GAZA CITY: Palestinian Islamist move-ment Hamas elected ex-Gaza Strip chiefIsmail Haniya as its new leader yesterday,days after revising its founding charter toease its stance on Israel. Haniya, seen as apragmatist within the movement, isexpected to remain in the Gaza Strip, thePalestinian enclave run by Hamas since2007. His predecessor Khaled Meshaallives in exile in Doha and had completedthe maximum two terms in office. “TheHamas Shura Council on Saturday elect-ed Ismail Haniya as head of the move-ment’s political bureau,” the group’s offi-cial website announced.

He beat Mussa Abu Marzuk andMohamed Nazzal in a videoconferencevote of the ruling council’s members inGaza, the West Bank and outside thePalestinian territories. The 54-year-oldwith a salt-and-pepper beard takescharge of Hamas as it seeks to ease itsinternational isolation while not margin-alizing hardliners within the movement.On Monday, it unveiled a new policy doc-ument easing its stance on Israel afterhaving long called for its destruction.

The document notably accepts the cre-ation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank,east Jerusalem and Gaza, the territoriesoccupied by Israel in the Six-Day War of1967. It also says its struggle is not againstJews because of their religion but against

Israel as an occupier. The original 1988 char-ter will not be dropped, just supplemented,in a move some analysts see as a way ofmaintaining the backing of hardliners.

“The new charter and Haniya’s elec-tion are two of the biggest events inrecent years,” a European official based inJerusalem told AFP yesterday, speakingon condition of anonymity. “The ques-tion is how is Hamas going to build onthis momentum,” he said, speaking inEnglish. — AFP (See Page 8)

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Kuwait has cemented bonds with Egypt since independence

Kipchoge runs fastest marathon, fails to break two hours

‘MSN’ hit 100 mark as Barca pile pressure on Madrid

Priyanka Chopra dismayed by Zimbabwe child sexual abuse

Saudi Arabia, US in talks

on billions in arms sales Planning for Trump’s Saudi trip intensifies

WASHINGTON: Washington is working to push throughcontracts for tens of billions of dollars in arms sales toSaudi Arabia, some new, others in the pipeline, ahead ofUS President Donald Trump’s trip to the kingdom thismonth, people familiar with the talks told Reuters. SaudiArabia is Trump’s first stop on his maiden international trip,a sign of his intent to reinforce ties with a top regional ally.

The United States has been the main supplier formost Saudi military needs, from F-15 fighter jets tocommand and control systems worth tens of billions ofdollars in recent years. Trump has vowed to stimulatethe US economy by boosting manufacturing jobs.Washington and Riyadh are eager to improve relationsstrained under President Barack Obama in part becauseof his championing of a nuclear deal with Saudi foe Iran.

Lockheed Martin Co programs in the packageinclude a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)missile defense system with several batteries, thesources said. The THAAD system, like the one beingmade operational in South Korea, costs about $1 bil-lion. Also being negotiated is a C2BMC software systemfor battle command and control and communicationsas well as a package of satellite capabilities, both pro-vided by Lockheed.

Combat vehicles made by BAE Systems PLC, includ-ing the Bradley Fighting Vehicle and M109 artillery vehi-cle, are also under consideration as part of the Saudipackage, people familiar with the talks said. Both vehi-cles are in the Saudi inventory. British defense companyBAE has 29,000 employees in the United States. Thesources spoke on condition of anonymity because theywere not authorized to discuss the negotiations, whichalso include previously reported contracts or itemsunder discussion for years.

Continued on Page 13

PARIS: France’s election authority attempted yester-day to stop the spread of hacked documents fromcentrist presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron’scampaign a day before the country heads to the pollsfor a watershed election. Thousands of emails anddocuments were dumped online by hackers shortlybefore midnight in France on Friday and were thenrelayed by anti-secrecy group Wikileaks.

A statement from the 39-year-old frontrunnerMacron called it a “massive and coordinated” hackthat was intended as “democratic destabilization, likethat seen during the last presidential campaign in theUnited States”. Bound by strict election rules that bancampaigning on the day before the vote, neither henor his allies were able to respond further as allega-tions were circulated on social media by his oppo-nents in France and abroad.

“The dissemination of such data, which have beenfraudulently obtained and in all likelihood may havebeen mingled with false information, is liable to beclassified as a criminal offence,” France’s electoralcommission said in a statement. Many supporters ofMacron’s far-right opponent Marine Le Pen ignoredthe warning, however, publishing screenshots of doc-uments allegedly found in the hacked files, which theMacron team has warned could include fakes. SeniorLe Pen aide Florian Philippot suggested on Twitterthat the leak might contain information the mediahad deliberately suppressed.

Continued on Page 13

Macron target of massive email hack

PARIS: Army soldiers patrol near Trocadero plaza with the Eiffel Tower in the background yesterday. — AP

Haniya elected leader of Hamas

Ismail Haniya

WASHINGTON: In 1944, US president FranklinRoosevelt urged Congress to pass a “second bill ofrights”. Number six on the list was “the right to ade-quate medical care and the opportunity to achieveand enjoy good health”. Seventy-three years later,despite the passage of many health care reforms, hisdream remains as controversial as it was back then.Under former president Barack Obama, more than20 million previously uninsured Americans gainedhealthcare coverage. Those who would have oncehad to sell their homes to pay for cancer treatmentsor limited doctors’ visits because of the cost gainedat least some peace of mind.

But in the land of rugged individualism, healthcarehas never attained the status of fundamental right,unlike education. Health insurance is simply a productlike any other, say Republicans who, under the leader-ship of President Donald Trump, are trying to repealmost of Obamacare, the landmark law signed in 2010.

After World War II, the idea of national healthinsurance supported by Roosevelt’s successor HarryTruman ran into the new geopolitical reality.

Continued on Page 13

Healthcare a

privilege, not

a right in US

People look at the wreckage of a bus that had been transporting primary schoolpupils from Arusha to Karatu before plunging into a gorge yesterday. — AFP

DAR ES SALAAM: Thirty-two school-children, two teachers and a minibusdriver where killed in Tanzania whentheir vehicle plunged into a roadsideravine in the northern tourist region ofArusha yesterday, a senior police officialsaid. “The accident happened when thebus was descending on a steep hill inrainy conditions,” Arusha regional policecommander Charles Mkumbo toldReuters by telephone. “We are still inves-

tigating the incident to determine if itwas caused by a mechanical defect orhuman error on the part of the driver.”

The students killed in the accident,which occurred at about 9:30 am in Karatudistrict, were standard seven pupils, aged12 to 13, from the Lucky Vincent primaryschool on their way to visit another school,Mkumbo said. President John Magufulidescribed the accident as a “nationaltragedy” in a statement. — Agencies

35 dead as school bus

crashes in Tanzania

Morocco cleric defies

taboo on inheritance

PAGEPortrait of the artist

as a gunshot victim

PAGE

MANILA: The body of a victim is seen at the scene of an explosion as police officersexamine the site in Quiapo yesterday. — AFP

MANILA: Two explosions in the Philippine capitalyesterday night killed two people and injured sixothers, police said, just over a week after anotherblast in the same area. An initial blast occurredaround 6:00pm (1000 GMT) yesterday near amosque in Quiapo, one of the older parts of Manilawhere there are big slums, city police chief OscarAlbayalde said. The explosion killed two andinjured four others, he said.

A second blast occurred in the same areaaround 8:30 pm, according to an AFP photogra-pher who was among a group of journalists nearthe scene. Two policemen who were inspectingthe area after the first blast were injured by thesecond explosion, Albayalde said in an interviewon GMA television. The blasts occurred along anarrow street crammed with stalls hawkingclothes and homeware.

They were just outside an Islamic communitycenter and about a hundred meters from the QuiapoGolden Mosque. The Philippines is a mainly Catholic

country but it has a significant Muslim minority,some of whom live in Quiapo. The first blast dam-aged part of the Islamic center and shattered win-dows in nearby buildings, according to the AFP pho-tographer and witnesses. “It was very powerful,”Omar Yahya, 22, who was at the Islamic center whenthe first explosion occurred, told AFP afterwards at aManila police station. “Windows were broken andthe wooden part of the building collapsed”.

Police chief Albayalde said the first blastappeared to have come from a package that wasbeing delivered by a man on a motorcycle. “Theman on the motorcycle who delivered the pack-age was killed. The other killed was the personwho received the package,” he said in an inter-view on DZRH radio.

Albayalde said there were no signs that theblasts were terrorist attacks. “We do not want tospeculate but it’s possible this is a gang war,” hesaid. “We do not see any indication that this is a ter-ror attack.” The other explosion in Quiapo just over

a week ago, which occurred as Southeast Asianleaders were meeting for a summit a few kilome-ters away, injured 14 people.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibilityfor the April 28 explosion, but police insisted it wasnot a terrorist attack, nor was it related in any wayto the gathering of political leaders. Police said theApril 28 explosion involved a home-made pipebomb and was carried out by people involved in aprivate grievance. They said one person had beenarrested over that attack.

Militants who have pledged allegiance to theIslamic State group are based in the southernPhilippines, more than 800 km from Manila. Thosemilitants mainly operate in the south, althoughthey have been blamed for terrorists attacks inManila. The Abu Sayyaf group, which is most infa-mous for kidnapping foreigners and killing them ifransoms are not paid, was blamed for the bomb-ing of a ferry in Manila Bay in 2004 that killed morethan 116 people. — AFP

Twin blasts in Manila kill 2

LO C A LSUN DAY, MAY 7, 2017

KUWAIT: Egyptian President Abdelfattah Al-Sisiis set to have talks with His Highness the AmirSheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah onbilateral relations, a host of regional and interna-tional affairs during his scheduled visit to theState of Kuwait starting today. President Sisi’smission to the country, his second since pro-claimed president of Egypt in June 2014, comesamid noticeable growth of the relationsbetween the two countries in various realms.

The Kuwaiti-Egyptian bonds, establishedmany years ago, are exemplary; for the twocountries have repeatedly stood on each other’ssides at hard times. Egypt robustly sided withKuwait in facing the 1990 Iraqi Invasion and itstroops took part in the 1991 liberation of theGulf country. Kuwait meanwhile supportedEgypt during the 1967 aggression and the 1973war with Israel. These close relations have grownstronger and warmer with time, particularly afterKuwait proclaimed independence in 1961.

Cairo hosted the late Amir, Sheikh AbdullahAl-Salem Al-Sabah, three times during 1964.He also went to the North African Arab nationseveral times during the era of the late presi-dent Jamal Abdulnasser. He was the last leaderto bid Abdulnasser goodbye after the 1970Arab summit before the latter’s demise. Lateron during the presidency of the late Anwar Al-Sadat, Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem conductedseveral missions to Cairo for talks on bilateralissues as well as attending the 1976 Arab sum-mit for Lebanon.

The ex-president Hosni Mubarak came toKuwait four times since taking office in 1981.Meanwhile, the late Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-AhmadAl-Jaber Al-Sabah paid an official visit to Cairo in1989. Mubarak was among the first leaders tocome to Kuwait after the liberation to congratu-late the Kuwaitis on the occasion.

Mubarak also came to Kuwait during the eraof the current Amir His Highness Sheikh SabahAl-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, cementing furtherthe close links between the two countries. He

was here in 2009 for the Arab economic summit.His Highness the Amir hosted the former

president Adly Mansour in 2013, and attended

the coronation of President Abdelfattah Al-Sisi inJune 2014. The latter came to Kuwait for the firsttime in 2015. — KUNA

Kuwait has cemented bonds

with Egypt since independence

Sisi begins official visit to Kuwait today

KUWAIT: In this file photo, His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabahwelcomes Egyptian President Abdelfattah Al-Sisi during his visit to Kuwait in 2015.— KUNA

KUWAIT: EQUATE PetrochemicalCompany, a global producer of petro-chemicals, proudly received fourawards at the ASSE GCC HSE ExcellenceAwards 2017. The award ceremony wasorganized by ASSE that was held onMay 2, 2017, in order to recognize andhonor member private-sector compa-nies for their leadership, excellence andexceptional performance in the field ofHealth, Safety and Environment in theGulf region.

EQUATE received the following: TheGold Award for Manufacturing for the9th consecutive year, the Gold Award forCSR Excellence, the Gold Award forEngineering and ConstructionDepartment EHandS Project and theSilver Award for Best HSE Initiative.

Speaking on this occasion, EQUATE’sCorporate Communications Leader,Kholoud Al-Feeli, “We are very honoredto be presented with 4 awards fromASSE. Winning such awards highlightsour commitment to ensure excellenceand professionalism within our compa-ny. Furthermore, it showcases our effortsas members of the ASSE towards adopt-

ing successful business models thatuphold HSE as a business value.”

The American Society of SafetyEngineers (ASSE), Kuwait Chapter is apremier voluntary, non-profit, Health,Safety and Environmental professionalorganization, which strives to provideprofessional guidance, training, consul-tancy and resources to the HSEProfessionals, industrial and social sec-tors in the region.

EQUATE’s HSE initiatives includeKuwait’s first and only seawater coolingtowers, Kuwait’s first CO2 recovery proj-ect, first in Kuwait PartnershipAgreement with Maersk to Reduce CO2Emission in Ocean Transportation, wastemanagement and recycling project withMRC, as well as the Middle East’s firstplant water recycle project.

It is noteworthy to mention thatEQUATE is the first company in theMiddle East in the petrochemical sectorto obtain the new Responsible Care (RC)14001:2015 certification from DNV GL.The certification is aimed to support thecompany’s sustainability efforts inEnvironment, Health and Safety.

EQUATE wins 4 prestigious awards from

the American Society of Safety Engineers

KUWAIT: Ambassador of Poland to Kuwait Grzegorz Olszak hosted a ceremony recently to celebrate his country’s national day. State officials, diplomats and other dignitaries attended the event. — Photos by Joseph Shagra

L O C A LSUNDAY, MAY 7, 2017

By Muna Al-Fuzai

muna@kuwaittimes.net

Russian employee

flees with $166m!

ARussian employee stole public funds and fledKuwait after she transferred about $166 mil-lion to her accomplices. This report was pub-

lished by Al-Jarida daily two days ago and angeredmany Kuwaitis. It was also trending on social mediaover the weekend. I need to say here that the Kuwaitiprosecution is still investigating the matter, with May21 set for consideration of the case. So the court hasnot issued its final word yet.

The prosecutor has accused the suspects, whowere working for the port investment fund, of misap-propriating public funds from 2007 to 2015. The totalamount embezzled by the Russian employee and herpartners exceeded $166 million, and the case file willbe referred to the criminal court. The prosecutionalso charged another suspect, a member of the advi-sory board of the fund, of colluding with the Russianemployee in money laundering and embezzlementof public funds. This person was a public servant anddeliberately carried out illegal actions that weredetrimental to the interests of the institution.

It is worth mentioning that former communica-tions minister Essa Al-Kandari had investigated theissue and referred it to the public prosecution. Hemade this decision as per an Audit Bureau report,which revealed the embezzlement. The entire case isnow under investigation and more details are beingpublished online.

But this is not the aim of this article. It is no sur-prise that financial crimes occur every day in theworld. There is nothing new about the subject, butwhat is interesting here is the question that manypeople have raised - how was a suspect allowed toleave the country before an acquittal from the court?In fact, a social media activist made a point abouthow the interior ministry often places travel bans onindividuals, whether citizens or expatriates, for lessercrimes. This case is still under investigation and hasnot been completed or closed by the court. Anotherdisturbing element is the fact that this did not hap-pen all of a sudden, but continued for years - from2007 to 2015!

Some people have called on the NationalAssembly to form an investigation committee.Unfortunately, this is a loss of public funds, which isthe people’s money, and not the private property ofsomeone. Therefore, the anger of the people is justi-fied. There are intense frustrations and complaintsover this crime, and allowing one of the suspects toleave Kuwait with the money. This is an ideal endingfor a criminal - to commit a crime and flee.

One of the reasons for anxiety is the recurrence offinancial crimes in recent years in Kuwait and theflight of suspects abroad without the ability to stopor extradite them to face punishment. They are oftensenior employees or officials and not junior staff.These crimes send a negative message about Kuwaitand the society. It is like saying if you have moneyand power, you will be far from punishment.

This is a security and moral threat to the societyand the safety of people. It also distorts Kuwait’s rep-utation and makes it appear like a home of corruptpeople and criminals. It is the right of everyone todemand strict measures be taken against the sus-pects, whether they are citizens or expatriates, espe-cially those who violate public money or are involvedin money laundering.

I believe the public prosecutor’s office will contin-ue to investigate the crime as part of its work and thecourt will issue its verdict without doubt, but theevents send a frightening message to the people. Weshould not allow anyone to think we are a perfectlocation for crimes and thefts.

Local spotlight

By Ben Garcia

KUWAIT: In 2014, Kuwait Times started acampaign to investigate the price changesof some basic commodities starting from amonth prior to the holy month ofRamadan. The weekly survey covers theprices of seven different kinds of commodi-ties (per kilogram) bought from a super-market, for the purpose of comparing theprices on a weekly basis. These are popularitems whose prices usually increase duringRamadan. This year, we also added eggsand milk to the previous list which containsminced meat, chicken, tomatoes, lemons,and cucumbers.

The prices of prime commodities varyfrom one co-op society to another.Surprisingly, the prices of these goods aredifferent when compared to privately runsmall and big supermarket prices.According to our list, the prices monitoredin a co-op society last week compared tosupermarket prices were as follows: theprice of minced beef per kg was KD 2.750but supermarkets were selling it for KD2.150 only. Tomatoes were sold for 550 filsper kg in co-ops, but in supermarkets it wasfor 495 fils only. But cucumber in co-opswas cheaper than that sold in supermar-

kets. Last week, cucumbers in co-ops weresold for 50 fils per kg, whereas the super-markets had it for 145 fils per kg.

The prices of the items are as follows(Supermarkets today):

One kg of fresh minced meat (beef )

costs KD 2.150One kg of fresh Saudi chicken costs

KD 1.400One kg of local tomatoes costs 495 filsO n e k g o f A f r i c a n l e m o n s c o s t s

775 filsOne kg of local cucumbers costs 145 fils

One liter local milk costs KD 1.250 X 4One tray of eggs containing 30 eggs

costs KD 790

The prices of the items are as follows(coops last week):

One kg of fresh minced meat (beef )costs KD 2.750

One kg of fresh Saudi chicken costsKD 1.760

One kg of local tomatoes costs 550 filsOne kg of African lemons costs 660 filsOne kg of local cucumbers costs 50 fils One liter local milk costs 430 filsOne tray of eggs containing 30 eggs

costs KD 1.100 Kuwait Times will be following the

prices of these items, in order to check ifany increase in price occurs during thisperiod and until the beginning of theholy month of Ramadan.

Kuwait Times will update the readerswith the next investigation report in thecoming week. The prices are the same inall co-ops for the same kind and brand,but may differ from one supermarket toanother. Also, co-ops hold weekly foodfestivals, including special discounts onfru i ts and vegetables for one day aweek.

Kuwait Times weekly

commodity prices survey

By A Saleh

KUWAIT: The National Committee for Combating FishDeath; a state department comprising of several many rel-evant state departments, is expected to hold a press con-ference tomorrow to announce its report about the phe-nomena. The committee’s spokesperson, EnvironmentPublic Authority’s (EPA) Deputy Director Mohammad Al-Enezi explained that the committee includes representa-tives from EPA, the Public Authority for Agricultural Affairsand Fish Resources (PAAAFR), Kuwait Institute for ScientificResearch (KISR) and Kuwait University (KU), adding that itwill provide a full scientific report about the dying fishes.

Hospitals’ cafeteriasThe Patients Support Fund’s (PSF) Board Chairman Dr

Mohammed Al-Sharhan said that closing down the soci-ety’s cafeterias in public hospitals will deprive thousands ofnon-Kuwaiti patients from medical treatment. Sharhanexplained that the society provides many humanitarianservices in various hospitals such a paying the expenses oftreating worse off patients including radiology and labtests and expensive medications in addition to providingwheelchairs, hearing aids, glasses and artificial limbs to

patients with special needs. Sharhan said that the society isfunded by charity donations and some investment projectssuch as that of hospitals’ cafeterias, adding that the rev-enues of those cafeterias are totally used to pay for treatingthose who cannot afford the cost. “Hundreds of non-Kuwaiti and stateless patients are hospitalized on dailybasis and the health insurance only reduces the fees anddoes not completely cancel it,” he explained, noting thatsome patients cannot even pay the reduced fees of somediagnostic tests.

Sharhan gave an example of the monthly cost of treat-ing a kidney failure patient that it equals KD 360. He notedthat the society also supports health facilities by providingsome medial and electronic equipment, conduct urgentmaintenance operations and build recreational clubs inpediatrics wards.

Unpaid school feesThe Education Ministry’s Acting Director of Private

Education Sanad Al-Mutairi asked private school owners toprovide him with lists of students who have still not paidthe 2016-2017 fees and are not covered by the students’charity fund. Mutairi added that the department will studyeach case separately and then make the right decision.

Payroll alternativeThe strategic payroll alternative bill will be returned to

the parliament’s financial affairs committee to discuss fur-ther amendments suggested by the government, saidinformed sources, noting that the committee’s meetingtoday will be attended by Finance Minister Anas Al-Saleh,Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Mohammad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah and Minister of Social Affairs and Laborand Minister of State for Economic Affairs Hind Al-Sabeeh.

The sources added that the strategic payroll alternativebill will be deferred to the coming parliamentary term asthe government insists on applying it to governmentalbodies including the oil sector, which is a strong point ofdisagreement. Sources said that the committee’s meetingagenda will include resuming the discussion of protectingKuwaitis’ salaries and pensions, discussing law number6/2008 pertaining with turning Kuwait Airways into ashareholding company and establishing the Kuwait Fundfor Social Development.

Meanwhile, the health affairs committee is scheduled todiscuss the reasons of not activating law number 68/2015pertaining with domestic helpers and law number 69/2015pertaining the establishment of a closed shareholdingcompany to recruit domestic labor.

Committee to announce report on fish deaths

Kuwait to receive ‘Capital

of Arab Youth of 2017’

flag from MoroccoKUWAIT: Kuwait will receive the flag bearing the logo of the ‘Capital of Arab Youth’from Morocco tomorrow, Director of the Public Authority of Youth (PAY) AbdulrahmanAl-Mutairi said yesterday. Celebrations of ‘Kuwait Capital of Arab Youth of 2017’ are to

take off here on May 15, with a variety of youth activities, headded in a press release. Mutairi will attend the hand-overceremony of the flag in Rabat on behalf of the Minister ofCommerce and Industry and Acting Minister of State forYouth Affairs Khaled Al-Roudan.

The higher organizing committee of the “Kuwait Capital ofArab Youth of 2017” has prepared a plenty of activities andcontests, cultural, artistic, social, sports and youth, in additionto youth conferences and forums. The events that will runthrough the year, are meant to contribute effectively toempowering the Arab youth through investing their energiesand encouraging them to work and innovate for achievingdevelopment in their countries, Mutairi said. The majority of

the Arab population is from youth and Kuwait has a leading experience in working foryouth, he noted.

The Kuwaiti leadership is very keen on youth and is giving them priority as the basicpower for developing societies, Mutairi said. During his visit to Morocco, the PAY chief willattend the Arab forum on “youth civil society organizations and their role for achievingsustainable development.” —KUNA

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: A fuel tanker truck’s driver diedafter he lost control over his vehicle whichflipped along Wafra highway, said securitysources noting that special gear was usedto cut open the wrecked vehicle and releasethe dead man’s body. A case was filed toinvestigate the cause of the accident.

Cat rescuedKuwait Fire Service Directorate’s (KFSD)

public relations and media departmentsaid that the operations center hadreceived a call about a cat trapped inside ahouse in Shamiya. Firefighters rushed tothe house and discovered that the cat wastrapped inside an air ventilation shaft. Theanimal was rescued safely.

Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi

Truck driver killed in crash

A scene from the accident. A fireman rescues the cat.

KUWAIT: The Sabah Al-Ahmad Center for Giftedness and Creativity hosted a ceremony to celebrate the conclusion of the second nanotechnology training course for Ministry of Education teachers. Anexhibition for nanotechnology experiments was held during the ceremony.

SUNDAY, MAY 7, 2017

L O C A L

DUBAI: The Middle East and North Africa (MENA)region is one of the most youthful regions in theworld. As a result of this, young job seekers andrecent graduates are rigorously competing forentry level jobs and attempting to secure an early-career position. In order to measure the success oftheir efforts, Bayt.com - the Middle East’s #1 JobSite - conducted a poll titled ‘Finding Your First Jobin the Middle East and North Africa’ in which morethan six in 10 respondents (62.1 percent) claimedthat they can find ‘entry level jobs for their educa-tional background.’

Further, half of the respondents from across theMENA region (49.9 percent) claim that entry leveljobs are ‘widely available in the Middle East.’ 18 per-cent of respondents were neutral in response to thisstatement. When it comes to the availability of jobsby sector, almost half of respondents claimed that ‘itis easier to obtain an entry level job in the PrivateSector’ (49.4 percent), followed by the Public Sector(18.2 percent), and Non-governmental Agencies(NGOs) (9.5 percent). However, over one in fiverespondents claimed that there is no differencebetween sectors when it comes to obtaining an entrylevel position (22.9 percent).

Online job sites emerged as the most popularmethod for finding entry level jobs in the MENAregion. 78.5 percent of job seekers use online jobsites along with other channels to look for jobs andalmost a quarter use online job sites exclusively (23.8percent). Online job sites were followed by socialmedia (9.3 percent), company websites (5.8 percent),newspapers (4.5 percent), and personal networks (1.9percent). More respondents agree that online jobsites are “effective for finding entry level jobs.”

What are the challenges? For young job seekers and fresh graduates, the

greatest challenge for getting their career started isthe high competition. 68 percent of polled job seek-ers agree that ‘competition is higher for entry leveljobs.’ The second challenge is the lack of career sup-port from universities and schools. Nearly three quar-ters of respondents (74.6 percent) claimed that theydo not (or ‘did not’ - if they have already graduated)receive career support from their university.

When it comes to salaries, 30.6 percent of respon-dents agree that entry level jobs are ‘paid well in theMiddle East’ and 19.6 percent were neutral. Whilenearly half (49.8 percent) of respondents disagree

with that statement, it is also worth noting that only17.4 percent of job seekers value having a ‘highsalary’ the most in an entry level job. 42.5 percent ofrespondents look for ‘opportunities for career growth,’21.9 percent look for ‘experience relevant to theireducation,’ and 18.2 percent look for ‘reputable com-pany / positive work culture.’

“In today’s economic climate, it is important forboth prospective employees and employers to beaware of the available solutions when it comes toobtaining and creating jobs,” said Suhail Masri, VicePresident of Employer Solutions, Bayt.com.“Competition for jobs has never ceased to exist,which is why job seekers are continuously encour-aged to enhance their CVs and online profiles as wellas utilize the most advanced tools and technologiesthat Bayt.com offers. We are very proud to work withover 27 million professionals and provide them withthe necessary tools and support for their careersearch. Our aim is to empower young job seekers andgraduates, whether by partnering with universitiesand educational institutions or directly with the jobseeker, so that they can make use of the availablecareer opportunities in their fields of interest.”

What makes a strong job candidate? 81.8 percent of respondents agree that intern-

ships make a stronger entry level job candidate.Moreover, nearly two thirds of respondents (65.5 per-cent) agree that cover letters are necessary when

submitting an entry level job application. Comparing the different elements of a candidate’s

CV, some items may appear more important thanothers. When asked what makes an ‘excellent candi-date’ for an entry level job, 33.8 percent of respon-dents cited ‘work experience,’ 27.2 percent cited ‘per-sonal and soft skills’ (ie communication, team work),26.4 percent cited ‘technical skills and certifications,’and 12.6 percent cited ‘university degree and GPA.’

As for survey respondents who have alreadyfound jobs, almost half of them said that it took lessthan 3 months to find their very first job (45.9 per-cent), 15.6 percent said it took them 3 - 6 months,23.8 percent said it took them 6 - 12 months, andonly 14.7 percent said that it took them more thanone year to find their first job.

Masri adds: “Fresh graduates seeking to securetheir first job should take advantage of the numerousentry-level jobs, internships, as well as informationabout the job market that Bayt.com regularly pro-vides. Today, and on any given day, over 10,000 jobsare available on our job site, nearly 5,000 of which aresuitable for young job seekers and fresh graduates.”

Data for the 2017 Bayt.com ‘Finding Your First Jobin the Middle East and North Africa’ poll was collect-ed online from March 19th, 2017 to April 26th, 2017.Results are based on a sample of 7,571 respondents.Countries that participated are the UAE, Saudi Arabia,Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan,Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and others.

78.5 percent of job seekers usejob sites to find their first jobs61.5 percent found their first job in less than six months

KUWAIT: Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry ofSocial Affairs and Labor Hassan Kathem opened thethird child entertainment expo ‘mezhalla’ (umbrella)on behalf of Minister Hind Al-Sabeeh on Friday.

The two-day event is co-organized by Nawahfairs company and Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) at

the Avenues Mall with 40 specialized nurseries andsports clubs taking part. It aims to provide amuse-ment and knowledge to children and make thembetter able to deal with their society, Kathem saidafter the opening ceremony. He appreciated theefforts of the participating sports clubs and nurs-

eries as well as the organizers for caring for childrenbelow the age of 16 and contributing the socialdevelopment in the country. KUNA has a pavilion atthe exhibition where it offer theatrical performanc-es, gifts and publications, notably the last edition of‘Kuna Al-Saghir’ kids’ magazine. — KUNA

Third umbrella expoopens at Avenues Mall

KUWAIT: TESOL-Kuwait hosted anopen day meeting yesterday for itsmembers and affiliated specializedteaching groups, known as SpecialInterest Groups (SIGs), at Arab OpenUniversity (AOU) in Ardiya area.

The meeting, themed “Why LearnEnglish?”, aimed at inspiring and moti-vating English educators in Kuwaitipublic and private schools and universi-ties, particularly teachers specialized inEnglish as a Second Language (ESL)and English as a Medium of Instruction(EMI). It also focused on the aims andobjectives of teaching English to non-native speakers around the world, andthe importance of learning English inmodern-day life. TESOL-Kuwait’s SIGsenable members to enhance their skillsin English teaching and learning, andprovide opportunities for all to con-tribute to teaching and learning, DrIlene Winokur Al-Zaid, President ofTESOL-Kuwait, said in her openingpresentation. They also offer membersan educational forum to network andcommunicate by sharing insights, dis-cussing trends and issues, hostingworkshops, and building connectionswith other professionals within special-ized fields, added Zaid.

“We want to make sure that you feelas teachers of English language inKuwait that you have a lot more profes-sional developments throughout theyear that you can take advantage of.And, as a result, TESOL-Kuwait reallywant to model that,” she said. Zaid alsoindicated that TESOL-Kuwait plans toregister with the Ministry of SocialAffairs as an NGO, adding that obtain-ing such a recognition would empowerTESOL’s members to contribute signifi-cantly and effectively in the enhance-ment of teaching and learning Englishin Kuwait. Meanwhile, the event fea-tured live performances by SIGs’ mem-bers, among which, notably, the ReadEnglish Actively for Language and LifeSkills (REALL) SIG, which displayed aunique way of teaching English litera-ture through performing arts such asdrawing, singing, and acting.

“REALL has developed an innovativeway to celebrate classic and modernEnglish novels and literature throughthe arts, bringing the stories to life,”Alison Koushki, REALL’s Chair, said.“Students would enhance all four lan-guage skills; listening, speaking, read-ing, and writing, while mining the rich-es of literature, then portraying them asart and performance,” Koushki, who isalso a senior instructor of IntensiveEnglish Program at the AmericanUniversity of Kuwait (AUK), added.

“My students use sound, lights, andcostumes when singing and acting theircharacters on stage. They also formteams, whetheron stage or back-stage, in additionto scriptwriting,reporting, andmake-up, and

work together to enliven the narrativeand cultivate their language and lifeskills simultaneously, said Koushki.TESOL-Kuwait is a professional organiza-tion for anyone involved in teachingnon-native speakers of English. It is anaffiliate of the international associationof Teachers of English to Speakers ofOther Languages (TESOL). The organiza-tion’s mission is to advance professionalexpertise in English language teachingand learning for speakers of other lan-guages worldwide. It is also devoted tothe professional development of itsmembers, most of whom are based inKuwait and the Gulf region. — KUNA

Islamic financing workshop

KUWAIT: The Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) will organ-ize a two-day workshop starting today on means ofoverhauling Islamic financial institutions. The work-shop, to be held at the CBK headquarters, is part ofthe central bank approach to develop the Islamicbanking and financial sectors, said Dr MohammadYousuf Al-Hashel, the CBK Governor. It will be organ-ized, in coordinating with leading Islamic financialestablishments, and will tackle legislative criteria,governance and work ethics in the field, in additionto auditing and review standards. — KUNA

KUWAIT: A specialized Health ministrybranch announced yesterday the start ofelectronic web-based board registrationexams for Kuwaiti doctors and colleagues,effective from tomorrow until June first. TheDirector General of Kuwait Institute forMedical Specializations (KIMS), Dr IbrahimHadi said in a press release, adding after theset deadline of June 1st 2017, no one will beadmissible. Hadi called on all those who wishto register to go through the designated site:examsoffice-kims.com. — KUNA

KUWAIT: The price of Kuwaiti oil was down$1.05 and stands at $45.55 per barrel (pb) inFriday’s trading, when compared to the previ-ous day of $46.60 pb, Kuwait PetroleumCorporation (KPC) said yesterday. Globally, oilprices were up, after five months of decline.The price of Brent crude was up 72 cents tostand at $49.10 pb, including US crude oilWest Texas was up 70 cents and stands at$46.22 pb. — KUNA

Photoo f t h e d a y

In Brief

KUWAIT: A picture showing a bee on a flower taken from a garden in Kuwait. — KUNA photo

SUNDAY, MAY 7, 2017

L O C A L

Kuwaiti board exams Oil price down

TESOL-Kuwait hosts

open day meetingAt Arab Open University

F r o m t h e A r a b i c p r e s sSUNDAY, MAY 7, 2017

CrimeR e p o r t

Banned from travellingA GCC national was arrested on arrival at Salmi land

border exit, said security sources, noting that the manwas found banned from travelling and that he was tech-nically still in Kuwait, as his departure had not been reg-istered in the system 10 years ago. A case was filed andfurther investigations are in progress.

FireAn Asian man was rescued after a fire broke out inside

his apartment while he was preparing dinner. Securitysources said the fire resulted from a gas leak and that theman suffered from first and third degree burns.

Rented car not returnedAn expat working in a car rental office reported that

a compatriot had rented a car for three days, but didnot return it to the office. A case was filed and furtherinvestigations are in progress.

AssaultA female citizen working for the Ministry of Public

Works (MPW) reported that her brother assaulted heroutside her house, said security sources, noting that thewomen provided a medical report with her injuries. Inanother assault case, an Egyptian woman married to acitizen reported that her husband had assaulted her,and provided a medical report of her injuries.

— Translated from the Arabic press

We have started to hear and read about cor-ruption and corruptors, which make us askthose with silent mouths and ‘empty’ pens:

Who are the corruptors? Reports and editorialscome through social media that make the citizenfeel as if he is staying in a land that bears tons oftreasures, and those who harvest them are certainunidentified personalities. We must admit that allcountries make mistakes, and corruption bells arerang, but the amount of what we hear and readabout crimes taking place in our society make ussay: Stop piddling in the name of corruption inorder to be bribed.

There are mistakes in the society, and it is possi-ble to correct them, but what we read from a blacktheater that carries plots and conspiracies in thename of corruption make the citizen unproductiveand will not bring reform. Rather, positive energieswill be paralyzed in our society; a message to thosewho claim reform and fight to eradicate corruption.

You should take the documents you have tothe security authorities because, as the sayinggoes “he who keeps silent when it comes to dothe right thing is a mute devil.” Reform is done byconfrontation, and anything else in the form ofwrangles through WhatsApp and Twitter is use-less. What is happening under the slogan of cor-ruption without declaring who are the corruptorsreminds me of an incident I personally wentthrough some years back.

About five years ago, a writer who hunts for mis-takes by some of the dignitaries took a picture of atweet made by a well-respected personality social-ly and economically, and that writer started tospeak about corruption towards that personality.But that writer changed his colors like a chameleonwhen he same personality he criticized gave himmoney to buy his silence; not out of fear or weak-ness, but out of sympathy towards the shape-shift-ing ‘chameleon.’

So when the chameleon was fed with money, theplay’s plot opened up and took us to the end, as ifcorruption was over, the society became righteousand the symbol of corruption, which was crying outin the name of the society (but actually seekingmoney), was eradicated. The country is sold in thename of corruption for the sake of bribery. Howmany chameleons are there in our society, livingaround us and changing colors, pry on some per-sonalities and officials not for the love of the coun-try, or to fight corruption and fear for the society,but rather for ‘bribery corruption?’

A message to all those who beat on emptydrums, and those who carry pens with secret ink: weare fed up with what you write, and have growntired by your beating. If you have facts, then takethem to the land of justice and law, because there isno barrier to keep you from expressing love towardsKuwait and its people if you want to reform Kuwait.A final word: Those who damage our reputation arethose who wished to be like you but have failed.

— Translated by Kuwait Times

Bribery corruption

Al-Anbaa

By Dr Nermin Al-Houti

It was proven that the work of the Public Anti-Corruption Authority, ever since its first establishmentin 2012 and second in 2016 following its initial fall,

has not been so good. It is actually starting on the wrongfoot because so many elements are fighting the idea of‘cleansing’ Kuwait’s administrative bodies. It seems thatthis authority came to existence at the wrong time whenKuwait fell back 20 grades in an international corruptionindex compared to its rank in 2003.

A time when briberies caused government contracts’values to jump by at least 25 percent more than theirtrue values. In addition, it is both the cabinet and parlia-ment’s incapability or unwillingness to stop public funds’leakages, protect those funds, or at least provide a prop-er healthy atmosphere to help the authority functionproperly and effectively.

It is also remarkable how the authority membersthemselves are not in agreement, such as the casedetected in a report made by an investigation commit-tee at the beginning of the year where liabilities of itschairman, deputy and members got entangled. In addi-tion, there was the recent political tension between thejustice minister and the authority that got all the way todropping its accusations to a lawmaker and a senior offi-cial due to ‘procedural error’; a legal term that is beingsarcastically used nowadays.

In such cases, public feelings towards the authority

leaders contribute to interfering in their administrativebody’s liabilities to the extent of rewarding them hand-somely for zero accomplishments. Such a situation leadsto losing hope in things getting any better simplybecause Kuwait is a small lightly populated and extrava-gantly rich country that should not witness such massivecorruption. It is logic.

Transparency and accountable bodies are usuallyestablished for two reasons; follow up a state’s interna-tional obligations according to the international treatiesit had signed, and create leading senior positions forsome most favored people.... at least that is what peopleassume. We are not actually in the time of fighting cor-ruption because, on one hand, the government is notserious enough about it and, on the other, the parlia-ment is so divided that it is incapable of agreeing oncommon concerns and act accordingly.

In addition, constant threats of dissolving the parlia-ment makes MPs nominees all year long. It was so pre-mature that the justice minster announced his wish tochange the authority’s name to become the ‘SuccessAuthority.’ There is no need for such a proposal becauseit is the result of the authority’s missing work that oughtto suggest names; not the other way round. I personallybelieve the best names in such cases should come fromthe people themselves.

—Translated by Kuwait Times

Wrong foot startAl-Jarida

By Mudaffar Abdullah

KUWAIT: Three citizens were arrested in Fintas for drinkingand fighting outside a building. Security sources saiddetectives found a bottle of whiskey with the suspects. Acase was filed. In a similar case, a female citizen was arrest-ed for drinking, ramming her vehicle into the rear of anoth-er citizen’s vehicle and insulting him. Security sources saidon examining a routine road accident in Salmiya, theyfound that the woman was heavily drunk. A case was filedand further investigations are in progress.

Drunk people arrested

TheftA female citizen reported that an unidentified robber

broke into her vehicle when it was parked outside a beautysalon in Salmiya and stole KD 400 in cash and two expen-sive purses. A case was filed and further investigations arein progress.

KidnapAn Asian woman accused her Asian husband of abduct-

ing her son following some disputes with her, said securitysources, adding that the man allegedly stole all the child’sidentification documents including his ID, passport andbirth certificate. A case was filed and further investigationsare in progress.

Al-Jarida

License plates stolenA number of car owners in Nugra reported that uniden-

tified robbers had stolen their vehicles’ license plates, saidsecurity sources, predicting that the culprits would proba-bly use the plates to commit other crimes. A case was filedand further investigations are in progress.

Public funds

KUWAIT: Zain, the leading telecommunicationscompany in Kuwait, held an emergency evacua-tion drill at its main headquarters in Shuwaikh.The drill came in collaboration with the Ministryof Interior ’s General Department for CivilDefense and the Ministry of Health’s Departmentfor Emergency Medical Services, and witnessedthe participation of all employees operating inthe company’s main buildings.

The evacuation drill was held in the presence ofthe Deputy Manager of the Department ofPlanning and Continuity in the GeneralDepartment for Civil Defense Lieutenant ColonelKhalid Al-Marshoud as well as the Civil Defenseand Emergency Medical Services staff, who super-vised the drill plan and ensured all official guide-lines and regulations set by the Ministry of Interiorwere followed and implemented to guarantee the

safety of all employees during unexpected emer-gencies. Zain held the evacuation drill as part of itsEnterprise Risk Management strategy, which care-fully looks to implement all guidelines and regula-tions specified by the Department for CivilDefense, including the appointment of employeemarshals in each floor of its three main buildingsto supervise on the evacuation process duringemergencies, as well as maintain signboards in allof the company’s entrances and exits. In addition,Zain also ensures the readiness of all safety equip-ment including alarm systems, internal speakersystems, fire hoses, and smoke alarm systems,while also specifying emergency gathering pointsand conducting evacuation drills and first aidtraining programs.

Zain is keen on partnering with the variousgovernmental entities, most importantly theministries of Interior and Health, to implementthe official policies and procedures that ensurethe safety and security of its employees at alltimes. The company also regularly hosts repre-sentatives from both ministries to hold informa-tive seminars, engage employees in awarenesscampaigns, hold vaccination programs, blooddonation drives, and more.

Zain considers its employees the main pillarof its overall success, being the leading telecom-munications provider in the country. The compa-ny will always cater to the many differentaspects of its employees’ lives, and will alwaysput their safety and security at the forefront ofits priorities.

KUWAIT: Kuwait won three GCC awards atthe recently concluded 2017 MEED QualityAwards for Projects, the region’s premierrecognition program for completed proj-ects in the Gulf region. Shamal Az Zour Al-Oula’s Az-Zour North One Power and WaterPlant Project won the GCC Power Project ofthe Year as well as the GCC Mega Project ofthe Year awards, while AGi architects’ ThreeGardens Project received the GCCResidential Project of the Year award.

The triple-award was an improvementfrom last year’s performance for Kuwait inthe regional awards program when it wonone trophy, and is testament to the coun-try’s robust projects industry. According tothe MEED Insight GCC ConstructionOutlook 2017 report, Kuwait had one of thestrongest construction markets in theregion in 2016.

“We salute these projects for their suc-cessful completion according to strict inter-national quality standards, proving thatthese schemes are comparable to the

world’s best in terms of engineering andconstruction excellence. Equally important,these projects were recognized as the bestin the region for having proven their worthin making signification contributions to thewider socio-economic, environmental andcultural development of the region,” saysRichard Thompson, editorial director, MEED.

The 2017 MEED Quality Awards forProjects recognized a total of 21 outstand-ing projects throughout the region. Themost-coveted award of the program, theMEED Quality Project of the Year, was givento Saudi Arabia’s Sadara Project, a joint ven-ture of Saudi Aramco and the DowChemical Company, which also scooped theGCC Oil and Gas Project of the Year award.

The GCC winners were recentlyannounced at The Westin Dubai MinaSeyahi Beach Resort and Marina in theUAE. The MEED Quality Awards forProjects 2017 was made possible with thesupport of Besix, Parsons, Al-Bawani, MVPTech and ASCG.

Zain holds evacuation drill atcompany’s main headquarters

In collaboration with the Department for Civil Defense and Emergency Medical Services

Kuwait wins three regionalproject quality awards

Kuwait’s Az- Zour North One Power and Water Plant wins GCC Mega Project of the Year.

Kuwait’s Three Gardens wins GCC Residential Project of the Year.

White police faces murder charge over black teen’s death

Page 9

Moroccan cleric defies taboo on women’s inheritance Page 8

SUNDAY, MAY 7, 2017

DURBAN: African countries are becoming increasinglyrepressive and causing more people to leave their homes,British charity Oxfam said this week, as Germany warned ofthe destabilizing effect migration is having on the conti-nent. Political freedom and the problem of Africa’s brain-drain were among the leading issues on the agenda at theWorld Economic Forum on Africa held in Durban whichwrapped up on Friday.

Oxfam’s executive director Winnie Byanyima said that“repressive laws on freedom of association and speech”were “a driver of migration.” German Finance MinisterWolfgang Schaeuble warned at the gathering that “if wefail to stabilize the African continent in the years anddecades to come, we will face increasing geopoliticalrisks”-including more migrant arrivals in Europe.

South African President Jacob Zuma, who hosted theforum of African movers and shakers, described the han-dling of migration as among the “critical challenges facingthe world”. The total number of migrants worldwidereached 244 million in 2015, and among them a record 63million were forced to leave their homes, includingrefugees, people displaced within their own countries andasylum seekers, the World Food Program said Friday.

Byanyima said that massive outflows from Africa were adamning verdict on the performance of the continent’spolitical class. “That is a judgment on the leadership wehave on our continent, failing to create economic opportu-nities for their people,” she said. “In many of those countriesyou have repressive illegitimate regimes that spend themoney that should go toward empowering their people onsecurity systems, on monitoring their people, oppositionsand silencing media.”

‘Fighting poverty’A recent survey by CIVICUS, which monitors freedoms

worldwide, found that only two African countries were ful-ly open-the island nations of Cape Verde and Sao Tome &Principe. Not one country on the African mainland wasfound to be free. Byanyima also criticized wealthy govern-ments which have diverted their aid budgets into coveringthe costs of refugee arrivals. “Rich countries must stoprepurposing aid, they must maintain aid for the conflict-affected countries. They must not divert it to meetingrefugee costs in their countries or their security needs.They must maintain it for fighting poverty,” she said. “If theyhelp to make countries stable, to achieve inclusive growththen people will not want to leave their homes.

Development cooperation is a tool for peace and stability.”More than 1,000 migrants have died making the perilous

Mediterranean crossing from Libya to Italy so far in 2017,according to the UN refugee agency. More than 36,700 peo-ple have been pulled to safety and brought to Italy so farthis year according to the International Organization forMigration, an increase of nearly 45 percent compared with

the same period last year. At least 150 of those killed werechildren, though the figure is likely to be higher as manyunderage migrants travel unaccompanied so their deathsoften go unreported, according to UNICEF.

Distressing images of African migrants being pluckedfrom heaving seas or the coffin-strewn aftermath of majorsinkings have become a regular feature of television news

bulletins since the migrant crisis began spiraling out ofcontrol four years ago. Last year saw around 5,000 deaths.Italy’s bid to close the marine migrant route from Africa toEurope was dashed after a deal it had signed with Libyawas suspended by Tripoli’s Court of Appeal in March. Thedeal had been fiercely criticized by rescue groups andhuman rights campaigners. — AFP

Growing repression causing migrant exodus

LESBOS: A migrant carries his baby as they come ashore along with other refugees and migrants arriving on the Greek Island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean Sea from Turkey. — AFP

LONDON: Britain and Germany werealready beefing up cyber security aheadof key elections even before the hackingattack on France’s Emmanuel Macron,months after Hillary Clinton was caughtin the online crosshairs. Clinton recentlyreiterated her view that Russian hackingof her campaign’s emails was partly toblame for her defeat in last year’s USpresidential election to Donald Trump. “Ifthe election had been on October 27, I’dbe your president,” the defeatedDemocratic candidate told a charityluncheon last Tuesday.

In France, going to the polls Sundayin a presidential run-off electionbetween Macron and far-right Marine LePen, hacking reared its ugly head at the11th hour. Shortly before midnightFriday frontrunner Macron was the vic-tim of a “massive and coordinated hack-ing attack”. His staff described therelease of internal documents, includingthousands of emails and accountingdocuments, as an attempt at “democraticdestabilization”. The files were reportedlystolen weeks ago during one of “anintense and repeated” series of cyberattacks against Macron since the launchof his campaign. Taking note of theevents in the US and in France, intelli-gence authorities in Britain andGermany are taking steps to preventcyber attacks ahead of their own hotly-contested elections.

‘International challenge’

For cyber security expert EwanLawson, political parties are easy targets

because they “quite often don’t haveparticularly robust cyber security”. “Theyare not-for-profit and don’t have a lot ofmoney to throw at the problem,” he toldthe Press Association news agency. “So Ithink we could reasonably expect to seedata theft, data breaches”. Britain’sNational Cyber Security Centre (NSCS)said it was on “high alert” the day afterPrime Minister Theresa May surprisedthe country last month by calling for ageneral election to be held on June 8.British spies are aware of the problemhaving already thwarted an attempt byRussian hackers to interfere in the 2015general election, according to NSCSchief Ciaran Martin.

Recognising the problem, the NCSCconvened the UK’s main political partiesto a “technical seminar” in March to pro-vide them with practical steps to reducethe risk as well as advise on incidentmanagement. German authorities havetaken similar steps ahead of September’sgeneral election. Arne Schoenbohm,president of Germany’s Federal Office forInformation Security (BSI) said back inMarch that government networks werebeing attacked “on a daily basis”. As aprecaution, she explained, the BSI hadapproached election officials and politi-cal parties to discuss how they couldprotect themselves.

‘Increasingly aggressive’

Germany is facing “increasinglyaggressive cyber espionage” as well as“further attacks,” Hans-Georg Maassen,the domestic intelligence chief, said on

Thursday. He also highlighted howMartin Schulz, the Social Democratsleader, had recently been the victim of avicious disinformation campaign claim-ing his father had been a Nazi supervisorin a concentrator camp.

In late March, Germany’s armed forceslaunched a new cyber command taskedwith protecting the military’s own ITinfrastructure and computer-assistedweapons systems, as well as surveillanceof online threats. According to thedefense ministry, the IT systems of theBundeswehr-which includes the armedforces and their civil administration-hadbeen targeted more than 280,000 timesin this year’s first nine weeks alone.Similarly to the US, Russia has been sin-gled out by both countries as the countryfrom which a lot of the attacks originate.“Over the last two years there has been astep change in Russian aggression incyber space,” the NSCS’s Martin told theSunday Times in February.

German Chancellor Angela Merkeltravelled to Russia last week for talks withPresident Vladimir Putin. Afterwards bothsides were circumspect about the issue.“We know cyber criminality is an interna-tional challenge, and also that Russianmilitary doctrine touches on the topic ofhybrid military strategy,” she said. Russiahas steadfastly denied all accusations ofstate-sponsored cyber-attacks. “We neverinterfere in the political life and the politi-cal processes of other countries,” Putinsaid. “And we don’t want anybody inter-fering in our political life and foreign poli-cy processes,” he warned.— AFP

Britain, Germany brace for

pre-election cyber attacks

TEHRAN: Iran’s armed forces warned President HassanRouhani against discussing the country’s defense programafter he criticized the anti-Israel slogans written on the sideof ballistic missiles, local media reported yesterday. Duringan election debate on Friday, Rouhani took the rare step ofcriticizing the elite Revolutionary Guards for the provoca-tive messages they wrote on ballistic missiles before test-ing them. “We saw how they wrote slogans on missiles andshowed underground (missile) cities to disrupt the JCPOA(nuclear deal),” he said during the debate, which comesahead of the May 19 election. Armed Forces spokesmanGeneral Masoud Jazayeri responded that the missile pro-gram had “no connection” to the nuclear deal.

“We again stress and recommend the presidential can-didates to avoid controversial entries into important andsensitive military and defense issues of the country andgiving false information to people,” said Jazayeri, accordingto the website of state broadcaster IRIB. “The existence ofunderground missile sites are an important deterrent fac-

tor against the sworn enemies of the Islamic Republic ofIran and the nation,” Jazayeri added. Iran says its ballisticmissile tests are part of its legitimate defense program andare not a violation of the 2015 deal, under which it agreedto curb its nuclear program in exchange for an end to cer-tain sanctions.

But Washington has used them as a pretext for freshsanctions, saying the missiles could carry nuclear warheadsin the future. All six candidates in the presidential electionsupport the nuclear deal since it had the tacit backing ofsupreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but Rouhani hasaccused his conservative opponents of trying to derail itduring negotiations. “Tell people clearly, what will you doregarding (the nuclear deal)? You were all against it,” hesaid during the televised debate. “When (US PresidentDonald) Trump took office you were celebrating becausehe said he would tear up the deal. Today people shouldknow whether sanctions and confrontation are comingback or not,” he added. — AFP

Iran military warns President Rouhani

I N T E R N AT I O N A LSUNDAY, MAY 7, 2017

GAZA: Ismail Haniya, named yesterday as head ofHamas, is a charismatic leader from the Gazastreets who represents the more pragmatic wing

of the Islamist movement. The 54-year-old with asalt-and-pepper beard takes charge as it seeks toease its international isolation while not marginal-

izing hardliners within the movement. Labeled aterrorist group by the United States and theEuropean Union, Hamas on Monday revised itscharter to reflect a slightly more moderate stance,without however recognising Israel.

Haniya replaces Khaled Meshaal, who lives inDoha in exile and has completed the maximumtwo terms in office. Unlike Meshaal, Haniya willremain in the Gaza Strip, the small Palestinianenclave run by Hamas, hit by three wars with Israelsince 2008 and under an Israeli blockade for 10years. His modest home in the narrow alleys ofGaza City ’s Shati refugee camp next to theMediterranean Sea is under constant guard. Alsoknown as Abu Abed, he was born in the samecamp in 1963 to parents who fled when Israel wascreated in 1948. They had previously lived inAshkelon (or Asqalan in Arabic), which is todaypart of Israel and just next to the border with theGaza Strip.

Haniya, a father of 13, was educated at a UN-runrefugee school, later earning an education degreefrom the Islamic University and becoming a univer-sity administrator. Hamas has frequently highlight-ed his modest background as a counterpoint toofficials within president Mahmud Abbas’sPalestinian Authority who have been accused ofbeing corrupt and too easily compliant with Israelor the United States. Haniya was jailed severaltimes by Israel during the first intifada, or uprising,which erupted in 1987, and was deported to

southern Lebanon in December 1992 along withhundreds of Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants.

Shock election winHe first rose to prominence as bureau chief under

Hamas’s spiritual father Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, thequadriplegic assassinated by Israel in 2004. Heescaped assassination in September 2003 when anIsraeli aircraft bombed a house where he and Yassinwere meeting, yet Haniya was instrumental in secur-ing a halt to Hamas attacks inside Israel since early2005.The following year, he led Hamas to a shock leg-islative election victory over Abbas’s Fatah andbecame prime minister. The international communityhowever refused to deal with any government inwhich Hamas participated until it renounced violenceand recognized Israel and past peace agreements.

The resulting deadlock led to mounting frictionbetween Hamas and Fatah which culminated inHamas’s seizure of Gaza. In July 2006, Israel bombedHaniya’s office during a massive but unsuccessfuloperation to free a soldier held by gunmen includingHamas militants. Always dressed impeccably inWestern-style suits and a sharp orator, Haniya hasexemplified Hamas’s internal struggle between thetraditional and the modern, between resistanceagainst Israeli occupation and mainstream politics. Aneloquent advocate of the right to resistance, hisstrongly held beliefs that a future Palestinian stateshould be governed by laws “inspired by sharia”Islamic law have provoked concern in the West.—AFP

Haniya - From refugee camp to charismatic Hamas leader

RABAT: A former radical preacher is theunlikely instigator of a debate on a topiclong seen as off-limits in Muslim-majorityMorocco: women’s inheritance rights. Thecountry’s Islamic family laws allocatefemale heirs half the amount men receiveon the death of a relative. AbdelwahabRafiki, a former hardline cleric who servedtime in jail following jihadist bombings inCasablanca, says it is time that changed. “Iinvite... religious scholars, sociologistsand human rights actors to open a dia-logue, primarily in order to uphold jus-tice,” he said. Rafiki, also known as AbouHafs, was one of around 100 male writers,journalists and artists who published abook in April called “Men defend equalityin inheritance”.

He also appeared on a prime-time tel-evision show on the popular 2M channel,arguing that the social roles of men andwomen had changed since the early daysof Islam, meaning it was time for a debateon inheritance rules. Since his TV appear-ance, he said, “I have been threatenedwith death and excommunicated, but Ialso received many messages of support”.The 43-year-old was once regarded as aleader of the Salafist-jihadist movementin Morocco. He was among 8,000 peoplearrested after jihadist bombings inCasablanca in 2003 killed 45 people.

Death threatsSentenced to 30 years in prison, he

was pardoned in 2012. Last year he stoodfor election to parliament representingIstiqlal, a conservative nationalist party.His efforts to spark a debate on inheri-tance have won him plaudits from theliberal media and condemnation from hisformer peers. “Thanks to 2M and AbouHafs, a new step has been taken inMorocco: equality between men andwomen in matters of inheritance can nowbe raised in the public sphere,” local siteMedias 24 said.

Weekly magazine TelQuel said he hadbegun “dismantling one by one the dog-mas of radical Islam”. But Abou Hafs hasalso received anonymous death threats onsocial media and been expelled from anational organization for religious schol-ars. He has been denounced by the likesof Mohamed Fizazi and Hassan Kettani,preachers who were also jailed and laterpardoned after the Casablanca attacks.“He didn’t just turn his coat inside out, hetore it up,” Fizazi said. Kettani said inheri-tance rules were not just a “red line” but an“impassable wall”. Islamic scholars arguethat the Koran allocates women half theinheritance given to male heirs becausemen are responsible for protectingwomen and providing for them. — AFP

GAZA: File photo shows Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip Ismail Haniya waving to the crowd during a rally inGaza City. — AFP

GAZA: The radical Palestinian group IslamicJihad has rejected Hamas’s new policy ofeasing its stand on Israel and accepting theestablishment of a Palestinian state limitedto the 1967 borders. “As partners with ourHamas brothers in the struggle for libera-tion, we feel concern over the document”

which the main Islamist movement thatrules Gaza adopted on Monday, said IslamicJihad’s deputy leader, Ziad Al-Nakhala. “Weare opposed to Hamas’s acceptance of astate within the 1967 borders and we thinkthis is a concession which damages ouraims,” he said on Islamic Jihad’s website.

Nakhala said the new Hamas policy formallyaccepting the idea of a state in the territoriesoccupied by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day Warwould “lead to deadlock and can only producehalf-solutions”. Hamas has eased its stance onthe Jewish state after having cal led fordecades for its destruction, as the movementseeks to improve its international standing.Founded in the 1980s in the wake of theIslamic revolution in Iran, a close ally andsource of its ideology, Islamic Jihad is the sec-ond force in the Gaza Strip and focused entire-ly on the armed struggle.

Meanwhile, Egypt reopened the Rafah bor-der crossing with the Gaza Strip for three daysstarted yesterday to allow hundreds of strand-ed Palestinians to return home, officials said.The move, described by Palestinian border offi-cials as a “humanitarian” gesture, will allowPalestinians stranded in Egypt and elsewhere,including students and sick people, to returnto Gaza. “Egyptian authorities reopened theRafah crossing for three days only, fromSaturday until Monday, and only in one direc-tion to allow those stranded on the Egyptianside to return home,” a statement said.

The Gaza Strip has been under an Israeliblockade for a decade. Palestinian militants inGaza have fought three wars with Israel since2008. The Rafah crossing is Gaza’s only gate-way to the outside world not controlled byIsrael but it has remained largely closed inrecent years because of tensions betweenEgypt and Gaza’s Is lamist rulers Hamas.Relations between the two soured after thenEgyptian army chief, now President AbdelFattah El-Sisi overthrew his Islamist predeces-sor Mohamed Morsi in 2013. — Agencies

Islamic Jihad rejects Palestine state within the 1967 bordersEgypt reopens Gaza crossing in humanitarian move

JERUSALEM: A Palestinian man waving the green flag of the Islamist movement Hamas duringa demonstration outside the Dome of the Rock at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound inJerusalem. — AFP

MOSUL: Aliyah Hussein and the 25 familymembers sheltering with her in Mosul’swestern Mahatta neighborhood are surviv-ing by picking wild greens growing in apark near their home. Hussein mixes thevegetables with small amounts of rice andtomato paste to make a thin soup that isoften her family’s only meal. Her cousinZuhair Abdul Karim said on a recent daythat even with the wild greens, the foodran out. “I swear to God, we are hungry.(The Islamic State group) made us hungry.They didn’t leave anything for us, they evenstole our food,” Hussein said.

Her home sits just a few hundred yardsfrom the front line in the battle for westernMosul. As Iraqi forces continue to makeslow progress in the fight against IS in thecity, clawing back territory house by houseand block by block, food supplies are run-ning dangerously low for civilians trappedinside militant-held territory and thoseinside recently retaken neighborhoods.

For families like Hussein’s, safety con-cerns make them unreachable for mosthumanitarian groups. Although Husseinhas technically been liberated, her neigh-borhood is still too dangerous for mosthumanitarian groups to reach. In the pastweek she said she received only one box offood consisting of rice, oil and tomatopaste, barely enough to feed her entirefamily even for a single day. “The womendidn’t have lunch. Only the children andmen have eaten,” Abdul Karim said, explain-ing that he and his family are now livingmeal to meal. “We don’t know if we’ll havedinner,” he said, “maybe or maybe not.”

Some families walk several kilometers tomarkets that have sprung up in neighbor-hoods that have been under Iraqi militarycontrol longer. But prices there are high.Most families have exhausted their savings

and work is almost non-existent in Mosul, acity now been ripped apart by war. “Thehumanitarian world needs to realize thatthere is a huge gap between people whoare in the safe zone and people who areactually trapped in the no man’s landbetween the Iraqi controlled areas and ...Daesh controlled areas,” said AltoLabetubun with Norwegian People Aid,one of the few groups operating in neigh-borhoods close to the front line. Daesh isthe Arabic acronym for the Islamic Stategroup.

Some 300,000 to 500,000 people remainbeyond anyone’s reach, trapped in IS-heldMosul neighborhoods, according to theUnited Nations. For those civilians, siege-like conditions have prevented food sup-plies from reaching them for more than sixmonths. Most of those civilians are esti-mated to be in Mosul’s old city, where thefinal battles of the operation are expectedto play out. If the fighting there lasts manymore weeks, the UN warns the conse-quences for civilians will be “catastrophic.”

“We know we have a problem becausewhen people reach our camps the firstthing they ask for is food,” said Lise Grande,the UN humanitarian coordinator for Iraq.She said it’s impossible to measure exactlyhow many families are facing what shedescribed as “serious hunger” inside Mosul,but the conditions of the people fleeingthe city paint a grim picture of those whoremain trapped. Hundreds of infants andyoung children who recently fled Mosul arebeing treated for malnutrition, Grande said.Separately, she added that the UN hadreceived reports that even baby formula inIS-held neighborhoods is now no longeravailable, “If the battle goes beyond (thenext few weeks), then we have a cata-strophic problem,” she said.

QARAQOSH: Several plumes ofsmoke rise above Iraq’s mainChristian town Qaraqosh, but thistime it isn’t the Islamic State jihadistgroup burning crosses and church-es. Almost three years after fleeingthe town, families are beginning toreturn and the first thing they do isburn old household items, a way ofcleaning their homes and cleansingtheir bad memories. “As you cansee, we are burning our ownclothes, our own furniture. We areburning our history,” said MiladKhodhr, 42, whose family is one of17 who have returned to Qaraqosh.

“But we see no feeling ofvengeance in these fires, we arepeaceful... we are the real people ofthis country,” he said. IS fightersswept through the Nineveh plain,east of Mosul, in August 2014 andforced around 120,000 of Iraq’sChristians to flee their homes, thebiggest disaster to hit the minorityin its nearly 2,000 year history.Qaraqosh had a pre-IS populationof around 50,000 and was emptiedalmost overnight. Iraqi forceslaunched a major offensive toretake Mosul and surroundingareas in October last year andchased IS out of Qaraqosh a fewdays later.

The Cathedral of theImmaculate Conception, I raq’sbiggest church, was burnt and thereconstruction work that lies aheadin Qaraqosh is huge. The familieswho have returned in recent daystake out all the damaged furnitureand rubbish that the jihadists whooccupied and looted their homesleft behind. With virtually no stateservices available and rubbish col-lection a distant prospect for thetown, residents have no option butto burn their own refuse. The reli-gious authorities have stepped into organize the return ofQaraqosh’s population, whichmany see as crucial to the long-term survival of the minority.

Reconstruction“Some of the people of

Qaraqosh have gone abroad, butmore than half are still in Iraq. Wehave carried out a survey showingthat 68 percent of them want toreturn,” Father George Jahula, whois helping returning families, toldAFP in Qaraqosh. “ The rest areundecided,” he said. In a symbolicgesture, the archbishop of Mosul,Yohanna Petros Mouche, was thefirst to move back to Qaraqosh inApril, just before celebrating emo-tional Easter services in the town.

“The return depends on safetyand how quickly the infrastructureis repaired,” Father Jahula said. “Inthe absence of any help from the

state for people to rebuild theirhomes, the church has stepped in,”said the clergyman, wearing atracksuit to run around the townand organise his team of engineers.The church and its volunteers havemapped the destruction inQaraqosh using satellite images,allocated certain amounts for eachsector and set completion targets.“Since the available funding is limit-ed, we have set up a list of thosewho want to return, and next weekwe will begin distributing money tostart the reconstruction process,”said Zakariah Sabah, one of theorganizers.

Qaraqosh still looks like a ghosttown and access from the nearby

Kurdish capital of Arbil-where manyChristians found shelter in 2014 —is complicated by a gauntlet ofcheckpoints. But for some of its dis-placed residents, return is the onlyoption, whether the town is readyor not. “Why did I return? Whereelse would I go? I have lived here allmy life, 87 years,” said NajmaBoutros, an old lady with ahunched back and sunken eyes.“My daughter and I live alone, wecame back because we couldn’tpay the rent anymore,” she said asshe cleaned a sofa in the front yardof her house, which escapedunscathed from the flames thatdestroyed many of the neighboringhomes. — AFP

MOSUL: Two sisters wait for lunch inside their home in western Mosul, Iraq. — AP

Hunger grows; IS battle rages

Moroccan cleric defies taboo on women inheritance rights

In ruins of Iraq Christian town - a ‘sign of rebirth’

QARAQOSH: A member of the Nineveh Plain Protection Units (NPU), a small Christian militia charged withprotecting the predominantly Christian Iraqi town of Qaraqosh (Hamdaniya), walks past demolished hous-es in the town which lies some 30 kilometers east of the northern city of Mosul. — AFP

I N T E R N AT I O N A LSUNDAY, MAY 7, 2017

DALLAS: A white Texas police officer faces amurder charge in the shooting of a blackteenager after being fired earlier in the weekover the incident, authorities said Friday. RoyOliver turned himself in Friday night, justhours after the Dallas County Sheriff’s Officeissued a warrant for his arrest in the April 29death of 15-year-old Jordan Edwards. Oliver, aformer officer in the Dallas suburb of BalchSprings, was later released after posting bailat the Parker County Jail in Weatherford,about 95 miles west of Dallas. His bond hadbeen set at $300,000.

The sheriff’s office said in a statement thewarrant was issued based on evidence thatsuggested Oliver “intended to cause seriousbodily injury and commit an act clearly dan-gerous to human life that caused the death.”Oliver fired a rifle at a car full of teenagers leav-ing a party, fatally shooting Edwards who wasa passenger in the vehicle. The teen’s death ledto protests calling for Oliver to be fired andcharged. On Tuesday, the same day that theofficer was fired, news broke of the JusticeDepartment’s decision not to charge twowhite police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana,in the shooting death of a black man in 2016.

And a white officer in North Charleston,South Carolina, pleaded guilty that day to fed-eral civil rights charges in the fatal shooting ofa black man in 2015. Edwards and his twobrothers and two other teenagers were leav-ing an unruly house party in Balch Springswhen Oliver opened fire on their car with arifle. The bullets shattered the front passenger-side window and struck Edwards. It took a fewmoments for Edwards’ 16-year-old brother,who was driving, and other passengers tonotice that he was slumped over in his seat.

Police had said the teenagers’ car wasbacking up toward officers “in an aggressivemanner,” but later said body camera videoshowed the vehicle actually driving awayfrom the officers. The investigation into theshooting “will continue and does not con-clude with the arrest,” sheriff’s spokeswomanMelinda Urbina said. Attorneys for Oliver andthe family of Edwards didn’t respond torequests for comment. Oliver’s firing Tuesdaywas for violating department policies in theshooting. Records show that Oliver wasbriefly suspended in 2013 following a com-plaint about his conduct while serving as awitness in a drunken-driving case. —AP

White Texas police faces murder

charge over black teen’s death

BELLEFONTE: Jim and Evelyn Piazza stand by as Centre County DistrictAttorney Stacy Parks Miller (left) announces the results of an investigationinto the death of their son Timothy Piazza, (seen in photo at right) during apress conference on Friday, May 5, 2017. —AP

BELLEFONTE: Eighteen Penn State fraternitybrothers have been charged with crimes rang-ing up to involuntary manslaughter in thedeath of a pledge who authorities say repeated-ly fell down a flight of stairs after he and otherswere made to run a gantlet of drinking stationsguzzling vodka, beer and wine. Beta Theta Pimembers resisted getting help for 19-year-oldTimothy Piazza, causing him to suffer for hoursand possibly making his injuries worse, a prose-cutor said Friday in announcing the results of agrand jury investigation.

“This is a very sad day for Centre County - it’sbeen sad ever since we lost a child for reasonsthat are totally preventable,” District AttorneyStacy Parks Miller said. Eight of the fraternitybrothers and the chapter were charged withinvoluntary manslaughter. Other chargesinclude aggravated and simple assault, evi-dence tampering, alcohol-related violations andhazing. An attorney for the chapter didn’timmediately respond to messages seekingcomment. The grand jury, aided by securitycamera footage, said the fraternity was heavilystocked with booze for the Feb 2 ceremony atwhich Piazza, a sophomore engineering stu-dent from Lebanon, New Jersey, and 13 othersaccepted pledge bids.

The pledges were pressured to chug vodka,shotgun beers and drink wine. Piazza tumbleddown a flight of stairs that night and fell severalother times, injuring his head, Miller said. Thenext morning, he fell down the stairs again andwas unconscious when help was finally sum-moned. He died Feb. 4 as a result of a traumaticbrain injury. Miller said doctors estimate Piazzahad a blood-alcohol content of nearly 0.40 per-cent; the legal limit for drivers, for comparison,is 0.08 percent.

The investigation found some frat mem-bers tried to conceal what happened. It foundthat a text message recovered by police urgedpledges to get rid of evidence of alcohol andthat conversations discussing deleting conver-

sations from a messaging app were discov-ered. Piazza’s father, Jim Piazza, blamed a “fla-grant disregard” for the law and said the death“didn’t have to happen.” “Sadly,” the dad said,“we’re never going to see his smile againexcept in pictures.” Penn State permanentlybanned Beta Theta Pi on March 30, accusing itof a “persistent pattern” of excessive drinking,drug use and hazing.

University President Eric Barron called thereport heart-wrenching, sickening and incom-prehensible. “It is numbing how an atmospherethat endangers the well-being and safety ofanother person could occur within an organiza-tion that prided itself on commitment to eachother and to its community,” Barron said. Millersaid video footage turned over to investigatorsprovided evidence of what occurred and con-tradicted stories some witnesses had told.

The cameras recorded Piazza drinking vod-ka and beer and an hour later needing help towalk from an area near the basement stairs to acouch. Piazza later is shown trying unsuccess-fully to open the front door, then “severely stag-gering drunkenly toward the basement steps,”the grand jury report said. He was found at thebottom of the steps after apparently fallingface-first. Four brothers carried his limp bodyupstairs, where some poured liquid on him andone slapped him in the face, the grand jurysaid. Fraternity members put a backpack con-taining textbooks on him so he wouldn’t suffo-cate on his own vomit, the grand jury wrote.

When a brother insisted Piazza neededmedical help, he was confronted and shovedinto a wall, the report said. When that brotherinsisted again that Piazza required help, he wastold others were biology and kinesiologymajors so his opinion wasn’t as valuable astheirs, it said. Piazza tried to get up later but fellbackward and hit his head on the woodenfloor, the report said. He also fell onto a stonefloor before being found in the basementhours later, it said. —AP

Eighteen fraternity

members charged

SALEM: Pro-immigrant activists and the legal direc-tor of the ACLU of Oregon said Friday that officialsappear to be breaking state law by holding peoplefor federal immigration authorities at an Oregon jailwhere several of the detainees this week ended ahunger strike over what they called horrible condi-tions. They say the deal between the NorthernOregon Regional Corrections Facility, or NORCOR,and a federal agency violates a 1987 Oregon lawprohibiting law officers in Oregon from spendingpublic dollars, resources or personnel “for the pur-pose of detecting or apprehending persons” whoseonly crime is being in the US illegally.

The Oregon State Sheriffs’ Association says thatlaw does “prohibit Oregon police officers from act-ing as immigration enforcement officers.” ButOregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum’s com-munications director told The Associated Press thatthe law doesn’t apply in this situation. “State law for-bids using law enforcement resources to detect orapprehend people who have not committed acrime, but may be in violation of immigration laws,”Kristina Edmunson said Friday in an email. “Itdoesn’t appear that NORCOR resources are beingused to detect or arrest people, so the 1987 law

would not be applicable.” Some, if not all, of thedetainees were transferred to the facility from theUS Immigration Customs and Enforcement deten-tion facility in Tacoma, Washington. The relationshipbetween the jail and ICE has existed for some time,but it gained prominence this week after a half-dozen ICE detainees went on a hunger strike.“Conditions are abysmal,” said Mat Dos Santos, legaldirector of the American Civil Liberties Union ofOregon. “The food is composed mainly of breadwith little nutritional value. They don’t even getissued socks. They have to purchase them. The livein worse conditions than those people being heldas criminals.”

But Bryan Brandenburg, administrator of NOR-COR, said the detainees get full sets of clothing,including socks, and that the menu meets dietaryand nutritional requirements. “That ACLU lawyer iscompletely off base,” Brandenburg said Friday night.Their only chance to be outside is in a small spaceenclosed by high walls with no roof and nettingoverhead, said Dos Santos, who has visited clients inthe squat, windowless buildings in an industrial partof The Dalles, a block from the Columbia River.

ICE pays for the jail, which is publicly funded and

served four counties in north-central Oregon, tohold detainees, according to a budget documentfrom the facility. The Northern Oregon RegionalCorrections Facility’s budget message for fiscal year2017-2018 said that with a current projection of anaverage of 40 detainees per day, ICE revenue wasexpected to increase to just over $1 million. ICEspokeswoman Rose Richeson said in an email Fridaythat she was gathering details regarding ICE’s rela-tionship with the facility, but she said “USImmigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) takesvery seriously the health, safety and welfare ofthose in our care.”

The Gorge ICE Resistance, a coalition of groups inthe Columbia River Gorge, plans to hold a rally atnoon Saturday in front of the jail to demand thatthe facility honor what the coalition described ascommitments to the hunger strikers to providethem with a microwave oven and the ability to joinjail programs like substance-abuse treatment towhich they had previously been denied access. Theprotesters will also demand an end to the NorthernOregon Regional Corrections Facility’s contract withICE, Gorge ICE Resistance member Solea Kabakovsaid in a phone interview from The Dalles.

“NORCOR has a reputation for its horrible treat-ment of those inside its walls despite its big budget,”Kabakov said in a statement. Dos Santos, in a tele-phone interview from Portland, said ICE detaineesand regular inmates cannot receive family visitors,only lawyers and clergy. The ICE detainees are alsobarred from earning money by working in placeslike the jail laundry and cafeteria, so they often lackthe funds to pay for phone calls at the rate of 25cents per minute. “They feel completely isolated,”Dos Santos said. “There is a sense of desperation.This initiated the desire to start a hunger strike.”

He said he believes the Nor thern OregonRegional Corrections Facility holding detainees forfederal immigration enforcement violates Oregon’sstate law. “We are considering all of our options,including legal action,” Dos Santos said.Brandenburg said the jail does not violate Oregonlaw because it doesn’t detain immigrants but onlyreceives them from ICE because the agency’s ownfacility in Tacoma is often overflowing. He saidfour detainees had participated in the hungerstrike and that one had transferred to Tacomawhile the three who remained ended their hungerstrike Thursday. —AP

Immigrants in Oregon jail staged hunger strike

ATLANTA: It’s “Trumpcare” now, andRepublicans have to answer for it. Afterdozens of symbolic votes, HouseRepublicans finally pushed through a billto gut Barack Obama’s Affordable CareAct, with President Donald Trump hailingthe replacement as “a great plan” that has“really brought the Republican Partytogether.” Democrats are giddy aboutwhat could be severe political conse-quences for the GOP. Even though theSenate still has to act, Republicans nowlargely own a measure that would curtail,and in some cases take away completely,benefits Americans have embraced afterseven years.

Chief among them: A guarantee ofpaying the same amount for coverageregardless of health history. Budget ana-lysts estimate 24 million people wouldlose insurance over a decade, 14 million inthe first year, and older Americans wouldface higher costs. The Senate likely willrevise the bill, but 217 House Republicansvoted yes. “Progressives are going to hangthis around the necks of every one ofthose Republicans,” said Angel Padilla, co-founder of the liberal group Indivisible.“These Republicans voted to take awaypeoples’ health care. This is going to comeback to bite them.”

Democrats are convinced the GOPrepeal bill jeopardizes the Republicanmonopoly in Washington, starting withmajority control of the House, and the par-ty’s advantages in statehouses fromNevada to New Hampshire. The potentialfallout crystallized almost immediately.Fundraising surged nationwide as newrecruits stepped up to challenge vulnera-ble Republicans who backed the plan.Among the vulnerable: two-term Rep TomMacArthur, R-NJ, who helped revive thebill by authoring a key amendment onpre-existing conditions.

“We have an opportunity to take downthe person who was the author ofTrumpcare 2.0,” said Democrat AndrewKim, an Obama White House nationalsecurity adviser, who said he’s now morelikely to challenge MacArthur next year.Kim raised more than $43,000 online overthe last week for a possible run. “He ownsevery part of this,” Kim said of MacArthur.Democrats need to flip 24 seats betweennow and the 2018 elections to take con-trol of the House. Of the 217 Republicanswho backed the bill, 14 come from dis-tricts carried by Democrat Hillary Clintonlast fall, and 24 serve in districts whereTrump did not win more than 50 percent

of the vote. Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who is not seeking re-electionnext year, warned that the bill “has thepotential to severely harm the health andlives of people in south Florida.” Her openseat in Miami is considered a prime pick-up opportunity for Democrats. Nextmonth, Democrats and Republicans face ashowdown over a House seat in theAtlanta suburbs. Georgia Democrat JonOssoff, who is trying to score a specialelection upset in a traditionally conserva-

tive House district, said he trongly oppos-es “discrimination” over pre-existing condi-tions in response to the vote.

Outside groups prepared to launchan advertising campaign in the comingdays to punish vulnerable Republicansin key states. The television and onlineblitz is expected to seize on the moreunpopular provisions in the GOP plan,which was opposed by the AARP, theAmerican Medical Association, whichrepresents doctors, and the AmericanHospital Association.

The AARP warned that the GOP planinstitutes an “age tax” and jeopardizes cov-

erage for 25 million older Americans withpre-existing conditions. The bill would alsoroll back subsidies for individual insurancepremiums, end federal payments for statesto expand Medicaid for the poor and dis-abled, and cut more than $700 billion intaxes over 10 years. Act Blue, a clearing-house political action committee that rais-es money for Democratic campaigns, hasalready helped raise more than $2 millionto fuel challenges against HouseRepublicans who backed the GOP plan.

Democrats also targeted Republicangovernors in Democratic-leaning states,including Maryland’s Larry Hogan, whodid not take a public position before theHouse vote. “Where is their promise thatno one is going to lose their insurance?”asked Connecticut Gov Dan Malloy, chair-man of the Democratic GovernorsAssociation. “They have no intention tohonor what they ran on,” he declared. “It’sthe sort of things that cowards do, andthe Republicans in Congress and in thestatehouses are cowards. ... It is remark-able, and we will be reminding people ofit.” In Ohio, Democrats targeted Rep. Jim

Renacci, who voted for the bill, as he runsfor governor in a contested Republicanprimary campaign. Outgoing Gov. JohnKasich, a Republican, condemned theRepublican measure as “woefully short.”Outside Washington, the Trump resist-ance mobilized quickly. The first of thegrassroots protests were held in HouseSpeaker Paul Ryan’s Wisconsin districthours after Thursday’s vote. Democraticactivists were planning many moredemonstrations for next week’s congres-

sional recess. “There’s already a lot moreenergy and engagement amongDemocratic voters, and this is going toput the enthusiasm gap on steroids forDemocrats,” said Democratic pollsterGeoff Garin, who advises Priorities USA, atop liberal political organization. SomeRepublicans maintain that the GOP hadno choice. “The House Republican majori-ty was in far greater jeopardy had we notrepealed Obamacare,” said Republicanstrategist Mark Shields. If Republicans did-n’t deliver after years of promises to theirconservative base, he said, they’d “getcrushed” in 2018. —AP

Obamacare to ‘Trumpcare’ GOP faces political fallout

WASHINGTON: Speaker of the House Paul Ryan returns to his office after a successful vote onthe passage of the American Health Care Act, the successor to the Affordable Care Act inWashington, DC. —AFP

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO: In a cramped officeat the Marines’ Quantico base outside Washington, about20 investigators sit elbow to elbow, staring into theircomputers as images of naked men and women flashacross the screens. On the walls are white boards withstatistics, crime lists and a montage of social media mes-sages directed to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.The objective of this disturbing sleuth work: Rooting outthe extent of a nude photo-sharing scandal that hasrocked the Corps, embarrassed its leaders and spread toother military services.

And the sheer scope of the job is daunting. “If you dothat eight to 10 hours a day, five days a week, you getpretty burned out,” NCIS Director Andrew Traver said in aninterview. New agents cycled in after the first month, hesaid, “just because of the burnout factor, especially theones that are doing the image review.” This is Task ForcePurple Harbor. What began as a response to militarymembers posting nude photos online has morphed intoa growing criminal investigation that now includes 21felony cases and more than 30 others referred to Marinecommanders for possible administrative action.

Five Marines have received administrative punish-ments so far, but no details have been provided. For theinvestigators, men and women, it is a broad and gruelingprocess. Agents from all four services and the CoastGuard have scoured close to 200 different websites.They’ve pulled more than 150,000 nude or semi-nudeimages. They’ve identified 20,000 with a possible militaryconnection. More than half are of men.

The overwhelming majority are selfies or photos sub-jects posed for and then voluntarily shared, which is not ille-gal even under military code. That leaves just a small num-ber of people who could potentially be prosecuted forcrimes such as extortion and stealing or hacking into some-one’s computer hard drive. More than a dozen militarymembers - mostly women - have asked the task force for

help. They want to know if any of their intimate photographsended up on the largely private websites without their con-sent. In four cases, facial recognition software has helpedidentify victims. One woman confirmed an image was ofher. The other three are still checking. It’s the kind of investi-gation that could go on forever. A simple word search of“uniformed military nude” got nearly 80 million hits, Travertold The Associated Press during the interview in hisQuantico office. And the anonymity of the internet makes itdifficult to identify either suspects and victims. “People that

are posting and reposting, generally are not posting undertheir real name and some people are posting under multipleidentities,” said Traver. “It’s very difficult for us to find the ori-gin, to find the person that started the whole chain.”

In the computer room, agents stare into their com-puter screens for hours a day. Tucked between the key-boards are cups, scattered papers, Fig Newtons, a cereal

box. The investigators are reviewing seemingly endlessimages to ferret out those they can link to the militaryand that appear to have been posted without permis-sion. It’s a moving target. Site hosts shut pages down andopen new ones, often within a day or two. The websitesare usually private and require an invitation, which is vet-ted by hosts demanding a “tax.” The tax, or entry require-ment, is usually a naked photo, said Curtis Evans, chief ofthe NCIS criminal operations division. “As law enforce-ment, we can’t do that, and they know it,” Evans said.

He described some of the internet memes online thattaunt the investigators. One is a gorilla wearing an NCIS hatwith a sign saying “add me.” Others mimic Facebook pages,saying they are open to “Friends and NCIS” or “Only Mediaand NCIS.” When an investigator does secure an invitationinto a closed website, Traver added, “we don’t last long.”When the hosts see that someone isn’t posting photos ormaking comments, the person is kicked out. Still, investiga-tors have made headway. They’ve opened 21 criminal cas-es. Sixteen suspects have been identified: nine active dutyMarines, two Marine reservists, three Navy sailors, oneNavy reservist and a civilian. Suspected crimes includeextortion, stalking, threats and theft of photos.

NCIS’ cyber experts are providing help sortingthrough the massive reams of data. They’ve developednew tools and software to analyze photos more quickly.All the data on a website can be stripped and each photoreviewed to determine if it includes a military uniform, amale or female, signs of consent. A process that oncetook 40 seconds now takes only five to 10. Perpetratorsare getting quicker, too. The task force has seen caseswhen someone has posted a photo online of a militarymember in uniform, snapped perhaps in the chow hall oron base, and then asked for naked images of that person.Traver said it sometimes takes only an hour-and-a-half forsomeone else to post a naked or semi-nude photo inresponse. —AP

Investigators in photo-sharing

scandal face a grueling task

QUANTICO: Andrew Traver, director of theNaval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS)speaks during an interview at Marine CorpsBase Quantico, in Quantico, Va. —AP

In Ukraine, feeling grows

that east is lost to RussiaMINSK: Leonid Androv, an electrician from Kiev,was drafted into the Ukrainian army and spent ayear fighting Russia-backed separatists in east-ern Ukraine after the conflict broke out in 2014.Now, like many other Ukrainians, he is ready toaccept that those lands are lost. “The Russiansare in charge there and they are methodicallyerasing everything Ukrainian. So why should Iand impoverished Ukraine pay for the occupa-tion?” said Androv, 43. Long unthinkable afteryears of fighting and about 10,000 deaths,Ukrainians increasingly are coming around tothe idea of at least temporarily abandoning theregion known as the Donbass, considering it tobe de facto occupied by Russia.

This would effectively kill the Minsk peaceagreement brokered by Germany and France,which aims to preserve a united Ukraine. TheMinsk agreement is still firmly supported bothby the West and Russia, as German ChancellorAngela Merkel and Russian President VladimirPutin affirmed at their meeting this week. The2015 agreement, which Ukraine signed as itstroops were being driven back, has greatlyreduced but not stopped the fighting, whileattempts to fulfill its provisions for a political set-tlement have failed.

‘Occupied’ territories Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko still

stands by Minsk. In recent months, however, hisgovernment has moved to isolate the east byblocking trade and shutting off supplies of elec-tricity and gas, demonstrating that it now consid-ers the industrial region to be Moscow’s prob-lem. Several factions in the Ukrainian parliamenthave introduced legislation that would designatethose territories outside of Kiev’s control as “occu-pied.” “We should call a spade a spade and recog-nize the Russian occupation of Donbass,” saidYuriy Bereza, a co-author of the legislation.Bereza, who commanded one of the volunteerbattalions that fought in the east, called it neces-sary to preserve the state. The likelihood of thelegislation coming up for a vote is low, given thegovernment’s reluctance to formally acknowl-edge the loss of these territories. Almost half ofUkrainians, however, favor declaring the sepa-ratist-controlled areas of the Donetsk andLuhansk regions to be occupied, according to apoll conducted by the Razumkov Center.

‘Special status’Under Minsk, the two regions are to remain

part of Ukraine but with “special status.” Theywould have the right to hold their own elec-tions. Those who fought against the Ukrainianarmy would receive amnesty. These provisionshave little popular support. The poll found thatonly 22 percent of Ukrainians were ready togrant the Donbass this “special status,” while 31percent of respondents said they found it diffi-cult to answer. The poll, conducted in Januaryamong 2,018 people across Ukraine, had a mar-gin of error of 2.3 percentage points.

“It is obvious that Ukrainian society supportsthe isolation and blockade of the Donbass. Andthis is exactly what is dictating PresidentPoroshenko’s behavior,” said Razumkov Centersociologist Andrei Bychenko. “If Poroshenkoplans to seek a second term, he has to think

about the mood of society, not about the expec-tations of the West.” Poroshenko was electedafter mass protests led to the ouster of Ukraine’sRussia-friendly president in early 2014 and putthe country on a path toward closer integrationwith the West.

While still speaking about a united Ukraine,Poroshenko’s government last month shut offelectricity supplies to Luhansk over unpaiddebts. Kiev already had stopped supplying gas toboth the Luhansk and Donetsk regions and inMarch, Poroshenko imposed a trade blockade onthe regions beyond Kiev’s control. Putin’sspokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters thiswas “one more step by Ukraine to rid itself ofthese territories.” Although Russia quicklyannexed the Crimean Peninsula at the start ofthe conflict, Putin has made clear he has no inter-est in annexing eastern Ukraine. “The Kremlin hastried to push this cancerous tumor back intoUkraine, using Donetsk and Lugansk as a Trojanhorse to manipulate Kiev,” said Russian politicalscientist Andrei Piontkovsky. “But the Ukrainiangovernment has had enough sense not to let ithappen.” Putin, speaking to journalists Tuesdayafter talks with Merkel, responded angrily to asuggestion that perhaps it was time for a newpeace agreement since the Donbass already hadde facto separated from Ukraine.

The blockades“No one has severed these territories. They

were severed by the Ukrainian government itselfthrough all sorts of blockades,” Putin said. Russiawas forced to support Donbass, he added, not-ing that it was “still supplying a significantamount of goods, including power, and provid-ing coke for Ukrainian metallurgical plants.” Putinand Merkel both said that despite the problemsthey saw no alternative to the Minsk agreement.Sergei Garmash is among the 2 million peoplewho have left their homes in eastern Ukraine. Hesaid there is almost nothing Ukrainian left inDonetsk, which now uses Russian rubles,receives only Russian television and survivesthanks to Russian subsidies. “Ukrainian politi-cians need to be brave and legally recognize thisterritory as occupied by Russia.

This will force Moscow to pick up the bill. Andthe more expensive this adventure will be for theKremlin, the sooner it will walk away,” saidGarmash, 45, who now lives in Kiev. Moscowsends humanitarian convoys to the Donbassevery month and pays the salaries and pensionsof people who live there. Russia also supportsthe separatist military operations, although theKremlin continues to deny that it sends arms andtroops. Russia has been hurt economically bysanctions imposed by the West over the annexa-tion of Crimea and support for the separatists.

“Public opinion has swung sharply towardthe isolation of Donbass, and for the Kiev gov-ernment it is an opportune time to shift all theexpenses of the ‘frozen conflict’ to Moscow,” saidVladimir Fesenko, head of the Penta Center ofPolitical Studies in Ukraine. “Of course the war inDonbass was incited by Russia to slow Ukraine’smove toward Europe,” Fesenko said. “But noUkrainian politician can publicly give up onCrimea and Donbass and recognize them aspart of Russia.”—AP

I N T E R N AT I O N A LSUNDAY, MAY 7, 2017

LUHANSKA: People cross a check point guarded by separatists rebels at thevillage of Luhanska. In the early months of 2017 the Ukrainian governmenthas moved to isolate eastern Ukraine. —AP

PARIS: The foreign policy positions ofthe French presidential contenders areperhaps their starkest divide, with cen-trist Emmanuel Macron urging closecooperation with international institu-tions and the far-right Marine Le Penchampioning France-first nationalism.Here is how France’s relationship withthe world could change depending onwho clinches the presidency on Sunday:

European Union France’s future in the European

Union was a central battleground dur-ing the campaign. Le Pen’s disdain forEurope runs deep. She has predictedthe EU “will die” and has vowed to holda “Frexit” referendum on France’s mem-bership in the bloc. She has also longwanted France to drop the euro singlecurrency and return to the franc, as wellas leave the Schengen area, Europe’svisa-free travel zone. Macron, a formereconomy minister, wants to reform aswell as bolster the EU. He even paid avisit to Europe’s most powerful leader,Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel,during the campaign. He is for settingup a separate budget for the euro-zone-the 19 countries that use thecommon currency. He also proposes

giving the euro-zone its own parlia-ment and finance minister.

Brexit Macron has indicated he would not

give Britain an easy ride in the divorcenegotiations. “What the UK is experi-encing is that Brexit is not a walk in thepark,” he said on a campaign stop insouthwest France on Thursday. Le Pen,on the other hand, has applaudedBritain’s decision to quit the bloc as anact of “retaking control of its destiny.”

Russia Ties with Moscow would likely be a

key part of Le Pen’s foreign policy, bothin the battle against terrorism and as apartner that shares nationalist ideals.Her big international coup during thecampaign was a meeting with RussianPresident Vladimir Putin in March, whenshe said he represented a “new vision”of the world. She has called for closerties with Putin and approved ofMoscow’s annexation of Crimea fromUkraine in 2014 which saw the UnitedStates and the European Union imposesanctions against Russia. Macronopposes a unilateral lifting of the sanc-

tions and, unlike Le Pen, has insistedthat Russian-backed Syrian PresidentBashar Al-Assad must go.

United States Le Pen was the first French political

leader to congratulate US PresidentDonald Trump on his shock victory inNovember. The real estate mogul’s anti-establishment appeal resonates deeplywith core ideas of Le Pen’s NationalFront party. However, she said she was“surprised” that Trump, after campaign-ing as a non-interventionist, ordered airstrikes in Syria in response to a suspect-ed chemical attack on a rebel-held area.Macron has said he wants to workclosely with the United States, especial-ly on intelligence sharing and combat-ing terror. However, he urged Trumpnot to go back on former US presidentBarack Obama’s commitments to fightglobal warming.

Middle East and Africa As a candidate Macron visited

Lebanon and Algeria, where he calledFrance’s colonial past in the northAfrican nation a “crime against humani-ty”. His right-wing rivals in the race

accused him of insulting France. Le Pen,who has met few top foreign officialssince taking control of the FN in 2011,met her first head of state, LebanesePresident Michel Aoun, in Beirut in

February. She also made a surprise visitto former French colony Chad in Marchto visit French soldiers deployedagainst jihadists and where she metwith President Idriss Deby. —AFP

Foreign policy: Where France’s candidates stand

PARIS: They knew months ago that top-of-the-range hackers had been targeting them. Theybelieve their security measures, too, had been noth-ing short of top-rate. But, in the end, French presi-dential candidate Emmanuel Macron’s team gothacked. And on Friday night, just an hour before theend of official campaigning, thousands of docu-ments including emails and accounts belonging tohis En Marche! (On the Move!) movement weredumped online.

“It’s just incredible what’s happening,” saidBelgian researcher Nicolas Vanderbiest, a specialiston online rumors, whose map showing how the“Macron Leak” propagated on Twitter has Wikileaksat the centre. Macron’s campaign team says it put inplace servers protected by sophisticated softwarefilters, recommended the use of several encryptedmessaging and cellphone networks, and requireddouble and triple authentication to access emails.

It says it stored its information in multiple-parti-tioned cells, with databases separated like fortresses,accessible by passwords that were complex and reg-ularly changed. But a squad of shadowy hackersseem to have found the back door. “In this kind oforganization the real potential faultline is thehuman element,” the head of computer services forEn Marche! recently said, requesting anonymity.Because security procedures can become long andcumbersome, some people can be tempted to getaround them by using personal email serviceswhich are little or badly protected.

‘en-nnarche.com’ On April 25, a report by Japanese cyber-security

company Trend Micro, blamed a so-called “phishing”attack targeting the Macron campaign on Russianhacking group Pawn Storm, also known as Fancy

Bears, Tsar Team and APT28. The group, suspected ofclose links to the Russian security services, is alsoaccused of having targeted the Democratic Partyduring last year’s US presidential election, in whichRepublican-backed Donald Trump defeatedDemocrat Hillary Clinton. In this kind of attack,which does not require sophisticated resources,hackers can open up security gaps in software, forexample during an update or through a so-calledmirror site.

This would be something like “en-nnarche.com”,hoping that a user when reading quickly would mis-take the “nn” for an “m” and fall into the trap, reveal-ing access codes.The principle of phishing, a classicarm in the hackers’ arsenal, is to send a large numberof fake emails often containing infected attach-ments, hoping that a distracted recipient will clickon one, creating a breach in the targetted system.The gap is unlikely to show up immediately, and theloophole it generates may be exploited weeks ormonths later.

The Macron campaign reacted swiftly to Fridaynight’s data dump, saying it would take all measuresnecessary to shed light on the “unprecedented” inci-dent. But it did not seem overly worried by the sub-stance of what had been leaked. “Throughout thecampaign, En Marche! has constantly been the par-ty the most targeted by such attempts, in an intenseand repeated fashion,” it said in a lengthy statement.“The aim of those behind this leak is, all evidencesuggests, to hurt the En Marche! party. Clearly, thedocuments arising from the hacking are all lawfuland show the normal functioning of a presidentialcampaign.” Senator Bazira Khiari, a national delegatefor En Marche! said yesterday morning: “We wereinformed last night... We were just told to changeour passwords”. —AFP

‘Macronleaks’ - Hackers find

flaw in French cyber-fortressReal potential faultline is the human element

LE TOUQUET: People gather in front of thehouse of French presidential election candi-date for the En Marche! movementEmmanuel Macron, in Le Touquet, north-eastern France, a day before French votersgo to the poles to chose between Macron, apro-European centrist, and his far-rightrival of the Front National (FN) party. —AFP

SAO PAULO: Former Brazilian president LuizInacio Lula da Silva was “fully aware” of a vastbribery network at Petrobras and even direct-ed the corruption scheme, a former directorat the state oil company said. Lula, a leftwingleader who was in office from 2003 to 2010,and his lawyer denied the accusation Fridayby Renato Duque, a former director of servic-es at Petrobras. Duque told judge Sergio Morothat he met Lula at least three times in 2012,2013 and 2014, in a statement broadcast bymajor media outlets. “On these three occa-sions, it was clear, very clear to me, that he(Lula) was fully aware of everything and thathe was in charge” of the bribery network atPetrobras, said Duque, who is serving a prison

term of more than 50 years for bribery andmoney laundering.

A lawyer for the former president, CristianoZanin Martins, called it an attempt to “negoti-ate future benefits in exchange for frivolousaccusations.” Lula is scheduled to appearWednesday in front of Moro, who is carryingout the “Car Wash” investigation into embezzle-ment and bribery at the highest levels ofBrazilian politics. For years, contractors like theOdebrecht construction conglomerate paidbribes to top politicians and parties to get busi-ness deals. At the center of the scheme, thepoliticians and Odebrecht conspired in a pay-to-play scheme at state oil company Petrobras.

Lula’s upcoming court appearance centers

around a luxury apartment that he allegedlyreceived from construction company OAS inexchange for illegal favors. Prosecutors havepreviously called Lula the “top commander” inthe corruption scandal, which is also beinginvestigated by the Supreme Court. In total, heis facing five separate trials linked to Car Washallegations. Despite his mounting legal prob-lems, and speculation over whether he willend up being convicted and jailed, polls showthat Lula remains Brazil’s most popular politi-cian. He is the frontrunner in polls for the 2018presidential elections. He said in a speech tohis Workers’ Party on Friday that “if they do notarrest me soon, who knows if one day I canmake them stop telling lies.” —AFP

Brazil ex-leader Lula accused

of running bribery network

PARIS: People walk past by French police officers, as they patrol at Trocaderoplaza with the Eiffel Tower in the background in Paris yesterday. —AP

Residents of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions wait to cross a Ukrainian government forces’ checkpoint at the road from Horlivkato Artemivsk. —AP

I N T E R N AT I O N A LSUNDAY, MAY 7, 2017

WELLINGTON: The South Pacific island nation ofVanuatu began assessing the damage yesterdayafter being pounded by destructive winds fromCyclone Donna which brought down houses andbuildings. The storm was upgraded late in the dayto a category four severe tropical cyclone by theVanuatu Meteorological Service which warned“damaging gale to destructive storm force winds”would continue to hit Torba province.

The eye of the cyclone veered away from

Vanuatu before making landfall but DisasterManagement Office director Shadrack Welegtabitsaid winds in excess of 200 kilometers per hourwreaked havoc in outlying islands. “The cyclonehas passed through and we have now startedour response, doing an assessment of the dam-age and what people need,” he said. “It did notmake landfall but the gale force winds affectedsome islands. There was damage to houses andbuildings but we haven’t had any reports of

injuries.” A curfew was imposed in many of thepopulated islands on Friday with residents takingshelter in caves and evacuation centers until thestorm passed.

Corrine Ambler from the Red Cross told RadioNew Zealand they had made radio contact withTorres Islands in Torba where houses weredestroyed. “There’s about 1,000 in the affectedarea and I understand that almost 200 people aretaking shelter in a cave in one of the islands,” she

said. Although Donna was tracking westwardstowards New Caledonia said, the MeteorologicalService said it would continue to impact onVanuatu for another 24 hours. “Heavy rainfall andflash flooding is also expected,” it said in an advi-sory to the small nation of about 260,000 people.In 2015, when Cyclone Pam slammed intoVanuatu, 11 people were killed and more than65,000 homes were damaged or destroyed affect-ing about 70 percent of the population. —AFP

Trail of damage as Cyclone Donna skirts Vanuatu

Newsi n b r i e f

200 students hospitalized over gas leak in New Delhi

NEW DELHI: Nearly 200 school students were hospitalizedyesterday after complaining of irritation in their eyes andthroat following a gas leak in New Delhi, police said.Classes were underway when gas leaked from a containerparked at a depot close to the school and filled with chem-ical meant for industrial use, police said. “Around 200 chil-dren were admitted to four hospitals for treatment. Noone is serious. The situation is normal now,” police deputycommissioner Romil Baaniya told reporters. Police will ini-tiate legal action against the handlers for negligence,Baaniya added. Images showed scores of disasterresponse personnel closely inspecting the premises of thegovernment-run girls’ school. Gas leaks are not uncom-mon in India, with most caused by a failure to complywith safety standards. In 2014 a poisonous gas leak at oneof India’s largest steel plants in central Chhattisgarh statekilled six people. And a toxic gas leak in Bhopal city in1984 killed at least 25,000 people and remains to this daythe world’s worst industrial disaster.

French MP collapses, dies campaigning for Macron

PARIS: A socialist lawmaker died after collapsing onstage during a speech at a campaign rally for Frenchpresidential frontrunner Emmanuel Macron, party offi-cials said yesterday. Corinne Erhel, 50, was the last tospeak at the rally Friday in western France when shesuddenly fell to the ground. She was rushed to hospi-tal, where she was pronounced dead. “I learned withimmense sadness of the death of Corinne Erhel at theevent in Plouisy, where she was speaking to 300activists,” wrote French lower house speaker ClaudeBartolone, a socialist. “A member of parliament since2007, she was fully invested in her parliamentary work,while still remaining close to the people,” said socialistPresident Francois Hollande. Erhel joined the centristpolitical movement “En Marche” (“On the Move”) ofMacron, who polls predict will beat his far-right rivalMarine Le Pen in Sunday’s decisive run-off.

20 sentenced to prison over deadly landslide

BEIJING: Chinese courts have sentenced 19 govern-ment officials and one business leader to prison for upto 20 years for their roles in a landslide which killedmore than 70 people. The disaster occurred inShenzhen, a southern boom town bordering HongKong, at the end of 2015 when soil illegally piled some160 meters high at an old quarry site turned to mudduring heavy rains. Three local courts passed sen-tences at the end of April for 45 people who had beencharged in connection with the landslide, China’s offi-cial news agency Xinhua reported late Friday. LongRenfu, the boss of Shenzhen Yixianglong, which wasresponsible for managing the site, was sentenced to 20years in prison and a fine of 10 million yuan ($1.5 mil-lion) for negligence and corruption. The former headof Shenzhen’s city administration bureau was also sen-tenced to 20 years imprisonment and fined eight mil-lion yuan, while an official from Guangming districtwhere the landslide took place was sentenced to 16years for taking bribes. Seventeen other governmentofficials were given prison sentences between threeand seven years, while five others received otherpenalties, the news agency reported.

EL-ARISH: Egyptian security officials andwitnesses say the decapitated bodies of afather and his two sons recently k id-napped by Islamic militants have beenfound on the street in the northern Sinaitown of Rafah. The mother of the two sib-lings was killed last week by Islamic Stategroup militants when they raided thefamily home in the village of Yamit andkidnapped the three men. The threedecapitated bodies found Saturday weretaken to hospital, where they were identi-fied. The officials and witnesses spoke oncondition of anonymity because theywere not authorized to speak to themedia and feared reprisals, respectively.IS is spearheading an insurgency in north-ern Sinai, where there has recently beenan uptick in the abduction and killing ofsuspected informants.

Egypt’s Al-Azhar universityIn another development, the head of

Egypt’s Al-Azhar university, one of theworld’s leading Islamic seats of learning,has been replaced after labeling a contro-

versial Muslim reformer an apostate, theinstitution said. The development cameas Al-Azhar is pressured by critics who saythe venerable Sunni Muslim authority hasnot done enough to counter Islamistextremism. Ahmed Hosni Taha, the actinguniversity president, had been forced toapologize on Thursday after sayingreformer Islam Al-Behairy was an “apos-tate” for attacking some of the foundingscholars of Islamic law.

His apology was followed by a state-ment on Friday from Al-Azhar saying thatGrand Imam Ahmed Al-Tayeb, who headsthe institution that runs the university,had replaced Taha.

Taha had made the remarks aboutBehairy during a television interview. “Myresponse...was incorrect and it contradictsthe way of Al-Azhar,” Taha said in an apol-ogy posted on the university’s website.Behairy was a talk show host who hadinfuriated Al-Azhar’s traditional clergywith attacks on canonical religious booksand some of Sunni Islam’s most importantscholars. — Agencies

Decapitated bodies show up in Egypt Sinai border town

University head replaced after ‘apostacy’ remarks

CAIRO: Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, delivers a speech dur-ing the visit of Pope Francis to the prestigious Sunni institution in Cairo. AhmedHosni Taha, the head of Egypt’s Al-Azhar university, one of the world’s leadingIslamic seats of learning, has been replaced by Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb after labelinga controversial Muslim reformer an apostate, the institution said yesterday. — AFP

PEKANBARU: Indonesian security forceshave rounded up most of the inmates whoescaped during a mass breakout from anovercrowded prison on Sumatra Island,police said yesterday. More than 200inmates broke out of the jail in Pekanbarucity, on Sumatra Island, after they were letout of their cells to pray on Friday. Almost80 were quickly recaptured after the inci-dent, and on Saturday the majority hadbeen rounded up.

“So far 209 inmates have been recap-tured or surrendered willingly, many havereturned to their cells,” local policespokesman Guntur Aryo Tejo said, addingthat the authorities did not have the exactnumber of inmates stil l on the loose.Amateur footage broadcast on local TV sta-tions showed scores of men, some wearingsarongs, scurrying through the gates of theSialang Bungkuk prison on Friday, with nosign of officials in pursuit. Most prisonerswere recaptured while still near Pekanbaru.

Dozens of the escaped inmates headeddirectly to another prison where theyhanded themselves in. Tejo said theinmates told the police they decided toescape due to inhumane conditions in theprison.

The male-only prison has a capacity of300 people but was holding 1,870 inmates,with only five guards and a porter on dutyat any one time, said the director general ofprisons, I Wayan Dusak. “They also com-plained about unfair treatment by theprison guards,” Tejo said. More than a thou-sand inmates who did not escape theprison were refusing to return to their cellsunless the head guard was replaced.Jailbreaks are common in Indonesia, whereinmates are held in often unsanitary condi-tions at overcrowded prisons. There was aspate of breakouts in 2013, including onewhere about 150 prisoners-including terrorconvicts-escaped from a jail on westernSumatra Island.— AFP

QUETTA: Pakistan dispatched truckloads of relief suppliesyesterday to villages along the southwest border withAfghanistan, where 11 people were killed in fightingbetween the two countries prompting Pakistan to close aborder crossing, officials said. Akhtar Mohammad, a doctorat the government-run Chaman hospital said that dozens

of persons wounded in Friday’s skirmishes were still beingtreated and that “some of them are still traumatized.” Morethan 50 Pakistani villagers and several troops were wound-ed when Afghanistan allegedly fired across the border oncensus workers and troops escorting them.

Pakistan responded by shutting the border and firing

artillery shells that killed six Afghans. The gunfire fromAfghanistan came as census workers escorted by troopswere going door-to-door in villages located along the bor-der as part of a nationwide census, which began in March.The ensuing exchange of fire reignited a centuries-oldborder dispute between Islamabad and Kabul at theboundary, known as the Durand Line, which runs throughsome villages.

Pakistani officials said yesterday they were still busy inassessing damages caused by the Afghan artillery.Pakistan says the Afghan government was informed aboutthe census being undertaken on its side of the border andexact coordinates of the areas were also shared with Kabul.Friday’s fire ended when local commanders from the twoarmies communicated on a hotline that is set up betweentop army officers from the two sides to defuse tensions. Instrongly worded televised remarks, Pakistan’s DefenseMinister Khawaja Mohammad Asif said yesterday that thelatest skirmishes were a reflection of the “nexus” betweenKabul and New Delhi.

He said Kabul did not positively respond to efforts madeby Islamabad to improve relations with Afghanistan inrecent months. Asif warned that Pakistan would respond“fittingly” to Afghanistan if any further violations werecommitted along the border. Also yesterday, SamimKhpolwak, spokesman for the governor in Afghanistan’sKandahar province, said an overnight meeting betweenofficials from both sides ended without a positive result.He said the border is still closed.

Meanwhile, an Afghan truck driver was killed after arocket fired from across the border on Friday hit him inNangarhar province, said Attaul lah Khogyani , aspokesman for the provincial governor. He said the situa-tion at the Torkham border was now normal. — AP

Africa migrants mugged, stranded at sea off Libya

TRIPOLI: Gunmen mugged 129 migrants on a rubberdinghy headed for Europe and also stole the craft’s motor,abandoning them off the Libyan coast, Libya’s navy saidyesterday. Navy spokesman General Ayoub Qassem saidthe gunmen in a speedboat chased the dinghy on Friday,boarded around five nautical miles off the Libyan town ofZuwara and stole the migrants’ possessions. The migrantsfrom sub-Saharan Africa, including 27 women and twochildren, were stranded at sea for several hours beforebeing rescued by Libyan coastguard alerted by a local fish-erman, he said. In the first three months of 2017, more than24,000 migrants arrived in Italy after making the perilouscrossing from Libya, up from 18,000 in the first quarter oflast year, according to the UN refugee agency UNHCR.

Boko Haram plotting to kidnap foreigners

LAGOS: Britain and the United States on Friday said BokoHaram was preparing to kidnap foreigners in remotenortheast Nigeria, which is in the grip of a food crisiscaused by the conflict. The Foreign Office in London said ithad received reports the Islamist militants were “activelyplanning” to seize foreign workers in the Bama local gov-ernment area of Borno state. Both said in travel advice thatthe affected area was “along the Banki-Kumshe axis”, whichis near the border with Cameroon. The US embassy inAbuja said in a message to its nationals that the report was“credible”. Boko Haram has kidnapped thousands ofwomen and children, including more than 200 schoolgirlsfrom the Borno town of Chibok in 2014, which brought theconflict to world attention. At least 20,000 people havebeen killed since 2009. But abductions of foreigners havebeen rare. There was a spate of kidnappings of foreignworkers in the wider north from 2011 to 2013, claimed by aBoko Haram splinter group, Ansaru, which was more ideo-logically aligned to Al-Qaeda.

Pakistan dispatches supplies to southwest border villages

QUETTA: A Pakistani victim of cross border firing rests at a hospital in Quetta, Pakistan yesterday. — AP

Escaped prisoners returned to overcrowded jail in Indonesia

RIAU PROVINCE: Plain-clothed police officers escort recaptured inmates followingtheir escape at Sialang Bungkuk Prison in Pekanbaru, Riau province, Indonesia yes-terday. — AP

RIAU PROVINCE: Prison buildings are seen through a broken window at Sialang Bungkuk Prison in Pekanbaru, Riau province, Indonesia yesterday. — AP

NEW DELHI: Students of the Rani Jhansi SarvodayaKanya Vidyalaya school receive treatment at a govern-ment hospital in New Delhi yesterday. — AP

I N T E R N AT I O N A LSUNDAY, MAY 7, 2017

WASHINGTON: In the paranoid universeof North Korea, the feverish accusations itmakes against its sworn enemies bear acreepy resemblance to its own misdeeds.Its latest claim of a South Korean andAmerican plot to assassinate Kim Jong Unusing biochemical weapons comes weeksafter the North Korean leader’s estrangedbrother, Kim Jong Nam, was slain in aMalaysian airport. Authorities cited thepresence of VX nerve agent, and NorthKorea is widely believed to have beenbehind responsible.

While Pyongyang’s allegations can’tbe entirely discounted, its history isreplete with allegations of deadly con-spiracies by its enemies, like purportedplanning for a US invasion or nuclear warplans, and South Korean kidnapping mis-sions. These assertions from Pyongyangoften appear like the pot calling the ket-tle black. The North has a grim record ofmilitary aggression, abductions andassassinations against South Koreanleaders that pale in comparison to any-thing it has faced.

Friday’s statement on state media waspublished days before South Korea’sMay 9 election. A more liberal govern-ment is likely to emerge, one that couldtake a softer line toward the North. Butthe reclusive communist governmentmay have intended its lambaste as arebuff to US efforts to reinstate NorthKorea as a state sponsor of terrorism - a

black mark that was l i f ted in 2008.“Pyongyang’s diatr ibe could be anattempt to redirect attention away fromits own use of a chemical weapon ofmass destruction,” said Bruce Klingner, aKorea exper t at the HeritageFoundation. Here are instances of NorthKorea claiming conspiracies against it,

alongside evidence of actions the Northitself has perpetrated.

Assassination plotsNorth Korea has railed against US and

South Korea planning for “decapitation”strikes against its leadership. In December2008, the North even claimed it arrested a

South Korean intelligence operative whowas on a “terrorist mission” against KimJong Il, the current leader’s late father.State-run news said the suspect was sent“speech and acoustic sensing and pursuitdevices for tracking the movement of thetop leader and even violent poison.”

There is precedent for South Koreaplotting to kill the North Korean leader. In1968, South Korea set up a secret com-mando team charged with assassinatingNorth Korea’s founding leader, Kim IlSung, the current leader’s grandfather. Butit never carried out the mission. Amidwarming inter-Korean relations, the teammutinied in 1971, killing its trainers andmarching on Seoul before being stopped.The mission followed a 1968 North Koreanattempt to assassinate South KoreanPresident Park Chung-hee. Thirty-oneNorth Korean commandos slipped intoSouth Korea and came within striking dis-tance of the Seoul presidential palace.

South Korean security forces repelledthe assault. The only commando who wascaptured said he came to “slit the throat” ofPark. In 1983, North Korean agents detonat-ed a bomb meant for South Korea’s leaderwhile he visited Myanmar, then known asBurma. President Chun Doo-hwan narrowlyescaped the attack. But 20 others died,including four Cabinet ministers, his ambas-sador to Burma and several top aides. In1987, North Korea bombed a Korean Airpassenger jet, killing 115 people.

AbductionsAnother regular North Korea accusa-

tion: South Korea abducting or enticingthe North’s citizens to defect. Seouldenies the claims. More than 29,000North Koreans have fled to the southsince the end of the 1950-53 Korean War,according to South Korean governmentdata. Many North Korean defectorsreport wanting to avoid the North’s harshpolitical system and poverty. After 13North Korean workers from a restaurantin China defected last year, Pyongyangsaid they were k idnapped by SouthKorean spies. North Korea has demandedtheir return.

South Korea said the workers choseto resettle on their own. I t was thelargest group defection to the Southsince Kim Jong Un took power in 2011.North Korea has a record of abductingother nations’ citizens, though. A UNCommission of Inquiry in 2014 foundhundreds of South Koreans, Japaneseand others were abducted between the1960s and 1980s in operations approvedby the supreme leader. In 2002, NorthKorea acknowledged kidnapping 13Japanese citizens decades earlier to trainspies in Japanese language and culture.Five were allowed to return to Japan thatyear. The North said the others died ornever entered North Korea. Japan isinvestigating hundreds of more cases ofpossible abductions. — AP

N Korea’s death plot accusations mimic its own misdeeds

BEIRUT: Fighting between Syrian rebel and gov-ernment forces eased yesterday as a Russian-ledeffort to shore up a ceasefire took effect,although battles continued on an importantfrontline near Hama, a rebel commander andwar monitor said. The deal to create “de-escala-tion” zones in the major areas of conflict in west-ern Syria took effect at midnight. The initiativewas proposed by Russia, President Bashar Al-Assad’s most powerful ally, with the support ofTurkey, which backs the opposition.

Iran, Assad’s other major ally, also backed it.Political and armed opposition groups haverejected the proposal, saying Russia has beenunwilling or unable to get Assad and his Iranian-backed militia allies to respect past ceasefires.The Syrian government said it backed the pro-posal but said it would continue to fight what itcalled terrorist groups across the country. TheSyrian Observatory for Human Rights said therehad been a reduction in fighting across Syriasince the deal came into force, but warned it wastoo early to say whether it would last.

“The reduction in violence must be clear andlasting,” Observatory Director RamiAbdulrahman said. The rebel commander saidthe general level of violence was reduced, butadded: “Regime attempts (to advance) in theHama countryside continue.” With the help ofRussia and Iranian-backed militias, the Syriangovernment has gained the military upper handin the six-year conflict. The wide array of rebel

groups include some supported by Turkey, theUnited States and Gulf monarchies.

The Observatory said it had not recorded anydeaths as a result of fighting in the four zonessince midnight, but there had been some viola-tions. Breaches were seen mainly in northernHama province, where Syrian government andallied forces have taken territory from rebels inrecent weeks. Fighter jets fired at the rebel-heldvillage of Al-Zalakiyat and nearby positions inthe northern Hama countryside, where the com-batants exchanged shelling, the Britain-basedwar monitoring group said.

The Observatory said government forcesshelled the nearby towns of Kafr Zita andLatamneh. There was no immediate commentfrom the Syrian army. Mohammed Rasheed, aspokesman for the Jaish Al-Nasr rebel groupbased in Hama, confirmed that fighting had bro-ken out after midnight. Rasheed said rebel-heldIdlib province to the north of Hama was almostcompletely quiet, but the attacks, which includedbarrel bombs, were focused on the northernHama frontline area. “The bombardment has notstopped, it is no different from before,” he said.

The deal Iran and Turkey agreed on Thursday to a

Russian proposal for de-escalation zones in Syria.The text of the memorandum was published bythe Russian foreign ministry yesterday. Theagreement said four de-escalation zones would

be established in Syria for a period of six monthswhich could be extended if the three signatorycountries agree. Weaponry and air strikes werenot to be used in those zones by combatants, thetext said. The agreement also included creatingconditions for humanitarian access, medicalassistance and the return of displaced civilians totheir homes. This initiative is the most seriouseffort to reduce violence and shore up a ceasefirefirst declared in December since western statesaccused Damascus of a chemical attack in earlyApril on rebel-held Idlib province.

The chemical incident prompted the US tofire dozens of cruise missiles at a Syrian airbasefrom which it said the attack had been launched,increasing tensions between the US and Russia.The de-escalation zones appear intended to haltconflict in specific areas between governmentforces and rebels, and would potentially bepoliced by foreign troops. The deal was negotiat-ed at Russian-brokered talks in Astana whichhave taken place this year outside of UnitedNations-sponsored peace talks in Geneva.

UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Misturahailed the plan as a step in the right directiontowards a real cessation of hostilities. UNSecretary-General Antonio Guterres said he wasencouraged by the agreement. The US StateDepartment voiced concerns about the deal,saying it was skeptical of Iran’s involvement as aguarantor of the accord and Damascus’ trackrecord on previous agreements. “We continue tohave concerns about the Astana agreement,including the involvement of Iran as a so-called‘guarantor’,” the State Department said in a state-ment on Thursday. “Iran’s activities in Syria haveonly contributed to the violence, not stopped it.”

The zones The Russian defense ministry had said the

agreement would come into force as of mid-night Damascus time on Friday and encompassfour zones. The largest zone, in northern Syria,includes Idlib province and adjoining districts ofHama, Aleppo and Latakia with a population ofover 1 million, the memorandum text said. Theother three zones are in northern Homsprovince, the Eastern Ghouta region east ofDamascus and along the Jordanian border insouthern Syria. But one part of the EasternGhouta zone, Qaboun, is exempt from the deal,Defense Ministry official Lieutenant-GeneralSergei Rudskoi said on Friday. He said this wasbecause Qaboun contained the Al-Qaeda-linkedgroup formerly known as the Nusra Front.Yesterday the Observatory said rockets hitQaboun where the government has been press-ing an offensive for several weeks.— Reuters

KUALA LUMPUR: A CCTV surveillance camera is attached by the entrance gate atthe North Korean Embassy monitors passersby in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In theparanoid universe of North Korea, the feverish accusations it makes against itssworn enemies bear a creepy resemblance to its own misdeeds. —AP

Syrian fighting eases as Russia deal takes effect

‘De-escalation’ zones created

QABUN, Syria: A Syrian government forces’ MiG-23 fighter-bomber drops a payload during areported air strike in the rebel-held area of Qabun, east of the capital Damascus yesterday.— AFP

VALENCIA: A young man died Friday afterhe was injured in violence as looting brokeout in impoverished Venezuelan cities, anofficial said, bringing the toll from unrestin more than a month of anti-governmentprotests to at least 36. Hecder Lugo Perez,22, died after he was hit in the head by aprojectile in the northwestern city ofValencia, sources at the Valles de SanDiego medical clinic said. City Mayor EnzoScarano confirmed his death. Massprotests erupted on April 1 by demonstra-tors demanding elections to removePresident Nicolas Maduro. They blamehim for an economic cr is is that hascaused shortages of food, medicine andother basics.

Anger boiled over Friday in the westernmunicipality of Rosario de Perija, whereyoung protesters burned, pulled down andthen smashed a statue of former presidentHugo Chavez, Maduro’s late predecessorand mentor, according to video posted onsocial media showing the incident in a pub-lic square. Looting broke out this week incities such as Valencia, which looked like adisaster zone with bars on shop windowsbent and windows broken.

“There was a crowd of them. They brokethrough the walls and took everything.They destroyed everything” before policecame and fired tear gas to disperse thelooters, said Nuvia Torrealba, 42, whoworked in a bakery. “My bosses have losttheir home and we are out of a job. It washorrible.” Residents were stockpiling food,water and fuel. At least 70 stores havebeen raided since Tuesday, the Valenciachamber of commerce said. “They are tak-ing advantage of the protests to go outand rob,” said Magaly Oliveros, a 64-year-old housewife in Valencia. “Today we arehungry, and tomorrow we will be hungrierstill because there is nothing.”

Army allegationsMaduro is resisting opposition demands

for elections. Each side accuses the other ofusing armed groups to sow violence in thedemonstrations. Maduro has the publicbacking of the military high command,which analysts say is key to resisting theprotests. However, senior opposition leaderHenrique Capriles said on Friday that 85mid-ranking army officers have beendetained for opposing moves to crackdown on protesters. He cited informationhe said was given by the officers’ families.

Weekend protestsMaduro’s opponents called for women

to march yesterday dressed in white, a tra-ditional show of defiance against what theybrand a repressive government. “ Theregime is falling,” said Lilian Tintori, wife ofjailed opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez,outside the prison near Caracas where shewas demanding to see her husband. “It hasno strength and is showing its worst side,using weapons because it is does not haveright on its side.” The president haslaunched moves to reform the constitution,further angering the opposition, whichsays he is trying to dodge elections. He saysthe economic crisis is a US-backed conspir-acy to topple him and install a right-winggovernment.

“We will not let a fascist regime be setup here,” said El ias Jaua, the off icialappointed to lead a presidential commis-sion on the constitutional reforms.Capriles said the opposition will take nopart in the constitutional discussions. Thecelebrity Venezuelan conductor GustavoDudamel, director of the Los AngelesPhilharmonic, added his voice to calls foran end to the violence on Thursday. Hecalled for Maduro to “listen to the voice ofthe Venezuelan people”, in a messageposted on Facebook. — AFP

SEOUL: Ahn Cheol-soo’s supporters believethat as South Korean president he’ll rise abovea political culture long bogged down by cor-ruption and factional bickering. His critics saythe former computer software mogul is tornbetween his slogans that cater to both liberaland conservative voters. Opinion surveys seeAhn as coming in second in Tuesday’s vote toMoon Jae-in, who seems to be capitalizing onconservative disarray following the ouster offormer President Park Geun-hye, who wasjai led in March on corruption charges.However, South Korean elections can be trickyto predict because the electorate is deeplysplit along ideological lines. Surveys have sug-gested Ahn was attracting conservative votersdisappointed by Park but who continue to dis-like Moon, who calls for engagement with bel-ligerent North Korea.

Ahn says he, instead of a more traditionalpolitician like Moon, can better rebuild the coun-try after Park’s fall, which he says exposed adecades-long “accumulation of evils,” such asabuse of presidential power and corruptive tiesbetween politicians and big businesses. Ahnwants to curb the excess of the “chaebol,” refer-ring to a privileged group of family-owned con-glomerates such as Samsung and Hyundai,

which have beencriticized for bribingpoliticians for busi-ness favors andunfairly crushingsmaller companies incompetition.

Ahn’s ideasinclude strengthen-ing the powers of thecountry’s fair tradewatchdog so that itcould break up com-panies with excessive

market shares. Ahn mixes his reform calls withbusiness-friendly promises, such as strongerfinancial support for small and medium-sizedcompanies and start-ups in technology sectors.Ahn’s stance on North Korea has often causedconfusion as he tries to please both conserva-tives and his many supporters in the southwestJeolla region, who have traditionally supportedrapprochement with the North.

After initially opposing the move, Ahn flip-flopped to support a decision by Washingtonand Seoul to deploy an advanced US missiledefense system called Terminal High-AltitudeArea Defense system, or THAAD, to cope with

North Korean threats. This has drawn criticismfrom some members of his own party whooppose the deployment over fears of wors-ened relations with China, which sees the sys-tem as a security threat. Ahn criticizes the hardline Park took against North Korea and also theObama administration’s “strategic patience”policy to wait out the North, saying neitherapproach did anything to prevent Pyongyangfrom speeding up its nuclear weapons andmissiles development.

After working as a medical professor andnavy doctor, Ahn in 1995 established AhnLab,which became South Korea’s largest maker ofantivirus software. Ahn resigned as AhnLab’sCEO in 2005 and taught at universities beforeentering politics ahead of the 2012 presidentialelection, when his rivalry with Moon began.The two competed to stand for liberals beforeAhn, then an independent, bowed out at thelast minute. Moon went on to lose the electionto Park. After the 2012 setback, Ahn brieflyjoined Moon’s Democratic Party before leavingand creating his own party for parliamentaryelections in April last year. His People’s Partythen won 38 seats after dominating theDemocratic Party in its traditional stronghold inthe Jeolla region. — AP

BANGKOK: Thai police said yesterdaythey were hunting for suspected humansmugglers who deserted 35 Myanmarnationals in southern Thailand, a key stopon a regional trafficking route. The 28men and 7 women were found inThailand’s Nakhon Si Thammaratprovince on Friday without passports orproper visas, provincial police command-er Wancha Akepornpich said. They werebound for Malaysia where they had beenpromised work on rubber and palm plan-tations. “Their driver told them to waitwhile he went to go buy meals, but thenhe fled,” Akepornpich said. The officer saidthe men and women were not Rohingya,a Muslim minority that has fled Myanmarin droves to escape persecution.

The group told Thai police theycrossed overland into western Thailandbefore travelling south by truck. That

route has become more popular sinceThai authorities clamped down on traf-ficking gangs who for years ferried tensof thousands of Myanmar refugees andmigrants across the Bay of Bengal byboat. Before crossing into Malaysia, thetrafficking victims were often held in Thaijungle camps where they were beaten,raped and abused until relatives paidrelease ransoms.

The dangerous sea crossings haveslowed dramatically since the 2015crackdown, according to a recent reportby the UN’s refugee agency. The UNHCRsaid there were rumors of “isolatedattempts” but no confirmed maritimearrivals in 2016. However more than 100Myanmar people-half of whom wereRohingya-were caught by authoritiesattempting overland travel to Malaysia,it said. — AFP

CARACAS: Venezuelan opposition activists take part in a women’s march aimed tokeep pressure on President Nicolas Maduro, whose authority is being increasinglychallenged by protests and deadly unrest, in Caracas. — AFP

Death toll hits 36; Looting breaks out in Venezuela

Migrants abandoned by smuggler in Thai south

Ex-computer software mogul eyes South Korean presidency

Ahn Cheol-soo

N E W SSUNDAY, MAY 7, 2017

Continued from Page 1

French expats in North America were already castingtheir ballots yesterday, along with voters in some over-seas territories in the Caribbean and Pacific. It wasimpossible to assess the impact of the hacking after anunpredictable campaign marked by scandals, surprisesand bitter exchanges between the candidates. Macronheld a clear and widening lead of around 62 percent to38 percent ahead of Le Pen in the last polls published onFriday before the campaigning blackout came into force.

During a bad-tempered televised debate onWednesday, Le Pen brought up unsourced allegationscirculating online that Macron had an offshore bankaccount in the Bahamas - leading Macron to sue fordefamation. There has been no claim of responsibilityfor the hack, although links to the files appear to havefirst surfaced on US online forum 4Chan used amongothers by far-right activists. “We knew that there werethese risks during the presidential campaign becauseit happened elsewhere. Nothing will go without aresponse,” French President Francois Hollande toldAFP yesterday.

US intelligence agencies believe Democratic candi-date Hillary Clinton was hacked by state-backedRussian operatives ahead of the US election lastNovember. She has said the revelations, spread byWikileaks, partly explained her shock defeat by DonaldTrump. French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault sug-gested in February that Macron was being targeted bya Russian campaign because of his support for a strong

European Union which could stand up to Moscow. LePen is a eurosceptic who met Russian PresidentVladimir Putin in March.

Macron’s team has previously accused the Kremlin ofmeddling in the campaign and being behind repeatedcyber-attacks on his headquarters - allegations stronglydenied in Moscow. His campaign employs tough serverprotections and network encryption, but experiencedhackers can always find a way in. “In this kind of organi-zation the real potential faultline is the human element,”the head of computer services for Macron’s En Marche!movement recently told AFP, requesting anonymity.

Macron’s team said the files were stolen weeks agowhen several members of En Marche had their personaland work emails hacked in one of “an intense andrepeated” series of cyber-attacks. Last month, cyberse-curity research group Trend Micro said Russian hackerscalled Pawn Storm had targeted Macron’s campaignusing “phishing” techniques in which fake websites areused to trick users into revealing their passwords.

Macron and Le Pen - who is hoping to ride a globalwave of anti-establishment anger to the Elysee Palace- have offered starkly different visions for France dur-ing a campaign that has been closely watched inEurope and around the world. The leaks came after afrantic final day of campaigning which included thedeath of a Socialist lawmaker after she spoke at aMacron rally. Corinne Erhel, 50, was the last to take thestage Friday in western France when she suddenly col-lapsed. She was rushed to hospital, where she was pro-nounced dead. —AFP

Macron target of massive email hack

Continued from Page 1

One such deal, an $11.5 billion package of four multi-mission surface combatant ships and accompanyingservices and spares, was approved by the StateDepartment in 2015. Talks followed to hammer outcapabilities, configuration and design for the complexwarships but the deal has never gone to final contract.The next step for the ships is likely a letter of agreementbetween the two countries, the sources said.

Versions of the ship used by the US Navy, the LittoralCombat Ship, are built by Bethesda, Maryland-basedweapons maker Lockheed Martin and Australia’s AustalLtd. If a deal goes through, it would be the first sale of anew small surface warship to a foreign power indecades. Any major foreign weapons sale is subject tooversight by Congress. Lawmakers must take into con-sideration a legal requirement that Israel must maintainits qualitative military edge over its neighbors.

Also, more than $1 billion worth of munitions includ-ing armor-piercing Penetrator Warheads and Pavewaylaser-guided bombs made by Raytheon Co are in thepackage, the sources said. The Obama administrationsuspended the planned sale because of concerns overthe Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen and civilian

casualties. A US administration official said the pro-posed Raytheon sale was still undergoing interagencyreview. A Lockheed representative said such sales aregovernment-to-government decisions and the status ofany potential discussions can be best addressed by theUS government. Shares of both Raytheon and Lockheedclosed up 0.9 percent. Both stocks hit session highs fol-lowing the Reuters report.

One of the people with knowledge of the sales saidthat as planning for Trump’s trip to Saudi Arabia intensi-fied in recent weeks, the arms negotiations also acceler-ated. Two US officials said a US-Saudi working groupmet at the White House Monday and Tuesday to negoti-ate the trip, as well as financing for military equipmentsales and stopping terrorist financing. Saudi foreignminister Adel Al-Jubeir and other Saudi officials metwith lawmakers at the Capitol on Thursday, includingSenators Bob Corker and Ben Cardin on the foreign rela-tions committee.

The Obama administration had offered Saudi Arabiamore than $115 billion in weapons. Most of the Obama-era offers, which are reported to Congress, became for-mal agreements though some were abandoned oramended. Washington also provides maintenance andtraining to Saudi security forces. — Reuters

Saudi Arabia, US in talks on billions...

Continued from Page 1

Opponents called it “socialized medicine”. “It’s thebeginning of the Cold War, we’re terrified of Stalin andCommunism. The word socialism carried a lot of bag-gage,” University of Michigan medical historianHoward Markel said. “Truman wrote in his memoirsthat it was one of the most disappointing politicaldefeats of his career.”

Most Americans receive health insurance from theiremployers, under a system in which workers are cov-ered by an arrangement largely negotiated directlybetween employers and trade unions. “If you look at thesystems in France, Germany and Britain, there was anarchitect of the system,” said Melissa Thomasson, a pro-fessor of economics at Miami University in Ohio. “In ourcountry, we have a very piecemeal system” under thecontrol of insurance companies, the pharmaceuticalindustry, employers and doctors, all determined to limitthe government’s role.

But the market doesn’t cover everyone. In 1965, pres-ident Lyndon Johnson wrangled a compromise withCongress to create Medicare, public health insurance forover people over 65, and Medicaid for the poor and dis-abled, initially mainly women with children. Still, health-care was seen as a privilege which recipients are worthyof deserving through poverty, age or contributions.Poor bachelors, for example, are excluded fromMedicaid because they’re considered able to work.

“A large number of Americans believe in individualresponsibility,” said Thomas William O’Rourke, professoremeritus in the Department of Kinesiology andCommunity Health at the University of Illinois. “We have

never said that healthcare is a right,” he added. “We havesaid you will get healthcare if you fall into a certaingroup,” such as military veterans or native Americans.

In the following decades, the battle lines of the ideo-logical debate hardly shifted between the left, support-ing universal coverage, and the right, which opposes theidea for budgetary reasons and as a matter of principle.In 1993, president Bill Clinton and his wife Hillarylaunched an effort to reform the healthcare system, atangle of public regulations and private providers, inorder to cover everyone. The attempt failed spectacularly.

When Congress passed Obama’s bill in 2010, it suc-ceeded by a hair. Not a single Republican supported it.Obamacare instituted tax incentives, mandatory cover-age requirements and financial assistance for millions.But it never called into question the system’s privatefoundations. “It’s part of the DNA of the United States tosomehow maintain choice in healthcare insuranceplans,” said Howard Bauchner, editor in chief of theJournal of the American Medical Association. However,“the irony of the free market system is that it doesn’twork in healthcare very well.”

The reality is that the industry is steadily consoli-dating and competition weakening. Incentives aren’tenough: More than 25 million people still lack healthinsurance. At the same time, spending on healthcarecontinues mounting rapidly because the governmenthas little control over fees charged. To address thosefaults, leftwing figures such as Bernie Sanders advo-cate the kind of national public healthcare systemthat Europeans enjoy. Or, as Hillary Clinton oncepragmatically said, a utopia that will “never, evercome to pass”. —AFP

Healthcare a privilege, not a right in US

JOHANNESBURG: Actress Priyanka Chopra is photographed during an interview yesterday. — AP

JOHANNESBURG: Actress Priyanka Chopra said she isdismayed by the level of sexual violence against chil-dren in Zimbabwe, with government officials theretelling her many young girls are “asking for it.” Chopraspoke to AP yesterday after visiting the southernAfrican country as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador.She said it was “an eye-opening experience” meetinggirls who had been shunned by society and thrownout of their homes after being raped. She says girlsare told it’s their fault.

“I heard a lot of this when I asked these governmentofficials who said girls are asking for it,” she said. Somegirls were as young as 3 when they were raped by theirfathers, uncles or other relatives, she said. Chopra, whoturned heads with her sweeping Ralph Lauren trenchcoat at Monday’s Met Gala in New York, said she feels it’sher duty to use her celebrity status to fight for worthycauses, especially violence against children.

“I am from India and I have seen wealth and povertylive together all my life,” she said. “That is the state of theworld. That is our reality. It takes people like us who areprivileged, who have everything that we may need in

abundance, to be able to share it in parts of the worldwhere they may not have that.”

Once-prosperous Zimbabwe has sunk into economiccrisis over the years, with a cash crunch so severe thatlivestock in some cases is being accepted in lieu of cur-rency. Unemployment is high, and the health and socialservices system has suffered. Chopra, who stars in theupcoming “Baywatch” film, said she couldn’t get oneZimbabwe girl’s story out of her mind. The girl toldChopra how she was raped by her uncle when she was7. “The pastor of their church told her family that shewas possessed and she should come and live with him... but the pastor raped her for two years,” Chopra said.

“She was taken away from there and sent to anotheruncle and aunty of hers. The aunty then forced her tohave sex with her husband, who was HIV positive. Thatwas how she contracted HIV at age 17.” The girl tried tokill herself three times before she was rescued by agroup that offered her psychological support, Choprasaid. The UN Population Fund calls Zimbabwe an“extremely young country,” with 62 percent of the popu-lation under 25. — AP

Priyanka Chopra dismayed by

Zimbabwe child sexual abuse

A Muslim family cycles by at the Titiwangsa lake gardens in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. Titiwangsa lake gardens isa recreational park with a large lake located in the northeastern fringe of Kuala Lumpur city center. — AP

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Founder and Publisher YOUSUF S. AL-ALYAN

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All articles appearing on these pages arethe personal opinion of the writers.Kuwait Times takes no responsibility forviews expressed therein. Kuwait Timesinvites readers to voice their opinions.Please send submissions via email to:opinion@kuwaittimes.net or via snail mailto PO Box 1301 Safat, Kuwait. The editorreserves the right to edit any submissionas necessary.

A N A L Y S I SSUNDAY, MAY 7, 2017

Focus

Missing in action? EU sees its soft power waning

As the European Union’s foreign ministers metrecently in a baroque palace in Malta, Finland’stop diplomat quipped that despite the grandeur

of their surroundings, they were all merely “doctors andwelders”, trying “to sew things up” in the world. Suchdespondency at Europe’s global influence has becomeall too common as the 28-country bloc struggles tocope with Brexit, an unprecedented migrant crisis in itsown backyard and a rise in anti-EU populism that hasbolstered authoritarian, nationalist-minded leadersacross the region.

While U.S.-led NATO has long shouldered the mili-tary burden in Europe, the economically powerful EUhas been able to boast of a “soft power” with recentdiplomatic successes ranging from its role in brokeringthe 2015 Iran nuclear deal, winning a detente withCuba and inspiring a pro-EU uprising in Ukraine. Butsome ministers and diplomats point to the EU’s lack ofsway to end the conflict in Ukraine or to help solve thecrisis in Syria as evidence it is now floundering, to thedetriment of those caught up in those conflicts and tothe benefit of Russia.

“Brexit, the migration crisis. These have really had aneffect on us,” said one senior EU diplomat. “We have notlost all our soft power, but we do feel our moral authori-ty is not as strong as it used to be.” As the world’sbiggest aid donor, the European Union seeks the rule oflaw and democracy abroad and has transformed formercommunist countries into thriving market democracies.

But after a meeting in April, Polish Foreign MinisterWitold Waszczykowski described the mood among col-leagues as “pessimistic and depressing”, citing “themany crises engulfing Europe: Syria, Libya, Yemen.” “Thesituation in the Middle East is, unfortunately, not good.The conclusion is that the EU has few instruments toimpact the problems playing out there.” France’s outgo-ing Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, who has tried invain to implement a peace deal with Moscow inUkraine, was downbeat a few weeks later in Malta asministers met to discuss Turkey’s growing authoritarian-ism. “We need to pick up the pace and have the confi-dence to play a role in the world,” he said in Valletta,saying the debates among ministers were “too techni-cal” and lacked vision.

The European Union can point to its unity on eco-nomic sanctions against Russia following Moscow’sannexation of Crimea in 2014 and its support for sepa-ratists in east Ukraine. Even without clarity on whereUS-Russian ties are headed following the election ofPresident Donald Trump, ministers are set to extend thesanctions again in July, diplomats say. Plans for EUcountries to cooperate on defense are progressing.

But some say the European Union as a bloc is notforceful enough to resolve the conflict in easternUkraine that has killed more than 10,000 people sinceApril 2014, after EU governments agreed to let Franceand Germany lead peace talks. “An increased pressureon Russia is only possible with a stronger engagementof the whole of the EU, and the US,” said Anders FoghRasmussen, a former NATO secretary general.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini’s visit toMoscow in April did not any break new ground, saidFrederik Wesslau, an analyst at the European Council onForeign Relations think-tank. Mogherini ’s officedeclined to comment, but EU officials stress that thebloc has a big role in Ukraine focused on security train-ing, financial aid, the implementation of a free-tradedeal and strong support for the Minsk peace accords.Mogherini, a former Italian foreign minister, has wonplaudits for harnessing Europe’s soft power, travellingthe globe like US secretaries of state. But EU states arereluctant to grant her more actual policy sway despitecommitments to do so.

A New Franco-German Hope?One EU official said the latest loss of self-confidence

stemmed partly from an accord with Ankara last year inwhich Turkey agreed to take in Syrian refugees in returnfor EU money. “We agreed to a deal that implicitly gaveTurkey leverage over us,” said the official, who wasinvolved in the talks, noting the EU had become power-less to stop mass jailing of dissidents in Turkey since afailed coup attempt last year. In other areas, Hungary,Greece and Cyprus weaken EU statements where thebloc needs every government to agree.

“When the EU was not able to come up with a strongstatement about the militarization of the South ChinaSea in July, it was the Hungarians who blocked it,” an EUdiplomat said. Some forces are also beyond Brussels’control, including Russian revanchism, Trump’s unpre-dictability and Brexit. Neither the British defense minis-ter nor foreign minister attended the EU ministerialgathering in Malta. —Reuters

Dr James J Zogby is the President of the ArabAmerican Institute

During a confusing and unsettling time, PalestinianAuthority President Mahmoud Abbas came toWashington to meet with US President Donald

Trump. As has been the case with most issues, Trump hasbeen remarkably unpredictable when addressing theMiddle East. During his campaign for the White House,not only did his party’s platform drop any mention of a“two state solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, hepersonally condemned President Obama for abandoningIsrael at the United Nations and promised to be “the mostpro-Israel President ever”. He also pledged to immediate-ly move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem andto never pressure Israel to stop settlement expansion.After winning the presidency, Trump appointed a trio ofhis closest advisers: David Friedman, a hardliner withdeep ties to the West Bank settler movement, JasonGreenblatt, and son-in-law Jared Kushner as his envoys toaddress the conflicted region.

More recently, Trump has been sending other, some-what different signals. For example, during and followinghis love fest visit with Israeli Prime Minister BenjaminNetanyahu, and after Greenblatt and Kushner returnedfrom their initial forays to the region, the White Housebegan to sing what appeared to be another tune. ThePresident now speaks confidently of his ambition to pro-duce a “great deal” that would bring peace to the region.No details are offered, but as has been the case with somany other Trump pledges, we are told, in effect, to trusthim that “it will happen” and “it’ll be great”.

While the elements of his plan have not been spelledout, it appears to involve restarting Israeli-Palestinianpeace talks coupled with an effort to achieve somedegree of regional cooperation between Israel and theUS’s Arab allies.

Trump’s bold and brash confidence, his apparentchange of tone, and his volatile personality have placedPalestinian leaders in a bind. They are on the ropes anddesperately need the US to support them, both political-ly and financially. They may be wary or unclear about thisPresident’s views and those of his associates, but giventheir vulnerability, they fear alienating him. Facing these

confounding realities, Abbas has attempted make thebest of a difficult situation by appearing to take a pagefrom Trump’s own playbook-playing up to his ego byexpressing confidence in his abilities and calling his pres-idency a “historic opportunity” to make peace a reality.

But the Palestinian dilemma is real. In the first place,Trump’s refusal to commit to a Palestinian state and hislack of clarity creates a problem, since Palestinians do notknow what is being asked of them or what they are beingoffered. And here, the signs are none too promising.

Arab leaders have, once again, reaffirmed their com-mitment to the Arab Peace Initiative, which establishesthe goal of normalized ties with Israel only after Israelwithdraws from the 1967 occupied territories and negoti-ates an equitable solution to the refugee issue. But theIsraelis have adamantly refused to consider the essentialterms of the API. The talk in Washington (and Israel) isthat Trump will attempt to square this circle by proposingtwo parallel tracks: One, involving Israeli-Palestinian talkswith no preconditions, and another, bringing Israel andthe Arab States together to discuss regional cooperation.

Dangerous Trap If this is, indeed, to be the process, it sets up a danger-

ous trap for both the Palestinians and the Arab States.The US and Israel may want the appearance of a “peaceprocess” to provide a cover for efforts to create Israel-Arab cooperation to fight extremism and Iran. But thedanger for Palestinians is clear. They’ve been down thisroad before - an endless process with no outcome. Thedanger for Arabs is also clear. Even the appearance ofnormalized ties with Israel, at the expense of thePalestinians, would only serve to inflame extremists,while at the same time producing a propaganda boon forthe Iranians. Since both the Palestinians and the Arabsare well aware of these dangers, a proposal that, in effect,turns the API on its head, is a non-starter.

Meanwhile, Washington’s various and assorted think-tanks, now populated by an array of former and failed USMiddle East negotiators, have been busily grinding outadvice for the Trump Administration making it clear thatthey’ve learned very little from their experiences. Theyare still proposing limited improvements in the “quality oflife” for Palestinians and putting the onus on the PA to

drop their “unrealistic demands” regarding settlements,Jerusalem, and refugees, all the while pretending thatArab States can walk over the Palestinians on their way toestablishing ties with Israel in order to create a unitedfront against Iran and extremism. None of this hasworked in the past, nor will it work today.

For its part, Israel, despite some mild resistance fromthe Administration regarding its settlement policy, hascontinued on its merry way announcing massive newconstruction projects in the West Band and Jerusalem,coupled with continued demolition of Palestinian homesand the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian bedouin commu-nities to make way for still more settlement expansion.

It’s clear that if Trump is at all serious about reining inIsraeli behaviors (and there is no evidence that he is), hewill have to move from mild admonitions to cracking thewhip. But this will not happen since Congress still has acritical role to play in tempering whatever any presidentmay want to do. Congress is pushing hard to punish anyand all US or international efforts that oppose Israeli set-tlement expansion. They have urged the President todemand that the PA withhold funds paid to the familiesof prisoners, or face a cut in US financial support. Andthey are threatening punitive cuts to the United Nationsand other agencies that oppose the occupation orendorse Palestinian demands - thereby threatening thefew gains won by the Palestinian diplomatic initiative.

Those who think that the president can controlCongress need only look at his inability to have his agen-da pass Congressional muster. Any push to get toughwith the Israelis will be greeted by a Congressional coali-tion that will block any such effort. So while I understandAbbas’ need to not alienate the US president, I am neitherconfident nor optimistic that we will see any real move-ment toward a just peace.

Decades ago, when I was just beginning my work, Ilearned a lesson from a mentor, Ibrahim Abu Lughod. Hetaught me not to pay attention to the ebbs and flows ofthe daily news. To do so, he warned created unwise opti-mism or unwarranted despair. Instead, he advised me tofocus on the deep currents that defined the politicallandscape. These do not point in a promising direction.

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

Washington Watch

I am neither confident, nor optimistic

Politics, potholes and price dropsKenya plans to export its first oil in June,

but analysts say the test phase facesmajor challenges and appears moti-

vated primarily by political considerationsjust months ahead of elections. British com-pany Tullow announced the discovery of oilin Kenya in March 2012, when prices werewell over $100 a barrel, close to Lokichar inthe country’s arid Turkana region. Since thenreserves totalling 750 million barrels havebeen found and there are hopes of more tocome. But at the same time oil prices crashedand have been slow to recover.

Kenya’s oil is good quality - with low sul-phur content and good density - but with awax-like consistency meaning it must betransported at a high temperature to keep itliquid, making the cost of exporting it higher.

By road and pipe Turkana is deep inland so Kenya’s oil will

only be available for export after the con-struction of a 900 km pipeline to a new portto be constructed at Lamu on the IndianOcean coast. The pipe is planned to movearound 100,000 barrels per day, but con-struction is not expected to start until nextyear. In the meantime, Kenya hasannounced a two-year “pilot program” mov-ing a modest 2,000 barrels a day by road,more than 1,000 km to the existing port ofMombasa. The journey along congestedand badly maintained roads takes severaldays. Promised road repairs on the first 300km are behind schedule but might be com-pleted in August, local media reports.

Discount... In the national press the government

presents the road exports as a way to “test

the market” and says buyers in China andIndia are interested. Andrew Kamau, a sen-ior official in Kenya’s energy ministry, toldAFP the pilot program is about increasingunderstanding of how the oil reserves willrespond to full-scale extraction. “The idea isto get information, of course we’re notgoing to make any profit during the pilotscheme,” Kamau said. “If you extract oil dur-ing these tests, you might as well export it,”he added. Kamau said the early exports willallow foreign refineries to get used to thespecific characteristics of Kenyan crude,and to take the price hit early that oftenaccompanies new oil entering the globalmarket. “I’d rather suffer the discount whenI produce 2,000 barrels a day rather thanwhen I produce 100,000,” he said.

... and distraction But such explanations do not impress

critics. “This early oil pilot scheme is a dis-traction from what really matters, that isgetting the pipeline done and startingproduction properly,” said CharlesWanguhu, director of the Kenya CivilSociety Platform on Oil and Gas (KCSPOG),adding that it is “not good value for mon-ey”. According to his organization’s calcu-lations, production has to double andprices increase significantly if the govern-ment is to avoid losing tens of millions ofdollars under the pilot programme.

WTI crude, the US benchmark, is tradingat around $49 but Turkana crude is unlikelyto achieve this price when it enters themarket, suffering a discount due to its nov-elty and small volumes. The governmentestimates that the pilot program will be

profitable at $43, according to energy min-ister Charles Keter, but KCSPOG says thereal break-even is closer to $53, a figurebacked by an oil industry source.

PR stunt? “It is normal that there should be a test

phase, but in these cases, one generally lim-its oneself to learning the properties and

reactions of the reservoirs, one tests theextraction but one does not launch it on themarket,” said Benjamin Auge, a researcher atthe French Institute of InternationalRelations (known by its French acronym,IFRI). And many observers see it as nothingmore than a publicity stunt ahead of gener-al elections on August 8 aimed at allowingthe government to claim a success.

Finally, a good day for Republicans.Nearly four months into the era ofTrump, Republicans gave weary

supporters reason to think there’s stillhope for the bold promises of Campaign2016. With a House vote Thursday torepeal Barack Obama’s healthcare law,the party showed it could pick up thepieces after a humiliating failure sixweeks ago and demonstrated the firstflicker of signs that it may be able to findconsensus within its divided ranks.

The momentum appeared to carryover beyond health care. The House votecame hours after Trump signed an orderto promote religious expression. GOPlegislators moved closer to rolling backObama-era financial regulations. TheSenate approved a spending bill avertinga government shutdown that wouldhave been disastrous for the party with amonopoly on power.

But the hunger for a win may have

come at a cost. House Republicanspushed through the healthcare bill withonly a vote to spare and no Democraticsupport - reminiscent of the passage ofthe so-called Obamacare law it unraveled.The bill’s fate is uncertain in the Senate,which is sure to change it. Democratsquickly served notice they would holdRepublicans accountable for what theypredicted could be a disastrous impacton some of the sickest Americans.

But for one day, at least, Republicansdecided to celebrate. Immediately afterthe healthcare vote, House Republicanspiled onto buses and headed to theWhite House for a sun-splashed RoseGarden celebration - a rare event for a billthat has cleared only one chamber ofCongress. “This really helps,” Trump said,saying that the vote had brought frac-tious Republicans together and laid thefoundation for future victories on taxcuts and more. —AFP

Healthcare victory builds Republicans’ confidence

SUNDAY, MAY 7, 2017

LOS ANGELES: World record-holder Kendra Harrison tweeted Fridaythat her 100m hurdles victory at the Doha Diamond League meetingcame with a broken hand. “Broke my hand during my final push out,”Harrison wrote on the social media site. “Nothing but Gods strength &

my determination that got me through that race w/ a win.#backtowork” She retwetted a picture of medical personnelbandaging her left hand and forearm. “@Ken_AYE shows GRITby winning Doha 100mH DL after breaking her hand warmingup!” her coach Edrick Floreal posted on Twitter. “was rushed to

the hospital after the race!” It was not immediately clear howthe injury might affect her preparations for the 2017

World Championships in London in August. Harrisoncreated a sensation when she broke the 28-year-old

100m hurdles world record with a time of12.20sec in Paris last July 22. The feathelped make up somewhat for her failure

to make the US Olympic team for Rio. —AFP

NEW DELHI: New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum has been ruled out of theremainder of the Indian Premier League season with a hamstring strain,heaping fresh misery on his Gujarat Lions team. The dashing opener injuredhis left hamstring during the seven-wicket defeat against Delhi Daredevilson Thursday-a result that saw the Lions being knocked out of contention forthe playoffs. McCullum, 35, is currently the second-highest run-getter forLions this season with 320 runs from 11 outings. “Injuries are notideal but part of our sport. Compressed tournament & longtravel can be gruelling,” the former Kiwi skipper posted onhis official Twitter account late Friday. “Sorry for not beingthere all the way. “The Lions had reached the playoff stagein the last IPL but struggled this season, managing just threewins in 11 matches. They are scheduled to play three morematches in the Twenty20 tournament which ends on May 21after nearly two months of action. “Thank you for all the memo-ries, @bazmccullum! Here’s wishing you a speedy recovery.You will be missed!” tweeted the Lions. — AFP

DHAKA: A Bangladeshi man has died after a clash over illegal bettingon an Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament match, police saidyesterday. Santosh Kumar, 33, died in a hospital on Friday night, twodays after the incident in the northern Lalmonirhat district. “He bet taka50 (62 cents) with some of friends over an IPL match on May 2. He wonthe bet but others refused to pay him the money, triggering an alterca-tion,” local police inspector Mostafa Kamal told AFP. “During the quarrel,someone kicked him on the scrotum, leaving him injured. He died inRangpur Medical College Hospital,” he said. Police are investigating thedeath, but no arrests have been made so far. Betting is illegal inBangladesh but remains widespread in rural areas, especially duringdomestic and international cricket matches. Last year Bangladesh tele-coms regulators blocked 12 betting sites following a request from thepolice. IPL is a popular event in the South Asian nation, broadcast liveby a local television station. Two local cricketers-all-rounder Shakib AlHasan and left arm fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman-have taken part inthe cash-rich event this season. —AFP

Bangladeshi dies in

clash over IPL bet

S P O RT S

Injured McCullum

to miss rest of IPL

Hurdler Harrison tweeted

of broke hand before win

CHICAGO: Brett Gardner lined a slider fromHector Rondon into the right-field bleacherswith two outs in the ninth inning for a three-run homer that lifted the New York Yankeesover the World Series champion Chicago Cubs3-2 in a dramatic series opener Friday. Homeruns by Kris Bryant in the first and KyleSchwarber in the sixth off Michael Pinedastaked the Cubs to a 2-0 lead on a 45-degreeafternoon with the wind blowing in.

Chase Headley singled with one out in theninth off Rondon (0-1), pitching after WadeDavis appeared in the previous three games.Jacoby Ellsbury, in his first appearance sinceinjuring an elbow Monday, pinch hit with twoouts and walked after a 2-1 pitch at the kneeswas called a ball by umpire Ryan Blakney.Gardner fouled off a pair of 1-2 fastballs, took aball and on his seventh pitch of the at-bat - the29th to Gardner in the game - he hit his fifthhome run of the season, all in the last six games.Aroldis Chapman, who received his World Seriesring from the Cubs before the game, had topitch out of trouble in the bottom half for hisseventh save. Jonathan Holder (1-0) pitched aone-hit eighth for his first major league victory,

helping combine on a four-hitter.

METS 8, MARLINS 7TJ Rivera homered early and hit a two-run

double to tie the score in a five-run seventhinning that rallied New York past Miami.Wilmer Flores drew a four-pitch walk from KyleBarraclough with the bases loaded and twoouts to force in the go-ahead run. New Yorkopened the inning with six straight hits offnormally reliable reliever Brad Ziegler (1-2),who did not retire a batter. The Mets trailed 7-1 after Miami scored six times with two outs inthe fourth, highlighted by two-run doublesfrom Justin Bour and Miguel Rojas. CurtisGranderson launched a two-run homer offstarter Tom Koehler in the bottom half, andNew York came all the way back on a rainynight to hand the Marlins their eighth loss in10 games. Jerry Blevins (2-0) pitched a score-less seventh, and Addison Reed worked a one-hit eighth before Jeurys Familia got threequick outs for his third save

ORIOLES 4, WHITE SOX 2Gabriel Ynoa pitched six sharp innings after

starter Wade Miley was forced out of the gameby the impact of two line drives, and Baltimoregot a home run from Chris Davis in a victoryover Chicago. Miley left after being drilled bysuccessive batters. First, he was struck in theleft wrist by a shot off the bat of Jose Abreu.Two pitches later, Avisail Garcia ripped acomebacker that hit Miley in the left thigh andknocked him off his feet. That ended Miley’snight after 12 pitches. He got only two outs,the shortest outing of his career. The Orioleslater announced his injury as a left wrist contu-sion. Ynoa (1-0) gave up six hits, walked noneand struck out five. Brad Brach got his sixthsave. Miguel Gonzalez (3-2) allowed two runsin 6 2/3 innings.

ASTROS 7, ANGELS 6Carlos Correa singled home Jose Altuve in

the 10th inning and Houston blew a four-runlead in the ninth before rallying for a victoryover Los Angeles. Altuve singled, stole secondand scored on Correa’s line drive off Bud Norris(0-1) in the Astros’ fifth victory in six games.Dallas Keuchel remained unbeaten whilepitching seven-hit ball, but the AL Pitcher ofthe Month was chased by three straight sin-gles to open the ninth. Kole Calhoun eventual-ly capped the rally with a tying RBI single offKen Giles (1-1) with two out.

DODGERS 8, PADRES 2Rookie Cody Bellinger homered twice and

drove in four runs, and Kenta Maeda and fiverelievers combined on a four-hitter to lead LosAngeles over San Diego. Bellinger has fourhomers in 10 games. He avoided being sentback to the minors when Adrian Gonzalezwent on the disabled list for the first time inhis 14-year career. Sergio Romo (1-1) got twoouts and the win, and Josh Fields retired thefinal four batters for his first save. San Diego’sJose Torres (1-2) gave up two runs while get-ting two outs in the sixth inning.

NATIONALS 4, PHILLIES 2Stephen Strasburg hit his second major

league home run and pitched 5 2/3 scorelessinnings, leading Washington overPhiladelphia. Strasburg (3-1) allowed five hits,struck out five and walked four, leaving after119 pitches and failing to go seven innings forthe first time this season. Strasburg homered

in the second on a 93 mph fastball from NickPivetta (0-2) for a 2-0 lead. Ryan Zimmemanhit his 12th homer, doubled and raised hisaverage to .433 with a three-hit game.

DIAMONDBACKS 6, ROCKIES 3Paul Goldschmidt homered twice and

drove in five runs, helping Zack Greinke andArizona beat Colorado. Goldschmidt hit asolo shot in the first and a three-run drive inthe third, giving him homers in three straightat-bats and his 10th career multihomergame. Greinke (3-2) baffled Colorado allnight, allowing two runs over seven inningsto help the Diamondbacks pull within a half-game of the front-running Rockies in the NLWest. Colorado r ight-hander GermanMarquez (0-2) was roughed up for five runsin s ix innings. He pitched six scorelessinnings at Arizona on Sunday.

CARDINALS 10, BRAVES 0Tommy Pham doubled and hit a two-run

homer after his recall from the minors, MattCarpenter also hit a two-run homer and St.Louis overcame injuries to two starting out-fielders to beat Atlanta. Lance Lynn (4-1)allowed four hits in six innings. Pham wasrecalled from Triple-A Memphis and started incenter field after outfielder Stephen Piscottywas placed on the 10-day disabled list with aright hamstring strain. Dexter Fowler also washeld out with a strained right shoulder suf-fered in Thursday’s 5-4 loss to Milwaukee. MikeFoltynewicz (0-4) gave up seven runs and ninehits with two walks in four innings.

TWINS 4, RED SOX 3Joe Mauer hit a solo home run in the ninth

inning to lift Minnesota over Boston. Mauer’sfirst career walk-off home run landed in thebullpen in left-center field and backed astrong start from Phil Hughes in the Twins’ fifthwin in six games. Chris Young’s pinch-hit, two-run single off Brandon Kintzler (1-0) in the topof the ninth tied the game at 3. Mauer pickedup Kintzler with his second home run of theseason, this one coming off Matt Barnes (3-1).

REDS 13, GIANTS 3Matt Cain was rocked for nine runs,

matching the most he has allowed in themajor leagues, and Jose Peraza drove in a

career-high four runs in the first four inningsto lead Cincinnati over San Francisco. Cain(2-1) allowed 10 hits and threw 78 pitches in3 1/3 innings. Five of the six batters hewalked scored, and his ERA rose from 2.30 to4.70. San Francisco pitchers walked 12 in all,the team’s most since 2011, and the Giantsfell to an NL-worst 11-19. Bronson Arroyo (3-2) gave up three runs, five hits and a walkover 5 1/3 innings.

TIGERS 7, ATHLETICS 2Michael Fulmer pitched eight innings of

two-run ball after his start was pushed back aday due to rain, Jim Adduci hit a bases-loadedtriple and Detroit beat Oakland.

Fulmer (3-1) struck out nine and walkedtwo after having his scheduled outing inDetroit rained out. Only one of the runsallowed by the 2016 AL Rookie of the Year wasearned. The Tigers scored two runs in the thirdand three in the sixth to chase starter AndrewTriggs (4-2).

ROYALS 3, INDIANS 1Jason Hammel allowed three hits over six

innings for his first win with Kansas City andEric Hosmer sent a two-run homer splashinginto the fountains behind the fence in right-center field. Hammel (1-3) struck out six andwalked two, ending a six-start winless streakdating to Sept 19, when he defeatedCincinnati for the Chicago Cubs. Rookie ScottAlexander, Joakim Soria and Kelvin Herreracombined for one-hit relief. Herrera allowedEdwin Encarnacion’s two-out double in theninth before retiring Jose Ramirez on agroundout for his fourth save in five chances.Danny Salazar (2-3) gave up two runs andeight hits in 4 2/3 innings.

BLUE JAYS 8, RAYS 4Kendrys Morales had two late homers and

drove in five runs, helping Toronto rally from athree-run deficit to beat Tampa Bay. Moraleshit a two-run shot during the seventh inningand completed his 18th career multihomergame with a three-run drive off Jumbo Diaz (0-2) in a five-run eighth that put Toronto ahead8-4. Aaron Loup (1-0) limited the Rays to onerun after Tampa Bay loaded the bases with noouts in the seventh.— AP

Gardner lifts Yanks over Cubs 3-2

MLB results/standings

American LeagueEastern Division

W L PCT GBNY Yankees 18 9 .667 -Baltimore 18 10 .643 0.5Boston 15 14 .517 4Tampa Bay 15 16 .484 5Toronto 10 19 .345 9

Central DivisionMinnesota 15 12 .556 -Chicago White Sox 15 13 .536 0.5Cleveland 15 13 .536 0.5Detroit 15 13 .536 0.5Kansas City 10 18 .357 5.5

Western DivisionHouston 20 10 .667 -LA Angels 15 16 .484 5.5Seattle 13 17 .433 7Texas 13 17 .433 7Oakland 12 17 .414 7.5

National LeagueEastern Division

Washington 20 9 .690 -NY Mets 13 15 .464 6.5Miami 12 16 .429 7.5Philadelphia 12 16 .429 7.5Atlanta 11 16 .407 8

Central DivisionChicago Cubs 16 13 .552 -Cincinnati 15 14 .517 1Milwaukee 15 15 .500 1.5St. Louis 14 14 .500 1.5Pittsburgh 13 16 .448 3

Western DivisionColorado 18 12 .600 -Arizona 18 13 .581 0.5LA Dodgers 16 14 .533 2San Diego 12 19 .387 6.5San Francisco 11 19 .367 7

LA Dodgers 8, San Diego 2; Texas 3, Seattle 1 (13 innings); Houston 7, LA Angels 6 (10 innings); Detroit 7,Oakland 2; Arizona 6, Colorado 3; Kansas City 3, Cleveland 1; Minnesota 4, Boston 3; St. Louis 10, Atlanta 0;Toronto 8, Tampa Bay 4; NY Mets 8, Miami 7; Baltimore 4, Chicago White Sox 2; Pittsburgh 4, Milwaukee 0;Washington 4, Philadelphia 2; Cincinnati 13, San Francisco 3; NY Yankees 3, Chicago Cubs 2.

CHICAGO: New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge is tagged out at home plate by Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras, right, during the second inning of an interleague baseball game. — AP

p15_Layout 1 5/6/17 6:38 PM Page 1

S P O RT SSUNDAY, MAY 7 , 2017

EDMONTON: Edmonton Oilers defenseman Matthew Benning (83) hits Anaheim Ducks right wing Corey Perry (10) during the first period ofGame 4 of an NHL hockey second-round playoff series. —AP

ANAHEIM: Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf havebeen preparing for these moments for theirentire adult lives. Nearly 14 years after theAnaheim Ducks drafted them together, they’vebuilt a mental connection that remains indeliblethrough any playoff pressure or defensive deter-mination. So when Getzlaf found the puck and asliver of space on the boards in the second over-time of a crucial playoff game Friday night,Perry’s feet moved before his thoughts.

“Right to the net,” Perry said. “He had eyes up,and he had time, and I was yelling for that puckthe whole way.” After the unprecedented come-back required just to get back into Game 5, theDucks finished it off with one more moment ofhard-earned grace from their dynamic duo.Perry scored 6:57 into the second OT after theDucks rallied from a three-goal deficit in the finalminutes of regulation, completing a spectacular4-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers and seizinga 3-2 lead in their second-round playoff series.

Anaheim became the first team in StanleyCup playoff history to force overtime or win aplayoff game after trailing by three goals withless than four minutes left in regulation, accord-ing to the Elias Sports Bureau. While the Oilerscried foul over a no-call of goalie interference onRickard Rakell’s tying score with 15 seconds leftin regulation, the Ducks celebrated their thirdstraight win - and the first home victory foreither team in the series.

Perry, who finished with a goal and two

assists, collected that pass from Getzlaf and wait-ed out a sprawling Cam Talbot, who made 60saves. “That’s will,” said Getzlaf, who has scored15 points in a spectacular postseason. “We willedit through, and did whatever we had to do. Wescratched and clawed at the end and found away to get ourselves back in that game and giveourselves an opportunity.” Game 6 is Sunday inEdmonton.

Getzlaf got the first goal of the comebackwith 3:16 left in regulation, and Cam Fowlerscored 35 seconds later before Rakell put thetying goal through a crowd of prone players tocap a stunning sequence - all with goalie JohnGibson pulled for an extra attacker. On his 24thbirthday, Rakell slipped a puck under a crowdthat included a horizontal Ryan Kesler makingsome contact with Talbot. Video review found nogoalie interference because Kesler had beenshoved into Talbot by Darnell Nurse, and theDucks celebrated madly.

BLUES 2, PREDATORS 1The St Louis Blues needed a spark. Dmitrij

Jaskin gave it to them. Jaskin scored in his firstplayoff game this season, Jaden Schwartz gotthe game-winner and the Blues topped theNashville Predators 2-1 on Friday night to stayalive in their second-round series. Jaskin foundout moments before the game he was in thelineup in place of Alexander Steen, who wassidelined by a lower-body injury. Jaskin had just

one goal in 51 games this season.“Steener, even though he didn’t play, he sup-

ported us,” he said. “He actually called that I’mgoing to score.” Schwartz scored 25 seconds intothe third, knocking in a rebound from right infront for a 2-1 St. Louis lead. Schwartz has ateam-high four postseason goals, includingthree game-winners. “You’d like to score earlier,but you don’t really think about that,” he said.“You just go play and obviously when it’s a tiegame or a close game, you want to step up foryour team.” Jake Allen made 21 saves for theBlues, who had dropped two in a row. JamesNeal scored for the Predators, and Pekka Rinnemade 30 saves. “Both of those goals came out ofleaving a guy in front of me,” Rinne said. “Bothtimes, two rebounds, two goals.” Game 6 is inNashville on Sunday.

Jaskin put the Blues in front at 5:43 of the sec-ond period, banging home a rebound off an AlexPietrangelo shot. It was Jaskin’s second careerplayoff goal. “We felt confident that he would goin and play a really good game,” Blues coach MikeYeo said. “I thought he was a force along thewalls on both ends and a difference maker.”Jaskin had a career-high eight shots on goal. Healso tied for the team lead with four hits and hadtwo takeaways and two blocked shots in 15:46 ofplaying time. “We had to do it tonight and we didit and everybody’s happy,” Jaskin said. “We’regoing to enjoy it now for a few minutes and for-get it and go get another one.” — AP

Perry scores in 2OT to top

Oilers, Blues beat Predators

By Paul Newberry

Time to take a look in the mirror. From AdamJones being taunted with racial slurs inBoston to monkey chants directed at an

African soccer player in Italy, it’s clear that racism insports remains a worldwide scourge. But we can’trely on athletes or team owners or corporate spon-sors to stamp out this appalling cancer.

For ignorance to be defeated, everyone mustspeak up. If you’re sitting in the stands and hear aracial epithet, find the nearest usher. Point out theoffender. Make it clear that you won’t stand for thatkind of language. That’s what happened at FenwayPark, one night after Jones came forward . CalvinHennick, a Boston resident bringing his son to hisfirst Red Sox game as a present for his sixth birth-day, heard a nearby fan use a racist slur when refer-ring to the national anthem singer. Hennick sum-moned security. The other fan was ejected and per-manently banned from returning to Fenway Park.Though it’s not clear how such a penalty will actual-ly be enforced, it was an encouraging sign thatsome fans, at least, aren’t going to put up with hate-ful language. “I’m glad the Sox are encouraging fansto come forward,” Hennick said. “I was just pleasedthat they took it really seriously.” This needs to benorm, not an anomaly. While Hennick, who is whiteand has a biracial son, said he might have spokenout anyway, we’ll never really know if the uproarover Jones’ treatment inspired him to take a stand.What we do know: There were plenty of other fanswho surely heard what was going on and let it slide,just as there were surely those who did nothingwhen they heard the racist garbage directed at theBaltimore outfielder the previous night. Of course,it’s more comfortable to sit on the sideline than toget involved.

How many of us - particularly if we’re white -have chosen to say nothing when family or friendsspewed a racially derogatory comment, wronglyassuming that we share their ugly view of theworld since we have same skin color? We decide tojust put up with it, assuring ourselves there’s noth-ing we can do change a bigot’s mind, patting our-selves on the back for not being so intolerant.

I’ll raise my hand.

Guilty as charged.

And that’s all it takes for ignorance to flourish.Silence.

Next thing you know, you’re at a ballgame,sitting right next to a fan who vocalizes their dis-dain for an athlete because of their race. Or reli-gion. Or sexual orientation. If you remainedsilent at home, chances are you’re not going toget involved in a stadium packed with thou-sands of strangers. You sit that one out, too. Andignorance wins again.

“It’s the reality of the world that we live” in,said Red Sox President Sam Kennedy.“Hopefully,” he added, referring to Hennick’sbold stance, “this is a step forward.” We’ve stillgot so far to go. After Jones revealed what he’dbeen through, former Red Sox pitcher and cur-rent toxic blowhard Curt Schilling questionedwhether the episode actually happened.

Demonstrating that he knows even lessabout racial intolerance than he knew aboutstarting a video game company , Schilling saidon his webcast, “I don’t believe the story, giventhe world we live in.” Apparently, he lives in aworld I’m not familiar with. Go on, No 38.

“I don’t believe it, for this reason: Everybody isstarving and hungry to sit in front of a cameraand talk and be social justice warriors. And if afan yelled loud enough in center field for AdamJones to hear the N-word, I guarantee you wewould’ve heard and seen fans around on CNNon MSNBC, they would’ve found multiple fans totalk about what a racist piece of junk Boston is.”

So, in the World According to Curt, Jonesmade up a story about racial slurs for the fame.That makes a lot of sense, especially when you

consider how Colin Kaepernick’s career took offafter he took a knee to protest police brutalityand a flawed justice system. Oh, what’s that?Kaepernick is still unemployed? Well, how canthat be? He had a better rating that 15 otherstarting quarterbacks last season. We’ll have tocheck with Schilling on that one and get backyou. Meanwhile, I talian soccer authoritiesshowed about as much sensitivity as Bull Connorafter Ghanaian player Sulley Muntari was sub-jected to racial abuse that was evident for every-one to hear during a Serie A game on the islandof Sardinia last weekend. Instead of stopping thegame and warning the fans at Cagliari to stop,the referee ejected Muntari from the game forhis complaints. Compounding that horrendousdecision, the league tacked on an additionalone-game suspension for the player - a decisionthat was overturned on Friday, but only afterprotests from around the world . Just as trou-bling, Cagliari escaped punishment becauseSerie A’s disciplinary body said only 10 fans wereto blame.

Well, one racist fan is too many.

It’s time to do the right thing.

Let’s start with that person in the mirror.

NOTE: Paul Newberry is a sports columnist forThe Associated Press

Time for sports to take a look

in the mirror after ugly week

BOSTON: Boston Red Sox President Sam Kennedy, right, talks with Baltimore Orioles’ AdamJones before a baseball game, Tuesday, May 2, 2017. — AP

Germany stuns US 2-1 at ice

worlds; Canada, Russia winPARIS: Winger Patrick Hager scored a latewinning goal on his home ice as Germanystunned the United States with a 2-1 winon the opening day of the ice hockey worldchampionships on Friday. Three minutesafter the Americans had equalized throughdefenseman Connor Murphy, the Germansscored a scrappy second on a power-playwith six minutes remaining. Left wingerHager got the slightest touch to YannicSeidenberg’s slapshot through traffic andgoaltender Jimmy Howard was beatenfrom close range.

“We had good energy coming into thegame and we had to channel that in theright way,” Hager said. “We worked hard,and we worked as a team.” At the LanxessArena in Cologne, where Hager plays hisclub hockey for DEL team Koelner Haie,more than 18,000 fans watched theGermans go 1-0 ahead 11 minutes into thefirst period through Arizona Coyotes rightwinger Tobias Rieder. He showed goodcomposure to finish from close range aftera speculative shot from the right was poor-ly dealt with by Howard, who allowed thepuck to cannon off his pad.

“It was the first game of the tournament,the crowd was crazy and that definitelyhelped,” German center Brooks Macek said.“I think you could see that in our game, wewere skating, blocking shots, we weredoing the right things.” Although Hager gotthe dramatic winner, German goaltenderThomas Greiss - who plays for the New YorkIslanders - showed his NHL credentials andwas named man of the match.

SUPER-SLICK SPIN Greiss made 42 saves, including a point-

blank pad save from Johnny Gaudreau latein the first period, after the Calgary Flamesforward had bamboozled the defense witha super-slick spin and shot on the run.

Gaudreau missed a one-on-one right at thestart, and was frustrated by Greiss all night.Greiss made more fine saves until Murphy -Rieder’s NHL teammate at Arizona - equal-ized with nine minutes remaining in thethird period with a wrist shot from the topof the right circle.

The US thought it was 2-1 up justmoments later, but Islanders forwardAnders Lee’s shot was somehow scoopedright off the line by off-balance defense-man Frank Hordler. Lee was quick to paytribute to his club teammate Greiss. “I knewit was going to be a tough game; it alwaysis when Greiss is in the net,” Lee said. “I’veseen what he can do all season and tonighthe played an extremely good game.” TheGermans are back in Group A actionagainst Sweden, while the Americans faceDenmark today. The tournament’s matchesare split between Paris and Cologne. InGroup B action in Paris, 26-time worldchampion Canada opened with a 4-1 victo-ry against 2010 winners Czech Republic.

Buffalo Sabres center Ryan O’Reilly putCanada ahead six minutes into the game.The first period was even enough, with 10shots each, but the Canadians lookedsharper and scored right at the start of thesecond period when defenseman MikeMatheson’s slapshot went through traffic,and unsighted goalie Petr Mrazek couldonly get his left glove to it late.

Lukas Radil pulled a goal back withabout seven minutes left, but there was tobe no late comeback as ColoradoAvalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie - whohad assisted on the first goal - and CarolinaHurricanes forward Jeff Skinner sealed thewin. Canada needs one more title to equalRussia’s record of 27 - 22 of those achievedas the former Soviet Union. The US won thelast of its two titles way back in 1960 buttook bronze two years ago.

PARIS: Czech Republic’s forward Roman Horak (C) challenges Canada’s defender JoshMorrissey during the IIHF Men’s World Championship group B ice hockey matchbetween the Czech Republic and Canada. — AFP

Hurley, Power share lead in

rain-delayed Wells FargoWILMINGTON: Once the rain finally stopped,the wind took over Friday in the Wells FargoChampionship. Billy Hurley III and SeamusPower of Ireland did their best to figure outthe strong gusts and wound up atop theleaderboard at the end of a long day. The sec-ond round started three hours late because ofa violent storm that dumped nearly 2 inchesof rain on Eagle Point, and 65 players had toreturn Saturday morning to complete theround. Hurley hit a 4-iron from 174 yards thatcame up 15 yards short, and he managed toget up-and-down to cap off a strong finish fora 3-under 69. Power shot a 71 and joinedHurley at 5-under 139. John Peterson’s lasthole was a birdie on the par-5 12th hole. Hewas at 5 under and had six holes to playSaturday morning. Francesco Molinari of Italy,who opened with a 66, also was at 5 underand had seven holes remaining.

Dustin Johnson couldn’t get off the golfcourse fast enough. In his first tournamentsince a slip down the stairs knocked him outof the Masters, Johnson opened with a toughpar save and a birdie to get within two shotsof the lead until dropping shots on a pair ofpar 3s, getting out of position off the tee onthe reachable par 5s and ending with a thirdbogey on No. 13.

Johnson was 2 over for his round, fiveshots out of the lead. With the worst of theweather out of the way, one bizarre dynamicwas in play depending on how the secondround finishes Saturday morning. When playwas halted by darkness, 80 players were at 1over (either finished or on their back nine).That could mean only a six-shot separationbetween leading and making the cut on thenumber, meaning a wide-open weekend. Thekey was to get through Friday’s wild weather.

MIGHTY GUST The wind was so strong that it blew Phil

Mickelson’s hat off his head as he was prepar-ing to hit his tee shot. Mickelson went alongnicely until missing the green to the right onNo. 9, dumping a chip into the bunker andmaking double bogey on his last hole for a72. He was at 1-under 143. “It was more diffi-cult with the wind,” Hurley said. “Thankfully,with the rain it was softer. It we didn’t havethis rain, and then we had this wind, it wouldhave been pretty brutal. So we didn’t have tocompletely worry about the ball runningaway from you on the ground as much as itdid yesterday.”

Hurley was 1 over for his round when heran off four birdies over his last seven holes,including a couple from tap-in range, yet itwas the par on No. 9 that excited him asmuch as the birdies. The green is exposed asmuch as any at Eagle Point, and he holed a10-foot par putt. Power played No. 9 in themiddle of his round, hit a 6-iron and came up

40 yards short. His pitch barely reached thefringe, and he made bogey. Walking back upthe hill to face the 186-yard, downhill 10thhole, he hit 5-iron and held his breath.

“It’s unusual. It messes with your eyesbecause you’re uncomfortable hitting thatshow knowing that if the wind dies, youmight watch a ball sail into the water aroundthe greens,” Power said. “You’ve just got topick a number and you’ve got to go with andjust try to get through those.” Jon Rahm ofSpain knows the feeling.

Rahm made five birdies and had to settlefor a 71, but he was at 4-under 140 along withVaughn Taylor (69), Rafa Cabrera Bello (71)and Brian Harman (69). Rahm began hisround on the par-3 10th with a shot thatcame up some 20 yards short of the pin. Whatreally got his attention was the par-3 secondhole, where he hit a beautiful tee shot thatwent 192 yards - except the hole was playingonly 161 yards.

“There were a couple moments where thedifference between the wind being juststraight right-to-left or being a little bit in,that wind could mean easily 20 yards becauseit was blowing so hard,” Rahm said. “Whathappened to me on No 2, after a great stretchof holes, I carried it about 30 yards fartherthan what I wanted. I’m not the only onedealing with this. It probably happened to acouple other guys where they were 20 yardsshort or 20 yards long.” Was it more fun than acalm day? Rahm smiled. “It is fun because Iplayed good,” he said. “But it does get a littlefrustrating sometimes.” — AP

WILMINGTON: Phil Mickelson tees off ofthe 12th hole during the second roundof the Wells Fargo Championship golftournament. —AP

S P O RT SSUNDAY, MAY 7, 2017

LONDON: Formula One star LewisHamilton has cemented his position asthe richest sportsman in the UK, whileManchester United forward ZlatanIbrahimovic cashed in with a rise to sec-ond on the new Sunday Times Rich List.Mercedes driver Hamilton, who is bid-ding to win his fourth WorldChampionship this year, has a £131 mil-lion ($169 million, 154 million euros) for-

tune and has seen his wealth increaseby £25 million in the last 12 months.

Ibrahimovic leapfrogged Old Traffordteam-mate Wayne Rooney to becomethe richest footballer on the list after hejoined United last July. The 35-year-oldSwede, recently hit by a serious kneeinjury, has a wealth of £110 million aftermore than a decade playing for the likesof Paris St Germain, AC Milan, Barcelona

and Juventus, as well as a lucrative long-term endorsement deal with Nike.

Formula One’s Jenson Button andgolfer Rory McIlroy make up the top fivewith wealth of £86 million and £82 mil-lion respectively. McIlroy’s fortune roseby £26 million in the last 12 months, thebiggest rise on the list, while Button’spersonal fortune grew by £9 millioneven though he handed over his

McLaren seat at the end of last season.Football is the most represented

sport in the top 10, with five of thewealthiest sports people either playersor managers. Rooney has amassed £93mill ion to take third place, whileManchester United manager JoseMourinho is in seventh with £61 million.Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola’s£50 million makes him joint ninth with

Los Angeles Lakers basketball playerLuol Deng. Wales and Real Madrid strik-er Gareth Bale has seen his wealth riseby £20 million in the last year to a totalof £54 million, to place him eighth inthe top 10. Reigning Wimbledon cham-pion Andy Murray is now worth £77 mil-lion, making the men’s tennis worldnumber one the sixth-richest sportsmanon the list. — AP

Hamilton tops UK sport’s rich list as Ibrahimovic cashes in

MONZA: Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge crosses the finish line of a marathon race at the Monza Formula One racetrack. — AP

Kipchoge falls 26 secs short

of 1st sub 2-hour marathon

BRISTOL: Eoin Morgan hai led AdilRashid’s “magnificent effort” as the leg-spinner’s maiden five-wicket haul laid theplatform for England’s rapid victory overIreland. Rashid took five for 27 as Ireland,playing England in England for the firsttime, were shot out for just 126 in 33overs during Friday’s opening one-dayinternational at Bristol.

Alex Hales (55) and Test captain JoeRoot (49 not out) then saw England to theirvictory target of 127 for the loss of threewickets. So lopsided was the contest, withbarely more than half the day’s overs-53out of a maximum 100 — bowled, therewas no need for the standard 45-minutebreak between innings. Rashid’s 23 wicketsduring England’s 4-0 Test series defeat inIndia late last year came at a costly averageof nearly 38 apiece.

But it ’s one thing bowling to Indianbatsmen renowned for playing spin, espe-cially in home conditions, and quite anoth-er doing so against Ireland, for all that sev-eral members of their top order haveEnglish county experience behind them.Friday saw the 29-year-old Rashid take thesecond-best ODI figures by an Englandspecialist spinner, behind Vic Marks’s fivefor 20 against New Zealand at Wellington in1984. That off-spinner Marks, who dis-missed all of New Zealand’s top five thatday, including such noted batsmen asBruce Edgar, Geoff Howarth, the late MartinCrowe, and his brother Jeff, accounted for arather more distinguished quintet thanRashid was hardly the Yorkshireman’s fault.Victory left England 1-0 up in the two-match series, with Ireland needing tobounce back quickly if they are to avoidfurther embarrassment in Sunday’s show-piece finale at Lord’s.

“It was Adil’s day today,” said Morgan,England’s Dublin-born ODI captain. “Ithought he put in a magnificent effort with

the ball. “He had a tough winter and haslearnt a huge amount to come back todaywith confidence to bowl his variations andshow how threatening he can be.” Rashiddefeated a succession of Ireland batsmenwith the googly during his eight overs onFriday as he made life easy for the man-of-the-match adjudicator.

‘Confidence’ “You have good days and bad days-it’s

how you deal with it,” Rashid said. “It’s alearning curve.” As for his googly, a deliverythat turns towards a right-handed batsmanrather than away as does a standard leg-break, Rashid added: “Some days you feelgreat, the googlies come out pretty hard topick; some days they don’t.

“When it doesn’t I stick to the sliders orleg-spinners ... but some days it comes outexceptionally well, and then I have the con-fidence to bowl them.” On a ground withrelatively short straight boundaries,England opted against playing two special-ist spinners and left out Moeen Ali.

But with part-time off-spinner Root, aYorkshire team-mate of Rashid, chipping inwith two for nine from five overs, Englandhad a useful back-up option.

“I think you find a lot of teams we comeup against under-estimate Joe (as abowler), and using him has worked for us-probably more so in Twenty20 cricket,” saidMorgan. Peter Chase’s three wickets apart,there were precious few highlights for thevisitors in a defeat made all the more acuteby the fact it came with Ireland eyeing Teststatus. “I’d never use the phrase out of (our)depth,” said Ireland captain WilliamPorterfield. “We wouldn’t necessarily haveenvisaged that spin would do the damage.“Not taking anything away from Rashid, weshould have played it a lot better. “That’ssomething we need to mentally put rightfor Sunday.” — AFP

Morgan glad Rashid

left Ireland in a spin

MONZA, Italy: Eliud Kipchoge was 26 secondsfrom making history yesterday but the Olympicchampion finished just short of becoming thefirst person to run a marathon in less than twohours. Kipchoge ran the 26.2 miles (42.2 kilome-ters) around an oval track in an impressive 2hours, 25 seconds, smashing Dennis Kimetto’sworld mark of 2:02:57 by 2 1/2 minutes and rais-ing hopes that one of world sport ’s mostfamous barriers can be broken.

“We are human,” Kipchoge said. “I am happythat I’ve reduced by 2 1/2 minutes the worldrecord.” The Kenyan added: “We are going upthe tree .. . I have lifted a branch and I amgoing onto the next one. This is not the end ofthe attempt of runners on two hours.” Widelyconsidered the best marathon runner in theworld, Kipchoge did break his personal besttime of 2:03:05, which was set at the LondonMarathon last year. Kimetto set the worldmark in Berlin in 2014.

Organizers first listed Kipchoge’s time as asecond faster, then changed it to 25 seconds offthe 2-hour mark. “I rank this as the highest-everperformance in my life,” Kipchoge said. “The aimof ‘Breaking2’ was to pass the message that run-ning less than two-hour marathon is possible.That message is really special to me.”

It wasn’t a road race, with runners complet-ing 17.5 laps around the 1.5-mile MonzaFormula One track. The Breaking2 project washeld on the 63rd anniversary of Roger Bannisterbreaking the four-minute mile in 1954.Kipchoge’s time didn’t go down as an officialworld record, sanctioned by the IAAF, due tovariables like pacers entering mid-race anddrinks being given to runners via mopeds.

AUDACIOUS ATTEMPTAnd, after three years of planning, Nike’s

audacious attempt at breaking the two-hourbarrier remained just that, despite the aid of ashoe that its designers say will make runnersfour percent more efficient.

“I’ve been part of many races over my careerat Nike. I’ve seen the magic of gold shoes andswift suits. I’ve seen iconic athletes leave it all onthe track,” Nike CEO Mark Parker said. “But I’venever seen anything like what we saw today.

“Today, millions of people around the worldwatched as running history was written. AtBreaking2, Eliud Kipchoge ran 26.2 miles fasterthan any human ever ... This achievement repre-sents more than a race. It’s a moment of globalinspiration that will encourage every athlete, inevery community, to push the limits of their

potential.” The Monza track was selected afterextensive research that included average tem-perature, air pressure and wind levels.

Two-time Boston Marathon winner LelisaDesisa, from Ethiopia, and Eritrean half-marathon world-record holder Zersenay Tadesewere also part of the attempt, which started at5:45 a.m. local time, but finished well off thepace. Desisa was dropped after 50 minutes, withTadese falling back shortly afterwards. The duostill completed the marathon with Tadese shav-ing nearly four minutes off his personal bestwith a time of 2:06:51. Desisa finished in 2:14:10.

That left just Kipchoge chasing the landmarktime. The 32-year-old continued in his trade-mark relaxed style and passed the halfway markin 59:54, but his average pace of 4:36 per milewas just not enough, despite his final sprint tothe tape. Kipchoge would have needed an aver-age of less than 4:35 per mile - an improvementof about seven seconds per mile on Kimetto’srecord, or around 2.5 percent. “I tried to main-tain the pace,” Kipchoge said. “As a human youare not a machine so you cannot go 2.50 exact-ly, and those micro-seconds really have aneffect.” This story has been corrected to showthat Kipchoge’s time was 2 hours, 25 seconds,after a change by organizers. — AP SYDNEY: Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) chief John Coates speaks before a

vote for the president of the AOC at their annual general meeting.— AFP

SYDNEY: IOC vice president John Coates’f i rst test of his Austral ian OlympicCommittee presidency in nearly threedecades turned out to be not much of acontest. Regardless of his resoundingwin, Coates figures the campaign mighthave come at a cost to the Olympic fra-ternity Down Under. Coates will serveanother term as AOC chief after easilybeating former field hockey gold medal-ist Danni Roche 58 to 35 in an electionduring the AOC’s annual general meetingin Sydney yesterday.

Coates, who turns 67 on Sunday, is alsothe coordination chairman of the Tokyo2020 Games, responsible for ensuring plan-ning for the games is on schedule and onbudget. He could have lost his IOC vicepresidency and his Tokyo duties if he hadbeen defeated by Roche. It was the firsttime Coates had faced an election since hebecame president in 1990, and came amidan acrimonious campaign which dividedformer athletes and administrators.

“ Thank you for the confidence youhave shown in me,” Coates said after theresult was announced. Roche, whoannounced her candidacy on March 20,later tweeted her congratulations toCoates. Coates later admitted the AOC“brand has been damaged” by the bitterpresidency campaign. “It ’s an electioncampaign ... it has happened, and you justget on with things,” he said. “I’m hopingthat the Olympic membership, havingexperienced this, will come together.”

Coates’ leadership had been questionedin recent weeks amid accusations of bully-ing within the organization. His long-timemedia director, Mike Tancred, stood downfrom his duties pending an investigation.Tancred has denied the bullying allegationsmade by former AOC chief executive Fionade Jong, but said last week he would stepaside from his position until the matter was

resolved. Coates and the AOC executivehave since agreed to independent reviewsinto the AOC’s workplace practices afterthe bullying claims.

PIVOTAL MOMENT In her published campaign platform, the

46-year-old Roche said she would have notaccepted Coates’ yearly remuneration of750,000 Australian dollars ($565,000) andwould have proposed a 100,000 Australiandollars ($75,000) salary package for thepresident - which she would have waivedfor the entirety of her term - to illustrate hercommitment to the funding of athletes.“Although the AOC’s members didn’t votefor a change in president, the past sixweeks marks a pivotal moment inAustralian sport,” Roche said after the vote.

“We have started a much-needed con-versation about the future direction ofAustralian sport and the responsibility theAustralian Olympic Committee has in sup-porting its member sports and athletes.”Coates had received the endorsement ofthe AOC athletes’ commission, whichaccounted for two votes yesterday. But itssupport, which it said was not unanimous,came with strong recommendations forchange, including the president’s salary.

“The overwhelming response from theathlete population and alumni was thatthere is a desire for change,” it said in astatement. “The Athletes’ Commission sup-ports a review of the president’s remunera-tion. Any remuneration should be commen-surate with the role undertaken.” Eligiblevoters yesterday included the AOC’s execu-tive board members, two members fromeach of the 33 Summer Olympic sports fed-erations and two each from the sevenAustralian Winter Olympic federations.Coates has indicated this will be his lastterm in charge of the AOC, and that hecould retire after the Tokyo Games. — AP

Coates coasts to

win in AOC voteJEREZ DE LA FRONTERA: Dani Pedrosa narrowlyedged out world champion Marc Marquez to startfrom pole for today’s Spanish Grand Prix after athrilling duel between the Honda team-mates.Despite a late final attempt from Marquez toclaim his third pole of the season, he fell 0.049seconds short of Pedrosa’s best time of 1min38.249sec. Pedrosa has been in fine form all week-end at the Jerez track as he also topped thetimesheets in three of the four practice sessionsbefore claiming his first pole since the MalaysianGrand Prix in 2015.

“Since the return of the Michelin tyres (in2016) I’ve found it hard to get on the first row,”said Pedrosa. “I had a good feeling and I tried tomake the most of my second lap. I had Marc

right behind me so I knew it would be hard forhim to set a faster time than me.” The twoHondas had left the garage almost side by sideto set their flying laps. However, after Pedrosaset the time to beat, Marquez had one last go atbettering his teammate and may even havelanded pole but for a slight wobble before enter-ing the home straight.

“Where I normally like it on the straight, I camein too fast and nearly went flying off, but even soit was a good lap and I am happy,” said three-timeworld champion Marquez. Britain’s Cal Crutchlowcompletes the front row despite his qualifyingsession being interrupted by repeated stings froma wasp that got inside his racing leathers. “Afterdoing my fast lap I felt something go inside,” said

Crutchlow. “Then it started to sting me five timesor something I had to stop to get it out.”

It was a disappointing Saturday for Yamahaduo and the leading two riders in the champi-onship standings Valentino Rossi and MaverickVinales. Italian veteran Rossi leads Vinales by justsix points after three races as he goes for a long-awaited 10th title, but will start from seventh.Vinales, who won the first two races of the seasonin Qatar and Argentina before crashing out at theGrand Prix of the Americas last time out, leads thesecond row from fourth. Andrea Iannone andJohann Zarco complete the second row. Three-time Spanish GP winner Jorge Lorenzo’s poorstart to life with Ducati continued as he couldonly manage eighth fastest. —AFP

Pedrosa pips Marquez to Spanish GP pole

JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA: Repsol Honda Team’s Spanish rider Dani Pedrosa takes a curve at Jerez de la Frontera race track on May 6, 2017 duringthe MotoGP fourth free practice session of the Spanish Red Bull Grand Prix. —AP

S P O RT SSUNDAY, MAY 7, 2017

Toyota GAZOO Racing scored a dramaticvictory recently in the 6 Hours ofSilverstone after a thrilling opening

round of the 2017 FIA World EnduranceChampionship (WEC). In a race defined by sev-eral rain showers, the #8 TS050 Hybrid ofSebastien Buemi, Anthony Davidson andKazuki Nakajima earned a victory inside thefinal 15 minutes in front of 50,200 spectators(weekend figure).

As well as the usual winners’ trophies, the#8 crew also claimed the Royal AutomobileClub International Tourist Trophy, the world’soldest motor race, which was first awarded in1905 and won by motorsport legends such asTazio Nuvolari, Graham Hill and Stirling Moss.Through it can be charted the careers of someof the greatest drivers, manufacturers andteam staff, some of the most challenging andmajestic racetracks, and some of the mostinnovative technology ever seen in the sport.

The pole-sitting #7 TS050 Hybrid of MikeConway, Kamui Kobayashi and Jose MarÌa

L’pez set the fastest lap of the race but lostover an hour due to an accident and finished23rd. Jose MarÌa visited the circuit medicalcenter and then travelled to the hospital for aprecautionary scan which confirmed he suf-fered no injuries.

‘IMPRESSIVE PERFORMANCE’Congratulating the winning team, Takayuki

Yoshitsugu, Chief Representative, Middle Eastand North Africa Representative Office, ToyotaMotor Corporation, said, “Our cars gave theaudience an impressive performance in a verychallenging and competitive battle. The racewas extremely close, with plenty of leadchanges throughout that set the stage for athrilling finish. Eventually, the #8 crew did anexcellent job to hold off the competition andgive Toyota a well-deserved victory in the sea-son’s opening round, and also earning the his-toric Royal Automobile Club InternationalTourist Trophy.”

Yoshitsugu added: “The experience and

knowledge gained on the racetracks will ben-efit us immensely in our efforts to create ‘ever-better cars’. I would like to thank our amazingfans for their constant encouragement for ourracing initiatives, and we look forward to theirsupport during a promising 2017 season.”

On this occasion, Toshio Sato, TeamPresident, said, “This has been a dramatic racebut the first priority is Jose MarÌa, and we areall relieved that he is okay after the accident.The whole team performed well and foughtright until the checkered flag. Of course, it isdisappointing not to have two cars on thepodium, but I am proud of the team for theirdetermination and fighting spirit, particularlythe mechanics who worked so quickly to getthe #7 car back on track. Overall I am satisfiedwith our high-down force TS050 Hybrid, whichshowed robust performance throughout thisweek.” Although the race started in cool, dryconditions and the two Toyota vehicles ran infirst and second, the weather soon intervened- after 45 minutes a shower struck and light

rain fell intermittently after that. Close to thesecond pit stops, the #7 suffered an anti-rollbar problem which created handling difficul-ties and caused Kamui to lose performanceand drop to fourth.

Anthony, now at the wheel of the #8, tookover the lead but with two hours completed,the weather worsened and created a verychallenging situation. Both TS050 Hybrid vehi-cles stayed on slick tires throughout. Kamuilost time in the gravel when the rain was at itsheaviest, while Anthony in the #8 initiallyslipped to second. But as the conditionsimproved, Anthony reclaimed top spot.

GRANDSTAND FINISHMore rain came just after half distance,

which caused the end of the #7 car’s chal-lenge. Jose MarÌa, fighting a car with difficulthandling, crashed into a tire barrier at speed,causing extensive damage to the front andrear. He brought the car back to the pits andthe mechanics worked hard to repair the dam-

age. After 66 minutes in the garage, Mikebrought the car back on track in 26th.

That accident brought out a safety car andsignificantly reduced the #8 car’s advantageover the second-placed #2. The close fightcontinued throughout the final two hours,setting up a grandstand f inish, withSebastien at the wheel for the last stint. Whenthe #2 car emerged from its final pit stop,with 30 minutes remaining, its lead was onlyeight seconds. Sebastien hunted down thelead with a series of quick lap times, even asmore drizzle fell, and eventually overtookwith only 12 minutes remaining, taking thewin by 6.173 seconds.

The team now prepares for the secondround of the season - the 6 Hours of Spa-Francor champs in Belgium, the final racebefore the Le Mans 24 Hours. Spa-Francorchamps will mark the first time Toyota hasentered three hybrid-powered LMP1 cars, withStephane Sarrazin, Yuji Kunimoto and NicolasLapierre competing in the #9 TS050 Hybrid.

Toyota GAZOO Racing wins WEC season opener at Silverstone

TORONTO: Last year, LeBron James and theCavaliers had their postseason win streak end inCanada. This time, Cleveland came across theborder and kept right on rolling. James scored35 points, Kevin Love had 16 points and 13rebounds, and the Cavaliers pulled away in thefourth quarter to beat the Toronto Raptors 115-94 on Friday night and take a 3-0 lead in theirsecond-round playoff series.

“We knew we were coming to a hostile envi-ronment, we knew they were going to give useverything they had, no matter who was in thelineup,” James said. “We just had to weather thestorm.” DeMar DeRozan scored 37 points andJonas Valanciunas had 19 for the Raptors, whowere without three-time All-Star Kyle Lowry.They trailed by only two after three quartersbefore the Cavaliers quickly blew open thegame. Game 4 is today in Toronto.

“We don’t need to be thinking about a sweepor getting rest, we need to be thinking aboutwhat we need to do to execute defensively andoffensively coming into Sunday,” James said.With his team on the brink of elimination,Raptors coach Dwane Casey looked at Game 4 alittle differently. “Sunday’s game is about pride,”Casey said. “You don’t want to get swept, espe-cially in your home building.”

That won’t be easy against the Cavaliers, thefirst team since the Minneapolis Lakers in 1949and 1950 to win their first seven playoff gamesin consecutive seasons. Cleveland won 10straight to begin the playoffs last year, a streakthat ended when Toronto beat the Cavs inGames 3 and 4 of the Eastern Conference finals.

‘NOT GIVING UP’ “We came in here (last year) and weren’t pre-

pared,” Kyrie Irving said. “This year we under-stood what mindset we had to come in, espe-cially in a rowdy arena like this.” Irving scored 16points and Kyle Korver had 14 for the Cavaliers,who have posted three straight double-digitwins over Toronto. James had eight reboundsand seven assists. “We were not giving up butthey were better than us,” Valanciunas said.

Norman Powell scored 13 points and SergeIbaka had 12 for the Raptors, who shot a dismal2 for 18 from 3-point range. “Something we’vedone is knock down 3s all year,” Casey said. “Forwhatever reason it’s escaping us right now.”DeRozan said his team’s long-range struggleswere made even more “deflating” becauseCleveland connected 13 times on 23 attempts

from beyond the arc. “It’s tough to win a gamewhen you only make two 3-pointers,” DeRozansaid. Lowry sprained his left ankle in the thirdquarter of Game 2 and did not practiceThursday. He worked out a few hours beforeFriday’s game and was on the court duringwarmups but hobbled back to the locker roombefore the anthems. “He was limping badly,”Casey said. “He just couldn’t go. He wanted to.The doctors and trainers and medical peoplewere just telling him he shouldn’t try to gobecause he was in so much pain.” Cory Josephstarted for Toronto.

Even without Lowry, the Raptors trailed 79-77to begin the fourth, but Cleveland pulled awayas Toronto missed 10 of its first 11 field goalattempts to begin the final quarter. “Nothingcould fall for us, especially at the start of thatfourth quarter,” said DeRozan, who had just one

point in the final quarter. With Toronto strug-gling, James hit four free throws on either side ofa 3-pointer to put the Cavs up 97-80 with 6:20left. “That stretch right at the beginning of thefourth quarter is what got us,” Casey said. TheRaptors missed their first 12 shots from 3-pointrange before Powell connected with 3:09 left inthe third.

TIP-INSCavaliers: Tristan Thompson got in the face of

Valanciunas after the Lithuanian center draggedJames down to the court during a third-quarterskirmish. ... Thompson had 12 rebounds. TheCavaliers outrebounded the Raptors 49-25.

Raptors: Joseph started for the first time in70 playoff appearances. ... Lowry is averaging15.8 points and 5.9 assists in eight games thispostseason. — AP

James scores 35 as Cavs leave Raptors on brink

TORONTO: Lebron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers dribbles the ball as Norman Powell#24 of the Toronto Raptors defends in the second half of Game Three of the EasternConference Semifinals during the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Air Canada Centre. — AP

HOUSTON: LaMarcus Aldridge had beencriticized through two games of the WesternConference semifinals for not doing enoughfor the San Antonio Spurs. On Friday night,with the Spurs now without Tony Parker, heshook off his slow start to this series with ahuge game that propelled his team to a 103-92 victory over the Houston Rockets and a 2-1 lead. Aldridge and Kawhi Leonard scored26 points apiece in San Antonio’s first post-season game without Parker since 2001,which ended an NBA record of 221 straightplayoff appearances for the Frenchman. The34-year-old was injured in the fourth quarterof Game 2. “You can’t replace Tony Parker.He’s a Hall of Famer one day, but I think guysjust came out with a sense of urgency andjust played hard,” Aldridge said.

Aldridge had managed just 19 pointscombined in the first two games, butstepped up in the wake of Parker’s season-ending leg injury, scoring nine points in thefourth quarter to help the Spurs pull away. “Ido what the team needs,” Aldridge said.“Tonight this was needed and I did it. So I’malways going to try to be aggressive outthere and try to make things happen.” Game4 is today night in Houston.

James Harden led the Rockets with 43points after scoring just 13 in Game 2. But hehad only five assists and complained aboutthe officiating all night. “We had severalopportunities,” Harden said. “As a unit wecouldn’t get it going consistently.” CoachGregg Popovich started rookie DejounteMurray in San Antonio’s first game sinceParker’s quadriceps injury, instead of movingPatty Mills into the starting lineup. Mills had15 points in 30 minutes and Murray scoredjust two points in 15 minutes.

ALL-STAR “We started off pretty slow, but I think we

did good,” said Leonard, who had 10rebounds and seven assists. “We got a win,but definitely still have to make someadjustments.” The Spurs led by six whenAldridge scored all of their points in a 7-2run to make it 85-74 with about five minutesleft. “Aldridge sooner or later is going to gooff because he’s an All-Star,” Houston coachMike D’Antoni said. “Nothing they didshould have bothered us. We just didn’t playwell.” Houston scored six straight pointssoon after that to get within eight, butDanny Green made two 3-pointers in lessthan a minute to push the lead to 94-82 with

less than three minutes remaining. SanAntonio was up by six entering the fourthquarter and had a five-point lead with about7 1/2 minutes remaining when Harden wasgiven a technical foul for complaining afternot getting a call. Leonard made the freethrow to make it 78-72.

The Spurs led by four at halftime andpushed the lead to 52-43 early in the thirdquarter. San Antonio was up by 10 soonafter that before the Rockets used a 10-1spurt, with all the points from Harden, to cutit to 56-55 midway through the quarter.Jonathon Simmons hit a 3-pointer at thebuzzer to leave San Antonio up 72-66 enter-ing the fourth quarter.

Harden picked up his third foul with 5:18left in the first quarter when he ran into PauGasol and crashed to the court whileattempting a 3-pointer. Harden was out-raged at the call, flipping over on his stom-ach on the court and kicking his legs in dis-belief. He remained upset after a timeout,approaching a referee and arguing the call,before finally calming down.

TIP-INSSpurs: Parker had surgery on Friday to

repair the ruptured quadriceps tendon in hisleft leg. The team said a timeline for hisreturn will be determined later. ... Gasol had12 points and nine rebounds. ... Green had11 points.

Rockets: Trevor Ariza made five 3-point-ers in the first half, but none after that. ...Patrick Beverley received a technical foul inthe fourth quarter. ... Capela finished with 12points and 16 rebounds. ...Houston lost forthe first time at home this postseason afterwinning their first three games.— AP

Aldridge steps up as Spurs down Rockets

HOUSTON: Houston Rockets guard JamesHarden looks up at the scoreboard duringthe second half in Game 3 of an NBA bas-ketball second-round playoff seriesagainst the San Antonio Spurs. — AP

S P O RT SSUNDAY, MAY 7, 2017

MUNICH: Bayern Munich’s defender Jerome Boateng (L) and Darmstadt’s striker Felix Platte (R) vie for the ball during the German First divisionBundesliga football match between FC Bayern Munich and SV Darmstadt 98. — AFP

BERLIN: Spain defender Juan Bernat nettedthe only goal of the game as championsBayern Munich beat Darmstadt 1-0 yesterday,a result that confirmed their opponents’ rele-gation. Bayern, Bundesliga champions for thefifth year in a row, were made to work for vic-tory at the Allianz Arena and Torsten Frings’Darmstadt might have snatched a point, butHamit Altintop’s late penalty was saved.

Darmstadt had put their relegation on holdby recording three straight wins and theyrefused to l ie down in Bavaria . Car loAncelotti’s Bayern broke the deadlock whenFranck Ribery ’s mazy run on the left flankplayed Bernat into the area. The left-back beattwo defenders, then coolly chipped Darmstadtgoalkeeper Michael Esser for the 18th-minutegoal that proved to be the winner.

However, the Spaniard conceded a penaltywith five minutes left by fouling Darmstadtsubstitute Sven Schipplock. Altintop, playingagainst his former club, had his spot-kicksaved by Tom Starke in the Bayern goal.Bayern are 13 points ahead of second-placedRB Leipzig, who are at Hertha Berlin later.

Darmstadt are now an insurmountable ninepoints from safety with just two games left.

DORTMUND CLOSES ON UCL Elsewhere, Borussia Dortmund took a big

step towards a direct Champions League placenext season by climbing into third with a 2-1win at home to Hoffenheim, who s l ip tofourth. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s second-half header which proved the winner saw himjoin Bayern’s Robert Lewandowski on 28 goalsin the race to be the Bundesliga’s top scorer.

Marco Reus gave Dortmund a controversiallead after just four minutes, replays showinghe was a metre offside when Gonzalo Castro’sfinal pass put him behind the defence to tuckaway his shot. Hoffenheim were then left fum-ing when Germany winger Reus controlled theball with his arm-which the referee missed-before firing in a cross which made contactwith defender Pavel K aderabek ’s hand.Referee Felix Brych, an international official,pointed to the spot, but justice was seen to bedone when Aubameyang fired wide on 14minutes. The Gabon hot-shot made amends

when he headed home af ter R aphaelGuerreiro hit the post on 82 minutes, butHoffenheim pulled a goal back when ex-Leicester City striker Andrej Kramaric slottedin a late penalty. Dortmund’s World Cup win-ner Matthias Ginter wrestled Sandro Wagnerto the floor after a cross and Kramaric bangedhome his 13th league goal of the season.Hoffenheim are now two points behindDortmund with two games remaining.

Ingolstadt, 17th in the table, still have achance of staying up after their 1-1 draw withBayer Leverkusen. Sonny Kittel’s second-halfgoal for the hosts was cancel led out byLeverkusen’s 17-year- old midf ielder K aiHavertz, leaving Ingolstadt three points fromsafety. Winger Andre Hahn scored a 94th-minute equal izer in mid-table BorussiaMoenchengladbach’s 1-1 draw with Augsburg,whose Iceland striker Alfred Finnbogason net-ted their goal. Wolfsburg, the 2009 Germanchampions, are now three points clear of thebottom three after their 2-0 win at EintrachtFrankfurt thanks to goals by Daniel Didavi andGermany striker Mario Gomez. — AFP

Bayern relegate Darmstadt

LONDON: Manuel Lanzini left Tottenham’sPremier League title challenge in tatters asthe West Ham forward sealed a 1-0 win thatput Chelsea within touching distance ofbeing crowned champions. MauricioPochettino’s side paid the price for a lethar-gic display at the London Stadium andLanzini’s second half strike may well haveended their hopes of winning the title forthe first time since 1961.

Second placed Tottenham remain fourpoints behind leaders Chelsea, who canextend that advantage to seven if they beatstruggling Middlesbrough at StamfordBridge tomorrow. Tottenham don’t playagain until they host Manchester United onMay 14 and by then Chelsea, who travel toWest Bromwich Albion two days earlier,may already be champions.

Chelsea need six points from their lastfour games to secure the English title inboss Antonio Conte’s first season in charge.Conte hadn’t planned to watch Tottenham’sfate, preferring to go out for dinner with hiswife and daughter, but if he was checkingfor updates from Stratford his dessertwould have tasted even sweeter.

“The performance was not the best. Wewere a little bit sloppy when we concededthe goal,” Pochettino said after Tottenham’sfirst defeat in 10 league games. “It’s disap-pointing. It’s not over, but now we have towait. It’s true it will be difficult to catchChelsea.” After a troubled first year at theirnew stadium, this was a sweet moment forWest Ham, who guaranteed their top-flightstatus for another year while delivering apotentially fatal blow to their hated rivals.

After a week of reports claiming KyleWalker could leave Tottenham following aclash with Pochettino over his recent demo-tion to the bench, the England right-backwas restored to the starting line-up in placeof Kieran Trippier. But, foreshadowing theanguish ahead, Walker’s return almost got

off to an embarrassing start when AndreAyew’s pass found Lanzini in space negli-gently left vacant by the Tottenham defend-er. Fortunately for Walker, Lanzini draggedhis shot harmlessly wide from a tight anglewhen a pass to Jonathan Calleri might havebeen the wiser option. After a tepid start,Tottenham should have taken the lead mid-way through the first half when HarryKane’s 20-yard strike was pushed out byAdrian. Dele Alli’s follow-up was blockedback to Kane on the edge of the area andthe Tottenham striker looked certain toscore, yet once again he was denied asAdrian’s out-stretched leg deflected it over.

ANXIETY Eric Dier’s header from the resulting cor-

ner forced Adrian to make another alertstop, but moments later Tottenham werelucky not to fall behind. Noble’s pass sentLanzini clean through and when HugoLloris raced off his line to block, West Hamsaw their appeal for a foul turned downwhile Cheikhou Kouyate’s weak follow-upwas scrambled away.

So stylish in Sunday’s win over northLondon rivals Arsenal, there was far lessswagger about Pochettino’s side as theystruggled to turn their territorial domi-nance into a priceless goal. There was noimprovement in the second half and Ayew,left unmarked 18 yards out, should havemade them pay as he blasted over.

Christian Eriksen, usually so composed,betrayed the anxiety creeping intoTottenham’s play when he let Son Heung-Min’s pass deflect harmlessly towardsAdrian when a sight of goal came his wayinside the West Ham area. Son threatenedwith a thunderous effort, but Adrian tippedit away and Tottenham’s nightmare sce-nario became a brutal reality in the 65thminute. Unhinged by Aaron Cresswell’scross, the Tottenham defense parted tooeasily and when Ayew couldn’t control, theball ran to the unmarked Lanzini, whodrilled home from close-range. Shocketched on their faces, Tottenham wereunable to muster a response. It took a finesave from Lloris to deny Calleri and thesight of Eriksen shooting high into thestands was a fitting coda on a dispiritingnight for Spurs. — AFP

Lanzini leaves Spurs’

title bid in tatters

West Ham 1

Tottenham 0

MADRID: Atlet ico Madrid securedChampions League footbal l for a f i f thstraight season as Saul Niguez’s solitarystrike earned a 1-0 home win over Eibaryesterday. Diego Simeone’s men still harboroutside hopes of returning to theChampions League final for the third timein four years as they host local rivals RealMadrid for the second leg of their semi-finalon Wednesday trailing 3-0 from the first leg.

However, they are at least now guaranteedanother shot at the competition next seasonand, just as importantly, the finances thatcome with it, especially as they move into anew 67,000 capacity stadium. Victory movedAtletico 11 points clear of fifth-placedVillarreal, who have just three games remain-ing. Atletico also just need one more point toqualify directly for the Champions Leaguegroup stages by finishing third as they leadSevilla in fourth by five points.

Simeone named a strong side with justtwo changes from the semi-final, first leg inmidweek as Thomas Partey and Nico Gaitanreplaced Stefan Savic and Kevin Gameiro.After a quiet start Atletico should have beenin front before the break as Yannick Carrascoand Saul blasted over great chances frompoint-blank range. The hosts were dominantin the early stages of the second period, buthad to wait until 21 minutes from time for thewinner when a rare foray forward from DiegoGodin teed up Saul to curl home his eighthgoal of the season from the edge of the box.

Godin was then sent off in stoppage timefor two quickfire bookings as he was infuriat-ed at referee David Fernandez Borbalan’sdecision to award Eibar a late corner.However, Atletico held on and were given ahuge ovation by a full house at the VicenteCalderon at full-time in an attempt to inspirethe most unlikely of comebacks against Realin midweek. At the other end of the tableSporting Gijon kept their hopes of staying upalive with a 1-0 win over Las Palmas. CarlosCarmona got the only goal midway throughthe second half to move Sporting to withinthree points of Leganes with two gamesremaining. — AFP

Saul fires Atletico

to top-four finish

MADRID: Atletico Madrid’s midfielder Saul Niguez (R) celebrates after scoring duringthe Spanish league football match Club Atletico de Madrid vs SD Eibar at the VicenteCalderon stadium.—AFP

Matches on TV (Local Timings)

English Premier League

Liverpool v Southampton 15:30beIN SPORTS HD 2Arsenal v Manchester United 18:00beIN SPORTS HD 2

Spanish League Primera

Deportivo Alaves v Bilbao 13:00beIN SPORTS HD 3Valencia v Osasuna 17:15beIN SPORTS HD 3Deportivo La Coruna v Espanyol 19:30beIN SPORTS HD 3Malaga v Celta de Vigo 21:45beIN SPORTS HD 3

Italian League

Udinese v Atalanta 13:30beIN SPORTS HD 4Lazio v Sampdoria 16:00beIN SPORTS HD 7Chievo Verona v Citta di Palermo 16:00beIN SPORTS HD 4Empoli v Bologna 16:00beIN SPORTS HDSassuolo v Fiorentina 16:00beIN SPORTS HDPescara v Crotone 16:00beIN SPORTS HDMilan v Roma 21:45beIN SPORTS HD 4

German Bundesliga

Hamburger v Mainz 16:30beIN SPORTS HD 5Freiburg v Schalke 18:30beIN SPORTS HD 5

French League

Stade Rennes v Montpellier 16:00 beIN SPORTS HD Lyonnais v Nantes 18:00beIN SPORTS HDMarseille v Nice 22:00beIN SPORTS HD 6

PARIS: A hotly contested goal by Marco Verrattihelped Paris Saint-Germain to a comfortable 5-0win over bottom club Bastia yesterday as the reign-ing champions kept the pressure on Ligue 1 leadersMonaco. Edinson Cavani scored twice and also hada late penalty saved, with Lucas Moura andMarquinhos getting the other goals for the hosts atthe Parc des Princes.

The win allowed Unai Emery’s side to move levelon points with Monaco, although the principalityside have two games in hand as well as a superiorgoal difference. Monaco are at relegation-threat-ened Nancy later and the Champions League semi-finalists realistically need just two wins from theirfinal four matches to become champions for thefirst time since 2000. PSG are still hoping to win afifth consecutive title but a vital victory was over-shadowed by the incident that saw Verratti putthem two goals up late in the first half. With BlaiseMatuidi down in the Bastia area and the ball havinggone out for a throw, visiting goalkeeper Jean-LouisLeca went to check on the PSG midfielder.

However, the hosts took the throw quickly andVerratti smashed a shot into the roof of the net fromthe edge of the area, catching out Leca to make it 2-0 10 minutes before the interval. The goalkeeperran to protest to the referee but was booked for histroubles. By that point the home side had alreadyseen Lucas smash a shot against the angle of barand post before the Brazilian-standing in for thesuspended Angel Di Maria-was left with an easy tapin from a Matuidi assist.

A holiday weekend in France and the drabParisian weather contributed to more empty seatsthan usual at the Parc des Princes, despite theimportance of the match. It only really came to lifeagain in the final 20 minutes, with Cavani havingtwo efforts disallowed before he made it 3-0 in the76th minute, finishing into an empty net after alovely combination between Julian Draxler andGoncalo Guedes.

Cavani had his penalty saved by Leca after beingbrought down by Alexander Djiku, but PSG werenot finished there. First substitute Giovani Lo Celso,making just his second league appearance afterarriving from Rosario Central in January, clipped theball over Leca and allowed Marquinhos to poke theball over the line. Lo Celso then battered a volley offthe bar prior to Cavani making it 5-0 following adefensive error. It was Cavani’s 33rd league goal of asuperb season, and his 47th in 47 games in all com-petitions. Bastia are a point adrift of Nancy at thebottom and two points from safety with two gamesremaining. Nice, who remain in with a mathemati-cal chance of winning the title, sitting six pointsadrift of the top two with three matches to play, vis-it Marseille this evening. —AFP

Controversial goal

helps PSG keep

pressure on Monaco

LEICESTER: Watford’s Sebastian Prodl, left, and Leicester City’s Shinji Okazaki, battlefor the ball during the English Premier League soccer match Leicester City againstWatford at the King Power Stadium. —AP

Leicester pile pressure on

Watford boss Mazzarri

LEICESTER: Wilfred Ndidi, Riyad Mahrezand Marc Albrighton were on target asLeicester City defeated Watford 3-0 torecord a fifth successive Premier Leaguehome win yesterday. Ndidi bagged histhird goal of the season and Mahrez nettedhis 10th as the Premier League championsmoved to 43 points to end any lingeringrelegation worries.

Albrighton notched his fourth of the sea-son in stoppage time to cap an excellent indi-vidual display. It was a comfortable exercisefor Craig Shakespeare’s men, who now looklike serious contenders for a top-half finishhaving spent much of the season flirting withrelegation. The result bolsteredShakespeare’s claims to keep the manager’sjob for next season after replacing sackedClaudio Ranieri earlier this year.

Watford are also all but safe with 40points, but the defeat was their fifth in a rowwithout a goal away from home in the leagueand adds to the growing pressure on bossWalter Mazzarri. Early on, Albrighton racedonto a quick free-kick for Leicester and triedto engineer a shooting chance but wascrowded out. A minute later the Hornetsneeded defender Adrian Mariappa to inter-

vene to prevent a certain goal for the Foxes. A quick free-kick from Mahrez found Jamie

Vardy, whose darting run and cross looked setto provide Shinji Okazaki with a tap-in. ButMariappa got an outstretched foot to the balland diverted it onto the post. Next it wasWatford goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes’ turn toprevent a bizarre own goal opening the scor-ing. He flew to his left to turn away a headerby defender Christian Kabasele from aChristian Fuchs cross. Watford might haveopened the scoring 10 minutes before halftime when Tom Cleverley let fly from 25 yardsand forced Kasper Schmeichel into an impor-tant save away to his right.

CONFIDENCE The hosts took the lead shortly before the

break thanks to Ndidi’s second PremierLeague goal. A short corner found DannyDrinkwater, whose cross was dealt with poor-ly by Sebastian Prodl and then EtienneCapoue. And when the ball broke free, Ndidiblasted it home from less than 10 yards.Mahrez almost added a second moments lat-er when he hit a shot that struck the heel ofCleverley and looped onto the crossbar.

Just five minutes into the second halfVardy should have doubled Leicester’s leadwhen he raced onto Okazaki’s perfectlyweighted pass. But he shot too close toGomes. A minute later Stefano Okaka got tothe far post to meet a cross by NordinAmrabat for Watford but his header loopedover. Leicester finally got their second goal on58 minutes thanks to the skill of Mahrez and apoor mistake from Mariappa. —AFP

Leicester 3

Watford 0

18Cavs leave Raptors on the brink

SUNDAY, MAY 7, 201719

Saul fires Atletico to top-four finish

Time for sports to take a look in the mirror Page 16

BARCELONA: Barcelona’s Argentinean forward Lionel Messi (C) vies with Villarreal’s midfielder Rodrigo Hernandez (R) and Villarreal’s Italian midfielder Roberto Soriano during the Spanish league football match FC Barcelona vs Villarreal CF atthe Camp Nou stadium. — AFP

BARCELONA: Barcelona’s formidable frontthree of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymarall scored as the champions beat Villarreal 4-1on Saturday to stay top of La Liga and keepthe pressure on title rivals Real Madrid. Barcatop the standings with 84 points after 36games, three ahead of Real who have playedtwo games fewer and visit already-relegatedGranada. Lionel Messi reached another land-mark by scoring his 50th and 51st goals in allcompetitions.

Neymar was in sensational form in his sec-

ond game back from suspension and nudgedBarcelona ahead in the 21st minute afterpouncing on a deflected pass from Messi.Cedric Bakambu fired Villarreal level in the32nd after beating the offside trap to latch onto a clever through ball from Roberto Soldado.Barca were temporarily punctured by the lev-eler but a marvelous piece of skill from Messiallowed them to restore their lead on thestroke of halftime with a shot from theArgentine which flew beyond AndresFernandez with the help of a deflection.

Barcelona’s fifth straight win gave it threemore points than Madrid before the latter vis-ited the relegated Granada later. Barcelonaholds the tiebreaker over Madrid, but Madridwill still have three matches to play after thisround to Barcelona’s two. That means Madridcontrols its own fate as it tries to dethroneBarcelona and lift its first Liga title since 2012.

Messi’s goal on the last kick of the first halftilted a match that was wide open for the first45 minutes, in Barcelona’s favor. Neymar, whoexcelled in his incursions from the left flank

throughout, opened the scoring when hepoked in a shot by Messi that hit a defenderand fell to him in front of goalkeeper AndresFernandez. Villarreal responded with a goal bystriker Cedric Bakambu in the 32nd whenRoberto Soldado played him clear on thebreak as he sped away from Gerard Pique.

Pique wasted a cross by Messi that he onlyhad to nod in and Soldado barely missed with aheader on the other end before Neymar helpedMessi take back the lead. It’s the fifth season inMessi’s career that he’s reached 50 goals.

Neymar deftly dribbled past a pair of defendersand laid off for Messi to put the ball on his leftboot. Head down, Messi opened an anglearound two defenders and unleashed a longstrike that took a deflection off Villarreal’s MarioGaspar before finding the net. Suarez fired hisgoal under Fernandez in the 69th after SergiRoberto set him up in the area. Messi added apenalty that he converted in the “panenka”style, gently chipping the ball down the middleafter the goalie moved, after Jaume Costa han-dled the ball in the box. —Agencies

Barca trio combine to down Villarreal

MILAN: Angered that he was treat-ed like a “criminal,” Sulley Muntariwon his fight with Italian soccerauthorities on Friday to overturn aone-match ban for walking off thefield in response to racist abuse. ThePescara player received a yellowcard during Sunday’s Serie A gameat Cagliari for protesting to the ref-eree about the monkey chants fromthe stands. The 32-year-old mid-fielder was booked again for leavingthe pitch because his concernsweren’t being acted on by thematch officials, who are required tohalt games and issue warningsthroughout the stadium to try tostop racist behavior.

The red card led to Muntarireceiving a one-match ban by theleague’s disciplinary commission,which didn’t appear to take intoaccount his suffering. Receiving nosupport from Pescara, Muntari wasforced to lodge the appeal himselfwith assistance from the players’union in Italy. “I feel that someonehas finally listened and heard me,”the Ghanaian player said in com-ments published by FIFPro, theinternational players’ union. “Thelast few days have been very hardfor me. I have felt angry and isolat-ed. I was being treated like a crimi-nal. How could I be punished when Iwas the victim of racism?”

Cagliari escaped punishmentbecause Serie A’s disciplinary bodysaid only 10 fans bellowed abuse atMuntari , rais ing fur ther doubtsabout Italy’s commitment to tack-

ling racism in soccer. “I hope mycase can help so that other foot-bal lers do not suffer l ike me,”Muntari said. “I hope it can be aturning point in Italy and show theworld what it means to stand up foryour r ights.” The global angerreached the United Nations, with atop human rights official callingMuntari an “inspiration.”

FIGC President Carlo Tavecchiotold national news agency ANSAthat he was “satisf ied” with theappeal ruling “because roles andprocedures which are guaranteed byour system were respected.”Tavecchio was banned by UEFA forsix months at the start of his Italianfederation presidency in 2014 over areference to bananas when dis-cussing the presence of foreign play-ers in Italy. Muntari, who has playedin the English Premier League withPortsmouth and in Serie A with Interand AC Milan, is now available forPescara’s home match againstCrotone today. “This is an importantvictor y to send a message thatthere’s no place for racism in foot-ball, or society in general,” he said.Muntari told referee Daniele Minelliand his assistants several t imesabout the chants from home fans inthe final minute of Pescara’s 1-0 loss.The official then showed a yellowcard to Muntari, who was so angrywith the booking that he walked offthe pitch. It left his side with 10 menfor stoppage time. FIFPro said “com-mon sense has prevailed” with theban being rescinded. — AP

Muntari overturns racism protest ban

MANCHESTER: David Silva returned from injury with agoal as Manchester City strengthened their ChampionsLeague qualification chances with a comfortable 5-0 winover Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium yesterday. Silva,out for a fortnight after suffering a blow to his knee duringthe FA Cup semi-final defeat by Arsenal, struck inside thefirst two minutes.

Second-half goals from Vincent Kompany, Kevin DeBruyne, Raheem Sterling and Nicolas Otamendi complet-ed the scoring as City leapfrogged Liverpool into third inthe Premier League, on goal difference, and also movedfour points clear of fifth-placed Manchester United. Onlythe top four at the end of the season qualify for theChampions League, European club football’s leading com-petition, with City now having three Premier Leaguegames left to play this term.

But both Liverpool (at home to Southampton) andUnited (away to Arsenal) are in action today. For Palace,not yet safe from the threat of relegation, Saturday’sreverse was their third straight defeat. City manager PepGuardiola has spoken repeatedly over the last two monthsabout his side’s failure to make possession and chancescount, citing that as a reason for their relatively disappoint-ing season.

He would have been pleased that his side scored fromtheir first attack, but not that they then passed up a seriesof first-half opportunities to add to that lead. The goal,City’s fastest in any game this season, was well-worked,with Spanish playmaker Silva starting and finishing themove. Silva, making his 200th Premier League start,angled a chip towards Sterling and then, when the cross

was half-cleared by Martin Kelly, timed his run perfectly toside-foot a volley into the corner of the net. For much ofthe opening half-an-hour, it seemed inevitable that moregoals would follow, as Palace offered little midfield resist-ance. But a combination of poor final passes and soundgoalkeeping from Palace’s Wayne Hennessey preventedCity from increasing their tally for a while.

SCRAP City might even have lost their lead 10 minutes before

half-time, when Palace’s Andros Townsend got down theright to cross, Christian Benteke climbed above stand-inright-back Fernandinho to head down, and Willy Caballerotwisted to his left to make a fine one-handed save. Half-time arrived with City in danger of being drawn into ascrap, with De Bruyne twice kicked by Jeffrey Schlupp, andSilva taking matters into his own hands by retaliating witha wild hack at Wilfried Zaha.

However, Guardiola’s side recovered a degree of com-posure at half-time, and extended their lead three minutesafter the restart. After De Bruyne’s corner had beencleared, Silva worked the ball back to the Belgium interna-tional, who rolled a pass inside for compatriot VincentKompany to sweep in with a vicious first-time shot.Thatappeared to settle City down, and De Bruyne almost madeit 3-0 with a dipping 25-yard free-kick that brushed the topof the crossbar.

More chances followed and third goal City had beenthreatening arrived shortly before the hour mark when theinfluential De Bruyne steered a shot under Hennessey andjust inside the post after Sterling had held off Schlupp toreach Silva’s header and set up the chance. By now, Citywere cruising, and the fourth goal had the feel of a trainingground exercise about it. Yaya Toure had all the time hewanted to play a diagonal ball towards substitute PabloZabaleta, who guided a header back for Sterling to finishfrom 20 yards. There was more to come. In stoppage time,Palace switched off at a De Bruyne free-kick, allowingOtamendi to dive and head in to make it 5-0. — AFP

City thrash Palace to keepChamps League hope alive

MANCHESTER: Manchester City’s Argentineandefender Nicolas Otamendi celebrates scoring histeam’s fifth goal during the English Premier Leaguefootball match between Manchester City and CrystalPalace at the Etihad Stadium. — AFP

Man City 5

Crystal Palace 0

BusinessSUNDAY, MAY 7, 2017

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Page 22

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Page 26

YOKOHAMA: Accelerating growth inSoutheast and South Asia can help make up forslowing momentum in China but it requiressmart investments in infrastructure and tech-nology, the president of the Asian DevelopmentBank said yesterday as the regional lender start-ed a meeting of its board of governors.

ADB President Takehiko Nakao and otherleaders of the regional lender said investmentsshould concentrate on high-quality projectsand technology should be made available to allas countries stretches to make up for shortfallsin needed spending, they said. Nakao said hewas optimistic about the outlook for Asia,which contributes about half of world eco-nomic growth. Overall growth is forecast at 5.7percent in 2017 and economies in India,Bangladesh, Indonesia, Myanmar, thePhilippines and Vietnam are gaining momen-tum. The unstated backdrop to the meeting isJapan’s continued strong role in the ADB at atime when the administration of US PresidentDonald Trump has adopted an “America first”stance and China is pushing ahead with its owninfrastructure initiatives.

Opening the meeting in the port city ofYokohama, Finance Minister Taro Aso saidJapan, the biggest donor to the ADB, wouldcontribute $40 million to a fund promote use ofhigh technology. Aso said that as the Manila,Philippines-based ADB marks its 50th year itshould adopt a “strong strategy” to ensure itremains a “highly relevant institution at a timewhen needs for investment in infrastructuresuch as power generation, sanitation, roads andports are growing in both “quantity and quality.”

The ADB estimates more than $26 trillion is

needed for ports, power, water and other infra-structure in the region by 2030, or over $1.7 tril-lion a year. The current level of spending isbelow $900 billion.

Aso said the regional lender should generallyprioritize poorer countries in allocating itsfinancing while helping “upper middle income”countries with expertise in such areas as envi-ronmental protection. Aso welcomed moves toreform purchasing procedures to “put moreemphasis on quality.”

“I encourage the bank to continue to movein this direction,” he said. The policy shiftunder Trump is raising questions over thestrength of the US commitment to multilater-al organizations like the ADB, raising ques-tions about how to increase financing andmake it as effective as possible.

Nakao, the ADB president, said the lenderwas working to find ways to streamline its oper-ations and deepen collaboration with local gov-ernments and the private sector. Co-financingwith other banks, including the China-backedAsia Infrastructure Investment Bank, and withthe private sector has become an increasinglyimportant source of support, involving $13.9billion of the total $31.7 billion in funds allocat-ed last year by the bank.

Japan-China talksJapan and China agreed to bolster economic

and financial cooperation, Japanese FinanceMinister Taro Aso said yesterday, as US PresidentDonald Trump’s protectionist stance and ten-sion over North Korea weigh on Asia’s growthoutlook. Chinese Finance Minister Xiao Jie, whomissed a trilateral meeting with his Japanese

and South Korean counterparts on Friday for anemergency domestic meeting, had flown in forthe talks with Aso, seeking to dispel speculationhis absence had any diplomatic implications.

“We actively exchanged views on econom-ic and financial situations in Japan and Chinaand our cooperation in the financial field,” Asotold reporters after the meeting, whichincluded senior finance ministry and centralbank officials.

“It was significant that we reconfirmed theneed of financial cooperation between the twocountries while sharing our experiences in deal-ing with economic policies and structuralissues,” he added. The two countries agreed tolaunch joint research on issues of mutual inter-est - without elaborating - and to report theoutcomes at the next talks, which will be held in2018 in China.

They did not discuss issues such as curren-cies and geopolitical risks from North Korea’snuclear and missile program during the dia-logue, held on the sidelines of the AsianDevelopment Bank’s (ADB) annual meeting inYokohama, eastern Japan, Aso said.

Relations between Japan and China havebeen strained over territorial rows and Japan’soccupation of parts of China in World War Two,though leaders have recently sought to mendties through dialogue. Still, China’s increasingpresence in infrastructure finance has alarmedsome Japanese policymakers, who worry thatBeijing’s new development bank, the AsianInfrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), may over-shadow the Japan-backed ADB.

Shortly before the bilateral talks on Saturday,Xiao voiced hope that the ADB will boost ties

with China’s high profile “One Belt One Road”infrastructure development initiatives.

“China hopes the ADB ... strengthens thestrategic ties between its programs and the OneBelt One Road initiative to maximize synergyeffects and promote Asia’s further develop-ment,” Xiao told the ADB’s annual gathering.Japan and China do agree on the need torespect free trade, which they see as crucial toAsia’s trade-dependent economies.

Finance officials from Japan, China and

South Korea agreed to resist all forms of protec-tionism in Friday’s trilateral meeting, taking astronger stand than G20 major economiesagainst the protectionist policies advocated byTrump. China has positioned itself as a support-er of free trade in the wake of Trump’s calls toput America’s interests first and pull out of mul-tilateral trade agreements. Japan has taken amore accommodative stance towardWashington’s argument that trade must not justbe free but fair. —Agencies

ADB takes stock as US policy shiftsJapan, China to boost financial ties amid protectionist tensions

YOKOHAMA: Takehiko Nakao (front row, C), President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso (front row, 4th L) and others attend a governors’ photo session at the AsianDevelopment Bank’s annual meeting in Yokohama yesterday. —AFP Photos

YOKOHAMA: China’s Finance Minister Xiao Jie (right) shakes hands with hisJapanese counterpart Taro Aso during their meeting in Yokohama yesterday.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has dodged a financialcrisis due to low oil prices by slashing statespending and borrowing tens of billions of dol-lars abroad, but now it faces a tougher chal-lenge: getting the economy growing again. In aseries of interviews with Reuters reporters lastweek, senior Saudi officials said reformsannounced on national television by DeputyCrown Prince Mohammed bin Salman a year agohad stabilized state finances enough for the gov-ernment to begin focusing on investing in theeconomy.

Spending cuts are shrinking a $98 billionbudget deficit that was created by oil’s plunge.Foreign investors are eagerly buying Saudibonds, and the government has begun to shakeup its bureaucracy and simplify regulation,promising efficiency gains.

Movements in the foreign and exchange and

bond markets show last year’s speculation thatRiyadh could default on its debt or devalue itscurrency has almost disappeared.

Vice Minister for Economy and PlanningMohammed Al-Tuwaijri said efforts to repairstate finances were moving faster than officials’initial, conservative projections. The deficit in thefirst quarter of 2017 was about half the originalestimate. “Generally speaking everything weannounced and talked about tended to betoward the conservative scenario - that includedour ability to execute everything on time, ourability to borrow.”

So Riyadh is now starting a new phase ofreform, officials said: developing non-oil indus-tries such as mining, logistics, ship repair, enter-tainment, and automotive and military manu-facturing that will let the economy prosperregardless of oil prices. “There are many low-

hanging fruits,” said Tuwaijri. Riyadh aims toraise over $200 billion in coming years by sell-ing stakes in oil giant Saudi Aramco and otherassets. It will funnel this money into non-oilindustries via vehicles such as sovereign wealthfunds. Private firms will be encouraged toinvest beside the government with incentivessuch as soft loans.

Officials stressed they would be flexible whenraising money using methods ranging fromstock market listings to private equity deals -and careful when spending it, since they wouldonly allocate money to projects that lookedcommercially viable. They argued that by creat-ing jobs and economic growth, the surge ofinvestment would head off any discontent fromSaudis whose living standards are beingsqueezed by tax rises and subsidy cuts neededto reduce the budget deficit. —Reuters

Saudi dodges financial crisis

ISTANBUL: Turkish Airlines yesterday said itwould offer laptops to business-class trav-ellers after Britain and the United Statesbanned large electronic devices from thecabin of flights from certain countries.Washington has barred all electronicdevices larger than a mobile phone ondirect flights to the United States from 10airports in seven Middle Eastern countriesand Turkey, only allowing them to be trans-ported in hold luggage.

Britain followed with a similar ban fromfive countries in the Middle East and northAfrica as well as Turkey. But Turkish Airlinessaid it would offer travellers a solution.“The national flag carrier has now started

to offer laptops for its business class pas-sengers on US-bound flights as from today,”it said in a statement released yesterday.The airline would also offer the same serv-ice for UK-bound business class passengersfrom May 12.

Such passengers would be able torequest a laptop from the cabin crew to usein-flight, it said.

The laptops would offer top security andprotect the users’ privacy by “automaticallydeleting” all personal data after being shutdown, it said. Announced in March, the bandrew Turkish fury with President Recep TayyipErdogan urging Washington and London towithdraw it “as soon as possible.” —AFP

Turkish Airlines to offer

laptops to VIP travellers

B U S I N E S SSUNDAY, MAY 7, 2017

EXCHANGE RATES

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co.

ASIAN COUNTRIESJapanese Yen 2.709Indian Rupees 4.749Pkistani Rupees 2.910Srilankan Rupees 2.002Nepali Rupees 2.951Singapore Dollar 218.380Hongkong Dollar 39.227Bangladesh Taka 3.727Philippine Peso 6.118Thai Baht 8.843

GCC COUNTRIESSaudi Riyal 81.468Qatari Riyal 83.908Omani Riyal 793.399Bahraini Dinar 811.210UAE Dirham 83.117

ARAB COUNTRIESEgyptian Pound - Cash 20.400Egyptian Pound - Transfer 20.350Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.226Tunisian Dinar 127.210Jordanian Dinar 430.610Lebanese Lira/for 1000 2.035Syrian Lira 2.177Morocco Dirham 31.313

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIESUS Dollar Transfer 305.300Euro 337.810Sterling Pound 396.842Canadian dollar 224.820Turkish lira 86.610

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd

BAHRAIN EXCHANGE COMPANY WLL

Swiss Franc 311.530Australian Dollar 228.980US Dollar Buying 304.100

GOLD20 Gram 262.6910 Gram 134.275 Gram 67.98

Rate for Transfr Selling RateUS Dollar 304.800Canadian Dolla 226.525Sterling Pound 392.135Euro 328.485Swiss Frank 305.110Bahrain Dinar 808.430UAE Dirhams 83.380Qatari Riyals 84.605Saudi Riyals 82.175Jordanian Dinar 429.815Egyptian Pound 16.978Sri Lankan Rupees 2.005Indian Rupees 4.728Pakistani Rupees 2.907Bangladesh Taka 3.742Philippines Pesso 6.121Cyprus pound 168.208Japanese Yen 3.795Syrian Pound 2.420Nepalese Rupees 3.950Malaysian Ringgit 70.185

CURRENCY BUY SELLEurope

British Pound 0.390437 0.400437Czech Korune 0.004551 0.016551Danish Krone 0.041062 0.046062Euro 0. 330822 0.339822Norwegian Krone 0.031495 0.036695Romanian Leu 0.084611 0.084611Slovakia 0.009141 0.019141Swedish Krona 0.030685 0.035685Swiss Franc 0.303396 0.314396Turkish Lira 0.080734 0.091034

AustralasiaAustralian Dollar 0.218775 0.230775New Zealand Dollar 0.205392 0.214892

AmericaCanadian Dollar 0.218478 0.227478Georgina Lari 0.137890 0.137890US Dollars 0.301200 0.305600US Dollars Mint 0.301700 0.305600AsiaBangladesh Taka 0.003422 0.004006Chinese Yuan 0.042805 0.046305Hong Kong Dollar 0.037278 0.040028Indian Rupee 0.004169 0.004857

Indonesian Rupiah 0.000018 0.000024Japanese Yen 0.002638 0.002818Kenyan Shilling 0.003049 0.003049Korean Won 0.000258 0.000273Malaysian Ringgit 0.066591 0.072591Nepalese Rupee 0.003016 0.003186Pakistan Rupee 0.002717 0.003007Philippine Peso 0.006014 0.006314Sierra Leone 0.000068 0.000074Singapore Dollar 0.212665 0.222665South African Rand 0.016734 0.025234Sri Lankan Rupee 0.001638 0.002218Taiwan 0.009774 0.009954Thai Baht 0.008479 0.009029

ArabBahraini Dinar 0.803243 0.811743Egyptian Pound 0.014058 0.019966Iranian Riyal 0.000084 0.000086Iraqi Dinar 0.000195 0.000255Jordanian Dinar 0.425248 0.434248Kuwaiti Dinar 1.000000 1.000000Lebanese Pound 0.000157 0.000257Moroccan Dirhams 0.020404 0.044404Nigerian Naira 0.001264 0.001899Omani Riyal 0.786566 0.792246Qatar Riyal 0.083047 0.084497Saudi Riyal 0.080327 0.081627Syrian Pound 0.001295 0.001515Tunisian Dinar 0.124617 0.132617Turkish Lira 0.080734 0.091034UAE Dirhams 0.081641 0.083341Yemeni Riyal 0.000993 0.001073

Chinese Yuan Renminbi 44.745Thai Bhat 9.860Turkish Lira 84.130

BLANTYRE, Malawi: The World Bankhas resumed direct budget support toimpoverished Malawi with an $80-mil-lion injection three years after donorspulled out due to a “cashgate” corrup-tion scandal, officials said yesterday.Donors, which provide about 40 per-cent of Malawi’s budget, in 2013 pulledthe plug on aid of around $150 million(110 million euros) after British audi-tors said at least $30 million was stolenfrom state coffers over a six-monthperiod.

The Bank, a major backer of thesoutheast African country’s tough eco-nomic reforms, had in the past saidsupport would only come if Malawiimplemented financial managementsystems that would stop fraud andmassive theft of state funds. The “cash-gate” affair erupted with revelationsabout funds going missing involvingdozens of officials, businessmen andpoliticians. Four people were jailed.

The scandal led to the withdrawal ofaid by numerous countries. It also con-tributed to the defeat of presidentJoyce Banda in elections in 2014, wonby her rival Peter Mutharika who tookoffice vowing to fight corruption. Laura

Kullenberg, the Bank’s country manag-er, said Malawi had “taken some veryimportant reform steps and it is criticalto maintain momentum and deepenreforms going forward to move Malawiout of the circle of vulnerability andonto a development path”.

Kullenberg says the $80 million“aims to improve incentives for pri-vate sector participation in agriculturemarkets and to strengthen fiscal man-agement through more effectiveexpenditure controls and greatertransparency,” according to a state-ment obtained by AFP.

Agriculture powers the country’seconomy and contributes over 40 per-cent to Malawi’s GNP. Malawi PresidentMutharika was quoted on state televi-sion as saying the resumed World Banksupport was a “vote of confidence inus and how we are managing oureconomy.”

“We expect more such news fromthe European Union, the Afr icanDevelopment Bank and others,” headded, adding that Malawi facesnumerous economic challenges andwas “in desperate need” of moresupport. — AFP

World Bank resumes aid to impoverished Malawi

WASHINGTON: A burst of hiring in April pro-vided reassurance for the US economy after aslow start to the year: Job growth returned to ahealthy pace. Unemployment hit a decade low.And the number of part-time workers whowant full-time jobs reached its lowest point innine years.

Employers last month added 211,000 jobs,more than double the weak showing in March,the Labor Department said Friday. And theunemployment rate dipped to 4.4 percent from4.5 percent in March.

Taken as a whole, the April jobs report sug-gested that American businesses are confidentenough in their outlook for customer demand tokeep adding jobs briskly despite a slump in theJanuary-March quarter when the economy bare-ly grew. The jobs report “does increase our confi-dence that the soft patch in the first quarter isover,” Michael Gapen, an economist at BarclaysCapital, said in an email to clients.

The gradual shift in hiring from part-time tofull-time work is an encouraging one. It suggeststhat many businesses are meeting rising customerdemand by expanding some employees’ hours.During much of the economic recovery, the num-ber of part-timers remained unusually high - onereason why steady job growth didn’t producesharp gains in pay or consumer spending.

The shift toward full-time work has alsohelped reduce a measure of the job market thatincludes people who aren’t counted as unem-ployed: They are the part-time workers whowant full-time jobs as well as people who havegiven up their job hunts.

This broader figure reached 8.6 percent inApril, the lowest point since November 2007,just before the recession officially began. In2009, it had topped 17 percent.

That broader measure has been cited byPresident Donald Trump and his advisers as amore accurate gauge of the job market’s healththan the unemployment rate. So far, the job

market under Trump closely resembles the oneBarack Obama presided over. This year, employ-ers have added an average of 185,000 jobs amonth, matching last year’s pace.

In his first 31/2 months, Trump has sought toput his imprint on the economy. A deputy WhiteHouse spokeswoman, Sarah Huckabee Sanders,said falsely at a briefing for reporters Friday thatjob growth in April occurred “especially” inindustries where the president has focused: Coalmining, construction and manufacturing. In fact,those three sectors accounted for less than 6percent of April’s job growth.

A representative of the White House, con-tacted later by The Associated Press, said thatSanders had misspoken. Some of the job mar-ket’s scars from the Great Recession have yetto heal. The proportion of Americans whoeither have jobs or are looking for one dippedin April to 62.9 percent from 63 percent. Whilethat figure has improved over the past 18months, it remains well below the prereces-sion level of 66 percent.

Economists don’t expect that figure to getmuch better. With the vast baby boom genera-tion retiring and younger Americans more likelyto stay in high school and attend college, fewerAmericans will likely work or seek work in theforeseeable future.

Friday’s jobs report makes it highly likelythat the Federal Reserve will resume raisingshort-term interest rates when it next meets inmid-June. Investors have estimated the likeli-hood of a June rate hike at 83 percent. Beyondhiring, the economy is showing other signs ofhealth: Sales of existing homes have reachedthe highest point in a decade. And a survey ofservices firms this week - including restaurants,banks and retailers - showed that they areexpanding steadily.

Average paychecks did grow more slowly inApril, increasing 2.5 percent over the past 12months, below March’s year-over-year gain.

Companies may not yet feel much pressure toraise pay to find or keep the workers they need.Typically, employers feel compelled to pay moreas the number of unemployed dwindles. In astrong economy, hourly pay gains tend to aver-age around 3.5 percent.

One reason for the tepid wage gain is thathiring was strongest last month in lower-pay-ing industr ies. One such categor y thatincludes hotels, restaurants, casinos andamusement parks added 55,000 jobs, the mostof any major sector.

Health care, which includes some higher-pay-ing jobs in nursing as well as lower-paid homehealth care aides, added 37,000 in April. Manymanufacturers are looking to add jobs but saythey can’t find enough qualified workers. EricKus, CEO of Goshen Stamping in Goshen,Indiana, wants to add six to eight employees tohis 80-person staff. The company makes parts forthe stepladder and RV industries.

“It’s getting better,” Kus said of the economy.Rising home sales and growing interest in do-it-yourself work among homeowners have boost-ed his company’s revenue about 6 percent so farthis year, he said.

Friday’s jobs report adds to evidence thateconomic growth is rebounding in the currentApril-June quarter, with some economists fore-casting that it could top a 3 percent annual rate,compared with the first quarter’s 0.7 percentrate. Last quarter, consumers spent less in partbecause of low utility bills during an unseason-ably warm winter. That’s likely to prove a tempo-rary restraint.

The retail industry’s woes continued lastmonth, with stores adding just 6,000 jobs. That’sbelow their long-run average and comes afterretailers slashed a combined 55,000 jobs inFebruary and March. Traditional chains like Searsand Macy’s have been shedding jobs in the faceof ferocious competition from Amazon.com andother e-commerce companies. — AP

US jobs data show scars from recession healing

Employers add 211,000 jobs in April

COLOMBO: A US equity firm that bid tobuy a stake in Sri Lanka’s loss-makingnational airline has pulled its offer, officialssaid yesterday as the carrier scrambled for anew partner. TPG, a San Francisco-basedprivate equity firm, has withdrawn its bidfor a 49 percent stake in Sri Lankan, dash-ing hopes of a quick revival of the airline.

“After completing the due diligence,regrettably TPG have informed us they willnot pursue a potential investment in SriLankan airlines,” Sri Lankan Chairman AjithDias said in a memo to his staff.

“It is their opinion that allocating thehuman and financial resources to make theairline profitable will not realize sufficientreturns compared to the many otherinvestment opportunities that are availableto them,” Dias said.

There was no immediate comment fromTPG. Sri Lanka’s flag carrier has accumulat-ed debts and losses of over $2 billion.

Talks are now underway with Dubai’sEmirates, which had managed and owneda minority stake in Sr i Lank an for adecade and was interested in a new man-

agement deal, official sources said. Therewas no immediate comment fromEmirates. Sri Lankan was profitable beforeRajapakse cancel led a managementagreement with Emirates in 2008 follow-ing a personal dispute.

The carrier had refused to bump fare-paying passengers and give their seats toRajapakse’s family members. An angryRajapakse removed the Emirates-appointedCEO of Sri Lankan from the post andreplaced him with his own brother-in-law,who had no airline experience, and is nowunder investigation for corruption. Late lastyear, in an effort to cut costs, Sri Lankan can-celled the previous government’s order tolease four brand new Airbus A350-900 long-haul aircraft after paying a penalty of $115million to aircraft leasing giant AerCap.

A separate order for four Airbus A350-900 planes will also be cancelled, thegovernment has said. Rajapakse hadordered al l eight planes as par t of a$2.3-billion re-fleeting program for theairline, which is now being investigatedfor corruption. —AFP

MANAGUA: President Daniel Ortegadownplayed the possible impact of a USbill that would condition internationallending to Nicaragua on a range ofdemocracy and rights issues, saying it’smore of a political than an economicthreat to his country.

“The world is not going to disappear,the economy is not going to disintegrate”if the so-called Nica Act passes, Ortegasaid late Thursday after meeting withrepresentatives of the InternationalMonetary Fund during a visit to theCentral American nation.

The bill before the House and Senatecalls for the US to oppose most loans toNicaragua’s government through organi-zations such as the IMF, the World Bankand the Inter-American DevelopmentBank, with the exception of funds forhumanitarian purposes or to promotedemocracy.

That would be the official US positionunless the secretary of state certifies thatNicaragua is taking steps to hold fair andcompetitive elections, safeguard politicalrights, strengthen the rule of law andfight corruption, among other condi-tions. Similar legislation last year failed to

advance in Congress. Nicaraguan opposi-tion leaders and civil society groupsaccuse Ortega of manipulating electionsto stay in power and of wanting to createa family dynasty by making his wife,Rosario Murillo, his vice president.Ortega’s government has opened negoti-ations with the Organization of AmericanStates ahead of local elections scheduledfor November to discuss concerns abouttransparency and fairness.

OAS Secretary-General Luis Almagrourged US lawmakers this week to “recon-sider” the bill to allow “time and space”for the negotiations to work. Economistand sociologist Cirilo Otero said Ortegamay be underestimating the Nica Act’spotential effects because any uncertaintycould prompt investors to suspend activ-ity in Nicaragua until it clears up.

“We are a poor country that lives offinternational aid,” said Otero, a profes-sor at the Universidad Centroamericana.“We are not self-sustainable to react inthat way.” Nicaragua, the second-poor-est nation in the Western Hemisphereafter Haiti, relies on international loansto finance at least 10 percent of itsbudget. —AP

LOUISILLE: In this Nov 20, 2015 photo, a UPS employee works inside the company’s Worldport hub in Louisville, Ky. On Friday, the US govern-ment issued the April jobs report. — AP

Sri Lanka airline sell-off fails, seeks new partner

Nicaragua downplays potential impact of US bill on lending

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s central bank appointed a new acting governoron Wednesday after the government declined to re-appoint the cur-rent governor, the bank said in a statement.

Riaz Riazuddin, the deputy governor of the State Bank of Pakistan,will take over as acting governor from Ashraf Wathra, the bank state-

ment said. Wathra has been governor for the past three years. Noofficial reason has been given for the decision not to re-appointWathra. Riazuddin’s three-month appointment is effective immedi-ately, the central bank said. It is now looking for a permanentreplacement for Wathra. —Reuters

Pakistan appoints acting CB head

SUNDAY, MAY 7, 2017

B U S I N E S S

When the number of job applicants is high,it would be impossible to interview everysingle candidate in person. So, as a prelim-

inary screening method, phone interviews offeremployers the chance to eliminate the candidateswhose CVs and qualifications do not match whatthey are looking for. This leaves the employers withthe better choice of candidates to be sent to thenext round.

Your CV might be impeccable, but if you lack theinterview skills, consider your chances gone withthe wind. You have to learn how to sell yourself. Afew of the skills needed to ace a phone intervieware listening and speaking skills - and withoutdoubt, phone etiquette. You should know how totake things seriously and train yourself for everystep in the recruitment process.

Bayt.com, the Middle East’s #1 Job Site, has com-piled the 13 most common mistakes job seekersmake during phone interviews, which most-likelydemolish their chances of getting the job:

1. Not answering the phone at the set timeMake sure that you are actually available at the

time of the interview. If an emergency arises,reschedule. Otherwise, it will reflect poorly onyour professionalism and how serious you areabout your career.

2. The wrong tone of voiceYour voice reflects your personality during a

phone interview, as it is the closest thing to bodylanguage an employer can read. The employer canpredict your personality simply by listening to yourvoice. This is why you should avoid sounding shy,hesitant, scared, or arrogant.

3. Being uninterestingTry to sound excited and keep the recruiter

interested in what you have to say. Your enthusiasmshould infiltrate your answers, and certainly steerclear from the awkward “uh”s and “um”s.

4. Ignoring the recruiterWhat is the point of the phone interview if you are

going to talk to someone else and leave the employ-er waiting? Be fully focused on your conversation.

5. Giving random answersListen closely to what the employer is saying

and reply accordingly. Keep a piece of paper withyou while being interviewed so you can write downany important points you want to elaborate on.This helps you stay focused and not throw in ran-

dom and irrelevant answers.

6. Eating while on the phoneA phone interview is just like a regular physical

face-to-face interview. Would you eat during that?Just remember that it is one of the most unprofes-sional behaviors during a phone call - with arecruiter or anyone really.

7. Taking the call casuallyThere’s nothing more irritating to an employer

than not being taken seriously. Try to find a quietspot and give them your undivided attention.

8. YawningSimilar to eating, yawning can reflect negatively

on you. Make sure you have slept enough and arewell-energized for your call.

9. Diverging from the questionIf you don’t understand the question, simply ask

the interviewer to repeat or elaborate. Don’t takethis as a chance to stray away from the questionbeing asked. The recruiter is looking for very specif-ic, relevant, and confident answers.

10. Speaking too loudly or too quietlyWhen speaking, don’t go to either extreme in

terms of volume; they are certainly deal breakersfor the interviewer.

11. Asking about the salary too earlyQuite a number of job seekers - mainly fresh

graduates - tend to start by asking about thesalary. Of course, compensation should be amajor concern. However, if that’s the only thingyou are considering when choosing a job, it is notreally a substantial career move and it will cer-tainly show the recruiter that your values andgoals are purely financial.

12. Losing interest right awayNever say you are not interested straight away.

You may blow your chances before even gettingdetails about the job at hand. Always ask for moredetails, as the job might end up being a great fit foryou. After all, love is not always at first sight.

13. Interrupting constantlyLet the recruiter speak. Not letting them finish

sharing information and interrupting their ques-tions will break their chain of thoughts. Do you real-ly want to upset the recruiter who wants to offeryou the dream job?

KUWAIT: Souk Al-Salmiya Real-estate MarketCompany recently held its ordinary generalassembly for the fiscal year 2016, which wasattended by 92.7 per cent of the members whoapproved all the items on the agenda includinga recommendation to distribute 10 per cent ofthe capital as cash profits to shareholders.

The general assembly also discussed theboard’s report about the fiscal year ending onDecember 31, 2016, final statement, budget,profits and losses’ auditing reports.

The assembly also expressed condolenceson the demise of the late Fahad Khaled Al-Kulaib who had exerted considerable efforts forthe company ever since the company wasestablished.

After the general assembly, board chairman

and CEO, Marzouq Khaled Al-Marzouqannounced that the company had made 55 filsprofits per share in 2016 and that book valueper share had increased to 312 fils in 2016 com-pared to 285 fils in 2015. He added that thecompany made a real estate investment by pur-chasing lands in Sabah Al-Salem area to build aluxurious 35-storey residential complex over-looking the sea.

In addition, Al-Marzouq said that the compa-ny has been working on diversifying its activitiesand that it built a new project in Sabah Al-Ahmed Marine City known as ‘The Grey’ whereall the stores had been already rented.

On his part, Souk Al-Salmiya Real-estateMarket Company general manager, MohammedAli Al-Sabhan said that the company would

open the Sabah Al-Salem project in March 2019.He added that the project’s total cost would bearound KD 23 million.

Souk Salmiya’s Sabah Al-Salem

project to be completed in 2019Company holds ordinary general assembly

13 phone interview mistakes that may cause your rejection

BRANCHBURG, NJ: President Donald Trumpsigned his first piece of major legislation onFriday, a $1 trillion spending bill to keep thegovernment operating through September.The bill cleared both houses of Congress thisweek and Trump signed it into law behindclosed doors at his home in central NewJersey, well ahead of a midnight Friday dead-line for some government operations tobegin shutting down. But other budget bat-tles lie ahead as the White House andCongress hammer out a spending plan forthe fiscal year that starts Oct. 1.

Republicans praised $15 billion in addi-tional Pentagon spending obtained byTrump, as well as $1.5 billion in emergencyspending for border security, though not forthe wall he has vowed to build along the US-Mexico border to deter illegal immigration,and the extension of a school voucher pro-gram in the District of Columbia.

Trump also wants a huge military buildupmatched by cuts to popular domestic pro-grams and foreign aid accounts. Trumpsigned the bill despite his objections tonumerous provisions included in the meas-ure. One such provision prohibits the JusticeDepartment from using any funds to blockimplementation of medical marijuana lawsby states and US territories. In a signingstatement that accompanied the bill andthat laid out his objections, Trump said hereserved the right to ignore the provision. Heheld out the possibility that the administra-tion could pursue legal action against statesand territories that legalize marijuana formedical use.

Marijuana remains illegal for any purposeunder federal law. The White House previ-ously signaled a looming crackdown on

recreational pot use. “I will treat this provi-sion consistently with my constitutionalresponsibility to take care that the laws befaithfully executed,” Trump said in the sign-ing statement, a tool that previous presi-dents have used to explain their positions onappropriations bills. Trump also objects toprovision governing the transfer of prisonersheld at a US facility in Guantanamo Bay,Cuba. But the White House said his objectionshould not be seen as a shift in policy, but asa statement of his view that the provisioncould conflict with his constitutional authori-ty and duties in some circumstances.

Trump said during the presidential cam-paign that he wanted the detention center,known as “Gitmo,” kept open. At one point,he pledged to “load it up with some baddudes.” Republicans and Democrats whonegotiated the spending bill in recent dayshad successfully defended other accountsTrump had targeted for spending cuts, suchas foreign aid, the Environmental ProtectionAgency, support for the arts and economicdevelopment grants, among others.

The sweeping, 1,665-page bill alsoincreases spending for NASA, medicalresearch, and the FBI and other federal lawenforcement agencies. Trump took to Twitterearlier this week to complain about thebipartisan process that produced the meas-ure but later changed his tone and beganhighlighting the spending that was addedfor the military and for border security. Headvocated in one tweet for a “good shut-down” in September to fix the “mess” thatproduced the bill, but then appeared in theWhite House Rose Garden hours later toboast that the measure amounted to a bigwin for him. — AP

Trump signs $1tn spending

bill, keeps government open

BAYT.COM WEEKLY MARKET REPORT

Marzouq Khaled Al-Marzouq

Mohammed AliAl-Sabhan

KUWAIT: Chairman of Kuwait Real EstateBrokers Union (KRBU) Abdul Rahman Al-Habib said yesterday that the local realestate market must undergo radicalrestructuring in order to incorporate anup-to-date database in compliance withthe modern technological developmentrelated to e-government transactions.

Speaking at a press conference heldand attended by all KRBU members, Al-Habib said that all members had beeninvited to take part in forming a PR andmedia committee, a coordination and fol-low-up committee and a complaints andsuggestions committee. Al-Habib alsoreviewed KRBU activities and listed itsachievements in the period between May1, 2016 and April 30, 2017. He also dis-cussed future projects. They includedelectronic issue of specifications certifi-cates, e-payment of the fees, linking KRBUwebsite with that of the municipality,

cooperation with MCI in issuing brokers’licenses, having commissions fully paid onsigning contracts, regulating the processof work amongst buyers, sellers and realestate brokers and having sellers appointcertain brokers to represent them.

Brokers’ union wants

restructuring in

real estate sector

Abdul Rahman Al-Habib addresses apress conference. —Photo by JosephShagra

KUWAIT: Kuwait Financial Centre “Markaz”recently released its Monthly Market Researchreport. In this report, Markaz examines andanalyzes the performance of equity markets inthe MENA region as well as the global equitymarkets for the month of April 2017.

Most of the MENA bourses closed in thenegative territory for the month of April barringMorocco, Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia thatgained 2.3 percent, 1.8 percent and 0.2 percentrespectively. Jordan, Qatar and Egypt declinedby 3.5 percent, 3.1 percent and 3 percentrespectively while Kuwait price index fell by 2.1percent. MENA markets remained sluggish inApril due to drop in trading liquidity and poorinvestments from both domestic and interna-tional investors. First quarter earnings of com-panies in Dubai, Egypt and other markets fellshort of expectations pulling down the shareprices as well. Egypt index fell as local investorswithdrew their positions in many blue chips.Saudi Arabian index gained marginally by 0.2percent, the uptick driven by the petrochemicalcompanies.

Value traded and volumes in March reflecteda mixed market mood, with volume traded,dropping by 22 percent while the turnover inthe market increased by 34.6 percent. All MENAmarkets, barring Saudi Arabia and Dubai, wit-nessed increase in turnover in March. Dubaiand Abu Dhabi witnessed the maximum fall inliquidity with volume declining by 41 percentand 40 percent respectively. In terms of valua-tion, P/E of Morocco (19.18x), Kuwait (16.2x),and Qatar (15.06x) markets were at premium,while the markets of Dubai (9.39x), Egypt (9.4x),and Bahrain (10.06x) were the discount marketsin the MENA region.

Many blue chips were in the red in April,while few companies such as National Bank ofAbu Dhabi (NBAD) gained. The post-mergerlisting of NBAD and investors focus on specificstocks in the real estate and banking sectorpushed the share prices of NBAD up by 7.8 per-cent. Mashraf Al Rayan’s stocks increased by 5.1percent following positive earnings growthreported in Q1 2017 and increasing revenuefrom core operations. SABIC’s stocks gained 2.1percent last month, as analyst expectations on

the petrochemical sector remained positive.Petrochemical companies are expected to ben-efit from the higher prices of end productsresulting in better earnings compared to theprevious quarters. Industries Qatar and KuwaitFinance House were the stragglers, down by11.7 percent, 7.3 percent and 7.2 percentrespectively. Selling pressures in Qatar stockexchange especially in the large cap segmentby GCC institutions dragged down the prices ofmany blue chips in Qatar.

GCC Projects Project awards in GCC reverted back in the

first quarter of 2017 after remaining sluggish in2016. Value of projects in GCC increased by 22.6percent in Q1 2017 compared to the last quar-ter of 2016 while the increase was 16.1 percenton a year-on year basis. UAE was the staramong GCC nations in terms of increase in proj-ects’ spending, though the largest economy inthe region, Saudi Arabia failed to cash in on themomentum. It was the only GCC country toreport a fall in projects value by 29.3 percent inQ1 2017 (QoQ). The value of UAE projectsawarded surged by 42.6 percent quarter onquarter in the first quarter of 2017, with bothDubai and Abu Dhabi seeing signif icantincrease.

Oil and gas projects value expanded by 18.5percent in Q1 2017 (QoQ), Kuwait being theforerunner followed by UAE in oil, while Omantopped in terms of investments in gas projectsduring the period. Kuwait has surpassed Qatarin the first quarter of 2017 becoming the thirdlargest nation in the region in terms of value ofprojects being executed. However, concernsremain in Kuwait over the increasing delays andre-tendering of many big-ticket projects espe-cially in utilities sector.

Oil Market ReviewBrent crude declined by 2.08 percent in April

2017 declining to $51.73 compared to $52.83 atthe end of March 2017. Concerns over increas-ing supply from U.S shale producers and Libya’srestart of production in Sharara oil field rattledthe oil markets further in April. The confidenceprovided by OPEC’s commitments has not beensufficient to curtail the fall in oil prices.

Markaz: MENA markets fall

in April as oil prices slide

KUWAIT: FASTtelco, the internet serviceprovider owned by Ooredoo Kuwait,announced a new offer giving customers adevice with their postpaid high-speed inter-net plan, to match their needs at a competi-tive price. Customers have the option ofchoosing an entertainment device rangingfrom gaming devices such as the Xbox Slimor PS4 Slim, the iPad Mini 4, or the latestApple TV 64GB.

FASTtelco’s head of retail Nouf Al-Meshaan said in a statement, “Our strategyfrom launching this product is to keep upwith our customers’ mode of usage, and tobetter serve their needs. We live in a worldwhere the Internet has become an essentialand integral part. It has exceeded the role of

being a means of business and communica-tion, and is a vital part in every home,whether for video games or streamingentertainment content. We have carefullydesigned these packages with the option ofcommitting in a yearly contract for even dis-counted prices, and we are certain that ournew premium and reliable products willexceed our valued customers’ expectations.”

FASTtelco recently announced its newidentity earlier this month, adopting arefreshed look with vibrant colors and a newdesign. The move comes to change the ISP’smarket by introducing innovative productsand plans that fulfil customers’ growingneeds through technology. FASTtelco wasrecently acquired by Ooredoo Kuwait, amember of the international OoredooGroup, in a move to bolster the telecomservice provider’s presence in the Kuwaitimarket. FASTtelco products can be pur-chased via FASTtelco’s authorized resellers,or on FASTtelco’s website www.fasttelco.net .

Starting in 2001, FASTtelco has succeed-ed to assume a leading position in theKuwaiti telecommunication market as aninternet service provider to both individualand corporate clients. The company wasacquired by Ooredoo Kuwait in 2016.

FASTtelco offers entertainment

devices with postpaid plans

B U S I N E S SSUNDAY, MAY 7, 2017

BAYAN WEEKLY MARKET REPORTKUWAIT: Boursa Kuwait ended last week with mixed perform-ance. The Price Index closed at 6,752.79 points, down by 1.48percent from the week before closing, the Weighted Indexdecreased by 0.85 percent after closing at 402.41 points,whereas the KSX-15 Index closed at 906.38 points declining by0.47 percent. Furthermore, last week’s average daily turnoverdecreased by 22.61 percent, compared to the preceding week,reaching KD 14.82 million, whereas trading volume averagewas 130.14 million shares, recording a drop of 25.68 percent.

The three Boursa indices ended the week’s trading in the redzone, where the market witnessed an increased selling and prof-it collection operations on many listed stocks headed by thesmall-cap ones, which negatively affected the Price Index in par-ticular, the most losing index by the end of the week comparedto its peers the Weighted and KSX-15. Such performance camein light of a noticeable decrease in the trading indicators forboth the value or the volume, where it reached on last Monday’ssession its second lowest level during the current year, specifical-ly on 2nd January session. Also, the Price Index reached its low-est level in about two month, while the Weighted and KSX-15indices reached its lowest level since last January.

Moreover, the market is watching for the listed companiesresults for the first quarter of the current year, where only 42company disclosed its results out of 177 listed company in theprimary market, meaning that more than 75 percent of thecompanies did not announce its results despite passing morethan a month of the legal disclosing period which is definedby one and one half month. The disclosed companies realizedaround KD 330.71 million net profits, up by 11.11 percent forthe same companies’ profits for the same period of 2016,where it reached then K.D. 297.63 million.

As per the daily trading activity, the Boursa Kuwait initiatedthe first session of the last week with mixed closing for thethree indices, where the Price Index recorded a limited declineaffected by the selling pressures and the profit collection oper-ations executed on some small-cap stocks, while the Weightedand KSX-15 indices were able to realize good gains by the endof the session supported by the random purchasing opera-tions that targeted some leading and operational stocks espe-cially in the Banks sector. The next session witnessed a drop inall the indices due to the losses recorded by many listed stocksof both leading and small-cap, which negatively affected thetrading levels that recorded noticeable drop by the end of thesession, where the value decreased by 40 percent approxi-mately, while the volume dropped by about 34 percent.

On the mid-week session, the Boursa indices returned tofluctuate, as the Price Index continued recording losses for thethird consecutive session as a result to the continued sellingoperations executed on the small-cap stocks during this peri-od, while the Weighted Index joined in the red zone afterrecording some loss by the end of the session, however KSX-15 went against the current and ended the session in thegreen zone. The Boursa was able on Wednesday to break its

downward direction as the three indices were able to returnto the green zone once again, supported by the return of theactive speculation, that concentrated on the small-cap stocks,in addition to the collection operations witnessed by the lead-ing stocks, before the market returns back to the loss zone onThursday’s session, where all its indices recorded differentlosses by the end of the session as a result to the strong profitcollection operations executed on many stocks.

The market capitalization reached by the end of the lastweek KD 26.51 billion, down by 0.81 percent compared to itslevel in a week earlier, where it reached then KD 26.73 billion.On an annual level, the gains of the market cap of the listedcompanies since the beginning of the year contracted toreach 4.35 percent compared to its value at end of 2016,where it was then KD 25.41 billion. For the annual perform-ance, the Price Index ended last week recording 17.48 percentannual gain compared to its closing in 2016, while theWeighted Index increased by 5.87 percent, and the KSX-15recorded 2.41 percent growth.

Sectors’ IndicesEight of Boursa Kuwait’s sectors ended last week in the red

zone, while the other four recorded increases. The ConsumerServices sector headed the losers list as its index declined 4.01percent to end the week’s activity at 890.99 points. The Oil &Gas sector was second on the losers’ list, which index declinedby 3.72 percent, closing 1,045.44 points, followed by theTechnology sector, as its index closed at 681.62 points at a lossof 3.45 percent. The Consumer Goods sector was the leastdeclining as its index closed at 1,120.61 points with a 0.19 per-cent decrease. On the other hand, Last week’s highest gainerwas the Health Care sector, achieving 4.81 percent growthrate as its index closed at 1,405.03 points. Whereas, in the sec-ond place, the Telecommunications sector’s index closed at632.98 points recording 1.35 percent increase. The Insurancesector came in third as its index achieved 1.09 percent growth,ending the week at 1,063.13 points.

Sectors’ ActivityThe Real Estate sector dominated a total trade volume of

around 222.96 million shares changing hands during lastweek, representing 34.26 percent of the total market tradingvolume. The Financial Services sector was second in terms oftrading volume as the sector’s traded shares were 29.02 per-cent of last week’s total trading volume, with a total of around188.84 million shares. On the other hand, the Banks sector’sstocks were the highest traded in terms of value; with aturnover of around K.26.92 million or 36.33 percent of lastweek’s total market trading value. The Financial Services sec-tor took the second place as the sector’s last week turnoverwas approx. K.D 13.09 million representing 17.66 percent ofthe total market trading value. —Prepared by: Studies &Research Department - Bayan Investment Co.

NEW YORK: A solid pickup in hiring lastmonth helped push the stock market to recordhighs Friday. The gains were driven by energy,technology and industrial companies.

The Labor Department told investors whatthey had hoped to hear: employers addedmore workers last month after a sluggishbeginning to the year.

Energy companies rose as the price of oilrecovered from losses earlier in the week.Media companies like CBS and CharterCommunications recovered from their lossesearlier in the week. Technology companiesrose, but IBM missed out after billionaireinvestor Warren Buffett said he sold a largepart of his stake in the company. After a quietmorning, stocks rose in the afternoon and theS&P 500 finished above the all-time high closeit set March 1.

Scott Wren, senior global equity strategistat Wells Fargo’s Investment Institute, saidstocks benefited from the combination ofgreater hiring and slower wage growthbecause if wages rise too quickly it will affectcorporate profits. “The market is likely to beconcerned about wage gains and the impacton corporate margins as we move into 2018,”he said. The Standard & Poor’s 500 indexclimbed 9.77 points, or 0.4 percent, to2,399.29. The Dow Jones industrial averagerose 55.47 points, or 0.3 percent, to 21,006.94.

The Nasdaq composite jumped 25.42

points, or 0.4 percent, to 6,100.76, which beata record it set earlier this week. The Russell2000 index of smaller-company stocks added8.15 points, or 0.6 percent, to 1,397. Employersin the United States added 211,000 jobs inApril, according to the Labor Department. Thatcomes after slow hiring over the first threemonths of the year and sluggish economicgrowth.

Energy companies bounced back as theprice of oil steadied. After two steep losses inthree days, benchmark US crude oil jumped 70cents, or 1.5 percent, to $46.22 a barrel in NewYork. Brent crude, the standard for internation-al oil prices, added 72 cents, or 1.5 percent, to$49.10 barrel in London. Oil prices had fallenearlier this week as investors wonder if OPECwill extend a deal that trimmed oil production.Occidental Petroleum rose $2.38, or 4.1 per-cent, to $60.40 and Transocean jumped 84cents, or 8.1 percent, to $11.18. Baker Hughesgained $1.92, or 3.3 percent, to $59.33.

Apple jumped $2.43, or 1.7 percent, to$148.96, another record for the world’s mostvaluable publicly-traded company. Thathelped tech stocks move higher.

Basic materials makers advanced. DowChemical gained $1.67, or 2.7 percent, to$63.09 and gas supplier Praxair rose $3.16, or2.5 percent, to $129.48. Fertilizer maker CFIndustries climbed $1.35, or 5 percent, to$28.42. CBS announced a bigger profit and

more revenue than analysts expected, and itsstock gained $1.35, or 2.1 percent, to $65.20.Media companies have struggled the last few

days as investors worried about decliningcable ad revenue. Charter Communications,Scripps Networks and Tegna all traded higher.

IBM fell after Warren Buffett said he’s soldabout 25 million shares of the technology andconsulting company, about a third of the stakethat his Berkshire Hathaway company hadowned. Buffett started buying IBM stock in2011. IBM faces stiff competition from compa-nies including Microsoft and Amazon, whichhave focused on cloud computing services.IBM reached an all-time high of $215 in early2013 and closed at $155.05 Friday, down $4, or2.5 percent.

Cosmetics maker Revlon plunged after itssales in North America fell during the firstquarter. That affected all parts of its business,as its consumer and professional divisionsboth reported smaller profits and lower salesthan they did a year ago. Revlon boughtElizabeth Arden in September, and sales forthat business were about the same as theyhad been a year ago. The stock had its worstday since 2008 as it gave up $5.95, or 23.6 per-cent, to $19.30.

Biotech drug companies slipped. Biogendropped $6.45, or 2.4 percent, to $262.15 andIncyte sank $2.69, or 2.1 percent, to $122.41.Celgene fell $2.05, or 1.6 percent, also closing at$122.41. Bond prices held steady. The yield onthe 10-year Treasury note remained 2.35 per-cent. High-dividend stocks did fairly well.Telecommunications companies recoveredfrom a hard loss the day before, and utility com-panies also rose. Banks traded lower. — AP

After jobs report, a late push takes stocks to new records

NEW YORK: Trader James Riley works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange onFriday.—AP

Boursa Kuwait equities remain mixed

WALL STREET WEEKLY MARKET REPORT

SUNDAY, MAY 7, 2017

B U S I N E S S

By Faten Omar

In 2016, banks in Kuwait focused effortson modernizing infrastructure andbuilding capabilities, especially in the

digital space to position themselves for thefuture. In an exclusive interview withKuwait Times, Dimitrios Kokosioulis,Deputy CEO, Head Operations and ITGroup of National Bank of Kuwait discuss-es the bank’s strategic vision and theimportance of the digital transformationshaping the global banking industry as awhole.

Kuwait Times: What is NBK’s marketshare in the banking technology sector?

Dimitrios Kokosioulis: NBK is one ofthe largest banks in the region. We aremaking investments in digital channels,especially in mobile banking, where cur-rently close to 30 percent of the total dailyfinancial and non-financial transactions(approximately this is equivalent to 1 mil-lion transactions out of the three milliontransactions we process daily through allour channels) are performed through ourrevamped mobile banking channel. Wewant to make sure that gradually we willprovide all the services that our customersneed on the mobile, as our goal is to buildupon the “bank in a wallet” concept.

Also, we are investing and spendingtime and effort in protecting our cus-tomers’ data confidentiality by beefingup our cyber security and anti-malwaredefense mechanisms. We do this byensuring that the bank remains up tospeed with the latest developments andtrends including mobile device manage-ment, identity management and dataclassification among other things. We arecertified with the global PCI DSS 3.1accreditation and are working closelywith the Central Bank of Kuwait and theKBA to develop a framework and theproper governance surrounding cybersecurity in the banking sector.

KT: What are the banking services thatrely on technology where NBK excels?What are the innovative services in thisarea that will be presented by NBK in 2017?

Kokosioulis: NBK is investing in inno-vation and digitalization. As such we areupgrading our mobile banking applica-tion, where we recently launched arevamped application and introduced bio-metrics through touch ID on the NBKMobile Banking App. We are also addingnew services on the mobile applicationand by end of 2017, much more featureswill be delivered to our customers.Innovation at any cost without tangiblebenefits to the customer is not our maindriver. We want to introduce new innova-tive services and products and invest innew technologies that will add conven-ience to our customers and add value toour product offering and service rendered.

We also recently launched anInteractive Teller Machine (ITM) at ourAvenues Mall branch. This service enablescustomers to talk directly to an NBK Agentto assist with financial services such ascash withdrawal, cash deposit, check

deposit, transfers and audio and videoconferencing.

ATM locationsNBK also added ATMs at convenient

locations across the country to make bank-ing more convenient and easier for our cus-tomers. Another significant innovation werecently launched was contactless cards,NBK Tap & Pay Service, where NBK Cardsare enabled with a new technology whichallows for contactless transactions, makingpaying for your shopping faster and easier.We are the largest acquirer in Kuwait withthe largest number of NFC enabled POSmachines and we work together with allstakeholders to increase awareness on theusage of contactless cards with our mer-chants and card holders.

Also we have given customers the abili-

ty to retrieve their credit card PIN throughonline banking (WOL) and the option tochange their ATM pin through our ATMsrather than visiting a branch. PIN WEB is aninnovative solution and we were the firstbank to introduce it with First Data in theentire EMEA region.

Last but not least, we are working withthe Central Bank of Kuwait on the NFCwearables product and hopefully once weget the relevant approval, we will be ableto introduce wearables in the market usingthe contactless prepaid card technology.

Smartphone appsKT: Transactions via smartphone apps

have risen dramatically in recent years.How many transactions did NBK customersmake in 2016 through smartphones?

Kokosioulis: We process nearly threemillion financial and non-financial transac-tions per day through all our channels, or90 million per month, or close to 1 billiontransactions per annum. Transactions viasmartphones account for 30 percent of thetotal transactions and the number is grow-ing every month.

This is why NBK works actively and dili-gently to beef up our cyber securitydefense mechanisms. We see the evolutionof banking relying more on a digital arenaand we want to ensure that our customersare enjoying safe and secure digital plat-forms.

KT: What is the importance of electron-ic banking services in enhancing the NBKbrand, locally and internationally?

Kokosioulis: Because we are a globalbank, we want to make sure that the useof online services to reach our clients’needs not only in Kuwait but also aboard.We are in a position to offer a wide array ofinternational banking products and servic-

es at our branches at key world financialcenters, facilitating easy and reliable accessto overseas financial markets.Furthermore, as part of our digitalizationinitiative we are upgrading our onlinebanking platform for several of our keyinternational locations and we are alsoadding mobile banking capabilities aswell. We recently opened a full-scalebranch in Shanghai, China making us thefirst GCC bank to accomplish this.

3D SecuritySecurity on electronic transactions is

critical for our clients. Awareness is a keyelement in ensuring that both our cus-tomers and staff remain vigilant on fraudu-lent activities and are always on alert. Tothis extent, we have launched awareness

campaigns and we are coordinating withthe CBK and the KBA to ensure that cus-tomers are alert and vigilant.

KT: How does NBK address the issue ofsecurity and technology, especially when

international hacker groups now seem tobe targeting banks in the region?

Kokosioulis: We use the latest securetechnology to monitor our databases andour systems to ensure they remainsecure. We are cooperating with globalpartners to apply global security bestpractices initiatives where security is onthe top of our priority list. We neverlaunch a service unless the informationsecurity team has thoroughly tested it.For example on our ATMs we haveupgraded our operating platform andinstalled anti-malware software thusenhancing the security of our networksignificantly.

KT: In view of activating 3D securetechnology, how do you see customersinteracting with it? Are there fears of safe-ty on this service?

Kokosioulis: National Bank of Kuwaitwas the first bank in Kuwait and the MiddleEast to launch NBK Secure Online Shopping

Service through 3D secure technology fordebit card e-commerce transactions inter-nationally. This new service provides thehighest level of credit and debit card pro-tection for its customers against unautho-rized usage when shopping online. Wewant to make sure that our customers’Internet purchases are as secure as possible.NBK Secure Shopping adds anotherauthentication step for online payments. Itis a free, quick, simple and secure paymentprocess that works by using a passcode.

Secure Shopping is based on a threedomain model named 3D secure service.The 3D secure service adds an additionallevel of authentication by confirming cus-tomer identity with a dedicated 3D pass-code that makes Internet shopping moresecure.

KT: Customers are always complain-ing about the failure of the ATMs, espe-cially during the holidays. How does NBKrespond to this?

Kokosioulis: We have the largest ATMnetwork in Kuwait with more than 280

ATMs and CDMs plus the Interactive TellerMachines. Recently we also launchedmulti-currency ATMs where not only NBKbut other bank customers can visit andwithdraw foreign currency. On an aver-age, we have close to two million transac-tions per month through our extensiveATM network, with usage heaviest duringthe period when salaries are transferred.

Despite the adverse weather condi-

tions, we have managed to improve theoverall ATM availability to more than 98percent which ranks us among the bestbanks not only in Kuwait but in theregion. Our customers have access to fullservices 24/7. We also launched multi-currency ATMs at the airport at differentlocations. NBK scores among the top inthe country when it comes to customersatisfaction regarding ATMs. We are alsoadding more features to ATMs that wewill implement over the next months.

KT: As part of its efforts to keep upwith digital developments, what are theprojects currently being implemented bythe bank?

Kokosioulis: NBK signed an agree-ment with the Kuwait Clearing Company(KCC) to enable the electronic transfers ofdividend payments and trading proceedsto NBK shareholders. We were the firstbank to do this and in the last two yearsthis service was made available to all ourshareholders providing them with a con-venient way to collect their dividends. Wehave also signed an MOU with PACI to uti-lize the digital signature feature on thecivil ID. We have on board all our SMEclients on the state-of-the-art SalaryPortal application where a client canupload a salary file from the convenienceof his premises rather than to visit thebank. Also we are on boarding corporateclients on our Client Trade portal whereclients can upload documents electroni-cally to process trade finance relatedtransactions from their offices. Recentlywe also made available on our onlinebanking application (Watani On Line) theoption to our customers to open fixedand variable Time Deposits as well as toupdate their customer informationonline. We are also working on an e-wal-let solution, and NFC wearables alongother things. Last but not least the bank isalso investing in a new state-of-the-artData Center which was certified by theUptime Institute as Tier III which is rankedhighest among all banks in Kuwait. Thenew Data Center will be utilizing the lat-est systems and technologies and will beoperational by end of 2018.

ReformsKT: What do you think are the major

external and internal challenges thatbanks in Kuwait and NBK in particular willhave to address in the near future?

Kokosioulis: The GCC region is alsoentering into a major economic transfor-mation. The reduction in oil prices has

pushed governments to initiate reformsand this has an impact on the bankingindustry as well. We are seeing consolida-tion and M&A activity taking place in oth-er countries in the region. In the UAE,NBAD and First Gulf Bank merged andalso in the KSA mergers among banks isstarting to be a reality. For us, our aim isto grow organically in key markets out-side Kuwait where we have presencemainly in Egypt and the KSA. Anotherchallenge the banks face today is thegrowing trend of FinTechs andblockchain. Nonbanking entities are com-peting with traditional banks on servicesand products and this is a growing chal-lenge that the banks will have to address.NBK is closely monitoring this trend andwe are examining various ways of posi-tioning ourselves in this space.

KT: What is the role of Operations andTechnology and how do you contributeto the bank’s strategy and success?

Kokosioulis: At NBK, GroupOperations & Technology was formedrecently with the combination of opera-tions and IT under one roof as per globalbest practice. The group is the backboneof the bank ensuring that we provide toour customers top-notch quality of serv-ice and after sales support. We constantlystrive to improve and benchmark our-selves both internally and externally.Group O&T underwent a major restruc-turing and change management initia-tive as it is critical in today’s competitiveenvironment. Our efficiency hasimproved through a cost containmentinitiative we launched as a result of ven-dor renegotiations and internal restruc-turing without compromising quality.With HR, we have been actively embed-ding the “I AM NBK” principles along withthe OASIS values (Ownership,Automation, Service, Initiative and SpendClever) to all our employees in the group.We have also increased our Kuwaitizationprogram rate significantly. I am happy tosay that as per our succession plan for allthe critical leadership positions withinGroup Operations & IT, we have identi-fied good and talented Kuwaitis. Also,the NBK Academy is a pool we use to getgood talent within the group. In summa-ry, Group O&IT is playing an integral rolein ensuring that the bank is growingthrough the execution of our strategicpillars that are reflected through costcontainment, quality of service rendered,risk and controls, innovation, efficiencyand people.

NBK’s strategic vision, digital innovation transforming global banking industry

Bank launches 3D secure technology, builds on ‘bank in a wallet’ concept

Dimitrios Kokosioulis, Deputy CEO, Head Operations and IT Group of National Bank of Kuwait, speaksduring the interview. —Photo by Joseph Shagra

NBK is investing in innovation and digitalization.As such we are upgrading our mobile banking

application, where we recently launched arevamped application and introduced biometricsthrough touch ID on the NBK Mobile Banking App

NBK’S new building

Exclusive interview

b u s i n e s sSUNDAY, MAY 7, 2017

KUWAIT: Kuwait Finance House (KFH)has launched promotion campaign onSafe Deposit Boxes dedicated for storingand safeguarding important documents,jewelry and other important and valu-able items. This service is available at 25branches for men and women. This serv-ice addresses the aspiration of a hugesegment of clients who would like tospend their summer vacation outsideKuwait as it serves in protecting valuablebelongings by keeping them in state-of-the-art security safe boxes.

Khaled Alsubaiei, Deputy GeneralManager Sales and Distribution, said thatKFH provides exclusive offers to its cus-tomer segments Nukhba and Ruwwadwhere they can rent them for free for thefirst year, and they can avail 50 percent

and 25 percent respectively in the follow-ing years. Rubban and Sundus customersegments enjoy 50 percent discount.Tamayyuz customers are offered thisservice free of charge for a year as part of

the wide range offers granted to this seg-ment. He added that the Safe DepositBoxes are private and secure. They are ful-ly fire protected to safeguard clients’important possessions. KFH offers safedeposit boxes in three sizes: small, medi-um and large, which can be rented for ashort period or a long depending on cus-tomers’ need. The Safe Deposit Boxescome in separate places for men andwomen. They have surveillance and secu-rity on a permanent basis.

This service is available in the follow-ing branches: the Headquarters branch,Jahra, Fahaheel, Khaitan, Huttein, SabahAl-Nasser, Andalus, Mubarak Al-Kabeer,Khalidiya, Fahd Al-Ahmad, Salmiya,Shaab, Ardiya, Bayan, Rehab, Keifan,Subahiya, Faiha, Rowda, Ghernata, Dhahr,

Zahraa, Saad Al-Abdullah, Yarmouk andNuzha.

Concerning the terms and require-ments of renting those Safe DepositBoxes, client needs to have only Bankaccount at KFH and the civil ID. KFH wasestablished in Kuwait in 1977 and isenlisted in the Kuwait Stock Exchange.KFH Group is a global pioneer in the fieldof Islamic banking services, where itoffers a wide array of Islamic productsand services, not to mention a high stan-dard of innovation and client service.

KFH manages its operations in theGCC, Asia, and Europe through over 480branches, including KFH-Turkey, in orderto offer services for the bank’s clients inTurkey, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain,Germany, Jordan, and Dubai.

KFH’s mission is to achieve highest lev-els of excellence and innovation in thefield of client service, while developingcommon interest for all those concernedwith the financial institution. KFH’s visionis to spearhead the global developmentin Islamic financial services, and toupgrade the bank into the level ofbecoming the most sustainable prof-itable Islamic bank in the world.

KFH’s values include cementing lead-ership through all its businesses, includ-ing leadership in the Islamic bankingservices worldwide, through innovationand in client service and the develop-ment of its employees. In addition, KFH iscommitted to all its procedures, and tosetting up long-life partnerships with theconcerned authorities.

ABU DHABI: Ahmed Al-Qubaisi, who currentlyholds the position of Vice President Aero Politicaland Industry Affairs, will be promoted to SeniorVice President and take on responsibility forInternational Affairs and for EnvironmentalAffairs. Ahmed joined Etihad Airways in 2015 asVice President Alliances and Partnerships, beforebeing promoted to his current role in 2016.

Hareb Al-Muhairy is to become Senior VicePresident, UAE and GCC Sales, responsible fordriving sales revenues in the airline’s priority mar-kets. He moves from his current position inCorporate and International Affairs. Amina Taherhas been promoted to Vice President, CorporateAffairs, and will be responsible for leading corpo-rate communications strategy for Etihad AviationGroup (EAG). With this promotion, she becomesone of the group’s most senior female executives.

Finally, responsibility for the airline’s corporatesocial responsibility strategy will be moved under

Dr. Nadia Bastaki, Vice President Medical Services.Dr. Nadia joined the Medical Centre at EtihadAirways in 2007 and is a leading Aviation Medicalspecialist in the region. Under her leadership theEtihad Medical Centre has become adopted bythe industry as best-in-class and the addition ofcorporate social responsibility is a natural exten-sion of her Medical and Wellbeing portfolio.

Mohamed Mubarak Fadhel Al-Mazrouei,Chairman of the Board of the Etihad AviationGroup, said: “Our business is committed to devel-oping career opportunities for advancing UAEnationals. These four highly-talented leaders have

all seized those opportunities to develop careersas senior executives within one of the UAE’slargest businesses.”

These new executive roles come two weeksafter Etihad Airways’ team at Abu DhabiInternational Airport welcomed 157 talentedEmirati nationals from across the UAE, after theygraduated from the Etihad UAE NationalDevelopment Foundation Program.

Etihad Aviation Group employs more than3,000 Emiratis and runs more than 20 programsto attract, train and develop UAE nationals inareas such as engineering, flight operations,management and at the all-female Al-AinContact Centre.

Prior to joining Etihad Airways, Ahmed Al-Qubaisi spent six years at the Department ofTransport, as Director International andGovernment Affairs, responsible for protectingand enhancing the aero-political interests of Abu

Dhabi. His aviation career also includes threeyears with Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC)as Head of Capacity and Operations Planning andas project coordinator at SCADIA. Since joining in2015, Qubaisi has performed a critical role inEtihad Airways’ international aviation regulatoryaffairs arena at a time when the industry is experi-encing increasingly complex and challengingcompetition and regulation.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciencefrom Portland State University in the UnitedStates. Hareb Al-Muhairy’s career at Etihad Airwayshas spanned both the Commercial and Corporate

Affairs portfolios, holding the role of VicePresident Sales UAE before moving to overseeCorporate and International Affairs in 2015. Hepreviously held the position of Vice PresidentCorporate Communications between 2009 and2010. Al-Muhairy joined Etihad Airways in 2004having studied political science and managementat the UAE University in Al-Ain. He also holds aMaster Degree in Strategic and Security Studiesgained in 2015 from the National Defense College.

Amina Taher joined Etihad Airways’ CorporateAffairs department as Head of CorporateCommunications in January 2014, from theMubadala Development Company (MDC) whereshe held the position of Head of SocialDevelopment and Sponsorship. An experiencedmedia professional, Ms. Taher has hosted a num-ber of Etihad Airways’ global media conferencesand more recently has been focused on providingcorporate communications strategic and cam-paign support to the Etihad Airways executiveleadership.

Taher holds both a Masters of BusinessAdministration (MBA) from the London BusinessSchool and a Masters in Public Administrationfrom Harvard University gained in 2015. Sheachieved a Bachelor’s degree in Applied MediaStudies with honours from the Higher Colleges ofTechnology, Dubai.

Dr Nadia Bastaki has made significant achieve-ments during her decade with Etihad Airways.She was the first female aviation medicine spe-cialist in the UAE appointed by the Abu Dhabihealth authority and was also the first GCAAinstructor and Medical Review Officer (MRO) forthe region appointed by the GCAA.

Under her leadership, the Medical Centre hasreceived a number of awards, as well as recogni-tion by the GCAA and both the FAA and CASA(American and Australian aviation authorities). Dr.Nadia herself has won several awards for her lead-ership role. Dr. Nadia holds a Master degree inOccupational Medicine from ManchesterUniversity and a post graduate degree in aviationmedicine from Kings College London. She recent-ly completed a women’s director program run bythe Institute of Directors and Hawkamah. Thesenew appointments take effect immediately.

Khaled Alsubaiei

KFH offers and discounts on safe deposit boxes lease

Service available at 25 branches, separate places for ladies

New roles for senior UAE

nationals at Etihad Group

Ahmed Al-Qubaisi Amina Taher Dr Nadia Bastaki Hareb Al-Muhairy

KUWAIT: Burgan Bank recently intro-duced 3D-Secure services for its credit,debit and prepaid cardholders as part ofthe bank’s efforts to provide a safer andmore seamless online shopping experi-ence. 3D-Secure is a security protocolwhich acts as an additional security layerfor online credit and debit card transac-tions. With the provision of secure ecom-merce transactions, customers are moreprotected from online financial crime andfraud risks.

Available for both MasterCard andVISA cards for online transactions, the3D-Secure transactions are performedwith the use of an additional securityfeature which requires authorisationwith the registered password. The basicconcept of the protocol is to tie thefinancial authorization process with anonline authentication and is available onwebsites protected by “MasterCardSecureCode” and “Verified by VISA” secu-rity systems. The protective featureenables the bank to authenticate notonly the card but also the cardholderduring payment of internet purchasesthus protecting their online transactionsagainst theft and illegal use of cards.

Raed Al-Haqhaq, Deputy ChiefExecutive Officer - Kuwait commented:“With the growing number of onlinemerchants both locally and internation-

ally alongside rising online consumershopping rates, the need for providing asolid fortress of online security rises inparallel.”

“As we notice higher incidents ofworld-wide online financial crime, theft,and fraud, we acknowledge our responsi-bility, as a leading regional financial insti-tution, to provide only the best standardsof solutions to our customers, especiallyin terms of security without jeopardizingtheir banking experience. In this respect,Burgan Bank consistently seeks to devel-op its products and services to alignthem with its own standards and to thoseof the local and international bankingindustry.” Mr. Al-Haqhaq added.

Burgan Bank customers would need tosign in their credentials for 3D-Secure ateach online transaction; he/she would berequired to enter their 3D Secure pass-word to complete the transactionprocess. The new value-added service byBurgan Bank is an extension of thebrand’s mission to reiterate its commit-ment to its consumers and to proactivelymeet the needs of an ever-changing mar-ket in terms of security, technology, andfinancial solutions. It is also yet anotherclear indication of the bank’s strong posi-tion and its commitment to being a pro-gressive leader in the regional financialindustry.

Burgan Bank launches 3D-Secure

Services for its card-holders

KUWAIT: Gulf Bank will be holding itsfirst quarterly Salary Account Drawtomorrow, Monday 8 May, 2017, liveon 88.8 FM ‘Rabaa Al-Diwaniya’ toannounce the lucky winner of its KD25,000 cash prize. The draw is sched-uled to take place, in the presence of arepresentative from the Ministry ofCommerce and Industry.

The newly launched offer is tai-lored for Kuwaiti customers, andallows them to benefit from a numberof unique offers by transferring theirsalaries to Gulf Bank. The new salaryaccount offer gives new customersthe opportunity to either receive a KD100 cash gift upon transferring theirsalaries to Gulf Bank or an interest freeloan. Customers must have a mini-mum salary of KD 500 and are fully eli-gible for the offer following their firstsalary transfer to Gulf Bank.

Customers can also enjoy a oneyear free of charge Visa or MasterCardcredit card, as well as a chance toapply for loan up to KD 70,000, or aconsumer loan up to KD 15,000.Existing and new customers whotransfer their salaries to Gulf Bank areautomatically enrolled in the quarter-ly draws and have the chance to winvaluable cash prizes, including threequarterly prizes of KD 25,000, in addi-tion to Kuwait’s largest salary prize ofKD 250,000 in the last draw.

The draw dates are scheduled asfollows:

• 7 August 2017 for the prize of KD25,000

• 6 November 2017 for the prize ofKD 25,000

• 8 February 2018 for the grandprize of KD 250,000

Gulf Bank’s salary account draw

to take place live on 88.8FM’s

‘Rabaa Al-Diwaniya’ show

KUWAIT: When you buy a car,most manufacturers promise a cer-tain number of kilometres or yearsof service before warranties expire.We’ve come to accept it as stan-dard practice, and come to termswith the fact that after a year ortwo, the onus is on ourselves tomake sure the vehicle is in tip-topshape, and bear the brunt of anyrepairs required.

There is another way, however,and it’s a way offered to all newFord owners who may be unawareof the unspoken benefits; the FordExtended Service Plan (ESP).

Uniquely, ESP is a service andmaintenance contract 100 percent backed by the Ford MotorCompany, something that no oth-er automotive manufactureroffers, and guarantees repairs aremade with genuine Ford parts byfactory-trained and certified tech-nicians. Coverage is even 100 percent transferrable, which mayincrease the resale value of yourcar. In essence, Ford’s comprehen-sive Extended Service Plan takesthe anxieties out of vehicle owner-ship by providing peace of mindas it covers a spectrum of manu-facturer-recommended mainte-nance services, including normalwear items.

It ’s comforting to know thatyour new Ford is well protected.And when you buy a new Ford inKuwait, it comes standard with afive-year/100,000 kilometres FordWarranty. Sometimes you’d like alittle extra peace of mind, though,wanting to protect yourself fromunexpected vehicle repair costs;that’s where ESP comes in, withmore than 1,000 components andassociated labour covered underthe PremiumCare plan.

Having been referred to as ESPsince the mid-’Seventies, Ford’saftersales maintenance packageswere recently rebranded as FordProtect to better describe the all-

encompassing nature of offerings tocustomers. And every customer isdifferent; some may work their pow-ertrain harder than others, somemay push the limits of mechanicalproducts and decide to play it safewith an extended premium carepackage - good for eight years or300,000 kilometres depending onthe package selected.

In the Middle East, PremiumMaintenance is the best seller.That covers all recommended andrequired maintenances. That ’severything in the book! In com-parison to some of Ford’s biggestcompetitors in certain segments -who offer little more than twoyears of oil changes - you can’tget better.

For instance, if you buy a big

Expedition with heated and cooledseats, underneath that seat, there’sa filter that has to be changedevery 60,000 kilometres (before itstarts to biodegrade); Ford coversthat. Anything from a big filter to alittle filter, to an oil filter or oilchange, to a tyre rotation - whatev-er’s in your maintenance schedulethat is required to be replaced. Itmight start with a tyre rotation at10,000 km, a pollen filter at 30,000km; and end at 160,000 km withyour automatic transmission fluid.It’s all covered by Ford Protect.

On top of that, Ford offers wearcoverage on parts through its FordProtect Premium Maintenanceplans. Wear items are those thateffectively wear out, like brakes -which aren’t covered by the factory

after the first year - clutch, shockabsorbers, belts and hoses, sparkplugs, and windshield wiper blades(which can get torn or melt).

“Most service contracts on themarket from other original equip-ment manufacturers (OEMs) arebacked by a third-party insurancecompany, which means the cover-age isn’t an exact mirror of the fac-tory,” said Evan Hubenka, BusinessManager of Ford Protect, FordMiddle East and Africa “But when acustomer is registered into Ford’ssystem, they get factory-like cover-age for the term they have selected.”

Hubenka continued: “What’seven more unique about FordProtect is that the contract is socomplete, it lists only what’s notactually covered - which makes formuch lighter reading. If it’s not onthat list, it’s a covered component.So it’s an exclusionary contract,which is one of the only onesyou’re likely to see on the market.There’s no deductible, like you’dfind with many competitors.”

When time is money, a vehicle’snecessary repairs for general wearand tear can be costly, and it ’soften something customers over-look when purchasing lesser-qual-ity built products from other man-ufacturers.

Additionally, Ford will give acustomer a rental vehicle for up to10 days (per repair) during therepair of the vehicle, when it’s heldovernight or the vehicle is inopera-ble. And that’s per repair, not forover the course of the coverage.So, if a customer has 10 repairs, hecould have 100 days of rental.That’s the Premium Care package.

Maintenance can be expensiveto do in the Middle East, there’s nodoubt about it, which is why FordProtect’s Premium Maintenancepackage is such a great seller. Andonce customers can see thosekind of savings, it becomes impos-sible to ignore.

Ford champions peace of mind and

all-encompassing product protection

t e c h n o l o g ySUNDAY, MAY 7, 2017

BEIJING: Chinese internet giant Tencent said yes-terday its messaging app WeChat had beenblocked in Russia, adding it was in touch withauthorities to resolve the issue. WeChat, known asWeixin in China, is the world’s most popular mes-saging service, with 889 million global users bythe end of 2016. As well as messaging, it alsooffers payment, ride-hailing and other services,and Tencent has ambitions to spread the appbeyond China. I t is unclear how many usersWeChat has in Russia.

“We’re experiencing a block and we’re deeply

sorry,” a Tencent official said on a companymicroblog. “Russian regulations say online serviceproviders have to register with the government butWeChat doesn’t have the same understanding (ofthe rules),” the official added. A spokesman forRussia’s telecoms watchdog Roskomnadzor saidthe messaging service “did not provide its contactinformation for the register of information distribu-tion organizations.”

“We are sending letters to iTunes and GooglePlay to block the app. We await a reaction. If it doesnot follow, access to the messenger will be limited

through telecom providers,” Vadim Ampelonskytold state-run RIA Novosti Friday. Earlier in theweek, Roskomnadzor placed Blackberry Messengerand Line on its list of banned services for the samereasons, RIA reported.

A law passed in 2014 requires foreign messag-ing services, search engines and social networkingsites to store the personal data of Russian usersinside Russia. Sites that breach the law are addedto a blacklist and internet providers are obliged toblock access. The law prompted criticism frominternet companies but entered into force in

September 2015, with professional networking siteLinkedIn blocked after it was found to have brokenthe law. China also has strict internet regulations.

Communist authorities censor online contentthey deem politically sensitive, while blockingsome Western websites and the services of internetgiants including Facebook, Twitter and Google witha vast control network dubbed the Great Firewall ofChina. Tencent became China’s most valuable firmin September, beating state-owned telecom behe-moth China Mobile and nearly reaching half ofApple’s valuation. — AFP

China’s WeChat blocked in Russia

SAN FRANCISCO: A California school districtsuspended a high school student after racistimages that included nooses drawn around thenecks of a black student and coach appeared onhis social media site. But a federal lawsuit saysthe district went too far when it also disciplinedstudents who indicated they “liked” the posts onthe Instagram account. The suit - filed Mondayin San Francisco on behalf of four students-accuses the Albany Unified School District ofviolating students’ free speech rights and saysthe district did not have the authority to sus-pend the students because the offensive postswere on a private account that had no connec-tion with any official school activity or schoolaccount.

“This to me is no different than having a pri-vate drawing book and making some offensivedrawings at home and sharing them with a cou-ple of friends,” said Alan Beck, an attorney forfour students who “liked” or commented on theoffensive Instagram account. “Does the schoolhave the right to ruin my life over something Iwas doing at my house?”

Free speechLegal experts say the lawsuit will present

federal courts with another opportunity todecide how strictly schools can regulate studentspeech. And it raises thorny questions aboutwhether “likes” on social media should be treat-ed similarly to the original posts. “‘Likes’ areambiguous in that they could be saying, ‘This isfunny,’ ‘I agree with it,’ or ‘I don’t agree, but Iwant to stand up for your right to say it,’” said

Eugene Volokh, who teaches free speech law atthe University of California, Los Angeles.

The racist posts on an Instagram account of astudent at Albany High School surfaced inMarch, leading to protests by students and par-ents. Albany is an affluent community adjacentto Berkeley, a city that prides itself on its liberal-ism and political correctness. The posts alsoincluded a photo of a black person next to anape and jokes about students’ weight and looks.Superintendent Valerie Williams said in a state-ment that the district is reviewing the lawsuit,but it intends to take “appropriate action inresponding to it.”

“The district takes great care to ensure thatour students feel safe at school, and we arecommitted to providing an inclusive andrespectful learning environment for all of ourstudents,” she said. The student who owned theaccount is also facing expulsion, according tohis attorney, Cate Beekman. She declined toprovide his name. He has not filed a lawsuit. Thelawsuit filed Monday represents four otherAlbany High School students - three of themAsian, who say they were suspended after orcommenting on the Instagram account or indi-cating they “liked” a post.

Public shaming session One of the students said “yep” to another

comment, according to the lawsuit. Anotherstudent commented that the account “is onlytargeting black people.” The other two students“liked” a few of the images posted on theaccount. The lawsuit claims the district brought

suspended students before the student body ata “public shaming” session during which theywere cursed and jeered. At a meeting later thesame day, two suspended students were injuredby an angry protester, according to the suit. Thefour students seek unspecified damages and acourt order removing the suspensions fromtheir records.

Schools have broad authority under federallaw to limit speech at school that they considerdisruptive, according to First Amendment schol-ars. But courts have disagreed about whetherschools can punish students for off-campusspeech that causes disruptions at school - amore likely scenario these days with the reach ofsocial media, said Aaron Caplan, a professor atLoyola Law School in Los Angeles. “In my ownview, students are entitled to speak just likeeveryone else when they are off campus,” Caplansaid. “The school should not say, ‘You engaged infree speech over the weekend on your own time,but we will punish you because your speech hasripple effects that we don’t like”.

Volokh said California does not give schoolsextra authority to limit speech on campus, sothe students in this case could prevail understate law. The school district, however, mightargue that the nooses were threats, and thatspeech wouldn’t be protected, he said. But eventhen, ‘likes’ are too ambiguous to be treated asthreats themselves, he said. Darryl Yorkey, anoth-er attorney for the four students, agreed. “Peopleof this age click “like” to pretty much everything,and they’ll respond in grunts and single syllablesto pretty much anything,” he said. — AP

KUWAIT: The traditional telecomsindustry is going through massive dis-ruption. Traditional revenue streams forcommunication service providers (CSPs)are on a decline, while stagnant regula-tions threaten market nimbleness.

While the telecoms industry is facingincreasing pressure on traditional rev-enue sources from competitors, regula-tion and digital disruptors, CSPs are nowfinding themselves at the centre of con-nected ecosystem that will increasinglybe at the core of all the products andservices we use. This provides greaterand more diverse opportunities than thetelecoms industry has every faced before- if they are able to harness it.

“It is very difficult to compete withfree, but it is possible to remain competi-tive despite this challenge. To do this,CSPs are looking to new platforms thatwill enable them to leverage theirunique position to generate revenuestreams”, says Dan Faulkner, SVP,Communications Service ProviderBusiness, Nuance Communications.

“To make matters worse, global digi-tal platforms - including Facebook,Google, Apple, and Amazon - are enter-

ing the core telecommunication marketwith innovative business models andtechnologies, leaving many CSPs to won-der if they can keep up or if they will bedisplaced. Digital natives are monetizingconsumers’ data and selling advertisingspace in order to provide services tousers that are generally free,” addedFaulkner.

At the heart of the IoTCSPs are uniquely positioned at the

front and centre of today’s evolving con-nected ecosystem - powering the datathat gives mobile devices, services andthe Internet of Things (IoT) access to con-tent and connectivity, while also oftenproviding direct access to content andservices for the smart home. “One waythat CSPs can take advantage of thisunique position is by continuously ana-lyzing offer conversion rates, subscriberprofiles, content usage, and networkactivity, in order to more accurately cre-ate and place offers that are tailored andrelevant to each subscriber.UsingArtificial Intelligence (AI) and behavioraldata, CSPs can ensure that they presentthe right offer at the right time using theright channel for each subscriber. Thishelps CSPs connect subscribers with the

most relevant and valuable services,”added Faulkner.

The art of upsellingUndoubtedly, the primary benefit for

many CSPs is the opportunity to gener-ate additional revenue, as AI can helpCSPs connect subscribers with the serv-ices that they want most. Beyondupselling, the right offer at the right timecan also increase customer satisfactionbecause subscribers get what they want.For example, using AI to help consumersfind the video content that like will notonly increase video on demand purchas-es, but also reduce churn and generallyincrease the time on the device - all ofwhich drives more revenue to the CSP.

“Upselling is a fine art - the wrongoffer at the wrong time is spam. Forinstance, offering someone with a pre-paid subscription, which includes a fixedamount of high-speed data, who has runout of data a few days before the end ofthe month the opportunity to buy asmall amount of data (which happens tobe the right amount to get themthrough those next few days based onyour usage profile) at a good price wouldbe a valuable to the consumer. A weeklater, it is useless and just spam,” addedFaulkner.

Driving new revenueFor CSPs looking to take advantage of

subscriber intelligence to generate newrevenue streams, there are three modelsthat should be consider to reflect the dif-ferent types of customers. For sub-scribers with a post-paid account, CSPsneed to target them with content andservices that encourage them to usetheir high speed data services. This way,when they are running low on data theymay appreciate a personalized data packtailored to your usage. Alternatively, theymay upgrade their account.

“For prepaid subscribers that are run-ning low on credit, CSPs should offerincentives to top up at that moment. Forexample, when a consumer that has lowbalance but tries to browse, the CSP canincentivize that customer to top up bysaying “you’re going to run out of datasoon, if you top up now by US$2 thenyou will get free data for the rest of theday,” added Faulkner.

“CSPs should also look to offer sub-scribers targeted content to upsell. Forexample, for someone who frequentlydownloads health and fitness apps, aCSP could offer on a subscription tohealth and wellbeing articles, such as “ifyou do, it’s 99p a week and if you sign upnow then the first week is free now,”added Faulkner.

“No matter what the approach, sub-scriber intelligence and machine learn-ing is enabling CSPs to create newavenues of revenue in an increasinglycompetitive market. As the way thatusers consume both content and dataevolves, CSPs must adapt and drawnupon the historic data of their cus-tomers to our effectively monetize theirservices,” concluded Faulkner.

‘Subscriber and ArtificialIntelligence’ can boost

Kuwait operator revenues

Students sue over suspensions for ‘likes’ on racist FB posts

ALBANY: In this March 26, 2017 photo, people attend a rally for the Albany for All to support unity and inclusiveness in response to racist andoffensive posted on social media, at Albany High School. — AP

Dan Faulkner - Nuance

DETROIT: The Justice Department is prob-ing allegations that Uber used phony soft-ware to thwart city officials looking atwhether the ride-hailing company was fol-lowing local regulations. The city ofPortland, Oregon, said in an April auditreport that it was notified of the federalinquiry by the US Attorney’s Office in SanFrancisco. Portland says it is cooperating.Uber and the US Attorney’s Office bothdeclined to comment. Reuters and othernews outlets have reported that the investi-gation is a criminal probe currently before agrand jury.

Greyballing the overseersUber’s software - nicknamed “Greyball” -

identified regulators who posed as riderswhile trying to collect evidence that Uber’sservice was breaking taxi laws. Uberallegedly served up a fake version of its appto make it appear the undercover regula-tors were summoning a car, only to havethe ride canceled.

Portland officials began investigatingUber after the New York Times disclosed theexistence of Greyball in March. “The city ofPortland was notified by the United StatesAttorney of the Northern District ofCalifornia that Uber is the subject of a feder-al inquiry,” the audit report stated. In theaudit report, the Portland Bureau of

Transportation found that Uber tagged 17rider accounts with Greyball, 16 of whichwere government officials. Uber used thesoftware to “intentionally evade” city trans-portation officers between Dec. 5 and Dec.19, 2014, the report said.

The company pulled out of Portland onDec. 21, 2014, but returned late in April of2015. After that, the audit found no evi-dence that Uber used Greyball, the reportstated. “Finding no evidence of the use ofGreyball or similar software tools after April2015 does not prove definitively that suchtools were not used. It is inherently difficultto prove a negative,” the report said.

Beyond portlandThe Justice Department probe apparent-

ly isn’t limited to Portland. A spokesman forthe Philadelphia Parking Authority con-firmed Friday that the agency had beencontacted by Justice officials who askedabout software that helped Uber evadeinspectors. “Other than that I can’t go intoany detail,” said the spokesman, MartinO’Rourke. The authority regulates taxicabsand ride-hailing services in the city in addi-tion to parking.

According to a December legal settle-ment with Uber, Philadelphia authoritieshad figured out that inspectors were beingblocked from Uber rides. Under one provi-

sion of that agreement, Uber was requiredto reinstate accounts associated with credit-card and telephone numbers the authoritybelieved were blocked “as a result of(Uber’s) enforcement activities,” a referenceto the Greyball system.

Uber said in an April 21 letter to the citythat its own investigation indicated thatGreyball was used “exceedingly sparingly”in Portland. The company said it removedall Greyball tags in Portland back in April2015 and has not used them since. Uberhas acknowledged it used Greyball to

counter regulators working with the com-pany’s opponents to entrap its drivers. Itwas part of a broader program called VTOS,shorthand for “violations of terms of serv-ice,” that Uber says it developed to protectits service. “ This program denies riderequests to fraudulent users who are violat-ing our terms of service - whether that’speople aiming to physically harm drivers,competitors looking to disrupt our opera-tions, or opponents who collude with offi-cials on secret ‘stings’ meant to entrap driv-ers,” Uber said. — AP

Feds probe Uber’s use of fake app to stymie city inspectors

Cassini probefinds void

betweenSaturn’s rings

WASHINGTON: The unmanned Cassini space-craft, after completing two passes in the vast,unexplored area between Saturn’s rings hasdiscovered not much else there, researchers atNASA said. Scientists have been surprised tofind that not all that much-not even spacedust-lies between Saturn’s iconic rings. “Theregion between the rings and Saturn is ‘the bigempty,’ apparently,” said Cassini ProjectManager Earl Maize of NASA’s Jet PropulsionLaboratory in Pasadena, California, after theprobe’s first pass.

The rings themselves are made of fast-mov-ing particles of ice and space debris. The 22-foot-tal l (6 .7 meter) Cassini spacecraf tlaunched in 1997 and began orbiting Saturn in2004. Cassini made a first pass to explore whatlies between the rings in late April and a sec-ond one on May 2, at a speed of about 77,000miles per hour relative to the planet. The gapbetween the rings and the top of Saturn’satmosphere is about 1,500 miles. Cassini isexpected to make a total of 22 dives betweenthe rings and the planet before making adeath plunge into the gas giant in September.Cassini is a 20-year-old joint mission of NASA,the European Space Agency and the ItalianSpace Agency. — AFPSAN FRANCISCO: This March 1, 2017, file photo shows an exterior view of the head-

quarters of Uber. — AP

HEALTH & SCIENCESUNDAY, MAY 7, 2017

PARIS: As UN negotiators meet in Bonn to thrash out rulesfor implementing the climate-rescue Paris Agreement, thestakes have never been higher. Following are some key cli-mate measures that illustrate the risks of global warming.

1.1 degrees In 2016, Earth’s average surface temperature hit a record

level for the third consecutive year since records began in1880. The global average temperature was about 1.1 degreeCelsius over pre-industrial levels, and about 0.06 C abovethe previous record set in 2015, according to the WorldMeteorological Organization (WMO). The 21st century hasalready seen 16 of the 17 hottest years on record. Arcticsummer sea ice shrank to 4.14 million square kilometers in2016 - the second-lowest after 2012 when it reached 3.39million km2. The Arctic Ocean could be ice free in summeras early as 2030. In parts of Arctic Russia, temperatureswere 6 C to 7 C higher than the long-term average. On theother extreme of the world, Antarctica, sea ice hit its lowestextent ever recorded by satellites at the end of summer.High-altitude glaciers, meanwhile, declined in surface areain 2015 for the 36th year in a row.

400 parts per million The atmospheric concentrations of the three most

potent greenhouse gases-carbon dioxide (CO2), methane

(CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) - all hit new highs in 2016.For the first time on record, in 2015, the amount of CO2 inthe atmosphere averaged 400 parts per million (ppm). Mostclimate scientists agree that greenhouse gas concentrationsin the atmosphere must be capped at 450 ppm of CO2equivalent (CO2e) for a fighting chance at limiting averageglobal warming to two degrees Celsius (3.6 degreesFahrenheit) over pre-industrial levels. This is the limitenshrined in the 2015 Paris Agreement. Fossil fuel-generat-ed greenhouse gas emissions are expected to haveremained stable in 2016 for the third consecutive year, evenas the global economy grew. But to stay on target for 2 C,they need to decline. Meanwhile, scientists are warning ofan unexplained rise of methane, which has a far morepotent warming effect than CO2, in the atmosphere.

70 millimetersSea level rise, caused when ice melts and warmer water

expands, continued and appeared to be accelerating,according to a recent report. The average ocean level was70 millimeters (2.75 inches) higher in 2015 than the 1993water mark, having risen as much as 30 percent faster in theten years to 2015 than in the previous decade. The pace islikely to pick up further as ice sheets and glaciers shedmass, threatening the homes and livelihoods of tens of mil-lions of people in low-lying areas around the world. — AFP

PARIS: For the first time since Donald Trump’sascent to the White House, UN negotiatorsgather next week to draft rules to take forwardthe climate-rescue Paris Agreement he hasthreatened to abandon. The mid-year round ofhaggling in Bonn is meant to begin work on acrucial rulebook for signatories of the pact. Butit risks being sidetracked by mounting uncer-tainty over the world’s number two carbon pol-luter, with Trump at its helm.

“This was supposed to be a highly technicaland uneventful meeting to flesh out some ofthe details in the Paris Agreement. But, obvious-ly, the speculation coming out of Washington isnow at the top of our minds,” the Maldives envi-ronment and energy minister, Thoriq Ibrahimsaid. He chairs the Alliance of Small Island States(AOSIS), a key negotiating bloc in the UN cli-mate forum which will meet from May 8-18. Thedeal was sealed at the 21st so-called“Conference of Parties” (COP 21) in the Frenchcapital in December 2015, after years of hag-gling. A diplomatic push led by Trump’s prede-cessor, Barack Obama, and China’s Xi Jinping,saw 195 countries and the EU bloc - 196 partiesin total-OK the deal to the popping of cham-pagne corks. Palestine has also since joined.

The agreement sets the goal of limiting aver-age global warming to two degrees Celsius (3.6degrees Fahrenheit) over pre -IndustrialRevolution levels and 1.5 C if possible. This willbe done by curbing planet-warming green-house-gas emissions from burning oil, coal andgas-an objective to which countries havepledged voluntary, nationally-determined “con-tributions”. Scientists project that on currentpledges, Earth is on track for warming of around

3C-a scenario that would doom the planet topotentially catastrophic droughts, floods, andrising seas.

DistractionWidely hailed as the last chance to stave off

worst-case-scenario global warming, the Parispact was savaged by Trump during his presi-dential campaign. He called climate change a“hoax” perpetrated by China, and promised to“cancel” the deal as president. With the rest ofthe world on tenterhooks ever since, Trumphas said he will make his decision before thenext G7 meeting on May 26-27 in Sicily. “Thequestion of whether this creates a difficultbackdrop for the negotiations is clearly a ‘yes’,”said Paula Caballero, who heads the climateprogramme at the Washington-based WorldResources Institute (WRI). A State Departmentofficial confirmed a US delegation will travel toBonn, though a “much smaller” one than inrecent years.

“We are focused on ensuring that decisionsare not taken at these meetings that would prej-udice our future policy, undermine the competi-tiveness of US businesses, or hamper our broad-er objective of advancing US economic growthand prosperity,” said the official, asked about thenegotiators’ brief. Some fear a US withdrawalfrom the agreement would dampen enthusiasmfor ramping up national emissions-cutting tar-gets, required to bring them in line with the 2Ctarget. “I can see some countries... saying: ‘Well,why should we do more if the US is doing less?’,”said Alden Meyer of the Union of ConcernedScientists (UCS), a veteran observer of the cli-mate negotiations.

Funding cutsThe Trump administration has already pro-

posed slashing funds for the UN’s climate con-vention, which hosts the negotiations; for theUN climate science panel; and for the GreenClimate Fund that helps poor countries combatglobal warming. There has been a chorus ofappeals from business leaders, politicians andNGOs for the US not to abandon the agreement.

Much of the pressure is at home, where busi-nesses, majors and governors have pledged topursue a clean energy track with or withoutTrump. Observers say the momentum, political-ly at least, is unstoppable. At the last COP, heldin Marrakesh in November, news of Trump’selection served to spur countries into reaffirm-ing their commitment to the pact.“International leadership on climate is more dif-fuse than before, and other countries are step-ping up to lead both within and outside ofnegotiations,” said Caballero-pointing at majorpolluters China and India cutting back on coal.

In fact, the US may stand to lose the most-inboth political and economic influence. “Itwould leave America behind while other coun-tries are benefiting from the huge economicopportunities of a transition to cleanereconomies,” said Caballero. Negotiators in Bonn,while attempting to take the pulse of the USdelegation, must make progress on the “rule-book” which has an adoption deadline of end-2018. The guide must clarify what kind of infor-mation countries include when they report onemissions, for example, and what counts as acontribution to climate finance. The next COP,chaired by Fij i , wil l be held in Bonn inNovember. — AFP

Trump anti-climate ghost

hangs over UN meetingLast chance to stave off worst-case-scenario

SOUTH SHETLAND ISLANDS, Antarctica: Photo taken shows a view of Yankee Harbor in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica.Global warming has caused ice to melt faster than normal in the Antarctic, but a study suggested the rate of loss in some areasmay be slower than previously thought. — AFP

COLUMBUS: It’s being called “gray death”- a new and dangerous opioid combo thatunderscores the ever-changing nature ofthe US addiction crisis. Investigators whonicknamed the street mixture havedetected it or recorded overdoses blamedon it in Alabama, Georgia and Ohio. Thedrug looks like concrete mix and varies inconsistency from a hard, chunky materialto a fine powder.

The substance is a combination of sev-eral opioids blamed for thousands of fataloverdoses nationally, including heroin,fentanyl, carfentanil - sometimes used totranquilize large animals like elephants -and a synthetic opioid called U-47700.“Gray death is one of the scariest combina-tions that I have ever seen in nearly 20years of forensic chemistry drug analysis,”Deneen Kilcrease, manager of the chem-istry section at the Georgia Bureau ofInvestigation, said.

Gray death ingredients and their con-centrations are unknown to users, makingit particularly lethal, Kilcrease said. Andbecause these strong drugs can beabsorbed through the skin, simply touch-ing the powder puts users at risk, she said.Last year, the US Drug EnforcementAdministration listed U-47700 in the cate-gory of the most dangerous drugs it regu-lates, saying it was associated with dozensof fatalities, mostly in New York and NorthCarolina. Some of the pills taken fromPrince’s estate after the musician’s over-

dose death last year contained U-47700.Gray death has a much higher potency

than heroin, according to a bulletin issuedby the Gulf Coast High Intensity DrugTrafficking Area. Users inject, swallow,smoke or snort it. Georgia’s investigationbureau has received 50 overdose cases inthe past three months involving graydeath, most from the Atlanta area, saidspokeswoman Nelly Miles. In Ohio, thecoroner’s office serving the Cincinnati areasays a similar compound has been comingin for months. The Ohio attorney general’soffice has analyzed eight samples match-ing the gray death mixture from aroundthe state. The combo is just the latest inthe trend of heroin mixed with other opi-oids, such as fentanyl, that has beenaround for a few years.

Fentanyl-related deaths spiked so highin Ohio in 2015 that state health officialsasked the federal Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention to send scientiststo help address the problem. The mixingposes a deadly risk to users and also chal-lenges investigators trying to figure outwhat they ’re dealing with this t imearound, said Ohio Attorney General MikeDeWine, a Republican. “Normally, wewould be able to walk by one of our scien-tists, and say ‘What are you testing?’ andthey’ll tell you heroin or ‘We’re testing fen-tanyl,’” DeWine said. “Now, sometimesthey’re looking at it, at least initially, andsay, ‘Well, we don’t know.’” — AP

‘Gray death’ - latest opioid

street mix causing worry

QUEBEC: Residents use a paddleboat as they bring supplies through flooded streetsof the Ile-Mercier district of Ile-Bizard, Quebec on Friday, May 5, 2017. Forecasts arecalling for several more days of rain. — AP

MCMURDO SOUND, Antarctica: Photo shows an Adelie penguin at the New Harborresearch station near McMurdo Station in Antarctica. — AFP

Climate science: Bad news gets worse

PARIS: On Dec 12, 2015, 195 countriesgathered in the French capital to concludethe world’s first universal climate treaty, theParis Agreement, aimed at preventingworst-case scenarios for global warming.The Palestinian authorities have since alsosigned the pact, which has been officiallyratified by 144 parties and entered intoforce in record time last November. Hereare the key points in the Paris Agreement:

The goal Nations agreed to hold global warming

to “well below” two degrees Celsius (3.6degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-IndustrialRevolution levels, and to strive for 1.5degrees Celsius. The lower goal was ademand of poor countries and island statesat high risk of climate change effects suchas rising sea levels. But experts say eventhe two-degree cap will be a tough task,requiring an immediate and deep reduc-tion in planet-warming emissions fromburning coal, oil and natural gas. Based onvoluntary emissions cuts pledged by coun-tries so far, the planet is on track for warm-ing of about three degrees, many scientistssay-a recipe for possibly catastrophicfloods, storms, drought and ocean rise.

Getting thereThe signatories will aim for emissions to

peak “as soon as possible”, with “rapidreductions” thereafter. By the second halfof this century, according to the pact, theremust be a balance between emissions fromhuman activities such as energy produc-tion and farming, and the amount that canbe absorbed by carbon-absorbing “sinks”such as forests or storage technology.

Burden-sharingDeveloped countries, which have pollut-

ed for longer, must take the lead withabsolute emissions cuts. Developingnations, which still burn coal and oil topower growing populations andeconomies, are encouraged to “continueenhancing” their efforts and “move overtime” towards cuts.

Tracking progressIn 2018, and every five years thereafter,

countries will take stock of the overallimpact of their efforts to rein in globalwarming, according to the text. It “urges”and “requests” countries to update theirpledges by 2020. Some nations have setemissions-curbing targets for 2025, othersfor 2030. Both categories will be updatedevery five years.

Financing Rich countries are expected to provide

funding to help developing countriesmake the costly shift to cleaner energysources and shore up defenses againstthe impacts of climate change. Donornations must report every two years ontheir financing levels-current and intend-ed. In a nonbinding “decision” thataccompanies the agreement but is notincluded in it, the $100 billion (91 billioneuros) per year that rich countries havepledged to muster by 2020 is referred toas a “floor”-meaning it can only go up.The amount must be updated by 2025.Pledges made in 2015 alone would boostpublic financing (excluding private mon-ey) to $67 billion in 2020, according to anOECD report. — AFP

NEW YORK: Pregnancy, sexual assault anddomestic violence could be considered “pre-existing conditions” that make it hard to keepinsurance coverage under the Republicanhealth care bill, according to a number of newsarticles and social media posts. The bill doesn’tspecifically refer to any of these things, andheadlines suggesting that it does are mislead-ing. But the bill does allow insurers, in limitedcircumstances, to charge more for a health con-dition that existed before the patient’s coveragestarts if that person has had a lapse in insur-ance. Because of that, there might be thepotential in some states for a pregnant womanto be charged more for coverage.

The ClaimTwitter is overflowing with lists of pre-exist-

ing conditions, patient testimonials and posts

with the #iamapreexistingcondition hashtag.People living with a host of medical conditionsare worried about the future of their coverage ifthe Republican plan becomes law. Concern hasfocused in particular on women’s health issues,and especially pregnancy. And claims that rapevictims are singled out has stirred outrage.

The FactsOne of the bigger changes to health care

under the Republican plan is that it would allowinsurers to consider the health risk of customersapplying for new coverage if they had a recentgap in coverage. This is possible only if statesapply for a federal waiver to allow it. TheAffordable Care Act, which remains in place,does not permit this. Carrying a baby also car-ries some risk, so insurance companies seepregnant women as risker - and more expensive

- customers when they apply for coverage. Thesame goes for a person who was injured or sick-ened with a chronic illness. They consider med-ical conditions, not how they got injured or sick.

For example, if someone sees a therapistbecause they have been raped, the conditionthat the therapist treats might be consideredpre-existing but the rape would not. Insurershave generally considered conditions treatedwithin three months of the start of coverage tobe pre-existing, health care industry consult-ant Rober t Laszewsk i said. Before theAffordable Care Act, pregnancy was consid-ered a pre-existing condition, and insurers fre-quently denied coverage because of it. Theycan no longer do that. But, under theRepublican bill, insurers may be able to chargehigher prices for a limited time due to a per-son’s recent medical history. — AP

Are pregnancy and rape

pre-existing conditions?

Highlights of the

Paris Agreement

H E A LT H & S C I E NC ESUNDAY, MAY 7, 2017

LOWARENGAK: The beach looks ready for war: inthe sparse lakeshore shade hundreds wait, sweatyfrom the heat, weapons at their feet. In Kenya’s hot,dry and lawless north even the fishermen arearmed, but guns will not save them. They live onLake Turkana, the biggest desert lake on earth anda World Heritage Site, but the lake is threatenedand so is their way of life.

“There are fewer and fewer fish,” said 41-year-old Maurice Echerait, sitting next to handmadenets with discarded plastic bottles for floats bythe ramshackle row of improvised shelters thatmake up Nayenae camp. The reason, he says, lies600 kilometers (370 miles) northwards up theOmo River, Turkana’s main tributary, and rises243 meters (797 feet) into the sky : ‘Gibe III ’,Africa’s tallest hydroelectric dam unveiled byEthiopia last year. The dam is now filling up soTurkana’s water levels are falling and the season-al flooding that helps the fish breed is disrupted.“The fish that are left are all gathered in the Omo

delta” to the north, which is rich in nutrients,Echerait said.

Blood in the water Life in Kenya’s arid north is a relentless battle for

scarce resources, and the changing fish patternsmean the traditional, sometimes deadly, rivalry hasintensified between the neighboring Turkana andDessanech people. “Now that we put our nets inthe same places, in the delta, there is fighting onthe water,” Echerait said. “We don’t negotiate whenwe meet the Dessanech, we fire on sight and so dothey,” said Echerait, whose cousin was killed in ashootout late last year.

Nayenae camp looks like a militant outpost,stocked with AK-47s, G3s and FAL rifles. Fishingboats are camouflaged with thick stripes of jadegreen and pastel blue “to go unnoticed” amongthe delta’s plants and waters, said Echerait. In thepast, a good catch meant nets overflowing withcarp, perch and tilapia. Today, fishermen are happy

to return to shore with their lives. “One single river,the Omo, contributes 90 percent of the total fresh-water inflow into Lake Turkana,” said Sean Avery, ahydrologist, who studies the lake, “so if there’s anychange in that one river system, it’s going to havea direct impact.”

No flooding, no fishEthiopia’s impact assessments for Gibe III-just

one of a series of dams planned for the Omo-”donot take into account the possible consequences onthe other side of the border,” said Avery, where300,000 people depend on fishing. When the dambegan to fill two years ago the Omo’s flowdecreased and the lake dropped by two meters, dry-ing out the tilapia’s shallow breeding grounds.

Once the dam is full this problem will be reversed,but the long-term impact on seasonal flooding is ofgreater concern. John Malala, of the Kenya Marineand Fisheries Research Institute, said 60 percent ofTurkana’s fish “rely on the river Omo to breedbecause they are migratory fish.” No flooding meansno migration and no breeding. Ethiopia has prom-ised to trigger artificial floods, but they are untest-ed. “If I knew where this dam was I would go andbreak it down myself!” said Loito Ibuya, an enragedyoung fisherman in a camouflage T-shirt. Like othersin Nayenae, Ibuya abandoned his village, 10 km tothe north, because it was too close to the Dessanechand he refuses to move any further south becausehe would be further from the delta and fuel costs forhis outboard motor would increase. — AFP

Fishing with guns on a lake under threat in Kenya

LOWARENGAK, Kenya: Armed fishermen from Kenya’s Turkana county return from a fishing expedi-tion aboard a boat near Lowarengak, on the western shores of Lake Turkana, northern Kenya.

LOWARENGAK: A Turkana man lays out flattened fish for drying in the sun near Lowarengak on thewestern shores of Lake Turkana. — AFP photos

REYKJAVIK: “What a view!!” Britain’s celebritychef Jamie Oliver exclaimed under a photo heposted on Facebook of a salmon farming cagenestled in a snowy fjord. In doing so, Oliverunknowingly waded into controversy, sparkingoutcry among Icelanders who see farmedsalmon as a threat to the island nation’s wildsalmon population. Oliver is due to open arestaurant serving Italian cuisine in the currentlypopular tourist destination of Reykjavik, on June17, a national holiday. Along with antipasto,lasagna and pizza, “Jamie’s Italian” may also servesalmon on occasion. In his Facebook post of April24, the restaurateur prided himself on being sup-plied with “sustainable fish”. But the post angeredcritics who brand fish farming an environmentalhazard. “This is an industry that creates a lot ofparasites, especially sea lice,” said Orri Vigfusson,head of the North Atlantic Salmon Fund, a pri-vately-run conservation group which aims torestore wild salmon to their historic abundance.Vigfusson said sea lice “are very bad” for the wildsalmon. The parasites spread across fjords, infect-ing and killing the fish.

‘Stay away’ “I will never eat at your place and I will inform

my clients to stay away,” travel agent Jon GunnarBenjaminsson commented on Facebook. “Verydisappointing to see you doing business with

those guys who are destined to severely damagewild Atlantic Salmon in Iceland with the massivesalmon farms that are on the drawing board.Educate yourself before promoting this disgustingstuff,” he added. While many other Internet usersseem indifferent to the controversy, and appeareager to dine at the new eatery, anglers disap-prove. “On the planet I live on, that would neverbe called sustainable,” Haraldur Eiriksson, salesmanager at Hreggnasi, one of Iceland’s largestangling clubs said. The vast majority of the salmonsold in Iceland’s food shops is farmed, as wildsalmon is rare and expensive.

Bad publicityEven prior to the Oliver controversy, Icelandic

fishermen had concerns. Hundreds of fishermenand farmers in January asked a Reykjavik court torevoke licences for Arnarlax, the country’s largestproducer of farmed salmon, to operate in fjords inthe northwest. The ruling is not in yet. Arnarlaxproduces farmed salmon (more than 10,000 tonsin 2016) at six farms. Jamie Oliver’s team did notexpect such bad publicity. “We were quite sur-prised by the reactions,” Jon Haukur Baldvinsson,one of the partners of Jamie’s Italian said. “Wehaven’t decided yet if we will put salmon on ourmenu,” he said, adding Oliver’s team would carryout quality checks. But if they decide to do so, itwould probably only be served as the daily special

in small quantities, depending on demand,Baldvinsson said.

To him, this would not be unusual since mostrestaurateurs do not buy wild salmon, too rare tobe served a la carte regularly. Arnarlax defends itspractices and said the controversy over fish farm-ing in Iceland is a misunderstanding. “Maybe it’salso our fault that we have not educated people inIceland enough about how we are doing salmonfarming,” Arnarlax sales manager Omar Gretarssonsaid. He said the negative publicity in Iceland’ssalmon farming industry was caused by newsreports from Norway about viral illnesses andsalmon lice outbreaks causing massive harm tothat nation’s aquaculture sector. “But there hasbeen a big effort to do things better,” Gretarssonsaid. His company says it defends its fish againstinfections by parasites. “Until now, the cold oceanafter the winter period has been a natural delous-ing treatment. But we need to be vigilant when weare growing steadily,” Gretarsson added.

Iceland’s aquaculture sector is thriving. Around40 companies produced 15,129 tonnes of fish in2016, the highest output over the precedingdecade, with salmon as the dominant species,according to the Food and Veterinary Authority.Operating licenses in Iceland cost up to 22 millionkronur (190,000 euros, $207,000) for the mostexpensive, compared to 10 million Norwegian kro-ner (1.1 million euros) in Norway. —AFP

Jamie Oliver sparks

fish fuss in IcelandCritics brand fish farming ‘environmental hazard’LONDON: The British government pub-

lished long-awaited plans to tackle airpollution on Friday, but campaignerscondemned them as inadequate totackle a growing public health concern.Measures include a targeted scrappagescheme to persuade motorists to tradein their diesel cars, which have beenblamed for high levels of nitrogen diox-ide near roads. Local authorities wouldbe expected to set up “clean air zones”in the worst pollution hotspots, whereNO2 levels have repeatedly breachedlegal levels.

The consultation says that chargingthe dirtiest vehicles to enter these areas,as London is planning, is the most effec-tive way to improve air quality. However,it also warns this should be a last resort,saying that motorists encouraged to buydiesel engines by previous governments-on the basis that they produced less car-bon dioxide-should not be unfairly pun-ished. Other plans include removingroad humps to improve the flow of traf-fic, encouraging more electric cars andfitting new, cleaner engines to publicbuses and lorry fleets.

Environment minister AndreaLeadsom said the plan offered a “com-mon sense way forward”. But Doug Parr,chief scientist for campaign group

Greenpeace UK, said it was a “hodge-podge of vague proposals” that offeredlittle to victims of toxic air pollution, ordrivers. “The astonishing thing is that thegovernment’s own plan accepts thatdiesel is at the root of the problem, andthat phasing it out is the most effectivesolution,” he said. “Yet the plan offers noreal action to end the era of dodgydiesel.” Caroline Lucas, co-leader of theGreen Party, said: “The government isstanding idly by while Britain chokes.“This feeble plan won’t go anywherenear far enough in tackling this publichealth emergency.”

More than 40,000 British deaths a yearare attributable to exposure to outdoor airpollution, according to a survey last yearby the Royal College of Physicians and theRoyal College of Paediatrics and ChildHealth. It warned that air pollution plays arole in many of the major health chal-lenges of our day, linked to everythingfrom asthma to cancer, obesity and evendementia. An earlier 2015 air pollutionplan was struck down by the courts afteran environmental group challenged it forbeing inadequate. The government hadsought to delay the new proposals untilafter the snap June 8 general election, butthe High Court ruled last month that theremust be no further delay. — AFP

Britain publishes

long-awaited air

pollution plan

W H AT ’ S ONSUNDAY, MAY 7, 2017

Starcom, OMD and MEC

dominate at Festival of

Media MENA Awards

The winners of the Festival of Media MENA Awards, hosted atthe Music Hall in Zabeel Saray, Dubai, were revealed lastevening. The ceremony followed the third edition of the

Festival of Media MENA conference, which drew to a successfulclose on Wednesday 26th April 2017 at the Waldorf Astoria on PalmJumeirah, Dubai.

Starcom was crowned ‘Agency Network of the Year’ after collect-ing nine trophies across its UAE and Egypt offices in categories thatincluded ‘Best Use of Video’ and ‘Best Use of Gamification’, while‘Agency of the Year’ was awarded to OMD UAE, who collected atotal of 11 awards, including Gold for ‘Best Use of Traditional Media’and ‘Best Use of Technology’.

The other big Grand Prix winner on the night was MEC MENAwho took home the trophy for ‘Campaign of the Year’ for its ‘MAGGIEDiaries - The Power to Make a Difference’ campaign.

The judging was divided into two groups, which were chairedby Asad Rehman, Director of Media at Unilever MENA, and NickGraham, Global Digital Marketing and Media Director for Huawei,respectively. Other judges on the panel included influential mediaminds from Visa, Unilever, General Motors, Ferrero, McDonald’sand Nestlé.

On judging, Rehman commented: “It is a privilege and a greatresponsibility to be asked to chair an awards ceremony that is asprestigious as the Festival of Media MENA. Too often we are in theoffice with our heads down, but judging allows us the opportunityto open the windows and see what else is happening in the region.”

The Festival of Media MENA Awards, which is run in partnershipwith Mediaquest, is dedicated to the evolution of media, celebrat-ing the best in media thinking and communications across theregion. In line with the entrepreneurial spirit of the region and toencourage fresh ideas, the program rewards the region’s top mediawork across four categories: Media, Content, Technology andInsight. Judged by a senior panel of global and regional brandmarketers, the program has become one of the foremost market-ing events in the region, helping winning agencies and mediaowners to secure new business and grow their influence in themarketplace.

Mais Alghanim has just announcedits recently added promotion, there-launching of the exquisite dish-

es menu. A rich variety of delectable dish-es to be made available to patrons in Sharqand Mahboula, tantalizing customer’stastes with a memorable and unique expe-rience every time.

The promotional menu features appe-tizers, salads and main dishes; includinghot and cold mezzas, that are creations ofthe Mais Alghanim chefs, that have beenmeticulously selected to satisfy everypalate. the new flavorful offerings includeweight watchers delight the mudadara,zahra with tahini, kousa and eggplant bilzeit, in addition to nutty safeeha yafawiahwith minced meat, dried berries and wal-nuts. the menu also has an authenticpumpkin kibbeh and shrimp pistachio forseafood fans, made with pistachio bread-ed shrimp served with potato puree anddill sauce.

The generous selection of main dishes

featured on the exquisite dishes menuincludes; the tasty and healthy quinoachicken kabbab served with biryani rice

and chef ’s special sauce. The divine kibbehskewer is prepared with charcoal grilledmeat kibbeh and served with white vermi-

celli rice and cooked yoghurt; our star dishlamb shank biryani made with oven-roast-ed lamb shank cooked with spices and

served with biryani rice and chef ’s gravy.And the catch of the day sea bass withquinoa and lemon butter sauce servedwith sautÈed vegetables. This promo alsoincludes two choices of family mealsincluding a selected variety of cold andhot appetizers along with mixed grills anddesserts.

Mais Alghanim Restaurant, renownedfor being a pioneer in the hospitalityindustry, has always been keen on offeringits customers the utmost quality at a verycompetitive price. Mais Alghanim has beenconsistently promoting a series of innova-tive and exciting offerings, the most recentof which is the Exquisite Dishes Menu,brought to customers as part of its legacyto satisfy every palate, exceed all expecta-tions and bring great flavors to your diningexperience. This promotion is available atMais Alghanim restaurants in Sharq -Arabian - Gulf Street and Mahboula -Spoons Complex and not offered throughthe To Go or home delivery service.

Mais Alghanim re-launches its exquisite dishes menu

The ‘Immortal Regiment’ memorial event on the occa-sion of the 72nd Anniversary of the Victory in theWorld War II was held at the Russian Embassy premis-

es yesterday. Around 150 people participated in the eventincluding Alexey Solomatin, Ambassador of the RussianFederation to the State of Kuwait. The ‘Immortal Regiment’

is a patriotic initiative that commemorates WWII soldiersand cherishes the memory of its heroes in marches heldacross Russia and other countries. During the marches,people carry photographs of their ancestors who partici-pated in the war and made a heroic contribution to achiev-ing the Great Victory. The ‘Immortal Regiment’ march is a

high-profile and deeply emotional event that bringstogether millions of participants. It is noteworthy that thisinitiative, which comes from a genuinely grassroots level,has taken place in many countries on all continents. The‘Immortal Regiment’ movement started in the Siberian cityof Tomsk in 2011, but quickly spread throughout Russia

and abroad. In 2016, over two million people in 42 coun-tries participated in the ‘Immortal Regiment’ marches,including Vladimir Putin, President of the RussianFederation with a picture of his father. This year compatri-ots from Russia and other former USSR countries in Kuwaitjoined this worldwide initiative for the first time.

Russian Embassy hosts ‘Immortal Regiment’ memorial

Alexey Solomatin, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to theState of Kuwait, and his family participate in the event.

—Photos by Joseph Shagra

W H AT ’ S ONSUNDAY, MAY 7, 2017

Sheikh Mubarak Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah poses for a group photo after his honoring. —Photos by Joseph Shagra

France honored Sheikh Mubarak AbdullahAl-Mubarak Al-Sabah with the Knight ofthe Legion of Honor, the most presti-

gious decoration in the country. FrenchAmbassador to Kuwait Christian Nakhla con-ferred the ‘Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur’(Knight of the Legion of Honor) on SheikhMubarak in a ceremony held late Wednesday.

Commenting on the occasion, Sheikh

Mubarak Al-Abdullah expressed his pride forthis medal, referring to the deep-rooted rela-tions with France. “Making happiness every-where is the utmost goal, so I was keen to con-tribute to building a pretty country and a civi-lized human being,” he said. He expressed hisgratitude to French President FranciosHollande, Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuveand officials for this honoring.

Meanwhile, Nakhla lauded efforts bySheikh Mubarak Abdullah in supportingKuwait’s economic interests and enhancingtrade ties with France. He referred to SheikhMubarak’s interests in economic fields throughmany bodies, noting that Sheikh Mubarak ispaying attention to cultural developmentthrough several activities.

In the meantime, Minister of State for

Cabinet Affairs and Acting InformationMinister Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah voiced his happiness forthis honoring which mirrors recognition ofSheikh Mubarak’s efforts. As Founder and Non-Executive Chairman of Action Hotels, SheikhMubarak has spearheaded the growth ofeconomy and mid-market hotels in the MiddleEast and broken new ground internationally.

Furthermore, Sheikh Mubarak has beengranted the prestigious Industry PioneeringAward of the Arabian Hotel InvestmentConference 2017 (AHIC). Established in 1802by Napoleon Bonaparte, the Legion of Honoris the highest award presented to non-French citizens in recognition of military, cul-tural, scientific, or social contributions toFrance. —KUNA

France grants Sheikh Mubarak highest medal

French Ambassador to Kuwait Christian Nakhla confers the ‘Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur’ onSheikh Mubarak Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah.

French Ambassador to Kuwait Christian Nakhla presents the certificate to Sheikh Mubarak AbdullahAl-Mubarak Al-Sabah.

Kuwait Times Editor-in-Chief Abd Al-Rahman Al-Alyan (right) poses with Sheikh Mubarak Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah (center) and Sheikh Mubarak’s mother Sheikha Suad Al-Sabah.

Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs and Acting Information Minister Sheikh Mohammad AbdullahAl-Mubarak Al-Sabah welcomes Kuwait Times Editor-in-Chief Abd Al-Rahman Al-Alyan.

French Ambassador to Kuwait Christian Nakhla delivers a speech. Sheikh Mubarak Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah delivers his speech.

Sheikh Mubarak Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah welcomesInformation Ministry’s Assistant Undersecretary Yousuf Mustafa.

French Ambassador to Kuwait Christian Nakhla is pictured withKuwaiti businessman Jawad BuKhamseen.

Sheikh Mubarak Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah’s mother SheikhaSuad Al-Sabah and other family members listen to his speech.

T V PR O G R A M SSUNDAY, MAY 7, 2017

01:15 Montana 03:15 7500 04:45 Escape 06:15 Tracers 08:00 Beverly Hills Cop 3 09:45 Escape 11:15 Tracers 13:00 Black Rose 14:30 Rise Of The Legend 16:45 Licence To Kill 19:00 Gone In Sixty Seconds 21:00 Run All Night 23:00 The Dead Lands

00:50 Tanked 01:45 Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 02:40 Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 03:35 Cats 101 04:25 Cats 101 05:15 Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 06:02 Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 06:49 Gator Boys 07:36 Swamp Brothers 08:00 Swamp Brothers 08:25 Lone Star Law 09:15 Treetop Cat Rescue 09:40 Treetop Cat Rescue 10:10 Wild Ones 10:35 Wild Ones 11:05 Meet The Penguins 11:30 Meet The Penguins 12:00 Wildest Africa 12:55 Bondi Vet 13:50 Queens Of The Savannah 16:35 Untamed China With Nigel Marven 18:25 Queens Of The Savannah 19:20 Into The Lion's Den 20:15 Rugged Justice 21:10 Pit Bulls & Parolees 22:05 Lone Star Law 23:00 Into The Lion's Den 23:55 Tanked

00:10 SS-GB 01:15 Eastenders 01:45 Doctors 02:15 Death In Paradise

03:10 The Musketeers 04:05 Doctor Who 05:00 SS-GB 06:00 The Musketeers 07:00 Doctors 07:30 Eastenders 08:00 Holby City 08:55 Dickensian 09:45 Stella 10:35 Death In Paradise 11:30 Doctors 12:00 Eastenders 12:30 Dickensian 13:20 Stella 14:15 Death In Paradise 15:10 Doctors 15:45 Eastenders 16:20 Dickensian 17:10 Stella 18:00 Death In Paradise 19:00 Doctors 19:30 Eastenders 20:05 Dickensian 21:00 New Blood 22:00 In Plain Sight 22:55 In Plain Sight 23:45 Class

00:00 Leah Remini: Scientology And TheAftermath 01:00 The Last Goodbye 01:30 The Last Goodbye 02:00 Britain's Darkest Taboos 03:00 They Took Our Child, We Got HerBack 04:00 Leah Remini: Scientology And TheAftermath 05:00 The Last Goodbye 05:30 The Last Goodbye 06:00 Britain's Darkest Taboos 07:00 The First 48 08:00 The First 48 09:00 Gangs Of Britain... 10:00 Monster In My Family 11:00 Monster In My Family 12:00 Evil Up Close 13:00 Evil Up Close 14:00 Evil Up Close 15:00 It Takes A Killer 17:00 Homicide Hunter 18:00 Homicide Hunter 19:00 Robbie Coltrane's Critical Evidence 20:00 Robbie Coltrane's Critical Evidence 21:00 The First 48 22:00 Homicide Hunter 23:00 Crimes That Shook Australia

00:15 The Half Hour 00:40 The Daily Show - Global Edition 01:05 Broad City 01:30 John Oliver's New York Stand UpShow 02:20 The Alternative ComedyExperience 02:45 Broad City 03:10 Chappelle's Show

03:35 The Half Hour 04:00 The Daily Show - Global Edition 04:25 Disorderly Conduct: Video OnPatrol 05:15 Lip Sync Battle 05:40 Ridiculousness 06:05 Disaster Date 06:30 Framework 07:20 Hungry Investors 08:15 Disorderly Conduct: Video OnPatrol 09:05 Disaster Date 09:30 Disaster Date 09:55 Ridiculousness 10:20 Key And Peele 10:45 Disaster Date 11:10 Ridiculousness 11:35 Impractical Jokers 12:00 Framework 12:50 Impractical Jokers 13:15 Lip Sync Battle 13:40 Impractical Jokers 14:05 Disorderly Conduct: Video OnPatrol 14:55 Ridiculousness 15:20 Framework 16:10 The Jim Gaffigan Show 16:35 Disaster Date 17:00 Disaster Date 17:25 Ridiculousness 17:50 Lip Sync Battle 18:15 Key And Peele 18:40 Catch A Contractor 19:35 Impractical Jokers 20:00 Disaster Date 20:23 Lip Sync Battle 20:47 Lip Sync Battle 21:10 Key And Peele 21:33 Comedy Central Presents Comedy3alwagef 22:00 The Daily Show - Global Edition 22:30 Ridiculousness Arabia 23:00 Chappelle's Show 23:25 The Alternative ComedyExperience 23:50 John Oliver's New York Stand UpShow

00:15 Destroyed In Seconds 00:40 React To That 01:05 React To That 01:30 Redesign My Brain 02:20 Science Of The Movies 03:10 Strangest Weather On Earth 04:00 Strangest Weather On Earth 04:50 Don't Drive Here 05:40 Don't Drive Here 06:30 Don't Drive Here 07:20 How It's Made

07:40 How It's Made 08:00 Doki 08:25 Doki 08:50 Kids vs Film 09:15 Kids vs Film 09:40 How It's Made 10:05 How It's Made 10:30 How It's Made 10:55 How It's Made 11:20 How It's Made 11:45 How It's Made 13:25 How It's Made 13:50 Don't Drive Here 14:40 Don't Drive Here 15:30 Don't Drive Here 16:20 Don't Drive Here 17:10 Don't Drive Here 18:00 Science Of The Movies 18:50 Science Of The Movies 19:40 The Carbonaro Effect 20:05 The Carbonaro Effect 20:30 Africa's Trees Of Life 21:20 North America 22:10 Dinosaurs: Return To Life 23:00 Destroyed In Seconds 23:25 Destroyed In Seconds 23:50 Destroyed In Seconds

00:40 A Haunting 01:30 Deadline: Crime With Tamron Hall 02:20 The Accused, Jeffrey Macdonald:People Magazine... 03:10 The Perfect Murder 04:00 Murder Chose Me 04:48 I Almost Got Away With It 05:36 I Almost Got Away With It 06:24 I Almost Got Away With It 07:12 I Almost Got Away With It 08:00 Who On Earth Did I Marry? 08:25 Who On Earth Did I Marry? 08:50 Who On Earth Did I Marry? 09:15 Who On Earth Did I Marry? 10:55 Who On Earth Did I Marry? 11:20 Who On Earth Did I Marry? 11:45 Who On Earth Did I Marry? 12:10 Suspicion 13:00 Swamp Murders 13:50 Swamp Murders 14:40 Swamp Murders 15:30 Swamp Murders 16:20 Swamp Murders 17:10 Killer Instinct With Chris Hansen 18:00 I'd Kill For You 18:50 I'd Kill For You 19:40 I'd Kill For You 20:30 I'd Kill For You 21:20 I'd Kill For You 22:10 Blood Relatives 23:00 Evil Lives Here 23:50 Evil Kin

00:10 Hank Zipzer 00:35 Binny And The Ghost 01:00 Binny And The Ghost

01:25 Hank Zipzer 01:45 The Hive 01:50 Sabrina Secrets Of A TeenageWitch 02:15 Sabrina Secrets Of A TeenageWitch 02:40 Hank Zipzer 03:05 Binny And The Ghost 03:30 Binny And The Ghost 03:55 Hank Zipzer 04:15 The Hive 04:20 Sabrina Secrets Of A TeenageWitch 04:45 Sabrina Secrets Of A TeenageWitch 05:10 Hank Zipzer 05:35 Binny And The Ghost 06:00 Binny And The Ghost 06:25 Hank Zipzer 06:45 The Hive 06:50 The 7D 07:00 Jessie 07:25 Jessie 07:50 Tsum Tsum Shorts 07:55 Austin & Ally 08:20 Rolling With The Ronks 08:45 The Zhuzhus 09:10 Miraculous Tales Of Ladybug AndCat Noir 09:35 Elena Of Avalor 10:00 Stuck In The Middle 10:25 Disney The Lodge 10:50 Bunk'd 11:15 Bizaardvark 11:40 The Little Mermaid 13:20 Disney The Lodge 13:45 Disney The Lodge 14:10 Disney The Lodge 14:35 Disney The Lodge 15:00 Disney The Lodge 15:25 Jessie 15:50 Jessie 16:15 Austin & Ally 16:40 Austin & Ally 17:05 Descendants Wicked World 17:10 Elena Of Avalor 17:35 Liv And Maddie 18:00 Girl Meets World 18:25 Little Mermaid 2 19:45 Welcome To The Ronks 20:00 Star Darlings 20:05 Stuck In The Middle 20:30 Bizaardvark 20:55 Bunk'd 21:20 Elena Of Avalor 21:45 Disney The Lodge 22:10 Girl Meets World 22:35 That's So Raven 23:00 Shake It Up 23:25 Sabrina Secrets Of A TeenageWitch 23:50 Sabrina Secrets Of A TeenageWitch

00:20 Henry Hugglemonster 00:35 The Hive 00:45 Loopdidoo 01:00 Henry Hugglemonster 01:15 Calimero 01:30 Art Attack 01:55 Zou 02:05 Loopdidoo 02:20 Henry Hugglemonster 02:35 Calimero 02:50 Zou 03:05 Art Attack 03:30 The Hive 03:40 Loopdidoo 03:55 Henry Hugglemonster 04:10 Art Attack 04:35 Loopdidoo 04:50 Calimero 05:05 Art Attack 05:30 Henry Hugglemonster 05:45 Zou 06:00 Art Attack 06:30 Henry Hugglemonster 06:45 Loopdidoo 07:00 Zou 07:15 Calimero 07:30 Loopdidoo 07:45 Henry Hugglemonster 08:00 My Friends Tigger & Pooh 08:30 Goldie & Bear 09:00 Mickey And The Roadster Racers 09:30 Doc McStuffins 10:00 Jake And The Never Land Pirates 10:30 Sofia The First 11:00 The Lion Guard 11:30 Mickey And The Roadster Racers 12:00 PJ Masks 12:25 Goldie & Bear 12:55 My Friends Tigger & Pooh 13:20 Jake And The Never Land Pirates 13:50 The Lion Guard 14:15 My Friends Tigger & Pooh 14:45 Doc McStuffins 15:10 Goldie & Bear 15:40 Mickey And The Roadster Racers 16:05 PJ Masks 16:35 The Lion Guard 17:05 Miles From Tomorrow 17:35 Sofia The First 18:35 Doc McStuffins 19:05 Jake And The Never Land Pirates 19:35 Sofia The First 20:05 Jake And The Never Land Pirates 21:05 Sofia The First 21:35 Mickey And The Roadster Racers 22:00 Goldie & Bear 22:25 Jake And The Never Land Pirates 22:50 Minnie's Bow-Toons 23:00 Miles From Tomorrow 23:55 PJ Masks

00:30 Gold Rush: Parker's Trail 01:20 Wheels That Fail 01:45 Supertruckers 02:35 Supertruckers

03:25 Supertruckers 04:15 Supertruckers 05:05 Supertruckers 06:00 Supertruckers 07:00 Gold Divers 07:50 Street Outlaws 08:40 Fast N' Loud 09:30 Ed Stafford: Into The Unknown 10:20 Storage Hunters UK 10:45 How Do They Do It? 11:10 How Do They Do It? 11:35 What On Earth? 12:25 Sydney Harbour 13:15 Impossible Engineering 14:05 How Do They Do It? 14:30 Storage Hunters UK 14:55 Storage Hunters UK 15:20 Gold Rush 16:10 Ed Stafford: Into The Unknown 17:00 Gold Divers 17:50 Sacred Steel Bikes 18:40 Street Outlaws 19:30 How Do They Do It? 19:55 How Do They Do It? 20:20 Treasure Quest: Snake Island 21:10 Storage Hunters UK 21:35 Storage Hunters UK 22:00 Supertruckers 22:50 JFK: The Lost Tapes 23:40 What On Earth?

00:00 Programmes Start At 6:00am KSA 07:00 Supa Strikas 07:25 Supa Strikas 07:50 Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy 08:15 Gravity Falls 08:40 Walk The Prank 09:05 Two More Eggs 09:10 K.C. Undercover 09:35 Milo Murphy's Law 10:00 Gamer's Guide To Pretty MuchEverything 10:25 Lab Rats Elite Force 10:50 Annedroids 11:20 Supa Strikas 11:45 K.C. Undercover 12:10 Star vs The Forces Of Evil 12:35 Mech-X4 13:00 The Return Of Jafar 14:20 Star vs The Forces Of Evil 14:45 Gamer's Guide To Pretty MuchEverything 15:10 Disney Mickey Mouse 15:15 Milo Murphy's Law 15:40 K.C. Undercover 16:05 Walk The Prank 16:30 Atomic Puppet 16:55 Lab Rats 17:25 Mech-X4 17:50 K.C. Undercover 18:15 Gamer's Guide To Pretty MuchEverything 18:40 Mighty Med 19:10 Star Wars Rebels 19:35 Phineas And Ferb 20:25 Kirby Buckets 20:55 K.C. Undercover 21:20 Star vs The Forces Of Evil 21:45 Mighty Med 22:10 Star Wars Rebels 22:40 Disney Mickey Mouse 22:45 Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy 23:10 Ultimate Spider-Man 23:35 Boyster

00:00 E! News 00:30 Celebrity Style Story 01:00 WAGs Miami 01:55 WAGs Miami 02:50 E! News 03:50 Celebrity Style Story 04:20 Celebrity Style Story 04:50 Just Jillian 05:40 Just Jillian 06:30 Celebrity Style Story 07:00 Hollywood Medium With TylerHenry 07:50 E! News 08:20 Hollywood Medium With TylerHenry 09:10 E! News 10:05 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 10:55 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 11:45 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 12:35 So Cosmo 13:25 So Cosmo 14:15 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 15:15 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 16:10 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 17:05 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 18:00 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 19:00 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 20:00 E! News 21:00 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 22:00 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 23:00 Fashion Police

00:00 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives 00:30 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives

01:00 Man Fire Food 01:30 Man Fire Food 02:00 Restaurant: Impossible 03:00 Mystery Diners 03:30 Mystery Diners 04:00 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives 04:30 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives 05:00 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives 05:30 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives 06:00 Guy's Grocery Games 07:00 Roadtrip With G. Garvin 07:30 Roadtrip With G. Garvin 08:00 Chopped 09:00 Barefoot Contessa: Back To Basics 09:30 Barefoot Contessa: Back To Basics 10:00 The Pioneer Woman 10:30 The Pioneer Woman 11:00 Siba's Table 11:30 Siba's Table 12:00 Anna Olson: Bake 12:30 Anna Olson: Bake 13:00 Man Fire Food 13:30 Man Fire Food 14:00 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives 14:30 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives 15:00 Chopped 16:00 Barefoot Contessa: Back To Basics 16:30 Barefoot Contessa: Back To Basics 17:00 The Pioneer Woman 17:30 The Pioneer Woman 18:00 Siba's Table 18:30 Siba's Table 19:00 Anna Olson: Bake 19:30 Anna Olson: Bake 20:00 Man Fire Food 20:30 Man Fire Food 21:00 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives 21:30 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives 22:00 Tia Mowry At Home 22:30 Tia Mowry At Home 23:00 Dinner At Tiffani's 23:30 Dinner At Tiffani's

00:15 Coronation Street 02:00 The Moorside 03:00 Coronation Street 04:55 Guess This House 05:45 The Chase 06:35 The Chase 07:25 Surprise Surprise 08:20 Come Date With Me Australia 08:50 Come Date With Me Australia 09:15 Come Date With Me Australia 10:10 The Moorside 11:10 Jekyll And Hyde 12:10 Shoot The Messenger 13:10 Broadchurch 14:10 Broadchurch 15:05 Guess This House 16:00 It's Not Rocket Science 16:55 The Moorside 17:55 Jekyll And Hyde 18:50 Doctor Thorne 19:45 Guess This House 20:45 Jekyll And Hyde 21:35 Shoot The Messenger 22:30 The Moorside 23:30 Paul O'Grady's Animal Orphans

00:30 American Restoration 01:20 Ice Road Truckers 02:10 Mummies Alive 03:00 Big Easy Motors 03:25 Big Easy Motors 03:50 Ultimate Wheels 04:40 Ice Road Truckers 05:30 Storage Wars Texas 06:00 Hoard Hunters 07:00 Ultimate Wheels 07:50 Duck Dynasty 08:40 Counting Cars 09:05 Counting Cars 09:30 Pawn Stars 09:55 Pawn Stars 10:20 Storage Wars 10:45 Storage Wars 11:10 American Pickers 12:00 The Curse Of Oak Island 12:50 Duck Dynasty 13:40 Swamp People 14:30 Ax Men 15:20 Mountain Men 16:10 Ultimate Wheels 17:00 Storage Wars 17:25 Storage Wars 17:50 Pawn Stars 18:15 Pawn Stars 18:40 Billion Dollar Wreck 19:30 Gold Hunters: Legend Of TheSuperstition... 20:20 Mountain Men 21:10 American Pickers 22:00 Pawn Stars 22:25 Pawn Stars South Africa 22:50 Storage Wars Miami 23:40 Big Easy Motors

00:20 Andy And Ben Eat Australia

00:50 Carnival Eats 01:15 My Restaurant In India 01:40 Chasing The Sun 02:10 Lyndey Milan - Taste Of Australia 02:40 Miguel's Tropical Kitchen 03:05 Miguel's Tropical Kitchen 03:35 The Shelbourne 04:00 Gok's Chinese Takeaway 04:55 Restoration Man 05:50 Lucky Chow 06:20 Fish Of The Day 06:45 Fish Of The Day 07:15 Tom's Istanbul Delight 07:40 Tom's Istanbul Delight 08:10 Carnival Eats 08:35 A Is For Apple 09:05 Carnival Eats 09:30 Carnival Eats 10:00 Lyndey Milan - Taste Of Australia 10:25 Sara's Australia Unveiled 10:55 Cesar Millan: Love My Pit Bull 11:50 Dog Whisperer 12:45 Andy And Ben Eat Australia 13:10 My Dubai 13:40 Miguel's Tropical Kitchen 14:05 Miguel's Tropical Kitchen 14:35 The Shelbourne 15:00 Cruise Ship Diaries 15:30 Cruise Ship Diaries 15:55 Gok's Chinese Takeaway 16:50 Restoration Man 17:45 The Game Chef 18:15 Fish Of The Day 18:40 Fish Of The Day 19:10 Access 360 World Heritage 20:05 Gok's Chinese Takeaway 21:00 Restoration Man 22:00 The Game Chef 22:30 Fish Of The Day 23:00 Fish Of The Day 23:25 Access 360 World Heritage

00:20 Lawless Island 01:10 Megastructures 02:00 Origins: The Journey OfHumankind 03:00 Monster Fish 04:00 Wicked Tuna 05:00 Fish Tank Kings 06:00 Secrets Of The Tang Treasure Ship 07:00 Lawless Island 08:00 Uncensored With Michael Ware 09:00 Scam City 10:00 Locked Up Abroad 11:00 Origins: The Journey Of Humankind 12:00 Primal Survivor 13:00 Dog Whisperer 14:00 Dog Whisperer 15:00 Genius 16:00 Monster Fish 17:00 Wicked Tuna 18:00 Genius 19:00 Brain Games 19:30 Brain Games 20:00 Monster Fish 21:00 Wicked Tuna 21:50 Genius 22:40 Brain Games 23:05 Brain Games 23:30 Monster Fish

00:30 Manta Mystery 01:20 Operation Sumatran Rhino 02:10 Predator Patrol 03:00 Jobs That Bite! 03:50 Wild Case Files 04:45 Animal Fight Club 05:40 Wild Congo 06:35 Clan Of The Meerkat 07:30 Monster Fish 08:25 Monster Fish 09:20 Animals Gone Wild 10:15 Born Wild 11:10 Animals Gone Wild Compilations 12:05 Unlikely Animal Friends: Bark-Tacular 13:00 World's Weirdest Animal Faces 13:55 Animal Fight Club 4.5 14:50 America's National Parks 15:45 Wild Case Files 16:40 Wild Vietnam 17:35 Wild 24 18:30 Natural Born Monsters 19:25 Hunter Hunted 20:20 Wild Case Files 21:10 Wild Vietnam 22:00 Wild 24 22:50 Natural Born Monsters 23:40 Hunter Hunted

00:45 Max Keeble's Big Move 02:15 The Unbeatables 04:00 Kronk's New Groove 05:15 The Secret Of The Magic Gourd 06:45 Max Keeble's Big Move 08:15 Kronk's New Groove 09:30 James And The Giant Peach 11:00 The Unbeatables

12:45 Santa's Little Helper 14:15 Brother Bear 15:45 K-9 Adventures: Legend Of TheLost Gold 17:15 Beverly Hills Chihuahua 18:45 House Arrest 20:45 Brother Bear 22:15 Beverly Hills Chihuahua 23:45 House Arrest

00:30 Screwed 02:30 Break Point 04:00 Babe: Pig In The City 05:45 Valentine's Day 08:00 The Duff 09:45 Babe: Pig In The City 11:45 Valentine's Day 14:00 The Duff 16:00 Camp Nowhere 17:45 Other Plans 19:15 Oscar 21:15 A Short History Of Decay

23:00 Unfinished Business 01:15 Starred Up 03:00 A Birder's Guide To Everything 04:45 The Wave 06:30 The Theory Of Everything 08:30 Wuthering Heights 10:15 Match 11:45 Foreverland 13:30 A Birder's Guide To Everything 15:00 Oliver's Deal 16:45 The Joy Luck Club 19:00 The Silent Storm 20:45 The Blind Side 23:00 Jayne Mansfield's Car

01:00 Garfield 02:30 Thumbelina 04:00 The Swan Princess: Pirate Today,Princess Tomorrow 05:30 Daddy I'm A Zombie 07:00 Gladiators Of Rome 08:45 Virus Attack The First Antivirus 10:30 Bonta 12:00 Garfield 13:30 Thumbelina 15:15 The Heart Of The Oak 16:45 Bonta 18:15 Curious George 20:00 Yugo & Lala 2 21:30 The Heart Of The Oak 23:00 Virus Attack The First Antivirus

01:15 Indecent Proposal 03:15 When A Man Loves A Woman 05:45 The Horse Whisperer 08:45 Some Girls 10:30 Reign Over Me 12:45 The Lovely Bones 15:15 Beaches 17:30 The Ladykillers 19:15 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 21:00 The Taking Of Pelham 123 23:00 Black Snake Moan

00:40 Nextworld 01:30 Nextworld 02:20 Nextworld 03:10 Nextworld 04:00 Nextworld 04:48 How Do They Do It? 05:12 How Do They Do It? 05:36 How Do They Do It? 06:00 Food Factory 06:24 Food Factory 06:48 Food Factory 07:12 Food Factory 07:36 Food Factory 08:00 How Do They Do It? 08:26 Nextworld 09:14 Nextworld 10:50 Nextworld 11:38 Nextworld 12:26 Mythbusters 13:14 Mythbusters 14:02 Mythbusters 14:50 Mythbusters 15:38 Mythbusters 16:26 Food Factory 16:50 Food Factory 17:14 Food Factory 17:38 Food Factory 18:02 Food Factory 18:26 How Do They Do It? 18:50 How Do They Do It? 19:40 How Do They Do It? 20:05 How Do They Do It? 20:30 Space Pioneer 21:20 Space Pioneer 22:10 Space Pioneer 23:00 Superhuman Showdown 23:50 Superhuman Showdown THE LOVELY BONES ON OSN MOVIES HD

FOREVER LAND ON OSN MOVIES FESTIVAL

TRACERS ON OSN MOVIES ACTION

ClassifiedsSUNDAY, MAY 7, 2017

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

DIAL161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY (04/05/2017 TO 10/05/2017)

SHARQIA-1SOUKAR BARAH 11:45 AMSOUKAR BARAH 1:45 PMSPARK: A SPACE TAIL 4:00 PMTHE BOSS BABY 6:00 PMSOUKAR BARAH 8:00 PMSOUKAR BARAH 10:00 PMSOUKAR BARAH 12:05 AM

SHARQIA-2GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 -3D 11:30 AMGUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 -3D 2:00 PMBAAHUBALI 2: The Conclusion -Telugu 1:30 PMGUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 -3D 4:45 PMGUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 -3D 7:15 PMGUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 -3D 9:45 PMGUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 -3D 12:30 AM

SHARQIA-3ROBO-DOG: AIRBORNE 12:15 PMROBO-DOG: AIRBORNE 2:15 PMROBO-DOG: AIRBORNE 4:15 PMBAAHUBALI 2: The Conclusion -Hindi 6:15 PMROBO-DOG: AIRBORNE 9:30 PMFAST & FURIOUS 8 11:30 PM

MUHALAB-1BAAHUBALI 2: The Conclusion -Hindi 11:45 AMBAAHUBALI 2: The Conclusion -Telugu 3:00 PMBAAHUBALI 2: The Conclusion -Telugu 6:15 PMBAAHUBALI 2: The Conclusion -Telugu 9:30 PMFAST & FURIOUS 8 12:45 AM

MUHALAB-2ROBO-DOG: AIRBORNE 12:45 PMSPARK: A SPACE TAIL 2:45 PMBAAHUBALI 2: The Conclusion -Telugu 1:30 PMSPARK: A SPACE TAIL 4:45 PMROBO-DOG: AIRBORNE 6:45 PMROBO-DOG: AIRBORNE 8:45 PMFAST & FURIOUS 8 10:45 PM

MUHALAB-3SPARK: A SPACE TAIL 11:30 AMGUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 -3D 1:30 PMGUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 -3D 4:00 PMGUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 -3D 6:30 PMGUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 -3D 9:00 PMGUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 -3D 11:45 PM

FANAR-1SOUKAR BARAH 12:30 PMSOUKAR BARAH 2:30 PMTHE BOSS BABY 4:30 PMTHE BOSS BABY 6:30 PMSOUKAR BARAH 8:30 PMSOUKAR BARAH 10:30 PMSOUKAR BARAH 12:30 AM

FANAR-2THE BOSS BABY 11:45 AMGUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 -3D 1:45 PMGUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 -3D 4:15 PMGUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 -3D 6:45 PM

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 -3D 9:30 PMGUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 -3D 12:15 AM

FANAR-3SPARK: A SPACE TAIL 12:00 PMSPARK: A SPACE TAIL 2:00 PMSPARK: A SPACE TAIL 4:00 PMSPARK: A SPACE TAIL 6:00 PMMONOLITH 8:00 PMMONOLITH 10:00 PMMONOLITH 12:05 AM

FANAR-4SOUKAR BARAH 11:30 AMSOUKAR BARAH 1:30 PMBAAHUBALI 2: The Conclusion -Telugu 3:30 PMBAAHUBALI 2: The Conclusion -Hindi 3:30 PMNO FRI+SATBAAHUBALI 2: The Conclusion -Telugu 6:45 PMBAAHUBALI 2: The Conclusion -Telugu 10:00 PMSOUKAR BARAH 1:15 AM

FANAR-5ROBO-DOG: AIRBORNE 1:00 PMROBO-DOG: AIRBORNE 3:15 PMROBO-DOG: AIRBORNE 5:15 PMROBO-DOG: AIRBORNE 7:15 PMROBO-DOG: AIRBORNE 9:15 PMFAST & FURIOUS 8 11:45 PM

MARINA-1ROBO-DOG: AIRBORNE 12:00 PM

ROBO-DOG: AIRBORNE 2:00 PMROBO-DOG: AIRBORNE 4:00 PMROBO-DOG: AIRBORNE 6:00 PMROBO-DOG: AIRBORNE 8:00 PMSOUKAR BARAH 10:00 PMSOUKAR BARAH 12:05 AM

MARINA-2FAST & FURIOUS 8 12:15 PMTHE BOSS BABY 3:00 PMTHE BOSS BABY 5:00 PMTHE BOSS BABY 7:00 PMFAST & FURIOUS 8 9:00 PMFAST & FURIOUS 8 11:45 PM

MARINA-3GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 -3D 11:45 AMGUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 -3D 2:15 PMGUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 -3D 4:45 PMGUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 -3D 7:30 PMGUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 -3D 10:00 PMGUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 -3D 12:45 AM

AVENUES-1ROBO-DOG: AIRBORNE 11:30 AMROBO-DOG: AIRBORNE 1:30 PMROBO-DOG: AIRBORNE 3:30 PMROBO-DOG: AIRBORNE 5:30 PMROBO-DOG: AIRBORNE 7:30 PMROBO-DOG: AIRBORNE 9:30 PMFREE FIRE 11:30 PM

AVENUES-2GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 -3D-4DX 11:30 AMTHE BOSS BABY -3D-4DX 2:15 PMGUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 -3D-4DX 4:15 PMTHE BOSS BABY -3D-4DX 7:00 PMGUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 -3D-4DX 9:15 PMGUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 -3D-4DX 12:05 AM

AVENUES-3THE BOSS BABY 11:30 AMNO SUNTHE BOSS BABY 1:30 PMTHE BOSS BABY 3:45 PMTHE BOSS BABY 6:00 PMTHE BOSS BABY 8:15 PMFAST & FURIOUS 8 10:30 PMMONOLITH 1:15 AM

AVENUES-4ROBO-DOG: AIRBORNE 12:30 PMFAST & FURIOUS 8 2:30 PMTHE BOSS BABY 5:15 PMROBO-DOG: AIRBORNE 7:15 PMFAST & FURIOUS 8 9:15 PMFAST & FURIOUS 8 12:05 AM

360º- 1GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 -3D 11:30 AMGUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 -3D 2:15 PMGUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 -3D 5:00 PMGUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 -3D 7:45 PM

Arrival Flights on Sunday 7/5/2017Airlines Flt Route Time

THY 772 Istanbul 00:10JZR 553 Alexandria 00:15JZR 513 Sharm el-Sheikh 00:15KAC 86 Jeddah 00:30MSC 411 Asyut 00:30JZR 267 Beirut 00:35KAC 504 Beirut 00:45KAC 102 London 00:55DLH 635 Doha 01:00PGT 858 Istanbul 01:15JZR 539 Cairo 01:25UAE 853 Dubai 01:40RJA 642 Amman 01:45ETH 620 Addis Ababa 01:50KKK 6506 Istanbul 01:55KLM 446 Bahrain 02:05QTR 1086 Doha 02:05GFA 211 Bahrain 02:15KAC 418 Manila 02:50OMA 643 Muscat 03:05ETD 305 Abu Dhabi 03:10KAC 382 Delhi 03:15MSR 612 Cairo 03:15FDB 069 Dubai 03:15PGT 860 Istanbul 03:25QTR 1076 Doha 03:40KAC 1544 Cairo 03:50CEB 018 Manila 04:00LMU 510 Cairo 04:00KAC 346 Ahmedabad 04:15UAE 873 Dubai 04:15KAC 358 Kochi 04:50KAC 784 Jeddah 05:00FEG 937 Sohag 05:00THY 770 Istanbul 05:05DHX 170 Bahrain 05:10QTR 8511 Doha 05:20KAC 344 Chennai 05:30KAC 332 Trivandrum 05:40KAC 362 Colombo 05:50BAW 157 London 06:05KAC 284 Dhaka 06:35KAC 206 Islamabad 06:40KAC 302 Mumbai 06:55KAC 156 Istanbul 07:05KAC 354 Bangalore 07:50FDB 053 Dubai 07:50KAC 384 Delhi 08:00UAE 855 Dubai 08:25ETD 301 Abu Dhabi 08:55ABY 125 Sharjah 09:00QTR 1070 Doha 09:20IRA 665 Shiraz 09:25FDB 055 Dubai 09:40SVA 512 Riyadh 10:00MSC 415 Sohag 10:15IRC 528 Ahwaz 10:25GFA 213 Bahrain 10:40MEA 404 Beirut 10:55PAL 668 Manila 11:00JZR 561 Sohag 11:10MSC 403 Asyut 11:15KAC 522 Al Najaf 11:20KAC 742 Dammam 11:45JZR 165 Dubai 11:50SAW 701 Damascus 12:30KAC 774 Riyadh 12:45UAE 871 Dubai 12:45

THY 766 Istanbul 12:50FEG 933 Sohag 12:55MSR 610 Cairo 13:00AXB 393 Kozhikode 13:10KAC 662 Abu Dhabi 13:35KAC 672 Dubai 13:55QTR 1078 Doha 14:05GFA 221 Bahrain 14:15KAC 618 Doha 14:20FDB 059 Dubai 14:20SVA 500 Jeddah 14:45KAC 692 Muscat 14:55KAC 788 Jeddah 14:55KNE 529 Jeddah 14:55ETD 303 Abu Dhabi 15:05OMA 645 Muscat 15:10KAC 502 Beirut 15:25KAC 412 Bangkok 15:30ABY 127 Sharjah 15:35UAE 857 Dubai 15:45RJA 640 Amman 16:00FDK 801 Damascus 16:00QTR 1072 Doha 16:15FDB 051 Dubai 16:15JZR 535 Cairo 16:20JZR 125 Bahrain 16:25JZR 787 Riyadh 16:35KAC 118 New York 16:55KAC 542 Cairo 17:05SVA 510 Riyadh 17:15GFA 215 Bahrain 17:30JZR 777 Jeddah 17:35JZR 177 Dubai 17:45QTR 1080 Doha 18:05MSR 620 Cairo 18:30JZR 483 Istanbul 18:30UAE 875 Dubai 19:05GFA 217 Bahrain 19:05KAC 776 Riyadh 19:10FDB 063 Dubai 19:10ABY 123 Sharjah 19:20KAC 154 Istanbul 19:30JAI 572 Delhi 19:35KAC 674 Dubai 19:40KAC 616 Bahrain 19:40KAC 620 Doha 19:50FDB 057 Dubai 19:50KAC 104 London 20:00OMA 647 Muscat 20:05MEA 402 Beirut 20:15DLH 634 Frankfurt 20:15QTR 1088 Doha 20:35KAC 164 Rome 20:55KAC 564 Amman 21:00KAC 172 Frankfurt 21:05ETD 307 Abu Dhabi 21:10ALK 229 Colombo 21:15UAE 859 Dubai 21:15KAC 676 Dubai 21:35GFA 219 Bahrain 21:50QTR 1082 Doha 22:00ETD 309 Abu Dhabi 22:10AIC 981 Chennai/Ahmedabad 22:25BBC 043 Dhaka 22:30JZR 241 Amman 22:55JZR 185 Dubai 22:55JAI 574 Mumbai 23:00FDB 071 Dubai 23:35PIA 205 Lahore 23:40THY 764 Istanbul 23:45

Departure Flights on Sunday 7/5/2017Airlines Flt Route TimeAIC 988 Hyderabad/Chennai 00:05CLX 856 Luxembourg 00:25JAI 573 Mumbai 00:30MSC 406 Sohag 00:30FDB 072 Dubai 00:30MSC 412 Asyut 01:30THY 773 Istanbul 01:40DLH 635 Frankfurt 02:00PGT 859 Istanbul 02:35THY 765 Istanbul 02:50ETH 621 Addis Ababa 02:50KKK 6505 Istanbul 02:55UAE 854 Dubai 03:30KLM 446 Amsterdam 03:30OMA 644 Muscat 04:05QTR 1087 Doha 04:10ETD 306 Abu Dhabi 04:10MSR 613 Cairo 04:15KAC 417 Manila 04:20PGT 861 Istanbul 04:25JZR 560 Sohag 04:45LMU 511 Cairo 05:00KAC 103 London 05:00CEB 019 Manila 05:30QTR 1077 Doha 05:35FEG 934 Sohag 05:55UAE 874 Dubai 06:15RJA 643 Amman 06:25THY 771 Istanbul 06:25GFA 212 Bahrain 06:50QTR 8512 Doha 06:50FDB 070 Dubai 07:05JZR 164 Dubai 07:15KAC 521 Al Najaf 07:35KAC 501 Beirut 07:50KAC 171 Frankfurt 07:50BAW 156 London 08:20FDB 054 Dubai 08:30KAC 741 Dammam 08:30KAC 773 Riyadh 08:35KAC 661 Abu Dhabi 09:00KAC 117 New York 09:00KAC 671 Dubai 09:15KAC 787 Jeddah 09:15KAC 163 Rome 09:20JZR 482 Istanbul 09:25JZR 534 Cairo 09:30KAC 691 Muscat 09:30ABY 126 Sharjah 09:40KAC 101 London 09:45UAE 856 Dubai 09:50KAC 541 Cairo 10:00ETD 302 Abu Dhabi 10:00KAC 617 Doha 10:15IRA 664 Shiraz 10:25KAC 153 Istanbul 10:30QTR 1071 Doha 10:35FDB 056 Dubai 10:35SVA 513 Riyadh 11:00MSC 416 Sohag 11:15IRC 529 Ahwaz 11:25GFA 214 Bahrain 11:35MEA 405 Beirut 11:55JZR 776 Jeddah 12:00VIZ 203 TQD 12:00MSC 404 Asyut 12:15JZR 786 Riyadh 13:10JZR 176 Dubai 13:10PAL 669 Manila 13:10

JZR 124 Bahrain 13:30SAW 702 Damascus 13:30THY 767 Istanbul 13:45FEG 932 Alexandria 13:55MSR 611 Cairo 14:00AXB 394 Kozhikode 14:10UAE 872 Dubai 14:15KAC 673 Dubai 15:00GFA 222 Bahrain 15:00FDB 060 Dubai 15:05QTR 1079 Doha 15:15KAC 563 Amman 15:40KAC 775 Riyadh 15:40SVA 501 Jeddah 15:45KNE 530 Jeddah 15:55KAC 619 Doha 16:00OMA 646 Muscat 16:10ABY 128 Sharjah 16:15ETD 304 Abu Dhabi 16:20KAC 615 Bahrain 16:30FDK 802 Damascus 16:55RJA 641 Amman 16:55KAC 675 Dubai 17:00FDB 052 Dubai 17:10JZR 266 Beirut 17:15JZR 552 Alexandria 17:25QTR 1073 Doha 17:25JZR 240 Amman 17:30KAC 361 Colombo 17:35KAC 357 Kochi 17:40UAE 858 Dubai 17:40KAC 381 Delhi 17:50KAC 343 Chennai 18:00KAC 283 Dhaka 18:00SVA 511 Riyadh 18:15JZR 184 Dubai 18:20GFA 216 Bahrain 18:20JZR 538 Cairo 18:35KAC 785 Jeddah 18:45QTR 1081 Doha 19:15KAC 345 Ahmedabad 19:20MSR 621 Cairo 19:30GFA 218 Bahrain 19:50FDB 064 Dubai 19:50ABY 124 Sharjah 20:00FDB 058 Dubai 20:30UAE 876 Dubai 20:35JAI 571 Delhi 20:35KAC 331 Trivandrum 20:35KAC 353 Bangalore 20:55DLH 634 Doha 21:00OMA 648 Muscat 21:05MEA 403 Beirut 21:15KAC 301 Mumbai 21:40KAC 203 Lahore 21:45QTR 1089 Doha 21:45DHX 171 Bahrain 21:50KAC 205 Islamabad 21:55ETD 308 Abu Dhabi 22:00KAC 155 Istanbul 22:15ALK 230 Colombo 22:20UAE 860 Dubai 22:35KAC 383 Delhi 22:35GFA 220 Bahrain 22:50ETD 310 Abu Dhabi 23:00JZR 528 Asyut 23:05QTR 1083 Doha 23:20

PRAYER TIMINGS

Fajr: 03:35

Shorook: 05:02

Duhr: 11:45

Asr: 15:20

Maghrib: 18:27

Isha: 19:52

SUNDAY, MAY 7, 2017

You may have an increase in finances due to speculation or a contesttoday. However, you should avoid spending sprees. Technological won-

ders catch your eye this afternoon and you make new discoveries. This is an easy, calmday that should find everything running in a smooth manner. Interaction with an olderperson in the family may be in the forecast later today. Listen to the stories and givethis person some of your time-you can afford it! You will find yourself easily workingwith-rather than against-the flow of energy. You may enjoy some athletic or exerciseactivity such as bike riding with young people or your friends. Close personal ties toother people are a focus for your feelings now. Romance is possible this evening.

Aries (March 21-April 19)

STAR TRACK

If there is something really important you want to see or accomplishtoday, you may have to set several alarms or have your friends remind you. You haveplenty of energy but you are of a mind to want to recline more today than usual. Anychanges from the usual will have successful results at this time. It is a great time tobreak a bad habit or redo a few cabinets and drawers, perhaps set aside a few clothesfor a charity drive coming up in or near your neighborhood. This is a good time to fallin love, promise vows or just enjoy the day. A book or project has your attention thisafternoon and the information that is gleaned from this is beneficial to you and per-haps another person in your family. There is a new understanding.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

Someone may put the damper on what you say or think in some way. Youmay feel that unimportant feeling that we all feel from time to time. Stop trying to beexpressive and also, realize that your timing could be a little off. This other person hasmore of an urgent need to be heard and may need to be understood. When all is saidand done, you may be surprised at how the conversation will change and deepen.Lovers, children and other people or things dear to your heart are emphasized now.Being appreciated and admired for your gifts and talents is a powerful need and friendsand family show gratitude. Travel gets the green light now and if you are not travelingyou could be planning for a trip very soon. New scenery can be programmed.

You have a strong desire for beauty and harmony. Your creative abilities areheightened. Working with creative hobbies on the weekend helps to lighten your mood.There is a feeling of accomplishment and relaxation. It is much easier to come up with cre-ative options if you are familiar with the creative side of your brain. If you are romanticallyavailable, there is the possibility that you will discover more good things about your sweet-heart today. Plans for a future vacation may include your sweetheart. If this is so, you will belooking at lots of different options and choices of where to play, where to live and types offamily patterns. You teach balance and you are a good mentor. The work you know andperform for others is an excellent choice for you and those that follow you in your choices.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

You could find yourself mentally acute and in a problem-solving mood.However, there is a real possibility that the decisions you make today and the solutionsyou find may have to be redone tomorrow. To solve this problem try to eliminate thepossibility of spreading yourself too thin. Your intuition is sharp and you may find somenew insights as you begin to pace yourself. These new ideas could be written downand saved for a day in which you have more time and space. You may find some goodopportunities available in the financial sector of your personal life now. This could takeform of an investment purchase. You may make a promise to yourself to end your foodconsumption by sunset each night. You will achieve weight goals and sleep better.

Your mind may be very clear as you think about the next steps you wantto take to improve or change your living surroundings. It will be easy to organize yourthoughts and communication of all kinds is furthered. Begin writing a book, taking a classor teaching a subject. Your thoughts count now, so use your mind and communicate.Friends, group projects and community concerns could play a key role in your day. Charityand humanitarian efforts can influence your life-path. This is a nice day that should justflow along well. You could feel real support and harmony at this time for circumstancesand those around you. You think a lot about appearances-how things come across ormight appear to others. Your analytical powers are superb and you find answers.

Virgo (August 23-September 22)

Practical decisions are easier when you find yourself working in a difficultsituation this morning. You have the ability to focus on a particular subject in order topoint out possible changes in some project and help bring about a change, if necessary.A shopping trip is successful. Your sense of taste and discrimination is excellent and youmay find yourself purchasing a fine piece of art. Your energy seems to carry through laterthis afternoon when you could become occupied with a friend. A friend may need toknow the truth about a sensitive subject; however, now may not be the right time toreveal all of your knowledge. You will be looking for ways to entertain some co-workerfriends this evening. You do not have to look far with fun games in your closet.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

Some sort of temporary obstacle may appear this morning. The impor-tant thing is that your awareness is focused in the present so that you are able to behelpful in whatever situation needs your attention. Your ability to insert a sense ofhumor into some of the most frustrating situations is quite commendable. You have anatural way of expressing yourself and can add light moments to other people's lives.This afternoon gives way to entertainment with friends. An exchange of informationtakes on emotional significance. A marriage is in the works and there is a lot to talkabout. Being involved with a variety of individuals gives you a variety of experiences-enhancing your life. You may find yourself as a guide for others today.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21)

You are ready to enjoy those cozy, instructive conversations withfriends and loved ones. You and your friends may decide to camp or

enjoy a day trip-perhaps photographing spring flowers. You might be surprised atjust how many plants are edible and can go into your next salad. You can be particu-larly witty and make stimulating company most any time-you are in a particularlygenerous and warm mood today. You are quite popular in social circles and melteven the coldest heart. There is talk this afternoon of new places to visit and peoplethat you may know from faraway places. There are extravagant gardens, which maybe the deciding point for future trips.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)

Wherever you are today, you will find projects or activities move along inpositive ways. There is a keen interest in what makes things tick and who or what, pullsthe strings. Figuring out ways to make your nest egg grow can be a profitable preoccu-pation as well. You have the patience to wait before launching a plan. This is a wise movefor you at this time, but may temporarily confuse others. Your energies are most positive.Friends are impressed by your ability to change the old and adapt to the new. Someoneis graduating, getting married or embarking on some life experience and you maydecide to do a bit of shopping for this person. Set the example and find a practical gift.

Step outside the norm this evening and enjoy a little different entertainment.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

The attitude that anything is possible is a phase for the next few daysand whatever you set out to accomplish will be successful. You might also

keep in mind that if some accomplishment of your youth was exhilarating, it does notnecessarily mean you can repeat the feat with those same feelings at this time-careful.There are optimistic tendencies to take chances. This is a time of exploring your feelings,a kind of restlessness for new experience. You encourage others with your attitude. Loveis here for the taking. All you have to do is reach out-better yet, create a romantic envi-ronment and enjoy the afternoon. Consider a picnic along the riverbank or beside alakeshore. There are shock waves when it comes to a sports game later today.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Your energy is high. Routine matters, however, may make you feeltrapped. You will want to do things that you feel are more worthy of your attentionthis saturday. This could result in more attention toward political issues, professionalplans or personal projects. Perhaps a group needs to band together in order to helpcreate an awareness of some housing problems or transportation needs for the elder-ly. Whatever the case, this is the day people come together under your organizedcleverness to successfully accomplish important things. You can also make your owncherished dreams come true this month-now is a good time to begin by creating aplan. After all, with a plan, the progress, change or fun can take its first steps.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18)

CROSSWORD 1600

ACROSS1. A periodic paperback publication.4. Characterized by friendship and good will.12. An abnormally large amount of this fetopro-

tein in the fetus can signal an abnormality ofthe neural tube (as spina bifida or anen-cephaly).

15. A benevolent aspect of Devi.16. Impressive in appearance.17. A unit of length of thread or yarn.18. In the Arabian Nights a hero who tells of the

fantastic adventures he had in his voyages.20. Having deeply indented margins but with

lobes not entirely separate from each other.21. Light informal conversation for social occa-

sions.22. An informal term for a father.23. An independent ruler or chieftain (especially

in Africa or Arabia).25. Being six more than fifty.27. Salted roe of sturgeon or other large fish.30. Austrian composer (1860-1911).33. Botswanan statesman who was the first presi-

dent of Botswana (1921-1980).36. Relating to or like or divided into areolae.39. The square of a body of any size of type.40. Half the width of an em.41. A resort city in southern Ukraine on the Black

Sea.42. The part of the nervous system of vertebrates

that controls involuntary actions of thesmooth muscles and heart and glands.

44. Covered with or as if with clothes or a wrap orcloak.

46. A Polynesian rain dance performed by awoman.

49. A Kwa language spoken by the Yoruba peoplein southwestern Nigeria.

50. A radioactive element of the actinide series.51. (Sumerian) God of the air and king of the

Sumerian gods.52. Formed by reaction between an acid and an

alcohol with elimination of water.54. A writ from a court commanding police to

perform specified acts.58. Sexually transmitted urethritis (usually caused

by chlamydia).60. Wrap us in a cerecloth, as of a corpse.61. Suggestive of the supernatural.62. United States film actress (born in Sweden)

known for her reclusiveness (1905-1990).64. Lie adjacent to another.66. A river in north central Switzerland that runs

northeast into the Rhine.69. Especially of a ship's lines etc.73. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a

skewer usually with vegetables.74. A soft silvery metallic element of the alkali

earth group.77. A complex red organic pigment containing

iron and other atoms to which oxygen binds.80. A beverage made by steeping tea leaves in

water.81. A former copper coin of Pakistan.82. Of or relating to the cranium which encloses

the brain.83. Imperial dynasty that ruled China (most of the

time) from 206 BC to 221 and expanded itsboundaries and developed its bureaucracy.

DOWN1. A doctor's degree in music.2. Type genus of the Amiidae.3. Port city in northwestern Belgium and industri-

al center.4. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from

aba cloth.5. A Brazilian river.6. A heavy brittle metallic element of the plat-

inum group.7. Acute abdominal pain (especially in infants).8. A kind of heavy jacket (`windcheater' is a British

term).9. Top part of an apron.10. Any of various spectacular plants of the genus

Laelia having showy flowers in many colors.11. Late time of life.12. Primitive chlorophyll-containing mainly

aquatic eukaryotic organisms lacking truestems and roots and leaves.

13. A notable achievement.14. A metabolic acid found in yeast and liver cells.19. Perennial herbs or subshrubs of especially

Mediterranean area.24. Type genus of the Bramidae.26. A sails-shaped constellation in the southern

hemisphere near Carina.28. 30 to 300 megahertz.29. Punish with an arbitrary penalty.31. A river that rises in northern Colombia and

flows generally eastward to the Orinoco incentral Venezuela.

32. (Christianity) The abode of Satan and theforces of evil.

34. Someone making a search or inquiry.35. Put up with something or somebody unpleas-

ant.37. The state of being contaminated.38. An organic compound that contains a hydrox-

yl group bonded to a carbon atom which inturn is doubly bonded to another carbonatom.

43. Burn superficially or lightly.45. Liver or meat or fowl finely minced or ground

and variously seasoned.47. A republic in eastern Africa.48. Primitive chlorophyll-containing mainly

aquatic eukaryotic organisms lacking truestems and roots and leaves.

53. Showing your contempt by derision.55. (Old Testament) A son of Jacob and forefather

of one of the tribes of Israel.56. Small genus of mediterranean shrubs.57. A colorless and odorless inert gas.59. An ancient city of Sumer located on a former

channel of the Euphrates River.63. Obvious and dull.65. Any of various edible seeds of plants of the

family Leguminosae.67. Little known Kamarupan languages.68. A Hindu prince or king in India.70. Profane or obscene expression usually of sur-

prise or anger.71. The chief solid component of mammalian

urine.72. Lacking excess flesh.75. The sixth day of the week.76. A constellation in the southern hemisphere

near Telescopium and Norma.78. One million periods per second.79. An associate degree in nursing.

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Gemini (May 21-June 20)

Leo (July 23-August 22)

inf or m at ionSUNDAY, MAY 7, 2017

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

INTERNATIONALCALLS

Afghanistan 0093

Albania 00355

Algeria 00213

Andorra 00376

Angola 00244

Anguilla 001264

Antiga 001268

Argentina 0054

Armenia 00374

Australia 0061

Austria 0043

Azerbaijan 00994

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

Brazil 0055

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SUNDAY, MAY 7, 2017

l if e s t y l eM U S I C & M O V I E S

Loretta Lynn, one of the pioneering women incountry music known for songs of working-class female resilience, has suffered a stroke,

her representatives said Friday. Lynn, who turned85 last month and remains professionally active,suffered a stroke Thursday night at her ranch inTennessee, said a statement on her website. "She iscurrently under medical care and is responsive andexpected to make a full recovery," it said, whileadding that she had canceled upcoming shows.

Identifiable for her floor-length gowns, Lynnwas one of the original women in country musicand a protegee of Patsy Cline, who defined thefemale role in the genre. Her songs took up the

struggles of the white Southern women who lis-tened to country music, recounting husbands whocheated on them, mistresses who competed withthem, and the loneliness as the men went off towar. Her signature songs include "Don't ComeHome A' Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind)," "CoalMiner's Daughter," "Rated 'X'" and, in a daring earlylook at the society-changing effects of birth con-trol, "The Pill."

Despite her themes, she distanced herself frommodern American feminism and generally sup-ported conservative politicians including PresidentDonald Trump, although she was close to formerpresident Jimmy Carter. Lynn has kept up an active

schedule despite her age, with a new studio album,"Wouldn't It Be Great," due out in August. Her ranchhas also become a tourist attraction, with fanscoming to tour her sprawling home in Tennessee,the southern state where the estates of ElvisPresley and Dolly Parton are also located. — AFP

Country legend Loretta Lynn suffers stroke

In this file photo, Loretta Lynnperforms in concert at the

American Music Theater inLancaster, Pennsylvania. — AP

Diane Keaton to

receive AFI Life

Achievement Award

Diane Keaton will receive the American FilmInstitute's highest honor next month. AFIannounced Friday that Keaton will accept its 45th

Life Achievement Award during a gala tribute in LosAngeles on June 8. The starry dinner ceremony will air as aspecial on TNT later in June. The 71-year-old Keaton wonan Academy Award for playing the title character in "AnnieHall" and has three other lead actress Oscar nominations.Previous recipients of the AFI Life Achievement Awardinclude George Lucas, Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Mel Brooksand Jane Fonda. — AP

'Guardians' sequelrockets to $17M on

opening night

"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" has rocketed to a $17million opening night, beating out early showingsof the first film. Disney reported the sales estimate

for Thursday night preview screenings on Friday. The sequel isthe biggest opening night earner of the year so far. The first"Guardians" film was a surprise blockbuster for many, trans-forming a little-known band of Marvel superheroes intohousehold names. It earned $11.2 million on its openingnight.

Both films were directed by James Gunn, who has alreadysigned on to direct a third "Guardians" film. Chris Pratt andZoe Saldana star in the franchise, which will become interwov-en into Marvel's hit "Avengers" franchise in future films.ComScore figures show the first "Guardians" film earned $93.3million in its opening weekend. — AP

Josh Duhamel channels inner Ryan Seacrest in Times Square

Ryan Seacrest may have some competi-tion as host of New York's mostfamous crystal ball drop - from Josh

Duhamel. The star of the new "Transformers:The Last Knight" kicked off Cinco de Mayowith a special ball drop in Times Square onThursday. The same Waterford crystal ballthat drops every New Year's Eve was adaptedwith a special lime theme for a party spon-sored by Corona. His wife, Fergie, already co-hosts "New Year's Rockin' Eve" with Seacrest.

So does that mean Duhamel is trying hisown thing with the Cinco de Mayo limedrop? "Oh yeah, you're right. I never thoughtabout that. She's got New Year's Eve, now

I've got Cinco de Mayo. That's a good point."Then he immediately thought of moving up."I'll be like the new Ryan Seacrest of Cinco deMayo." He looked into a camera: "Watch out,Ryan." Duhamel has two big films comingout this year. There's "Transformers: The LastKnight" set for a June release.

And later this year, he brings the popularvideo game "Call of Duty" to the big screen.While both films are major releases, it does-n't deter Duhamel from starring in smaller,independent films. "I've always tried tochoose things based on nothing other thandoes it inspire me creatively. It's never beenabout money. I t 's always been about

whether I love this project, and does it havesomething interesting to say," he said.

Now that Duhamel and Fergie have a sonwho turns 4 this summer, he admits beingmore selective when it comes to film proj-ects. "Having a child, does that affect mydecision making? Yeah, a little bit," he said. "Itry to keep the two separate and if it's some-thing he can't see, someday he will and I willhave done it for reasons that I can explain tohim down the road."

In this file photo, actor Josh Duhamelposes for a portrait in New York. — AP

In this file photo, Diane Keaton arrives at the 13th AnnualGala in the Garden at the Hammer Museum, in LosAngeles. — AP

Rapper T I says he only plans to releaseabout two or three more albums. Hesaid in a recent interview that he

expects to release an album revolvingaround "trap music" this year. He's releasednine full-length albums so far, and says hehas "two or three albums left in him." The 36-year-old added: "But it's definitely time totransition."

The rapper-actor has the future albumtitles figured out, calling them "Trap Music,""Dope Boy Meets Girl" and "Kill the King." T I'shits include "What You Know," "Whatever YouLike" and "Live Your Life." Last year he releasedthe politically-charged projects "Us or Else"and "Us or Else: Letter to the System." Theyserved as inspiration for his short film, "Us orElse," which debuted on BET last week. — AP

French choreographer Millepied to direct CarmenFrench choreographer Benjamin Millepied will make

his cinema directorial debut with a musical adapta-tion of "Carmen," his publicist announced Thursday.

The dancer, who is married to actress Natalie Portman, willalso be creating the choreography for the film, which cen-ters on a woman's journey from the deserts of Mexico toLos Angeles in search of freedom. "I'm beyond grateful tobe supported by the film community in my directingdebut," Millepied said in a statement.

"The incorporation of music and dance in film is a cor-ner stone of my creativity and having such an experiencedand talented team by my side gives me confidence that wewill beautifully capture the story told in Carmen," headded. Millepied was choreographer for DarrenAronofsky's "Black Swan," in which he also performed withPortman, whom he later wed. The couple recently had theirsecond child.

He was recently also featured in "Reset" a documentaryabout his work at the Paris Opera Ballet, which he left lastyear to return to Los Angeles, where he is artistic directorand co-founder of L.A. Dance Project. Millepied will beworking with top names in the industry for his film, includ-ing Oscar-nominated Nicholas Britell ("Moonlight") whowill compose the original score.

Dimitri Rassam ("The Little Prince") will be partneringwith Helen Estabrook ("Whiplash") to produce the movie."It's a project that Benjamin has been thinking about for along time and which I am very enthusiastic about," Rassamsaid. "The public's appetite for 'Carmen' has never waned.It's a powerful and visceral work," he added. Shooting isexpected to begin in 2018 in Los Angeles. — AFP

May the 4th be with you, Laura Dern, and darn all themystery surrounding the character you'll play as one ofthe latest additions to the Star Wars galaxy. The actress,

in town Thursday to support a family health-focused global ini-tiative, was tight-lipped about her role in "Star Wars: The LastJedi," which opens in December. "What I can say is I had the timeof my life," Dern told The Associated Press. "I felt like an 8-year-old every day at work, to go to work and be in makeup and hairand walk out in this community of people and, you know, be in astudio where you look down the corridor and you seeChewbacca!"

The mind, Dern said, "melts and you feel like you're at play."Dern, who has twice been nominated for Oscars, offered no reso-lution on another front: A Variety report that she's among theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences board membersunder consideration to run for president after the term of CherylBoone Isaacs expires in July. Variety cited sources it did not identi-fy as saying Dern is interested.

And Dern's take? "It was news to me. If it came from anyone atthe academy, what a gorgeous compliment," she said. Dern joinedthe board last July amid industry tumult over diversity. She wouldbe the fourth woman to serve in the top spot, after Isaacs, BetteDavis and Fay Kanin. Candidates usually don't campaign for theunpaid, four-year post. "I would love to be more and moreinvolved for the rest of my life but don't know that that should

have any predefined title," Dern said. "I'm definitely learning onthe fly a great deal." When it comes to motherhood - Dern has a15-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter - she's a font of supportfor women and families, serving as an ambassador for the annualJohnson & Johnson and United Nations Foundation digitalfundraising campaign called the Global Moms Relay. From May 3to June 16, parents, community leaders, experts and celebritiesare sharing personal stories about issues impacting families, with

J&J donating a $1 - up to $500,000 - for every social media, tweet,share or like.

Among five causes that benefit are UNICEF and nonprofitsthat benefit girls and provide nets in the fight against malaria inAfrica and elsewhere. "A child's right to their own health and well-being should be their birthright," Dern said. "It's a nonpartisanissue." Among the work supported by one of the beneficiaries, GirlUp, is a project in Guatemala to provide girls with bicycles so theycan travel to school. The Global Moms Relay offers Dern a freshspin on social media. Most of the time, she laughed, "I'm in the cargoing, 'I have asked 17 times how was your day? Can you put yourphone down and just answer me?'"

Dern was especially touched by TV talk show host JimmyKimmel's recent outpouring of emotion and support for healthcare for all when he revealed his newborn son's heart surgery.Dern's own son required surgery soon after birth. "Once you'vegone through anything where you're afraid as a parent and you'rein a community of other parents in terror, like at a neonatal inten-sive care unit," she said, "you realize the fragility and the good for-tune that we have to have a healthy family, or to have the privi-lege of health care when you need it." — AP

A Star Wars role? You'll have to force it out of Laura Dern

In this photo, rapper T I tours the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta. — AP

Rapper T I: 'I have two orthree albums left in me'

Britain's monarch has met a queen ofthe fashion world, as Vogue editorAnna Wintour was made a Dame

Commander of the British Empire by QueenElizabeth II. Wintour was made a dame -female equivalent of a knight - for servicesto fashion and journalism in a BuckinghamPalace ceremony on Friday.

The UK-born editor arrived wearing herever-present sunglasses, but removedthem before entering the palace ballroom.She said afterward that the queen hadstruggled to find a place to pin the insigniaon Wintour's pink belted Chanel outfit.Wintour said she also congratulated thequeen on Prince Philip's long public serv-ice, calling him "an inspiration to us all." Thequeen's husband, who is 95, announcedThursday that he will retire from publicengagements in the fall. — AP

Vogue's AnnaWintour made

a dame by QueenElizabeth II

Editor-in-Chief, American Vogue andArtistic Director Dame Anna Wintourposes for a photo after receiving herDame Commander insignia fromBritain’s Queen Elizabeth II at anInvestiture ceremony at BuckinghamPalace, London. — AP

This image released by Disney-Marvel shows Zoe Saldana, from left, Karen Gillan, Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista and Rocket,voiced by Bradley Cooper, in a scene from, ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.’ — AP

In this file photo, actress LauraDern arrives at the Oscars inLos Angeles. — AP

SUNDAY, MAY 7, 2017

F E A T U R E S

l if e s t y l e

Apainting by impressionist master Camille Pissarroseized from a Jewish collector in France in WWIIhas turned up in an exhibition in Paris, where rela-

tives are seeking its return from a US couple who haveloaned it. "La cueillette des pois" ("Pea Harvest") paintedwith gouache by Pissarro in 1887, has been found on dis-play at the Marmottan Museum in the French capital.Simon Bauer was among Jews rounded up in the Drancyinternment camp outside Paris in 1944, but he escapedbeing deported to the Nazi death camps because of atrain drivers' strike.

A year earlier his art collection, including the Pissarro,had been confiscated and sold by an art dealer designatedby officials from France's war-time Vichy regime. On beingreleased in September 1944, Bauer immediately beganlooking for his paintings, but he had only recovered a smallpart of his collection of 93 canvases by the time he died in1947. His relatives have continued the search, and hisgrandson Jean-Jacques Bauer, now 87, recently learnedthat "Pea Harvest" was on display at the Marmottan as partof a Pissarro retrospective.

The painting is on loan from a US couple named Toll

who bought it at Christie's in New York in 1995. Bauer'sdescendants had lost the trail of the canvas for half a cen-tury. In 1965 they heard about an under-the-counter saleinvolving it and another painting, but the American dealerwho had just bought them got away when a judge orderedtheir release. The paintings were then sold again atSotheby's in London in 1966. On Friday Bauer asked a topParis court to order that the painting not be allowed tomove, pending further action to determine its ownership.

In the meantime, "this picture must remain in France,"said his lawyer, Cedric Fischer, whose great-grandfather

advised Simon Bauer.Faced with this "complicated histori-cal, factual and legal situation ... the French judge must beable to rule calmly, without haste," he added. The US cou-ple have opposed the request to block movement of thepainting. The court has said it will rule on May 30. TheMarmottan has agreed to keep the canvas until the end ofthe Pissarro retrospective on July 2, said the museum'slawyer Eric Andrieu. — AFP

Pissarro seized in WWII turns up in Paris show

The Metropolitan Opera is pulling out the fin-ery this weekend to mark its golden anniver-sary at New York's Lincoln Center, but the cel-

ebration comes at a tough moment for opera inthe United States. A black-tie concert and gala din-ner will feature performances from many of opera'sbiggest stars, including legendary Spanish singerPlacido Domingo and the popular American sopra-no Renee Fleming, as well as archived footage fromMet performances of yore and a recent video testi-monial from the iconic Leontyne Price.

The event comes near the end of another sea-son of spectacle concerning tales of love, loss, fateand the fantastic, with booming soloists, museum-worthy sets and sure-handed performing by theMet's respected chorus and orchestra. While theMet's musical prowess is not open to question,there is uncertainty hovering over the company asit struggles to find new subscribers to make up forolder attendees who are dying off. Met ticket salescovered 88 percent of capacity in 2008, but only 69percent in 2015, according to financial reports.

As ticket revenues have stagnated, donationsfrom wealthy benefactors have assumed a greatershare of expenses. "It has some serious problems,"said Charles Affron, co-author of "Grand Opera: TheStory of the Met," who said the house is facing oneof the toughest periods in its 134-year history. "Theaudience has been dwindling and keeps dwin-dling," he said.Met General Manager Peter Gelbsaid overall audience in the 2016-2017 season thatcelebrates the opera's 50 years "slightly" improvedcompared with last year, its first gain after severalyears of decline.

Gelb said ticket sales to first-time buyers havebeen strong, but acknowledged that attractingnew audience remains a work in progress. He said apriority was greater outreach to schools, in partthrough use of content from the Met's "Live in HD"

program, which streams opera from the Met stageto cinemas worldwide. "Opera is going through atransition-replacing an older audience with ayounger one," he said. "The question is can wereplace the old audience with the new one quicklyenough?"

Dramatic unveilingToday's event will commemorate the Met's

move from Midtown Manhattan to Lincoln Center,a cultural plaza on the Upper West Side that is alsohome to the New York Philharmonic and New YorkCity Ballet. That opening, back in September 1966,was marked with appearances by first lady LadyBird Johnson, Philippine president FerdinandMarcos and other dignitaries who watched theworld premiere of Leontyne Price in "Antony &Cleopatra" by American composer Samuel Barber.

Other names from opera's golden era followedlater that season, including Italian tenor FrancoCorelli, Swedish powerhouse Birgit Nilsson andAustralian soprano Joan Sutherland. Another greatstar, the late tenor Luciano Pavarotti, premiered atthe Met in 1968 in "La Boheme." Besides the starrycasts, the remade Met also became known for stel-lar acoustics and details such as its gold ceilingsand majestic chandeliers. A pair of murals by artistMarc Chagall-one mostly red, the other mostly yel-low-have also become synonymous with NewYork's premier opera house.

But over time, the Met's scale, an asset duringthe era of peak opera, has started to look more likea burden. With about 3,800 seats, it is far biggerthan rival houses in cities such as London, Milanand Vienna. Music historian Affron said new pro-ductions introduced under Gelb have been unevenand that the Met's roster of singers is not as strongas in decades past. "There's just not enough peoplewho will sell tickets," he said.

But Affron is optimistic about the appointmentof conductor Yannick Nezet-Seguin as music direc-tor, set to take effect in 2020, a hope echoed byunion leaders who came close to striking in 2014before a deal was struck. "The orchestra is thrilledto have the opportunity to work with MaestroNezet-Seguin," Jessica Phillips, who plays clarinet inthe Met Orchestra, said in a statement on behalf ofthe American Federation of Musicians Local 802."While there are serious and important challenges,the Met continues to create extraordinary perform-ances that meet the exceptional standards of ouraudience."

A different eraDefenders of today's singers note that many are

better actors than their predecessors, some ofwhom sounded great but stood statue-like andmade little attempt to realize characters facingcatharsis, crisis and life and death. Examples thisseason included the Russian soprano AnnaNetrebko, who left audiences rapturous as thetrusting, bookish Tatiana in "Eugene Onegin," andthe German baritone Michael Volle, who communi-cated a creepy, otherworldly possession as the titlecharacter in Wagner's "Flying Dutchman."

"Opera has to be so much more than it oncewas," said Gelb, who said it was more difficult in thecurrent era of ample distractions to connect topeople who aren't already watching. "As an artform, opera is not positioned as it once was," Gelbsaid. "In a slower moving time, opera was more inthe mainstream." — AFP

Having yourself shot, locked up, cruci-fied, dangled naked from a rope,kicked down stairs or clamped to the

floor near electrified water will get you atten-tion-but is it art? It is a question Los Angeles-based Chris Burden, who died of cancer in2015, posed through a series of stomach-churning performances that shook the con-ventional art world in the 1970s, challengingideas about the limits and nature of modernart.

"I'm not about death and I didn't want todie, but I wanted to come close," the late artistjokes in "Burden," a new documentary explor-ing the complex, evolving character whobecame one of the most admired artists of hisgeneration. On an evening in the fall of 1971,Burden provoked outraged headlines acrossthe world by getting shot on camera by anex-military friend standing 15 feet away witha .22 rifle in Santa Ana, California.

The bullet was supposed to graze his leftarm but instead went straight through, lead-ing to a spell in the hospital and a policeinvestigation, although Burden himself insist-ed that getting shot was "as American asapple pie." Directed by first-time documentar-ians Richard Dewey and Timothy Marrinan,"Burden" mixes grainy footage of his 70s per-formances with latter day scenes at hisTopanga Canyon studio on the outskirts ofLos Angeles County. "It is, I think, the greatuntold story of the art world, and maybe oneof the great untold stories in contemporarypop culture," Dewey, a writer and filmmakerbased in Los Angeles, said.

A little crazy Among the talking heads are art dealer

Larry Gagosian, who represented Burden,architect Frank Gehry, curator Paul Schimmeland tennis great John McEnroe, a committedBurden collector who describes the artist as"up my alley, a little crazy." The one dissentingvoice is Brian Sewell, the English art critic whooutlived Burden by four months, who takespleasure in undermining the pursuit of con-ceptual art. "Performance art, it's new, butthat doesn't make it art. It only makes a thingthat silly people go to see," he says, dismiss-ing Burden's early work as "rubbish."

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, andbrought up in France and Italy, Burdenmoved to California in 1965 at the age of 19.He became interested in performance artafter enrolling at the University of California

Irvine in 1969 and, for his graduate thesis,squeezed himself into a two-foot-cubed lock-er for five days. In another piece he had hishands nailed to the roof of a revving VW atVenice beach, and there were numerous oth-er projects involving fire, glass, holding aknife to a woman's neck and lying motionlessand without water for 45 hours.

"I don't think my pieces always provideanswers, they just ask questions. I think that'swhat art is about-it doesn't have a purpose,you see," he says in a television interview.Burden ended his marriage to long-sufferingwife Barbara in 1974 by publicly announcingan affair with artist Alexis Smith. He moved toNew York and began to unravel, bingeing ondrugs and running around with a loaded Uzisubmachine gun.

Art's Evel Knievel His stunts had earned him the nickname

the "Evel Knievel of the art world," a designa-tion that came to annoy him, prompting himto quit performance art in the late 70s. Amove to a remote ranch of several acres inTopanga Canyon, where he lived out the restof his life with his second wife, the sculptorNancy Rubins, proved the perfect antidoteand the start of Burden's trajectory towards agentler art form.

"Metropolis II" (2011) -- a paean toAngelenos' love of the automobile-enchantsvisitors to the Los Angeles County Museum ofArt while, outside, "Urban Light" (2008), anassemblage of 202 antique street lamps hasbecome one of LA's most photographedmonuments. Burden died suddenly of malig-nant melanoma shortly before filmingwrapped, which was not only a huge shock tothe filmmakers, but also forced them to relymore on archive footage than they had origi-nally intended.

"There is a tendency when you becomevery well known for something early in yourcareer to be slightly fixed in people's minds,in public perception," said Marrinan. "I think itwas nice that later in his life he had some oth-er pieces that became very well known. Thosewill leave a legacy as well. He's certainly beenan inspiration to a lot of other generations ofartists that have come since." "Burden" opensFriday in New York with a national theatricalrollout to follow and is also available onAmazon Video and iTunes. — AFP

Spanish opera singer Placido Domingo

Met Opera faces questions as it marks big anniversary

'Burden': Portrait of the

artist as a gunshot victim

Fans of French baguettes and pastries in the United Statesare discovering a new place to spend their dough, cour-tesy of boulanger Eric Kayser. The Frenchman, who

launched his first "Maison Kayser" in Paris in 1996, plans a newcafe/restaurant near the Empire State Building later thisspring, with two more in Washington coming later in the year,the chain's first US boulangeries outside of the Big Apple.

The shops are part of Kayser's international push thatextends to Colombia as well as several corners of Africa(Angola, Congo and the Ivory Coast). Kayser's biggest interna-tional market is Japan, with 37 stores. The shops, which dis-play intricately crafted desserts and breads and serve soupand light meals, are positioned to take advantage of America'sgrowing demand for better food. "Consumers want fresh food,quality food, food made with unique and fresh ingredients,"said Bonnie Riggs, a restaurant industry analyst at NPD Group.

"They are willing to pay the price if you meet their expecta-tions." A study by consultancy A.T. Kearney said 63 percent ofAmerican consumers were ready to pay more for gourmetfood. Sales of artisanal/specialty foods have risen by nine to14 percent in major cities, Kearney said. Kayser "capitalized ona void in the marketplace of providing well-crafted bakeryproducts that fit into the modern lifestyle," said Bahige El-Rayes, an expert in retail and consumer businesses at Kearney.

Kayser, 52, said a key selling point at his shops is that eachof the restaurants has its own bakery. Cafe managers aretrained in Paris for about six months. "The difference between

us and (the competition) is, I think, that we're truly artisanal,so in each shop we have a baker in the back," Kayser said. "Sothis allows us to train a lot of skilled chefs."

Same products, higher prices Born in Lure in the south of France to a family of bakers

and trained at l'Institut National de la Boulangerie Patisserie,Kayser has sought to take the time-tested strengths of Frenchbaking abroad. The basic idea is to reproduce the same coreproducts - baguettes, viennoiseries, tartines, tarts - as inFrance, while charging more. For example, the baguette"Monge," which sells for 1.20 euros in Paris, retails for $3 inNew York (2.70 euros).

The first Kayser boutique opened in New York in August2012 near the French lycee in Manhattan. By the end of 2017,there will be 14 in New York. The shops are designed in thestyle of a modern Parisian cafe/bistro, with references to thehomeland, such as a giant map of the Paris Metro system. Withthe exception of butter, which is imported from France, allingredients come from the United States. The pastries andbrioches are made without preservatives, while bread doughis made on the spot.

The 11 US boulangeries are among the most profitable inthe Maison Kayser chain, which generated $300 million inglobal revenues in 2016. The average bakery customer in theUS spends $10 a visit, while the restaurant diner spends $20 to$25. That compares with 6 euros ($6.50) in France at the bak-

ery and about 20 euros at the restaurant. Kayser expects thegap to increase in the years ahead as it adds catering and,within the next five years, seeks to expand to the US WestCoast. Experts question whether Kayser's operations willchange as it expands.

"Maintaining the intricate craftsmanship coupled with highdensity throughout will be a challenge," said El-Rayes, whosaid companies like Kayser have eventually shifted to kitchencommissaries as they grow. "Maison Kayser will have to con-

sider trade-offs in its artisanal quality, convenience and thesearch for growth as it continues its expansion in the US," hesaid. Maison Kayser USA is led by chief executive Louis-JeanEgasse. The company's largest shareholder is a fund associat-ed with Charles Heilbronn, a member of the Wertheimer fami-ly, which owns the Chanel brand. — AFP

French boulanger Eric Kayser finds niche in US

Parisian master baker Eric Kayser works in the kitchen at his bakery in New York City. — AFP photos

SUNDAY, MAY 7, 2017

l if e s t y l eF E A T U R E S

Young, fashion-conscious and eager for change, thou-sands of Zimbabweans spent this week partying atmusic concerts and open-air bars during a six-day festi-

val hosted in the capital against all the odds. The HarareInternational Festival of the Arts (HIFA), founded in 1999, wasabandoned last year as Zimbabwe's economy crumbled andleft desperate locals unable to withdraw money from banks.

Despite many sponsors pulling out, festival organizershave revived an event widely seen as an expression of defi-ance against the country's woes under 93-year-old PresidentRobert Mugabe. "Cash is everyone's major problem,"Chidochemoyo Nemhara, 29, a festival-goer who works for awomen's business group, said. "But we know HIFA is a placeto forget about troubles." At least 100 international musi-cians, singers, dancers and actors are performing alongsidemany local artists at a dozen venues across the city.

Mali-based star Habib Koite is due to headline the finalnight today in Harare's central park, topping off a scheduleranging from US opera and Irish comedy to Turkish jazz,Dutch techno and Indian dance. Tafadzwa Simba, HIFA's exec-utive director, said the festival this year lost the backing of

several companies, funding bodies and embassies whobelieved it was "impossible" to hold the event given thenation's economic difficulties. "Technically speaking, as acountry, we are broke. Yet it has happened, and here we are,"Simba said.

'We must live our lives' Dissent is risky in Zimbabwe, where Mugabe has ruled

since 1980, but the festival's slogan "Staging an Intervention"hints at rebellious undercurrents that erupted last year withlarge anti-government protests. "Everyone knows what theymean," said Chiedza Mahere, 27, a graphic designer and fash-ion blogger. "We are ruled by a government that wants to takeeverything. We must live our lives anyway-liberal, free, andallowed to be who we want to be. That is what HIFA is about."

Processing ticket sales has been just one major test for thefestival as Zimbabwe suffers a drastic shortage of banknotes.Hyperinflation killed off the national currency several yearsago, forcing Zimbabwe to use scarce US dollar bills that thegovernment now supplements by printing its own little-trust-ed "bond notes".

Not far from the festival's main gates, long queues stretchoutside banks as customers stand in line for hours to try tocollect the daily maximum withdrawal of just $50. "I mustoften wait at a bank from 6am to 2pm," said studentGamuchirai Gatawa, 20, as she arrived at the festival. "Thegovernment says we must use bond notes, but the shopsdon't want them. What should we do? "Young people are notbeing heard, but if we do find our own person to do that,then (the government's) time is up."

Business boost Some festival events are free, while tickets to the show-

case performances on the main stage cost up to $20.Organizers admit that fewer spectators are expected com-pared to the last festival two years ago-when total audiencenumbers hit a staggering 49,000 at 192 performances. Butthey say the week has still brought a rare burst of businessactivity to Harare, with stage crew, taxi drivers, hotels andstall-holders among those benefiting.

"We are only back in action thanks to the sheer determina-tion of those involved," said Simba. "Really, we see HIFA as a

statement of intent of what might be possible in this coun-try." Zimbabwe's economic output has halved since 2000,according to economists, and unemployment stands over 90percent, forcing millions of young people to seek workabroad.

Mugabe, who is often criticized for repression, corruptionand destructive economic policies, is due to stand for re-elec-tion next year despite his increasingly frail health. For manyof the international performers, the festival has been an eye-opening insight into both Zimbabwe's troubles and itsstrengths.

"I am staying in a spare room in Highfield, one of therougher parts of towns, but I feel very safe and welcome,"said German solo tenor Jochen Kraus, 44. "Many singersand performers in Europe have heard of this event, and thiswas an unmissable opportunity to be involved in a hugeadventure." Kraus, who sings in the Munich PhilharmonicChoir, was searching for a quick-learning pianist after hisaccompanist dropped out at the last minute. "All part of thefun," he said.— AFP

Cameroonian artist Kareyce Fotso, right, performs with her band at the Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA) inZimbabwe.

People attend the Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA) in Zimbabwe. — AFP photos

Young Zimbabweans flock to rejuvenated arts fest

Hundreds of international and local tattoo artistsraised electric needles in Costa Rica on Friday for anannual get-together to swap ideas and designs, and

show off their latest creations. The small crowd of pierced,tattooed and hair-dyed specialists were holding their sixthParadise Tattoo Convention in San Antonio de Belen, atown close to the capital San Jose, for three days into theweekend. "I'm really impressed with the quality of theattendees. This is the best one I've seen yet," said YazminUgalde, whose belly boasted a big tattooed wolf.

Ugalde, who had part of her head shaved under a greenmohawk with a bright pink fringe, was there to sell clothes,bracelets and collars. Steve Butcher, a tattoo artist knowninternationally for his hyper-real designs, was enthusiasticthat "a New Zealand tattooist who does incredible stuff"had come to take part. Surrealism was well represented byan American expert, Carlos Torres. Ostensibly, however, thisyear's edition of the congress was dedicated to designsinspired by pre-Colombian art. — AFP

Tropical tattoos: Costa Rica hosts masters of skin ink

Tattoo artist Carlos Arce participates in the 6th Editionof the Paradise Tattoo Convention in San Antonio deBelen, 20 km west of San Jose, Costa Rica.

Natalia Ugalde participates in the 6th Edition of theParadise Tattoo Convention.

Yazmin Ugalde participates in the 6th Edition of the Paradise Tattoo Convention.

A woman gets a tattoo.— AFP photosA woman looks at a stand.

SUNDAY, MAY 7, 2017

l if e s t y l eF A S H I O N

The 35-year-old actress likes nothing morethan "a bit of trouser" and a fitted ensemble,but she believes her career in the entertain-

ment industry makes it hard for her to "stand out"with her wardrobe choices. Speaking about herstyle preferences to Net-A-Porter's The Edit, thegolden-haired beauty said: "I like tailoring; I love abit of trouser," "I was talking to Barbara about howwe should celebrate uniqueness, certainly [among]women, rather than [making them] conform towhat everyone else is.

"Being an actress, people want to put you in a

box, to fit the mould, to wear the same outfits. It'shard to stand out." Meanwhile, the 'The Affair' star -who was awarded the Best Actress for a TelevisionSeries Drama gong at the 2015 Golden GlobeAwards for her role as Alison Bailey - claims shedoesn't have a "mentor" or anyone she can turn tofor advice because nobody in her family has everacted and she doesn't "hang out" with fellowactors.

She explained: "I don't really have anyone. Idon't have a mentor; I don't hang out with actors."However, the British star's father Nigel will often

tell her not to do something she doesn't want todo. She said: "My dad is great; I phone him up andhe says, 'Don't do anything you don't need to.' Butno one in my family has [acted], so I've had to carvemy own path." "That's where you learn a lot ... whenyou're out of your comfort zone. No airs or graces,no one getting you coffee every two minutes. Backto using your brain and your creativity, scrabblingaround the floor, devising something."

Ruth Wilson loves to wear tailored garments

Malaysian Heritage Make Up Show

Models present creations by Malaysian make-upartists during the Malaysian Heritage Make UpShow in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. — AFP photos

37SUNDAY, MAY 7, 2017

Met Opera faces questions as it

marks big anniversary

A model poses as she shows a cre-ation by Malaysian make-up artist

Sheena during the MalaysianHeritage Make Up Show in Kuala

Lumpur yesterday. — AFP

As a police officer patrolling the streets of Chicago,Antoinette Alcazar admits to being overwhelmed attimes, needing escape from the everyday tragedies of

life in the United States's murder capital. "I see a lot of peopleget shot. I've seen a lot of people take their last breath," saysAlcazar. "Walking into my studio, turning on some music andjust taking the brush to a canvas helps me process that."

Alcazar is one of 17 serving or recently retired policemenand women whose work is on display at a new exhibition inChicago-a city where more than 1,000 people have been shotthis year alone and around 200 murdered. Officers are witnessto some of the city's worst violence, the first at crime scenesand often responsible for breaking terrible news to victims'loved ones.

Some of the art on display in the city's first exhibition ofpolice officers' works provides a stark illustration of how thatshocking violence affects officers. Entitled "Dimensions: AnExploration of Artistic Expression of Chicago Police Officers,"the exhibition features 56 artworks, including photography,paintings, charcoal drawings and steel sculptures.

Alcazar had five paintings on display, including one called"Overwhelmed," in which a woman painted in blue is sittingcurled in an upright fetal position, the world around herdepicted in dark reds and bright gold. "I was trying to depictthe intensity of that emotion of being overwhelmed," Alcazartold AFP, tears welling up in her eyes.

So many officers wanted to display their work that organiz-ers had to turn some away due to a lack of space in the exhibi-tion venue, normally a police meeting room. Sean Loughran,the commander of the department's 20th District who was

the brains behind the project, hoped it would show thatpolice are more than just men and women in uniform.

Stress relief "My hope is the public sees that there are additional

dimensions of police officers as conveyed here," saidLoughran, who has several of his own photos of a nearby firedepartment on display. "Being creative is definitely a stressrelief for me," said Loughran, a 20-year veteran of the depart-ment. Initially scheduled to last just one day, the exhibit wasextended for an entire week due to the high level of interest.

It is part of a continuing effort by police to improve rela-tions with the communities they serve, especially after therelease of a video in late 2015 depicting a white Chicagopolice officer fatally shooting an unarmed black teenager 16times. Officer Jason Van Dyke was charged with murder forthe death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald. A resulting feder-al civil rights probe of the department under the Obamaadministration found a pattern of abuse and routine use ofexcessive force.

Sandy Walter, who has served in the force for 24 years,hoped the exhibition would help change the public's percep-tions for the better. "We're not just what you see on the news.We're not just what people assume," she said. "There is moreto us. There's creativity." — AFP

Art work by police officers are displayed during an exhibition at a Chicago police station. — AFP photos

Art work by police officers aredisplayed during an exhibition

at a Chicago police station.

Police in US murder capital find solace in art