mosul took four hours prior to the mili-tant takeover. Now, a delivery truck canspend as much as a week traveling thesame road, and will pay a tax of as much as$300 for entry into Mosul, residents said.

According to Luay Al-Khateeb, directorof the Iraqi Energy Institute and a visitingfellow at the Brookings Doha Center, thepopulation of the areas under Islamic Statecontrol in Iraq and Syria is 6.5 million to 8million people. “They need 150,000 barrels(of crude) a day just to meet local con-sumption,” he said. “And that is the bareminimum to meet the demands for trans-portation, bakeries, power generation. Thatdoesn’t mean they have access to such sup-ply,” he added.

Last month, the militants shut downcell phone service in Mosul, claiming thatresidents were tipping off US-led airstrikesto their whereabouts. Cell signals have notbeen restored, causing the city to come toa virtual standstill. Workshops, factoriesand markets are closed and bitterness isgrowing among business owners. “Mostmoney-transfer operations are done bymobile calls,” said Osama Abdul-Aziz, theowner of a money-transfer office in Mosul.“We have the option of using the Internet,but this method is very slow and some-times the Internet does not work at all,which causes big delays to our work.” AtMohammed Abdullah’s shop in Mosul, thepile of cell phone scratch cards is growinghigher by the day. “Our business and meansfor living are in ruins now,” he said. — AP

High prices, shortages pressure ISBlack markets abound • Strict social laws bad for business

I N T E R N AT I O N A LSUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014

JUBA: They came only for a night: thou-sands fleeing gunshots in the darknessfor the safety of UN peacekeeping basesin South Sudan’s capital Juba. In the fol-lowing days, gunfire and explosions con-tinued to shake the city, as troops loyalto President Salva Kiir fought with thoseallied to his ousted deputy, Riek Machar,and terrified residents cowered wherethey could find shelter. One year laterand with civil war still raging, some100,000 civilians remain trapped insidethe UN camps ringed with barbed wire,surviving off food aid handouts in miser-able conditions, but still too terrified toventure out for fear of being killed.

“How can we go out when there is nopeace?” asked Veronica Henry, a womanin her fifties living in a crowded UN-guarded camp in Juba, where thousandslive crammed into streets of makeshiftplastic tents. Many are gloomy about theprospects of the violence ending any

time soon. South Sudan is locked intoconflict, with the bloodshed in Juba hav-ing set off a cycle of retaliatory killingsacross swathes of the country. “We’vebeen one year here, but we are alive,”said Thong Gai, sitting outside his plastictent home under the blazing hot sun inthe UN camp in Juba.

Half the country’s 12 million peopleneed aid, the UN says, including nearlytwo million people who fled their homesfrom the fighting. “It is tough living herebut there is nothing we can do, nothingto do,” said Gai, who entered the campas fighting broke out on Dec 15 last year.“We just have to be patient, and we shallhave peace one day.”

‘Battle Against Famine’ Amid the continued threat of interna-

tional sanctions, warring forces havesigned repeated ceasefire deals, but allcollapsed within days. “I am begging the

international community, please, youhave to pressure the government andthe opposition,” Henry said. Her opti-mism at South Sudan’s independence in2011 - after people voted overwhelm-ingly to split from north Sudan followingdecades of war - has long faded. “Wehave struggled for so long in this coun-try,” she said grimly. Aid workersdescribe a desperate situation, withOxfam country chief Zlatko Gegic warn-ing that millions are going “hungry in aman-made disaster”.

International threats have had littleimpact in forcing rival leaders to strike alasting deal, even as the humanitariancrisis remains dire. Even if top leaderscan agree on terms for peace, theirforces have now fractured into over twodozen different armed groups, analystssay. Hugely expensive UN food aid airlifts have staved off famine for now butthe threat remains, said Toby Lanzer, the

UN aid chief in South Sudan. “We will bein a battle against time and a battleagainst famine once again in early 2015,”Lanzer said. “The situation remains gravetoday. It could very well get much, muchworse.”

‘Fear Makes me Stay’ Thousands were killed in the first

weeks alone, before fighting spread toother towns and regions across thepoverty-stricken young country. TheInternational Crisis Group estimates thatat least 50,000 people have been killed,while some diplomats suggest it couldeven be double that figure. Kan GuehKan, 28, fled to the camp the day afterfighting broke out, after his two uncleswere hacked to death and shot in frontof him. “I ran for my life,” said Kan, mar-ried with a child. “Now fear makes mestay here. I will only go out when peacecomes.”

At least in the capital and outside theUN camps, the scars of war can be hardto see. The roads are crowded withtrucks and motorbikes, the marketsbusy. But houses belonging to formertop leaders -now with the rebel forces -remain empty, guarded by a handful ofsoldiers, their gates unrepaired from thefighting a year ago. In Juba’s Mia Sabadistrict, site of some of the worst killings,the bodies left rotting in the streets lastyear have long gone.

But many of the ransacked housesremain empty, their former residents nowliving in UN camps - or among the thou-sands who were killed in just the first fewdays of fighting. Few are optimistic forpeace soon. “We have to fear for theworst,” said Skye Wheeler from HumanRights Watch. “We have to fear that wewill continue to see a really dangerousand really frightening rift between thetwo largest ethnic groups.” —AFP

South Sudan: A year of war in a divided nation

KARBALA: Iraqi Shiite Muslim pilgrims are seen during the Arbaeen religious festival yesterday, which marks the 40th day after Ashoura. —AFP

KARBALA, Iraq: Millions of Shiite Muslim pil-grims defied the threat of jihadist attacks andthronged the Iraqi shrine city of Karbala yester-day for the climax of annual Arbaeen mourningrituals. Some had walked for more than 12 days,from Iraq’s far south or across the border fromIran, while others were bused in or crammed intolorries for the journey. Defence Minister KhaledAl-Obeidi said a total of 17 million will have gonethrough Karbala for Arbaeen this year, includingmore than four million foreigners from 60 coun-tries.

A sea of devotees descended on the city’sshrine of Imam Hussein, beating their heads andchests to show remorse for not saving him fromthe armies of the caliph Yazid that beheaded himin 680 AD. While many chanted in unison, rapt ina collective religious trance, others were keenlyaware of the symbolic power Arbaeen couldhave in the war against the Islamic State group. Amortar attack that killed one person on Fridayhighlighted the security concerns surroundingwhat is believed to be one of the largest religiousgatherings in the world.

High Security But the pilgrims were undeterred. “Forget

mortars, even if it rains jihadists on Karbala, wewill not be prevented from visiting the ImamHussein shrine,” said Kadhem Hussein, a 25-year-old who had walked from Nasiriyah, some 300km away. The Islamic State group - led by Sunniextremists - considers Shiites to be heretics andhas made targeting the community one of its

main objectives. The head of Karbala operationscommand, brigadier General Qais Khalaf Rahim,said the number of security personnel in Karbalawas boosted by 15,000 to 40,000 following themortar attack. “The efforts of these jihadists arevain because we have all come to Karbala readyto sacrifice, wishing to become martyrs,” saidAbdel Hussein Salem, who volunteered to servefood to pilgrims in the city. Leaders in Iraq’sShiite-dominated government and clerics havebeen keen to cast the pilgrimage as an act ofresistance against the jihadists who seizedswathes of the country in June.

Many of the million or so Iranians who flockedto Iraq said they were performing the pilgrimageon the order of their nation’s supreme leader,Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Turnout estimates werehard to verify independently, but all officialsseemed to agree this Arbaeen was the largestthey had ever seen. Some southern towns andcities looked emptied of their population. Rahimsaid new access roads had to be opened to han-dle the flow of pilgrims converging on Karbala, amedium-sized city around 70 km south ofBaghdad. Even Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, themost revered Shiite cleric in Iraq, acknowledgedFriday that Karbala “is not, in its current state,able to accommodate such huge numbers of visi-tors”.

Strength in Numbers Aerial views of the city showed rivers of black-

clad faithful, many wearing coloured headbandsand waving flags, as far as the eye could see. Men

perched on walls, roofs and window sillsattempted to direct the flow of weeping andchanting visitors in order to avoid stampedes. AliSabri, an Iranian from Tabriz, running a large“mawkab” - one of the 7,000 spots serving foodand beverages to the pilgrims in Karbala -shipped in a bread-making machine that canchurn out 90,000 flatbreads in eight hours. “I willpresent this machine as a gift to the shrineauthorities after the pilgrimage,” he said.

As night fell on Karbala, tens of thousands ofthe faithful knelt in perfect rows for a mass flood-lit prayer outside the shrine, with its glitteringgolden dome and two minarets. The securitydeployment has been massive, amid fears IS andits seemingly endless supply of suicide bomberscould seek to cause maximum casualties byattacking large crowds. Access to centralBaghdad has been very restricted for days, tominimise the risk of major attacks and avoid acomplete logjam. Iraqi officials have stressedhow crucial a recent military victory against thejihadists in the Jurf al-Sakhr area has been inmaking the pilgrimage possible. The continuedpresence there of IS fighters would have endan-gered the pilgrims walking through an area thathas been dubbed the “triangle of death”. Fewincidents have been reported, however. BesidesFriday’s deadly mortar fire near Karbala, whichfell short of the area where pilgrims were congre-gating, four people were killed in crowd manage-ment-related incidents. Three other people werekilled earlier this week by a bomb blast targetingpilgrims in Baghdad. — AFP

Devotion, defiance draw scores to Iraq pilgrimage

Pilgrims undeterred by security concerns

UNITED NATIONS: Negotiations on a UNresolution to revive Israeli-Palestinianpeace prospects are making little headway,with Europeans waiting for a US responseto proposals as the Israeli election cam-paign steams ahead. US Secretary of StateJohn Kerry is heading to Rome on Sundayfor a key meeting with Israeli PrimeMinister Benjamin Netanyahu to discussinitiatives at the United Nations. Jordan lastmonth circulated a draft Palestinian text tothe Security Council setting Nov 2016 as adeadline for the end of the Israeli occupa-tion.

But the text ran into opposition fromthe United States, which has veto power,and other countries that felt it lacked bal-ance, diplomats said. It was never put to avote. France stepped in last month to try tocobble together along with Britain andGermany a resolution that would win con-sensus at the 15-member council. The textwould call for a return to negotiations witha view to achieving a two-state solution bywhich Israel and a Palestinian state wouldco-exist.

Negotiations have hit hurdles overwhether to include a two-year deadline fortalks on a final settlement to be completed.France is also proposing to host an interna-tional conference to launch the new peacetrack, bringing in all the key players in ashow of support for a final settlement.Supporters of a UN resolution are hopingto win US backing or at least ensure thatWashington will not oppose the measure -which would be the first text adopted bythe council on the Israeli-Palestinian con-flict since 2009. “There is a window ofopportunity,” said a European diplomat.“There is a willingness from the Americansto consider options at the UN.”

Kerry led a major push to advanceIsraeli-Palestinian peace earlier this year,but the effort collapsed in April. UN diplo-mats see the failure of Kerry’s bid, followed

by the brutal 50-day war in Gaza last sum-mer as worrying signs that an Israeli-Palestinian peace may soon be out ofreach.

What does the US want? -While the US administration has shown

a willingness to discuss a UN-led push forpeace, it has not given a clear answer as towhat it would be ready to support in a pro-posed resolution. Discussions have turnedinto a diplomatic minefield over the pro-posed timeframe for negotiations andNetanyahu’s plan to declare Israel a Jewishstate. With so many hurdles that have yet tobe cleared, diplomats hold out little hopethat agreement on a draft resolution will bereached by the end of the month. “It wouldbe some kind of miracle” if agreement werereached, said one envoy.

Israel’s election campaign is complicat-ing the effort, but Washington has notasked the Europeans to postpone the pushfor a resolution until after the March 17vote. For the Europeans, there is a clearurgency for the Security Council to step inand make its views known on the worsen-ing conflict. European parliaments inBritain, France, Spain, Ireland and Portugalhave asked their governments to recognizePalestinian statehood - a move that wouldbypass negotiations.

European diplomats argue that reachingconsensus on a resolution will be more dif-ficult closer to the Israeli vote and fresh vio-lence could flare up at any time. There isanother complicating factor in the mix:Several countries with a pro-Palestinianstance are set to take their seats at theSecurity Council in January - a develop-ment that is not lost on the US administra-tion as it weighs a role for the UN. In theface of Security Council inaction, thePalestinians have threatened to join theInternational Criminal Court and file com-plaints against Israel. —AFP

Little headway in UN push for Palestinian resolution

BETHLEHEM: Israeli soldiers push back a Palestinian holding a poster showing lateminister Ziad Abu Ein during a protest in the West Bank yesterday. Abu Ein collapsedand died shortly after scuffling with Israeli troops during a West Bank protestWednesday. — AP

Yemen troops kill Qaeda rebels dressed as women

SANAA: Yemeni troops yesterday shot deadfive Al-Qaeda suspects disguised as womenwho fired at a soldier during a checkpointinspection of their Saudi-bound bus, officialssaid. Another suspect and the driver werewounded in the shooting in Harad, a town 15km from the Saudi border, the officials said,adding that two of those killed were Saudis.“As one of the soldiers climbed on board thebus for an inspection, one of the suspectsopened fire and wounded him, promptingshooting from other soldiers at the check-point,” said a government official who gavethe toll.

All six had been dressed in black robesand wore the niqab, a face-covering veil com-monly worn by women in Yemen, the officialin Harad told AFP. A suicide belt and armswere also found on the bus, and the wound-ed suspect and driver were being questioned,said the security official. “The men are sus-pected of affiliation with Al-Qaeda and wereheading north towards Yemen’s border withSaudi Arabia,” he said.

Yemen security forces rarely carry outinspections of vehicles carrying women in theconservative, deeply-tribal Muslim country. InJuly, six Saudi Al-Qaeda suspects attacked apost on the border with Yemen, killing fivesecurity officers. Al-Qaeda in the ArabianPeninsula took advantage of a collapse ofcentral authority in the wake of the 2011uprising to seize swathes of southern and

eastern Yemen. The United States considersAQAP to be the global jihadist network’s mostdangerous affiliate.

Saudi Arabia, which launched a hugecrackdown on Al-Qaeda following a spate ofdeadly attacks in 2003-2006, is building athree-metre high fence along its southernfrontier with Yemen to counter illegal cross-ings and arms smuggling. Yemen has beenwracked by violence since a Shiite militiaknown as the Huthis seized control of the cap-ital in September. The militiamen have clashedwith local Sunni tribes and Al-Qaeda militantsas they seek to expand their territory.

Several Houthi militiamen were killed and10 tribesmen wounded in fighting Friday inArhab, 35 km from Sanaa, according tosources on both sides. Arhab is close to SanaaInternational Airport and is a stronghold ofthe Sunni Islamist Al-Islah party. Later onSaturday, tribal sources said armed tribesmenhanded Arhab over to the Houthis followingmediation that led to an end of fighting. InSanaa, hundreds protested outside PresidentAbdrabuh Mansur Hadi’s residence demand-ing action against the militiamen, whom theyaccused of arrests and killings. “Houthis andAl-Qaeda are the same. Hadi, either find asolution (to end their control) or leave.” Therise of the Houthis has challenged Hadi’sauthority, an ally of the United States, andviolence has continued despite UN-backedefforts to find a political solution. — AFP

WASHINGTON: Publicly, they are the best offriends working to seal a historic deal to stopIran’s march to a nuclear bomb. But behind closeddoors, diplomats from France and the UnitedStates barely hide their frustration. For years,France has been viewed as the toughest memberof the group of powers known as the P5+1, afterfeeling burned in previous pacts under whichTehran covertly continued to advance its atomicambitions. The P5+1 — Britain, China, France,Russia, the United States and Germany go back tothe negotiating table next week in Geneva hav-ing failed to meet a Nov 24 deadline for a deal.

They have set a new target date of June 30 toreach a pact that would end 12 years of protract-ed negotiations with the Islamic republic. Butdespite public assertions of unity among theglobal powers, Western diplomats confirm thereis a diplomatic fencing match behind the scenesbetween Paris and Washington. One of France’smain concerns is the incomplete Arak heavywater reactor, which when it eventually comesonline could be used to make plutonium for anatomic bomb.

Paris is said to have pushed for stringent

inspections of Iran’s nuclear energy program, anda broad dismantling of facilities and centrifuges.Amid great uncertainty over whether a deal ispossible despite hours and hours of tense negoti-ations, this distrust between the two transatlanticallies could prove the weakest link in the P5+1bloc. Privately, American officials say there hasbeen concern in Washington over the Frenchposition of publicly playing hardball, but then notbacking up their words in the negotiations. InNov 2013, angered by US Secretary of State JohnKerry’s sudden appearance at the talks in Geneva,French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius showedup, talking tough against the proposed contoursof a deal and seemingly threw a wrench in theworks.

‘Robust’ Deal As for the French, they are concerned that the

Obama administration, under fire for its disjointedforeign policy, badly needs a success and despiteits assertions to the contrary wants an Iran deal atalmost any price. “We want a robust agreement,not an agreement for the sake of an agreement,” aEuropean diplomat said. “We should not rush for a

deal. It would be a mistake from the six (powers)to rush. The pressure is on Iran.” During the mostrecent failed round of talks, French Ambassadorto the US Gerard Araud tweeted that it was “agood poker game in Vienna. But, as usual, if youhave the higher hand and keep your nerves, youwill win”.

“As the French have amply demonstrated,Europe does not want a deal at any cost,” wroteRiccardo Alcaro, an expert with the BrookingsInstitution think tank. “But of all the partiesinvolved, the Europeans are probably the mostdetermined to settle the Iranian nuclear issue.Indeed, they conceive their role in the negotia-tions as preventing the worst instincts of theAmericans and the Iranians from spoiling theprocess.”

This time on his way to Vienna, Kerry took careto fully brief Fabius first in Paris, amid concern theFrench diplomat might resort to more publicgrandstanding that could scupper the delicatenegotiations. Indeed, in Geneva in 2013, the glob-al powers left empty-handed after Fabius’s inter-vention, only reaching an interim deal two weekslater.— AFP

France, US uneasy bedfellows

p8_Layout 1 12/13/14 9:46 PM Page 1

I N T E R N AT ION A LSUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014

RALEIGH: The hanging death of a blackteenager in a small North Carolina town willbe probed by the Federal Bureau ofInvestigation, the agency said on Friday, afterhis family questioned a finding by localauthorities that it was suicide and his motherpleaded to know, “Was my son lynched?”Lennon Lacy, 17, was found in August hang-ing from a swing set in a mobile home park inBladenboro, which has a population of about1,700 some 240 km southeast of Charlotte.

Lacy’s family and the North Carolina chap-ter of the National Association for theAdvancement of Colored People (NAACP)pushed for the probe, citing concerns abouthow the case was handled and suspicions hemight have been murdered. His mother,Claudia Lacy, said she did not think her son,whom she described as shy, would end his life“in such an exposed space, hanging from aswing set in plain view” of trailer homes.

“We don’t know what happened to my sonthree months ago, and suicide is still possible.But there are so many unanswered questionsthat I can’t help but ask, ‘Was he killed? Wasmy son lynched?’” his mother was quoted assaying in an article on Friday in the US editionof The Guardian newspaper. ReverendWill iam Barber, president of the NorthCarolina NAACP chapter, said in a statementhe hopes the FBI will be able to “crack thesmall-town code” of the community as itlooks into the case.

Barber said Lacy had a relationship with anolder white woman that was well known inthe community, and that his body was foundin a part of town that blacks had in years pastavoided for fear of violence. The high schoolfootball player had gone out for a run thenight before his body was found, Barber said.Shelley Lynch, a Charlotte-based spokes-woman for the FBI, confirmed the agency wasreviewing the case at the request of the USAttorney’s office in Raleigh.

The FBI investigation comes at a time ofstrained race relations in the United States.Grand jury decisions to not indict white policeofficers in the deaths of unarmed black malesin Missouri and New York City have triggereddemonstrations and heated debate about theway police in the United States interact withblack communities.

Local Probe ChallengedThe family and NAACP have questioned

why during a four-day investigation local

police never went to their home to searchLacy’s room or checked his cell phone for cluesabout what may have happened to him onAug 29, when he was killed. They also saidLacy’s body was found with a pair of shoes onhis feet that were two sizes too small. Barbersaid he suspects police used a statement givenby Lacy’s mother that the teen was“depressed” over the recent death of his uncleto provide a motive for suicide. Barber saidthat Lacy’s mother had merely meant that hewas in mourning.

All the family wants is for the federal inquiry

to properly investigate what happened, Barbersaid. “The family can handle if it was a suicide,”he said. “It could also be a lynching.” TheNAACP was planning a rally yesterday inBladenboro to honor Lacy’s memory and bringattention to the case. Bladen County DistrictAttorney Jon David said on Friday that theFBI’s involvement should not be taken as asign that the local investigation was deficient.“ The death of a child is something thatdeserves the full attention of my office and lawenforcement,” he said. “That has occurred andwill continue to occur.” — Reuters

FBI probing hanging of

black N Carolina teen

Mother wants to know if son lynched

BLADENBORO, North Carolina: In this Dec 1, 2014 photo, Claudia Lacy cries as she thanks thepeople that showed up at First Baptist Church to listen to the Rev Dr William Barber II, presi-dent of the North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, talk about the developments in theinvestigation of her son’s death. — AP

MONTEVIDEO: Former Guantanamo prisoners (from left) Adel bin Muhammad ElOuerghi from Tunisia, Ali Husain Shaaban from Syria, Abedlhadi Omar Faraj fromSyria, Ahmed Adnan Ajuri from Syria, and Palestinian Mohammed Abdullah TahaMattan interact with journalists standing under the balcony of the home wherethey’re living on Friday.— AP

MONTEVIDEO: Four of the men releasedthis week after years of captivity atGuantanamo Bay have finally had their firstlong walk in freedom, stopping to buy a bitof cheese and bread on a stroll throughUruguay’s capital. The men - four Syrians, aTunisian and a Palestinian - are staying at ahouse in a middle class neighborhood asguests of a major labor union, which hasbeen asked to help by President JoseMujica.

The union’s executive secretary, GabrielMelgareo, said Friday that four of themmanaged to elude journalists and went on a10-km walk along the banks of the Rio de laPlata on Thursday. “They were enchanted bythe blue sky of Montevideo, the tranquilityof the city, the ability to walk through thestreets in absolute calm,” Melgareo told AP.Bakery worker Laura Larrobla said two ofthe men stopped by to purchase cheese,yoghurt and bread. “They looked good,although they only talked through an inter-preter,” she said.

Melgarejo said that for the most part, themen are euphoric at their freedom andmaking plans to bring their families. “Todaythey began taking Spanish classes,”Melgarejo said. “A teacher came in themorning and we obtained several Arabic-Spanish dictionaries, which was not easy.”People of Arab descent make up a smallpart of Uruguay’s population.

Melgarejo said the hosts are trying toaccommodate the men’s Islamic dietaryrestrictions: “We found lamb meat they caneat at a butcher shop that sells kosher meat

for the Jewish community.” Melgareo saidthe former detainee with the greatest physi-cal problems is Abu Wael Dihab, who car-ried out an extended hunger strike beforehe was released. He is using crutches andhas been less social than the others. The six,who had spent more than a dozen years atthe US Navy base in Cuba, arrived Mondayin Uruguay, which agreed to take then asrefugees.

The men, all in their 30s and 40s, wereamong the first detainees sent toGuantanamo in 2002. Detained as part ofthe US “War on Terror” for alleged links to Al-Qaeda, they were never charged or tried.They had been cleared for release, but theUnited States ruled they could not be sentto their home countries for security reasons.Uruguay’s President Jose Mujica, a formerleftist guerrilla who leaves office in March,has said he agreed to take in the inmates inpart because he sympathized with theirplight as a one-time political prisoner whohimself spent 13 years in jail.

The prison at Guantanamo - openedunder then president George W Bush tohouse terror suspects after the Sept 11, 2001attacks - has long been controversial, bothfor the incarceration of uncharged anduntried suspects and for the brutal interro-gations of some detainees. The extent of thetorture inflicted on detainees including self-proclaimed 9/11 mastermind Khalid SheikhMohammed and Abu Zubaydah, allegedlyOsama bin Laden’s right-hand man, wasdetailed in an explosive US Senate reportreleased Tuesday. — Agencies

Ex-Guantanamo prisoners

stroll streets of Uruguay

I N T E R N AT I O N A L

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014

KIEV: With Ukraine still trapped in a Soviet-era approach to mental health and psychi-atric hospitals so under-funded that somehave less than 10 cents a day to feedpatients, the country has been left ill-pre-pared for the trauma of war. As with somany aspects of its sudden descent intoconflict, Ukraine has turned to volunteersto help deal with post-traumatic stressamong soldiers. Psychologist TetyanaNazarenko, who works with a volunteergroup, recalls her toughest task to date:dealing with a frontline brigade that hadjust lost 12 men in a single battle.

The body parts had been gathered inonly a few bags and were mixed up withpieces from 13 other soldiers. “The guyshad to go to the morgue and identify theirfriends from small things-tattoos, birth-marks-as best they could,” she said. “Somewere left in a terrible depression, others inacute stress.” Another volunteer, UlianaFedoryachenko, has been helping at theCentral Military Hospital in Kiev. “One manjust lay for three months in bed, silentlystaring. He had no serious injuries-justshock. I shudder to think what he saw toleave him unable to talk,” she said.

Desperate shortagesSuch trauma is common in any country

at war. But for Ukraine, where psychiatric

care is hobbled by corruption and anti-quated methods, the crisis is acute. Basicresources such as food, water and electrici-ty are in desperately short supply at hospi-tals. “We have a very serious situation withfood. There is a budget of only 1.5 hryvnias($0.09, 0.08 euros) per person per day

here,” said Semyon Gluzman, one of thecountry’s leading psychiatrists who worksat the IP Pavlov hospital in Kiev. “There isreal starvation.”

The broader problem, he says, is aSoviet-era approach to psychology inwhich anyone with trauma or stress is

immediately admitted to hospital, whenoften they just need social care or familycomfort. “It’s a very primitive system-keepinvalids out of sight,” he said. “Obviously,some people need real psychiatric care inhospital, but most just need support intheir ordinary lives, from their families.“And of course there is so much corruption.People are given any old drug because it’sa business. It’s a mafiosi structure.” Post-traumatic stress from the war in the east isa time-bomb for Ukraine for which thegovernment is not prepared, he adds,because of this focus on doctors ratherthan social workers. “It will be a very seri-ous problem for us in the coming months.When people come back from the war,they drink, and we already have a problemwith alcoholism in our culture.”

Five phases of shockNazarenko says her group is over-

whelmed with cases of alcoholism, sleepand eating disorders and depressionamong returning soldiers. Ukraine’s lack ofexperience with war, and its sudden andunexpected onset in April, has made ittough for society to adjust, but she takes ahard-headed view. “Many are tormentedby the people they killed. Our society hasto learn to replace the term ‘homicide’ with‘destroying the enemy’,” she said. “That is

correct from the point of view of militarypsychology. Ukrainians find this difficult tounderstand because we have neverfought.” She says the toll from PTSD maynot be as bad as people expect. “We hearabout ‘Afghanistan syndrome’ and‘Vietnam syndrome’ but those were com-pletely different situations because thewars were fought on foreign soil and thereasons were not clear.

“Here, we know why we are fighting-todefend our territory-so to speak of terribleconsequences is still premature.” TheUnited Nations Development Program isnot so confident. It is racing to train socialworkers and implement systems to helpreturning soldiers as well as the thousandsof civilians fleeing the war zone every day.“Ukrainian society was not ready for all thetrauma of the past year,” said InitaPaulovica, deputy representative for theUNDP in Kiev. “It is going through the fivephases of shock. By August, it was still indenial. It is only just reaching anger. Thereis a long way to go before it reachesacceptance.” A few glimmers of hope makethe task for volunteers more bearable.Fedoriachenko recalls a very youngamputee in the military hospital. “He keptto himself, he never spoke to anyone. Butday by day, he got used to me and evenbegan to smile. It was amazing.” — AFP

Shortages leave Ukraine ill-prepared for trauma of war

DONETSK: Ukrainian servicemen guard at hydrometeorological station tower atthe airport of eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk. — AFP

DONETSK: Students attend an anatomy course at the University of Medicine in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, a city that hasbecome the main stronghold of pro-Russian separatists fighting a violent eight-month war against government forces that has claimedat least 4,300 lives. — AFP

MOSCOW: Russia responded angrily yes-terday to news that US senators had passeda bill calling for fresh sanctions againstMoscow and the supply of lethal militaryaid to Ukraine. “Undoubtedly, we will notbe able to leave this without a response,”deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkovtold Interfax news agency ahead of a meet-ing between the Russian and US foreignministers. The Senate bill-dubbed theUkraine Freedom Support Act-must still beapproved by the White House, which has sofar been reluctant to provide direct militaryassistance to Ukraine for fear of beingdrawn into a proxy war with Russia.

Ryabkov blamed “anti-Russian moods” inthe United States for the bill passed onFriday, which calls for additional sanctionsagainst Russia and the delivery of up to $350million (280 million euros’) worth of US mili-tary hardware to Ukraine. The eight-monthconflict between government forces andpro-Russian separatists has left at least 4,634dead and 10,243 wounded, while displacingmore than 1.1 million people, according tonew figures released by the United Nations.It also threatens fresh sanctions againstRussia, whose economy is crumbling underprevious rounds of Western sanctions and acollapse in oil prices.

Kiev lawmakers have hailed the bill as a“historic decision”. They have long beenpressing the West to provide military sup-port to their beleaguered army, but have sofar received only non-lethal equipment. USSecretary of State John Kerry is set to meetRussian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov inRome against the backdrop of the harden-ing US stance. While the US side says themeeting will be held Monday, the Russianssay it is set for today. Ryabkov said that “themain focus at their 17th meeting this yearwould be on the Middle East.”

Tentative ceasefireA tentative ceasefire has been in place

along the frontline in eastern Ukraine sinceTuesday, and fighting has been greatlyreduced despite occasional breaches. TheUkrainian army yesterday reported 11attacks on its positions in the past 24 hoursbut no one was killed or wounded. It alsosaid a drone was spotted over Mariupol, thelast major eastern town under its control.Ukraine has been worried for months thatthe Russia-backed separatists will launch anoffensive on Mariupol in a bid to build a cor-ridor between the Russian border and the

Crimean peninsula, which was annexed byMoscow in March. Around the airport inDonetsk-site of some of the fiercest fightingin recent months-”the night was rough”,Maxim, a volunteer soldier with the right-wing Pravy Sektor group said. “Snipers firedon us and explosions were coming from theairport. But everything is calm this morning,”he said. Ukraine announced Friday it wouldbolster its army next year by conscriptinganother 40,000 soldiers, training 10,500 newprofessionals and doubling its militarybudget.

‘Provocative farce’Meanwhile in Kiev, efforts by the artistic

community to rise above the internationalconflict fell flat when the ballet schoolrejected charity money raised by Moscow’s

Bolshoi Theatre, it emerged yesterday.Prima ballerina Svetlana Zakharova organ-ised a special gala at the Bolshoi last week toraise money for her old school in Kiev, butthe cash was turned down when the KievState Ballet School learned that she had sup-ported Russia’s annexation of Crimea. “TheUkrainian artists who participated in theconcert appear to not be aware that theRussian dancer S Zakharova signed a lettersupporting the politics of (Russian President)Vladimir Putin in Crimea,” wrote the school’sdirector Ivan Doroshenko in a letter pub-lished on the culture ministry’s website.“Otherwise, they would never have agreedto take part in this provocative farce.” TheCrimean peninsula was annexed by Russia inMarch after a referendum that was heavilycriticised by Ukraine and the West. — AFP

Ukraine death

toll tops 4,600Russia threatens response if US sets new sanctions

WASHINGTON: Its main battlegrounds are far awayand its true influence hard to judge, but the IslamicState’s black banner is attracting the attention ofjihadists in Africa, particularly in Nigeria. IS leader AbuBakr Al-Baghdadi’s so-called caliphate is based inSyria and Iraq and draws most of its recruits from theMiddle East, North Africa and Europe’s immigrantcommunities. But the group’s rapid rise to the top ofthe global jihadist movement, displacing Al-Qaeda asa source of inspiration, has had an echo south of theSahara, where several insurgencies are underway.

Outside observers see the Islamic State’s influence,for example, in the tactics, rhetoric and even onlinemedia presence of the Boko Haram rebels of north-east Nigeria and neighboring border areas. “There areno direct operational contacts,” said Peter Pham, headof the Africa Center at the Atlantic Council, aWashington think tank. “But it is quite clear that BokoHaram is paying attention to the IS and the IS is pay-ing attention to Boko Haram.”

Jacob Zenn, an African specialist at the JamestownFoundation, said Boko Haram had initially receivedbacking from Al-Qaeda’s regional offshoot Al-Qaedain the Islamic Maghreb. “It has more recently begun tomodel its ideological and military doctrine after theIslamic State and, in turn, has started to receive recog-nition from the Islamic State,” he said. Both experts cit-ed public statements from Baghdadi and Boko Haramleader Abubakar Shekau showing direct inspirationand even a cross-fertilization of ideas. One monthafter Baghdadi declared his caliphate in Iraq and Syriain July, Shekau pledged his support.

Jihadist banner “Boko Haram kidnapped those famous schoolgirls,”

Pham said, referring to the 276 teenagers captured bythe group from their school in Chibok, in an attackthat triggered global outrage. “When IS kidnappedthe Yazidi girls, if you look at their statements, theyactually cited Boko Haram kidnapping the Chibokshoolgirls,” Pham said, citing the jihadist persecutionof an Iraqi minority group. “Boko Haram controls nowbetween 20,000 and 40,000 square kilometers (7,700to 15,400 square miles), 10 local governments. Theyfeel strong,” he said.

“They use heavy equipment, they parade withtanks taken from the Nigerian army flying the blackflag, like they saw on IS videos. IS presents a com-pelling model. Al-Qaeda is the brand ofyesterday.”Just as the IS has adopted the trappings ofa state on its territory-a first stage in its goal of unitingMuslim lands under its jihadist banner-Boko Haram ismoving on from raids to holding ground. And a newgeneration of jihadists have turned away from thelengthy online sermons of Osama bin Laden’s succes-sor Ayman al-Zawahiri and to the slick propagandavideos of the Islamic State.”These supporters of IS arenot necessarily taking orders from IS central,” saidZenn. “But they may justify their own attacks andoperations on the grounds that the IS organization isdoing the same, and vice-versa.”For example, he said,a Boko Haram attack on a Shiite religious processionin the Nigerian town of Yobe was an attempt to stirIraqi-style sectarian strife and appeal to Sunni sup-porters. —AFP

RIGA: Russia’s meddling in Ukraine has delivered awake-up call on defense spending to small Baltic stateswhich spent half a century under Soviet occupationand now fear the Kremlin’s territorial ambitions.Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are on heightened alert asRussian military planes and warships skirt their air-space and sea borders on a daily basis in what they call“unprecedented” Russian activity. NATO said its Balticair patrol intercepted more than 30 Russian aircraft onMonday alone over the Baltic Sea and off the coast ofNorway.

That same day Lithuania put its military on higheralert after 22 Russian warships were spotted in theBaltic Sea, including a heavily-armed corvette withinfive kilometers (three miles) of Latvia’s sea border. “Thecurrent security situation will stay with us for a longperiod of time. This is not just bad weather, this is cli-mate change,” Estonian Prime Minister Taavi Roivas saidthis week. The Baltics escaped Soviet clutches andregained their independence in 1991, before joiningthe European Union and NATO in 2004 to cement theirWestern orientation.

All three have welcomed assurances from theirNATO allies that any aggression against them will beregarded as an attack on the Atlantic defense allianceas a whole. “NATO’s presence in the Baltic region mustcontinue and increase,” Roivas stressed this week in theUS, where he was meeting defense companies aboutfuture deals. Baltic forces on their own stand no chanceof seeing off a full-scale Russian attack for long.

But their ability to fend off Moscow until NATOcould scramble a broader response is decisive, analystssay. “If the Baltic states are attacked, there will be a cer-

tain response time before NATO allies react,” Lithuaniandefense analyst Aleksandras Matonis said. “The firstwave of aggression must be met and repelled by(Baltic) countries using their own defense capacities.”The Baltics have thus made big-ticket military purchas-es and upped their defense budgets since Moscowannexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea andoffered support for rebels in eastern Ukraine.

Tanks, missilesEstonian Defense Minister Sven Mikser on Tuesday

sealed the biggest military procurement in his coun-try’s history, worth 138 million euros ($171 million).The deal sees the nation of 1.3 million people buy 44CV90 combat vehicles and six Leopard tanks from theNetherlands. It comes a month after Mikser inked acontract worth 40 million euros with the US to buy 40Stinger missile systems. Estonia also has an order forself-propelled guns in the works, he said.

Latvia meanwhile bought 123 combat vehicles for48 million euros from Britain in August and inNovember agreed to a four-million-euro deal withNorway for 800 Carl Gustav anti-tank weapons, plus100 trucks. Lithuania for its part bought a 34-million-euro GROM air defense system from Poland inSeptember and a month later said it would spend $20million (16 million euros) on a fresh supply of Javelinanti-tank missiles from the US. That brings the totalBaltic military spending on hardware to 300 millioneuros in six months. Politicians have “significantlychanged” their defense spending rhetoric because ofRussia’s aggression in Ukraine, defense expert KristineRudzite-Stejskala wrote in a report for the LatvianInstitute for International Affairs.—AFP

VIENNA: A Russian loan to France’sNational Front. Invitations to Moscow forleaders of Austria’s Freedom Party. Praisefor Vladimir Putin from the head ofBritain’s anti-European Union party. As thediplomatic chill over Ukraine deepens, theKremlin seems keener than ever to enlistEurope’s far-right parties in its campaignfor influence in the West, seeking newrelationships based largely on shared con-cern over the growing clout of the EU.

Russia fears that the EU and NATOcould spread to countries it considers partof its sphere of influence. And it hasrepeatedly served notice that it will nottolerate that scenario, most recently withits Ukraine campaign. Europe’s right-wingand populist parties, meanwhile, see arobust EU as contrary to their vision ofEurope as a loose union of strong nationalstates. And some regard the EU as a toadyto America. The fact that many ofMoscow ’s allies are right to far-rightreflects the Kremlin’s full turn. Under com-munism, xenophobic nationalist partieswere shunned.

Now they are embraced as partnerswho can help further Russia’s interestsand who share key views - advocacy oftraditional family values, belief in authori-

tarian leadership, a distrust of the US andsupport for strong law-and-order meas-ures. Statements by leading critics of theEU, or euroskeptics, reflect their admira-tion of the Kremlin. National Frontfounder Jean-Marie Le Pen told TheAssociated Press this month that Franceand Russia “have a communality of inter-est.” Daughter Marine Le Pen, party presi-dent and a strong contender for theFrench presidency in 2017, envisions aEurope stretching “from the Atlantic tothe Urals” - a “pan-European union” thatincludes Russia and is supported by otherright-wing parties.

Nationalist Hungarian Prime MinisterViktor Orban perceives prevailing windsas “blowing from the East” and sees inRussia an ideal political model for his con-cept of an “illiberal state.” The head ofBritain’s euroskeptic Independence Party,Nigel Farage, has said Putin is the worldleader he most admires - “as an operator,but not as a human being.” Russia offersfriendship with a world power. Le Pen andother party officials visit Moscow repeat-edly, and Russian guests at the party’scongress this month included AndreiIsayev, a deputy speaker of the Russianparliament’s lower house.—AP

Russia reaches out

to far-right parties

Baltics up defense spending

as Russia buzzes the borders

IS influence spreads

to African jihadists

BALTIC SEA: A handout photo released by the Dutch Defense ministry shows one of the two Russian SU-34 ‘Fullback’ bombers being intercepted by Dutch F-16’s over the Baltic Sea. The two bombers were fly-ing in international airspace in the direction of the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, wedged betweenPoland and the Baltic states. — AFP

I N T E R N AT I O N A L

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014

BANGALORE: Indian police yesterday arrested a 24-year-old believed to be the handler of an influentialTwitter account supporting the Islamic State group,officials said. Mehdi Masroor Biswas, who works for anIndian food conglomerate in the southern city ofBangalore, is alleged to be behind the Twitter account@ShamiWitness. The account had 17,700 followers,including many foreigners fighting for the IslamicState group in Syria and Iraq, until it was shut downfollowing a report by Britain’s Channel 4 News onThursday.

Tweets from @ShamiWitness contained jihadistpropaganda as well as information for would-berecruits and messages praising fallen fighters as mar-tyrs. Police in Bangalore raided his house in anupscale suburb yesterday and seized his mobilephone, laptop and other documents for evidence. “Onthe basis of credible intelligence inputs... we haveapprehended Mehdi Masroor Biswas from his rentedone-room apartment,” police director general LRPachuau said at a news conference.

“He has confessed to the fact that he was operat-ing Shami Witness Twitter account for the last manyyears... he used to work in the office in the day andbecame active on the Internet late at night,” he said.India’s moderate population of 150 million Muslimshave not often been drawn into sectarian conflicts inthe Middle East and elsewhere. However, an Indianstudent was recently charged with terror-relatedoffences after he returned home from Iraq where heis alleged to have worked for the jihadists. Biswas’sarrest has further fuelled fears that IS militants areattempting to recruit radicalized Muslim youngstersonline.

Source of informationPachuau said Biswas used to tweet “ferociously”

after gathering information from TV and news web-sites on the situation in Iraq, Syria and the rest of thetroubled region. Biswas was “particularly close toEnglish speaking terrorists” and had become a sourceof “incitement and information” for youngsters tryingto join the IS group.

“Through his social media propaganda, he abet-ted IS in its agenda to wage war against the Asiatic

powers,” Pachuau said. A preliminary case of abet-ting war against the state has been registeredagainst Biswas. The Channel 4 report quoted Biswasas saying that he had personally not joined IS ranksin Iraq and Syria because his family was financiallydependent on him. “If I had a chance to leave every-thing and join them I might have,” he was quoted assaying. The British channel said he shared jokes, fun-ny images and talked about superhero movies onhis Facebook page. He also used to post pictures ofpizza dinners with friends and parties at work.

However, in an interview to the Indian Express

newspaper published Saturday Biswas said hisclaims to Channel 4 were meant to get the televisionreporter off his back. “When Channel 4 called mefirst and asked if @ShamiWitness was my Twitterhandle, I did not oppose it... my outright rejectionwould not have convinced them. I therefore decidedto admit that I was indeed @ShamiWitness in thehope that they would not air the program,” Biswastold the newspaper. The IS militant group has madeextensive use of social media for propaganda andrecruitment, and has also used the outlets to dis-seminate grisly execution videos. — AFP

Indian security forces

arrest ‘jihadi tweeter’

@ShamiWitness contains jihadist propaganda

BANGALORE: Bangalore police’s investigating officer Hemant Nimbalkar writes on a photograph ofMehdi Masroor Biswas, in his police headquarters office in Bangalore, India yesterday. Police in southernIndia said yesterday that they have arrested Biswas, a 24-year-old engineer, who has admitted to run-ning a popular pro-Islamic State group Twitter account, but added that he appears to have no directlinks to the militant group. — AP

MUZAFFARGARH: A Pakistani policeman examines the bodies of sus-pected Taleban militants in the southern Muzaffargarh district, some350 kilometers from provincial capital Lahore yesterday. Pakistanpolice foiled a major terror attack in central Punjab province killing atleast four suspected Taleban militants, officials said. — AFP

MULTAN: Pakistan police foiled amajor terror attack yesterday in cen-tral Punjab province killing at leastfour suspected Taleban militants, offi-cials said. Heavy weapons and explo-sives-including four suicide jackets,12 rockets, 40 hand grenades, 328kilograms (723 pounds) of gun-pow-der-were recovered from the mili-tants after a gun battle in the south-ern Muzaffargarh district, some 350kilometers (217 miles) from provincialcapital Lahore. “We received informa-tion from intelligence officials aboutthe movement of militants in thearea. The gunfight started whenpolice signaled a car to stop forchecks and militants fired at thecops,” Rai Zamir-ul-Haq, police chiefin the district said.

“In the exchange of fire, we killedfour militants. Two police officialswere also injured by two grenadeshurled at them by the militants,” hesaid. Police said they also foundchemicals for potential use in a attackstored in the militants’ vehicle, whichwere also confiscated for furtherinvestigation. “By seizing such largequantity of weapons and explosivesand killing these militants, we havefoiled a major attempt of terror in theregion. There were confirmed intelli-gence reports that the militants wereplanning major terrorist attacks inMultan and Muzaffargarh cities,” Haqsaid.

The authorities suspect that themilitants are linked to the PunjabiTaleban faction of the Tehreek-i-Taleban Pakistan (TTP), a militant out-fit which has waged a long-term

Islamic insurgency in the country andhas killed thousands of people in sui-cide, bomb and gun attacks. “Thekilled militants belonged to bannedPunjabi Taleban’s Abu-Ubaida groupand we had received confirmed intel-ligence reports about their plannedactivities,” Haq said.

Nabila Ghazanfar, a police spokes-woman in Lahore, confirmed thekillings and said that the cops hadcordoned off the area to search forany other militants. Another seniorpolice official in the territory,Rehmatullah Niazi said that the bod-ies of the militants were being identi-fied. Meanwhile in south westBaluchistan province, a policemanwas killed and another woundedwhen unknown militants hurled agrenade at their post in Khuzdar dis-trict.

Pakistan has been battlingIslamist groups in its semi-autonomous tribal belt since 2004after its army entered the region tosearch for Al-Qaeda fighters who hadfled across the border following theUS-led invasion of Afghanistan. InJune the army began an offensiveagainst militant hideouts in theNorth Waziristan tribal agency after abloody raid on Karachi Airport endedfaltering peace talks between thegovernment and the Taleban. Themain battleground against Al-Qaedaand Afghan and Pakistani Talebanmilitants is in the northwestern tribalbelt of the country but many ana-lysts and officials believe that somemilitant fighters also come from thesouthern Punjab. — AFP

Pakistan police foil terror

attack, kill four militants

NANJING: President Xi Jinping said yesterday that no one candeny the Nanjing Massacre, as China for the first time held anational day of remembrance for the Japanese military rampagethat Beijing says killed 300,000 people. State media estimated10,000 people attended a ceremony in Nanjing to mark the 77thanniversary of the massacre, including ageing survivors-some intheir 90s-of the Japanese invasion of the eastern city onDecember 13, 1937. The crowd sang a boisterous rendition ofChina’s national anthem at the ceremony broadcast live on CCTVstate television, followed by a moment of silence, as a siren sym-bolizing grief blared and the Chinese flag flew at half-mast underclear skies. “Anyone who tries to deny the massacre will not beallowed by history, the souls of the 300,000 deceased victims, 1.3billion Chinese people and all people loving peace and justice inthe world,” Xi said in a speech at the ceremony, according to thestate-run Xinhua news agency. Zhang Dejiang, chairman of theNPC and foreign minister Wang Yi were among Chinese digni-taries who attended Before the ceremony, CCTV showed blackand white still and filmed images from the period, includingscenes of Japanese soldiers occupying Nanjing and photos ofdead Chinese, some in the streets and some along a river bank.

Xi also appeared to hold out an olive branch to Japan, empha-sizing the need for Chinese and Japanese to live in friendship,stressing that it was “militarists” who were responsible for themassacre. “We should not bear hatred against an entire nationjust because a small minority of militarists launched aggressivewars,” Xi said, according to Xinhua. “The responsibilities for warcrimes lie with a few militarists, but not the people,” he added,though also emphasized that “severe crimes committed byaggressors” cannot be forgotten.

Later 3,000 doves symbolizing peace were released into theskies in memory of the victims, Xinhua said. In February, China’sNational People’s Congress, the country’s Communist Party-con-trolled legislature, made the anniversary of the Nanjing Massacrean official day of remembrance-along with September 3 to markthe country’s victory against Japan in 1945 - as tensions withJapan over a maritime territorial dispute and rows over historyintensified.

Japan and the People’s Republic of China established diplo-matic relations in 1972. But ties have been strained by the rowover uninhabited islands in the East China Sea and nationalistviews and actions by Japanese politicians, including visits toTokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine, which commemorates Japan’s war deadincluding convicted war criminals from World War II. Last month,however, Xi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who pro-voked China’s ire by visiting Yasukuni last December, held astrained first formal summit in Beijing on the sidelines of theannual APEC leaders’ meeting in a bid to improve bilateral rela-tions.

The “Rape of Nanking” is an exceptionally sensitive issue in theoften-tense relations between Japan and China, with Beijingcharging that Tokyo has failed to atone for the atrocity. TheJapanese military invaded China in the 1930s and the two coun-tries fought a full-scale war from 1937 to 1945 that ended withJapan’s defeat in World War II. China says 300,000 people died in asix-week spree of killing, rape and destruction after the Japanesemilitary entered Nanjing, although some respected foreign aca-demics put the number lower. China historian Jonathan Spence,for example, estimates that 42,000 soldiers and citizens werekilled and 20,000 women raped, many of whom later died.—AFP

17 killed, 100 missing

in Indonesia landslide

JEMBLUNG: Torrential downpours triggered a landslide onIndonesia’s main island of Java, killing at least 17 peopleand leaving nearly 100 others missing, with persistent rainhampering rescue efforts, officials said yesterday. Hundredsof rescuers were digging with shovels through mud andrubble after the landslide buried scores of houses inJemblung village in central Java late Friday, the national dis-aster agency said.

The landslide swept down a hillside in the village, spar-ing only two houses, an AFP correspondent said. “The res-cue team have found 17 bodies,” the national disasteragency’s spokesman, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said, addingthat 11 others were badly injured and rescuers were search-ing for 91 people still missing. The disaster agency said that200 rescuers and 500 volunteers had joined the search forthe missing. Heavy excavation equipment was also import-ed into the area to speed up the rescue work, which had tobe halted yesterday afternoon as fresh downpours sparkedfears of more landslides.

Eyewitnesses said they heard a “thundering sound” asthe ground shook when the landslide came crashing downand buried the tiny village. “I ran carrying my daughter tohigher ground, and I was crying because I could hear peo-ple calling out for help from below,” Bini, who like manyIndonesians goes by one name said. Her husband and 14-year-old son are still missing. “It took just five minutesbefore soil and trees suddenly covered the village,” anothersurvivor, Harno, said. Rescue efforts have been slowbecause the ground was still unstable. Thousands of curiosbystanders have also caused traffic jams, hampering opera-tions. Bad phone signal in the area have made coordinatingrescuing efforts difficult, officials added.

The search and rescue agency said that the operationwould only resume once the rain stopped. If the down-pours persist, the search would resume early Sunday, itadded. “We pray to God that we can still find survivors,” thehead of central Java search and rescue agency, AgusHaryono said. Landslides triggered by heavy rains andfloods are common in tropical Indonesia during the rainyseason.—AFP

KABUL: Taleban fighters shot dead at least 12 work-ers clearing mines yesterday in southern Afghanistan,authorities said, part of a series of attacks that sawtwo US troops killed and a top Afghan court officialgunned down. Security in the capital, Kabul, hasbeen stepped up as the Taleban have warned thatattacks will continue as most foreign troops prepareto withdraw at the end of the month, 13 years afterthe Sept 11 terror attacks sparked the US-led inva-sion. The attack targeting the mine-clearing opera-tion struck southern Helmand province between itsNadali and Washir districts, police spokesman FaridAhmad Obaid said. He said Taleban militants killed atleast 12 workers and wounded another 12. Afghan

soldiers later began a firefight with the insurgents, hesaid.

Obaid identified the company working on the proj-ect as Star Link. Afghanistan, which has suffereddecades of continuous war, is one of the most heavilymined countries in the world. Those working on proj-ects to clear mines often find themselves targeted bythe Taleban and other insurgents in the country. InApril, Taleban fighters killed 12 people working on amine-clearing project in Logar province. Late Friday, amilitant attack on a military convoy killed two US sol-diers by the Bagram air base in Parwan province nearKabul, an international military official told TheAssociated Press. The official spoke on condition of

anonymity as the information wasn’t authorized forrelease.

NATO’s International Security Assistance Force saidin a statement that two service members “died as aresult of an enemy forces attack in easternAfghanistan.” NATO does not identify the nationalitiesof the dead, relying instead on their home countries.The deaths yesterday were the first foreign troopskilled this month, bringing to 65 the total number ofinternational troops killed in the country this year, 50 ofthem Americans. Early yesterday, gunmen shot deadAtiqullah Rawoofi, the head of the court’s secretariat inKabul’s northwestern suburbs, said Farid Afzali, chief ofthe Kabul police criminal investigation unit.— AP

Taleban kill 12 clearing mines

BANJARNEGARA: A rescue team removes victims bodies of a landslide triggered by torrential downpours at Jemblung village in Banjarnegara, Central Java provinceyesterday. — AFP

China’s Xi says Nanjing Massacre

undeniable on 77th anniversary

NANJING: Soldiers of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) attend a memorial ceremony at the Memorial Hall of theVictims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders on China’s first National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victimsin Nanjing city yesterday. — AFP

I N T E R N AT I O N A L

BANGKOK: A low-cost flight carrying pas-sengers from Thailand to China was forcedto return to Bangkok after a Chinese pas-senger threw hot water at a cabin atten-dant, the airline said Saturday. Thai AirAsiaFlight FD9101 departed Bangkok’s north-ern airport Don Mueang for Nanjing at5:55 pm on Thursday with 174 passengersand six crew on board but was forced toturn back after one of the passengers

attacked a steward. “During the flight aChinese female passenger was not satis-fied with the service and when the cabinattendant came she threw hot water at thecabin attendant,” the airline said in state-ment.

An official said the woman and her trav-elling companion were initially angered atnot being seated together. Other passen-gers moved seats allowing them to sit side

by side but the pair started to argue witheach other before the attack took place.The captain of the flight, which was still inThai airspace at the time, decided to returnto Don Mueang where four Chinese pas-sengers were ejected and detained at apolice station. The flight departed DonMueang again at 10:45 pm on the sameday and arrived in Nanjing Friday morning.The airline official said police fined the

Chinese passengers, adding that they leftthe country on Friday.

The cabin attendant received first aid onboard from colleagues and was now fine,the official added. China has seen rapidgrowth in outbound trips in recent years,and Chinese travelers are now the biggestsource of international tourism cash in theworld, according to a the United NationsWorld Tourism Organization. But the

behavior of some Chinese tourists overseashas caused embarrassment at home. InMay 2013 a Chinese tourist was trackeddown by furious netizens after it emergedhe had defaced an ancient Egyptian monu-ment.

The same month a top Chinese officialsaid the dire manners and “uncivilizedbehavior” of some Chinese tourists overseaswere harming the country’s image. —AFP

Thai flight forced to return by unruly Chinese passengers

TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister and ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)leader Shinzo Abe (center) and party members gesture during election cam-paigning in Tokyo yesterday. —AFP

ATHENS: Greece’s embattled govern-ment will be hard-pushed to forestallearly elections-and a blow to fiscalreforms-by steering a snap presidentialballot through parliament next week,analysts say. A successor to 85-year-oldPresident Karolos Papoulias must befound or under the constitution, parlia-ment will have to be dissolved byFebruary-right in the middle of crucialtalks between Greece and its EU-IMFcreditors. The prospect of early elec-tions has alarmed financial markets andcaused Greek stocks to slide dramatical-ly for three days, although they showedsigns of steadying on Friday.

The government will need 200 MPs inthe first two votes to elect its candidate,former EU Environment CommissionerStavros Dimas, or 180 MPs in the thirdand final vote. But it only has 155 MPs inthe 300-seat chamber. “We do not havethe number required,” deputy develop-ment minister Gerassimos Giakoumatosadmitted this week.

Prime Minister Antonis Samarashopes to find the remaining 25 deputiesfrom among independent MPs and thedeputies of two smaller parties-centre-

left Democratic Left and theIndependent Greeks, a nationalist party.The prospect of early elections strikesfear into the markets and Greece’s EU-IMF creditors as radical leftist partySyriza, which opposes the country’sbailout agreement, has a steady lead inopinion polls.

‘Extreme forces’ European Commission President

Jean-Claude Juncker warned onThursday that “extreme forces” couldtake power in the crisis-hit country. “Ithink the Greeks ... know very well whata wrong election result would mean forGreece and the euro-zone,” Juncker saidon Austrian TV. “There is a chance thatthe helm of the country could be takenby extreme forces,” he said. Greece’spresidential vote was supposed to beheld in February, but the governmentsuddenly decided to bring forward thefirst ballot to December 17. The remain-ing two rounds will be held onDecember 23 and 29. Samaras said thedecision was made to remove politicaluncertainty as Greece is currently lockedin negotiations with its international

creditors over its latest budget and fiscalreforms for the coming year.

Failure to inspireBut his candidate Dimas, known as a

longtime insider of the conservativeNew Democracy party, has so far failedto inspire, analysts note. “The candida-ture of Stavros Dimas has failed to createa dynamic,” said analyst George Sefertzis.Political scientist ThanassisDiamantopoulos added that Dimas, 73,was “an emblematic figure of the old,discredited political class.” However,independent MPs in particular faced astark choice should they fail to backDimas, he added. “Most of them have lit-tle chance of re-election in a generalvote,” Diamantopoulos said. Among the24 independent deputies, some ofwhom were originally elected with theconservative and socialist parties in theruling coalition, a few have declared infavor of averting early elections.

But Democratic Left, which has 10deputies, and the Independent Greeks,with 12, have officially announced theywill oppose Dimas. The leader ofIndependent Greeks, Panos Kammenos,

went a step further by denouncingbribery allegedly used in ruling party cir-cles to sway a number of his deputies. Inan interview with the state parliamentchannel, former prime minister CostasSimitis lamented the culture of conflictin Greek politics. However, a preliminaryjudicial investigation into the issuefound insufficient proof to probe further.Greek politics is marked by “failure toagree, exaggeration and a hunt for ene-mies. There can be no progress like this,”Simitis said.

As the political uncertainty deep-ened, Greek 10-year bonds spiked thisweek and the Athens stock exchangelost around 20 percent in three days.Samaras has warned that early generalelections could bring “turmoil.” “Marketsin Greece and abroad ... are afraid that ifa president is not elected and the coun-try is led to early elections, there will begeneral turmoil,” the PM warned hisdeputies. Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras, a40-year-old former Communist, haspledged to raise wages and pensions,halt privatizations and re-negotiateGreece’s bailout agreement with the EU-IMF creditors. —AFP

Greece faces tall order to prevent early elections

Juncker warns against ‘extreme forces’

BERLIN: Believers pray during the Friday prayer at a mosque of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement for the Propagation of Islam inBerlin. Members of a new group in Germany, calling itself the ‘Patriotic Europeans against the Islamisation of the Occident’, orPEGIDA, protest against “criminal asylum seekers” and the “Islamisation” of their home country. —AFP

TOKYO: Heavy snow hit large swathes ofJapan yesterday, the eve of a general elec-tion, fuelling speculation the ruling coalitionis on course to an easy victory on low voterturnout. It was already snowing heavily inlarge areas of the country along the coast ofthe Sea of Japan (East Sea) yesterday,though Tokyo remained clear and sunny.The weather agency warned of snowfall ofas much as 80 centimeters in central andnorthern regions by the today morning,when polls open. The poor conditions couldput off already unenthusiastic voters andpush turnout to a record low for the elec-tions, which were called two years ahead ofschedule.

Early opinion polls have shown PrimeMinister Shinzo Abe’s coalition is likely tosecure more than 300 of the 475 contestedseats, giving them the super-majority theyneed in the powerful lower house to forcethrough legislation. The ruling coalition ismade of Abe’s conservative LiberalDemocratic Party (LDP), supported by busi-nesses and a network of campaign groupsnationwide, as well as its junior partnerKomeito which is backed by a big layBuddhist group.

Their predicted victory is largely thanks to

an unprepared and underwhelming opposi-tion, political pundits have said. A recent sur-vey has found just two-thirds of votersexpressed any interest in the vote, down from80 percent ahead of the December 2012 elec-tion when Abe rose to power. “Abe’s expectedvictory is the result of the self-destruction ofthe opposition,” Shinichi Nishikawa, professorof politics at Meiji University in Tokyo, toldAFP earlier this week. “For many voters, thereis no alternative but the LDP,” Nishikawa said.Abe has billed Sunday’s election as a referen-dum on his pro-spending growth policy.

His two years in power have been charac-terised by his bid to reinvigorate Japan’ssagging economy with what he has calledthe “three arrows” of Abenomics monetaryeasing, fiscal stimulus and structuralchanges. The first two arrows have largelyhit their target-the once-painfully high yenhas plunged, sending stocks higher. But thereform arrow remains in the quiver; criticssay Abe has not been bold enough to takeon the vested interests that are the real keyto reversing nearly two decades of econom-ic underperformance. A new mandate fromthe electorate would give Abe a straight fouryears’ run at some of the more difficultreforms. —AFP

Heavy snow feared to cast chill over Japan’s election

WASHINGTON: Publicly, they are thebest of friends working to seal a historicdeal to stop Iran’s march to a nuclearbomb. But behind closed doors, diplo-mats from France and the United Statesbarely hide their frustration. For years,France has been viewed as the toughestmember of the group of powers knownas the P5+1, after feeling burned in previ-ous pacts under which Tehran covertlycontinued to advance its atomic ambi-tions. The P5+1 - Britain, China, France,Russia, the United States and Germanygo back to the negotiating table nextweek in Geneva having failed to meet aNovember 24 deadline for a deal.

They have set a new target date ofJune 30 to reach a pact that would end12 years of protracted negotiations withthe Islamic republic. But despite publicassertions of unity among the globalpowers, Western diplomats confirm thereis a diplomatic fencing match behind thescenes between Paris and Washington.One of France’s main concerns is theincomplete Arak heavy water reactor,which when it eventually comes onlinecould be used to make plutonium for anatomic bomb.

Paris is said to have pushed for strin-gent inspections of Iran’s nuclear energyprogram, and a broad dismantling offacilities and centrifuges. Amid greatuncertainty over whether a deal is possi-ble despite hours and hours of tensenegotiations, this distrust between thetwo transatlantic allies could prove theweakest link in the P5+1 bloc. Privately,American officials say there has beenconcern in Washington over the Frenchposition of publicly playing hardball, butthen not backing up their words in thenegotiations. In November 2013,angered by US Secretary of State JohnKerry’s sudden appearance at the talks inGeneva, French Foreign Minister LaurentFabius showed up, talking tough againstthe proposed contours of a deal andseemingly threw a wrench in the works.

‘Robust’ dealAs for the French, they are concerned

that the Obama administration, underfire for its disjointed foreign policy, badlyneeds a success and despite its asser-tions to the contrary wants an Iran dealat almost any price. “We want a robustagreement, not an agreement for the

sake of an agreement,” a European diplo-mat said.”We should not rush for a deal. Itwould be a mistake from the six (powers)to rush. The pressure is on Iran.” Duringthe most recent failed round of talks,French Ambassador to the US GerardAraud tweeted that it was “a good pokergame in Vienna. But, as usual, if you havethe higher hand and keep your nerves,you will win.” “As the French have amplydemonstrated, Europe does not want adeal at any cost,” wrote Riccardo Alcaro,an expert with the Brookings Institutionthink tank.

“But of all the parties involved, theEuropeans are probably the most deter-mined to settle the Iranian nuclear issue.Indeed, they conceive their role in thenegotiations as preventing the worstinstincts of the Americans and theIranians from spoiling the process.” Thistime on his way to Vienna, Kerry tookcare to fully brief Fabius first in Paris,amid concern the French diplomat mightresort to more public grandstanding thatcould scupper the delicate negotiations.Indeed, in Geneva in 2013, the globalpowers left empty-handed after Fabius’sintervention, only reaching an interimdeal two weeks later.

Grumbling The former French ambassador to

Iran, Francois Nicoullaud said that “fun-damentally Fabius was not wrong to saya year ago that it was not a done deal.”“But Kerry didn’t want to see such a scan-dal happen again and took care to makesure he kept everyone in the loop. “I don’tthink France is in a position to block” adeal,” he said, adding: “the French are notmaking any effort. They are just follow-ing, grumbling.” US expert KelseyDavenport, from the Arms ControlAssociation, agreed.

“There are minor differences betweenthe US and France on substantive ele-ments. Both sides have admitted that,”she said. “What is critical is that Franceand the United States share the samegoals about what a good agreementmust accomplish.” Any deal “must blockIran’s uranium and plutonium pathwaysto the bomb and put in place stringentmonitoring and verification to ensurethat there are no covert activities and anydeviation from an agreement is immedi-ately detected,” added Davenport. —AFP

France, US uneasy bedfellows as they seek Iran nuclear deal

TOKYO: When voters go to the polls today to electJapan’s powerful lower house of parliament, only one outof every six candidates will be a woman. That is despitethe fact that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has repeatedlyproclaimed his desire for Japan to be a country wherewomen “shine”, where they would hold a third of all topjobs by 2020, and despite the fact that almost as manywomen as men will be voting. “I don’t see it being dis-cussed at all as a focus of the election,” said Kaori Sasaki,president and CEO of consulting firm ewoman.

Abe called the election last month, just halfwaythrough a four-year term, labeling the vote a referendumon “Abenomics”-his signature blend of monetary easing,fiscal largesse and promised structural reforms. Whilethere is now plenty of easy money floating around andthe stimulus taps are wide open, the work of reform-including making it easier for women to combine acareer and a family-has barely begun. The last two yearshave been big on prime ministerial rhetoric about get-ting rid of the glass ceiling, including the goal of gettingwomen into 30 percent of senior positions by the time ofthe Tokyo Olympics, but short on results, said Sasaki.

“He may no longer be prime minister in 2020, whichmakes it a bit unclear if he is seriously committed toachieving that target,” she said. In the current 480 seatlower house of parliament, just 39 seats-eight percent-are held by women. That places Japan 129th out of 189countries in a ranking compiled by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, a Geneva-based organization ofparliaments. By comparison, 45 percent of Swedish law-makers are women, 23 percent in Britain and 20 percentin Saudi Arabia. And the gender balance in the Japaneseparliament isn’t about to get a great deal better. Abe’s rul-ing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is fielding women inless than 12 percent of the seats they are fighting. Overall,198 of the 1191 - 16.6 percent-of the candidates in thiselection are women, and none of the main parties is ledby one.

Endemic This, say critics, feeds into an atmosphere in the

governing classes where sexism is endemic. Just lastweek, Finance Minister Taro Aso was forced into anapology after saying “people who don’t give birth” areat the root of Japan’s ageing society. That came after anepisode earlier this year that grabbed attention aroundthe world when a young Tokyo assemblywoman washeckled during a debate on helping the city’s mothers.

Shouts of “Why don’t you get married?” and “Are

you not able to have a baby?” erupted in the chamberas Ayaka Shiomura spoke. One LDP man apologized inpublic, but others who took part were never identified.Economists have been saying for years that Japanneeds to make better use of its well-educated butunderemployed women, and could go a long way toplugging its labor gap if more of them worked. Whilewomen are well represented in badly-paid, part-timework, a mere 1.2 percent of executives at 3,600 listed

companies are female.In speech after speech, Abe has urged the country

to open up to “womenomics”, encouraging some ofJapan’s biggest firms-including Toyota, Panasonic andAll Nippon Airways-to announce targets for boostingthe number of female executives. For political lobbyinggroup Ikareru Joshikai (“The Angry Girls Group”) theprime minister’s talk of womenomics is patronizing lip

service. “Abe’s government is trying to use womeneither as some sort of icing on a cake or as a tool to getthe economy going,” said Mizuho Nakayama, 44. Forfellow mother Yuko Takato, 38, there needs to be somewholesale reforms of Japan’s male-dominated workingenvironment.

“It remains difficult for women to climb the careerladder and have children when companies have nosystems to help, and there is no real support from the

country,” she said. But for ewoman’s Sasaki, having aprime minister who will even talk about it is a goodstart. “Members of the LDP are primarily very conser-vative” and reflect Japan’s traditionally paternalisticvalues, she said. “I don’t want to discourage Abe bycriticizing the whole campaign. It is epoch-makingthat the prime minister keeps speaking out for thiscause.” —AFP

Women: the invisible issue in Japan election

TOKYO: Miki Seta (center), a member of the ‘Ikereru Joshikai’ (The Angry Girls Group)gives a flyer of an opposition candidate to a female voter for today general electionin Tokyo. —AFP

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014

N E W S

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014

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Dr Carol Ross, Vice President of AUK, and LavinaLobo, Director of Student Life at AUK, also participatedin the event. “We hope that this campaign will increaseawareness on child safety, which is part of our kids’safety campaign. Just during the first hour, I noticedmany positive reactions from drivers. Statistics haveshown that not using child seats increases the deathrate of children involved in car accidents,” stressedRoss.

More awareness activities will be held in the future.“Next Saturday we will hold an event at the 360 Mall

asking parents to sign a pledge to stay off their cellphones while driving and to place kids in child seats asmany children have died due to their parents’ negli-gence. I’m proud of the students who are committedand volunteer in these events. I would also like tothank the police for their support, which signifies theirbelief in what we do,” added Ross.

According to a World Health Organization report in2013, about 1.24 million people die annually as aresult of traffic accidents, while between 20 and 50million suffer from injuries every year caused by theseaccidents. About 59 percent of them (in both cases)are in the age category of 15-44 years.

Students take to streets over child road...

Continued from Page 1

Experts say physical and sexual violence against chil-dren in Egypt has surged in 2014. More than 1,000 suchassaults were registered between January and October,while 660 were recorded on average during the preced-ing three years, according to the National Council forChildhood and Motherhood (NCCM). The cases included131 rapes, 118 murders and 263 instances of torture.“They get killed, tortured and raped in schools, orphan-ages, on the streets and even at home where they aresupposed to be safe and protected,” said Hany Helal, sec-retary general of the Egyptian Coalition for Children’sRights non-governmental organisation.

Four years of political upheaval have scarred Egyptiansociety, with the impact also felt by the country’s 17 mil-lion children, experts say. “Violence breeds violence,” saidAzza Karim, a prominent sociologist. “Egyptian societyhas experienced violence from the authorities, and thishas its effect on all individuals.” Hundreds of demonstra-tors were killed during the 18-day uprising that toppledEgypt’s veteran leader Hosni Mubarak in early 2011.Political violence surged after his successor, Islamistpresident Mohamed Morsi, was ousted by then armychief and now President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in July 2013.

A brutal government crackdown on Morsi’s support-ers has since left at least 1,400 people dead, thousandsbehind bars and dozens sentenced to death afterspeedy mass trials. “Children are the weakest link in thechain... Adults unleash all their stress and feelings ofoppression on them,” Karim said. Helal said: “Children’srights are being eroded because the government is sofocused on political issues.”

In October, the NCCM documented 300 cases ofassault on children, including 27 boys and girls rapedand 23 murdered, 13 of them by parents. Schoolstopped the list of places of violence against children,including two deaths from sheer negligence caused byfaulty equipment. Several cases of physical and sexualassault on children were also reported in orphanages. InAugust, the director of a Cairo orphanage was arrestedafter a video showing him beating children sparked out-rage on social media. The footage showed the man hit-ting the children with a stick and kicking them as theyran away, screaming in pain. He was sentenced to threeyears in jail.

“A lot of cases of assault against children are neverrecorded because parents don’t report them to authori-ties so as to preserve their image in a conservative socie-ty,” said Helal. “It’s the lack of deterrent measures and thelow priority given to children’s issues” that have led tothe rise in violence, according to Ahmed Hanafy, a psy-chotherapist with NCCM.

In a hospital in Damanhour, also north of the capital,the father of Mohammad consoled the eight-year-old athis bedside weeks after a violent sex attack. Threeyouths tried to rape him before sexually assaulting himwith an electric air pump, and his father says the onlyaction taken since was when the governor paid a visit tohis family. A surge in kidnappings of children has puteven more pressure on parents. So far this year, 211 cas-es of kidnappings have been reported, with experts say-ing most are carried out by body organ traffickers. “I’mvery nervous. I don’t let my children leave the house ontheir own, and I only relax when they’re home,” saidfather-of-three Mohammed Shalabi. — AFP

Egypt child abuse surges amid turmoil

Continued from Page 1

in the lives of friends. “We are talking about a rightway for people to easily express a broader array of emo-tions,” Zuckerberg said, giving examples such as empa-thy, surprise, or laughter.

No changes along those lines were on the immedi-ate horizon. “We need to figure out the right way to do

it so that it is a force for good and not a force for bad indemeaning the posts that people are putting outthere.” Facebook would also risk irking advertisers bygiving members a quick way to tag marketing mes-sages with “dislikes,” according to analysts. Zuckerbergnoted that Facebook members are free to comment onposts, but can wind up feeling pressured to be witty orinsightful. — AFP

Facebook doesn’t love idea of ‘dislike’...

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The couple have a nine-year-old son who was thought tobe Prince Vajiralongkorn’s most likely heir. “This announce-ment will add a greater sense of uncertainty and anxietyamong Thais over the future of their monarchy - not just withthe current generation, but with later generations too,” PavinChachavalpongpun, a Thai expert at Japan’s Kyoto University,told AFP.

Thailand has been awash with rumours of Srirasmi’s fatefor weeks after a slew of her relatives were caught up in awidening police corruption scandal. Several high profile fig-ures have been arrested including a host of senior policemenand military officers, while one of Thailand’s richest men is onthe run from police on charges relating to the probe. Butreportable facts on Srirasmi’s status were scant. The Thaimonarchy is protected by some of the world’s strictest lesemajeste laws. Both local and international media must heavilyself-censor when covering the country’s royal family.

Thai Rath and the Daily News, Thailand’s two largest news-papers, both ran pieces Saturday on Srirasmi giving up herroyal status. The Daily News said the couple’s divorce hadbeen finalised and that the Crown Prince would keep custodyof their son. She will lose her title of princess but will be giventhe new title “Thanpuying”, the highest honour for a common-er, the paper added. Social media has been buzzing for weeksover the arrest of Srirasmi’s relatives. But the first official indi-cation that the 43-year-old’s royal status was in doubt came

earlier this month when the Crown Prince announced thatmembers of her family had been forbidden from using thesurname “Akkharapongpricha”.

At least three relatives with that surname were arrested inthe corruption scandal, and the name represents an honorifictitle given to some of Srirasmi’s family following her marriageto the prince. Many of the more than 20 detained in the graftprobe have been charged for defaming the monarchy, withpolice saying they had made “false claims” about their rela-tionship to a royal to justify committing crimes that allegedlyranged from running illegal casinos to oil smuggling, kidnap-ping and extortion.

Under section 112 of Thailand’s criminal code, anyone con-victed of defaming, insulting or threatening the king, queen,heir or regent faces between three and 15 years in prison oneach count. Even repeating details of the charges could meanbreaking the law. In recent days there were increasing signalsSrirasmi was no longer part of the royal family. In an unusualbreak from tradition, there was no mention of her in the royalhousehold news broadcasts on Dec 9, her birthday.

The next day she disappeared from the opening sequenceof the nightly royal news broadcasts, which features portraitsof all the kingdom’s senior royals. The princess was last seen inpublic on Dec 6 when she presided over the 9th anniversaryof her pet project, an organisation called “The Family BondProject”. The report on the Ministry of Education website saysthe project “aims to promote and strengthen love and learn-ing between all family members”. — AFP

Thai crown prince divorces wife

An Indian local walks with his yak on a snow-covered road during the season’s first snowfall at Kufri, some 17 km from the northern hill town of Shimla yesterday. A cold wave over northernHimachal Pradesh state sent the night temperatures dipping below the freezing point. — AFP

By Jean-Louis de la Vaissiere

Pope Francis may be known for cham-pioning dialogue, but faced with thecertainty of riling China, analysts say,

he ducked out of a meeting with the DalaiLama. Sensitivities over the fate of theCatholic minority in China were foremost onthe pope’s mind when he decided againstgreeting the Tibetan spiritual leader, accord-ing to observers. A spokesman for the HolySee confirmed Thursday that the popewould not meet the Dalai Lama - whom theArgentinean pontiff “obviously holds... invery high regard” - despite the Tibetan’spresence at a meeting in Rome ofNobel peace laureates.

Francis, an advocate of inter-faith ties, isn’t the first pope towrestle with the question ofwhether to grant an audi-ence to the TibetanBuddhist leader. His pred-ecessor Benedict XVI metthe Dalai Lama in 2006but declined follow-upvisits in 2007 and 2009.The issue of how to han-dle Tibet is of strategicimportance for theVatican. China is home toseveral million Catholicsand Protestants, whosefreedom of religion is heavi-ly curtailed. The establish-ment of diplomatic relationsbetween China and theVatican would allowCatholicism in the world’s mostpopulous nation to flourish.

Since becoming pope,Francis has given new impetus tothe quiet discussions that havebeen ongoing between Rome andBeijing since the 1980s. A meeting

with the Dalai Lama could jeopardise that,given Beijing’s known abhorrence of anygesture of solidarity towards Tibet by otherpowers. A spokesman for the Dalai Lamasaid he was “disappointed” but acknowl-edged that a meeting with the pope couldhave caused “inconvenience”. “The Vatican’sdiplomatic objective is to avoid actions thatfuel instability in already tricky situationsand avoid decisions whose consequencesare paid for by others - in this case, Chinese

Catholics,” Andrea Tornielli,a commentator

with theVatican

Insider site, said.On his return from a visit to South Korea

in August Francis had expressed a wish tovisit China as early as “tomorrow” and voicedadmiration for its “wise people”. “The churchonly asks for liberty for its task, for its work -there’s no other condition,” he said, referringto Beijing’s tight control over the country’s“official” Catholic church.

Papal Priority China’s Communist leader Mao cut ties

with the Holy See in 1951. The dialogueresumed after the Cultural Revolution,under John Paul II. China has been top prior-ity for the Vatican ever since. President XiJingping and Francis exchanged letters ofcongratulation on their respective electionsin 2013. In September, Argentina’s Infobaenews site reported that Francis had followedup with a letter to Xi, inviting him to a meet-ing at the Vatican. China has around 12 mil-lion Catholics, half of whom are members ofthe state-controlled Chinese PatrioticCatholic Association. The remainder belongto underground churches that are loyal tothe Vatican, although there is some overlap.

The chief bone of contention betweenRome and Beijing is China’s policy of conse-crating of bishops without the pope’sapproval. In the rest of the world, bishopsare named by the pontiff. For China,renouncing control over the nominationswould mean relinquishing part of its sov-ereignty. Beijing is also wary of the influ-ence of Western ideas spread by Catholicsand Protestants. There are two schools ofthought in the Vatican on normalising ties.

One believes that the Vatican shouldreach an agreement with China “on a lessproblematic nomination process,” says RegisAnouil, a French specialist on Asian church-es. The other fears that China would twistany agreement in its favour. The pro-democ-racy movement in Hong Kong, which has

been backed by two local cardinals, is likelyto dampen any vague desire China had torelax its grip on religion.

Anouil also believes that China has lessriding on the establishment of diplomaticties than Rome. To illustrate the point, hecites Beijing’s refusal to reciprocate a 2008invitation to the Chinese PhilharmonicOrchestra to perform at the Vatican. TheSistine Chapel Choir was refused permissionto play in Beijing and Shanghai during arecent visit, The singers to settle for HongKong, Macao and Taipei instead. —AFP

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A N A L Y S I SSUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014

Why pope ducked meeting with Dalai Lama

With ambitious plans for a canal through Nicaraguaand a Honduran hydroelectric dam, Chinese firms areincreasingly testing the waters in Central America, a

region long considered the United States’ backyard. The auda-cious canal project, which would rival the US-built PanamaCanal, underlines China’s growing global power but has alsohighlighted the pitfalls that go with it. The $50 billion project,awarded to a Hong Kong-based company and scheduled tobreak ground on December 22, has sparked protests andattracted a host of opponents, from naysayers who call it afuture white elephant to Nicaraguans who fear a land-graband environmental catastrophe.

“Get out, Chinese!” shouted thousands of farmers andactivists at the most recent protest Wednesday in the capitalManagua. “If you add up the 15 marches organized in the pasttwo and a half months, we’ve had 40,000 people,” said lawyerand activist Monica Lopez Baltodano - not a trifling figure for acountry of six million. “I have my doubts” about the feasibilityof the project, said Jaume Gine, a China expert at Spain’sESADE business school. “When the Panama Canal was inaugu-rated 100 years ago, it was the Americans’ canal. Now it seemsthe Chinese want to repeat that, saying ‘We’re going to buildthe Nicaragua Canal’ with money from the potential super-power of the 21st century,’” he told AFP. “So it’s an image-build-ing exercise, whether they finish the canal or not.”

James Bosworth, an analyst at US consulting firm SouthernPulse, said the pharaonic project by Hong Kong NicaraguaCanal Development (HKND) “still faces major hurdles,” includ-ing engineering challenges and local opposition. But the planis “about much more than the proposed canal,” he said. Theproject includes a host of infrastructure schemes: ports, roads,a tourist resort and a renovated airport. “Unlike the proposedcanal, those projects are certainly economically viable andshould be profitable for the investors who back them,”Bosworth said.

While Chinese firms currently have a small presence inNicaragua compared to US and Canadian companies, that willchange if the canal gets built, said Ronald Arce, a researcher atthe Latin American Center for Competitiveness andSustainable Development (CLACDS) in Costa Rica. “The pres-ence of Chinese firms across the region would multiply,” hesaid.

‘Political Interests’ China’s presence elsewhere in Central America is already

established, though investments remain modest. Panama iscurrently the main destination for Chinese investment inCentral America, according to a CLACDS study published inAugust. But China only accounted for 2.5 percent of Panama’sforeign direct investment in 2011. In Costa Rica andGuatemala, the figure was less than one percent. But expertssay the superpower may be angling to expand its role. “Asidefrom the canal, the investments aren’t major. But it allowsthem, in a gradual way, to get to know a region they didn’tknow,” said Gine. “It’s as if they were feeling the stones to crossthe river, as the Chinese saying goes,” he added. “Now Chinawants to try to position itself in the entire Central Americanand Caribbean region.”

Its targets: energy, telecommunications and infrastructure.In Costa Rica, the China National Petroleum Corporation plansto build a $1.3 billion oil refinery. In Honduras, Sinohydrowants to build a $350 million hydroelectric dam to match theone it already has in Belize. Both projects have been placed onhold after being criticized locally, but look set to resume. Inanother Honduras project, the China Harbour EngineeringCompany is studying the feasibility of a $20 million railway toconnect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, a project that wouldalso compete with the Panama Canal. “There are also politicalinterests at stake, because we’re talking about the UnitedStates’ backyard,” said Gine. “This enables China to reinforce itsgeopolitical weight worldwide.”

Cozying up to Central American nations also bears politicalweight for China’s rivalry with self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijingconsiders as a part of its territory awaiting reunification.Central America is home to six of the 22 countries that recog-nize Taiwan’s independence from China. “Long term, China alsohopes to isolate Taiwan from its few remaining supporters,”said Bosworth. Costa Rica, the seventh Central American coun-try, also recognized Taiwan until 2007. Since then, it has signeda 2011 free-trade agreement with China and cooperation dealsworth $2 billion in 2013, equivalent to four percent of its econ-omy. Together, Central America and the Caribbean have a totalof 20 votes in the United Nations General Assembly. —AFP

By Katell Abiven

Issues

China angles for influence in

US ‘backyard’

By Alan Baldwin

‘Never say never’ has always been a popularsaying in Formula One and FernandoAlonso’s return to McLaren proves the

point. The team’s announcement on Thursdaythat the double world champion will race forthem next season with 2009 championJenson Button came as no surprise, since ithad been widely accepted as factmonths ago. But at the end of2007, such a scenario wouldhave been laughable. Then, itlooked as if the Spaniard hadwell and truly burned his boatsat Woking only a year afterjoining from Renault as worldchampion.

McLaren and Ferrari hadbeen embroiled in a spyingscandal that rocked the sportand landed McLaren with arecord $100 million fine forhaving confidential Ferraritechnical documents in theirpossession. Alonso, who wasfound to have incriminatingemails, had testified to thegoverning FIA under immunity.Barely on speaking terms withteam principal Ron Dennis, hereturned to Renault in a falling-out triggered even before the spycontroversy by the team refusing tofavour him over hotshot protege Lewis

Hamilton.When Alonso joined Ferrari in 2010 and declared

his seemingly eternal allegiance to theItalian team, talking of seeing out

his career at Maranello, the veryidea of him returning to

McLaren sounded preposter-ous. The ousting of

MartinWhitmarsh asMcLarenprincipal ear-lier this year,

and return ofDennis to overall

control, only madethat look less likely.

But never say never.Dennis, smiling andwith an arm onAlonso’s shoulders onThursday, just wantsMcLaren to be backon top and winning.Alonso wants that

third title that is longoverdue and that

Ferrari failed to deliver.

Intensely CompetitiveThe little Spaniard is

intensely competitive andevery bit as determinedas Dennis. In the end,both wanted the same

thing and saw each other as the best way of getting it.Both now appear to regret what happened in 2007. “Oneof the things I really respect is that he chose to changedirection, leaving one of the most successful teams in F1and coming back to McLaren and addressing what we feelis unfinished business,” Dennis said. “Fernando is going toprove that he is an absolute winner. But also he is going toshow that he can re-integrate with our team. I could prob-ably have done things better,” he added, addressing thepast problems. “I don’t anticipate any issues betweenFernando and I.”

Alonso agreed. “I felt it was unfinished business alreadywhen I left,” he said. “I brought number one to the cockpitand now I want to bring it back from the inside, driving forthem.” In Button he has a likeable and easy-going teammate with more experience than anyone else on the grid, aman hugely popular within McLaren and as competitive asanyone. The pairing may not be quite the fire and ice com-bination that was held up when Alonso was joined by KimiRaikkonen at Ferrari but there are enough contrastsbetween them to spice things up next season.

Button, for one thing, has been compared to Frenchfour-time world champion Alain Prost for his smoothnessat the wheel and tactical nous. Alonso, like Hamilton, hadthe late Brazilian Ayrton Senna as a boyhood hero. Prostand Senna provided Honda-powered McLaren with theirmost dominant season in 1988, their first year togetherwhen they won all but one race, but the relationship soonsoured. Alonso and Button, the first pairing of a newHonda era, may revive memories of old but McLaren mustfirst give them a car capable of winning races before anysparks fly. With Mercedes dominant this year, and Honda’snew V6 turbo power unit beset with problems on its firstproper test, it could take all of Button’s new two-year con-tract for that to happen. But never say never. —Reuters

Alonso has unfinished business at McLaren

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014

LONDON: Alastair Cook’s role as England captain for next year’s World Cupwas cast into doubt when head coach Peter Moores said his position wouldbe reviewed after the team’s current one-day series in Sri Lanka. Cook waslast week named as skipper of a provisional 30-man squad for next year’stournament in Australia and New Zealand but has continued to cut a belea-

guered figure at the helm of the one-day side.The 29-year-old has averaged under 18 with the bat

as the tourists slipped to a 4-2 series defeat in Sri Lankawith one game remaining. “We review everything at

the end of every series, we’ve always said that,”Moores told Sky Sports when asked if Cook wouldbe captain at the World Cup. “We make no bones

that we’re passionate to try and get our best side to goout and win a World Cup. Cook needs runs but he’s also

had some great times as an England player. He’s in atough patch at the moment but that’s something he’s

working hard to get out of.” Cook’s performance duringEngland’s 90-run defeat in the sixth one-dayer on Saturdaytypified the form that has led to a growing number of critics

question his captaincy and his place in the team.—Reuters

Cook’s captaincy in doubtADELAIDE: Australia’s David Warner and India’s Shikhar Dhawan and ViratKohli have been fined by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for ill-tem-pered incidents during the fourth day of the first test in Adelaide. Warner andDhawan were fined 15 and 30 per cent of their respective match fees for aconfrontation after the Australian opener was bowled by a no-ball.

India paceman Varun Aaron had celebrated after rattling Warner’s stumps,only for the batsmen to retaliate towards the bowler after his let-off. Dhawan was involved in a heated exchange with the fieryAustralian after the next delivery.

India captain Kohli, deputising for the injured MS Dhoni,was docked 30 per cent of his match fee after an argumentwith Australian bowler Steven Smith following a rejected lbwappeal against Rohit Sharma. “The three players admitted theoffences and accepted the sanctions proposed by Jeff Croweof the Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees. As such, there was noneed for a formal hearing,” the ICC said in a statement yester-day. The match was Australia’s first since the death oftheir former batsman Phillip Hughes, who wasstruck on the head by a bouncer during a first-class match in Sydney two weeks ago. —Reuters

MALELANE: Denmark’s Lucas Bjerregaard shot the best round of the daywith a 66 at Leopard Creek Golf Course yesterday to close within one shotof tournament leader Branden Grace after three rounds of the EuropeanTour’s Alfred Dunhill Championship.

Grace, who won all four of his previous European Tour titles in 2012before going off the boil, had started the day comfortably ahead afteropening rounds of 62 and 66.

But the 26-year-old had to battle hard for a third round 72 to remain onthat mark, with the little-known Bjerregaard slashing his five shotovernight advantage down to one.

Winner last week in the Nedbank Challange, Danny Willett stayed intouch in third place on 14 under after a round of 67. Ryder Cup playerFrancesco Molinari, who had the best round of the day on Friday with a 65,was a shot further back in fourth following a round of 70.

Grace bogeyed the long second, but swiftly birdied the third from 25feet and picked up another shot at the next. Another dropped shot at thesixth was again swiftly wiped out as the South African holed from 15 feet atthe next. Grace’s approach to the 11th spun back off the green and led to abogey, but a birdie from tap-in range at the 14th following a superb pitchkept him four ahead.—AFP

Bjerregaard reels in Grace

S P O RT S

Warner, Dhawan and Kohli fined

Western ConferencePacific Division

W L OTL GF GA PTS Anaheim 20 6 5 91 82 45 Vancouver 18 9 2 88 81 38 Calgary 17 12 2 94 83 36 San Jose 16 11 4 88 82 36 Los Angeles 15 10 5 79 69 35 Arizona 10 16 3 67 95 23 Edmonton 7 18 5 65 102 19

Central DivisionChicago 20 8 1 91 57 41 Nashville 19 7 2 78 55 40 St. Louis 19 8 2 86 68 40 Winnipeg 15 9 6 72 70 36 Minnesota 15 11 1 77 67 31 Colorado 10 13 6 76 95 26 Dallas 10 13 5 81 100 25

Eastern ConferenceAtlantic Division

Tampa Bay 19 8 3 103 78 41

Detroit 17 6 7 91 75 41 Montreal 19 10 2 83 79 40 Toronto 16 9 3 95 81 35 Florida 12 8 7 61 70 31 Boston 15 13 1 74 75 31 Ottawa 11 12 5 73 79 27 Buffalo 11 16 2 52 88 24

Metropolitan DivisionPittsburgh 19 6 3 91 65 41 NY Islanders 19 10 0 93 85 38 Washington 13 10 5 81 77 31 NY Rangers 12 10 4 77 76 28 New Jersey 11 14 5 69 87 27 Philadelphia 10 13 5 74 86 25 Columbus 11 15 2 67 92 24 Carolina 8 17 3 60 78 19 Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one pointin the standings and are not included in the losscolumn (L).

NHL results/standingsPittsburgh 3, Calgary 1; Montreal 6, Los Angeles 2; Florida 3, Detroit 2 (SO); Anaheim 4, Edmonton 2.

Vincent Trocheck in action in this file photo.

DETROIT: Vincent Trocheck and Brandon Pirrihad the only shootout goals to lift the FloridaPanthers to a 3-2 victory over the Detroit RedWings on Friday night.

Roberto Luongo made 29 saves throughovertime and stopped Pavel Datsyuk andGustav Nyquist in the tiebreaker to give thePanthers their second victory in two meet-ings against the Red Wings th is season.Tomas Fleischmann and Jonathan Huberdeauscored in the first period for the Panthers.

Riley Sheahan and Nyquist also scored inthe first for Detroit and Jimmy Howard fin-ished with 24 saves. The Red Wings fell to 1-5in shootouts this season.

PENGUINS 3, FLAMES 1Blake Comeau and Kris Letang scored early

in the first period to lead Pittsburgh pastCalgary. Rob Klinkhammer also scored tohelp the Penguins beat the Flames for the

eighth straight time. Pittsburgh’s last loss toCalgary was on Dec. 3, 2005.

Johnny Gaudreau had the only goal for theFlames, who have lost four in a row. ThePenguins played without defending NHLscoring champion Sidney Crosby, who alsowill miss Saturday’s game at Columbus whilehe awaits results from medical tests for an ill-ness that caused the right side of his face toswell. Though there have been more than adozen cases of mumps around the NHL,Crosby doesn’t believe he has that illness.

CANADIENS 6, KINGS 2Jiri Sekac scored two goals and Cary Price

stopped 44 shots to help Montreal win itssecond straight.PK Subban had a goal andtwo assists, David Desharnais and AndreMarkov each had a goal and an assist, andSven Andrighetto also scored for Montreal.

Defensemen Jake Muzz in and Drew

Doughty scored for the Kings, who have lostthree of their last four. Back-up goalie MartinJones finished with 14 saves. Jones, comingoff shutouts in his previous two starts, gaveup three goals on the first eight shots hefaced. At the other end, Price made save afterbril l iant save until Muzzin finally got theKings on the scoreboard at 3:35 of the thirdperiod.

DUCKS 4, OILERS 2Sami Vatanen and Ryan Getzlaf each had

a g o a l a n d a n a s s i s t a s l e a g u e - l e a d i n gAnaheim won its sixth straight and ninth in1 1 g a m e s . K y l e Pa l m i e r i a n d N a t eThompson also scored for the Ducks. TylerPitlick and Jeff Petry scored for the Oilers,who have lost three in a row and 14 of theirlast 15. Edmonton also dropped to 1-15-4against Western Conference opponents thisseason. —AP

Panthers maul Red Wings

Marquezdefends move toAndorra SPAIN: Spanish MotoGP world champion MarcMarquez has defended his decision to move toAndorra and said he will still pay taxes in Spainnext year.

“I’m 21 now and I’ve always been living withmy parents, so like many young people I’vedecided to create my own space and my ownhome,” the official motogp.com website quotedthe Catalan as saying. “I’ve picked Andorrabecause I’ve been there many winters and manytimes during the year...who knows what will hap-pen in the future. I pay my taxes in Spain and willstill do so next year.”

Andorra, a principality in the eastern Pyreneesmountains between Spain and France and withineasy reach of Marquez’s home town of Cervera, isalso known for its favourable tax regime towardsresidents. Marquez, the youngest ever MotoGPworld champion who successfully defended histitle this year, recognised there had been criti-cism of him in Spain but said some of it had beenharsh.

“As a sportsman, you never know how longyour career will last,” said the Honda rider.Britain’s Formula One world champion LewisHamilton, who drives for Mercedes, lives inMonaco and has also been criticised in Britishmedia for his choice of residence.—Reuters

LOS ANGELES: When a wave of theNBA’s biggest stars donned “I can’tbreathe” shirts - the rallying cry ofdemonstrators against US policing tac-tics in black communities - it highlight-ed the power and influence wielded bytoday’s professional basketball stars.

The pre-game actions this week ofLeBron James, Kobe Bryant and DerrickRose, observers say, spring from theiroutsized celebrity, enormous wealthand shared sense of social activism.Behind the scenes stands a new com-missioner who has let players mix sportsand social issues so far without conse-quence. Adam Silver, who has been onthe job as National BasketballAssociation commissioner less than ayear, has gained a measure of trust withthe players for his swift decision in Aprilto ban former Los Angeles Clippersowner Donald Sterling for racistremarks, says Howard Bryant, a colum-nist for ESPN the Magazine.

Silver, he says, is repaying that trustby letting players take their own socialstand in the workplace - and in front ofmillions of fans.

“He’s aware that the NBA more thanany other league is a players’ league, andthe players are going to drive it,” he said,adding that individual stars more thanteams help the league’s popularity. “Youhave to trust where they go with it.”

Silver, who allowed teams like theClippers and Miami Heat to turn theirwarm-up shirts inside-out in protestagainst Sterling during last season’s

playoffs, issued a statement on Mondaysaying he respected the players for“voicing their personal views on impor-tant issues, but my preference would befor players to abide by our on-courtattire rules.” Silver declined to fine play-ers for attire violations that are in placeto ensure exposure for the NBA’s appar-el brands.

James, the league’s biggest star, saidhe wore the black shirt with “I can’tbreathe” written on it as a message tothe family of Eric Garner, an African-American man who died from a policechokehold in July. A New York grandjury’s decision last week not to indictthe white officer in Garner ’s deathsparked demonstrations across thecountry.

‘NO GRASS, NO COW’Garner’s final words - “I can’t breathe”

- have become a new rallying cry in aprotest movement that started with thekilling this summer of an 18-year-oldunarmed African-American in Ferguson,Missouri, by a white officer.

“ There are important issues outthere, and for athletes to recognizethey’re citizens as well as entertainers,and they’ve got a voice that’s legiti-mate,” President Barack Obama toldESPN Radio on Friday. A handful of NFLplayers have demonstrated but nonewith the public stature of James, Bryantand Rose. The NBA has the largest com-position of African-American fans, morethan any other U.S. sports league at 45

percent, according to research byNielsen. That is three times higher thanthe NFL. James, the Cleveland Cavaliers’MVP forward; Bryant, the Los AngelesLakers’ prodigious scorer; and Rose, theChicago Bulls point guard, are also partof the NBA’s ultra rich. James and Bryantwill earn more than $20 million in salarythis season while Rose will make $18.9million. Unlike pay 30 years ago, today’slarger salaries are enough financialinsurance for most players to withstandthe loss of endorsement contracts overcontroversial public gestures or state-ments, says Sports Illustrated mediawriter Richard Deitsch.

But the players are also such bigstars, Deitsch adds, that it would notmatter. “LeBron James has more lever-age than every corporation that heworks for,” Deitsch said. James andBryant have apparel contracts with Nike,which is known as one of the most loyalcompanies to its high-profile endorsers.

The NBA’s main attractions are alsowell aware of how they fit into theleague’s business structure, said JohnCarlos, the Olympic bronze medalistsprinter and activist who along withTommie Smith protested inequalityfor African-Americans during a medalceremony at the 1968 SummerGames in Mexico City. “I’m the grassthe cow has to eat to get the milk,”Carlos said about a professional ath-letes’ thinking in today’s multi-billiondollar industry. “If there’s no grass,there’s no cow.”—Reuters

NBA opens floor to social activism

Marc Marquez in action.

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S P O RT SSUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014

ADELAIDE: Australia’s Brad Haddin leaps into the arms of teammate Nathan Lyon as they celebrate after defeating India by 48 run on the finalday of their cricket Test match. —AP

ADELAIDE: Australia beat India by 48 runs in athrilling end to the first Test at Adelaide Ovalyesterday, with Nathan Lyon picking up sevenwickets after Virat Kohli scored an inspired cen-tury for the visitors.

A match that had begun in high emotionafter the death last month of Australian batsmanPhillip Hughes ended in high drama after anabsorbing final day in South Australia.

Set 364 to win after Australia declared ontheir overnight score of 290-5, India seemed tobe on their way to an unlikely victory after a bril-liant 141 from Kohli and a gritty 99 from openerMurali Vijay. But Lyon, a former groundsman atAdelaide Oval, turned the match the hometeam’s way with his offspinners, as India’s tail col-lapsed and the tourists were bowled out for 315.

“This first test is one we will remember andcherish for the rest of our careers,” Australia cap-tain Michael Clarke said of the first match sincethe death of his good friend.

“He’s in our minds, he always will be. He willbe for the rest of my life. “Every test match youplay for Australia you have a lot to play for butobviously this series is even closer to our hearts.”

Lyon finished with 7-152, giving him 12 wick-ets for the match, a career-best, and handing theAustralians the early advantage in the four-match series which resumes in Brisbane nextweek. Clarke will miss the rest of the series afterinjuring a hamstring while fielding on Saturday,the latest in a series of back and leg problemsthat have hampered the Australian skipper.

The 33-year-old hopes he can recover in timeto play in the World Cup, which Australia is co-hosting early next year, but his recurring prob-lems have caused him, to ponder his future.

“There’s a chance I may never play again,”Clarke said. “I hope that’s not the case and I’ll bedoing everything in my power to get back out

on the park, but I have to be realistic as well.”

NERVOUS NINETIESKohli, filling in for Mahendra Singh Dhoni as

India’s captain, almost won the match single-handedly for his country. He scored centuries inboth innings and dominated Australia’s bowlerson a pitch favoring spin. His career-best 141came off just 175 deliveries and featured 16fours and one six. He also shared a third wicketpartnership of 185 with Vjay, who made half-centuries in each innings but fell agonisinglyshort of a deserved hundred.

With India seemingly in control at 242-2 aftertea, Vijay suddenly had an attack of nerves and

threw his wicket away with a rash attempt toreach triple figures, trapped lbw by Lyon afterswiping at the ball. His departure triggered acatastrophic batting collapse as India lost theirlast eight wickets for just 73 runs with Lyon thechief destroyer.

Kohli continued to play a lone hand but oncehe mistimed a pull shot and was caught in thedeep, the end came quickly for the visitors.

“I’m really proud of the way the boys played,”Kohli said. “At no point did we back off. And weare not going to back off either. If at any stagethat we had in mind that we might play for adraw, we would have lost by 150 runs, to be hon-est.” —Reuters

Lyon bowls Aussiesto victory over India

Australia 1st innings 517 for 7 declared (S. Smith 162not out, D. Warner 145, M. Clarke 128; M. Shami 2-120)India 1st innings 444 (V. Kohli 115, C. Pujara 73; N.Lyon 5-134)Australia 2nd innings (overnight 290 for 5) C. Rogers c R. Sharma b K. Sharma 21D. Warner b K. Sharma 102 S. Watson b Shami 33M. Clarke c Saha b Aaron 7S. Smith not out 52M. Marsh c Vijay b R. Sharma 40B. Haddin not out 14Extras (b1, lb6, w5, nb9) 21Total (5 wickets dec; 69 overs) 290Fall of wickets: 1-38 (Rogers), 2-140 (Watson), 3-168(Clarke), 4-213 (Warner), 5-266 (Marsh) Bowling: Shami11-2-42-1, I. Sharma 14-3-41-0 (6nb), K. Sharma 16-2-95-2, Vijay 6-0-27-0, R. Sharma 12-2-35-1, Aaron 10-0-43-1(1w, 2nb)

India 2nd inningsM. Vijay lbw b Lyon 99S. Dhawan c Haddin b Johnson 9C. Pujara c Haddin b Lyon 21V. Kohli c Marsh b Lyon 141A. Rahane c Rogers b Lyon 0R. Sharma c Warner b Lyon 6W. Saha b Lyon 13K. Sharma not out 4M. Shami c Johnson b Harris 5V. Aaron lbw b Johnson 1I. Sharma stpd Haddin b Lyon 1Extras (b5, lb8, w2) 15Total (all out; 87.1 overs) 315Fall of wickets: 1-16 (Dhawan), 2-57 (Pujara), 3-242(Vijay), 4-242 (Rahane), 5-277 (R. Sharma), 6-299 (Saha),7-304 (Kohli), 8-309 (Shami), 9-314 (Aaron), 10-315(I.Sharma) Bowling: Johnson 16-2-45-2 (2w), Harris 19-6-49-1, Lyon 34.1-5-152-7, Siddle 9-3-21-0, Watson 2-0-6-0, Smith 3-0-18-0, Marsh 4-1-11-0Result: Australia won by 48 runs

SCOREBOARDADELAIDE, Australia: Scoreboard at the close on the final day of the first Test between Australia and India atAdelaide Oval yesterday:

Sri Lanka innings:M. Jayawardene c Taylor b Woakes 5T. Dilshan c Bopara b Tredwell 68K. Sangakkara c Ali b Jordan 112S. Prasanna c Morgan b Finn 20A. Mathews c Buttler b Finn 1D. Chandimal b Jordan 35T. Perera c Cook b Woakes 16J. Mendis not out 12Extras (lb4, b10, w8, nb1) 23Total (for 7 wkts, 50 overs) 292Fall of wickets: 1-8 (Jayawardene), 2-161 (Dilshan),3-186 (Prasanna), 4-191 (Mathews), 5-243(Sangakkara), 6-262 (Perera), 7-292 (Chandimal)Bowling: Finn 9-0-53-2 (w3), Woakes 10-1-51-2(w1) Ali 8-0-46-0 (nb1), Tredwell 10-0-37-1 (w1),Jordan 9-0-68-2 (w3) Bopara 3-0-19-0 Root 1-0-4-0.

England innings:A. Cook lbw b Senanayake 1

M. Ali c Sangakkara b Dilshan 34J. Taylor b Senanayake 10J. Root b Lakmal 55R. Bopara c Sangakkara b Lakmal 13E. Morgan c Sangakkara b Lakmal 0J. Buttler run out 22C. Woakes c and b Dilshan 41C. Jordan c Sangakkara b Lakmal 4J. Tredwell c Dilshan b Senanayake 19S. Finn not out 1Extras (lb1, w1) 2Total (all out; 41.3 overs) 202Fall of wickets: 1-2 (Cook), 2-36 (Taylor), 3-50 (Ali),4-84 (Bopara), 5-84 (Morgan), 6-123 (Buttler), 7-169 (Root), 8-175 (Jordan) 9-193 (Woakes), 10-202(Tredwell)Bowling: Senanayake 8.3-0-33-3 (w1), Dilshan 10-0-55-2, Prasanna 8-0-40-0, Lakmal 8-0-30-4,Mendis 4-0-22-0, Perera 3-0-21-0.Result: Sri Lanka win by 90 runs.

SCOREBOARDKANDY, Sri Lanka: Full scoreboard of the sixth one-day international between Sri Lanka and Englandin Kandy yesterday:

Sri Lanka crush EnglandCOLOMBO: Sri Lanka beat England by 90runs in the sixth one-day international atPallekele yesterday to take an unbeat-able 4-2 lead in their seven-match series.

Kumar Sangakkara completed his20th one-day international century tohelp the home team post a healthy totalof 292 for seven.

England could only muster 202 inreply, bowled out in less than 42 oversdespite a resilient 55 from Joe Root. Theevergreen Sangakkara blazed 112 off asmany balls, highlighted by 12 fours andtwo sixes, after the 37-year-old wasdropped on 41 by England captainAlastair Cook.

The Sri Lankans made a slow start,scoring just 27 runs off the first 10 overs,before Sangakkara opened up, puttingon 153 with Tillakaratne Dilshan for thesecond wicket.

Dilshan made a patient 68 beforeDinesh Chandimal pushed the totaltowards 300 with a brisk 35 in the closingovers. Chris Woakes, Steven Finn andChris Jordan captured two wickets each

for England, who needed to win thegame to square the series heading intoTuesday’s final match in Colombo. “It wasa challenging wicket to bat on,” Sri Lankacaptain Angelo Mathews said.

“I thought Sangakkara was amazingand set the tone for the batsman to playat the end. “He and Dilshan set the tone.We still want to win the next game aswell and win the series 5-2.”

England could hardly had made aworse start to their innings when Cookwas dismissed lbw for one in the firstover. By the 18th over, England were indeep trouble at 84 for five and althoughRoot completed a half-century andWoakes chipped in with 41, the touristsnever came close to challenging SriLanka’s total as Suranga Lakmal moppedup the tail to finish with 4 for 30.

“For the first 20-odd overs we bowledreally well, but it didn’t help me drop-ping Sangakkara,” said Cook. “It was a realbig catch to drop because we’d built upsome good pressure, but credit to Kumar,he made us pay today.” —Reuters

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews pulls out a stump after defeatingEngland by 90 runs, as James Tredwell walks back to the pavilion at the end of thesixth one day international cricket match. —AP

SHARJAH: Pakistan yesterdayrecalledleg-spinner Yasir Shah and all-rounderAwar Ali for the three remaining one-dayinternationals against New Zealand asthey continued to sweat over skipperMisbah-ul Haq’s injury.

Pakistan went down by four wickets inthe second one-day in Sharjah on Friday,a game in which Misbah hurt his ham-string leaving him doubtful for the thirdgame, also in Sharjah today.

Fast bowlers Umar Gul (ankle) andBilawal Bhatti (hand injury) were alsosidelined and are returning home. Chiefselector Moin Khan said Misbah hadundergone a MRI on his injury.

“Misbah has gone through an MRIscan on his hamstring injury and hasbeen retained until his medical reportcomes,” said Khan. “Gul and Bhatti havebeen dropped owing to fitness issues,while all-rounder Ali and leg-spinnerShah have been included”, said Khan.

Shah took 27 wickets in the five Testswhich Pakistan played-two againstAustralia and three against New Zealand-since October this year. The 28-year-oldhas played a single one-day internation-al, against Zimbabwe in Harare inSeptember 2011. “Despite fitness issuesdogging many key players, it still remainsa pretty strong side. And I am positivethat it would perform to its potential inthe three remaining ODI games,” saidKhan. The fourth and fifth matches willbe played in Abu Dhabi on Wednesdayand Friday. The series is currently tied at1-1, with Pakistan winning the firstmatch by three wickets in Dubai.

One-day squad: Misbah-ul-Haq (cap-tain, Ahmed Shehzad, Anwar Ali, AsadShafiq, Mohammad Hafeez, Haris Sohail,Mohammad Irfan, Nasir Jamshed, SarfrazAhmad, Shahid Afridi, Sohail Tanvir, UmarAkmal, Wahab Riaz, Yasir Shah, YounisKhan, Zulfiqar Babar. —AFP

Injury-hit Pakisan recallShah, Ali for one-days

ARE: Maria Pietilae-Holmner achieved what hadpreviously eluded the greatest Swedish women’sskiers when she won a World Cup slalom onhome snow yesterday.

The 28-year-old local favourite narrowly beatWorld Cup leader Tina Maze of Slovenia for onlyher third career victory in a combined time ofone minute 43.65 seconds.

Maze was 0.08 seconds adrift and Swedenplaced a second skier on the podium with FridaHansdotter, 0.32 behind her compatriot. Skiinggreats Pernilla Wiberg and Anja Paerson, with 14

and 18 World Cup slalom wins in their careers,never managed to clinch victory in the disciplineon home snow. Paerson had to be content witha slalom bronze medal at the Are world champi-onships in 2007.

“It’s amazing. It was my dream to win again,especially once here on home soil as it neverhappened so far,” said Pietilae-Holmner, whoselast victory came nearly four years ago in a cityevent in Munich. Her win reflected the strengthof Swedish women’s skiing, with youngster SaraHector, Hansdotter and Kajsa Kling also in the

World Cup overall top 20.Are will host the 2019 world championships

and Pietilae-Holmner said she was planning tobe there. Maze leads the overall World Cupstandings on 560 points, which is more thanher total after nine races in the 2013 seasonwhen she won with a record total of 2,414. “Idon’t spend all day thinking about the recordof two years ago. But it would be nice to beatmy own record. I’m going to focus on that. Mygoal this season is clearly the big globe,” Mazesaid. —Reuters

Holmner delights Swedish fans

ARE: Maria Pietilae-Holmner of Sweden competes her way victory during the alpine ski women’s World Cup slalom. —AP

p16_Layout 1 12/13/14 10:04 PM Page 1

S P O RT SSUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014

PHOENIX: Suns’ Eric Bledsoe (left) gets fouled as he goes up for a shot against Detroit Pistons’ Andre Drummond (0) during the second half ofan NBA basketball game. —AP

PHOENIX: The Detroit Pistons ended a 13-gamelosing streak as Andre Drummond had 23 pointsand 14 rebounds in a win over the Phoenix Suns.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope hit a fadeaway 3-pointer with 1:13 to play to break a tie at 97, andthe Pistons held on. Goran Dragic had 18 pointsfor the Suns, who lost their fourth in a row.

KNICKS 101, CELTICS 95Carmelo Anthony scored 22 points, Amare

Stoudemire had 20 and the New York Knickssnapped a 10-game losing streak by beating theBoston Celtics.

Tim Hardaway Jr. added 16 points and JasonSmith 12 as New York ended its longest losingstreak since the 2005-06 team dropped 10straight from Jan. 28-Feb. 13.

It was just the Knicks’ second road win of theseason. They won their first, beating LeBronJames and the Cavaliers in his return toCleveland before losing the next 11. Jeff Greenhad 28 points and Tyler Zeller 19 for the Celtics,who lost their third straight.

PELCIANS 119, CAVALIERS 114Tyreke Evans 31 points and 10 assists, Ryan

Anderson tied a career high with eight 3-point-ers on his way to 30 points, and the New OrleansPelicans overcame the loss of Anthony Davis tobeat LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.Davis left in the first quarter after taking anelbow to chest while jostling for position duringa free throw by Kevin Love.

James, returning from a one-game absencebecause of a sore knee, scored 41 points, whileLove added 21 points. Kyrie Irving played onenight after hurting his left knee in a collisionwith Oklahoma City guard Russell Westbrook,but struggled early. He missed his first nineshots and did not score any of his 17 points untilthe fourth quarter, when Cleveland trailed by asmany as 19.

BULLS 115, TRAIL BLAZERS 106Derrick Rose scored a season-high 31 points

and the Chicago Bulls beat the Portland TrailBlazers. Rose, who tore the meniscus in his rightknee against the Blazers last season, scored over30 for the first time since March 12, 2012. Heshot 14 of 24.

Chicago broke a seven-game losing streak toPortland. LaMarcus Aldridge scored 21 of his 35points in the first quarter, his 10 field goals inthe period matching a Portland record set byDarius Miles in 2005. Damian Lillard also had 35for the Trail Blazers.

HAWKS 87, MAGIC 81Paul Millsap scored 23 points, Al Horford

added 17 and the Atlanta Hawks won their ninthstraight game, beating the Orlando Magic.

The winning streak is Atlanta’s longest since itopened the 1997-98 season with 11 victories in arow. Michael Oladipo scored 21 points and EvanFournier added 18 for Orlando, which has lostfour of six.

LAKERS 112, SPURS 110Nick Young scored 29 points, including a go-

ahead 3-pointer with 7.4 seconds left in over-time, Kobe Bryant had 22 points and the LosAngeles Lakers overcame a shaky ending to beatSan Antonio.

Tim Duncan had 19 points and 18 reboundsfor San Antonio, which had its six-game homewinning streak snapped.

HEAT 100, JAZZ 95Dwayne Wade scored a season-high 29

points, including three free throws in the final 9seconds, to help the Miami Heat beat the UtahJazz. Chris Bosh had 22 points and Luol Dengadded 14 for the Heat, who closed a five-gameroad swing on a winning note after losing five oftheir previous six. Enes Kanter scored 25 points,Gordon Hayward had 18 and Alec Burks 16 forUtah, which has lost 10 of its last 11.

GRIZZLIES 113, HORNETS 107MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Mike Conley scored six

of his 19 points in the second overtime, and theMemphis Grizzlies beat the Charlotte Hornets.

Zach Randolph had 20 points and Marc Gasolalso scored 19 for the Grizzlies, who got a tying3-pointer from Vince Carter with 4.5 seconds leftin the first overtime.

The Grizzlies won for the sixth time in thepast seven games against the Hornets, who got28 points from Kemba Walker and 25 from GaryNeal.

THUNDER 111, TIMBERWOLVES 92Russell Westbrook scored 20 of his 34 points

in the first half and the Oklahoma City Thunderbeat the Minnesota Timberwolves for their fifthstraight victory.

Kevin Durant added 16 as he and Westbrookplayed the second night of back-to-back gamesfor the first time since returning to the Thunderlineup. Andrew Wiggins and ShabazzMuhammad each scored 18 points forMinnesota.

WIZARDS 104, CLIPPERS 96John Wall outplayed Chris Paul in their first

meeting of the season and the WashingtonWizards snapped the Los Angeles Clippers’ nine-game winning streak.

Wall controlled the game with 10 points and11 assists while Paul struggled with a season-high six turnovers. Bradley Beal scored a season-high 29 points for the Wizards. Paul made somelate baskets to finish with 19 points, sevenrebounds and six assists.

NETS 88, 76ERS 70Mason Plumlee scored a season-high 18

points and had 10 rebounds, and the BrooklynNets broke open a close game in the fourthquarter to beat Philadelphia.

Robert Covington had 20 points for the 76ers,an NBA-worst 2-20. Michael Carter-Williamsadded 14 points and nine assists.

RAPTORS 106, PACERS 94Jonas Valanciunas had 10 points and 14

rebounds, Lou Williams scored 26 and theToronto Raptors handed Indiana its seventhstraight loss.

James Johnson had 13 points, PatrickPatterson 11 and Grevis Vasquez scored seven ofhis 10 in the fourth quarter for the Raptors.

Solomon Hill scored 16 for the Pacers, whoseseven-game losing streak is their longest sincean eight-game skid from Dec. 18-30, 2009. —AP

Pistons win, Knicks roll

Eastern ConferenceAtlantic Division

W L PCT GB Toronto 17 6 .739 - Brooklyn 9 12 .429 7 Boston 7 14 .333 9 NY Knicks 5 20 .200 13 Philadelphia 2 20 .091 14.5

Central DivisionChicago 14 8 .636 - Cleveland 13 9 .591 1 Milwaukee 11 12 .478 3.5 Indiana 7 16 .304 7.5 Detroit 4 19 .174 10.5

Southeast DivisionAtlanta 16 6 .727 - Washington 16 6 .727 - Miami 11 12 .478 5.5 Orlando 9 16 .360 8.5 Charlotte 6 16 .273 10

Western ConferenceNorthwest Division

Portland 17 6 .739 - Denver 10 12 .455 6.5 Oklahoma City 10 13 .435 7 Utah 6 17 .261 11 Minnesota 5 17 .227 11.5

Pacific DivisionGolden State 19 2 .905 - LA Clippers 16 6 .727 3.5 Phoenix 12 12 .500 8.5 Sacramento 11 12 .478 9 LA Lakers 7 16 .304 13

Southwest DivisionMemphis 18 4 .818 - Houston 17 5 .773 1 Dallas 17 7 .708 2 San Antonio 16 7 .696 2.5 New Orleans 11 11 .500 7

NBA results/standings

Pakistan defeat India, meet Germany in final

BHUBANESWAR: Pakistan edged out hostsIndia 4-3 in a thrilling semi-final yesterdayto set up a Champions Trophy field hockeytitle clash against Olympic gold medallistsGermany in Bhubaneswar.

Arslan Qadir was Pakistan’s hero, scoringhis team’s first goal and also netting thewinner 90 seconds from the end to silencea partisan 7,000-strong Indian crowd at theKalinga stadium.

The victory enabled coach ShahnazSheikh’s men to avenge the loss to theirarch-rivals in the Asian Games final inSouth Korea in October that denied them adirect entry to the 2016 Olympics.

The final today will be Pakistan’s first bidfor a major world title since losing to theNetherlands in the Champions Trophy finalin Lahore in 1998.

Germany quashed Australia’s bid to wina sixth successive title by ousting the worldchampions 3-2 in Saturday’s first semi-final.

India took an early lead in the 12thminute when Gurjinder Singh convertedthe team’s first penalty corner with a dragflick. Pakistan drew level four minutes lateras Qadir deflected in a pass from the rightsoon after Gurbaj Singh was shown the yel-low card to reduce India to 10 men.

Muhammad Waqas seized on an open-ing by Qadir to put Pakistan ahead in the32nd minute, but India ended the thirdquarter on level terms at 2-2 whenDharamvir Singh reverse hit a pass fromAkashdeep Singh. A goal from either sidein the fourth quarter made it 3-3 with eightminutes remaining and a swift counter-attack from Pakistan saw Qadir push infrom close range past Indian goalkeeperParattu Sreejesh.

As the final hooter sounded, excited

Pakistani players hugged each other, tookoff their shirts and waved them towardsdisappointed spectators in the stand.

Shahnaz later walked out of the post-match press conference without answeringquestions after an Indian reporter ques-tioned his players’ behavior after the game.

The Germans, playing with seven juniorWorld Cup winners of 2013, stunned theKookaburras with two goals by the ninthminute through Timur Oruz and MatsGrambusch.

They went up 3-0 immediately afterhalf-time when Florian Fuchs took advan-tage of a goalmouth scramble and scoopedthe ball past Australian goalkeeper AndrewCharter.

Australia hit back in the 34th minute asChris Ciriello banged in a penalty corner tonet his fourth goal in the tournament.Nicholas Budgeon narrowed the marginfurther in the 42nd by scoring off a penaltycorner rebound.

Australia, who lost to Germany 4-2 thelast time they met in the semi-finals of the2012 London Olympics, failed to equalisedespite benching the goalkeeper toaccommodate an extra striker. It will beGermany’s first Champions Trophy finalsince 2009 when they were beaten by hostsAustralia 5-3 in Melbourne.

German coach Markus Weise said hewas happy-and also relieved-that his youngside had reached the final after a poorsixth-place finish at the World Cup in June.

“It is a very good thing to happen to theboys, they have proved themselves againstthe best,” Weise said. “We were lucky to be3-0 ahead because the second-halfbelonged entirely to Australia. I am gladthe boys fought it out till the end.” —AFP

Chicago 115, Portland 106; Washington 104, LA Clippers 96; Atlanta 87, Orlando 81; NY Knicks 101, Boston 95;Brooklyn 88, Philadelphia 70; Toronto 106, Indiana 94; Memphis 113, Charlotte 107 (OT); Oklahoma City 111,Minnesota 92; New Orleans 119, Cleveland 114; Detroit 105, Phoenix 103; Miami 100, Utah 95; LA Lakers 112, SanAntonio 110 (OT).

INDIA: Pakistan hockey player Rizwan Jr. Muhammad (right) vies with India’sThimmaiah Chandanda (left) during the Hero Hockey Champions Trophy 2014 semifinal match. —AP

ABU DHABI: Chinese boat DongfengRace Team were pipped to victory forthe second time running as Team Brunelsnatched the second leg of the VolvoOcean Race yesterday. Dongfeng lostout to Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing in thefirst leg from Alicante, Spain to CapeTown by 12 minutes after nearly amonth’s racing.

This time they were denied in the legfrom South Africa to the UAE by 16 min-utes by the Dutch team led by 51-year-old Bouwe Bekking, who is competing ina record-equalling seventh race.

The key moment came five hoursfrom the finish at around 0330 GMT,when Bekking’s crew passed Dongfengwith a masterly manoeuvre, althoughthe boats were in similar winds, sailingjust a few hundred metres apart.

Dongfeng Race Team’s French skipperCharles Caudrelier could not conceal hisdisappointment in a pre-finish call towww.volvooceanrace.com.

“Brunel have been much faster thanus since a few days and we don’t know

why. We’re a bit disappointed becausewe did a good job to pass them, butthey keep passing us. You have to dowell, but you also have to be fast. Ifyou’re not fast, it’s difficult to win a leg,”he said. Bekking, in contrast, could notwipe the smile off his face as he cruisedfrom the finish line to the dock. His teamare locked with Abu Dhabi Ocean Racingand Dongfeng on four points after twostages but are ranked top because ofwinning the most recent leg.

“It is a good feeling,” he told reporters.“I’ve always said, it’s better to be luckythan good but we’ve been good this leg aswell so it’s so nice to win this one becauseit could have been an easy leg to finishlast. The team did a fantastic job, wesailed the boat much better than in thefirst leg.” Bekking has never won the 41-year-old race and it remains a lifetimeambition for him. Most professional off-shore sailors do not race past their 50thbirthday but the Dutchman is known inthe sport as one of the toughest andfittest in the business. —Reuters

Chinese boatsprint to the line

DUBAI: China’s world number fiveFeng Shanshan, the highest rankedplayer in the field, completed a domi-nant wire-to-wire victory at the500,000 euros Ladies EuropeanMasters — her second win in theEuropean Tour’s season-ending cham-pionship in three years.

The 25-year-old Feng, winner ofthe 2012 LPGA Championship andhere in the same year, shot a final-

round two-under par 70 to finish on19-under par 269 for the four days.

That tally was two shots shy of therecord winning total of 21-under parin 2012, but good enough for a mas-sive five-shot winning margin.

Spain’s Carlota Ciganda, who wonthe Order of Merit crown in 2012,made a spectacular up-and-downfrom the back bunker of the 18th holeto finish second at 14-under par, one

better than Germany’s CarolineMasson, who shot the day’s bestround of five-under par 67 to climb upto third place.

England’s Charley Hull wrapped upthe Order of Merit crown, just one yearafter she won the Rookie of the Yearaward. The 18-year-old became theyoungest winner of the most presti-gious title in the LET, which also givesher the bragging rights of being calledthe European number one for the sea-son.

Hull shot an even-par 72 onSaturday to finish tied for fifth at 10-under par, while her closest competi-tor, France’s Gwladys Nocera, whoneeded to be inside the top-four tohave a chance of overtaking her, wastied 11th in the end at 280.

Wales’ Amy Boulden (285) won theRookie of the Year title when she fin-ished ahead of Scotland’s Sally Watson(291), while Nicole Broch Larsen ofDenmark (278) could only manage atied fifth place instead of solo second.

FENG VERY HAPPYFeng, whose 70 on Saturday was

her worst round of the tournament,made two bogeys on the back nineagainst four birdies overall.

“I was told there is only one player

who has won this tournament twice,and that is Annika Sorenstam and me.Any time you are on any list alongwith Annika, you know you have donepretty good,” said Feng. “I did not havemuch pressure on me today as I wasfive shots ahead, so I just set myself atarget of 22-under.

“I thought I would beat my ownrecord, and that it would be a totalthat would be difficult for anybodyelse in the field to catch. It did nothappen, but I am very happy still.”

Hull, who needed to recover from apoor start to the day when she madea double bogey on the tough par-4opening hole of the Majlis course, wasdelighted to follow her Rookie of theYear title with the European numberone spot.

“Yeah, that’s good. I think I wantedto do that because you only got onechance to do that. I am happy,” shesaid. “The win in Morocco (her onlyprofessional win earlier this year) isdefinitely bigger, but winning theOrder of Merit is a pretty good thingas well. “I didn’t really think about itcoming into this week. Just on theback nine today, and then I told myself‘don’t make any silly mistakes’.” Worldnumber 12 Anna Nordqvist of Swedenshot a 70 to finish fourth at 276. —AFP

Feng dominates in Dubai

DUBAI: Shanshan Feng of China receives the trophy from MaryamMohammed Khalfan Alroomi, UAE minister of Social Affairs (center)after she wins the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters. —AP

Scott in three-way tieSYDNEY: Adam Scott fired a three-under-par 69 to join Wade Ormsby andScott Strange in a three-way tie for thelead after the third round of theAustralian PGA Championship yester-day.

Scott star ted the day two shotsbehind Ormsby and Strange but madeup the ground after his two playingpar tners shot 71. American BooWeekley, who led after the first round,kept himself in the hunt with a 69 thatfeatured a chip-in for eagle on the par-five 12th.

Weekley finished the day at a com-bined nine-under, one behind the lead-ing trio, and tied for four th withAustralia’s Jason Scrivener, who signedfor a 68.

New Zealand’s Michael Hendr yclimbed to outright sixth place, at eightunder, after shooting a 67, the bestround of the day. Scott, defending thetitle he won last year at the Royal PinesResort on the Gold Coast near where hewas raised, had four birdies and onebogey in his round but was unhappywith his putting. “The winner ends upmaking putts, so I need to make a few,”he told reporters.

“It was tough today to go super-lowwith the tricky conditions but hopefully

the wind is a down a little and therecould be a few birdies up for grabs outthere.” The world number three will gointo the final day as a heavy favourite toclaim his sixth title on the AustralasianPGA Tour.

“Whether it’s here or any other tour-nament that you win... I’ve got lots ofexperience to go off over my wholecareer,” Scott said.

“I’ve been in this position a lot. It’sworked out a lot of time and it hasn’tothers so I’ll try and do all the things Ican to kind of give myself the advan-tage.” The 34-year-old Scott trailedStrange by a stroke with two holes toplay but got back on level terms whenthe leader bogeyed the 17th.

Ormsby slipped two shots behindwhen he bogeyed the ninth and 11thholes but pulled one back with a birdieon the 12th then drained a long birdieon the last to rejoin the lead.

Ormsby and Scott played together asjuniors and remain good friends withthe pair staying at the world numberthree’s Gold Coast home during thetournament.

“He’s been a good host,” Ormsby said.“I’ll just try and play as good a golf as Ican and I think hopefully I’ll be some-where at the end.” —Reuters

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S P O RT SSUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014

MADRID: Getafe’s Alexis (right) duels for the ball with Barcelona’s Lionel Messi during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Getafe andBarcelona, at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez stadium. —AP

MADRID: Barcelona’s La Liga title hopes suffereda blow as they fell four points behind leadersReal Madrid after being held to a disappointing0-0 draw at Getafe yesterday.

In a bitty first half at the Coliseum AlfonsoPerez the visitors were indebted to goalkeeperClaudio Bravo, who kept his side on level termswith a top-drawer save from an Angel Lafitaeffort.

Barca improved after the break and piled onthe pressure, yet were unable to find a way pastVicente Guaita with Lionel Messi striking the barfrom a free-kick and some resolute defendingfrom the Getafe back line. “The draw isn’t a greatresult, but the side came into the game with apositive dynamic and we have to carry on thatway. There’s still a long way to go in the league,but admittedly it ’s a step backwards,” saidBarcelona captain Xavi Hernandez.

“It is a game we can normally get a result in,but we couldn’t make the breakthrough.Defensively they were really strong, we had fourchances and couldn’t take any of them.

“We’ve got a lot of goals in attack, but todayit just wouldn’t go in for us.” In a match playedout in unforgiving conditions, Barcelona desper-ately missed the attacking presence of Neymar,

who was absent through an ankle injury, andnotably lacked a cutting edge in the final third asthey were frustrated by the home side’s defence,who were able to limit the Blaugrana to fewclear-cut chances.

The Catalan outfit saw a couple of long-rangeefforts fly over from Luis Suarez and Ivan Rakitic,before Messi forced a block from Guaita in thehome side’s goal after combining well with theCroatia international as they sought to make thebreakthrough. Guaita could then only punch across as far as Pedro Rodriguez on the edge ofthe box, but the Spain international’s mishiteffort was turned just wide by Suarez, who is stilllooking for his first Liga goal.

Both sides then felt aggrieved not to beawarded a penalty within a minute of each otheras firstly Juan Valera appeared to handle the ballwhile on the ground as Messi looked to dribblepast him, before in the next attack Lafita’s crossstruck Dani Alves on the arm.

Referee Inaki Vicandi Garrido was unmovedon both occasions. As the half wore on Getafetook the initiative, and the home side wereunlucky to not go into the break leading afterLafita beat Alves and Pique on the edge of thebox, only to see a rasping drive somehow tipped

round the post by Claudio Bravo at full stretch.Barcelona came out for the second half with

more attacking intent, and went close to open-ing the scoring after Messi, who had beenbrought down by Emiliano Velazquez on theedge of the box, saw a free-kick clatter the cross-bar before Suarez fired wildly over from distance.

Guaita then kept out another Messi effort asthe pressure grew, with Xavi volleying just wideand Messi heading over when well positioned.

However, despite the introduction of AndresIniesta and Munir El Haddadi, they couldn’t findthe breakthrough as Getafe held on bravely for apoint.

On Friday, two late Cristiano Ronaldo goalshelped Real Madrid make it 20 consecutive vic-tories in all competitions as they saw off Almeria4-1 at the Estadio de los Juegos Mediterraneos.

First-half goals from Isco and Gareth Baleeither side of Verza’s stunning equaliser sentthe visitors in ahead at half-time, but theyneeded a big save from captain Iker Casillaswhen he parried Verza’s penalty on the hourmark. Ronaldo then sealed the win when heturned home crosses from Karim Benzema andDani Carvajal to take his La Liga tally to 25goals this season. —AFP

Barca slip up in title race

SWANSEA: Ben Davies admits he will haveto keep his emotions in check when hemakes his first return to Swansea asTottenham visit the Liberty Stadium today.

Davies joined Spurs during the closeseason for a fee of around £10 million ($15million) and is finally establishing himself inthe side after a slow start to his career atWhite Hart Lane.

The left-back knows it will be a shockgoing back to the club where he started hiscareer, but with Tottenham lying 10th inthe Premier League, two places behindSwansea and six points adrift of theChampions League, he is well aware therewill be no place for sentiment.

“I’d been at Swansea all my life beforemoving to Spurs so it’s the first time I’vebeen in this situation but it’s something I’mexcited about,” Davies said.

“I’ve not over-thought about it, but I amexcited. I know a lot of people there and itwill be a bit surreal. It’s a big day. “You haveto take the sentiment out of it. It ’s animportant game for us and we’d love to getthe win. Swansea are playing well but we’llbe looking at areas we can exploit. “It willbe tough but we’ve played well on the roadand hopefully that will continue. We’ll giveit our best shot.”

ADEBAYOR ABSENT AGAIN Tottenham’s Kyle Walker could start at

right-back after continuing his return froma nine-month injury lay-off in the 1-0Europa League defeat to Besiktas onThursday.

“I still feel a little rusty in my decisionmaking but that will come with time,”Walker said. “I’ve played 67 minutes, 90 andnow 75 for the first team so by the nextgame, if selected, I’ll be sharp and fully fit.“Everything feels perfect and I’m ready togo again for today.” Spurs will again bewithout striker Emmanuel Adebayor whohas returned to Togo to deal with a familyproblem.

Meanwhile, Swansea manager GarryMonk expects his side to deliver a positiveresponse following last Sunday’s 3-1 defeatat West Ham.

That loss was marked by the dismissal ofkeeper Lukasz Fabianski and with the Polesuspended, Gerhard Tremmel will come infor his first league start of the season.

“You have to be patient. It’s easier totrain hard and play than it is to train hardand not play,” Tremmel said. “But I’m at thestage of my career where I’ve seen manythings and been in far worse situations, so Iknow how to deal with it.”

Tremmel believes Swansea can takeadvantage of Spurs’ inconsistent start tothe season and he added: “Looking atSunday’s game, Tottenham are under pres-sure.

“I think they were looking to be in thetop five of the table but have obviously hada lot of changes in both staff and players.

“We want to respond from the West Hamgame and try to get another win. Our awayform isn’t the best right now, so we arepicking up most of our points at home.“That is important because before the NewYear I think we need as many points as pos-sible.” —AFP

Davies relishesSwansea reunion

English Premier LeagueMan United v Liverpool 16:30beIN SPORTS 1 HDbeIN SPORTS 11 HDSwansea v Tottenham 19:00beIN SPORTS 1 HDbeIN SPORTS 11 HD

Spanish LeagueEspanyol v Granada 14:00beIN SPORTS 2 HDSevilla v SD Eibar 19:00 beIN SPORTS 6 HDAtletico v Villarreal 21:00beIN SPORTS 2 HDSociedad v Bilbao 23:00 beIN SPORTS 6 HD

Italian LeagueJuventus v Sampdoria 14:30 beIN SPORTS 3 HDbeIN SPORTS 2 HDParma v Cagliari 17:00 beIN SPORTS 7 HDbeIN SPORTS 2 HDUdinese v Verona 17:00beIN SPORTS 6 HDGenoa v AS Roma 17:00 beIN SPORTS 3 HDCesena v Fiorentina 20:00 beIN SPORTS 3 HDAC Milan v Napoli 22:45 beIN SPORTS 3 HD

German LeagueBayer v Monchengladbach 17:30 beIN SPORTS 4 HDWolfsburg v Paderborn 19:30beIN SPORTS 4 HD

French LeagueNice v Saint Etienne 16:00 beIN SPORTS 5 HDLille v Toulouse 19:00beIN SPORTS 7 HDGuingamp v PSG 19:00 beIN SPORTS 5 HDMonaco v Marseille 23:00 beIN SPORTS 5 HD

Matches on TV (Local Timings)

LONDON: Manchester United andLiverpool will remind themselves what topbilling in the Premier League feels likewhen they lock horns for the 191st time atOld Trafford today.

Chelsea and Manchester City seem des-tined to duke it out for this season’s title,but contests between United and Liverpooloften serve to show why it is their rivalrythat remains the most enduring in Englishfootball. United’s run of five consecutivewins has seen them climb to third place inthe table, eight points behind league lead-ers Chelsea and five points below defend-ing champions City.

But although Liverpool are seven pointsback in ninth place, United manager Louisvan Gaal is aware that his side’s recentmomentum could collapse swiftly if theydo not approach Sunday’s game correctly.“I dream for Manchester City’s place orChelsea’s place,” the Dutchman told MUTV.

“Now we have to live match for matchand that is the most important thing. Wehave to beat Liverpool, which is moreimportant than thinking about City orChelsea.”He added: “Of course I am awareof the rivalry. Even on the (pre-season) tourof the United States, all my staff were say-ing that to me. “We have a cook whosename is Mike and when I don’t know aboutanything to do with United and rival clubs,he shall say it! He’s a big United fan and Ihear immediately from him.”

Liverpool completed a home-and-awaydouble on their last visit to Old Trafford inMarch, sweeping to a one-sided 3-0 win inwhich Steven Gerrard scored two penaltiesand saw a third come back off the post.

But it is United who are on the up now,with Monday’s slipshod 2-1 win atSouthampton leaving them six points andsix places better off than at this stage lastseason, when David Moyes was manager.

BALOTELLI BACK?Liverpool are nine points and seven

places worse off than they were this timelast year, and go into the game havingbeen eliminated from the ChampionsLeague following a 1-1 draw against Swisschampions Basel at a mournful Anfield onTuesday. “All you can do is affect what ishappening inside your club and on thetraining ground and work even harder toturn it around,” Liverpool manager BrendanRodgers told his pre-match press confer-ence. “If we can do that, then of course the

attitude changes. The only way you can dothat is by winning games and performingwell and that is our attitude to move for-ward for the rest of the season.”

The injury problems that have bedev-illed United since the start of the season arefinally clearing, with Angel di Maria, DaleyBlind, Luke Shaw and Chris Smalling theonly confirmed absentees for Sunday’smatch. Defenders Phil Jones and Rafael daSilva are both in contention to start aftertwo months on the sidelines with, respec-tively, shin and groin problems.

Robin van Persie, meanwhile, will begunning for his fourth goal in four gamesafter netting twice at Southampton.Rodgers has also received good news onthe injury front after Mario Balotellireturned to training. The Italy striker hasnot played since November 8 due to agroin injury that he sustained on interna-tional duty. Midfielder Adam Lallana is alsoexpected to be named in the match-daysquad despite having broken two ribs aweek ago, while centre-back Kolo Tourecould feature after missing the Basel gamewith a groin problem.

Former United captain Gary Nevillejoked that Sunday’s game would be akin toa pub league fixture after watching his oldside edge Southampton despite musteringonly three attempts on goal.

But with United scenting blood, OldTrafford sold out, and a guaranteed globaltelevision audience of millions, it promisesto crackle with all the electricity of previousencounters.—AFP

BERLIN: Bayern Munich underlined their status asBundesliga champions-in-waiting as yesterday’s 4-0 thrash-ing of Augsburg moved them 10 points clear at the top ofthe German league. With second-placed Wolfsburg playingPaderborn on Sunday, Bayern seized the chance to extendtheir lead at third-placed Augsburg and remain on coursefor a third straight title.

Bayern, who started with Thomas Mueller and MarioGoetze on the bench, can further hammer home theirsuperiority later this week when they host Freiburg onTuesday before travelling to face Mainz on Friday in theirlast league match of 2014.

“I am very, very proud, because I know how hard it is towin at Augsburg,” said Bayern coach Pep Guardiola. “Wewere much more aggressive and combined quicker in thesecond-half.

“Once again, I am surprised by the mentality of theseplayers, who have already won everything, but they alwaysjust want to win, win, win.”We have two more games nowthis week which we’ll try to win.”After a goalless first-half,Bayern burst into life after the interval as Arjen Robbennetted twice while Medhi Benatia and RobertLewandowski were also on target.

Centre-back Benatia headed his first Bayern goal on 58minutes, then Robben slotted his ninth in all competitionsjust two minutes later when he hit the top left-hand corner.

Poland striker Lewandowski claimed their third when hefired home a final pass from captain BastianSchweinsteiger on 68 minutes.

Robben added the fourth three minutes later asAugsburg’s defence capitulated. Despite qualifying for theChampions League’s last 16, Borussia Dortmund droppedback into the relegation places after slumping to a 1-0defeat at Hertha Berlin.

Dortmund’s ninth defeat in 15 league games-the mostin Germany’s top flight-saw them drop to 16th from 14thhaving started December at the bottom. To rub salt intothe wounds, Julian Schieber scored the first-half winneragainst his old club.

Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp swapped attacking mid-fielder Heinrikh Mkhitaryan for Poland’s JakobBlaszczkowski with 35 minutes gone, but the move back-fired.

Blaszczkowski lost possession in midfield, Norway’s PerSkjelbred pounced on the loose ball and fed Berlin strikerSchieber, who fired home on 40 minutes.

Only Hanover 96’s 3-3 draw at Werder Bremen prevent-ed Dortmund dropping to second from bottom. Spanishstriker Joselu scored twice for Hanover to claim four goalsin his last three league games.

Having scraped into the Champions League’s last 16with a 1-0 win at Slovenia’s Maribor on Wednesday, Schalke04 slumped to a 2-1 defeat at home to Cologne.

Nigeria striker Anthony Ujah scored his fourth goal infive league games just after the break before midfielderMatthias Lehmann netted a penalty.

Teenage replacement Leroy Sane scored his first goal forSchalke by way of consolation on only the 18-year-old’sfourth league appearance as Schalke dropped to sixth.

Hamburg were held to a goalless draw at Freiburg withboth teams just above the bottom three.

Today, fourth-placed Bayer Leverkusen host BorussiaMoenchengladbach with Lucien Favre’s side just one placebehind in the league table.

On Friday, Hoffenheim enoyed a 3-2 win at EintrachtFrankfurt to stay seventh and just outside the Europeanplaces for next season. —AFP

Preview

United and Liverpool reclaim centre-stage

LONDON: Manchester United’s Dutchmanager Louis van Gaal (right). —AP

Bayern thrashAugsburg

GERMANY: Augsburg’s Nikola Djurdjic from Serbia (foreground) and Bayern’s MehdiBenatia from Morocco challenge for the ball during the German First DivisionBundesliga soccer match. —AP

S P O RT SSUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014

Chelsea 16 12 3 1 36 13 39Man City 16 11 3 2 33 14 36Man Utd 15 8 4 3 26 17 28West Ham 16 8 4 4 27 19 28Southampton 16 8 2 6 25 13 26Arsenal 16 7 5 4 28 19 26Newcastle 16 6 5 5 18 22 23Swansea 15 6 4 5 20 17 22Liverpool 15 6 3 6 19 19 21Tottenham 15 6 3 6 18 21 21

Stoke 16 5 4 7 18 21 19Aston Villa 16 5 4 7 10 20 19Everton 15 4 6 5 24 23 18West Brom 16 4 5 7 15 20 17Sunderland 16 2 10 4 14 24 16Crystal Palace 16 3 6 7 19 24 15Burnley 16 3 6 7 11 24 15QPR 15 4 2 9 16 27 14Hull 16 2 7 7 15 23 13Leicester 16 2 4 10 15 27 10

EPL results/standingsArsenal 4 (Giroud 15, 58, Cazorla 54, 88-pen) Newcastle 1 (Perez 63); Burnley 1 (Barnes73) Southampton 0; Chelsea 2 (Hazard 7, Costa 68) Hull 0; Crystal Palace 1 (McArthur11) Stoke 1 (Crouch 13); Leicester 0 Manchester City 1 (Lampard 40); Sunderland 1(Gomez 22-pen) West Ham 1 (Downing 29); West Brom 1 (Gardner 72) Aston Villa 0.

Playing todayManchester Utd v Liverpool, Swansea v Tottenham

Playing tomorrowEverton v QPR

English Premier League table after yesterday’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goalsfor, goals against, points):

BIRMINGHAM: Leicester City’s Ghanaian striker Jeff Schlupp vies with AstonVilla’s Scottish defender Alan Hutton (right) during the EnglishPremier League football match. —AFP

WEST BROMWICH: Craig Gardner scoredagainst his former club as West BromwichAlbion ended a run of five winless PremierLeague games by beating 10-man Aston Villa1-0 yesterday.

Kieran Richardson, who was also playingagainst his old team, was sent off mid-waythrough the first half for a foul on StephaneSessegnon and Gardner made West Brom’snumerical advantage count with a 72nd-minutewinner.

His strike gave West Brom only their secondhome win over Villa in 13 attempts and liftedAlan Irvine’s side two places in the table to 14th;three points above the relegation places.

Paul Lambert’s Villa, who had won their previ-ous two matches and were unbeaten in five,slipped one place to 12th. West Brom, who againleft top scorer Saido Berahino on the bench,were first to threaten, with visiting goalkeeperBrad Guzan obliged to palm away a shot fromleft-back Sebastien Pocognoli. AshleyWestwood’s knee injury saw Richardson draftedinto Villa’s starting XI, but his return to TheHawthorns proved short-lived.

After over-running the ball, the formerManchester United midfielder slid in onSessegnon with his studs showing and wasshown a straight red card by referee Mike Dean.

West Brom finished the first half strongly,with Sessegnon forcing Guzan to save with hisfeet after Pocognoli beat Alan Hutton on the left

and crossed.Visiting manager Lambert stiffened his mid-

field at half-time by sending on the fit-againFabian Delph for Charles N’Zogbia, but WestBrom continued to dominate.

Silvestre Varela saw a well-struck volleyblocked, while the recalled Brown Ideye squan-dered two good chances, fluffing his lines fromJames Morrison’s cross and then blazing a centrefrom Varela over the bar. Irvine introducedBerahino with 20 minutes left and the recentEngland call-up made an immediate impact.

His cross from the right was not gathered byGuzan and following a scramble, the ballpopped up for Gardner-who began his career atVilla-to slam home the winner.

Christian Benteke had two chances toequalise, but he flicked the ball narrowly widefrom a Ciaran Clark header and then sliced off-target from Gabriel Agbonlahor’s chested lay-offin injury time. —AFP

Gardner returns to haunt Aston Villa

West Brom 1

Aston Villa 0

LONDON: Peter Crouch scored a quickequaliser for Stoke in a forgettable 1-1Premier League draw at Crystal Palace yes-terday.

The stalemate at Selhurst Park main-tained Stoke’s unbeaten run againstLondon clubs this season after wins againstArsenal, Tottenham and draws with QueensPark Rangers and West Ham.

For Stoke, the only switch from their 3-2defeat of Arsenal last weekend was forcedon boss Mark Hughes with injured MarcMuniesa replaced by Marc Wilson indefence.

Palace manager Neil Warnock fieldedthe same side that held Spurs to a goallessdraw last weekend. The frosty handshakebetween the two managers-Warnockadmitted this week they “don’t sendChristmas cards”-at the start set the tone

for an uninspiring contest.Palace took an 11th minute lead when

Yannick Bolasia sent in a cross from the leftto the centre of the box for JamesMcArthur to head over the keeper and intothe top right corner.

Seconds later Crouch had Stoke back onlevel terms. Bojan Krkic charged down theright before knocking the ball back for JonWalters.

He was unsuccessful with his attempt,but Crouch, who like Bojan was on thescoresheet last weekend, struck home onhis 600th league appearance.

Towards the end of the first half Palacehad appeals for a penalty turned downafter Wilfried Zaha’s shot appeared to hitErik Pieters’ arm.

Hughes was forced into an unscriptedchange of personnel shortly after therestart with Marko Arnautovic coming onfor the injured Bojan.

Only smart work from Stoke keeperAsmir Begovic denied McArthur his sec-ond.Palace then had injury problems oftheir own, with Jason Puncheon coming onfor Zaha, and with 10 minutes left, DwightGayle coming on for Marouane Chamakh.The game petered out to leave Palace onepoint off the relegation zone, with Stoke inmid-table. —AFP

Crouch earns Stoke a point

Crystal Palace 1

Stoke 1

LONDON: West Ham United’s captain Alex Song (left) vies for the ball withSunderland’s Lee Cattermole (right) during their English Premier League soccermatch at the Stadium of Light. —AP

Hammers holdSunderland

SUNDERLAND: West Ham consolidatedtheir surprise position in the PremierLeague’s top four as Stewart Downing sal-vaged a 1-1 draw at Sunderland yesterday.

Sam Allardyce’s side had climbed intothe Champions League places on the backof three successive victories and, althoughthat winning run came to an end at theStadium of Light, they stayed in fourth spotafter Downing cancelled out Jordi Gomez’spenalty for the hosts.

While West Ham head into the hecticChristmas period with dreams of a place inEurope, Sunderland are still looking anx-iously at the relegation zone after their10th draw of the season left them threepoints above the bottom three.

Allardyce’s men made a lively start andCarl Jenkinson forced a good save fromCostel Pantilimon when his close-rangeeffort was kept out by the Sunderland goal-keeper.

Diafra Sakho, back in the starting line-up in place of Enner Valencia, was next totest Pantilimon as the Hammers pressedhard for the opener.

But against the run of play Sunderlandtook the lead in the 22nd minute when ref-eree Phil Dowd ruled that James Tomkins’innocuous challenge on Adam Johnson

was worthy of a penalty.Allardyce was furious and launched a

touchline tirade at Dowd before Gomezadded to West Ham’s frustration by calmlyconverting the spot-kick. But Allardyce’sanger was eased seven minutes later asDowning equalised for the visitors.

The former Sunderland loanee was giv-en too much space on the edge of the areaand he took advantage with a low left-footshot that deflected past the wrong-footedPantilimon.

Jozy Altidore should have putSunderland back in front on the stroke ofhalf-time, but the American striker,unmarked just eight yards out, made amess of his attempt to finish SebastianLarsson’s cross and the ball bounced awayoff his knee.

Poyet’s side threatened early in the sec-ond half when Johnson had a fierce free-kick parried away by Adrian. AaronCresswell was slipped in behind theSunderland defence by Downing soonafter, but Pantilimon was quickly out toblock the West Ham left-back’s shot.

Having given Sunderland one dubiouspenalty, Dowd decided not to award amore convincing claim from the home sidewhen Winston Reid appeared to handle inthe area.

Sunderland striker Steven Fletcher thendrew a smart save from Adrian and theHammers keeper made an even better stopto tip over Connor Wickham’s rasping drive.

Carroll had a chance to silence thetaunts from Sunderland fans, who still dis-like the burly striker for his spell at localrivals Newcastle, but he fired narrowly widein the final moments. —AFP

Sunderland 1

West Ham 1

BURNLEY: Southampton slumped to theirfourth consecutive Premier League defeat yes-terday, missing a penalty in a 1-0 loss to strug-gling Burnley at Turf Moor.

Dusan Tadic saw his second-half penaltysaved by Tom Heaton before Ashley Barnes capi-talised on uncharacteristically sloppy Saintsdefending to net the only goal of the game inthe 73rd minute.

After a magnificent start to the campaign,Ronald Koeman’s Southampton have now lostfour games on the bounce for the first time sincethe opening four matches of their return to thePremier League last season. Despite the reverse,

they remain in fifth place in the table, whileBurnley climb out of the relegation zone for nowafter bouncing back from last weekend’s defeatat Queens Park Rangers, their only loss in sixgames.

Home manager Sean Dyche named anunchanged line-up despite the defeat at QPR,while Koeman welcomed back TobyAlderweireld in defence and, with MorganSchneiderlin still missing, handed a first PremierLeague start to 18-year-old midfielder JakeHesketh.

Hesketh’s day soon unravelled, however, ashe was booked for a late challenge on Burnley‘keeper Heaton before taking a knock and com-ing off injured after just 32 minutes.

The youngster was left in floods of tears onthe bench after being replaced by James Ward-Prowse, and without him Saints were unable toget back on track after successive losses againstArsenal, Manchester City and ManchesterUnited.

Making his 100th league appearance forBurnley, Danny Ings was a threat for the Clarets

in the first half, curling an early shot just wideand then seeing an effort blocked when a passto George Boyd may have been the preferableoption.

A largely scrappy first period gave way to amore dramatic second half under driving rain indeepest Lancashire, with the visitors beinghanded the chance to open the scoring on thehour mark when Ryan Bertrand was broughtdown inside the box.

Southampton had scored their previous 29penalties in the Premier League, but this timeHeaton dived the right way to deny Tadic.

Graziano Pelle then fired wide but the penal-ty proved to be the decisive moment of the day,and Burnley went on to claim only their thirdwin of the season when England internationalNathaniel Clyne lost the ball, allowing Barnes tocollect and beat goalkeeper Fraser Forster with ashot that deflected off Alderweireld.

Heaton then denied Jose Fonte and VictorWanyama missed the target with a stoppage-time header as Southampton were left with justone point from the last 15 available. —AFP

Barnes condemns Saints to fourth straight loss

Burnley 1

Southampton 0

BURNLEY: Burnley’s English manager Sean Dyche (right) looks on as Southampton’s English defender Ryan Bertrand (center) vies with Burnley’sEnglish striker Ashley Barnes (left) during the English Premier League football match. —AFP

16Lyon bowlsAussiesto victory overIndia

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 201418

Barca slip up in title race

United and Liverpool reclaim centre-stage Page 18

LONDON: Chelsea’s Gary Cahill (left) puts up a foot as he tackles Hull’s Sone Aluko for which he was shown a yellow card by referee Chris Foy, during their English Premier League soccer match. — AP

LONDON: Diego Costa struck his 12th goal of the sea-son as Chelsea maintained their three-point lead at thePremier League summit with a 2-0 victory over Hull Cityyesterday.

Eden Hazard put Jose Mourinho’s side ahead in theseventh minute at Stamford Bridge and Costa wrappedup the win shortly after Hull’s Tom Huddlestone hadbeen dismissed for an ugly challenge on Filipe Luis onthe hour. The victory helped Chelsea re-assert their sta-tus as league leaders after last weekend’s defeat at

Newcastle United, while defeat means Hull, who slippedto second-bottom, have now gone nine games withouta win. The mid-week Champions League victory overSporting Lisbon had helped Mourinho’s side put theNewcastle loss behind them. But having dropped fivepoints in their previous three league games, the meet-ing with Steve Bruce’s Hull had acquired added impor-tance for the home side. Hull’s preparations were dis-turbed by growing uncertainty over the future ofwinger Hatem Ben Arfa, on loan from Newcastle, whohas reportedly returned to his native France after fallingout of favour.

With confidence low, Hull’s initial aim was to estab-lish a foothold in the game and deny Chelsea thechance to assume early control.

Mourinho’s side, however, gave the visitors no timeto settle and after completely dominating the openingexchanges, the home side took the lead.

Hull were convinced John Mikel Obi had fouled SoneAluko in the build-up, but referee Chris Foy thoughtotherwise, allowing Nemanja Matic to pick out Oscar on

the left wing with a threaded pass.The Brazil playmaker moved the ball back inside onto

his right foot and, spotting Hazard’s run, delivered anaccurate cross towards the far post, where the Belgiuminternational finished with a downward header.

Hull’s problems continued to mount when, threeminutes later, centre-back Michael Dawson pulled upwith a hamstring problem and was replaced by AlexBruce. The visitors’ task was now even more daunting,but having established an early advantage, Chelseaappeared to ease off.

Willian and Oscar remained busy in midfield andBranislav Ivanovic supported well on the right flank, butthe home side’s display did not possess the sparkrequired to kill off the game. Hull attempted to forcetheir way back into the match, but lacked the quality tomake the most of the few half-chances that came theirway. Aluko was guilty of wasting their best first-halfopportunity when he was sent clear on the left side ofthe home penalty area by Nikica Jelavic in the 21stminute, only to slice his shot wide.

Despite the lack of opportunities at either end, thegame became increasingly fractious. Foy cautioned twoChelsea players-Willian and Costa-for diving andignored strong Hull complaints that Gary Cahill-whohad already been booked should have been shown asecond yellow for the same offence. Tempers eventuallyspilled over when Huddlestone launched into a studs-up challenge that caught Filipe Luis on the knee andearned the Hull midfielder a red card.

Now undermanned, it seemed only a matter of timebefore Hull’s defences were breached for a second time.And it took Chelsea just eight more minutes to find away through and put the game beyond the reach of thevisitors. Hazard was the creator this time, stretchingBruce’s side with a cross-field run before exchangingpasses with Ivanovic and playing a reverse ball thatpicked out Costa’s darting run. The striker has alreadyshown his strengths as a ruthless finisher this seasonand he gave Hull goalkeeper Allan McGregor no chancewith an angled, right-footed shot that crept inside thefar post. — AFP

Hazard, Costa keep Chelsea tickingChelsea 2

Hull 0

LEICESTER: Manchester City made it sevenstraight victories and kept the pressure onPremier League leaders Chelsea as FrankLampard’s first-half goal secured a 1-0 winat lowly Leicester City yesterday.

Manuel Pellegrini’s side were far fromtheir clinical best at the King PowerStadium, but the winner from formerChelsea midfielder Lampard ensured thechampions remain just three points behindhis old club.

There was a significant blow for Cityhowever as captain Vincent Kompany, whohad returned after a hamstring problem,was forced off with a recurrence of thesame injury.

To make matters worse, City-who werealready without Sergio Aguero due to aknee injury-lost another striker in the warm-up with Edin Dzeko pulling out to bereplaced by youngster Jose Angel Pozo. Itwas the bottom-of-the-table Leicester whohad started the better with EstebanCambiasso slicing off target after a drivingrun and Jamie Vardy having a shot deflectedwide off Eliaquim Mangala.

An audacious 35-yard free kick fromCambiasso came close to catching out Joe

Hart as Leicester dominated. It took until thehalf-hour mark for City’s first chance whenPozo shot straight at Ben Hamer from theedge of the area after David Silva’s free-kickhad only been half-cleared.

Moments later Hamer, in the side for theinjured Kasper Schmeichel, made a decentstop to keep out a Yaya Toure drive fromSilva’s pullback.

Pellegrini’s side were improving andwent on to take the lead in the 40th min-utes. A patient build-up resulted in SamirNasri crossing for Lampard to coolly flickhome from six yards out. It was the formerEngland international’s sixth goal in 13games since moving to Eastlands on loanfrom New York City.

City nearly made it two early in the sec-ond half when Silva’s flicked shot just missedthe target from Nasri’s cross. Vardy then hada penalty appeal waved away as he wentdown under a challenge from Mangala.Lampard was withdrawn on the hour to bereplaced by James Milner, while Leicestermanager Nigel Pearson took off JeffreySchlupp and sent on top scorer LeonardoUlloa in a bid to spark his team into life.

Pearson was given a good reception byLeicester’s supporters in the club’s first homegame since he had an angry confrontationwith one of his own fans at the end of the 3-1 defeat by Liverpool earlier this month. TheLeicester boss faces a possible touchline banafter being charged by the FootballAssociation over that incident, but the homefans were more concerned with trying towill their side to only their third league winof the season. — AFP

Lampard sinks LeicesterLeicester 0

Man City 1

LONDON: Olivier Giroud and SantiCazorla each scored twice asArsenal beat Newcastle United 4-1in the Premier League yesterday toease the pressure on long-servingmanager Arsene Wenger.

Wenger was verbally abused bya small group of fans followingArsenal’s 3-2 loss at Stoke City lastweekend, but he was serenaded bythe home support after his side putNewcastle to the sword at theEmirates Stadium. Newcastle weresecond-best from the first whistleand could have no complaintsabout the scoreline, which leftthem in seventh place in the table,three points behind sixth-placeArsenal. Arsenal’s injury woes havemounted to such an extent thatright-back Mathieu Debuchy waspressed into an emergency centre-back role against Alan Pardew’spreviously in-form side.

While Pardew crowned hisfourth anniversary at St James’ Park

with an impressive 2-1 win overChelsea last weekend, Wenger hadbegun to feel the heat from ele-ments of Arsenal’s fanbase. ButArsenal almost handed theirunder-fire manager an ideal startvia Per Mertesacker.

The German defender saw hiseighth-minute header fromCazorla’s corner rattle the crossbarand bounce to safety. But it wasnot long before Arsenal drew firstblood, as Giroud pounced in the15th minute. The Frenchmansprayed a pass wide to AlexisSanchez and then galloped intothe box, getting a run on DarylJanmaat in the process, to headhome the Chilean’s subsequentcross.

Barely two minutes later, thehome fans were on their feet whenDanny Welbeck found the bottomcorner, only for referee Lee Masonto penalise the England striker fortripping Janmaat in the build-up. Itwas all Arsenal, and Welbeck cameclose to adding a second goalwhen he saw his volley fromSanchez’s scooped pass fly justwide. However, for all Arsenal’sdominance, it took a fine doublesave from goalkeeper WojciechSzczensy to thwart Yoan Gouffranand Papiss Cisse in the 33rdminute.

That was a warning sign forArsenal, who were entitled to feelaggrieved after Mason awarded afree-kick rather than a penalty afterPaul Dummett tripped Sanchez onthe edge of his own area justbefore the interval.

Sanchez was proving a realnuisance for Newcastle and it was

no surprise to see him carve outCazorla’s 54th-minute goal. Theformer Barcelona forward playeda pass into the box from the leftand Cazorla eluded FabricioColoccini’s sprawling challengebefore elegantly chipping JakAlnwick to crown his 30th birth-day in style. — AFP

LONDON: Arsenal’s Mathieu Debuchy (right) competes for the ballwith Newcastle’s Papiss Cisse during the English Premier Leaguesoccer match. — AP

Arsenal back on track

Arsenal 4

Newcastle 1

BusinessSUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014

IMF looking to stave off

looming Ukraine default

Page 23

IMF’s chief ‘disappointed’

by US inaction on reforms

Page 25Mutawa Alkazi

Company launches

GAC vehicles

Page 26Job losses as 175 Australian govt agencies face scrap

Page 23

BRUSSELS: Tourists wander at the Grand Place in Brussels. — AP

BRUSSELS: Belgium risks coming to a virtualstandstill tomorrow as the biggest national strikefor years grounds all flights, halts public transportand severs international train links in protest atthe new government’s austerity policies. Thestrike, which is the climax of a union movementthat began last month with a huge march andviolent protests in Brussels, will also likely closeschools, businesses, factories and governmentoffices. Unions say there is “no choice” but to goahead with the strike after the right-of-centregovernment of Prime Minister Charles Michelpushed ahead with plans to save 11 billion euros($13.7 billion) over five years. French-speaking

Michel, who at 38 is Belgium’s youngest primeminister since 1840, heads a government coali-tion of three Flemish-speaking right-leaning par-ties and his own French-speaking liberals.

The formation of the government in October,five months after elections, was meant to bringsome calm to a nation deeply divided betweenthe richer Flanders and the poorer French-speak-ing Wallonia. But Belgian unions oppose a deci-sion by Michel’s coalition government to scrapplans for a usually automatic cost-of-living raisenext year. They also reject public sector cutbacksand plans to raise the retirement age from 65 to67 from 2030. The strike will affect not only

Brussels but also French-speaking towns likeLiege and Tournai as well as Flemish-speakingcities like the tourist hotspot of Bruges and theports of Antwerp and Ostend. The main unions-the Christian CSC, Socialist FGTB and the liberalGGSLB all speak of a “common front”.

‘Paralyze the country’Last month, a peaceful 100,000-person march

in Brussels ended in violent clashes that left 112police officers injured. Recent strikes andprotests echo others held in EU countries likeSpain, Greece and Italy to oppose governmentausterity policies. The last national strike in

Belgium was in 2012 against the government ofsocialist Prime Minister Elio di Rupo. Flights toand from Belgium will be grounded from lateSunday as air traffic controllers join the nation-wide strike. No planes are due to land at or takeoff from airports in Brussels, Charleroi, Liege,Antwerp and Ostend for 24 hours from 2100GMT today. Eurostar rail services from Brussels tothe British capital London and trains to theFrench capital Paris, Amsterdam in theNetherlands and German city of Cologne arealso likely to be halted.

Domestic underground train services, busesand tram services throughout the country are

also likely to be affected. Traffic on the country’shighways is set to be snarled as lorry driversunfurled banners in recent days reading: “Lorrydrivers, paralyze the country on December 15.”Picket lines organized by the three unions mayform outside state-run firms, schools, govern-ment offices and industrial zones. The strike isalso likely to affect post offices and rubbish col-lections, prisons and the courts. The magistrates’union on Friday expressed “its total solidarity”with the strikers. Public radio will likely reduceprogramming to music except for the occasionalnews bulletin. The unions may decide to takefurther action in the New Year. — AFP

Belgium braces for national strike chaos

Unions reject austerity and cutbacks

LONDON: Britain suffered air travel chaos onFriday-just as its peak Christmas season was get-ting under way-because of a computer failure atan air traffic control centre. Flights were unable totake off or land at some British airports during thebrief breakdown, which caused flow-on delaysand backlogs at airports around Europe. London’sHeathrow Airport-Europe’s busiest hub-said 50flights had to be cancelled. It warned passengersto check their flight status before setting off.

After more than an hour in which somedepartures were blocked and arrivals diverted,Britain’s NATS, the main air navigation service,said the system had been restored and flightswere returning to normal. The London airportssystem, including airports such as Gatwick,Stansted and Luton, is the busiest hub in theworld with around 135 million passengers a year.Other British airports were also affected, includ-ing Manchester, Edinburgh, Birmingham andLeeds. “Disruption on this scale is simply unac-ceptable and I have asked NATS for a full explana-tion of this evening’s incident,” transport ministerPatrick McLoughlin said. “I also want to knowwhat steps will be taken to prevent this happen-ing again.”

Brussels-based Eurocontrol, which reportedthe shut-down in London airspace, said a “mea-sured recovery” was under way. NATS had earliersaid that it was “restricting traffic volumes” follow-ing a technical problem at the state-of-the-art�700-million ($1-billion, 880-million-euro)Swanwick control centre near Portsmouth on thesouthern English coast. “It will take time for opera-tions across the UK to fully recover so passengersshould contact their airline for the status of theirflight,” NATS said. “We apologize for any delaysand the inconvenience this may have caused.”“We are investigating the cause of this fault.”

Air France said around 20 of its flights wereaffected, including one flight headed for Dublinwhich was forced to turn back to Paris. Two Iberiaflights that left Madrid for London also returnedto their departure point. British media reportedthat there had been a “radar display issue”.Aviation journalist David Learmount said thecomputer failure would cause “major disruption”but the situation should be back to normal onSaturday. “This impacts not just people withinthe UK, it impacts flights heading here from any-where,” he told the BBC. “Anything heading thisway will be told some of them can’t be accepted,and they will have to go back to where they flewfrom or consider diverting to other countries.”This is not the first time that a technical failure atSwanwick has caused travel chaos. Hundreds of

flights in Britain and Ireland were delayed or can-celled last year due to a similar problem.

At Heathrow, Susan Atkinson and her hus-band Michael Alcock, from Connecticut in theUnited States, anxiously awaited news on theirflight to Manchester in northwest England. Theywere heading to see relatives for the first time intwo years. “I just want to get home to see myfather and sister. I couldn’t make it last yearbecause of ill health,” Atkinson said. “Hopefullywe can fly tonight, we don’t have anyone to staywith here in London.” Her husband added: “Theword to describe how we’re feeling is disappoint-ed. “If the hours go by without anything chang-ing that could become more hostile feelings,especially since we don’t really know what isgoing on.” — AFP

WASHINGTON: US senators clashedFriday over a $1.1 trillion federal spend-ing bill, forcing lawmakers to approve anextension of funds to avoid a govern-ment shutdown as Republicans delayeda final vote on the must-pass legislation.Senate Majority Leader Harry Reidsought to move quickly on the spendingmeasure. He and others were eager towrap up deliberations and head homefor the holidays with government fund-ing intact. And President Barack Obamasaid he was “hopeful” the Senate wouldpass the bill and send it to his desk for hissignature.

Reid and Senate Minority LeaderMitch McConnell expressed hope that adeal would be reached for a final voteFriday on the bill funding nearly all feder-al operations through next September,which passed the House ofRepresentatives on Thursday. But conser-vatives, furious that the spending billfailed to roll back Obama’s recent unilat-eral immigration action to shield millionsfrom deportation, demanded an oppor-tunity to amend the measure. When Reidobjected, Republicans signaled theywould push a final vote to tomorrow orlater.

“If anybody has the gumption tostand up and object to this abuse ofprocess, they’re (accused of ) shutting thegovernment down? What planet are weon here?” an irate Republican Senator JeffSessions said. With government fundingset to expire midnight yesterday,Congress needs to pass another short-term patch. The House on Friday narrow-ly passed an extension until next

Wednesday, but amid the acrimony inthe Senate no extension deal was final-ized. If there is no agreement to extendfunding, the government could plungeinto shutdown.

“We are at the mercy of Republicanobjections,” a Senate Democratic leader-ship aide said.

The Senate is now scheduled to con-vene for a series of votes and to possiblyease the impasse. A Republican aide saidReid’s decision to hold votes on a handfulof controversial nominees, includingObama’s pick for US surgeon general, isalso causing Republicans to stall. InOctober 2013, a bitter budget clashbetween Republicans and Democratstriggered a 16-day government shut-down. Fueled by their anger overObama’s health care law, manyRepublicans refused to accept a budgetagreement unless it placed limitations onso-called Obamacare.

The shutdown cost 6.6 million in lostworkdays for furloughed federal workers,amounting to $2.0 billion in lost produc-tivity, the White House said in a report.Among the many results of the shut-down, Alaskan crab fisherman lost thou-sands of dollars a day as their seasoncould not open on time as governmentofficials were not able to set quota sizes.US National Parks which were closed dur-ing the shutdown lost $500 million in lostvisitor spending, the report said. And theshutdown forced the NASA space agencyand the National Institutes of Health tofurlough four out of five Nobel-prize win-ning researchers employed by the gov-ernment. — AFP

Computer failure sparks

flight chaos over Britain

LONDON: A man rests on seats in the departures lounge in the north terminal at GatwickAirport, south of London. — AFP

Deadline drama; US Senate

bickers over spending bill

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014

EXCHANGE RATES

Bahrain Exchange Company

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co.

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd

ASIAN COUNTRIESJapanese Yen 2.460Indian Rupees 4.724Pakistani Rupees 2.371Srilankan Rupees 2.220Nepali Rupees 2.959Singapore Dollar 223.660Hongkong Dollar 37.740Bangladesh Taka 3.741Philippine Peso 6.573Thai Baht 8.926Irani Riyal transfer 60.155Irani Riyal cash 118.945

GCC COUNTRIESSaudi Riyal 78.045Qatari Riyal 80.404Omani Riyal 760.460Bahraini Dinar 777.330UAE Dirham 79.703

ARAB COUNTRIESEgyptian Pound - Cash 40.536Egyptian Pound - Transfer 40.831Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.366Tunisian Dinar 158.560Jordanian Dinar 413.030Lebanese Lira/for 1000 1.963Syrian Lira 2.086Morocco Dirham 33.240

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIESUS Dollar Transfer 292.550Euro 363.640Sterling Pound 460.470Canadian dollar 256.620Turkish lira 129.230Swiss Franc 302.850Australian Dollar 244.570US Dollar Buying 291.350

GOLD20 gram 232.50010 gram 118.950

CURRENCY BUY SELLEurope

Belgian Franc 0.007614 0.008614British Pound 0.453428 0.462428Czech Korune 0.005218 0.017218Danish Krone 0.044969 0.049969Euro 0.359333 0.367333Norwegian Krone 0.036048 0.041248Romanian Leu 0.083870 0.083870Slovakia 0.008542 0.018542Swedish Krona 0.034831 0.039831Swiss Franc 0.297222 0.307422Turkish Lira 0.128307 0.135307

AustralasiaAustralian Dollar 0.233236 0.244736New Zealand Dollar 0.221380 0.230880

AmericaCanadian Dollar 0.247663 0.256163US Dollars 0.288300 0.293000US Dollars Mint 0.288800 0.293000

AsiaBangladesh Taka 0.003467 0.004067Chinese Yuan 0.046086 0.049586Hong Kong Dollar 0.035614 0.038364Indian Rupee 0.004615 0.005016Indonesian Rupiah 0.000020 0.000026Japanese Yen 0.002391 0.002571Kenyan Shilling 0.003264 0.003264Korean Won 0.000254 0.000269Malaysian Ringgit 0.080797 0.086797Nepalese Rupee 0.002988 0.003158Pakistan Rupee 0.002731 0.003011

Philippine Peso 0.006465 0.006745Sierra Leone 0.000065 0.000071Singapore Dollar 0.219927 0.225927South African Rand 0.019189 0.027689Sri Lankan Rupee 0.001872 0.002452Taiwan 0.009234 0.009414Thai Baht 0.008570 0.009120

ArabBahraini Dinar 0.769137 0.777137Egyptian Pound 0.038196 0.041296Iranian Riyal 0.000081 0.000082Iraqi Dinar 0.000201 0.000261Jordanian Dinar 0.408339 0.415839Kuwaiti Dinar 1.000000 1.000000Lebanese Pound 0.000143 0.000243Moroccan Dirhams 0.023924 0.047924Nigerian Naira 0.001185 0.001820Omani Riyal 0.753458 0.759138Qatar Riyal 0.079604 0.080817Saudi Riyal 0.077337 0.078037Syrian Pound 0.001733 0.001953Tunisian Dinar 0.154617 0.162617Turkish Lira 0.128307 0.135307UAE Dirhams 0.078628 0.079777Yemeni Riyal 0.001320 0.001400

UAE Exchange Centre WLL

COUNTRY SELL DRAFT SELL CASH Australian Dollar 229.17 226.17Canadian Dollar 258.98 259.88Swiss Franc 305.10 303.10Euro 364.41 365.41US Dollar 292.95 295.95Sterling Pound 460.65 463.65Japanese Yen 2.48 2.50Bangladesh Taka 3.748 4.018Indian Rupee 4.727 5.027Sri Lankan Rupee 2.220 2.655Nepali Rupee 2.950 3.485Pakistani Rupee 2.892 2.790UAE Dirhams 79.60 80.07Bahraini Dinar 777.51 779.58Egyptian Pound 40.85 41.45Jordanian Dinar 416.24 421.89Omani Riyal 759.70 767.00Qatari Riyal 80.67 81.22Saudi Riyal 78.03 78.43

Rate for Transfer Selling RateUS Dollar 291.750Canadian Dollar 260.085Sterling Pound 456.630Euro 366.500Swiss Frank 303.035Bahrain Dinar 775.760UAE Dirhams 79.330Qatari Riyals 80.935Saudi Riyals 77.975Jordanian Dinar 411.660Egyptian Pound 40.707Sri Lankan Rupees 2.225Indian Rupees 4.716Pakistani Rupees 2.867Bangladesh Taka 3.759Philippines Pesso 6.481Cyprus pound 715.865Japanese Yen 3.480

Syrian Pound 2.710Nepalese Rupees 3.945Malaysian Ringgit 87.645Chinese Yuan Renminbi 48.035Thai Bhat 9.885Turkish Lira 131.225

Al Mulla Exchange

Currency Transfer Rate (Per 1000)US Dollar 291.950Euro 364.150Pound Sterlng 460.300Canadian Dollar 256.950Indian Rupee 4.715Egyptian Pound 40.815Sri Lankan Rupee 2.215Bangladesh Taka 3.715Philippines Peso 6.554Pakistan Rupee 2.898Bahraini Dinar 777.350UAE Dirham 79.500Saudi Riyal 78.000*Rates are subject to change

B U S I N E S S

Interview questions

to help assess

candidate’s cultural fit

KUWAIT: Cultural fit has gained increased prominence among hiringmanagers recently. An assessment of the cultural fit allows a recruiterto go beneath the surface of a candidate’s experience, skills and quali-fications, to determine whether the candidate’s on-the-job behavior isconsistent with the values and expectations of the organization.According to the Bayt.com ‘Social Recruiting in the MENA’ poll,October 2014, 19.4% of employers look for candidates who will be agood cultural fit within their company. 82% of them research candi-dates online to know more about them before calling them in for aninterview.

In most cases, employers assess cultural fit using a series of behav-ioral questions during the job interview. While the questions dependon each organization’s unique culture, the experts at Bayt.com, theMiddle East’s leading job site, suggest the following interview ques-tions to help assess a candidate’s cultural fit:

Describe the work environment or culture in which you are mostproductive and happy?; What are the characteristics exhibited by thebest boss you have ever had?; Describe what you believe are the mosteffective roles that a good manager plays in his or her relationshipwith reporting staff members?; Do you have a best friend at work?;How do you feel about becoming friends with your coworkers?

What is the single most important factor that must be present inyour work environment for you to be happily employed? What is yourpreferred work style? Do you prefer working alone or as part of ateam? When you work with a team, describe the role that you aremost likely to play on the team? Provide an example of a time whenyou went out of your way and jumped through hoops to delight acustomer? Tell us about a decision you made that was based primarilyon customer needs and input?

In addition to being an opportunity to assess whether candidateshave the right skills, qualifications and experience needed to fill thejob opening, a job interviews is also a way to assess whether candi-dates will be able to fit in and contribute to the work culture in theorganization. In conducting interviews with prospective employees,the cultural fit assessment is critical. It is important that companiesschedule a cultural fit interview in addition to, and often before, themore traditional interviews to assess skills, experience, and potentialcontribution. A candidate who fits into your organization’s culture islikely to be more effective and create more value. — Bayt.com:

Bayt.com report

KUWAIT: The world’s favorite jeweler hasannounced one of the biggest promo-tions, Joyalukkas ‘Festival of a Million’ tocommemorate the year-end and onset ofa brand new year. This mega initiative willoffer shoppers the chance to win OneMillion in gift vouchers and 100,000 goldcoins against every purchase worth KD50at any Joyalukkas Jewelry showroom.

In addition to this, other attractiveoffers for consumers at Joyalukkasinclude, exchange old gold jewelry fornew and 10 percent cash-back on everypurchase of diamond and Polki Jewelry.This mega winning initiative will be oneof the most attractive bouquet of offersduring this period. “It’s the season of giv-ing and in addition to our special designsto mark the festive spirit, we are alsooffering a bouquet of winnings and excit-ing offers to reward our customers. Wehave planned a big mix of offers so thatthere is something for all types of jewelrybuyers,” said Joy Alukkas, Chairman & MD,Joyalukkas Group.

The ‘Joyalukkas Festival of Million’ willbe valid up to 31st January across allJoyalukkas showrooms. Under the

‘Season of Giving’ initiative Joyalukkaswill be offering specially designed pen-dants in diamonds, gold and pearl atattractive prices. The pendants are

designed to commemorate the festivespirit and come with a specially designedgift card. ‘Season of Giving’ collection isspecially designed as great gifting items

for the festive season. John Paul JoyAlukkas, Executive Director of JoyalukkasGroup, said, “Joyalukkas Festival of aMillion is a grand celebration of the year-end and the beginning of a brand newyear. We have had a great year thanks toour customers support and patronageand this is our gift back to them.”

The Festival of a Million promotionswas inaugurated by HE Sunil Jain,Ambassador of India to Kuwait, who alsounveiled the special Season of Givingproducts, in the presence of Joyalukkasrepresentatives and customers atPanasonic Tower, Kuwait City. Joyalukkaswil l also star t showcasing its 2015designs during the ‘Festival of a Million’campaign. The new collections includestunning designs from all over the worldmade of all types of precious jewelrywhich includes Gold, Diamonds, Polki,Precious Stones, Pearl and Platinum. Thewide range of collections have beendesigned by master craftsmen fromaround the world to ensure jewelrylovers get the choice and variety theyare seeking to add to their collection ofjewelry.

‘Festival of a Million’ at Joyalukkas

KUWAIT: The UAE economy is expected to remain modestlystrong over this year and the next at 2-3% year-on-year (y/y), inspite of constrained oil GDP growth, as the non-oil sector contin-ues to thrive on a booming tourism sector and on buoyant realestate and construction activity. Growth in oil GDP is expected tobe rather limited in the near-to-medium term, amidst lower globaldemand, an abundantly supplied global oil market and relativelylower oil prices. As a result, oil GDP growth is expected to contractin 2014 and 2015, and remain flat in 2016. However, non-oil GDPis set to grow at rates of 5-6% y/y, in 2015 and 2016. Growth in thissector will continue to be driven by the tourism and real estatesectors, especially in the run-up to the Dubai Expo 2020 event.

The Markit Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) continues toascend, pointing to strong levels of activity in the private non-oilsector. In October it soared to a new historic high of 61.2, under-pinned by strong domestic and external demand and a positiveeconomic outlook. The employment, new orders and outputindices were among the PMI components that also hit recordhighs in 4Q14. In a bid to meet the increases in new orders, thestronger demand for staff has been applying upward pressure onwages, which in turn pushed the staff cost index up to a new highas well.

Overheating real estateResidential property prices in Dubai have come off the worry-

ing highs seen in 4Q13 and 1Q14, against a backdrop of stringentregulation and greater housing supply. According to Asteco, a realestate services company, sales prices of apartments and villas inDubai were up 33% y/y and 22% y/y, respectively, in the thirdquarter of this year. Although still high, these rates are significantlylower than the appreciation rates witnessed in 4Q13, when apart-ments’ prices grew at a staggering 59% y/y and villa prices at 33%y/y.

The new and more stringent lending restrictions, a highertransaction fee and greater housing supply have so far kept moreexuberant property price rises at bay. With the local authoritiesvowing to remain proactive on the property regulation front, andfurther rises in housing supply on the horizon, especially in therun up to the Expo 2020 event, it is unlikely that we will see arepeat of the excessively high rates of sales price growth in thenear future.

The significant appreciation of asset prices, real estate andequity, has helped indebted companies (government-relatedentities in particular), repay parts of their debt ahead ofschedule, meet their repayment deadlines and/or renegotiatebetter terms for their debt. This has enabled companies toreallocate their resources towards launching new mega-pro-jects and/or bringing stalled projects back to the fore.

Consumer price inflation Headline inflation has been gradually rising since the end

of 2013, primarily due to a recovery and acceleration in hous-ing rent growth. The rise in residential property sales priceshas been gradually translating into higher rents. Overall CPIcame in at 3.1% y/y in October, whilst housing inflationlogged in a rate of 4.2% y/y. (Chart 3.) Housing rent inflationis expected to continue to trend upwards against a back dropof rising real estate activity and a strong economy. But infla-tion in this segment is expected to rise gradually at least overthe medium-term, thanks to increases in housing supply andthe stringent regulations put in place recently. The overall

inflation rate is expected to average at 2.5% in 2014 and 3.0%in 2015.

Fiscal surplus The UAE recently approved its 2015 budget, which is projected

to remain in surplus in spite of planned increases in public spend-ing and decreases in oil revenues, amid lower oil prices. About49% of the budget has been set aside for social developmentprojects, among other benefits for the UAE citizens. The fiscal bal-ance is projected to narrow slightly in 2014 to 11% of GDP, and to9-8% of GDP in 2015 and 2016, on the back of rising expenditurelevels and lower oil revenues. (Chart 5.) Both Dubai and AbuDhabi are set to maintain high levels of public spending. Dubai isexpected to accelerate its public spending as the Expo 2020 eventedges closer and as it pays off a sizable portion of its maturingdebt around the same period.

Whilst the recent drop in oil prices has raised alarm bells in theregion about the repercussions on the region’s fiscal balances, theUAE’s fiscal surplus is expected to remain resilient. The UAE’s diver-sified economy, abundant financial reserves, which make up a

staggering 260% of GDP, and relatively low breakeven oil price,which is currently below $70/bbl, will help keep the nation’s fiscalsurplus afloat. If the UAE is forced to undergo some public expen-diture reform, then we may see the start of cuts in subsidy levels(5% of GDP in 2013) and Abu Dhabi federal service levels (7% ofGDP in 2013).

Current account surplus The current account surplus is expected to narrow from about

15% of GDP in 2013 to around 14% of GDP in 2014, due to loweroil export revenues and higher import growth. The surplus isexpected to narrow further in 2015, to 13% of GDP beforeexpanding slightly in 2016, as lower oil export earnings and high-er imports are offset by stronger non-oil export earnings particu-larly in the tourism industry.

Bank credit growth Two key gauges of bank lending growth, loans & advances

and personal loans, have both been recovering since mid-2011. InSeptember growth in loans and advances jumped from 6.4% y/yin August to 7.8% y/y, while personal loans growth rose from 7.1%y/y to 7.9% y/y during the same period. Bank lending was ham-pered slightly at the end of 2013, after the local authorities rolledout more stringent measures to curb excessive lending. Some ofthese measures included reducing the lending limits on largeexposures and imposing new liquidity requirements and caps onmortgage lending.

Annual growth in the broad M2 money supply measure hasbeen slowing down since the start of this year. However, itremains at elevated rates, growing at 19% y/y in September.Interest rates have remained low: the UAE’s three-month and one-month interbank rates have remained below 1% so far in 2014.The UAE’s safe haven status (amid an otherwise rather unstableregion), improving corporate debt environment and resilienteconomy, have helped keep investor sentiments buoyant never-theless. The greater confidence is also reflected in the main creditdefault swaps, which continued to fall in 2014, pointing to lowerrisks in the economy. The CDS on five-year Dubai governmentdebt stood at 179 basis points at the end of November 2014. Thisis starkly lower than the 940 basis points we witnessed in Februaryof 2009, during the peak of the financial crisis in Dubai.

UAE economy resilient on robust non-oil sector

NBK ECONOMIC REPORT

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014

B U S I N E S S

SYDNEY: Australia’s government warnedof further job losses yesterday as mediareports said around 175 governmentagencies working in areas as diverse asAntarctic science and drought will bescrapped. The conservative administra-tion of Prime Minister Tony Abbott whichcame to power in September 2013 hasconsistently argued that governmenthad become too big and wasteful underthe previous Labor leadership.

It axed 76 agencies in the May budg-et, and has since sold off the nation’s

largest health insurer Medibank Privateamong other assets and is now planninga larger round of cuts. Finance MinisterMathias Cormann said the government’sdecision, expected to be formallyannounced on Monday as part of a mid-year economic outlook, would meanmore jobs would go. “If you reduce thenumber of government bodies, there willbe an impact on jobs across the publicservice,” he told Sky News yesterday.“What we will see is that as a result of ourreform efforts so far, that the size of the

public service will be back down to thesame level as what it was in 2007, 2008.We think that’s appropriate.”

The Weekend Australian reportedthat 138 government agencies will beabolished, including the VietnamVeterans Family Study ConsultativeForum, the Antarctic Science AdvisoryCommittee and a High-Level Group onDrought. Fifteen more-including theAustralian Government Solicitor-will beconsolidated into government depart-ments and a further 26 merged (result-

ing in the net reduction of 20 bodies),bringing the total loss to more than 170,the paper said.

“The goal is to ensure that the gov-ernment is as big as it needs to be but assmall as it can be,” Cormann told SkyNews.

Treasurer Joe Hockey is expected tounveil a blowout in the federal deficit inthe mid-year economic and fiscal out-look Monday, with some estimates of aAus$5 billion (US$4.1 billion) increase toAus$35 billion given sharp declines in

commodity prices and weakeningdemand from China. Opposition leaderBill Shorten said the abolition of scoresof agencies could further damage theeconomy and stifle confidence at a criti-cal juncture. “Australia’s at a crossroads.We are narrowly reliant on our mineralsales globally to sustain Australia-theprice of our minerals is falling,” he said.“The last thing Australia needs now if wewant to have growth in the future... is forTony Abbott to be killing jobs and killingconfidence.” —AFP

Job losses as 175 Australian govt agencies face scrap

MILAN: Demonstrators clash with anti riot Carabinieri during a march aspart of a general strike called by several trade union organizations toprotest against the government’s economic policy. —AFP

KIEV: The second-in-command atthe International Monetary Fundheads to Ukraine this weekend togauge whether its Western-backedleaders are committed enough tooverhauling their crippled economyto justify another financial lifeline.The Fund’s First Deputy ManagingDirector David Lipton-a White Houseveteran who spearheaded the USresponse to the 1998 Asian financialcrisis-will arrive in a war-scarrednation that stands helpless in theface of a looming debt default. Theformer Soviet republic of 45 millionhas already burned through $8.2 bil-lion (6.6 billion euros) in global aidissued since the February ouster of acorruption-stained president whosurvived off Russian support.

Those loans were part of a $27-billion international package thatincluded a $17.1-billion pledge fromthe Fund itself. The architects of thepackage had hoped to use it as anincentive for Ukraine to wean itselfoff Communist-era subsidies longabandoned by its smaller but nowfar-better-off neighbors in easternEurope. The Fund also wanted to seeloss-making state firms privatizedand graft that has permeated bothministries and local governmentscomprehensively punished insteadof being swept under the rug. Fewof those steps have yet been taken-although President PetroPoroshenko has promised to ram alean and market-friendly budgetthrough parliament by the end ofthe year. But the IMF fears this mayno longer be enough.

A matter of survivalThe Fund’s economists now

warn that Ukraine, which has beenall but cut off from trade with Russiaand whose industrial heartland hasbeen crippled by a pro-Kremlinrevolt, may grind to a standstillwithout another immediate pay-ment of $15 billion and additionaldebt relief. Ukrainian Prime MinisterArseniy Yatsenyuk on Thursdaycalled it a matter of the country’s“survival”. Concerned IMF and USofficials have been talking upPoroshenko’s potential as they try toconvince world powers to open uptheir purses for Ukraine once again.

Yet the Wall Street Journal reportsthat fears of recession in Europe andslowing growth in China mean theG7 group of most developedeconomies is only talking about a$4-billion short-term package. “It’snot going to be easy,” another per-son involved in the negotiationstold the Financial Times. “There’s notthat much money out there.”Ukraine has also appealed for $2 bil-lion in further help from theEuropean Union. No decision on

that request has been announced.

From bad to worseUkraine’s economic statistics

make for grim reading-even com-pared to Russia, which is shackledby Western sanctions and collapsingenergy prices. The economy is oncourse to contract by seven percentthis year and more still in 2015.Output in the separatist-controlledindustrial east-once responsible for16 percent of Ukraine’s gross

domestic product-has slowed by afifth and exports to Russia are downby a quarter. The Ukrainian currencyhas nearly halved in value againstthe dollar, falling from 8.24 hryvniasagainst the greenback at the start ofthe year to 15.76 hryvnias on Fridayevening.

And inflation is on track to reach20 percent for the year. These prob-lems may be compounded if Russiademands the early repayment of a$3-billion loan it gave the ousted

regime last year in return for itsrefusal to strike a landmark EU deal.Moscow reserves the right to insiston a payback should Ukraine’s debt-to-GDP ratio rise above 60 percent-acondition economists think hasalready been met. “This is all downto the radical deterioration in rela-tions with Russia and the militaryactivities in the (industrial) east,”Kiev’s Concorde Capital investmentbank analyst Oleksandr Parashchiysaid.

Shock therapyEconomists believe Poroshenko

has no choice but to absorb thefierce public resentment that willcome from slashing social benefitsand hiking prices on everythingfrom electricity to public transport.“The only question now is how thisis going to be done.

We are either looking at ‘shocktherapy’ or a more gradual sys-tem,” said Parashchiy. Analystsbel ieve that either approach

would satisfy Lipton and his IMFteam as they seek to keep Ukraineprogressing along its bumpy west-ward course. But they stress thepresident must present some ofsort of financial recovery blueprintthat can convince other globallenders to pitch in.

“The most important thing theIMF wants to see is a plan for clean-ing up state finances,” said OleksandrValchyshen of Investment CapitalUkraine. —AFP

IMF looking to stave off looming Ukraine defaultPoroshenko promises to ram lean, market-friendly budget

CRIMEA: A woman looks at a US President Barack Obama doll at a street market in Simferopol,Crimea. —AFP

Renzi’s reforms set to continue after protest

WASHINGTON: Ratings agency Fitch cutFrance’s credit grade by one notch to “AA”yesterday, saying Paris’s efforts to trim itsfiscal deficit have fallen short to avoid adowngrade. “The weak outlook for theFrench economy impairs the prospects forfiscal consolidation and stabilizing thepublic debt ratio,” Fitch said. The AAgrade-two steps below the top triple-A rat-ing-was decided despite France havingreduced its projected deficit for fiscal 2015to 4.1 percent of GDP, down from 4.3 per-cent, under pressure from the EuropeanCommission.

“On its own, this will not be sufficientto significantly change Fitch’s projectionsof France’s government debt dynamics,”the agency said. “The 2015 budgetinvolves a significant slippage against pri-or budget deficit targets.” It noted that thedraft 2015 budget projected governmentdebt to GDP ratio will peak at 98 percentin 2016, higher and later than previousprojections. But Fitch doubted those tar-gets could be met.

“Even under the official forecast, thecapacity of the public finances to absorbshocks has been significantly reduced,” itsaid. “Fitch expects the debt to GDP ratioto peak higher at close to 100 percent of

GDP, with a slower decline to 94.9 percentof GDP by the end of the decade.” Theagency said the outlook for the rating wasstable, envisaging no downgrade (orupgrade) in the next several months. But itsaid its own fiscal projections for the euro-zone’s second largest economy risk beingoveroptimistic in part “owing to the uncer-tain outlook for GDP growth and inflationin the near term.”

Secondly, it cited “increased uncertaintyover the government’s ability to deliver ona fiscal consolidation path.” “Reflectingthese concerns, Fitch’s medium-termgrowth forecasts are somewhat weakerand budget deficits wider than official pro-jections,” the agency added. FrenchFinance Minister Michel Sapin said inresponse to the downgrade that the gov-ernment was narrowing its budget gapwhile supporting growth. “In a difficulteconomic environment in Europe, the gov-ernment is sticking to its path... pursuingthe reforms necessary to strengthengrowth and make businesses more com-petitive,” he said in a statement. “The policyhas begun to produce results, with compa-nies benefiting from the initial effects oftax reductions, which will continue in thecoming years.” —AFP

Fitch downgrades France

KUWAIT: Burgan Bank announced that is hasrecently won again and for the second year, theprestigious “International Diamond Star forQuality” award from Business Initiative Directions(BID), a world- wide renowned organization thatrecognizes companies that implement and pro-mote a strong quality culture. The bank’s recogni-tion demonstrates its commitment to applyingthe highest quality control measures across itsoperations.

Burgan Bank’s success was announced duringthe International Star for Quality Convention,which took place in London, United Kingdom.Adrian Gostuski, Group Chief Operations Officerat Burgan Bank, said: “We are proud to have wonagain the ‘International Diamond Star for Quality’award from Business Initiative Directions. The

award signifies our overall approach of deliveringworld class processing solutions that meet ourcustomer’s financial demands, and further echoesour leadership in operations, service and quality.”

“This was not the first time that BID recog-nizes our commitment to quality that is driven byour ‘Excellence’ as a core value. The bank wasawarded with the ‘International Platinum Star forQuality’ award last year and earlier in 2008, thebank bagged the ‘International Gold Star forQuality’ award. Pinning down such awards con-secutively - from the gold to the diamond cate-gories - reflects the bank’s position in adoptinginternational quality standards across its opera-tions,” added Gostuski.

The awardees were selected by the interna-tional committee, which consisted of company

leaders from more than 90 countries who meetannually in London, Paris, New York, Frankfurtand Geneva. The selection of the ‘InternationalStar for Quality’ award is assessed across a num-ber of areas, namely: customer satisfaction,innovation, research & development, continu-ing education, post sales service, quality, ISO9001, environment recycling, business excel-lence, TQM implementation, profitability, per-manent growth, brand management, leader-ship, and management. Burgan Bank’s achieve-ment of the Diamond award this year furtherbuilds on its string of accolades, and is a clearindication of its constant perusal of excellencethrough embracing international quality stan-dards, a step that marks its strong positionacross the banking sector.

Burgan Bank wins ‘International Diamond Star for Quality’ award

Adrian Gostuski

ROME: Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’sambitious plans to transform Italyremained on track after a day of protestover his government’s economic policiessent tens of thousands onto the streets butfailed to deliver anything resembling aknockout blow. Labor unions said some40,000 people had turned up in Rome tovoice their opposition to Renzi’s labor mar-ket reforms, while many more had stayedaway from work across the country inresponse to their call for an eight-hourgeneral strike. But with the numberspounding the pavements down from pre-vious waves of demonstrations and thetone boisterous rather than explosivelyangry, all the signs were that Renzi hademerged unscathed from his latest toe-to-toe with the country’s once influentiallabor organizations.

The Rome demonstration was one ofaround 50 across Italy in what the unionsintended to be a show of anger over meas-ures Renzi has defended as necessary tostimulate the country’s moribund econo-my and remedy sickly public finances inline with euro-zone rules. “Today there hasbeen an extraordinary response fromworkers opposed to the Renzi govern-ment’s policies,” Maurizio Landini, one ofthe most best-known and most militant ofItaly’s union leaders, told a rally in thenorthern city of Genoa. “The piazzas arefull, not just here in Genoa but in all ofItaly.” Dozens of flights were cancelled orrescheduled and there was only a mini-mum or partial service on most forms ofpublic transport.

The focus of the protests was Renzi’s“Jobs Act,” which seeks to stimulate job cre-ation and new hiring by making it easierfor companies to lay employees off whilereducing severance rights in the initialyears of a worker’s contract. Unions alsodecry what they term as insufficient effortsto stimulate economic growth against abackdrop of record unemployment, whichfor 15-25 year-olds now stands at over 43percent. The strike and demonstrationswere scheduled weeks before Renzi suc-cessfully fast-tracked the new labor marketlegislation through parliament, leavingFriday’s events with a largely symbolic feel.The strike was called by Italy’s biggestunion grouping, the CGIL, and two smallerconfederations, the UIL and UGL.

The Catholic-linked CISL group of

unions, which is the second biggest bymembership, did not back the strike call,saying it would be counter-productive inthe current context of an economy inrecession for the third time in seven years.Although he is the leader of theDemocratic Party, partly rooted in Italy’sonce mighty Communist Party, Renzi hasbeen willing to take on the unions overtheir defense of what he sees as an archaiclabor market system. In a break with estab-lished tradition, he has also completelysidelined union leaders from discussionson the country’s economic direction.

Popularity hitThat has increased social tensions with

protests in October and November occa-sionally spilling over into violence. “Thegovernment has to choose between con-flict and dialogue,” Susanna Camusso, theSecretary General of the CGIL, warned onFriday. UIL leader Carmelo Barbagalloadded: “Today we have brought Italy to astandstill in order to start again in the rightdirection.” Renzi’s popularity has taken a hitover the last month as the debate over hisreforms has rumbled on with no sign of aturnaround in the economy. But he contin-ues to enjoy approval ratings most otherleaders would love to have and both pollsand anecdotal evidence suggest most vot-ers back the 39-year-old’s drive to shake-upItaly. At the end of October, when there wasstill a chance of blocking the Jobs Act, therewere hundreds rather than tens of thou-sands of protestors on the streets of Rome.

The Jobs Act is only the first stage of abroader program of reform for Renzi whichalso includes an overhaul of the country’ssnail-paced judicial system and electoralreform aimed at producing stable govern-ments with clear parliamentary majorities.Renzi has often derided the unions asdinosaurs operating in a world that nolonger exists, notably saying last month: “Ifthe unions want to negotiate (on economicpolicy), they should get themselves electedto parliament.” But in his only comment onFriday’s strike, he struck a more conciliatorytone. “The general strike is a moment ofprotest of great importance. We have a lotof respect for it even if I do not agree withthe reasons for it. Good work to those whoare working and good luck to those whodecide to strike,” Renzi said in a statementon Thursday. —AFP

B U S I N E S SSUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014

BAYAN WEEKLY MARKET REPORT

KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) ended last weekin the red zone. The Price Index closed at 6,463.76points, down by 4.61% from the week before closing,the Weighted Index decreased by 4.13% after closing at437.70 points, whereas the KSX-15 Index closed at1,061.90 points, down by 4.36%. Furthermore, lastweek’s average daily turnover increased by 14.25%,compared to the preceding week, reaching KD21.66million, whereas trading volume average was 159.28million shares, recording a decrease of 7.09%.

The stock market indicators declined steeply for thesecond consecutive week, in light of the continued sell-ing pressures control over the trading activity duringmost of the weekly sessions, and included selling oper-ations on most of the traded stocks, which negativelyaffected all the market indicators, to witness a strongdrop of more than 4%, ending the week in the red zoneon an annual level, for the first time during the currentyear. In addition, the stock market initiated its first ses-sions with a decrease to all of its indices, among anoticeable decline in the trading indicators, especiallythe value, in light of the selling operations that concen-trated on a number of large-cap stocks, mostly in theOil & Gas and Banks sectors, the most declined amongthe market sectors by the end of the session.

However, the three stock indicators continued itsdecline in the next session affected by the continuedselling pressures in controlling the trading activity,among an increase in the selling operations executedon the small-cap stocks, especially the listed stocks inthe Financial Services and Real Estate sectors, whichcaused the trading value to grow rapidly during thesession. On the mid-week session, the stock marketcontinued its decline affected by the strong drop of theGCC stock markets meanwhile, as the three stock indi-cators decreased noticeably, due to the selling pres-sures that included many stocks of all the market sec-tors, except for the Insurance and Health Care sectors.

Also, the stock market was able to rebound onWednesday’s session and the three stock indicators

were able to be redirected upward, among a strongpurchasing power concentrated on many large-capand small-cap stocks, especially in the Banking and theReal Estate sectors, however such rebound did not lastlong, as the stock market returned to its downwarddirection once again by the end of the week’s session,with very strong losses that caused the indices todecline steeply, especially the KSX-15 that returned toclose below the last year closing once again. For theannual performance, the price index ended last weekrecording 14.38% annual loss compared to its closingin 2013, while the weighted index decreased by 3.35%,and the KSX-15 recorded 0.61% loss.

Sectors’ IndicesAll of KSE’s sectors ended last week in the red zone,

except for one sector. The Insurance sector was theonly gainer, and ended last week with a 1.17% increasereaching 1,194.43 point. On the other hand, theFinancial Services sector headed the losers list as itsindex declined by 6.86% to end the week’s activity at833.43 point. The Oil & Gas sector was second on thelosers’ list, which index declined by 5.74%, closing at1,040.77 point, followed by the Banks sector, as itsindex closed at 1,000.69 point with a loss of 5.33%.

Sectors’ ActivityThe Financial Services sector dominated a total

trade volume of 377.41 million shares changing handsduring last week, representing 47.39% of the total mar-ket trading volume. The Real Estate sector was secondin terms of trading volume as the sector’s traded shareswere 20.27% of last week’s total trading volume, with atotal of 161.40 million shares. On the other hand, theBanks sector’s stocks were the highest traded in termsof value; with a turnover of KD58.74 million or 54.24%of last week’s total market trading value. The FinancialServices sector took the second place as the sector’slast week turnover was KD18.72 million represented17.29% of the total market trading value.

KSE ends in the red zone, down 4.61%

KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) updatedits Mobile Banking Application to introduce sever-al new features. The new features include anArabic version and several other enhancementsdesigned to cater to its wide and growing cus-tomer base. “NBK has always taken thelead when it comes to change. The newfeatures added to the Mobile BankingApplication reflect NBK’s commitment toproviding its customers with the best andmost up-to-date banking services,” saidMohammed Al Othman, NBK’s AssistantGeneral Manager, Consumer BankingGroup. “The new and enhanced applica-tion in Arabic offers customers with theadded convenience making electronicbanking easier”.

Al Othman added “Electronic servicesrepresent the future of consumer bank-ing services and NBK always endeavors toconsistently develop its services and products inorder to satisfy the growing financial needs of itscustomers”. NBK adopts the-state-of-the-art bank-ing technologies and standards with the objectiveof providing utmost convenience and ease to cus-tomers. NBK Mobile Banking application has

always been a reference point in light of the easeand convenience it offers to customers, not tomention that it is a free of charge service.

The new features introduced to this applicationinclude as well locators for Cash Deposit Machine,

promotion locators, participat-ing out lets in NBK Rewards pro-gram, augmented reality andmany other services andupdates. Checking balances,transferring funds, Credit Cardand phone bill payments, order-ing checkbooks, requesting aprinted account statement, ATMand branches locater are alsoprovided within the application.NBK’s free Mobile Banking appli-cation for Android, Apple andBlackBerry devices enables cus-tomers to easily and securely

manage their financials anytime, anywhere as longas they are connected to the internet. NBK cus-tomers can download NBK Mobile Banking onNBK.com or by logging into NBK Online. For assis-tance, customers can visit any of NBK’s branches orcall NBK Call Center at 1801801.

NBK introduces new features to its Mobile Banking Application

Advanced and innovative services

Mohammed Al Othman

SEOUL: South Korea’s central bank left its key interest rateunchanged at 2.0 percent for December and warned its forecast ofalmost four percent growth next year would be “difficult” maintain.The economy is recovering at a slower-than-expected pace, and theBank of Korea has revised its growth forecast for this year to 3.5 per-cent from 3.8 percent, following growth of three percent in 2013.The bank cut 0.25 percentage points off the rate in August and againin October. While export figures were solid, the BOK’s monetary poli-cy committee said domestic demand was alternating between posi-tive and negative territories.

The 2.0 percent rate matches a record low last seen fromFebruary 2009 through June 2010, when Asia’s fourth-largest econo-my was trying to recover from the global financial crisis. Signs ofslowing growth pose an increasing challenge to Seoul policymakers,with a weak yen hurting the price competitiveness of South Koreanfirms against Japanese rivals in overseas markets. Bank of KoreaGovernor Lee Ju-Yeol told journalists Thursday that the bank wouldstruggle to hold to its forecast of a 3.9 percent economic growthnext year which it issued two months earlier. “Having witnessedchanges over the past two months, I am afraid it would be difficultfor us to maintain the outlook of a 3.9 percent growth”, he said.

Europe’s economic struggles have turned out to be “much worse”than expected and the slowdown in China is “palpable”, he added.There have been calls for a further rate cut, but the BOK is concernedby a surge in household debt as people take advantage of the lowrate to take out mortgages. Household loans jumped by a monthlyrecord of 7.8 trillion won ($7.1 billion) in October alone, according tothe bank. Lee said the household debts were approaching the levelwhere they constrict consumption, adding that total householddebt is 1.6 times larger than total disposable incomes. — AFP

S Korea keeps key rate at 2%

B U S I N E S SSUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014

KUWAIT: Malabar Gold & Diamonds, oneof the leading jewelry retailers in theMiddle East reopened its expanded andrestyled outlet in Souk Al Watya, Kuwaiton 11 December 2014. This renovated &expanded outlet was jointly inauguratedby Indian Ambassador HE Sunil Jain andSri Lankan Acting Ambassador HEMuhammed Anas, in the presence ofShamlal Ahamed M P, Managing Director-International Operations, Malabar Gold &Diamonds; Afsal Khan, Zonal Head,Malabar Gold & Diamonds, other direc-tors, personalities from media and otherwell wishers of Malabar Gold & Diamonds.

Located at one of the busiest streets inKuwait, the showroom features a magnifi-cent and unique collection of gold, plat-inum and diamond jewelry in breathtak-ing designs, catering to the diverse tastesof their customers. The outlet is renovatedjust in time to welcome the festive seasonstarting this December and the expansionof the showroom is aimed at providing asuperior shopping experience to its ever

growing customer base.To celebrate this occasion, Malabar

Gold & Diamonds announced fabulousinaugural offers. For every purchase ofjewelry worth KWD 400, the customerscan avail a 1 gm gold coin free from 11 to14 December 2014. The outlet will alsotake part in their largest jewelry event,Malabar Gold & Diamonds Festival until31 January 2015. For every purchase ofgold jewelry above KD150, the customersget a ‘Scratch & Win’ coupon throughwhich they can win a guaranteed goldcoin or up to 100 gold coins instantly.With every diamond jewelry purchase,the customers get a ‘Scratch & Win’coupon for a guaranteed cash refund andget a chance to win up to 100% cashback.

The customers who buy diamond jew-elry worth KD150 or above are eligible toget both the coupons. To add customer’sdelight, the group also offers ‘ZeroDeduction Exchange’ scheme throughwhich customers can update their old

ornaments to the latest collection ofMalabar Gold & Diamonds without anyloss. Any 22 ct old gold ornaments can beexchanged with the latest Malabar Gold &Diamonds designs by paying only makingcharges ensuring they don’t lose any val-ue on the rate of gold.

Furthermore, 8 gm gold coins can bebought from their outlets with absolutelyno making charge during this period.Malabar Gold & Diamonds is always in theforefront when it comes to festivals andcelebrations. They have launched anexclusive collection in extravagant andopulent designs to make this festive sea-son memorable. This is in addition to theirbranded jewelry segment that has set anew trend in the jewelry design styles inthe international markets. Their brandedsegment includes Mine - DiamondsUnlimited, Era- Uncut Diamond Jewelry,Ethnix- Handcrafted Designer Jewelry,Divine - Indian Heritage Jewelry, Precia-Precious Gem Jewelry and Starlet - KidsJewelry.

Malabar Gold & Diamonds reopened its outlet in Souk Al Watya

WASHINGTON: International Monetary FundManaging Director Christine Lagarde saidFriday she was disappointed that the USCongress failed this week to ratify crucial IMFreforms supported by other major countries.She said the US inaction on the reforms,delayed now more than two years byWashington, would force the global crisislender to seek other ways to build its financialresources and modernize its voting structure.“The IMF’s membership has been calling on andwas expecting the United States to approve theIMF’s 2010 Quota and Governance Reforms byyear end,” Lagarde said in a statement.

“Adoption of the reforms remains critical tostrengthen the Fund’s credibility, legitimacy,and effectiveness, and to ensure it has suffi-cient permanent resources to meet its mem-bers’ needs.” “I have expressed my disappoint-ment to the US authorities and hope that theycontinue to work toward speedy ratification.”The IMF was left hanging this week after USlegislators failed to endorse the reforms in thefinal budget legislation of the year.

With the White House supportive of thereforms, the IMF had held out hopes that a rati-fication would be included in the huge budgetbil l that was passed late Thursday. ButRepublicans in Congress prevented the billfrom including Congressional endorsement.Washington officially supported the reforms in2010 when they were formulated. As the IMF’s

largest single shareholder by far, the US ratifica-tion is essential to get the necessary endorse-ment of 85 percent of the membership by vot-ing power. Lagarde earlier this year said IMFstaff were putting together options for a “PlanB” in case US ratification failed. She said Fridaythat the IMF would move in that directionbeginning next month.

“As requested by our membership, we willnow proceed to discuss alternative options foradvancing quota and governance reforms andensuring that the Fund has adequate resources,starting with an Executive Board meeting inJanuary 2015,” she said. Earlier Friday China, theworld’s second largest economy but with onlyfour percent of voting rights in the Fund-barelylarger than Italy’s-said it was “deeply disap-pointed” in the US inaction. The 2010 reformswould have increased China’s shareholdingslightly, while leaving the US, Europe and Japanthe dominant powers in the Fund.“Implementing the 2010 funding and gover-nance reform is crucial for maintaining thecredibility, effectiveness and legality of the IMF,”foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said.

US producer prices Meanwhile, a fal l in producer prices in

November showed US inflation is still in check,according to Labor Depar tment f iguresreleased Friday. While the main reason for the0.2 percent fall last month in the producer price

index was the steep drop in energy prices,wholesale goods excluding energy also fell forthe second straight month, by 0.1 percent.

Services, which showed a sharp monthlygain in October, rose a modest 0.1 percent inNovember. Year-on-year overall producer priceswere up 1.4 percent, the slowest rate of annualincrease since January. Analysts said the slowerprice gains ease pressure on the FederalReserve to move towards an early interest ratehike. The Fed, which wants inflation to pick upto around 2.0 percent, meets next week amidsigns of a pickup in economic growth and somespeculation it will raise its benchmark FedFunds rate off the zero floor earlier than theprojected mid-2015 period.

“Suffice it to say, inflation pressures remainvery modest in the US, although less so whenone excludes energy, which gives policymak-ers more wiggle room to hold back,” saidJennifer Lee of BMO Capital Markets. IanShepherdson of Pantheon Macroeconomicsthough said much could depend on the serv-ices indicator, which has risen against thegrain for three months and could be a sign ofa pickup in wages, an important inflation sig-nal for the Fed. “We see no inflation threatfrom goods prices, either domestic or import-ed, for the foreseeable future, but services willbe a different story if wages accelerate as weexpect over the next year,” he said in a clientnote.—Agencies

IMF’s Lagarde ‘disappointed’ by US inaction on reforms

US producer prices fall; inflation in checkRIO DE JANEIRO: Brazil’s state-run oilcompany Petroleo Brasileiro SA said itdelayed the release of its third-quarterfinancial results for a second time onFriday as a result of new developmentsin a widening corruption probe.Prosecutors on Thursday indicted execu-tives of some of the country’s largestengineering firms for allegedly skim-ming billions of dollars off overpricedcontracts with the oil giant in a kickbackand bribery scheme.

Petrobras had set Friday as a deadlinefor the release, but it said in a statement ithas until Jan. 15, 2015, to present theunaudited results without breakingcovenants. If broken, the covenants couldput some of the company’s debt intotechnical default, forcing early repay-ment. Petrobras first delayed the releaseof its third-quarter earnings last monthbecause of the expanding investigationinto bribery and money laundering. Asnew allegations surfaced, Petrobras’ audi-tor, PricewaterhouseCoopers, declined tocertify the company’s accounts.

The corruption accusations have rat-tled the company, which was amongthe world’s 10 largest by market valueonly six years ago and has seen itsstock-market value shrink to about $50billion from nearly $300 billion.Petrobras did, however, release limited

financial data that it said will not be hitby asset-price adjustments related tothe investigation. It did not release prof-it or loss information. The company maybe forced to write off up to 21 billionreais because of the scandal, invest-ment bank Morgan Stanley said Nov 19.Among the details it released was third-quarter unaudited net sales of 88.4 bil-lion reais ($33.4 billion), 14 percentmore than the 77.7 billion reais report-ed a year earlier. The scandal is puttingpressure on President Dilma Rousseff toremove top management. WhileRousseff chaired the Petrobras boardfrom 2003 to 2010 she has deniedknowledge of the scheme.

Opposition leaders on Friday calledfor the replacement of CEO Maria dasGraÁas Foster after newspaper ValorEconomico reported that she had beenwarned about inflated costs at refineryprojects from a former executive anddid not act. The newspaper saidPetrobras management not only failedto stop the misuse of funds but trans-ferred the executive, Venina Velosa daFonseca, to Singapore. Petrobras said ina statement that Fonseca’s complaintswere duly investigated. It said Fonsecawas fired last month for threatening todivulge alleged irregularities if she didnot get a management job. —Reuters

Petrobras delays results again as corruption scandal grows

KUWAIT: In November 2014, the totalvalue of real estate deals increased -realizing KD441.9 million from 758deals executed during 21 workingdays. The average deal value indicatorreached KD583,000. This increase isrelatively fostered by a significantdeal concluded at Al-AhmadiGovernorate in the Commercial sec-tor for an amount of KD92.6 million.Thus, the commercial sector’s share ofmarket liquidity leaped up to“30.3%”with a total value of KD134.1million from 19 deals.

On the other hand 626 deals wereimplemented in the Residential sec-tor for a total value of KD”189.3” mil-lion. In the Investment sector “109”deals only were concluded for anapproximately total amount of “117.5”million. Two deals were made in theCrafts and Coastal sectors. As for theother sectors this month witnessedno deals. According to this month’sdata, real estate market resumed itsactivity at normal levels without anyclear signs of being affected by thechanges in the global oil prices or theKuwait Stock Exchange Market fall-back. Moreover, 2014 broke therecords of 2007 by realizing KD “4.46”billion total value of real estate dealscompared to KD “4.45” billion in 2007.

In comparison with the correspon-ding months during the period (2007- 2014), November/2014 came the2nd after November/2007 in terms oftotal deals value indicator, while camethe 3rd in terms of the deals count.November/2014 is ranked the 1st interms of average deal value indicatorat an average of KD583,000 per deal.

Sectoral Monthly Performance Having perused the monthly per-

formance of different sectors in themarket, the residential sector is rankedthe 1st for the second consecutivemonth in terms of total real estatedeals value indicator realizing KD189.3million, and slightly increasedby”25.4%” on monthly basis com-pared to “21.3%” for November 2013.In addition, the total number of deals

in the residential sector increased to“626” deals realizing an increase of23.5% on both monthly and annualbases. The average monthly value ofdeals increased by 15% only reachingKD302.5,000 that is a decrease by 18%in comparison with November 2013.The residential sector’s share of totalmarket liquidity reached approxi-mately 42.8%.

The Commercial Sector came thesecond with “30.3%” of total marketliquidity and with a total value of

KD134.1 million increasing by 68.4%compared to last month. This sectorwitnessed approximately 4.5 times oftotal deals value of November 2013.This value has been reached from 19deals only. The deal average value isKD7 million which is 2.5% lesser com-pared to the average value lastmonth, while higher by “15%” of theaverage deals value for November2013.

As for the investment sector, itcame the third with a liquidity ofKD117.5 million only, dropping by19.2% on monthly basis and by 25.2%on annual basis. The total count ofdeals index in this sector declined by15.5% only on monthly basis and by17.4% on annual basis with a 109deals only. The average deals valueindicator reached about KD1.07 mil-lion only decreasing by 4.4% onmonthly basis and by 9.5% on annualbasis. As for the other sectors, two

deals were made in the Crafts sectorfor a total value of KD151,000 only.Two deals were carried out in theCoastal sector for a total value ofKD808,000 only. The Showrooms andWarehouse Sectors have not conclud-ed any deals this month.

Geographical MonthlyPerformance

Having perused the market per-formance on geographical basis,Ahmadi Governorate came the first inboth total trading value indicator (byKD229 million) and total count ofdeals indicator (447 deals).Meanwhile, Hawally Governoratecame in the second place in the totaldeals value indicator and the third inthe total number of deals indicator,then followed by the other gover-norates as shown in the tables below:

All in all, though there are notplain signs that the Kuwaiti real estatemarket is affected by the variations inoil prices yet, there are certain signswhich start to impact the investmentsector. The indicators dropped, conse-quently, for the second month, how-ever to decisively affirm that thesefallbacks are essentially attributableto the drop of oil prices, additionalresearch and thorough examinationwill be needed. It is expected that thecoming few months will witnessclearer and more obvious indicationsabout the performance of KuwaitReal Estate market and how far it iscorrelated to the international andlocal economic changes, which areoriginally based on changes in oilprices.

Kuwait Real Estate Market Total value of real estate deals rises

B U S I N E S S

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014

KUWAIT: In a formal ceremony held at theirShowroom in Tilal Complex, Shuwaikh, MutawaAlkazi Company celebrated the official launch of theGAC Brand in Kuwait. Senior statesmen and digni-taries from the Chinese Embassy, executives fromthe automotive industry and other trade sectorsattended the event. The Ceremony began at 6.30pm with ribbon cutting by: Yuan Xiaohua, DeputyGeneral Manager of GAC Motor; Cheng Yuli, theCharge D’Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Kuwait;Sulaiman Alkazi, Founder and Chairman ofMutawaAlkazi Company and Omar Alkazi, CEO ofMutawaAlkazi Company.

The Celebration continued with a recital from theHoly Quran, followed by a musical performance by ayoung Chinese violinist, His friends call himAbdullah, who at 10 years of age impressed theaudience by his performance and degree of mas-tery. The Master of Ceremonies, Hissa Al Loghanistarted the official ceremony with an introductionabout GAC Motor and their new partnership withMutawaAlkazi Company. Yuan Xiaohua, the DeputyGeneral Manager of GAC Motor, delivered the open-ing speech, in which he stated that the GAC Groupwas listed as 366th in the Fortune Global 500 in2014 (an annual ranking of the top 500 corporationsworldwide).

Yuan highlighted the Group’s major activities asautomotive research and development, productionand sale of vehicles, in addition to auto parts,finance, insurance, commercial logistics, supply andinvestment. He revealed detailed information aboutthe GAC Group, stating that during the year 2013,the Group achieved production and sales of one mil-lion automobiles with over 35 billion dollars salesincome. He also explained that GAC Motor is a whol-ly owned subsidiary of the GAC Group. In order toaccelerate the development of GAC Motor, theGroup has to date invested 10 billion Yuan (equiva-lent to 1.8 billion US dollars) in its world-class vehicleplant, engine plant and its global Research andDevelopment Center.

GAC Motor has successfully launched a series ofdifferent car models such as the GA 5, GS5, GA3, andGA3S. In it’s first year of sales, the GAC Motor brandachieved 17,000 units in sales in 2011 and reaching85,000 units in 2013. Estimated sales of cars couldreach120,000 in 2014. GAC Motor plans to invest 34billion Yuan (US$6.5 billion) in the promotion of 20new car models over the next five years, includingelectric powered cars. It is estimated that total saleswill reach 500,000 cars in 2017 and one million vehi-cles by 2020.

In January 2014, GAC Motor unveiled its newglobal strategy for development under the theme of“development and work, a comprehensive frame-work, step by step development and major break-throughs”. GAC Motor is capitalizing on key marketsto develop peripheral regions. According to GACMotor’s strategic scheme of priorities on a globallevel, there is great potential for the development ofthe Middle East market. MutawaAlkazi Company isthe first international Distributor and partner of GACMotor.

GAC Motor has begun as a medium and high-end brand category, to occupy its position throughthe use of high-quality global resources, and its per-manent presence in the field of development. It cre-ated the brand according to international standardsin the field of safety, superior quality and outstand-ing performance. Yuan concluded his speech bygreeting the audience and the ExecutiveManagement of MutawaAlkazi Company. A docu-mentary film was introduced, showing the compa-ny’s advanced capabilities and the philosophy itbelieves in and adopts. The film also reviewed thecars produced by the company in detail, namelyGA5, GS5, GA3, and GA3S.

The next speech was delivered by Omar Alkazi,Chief Executive Officer of MutawaAlkazi Company,who started by greeting the audience and with par-ticular praise for the Company’s employees, whomhe considered the true heroes and the Company’smost important asset. He then spoke about the

steps taken by the Company and the circumstancessurrounding the agreement of cooperation betweenMutawaAlkazi Company and GAC Motor. He high-lighted that the GAC Motor brand has great futurepotential, which has stemmed from the Group’smany years of experience in automotive production.

The GAC Group also owns factories which pro-duces cars for major international car manufactur-ers, such as: Toyota, Mitsubishi, Honda, Fiat,Chrysler, and Hino. The GAC Group is known to havemore partnerships with major automakers fromaround the world than any other. He explained thatit was easy for a company that owns such produc-tion lines and enjoys such a vast experience in thisfield to produce its own brand of cars using compo-nents from top quality manufacturers from all overthe world, such as America, Japan, Sweden andCanada etc. Alkazi introduced the current modellineup of GAC vehicles available for sale in their twoShowrooms in Kuwait, being: The GA3 small sizesedan; The GA5 middle size sedan; The GS5 SUV

medium-sized car, which has enjoyed great successin the local market along the past few months sinceits introduction.

He also spoke about the new models which willbe introduced to the Kuwait market next year.TheGA6, a mid-size luxury sedan. Images of this excit-ing new vehicle were shown in the documentaryfilm about the company. GAC Motor will also intro-duce a smaller-sized SUV, planned to be the marketleader in its class. Alkazi stated that MutawaAlkaziCompany will continue to provide the best prod-ucts, and do its utmost to provide the highest lev-els of service to its valued customers, noting thatthe Company hadreceived many awards for achiev-ing ‘Number 1’ in Customer Satisfaction for bothSales and Service over the years. Omar thanked hisfather Sulaiman Alkazi, Founder and Chairman ofMutawa Alkazi Company, and stressed the roleplayed by him to support the company and toensure its success and ability to compete stronglyin the Kuwaiti market.

Mutawa Alkazi Company

launches GAC vehicles

KUWAIT: Gulf Bank held its Al Danah DailyDraws on December 7th, 2014, announcingthe names of its winners for the week ofNovember 30th to December 4th. The AlDanah daily draws include draws each work-ing day for two prizes of KD1000 per winner.The winners were: (Sunday 30/11): KhalidSaleh Sulaiman Al-Aftan, Bandar MuhannaFaleh Al-Enezi; (Monday 01/12): Sattam AhdiFahad Al-Marzouq, Abdullah Yousef HussainDashti; ( Tuesday 02/12): Ahmed IsmaelAbdullah Al-Banai, Adelah Ebrahim JassemMaarafi; (Wednesday 03/12): Rozbeh Zarei,Saad Kamel Sharif Al-Fadhly; ( Thursday04/12): Mahmoud Faisal MahmoudBehbahani, Haifa Sadaf Ali Hussain Al-Bahrani.

Gulf Bank’s Al Danah 2014 draw lineupincludes daily draws (2 winners per workingday each receive KD1000). The final Al Danahdraw for the Million Dinars will be held on 8January, 2015 whereby the Al DanahMillionaire will be announced alongside win-ners of KD50,000 and KD250,000. Al Danahallows customers to win cash prizes andsimultaneously encourages them to save.Each KD100 gives the customer 1 chance dai-ly which accumulates day by day. The more

money saved and the longer it is in theaccount, the more chances individuals standto win. Every Al Danah prize draws will auto-matically be deposited into the winner’saccount within two working days. Al Danahalso offers a number of unique servicesincluding the Al Danah Deposit Only ATMcard which helps account holders deposittheir money at their convenience; as well asthe Al Danah calculator to help customers cal-culate their chances of becoming an Al Danahwinner.

Gulf Bank’s Al Danah account is open toKuwaitis and all residents of Kuwait.Customers who open an account and/ ordeposit more will enter the draw within twodays. To take part in the Al Danah 2014upcoming yearly draw, customers must havean Al Danah account containing at least KD200. To be part of the Al Danah draws, cus-tomers can visit one of Gulf Bank’s 58 branch-es, transfer on line, or call the CustomerContact Center on 1805805 for assistance andguidance. Customers can also log on towww.e-gulfbank.com/aldanahwinners, tofind out more about Al Danah and who thewinners are.

NEW YORK: Republicans managed toinclude some rollbacks to the 2010Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform law inmajor legislation in Congress this week.Experts said the victories likely do notspell the end of the law, but they pre-dicted some narrow changes with bipar-tisan support could become law. Hereare some of the Dodd-Frank changesbank lobbyists, congressional aides, andpolitical observers say could have legsnext year:

Regional banksRegional banks want to change the

method US regulators use to determinewhich are considered big enough thattheir failure could threaten markets.Federal Reserve Governor Daniel Tarullohas said the threshold could be raised sothat fewer banks fall under this defini-tion, which brings tougher regulations.

Bankruptcy codeRegulators are accustomed to

unwinding small banks but grappledduring the crisis with numerous WallStreet banks on the verge of toppling.Dodd-Frank sought to solve this by cre-ating a program in which banks wouldgo through bankruptcy if possible. Ifnot, regulators would step in andrestructure them. Republicans think thisprocess too closely resembles a bailout,and bank lobbyists are seeking a changeto the bankruptcy code to make it morelikely failed institutions would beresolved that way.

Volcker ruleThe financial industr y has been

heartened by calls from regulators toe xe m p t m o re s m a l l b a n k s f ro m aproprietar y trading ban known asthe Volcker rule. Big and small banksalso are pushing for certain securi-t ies to be car ved out of the ru le,which also bars banks f rom someinvestments.

Consumer bureauRepublicans want to rein in the

Co n s u m e r Fi n a n c i a l Pro t e c t i o nBureau, which was created by Dodd-Fr a n k t o w a t c h o u t fo r f i n a n c i a lscams. There could be some conces-sions, such as assigning the bureauits own inspector general rather thanhaving it share a watchdog with theFed. But Democrats are likely to fightbigger changes, such as replacingthe bureau’s director with a biparti-san board or giving Congress controlover its funding.

Mortgage feesBank lobbyists also said Congress

might tweak some mortgage rulesc re a t e d u n d e r D o d d - Fr a n k . O n epotential change would be to adjustwhat fees count toward a consumerbureau rule known as the “ability torepay” requirement.

Commodities billsSeveral commodity-related Dodd-

Frank changes have already passedthe House with bipartisan support.One could give Wall Street more cer-tainty by requiring US regulators tobetter coordinate on a joint rule forcross-border swaps. — Reuters

KUWAIT: Dubai-based flydubai announcedthe addition of three new routes to itsgrowing network. Flights to Chennai,Hargeisa and Nejran will commence in thefirst quarter of 2015, further expanding thecarrier’s footprint to 89 destinations in 46countries. With the addition of Nejran, fly-dubai now operates to 12 cities in SaudiArabia. The carrier is the first to serveNejran with four weekly flights from theUAE from 10 January 2015. From 05 March2015, flydubai will become the first carrierto operate to Hargeisa, Somaliland fromDubai with four weekly flights. flydubai hasexpanded its network in Africa in 2014 to13 points served by 60 weekly flights.Chennai, flydubai’s eighth destination inIndia, will be served with three flights aweek from 31 March 2015, bringing thetotal number of weekly flights operated byflydubai to the market to 29.

Commenting on the new announce-ments, Hamad Obaidalla, Chief CommercialOfficer at flydubai, said: “2014 continues tobe a very busy year for flydubai. We haveannounced 26 new routes since Januaryand took delivery of eight new aircraft tosupport the phenomenal growth plans. We

are very excited about the untappedopportunities in the emerging African mar-kets, the progress the UAE has made on thebilateral front in India and the ongoingstrong ties with Saudi.” The new announcedroutes underline flydubai’s commitment toconnecting the UAE to previously under-served markets. The carrier has linkedDubai to 56 underserved destinations sinceit started its operations in 2009.

Sudhir Sreedharan, Senior Vice PresidentCommercial (GCC, Subcontinent, Africa) forflydubai, said: “We are committed to bring-ing flydubai’s high quality and reliable serv-ices to underserved markets like Hargeisaand Nejran, and giving passengers in moreestablished markets like Chennai moreoptions to travel to the UAE and beyondthrough Dubai’s aviation hub. We are surethat both our Economy Class and BusinessClass will exceed the passengers’ expecta-tions and live up to the Dubai brand weproudly carry in our name.” flydubai has abrand new fleet of 43 new Next-GenerationBoeing 737-800 aircraft and operates morethan 1,200 flights a week across the MiddleEast, GCC, Africa, Caucasus, Central Asia,Europe and the Indian Subcontinent.

Network expanded to 89 destinations in 46 countries

flydubai adds

3 new routes

Kalyan Jewelers enters Kuwait with 3 signature showrooms

Brand Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan to flag off Kuwait forayKUWAIT: Kalyan Jewelers, one of India’s most trusted jewelrybrands, has announced its foray into Kuwait with the opening ofthree signature showrooms on December 26, 2014. The show-rooms will be located in Fahaheel, Al Rai Kuwait and Malia(Kuwait City). Amitabh Bachchan, a stalwart of Indian cinemaand the Brand Ambassador of Kalyan Jewelers will inauguratethe outlets, along with the other Ambassadors Manju Warrier(Malayalam film actress) and Prabhu Ganesan (Tamil film actor).

The Chairman of the group T S Kalyanaraman, and theExecutive Directors Rajesh Kalyanaraman and RameshKalyanaraman will also be present for the inauguration. At theinauguration of the stores, the three celebrities will jointlyaddress the members of the public from a specially erectedstage. Bachchan, Warrier and Ganesan will also grace a galaevening celebrating the entry into Kuwait as also surpassing ahistoric figure of 75 showrooms in the Kalyan Jewelers network.

The opening of Kalyan Jewelers showrooms in Kuwait is partof the company’s growth plans to expand its presence in GulfCooperation Council countries and is aimed at providing thebest jewelry buying experience for customers. The showrooms,curated in close partnership with designers and stylists will beoffering an exquisite and extensive collection of jewelry, withstunning designs.

Speaking on the occasion, TS Kalyanaraman, Chairman &Managing Director, Kalyan Jewelers said, “This is a momentousoccasion as the Kuwait launch coincides with a significant mile-

stone for the brand. With the launch in Kuwait, the total numberof showrooms will be 77 across West Asia and India. The Kuwaitmarket is sophisticated and our objective is to provide a widerange of designs that will fulfill distinct local tastes of customers,whilst also serving the needs of the significant expatriate popu-

lation. There has been a steady rise in the demand for exquisiteprecious jewelry across West Asia as a whole and we have ambi-tious plans for consolidating our position in Kuwait. This foray ispart of our ongoing commitment in expanding our customerreach through investments in new showrooms.”

With the three showrooms opening in Kuwait, KalyanJewellers will have 77 outlets spread across West Asia and Indiaincluding nine in the UAE. It will also add Qatar to its presenceshortly. By the end of fiscal 2015, Kalyan Jewellers is targeting100 showrooms. Kalyan Jewelers recently attracted a significantinvestment of USD 200 million from leading private equityinvestor Warburg Pincus. The investment is set to accelerate thegrowth plans of Kalyan Jewelers as it consolidates its leadingposition in the existing markets and enters global marketsincluding Singapore and Malaysia. Since the investment fromWarburg Pincus, Kalyan Jewelers has added over 15 showroomsto its network.

Kalyan Jewelers is one of the most trusted brands in Indiaand has developed a deep connect among its stakeholders withits brand promise of ‘Trust is Everything’. Kalyan Jewelers hasdeveloped a distinct image among consumers by smartly lever-aging its brand ambassadors. Kalyan was the first jewelry brandin the country to have a male as a brand ambassador, successful-ly defying the convention in jewelry marketing. Kalyan Jewelershas also invested in educational campaigns befriending the con-sumers with its insights and sharing of knowledge. AmitabhBachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan are the brand ambassa-dors of Kalyan Jewelers. The brand also has regional icons likePrabhu Ganesan, Nagarjuna, Shivaraj Kumar and Manju Warrierassociated with the brand. Kalyan Jewelers has been rankedamong Top 10 Trend Setting Brands in India (Pitch, 2013).

Wall Street hopes for targeted

Dodd-Frank rollbacks next year

Gulf Bank announces winners

of the Al Danah Daily Draws

t e c hnolo g ySUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014

DUBAI: The Middle East and Africa (MEA) PC market posted year-on-year growth in Q3 2014, spurred in large part by two significant edu-cation deals in Pakistan and the revival of the Egyptian market. Thelatest figures announced last week by International Data Corporation(IDC) show that the market expanded 2.1% in volume terms duringthe quarter to reach a total of 4.26 million units. As in the previousquarter, growth was seen across both the desktop and portable PCsegments.

IDC data shows that desktop shipments to MEA increased 3.6%year on year in Q3 2014 to total 1.73 million units, while shipments ofportable PCs were up 1.1% over the same period to total 2.53 millionunits. Vendors were seen shipping a growing volume of notebookscarrying Microsoft’s ‘Bing’ internet search solution to the region, butdespite being aggressively priced at around $300, there wasn’t muchdemand for these devices during the quarter.

“The market overcame ongoing instability in certain parts of theregion to maintain its state of growth in Q3 2014,” says Fouad RafiqCharakla, research manager for personal computing, systems, andinfrastructure solutions at IDC Middle East, Turkey, and Africa. “Forexample, the Nigerian market was hit hard by the outbreak of Ebola,while the war-like situation in Iraq greatly inhibited shipments to the‘Rest of the Middle East’ sub-region comprising Iran, Iraq, Syria,Yemen, Palestine, and Afghanistan.”

“Vendors also had to contend with a general slowdown in PCdemand across the region due to the growing popularity of tabletsand smartphones,” continues Charakla. “Indeed, an overall regionaldecline was only averted by the delivery of 150,000 notebooks intoPakistan’s education sector and the return of relative calm to Egypt,which saw these two countries become by far the fastest growingmarkets during the quarter.”

The three leading PC vendors in MEA remained unchanged fromthe previous quarter, and it is worth noting that these three vendorsare the only multinational players to have maintained a stronghold inthe region’s commercial segment. HP continued to lead in terms ofmarket share, posting year-on-year unit growth of 14.4% for the quar-ter. Second-placed Lenovo continued to benefit from strong con-sumer demand and was again the fastest growing major PC vendor inthe region, increasing its shipments 58.2% year on year. Third-rankedDell recorded 23.0% year-on-year growth, with one of the previouslymentioned education deals in Pakistan serving as a major driver forthe vendor.

“Looking to the future, IDC expects the MEA PC market to shrink2.0% overall in 2014,” says Charakla. “The market will remain close toflat over the coming five years, and may even experience some minordeclines, with demand for both desktops and portable PCs continuingto slow in many parts of the region. However, a number of underpen-

etrated MEA markets - including Egypt, Pakistan, Nigeria, and somesmaller African countries - will continue to experience growth, pre-venting the overall region from experiencing any significant declines.”

Middle East and Africa PC market reports steady growth

Fouad Charakla

ATLANTA: If you were naughty this year, youmight end up with something big and boring,like a vacuum cleaner. If you were good, youmight ask for one of these little high-techgems instead.

Yes, there is a digital projector that can fitinto a Christmas stocking. That, in itself, is anaccomplishment. It’s also a hearty performerfor its size.

The Asus S1 weighs less than a pound andhas a battery that can last up to three hours.That claim held up well during my tests, whichincluded hosting a children’s sleepover view-ing of “Frozen” on a large wall. I successfullyconnected an Android smartphone and anXbox 360 and used the S1 to project what’s onthose screens. The most fun came when Iplugged a small Roku Streaming Stick directlyinto the projector’s HDMI port. Within minutes,I was watching Netflix and playing “AngryBirds” on large walls throughout my house,with no power cords in sight.

The S1 has a nice built-in speaker, but I teth-ered it to a large portable speaker for movienight. Cogito Classic smartwatch ($180): Ifyou’re going to buy your loved one a nicewatch, it might as well talk to your phone.Right?

The Cogito Classic does just that, connect-ing to your phone via Bluetooth and alertingyou when text messages, social media updatesor phone calls come in. I often tuck my phonein a back pocket or backpack when I’m walk-ing around town or on assignment. With aquick glance at the Cogito, I can see who’s try-ing to reach me. I also get calendar alerts withsome details about upcoming meetings.

Unlike other smartwatches that require dai-ly recharge, the Cogito Classic uses standardwatch batteries that should last for months. Italso has traditional analog hands alongside adigital time display.

There are a lot of smartwatches, but theCogito Classic stands out by blending classichandsome styling and just enough smart noti-fications to keep you informed without over-burdening you with gobs of information toread.

The Sphero is a plastic ball full of smartelectronics and sensors. With a phone ortablet, you can make the ball spin, swim, chaseyour dog and even dance in response to com-pleting challenges. For the rugged outdoors,you’ll want to outfit the Sphero with a knobbyrubber cover, which is sold separately for $15.

The Sphero comes with a couple of jumpramps. It can quickly reach top speed and goflying off the jumps, or you can create yourown robot obstacle course out of ordinaryobjects. It is the smart round robot of choice.Intel Edison and Arduino Breakout Kit ($100):

The Edison is an Intel-chip Linux computerabout the size of an SD memory card. It hasWi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities built in, mak-ing it ripe for developing portable or wear-able devices, or just fun side projects.

NuForce Mobile Music Pump ($60):I tried a kit that included an Arduino

expansion board, which allowed me to pro-gram the Edison using both a Mac and aWindows computer. I connected the Edison tomy home Wi-Fi network and got a few lightsto blink in sequence. From there, I can incor-porate small speakers, proximity sensors andother small add-ons to flesh out the project ofmy choice. This kit and other Edison-relatedproducts are great for seasoned electronics orsoftware enthusiasts who like to brew theirown projects around the house. The onlineretailer SparkFun Electronics sells these kits,along with a multitude of Arduino-friendly

expansion devices.The amplifier in your smartphone likely

isn’t strong enough to drive high-qualityheadphones. That’s where a portable head-phone amplifier can be useful.

This matchbox-sized amp from NuForcepumped up the volume for me while retain-ing clarity and limiting distortion on severallarger, over-the-ear headphones I tried. Myheadphones plugged into the amp, and theamp plugged into my phone. My music sud-denly had more bass and more acousticrange.The NuForce MMP is a nice affordablecompanion for the audiophile on the go.MOSphone cables ($30 Lightning of Apple; $20Micro-USB for Android): The good news? Your

smartphone came with charging and syncingcables. The bad news? They don’t always lastvery long, given the daily use we put themthrough. Give the gift of durability with thesetough cables from MOS.

I tried the company’s Lightning cable forthe iPhone 5s and Micro-USB cable for aSamsung Galaxy S4. They’re better than thestandard, out-of-the-box cables thanks to aspring-relief sleeve where the cable meetsthe plug and a rugged woven sheath thatprotects the full length of the cable. They’resmartly finished with sleek, anodized alu-minum heads housing the connector ends. Ifcables can be sexy, these MOS cables aresexy. —AP

The Sphero robotic ball, in Decatur, Ga. The Sphero is con-trolled with an app on a smartphone and can roll, glow,spin, shake and dance, all under the direction of the user.

The NuForce MMP, a small headphone amplifier, in Decatur, Ga. The amplifier increasesthe volume of audio coming from small portable devices to optimize the performanceof high-quality headphones.

The Cogito Classic smart watch, in Decatur, Ga. The watch contains Bluetooth technolo-gy and can communicate with a smartphone to deliver social media notifications as wellas email and calendar alerts. — AP Photos

Small, smart stocking techie stuffers

The ASUS S1 digital projector, in Decatur, Ga. The projector has a built-in rechargable battery,HDMI input port and weighs less than a pound.

The MOS smartphone charging cables, in Decatur, Ga. The cables are reinforced with strong wovenmaterial along their length and anodized aluminum protection at the connector ends.

The Intel Edison, a small programmable computer the size of an SD memory card, seated onan electronics expansion board, in Decatur, Ga. The Edison has both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth tech-nology built in, as well as a full distribution of the Linux operating system.

NEW YORK: A new federally funded cell-phone app allows people who may havehad one too many to get an idea just howdrunk they are - and hail a ride home.

Users enter their sex, height, weight,and number of drinks consumed to helpfigure out their blood-alcohol level. Theyalso can play two interactive games totest reaction time and cognitive agility.And the app uses GPS technology to callcabs and pre-load phone numbers forpotential designated drivers.

The app, called ENDUI - pronounced“End DUI” - was announced Thursday bygovernment and police officials inMaryland. Funded by federal moneyreserved for drunken-driving educationefforts, the app is among several in ahandful of states to tackle drunken driv-ing - though Maryland’s is one of themost elaborate. “It’s unique,” said KaraMacek, a spokeswoman at the GovernorsHighway Safety Association, of the newapp, which was developed by theMaryland Highway Safety Office forabout $50,000. The app was funded bythe National Highway Traffic SafetyAdministration.

“I think states are starting to go thatroute because they’re trying to reachconsumers where they are and wherethey spend time, and everyone spendstime on their phone,” Macek said. “I thinkwe’re going to see more of that as we goforward.”

States with similar apps include NewYork, New Mexico, Colorado, andCalifornia, which launched its version twoweeks ago.

Like the other states, Maryland’s app isavailable for free on Android and iPhone.One of the games on the app involves

pressing a red “brake” button when animage of a pedestrian passes by or a carahead stops. The app says just how fast -or slow - users react and how much timetheir car would have needed to avoid acollision.

The other game shows nine road signsthat blink in different order; users try torecall the order, which gets increasinglychallenging with each round - with orwithout drinks.

“The game is meant to be a hook andpull you in,” said Tom Gianni, chief of theMaryland Highway Safety Office. “Thenit’s meant to give you a lesson of, ‘Seewhat can happen. Imagine if you werebehind the wheel.’”

A feature that estimates blood-alcohollevels has users enter their height andweight, and details about what kind andhow many drinks they have. For instance,the app estimates that a 130-poundwoman who just drank a glass of redwine would have a blood-alcohol level of.04 percent.

Though that’s under Maryland’s legallimit of .08 percent, the app warns that“driving ability is likely to be impaired.”“Get a cab or have someone that has notbeen drinking take you home,” the appadvises.

At nearly every step, the app warnsusers that no matter what the results, “dri-ving with any amount of alcohol in yoursystem may impair you and be illegal.”

Gianni called the driving-related fea-tures the most important for someonewho’s been drinking. “It kind of takes theguesswork out of a situation whereyou’ve had a few drinks and you’re notsure what to,” Gianni said. “This takes allthe brainwork out of it.” — AP

Too many drinks?New cellphone app

may tell you so

BOSTON: The Federal Bureau of Investigationhas warned US businesses to be on the alertfor a sophisticated Iranian hacking operationwhose targets include defense contractors,energy firms and educational institutions,according to a confidential agency document.

The operation is the same as one flaggedlast week by cyber security firm Cylance Inc astargeting critical infrastructure organizationsworldwide, cyber security experts said.Cylance has said it uncovered more than 50victims from what it dubbed OperationCleaver, in 16 countries, including the UnitedStates. The FBI’s confidential “Flash” report,seen by Reuters on Friday, provides technicaldetails about malicious software and tech-niques used in the attacks, along with adviceon thwarting the hackers. It asked businessesto contact the FBI if they believed they werevictims.

Cylance Chief Executive Stuart McClure saidthe FBI warning suggested that the Iranianhacking campaign may have been larger thanits own research revealed. “It underscores Iran’sdetermination and fixation on large-scalecompromise of critical infrastructure,” he said.

The FBI’s technical document said the hack-ers typically launch their attacks from two IPaddresses that are in Iran, but did not attributethe attacks to the Tehran government. Cylancehas said it believes Iran’s government is behind

the campaign, a claim Iran has vehementlydenied.

An FBI official did not provide furtherdetails, but said the agency routinely providesprivate industry with advisories to help it fendoff cyber threats.

The Pentagon and National SecurityAgency had no immediate comment. Tehranhas been substantially increasing investmentin its cyber capabilities since 2010, when itsnuclear program was hit by the Stuxnet com-puter virus, widely believed to have beenlaunched by the United States and Israel.Cyber security professionals who investigatecyber attacks said that they are seeing evi-dence that Iran’s investment is paying off.

“They are good and have a lot of talent inthe country,” said Dave Kennedy, CEO ofTrustedSEC LLC. “They are definitely a seriousthreat, no question.”

Iranian hackers are increasingly beingblamed for sophisticated cyberattacks.Bloomberg Businessweek on Thursday report-ed that Iranian hacker activists were responsi-ble for a devastating February 2014 attack oncasino operator Las Vegas Sands Corp, whichcrippled thousands of servers by wiping themwith destructive malware. It said the hackerssought to punish Sands CEO Sheldon Adelsonfor comments he made about detonating anuclear bomb in Iran. — Reuters

Iran hackers may target US energy, defense firms, FBI warns

H E A LT H & S C I E N C ESUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014

DAKAR: Sierra Leone plans to ban partiesand other festivities over the Christmas andNew Year’s holidays and to launch a “surge”to cut the risk of Ebola spreading further inthe West African country now with themost infections, officials said on Friday.Sierra Leone is struggling to reduce thespread of the viral hemorrhagic fever as thedeath toll in West Africa continues to rise,fueled in part by increasing infections inthe country.

Figures from the World HealthOrganization on Friday showed 6,583 peo-ple have died from the disease in threestates in West Africa - Guinea, Sierra Leoneand Liberia - out of 18,188 cases. “The gov-ernment is planning to keep peopleindoors during Christmas through BoxingDay and New Year,” said Jarrah Kawusu-Konte, a spokesman for Sierra Leone’s presi-dent. He told Reuters that the governmentwould deploy soldiers across the country toenforce the measure, which would includea ban on parties and other gatherings.“When you have parties, the risks are veryhigh. We are very anxious to break the chainof transmission through parties and gather-ings,” Kawusu-Konte said. He did not specifythe date when the ban would take effect.

Ebola response surgeIn addition to the ban on gatherings,

Sierra Leonean authorities are also plan-

ning what they have called a “surge” in theirresponse in and around the capitalFreetown, aimed at stemming the increas-ing rise of Ebola infections. For severalweeks, most of the new infections havebeen showing up in and around Freetown.At least more than five areas in the far westand far east of Freetown will be particularlytargeted where epidemiologists say sickpeople still refuse to report to treatmentcenters. Data published by WHO on Fridayshowed that there were some 8,086 casesin Sierra Leone, with nearly 1,900 deaths.

The monthlong surge, which will starton Wednesday, is aimed at strengtheningthe country’s response, especially in termsof tracing people who have contractedEbola, according to Palo Conteh, the headof Sierra Leone’s National Ebola ResponseCenter (NERC). “We want to get sick peopleout of their homes and take them to treat-ment centers, more of which we will beopening next week,” Conteh said inFreetown. NERC Coordinator StephenGaojia said there would be “door-to-door”visits as people were still dying at homebecause they were refusing to report tohealth facilities even when infected. Headded that 900 beds would be made avail-able to take in the sick in order to reducethe transmission rate in the western areaafter New Year’s Day and to ultimately stoptransmission of Ebola. —Reuters

Sierra Leone to ban Xmas parties to curb Ebola spread

NEWTOWN: A chalk board painted column is displayed at the center inNewtown, Conn. Founded after the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary shootings,the center offers the community mental and emotional health programsthat include art, music and play therapy. —AP

LIMA: UN climate talks went deepinto overtime on Friday as negotia-tors struggled to break a deadlockbetween rich and developingnations on the underpinnings of aworld carbon-cutting pact. A years-old dispute over sharing responsibil-ity for curbing greenhouse gases

saw the 12-day negotiations enter afamiliar phase of poker-like holdout,darkening prospects for the ambi-tious environmental accord. Hoursafter the scheduled close of the ses-sion, officials and ministers wereengaged in frantic haggling over adraft outlining a variety of countryapproaches-trying to whittle itdown to a consensus text. “We arealmost there. We need to make justa final effort,” Peruvian Environment

Minister Manuel Pulgar-Vidal plead-ed with negotiators. “We need totake political decisions.”

Countries disagree on how aprinciple called “differentiation” willapply in a process next year ofdeclaring national pledges for curb-ing Earth-warming fossil fuel emis-

sions. Developing nations insist theWest must bear a bigger burden forthe carbon cuts, having starteddecades earlier to pollute their wayto prosperity. But rich countriespoint the finger at developinggiants like China and India furiouslyburning coal to power their rapidgrowth.

Developing nations furtherdemand that pledges incorporatenot only action on reducing carbon

emissions, but also financial helpand adaptation aid to shore up theirclimate defenses. A format for thepledges must be agreed in thePeruvian capital to allow countriesto start their submissions from thefirst quarter of next year. They willbe at the core of a global climate

pact that nations have agreed tosign in Paris in December 2015, toenter into effect by 2020, seeking tolimit average global warming to twodegrees Celsius (3.6 degreesFahrenheit) over pre-IndustrialRevolution levels.

‘Crunch time’ Campaigners in Lima said they

feared a weak-willed compromise.“The latest text which countries are

working on has been stripped downto its bare bones to accommodatethe whims of the lowest commondenominator,” said Christian Aid’sMohamed Adow. “Right now we arefacing the prospect of being no fur-ther forward than we were when weleft last year’s meeting in Warsaw.”

Green group WWF, also observingthe annual negotiations round, saidthe new draft “contains a mixed bagof options.” “It’s crunch time for nego-tiators here in Lima and everything isstill up in the air,” WWF said. The goalof the pact was set down in Durbanin 2011, but negotiations on its scopeand scale have been a minefield.“Some key elements fell to the cut-ting room floor and are not in thetext at all,” Union of ConcernedScientists analyst Alden Meyer said ofthe latest draft. Dropped text includ-ed language on absolute, economy-wide mitigation targets for devel-oped countries.

The current range of options onkey points “go from weak or minimal,to barely acceptable, to OK,” saidMeyer. And he predicted differentia-tion would remain a tough issue,having been “pretty much scrubbedout of most of the text.” “That maynot be acceptable to some” develop-ing countries, he said. Another majorblocking point is whether or not tohave a process to assess the pledges’global impact on the two degreesgoal-with China a key opponent.Pope Francis also weighed in on thedebate, saying in a letter to Pulgar-Vidal that “time to find global solu-tions is running out.”“We can onlyfind adequate solutions if we acttogether,” the Pope said in a messageThursday.

There was a “moral imperative toact,” he said. Climate change “affects allof humanity, in particular the poorest,and future generations.” Scientists saytwo degree Celsius warming is rela-tively safe but still no guaranteeagainst damage to the climate sys-tem. On current carbon trends, theplanet is on course for around fourdegrees Celsius warming this century,dooming future generations to a plan-et of worsening drought, flood, stormand rising seas, they say.—AFP

UN climate talks run into overtime amid deadlock

With rich-poor split, as nations clash

LIMA: Activist depicting Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper (left), China’s President XiJinping (2nd left), Russia’s President Vladimir Putin (right), India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi(2nd right) and Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (center) demonstrate on the sidelines of theUN COP20 and CMP10 climate change conferences being held in Lima. —AFP

NEWTOWN: Anxiety, depression, guilt,sleeplessness, marital strife, drug and alcoholabuse - two years after the massacre atSandy Hook Elementary School, the scope ofthe psychological damage to children, par-ents and others is becoming clear, and theneed for treatment is likely to persist a longtime. “Here it is two years later, and it’s stillhard to deal with. But, God, you didn’t wantto know me two years ago,” said BethHegarty, a Sandy Hook mother who hap-pened to be inside the school that day withher three daughters, all of whom survived.Hegarty and her girls are among the thou-sands of people in this close-knit town of27,000 who have taken advantage of coun-seling and other programs made availablethrough millions in grants and donations.

With the second anniversary of the shoot-ing rampage approaching Sunday, agencieshave been working to set up a support sys-tem for the next 12 to 15 years, as theyoungest survivors approach adulthood.Mental health officials say the demand fortreatment is high, with many people report-ing substance abuse, relationship troubles,disorganization, depression, overthinking orinability to sleep, all related to the Dec. 14,2012, attack in which a young man killed 20children and six educators before commit-ting suicide.

And some of the problems are just nowcoming to the surface. “We’ve found theissues are more complex in the second year,”said Joseph Erardi, Newtown’s school super-intendent. “A lot of people were running onadrenaline the first year.” The Hegarty chil-dren have had trouble sleeping and difficultywith loud noises and crowds. Whenever theyleave the house, they look for places theycan hide in case something bad happens. InFebruary, a school counselor suggested thefamily seek help because one of the daugh-ters wasn’t paying attention in class; she wasstaring at the doorway.

Hegarty and her children have beenreceiving support from Newtown’s ResiliencyCenter, an organization formed after theshooting that has seen rising demand for itsofferings, which include art, music and playtherapy. Hegarty said the programs havehelped her become more “even-keeled.” “Iwas super reactive to everything. I would flyoff the handle on a whim. I was emotional. I

couldn’t handle crowds or loud noises,” saidHegarty, who took cover under a conferencetable during the shooting while the principaland psychologist she had been meeting withdied.

“For my girls, there is less running downthe hallway in the middle of the night andclimbing into my bed. They want to go moreplaces instead of staying at home all thetime.” Newtown has received about $15 mil-lion in grants from the US EducationDepartment and the US Justice Departmentto support its recovery. The Newtown-SandyHook Community Foundation, which over-sees the biggest pot of private donationsmade to Newtown, has about $4 million leftafter paying out more than $7 million to thefamilies of the 26 victims and other childrenwho were in the same classrooms but sur-vived.

Newtown Youth and Family Services, themain mental health agency, has quadrupledits counseling staff, adding 29 positions inthe months following the shootings,Executive Director Candice Bohr said. Shesaid the federal grant money that recentlycame through will help cover its costs.Jennifer Barahona, director of the foundationoverseeing the private dollars, said the grouphas been spending about $60,000 a monthon one-on-one counseling for people whohave no insurance or whose insurers won’tcover such treatment. She said more peopleare reaching out for help every day.

The Newtown school system is starting along-term program to teach young peoplefrom kindergarten through high school howto handle their feelings. It is also setting up amental health center at the middle school inJanuary to help those who were affected bythe tragedy while in elementary school.Teachers have been trained to identify stu-dents who might have mental health prob-lems. Melissa Brymer, director of terrorismand disaster programs at the UCLA-DukeNational Center for Child Traumatic Stress,has been consulting with Newtown to devel-op a plan to make sure the mental healthneeds are met for another 12 to 15 years.Hegarty said she struggles with survivorguilt, but the Resiliency Center has helpedher and her children. “Are we 100 percent?No,” she said. “But will we ever be 100 per-cent? We might not be.” —AP

Mental health problems emerging in Newtown

KANSAS CITY: A damaged cellphone andDNA evidence were used to connect a manaccused of raping and fatally burning awoman at a Wichita, Kansas, park to thecrime, affidavits released Friday show. Ajudge Friday ordered the release of the docu-ments used to support charges againstCornell McNeal after The Associated Press,The Wichita Eagle and broadcasters KWCH,KAKE and KSN argued that they are “pre-sumed to be open” under a new Kansas law.McNeal, 26, is jailed on a $1.25 million bondon charges that include one count of capitalmurder or an alternative count of first-degreemurder in the death of 36-year-old Letitia“Tish” Davis.

The mother of four suffered from burns onmore than half her body and cuts on herhead in the Nov. 14 attack and died Nov 22.McNeal’s attorney had sought to keep therecords closed. However, the media outlets

argued that the defense didn’t have a goodreason for the records to be sealed, asrequired under a

law that took effect in July. The new lawreversed one dating to the 1980s that closedthe records to the public unless otherwiseordered by a court to be unsealed. Lyndon WVix, an attorney for the five media outlets,said Judge Ben Burgess’ ruling “is consistentwith what the intent of the Legislature waswhen they passed this legislation.”

The affidavits provided only few newdetails. Among them were that authoritiesconnected McNeal to the attack throughforensic evidence obtained from a sexualassault examination and through a damagedflip phone found at the park. McNeal toldinvestigators that he got a lighter from awoman outside a bar in the area on the nightof the attack but denied having any contactwith a woman in the park. The documents

said firefighters went to the park near WichitaState University after a neighbor reported agrassfire. There, the firefighters found a nudeand bloody Davis. The affidavits say Davis toldfirefighters that someone she didn’t knowhad raped her, beaten her and set her on fire.

In objecting to the release of the records,McNeal’s defense said the state law providesgrounds for sealing affidavits if their disclo-sure would “endanger the life or physical safe-ty of any person.” The defense contends thesection applies because prosecutors couldseek the death penalty and because McNealcould become a target of other inmates.Prosecutors didn’t object to the release of therecords. Other courts have grappled with thenew law. A Douglas County judge agreed inNovember to release a redacted version of apreviously sealed probable cause affidavitafter the Lawrence Journal-World went tocourt.—AP

Records: Cellphone, DNA linked man to sex assault

MELIANDOU: A child grabs food from a woman in the Guinean village of Meliandou, some 400 miles (600kms) south-east of Conakry, Guinea, believed to be Ebola’s ground zero. —AP

H E A LT H & S C I E N C ESUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014

WASHINGTON: More women arelearning their breasts are so densethat it’s more difficult for mammo-grams to spot cancer. But newresearch suggests automaticallygiving them an extra test isn’t nec-essarily the solution. Screening isn’tthe only concern. Women whose

breast tissue is very dense have agreater risk of developing breastcancer than women whose breastscontain more fatty tissue. Laws in 19states require women to be told ifthey have dense breasts after amammogram, with Missouri’s andMassachusetts’ requirements taking

effect in January. Similar legislationhas been introduced in Congress.

What’s not clear is what awoman who’s told her breasts aredense should do next, if anything.Some of the laws suggest extrascreening may be in order. Not sofast, a team of scientists reported

Monday. They modeled what wouldhappen if women with densebreasts routinely received an ultra-sound exam after every mammo-gram, and calculated such a policywould cost a lot, in extra tests andfalse alarms, for a small benefit. Forevery 10,000 women who got sup-plemental screening between theages of 50 and 74, three to fourbreast cancer deaths would be pre-vented - but 3,500 cancer-freewomen would undergo needlessbiopsies, the study concluded.

“Not everybody with densebreasts is going to get cancer. Thereare people with dense breasts thatare not at high risk,” explainedstudy co-author Dr KarlaKerlikowske of the University ofCalifornia, San Francisco, who haslong studied density. Among thequestions: How to tell whichwomen really are at high risk, andhow to better examine that group.“We need to investigate alternativescreening strategies for womenwith dense breasts,” added epi-demiologist Brian Sprague of theUniversity of Vermont CancerCenter, who led the research pub-lished in the journal Annals ofInternal Medicine.

Topping that list: Scientists arebeginning to study if a newer tool,3-D mammograms, might getaround the density problem byessentially viewing breast tissuefrom more angles. Meanwhile,Sprague said his study could help

women consider the trade-offs asthey decide for themselveswhether to pursue an ultrasound.About 40 percent of women get-ting mammograms have densebreasts, either fairly widespreaddensity or extremely dense tissue.Fatty tissue appears dark on thebreast X-rays. Dense tissue - milk-producing and connective tissue -appears white. So do potentiallycancerous spots, meaning they canblend in.

Mammogram reports to doctorshave long included informationabout breast density. But it wasn’troutinely shared with women untilsome cancer survivors, outraged atnot knowing, began spurring statedisclosure laws starting inConnecticut in 2009. The advocacygroup that started the movementtracks the laws at http://www.arey-oudense.org. What’s a woman tomake of the information? Monday’sstudy “reaffirms that we don’t knowexactly what the right thing to do iswhen a woman has dense breasts,”said Dr Otis Brawley, chief medicalofficer for the American CancerSociety. Simply finding moretumors won’t necessarily save lives,cautioned Brawley, who worriesthat “we’re legislating somethingthat we don’t totally understand.”

The American College ofObstetricians and Gynecologistsdoesn’t recommend routine addi-tional testing in women who haveno symptoms or other risk factors.

UCSF’s Kerlikowske said the realissue in deciding whether anywoman needs extra screening -from an ultrasound to a moreexpensive MRI - is her overall risk ofbreast cancer. Her team helped cre-ate an online risk calculator -h t t p s : / / t o o l s . b c s c -scc.org/BC5yearRisk . Plug in age,breast density, if a close relative hadbreast cancer and a few otherdetails. Putting the risk in perspec-tive, the calculator compares thewoman’s chance of developingbreast cancer over the next fiveyears with that of an averagewoman the same age.

But to answer, you have to knowjust how dense your breasts are.Radiologists divide density levelsinto four categories: Almost com-pletely fatty, scattered areas of den-sity, fairly widespread density andthe less common extremely dense.There’s no standard way to meas-ure, cautioned the cancer society’sBrawley. And those mailed notifica-tions don’t always give thewoman’s category, even thoughthe cancer risk is highest forextremely dense tissue. Densitytends to decrease with age, so awoman’s risk will change over time,Kerlikowske said. It also can reflectsome other long-known risk fac-tors, she added. Someone who hadchildren very young probably willhave fattier breasts by mammogra-phy age than a woman whose firstbirth was in her 30s. —AP

Testing quandary for women with dense breasts

UTAH: St Vincent de Paul Spiritual Care Minister Pam Grant and Intermountain ChaplainRosemary Baron have a spiritual communion prayer for cancer patient Silvia Boldwyn and herfamily at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah. Upon check-in at hospitals, patientsindicate their religious or spiritual preference. Hospital chaplains and volunteers will connectpatients with their local congregation, religious group, or family members, provide for theirspiritual needs and give them a safe space to heal. —AP

WASHINGTON: Congress is taking some wholegrains off the school lunch line. A massive year-endspending bill recently doesn’t allow schools to optout of healthier school meal standards champi-oned by first lady Michelle Obama, as HouseRepublicans had sought. But it would ease stan-dards that require more whole grains in schoolfoods. The bill also would put off rules to makeschool meals less salty, suspending lower sodiumstandards that were supposed to go into effect in2017.

Some school nutrition directors have lobbiedfor a break from the standards, which have beenphased in since 2012, saying the rules have provento be costly and restrictive. Some kids don’t like themeals, either. House Republicans have said therules are an overreach, and have fought to easethem. As the debate escalated this summer,Michelle Obama said she would fight “to the bitterend” to make sure kids have good nutrition inschools. The White House did not have immediatecomment on the language in the spending bill.

Many schools have complained that the wholegrain standards are a challenge, especially whenpreparing popular pastas, biscuits and tortillas.Food service companies don’t have as manyoptions in the whole wheat varieties, and prepara-tion can be more difficult, especially with somewhole wheat pastas that can be mushy and hard tocook. The spending bill, expected to become lawbefore the end of the year, would allow schoolsthat can demonstrate they have had difficulty find-ing and affording acceptable whole grain productslike pastas and breads to be exempted from 2014standards requiring all grain products to be mostlywhole grain. Those schools would still have toabide by previous guidelines that half of their grainproducts be mostly whole grain.

The final language is a compromise between

the House’s attempt to allow schools to opt out ofthe standards for a year and a Senate provision thatcalled for more study on the whole grains issue.The changes for sodium standards are far off. The2012 standards already lowered salt levels in schoolmeals, with even lower sodium levels set to start intwo years. The bill says the government cannotrequire the 2017 levels “until the latest scientificresearch establishes the reduction is beneficial forchildren.”

In a statement after the bill was released,Alabama Rep. Robert Aderholt, the Republicanchairman of the House subcommittee that over-sees agriculture issues, said the whole grains waiveris “the best bill we that are going to get” withDemocrats still controlling the Senate. He

expressed optimism that the GOP may get more ofwhat it wants when the party controls both cham-bers next year. While many schools have imple-mented the new standards successfully, othershave said they’re not working. Schools have longbeen required to follow government nutrition rulesif they accept federal reimbursements for free andreduced-price meals for low-income students, butthe 2012 standards were much stricter than earlierstandards.

The congressional changes have been pushedby the School Nutrition Association, a group thatrepresents both school nutrition directors and thefood companies that produce many of the schoolfoods. While the group was looking for deeper roll-backs than included in the spending bill, the whole

grain and sodium standards were among its mainconcerns. The organization’s CEO, PatriciaMontague, issued a statement late Tuesday sayingthe group “strongly supports” the language. TheAgriculture Department has already shown someflexibility on the whole grain issue. It said earlierthis year that schools can put off for two years therequirement that all pastas in schools be mostlywhole grain if they can demonstrate that they havehad “significant challenges” in preparing the pasta.

Advocates for the healthier meal standards pre-dict there will be fewer problems over time as kidsget used to the new foods and the food industrycreates tastier and more numerous products thatfollow the standards. American Heart AssociationCEO Nancy Brown said the changes in the spend-ing bill could harm kids’ health, even if the bill does-n’t dismantle the school meals program. “IfCongress hits the pause button now on the sodiumreduction, it’s possible that more children coulddevelop high blood pressure and be at risk forheart disease or stroke before they even becomeadults,” Brown said in a statement.

The year-end spending bill won’t be the lasttime Congress takes on the school meal stan-dards, as the overall law governing child nutritionpolicy, including school lunches, expires next year.Both the House and the new Republican Senateare expected to consider changes to the mealstandards as part of legislation renewing the law.On other food issues, the spending bill wouldallow fresh white potatoes to be part of the feder-al Women, Infants and Children nutrition pro-gram. The Agriculture Department doesn’t cur-rently allow them, even though it allows otherfruits and vegetables, because it says peoplealready eat enough white potatoes. The programserves low-income children and pregnant andnursing mothers.—AP

US Congress relaxes whole

grain standards for schools

NASHVILLE: US President Barack Obama orders food at Mexican restaurant LaHacienda in Nashville after he spoke on his executive actions on immigration atthe Casa Azafran, a community center and home to a number of immigrant-related nonprofit organizations. —AFP

‘Eagle-face’ was

oldest horned

dino in America

MIAMI: Paleontologists working in Montanahave unearthed a skull from the oldesthorned dinosaur in North America, and it wasas small as a crow, study said. The newlynamed dinosaur, Aquilops americanus, whichmeans “American eagle face,” is closely relatedto its neoceratopsian cousins in Asia, said thestudy in the journal PLOS ONE. However,unlike its cousin the Triceratops, this creaturedid not actually have horns or a bony neckfrill. The 84-millimeter (3.3 inch) long skullfeatures a hooked beak and sharp, pointedcheeks.

The creature lived during the EarlyCretaceous Period some 108 million yearsago, making it 20 million years older than thenext known horned dinosaur in the area, saidthe study led by Andrew Farke from theRaymond M Alf Museum of Paleontology inCalifornia. “We were surprised that it wasmore closely related to Asian animals thanthose from North America,” said Farke. Thatsuggests some international migratory eventmay have occurred, but researchers are con-tinuing to pin down the possibilities of howthis may have happened. Farke said since onlyscattered teeth and skull bones have beenfound, paleontologists know little about howthis eagle-faced miniature dinosaur lived anddied. —AFP

W H AT ’ S ONSUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014

All photos submitted for What’s Onshould be minimum 200dpi.Articles must be in plain text andshould include name and phonenumbers. Articles and photos thatfail to meet these requirements willnot be published.

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What’s On - Submission Guidelines

Embassy of Ukraine

The Embassy of Ukraine in the State of Kuwait hasopened a twitter account (@UKRinKWT) to facili-tate communication with the public and media

on issues such as political, economic social and securi-ty. Further to that, it will also link up Ukrainian citizenswith activities of the mission among others. The officialtwitter account is: UKR Embassy in KWT @UKRinKWT.

The Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), anagency of the Department of Tourism and CommerceMarketing (DTCM), held a press conference in Kuwait

at the Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa, to announcethe line-up of events, activities and promotions at the mile-stone 20th edition of the Dubai Shopping Festival, whichwill run from January 1st to February 1st, 2015 under thetheme “A Journey of Celebrations.”

The special anniversary edition organized by DFRE is allset to be the biggest in the festival’s history, with a spectac-ular calendar of events that embraces DSF’s key pillars ofShopping, Entertainment and Winning. Media attendees tothe DSF press conference were invited to bring along theirchildren to the venue which was transformed into a DSF-themed carnival with plenty of fun activities that paid trib-ute to DSF’s position as the longest-running festival of itskind and the biggest family extravaganza in the world.

Speaking on the occasion, Laila Mohammed Suhail, CEOof DFRE said: “Celebrating the 20th edition is a hugeachievement for DSF. The festival’s long and rich history mir-rors Dubai’s journey of becoming an international shoppingdestination - with an incredibly diverse range of retail expe-riences from luxury malls to traditional souks to high streetshopping, luxury boutiques and unbeatable bargains.

“The GCC has always been a key market for Dubai andDSF mainly due to a combination of factors such as its geo-

graphical proximity and the fact that we share the samevalues and cultural backgrounds. Moreover, families - ourkey audience - constitute the bulk of the visitors from thisregion. Over the past two decades DSF with its family-friendly calendar of events has evolved from a shoppingfestival to become a truly inspiring time to experienceDubai as a family tourism destination, and we are confi-dent that the 20th anniversary edition will offer visitorseven more memorable and rewarding moments.”

Saeed Mohammed Mesam Al Falasi, Director, StrategicAlliances Division DFRE, made a presentation on the DSF20th edition that provided a glimpse of the exciting line-upof retail activations, entertainment and promotions.

The 20th anniversary edition’s calendar of eventsincludes a range of world-class shows such as the DSFConcerts series which will celebrate 20 years of DSF ingrand style by staging the biggest entertainment extrava-ganza in the history of the shopping festival. A series of 10concerts will be staged over the weekends of DSF and willfeature 20 of the biggest musical artists of the Arab world.

Other highlights include mega fireworks displays everyweekend that will add to the citywide illuminations aimedat creating a vibrant festival ambience, a series of celebrity-hosted pop-up shops, exciting stage shows including“MAMMA MIA!” the smash hit musical and the world pre-miere of “Smurfs Live on Stage”, as well as high-end fash-

ion events such as Abati and a second edition of the high-ly-successful Market OTB that will give shoppers the oppor-tunity to indulge in some unique retail therapy.

As always, mega raffles will offer visitors and residentsthe opportunity to win big including the Infiniti MegaRaffle which will offer two luxury Infiniti cars and AED

100,000 in cash every day to one lucky shopper for 32 daysof the festival. As a DSF 20th Anniversary Special, shoppersparticipating in the Infiniti Mega Raffle will also get thechance to win additional prizes worth over AED 2 million.Another amazing offer is the Gold and Jewellery MegaRaffle, which will give away a total of 100 kg of gold and 40carats of diamond during the 20th anniversary edition ofDSF - making it the largest-ever gold raffle to be held in theregion.

Other popular raffles will include the Nissan GrandRaffle, offering one lucky winner one Nissan car every dayfor the duration of the festival.

To commemorate the 20th edition, the Dubai Gold andJewellery Group in association with Dubai Festivals & Retailestablishment (DFRE), will also be manufacturing theworld’s longest handmade gold chain - a 5 kilometer(extendable to 8 kilometer) creation that will be made outof a minimum of 160 kilos of gold in a bid to set a newGuinness World Record.

Visitors can also prolong their holiday experiencebeyond DSF, as the city will once again go into celebrationmode in early February when DFRE organizes the secondedition of Dubai Food Festival aimed at showcasing Dubaias the gastronomy capital of the region. Dubai FoodFestival 2015 will be held from 6 - 28 February featuring anarray of food-related events and activities across the city.

Dubai Shopping Festival takes ‘Journey Of Celebrations’ to Kuwait

CONGRATULATIONS

Dr Ahmad Shukri Nazzal and Nayef Hamad celebrat-ed the wedding of their children Dina and Waleedon Thursday in the presence of family members and

friends. Abdellatif Sharaa and family wishes the new cou-ple all the best and may their life be filled with happinessand joy. Congratulations.

Dr Ahmad Nazzal, Waleed Nayef, Nayef Hamad

AOU honours

graduates of

2013/2014 class

Under the patronage of President of ArabOpen University Regents Prince Turkybin Talal bin Abdelaziz, Kuwait AOU

branch celebrated the graduation of 2013/2014class with a total number of 647 graduates.University President Prof Moudhi Al-Humoud,Kuwait Branch Rector Dr Nayef Al-Mutairi, andother dignitaries were present at the gradua-tion. Maha Islam Al-Sharaa was among thegraduates, and received congratulations fromfamily and friends in a festive atmosphere.

W H AT ’ S ONSUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014

Jahra hospital organises caring day for infantsJahra hospital organized a day on caring for infants and young children. The day focused on nutrition and proper means of hygiene. Sebamed was on hand with its unique products and specific children

creams and cleaning preparations that are soap free and highly recommended by doctors and health care professionals.

The training program “family academy for childrenmedicine”, that was organized by the DevelopmentalMedicine Society in cooperation with the consulta-

tions and training office at the College of Medicine con-cluded on Monday December 8, 2014.

Head of the Society Dr Hadeel Yaseen Al-Fares said, thisis the second course of the program after the success ofthe first program that was held in March.

The ceremony included the honoring of doctors wholectured and sponsors.

Dr Al-Faras said the program aims at increasing aware-ness and knowledge about children’s health, and correctthe wrong behavior by families, it also aimed at strength-ening communications between the medical staff andsociety.

Meanwhile, Dr Nahid Abdelrazaq Al-Ateeqi said the pro-gram included several medical lectures over five weeksabout children’s health and how to deal with common chil-dren illness. Dr Nahid said a selected group of doctors lec-tured in Arabic and ensured to benefit all.

Training program on ‘Family Academy for Children Medicine’

Sebamed was one of the sponsors of the marathon which was organised by Ahmed Al Kandary last week. Ayman Al Sharaa of Al Sanabel Al Thahabiyah, sole agents of Sebamed is seen receiving amemento from Al Kandary.

00:45 The Fighters01:35 How It’s Made02:00 How It’s Made02:25 How It’s Made02:50 How It’s Made03:15 How It’s Made03:40 How It’s Made04:05 How It’s Made04:30 How It’s Made05:00 How It’s Made05:30 How It’s Made06:00 Fast N’ Loud06:50 Philly Throttle07:40 Classic Car Rescue08:30 Gold Rush09:20 Gold Rush10:10 Alaskan Bush People11:00 Airplane Repo11:50 American Guns12:40 How It’s Made13:05 How It’s Made13:30 How It’s Made13:55 How It’s Made14:20 How It’s Made14:45 Game Of Pawns15:10 Container Wars15:35 Container Wars16:00 Container Wars16:25 Container Wars16:50 Garage Gold17:15 Garage Gold17:40 Garage Gold18:05 Garage Gold18:30 Garage Gold18:55 Troy19:45 Close-Up Kings20:35 Magic Of Science21:00 Magic Of Science21:25 Gold Rush22:15 Gold Rush23:05 Alaskan Bush People23:55 Dynamo: Top Ten Moments

05:50 Siba’s Table06:10 Have Cake, Will Travel06:35 Have Cake, Will Travel07:00 Tastiest Places ToChowdown07:25 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives07:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives08:15 Food Network Challenge09:05 Siba’s Table09:30 Have Cake, Will Travel09:55 Have Cake, Will Travel10:20 Siba’s Table10:45 Siba’s Table11:10 Siba’s Table11:35 Siba’s Table12:00 Siba’s Table12:25 Jenny Morris Cooks TheRiviera12:50 Jenny Morris Cooks TheRiviera13:15 Jenny Morris Cooks TheRiviera13:40 Jenny Morris Cooks TheRiviera14:05 Jenny Morris Cooks TheRiviera14:30 Reza’s African Kitchen16:35 Charly’s Cake Angels18:40 BBQ Crawl20:45 Siba’s Table22:00 Chopped22:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives

T V PR O G R A M SSUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014

00:00 Party On00:30 Fashion Bloggers00:55 Fashion Bloggers01:25 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills01:50 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills02:20 E! News03:15 Eric And Jessie: Game On03:40 Eric And Jessie: Game On04:10 THS05:05 E!ES06:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians06:55 Keeping Up With TheKardashians07:50 Style Star08:20 E! News09:15 House Of DVF10:15 House Of DVF11:10 Fashion Bloggers11:35 Fashion Bloggers12:05 E! News13:05 Beyond Candid WithGiuliana14:05 Kourtney And Khloe TakeThe Hamptons15:00 Kourtney And Khloe TakeThe Hamptons16:00 Giuliana & Bill17:00 Giuliana & Bill18:00 E! News19:00 Eric And Jessie: Game On19:30 Eric And Jessie: Game On20:00 Kourtney And Khloe TakeThe Hamptons21:00 Kourtney And Khloe TakeThe Hamptons22:00 House Of DVF23:00 Fashion Bloggers23:30 The Soup

00:05 Barefoot Contessa - BackTo Basics00:30 Barefoot Contessa - BackTo Basics00:55 Siba’s Table01:20 Siba’s Table01:45 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives02:10 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives02:35 Fast Food Gone Global03:25 Charly’s Cake Angels03:50 Siba’s Table04:15 Siba’s Table04:40 Barefoot Contessa - BackTo Basics05:05 Barefoot Contessa - BackTo Basics05:30 Reza’s African Kitchen

00:00 Suits01:00 The Strain02:00 Sons Of Anarchy03:00 Supernatural04:00 The Blacklist05:00 Once Upon A Time06:00 Suits07:00 Sleepy Hollow08:00 C.S.I.09:00 Once Upon A Time10:00 The Blacklist12:00 Emmerdale12:30 Coronation Street14:00 C.S.I.15:00 Suits16:00 Emmerdale16:30 Coronation Street17:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show18:00 C.S.I.19:00 Once Upon A Time20:00 How To Get Away WithMurder21:00 The Killing22:00 The Americans23:00 Supernatural

The Last Stand ON OSN MOVIES ACTION HD

BEING FLYNN OSN MOVIES FESTIVAL

01:40 Derren Brown - Enigma02:55 Emmerdale05:00 Breathless05:55 Paul O’grady For The LoveOf Dogs06:20 Derren Brown - Enigma07:35 The Jonathan Ross Show08:25 Fast Freddie The Widow AndMe09:45 The Royal VarietyPerformance 201312:00 I’m A Celebrity Get Me OutOf Here!15:00 Big Star’s Little Star15:55 Tricked16:50 The Jonathan Ross Show17:45 Derren Brown - Enigma19:00 Big Star’s Little Star19:55 Tricked20:50 The Jonathan Ross Show21:45 Derren Brown - Enigma23:15 Breathless

00:00 Tsunami: The Day The WaveStruck01:00 Hard Time02:00 Evolutions03:00 Jurassic C.S.I.04:00 Cosmos: A SpacetimeOdyssey05:00 Naked Science 2.506:00 Master Of Disaster07:00 Beyond Magic With Dmc08:00 Tsunami: The Day The WaveStruck09:00 Hard Time10:00 Evolutions11:00 WWII’s Greatest Raids12:00 Salvage Code Red13:00 Megastructures14:00 Britain’s Greatest Machines15:00 Family Guns16:00 Arctic Kingdom: Life At TheEdge17:00 Armageddon Outfitters18:00 Ultimate Airport Dubai19:00 Family Guns20:00 Arctic Kingdom: Life At TheEdge21:00 Armageddon Outfitters22:00 Ultimate Airport Dubai23:00 WWII’s Greatest Raids

07:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers08:00 Men At Work08:30 Better Off Ted09:00 Hot In Cleveland09:30 Modern Family10:00 New Girl10:30 My Name Is Earl11:00 The Tonight Show StarringJimmy Fallon12:00 Til Death12:30 Men At Work13:00 Better Off Ted13:30 My Name Is Earl14:00 Modern Family14:30 Modern Family15:00 New Girl15:30 The Daily Show GlobalEdition16:00 The Colbert Report GlobalEdition16:30 Til Death17:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers18:00 Hot In Cleveland18:30 The Goldbergs19:00 Dads19:30 Baby Daddy20:00 Friends With Better Lives20:30 Enlisted21:00 The Daily Show With JonStewart21:30 The Colbert Report22:00 Saturday Night Live23:00 Legit23:30 Friends With Better Lives

00:30 ICC Cricket 36001:00 ICC Cricket World Cup Tales01:30 LG ICC Awards 201402:30 ICC Cricket 36003:00 Live Australia v IndiaInternational Test11:00 ICC Cricket 36011:30 LG ICC Awards 201412:30 Australia v South Africa T20IHighlights13:30 Australia v South Africa T20IHighlights14:30 Story of the World Cup 199216:00 ICC Cricket 36016:30 LG ICC Awards 201417:30 Australia v South Africa ODIHighlights18:30 Australia v South Africa ODIHighlights19:30 Australia v South Africa ODIHighlights20:30 ICC Cricket 36021:00 ICC Cricket World Cup Tales21:30 ICC Cricket World Cup Tales22:00 ICC Cricket World Cup Tales22:30 ICC Cricket World Cup Tales23:00 ICC Cricket World Cup Tales23:30 ICC Cricket World Cup Tales

00:00 Witches Of East End02:00 Good Morning America03:00 Treme04:00 Boardwalk Empire06:00 Good Morning America07:00 Emmerdale07:30 Coronation Street08:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show09:00 2410:00 Emmerdale10:30 Coronation Street11:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show12:00 Castle13:00 Witches Of East End14:00 2416:00 Live Good Morning America17:00 Castle18:00 Witches Of East End19:00 2420:00 Castle21:00 Witches Of East End22:00 Treme23:00 Boardwalk Empire

01:30 Being Flynn-1803:15 Robot & Frank-PG1504:45 Goal II: Living The Dream06:45 Silver Linings Playbook-09:00 The Last Harbor-PG1511:00 Goal II: Living The Dream13:00 Before And After-PG1515:00 Veronica Guerin-PG1517:00 The Last Harbor-PG1519:00 The Last Weekend-PG1521:30 Abandon-PG1523:30 Faces In The Crowd-PG15

01:00 Without Men-PG1503:00 Escape From Planet Earth05:00 Iron Man & Hulk: HeroesUnited-PG06:45 Jobs-PG1509:00 Haywire-PG1511:00 Lovestruck: The Musical13:00 Zambezia-PG15:00 Dawn Rider-PG1517:00 Haywire-PG1519:00 Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit21:00 The Courier-PG1523:00 Man Of Steel-PG15

08:00 Life Of Pi-PG10:15 Lakeview Terrace-PG1512:15 Dark Tide-PG1514:15 Marvel’s Ultimate Avengers I15:30 Life Of Pi-PG17:45 Pacific Rim-PG1520:00 Skyline-PG1522:00 I, Frankenstein-PG15

00:00 HSBC Sevens World Series03:00 Live Cricket11:00 Hero Indian Super LeagueHighlights11:30 Sevens World SeriesHighlights12:00 Live HSBC Sevens WorldSeries21:30 NHL 23:30 ICC Cricket 360

00:00 Immortals-PG1502:00 Ninja: Shadow Of A Tear-04:00 Pitch Black-PG1506:00 After Earth-PG1508:00 Into The Blue-PG1510:00 Pitch Black-PG1512:00 Avengers Confidential: BlackWidow & Punisher-PG1514:00 After Earth-PG1516:00 Safe-PG1518:00 Into The Blue-PG1520:00 Hunt To Kill-PG1522:00 The Last Stand-PG15

01:15 Inescapable-PG1503:00 The Perks Of Being AWallflower-PG1505:00 Christmas Magic-PG1507:00 The Runway-PG1509:00 Chasing Mavericks-PG1511:00 Christmas Magic-PG1513:00 12 Wishes Of Christmas-15:00 Stolen Child-PG1517:00 Chasing Mavericks-PG1519:00 August: Osage County-PG1521:00 Suspension Of Disbelief-23:00 The Iceman-18

00:00 Cops And Robbersons-02:00 It’s A Disaster-PG1504:00 Home Alone-PG06:00 Parental Guidance-PG08:00 Timer-PG1510:00 It’s A Disaster-PG1512:00 Teen Wolf Too-PG1514:00 Straight Talk-PG1516:00 Timer-PG1518:00 Run For Your Wife-PG1520:00 The Incredible BurtWonderstone-PG1522:00 The Love Guru-18

01:00 The Legend Of Secret Pass02:45 Dragon Hunters04:15 The Missing Lynx06:00 Back To The Sea08:00 The Ugly Duckling And Me10:00 Sleeping Beauty11:30 Space Dogs13:00 Dragon Hunters14:30 Kong Return To The Jungle16:00 Hammer Boy18:00 Sleeping Beauty20:00 Barbie Fairytopia22:00 Kong Return To The Jungle23:30 Hammer Boy j

01:00 F1 H20 Powerboat WorldChamps03:00 Golfing World04:00 Australian PGAChampionship Highlights05:00 Live Australian PGAChampionship10:00 Champions Tour 13:00 Live PGA European Tour16:30 NHL19:30 Australian PGAChampionship Highlights20:30 NFL Gameday21:00 Live NFL

00:00 Brave-PG01:30 The Pursuit Of Happyness03:30 Gone In Sixty Seconds05:30 Wreckers-U07:00 Jane Eyre09:15 Brave-PG11:00 Then She Found Me-FAM12:45 John Carter15:00 Wreckers-U16:30 Brave-PG18:15 Love Potion No.9-U20:00 Tomorrow When The WarBegan21:45 Face Off

00:00 Fit For Fashion01:00 The Listener02:00 The Listener03:00 According To Jim05:00 MasterChef Australia07:30 The Bridge08:30 How I Met Your Mother08:55 How I Met Your Mother09:30 Detroit 1-8-710:30 No Ordinary Family11:30 Army Wives14:00 Fit For Fashion15:00 The Listener16:00 The Listener17:00 Grey’s Anatomy18:00 Brothers And Sisters19:00 Brothers And Sisters20:00 Castle

01:25 The Outrage03:05 Guns For San Sebastian-PG04:55 The Unfinished Dance-FAM07:00 Take Me Out To The BallGame-FAM08:35 Ask Any Girl-FAM10:10 Double Trouble-FAM11:40 Rio Rita-FAM13:10 The Rounders-PG14:35 Vengeance Valley-PG16:00 Escape From Fort Bravo-FAM17:40 Grand Prix-PG20:25 Elvis On Tour-PG22:00 Scarecrow-1823:50 Day Of The Evil Gun-PG

08:30 Storage Wars09:00 Storage Wars09:30 Storage Wars10:00 Storage Wars10:30 Storage Wars11:00 Pawn Stars UK11:30 Pawn Stars UK12:00 Pawn Stars UK12:30 Pawn Stars UK13:00 Pawn Stars UK13:30 Pawn Stars UK14:00 American Pickers15:00 Counting Cars15:30 Counting Cars16:00 Storage Wars Texas16:30 Storage Wars Texas17:00 Storage Wars Texas17:30 Storage Wars Texas18:00 Storage Wars18:30 Storage Wars19:00 Storage Wars19:30 Storage Wars20:00 Storage Wars20:30 Storage Wars21:00 Pawn Stars21:30 Pawn Stars22:00 Mountain Men23:00 Miracle Rising00:30 The Daily Show Global

Edition01:00 The Colbert Report GlobalEdition01:30 Saturday Night Live02:30 Wilfred03:00 Hot In Cleveland03:30 Modern Family04:00 Men At Work04:30 The Tonight Show StarringJimmy Fallon05:30 Better Off Ted06:00 Til Death06:30 My Name Is Earl

00:00 After Earth02:00 Immortals04:00 Ninja: Shadow Of A Tear06:00 Pitch Black08:00 After Earth10:00 Into The Blue12:00 Pitch Black14:00 Avengers Confidential: BlackWidow & Punisher16:00 After Earth18:00 Safe20:00 Into The Blue22:00 Hunt To Kill

21:00 Happy Endings21:25 Happy Endings22:00 The Bridge23:00 The Walking Dead

THE HISTORY CHANNEL HD01:00 Ice Road Truckers02:00 American Restoration02:30 American Restoration03:00 D-Day: The Lost Films05:00 Pawn Stars05:30 Pawn Stars06:00 Pawn Stars06:30 Pawn Stars07:00 Pawn Stars07:30 Pawn Stars08:00 Storage Wars

00:45 Return To Amish01:35 Body Bizarre02:25 I Didn’t Know I WasPregnant02:50 I Didn’t Know I WasPregnant

00:00 Absolute Fear-PG1502:00 Drillbit Taylor-PG1504:00 Dark Tide-PG1506:00 Marvel’s The Invincible IronMan-PG

03:15 I Didn’t Know I WasPregnant03:40 I Didn’t Know I WasPregnant04:05 Super Saver Showdown05:00 Craft Wars06:00 Something Borrowed,Something New06:25 Super Soul Sunday07:15 Super Saver Showdown08:05 Ultimate Shopper08:55 Cake Boss09:45 Cake Boss10:10 17 Kids And Counting10:35 Little People, Big World11:00 Toddlers & Tiaras11:50 Say Yes To The Dress12:15 Say Yes To The Dress12:40 Super Soul Sunday13:30 World’s Worst Mum14:20 Randy To The Rescue15:10 Something Borrowed,Something New15:35 Cake Boss16:00 Super Saver Showdown16:50 17 Kids And Counting17:15 Little People, Big World17:40 Toddlers & Tiaras18:30 Something Borrowed,Something New18:55 Say Yes To The Dress19:20 Say Yes To The Dress19:45 Super Soul Sunday20:35 Cake Boss21:00 Cake Boss21:50 Ultimate Shopper22:40 Long Island Medium23:05 Family Fat Surgeons23:55 Hoarding: Buried Alive

ClassifiedsSUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014

Kuwait

No: 16372

KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TOWEDNESDAY (11/12/2014 TO 17/12/2014)

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

DIAL161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Arrival Flights on Sunday 14/12/2014Airlines Flt Route TimeJAI 574 Mumbai 00:10JZR 239 Amman 00:25JZR 267 Beirut 00:30JZR 539 Cairo 00:40THY 772 Istanbul 00:45FDB 069 Dubai 00:55QTR 1084 Doha 01:00RJA 642 Amman 01:05PGT 858 Istanbul 01:35ETH 620 Addis Ababa 01:45GFA 211 Bahrain 02:30UAE 853 Dubai 02:35JAI 526 Chennai/Abu Dhabi 02:50FDB 067 Dubai 02:55MSR 612 Cairo 03:10ETD 305 Abu Dhabi 03:10CEB 7694 Manila 03:10KKK 6507 Istanbul 03:20QTR 1076 Doha 03:45MSC 401 Alexandria 04:05JZR 555 Alexandria 04:25THY 770 Istanbul 05:35TZS 170 Bahrain 05:40QTR 8632 Doha 06:25KAC 545 Cairo 06:40BAW 157 London 06:40KAC 412 Manila/Bangkok 07:10FDB 053 Dubai 07:45QTR 1086 Doha 07:50SVA 512 Riyadh 07:55KAC 352 Kochi 08:10KAC 382 Delhi 08:15KAC 302 Mumbai 08:20KAC 206 Islamabad 08:25KAC 332 Trivandrum 08:30UAE 855 Dubai 08:40KAC 362 Colombo 08:45ABY 125 Sharjah 09:00ETD 301 Abu Dhabi 09:20FDB 055 Dubai 09:40QTR 1070 Doha 10:00GFA 943 Bahrain 10:15GFA 213 Bahrain 10:40IRA 665 Shiraz 10:50UAE 873 Dubai 11:00SYR 341 Latakia 11:10MSC 405 Sohag 11:25JZR 165 Dubai 11:30MEA 404 Beirut 11:55UAE 871 Dubai 12:50MSR 610 Cairo 13:00IRC 528 Ahwaz 13:15JZR 561 Sohag 13:45KAC 672 Dubai 13:55QTR 1078 Doha 14:05KNE 472 Jeddah 14:25SVA 500 Jeddah 14:30FDB 057 Dubai 14:30

KAC 742 Dammam 14:45IRC 6507 Shiraz 14:50GFA 221 Bahrain 15:00KAC 788 Jeddah 15:10KAC 284 Dhaka 15:15UAE 857 Dubai 15:45ABY 127 Sharjah 15:45FDB 051 Dubai 16:00JZR 535 Cairo 16:10KAC 562 Amman 16:20JZR 787 Riyadh 16:25QTR 1072 Doha 16:40RJA 640 Amman 16:55ETD 303 Abu Dhabi 16:55SVA 510 Riyadh 17:15GFA 215 Bahrain 17:30GFA 944 LCA 17:50UAL 982 IAD 17:55JZR 777 Jeddah 17:55UAE 875 Dubai 18:00JZR 177 Dubai 18:20JZR 329 Al Najaf 18:20KAC 542 Cairo 18:25FDB 063 Dubai 18:40ABY 121 Sharjah 18:40KAC 786 Jeddah 18:45QTR 1080 Doha 18:50KAC 618 Doha 19:15KAC 774 Riyadh 19:15AXB 393 Kozhikode 19:15KAC 674 Dubai 19:25GFA 217 Bahrain 19:30JZR 483 Istanbul 19:35KAC 166 Paris/Rome 19:40KAC 514 Tehran 19:45KAC 502 Beirut 19:50KAC 102 New York/London 19:55JAI 572 Mumbai 20:00OMA 647 Muscat 20:20FDB 061 Dubai 20:20MSR 606 Luxor 20:45DLH 636 Frankfurt 20:50ALK 229 Colombo 21:10MEA 402 Beirut 21:20ETD 307 Abu Dhabi 21:30FDB 073 Dubai 21:35UAE 859 Dubai 21:40GFA 219 Bahrain 21:45QTR 1074 Doha 21:55JZR 135 Bahrain 22:05KLM 417 Amsterdam 22:15ETD 309 Abu Dhabi 22:15KAC 172 Frankfurt 22:25FDB 059 Dubai 22:30AIC 981 Chennai/Hyderabad/Ahmedabad 22:30UAL 981 Bahrain 23:10JZR 185 Dubai 23:15THY 764 Istanbul 23:35PIA 205 Lahore 23:40FDB 071 Dubai 23:45

Departure Flights on Sunday 14/12/2014Airlines Flt Route TimeAIC 976 Goa/Chennai 00:05AGY 681 Alexandria 00:15FDB 072 Dubai 00:45UAL 981 IAD 00:55JAI 573 Mumbai 01:10DLH 635 Frankfurt 02:15KAC 283 Dhaka 02:25ETH 621 Addis Ababa 02:45THY 773 Istanbul 02:55PGT 859 Istanbul 03:25UAE 854 Dubai 03:50FDB 068 Dubai 03:55ETD 306 Abu Dhabi 04:05MSR 613 Cairo 04:10KKK 6508 Istanbul 04:10QTR 1085 Doha 04:30CEB 7695 Manila 04:40MSC 406 Sohag 05:05QTR 1077 Doha 05:15THY 765 Istanbul 05:40FDB 070 Dubai 06:30JAI 525 Abu Dhabi/Chennai 06:35JZR 164 Dubai 06:55RJA 643 Amman 07:05JZR 560 Sohag 07:10GFA 212 Bahrain 07:15THY 771 Istanbul 07:30QTR 8632 Lahore/Doha 07:55FDB 054 Dubai 08:25BAW 156 London 08:45QTR 1087 Doha 08:50SVA 513 Riyadh 08:55KAC 171 Frankfurt 09:05JZR 534 Cairo 09:15KAC 787 Jeddah 09:25KAC 671 Dubai 09:25ABY 126 Sharjah 09:40UAE 856 Dubai 09:55KAC 117 New York 10:05ETD 302 Abu Dhabi 10:20KAC 561 Amman 10:25JZR 482 Istanbul 10:35FDB 056 Dubai 10:35GFA 943 LCA 11:00QTR 1071 Doha 11:00KAC 541 Cairo 11:05GFA 214 Bahrain 11:25KAC 741 Dammam 11:45IRA 664 Shiraz 11:50KAC 501 Beirut 12:00SYR 342 Latakia 12:10JZR 776 Jeddah 12:20KAC 103 London 12:20MSC 402 Alexandria 12:25UAE 874 Dubai 12:30MEA 405 Beirut 12:55KAC 785 Jeddah 13:00JZR 786 Riyadh 13:10

JZR 176 Dubai 13:45MSR 611 Cairo 14:00UAE 872 Dubai 14:15IRC 529 Ahwaz 14:15JZR 328 Al Najaf 14:40KAC 673 Dubai 15:00KAC 617 Doha 15:00QTR 1079 Doha 15:05FDB 058 Dubai 15:10KNE 473 Jeddah 15:20KAC 513 Tehran 15:30SVA 503 Jeddah/Madinah 15:45GFA 222 Bahrain 15:45IRC 6508 Shiraz 15:50KAC 773 Riyadh 15:50ABY 128 Sharjah 16:25FDB 052 Dubai 17:00JZR 266 Beirut 17:05QTR 1073 Doha 17:40JZR 538 Cairo 17:45UAE 858 Dubai 17:45ETD 304 Abu Dhabi 17:50RJA 641 Amman 17:55SVA 511 Riyadh 18:15GFA 216 Bahrain 18:20GFA 944 Bahrain 18:35JZR 184 Dubai 18:40JZR 238 Amman 18:50JZR 134 Bahrain 19:10UAL 982 Bahrain 19:15ABY 121 Sharjah 19:20UAE 876 Dubai 19:40QTR 1081 Doha 19:50FDB 064 Dubai 19:55AXB 393 Kozhikode 20:15GFA 218 Bahrain 20:15KAC 361 Colombo 20:50KAC 343 Chennai 20:55JAI 571 Mumbai 21:00KAC 351 Kochi 21:15FDB 062 Dubai 21:20OMA 648 Muscat 21:20DLH 636 Dammam 21:35MSR 619 Alexandria 21:45TZS 171 Bahrain 21:50ALK 230 Colombo 22:10ETD 308 Abu Dhabi 22:15KAC 301 Mumbai 22:15MEA 403 Beirut 22:20FDB 074 Dubai 22:30GFA 220 Bahrain 22:30UAE 860 Dubai 22:50KAC 205 Islamabad 22:55ETD 310 Abu Dhabi 23:00JZR 502 Luxor 23:05QTR 1075 Doha 23:05KLM 417 Dammam/Amsterdam 23:15KAC 415 Jakarta/Kuala Lumpur 23:25KAC 411 Bangkok/Manila 23:30FDB 060 Dubai 23:55

SHARQIA-1KILL THE MESSENGER 11:30 AMTHE HUNTED 1:45 PMKILL THE MESSENGER 3:30 PMKILL THE MESSENGER 5:45 PMTHE HUNTED 8:15 PMKILL THE MESSENGER 10:15 PMTHE HUNTED 12:30 AM

SHARQIA-2THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES 12:00 PMTHE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES -3D 3:00 PMTHE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES 6:00 PMTHE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES -3D 9:00 PMTHE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES 12:05 AM

SHARQIA-3GET SANTA 12:45 PMPENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR 3:15 PMGET SANTA 3:15 PMGET SANTA 5:30 PMGET SANTA 7:45 PMTHE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES 10:00 PMKILL THE MESSENGER 12:45 AM

MUHALAB-1GET SANTA 11:45 AMGET SANTA 1:45 PMKILL THE MESSENGER 3:45 PMTHE PYRAMID 6:00 PMKILL THE MESSENGER 8:00 PMTHE PYRAMID 10:15 PMKILL THE MESSENGER 12:15 AM

MUHALAB-2THE HUNTED 11:30 AMTHE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES 1:15 PMTHE HUNTED 2:00 PMGET SANTA 4:00 PM

GET SANTA 6:15 PMTHE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES 8:30 PMTHE HUNTED 11:30 PMTHE HUNTED 1:15 AM

MUHALAB-3THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES -3D 12:30 PMTHE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES 3:30 PMTHE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES -3D 6:30 PMTHE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES 9:30 PMTHE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES 12:30 AM

FANAR-1GET SANTA 1:00 PMGET SANTA 3:15 PMGET SANTA 5:30 PMTHE PYRAMID 8:00 PMGET SANTA 10:00 PMTHE PYRAMID 12:15 AM

FANAR-2KILL THE MESSENGER 11:30 AMKILL THE MESSENGER 2:00 PMKILL THE MESSENGER 4:30 PMKILL THE MESSENGER 7:00 PMKILL THE MESSENGER 9:30 PMKILL THE MESSENGER 12:05 AM

FANAR-3THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES 12:45 PMTHE HUNTED 1:45 PMTHE HUNTED 3:45 PMTHE HUNTED 5:45 PMTHE HUNTED 7:45 PMTHE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES 9:45 PMTHE HUNTED 12:30 AM

FANAR-4THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES 12:00 PM

SITUATION VACANT

ACCOMMODATION

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Take care to plan a budget and stick to it. You give careful consideration tothe use of money. You are drawn to reading and will find pleasure frequenting a book-store or local library. You likely are experiencing desires for the physical this afternoon.You are the ideal candidate to take charge of a project–your creativity and originality areabnormally high. Luckily, you are presented with many opportunities to release this ener-gy. A friend who needs you, or something that you believe in that needs your support,gains your attention. You may be called on to lend a helping hand. You love to find waysto help your friends make their dreams come true. A plan to travel is in their future andyou are good at mapping out a journey. You enjoy the research.

You may find your life taking on a kind of mystical quality on the emotionaland instinctive levels. Dreams and illusions, forgiveness and understanding of humanfrailties are the things that arouse deep feelings. The past and the future come together–thankfully the stumbling blocks between people go away. This is the key to the greaterpsychic and spiritual sensitivity that you may be feeling now. This time also presents anopportunity to resolve health issues. You look for new opportunities to grow. Someonecompliments you today on your decisions or your style. You value your own life situationat this time. You take pleasure in being with others and planning and enjoying fun timeswith friends and relatives this evening.

Now is a great time to find some space to move forward with any unfin-ished personal business. This, however, may not be the best time to make

any important decisions that could affect your living situation or life conditions. You mayfind others challenging your authority or questioning the direction you are taking. Thistime may need you to change the direction you wanted to go today–perhaps it is time towash the car or take a trip to the pet store for supplies, etc. You may allow yourself a fewmeditative moments which will prove a valuable asset from time to time. You lend a lis-tening ear to a dear friend later this afternoon. You might consider taking on a boarderaround your place soon. If you have the extra room, the extra money will be appreciated.

You may be seen by those around you as just the person to be put in chargeof some project that requires a conservative mind. Expect challenges, but there is nothingthat you cannot handle today. You may feel elated that a new friend has the same sort oflikes and dislikes that you have–it is easy to appreciate this individual. This is a great timeto shop and choose colors, etc., considering you compare prices and keep within theboundaries of your budget. You like good food, creature comforts and security–both finan-cial and the emotional kind. This afternoon you may prefer to pay attention to the thingsthat need organizing in your personal affairs. You look for new ways to bring the older tra-ditions back into your life and home.

Knowing how to manage and direct others will be your calling card now andcould have someone in authority seeking you out to handle a special project. It’s a greattime to be involved with other people either personally, or in a work environment. Your sen-sitivity and understanding of others will be appreciated, as your life takes on a kind of mys-terious quality at the emotional and instinctive levels. Hopes and fantasy are the things thatstimulate deep feelings now. The former and the future combine and any problemsbetween people seem to magically vanish. This is the key to the greater sensitivity that youfeel now. Do yourself a favor and pat yourself on the head or on the back; you are on theright path to succeed with your goals.

Old friends are like gold, new ones like silver, hold on to the new, but cher-ish the old. That could be the sentiment that you feel as a great wave of nostalgia hits youat this time. You may enjoy using your talents in creating gifts for your friends or indesigning your own clothing for a party you have decided would be important to attend.Your independent spirit may surface today and need to be dealt with, finding you latchingonto anything that is unusual or different. Visiting with good friends this afternoon youmay feel a deep love. At home this evening you may find someone complimenting you onsomething you are doing, or on some of your personal belongings. It should not be hardfor you to enjoy and value your own life situation.

This should be a landmark day to solve problems and make importantdecisions. You will find your way around almost any obstacle and are in control and ableto guide yourself with ease. Your sense of inner direction is good and should lead tosocial opportunities. This is an easy, calm day for you as you may be having quite a lot offun as you dive into the process of helping others to solve problems. Note, today theproblems could be in guiding others to win at chess. You may be a chess tutor. Youremotions or the feelings of those around you are very clear. You will find yourself able tounderstand better your own situation, as well as others. You will know just what to do tobe a kind but good teacher. Volunteer work can be considered as well.

Purchasing gifts and selecting colors are at a high just now. You enjoyshopping, particularly today with all the decorations of the season to cheer you as you go.Circumstances may augment and stimulate appreciation and enjoyment of your life situa-tion. Your system of values may deepen, providing you with a better sense of discrimina-tion and good taste. You absorb emotional energy and a feeling of protection from princi-ples, friends and social interaction. You long for the new, the different and the unique.Your mind is quick and you are fun to network with and will probably have a lot to sayabout most anything this day. You and your partner or sweetheart may talk over careerconcerns. It helps to bond on an emotional level.

You could be feeling quite ambitious, as a rather practical streak motivatesyou to get the things in your life organized. You want very much to be

respected for who you are and what you can achieve for your family and community; thismeans a great deal to you now. You are practical when it comes to interacting with oth-ers. You just seem to have a natural talent for knowing what to do and can take actionwith very little fuss or bother. You are often called upon to make use of your natural abili-ties. Being conscientious is of special importance. Taking care of the necessary underpin-nings of life–health, work and such–becomes a greater preoccupation. A cultural eventinvolving your favorite people can be enjoyed this evening. Praise others.

This should be a time when you can put your common sense and your insights intowords and convey them to others. Communication with older members of your family isenhanced now. Gather more information before drawing a conclusion or helping with a decisionthat may mean a move for an older person. Others should find you almost charismatic in speechand communication and would probably follow you to the ends of the earth if you asked. The con-ditions are ripe for your kind of self-expression and this works very well with your particular ideasand thoughts. Good feelings abound, so take all of the positives that this day has to offer and enjoythem to the fullest. This kind of day comes too seldom to ignore–enjoy.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014

Aries (March 21-April 19)

STAR TRACK

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Leo (July 23-August 22)

Virgo (August 23-September 22)

Libra (September 23-October 22)

Scorpio (October 23-November 21)

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Aquarius (January 20- February 18)

CROSSWORD 754

ACROSS1. A white linen liturgical vestment withsleeves.4. A cellulose ester obtained by treatingcellulose with caustic soda.11. An infectious tropical disease resem-bling syphilis in its early stages.15. A unit of length of thread or yarn.16. Violating principles of right and wrong.17. A state in the western United States.18. United States liquid unit equal to 4quarts or 3.785 liters.19. The vital principle or animating forcewithin living things.20. Small tropical American tree bearingedible plumlike fruit.21. Jordan's port.23. Edge tool used in shaving.25. Beside one another in a row or rank.26. A rare silvery (usually trivalent) metallicelement.28. A Buddhist who has attained nirvana.30. Pompous or pretentious talk or writing.33. Big-eyed scad.37. The capital and largest city of Yemen.41. Wrap us in a cerecloth, as of a corpse.42. The eleventh month of the civil year.43. Rock star and drummer for the Beatles(born in 1940).46. A coenzyme derived from the B vitaminnicotinic acid.47. Avatar of Vishnu.49. Of or relating to or characteristic ofMorocco or its people.53. System of measurement based on cen-timeters and grams and seconds.54. (Babylonian) A demigod or first man.55. (dentistry) A filling consisting of a solidsubstance (as gold or porcelain) fitted to acavity in a tooth and cemented into place.56. A very light colorless element that isone of the six inert gasses.59. A colloid in a more solid form than asol.60. A state in New England.61. A brittle silver-white metalloid elementthat is related to selenium and sulfur.63. (Greek mythology) Sea nymph whowas a daughter of the Titans Oceanus andTethys.66. Chinese fruit having a thin brittle shellenclosing a sweet jellylike pulp and a sin-gle seed.70. Having a woven pattern.73. A nearly horizontal passage from thesurface into a mine.74. The 3rd letter of the Hebrew alphabet.78. An indehiscent fruit derived from a sin-gle ovary having one or many seeds withina fleshy wall or pericarp.79. In an idle manner.80. A city in southeastern Spain.82. A rotating disk shaped to convert circu-lar into linear motion.83. A telephone connection.84. A bar of sand.85. A loose sleeveless outer garment madefrom aba cloth.

DOWN1. Primitive chlorophyll-containing mainlyaquatic eukaryotic organisms lacking truestems and roots and leaves.2. An accidental hole that allows some-thing (fluid or light etc.) to enter or escape.3. A word for chaos or fiasco borrowedfrom modern Hebrew (where it is a loanword from Russian).4. An endorsement made in a passportthat allows the bearer to enter the countryissuing it v 1.

5. (folklore) Fairies that are somewhat mis-chievous.6. A smile expressing smugness or scorninstead of pleasure.7. (Greek mythology) Daughter of Zeusand Demeter.8. A city of east central Mexico (west ofVeracruz).9. (Zen Buddhism) A state of sudden spiri-tual enlightenment.10. Angular distance above the horizon(especially of a celestial object).11. A member of the Mayan people of theYucatan peninsula in Mexico.12. Essential oil or perfume obtained fromflowers.13. A city in east central Texas.14. A public entertainment or exhibition.22. The dialect of Malay used as the nation-al language of the Republic of Indonesia orof Malaysia.24. A blood group antigen possessed byRh-positive people.27. The blood group whose red cells carryboth the A and B antigens.29. A very poisonous metallic element thathas three allotropic forms.31. Washing out a hollow organ (especiallythe stomach) by flushing with water.32. A motley assortment of things.34. United States tennis player (born inCzechoslovakia) who won several singleschampionships.35. The mountain peak that Noah's arklanded on as the waters of the great floodreceded.36. A night flight from which the passen-gers emerge with eyes red from lack ofsleep.38. A highly unstable radioactive element(the heaviest of the halogen series).39. A small nail.40. A logarithmic unit of sound intensity.44. A woman hired to suckle a child ofsomeone else.45. An ordered reference standard.48. A chronic progressive nervous disorderinvolving loss of myelin sheath around cer-tain nerve fibers.50. An organization of countries formed in1961 to agree on a common policy for thesale of petroleum.51. Of a vivid red to reddish-orange color.52. Type genus of the Anhimidae.57. A metrical unit with stressed-unstressed-unstressed syllables.58. Hormone secreted by the posteriorpituitary gland (trade name Pitressin) andalso by nerve endings in the hypothala-mus.62. German composer.64. A public promotion of some productor service.65. The capital and largest city ofBangladesh.67. Tropical starchy tuberous root.68. Oval reproductive body of a fowl(especially a hen) used as food.69. A genus of Mustelidae.71. Someone who works (or providesworkers) during a strike.72. God of love and erotic desire.75. An adult male person (as opposed toa woman).76. Either extremity of something thathas length.77. A workplace for the conduct of scien-tific research.81. An official prosecutor for a judicialdistrict.

Yesterday’s Solution

Yesterday’s Solution

Yesterday’s Solution

WORD SEARCH PUZZLE

34s t a r s

Daily SuDoku

Try to break out of a routine you find dull this month. You might find your-self really enjoying a good book dealing with romantic fantasies or a movie with a similartheme. Later today you will have an opportunity to visit with a friend or relative that mayinvite you to a meal. You love people watching and visiting with others. Some conversa-tions with this person may involve future ideas and a plan could begin to form that wouldinterest you in a joining a volunteer group. You may discover, through this volunteergroup, how you want to share more of your free time. At home this evening you maydecide to create your own greeting card and may consider having it reproduced for send-ing out to family members and friends.

You are feeling encouraged. You are motivated to really get serious about taking bet-ter care of yourself on many levels. The bottom line to all of this is that you simply

want to continue to feel good about yourself and the way that you do things. Diet, exercise and workall somehow mean more to you now. Your ambitions increase and you could find yourself mentallysorting through your accomplishments and goals with logic and practicality these days.Organization is the number one key to helping you find success. Sticking to a good program neverhurts anything either. Make your goals attainable and then do not allow yourself to become discour-aged if you do not feel that you are making progress. You will continue to move forward.

inf or m at ionSUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014

Ahmadi Sama Safwan Fahaeel Makka St 23915883Abu Halaifa Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd 23715414Danat Al-Sultan Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd 23726558

Jahra Modern Jahra Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 24575518Madina Munawara Jahra-Block 92 24566622

Capital Ahlam Fahad Al-Salem St 22436184Khaldiya Coop Khaldiya Coop 24833967

Farwaniya New Shifa Farwaniya Block 40 24734000Ferdous Coop Ferdous Coop 24881201Modern Safwan Old Kheitan Block 11 24726638

Hawally Tariq Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St 25726265Hana Salmiya-Amman St 25647075Ikhlas Hawally-Beirut St 22625999Hawally & Rawdha Hawally & Rawdha Coop 22564549Ghadeer Jabriya-Block 1A 25340559Kindy Jabriya-Block 3B 25326554Ibn Al-Nafis Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St 25721264Mishrif Coop Mishrif Coop 25380581Salwa Coop Salwa Coop 25628241

OphthalmologistsDr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223

Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT)Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426

General PractitionersDr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501

UrologistsDr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427

For labor-related inquiries and complaints:

Call MSAL hotline 128

Sabah Hospital 24812000

Amiri Hospital 22450005

Maternity Hospital 24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital 25312700

Chest Hospital 24849400

Farwaniya Hospital 24892010

Adan Hospital 23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital 24840300

Al-Razi Hospital 24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital 24874330/9

Kaizen center 25716707

Rawda 22517733

Adaliya 22517144

Khaldiya 24848075

Kaifan 24849807

Shamiya 24848913

Shuwaikh 24814507

Abdullah Salem 22549134

Nuzha 22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh 24814764

Qadsiya 22515088

Dasmah 22532265

Bneid Al-Gar 22531908

Shaab 22518752

Qibla 22459381

Ayoun Al-Qibla 22451082

Mirqab 22456536

Sharq 22465401

Salmiya 25746401

Jabriya 25316254

Maidan Hawally 25623444

Bayan 25388462

Mishref 25381200

W Hawally 22630786

Sabah 24810221

Jahra 24770319

New Jahra 24575755

West Jahra 24772608

South Jahra 24775066

North Jahra 24775992

North Jleeb 24311795

Ardhiya 24884079

Firdous 24892674

Omariya 24719048

N Khaitan 24710044

Fintas 23900322

GOVERNORATE PHARMACY ADDRESS PHONE

Plastic Surgeons

Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf 22547272

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari 22617700

Dr. Abdel Quttainah 25625030/60

Family Doctor

Dr Divya Damodar 23729596/23729581

Psychiatrists

Dr. Esam Al-Ansari 22635047

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan 22613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians

DrAdrian arbe 23729596/23729581

Dr. Verginia s.Marin 2572-6666 ext 8321

Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan 22655539

Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami 25343406

Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly 25739272

Dr. Salem soso 22618787

General Surgeons

Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer 22610044

Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher 25327148

Internists, Chest & Heart

Dr. Adnan Ebil 22639939

Dr. Mousa Khadada 22666300

Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan 25728004

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra 25355515

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub 24726446

Dr Nasser Behbehani 25654300/3

Paediatricians

Dr. Khaled Hamadi 25665898

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed 25340300

Dr. Zahra Qabazard 25710444

Dr. Sohail Qamar 22621099

Dr. Snaa Maaroof 25713514

Dr. Pradip Gujare 23713100

Dr. Zacharias Mathew 24334282

Dermatology

Dr. Mohammed Salam Bern University 23845955

Dentists

Dr Anil Thomas 3729596/3729581

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar 22641071/2

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed 22562226

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer 22561444

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan 22619557

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash 22525888

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan 25653755

Dr. Bader Al-Ansari 25620111

Neurologists

Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri 25633324

Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan 25345875

Gastrologists

Dr. Sami Aman 22636464

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly 25322030

Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali 22633135

Endocrinologist

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman 25339330

Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 25658888

Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924

Physiotherapists & VD

Dr. Deyaa Shehab 25722291

Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees 22666288

Rheumatologists:

Dr. Adel Al-Awadi 25330060

Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah 25722290

Internist, Chest & Heart

DR.Mohammes Akkad 24555050 Ext 210

Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital 25339667

Consultant Cardiologist

Dr. Farida Al-Habib 2611555-2622555 MD, PH.D, FACC Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

Soor CenterTel: 2290-1677Fax: 2290 1688

info@soorcenter.comwww.soorcenter.com

Psychologists/Psychotherapists

PRIVATE CLINICS

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

Kaizen center25716707

Noor Clinic23845955

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Afghanistan 0093

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Algeria 00213

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Antiga 001268

Argentina 0054

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Bahamas 001242

Bahrain 00973

Bangladesh 00880

Barbados 001246

Belarus 00375

Belgium 0032

Belize 00501

Benin 00229

Bermuda 001441

Bhutan 00975

Bolivia 00591

Bosnia 00387

Botswana 00267

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Brunei 00673

Bulgaria 00359

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Burundi 00257

Cambodia 00855

Cameroon 00237

Canada 001

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Cayman Islands 001345

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Chad 00235

Chile 0056

China 0086

Colombia 0057

Comoros 00269

Congo 00242

Cook Islands 00682

Costa Rica 00506

Croatia 00385

Cuba 0053

Cyprus 00357

Cyprus (Northern) 0090392

Czech Republic 00420

Denmark 0045

Diego Garcia 00246

Djibouti 00253

Dominica 001767

Dominican Republic 001809

Ecuador 00593

Egypt 0020

El Salvador 00503

England (UK) 0044

Equatorial Guinea 00240

Eritrea 00291

Estonia 00372

Ethiopia 00251

Falkland Islands 00500

Faroe Islands 00298

Fiji 00679

Finland 00358

France 0033

French Guiana 00594

French Polynesia 00689

Gabon 00241

Gambia 00220

Georgia 00995

Germany 0049

Ghana 00233

Gibraltar 00350

Greece 0030

Greenland 00299

Grenada 001473

Guadeloupe 00590

Guam 001671

Guatemala 00502

Guinea 00224

Guyana 00592

Haiti 00509

Holland (Netherlands) 0031

Honduras 00504

Hong Kong 00852

Hungary 0036

Ibiza (Spain) 0034

Iceland 00354

India 0091

Indian Ocean 00873

Indonesia 0062

Iran 0098

Iraq 00964

Ireland 00353

Italy 0039

Ivory Coast 00225

Jamaica 001876

Japan 0081

Jordan 00962

Kazakhstan 007

Kenya 00254

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Kuwait 00965

Kyrgyzstan 00996

Laos 00856

Latvia 00371

Lebanon 00961

Liberia 00231

Libya 00218

Lithuania 00370

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Macau 00853

Macedonia 00389

Madagascar 00261

Majorca 0034

Malawi 00265

Malaysia 0060

Maldives 00960

Mali 00223

Malta 00356

Marshall Islands 00692

Martinique 00596

Mauritania 00222

Mauritius 00230

Mayotte 00269

Mexico 0052

Micronesia 00691

Moldova 00373

Monaco 00377

Mongolia 00976

Montserrat 001664

Morocco 00212

Mozambique 00258

Myanmar (Burma) 0095

Namibia 00264

Nepal 00977

Netherlands 0031

Netherlands Antilles 00599

New Caledonia 00687

New Zealand 0064

Nicaragua 00505

Nigar 00227

Nigeria 00234

Niue 00683

Norfolk Island 00672

N. Ireland (UK) 0044

North Korea 00850

Norway 0047

Oman 00968

Pakistan 0092

Palau 00680

Panama 00507

Papua New Guinea 00675

Paraguay 00595

Peru 0051

Philippines 0063

Poland 0048

Portugal 00351

Puerto Rico 001787

Qatar 00974

Romania 0040

Russian Federation 007

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Saint Helena 00290

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Saint Lucia 001758

Saint Pierre 00508

Saint Vincent 001784

Samoa US 00684

Samoa West 00685

San Marino 00378

Sao Tone 00239

Saudi Arabia 00966

Scotland (UK) 0044

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Seychelles 00284

Sierra Leone 00232

Singapore 0065

Slovakia 00421

Slovenia 00386

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Somalia 00252

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Spain 0034

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Sudan 00249

Suriname 00597

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Sweden 0046

Switzerland 0041

Syria 00963

Serbia 00381

Taiwan 00886

Tanzania 00255

Thailand 0066

Toga 00228

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Tokelau 00690

Trinidad 001868

Tunisia 00216

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Tuvalu 00688

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Ukraine 00380

United Arab Emirates 00976

United Kingdom 0044

Uruguay 00598

USA 001

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Vanuatu 00678

Venezuela 00582

Vietnam 0084

Virgin Islands UK 001284

Virgin Islands US 001340

Wales (UK) 0044

Yemen 00967

Yugoslavia 00381

Zambia 00260

Zimbabwe 00263

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014

l if e s t y l eG o s s i p

Though little North may only by 17 months old, she has a $10,000-a-month fashion and beauty bill,with her costs including baby massages with organic oil and mini manicure-pedicures, as well as a$2,000-a-month hair dresser. A source said: “Her hairdresser is also in charge of accessorising and

works alongside her stylist to ensure that her hair goes with the look.” North has her own two-personstyling team and the stylist and her assistant also spend around $2,000 a month on designer clothes forthe youngster, before customising many of her garments. The source told heat magazine: “North has atailor who makes clothes for her, such as mini versions of her mum’s designer outfits so she can matchKim. “The tailor will often customise clothes too, by embellishing jackets with her name picked out inSwarovski crystals - she even has NW stitched into all her shoes.” The couple have also arranged forNorth to have her own 2,000 sq ft wardrobe in their new home, complete with Italian marble floors andher own beauty parlour.

Kim, Kanye West spend $1,000 a month on beautician for their daughter

The 22-year-old model walked the runway at the brand’s annual show atLondon’s Earls Court Exhibition Centre while her 24-year-old pop star palperformed, with them even stepping down together at one point, and the

blonde beauty thinks the ‘Shake it Off’ hitmaker should be an “honorary” face ofthe lingerie company. Karlie told Britain’s Grazia magazine: “Taylor should be anAngel herself. She looks pretty heavenly out there. I’d say she’s definitely an hon-orary one.” This year’s show was the first time it had been held in London andKarlie and her fellow Angels loved the sense of camaraderie on the trip. Shesaid: “It’s been like a sorority outing.” Behati Prinsloo - who is married to AdamLevine - added: “It felt like I was back in high school on a hockey trip, it’s beensuch an amazing experience.” Taylor performed two tracks at the show earlierthis month. During her second song ‘Style’, which she played during the AngelBall section, Taylor strutted up the catwalk with her close friend Karlie. The twoblondes - who became pals after hanging out at last year’s Victoria’s SecretFashion Show in New York - were wearing matching black lace underwear forthe moment. Taylor was styled in high-waisted black panties with a matchingbra top and a lace long-sleeved top over it which had a long flowing train.Karlie’s raunchy ensemble was comprised of black stockings, suspenders, briefs,high heels, a see-through black lace bodysuit and a huge flowing midnightblack cape. Earlier in the show, Taylor performed her latest single ‘Blank Space’during the Dream Girl segment for which she wore a powder pink satin slipteamed with a pink satin and black lace robe and fluffy pink peep toe heels.

Justin Timberlake’sformer ‘ bandmate thinks

he’s going to be ‘a great dad’

The 33-year-old superstar - who has two-year-old daughter Blue Ivy with husband Jay Z -admits she sometimes finds her fame difficult because there are so many ordinary experi-ences that she has to miss out on. She said: “Before I was famous I was the girl on the hill

with a guitar. I was the girl that just wanted a beautiful view of the beach. Now that I’m famous it’sreally, really difficult to do very simple things. “I think it’s the hardest thing to give up, but mymother always taught me to be strong and to never be a victim, never make excuses, neverexpect anyone else to provide me things that I know I can provide for myself. “I have dreams and Ifeel like I have a power to actually make those dreams become a reality. When you’re famous, noone looks at you as a human anymore. You become property of the public. There’s nothing realabout it.” Elsewhere in a short film entitled ‘Yours and Mine’, the ‘7/11’ singer spoke about how“exciting” she finds being married and having someone to share her life with. She said: “Peoplefeel like they lose something when they get married, but it doesn’t have to be that way. There’snothing more exciting about having a witness to your life... “You know, everyone’s not good ateverything. You know? It’s OK to depend on someone. It’s actually what we’re supposed to do -we’re supposed to depend on each other. And when you find the person that you trust and youlove and you feel is going to respect you and take all the s**t that you have and turn it around andbring out the best in you, it feeds you. It is the most powerful thing you can ever feel in your life.

Beyonce wishes she was anonymous

The 56-year-old singer recently bared her breasts inInterview magazine and 14-year-old Rocco - her childwith ex-husband Guy Ritchie - is said to be incredibly

embarrassed by the pictures. A source said: “Rocco is morti-fied that his mum is still doing topless photo shoots.”However, the photos were given the seal of approval byMadonna’s 18-year-old daughter Lourdes, who thinks thepictures of her mother - who also has adopted kids Davidand Mercy, both nine - are empowering. The source addedto heat magazine: “Lola thinks it’s rad that her mom flauntsher stuff. She sees it as being all about feminism and cele-brating strong women and the female form. “She is tryingto convince Madonna to come and speak at one of her col-lege lectures, covering women’s evolving image in pop cul-ture. “Lola couldn’t be prouder and she tells Rocco to chillout.” In her accompanying interview for the pictures,Madonna revealed she had tried “every drug” at least oncebut found her experiences dissatisfying. She said: “I mean, Itried everything once, but as soon as I was high, I spent mytime drinking tons of water to get it out of my system. “Assoon as I was high, I was obsessed with flushing it out ofme. I was like, ‘OK, I’m done now’.”

Kat Graham and Cottrell Guidry split up

The ‘Moneyball’ actor introduced the ‘We Found Love’singer’s performance at her charity bash in BeverlyHills with a mocking speech about “what the hell

went wrong” for the 26-year-old star. An old photo ofRihanna appeared on a big screen as Brad said: “I’ve oftenasked the very questions you yourself are asking rightnow - what went wrong? “I give you exhibit A. Look at theyoung girl before you, all full of hopes and dreams, living ahumble existence in Barbados, her whole life ahead ofher.” He then recalled how Rihanna moved to New Yorkwhen she was just 16 years old but “soon fell in with a badcrowd led by the dubious and nefarious character knownas The Jay Z.” He added to laughter from the audience: “Forthose you not in the know, The Jay Z was an evil impresa-rio known for turning out hit records and ripping insanelyrics and fresh beats. “Needless to say it was all downhillfrom there.” The 50-year-old star went on to list Rihanna’saccomplishments, award wins and record sales but plead-ed with the crowd to stage an intervention as an alteredimage of the ‘Diamonds’ hitmaker overweight and eatinga sandwich appeared on the screen. He said: “I ask that westand together by her side and show her our support andour love and say to her the hard words, ‘Rihanna put downthat sandwich, get off your ass and do something.

Brad Pitt poked fun at Rihanna and Jay Z at the Diamond Ball

Madonna’s son is ‘mortified’ by her

topless photo shoot

Joey Fatone says the ‘Not a Bad Thing’ hitmaker,whose wife Jessica Biel is reportedly pregnant,will be a “very hands-on” father. He said: “I think

he’s going to be a great dad.” The 37-year-oldsinger says Justin, 33, looked after his youngerstepbrother, Steven, when they were growing upand “took him under his wing.” He also told PEO-PLE.com: “He’s always been great with kids in gen-eral. He’s going to be great. I think he’ll be veryhands-on.” Joey predicts Justin will “start slowingdown” when he completes his ‘20/20 ExperienceWorld Tour’ in January. He added: “He’ll be takingsome time off for sure.” The ‘SexyBack’ hitmakerand ‘Total Recall’ star Jessica, 32, have yet to com-ment on rumours she is expecting their first child,but the brunette beauty, who is gearing up toopen her first organic children’s restaurant, AuFudge, in Los Angeles, has been hiding her figureunder loose clothing in recent weeks. A sourceclose to the couple previously claimed they are“worried” about confirming their baby news. Theinsider said: “They’ve been trying for a while to getpregnant, there’ve been some issues so that’s prob-ably part of it too, they don’t want to announce ituntil it’s further along and they’re out of the woodsfor a miscarriage.”

The ‘Vampire Diaries’ actress, who announced her engagement to the actor in October 2012 after four years of dating,recently ended their relationship, but hopes they will remain friends. A source said: “It happened a while ago.” Theformer couple are still on good terms and the insider told E! News: “There wasn’t any drama and they are still

friends.” Kat previously revealed during an interview late last year that their weddings plans were in place, saying: “It’sbasically done now.” But it appears they decided to postpone their nuptials earlier this year, as she indicated their wed-ding would be taking place “pretty soon” at a Grammy Awards after-party in Los Angeles last January. She said at the time:“Next time you see me, I might be a married woman. Any day now.” The 25-year-old beauty also insisted she wanted avery low-key wedding. She said: “After all these events, the last thing I want to be crazy about is my own wedding. I’m like,‘No, it’s going to be my day. Chill.’ I know what I want and that makes it a lot easier.”

Karlie Klossthinks Taylor Swift should be Victoria’s Secret Angel

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014

l if e s t y l eG o s s i p

The 28-year-old actress, who confirmed their engagement in January after less than two years of dating, is allegedly thinkingabout calling off their upcoming wedding. A source said: “She’s realising she might be happier with someone else.” The 51-

year-old ‘Lone Ranger’ actor, whohas daughter Lily-Rose, 15, andson Jack, 12, with ex-girlfriendVanessa Paradis, is said to have“awful mood swings” and “annoysAmber.” But the ‘Pineapple Express’beauty is still moving forward withtheir wedding plans for themoment. The insider told UsWeekly magazine: “It’ll be a smallceremony on Amber Beach, partof his island in the Bahamas, that’snamed after her. “They’ll onlyinvite close friends and family.” Itwas previously claimed Amberwas in no rush to marry Johnnyafter his strange presentation atan awards ceremony in LosAngeles last month, where heappeared to be drunk. Anothersource said: “There’s not rush tomarry at the moment. Johnny iscrazy in love with Amber, butthere is turmoil in the relationship.“She is not really ready to settledown. Amber flirts and has manydifferent kinds of relationships.”

The action movie is filled with iconic stars of the screen including Arnold Schwarzenegger, SylvesterStallone and Harrison Ford, and despite heading into their twilight years, the actors insist they arestill more than capable of performing dangerous stunts when filming. Dolph Lundgren - who plays

Gunner Jensen in the movie - said: “We really can do this stuff.” The 57-year-old actor attributed their abil-ity to pull off the risky scenes to their grounding in sport and fitness as youngsters, identifying thestrengths of the many cast members in the movie series. He explained: “I was a karate champion. Jason[Statham] was an Olympic diver. Stallone has done a lot of training. Arnold, of course, was Mr. Universe.Terry Crews played pro football. We got the MMA champ, Randy Couture, not to mention the new peo-ple. We have a lot of people with real skills.” The star - who rose to fame after appearing as Drago in the1985 movie ‘Rocky IV’ - insisted it was important for the cast to do as much of the filming as possible inorder to create a believable movie. He added: “When Terry picks up a hundred-pound Gatling gun withone hand, that’s him doing it and I think that adds a certain reality to the whole experience.” ‘TheExpendables 3’ is available on DVD now.

‘The Expendables 3’ cast still do their own stunts

The 39-year-old actress, who has daughters Olive, two, and Frankie, eightmonths, with husband Will Kopelman, admits she is still adjusting to havingtwo children and they don’t always get along well. The ‘Blended’ star said:

“Every day is different. One day [Olive] loves [Frankie] — it’s not even ‘day,’ it’s ‘hour.’One hour it’s like, ‘I love you, you’re the best little sister,’ and the next minute it’s like,‘Kid, you’re stepping on my territory.’ I imagine it’s like that for all siblings and allparents, you know. You kind of gush about the good but it’s a tricky journey, you’retrying to keep everybody feeling like number one but there’s two.” Drew returnedto work just weeks after giving birth to Frankie earlier this year, but tries to spendas much time as possible with her daughters. She said: “It’s hard. I never lie though.I’m never like, ‘I can do everything and it’s easy.’ It’s super hard and s**t has to falloff the table because I cannot personally do everything. “You try to balance it andit’s not easy. In fact, I think it’s very hard. But you do it, you know? Because I wantmy daughters to see the fact that I earn a living and that’s what they’re going tohave to do and everything is by example.” Meanwhile, the actress recently startedworking out again in a bid to get back in shape. She told UsMagazie.com: “I wentdown the rabbit hole. After two kids I just ate everything and I looked like a marsu-pial. It was bad. I could fold my stomach over my pants-big time-not like, a little.Not like, ‘Oh I’ve got muffin top.’ I was like, ‘Here is like a large pizza folded over myjeans.’ “I’m starting to try to pull it back together. You know, it takes nine months tobuild it, it should take nine months to unbuild it.” But Drew doesn’t think her feetwill ever look the same again, as they look like “hocks of meat.”

The 27-year-old pop star says if she could buy any property in London she’d pur-chase the royal residence - the London home of Queen Elizabeth II - and convertit from a palatial palace into a house for people living on the streets. She said: “I’d

(like) to buy Buckingham Palace and turn it into a homeless shelter.” Ellie is a big sup-porter of homeless charity Streets of London and is hosting a benefit concert, ‘EllieGoulding & Friends’, on December 16 at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire to raise moneyfor the organisation. The ‘Outside’ singer was able to put the event together becauseshe is having three weeks off for the Christmas holiday period. In an interview with ESmagazine, she said: “After three years on the road, I don’t have to get on a plane forthree weeks so I’m writing my next album and putting together an acoustic show withmy friends Bastille, Birdy, Band of Skulls and Tom Odell for the Streets of London charityto help support shelters over Christmas.” Ellie will be looking forward to opening somevintage champagne over the festive season as she collects bottles of the sparklingwine. She revealed: “(I collect) champagne and black and white photographs of famousmusicians.”

Ellie Goulding wants to turn Buckingham

Palace into ‘homeless shelter’

Keira Knightleyconfirms pregnancy

Drew Barrymoresays being a parent is ‘super hard’

The 26-year-old stylist reportedly feels the ‘Fine China’ hitmaker, who was placed onprobation after beating ex-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009, mentally mistreated her formuch of their relationship and has vowed never to reunite with him again.

Sources close to the model claim she was referring to the mind games Chris used toplay on her when she recently said he “repeatedly mistreated” her and he constantlytried to make her jealous by liking pictures of Justin Bieber’s ex-girlfriend YovannaVentura on Instagram and sharing photographs of Kendall Jenner, 19, sitting on his lap.She also believes he deliberately tried to hurt her by sometimes liking Rihanna’s bikinipictures and by recently wearing a necklace the ‘Stay’ hitmaker once gave him.Karrucehe has told friends that she will never take Chris back again after he announcedhe was single while performing in Los Angeles last weekend, saying “I’m single too.” The25-year-old singer recently apologised to his ex for “airing out” their personal life in pub-lic. He wrote: “Being young and dumb is one of my strong suits and emotional at best. Ilove hard and react impulsively when I’m hurt at times. I don’t think social media is aplace to air out or hash out personal problems and a n***a feel hella WACK for doing it.“So I AM APOLOGIZING I live in a glass house and the same s**t that makes me greatalso is my curse. Everybody know I love that girl. I don’t care how my image my look tothe public because I’m still gonna be the best at what I do. I just want baby girl to know Iapologize! “. The pair first started dating in 2011, but have broken up on a number ofoccasions.

Karrueche Tran sick of Chris Brown ‘making her feel bad’

Amber Heardtired of Johnny Depp’s ‘erratic behaviour

The ‘Imitation Game’ actress and her musician husband James Righton, 31, will welcometheir first child into the world next spring. A spokesperson for the 29-year-old beauty saidrumours the couple, who got married in May 2013, are expecting a baby are true, but told

ELLEUK.com today that the actress will not be making any further comment about her preg-nancy. The official announcement comes just one day after multiple sources claimed Keira wasalready in her second trimester. The British star previously revealed she would love to star in afilm about infertility. Discussing her fantasy film script last summer, she said: “The horrendousissue of trying to have a baby when you can’t. “I’ve seen friends who’ve been through this, itseems like one of the most dramatic things that can happen to half of the population - andactually, the other half as well because, my god, the unbelievable toll it takes on male partners -and there are no good films about it.” The ‘Atonement’ star also previously admitted she waseager to have children, but insisted she would never give up her career to raise a family.Speaking last year, she said: “I don’t want to deny my femininity. But would I want to be a stay-at-home mother? No. On the other hand, you should be allowed to do that, as should men,without being sneered at.” Keira and James started dating in February 2011 and tied the knot infront of just 11 guests in Mazan in the South of France last year.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014

l if e s t y l e

Iconic jumpsuits and a pink Cadillac belonging to Elvis Presley are among 300artefacts on show at Europe’s largest ever exhibition honouring the King ofRock ‘n’ Roll, which opened in London on Friday. Many of the items on show

at the O2 Arena have never previously left Presley’s Graceland mansion inMemphis, Tennessee and include elaborate costumes, instruments and jew-ellery displayed in recreated interiors from his fabled home.

Star attractions include the pink Cadillac that Elvis used on tour, before giv-ing it to his mother, and the American Eagle embroidered jumpsuit that he woreat the epic 1972 Aloha from Hawaii concert, which was beamed live to over abillion fans around the world. Other items of clothing include the gold lamÈjumpsuit worn on stage in 1957 and the black leather outfit worn for theComeback Special in 1968.“This is huge for us,” explained Elvis’s former wifePriscilla, who is still actively involved in the running of Graceland. “We’ve tried topick things that would of course have human interest,” she told the Guardian.

Also on show will be a set of bongos given to him as a Christmas present by ayoung Priscilla before they were a couple. “I was so nervous about it because Iwas only 14 years old and what do I give Elvis Presley for Christmas?” sherecalled. Visitors will see the pool table that Presley and The Beatles played onwhen the Fab Four dropped in for a visit in 1965. “I remember John (Lennon)just staring at him and looking at him and it made Elvis feel uncomfortable,”Presley told the Guardian. “Then Elvis picked up his guitar and started playing-they were just fascinated with him. It was endearing.” Both Priscilla and daugh-ter Lisa Marie will be in Britain over Christmas. Lisa Marie moved to a mansionsouth of London in 2013 and Priscilla is starring in a pantomime in Manchester,northern England. The exhibition runs until August 31. — AFP

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A selection of US singer Elvis Presley’s jumpsuits are pictured during a photocall for the “Elvis at the O2” exhibition. — AFP photos

Elvis Presley’s Gibson J200 guitar from the 1968 tv special, is displayed during a photocall for the “Elvis at the O2” exhi-bition in London.

An MG sports car, driven and owned by US singer Elvis Presley in the film “Blue Hawaii”, is displayed during a photocallfor the “Elvis at the O2” exhibition.

Graceland arrives in London with rocking Elvis show

An embroidered American Eagle jumpsuit owned by US singer Elvis Presley isdisplayed during a photocall for the “Elvis at the O2” exhibition in London.

US singer Elvis Presley’s American Eagle jumpsuit and cape is displayed duringa photocall.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014

l if e s t y l e

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciencesannounced that 79 original songs will contend forthe 2014 Oscar.That’s a slight jump from last year’s 75.

The list will be winnowed down to five contenders whenOscar nominations are unveiled Jan. 15.

This year’s eligible list includes tunes from animatedfilms (e.g., “Everything Is Awesome” from “The LegoMovie”), documentaries (“I’m Not Gonna Miss You” from“Glen Campbell ... I’ll Be Me”), small-scale works (“Lost Stars”from “Begin Again”) and big epics (“The Last Goodbye”from “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,” by BillyBoyd). The animated “Rio 2” has four eligible songs, andseveral films have three.

There is also an impressive roster of tunes from stars ofthe music world, including Coldplay’s “Miracles” from“Unbroken”; Jonsi ’s song “For the Dancing and theDreaming” from “How to Train Your Dragon 2”; and “YellowFlicker Beat,” Lorde’s contribution to the “Hunger Games:Mockingjay-Part 1” soundtrack.

Here’s the complete list“It’s on Again” from “The Amazing Spider-Man 2”“Opportunity” from “Annie”“Lost Stars” from “Begin Again”“Grateful” from “Beyond the Lights”“Big Eyes” from “Big Eyes”“Immortals” from “Big Hero 6”“The Apology Song” from “The Book of Life”“I Love You Too Much” from “The Book of Life”

“The Boxtrolls Song” from “The Boxtrolls”“Quattro Sabatino” from “The Boxtrolls”“Ryan’s Song” from “Boyhood”“Split the Difference” from “Boyhood”“No Fate Awaits Me” from “ The Disappearance of

Eleanor Rigby: Them”“Brave Souls” from “Dolphin Tale 2”“You Got Me” from “Dolphin Tale 2”“All Our Endless Love” from “Endless Love”“Let Me In” from “The Fault in Our Stars”“Not About Angels” from “The Fault in Our Stars”“Until the End” from “Garnet’s Gold”“It Just Takes a Moment” from “Girl on a Bicycle”“Last Stop Paris” from “Girl on a Bicycle”“Ordinary Human” from “The Giver”“I’m Not Gonna Miss You” from “Glen Campbell...I’ll Be

Me”“Find a Way” from “The Good Lie”“Color the World” from “The Hero of Color City”“The Last Goodbye” from “The Hobbit: The Battle of the

Five Armies”“Chariots” from “The Hornet’s Nest”“Follow Me” from “The Hornet’s Nest”“Something to Shoot For” from “Hot Guys with Guns”“For the Dancing and the Dreaming” from “How to Train

Your Dragon 2”“Afreen” from “The Hundred-Foot Journey”“Yellow Flicker Beat” from “ The Hunger Games:

Mockingjay-Part 1”

“Heart Like Yours” from “If I Stay”“I Never Wanted to Go” from “If I Stay”“Mind” from “If I Stay”“Everything Is Awesome” from “The Lego Movie”“Call Me When You Find Yourself” from “Life Inside Out”“Coming Back to You” from “Life of an Actress The

Musical”“The Life of an Actress” from “Life of an Actress The

Musical”“Sister Rust” from “Lucy”“You Fooled Me” from “Merchants of Doubt”“Million Dollar Dream” from “Million Dollar Arm”“Spreading the Word/Makhna” from “Million Dollar Arm”“We Could Be Kings” from “Million Dollar Arm”“A Million Ways to Die” from “A Million Ways to Die in the

West”“Way Back When” from “Mr. Peabody & Sherman”“America for Me” from “A Most Violent Year”“I’ll Get You What You Want (Cockatoo in Malibu)” from

“Muppets Most Wanted”“Something So Right” from “Muppets Most Wanted”“We’re Doing a Sequel” from “Muppets Most Wanted”“Mercy Is” from “Noah”“Seeds” from “Occupy the Farm”“Grant My Freedom” from “The One I Wrote for You”“The One I Wrote For You” from “The One I Wrote for

You”“Hal” from “Only Lovers Left Alive”“Shine” from “Paddington”

“Still I Fly” from “Planes: Fire & Rescue”“Batucada Familia” from “Rio 2”“Beautiful Creatures” from “Rio 2”“Poisonous Love” from “Rio 2”“What Is Love” from “Rio 2”“Over Your Shoulder” from “Rudderless”“Sing Along” from “Rudderless”“Stay With You” from “Rudderless”“Everyone Hides” from “St. Vincent”“Why Why Why” from “St. Vincent”“Glory” from “Selma”“The Morning” from “A Small Section of the World”“Special” from “Special”“Gimme Some” from “#Stuck”“The Only Thing” from “Third Person”“Battle Cry” from “Transformers: Age of Extinction”“Miracles” from “Unbroken”“Summer Nights” from “Under the Electric Sky”“We Will Not Go” from “Virunga”“Heavenly Father” from “Wish I Was Here”“So Now What” from “Wish I Was Here”“Long Braid” from “Work Weather Wife”“Moon” from “Work Weather Wife”. — Reuters

79 original songs to compete for Oscar

Christmas jumpers, once only thought stylish byknitting-needle wielding grannies, are enjoy-ing a renaissance in Britain after being adopt-

ed as a festive fashion statement by young revellers.Responding to soaring demand for the colourful

and eccentric creations, vintage clothing groupBeyond Retro has opened a temporary store sellingonly Christmas jumpers in London’s trendy OldStreet.

“It isn’t just hipsters that are doing it now, it’severybody, office workers to mums, dads, kids buy-ing them for their whole family, everyone is gettinginvolved and that’s what so exciting,” said AshleyEmerson, head of development at Beyond Retro.

One happy customer was Louisa Tomlenson, a 33-year-old housewife. “We’re all going to wear it (onChristmas Day), my husband, the children and every-one,” she said. “It’s everywhere, in lots of shops,” sheadded.

Times have changed since the 2001 smash filmBridget Jones’s Diary, in which Colin Firth’s characterMark Darcy is made to look uncool by wearing agreen woollen pullover decorated with Rudolph theRed-Nosed Reindeer.

“The novelty knit... has rocketed up the cool-o-

meter this season,” said department storeDebenhams, which has recorded a 200 percentincrease in sales from last Christmas. SupermarketAsda has also seen sales take off, with an increase of160%.

3D designs all the rage While bargain-hunters can still snap up cheap fes-

tive jumpers — 100 percent acrylic-high rollers caneasily spend over £200 ($314, 250 euros) onCashmere or alpaca garments.

Surfing the trend, British NGO “Save the Children”has since 2012 run a “Christmas Jumpers Day” onDecember 12, when those wearing seasonalknitwear are asked to donate a small sum for charity.

“Last year we were lucky enough to raise £1.5 mil-lion with over a million people taking part,” saidTanya Steele, financial director at Save the Children.“We’re hoping to double that this year. We alreadyhave well over a million people signed up.

“Christmas Jumpers have been part of the Britishpsyche and part of Christmas for decades,” she said,putting their resurgence down to a combination offactors.

Their traditional style chimes with the rise of

Scandinavian fashion and taste for vintage, the massof Christmas parties gives socialites the chance toshow off their purchases all through December andtheir unsophisticated designs appeal to Britain’s self-deprecating sense of humour.

“The English do like being a bit different and hav-ing their own cheesy or individual look,” Tomlensonsaid. After picking up her jumper, Nicky Burgess, a31-year-old lawyer, told AFP: “It’s kitsch, it’s cheesybut because it’s this time of the year, people are moreinclined to get on board with this kind of thing, par-ticularly on office parties and nights out.

“It’s great fun,” she said. With competition rife tofind the most eye-catching knitwear, those incorpo-rating three-dimensional elements, such asRudolph’s nose or Santa’s beard, are especiallysought after.

“A few years ago, people would be like ‘oh no Icouldn’t wear that’” Emerson laughed. “But this yeareveryone is being coming in saying ‘I want your crazi-est jumpers’”. — AFP

Retro Christmas jumpers are pictured in the “Beyond Retro” boutique in central London. A leaflet advertising ‘Christmas Jumper Day’ is pictured in the “Beyond Retro” boutique in central London.

UK falls in love with theChristmas jumper

Christmas jumpers modelled in the “Beyond Retro” boutique.

Samantha Cameron, wife of Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron, hosts a Christmas Jumper Jumble at 10 Downing Street in central London, onFriday. Christmas jumpers, once only thought stylish by knitting-needle wielding grannies, are enjoying a renaissance in Britain after being adopted asa festive fashion statement by young revellers. — AFP photos

39UK falls in love with

the Christmas jumper

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014

People enjoy the Christmas lights on the 700 block of 34th Street in the Hampden community of Baltimore, Maryland on Friday. The display called “Miracle on 34th Street” dates back to 1947 and attracts thousands of tourists each year. — AFP

Streaming has rapidly transformed popmusic’s landscape but even more dra-matic changes could be in store as com-

panies eye the vast, barely touched marketsof the developing world.

Spotify and its rivals were among thebiggest music headlines in 2014 as streamingservices quickly pick up new customers andalso face intense criticism-most famouslyfrom pop star Taylor Swift, who was the year’stop artist on the US charts.

Swift and other detractors accuse the serv-ices-which allow customers to listen to asmuch music as they want at the touch of aphone or computer-of poorly compensatingartists and hastening the death of the album.

But the debate may soon change markedlyas streaming grows in emerging economiessuch as China, India and Indonesia-wherealbum sales have never been a major revenuesource for the world’s record labels.

Streaming could instead become a“leapfrog” technology like cellular phonesfinding its way into the hands of a burgeoningmiddle class that never had a tradition ofkeeping recorded music, — in vinyl, CD or anyother form.

Sensing the market changes ahead, WarnerMusic last month reached a deal with China’sTencent that includes streaming in the firstsuch agreement for one of the three majorrecord label conglomerates in the world’smost populous nation.

‘Wild West’ for entertainment One company that has noticed the rapid

changes over the past year is Vuclip, aCalifornia-based company founded in 2008that provides music videos and other content.

Vuclip leads the market for on-demandvideo in emerging markets.

“We’ve been around for seven years andwe have seen an absolute shift in momen-tum,” said Nickhil Jakatdar, Vuclip’s chief exec-utive officer. “It’s the Wild West out there. Ayear and a half back, we barely saw any com-petitors, but now every day I wake up in themorning and see that a new competitor haslaunched,” Jakatdar told AFP.

The most significant reason, he said, wasthat mobile Internet access was quicklybecoming faster and more affordable, makingit feasible for a consumer of limited means towatch entertainment on his or her phone.

Vuclip predicted a growing market forvideos that last between five and 10 minutes,an ideal size to watch during a commute.

Vuclip, which says it has 120 million users,has also put an emphasis on making billingsimple for customers who may be unaccus-tomed to credit cards or complicated monthlyplans.

Diverse tastes Vuclip, which is not present in China, sees

particularly strong growth in India, Indonesia,Malaysia and Thailand, as well as Egypt, SaudiArabia and the United Arab Emirates.

But one challenge in emerging markets isthe diversity of tastes, with Hollywood fare-or,for music streaming, Western pop-unlikely tomeet consumer demand. As a result, compa-nies have to approach each market separatelyfor content licensing.

“The content that consumers care about istypically very, very regional in nature. A per-son in India cares about Indian content, andeach state has its own market,” Jakatdar said.

In contrast to Asia, Latin American nationsshare more tastes in common and musicstreaming services including Spotify, Deezerand Rhapsody have been quick to form com-

mercial alliances. The music industry’s digitalrevenue from Latin America jumped 124 per-cent from 2010 to 2013, well above the globalaverage, according to the InternationalFederation of the Phonographic Industry.

Spotify has entered 58 countries or territo-ries but not several big Asian nations, wherelocal services have sprouted up.

Gaana.com-operated by Times Internetwhich is India’s biggest digital network andowned by The Times of India newspapergroup-lets listeners browse through thou-sands of playlists, listen to radio stations andfeatures offerings from the top-20 Hindi songsto classical music.

India, set to surpass the United States asthe world’s second largest Internet popula-tion, can expect growth in digital consump-tion of music by some 22 percent each yearuntil 2016, according to services companyKPMG. New Delhi entrepreneur RavishChawla, 28, said that streaming saved himspace. “Ever since Internet speeds improved,I’ve removed all digital music files from mydevices. Whatever the number of music filesin your phone, it can never match streamingservices’ archives,” he said. — AFP

After big year, streaming tipped for new markets

Singer Beyonce (L) and LeeAnne Callahan-Longo, General

Manager of ParkwoodEntertainment and #12 of

Billboard’s Top 50 Women InMusic this year attend the2014 Billboard Women In

Music Luncheon at CiprianiWall Street on Friday in New

York City. — AP