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THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015 THULQADA 12, 1436 AH www.kuwaittimes.net

US reporter, cameraman Min 30º Max 46º killed in on-air shooting High Tide 09:05 & 22:50 Gunman kills self after posting attack video online Low Tide 02:25 & 16:05 40 PAGES NO: 16622 150 FILS MONETA, Virginia: A TV reporter and cameraman were shot to death during a live television interview yester- Saudi suspect in day by a gunman who recorded himself carrying out the killings and posted the video on social media after Khobar Towers fleeing the scene. Authorities identified the suspect as a journalist who had been fired from the station earlier attack arrested this year. Hours later and hundreds of miles away, he ran off the road and a trooper found him with a self-inflict- WASHINGTON: A man suspected in the 1996 ed gunshot wound. He died at a hospital later yester- bombing of the Khobar Towers residence at a US day. military base in has been captured, a The shots rang out on-air as reporter Alison Parker US official said yesterday. Ahmed Al-Mughassil, and cameraman Adam Ward were presenting a local described by the FBI in 2001 as the head of the mili- tourism story at an outdoor shopping mall. Viewers saw tary wing of Saudi Hezbollah, is suspected of lead- her scream and run, and she could be heard saying “Oh ing the attack that killed 19 US service personnel my God,” as she fell. Ward fell, too, and the camera he and wounded almost 500 people. The June 25, had been holding on his shoulder captured a fleeting 1996, bombing at Khobar image of the suspect holding a handgun. Towers, a military housing WDBJ quickly switched back to the anchor at the sta- complex, was the dead- tion, her eyes large and jaw dropping as she said, “OK, liest such attack targeting not sure what happened there.” The station later went US forces since the 1983 live again, reporting on their own station and staff as bombing of the US the story developed. Parker and Ward were killed as the Marines’ barracks in gunman fired about 15 shots. Their interview subject, Beirut that killed 241 Vicki Gardner, was in stable condition later yesterday American servicemen. after surgery for her wounds. Saudi paper Asharq The gunman was Vester Lee Flanagan II, 41, of Alawsat, which first Roanoke, who appeared on WDBJ as Bryce Williams, reported the develop- authorities said. Jeffrey Marks, WDBJ’s president and ment, said he was arrest- general manager, said Flanagan had to be escorted by Ahmed Al-Mughassil ed in Beirut and trans- police out of the station when he was fired. Marks ferred to Riyadh. The described him as “an unhappy man” and “difficult to Saudi Interior Ministry had no immediate comment. work with,” always “looking out for people to say things Mughassil, also known as Abu Omran, is one of 13 he could take offense to”. “Eventually after many inci- people named in a 2001 indictment in Alexandria, dents of his anger coming to the fore, we dismissed Virginia, in connection with the bombing. Charges him. He did not take that well,” Marks explained. include murder of federal employees and bombing Video posted hours after the shooting on Bryce resulting in death. None of the 13 has yet been Williams’ Twitter account and Facebook page showed brought to court to face charges, according to court an outstretched arm holding the handgun and firing documents. The lead prosecutor listed in court repeatedly at Parker as she tried to run away. The shoot- records from 2001 is James Comey, now the FBI er appeared to walk up to the victims and stand a few director. feet away from them while holding the weapon. The In the Khobar attack, militants parked a fuel trail- three, in the midst of a live TV interview, do not seem to er truck just outside the shallow perimeter of the notice the gunman, who doesn’t start shooting until apartment complex, 85 feet away from one of the In this framegrab from video posted on social media, Vester Lee Ward points the camera at Parker. Ward was engaged to eight-story buildings. The blast demolished one Flanagan II aims a gun over the shoulder of WDBJ-TV cameraman a producer at the station, Melissa Ott, who was celebrat- side of the building, leaving a massive crater. Adam Ward at reporter Alison Parker as she conducts a live on-air ing her last day on the job and was in the control room, Continued on Page 13 interview yesterday. Thumbnail images at left show (top to bottom) watching it live, as the shooting unfolded, Marks said. victims Parker and Ward, and the shooter Flanagan. — AP Continued on Page 13 Thirsty Mideast Basmati grown at Wafra farm faces water stress KUWAIT: A Kuwaiti farmer, Yusuf Swilem Al-Kribani, has managed to grow basmati rice in Kuwait for the first time. Despite adverse conditions, he grew the Kuwait worst affected Indian basmati on his farm in Wafra. Eventual suc- cess has capped many failure attempts, Kribani told : Nearly half of 33 countries on groundwater and desalinated sea water, KUNA yesterday. expected to face extremely high water stress and faces “exceptional water-related chal- He added that basmati needs a soil capable of by 2040 are in the Middle East, where surface lenges for the foreseeable future”, they wrote holding water for longer periods, such as heavy water is limited and demand is high, said in their findings. neutral soils (clay, clay loam and loamy), and be experts who ranked 167 nations. Thirteen Betsy Otto, director of the WRI’s Global overwhelmed by water. So Kribani used closed cul- Middle Eastern countries plus the Palestinian Water Programme, said it was important for tivation basins with no holes. He pointed to other Territories are projected to face extremely governments to understand the potential personal attempts to produce black tomatoes and high water stress in 25 years’ time, and eight risks they face in terms of the water needed white strawberries. This is a message that Kuwait is fell in the global Top 10: Bahrain, Kuwait, the to run their economies, including rising able to grow most crops, he noted — KUNA Palestinian Territories, Qatar, United Arab demand as populations grow and the still Emirates, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Oman. uncertain impacts of climate change. “The Researchers from the World Resources good news ... is countries can take actions to AHMEDABAD: Indian commuters pass by a damaged bus which was set on fire Institute (WRI) - who compiled the first index reduce that stress and the risk associated during clashes yesterday. — AP measuring competition for and depletion of with how they manage water resources,” Otto surface water, such as lakes and rivers, each told the Thomson Reuters Foundation, citing decade from 2010 to 2040 - said the Middle as an example of a state that uses India’s Hindu population East is already probably the least water- innovative methods. secure region in the world. It draws heavily Continued on Page 13 drops, Muslim ratio rises 9 killed in Gujarat caste protests NEW DELHI/AHMEDABAD: India’s year when he said Hindu women should Hindus have dropped below 80 percent give birth to four children to ensure that of the population for the first time since their religion survives. independence and media had speculat- In the first census, conducted after ed the previous government deliberately Britain carved India and Pakistan out of delayed the release of the data because colonial India in 1947, Hindus accounted it showed a rise in the Muslim popula- for 84.1 percent of the Indian population. tion. Members of Prime Minister Although population growth is slowing Narendra Modi’s ruling Hindu nationalist in all religious groups, India is still set to party, which swept to power last year, overtake to become the world’s have expressed growing concern about most populous country by 2022, accord- the rising numbers of Muslims. The cen- ing to a United Nations forecast. India’s sus data shows that Hindus declined to population grew by almost a fifth during 79.8 percent of the country’s 1.2 billion the period between the last two census- people in 2011, from 80.5 percent a es, straining supplies of land, food and decade earlier. water and bloating its underemployed, The share of Muslims rose to 14.2 per- poorly skilled workforce. cent from 13.4 percent in 2001 - the only Separately, at least nine people have major religious group to record a rise. died in the worst violence to hit Narendra KUWAIT: Kuwaiti farmer Yusuf Al-Kribani shows Christians stayed at 2.3 percent and Sikhs Modi’s home state in more than a decade, TEHRAN: Iranian shoeshine man Mohammad Ali Hassan Khani, whose nickname stalks of basmati rice that he managed to grow fell to 1.7 percent from 1.9 percent. police said yesterday, as the Indian prime is Aliwaxima, drives his racy-red motorized stiletto on a street on Aug 19, 2015 at his Wafra farm. — KUNA Sakshi Maharaj, a Hindu priest-turned- minister appealed for calm. in the capital. — AFP (See Page 37) politician, caused an uproar earlier this Continued on Page 13 THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015 LOCAL

HH the Deputy Amir and Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah meets HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah meets Deputy Prime Minister and HH the Prime Minister receives a gift from Ambassador HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. Minister of Defense Sheikh Khaled Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah. Essa Abdulrahman Al-Essa. Crown Prince receives top state officials

KUWAIT: His Highness the Deputy Amir and Crown Prince Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah, and Director Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received at General and Chairman of the Board for the Public Bayan Palace yesterday His Highness the Prime Minister Authority for Youth and Sport (PAYS) Sheikh Ahmad Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. Sheikh Mansour Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. Separately, Sheikh Nawaf also received Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Jaber Al-Mubarak received Ambassador Essa Abdulrahman Defense Sheikh Khaled Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah, Minister of Al-Essa, who presented a book to him titled ‘Four Decades HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah meets Information and Youth Affairs Minister Sheikh Salman Al- Information and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh of Diplomatic Work.’ — KUNA Humoud Al-Sabah, and PAYS’ Director General and Chairman of the Board Sheikh Ahmad Al-Mansour Al-Sabah. Bahrain, Kuwait keen Project adds 632 beds to Adan Hospital

on cementing ties KUWAIT: Ahmadi Governor Sheikh Fawaz Al- governor underlined the project’s importance also include adding 40 operation rooms and a Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah received a team in serving the increasing demands of the gov- strategic medicine storehouse. MANAMA: The Kingdom of Bahrain and the Prime Minister made his statements during a from Adan Hospital led by Director Dr Bader Al- ernment’s residence in light of expansion proj- Separately, Hawally Governor Sheikh Ahmad State of Kuwait are keen on cementing fur- reception of the Dean of the Diplomatic Otaibi to discuss the latest developments ects and demographic boom that it currently Al-Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah received the ther the mutual cooperation and brotherly Corps and the State of Kuwait’s Ambassador regarding the hospital’s expansion project. witnesses. Meanwhile, Otaibi said that the new Egyptian Ambassador to Kuwait Abdulkareem ties bonding them since a long period of to the Kingdom, Sheikh Azzam Al-Mubarak Officials from the company that is carrying out project is set to increase the hospital’s bed Suleiman yesterday on the occasion of ending time, Bahraini Prime Minister Prince Khalifa Al-Sabah, the Kuwaiti Embassy in Bahrain said the project attended the meeting as well. The capacity by an additional 632 beds, and will his tenure in the country. bin Salman Al-Khalifa affirmed yesterday. The in a statement. Prince Khalifa voiced satisfaction at the continuing improvement in these ties, during the meeting with Ambassador Sheikh Azzam, the statement added. Meanwhile, the ambas- sador expressed satisfaction at the level of the bilateral relations, noting that the Prime Minister is largely credited for the warmth in the bilateral relations between the two coun- tries. These ties have become “a stark example” for the inter-GCC relations, he said. Bahrain and Kuwait are members of the six-seat GCC, founded in the early 1980s to bolster ties and Bahraini Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin mutual cooperation. These two regional coun- Salman Al-Khalifa meets Kuwait’s tries have particularly maintained warm rela- Ambassador Sheikh Azzam Al-Mubarak Al- Ahmadi Governor Sheikh Fawaz Al-Khaled meets a team A model of the Adan Hospital expan- Hawally Governor Sheikh Ahmad Al-Nawaf meets tions since many years ago. — KUNA Sabah. from Adan Hospital. sion project. Egyptian Ambassador Abdulkareem Suleiman. THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015 LOCAL

HH Sheikh Nawaf receives a gift presented by the Kuwait Sea Sports Club during the ceremony.

KUWAIT: His Highness the Deputy Amir and Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, top officials and participants at the 27th HH Sheikh Nawaf is pictured with two young pearl divers. Pearl Diving Commemorative Trip are pictured in a group photo at the ceremony. — KUNA Crown Prince attends pearl diving ceremony

KUWAIT: His Highness the Deputy Amir and Crown Prince KSSC from August 6 to 13. values of patience and in facing challenges, amidst Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah attended the His Highness the Amir pays much attention towards severe weather conditions, he added. ceremony of the 27th Pearl Diving Commemorative Trip, preserving the old Kuwaiti tradition of diving to teach KSSC Chairman Fahad also delivered a speech in the which took place recently under the patronage of His youth the values of cooperation and loyalty between soci- ceremony, where he noted that the expedition aimed to Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al- ety members, said His Highness Sheikh Nawaf in his open- attract attention towards protecting marine environment Sabah. The ceremony was held at Bayan Palace yesterday. ing speech. Meanwhile, His Highness praised the efforts of and fish resources, an initiative presented by Kuwait During the event, His Highness the Crown Prince participants from the UAE and Bahrain to create a success- Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) last received Minister of Information and Minister of State for ful experience out of the diving expedition. year. Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah Salem Al-Humoud Al- The trip’s theme ‘Those are my sons’ represents the aim Sabah, Director General of the Public Authority for Youth Struggle and efforts behind the event, which is brining all segments of the and Sports Sheikh Ahmad Mansour Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al- The Minister of Information on his part noted the Kuwaiti society closer, he noted. The theme follows the Sabah, Deputy Director General of the authority Ahmad Al- importance of reminding youth of the struggle and efforts famous sentence said by His Highness the Amir upon his Khazal, Chairman of Kuwait Sea Sport Club (KSSC) Fahad “of our ancestors who faced the dangers of diving to make arrival at the scene of Al-Sadeq terrorist explosion Al-Fahad and participants of the expedition, organized by a living.” The expedition had taught about 200 youth the last June, he added. — KUNA

(Second row, from left) Khalifa Al-Rashid, KSSC Chairman Fahad Al- Fahad, HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and Information and Youth Affairs Minister Sheikh Salman Al-Humoud Al- Sabah are pictured with children at the ceremony. Young divers display pictures taken from the trip to HH the Crown Prince. Documentary released on Americani hospital Celebrating 100 years of Kuwait’s first hospital

By Nawara Fattahova The Americani Hospital, which is now a historical made long research in old documents and photos to get building and cultural center lying on the seaside, has the correct outfits and accessories, from which some KUWAIT: On the occasion of the 100th anniversary since great value for the Kuwaitis and served them from 1914 were antiques. Also I bought some of the medical tools building the first hospital in Kuwait’s history, a documen- till 1967. “This hospital was the first concrete building in such as the dentist’s chair, operations’ room and the X- tary was released on the American Hospital, otherwise Kuwait and a gate to the modern medicine in Kuwait, ray machine from auctions held in different countries. known as ‘Americani’ hospital. although it was originally built for missionary purpose. And whatever wasn’t found in these auctions were made This documentary was screened on Tuesday at the This docudrama answers the question why this hospital locally,” he said. Dar Al-Athar Al-Islamiyyah, the Americani Cultural continued working although it failed in realizing its “When the government preserves this building, it Center, and was attended by the Minister of Information Christian missionary mission. It also speaks about how expresses the loyalty to humanitarian work, far from pol- Sheikh Salman Al-Humoud Al-Sabah and other officials. the Kuwaiti doctors and pharmacists were working with itics, and addresses the humanitarian message that Also in the event, the National Council for Culture, Arts their American and local counterparts regardless of cul- Kuwait is the center of humanity and supports it,” con- and Letters (NCCAL) awarded those who worked on this tural and religious differences,” Ghareeb said. cluded Ghareeb. documentary. This documentary included recordings of interviews This documentary was produced by the Arab Digital technology made in the past with the real personalities from that Information Center and was screened in cooperation This docudrama was shot with the cinema digital time or their family members. with the NCCAL. Jasim Al-Ghareeb, the author of this technology to give it high quality and to make it suitable The Americani Hospital provided great services for documentary gave a short speech about the idea of the to be shown anywhere. It also includes some old docu- Kuwaitis. It was in this hospital where the injured sol- documentary. “Through this documentary we aimed to mentary scenes to give credibility. Also the scenes were diers in Al-Jahra and Al-Riqqa Battles were treated. Also appreciate the efforts and services of those who served shot as if it were shot during the past century through many diseases and epidemics were treated there, includ- in this hospital and saved the lives of hundreds of peo- used cameras, technologies and direction, so the audi- ing the serious epidemic of smallpox in 1930 where it ple during the first half of last century. It’s an hour-long ence will live the feeling of its history. was treated by American missionary members, including docudrama narrating the stories that took place in this Producing this docudrama took huge efforts. “To Drs Miller, Beneath, Eleanor (Khatoon Halima), Iskandar KUWAIT: Jasim Al-Ghareeb presents a memento to Information Minister hospital,” Ghareeb said during the event. shoot this movie I built an imitation of the hospital. I also and others who followed them. Sheikh Salman Al-Humoud Al-Sabah. — Photos by Joseph Shagra

Scenes from the documentary. THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015 LOCAL

Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Mohammad Al-Khaled is seen in a group photo with Kuwaiti students he met during his recent visit to the . Minister mourns painter Abdul-Aziz Al-Sayyar

KUWAIT: Minister of Information and props. Furthermore, the minister said Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh that Sayyar also worked as a producer Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Humoud Al- on many stage plays at the Al-Araby Sabah mourned yesterday the passing Playhouse, where he garnered acco- of distinguished painter and TV and lades for some of the plays he worked stage artist Abdul-Aziz Al-Sayyar. The on. He moreover was a competent minister praised in a press statement painter, whose works were shown in the artistic talents and prowess of the exhibits both inside and outside of deceased who started his career in Kuwait, said the minister, noting that Kuwait TV where he worked in numer- the show business community will miss ous soap operas as the one in charge of his departure. —KUNA Women to work as security

WASHINGTON: Kuwait’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Mohammad Al-Khaled Al-Sabah is seen during a guards at Parliament: official meeting with US Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson. —KUNA KUWAIT: Having women guards at the force, he said. Women started joining the National Assembly has come to be a ministry seven years ago. The deadline for necessity amid the security conditions and those willing to apply for a guard at the developments in the country, an official parliament is August 31. —KUNA said yesterday. Opening the door for female volunteers to join the parliament’s guards, for the first time, aims to cope with changes that prompt developing the security system, Assistant Secretary General for National Assembly Security Guard Affairs Major General Khaled Al- Waqeet said in a statement. Their duties will include inspecting and frisking women, both staff and visi- tors, Waqeet said, noting that the new Assembly building that will be opened in six months’ time will provide all the Interior Minister Sheikh Mohammad Al-Khaled shakes hands needs of the woman guards. with US Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson. In line with directives by Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem, coordination meet- ings have been held with Interior Ministry officials to set the mechanisms and con- ditions for volunteers to join the guard Major General Khaled Al-Waqeet

Sheikh Mohammad Al-Khaled welcomes a Kuwaiti student. Sheikh Mohammad Al-Khaled and Secretary Johnson exit the meeting. Interior Minister discusses security co-operation with US counterpart

WASHINGTON: Kuwait’s Deputy Prime Minister bilateral coordination in anti-terrorism and ports encourage larger numbers of Kuwaiti students to and Minister of Interior Sheikh Mohammad Al- security fields. study in US universities. The meeting was attended Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah met with US Secretary Meanwhile, Sheikh Mohammad Al-Khaled by Kuwaiti Ambassador to the US Sheikh Salem of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson in the US capi- expressed his gratitude to Johnson for facilitations Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Kuwait’s MoI’s tal late Tuesday. During the meeting, the two provided by US security authorities to Kuwaiti citi- Assistant Undersecretary for Criminal Security sides discussed aspects of bilateral relations and zens, residents, and visitors to the United States, Affairs Major General Abdulhamid Al-Awadhi, ways to bolster them, commending solid mutual particularly patients and Kuwaiti students. Sheikh Assistant Undersecretary for State Security Major security cooperation between the two countries Mohammad also requested further facilitations in General Issam Salem Al-Nahham and Colonel and expressed satisfaction towards the level of visa issuances for patients and students in order to Khaled Al-Majed. —KUNA Kuwaiti policewomen. Water security forum held at Kuwaiti pavilion Inventor presents Braille pen at Expo Milano MILAN: The Kuwaiti pavilion at Expo Milano ministry, presented yet another work-paper ing special studies for developing effective inventor Shaikha Al-Majid’s new tool to help and innovation of health care. The event will 2015 organized yesterday a comprehensive on the ministry’s efforts to not only desalinate approaches to producing high-quality potable blind people write, easily and without much continue till August 29th. The Kuwaiti delega- forum dealing with water security in Kuwait in sea water but also ensure its high potable water. In doing so, the ministry keeps abreast effort. The Kuwaiti youth has presented her tion, partaking in the event for the first time, conjunction with the Kuwaiti Ministries of quality. She indicated that the ministry has of the newest developments in water produc- invention at Kuwait’s pavilion in the Expo, will introduce two papers on Kuwait’s experi- Public Works and that of Water and Electricity. two specialty centers where this insurance is tion worldwide, she said. which is a special pen for the blind and a ence with biomedical engineering. The EMBS Adel Al-Saffar, a water specialist at the constantly maintained. device to easily print the Braille characters. was established on September 1st, 2005. A ministry of Public Works, presented a work- She made references to the ministry’s labs Braille pen The invention had won a patent in the US. branch for the EMBS was established in paper at the forum on the functions of the that closely monitor water quality through Meanwhile, visitors of Expo Milano 2015 The invention would make writing in Kuwait in 2010. ministry which involves, among other things, running chemical and biological tests and issu- have expressed their admiration for Kuwaiti Braille effortless and easier than the tradition- treating drainage or waste water for multiple al way blind people use, Majid said yesterday. Dubai Expo 2020 uses, not excluding irrigation and attempts at She added that the pen is of regular size Separately, the UAE is preparing to host forestation. Using waste water for industrial or works by pushing it with the thumb, so the the Dubai Expo 2020 capitalizing on the suc- Kuwaiti inventor Shaikha Al-Majid agricultural purposes lifts much pressure on writer can write in the Braille way, easily and cess of the current event held in Milan. Dubai, official, noting that by the time the Expo will the ministry in its desalination operations without difficulty. Visitors of the Kuwaiti pavil- a world international hub for business and be held, the world should get ready to be aimed at providing the public with fresh ion applauded the unique Kuwaiti invention tourism, will be the venue for the event which mesmerized. drinking water, said Saffar. which will be a handy and helpful tool for the dates back to the 19th century. The Expo has Dubai Expo 2020 is expected to attract Suhaila Maarafi, another water specialist at blind to express their thoughts. been held 34 times since. The UAE won the participants from 180 countries with the esti- the ministry presented, a work-paper at the honor of hosting the Expo 2020 back in mated number of 25 million visitors of which forum on the history of water in Kuwait, from Biomedical engineering November 27th, 2013 after beating , 70 percent are expected to be from abroad. early beginnings at acquiring fresh water in In other news, the 37th Annual Turkey, and via voting. The event will be held from October 20th to difficult circumstances dictated by the arid International Conference of the IEEE Deputy high commissioner at the UAE April 20th, added the official. On the current nature of the country’s topography to eventu- Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society pavilion in Expo Milan 2015 Abdullah Al- UAE participation, Aidarous said that visitors ally, after the discovery of oil, building water (EMBS) kicked off in Milan yesterday with Aidarous said that Dubai will surprise the were delighted to track down Dubai’s devel- desalination plants, numbering currently ten, Kuwait taking part in this event. The theme of world during the holding of the event in 2020. opment from mostly a desert area into a to provide the nation with its water needs. MILAN: A scene from a forum held at the Kuwaiti pavilion at Expo the Conference remarks the central role of The location in which the event would be colossal/world renowned economic center Khadija Bushehri, another specialist at the Milano 2015 yesterday. —KUNA biomedical engineering in the improvement held is about 20 percent complete, said the and metropolis. —KUNA THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015 LOCAL Kuwait dismisses any change in status quo of Durra oilfield

KUWAIT: An official at the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry affirmed yesterday that there is no change in the status quo of the Al- Durra oilfield, located within Kuwait’s territorial waters. The official was commenting on a report by the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) regarding the investment opportunities in the Islamic republic; the report covered areas located near the Kuwaiti oilfield. The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry dealt with all aspects of the matter and called in the Charge D’Affaires of the Iranian Embassy on Sunday to hand him a protest note, the official said. The Ministry is taking all necessary measures to protect Kuwait’s interests and rights, and maintain neighborly ties with all countries of the region out of commitment to the pro- visions of the international laws, he added. The offshore gas field has been a bone of contention between Tehran and Kuwait since the 1960s. Iran said in 2012 it planned to develop the portion under its control, and which it calls Arash field. Kuwaiti newspapers reported on Tuesday that Iran had offered foreign investors two projects to develop the extension of the Durra field, despite Kuwaiti objections to any work in the area before the demarcation of the continen- tal shelf. The reports prompted the speaker of the Kuwaiti par- liament Marzouq Al-Ghanem to demand a clarification from the foreign ministry. The largest part of the field, which is not demarcated, is located on the Saudi-Kuwaiti common maritime border, but part of it lies in Iran. The dispute dates back to the 1960s, when Iran and Kuwait each awarded an offshore concession, one to the former Anglo-Iranian Petroleum Co, which became part of BP and one to Royal Dutch Shell. The two concessions overlapped in the northern part of the field. Iranian drilling at Durra in 2001 spurred Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to agree on a maritime border deal which stipulated that the two countries jointly develop the natural resources of the offshore zone. In 2013, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait shelved a project to develop the Durra field after disagreeing over how to share the gas back on land. The Durra field is estimated to hold 60 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of gas, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). Iran has reached a landmark nuclear agreement with world powers which could start easing international sanctions on Tehran by next spring. — Agencies Kuwait least popular destination for expats

KUWAIT: Kuwait is the least popular destination among vey reads. “In fact, 53 percent of respondents are unhappy Meanwhile, Ecuador came on top as the most expatriates, according to a recent survey. The survey, with the general friendliness of local residents. The oppor- favorite destination among expats for the second dubbed ‘Expat Insider Survey 2015’ and released by tunities to find new friends also leave a lot to be desired for straight year, as it occupies first place in the Personal InterNations.org recently, ranks Kuwait in last place behind one-third of respondents. Finance and Cost of Living Indices. came in sec- Greece, Nigeria, and Saudi Arabia respectively, and falling Unfortunately, the situation is similarly grim when it ond place, as the survey says that it “receives top marks three spots compared to 2014 ranking. comes to the overall quality of life. Many expats are not sat- from expats for feeling at home in the local culture and In order to complete the survey, InterNations asked isfied with the available leisure options, while others see ranks second in the subcategories of Friendliness and 14,000 respondents from 195 countries and overseas terri- their personal happiness suffering. Only for the Job Finding Friends.” Malta, which came in third place, tories a range of questions on life abroad. Kuwait occupies Security and Language subcategories does the country scores highest in the Working Abroad Index, mostly due the 64th and last place of the overall ranking, particularly receive some decent results, making it to 26th and 25th to the high job satisfaction among survey respondents, due to its low score in the Ease of Settling in Index, the sur- place, respectively.” according to the survey. Manpower Authority now on Twitter and Instagram MP Dr Abdullah Al-Turaiji By Meshaal Al-Enezi

KUWAIT: The Manpower Public Authority (MPA) is now on Twitter and Instagram via their social media accounts, on Twitter @Manpower_KWT and on Instagram @Pr.manpower. Acting Director of the Manpower Public Authority Abdallah Al-Mutoutah said that the authority seeks to reach out people as fast as possi- ble through their social media accounts.

‘Let it Spoil’ The price of Zubaidi (silver pomfret) fish settled on KD 8 per kilogram for the local fish and KD 5 per kilo for the imported on the fifth day of the ‘Let it Spoil’ campaign. There were a scarce in the number of buyers, be it citizens or expats. Fishermen said the number of idle boats reached 120 due to the crises.

Delayed flight A Kuwait Airways flight bound for Bangkok was delayed for seven hours after sustaining a malfunction, causing irritation among its passengers. Flight number 411 was scheduled to fly at Sheikh Mohammad Al-Khaled 11:00 pm Tuesday night, but it took off at 5:00 am the next morn- ing. Turaiji wants KUWAIT: Interior Ministry’s Undersecretary Lieutenant General Suleiman Al-Fahad received yesterday Major Dafullah Al-Shemmari, who presented to him a copy of his Master’s degree thesis on the effect of child abuse Detention on the development of criminal behavior. The court yesterday renewed the detention of seven suspects answers on in the case of joining Islamic State (IS). forged passports KD 34.5 million collected from By A Saleh traffic tickets in six months KUWAIT: MP Dr Abdullah Al-Turaiji asked Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Mohammad Al- By Hanan Al-Saadoun a fire that in a chalet in the laborers’ resi- Khaled Al-Sabah to investigate the exit of several dences next to Al-Wattiya park. Meanwhile, expats using forged Kuwaiti passports from Kuwait KUWAIT: The semiannual statistics of the traf- an elevator malfunctioned in a Fintas house, International Airport in the past few days. “We trust the fic department indicate that KD 34,592,890 in and Mangaf firemen freed a man who was interior minister and he works hard to improve security fines was collected between January 1 and stuck inside. He was unhurt. systems, but there are some leaders who are not as June 30, while the number of traffic violations competent as they should be,” he charged. He said that reached 2,619,241. The collected tickets num- border crossings should be manned by highly respon- ber 1,630,392. sible men. Turaiji said on August 19 two Iraqis left Kuwait airport using forged passports, and asked the Airport sleuths at the ready minister to question the passport holders on how their Kuwait International Airport Customs passports reached the Iraqis who left Kuwait and Director General Suleiman Al-Fahd spoke reached a European country. He added that on May 22, about the monitoring team’s work as they a five-member family left Kuwait through Kuwait watch and follow passengers from the International Airport using forged Kuwaiti passports moment they arrive until they leave the air- with the help of an official who was able to smuggle port, while those suspected are searched them out, but they were caught later in a Gulf country. thoroughly and manually. He said the team is He said on Aug 25, a Kuwaiti citizen got an expat out Flames come out of a chalet used as a residence by workers next to Al-Wattiya park. highly trained and works day and night. He using a forged passport and both of them reached said officers discovered 5 kilograms of heroin Europe through a Gulf country. The citizen then hidden in secret pockets in the bottom of an returned and was arrested in a Gulf country. Asian domestic helper’s bag. Separately, air- port customs officers arrested an Indian man Oil prices for attempting to smuggle nearly three kilo- MP Faisal Al-Duwaisan yesterday claimed “[MPs] had grams of heroin in his luggage. warned against the drop of oil prices in a dramatic fashion, while the government was assuring citizens Drug dealer arrested that things will not get worse”. “We asked the govern- Farwaniya police arrested a wanted Asian ment to find an alternative source of income, but they in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh with 542 narcotic did not listen, and now what we warned against has tablets thought to be Tramadol. The man taken place, so the government should shoulder full admitted of trafficking. Furthermore, police responsibility because of its negligence,” he added. found out that the man is wanted by authori- ties over previous charges. He was sent to the Peaceful resolution proper authorities for further action. Deputy Speaker Mubarak Al-Khrainej said the issue of the offshore Durra field should be resolved diplo- Fire matically with Iran and affirmed his trust in Kuwait’s A fire broke out in a Sulaibiya warehouse, An airport officer examines a hidden pock- diplomacy. He asked Iran to express its good intentions and Sulaibkhat and Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh fire et inside a domestic helper’s suitcase, and comply with international charters and strengthen centers dealt with the blaze. No injuries were where she put drugs that she tried to good neighborliness with Gulf countries. Tramadol pills and cash found with a drug dealer in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh. reported. Also, Nuwaiseeb fire center put out smuggle into Kuwait. THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015 From the Arabic press

Crime Al-Anbaa Report Unexpected fall!! Generalizing Illegal entry terrorism KUWAIT: Farwaniya police arrested a Yemeni man for entering the country illegally when he hid on top of a truck By Adel Al-Ibrahim that entered through Nuwaiseeb border crossing. The arrest was made when police asked to see his ID and he attempted to escape. Once caught, he told police how he errorist acts are taking place in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries by terror- entered the country. In another story, a Pakistani man was Oil arrested to serve a one-year jail sentence. He is also wanted prices Tist groups with different origins, ideologies on four civil cases. and goals. They are tied to more than one sect, be it by action or by planning, and between them, pens 40 Us compete and media rush to incite against this group ‘Suspicious’ graffiti or that and generalize the criminal act on the entire Dollars sect. A graphologist from the criminal evidence department Calls have been made for legislations to tackle it, was sent to Fintas co-op branch to check a graffiti that as if we are calling for the displacement of an entire reads ‘Hezbollah brigades passed by this place.’ State constituent of the society from the arena without security sent specialists to follow the case and the graf- considering the country’s interest or the Amiri moves fiti was ordered removed. to contain any negative act that affects the internal front and the cohesiveness of its national fabric. But what is required is limiting the accusation to those Attacked involved or to the planners of the criminal acts, and that criticism be constructive without using the event A man sustained a fractured skull when he was hit by a Al-Anbaa to charge people for achieving group gains we are pipe on his head during a fight at a project site in Adan. not in need of. Detectives are searching for an Indian man who was identi- Let us be realistic, and more precisely, the fabric of fied as the culprit. Kuwait society is made of two main sects Sunnis and Shiites who co-lived and will continue to do so on the Al-Qabas country’s soil, in love, for many years, and history bears witness to them and for their effective contri- butions to building Kuwait society politically, socially Repetition of oil accidents and economically. They defended it with all they had without regard to ideologies, which is considered a personal matter, but regretfully some political orien- By Kamel Al-Harmy tations that are wrapped in religious impressions with different names, loyalty and ideological aspira- e do not know if the Kuwait Petroleum unit stop automatically? Or what happened was tions, even within the same sect, that appear in the Corporation (KPC) board of directors will cracking and corrosion in the unit’s walls, leading to local arena due to the regional political events and discuss the report of the explosion at an explosion due to the old age of Shuaiba refinery? attract youth, including extremist groups that have W sympathy, links and even contacts with foreign bod- Shuaiba refinery, or Kuwait National Petroleum The refinery is worn out and should be closed, ies. Kuwait University’s entrance. Company for that matter, but what concerns us is because it completed its projected lifespan a few Also, there are extreme opinions and ideas that do this: Is there anyone who asks about the number of years back. And why the instance on operating the not belong to and are not linked to those sects, that Clinical pharmacy oil accidents, be it at refineries or the oil sector dur- refinery especially that it is no longer producing oil work on the heinous sectarian aspect and spread ing the past five or 10 years? Is there an improve- derivatives according to international standards? division and strife among citizens of the ‘one’ country. program in Kuwait ment or is there an increase? What are the total sums We said it many times - if we want to limit oil Yes, difference is the way of life, and what I see as of money spent to prevent oil accidents and the catastrophes, we must comply totally with safety right, others may see as wrong. Also any opinion can University this year be wrong and the other’s opinion may be right in all costs of increased insurance premiums? The answer systems and apply them precisely. There should an aspects of life, but to insult any sect and describe KUWAIT: A new program has been introduced for clinical we expect is a repetition of accidents in all oil sectors implementation of the reward and punishment prin- with the worst of terms, then this is the start of dis- pharmacy and will be applied electively by students who and an increase in the oil facilities’ insurance chapter. ciple, and hold officials accountable, and they mantling and slipping away, and it is a direct threat meet the conditions, said Dr Pier Moro, Dean of the College The stoppage at Shuaiba refinery, the oldest should understand the value of safety and the secu- to the social security and peace. We have the right to of Pharmacy at Kuwait University. Dr Moro said the scientif- national refinery that was built in 1967 in the rity culture. Oil accidents will not stop as long as we ask: Are hearts charged so much with sectarian spirit ic content of the curricula has been upgraded in coopera- Arabian Gulf region and among members of OPEC, do not have the environment and culture of safety and its poisons? And is that due to the government’s tion with members of the faculty, adding the college’s forgiveness in allowing the freedom of opinion and page on the Internet was upgraded to become a compre- will result in a financial loss estimated at between and security and do not comply with the simplest of expression, a way for strife and division? hensive reference about the college. $200,000 and $300,000 a day. This is the actual differ- traffic laws such as wearing a seatbelt, not using the I say, while I am sure, that the government and As for the student and academic affairs, Dr Moro said ence between selling crude oil directly and refining mobile phone and sending messages while driving. security apparatus will never allow, along with the the schedule for the new school year is ready and on it, then selling 200,000 barrels of oil on the instant oil The explosion at the Shuaiba refinery is a repeat entire society, this matter, and that the government’s schedule for the year, including distribution of teaching market. like all accidents and fires, and leaks will continue in stick is thick and can eradicate this sickness, regard- periods and exams, in a way that guarantees the best of The reason behind the explosion is directly relat- the oil sector, while investigations results will remain less of its source, hoping to fear Almighty Allah for results for students. He added laboratories were main- the sake of our country and realize the danger of tained and supplied with the required material and said ed to a gas leak in one of the pipes of the breakdown piled up in the drawers. what we say and we should have examples from his- requests were made for scientific equipment, chemicals, units, and if this was the case, then why did not the —Translated by Kuwait Times tory. —Translated by Kuwait Times consumables and glassware. —Al-Qabas

KUWAIT: Gardeners are seen working near a street in Kuwait City in this file photo. The picture is used for illustrative purposes only. —Photo by Joseph Shagra Manpower Authority merges labor transfer decisions

KUWAIT: The Manpower Public regards to encouraging direct invest- shepherding, and hunting, and Authority (MPA) issued a decision to ment in Kuwait. Sponsors must com- transfer is limited to within the same organize the conditions of transfer- ply with canceling the work permits sectors. ring labor from one sponsor to of this labor to leave the country The decision allows the transfer another in many fields, an official after the work is over. of government workers to the pri- sources at the authority said. The vate sector and vice-versa taking authority was working according to Private sector into consideration the systems fol- several ministerial decisions and The decision allows the transfer lowed at the Interior Ministry. decided to merge all decisions into of labor in the private sector after The decision allows the labor to one to make things easy, he said. one year and obtaining approval transfer the work permit from one According to the source, the most from the sponsor. The time period employer to another within the pri- notable of the new conditions for transferring work permits can be vate sector with approval by the included the government contracts, excluded for labor that is brought employer when three years elapse, as the decision allowed the transfer from abroad by a work permit with while the employer must be given of the technical labor on govern- the approval of the sponsor in the 90 days warning period. ment contract to transfer to another following conditions: transfer of The decision said that disputes sponsor with the approval of both labor used locally in all sectors in work permits presented by labor employers. The employer can trans- except industry, agriculture, shep- before the elapsing of one year of fer labor from one government con- herding and hunting and labor reg- the date of issuance, then MPA has tract to another, while the employer istered on government contracts the right to discuss the dispute at must cancel the work permit of through local transfers with the the concerned department to workers registered on government elapsing of one year on the issuance approve the application or reject contracts that cannot be transferred. of the work permit. Transfer is it. The decision allows the transfer The decision does allow the trans- allowed through the liquidation of of family residency to work in the fer of labor who are brought with the facility or its merger with anoth- private sector for those who spent work permits to work in the free er. one continuous year in the coun- trade zone or with foreign investors Transfer is not allowed to outside try, while bearing in mind proce- who practice economic activities the sectors for the labor brought to dures followed by the Interior mentioned in Law 116/2013, with work in the industry, agriculture, Ministry. —Al-Anbaa THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015 Fear, despair in Kashmir as India-Pakistan Merkel faces down far-right mob on refugee centre visit talks falter Page 10 Page 11

BEIRUT: A Lebanese protester smokes a water pipe during clashes with security forces following a demonstration against the ongoing trash crisis on August 25, 2015, in front of the seat of the government in central Beirut. Lebanon’s cabinet ended an acrimonious meeting with no solution to the trash crisis that has sparked violent protests and calls for the government’s resignation. — AFP Lebanon charges radical Islamist with ‘terrorism’ Caught attempting to flee through airport BEIRUT: Lebanon’s military prosecutor charged radical source said. He also stands accused of having between Assir’s supporters and the army that erupt- after the conflict erupted by criticizing Lebanon’s pow- Islamist cleric Ahmad Al-Assir with “terrorism” yester- “planned the assassination of a number of political ed in the southern city of Sidon on June 24, 2013. erful Shiite movement Hezbollah and its ally, Syrian day over involvement in deadly clashes with the army, figures from a religious community,” the source The fighting began after Assir supporters opened President Bashar Al-Assad. a judicial source said. Assir was Lebanon’s best-known added, though there was no detail on which commu- fire on a military checkpoint and quickly spread. Although he was born to a Shiite mother, his dis- fugitive Islamist until his capture on August 15 after nity was targeted. The charges carry a potential death Eighteen soldiers were killed, along with 13 armed course was highly sectarian and he often accused more than two years on the run. He was caught as he sentence. men, and dozens of civilians were wounded. Assir was Lebanon’s army of failing to protect Sunnis and of being tried to flee through Beirut airport en route to Nigeria, Assir is set to appear before a judge for further able to escape and went on the run with some of his beholden to Hezbollah. He encouraged his supporters using a fake passport and travelling in disguise. questioning Thursday. Prosecutors in 2014 said they supporters, occasionally issuing audio messages but to join Syria’s mainly Sunni rebels and to rise up against “Assir is accused of having formed an armed group were seeking death sentences for him and 53 others, largely remaining out of sight. The radical preacher was Hezbollah. He also grabbed headlines with media with the goal of committing acts of terrorism, and including singer-turned-fundamentalist Fadel virtually unknown politically before the outbreak of stunts, such as taking a group of his followers to the having killed and tried to kill Lebanese soldiers,” the Shaker. The charges were in connection with clashes Syria’s civil war in 2011. He began making headlines trendy winter ski resort of Faraya in early 2013. — AFP 40 dead in new South Sudan signs peace migrant tragedy deal with reservations ROME: Around 40 people have been found More than 2,300 migrants have died at sea dead in the hold of a migrant boat off the coast this year during attempts to reach Europe, JUBA: South Sudan President Salva Kiir signed of Libya, the Swedish coastguard said yesterday, almost invariably on overcrowded boats char- a peace accord yesterday to end 20 months of the latest tragedy in the Mediterranean. The tered by people smugglers. Calm weather this civil war, but also issued a list of “serious reser- macabre discovery was made after Swedish week appears to have encouraged the smug- vations” warning the deal might not last. The ship the Poseidon was sent to the aid of the glers to get as many people as possible out to signing ceremony, held in the capital Juba in stricken vessel by the Italian coastguard, which sea, knowing that, in most cases, they will be the presence of regional leaders, came hours said rescue operations for a number of other picked up by Italian or international boats and after the UN Security Council threatened boats were ongoing. taken to Italian ports. Yesterday’s rescue opera- immediate action if Kiir failed to put his name Swedish coastguard spokesman Mattias tions will lift to more than 110,000 the number to the accord, which has already been signed Lindholm told AFP the Poseidon had been able of migrants to have landed at Italian ports this by rebel leader Riek Machar. to save 439 people on the wooden boat. year. A further 160,000-plus have arrived in “The current peace we are signing today “Unfortunately there were around 40 people Greece triggering a crisis for which the has so many things we have to reject,” Kiir said dead in the hold,” he said. “The bodies are cur- European Union currently appears to have no at the ceremony, witnessed by regional lead- rently being transferred to the Poseidon.” The solution. ers, diplomats and journalists. “Such reserva- Swedish ship was in the area as part of the EU tions if ignored would not be in the interests of border agency Frontex’s search and rescue mis- Israel frees hundreds more migrants just and lasting peace.” Although a list of his sion known as Triton. Meanwhile, Israel released a second group concerns was handed out, the deal was wel- Just before the discovery of the bodies, the of around 600 African migrants from a desert comed by regional leaders, including Ugandan Poseidon had picked up 130 migrants from a detention centre yestersday after a court order, President Yoweri Museveni, who had sent in rubber dinghy, Lindholm said. ’s coast- the prison authorities said. The supreme court troops to back Kiir’s forces. guard, which oversees rescue operations in the this month ordered Israel to free illegal migrants Under the deal, they now have 45 days to waters between Sicily and Libya, said a total of held for more than a year at the Holot leave. “It is not a Bible it not the Koran, why just under 1,900 people had been rescued by Detention Centre in the Negev desert, in a rul- should it not be revisited?” Kiir said of the deal. mid-afternoon but that hundreds more were ing that affected 1,178 asylum seekers. “Let us give ourselves time and see how we JUBA: South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir (center) signs the peace agreement. — AFP still on board vessels drifting precariously off A first batch of hundreds was freed on can correct these things,” he added. The deal- been agreed and then shattered within days-if slammed the accord as a “sellout” and said it Libya. Tuesday but barred from entering the cities of backed by the regional eight-nation bloc IGAD, not hours-in the world’s newest country, which needed more time for consultations. Italian media reported that one of the boats Tel Aviv and Eilat in the face of hostility from as well as the UN, the African Union, China and broke away from Sudan in 2011. But on Tuesday the UN Security Council in trouble was carrying 700 people. MOAS, a many residents. Tuesday’s release completed the “troika” of Britain, Norway and the United Both the government and rebels accused piled fresh pressure on Kiir to sign it, warning it Malta-based private organization, said in a compliance with the ruling. “That’s it,” an Israel States-commits both sides to end fighting and each other of launching attacks against the would “act immediately” if he did not. tweet that its boat the Phoenix was taking part Prisons Service spokeswoman told AFP. She said implement a “permanent ceasefire” within 72 other yesterday. The deal also gives the rebels Diplomats have said punitive measure could in a complex rescue operation. “Phoenix is did not know where in Israel they would go hours. the post of first vice president, which means include an arms embargo and targeted sanc- working with Italian and Swedish vessels to once outside Holot. Tens of thousands of people are believed to that rebel chief Machar would likely return to tions against senior leaders, including asset assist thousands,” it said. On August 15, the Official figures show 45,000 illegal immi- have died in a war characterized by ethnic the job from which he was sacked in July 2013, freezes and travel bans. “We will take immedi- Italian navy discovered the bodies of 49 grants are in Israel, almost all from Eritrea and massacres and rape, as well as a major humani- an event which put the country on the path to ate action if he does not sign, or if he signs migrants asphyxiated in the hold of a people Sudan. Most of those who have not been tarian crisis that has left aid agencies strug- war later that year. Machar already signed the with reservations,” said Nigerian Ambassador smuggler’s boat. Survivors later testified that detained live in poor areas of southern Tel Aviv, gling to pull the country back from the brink of deal on August 17, but at the time, Kiir only ini- Joy Ogwu, whose country currently chairs the the victims had been locked below deck and where there have been several protests over famine. At least seven ceasefires have already tialled part of the text. His government then council. — AFP constrained to stay there by force. their presence. — AFP THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015 INTERNATIONAL

Saudi Arabia executes four despite moratorium call

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia yesterday interior ministry statements. news agency SPA. Syrian Ezzeddine sometimes firing squads are used. confessions “obtained under tor- executed three of its citizens for Saudi Nawaf Al-Otaibi was exe- Al-Saleh was executed in the Amnesty International on Tuesday ture”. “Saudi Arabia’s murder and a Syrian convicted of cuted in the western city of Taif northern Jawf region for trafficking criticized Saudi Arabia’s “deeply (Islamic) law-based justice system drugs smuggling, a day after after being convicted of shooting in amphetamines, the ministry flawed judicial system” as it issued lacks a criminal code, leaving defi- Amnesty International urged a dead his father in a dispute, the said. a new report on the rising number nitions of crimes and punishments moratorium on rising executions in interior ministry said. Fellow Under Saudi Arabia’s strict legal of executions. The -based vague and widely open to inter- the conservative kingdom. The Saudis Bandar Al-Ghathim and practices, murder, armed robbery, group criticized trials it said “bla- pretation,” Amnesty said. Amnesty executions brought to 127 the Abdulaziz Mohammed Al-Zahrani rape, drug trafficking and apostasy tantly flout international stan- says Saudi Arabia is one of the number this year in Saudi Arabia, compared with 87 in 2014, accord- were executed in the country’s are all punishable by death. Most dards”, citing secret hearings, world’s most prolific executioners, ing to AFP tallies compiled from southwest for murder, the ministry people sentenced to death in denying defendants access to along with China, Iran, Iraq and the said in statements carried by state Saudi Arabia are beheaded, but lawyers and convictions based on United States. — AFP Palestine may raise flag at UN before pope’s visit Move likely to upset Israel’s government

UNITED NATIONS: In a move likely to upset and a draft of the resolution has been seen by standstill since the deadly conflict in Gaza a year Israel’s government, the Palestinians are seek- The Associated Press. It would allow non-mem- ago. Israel’s UN mission did not respond to a ing to raise their flag, along with the Vatican ber observer states - there are only two - to dis- request for comment. Many states have shown flag, at UN headquarters - just in time for Pope play their flags with the 193 member states. support for the Palestinians’ pursuit of state- Francis’ visit next month. Supporters of the idea While the Vatican’s mission to the UN earlier hood, including the Holy See. hope the UN General Assembly will adopt a res- expressed support for the idea, it circulated a olution on the flag-raising shortly before the letter this week distancing itself from the draft. ‘State of Palestine’ pope arrives. They’re betting that the United The mission did not comment Wednesday. In May, the Vatican officially recognized the States or other allies of Israel will not block the The United States and Israel oppose recogniz- State of Palestine in their first formal, bilateral plan and risk offending the Holy See on Francis’ ing the Palestinian state, arguing that it under- treaty. Israel’s foreign ministry said it was “disap- first US visit. mines efforts to negotiate a peace agreement. pointed.” During Francis’ 2014 visit to the Holy The Palestinians’ proposal has been tabled That process, however, has largely been at a Land, the Vatican’s official program referred to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as the JERUSALEM: In this May 28, 2014, file photo, Ultra-Orthodox Jews watch people president of the “State of Palestine.” wave Israeli flags outside the Old City’s Damascus Gate during Jerusalem Day cele- In 2012, the Vatican welcomed an over- brations. — AP whelming vote in the General Assembly to upgrade the Palestinians’ status to a UN non- In Jerusalem’s culture war, member observer state. Their delegation promptly unfurled the flag in the chamber. The pope has not been shy about ambitious diplo- secular citizens make gains macy. He helped bring the United States and together for their historic reestablishment JERUSALEM: Crowds of angry ultra-Orthodox laws and unwritten agreements that grant them of diplomatic ties. Last year, he invited the Israeli Jewish men, wearing long beards, black and certain protections, such as barriers to prevent and Palestinian presidents for a day of peace white garb and large black hats, protested in the cars from driving through religious areas on the prayers at the Vatican. streets of Jerusalem earlier this month against a Sabbath, said Menachem Friedman, a professor of Most countries in Western Europe have held new cinema opening its doors on the Sabbath. Judaism at Bar Ilan University. off on recognizing a Palestinian state, but some The demonstration was meant to be a show of Attempts to change Jerusalem’s delicate bal- have hinted that their position could change if strength in a long-running dispute over the role of ance have prompted violent backlashes from the peace efforts remain deadlocked. Most countries strict Jewish law in the cultural life of Jerusalem. ultra-Orthodox, who have blocked roads, clashed in Africa, Asia and South America have recog- But in many ways, it was also a sign of desper- with police and sent tens of thousands of activists nized Palestine. Francis is scheduled to address ation after a series of gains by the city’s secular into the streets on their rabbis’ orders. But the General Assembly on Sept. 25, opening a community in recent years. “No one’s saying we’re Friedman said that contrary to the popular per- gathering of world leaders to launch a set of giving up,” said Shmuel Poppenheim, an unofficial ception, the traditional power of the ultra- development goals aimed at ending both spokesman for the ultra-Orthodox community. Orthodox is waning in areas where they are not a poverty and hunger over the next 15 years. But, he conceded, “We know it’s a lost cause. ... We demographic majority due to changing geo- More than 100 heads of state and govern- know that we can’t stage a war” over every new graphic and economic pressures. ment are expected at the gathering, which leads establishment open on the Sabbath. Jerusalem’s ultra-Orthodox communities are into the annual UN General Assembly of world Despite Jerusalem’s image as a city that grinds often poor and depend on government handouts leaders the following week. President Barack to a halt on the Sabbath, which runs from sun- because men traditionally study in religious semi- Obama, Russian President , down Friday to sundown Saturday, more than 200 naries rather than work. With the cost of living in Chinese President Xi Jinping and Iranian cafes, restaurants, bars, cinemas, museums, cultur- Jerusalem on the rise, younger members of the President Hassan Rouhani are scheduled to al institutions and other entertainment centers communities are increasingly moving out, while speak on the first morning. This story has been now stay open in non-religious Jewish areas of public support for their substantial financial aid is corrected to reflect that the Vatican’s mission to the city. That is a major shift over the last 30 years waning, Friedman said. NEW YORK CITY: In this Sept 18, 2007 file photo, the flags of member nations fly out- the UN this week sent a letter distancing itself from a time when only a handful of establish- side of the United Nations headquarters. — AP from the draft. — AP ments stayed open and a law forbade cinemas ‘Symbolic opposition’ from operating on the Sabbath. The “Yes Planet” This month’s protests over the Yes Planet cine- cinema that drew the recent protests was the sec- ma complex were therefore more “symbolic” ond major destination to open with Sabbath opposition rather than a real concerted fight, hours in the past two years, after a former train Friedman said. The cinema is located in Abu Tor, a Qaeda destroys army HQ station reopened as a commercial center in 2013. mixed Jewish-Arab neighborhood far from the city’s ultra-Orthodox areas. Notable shift On the first night of protests on Aug 14, sever- These initiatives have contributed to the most al thousand ultra-Orthodox rioted in West in Yemen’s Mukalla city notable shift in secular-religious relations since Jerusalem, breaking windows and prompting the early 1990s, said Shahar Ilan of Hiddush, a police arrests. But the following evening, just a group that advocates for religious equality. For few hundred demonstrators bothered to show ADEN: Al-Qaeda militants yesterday blew up an ern city’s international airport, military sources on Wednesday intercepted a Scud missile fired decades ultra-Orthodox communities have flexed up. It was a vivid contrast to weekly riots that army headquarters and set up checkpoints in the said. “This force’s mission is to help secure the city, from Yemen at the Saudi region of Jazan, adding their political muscle, sometimes violently, to rocked the city in 2009 when City Hall allowed a jihadist network’s southeastern stronghold of where Al-Qaeda militants surfaced last weekend,” the explosion caused no casualties or damage. keep workplaces, businesses and government parking lot near Jerusalem’s Old City to open on Mukalla, officials in Hadramawt province said. The one of the sources said, referring to Aden. Backed “The air forces responded immediately by destroy- institutions in Jerusalem’s Jewish neighborhoods the Sabbath to serve tourists. militants had deployed in force across Mukalla by arms and troops from Saudi Arabia and the ing the platform from which the missile was shut down for the Sabbath. While most Jewish The train station-turned-mall known as “First after receiving information of a possible operation United Arab Emirates, government loyalists recap- launched” in Yemen, said a statement carried by Israelis are secular, Israel’s founding fathers gave Station,” meanwhile, has remained open on the by a Saudi-led military coalition to help govern- tured Aden from Houthi rebels and their allies in the official SPA news agency. The Shiite Houthi Judaism a formal place in the country’s affairs, and Sabbath without any protests for more than two ment loyalists retake the provincial capital, the mid-July before retaking four other southern rebels’ website Sabanews.net had announced that Orthodox rabbis strictly govern religious events years now. The battle is far from over. A week after officials said. provinces. Scud missiles had been fired from Yemen at a such as weddings, divorces and burials for the Yes Planet opened, the municipality ordered eight The coalition of Arab states has been carrying But security has remained fragile in the port power plant in Jazan. Jewish population. The ultra-Orthodox also are minimarkets in Jerusalem’s city center that now out air strikes against Iran-backed rebels in Yemen city, where Al-Qaeda suspects were accused of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) is perennial kingmakers in Israeli coalition politics, operate on weekends to close. City councilman since March, but has so far not intervened against blowing up a building used by the secret police. considered among the jihadist network’s deadliest though they make up only about 10 percent of Ofer Berkovitz, a vocal secular activist, accused Al-Qaeda. Yesterday’s explosion flattened the They also set up checkpoints in one district and affiliates. It has taken advantage of the chaos since the country’s population. Mayor Nir Barkat of making the move to compen- three-storey army building-the command centre seized five buildings including an intelligence the Houthis expanded across Yemen since last Their influence is especially pronounced in sate for the new cinema - a charge the mayor for a zone covering Hadramawt and parts of services facility, a presidential residence and a mili- year, to seize territory including Mukalla. AQAP Jerusalem, where their numbers are proportional- denies. In another recent case, political pressure neighboring Shabwa province. It came a day after tary hospital, security officials said. On Tuesday, was behind several plots against Western targets, ly much larger than the national average. prevented a popular cafe chain from opening a Al-Qaeda dynamited a headquarters of the secret the International Committee of the Red Cross said including this year’s deadly attack on French mag- Jerusalem is split almost evenly into thirds new branch in Jerusalem’s Independence Park, police in Mukalla, the officials said. it had suspended its operations in Aden after azine Charlie Hebdo. The United States has for between secular and modern Orthodox residents, which is government property. Since a restaurant In Aden a 100-strong Saudi force arrived late unidentified gunmen stormed its office there. years carried out a drone war against Al-Qaeda Muslim Palestinians and ultra-Orthodox Jews who cannot receive a kosher license if it is open on the on Tuesday and was deployed at the main south- Meanwhile, Riyadh announced its armed forces militants in Yemen. — AFP live in insular enclaves. Sabbath, Israel’s official licensing body threatened Jerusalem’s ultra-Orthodox communities also to revoke Landwer Cafe’s certificate nationwide if traditionally have held significant power in the the new branch opened on the Sabbath, municipal government. They are bolstered by Berkovitz said. — AP Erdogan urges Turkey to choose stability in polls

ANKARA: President Recep Tayyip “What’s essential is the will of people. Erdogan yesterday urged Turkish voters Our people will have its word once again to back the ruling party in November on November 1,” said Erdogan. snap elections, saying the polls would “Parliament failed to solve this, so who’s be a choice between “stability and insta- the authority? It’s people. Then people bility”. The repeat elections come after will solve.” Critics have said Erdogan had the ruling Justice and Development no interest in the coalition negotiations Party (AKP) co-founded by Erdogan and had sought early elections right failed to win an overall majority in a June from the start. But the president denied vote and talks to form a coalition gov- he impeded negotiations to form a coali- ernment failed. tion government and said he played a “I believe that November 1 will be an “facilitator and encouraging” role for election of stability or instability,” Turkey to reach a new government “as Erdogan said in a speech in Ankara, a day soon as possible.” after the Turkish election authority con- The June elections also wrecked firmed the poll date. “The national will is Erdogan’s dream of changing the consti- going to be manifested in elections. God tution to create an executive-style presi- willing, this country will reach stability dency, which would have required a par- again... and no instability will emerge.” liamentary majority of at least three- The comments were a clear message fifths. The campaign will come at a time to voters to vote for the AKP and return of political uncertainty and escalating its overall majority, thus avoiding the violence between Turkey’s security forces notorious instability that had dogged and Kurdish militants which nullified a Turkish politics before the party came to 2013 ceasefire. Erdogan said the Turkish power in 2002. Erdogan voiced hope that military was waging an “effective cam- “the problems created by the June 7 paign” against the outlawed Kurdistan election results will be solved on Workers’ Party (PKK) that would continue SANAA: Yemeni female supporters of the Shiite Houthi rebel movement carry a placard during a rally to protest against a military offensive by a November 1”. as “arms ensure wellbeing.” — AFP Saudi-led coalition. — AFP THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015 INTERNATIONAL

Biden fans see him as honest, stark contrast to Clinton

NEW YORK: Often maligned for speak- trustworthy - up from 54 percent in April. ing too frankly, Vice President Joe Biden’s “I don’t support her because her cred- reputation for shooting from the lip ibility’s been in question. That’s the main might be one of his biggest weapons if issue. I don’t trust her,” said Icie he does decide to run against Hillary Farnsworth, 53, a lifelong Democrat from Clinton for the Democratic nomination Martinsville, Virginia, who said she liked in the 2016 US presidential election. Biden’s voting record on the economy, Voters in a Reuters/Ipsos survey who said civil rights and education. Last month they were open to backing Biden for the Clinton blamed a “constant barrage of nomination described him as an honest attacks that are largely fomented by and and forthright political veteran who is coming from the right.” “People should free of scandal despite decades in and do trust me,” she told CNN in an Washington. interview. Those perceived attributes could give Biden has not said whether he will Biden an edge over Clinton, whose run for president, but speculation grew “trustworthy” poll numbers have at the weekend that he may soon chal- dropped as she struggles with percep- lenge Clinton for the Democratic nomi- tions that she has not been completely nation when he met with Senator open about her use of a private email Elizabeth Warren, a power broker among account for official business when she liberals. It is late in the nomination con- was secretary of state. Clinton says she test and Biden is still way behind both did nothing wrong and only used the Clinton and liberal Senator Bernie private account because of convenience. Sanders. LOUISIANA: A hurricane-damaged boat sits in the Pointe-aux-Chenes bayou in this August 16, 2015 file photo. — AFP The FBI is now investigating the security Only 13.3 percent of 690 Democrats of the private server and any classified in the Reuters/Ipsos online survey information on it. backed Biden while 47 percent support- On Mississippi’s shore, memories of Reuters spoke to 22 of the poll ed Clinton and 24.9 percent were for respondents who said they would sup- Sanders, who has been attracting much port Biden. More than half used words larger crowds than Clinton. All the same, Katrina’s destruction still linger on like “honest,” “genuine” and “trustworthy” the fact that Biden might be considering to describe why they like the former sen- a run compounds Clinton’s headaches. ator. While many opinion polls have “At a minimum, he definitely shakes been throwing Biden’s name into the mix the race up and makes Hillary’s path to Decade later, people still feel the storm’s toll for some months, few have examined the nomination arguably more difficult,” the reasons for his relative popularity said Democratic strategist Chris Kofinis, LONG BEACH: Between Mississippi’s seashore and was Noucher, was in Florida for a doctor’s appoint- policy, a state-backed wind insurance policy and a among many Democrats. His fans appear who is not working for any of the cam- the railroad tracks a little ways inland, where ment and couldn’t persuade her husband to flee private policy covering the remainder of homeown- willing to overlook the 72-year-old’s ten- paigns. “People like him, people want to Hurricane Katrina all but erased a neighborhood 10 before the storm. She spoke to him one last time by ers’ risks, Ponthieux said he pays $4,600 a year, com- dency to commit gaffes, which would be like him, he’s charismatic, and he’s got a years ago, Efrem Garza and a handful of other home- phone on that Monday morning, advising him to pared to $1,600 before the storm. Wind insurance a handicap on a presidential campaign. very powerful personal story to say the owners are still resettling a frontier. Once lined with huddle in an interior laundry room. When she and her policies, after a steep climb, have leveled off or even “He says what he means. It’s not least,” Kofinis said. Several people inter- houses and a small condominium complex, South son returned, they found their two dogs, but not declined a little. Congress canceled steep increases in always good, but he’s upfront and hon- viewed referred to Biden’s son Beau, 46, Seashore Avenue in Long Beach was ravaged by wind John. His body was eventually found in the remains of flood insurance for some policyholders in 2014, but est,” said Mary Lampron, 70, of North who died of brain cancer in May. His and waves in 2005. Running from the beach highway a neighbor’s house, six doors north, and identified by rates continue rising significantly. Providence, Rhode Island. “Maybe it’s not death was another tragic chapter in the to railroad tracks paralleling the shoreline - a zone of his pacemaker. Noucher’s death certificate says only, Pickett said he’s now going without insurance, an what he should say, but it’s what he life of the vice president, who lost his maximum destruction along the Mississippi coast - it “Hurricane Katrina Related Fatality.” option for people without a mortgage. “The kids will thinks, which I admire,” she said. In 2012, first wife and his daughter in a car acci- was on the front lines of the storm’s fury. Noucher was one of five people who died in Long be upset. That’s all,” said Pickett, 80, of any future loss. Biden surprised his boss, President dent shortly after winning election to the Before Katrina, 10 houses and the condos stood Beach, and one of 238 Katrina deaths counted by “Considering our age, we decided it’s not worth it.” Barack Obama, when he said he was US Senate in 1972. between Garza’s house and the beach highway, US Mississippi officials. Brock, who has since remarried, The returning homeowners have been joined by a “absolutely comfortable” with gay cou- Though Clinton has wide policy experi- 90. Now only two houses stand, giving Garza a new, sold the lot in 2007, for what she called a “very low trickle of newcomers like homebuilder Chris Patrick, ples getting married, forcing Obama to ence, Biden’s 36 years in the Senate and clear view of the Mississippi Sound from the breakfast price.”It remains vacant today. who just completed a house overlooking the beach publicly declare his own support for almost two terms as vice president count table in his rebuilt home. “It’s come back very slowly,” Even those who lost no loved ones paid a heavy and hopes to build more. Like many other South same sex marriage. in his favor among supporters. “I know she he said. The storm leveled Garza’s house and others toll in the months after Katrina, forced to seek shelter Seashore residents, Patrick said he loves living near was first lady and has experience in the near the beach, pushed a giant wall of debris halfway with relatives or friends or in faraway motels and the water, and he’s willing to risk another storm. Questions about transparency White House in that capacity, and I know up the block and flooded the houses closer to the rail- apartments. Some never bothered to pick through “For me, the view is what I paid for,” Patrick said, Eleven of the 22 poll respondents she was secretary of state, but I think the road track’s elevated barrier. Empty concrete slabs the rubble. Others who returned still grieve. “My standing on a porch elevated high above ground. But interviewed mentioned what they saw as experience he has is closer to what is from houses swept away still linger on some lots. “For brothers are dead and they left us a bunch of stuff, he said it cost almost twice as much to build his new Clinton’s lack of transparency, or contro- needed for the presidency,” said Dee Sale” signs that sprouted after the storm still dot the and I’d lost it too,” said Robert Pickett, briefly sobbing house 17 feet in the air as it would have cost on the versy surrounding her, as a mark against Garletts, 72, of Bellevue, Washington. Ruby roadway. as he recounted the aftermath. He said it was even ground. “I don’t think I could do it any cheaper,” he her candidacy. According to Quinnipiac Ellis, 74, of Lawrence, Kansas said she liked While the plight of a drowning New Orleans harder on his wife, Carolyn. said of the house, which he’s trying to sell for polls, 64 percent of voters surveyed in Biden because he was untainted by scan- grabbed the nation’s attention after Katrina, the $350,000. “It’s expensive just to get the Sheetrock up August said Clinton is not honest and dal. — AP Mississippi coast suffered its own deaths and destruc- ‘Biggest trauma of our lives’ this high.” tion - and for miles, the strip between the beach and “It was probably the biggest trauma in our lives the tracks has yet to fully recover. Even a decade later, and it was difficult to deal with,” Pickett said. “I was an Elevation and insurance the people who lived there feel the storm’s toll. orphan and I had been passed around and I was pret- Some, including Jackson-area auto dealer Mike ty hardened to adversity. But she wasn’t.” Rayetta Cox, would like to build new houses but say the costs Empty slabs Tanguis and her siblings still own the house on South of elevation and insurance are holding them back. Although the overall population of Mississippi’s Seashore that belonged to her mother, Viola Conner. Cox bought a lot in 2014, with plans for a three-bed- three coastal counties - Hancock, Harrison and She bought it before retiring from New Orleans in the room house. “They said it had to be 15 to 20 feet off Jackson - is now larger than before the storm, in late 1980s. Farther north than the Noucher or Pickett the ground. It had to withstand 150 mph wind. Then many neighborhoods closest to the water the over- houses, it withstood the storm but flooded with four- you talk about trying to insure it,” Cox said, “It’s not grown lots and empty slabs speak to a much slower and-a-half feet of water. Tanguis said her mother that I don’t have the money to do it, it’s just that I recovery. Across Mississippi’s coast, one study found returned to Long Beach and lived in a FEMA trailer, don’t want to do it. I don’t want to take the chance.” Katrina seriously damaged or destroyed more than but died in December 2006 at age 82 before volun- Others can’t sell their property. Paul Kraber of 50,000 houses and apartments. In much of Harrison teers finished renovating her house. Yorkville, Illinois, is trying to avoid a “fire sale” of his lot County, which includes the larger cities of Gulfport “It just got to be too much for her, Tanguis said. after losing his house on South Seashore, saying he and Biloxi, the crucial line dividing the damage was “That’s what happened to a lot of people who were in needs the money because he didn’t recover the full the CSX train tracks. More than 1,000 houses were their 80s.” Yet some, including Long Beach Alderman value of the house from his insurer. A small “For Sale” destroyed or severely damaged in Long Beach, along Gary Ponthiuex, overcame the obstacles and sign brings occasional calls, but no one wants to pay with more than 1,000 apartments. Long Beach reclaimed their homes. “You need a certain type of his $50,000 asking price. Slightly smaller lots on Mayor Billy Skellie counts only two or three struc- strength somewhere down deep,” Ponthieux said. Buena Vista Drive, a block east, are currently listed at tures north of the tracks damaged enough to be Ponthieux and his son fled the storm atop the railroad $19,900 and $15,000. demolished. track after their home began to disintegrate. Despite “Everybody’s looking for a bargain and I don’t IOWA: Univision journalist Jorge Ramos, (right) asks Republican presidential candi- Unlike Garza, many former residents didn’t return, his losses, there was never any question he would blame them,” Kraber said. “I didn’t get it as a bargain.” date Donald Trump a question regarding immigration issues during a news confer- stung by their losses and spurning the gritty rebuild- return. Long Beach sometimes cuts vegetation to keep lots ence. — AP ing struggle that followed. Beachside areas are awash “This is home,” Ponthieux said. “What else are you from getting overgrown and collects the cost on tax in lots for sale, but potential newcomers face expen- going to do?” He and other neighbors drew from $1.9 bills. The city is now requiring owners to remove Trump starts new media feud sive challenges, including mandates to elevate homes billion in federal grants that Mississippi gave to remaining empty slabs from destroyed structures. “If and steep costs of insurance against water and . homeowners who lacked flood insurance or needed lots were like this, cleared, with the grass growing, with Univision anchor Ramos A federal buyout program for surplus lots has stalled additional aid. Like almost everyone who rebuilt, we’d have a better chance of selling it, Ponthieux said. because Congress hasn’t appropriated money. Ponthieux has downsized. His house is about a third “It’s been 10 years. It’s time for it to come up.” DUBUQUE: Republican presidential candi- have called it “unrealistic.” Ramos was later “I finally said ‘No, I don’t think I want to go back,’” smaller than the 3,200 square feet he had before the One buyer could be the federal government. The date Donald Trump has opened up a new allowed back into Tuesday’s news confer- said Elaine Brock, who lost her husband John storm. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers won Congress’ approval media feud, taking on another popular TV ence. Trump greeted him politely, though Noucher to Katrina. “The few people I did know there That’s partly because it costs more to build elevat- last summer for a post-Katrina improvements pro- news personality even as his appearances they quickly resumed their argument, inter- weren’t going back, and it just seemed like too much ed structures, as is now required. Insurance costs gram along the Mississippi coast, including property continue to draw big ratings. Trump rupting each other during an extended of a ghost town.” Brock, whose married name then more now, too. For a federally backed flood insurance buyouts in hazardous areas. — AP engaged in a prolonged confrontation back-and-forth. Tuesday with Jorge Ramos, the Miami- “Your immigration plan, it is full of emp- based anchor for Spanish-language broad- ty promises,” Ramos began. “You cannot Dust-covered woman from caster Univision, during a news conference deny citizenship to children born in this in Dubuque, Iowa. country.” “Why do you say that?” Trump 9/11 photo dies of cancer Ramos began to ask Trump about his replied. “Some of the great legal scholars immigration proposal, which includes end- agree that’s not true.” Citizenship for infants WASHINGTON: A survivor of the think about being there, in those targets, ing automatic citizenship for infants born born in the United States is guaranteed by September 11, 2001 attacks on New York the bridges, the tunnels, the (sub≠way) sta- in the United States to parents in the coun- the 14th Amendment. Changing that who was featured in one of the most haunt- tions,” she told AFP in a whisper in a March try illegally. Trump interrupted him, saying would require amending the Constitution, ing photographs of the outrage has died of 2012 interview. “The father of my daughter he hadn’t called on Ramos before repeat- a cumbersome process in which change stomach cancer. She was 42. The family of took her ; I can’t take care of myself, so I edly telling him to “sit down” and then say- must be approved by Congress and then Marcy Borders first announced her death can’t take care of her.” ing, “Go back to Univision.” by two-thirds of the 50 state legislatures. Monday on Facebook. Borders, who was 28 Her fridge was empty, and her television As one of Trump’s security detail During the five-minute exchange, Ramos at the time of the attacks, was just one had long turned silent. “I used to watch TV approached Ramos, the anchor continued claimed that 40 percent of people in the month into a job for Bank of America in one a lot, the TV was never off,” she said. “But to speak, saying: “You cannot deport 11 country illegally enter through airports, not of the Twin Towers. now I fear that what happens in Jerusalem million people.” Ramos was referring to over the Mexican border. “I don’t believe As one of the towers collapsed, she took will happen here. All that violence... so I Trump’s proposal to deport all people in that. I don’t believe it,” Trump responded. A refuge in a nearby office building, where leave it off.” Borders was relying on her the country illegally before allowing some 2006 report by the Pew Hispanic Center AFP photographer Stan Honda took a mother for food at the time and said no of them to return. As he was taken from the found that up to 45 percent of the people haunting photo of her completely covered one had contacted her in the months that room, Ramos said, “You cannot build a illegally in the US entered with legal visas in a thick layer of ash, which earned her the followed the attacks and her photo was 1,900-mile wall,” another proposal in which since have expired. moniker “The Dust Lady.” The air appeared beamed around the world. No aid organi- Trump’s plan. Trump said he did not believe that a heavy and a distraught Borders was shroud- zations helped her and no one had told her Moments later, Trump defended Ramos’ majority of immigrants in the US illegally ed in a cloud of dust and backlit by an eerie that mental services were available for free removal, saying: “He just stands up and were criminals, or in the country to commit yellow luminescence. “I can’t believe my sis- for 9/11 survivors. starts screaming. Maybe he’s at fault also.” crimes. “Most of them are good people,” he ter is gone,” her brother Michael Borders “I basically do nothing. I stay indoors ; I The Incident happened the day after Trump said. But he described recent cases where resumed his feud with Fox News Channel people had been killed by assailants later wrote on Facebook, asking for people’s feel safe inside,” she said. “I feel like I would anchor Megyn Kelly. Trump noted Kelly’s determined to be in the country illegally. prayers. Her cousin Elnardo Borders wrote: have had to be killed in order for my return a vacation Monday night by tweet- Finally, Trump reminded Ramos that he was “My emotions are all over the place right daughter to get something. “Sometimes, I ing that he liked her show better while she suing Univision, which dropped Trump’s now.” He later wrote: “She @ peace now!!!” think that you have to be the wife of a fire- was away. He said Kelly “must have had a Miss Universe pageant after he described After the attacks, Borders spiraled into a fighter or a policeman to get money. It’s so terrible vacation” because “she’s really off Mexican immigrants in the US illegally as decade-long deep depression and alcohol depressing, sometimes you’re ready to kill her game,” and retweeted a message that “criminals” and “rapists.” and drug abuse, though she eventually yourself.” Borders went into rehab in 2011, referred to her as a bimbo. “Do you know how many Latinos work recovered. She lost her job at Bank of and has said that news of the death of Al- for me? Do you know how many Hispanics America, where she ignored repeated Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden helped her ‘Empty promises’ work for me?” Trump said. “Thousands. They offers of a transfer. She spent much of her regain peace and recover from her trauma. Fox News chief Roger Ailes called on love me.” Isaac Lee, chief executive officer of time sequestered in her two-room flat, in Her family said she had fought cancer for a Trump to apologize. The billionaire busi- Univision, responded to the confrontation one of the poorer parts of Bayonne, a bed- year. After her diagnosis, she suggested in NEW YORK: This September 11, 2001 file photo shows nessman’s immigration proposal has with a written comment: “We’d love for Mr. room community in New Jersey over the interviews that her exposure to chemical Marcy Borders covered in dust as she takes refuge in an sparked intense debate within the 2016 Trump to sit down for an in-depth inter- bridge from Manhattan. pollutants emitted by the World Trade office building after one of the World Trade Center tow- Republican field. Several candidates, view with Jorge to talk about the specifics Something inside of her had died on Center collapse likely had a role in her ill- ers collapsed when commercial planes crashed into including former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, of his proposals.” — AP that fateful day. “I still live in fear. I can’t ness. — AFP them. — AFP THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015 INTERNATIONAL Ministers to talk security in Paris after train attack

PARIS: European ministers will gather in Paris raised fears of another large-scale attack in house to be charged on Tuesday. His lawyer was being probed for “attempted murder” as Algeciras and being involved in drug traffick- for security talks at the weekend following France, which was already on high alert after Mani Ayadi slammed his treatment as “outra- part of a “targeted and premeditated” terror- ing. Molins said he had also spent time in last week’s “targeted and premeditated” three jihadist gunmen went on a killing spree geous and disgraceful”, saying he should not ist plot. He bought his first-class ticket on the France in 2014 working for mobile phone jihadist attack on a high-speed train that was in and around Paris in January, leaving 17 have been left barefoot, but prosecutors said day of the attack at Midi train station in operator Lycamobile. foiled by passengers, it was announced yes- people dead. Authorities have foiled several Khazzani himself refused to wear shoes. Brussels, paying 149 Euros in cash-discredit- In May, he came to the intelligence servic- terday. Prosecutors have charged 25-year-old attacks since then. French Interior Minister The suspect had been on the radar of sev- ing Khazzani’s claim that he was penniless. es’ attention once more when he boarded a Moroccan Ayoub El Khazzani over the attack. Bernard Cazeneuve announced that interior eral European intelligence agencies after The ticket seller asked if he wanted to travel plane in Berlin for Turkey, a common crossing After watching a jihadist video on his and transport ministers from eight neighbor- authorities in Spain, where he lived until earlier, on a less crowded train, but he point to Syria for would-be jihadists. In June, phone Khazzani entered a toilet in the train, ing European countries-including Britain, 2014, flagged him as a radical Islamist. But refused. Khazzani also travelled to Turkey and he landed back in Albania and on Friday removed his shirt and re-emerged armed Germany and Belgium-would gather in Paris the 26 countries in Europe’s Schengen Area back in May and June this year, creating sus- boarded the Paris-bound train in Brussels. with an assault rifle, 270 rounds of ammuni- Saturday to discuss security measures follow- have abolished border controls, which means picion he may have spent in war-torn Syria There is little information so far about tion and a Luger pistol strapped to his chest. ing the latest thwarted assault. “We must people living in or visiting those nations can where the Islamic State group controls whether Khazzani acted alone or had accom- But he was stopped in his tracks by several examine whether we can implement a sys- travel virtually undetected if they are not the swathes of territory. And his Facebook page plices. French President Francois Hollande French passengers, two young American off- tem that allows for more systematic checks in subject of random checks. was mysteriously disabled on Saturday-the said what was certain was that “a real car- duty servicemen, their student friend and a airports, in public transport, in a more coordi- Khazzani claims that he was homeless and day after the foiled attack. nage” was averted thanks to the courage of a 62-year-old British consultant who have since nated way,” he said yesterday. had stumbled upon the weapons stash in a few passengers. On Monday, he awarded been awarded France’s top honor, the Legion Brussels park, which he intended to use to Scant information three Americans-Alek Skarlatos, a 22-year-old d’Honneur. One of the French passengers ‘Attempted murder’ rob first-class passengers in the Amsterdam- Khazzani lived in Spain for seven years National Guardsman, Spencer Stone, a 23- was shot and seriously injured in the struggle Khazzani was questioned for four days Paris train. But Paris prosecutor Francois until 2014, where he came to the attention of year-old US Air Force member and Anthony to overpower the gunman and he is recover- before being taken barefoot, handcuffed and Molins said the claim was “barely credible”, authorities for defending jihad, attending a Sadler, a student in Sacramento also aged 23 ing in hospital. The thwarted shooting has with a mask over his eyes to a Paris court- giving a raft of evidence for why Khazzani radical mosque in the southern port of — the Legion d’Honneur. — AFP Norway accused of taking away immigrant children

STAVANGER: One August day, Airida Pettersen dence of malnourishment. received the news many immigrant mothers have Official guidelines also make a point of ensur- come to dread: School representatives told the ing that the special needs of a sick or handicapped Lithuanian that child welfare officials removed her child are adequately met and that parents have to two children from the classroom and placed them be able to take sufficient responsibility so that a in a foster home. She pleaded to know why - but child’s health or development is in no way “serious- she said nobody would give her a straight answer. ly injured.” Pettersen believes officials took her chil- Pettersen, who moved to Norway in 2008 after dren partly because of her 10-year-old daughter’s marrying a Norwegian, is one of hundreds of immi- clothes, which she alleges authorities found too grant parents whose children were taken away by provocative for a pre-teen. Norway’s Child Protection Service, or Barnevernet, “I dress my daughter in a pretty dress and make ostensibly to protect them from mistreatment. her comb her hair,” she told The Associated Press in After a series of highly charged custody disputes, a telephone interview from Lithuania. “They look at the oil-rich Scandinavian country now faces accu- me like I’m from a Third World country. In my coun- sations of cultural insensitivity at best and child try if you don’t take care of yourself you don’t get a theft at worst, as increasing numbers of immigrant husband.” The child welfare agency insists children children are being seized by officials and handed would never be removed from their families unless over to Norwegian foster families. Of 6,737 children they were considered to be in danger, but taken in 2012 - the latest available data - some Moerkved said that if children were attending class 1,049 were immigrants or born to immigrant par- badly dressed or in smelly clothes it would be a fac- ents. That compares to 744 children of immigrants tor in considering a child’s welfare. “There are some taken away, of a total of 5,846, in 2009. culture differences between families coming to Norway,” said Solveig Horne, Norwegian Minister Heavy-handedness for Children and Families. “All children who come to The authorities insist they’re acting in the best Norway have the same rights as Norwegian chil- interests of the children. But their perceived heavy- dren ... If they are neglected or abused or if there is handedness has stirred diplomatic disputes with violence in the family the (child protection) agency several eastern European countries and India. All should protect the children first of all.” HEIDENAU: German Chancellor Angela Merkel addresses the media after her visit to a refugee shelter that was attacked by far-right protesters Western European countries assert the right to over the weekend. — AP place children, both of nationals and foreigners, in Human rights abuses foster care when there is evidence of abuse. And Statistics show that children born abroad are complaints of unfair seizures, allegedly for cultural more than three times as likely to be removed from Merkel faces down far-right reasons, are known to arise. But Norway is the only their homes as native Norwegians, with nearly 3 country where it has become as major issue - both percent of foreign-born children in foster care. In due to the scale of the phenomenon and the fierce May, hundreds of people marched in the capital mob on refugee centre visit criticism of the government. A relative managed to Oslo to protest alleged human rights abuses by spirit Pettersen’s children away from their foster child welfare officials. The demonstration was family while they were at school and reunite them organized by Norwegian human rights campaign- Hungary police uses tear gas on migrants with their mother in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius - er Marius Reikeras, who has denounced his coun- where they remain today. Morten Moerkved, head try’s child protection agency in television inter- of the agency in the small town of Malvik where views in the Czech Republic, Lithuania and Turkey. HEIDENAU: German Chancellor Angela Merkel from France to Britain. Hamstrung by a lack of a coher- is rushing to build a vast razor-wire barrier to keep the Pettersens lived, said he could not comment on Reikeras accuses the agency of depriving children vowed yesterday there would be no tolerance for ent European response to the crisis, governments have migrants out. Police fired tear gas at migrants at a any specific case but insisted that the sudden and their biological parents of “their fundamental “shameful and vile” anti-migrant violence, facing undertaken at times contradictory approaches to the refugee processing centre in Roszke after they tried removal of children happens only in “acute” circum- human rights.” “The aim should be to reunite chil- down a noisy far-right protest during a visit to a issue. Hungary is building a wall to keep migrants out, to leave without being fingerprinted. Hungary’s stances, including cases of abuse or “serious defi- dren with their families as soon as possible,” he said. refugee centre. About 200 people massed in the east- while the Czech Republic’s deputy Prime Minister police chief said more than 2,100 police called “bor- ciencies” in the daily care of a child, citing persistent “But Barnevernet too often does the opposite and ern town of Heidenau, some booing and shouting Andrej Babis called for the visa-free Schengen zone be der hunters” would be deployed to the border with drunkenness or drug use by the parents or evi- seeks to break biological bonds.” —AP “traitor, traitor” and “we are the mob” as she arrived at closed with NATO deployment. Germany, which is Serbia from September 5. the shelter, in a show of defiance over a record influx preparing to receive a record 800,000 asylum-seekers Rushing to get through before Hungary seals its of asylum-seekers. But following her visit, Merkel this year, instead eased the asylum application proce- border are Syrians, Afghans and Pakistanis, includ- vowed: “There will be no tolerance of those who ques- dure for Syrians fleeing a brutal civil war. ing more than 500 children. “We left because we tion the dignity of other people.” Natasha Bertaud, spokeswoman for the EU were scared, we had fear, bombs, war, killing, “The more people who make that clear... the Commission, said Berlin’s move was “recognition of the death... That’s why we left Syria,” one Syrian man stronger we will be and the better we will be able to fact that we cannot leave the member states at the heading for the Hungarian border told AFP. “If I go to address this task” of caring for refugees. The show- external borders alone in dealing with a large number Europe, I think it’s going to be better... better than down in Germany came as chaotic scenes erupted at of asylum-seekers”. Under the so-called Dublin rules, my life in Syria.” Hungary’s border town of Roszke with police firing the first EU country where an asylum-seeker arrives is Some of the refugees arriving in Hungary count tear gas at migrants. Police had sought to stop around usually required to process the claimant’s application. among the 7,000 whose gruelling journey to the EU 200 people trying to leave the country’s main refugee In practice, this means countries on the EU’s southern was temporarily blocked last week when Macedonia processing centre there. borders like Greece or Italy are overwhelmed with declared a state of emergency and shut its borders Budapest said it would send in police reinforce- applications. But Berlin’s largesse was not always wel- for three days to halt the huge influx. The UN refugee ments to stem a record influx of asylum-seekers, as comed at home, particularly in the east where a spate agency has warned that the situation was also wors- more than 2,500 people crossed into the EU country of attacks has hit refugee centres. President Joachim ening in Greece and Italy, where the number of peo- from its southern frontier with Serbia, days before a Gauck blasted a “dark Germany” behind the series of ple arriving after crossing the Mediterranean this year vast razor-wire barrier aimed at keeping out migrants is xenophobic attacks, as German leaders went on the is approaching 300,000. Since the beginning of 2015, completed. Europe is struggling to cope with its offensive to quell the wave of anti-migrant violence. more than 2,370 people have drowned in the biggest migrant crisis since World War II-from thou- Mediterranean, already exceeding the death toll for sands of refugees landing on the shores of Italy and Hungary sends in police the whole of 2014, according to the International Greece to the hundreds climbing onto trucks to get Hungary, another country on the edge of the EU, Organization for Migration. — AFP

STAVANGER: In this photo taken Friday, May 11, 2015, Feridun Mustafaoglu hold pic- Eu-Russia ties plunge to new tures of his children in his small one-room rental during an interview. — AP low ahead of talks Spain retirees battle

BRUSSELS: Ties between the EU and Russia remain at the European Union when he travels to Brussels, days and on Russian gas supplies to Ukraine, and their lowest ebb over the conflict in Ukraine, ahead of after meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel and on a landmark EU-Ukraine free-trade deal accord that foreign pension tax a series of key talks including a visit by President Petro French President Francois Hollande in Berlin. Moscow says will harm its economy. Poroshenko to Brussels today. Renewed fighting in Poroshenko will meet European Commission chief “These are the only two dossiers that the Russians : Eyeing a year-end general election, to be two separate revenues, resulting in a low- eastern Ukraine between pro-Moscow rebels and Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council President agree to discuss with the EU,” said Pierre Vimont, for- Spanish retirees who worked abroad have ering of the tax threshold. “We demand that Kiev’s government forces has made a mockery of a Donald Tusk for talks centering on the “implementa- mer secretary-general of the EU diplomatic service stepped up their protests against the cash- pensions be considered as a single income,” February ceasefire, while the European Union has tion of the Minsk agreement” that led to the ceasefire, and now researcher for the Carnegie Institute. “These strapped government’s bid to collect back taxes said Maruchi Alvarez, the spokesman of a renewed tough sanctions against Russia. the Commission said last week. At the same time, the talks are never easy. The Russians are difficult, and for on their foreign pensions. When Spain went Galician association of emigrants. Poroshenko is set to call for renewed support from EU is due to restart stalled three-way talks with Kiev their part the Ukrainians stick to their ground too.” The into recession in 2008, the government scram- EU’s condemnation on Tuesday of a jail sentence bled to find ways to boost state coffers, and Chained to tax office handed down by a Russian court to Ukrainian film- since 2013 has tapped a new vein: back taxes By the end of July around 145,000 retirees maker Oleg Sentsov for “terrorism” added to the bad on foreign pensions from hundreds of thou- had settled their tax bill, increasing state coffers blood ahead of the meetings. sands of former expatriate Spaniards who by 309 million Euros ($352 million), according returned home to live out their retirement. In to budget ministry figures. “This is robbery and Gas war some cases people have been given just 15 an injustice,” said Miguel Martinez, who worked The EU wants at all costs to avoid a “gas war” with days to pay up. “These people have suffered as an autoworker in Paris between 1964 and Russia as winter looms, with any stand-off threatening great moral and economic harm,” said Eva 1974 and receives a monthly pension of 330 supplies to Europe, around half of which pass through Foncubierta, the president of the Spanish Euros from the French state. He was shocked to Ukraine. Experts say a deal is needed by October to Federation of Returned Emigrants (FAER). receive a registered letter last year demanding avoid shortages. Maros Sefcovic, the EU’s Vice “These former emigrants greatly contributed to the payment of back taxes on his French pen- President in charge of Energy Union, will on the side- Spain’s development and they don’t deserve to sion for the past five years of around 5,000 lines of a western Balkans summit in Vienna today to be treated this way,” said Foncubierta, whose Euros-a sum equivalent to one third of his total re-launch talks with the Ukrainian side, which has not parents emigrated from the southern Andalucia yearly income. “Before I paid 85 Euros in taxes been supplied by Russian giant for several region to the Netherlands and now find them- on my Spanish pension of 11,700 Euros. When months. A meeting with Russian Energy Minister selves targeted by the tax office. the extra 4,000 Euros (in pensions) from France Alexander Novak is also scheduled for the start of About 800,000 people are affected by con- were taken into account, the amount jumped September. The trade talks are less urgent but cover servative Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s meas- to 962 Euros,” he said. Martinez, who lives in the highly sensitive ground, as the trade deal was original- ure, according to FAER. Foncubierta points out town of Callosa de Segura in the eastern ly the key part of the EU-Ukraine Association that Spanish pensioners are only required to Mediterranean province of Alicante, has Agreement that then-president Viktor Yanukovych pay tax on annual income above 22,000 Euros chained himself to three different tax offices in backed out of signing in November 2013. That led to provided they have only one source for the rev- protest. He says his anger is fuelled by the fact the pro-EU Maidan movement which toppled him, enue. The problem is that the tax office consid- that he has a letter issued in 2011 by the tax and which was followed by Russia’s annexation of ers a basic pension and a supplementary pen- authorities certifying that his French pension DONETSK: A woman walks past her building, destroyed during recent shelling in the small Crimea in March 2014 and the fighting in eastern sion, even if they are paid by the same country, was not taxable. —- AFP town . — AFP Ukraine which has claimed 6,800 lives. — AFP THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015 INTERNATIONAL Suu Kyi: Rebels shouldn’t sign peace deal in haste

YANGON: Myanmar opposition leader at a Saturday meeting with Maj. Htoo Htoo seats, she has begun speaking out more positions, unless they believe her party can Army from the pact because they are not Aung San Suu Kyi has warned armed eth- Lay of the Karen National Union, which has on some issues. Ethnic unrest was long take power and offer a better deal. The mili- among the 15 officially recognized rebel nic minority groups not to rush into sign- announced it is ready to sign. The KNU is used as an excuse for the army to exercise tary, however, has veto power over any armies. ing a nationwide cease-fire, a top party col- one of the bigger ethnic minority groups control over the country’s administration, constitutional amendments, limiting any Ethnic armed groups and government league said yesterday, a position that pits that have been fighting the central govern- and is a very sensitive issue because it major changes her party might try to make. representatives have signed a number of her against President Thein Sein, who has ment for decades to win greater autonomy. relates to the country’s unity. While the government has been saying cease-fire agreements since independence made reaching a deal before November “Suu Kyi said ethnic groups will have to for more than a year that a cease-fire from colonial rule in quest of peace, but elections his top priority. Talks between consider not signing the nationwide Veto powers agreement is imminent, fighting continues the deals have usually fallen apart. more than a dozen rebel groups and the cease-fire agreement before the Nov 8 Some of the larger ethnic parties are with several groups, and it has refused so Martyred independence hero Gen. Aung government have been held on and off general election,” he said. “It has to be loosely allied with her party, sharing the far to accept several demands from the San - Suu Kyi’s father - in 1947 signed the again for more than 18 months. meaningful.” Suu Kyi has so far stayed perception that the military-backed ruling rebel groups. The latest stumbling block is Panglong Agreement, which was sup- Win Htein, an executive of the opposi- largely silent on the issue. But with elec- Union Solidarity and Development Party is the government’s decision to exclude the posed to serve as a model for allowing tion National League for Democracy, said tions around the corner and her party their antagonist. It is unlikely, however, that Shan state’s Ta’ang National Liberation autonomy for ethnic minority groups, but party leader Suu Kyi expressed her opinion widely expected to win a majority of the she would have much influence over their Army, the Kokang group and the Arakan was ultimately neglected. —AP Fear, despair in Kashmir as India-Pakistan talks falter Cancellation dashes hopes of breakthrough

NAKYAL SECTO: India and Pakistan decades of conflict. Unfortunately been firing mortars and guns with- Kashmiri leaders in New Delhi-an aborted rare talks this weekend for the locals in Nakyal, the Indian out any provocation,” a defense issue that skippered foreign secre- under a cloud of recriminations, and Pakistani troops occupy the source in Indian-administered tary-level talks last year-and India’s while on the front line of their fes- heights on either side of the valley, Kashmir told AFP. insistence the agenda should focus tering conflict in Kashmir, villagers leaving the civilian population stuck “Our people in border villages on terrorism. cowering from artillery in mud huts in the middle-and badly exposed. have been suffering as well.” Pakistan’s failure to hand over or despair of ever seeing lasting Locals said around 100 families Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj prosecute the alleged masterminds peace. Pakistan’s National Security had fled villages to take cover in said Pakistan was responsible for of the 2008 Mumbai attacks has Adviser Sartaj Aziz called off a trip wooded areas on nearby hillsides. “91 ceasefire violations” since the infuriated India, particularly when to New Delhi for a planned “ice- Crops have been destroyed, two countries’ prime ministers the suspected ringleader, Zaki-ur- breaking” meeting on Sunday with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval at the last minute amid a row over the agenda for the talks. JHARKHAND: In this photograph taken on August 5, 2015, Indian villager The cancellation dashed hopes Anjali Hembrom speaks during an interview with AFP in Giridih district. —AFP of any imminent breakthrough in the nuclear-armed neighbors’ long- fraught relations. Shelling across Women Maoists facing the de facto border, known as the Line of Control (LoC) in disputed Kashmir, has been on the rise this grim life on frontline month, with several civilians killed. GIRIDIH: A shiver runs down her spine each experienced over there was horrifying, The Himalayan region has been time Anjali Hembrom recalls the abuse she worse than the oppression that the women divided between India and endured during six months spent with heav- of rural India face,” she wrote. Pakistan, but claimed in full by ily armed Maoist guerrillas in their “liberated The women fighters, believed to number both, since the two countries zone” deep inside India’s remote forests. around 4,000, are mainly used for cultural or gained independence from Britain Hembrom, 20, was kidnapped four years support activities although many have had in 1947. ago after the rebels swooped on a tribal vil- weapons training. A video recently seized by Nahra, in Pakistan-administered lage in the state of Jharkhand, looking for police from a rebel camp and shared with Kashmir, just 400 meters from new recruits. AFP showed young women fighters in olive Indian army positions, is one of the Taken to their self-declared “liberated green fatigues with machine guns slung on worst affected villages, where locals zone” inside the jungles where the Maoists their hips joining their male counterparts on say they were hit by shells almost reign supreme, Hembrom endured repeated assault courses. every day last week. With no proper rapes as a punishment for refusing to join bunkers in which to take cover their ranks before staging a daring escape. “I ‘Robin Hood allure’ from mortars, residents are forced still wake up with cold sweats in the middle Dayamani Barla, a 49-year-old woman to hide in their mud-brick houses. of the night,” Hembrom told AFP in an on- tribal activist and political leader who was Villager Muhammad Nazar, 53, camera interview in Giridih town, her face briefly jailed for aligning with the Maoist described how his home was destroyed by an Indian barrage last silhouetted for fear of being identified. cause, said women are often driven to join NAKYAL SECTOR: In this photograph taken on August 18, 2015, Pakistani Kashmiri girls look Before fleeing her captors, Hembrom wit- the rebels for money and food. “Also, the week. nessed women combatants being subdued Maoists have a certain Robin Hood kind of “I had just put my children to through a damaged wall hit by a mortar during cross border shelling on the heavily militarized into “cooking, cleaning and pleasuring their allure. The whole idea of taking on the rich bed, they were afraid to sleep, then Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. —AFP seniors” in a cult-like setup. and mighty appeals to women who have the Indian firing started and the While Hembrom says she was press- experienced some kind of exploitation at walls of my house came crashing schools forced to close for weeks met at a regional summit in Rehman Lakhvi, was freed on bail. ganged into joining the Maoists, hundreds the hands of either the police or the land- down,” he told AFP. “My children and shops open only long enough Russia last month. Islamabad, for its part, insists of women have willingly joined up to fight, lords,” she told AFP. “So it’s a case of the devil were screaming, I wrapped my for people to buy essentials. Javed talks must be wide-ranging and desperate to escape grinding poverty in and the deep sea for these women.” arms around the children as we hid Budhanvi, a member of the Weary pessimism include thorny issues like Kashmir. their deeply patriarchal communities. But as Barla said tribal women had also been behind what was left of the walls. Pakistani Kashmir parliament from That meeting, and Indian Prime The two sides ended up blaming well as the risk of sexual abuse if captured subjected to the most extreme forms of vio- “It ended early morning and I took Nakyal, said at least 15,000 people Minister Narendra Modi’s agree- each other for the collapse of the by security forces, the women fighters are lence by the Salwa Judum, a civil militia cre- my family to a neighbor’s house in around 10 villages had been ment to attend another regional talks, while back on the front line, frequently raped by their “brothers in arms”. ated and funded by the state to counter the where we live now-I have nowhere affected by recent Indian firing. summit in Pakistan next year, raised retired schoolteacher Muhammad “They must have joined the cadres with lofty Maoists in 2005 but disbanded later. else to go.” “Children are terrified, they can’t hopes of a breakthrough after Farooq, 52, has only weary skepti- revolutionary ideas,” said Hembrom. “It’s not Allegations about police brutality and custo- go to school, they can’t step out of months of heightened tensions. cism for the whole idea of talks. a life they would have imagined ever.” dial rape abound but very few cases are Beautiful, scarred their homes to play and even in Little of substance was expected “Pakistan and India have been reported for fear of retribution and a culture Nahra lies in Nakyal sector, a col- their homes they are not able to but the very fact that Aziz and negotiating since 1947 but what’s ‘Horrifying abuse’ of impunity for among the armed forces. lection of half a dozen small villages sleep because of the fear of Indian Doval were to meet at all was seen the result?” he said. “We are forced The Maoists, who dominate thousands of The murder in 2006 of a tribal man for strung out across a lush green val- firing,” he told AFP. India insists it is as . to live the life of a fugitive here in square miles of the ‘Red Corridor’ stretching being a Maoist and the subsequent gang- ley typical of Kashmir, a region simply returning fire that Pakistan But the plan faltered at familiar these forests-what have we done to across central and eastern India, claim to be rape of his wife over several days inside a famed for its beauty but blighted by has started. “Pakistani soldiers have obstacles: Aziz’s intention to meet deserve it?” —AFP fighting for the land rights of marginalised police station in Chhattisgarh state is one of tribal communities. Their insurgency has the few documented cases. Booker Prize- claimed around 10,000 lives, and is consid- winning novelist Arundhati Roy who has ered India’s most serious internal security recounted the time she spent with the insur- MH370 search to ramp up threat. Hembrom’s account of life inside gents in her book “Walking with the Maoist camps resonates with a former cadre Comrades”, says women wronged by the who has talked about rampant sexual vio- state have no choice but to take up arms. lence in her autobiography. “When you have 800 CRPF (a paramilitary with new sonar equipment In “Diary of a Maoist”, Shobha Mandi, who force)... marching three days into the forest, surrendered in 2010, says she was repeated- surrounding a forest village and burning it ly raped by her commanders over seven and raping women, what are the poor sup- CANBERRA: The deep sea hunt for the missing sharp regardless of the feature’s distance. Martin vey company hired by to search for the years. “Every woman is seen as an object for posed to do?,” she said in an interview to Malaysia Airlines jetliner will likely include cutting- Dolan, the bureau’s chief commissioner, said negoti- plane that vanished on March 8 last year with 239 satisfying the lust of the male cadres. What I India’s CNN-IBN news network in 2010. —AFP edge sonar equipment when it ramps up again in ations are underway to hire SAS equipment to add people aboard, has defended its use of traditional October after the stormy southern hemisphere win- to a fourth ship that would join the search during side-scan sonar. Fugro search director Paul Kennedy ter has passed, the Australian search leader said yes- the approaching summer, with the aim of combing has described SAS as developing technology with terday. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau, the entire 120,000-square kilometer (46,000-square some questions about its reliability. Critics fear that which oversees the recovery operation on Malaysia’s mile) search area in the Indian Ocean by the middle aircraft wreckage several hundred meters (yards) Two NATO soldiers killed behalf, has been criticized by some deep-sea sal- of next year. Only two ships have continued the from traditional side-scan sonar transponders could vage experts for not choosing synthetic aperture search through the harsh winter months using stan- be invisible. Fugro points to its success in March in in Afghan insider attack sonar, or SAS, from the outset of the search for Flight dard side-scan sonar. “Our preference would be to finding a 19th century ship wreck more than 300 370 that began far off the west Australian coast in get synthetic if we can, but we can make use of con- meters (900 feet) from a sonar transponder as proof KABUL: Men wearing Afghan military uni- rather than insurgent plots. The killings October last year. ventional side-scan,” Dolan said. “The advantage of that their equipment works. forms shot dead two NATO soldiers in the have bred fierce mistrust between local and With the standard side-scan sonar that has been synthetic is that you can get greater resolution, so it country’s south yesterday, the coalition said, foreign forces even though their number used to scour half the search area so far, the sonar helps in those areas that require closer examination,” ‘Data gaps’ the first insider attack on foreign troops has declined in recent years. The last insider image of a seabed feature becomes less clear the he said. The search has covered more than 60,000 square since the Taleban’s bitter power transition. attack was in April, when an American sol- farther it is away. With SAS, the sonar image remains Fugro Survey Pty Ltd, the Dutch underwater sur- kilometers of seabed, focusing on flat and feature- So-called “green-on-blue” attacks-when dier was killed in a firefight between US and less expanses where the expensive sonar equip- Afghan soldiers or police turn their guns on Afghan troops in eastern Afghanistan. ment can be towed quickly with less risk of crashing international troops-have been a major into underwater mountains. But the searched area problem during NATO’s long years fighting Residual force includes holes that searchers describe as “data gaps alongside Afghan forces. It was the first apparent “green-on-blue” due to shadows caused by geological features.” No group has so far claimed responsibili- attack since Washington announced a delay These sonar shadows have been catalogued and ty for yesterday’s attack in the volatile in US troop withdrawals from the country. will be searched later before any seabed is declared province of Helmand. It was the first such NATO ended its combat mission in free of wreckage. incident since Mullah Akhtar Mansour was Afghanistan last December and pulled out Dolan said these shadows will be searched in named the new Taleban chief following the the bulk of its troops although a 13,000- detail from October by an underwater drone announcement of the death of longtime strong residual force remains for training equipped with a video camera. The so-called leader Mullah Omar. and counter-terrorism operations. autonomous underwater vehicle has spent the win- “Two Resolute Support (NATO) service US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter at ter at the Australian port city of Fremantle because it members died early this morning when two the time said the US soldier’s killing showed does not cope well with mountainous winter seas. individuals wearing Afghan (military) uni- that work remains to shore up Afghan He hopes SAS will also be used to search shad- forms opened fire on their vehicle at an forces in the “dangerous” country. One of ows. But even without SAS, he expects the search (Afghan security forces) compound in the worst insider attacks took place last will be completed by June or July if wreckage is not Helmand province,” a NATO statement said. August when US Major General Harold found. Senior government officials from Australia, “Resolute Support service members Greene was killed-the most senior American Malaysia and China - which lost 153 Chinese citizens returned fire and killed the shooters,” it military officer to die in action overseas in the disaster - are to meet in Australia next month added, without revealing the nationalities since the Vietnam War. NATO troops have to discuss the future funding of the search. of the foreign soldiers. adopted special security measures in recent So far, the underwater search has cost 80 million The statement did not give the precise years to try to counter the threat. The Australian dollars ($57 million), with the Australian location of the attack, which highlights Afghan military, which has been built from and Malaysian governments splitting the cost. China long-simmering tensions between Afghan scratch since the fall of the Taleban regime refused in June a request to pay a third. Malaysia has and foreign forces. Western officials say in 2001, has also struggled with “insider so far committed to spending a total of AU$43 mil- most such incidents stem from personal attack” killings, high casualty rates and mass KUALA LUMPUR: A man walks pasts a mural representing the missing Malaysia lion. Australia expects the search will cost another grudges and cultural misunderstandings desertions. —AFP AU$80 million in the fiscal year that started July 1, Airlines flight MH370 at an alley in Shah Alam. —AFP and hopes Malaysia will again pay half. —AP THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015 INTERNATIONAL Obama apologizes to Japan after WikiLeaks spy claims

TOKYO: US President Barack Obama yester- Japan,” Suga told a regular news conference, US National Security Agency (NSA) on according to WikiLeaks, including Trade of the end of WWII in which he expressed day apologized to after WikiLeaks without confirming the spying claims. He Japanese officials and major companies. Minister Yoichi Miyazawa. Obama and Abe regret but also said future generations claimed Washington had spied on Japanese added that Abe reiterated his “serious con- Tokyo’s response has been widely seen as also discussed market turmoil that has seen need not apologize for Japan’s war record. politicians, a government spokesman said cern” over the case. “Prime Minister Abe told muted compared to the anger expressed in a massive global equities sell off after China “The president said he welcomed (Abe’s yesterday. Obama held a telephone conver- (Obama) that, if the Japanese people con- France and Germany following similar NSA cut the value of its Yuan currency in an remarks) as a whole,” Suga said, referring to sation with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe yes- cerned were subject to these activities, it spying allegations. Japan is one of apparent bid to boost exports, sparking the speech earlier this month. Allies includ- terday morning, spokesman Yoshihide Suga would risk jeopardizing trusting relations Washington’s key allies in the Asia-Pacific fears of an economic slowdown and the sub- ing the United States and Britain supported said, adding that the pair agreed to work between allies,” Suga said. In an earlier con- region and they regularly consult on sequent impact on global growth. Abe’s statement, but China and South together on global economic issues in the versation with US Vice President Joe Biden, defence, economic and trade issues. “(Abe and Obama) will firmly work Korea said he failed to properly apologize wake of a stock market meltdown sparked Abe voiced similar concerns if the spying Unlike German chancellor Angela Merkel together on the economy issue,” Suga said, for Tokyo’s war time aggression. Japan’s by fears over China. claims were confirmed. and French president Francois Hollande, Abe without elaborating. He added that Obama neighbors suffered badly from its imperial “President Obama said he was very sor- Last month, WikiLeaks said it had inter- did not appear to be a direct target of wire- repeated Washington’s support for Abe’s march across Asia in the first part of the ry... as the case caused a big debate in cepts revealing years-long espionage by the tapping-but other senior politicians were, speech on the eve of the 70th anniversary 20th century. — AFP

News in brief

China safety chief sacked as blasts death toll rises

BEIJING: The head of China’s work safety watchdog has been sacked, state media said yesterday, two weeks after giant explosions in one of the country’s largest ports killed 139 and injured hundreds. Yang Dongliang, director and Communist Party chief of the State Administration of Work Safety, was fired for “sus- pected severe violation of discipline and the law”, according to a one-line report from the official Xinhua news agency. The phrase is generally used by the ruling party as a euphemism for corruption. Yang was put under investigation less than a week after a series of explo- sions rocked a chemical storage facility in the north- ern port of Tianjin on August 12. The death toll rose to 139 yesterday, with 34 still missing and more than 500 people in hospital, local officials announced on Sina Weibo, a Chinese version of Twitter. It was not clear whether there was any direct connection between Yang’s removal and the explosions. But Yang, 61, worked in the city for 18 years and rose to be one of its vice mayors before taking office at the work safety agency in 2012. Industrial accidents HWACHEON: South Korean soldiers patrol the barbed-wire fence of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating North and South Korea. — AFP are common in China, with corruption thought to be a key factor behind lax enforcement of safety regula- tions. State media said one of the owners of the com- pany which ran the chemical facility was related to a US says North military former high ranking city police officer. The incident sparked widespread outrage over alleged govern- ment collusion with the firm, and fears of pollutants contaminating the air and water of the city, which is easing off war footing home to about 15 million people. The State Council, or cabinet, has vowed to conduct a “rigorous” investi- gation into the cause of the explosions. ‘We’re readjusting our own defense posture’

SEOUL: The North Korean military is slowly eas- bombing runs and North Korean heavy reached in Panmunjom saw the North express of the Panmunjom meeting, they have also Thai Elephant kills keeper, ing its battle-readiness posture, South Korean artillery units being wheeled up to the border. regret-but not admit responsibility-for the made positive noises about an additional runs off with 3 on its back and US officials said yesterday after Seoul and The ministry official said the North had been maiming of the two soldiers, while the South undertaking to hold official talks either in Pyongyang secured a deal allowing them to observed closing gunports on heavy weapons undertook to cease the high-decibel broadcasts. Seoul of Pyongyang. BANGKOK: An elephant in northern Thailand went berserk step back from the brink of an armed clash. installations guarding the Koreas’ disputed The United States, which has close to 30,000 South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which yesterday, killing his “mahout” keeper before running off Under the agreement reached after marathon, Yellow Sea border. troops permanently stationed in ally South overseas cross border relations, said a broad into the jungle with three terrified Chinese tourists still on top-level negotiations in the border truce vil- Korea, welcomed the decision to de-escalate range of issues could be discussed at such talks- his back, police said. “The mahout who was killed was lage of Panmunjom, the North undertook to Handguns, not rifles after what it called a “very tense” few days. In a including Pyongyang’s demand for the lifting of Karen and he was not familiar with the elephant. They (the shift down from a “semi war state” once the And North Korean security guards in regular briefing for reporters, Pentagon press sanctions imposed after the sinking of a South tourists) are safe now,” Colonel Thawatchai Thepboon, South ended propaganda broadcasts across Panmunjom were back to carrying handguns, secretary Peter Cook said US surveillance had Korean naval vessel in 2010. The South main- police commander of Mae Wang district in Chiang Mai the border at midday Tuesday. rather than the rifles they had shouldered since also noted a relaxation in the North’s military tains the corvette was sunk by a North Korean The defense ministry in Seoul said it had Friday, he added. The latest inter-Korean crisis stance. torpedo and has demanded a full apology in province, told AFP. noted a number of signs of de-escalation, had its roots in landmine blasts earlier this return for lifting the sanctions which cut nearly The Karen are an ethnic minority common in northern including the “re-appearance” of a large part of month that maimed two South Korean soldiers ‘Efforts to de-escalate’ all economic and commercial links with the Thailand. Police said the incident took place at 9.30am the North’s submarine fleet that had been on patrol along the border with the North. “As this agreement’s moved forward, we North. North Korea had repeatedly denied the (0230 GMT) as a Chinese family of three-a father, mother deployed off-radar over the weekend. “As the Seoul blamed Pyongyang and responded by have seen, at least on the part of the North charge and frequently cited the sanctions as a and a young child-took a ride on the back of a male ele- North is easing its combat readiness, we’re switching on banks of giant speakers, which had Koreans, some efforts to de-escalate ... both on major obstacle to improved relations. phant. Rides are a popular and lucrative tourist activity but readjusting our own defense posture,” said a lain silent for more than a decade, and blasting land and at sea,” Cook said. “It doesn’t mean Unification Ministry spokesman Jeong Joon- many animal rights groups say it is cruel and stressful for ministry official who declined to be identified. propaganda messages into North Korea. The we’re back to normal, but we feel better about Hee said the North might well consider bring- the pachyderms. The elephant had not taken easily to his Both militaries had been on maximum alert North denied any involvement and threatened this situation,” Cook added. While both North ing up the sanctions issue at the proposed new keeper and turned on him suddenly, goring him to for days, amid an escalating crisis that saw to attack the propaganda units as cross-border and South have spun very different interpreta- talks. “In which case, I think it can be dealt with death, Channel 3 reported. South Korean and US fighters flying dummy military tensions soared. The agreement tions of the joint communique that came out through dialogue,” Jeong said. — AFP The channel broadcast footage of the three frightened tourists being led back to camp still on the elephant’s back once it had been calmed down by other mahouts and their rides. Thailand’s roughly 4,000 domesticated elephants Marcos’ son mulls outnumber an estimated 2,500 remaining in the wild. Philippines seeks US Domestic elephants in Thailand-where the pachyderm is a presidential run national symbol have been used en masse in the tourist trade since they found themselves unemployed in 1989 MANILA: The son and namesake of late Philippine dictator when logging was banned. Accidents are not unheard of. Ferdinand Marcos said yesterday he may run for president help in sea dispute In June an elephant killed a Thai man and injured another in next year’s elections, offering his once-exiled family the as they were eating dinner at a beachside restaurant. The chance of the ultimate political comeback. MANILA: The Philippine defense chief said an aircraft at least once when a Philippine Ayungin by Filipinos and Ren’ai by the pair had been talking to the animal’s mahout when it sud- Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, popularly known as “Bongbong”, he asked the visiting US Pacific commander boat delivered supplies last year to Filipino Chinese, and the nearby Spratly Islands lie denly flipped. Rights groups have documented the more said he would not seek a second term as senator and was yesterday to help protect the transport of marines marooned on a rusty naval ship that about 120 miles from the western Philippine unscrupulous mahouts using controversial techniques to aiming for “higher office”, which in the Philippines can only fresh Filipino troops and supplies to ran aground years ago at the disputed shoal. province of Palawan, and about 700 miles crush the animal’s spirit or severely overworking their rides be president or vice president. “The discussions I have been Philippine-occupied reefs in the disputed from southern China. China’s foreign ministry to make more money. having with different groups, with other individuals have South China Sea by deploying American ‘We won’t be troubled’ says has “indisputable sovereignty” really centred on higher office,” the 57-year-old said on patrol planes to discourage Chinese moves Journalists witnessing a resupply mission over the shoal. The Philippine navy deliber- ABS-CBN television. Asked directly if he would run for presi- to block the resupply missions. last year saw a US military plane hovering ately ran one of its ships aground at the Flash floods kill 40 dent or vice president, Marcos said: “It’s extremely difficult The Philippines has protested past above a Filipino supply boat, which a shoal in 1999, fearing that to make a decision at this point.” attempts by Chinese coast guard ships to Chinese coast guard ship tried but failed to Chinese forces would occupy it after tak- people in N Korea Ferdinand Marcos Snr ruled the Philippines for two block smaller boats transporting fresh mili- block. Such US flights deter Chinese moves, ing control of nearby Mischief Reef four years decades until 1986 when millions of people took to the tary personnel, food and other supplies to a Gazmin said, adding that Philippine resupply earlier. A Chinese frigate and maritime sur- SEOUL: Flash floods caused by heavy rain killed 40 streets in a famous “people power” revolution. The Marcos Filipino military ship outpost at the disputed boats have been harassed less by Chinese veillance ships arrived in 2013 and the people in North Korea’s northeastern border area over family fled to the United States, and the patriarch died in Second Thomas Shoal, which is also being coast guard ships after the deployment of uneasy standoff remains unresolved. The the weekend, the International Federation of the Red exile in Hawaii in 1989. The rest of the family, headed by claimed and guarded by Chinese coast the US patrol plane. “If there are Americans underfunded Philippine military has turned Cross said yesterday. Particularly heavy rain accompa- controversial matriarch Imelda, returned in 1991 and guard ships. The tense standoff at the shoal flying around there, we won’t be troubled,” to the US, a longtime treaty ally, to rapidly nying Typhoon Goni battered the Rason special eco- began a successful political comeback despite accusations has lasted two years. Gazmin told The Associated Press in an inter- acquire refurbished warships and planes as nomic zone where the borders of North Korea, Russia the presidential couple stole billions in state coffers and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said view. “We need to be helped in our resupply the territorial rifts intensified in recent years. and China converge, the IFRC said in a statement. The oversaw widespread human rights abuses. the commander, Adm. Harry Harris Jr, missions. The best way they could assist is Gazmin said Washington has agreed to pro- floods affected more than 11,000 people, with 153 “Bongbong” Marcos won a Senate position in 2010, the assured him of US readiness to provide assis- through their presence.” vide two C-130 cargo planes previously used houses completely destroyed and 849 houses dam- first time since his father’s demise that a family member tance, adding that the US military has flown Second Thomas Shoal, which is called by the US Marines. — AP aged, it said, adding its report was based on informa- had won a nationally elected post. The Marcos matriarch, tion provided by North Korean authorities. The federa- famous for her luxurious lifestyle, has also since 2010 been tion said the North’s Red Cross Society had quickly a member of parliament, representing her husband’s sent an 80-member team to assist evacuation and northern stronghold of Ilocos Norte province. hand out non-food relief goods in cooperation with Imelda, now aged 86, has spoken often of her desire for IFRC officials. her son to take the presidency back for the family. These included tarpaulins, family tents, cooking However, public opinion surveys currently show there is sets, water containers, shelter toolkits, quilts, hygiene little support for Marcos Jnr as president. “I always see sur- kits and water purification tablets. “More rain is fore- veys as a starting point,” he said about his poor poll ratings. The current Philippine president, Benigno Aquino, is the cast in (North Korea) and many disaster-prone areas in only son and namesake of the late strongman’s political other provinces are likely to be affected,” Khaled nemesis, whose assassination in 1983 led to the popular Masud Ahmed, a IFRC disaster management delegate uprising three years later. in North Korea, said in the statement. The North’s offi- The assassinated hero’s wife, Corazon Aquino, led the cial KCNA news agency confirmed heavy rain caused revolution and was the nation’s first president after Marcos’s 40 “human casualties” in Rason and inundated large fall. Highlighting the fickle nature of Philippine politics, swathes of farmland. Up to 250 mm pummeled Rason Marcos said he could run for the vice presidency next year from early Saturday to late Sunday, destroying 5,240 on a ticket with current presidential favourite Jejomar Binay. houses, 99 public service buildings and 51 railway sec- Binay was a human rights campaigner during the dictator- tions, KCNA said. In June the impoverished country ship and is now the vice president, but he has faced wide- said its main rice-growing provinces had been badly spread accusations of corruption in recent years. “This is damaged by what state media described as the worst Philippine politics, you cannot discount the possibility of drought for a century. Poor weather makes it harder things you did not imagine would happen, could happen. for the communist state to feed its 24 million people as Never say never,” he said when asked about a Binay union. it lacks advanced agricultural technology and infra- Last month, Aquino anointed his unpopular interior minis- structure. Decades of deforestation and decrepit infra- ter, Manuel Roxas, as his preferred successor. — AFP MANILA: US Pacific Command chief Admiral Harry Harris (3rd left) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) structure have left it vulnerable to floods. chief of staff, General Hernando Iriberri (left), inspect an honor guard during a ceremony. — AFP NEWS THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015

India’s Hindu population drops, Muslim... Continued from Page 1 diamond trade, where local media said police used tear gas to disperse demonstrators. Authorities in western Gujarat state said the army had Political leaders appeared to have been taken by sur- been deployed to try to restore peace after a mass rally prise by the scale of the protest movement, which began turned violent, with protesters torching cars, buses and earlier this year but has rapidly gathered pace in recent police stations. The violence appears to have been trig- weeks. The Patidars or Patels are one of the state’s most gered by the detention late Tuesday of the 22-year-old affluent communities, but they say they are struggling to leader of a mass movement by the Patidar or Patel caste compete with less privileged castes for jobs. India sets demanding preferential treatment for jobs and university aside a proportion of government jobs and university places. places for Dalits, known as “untouchables”, and for so- Director general of police P P Pande told AFP three called “other backward castes” under measures intended people had been killed in the main city of Ahmedabad, to bring victims of the worst discrimination into the main- where an estimated half a million people gathered for a stream. rally on Tuesday. The violence later spread to other parts “Gujarat has a long history of communal violence of the state and another two people were killed when going back decades, but this phenomenon is something police opened fire on rioters early yesterday in entirely new,” said Sandeep Bamzai, a veteran political Banaskantha district. A sixth protester died in Mehsana analyst and journalist. “Every observer is mystified by this district later yesterday, also in police firing, the district 22-year-old boy who is leading the agitation and has superintendent J R Mothalia told AFP by phone. acquired a cult status in so little time.” It remains unclear The police late yesterday said that the seventh victim how Hardik Patel, the 22-year-old self-styled leader of the was a police constable, who was beaten by a mob and lat- movement, managed to mobilize such huge numbers. er succumbed to his injuries in hospital. Two others State authorities have already ruled out granting the injured in the rioting, including a 30-year-old man Patidars’ request. detained by the police, succumbed to injuries late yester- But their firebrand leader, who was briefly detained day, Ahmedabad police inspector P D Parmar told AFP. “I on Tuesday but has since been released, has vowed to Rick Yen is silhouetted as he casts a rod while fishing for salmon near the mouth of the Capilano River off appeal to all brothers and sisters of Gujarat that they keep up the pressure. “This is a fight for our rights... we Ambleside Park at sunset in West Vancouver, British Columbia on Tuesday. — AP should not resort to violence,” Modi said in a statement. will continue with our campaign on the roads and the “Violence has never done good for anyone. All issues can streets,” he said in a television interview yesterday. At be resolved peacefully through talks,” said Modi, who least a dozen officers were injured in Tuesday’s violence, served as the state’s chief minister for more than a decade, prompting the first curfew in the state since 2002. “There Iran enlists poor Afghan in a television address delivered in his native Gujarati. was heavy stone pelting of police vehicles and torching Media reports said it was the first time the army had to of police stations in Unjha and Kalol towns,” said be deployed in Gujarat since religious violence in 2002 Gujarat’s most senior police officer P C Thakur. As many refugees to boost Assad that left more than 1,000 people dead, most of them as 100 buses were torched and property damaged in the Muslims. The streets of Ahmedabad were deserted yester- violence in the cities of Ahmedabad, Surat and Mehsana KABUL: The fate of two brothers from Kabul, one grievously for money’,” said Jehantab, who asked to be identified only day with schools, shops and businesses closed. But some and the towns of Unjha and Visnagar, senior local offi- wounded, the other killed fighting in Syria, spotlights Iran’s by her first name in order not to jeopardize her chances of protests continued in Surat, the centre of India’s lucrative cers said. — Agencies covert but active recruitment of Afghan refugees to buttress getting the permit. Haider’s premonition came true - a few President Bashar Al-Assad’s steadily depleting forces. Shiite days after he left, an Iranian official informed his relatives, Iran, Assad’s key military and financial patron, denies enlist- also refugees in Tehran, that he had been killed in battle. ing Afghan mercenaries to fight alongside Syrian forces in Haider was part of a growing wave of jobless young Afghans Thirsty Mideast faces water stress the four-year conflict against opposition Sunni rebels that seeking shelter in neighboring Iran from decades of turmoil has left more than 240,000 people dead and millions dis- and war tearing their country apart, only to be ensnared in Continued from Page 1 conflicts,” Otto said. placed. another conflict. The analysis singled out four countries whose level of But interviews with Afghan fighters and relatives of com- “In terms of how they are recruited, deployed, and uti- One measure likely to become more common in the water stress is due to rise particularly sharply between batants killed in Syria point to a vigorous - and sometimes lized in Syria, many Afghan Shiite fighters have suffered the Middle East and elsewhere is water reuse systems that 2010 and 2040 - Chile, Estonia, Namibia and Botswana - coerced - recruitment drive of Shiite Hazara refugees by fate of being used as cannon fodder,” said Phillip Smyth, an recycle waste water. “It doesn’t make a lot of sense to putting new pressure on their businesses, farms and Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards Corps propping up Assad’s expert on Shiite militant groups, who estimates there are treat water to a potable standard, allow it to be used by communities. It also warned that national-level rankings floundering regime. Tears well up in Jehantab’s rheumy eyes 2,000 to 3,500 Afghans currently fighting in Syria. “Some are households and then essentially throw it away,” Otto said. mask large differences within countries. The United as she recalls the haunting parting words of her husband, coerced to fight, others promised residency papers for their Some Middle Eastern countries already rely on desali- States, for example, is ranked 49 for 2010 and 47 for 2040, 35-year-old Haider, when he called two months ago from family, and a small salary. It demonstrates Iran’s exploitation nation, a technique to remove salt from sea and ground but California is currently grappling with a crippling Tehran: “I am going to Syria - and I may not come back.” of Afghan Shiite refugees.” water. These and other highly water-stressed nations may drought. “‘Very few fighters survive Syria’s brutal conflict’, he told me,” The Iranian embassy in Kabul told AFP it rejects allega- also need to move away from producing their own food That smoothing effect could help explain why some said Jehantab, swaddled in a white scarf and sitting with tions that Tehran is enlisting Afghan refugees as “completely because agriculture gobbles water, Otto noted. Saudi West African and Central American countries that regu- three young children on the floor of her Kabul home. baseless”. But in a video posted online apparently by anti- Arabia, for example, has said its people will depend larly suffer drought-related food crises in rural areas have Haider, she said, was lured by the monthly salary of $700 Assad rebels last year, a dazed and bloodied Afghan militia- entirely on grain imports by 2016, the WRI researchers a low water-stress ranking. Otto said some of those coun- - a tidy sum for a laborer with no combat experience - and man is seen confessing that he was an illegal immigrant in said. tries may also see their future water supply from precipi- the promise of an Iranian residency permit, an attractive Iran, where authorities offered him $600 a month to fight in While political turmoil may be the top concern in the tation increase due to climate change, and that agricul- inducement for refugees who otherwise live in constant fear Syria - or face deportation. It was not possible for AFP to ver- of deportation. “I begged him: ‘Don’t go, don’t kill yourself ify the authenticity of the video. — AFP Middle East today, drought and water shortages in Syria ture may be rain-fed rather than relying on irrigation, likely contributed to the social unrest that stoked its civil avoiding direct demand on surface waters. In southern war, the WRI experts said, as some 1.5 million people - Africa and other parts of the world where water supply is mainly farmers and herders - moved to urban areas projected to fall as demand grows, policy makers should US reporter, cameraman killed in on-air... unable to provide enough jobs and services. Water has act to prevent water stress worsening, Otto said. “We also played a significant role in the decades-old conflict need to understand the relationship between available Continued from Page 1 Ward, 27, graduated from Virginia Tech, said WDBJ between the Palestinian Territories and Israel, they noted. supply and demand for that water, and we need to take spokesman Mike Morgan. “Adam was our go-to guy. He “It’s unlikely that water becomes the cause of the conflict, steps to use the water we have more efficiently and more Tweets posted on Williams’ Twitter account yesterday pretty much was available to do anything that we asked,” but it can become an accelerator or multiplier of those effectively,” she said. — Reuters described workplace conflicts with both victims. They say Morgan said. “He did live shots during our morning Williams filed a complaint with the Equal Employment show for several years.” Parker had just turned 24 and Opportunity Commission against Parker, and that Ward had joined the station as an intern after attending James had reported Williams to human resources. Marks said Madison University, where she was the editor of the Saudi suspect in Khobar Towers attack... Williams alleged that other employees made racially school’s newspaper, The Breeze. According to her tinged comments to him, but said his EEOC claim was Facebook page, Parker spent most of her life outside Continued from Page 1 Four prominent Shiite activists met with the late King dismissed and none of his allegations could be corrobo- Martinsville, Virginia. She was an avid kayaker and Fahd in 1993 for reconciliation talks after years of vio- rated. “We think they were fabricated,” Marks said. attended community theater events in her spare time. The US later moved its Air Force contingent to the lence that included attacks by the Saudi Shiite Hezbollah ABC News reported on its website that the network The station is based in Roanoke, Virginia, and serves Prince Sultan Air Base, a vast compound in a remote group, which the kingdom has branded a terrorist organ- received a 23-page fax from someone claiming to be the southwest and central part of the state. The shoot- stretch of desert south of the Saudi capital, Riyadh. ization. The meeting - the culmination of many discus- Williams. The network said the fax was turned over to ings happened at a mall just off Smith Mountain Lake in The Saudi Hezbollah extremist group was founded by sions between Saudi officials and Shiite activists in exile - authorities, and did not elaborate on its contents. “This Moneta, about 25 miles southeast of Roanoke. According members of the desert kingdom’s Shiite minority who resulted in the return of some 350 activists to the king- gentleman was disturbed at way things had turned out to his social media sites, Flanagan attended San Francisco fled into exile in the 1980s to escape what they said was dom, the release of political prisoners and a more relaxed at some point in his life. Things were spiraling out of con- State University. A university spokesman said he graduat- persecution by the kingdom’s Sunni majority. The 2001 policy that allowed the building of more Shiite . trol,” Franklin County Sheriff W Q “Bill” Overton Jr said at a ed in 1995 with a degree in radio and television. indictment placed heavy blame on Iran for nurturing the After the 1996 attack, members of the Saudi news conference. The White House said the shooting was another attack but stopped short of mentioning any Iranians by Hezbollah group were either arrested or fled into exile. Both the victims were romantically involved with other example of gun violence that is “becoming all too com- name or linking them directly to Khobar. However, in While the group no longer exists in the open and was dis- employees at the station, according to Parker’s boyfriend, mon.” White House spokesman Josh Earnest told 2006, US District Judge Royce C Lamberth ruled the mantled after the Khobar attacks, it continues to be pop- WDBJ anchor Chris Hurst. He wrote online that they reporters that Congress could pass legislation that Iranian government financed the bombing, ordering it to ular among some radical pockets of Shiites in Saudi hadn’t shared their relationship publicly but “were very would have a “tangible impact on reducing gun vio- pay $254 million to the attack’s victims. Iran repeatedly Arabia’s oil-rich Eastern Province. The group was created much in love.” He said they had just moved in together lence in this country”. Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe has denied being involved. Joshua Stueve, spokesman in 1987 in eastern Saudi Arabia as a pro-Iranian organiza- and wanted to get married. “I am numb,” he said. The said, “Keeping guns out of the hands of people who for the U.S Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia, tion modeled after the Lebanese Hezbollah militia. It also shooting happened around 6:45 am at Bridgewater Plaza would use them to harm our family, friends and loved declined comment. is believed to have operated in Kuwait and Bahrain. The in Franklin County, as Parker interviewed Gardner about ones is not a political issue; it is a matter of ensuring Shiites in the kingdom have long coplained that Saudi FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list identifies Mughassil as the upcoming 50th anniversary festivities for Smith that more people can come home safely at the end of Arabia’s leadership treats Shiite grievances as a security having been born in the eastern Saudi city of Qatif in Mountain Lake, a local tourism destination. the day.” — Agencies problem rather than an issue to be resolved politically. 1967. — AP THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015 ANALYSIS

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Issues Donors extend ‘shelf life’ of 2016 hopefuls

By Michael Mathes

hris Christie and Rick Perry may have stalled in the US presidential race but they could struggle Con on to the first primary votes, thanks to the mega-donors keeping their campaigns afloat. Polling trends suggest neither is likely to make the 10-candi- date cut for the next televised Republican presidential debate on Sept 16. But in American politics a few gen- erous donors can keep a sputtering campaign alive, even when the political winds fail to fill a candidate’s sails. “This is the bring-your-own-billionaire election,” Chris Gates, president of the Sunlight Foundation, a Germany’s China exports turn into a risk non-partisan, pro-transparency group that is tracking 2016 campaign finance, told AFP on Monday. “It does By Paul Carrel Engineers Hit priced cars, as demand in is increasingly driven by rural, less wealthy allow them to hang on,” he said of the largesse. “It German engineers’ exports to China shrank by 4.9 percent in the Chinese regions. Klaus Wohlrabe, economist at Germany’s Ifo econom- extends the shelf life of candidates who may not be ermany’s export exposure to China, for years a source of first half. Their machine products lag only cars as Germany’s largest ic institute, said the China factor will grow in importance for businesses creating any buzz or fire in the electorate.” economic strength, is fast turning into a risk that raises sector of export goods to China. For companies like German industrial in Germany, which drove economic euro zone growth in the second Individuals are limited to contributing $2,700 Gquestions about the health of other sources of growth in group ThyssenKrupp, the Chinese market is important. China accounts quarter as France stagnated and Italy lost momentum. directly to any candidate in federal elections. But with Europe’s largest economy. Germany has the greatest trade expo- for 16 percent of ThyssenKrupp Elevator’s sales, or about €1 billion China’s slowdown also risks hurting other German emerging campaign finance laws loosened in recent years, sure to China of the 28 European Union nations, largely thanks to ($1.14 billion) last year. Already some leading German brands are feel- export markets. A senior government official in Brazil said on Tuesday Americans are unbridled when it comes to contribut- demand for its cars and the strength of its engineering industry. ing the impact of the slowdown, which saw activity in China’s factory an economic recovery which had been expected later this year could ing to “super PACs,” independent political action com- For years, its EU peers tried - and failed - to match Germany’s sector shrink at its fastest pace in almost 6-1/2 years in August as be delayed due to China. That could pose a problem to German firms mittees that can raise unlimited funds but cannot export prowess in China, where German companies profited from domestic and export demand dwindled. that have poured over 19 billion euros into the struggling Brazilian coordinate with a candidate’s campaign. New Jersey the infrastructure and consumer spending that have helped Carmaker Volkswagen last month lowered its global sales forecast economy. Exports remain crucial to Germany’s economic health. In the Governor Christie and former Texas governor Perry are make the Chinese economy the world’s second largest. and said it was braced for stagnant volumes in China, after years of April-June period, they grew by 2.2 percent on the quarter, the biggest but two of many in the 17-deep Republican field But now a slowdown in China means corporate Germany’s double-digit growth in its biggest market. The German government increase since the first quarter of 2011 and helped drive economic seemingly propped up by backers with deep pockets. ventures there risk turning profit streams into cost burdens. has been at pains to describe the impact of China’s slowdown for growth of 0.4 percent on the quarter, Federal Statistics Office data The pair currently average a combined 4.6 percent Worries about China sent global stocks tumbling on Monday Germany as “limited”, and Berlin is sticking to its 1.8-percent growth show. support in the polls. But they have seen a whopping before they rebounded on Tuesday when Beijing cut interest forecast for this year. That throws the spotlight onto more mature mar- But against the uncertain global economic backdrop, Germany $24 million already poured into super PACs backing rates. “The weaknesses of Germany’s ‘special relationship’ with kets like the United States and the EU, which Berlin says are holding up could try to refocus its economy away from foreign trade. “Germany their bids. Perry’s official campaign raised just $1.1 mil- China are becoming increasingly apparent,” said Hans Kundnani well. still has room for manoeuvre and it would be a good thing to focus lion in its first month, filings with the Federal Election at the German Marshall Fund. “I think there is a growing percep- The United States actually overtook France in the first half of this more on investment and less on exports,” said Sandra Heep, economic Commission show, far less than better-placed rivals tion among German business people that they are too exposed year to become Germany’s top export market for the first time since policy expert at the Mercator Institute for China Studies in Berlin. “With like Jeb Bush or Ted Cruz. Perry can reportedly no to China.” 1961, the DIHK said. But with European economies struggling to pick the slowdown in China, this will become more urgent.” longer pay many staffers, but he insists on soldiering Germany’s economic ties to China dwarf those of its European up economic momentum, the United States would be a rather singu- A breakdown of Germany’s economic performance in the second on, saying it’s not a but a marathon. “It’s my counterparts. Led by the big carmakers, German firms moved into lar market for German exporters to depend on. quarter highlighted its persistent weakness in investment. Gross capi- understanding the super PAC has an extraordinary China faster and more aggressively than many of their rivals, and tal investment fell in the three-month period and shaved 0.1 percent- amount of dollars,” Perry maintained last week, accord- China has been a major source of growth for German exporters. Leaner Pickings? age points off economic output. “Low investment is the Achilles’ heel ing to the Texas Tribune. “They’re going to be out In 2007, the Chinese market accounted for just 3.1 percent of Even if Chinese demand does hold up - Beijing still has an official 7- of the German economy,” said Marcel Fratzscher, head of the DIW eco- telling our story, so we’ll make this.” German exports but that figure rose to 6.6 percent last year, percent target for 2015 - China is morphing from a market for German nomic institute in Berlin. FEC filings show that two pro-Perry super PACs Federal Statistics Office data shows. By contrast, the share of firms to a source of competition for them. “Chinese companies are Weaknesses in Germany’s transport and digital infrastructure, have raised more than $13 million, including two exports going to France slipped slightly over the same period. moving up the value chain and are increasingly competing with skilled labour shortages and uncertainty around energy policy meant monster donations from a pair of Texas billionaires. Growth in China made it Germany’s fourth biggest export German companies,” said Kundnani. “The long-term danger for that companies were holding off investments in Germany, he said. One of them, Kelcy Warren, chief executive of pipeline market in 2014, after France, accounting for 9.0 percent of total German companies is to get pushed out of the mass market into luxu- German productivity already lags that in France, Belgium, the giant Energy Transfer Partners which has Perry on its exports, the United States (8.5 percent) and Britain (7.4 percent). ry niches.” Netherlands, and the United States, figures from the Organisation for board, ponied up $6 million to the Opportunity and However, this year the Chinese market is fading fast for Germany. This is already having an effect on Germany’s carmakers, which last Economic Cooperations and Development show. By focusing so Freedom PACs. A million-dollar donation to America In the first half of 2015, export growth to China was just 0.8 per- year accounted for nearly a third of Germany’s €75 billion in exports intently on export markets like China, corporate Germany risks further Leads, which backs Christie, came from Paul Fireman, cent - the same as to crisis-burdened Greece, figures from the to China. VW said last month profits from its two Chinese joint ven- undermining the prospect of the domestic growth engine building who wants to build a $4 billion casino resort in DIHK chambers of commerce show. tures could even drop this year below 2014 levels amid a shift to lower- steam. —Reuters Christie’s state.

‘Wild West’ Finance Four years ago it was former House speaker Newt China rate cuts welcome, but not enough Gingrich and conservative ex-senator Rick Santorum who “kept going beyond what some thought of as By Kelly Olsen them an alternative source of borrowing. economists dubbed a “mini stimulus” acknowledging that the falls had “made their natural campaign lives” thanks to wealthy bene- Economists at China International including tax breaks for small companies, many people lose heart”. factors, said Viveca Novak of the Center for Responsive hina’s latest interest rate cut - the Capital Corporation said reducing taxes, targeted infrastructure outlays and select- Despite the white-knuckle ride from Politics, a non-profit group that tracks money in poli- fifth since November - is not enough especially for the corporate sector, could ed cuts to banks’ minimum reserve levels. the popping of the China bubble, which tics. “What’s different this time is that many of these to reverse slowing growth in the be a more efficient way to boost the econ- But from November the pace picked up triggered huge losses on global markets, super PACs are undertaking activities previously C world’s second-largest economy, analysts omy and profitability by freeing up funds with more reserve reductions and interest some hope the government’s failure to thought of as campaign activities,” including voter out- say, urging authorities to embrace lower for productive investment. Chinese infra- rate cuts-also designed to reduce high prop up overvalued shares will teach reach and door-knocking, Novak said. The lines have begun to blur, and with the FEC in taxes and other more aggressive measures. structure spending has primarily benefited consumer saving rates and free up funds authorities a valuable lesson. ANZ’s Liu perpetual deadlock and offering “zero enforcement,” Increasing anxiety about weakness in state-owned companies where some of it to replace investment as the country’s eco- described the two trillion yuan ($312 bil- according to Sunlight’s Gates, “it’s pretty much the China’s economy, which is undergoing a has been squandered. nomic driver. Another target for reform is lion) they are estimated to have spent in wild West out there”. Among top donors aiming to difficult transition, has sent domestic and China’s stock market, which has plummet- efforts to support the market as “down the shape the election are Charles and David Koch, billion- global financial markets into a tailspin and ‘Down the Drain’ ed more than 40 percent since a spectacu- drain”. “If they had used it to support the aire industrialists who, with a network of hundreds of raised questions about the grip its The ruling Communist Party needs to lar debt-fuelled rally peaked in mid-June, real economy, China’s economy would be donors they have cultivated over decades, plan to Communist Party rulers have on policy. ensure continued growth to create a with broad government interventions fail- much better now, so would the stock mar- spend nearly $900 million through 2016, much of it on China accounts for more than 13 per- steady flow of jobs and raise living stan- ing to halt the decline. ket,” he told AFP. the presidential campaign. cent of worldwide gross domestic product dards in the world’s most populous nation, Analysts point out that its rise - fuelled The concept of candidates beating a path to the (GDP) and is the planet’s biggest trader in a key element of its claim to legitimacy. by enthusiastic but ill-informed “mom and ‘What it Had to Do’ Koch door, particularly when the brothers host private goods, making the health of its economy But GDP grew 7.4 percent last year, its pop” investors - was not driven by funda- In theory, China still has ample room to retreats where the likes of Bush, Cruz, Senator Marco key to global growth. After the benchmark worst for nearly a quarter of a century, and mentals, and that the fall is similarly dis- reduce borrowing costs, unlike the major Rubio and former Hewlett Packard chief executive Shanghai stock index slid 22 percent over slowed further to 7.0 percent in both the connected. “The stock market is sliding, economies of the US, Japan and the euro- Carly Fiorina can woo hundreds of wealthy donors four days the People’s Bank of China on first two quarters this year. Official con- but the economy is not,” the Global Times zone, where rates are at or near zero. But directly, has become known as the “Koch primary”. Tuesday cut lending and deposit rates by cerns about economic weakness go back tabloid, which has close ties to the com- interest rate cuts put more downward Locking up such support could spell the difference 0.25 percentage points each, and banks’ to 2013, with authorities deploying what munist party, stressed in an editorial, while pressure on China’s yuan currency, which between a campaign’s longevity or an early exit. “What minimum reserve levels by 0.50 percent- was devalued in a shock move earlier this we’re seeing is the ultra-wealthy picking the field, or age points. month and which authorities have since expanding the field,” Novak said. In the case of Donald That took its lending rate to a record promised will remain stable. While that Trump, the ultra-wealthy is leading the field. The bom- low 4.60 percent, which should make it makes Chinese exports cheaper abroad, a bastic real estate mogul says he is beholden to no super PACs or special interests, and that he could stay easier for individuals, companies and local potential economic boost, it also makes in the race for the long haul, even if his star fades once governments to borrow - essential as imports more expensive - and raises com- voting begins in February. —AFP China tries to wean its economy off petition worries for other countries’ exports and investment and move exporters. US officials, for example, have towards a consumer-driven model. But long argued that the yuan is undervalued. four previous cuts since November have Yao Wei, Paris-based economist at failed to add any sparkle and analysts said Societe Generale, said in a note that the All articles appearing on these the impact of the latest adjustments central bank “did what it had to do”, but pages are the personal opinion of would be limited without structural that the impact of the interest rate and the writers. Kuwait Times takes no changes to accompany them. bank reserve cuts would depend on responsibility for views expressed China’s state-controlled banks - the vast whether authorities continue spending majority of the official banking system - foreign reserves to defend the unit. China therein. Kuwait Times invites read- prefer to lend to state-owned companies, may have used more of its reserves to ers to voice their opinions. Please denying access to funds for private firms, prop up the currency since the Aug 11 send submissions via email to: opin- which are a more effective driver of devaluation than the almost 700 billion [email protected] or via snail growth. The central bank needs to “make yuan of added liquidity expected from the sure the money can go to the real econo- bank reserve cut - neutralising the impact. mail to PO Box 1301 Safat, Kuwait. my”, ANZ economist Liu Li-Gang told AFP. The People’s Bank of China should either The editor reserves the right to edit ANZ said reforms to the bond market were defend the currency to the hilt or let it any submission as necessary. also needed to ensure firms and authori- An investor gestures as he checks share prices at a securities firm in Shanghai float freely, she said. “The PBoC has to ties can issue debt more easily, giving yesterday. —AFP decide its currency strategy first.” —AFP THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015 SPORTS

Air Force clause for Balotelli Digne seals Roma move Bid to plug leaky defence

MILAN: Maverick striker Mario Balotelli will have a good behaviour clause inserted MILAN: Serie A side Roma continued to shore up their defence yesterday with Paris LONDON: Sunderland manager Dick Advocaat says he needs more rein- into his contract with AC Milan, banning extravagant haircuts and clothing and com- Saint Germain French international left-back Lucas Digne completing his loan move forcements to fix the Black Cats’ leaky defence which has conceded 11 goals mitting him to a healthy lifestyle. to the capital club. After completing a medical, Digne, 22, signed with the in four games this campaign. Italian sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport said on Wednesday that the club’s chief Giallorossi in a one-year deal that will see Roma pay PSG 2.5m euros and could end Sunderland, who added three defenders this summer, let in three goals executive Adriano Galliani had based the clause on regulations which are applied to up with the 22-year-old making the move permanent. against League Two side Exeter City in the League cup on Tuesday before people who serve in the Italian air force. The 25-year-old, repeatedly criticised for his Key to the transfer was Roma coach Rudi Garcia, who while in charge of PSG’s Jermain Defoe’s hat-trick secured their 6-3 win. poor work rate, is set to return to Milan a year after leaving for Ligue 1 rivals Lille handed Digne his first-team debut for the club in 2011. “I’m happy with the six goals, but totally unhappy with the way we gave Liverpool, where he had a dismal season. Digne, who was a member of the France Under-20 side crowned world champi- three goals away. That has to improve and the players He underwent a medical in Milan on Tuesday ahead of ons in 2013, told Roma TV: “I chose Roma because it’s a legendary club with a great know that,” the 67-year-old Dutchman was quoted an unexpected loan move, although the deal has not yet history. I know that in this city and at this club there’s everything you need to suc- as saying by the Sunderland Echo. “I am wondering been officially confirmed. Yesterday the controversial ceed.” It was at Lille that Digne, despite still being a teenager, first impressed and in if it is to do with concentration, sharpness it cost Italian said a fond farewell to Liverpool on his Facebook his second season with the northern French club he made seven appearances in us three goals, and that’s a worry. And it’s not the page. “I’m grateful to Liverpool FC and Liverpool fans for the Champions League. first time,” the former Netherlands manager added. the time and opportunities you gave me,” he wrote. “It’s Digne signed a five-year deal with PSG two seasons ago and in his short time The Black Cats have been heavily linked with not a goodbye but rather a farewell. “I’ll be supporting you with the capital club won two league titles and the French Cup. Garcia-who has Man City’s Belgian international defender Jason guys all the way in every competition... unless you face AC guided Roma to two successive runners-up finishes behind Juventus in Serie A — Denayer, but Advocaat played down the Milan.” According to Gazzetta, Balotelli must not damage admitted two weeks ago strengthening his defence was a priority after the club move. “There has been talk about the the image of the club and his Twitter, Facebook and sold Greek international Jose Holebas to newly-promoted English Premier League young guy from Manchester City, but he Instagram posts will be closely monitored. He will be side Watford and French defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa joined Lyon. Since then is going to another club,” said Advocaat. banned from extravagant haircuts and clothing, from smok- they have signed Slovakian Norbert Gyomber from Catania on a season-long loan “We are still looking, but when ing and from visiting night clubs and must turn up on time for deal, which includes an option to make the transfer permanent. VfB Stuttgart (Younes) Kaboul is fit, he’s a very good training. His drinking will also be limited.—Reuters defender Antonio Ruediger was also signed on a similar deal last week. —AFP player.”— Reuters Astros demolish Yankees, Jays win

NEW YORK: Carlos Gomez and Evan Gattis both homered the one-run lead for the final two innings. Jake Petricka (4- and drove in four runs, sending Dallas Keuchel and the 3) picked up the win in relief and combined with Zach Houston Astros to a 15-1 blowout of the New York Duke and David Robertson to close it out. Yankees that briefly got testy Tuesday night. Keuchel (15- Robertson pitched the ninth to earn his 26th save in 32 6) held New York scoreless for the second time this sea- opportunities. Wade Miley (10-10) allowed five runs and 13 son and became the first 15-game winner in the hits in 6 2-3 innings. American League. Gomez busted out of a hitting slump along with sever- CARDINALS 9, DIAMONDBACKS 1 al teammates and rankled the Yankees with his flashy Tommy Pham had his second career three-hit game, style. The center fielder jawed with players in New York’s Jaime Garcia pitched six strong innings and St. Louis dugout after flipping his bat aside when he flied out in cruised past Arizona. Three days after his first three-hit the sixth inning, then stood nose to nose with young game, Pham singled twice and got his second career triple. catcher John Ryan Murphy before they were separated. He scored three times. Six players had RBIs for the Both benches and bullpens emptied, but the teams Cardinals, two apiece for Jhonny Peralta, Jason Heyward quickly went their respective ways without any pushing and Yadier Molina. The Cardinals’ Peter Bourjos’ got his first or shoving. His next time up, Gomez launched a three-run career pinch-hit home run. homer into the Yankees’ bullpen in right-center to cap a Garcia (6-4) allowed a run and four hits, striking out six six-run seventh. and walking one. The Cardinals, 35 games above .500, earned their MLB-best 80th victory and lengthened their BLUE JAYS 6, RANGERS 5 lead to five games over second-place Pittsburgh in the NL Troy Tulowitzki had a game-tying RBI single in the ninth Central. Robbie Ray (3-10) lasted three innings plus two inning before Adrian Beltre’s throwing error allowed anoth- batters. He allowed six runs and five hits. Ray walked five, er run to score as the AL East-leading Blue Jays ral- hit a batter and struck out one. lied for a victory over the Rangers. Rangers closer Shawn Tolleson walked two of the first three batters he faced. MARINERS 6, ATHLETICS 5 After pinch-hitter Justin Smoak flied out, Tulowitzki looped Austin Jackson’s bases-loaded, two-run single in the a single to left to tie the game 5-5. Josh Donaldson then hit fifth inning capped Seattle’s rally from a five-run deficit and a high chopper to Beltre, the four-time Gold Glove third led the Mariners past Oakland. Down 5-0 entering the baseman who fielded the ball before a wide throw to first fourth inning, Nelson Cruz sparked Seattle’s comeback base. NEW YORK: Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa (1) keeps his foot on the bag as he reaches for a wide throw to put with his major league-leading 38th home run, a solo shot It was only the second blown save this season for out New York Yankees’ Brett Gardner during the ninth inning. — AP off Jesse Chavez. He extended his streak of reaching base Tolleson (5-3), who has 25 saves and had converted his last safely to 35 straight games. Logan Morrison, on his 28th 12 chances. LaTroy Hawkins (3-1) gave up three singles in a his third homer in 11 at-bats against Tampa Bay this sea- gave up four runs, eight hits and four walks in 5 2/3 birthday, finished the fourth-inning rally with a two-run scoreless eighth before Roberto Osuna worked the ninth son. Eduardo Escobar hit a two-run double during a three- innings. San Diego has lost 12 of his 15 starts since June 9. shot, his 13th, off the foul pole in right. The Mariners added for his 15th save in 16 chances. run fifth that extended the Twins’ lead to 10-6. three runs in the fifth, finishing with Jackson’s two out, go- Tampa Bay catcher Curt Casali made it 10-7 on his ninth ROCKIES 5, BRAVES 1 ahead single that chased Chavez (7-13). ANGELS 8, TIGERS 7 homer since the All-Star break and 10th overall later in the Chad Bettis pitched five solid innings in his return from Albert Pujols homered and the Angels scored three fifth, but appeared to take an awkward step near first base the disabled list and the Rockies scored four unearned CUBS 8, GIANTS 5 times on wild pitches in a victory over the Tigers. and had to leave the game after slowly going around the runs, taking advantage of three errors by Atlanta third Kyle Schwarber, Miguel Montero and Starlin Castro all Both teams came into the game with four-game losing bases. Sano opened the scoring on a towering three-run baseman Adonis Garcia in a victory over the Braves. hit home runs in support of another solid outing from Jake streaks, dropping the Angels 1 1/2 games behind Texas for drive to center off Nathan Karns in the first. JR Graham (1- Bettis (6-4) allowed five hits, walked two and struck out Arrieta, and Chicago won its sixth straight. the second American League wild card spot and the Tigers 1) allowed one run over two-thirds of an inning for his first four in his first big league start since July 18. He was com- Schwarber’s towering, three-run homer in the third set to sixth, 5 1/2 games back. major league win. ing back from right elbow inflammation. the tone for the Cubs, who have won 21 of 25 games to Jered Weaver (6-9) picked up the win, despite allowing The Rockies scored two runs in the first after Garcia mis- pull 7 1/2 games ahead of the Giants for the second wild- six runs on seven hits in 5 2-3 innings. Weaver struck out METS 6, PHILLIES 5 played a grounder to his left that could have been an card spot. Arrieta (16-6) had his 13th consecutive quality one batter and didn’t issue a walk. Huston Street got the Michael Cuddyer hit a go-ahead two-run, pinch hit sin- inning-ending double play. Garcia let Nick Hundley’s start, the longest streak by a Cubs pitcher in 23 years. He final four outs for his 30th save. Alfredo Simon (11-8) strug- gle in the sixth inning and Noah Syndergaard finally won grounder get right through him to start the fourth, allow- allowed an unearned run on four hits in six-plus innings. gled badly, giving up eight runs on nine hits, four walks on the road as the Mets beat the Phillies for their fifth ing the Rockies to tack on two more runs when DJ Arrieta, who took over the major-league lead for wins, and three wild pitches. He struck out two. straight victory. Yoenis Cespedes homered for the Mets, LeMahieu came through with a two-out, bases-loaded sin- walked one and struck out eight, lowering his ERA to 2.22, who have won 17 of their last 23 to remain 51/2 games up gle. Garcia made another error in the fifth. Atlanta starter second in the NL behind Los Angeles Dodgers’ Zack INDIANS 11, BREWERS 6 on the Nationals in the NL East. Ryan Howard and Freddy Mike Foltynewicz (4-6) went five innings and took the loss. Greinke’s 1.67. Hector Rondon pitched the ninth for his Josh Tomlin shook off three home runs and lasted six Galvis homered for Philadelphia, which has lost seven 24th save Matt Cain (2-4) lasted five innings, giving up six innings to win his season debut at home and Michael straight to the Mets. DODGERS 5, REDS 1 runs and eight hits. — AP Brantley homered twice, leading the Indians to a win over Syndergaard (8-6) did just enough to earn his first road Alex Wood took a shutout into the sixth inning, and the Brewers. victory of the season in his 10th try. He entered 0-5 with a Justin Turner and Jimmy Rollins each hit two-run home Tomlin (2-1) allowed solo homers in the first and second 5.05 ERA away from Citi Field while 8-1 with a 1.82 at runs as the Dodgers snapped their five-game losing streak MLB results/standings innings before retiring 12 straight until the sixth, when home. In five innings, Syndergaard allowed four runs, two with a win over the Reds. Rollins also doubled and scored Ryan Braun hit a two-run shot. The right-hander was mak- earned, and four hits with nine strikeouts and two walks. while the NL West-leading Dodgers matched their run total Houston 15, NY Yankees 1; Washington 8, San Diego 3; NY ing his third start since being activated from the disabled Jerome Williams (4-10) took the loss. from their previous four games combined. The Reds have Mets 6, Philadelphia 5; LA Angels 8, Detroit 7; Colorado 5, list following shoulder surgery in March. He had been 0-5 lost 10 of their last 11 games. Atlanta 1; LA Dodgers 5, Cincinnati 1; Minnesota 11, Tampa in eight starts since his last win at Progressive Field. NATIONALS 8, PADRES 3 Cincinnati got its leadoff batter on base in four of the Bay 7; Cleveland 11, Milwaukee 6; Miami 5, Pittsburgh 2; Brantley hit a pair of two-run shots for the Indians, who Stephen Strasburg allowed two hits over six innings, first five innings, but never pushed anybody past second Toronto 6, Texas 5; Chicago White Sox 5, Boston 4; Kansas chased Wily Peralta (4-8) in the third inning. Jason Kipnis, Ryan Zimmerman hit a grand slam and the Nationals beat with Wood (9-8) on the mound. He left after Brandon City 3, Baltimore 2; St. Louis 9, Arizona 1; Seattle 6, Oakland the Padres. Wilson Ramos also homered for the Nationals, who came in tied for the AL batting lead, had three hits Phillips singled with two outs in the sixth, and reliever 5; Chicago Cubs 8, San Francisco 5. and rookie Francisco Lindor had three RBIs for Cleveland. who are chasing the first-place New York Mets in the NL Chris Hatcher then gave up Todd Frazier’s RBI double. John Jonathan Lucroy homered twice and Domingo Santana East. Strasburg (8-6) struck out seven and walked one. The Lamb (0-2) allowed three runs in five innings. American League connected for Milwaukee. right-hander retired the final 15 batters he faced. Strasburg Eastern Division is 5-1 with a 1.51 ERA in his last seven starts and 5-1 in his MARLINS 5, PIRATES 2 TWINS 11, RAYS 7 career against the Padres. Major-league batting leader Dee Gordon tied a career W L PCT GB Brian Dozier, Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario all home- Zimmerman connected in the sixth off Bud Norris for an high with four stolen bases, had two infield hits and scored Toronto 70 55 .560 - red as Minnesota beat the Rays for the Twins’ fifth straight 8-2 lead. It was his fifth career slam, the first since 2013. twice, helping the Marlins beat the Pirates. NY Yankees 69 56 .552 1 win. Dozier gave Minnesota a 7-5 advantage on a two-run Jedd Gyorko homered twice but San Diego lost its second Miami’s Brad Hand (4-3) pitched into the ninth inning. Baltimore 62 63 .496 8 drive off reliever Matt Andriese (3-4) in the fourth. It was straight after five consecutive wins. James Shields (9-6) He came into the game 7-20 as a starter, worst among all Tampa Bay 62 63 .496 8 active pitchers, according to STATS, but has won three of Boston 57 69 .452 13.5 his past four starts. AJ Ramos came on with two on and no Central Division outs in the ninth and earned his 22nd save in 27 chances. Kansas City 77 48 .616 - Gordon scored the Marlins’ first run and reached on a Minnesota 64 61 .512 13 bunt single to begin their three-run sixth against Charlie Chicago White Sox 59 65 .476 17.5 Morton (8-5). Gordon turned two double plays at second Cleveland 59 66 .472 18 base, including a nifty one started by third baseman Detroit 59 66 .472 18 Martin Prado. Gordon hiked his average to .333, and he Western Division leads the majors with 156 hits. Houston 70 57 .551 - Texas 64 60 .516 4.5 ROYALS 3, ORIOLES 2 LA Angels 64 61 .512 5 Kendrys Morales hit a solo homer, Mike Moustakas and Seattle 58 68 .460 11.5 Eric Hosmer also drove in runs and the Royals leaned on Oakland 55 72 .433 15 their bullpen to beat the Orioles.Danny Duffy (7-6) dodged trouble for most of 5 2-3 innings, allowing two runs on five National League hits and two walks. The left-hander struck out five in a start Eastern Division that began in crisp efficiency and ended with the Orioles NY Mets 69 56 .552 - threatening to pull ahead in the sixth inning. Luke Washington 63 61 .508 5.5 Hochevar calmed things down with an inning of relief, Atlanta 54 72 .429 15.5 though. Kelvin Herrera had no trouble with the rest of the Miami 51 75 .405 18.5 seventh and eighth, and Wade Davis pitched a perfect Philadelphia 50 76 .397 19.5 ninth in place of closer Greg Holland to earn his 12th save. Central Division Miguel Gonzalez (9-10) allowed all three runs on six hits St. Louis 80 45 .640 - and three walks in 4 1-3 innings. Pittsburgh 75 49 .605 4.5 Chicago Cubs 73 51 .589 6.5 WHITE SOX 5, RED SOX 4 Milwaukee 53 73 .421 27.5 Rookie Trayce Thompson drove in three runs, including Cincinnati 52 72 .419 27.5 a go-ahead, two-run double, and the White Sox beat the Western Division Red Sox. Thompson, who was called up Aug. 3, finished 3 LA Dodgers 68 56 .548 - for 4 and was a home run shy of hitting for the cycle. His San Francisco 66 59 .528 2.5 two-out double sparked a three-run seventh inning, when the White Sox erased a 4-2 deficit. Arizona 62 63 .496 6.5 Melky Cabrera added an RBI single in the seventh for San Diego 61 64 .488 7.5 DETROIT: Los Angeles Angels first baseman Albert Pujols throws from his knee after fielding a Detroit Tigers’ James Chicago, which had 15 hits. The Chicago bullpen protected Colorado 50 74 .403 18 McCann ground ball during the seventh inning of a baseball game. — AP THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015 SPORTS

D-Day looms for England squad hopefuls

LONDON: A handful of players vying for the last Lancaster holds in very high esteem. Until this England’s dire display in Paris last week but an Despite showing plenty of invention off the available slots in England’s rugby World Cup squad month it was assumed that Luther Burrell, Joseph’s impressive performance off the bench by Nick bench in Paris it would appear there is no room at will have their last chance to state their case in a regular partner in the Six Nations, was another cer- Easter may have been enough to earn the 37-old- the inn for the reformed bad boy of English rugby, full-scale practice match yesterday before Stuart tainty but it seems he might be still in the TBC old a berth. Ben Morgan made his first appearance with George Ford and Owen Farrell filling two fly- Lancaster unveils the 31-man group today. department after a late run by Henry Slade and Sam in eight months against France at Twickenham fol- half spots and Mike Browne and Alex Goode proba- The most intriguing dilemma is in midfield, Burgess, both of whom made impressive test lowing a broken leg and though he was a key part bly in as specialist fullbacks. something of a weak area for England for years, debuts in the home warm-up win over France earli- of the set-up last year, his lack of match fitness There is a tight call in the second row between where Lancaster has to find the right blend of pow- er this month. Slade, who also covers the flyhalf might open the door for Easter to back up Billy the more athletic George Kruis and oak-hewn Dave er and panache, experience and potential. position, is a classy performer with an eye for a gap Vunipola. Attwood while Jamie George looks set to claim the Certain of his place in the squad and the starting and is reportedly pencilled in for a slot, whereas Easter’s case is helped by the fact he can play at third hooker berth ahead of Luke Cowan-Dickie. team is Jonathan Joseph, whose electric perform- rugby league convert Burgess is still grasping the blindside flanker and even lock. Versatility is not Lancaster is due to announce his squad at 12.45 ances over the last year have softened the blow of rudiments of the game but brings with him huge always the advantage it seems, however, as GMT today and he is likely to play his first-choice losing the banned Manu Tuilagi. physicality and proven big-match temperament. flyhalf/fulback Danny Cipriani seems likely to dis- team in the final warm-up match against Ireland on Also in is Brad Barritt, the defensive enforcer who That was something sorely missing for much of cover. Sept. 5. — Reuters FINA clears Sun over ‘altercation’

SINGAPORE: Swimming’s world governing body ple, you never know.” have imposed a longer suspension but opted for has cleared Chinese Olympic champion Sun Sun became the first Chinese man to win an a lenient punishment because Sun had been Yang of any wrongdoing following complaints Olympic swimming gold medal when he took given medication, which had only just been over his behavior at this month’s world champi- the and 1,500 metres freestyle dou- added to the banned list, to treat a heart issue. onships in Russia. ble in London, but has courted controversy sev- Marculescu, in Singapore for the world junior FINA executive director Cornel Marculescu eral times since. championships, also said no action would be told Reuters the altercation that led to a com- plaint against Sun was the result of overconges- tion in the warmup pool in Kazan and did not warrant further action. “There was a misunder- standing in the pool,” Marculescu said. “In Kazan, we have over 1,000 swimmers, so the prepara- tion pool became very crowded.” The Brazilian Aquatic Sports Federation said it made a formal complaint to FINA about Sun fol- lowing a confrontation with a Brazilian female competitor during a warm-up session on the last day of the championships. A Brazilian coach said SPAIN: Australian cyclist Caleb Ewan (right) celebrates ahead of German cyclist John Sun had tried to kick and elbow Larissa Oliveira Degenkolb (center) and Slovenian cyclist Peter Sagan, winning the fifth stage of the 2015 after they collided with each other in the Vuelta Espana cycling tour. — AP warmup pool. Sun later withdrew from the final of the 1500 metres freestyle, an event he won at the previ- Ewan clinches ous world championships and at the London Olympics - and in which he holds the world record - citing a heart problem. Sun apologised Vuelta stage win for pulling out of the race but neither he nor the Chinese Swimming Federation commented on SPAIN: Caleb Ewan celebrated the biggest include the Milan-SanRemo and Paris- the warmup pool incident. He was later named win of his career yesterday, the 21-year-old Roubaix - and Slovakia’s Peter Sagan - a four as the best male swimmer in Kazan after win- Australian claiming the fifth stage of Spain’s time winner of the Tour de France points clas- ning the 400 metres and 800 metres. Vuelta with Dutch rider Tom Dumoulin the sification - in his wake. new overall leader. Ewan was set up for his breakthrough suc- NOTHING SPECIAL Ewan, tackling his debut Vuelta, prevailed cess in perfect style by other members of his “This is not, for me, anything special,” in a dash for the line after a 167.5 kilometre team in the final 50 metres. “This is by far the Marculescu said. “(In the future) we need two in action in this file photo. ride from Rota to Alcala de Guadaira. best day of my career,” he smiled. preparation pools because one is not enough.” His teammate, Johan Esteban Chaves, “To beat some of the top sprinters in the Sun’s shock withdrawal from the 1500 metres HOT WATER taken against Mexico for entering the wrong started the day in possession of the leader’s world, especially riders like Degenkolb or caught most people by surprise, including FINA In 2013 he found himself in hot water with times for some of their swimmers in Kazan. red jersey but by the end of the stage he’d Sagan, on a climbing finish like that, that officials, who spoke to Sun before the race was Chinese swimming officials for missing training Marculescu said there were no rules to punish been relegated to second in the general clas- means a lot to me.” Ewan, for whom this is a sification, albeit by only one second to Team first shot at one of the Grand Tours, added: due to start. sessions and was suspended from engaging in countries who falsified entry times and he did Giant-Alpecin’s Dumoulin. “It’s an honour to compete against riders like “We discussed it with the (Chinese) delega- any commercial activities, which had flooded in not consider the matter serious because none of Dumoulin came in 15th with Chaves in that.” Sagan was well placed in second but he tion and the federation and finally with him following his Olympic success. the nation’s swimmers made it past the heats.“No 20th in the stage. In third, 16sec back, was was put in his place by the promising Aussie and he said it was some health problem,” He then fell foul of the law and spent a week entry time or entry time, it’s not a big issue,” he Team Sky’s Irish rider Nicolas Roche. Ewan’s who came round the German to take the Marculescu said. “His coach was also debating in jail for crashing a car that he had driven with- said. “There’s no rules to tell I have to punish him. win was made all the sweeter as he crossed honors. Today’s sixth stage is a 200.3km ride with him, a little bit stronger, to make him out a licence. In 2014, it emerged that Sun had He swims but he (doesn’t) qualify (for finals). “He’s the line with specialist sprinters John from Cordoba and Sieera de Cazorla with a swim but he said he can’t. “He’s a great star, secretly served a three-month ban after testing welcome to swim at the championships. It’s not Degenkolb of Germany - whose big race wins finish on a third category summit. —AFP he’s a great swimmer. But with the young peo- positive for a banned stimulant. China could so strict as the Olympics.” — Reuters

Brilliant Bonhomme wins Ascot stop with third victory of the season

ASCOT: Britain’s was crowned the winner teamwork. I’m only the pilot. I just point the plane in the of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship stop at the right direction.” It was the second time the Red Bull Air Race famous Ascot Racecourse, flying brilliantly under pressure in was staged in Ascot, just west of London, that has quickly the world’s fastest motorsport series. The victory was become one of the most attractive air race locations in the Bonhomme’s third this season and second straight win at world and a favourite of the pilots, who relish taking off and Ascot to the delight of more than 40,000 spectators. landing on the grassy strip in front of the big crowd. Bonhomme’s final run was flawless and he stopped the Austria’s , who struggled in the training ses- clock in 1.06.416 seconds. Australia’s took second sion and was last in Saturday’s Qualifications, finished a dis- place in 1.09.024, while Yoshihide Muroya got his first podi- appointing eighth after winning the last two races in um of the season with third place. Budapest and Rovinj, Croatia. Arch had a great run in the With the hard-fought victory in the Final Four, Round of 12, just beating Bonhomme. However, Arch was Bonhomme picked up 12 points to widen his lead at the top unable to get his engine started before the Round of 8 and of the Red Bull Air Race Championship to eight points (46 was forced to retire. “It’s frustrating if you can’t race but points) ahead of Hall (38 points) in second going into the that’s life,” said Arch, who slipped to third overall with 30 final three races. Reigning Red Bull Air Race World points. Champion of Britain, who last year finished sec- In the Red Bull Air Race, which is the official world cham- ond at the race over the historic Ascot Racecourse, finished pionship of the FÈdÈration AÈronautique Internationale back in 5th place, a result that eliminated his chances of (FAI), the world’s top pilots hit speeds of 370 km/h while defending his title. “It was a hard day at the office but today enduring forces of up to 10G as they navigate as precisely as was great fun - I enjoyed that ,” said Bonhomme after hitting possible through a low-level slalom track marked by 25- speeds of near 370 km/h on a challenging course made up metre high air-filled pylons. The Red Bull Air Race World of 12 air gates standing 25 metres high on the infield of the Championship moves to its next stop to Spielberg, Austria track. “All I can say is this was due to teamwork, teamwork, on September 5-6. THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015 SPORTS Irish look to take shine off Aussie World Cup win

BELFAST: Australia play their first one- returning to an Australia side for the first Shane Watson may have lost his Test focused against an experienced team hospitality tents. day international as world champions in time since the 2013 Ashes tour. place but he is still a key member of the which revels in the underdogs tag. The introduction of James Hopes Belfast today with a new captain and Five of the World Cup winning team - one-day squad, along with Glenn Captain William Porterfield is one sparked a collapse which saw all 10 three uncapped players in the 14-man and eight of the squad - are still around Maxwell who is the only Australia bats- of six playing regular county fall for 112 but if Ireland get squad which meets Ireland in a one-off despite Mitchell Johnson and Josh man in the world’s ODI top 10, just while Andrew Balbirnie, who scored into the same position again, they game at Stormont. Although their World Hazlewood being sent home to prepare ahead of former captain George Bailey 97 in the Zimbabwe win and slow left will be confident of finishing the job Cup victory was just five months ago, it for the domestic season, leaving the with Smith down in 13th place. armer George Dockrell are with this time. will be leading Australia, not world No 1 ODI bowler Mitchell Starc to The bowling is even starker with Middlesex and Somerset respectively. Michael Clarke and Matthew Wade keep- lead the attack. Maxwell, at No 70, rated the second All 13 were in the World Cup squad as Squads: ing instead of Brad Haddin who Three years ago, on their last visit to best Australia bowler in this squad so new coach John Bracewell, the former Ireland: W Porterfield (capt), A has retired from one-day cricket. Belfast, rain washed out the game after they have much to prove. New Zealand off spinner who took Balbirnie, G Dockrell, E Joyce, J Mooney, T The newcomers are Joe Burns, who is just 10.4 overs but not before Pat The game against Ireland, the lead- over from Phil Simmons, eases himself Murtagh, A McBrine, K O’Brien, N O’Brien, in line to replace Aaron Finch at the top of Cummins was clocked at 94mph, and with ing Associate nation which defeated into the job. P Stirling, S Thompson, G Wilson, C Young. the order, while the World Cup opener Nathan Coulter-Nile and James Pattinson West Indies and Zimbabwe at this year’s Australia is one of the teams Ireland Australia: S Smith (capt), A Agar, G recovers from a fractured foot, all-rounder both returning to the squad for the first World Cup, may be seen as a ‘warm-up’ have yet to beat, but five years ago, in Bailey, J Burns, N Coulter-Nile, P who come in for the sus- time this year, Cummins (22), who took for the five-match series against Dublin, Porterfield and Paul Stirling put Cummins, G Maxwell, M Marsh, J pended James Faulkner, and the sole spe- five wickets in his two World Cup games, England which starts next week but the on 80 for the first wicket, in reply to Pattinson, M Starc, M Stoinis, M Wade, S cialist spinner in the squad is Ashton Agar, will likely share the new ball with Starc. world champions will have to be fully Australia’s 231 for nine, to empty the Watson, D Warner. —AFP

Smith ready for ‘new era’

LONDON: Newly-appointed Australia cap- And Smith added the presence of the tain Steven Smith said he was ready for a newcomers could help ease the pain of an “new era” as he prepared to lead them for Ashes defeat. “It’s been a tough tour for us. the first time since Michael Clarke’s retire- It’s disappointing to have lost the Ashes,” ment. Smith said. Australia face Ireland in Belfast today in “(But we have a) new group now with what will be the first one-day international some younger, newer guys who hopefully since beating New Zealand in the World can bring some exuberance and energy to Cup final in Melbourne in March. help lift the spirits a bit and help get back It will also be Australia’s first match since on track (and) hopefully start my career in Clarke retired from all international cricket captaincy on this one-day tour on a win- after the fifth and final Test against England ning note.” at The Oval last week. Ireland, however, have a deserved repu- Australia won by an innings and 46 runs tation as one-day giant-killers, although but victory in south London came too late they’ve yet to beat Australia. The non-Test to save the Ashes, with England winning nation only missed out on a place in the the five-match series 3-2. World Cup quarter-finals on net run-rate, The 26-year-old Smith, who had being pipped to a last eight place by a West deputised as skipper in both Test and one- Indies team they beat in pool play. day cricket when Clarke was injured, was “I think they’re an improving side,” Smith long seen as Australia’s captain in waiting said. “They’ve got some good players that and is looking forward to taking up the role can take a game away from you a little bit. full time. “I’m very excited,” Smith told trav- “We’re going to continue to try and emu- elling Australian media in Belfast yesterday. late what we did in the World Cup.” “Obviously, I’ve known for a little while now With Aaron Finch currently sidelined that I was going to be taking over the one- with a broken foot, Burns is set to make his day squad, so I’ve been working pretty ODI debut on Thursday, having made his hard and preparing (for) everything com- Test bow against India in Melbourne in ing up,” December. He added: “The last time this group was Impressing at one-day level could help together, we won a World Cup, so I don’t bolster Burns’s chances of filling the spot at think we have to change a whole heap. the top of the Test order left vacant by the We’re currently No.1 in the world. I think retirement of Chris Rogers. for us now, it’s just about raising that bar “You’ve seen (chief selector) Rod Marsh and continuing to get better each day.” say it before-if you’re scoring runs at the Although Australia’s squad contains sev- one-day international level, you can put eral World Cup-winners in Smith, David your hand up for other formats of the game Virat Kohli Warner, Shane Watson, Glenn Maxwell and as well,” said Smith. Mitchell Starc, it also includes the likes of The Ireland fixture precedes Australia’s uncapped players such as Joe Burns and lone against Marcus Stoinis. “I guess it’s a new era in a England in Cardiff on August 31. Smith’s India, Sri Lanka set way for Australian cricket,” said Smith. “But men then face their Ashes conquerors in a they’re really excited and I’m really excited five-match one-day series starting in to see them do well on this tour.” Southampton on September 3. —AFP for thrilling finale

COLOMBO: Virat Kohli’s buoyant India will chase Sangakkara’s decision not to play all three very confident he will do the job in the next game their first series win in Sri Lanka in 22 years when Tests in a series as he wound down his career had as well.” the third and decisive final Test starts in Colombo already cost Sri Lanka two months ago. He elect- India will once again bank on their twins, tomorrow. ed to miss the decider against Pakistan in and , who The tourists thrashed the hosts by 278 runs in Pallekele in June, a game the hosts lost by seven shared 14 of the 20 wickets in the second Test to the second Test at the P. Sara Oval in Colombo on wickets. Mathews said he regretted not giving fashion the team’s emphatic win. Monday to level the series after Sri Lanka had Sangakkara a winning farewell, but vowed to Mathews conceded Sri Lankan batsmen need- won the opening match in Galle by 63 runs. fight back and win the series for him. ed to find a way to tackle off-spinner Ashwin, who But before they step on the field at the “It really pains me that we could not give him followed his 10-wicket haul in the first Test with Sinhalese sports club, both camps will attempt to a good farewell, but I promised him that we will seven scalps at the P. Sara Oval. sort out injury and personnel issues to find the play the next game well and try to win the series “We have a lot of left-handers in our line-up right combination for the decider. for him,” the Sri Lankan captain said. and it makes it easier for Ashwin to be aggressive India, who have not won a Test series on the Sri Lanka are expected to replace the 134-Test against them,” Mathews said of Ashwin, who dis- island since 1993, will be without the injured trio veteran with another left-hander, Upul Tharanga, missed Sangakkara in all four innings in the series. of regular openers Murali Vijay and Shikhar who has scored 1,113 runs in 20 Tests at an aver- “We need to find a way to counter-attack him. Dhawan, plus wicketkeeper . age of 31.80. We can’t just hang around. He will bowl the odd Sri Lanka will begin a new era following the India, meanwhile, are likely to play top-order good ball anyway in an over, so we need to score Steven Smith retirement of batting great Kumar Sangakkara batsman Cheteshwar Pujara, for the first time in runs.” from international cricket after the second Test the series, as opening partner for Lokesh Rahul in The last time Sri Lanka played a Test at the SSC looking to fill a major void in the top order. With the absence of Dhawan and Vijay. a year ago, they swamped Pakistan by 105 runs to Mahela Jayawardene quitting last Uncapped 32-year-old Naman Ojha, a wicket- break a sequence of four successive draws on a year, Sri Lanka find themselves short of experi- keeper-batsman who reinforced the injury-hit traditionally high-scoring pitch. Warburton desperate ence. Veteran left-arm spinner Rangana Herath touring squad on Monday along with young bats- India have lost two and drawn three of their has played 62 Tests and skipper Angelo Mathews man Karun Nair, could come in for Saha. last five matches at the venue. Their lone success to go ‘one step further’ 51, but no others in the squad have more than 22 “Pujara is pretty solid with the new ball,” said at the SSC was the series-clinching 235-run victo- Test caps. Kohli. “He has done the job in the past and we are ry in 1993. —AFP LONDON: Wales captain Sam Warburton “It is impossible to answer what is eager to improve on the country’s would have happened, but the spine of World Cup performance four years ago the team this time is pretty similar, with as he tries to lead them out of the so- everyone probably 30 or 40 caps better PCB halts early return for Butt and Asif called ‘group of death’ at next month’s off. edition in England. The Welsh reached “The leadership group we’ve got in LAHORE: Pakistan cricket authori- England a year earlier. the semi-finals in New Zealand in 2011 the squad as a whole is so much better ties yesterday set out a path for The three players-along with only to lose 9-8 to France-a match where than it was four years ago, which makes spot-fixing convicts Salman Butt their agent Mazhar Majeed-were they lost scrum anchor Adam Jones early my job a lot easier as well. and Mohammad Asif to return to charged and later jailed for the international game, but effec- arranging deliberate no-balls in in the first half before Warburton was “In a World Cup, you have got to tively ruled out any chance of return for money during the sent off before half-time. Now they find string six or seven games together to be them playing in next month’s Lord’s Test against England. themselves in a pool featuring World able to make sure you can win it. It’s national event. The ICC lifted sanctions on Butt Cup hosts England and two-time cham- about that consistency of performance Butt and Asif attended a lec- and Asif last week, making them pions Australia-a team that have won week in, week out.” ture from the Pakistan Cricket eligible for domestic and interna- their last 10 Tests against Wales. Meanwhile the 26-year-old paid trib- Board (PCB) officer on vigilence tional cricket from 2 September At least one of the three major ute to Wales coach Warren Gatland for and corruption as the first step in this year. nations will miss out on a quarter-final giving him an early introduction to Test a rehabilitation process towards Amir’s sanctions were lifted in spot, with Fiji-who knocked Wales out of rugby in 2009, which in turn led to the playing at domestic level. January after the ICC amended its the 2007 World Cup-also in the same Cardiff Blues flanker captaiing both “The two players were invited code of conduct, a reward for the group. Wales and the British and Irish Lions. to a lecture on anti-corruption as young paceman who pleaded Only the top two teams from each of “I doubt I would be in the position I part of their rehabilitation,” PCB guilty during the criminal pro- the four pools will qualify for the last would be in if it wasn’t for Warren,” said chairman Shaharyar Khan told ceedings in UK in November 2011. eight. “We definitely want to go one step Warburton of the New Zealander. AFP. “Under the process they will Khan said PCB will monitor further,” back-row forward Warburton “Another coach probably wouldn’t have have to attend lectures, accept Butt and Asif’s progress at a lower said yesterday. put his faith in a 22-year-old kid who guilt at various forums, show level, just as it did for Amir. Both “All the players get asked questions only had 14 or 15 caps when he picked remorse and give lectures to Butt and Asif were included in the about the last World Cup, and it’s always me as captain (in 2011). He stuck by me. future players,” he said. Lahore and Sialkot teams for the the ‘what if’ question. “No one really “I do feel that I am a slightly different In a statement issued later in National Twenty20 event starting knows what would have happened. It’s player when I am playing under Warren the day, the PCB said the players in Rawalpindi from 1 September will not be able to use the this year. Asif said he has agreed impossible to say. for Wales. He gives me a heck of a lot of National Cricket Academy (NCA) to complete the rehabilitation “With Adam Jones going off pretty confidence, and I think that brings out and will be barred from practising course the PCB has set out for early-he was arguably the number one some of my better rugby. with players from the national him. tighthead in the world at that time, and “Some of the best games I’ve played team. “Of course, its a detailed the scrum is so important against have been under Warren’s guidance. A In 2011, the International process but I will try to complete France-that was probably as much a lot of the things I have achieved in my Cricket Council (ICC) banned Butt, it as soon as possible and agree to killer blow as my red card, really,” career, a massive part of that is due to Asif and Mohammad Amir for five it. I will play at lower level and Warburton added. Warren.” —AFP years over a spot-fixing case hap- then in first-class cricket,” he told LAHORE: Pakistani cricketer Mohammad Asif arrives at Pakistan pened during Pakistan’s tour to reporters. —AFP Cricket Board’s headquarters in Lahore. —AP THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015 SPORTS Serena makes case for all-time women’s legends

NEW YORK: Serena Williams enters the But it’s not something world number Williams said. “I have such high stan- I see posts. I get super excited. I’m still age 17, only the second African- US Open making a case for herself not one Williams wants to contemplate just dards for myself and I expect the best living the dream.” American woman after Althea Gibson to only as the greatest women’s tennis yet. It’s like pondering a good book from me and nothing less.” At 33, Williams is the oldest women’s claim a Grand Slam title. Williams, player in history, but possibly the great- before the last chapter is written, espe- Matching her “Serena Slam” run from world number one-no man so old has coached by her father Richard, was est woman in sports history. cially as Williams is penning an epic tale the 2002 French Open through the won a Grand Slam title since 1972 — toughened on the streets of Los Angeles The 33-year-old star has sustained a that doesn’t appear set to end anytime 2003 Australian Open required Williams and her best might be yet to come. “I’ve and by practices with older sister Venus, level of excellence few can rival, from soon. to endure numerous three-set fights on definitely gotten a little better,” Williams a seven-time major champion. winning her first Grand Slam singles “I just want to play tennis,” Williams London grass, but she emerged tri- said. “I really don’t feel my age. It’s grati- Maturity brought a fashion design title as a teen prodigy at the 1999 US said. “I don’t necessarily want to hear umphant. fying at whatever age you achieve it.” business and a foot in the entertain- Open to collecting her 21st last month about this history and that history, “To have all four at the same time, Williams is three Slam singles titles ment realm as an actress, but her domi- at Wimbledon, completing her second because I just want to be able to do the two times in one career, that totally shy of matching Australian Margaret nation when focused on tennis has career “Serena Slam” of holding all four best that I can. I want to be able to win means a lot,” Williams said. “It was really Court’s all-time record and would join a made Williams the likely target for a major trophies at once. and I don’t want any distractions. That’s important for me to do that.” rare calendar-year Slam list that includes new generation of record chasers yet to Winning a record-tying fourth con- how I’m going to handle it.” Williams is only one shy of Steffi Graf, Court, Maureen Connolly, Don come. secutive US Open women’s title, a feat When the year’s final Grand Slam Graf’s Open Era career record of 22 titles Budge and Rod Laver by winning at “I think it will be great,” Williams said last achieved by Chris Evert in 1978, event starts Monday in New York, and the retired German legend tweeted Flushing Meadows. of such days. “I think it’s amazing. I would give Williams something she has Williams will be a huge favorite. She has that Williams’ feat was “incredible” and “I feel OK about my game,” Williams think I would be really supportive, like never achieved before-a calendar year won Wimbledon, the US Open and the an “amazing accomplishment.” said. “I’m always looking to improve. I’m Steffi is of me. It’s such a great feeling. I Grand Slam-and link her with only a Australian Open six times each and col- “I see her post things about me and never comfortable. That’s when I think always want to see people do well and handful of the game’s greatest legends, lected three French Open crowns. “I that’s pretty awesome,” Williams said. “I you are susceptible to losing.” be successful. I think it will be really men or women. compete a lot against my standards,” really am still like a kid when I see her or She became a US Open champion at cool.” —AFP

Amir Khan vows to help Pakistan produce boxers

KARACHI: British boxer Amir Khan yester- Pakistan’s sole Olympic boxing medallist day vowed to help Pakistan produce cham- is Hussain Shah, who won a middleweight pion pugilists with a network of academies bronze in the Seoul Games in 1988. The in his family’s country of origin. country has also produced an Asian Games The former two-time world champion is gold-medallist in Mehrullah Lassi, who won currently touring the South Asian giant of the featherweight division at Busan, South 200 million people better known for its Korea in 2002. prowess in cricket, and plans to set up box- Khan, who became Britain’s youngest ing schools in the western Khyber Olympic boxing medallist when he won sil- Pakhtunkhwa province, eastern Punjab, ver at the 2004 Athens Olympics, said he and the southern city of Karachi. was keen to train Pakistani boxers. “I think we have the talent to produce “I will pass my tricks to them and will do boxing champions,” the 28-year-old told my best to help them qualify for the media during a visit to Karachi’s troubled Olympics, if not the 2016 in Brazil then the Lyari area, which is frequently hit by gang next one in Japan in 2020,” he said. violence but also known for producing tal- Known for his speed and aggressive ented footballers and boxers. style, Khan won the last of his fights against “I have made a promise to the nation US boxer Chris Algieri in New York in May that I will pay back what I have achieved in before once again challenging the welter- boxing,” added the highly-rated fighter weight world champion Floyd Mayweather. from Bolton, England who has a record of But Mayweather announced earlier this 31 wins including 19 knockouts, and three month he would aim to match the 49-0 losses. career record of the legendary Rocky Khan was accompanied by a heavy Marciano in his final bout against fellow security contingent to the neighbourhood, American Andre Berto on September 12, which has long been a hub of political, eth- effectively ruling out a highly anticipated nic and criminal violence. clash with Khan. Five-division world “I am here to meet potential champions champion Mayweather beat Manny and I am not afraid of anything, we will... Pacquiao of the Philippines in May of this beat terror and produce boxers of top qual- year in what was described as the “fight of ity,” he said. the century”. —AFP

Rafael Nadal celebrates in this file photo. Federer and Nadal at US Open crossroads

NEW YORK: Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, Spaniard, the 2010 and 2013 champion in New to Andy Murray in the Montreal Masters final and with 31 major titles between them, head for the York, has endured a tough year, the knee joints then against Federer in Cincinnati. US Open with their Grand Slam careers at the and wrists looking stiffer and weaker. He has also been troubled by an elbow injury. crossroads. After being deposed as French Open champi- “I played a couple good matches and couple not- Despite turning 34, Federer was an impressive on-his quarter-final loss to Djokovic was only his so-good matches,” said Djokovic, whose winner of a seventh Cincinnati Masters title last second ever defeat in Paris-Nadal slumped to 10 rolleroaster career at the majors has also seen Amir Khan weekend, seeing off world number one-and US in the world, his lowest ranking for a decade. He him lose eight finals. “The conditions in New York Open favourite-Novak Djokovic in the final. has recovered to eight, but he is no longer the suit me a little bit better, so I look forward to it.” It was the Swiss star’s 87th tour title and player that once struck terror into rivals. Murray, the world number three, won in New Wilson tributes flow revenge for losing a second successive Wimbledon Nadal has lost 14 times already this year com- York in 2012, ending Britain’s 76-year wait for a final to the Serb last month. But Federer has stum- pared to 11 in the whole of 2014, seven in 2013 Grand Slam men’s singles champion. bled badly in New York in recent years. and just six in 2012. He sat out the 2012 and 2014 He has made at least the quarter-finals in New among calls for safety A five-time champion from 2004-2008, he was US Opens because of injury. York in the last four years. The 28-year-old could runner-up to Juan Martin del Potro in 2009 but At Wimbledon, he was knocked out in the sec- set a record for the largest payout in tennis histo- PENNSYLVANIA: Tributes continued to exposed,” said the 34-year-old Texan. hasn’t been back to the final since.His record at ond round by Germany’s Dustin Brown while his ry at the US Open — $4.3 million. pour in on Tuesday following the death of “Maybe in the future we can work toward the Grand Slams in 2015 has also been mixed. North American hardcourt season ended in a That would be $3.3 million for winning the British IndyCar driver Justin Wilson the something that resembles a canopy ... The seven-time Wimbledon champion may quarter-final loss to Kei Nishikori in Montreal and tournament and a $1 million bonus for winning previous day, along with renewed calls something that can give us a little protec- have at least reached the final at the All England a third round exit against Feliciano Lopez in the US Open Series title for performances in the throughout the motor racing world for a tion and still keep the tradition of the Club, but that run was preceded by a shock third Cincinnati. hardcourt warm-up events. review of driver safety in the sport. sport.” round exit to Italian journeyman Andreas Seppi “I never consider myself a big, big star. So I Outside of the ‘Big Four’, Stan Wawrinka, the Wilson, a former Formula One driver Since 1966, there have been 18 deaths at the Australian Open, his earliest in Melbourne appreciate when all the good things are happen- French Open champion, has made the semi-finals and seven-time winner in IndyCar racing, in IndyCar (which includes the series’ pre- in 14 years. He then endured a quarter-final loss ing to me,” said Nadal. “I am having a tough year, in New York on just one occasion in 10 visits. died at the age of 37 after suffering a vious incarnations as Champ Car, CART at Roland Garros to compatriot Stan Wawrinka. yes. Not a terrible year. I cannot make a drama Defending champion Cilic faces the task of severe head injury during a wreck in the and Indy Racing League). Eight alone have Federer’s last Grand Slam title came at about these kind of things. This is not the proving he’s not a one Slam wonder. The 26-year- closing laps of an IndyCar race at Pocono come at the famed Indianapolis Motor Wimbledon in 2012 and if he wins the US Open moment to cry.” old world number nine only started his season in Raceway in Pennsylvania on Sunday. Speedway and all but two on ovals. this year, he would be the oldest champion since Djokovic already has the Australian Open and March after suffering a shoulder injury and has “Can’t describe the sadness I feel for 35-year-old Ken Rosewall back in 1970. Wimbledon titles under his belt in 2015, taking yet to make a final this year. World number four the loss of such a wonderful person,” FIERY CRASH “I haven’t been in a final (in New York) since his majors total to nine. The US Open champion Nishikori became the first Asian man to reach a Wilson’s Andretti Autosport team mate Wilson was the first IndyCar driver to 2009. So I got my work cut out,” said Federer, who in 2011, Djokovic was runner-up in 2012 and Grand Slam final in New York last year. Ryan Hunter-Reay, who went on to win die following a race accident since fellow was beaten by eventual champion Marin Cilic in 2013 before suffering a shock semi-final loss to But despite winning in Washington and mak- Sunday’s race, wrote on his Twitter Briton, Dan Wheldon, was killed in a fiery the semi-finals last year. Nishikori 12 months ago. ing the semi-finals in Montreal, the 25-year-old account. “Justin was inspiring in so many crash in Las Vegas in October 2011. In contrast to the Swiss player’s staying power The 28-year-old boasts a 56-5 record this year Japanese was forced to skip Cincinnati with a left ways & still is.” Wheldon’s death also triggered calls for is Nadal’s swift, brutal decline. The 29-year-old but two of those defeats have come this month- hip injury. —AFP Graham Rahal, son of 1986 Indy 500 safety reviews in a sport that involves winner and former Jaguar Formula One tightly-bunched cars competing on high- manager Bobby Rahal, said in a statement: speed, high risk ovals unique to American Double delight for “Some things in life just don’t make sense. open wheel racing. I know there’s always a plan, but this one Safer Walls, collapsible barriers Japan at worlds doesn’t make any sense to me. designed to cushion impact, are now stan- “Justin was the epitome of a great guy, dard at ovals like the Indianapolis Motor ASTANA: Japan won both gold on offer in Astana yes- an incredible teammate, great father and a Speedway while the mobile hospitals and terday on the third day of the world judo champi- wonderful friend.” The death of Wilson, state-of-the-art trauma centres pioneered onships to take control of the medals table. who never regained consciousness after by IndyCar are fixtures at every race. Shohei Ono of Japan won the title in the men’s 73kg he was struck in the helmet by debris from The HANS (Head and Neck Support) category, defeating countryman Riki Nakaya in the final. a car he was following before he slammed device was developed in the United States into a wall, has sparked widespread calls and is now mandatory in most levels of The win means that Ono takes the one slot allocated to for the introduction of closed cockpits, or motor racing from Formula One to Japan for next year’s Olympics in Rio with Nakaya, the canopies. Monster Trucks. defending champion in Astana and Olympic silver “Its not only safer, it is more aero effi- “The high speed ovals certainly repre- medallist missing out. cient, therefore, the future,” former sent the greatest risk because of the speed, The bronze medals went to South Korea’s An Chang- Formula One driver Lucas di Grassi of because of the concrete wall and lately Rim and Nyam-Ochir Sainjargal of Mongolia. Olympic Brazil said on Twitter. because of the closeness of the racing, champion Kaori Matsumoto of Japan won the women’s “Canopies will be used in every single which is far closer than it is in Formula 57kg category golf, defeating Romania’s Corina formula (open-wheel) series in the future. One,” Bobby Rahal told Reuters last year. Caprioriu in the final. The bronze medals went to Not only for safety, but for aerodynamic “The cars are very safe today but there Automne Pavia of France and Mongolia’s Sumiya improvement.” is still that ultimate risk regardless and that Dorjsuren. Both Ono and Matsumoto won world cham- Hunter-Reay, who won the Indy 500 will always exist. When you are side-by- pionship gold medals for the second time in their last year, felt that his sport was continually side or three abreast it doesn’t take much. working harder on safety issues but that “A little movement on a road course career. more could still be done. wouldn’t mean very much but a little Japan have now won three of the six gold medals “These cars are inherently dangerous movement on an oval might take out four accounted for with Argentina and South Korea taking ASTANA: Japan’s Shohei Ono (bottom) competes against Japan’s Riki Nakaya with the open cockpit like that, head cars.” —Reuters one apiece and hosts Kazakhstan the other. —AFP in the men’s 73 kg final at the . —AP THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015 SPORTS Watford fail difficult balancing act

LONDON: Since Manchester United The League Cup in particular has Watford swapped their whole start- much changed, both required extra-time. their strategy for the next round, when all caused outrage by throwing a bunch of become a vehicle for managers to give ing XI and lost 1-0 at Preston. Claudio The one exception to the general the eight teams involved in European youngsters into a League Cup game at some playing time to reserves and Ranieri, known as “The Tinkerman” in his trend were Sunderland, whose manager football this season enter a draw that has Port Vale 21 years ago, English football squad players. But for some it is a diffi- first spell in England with Chelsea, lived Dick Advocaat wanted to give his first- thrown up a number of local derbies that has slowly grown used to the idea of cult balancing act between resting first- up to the name with 11 changes for team more time together and the confi- players and supporters will be desperate rotation. As it turned out, the Port Vale team regulars and progressing in a com- Leicester’s tie at (third tier) Bury but dence of a win after their poor start to the to win. fans who demanded their money back petition that ends at Wembley with a came through 4-1 with England Under- season. That plan almost back-fired when Arsenal, whose manager Arsene that night were watching a team includ- Europa League place for the winners. As 19 international Joe Dodoo scoring a they were being held 3-3 at half-time at Wenger has invariably fielded weaker ing newcomers like David Beckham, 11 Premier League clubs entered the hat-trick on his debut. home by fourth-tier Exeter City after teams in the competition, faces a visit to Gary Neville, Nicky Butt and Paul Capital One Cup this week, all except It was tougher for Stoke City and West more bad defending. big north London rivals Tottenham. Villa Scholes, who would become known as Watford got away with an average of Bromwich Albion, who only won on penal- But former England striker Jermain must face traditional enemies the Class of 1992 and go on to dominate eight changes each by progressing to ties against lower-division opposition, Defoe rescued them with a hat-trick in a City, and Palace are at home to neighbours the decade. the third round. while Crystal Palace and Aston Villa, also 6-3 win. Managers must now decide on Charlton Athletic. —Reuters Scramble for Europa League group berths

PARIS: need to turn around Denmark. Koeman is hopeful Sadio Mane a first leg home loss in Thursday’s Europa will be fit after the Senegalese striker was League play-off second leg action to book forced off with a hip injury as Southampton their spot in the group stage with Borussia went a third game without victory in a 0-0 Dortmund, Southampton and Ajax also draw at promoted Watford in the Premier looking to advance. AFP Sports picks six League on Sunday. Southampton have not things to look out for among the 22 ties in won away from home in the league since the final round before the group stage: February, but they did at least record a first In Bilbao, Athletic will be bidding to turn clean sheet in nine league outings. around a 3-2 loss at Slovak side MSK Zilina l In , Turkish league runners-up where the beaten 2012 finalists threw away Fenerbahce will be looking to build on their a two-goal lead. Athletic were 2-0 up at away-goal advantage after Robin van Persie half-time thanks to goals by Sabin Merino scored his first goal for the club since join- and Kike Sola. But Jakub Paur pulled a goal ing the Turkish club from Manchester back for Zilina before Brazilian forward United for 4.7 million euros (£3.4m, $5.2m) William, on as a substitute, equalised in the last month. The 32-year-old Dutch interna- 77th minute and then netted the winning tional striker replaced Moussa Sow 10 min- goal four minutes into stoppage time. utes from the end of Fenerbahce’s match Ernesto Valverde’s side will be looking for a away to Greek side Atromitos in Athens and boost following a loss in their opening netted a 90th-minute winner. The 1-0 victo- match of , falling 1-0 at home to ry leaves the 2013 semi-finalists primed to Barcelona last weekend although goalie clinch a place in the group stage in the Gorka Iraizoz saved a first-half spot-kick return leg. Dutch giants Ajax travel to Czech from Lionel Messi. minnows Jablonec with all still to play for. * In Germany, Borussia Dortmund look to Frank de Boer’s side failed to build on a continue their dream start to the season penalty scored nine minutes into the sec- under new coach Thomas Tuchel and build ond half when Arkadiusz Milik converted on their remarkable 4-3 comeback win from after VÌt Benes’s foul on Davy Klaassen in three goals down after 22 minutes away to the box but Jaroslav Silhavy’s side threat- Norwegian side Odd. ened in the later stages. Romanian champi- Dortmund’s strong start to the season ons Steaua Bucharest have an uphill battle continued Sunday as their 4-0 win at new- at Swedish club Rosenborg who look set to boys Ingolstadt saw them leapfrog Bayern advance after three late goals from Tobias Munich to top the Bundesliga table on goal Mikkelsen, Pal AndrÈ Helland and captain difference. It was Dortmund’s sixth win in all Mike Jensen in a 3-0 victory which leaves competitions under Tuchel as defender the Trondheim side with one foot in the Matthias Ginter, Marco Reus, Shinji Kagawa group stage ahead of their home fixture. and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored French clubs Bordeaux and Saint-Etienne : Celtic’s Kris Commons controls the ball during the Champions League play-off second leg soccer match between Malmo second-half goals. bid to join Marseille in the group stage but FF and Celtic at Malmo New Stadium. —AP l At Herning, Southampton have work with all still to play for. Bordeaux face the to do if they want to join Tottenham longest journey in the competition as they Hotspur and Liverpool and make it three carry a 1-0 advantage to Kazakh side Kairat Celtic and Monaco stumble English clubs in the group stage after being Almaty thanks to a first half goal from held 1-1 by Danish champions Midtjylland Tunisian striker Wahbi Khazri in western at St Mary’s last week. Jay Rodriguez’s France. 10-man St-Etienne earned a valu- PARIS: A header by Markus Rosenberg and an glimmer of hope with 15 minutes remaining as Pyatov for the two-time Austrian league player penalty gave Ronald Koeman’s men a life- able away goal in a 1-1 draw at Milsami own goal from condemned Nigerian defender Elderson knocked the ball of the year’s 22nd goal in 64 European matches. line and they will need to score in Orhei amd welcome the Moldovans. —AFP Scottish champions Celtic to a second succes- into the net after Ryan had saved from Thomas A thrilling match-in contrast to the dour sive season without the riches to be accrued Lemar. “It hurts, but Monaco put up a great per- opening leg which saw eight players booked- from the Champions League group stage as formance tonight,” said Raggi. took another twist when a day after his 28th Malmo beat them 2-0 on the night and 4-3 on “It was the game in Valencia that did for us birthday Olexander Gladkiy nipped in to aggregate in their play-off on Tuesday. They but our target now is to compete strongly for score for the hosts and put the match on the were not the only high profile casualties as last the league title,” added the 31-year-old. night all square at 2-2 and with the hosts season’s quarter-finalists Monaco exited despite Shakhtar Donetsk too looked to have all but noses just in front. coming from behind to beat Valencia 2-1 at sealed their place in the group stage when The second-half was less of a ripper and the home-they have lost just once in their last 12 impressive Brazilian Marlos curled a beauty of a visitors frustrations ended with Mario European club games at Stade Louis II-but lost shot past the Rapid Vienna goalkeeper in the Sonnleitner being red-carded four minutes from 4-3 on aggregate. 10th minute. time for a second bookable offence-he hurled Another side who reached the knockout However, the visitors drew level three min- the captains armband that he had assumed after stages last season also failed to get over the utes later 20-year-old Louis Schaub refusing to Hofmann went off to the ground in fury. play-off hurdle this time round as Basel, who be denied as he rifled home his second attempt Even so there was still time for Pyatov to pull progressed at the expense of Liverpool in last for his third goal of the competition. off a remarkable point blank block to Philipp season’s competition, exited after a 1-1 draw in Their joy knew no bounds just five minutes Prosenik’s close range shot with the game five Israel against Maccabi Tel-Avi saw the hosts later as 34-year-old skipper Steffen Hofmann minutes into time-added on and ensured the progress on the away goals rule, the tie finishing curled a superb freekick past the flailing arm of Austrian side’s absence from the group stage 3-3 on aggregate. goalkeeper Ukrainian international Andriy was extended to 10 years. —AFP Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk did make it through-they have appeared in the group stage on every occasions since the 2009/10 cam- paign-but were made to work hard for it draw- Michel Platini ing 2-2 at home to Rapid Vienna to qualify 3-2 on aggregate. The cost to Celtic may be felt immediately as Platini wants football at it could prompt talented defender to jump at the chance of a prestigious move to forefront of presidency English Premier League side Southampton. Celtic manager , though, is loathe to part with him. “We don’t have to sell ZURICH: FIFA presidential candidate matic suspension. Virgil van Dijk, but you never know in football,” Michael Platini will publish his manifesto in Platini is against the use of goal-line said the Norwegian. “The hype about the the next six to eight weeks and wants to technology, which FIFA employs in its tour- Champions League is a big thing. Everybody bring football back into the spotlight dur- naments, and prefers the use of so-called wants it so badly. ing the campaign, a source close to the additional assistant referees, one on each “You have to deal with it but we looked very Frenchman said yesterday. goal-line, to spot penalty-area infringe- stressed. We didn’t look like we wanted to go Although Platini, the UEFA president, ments. FIFA has not adopted the system out and play football. We have a lot of young agrees that reform of scandal-plagued FIFA and Platini has mockingly said that was players coming through but this was a hard les- has to be the priority in the run-up to the because it was not FIFA chief Sepp Blatter’s son for us.” election on Feb. 26, he also believes it idea. Valencia had all but wrapped up business should not completely overshadow the after four minutes, Alvaro Negredo chipping sport itself, the source told Reuters. MORE COUNTRIES Subasic brilliantly with the ball going into the far Platini, who announced his intention to Platini’s proposals on the World Cup corner. stand on July 29 and will hold his first could include expansion of the finals from The hosts, needing three goals to even take it to extra-time, replied almost immediately, Italian media conference since then in Monaco on the current 32 teams, the source said. As UKRAINE: Rapid’s Mario Sonnleitner (left), Mario Pavelic (right) and Shakhtar’s Alex Friday, has spent the last few weeks meet- UEFA president, he has already overseen an defender Andrea Raggi firing the ball past ing people outside soccer’s European rul- increase in the number of countries at the Australian goalkeeper Mathew Ryan from the Teixeira challenge for the ball during the Champions League play-off second leg soc- ing body UEFA to test the water. European championship finals from 16 to edge of the area. Monaco gave themselves a cer match. —AP He believes the future of the World Cup, 24, starting from next year’s tournament in the international calendar, changes to the France. The move has been criticised for laws of the game and the role of the law- diluting the strength of competition, espe- making body IFAB (International Football cially after a successful Euro 2012 in Spurs face Arsenal in League Cup thriller Association Board) should be part of the and Ukraine where 16 seemed to be the debate, the source said. ideal number. LONDON: Tottenham will face north London 2011. Birmingham are unbeaten in the last Aston Villa v Birmingham Platini, a former France captain, who Platini is seen as the front-runner in the enemies Arsenal and Aston Villa will take on three meetings with Villa, including a League Tottenham v Arsenal was one of the most gifted midfield players bid to replace Blatter who will relinquish bitter rivals Birmingham in a pair of League Cup tie in 2010. Holders Chelsea travel to Manchester United v Ipswich of his generation, also wants to discuss the his mandate at the Feb 26. election. The Cup third round derby showdowns. third tier Walsall, while Liverpool host fourth Liverpool v Carlisle reform of the transfer system and the role source said the Frenchman wants to take Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham were tier Carlisle. Manchester United face Crystal Palace v Charlton of agents. his time over his manifesto and added he paired against Arsene Wenger’s Gunners in Championship side Ipswich at Old Trafford Fulham v Stoke One of Platini’s biggest gripes as UEFA would travel widely from October. Tuesday’s draw. and Manchester City travel to Sunderland. Sunderland v Manchester City president has been the so-called triple Soccer’s world governing body has been Tottenham, who were beaten in last year’s Newcastle v Sheffield Wednesday punishment in which a player who gives plagued by allegations of corruption for final by Chelsea, will host the tie of the round English League Cup draw made on Tuesday: Reading v Barnsley or Everton away a penalty is sent off and receives an years. It was thrown into further turmoil in at White Hart Lane in September. It will be the 3rd rd Preston v Bournemouth automatic one-match ban. May when US prosecutors indicted nine first north London derby of the season. Middlesbrough v Wolves Walsall v Chelsea Earlier this year, UEFA sent a proposal to soccer officials and five marketing and There will be more derby intrigue when Norwich v West Brom Milton Keynes Dons v Southampton IFAB for the end of the “triple punishment” broadcasting company executives over Villa clash with Championship side Hull v Swansea Ties to be played in the week commencing system. However, the rule-making body alleged offences, including fraud, money- Birmingham for the first time since January Leicester v West Ham September 21.—AFP agreed only to consider an end to the auto- laundering and racketeering. —Reuters FINA clears Sun Federer and over ‘altercation’ Nadal at US Open 16 crossroads18 THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015

Wilson tributes flow among calls for safety Page 18

BEIJING: (Left to right) USA’s LaShawn Merritt, ’s Luguelin Santos, South Africa’s Wayde Van Niekerk, Grenada’s , Botswana’s Isaac Makwala and Britain’s Rabah Yusuf compete in the final of the men’s 400 metres athletics event at the 2015 IAAF World Championships. — AFP Van Niekerk lights up Bird’s Nest

BEIJING: Wayde van Niekerk lit up the Bird’s served two drug bans provided the back- For once, though, the 29-year-old was not pion, whose personal best 43.65 was good Ghribi of Tunisia and German Gesa Krause Nest with a stunning 400 metres run to win a drop for their first meeting in Sunday’s 100 the most impressive performer on the track enough only for silver ahead of Olympic down the home straight to win Kenya’s sixth first sprint gold for South Africa and cap a metres final, from which the Jamaican with that honour going to Van Niekerk. champion Kirani James (43.78). Van Niekerk gold in nine minutes, 19.11 seconds. night of exceptional performances at the emerged triumphant. Gatlin’s run of 19.87 Racing against a field containing a record was discharged just before midnight local Zuzana Hejnova already knew her race world championships yesterday. Two of seconds to win his 200m semi-final yesterday five sprinters who had run under 44 sec- time (1600 GMT). was won when she went over the final those came in the men’s javelin and women’s was the second fastest ever at that stage of a onds, the 23-year-old dominated the con- While Van Niekerk’s time was the best obstacle in the 400 metres hurdles and the 3,000 metres steeplechase where Kenyans world championships, however, and will give test from start to finish and crossed the line since 2007, you would have to go back as Czech, who ran the year’s best time of 53.50 Julius Yego and Hyvin Jepkemoi added him confidence he can end Bolt’s six-year in 43.48 seconds. far as 2001 to witness a javelin flying as far seconds, became the first woman to suc- another two gold medals to the East African grip on the title in today’s final. The effort of running a time that only as the 92.72 metres Yego managed to give cessfully defend the world title in the event. powerhouse’s already considerable haul. “I think that I have a lot left in the tank,” American world record holder Michael Kenya its first world title in a field event. To A thrilling women’s pole vault contest The scourge of doping returned to haunt the 33-year-old American said. “I just have to Johnson and his compatriots Butch the diminutive Yego, who learned the featuring Cuba’s Yarisley Silva, Brazil’s the sport, however, when two of their com- control the race ... and I think we’ll be able to Reynolds and have bettered javelin from watching videos on the inter- Fabiana Murer and Greece’s Nikoleta patriots were provisionally banned for failing bring it home.” took its toll, however. net after being rejected as a runner, fell the Kyriakopoulou kept the crowd engrossed all drug tests on the eve of the championships. Bolt also looked in fine form, though, Van Niekerk collapsed on the track at the duty of reacting to the positive dope tests evening in the gaps between the other Part two of the sprint showdown between and took time to chat to a fellow competi- end of the race and was taken to hospital of his team mates Koki Manunga and Joyce events. Silva took the title when she cleared Usain Bolt and Justin Gatlin, which for many tor as he approached the line to win his with his “vital signs unstable”, the IAAF’s Zakary. “It’s a shame,” he said. “I always 4.90 metres at the third attempt, leaving has encapsulated the doping crisis that has heat with his first sub-20 second time of medical delegate said, leaving runner-up believe we can win clean so it’s a shame to Murer, one of her country’s best hopes of tarnished the sport over the last month, also the year (19.95). LaShawn Merritt to hail the quality of the them.” Jepkemoi produced a performance gold in athletics at next year’s moved a step closer. The fact that Bolt has “I can’t complain,” he said. “I’m happy race. “It’s crazy. We’re warriors. We’re ani- more typical of her nation to win the stee- Olympics, with silver and Kyriakopoulou never failed a dope test while Gatlin has with my form. I just did what I had to do.” mals,” said the American 2013 world cham- plechase, outsprinting favourite Habiba claiming the bronze. — Reuters Silva soars to Kenyans fail clinch world pole vault title drugs tests

BEIJING: Cuba’s Yarisley Silva needed a jump of 4.90 BEIJING: Two Kenyans have failed pre- two of its athletes, Koki Manunga and Joyce metres to win a thrilling women’s pole vault contest competition drugs tests at the world Zakary”. and claim her first major global title at the world championships in Beijing and have been “Athletics Kenya has already met with championships yesterday. provisionally suspended, the IAAF the IAAF and the athletes involved, and has Pushed all the way by Brazil’s Fabiana Murer and announced yesterday. begun investigating the situation which led Greece’s Nikoleta Kyriakopoulou, the London Koki Manunga and Joyce Zakary “have to these results and appropriate follow-up Olympic silver medallist won gold with her third accepted provisional suspensions following action will be taken in Kenya,” track and attempt at the winning height before failing three positive samples provided in Beijing on the field’s governing body in the east African times at 5.01m. “This was one of the hardest compe- 20th and 21st of August respectively”, the running powerhouse added in a statement. titions of my career. It was a very close competition IAAF said in a statement. ’s “In the meantime, Athletics Kenya will with Fabiana and Nikoleta,” said the 28-year-old. world governing body said the Kenyan pair provide full support and cooperation to the “Fabiana is getting better and better and always had been tested at the athletes’ hotel IAAF during the results management before their competition started as part of process.” pushes me.It is always emotional to compete with “targeted tests”. Kenya was rocked this year when her.” Silva needed all three goes to get over at 4.70 Zakary clocked a national record of marathon star Rita Jeptoo was banned for and join an unprecedented seven women going for 50.71 seconds in Monday’s first round of two years after being caught doping with 4.80. Murer and Silva cleared 4.85 at the first the women’s 400m at the Bird’s Nest, but the banned blood-boosting hormone EPO. attempt to ultimately leave Kyriakopoulou with did not start the semi-final on Tuesday for Jeptoo is the biggest name in Kenyan bronze. With the noisy crowd roaring her on, Silva which she had qualified. sports ever to have been caught, and the slid over the bar at 4.90 to win the title. African silver medallist Manunga, how- bust has been a major trauma for a country “This is the result of a lot of sacrifices, hard work ever, failed to make it out of her first round that idolises its medal-winning and record- and dedication,” Silva added. “Now I want to do of the 400m hurdles on Sunday, timing breaking runners. everything to get the Olympic gold in Rio.” 58.96sec to finish 35th out of 37 athletes Top Kenyan athletes earlier this month That will also clearly be the plan for silver medal- competing. called for the national governing body, the list Murer, one of her country’s best hopes of a gold “It’s a shame for them,” said Kenyan IAAF and the world’s anti-doping body medal in athletics at next year’s Olympics. teammate Julius Yego, who won gold in WADA to take action over reports of wide- the men’s javelin with a monster third spread doping. Her clearance at 4.85 matched the South round effort of 92.72 metres, the longest Leaked results cited by German broad- American record and personal best she jumped to in 14 years. caster ARD and the Sunday Times claimed win gold in Deagu four years ago. “In sport you win clean so it’s a shame that more than 800 athletes, including 18 “The Olympics will be in Rio in less than a year,” for them. I can’t make any more comment Kenyans, had “suspicious blood test results” she said. “I have to stay healthy and am looking for- on that.” Hyvin Kiyeng Jepkemoi, who between 2001 and 2012. ward to my home crowd then.” pipped hot Tunisian favourite Habiba Ghribi ARD alleged doping was ongoing in Kyriakopoulou was happy with bronze and for the women’s 3000m steeplechase title Kenya, and claimed there was “massive cor- thought competing with her fellow medallists shortly after Yego’s heroics, expressed her ruption” within the Kenyan set-up and “a would drive them all to improve. disappointment at the doping tests. desire to cover-up doping... to the summit “I am not afraid,” she said. “I want to stay at the “I think that’s an individual thing, it’s not of the Kenyan athletics federation”. top and get higher and higher because I expected everybody,” Jepkemoi said. “I’m totally Athletics Kenya said it had “watched an even better performance here. “I hope I will get shocked. “I know I’m clean but I’m not hap- with grave concern the German TV ARD more support from sponsors after this medal py about it.” documentary”, calling the broadcast, which because it is not easy for an athlete nowadays in BEIJING: Cuba’s Yarisley Silva clears the bar to win the final of the women’s pole Athletics Kenya, the nation’s governing coincided with the national trials for the body, confirmed that it had been “informed world championships in Beijing, “extremely Greece.” — Reuters vault athletics event at the 2015 IAAF World Championships. — AFP by the IAAF of the positive tests returned by suspect and ill motivated”. — AFP Gulf pulls back as global markets stay fragile

Page 22 Business Improving US economy shares blame for worst traffic ever THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015 Page 23 China, Japan battle to build Indonesia’s Turbulent time for Swiss watchmakers in China first bullet train Page 25 Page 25

NEW YORK: Trader Michael Milano, right, works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, yesterday. US stocks are opening sharply higher Wednesday after slumping for six straight days amid concern that growth in China was slowing more quickly than previously thought. — AP Strong US spending plans boost outlook Durable goods orders rise 2% in July

WASHINGTON: A gauge of US business investment of upbeat reports suggests the Federal Reserve could drilling suggest the spending cuts in the energy sector reported to have risen 0.3 percent in June and the plans recorded its largest increase in just over a year in still raise interest rates this year despite a global markets were ebbing, renewed weakness in oil prices suggest a upward revision suggests second-quarter GDP could be July, suggesting the United States was in good shape to sell-off, triggered by worries over China’s slowing econ- turnaround in business investment will only be gradual. bumped up when the government publishes it second withstand growing strains in the global economy. omy, and policymakers’ concerns about low inflation. In addition, the dollar’s 16.8 percent gain versus the estimate today. June data on business inventories and The Commerce Department said yesterday non- New York Fed President William Dudley said yester- currencies of the United States’ main trading partners construction spending have already suggested second- defense capital goods orders excluding aircraft, a closely day prospects of a September rate hike “seems less since June 2014 remains a challenge for multinational quarter growth could be revised to as high as a 3.4 per- watched proxy for business spending plans, increased 2.2 compelling to me than it was a few weeks ago.” Stocks corporations such as Whirlpool Corp and Procter & cent annualized pace from the 2.3 percent rate reported percent last month, the biggest rise since June last year. on Wall Street rallied, with all major indices trading Gamble Co. last month. Third-quarter growth estimates are around “The economy had a tailwind heading into the recent more than 1 percent higher. Prices for US government Still, the surge in core capital goods orders in July a 2.8 percent rate. market rout. That tailwind will help to carry us through debt fell, while the dollar rose against a basket of cur- bodes well for economic growth prospects in the third A 4.7 percent increase in transportation equipment the turbulent waters that lie ahead,” said Diane Swonk, rencies. quarter. “It points to a sharp acceleration in the pace of buoyed overall orders for durable goods - items ranging chief economist at Mesirow Financial in Chicago. business capital investment activity in the third quarter from toasters to aircraft that are meant to last three July’s increase in the so-called core capital goods DOLLAR, OIL PRICE DRAG and provides some upside risks to our expectation for years or more - which rose 2.0 percent in July. orders was on top of an upwardly revised 1.4 percent growth,” said Millan Mulraine, deputy chief economist at Transportation was lifted by a 4.0 percent rise in increase in June and marked two straight months of A strong dollar and deep spending cuts in the energy TD Securities in New York. orders for automobiles and parts, as automakers kept hefty gains. Economists had forecast only a 0.4 percent sector have undercut business investment. Shipments of core capital goods, which are used to most assembly lines running during the summer rise in July after a previously reported 0.9 percent Schlumberger Ltd, the world’s No. 1 oilfield services calculate equipment spending in the government’s instead of shutting them down for retooling. That increase in June. provider and rival Halliburton have slashed their capital gross domestic product measurement, rose 0.6 percent increase offset a 6.0 percent decline in aircraft orders. The report added to employment, industrial produc- expenditure budgets for this year following a more than last month after an upwardly revised 0.9 percent Unfilled orders for durable goods rose 0.2 percent in tion, retail sales, housing and consumer spending data 60 percent plunge in crude oil since June last year. increase in June. July, the largest gain since November, while inventories in highlighting the US economy’s resilience. The string While yesterday’s report and recent data on oil Core capital goods shipments were previously were unchanged. — Reuters Dubai property slowdown due to tighter rules

DUBAI: Dubai’s tighter property rules aimed at year, some experts said well-balanced supply 2015. Cluttons forecasts about 20,000 new res- preventing a housing bubble are the main and demand for properties should keep prices idential units will be completed and handed cause of a slowdown in the emirate’s real stable. over from now until 2017, while Dubai’s popu- estate sector rather than a sustained drop in Rival consultancy Cluttons estimates house lation is expected to increase by 400,000 over oil prices, industry experts said. prices in Dubai rose 51 percent during 2013 the same period from 2.4 million at present. Dubai has a low reliance on oil despite before growth slowed to 3.4 percent in 2014. About 41,000 units have been announced this hydrocarbons providing three-quarters of the This rebound followed a near-50 percent drop year. United Arab Emirates’ consolidated revenue in in prices from 2008 as the global financial crisis “Unit and population expansion 2014, according to credit agency Moody’s. Abu and Dubai’s debt troubles sparked a real estate seem well matched, which indicates the resi- Dhabi is home to the bulk of the UAE’s energy crash. Last year, Dubai doubled property regis- dential market should be pretty stable,” added reserves. tration fees and the UAE federal government Durrani. Yet prolonged low oil prices could “Dubai residential property sales have raised the minimum mortgage deposits, lead to a UAE construction slowdown, with the declined over the past three quarters, but the dampening demand. “The government was government the main real estate facilitator drop in oil prices is coincidental and the slow- right to act to curb speculation. It’s just that through infrastructure spending and state- down is more due to big price increases in these measures have now coincided with a linked developers that dominate the market. 2013 - the market is adjusting to return to weakening global economy,” said Faisal “Oil is likely at unsustainably low prices - affordable levels,” said Nicholas Maclean, man- Durrani, head of research at property consult- we should see a rebound, which will sub- aging director of consultants CBRE Middle ants Cluttons. stantially increase government revenues in East. “This is a positive trend and will help pre- The impact of the new rules on house sales the medium term, but the question is when HUAIBEI: A bank clerk counts renminbi banknotes in a bank branch in Huaibei in cen- vent a bigger correction in the future.” While has been acute, said Durrani, predicting fur- will that rebound happen?” CBRE’s Maclean tral China’s Anhui province yesterday. Asian stocks rose Wednesday after a rocky housing prices are expected to drift lower this ther declines in prices in the second half of said. — Reuters start following Beijing’s decision to cut a key interest rate to help stabilize gyrating financial markets and free up more funding to counter short liquidity. — AP THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015 BUSINESS

Turkey’s 4G tender outstrips predictions with bids of 4bn euros

ANKARA: Turkey’s auction of 4G mobile data-hungry population, noted Fourth-generation technology, which Generally, lower bandwidths offer between the operators. For the 800Mhz phone frequencies lured a higher than Jonathan Friedman at global risk consul- went mainstream worldwide around faster data speeds but over a shorter bandwidth for instance Vodafone expected 3.96 billion euros ($4.5 billion) tancy Stroz Friedberg. 2010, enables users to watch videos and distance and are useful for densely pop- offered the highest bid of 390 million worth of bids, the agency running the “Beyond recent political instability, download big documents on their ulated areas; larger bandwidths offer euros for the package dubbed A1, Avea process said yesterday, showing the Turkey is a large market with nearly 80 phones. greater coverage but less speed for rural the highest with 380 million euros for appeal of Turkey’s youthful and growing million consumers, and investors want In an apparent bid to placate areas. the A2 package and Turkcell’s offer of market. to be a part of that,” Friedman said. The Erdogan, Turkish officials had dubbed The fifth-generation technology 372.93 million euros was the largest for The bids from Britain’s Vodafone and tender had been postponed in May, the technology being auctioned as 4.5G, Erdogan craves remains years away from the A3 package, commission chairman Turkish duo Avea and Turkcell, the only weeks after President Tayyip Erdogan but subsequently dropped the term. formal definition and is not expected to Deniz Yanik said yesterday. three operators in Turkey, will be subject urged Turkey not to waste time with 4G Wednesday’s tender was a sale of be ready for widespread commercial The three operators also each posted to an approval process before a final and move straight to 5G, for which tech- mobile spectrum used all over Europe rollouts until 2020. the highest bids in subsequent tenders decision on allocations is made. nical standards do not yet exist. for 4G, which allows for up to 10 times Turkey had divided the bandwidths for higher bandwidths, Yanik said, with Turkey’s mobile phone industry is a 4G and 5G refer to the latest technol- faster mobile broadband than 3G tech- to be used for its 4G network into pack- the total value of the auction 1.5 times growth sector servicing a young and ogy standards for mobile devices. nology. ages, to be shared broadly equally higher than predicted. — Reuters Global gas demand mounts: OAPEC chief

KUWAIT: The world is witnessing mounting demand for natural gas largely because it is a clean source of energy and relatively friendly to the environment, according to OAPEC’s chief. Abbas Al-Naqi, Secretary General of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Organization (OAPEC), said in an interview with KUNA that the globe is witnessing mounting demand for gas because it is clean energy resource, cheap and friendly to the nature. Gas trade has proven largely feasible; its production cost is low and can easily be trans- ported via networks of pipelines, however in some regions, establishment of such networks face snags such as rugged terrain or existence of waterways. Natural gas can be liquefied and transported aboard tankers to reach remote markets and consumption destinations; how- ever this transportation means is costly as Abbas Al-Naqi compared to the pipes-that are of various in the range of 10 billion cubic meters. capacities ranging between six and 36 inches. However, Naqi explained to Kuwait News Domestic networks are established to Agency in the exclusive interview that the transfer the gas from the fields or processing Arab gas network has stopped operating since plants to the consumers, namely individuals or 2013 due to supplies’ stoppage from Egypt. It industrial installations or houses. Some gas- had been designed to reach Turkey however it rich nations pump gas to nearby countries had to be shut due to the events in Syria. according to accords. Egypt has another line, the naval one that The gas networks in the Arab world, built in ends up in Palestine. Its capacity is estimated the 80s, comprise seven main lines with a total at seven billion cubic meters per year. Qatar capacity of 114 billion cubic meters per year. exports the natural gas to Abu Dhabi and The Arab network had been built to secure Oman through Dolphin Pipeline, operated in natural gas to Europe. Morocco, for instance, 2007, with an operational capacity of 21 billion benefits from the pipeline that crosses its terri- cubic meter per annum. Its capacity was RIYADH: A picture shows the construction site of the Saudi capital Riyadh’s $22.5 billion metro system, yesterday. The system, which will have six tories from Algeria to Spain-that is in the form recently raised to 33 billion cubic meter per lines covering 176 kilometres (109 miles), supported by a bus network of 1,150 kilometres, is due to be completed by the end of 2018. Three for- of some extracted gas amounts. This line, oper- year. eign consortiums are building the metro, with France’s Alstom, ’s Bombardier and Germany’s Siemens among the major participants. — AFP ated in 2011, has a capacity of eight billion A feasible distance for gas transportation cubic meters per year. via on land networks of pipes is in the range of Libya for its part exports natural gas to Italy 4,680 kilometers (some 3,000 miles) for 42-inch via “the green stream” line, operated in 2004, radius pipes. As to those at sea, the reasonable Gulf pulls back as global part of a mega venture to develop gas fields in distance is in the range of 1,560 km (1,000 the country’s west. Tripoli transports gas prod- mile), with a pipe radius of 20 inch. ucts and condensates from Al-Wafa Gas field Naqi explains that there are many gas dis- which is linked to the Arab gas line that tribution networks across the globe-many markets stay fragile stretches from Al-Arish, Egypt, to Keles in located in Asia and Eurasia. Trade in natural gas northernmost Syria, via Jordan. Its capacity is constitutes two thirds of global trade. —KUNA SABIC, Alinma Bank fall back sharply

DUBAI: Most Gulf stock markets fell back yes- Selling was not indiscriminate, however, and added 2.1 percent. terday as the region consolidated after a strong there was continued bargain-hunting in some Exchange data showed non-Egyptian Arab rebound on Tuesday, while foreign investors’ second- or third-tier stocks, such as healthcare investors were net buyers by a large margin bargain-hunting in blue chips lifted Egypt. The provider Bupa Arabia, up 2.8 percent. Dubai’s and other foreign investors were also buyers. Gulf’s bounce on Tuesday, after several days of stock index, which had jumped 4.6 percent on sharp falls, created a sense that markets in the Tuesday, fell back 1.4 percent. Real estate WEDNESDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS region have found at least short-term floors. shares that had surged on Tuesday saw selling, Some institutional investors came back into the with Emaar Properties down 1.7 percent and SAUDI ARABIA markets to buy selected stocks with valuations DAMAC Properties off 4.4 percent. The index fell 2.1 percent to 7,384 points. that they now saw as reasonable. Abu Dhabi edged down 0.1 percent as Aldar DUBAI But with global oil prices and equities still Properties , which had added 7.0 percent on The index slid 1.4 percent to 3,507 points. unstable and the economic outlook for China Tuesday, pulled back 5.3 percent. However, ABU DHABI unclear, fund managers do not have any confi- telecommunications blue chip Etisalat gained The index edged down 0.1 percent to 4,330 dence that Gulf bourses have bottomed for the 0.8 percent. points. longer term. Qatar’s market bucked the trend and contin- QATAR So the Saudi stock index, which had surged ued to rise, gaining 0.5 percent. The index rose 0.5 percent to 10,958 points. 7.4 percent on Tuesday, fell back 2.1 percent on Telecommunications firm Ooredoo , widely EGYPT Wednesday. Trading volume, which had seen as a defensive stock with an attactive divi- The index climbed 0.5 percent to 6,873 points. jumped on Tuesday to its highest level since dend yield, was a major reason for the index’s KUWAIT May 2014, shrank by more than a third. rise, gaining 3.3 percent. The index fell 0.4 percent to 5,814 points. Petrochemical producer Saudi Basic Industries, Egypt’s index .EGX30, which had risen 2.8 OMAN which had jumped its 10 percent daily limit on percent on Tuesday, climbed a further 0.5 per- The index edged up 0.4 percent to 5,782 points. BEIJING: A man walks past signs for various banks in Beijing yesterday. China’s latest Tuesday, pulled back 4.1 percent. Alinma Bank, cent as Qalaa Holdings , one of the country’s BAHRAIN interest rate cut - the fifth since November - has placated markets but is not enough which had also gained 10 percent, slipped 3.7 largest investment firms, rose 4.7 percent. Real The index edged down 0.1 percent to 1,303 to reverse slowing growth in the world’s second-largest economy, analysts say, urg- percent. estate blue chip Palm Hills Development points. — Reuters ing authorities to embrace lower taxes and other more aggressive measures. — AFP

EXCHANGE RATES

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. GOLD Saudi Riyals 81.270 US Dollars Mint 0.298300 0.302300 20 gram 226.690 Jordanian Dinar 425.615 10 gram 116.040 Asia ASIAN COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound 38.463 5 gram 58.700 Bangladesh Taka 0.003461 0.004061 Japanese Yen 2.522 Sri Lankan Rupees 2.248 Chinese Yuan 0.046310 0.049810 Indian Rupees 4.564 Indian Rupees 4.533 Hong Kong Dollar 0.036859 0.039609 Pakistani Rupees 2.897 Pakistani Rupees 2.911 UAE Exchange Centre WLL Indian upee 0.004474 0.004864 Srilankan Rupees 2.248 Bangladesh Taka 3.874 Indonesian Rupiah 0.000018 0.000024 Nepali Rupees 2.889 Philippines Pesso 6.449 Japanese Yen 0.002436 0.002616 Singapore Dollar 216.110 CURRENCIES TELEX TRANSFER PER 1000 Cyprus pound 575.305 Japanese Yen 3.525 Kenyan Shilling 0.002903 0.002903 Hongkong Dollar 38.950 Australian Dollar 201.05 Syrian Pound 2.595 Korean Won 0.000244 0.000259 Bangladesh Taka 3.880 Canadian Dollar 231.40 Nepalese Rupees 3.830 Malaysian Ringgit 0.069107 0.075107 Philippine Peso 6.469 Swiss Franc 326.72 Euro 351.29 Malaysian Ringgit 71.835 Nepalese Rupee 0.002952 0.003122 Thai Baht 8.486 US Dollar 302.00 Chinese Yuan Renminbi 47.470 Pakistan Rupee 0.002797 0.003077 Sterling Pound 478.54 Thai Bhat 9.450 Philippine Peso 0.006426 0.006706 GCC COUNTRIES Japanese Yen 2.56 Turkish Lira 103.250 Sierra Leone 0.000062 0.000068 Saudi Riyal 80.539 Bangladesh Taka 3.877 Singapore Dollar 0.212035 0.218035 Qatari Riyal 82.974 Indian Rupee 4.548 South African Rand 0.017014 0.025514 Omani Riyal 784.560 Bahrain Exchange Company Sri Lankan Rupee 2.247 Sri Lankan Rupee 0.001969 0.002549 Bahraini Dinar 802.180 Nepali Rupee 2.844 Taiwan 0.009186 0.009366 UAE Dirham 82.239 Pakistani Rupee 2.958 CURRENCY BUY SELL Thai Baht 0.008252 0.008802 UAE Dirhams 0.08217 Europe ARAB COUNTRIES Bahraini Dinar 0.8026 Belgian Franc 0.007875 0.008875 Arab Egyptian Pound - Cash 40.175 Egyptian Pound 0.03846 British Pound 0.466884 0.475884 Bahraini Dinar 0.7927473 0.800747 Egyptian Pound - Transfer 38.582 Jordanian Dinar 0.4295 Czech Korune 0.004776 0.016776 Egyptian Pound 0.038011 0.040841 Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.409 Omani Riyal 0.7842 Danish Krone 0.042328 0.047328 Iranian Riyal 0.000084 0.000085 Tunisian Dinar 157.650 Qatari Riyal 0.08327 Euro 0.340838 0.348838 Iraqi Dinar 0.000197 0.000257 Jordanian Dinar 426.050 Saudi Riyal 0.08055 Norwegian Krone 0.032484 0.037684 Jordanian Dinar 0.421800 0.429300 Lebanese Lira/for 1000 2.026 Romanian Leu 0.077956 0.077956 Kuwaiti Dinar 1.000000 1.000000 Syrian Lira 2.153 Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd Slovakia 0.008983 0.018983 Lebanese Pound 0.000149 0.000249 Morocco Dirham 31.981 Swedish Krona 0.031956 0.036956 Moroccan Dirhams 0.019705 0.043705 Swiss Franc 0.312663 0.322863 Nigerian Naira 0.001243 0.001878 EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES Rate for Transfer Selling Rate Turkish Lira 0.103931 0.110931 Omani Riyal 0.777635 0.783315 US Dollar Transfer 301.900 US Dollar 301.750 Qatar Riyal 0.082213 0.083426 Euro 348.090 Canadian Dollar 229.730 Australasia Saudi Riyal 0.079870 0.080570 Sterling Pound 475.190 Sterling Pound 477.210 Australian Dollar 0.207027 0.218527 Syrian Pound 0.001279 0.001499 Canadian dollar 227.510 Euro 350.165 New Zealand Dollar 0.189480 0.199280 Tunisian Dinar 0.153110 0.161110 Turkish lira 103.040 Swiss Frank 282.685 Turkish Lira 0.103931 0.110931 Swiss Franc 320.830 Bahrain Dinar 801.665 America UAE Dirhams 0.081215 0.082364 Australian dollar 216.760 UAE Dirhams 82.530 Canadian Dollar 0.221313 0.229813 Yemeni Riyal 0.001364 0.001444 US Dollar Buying 300.700 Qatari Riyals 90.495 US Dollars 0.297800 0.302300 THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015 BUSINESS

Despite stock fall, financial health of many is still solid

WASHINGTON: Many Americans have just back up.” Here’s a look at key measures of ed in dead-end McJobs,” the report concluded. this time of year since 2004, according to the dently: Mortgage debt remains about $1.3 tril- absorbed a financial beating - at least as meas- Americans’ financial well-being American Automobile Association. The average lion below the 2008 peak, according to the ured by their stock holdings. It’s the kind of INVESTMENTS price for a gallon of regular gasoline is $2.58 a Federal Reserve. “While the stock market can blow that can feed a sense of helplessness JOBS No doubt the latest stock market plunge gallon, down from $3.44 at this point in 2014. fluctuate wildly, real estate is slow and steady about retirement, college savings and higher- This is a clear bright spot. Employers have has dealt a setback to many retirement Analysts expect prices to fall further after sum- and has returned to very healthy conditions,” than-expected bills. But take a look at other added a total of 11.5 million jobs over the past accounts. But plenty of people have diversified mer. The price decline has slowed economic said Jonathan Smoke, chief economist at gauges of Americans’ financial health and a 58 months. All that hiring has helped cut the their portfolios, as they should, so that stocks growth because energy companies have Realtor.com. more nuanced picture emerges: Hiring and unemployment rate to 5.3 percent from a peak don’t represent an outsized portion of their slashed their drilling activity and equipment home values are up. Gas prices and mortgage of 10 percent in 2009. And just about everyone holdings. And many individuals have richly orders to manufacturers. MORTGAGE RATES rates are down. Inflation is low. who has a job is getting to keep it: Applications profited from the most recent bull market. A Yet for individual Americans, falling gas The Fed’s low-rate policies have kept mort- The pace of layoffs has dwindled. Add it up, for unemployment aid, which reflect the pace thousand dollars invested in an S&P 500 index prices are a windfall: Families have more cush- gage rates near historic lows for much of the and the evidence suggests that many of layoffs, has hit a 15-year low. fund at the end of 2008 would now be worth ioning in their household budgets and can recovery. And even as stocks have tumbled, it’s Americans - though certainly not all - are doing It’s true that the solid hiring has yet to pro- roughly $2,200. direct some of their gas savings to pare debt, become cheaper for homebuyers to borrow. comparatively well. Even the stock-market vide meaningful pay raises for most people. The investment company Vanguard report- invest or spend. The average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage swoon can be put in perspective: Yes, the Average hourly earnings are up a subpar 2.1 ed in June that clients with retirement dipped to 3.93 percent last week from 4.09 per- Standard & Poor’s 500 stock index has tumbled percent over the past 12 months. But there’s accounts at the end of 2009 had enjoyed a HOME VALUES cent in mid-July, according to mortgage firm 10.7 percent over the past five days of trading. evidence that the job market is being retooled median gain of 137 percent over five years, The housing market has solidly recovered Freddie Mac. Since the end of 2008, though, the S&P index for occupations and college graduates who reflecting both market returns and additional from the depths of the recession, when The low rates have benefited many home- remains up about 120 percent. command higher pay. Nearly 44 percent of the contributions. Consider: An Associated Press defaults on subprime mortgages caused a owners who have adjustable-rate mortgages For some, the stock sell-off has been an jobs added during the recovery paid a median analysis last week found that Republican presi- crushing wave of foreclosures and depressed from before the recession. Mortgage rates tend occasion to take a breath, recall previous down income of more than $53,000, according to a dential candidate Donald Trump would have prices. The S&P/Case-Shiller 20-city home price to track the yields on long-term Treasurys. The markets that eventually recovered and sum- report from the Georgetown University Center multiplied his fortune more by investing in a index is up 5 percent from a year earlier. And declining stock market has held those yields mon the patience to wait for their investments on Education and the Workforce. The economy generic stock index than in heavily-branded the National Association of Realtors said last low - welcome news for homeowners such as to rebound. includes a greater proportion of these jobs luxury real estate. week that sales of existing homes in July Conal Crawley, a 49 -year-old sales rep from “Hell, yes, I am worried,” said Shannon Miller, now than in 2008, after having shed “middle- reached an annual rate of 5.59 million, the Boston. “It’ll keep my interest rate down as long a 27-year old digital content manager in St. wage jobs” - those that paid $32,000 to GAS PRICES strongest pace since 2007. as the economy doesn’t get overheated,” he Louis. “But what goes down.... will probably go $53,000. “The surge in hiring is not concentrat- Prices at the pump haven’t been this low at Homeowners are also behaving more pru- said. — AP Gold falls as nervous investors monitor China Palladium, silver at multi-year lows

LONDON: Gold slipped yesterday, tracking losses “Currencies on the other hand seem to be more Barnabas Gan, analyst at OCBC Bank in Singapore. in other markets as concerns remained about driven by perceptions of what the Fed might do on US data on Tuesday showed consumer confi- China’s economic slowdown even after it eased interests, while there haven’t really been major and dence hit a seven-month high in August, while new monetary policy. obvious big moves in safe havens.” single-family home sales rebounded in July, suggest- Global stocks have lost more than $5 trillion since The dollar cut earlier gains against a basket of ing underlying strength in the economy that could China unexpectedly devalued its currency on Aug. leading currencies, while European stocks fell as wor- still allow the Federal Reserve to hike rates this year. 11, but a short-lived recovery on Tuesday, following ries lingered on whether China’s actions would be OCBC’s Gan said gold, which touched a near sev- the cut in interest rates and bank reserve require- enough to stabilise its cooling economy or halt a col- en-week high of $1,168.40 last week, could only rally ments, had pushed gold down 1.2 percent. lapse in its stock markets. towards $1,200 “if there is confirmation that a US rate Spot gold fell 0.6 percent to $1,133.56 an ounce “Drip-feed of stimulus might not be sufficient to hike will not happen this year”. by 1003 GMT, on track for a third day of losses. The arrest aggressive bears, or significantly lift the econo- Palladium fell 0.6 percent to $532.75 an ounce metal’s fall on Tuesday was its steepest since July 20. my in a demand-constrained world,” Miluho Bank after tumbling more than 6 percent overnight, its US gold for December delivery dropped 0.4 percent said in a note on China’s policy action. steepest fall since April 2013. The metal, mainly used to $1,133.50 an ounce. That could put the focus back on a potential US in emissions control systems for cars, trucks and oth- “Nothing looks particularly attractive at the interest rate increase this year, dampening gold’s er vehicles, hit a five-year trough of $528.50 on moment, the volatility in equity markets, the very appeal. “The key factor that underpins the bearish Tuesday and has lost around 9 percent so far this ISTANBUL: Workers stand in front of a new tunnel construction area in low level of bond yields,” Capital Economics chief view for gold is very much the Fed rate hike expecta- week. Platinum rose 0.6 percent to $981 an ounce Istanbul yesterday. The 13.6-kilometre (8.5 miles) will link Kazlicesme on global economist Julian Jessop said. tion and that possibility is not off the table,” said and silver dipped 0.9 percent to $14.56. — Reuters Istanbul’s European side to Goztepe on the Asian side to reduce the city’s notorious traffic and will includes the world’s deepest immersed tube below the seabed at 60 metres (nearly 200 feet) government said. — AFP GCC corporate earnings1 Gulf Keystone plans to double Kurdish field output fall by 7.2% in H1 of 2015 LONDON: Iraqi Kurdistan oil producer the lack of money to invest means it is KUWAIT: Kuwait Financial Centre terms of net earnings, was impacted by Gulf Keystone Petroleum could double currently stuttering away at 45,000 bar- “Markaz” stated that during 1H15, GCC MARKAZ ECONOMIC REPORT lower oil prices. Telecom sector, the 4th output at its Shaikan field within 18 rels per day. corporates posted a negative 7.2% largest in terms of net earnings was affect- months but the lack of government The KRG, embroiled in a dispute with growth over H1 of 2014. Total earnings ed by the reduction in ARPUs (Average payments for exports makes investing Iraq’s central government over oil riches inH1 of 2015 came in at USD 34Bn. 1H15 Revenue per User), as well as company there impossible, its new chief execu- ownership, promised earlier this month earnings were driven by strong perform- tive said. it would start making regular payments specific losses. Real estate boom in major ance from banks and real estate. GKP, one of a handful of foreign oil to producers from September. markets such as UAE (Dubai & Abu Dhabi), Aggregate net profits for banks came producers in the autonomous region of “Hopefully transparency of these Qatar and introduction of mortgage lend- in at USD 16.7bn in 1H15, a rise of 9% Kurdistan in Iraq, is owed $260 million payments will be very helpful,” said ing reforms in Saudi Arabia have led to over H1 of 2014. Earnings from real by the Kurdistan Regional Government Ferrier. Once the KRG makes its remain- significant earnings growth of the sector. estate came in at USD 3.7Bn recording a (KRG) in payments for exported oil as ing payments, GKP can start thinking Telecommunications sector’s earnings growth of 44.5% (YoY). Robust growth in well as its share of investments in its about investing in Shaikan, he added. were affected by strengthening of the US the earnings of banking sector, which fields. Production at the field could reach dollar (Ooredoo), the earnings restate- accounts for 49% of earnings, could not The debt and lack of consistency in 100,000 barrels a day within 18 to 24 ment of Mobily and its continued dispute prevent overall corporate earnings from payments from the government has months, he said. Qatar had the highest earnings for the poor earnings in the first half of with Zain Saudi. Falling ARPU across the declining by 7.2% (YoY) in 1H15. squeezed GKP’s pockets to a point GKP, which will report first-half growth in 1H15 at 13%, with the rest of 2015. Earnings in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia region was also a reason behind the fall in Telecom sector continued its negative where it has just enough cash flow to results on Thursday, is still in the the GCC countries recording a decline. Fall contracted by 19% and 16%, respectively, telecom earnings. run from 2014, with overall profits keep its operations going. “It’s really process of finding a buyer for some of in oil prices, strengthening US dollar and (1H15, YoY basis), while UAE, Bahrain and GCC corporate earnings are expected declining by 35%. frustrating not to be able to invest right its assets in a bid to raise capital. company specific issues were responsible Oman also registered negative earnings to contract by 0.3% in 2015 over FY14 and now,” Jon Ferrier, a former Maersk Oil “I’ve never known an M&A environ- growth of 2%, 5% and 7%, respectively. reach USD 69.7Bn by the end of the year. executive appointed as GKP chief exec- ment like this. There’s such a gulf UAE, Qatar and Bahrain earnings growth utive two months ago, told Reuters in between buyer and seller expectations H1 of 2015 earnings are expected to be robust at 8.0%, 6.2% an interview. on oil price,” Ferrier said. GKP is in talks Real Estate and Banking sectors have and 6%, respectively, for the full year of “Our costs are exactly in line with with four potential buyers and a start of been the star performers in the region for 2015 as against 2014. Corporate earnings what we’re being paid so we’re down to regular KRG payments would move the 1H15 registering growth of 44.5% and 9%, in other GCC countries are also expected the bone.” GKP’s Shaikan oil field, a dis- process forward more quickly, he said. respectively. Despite signs of slowing to decline, during the same period, with covery of 12.5-13 billion barrels in place “If payments turn out to be a fact in down towards the end of last year, the earnings in Saudi declining the most at made in 2009, has the potential to pro- September, that could be a catalyst for real estate sector had a great run in the 7.9%. Corporate earnings in Kuwait and duce 100,000 barrels of oil per day, but change in the region.” — Reuters first half of 2015. The commodities sector, Oman are expected to fall moderately by which is the second largest sector in 1.6% and 0.4% respectively. Improving US economy shares blame for worst traffic ever

WASHINGTON: More jobs and cheaper ways. The growth is outpacing the nation’s sion, when construction costs plummeted. gestion levels affected one of every four surpassing the previous record set in 2007. ects. In the next five years, the annual delay gasoline come with a big, honking down- ability to build the roads, bridges, trains and “We didn’t take advantage of it and now trips in 2014, up from one in nine trips in And the National Safety Council said prelim- per commuter would grow from 42 to 47 side: US roads are more clogged than ever other infrastructure to handle all these peo- we’re back in the soup again,” he said. 1982. The report comes on the heels of oth- inary data for the first six months of this year hours, the total delay nationwide would now that the recession is in the rearview ple on the move. Congress has kept federal The national average time that com- er evidence that Americans are embracing shows traffic deaths are up 14 percent, a grow from 6.9 billion hours to 8.3 billion mirror. Commuters in Washington, D.C., suf- transportation programs teetering on the muters wasted stuck in traffic last year was driving more than ever. The Department of turnaround after years of fewer fatalities. hours, and the total cost of congestion fer the most, losing an average of 82 hours a edge of insolvency for nearly eight years 42 hours, about the same as in 2007 and Transportation said Americans drove more If the economy remains strong, conges- would jump from $160 billion to $192 bil- year to rush hour slowdowns, a new study because lawmakers have been unwilling to more than twice the delay in 1982, when than 3 trillion miles in the last 12 months, tion will continue to worsen, the report proj- lion, researchers estimated. — AP finds. Los Angeles, San Francisco and New raise the federal gas tax and haven’t found a the transportation institute first began York come next on the list of urban areas politically palatable alternative to pay for assessing urban mobility. But because with the longest delays. needed improvements. there are so many more commuters today But the pain reaches across the nation. and far more congestion in off-peak hours, Overall, American motorists are stuck in traf- Higher fuel taxes total delay across the country has fic about 5 percent more than they were in Frustrated by Washington’s inaction, increased over 2007. 2007, the pre-recession peak, says the nearly a third of states have approved meas- Overall, Americans experienced 6.9 bil- report from the Texas A&M Transportation ures this year that could collectively raise bil- lion hours of traffic delays in 2014 com- Institute and INRIX Inc., which analyzes traf- lions of dollars for transportation through pared to 6.6 billion in 2007 and 1.8 billion fic data. Four out of five cities have now sur- higher fuel taxes, vehicle fees and bonds. in 1982. The problem has become so bad passed their 2007 congestion. Rounding But that’s just a down payment on decades in major urban areas that drivers have to out the Top 10 worst commuting cities are of delayed maintenance, repairs and plan for more than twice as much travel San Jose, Boston, Seattle, Chicago, Houston replacements. “Our growing traffic problem time as they would normally need to and Riverside-San Bernardino. is too massive for any one entity to handle - account for the possibility of congestion Cities with fast-growing economies and state and local agencies can’t do it alone,” delays caused by bad weather, collisions, the most job growth are the most plagued said Tim Lomax, a co-author of the report. construction zones and other impedi- by traffic. Other factors: Urban populations The report recommends a mix of solutions, ments, the report said. are increasing and lower fuel prices are including making existing road and transit making driving less expensive, so more peo- systems more efficient, encouraging more Congestion ple are taking to city roads. flexible work schedules, adding capacity to Trucks account for about 18 percent of Congestion increased in 61 of the high-growth travel corridors, and creating urban congestion, although they represent nation’s 101 largest cities from 2012 to 2013, more high-density neighborhoods where just 7 percent of urban travel. The cost of the data showed. The following year, nearly homes, offices, stores and other develop- congestion to the average auto commuter all cities - 95 out of 101 - experienced ment can be reached through walking, bik- was $960 in lost time and fuel in 2014, com- greater congestion. ing or public transit. pared to an inflation-adjusted $400 in 1982. The findings are based on federal data Transportation analyst Alan Pisarski said About 40 percent of delays occur in mid- about how many cars are on the roads and the nation missed a “tremendous opportu- day and overnight hours, making it more NEWCASTLE: This photo taken on April 25, 2015 shows coal stockpiled at the coal port of Newcastle in Australia’s on traffic speed data collected by INRIX on nity” to catch up on building additional difficult to avoid delays by avoiding com- New South Wales state. Australia’s city of Newcastle, which claims the world’s biggest coal export port, said yester- 1.3 million miles of urban streets and high- transportation capacity during the reces- muter rush hours. Severe or extreme con- day it will pull money out of fossil fuel industries as it shifts into more sustainable enterprises. — AFP THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015 BUSINESS Indonesia’s plunging cement shares signify new economic reality

JAKARTA: Investors in Indonesia’s cement- be the worst in a decade. Cement production capacity in Indonesia is The negative outlook for cement mak- more stable valuation of land banks and making giants have much to grieve about - blue Indonesian cement makers in the last four expected to rise to 75.5 million tonnes a year by ers has decoupled their shares from prop- recurring assets. On the other hand, chips like PT Semen Indonesia Tbk and PT years have enlarged their production capacity 2016, up about 67 percent from 2011. Yet erty stocks. Both segments of the stock cement stock valuations are based on Indocement Tunggal Prakasa Tbk have fallen in anticipation of higher demand from infra- demand is far from catching up, with infrastruc- market usually move in tandem, but the cement demand - a less stable variable in victim to massive overcapacity, and things are structure projects and a property boom. Even ture spending on roads, bridges and ports plunge in cement counters this year has the slowing economy and increasing com- not expected to get better soon. Thailand’s Siam Cement Pcl has opened its own delayed by bureaucratic red tape and the econ- far exceeded the 18 percent drop in the petition,” said Jeffrosenberg Tan, a direc- Shares of the country’s largest cement mak- cement plant in Indonesia, as well as acquiring omy growing at its slowest pace in six years. In sub-index for property and construction. tor with Sinarmas Asset Management who er Semen Indonesia have plunged 51 percent a local ready-mix concrete maker, to access the January-to-June, cement consumption fell 4.3 “Property stocks will have more support helps manage about 6 trillion rupiah so far this year, surpassing the 20 percent market. China’s Anhui Conch Cement Co Ltd has percent to 27.7 million tonnes, its worst first- since price valuation can be justified by ($433.53 million) in funds. — Reuters decline in the main stock index. Domestic rivals built a cement plant in Kalimantan and is set- half since 2009, according to industry associa- Indocement and PT Holcim Indonesia Tbk have ting up another in Papua. Indocement itself is tion data. Heightened competition from new slumped 33 percent and 57 percent, respec- majority-owned by Heidelbergcement AG, players has not helped. Costs related to trans- Pakistan’s economy facing tively. Some people in the industry say the while Holcim Indonesia is a unit of portation in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy domestic sales growth outlook this year could LafargeHolcim Ltd. have also remained high. revenue generation crisis

ISLAMABAD: Despite recent optimism three-fold increase since 2008 for the surrounding Pakistan’s economy, the $232 billion economy, with 44 percent country is facing an “existential crisis” of tax revenue going toward interest stemming from its woeful tax collection payments. rates and inability to finance itself, a The report blamed the lack of a “tax report said yesterday. culture” on non-revenue sources of funds Pakistan’s economy grew at 4.24 per- the country has historically enjoyed in cent during the 2014-2015 fiscal year the form of foreign aid and loans. with per capita income rising a signifi- It said 68 percent of tax revenue was cant 9.25 percent, markers that come as being generated through indirect taxes investor confidence in the long-under- on fuel, food and electricity, which perfoming South Asian giant have also unfairly penalises the poor. The lack of increased. revenue collection also negatively affects But according to the report by non- infrastructure development including profit organisation Raftar, funded by power generation, with the country fac- Britain’s Department for International ing a massive shortfall of up to 4000 MW Development (DFID), Pakistan’s econo- in the summer that shaves about $15 bil- my continues to rely heavily on “com- lion off the country’s GDP. Pakistan is cur- mercial loans, concessionary donor rently in a $6.6 billion loan programme loans and aid”. with the International Monetary Fund, The country’s tax-to-GDP ratio of 9.4 which was granted on condition that percent is among the lowest in the Islamabad carried out extensive eco- world, leading to a public debt of 17 tril- nomic reforms, particularly in the energy lion rupees ($163 billion). This an almost and taxation sectors. — AFP THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015 BUSINESS Kuwait: Strong credit gains in June, growth at 5.2%

KUWAIT: Credit growth in June was Household borrowing remained strong, but annual growth eased robust adding KD 115 million, with NBK ECONOMIC REPORT slightly to 5.2% y/y on basis effects. growth accelerating to 12.3% y/y. Lending was up by KD 453 million While growth in June was largely sector’s credit has declined by 7.4% Private deposits were flat in June during the month. While much of from installment loans, consumer y/y. largely on a drop in foreign currency the gain came from lending for loans also rose for the first time in All remaining credit rose by a sol- deposits;as a result, Money supply securities purchases and household five months. Of the KD 1 billion cred- id KD 343 million, though growth (M2) growth eased to 4.1% y/y. borrowing, other sectors also saw it added in the first six months of eased to 2.9% y/y on basis effects. Private deposits saw a small KD 14 notable growth. Meanwhile, real 2015, half was accounted for by The bulk of the gains were in lend- million decline, with a KD 64 million estate saw a third month of decline household borrowing. ing for the purchase of securities, increase in KD deposits more than in outstanding credit. Private Credit to non-bank financial com- which rose by KD 206 million, offset by a KD 77 million decline in deposits were flat on the month, panies continued to decline, losing though the segment remained foreign currency deposits. There was while money supply growth contin- KD 6 million. While still in deleverag- down by 2.5% y/y. Trade, oil & gas, also a move to KD sight deposits in ued to ease on basis effects. ing mode, the net monthly declines “other sectors”, and construction June at the expense of KD time Meanwhile, interbank and deposit in this sector’s credit have been were other areas of growth, with the deposits. Narrower money supply rates held steady. diminishing over the last year. This sectors contributing for most of this (M1) actually declined by 0.9% y/y year’s business sector credit gains. due to a basis effect; it was a year Real estate saw the largest decline of ago that the CBK introduced the KD 20 million, which was also its new currency which temporarily third consecutive monthly decrease. increased the amount of currency in There has been a marked pickup circulation. in the growth momentum of busi- Average customer deposit rates ness credit over the last few months. on dinar time deposits, and inter- The annualized 3-month growth bank rates were steady in rate of credit excluding personal June.Average rates onthe1-month,3- facilities and lending to nonbanks month, and 6-month time deposits and the real estate sector has accel- were steady at 0.61%, 0.77%,and erated gradually over the last six 0.97%, while 12-month rates added months from a low reached in 5 bpsafter a drop last month. KD December. In June, 3-month growth interbank rates held steady at1.00%, accelerated to an annualized 17%. up 21 basis points year-to-date. Turbulent time for Swiss watchmakers

ZURICH: Swiss watchmakers are yuan devaluation will not have a big facing turbulent times in one of impact on sales and could even their top markets, as the already improve them. shrinking luxury sales in China are Swatch for instance said it viewed compounded by the recent devalua- the move as “positive” since it would tion of the yuan. likely stimulate consumption, and Global financial markets are still insisted there were no plans to hike reeling from the Chinese central the brand’s prices in China. bank’s sudden devaluation of the While the yuan devaluation makes yuan earlier this month, which it more expensive to import luxury allowed the currency to plunge near- goods into China, it also pushes down ly five percent against the dollar in a costs onsite. For a company like matter of days. Swatch, which employs around 2,600 In Switzerland, the move rattled people in China, mainly in its market- the Alpine country’s luxury watch- ing, sales and client services divisions, makers, who have already seen their that could mean big savings. once booming sales in China take a hit as Beijing began to crack down on Grey market corruption in the country by banning Still, the impact of China’s devalua- extravagant gifts like prestigious tion is difficult to quantify, analysts watches to public officials. say. “If the devaluation of the yuan is Even before the yuan move, Swiss limited and takes place on a con- watch exports to China had contract- trolled basis, it would be a positive for ed nearly 40 percent in July. When the the Swiss watch industry,” Kepler yuan devaluation was announced on Cheuvreux analyst Jon Cox told AFP August 11, investors were clearly in an email. bracing for the worst, recalling the “It narrows the differential JAKARTA: This photo taken on August 13, 2015 shows Indonesian models with scale models of Chinese-made bullet trains on exhibition at a impact on watch sales when between Europe and China prices, shopping mall in Jakarta. China and Japan are locked in an increasingly heated contest to build Indonesia’s first high-speed railway, with the Switzerland’s central bank in January meaning more watches would be Asian giants sweetening deals and turning up the charm as time runs out to woo Jakarta. — AFP let the Swiss franc float and sent it bought in China and there would be soaring. less of a grey market,” he added. Stark Shares of Swiss luxury goods giant currency differences since the Swiss China, Japan battle to build Richemont, which owns brands like franc took flight in January had Cartier, Piaget and IWC, immediately pushed Chinese consumers to pur- shed more than 4.0 percent of their chase more of the luxury watches Indonesia’s first bullet train value after the Chinese currency cut. they covet when travelling abroad. The world’s biggest watch group But they have also boosted a “grey Swatch, which carries brands like market”, where watches are bought in Widodo to announce successful bidder on Aug 31 Tissot, Longines and Omega, saw its one market and quickly sold in anoth- stock price plunge 3.9 percent. er at more advantageous rates. In JAKARTA: China and Japan are locked in an increas- many guys, the girl then can pick whoever she likes.” muters between cities at great speed without a single response, some brands had opted to ingly heated contest to build Indonesia’s first high- The line, if completed, will not only slash travel time fatal accident on the rails. China has countered this by ‘Positive’ view lower their prices in China before the speed railway, with the Asian giants sweetening deals between Jakarta and Bandung but pave the way for an arguing it has built 17,000 kilometres of high-speed But so far there is no indication yuan devaluation in a bid to rein in and turning up the charm as time runs out to woo expanded network linking the capital with Indonesia’s railway-or 55 percent of the world total-in the 12 years the yuan devaluation will cause the such parallel markets. Jakarta. The rivalry over this major project is just the lat- second-largest city Surabaya in East Java. since it began constructing bullet trains. same level of havoc for the watch This can prove painful now, since est to flare up as China challenges Japan’s long-stand- However, a 2011 crash that killed at least 40 people industry as the move by the Swiss they do not want to be seen raising ing dominance in Southeast Asia as a key source of Upping the ante and injured 200 more highlighted what critics say is a infrastructure funding. Japan, a top-three investor in The schmoozing has been ratcheting up ahead of tendency to overlook safety in the rush to lay track. central bank did earlier this year, their prices again so soon to compen- Indonesia with huge stakes in the automotive and min- August 31, when Widodo is expected to announce the industry insiders say. sate for the dwindling value of the ing sectors, seemed destined to build the high-speed successful bidder. China is not seeking any funding Japan’s glowing record When it suddenly stopped artifi- yuan, said Luca Solca, an analyst with railway until China muscled in with a counter offer earli- guarantees from the Indonesian government and has Indonesian officials are aware of Japan’s glowing cially holding down the value of the Exane BNP Paribas. er this year. promised construction would begin this year, with the record in this space, and are wary of elements of Swiss franc, allowing the currency to To protect their reputations, these President Joko Widodo stoked the competitive spir- network up and running no later than 2019. Beijing’s pitch. A government source tasked with soar 20 percent against the euro in a watchmakers will opt to stick to low it of the two Asian powerhouses as he toured China Beijing recently showcased its high-speed rail assessing the two proposals told AFP China’s slowing matter of hours, the impact on watch yuan prices, allowing their high Swiss and Japan in April trying to drum up much-needed prowess in an exhibition at a plush Jakarta mall, where economy had fostered doubt about whether Beijing sales was felt immediately, Jean- franc costs to eat into profits, and investment for a multi-billion dollar overhaul of China’s ambassador to Indonesia likened the project to could deliver on its ambitious promises. Claude Biver, luxury giant LVMH’s they “will suffer,” he told AFP in an Indonesia’s ageing infrastructure. In both Beijing and a child reared by Jakarta and Beijing. China’s economy expanded 7.4 percent last year, watch guru, told AFP. email, suggesting though that those Tokyo, he boarded bullet trains and declared his vision “Our number one priority is to ensure the baby’s the weakest pace since 1990, and slowed further to 7.0 “But today, we are not feeling the who had not already lowered their for high-speed rail in Indonesia: a line connecting the health and growth, rather than to rush him to make percent in the first two quarters of this year. Indonesia same effects from China’s devalua- prices would fare better. sprawling capital Jakarta with Bandung, a mountain- money to support the family,” Xie Feng said, playing had also “learned the lessons” of dealing with China, the tion,” he said, explaining that the In a note, he also maintained that fringed city famed for its universities and IT expertise down suggestions China’s main motive in this project source said, with past investment pledges failing to Swiss watch industry would be able the yuan devaluation would only have about 160 kilometres (100 miles) away. If it was a stunt was profit. Japan’s proposal is slightly more expensive materialise and newly-constructed power plants lack- to absorb any rising costs linked to a moderate impact on the bottom line to grab the attention of his hosts, it certainly worked. A than its rival, and it is only promising trains will hit the ing the capacity promised on paper. Indonesia has steady stream of diplomats and envoys from Tokyo and tracks in 2021. On the plus side, it has offered a lower hired the Boston Consulting Group as a third party to the Chinese central bank’s move. of luxury goods makers. It would take Beijing have been pouring in since April to pitch the interest rate of 0.1 percent, a fraction of the 2.0 percent assess the bids but in the end the decision falls to And both analysts and the watch- a devaluation of 20 percent or more to Widodo administration, and Jakarta is enjoying the China has put forward. Widodo. A senior official described the matter as “sen- makers themselves have warned shrink profits in the sector by 5.0-10.0 limelight. “Let them race to invest in Indonesia. It’s good Japan also has history on its side. The country is sitive”, acknowledging the importance of both China against overreacting, insisting the percent, he said. — AFP for us,” Luhut Panjaitan, chief political minister and a famous for its legendary shinkansen, its impressive and Japan to Indonesia, while other voices are also urg- close aide to Widodo, told AFP. “It’s like a girl wanted by high-speed network that for decades has whizzed com- ing the president to tread carefully.— AFP Bets grow HK may scrap peg after China’s yuan devaluation

HONG KONG: Bets are growing of a possible rency slides across Asia, the Hong Kong dollar tightening and the continued slowdown and tra- scrapping of a historic peg of the Hong Kong now looks significantly overvalued,” said Kevin vails of the mainland economy with whom Hong dollar against the greenback, after China’s sur- Lai, an analyst at Daiwa, adding that the peg Kong’s economic cycle is increasingly more cor- prise devaluation of the yuan this month sent would come under tremendous pressure in case related,” said Mole Hau, Asia Economist at BNP financial markets into a tailspin and stoked fears of severe credit stress in China and capital out- Paribas. of a global currency war. One month implied flows following the U.S. Federal Reserve’s policy The so-called currency board arrangements volatility on the Hong Kong dollar an indicator of normalisation. Many emerging market curren- means the Hong Kong Monetary Authority expected price swings - jumped to 2.23 on cies, including the Malaysian ringgit, Indonesian (HKMA) is unable to use independent interest Monday, the highest level in a decade. It was rupiah and Brazil’s real , have slumped to their rate policy to influence the domestic economy much higher than 1 on Aug. 11 when the weakest levels against the dollar in over 10 years and may have its work cut out if the Fed’s even- People’s Bank of China weakened the yuan by 2 as capital fled their slowing economies. tual tightening triggers big capital outflows. percent. The latest country to join the currency war, In the last round of mass capital outflows in “The Hong Kong dollar is seeing a classic Kazakhstan, devalued its tenge by more than a 1998, Hong Kong’s economy contracted 6 per- flight to safety bid. Investors are de-risking their quarter last Thursday. The Hong Kong dollar rose cent and endured deflation for years after the portfolios and moving funds into Hong Kong close to its strong end of trading on Wednesday Asian finiancial crisis, but the dollar peg survived. dollar bonds and cash,” said Hayden Briscoe, Asia and traded at 7.7506 per dollar, up from 7.7616 Government officials have reassured that the Pacific fixed income director at on Aug. 11. The local currency has been pegged peg will be retained. “I don’t think the Hong AllianceBernstein, who is part of a team that at 7.8 to the US dollar since 1983, but can trade Kong dollar has come to a stage that the peg has HONG KONG: A woman walks past an electronic board showing Hong Kong share index outside a manages $250 billion globally in fixed income. between 7.75 and 7.85. to be changed with no choice like what hap- local bank in Hong Kong, yesterday. Shares fell yesterday in Europe and Asian markets were mixed The flight-to-safety bid has made the Hong “Hong Kong is caught in a pincer movement pened to the Swiss franc,” said Raymond Yeung, as an initial burst of euphoria over an interest rate cut by China the day before succumbed to lin- Kong dollar expensive versus rivals. “Given cur- between a prospective US monetary policy an analyst at ANZ. — Reuters gering worries over longer-term problems with its economy. — AP THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015 BUSINESS

Fadel Sayed Ali wins KD 125,000 in NBK’s Al Jawhara monthly draw

KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) NBK has re-launched Al Jawhara terly. Each KD 50 in a customer’s Al Jawhara is the most popular prize- both Kuwaitis and expats and can be announces the winner for August’s KD account recently by doubling chances account entitles them one entry into giving account in Kuwait. Al Jawhara opened at any of NBK’s numerous 125,000 Al Jawhara monthly prize, Fadel to win in the weekly, monthly and quar- the draw, thus more money in an account entitles account holders to branches around Kuwait, or safely and Sayed Ali. The draw was held under the terly draws if customers do not with- account means more chances into each enter the weekly, monthly and quarterly easily through NBK’s website for exist- supervision of the Ministry of draw or transfer from their accounts. draw. This new added feature enables al Al Jawhara draws. All prizes are auto- ing customers. Commerce and Industry. The winner’s NBK customers have chances to win Jawhara Account holders’ to double matically credited to the winners’ For more information please contact name was announced live on Marina KD 5,000 weekly, KD 125,000 monthly their chances through maintaining their accounts the day after the draw. NBK Call Center at 1801801 or visit NBK FM. and a grand prize of KD 250,000 quar- balance. Al Jawhara account is available for official website www.nbk.com/Jawhara Cityscape Global sees 30% growth in exhibition space Demand for housing continues to grow

DUBAI: The continued confi- tive nature of the market, organ- Business Unit, said: “Today’s architects, designers and other dence in Dubai’s maturing real isers of Cityscape Global, which modern families want to live in real estate professionals to drive estate market has been under- takes place from 8-10 September sustainable living environments growth in real estate investment lined by a 15% increase in at the Dubai World Trade Centre, designed for life-long value, and development across emerg- exhibitors at the Middle East’s confirmed today that the event where owners, residents and ing markets globally. largest property showcase, has been extended by two addi- tenants will feel the added val- Wouter Molman, Director of Cityscape Global. tional exhibition halls - four ue”. He further added: “At Majid Cityscape Group said: “The While the 14th edition of the more halls since the 2013 event - Al Futtaim, we not only create demand for exhibition space has event prepares to host more covering more than 40,000sqm great moments for everyone, been remarkable and as such, than 300 exhibitors in a signifi- of exhibition space. every day, but we also meet the we have increased the floor area cantly expanded exhibition are- Headline exhibitors returning region’s growing demand for real and adjusted the lay out to ensure visitors can conveniently navigate their way around the venue. “The need to add two addi- tional halls this year has stemmed ABK receives STP excellence award from both new exhibitors as well as previous exhibitors requesting from Standard Chartered Bank larger stands to accommodate their existing and new projects KUWAIT: Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait (ABK) was customers with international standards of which will be showcased to thou- recently presented the STP Excellence service.” Award for the year 2014 from Standard In its role as an international financial sands of visitors in September. Chartered Bank - New York, for its exempla- institution, ABK utilizes the latest interna- “In 2014 we welcomed more ry execution of electronic payments. tionally approved systems and methods to than 47,000 participants; a 42% Fawzy Al Thunayan, General Manager of facilitate transactions on a global scale year-on-year increase. With Board Affairs at ABK received the award such as Straight-through-Processing (STP). Cityscape Global set to be the saying: “We are delighted to see ABK’s com- STP automates financial transactions and largest it has been for six years, we mitment to international quality standards involves the capturing and processing of expect a very strong turnout of vis- being recognized by Standard Chartered transactions in a single cost-effective sys- itors from all over the world, as Bank. ABK’s partnership with correspon- tem, effectively simplifying them. they look to maximise their invest- dent banks such as Standard Chartered ABK was recently also recognized by its ment potential in this lucrative underlines our dedication to evolve as an EUR correspondent, Commerzbank for market.” institution that constantly provides our Excellence in STP for 2014. Also new to Cityscape Global is a complete overhaul of the co- located conferences, now taking VIVA launches new data packages place the day before the exhibi- tion, the dedicated convention will for postpaid customers bring together more than 800 sen- Enjoy using more mobile internet for less! ior real estate professionals who will explore opportunities and find KUWAIT: VIVA, Kuwait’s fastest-growing One for free. solutions to key challenges affect- and most developed telecom operator, The new data packages are a con- ing the industry today. announced that it has enhanced its venient and affordable way for postpaid The Facilities Management con- postpaid data packages presenting its customers to enjoy surfing the internet ference, jointly organised with customers with an expanded array of while on the go. Through the launch of Middle East Facilities Management revamped and new data plans at the the revamped and new data packages, Association (MEFMA), and the Real most competitive prices. VIVA reiterates its commitment to pro- DUBAI: Cityscape Global prepares to host more than 300 exhibitors as three day show returns VIVA launched the revamped and vide the most competitive offers with double digit growth for the fourth consecutive year. Estate Brokers will run alongside the ‘Dubai Market Overview’ on new range of Internet packages so cus- designed to exceed the customers’ September 7 at the Conrad Hotel, tomers can enjoy more internet data for expectations. less subscription fees. VIVA continuously presents its cus- na, global property experts, JLL’s for 2015 include Emaar, Dubai living environments.” Dubai. The new monthly packages include: tomers with exciting packages that Q1 2015 residential market Properties, Dubai World Central, According to Azzam, the past Also running in tandem with Monthly KD 13 presenting customers offer excellence in quality of service overview has reported the deliv- Meydan, Meraas and Nakheel 10 years have witnessed a huge the exhibition is the Cityscape with 300GB monthly internet capacity, with added value for money. ery of approximately 730 resi- while first-time exhibitors include demand by homebuyers across Awards for Emerging Markets. and monthly KD 18 presenting cus- To find out more about VIVA’s new dential units across Dubai. Kleindienst Group, DMCC and Al the regional real estate market The awards programme attracts tomers with 500GB monthly internet postpaid packages, visit one of the 69 An additional 22,000 residen- Barari. for gated mixed use residential hundreds of entries from devel- capacity. In addition, customers sub- VIVA branches, or the VIVA website at tial units are expected to enter Majid Al Futtaim Properties, communities, with the aim to opers and architects behind real scribing to the KD 18 package will be www.viva.com.kw, or call VIVA’s 24 hour the market by the end of 2015, another newcomer to the event, develop and deliver premier estate developments across eligible to have a PlayStation 4 or Xbox call center on 102. another 13,000 units in 2016 and will showcase its major commu- development opportunities in emerging markets globally. 10,000 units in 2017, reinforcing nity projects, displaying three the region. Winners will be announced at an the sentiment that the UAE’s real amenity-rich neighbourhoods Majid Al Futtaim will provide elaborate ceremony taking place estate sector is continuing to that can accommodate people’s commercial returns through at the Conrad Hotel, Dubai on 8 grow at a sustainable rate as the modern lifestyles where they can delivering superior quality retail, September. demand for housing rises. live, work and play, and even hospitality, leisure, business and Cityscape Global 2015 returns According to JLL, a combina- learn in the same place. These community offerings within an with support from Foundation tion of governmental regulatory community developments are Al attractive, contemporary and Partners; Emaar Properties, Dubai changes implemented in the last Zahia in Sharjah, UAE, Waterfront diverse destination. Properties and Nakheel; Gold year across the region has City in Beirut, Lebanon, and The Cityscape Global is the annual Sponsor; Arma Properties; Project ensured market conditions in the Wave Muscat, Oman. meeting point for key real estate Marketing Sponsor; Properties residential sector remain stable. Simon Azzam, CEO, Majid Al investors, developers, invest- and Property Registration Trustee Further highlighting the posi- Futtaim Properties Communities ment promotion authorities, Partner; Tamleek Property Transfer.

UAE Debt Settlement Fund in cooperation with Al Hilal Bank awards ‘Nasaeh Maleya’ winners

DUBAI: As part of its broad Corporate Social as well as representatives from the UAE Debt viewers achieve financial stability by high- Responsibility agenda, Al Hilal Bank in coop- Settlement Fund and Mernah Production lighting best practices and investments for a eration with the UAE Debt Settlement Fund Company, the producer of the ‘Nasaeh stable life away from debt and its associated on Monday, August 24, 2015 awarded a total Maleya” (Financial Advices) TV program. burdens. Questions about the day’s topic of AED 600,000 courtesy of the Fund to 120 Al Hilal was the sole Official Sponsor of the were asked per episode during the program’s winners from the ‘Nasaeh Maleya’ financial lit- UAE Debt Settlement Fund’s rewards initia- daily airings on Abu Dhabi Al Emarat TV and eracy program held live on television during tive undertaken in cooperation with ‘Nasaeh Al Noor TV throughout the Holy Month. Four Ramadan. Maleya,’ a socially- and economically - lucky viewers with the right response won The first awarding ceremony, held under themed, 5-7 minute TV program that pro- AED 5,000 each per telecast courtesy of the Malabar Gold & Diamonds launch the theme of ‘Financial Knowledge always vides advice to the public to raise awareness UAE Debt Settlement Fund. pays off,’ was conducted at Al Hilal Bank’s on the various financial issues they face on a Sari Arar, Acting CEO of Al Hilal Bank, said: showroom in Shivamogga, Karnataka Headquarters in Abu Dhabi in the presence daily basis. “Ramadan is a period of reflection, so it is an of members of the bank’s management team The tips and suggestions given aim to help ideal moment to direct the attention of the SHIVAMOGGA: Malabar Gold & Diamonds, casual jewellery. The showroom also has an public towards issues of prime individual and one among the world’s leading jewellery impressive stock of platinum jewellery apart societal importance such as financial literacy retailers and flagship company of Malabar from gold and diamond and silver jewellery. and responsibility. Al Hilal Bank found the Group has expanded its network in According to O. Asher, Managing UAE Debt Settlement Fund’s initiative of rais- Karnataka with the inauguration of new Director, Malabar Gold and Diamonds, ing awareness on financial management world class showroom in Shivamogga. This “Apart from showcasing latest collections in through ‘Nasaeh Maleya’ a perfect platform is the 14th showroom in Karnataka. traditional as well as contemporary designs, for advancing our own advocacy of a finan- The spacious and artistically done show- understanding the cultural ethos and orna- cially-aware society. We shall continue to sup- room was inaugurated by popular South mental preferences of a region has played a port such activities that emphasize the importance of being financially conscious Indian actor PuneethRajkumar in the pres- pivotal role in making the retail jeweller and prepared in order to secure a bright ence of Malabar Gold and Diamonds, popular among the masses, cutting across future.” Managing Director, O. Asher on Saturday, cultures and geographical boundaries.” Al Hilal Bank’s support for ‘Nasaeh Maleya’ 22nd August, 2015. Having 134 showrooms in nine coun- forms part if its initiatives to help mold a The showroom is located opposite to tries, expansion plans in India include new more financially responsible and prosperous State Bank of Mysore, B.H. Road, showrooms in Nellore (Andhra), Vadodara future for the UAE and its citizens. It also Shivamogga. (Gujarat) Nagercoil (Tamil Nadu) and on the reflects the bank’s support for the UAE Debt Apart from displaying jewellery specific international front more showrooms in Settlement Fund’s vision of a debt-free socie- to the culture and celebrations of Middle East, South Asia, US and UK. ty. Al Hilal’s two previous Ramadan cam- Karnataka, the store displays the exclusive Apart from being a successful business paigns were ‘Heart to Heart,’ a initiative that range of sub brands from Malabar Gold & entity, Malabar Group has always been in drew medical and moral support for children Diamonds: Mine - Diamond jewellery, Era - the forefront of social responsibility initia- with congenital heart diseases, and ‘A Safe Uncut Diamond Jewellery, Precia - Precious tives, earmarking five percent of its annual Ramadan 4’ a campaign that helped enhance Gem Jewellery, Divine - Indian Heritage profit for CSR initiatives in the field of health, safety before Maghrib prayer timings by dis- Jewellery, Ethnix - Handcrafted designer education, housing, environmental conser- tributing Iftar meals to drivers. Jewellery Starlet - Kids’ Jewellery and Hi- vation and women’s empowerment. technology THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015 Love them or loathe them, emails are here to stay

NEW YORK: If seeing an inbox full they think their use of emails for trying to break into that space with Nearly 80 percent said they look bathroom without checking their of hundreds of emails fills you with work will increase in coming years. productivity tools, but email is not at emails before going into the email,” said Naragon. But she dread, get used to it, because they Nineteen percent said it will go up going anywhere,” she added in an office and 30 percent said they added that people are aware of are here to stay and will remain a substantially. interview. checked their inbox while still in their addiction and have tried to constant in the workplace, accord- More than 90 percent of the The workers questioned in the bed in the morning. Half of the regain a better life balance. Forty ing to a survey released yesterday. workers admitted they checked poll estimated they spend 6.3 hours respondents also monitored emails percent said they had tried a self- Despite the popularity of instant personal emails at work and 87 per- a day checking emails, with 3.2 during their vacations. imposed email detox, of which 87 messaging, texting and social cent looked at business emails out- hours devoted to work emails and The numbers were even higher percent lasted an average of five media, the poll showed that email side of working hours. 3.1 hours to personal messages. for 18-34 year olds, with 45 percent days. When asked about the most is the top communications tool at “Email is and will remain a cor- Naragon said Americans are so opening emails upon waking up. annoying thing about emails, 28 work and will grow in importance nerstone of the workplace culture,” concerned about keeping in touch More than a quarter of millennials percent said it was scrolling down over the next five years. said Kristin Naragon, of computer they monitor emails around the also admitted checking emails too far to read the entire message. In the online survey, comprising software company Adobe Systems clock, in socially unacceptable set- while driving. Nearly 40 percent of workers also 400 U.S. white-collar, adult workers, Inc, which commissioned the poll. tings and during potentially dan- “Millennials are so addicted to said they would prefer to get fewer nearly half of the respondents said “Certainly, lots of companies are gerous times. emails that half can’t even use the emails. — Reuters

Uber to work with UofA on mapping, self-driving cars

TUCSON: Uber is partnering with the Ducey has been a big proponent of Uber University of Arizona to develop mapping since taking office in January. The technology as the ride-hailing company Republican governor stopped state regula- expands its research of driverless car tech- tors from enforcing regulations that nology. required Uber drivers to have commercial The partnership announced Tuesday insurance and licenses, saying the policy between the San Francisco-based company wasn’t working and was hampering job cre- and the university includes a $25,000 grant ation. Then he backed a bill overhauling to UofA’s College of Optical Sciences. rules for ride-hailing companies like Uber “We’ll work with some of the leading and Lyft. The new law, which Ducey signed experts in lens design here at the university in April, removed regulatory roadblocks to to improve the imagery of what we capture the growing services. and use to build out mapping and our safe- In June, Ducey praised Uber at the formal ty features,” said Brian McClendon, vice pres- opening of a new customer service center in ident of advanced technology for Uber. Phoenix that is expected to eventually Uber will test mapping vehicles on Tucson employ several hundred people. Ducey said roads. McClendon wouldn’t elaborate on at the time that Uber creates jobs and helps how many Uber employees would be work- grow the economy, and the state should be ing with university researchers but said he helping it, not hindering it. considers this a long-term collaboration. Uber has made other efforts to boost its “I think the College of Optical Sciences is research into driverless cars. The company one of the leading in the world, and we are partnered with Carnegie-Mellon University looking for improving the technologies that in Pittsburgh in February on a driverless mapping and driverless vehicles are car research lab. In March, Uber also dependent on, and this is a great place to bought digital mapping specialist deCarta, start,” McClendon said. Gov. Doug Ducey which provides maps for many consumer hailed the new partnership during a news products, including General Motors’ conference at the university Tuesday. “It’s in OnStar system. Arizona’s best interest to embrace new tech- This story has been corrected to show nology,” Ducey said. “This is about economic that Uber plans to use mapping vehicles, MARYLAND: This photo shows a Yuneec Typhoon drone and controller. — AP growth. It means new jobs, new research not self-driving vehicles or map-testing opportunities here at the UofA.” vehicles, on Tucson streets. — AP Europe faces flight safety threat posed by drones

BERLIN/FRANKFURT: No-drone European Commission conceded against bird strikes, there is no data and stop them from flying,” Klaus- zones, software to block flights this year that “drone accidents will yet on engine resistance, for exam- Dieter Scheurle, head of the DFS into sensitive areas and registra- happen” and has charged its avia- ple, against a 4 or 5 kilo drone German air traffic authority, told tion rules are among proposals tion safety agency arm with devel- being sucked into an engine,” Reuters in an interview. from European regulators and avia- oping common rules for operating Schoeppenthau said. Many cities have no-fly areas for tion experts to ensure growing drones in Europe. drones already, but that has not numbers of drones don’t case dan- Aviation concerns focus on TAKING OFF stopped people from sending gerous run-ins with passenger air- smaller drones, operated like mod- Recreational drones, relatively them up. Just this year, police have craft. The use of civil drones, el planes and flown for recreation, easy to fly thanks to their four investigated drones over restricted whether for commercial purposes because their users are often not rotors, cost as little as $25 for areas in France, and, across the such as crop surveillance, monitor- familiar with the rules of the air. micro-versions and up to thou- Atlantic, over the White House. ing of natural disasters, photogra- “The problem is that encounters sands of dollars for more In much of Berlin, for example, phy or just as a fun leisure activity, with drones usually take place dur- advanced versions fitted with HD operators need a licence to fly is rising. ing the most critical phases of a video cameras. higher than 30 metres. Scheurle SAN FRANCISCO: In this Dec. 16, 2014, file photo a man leaves the headquarters of That popularity has led to flight, such as during take-off or Pilots’ associations and others said the DFS awarded 125 permits Uber in San Francisco. —AP increasing reports of near-misses landing when a drone strike could have called for drones to be fitted for people seeking to fly drones on with commercial aircraft, such as have potentially devastating con- with geo-fencing technology, the city’s disused Tempelhof air- when a Lufthansa plane was sequences,” Philip von which uses GPS software to stop field on one sunny day, but esti- approaching Warsaw airport last Schoeppenthau, Secretary General them straying into certain areas, mates around eight times as many month. The UK’s CAA issued a of the European Cockpit along with height and distance were actually flying. After riding Internet warning last month after seven Association, said. Schoeppenthau limits. They also call for registration The problem is not going to go incidents where drones had flown told Reuters drones had the poten- of drones. away. Scheurle expects drones will wave, top China investor near planes at different British air- tial to be more dangerous to an air- “We need a requirement for reg- proliferate as the technology gets ports in less than a year. craft than a bird strike. “While air- istration. That would allow us to cheaper. “It’s fun to fly them,” he bets on hardware Recognising the threat, the craft engines have been tested identify those abusing the rules said. — Reuters

BEIJING/HONG KONG: Long before she worked briefly as a banker at Morgan Stanley. became the first woman to figure in the top-10 Lee, a junior college doubles kayaking on Forbes “Midas List” of leading venture capital champion, recently invested in Chinese smart ‘Until Dawn’ adds clever investors this year, GGV Capital’s Jenny Lee cut notebook start-up Xiaoniu and EHang, a drone her teeth as an engineer on Singapore’s fighter maker that specialises in flight control software jets. and is looking to expand into agricultural and twists to teen horror genre She went on to make millions of dollars bet- industrial applications. ting on China’s software and Internet boom - She has also looked into electric cars and including buying into Xiaomi five years ago autonomous driving and flight technologies, as NEW YORK: Years of horror movies too many other movies to list - also when the company had only a prototype of the an extension of the investments in EHang and have taught us the proper response shows up to deliver his special smartphones that have since catapulted it up electric scooter NIU. Together with Hans Tung, to an invitation to spend a week- brand of sublime creepiness. the global rankings and turned it into a $45 bil- another managing partner at GGV, Lee has end at a cabin in the woods: No The motion-captured perform- lion enterprise. focused on hardware start-ups with a presence thanks. ances and animation are solid Now, Lee, 43, is going back to her hardware or founders in both China and the United If anyone followed that advice, throughout, and the lighting and roots, predicting a renaissance for start-ups as States - firms better able to marry Chinese sup- we wouldn’t have “Friday the 13th,” sound designers at the British stu- China boosts technology and skills at factories, ply chain know-how with Western product “The Evil Dead” or, well, “The Cabin dio Supermassive Games have potentially triggering a wave of new inventions design skills, Tung told Reuters. in the Woods.” But the kids in “Until done a terrific job capturing the - from drones and robots to smart cars and Dawn” (Sony, for the PlayStation 4, ambience of classic teen horror beyond. “Finally, after 15 years of investment in SIMPLE METRICS $59.95) have even more reason to movies. China, we’re starting to see the real ‘makers’ Lee, a trailblazer in the male-dominated stay home: The last time they went, The gameplay is more reminis- come to play,” Singapore-born Lee, who moved world of venture capital, says the industry is two of their friends vanished. cent of “Choose Your Own to China in 2005 to set up GGV’s Shanghai “gender agnostic,” though she quips that she’s A year later, eight teenagers Adventure” than action-heavy hor- office, said in one of several interviews with as much at home with the guys on the golf decide to return to the site to try ror games like “Resident Evil” and Reuters. course - “I drive 250 yards” - as she is having din- and get some closure on the “Silent Hill.” At times, the game GGV, founded in 2000 as Granite Global ner with entrepreneurs at home with their fam- tragedy. Of course, in this genre, presents a decision - say, between Ventures, has nearly $2.7 billion across six ily and kids. Beyond crunching numbers on “closure” means running around firing off a flare gun or saving it for funds, with early investments in e-commerce start-up businesses, Lee says she works to sim- half-naked while an axe-wielding later - that may seem innocuous giant Alibaba Group Holding, ride-hailing app ple metrics. “Have you invested? Have you maniac chases you. “Until Dawn” but could have fatal consequences Didi Kuaidi and Tujia, a Chinese vacation rental helped companies? Have you made money for steers right into the clich√©s, so hours later. There’s much chatter firm similar to Airbnb Inc. investors?” you know that as soon as two of about the “butterfly effect,” and The venture capital firm invested in Alibaba “Start-ups aren’t an object. They’re success- the teens start making out, at least there are so many decision points when Jack Ma’s group was valued at just $200 ful because of the people behind them. It’s one of them will end up on the that you’ll want to replay some sce- million. It’s now worth $171 billion. Lee also about understanding the motivation behind wrong end of something pointy. narios to see how things might invested in UCWeb, which Alibaba bought for the person. When we talked to (Xiaomi And yet, the story (co-written by have turned out differently. $4 billion last year in China’s biggest Internet founder) Lei Jun, it’s not saying ‘oh, are you horror vet Larry Fessenden) intro- There are also occasional sector deal. making a phone? What’s in it?’ He has this pas- duces some clever twists on those sequences where, in order to sur- sion, he has to win. That’s very important.” hoary genre tropes, then throws in vive, you need to press buttons in REINVENTION Executives who have worked with Lee say she a bunch more to keep you off bal- synch with onscreen prompts. China’s cabinet this year unveiled the has strong analytical skills and a steely, decisive ance. There’s a creepy psychiatrist. There’s no room for error: Mess up ‘Internet Plus’ and ‘Made in China 2025’ plans to edge. Tiak Koon Loh, CEO of Chinese tech con- There’s an ancient Native American and you’re dead, and the perspec- boost output through new investments and sultancy Pactera and a longtime business part- curse. There’s an abandoned sani- tive shifts to one of the other innovation as breakneck growth slows in the ner, recalled when Lee fired a group of execu- tarium, and a 50-year-old tragedy teenagers. Suffice to say that not world’s second-largest economy and labour tives at a portfolio business in the early 2000s, that may explain all the mayhem. everyone here gets out alive. costs rise. Lee sees a particularly attractive something relatively unheard of at the time in Don’t get too comfortable once More trigger-happy gamers will opportunity in China with these sweeping the region. “For her, business is business,” he you think you’ve pegged the psy- find fault with the limited control plans to digitize and automate the economy. said. For Lee, though, there’s more to it than cho killer, because there are still you have over the characters, and “China reinvents itself every 10 years, and you that. “I’m a very gut feel type of investor and my many hours to go before sun-up. there are scenes where all you can can see this in their policies - from the migra- background is pretty unique. I’m a hard core “Until Dawn” benefits from a do is yell at the screen while the tion from low-cost labour to software-based IT engineer. I have a real love for the industry. I game, appealing young cast, led by kids do something dumb. But isn’t personnel in 2000-05, to now precision manu- just love pulling up products and seeing things Hayden Panettiere of “Nashville” that the same way you felt watch- NEW YORK: This video game cover image released by Sony Computer facturing and automation,” said Lee, who come to life.” —Reuters and Rami Malek of “Mr. Robot.” ing “Friday the 13th”? Three stars Entertainment America LLC shows “Until Dawn.” (Sony Computer Peter Stormare - from “Fargo” and out of four. —AP Entertainment America LLC ). —AP THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015 HEALTH & SCIENCE Thailand destroys more than 2 tons of illegal ivory

BANGKOK: Thai authorities destroyed “This event shows the international lists Thailand as the world’s second- 2013 CITES put Thailand on notice to sort including continuous law enforcement more than 2 tons of seized and smuggled community that Thailand intends to tack- biggest end-user market, behind China. out the situation or face economic sanc- and the tackling of the gangs behind the ivory yesterday, in the latest move by the le the illegal ivory trade,” said Nipol The Southeast Asian country is a major tions. trade. “This is not over yet,” said Tom government to avoid possible economic Chotiban, head of the Department of transit hub and destination for smuggled Since then Thailand has passed new Milliken, one of the world experts on the sanctions over a perceived failure to tack- National Parks, Wildlife and Plant tusks, which are often carved into tourist laws and made major seizures at ports illicit trade in ivory. le the illicit trade. Tusks from more than Conservation. To emphasize the point, trinkets and ornaments. and airports. But the pressure remains. In “This is just one event that will defi- 200 dead African elephants and other Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha Part of the problem has been a Thai less than a week, Thailand must submit nitely signal to the world that the Thai items made from ivory, such as jewelry presided over the event, loading the first law that allows ivory from its own domes- an update of its progress to CITES. government is committed but the and statues, were spread across viewing tusk into the crushing machine. ticated elephants to be worked into Several wildlife and conservation impact on the market is really the critical tables before being crushed by a Thailand’s record on ivory is poor. The ornaments and sold. The law has created groups audited the stockpile before it element.” More than 14 tons of ivory machine into small pieces that were to be United Nations body that tries to tackle a loophole through which ivory from was destroyed and welcomed the event remains in Thai stockpiles, kept as part of incinerated later in the day. the illegal ivory trade, known as CITES, African animals can be laundered. In while noting that there is still much to do, court cases against smugglers. — AP Tanorexia: When getting a tan becomes an addiction Australia has world’s highest rate of melanoma

MADRID: On a warm August evening in the beach! I work here and I also want to Their profile: mainly women and people tion, according to Joel Hillhouse, a pro- Madrid a steady stream of tanned cus- tan,” she said as she left the Solmania tan- under the age of 40 — based on study fessor of public health at East Tennessee tomers parade out of a tanning salon- ning salon in the centre of Madrid. She is participants-who tan more than two State University in the United States who even in sunny Spain, the need to catch not alone. Jose Manuel Rodriguez, a times a week to the point of obtaining an has studied the psychology of tanning. some rays can turn into an addiction. handsome 36-year-old dancer, said he excessively orange or chocolatey skin They include a desire to tan on waking, a The Spanish capital receives an average comes to the salon up to three times a tone. needed for increasingly bigger “doses”, of 2,749 hours of sunshine per year, week “in order not to lose (his) natural feelings of anxiety when not tanning and according to the Spanish weather tan”. Jose Carlos Moreno of Spain’s acad- ‘Steal money to tan’ annoyance when friends and family agency, double the amount received by emy of dermatology, (AEDV), does not Tanning salons emerged in the 1980s comment on their excessive tanning, he London. That does not stop Macarena hesitate to call this need to be tanned an in the United States, and researchers in said. Some people continue to using Garcia, a university student, from seeking addiction. “They are people who never the United States have been talking tanning beds even though they have out UV rays. feel that they are tanned enough,” he about tanning addictions-dubbed skin cancer, Hillhouse said. “My family does not like it, they tell said before comparing them to “anorexi- “tanorexia”-since the 2000s. The symp- “We even had a few that were willing NYIRAGONGO: Steam and spurts of molten rock are pictured in the lava lake of me it is not healthy... but they live near cs who always feel like they are too fat”. toms are similar to those of heroin addic- to admit to us that they had done things Mount Nyiragongo, an active volcano in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, on like steal money in order to do indoor August 3, 2015. Nyiragongo, a 3470 metre (11,384 feet) peak and a steep and stiff tanning. They would actually take their five-hour hike from lush rain forests, is part of a chain of volcanoes in one of the roommate’s or their parents’ money,” he world’s most active regions. The last major eruption in 2002 saw fast flowing lava said. Researchers say that exposure to devastate the nearby city of Goma, covering the city of a million inhabitants in a riv- ultraviolet rays itself can be addictive. er of molten rock flowing as fast as 100 kilometres (60 miles) per hour. — AFP “One of the reasons why the tanners tan is not only how they look, but how it makes them feel,” said Steve Feldman, a professor of dermatology at Wake Forest Gorillas not guerrillas: University in South Carolina. Sunlight stimulates the release of endorphins, hormones that result in feelings of relax- Tourism hope in Congo ation or euphoria very similar to that generated by morphine, Feldman said. NYIRAGONGO: Tourists perch perilously on a and a motivation to protect the park. volcano’s edge as swirling smoke belches from “Every tourist that visits Virunga is con- Banned in Brazil, Australia the fiery cauldron of lava below, the latest tributing,” Merode said. In 2011, over 3,000 The World Health Organization has unlikely visitors holidaying in war-torn visitors came to Virunga, but violence forced since 2012 classified UV-emitting tan- Democratic Republic of Congo. the park shut the next year, and only fully ning devices as carcinogenic to humans. Below, sounding like a roaring sea, spurts reopening in late 2014. But tourist numbers Brazil became the first country in the of molten rock fly high into the air, as one of have bounced back, with almost 3,000 visiting world to ban indoor tanning bed in 2009, the world’s largest lava lakes and most active already so far this year, bringing in much followed by Australia in 2014. Australia volcanos puts on its mesmerising show. needed revenues to pay rangers. A total of 16 has the highest rate of melanoma in the Eastern DR Congo has been mired for decades tourists can hike up the mountain a day - on a world with 11,000 cases per year. in rebel battles, but such sights are helping recent trip in torrential rain and hail storms up Melanoma is the deadliest kind of skin bring tourists back to Virunga National Park, the peak made by AFP, a dozen tourists took cancer, and is highly linked to sun expo- which reopened last year after the battle lines part, with nationalities including Americans, sure. According to Vanessa Rock, the shifted in its favour. Surrounding misty forests Belgians, British and Israelis. The last major chair of the National Skin Cancer in green hills of the vast park-stretching for eruption in 2002 saw fast flowing lava devas- MADRID: A tanning bed or sunbed is pictured at a salon in Madrid yesterday. On a warm August evening in Committee in Australia, studies have 7,800 square kilometres (3,010 square miles) tate the Goma, covering the city of around a Madrid a steady stream of tanned customers parade out of a tanning salon — even in sunny Spain the shown that sunbeds increase melanoma — are home to a quarter of the world’s critical- million in a river of molten rock flowing as fast need to catch some rays can turn into an addiction with some people continuing to use tanning beds even risk by 20 percent, regardless of age at ly endangered mountain gorillas. as 100 kilometres (60 miles) per hour. though they have skin cancer. — AFP first use. — AFP The tourists are vital: the income they Oscar-nominated 2014 documentary bring funds the park’s survival. “The frontlines, “Virunga”-which showed the efforts to protect they were down there,” one porter says, peer- Africa’s oldest national park from war, poach- ing down from the volcano through the jun- ers and oil companies-has also brought back With many Ebola survivors ailing, gles towards the lights of the lakeside city of tourists. Goma, some 20 kilometres (12 miles) south- wards, referring to a rebel force who briefly ‘I saw how the Earth was born’ doctors evaluate situation took control in late 2012. “We saw the film, and said, we have to see Nyiragongo, a 3470 metre (11,384 feet) that,” said Jacques, a Belgian businessman peak and a steep and stiff five-hour hike from working in Congo, after trekking into the DAKAR: Lingering health problems infected have survived Ebola, according who survived Ebola in a village in biggest challenge is now my health,” he lush rain forests, is part of a chain of volcanoes steamy jungles to see the gorillas, the symbol afflicting many of the roughly 13,000 to WHO estimates. But while the sur- Liberia’s Grand Cape Mount County, said said. He loses vision from time to time. in one of the world’s most active regions. of the park. Ebola survivors have galvanized global vivors beat the odds, preliminary he had fevers, headaches, lower abdomi- Sometimes if people call out to him Rangers communicate with the gorillas, and local health officials to find out how research shows that many are still suffer- nal pain and red eyes after he returned on the street he can’t hear them. Eye Tourism ‘vital’ to Virunga’s future exchanging heavy grunts to reassure the widespread the ailments are, and how to ing. Around half those who received home. “I have been experiencing whole problems were noted in some survivors “Holiday on Mount Doom,” said Fabian, a groups, including the massive male “silver- remedy them. post-recovery check-ups have joint pain, lot of problems within my body system,” of Ebola outbreaks in Congo in 1995, in teenage Belgian tourist visiting with his moth- back” weighing an estimated 160 kilos (350 The World Health Organization calls it said Dr. Daniel Bausch, an Ebola expert he said. “I still feel pains in my back. It is Uganda’s Gulu district in 2000 and in er, referring to the volcano in the fantasy pounds). an emergency within an emergency. and consultant for WHO. very difficult for me to swing my arms. ... Uganda’s Bundibugyo district in 2007. world of British author J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord “With each person coming to visit Virunga, Many of the survivors have vision and “We don’t have the capacity yet - we My vision is always blurred, like dew on But with such small numbers, past out- of the Rings” epic. “Some things can only be there is a little bit more hope that things will hearing issues. Some others experience wish we did - to follow every survivor,” he my face.” Lab technician Mohamed SK breaks haven’t provided sufficient believed by seeing,” he added quietly, peering get better,” said MÈlanie Gouby, a French physical and emotional pains, fatigue said. Consequently, the percentage of Sesay was working at a hospital in opportunities for extensive study, down from the cliff’s edge in hushed awe at investigative journalist, whose work to expose and other problems. The medical com- survivors who have complications isn’t Kenema, a town in eastern Sierra Leone, Bausch said. the raging fire below, the night sky turned red oil company expansion into the park is a key munity is negotiating uncharted waters known, he said. He described the joint testing blood samples for Ebola when he Now, with thousands of survivors, from the glowing lava. part of the film. as it tries to measure the scale of this pain as “very debilitating and a very seri- fell sick with the virus. About eight mem- doctors want to learn why people are The tourist industry in the region-needed “It’s wonderful that so many tourists have problem that comes on the tail end of ous problem that can prevent people bers of his team got infected and he was experiencing these ailments, how they to keep the UNESCO world heritage site run- come back in such a short time after the end the biggest Ebola outbreak in history. from going back to work and providing among the few survivors, WHO said. affect the body, what percentage of sur- ning and its animal inhabitants safe-collapsed of the conflict - to hear that the documentary “If we can find out this kind of infor- for their family.” Some degree of changes After he recovered, he was dis- vivors has issues and how to treat them. in 2012. Militia forces remain active, and is part of the reason why they are coming to mation, hopefully we can help other in vision has been reported by roughly charged from an Ebola treatment unit in Experts also want to learn whether Virunga’s chief warden Emmanuel de Merode Virunga is both incredibly exciting and hum- Ebola survivors in the future,” Dr. Zan 25 percent of the survivors who have September. He was still weak, and says the physical problems are directly was himself wounded by gunmen by 2014. bling,” Gouby added. Yeong, an eye specialist involved in a been seen by medics, he said, including he was shunned by his community. caused by the virus, whether they exist- But the well-trained and armed guides say As night falls and temperatures drop study of health problems in survivors in severe inflammation of the eye that if Then his health deteriorated. ed before, are side-effects or perhaps it is now safe, and visitors are coming back. For below freezing, the warmth from the molten Liberia, told The Associated Press. untreated can result in blindness, he said. “Sleepless nights. Joint pain. Muscle autoimmune reactions, Bausch said. tourists, an hour with a gorilla family costs lava warms the hands of the tourists, dangling About 7,500 people will enroll - 1,500 The Ebola virus has been found, in at pain,” he said. “I started experiencing loss $400, while a night on the volcano costs $250. their legs over the sheer drop into the crater, Ebola survivors and 6,000 of their close least a few cases, to linger in the eyes, of weight. .. Loss of sight was the worst Better care plans Tourism revenue is “vital” to the future of watching plate tectonics in action. contacts - and will be monitored over a though experts say it is not transmitted one that set me off. I used to cry. I “It’s too early ... to know what the Virunga, helping to benefit some four million “I saw how the Earth was born,” one entry five-year period in the study launched by through tears. couldn’t see my computer.” He was direct effect or link is to Ebola, if at all,” people in and around the vast park, as well as from an American couple read in the park’s Partnership for Research on Ebola attended to by one of Sierra Leone’s few Bausch said. In early August, WHO gath- “peace and prosperity” in general, Merode told visitor’s book. “How often can you climb a Vaccines in Liberia, or PREVAIL. Blurred vision eye doctors and his health improved ered experts in Sierra Leone who con- AFP. It gives people an alternative income mountain and come back with an understand- Only about 40 percent of those Morris Kallon, 34, a health worker overall, but he still has bad days. “My cluded that more needs to be done to than cutting down the forests for charcoal, ing of how we are all here?” — AFP provide better care plans for survivors, and more research and specialist help is needed. Post-recovery problems haven’t been confined to West African survivors, whose health might not have been strong to begin with considering the poor state of health care in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea - the three impover- ished countries most affected by Ebola - even before the epidemic. Dr. Ian Crozier, an American who became infected while working in Sierra Leone for WHO, developed an inflamma- tion and high pressure in one eye months after being released from treat- ment. His iris temporarily changed color from blue to green; doctors found his eye contained the Ebola virus. He is still recovering, but his vision has improved, according to Emory University Hospital which has been treating him. Nancy Writebol, who last year became the second American infected with Ebola, said she suffers joint pain, mostly in her knees. She said she had MANAGUA: An elderly woman has her mouth and nose covered with a piece of cloth problems with her vision, but they seem as Health Ministry workers fumigate against the Aedes aegypti mosquito to prevent to have gone away. the spread of dengue fever and chikungunya in Managua, yesterday. The She assists a weekly survivor clinic in HONOLULU: Scott Muranka, of the Hawaii Department of Health, takes a water quality sample at Ala Nicaraguan government issued a health alert as a dengue fever and chikungunya Liberia at ELWA hospital run by Serving Moana Beach Park in Honolulu, Tuesday. Stretches of Waikiki’s white sands and blue waters were deserted epidemic have killed 9 people and infected nearly 200,000 between January and In Mission, a North Carolina-based Tuesday after officials warned that heavy rains triggered a half-million-gallon sewage spill near Hawaii’s August this year in Central America. Alerts have been declared in Nicaragua, El Christian organization. — AP world-famous tourist district. — AP Salvador and Guatemala. — AFP THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015 HEALTH & SCIENCE

Size matters for science Tardy tax filers risk loss paper writers, study finds of health care subsidies PARIS: Short really is sweet when it tals,” was cited 68 times, and “A draft comes to scientific paper titles, accord- sequence of the neandertal genome” ing to researchers looking for the 700 times. Thousands risk of losing financial aid secret to academic stardom. A suc- The researchers waded through cinct title made a study more likely to some 140,000 papers, focusing on WASHINGTON: Sign-up season for the industry group America’s must do so now if they received tomer actually filed. If they did not, be cited by fellow academics the gold those most-cited between 2007 and President Barack Obama’s health Health Insurance Plans. Sign-up health care tax credits, which the system will catch up to them standard for measuring its reach, the 2013, with titles ranging from one to care law doesn’t start for another season starts Nov. 1, and insurers means dealing with complex new eventually. Those who lie about British team wrote in a study pub- 55 words. They found a strong correla- couple of months, but the next few typically send bills for January in forms. Although 2015 is the second having filed a tax return would vio- lished Wednesday by the Royal Society tion between the length of a paper’s days are crucial for hundreds of mid-December. year of the program’s coverage late perjury laws. Open Science journal. title and the number of times it was thousands of customers at risk of The last thing insurers want is expansion, is the first year for tax Republican critics say the “These results are consistent with quoted by fellow scientists. losing financial aid when they consumers blaming them. They’re implications. administration bends the rules to the intriguing hypothesis that papers “In 2011, each character added renew coverage for 2016. particularly concerned that satis- The program is also complicated keep enrollment numbers up and with shorter titles may be easier to onto a paper’s title had a tendency to Call them tardy tax filers: An esti- fied customers just waiting for their to administer for its two lead gov- are sure to find fault with the back- understand,” and thus more eye-catch- reduce the number of citations by mated 1.8 million households that coverage to automatically renew ernment agencies, the Centers for stop. As of the start of the summer, ing, according to researchers from the approximately 1.78 percent,” said got subsidies for their premiums might get a nasty surprise. Medicare and Medicaid Services, the IRS estimated that up to 1.8 mil- data science lab at Britain’s Warwick Letchford. But he argued there was last year but failed to file a 2014 tax Hoping to stave off problems which runs HealthCare.gov, and the lion households were at risk of los- Business School. also a risk in excessive economy of return as required by the law, or left that could get amplified in an elec- IRS. Federal law imposes strict pri- ing subsidies. Although some of The study itself was entitled: “The words. out key IRS paperwork. tion year, the IRS started notifying vacy safeguards for tax returns, and those probably followed through, Because of coordination issues tardy filers in mid-July. The form let- there are limits to information the it’s still the latest official number. It advantage of short paper titles”-a “My colleagues and I could have between the IRS and marketplaces ters spell out in bold type that filing IRS can provide to other agencies. breaks down as follows: About terse offering in the verbose world of called it ‘Paper Titles’, or if we were like HealthCare.gov, consumers an electronic tax return within 30 Tax returns take time to process, 760,000 households that got tax scientific publishing. really bold, ‘Titles,’” Letchford said of who keep procrastinating into the days “will greatly reduce the risk of and HealthCare.gov can’t get real- credits and filed their tax returns, More common are such tongue- the team’s own study. “But this really fall are taking chances with their an interruption” in health care sub- time updates. but omitted a new form that is the twisters such as: “Compartmentalization doesn’t help anyone to understand financial aid, according to insurers sidies. So even if a procrastinator real- key to accounting for the subsidies. of membrane trafficking, glucose trans- what the paper is about,” he added. “A and the tax agency. That means, for Obama’s health care law created izes his mistake and files a tax Called Form 8962, it was new for port, glycolysis, actin, tubulin and the paper might be better off with a title example, that someone who’s been tax credits to help people afford return in October, HealthCare.gov this year’s tax filing season. proteasome in the Hermes Body of epi- that is short as well as informative.” paying a monthly premium of $90 private insurance. Nationally that might not reflect that information About 710,000 households that didymal sperm b”, the title of another Letchford stressed that ultimately, could suddenly get hit with a bill aid averages $272 a month, cover- until much later. did not file a 2014 return by the paper carried by the same publishing “a piece of research’s quality and for $360. ing roughly three-fourths of the The administration says it has a tax-filing deadline, although they group. To illustrate the “short is sweet” intrinsic significance should have the Government officials say they premium. By funneling dollars backstop for consumers who get were legally required to account for phenomenon, researcher Adrian most impact on its success.” But pre- have a backstop planned that through the income tax system, tripped up by the time lag. They health insurance tax credits. Some Letchford offered a tale of two studies vious studies have shown that an should help many procrastinators. Democrats were able to call the will be able to attest that they filed 360,000 households that got tax published in 2010 in the prestigious author’s reputation, the prestige of Nonetheless, insurers and advocacy overhaul the largest middle-class their tax returns and continue to credits and requested an extension groups say they’ve been told the tax cut for health care in history. receive their subsidies in 2016. “We to file their returns. journal Science. the journal, the field of study and best way returning customers can But in doing so, they also spliced want to make sure they don’t have Under tax law, they have until “The role of particle morphology in the use of a colon in the title can avoid hassles is to file their taxes together two really complicated a gap in affordable coverage,” said Oct. 15 to file and that would still interfacial energy transfer in also play a role in whether it suc- correctly by Aug. 31. areas: Health insurance and taxes. Lori Lodes, communications direc- be considered timely. But to avoid CDSE/CDS heterostructure nanocrys- ceeds or fails. — AFP “You don’t want to get to That’s led to confusion for many tor for HealthCare.gov. problems with their health insur- December and realize that your consumers. For example, low- HealthCare.gov will also recheck ance subsidies, they really need to subsidy amount isn’t there,” said income people who weren’t previ- IRS data in late December. But the act much sooner. Coral gets bailed out Clare Krusing, spokeswoman for ously required to file tax returns backstop only works if the cus- by an enemy: Study

PARIS: Under attack from hordes of rav- Crown-of-thorns sea stars are a major enous starfish, Pacific coral is getting problem in the Pacific, which is home to help from an unexpected source-sea- the world’s biggest coral reef ecosystem, weed, an arch enemy, researchers said the Great Barrier Reef. Its coral has yesterday. Seaweed is no friend of the declined by more than 50 percent over fragile ecosystems of coral reefs, pump- the past 25 years with sea stars getting ing out harmful chemicals, blocking out much of the blame, the researchers said life-giving sunlight and rubbing up in a statement. against and damaging the threatened marine invertebrates. Stopped cold by seaweed But it turns out the plants also fend In a two-year study in a protected off coral-munching crown-of-thorns marine area off the coast of the Fiji starfish, which pose an even bigger islands, Clements examined what sea threat, according to a study published in stars and seaweed did to coral. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: He used portable coral samples to Biological Sciences. test their reaction to different sizes of So being covered in seaweed repre- seaweed growth. sents the lesser of two evils for coral: In the absence of seaweed, coral mass “better than being eaten,” said study co- more than doubled in about four author Cody Clements, a graduate stu- months. But coral which shared its habi- dent at the Georgia Institute of tat with multiple seaweed fronds grew a Technology in the United States. mere 40 percent over the same period. “Corals surrounded by seaweeds were Researchers then moved on to study- virtually immune to attack by the sea ing sea star attacks and found they tar- stars, essentially converting seaweeds geted exposed parts and not those pro- from enemies to friends,” said co-author tected by plant growth. Mark Hay, a professor at the university. The frequency of attacks was 50 per- The research could be helpful in man- cent lower on coral surrounded by two aging coral reefs, which are under seaweed fronds. The scientists placed increasing threat from climate change, two coral colonies in separate cages chemical run-off from farming, and the with a sea star one containing seaweed, crown-of-thorns starfish. the other without. “The sea stars were Sea stars have a unique feeding deterred,” said Hay. “They wouldn’t eat mechanism by which a sack-like stom- the coral surrounded by the seaweeds.” ach emerges from their mouth to envel- The reason the plants work as a deter- This August 24, 2015 image released by NASA shows the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Kounotori 5 H-II Transfer op and externally digest the corals’ living rent was not known, but the team spec- Vehicle (HTV-5) during final approach towards the International Space Station. The HTV-5 is delivered more than 8,000 pounds of tissue, killing them. “All they leave ulated the seaweed may present a physi- equipment, supplies and experiments in a pressurized cargo compartment. The unpressurized compartment will deliver the behind are the coral skeletons,” said cal barrier, hiding the coral or making it 1,400-pound CALorimetric Electron Telescope (CALET) investigation, an astrophysics mission that will search for signatures of Clements. harder to get to. — AFP dark matter and provide the highest energy direct measurements of the cosmic ray electron spectrum. — AFP WHAT’S ON THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015

The Sultan Center opens at the Promenade Mall

he Sultan Center held an opening cer- Shoppers will also find everyday supermar- look forward to offering the neighborhood emony on Monday, August 24th to ket and home center items they are accus- community an inspiring new shopping des- Tcelebrate the opening of its thirty- tomed to buying. tination and we are committed to providing third store in Kuwait and it sixty-fifth in the Commenting on the new opening, quality, variety, value and service that are region at The Promenade Mall located in Ayman Sultan, Vice Chairman and Group customers expect from TSC”. The store has Hawally on Tunis Street opposite Third Ring Managing Director said, “The opening of highly trained staff ready to assist, ample Road. The opening was held under the The Sultan Center at The Promenade ele- parking and carry-out service is available. attendance of TSC management, suppliers, vates our services to new heights in order to The store is opened daily from 7:00 am to customers and media representatives. exceed our customers’ expectations. We 12:00 am. With over 35 years of experience and expertise in the retail industry, TSC contin- ues to pave the way for customers to enjoy a unique shopping experience. The new TSC store features the largest variety of fresh fruits and vegetables from around the world, a full- service meat and seafood counter featuring an abundant variety of meat cuts with the freshest seafood and a deli featuring local favorites, specialty cheeses, meats, salads and a variety of ready- to- serve entrees to serve at home or enjoy in the stores cozy dining section. In addition, the store features an in-store bakery where customers can select from a range of freshly baked artisan breads, crois- sants, cakes and pasties there is also a coffee bar where customers can sit back relax and enjoy a cup of freshly brewed coffee.

Farwaniya Governor Sheikh Faisal Al-Humoud Al-Malek Al-Sabah attended the closing ceremony of a summer training program for people with special needs, which was organized by the Kuwaiti Society for Guardians of the Disabled. Sheikha Sheikha Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah, the honorary chairperson of the Kuwait Disabled Sport Club attended the ceremony.

Director General of the General Department of Civil Defense welcomed a students’ delegation from the summer club of Sabah Al-Salem’s Social Development Center. The students were taken in a tour around the department to learn about the process of work there. WHAT’S ON THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015

Bayt Lothan hosts Mexican artist’s Alebrijes workshop

By Athoob Al-Shuaibi

exican Artist Polina Porras organized dur- ing her visit to Kuwait an ‘Alebrijes’ work- Mshop on puppets, masks and sculptures at Bayt Lothan on Tuesday. The workshop began by presenting historical information about pup- pets and sculptures making in Mexico. Then, Porras explained how vivid colors and patterns are connected to her country’s culture. Following her instructions, participants from all ages started to create their own sculptures accompanied with Mexican music. The sculptures created by using paper maiche techniques that are based on recy- cled papers, colored tissue papers and glue. The workshop was fully booked and both the artist and her sister were assisting the participants to come up with more creative ideas. Artist Polina Porras is visiting Kuwait as part of her world tour. “I did not ache from a jet lag because I came to Kuwait from Germany,” she said. Porras has received large commissions from a leading institu- tion in Latin American art in the United States and grants by the Department of Cultural Affairs of New York. Her artwork is determined by her Mexican and Russian origins which she is always exploring. Sheraton, Four Points welcome LoYAC Trainees

he Sheraton Kuwait and Four Points by Sheraton Kuwait welcomed Lothan Youth Achievement Center T(LoYAC) trainees for this year which is part of the hotels’ responsibility toward the society that has accom- panied and supported their activities since its inception. The LoYAC summer program continues for a period of six weeks where the hotel provides the trainees with the opportunity to explore different departments and involve them in practical training, different activi- ties and supportive workshops to help the young gen- eration grasp the spirit of working as a team, achieve the highest standard of excellent hospitality which adds valuable work experience to their knowledge. Sheraton Kuwait and Four Points by Sheraton Kuwait believe that these students are the key that will lead this country towards prosperity in the future. On this occasion, Fahed Abushaar, Area Director and General Manager of Sheraton Kuwait and Mounir Amer, General Manager of Four Points by Sheraton Kuwait praised the importance of the great relation and support that binds the hotels with Lothan Youth Achievements Center (LoYAC), because it aims to provide the youth of today with a way to use their time more productively to benefit themselves and the society in advance. Fahed Abushaar addressed the LoYAC students saying: “The future generation is you, soar high!” Qatar Airways hosts trip to Kidzania Kuwait Carrier supports Qatar’s children’s charities to reward students

wenty children from the Shafallah Center for Children Kidzania Kuwait, which opened in 2013, was built on the The non-profit organization, Shafallah Center was found- with Special Needs and the Qatar Orphans Foundation concept of ‘edutainment’, providing education and entertain- ed by Shaikha Moza bint Nasser to provide comprehensive TDhreima recently spent a day at Kidzania, Kuwait, ment that embraces the educational potential in having fun. services to children with limited capabilities from birth to sponsored by Qatar Airways. Qatar Airways sponsors the aviation activities provided by adulthood. The first facility of its kind in the world, it offers Kidzania is a child-sized replica city featuring miniature Kidzania Kuwait, where children can explore the inside of an state-of-the-art technologies including an on-site genetic AOU announces buildings, transport and shops, which provides them the aircraft, learn about the cockpit and control panels as pilots, research centre, cutting-edge therapies and expert learning opportunity to practice working as an adult and earning and safety procedures and hospitality services as cabin crew. support services and counselors. registration, money. Dhreima, the Qatar Orphan Foundation, was founded in Fadi Gdayyan Hijazin, Qatar Airways Country Manager 2003 as an independent organization dedicated to provide Kuwait, said:”Qatar Airways’ office in Kuwait was delighted an integrated Islamic system of care and shelter to orphans drop/add dates to welcome the children from Shafallah and Dhreima to in the state of Qatar, where it offers residential and non-resi- enjoy some well-deserved time at Kidzania. We hope that dential services. The foundation also helps families to find he Arab Open University (AOU) announced that registra- this initiative was a memorable one for them, and Qatar solutions to domestic crises, and provides support for social, tion for current students for the first semester starts on Airways is proud to be able to provide such wonderful activ- psychological, legal, educational and health conditions for ities in our local community.” foster children. TSunday, September 6, 2015 for business management sec- The children were invited to attend two days of fun fes- As one of the fastest growing airlines in the world, Qatar tion, and Monday, September 7, 2015 for the information tech- tivities in Kuwait City, in collaboration with the Residence Airways has experienced rapid growth in just 18 years of nology and English literature sections. Meanwhile, the Inn by Marriott hotel, where they enjoyed an exclusive event operation. Today it flies a modern fleet of 164 aircraft to 151 drop/add period will take place from October 3, 2015 to on the afternoon of Wednesday 19thAugust, followed by a key business and leisure destinations across Europe, the October 8, 2015, head of the registration department at AOU special dinner complete with FC Barcelona and Qatar Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North America and South Nahid Al-Sheikh said. Airways gifts. America. THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015 TV PROGRAMS

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News 01:00 The Nightly Show With Larry 14:30 Patoruzito: The Great 19:00 WWE NXT 02:50 Return Of The Great White 19:00 House Of DVF Wilmore 00:30 He Got Game Adventure Spinjitzu 20:00 WWE SmackDown 03:10 Henry Hugglemonster Serial Killer 20:00 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills 01:30 Jonah From Tonga 03:00 1911 16:00 Home Alone 3 04:50 Teen Titans Go! 22:00 Golfing World 03:20 Calimero 03:40 Auction Hunters: Pawn Shop 21:00 Stewarts And Hamiltons 02:00 The League 05:00 Eternal Sunshine Of The 18:00 Ghatothkach - Master Of 05:00 Teen Titans Go! 23:00 NRL Premiership 03:35 Zou Edition 22:00 E! News 02:30 It’s Always Sunny In Spotless Mind Magic 05:10 Grojband 03:45 Loopdidoo 04:05 Auction Hunters 23:00 The Soup Philadelphia 07:00 The French Minister 20:00 Daddy I’m A Zombie 05:35 Grojband 04:00 04:30 Savage Family Diggers 23:30 Sex With Brody 04:30 The Tonight Show Starring 09:00 Atlas Shrugged Part 2: The Strike 22:00 Patoruzito: The Great 06:00 Regular Show 04:25 Henry Hugglemonster 05:00 What Happened Next? Jimmy Fallon 11:00 The French Minister Adventure 06:11 Regular Show 04:35 Calimero 05:30 How Do They Do It? 05:30 Til Death 13:00 Jack And The Cuckoo Clock 23:45 Marvel’s Next Avengers: 06:20 New Regular Show 00:30 ICC Cricket 360, Episode 33 04:50 Zou 06:00 Gold Rush 06:30 Cristela Heart Heroes Of Tomorrow 06:31 Regular Show 06:50 Fat N’ Furious: Rolling 07:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers 15:00 Yellow Rock 18:30 ICC Cricket 360, Episode 33 06:40 Uncle Grandpa 05:00 Loopdidoo Thunder 08:30 Til Death 17:00 Atlas Shrugged Part 2: The Strike 19:00 Women’s Ashes: ENG v 06:50 Uncle Grandpa 05:15 Art Attack 07:40 Fast N’ Loud 10:30 Cristela 19:00 August: Osage County AUS, 1st T20I H/Ls 07:00 Adventure Time 05:35 Henry Hugglemonster 08:30 Auction Hunters: Pawn Shop 00:00 Chopped 11:00 The Tonight Show Starring 21:00 Knife Fight 20:00 CPL T20 H/L: 1st Semi Final 07:25 The Amazing World Of 05:50 Calimero Edition 01:00 Chopped South Africa Jimmy Fallon 23:00 The Wolf Of Wall Street 21:00 CPL T20 H/L: 2nd Semi Final Gumball 06:00 Zou 08:55 Auction Hunters 02:00 Kitchen Inferno 13:00 Til Death 00:00 Babylon A.D-PG15 22:00 CPL T20 H/L: Final 07:36 The Amazing World Of 06:15 Loopdidoo 09:20 Savage Family Diggers 03:00 Roadtrip With G. Garvin 16:00 The Nightly Show With Larry 01:45 Guardians Of The Galaxy Gumball 06:25 Limon And Oli 09:45 What Happened Next? 03:30 Roadtrip With G. Garvin Wilmore 04:00 Breakout-PG15 07:47 The Amazing World Of 06:35 Art Attack 10:10 How Do They Do It? 04:00 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 17:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers 06:00 10 Years-PG15 Gumball 07:00 Calimero 10:35 Mythbusters 04:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 18:30 Last Man Standing 01:00 The Double-PG15 08:00 Percy Jackson: Sea Of 07:58 The Amazing World Of 07:10 Zou 11:25 The Carbonaro Effect 05:00 Chopped 19:00 Modern Family 03:00 Lucy-PG15 Monsters-PG Gumball 07:25 Minnie’s Bow-Toons 01:00 Nuclear Family 11:50 Magic Of Science 06:00 Iron Chef America 19:30 Modern Family 05:00 Seven Days In Utopia-PG15 10:00 Planet 51-PG 08:10 Ben 10 07:30 Jake And The Never Land 02:45 John Rabe: Part 1 12:15 The Island With Bear Grylls 07:00 Roadtrip With G. Garvin 20:00 The Tonight Show Starring 07:00 How To Train Your Dragon 2- 11:45 Guardians Of The Galaxy 08:55 Ninjago: Masters Of Pirates 04:15 John Rabe: Part 2 13:05 Auction Hunters: Pawn Shop 07:30 Roadtrip With G. Garvin Jimmy Fallon 09:00 Divergent-PG15 14:00 The Wolverine-PG15 Spinjitzu 07:55 Sofia The First 05:45 Out Of Reach Edition 08:00 Chopped 21:30 The Nightly Show With Larry 11:30 Diana-PG15 16:15 Percy Jackson: Sea Of 09:15 New Regular Show 08:20 Doc McStuffins 07:15 The Foreigner 13:30 Auction Hunters 09:00 Guy’s Grocery Games Wilmore 13:30 Great Expectations-PG15 Monsters-PG 09:26 Regular Show 08:45 Loopdidoo 09:00 The Station Agent 13:55 Savage Family Diggers 10:00 The Kitchen 22:00 Big Time In Hollywood, Fl 16:30 Divergent-PG15 18:00 The Monuments Men-PG15 09:40 The Amazing World Of 09:00 Limon And Oli 10:30 Frankenweenie 14:20 Gold Rush 11:00 Easy Chinese: San 22:30 The League 19:00 Hercules-PG15 20:00 Endless Love-PG15 Gumball 09:10 Sheriff Callie’s Wild West 12:00 Inside Out 15:10 Fat N’ Furious: Rolling Francisco 23:00 It’s Always Sunny In 21:00 John Wick-18 22:00 Without Men-18 10:00 Uncle Grandpa 09:35 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 13:30 Death At A Funeral Thunder 11:30 Easy Chinese: San Philadelphia 23:00 Deliver Us From Evil-18 10:12 Uncle Grandpa 10:00 Sofia The First 15:00 Barricade 16:00 Fast N’ Loud Francisco 23:30 Late Night With Seth Meyers 10:25 Steven Universe 10:30 Jake And The Never Land 16:50 What Happened Next? 12:00 Chopped 16:30 Beyond A Reasonable Doubt 10:36 Steven Universe Pirates 18:15 The Foreigner 10:55 Miles From Tomorrow 17:15 How Do They Do It? 13:00 Guy’s Big Bite 07:00 Golfing World 10:45 Total Drama: All Stars 17:40 Deadliest Catch 13:30 Guy’s Big Bite 20:00 The King’s Speech 11:10 Adventure Time 11:20 Doc McStuffins 12:00 Live PGA European Tour 22:00 Gangs Of New York 11:45 Henry Hugglemonster 18:30 Treehouse Masters 14:00 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 15:30 European Tour Weekly 11:20 Adventure Time 19:20 Flip Men 11:30 Johnny Test 12:00 Henry Hugglemonster 14:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 00:00 Grimm 01:15 The Elf Who Stole Christmas 16:00 Live PGA European Tour 19:45 Property Wars 12:25 Teen Titans Go! 12:10 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 15:00 Roadtrip With G. Garvin 01:00 The Flash 02:45 Scooby-Doo! Ghastly Goals! 20:00 European Tour Weekly 12:40 New Regular Show 12:35 Sheriff Callie’s Wild West 12:51 Regular Show 13:00 Sofia The First 13:00 Regular Show 13:30 Loopdidoo 00:00 American Idol 13:11 Regular Show 13:40 Limon And Oli 01:00 MasterChef Australia 13:25 Adventure Time 13:50 Cars Toons 02:00 The Bridge 13:35 Adventure Time 13:55 Jake And The Neverland 03:00 Desperate Housewives 13:45 Uncle Grandpa Pirates 04:00 Desperate Housewives 14:10 Steven Universe 14:20 Miles From Tomorrow 05:00 Melissa & Joey 14:21 Steven Universe 14:45 Messages From Miles 05:30 Melissa & Joey 14:30 Total Drama World Tour 14:50 Doc McStuffins 06:00 The Simpsons 14:55 Ben 10: Omniverse 15:15 Sofia The First 06:30 The Simpsons 15:15 Ben 10: Omniverse 15:40 Art Attack 07:00 Lost 15:40 Ninjago: Masters Of 16:05 Nina Needs To Go 08:00 American Idol Spinjitzu 16:10 Lilo & Stitch 09:00 MasterChef Australia 16:00 Matt Hatter Chronicles 16:35 Adventures Of The 10:00 The Bridge 16:25 Teen Titans Go! New Gummi Bears 11:00 Desperate Housewives 16:35 Teen Titans Go! 17:00 Chip n Dale Rescue 12:00 Desperate Housewives 16:45 Teen Titans Go! Rangers 13:00 Melissa & Joey 17:10 Uncle Grandpa 17:25 Ducktales 13:30 Melissa & Joey 17:21 Uncle Grandpa 17:50 Jake And The Neverland 14:00 The Simpsons 17:30 New Regular Show Pirates 14:30 The Simpsons 17:41 Regular Show 18:00 Miles From Tomorrow 15:00 Lost 17:55 Regular Show 18:25 Messages From Miles 16:00 American Idol 18:06 Regular Show 18:30 Sofia The First 17:00 MasterChef Australia 18:15 Adventure Time 18:55 Doc McStuffins 18:00 The Listener 18:40 The Amazing World Of 19:15 Jake And The Never Land 19:00 The Listener Gumball Pirates 20:00 Castle 18:51 The Amazing World Of 19:35 Sheriff Callie’s Wild West 21:00 Happy Endings Gumball 20:05 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 21:30 Happy Endings 19:02 The Amazing World Of 20:35 Sofia The First 22:00 The Simpsons Gumball 21:00 Adventures Of The 22:30 The Simpsons 19:13 The Amazing World Of Gummi Bears 23:00 Lost Gumball 21:25 Chip n Dale Rescue 19:25 Clarence Rangers 19:45 Uncle Grandpa 21:50 Ducktales 19:57 Uncle Grandpa 22:15 Lilo & Stitch 20:20 Teen Titans Go! 22:40 Zou 20:30 Teen Titans Go! 22:55 Limon And Oli 00:15 Adventures Of Don Juan 20:41 Teen Titans Go! 23:05 Henry Hugglemonster 02:05 2001: A Space Odyssey 20:55 Ben 10: Omniverse 23:20 Calimero 04:20 Adventures Of Don Juan 21:17 Ben 10: Omniverse 23:35 Zou 07:00 The Outriders-FAM 21:40 Adventure Time 23:50 Loopdidoo 08:35 Son Of A Gunfighter-FAM 21:51 Adventure Time 00:05 Art Attack 10:05 The Prisoner Of Zenda-FAM 22:02 Adventure Time 00:30 Henry Hugglemonster 11:45 Raintree County-PG 22:13 Adventure Time 00:45 Calimero 14:30 The Naked Spur-PG 01:00 Zou 16:00 Where The Spies Are-PG 22:25 Johnny Test 23:10 Regular Show 01:15 Loopdidoo 17:50 Anchors Aweigh-FAM 01:30 Art Attack 20:05 Les Girls-PG 23:55 Total Drama World Tour 22:00 Skyjacked-PG 00:20 Total Drama World Tour 01:55 Henry Hugglemonster GANGS OF NEW YORK ON STAR MOVIES 23:40 An American In Paris-FAM 00:40 Grojband 02:05 Calimero Classifieds

THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015

Kuwait KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY (27/08/2015 TO 02/09/2015)

SHARQIA-1 SOUTHPAW 1:00 AM SOUTHPAW 12:45 PM FANAR-3 SOUTHPAW 3:15 PM WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE 11:30 AM 360º- 2 ANTBOY: REVENGE OF THE RED FURY 5:45 PM WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE 2:00 PM NO ESCAPE 12:15 PM SHAD AGZAA 7:45 PM WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE 4:15 PM NO ESCAPE 2:30 PM SOUTHPAW 10:00 PM BAJRANGI BHAIJAAN -Hindi 6:30 PM STUNG 4:45 PM SOUTHPAW 12:30 AM BAJRANGI BHAIJAAN -Hindi 9:30 PM NO ESCAPE 7:00 PM MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - ROGUE NATION 12:30 AM NO ESCAPE 9:15 PM SHARQIA-2 NO ESCAPE 11:30 PM ACCOMMODATION CHANGE OF NAME HITMAN: AGENT 47 11:30 AM MARINA-1 HITMAN: AGENT 47 1:45 PM THE GAMES MAKER 1:15 PM 360º- 3 I, Rashida, holder of Indian accommodation HITMAN: AGENT 47 4:00 PM THE GAMES MAKER 3:30 PM WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE 12:45 PM Sharing Passport No K7043040 immediately available for HITMAN: AGENT 47 6:15 PM THE GAMES MAKER 5:45 PM WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE 3:00 PM hereby change my name to HITMAN: AGENT 47 8:30 PM THE GAMES MAKER 8:15 PM WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE 5:15 PM vegetarian Indian small Rashida Inayat Hussain HITMAN: AGENT 47 10:45 PM SHAD AGZAA 10:45 PM WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE 7:30 PM family or working women Laljiwala. Address: Pune, HITMAN: AGENT 47 1:00 AM THE GAMES MAKER 1:00 AM STUNG 9:45 PM near Al-Rashid hospital, Nibm road, Mayfair STUNG 12:05 AM Salmiya, from 23rd August Eleganza Phase 2. Kondhwa SHARQIA-3 MARINA-2 onwards. Contact: 411048, Maharashtra, India. WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE 1:15 PM HITMAN: AGENT 47 12:15 PM AL-KOUT.1 99838117 / 99315825. (C 5028) THE GAMES MAKER 3:30 PM HITMAN: AGENT 47 2:45 PM HITMAN: AGENT 47 11:30 AM (C 5026) BAJRANGI BHAIJAAN -Hindi 6:00 PM HITMAN: AGENT 47 5:00 PM HITMAN: AGENT 47 1:30 PM 27-8-2015 THE GAMES MAKER 9:00 PM HITMAN: AGENT 47 7:15 PM HITMAN: AGENT 47 3:45 PM 24-8-2015 THE GAMES MAKER 11:30 PM HITMAN: AGENT 47 9:30 PM HITMAN: AGENT 47 6:00 PM Pushkar Dass Vairagi S/O HITMAN: AGENT 47 11:45 PM HITMAN: AGENT 47 8:15 PM Jagdish Indian national MUHALAB-1 HITMAN: AGENT 47 10:30 PM MATRIMONIAL Passport No G9941310 new THE GAMES MAKER 11:45 AM MARINA-3 HITMAN: AGENT 47 12:45 AM name Raju Das Bairagi S/O MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - ROGUE NATION 2:15 PM SOUTHPAW 12:45 PM Inviting marriage propos- Jagdish Das Village THE GAMES MAKER 5:00 PM WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE 3:15 PM AL-KOUT.2 als for CSI Christian girl 24 Bhuwasiy Dist Pratpgarh THE GAMES MAKER 7:45 PM ANTBOY: REVENGE OF THE RED FURY 5:30 PM FANTASTIC FOUR 11:45 AM years/155cm/BDS from cen- THE GAMES MAKER 10:15 PM SOUTHPAW 7:30 PM THE GAMES MAKER 1:45 PM Rajasthan. ( 5027) THE GAMES MAKER 12:30 AM SOUTHPAW 10:00 PM THE GAMES MAKER 4:15 PM tral Travancore, staying with 25-8-2015 SOUTHPAW 12:30 AM THE GAMES MAKER 6:45 PM parents in Kuwait. If inter- MUHALAB-2 THE GAMES MAKER 9:15 PM ested please contact with SOUTHPAW 11:30 AM AVENUES-1 THE GAMES MAKER 11:45 PM full details WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE 2:00 PM NO ESCAPE 1:15 PM [email protected] WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE 4:30 PM NO ESCAPE 3:30 PM AL-KOUT.3 24-8-2015 112 SOUTHPAW 6:45 PM OPERATOR 5:45 PM SOUTHPAW 12:00 PM SHAD AGZAA 9:15 PM NO ESCAPE 8:00 PM SOUTHPAW 2:30 PM SOUTHPAW 11:30 PM NO ESCAPE 10:15 PM SOUTHPAW 5:00 PM THE PUBLIC AUTHORITY NO ESCAPE 12:30 AM THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E 7:30 PM MUHALAB-3 SOUTHPAW 9:45 PM FOR CIVIL INFORMATION HITMAN: AGENT 47 12:45 PM AVENUES-2 SOUTHPAW 12:15 AM Automated enquiry HITMAN: AGENT 47 3:00 PM SHAD AGZAA 12:15 PM HITMAN: AGENT 47 5:15 PM INSIDE OUT 2:30 PM AL-KOUT.4 about the Civil ID card is HITMAN: AGENT 47 7:30 PM SHAD AGZAA 4:45 PM NO ESCAPE 12:45 PM HITMAN: AGENT 47 9:45 PM SHAD AGZAA 7:00 PM MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - ROGUE NATION 3:00 PM 1889988 HITMAN: AGENT 47 12:05 AM SHAD AGZAA 9:15 PM WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE 5:45 PM SHAD AGZAA 11:30 PM SHAD AGZAA 8:00 PM FANAR-1 NO ESCAPE 10:15 PM THE GAMES MAKER 12:15 PM AVENUES-3 NO ESCAPE 12:30 AM Prayer timings THE GAMES MAKER 2:30 PM THE GAMES MAKER -3D 12:30 PM THE GAMES MAKER 5:00 PM THE GAMES MAKER 3:00 PM BAIRAQ-1 : 03:59 SHAD AGZAA 7:30 PM THE GAMES MAKER -3D 5:30 PM HITMAN: AGENT 47 12:30 PM THE GAMES MAKER 9:45 PM THE GAMES MAKER 8:00 PM HITMAN: AGENT 47 2:45 PM Shorook 05:22 THE GAMES MAKER 12:15 AM THE GAMES MAKER 10:30 PM HITMAN: AGENT 47 5:00 PM THE GAMES MAKER 1:00 AM HITMAN: AGENT 47 7:15 PM FANAR-2 HITMAN: AGENT 47 9:30 PM Duhr: 11:50 NO ESCAPE 1:15 PM 360º- 1 HITMAN: AGENT 47 11:45 PM MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - ROGUE NATION 3:30 PM SOUTHPAW 12:30 PM Asr: 15:25 ANTBOY: REVENGE OF THE RED FURY 6:15 PM SOUTHPAW 3:00 PM BAIRAQ-2 NO ESCAPE 8:15 PM SOUTHPAW 5:30 PM WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE 12:15 PM Maghrib: 18:17 THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E 10:30 PM SOUTHPAW 8:00 PM THE GAMES MAKER 2:30 PM NO ESCAPE 12:45 AM SOUTHPAW 10:30 PM WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE 5:15 PM Isha: 19:47

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

Arrival Flights on Thursday 27/8/2015 KNE 460 Riyadh 14:10 Departure Flights on Thursday 27/8/2015 GFA 214 Bahrain 11:35 Airlines Flt Route Time GFA 221 Bahrain 14:20 Airlines Flt Route Time MEA 405 Beirut 11:55 KAC 564 Amman 00:05 FDB 057 Dubai 14:20 AIC 976 Goa/Chennai 00:05 KAC 541 Cairo 12:05 THY 772 Istanbul 00:15 SVA 500 Jeddah 14:30 RBG 556 Alexandria 00:05 UAE 874 Dubai 12:10 JZR 239 Amman 00:20 KAC 538 Sohag 14:55 BBC 044 Dhaka 00:10 RBG 554 Alexandria 12:10 JZR 267 Beirut 00:30 JZR 257 Beirut 14:55 JZR 562 Sohag 00:20 JZR 776 Jeddah 12:15 DLH 637 Dammam 00:35 RJD 135 Abu Dhabi 15:00 JAI 573 Mumbai 00:25 MSC 402 Alexandria 12:20 MSR 1614 Cairo 00:40 KAC 788 Jeddah 15:00 MSR 615 Cairo 00:30 AGY 685 Sohag 12:40 FDB 069 Dubai 00:55 OMA 645 Muscat 15:05 FDB 072 Dubai 00:30 KAC 785 Jeddah 13:00 JAI 574 Mumbai 01:30 ABY 127 Sharjah 15:35 KLM 411 Amsterdam 00:55 JZR 176 Dubai 13:10 JZR 539 Cairo 01:30 KAC 1802 Cairo 15:35 JZR 502 Luxor 01:10 FDB 076 Dubai 13:10 SAI 441 Lahore 01:35 UAE 857 Dubai 15:45 KAC 177 Vienna 01:20 JZR 124 Bahrain 13:30 PGT 858 Istanbul 01:40 NIA 251 Alexandria 15:50 MSR 1615 Cairo 01:25 NIA 152 Cairo 13:35 RJA 642 Amman 01:45 RJA 640 Amman 15:55 DLH 637 Frankfurt 01:35 BBC 044 Dhaka 13:50 MEA 408 Beirut 01:50 ETD 303 Abu Dhabi 16:00 THY 773 Istanbul 02:05 MSC 410 Asyut 13:55 ETH 620 Addis Ababa 01:50 JZR 535 Cairo 16:05 SAI 442 Lahore 02:35 MSR 611 Cairo 14:00 OMA 643 Muscat 02:05 FDB 051 Dubai 16:10 ETH 621 Addis Ababa 02:50 THY 767 Istanbul 14:10 KKK 716 Istanbul 04:30 QTR 1072 16:20 MEA 409 Beirut 02:50 UAE 872 Dubai 14:15 THY 770 Istanbul 04:40 JZR 125 Bahrain 16:25 JAI 525 Abu Dhabi/Chennai 02:55 KKK 713 Istanbul 14:30 QTR 8301 Doha 04:50 KAC 118 New York 16:30 PGT 859 Istanbul 02:55 KAC 741 Dammam 14:40 SAW 703 Damascus 05:00 KNE 476 Jeddah 16:40 KKK 6508 Istanbul 03:10 AXB 394 Kozhikode 14:55 THY 5580 TZX 05:05 KAC 178 Vienna 16:55 MSC 404 Sohag 03:30 QTR 1079 Doha 15:05 DHX 170 Bahrain 05:10 KAC 562 Amman 17:00 OMA 644 Muscat 03:35 FDB 058 Dubai 15:05 AGY 690 Alexandria 05:15 SVA 510 Riyadh 17:15 THY 769 Istanbul 03:40 GFA 222 Bahrain 15:05 MSC 411 Asyut 05:55 UAL 982 IAD 17:25 UAE 854 Dubai 03:45 KNE 481 Taif 15:10 KAC 412 Manila/Bangkok 06:15 GFA 215 Bahrain 17:30 RJA 645 Amman 03:55 KAC 617 Doha 15:15 BAW 157 London 06:35 JZR 177 Dubai 17:45 FDB 068 Dubai 04:00 KAC 673 Dubai 15:20 JZR 1541 Cairo 06:40 KAC 742 Dammam 17:45 ETD 306 Abu Dhabi 04:05 JZR 188 Dubai 15:50 JZR 563 Sohag 06:45 JZR 777 Jeddah 17:50 MSR 613 Cairo 04:15 KAC 773 Riyadh 15:55 OMA 641 Muscat 06:50 KAC 678 Muscat/Abu Dhabi 17:55 PGT 861 Istanbul 04:45 SVA 505 Jeddah 16:00 JZR 503 Luxor 07:20 KAC 176 Geneva/Frankfurt 18:20 THY 765 Istanbul 04:55 KAC 613 Bahrain 16:00 IRA 673 Ahwaz 07:30 JZR 483 Istanbul 18:20 JZR 560 Sohag 05:00 OMA 646 Muscat 16:05 KAC 382 Delhi 07:30 KAC 502 Beirut 18:35 MSC 406 Sohag 05:00 RJD 136 Abu Dhabi 16:10 KAC 206 Islamabad 07:45 KAC 786 Jeddah 18:35 QTR 1077 Doha 05:05 ABY 128 Sharjah 16:15 FDB 053 Dubai 07:50 QTR 1080 Doha 18:55 KKK 717 Istanbul 05:30 ETD 304 Abu Dhabi 16:45 SVA 512 Riyadh 07:50 KAC 542 Cairo 18:55 THY 1465 Istanbul 05:55 NIA 252 Alexandria 16:50 KAC 204 Lahore 07:50 KAC 618 Doha 18:55 SAW 704 Damascus 06:00 RJA 641 Amman 16:55 QTR 1086 Doha 07:55 KAC 104 London 19:00 AGY 691 Alexandria 06:15 JZR 266 Beirut 17:05 KAC 302 Mumbai 07:55 GFA 217 Bahrain 19:05 QTR 8302 Doha 06:20 FDB 052 Dubai 17:10 KAC 154 Istanbul 08:10 UAE 875 Dubai 19:05 RJA 643 Amman 06:35 JZR 512 Sharm el-Sheikh 17:15 KAC 352 Kochi 08:15 FDB 063 Dubai 19:10 GFA 212 Bahrain 06:50 QTR 1073 Doha 17:25 UAE 855 Dubai 08:25 KAC 614 Bahrain 19:10 THY 771 Istanbul 06:50 KNE 477 Jeddah 17:30 KAC 332 Trivandrum 08:30 ABY 123 Sharjah 19:20 MSC 412 Asyut 06:55 UAE 858 Dubai 17:40 KAC 362 Colombo 08:30 JAI 572 Mumbai 19:35 JZR 240 Amman 07:05 SVA 511 Riyadh 18:15 IRA 667 Esfahan 09:00 KAC 774 Riyadh 19:40 FDB 070 Dubai 07:05 JZR 184 Dubai 18:20 KAC 284 Dhaka 09:00 FDB 061 Dubai 19:50 JZR 164 Dubai 07:15 GFA 216 Bahrain 18:20 ABY 125 Sharjah 09:05 AGY 684 Sohag 19:50 JZR 256 Beirut 07:30 KAC 563 Amman 18:30 ETD 301 Abu Dhabi 09:10 OMA 647 Muscat 20:00 KAC 173 Munich 07:45 KAC 287 Dhaka 18:35 QTR 1070 Doha 09:25 KAC 674 Dubai 20:00 OMA 642 Muscat 07:50 JZR 156 Dubai 18:35 IZG 4161 Mashhad 09:30 KNE 480 Taif 20:10 KAC 537 Sohag 08:20 JZR 538 Cairo 18:40 RJA 648 Amman 09:30 MEA 402 Beirut 20:15 JZR 778 Jeddah 08:30 UAL 982 Bahrain 18:40 FDB 055 Dubai 09:40 ABY 121 Sharjah 20:20 BAW 156 London 08:30 JZR 238 Amman 19:15 KAC 350 Kochi 09:40 DLH 634 Frankfurt 20:20 IRA 672 Ahwaz 08:30 GFA 218 Bahrain 19:50 SYR 341 Damascus 10:05 JZR 189 Dubai 20:25 FDB 054 Dubai 08:30 FDB 064 Dubai 19:50 KNE 470 Jeddah 10:30 SVA 513 Riyadh 08:50 QTR 1081 Doha 19:55 GFA 213 Bahrain 10:40 MSR 618 Alexandria 20:40 QTR 1087 Doha 08:55 KAC 361 Colombo 20:00 UAE 873 Dubai 10:40 KAC 174 Munich 20:55 KAC 1801 Cairo 09:00 ABY 124 Sharjah 20:00 MEA 404 Beirut 10:55 ALK 229 Colombo 21:10 JZR 534 Cairo 09:15 UAE 876 Dubai 20:35 MSC 405 Sohag 11:20 ETD 307 Abu Dhabi 21:15 KAC 671 Dubai 09:25 JAI 571 Mumbai 20:35 JZR 561 Sohag 11:25 UAE 859 Dubai 21:15 KAC 787 Jeddah 09:30 FDB 062 Dubai 20:35 RBG 553 Alexandria 11:30 KLM 417 Amsterdam 21:25 JZR 482 Istanbul 09:45 KAC 351 Kochi 20:45 AGY 680 Alexandria 11:40 FDB 073 Dubai 21:30 ABY 126 Sharjah 09:45 KAC 333 Trivandrum 20:45 JZR 165 Dubai 11:50 QTR 1074 Doha 21:30 UAE 856 Dubai 09:50 AGY 681 Alexandria 20:50 FDB 075 Dubai 12:25 GFA 219 Bahrain 21:45 KAC 101 London/New York 10:00 KAC 343 Chennai 20:55 NIA 151 Cairo 12:35 THY 764 Istanbul 22:10 IRA 668 Mashhad 10:00 KAC 1543 Cairo 20:55 BBC 043 Dhaka 12:35 ETD 309 Abu Dhabi 22:10 ETD 302 Abu Dhabi 10:00 OMA 648 Muscat 21:00 JZR 241 Amman 12:40 AIC 981 Chennai/Ahmedabad 22:25 RJA 649 Amman 10:15 ABY 122 Sharjah 21:00 UAE 871 Dubai 12:45 UAL 981 Bahrain 22:40 IZG 4162 Mashhad 10:30 KNE 461 Riyadh 21:10 MSC 409 Asyut 12:55 FDB 059 Dubai 22:50 QTR 1071 Doha 10:40 JZR 554 Alexandria 21:15 MSR 610 Cairo 13:00 JZR 157 Dubai 22:55 FDB 056 Dubai 10:40 MEA 403 Beirut 21:15 THY 766 Istanbul 13:10 JAI 526 Chennai/Abu Dhabi 23:00 KAC 677 Abu Dhabi/Muscat 10:50 MSR 619 Alexandria 21:40 KKK 712 Istanbul 13:30 JZR 185 Dubai 23:00 KAC 501 Beirut 11:00 DHX 171 Bahrain 21:50 JZR 779 Jeddah 13:50 MSR 614 Cairo 23:30 SYR 342 Damascus 11:05 ETD 308 Abu Dhabi 22:05 AXB 393 Kozhikode 13:55 JZR 513 Sharm el-Sheikh 23:30 KNE 471 Jeddah 11:20 FDB 074 Dubai 22:10 KAC 672 Dubai 13:55 FDB 071 Dubai 23:35 KAC 165 Rome/Paris 11:25 ALK 230 Colombo 22:20 QTR 1078 Doha 14:05 LZB 7779 Burgas 23:45 KAC 561 Amman 11:25 KAC 381 Delhi 22:20 DIAL161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION stars34 THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015 CROSSWORD 1004 STAR TRACK

Aries (March 21-April 19) Libra (September 23-October 22)

Today, clever Mercury enters Libra, your seventh house of one-on- Grab the talking stick, Libra, and don’t let go. With clever Mercury one relationships, putting you in cooperative, sweet-talking spirits. In both your entering your sign today, you have plenty of reason to share. Until November 1, professional and personal lives, your fiercely independent sign can sometimes think carefully about your personal agenda and how you can move it forward. It’s forget that there’s, um, another party involved. This diplomatic mood, which okay to be a little competitive. Usually, you put others first, but now the cosmos lasts until November 1, is especially helpful for smoothing over rough edges. give you the green light to be "selfish." After all, if you don’t express your most Schedule thoughtful dates and make meaningful sacrifices, e.g. turning your smartphone off during important conversations. Put agreements in writing now, cherished goals and passions, how will they ever manifest? Make yourself top pri- since Mercury rules contracts—now is the time to hold people (and yourself) ority at least once a day, even if that means declining a coffee date with the accountable to what they say. coworker who just wants to gossip. You have bigger fish to fry.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) Scorpio (October 23-November 21)

Analyze this! Your thoughts may be in overdrive as communica- Time to set sail on the emotion ocean, Scorpio. Today, communicator tive Mercury enters Libra, your sixth house of evaluation, from now until Mercury enters Libra, your sensitive and soulful twelfth house. Until November 1, November 1. Anything that requires well-considered opinions and attention you may need more downtime and solitude. It’s not that you don’t want to be to detail—especially in writing—will go well now. This is a great time for social; your psyche needs some space. Carve out time to journal or meditate. devising practical solutions: whether that means reorganizing your home or Listening to dreamy music can put you in a compassionate space, too. If an old streamlining your work process. Overall, you’re in a fix-it phase—and that hurt is eating you up inside, it’s seriously time to let it go. Have patience with the extends to your health, too. Find ways to get to the gym and sweat out process; you don’t always get to dictate the timeline for your healing. Set your stress. With all this cerebral action, you need to get out of your head and internal compass toward forgiveness…and watch as your deepest pain is trans- connect with your body. formed.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) Today, clever Mercury shifts into Libra, your eleventh house of group Stand proud, Gemini. Your self-confidence soars today, as clever activity, activating your social life (both online and IRL) until Mercury enters Libra, your expressive fifth house, until November 1. There’s noth- November 1. Focus on group projects, which could pick up steam. Instead of going ACROSS 3. Any of various hard resins from trees of the ing wrong with plainly stating your desires, especially in love. Don’t play small or, it alone, tap into the power of the collective. The eleventh house rules humanitari- 1. Relating to a recently developed fashion or family Dipterocarpaceae and of the genus worse, do the "humblebrag" routine (false modesty is such a turnoff). If you don’t an efforts: What can you do to make this world a better place? Let others’ grand style. Agathis. love yourself royally, you can't expect anyone else to do that job. While there visions educate and enliven you, and team up in the name of change. You could 4. Agile long-tailed nocturnal African lemur 4. Top part of an apron. could be some fireworks during this theatrical transit, you’ll also enjoy some pas- even plan this year’s birthday party to be a benefit, raising funds for an important with dense woolly fur and large eyes and ears. 5. An organization of independent states to sionate and flirtatious exchanges. Your emotions are colorful and dramatic now, cause. This is an excellent time for networking and online ventures, so work the 12. Time for Earth to make a complete rota- promote international peace and security. so remind yourself not to take things quite so personally. Channel your intensity social media circuit to spread your unique message. tion on its axis. 6. A plaster now made mostly from Portland into a creative outlet instead. 15. A federal agency established to coordi- cement and sand and lime. nate programs aimed at reducing pollution 7. The 8th letter of the Hebrew alphabet. and protecting the environment. 8. A nonmetallic largely pentavalent heavy Cancer (June 21-July 22) Capricorn (December 22-January 19) 16. A person who is interned. volatile corrosive dark brown liquid element 17. A sweetened beverage of diluted fruit belonging to the halogens. From now until November 1, you’re extra nostalgic, thanks to thought- Put your attention on those #goals, Capricorn. Today, communicator juice. 9. A genus of tropical American plants have ful Mercury’s spin through Libra, your fourth house of home, family and roots. Pore Mercury enters Libra, your tenth house of status and success, giving you a one-track 18. Relieve from military service. sword-shaped leaves and a fleshy compound over old photos, research your family tree online and add some comfy new touches mind: achievement or bust. Until November 1, this diligent attitude will carry the day, and your greatest inspiration may even come from staying glued to your desk 20. The local time at the 0 meridian passing fruits composed of the fruits of several flowers to your decor. If you haven’t been nurturing your most cherished ties, you can through Greenwich, England. (such as pineapples). for an extra hour or two. Call up a mentor and put some quality time on the sched- change that now. Women are especially important now, so call up your mother or ule. The influence of someone who’s “been there-done that” could really help you 21. Congenital absence of the heart (as in the 10. Make steady. another female relative, just because. Don’t forget to apply that TLC to yourself, too, get ahead or clarify your path. A leadership opportunity could also land in your lap. development of some monsters). 11. An affirmative. by fine-tuning your self-care routine. th80_capricorn 23. Toward the mouth or oral region. 12. An informal term for a father. 24. A communist nation that covers a vast ter- 13. A nearly horizontal passage from the sur- ritory in eastern Asia. face into a mine. 25. Profane or obscene expression usually of 14. Not only so, but. Leo (July 23-August 22) Aquarius (January 20- February 18) surprise or anger. 19. In a manner differing from the usual or 26. Of or relating to the heart. expected. Good luck holding back your thoughts, Leo. With communicative Spit it out, Aquarius! A #nofilter cycle begins today as expressive 29. Voluntary contributions to aid the poor. 22. A seaport on the Don River near the Sea of Mercury entering Libra and your chatty third house until November 1, it’s hard to Mercury enters Libra, your ninth house of full-throttle honesty. Until November 1, 31. Productive work (especially physical work Azov in the European part of Russia. make your brain (or your running commentary) stop. Take full advantage of this you're not holding back. Careful: you could be a bit TOO blunt or tactless at times, done for wages). 27. A state in midwestern United States. talkative boon by scheduling important pitch and brainstorming meetings. If you offending people with that truth-telling. Channel your energy into living YOUR 33. Veloute or brown sauce with sauteed 28. The jurisdiction or office of an abbot. need to negotiate, diplomacy and grace will surely be on your side. Find an outlet truth—which may require you to broaden your horizons, especially if you’ve been chopped onion and dry white wine and sour 30. Typically having large ears and feeding for all this mental stimulation, perhaps in a journal, blog post or even a book. Since playing small. A life-changing trip or a daring risk could open your mind in impor- the third house rules local action, you may also ensconce yourself in a community cream. primarily on insects. project. tant new ways. Keep asking: what else is possible? 37. Forming viscous or glutinous threads. 32. A flat float (usually made of logs or planks) 40. A soft white precious univalent metallic that can be used for transport or as a platform element having the highest electrical and for swimmers. thermal conductivity of any metal. 34. A flat wing-shaped process or winglike Virgo (August 23-September 22) Pisces (February 19-March 20) 41. The part of the large intestine between part of an organism. the cecum and the rectum. 35. A constitutional monarchy in northern Buckle down, Virgo. Today, clever Mercury enters Libra, your second It's getting hot in here, Pisces. Today, communicator Mercury 42. The second larges of the four main islands Europe on the western side of the house of security, putting your attention on the basics: work, money and stability. burns into Libra, your eighth house of soul-merging and sex, where it will stay of Japan. Scandinavian Peninsula. Until November 1, you have added motivation to break any barriers around self- until November 1. While your fantasy-fueled sign can really get taken with 43. Young of domestic cattle. 36. Give qualities or abilities to. sufficiency. Repair a work relationship if it’s on shaky ground. Revamp your budget romantic notions of love, this attitude can be a hindrance to finding lasting 47. Outer bark of the cork oak. 38. A colorless gas (O3) soluble in alkalis and so that you can really conquer any money woes and not end up in a tight spot love. In truth, everyone has issues and Mercury in this psychological zone of 49. Hardy breed of cattle resulting from cross- cold water. again. Align your self-esteem with your paycheck: if you earn a living doing some- your chart helps you accept that. During this period, seek out ways to be more ing domestic cattle with the American buffa- 39. An aperture or hole opening into a bodily thing that boosts your confidence, you’re moving in the right direction. lo. cavity. vulnerable and to heal from old wounds. You might benefit from therapy, as 51. A bivalent and trivalent metallic element 44. 1 species. Mercury here will help you rapidly process any past pain. of the rare earth group. 45. Living quarters reserved for wives and 52. (prefix) Opposite or opposing or neutraliz- concubines and female relatives in a Muslim WORD SEARCH PUZZLE Yesterday’s Solution ing. household. 53. A soft silvery metallic element. 46. American prizefighter who won the world 54. A card game in which each player is dealt heavyweight championship three times (born 6 cards and discards one or two to make up in 1942). the crib. 48. A member of a Caddo people formerly liv- 57. The state prevailing during the absence of ing in north central Texas. war. 50. A crystalline metallic element not found in 59. Alsatian artist and poet who was nature. cofounder of Dadaism in Zurich. 55. Cooking by direct exposure to radiant 60. Relating to the deepest parts of the ocean heat (as over a fire or under a grill). (below 6000 meters). 56. The great hall in ancient Persian palaces. 63. A Powhatan Indian woman (the daughter 58. (Akkadian) God of wisdom. of Powhatan) who befriended the English at 61. Indigo bush. Jamestown and is said to have saved Captain 62. United States tennis player (born in John Smith's life (1595-1617). Czechoslovakia) who won several singles 67. Tropical starchy tuberous root. championships. 70. In bed. 64. Any of several tall tropical palms native to 71. In the Roman calendar. southeastern Asia having egg-shaped nuts. 72. Of or relating to the lips of the mouth. 65. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a 76. (informal) Of very poor quality. skewer usually with vegetables. 77. Tall marsh plant with cylindrical seed 66. (Hindu) A manner of sitting (as in the prac- heads that explode when mature shedding tice of Yoga). large quantities of down. 68. Material used to daub walls. 80. (British) Your grandmother. 69. A software system that facilitates the cre- 81. The compass point that is one point south ation and maintenance and use of an elec- of due east. tronic database. 82. A town in southeastern New Mexico on 73. Electrical conduction through a gas in an the Pecos River near the Mexican border. applied electric field. 83. A loose sleeveless outer garment made 74. A sharp hand gesture (resembling a blow). from aba cloth. 75. Having leadership guidance. 78. A trivalent metallic element of the rare DOWN earth group. 1. Red Bordeaux wine from the Medoc district 79. A chronic progressive nervous disorder of southwestern France. involving loss of myelin sheath around certain 2. A drama set to music. nerve fibers. Yesterday’s Solution

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Features

In this Sept 14, 1984 file photo, Madonna poses at the This Sept 14, 1984 file photo shows, Dan Aykroyd, left, and In this Sept 13, 2009 file photo, singer Kanye West takes the microphone from singer Taylor Swift as she accepts the MTV Video Music Awards where she was nominated ‘Best Bette Midler, hosts of the MTV Video Music Awards, held “Best Female Video” award during the MTV Video Music Awards in New York.— AP photos New Artist’ in video, at Radio City Music Hall, in New York. at Radio City Music Hall in New York. Method to madness of MTV Video Music Awards

here really is a method to the madness that is the MTV Video Music Awards. “I like to say, ‘Let’s put the crazy in the room, Tand we throw the match in the middle of the audience and artists, and we see what happens,” said Van Toffler, who has been associated with the show for most of its three decades. Toffler, a 55-year-old New Yorker, left his post as MTV Networks President this spring to start his own production company, but is acting as executive producer for the VMAs one last time. In a recent inter- view, Toffler reflected on the most memorable moments and legacy of the show, which airs live Sunday from the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles.

In the beginning Before there was Miley, there was Madonna. “She’d like to say she put the M in MTV,” Toffler said with a sly smile. He said she set the standard for wild behavior in the inaugural awards in 1984, hosted by Dan Aykroyd and Bette Midler: “Her rolling around in the wedding dress was quite memorable.” Madonna and produc- ers agreed she would perform a new song, “Like a Virgin,” as she emerged from a wedding cake, wearing a wedding dress, bustier and a belt buckle sporting the words “BOY TOY.” One of Madonna’s white stilettos slipped off as she descended from the cake, and In this Sept 13, 2009 file photo, Beyonce, left, holds her “Video of the Year” award while Taylor Swift addresses the crowd thinking quickly, she dove to the floor and rolled around. While at the MTV Music Video Awards, in New York. reaching for the shoe, the dress went up, putting her undies on phone and ranted about how Beyonce was more deserving. “So, as he performed “Blurred Lines” on the 2013 telecast. “Cyrus full display, and the VMAs were on the map. we have an artist who was disrupted from her speech. We had danced provocatively, but everybody knew her as Hannah Beyonce, who looked like a deer in the headlights. And we had Montana,” Toffler said. “She chose that moment to say, ‘I’m an Madonna makes out Kanye, who was a little bit opinionated and let’s say a little bit lit,” adult. Look at me.’” “I believe the next day on the Today show, one Some 20 years later, there was Madonna again - this time mak- Toffler said. Worse yet, a tearful Swift was slated to perform live of the hosts called for me to be fired ... And I’m like, ‘Really?’” he ing out with Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. “It wasn’t nec- just three minutes later, following a commercial break. Producers recalled. “For Miley dancing with Robin Thicke that way?” essarily Madonna, Britney and Christina,” Toffler recalled. “J. Lo was dealt with West, who left the venue. They convinced Beyonce to in the mix for a little while, but then dropped out, and I thought stick around and later escorted Swift back out onstage to con- Let’s get serious the whole thing was going to disappear.” Toffler was on vacation clude her speech. And Toffler helped Swift pull herself together For all of the fun and frivolity, the VMAs have no problem get- when he got a call from the show’s director. “And she said, ‘Van, and get through her performance. “I think being a nurturing ting serious - providing Toffler with what he said were some of his you’re not going to believe this. They’re rehearsing now. They’re all father, not just to my own children, comes in handy,” he said. proudest moments as producer. In 2000, Metallica drummer Lars together. And Madonna actually kissed Britney on the lips.’ And I Toffler credits Beyonce’s father and Swift’s mother for helping put Ulrich skewered file-sharing site Napster in a skit. The show has said, ‘Please do me a favor. Don’t tell any other human on the plan- out the fire, but said Beyonce was the night’s MVP: “She was the included moving tributes to Michael Jackson, Princess Diana and et that this is happening.’” best influence at the time.” Aaliyah. And who could forget Bruce Springsteen opening the 2002 show by performing his Sept 11-inspired “The Rising” out- In this Aug 29, 2002 file photo, Bruce Springsteen and the Kanye the crasher Miley’s moment side the American Museum of Natural History in New York City - E Street band perform “The Rising” off his new album of In the 2009 show, as Taylor Swift accepted the award for best Perhaps the biggest backlash to a VMAs moment came after punctuated by a mist of rain. — AP the same name at the MTV Video Music Awards at the female video, Kanye West walked onstage, grabbed Swift’s micro- Miley Cyrus, host of this year’s show, gyrated around Robin Thicke American Museum of Natural History, in New York. MTV announces Salif Keita says Africa albino 2015 Video Music Awards attacks ‘unacceptable’ frican music legend Salif Keita has called for peo- Dozens more have survived having parts of their bod- performers ple with albinism to be protected, as Tanzania ies hacked off. Keita said he hoped that by speaking out, Abegins campaigning for general elections with and by playing his world-acclaimed music, he could send TV has announced that Pharrell, fears growing over a rise in witchcraft attacks. “It is com- a message to stop the attacks, which often target chil- Demi Lovato, Macklemore & pletely unacceptable for humans to sacrifice other dren. “When people hear me on the microphone and see MRyan Lewis, Tori Kelly, A$AP Rocky human beings, it comes from ignorance,” the Malian me on the camera, that has an impact, because I show and Twenty One Pilots will perform live at musician, himself an albino, told AFP in an interview dur- that I am a complete human being, just like everyone This photo provided by Roadside Attractions/Lionsgate shows, Chris Pine, from left, as the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards on ing a visit to East Africa. else,” Keita said. “Just like every human, albinos need to be Caleb, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Loomis, and Margot Robbie as Ann Burden, in the film, ‘Z for Sunday. The Weeknd will also perform his loved, and seen as normal people.” Zachariah.’ — AP blockbuster single “Can’t Feel My Face,” as previously announced. Additional perform- ‘Black people with white skin’ Review: ‘Zachariah’ a drama ers and presenters will be announced closer Keita was speaking in the Kenyan capital where he is to the ceremony. MTV also announced ear- to play a concert to raise money for a music foundation lier yesterday that Kanye West will receive for a Nairobi slum, as part of Kenya’s Safaricom Jazz about last 3 people on Earth the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award Festival. His Afro-pop music, nominated for several world powder-keg plot setup triggers an under- working again and eventually works out a plan during the presentation. Past recipients of music awards, fuses both African and Western styles. “I whelming display of dramatic fireworks in to build a waterwheel to generate power. the award include Madonna, Justin am proud to be an albino and I am proud to be who I “Z for Zachariah,” a post-apocalyptic sur- What are a man and woman going to do Timberlake, Beyonce and Jackson himself. am,” added Keita, who runs a campaign to support peo- A vival tale propelled by male-female emotional together to pass the time if they believe they’re Whether West will perform at the ceremony ple with albinism. “I work to promote acceptance and dynamics. Set in a remote valley spared from the last two people on Earth? Despite the obvi- has yet to be confirmed. understanding of people with albinism.” radioactive contamination after a presumed ous answer, this pair proceeds slowly. Having Miley Cyrus will host the proceedings. Outgoing Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete said in global catastrophe, the film from director Craig achieved a certain intimacy while Ann nursed Jeremy Scott, one of Cyrus’ favorite design- March that attacks against people with albinism were Malian afro-pop singer-songwriter Salif Keita Zobel effectively sets all its surface parts in John back to health, they eventually share a ers, has given the VMAs’ Moonman statue “disgusting and a big embarrassment for the nation”. But motion but, crucially, doesn’t sufficiently devel- romantic dinner at which she gets tipsy and a bit of a makeover, including splashes of speaks during a press conference in Nairobi, ahead the problem is not confined to Tanzania alone. Kenyan of the Safaricom Jazz festival 2015. — AFP op the turbulent undercurrent of tension and pushes things to the brink of sex. Surprisingly, colored metals, the Society of Motion lawmaker Isaac Mwaura, who also has albinism, said intrigue that are called for in the hothouse cir- John puts her off, insisting that going further Picture and Television Engineers’s TV test Tanzanian gangs have carried out abductions in Kenya, cumstances. This, despite the solid efforts of the would change everything and that they should pattern bars on the MTV logo flag, Scott’s “Albinos are born, they grow up just like everyone and he looks after two children he rescued from attempt- only actors in the piece, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Margot take their time. No sooner does this cooling take signature winged sneakers and a peace else. It is unacceptable to attack them.” Rights groups ed kidnappers. “Africa has had a long history of racial dis- Robbie and Chris Pine. place than a third wheel turns up to change the sign necklace. This year’s nominees have warned of the risk of a rise in attacks against albinos crimination, but we work to stop that,” said the MP as he Based on the 1974 novel of the same title by dynamics entirely. Caleb (Pine) is a scruffy young include Beyonce, Kendrick Lamar, Ed in Tanzania, which has just begun campaigning for gen- met Keita. Robert C. O’Brien, the film does possess some- guy with traces of radiation on him, but the oth- Sheeran, Taylor Swift and Mark Ronson, eral and presidential elections on October 25. Some “Albinos are black people with white skin.” Albinism is thing of that last-days-of-man-on-Earth feeling er two agree to let him stay for a bit. The men who will duke it out for the evening’s high- politicians have been accused of buying albino body a hereditary genetic condition which causes a total of numerous sci-fi ventures of that period. The sniff each other out about their mutual inten- est honor, Video of the Year. Additional parts for witchcraft and lucky charms. At least 76 albinos absence of pigmentation in the skin, hair and eyes. As film begins with a young woman and her dog tions, of course, but the situation seems defused nominees include Nicki Minaj, Nick Jonas, in Tanzania have been murdered since 2000, with their well as discrimination, associated risks include skin can- emerging from a contamination-proof suit on when Caleb agrees to help John finish the big the Weeknd and Maroon 5. The VMAs will dismembered body parts selling for around $600 (528 cer-expensive sun creams are often difficult to obtain-as high ground above what is otherwise apparent- project of building the waterwheel. air Aug 30 at 9 pm. — Reuters euros) and entire bodies fetching $75,000, according to well as eyesight problems. — AFP ly an unlivable world. United Nations experts. Mutual suspicions Mutual alarm However, even if the men decide that they For her part, Ann (Robbie) has self-sufficient- can co-habit, Ann is eventually going to have ly persevered. She lives in the spacious rural something to say about it, leading one to sus- Stereophonics stay true to their roots with new album house where she grew up, is surrounded by pect that one-third of the world’s known thousands of books and LP records, and industri- human population won’t be around that much ess high-profile but more durable than some of “Maybe Tomorrow” and “The Bartender And The in the gravel to find this title,” Jones said. “It was a ously tends to her crops. She even has a cow longer. The effectiveness of the piece, especially their Britpop rivals, Stereophonics are back Thief”, Stereophonics broke through as Britpop phrase I heard when I was a kid which kind of that gives milk and finds solace in religion, play- in its final half, is almost entirely dependent Lwith their ninth studio album which harks back bands such as Oasis were at their peak. While they means, you know, ‘keep the spirit up, work hard, play ing the organ in the small chapel nearby that her upon subtext, mutual suspicions, underlying to their roots in a small Welsh mining village. In the never achieved the global stardom of some of their hard.’” preacher father built. She’s also quite a beauty, tensions, sexual tipping points, self-control and small brick house in west London where the band peers, regular gigs and a steady output of an album Jones originally formed the band with his not that it matters. Not at the moment, anyway. all manner of other human impulses that lie just have their studio, the classic Beach Boys album “Pet every two years on average have allowed them to neighbor Stuart Cable on drums and bass player All this changes with the startling arrival of a beneath the surface. Unfortunately, screen- Sounds” drifted out of the stereo as singer and gui- sell millions of records. Richard Jones. Cable left the band in 2003 and man who also emerges from a protective suit, writer Nissar Modi and director Zobel don’t tarist Kelly Jones reflected on his band’s past and They are one of the select group of bands to died in 2010 at the age of 40 after choking to death but in hysterics and desperately afraid of con- manage to draw these out in a palpable way so future. have five consecutive British number one albums, on his own vomit after a heavy drinking session. As tamination. This is John (Ejiofor), who, after the that the drama really flattens out during the cli- “In the grand scheme of rock’n’roll, we are pretty starting with “Performance And Cocktails” in 1999 well as the two Joneses, Stereophonics now also initial moments of mutual alarm have passed, mactic stretch on its way to a very ho-hum con- young,” the boyish 41-year-old joked in an interview and ending with “Pull The Pin” in 2007. With their includes Jamie Morrison on drums and Adam accepts Ann’s hospitality and takes to a bed to clusion. —AP with AFP. “We’re still, like, into it. We’re still playing new album, “Keep The Village Alive”, the band are Zindani on guitar.—AFP recover. A research scientist who claims to have really well live and we’re still making better records going back to their origins in the former coal mining designed the resistant suit, he soon applies his than the rest of them.” Known for hits such as village of Cwmaman in south Wales. “We scavenged expertise to getting her freezer and tractor lifestyle THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015

Features

Mohammad Ali Hassan Khani, whose nickname is Aliwaxima, drives his racy- Mohammad Ali Hassan Khani works next to his racy-red motorized stiletto. Mohammad Ali Hassan Khani talks with people as he sits in his racy-red motor- red motorized stiletto on a street in the capital Tehran. — AFP photos ized stiletto. Aliwaxima, Tehran’s shoe-shine man in a red stiletto

giant, racy-red motorized stiletto is not what you expect to see cruising down the avenues of Iran’s Acapital but it certainly attracts attention, and busi- ness, for intrepid shoe-shine man “Aliwaxima”. In conserva- tive Tehran where veils for women are mandatory and Islamic morality police still mount patrols, 42-year-old Aliwaxima proudly plies his trade unhindered, in his coquettish scooter. “I am the only shoe shine man in the country who works from his vehicle,” says Mohammad Ali Hassan Khani, his real name, who could pass for a bespoke tailor on Savile Row with his immaculate shirt, sober tie and-of course spick-and-span loafers. He even has fans in this city of near 13 million residents little used to public flights of fancy like his motorized high-heel. Be they on foot, car or motorcycle, people stop in awe and clamor for selfies both in and outside the three- wheeled fibreglass stiletto. “Eight years ago, I decided to create a vehicle from which to propose my services as a shoe shiner,” he explained, in language as elegant as his dress. His business moniker merges his name and the English word “wax” tweaked into an Iranian superlative to give “Aliwaxima”, the man who gives the best shine. In sync with digital times, Ali has customer service 2.0 down pat. He carries a mobile phone, of course, for client calls but Mohammad Ali Hassan Khani works next to his racy-red also has an Internet site, an Instagram account and a motorized stiletto. Mohammad Ali Hassan Khani talks with people, including journalists, sitting in his racy-red motorized stiletto. Facebook page-with scores and scores of friends-featuring stiletto shape and “people adore my vehicle. They love to his red high heel as the cover photo. sit in it and take photos.” It also turned into a wise-and Daringly, he has displayed these addresses on his vehi- lucrative-business move. “I have all sorts of new requests. cle, notably the one for Facebook, a site officially blocked I’ve already been asked to five marriages. The newlyweds in Iran-though residents bypass the ban by downloading have their pictures taken in my car. “For weddings, I get VPNs, networks that can transfer information via secure paid five million rials,” a handy sum at $140 (120 euros) servers in other countries. And on the driver’s side is the compared to what Ali says is his usual take of “700,000 rials understated slogan, “The first shoe shape car in Iran”. “It’s ($20 ) a day” — still more than the usual worker’s average wonderful,” raved an onlooker spotting Aliwaxima for the daily pay of $15. When asked if police have ever bothered first time while another asked if it was an ad for a brand of him or tried to prevent him from working, Ali lets out a big shoes. After working the streets of central Tehran for 18 laugh. “The police, they’re the first ones to want to have years, Ali is, however, known to many. their picture taken in my car!” he says. And his next plan? Though he doesn’t speak a word of French, his big dream is Women clients now to work in France, to drive his red stiletto down the “At first, I had a simple, three-wheel motorized scooter. Champs-Elysees in Paris where-even in the city of no holds Then I gave it the form of a man’s loafer. Three months ago barred-he would likely attract attention also. — AFP I decided to change this to a red high heel,” he says. “And I have a lot more clients since. More than 1,500 people fol- low me on Instagram. “Before, I had mainly men clients but now I also have women clients encouraging me.” The idea came from abroad after Ali saw pictures of giant shoes used to advertise shoeshine stands. “But they were not motorized,” he notes with a mischievous glance behind his dark glasses. Mohammad Ali Hassan Khani works next to his racy-red motorized stiletto. It took him two-and-a-half months to build the red Organic options to fix raccoon eyes

e all try to survive through our crazy schedules; your skin leaving you looking all tight and fresh. Cucumber sometimes 24 hours a day are just not enough to We’ve all heard and probably tried out cucumber. Many Wget everything you want done. Exhausting days Almond oil spas and treatments include cucumber as a relaxing ele- and nights will gradually start showing on your face. You’ll Almond oil has many benefits that you can literally add ment. Place cucumber slices on your eyes for 15 minutes. start to realize how your skin feels and looks tired, and it to anything and it’ll be good for it! You can add a few For a stronger skin-lightening effect you can add lemon most of us start having darker circles under our eyes. drops of almond oil under your eyes every night to help juice and make a paste out of it to apply on your eyes. Darker circles can be a result of many things, not only moisturize that area which will gradually lighten the darker exhaustion, but it can also be hereditary, from having dry circles until they disappear. Water skin as well as lack of sleep. Men and women can both These simple and organic options can definitely help a experience darker circles, and we can always drive to Raw potatoes lot with refreshening your skin and toning your skin tone. any store and get products that’ll vanish these dark- Raw potatoes is another suggestion for your raccoon You also need to make sure you drinks loads of water and er circles or cover them with make up. eyes, you can cut thick slices of potato and apply them on have enough sleep to have glowing and healthy skin, not It takes a while for you to start noticing the your eyes. This helps because potatoes have natural only for dark circles. darker circles fading away, as it took just as long bleaching agents which will make your darker circles dis- Stressing over work or issues you have in your personal for you to notice them. They take a while to appear. You can also grate potatoes and use the potato life will eventually start showing on you, and at the end of react to better sleep and a more relaxed juice on a cotton ball to apply it on your eyes for 10-15 the day you need to take care of yourself in order to do the body and mind. However, there are a minutes. best you can in whatever you do, whether it was being a few extra things you can do at home to mother, running your business, or even finishing your stud- help vanishing these circles faster. Rose water ies. We should always avoid stress and the harmful illnesses You can also use rose water as it has a soothing effect stress can cause. Ice on tired eyes, and it can also be used as a skin toner which Trying out these homemade recipes will be fun and you One thing I can swear by and will also help the darker circles. Soak a cotton ball into pure can get to see the difference it makes in a few weeks, not I literally do this every morning rose water and place it on your eyes, you can do this twice days. As I mentioned earlier it will take just as long to is “depuffing”- which basically a day for a few weeks. remove the dark circles. If this issues was hereditary then is icing your face and the area maybe make up will help you with covering them up around your eyes. Don’t apply Lemon juice before going out, as well as these recipes! ice directly to your face, but put it A tricky method to try is with lemon juice. Apply lemon in a plastic bag and onto a small juice around your eyes with a cotton ball and leave it for 15 towel then depuff! The cold from minutes. This will allow the vitamin C in the lemon juice to the ice will allow any swelling to lighten up any darker circles or spots on your face. do down, and temporarily tighten lifestyle THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015

Fashion Claudia Schiffer Claudia Schiffer Jenner’s keeps her old clothes laudia Schiffer never gets rid of her old clothes. The 45- denim staple year-old supermodel - who became a household name Cin the 90s - has confessed she’s held on to most of the endall Jenner’s fashion staple is a pair of jeans. The garments she’s acquired throughout her career as a lot of the ‘Keeping Up With The Kardashians’ star thinks every girl pieces come back into style or can be worn at any time. She Kshould own a pair, whilst sister Kylie Jenner’s essential said: “I have kept all my clothes from over the years, so I have a garment is a leather jacket. Of her go-to gear, the 19-year-old great archive to go in and out for each season. For example, I model said: “A pair of mid- or high-rise jeans that look good on found an amazing red Chanel bag from 20 years ago, which is the butt, with straight or skinny legs.” Whilst Kylie added: “A timeless, and then I update with a new pair of shoes or dress. good leather jacket. Everyone needs a good leather jacket.” “Trends always come around again, so a pair of great Stella And Kendall has admitted she likes to keep her day wear “sim- McCartney jeans from four years ago can be worn again this ple” compared to Kylie who prefers a more glamorous look. summer. When I design a collection I always think about She shared: “I like to keep it simple and classy. I’m not like longevity - will I still be wearing this in five or 10 years time?” [Kylie]. She can wear a full-blown gown to lunch. I like a whole The blonde beauty has teamed up with the luxury cash- Saint Laurent look. I’d call it cool.” And despite being known mere label Tse to create her own collection and has revealed for their fashion-forward looks, it hasn’t stopped either of the she felt like it was time to try her hand at designing after years pair having a fashion faux pas in the past. Of what pattern of modeling. She told Vogue magazine: “I have always been a she’d never wear again, Kylie said: “Zebra. Growing up, I was model and after more than 25 years in the fashion and beauty obsessed with zebra. In middle school, I had zebra carpet, pil- industry, it felt natural to dip my toes into design. “I am hoping lows, and clothing - everything you could imagine. “So I am my message is getting across: timeless, effortless clothes for zebra’d out. I don’t care what company it is or who it is, I’m every day casual chic living, inspired by influences from my over zebra.” However, Kendall is much more open to different life in England.”— Bang Showbiz styles as fashion “evolves”. She added to Harper’s Bazaar maga- zine: “I never say never. Fashion is always evolving. And you Kendall Jenner just never know.”— Bang Showbiz Lakme Fashion Week

Indian models showcase creations by designer ilk at Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) Winter/Festive 2015 in Mumbai yesterday. — AFP photos

Indian models showcase creations by designer Huemn. lifestyle THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015

Fashion

Indian models showcase creations by Sahil Kochhar.

Indian models showcase creations during the Gen Next show.

Stewart to play Hayek drinks bone Coco Chanel broth for youthful skin risten Stewart will play Coco Chanel in an upcoming alma Hayek credits bone broth for her youthful short film. The movie will feature the actress as the appearance. The 48-year-old actress, who previously label’s founder and will be directed by Karl Lagerfeld, K admitted she isn’t a fan of cosmetic surgery and the creative director for Chanel. It tells the story of a fictional, S Botox, regularly drinks the concoction because she behind-the-scenes look at preparations for a biopic about believes it helps her to maintain her good looks. She said: Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel. Karl’s short movie will be shown at the “It’s sort of disgusting. You take a bunch of bones from a French fashion house’s next Metiers d’Arts show, which will cow and slow-cook them for many hours. It’s full of gelatin take place in Rome on December 2. and fat, and I think it’s very good to keep yourself young.” Speaking to WWD, Karl said about Kristen: “She played it Although she relies on strange techniques to remain really, really mean. You only see her in tests and she’s com- youthful, the ‘Everly’ star never uses the gym and prefers plaining about everything. She’s mean with the director; mean doing more relaxing forms of exercise. She explained: “I don’t with the producer.” When asked why he decided to make a do cardio, I mean, I didn’t do it when I was young. I’m not movie about Chanel, he said: “They make so many movies going to start jumping now. But I do like yoga.” The brunette about Chanel, why can’t I make one?” Kristen recently revealed beauty added she has a positive mental outlook about her life there are many perks to being Lagerfeld’s inspiration, includ- as well as her appearance and feels very grateful for every- ing being allowed to “chop” up designer gowns. She told the thing in her life. She told People magazine: “I count my bless- September issue of Nylon magazine: “He lets me chop dresses, ings every day.”My father taught me to treat everyone the he lets me steal a belt from that dress and wrap it around same and to stay close to your family. My mom taught me another ... I’m really into the performance aspect of it, but I still only stupid people get bored.” — Bang Showbiz Kristen Stewart have to make it my own. I don’t want to feel like I’m wearing a costume.” — Bang Showbiz Salma Hayek Aliwaxima, Tehran’s shoe-shine man in a red stiletto

THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015 37

A Malaysian Muslim woman walks past a mural of an owl at an alley in Shah Alam, on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur yesterday. — AFP Annual tomato battle paints streets of Spanish town red housands of half-naked revelers pelted ‘Wear tight fitting bra’ each other with tomatoes yesterday in This was the third year non-resident par- Tthe town of Bunol in eastern Spain, ticipants were charged 10 euros ($11.50) to bathing the streets with red goo in the annu- take part. The town of around 10,000 people al “Tomatina” battle. A string of trucks laden hired a private company to sell tickets in 2013 with 170 tones of tomatoes rolled through to help pay off debts and control the growing the town’s narrow streets, as teams on board crowds who were flocking to the event. A distributed their load to surrounding crowds total of 17,000 tickets were sold to foreigners for people to throw at each other during the with the rest given away free to locals. Before hour-long festivities. The iconic fiesta-which ticket sales were introduced the food fight celebrates its 70th anniversary and is billed at drew over 45,000 revelers to the town. Young “the world’s biggest food fight”-has become a tourists flocked to the town for the festival on major draw for foreigners, in particular from specially charted buses from Benidorm and Britain, Japan and the United States. other seaside resorts along Spain’s coast, as The bang of fireworks set off the bedlam well as from Madrid and Barcelona. One travel at 11 am. Revelers jammed shoulder-to- agency that organized a trip to the fiesta, shoulder, many wearing just bathing suits, PPtravel, recommended that “girls wear (a) bent down to pick up tomatoes from the tight fitting sports bra and/or singlet and ground to throw while others lay in the pulp. shorts.” “I am going to go three months without eat- “All passengers take a change of clothes ing tomatoes, I’m disgusted but it doesn’t to Bunol and plan on throwing out every- matter,” a Spanish woman in her 20s, who thing you wear to the tomato fight,” it added wore a red T-shirt and whose hair was cov- on its website. After the tomato throwing ered in scarlet mush, told reporters. One ended, fire trucks hosed down the streets young man could be seen using a plastic pail while revelers headed to public showers or to scoop up red pulp from the streets and jump in a local river to get cleaned up. The pour it over the heads of others. Bunol city Tomatina started in 1945 when locals brawl- hall estimates that only one-fifth of the ing in the street at a folk festival seized roughly 22,000 participants this year are from tomatoes from a greengrocer’s stall and let Spain. loose. Officials tried to ban the event in the Mayor Rafael Perez said the event had following years during the dictatorship of become so successful by allowing anyone General Francisco Franco-even going as far participating to let off steam. “There are coun- as arresting participants-but eventually tries where maybe people have a harder time came to embrace it. Spain’s tourism secre- expressing their feelings,” he told Spanish tary named the Tomatina a “festivity of inter- radio. “The Japanese for example are very national tourist interest” in 2002 because of reserved, solemn, and transform themselves its popularity. The Tomatina has inspired when they come here,” he added. Bunol offi- similar celebrations in Colombia, Costa Rica, cials estimate that ten percent of the partici- Chile and the United States. — AFP pants come from Japan. Organizers recom- mend revelers squish the tomatoes before throwing them — “the hit will be less painful”-wear old clothes and use goggles to protect their eyes from the fruit’s acid.

Revelers throw tomato pulp at each other during the annual “tomatina” festivities in the village of Bunol, near Valencia yesterday. Some 22,000 revelers hurled 150 tones of squashed tomatoes at each other drenching the streets in red in a gigantic Spanish food fight marking the 70th annual “Tomatina” battle. — AFP photos