RAMADAN 22, 1439 AH THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2018

Max 50º 28 Pages Min 30º 150 Fils Established 1961

ISSUE NO: 17552 The First Daily in the Arabian Gulf www.kuwaittimes.net

Amir congratulates Kuwaitis, expats, urges youths to invest ‘Muslim world witnessing painful reality, dangerous challenges’

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al- enhance cooperation and solidarity, bolster our common Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, in his address to the people national march and push forward the process of devel- of Kuwait on the last ten days of Ramadan, called on the opment and construction,” His Highness said. He noted parliament and government to deepen cooperation and that the aspired closer cooperation among the leaders urged the youth to invest in small and medium enterpris- aims at shoring up “our national economy, diversifying es. At the regional level, His Highness has affirmed that income resources, rationalizing expenditure, overcoming Kuwait continues to nudge the United Nations Security all obstacles facing all citizens’ aspirations and ambitions. Council to enable the Palestinian people attain their “I renew my confidence in our Kuwaiti media, the legitimate rights and has called anew on the Yemeni par- press, audio and visual (information), urging them to ties to resume negotiations. work harder and dedicate concern for bolstering the His Highness the Amir began his speech, expressing patriotic spirit, promoting cordial bonds among mem- congratulations to the people, citizens and residents on bers of the society and presenting issues that concern the holy month, hoping the occasion may recur with the citizens without exaggeration or sensationalism.” blessings upon the Arab and Muslim nations. Reminding He adds, “I have repeatedly affirmed that the homeland the people of Kuwait of His Almighty’s blessings, giving real wealth lies in the youth; they are the most precious of and bounties, he called for loyalty to the homeland, mak- our wealth and investments. They are given utmost con- ing more sacrifices for its service and adherence to the cern from ourselves, the government and the National ideal values of Islam. Assembly - thus we must seek to develop their potentials, “Everyone should be aware of the happenings around sharpen their skills and urge them to attain scientific edu- us, sense nature of the current circumstances and dan- cation to stay abreast of modern time requirements.” gers that are close to us,” His Highness the Amir said, His Highness called for immunizing the young citi- urging citizens to take lessons “for sake of our homeland zens against thoughts and conducts of deviation, security and safety. “This can only be attained with soli- implant their conscience spirit of loyalty and faithful- darity and standing in one rank in the face of those who ness to the homeland. “Such responsibility rests with try to foment sectarian and tribal discords, threatening the family, the school, the mosque and the community,” our national unity which is the fence that protects our he said. His Highness the Amir said he was pleased with homeland after His Almighty.” the youth achievements in the scientific, literary, med- KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah addresses the nation on the last ten days of “This is a good occasion to call upon my brothers, ical and sports sectors. Ramadan. — KUNA members of the legislative and executive authorities, to Continued on Page 24

minister a one-month ultimatum to carry out a number the board of directors. He also wants the minister to Ramadan Kareem MP Fadhl threatens of demands regarding the society but the minister has allow the establishment of new transparency societies failed to do that and accordingly he has decided to file by people who were forced to quit the present one. the grilling. Fadhl said that he has asked the minister and the gov- The social dimension to grill Social Affairs The lawmaker however left the door ajar for avoiding ernment to contest the CPI grades on Kuwait and find the grilling and gave the minister until tomorrow to out the basis for the country’s low placing. By Hatem Basha and Labor Minister respond to his demands. Fadhl charged that the society In another development, Fadhl criticized calls by has played a negative role in Kuwait getting a low grade some MPs asking the government to return citizenship ost people view Ramadan as a sublime By B Izzak period, where every Muslim experiences on the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) prepared by revoked for a number of opposition leaders. He said that sublime feelings as hearts soften and souls the Transparency International every year. Over the past the government should not return such citizenships M KUWAIT: MP Ahmad Al-Fadhl said yesterday he will decade, Kuwait has slipped from 35th place to 85th last because they were obtained through illegal ways. transcend the worldly pleasures. Another dimension file to grill Social Affairs and Labor Minister Hind Al- year on the scale that includes about 200 countries. Meanwhile, MP Waleed Al-Tabtabai asked the Interior that is often overlooked is the social dimension of Sabeeh today over alleged violations at the fasting. A basic trait in all Islamic forms of worship is Fadhl said that he has asked the minister to force the Minister for a list of the numbers of driver’s licenses Transparency Society which is an NGO supervised by Transparency Society to open its membership for all issued by ministry since 2015 for Kuwaitis and expatri- that they have different layers of surface and hidden the ministry. The lawmaker said that he had given the meanings. We need to explore the social values that Kuwaiti nationals in a bid to allow them to freely elect ates as well. fasting can inculcate into the collective communal conscience of the Islamic society. Ramadan aims to cause a real change for the team, citing what it called “threats and individual as well as the society at large. The change Palestinians provocations” against Barcelona super- is dual and bi-directional as the more the person star Lionel Messi. changes to meet the ideals of the Ramadan, the The sold-out game in Jerusalem was more the society itself changes. The changes taking joyful, Israel hotly opposed by Palestinians, who claim place on both the levels correspond to each other in the eastern part of the city, annexed by a comprehensive process. fumes; match Israel, as the capital of their future state. In practical terms, fasting helps Muslims appreci- The status of the holy city has come even ate the blessings they enjoy in their daily life. Most more sharply into focus since US people who are familiar with a lavish lifestyle fail to canceled President Donald Trump recognized it as recognize the value of what they have. Fasting is JERUSALEM: Israel lashed out yester- Israel’s capital. Israel considers Jerusalem hopefully meant to teach us to appreciate the value day at Argentina’s national football team its “indivisible” capital. “It’s a shame that of Allah’s bounty on us and to feel the plight of over the cancellation of a pre-World Cup Argentina’s footballing nobility did not those who have to do without it. People feel and friendly in Jerusalem, as Palestinians cele- withstand the pressure from Israeli-hating taste the bite of hunger that the poor suffer for most brated the decision after protesting the inciters,” Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor of the year. game. The Israeli embassy in Argentina Lieberman wrote on Twitter yesterday. RAMALLAH: Head of the Palestinian Football Association Jibril Rajoub sits in front of a sign Muslims are encouraged to take practical steps on Tuesday announced the “suspension” addressed to Argentina’s star player Lionel Messi during a press conference in the West to reduce their suffering. So, Muslims compete in of Saturday’s match with its national Continued on Page 24 Bank city of Ramallah yesterday. — AFP calling others to Iftar (food) and feeding the poor. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said, “Whoever feeds a fasting person will have a reward like that of the fasting person, without any reduction in his reward.” In Islam, it is a must to take care of your immediate neighborhood; the Prophet (PBUH) warned, “He is not a believer whose stomach is full while his neigh- bor is hungry.” Holding banquets, inviting people, distributing IMSAK 03:04 food in charity has extra virtue due to the nobility of FAJR 03:13 the time. The Prophet (PBUH) was the most gener- ous person ever in ordinary times, and was even DHUHR 11:47 more generous in Ramadan as he was likened to the ASR 15:21 fast wind that brings rain and benefits others. MAGHRIB 18:46 Continued on Page 24 ISHA 20:18 2 Established 1961 Thursday, June 7, 2018 Local Amir congratulates Bader Al-Saad on Russian Order of Friendship Amir, Crown Prince meet state officials

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah meets His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah meets with His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al- with His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad meets with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al- Jaber Al-Sabah. -—KUNA photos Al-Sabah. Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al- efforts in strengthening the relations between In other news, His Highness the Amir received at Seif received His Highness Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak, Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah sent a cable of congratula- Kuwait and Russia, especially the economic ones, Palace yesterday His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh tions yesterday to Bader Mohammad Al-Saad on the and for his role in developing the work of the Kuwait Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and His Highness Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, and Deputy Order of Friendship presented by Russian President Investment Authority during his tenure as the the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Khaled Al- Vladimir Putin. The order was presented for his Executive Chairman. Al-Sabah. Meanwhile, His Highness the Crown Prince Jarrah Al-Sabah. — KUNA

bin Ali Al Khalifa, Chairman of the Supreme Council for Defense minister meets families Amir’s representative Islamic Affairs. His Highness Sheikh Nasser also offered condolences to Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, of martyred service members offers condolences Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa and Al Khalifa KUWAIT: First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of sacrificed their lives for the homeland, according to a family. His Highness Sheikh Nasser extended condolences Defense Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah statement by the moral guidance and public relations to Bahraini King of His Highness the Amir and His Highness the Crown joined the families of the military martyrs at a function department of the Ministry of Defense. Sheikh Prince for the passing away of Sheikh Abdullah. His Highness Sheikh Nasser was accompanied by Amiri on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan at the Nasser expressed his best wishes for the attendees MANAMA: His Highness Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Army Officers Club on Tuesday evening. and the homeland under the wise leadership of His Diwan Advisors Sheikh Mohammad Khaled Al-Sabah and Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Representative of His Highness the Sheikh Fahad Sabah Al-Sabah, Sheikh Khaled Bader Al- The meeting is part of reaching out to the sons Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, and families of the martyred service members who Al-Sabah. — KUNA Sabah, Deputy Minister of Amiri Diwan Sheikh offered condolences to King of Bahrain Hamad bin Issa Mohammad Abdullah Al-Sabah and Sheikh Abdullah Al Khalifa on the demise of Sheikh Abdullah bin Khaled Nasser Sabah Al-Sabah. — KUNA

MANAMA: His Highness Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah offers condolences to King of Bahrain KUWAIT: First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah meets with Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa. — KUNA families of military martyrs. — KUNA photos

14,000 participate in pre-iftar campaign KUWAIT: Kuwait Red Crescent vate sector that collaborated in traffic intersections and crowded Society’s (KRCS) Deputy this campaign for its noble goals in roads,” Hassawi added. Chairman Dr Anwar Al-Hassawi spreading charity and social proj- “The campaign, which had said yesterday that 14,000 volun- ects, and also to raise awareness been established in partnership teers have participated in the among drivers. with the Ministry of Interior and in ‘Together For a Ramadan Without “KRCS’ volunteers are keen cooperation with traffic and police Accidents’ campaign. The volun- on serving the civil society and administrations, was being carried teers came from different age in participating in awareness out in the context of charitable groups to distribute iftar snacks to campaigns. Those volunteers projects organized in Kuwait, the fasting drivers just before sunset. have training certificates in first United Arab Emirates, Saudi “The campaign was launched aid and many various fields to Arabia, the Kingdom of Bahrain with the belief in the necessity of help serve the Kuwaiti civil soci- and the Sultanate of Oman, as well serving the society, saying that ety,” Hassawi said. “(Together as the Kingdom of Jordan and this endeavor was made possible For a Ramadan Without Bosnia and Herzegovina,” he not- with the cooperation of the min- Accidents) campaign aims to ed. The campaign is organized for istry of interior and voluntary reduce traffic accidents and the seventh consecutive year in a teams from all over Kuwait,” excessive speeds in the holy number of brotherly and friendly Hassawi said in a statement. month by distributing iftar meals countries and distributes about Hassawi expressed his grati- to drivers prior to Maghrib’s one million meals to fasting drivers tude for the governmental and pri- prayers at a number of important in those countries. — KUNA

Awqaf minister inspects Grand Mosque’s preparations

KUWAIT: Minister of Justice and Minister of Awqaf and the management of the mosque, which will be tasked Islamic Affairs Dr Fahad Al-Afasi yesterday inspected the receiving thousands of worshipers during this period. Dr Grand Mosque’s preparation for the last ten days of Afasi praised the level of preparations and wished the best Ramadan. Dr Afasi was briefed about the preparations by of luck to the organizers. —KUNA

KUWAIT: Minister of Justice and Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Dr Fahad Al-Afasi inspects the Grand KUWAIT: Kuwait Red Crescent Society’s Deputy Chairman Dr Anwar Al-Hassawi poses for a group photo with young Mosque’s preparation for the last ten days of Ramadan.— KUNA volunteers who participated in the Together For a Ramadan Without Accidents campaign. — KUNA Established 1961 3 Local Thursday, June 7, 2018 Failaka island development eyes urban expansion, to create thousands of jobs DGCA denies British Airways flights’ suspension reports H By A Saleh, Meshaal Al-Enezi and Agencies London by chartered aircraft during the period from 10 petrochemicals complex is very vital to Kuwait,” the M June to 1 July 2018. sources added, noting that crude oil is shipped there to be K KUWAIT: A Kuwaiti economic study predicted Failaka refined, and thus the returns are much higher by turning it island residents to grow to become 200,000 at a certain Health insurance into petrochemical products. point using 187 megawatts of solar power, especially since The Central Agency for Information Technology (CAIT) KPI had announced yesterday that it is now at the helm solar power technology has developed to be more com- announced yesterday inaugurating health insurance serv- of Vietnam’s Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemicals LLC petitive and 60 percent cheaper over the past ten years. ice via the state electronic website. Qusai Al-Shatti, the after the Vietnamese oil firm underwent a series of organi- The study made by Dorar Group also showed that agency Director General, said in a press statement the first zational reforms just months after the refinery’s startup. Failaka would include a real estate area located on eight phase of the project had been finalized in three months, Vietnam’s second oil refinery is up and running and opera- percent of the island area to explaining the service includes tions are already underway, KPI said in a statement. The provide inhabitants with all renewal of registration and fees’ $9 billion plant, co-owned by Kuwait Petroleum Europe public services. according to Digital health payment. The online service will BV and Japanese firms Idemitsu Kosan and Mitsui the study, the island will also be helpful to shorten transac- Chemicals, has been designed to help Vietnam cope with a attract over KD 1.8 invest- insurance tions, limit manipulations or dearth of refined oil products. ments, make an income of KD counterfeiting and payment support it at UN Security Council on the issue of the 22.1 million and provide jobs service abstention. Eid Al-Fitr Nagorno-Karabakh region. He stressed Kuwait plays a for 6,890 people. Deputy Prime Minister and The space and astronomy department at the Science great and active role at the Security Council. Gahraman Further, the study shows launched Minister of State for Cabinet Club announced that the first day of Eid Al-Fitr will fall on also hailed his country’s relations with Kuwait, noting that that Failaka would include a Affairs Anas Al-Saleh said the Friday, June 15. According to astronomical calculations, the they are very developed. He also commended lighting commercial zone providing a medical insurance service tar- new moon crescent is expected to be visible on Thursday Kuwait Towers with Azerbaijan’s flag colors on its national unique shopping experience, gets more than three million the 29th of Ramadan at 7:27 pm, while sunset will be at day on May 28. restaurants run by Kuwaiti expatriates, affirming the gov- around 6:47 pm, the director of KSC’s Department of Gahraman said he had been posted in the UAE for chefs in addition to fashion design institutes where Kuwaiti ernment keenness on overhauling the services through Astronomy Ali Bu Abbas said. Eid Al-Fitr is a religious hol- eight years including Ramadan, which he insisted is differ- designers study fashion and get in touch with international technology employments, upgrading tasks’ quality and iday celebrated by Muslims worldwide marking the end of ent here in Kuwait and has its own charm. He added that peers. The island will also include two shopping malls with enhancing performance of various departments. He Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. he spends his time visiting various diwaniyas and attend- 533 stores and 3,200 employees in each. The study also expressed hope that all government transactions would be ing ghabqas. Gahraman noted that Ramadan is similar in shows that Failaka would be environment-friendly using eventually provided via mobile phones of citizens and 21,643 applications both Kuwait and Azerbaijan in terms of family gatherings solar power. expatriates and render the identity card sufficient for The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) at iftar and said that families in villages in Azerbaijan usu- offering medical care. announced receiving 21,643 applications to establish com- ally place meals for passersby in their front gardens dur- British Airways panies in the period from the beginning of January until ing Eid Al-Fitr. Kuwait’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation denied Vietnam refinery the end of May, 2018, and that 4,554 licenses had been yesterday news reports circulated about the suspension Kuwait Petroleum International (Q8) is coordinating issued for various types of business activities. MoCI added Bribery charges of flights operated by British Airways (BA) to the State with other sister companies (KPC subsidiaries) to send a that 5,928 companies had been established in the same A female Kuwaiti Ministry of Health (MoH) employee of Kuwait. “There is no intention to stop this vital route number of Kuwaiti engineers to the Vietnam refinery to period, 3,063 are still being established and that 10,615 was sentenced to three years in prison and fined KD between the two friendly countries,” Saad Al-Otaibi, take part in operating the mega project and to gain more applications had been rejected. 8,000 over charges of demanding a bribe. Lawyer Mona DGCA’s official spokesman, said. He pointed out that operational experience, well-informed sources said. The Al-Arbash said that the crime was recorded on video, aircraft of the British company are suspended tem- sources stressed the Vietnam refinery project is on the Nagorno-Karabakh region showing the employee asking for KD 4,000 to set an porarily due to the routine annual inspection of engines, right track despite facing several challenges and overcom- The ambassador of Azerbaijan to Kuwait Elkhan appointment for a patient to be seen and examined by a adding that the company will continue operations to ing them, the sources stressed. “The Vietnam refinery and Gahraman expressed his country’s hopes that Kuwait will visiting doctor.

meeting held between Kuwait’s Kuwaiti-US ties Ambassador to the US Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and US President’s Advisor Jared Kushner. deep-rooted: The reports referred to purported dissatisfaction with the US Foreign Ministry Administration about Kuwait’s stance at the UN Security Council towards some KUWAIT: An official source at the Foreign issues. The source quashed these reports, Ministry has affirmed the depth of rela- affirming that the ties between the two tions between the State of Kuwait and the sides are deep-rooted. United States of America. The source said The source commended the ambas- yesterday that the two countries have sador’s role in promoting relations strategic partnership on all levels, in addi- between the two countries, noting that tion to their current consultation within there has been solid bonds between the framework of the United Nations him and the US Administration’s offi- Security Council. cials. He also stressed that there is This came in reply to a question about mutual respect between the two sides reports published by local media over dis- in line with the two countries’ strategic cussions that allegedly took place during a coalition frameworks. — KUNA

Consulate in Germany issues new instructions to Kuwaiti visitors BERLIN: The Kuwaiti Consulate in Schengen visa. As for Kuwaiti Germany (Frankfurt) issued new nationals who hold special passports instructions yesterday to Kuwaitis and e-diplomacy, the statement said wishing to travel to Germany for these citizens are exempt from the medical treatment or tourism. In a Schengen visa because they can statement by Kuwait Consulate in enter the Federal Republic without Germany, these instructions come in obtaining the visa. the interest of the safety of Kuwaiti The consulate called on the citizens wishing to visit Germany and Passengers to keep the health insur- to avoid any problems during travel ance that was obtained at the time of and residence. submitting the visa for use if neces- The consulate stressed the need sary, as this insurance can be accept- for citizens wishing to visit Germany ed in some hospitals, medical centers to abide by the laws and regulations and German clinics. in the country, stressing that they are The Consulate stressed the need ready to provide assistance to for citizens to disclose when they Kuwaiti citizens. According to the arrive to the customs officer about the statement, those citizens who wish to value of cash in euros or other curren- travel to Germany as their first station cies, which are estimated at 10,000 ought to obtain the Schengen visa euros and above when entering or from the German Embassy only. leaving German territory. And the Those who wish to travel to Germany non-disclosure of the value of those for medical treatment, they need to amounts will expose the passenger to issue a treatment visa from the “legal accountability” in addition to German Embassy to avoid legal the imposition of German authority’s accountability by the German fine up to 25 percent of the total authorities and thus facilitate the amount, according to German law. On procedures for extending the resi- the other hand, the statement called dence after that request, the state- on Kuwaiti citizens not to wear expen- ment mentioned. sive and valuable jewelry in public The Consulate also stressed the places and markets, as well as not to need to ascertain the date of the carry large amounts of cash to avoid beginning of the visa, where the being exposed to thefts and replace German authorities prevent entry into them with credit cards. its territory before the date of the The statement also called on beginning of the visa. The validity of Kuwaiti nationals to carry the pass- the Schengen visa does not entitle port during roaming in public mar- the holder to stay for more than 90 kets and during traveling between the days continuously, although the German cities where the competent validity of the visa is one year or authorities intensify their security more. The visa holder must leave operations and searches for foreign- Germany and the Schengen area ers during the summer with an before 90 days, the statement said. emphasis on keeping these docu- The statement called on transit ments while traveling. The statement passengers to any countries of the stressed the need for Kuwaiti citizens world except the European Union to abide by the instructions issued by through Frankfurt Airport to obtain a the Kuwaiti consulate in Frankfurt in Schengen visa if they have long tran- addition to the German laws to avoid sit hours and want to stay at the air- any problems. The Consulate is will- port hotel before traveling to their ing to offer any assistant through the last destination as the German following number: 00496975937270 authorities do not allow the hotel to in addition to the emergency number: permit those who do not carry a 004915208001100. — KUNA 4 Established 1961 Local Thurssday, June 7, 2018

History of Kuwait

Rich suhoor for a healthy fast

By Ben Garcia along with eggs, foods that are rich in protein, sometimes meat, dairy uwait Times celebrates products like cheese, and fruit juice. Ramadan in Kuwait with 30 After suhoor, Muslims spend some Kdays of the Icons of Ramadan. time in the mosque after the Fajr We highlight our favorite activities, prayer. Others go back to sleep, events, symbols and foods that are while some start their day’s work. popular during this holy month, along Suhoor is as important as the iftar with Kuwait’s Ramadan culture, his- meal. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) tory and traditions. encouraged all Muslims to have the Suhoor refers to the meal con- suhoor as late as possible before the sumed early in the morning by onset of dawn. Muslims before fasting during the Email us at [email protected] month of Ramadan. Usually, light with your favorite symbols of food that is slowly digested is taken, Ramadan and Ramadan photos.

KUWAIT: Sheikh Mubarak Kiosk, one of the most important historical places in Kuwait. Founded in 1897 by Seventh ruler of Kuwait Sheikh Mubarak Al-Sabah (1840 - 1915), it was regarded as the seat of government, where Sheikh Mubarak used to sit in the morning and monitor the affairs of government. The kiosk was surrounded by a variety of markets such as the vegetable, dates and water mar- kets in Souq Mubarakiya. The state renovated and officially reopened the kiosk in 2011 as a tourist attraction in Kuwait. (Source: ‘Sons of Sinbad, the Photographs’ by Yacoub Hijji and Grace Pundyk, London, 2006. Prepared by Mahmoud Zakaria Abu Alella, researcher in heritage, the Ministry of Information)

Symphony Style hosts Ramadan ghabqa for diplomats, media

KUWAIT: Symphony Style Hotel Kuwait, the Jewel of welcoming speech by Mr. Schuler, who said: “The road to this event and invited everyone to join the engaging activi- experience and was a fantastic opportunity to engage and Kuwait City, celebrated the holy month of Ramadan with success is not only limited to working hard as a team, but ties and entertainment programs, with the chance to win network in a unique and elegant surrounding. It also pre- country ambassadors and embassy officials, major compa- also in finding the ongoing support from valued partners. attractive prizes from airline tickets to accommodation and sented a platform to showcase how Symphony Style Hotel nies, key corporate partners and media representatives This day is a unique occasion in which we can express our dining in Symphony Style Hotel Kuwait and across all oth- Kuwait is the place to create memorable moments for any and advertising agencies in Kuwait on Monday June 4th, sincere appreciation for the continued great support.” er Radisson Collection and Radisson Blu hotels. occasion. The evening was complemented by enlivening 2018. Peter Schuler, General Manager at Symphony Style The evening continued with a speech from The Director The evening was held in the glamorous Ebreez sounds of traditional live music and irresistible Ramadan Hotel Kuwait, along with the hotel management team wel- of Sales and Marketing, Maged Hanna, who extended the Ballroom with its sophisticated and elegant design and Buffet of delicacies and traditional favorites. comed all the guests and the event started with a warm, welcome and appreciation to attendees and sponsors of decor, which offered a rich cultural yet contemporary Established 1961 5 Local Thurssday, June 7, 2018

Al-Safat Investment organizes Ramadan iftar for subsidiary companies’ workers Supporting workers a primary responsibility of society: Terkait

KUWAIT: Chairman Abdullah Al-Terkait hands out food boxes. Company group photo. (From left) Abdullah Al-Terkait, Salem Al-Hamar and Abdulghaphor Hajjieh.

KUWAIT: Al-Safat Investment Company in cooperation The Chairman of the Board of Directors of Al-Safat to do volunteer work. Regarding the Kuwait Food Bank, addition to his appreciation to the volunteers. with Kuwait Food Bank organized an iftar distribution Investment Company Abdullah Hamad Terkait said that Terkait said that although the Bank was recently estab- As for Corporate Social Responsibility, Chairman campaign for the workers of Middle East Chemical supporting workers is a primary responsibility for society, lished, it has asserted itself as an indispensable partner for Terkait indicated that it is an integral part of many private Manufacturing Company, Carpet Manufacturing adding that the campaign to support them is part of the the private sector especially in CSR as well as do-gooders sector companies’ activities, where they can support dif- Company and Al-Assriyah Press, which are all owned by Al-Safat’s corporate social responsibility plan that’s been by providing opportunities to help the disenfranchised, ferent societal groups and unique initiatives in a clear Al-Safat. Employees from different departments of the adopted to serve society whereas this campaign is specif- low-income families and the needy, describing the Bank’s corporate framework that follows corporate governance company, volunteered to do charitable work in the holy ically aimed to assist workers. Terkait also stated that the message as noble. He also voiced his appreciation to the regulations and Kuwaiti law, adding that Al-Safat month of Ramadan to provide support to the burdened holy month of Ramadan is when people try to help each Bank’s management for their efforts to coordinate with Investment’s future efforts will aim to support students workers. other, pointing out that Al-Safat encourages its employees the company to ensure the success of the campaign, in and youth.

Safir-Fintas held annual Ramadan iftar

KUWAIT: Safir Hotel and Residences Kuwait - Fintas held its Annual Ramadan iftar event at Al-Seif grand ballroom in the presence of the General Manager of the hotel Saif Eddin Mohammed along with the management team, employees and their families in an ambiance full of joy. In a warm Ramadan atmosphere, the event started with a thank-you speech by Saif Eddin Mohammed to all col- leagues for their continued teamwork and ongoing remarkable efforts at all times. The event was accompanied by a special Ramadan iftar buffet prepared for this holy occasion along with video presentation of excerpts of certain events reflecting on the teamwork spirit of both colleagues and management, in addition to the distribution of valuable gifts, which brought more joy and pleasure to all colleagues and their families. Associates expressed their gratitude to the management team especially the Human Resources Department on the fun time they spent with their families.

Al-Babtain hosts annual ghabqa for fleet customers

KUWAIT: Abdulmohsen Abdulaziz Al-Babtain Company, the authorized agent in the state of Kuwait for Nissan, Infiniti and Renault vehicles recently held a special Al- Babtain Group Ghabqa for one of its loyal and longest standing partners in the busi- ness. Driven by the successful collaboration with its fleet customers for 70 years, the event that took place at Marina Hotel acknowledged and appreciated the efforts of each of the individual entities. Laurent Pernet, General Manager Automotive at Abdulmohsen Abdulaziz Al- Babtain said, “We always aim to meet growing market demands by uniting with the right fit of partners in a challenging business environment. It is our honor to hold this joyous occasion for those who continue to serve by our side as they consistently deliver on customer satisfaction through a robust solution based model and impecca- ble product and support services. Abdulmohsen Abdulaziz Al-Babtain has established its trademark as a credible success story locally and will persist in its mission to always offer optimal quality and consumer experience.” InternationalTHURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2018 Trump throws his own party after NFL British-Pakistani activist critical of army freed after abduction in Lahore Page 8 champs disinvited Page 9

LOS ANGELES: People react as results come in after the California primaries at a post-election party held by the Los Angeles Democratic Party on Tuesday. — AFP Democrats overcome California vote quirk Voters in eight US states choose candidates for midterms

SACRAMENTO/PRINCETON: California Democrats over- and investigation into the administration. A power shift would easily won a spot on the November ballot. Two Democrats, where the retirement of a longtime Republican incumbent came quirks in the state’s electoral system and managed to also lend strength to any potential effort to impeach Trump if Harley Rouda and Hans Keirstead, were next, separated by gave Democrats an opening, state Sen. Jeff Van Drew, a con- mount challenges to Republicans in most key Congressional Democrats decide grounds exist, either by virtue of the ongo- fewer than 100 votes, leaving the race too close to call. About servative Democrat, appeared set to prevail over left-leaning races, as voters in eight US states chose candidates for ing probe into Russian election interference by special counsel 1,000 votes behind the two Democrats was Republican Scott candidates frustrated by his past votes against same-sex mar- November’s midterm elections. The state’s unusual system for Robert Mueller or other reasons. Baugh. If the final tally puts him riage and minimum wage increases. He will face Republican choosing candidates, in which the top two vote-getters California is seen as key to the ahead of them, it could set up a Seth Grossman, a former city and county official, who advance to the election regardless of party, had raised the eventual outcome in November. general election fight between emerged from a four-way contest. prospect of Democrats being locked out of competitive polls Democrats have taken aim at 10 of Rohrabacher and his fellow In a suburban New Jersey district, former Obama official in conservative suburbs south of Los Angeles. the 14 House seats held by Republican, ending Democrats’ Tom Malinowski was well ahead of two Democrats backed by In some areas, the large number of Democratic candidates Republicans. But strong turnouts Dems hope chances to take that seat. In the independent liberal groups and will take on the moderate risked splintering the party’s vote - though the same quirk also by Republicans voters in all of the race for Governor, Democrat Republican Leonard Lance in what is expected to be a com- threatened to eliminate Republican John Cox from the race for districts underscore the chal- to make Gavin Newsom’s first-place finish petitive race. Democrats also hope to capture two other governor. In the end, Democratic candidates made it through lenges that Democrats will face in over a field of 27 candidates was Republican-held seats in the state. to the final vote, as did Cox. “One party rule in Sacramento is trying to win in the conservative key gains expected. But it is Cox’s presence Republicans control both chambers of Congress. While bad enough,” said Cox, referring to the Democrats’ dominance areas that they have targeted in as the second candidate to Democrats need only a net total of two seats to take command of the legislature and all statewide officers. “But one-party suburban areas near Los Angeles advance to the November ballot of the Senate, Democratic senators must defend a bevy of elections is just plain un-American.” and Sacramento, and in the agri- that could color the race. seats in rural states such as Indiana, Montana, North Dakota Democrats, buoyed by President Donald Trump’s poor cultural San Joaquin Valley. Republicans hope he will spur and West Virginia that supported Trump two years ago. approval ratings and a string of victories in special elections, The battle for a place on the final ballot was particularly supporters to come out and vote in greater numbers, possibly Voters on Tuesday also went to the polls to choose can- hope to gain a majority in the 435-seat US House of dramatic in the 48th Congressional District, where voters chose improving the party’s chances in Congressional races. didates in primaries in Iowa, Mississippi, Alabama, Representatives by flipping 23 seats this fall. The party has Democrat Hillary Clinton over Trump in the 2016 presidential In New Jersey, establishment-backed Democrats muscled Montana, South Dakota and New Mexico. A number of targeted more than a dozen Republican-held seats in election but re-elected longtime Republican Representative past liberal challengers in key New Jersey congressional races women won Democratic contests, continuing a trend that California and New Jersey alone. Control of the House would Dana Rohrabacher. So many Democrats were vying to chal- on Tuesday, setting up contests in November that will test the began earlier this year. Women will represent the party in likely stall much of Republican President Donald Trump’s poli- lenge Rohrabacher that they divided their party’s vote. With question of whether more moderate candidates will fare better key House races in Iowa, New Jersey and New Mexico, cy agenda, while ushering a new era of committee oversight 414 of 415 precincts reporting early Wednesday, Rohrabacher against Republicans in swing districts. In southern New Jersey, based on Tuesday’s results. — Reuters Some big Jordan Lebanese fuming over unions strike after secret citizenship decree new PM appointed

BEIRUT: Lebanese politicians and ordinary citi- prime minister and interior minister. Business AMMAN: Shops and pharmacies closed in zens alike are fuming over a secretive presiden- ties and investments are valid reasons for natu- Jordan’s capital yesterday as some unions tial decree granting nationality to dozens of ralization, said Foreign Minister Gibran Bassil, pressed ahead with a strike protesting against people, allegedly including Syrian investors who is also the president’s son-in-law. Lebanese tax hikes, after King Abdullah replaced the close to the Damascus regime. Critics have nationality could be granted to “anyone useful to prime minister to defuse public anger. A draft slammed the secrecy surrounding the move and the state, whether a businessman, investor or law to raise income taxes and IMF-driven say it adds insult to injury for thousands unable someone with a good reputation, and whose reforms have sparked the largest protests in to acquire nationality because they were born to naturalisation would be in Lebanon’s interest”, years in Jordan, a US ally that has mostly Lebanese mothers and foreign fathers. Bassil said. escaped years of regional turmoil. Rallies in Political discourse in Lebanon, a country of Among those set to become Lebanese citi- just four million, is deeply divided over the war zens are the three sons of Syrian steel and flour Amman and other cities snowballed after more in neighboring Syria, with allegations of corrup- mogul Farouq Joud, who told AFP the decree than 30 unions, representing tens of thousands tion on all sides. The contested decree has would “make their work easier”. “Our industrial of public and private sector employees, first brought all of that to the fore. It was reportedly work in Syria requires materials transported went on strike a week ago. issued on May 11 after being signed by through Lebanon, and others imported from But many unions pulled out of yesterday’s AMMAN: A Jordanian protester holds a sign reading in Arabic “Stay away President Michel Aoun, but news of its existence Lebanon. That’s why my children, who travel on walkout after the king appointed Omar Al- from my pocket” as others chant slogans during an anti-austerity rally only emerged last week when dozens of names an almost weekly basis to Lebanon, resorted to Razzaz, a former World Bank economist, on yesterday in front of the labor union offices. — AFP allegedly included in the edict were leaked to requesting nationality,” he said. Joud said his Tuesday to form a new government and urged the media. It prompted a wave of public outrage, own shipments through Lebanese ports, and talks over the law. Harvard-educated Razzaz, when appointing Razzazz that the new cabinet the tax law, the speaker of parliament has said. with Lebanese officials scrambling to defend those of other Syrian businesses, were boosting themselves or defect blame. Lebanon’s economy. With nationality, his family education minister in the outgoing cabinet, must review the entire system of taxation and Officials say Razzazz had been an opponent of The president’s office confirmed the decree’s may invest more, he hinted. “We don’t currently replaces Hani Mulki and will now start consul- immediately start a dialogue over the tax law reforms that hurt the poor. His appointment still existence, but said it had submitted the names to have investments in Lebanon for one simple rea- tations to form a new government. “We will with political parties, unions and civil society sends a message to foreign donors that Jordan the General Security agency to verify they all son: we don’t want any partners. We want a give the government a chance once it is formed, groups. Public resentment has grown since the will press ahead with reforms, though in a have “the right” to become Lebanese. That company we own,” he said. after that we will decide our next steps,” union government ended bread subsidies and hiked gradual way, they said. agency, in turn, established a hotline and encour- But many Lebanese officials are furious, with leader Ali Al-Abous told Reuters. the general sales tax earlier this year, under a Overnight protests in Amman had brought aged citizens to call in any relevant information parliamentarian Wael Abu Faour warning: “This Doctors’, engineers’ and lawyers’ unions plan driven by the International Monetary hundreds of people onto the streets but the about named individuals. The official list has yet decree will not slide.” “We won’t allow Lebanese mainly took part in yesterday’s action, which Fund to cut Jordan’s $37 billion debt. turnout was lower than the nights before. Police to be made public. Lebanese media reported it nationality to become a commodity to be bought drew smaller crowds than in recent days. The government has said it needs funds for blocked the roads to stop them from reaching may include as many as 300 people, including and sold - and to whom? To killers and their Hundreds of men and women with flags and businessmen known to be close to Syrian biggest allies,” he said Sunday. public services and argues the reforms will the Cabinet office. “We don’t want a change of President Bashar Al-Assad. Names being circu- Critics also took to Facebook, with activist picket signs converged outside the headquar- reduce social disparities by placing a heavier names, we want a change in policy,” said one lated include powerful industrialists Khaldun Al- Firas Abu Hatum calling the decree “a business ters of the Professional Unions Association. burden on high earners. The king said some banner. “Bring back bread subsidies,” read Zoabi and Samer Foz, who has since denied he venture to fill coffers”. “And more than that, it’s “Our demands are clear and honest: cancelling reforms had burdened Jordanians and called another. Some celebrated Mulki’s resignation requested nationality, as well as Mazen Mortada, a project to sell the country to the Syrian the income tax law, because it affects every for better services, blaming regional instability and said they would wait to see if price hikes the son of a former Syrian minister. regime,” he wrote. Naturalization is controver- sector of society in Jordan,” said Abdullah for hampering the sluggish economy. His com- they said were hitting the poor and squeezing sial in Lebanon, where power is shared accord- Kaisieh, a pharmacist at the rally. Hospital ments suggested the government could shelve the middle class were stopped. “I personally feel Investments, outrage ing to religious parity. Fears of upsetting that workers staged a protest and some businesses the new tax law, which it sent to parliament last optimistic and we started to feel the beginning Under Lebanese law, foreign businessmen delicate demographic arrangement are often shut down for a few hours, hanging signs that month, and slow the pace of price rises. of change,” Murad Yaghan told Reuters at a late are not permitted to invest in Lebanon without cited as the reason Lebanese women cannot said “I’m taking part in the strike” but life in the Lawmakers were on course to ask the king’s night protest as people around him chanted local partners, and foreigners can only be natu- pass their nationality onto children born to for- ralised by presidential decree, signed by the eign fathers. — AFP capital mostly went on as usual. permission for an early exceptional session, against the government’s economic policies. Often seen as a unifying figure, the king said with a majority demanding the withdrawal of “We will continue public pressure.” — Reuters Established 1961 7 International Thursday, June 7, 2018 Turkey students reject ‘terrorist propaganda’ charge as trial opens Court orders conditional release of jailed cartoonist

ISTANBUL: Twenty-two students from a prestigious ganda,” accused student Sukran Yaren Tuncer told the Istanbul university went on trial yesterday over a campus judge. “I shouted slogans like ‘Shoulder to shoulder against protest against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s military fascism’ and ‘No war, peace now’. They are universal slo- campaign in Syria, bitterly rejecting the charges they had gans and chanted in every demo.” spread “terror” propaganda. Fourteen of the students have Another defendant, Sevde Ozturk, added: “Some slo- been held in jail since their initial detention in March when gans were shouted but they can only be seen as political police stormed students’ dormitories at Bogazici University, criticism.” “I reject being stigmatized as a terrorist just in a case that has outraged activists. because I chanted peace slogans,” she told the court. Some Dozens gathered outside the main Istanbul courthouse of the students also accused police of beating them in as the trial got underway, unfurling banners reading detention. Authorities detained hundreds of people during “Freedom for Bogazici” and “A right to education cannot the Afrin operation on terror propaganda charges for criti- be blocked”. The accused face jail terms of up to five years cizing the operation, raising new concerns about freedom if convicted on charges of of speech in Turkey. propaganda for the outlawed Founded in the 19th centu- Kurdistan Workers Party ry as Robert College, Bogazici (PKK), Doguscan Aydin Aygun, University is considered a lawyer for the students, told Parents say bastion of secular and AFP. Turkey earlier this year Western-orientated education successfully carried out a major their children in Turkey. Parents of the stu- incursion into the Afrin region dents attending the trial said of northern Syria with allied are innocent that their children were inno- Syrian rebels. The offensive cent and their education was ousted the Kurdish People’s being unfairly disrupted. Protection Units (YPG) militia, Tevfik Tulay, father of arrested which Ankara brands a terror third-year engineering student ISTANBUL: People demonstrate outside the Caglayan courthouse yesterday with banners reading “Freedom for group and branch of the PKK. Uzay, told AFP his son was Bogazici” as a trial opens of 22 students from Bogazici University yesterday. — AFP A day after Afrin was taken, a group of students opened “now deprived of all his rights to education”. “There is no a stand on the campus handing out sweets they dubbed evidence, he was curious what was going and stayed there But his lawyer Erdem Akyuz told Turkish media that a ing which cartoons or expressions were the source of the “Afrin delight” in memory of the Turkish soldiers killed in merely as a spectator.” Ozgur, whose 18-year-old student tribunal ruled Tuesday evening that the cartoonist should charges. the operation. But another group unfurled a banner with Yaren has been held since March 25, said: “I am here to be released on probation. “My client Nuri Kurtcebe will Kurtcebe, whose daily cartoons were published in the the words “There’s nothing sweet about occupation and take her home.” “She is innocent. She was taken just resume hs work, his drawings and his cartoons after having Aydinlik newspaper, also drew for a number of publica- massacre,” in a show of protest. Erdogan then slammed the because she stood on the right or on the left of a banner,” been deprived of his pencils and ink for two days,” Akyuz tions including Hurriyet and opposition Cumhuriyet anti-war students as “terrorists”. Turkish prosecutors the mother said. was quoted as saying by the private Dogan news agency. newspapers as well as satirical magazine Girgir. Musa accuse the students of seeking to discredit the army and Kurtcebe had been handed the jail term last year for Kart, a Cumhuriyet cartoonist who was sentenced to the state by portraying them as an “occupier” and as an Cartoonist freed several caricatures he drew in 2015, but launched an three years and nine months jail in April on charges of “illegitimate force that uses violence”. Separately, a Turkish court yesterday ordered the con- appeal and remained free pending the ruling. His lawyer aiding outlawed “terrorist organizations” along with sev- ditional release of one of Turkey’s most prominent car- said earlier Tuesday that the authorities were enforcing the eral other staff, lashed out at the court’s verdict. “It seems ‘Taking her home’ toonists a day after he was jailed to serve a 14-month sen- sentence after an appeal was turned down by an upper that the ruling party has not yet given up on its idea of Giving testimony in court, the students rejected the tence for insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, media court. “What’s recognized in all over the world is that neutralizing cartoonists with prison sentences,” he said, charges and argued shouting slogans against the govern- reported. Nuri Kurtcebe, 69, was detained and sent to artists express their work freely and that politicians, com- quoted by Cumhuriyet. “I hope and wish that this politi- ment or in favor of promoting peace had nothing to do with prison Monday after a police check found him on a bus pared to others, are more tolerant to criticism,” Akyuz had cal climate deprived of a sense of humor will change on the PKK. “I didn’t praise violence or make terror propa- travelling in the northwestern Turkish city of Yalova. said. He had added that it was not clear in the court’s rul- June 25,” he said. —AFP

sador “is interfering in our internal affairs,” the ambassador will be a guest tomorrow Calls grow in said Peter Beyer, coordinator for transat- of state secretary Michaelis,” said Foreign lantic cooperation in Angela Merkel’s gov- Minister Heiko Maas. ernment, in an interview with regional ‘You are my voice’: Germany to newspaper the Rheinische Post. ‘Awful interview’ “He should pay attention to the fact that But in Washington, the Trump adminis- we consider his start as ambassador to be tration was standing by its controversial Kurdish leader expel disputed difficult,” added the conservative politician, envoy. “Ambassadors have a right to who will be present on Wednesday for a express their opinion,” State Department US envoy visit by the diplomat to the foreign min- spokeswoman Heather Nauert told campaigns from jail istry. Former chief of the Social Democratic reporters who asked whether Grenell had Party and ex-European Parliament presi- expressing the views of the administration. BERLIN: A member of the German gov- dent Martin Schulz told national news “They’re representatives of the White ANKARA: Turkey’s ernment on Tuesday accused the new US agency DPA: “What this man is doing is House, whether it’s this administration or leading Kurdish politi- ambassador in Berlin of meddling in unheard of in international diplomacy. “If a other administrations, and we hear them cian Selahattin domestic politics and aggravating already German ambassador were to say in voicing their opinions,” she said. “And Demirtas is facing not tense ties, as left-wing parties called for Washington that he is there to empower they’re sometimes opinions that people only President Recep the staunch ally of Donald Trump to be the Democrats, he would have been kicked may or may not like. And there is the right Tayyip Erdogan in this expelled. Richard Grenell took up his Berlin out immediately. “I hope that Kurz’s visit to free speech as well.” month’s presidential posting on May 8 and immediately irked will lead Mr Grenell’s tenure as ambassa- The appointment of Grenell, a hawkish elections but the seem- Germany when he tweeted the same day dor in Germany to be short,” added supporter of Trump’s “America First” ingly insurmountable that German companies should stop doing Schulz, playing on the German word for stance, was long held up by US senators obstacle of having to business with Iran as Trump quit the short - “kurz.” who objected to his allegedly disparaging Richard Grenell campaign from jail. nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic. Schulz had earlier tweeted that the US tweets on female politicians and apparent Demirtas, the former He stoked further outrage last weekend envoy did not behave like a diplomat but refusal to take seriously claims of Russian co-leader of the with reported comments to right-wing rather like a “far-right colonial officer.” meddling in the US election. The contro- Europe can no longer rely on the US to Peoples’ Democratic news website Breitbart of his ambition to Amid the row, Germany’s foreign ministry versy comes as ties between Germany and protect it and must “take its destiny into its Party (HDP) and still by “empower other conservatives throughout is seeking clarification from Grenell about the United States are strained after Trump own hands.” Politicians in the US too far its most prominent Europe, other leaders.” Grenell also raised his comments, with the topic to be raised at ditched the Iran nuclear deal and imposed baulked at Grenell’s comments. Democratic figure, has been held eyebrows with his plan to host a June 13 a pre-arranged meeting Wednesday punishing tariffs on European aluminium Senator Chris Murphy tweeted that the since Nov 2016 on lunch for Austria’s arch-conservative between the envoy and senior official and steel. envoy’s interview with Breitbart was “awful Selahattin Demirtas charges of links to out- Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, described by Andreas Michaelis. “There will certainly be Underlining the souring transatlantic - ambassadors aren’t supposed to ‘empow- lawed Kurdish militants. the US envoy as a “rock star”. The ambas- a lot to discuss and that’s why it’s good that relationship, Merkel has warned that er’ any political party overseas.”— AFP But the party chose him as its candidate to chal- lenge Erdogan in the June 24 polls and, undeterred, Demirtas called on every member of the party to cam- and Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who is also the cur- paign in his name. “I trust you because you are my DR Congo crisis rent chair of the African Union (AU). The leaders, whose Italian populists voice and my breath,” Demirtas wrote last week. countries are observers in the DRC’s troubled election The ex-HDP leader was detained during the crack- process, have separately been on tours of Europe, where down launched after the July 2016 failed coup which stirs concerns in they talked to the region’s former colonial powers France and one step from critics say went well beyond targeting just the plotters. Belgium. Demirtas, 45, is accused of being a member of the out- Both have also, and discreetly, signaled that it is time to power in final vote lawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and making central Africa bring the curtain down on the Kabila era. In talks in Brussels propaganda for the group blacklisted as a terrorist on Monday, Belgium and Angola stressed the “importance of organization by Ankara and its Western allies. He risks KINSHASA: Across central Africa, a belt of countries is cast- free, credible and transparent elections in line with the New ROME: Italy’s incoming Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte up to 142 years in jail. The former human rights lawyer ing a wary eye at the political crisis brewing in the Year’s Eve agreement” - a deal reached on Dec 31, 2016, faced the second of two parliamentary votes yesterday, won almost 10 percent of the vote in the presidential Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), fearing the impact on under which Kabila was allowed an additional year in power the final hurdle before his populist government can offi- elections of 2014, establishing himself as a serious rival their security and economy if the situation explodes. Nine before the long-awaited elections. “If we can understand, as cially take the reins. The alliance of the anti-establishment to Erdogan. countries share a border with the DRC, one of the biggest neighbors, how to aid the transition in Congo without affect- Five Star Movement (M5S) and far-right League Party is The HDP then became the first pro-Kurdish party to and most troubled nations in Africa - and the theatre of two ing ourselves, this is what we should do,” Kagame has said. almost certain to win the vote in the chamber of deputies, enter parliament in June 2015 elections, maintaining its wars in the late 1990s and early 2000s that sucked in coun- Angola has had up-and-down relations with Kabila. It where the two parties enjoy an ample majority. Conte’s status as the second largest opposition party in a re- tries around the region and led to the deaths of three million supported the then 29-year-old political neophyte after he coalition was sworn in on Friday, after months of political run of the polls in November that year. “The fact that people. From the Republic of Congo and Angola in the west succeeded his assassinated father, Laurent-Desire Kabila, in turmoil that alarmed EU officials and spooked financial (Demirtas) is in prison is illegal and unfair. We wanted to Uganda and Rwanda in the east, memories of that trau- 2001. But in late 2016, it withdrew its military advisors from markets. to show that we do not accept this injustice,” Demirtas’ matic period remain razor sharp today as their vast neigh- the DRC and in May 2017, it sent troops to the Congolese The cabinet comfortably won approval in the senate on campaign coordinator and deputy co-leader of the bor’s political future hangs in the balance. “The DRC is the border as a bloody crisis flared in the Kasai region. Relations Tuesday evening after Conte delivered his first policy party, Saruhan Oluc, told AFP. mother of all crises,” Angolan Foreign Minister Manuel between Rwanda and the DRC have been similarly fraught. speech, in which he called for “obligatory” redistribution Domingo Augustos told the French daily Le Monde in Kigali accuses Kinshasa of providing a haven for rebels who of asylum seekers around the EU and a review of sanc- ‘Difficult to campaign’ January. “What happens there affects the entire Great Lakes played a part in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, in which tions against Russia. A lawyer with little political experi- region.” DRC’s neighbors are already hosting around From his prison cell in the northwest province of around 800,000 Tutsis and Hutu moderates were slaugh- ence, Conte was nominated by League leader Matteo 600,000 people who have fled conflicts in the center and Edirne which he shares with another HDP MP, Demirtas tered. The DRC accuses Rwanda of using its influence to pil- Salvini and Five Star head Luigi Di Maio - both of whom east of the country, and struggle to cope with rebels, traf- lage the valuable mineral coltan in the restive province of tweets almost daily through his lawyers, alternating are now his deputy prime ministers. between political messages, comments on the news and fickers and other criminals who also seep across the border. North Kivu. The two countries clashed briefly at the border In his address, Conte reaffirmed several of the coali- strokes of humor. “From the survey I undertook in the The country’s problems, many fear, could careen out of con- in February. tion’s key manifesto pledges, including a tough line on prison cell, I won 100 percent each time. Just kidding :). trol if President Joseph Kabila seeks a third term in elections migrants and rejection of austerity in an economy There was one time when I was angry at myself and I in December in defiance of constitutional limits - or if the Suspicions weighed down by the eurozone’s second-largest debt obtained 50 percent of the vote,” he quipped. vote is postponed for a third time. The DRC last week reacted with concern to the talks in Meanwhile, the HDP’s current co-leaders Pervin Europe, apparently suspecting that a deal was being cooked ratio. “We want to reduce our public debt, but we want to Buldan and Sezai Temelli are campaigning across the Talks up behind its back. “No one has the right to envisage solu- do so with growth and not with austerity measures,” he country for the simultaneous presidential and parlia- A diplomatic ballet is starting to unfold as clouds darken tions to our problems without us,” government spokesman told senators. Conte also called for the so-called Dublin mentary elections. “It’s difficult (to campaign this way), on the horizon. The leaders of six southern and central Lambert Mende said after Kagame met French President Regulation to be overhauled in order to obtain “a fair dis- but it does not occur to us that we will fail,” Temelli told African countries - Angola, Republic of Congo, the DRC, Emmanuel Macron. He condemned “people who are nostal- tribution of responsibilities” and “an automatic system of AFP on board his campaign bus in Ankara. Several HDP Gabon, Rwanda and South Africa - will “in principle” meet in gic for the colonial order” and “closed-door meetings and compulsory distribution of asylum seekers”. officials have said that on the ground, their stands and Luanda on June 17, an informed source in Brazzaville, the open plotting against our country’s sovereignty.” Under the Dublin Rules, would-be asylum seekers must rallies are often harassed by public officials including capital of the Republic of Congo, told AFP. “We are all await- Those words find an echo in Tanzania, with which the submit their applications in their country of arrival, leav- police. “All the institutions... are working now hand-in- ing the confirmation from Kinshasa for this decisive meet- DRC has cordial relations - the Kabila family lived there in ing Italy to deal with the huge numbers that have landed hand for the HDP to stay under the threshold (of 10 ing,” the source said. exile. “No solution to the intra-Congolese conflict should be on its shores from North Africa, in particular Libya. On percent needed to enter parliament) and not letting the Leading the dynamic are Angolan President Joao envisaged behind the back of the country concerned and Russia, which faces EU punitive measures over the party campaign,” Temelli said.—AFP Lourenco - current head of the 15-nation Southern African without associating regional organizations,” a senior Ukraine crisis, Conte said his government “will promote a Development Community (SADC) which includes the DRC - Tanzanian official said. AFP— review of the sanctions system”.—AFP 8 Established 1961 Thursday, June 7, 2018 International British-Pakistani activist critical of army freed after abduction Kidnapping took place inside army-controlled part of city

LAHORE: A British-Pakistani activist known for her released, thanking friends and colleagues for their “worst kind of oppression”. tions have taken place brazenly in major urban cen- criticism of Pakistan’s military was briefly abducted support during the ordeal. “I would like to express Newspaper editor and analyst Raza Ahmad Rumi ters such as Karachi, Lahore and even the capital late Tuesday by unknown men in the eastern city of my deep gratitude and love to my friends, family, tweeted: “Dissenters are not a threat. Healthy soci- Islamabad.They have also increasingly targeted Lahore, her family said, prompting fears she had colleagues & supporters in civil society, journalism eties allow critical voices to foster/retain a pluralist activists and journalists critical of the state and the been forcibly disappeared. Gul Bukhari, 52, was and politics across the board, for coming together in culture.” And the Committee to Protect Journalists military’s policies, largely seen as a red line few dare detained for several hours by unknown men one day solidarity in concern for my said it was “alarmed” by the cross. The military routinely denies being involved. after the powerful military held a press conference well being last night,” read report of her abduction. Some of those who have been released in the past warning that it is monitoring citizens who criticize the statement. “I am well, “Pakistani journalists have have described being tortured, though many remain Pakistan, amid a growing crackdown on free speech and would request privacy seen enough tragedy,” the reluctant to name their abductors. Others remain in the country. at this stage. Military issues watchdog tweeted. Bukhari missing, like activist Raza Khan who disappeared in Bukhari was on her way to a television news sta- The British High is known for advocating Dec 2017. However, a burgeoning civil rights move- tion in Lahore where she was due to appear as an Commission in Islamabad veiled warning human rights online and is ment by the country’s ethnic Pashtuns and recent analyst on a late night show when she was stopped, said yesterday that it was also a prominent columnist comments from former PM Sharif have increasingly her husband Ali Nadir told AFP. “She left around aware of the reported inci- to online critics whose articles are often criticized the security establishment and its policies, 10:40 pm for Waqt News but was apparently picked dent and “reaching out with highly critical of the military including disappearances. up on the way. It seems to be plainclothes people consular assistance”. “We and its policies. During a press conference Monday, the military but we don’t have any more info,” he said in a are very concerned at issued a veiled warning to online critics. “We have WhatsApp message. He later confirmed that she had reports of Gul Bukhari’s Monitoring social media the capability to monitor social media as to who is been freed, but could not immediately provide fur- abduction last night,” the High Commission said in a Pakistan has had a history of enforced disappear- doing what,” military spokesman Major General Asif ther details. statement posted on Twitter. News of her abduction ances over the past decade, mainly confined to con- Ghafoor said. He also briefly flashed an image on Sources at Waqt News said the kidnapping had caused a furore on social media. Maryam Nawaz flict zones near the Afghanistan border or to the screen showing what appeared to be Twitter handles taken place inside an army-controlled part of the Sharif, daughter of ousted prime minister Nawaz restive southwestern Balochistan province. However, and names, including of at least one prominent jour- city. Bukhari released a statement hours after being Sharif, said it was “extremely disturbing” and the in recent years, a growing number of such abduc- nalist, but refused to elaborate further. —AFP

News in brief would lead to talks with the US and Kim turns from China would reach out.” In meetings with the South Korean New AG vows ‘no cover-ups’ and Chinese leaders, including seaside threats to hugs in strolls and al fresco woodland tea, Kim KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s newly appointed has appeared polite and pleasant, a stark attorney-general Tommy Thomas said yesterday diplomatic drive contrast to Pyongyang’s previous chest- there would be “no cover ups” as he promised to thumping. The North Korean leader has institute criminal and civil action over a graft scandal SEOUL: From threats of war to brotherly also extended goodwill gestures to the at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad hugs, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un US, releasing three American detainees (1MDB). “I have therefore to study all the papers in has emerged as a skilled diplomat with and dismantling his nuclear test site, that scandal. We will institute criminal and civil pro- the unexpected assistance of a new while halting missile launches for over six ceedings in our courts against the alleged wrongdo- player in the game: US President Donald months. ers,” Thomas told reporters on his first day in office. Trump. Kim’s sudden turn to statecraft at “Kim’s not just good at maximum “All are equal before the law and no one is spared. the height of tensions is straight out of a pressure, he’s also pretty good at maxi- There will be no cover up.” He also said he would North Korean playbook that goes back mum engagement,” said Jung Pak, a for- immediately contact authorities in other countries decades, analysts say, but Trump’s spon- mer North Korea expert at the CIA who investigating 1MDB, with the aim of returning billions taneity has allowed it to have an is now a scholar at the Brookings of dollars allegedly stolen from the fund. Other tasks unprecedented impact on the field of Institution. He has proved “quite skilled Donald Trump Kim Jong Un on his immediate agenda included repealing oppres- diplomacy. at playing the regional players against sive laws, and reviewing Malaysia’s contracts with After a year of multiple missile the other”, she said, and “sees Beijing as other countries. Thomas is the country’s first non- launches that brought the US mainland a key counterweight (and probably an Koreas. “He’s going to Washington via the optimal mix.” Muslim attorney-general in decades, and his within range of his rockets, and the insurance policy) against the United Beijing and Seoul,” Koo said. “It’s the most As Kim and Trump wrestle for more appointment had been opposed by some sections of North’s largest atomic test to date, Kim States”. effective way for a small state to increase leverage, analysts say Kim’s carefully the majority ethnic Malay community. —AFP declared Pyongyang’s nuclear quest diplomatic leverage.” But it was the presi- orchestrated diplomacy will serve as complete and began his overtures for Diplomatic leverage dent of the United States who may have insurance against a possible resumption negotiations. Kim reached out to the It is a surprising transition for a leader unknowingly provided the stage for Kim of US-led pressure if next week’s meet- Rescuers save 23 miners South’s dovish President Moon Jae-in in who had spent six years in isolation, nev- to show off his diplomatic skills. ing goes badly. Beyond pledging its time for the Winter Olympics and later er having left the country nor met with The Singapore summit is a result of commitment to the denuclearization of BEIJING: Rescuers pulled 23 workers out of a mine made his international debut with a sur- foreign heads of state since assuming Trump’s spontaneity, after he accepted the Korean peninsula - a diplomatic in northeast China yesterday, hours after they were prise trip to traditional ally China to power in 2011. Now, Kim’s diplomacy is Kim’s invitation to talk - relayed by euphemism open to wide interpretation trapped underground by an explosion that killed 11 finally pay his respects to President Xi in full gear, exchanging envoys with Seoul officials - without consulting his - Pyongyang has made no public offers and left two others missing, state media reported. Jinping, repairing a relationship that had Washington and holding repeated sum- aides. When Trump issued a letter of concessions, while Washington is still Nine other workers were injured in Tuesday’s blast at frayed in recent years. mits with his Chinese and South Korean abruptly cancelling next week’s summit, insisting it gives up its weapons. the iron ore mine owned by Huamei Group, a sub- He is due to hold a historic summit counterparts. His approach to Beijing is a Moon and Kim rapidly arranged a sec- But even if Singapore is a failure, Kim sidiary of China National Coal Group Co, in Benxi, with Trump next week in Singapore, “classic example of balanced diploma- ond meeting, posing for affectionate pic- is likely to soldier on with his charm Liaoning province. The blast took place when miners brokered by Moon - the first-ever cy”, said Koo Kab-woo, a professor at tures at the border, as both Seoul and offensive rather than immediately return were dropping explosives down the one-kilometer- meeting between a sitting US president the University of North Korean Studies Pyongyang reaffirmed the North’s com- to missile and nuclear tests, said Go deep mine shaft, destroying the pit’s hoisting system, and a North Korean leader. “It was pre- in Seoul. mitment to dialogue. Within days, Trump Myong-hyun, an analyst at the Asan according to Xinhua. Six miners were lifted out of meditated,” said Kim Hyun-wook, a Kim travelled to China for a ren- had reinstated the meeting. “It would be Institute of Policy Studies. “And if that’s the shaft at 5:20 am on Wednesday and 17 others professor at the Korea National dezvous with Xi ahead of the landmark impossible if we didn’t have the combi- the case, South Korea and China will be were pulled up about two hours later, according to Diplomatic Academy. “Kim knew that if April inter-Korean summit in the nation of Moon Jae-in, Donald Trump able to continue helping North Korea Xinhua. All were in good condition. Authorities were he started by fixing inter-Korean ties, it Demilitarized Zone dividing the two and Kim Jong Un,” Koo said. “Kim met diplomatically.” —AFP still searching for the two missing miners. The mine’s electricity, ventilation systems and hoisting system were brought back online, Xinhua said. —AFP I heeded the warnings, I probably avoided losses that could have As rains lash gone into hundreds of thousands of rupees,” he said. Abe seeks Trump assurances Sri Lankan weather and disaster offices have for years faced criticism for not providing adequate early warning about TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, seek- Lanka, warnings extreme weather - a problem that may have contributed to ing to draw on his close ties with President Donald widespread deaths and displacement from mudslides and flood- Trump in talks today, will urge the US leader not to arrive on time ing, critics say. But this year that is changing, with government forget Tokyo’s security concerns in his drive for a agencies issuing a series of early warning alerts about potential threats, experts say. historic deal with North Korean leader Kim Jung Un. MARAWILA, Sri Lanka: In late May, floods were the last thing Abe has spoken to Trump 30 times since he became on Chamindha Fernando’s mind. A drought that started in late ‘We felt safe’ president, including eight face-to-face meetings, and 2016 was in its second year and the biggest local worry was that On May 22, the Disaster Management Centre put out a land- officials say Washington is well-aware of Tokyo’s drinking water in Marawila, a coastal town about 65 km north of slide warning, relayed from the National Building Research stance towards Pyongyang. “Through summits and Colombo, might run out. So “when we began hearing that there Organization, that reached scores of landslide-prone villages in telephone conversations with President Trump, we was going to be heavy rains in the coming week from around the districts of Rathnapura, Kalutara, Kegalle and Nuwera Eliya. have closely liaised and our positions are exactly the May 20, at first I did not pay that much attention,” admitted Many families temporarily moved out of their homes in response. same,” Abe told reporters before departing for Fernando, who runs a small chicken farm. “There was no landslide in our village, but we felt safe staying Washington. “Ahead of this historic US-North Korea But soon the main government official in his area sent mes- away from the area and also that someone was monitoring the summit, I will meet President Trump to coordinate in sages to business owners such as Fernando, warning them to be situation,” said Mariamma Sivalingama, 40, a plantation worker order to advance progress on the nuclear issue, mis- prepared for flooding. Fernando said he didn’t usually trust the who lives in Nuwera Eliya. siles and - most importantly - the abductees issue,” forecasts of Sri Lanka’s Department of Meteorology, which he Brenda Barton, the head of the World Food Programme in Sri he said, referring to the emotive matter of Japanese felt were often cryptic and vague. But this time the alerts were Lanka, said government departments and other agencies held citizens kidnapped by Pyongyang’s agents decades much more precise, saying that after May 22 Marawila and sur- meetings in the two weeks before the expected arrival of mon- ago. —Reuters rounding areas were likely to be hit by floods. The Sri Lanka Red soon rains to try to prepare for potential threats. The govern- Cross also sent the same warnings - and then on May 21 the ment “took a number of concerted steps and initiatives to heavens opened with three days of non-stop rain. By May 24, heighten preparedness before the monsoon season, including Singapore diplomat to visit Pyongyang Marawila and surrounding areas had received over 350mm of mobilizing response teams well in advance and establishing rain in four days - but Fernando had reinforced his chicken mechanisms to ensure the security and safety of evacuated peo- COLOMBO: A Sri Lankan man walks at the Galle Face promenade during monsoon winds on June 4, 2018. —AFP SINGAPORE: Singapore’s foreign minister will hatcheries and pens so that rainwater could not get in. “Because ple and their assets,” Barton said. —Reuters make a two-day trip to Pyongyang starting today, as preparations for a summit in the city-state between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un acceler- including superficial audits, instead of engag- workers about the drivers of modern slavery, Goldlake Group, a gold mining company that ate. The announcement came a day after the White No quick fixes ing with employees, said British rights activist and how to spot the signs. “We are looking to operates in Honduras. “You need to engage House revealed that the historic June 12 meeting Andy Hall. scratch beneath the surface ... to carry out with local communities, treat workers like between the US and North Korean leaders will take “Hotlines and smartphone apps (allowing assessments which can give us real insight as partners, give them benefits and training and place in a luxury hotel on Singapore’s resort island for companies staff to report abuses) are widely hailed ... but to what is actually going on,” the retailer’s involve them in the business process,” said the of Sentosa. Singapore’s foreign minister Vivian do not give any power to workers to organize, head of human rights said at a panel on supply co-founder of Goldlake, which produces sus- Balakrishnan will visit the North Korean capital at seeking to stamp bargain and improve their conditions,” said chain forced labour held in London on tainable gold for the luxury jewelry market. the invitation of the North’s foreign minister Ri Hall, who has worked on migrant workers’ Tuesday. From cosmetics and clothes to From tobacco in Bangladesh and palm oil in Yong Ho, Singapore’s foreign ministry said in a out forced labor rights in Thailand. “And audits - which are shrimp and smartphones, supply chains are Borneo to diamonds in the Democratic statement. The minister, who will be accompanied often too quick and just focused on paper- often complex. Multiple layers across various Republic of Congo, investors should put pres- by foreign ministry officials, will also meet the BRUSSELS: Businesses seeking to clean up work - need to go beyond factories and look countries - whether in sourcing raw materials sure on industries and companies to change North’s ceremonial president Kim Yong Nam, the their supply chains must invest in improving at recruitment practices and housing,” he said or creating the final product - makes it hard to their practices, said Frida Arounsavath of cam- statement said. It did not give reasons for the trip the lives of their workers rather than relying on ahead of the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s identify exploitation. paign group Swedwatch. The world will not but analysts noted Balakrishnan visited the US this technology or short-term fixes, campaigners one-day Trust Conference held in Brussels, meet the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable week and met with Secretary of State Mike and major companies said ahead of a confer- Belgium. Bottom-up approach Development Goals (SDGs) - including ending Pompeo, and will be keen to keep both sides happy ence on modern-day slavery yesterday. With Louise Nicholls of Marks & Spencer said Companies will only succeed at ensuring extreme poverty and achieving gender equali- before the summit. —AFP companies facing growing regulatory and the British retailer was striving to ensure its their entire operations are free of abuse if they ty - by the deadline of 2030 unless firms act consumer pressure to ensure their operations audits are more comprehensive than most, and adopt a bottom-up strategy to reforming their quickly to end forced labour, according to are slavery-free, many are taking shortcuts, backed by efforts to educate suppliers and supply chains, said Daniela Colaiacovo of the Arounsavath. —Reuters Established 1961 9 International Thursday, June 7, 2018 Trump throws his own party after NFL champs uninvited President struggles with lyrics of ‘God Bless America’

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump threw his own “Unfortunately, the Eagles offered to send only a tiny handful flag-waving - if subdued - “celebration of America” Tuesday of representatives, while making clear that the great majority after cancelling a reception for the NFL champion of players would not attend,” press secretary Sarah Sanders Philadelphia Eagles because only “a tiny handful” of players said. “Upon learning these facts, the president decided to planned to attend. “We love our country. We respect our change the event.” flag. We lwaysa proudly stand for the national anthem,” The spat reignited a Trump-fueled debate over national Trump said at a hastily organized nationalistic jamboree on anthem protests. Trump set off widespread protests by the South Lawn of the White House. Trump had planned a mostly black NFL athletes last year after labeling players high-profile reception for the Super Bowl LII champion who knelt during the national anthem to protest racial injus- team, but cancelled on the eve of their trip, citing NFL play- tice “sons of bitches” who should be fired. Colin Kaepernick, ers’ protests during the pregame national anthem. the then-quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, began the But it transpired Tuesday that kneeling protests in 2016 to the reception was scrapped draw attention to police brutality because only a few of the 81 and racial inequality. team members invited had actu- Audience Kaepernick’s protest followed ally planned to attend. Instead, a wave of deaths of black men Trump hosted an event featuring mostly made during encounters with law songs, flag waving and a brief enforcement. The Eagles’ roster four minutes of remarks in which up of White contains several prominent fig- he praised his own management ures from the NFL player protest of the economy and the familiar House staff movement, and some, including themes of American nationalism. safety Malcolm Jenkins and “We stand together for freedom. defensive end Chris Long, had We stand together for patriotism. already indicated they planned And we proudly stand for our not to attend. Eagles owner glorious nation under God,” he said. Jeffrey Lurie has also been critical of Trump, and reportedly Flags fluttered and the Marine Band banged out patriotic described his presidency as “disastrous,” according to a tunes to the crowd of around hundreds, but the event was New York Times report earlier this year. The US president for the most part subdued. A significant portion of the audi- has repeatedly tried to inflame political anger and find sensi- WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump leaves after the “Celebration of America” event ence was made up of White House staff - who admitted to tive “wedge issues” to animate his supporters. at the White House on Tuesday. — AFP not being Eagles fans when asked - and Trump faced at least one protestor who demanded the divisive president “stop ‘Political stunt’ dencies. Trump had a similar rift last year with the NBA Golden State’s Curry said Tuesday the NBA Finals champions hiding behind the armed services and the national anthem!” But picking a fight with a team from a political swing state champion Golden State Warriors - also from a city with a will not be visiting the White House no matter whether the could prove a risky bet. Democratic Senator Bob Casey, large African American population. The president had with- Cavaliers or Warriors win the crown. The Eagles put out a ‘Tiny handful’ from Pennsylvania, said he was skipping Trump’s “political drawn an invitation to the team to attend a White House non-committal statement after Trump axed the event. In the Trump himself appeared to struggle with the lyrics of stunt” and instead invited the Eagles to tour the US Capitol. reception after star Stephen Curry and other players indicat- statement, they said it was thrilling to win the Super Bowl and “God Bless America”, which he mouthed, then nodded along Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said disinviting the Eagles ed a reluctance to attend. “watching the entire Eagles community come together has to. The run-up to the event had brought a very public spat “only proves the president is not a true patriot”. The Warriors instead took a group of children on a visit to been an inspiration. We are truly grateful for all of the support between Trump and the champion team, which the White Presidential receptions for championship sport teams Washington’s National Museum of African American History we have received and we are looking forward to continuing House accused of deciding to “abandon their fans”. have been a regular occurrence throughout different presi- and Culture. This year Cleveland star LeBron James and our preparations for the 2018 season.” — AFP

News in brief Nearly 200 missing, 75 dead Trump fires aide from Guatemala volcano WASHINGTON: Donald Trump has sacked an aide who said cancer-stricken Senator John McCain’s opposition to ALOTENANGO, Guatemala: Nearly 200 peo- until we find the last victim, though we do not a presidential nominee did not matter because “he’s dying ple are missing and at least 75 have been killed know how many there are. We will probe the anyway,” the White House announced Tuesday. The White since Guatemala’s Fuego volcano began erupt- area as many times as necessary,” Cabanas House was roiled by bipartisan fury over the remark attrib- ing over the weekend, officials said Tuesday. told AFP. uted to Kelly Sadler in May. “Kelly Sadler is no longer Seven communities in already devastated areas However, the prospects of finding any more employed within the Executive Office of the President,” were evacuated as the volcano’s activity survivors was poor, he said. “If you are read a brief statement by deputy White House spokesman increased, with rescue operations halted. In the trapped in a pyroclastic flow, it’s hard to come Raj Shah. McCain, 81, had indicated he opposed the nomi- city of Escuintla, near the summit, panicked out of it alive,” he said, adding that people nation of now CIA Director nominee Gina Haspel over her locals rushed to their cars to escape, causing who may have been caught in the flow may role in enhanced interrogation techniques under president chaotic traffic. An AFP photographer saw a never be found. Among the latest of the 75 George W Bush. The Arizona senator, who was held pris- large plume of ash rise into the sky, prompting fatalities reported by the National Institute of oner and tortured during the Vietnam War, is battling brain an evacuation of everyone authorities could Forensic Sciences was a 42-year-old woman Volunteers and rescuers evacuate the disaster zone as a column of smoke cancer. CNN had quoted a White House official as saying find before the police, the military and rescuers who died in hospital having lost both legs and and ash rises from the area where lava flowed down the Fuego Volcano, in Sadler, speaking at a staff meeting, meant the comment as were ordered to stand down. an arm in the eruption. The previous toll was Escuintla Department, on Tuesday. — AFP a joke but that it flopped. — AFP And a total of 192 people remain missing given as 73. Some 46 people were injured, since the weekend eruptions, disaster relief around half of whom are in serious condition, many living in shelters in Escuintla, University. President Jimmy Morales, who has agency chief Sergio Cabanas told reporters. officials said. Sacatepequez and Chimaltenango since declared three days of national mourning, has Voters expected to remove judge The search for bodies in mountain villages The 3,763-m volcano erupted early Sunday’s eruption. visited the disaster zone. UN Secretary- destroyed by the eruption was progressing Sunday, spewing out towering plumes of ash The speed of the eruption took locals by General Antonio Guterres said he was deeply LOS ANGELES: Voters appeared likely to remove from slowly, officials said earlier, given the nature and a hail of fiery rock fragments with scald- surprise, and could be explained by it produc- saddened by the “tragic loss of life and the office a California judge who drew worldwide condemna- of the terrain and the way the volcano ing mud. Authorities said more than 1.7 million ing pyroclastic flows, sudden emissions of gas significant damage caused by the eruption,” tion for giving a six-month jail sentence to a Stanford released large amounts of boiling mud, rock people had been affected by the disaster, and rock fragments, rather than lava, said vol- and said the UN was ready to assist national University swimmer convicted of sexually assaulting an and ash down the mountain. “We will continue including more than 3,000 ordered evacuated, canologist David Rothery of Britain’s Open rescue and relief efforts. — AFP unconscious woman, early returns in a special election showed. Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky, a former prosecutor appointed to the bench in “We’ve got to get this message out. You will UN Human Rights Office in Geneva. “The use 2003 by then-Governor Gray Davis, a Democrat, would be prosecuted if you come illegally. And if of immigration detention and family separa- become the first sitting judge recalled for more than 80 Trump defends border policy as you bring children, you’ll still be prosecuted,” tion as a deterrent runs counter to human years in the state, which lets voters petition for elections he told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt. rights standards and principles,” she said. to remove officials from office. With 52 percent of UN says children’s rights violated “If people do not want to be separated from “Detention is never in the best interests of precincts reporting, the campaign to unseat Persky, their children, then they should not bring the child and always constitutes a child rights organized by Stanford law professor Michele Dauber, had WASHINGTON: The Trump administration domestically and internationally. them with them.” violation.” garnered support from nearly 59 percent of voters, com- defended Tuesday its policy of separating “Separating families at the Border is the US envoy to the United Nations Nikki pared with 41 percent opposing the recall, according to illegal immigrant children from their parents fault of bad legislation passed by the ‘Serious violation’ of children’s rights Haley blasted back, saying the body “shows online returns posted by the county registrar. Cindy as the United Nations demanded a halt to the Democrats. Border Security laws should be Their comments came after the United its hypocrisy by calling out the United States Seeley Hendrickson, the candidate she endorsed in a sep- “serious” violation of children’s rights. changed but the Dems can’t get their act Nations urged Washington to “immediately” while it ignores the reprehensible human arate two-way race to succeed Persky, was leading with President Donald Trump, who ordered bor- together!” he said via Twitter. Attorney halt the policy. “The practice of separating rights records of several members of its own 70 percent of the vote. — Reuters der patrol agents a month ago to implement General Jeff Sessions said the “zero toler- families amounts to arbitrary and unlawful Human Rights Council”. “We are also a sov- the separation policy to deter other migrants ance” policy was legal and necessary to interference in family life, and is a serious ereign country, with laws that decide how from crossing the border, blamed it on oppo- deter the thousands of families crossing the violation of the rights of the child,” said best to control our borders and protect our Colorado wildfire grows sition Democrats, as criticism mounted border and asking for asylum each month. Ravina Shamdasani, spokeswoman for the people,” she said. —AFP COLORADO: Authorities sought the evacuation of hun- dreds of residences in southwest Colorado on Tuesday as a largely unchecked wildfire grew in size, with forecasters placing several western and southwestern US states under ‘Human tragedy’ of Nicaragua an elevated risk for blazes. The wildfire, dubbed the 416 Fire, grew to about 3,000 acres early on Tuesday and was 10 violence claims 121 lives percent contained as it was pushed by strong winds near Durango, Colorado. It burned over steep terrain in bone-dry MANAGUA: At least 121 people have been not be named. He said the police did not conditions, sending smoke billowing into the sky. About 400 killed in a wave of protests since April 18 show up at any of these places. Ten people km to the southeast, the 1,110 residents of Cimarron, New against President Daniel Ortega’s govern- were also killed in running battles over the Mexico, were allowed back into their homes after showers ment, Nicaragua’s main human rights group weekend in the flashpoint city of Masaya, on Sunday helped quell part of a separate blaze, the Ute said Tuesday, calling it a “human tragedy”. near Managua, said the CENIDH. Masaya Park Fire, which has burned 36,664 acres of drought- The Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights residents armed with homemade mortars and parched grassland and timber since erupting on Thursday. (CENIDH) said another 1,300 people have slingshots faced off in clashes with what they Nearly 600 firefighters, using helicopters, bulldozers and been wounded in the protests, which have said were riot police and vigilante groups other heavy equipment, had managed to carve containment met with a violent crackdown from the gov- loyal to Ortega, who has dominated the lines around 25 percent of the wildfire as of Tuesday after- ernment. “This is now a massacre, a human Central American country’s politics for four noon, authorities said. — Reuters tragedy where the goal is to exterminate all decades. those young people who think differently Separately on Tuesday, the Organization of than or are critical of the government,” the American States, which was holding its gener- Scores more homes destroyed by lava group’s executive secretary, Marlin Sierra, al assembly in Washington, issued a condem- told AFP. “It amounts to state terrorism.” nation of the violence and appealed to the MASAYA, Nicaragua: Anti-government demonstrators remain at an improvised PAHOA, Hawaii: A growing river of molten rock flowing The latest toll includes a young boy killed Nicaraguan government and other parties to barricade on Tuesday. — AFP from a fissure at the foot of Kilauea Volcano is believed to by gunfire during clashes Tuesday in the “demonstrate commitment and engage con- have demolished scores of additional homes and filled in a resort city of Granada between anti-govern- structively in peaceful negotiation.” The city cades residents have erected in the streets. rorizing those who venture out, according to small bay at the eastern tip of Hawaii’s Big Island, civil ment protesters and riot police, the group braced for a new night of clashes Tuesday, Built with cobblestones, furniture, sheet metal the CENIDH. Barricades set up on key high- defense officials said on Tuesday. The latest estimates - said. A parish priest, Wilmer Perez, earlier after several nights of attacks that residents and whatever else is at hand, the barricades ways have meanwhile ground transportation up to 80 more structures than previously counted as told the 100% news channel that the boy was say were led by riot police. “Yesterday we are meant to keep out pro-Ortega gangs, to a halt. Some parts of the country are destroyed by lava smothering two newly evacuated sub- killed in a confrontation between demonstra- buried one person, the day before we buried whom residents accuse of pillaging the city of beginning to run out of fuel and other essen- divisions - could bring the total number of homes and tors and government supporters trying to another. One was a 15-year-old boy. He 100,000 people. The government blames tials. The country’s business elite, long close other buildings lost over the past month to nearly 200. clear a barricade in the city, 45 kilometers begged for his life. He told the policewoman, criminals for the pillaging, and says it sent in to Ortega, have broken with him over the Such a tally would put property losses from the current (28 miles) south of the capital Managua. ‘Don’t kill me, don’t kill me.’ But bam, bam, she riot police at the request of small-business crackdown. upheaval of Kilauea, which entered its 34th day on Town hall and the local office of the ruling shot him,” said Ramona Garcia, 83. “We’re owners. The Catholic Church, also once close to Tuesday, on par with the 215 structures destroyed by lava Sandinista party in Granada were burned sick and tired of it. We want that son of a Ortega, initially tried to mediate the conflict. during all 35 years of the volcano’s last eruption cycle, down by protesters, and several electrical bitch Ortega to go. The people want him to Economic pressure But it called off the talks after attacks on a which began in 1983. — Reuters appliance stores were looted and burned, a go, all Nicaragua wants him to go,” she told In Managua, there is a virtual curfew in march led by victims’ mothers last local businessman told AFP on condition he AFP, speaking beside one of the myriad barri- place after dark, with motorcycle gangs ter- Wednesday left 16 people dead. — AFP 10 Established 1961 Analysis Thursday, June 7, 2018

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Online shopping boom keeps hopes high for air freight profits

n explosion of e-commerce demand is buoy- ing the air freight business, boosting profit at Asome major airlines despite global trade ten- sions and underscoring robust consumer confidence. Air freight demand is expected to rise 4 percent this year, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said at its annual meeting this week in Sydney. Top beneficiaries will be freight-heavy carriers like Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways, Dubai’s Emirates, Germany’s Lufthansa and Korean Air Lines. The growth in e-commerce is also a boon for parcel firms such as UPS and FedEx as well as second-hand jet traders and an army of pilots known as “freight dogs.” “The cargo environment is very strong,” Macron’s frenetic reform drive exhausts French MPs Carsten Spohr, chief executive of Germany’s Lufthansa, the world’s seventh largest cargo airline, rance may be famed for its 35-hour working farm bill. MP Francois Ruffin accused de Rugy of pre- workload could be taking a toll on their health-not just told Reuters on the sidelines of the IATA talks. week, but in parliament the marathon debates siding over parliament like “an undertaker over a because of the long hours, but the worry that their He added that planes were full on both the out- Fand 1am votes prompted by President Emmanuel body”. “For this agriculture bill, which was set to be a haste could lead to bad laws. “Unpredictable schedules bound and return legs of their trips thanks to the Macron’s reform drive have marathon one, de Rugy could may be part of the job, but working at the weekend export-driven German economy on one end and MPs on the brink of burnout. have blocked off two weeks. should not become the norm,” the Association of goods sold online on the other. “Inbound and out- The lawmakers are com- But no, we had to go quickly, French Parliamentary Staff warned. bound, I’m looking at probably the best environment plaining that the mountain of Opposition on the double,” he complained Fatigue has also reached the prime minister’s office, I have seen in years,” he said. Although trade ten- legislation put forward by on his blog. where at least 14 secretaries and four advisors have sions are rising, most notably between the US and Macron - a former invest- parties reportedly left their posts in a year. Asked about the China and Europe, the industry is counting on e- ment banker more used to Exodus from PM’s office exodus, Philippe said he was looking for “total commit- commerce continuing to soar, with more people buy- 80-hour weeks-is forcing express Other opposition parties ment”. Christophe Castaner, the head of Macron’s party ing products online for quick delivery. “Air freight them into overdrive, and that have also expressed frustra- and minister in charge of parliamentary relations, may be impacted by the trade tensions, but it could quantity does necessarily frustration tion. “We’re not trying to tug shrugged off the concerns. “There is a time for action be supported by GDP continuing to be relatively spell quality. on the heartstrings,” said which means moving fast,” he said. He also assured law- strong, and also by e-commerce,” Mylene Scholnick, From tax, education and Christian Jacob, head of the makers that, unlike last year, they would not be asked to principal at consultancy ICF, told Reuters. housing reforms to a shake- rightwing Republicans’ parlia- work in August-a sacred holiday month for many Cathay Pacific CEO Rupert Hogg said higher con- up of labour laws and the railways, the 40-year-old mentary contingent, but “this is not a good way of leg- French citizens, ideally spent by the beach or in the sumer spending is driving demand for high-end centrist has been determined to hit the ground running islating.” Parliamentary staff have also complained the countryside.—AFP goods such as electronics. “Definitely the retail map since his stunning victory last year at the head of a new is changing and e-commerce is just growing and party. He himself survives on a few hours sleep a night, growing and with it the movement of small parcels. I determined to strike early in his term with a barrage of don’t see that changing at the moment. That is begin- reform. The bills have come at a frantic pace: coming ning to form a baseload,” he said. Cathay’s home air- hot on the heels of a new immigration bill and a reform port, in Hong Kong, is the world’s biggest cargo hub. of French railways are bills on professional training, Business and consumer confidence are rising and tax unemployment insurance and the justice system. His cuts in the US alongside loose monetary policy have government readily acknowledges the hectic pace it has spurred a cyclical revival in world trade, IATA econ- set for itself. “There will be no let-up,” Prime Minister omists say. Edouard Philippe said last year. “France has nothing to Airline leaders said growing protectionism could fear from this change, but everything to lose from the put that at risk, but only if it escalates into an all- status quo.” out economic battle. Although steel and aluminum are in the cross hairs of US tariffs, those goods tend ‘We can’t make good laws’ not to be shipped by air. “The worry would be if If tired MPs are feeling the strain, and complaining this escalates and generally puts up trade barriers that his rush to legislate is stifling debate, Macron’s and makes it more difficult to facilitate. But at the reformist zeal has at least found fans at the International moment, it’s not affecting air cargo,” said IATA Monetary Fund. “Over the last year, France has made chief economist Brian Pearce. Lufthansa’s Spohr impressive progress,” the Washington-based lender agreed. “Looking at the current outlook in cargo, I said in an annual review on Monday. “With this ambi- tious pace of reforms France has now become a reform am more concerned about a trade war as a leader in Europe.” But on the benches of parliament, the European than I am concerned about a trade war as cracks are starting to show. Parliament speaker Francois CEO of Lufthansa,” he said. de Rugy, a Macron ally, took issue with the pace on Tuesday. “In recent weeks we have sat for eighty hours Consumer demand per week. We have sat for the last 17 days consecutive- Air cargo rose 9.7 percent in 2017, when compa- ly,” he said. nies turned to speedy air freight to refill inventories “This is not how a parliament normally functions. It is after unexpectedly good economic growth. Although not allowing us to really carry out legislative work, to that trend isn’t expected to continue this year, e- make good laws.” His doubts followed a row with MPs commerce is softening the blow. And even this year’s from the far-left France Unbowed party, who accused FERNEY-VOLTAIRE: French President Emmanuel Macron (2nd left) together with his wife Brigitte Macron, French softer growth is better than the freight downtown him of trying to “sabotage” parliament with days of Culture Minister Francoise Nyssen (left) and Ferney Mayor Daniel Raphoz look at a model of the castle following a that hit early in the decade, caused partly by a sur- grueling debate over more than 2,000 amendments to a ceremony for the reopening of the newly restored Chateau de Ferney-Voltaire, in Ferney-Voltaire. — AFP plus of belly space in the increasing numbers of pas- senger planes. “Consumers need to get products and this is happening cross-border now. E-commerce is really supporting growth to a much greater extent shortage on the sidelines of the IATA annual meeting this Association of Asia Pacific Airlines. “There is a bidding war than before,” IATA chief economist Brian Pearce Airlines struggle with week. Inflation is beginning to take hold in OECD going on.” said. Time-sensitive pharmaceuticals is also helping. economies after years of lying dormant, and pilot wages In countries where average wages are relatively low, Air freight supports an ecosystem of jets, either global pilot shortage also reflect that, Pearce added. pilots are being offered much cushier pay packages than sold brand-new as freighters or adapted from pas- The high cost of pilot training and several years of ear- other professions because they are internationally mobile senger planes late in life once they become too cost- lier hiring freezes in markets like the United States and and must speak English, the global language of aviation. Australia have deterred potential aviators from entering an Sri Lankan Airlines has lost a “steady trickle” of pilots to ly. Boeing 747s, which pound the global freight lanes growing shortage of airline pilots is putting the industry that Boeing says will need 637,000 more pilots Gulf carriers, SriLankan CEO Suren Ratwatte, who was an via transit points such as Anchorage, Alaska, are industry’s recent growth at risk as planes sit idle, over the next 20 years. IATA estimates airline traffic will Emirates pilot said. “We pay pretty well because the pilots being brought out of retirement and saved from higher salaries cut into profits and unions across scrap, experts say. By contrast, early examples of A nearly double during that period, so companies like going (away from the company) go mainly to the Middle the globe push for more benefits. Carriers such as Emirates Canadian training group CAE Inc and L3 Technologies are East, and we tend to get very close to Gulf salaries except Airbus’s biggest jet, the A380, face the axe with no and Australia’s Qantas Airways have poured resources into freighter version available. building new flight simulators to cash in on training (we are) living in Sri Lanka,” he said. “Your lifestyle is hiring, but struggled in recent months to use their jets as demand. Planemakers Airbus and Boeing are also expand- pretty decent.” Boeing is also increasing production of its mid- often as their business plans dictate because of training sized 767 aircraft to an average of three per month ing into services like training, where margins are potential- Thailand’s Bangkok Airways PCL is raising pilot salaries bottlenecks. Pilots at Ireland’s Ryanair are forming unions ly higher than building jets. and benefits and hiring foreigners for international flying, by 2020, up from 2.5, thanks to demand for the across Europe seeking better working conditions, and freighter version. It has won new orders for the And some airlines are planning to expand in-house President Puttipong Prasarttong-Osot said. Pilot unions those at Air France are striking over pay. In the United freight variants of its 747 and 777 from UPS, training programs. Qantas says it will invest A$20 million are taking advantage of shortages to ask for better condi- States, pilots who took pay cuts when carriers went bank- Lufthansa, Japan’s ANA Holdings and Qatar Airways, ($15.26 million) in a new flying school to ensure a supply tions for their members. Dan Adamus, president of the Air rupt a decade ago are receiving big raises under new con- helping to support fragile output. “If the market of pilots amid high turnover in its regional arm QantasLink. Line Pilots Association (ALPA) Canada, said Canadian tracts now that airlines are posting strong profits. grows between 4 and 5 percent in terms of cargo, Emirates opened a $135 million fight training academy in pilots are generally getting pay raises, although salaries at The surge in employee costs, which rival fuel as the that helps support the production of about two big November for up to 600 cadets. “We have a social US mainline carriers are higher than at Air Canada. “It’s biggest strain on an airline’s finances, comes as higher oil widebody freighters a month. We are starting to see responsibility,” Qantas Domestic CEO Andrew David said. certainly harder for airlines to recruit qualified pilots,” he that demand come back,” said Randy Tinseth, Boeing prices are already squeezing margins. Airlines say ticket “We can continue to take pilots from smaller players in this said, which has led carriers to raise pay. “The pilots are Commercial Airplanes vice-president of marketing. prices have not kept pace with costs. “These cost pres- country and elsewhere but we need to give back and that going to go where there is better pay.” All this risks repeating a chronic industry pattern: sures are not about to stop imminently,” International Air is part of what we are doing here as well.” He estimates that about 1,000 Canadian pilots are fly- airlines must not add too much capacity, said Andrew Transport Association (IATA) chief economist Brian ing for carriers overseas such as Emirates. Airlines consid- Herdman, director general of the Association of Asia Pearce said at the trade group’s annual meeting in Sydney, Bidding war ered top employers in their home country, such as Qantas Pacific Airlines. Last year, capacity grew slower than where IATA lowered its airline profit forecast by 12 per- Other airlines are having to look outside their home and IAG-owned British Airways, are not yet facing short- demand, meaning planes flew with more cargo, help- cent, citing higher fuel and labor costs. markets, competing with China, where experienced foreign ages of qualified applicants. IAG Chief Executive Willie ing support profits. “Now capacity is growing at “It’s the symptom of a wider issue. If we look at devel- captains are in high demand and airlines offer annual Walsh, a former pilot at Ireland’s Aer Lingus, said that salaries of up to $314,000 - tax free. “There is not so there were signs of “pinch points” within the broader about the same or even edging slightly ahead, so oped economies, unemployment in the OECD has fallen to much a shortage of pilots as a rising cost of attracting and industry but that he did not believe there was a shortage. load factors have stabilized. That is a warning sign to lows and we are starting to get wage pressures, of which retaining the pilots you need, particularly the experienced “The day you see me back flying is the day you know keep an eye on capacity,” he said.— Reuters pilot shortages are a symptom in our industry,” he told air- line bosses, many of whom expressed concern about a ones,” said Andrew Herdman, director general of the there’s a pilot shortage,” he said.— Reuters Established 1961

THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2018 Business

Euro boosted but bonds and stocks India hikes interest rates Ooredoo sponsors proteges 12sag after hawkish ECB comments 13 for first time in four years 14 for third consecutive year

Zain KSA refinances SAR 5.9bn Murabaha facility Agreement includes additional working capital facility of SAR 647m for two years

RIYADH: Mobile Telecommunications strength, credit worthiness and its ability transaction are Clifford Chance acting for Company Saudi Arabia (Zain KSA) to meet its financial obligations.” Zain KSA and Zain Group, with Latham & announces that it has successfully refi- He added, “Having been granted a uni- Watkins acting for the lenders. nanced and extended the maturity date of fied license, we are set to introduce a Key operational and sector highlights its existing syndicated SAR 5.9 billion wider range of telecommunications serv- related to Zain KSA include: (USD 1.57 billion) Murabaha facility for ices, including fixed and fiber-to-the- • Zain KSA was the only operator in the five years. Additionally, the agreement home services. We will also further lever- Kingdom to witness revenue growth (up includes a working capital facility of SAR age our 4G and 5G-ready network to 5.5 percent) during 2017. 647 million (USD 172 million) for two years, improve the monetization of data and dig- • Zain KSA’s turnaround efforts have bringing additional liquidity to Zain KSA to ital services as well as focusing on higher resulted in a 40 percent improvement in fund its digitally focused growth plans. value postpaid and enterprise customer the company’s EBITDA year-on-year, This long-term preferential extension acquisitions.” reflecting the success of the management’s comes after detailed and productive dis- Furthermore, the CEO elect noted, cussions with the regional Islamic and con- “Zain KSA continues to contribute and new business growth strategy and data ventional banking community. Over the benefit substantially from the Kingdom’s monetization initiatives, as well as its paral- years, with the financial support of Zain National Transformation Program 2020, lel cost optimization and operational effi- Group and due to Zain KSA’s improving HH Prince Naif Bader Al-Kharafi which aims to increase the Kingdom’s ciency program. metrics, Zain KSA has gradually repaid internet usage to 85 percent (up from cur- • These efforts have also seen Zain KSA SAR 3.5 billion (USD 0.9 billion) of the rent levels of approximately 65 percent) record its first ever profit in 2017 as the facility from its original 2009 borrowing of • Facility enhances operator’s plans to capture the tremendous and the company is working with relevant operator recorded an approximate SAR 1 SAR 9.4 billion (USD 2.5 billion), utilizing authorities to implement initiatives that billion (USD 265 million) turnaround in net its internal cash resources. opportunities available in the fast-growing data-driven Saudi will contribute to achieving the objectives profit from losses recorded a year earlier, HH Prince Naif bin Sultan bin Arabian telecom market of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.” with cash reserves accumulated as at 30 Mohammed bin Saud Al-Kabeer, Chairman Eng. Al-Deghaither concluded, “Once March 2018 exceeding SAR 1 billion. of the Board of Directors of Zain KSA • Agreement reflects a resounding vote of confidence from the the financial restructuring is completed, • The quality and competitiveness of commented, “The extension of the Zain KSA will be extremely well posi- Zain KSA’s network has been enhanced Murabaha agreement at preferential terms Kingdom’s and international banking community of Zain KSA’s tioned, with strong liquidity and a long- with over SAR 5.1 billion investment in underscores Zain KSA’s success in adopt- transformation and growth plan term debt profile, to take full advantage of ing a policy of prudent borrowing. It also the tremendous growth opportunities 4.5G advanced mobile network technology reflects an enormous vote of confidence by available in the Saudi telecom market. over the past three years, in addition to the the Kingdom’s and international’s Islamic committed to playing a key role in the well on track to becoming even more finan- Moreover, the financial restructuring is June 2017 acquisition of 2x10 MHz of and conventional banking community in the development of the telecom sector in the cially sustainable, supporting the compa- expected to improve the financial per- 1800MHz spectrum and 2x10 MHz of 800 company’s transformation and future region’s largest economy and have made ny’s strategic roadmap, which has a target formance, profitability and leverage ratios MHZ spectrum in February 2018. growth plans. The board and management tremendous progress to date in our turn- of distributing dividends to Zain KSA of the Company.” • These technology developments, in of Zain KSA are very grateful for the bank- around strategy.” shareholders in the coming years.” The Global Coordinators and addition to holding other frequencies ing community’s commitments and efforts Al-Kharafi added, “This favorable refi- Eng. Sultan Abdulaziz Al-Deghaither, Bookrunners of the Murabaha facility are including 900MHz and 2100MHz, results in in reaching this successful result.” nanced Murabaha facility represents a crit- CEO elect of Zain KSA commented, “The Al Rajhi Bank (ARB), Banque Saudi Fransi Zain KSA’s spectrum portfolio having a sig- Bader Nasser Al-Kharafi, Vice- ical stage in supporting the balance sheet Murabaha refinancing comes at a vital (BSF), Arab National Bank (ANB) and nificant positive impact on supporting the Chairman of Zain Group and Zain KSA, restructuring roadmap of Zain KSA, fol- stage in Zain KSA’s development, enhanc- Credit Agricole CIB (CACIB). The lenders ever-increasing data needs of consumer and Zain Group CEO said, “Despite the for this facility are Al Rajhi Bank (ARB), lowing the recently announced capital ing the Company’s ability to capture the and business customers and raising the challenging financial environment, the suc- reduction and subsequent increase through enormous business opportunities in the Banque Saudi Fransi (BSF), Arab National cessful closing of this Murabaha agree- Bank (ANB), National Bank of Kuwait quality of services and mobile experience. a rights issue that is planned to occur in the fast-growing data-driven Saudi telecom The company’s state-of-the-art 2G, 3G and ment is a testament to Zain Group’s and second half of 2018, a rights issue that will market. This refinancing agreement shows (NBK), Credit Agricole CIB (CACIB), Gulf 4G network covers 97 percent of the Zain KSA’s strong relationships with the further deleverage the company. the confidence of the Saudi and interna- Bank, Ahli Bank of Kuwait (ABK), and international banking community. We are Accordingly, we are confident that we are tional banks in Zain KSA’s financial Boubyan Bank. The legal advisors of the Kingdom’s populated areas. Egyptians to suffer austerity squeeze as Want to extend the economy stabilizes market by $6tn? Add women CAIRO: While Egypt’s economy is displaying the green shoots of recovery, citizens are enduring relentless price LONDON: The secret to unlocking a further $6 tril- rises covering everything from water to metro tickets. At lion of gains in global stocks and adding another 10 Cairo’s El Zahraa metro station, nestled among red- years to this bull run? Forget tax cuts and share buy- brick apartment blocs in a middle income neighborhood, backs, women are key, according to research by S&P 46-year-old Omm Mohamed laments the government’s Global. The United States lags developed country economic overhaul. “The burden has become too heavy, peers in terms of the share of women in work. Even if it it has become unbearable,” she said, dressed in a black just catches up with other economies over the coming decade those extra workers would add a total of $455 full-length dress with her hair covered. billion to its economic output over that period, deliver- Standing alongside her teenage son, Mohamed said ing huge additional gains for stock markets in both the she was especially worried about her daughter who world’s biggest economy and around the planet. takes the metro to work at a private hospital. “The rise An increase in women’s labor force participation in ticket prices has hit her especially, with her modest rate (LFPR) to that of other advanced countries would salary,” she said. On top of the metro fare, Mohamed’s drive US GDP up by 0.2 percent a year, fuelling esti- daughter is one of many Cairo residents who has to take mated gains of 0.7 percent a year in the S&P 500, S&P tuk-tuks and microbuses to work. On May 11 a uniform Global said in a report. This incremental gain could add two-pound ($0.11) metro ticket was replaced with fares a total of $2.87 trillion to US market capitalization over ranging from three to seven pounds. Barely a year ago, the next decade. The current market cap of the S&P fares cost just one pound. The latest fare rises brought 500 is $24.54 trillion, Reuters data showed. street protests last month, a rare occurrence under Because global stock markets typically take their President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi who has been criticized cue from Wall Street, equities in trade-sensitive coun- tries such as Germany, China and Korea could benefit for a crackdown on social dissent. Around 30 people CAIRO: People ride a train at a metro station in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on May 28, 2018. —AFP even more from US economic expansion than the S&P were arrested in the May protest, with some later freed. 500. US women’s contribution to GDP growth would add $5.87 trillion to global market capitalization over ‘The burden will double’ pounds annually. dropped to 10.6 percent in the first three months of the 10-year timeframe, doubling the length of the cur- Egypt’s austerity policies are tied to $12 billion in The government has yet to announce the scale of the 2018, against 12 percent a year earlier, according to the rent bull run. That’s around 12.9 percent of the cur- loans from the International Monetary Fund, secured by next price increase and cut in subsidies. But Alia El government’s statistics bureau. rent market cap of MSCI’s All Country World index, Cairo to ease a fiscal crisis that saw its deficit balloon to Mahdi, an economics professor at Cairo University, said Despite the positive figures for the national economy, $45.4 trillion. 12.5 percent of GDP in 2015/16. On Saturday, the gov- the metro protest set off “alarm bells”. “The Egyptian price rises have disproportionately affected low earners But these figures depend on American women ernment announced a hike in drinking water prices that people have suffered many shocks in the last two years according to Omar Adly from the American University in entering, and staying in, work. Having been among the in some cases exceed 45 percent. Further measures are in consecutive price increases,” she said. Cairo. “There are other means to reduce the budget pioneers of women’s workforce participation in the to come, with energy prices due to rise in July. The metro ticket change alone saw transport costs deficit which could reduce the pressures on the poor 90s, the United States slid to 20th place among 22 “The burden will double”, said Mohamed. Seeking to jump from five or six percent of poor Egyptians’ total and lower middle income-class,” such as tax rises, said advanced OECD economies for women’s labour force cut the country’s deficit, authorities have also intro- spending to 20 percent, Mahdi explained. Adly, a development professor. But the IMF contends participation by 2016. Women’s LFPR in the United States reached 74 percent in 1990 and has remained duced a value-added tax, cut fuel subsidies and that the bitter reform medicine will benefit everyone. ‘Sacrifices’ required “While the process has required sacrifices in the short- roughly stable since, while it has increased elsewhere. increased electricity prices. Officials are repeatedly “A concerted effort to increase participation and The rising costs come against a backdrop of eco- term, the reforms were critical to stabilise the economy,” warning of more electricity price hikes and a reduction foster retention of women in the American workforce, in fuel subsidies, prompting media outlets to prepare the nomic recovery, with GDP growth increasing in the past the lender said on May 17. Such an economic overhaul particularly in those professions traditionally filled by public for the changes. Last week state-run Al-Ahram year from 4.2 percent to 5.2 percent. Meanwhile, infla- will “lay the foundation for strong and sustained growth men, represents a substantial opportunity for growth of newspaper ran a front page about the price of oil, stat- tion eased to 12.9 percent in April, after reaching a peak that will improve living standards for all Egyptians,” the the world’s principal economy,” the authors of the ing fuel subsidies cost the public purse 104 billion of 34.2 percent last July. The unemployment rate IMF added. — AFP report argued. — Reuters 12 Established 1961 Thursday, June 7, 2018 Business Euro boosted but bonds and stocks sag after hawkish ECB comments US stocks set to open higher, Italy bonds still weak

LONDON: The euro rose to a 10-day high economist at UBS Global Wealth Management. backdrop, we believe financial markets will yesterday after hawkish comments from the “We believe the bond buying program will become even more sensitive to bad news,” European Central Bank, putting more upward conclude by the end of this year.” MSCI’s they wrote, while recommending a defensive pressure on bond yields and sinking some world equity index, which tracks shares in 47 stance on risk-taking. stocks as worries over Italy also weighed. countries, was up 0.27 percent, mainly as a Most other emerging currencies strength- Robust growth is making the central bank result of a strong showing from Asian stocks. ened against the dollar, already lower versus increasingly confident that inflation is on its MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares the strong euro. MSCI’s emerging market cur- way back to target, ECB chief economist Peter outside Japan rose 0.68 percent. rency index ticked higher, rising 0.1 percent. Praet said yesterday, raising the likelihood it The euro’s rise put pressure on the US dol- Oil prices steadied yesterday after Venezuela may use a meeting next week to reveal more lar index, that measures performance against raised the prospect of a halt to some crude about the end of its bond-buying program. six major currencies, with the main weighting exports, easing worries about oversupply after Praet’s comments supported the euro, given to the euro. The index fell 0.3 percent. reports that the US government had asked which rose 0.5 percent to 1.1769, weakening Saudi Arabia and some other producers to the dollar and looking likely in part to help U.S. increase output. Brent crude was broadly flat stocks, which were set to open higher. S&P at $75.31 per barrel. 500 futures were up 0.2 percent as trade ten- Italian fiscal sions with China also eased, while the technol- ‘Carrot and stick’ ogy-focused NASDAQ was set to hit a record policy is an Bloomberg News reported that China had for the second day in a row. interesting offered to ramp up purchases of various US In Europe bonds sold off, with the yield on goods during talks this week, while Germany’s benchmark 10-year bond up nearly conflict Washington would ease US buying restric- eight basis points to 0.44 percent, on track for tions on Chinese telecom-equipment giant FRANKFURT: Traders work in front of a board displaying Germany’s share index their biggest daily rise in nearly a year. The ZTE. “The president is expected to meet with DAX on June 1, 2018 at the stock exchange. — AFP continent’s benchmark Stoxx 600 index was his advisers on whether to move forward with flat, with interest rate-sensitive consumer sta- The Mexican peso steadied yesterday, after this proposal or not. It has the ring of truth ples and utilities stocks among the heaviest falling to its weakest since February 2017 late around it given the Chinese said the other day fallers. Italian stocks underperformed, falling on Tuesday after the United States raised the that all bets are off the table if the US imposes as much as 1.4 percent before recovering some possibility of turning negotiations over the the tariffs,” said Greg McKenna, market losses to trade down 0.3 percent. Investors North American Free Trade Agreement into strategist at AxiTrader. “They’ve thus offered said the new government’s big-spending fiscal bilateral talks. both the carrot and the stick.” On currency plans, a major worry for markets over the last Trump economic adviser Larry Kudlow markets, the dollar steadied after last week’s few weeks, were unlikely to be helped by the also revived the possibility that the president strong jobs report and expectations the ECB tightening its own policy. Italian borrow- will seek to replace NAFTA with bilateral Federal Reserve will lift interest rates next ing costs also rose more than most in Europe, deals with Canada and Mexico. The threat of week. And the euro was also enjoying atten- with the 10-year yield rising 20 basis points to rising trade protectionism has already taken a tion again after last week’s sell-off fuelled by 2.96 percent. “Profligate ECB bond buying in toll on global trade and could increase risks to political turmoil in Italy and Spain. Dealers are the face of profligate Italian fiscal policy is an growth, ANZ analysts Daniel Been and Giulia also keeping watch on a European Central interesting conflict,” said Paul Donovan, chief Lavinia Specchia said in a note. “Against this Bank meeting next week. — Agencies

Malaysia’s central bank chief falls in 1MDB scandal KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s 1MDB scandal claimed another scalp yesterday with the res- ignation of the central bank governor after a controversy linked to the stricken investment fund, as the new government steps up probes into the alleged plundering of state coffers. Allegations that billions of dollars were pil- laged from the sovereign wealth fund were a major factor in the shock election loss last KUALA LUMPUR: Rosmah Mansor (C), the wife of former Malaysian prime minister month of Najib Razak’s coalition, which had Najib Razak, leaves the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission headquarters after ruled Malaysia since independence from giving a statement in Putrajaya, on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. — AFP Britain in 1957. Najib, his family and cronies were accused land from Najib’s regime in Kuala Lumpur in ority is all matters pertaining to 1MDB,” said of looting 1 Malaysia Development Berhad late 2017 for about two billion ringgit ($500 Thomas in a statement. He said “alleged (1MDB) and using stolen funds to buy every- million), with the finance ministry saying the wrongdoers” would be taken to court and thing from artworks to real estate, in a sophis- cash was used to service 1MDB’s debts. The insisted: “No on will be spared. There will be ticated campaign of fraud and embezzlement bank has insisted the land was bought at a fair no cover-up”. The finance ministry meanwhile that stretched around the world. As the scan- price and said it had given details about the sounded the alarm about a “highly suspicious” dal escalated, Najib lurched sharply to the matter to anti-corruption authorities for them 9.4-billion ringgit ($2.4 billion) China-backed right and purged opponents in government, to conduct a review. deal to build pipelines signed under Najib’s who were replaced with figures that critics government, saying it was likely linked to said were more willing to do the scandal- Heads roll 1MDB. mired leader’s bidding. Muhammad was the latest leading public The deal was one of a series of big-ticket, Muhammad Ibrahim, governor of the Bank figure to either quit or be forced from his post Beijing-backed projects signed during Najib’s Negara Malaysia, the central bank, was after the return to power of Mahathir, 92, who leadership, fuelling suspicions China was appointed in 2016 following the departure of had a first stint as premier from 1981-2003 helping the scandal-mired leader pay off his long-serving predecessor, who left her and came out of retirement to defeat Najib. debts racked up by the stricken fund. The min- post after increasingly finding herself at odds New Attorney-General Tommy Thomas- istry said that 8.25 billion ringgit had already with Najib over the graft claims. Prime whose predecessor had cleared Najib of been drawn down by the Chinese company Minister Mahathir Mohamad announced yes- wrongdoing over 1MDB, and was pushed out building the pipelines-but only 13 percent of terday that Muhammad, a Harvard-educated of the job after the old regime lost power — the work completed. The deal was largely banker who had been at the central bank over started work yesterday with a vow to pursue funded by a Chinese state-owned bank. Najib three decades, had submitted his resignation. those allegedly involved in the scandal. insisted all laws had been complied with in the It came after the bank admitted to buying “The government’s first and immediate pri- signing of the project. — AFP

ness in China, including with government-con- next month. Credit Suisse said it had “implement- Credit Suisse to trolled corporations. ed numerous enhancements to its compliance and Such a quid-pro-quo could run foul of the controls function”, and stressed that it remained Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, a US anti-bribery “committed to upholding the highest standards of pay $47mn to law. Credit Suisse said yesterday it was “pleased integrity and fair business practices in every to have reached a resolution in a non-prosecu- jurisdiction in which it operates.” tion agreement with the Department of Justice to At least six other banks were caught up in the settle US probe resolve their investigation” into its hiring prac- US investigation: JPMorgan, Citigroup, Goldman ZURICH: Swiss banking giant Credit Suisse said tices in Asia between 2007 and 2013. “No crimi- Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank and UBS. yesterday it would pay a $47-million penalty to nal charges have been brought,” it stressed, In 2016, US bank JPMorgan also reached a deal avoid prosecution following a vast US probe into adding that it would pay a penalty of $47 million with US authorities to end the probe, dishing out big banks’ hiring the children of powerful Chinese (40.1 million euros). $264 million in penalties. Among the well-con- officials. US authorities began investigating hiring The amount, it said, “has been substantially nected Chinese youth whose hiring by big west- practices at the Asian branches of large banks in provided for in prior periods” and would there- ern banks reportedly troubled US regulators was 2013 amid suspicion they were giving jobs to fore not have any “material impact” on its sec- Wen Ruchun, the daughter of former Chinese well-connected youth in exchange for other busi- ond-quarter earnings, which will be announced Prime Minister Wen Jiabao. — AFP

cent to $1.1750 in morning trading. ECB to debate end of Although ECB chief Mario Draghi may not yet announce an end date for QE at the upcoming gathering in Riga, commentators bond-buying next week said the mere fact that the 25-member gov- FRANKFURT AM MAIN: European Central to ramp up growth and inflation by injecting erning council would for first time discuss Bank policymakers will discuss at a meeting money into the financial system. exiting the scheme was a vote of confidence next week when to wind down the massive “Next week, the governing council will in the eurozone recovery. The ECB is cur- bond-buying scheme that has propped up the have to assess whether progress so far has rently buying 30 billion euros in govern- eurozone economy for the past three years, a been sufficient to warrant a gradual ment and corporate bonds a month and is top official said yestersday. The Frankfurt unwinding of our net purchases,” the ECB’s set to continue to do so at least until institution has bought more than 2.4 trillion top economist Peter Praet said in a speech September, with many observers expecting euros ($2.8 trillion) in bonds under its so- in Berlin. The euro jumped to a two-week the purchases to be gradually scaled back called quantitative easing scheme, which aims high on Praet’s comments, climbing 0.3 per- to zero by the end of the year. — AFP Established 1961 13 Business Thursday, June 7, 2018 India hikes interest rates for first time in four years ‘GDP growth and projections provide ample room for the RBI to hike rates’

MUMBAI: India’s central bank raised interest rates until its next meeting in August when the monsoon for the first time in over four years yesterday, high- would be almost two months old. lighting concerns over rising inflation. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said the benchmark repo rate — ‘A reasonable manner’ the level at which it lends to commercial banks — But all six members of the MPC voted for the rate would be increased by 25 basis points to 6.25 percent. increase. Rate hikes make saving money more attrac- The rate was last hiked in January 2014 when it hit 8.0 tive, helping to rein in consumer spending. Ashutosh percent before a series of cuts. Datar, senior economist at Mumbai-based IIFL, said Retail inflation in India there may be more rate recently touched 4.58 per- increases this year. “GDP cent, above the target set by growth and projections pro- the RBI’s monetary policy vide ample room for the RBI committee (MPC). It is being Stoked by to hike rates and achieve its stoked by rising oil prices inflationary target in a reason- and increased consumer rising oil able manner,” he said. India’s spending as India’s economy economy has shown signs of turns a corner following a prices revival in recent months due to number of disruptive meas- a boost in manufacturing and ures. A predicted normal consumer demand, after a monsoon is also expected to downturn blamed on a shock sustain the Indian economy’s cash ban in late 2016. growth-for which agriculture is a cornerstone-over Demonetisation withdrew most of India’s high-value coming months. banknotes from circulation, putting a brake on the “Against the above backdrop, the MPC decided to economy. The launch of a new nationwide goods and MUMBAI: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Urjit Patel arrives for a news conference at the bank’s increase the policy repo rate by 25 basis points and services tax last year also hit growth. But last week head office. —AFP keep the stance neutral,” said a bank statement. “The India said its GDP for the first quarter expanded by 7.7 MPC reiterates its commitment to achieving the medi- percent-the highest in two years. The RBI retained its um-term target for headline inflation of four per cent growth projections for the 2018-19 fiscal year at 7.4 winds to the domestic recovery. “It is important that highly vulnerable to the increasing cost of crude. on a durable basis,” it added following its meeting in percent but issued a warning. public finances do not crowd out private sector Prices at India’s petrol pumps recently hit record the financial capital Mumbai. Analysts had been divid- “Geo-political risks, global financial market volatili- investment activity at this crucial juncture,” it said. highs. The RBI last cut its main interest rate in August, ed over whether the RBI would hike rates now or wait ty and the threat of trade protectionism pose head- India imports nearly 80 percent of its oil, making it snipping off 25 basis points to 6.0 percent. —AFP

Australia’s economy soars in strong AirAsia not received start to 2018 notice to appear SYDNEY: Australia’s economy recorded a strong start to the year as exports and business inventories rose, before Indian police official data showed yesterday, but analysts warned soft consumer spending would keep a rise in interest NEW DELHI: AirAsia Group Bhd said the company and rates at bay. The 1.0 percent growth in the first three its chief executive had not received notice of a summons months of 2018 was a sharp rise from the revised 0.5 to appear before India’s federal investigators over allega- percent in the previous quarter, and took the annual tions that the airline broke rules to obtain a flying license rate to 3.1 percent. in the country. “We wish to state categorically that nei- The expansion was the strongest since the June ther AirAsia Group nor Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, in his quarter of last year, and above central bank and ana- personal capacity, has received any such notice as of lysts’ expectations. The new figures sent the Australian today,” the company said in a statement on Tuesday. dollar jumping a quarter of a cent to 75.56 US cents. Reuters and other media reported earlier that Fernandes “The Australian economy... is once again back up above had been asked to appear before the Central Bureau of the long-running average (of about 3.0 percent) again,” Investigation (CBI) on June 6. India’s CBI last month Treasurer Scott Morrison told reporters in Canberra. accused the airline, some of its employees and third par- “Australia is... leading the advanced economies of the ties of violating foreign direct investment rules while world, bettering the average growth in the OECD, and, obtaining its licence to fly, and of bribing government of course, all of the G7 nations once again.” A container ship is pushed to its berth by a tug at the Port of Melbourne on June 6, 2018. —AFP officials in an attempt to get regulations relaxed to allow The economy has experienced an uneven period of AirAsia India to fly international routes. growth as an unprecedented investment in mining end- A CBI source reiterated to Reuters yesterday that ed, with the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) cutting ‘Soft consumer story’ for the rest of 2018. “But it adds weight to the RBA’s view Fernandes had been summoned to appear before investiga- interest rates to a record low of 1.50 percent since late “While this is definitely a strong print in terms of the (and ours) that the next move in rates is expected to be tors but did not clarify if that summons had been delivered. 2011 to boost non-resources industries. Businesses have headline magnitude, the consumption story is still pretty up rather than down.” The source also said that police were likely to give more posted stronger profits and boosted inventories, but soft,” JP Morgan economist Tom Kennedy told AFP. “That RBA governor Philip Lowe said Tuesday as he kept details on the matter later in the day. Representatives for consumer spending has been a weak point amid tepid might be symptomatic of the saving rate already being rates on hold for a 20th-straight meeting that GDP AirAsia on Wednesday did not respond to emailed wages growth. very low and wage levels being very benign. Households growth was expected to average a bit above 3.0 percent requests to clarify whether there had been any contact Growth in exports for the January-March period are constrained... on how much more they can spend.” this year and in 2019. He said there has been strong from India’s CBI. accounted for half of GDP growth and reflected the Uncertainty about consumer spending and wages growth in employment and a significant lift in labor par- AirAsia’s statement on Tuesday said that “if and when” strength in exports of mining commodities, while growth, as well as a weakening housing market after its ticipation, while wages growth remained low with gradual the company receives a notice from CBI through official inventories contributed 0.2 percentage points. recent boom, have seen economists tip the Reserve Bank improvements expected going forward. Capital channels, it will act in accordance with Malaysian laws and Government spending jumped 1.6 percent for the quar- to remain on the sidelines for several more months. “We Economics chief Australia and New Zealand economist cooperate fully with Indian authorities. The CBI has said it ter, as household expenditure increased by 0.3 percent don’t think today’s data shift the needle for the near-term Paul Dales cautioned that an ongoing royal commission has searched five AirAsia locations in Delhi, Mumbai and for the quarter with consumers spending more on fuel outlook for monetary policy,” Commonwealth Bank of probing misconduct among Australia’s finance industry Bangalore, seizing certain documents. The Malaysian low- and financial services and cutting back on eating out Australia senior economist Gareth Aird said in a note, could weigh on the economy if it leads to slower credit cost carrier launched domestic flight operations in India in and buying alcohol. adding that he expected the cash rate to be unchanged growth. —AFP 2014 with local joint venture partner Tata Sons. —Reuters 14 Established 1961 Business Thursday, June 7, 2018 Ooredoo sponsors proteges for third consecutive year

KUWAIT: Ooredoo Kuwait has recently announced on their own individual journey with confidence.” continuation of its sponsorship of the proteges youth She added that to keep up with the talent and cre- development program for the third consecutive year, by ativity of youth, Ooredoo is relaunching for the second sponsoring the 8th generation of students. The year the Ooredoo 24-hour challenge. Through the chal- announcement was made during a press conference lenge, the students are required to deliver a compre- held at Ooredoo’s head office in Kuwait City on hensive business plan for a telecom product or a solu- Tuesday. It comes to underscore Ooredoo’s deep root- tion to a problem. The challenge was voted as one of ed belief in the mission of this unique program, which the most exciting aspects of last year’s program. focuses on developing and training a cohort of 25 stu- Eman Al Rasheed, Executive Manager of the dents between the ages of 16 - 24. This year’s program Proteges expressed her pride in partnering with is scheduled to include a visit to Swansea University in Ooredoo for a second consecutive year, which only the United Kingdom. To further support the students, underscored the values of Ooredoo Kuwait that are in Ooredoo Kuwait will provide SIM cards with roaming alignment with the program’s aim supporting youth services to let them connect with their families and and providing them with skills that create unique friends during the trip. leaders. Ooredoo has been a true partner in this pro- Commenting on the sponsorship, Ooredoo Kuwait’s gram, contributing with the efforts of their staff and CSR & Sponsorships Manager Sarah Al Qabandi said: executive management in delivering training sessions “We and the founders of the Proteges have a lot in com- and welcoming our students’ questions and feeding mon; our values of caring, connecting and challenging their curiosity. We look forward for more partnerships are in harmony with the program’s dedication to cre- and support in creating a more aware generation of ativity and critical thinking. We’re happy to have been young innovative and creative thinkers,” The Proteges part of the graduation of a number of bright and ambi- program was launched in 2010 to mentor youth tious young people through our participation in this between the age of 16 and 24 by local iconic figures in program and witnessed that they are ready to embark different fields.

Registration for Canon Middle East NBK summer launches direct Emirates, Canon Middle East’s direct operation in the internship program operations in the UAE, this strategic step allows Canon to further expand its offerings across the Saudi market where there is a 2018 ends Saudi Arabia growing need for digital and other technology-based imaging services. As the government, and other large KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) ended DUBAI: Canon Middle East (CME), a provider of imag- entities, seek to implement the latest digital business the registration for the 2018 Summer Internship ing technologies and services, yesterday announced solutions to become more agile, competitive, efficient, Program yesterday (Thursday 7th June 2018) that it is expanding its regional presence by establish- reduce operational costs andto adapt to today’s chang- through nbk.com. The program will start on Sunday ing direct operations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ing business environment, Canon’s suite of products 1st of July, 2018. The two-week courses in this pro- (KSA). The announcement came during a signing cere- and services address challenges and allow for stream- gram are specially designed for high school and col- mony between CME and Ali Zaid Al Quraishi & lining of processes to achieve growth through organi- lege students, between 14 and 21 years old. The Brothers to formally establish Canon Saudi Arabia, sation-wide digital transformation. Summer Internship Program is made up of four dif- which will become the largest regional direct presence These services are alsoparticularly in demand with ferent sessions, five-hour daily over two weeks each. for CME. the growing number of small to medium enterprises The first session starts on the 1st of July, while the Canon Saudi Arabia will operate from Riyadh and (SME) that require fast, efficient digital systems to following sessions start on 15th of July, 29th of July with an additional two branches in Jeddah and Khobar operate. Currently, SMEs make up over 91% of total and 12th of August respectively. will be become the company’s largest entity in the enterprises in Saudi Arabia, and by facilitating their region. With over 300 employees by 2020, Canon technology and imaging infrastructure, Canon is sup- The Summer Internship Program features a mix- how the actual professional banking issues and ture of theoretical and practical training. It is dedi- Saudi Arabia will directly contribute to the Kingdom’s porting The Vision 2030 directive of increasing SME transactions are handled and processed. NBK views economy and industry diversification strategy as out- cated to providing the interns with invaluable knowl- GDP contribution to 35% by 2030, forming the back- the Summer Internship Program as an extension to lined by Vision 2030. edge on a variety of subjects such as: the teamwork, bone of KSA’s diversified economy its educative initiatives and as part of its corporate Anurag Agrawal, Managing Director, Canon Middle creative thinking, means of self expression and mod- “Establishing a long-term presence in KSA adds val- social responsibility. In addition to the Summer East, said: “Establishing Canon Saudi Arabia is an inte- ern banking, in addition to helping them to have ue to Saudi economy by contributing to the develop- Training program for high school students, NBK gral part of our strategy of becoming closer to our cus- ment of a sophisticated digital infrastructure mandated greater exposure to daily banking work procedures. regularly organizes the Summer Internship Program tomers through direct presence in key markets. Saudi This annual program demonstrates NBK’s long- by Vision 2030; which will ultimately attract investors for university students. NBK offers as well a range Arabia is witnessing a transformation into a more diver- and enhance the competitiveness of the Saudi economy. standing social involvement as well as its national of educational and professional developing pro- sified economy with several industries developing and The IMF is forecasting KSA economy to expand by 1.7 commitment towards providing young generations grams targeted at developing Kuwaiti youth entering establishing a presence in the region’s largest market. percent in 2018, with predictions of a 1.9 percent with the appropriate opportunities to experience the work force. Through our products and business solutions, Canon growth in 2019, all of which are good indicators of the Saudi Arabia aims to help customers address these transformation and growth the Kingdom is witnessing, opportunities and establish thriving businesses.” “added Agrawal. Historically through our direct opera- that the service Faisal Al Quraishi, Chairman, Ali Zaid Al Quraishi & tions, we have aided governments and organizations CBK announces would be avail- Brother Co. LTD, said: “The joint venture between differentiate their business by providing simple and able for the per- CME and AZAQ comes as a result of a long business effective solutions and outcomes. We are confident that sonal services relationship between Canon and Al Quraishi Group that with Al Quraishi as our local partner, this is a further ‘Ayadi’ service clients noting is 50 years in the making; and this development comes step towards becoming leaders in imaging solutions that the mini- as natural progression of our successful business ties. across the Middle East.” KUWAIT: Within its constant efforts to provide its mum sum to be AZAQ sees this joint venture as a contribution to the In addition to supporting business achieve their clients with the best service and save their time and ordered is KD country’s 2030 vision whereby Canon, a global brand, goals, Canon Saudi Arabiahas the objective of investing effort, the Commercial Bank of Kuwait (CBK) 100 and the contributes to the Kingdom’s transformation through its in its employees by enhancing the skills and profession- announced launching its free ‘Ayadi’ (Eid cash gifts) maximum is KD innovative technologies and solutions. Furthermore, the alism of Saudi nationals through extensive learning and money delivery service noting that the service will 2000. Further, partnership will be highly committed to train young development programs, embracing and enhancing the be provided in collaboration with ‘Yomnak’ Company Salman added Saudi nationals as well as advance technology in pri- talent of Saudi youth, and empowering women to fur- and that the service can be ordered online through that Ayadi mon- vate and government sectors alike.” ther support the country’s Saudisation program. the Cash Xpress service. ey would be Following Canon’s corporate philosophy of ‘Kyosei’ In this regard, CBK’s assistant manager for indi- delivered from Latest digital business solutions which means living and working together for the com- vidual banking services, Hameed Ibrahim Salman said 10:00 am till The new company in KSA will report into Canon mon good, Canon Saudi Arabia also aims to establish a that CBK provides this service to its clients on the 3:00 pm and from 8:00 pm till midnight and stressed Middle East, which will continue in its role as a strong relationship with the Saudi society through occasion of the advent of Eid Al-Fitr, which would that the money would be handed to the client in per- Regional Sales Organization for the Middle East region. environment initiatives and community welfare pro- save their time and efforts and spare them the need son after showing his/her ID. Following the successful development of Canon grams that give back and support various causes. to line up in banks to get the new notes. He added

Germany orders recall of 60,000 Ethiopia loosens Audis over emissions throttle on many key FRANKFURT AM MAIN: Germany this week ordered the recall of tens of thousands of cars pro- economic sectors duced by Volkswagen subsidiary Audi over “illegal software” designed to conceal levels of harmful emis- ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopia’s decision to sell stakes in sions, the KBA vehicle licensing authority said its lucrative telecoms monopoly and other assets Wednesday. “We have ordered that the illegal ‘defeat could open one of the world’s largest untapped devices’ uncovered should be removed and the vehi- markets to huge potential investments by firms cles refitted according to the regulations,” a KBA willing to work with a government still wary of pri- spokesman told AFP. vate enterprise. The stake sales are part of a raft of “Defeat devices” refer to physical or software sys- measures announced by Abiy Ahmed, a young for- tems designed to reduce polluting emissions during mer army officer who became prime minister in regulatory tests, while allowing them to rise in real April, saying a new start was necessary to end cri- driving conditions. Around 60,000 Audi A6 and A7 sis and chaos in a country of 100 million people, diesel cars in the European Union are affected by the where some 40 percent are aged under 15. recall, some 33,000 of them in Germany, the firm said. While some fear Ahmed is moving too fast to In early May, Audi said it had stopped delivering challenge entrenched interests in his ruling EPRDF some A6 and A7 versions to customers after finding coalition, there is also hope across the region that his reforms will help ease crippling unemployment, “irregularities” in their onboard software, adding that foreign currency shortages and poverty. The stake it was working on a fix. sales were announced on Tuesday, the same day At the same time, the KBA said it was launching an Ethiopia said it would implement a 2000 peace inquiry into “suspicions of manipulation” in the cars. BREMERHAVEN: Volkswagen Audi Suzuki Mitsubishi Porsche cars wait to be shipped at the harbor. —AFP deal with neighboring Eritrea and cede disputed News magazine Der Spiegel reported that the suspect territory on the border it has occupied for nearly software related to AdBlue, a fluid injected into the 20 years. exhaust system to neutralise harmful nitrogen oxides that they could face mass recalls after similar AdBlue installing software designed to dupe regulatory emis- Companies have been waiting in the wings for (NOx). The program reduced the amount of the liquid trickery was uncovered. Meanwhile, prosecutors sions tests in 11 million diesel-fuelled cars around the Ethiopia to open its state monopolies and sprayed into the catalytic converter, aiming to lower searched homes and offices belonging to Audi world. Some vehicles’ NOx emissions were up to 40 Tuesday’s news was welcomed. South Africa tele- consumption in between check-ups on the cars-but employees in Germany in February and in April. times higher than legal limits. The scandal has already coms group MTN told Reuters that it was excited allowing for higher emissions of the polluting gases. Volkswagen’s high-end subsidiary has long been in cost VW more than $25 billion (21 billion euros) in by the potential opening up of the Ethiopian mar- German authorities warned Mercedes-Benz parent the focus of the “dieselgate” scandal, in which the fines, compensation and buybacks, mainly in the ket “as it would be a natural fit for MTN’s existing Daimler and Audi owner Volkswagen earlier this year Wolfsburg-based behemoth admitted in 2015 to United States. —AFP pan-African footprint.” —AFP Established 1961 15 Technology Thursday, June 7, 2018 From beep to boom: Europe hears call of Chinese phones

OnePlus, Xiaomi comes as users avoid spending $1000 on phones

PARIS: China’s smartphone makers have long been ing make the switch. “I had already bought more confined to their enormous local market but this is fast expensive phones before and didn’t see the need to changing, with a growing number of western European spend so much money,” Judy Grayland, a 36-year-old users opting for a relatively cheap but still sleek Xiaomi Redmi 4X owner told AFP. Chinese-made upgrade. Chinese top-range phones are “I am really happy with it. It works really well and it often around half the price of those made by US and looks nice,” said the Madrid-based translator and Korean rivals, with many devotees swearing by the mother of one. Hearing the call of European consumers, quality of their devices, insisting they are just as ele- Xiaomi recently opened its first flagship store in Paris, gant, functional and durable as any other model. and OnePlus’ phones have gone on sale in the cata- The aggressive expansion into western Europe- logues of French operator Bouygues Telecom. Both mainly Spain, Italy and France brands, complete with acces- for now-of Chinese firms sories, are widely available OnePlus and Xiaomi comes as online. users grow less willing to fork “We have to go to market out around $1,000 (850 They step by step. We’re already in euros) for a new device. At Spain and Italy and we’ve the same time the Chinese face stiff learned there for the other market reaches saturation competition European markets,” Xiaomi point, according to Roberta vice president Xiang Wang Cozza, an analyst at American said. “We’re fighting against research firm Gartner. people’s perceptions, because Companies such as they think that low prices OnePlus and Xiaomi “have to mean low quality, but it’s not look somewhere else. They can deliver good smart- (true),” Xiang said. phones and have the possibility to go on more mature OnePlus, whose 5T has drawn rave reviews likening it markets”, Cozza told AFP. They face stiff competition, to the iPhone X, is also taking a gradual approach. “We however, not just from Apple and Samsung, but also always start with one partner but there is no reason to HONG KONG: Tourists use smartphones and tablets to take photographs as the city’s business district from Chinese giant Huawei, the three of which hold extend it. We started in Finland with Elisa, 3 in Denmark, skyline is seen in the background in Hong Kong. —AFP around three quarters of the western European mar- O2 in the UK,” OnePlus cofounder Carl Pei said. ket share. Fierce battle Huawei to worry about-they must also fight off compe- top-quality product. The battle for buyers looking for a ‘Step by step’ BMI Research analyst Dexter Thillien says the firms’ tition from Sony, Motorola, Wiko, LG and the revamped phone in the 250-500 euro range is bound to be fierce But Xiaomi, which was founded in 2010, already arrival on the European market shows they want to up Nokia. for years to come. “There are similarities between occupies the fourth spot, according to global market their game. “The advantage of Europe is that con- Thillien says one pull factor that OnePlus and European (consumers) and those in emerging research firm IDC. OnePlus is number one in India, sumers there are a little bit wealthier” than in China, Xiaomi hold over the more established brands is their economies,” Thillien said, adding that the European where it holds more than half the market share, IDC BMI Research analyst Dexter Thillien said. OnePlus and production of premium phones, appealing to market is more open to change and new products than adds. And now, European users are growing more will- Xiaomi have more than just Samsung, Apple and Europeans looking for a bargain but who still want a the US. —AFP

“Concerns about Huawei aren’t new,” US Senator Facebook: Chinese Mark Warner, vice chairman of the senate select committee on intelligence, said Tuesday. “I look for- ward to learning more about how Facebook ensured phone makers got that information about their users was not sent to Tesla reveals Chinese servers.” Contracts with phone makers access to data placed tight limits on what could be done with data, plans to build and “approved experiences” were reviewed by engi- SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook has confirmed that a neers and managers before being deployed, accord- Chinese phone maker deemed a national security threat ing to the social network. cars in Shanghai by the US was among companies given access to data Facebook said it does not know of any privacy SAN FRANCISCO: Tesla on Tuesday revealed to on users. Huawei was able to access Facebook data to abuse by cellphone makers who years ago were able shareholders that it is working with officials in China get the leading social network’s applications to perform to gain access to personal data on users and their to build electric cars and battery packs in Shanghai. on smartphones, according to the California-based friends. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Tesla head of worldwide sales Robin Ren disclosed company. Chunying said she would not comment on coopera- the planned location of Tesla’s second “Gigafactory” “Facebook along with many other US tech compa- tion between companies because she was unaware while co-founder and chief Elon Musk fielded ques- nies have worked with them and other Chinese manu- of the details. “But I hope that the US can provide a This combination of file pictures created on June 5, 2018 shows tions at an annual shareholders meeting. “We are facturers to integrate their services onto these fair, transparent, open and friendly environment for a Facebook logo on a screen ahead of a press conference to incredibly excited to build the first Gigafactory out- phones,” Facebook mobile partnerships leader the investments and business activities of Chinese announce the launch of it’s latest product “Workplace”, in cen- side the US in China, specifically it is going to be in Francisco Varela said in a statement on Tuesday. companies,” Hua told a regular press briefing in tral London, on October 10, 2016 and the logo of Chinese elec- Shanghai,” Ren said. “Given the interest from Congress, we wanted to make Beijing yesterday. tronics firm Huawei during a presentation of the new Huawei He added that discussions with government offi- clear that all the information from these integrations Mate 9 high-end-phablet at the Huawei Global Product Launch in cials in China have been “really great” and that more with Huawei was stored on the device, not on Huawei’s Done with deals Munich, southern Germany, on November 3, 2016. —AFP details about the Shanghai plant would be shared servers.” Before now-ubiquitous apps standardized Facebook is winding up the interface arrangements “soon.” For Tesla to make affordable vehicles, “it is the social media experience on smartphones, some 60 with device makers as the company’s smartphone apps in every country we operate,” and that “no government going to be important to localize production to at device makers like Amazon, Apple, Blackberry, HTC, now dominate the service. The integration partnership has ever asked us to compromise the security or least a continent level,” Musk said. Tesla hoped to have pinpointed a spot for a Gigafactory in Europe Microsoft and Samsung worked with Facebook to with Huawei will terminate by the end of this week, integrity of any of our networks or devices.” by the end of this year, according to its chief, who adapt interfaces for the Facebook website to their according to the social network. The social network The social network came under attack early this said it “disagreed” with the conclusions of a New York added that the company ultimately expects to have 10 own phones, the company said. year over British political consultant Cambridge to 12 such plants worldwide. Times report that found that the device makers could Facebook, which has been blocked in China since Analytica’s harvesting of personal data on 87 million Gigafactories will produce battery packs and cars 2009, also had data-access deals with Chinese compa- access information on Facebook users’ friends without Facebook users and their friends. Cambridge Analytica on site, according to Musk. Tesla’s gigafactory in the nies Lenovo, OPPO and TCL, according to Varela. their explicit consent. obtained the data without Facebook’s permission and US state of Nevada makes batteries for the compa- “Facebook’s integrations with Huawei, Lenovo, OPPO But the report raised concerns that massive data- used it to help the election campaign of US President ny’s cars, which are built in northern California. Tesla and TCL were controlled from the get-go,” Varela said. bases on users and their friends-including personal Donald Trump. In April, Facebook chief executive Mark last month Musk told employees the electric carmaker Huawei has long disputed any links to the Chinese gov- data and photographs-could be in the hands of device Zuckerberg apologized in Congress over the is being reorganized to speed up production of ernment, noting that its infrastructure and computing makers. Huawei maintains that its products “meet the Cambridge Analytica fiasco, amid rising calls for more Model 3 vehicles-a key to profitability at the fast- products are used in 170 countries. highest standards of security, privacy and engineering regulation of the company. —AFP growing firm. “To ensure that Tesla is well prepared for the future, we have been undertaking a thorough reorganization of our company,” the memo obtained Foxconn imagines life by AFP said. —AFP beyond Apple but ‘Drone-brella’ promises faces major risks hands-free sun cover TAIPEI: Foxconn, the Taiwanese contract manufacturer that rose to global prominence as the manufacturer of the Apple TOKYO: It’s the hands-free experience you never knew iPhone, is trying to reinvent itself as smartphone sales plateau you needed-a Japanese company has developed a and Apple Inc diversifies its supplier base. The company, drone-powered parasol it says can hover over users, which kicks off a three-day event yesterday to celebrate its 30 protecting them from the sun. The drone-powered sun- years doing business in China, already does much more than shade-being developed by Asahi Power Service-should assemble goods for others. be released next year, and will initially target those in It’s a top global producer of display screens, thanks to the need of a hands-free head covering wider than your acquisition of Sharp Corp. Its far-flung activities include autonomous car startups and investments in cancer research. average hat, like golfers. But with its stock down almost 20 percent since late last year, The potential headaches posed by crashes, and reg- Foxconn, Taiwan’s second most valuable company with a mar- ulations governing autonomous aircraft, mean the com- ket value of $51 billion, is under pressure to show that it can pany expects the product will initially be used in closed convert new initiatives into growth. SAN JOSE: Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering Craig Federighi speaks during the 2018 private spaces, like golf courses. “I decided to develop The Sharp purchase and a handful of more recent deals Apple Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) at the San Jose Convention Center. —AFP it as I don’t like to hold an umbrella,” company presi- including an agreement announced this week for Sharp to buy dent Kenji Suzuki said. At 150 centimeters wide, the Toshiba Corp’s personal computer business for $36 million - parasol prototype weighs five kilos (11 pounds), and so indicates that a push into producing its own branded products - a view shared by skeptical analysts. “Right now, with the imaging devices such as endoscopes. far can only fly for five minutes on one charge. is one part of the strategy. Just as important, though, is a com- contract manufacturing, it’s very hard to switch to a new mod- Gou has also touted the possibility of smart toilets that can Asahi Power Service is hoping to quickly extend fly- plicated plan to provide “integrated solutions” for businesses el,” said Vincent Chen, an analyst at Yuanta Investment double as health diagnostic devices, Woo said, with sensors ing time to at least 20 minutes, partly by making the that include both sophisticated hardware and software servic- Consulting in Taipei. feeding data to the cloud for analysis. That would play to device lighter, Suzuki said. “The first prototype we es such as cloud computing, Louis Woo, special assistant to And it has to be careful to keep current customers onside, Foxconn’s strength in 5G wireless communications equipment. made was just a drone attached to a regular umbrella,” Foxconn chairman Terry Gou, told Reuters in an interview. in particular Apple - which is estimated to still generate Such efforts won’t come cheap, and Foxconn is laying the he said. “We are now testing the third-generation pro- around half of Foxconn’s total revenue. “There will definitely financial and political groundwork for its next chapter with a Woo called it a “new business model” that could be espe- totype and trying to overcome (the technological chal- cially appealing to smaller companies and institutions like hos- be risks,” in pursuing so many different areas, said Boyce Fan, Shanghai IPO for one of its main subsidiaries, Foxconn an analyst at Trendforce. “But this will be key for Foxconn to Industrial Internet. lenges of) hovering in a stable manner above the head pitals, who have sophisticated technical requirements that they of the user and then chasing the user.” often have trouble handling on their own. “We have built data find the next growth opportunity.” The $4.3 billion IPO will provide funding for initiatives in smart manufacturing, cloud computing, data centers and 5G The drones are fitted with cameras that help the centers for many of our customers, but we’re not known to parasols track their owners and stay over the correct provide data center services,” Woo said. “In the future since Health-tech technology, among other areas. A number of Chinese state- head. The company expects the device to have a price we’re having all these pieces, we can put them together to When Gou takes the stage at the company’s Shenzhen owned companies are expected to participate in the deal. FII provide a technical service to a business customer.” campus to kick off the anniversary celebrations yesterday, currently generates a big chunk of revenue from making tag of about 30,000 yen ($275), a hefty investment for The company is also betting that it can package its tradi- he’s also expected to tout healthcare as a major new oppor- comparatively mundane components such as smartphone a parasol that isn’t yet able to protect its users from the tional expertise to sell “smart manufacturing” services, includ- tunity. The company’s technical strengths are in Sharp’s high- casings and frames. And for all the talk of healthcare and rain. For now, the devices are not waterproof. ed fully automated factories, to other industrial companies. resolution imaging and displays, which use the next-genera- cloud and AI, most of the IPO proceeds are earmarked for “Eventually, we aim to develop it into an umbrella,” Woo acknowledged that none of this would happen overnight tion 8K standard and have ready applications for medical smart manufacturing. —Reuters Suzuki said. —AFP 16 Established 1961 Health Thursday, June 7, 2018 ‘Water is life’: Ivory Coast city struggles with crippling drought ‘We have no water to wash or to drink. We need water. It’s not too much to ask’ BOUAK…, Ivory Coast: “All that comes out of mated 45 million euros ($53 million), said Djibo, the tap right now is cockroaches,” said Honorine who hopes the World Bank will help finance it. At Babalou, a 20-year-old textile worker. In the Alassane Ouattara 2 University in Bouake, Bouake, Ivory Coast’s second city, the regular the lack of water has forced many students to water supply trickled to a halt three months ago- leave their rooms on campus to return home, a shortage that officials blame on a drought some geography students told AFP. inflicted by global warming. Like many other Tanker trucks now provide emergency sup- Bouake residents, Babalou balanced on her head plies, after attempts to drill into groundwater fal- a giant basin of fresh water drawn from a tanker tered. In a bid to ease the shortage, authorities truck which had trundled down sun-scorched sank wells in several parts of Bouake, but the clay tracks to make a delivery in a poor part of water pumped fell far short of basic require- town. The city of about 800,000 people, as esti- ments. “We’re greeted like the Messiah, or mated by the mayor, has long depended on the something like that,” joked driver Mohamed nearby Loka dam for around three-quarters of Lamine Diakite, whose truck carries 10,000 its water supply. liters (2,500 gallons) of water. He announces his But the lake behind the dam has shriveled to arrival in a district by pumping his horn to bring almost nothing. Hundreds of meters (yards) local residents running. In the Sokoura district, behind a sign that sternly declares “Fishing and women set out hundreds of basins and buckets Bathing Forbidden” lies a sad, muddy puddle. on the ground, waiting for the water distribution “This is climate change. It rains a lot less often, under a broiling sun. There are few men around. the sun has been stronger for several years,” Women carry away the heavy load for the family. states Yeboue Ouffoue, 85, chief of the small vil- BOUAKE, VALLEE DU BANDAMA, Ivory Coast : Agents of the National Office of Drinking Water (ONEP) distribute water to the population in a district lage of Angoua-Yaokro, near the site where the ‘Water is like treasure’ of Bouake. —AFP photos dam was built in the late 1970s. “Here we live off “We cannot live like this,” said Mariam Kone, agriculture, but with the water shortage we can a trading woman with three children who also no longer plant the way we want. cares for her sick mother. “You can go two or Income has dropped, that’s for sure,” Ouffoue three days without washing yourself. Before this, said, expressing concern for some 300 villagers we drank water straight from the tap. Today, we in his charge. “Times are hard.” “We’ve entered a adults hold back but the children don’t under- time of water rationing in Bouake,” said Mayor stand. We have to pay for mineral water. The Scientists map genetic codes of dangerous bacteria Nicolas Djibo, who also blames climate change, price has risen by 400 (CFA francs) to 800 (1.20 NEW YORK: Scientists seeking new ways to Type Cultures (NCTC) one of the world’s antibiotic that is commonly used to treat them. along with people who diverted waterways to euros, $1.40). We’re spending more and more- fight drug-resistant superbugs have mapped largest collections of clinically relevant bacte- This has made the evolution of “superbugs” exploit sand quarries in the region. we’ll go broke,” Kone said. the genomes of more than 3,000 bacteria, ria. The first bacteria to be deposited in the that can evade one or multiple drugs one of the People in the 2 Bodjo district make similar including samples of a bug taken from NCTC was a strain of dysentery-causing biggest threats facing medicine today. ‘Greeted like the Messiah’ protests. “This is too hard. This doesn’t suit us. Alexander Fleming’s nose and a dysentery- Shigella flexneri that was isolated in 1915 from Among the most serious risks are tubercu- Located in the center of Ivory Coast, Bouake We have no water to wash or to drink. When the causing strain from a World War One sol- a soldier in the trenches of World War One. losis - which infects more than 10.4 million is known as a center for “white gold,” referring truck doesn’t come, we have to take water from dier. The DNA of deadly strains of plague, “Knowing very accurately what bacteria people a year and killed 1.7 million in 2016 to the once lucrative cotton industry, and now the well or swamps,” said Chigata Soro, 30, who dysentery and cholera were also decoded in looked like before and during the introduction alone - and gonorrhoea, a sexually transmitted “grey gold”, the thriving cashew nut business. sells hot food at the roadside. “We need water. what the researchers said was an effort to of antibiotics and vaccines, and comparing disease that infects 78 million people a year The city formerly served as headquarters for It’s not too much to ask.” Others are angry at better understand some of the world’s most them to current strains, ... shows us how they and which the World Health Organization says rebels who helped bring President Alassane officialdom, accusing it of mismanaging both the dangerous diseases and develop new ways have responded to these treatments,” said is becoming almost untreatable. The genomic Ouattara to power in 2011 after a disputed elec- problem and the solution. “They tell us ‘It’s emer- to fight them. Julian Parkhill of Britain’s Wellcome Sanger maps of the 3,000 strains are to be published tion and a violent political crisis. Today, faced gency measures’ or ‘Wait a couple of years’ but The samples from Fleming - the British sci- Institute who co-led the research. “This in turn on the NCTC’s website and made freely avail- with an existential threat, the city is looking at a the dam didn’t go dry from one day to the next. entist credited with discovering the first antibi- helps us develop new antibiotics and vaccines.” able to researchers worldwide to help them in scheme to pipe in supplies from Lake Kossou, The government, the authorities, the (water dis- otic, penicillin, in 1928 - were among more than Specialists estimate that around 70 percent of the development of potential new diagnostic about 100 kilometers (60 miles) away. This tribution company) SODECI-somebody handled 5,500 bugs at Britain’s National Collection of bacteria are already resistant to at least one tests, vaccines or treatments.—Reuters operation would take two years and cost an esti- this really badly,” one resident said. —AFP Established 1961 17 What’s On Thursday, June 7, 2018 Al-Sayer support safe driving with Ramadan Aman campaign

s part of its Social Responsibility, Al-Sayer Group Sabah from Kuwait, Salah Al Seif representing ‘Nahtam’ Al-Sayer volunteers distributed food kits to the drivers a hurry to reach their destination to break the fast with Holding Corporate Excellence collaborated with Volunteer team, Eng Ibrahim Al-Fouzan Business Director at traffic signals and at junctions to spread the message of families or friends. So, it is relevant to spread this impor- A‘Nahtam’ Volunteer team (Kuwait Voluntary Work Toyota Group Service Division, Eng Nehad Haj Ali Deputy Ramadan a month of giving, and care. They also held quick tant message to drive cautiously, and arrive home safely.” Center) and the Ministry of Interior, as a main sponsor for Group Manager Corporate Excellence, Shibu Mohamed interaction with motorists to abide by traffic rules and fol- Al-Sayer has an integrated strategy in place that ‘Ramadan Aman’ campaign. The campaign slogan that Manager CSR and Al-Sayer volunteers. low safety measures to avoid dangerous road accidents. includes organizing and sponsoring social activities. They says, “Ramadan Together without accidents,” aimed to Speeding on the road during Ramadan poses massive According to Eng Nehad Ali Deputy “Ramadan Aman, aim to develop the CSR plans to work for benefit of the reduce the speeding and avoid traffic accidents by the safety and social risks and this initiative supported to means Safe Ramadan. The objective behind this effort is to society by adopting many activities and programs that motorists during the hours of breaking fast. highlight it through a creative way of joint awareness prevent drivers from speeding during the rush hour before enrich human values and Kuwait community, promote col- The event was supported by Sheikh Dr Abdulaziz Al about traffic and road safety during Ramadan, to effective- Iftar that often increases the risk of accidents. Kuwait lective volunteering for national unity, and, enhance the Nuaimi from UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Salman Al ly control it. experience 15 hours of fasting and many commuters are in sustainable development of Al-Sayer Group Holding.

Dr Sheikh Khaled Al-Mathkour (right) speaks as Abdullah Al-Shuaib looks on. AUB staff listen to Dr Sheikh Al-Mathkour.

NAFO Kuwait elects new Department, in which Dr Sheikh Khaled Al- become spiritually fulfilling to fasting AUB organizes Mathkour, Chairman of the Bank’s Sharia Muslims. The concept of Zakat-ul-Fitr (fast- Supervisory Board, enlightened employees on breaking alms) and its importance in helping executive committee, office bearers the virtues of the last ten days of the Holy the needy and making them happy in Eid Al- seminar on Month of Ramadan. Fitr (the Festival of Fast-Breaking) were AFO Kuwait, a non-political, families. The seminar enumerated the key virtues of broadly underlined. The seminar attracted a non-profit organization of like- Further, the NAFO Executive the last ten days of Ramadan and the necessi- large turnout of employees who listened minded Indians in Kuwait, regis- Committee also unanimously decided to virtues of last ten N ty to strive hard in worship so that people attentively to Dr Sheikh Al-Mathkour’s excel- tered with the Indian Embassy endure Shri. Vijay Karayil as its Patron in (INDEMB/KWT/ASS/94) selected the respect of his incomparable guidance would earn the blessings of “Lailatul Qadr” lent and powerful sermon during the seminar. following new Office Bearers for a rendered to NAFO. days of Ramadan [the Night of Power], recite Qur’an, make In a press release on this occasion, Ahli tenure of two years (2018-’20), in line earnest supplications to Allah and maximize United Bank, stated “We are truly delighted with the provisions of its bye-law and Patron: Vijay Karayil their good deeds. Dr Sheikh Al-Mathkour with the success of this valuable seminar, under the supervision of an election Advisory Board: Dr. Prasad M. Nair, n line with its prominent social role and as highlighted the duty of Salaat (Muslim which comes within the framework of the out- committee consisting of NAFO Advisory V.R. Vijayan Nair, K.C. Gopakumar, part of the special activities for the Holy prayers) and its far-reaching effect in making standing cultural and religious activities that Board members. Rajeev G. Pillai and PV.R. Nair (India) IMonth of Ramadan, Ahli United Bank held existence and time more abundant. He the Bank is keen to organize before and during New Office Bearers: R. Vijaykrishnan Executive Committee members: O.N. a religious seminar at the Bank’s Head Office. demonstrated how the duty of fasting, fasting the Holy Month of Ramadan, in order to create (President), M.S. Nair (General Sureshkumar, P. Balasundaran Nair, This was attended by Abdullah Al Shuaib, goals, objectives and rationale were perfectly a work environment fulfilled with both faith Secretary), Vijayakumar Menon Sreekumar Pillai, Premraj Nambiar, AUB’s Head of Internal Sharia Audit depicted in the Qur’an, and how fasting would and spirituality, in accordance with Islam. (Treasurer), C.P. Rajiv Menon (Vice- Satheesh C. Pillai, P.S. Krishankumar, President), Anish Nair (Secretary- Naveen Chingoram, Mahesh Bhaskar, General Affairs), Vinayan Mangalasseri Ajay Mohan, Jayaraj Nair Edathil and (Organizing Secretary), Anilkumar Mrs. Jayalakshmi Promod. (Secretary-Sporting and Assets), Madhu KIB honors winners of Ramadan Quran competition G. Menon Secretary - (Arts and Auditor: G. Udayakumar Cultural) and A.R. Subbaraman (Joint The newly appointed Office Bearers uwait International Bank (KIB) Treasurer). and Executive Committee members announced the winners of the annual The selection of new office bearers together with the Patron and Advisory Ramadan Quran competition, which is was subsequent to the unanimous Board reiterated NAFO’s commitment K organized during the Holy Month for children approval of a twenty one members new towards the empowerment of downtrod- Executive Committee in the 14th Annual den sections of the society through its of the Bank’s customers, as well as employees General Body (AGM) meeting held on continuing socio-welfare and education- and their children. This competition came as 27th April 2018, attended by a large al support activities in Kuwait and back part of the Bank’s comprehensive social number of NAFO members and their in India. responsibility program, comprising a diverse number of humanitarian activities and reli- gious initiatives taking place throughout Ramadan. The competition winners were hon- Graduation ored in the presence of the Chairman, Sheikh Mohammed Jarrah Al-Sabah, as well as a ongratulations number of other honorees and the Manager of to Tamir Nasr the Internal Sharia Audit Department at KIB, Tamir from his Mohammed Al-Shamri. Manager of the C Corporate Communications Unit at KIB, family for graduating high school with a Nawaf Najia congratulated competition win- GPA of 94.6. ners, saying: “KIB continues to play a leading role in fostering strong religious values and principles within the local community. Through these initiatives, we aim at promoting learning the Holy Quran. Additionally, he later will be required to memorize surat Al- proper traditions of Quran recitation and encouraged everyone to combine both educa- Fajr, surat Al-Balad and surat Al-Shams. memorization of rules of tajweed, thereby tion and work, advising parents to help and Those born in 2006 and later will be required educating youth about the Holy Quran. Year support their children as that will fuel their to memorize surat Tabarak and surat Al- after year, we grow even more proud of the continued success. Qiyama. As for the third category, partici- competition’s great success.” This year’s Ramadan Quran competition pants born in 2002 and later will be required Najia also thanked all those who con- will be divided into four categories based on to memorize surat Al-Rahman and surat Qaf, tributed to the success of the competition, participants’ ages. Of which, three categories whereas the fourth category will be dedicat- urging all participants to continue their pur- will be dedicated to children of employees ed to employees and will require them to suit of knowledge and commitment towards and customers. Participants born in 2010 and memorize surat Al-Fath. INN & GO Hotel visits Rehabilitation of Elderly Center

n the framework of the social programs launched house, that are specially prepared for them under by INN & GO Kuwait Plaza Hotel for the occa- the supervision of the hotel executive chef on this Ision of the holy month of Ramadan to support occasion. The INN & GO Kuwait Plaza Hotel is the local community activities and to provide all always looking forward to the remarkable role of kinds of care, especially for the elderly in Kuwait. social responsibility in the beloved State of Kuwait, The hotel management visited Farah Specialist for especially during the holy month of Ramadan, to the Care and Rehabilitation of Elderly to provide convey the spirit of love and smiles on the elderly symbolic support, represented by Ramadan iftar faces and in accordance with the Ramadan customs meals for all residents and the management of the that the people of Kuwait are known of. 18 Established 1961 Stars Thursday, June 7, 2018

CROSSWORD 1929 STAR TRACK

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

Take a step, better yet, go ahead a take a leap outside of your You have begun to search for beauty in all that surrounds you. Life comfort zone. You have long been seeking acceptance from your peers and takes on a different meaning to you. You seem to see a new depth to the mean- this leap may be just what is needed to earn that. A conflict could leave you ing of life. Your ability to analyze your situation and the situations of others are deep in thought, but a bit of soul searching is just what will draw others to you. at high point. You are able to really get to the root of all problems that preset Aries, within yourself is the confidence and independence you have been themselves and provide those around you with solutions. You are able to searching for. Once out of your comfort zone you may find others being drawn express yourself and communicate with ease. A long deep conversation with to you and following your lead. The step out of that box may result in your cir- someone may be just what you need to stay grounded and focused. This may cle becoming a bit larger with the peers that are drawn to you. be a great time to refrain from spending and beginning focusing your goals on a budget and organizing your finances.

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

Today may find you in a very curious mood. You are at peace with You seem to be feeling the need to be number one. You seem not your purpose and who you are. You have received great rewards for your accom- only to have specific goals for yourself, but you have discovered how you will plishments and these have come in many forms. Something as simple as a thank reach them. You may be seeing yourself more as a leader now and have a desire you is sometimes reward enough for you. You long for a deeper understanding of to share knowledge with those around you. You are able to not only recognize others, of life, and of all that combines to create the world around you. You may the potential in those around you but also you are truly starting see the beauty find yourself longing to explore. A trip may be on the horizon. Your destination is of the world you live in, Scorpio. You are on track for much success in the sure to be a landmark of some sort, maybe even a historical monument. You find workplace. You may start to realize how many people truly admire you and turn this fascinating and educational. You long for knowledge and have been looking to you when they are in need. You are a rock for many. for new avenues to explore. Taurus, pack your bags and feed your soul.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) You may be satisfied with your emotional well-being at this time Even though you may pride yourself on your independence some- and shifting your focus to your physical wellbeing. Today is a times we all need a shoulder to lean on. You may find today that great day to join the gym, start the diet, or plan that new workout routine. Your you truly click with someone that is more than willing to offer this to you. You ACROSS 3. Weight to be borne or conveyed. focus on your physical goals is now more important to you than ever. Your may find this person to be very understanding and compassionate about the 1. A pointed tool for marking surfaces or for 4. A very poisonous metallic element that mood should find you quick witted with a racing mind. Today is a great day for situation you are in. A close and long-lasting friendship could be blossoming. punching small holes. has three allotropic forms. reorganizing and restructuring your life. Emotionally and physically you could You don’t let many people in and tend to help others more than you allow any- 4. The value of a coordinate on the horizon- 5. A soft silvery metallic element of the alka- be headed to great new levels in your life. Gemini, even though you may feel a one to help you. Do not relate this to weakness in your life. You are strong tal axis. li earth group. great desire to be out and about this evening, sit this one out and stay home enough to recognize and admit you need assistance. 12. 3 to 30 gigahertz. 6. A cut of pork ribs with much of the meat and spend some time on you. 15. Of or relating to a member of the trimmed off. Buddhist people inhabiting the Mekong riv- 7. A byproduct of inflammation. er in Laos and Thailand. 8. Convert into ions. Cancer (June 21-July 22) Capricorn (December 22-January 19) 16. Sludge (rich in organic matter) that 9. Coins collectively. accumulates at the bottom of lakes or 10. Relating to or characteristic of or occur- You have the ability to find beauty in everything and everyone sur- oceans. ring on the sea or ships. You may find your progress being slowed or blocked by one indi- rounding you. In a way you may find this as a weakness because this 17. The 19th letter of the Greek alphabet. 11. A silvery ductile metallic element found vidual. You are fighting to get ahead and be successful and do not have time can cause you to over indulge. This may include material things or involve your 18. (Babylonian) God of storms and wind. primarily in bauxite. nor space for this person. This distraction may make you feel as if you are investing too much of yourself into others. Resist that urge at this time. You may 20. Transient cessation of respiration. 12. Indicating the most important performer spinning your wheels and no matter how determined you are that you are find a child or someone younger who is close to you as a disappointment and find 22. Orange liqueur with lemon juice and or role. making no progress. Push on, Cancer. You are too dedicated to your goals to yourself at odds with them. This is temporary, and you should resist the urge to brandy. 13. A complex red organic pigment contain- let anyone stand in your way. You may feel a strong desire to take care of make permanent decisions that affect your living situation or theirs at this time. You may feel as if your level of authority is being challenged today and find it difficult to 25. Being nine more than ninety. ing iron and other atoms to which oxygen someone close to you. In turn you may receive the support from the you need to help you succeed. react. Capricorn, see this as a positive and know that now is just not the time. 27. Denuded of leaves. binds. 28. The main city of ancient Phoenicia. 14. A family of languages of the Fula people 30. Regarded with great favor, approval, or of west Africa in the sub-Sahara regions Aquarius (January 20- February 18) affection especially by the general public. from Senegal to Chad. Leo (July 23-August 22) 33. Submerged marine plant with very long 19. Locate and correct errors in a computer narrow leaves found in abundance along program code. What a wonderful day! Today finds you full of love and apprecia- North Atlantic coasts. 21. A kind of literary or artistic work. tion for life. You may have a new outlook on life and a deep gratitude for all As clearly as you are thinking now is a great time to focus on love, start that diet, or begin that exercise routine again. It is the perfect time for things to be all about 37. Reproduced by fusion of gametes of dif- 23. West Indian tree having racemes of fra- that is around you. This mood could leave you showing much affection to those close to you. You find a great sense of peace and fulfillment as you you. Physically and spiritually you desire to feel good about yourself again. ferent ancestries. grant white flowers and yielding a durable 39. Joint capital (with Riyadh) of Saudi receive this affection in return. You are radiant today. Others will feel attracted Aquarius, you may hit a bump in the road when dealing with someone younger timber and resinous juice. and drawn to your warm presence. You may find yourself doing a bit of soul than you today. Your values may be at odds, but this will be a temporary problem. Arabia. 24. Of or relating to the ancient Aramaic 40. A unit of heat equal to the amount of searching as you have found peace in your world and this is a place you want Problems for you are easily solved and you will end the day with much peace in languages. to remain. perfect harmony. heat required to raise one pound of water 26. A religious doctrine that is proclaimed one degree Fahrenheit at one atmosphere as true without proof. pressure. 29. A metric unit of volume equal to one 41. A woman's headscarf folded into a trian- Virgo (August 23-September 22) tenth of a liter. Pisces (February 19-March 20) gle and tied under the chine. 31. The skinned tail of cattle. 45. A small lump or protuberance. 32. 16 ounces. You are sensitive and understanding. This makes you a friend that Expect to feel much admiration and recognition from those close to 46. A Japanese cheer of enthusiasm or tri- others want to have. Not only do you find others turning to you for advice, but you today. You may feel support and able to relate to anyone and umph. 34. (of complexion) Blemished by imperfec- any situation. You may find yourself to be the center of attention in a social set- tions of the skin. you feel loved and admired. You are in a great position for your voice to be 48. An elaborate party (often outdoors). heard. You will be able to share your opinions on the matters that mean the ting today. It seems everyone is able to relate to you and you may find that some- 50. (British) A recreational facility including 35. A device (trade name Aqua-Lung) that one turns to you for help today. Feel flattered that you are trusted with such a lets divers breathe under water. most to you and will find that you will easily gain support and backing for your a swimming pool for water sports. cause. You feel great about who you are and what you stand for and are eager delicate situation that your peer is experiencing. Through sharing life experiences 36. A fencing sword with a v-shaped blade 51. A unit of information equal to one million to have others join your team. Virgo, keep your focus positive and know you of your own you may be able to assist this person and appreciated your own (1,048,576) bytes. and a slightly curved handle. have the support from the ones that matter most. hardships as lessons learned. This is a great time of reflection in your life, Pisces, 52. The sixth month of the civil year. 38. Struck with especially the open hand. live, learn, and love. 53. Angular distance above the horizon 42. A toxic nonmetallic element related to (especially of a celestial object). sulfur and tellurium. 54. Being nine more than forty. 43. A set of tags and rules (conforming to Wordsearch Puzzle Yesterday’s Solution 59. An agency of the United Nations affiliat- SGML) for using them in developing hyper- ed with the World Bank. text documents. 60. A Tibetan or Mongolian priest of 44. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on Lamaism. a skewer usually with vegetables. 64. Small genus of deciduous West Indian 47. Lawn grasses native to southeastern trees or shrubs. Asia and New Zealand. 67. A bachelor's degree in science. 49. A river that rises in central Germany and 70. The amount that a container (as a wine flows north to join the Elbe River. bottle or tank) lacks of being full. 55. The linear extent in space from one end 73. An association of countries in the west- to the other. ern hemisphere. 56. Perennial herb of East India to Polynesia 74. Japanese ornamental tree with fragrant and Australia cultivated for its large edible white or pink blossoms and small yellow root yielding Otaheite arrowroot starch. fruits. 57. Open to change. 75. The track on which trams or streetcars 58. The principal evil jinni in Islamic mythol- run. ogy. 77. A nucleic acid that transmits genetic 61. Love intensely. information from DNA to the cytoplasm. 62. How a result is obtained or an end is 78. The foot of a human being. achieved. 79. Blood disorder in which there is excess 63. State in northeastern India. fluid volume compared with the cell volume 65. On or toward the lee. of the blood. 66. Suggestive of the supernatural. 80. Electronic warfare undertaken under 68. A thin wedge of material (wood or metal direct control of an operational commander or stone) for driving into crevices. to locate sources of radiated electromag- 69. A particular geographical region of netic energy for the purpose of immediate indefinite boundary (usually serving some threat recognition. special purpose or distinguished by its peo- ple or culture or geography). DOWN 71. The rate at which heat is produced by an 1. By bad luck. individual in a resting state. 2. Gully or streambed in North Africa and 72. Black tropical American cuckoo. the Middle East that remains dry except 76. A public promotion of some product or during rainy season. service.

Yesterday’s Solution

Daily SuDoku Yesterday’s Solution Established 1961 Lifestyle THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2018

Indonesian Muslims sleep in a mosque in Surabaya, East Java, yesterday as part of their belief that the last ten days of the holy month of Ramadan would be a night when God gives his blessing and mercy. — AFP US designer Kate Spade found dead at 55

esigner Kate Spade, one of the biggest Twitter. “My grandmother gave me my first Kate names in American fashion known especially Spade bag when I was in college. I still have it. for her sleek handbags, was found dead Holding Kate’s family, friends and loved ones in my Tuesday in her New York apartment. She heart,” Clinton said. In this file photo Kate wasD 55. A police spokeswoman said Spade had com- Actress Lena Dunham said: “Kate Spade was more Spade and Michael Kors mitted suicide, but told AFP the exact circumstances than a designer. She had a quirky visual language that pose in Queens, New of her death were not yet clear. A source close to the captivated Bat Mitzvah girls and artists alike. “She York. — AFP photos investigation said she had left a note in her Park was also a staple of NYC who spread good will. My Avenue apartment. Spade’s relatives said in a state- heart breaks for her family. Thank you, Kate, from one ment that they were “devastated by today’s tragedy” of the millions you made feel beautiful.” Several and would “miss her terribly,” asking for privacy. She admirers like First Daughter Ivanka Trump highlighted is survived by her husband and teenage daughter. the importance of suicide helplines and seeing the Tributes to Spade poured in from celebrities, the signs of depression. “Kate Spade’s tragic passing is a fashion world and everyday women who admired her Photo shows Kate Spade store stands in the SoHo painful reminder that we never truly know another’s quintessentially American style, which had a sophisti- neighborhood of Manhattan in New York. pain or the burden they carry. If you are struggling cated yet playful vibe. The Council of Fashion with depression and contemplating suicide, please, Designers of America hailed Spade’s work. “She was a a deal worth $2.4 billion. Over the years, the label had please seek help,” Trump tweeted. great talent who had an immeasurable impact on blossomed into a full lifestyle brand with more than Robert Dicker, a psychiatrist and associate direc- American fashion and the way the world viewed 300 stores worldwide and sales of $1.38 billion in tor at the Zucker Hillside Hospital in New York, told American accessories,” said a statement from CFDA 2016. The company offered its condolences, calling AFP that celebrity suicides were often followed by an board chairman Diane von Furstenberg and CEO Spade a “visionary,” and saying: “We honor all the uptick in attempts. “We want to be sure that people Steven Kolb. beauty she brought into this world.” Over the past understand that there is help that is available,” Dicker few years, Spade-born Katherine Brosnahan-had said. — AFP Iconic handbags launched a new accessories label, Frances Valentine. Spade-a Missouri native who first worked as a Former first daughter Chelsea Clinton was among the journalist, including a stint as accessories editor at many offering condolences to Spade’s family on Mademoiselle magazine-launched her eponymous fashion label in 1993 with her husband Andy and the help of outside investors. Her cheerful use of bright colors and prints proved a hit with career women. The brand, initially sold in several New York stores, A Kate Spade boutique in New York. opened its flagship in the city’s Soho neighborhood in 1996. Her designs represented the New York aesthet- ic-a mix of modern and classic. It was so associated with the city that she eventually added its name to her label, Kate Spade New York. Her most famous handbag was the “Sam”-a black mid-size rectangular bag. Generally, her handbags were stylish but not ostentatious. The “Sam” was relaunched this year by the label in new prints and colors. Beyond the label’s signature handbags, Spade was also known for shoes. It later branched into ready-to-wear, after she had left the company.

Many changes at label In 1999, Spade ceded a majority stake in her com- pany to high-end department store chain Neiman Marcus for $34 million. NM then sold the label to tex- tiles giant Liz Claiborne. Spade sold the last of her shares in the company in the mid-2000s for another $59 million, and was no longer directly associated with the management of the company bearing her File photo shows designer Kate Spade poses with handbags and shoes name. In 2017, Coach (now Tapestry) bought the The body of fashion designer Kate Spade is removed by New York City Coroner’s Office personnel after she from her next collection in New York. Kate Spade label, the last remnant of Liz Claiborne, in was found dead at age 55 at her Park Avenue apartment in New York. 20 Established 1961 Thursday, June 7, 2018 Lifestyle Features

The co-founder of Ghanaian NGO Nasco, Ousman Umar, poses by the sea during an AFP Ousman Umar, gestures as he speaks during an AFP Ousman Umar (left), and the founder of the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms, Oscar interview after presenting a new mission in Africa in collaboration with the Spanish NGO interview. Camps, attend a press conference to present their new mission in Africa. Proactiva Open Arms at Badalona’s harbor, near Barcelona. — AFP photos From desert ordeal to masters degree: Migrant offers cautionary tale

usmann Umar may seem like a role model to fel- Over the past three years, the group says it has rescued urine while many of his companions died along the way. high school and last week finished a masters degree in low migrants, having built a successful new life in nearly 60,000 migrants from the Mediterranean. Umar By the time they reached Libya, there were only six of international cooperation at Barcelona’s prestigious OEurope after making the dangerous journey from recalls the ordeal of crossing the Sahara desert without them left. “The biggest grave is not the sea, it is the ESADE business school. During this time, he made living Africa. And yet his sole message to peers today is “don’t water, the mistreatment he suffered in Libya and Algeria desert,” Umar said. repairing bicycles, earning enough to pay for his studies as do it”. The Ghanian in his 30s has just completed a masters and the death of his best friend along the journey to well as those of his brother who is still in Ghana and runs degree-after surviving a five-year trek across his home Europe. “I will always carry this burden. That is why I ‘Born again’ Umar’s Nasco education charity there. continent followed by a perilous boat crossing to Spain. don’t want anyone to go through what I did,” he said. After working in Libya for several years, he made it to Founded in 2012, Nasco acquires computer equipment But he’s also actively pursuing a campaign to discourage Mauritania where he boarded a boat packed with migrants and provides training in new technologies at five rural others from following in his footsteps. “I went from being Dodging death bound for the “promised land”-Spain’s Canary Islands. schools in Ghana to provide opportunities so youths do almost illiterate to studying a master, it’s like I won the lot- Umar said death has played a key part in his life since Along the way he lost his best friend Musa, whose boat not need to immigrate. The plan is to send migrants res- tery,” Umar, dressed in a blazer, white shirt and moccasins, he was born in Fiaso, a tiny village in Ghana’s rainforest. sank during the crossing. “I vowed I would never return to cued in the Mediterranean by Proactiva Open Arms to told AFP in the seaside town of Badalona near Barcelona. His mother died while giving birth to him, which in the water. It was total anguish, I don’t know how to swim give talks at the Nasco-backed schools in Ghana about But “today I wouldn’t do it again, it’s too hard,” he Ghanaian culture means that the child is “cursed” and must and I thought I could die at any moment,” Umar recalled. the ordeal they faced trying to get to Europe. said as he gazed at the Mediterranean Sea, where thou- be killed. He escaped this fate thanks to his father being After a short stint at a migrant reception centre on “We want to explain to them before they leave what sands of migrants have died trying to reach Europe. “I the local witch doctor. But when he was nine years old, Fuerteventura, he was sent to Barcelona where he had they can expect during this long journey, from people from am only 0.01 percent. (Many others) die along the way Umar was sent to live with a distant uncle who taught him dreamt of living ever since he watched FC Barcelona on their country whom we rescued,” said Proactiva founder and of those who arrive, only one percent manage to to be a welder. He eventually decided to go to Europe TV as a child. He slept rough for a month before a couple Oscar Camps. “Ousmann says he won the lottery. But in integrate into European life.” Having already founded an when he was around 13. with three children took him into their home. “I was born the lottery, if you don’t win, everything remains the same. NGO promoting childhood education in Ghana, Umar The search for a better life quickly turned into a again that day,” he said 13 years later. This is more like Russian roulette,” he added. — AFP recently launched a project with migrant rescue charity nightmare when the human traffickers abandoned him Proactiva Open Arms that aims to convince his compa- with 45 others in the middle of the Sahara desert. Umar ‘Russian roulette’ triots to stay at home. said he walked for 21 days, surviving by drinking his own Umar learned to speak Spanish and Catalan, completed

Atlanta-set ‘Superfly’ leads blaxploitation revival ith their fast cars, furs and fedoras, the heroes of 1970s “blaxploitation” are making a comeback Won the big screen as Hollywood indulges its end- less addiction to cinematic nostalgia. Seen variously as a rich celebration of Black America or a regressive return to negative stereotyping, the movement is an attempt by filmmakers to relive the thrill of “The Mack,” “Foxy Brown” An actor and the film crew prepare before a rehearsal in the office of Junub Open Space, Emmanuel Lobijo Josto (left five), 22, a filmmaker, poses with his family and a colleague and other classics. Next year, moviegoers can expect yet a grassroots group that promotes social change in Juba, South Suda. — Reuters photos in his yard in Juba. another reboot of “Shaft” starring Samuel L. Jackson, while Warner Bros. plans to remake 1973’s “Cleopatra Jones” and a new “Foxy Brown” is headed to internet streamer Hulu. South Sudan’s Sosywood: Hitting US theaters on Wednesday next week is Coming “Superfly,” Sony’s remake of the 1972 classic “Super Fly,” a touchstone in black cultural history and perhaps the definitive blaxploitation film. “Some of my favorite movies are remakes,” music video veteran turned filmmaker Director X told a news conference in Los Angeles at the soon to a screen near you? weekend. “‘Scarface’ is a remake, ‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers’ is a remake, so I wanted the possibility to make t the entrance to a wooden shack in a quiet based on events witnessed on streets just like this, fees. Aged 13, he took on jobs building and repairing a great remake of a classic film.” Released on August 4, neighborhood of South Sudan’s capital, Juba, a explained Domina Lillian, 24, a medical student who vol- roads and bridges in order to help his family and return 1972, “Super Fly” told the story of Harlem drug pusher Ayoung man in ripped jeans and sunglasses stands unteers as a make-up artist. to his studies. Youngblood Priest (Ron O’Neal) trying to score one last gripping a golden pistol, his finger hovering over the One evening, as she and her friends were crossing the “My mother used to say that education is your father, is big deal before retiring from a life of crime. trigger. “And action!” comes the call from a corner of the road, they spotted a group of young men running, carrying your mother, and is your everything,” Lobijo said. His cabin, where Emmanuel Lobijo Josto, 22, is directing a machetes. They attacked a boy from a rival gang. “They efforts paid off, and he even skipped a few grades as he Cultural moment movie about gang warfare, wiping off sweat in the 40- started cutting him, beating him,” recalled Lillian. “I was caught up. He began acting in local theatre and films in his Trevor Jackson, best known for ABC sit-com “grown- degree Celsius (104F) heat. In the world’s newest so shocked, and so much afraid ... I thought they were spare time. After training with local non-profit KAPITAL ish,” takes on the role in the new version, while Jason nation, suffering from a conflict between rival factions coming towards us.” “The script is inspired by this event,” Movie Industry Corporation, over the past several years Mitchell (“Straight Outta Compton,” “Mudbound”) plays that erupted in 2013, young people volunteering as she explained. So far, the group has made 15 short films he has become one of about 15 active film-makers in Juba. his sidekick Eddie. Director X gives the story the actors, producers and directors are making films to get and four full-length features, some of them comedies, inevitable modern tweaks, including turning Priest’s communities talking about social problems. duplicitous philandering with two girlfriends into a con- They hope their work will help bring peace to commu- sensual “polyamorous” three-way relationship. Drug-tak- nities where politicians and aid agencies have failed - and I think the best films produced ing and gun violence, both central elements of the 1970s build a thriving film industry into the bargain. The new original, play a much smaller part in the remake. action movie in English and Juba-Arabic, entitled “The The biggest swap, however, was the shift from Harlem Forgotten Generation”, highlights the youth violence about a country are the films to Atlanta, a city enjoying something of a cultural moment plaguing the city, Lobijo told the Thomson Reuters thanks to its burgeoning hip hop scene and a favorable tax Foundation. “I believe telling someone what is wrong produced by the locals themselves regime attracting a slew of major productions, most through the power of film is very important - and South notably Disney’s Marvel movies. “The clubs in Harlem Sudan has lots of untold stories,” he said. Film-making were famous worldwide. Even the drug dealers in Harlem may not seem like a priority in a nation roughly the size of were famous worldwide. It was really what Atlanta is France, which broke away from Sudan six years after the dealing with social issues like child marriage, education Film festival today,” says X, who was born Julien Christian Lutz. end of a long war, beginning life in 2011 with just 100 km and drug abuse. Lobijo’s movies have featured in all three of Juba’s “If you’re an artist in Atlanta and you’ve got a hit (62 miles) of paved roads. annual film festivals, with the fourth scheduled for record, you’ve got a hit record around the world. When Today, weighed down by violence, poverty and corrup- ‘Education is everything’ September, said Simon Bingo, the event’s director. Bingo we’re telling this story for today, we’re placing it in the tion, it still lacks schools, hospitals and other basic infra- Making films has always been a dream for director founded the festival in 2015, partly out of frustration at epicenter of today’s black culture.” X also replaced the structure. The film-makers say the ongoing bloodshed and Lobijo, raised with three siblings in a Ugandan refugee government censorship that kept his movies tackling social iconic soundtrack by Curtis Mayfield, regarded as a land- humanitarian crisis in South Sudan mask other deep-root- camp by his mother after his father was killed in the sec- problems off South Sudan’s state channel. This year, he mark album, for the era-appropriate stylings of Atlanta- ed social problems, including child marriage, gang vio- ond Sudanese civil war which lasted from 1983 to 2005. hopes to show the films at nine venues in Juba some of based rapper Future, who brought on board a team of lence and stigmatization of HIV/AIDS patients. They When he returned to Juba in 2009, Lobijo had to drop them screens set up on neighborhood football pitches. local performers and producers. —AFP hope their work will help shift mindsets. “The movie is try- out of school as his family could not afford to pay his Despite South Sudan’s lack of a single functioning cine- ing to bring this change in mentality, tobreak this chain of ma, the demand for movies is “very, very high”, said Bingo, violence,” said Patrick Nyarsuk, 22, a radio presenter act- with thousands attending previous festivals. “People see it ing the part of a gangster in Lobijo’s film. as the only venue where they can see their stories, and Patrick James, who won the best-actor award at the hear people talking their languages, talking of their own 2017 Juba Film Festival, said South Sudan’s people were issues,” he said. The festival also offers workshops to losing hope of a better future. “But all the actors here encourage and train more film-makers, said Bingo. believe that one day change will come,” he added. And “I think the best films produced about a country are the just like Hollywood and Nigeria’s Nollywood, they dream films produced by the locals themselves,” he added. of putting South Sudan on the cinematic map with their Nyarsuk, the actor in Lobijo’s movie, said he and his peers own “Sosywood” genre, he said. were conscious of the enormous challenges in building up a film industry in a country still mired in conflict. “We are Street life just trying to prepare it for the coming generation,” he Today, “Sosywood” headquarters are a tiny cabin of said. “We bring youth together, we are uniting. So believe thin wooden boards on an unpaved road in Juba’s Gudele me, there will be a Sosywood soon!” Funding for this story 2 district. Inside, young men and women perch on plastic was provided by the International Women’s Media Jason Mitchell, Director X, Lex Scott Davis, and Trevor chairs and seats ripped from a car, or lean against wooden Foundation. — Reuters Jackson attend the photo call for Sony Pictures desks and walls plastered with brain-storming posters. Actors sit in the office of Junub Open Space, a grassroots Entertainment’s ‘Superfly’ at The London Hotel in West Next door, a small boy sells home-made cookies from a group that promotes social change, before a rehearsal in Hollywood, California. — AFP plastic bucket outside his house. The scenes in the film are Juba. Established 1961 21 Lifestyle Features Thursday, June 7, 2018

Yuya Shibakai working at his organic vegetable farm in Inzai, Chiba prefecture.

A frog on organic vegetables at a farm in Inzai, Chiba prefecture. This picture with a drone shows Yuya Shibakai working at his organic vegetable farm in Inzai, Chiba prefecture. — AFP photos Lonely furrow: Little pay dirt for organic farming in Japan

uya Shibakai sometimes feels he is ploughing a farming at the agriculture ministry, told AFP. However, lonely furrow. The Japanese farmer produces Uenaka admitted the development of the sector in Japan organic lettuce, tomatoes, carrots and other veg- was “slow”, as weeding and pest control take more time etables for a market that has tasted nothing like and organic farms struggle to produce a “stable” output theY success of the sector in other advanced economies. On due to technical limitations. Shibakai is one of 12,000 his farm outside Tokyo, the 32-year-old doggedly trudges organic farmers in the whole country, according to statis- along a line of lettuces, pulling up weeds by hand. Shibakai tics from 2010, the last time the agriculture ministry col- says it is a “daily struggle to find ways to make a profit lected figures from the nascent sector. While a craze for using a system you could call inefficient, where you have healthy eating has fuelled lucrative sales around the world, to pull all the weeds out by hand.” “We need a different the market for “bio” or organic food in Japan is estimated supply system in Japan, a sustainable structure for farm- to be worth just over $1 billion. ers that would also change the way our profession is The world’s third-largest economy has a mere fraction seen,” added Shibakai, who took over the business from of the global market of around $90 billion and is dwarfed his parents in 2009. by the US ($45 billion), Germany ($11 billion), France ($8 Organic farming occupied just 0.5 percent of Japan’s billion) and China ($7 billion). Moreover, while even most Workers preparing packages of organic vegetables at a farm in Inzai, Chiba prefecture. entire arable area in 2016. The country hopes to double of these mature markets are enjoying solid growth, the this by 2019, Akimi Uenaka, an official in charge of organic sector in Japan is stagnating. Minuscule offerings any tiny imperfections in their vegetables and remove One of the few players to dip a toe into the market is them from sale. They are donated to staff members. French organic retailer “Bio c’Bon,” which has had a pres- Gerbert-Gaillard said organic food is gradually finding ence in Japan since the end of 2016 and just opened its a market among “Japanese aged between 30 and 40, third shop in Tokyo. A dearth of large-scale farming means especially mothers, and expats.” The firm has ambitious the company has to work with around 200 individual plans to grow its “minuscule offerings” by expanding to farms for its fruit and vegetables and even import other “around 30 shops in Tokyo and its suburbs before the goods for example raspberries from Mexico, as well as 2020 Olympics,” he said. But well-established smaller organic wines and cheeses from France. One of the prob- players have already found that organic food can be slow lems faced by shops offering organic food is a Japanese to gain traction. Rika Oishi founded her organic firm obsession with how fruit and vegetables look and are SuperOrganic seven years ago, hoping to capitalize on a packaged. boom in demand-especially from foreigners-for “healthy” “Especially during the week, Japanese customers tend food after the Fukushima earthquake and nuclear melt- to shop very quickly and grab pre-packaged and pre- down. “I have noticed a bit more interest down the years weighed goods,” said Pascal Gerbert-Gaillard, Asia direc- from consumers and firms, but it has not yet become a way tor at Bio c’Bon. “We are working to find a good balance of life,” she said. — AFP A worker preparing packages of organic vegetables at a Yuya Shibakai working at his organic vegetable farm in between our brand and Japanese consumption habits,” he farm in Inzai, Chiba prefecture. Inzai, Chiba prefecture. added. As an example, he says his staff minutely check for

Paris’ 30th ‘Diner en Blanc’ starts at Les Invalides arisians and tourists wearing sea- Napoleon Bonaparte and other promi- sonally appropriate all-white out- nent French figures. They brought tables Pfits enjoyed gourmet picnics with white tablecloths and sipped Sunday in front of the French capital’s drinks. Organizers expected 20,000 to 19th century Les Invalides monument, a 30,000 participants, one-third of them meal heightened by a preceding mys- from outside France. The Champs- tery. The location of the 30th anniver- Elysees avenue, the Louvre museum and sary staging of the international dining the Eiffel Tower are among past sites. event known as “Diner en Blanc,” or Francois Pasquier, who launched the This handout shows Washington-based National Gallery of Art researcher John Delaney “Dinner in White,” was revealed to par- event in Paris in 1988, said more than sitting next to the original painting of “Mother and Child by the Sea” by Spanish painter ticipants in a series of text messages up two dozen orchestras were set to enter- Pablo Picasso in 1902, during his research at Pola Museum of Art in Hakone, Kanagawa until the last minute. tain guests. Last year, over 110,000 prefecture. — AFP People gathered on green lawns with people in 28 countries participated in Participants dressed in white take part in the White Dinner, fabulous views of the gold-domed “Dinner in White” events. — AP at the Invalides gardens, in Paris, Sunday. — AP photos building that houses the tomb of Scans reveal newsprint, second painting under Picasso nfrared imaging technology has revealed in the painting suggests the work helped peel back the layers of a Pablo was completed sometime after his move. IPicasso painting on display in Japan, The scan also provided clear images of and revealed a page from a 1902 newspa- an underlying painting of a woman sitting per and another composition below. US down next to an absinthe glass with a and Japanese researchers scanned the spoon in it. Picasso frequently reused can- piece “Mother and Child by the Sea”, vasses or incorporated previous sketches owned by the Pola Museum of Art in into a final work. However, it was not Hakone, west of Tokyo, and uncovered a immediately clear why the artist used a page of the French newspaper Le Journal page from Le Journal, which he was known from January 18, 1902. to have read frequently. “While the reason for the presence of “It may have been used... to cover pre- newsprint in the paint layers in a mystery, vious layers before he painted another lay- the discovery is significant for Picasso er or the final composition of the mother scholars due to the proximity of the date to and child,” scientists said. The section of the artist’s move from Paris to Barcelona,” newsprint brought readers news of parlia- said the Washington-based National mentary clashes in London and the cre- Gallery of Art, whose researcher John ation of a new annual exhibition of painting Delaney led the project in Japan. Picasso is and sculpture at the Automobile Club of thought to have moved to the Spanish city France, a gentleman’s club in Paris. — AFP in early January 1902, bringing a few can- vasses with him, and the newspaper article 22 Established 1961

Thursday, June 7, 2018 Lifestyle Features Designer RAF SIMONS wins yet again at fashion’s CFDA awards

esigner Raf Simons scored a repeat win at in a deep red, fringed number by Simons at Calvin Klein. fashion’s glittery awards ceremony Monday She was introduced by Lee Daniels, who directed her in night, again displaying his considerable influ- “Empire” and “Star.” Daniels praised her efforts toward ence in American fashion less than two years diversity in fashion and her philanthropic work, and also afterD taking the reins at Calvin Klein. “Thank you, told her: “I’m sober because of you. I thank you for sav- women!” Simons said, accepting the prestigious wom- ing my life.” enswear prize of the Council of Fashion Designers of Iconic American designer Ralph Lauren received a America from presenter actress Cate Blanchett. It was new award, the CFDA Members Salute; CFDA chairman actually the Belgian designer’s third CFDA award in two Diane von Furstenberg noted that the 78-year-old years; last year he won for menswear, too. designer had won so many awards, they needed to invent The CFDA awards are fashion’s answer to the Oscars, a new one. Lauren, who wore faded blue jeans with his and a slew of celebrities were on hand at Monday’s cere- tuxedo jacket and bow tie, listened as a series of design- mony at the Brooklyn Museum,? hosted by TV’s Issa Rae ers lauded him, including Vera Wang, Michael Kors, - who pointed out she was the first person of color to Tommy Hilfiger, Donna Karan and Alexander Wang. “This host the annual event, and the first woman since 2009. is not the end,” Lauren told the crowd. “This is the begin- Presenters included Oprah Winfrey, Lupita Nyong’o, ning of fashion.” Designer Carolina Herrera, who stepped Trevor Noah and Claire Danes, among many others. down from the creative helm of her label earlier this year, received the Founder’s Award, presented by Caroline Kennedy. Kennedy described how Herrera had made her a memorable wedding gown and recently did the same for her daughter, Tatiana. She also spoke of Herrera’s Raf Simons of Calvin Klein, winner of the women’s wear Ralph Lauren poses in the winner’s walk with the members’ relationship with her mother, Jackie Kennedy. designer award, left, and Naomi Campbell, winner of the salute award. — AP photos “Together they took over New York,” Kennedy said. fashion icon award, pose in the winner’s walk at the CFDA “They didn’t talk about it, they just did it by looking bet- Fashion Awards at the Brooklyn Museum in New York. ter than everyone else.” Winfrey presented the Media Award to Edward Enninful, the Ghana-born editor in chief of British Vogue, who declared: “British Vogue is about being inclusive.” American designer Narciso Rodriguez choked up frequently as he accepted the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by Danes, who told the crowd how when she wears his designs, “I always feel the most like myself.” Nyong’o presented the International Award to Donatella Versace. Kim Kardashian West poses in the winner’s walk with the Von Furstenberg was awarded the Swarovski Award Influencer award. for Positive Change, presented by Delaney Tarr, a student at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in One of the biggest draws of the night was Kim Parkland, Florida. Von Furstenberg noted that Tarr had Kardashian West, who came - in a midriff-baring, clingy just graduated high school the day before, and that she white ensemble by Rick Owens - to collect the inaugural now is old enough to vote. “But actually, I want Delaney Influencer award. “I’m kind of shocked that I’m winning a to run,” the designer said. — AP fashion award when I’m naked most of the time,” she quipped, before going on to tell the story of the publicist she’d hired seven years ago who told her she’d never achieve her goal of making the cover of a fashion maga- zine. “Let’s find some more realistic goals,” Kardashian West said the publicist told her. When she later made the cover of Vogue, she noted, she made sure to send the publicist an autographed copy. Lee Daniels (left) and Naomi Campbell, winner of the fashion This year’s menswear winner was the streetwear label icon award, pose in the winner’s walk at the CFDA Fashion Supreme. “I never considered Supreme a fashion brand Awards. Ralph Lauren, left, and Ricky Anne Loew-Beer arrive at the or myself a fashion designer,” said its founder, James CFDA Fashion Awards. Jebbia, accepting the honor. And the award for accessory design went to perennial winners Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen, and their label The Row. Veteran supermodel Naomi Campbell gave the evening’s most stirring speech as she received the Fashion Icon award - dressed, aptly,

Dian Von Furstenberg poses in the winner’s walk with the positive change award.

Donatella Versace arrives at the CFDA Fashion Awards. Whoopi Goldberg arrives at the CFDA Fashion Awards. Narsico Rodriguez winner of the lifetime achievement award, Gigi Hadid arrives at the CFDA Fashion Awards. poses in the winner’s walk at the CFDA Fashion Awards.

ICONIC Ramadan and Eid collection

azzle in your finest this festive season with Iconic’s Ramadan and Eid collection, your perfect Dbet to add glamour to your celebrations. Make a statement by stepping out in key pieces from the collec- tion like glamorous dresses, matching sets with beautiful detailing. You can never go wrong with the winning black and gold combo with pieces that sport gorgeous lace detail- ing with a dash of glam. Up your fashion game with frills, sequins and bold colors with this collection. Women will be spoilt for choice elegant pieces complete with florals details, Victorian inspired dresses with high collars and embroidery adding to your feminine charm. Monochrome is a big trend this season with glamour pieces infused with a tropical touch and jewels. Men don’t need to feel left behind with a festive col- lection that’s just as impressive as the women’s line. Luxury streetstyle takes a front seat with golf foil prints in key shapes and styles along with tailored blazers teamed with fitted trousers will have you looking dapper and ready for the celebrations. Let ICONIC help you make your fashion choices this season while you spend that much need quality time with your family. Head over to ICONIC and shop the latest Ramadan and Eid collection available at Salam Mall in Salmiya and at Sama Mall in Fintas. ClassifiedsThursday, June 7, 2018

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STTAAATTION 0$;(;33 0,1 5(& 6)& &+$57   87& Physiotherapy Hospital 24874330/9 .8::$$,7 &,7<  ƒ&  ƒ& Airlines .8::$$,7 $,5325577  ƒ&  ƒ& $%'$//<<  ƒ&  ƒ& Kaizen center 25716707 American Airlines 22087425 %8%<<$$$11  ƒ&  ƒ& Rawda 22517733 22087426 Kuwait Airways 171 -$+55$$  ƒ&  ƒ& Adaliya 22517144 Jazeera Airways 177 ))$$,/$.$ ,6/$$11'  ƒ&  ƒ& Khaldiya 24848075 Jet Airways 22924455 6$/0,<<$$+  ƒ&  ƒ& Kaifan 24849807 FlyDubai 22414400 $+0$',  ƒ&  ƒ& Qatar Airways 22423888 Shamiya 24848913 18::$$,6,%  ƒ&  ƒ& KLM 22425747 Shuwaikh 24814507 Royal Jordanian 22418064/5/6 ::$$)5$  ƒ&  ƒ& British Airways 22425635 Abdullah Salem 22549134 6$/0<  ƒ&  ƒ& Air France 22430224 Nuzha 22526804 Emirates 22921555 4 DAAYYS FORECAST Air India 22438184 Temperatures Industrial Shuwaikh 24814764 DAAYY DAATTE WEAATTHER Wind Direction Wind Speed Sri Lanka Airlines 22424444 MAX. MIN. Qadsiya 22515088 Egypt Air a22421578 7KXXUUVGD\  99HHU\ KRW FDXVLQJ  ULVLQJ  GXVW  RYHU  RSHQ  DUHDV  ƒ&  ƒ&11:      NPK Dasmah 22532265 Swiss Air 22421516 )ULGD\  99HHU\ KRW FDXVLQJ  ULVLQJ GGXXVW ƒ&   ƒ& 1:      NPK Bneid Al-Gar 22531908 Saudia 22426306 6DWWXXUGDD\\  'XVWW\\  ƒ&  ƒ& 1:      NPK Middle East Airlines 22423073 6XQGD\  99HHU\ KRW FDXVLQJ  ULVLQJ GGXXVW  ƒ&  ƒ& 1:      NPK Shaab 22518752 Lufthansa 22422493

PRAAYYER TIMES RECORDED YESTERDAAYY AATT KUWWAAIT AIRPORT Qibla 22459381 PIA 22421044 Bangladesh Airlines 22452977/8 Fajr  MAX. Temp.  °C Ayoun Al-Qibla 22451082 Sunrise  MIN. Temp.  °C Indian Airlines 22456700 Mirqab 22456536 Zuhr  MAX. RH  % Oman Air 22958787 % Asr  MIN. RH  Sharq 22465401 Turkish Airlines 22453820/1 Sunset  MAX. Wind 6(  km/h Aeroflot 22404838/9 Isha TOTTAALL RAINFFAALLL IN 24 HR.  mm Salmiya 25746401

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw) DIAL161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Arrival Flights on Thursday 7/6/2018 KAC 774 Riyadh 13:30 THY 764 Istanbul 23:15 QTR 1075 Doha 12:10 Airlines Flt Route Time KAC 792 Madinah 13:40 WAN 136 Doha 23:15 JZR 176 Dubai 13:10 MSC 405 Sohag 00:05 JZR 779 Jeddah 13:45 MSR 2614 Cairo 23:30 SAW 708 KAC 13:30 THY 772 Istanbul 00:15 KAC 672 Dubai 13:55 FDB 072 Dubai 23:35 MSC 412 Asyut 13:30 SAI 441 Lahore 00:15 IAW 157A Al Najaf 13:55 JZR 241 Amman 23:40 THY 767 Istanbul 13:40 DLH 625 Dammam 00:50 QTR 1078 Doha 14:10 JZR 144 Doha 13:55 KAC 504 Beirut 00:50 KNE 231 Riyadh 14:10 Departure Flights on Thursday 7/6/2018 JZR 124 Bahrain 14:00 KAC 102 London 00:50 KAC 618 Doha 14:10 Airlines Flt Route Time MSR 611 Cairo 14:00 JZR 539 Cairo 01:00 GFA 221 Bahrain 14:15 AIC 976 Goa/Chennai 00:05 JZR 552 Alexandria 14:05 PGT 858 Istanbul 01:15 SVA 500 Jeddah 14:15 JAI 573 Mumbai 00:30 AXB 394 Kozhikode 14:10 RJA 642 Amman 01:35 FDB 059 Dubai 14:20 FDB 073 Dubai 00:30 UAE 872 Dubai 14:15 UAE 853 Dubai 01:40 KAC 516 Tehran 14:20 JZR 528 Asyut 01:05 IAW 158A Al Najaf 14:55 KLM 446 Bahrain 01:45 AZQ 4565 Dammam 14:30 MSC 406 Sohag 01:05 KAC 661 Abu Dhabi 15:00 KKK 1268 Istanbul 02:00 KAC 798 Taif 14:40 SAI 442 Lahore 01:15 KAC 691 Muscat 15:00 AXB 395 Kozhikode 02:00 FDB 8065 Dubai 14:40 KAC 417 Manila 01:45 KNE 382 Taif 15:00 GFA 211 Bahrain 02:15 JZR 789 Riyadh 14:45 THY 773 Istanbul 01:45 GFA 222 Bahrain 15:00 QTR 1086 Doha 02:30 KAC 788 Jeddah 14:50 DLH 625 Frankfurt 01:50 FDB 060 Dubai 15:05 JZR 553 Alexandria 02:50 KAC 304 Mumbai 15:05 JZR 502 Luxor 01:55 QTR 1079 Doha 15:15 JZR 267 Beirut 02:55 ETD 303 Abu Dhabi 15:05 KAC 677 Dubai 02:00 FDB 8066 Dubai 15:40 JZR 607 Kochi 02:55 KAC 412 Bangkok 15:10 PGT 859 Istanbul 02:45 JZR 188 Dubai 15:45 MSC 403 Asyut 03:05 KNE 529 Jeddah 15:10 THY 765 Istanbul 02:50 SVA 501 Jeddah 15:45 RBG 215 Sohag 03:05 KAC 562 Amman 15:20 AXB 396 Kozhikode 02:55 KAC 283 Dhaka 15:50 ETD 305 Abu Dhabi 03:05 OMA 645 Muscat 15:20 KKK 1269 Istanbul 02:55 KAC 775 Riyadh 15:55 MSR 606 Luxor 03:05 KAC 502 Beirut 15:35 KLM 446 Amsterdam 03:10 KNE 530 Jeddah 16:00 OMA 643 Muscat 03:05 ABY 127 Sharjah 15:35 UAE 854 Dubai 03:30 KAC 785 Jeddah 16:00 KAC 418 Manila 03:05 UAE 857 Dubai 15:45 JZR 142 Doha 03:45 KAC 743 Dammam 16:05 KAC 382 Delhi 03:10 SAW 705 Damascus 16:00 RBG 216 Sohag 03:45 KAC 563 Amman 16:10 MSR 612 Cairo 03:15 JZR 535 Cairo 16:10 OMA 644 Muscat 04:05 ABY 128 Sharjah 16:15 QTR 1076 Doha 03:30 QTR 1072 Doha 16:15 MSR 607 Luxor 04:05 KAC 619 Doha 16:15 LMU 510 Cairo 04:00 KAC 118 New York 16:20 ETD 306 Abu Dhabi 04:05 ETD 304 Abu Dhabi 16:20 JAI 572 Mumbai 04:00 FDB 051 Dubai 16:20 MSC 404 Asyut 04:05 OMA 646 Muscat 16:20 KAC 544 Cairo 04:25 FEG 241 Alexandria 16:45 QTR 1087 Doha 04:15 AZQ 4566 Baku 16:30 KAC 784 Jeddah 04:30 JZR 125 Bahrain 16:55 MSR 613 Cairo 04:15 KAC 615 Bahrain 16:40 JZR 609 Hyderabad 04:30 KAC 542 Cairo 17:00 LMU 511 Cairo 05:00 SAW 706 Damascus 17:00 KAC 284 Dhaka 04:50 SVA 510 Riyadh 17:15 JAI 571 Mumbai 05:05 KAC 675 Dubai 17:00 PAL 668 Manila 05:00 GFA 215 Bahrain 17:30 QTR 1077 Doha 05:15 KAC 503 Beirut 17:15 FDB 069 Dubai 05:05 JZR 777 Jeddah 17:35 KAC 303 Mumbai 05:35 FDB 052 Dubai 17:20 FDB 070 Dubai 06:00 QTR 1073 Doha 17:25 DHX 170 Bahrain 05:10 JZR 145 Doha 17:35 UAE 858 Dubai 17:40 THY 770 Istanbul 05:15 JZR 177 Dubai 17:40 JZR 750 Madinah 06:15 THY 771 Istanbul 06:30 FEG 242 Alexandria 17:45 KAC 344 Chennai 05:30 QTR 1080 Doha 18:10 KAC 381 Delhi 17:45 KAC 332 Trivandrum 05:40 JZR 483 Istanbul 18:20 GFA 212 Bahrain 06:50 RJA 643 Amman 07:00 KAC 331 Trivandrum 17:55 JZR 561 Sohag 05:55 WAN 874 Istanbul 18:25 KAC 343 Chennai 18:00 KAC 362 Colombo 06:00 WAN 966 Tbilisi 18:30 JZR 164 Dubai 07:15 JZR 356 Mashhad 07:15 SVA 511 Riyadh 18:15 BAW 157 London 06:10 MSR 620 Cairo 18:30 JZR 184 Dubai 18:20 WAN 338 Alexandria 06:25 RJA 640 Amman 19:00 KAC 167 Paris 07:20 KAC 413 Bangkok 07:30 GFA 216 Bahrain 18:20 QTR 8511 Doha 06:35 GFA 217 Bahrain 19:05 PAL 669 Manila 07:40 JZR 608 Hyderabad 18:25 KAC 206 Islamabad 06:40 UAE 875 Dubai 19:05 JZR 238 Amman 07:50 JZR 512 Sharm el-Sheikh 18:30 KAC 678 Dubai 06:45 KAC 744 Dammam 19:10 JZR 778 Jeddah 08:00 JZR 240 Amman 18:30 KAC 302 Mumbai 07:00 FDB 063 Dubai 19:10 KAC 501 Beirut 08:00 JZR 538 Cairo 18:35 JZR 605 Ahmedabad 07:05 ABY 123 Sharjah 19:20 QTR 8512 Doha 08:05 WAN 135 Doha 18:40 JZR 143 Doha 07:20 KAC 662 Abu Dhabi 19:25 BAW 156 London 08:20 JZR 266 Beirut 19:15 JZR 529 Asyut 07:30 NIA 161 Cairo 19:30 FDB 054 Dubai 08:35 QTR 1081 Doha 19:20 KAC 354 Bengaluru 07:45 KAC 776 Riyadh 19:35 KAC 791 Madinah 09:00 WAN 135 Doha 19:25 FDB 053 Dubai 07:50 KAC 156 Istanbul 19:35 KAC 613 Bahrain 09:00 MSR 621 Cairo 19:30 JZR 503 Luxor 07:50 RBG 555 Alexandria 19:40 KAC 117 New York 09:05 GFA 218 Bahrain 19:50 KAC 384 Delhi 08:05 FDB 057 Dubai 19:50 KAC 787 Jeddah 09:05 FDB 064 Dubai 19:50 KAC 358 Kochi 08:05 KAC 616 Bahrain 20:00 KAC 671 Dubai 09:15 RJA 641 Amman 20:00 UAE 855 Dubai 08:25 DLH 624 Frankfurt 20:05 WAN 133 Doha 09:30 ABY 124 Sharjah 20:00 WAN 352 Luxor 08:30 OMA 647 Muscat 20:05 IRA 672 Ahwaz 09:35 RBG 556 Alexandria 20:20 IRA 673 Ahwaz 08:35 KNE 381 Taif 20:10 KAC 561 Amman 09:40 NIA 162 Cairo 20:30 ETD 301 Abu Dhabi 08:55 KAC 620 Doha 20:15 ABY 126 Sharjah 09:40 FDB 058 Dubai 20:30 ABY 125 Sharjah 09:00 MEA 402 Beirut 20:15 KAC 773 Riyadh 09:45 UAE 876 Dubai 20:35 IRA 667 Esfahan 09:05 JZR 189 Dubai 20:15 JZR 534 Cairo 09:45 DLH 624 Dammam 20:50 QTR 1070 Doha 09:30 KAC 692 Muscat 20:25 UAE 856 Dubai 09:50 KNE 232 Riyadh 21:00 FDB 055 Dubai 09:40 QTR 1088 Doha 20:40 JZR 482 Istanbul 09:55 KAC 353 Bengaluru 21:00 IAW 157 Al Najaf 10:00 JZR 553 Alexandria 20:50 KAC 101 London 10:00 KAC 357 Kochi 21:00 SYR 341 Damascus 10:00 KLM 445 Amsterdam 21:00 KAC 515 Tehran 10:00 OMA 648 Muscat 21:05 SVA 512 Riyadh 10:00 UAE 859 Dubai 21:15 KAC 541 Cairo 10:00 MEA 403 Beirut 21:15 JZR 751 Madinah 10:30 ALK 229 Colombo 21:15 KAC 1543 Cairo 21:20 ETD 302 Abu Dhabi 10:00 JZR 550 Alexandria 21:30 GFA 213 Bahrain 10:40 ETD 307 Abu Dhabi 21:15 KAC 797 Taif 10:05 MEA 404 Beirut 10:55 KAC 168 Paris 21:20 KAC 301 Mumbai 21:35 IRA 668 Mashhad 10:05 QTR 1089 Doha 21:50 QTR 1074 Doha 11:00 KAC 676 Dubai 21:35 KAC 617 Doha 10:10 WAN 114 Bahrain 11:10 GFA 219 Bahrain 21:50 DHX 171 Bahrain 21:50 WAN 873 Istanbul 10:15 KAC 203 Lahore 22:00 JZR 165 Dubai 11:45 KAC 564 Amman 21:50 KAC 155 Istanbul 10:25 KAC 614 Bahrain 12:20 QTR 1082 Doha 22:05 ETD 308 Abu Dhabi 22:05 QTR 1071 Doha 10:40 KLM 445 Bahrain 22:10 MSC 411 Asyut 12:30 ETD 309 Abu Dhabi 22:10 FDB 056 Dubai 10:40 ALK 230 Colombo 22:20 SAW 701 Damascus 12:30 WAN 416 Beirut 22:15 SGL 4101 IQA 11:00 KAC 783 Jeddah 22:25 THY 766 Istanbul 12:45 KAC 786 Jeddah 22:15 SVA 513 Riyadh 11:00 KAC 383 Delhi 22:25 UAE 871 Dubai 12:45 DLH 8456 Frankfurt 22:25 SYR 342 Damascus 11:00 UAE 860 Dubai 22:35 WAN 542 KTM 12:50 AIC 981 Chennai/Ahmedabad 22:25 IAW 158 Al Najaf 11:00 GFA 220 Bahrain 22:50 MSR 610 Cairo 13:00 BBC 043 Dhaka 22:30 JZR 788 Riyadh 11:20 ETD 310 Abu Dhabi 23:00 JZR 239 Amman 13:00 WAN 118 Bahrain 22:40 GFA 214 Bahrain 11:35 QTR 1083 Doha 23:20 JZR 357 Mashhad 13:05 JZR 185 Dubai 22:50 MEA 405 Beirut 11:55 WAN 337 Alexandria 23:40 AXB 393 Kozhikode 13:10 TRQ 230 KRT 23:00 JZR 776 Jeddah 12:05 JZR 560 Sohag 23:45 WAN 134 Doha 13:20 JAI 574 Mumbai 23:00 WAN 975 Baku 12:10 TRQ 231 KRT 23:55 Established 1961 24 News Thursday, June 7, 2018

SURABAYA: Indonesian Muslims sleep in a mosque in Surabaya, East Java yesterday as part of their belief that the last ten days of the holy month of Ramadan would be a night when God gives His blessing and mercy. Muslims throughout the world are marking the month of Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, during which devotees fast from dawn till dusk. — AFP

Abu Dhabi is the capital of United Arab Abu Dhabi Emirates and the largest of seven emirates 120 firefighters making up the UAE federation. Dubai is the other large component of UAE. The announces emirate sits on over 90 percent of the tackle blaze at huge oil and gas resources in UAE, $13.6 billion OPEC’s fourth largest producer, and its London hotel revenues heavily depend on oil prices. Oil prices crashed since mid-2014 resulting in LONDON: Fire broke out at London’s Mandarin stimulus large budget deficits for all the Gulf states. Oriental hotel yesterday, with dozens of firefight- ABU DHABI: Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Two weeks ago, UAE announced new ers deployed to tackle the blaze that pumped Mohammed Bin Zayed has announced a incentives to lure foreign investors that smoke high into the air over the British capital. 50-billion dirham ($13.6 billion, 11.6 billion included a 100 percent ownership of The fire brigade said “around 120 firefighters” euro) stimulus package over the next companies and a 10-year visa for profes- and 20 fire engines were involved in tackling the three years, as the emirate seeks to boost sionals and investors. The measures by fire on the roof of the 12-storey hotel in Knightsbridge, a luxury area of central London its flagging economy. He also announced a UAE, the Middle East’s second largest where Harrods department store is also located. series of economic initiatives to create economy after Saudi Arabia, come amid a The fire service said the blaze was “producing 10,000 jobs for nationals over the next slowdown in the oil, tourism and real a lot of smoke” and was “very visible” and its five years and to make doing business estate sectors. The International cause “is not known at this stage”. Firefighters LONDON: Firefighters tackle a blaze at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in central London yesterday. A fire easier. “I have approved a 3-year 50 bil- Monetary Fund said last month that UAE were called to the fire at 1455 GMT. “We are broke out at London’s Mandarin Oriental hotel, with dozens of firefighters deployed to tackle the blaze lion dirham economic stimulus package to economic growth fell to just 0.5 percent aware that there is a fire at Mandarin Oriental that pumped smoke high into the air over the British capital. — AFP support Abu Dhabi’s economic develop- in 2017 from 3.0 percent the previous Hyde Park, London, and that the fire brigade is at ment,” Sheikh Mohammed said on Twitter year, driven by a 2.5 percent contraction the hotel,” a hotel spokesman said. “As the situa- hotel-an Edwardian-style building that opened transport system, said an entrance to late Tuesday. in the oil sector. It said Abu Dhabi’s econ- tion is still unfolding, we have no further details to its doors in 1902 and was bought by Mandarin Knightsbridge Underground station had been He said he has asked the emirate’s omy contracted by 1.6 percent last year share at this time, but will provide an update Oriental in 1996. closed “at the request of the emergency servic- executive council to draw up a working and was projected to grow by just 0.5 soon”. Roads were closed off at Scotch Corner The hotel has 198 rooms and suites. Transport es”. Anna Whiteley, a TV presenter, tweeted that plan for allocations within three months. percent in 2018. — AFP and Hyde Park Corner, busy junctions near the for London, which manages the city’s public she was evacuated from the hotel. — AFP

in the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, surged back to centre- Palestinians stage when Trump tore up decades of US policy to rec- ognize it as Israel’s capital in December. from around the globe; CNN’s “Anderson Cooper joyful, Israel... The US shifted its Israeli embassy to Jerusalem in Facebook announces Full Circle” featuring the popular CNN host; and May on the 70th anniversary of the creation of Israel in “Fox News Update” hosted by chief news anchor Continued from Page 1 a move met with condemnation from the Palestinians. At Shepard Smith. Facebook last week said it was get- the same time, Israel has faced fierce criticism over its original news shows ting rid of a “trending” topics feature as it tests ways use of lethal force against Palestinian protesters on the He said the sole aim of opponents of the Jerusalem SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook yesterday for publishers to deliver reliable breaking news. Gaza Strip border with the Jewish state. Israeli troops game was “to strike at our basic right to self-defense announced its first original news shows for the social The Trending feature introduced four years ago and to bring about the destruction of Israel”. The have shot dead at least 125 Gazans since March 30, dur- network, joining other online platforms producing listed stories buzzing on Facebook at any given time. Palestinian Football Association-which had urged Messi ing protests and clashes along the border over the “We’re exploring new ways to help people stay not to take part-welcomed the scrapping of the game, return of Palestinians to land they fled or were expelled video to compete with television. The news shows informed about timely, breaking news that matters to insisting sport should not “be a tool for politicians and from during the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s creation. will be produced for Facebook by a variety of part- for political extortion”. “What happened...is a red card The international friendly on Saturday was initially ners including CNN, Fox News, ABC News and them, while making sure the news they see on from everybody to the Israelis,” association boss Jibril meant to be played in the city of Haifa, but was shifted Univision. The programs are producing the social Facebook is from trustworthy and quality sources,” Rajoub said at a press conference, sitting next to a sign to Jerusalem, fuelling Palestinian opposition. The press network’s on-demand video service called Facebook Alex Hardiman, Facebook’s head of news products, reading “From Palestine thank you Messi”. in Argentina and Israel reported that the Argentine Watch, which is part of an effort to compete with said in a blog post. Facebook and other social media Israeli media said that late Tuesday Prime Minister Football Association (AFA) was supposed to receive a platforms such as Google-owned YouTube, and platforms have been criticized for their role in allow- Benjamin Netanyahu called Argentine President payment of between two and three million dollars if potentially develop a wider following. ing disinformation to spread during the 2016 US Mauricio Macri, with whom he has good relations, in an Messi played. The Palestinian FA’s Rajoub had urged Facebook said the launch of news shows was also election, in many cases with the help of automated effort to save the match but that Macri had said he was Messi not take part and called on fans to burn shirts aimed at offering its members “trusted” content fol- “bots” or disguised Russian-based accounts. unable to intervene. Netanyahu is currently visiting bearing his name if he did. lowing concerns that the platform was used to Trending was only available in a handful of coun- Europe and his office could not immediately confirm the Rajoub said he had written to Argentina’s govern- spread misinformation. “Earlier this year we made a tries, and accounted for a paltry fraction of clicks reports. Israeli daily Yisrael Hayom, considered close to ment asking that Messi not play and accused Israel of commitment to show news that is trustworthy, through to news publishers, according to Hardiman. trying to give the game “political significance by insist- Netanyahu, expressed ire with its front-page headline: informative, and local on Facebook,” said a state- Facebook said it is working with 80 publishers in ing it be held in Jerusalem”. Argentina coach Jorge “They surrendered to terrorism: The game against ment from Facebook news partnerships chief Australia, Europe, India, and the Americas on a Sampaoli last week aired misgivings about having his Argentina has been cancelled.” “Breaking News” label to adorn posts in News Feed. players make the trip to Israel, noting he preferred to Campbell Brown. “As a part of that commitment, we are creating a The California-based social network is also testing a Argentina team ‘not willing’ remain in Barcelona, where the team is holding its pre- dedicated section within Watch for news shows pro- “Today” section dedicated to “breaking and impor- Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie said before World Cup training camp. “From a sporting point of tant news” from local publishers, officials and organ- confirmation of the game’s cancellation that he believed view, I would have preferred to play in Barcelona,” duced exclusively for Facebook by news publishers. his country’s players had been reluctant to travel to Sampaoli said. The World Cup kicks off in Russia on With this effort, we are testing a destination for high izations, according to Hardiman. Facebook Watch Israel for the match. “As far as I know, the players of the June 14, with Messi looking to inspire Argentina to vic- quality and timely news content on the platform.” zone for online video viewing will get a news section national team were not willing to play the game,” Faurie tory. Israel’s national team has not qualified for the The first programs include ABC’s “On Location” fea- complete with live coverage, daily briefings, and said. The status of Jerusalem, always a key sticking point tournament. — AFP turing contribution from the network’s journalists “deep dives,” he added. — AFP

the Yemeni parties to sit again at the negotiating table sought-after value that we need in today’s multicultural Amir congratulates to seek the aspired political solutions that may end the The social dimension... world where people of different religious groups coex- hardships of the Yemeni people so they may enjoy ist. Remaining without food and water throughout the restoration of security and stability. “Our Muslim world Continued from Page 1 day and at the same time keeping oneself normal and Kuwaitis, expats... is witnessing a painful reality, dangerous political and pleasant requires a great deal of tolerance. Continued from Page 1 security challenges. We ought to cement unity of the The feelings of sympathy and compassion on the Fasting teaches Muslims the virtue of self-control, Muslims’ ranks and their solidarity in face of chal- part of the rich and the feelings of gratitude and love on which can play an important role in building positive He called on the juniors to benefit from the state lenges to repel the hazards.” the part of the poor bring both together in harmonious relationships with others. Fasting is perfect exercise for facilities and incentives, invest in the National Fund for His Highness the Amir prayed to His Almighty, on the society free of envy and grudge. self-control, not only on the physical level, but also on Small and Medium Enterprise Development to launch last ten days of the fasting month of Ramadan, for for- There is no room in Islam for class conflict or dis- the moral, social and spiritual levels. Fasting heals the feasible projects that could achieve added value to the giveness, acceptance of the fasting and the prayers. He parity. The rich learn that they can lead a normal life scars that undermine the social fabric and spreads national economy and reap benefits for the homeland. also prayed for national unity, Kuwait’s prosperity and without much of the luxuries of life and they can find brotherhood and social justice while, at the same time, Turning to regional issues, His Highness stated, “We growth, asking His Almighty to bestow upon Kuwait the true meaning of happiness in reaching out to the helping the individual to purify and elevate his spiritual have been following up on the recent developments in permanent security and safety and guide the Muslims poor and the needy. Thus, we can have a healthy socie- being. It is a marvelous act of worship that interweaves the occupied Palestinian territories, where we have to be united “so that their blood may be spared and ty where the relations are based on mercy, love and different elements in one unified whole. been seeking with our brothers and friends to nudge their homelands may be safeguarded.” compassion. the Security Council and the international community His Highness recalled on the blessed occasion the Ramadan is the greatest teacher of tolerance. Courtesy of the TIES Center, whose mission is to to shoulder their responsibilities toward this plight and late Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Muslims are asked to control their temper during their empower Kuwait’s expats through social and educa- attain the legitimate rights as stipulated by the interna- the late Father Amir Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salem fast, even if they are irritated by others, they are tional services that promote a positive and productive tional legitimacy toward this cause.” Al-Sabah, May Allah bestow His mercy upon their ordered just to remind themselves and the others that role in society, and to facilitate opportunities for intra- Underscoring the plights, wars, conflicts, insecurity, souls and settle them in His paradise. He also prayed they are fasting with “I am a fasting person.” Showing and interfaith interactions that promote social solidari- instability suffered by sisterly Arab states, namely for souls of the martyrs who had sacrificed their pure anger or being abusive can spoil a person’s fast and are ty. For more information, please call 25231015/6 or e- Syria and Yemen, His Highness renewed the call upon blood in defense of the dear homeland. — KUNA not at all allowed. Tolerance for others is the most mail: [email protected]. Established 1961 25 Sports Thursday, June 7, 2018 Max Scherzer, Nationals prove too much in 4-2 win over Rays

Ramirez key hits help Cleveland outlast Milwaukee

ATLANTA: Max Scherzer became the first pitcher in Luis Severino for the American League lead in wins. the major leagues to win 10 games as he struck out 13 Kluber struck out seven and didn’t walk a batter in his in eight innings, and Matt Adams homered as the 112-pitch performance. Chisenhall had a bases-loaded, Washington Nationals defeated the visiting Tampa Bay two-run single in the second inning, and Ramirez hit a Rays 4-2 Tuesday night. Scherzer improved to 10-1 and solo home run in the third. Neil Ramirez retired the has won nine straight decisions. His only loss came on Yankees in order in the eighth. Indians closer Cody April 4 at Atlanta. Scherzer gave up two runs on five Allen allowed a leadoff solo home run by Travis Shaw hits without a walk. The right-hander also entered the to start the ninth but still earned his 10th save. record books with the second so-called immaculate inning of his career-needing only nine pitches in an RED SOX 6, TIGERS 0 inning to strike out all three batters faced. He became J.D. Martinez became the majors’ first 20-homer hit- the fifth pitcher to register multiple immaculate innings. ter this season as his two-run blast against his old team Sandy Koufax accomplished the feat three times, and helped host Boston beat Detroit. others to do it twice were Randy Johnson, Nolan Ryan Martinez, a staple in the Tigers’ lineup from 2014 to and Lefty Grove. 2017, broke a tie for the major league lead in homers with the Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout and the ANGELS 1, ROYALS 0 Cleveland Indians’ Jose Ramirez. Xander Bogaerts Andrew Heaney celebrated his 27th birthday by added a solo homer, his ninth of the year for Boston. throwing a one-hit shutout for the Los Angeles in a vic- Steven Wright (2-0) allowed two hits over seven score- tory over Kansas City in Anaheim, Calif. The left-han- less innings with three walks and six strikeouts in his der tossed his first career shutout. The only hit Heaney first start this year for Boston. Nicholas Castellanos (2- allowed was a one-out single by Hunter Dozier in the for-4) had both of the Tigers’ hits against Wright. fifth inning. The Royals got their only other baserunners when Jon Jay was hit by a pitch leading off the first BRAVES 14, PADRES 1 inning and when Jorge Soler walked with two outs in Sean Newcomb posted his seventh straight win as the seventh. The Angels got the lone run in the fifth Atlanta rolled to a victory at San Diego. Freddie inning. With Michael Hermosillo on first base and Chris Freeman, who had a 16-game hitting streak snapped a Young on third, Hermosillo broke for second, drawing a night earlier, went 4-for-4 with a homer, two doubles throw. Hermosillo got in a and a walk. He scored three WASHINGTON: Juan Soto #22 of the Washington Nationals slides by Wilson Ramos #40 of the Tampa Bay rundown, and Young took off runs and drove in two. Dansby Rays to score in the second inning on a Wilmer Difo #2 fielders choice during a baseball game against the for home and scored. Swanson and Nick Markakis Tampa Bay Rays at Nationals Park on Tuesday in Washington. — AFP Dodgers starter also homered as part of an 18- DIAMONDBACKS 3, hit attack. The Braves batted GIANTS 2 Stripling gave around twice while scoring WHITE SOX 6, TWINS 3 (GAME 2) PHILLIES 6, CUBS 1 Patrick Corbin spoiled the five runs in both the fifth and Jose Abreu cracked a two-run home run to jumpstart Nick Williams homered and had three RBIs, and comeback of Madison up four hits seventh innings. Newcomb (7- a four-run first inning, and Lucas Giolito pitched six Zach Eflin pitched 7 2/3 strong innings to lead Bumgarner with 6 1/3 strong 1) allowed no runs on three hits effective innings as Chicago earned a split of the dou- Philadelphia to a victory at Chicago. Williams had a innings, delivering Arizona a and three walks with four bleheader. Abreu gave Minnesota rookie Zack Littell two-run homer in the second inning for the Phillies, victory at San Francisco. strikeouts over six innings. (0-1) a rough initiation into the majors with a 413-foot who snapped a three-game slide. Aaron Altherr Making his first start of the Three of the Padres’ baserun- blast over the wall in left-center that brought home added two RBIs as Philadelphia won for just the third season and hoping to extend ners against Newcomb were Yolmer Sanchez. Kevan Smith, playing his first big time in its past nine contests. Eflin (2-2) allowed one the Giants’ winning streak to six, Bumgarner (0-1) limit- eliminated on double-play grounders. league game of the year, made it 3-0 with an RBI single run and eight hits before exiting. He struck out two ed the Diamondbacks to two runs in six innings. He was to right. Adam Engel followed by ripping a double to and walked one while helping end Chicago’s four- pitching in the majors for the first time since breaking a ORIOLES 2, METS 1 left that chased Smith home, giving Giolito (4-6) all the game winning streak. bone in his left hand when hit by a line drive in spring Alex Cobb earned the win in his best start since support he needed. training. Corbin (6-2) allowed just one run and four hits. joining Baltimore, thanks to first-inning RBIs from RANGERS 7, A’S 4 He walked two and struck out seven, helping Arizona Manny Machado and Danny Valencia at New York. The YANKEES 7, BLUE JAYS 2 Adrian Beltre and Joey Gallo belted eighth-inning win for the sixth time in eight games. Brad Boxberger Orioles, who have the worst record in baseball at 18-41, Miguel Andujar hit his first career grand slam, Aaron home runs to snap a tie and complete Texas’ come- allowed a run in the ninth but nailed down his 14th save. snapped a seven-game losing streak. The Mets have Hicks added a three-run shot, and CC Sabathia pitched back against visiting Oakland. Beltre led off the lost five straight and 30 of 46 since an 11-1 start. Cobb seven strong innings as New York won at Toronto. eighth by homering off Lou Trivino (3-1). After DODGERS 5, PIRATES 0 (2-7), who signed with the Orioles on March 21 and Sabathia (3-1) allowed two runs, three hits and one Jurickson Profar walked, Gallo drilled a 386-foot shot Joc Pederson, Yasiel Puig and Cody Bellinger hit entered Tuesday with a 6.80 ERA in his first nine starts, walk while striking out six for his first win since April to right. That was the fifth homer of the game for the homers, and five Los Angeles pitchers held host didn’t allow a hit until the fifth inning. He ended up sur- 29, a span of five winless starts. The Yankees are 4-1 on Rangers. Chris Martin (1-1) picked up the win with a Pittsburgh to seven hits, all singles. Dodgers starter rendering the one run on two hits and one walk while their nine-game road trip. clean eighth inning. Keone Kela struck out the side in Ross Stripling (4-1) gave up four hits, struck out seven striking out seven over six innings. Teoscar Hernandez and Kevin Pillar homered for the the ninth to garner his 14th save of the year. and walked none in five innings. Relievers Scott Blue Jays, who were playing their first game at home Alexander, Josh Fields, Pedro Baez and Daniel Hudson TWINS 4, WHITE SOX 2 (GAME 1) after a 3-6 road trip. MARINERS 7, ASTROS 1 each pitched an inning to complete the shutout. Los Eduardo Escobar’s three-run homer in the eighth James Paxton delivered another strong perform- Angeles (30-30) won its fourth in a row and reached inning capped a four-run rally with two outs that lifted ROCKIES 9, REDS 6 ance, and Seattle bashed three home runs to win at .500 by winning 14 of 18 games since May 17. The Minnesota to a win over Chicago in the opener of a Carlos Gonzalez hit a three-run home run in his four- Houston. Paxton (5-1) notched his fourth consecutive Pirates (30-30) have lost three straight and fell to .500 doubleheader at Minneapolis. The 413-foot shot to cen- RBI night, and Colorado earned a win at Cincinnati. victorious decision despite allowing nine hits over 7 for the first time this season. They are 4-13 since they ter field scored Eddie Rosario and Gregorio Petit, mak- Rockies starter Kyle Freeland (6-5) pitched 6 2/3 2/3 innings. He limited the Astros to just one run while were a season-best nine games over .500 on May 17. ing a winner of reliever Tyler Duffey (1-1), who worked innings of three-run ball, helping Colorado snap a four- two scoreless innings. Fernando Rodney pitched the game losing streak. The Reds have lost three in a row. walking one and striking out six. Before Paxton took INDIANS 3, BREWERS 2 ninth to garner his 13th save. Shut down for seven Reds right-hander Anthony DeSclafani (0-1) allowed the mound in the bottom of the first inning, the Corey Kluber allowed a run and scattered seven hits innings by starter Reynaldo Lopez, who ceded only one four runs on six hits in five innings during his first start Mariners gifted him a four-run lead. Astros left-han- in seven innings, and Lonnie Chisenhall and Jose hit and walked four while fanning four, Minnesota got of the season. After missing all of last year with an arm der Dallas Keuchel (3-8) saw his first-inning ERA rise Ramirez had key hits to help Cleveland outlast visiting its offense going after reliever Nate Jones (2-2) got the injury, he began this year on the 60-day disable list to 9.00. He wound up allowing seven runs in 6 2/3 Milwaukee. Kluber (9-2) tied the New York Yankees’ first two hitters out in the eighth. with a left oblique strain. innings. — Reuters

Cricket Australia chief Sutherland Ponting to join Australia to stand down coaching staff in England

MELBOURNE: Long-serving Cricket LONDON: Australia great Ricky ing back-to-back triumphs as Australia boss James Sutherland said yesterday Ponting will join the backroom captain in 2003 and 2007. More he would step down as chief executive next staff of head coach Justin Langer recently, the 43-year-old year but denied the ball-tampering scandal had during the team’s tour of Tasmanian has coached the Delhi played a part in the decision. The 52-year-old, England. Former Australia cap- Daredevils in this year’s edition of who took up the role in 2001, resigns amid cul- tain Ponting, one of the outstand- the Indian Premier League tural reviews into the cricket board and the ing batsmen of his generation, Twenty20 tournament. national team in the wake of the Cape Town was already due to be in Britain Langer was delighted to be scandal which shocked the sports-mad nation to commentate on the five-match able to tap into Ponting’s expert- and caused the loss of a key sponsor. one-day international series ise, saying: “Ricky is one of the Sutherland’s stewardship had also come against 2019 World Cup hosts greats of the game, and since he under the microscope as Australia look to England that starts on June 13 was already in England doing rebuild under a new captain and coach, but the MELBOURNE: Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland (L) listens to Cricket Australia chairman and a subsequent Twenty20 some commentary we saw it as a former Victoria state cricketer said he had been David Peever (R) at a press conference in Melbourne yesterday, where Sutherland announced international. great opportunity to have him join thinking about moving on for a while. “It cer- he will stand down in the wake of a ball-tampering scandal that rattled the game. —AFP But yesterday’s announcement our team for this important series. tainly was a big issue at the time,” Sutherland by Cricket Australia will see “We have played a lot of said of the scandal at a news conference. Ponting joining forces with cricket together and coached “It hasn’t had a bearing on my decision, I league in 2011. Sutherland and chairman Peever said the Langer, an old team-mate, again alongside each other previously, guess. “(CA chairman) David (Peever) and I CA’s swelling coffers have made the coun- change was more a matter of timing, however, after the pair coached Australia’s and he will also know many of the have actually been talking about this for two try’s elite among the world’s best-paid crick- with a new six-year broadcast deal worth A$1.2 Twenty20 team against Sri Lanka players already through his work years ... It just feels like a good time for me to eters, but relations with the players have been billion ($935 million) agreed in April and work on home soil in 2017. Ponting also with the team over the past two hand over the reins in an orderly fashion to my often been strained through his tenure. They hit on the ICC’s Future Tours Programme all but assisted former Australia head summers and his BBL (Big Bash successor.” Speaking at Melbourne’s Junction a low point during last year’s acrimonious pay put to bed. coach Darren Lehmann, who quit League) commitments,” he Oval, where he made his first class debut for dispute in which CA sought to end a 20-year With former captain Steve Smith, David following the ball-tampering added. Victoria in 1991, Sutherland said he would revenue-share model with the players but was Warner and Cameron Bancroft suspended for scandal in South Africa in March, “Ricky’s knowledge of the remain in place during a 12-month handover as soundly defeated. their parts in the Cape Town scandal, for the Twenty20 tri-series game is second-to-none, and we CA looks for his successor. The announcement Sutherland, who delegated negotiations to a Sutherland said he hoped his successor would against England and New know that his experiences, tacti- comes soon after the resignation of coach deputy in Kevin Roberts, was roundly criticised focus on growing participation in a game that Zealand earlier this year. cal expertise and leadership will Darren Lehmann and CA integrity chief Iain for being absent from the talks until the wran- suffered huge reputational damage. As a batsman Ponting aver- be invaluable for this group, as Roy, who oversaw the board’s investigation into gling threatened to scupper a tour to India. He “It’s my underlying belief, the most impor- aged over 42 in 375 ODIs, with we start to build a team capable the ball-tampering affair. has also been faulted for having a tin ear to tant thing we do as sports administrators ... is an excellent strike rate above 80. of winning a World Cup in these public expectations of the men’s cricket team, inspire the next generation to love cricket. Boys His 41 hundreds in the format conditions in a year’s time.” COMMERCIAL POWERHOUSE appearing reluctant to rein in a side with a rep- and girls. It’s all about that,” he said. “And included a brilliant 140 not out in Ponting will join up with the A former pace bowler, Sutherland has utation for boorish on-field conduct. whilst that doesn’t necessarily get the publicity a 2003 World Cup final win over squad on June 10 and fit in his helped turn the game into a commercial power- A number of pundits put the Cape Town that it deserves, the facts of the matter are that India in Johannesburg. work with World Cup-holders house in Australia’s crowded sports market, scandal at his door, saying the governing kids today, the primary school kids today, boys Ponting had first won the Australia around his broadcasting striking lucrative broadcast deals and ushering body’s failure to set standards had ultimately and girls, are not getting bats and balls in their World Cup in 1999 before enjoy- duties. — AFP in the now successful Twenty20 ‘Big Bash’ emboldened players to violate the rules. hands.” — Reuters 26 Established 1961 Sports Thursday, June 7, 2018 World Cup history from 2014 to 1930

2018 World Cup kicking off on June 14

MOSCOW: With the 2018 World Cup kicking off on nation France lifted the trophy, Aime Jacquet’s side June 14, AFP Sport takes a look at past finals, here from gathered unstoppable momentum as the tournament 2014 to 1930: progressed before defeating Brazil 3-0 in a one-sided final at the gleaming new 80,000-seat Stade de France. BRAZIL 2014 The star of the show was Zinedine Zidane, who Football’s showpiece returned to Brazil but the host bounced back from the shame of a red card against nation suffered one of the greatest humiliations in its Saudi Arabia early in the competition to score two illustrious World Cup history as they were thrashed 7-1 goals in the final. Brazil’s campaign ended in mysterious by Germany in the semi-finals. The team’s new star circumstances, with star player Ronaldo excluded from Neymar was missing after being injured in their quar- the team-sheet for the final. Minutes before kick-off ter-final win over Colombia, but nothing could erase the however, Ronaldo was back in. It later emerged the embarrassment of that day in Belo Horizonte which was player had had a fit in his hotel room a few hours before Brazil’s worst defeat in 100 years of competitive foot- the final, leading many to question why he had been ball. In the final, Germany met Lionel Messi’s Argentina allowed to play. in Rio de Janeiro. The Argentines had overcome the Netherlands on penalties in the last four. A tense, close- UNITED STATES 1994 ly-matched final was decided by Mario Goetze’s goal in Despite the USA’s lack of football pedigree, massive extra time as the Germans became world champions for crowds greeted the 1994 finals and Brazil claimed their the fourth time. record fourth World Cup title. Coach Carlos Alberto Parreira married discipline with the abundant Brazilian SOUTH AFRICA 2010 flair, and in Romario had the deadliest striker in the The first finals on African soil were full of colour and tournament. Diego Maradona and Andres Escobar noise-the drone of vuvuzelas was the soundtrack of the grabbed the early headlines. Maradona scored an out- tournament-but the football often failed to match up to standing goal against Greece, memorably screaming the backdrop. Six African nations took part but only into a TV camera in celebration, before failing a dope Ghana survived the group stages, going on to the quar- test and being slung out of the tournament. Escobar PARIS: In this file photo taken on May 17, 2018 France’s football team head-coach Didier Deschamps ter-finals where they lost to Uruguay on penalties. scored an own goal for Colombia against the USA and looks on prior to announcing his 23-man squad for the World Cup 2018 football tournament during the South Africa started brightly but became the first hosts was later shot dead in his homeland. Roberto Baggio broadcast news of French TV channel TF1 in Boulogne-Billancourt, outside Paris. The 2018 World Cup to be eliminated in the first round. Spain, and their tal- proved Italy’s hero as they marched to the final, saving will take place in Russia from June 14, 2018 until July 15. — AFP ented generation that had won the 2008 European their skin against impressive Nigeria in the second crown, won the World Cup for the first time thanks to round and grabbing the winner in the quarter-finals an extra-time goal from Andres Iniesta in the final against Spain. Two more goals saw off a surprising players throughout the whole tournament. against Uruguay to win the title. Before a world record against the Netherlands. It was Spain’s fourth succes- Bulgaria in the semis, but the cruellest of twists awaited crowd at the Maracana, Albino Cardosa Friaca put sive 1-0 win after beating Portugal, Paraguay and him in the final. Brazil cruised through until a thrilling 3- SWEDEN 1958 Brazil ahead two minutes after half-time, but goals by Germany by the same score en route to the final. 2 quarter-final win over the Netherlands put them into Brazil introduced two new players to the World tournament top scorer Juan Schiaffino and Alcides a semi-final clash with surprise package Sweden, where Cup-a bandy-legged little winger called Manuel Ghiggia maintained Uruguay’s unbeaten record and GERMANY 2006 Romario’s expert finish nicked victory. The disappoint- Francisco dos Santos, known as Garrincha, and a 17- crowned them world champions for the second time. The World Cup finals returned to Germany after a ing final was the first decided by a shootout, and year-old called Edson Arantes do Nascimento, or more 32-year absence and were widely acclaimed as a tri- Baggio blasted over the bar to hand Brazil victory. simply, Pele. Nothing could stand in Brazil’s way. Wales, FRANCE 1938 umph for the host nation, sparking a huge upsurge in who along with Northern Ireland made a significant With the world on the brink of conflict, France host- national pride. The final though was scarred by a ENGLAND 1966 impact in this tournament, did well to limit them to a 1-0 ed the 1938 World Cup marked by the absence of Zinedine Zidane headbutt. The tournament heralded a Football returned to the country that gave the world quarter-final win. France, another revelation, boasted a Austria, under German occupation, and Spain, preoc- return to prominence for the European super-powers, the game 103 years earlier-England. The England team star striker of their own in Just Fontaine, who was to set cupied with civil war. England were in conflict with with all four semi-finalists hailing from Europe for the under the tactically astute Alf Ramsey advanced in sol- an astonishing World Cup scoring record of 13 goals in FIFA, and South America, peeved at not being chosen first time since 1982 after Brazil and Argentina went out id if unspectacular style to the semi-finals, where they a single tournament, but they were swept aside 6-3 in as host after Italy 1934, sent only one representative, in the quarter-finals. Argentina captured the imagina- faced a Eusebio-inspired Portugal who had eliminated the semi-finals as Pele fired in a hat-trick. Hosts Sweden Brazil. Asia was represented for the first time, by tion with a peerless 6-0 thrashing of Serbia and an ageing Brazilian side with a 3-1 victory in the group rode the support of the home fans into the final by Indonesia, playing as the Dutch East Indies, though Montenegro in the group phase but they were sent stage. Two brilliant efforts by Manchester United’s beating holders West Germany in the last four. But in were quickly on their way home after losing 6-0 to packing after a penalty shootout defeat to the hosts. Bobby Charlton put paid to the Portuguese 2-1 at the final they were undone by the boys from Brazil, Pele Hungary in the first round. Having edged Brazil 2-1 in Pre-tournament favourites Brazil, meanwhile, fell to a Wembley. West Germany, coaxed by new find Franz and Vava grabbing two each in a 5-2 win. At the end of the semis, Italy lifted the trophy for the second tourna- resurgent France. Germany’s crowd-pleasing run came Beckenbauer, defeated the Soviet Union at Goodison the match, the Swedish crowd gave Pele and the ment in succession, defeating Hungary 4-2 in the final to an end in a 2-0 semi-final defeat to Italy, while a Park to take their place at the home of football for the Brazilians a standing ovation. at Colombes, just outside Paris. In the semis the Zidane penalty allowed a much-maligned France to final. Helmut Haller put the Germans ahead but Geoff Hungarians demolished Sweden 5-1, despite conceding overcome Portugal. Marcello Lippi’s Italy won the final- Hurst equalised before half-time. Martin Peters looked SWITZERLAND 1954 a goal after only 30 seconds. their fourth success-on penalties, with left-back Fabio to have clinched the cup for the hosts until Wolfgang West Germany returned to the international fold Grosso sweeping home the decisive spot-kick after the Weber snatched a dramatic late equaliser to force nearly a decade after the end of World War II while ITALY 1934 game ended 1-1.The abiding image of the final, howev- extra time in a final for only the second time in history. Ferenc Puskas-inspired Hungary, who had handed Sixteen teams — 12 from Europe, three South er, was Zidane’s scarcely believable headbutt on Italy Hurst scored twice in the additional period to become England a historic 6-3 defeat at Wembley prior to the Americans (though not the holders Uruguay) and one goalscorer Marco Materazzi and a red card in his last the only player to score a World Cup final hat-trick. His finals, were installed as favourites. The 1950 group for- from Africa, Egypt-lined up for the finals, which were ever match. second goal was highly controversial, bouncing down mat was abandoned, with a return to the group system this time conducted purely on a knockout basis. Host off the crossbar and, according to the linesman, over followed by knockout quarter- and semi-finals. The nation Italy, under the approving gaze of Mussolini, JAPAN AND SOUTH KOREA 2002 the line. But the tournament top scorer remained ‘Magic Magyars’ demolished West Germany 8-3 in the beat Czechoslovakia 2-1 in the final after extra-time. The 2002 finals were the first ever to be staged out- Eusabio with nine goals, including four to rescue opening round, adding to a 9-0 hammering of South The Czechs silenced the partisan 50,000 crowd when side Europe or the Americas and the first in Asia as Portugal against North Korea after they had trailed 3- Korea. In the quarter-finals they beat Brazil 4-2 in an Antonin Puc scored with just 20 minutes of the match South Korea and Japan co-hosted. The build-up was 0 in the quarter-finals. Earlier North Korea produced ugly tie marked by three red cards. In the final they remaining. They almost added a second when the ball dominated by fears over security following the the shock of the tournament, beating Italy 1-0 in the faced West Germany again and were soon 2-0 ahead struck a post before Argentine-born Raimundo Orsi September 11, 2001 attacks on New York City and group stage. through Puskas and Zoltan Czibor. But the Germans scored a late equaliser for Italy. Italy clinched their first Washington, and anti-aircraft missile batteries were were level within ten minutes and claimed a shock win- World Cup title when Angelo Schiavio scored the win- deployed around the new stadia. In the event, the tour- CHILE 1962 ner five minutes from the end when Helmut Rahn scored ner in extra time. Brazil and Argentina, multiple World nament passed off peacefully and the only shocks were Foul play blighted a tournament which saw his second goal to clinch their first World Cup triumph. Cup winners of the future, were both beaten in the first on the field. Upsets were to prove the hallmark of the European teams adopt the defensive “catenaccio” style Many Hungarians blamed the brilliant Puskas for the round, meaning they had travelled almost 10,000 miles tournament from the outset, when World Cup debu- of play popularised at the time by Inter Milan. It led to deteat. He inisted on playing despite being unfit, having for just one game. tants Senegal beat holders France with a 1-0 win in the a series of bad-tempered ties that overshadowed the been injured in the group game against the Germans. opening match in Seoul. France’s demise was one of finals and deprived the World Cup of Pele who hobbled URUGUAY 1930 the most striking surprises of the finals. They failed to out of the tournament in only Brazil’s second match. The BRAZIL 1950 Just 13 teams took part in the inaugural World Cup score a goal and managed only a draw and two defeats tie between Chile and Italy became known as the Battle After an enforced break of 12 years, the World Cup in Uruguay, nine from the Americas and four from to crash out miserably in the first round, the worst per- of Santiago, with two Italians sent off and police storm- resumed in South America left relatively unscathed by Europe. France, Belgium, Romania and Yugoslavia made formance by any defending champion. But the most ing the pitch to restore order. Even without Pele, Brazil the World War II. Brazil had prepared the magnificent the two-week Atlantic Ocean odyssey to join the other notable outsiders were hosts South Korea, who were too much for England in the quarter-finals and 200,000-capacity Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro teams in four groups with the winners contesting the recorded wins over Portugal, Italy and Spain before dominated Chile in the semi-finals with Garrincha scor- for the event, while England made their first World Cup semi-finals. Yugoslavia did the best of the Europeans bowing out in the last four to Germany. Two of the ing twice before getting himself sent off. In the final, appearance. It wasn’t a success. Humiliation came in the nations by reaching the last four where they were beat- World Cup’s greatest powers-Brazil and Germany-met Brazil faced Czechoslovakia, who had reached that form of an early exit after a shock 1-0 defeat by the en 6-1 by Uruguay. In the other semi-final Argentina in the final in Yokohama. Ronaldo, fit again after his stage largely on the back of outstanding performances United States. Teams were divided into four groups and overwhelmed the United States by an identical score- 1998 nightmare, scored both goals as Brazil clinched a by their goalkeeper Jilhelm Schroiff. Ironically it was the group winners went through to a final pool, with the line. Uruguay, backed by a huge home crowd in the record fifth crown. Schroiff’s blunders in the final that helped Brazil to a 3-1 pool winner taking the title without playing a final. Centenario Stadium, beat the Argentines 4-2 in the final victory and their second successive trophy. Vava Disaster struck Brazil. The host nation had thrashed after being 2-1 down at half-time. A public holiday was FRANCE 1998 became the first player to score in consecutive finals. Sweden 7-1 and Spain 6-1 in early matches but stum- declared in Uruguay. In Buenos Aires hostile fans The 1998 finals were increased to 32 teams and host Brazil created a World Cup record by using only 12 bled in the decider-a match they needed only to draw attacked the Uruguayan embassy. — AFP

City overloaded their left flank and constantly weakest link’ - you have to bounce back straight Alexander-Arnold sought out winger Leroy Sane but Alexander-Arnold away and there is no getting advice from the manager held firm and his attacking forays made a major con- or anything like that, it is all about you on the pitch tribution to a famous victory. “I think with the Man with the ten others and working together to bounce ready for WCup City game it was blatantly obvious. But it is one of back,” he said. them where you live for the opportunities to show He is softly spoken but Alexander-Arnold has a yourself on a big stage and they are the games every- quiet confidence and steel allied with a maturity BURTON ON TRENT: Without an international one wants to play in. So you have to do your best and beyond his years. He says any danger of being over- cap to his name and just 26 Premier League appear- prove why you shouldn’t be the target,” he told awed is dealt with by a simple reminder to himself of ances, 19-year-old Trent Alexander-Arnold appears, Reuters. the faith that others have shown in him. on paper, to be a relatively risky choice for England’s “The team is only as weak as its weakest link and if “I’ve always been confident in myself. You are World Cup campaign in Russia. they see me as the weakest link then why can’t I be a there for a reason, you are on the pitch for a reason But England manager Gareth Southgate is expect- strong part of the chain and prove that we are an and you are getting a chance for a reason and it is ed to give the Liverpool right back his international unbelievably strong team. I think that is what we always about proving why the manager has given you debut in today’s friendly against Costa Rica in Leeds showed,” he said, reflecting on Liverpool’s 5-1 aggre- that chance,” he said. completing a remarkable breakthrough season for the gate win against the Premier League champions. “That is what I try to do - make the manager defender. The ability to handle City’s attempt to expose him proud of me and prove to the fans and everyone Alexander-Arnold’s opportunities at Anfield this showed a level of self-belief that Southgate was watching why he has trusted me.” Alexander-Arnold year came earlier than expected after a long-term clearly impressed with. “His performances have been showed his qualities again in the Champions League injury to first choice right back Nathaniel Clyne was excellent. He’s shown in games of real pressure the semi-final triumph over AS Roma. However, his followed by his replacement Joe Gomez also being personality and the ability to cope with that and European campaign ended with disappointment as sidelined. Alexander-Arnold excel,” the England manager said. Klopp’s team were beaten 3-1 by Real Madrid in last Manager Juergen Klopp threw the teenager in at Oppositions may no longer view him as a potential month’s final in Kiev. the deep end and the Liverpool academy product vulnerability to be exposed but the defender says the There was just a week off to process that loss positives and negatives and move on - use it for next responded with some impressive displays - even nature of a full back’s role means they can quickly before he reported to England’s training camp at St. season,” he said. That sort of level-headed attitude when opponents targeted him, hoping to exploit his become a target in a game and need to have the per- George’s Park and he said he has been able to put the should certainly help Alexander-Arnold at Elland inexperience. The youngster said he sensed such tar- sonal strength to deal with those sudden moments of disappointment behind him. “Obviously, initially it is Road on Thursday as he seeks to show that while geting, particularly in the Champions League quarter- pressure. really hard to forget about such an experience like Kieran Trippier may be first choice at right back, final against Manchester City, which in many ways “There are times when someone gets past you and that but it is past us now and there is no getting it England have a reliable alternative with an exciting was his coming of age. during the game the team decides that ‘he is the back. It is one of them where you have to take the future ahead of him. — Reuters Established 1961 27 Sports Thursday, June 7, 2018 Russia throws off isolation as it gears up for the World Cup

Twelve sparkling stadiums in 11 cities

MOSCOW: Russia throws open its doors for the World a vote tainted by bribery charges. Russia has annexed Cup in a week’s time, with superstars Cristiano Ronaldo Crimea from Ukraine and defied the West by unleash- and Lionel Messi performing in a country sharply at ing a bombing campaign in support of Bashar al-Assad odds with some of the participating countries. The in Syria. The US intelligence community believes month-long celebration of the world’s most popular Moscow meddled in America’s 2016 presidential elec- sport has been haunted by fears over racism and vio- tion. Its British counterpart says Russia used a nerve lence as well as diplomatic spats. But Vladimir Putin agent in England to try and kill former double agent has left no stone unturned making sure the biggest Sergei Skripal. A doping scandal that got Russia event Russia has seen since Moscow’s 1980 Moscow banned from the Olympics and forced its athletes to Summer Olympics seduces a sceptical world. compete under a neutral flag at last winter’s Twelve sparkling stadiums in 11 cities spanning the Pyeongchang Games completed a picture of relations European portion of the world’s largest country are in utter tatters. Yet Putin has emerged from all this ready after getting their last licks of paint. The host looking as strong as ever. The Kremlin also does little to nation will kick off the action against Saudi Arabia on hide its pleasure at seeing the effective failure of efforts June 14 in the 80,000-capacity Luzhniki stadium in by some in England and eastern Europe to organise a Moscow, the historic crucible of Soviet and Russian diplomatic boycott of Putin’s party. sport, which will also host the final. England will not be sending diplomats or royalty to Brazil’s Neymar has the opening ceremony in recovered from a long- protest over the Skripal term injury to join case. Sweden and Iceland Argentina’s Messi and along with a few others may Portugal’s Ronaldo to fight follow suit by keeping their for the right to lift the tro- Heavy traffic prime ministers and heads of phy on July 15. Almost of guests at state home. every second person on But Kremlin spokesman MOSCOW: Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin attends the presentation of the FIFA World Cup football trophy Earth tuned into the last highest level Dmitry Peskov said he during a ceremony to mark the arrival of the World Cup trophy in Moscow on June 3, 2018, ahead of the edition of the spectacular expected to see a “heavy start of the tournament in Russia. — AFP in Brazil in 2014. traffic of guests at the high- That tournament saw the est level” coming to match- hosts suffer a traumatic 7-1 es. Russia’s problems do begin to avoid getting rounded up. “However, we do goalkeeper Manuel Neuer come back from an eight- beating by Germany in the semi-finals that left a nation not end in the high-brow world of international rela- not have as much confidence in the prevention of non- month absence with a foot problem of his own. He obsessed by football in shock. Eventual champions tions. The bloody beating English fans got at the violent racist incidents (at the World Cup), despite the looked as confident as ever in a 2-1 loss to Austria on Germany and Brazil again top a list of favourites that hands of nearly 200 Russian thugs at Euro 2016 in many well intentioned reassurances,” Fare said in a Saturday. And Russia will be watching with curiosity as also includes Spain and past winners Argentina and France has plagued preparations as much as any dis- report issued last week. Egypt’s emerging superstar Mohamed Salah recovers France. Russia’s chances of doing something special pute with the West. Yet the world’s focus in the final week before kickoff from a left shoulder injury he suffered in Liverpool’s 3-1 are modest. The hosts are the second-lowest ranked Neo-Nazi hooligans who organise mass fights in will not be on politics or Russia’s underworld but things Champions League final loss to Real Madrid. team of the 32 in the final and are riven by internal forests and chant racist slurs at players have lorded like Neymar’s right foot. Brazil’s latest heir apparent to The timeline set out by Egypt’s football bosses sug- squabbles and injuries. over Russian stadiums for years. The anti-discrimina- Pele sparked national panic by undergoing surgery on a gests Salah might be in the lineup against the hosts on Putin counters that Russia will come out tops simply tion network Fare said Russia’s football federation was broken bone near his toe on March 3. The 26-year- June 19. The two nations will likely vie with Saudi by pulling off the most expensive World Cup ever making matters worse by punishing those who reacted old’s return could not have been more triumphant as he Arabia for the second knockout qualification spot in a staged while struggling under the weight of interna- to racist abuse “while ignoring the perpetrators”. scored a fine goal in a 2-0 defeat of Croatia on Sunday group that includes two-time World Cup winners tional sanctions. “The organisers,” said Putin when Security services have either locked up or checked that left even coach Tite stunned. Uruguay. An early exit would spell disaster for Russia- asked to pick this year’s likely winner. in on hundreds of hoodlums to make sure they do noth- Argentina’s troubled preparations took another still waiting to make their first last 16 of a World Cup The West’s penalties are a response to an ever more ing to tarnish Russia’s image in the coming weeks. The knock when their friendly in Israel due on Saturday was since Soviet times. But coach Stanislav Cherchesov aggressive foreign policy Putin has pushed in the eight scare tactics have worked. Some football gang mem- cancelled, drawing the fury of the Israeli organisers. said he was “confident” his men would do well years since securing the hosting rights over England in bers say they will be skipping town once the games Germany will also be delighted to have seen talismanic enough to let him keep his job. — AFP Uzbekistan get behind WCup’s top referee England shouldn’t settle for second TASHKENT: When the World Cup kicks off in Russia next week, football lovers in Uzbekistan will be best: Sterling roaring on a remarkable referee rather than their national team. Ravshan Irmatov, 40, is something of a LONDON: England’s Raheem Sterling insists noth- contradiction in international football and an unlikely ing less than winning the World Cup in Russia next hero in the central Asian state. month will be satisfactory despite the Three Lions’ Going into the tournament in Russia where at least failure to even progress to the later stages in recent two million Uzbek migrants live, Irmatov has officiated tournaments. more World Cup matches than any other referee in Gareth Southgate’s men travel to their base in history. He is widely regarded as one of the top refer- TASHKENT: A picture taken on March 30, 2018 shows Uzbek referee Ravshan Irmatov (c), 40, warming up Repino, north-west of Saint Petersburg, next week ees in the game. Yet the country he represents has ahead of a local football match in Tashkent. When the World Cup kicks off in Russia next week, former looking to end 52 years without winning a major tour- never graced the sport’s most prestigious event. Soviet Uzbekistan will be roaring on a remarkable referee rather than their national team. — AFP nament since the 1966 World Cup. “They are getting closer all the time. This time they Sterling was part of the England sides that crashed just missed out,” the softly-spoken Irmatov told AFP out at the group stages four years ago and in humiliat- as he warmed up for a clash between the Uzbek pinch myself,” he said. “I didn’t have any yellow or red cards but it some- ing fashion to Iceland in the last 16 of Euro 2016. But league’s third and fourth-placed sides. “Our people Wherever Irmatov goes in Tashkent, Uzbekistan’s how clicked for me. I found that I got a lot of pleasure he rejected suggestions England should be happy with love football and our new president has made devel- capital of 2.5 million people, he finds himself accept- from refereeing.” Uzbek interest in the tournament in progress to the quarter-finals this time round. oping football a priority. I am confident we will see ing requests to pose for pictures and sign autographs. Russia will be especially keen given the huge numbers “No, it won’t be good enough at all, because you Uzbekistan at the World Cup soon, perhaps at Qatar It is a celebrity that seems ill-suited to a man who of Uzbek citizens who live and work there and the rel- want to win it,” he said at England’s pre-tournament in 2022.” exudes hard work and humility. atively low cost of flights between the two countries. media day. “I’m not coming here to spend four, five, six It would not be surprising if Irmatov, who was the At a recent match pitting FC Bunyodkor against a For Irmatov, the dream of making it to Russia with weeks of my life to say ‘let’s see what happens and youngest referee at his first World Cup in South team from the historic city of Bukhara, the announce- his officiating team began the moment the Brazil hopefully last 16’.” Africa in 2010, made it to that tournament, too. Little- ment over the PA system of his name was greeted by World Cup wrapped up. “We had to sacrifice a lot, England captain Harry Kane has also called on his known in Europe prior to 2010, where he tied a a volley of enthusiastic applause. During the tourna- work hard in every training session with one goal: to team-mates to forget the negativity that has surround- record for the most matches refereed in a single tour- ment in Brazil in 2014, the hashtag #IrmatovBest get to Russia,” said Irmatov. ed their predecessors at major tournaments. And nament (five), Irmatov had already been named Asia’s trended on Twitter, as Uzbek users showered praise “Of course the fact that so many of our people will Sterling believes there is enough talent in a youthful best referee two years running by the Asian Football on their compatriot and lobbied-unsuccessfully as it be there and will travel there means that it is a special squad to back up his bold ambitions. Confederation. turned out-for him to officiate the final. opportunity to bring joy to our supporters.” But even “We’ve got 23 players here, 23 good players, very He has now earned that honour a total of five times But Irmatov’s arrival on the world refereeing circuit if their focus will be firmly on the man wearing black good players, and you know we all have the mentality and has refereed the final of the Club World Cup was only made possible thanks to an injury that ended shorts, Irmatov will be doing what he can to stay out to say that we’re going to win the games,” he added. twice, but still looks back on the opening match in his playing career and a surprise induction into the of the limelight. “A referee should not be going out “Every player wants to win the World Cup, every South Africa, where he also refereed a semi-final, with world of officiating during a youth match in Tashkent. onto the pitch trying to be the man of the match,” he country wants to win the World Cup so anything less special fondness. “To be the youngest referee in the “My father was in charge of a youth team and I was said. “First and foremost our job is to preserve the than that is not really a bonus. Of course, you can take tournament and get selected to officiate a match peo- helping him. During one of their games, the designat- image of football. As long as you respect the spirit (of positives out of everything, but you won’t be entirely ple have been waiting for for four years was unbeliev- ed referee did not arrive. My father gave me a whistle the sport) and protect footballers from injuries, they happy if you don’t win it, no.” able.” “I felt like I was walking in a dream. I had to and said ‘Do as best as you can,’” he recalled. will respect you, too.” — AFP Sterling has endured a difficult week of media cov- erage over a tattoo of an M16 assault rifle on his leg. The Manchester City winger explained the tattoo Abramovich, Conte The apparent drift has been linked to a reported in a season marked by clashes with the club’s hierar- references the shooting of his father who was gunned delay in the renewal of a British visa for Russian bil- chy. And cost-cutting is at the heart of the uncertainty down in Jamaica when the Manchester City winger lionaire Abramovich, who has bankrolled Chelsea’s engulfing Chelsea at the moment, with the West was just two years of age. uncertainty clouds success since taking over the club in 2003. Londoners reluctant to pay Conte a reported £9 mil- Adding to Sterling’s woes, he was forced to apolo- It follows a diplomatic crisis between London and lion ($12 million, 10 million euros) in compensation for gise to his team-mates after turning up to England’s Moscow over the poisoning of a former Russian dou- the final year of his contract. training camp a day late following a flight mix-up on Chelsea future ble agent and calls from some for sanctions that The same goes for attempts to lure Sarri to his way back from holiday and was then booked for would hurt super-rich Russians sheltering their wealth Stamford Bridge. Despite Ancelotti’s appointment, diving in Saturday’s 2-1 friendly win over Nigeria. LONDON: With their Premier League rivals already in London. Abramovich has been granted Israeli citi- Sarri has not been released from his contract, which However, Sterling has been publicly backed by his strengthening for next season, Chelsea risk losing fur- zenship and taken up residence there, according to runs until 2020, meaning Chelsea would need to meet manager Gareth Southgate and been handed the num- ther ground as uncertainty swirls over the future of Israel’s ambassador to Russia. his eight-million-euro release clause unless a deal can ber 10 shirt for the World Cup. And despite the nega- manager Antonio Conte and even owner Roman Chelsea announced last week they had shelved be struck with Napoli. tive publicity surrounding his tattoos, Sterling revealed Abramovich. plans for a new 60,000-seater redevelopment of Blanc has emerged as a leading candidate should he’s had a tattoo of the number 10 on his arm for some A fifth-placed finish just a year after winning the Stamford Bridge due to an “unfavourable investment Conte be dismissed. The former French captain has time such has been his desire to wear that number for league in Conte’s first season in charge meant many climate”. Since Abramovich’s takeover, Chelsea have been unemployed since leaving Paris Saint-Germain his country. “I know I shouldn’t mention it but I’ve got expected the FA Cup final to be the Italian’s last been England’s most successful club, winning five two years ago. a tattoo of it on my arm,” he added. “It’s something I’ve match in charge, despite beating Manchester United Premier League titles, a first-ever Champions League, French sports daily L’Equipe said on Wednesday always wanted to do: wear the number 10 for England. 1-0 to end the season on a high. the Europa League and five FA Cups in 15 years. that Blanc was in prime position for the Stamford “It’s something from my childhood. My two However, more than two weeks on, no decision has However, where they could once outspend their Bridge job after meeting with Abramovich’s close aide favourite numbers are seven and 10, from playing at been made on Conte’s future, with speculation that competition, Chelsea have been gazumped by and Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia. Queen’s Park Rangers in the midfield area. I feel much former Paris Saint-Germain boss Laurent Blanc and Manchester City’s Abu-Dhabi backed wealth and However, whoever takes charge next season faces a more happy wearing that shirt and to be doing that at Maurizio Sarri, who was recently replaced by Carlo Manchester United’s booming commercial revenues. huge task just to get Chelsea back into the Champions a World Cup with my country gives me that huge joy Ancelotti at Napoli, have been lined up as possible A lack of resources and control over what is spent League, let alone making the Blues champions of and feeling I can go and do well.” — AFP replacements. on the squad have been Conte’s consistent complaints England once again. —AFP Established 1961 Sport

THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2018

Cricket Australia chief World Cup history Russia throws off isolation as 25Sutherland to stand down 26 from 2014 to 1930 27 it gears up for the World Cup

PARIS: Spain’s Garbine Muguruza returns the ball to Russia’s Maria Sharapova during their women’s singles quarter-final match on day eleven of The Roland Garros 2018 French Open tennis tournament in Paris yesterday. — AFP Muguruza through to semi-finals Halep roars back to level contest in French Open

PARIS: Garbine Muguruza thrashed Maria Sharapova drop a set in the tournament and claimed her first win start to lead 4-0 with a double break. Sharapova never ble break for 4-1, backed up by a hold for 5-1. 6-2, 6-1 to reach the French Open semi-finals yester- over Sharapova in four meetings. recovered from serving up three double faults in the It was all over in the next game when Sharapova sent day, condemning the Russian to her worst Grand Slam “I was up against a great player so I had make sure I first game. another backhand out wide. On Court Suzanne Lenglen, defeat in more than six years. The Spanish third seed, brought my best tennis.” Sharapova, who missed the By the end of the first set, the five-time major winner 2014 and 2017 runner-up Halep, came back from a set who was the champion in Paris in 2016, will face top 2016 tournament because of a doping ban and last year had won just eight points against the Muguruza serve down for the second time in the tournament to see off seed Simona Halep for a place in Saturday’s final. after she was refused a wild card, was broken six times, and failed to carve out a single break point. 12th seed Kerber who was bidding to become the first That semi-final will also decide the number one spot committed 27 unforced errors and won just five points Muguruza only hit five winners in the opener which German woman in the last-four since Steffi Graf in 1999. next week. Current world number one Halep made the on her own serve in the second set. was more than enough against the erratic Russian who Two-time major winner Kerber raced into a 4-0 lead in semi-finals for the third time by battling past Germany’s It was just her fifth loss in 25 Grand Slam quarter- reached the quarter-finals for the first time in three the first set before having to rely on a tiebreak to nudge Angelique Kerber 6-7 (2/7), 6-3, 6-2. finals. “To have had the victories that I have had, to years when old rival Serena Williams handed her an her ahead. However, Halep proved the steadier player in Sharapova, playing at Roland Garros for the first have the results that I have, obviously moving a step in injury-enforced walkover. the remainder of a tie which featured a total of 99 time since 2015, suffered her most one-sided defeat at the right direction,” said Sharapova who had made the Sharapova, 31, was broken in the opening game of unforced errors and 12 breaks of serve. In today’s other the Slams since a 6-3, 6-0 loss to Victoria Azarenka in last-eight in Madrid and semis in Rome in the run-up to the second set which she immediately retrieved. semi-final, US Open champion Sloane Stephens will take the 2012 Australian Open final. “I am very pleased to be Paris. “But today was certainly not one of those steps.” However, it was just a brief respite as 24-year-old on fellow American Madison Keys in a repeat of the in another final in Paris,” said Muguruza who has yet to Muguruza pounced on an error-plagued Sharapova Wimbledon champion Muguruza claimed a quick dou- 2017 final at Flushing Meadows. —AFP

“I went to find peace,” Mamic, who also holds Croatian court Bosnian passport, told local media late Tuesday from Medjugorje, a southern Bosnian town famed for a night in the post-season. alleged apparitions of the Virgin Mary. “I can return Curry, Durant make “Every opportunity we get to play more minutes convicts Mamic whenever I want.” together, we start to figure out a better chemistry,” Mamic is considered the most powerful figure in deadly duo for Curry said. “It’s nice when we’re both going and of corruption at Croatian football and his trial, that opened in April have the opportunity to play off each other. We both 2017, was a further problem for a sport already can be aggressive no matter if I’m getting the shot struggling with hooliganism and poor infrastructure. Warriors in finals or he’s getting the shot or anybody else on the team Dinamo Zagreb He was tried along with three others-his brother and is getting the shot.” The Warriors signed Durant as a former Dinamo Zagreb coach Zoran Mamic, former free agent after losing to Cleveland 4-3 in the best- club director Damir Vrbanovic, and a tax inspector. CLEVELAND: Before last season, fans wondered of-seven 2016 NBA Finals. After unifying last sea- ZAGREB: Croatian football strongman and former According to the indictment, the corruption cost how well newcomer Kevin Durant and star guard son, they ran to a 16-1 playoff mark, losing only to Dinamo Zagreb chief Zdravko Mamic was sentenced Dinamo more than 15 million euros ($18 million) and Stephen Curry would work together as new team- Cleveland in the fourth game before winning the yesterday to six-and-a-half years in prison over multi- the state 1.5 million euros as cash was embezzled mates for the Golden State Warriors. Now halfway crown, Durant’s first NBA title, in five games. And million-euro abuse of power and graft. Two interna- through fictitious deals related to player transfers. to a second consecutive NBA title together, inside now they’re poised for another, leading 2-0 with tional stars-Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric and Judge Darko Kruslin found all four defendants, none force Durant and 3-point sharpshooter Curry have game three Wednesday in Cleveland. defender Dejan Lovren-appeared as witnesses during of whom was present yesterday, guilty. become a lethal combination against Cleveland once “We just try to do whatever it takes to get the the trial in Osijek providing details of their transfers “Zdravko Mamic is sentenced to a total prison sen- again in this year’s NBA Finals. W,” Durant said. “Run the right plays. Run them with from Dinamo. tence of six years and six months,” Kruslin said. The “Two seasons together, I think we’ve figured out force and with pace. When you get your opportuni- The players’ evidence came under official scrutiny. verdict is not final, but, under Croatian law a person a good balance,” Durant said Tuesday. “I think being ties, be disciplined in your work and trust in your Croatia captain Modric was charged in March for sentenced to more than five years in jail must go to able to play off of each other definitely helps. But work. That will dictate the outcome. So just try to alleged false testimony over the details of his 2008 prison immediately. not just us two. Everybody else on the court kind of keep things as simple as possible.” It became tricky transfer from Dinamo to Tottenham Hotspur. Lovren, Vrbanovic, also a top Croatian Football Federation plays off each other well.” this season when each of them was injured for a questioned over his 2010 transfer from Dinamo to official, and Zoran Mamic were sentenced to three Playing Durant tight inside leaves open space for span, most recently Curry at the start of the playoffs. French side Lyon, was also investigated. years and four years and 11 months in jail respective- Curry to utilize. Outmanning Curry outside leaves “We bring the best out of each other when it Mamic, 58, was not present at the tribunal in the ly. The tax inspector was jailed for four years and Durant to outmatch most rivals near the basket. As a comes to what our strengths are. When one guy is eastern town of Osijek for sentencing. He travelled two months. result, Durant averages 28.7 points, 7.3 rebounds out, you miss that,” Curry said. “But it’s not hard to to neighbouring Bosnia on Tuesday claiming he was The trial was held in Osijek because Mamic allegedly and 4.3 assists a game in the playoffs while Curry kind of ramp it back up once we’re both out there on not on the run but wanted to avoid “frustration” at has close ties with some judges in Zagreb. All four contributes 25.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists the floor. We built up that chemistry again. — AFP the court. defendants pleaded not guilty. — AFP