northeast, inthesmalltownofDammartin- when theassaultstarted.About30kmto and gunfirethatlastedaroundaminute” Handani, 35,saidsheheard“twobigbangs storeys abovethesupermarket,Virginie Muslims. Muhammad (PBUH)whichangeredmany repeatedly publishedcartoonsofProphet tury. Theweeklyhadlampoonedjihadistsand the bloodiestattackonFrenchsoilinhalfacen- people atsatiricalmagazineCharlieHebdoin began whenthetwobrothersslaughtered12 than 48hoursoffearanduncertaintythat to thetwostandoffsbroughtanendmore was completelyshattered.Thedramaticclimax scene, wheretheslidingglassdoorofshop reporter sawatleastonebodylyingthe dragged herdaughterfromthescene.AnAFP cles andhelicoptersbuzzingoverhead. ing ajamofpolicevans,otheremergencyvehi- the raid,asambulancesracedtoscene,join- ther fourpeoplewereincriticalconditionafter captives werefreed,securitysourcessaid.Afur- the JewishstoreineasternParisandseveral found deadintheaftermathofassaulton Light, fivepeople,includingthegunman,were As shotsandexplosionsrangoutintheCityof dramatic endtotwinsiegesthatrockedFrance. Hebdo attackandagunmanlinkedtothemin killing twobrotherswantedfortheCharlie works andaJewishsupermarketyesterday, PARIS: Australia won4-1. —AFP(SeePage48) right) andMathew Ryan(right)attemptto blockduringtheopeningfootball matchoftheAFCAsian Cupyesterday. MELBOURNE: Ali HussainFadhelofKuwait (thirdleft)divesandheads homeagoalasAustralia’sTim Cahill(second in custody rejected, remains Mulla’s appeal

A womanlivinginanapartmenttwo “It’s war!”screamedamotherasshe SUBSCRIPTION Elite Frenchpolicestormedaprint 3 150 Fils AUDY AUR 0 05 AIAAWL1,13 HNo:16398 SATURDAY, 1436 AH RABI ALAWWAL JANUARY 10,2015 19, Gunmen killedas French siegesend Hostages freed,killedatprintworks,Jewishstore said: “‘Leave,wedon’tkillciviliansanyhow’.” told FranceInforadiothatoneofthebrothers what lookedlikeaKalashnikov.Thesalesman black, wearingabullet-proofvestandcarrying printer’s withoneofthesuspects,dressedin witness describedcomingface-to-faceatthe with thepairinahigh-speedcarchase.One the standoff,policehadalreadyexchangedfire had beencorneredearlyyesterday.Aheadof business wheretheCharlieHebdosuspects helicopters buzzedlowoverthesmallprinting elite forceshaddeployedsnipersonroofsand Paris’s mainCharlesdeGaulleairport,French ordered residentstostayindoors. schools andshopsinthearea.Authorities shut downthecity’sringroadaswell Vincennes areawasswampedwithpolicewho over theshootingofpolicewoman.The 26-year-old HayatBoumeddiene,alsowanted Coulibaly, 32,aswellawomannamed released mugshotsoftheman,Amedy of theCharlieHebdogunmen.Frenchpolice southern ParisThursdayandknewatleastone pected ofgunningdownapolicewomanin Porte deVincennesareaofPariswasalsosus- French-born orphansofAlgerianorigin. their identityasCherifandSaidKouachi, tracks, asecuritysourcesaid.Policeconfirmed security forcesbeforebeingcutdownintheir out ofthebuildingallgunsblazingat men stagedadesperateescapebid,charging en-Goele, thetwoIslamistCharlieHebdogun- In Dammartin-en-Goele,only12kmfrom The otherhostage-takerintheeastern new president in asSriLanka’s Sirisena sworn 7 calm butme,I’mscared.reallyscared,” scared mummy,we’rewellprotected.Shewas to takecover.“Mydaughtertoldme:‘Don’tbe where herdaughterworksandorderedthem said howeliteforcesburstintotheshop Paris yesterday.—AFP(SeePages9&10) forces launchinganassaultatakoshergrocerystoreinPortedeVincenneseastern PARIS: AscreengrabtakenfromavideoshowsmembersoftheFrenchpolicespecial One 60-year-oldchokedbacktearsasshe say Asiachiefs bid doomed, Prince Ali’sFIFA department. —KUNA him areongoing inpreparationforhisdeportation, saidthe The violatorwasapprehended and legalproceduresagainst act whichendangeredroadcommuters, saidthestatement. ate deportationofthedriver,who isanAsiannational,forhis while headingtoattendFridayprayers. Mohammad spottedtheviolation of theInteriorMinistry,Sheikh According tothemediadepartment direction onthecoastalroad. traffic lawbydrivingintheopposite yesterday adriverwhowasviolating Khaled Al-HamadAl-Sabahstopped Minister ofInteriorSheikhMohammad KUWAIT: 47 I The ministerorderedtheimmedi- t ca n ra t Deputy PrimeMinisterand t eri ches ff years”. —AFP ers hadbeenonaUSterrorwatchlist“for tacular attackscameasitemergedthebroth- said sherecognisedthebrothers.Thespec- pects hadhijackedacarfromwomanwho said thewoman.Priortostandoff,sus- ic o r , v de M i o inis po la Sheikh Mohammad Max Min to r t t er r s 19º 04º LOCAL SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015 Foul play suspected in man’s death

KUWAIT: The body of an Egyptian man was taken for an autopsy bing the man to death while being under the influence of drugs. they checked his ID, he was found to be wanted. as crime scene investigators suspect that foul play could be He cited money-related disputes as the motive behind the crime. involved. Friends of the deceased brought him to south Jleeb Al- The victim was found bloodied at dawn Thursday with a stab Break in and theft Shuyuikh polyclinic, where the examining doctor suspected foul wound to his thigh. A woman and her friend told police that someone broke into one play. A case was filed. of their cars and stole their bags - one with KD 120 and the other with Fugitive caught KD 40. The woman said the thief withdrew also KD 500 from her bank Murder suspect arrested Jahra police arrested a citizen wanted to serve four-year jail account. Meanwhile, a bedoon man told Abdullah Al-Mubarak police A man admitted killing an Asian man whose body was found sentence with a quantity of narcotic pills, and he was sent to the that an unknown person stole KD 630 from his bank account by mak- behind the telephone exchange in Jleeb Al-Shuyuikh recently. Drugs Control General Department. The arrest was made when a ing two withdrawals of KD 500 and KD 130. In another case, police Farwaniya police had arrested the man among other suspects as patrol saw a car parked on the side of the road and the driver ask- are looking for a sports-utility-vehicle (SUV) that was reported stolen, part of investigating in the case. The suspect admitted to stab- ing for help, but they noticed he was acting abnormally. When with KD 350 and a hunting gun inside. —Al-Anbaa

Firefighters rescue residents from the burning flat in A resident is taken to safety. A resident receives first aid after being evacuated. Maidan Hawally. No injuries in Maidan Hawally blaze

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: An eight-storey building in Maidan Hawally caught fire at dawn Friday. Salmiya, Hawally and technical rescue cen- ters rushed to the building and evacuated those trapped because of the smoke. The fire, which was in a storage area under the staircase, was put out. No injuries were reported

Sawaber fire Fire broke out in a Sawaber compound building in Sharq. Hilali, Capital and technical rescue teams rushed to the com- pound, as the fire was on the 5th, 6th and 7th floors. The building was evacuated and blaze was put out without injuries. Investigations are underway to determine the cause of the fire.

Drug smuggling foiled Customs officers at Kuwait International Airport arrested an Egyptian man with 200 narcotic tablets he hid in a hair cream tub. The suspect was taken to the Drug Control General Department to face charges. Separately, Abdaly customs offi- cers foiled an attempt to smuggle opium and shabu into Kuwait. A customs source said the luggage of an Iranian fami- ly arriving from Iraq were searched, and a can of ghee was found to contain two kilos of opium, in addition to shabu. The family members were referred to concerned authorities.

Polyclinic robbery Saad Al-Abdullah polyclinic was broken into during Friday prayers and two plasma TVs were stolen. It seems the thief Firefighters tackle the blaze at the Sawaber building. was injured as blood was noticed in the area. The guard said he was at the mosque during the time of theft.

The scene after Maidan Hawally’s fire was put out. The burned apartments at Sawaber compound. The scene after Sawaber’s fire was extinguished. LOCAL SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015 Mulla’s grievance rejected, remains in custody

KUWAIT: The Criminal Court rejected a grievance by former MP Saleh Al-Mulla against the Public Prosecution’s decision to remand him in custody for 10 days, pending investigations in a case in which he is accused of offending His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah on Twitter. Mulla denied criminal intent before the court, where he was brought Thursday from central prison. He admitted though that he posted the tweets in question. The criminal court will look into the case Sunday, Al-Qabas daily reported yesterday. Mulla, who was an independent and liberal lawmaker for three years until 2011, was detained last Tuesday over tweets he posted the previous day when Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi was in Kuwait for an official visit. He argued that Kuwaitis have grown tired of the country’s money being given to boost other governments. Kuwait has pledged at least $4 billion to Sisi’s government following the ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi from power in mid-2013. Mulla was the latest political activist to be questioned over remarks deemed offensive to HH the Amir. The Appeals Court is sched- uled on February 22, 2015 to make its verdict on a case in KUWAIT: Kuwaiti opposition leaders Musallam Al-Barrak (center) and Ahmed Al-Sadoun (left) attend a gathering at for- which leading oppositionist and former lawmaker Musallam mer member of parliament Saleh al-Mulla’s residence in Kuwait City Wednesday to protest his detention and call for his Al-Barrak faces similar charges. release. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Kuwaiti aid offered to Syrian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon

KUWAIT: A field team from the Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) is leaving to Jordan and Lebanon to distribute badly- needed relief aid to Syrian refugees in both countries, KRCS Chairman Hilal Al-Sayer said yesterday. Refugees in the two countries are suffering severe weather conditions as a freezing wave is sweeping the region. The Society is hard at work to meet the basic needs of the Syrian refugees, amid the freezing weather and the heavy rain, Sayer added in a press statement. He noted that the KRCS had formed a follow-up center monitoring the needs of Syrian people both at home and in neighboring states, coordinating with the Jordan National Red Crescent Society (IFRC) and the Kuwaiti missions and embassies in the Kingdom and Lebanon. Sayer pointed out that since the eruption of the crisis, the KRCS Chairman Hilal Al-Sayer KRCS has been doing its best to help the refugees urging Kuwaiti people and firms to offer more support to “Syrian brothers.” In a related development, the Jordan office of Al-Rahma International Charity, an affiliate of Al-Eslah Society (Society for Social Reform), started yesterday offering aid worth $80,000 to Syrian refugees in the Kingdom. The relief aid pro- vided by Zakat House and several Kuwaiti benefactors will be distributed to 550 families at Zaatari camp over three days, head of the office Basil Shahhada said. — KUNA LOCAL SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015

Hala February kicks off, honors Sheikha Suad Al-Sabah

KUWAIT: Hala February Festival com- For his part, Minister of State for menced late Thursday with a big concert Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Mohammad that also saw honoring poetess Sheikha Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah empha- Suad Al-Sabah in recognition of her role in sized that the festival has a special taste enriching the Arab culture and serving for Kuwaitis as it coincides with the coun- the society. try celebrations of the national days. Commenting on the start of the festi- Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah congrat- val, Minister of Information Sheikh Salman ulated His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Salem Al-Hamoud Al-Sabah said Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who that the beginning of the event was excel- was honored by the UU as a lent with the participation of singer “Humanitarian Leader” last year, His Magda Al-Roumi and the honoring of Dr Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Sheikha Suad Al-Sabah for her distin- Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and His guished artistic works. Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Sheikh Salman, also Minister of State Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah on the for Youth Affairs, hoped that the festival start of the festival. sciences,” she noted. “I thanked first and Sheikha Suad Al-Sabah could enhance domestic tourism in order For her part, Dr Sheikha Suad told foremost His Highness the Amir who has a to develop both artistic and cultural work KUNA that any honoring to her is an hon- distinguished role in humanitarian action. Sheikha Suad contributed to enriching in Kuwait. He thanked the organizing oring to the late Sheikh Abdullah Al- I also extend my gratitude to my home- Arab poetry and literature through writ- committee for its efforts for the successful Mubarak Al-Sabah, her husband. “He sup- land and all Kuwaitis who helped me,” she ing a collection of poems and several arti- launch of the festival. ported and helped me learn culture and said. cles. — KUNA

KUWAIT: Brigadier Khalid Al-Mikrad, Deputy Director General for Fighting and Human Resources Development at the Kuwait Fire Services Directorate (KFSD), gave orders to form a fire team to be stationed at the Hala February celebrations hall, following a visit to the site Thursday. — By Hanan Al-Saadoun

Kuwaiti radiologists in Egypt president receives US for scientific lectures deputy speaker WASHINGTON: Chairman of the Kuwaiti are a source of pride for all of us; they usher CAIRO: Means of enhancing bilateral cooperation were the focus nuclear medicine and positron imaging soci- in a revolution in nuclear medicine,” he of a meeting held on Thursday between Egyptian President ety Dr Fahad Maarafi, as well as Dr added. Abdelfatah Al-Sisi and Deputy Speaker of the Kuwaiti National Abdulredha Ismail are here under an invita- On his part, Dr Ismail, member of the Assembly Mubarak Al-Khurainej. tion from Emory University, Druid Hills, Kuwaiti nuclear medicine and positron imag- In a statement to KUNA after the meeting, Khurainej expressed Georgia, to deliver lectures for two days. ing society, said this will be the first time for hope Egypt would successfully complete the “roadmap for the The lectures will deal with the latest Kuwaiti consultants to deliver lectures to a future” through the forthcoming parliamentary elections. He also achievements made by Kuwait Cancer US university in this domain. He added that underlined keenness by the National Assembly, in particular the Control Center (KCCC) in radiography and KCCC uses the state-of-the-art technologies Kuwaiti-Egyptian parliamentary friendship committee, on enhanc- positron brain imaging, Dr Maarafi told and equipment which enabled making the ing cooperation for the good of both countries, and the joint Arab KUNA. “We aim also to share experience with scientific achievements in cancer diagnostics action. pioneers of positron imaging at the presti- and treatment in a short time. He attributed The meeting touched on the recent visit by Sisi to Kuwait, as gious university. This type of imaging helps the achievements to the support offered by Khrinej stressed Egypt “will always remain the beating heart of the locate the cancerous cells accurately as a Chairperson of the KCCC Nuclear Medicine Arab nation.” He lauded the deep-rooted bilateral relations in all prelude to using radiology,” he said. “The Department Dr Farida Al-Kandari and KCCC fields and appreciated Egypt’s support to the security of the Gulf achievements made by Kuwait in this field Director Dr Ahmad Al-Awadhi. — KUNA Mubarak Al-Khurainej Cooperation Council (GCC) member states. — KUNA LOCAL SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015

Source: Kuwaiti IS members are fighters

KUWAIT: Kuwaiti citizens who joined the Islamic a Gulf country,’ the source indicated. source added. He said that the IS does not aim to State (IS) are fighters, not just sympathizers or The arrestees did not know each other when expand outside Iraq and Syria for now, because it supporters of its ideology, a government source they went to join Islamic State, he source said, does not control the situation, and confirmed that said. Citizens who were arrested lately in coordi- adding that some tried to cover their tracks by Kuwait is a remote target for the organization. nation with Turkish authorities revealed during first going to another country, then to Turkey to “IS does not have a base in Kuwait,” the source interrogation that they went to Turkey first then enter Syria, then Iraq. IS leadership subjects new added, “besides the fact that concerned security entered Syria, he added. There, the fighters were volunteers to 5-6 months of training in Iraq and authorities are working round the clock to pre- met by people that they described as ‘clerics from Syria before sending them to the battlefield, the vent any violations.” — Al-Qabas

‘Kuwait poised for Fines counted a month major progress in sports’ following last arrival KUWAIT: Minister of Information and Minister of sports. “The committee meeting discussed this ‘Address info updating’ fines denied State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Al-Sabah plan which includes executive steps for sport said the country is poised for major progress in promotion,” Sheikh Salman said, noting that KUWAIT: sports in the coming period thanks to the gov- Cabinet members and MPs are “unanimous” in In relief for thousands of expats their passport validity, the Interior Ministry ernment backing. supporting this plan. “The plan sets the agenda living in Kuwait, many of them who paid took part of the blame and only fined them of participation in overseas sports activities, the the fines for failing to update their passport for one month after their most recent rules of the outsourcing of professional players, information with the immigration depart- return to Kuwait. and the activation of internationally-recognized ment found out that they do not have to Meanwhile, the Public Authority for Civil regulations,” he revealed. pay fines effective from the previous pass- Information (PACI) denied social media The PAYS and the Ministry of Education are working together for promoting the technical port expiry date, which would be a fortune, reports circulated Wednesday on its inten- and administrative aspects at all sports facilities and that they only paid fines for one month tion to impose fines on people who do not countrywide and providing the necessary incen- after their last arrival in the country. update their address information to match tives for talented sportspeople, Sheikh Salman According to those expats, they went to those in their IDs to the actual place they went on. Regarding Kuwait Football Association the immigration department expecting to live in. PACI Director Musaed Al-Assoussi (KFA), he affirmed the government resolve to pay considerable sums for the whole peri- denied making any such statements, but enforce law on all sports bodies and provide the od since their passports’ last expiry date, highlighted that it is expected that all citi- financial and technical backing to the KFA in col- laboration with the PAYS. “Soon after the issuance but they found that taking the responsibili- zens and expats update their information of Act number 117 for 2014, PAYS laid the regula- ty for allowing them to leave and return to with PACI if a change happens and report tion for the launching of sports clubs and bodies, the country after renewing or extending the change within 30 days. — Al-Watan Minister of Information and Minister of and the election of clubs’ board members. “The State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Al- new law was meant to fix the loopholes in Act No. Sabah 26 for 2012, facilitate holding the general assem- blies of the clubs and ensure the state supervision The Cabinet has approved a plan, devised by over the financial affairs of clubs,” he added. the Public Authority for Youth and Sport (PAYS), Dealing with the plan to privatize sports clubs, he to promote the various types of sports, he told said the cabinet approved a request by PAYS for reporters Thursday after attending a meeting by three-month span of time for further debate of the parliamentary committee on youth and the issue. — KUNA

LUXOR: The Kuwaiti-funded family healthcare clinic. — KUNA Kuwait-funded clinic opened in Egypt

LUXOR: Al-Azhar Gran Sheikh Ahmad Al-Tayyeb ical and social complex financed by Kuwaiti inaugurated a Kuwaiti-funded family healthcare donor Abdullah Abdullatif Al-Othman. He stated clinic in the southern Egyptian Governorate of that the clinic includes a renal, primary care, vac- Luxor. cination, and obstetrics units and laboratory. He In statements to KUNA, Head of Kuwait chari- added that the remaining parts of the projects, a ty projects office in Cairo Ismail Al-Kandari said public library and religious school, would be that the clinic is part of huge 10,00 meter med- inaugurated in the coming months. - KUNA LOCAL SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015

KUWAIT: Farwaniya Municipality carried out a wide scale campaign recently with police support. The campaign resulted in issuing two citations to roaming vendors, and confiscating seven half lorry loads of vegetables, fruits, and used clothes at a market in Hasawi. — By Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: The food and market supervision department of Capital municipality carried out a wide-ranging campaign recently at Mubarakiya shops, butcheries, fish market and restau- rants that resulted in destroying 17 kg of meat and chicken and confiscated four kilograms of paan (betel leaf). Ten citations erew issued for employing workers without a municipali- ty license, heath conditions and general hygiene. — By Hanan Al-Saadoun SATURDAY, JANUARAY 10, 2015 US training Iraqis for Arab cartoonists also French attack to deepen house-to-house battle 8 face dangers at home 9 Europe’s ‘culture war’ 10

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s new president Maithripala Sirisena takes the oath of office yesterday. (Inset) Defeated pres- ident Mahinda Rajapakse waves to his staff before leaving his office yesterday. — AP Sirisena sworn in as Lanka president Strongman Rajapakse voted out after decade in power

COLOMBO: Maithripala Sirisena was sworn in as Sri Lankan presi- resentment against Rajapakse. The former leader rewrote the consti- wingers to Marxists that helped him secure victory. The vote passed dent yesterday after a shock victory over veteran strongman tution after his re-election in 2010 to remove the two-term limit on off largely peacefully, although there were some reports of intimida- Mahinda Rajapakse in an election dominated by charges of corrup- the presidency and give himself more powers over public servants tion in Tamil areas.—AFP tion and growing authoritarianism. Sirisena took the oath of office and judges. hours after Rajapakse conceded defeat, saying he accepted the deci- During the campaign, Sirisena said that he had warned sion of Sri Lankans who turned out in force on Thursday to vote him Rajapakse to change his ways or risk new unrest in the country. “He out after 10 years in office. Sirisena said Sri Lanka would mend its was leading the country down a dangerous road to destruction,” he Saudi blogger ties with the international community, in a clear reference to had said, promising a “constitutional revolution” if elected. Rajapakse’s falling out with the West over allegations of wartime Rajapakse enjoyed huge support among majority Sinhalese voters publicly lashed rights abuses by the military. after overseeing the end of a separatist war by ethnic Tamil rebels in “We will have a foreign policy that will mend our ties with the 2009. But critics say he failed to bring about reconciliation in the international community and all international organisations in order years that followed his crushing victory over the Tamil Tiger guerril- JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia yesterday publicly flogged a blogger sen- that we derive maximum benefit for our people,” he said. “We will las. He is also accused of undermining the independence of the judi- tenced to 1,000 lashes for insulting Islam, with Amnesty work with friendship and brotherhood and cooperation with all ciary and has packed the government with relatives, sparking International condemning his punishment as a “vicious act of cru- states.” Celebratory firecrackers could be heard in Colombo as resentment even within his own party. elty”. A Saudi court in September upheld a sentence of 10 years in Sirisena was sworn in on the capital’s Independence Square along Rajapakse fell out with the West over allegations his troops killed prison as well as the flogging for Raef Badawi, who has been with new prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. “People want a new 40,000 Tamil civilians at the end of the civil war, and refused to behind bars since June 2012. The 30-year-old received a first political culture. I don’t want anyone taking the law into their own cooperate with a UN-mandated investigation. He cultivated close instalment of 50 lashes on Friday and is expected to have 20 hands,” said Wickremesinghe, the head of the opposition United links with China, which has invested heavily in Sri Lanka, seeking to weekly whipping sessions until his punishment is complete. National Party (UNP), at an earlier press conference. counter rival regional power India’s influence. Beijing yesteray The United States, Amnesty International and Reporters Sirisena, a former health minister who united a fractured opposi- downplayed suggestions the new leadership could impact its proj- Without Borders have denounced the flogging as a horrific form tion to pull off an unlikely victory, thanked Rajapakse for a “fair elec- ects in Sri Lanka. The opposition has promised to address interna- of punishment, saying Badawi was exercising his right to free- tion that allowed me to be the president”. He was elected with a tional concerns over war crimes and normalise relations with dom of expression. Witnesses said that Badawi was flogged after 51.28-percent share of the vote to the former leader’s 47.58 percent. Western nations and India, whose Prime Minister Narendra Modi the weekly Friday prayers near Al-Jafali mosque in the Red Sea city of Jeddah as a crowd of worshippers looked on. He was driv- It was a remarkable reverse for a leader who had appeared certain of congratulated Sirisena. en to the site in a police car, and taken out of the vehicle as a gov- victory when he called snap polls in November. US Secretary of State ernment employee read out the charges against him to the John Kerry welcomed Rajapakse’s early concession and said he Vote for Peace crowd. The blogger was made to stand with his back to onlook- looked forward to working with the new leader. Sirisena’s decision to run triggered a slew of defections and ers as another man began flogging him, witnesses said, adding became a rallying point for disaffection with Rajapakse and his pow- that Badawi did not make any sound or cry in pain. People who Sweeping Reforms erful family. His vision for the country ties in closely with the free- had emerged from noon prayers watched in silence and were Sirisena has promised sweeping reforms of the presidency and market policies of the centre-right UNP which provided him with ordered by security forces not to take any pictures on their said he will transfer many of its executive powers to parliament. He the political base to contest the election. But analysts say he faces a mobile phones.—AFP said he would serve only one term after being elected on a tide of challenge to unite the rainbow coalition of parties from right- INTERNATIONAL SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015 Russia bans trans people from driving

MOSCOW: Russia has passed a controversial law banning transvestites, transsexuals and people with other “disorders” from driving, prompting sharp criticism from rights activists, including a prominent Kremlin advisor. The legislation, which took effect this week, says its aims at lowering the country’s high death rate from road accidents. It prohibits people diag- nosed with a range of medical, personality and gender identi- ty disorders from taking the wheel. Though these include blindness and epilepsy, it also lists transvestites and transsex- uals as well as people with sexual fetishes, voyeurs, pae- dophiles, pathological gamblers and kleptomaniacs Passed by government decree signed by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, the law follows other legislation viewed as discriminating against people because of their sexual orienta- tion. Since returning to the Kremlin for a third term in 2012, President Vladimir Putin has listed “healthy family” and tradi- tional values as priorities and pushed an increasingly conser- vative agenda. This has included a law banning any so-called “propaganda” or display of homosexuality in front of minors, which was decried by rights activists, Western government and stars including Madonna as a crackdown on gays and les- bians. Russia has also banned adoptions by gay parents. While Moscow formally decriminalised homosexuality in 1993, homophobia remains socially acceptable and few public figures have come out as gay. Human Rights Watch in December slammed Putin’s government for what it called “inaction” against rising homophobic attacks. Those backing the new law include Vitaly Milonov, a regional lawmaker in BAGHDAD: An American military trainer instructs an Iraqi soldier during an exercise on approaching and clearing build- Saint Petersburg and one of the strongest supporters of the ings at the Taji base complex, which hosts Iraqi and US troops and is located north of the capital Baghdad, on Jan 7, law against gay “propaganda”. He praised it as an “absolutely 2015. — AFP correct and timely decision,” in comments to the Moskovsky Komsomolets daily. “Those doctors and sex experts who oppose it are them- US training Iraqis for selves basically perverts,” said Milonov, known for past homo- phobic outbursts. A member of the rights council that advises the Kremlin, however, publicly challenged the new driving house-to-house battle code as a potential breach of human rights. Yelena Masyuk, a journalist, highlighted the “possible unfairness of removing the right to drive for those suffering from disorders of gender identity and sexual preference,” in a reaction Thursday on the Shortage of experienced leaders council’s website. “I don’t understand why, for example, peo- ple with fetishes, kleptomaniacs and transsexuals can’t drive a TAJI BASE, Iraq: A team of camouflage- they are being trained for the house-to- behind the other along the wall with car,” she wrote. “It seems to me that this is a breach of the clad Iraqi soldiers lines up near the door house fighting that will be necessary to rifles ready, before moving inside. The rights of Russian citizens.”—AFP of a one-storey house north of Baghdad recapture the cities, towns and villages exercise also includes simulated casual- with rifles ready, preparing to enter and that IS holds. ties, with some soldiers being declared search it. For now, there are no militants The recruits will have to make split- “wounded” so others can practise bat- inside, and American and Iraqi instruc- second distinctions between militants tlefield first aid. “It’s really taking a lot of Terrorists damage tors are on hand to tell them how to and civilians if they are to avoid casual- the training from throughout the last position themselves, where to look ties among residents whose support will couple weeks and kinda combining Islam more than when they enter and how to hold their be vital in the long run if IS is to be them into an event that... brings it all Kalashnikov assault rifles. But these are defeated. Knowing how to approach, together,” says Captain David Neveau. cartoons: Hezb skills the soldiers, who are some two enter and clear a building are key skills The units training at Taji have a short- weeks into a six-week training program that they will need. The exercise begins age of experienced officers and non- BEIRUT: The leader of the Shiite group Hezbollah said yester- at the massive Taji base complex, may with small teams of Iraqis rushing across commissioned officers, so they are day that Islamist terrorists had done more harm to Islam than soon need to employ against foes who open ground, going prone to avoid sim- being selected from the ranks during any cartoon or book, a reference to the attack by suspected shoot back. ulated enemy fire, then moving to take the course. “From a newly formed unit, Islamist militants on French satirical newspaper Charlie The Islamic State (IS) jihadist group cover behind makeshift obstacles, they don’t really have a bunch of NCOs Hebdo. Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said what he called “takfiri led a sweeping militant offensive last including wooden doors. and a bunch of officers, so we’re trying terrorist groups” had insulted Islam more than “even those June that overran large areas north and to pick leaders from the group,” Neveau who have attacked the messenger of God through books west of Baghdad, and multiple Iraqi divi- Infancy says. There is training for officers focus- depicting the Prophet or making films depicting the Prophet sions collapsed during the assault. A US- The training program is still in its ing on leadership, but another aim is to or drawing cartoons of the Prophet.” led coalition is carrying out air strikes infancy and some improvisation is nec- spread responsibility down the ranks. Takfiri is a term for a Muslim who accuses others, including against IS, and is also providing training essary. To mimic the sound of gunfire as We “actually have some of the com- another Muslim, of apostasy. Hezbollah considers members of aimed at rebuilding the Iraqi forces and the exercise unfolds, one American sol- manders off to the side... letting some of ultra-hardline Sunni-dominated groups like Al-Qaeda and readying them to fight. The aim is to dier has the unenviable task of repeat- the soldiers take their squads and teams Islamic State to be takfiris. Twelve people were killed in the eventually train 5,000 federal soldiers edly hitting a piece of metal with a through,” says Command Sergeant presumed Islamist militant attack on Wednesday at the week- and Kurdish fighters at five sites every hammer. When they reach cover, the Major Tony Grinston, who is overseeing ly Charlie Hebdo, which has often lampooned Islam and other six to eight weeks - a tight timeline, Iraqi soldiers are supposed to ready the training program. “We’re just trying religions as well as politicians and other public figures. especially for newly recruited troops. their assault rifles to fire - saying “bang” to take small steps so that when... a Cartoons in Charlie Hebdo have provoked angry reactions There are four Iraqi battalions, of to simulate shooting, as they are not leader goes down, the mission contin- from some Muslims. Footage of the killings at the paper’s roughly 400 soldiers each, being using blank ammunition - and then put ues,” he says. But the key question is offices showed gunmen shouting “we have avenged Prophet instructed in infantry skills at Taji by a the safeties back on before advancing whether the Iraqi army will continue the Muhammad (PBUH)”. Nasrallah was speaking to supporters in combination of US and Iraqi trainers. again. training after the course is over -some- Beirut’s southern suburbs via video link to commemorate the Around 80 more are receiving tank train- The second step is periodically for- thing that US soldiers say was not done birthday of the Prophet (PBUH). Hezbollah, which Washington ing. Most are recent recruits who volun- gotten, and US instructors yell “put your after American forces departed in 2011. describes as a terrorist group, functions as a political party teered after the IS-led offensive began, safety on” at the errant trainees, some- “If you... teach them and then stopped that is part of the Lebanese government. It also has a military knowing that they would likely see com- times accompanied by profanity. The doing it for a year or six months, you wing that has sent hundreds of fighters to support President bat. Before this course, they received Iraqi soldiers then reach the building can’t expect them to be good at it,” Bashar Al-Assad’s forces in neighbouring Syria. — Reuters just a few months of basic training. Now they will clear and “stack”, lining up one Grinston says. — AFP INTERNATIONAL SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015

Why depicting the Prophet angers Muslims

DUBAI: Depictions of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) such as er European publications reproduced the cartoons the fol- prophets revered by Islam, and reject the depiction of the cartoons published by the French satirical magazine lowing year, making them a target of Islamist fury. The the companions of Muhammad (PBUH), even when it reeling from a deadly attack are banned in Islam and mock- French magazine’s offices were fire-bombed in Nov 2011 shows them in a positive light. “We should not open the ing him angers many Muslims. Although images poking fun following the publication of an edition renamed “Charia door to people to draw the prophet in different forms at the Prophet (PBUH) have repeatedly infuriated the Islamic Hebdo”, (Sharia Hebdo), with a caricature of Muhammad that could affect his status in the hearts of his people,” world, Arab and Muslim leaders and clerics were quick to (PBUH) on the front page. said Kubaisi, the Iraqi preacher who is based in Dubai. condemn the attack. Sunni Islam’s most prestigious centre There is no text from the Quran or the tradition of the of learning Al-Azhar said “Islam denounces any violence”. ‘No Respect for Freedom’ prophet that clearly forbids such depictions, and the ban The two masked gunmen who killed 12 people at the At the core of the problem is the “lack of respect for oth- is “out of homage and respect” to the prophets, he Charlie Hebdo weekly on Wednesday claimed to be on a ers’ right to freedom of expression” in Arab and Muslim added. mission to “avenge” its cartoons of Muhammad (PBUH). It countries, according to Hassan Barari, professor of interna- The ban also applies to depictions of prophets and follows years of controversy over such caricatures. “This is a tional relations at Qatar University. Some people “do not companions of Muhammad (PBUH) in movies and televi- Prophet (PBUH) that is revered by some two billion people... understand the Western context of free speech, where you sion programs. When a trailer for anti-Muslim movie Is it moral to mock him?,” prominent Iraqi preacher Ahmed can easily make a movie that is critical of Jesus”. Mathieu “Innocence of Muslims” appeared on YouTube in 2012, al-Kubaisi told AFP, explaining the violent reaction of Guidere, who teaches Islamic studies at France’s University protesters took to the streets in several countries. Four Muslims to cartoons of Muhammad (PBUH). “France is the of Toulouse, said that the “culture of tolerance, and accept- people, including US Ambassador Chris Stevens, were mother of all freedoms, yet no one said this (depiction) is ance of different opinion is almost non-existent in the Arab killed in Libya when extremists used protests against the shameful,” he said. and Islamic world.” film to attack US interests on Sept 11, 2012. Outspoken former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir He attributed violence to a feeling harboured by “almost In recent weeks, a number of Muslim countries Mohamad said Charlie Hebdo had shown disrespect every Muslim who believes that he is the defender of the banned Ridley Scott’s “Exodus: Gods and Kings” for its towards Islam on numerous occasions. “Is there a need for prophet and of Islam”. Barari pointed to a history of “animos- depiction of Moses. Even the 1970s epic “The Message”, them to ridicule Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) knowing that ity between the West and Muslims”. “We cannot deny that which chronicled the life of Muhammad (PBUH) and they are offending Muslims?” state news agency Bernama anti-Western feeling in the region is related to the West’s starred Anthony Quinn, did not impersonate the Prophet quoted him as saying. “We respect their religion and they policies. This is related to past colonialism, policy on Israel, (PBUH).”Depicting the prophets of Allah would cast must respect our religion,” he added. and support to dictatorships,” he said. doubts about their status and might include lies, Violent protests broke out in the Muslim world after because actors could never match the characters of the Denmark’s Jyllands-Posten newspaper published 12 carica- Even Positive Depiction Banned prophets,” said a fatwa, or edict, by the Makkah-based tures of Muhammad (PBUH) in 2005. Charlie Hebdo and oth- The majority of Islamic scholars ban drawings of all Islamic Fiqh Council. — AFP

West facing mass Arab cartoonists also casualty attacks: Britain spy chief face dangers at home Satirists caught between Islamists, autocratic states LONDON: Islamist militants in Syria are planning “mass casu- alty attacks” on Western targets, the head of British spy CAIRO: After Egyptian cartoonist Andeel 2011. “I see what happened (in Paris) as a er Arab countries, but there were still limits agency MI5 has warned, saying the deadly shooting in Paris took to social media to condemn the slaugh- continuation of what is going on in Syria and that applied to local leaders as well as the was only a reminder of an ongoing threat. Security Service ter of colleagues in Paris, he received expres- Iraq ... The same mentality,” said Hany Shams, multi-ethnic country’s religions. One such chief Andrew Parker was referring in particular to a group of sions of sympathy - often not for the victims a cartoonist at Egypt’s government-run was Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Shiite fighters known as Khorasan, sources said, who have been tar- but for the suspected Islamist gunmen. Some Akhbar Al-Youm newspaper. movement Hezbollah. “We can’t get into reli- geted by US warplanes in strikes in northwest Syria. He respondents on his Facebook page criticised gions ... If you draw Nasrallah, they will attack warned that intelligence agencies needed more powers, in the attack at the offices of the Charlie Hebdo ‘Killing Them is Better’ you,” said Jabra. “If you draw this person or particular to intercept communications, but added: “We newspaper, in which 12 people including In the Iraqi city of Ramadi, Islamic State that, it’s forbidden. You get threats, phone know that we cannot hope to stop everything.” several of France’s top cartoonists were shot foot soldier Abu Saaduldin Al-Quraishi laid calls, emails saying ‘this cannot be drawn’.” Parker was speaking late Thursday, a day after Islamist dead on Wednesday. But Andeel was down the limits of his group’s tolerance. “We Outside the Arab world in Turkey, car- gunmen stormed the offices of French satirical magazine alarmed by the level of backing for the do not expect any insults against God, his toonists were targeted by some Islamist writ- Charlie Hebdo in Paris and killings at the French weekly which is known religion or his prophets,” he told Reuters. “We ers on Twitter after the Paris attack. Ibrahim killed 12 people. He said the origins or details of the attack for mocking religion, including Islam. The 28- will warn against such behaviours and if that Yoruk, a columnist at the newly-established remained unclear, but it was a year-old satirist said he feared voices of mod- does not work, then killing them is better.” Vahdet newspaper, warned Turkish satirical “terrible reminder of the inten- eration were being drowned out because In Lebanon, satirists say things are easier magazine Penguen under the tions of those who wish us expressions of hate “are always a lot more but far from ideal. Stavro Jabra, a cartoonist #CharlieHebdo hashtag. “You can’t do harm”. Speaking of the broad- colourful and loud”. whose work is published in two dailies, said humour by insulting the faith of the people, er threats, he said the number The Charlie Hebdo killings were thou- he had known some of the Charlie Hebdo Penguen. You should realise this,” he said. of “crude but potentially dead- sands of kilometres from Cairo, and yet victims. “We want to defend the freedom of Another user, whose account seemed later to ly plots” had increased, citing reminded Arab cartoonists of the risks they the press, the freedom of the media and the have been suspended, took to Twitter to last year’s attacks in Canada face from those who draw a red line when it freedom of opinion. This is our mission,” said threaten another satirical weekly called and Australia, and were partic- comes to criticism of the Prophet Jabra. Lebanon had more freedom than oth- Leman. —Reuters Andrew Parker ularly hard to detect. Mohammad and their faith. “A lot of people Meanwhile the “complex showed so much support for these crimes and ambitious plots” carried out by Al-Qaeda in the past still which is really weird and kind of crazy,” existed, he told the RUSI defence and security think-tank in Andeel said. “I wanted to discuss how people London. These included “attempts to cause large scale loss of think that making fun of the Prophet or Islam life, often by attacking transport systems or iconic targets”. In is unacceptable and is considered a crime,” August, Britain raised the national threat level to “severe” - he told Reuters, adding that he wondered the second-highest of five levels - meaning that an attack is how people could consider “killing as the considered “highly likely”.This was primarily due to the rise of right reaction”. the Islamic State militant group in Syria and Iraq, where an Freedom of expression was meant to estimated 600 Britons have gone to fight, Parker said. The flourish after the Arab Spring revolts brought MI5 chief added: “We know, for example, that a group of core down autocrats across much of the Middle Al-Qaeda terrorists in Syria is planning mass casualty attacks East and North Africa. Nearly four years later, against the West.” He is understood to be referring to the many people are still watching their step. Khorasan group, which had been an obscure cell until US Authoritarian rule has returned to many Arab intelligence officials called attention to it in September. US countries while the rise of Islamic State mili- TUNIS: Tunisians, including some journalists, hold placards reading “I am Charlie” officials say the group includes Al-Qaeda operatives from tants who have seized large areas of Iraq and during a demonstration to protest against the execution of two Tunisian journal- Afghanistan and Pakistan who made their way to Syria, Syria also poses dangers to anyone who ists by the Libyan branch of the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group yesterday. The IS although experts caution they are not a distinct group but dares to debate religion. Chief among them branch issued the day before a statement saying the pair, who went missing there are part of Al-Nusra Front, Al-Qaeda’s Syrian branch. —AFP are satirists, who had felt a greater sense of in early September, had been executed because they had “sowed corruption in the freedom after the autocrats were toppled in land.” Around 300 people took part in the demonstration. — AFP INTERNATIONAL SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015 Charlie Hebdo suspects well-known to police PARIS: One had a long history of jihadist ties and links to a key Islamic State militant while the other was on a US watchlist and trained with Al-Qaeda in Yemen, yet the Charlie Hebdo sus- pects still managed to slip under the radar of French intelli- gence. Cherif Kouachi, 32, and his brother Said, 34, are accused of carrying out the deadly attacks on the office of satirical mag- azine Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday that left 12 dead. Born to Algerian parents in Paris and orphaned at a young age, they grew up in the east of the city not far from the site of this week’s attack. According to US officials, Said Kouachi was known by French intelligence to have travelled to Yemen in 2011, where he received training from Al-Qaeda’s affiliate there in small arms combat and marksmanship. Both were on a US database and no-fly list as terror suspects. Cherif’s history with jihadist networks is even better docu- mented and dates back over a decade to his days as part of the “Butte-Chaumont network”, named after a park in the 19th arrondissement of Paris where its members lived. This group of young, radical Muslims helped transport people to Iraq to join Al-Qaeda’s fight against US forces at the height of their inter- vention. The younger Kouachi, sometimes going by the name Abu Issan, was only 22 when the network was broken up by French police. He was arrested just as he was about to fly to Syria in 2005, from which he was due to travel on to the fight in Iraq. In an interview shortly after his arrest published by the SAINT-ETIENNE, France: A Muslim man holds a placard reading “Not in my name” during a gathering yesterday near a Pittsburgh Tribune, his lawyer Vincent Ollivier said Kaouchi, mosque in eastern France, after the country’s bloodiest attack in half a century on the offices of the weekly satirical then 22, was not particularly religious. “He drank, smoked pot, Charlie Hebdo killed 12 people on Jan 7. — AFP slept with his girlfriend and delivered pizzas for a living,” the newspaper reported. At his trial in 2008, Kaouchi said he was inspired by the abuse of detainees by US troops at Baghdad’s French attack to deepen Abu Ghraib prison, but was relieved he did not have to go through with the trip. He told the court he was working at a supermarket and his main interest was rap music, not jihad. An amateur video of his Europe’s ‘culture war’ early MC skills - shot a year before his arrest - is now circulating on social media. Despite his claims to being a reluctant funda- mentalist, Kouachi was sentenced to three years in prison - half Politicians on right seek political advantage of it suspended - and his contact with radicals only grew. Within months of getting out, he was embroiled in another plot, this PARIS: A deadly attack on a French satiri- tion is among factors destroying French round of a poll if a presidential election time a failed prison break for Algerian Islamist Smain Ait Ali cal magazine that lampooned Islam seems secular values, was the best-selling essay were held now, said “Islamic fundamental- Belkacem in May 2010. certain to fuel rising anti-immigration of 2014. The publishing event of the new ism” had declared war on France and that Belkacem was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2002 for a movements around Europe and inflame a year is a novel by controversial author demanded strong, effective action. While bombing at the Musee D’Orsay metro station in Paris in “culture war” about the place of religion Michel Houellebecq that imagines a she was careful to draw a distinction October 1995 that left around 30 injured. Kouachi had report- and ethnic identity in society. The first Muslim president winning power in 2022 between Muslim citizens who share edly grown close to another militant Djamel Beghal, who end- reaction in France to Wednesday’s killing and enforcing religious schooling and French values and “those who kill in the ed up serving 10 years for his role as “kingpin” in the break-out of 12 people at the offices of Charlie polygamy in France and banning women name of Islam”, her father, National Front attempt. The charges against Kouachi were dropped. Hebdo by two masked gunmen who from working. founder Jean-Marie Le Pen, and her shouted Islamist slogans was an outpour- That intellectual ferment has mingled deputy, Florian Philippot, were less cau- Ties to IS ing of support for national unity and free- with public anxiety over the radicalisation tious. “Anyone who says Islamist radical- Al-Qaeda in Iraq gradually evolved into the Islamic State (IS) dom of speech. of hundreds of French Muslims who have ism has nothing to do with immigration is group, which broke ties with the parent group and gained But that looks likely to be little more gone to join Islamic State fighters in Syria living on another planet,” Philippot told worldwide infamy last year when it seized large swathes of Syria than a momentary ceasefire in a country and Iraq and who security officials fear RTL radio. and Iraq and executed a number of Western hostages. There are gripped by economic malaise and high may return to cause carnage in France. Imams intoned prayers outside the indications that Kouachi may have ties to IS, since he grew up unemployment. France has Europe’s The far-right National Front lost no time in offices of Charlie Hebdo on Thursday and with French-Tunisian Boubaker Al-Hakim, who was also a key largest Muslim population and is in the linking the most deadly act of political vio- Islamic leaders urged their faithful to join member of the Butte-Chaumount network. Hakim was tried at throes of a virulent debate over national lence for decades to immigration and call- in national mourning for the victims, the same time as Kouachi, receiving a seven-year sentence. He identity and the role of Islam. “This attack ing for a referendum to restore the death whose cartoons of Prophet Muhammad immediately returned to militancy after his release and claims is bound to accentuate rising penalty, even though a leading French (PBUH) had drawn the wrath of many responsibility for the high-profile assassination of two secular Islamophobia in France,” said Olivier Roy, a imam, Hassen Chalghoumi, said the right Muslims in the past. In what justice offi- politicians, Chokri Belaid and Mohamed Brahmi, in Tunisia in political scientist and Middle East special- way to counter Charlie Hebdo was not cials said looked like revenge attacks, 2013. Hakim “represents the link between the Kouachi brothers ist at the European University Institute in through bloodshed or hate. shots were fired overnight at a mosque in and (IS),” said researcher Jean-Pierre Filiu, a leading expert on Florence. the western city of Le Mans, and a blast radical Islam at Paris’s Sciences Po university.—AFP A book by journalist Eric Zemmour ‘Another Planet’ destroyed a kebab shop next to a mosque entitled “Le suicide francais” (French sui- Party leader Marine Le Pen, who opin- in the central town of Villefranche-sur- cide), arguing that mass Muslim immigra- ion surveys suggest would top the first Saone.—Reuters Cameroon appeals for aid to fight Boko Haram YAOUNDE: Cameroon’s President Paul ing the African Union and our regional has deployed more troops to its Far Biya has appealed for international mili- organizations,” he said in a New Year North region and has killed hundreds of tary help to fight Islamist militant group speech on Thursday to diplomats at the the Islamist fighters. New laws aimed at Boko Haram, which this week threat- presidential palace. He said he regretted stamping out the militants were also ened to step up its cross-border raids that a regional military force against the helping, Biya said. into the country from Nigeria. The Islamists had yet to be established. “Although weakened by the losses it Nigerian group is part of a “global” At least 15 people were killed in an has suffered, our foe nonetheless movement that has attacked Mali, the attack on a bus in north Cameroon on remains capable of bouncing back,” he Central African Republic and Somalia in New Year’s day. A man purporting to be said. The German government donated its drive to establish its authority from Boko Haram’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, 120 all-terrain vehicles to Cameroon’s the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic, Biya threatened in a video posted online this military in November. Boko Haram is the said. week to step up violence in Cameroon main security threat to Nigeria, Africa’s DAMMARTIN-EN-GOELE, France: Armed security forces fly “A global threat calls for a global unless it scrapped its constitution and leading energy producer and biggest overhead in a military helicopter in this small industrial response. Such should be the response embraced Islam. Biya did not comment economy and also threatens Chad and town northeast of Paris yesterday.—AP of the international community, includ- on the video in his speech. The country Niger. — Reuters INTERNATIONAL SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015 India govt takes direct control of J&K state Defeated Abdullah stepping down

SRINAGAR: India’s federal government took direct con- trol of Jammu & Kashmir state after pro-India political parties failed to form a coalition government following a fractured mandate in state legislature elections, an official Pakistan police shoot said yesterday. The state’s top elected official, Omar Abdullah, said he stepped down on Thursday after his National Conference dead four Qaeda men party was defeated in the elections. Abdullah said in a series of tweets that he was stepping down as he had “no mandate to govern” as a caretaker official. KARACHI: Pakistani police yesterday 2009 and lived in Waziristan where he AFP, adding that four other soldiers Gov. N N Vohra will rule the state on behalf of the fed- said they had shot dead four regional swore allegiance to Asim Umar, the were wounded in the incident. eral government until political parties form a coalition Al-Qaeda militants including a senior Pakistan chief of AQIS,” Khatab said. He Abdul Hameed Abro, another senior commanding a majority support in the 87-seat legisla- leader in an early morning encounter in said the police recovered ammunition, administration official, confirmed the ture. No single party managed to win majority in the elec- the port city of Karachi. weapons and a suicide jacket from the incident. Oil and gas rich Baluchistan is tion, which took place in several phases in November and The leader, named as “Sajjad”-also house after the shootout. Pakistan’s largest but least developed December. The major parties scrambled to form an known as Kargil-was said to be a It was not immediately possible to province, which has long been wracked alliance to take power, but without success so far. Bangladeshi who moved to Pakistan in confirm the details of the event with by a predominantly secular secessionist The regional pro-India Peoples Democratic Party 2009 and specialized in making IEDs and independent witnesses from the neigh- insurgency that was revived in 2004. emerged as the single largest party with 28 seats, while suicide jackets. He was also the Karachi borhood. Rights activists say suspected Pakistan has upped the ante against the India’s ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janta Party commander of Al-Qaeda in South Asia, a militants who are captured are often Taliban and Al-Qaeda linked militants bagged 25 seats. The National Conference won 15 seats new branch of the global militant outfit killed in staged encounters by security after a December 16 attack on a military- and the Congress party 12 seats. that launched last September, a local forces. Meanwhile, three paramilitary run school in the northwestern city of Separatist groups have been fighting since 1989 to police official said. “The Crime soldiers were killed and four others Peshawar. The country’s deadliest terror end Indian rule. The uprising and a subsequent Indian Investigation Department (CID) of the injured in the southwestern province of attack killed 150 people, 134 of whom crackdown have killed about 68,000 people, mostly police raided a house in Qayyumabad Baluchistan in an attack by unidentified were schoolchildren. Pakistani officials civilians. Incidents of violence have largely been sup- neighborhood in the eastern part of gunmen. The incident occurred around have said they plan to hang 500 con- pressed by Indian forces. However, public opposition to Karachi where the suspects were plot- 70 kilometers (around 40 miles) north of victs in coming weeks, drawing protest Indian rule remains deep and in recent years has found ting a terrorist attack,” the official told port of Gwadar. “Three paramilitary sol- from international human rights cam- expression in street protests marked by youths hurling AFP on condition of anonymity. diers were killed when their vehicle was paigners. Last week, Pakistan parliamen- stones at security forces. India and Pakistan have fought Umar Khatab, a senior policeman in fired at in Sunster Zahiran area of tarians approved a law for the establish- two wars over control of the Himalayan region, which is the CID, confirmed the killings. “Sajjad Baluchistan near the Iran border,” local ment of a military court to speed up jus- divided between the neighbors but claimed by both in came from Bangladesh to Pakistan in administration official Balach Gichki told tice in terror-related cases. —AFP entirety. —AP INTERNATIONAL SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015

China punishes 17 officials over Xinjiang violence

BEIJING: China has punished 17 officials for lapses in con- making it almost impossible to reach an independent tants from Xinjiang. Human rights activists say repressive nection with explosions and riots in the Xinjiang region in assessment of the security situation. After an investigation government policies in Xinjiang, including curbs on reli- September, state media said, as the regional Communist into the Sept. 21 violence, Xinjiang’s Communist Party gion and culture, as well as economic and social problems Party boss said the fight against “terrorism” was getting committee gave 17 officials “party and government disci- have provoked unrest. The government dismisses that. “more intense”. plinary” punishment for security and other lapses, the The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists Dozens of people were killed in Xinjiang in the violence www.ts.cn news site, which is run by the committee, said has said Chinese authorities have detained two brothers of which began when explosions killed six people. Riots fol- late on Thursday. a Uighur reporter living in the United States. A fourth lowed the blasts and police shot dead 40 people, some of Zhang Chunxian, Xinjiang’s party secretary, said the brother was sentenced to five years in prison in 2014 for whom were trying to blow themselves up, state media said security situation was “extremely grim”. “Xinjiang’s anti-ter- violating state security laws, the group said. “We’re deeply at the time. It was one of several violent incidents that have rorism fight has entered a phase that is more complicated concerned by reports that family members of the Radio rocked the region in recent years. The government has and more intense,” Zhang said, according to a report pub- Free Asia journalist Shohret Hoshur continue to be blamed the trouble on separatists from the Uighur ethnic lished by the website on Thursday. “We must take the ini- harassed, including reports that his brothers have been minority, most of whom are Muslim, who it says want to tiative to brandish the sword, take the offensive and com- imprisoned, apparently in retribution for his reporting,” U.S. form an independent country called East Turkestan. prehensively attack.” The government has blamed attacks State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on It is difficult for foreign journalists to report in Xinjiang, in other parts of China, including Beijing, on Islamist mili- Thursday.—Reuters

Woman finds ‘dental material’ in Japan’s McDonald’s burger

TOKYO: A Japanese woman got more than a mouthful when she claimed to have discovered fragments later identified as “dental material” in a McDonald’s hamburger, marking the fast-food chain’s latest food quality embarrassment. The discovery of the objects, confirmed by McDonald’s to be dental yesterday, comes two days after the company admitted several foreign objects had been found in food at Japanese outlets, including a human tooth in a container of french fries at an outlet in Osaka. An unidentified woman told the Asahi television network she had found three tiny fragments of what looked like teeth in a burger she bought at a McDonald’s outlet in northern Kushiro city in September. “I took a bite and there was a crunch,” the woman said in footage aired Friday, adding that she initially thought it was a piece of sand or stone. “I can’t help thinking that it was (already) in the meat.” A third-party examination determined the opaque white frag- TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (center) speaks beside French Ambassador to Japan Thierry Dana (left) after writ- ments were “dental material”, according to company spokes- ing his name on a notebook at the French ambassador’s residence in Tokyo yesterday. Abe visited the French ambassador’s woman Miwa Yamamoto, saying the substance is commonly residence to convey his condolences on the terror attack by gunmen on the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo in Paris that used to fill cavities or in other dental work. McDonald’s, however, killed 12 people on January 7. — AFP would not confirm the woman’s claim that the fragments were inside her burger. Yamamoto said the customer was told that there was an “extremely low chance” it could have fallen into raw material, given the highly-mechanized process. None of the Ousted Thai PM launches employees at the outlet had issues with their teeth at the time and the customer denied it could have come from her, Yamamoto said. —AFP impeachment defense Move could deepen country’s divisions

BANGKOK: Ousted Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra A successful impeachment needs three-fifths of the 250-strong launched a defiant defense yesterday at the first hearing of assembly to vote in favor. A verdict is expected by the end of impeachment proceedings that could see her banned from politics January. Prosecutors are also in the process of deciding whether for five years and deepen the country’s bitter divisions. Yingluck, Yingluck should face a separate criminal case over the rice subsidy Thailand’s first female premier and the sister of self-exiled former scheme. leader Thaksin Shinawatra, was dumped from office by a controver- sial court ruling shortly before the army seized power in a coup on Dilemma for junta May 22. Yingluck’s supporters say the proceedings and the criminal She faces impeachment by the military-stacked National charges are part of a wider campaign to cripple the Shinawatra clan Legislative Assembly (NLA) over her administration’s loss-making and disempower their voters, who are drawn mainly from the poor rice subsidy program which-while popular among her rural power but populous northern part of the country. But the move is not base-cost billions of dollars and was a driving force behind protests without risks. A vote to impeach Yingluck could stir the Red Shirts that toppled her government. to protest, ending months of relative calm since the army grabbed Analysts say the impeachment move is the latest attempt by power and imposed martial law. Thailand’s royalist elite to neuter the political influence of the Thai politics expert Thitinan Pongsudhirak said the impeach- Shinawatras, whose parties have won every election since 2001. A ment proceedings pose “a dilemma” for the junta and their sup- guilty verdict from the assembly carries an automatic five-year ban porters, who are desperate to land another body blow on the from politics, but could also galvanize her family’s ‘Red Shirt’ sup- Shinawatras. “On the one hand they (the junta) want to see her dis- porters to protest after months of silence under martial law. qualified from Thai politics,” said Thitinan, who is director of the Yingluck, dressed in a black suit and pink shirt, arrived at the Institute of Security and International Studies at Bangkok’s hearing flanked by security and a handful of her party members. “I Chulalongkorn University. ran the government with honesty and in accordance with all laws,” “But if they go all out against Yingluck-by pushing for a ban or she told the assembly, rejecting the allegation of dereliction of duty criminal charges-they risk aggravating Thailand’s political conflict by the nation’s anti-graft body that resulted in the impeachment by stirring up the pro-Thaksin camp.” bid. Yingluck’s billionaire brother Thaksin, who was deposed as pre- “The rice pledging scheme... aimed to address the livelihood of mier in a 2006 coup, sits at the heart of Thailand’s deep schism, TOKYO: A woman walks out of a McDonald’s fast-food restau- rice farmers, their debts and falling rice prices,” she said, describing despite living overseas to avoid jail for a graft conviction. rant in Tokyo yesterday. A Japanese woman discovered frag- it as part of the “social contract” which she claimed helped 1.8 mil- He is loathed by the Bangkok-centred establishment, its sup- ments of “dental material” in a McDonald’s burger in 2014, the lion rice farmers. She ended a detailed and impassioned defense by porters in the south and among the judiciary and army, but still food chain said yesterday, the latest in a series of food contami- urging the assembly to “deliberate with virtue, without prejudice or draws deep loyalty in the north and among sections of the urban nation woes for the fast-food giant. —AFP a hidden political agenda.” middle and working classes. — AFP INTERNATIONAL SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015

Japanese publisher sued after disputing WWII sex slave story

TOKYO: A former journalist who wrote stories about women forced into sex slavery by Japan before and during World War II filed a defamation suit yesterday against a publisher and a scholar who accused him of fabricating the issue. Takashi Uemura said their criticisms triggered threats against him, his families and employer, a university in northern Japan. He wrote only two stories on the subject, including one for the Asahi newspaper in the early 1990s based on the account of a South Korean victim. Uemura’s story was the first published interview with the first woman who came forward with her experiences, Kim Hak- Muslim devotees offer noon prayers while attending the World Muslim Congregation, also known as Biswa Ijtema, at soon. He has been criticized somewhat by revisionists since Tongi, on the outskirts of the Bangladesh capital Dhaka, yesterday. Muslims attending one of the world’s largest reli- then, but he said Friday that it became much worse since the gious gatherings joined the chorus of condemnation yesterday over the deadly attack on a French satirical weekly, say- magazine article last year. The lawsuit says Uemura was ing the killings ran contrary to the tenets of Islam. — AFP defamed as a “fabricator” in a magazine article published in February 2014 by Bungeishunju Ltd, and Tsutomu Nishioka, a Tokyo Christian University professor of Korean studies. He says Bangladesh clamps down the article triggered massive harassment and threats to himself, his family and the university where he teaches. “Some people want to intimidate me by attacking me and on oppn amid protests my former employer, the Asahi,” Uemura told a news confer- ence in Tokyo. “But I’m not a fabrication journalist, and I will continue to prove that.” He said the attacks reflect a trend Standoff between PM, Zia worsens where revisionists try to silence those who look at “the dark side of Japanese history - its wartime actions that they want to hide.” DHAKA: Bangladesh has stepped up a crackdown on the main oppo- her post, with a new vote to be held under a neutral administration. The journalist wants Nishioka’s article removed from the sition party, arresting its vice-president amid anti-government The prime minister has rejected these demands. Instead, her govern- Internet, an apology published in the magazine, and 16.5 mil- protests that have left seven dead and injured hundreds. A standoff ment has tightened its grip. Human rights groups have expressed lion yen ($138,700) in compensation for the damage he suf- between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Begum Khaleda Zia, concern about the arrest of hundreds of opposition supporters, exces- fered from the defamation and subsequent threats. Last leader of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, has worsened sive police force and a media clampdown. “The government’s indis- August, the left-leaning Asahi acknowledged that its stories in steadily since Monday, when protests erupted over last year’s general criminate use of force, arbitrary arrests, and censorship will only the 1980s and 1990s quoted a wartime labor official who fabri- election, which the BNP boycotted. Police arrested Shamsher Mobin inflame an already tense situation,” Brad Adams, Asia director at cated accounts about forcing Korean women to provide sex to Chowdhury of the BNP at his home in Dhaka, the capital, on Thursday Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. soldiers during the war. The Asahi also said that earlier stories, night. “A Dhaka court granted five days of remand to Chowdhury in a On Thursday, police filed a sedition case against Tareque Rahman, including Uemura’s, erroneously mixed up comfort women and case of attempt to murder a ruling party lawmaker,” Joint Police Khaleda’s exiled son who lives in Britain, for statements about women who worked in other capacities. Commissioner Monirul Islam told Reuters on Friday. Bangladesh’s first prime minister, and Hasina’s father, that police Uemura did not write stories quoting the labor official, Seiji The renewed tension between the political rivals raises the spectre called “abusive”. They also filed a sedition case against Abdus Salam, Yoshida. In his Asahi article in 1991, he said the South Korean of a long, destabilizing spell of unrest for Bangladesh and its econo- the owner of a private TV channel, who was arrested on charges of woman he interviewed had been deceived to become a “com- my, though some question whether Khaleda and her party can bring pornography, for airing a “false, fabricated and instigating speech” by fort woman,” a common euphemism for the practice.—AP down the government. Khaleda has demanded that Hasina give up Rahman.—Reuters INTERNATIONAL SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015

Pakistani father sacrifices 5 kids ‘to gain magic powers’

KARACHI: A Pakistani father-of-six is on the run after Amjad Sheikh, the district’s police chief, confirmed ing five children and then used a rope that was found strangling five of his children to death, apparently the incident which occurred while Leghari was under- at the scene to strangle them, said Rahimo. believing the sacrifice would endow him with magical taking a 40-day spiritual journey, known as a ‘Chilla’ “He strangled them one by one inside the room and powers including alchemy, police said yesterday. Ali prescribed to him by a pir (living saint) that he hoped later dumped them on a bed in the courtyard,” he said, Nawaz Leghari, 40, killed the two girls and three boys, would teach him the art of alchemy. adding police were now hunting Leghari down. Black aged between three and 13 overnight Thursday in the Rahimo said that on Tuesday Leghari had attempt- magic practices are rooted in mystic Sufi lore and have village of Saeed Khan, some 230 kilometers (140 miles) ed to poison the family’s dinner but was spotted by his traditionally been the domain of pirs and aamils (sor- north of the city of Karachi. “The man’s financial condi- wife, resulting in a bitter quarrel. The wife along with cerers). tion was bad but he was also learning black magic and their eldest son left the house to go and stay with her The practice is particularly strong in rural parts of it seems that he made the sacrifice to excel in the craft,” parents. With the pair out of the way, Leghari was able the country including the impoverished southern police officer Qamaruddin Rahimo told AFP. to successfully carry out his plan to sedate the remain- Sindh province where the killings took place. — AP

Critically hurt man left in towed car for 6 hours

DAYTON, Ohio: A southwest Ohio sheriff’s office is trying to fig- ure out how a critically injured man was left inside a vehicle for six hours after it was towed from a crash scene in suburban Dayton on New Year’s Day. A worker preparing to take the vehicle off a flatbed truck found the man screaming for help, the Dayton Daily News reported. The man was in stable condition Thursday, a week after the crash in Harrison Township, Montgomery County sheriff’s Capt. Jeremy Roy said. Roy is reviewing the case to decide whether a formal administrative investigation should be done. “We got a lot of people who missed him and that’s what we’re trying to determine - what happened,” Roy said. The office is try- ing to confirm whether deputies followed policy and conducted the standard inventory of the inside of the car, Roy said. It is reviewing whether the man might have returned to the car once it was checked, though Roy doubts that possibility because the man had severe injuries. — AP

WASHINTON: US President Barack Obama (center) stands for a moment of silence with French Ambassador to the United Texas officer States Gerard Araud (left) at the French Embassy in Washington, DC, on Thursday to honor the 12 victims of the Islamist attack stole suspects’ on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris. — AFP cash, drugs, rifle Obama wants publicly funded

SAN ANTONIO: A San Antonio police officer is accused of community college for all stealing marijuana, thousands of dollars and a rifle from a cou- ple during a disturbance call. Proposal could make higher education accessible to all Police yesterday announced 32-year-old Officer Konrad Chatys has been charged with felony theft by a public servant. WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama wants publicly funded seems more like a talking point than a plan,” said spokesman Cory Bexar (bayr) County jail records didn’t list an attorney for community college available to all Americans, a sweeping pro- Fritz. Chatys, who was arrested Thursday night and being held with- posal that would make higher education as accessible as a high In his 2013 State of the Union address, Obama proposed uni- out bond. Investigators say Chatys was dispatched to a report- school diploma to boost weak US wages and skills for the modern versal preschool, which Congress did not take up because of cost. ed disturbance involving a man and a woman on New Year’s workforce. Obama policy adviser Cecilia Munoz pointed out that even with- Eve. The couple say he took the cash, drugs and weapon The initiative’s price tag has yet to be revealed, and it faces a out federal action, many states are taking up the idea and before releasing them. The woman later went to a police sta- Republican Congress averse to big new spending programs. expanding preschool. tion to complain. A warrant was issued after police searched Obama was promoting the idea in a visit Friday to Pellissippi State And she pointed out that a Republican - Tennessee Gov. Bill the officer’s home. Chatys, who’s been a San Antonio officer Community College in Knoxville, Tennessee, and in a video mes- Haslam - last year signed into law a pioneering scholarship pro- for seven years, is on administrative leave. — AP sage posted to Facebook Thursday evening. gram that provides free community and technical college tuition “Put simply, what I’d like to do is to see the first two years of for two years. It has drawn 58,000 applicants, almost 90 percent of community college free for everybody who is willing to work for the state’s high school seniors. Munoz said Obama’s proposal was it,” Obama said in the video. He spoke seated on the front of his inspired by the popular Tennessee plan and a similar program in desk from his office aboard Air Force One, in the midst of a three- Chicago. day tour to preview the agenda he’ll be outlining in his Jan. 20 in Tennessee Republican Rep. Diane Black said her state’s plan, the State of the Union address. called Tennessee Promise, is paid mostly with lottery funds, while “It’s something that we can accomplish, and it’s something the federal funding source for Obama’s plan is unclear and states that will train our work force so that we can compete with any- will have to help pick up the tab. “Ultimately, any efforts to body in the world,” Obama said. Administration officials on a con- reboot Tennessee Promise as a one-size-fits-all nationwide ference call with reporters Thursday evening said the funding approach will be met with heavy skepticism from Congress,” details would come out later with the president’s budget next Black said. month. They estimated 9 million students could participate and Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., a former education secretary save an average of $3,800 in tuition per year. That suggests an who is set to take over the Senate committee that oversees edu- annual cost in the tens of billions of dollars. cation, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Students would qualify if they attend at least half-time, main- But he planned to join Obama yesterday aboard Air Force One, tain a 2.5 GPA and make progress toward completing a degree or along with fellow Tennessee Republican Sen. Bob Corker. Obama NEW YORK: Rob Sonnenberger digs out his car on West certificate program. Participating schools would have to meet was being joined on the Tennessee visit by Vice President Joe Ferry Street in Buffalo, NY on his way to work, yesterday. certain academic requirements. The White House said the federal Biden. They also planned to visit a manufacturing facility, Lake-effect snow and high winds are causing hazardous government would pick up 75 percent of the cost and the final Techmer PM in Clinton, Tennessee, to promote a second proposal driving conditions across western New York, where a sec- quarter would come from states that opt into the program. to create a fund to help low-wage workers with high potential get tion of Interstate 190 and other Buffalo-area highways The idea got a chilly response from House Speaker John training in growing fields like energy, information technology and remain closed yesterday morning. — AP Boehner’s office. “With no details or information on the cost, this advanced manufacturing. — AP Oil heads for 7th weekly 16 China inflation rises to18 1.5%, US auto industry revs up 20 Businessloss as supply glut drags but deflation threat remains amid ‘perfect’ conditions SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015 German economic weakness not over yet, data show17

WASHINGTON: Joe Wilhelm (left), a recruiter with payment processing company First Data Corp, shakes hands with US Army Spc Vincent Knowles, at a job fair that was part of a “transition summit” intended to provide employment and educational information to soldiers who may exit military service in the next year, at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. — AP US unemployment rate falls to 5.6% 2014 best year in 15 years with 252K job gains in Dec

WASHINGTON: The United States capped its tive think tank. The unemployment rate is now recession. Russia’s economy is catering as oil 383,000 to 8.7 million. Fewer than one-third of best year for hiring in 15 years with a healthy near the 5.2 percent to 5.5 percent range that prices plummet. China is straining to manage a people out of work found jobs. The rest stopped gain in December, and the unemployment rate the Federal Reserve considers consistent with a slowdown. Brazil and others in Latin America are looking. The percentage of Americans who are hit a six-year low. The numbers support expecta- healthy economy - one reason the Fed is expect- struggling. Fears about significantly cheaper oil either working or looking for work fell back to a tions that the United States will strengthen fur- ed to raise interest rates from record lows by spooked investors earlier this week before finan- 37-year low last touched in September. ther this year even as overseas economies stum- midyear. Yet for now, the plummeting oil prices cial markets recovered. But most economists The brightening jobs picture has healed ble. The government said yesterday that employ- and weak pay growth are helping keep inflation remain optimistic that lower energy prices will some of the deep scars left by the Great ers added 252,000 jobs last month and 50,000 even lower than the Fed’s 2 percent target rate. benefit US consumers and many businesses. The Recession. The number of people who have more in October and November combined than Many economists think inflation may fail to reach drop in average hourly pay last month to $24.57 been unemployed for more than six months fell it had previously estimated. The unemployment even 1 percent this year. A result is that the Fed followed a downward revision to November’s 27 percent last year. And the number working rate dropped to 5.6 percent from 5.8 percent in could feel pressure to avoid raising rates anytime average pay gain. Hourly pay over the past two part time who would prefer full-time work November. The rate is now at its lowest point soon. “There is still room for stimulus without months has now risen just a penny. During 2014, dropped 12 percent. Still, to keep up with popu- since 2008. having to worry about inflation taking off,” Strain average wages rose just 1.7 percent, not much lation growth since the recession began, the Still, wage growth remains weak. Average said. Most economists forecast that the US econ- above the inflation rate, which was 1.3 percent. economy would need to create 4.9 million addi- hourly pay slipped 5 cents in December. And the omy will expand more than 3 percent this year. If As hiring ramps up and the unemployment rate tional jobs, according to the Brookings unemployment rate fell partly because many of it does, 2015 would mark the first time in a falls, those pressures should, at least in theory, Institution. Economists expect more healing this the jobless gave up looking for work and so were decade that growth has reached that level for a compel employers to raise pay to attract work- year. Goldman Sachs estimates that additional no longer counted as unemployed. Even so, full calendar year. ers. But that trend has yet to emerge. spending on restaurants, auto dealers and other nearly 3 million more people are earning pay- American businesses have been largely The fall in average pay may actually reflect goods and services resulting from lower energy checks than at the start of 2014 - the largest shrugging off signs of economic weakness over- economic strength, said John Silvia, chief econo- prices will lead to 300,000 more jobs this year annual job gain since 1999. Gas prices have also seas and continuing to hire at solid rates. The US mist at Wells Fargo. Silvia suggested that the than if oil prices had remained at their levels of plunged, which will give consumers - the main economy’s steady improvement is especially healthy hiring of recent months means that six months ago. Spending at retail stores and driver of the US economy - a further boost in striking compared with the weakness in much of “many of these new hires are entry-level workers restaurants rose in November by the most in coming months. “We are in a recovery that is the world. Europe is barely growing, and its and would be paid less” than experienced eight months, an early sign that Americans are accelerating,” said Michael Strain, an economist unemployment rate is nearly double the US lev- employees. spending some of the savings they are enjoying at the American Enterprise Institute, a conserva- el. Japan, the world’s third-largest economy, is in Last month, the number of unemployed fell on gas-pump prices. — AP BUSINESS SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015

Good time to focus on Mobile Solutions to MEA’s healthcare challenges

DUBAI: ICT investments will boost in the four core health- care markets of Middle East and Africa. According to the newly released data by International Data Corporation (IDC), spending on IT services and products among healthcare providers in Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey and the UAE will grow by 70 percent over the next five years, expanding at 11.2 percent CAGR over the five-year period from 2013 to 2018. Spending priorities will be strongly driven by healthcare policy mandates and efficiency improvement needs. In the context of a pronounced shortage of IT expertise among healthcare organizations, IDC Health Insights expects the demand for IT services to continue to rise in all four markets. In fact, IT services will be the fastest growing segment of the healthcare providers’ market, with particularly intense growth projected in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Additional highlights from the data about the four coun- tries include: * Healthcare is the second-fastest-growing sector after government in terms of IT spending. * Saudi Arabia is the fastest-growing healthcare IT market in the MEA region, forecast to expand by around 13.4 per- cent annually, followed by United Arab Emirates. * Spending on mobile devices and networking equip- ment will contribute significantly to overall hardware spend- ing growth in all four markets. * In the software segment, system infrastructure software still accounts for the largest share of total external IT spend- JALALABAD: An employee milks a cow on a dairy farm on the outskirts of Jalalabad. Afghanistan’s economy has ing. Clinical information systems make up the smallest share improved significantly since the fall of the Taleban regime in 2001 largely because of the infusion of international assis- but will post the fastest growth at13.5 percent annually. tance. — AFP “All of the four markets are set to grow at an impressive rate” says Nino Giguashvili, senior research analyst for IDC Health Insights.”While these markets present exceptional Oil heads for 7th weekly opportunities to healthcare IT suppliers across the whole ecosystem, it is the right time to focus on mobile solutions to healthcare providers’ organizational needs, and MEA’s healthcare challenges overall”. loss as supply glut drags IDC’s Middle East and Africa Healthcare Provider 2013 IT Spending and 2014-2018 Forecast provides IT spending data and forecasts for 15 technologies and five countries (Saudi OPEC sticks to decision of no output cut Arabia, South Africa, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates). It is designed to help IT suppliers identify short- and long-term LONDON: Oil prices headed for a seventh straight weekly loss the lowest in five years, signalling persistent weakness in the opportunities and for health providers to assess the state of yesterday, with key producers showing no sign of cutting output world’s largest energy consumer. “Without any changes to funda- the market. in the face of a global supply glut. Global oil benchmarks hit their mentals, selling appears largely to be jittery investors looking for lowest since 2009 this week and are down more than 50 percent supply-demand equilibrium,” ANZ analysts said in a note. from June levels, with Brent crude futures extending declines on For the first time since 2009, a contract to buy crude oil or any Turkey’s Tupras faces Friday, dropping 50 cents a barrel to $50.46 by 0927 GMT. sort of refined product costs less if it is for immediate delivery US crude futures for February delivery were down 12 cents at than for future shipment, giving traders more reason to buy now $69m hit from tax $48.67 a barrel despite robust US economic data that brightened instead of later. If recent market history is any guide, Brent prices the outlook for demand. Brent’s premium to US crude fell near could mark time around $50 a barrel for another few days before demand and fines $1.80 a barrel, the narrowest since October as international resuming their decline. seaborne oil markets appear to be under even more pressure Supply is piling up with some of the world’s largest oil traders ISTANBUL: Turkey’s sole oil refiner Tupras said it faces a tax than the US domestic market. “It is another negative week and a hiring supertankers this week to store crude at sea. BNP Paribas demand and related fines totalling 160 million lira ($69 mil- reflection of the focus on negative arguments,” said Hans Van has cut 2015 price forecasts for Brent and West Texas lion) following an 18-month investigation by authorities. The Cleef, senior energy economist at Dutch bank ABN Amro. Intermediate crude by more than $10 per barrel to $60 a barrel demand for 65.6 million lira and fines of 94.4 million lira date Supply concerns remained as Saudi Arabia and its Gulf OPEC and $55 a barrel respectively. from 2009 to 2013, the company said in a filing with the stock allies are showing no sign of considering cutting output to boost “Supply issues will dominate demand in terms of fundamental exchange. oil prices even as demand slows globally. factors, with the market focusing on how the current supply sur- “We plan to utilise all of our legal rights including negotia- Meanwhile, annual consumer inflation in China remained near plus will ultimately resolve itself,” BNP said. — Reuters tions,” Tupras, owned by Turkey’s biggest company Koc Holding, added in the statement late on Thursday. A Tupras official declined to comment further. In the past, tax fines levied on companies have been reduced sharply after negoti- Turkey’s Bank Asya to sell ations. Shares in Tupras, which is based in Kocaeli province, dipped 0.88 percent to 56.05 lira yesterday morning, while the Tamweel Africa Holding stake broader index was slightly higher. The tax investigation began ISTANBUL: Turkey’s Bank Asya, which suffered a run on President Tayyip Erdogan and Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.-based in July 2013, when police and finance ministry inspectors raid- deposits last year after it became embroiled in a political Islamic cleric whose sympathisers founded the lender. ed the offices of Tupras and Aygaz - Turkey’s biggest seller of feud, said it was selling its 40 percent stake in Tamweel Erdogan has long accused his former ally Gulen of orches- liquefied petroleum gas, also owned by Koc - and checked Africa Holding for 31.8 million euros ($37.7 million). It is sell- trating a graft probe to undermine his rule and has waged a their physical inventories. ing the stake in Tamweel, which promotes Islamic finance in battle to purge institutions such as the police and judiciary At the time, Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek denied the sub-Saharan Africa, to the Saudi-based Islamic Corporation of his supporters. probe was politically motivated. Some analysts had pointed to for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD), the bank In a show of loyalty to Erdogan, depositors including criticism of the Koc family, one of Turkey’s wealthiest, by said in a statement to the Istanbul stock exchange late on state-owned firms and institutions withdrew 4 billion lira, President Tayyip Erdogan, then prime minister, for its per- Thursday. “We obtain 41.3 million lira profit through this sale about a fifth of Bank Asya’s total deposits, according to ceived role in supporting anti-government demonstrations in and we expect this to have a positive impact on first quarter media reports. Bank Asya has laid off 1,708 staff and closed June 2013. The family owns five of Turkey’s 10 largest compa- profitability,” Cengiz Onder, Bank Asya’s head of investor 80 branches, out of the 5,074 staff and 281 branches it had at nies, and Erdogan expressed anger with the Koc-run Divan relations, told Reuters. Tamweel Africa Holding is based in the end of 2013. It swung to a 301 million lira ($133 million) Hotel for opening its doors to protesters fleeing police tear Senegal. The run on deposits took place last year after Bank net loss in the third quarter partly due to a rise in bad loans, gas. The hotel said at the time that it acted humanely and the Asya became caught up in a power struggle between now- but said its underlying operations were healthy. — Reuters accusations of backing the protests were unfair. —Reuters BUSINESS SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015

ECB examines different bond purchases models

FRANKFURT: European Central Bank nors took no decision on the design or large-scale purchase of sovereign this week, the euro-zone slipped into staff have presented its governing coun- implementation of any package after the bonds-to prevent the euro-zone from deflationary territory for the first time cil with various models for a new asset presentation, the news agency said, sliding into a downward spiral of falling since 2009 after prices dropped by 0.2 purchase program to ward off deflation quoting sources who attended the prices. percent in December, dragged down by in the euro area, Bloomberg reported meeting. The policy has already been pursued plummeting oil prices. yesterday. The ECB was not immediately avail- by other central banks around the world The last time consumer prices fell in According to Bloomberg, staff pre- able to comment on the report. ECB to kick-start their economies. But the October 2009 was at the height of the sented a number of possible scenarios to chief Mario Draghi said recently that the ECB has shied away from it so far amid global financial crisis. The inflation fig- purchase up to 500 billion euros ($591 governing council has asked central fierce opposition from the likes of ures fuelled speculation that the ECB billion) in investment-grade assets to the bank staff to draw up possible scenarios Germany, which sees the measure as a would announce some sort of QE pro- ECB’s policy-setting governing council at for the launch of a policy of so-called way to print money to pay off govern- gram at its first policy meeting of the a meeting this week. However, gover- quantitative easing (or QE) — or the ment debt. According to data earlier new year on January 22. — AFP

One step forward, one step back as Tesco’s debt cut to ‘junk’

LONDON: The downgrading of Tesco’s debt to “junk” status could limit its negotiating power on potential asset sales as Britain’s biggest retailer embarks on the long-awaited recovery plan designed to reverse its sliding fortunes. On Thursday Tesco’s shares had risen as much as 15 percent in their biggest one-day gain since 1988 after the grocer reported much better-than- feared Christmas trading and new boss Dave Lewis detailed plans to slash costs and sell assets to fund lower prices and recover lost market share. However, the shine was taken off Tesco’s day when, after the stock market closed, ratings agency Moody’s downgraded the company’s debt to non-investment grade, or junk, on expecta- tions that profits will remain challenged by changes in the British grocery market. The move marks another fall from grace for Britain’s biggest private employer, a staple of British pension funds that was rated A1 by Moody’s in 2008. Tesco is still reeling from an accounting scandal and issued four profit warnings last year. Shares in Tesco fell up to 2.5 percent yesterday morning while its bonds largely shrugged off the news, which had been anticipated. “It’s not particularly helpful for Moody’s to down- grade them to junk on the day it looks like they are starting to recover,” Richard Dunbar, investment director at Aberdeen Asset Management told BBC radio. “There were some straws in the wind that would suggest the company is starting to do things right.” Clive Black, retail analyst at Shore Capital, said the time to have downgraded Tesco’s debt would have been 12-18 months ago, “not now, when management is actually doing something An employee works on a tanker at the harbor of the BP refinery in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Consumer prices in Europe about its risk profile”. Tesco’s debt at the half-year stood at 7.5 fell in December for the first time since 2009. — AP billion pounds ($11.4 billion), and of its outstanding liabilities, it faces peak repayments in 2016, 2017 and 2019. Independent retail analyst Nick Bubb said that in Tesco’s German economic weakness meeting with analysts on Thursday finance chief Alan Stewart seemed resigned to losing his fight with the ratings agencies to retain an investment-grade rating. not over yet, data show SQUEEZED MARGINS “Borrowing costs will rise, at a time of squeezed operating margins, and Tesco’s negotiating leverage on future business dis- Industrial output, exports drop posals will be much reduced,” he said. Tesco said on Thursday that it had appointed Goldman Sachs to explore options for data- FRANKFURT: Falling industrial output and exports suggest that German output will continue its positive trend in the gathering business Dunnhumby, which could include a stock Germany’s current economic weakness is not over yet, never- coming months. Low energy prices will boost consumers’ pur- market flotation or a sale. Some analysts say that Tesco may also theless, Europe’s biggest economy looks set to regain momen- chasing power and exporters will benefit from the weak euro need to sell or spin off assets in Asia or eastern Europe to raise tum this year, analysts said yesterday. this year. The economy should gather momentum during the cash, though Lewis said on Thursday there was no need for a fire Coming hot on the heels of a unexpectedly sharp drop in course of 2015,” Kipar said. sale. He also emphasized that Tesco’s liquidity and funding were factory orders earlier this week, the economy ministry calculat- “When looking at other hard data in October-November, “very secure”, noting that one of his first moves when he became ed in regular data that German industrial production shed 0.1 the picture looks similarly encouraging,” said UniCredit econo- CEO last September was to establish a 5 billion pound credit facil- percent in November, pulled down by declining activity in the mist Andreas Rees. Retail sales were up strongly, and higher ity. Stewart said that the company would work hard to regain its energy and construction sectors. employment and rising wages “provide enough ammunition investment-grade status if it were downgraded but it would not At the same time, the federal statistics office Destatis esti- to keep private consumer expenditures going,” he said. set a deadline for doing so. mated that German exports fell by 2.1 percent in November, Official 2014 GDP data were scheduled for release next Because many major investors are not allowed to own bonds causing the country’s trade surplus to contract sharply. week and “we expect growth in 2014 to be 1.5 percent,” com- below investment grade, known as junk bonds, the ratings down- “November’s hard data indicate that Germany’s phase of eco- pared with just 0.1 percent in 2013, Rees said. grade could force some to sell their holdings. Moody’s said that nomic weakness is not yet over, after meager growth of 0.1 Berenberg Bank economist Christian Schulz was likewise Tesco could return to an investment grade rating if its operating percent in the third quarter,” said Natixis economist Johannes confident that Germany would post “modest output growth in performance recovered in the UK, with like-for-like sales increas- Gareis. Nevertheless, at the same time, a lot of the October the final quarter of 2014”. “Although the aftermath of the con- ing and its trading margin improving to at least 3 percent. The data had been revised upwards, taking the sting out of the dis- fidence shock triggered by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine ratings agency said Tesco would also need to continue strength- appointing November numbers, analysts said. will probably still weigh on investment, domestic demand and ening its corporate governance and demonstrate a commitment “Early indicators such as order intake and the Ifo business in particular consumption look set to drag output upwards,” to a conservative financial policy, with an adjusted debt-to-core climate index create hope that the German economy will soon Schulz said. earnings ratio of 4.5 times or below. pick up at a stronger rate again,” said Commerzbank econo- “For early 2015, new short-term risks have emerged, espe- Other agencies have also taken action. S&P warned in mist Marco Wagner. BayernLB economist Stefan Kipar agreed. cially the Greek political crisis. However, the sharp fall in the oil December that it may also downgrade Tesco to high-yield “junk” Taking the October and November data together, “the indi- price should more than offset that over time and help status after placing its BBB- rating on credit watch negative. Fitch cations are that gross domestic product (GDP) growth was Germany reach trend growth rates from the spring onwards,” rates Tesco at BBB- with a negative outlook. — Reuters positive again in the fourth quarter,” he said. “We’re assuming Schulz said. — AFP Business SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015

India’s newest airline takes off seeking upmarket flyers

NEW DELHI: India’s newest airline made its stemming from hefty operating costs and expanding rapidly and we have been eager India’s intense airline competition has maiden flight yesterday, kickstarting bruising fare wars that has left at least one to directly participate in and contribute seen at least one casualty, with Kingfisher attempts to attract well-heeled passengers no-frills carrier, SpiceJet, struggling. towards this growth story for many years,” Airlines grounded in 2012 laden with debts in a market dominated by loss-making, no- Vistara is steering clear of the budget Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong and Spicejet currently desperately seeking frills carriers. New airline Vistara-a Sanskrit market dominated by a string of mostly loss- said in a statement. an outside investor. word meaning “limitless expanse”-took off making airlines who last year had offered Analysts said Vistara has a chance of suc- Vistara, operating the 148-seater Airbus from New Delhi for financial hub Mumbai, fares lower than the price of a second-class cess given the recent drop in hefty fuel A320-200 on three routes initially, is the offering flyers premium services including a train ticket. Instead, Vistara’s premium econ- prices, thanks to a fall in global oil prices, and third full-service carrier after state-run Air string of special meal options. omy fares for short flights from the capital to the fact the ailing Indian economy was India and Jet Airways, both currently in the “Being full service doesn’t mean you’re Mumbai start at 12,000 rupees ($190). expected to pick up. “There will always be a red. Tata also holds a stake in an Indian low- lavish or you’re over the top. It means serv- The airline is 49-percent owned by deep- niche of passengers who do not mind pay- cost carrier, which started flying last June, ing different customers’ needs differently,” pocketed Singapore airlines, one of the ing a bit more for better quality,” Amrit operated by Asia’s biggest-budget airline Vistara chairman Prasad Menon said at Delhi world’s top-rated carriers. Mumbai-based Pandurangi, senior director for aviation at AirAsia. The previous national Congress airport. India’s aviation market is expected to Tata conglomerate, one of India’s most Deloitte India, said. “It (Vistara) just needs to government began allowing foreign airlines be the third-largest globally within a decade. respected brands, controls the other 51 per- keep focusing on maintaining its difference to buy up to 49 percent stakes in Indian car- But the sector is currently plagued by losses cent. “India’s aviation market has been from other players in the market.” riers in 2012. — AFP China inflation rises to 1.5%, but deflation threat remains Economists call for more stimulus

BEIJING: Chinese inflation rebounded marginally in December, the government said yesterday, but economists warned of deflationary threats and called for more monetary stimulus to boost slowing growth in the world’s second-largest economy. The consumer price index (CPI) rose 1.5 percent year-on-year in December, the National Bureau of Statistics announced, matching market estimates and marking an increase from a five-year low of 1.4 per- cent in November. SEOUL: A currency trader stretches while working at the But for full year 2014, consumer infla- foreign exchange dealing room of the Korea Exchange tion was 2.0 percent, the bureau said, Bank headquarters in Seoul yesterday. — AP down from 2.6 percent in 2013 and well below the government’s target of about Tokyo investors look 3.5 percent. Also, the producer price index (PPI) — a measure of costs for goods at to US data next week the factory gate and a leading indicator of the trend for CPI-declined for the 34th TOKYO: Tokyo investors will eye US data next week, including straight month. the Fed’s key Beige Book regional economies report, after The 3.3 percent year-on-year fall was euro-zone worries helped drag the Japanese market lower in larger than the 3.1 percent median fore- the first trading week of 2015. Yesterday, the Nikkei 225 at the cast in a Bloomberg News survey, and the Tokyo Stock Exchange added 0.18 percent, or 30.63 points, to biggest since September 2012. The last PPI finish at 17,197.73 — but the benchmark index slipped 1.45 increase was in January 2012. Moderate inflation can be a boon to percent over the week. Chinese customers browsing various items on display at a store clearance sale consumption as it encourages consumers The Topix index of all first-section shares ended up 0.21 in Yichang, in China’s Shandong province. China’s consumer inflation to buy before prices go up, while falling percent, or 2.91 points, at 1,380.58. It fell 1.91 percent in the rebounded marginally to 1.5 percent year-on-year in December, the govern- prices encourage shoppers to delay pur- first five days of trading this year. The Nikkei came under ment said yesterday. — AFP heavy pressure from a global selloff fuelled by worries the chases and companies to put off invest- euro-zone was slipping into deflation and political turmoil in ment, both of which can hurt growth. expect the central People’s Bank of China wrote. Greece, which has fanned fears it could exit the currency bloc. “Authorities need to be vigilant on the ris- (PBoC) to cut interest rates in the second “We therefore believe that RRR cuts, or Debt-addled Greece is holding elections later this month ing risk of deflation,” ANZ economists Liu quarter of 2015 while lowering the other monetary policy easing measures that could see a victory for a party opposed to austerity meas- Li-Gang and Zhou Hao said in a note after amount of cash banks must keep on hand with similar effects, can be expected in ures required under an international bailout. The collapse of the data were released. once in every quarter this year. Reducing (the first quarter of ) 2015.” global oil prices, which slid below $50 a barrel during the China’s economy expanded 7.3 percent the reserve requirement ratio (RRR) Food prices drove December’s inflation week, also weighed on sentiment. in the third quarter of last year, the slowest increases the amount of money banks can uptick, according to statistics bureau fig- Next week, US data is expected to set the tone for Toko since 2009 at the height of the global lend out and help boost economic activity. ures, rising 2.9 percent on-year from 2.3 trading, including retail sales for December as well as the financial crisis, and has showed continued The last full-fledged RRR cut was in May percent in November. Nonetheless falling Beige Book. “US holiday sales reportedly had a slow start, but weakness in the fourth quarter. “We 2012, though the PBoC carried out target- oil and farm commodity prices are likely to gradually heated up shortly before Christmas,” Daiwa believe the weak inflation data in ed reductions last year, part of a series of add downward pressure this year, accord- Securities said in a client note. “If (retail data) come out better December was mainly the result of falling “mini-stimulus” steps introduced from ing to Julian Evans-Pritchard, China econo- than expected, it could lift spirits in US and Japanese mar- commodity prices, worsening overcapaci- April when growth began to slow. The mist at Capital Economics. But he wrote in kets.” The Tokyo stock exchange will resume trading on ty in upstream industries and weak PBoC in November cut interest rates for a note: “With most households and firms Tuesday, after a public holiday on Monday. growth momentum,” Nomura economists the first time in more than two years in a set to benefit from the fall in inflation, we In Friday trade, Fast Retailing shares ended 0.79 percent said in a note. “We expect inflation to bid to boost growth, though economists think concerns about deflation, at least in higher at 44,760 yen, off from an intraday high of 46,325 yen, remain low in the coming months with have said that move alone would be insuf- China’s case, are overplayed.” after it reported better-than-expected fiscal first-quarter earn- concerns over deflation risks continuing to ficient. Liu and Zhou of ANZ also called for Chinese authorities are trying to trans- ings. Profit soared 64 percent to 68.8 billion yen, helped by rise.” China announces fourth-quarter and more monetary stimulus. “In our view, form the country’s economy to one strong sales at its cheap chic Uniqlo clothing chain. Honda annual growth figures on January 20. Chinese authorities will need to use both whereby its increasingly wealthy con- rose 1.14 percent to 3,531.5 yen, despite news that US auto structural reform measures as well as mon- sumers drive growth. Chinese President Xi safety regulators fined the automaker a record $70 million for Calls for action etary policy tools to head off the risk of Jinping regularly speaks of a “new normal” failing to report driver deaths, injuries and vehicle complaints The data suggest authorities will deflation, especially when domestic in which GDP growth moderates to more to the government. Rival Toyota added 0.72 percent to 7,609 announce fresh monetary easing, the demand remains weak and commodity sustainable levels as the country’s econo- yen while Sony rose 1.33 percent to 2,599 yen. — AFP Nomura economists said, adding they and energy prices continue to fall,” they my matures. — AFP BUSINESS SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015

2-day India Education Exhibition opens 15 exhibitors from over 75 prestigious institutions attend expo

KUWAIT: The India Education Exhibition 2015 was inaugurat- ed before a large crowd of students, parents and education- ists from premier Indian universities at the Ramada Hotel in Al-Riggae yesterday. The two-day exhibition, which will remain open today from 11am to 8pm, showcases some of the finest educational insti- tutions in India. The exhibition offers students in Kuwait an excellent opportunity to explore the vast number of potential courses they can pursue at Indian educational institutions. Around 15 exhibitors, representing more than 75 presti- gious educational institutions offering between them over 200 courses in a wide variety of subjects, are on display at the education expo. The eighth edition of India Education Exhibition, which has become an annual, much-anticipated education expo, dis- plays attractive options to obtain graduate and post-graduate degrees in various disciplines, including medicine, engineer- ing, business management, marketing and communications, arts and science, hospitality & hotel management and Allied Health Sciences. The show is a one-stop information event for learning not only about the variety of professional and vocational courses that NRI and Kuwait students can pursue in reputed institu- tions of higher learning in India, but also to directly interact with educationists and administrators from these institutions. Through face-to-face discussions with college professors and other college authorities, students and their parents can learn about the variety of attractive educational options avail- able in India. They can also avail of updated information on fee structure, eligibility criteria and educational programs that are currently in high demand.

Spot admissions Also, exclusively during the two-day educational expo, spot admissions to various institutions along with valuable information on personality development and communication skills, as well as free educational counseling, which are being made available to students visiting the show. The India Education Exhibition 2015 is co-sponsored by the renowned Manipal University and is brought together by leading India-based exhibition coordinator Indus Fairs & Events and Kuwait’s premier event organizer, Response Events and Exhibitions. Business SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015

Malabar Gold & Diamonds launchs its 126th showroom in Kalaburagi, Karnataka

alabar Gold & Diamonds, one also has an impressive stock of platinum among the world’s leading jew- jewellery apart from gold, diamond and Mellery retailers expands its net- silver jewellery. work in Karnataka with the inauguration According to Malabar Group Chairman of its 126th showroom in Kalaburagi (for- MP Ahammed, “Apart from showcasing merly Gulbarga). This artistically done latest collections in traditional as well as showroom was inaugurated by Popular contemporary designs, understanding Kannada actor ‘Challenging Star’ Darshan the cultural ethos and ornamental prefer- on 3 Januray, 2015. ences of a region has played a pivotal role Apart from displaying jewellery specif- in making the retail jeweller popular ic to the culture and celebrations of among the masses, cutting across cul- Karnataka, the store displays the exclusive tures and geographical boundaries.” range of sub brands from Malabar Gold & The jewellery chain operates 46 show- Diamonds: Mine - Diamond jewellery, Era rooms in the Middle East, 3 in Singapore - Uncut Diamond Jewellery, Precia - and 77 showrooms in India. Plans are Precious Gem Jewellery, Divine - Indian underway to strengthen their presence in Heritage Jewellery, Ethnix - Handcrafted GCC, Singapore and India and to enter designer Jewellery Starlet - Kids’ Jewellery into regions like Malaysia , Indonesia, UK, and Hi- casual jewellery. The showroom US etc in the near future.

Shopping no more fun in US auto industry revs up shortage-hit Venezuela

CARACAS: It may have oil galore, but Venezuela also boasts amid ‘perfect’ conditions an economy so gutted by inflation and shortages that for many people shopping is a second job. Venezuelans make daily treks to automated bank teller machines as runaway Detroit auto show price hikes gnaw away at their purchasing power. Shortages abound of such basics as milk, soap, diapers NEW YORK: A surging economy, more jobs and toilet paper. Stores open late or close early because they and cheap gas: the US auto industry will cele- run out of stuff to sell. Way before dawn, lines form outside brate a confluence of near-perfect conditions department stores. Bartering is back. Social media serve as as it unveils its latest wheels in the annual heads-up sentinels to report which shop has what. And for Detroit car show next week. After racking up many Venezuelans, free time is no longer so free. A survey by the best year in sales since 2006, the last year pollster Datanalisis found that they spend on average eight before the financial crisis hit, automakers will hours a week-equivalent to a work day-simply running put out for display some 40 new car and truck around to stores trying to buy the essentials of everyday life, models, hoping to seduce buyers to make many of which Venezuela imports. 2015 even better. Just listen to Carlos Jones, a 50-year-old electrician wait- The cars will be more powerful and ing in line to buy detergent. He often shops before he goes to decked out with ever-more high-tech bells and whistles that are making them safer than work, during his lunch break and after his shift ends. ever, while pushing slowly toward the day of “Today I have been to three stores. In one I got deodorant the hands-free automobile. Rolling onto the and in another, soap. Yesterday I spent three hours in line red carpet in Detroit will be Cadillac’s most and when it came my turn, they were out of what I wanted,” powerful car ever, the new 640 horsepower Jones told AFP. What is wrong with this picture? In part, the CTS-V; Lexus’s GS F performance sedan; a problem is the sharp decline in oil prices. That stings in brand-new version of the legendary Acura Venezuela, which gets 96 percent of its foreign currency from NSX; and possibly the next-generation Ford oil, of which it has the world’s largest proven reserves. supercar. Pickup fans will be wowed with the What is more, the leftist government of President Nicolas all-new Nissan Titan and Toyota Tacoma Maduro-heir to the late firebrand Hugo Chavez-maintains trucks. The struggling green-car sector will TOKYO: People look a custom “Super Reaf” car based on a Nissan electric vehi- strict currency controls, making it hard for importers to get also have badly needed fresh offerings in the cle Reaf, remodeled by the Obayashi Factory, at the 33th Tokyo Auto Salon in the dollars they need to bring in everything from cars to form of a redesigned GM Volt, and Hyundai’s Chiba, in suburban Tokyo, yesterday. About 300,000 people will be expected to medicine. Fewer dollars floating around puts pressure on the hybrid and plug-in Sonatas. The show, the visit the three-day event which some 880 custom vehicles are exhibited. — AFP black market exchange rate for the local currency, the bolivar. premier auto exposition in the United States, will also see the return of Chinese makers, Some 20 manufacturers will compete for the sumer safety. GM is especially under the gun, Importers struggle absent for several years after self-imposed spotlight in a US market that has been a having been shown at the beginning of 2014 And as importers have trouble buying dollars at the exile, with Guangzhou Auto presenting a new bright spot in a world where other economies to have known about a faulty ignition for cheap, official, government-set rate of 6.3 bolivars to the dol- car-which will not be sold in the United are struggling to grow. more than a decade before taking action. lar, they often turn to the black market to get greenbacks. States. The impressive array going on display The industry is coming off a year of sales At least 42 people died in crashes tied to There, a dollar is 30 times more expensive. And of course, that underscores how the American consumer is of at least 16.5 million cars and trucks in the that problem and the company is facing crim- enjoying the richest, most diverse range of cost is passed on to consumers. For months last year, the United States, up 5.9 percent from 2013, inal investigation even as it pays out millions choices from the Detroit “Big 3” General according to Autodata, an industry consult- of dollars to settle claims. The other cloud government simply stopped publishing inflation figures. In Motors, Ford and Chrysler, now renamed FCA ant. General Motors led the pack with sales of over the industry is the receding demand for late December, it finally reported that the rate for the 12 US-and European and Asian producers. With 2.94 million units; Ford was second at 2.48 energy-saving vehicles as gasoline prices sink. months to November 2014 topped 63 percent-one of the gas prices at their lowest in six years, interest million, Toyota close behind with 2.37 million, Sales growth overall has been heaviest in the highest in the world. rates rock-bottom, and the US economy and and FCA US, the former American Chrysler pickup truck and sports utility vehicle seg- The economy is also in recession, it added. So, it’s a mess household worth growing steadily, “we’re marque now owned by Italy’s Fiat, selling ments, while sagging for electrics and out there. Maduro traveled to China this week in search of almost in a perfect storm,” said Joe Vitale, 2.09 million cars and trucks. GM chief execu- hybrids. investment to boost the economy. He said in Beijing that he industry analyst at consultant Deloitte. “When tive Mary Barra predicted Thursday that sales Demand for such vehicles “has been got pledges for $20 billion. Mauricio Tancredi, chairman of you look at all those factors, one it’s a good in 2015 could reach a buoyant 17 million somewhat disappointing for the auto compa- Consecomercio, a chamber of commerce, said he was wor- time to be a consumer, two there’s liquidity vehicles, a level last seen in 2001. nies,” said Martin Zimmerman, a former econ- ried about the drop in Venezuelans’ quality of life. Indeed, out there for the purchase of vehicles, three “The US economy and vehicle sales have omist at Ford and now professor at Michigan fury over shortages, crime and inflation triggered riots last there’s aging of the vehicle population. “All been rebounding since 2009 and we believe University. year that left 43 people dead. these things make it very desirable for the there is still plenty of room for the auto indus- With the companies under regulatory “We have never seen so many businesses closing early or auto industry over the coming year.” try to grow,” she said. But for all the expected pressure to reduce the fuel consumption opening late because they have no merchandise to sell,” razzmatazz, the show does not open under averages of their fleets, the lackadaisical Tancredi told a local radio station. Not all good news absolutely clear skies. After a record year of demand for electrics poses a problem for Several restaurant owners told AFP they have employees The North American International recalls in the US, some 60 million cars in total, them, according to Zimmerman. Both whose only job is to scurry around to supermarkets and Automobile Show-to give it its full name- many for life-threatening defects, automakers automakers and regulators “are going to shops buying food for the eateries to cook and serve. —AFP expects a million visitors to descend on bone- will be under pressure to demonstrate a have to come to terms with these lower oil chilling Detroit between January 17 and 25. greater commitment to car quality and con- prices,” he said. — AFP 5 1 0 2

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, Y A D R U T A S www.kuwaittimes.net Presley’s 1st record, ‘My Happiness,’ auctions for $300,000

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Dancers perform in ‘Contactî a play by French choreographer Philippe Decoufle on January 8, 2015 at the Theatre national de Chaillot in Paris. — AFP SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015 Berlin film fest to open with movie starring Binoche panish director Isabel Coixet’s new movie “Isabel Coixet has created an impressive and set in Greenland in 1908 starring French perceptive portrait of two women in extreme Sactress Juliette Binoche will open the 65th circumstances.” Coixet has been a regular face Berlin film festival next month, organizers said at the Berlinale in recent years, with six films yesterday. The world premiere of “Nobody shown in past festivals. She was also a jury Wants the Night” on February 5 will kick off the member in 2009. In 2013, her movie “Ayer No 11-day festival known as the Berlinale. “The Termina Nunca” (Yesterday Never Ends), set in adventure film focuses on courageous women Spain in 2017 about the impact of Europe’s and ambitious men who put anything at stake financial crisis, also held its world premiere at for love and glory,” festival organizers said. the Berlin festival. As well as the Oscar-winning Binoche, the New movies by Terrence Malick, Kenneth cast includes Japanese actress Rinko Kikuchi, Branagh and Peter Greenaway are also set to who was nominated for an Academy Award for screen during the February 5-15 festival, the her role as a mute, deaf teenager in Alejandro year’s first major European cinema showcase. Gonzalez Inarritu’s 2006 hit “Babel”, and Irish US director and screenwriter Darren Aronofsky actor Gabriel Byrne. “I’m very pleased that will serve as president of the jury handing out ‘Nobody Wants the Night’ will open the 2015 the Golden and Silver Bear prizes. — AFP Berlinale,” festival director Dieter Kosslick said A photo taken on February 12, 2013 shows French actress Juliette Binoche posing on the red about the film that will also be a contender in carpet prior to the screening of a film presented in the Berlinale Competition of the 63rd the festival’s international competition. Berlin International Film Festival in Berlin. — AFP

‘Grand Budapest Hotel,’ ‘Birdman,’ ‘Theory of Everything’ lead BAFTA nominations

es Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest and Working Title’s own contender, “The Theory of “Boyhood,” Richard Linklater Imelda Staunton, “Pride” Hotel” scored a grand slam at the 68th Everything,” in particular. Fellner told Variety: “My “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” Wes Anderson Keira Knightley, “The Imitation Game” Wannual British Academy Film Awards takeaway is what a great state the British film indus- “Nightcrawler,” Dan Gilroy Patricia Arquette, “Boyhood” nominations yesterday. “Budapest Hotel” led all try is in. When you look at the best British film cate- “Whiplash,” Damien Chazelle Rene Russo, “Nightcrawler” BAFTA honorees with 11 nominations in total, gory, you see five fantastic movies in all sorts of dif- while “Birdman” and “The Theory of Everything” ferent genres, with brilliantly talented people, Cinematography also impressed with 10 nods each. “The Imitation directing, producing, starring, making, in all the “Birdman,” Emmanuel Lubezki Game” followed with nine noms. In the best film crafts. It’s brilliant. I think it is a huge nod to the sup- Leading Actor “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” Robert Yeoman category, “The Grand Budapest Hotel” will face port that various governments over the past Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Imitation Game” “Ida,” Lukasz Zal, Ryzsard Lenczewski opponents “Birdman,” “Boyhood,” “The Imitation decade or so have given to our industry in terms of Eddie Redmayne, “The Theory of Everything” “Interstellar,” Hoyte Van Hoytema Game” and “The Theory of Everything.” creating a world-class business.” Jake Gyllenhaal, “Nightcrawler” “Mr Turner,” Dick Pope Anderson, who has never won a BAFTA award, This year’s awards will take place on Feb. 8 at Michael Keaton, “Birdman” landed a best director mention alongside London’s Royal Opera House, with Stephen Fry Ralph Fiennes, “The Grand Budapest Hotel” “Birdman’s” Alejandro G. Inarritu, “Boyhood” film- hosting. Special Visual Effects maker Richard Linklater, “The Theory of BAFTA Nominations: Full List Leading Actress “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” Joe Letteri, Everything’s” James Marsh and “Whiplash’s” Amy Adams, “Big Eyes” Dan Lemmon, Erik Winquist, Daniel Barrett Damien Chazelle. In the fight for best leading actor, Best Film Felicity Jones, “The Theory of Everything” “Guardians of the Galaxy,” Stephane Ceretti, Ralph Fiennes (“The Grand Budapest Hotel”) takes “Birdman” Julianne Moore, “Still Alice” Paul Corbould, Jonathan Fawkner, Nicolas Aithadi on Benedict Cumberbatch (“The Imitation Game”), “Boyhood” Reese Witherspoon, “Wild” “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,” Joe Eddie Redmayne (“The Theory of Everything”), “The Grand Budapest Hotel “ Rosamund Pike, “Gone Girl” Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton, R. Christopher Michael Keaton (“Birdman”) and Jake Gyllenhaal “The Imitation Game” (“Nightcrawler”). The best actress category features “The Theory of Everything” Amy Adams (“Big Eyes”), Felicity Jones (“The Theory Outstanding British Film of Everything”), Julianne Moore (“Still Alice”), Reese “‘71” Witherspoon (“Wild”) and Rosamund Pike (“Gone “The Imitation Game” Girl”). “Paddington” “Pride” Expected to feature “The Theory of Everything” One notable omission from yesterday’s nomina- “Under the Skin” tions was Ava DuVernay’s “Selma.” Despite its recent momentum in the awards race, the Martin Outstanding debut by A British writer, Luther King drama failed to score a single nomina- director or producer tion. Angelina Jolie’s “Unbroken” was another no- Elaine Constantine (Writer/Director), “Northern show in the contest. Tim Burton’s “Big Eyes” and Soul” Bennett Miller’s “Foxcatcher” received a meager Gregory Burke (Writer), Yann Demange two nominations each. “Big Eyes” only received (Director), “‘71” recognition in the leading actress (Amy Adams) Hong Khaou (Writer/Director), “Lilting” and production design categories, while Paul Katis (Director/Producer), Andrew De “Foxcatcher’s” only noms were for Mark Ruffalo and Lotbiniere (Producer), “Kajaki: The True Story” Steve Carell, both placed in the supporting actors Stephen Beresford (Writer), David Livingstone category. (Producer), “Pride” Among British contenders, “Mr Turner” under- performed on home turf. Mike Leigh’s pic failed to Animated Film make the shortlist in any of the major categories, “Big Hero 6” including lead actor, where Timothy Spall-who won “The Boxtrolls” the prize in Cannes-was expected to feature. “The Lego Movie” Sneaking into another high-profile ceremony, Director “Nightcrawler” boosted its awards profile with “Birdman,” Alejandro G. Inarritu nominations for stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo “Boyhood,” Richard Linklater Supporting Actor White and an original screenplay nod for Dan Gilroy. “The Grand Budapest Edward Norton, “Birdman” “Interstellar,” Paul Franklin, Scott Fisher, Andrew Meanwhile, Sundance darling “Whiplash” Hotel,” Wes Anderson Ethan Hawke, “Boyhood” Lockley drummed up four BAFTA nods in total, including “The Theory of Everything,” James Marsh J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash” “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” Richard Stammers, best director, original screenplay, editing and “Whiplash,” Damien Chazelle Mark Ruffalo, “Foxcatcher” Anders Langlands, Tim Crosbie, Cameron sound. Steve Carell, “Foxcatcher” Waldbauer — Reuters Leading British producer Eric Fellner, co-chief of Original Screenplay production house Working Title, was very pleased “Birdman,” Alejandro G. Inarritu, Nicolas Supporting Actress by the performance of the British movies overall, Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris Jr, Armando Bo Emma Stone, “Birdman” SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015

Off to the races! Disney park runs mix fitness, fantasy t 5 am on a Sunday, thousands of people to her waist so she could dance and sing to the for first-time runners up to elite athletes, said stream down Disneyland Drive dressed in “Guardians” soundtrack. What started with one Maribeth Bisienere, a senior vice president who Aa mix of running gear, homemade cos- race in 1994 has swelled to 190,000 people regis- oversees the runDisney business. tumes and face paint as Captain America, Thor or tering for the seven Disney race weekends from The Hulk. It’s the first Avengers Super Heroes Half October 2013 to September 2014. Many races sell Experience worth the price Marathon, a 13.1-mile contest that is part of an out within hours. Competitive runners can use their Disney expanding slate of sold-out races at Walt Disney’s This weekend’s Walt Disney World Marathon marathon results to qualify for the Boston theme parks in California and Florida. Runners in Orlando, Florida, is the largest race weekend in Marathon. Contestants there for fun can stop for come to Disney races for the chance to dash past the country, according to race director Jon photos with Disney characters. “It is unusual that Space Mountain or Cinderella Castle, grab high- Hughes. Starting Thursday, more than 53,000 run- you get both ends of the running gamut,” fives from costumed characters, and show off ners will compete over four days in a marathon, Bisienere said. Entry fees, which include a shirt their fandom. half-marathon, 10K or 5K. Some will enter more and medal, range from $60 for a 5K, to $170-$195 For Disney, which has become one of the than one race, and enthusiasts will finish all four, for a marathon or half marathon. A visit to the nation’s biggest race organizers, the multi-day a 48.6-mile feat called the Dopey Challenge. Two park to ride the attractions costs extra. Fans say influx of runners, relatives and friends provides a more race weekends have been added to this the Disney experience is worth the price. At the chance to earn extra cash and help fill theme year’s runDisney schedule, including a Star Wars Avengers race, which wound through Disneyland parks and hotels during slower weekends. “I love Half Marathon at Disneyland in California, from and the nearby Angel Stadium, runners carried the atmosphere,” said Lauren Harrell, 27, after she Jan 15 to 18. red, white and blue Captain America shields and finished the November super heroes race in a Other upcoming events include half cardboard versions of Thor’s hammer, or sported hand-painted T-shirt and foam headpiece as marathons with Disney Princess or Tinker Bell Mickey Mouse ears. JT Rose, 42, from Kingsport, Groot, the human-like tree in Disney’s Marvel themes. The races take place inside Disney resorts Tennessee, in his seventh Disney race, ran as Studios film “Guardians of the Galaxy.” and on neighboring streets but outside of regular Thor’s brother Loki, with a homemade staff and “People are cheering you every step of the park hours. Related events include kids’ races, a helmet. “Everybody who comes to Disney gets way. And nobody judges you for dressing in cos- Diaper Dash for crawlers, and a carb-loading into it,” said Rose. “All the fans are just going tume,” said Harrell, who had a speaker attached Pasta in the Park party. Disney designs the races crazy. It’s just a really fun race.”— Reuters Nearly 50 years on, turtles, caterpillars sacrificed in Bali ritual to ensure peace on Earth he last time Wayan Rendeh took part in a the temple, with the frenzied animal making a temple ceremony in his Balinese village of dash into adjoining rice fields before being TJuga, man had not yet landed on the moon. slaughtered to symbolically feed demons. Goats, The ancient rite of Karya Padudusan Agung, pigs, turtles, fish and caterpillars were also sacri- which roughly translates to great work, is held ficed. “This sacrifice is symbolic of the character every three or four decades to invigorate the of human beings: greed, laziness, stupidity and temple’s waning powers and bring peace on anger,” said Mangku Puseh Juga, one of 36 priests Earth. Rendeh, 76, was among several thousand on hand to sanctify the temple. “The main goal is white-clad worshippers gathered on Tuesday at (to) balance the macro world of nature and the the temple of Siva, the deity of destruction, for micro world within each human.” the first such rituals since 1968 in the predomi- nantly Hindu island of Bali in mostly Muslim Bigger than ever Indonesia. This year’s ceremony was more lavish than the In the temple’s inner sanctum, high priests one Rendeh witnessed nearly half a century ago. offered seeds, flowers, fruit and meat from devo- “That last one was not so large as this. We were tees to appease Siva and his consort Durga, poorer,” said Rendeh, a long-time resident of the accompanied by the rhythmic ringing of bells. village of wood carvers on the outskirts of Ubud, Young girls in saffron and white satin wrap- Bali’s cultural centre. He remembers erecting arounds, with head-dresses of coconut palm bamboo huts and thatching roofs before joining Members of the Chitrasena Dance Company from Sri Lanka perform in front of the fronds and marigolds, danced in the temple com- the nearly 80 families of the village in the fields to iconic Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge in Sydney. Chitrasena was the first plex to sacred tunes played by gamelan troupes. thresh rice and sell the grain to pay for the cere- Asiandance company to visit Australia in 1963 and is making its third trip to perform Young men dragged a buffalo three times around mony. —Reuters during the Sydney Festival which runs from 8-26 January. — AFP SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015 Rod Taylor, ‘The Birds’ and ‘The Time Bill Cosby heckled during Machine’ star, dies at 84 second Canadian show ill Cosby, the subject of more than a dozen sex abuse allegations over Bthe past three months, was heckled during a show on his Canadian tour on Thursday, with one audience member call- ing him a “rapist”, the Canadian Press reported. The news agency said a man shouted “You are a rapist,” at a show in London, Ontario, before being removed

od Taylor, the Australian-born actor who starred in George Pal’s adaptation of H.G. Wells’ “The Time Machine” and in RAlfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds,” then decades later made a Demonstrators gather to protest comedian Bill Cosby’s second performance in memorable swan-song appearance as Winston Churchill in Canada at the Budweiser Gardens. — AP photo Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds,” died Wednesday of a heart attack in Los Angeles. He was 84. His daughter Felicia, a for- Canadian shows this week. His first in mer CNN correspondent, confirmed the news Thursday. Kitchener, Ontario on Wednesday was not Taylor made his feature starring debut in 1960 sci-fier “The interrupted. But both shows had protest- Time Machine,” portraying a fictionalized Wells, who invents a ers outside the venues. time machine in Victorian England and travels to the distant The comedian, best-known as Dr. Cliff future. He also starred in a brief ABC adventure series, “Hong Huxtable on “The Cosby Show,” has had Kong.” The next year he voiced the lead canine, Pongo, in two television projects shelved and sever- Disney’s “101 Dalmatians.” Even after an impressive performance al standup performances canceled since in Hitchcock’s well-received 1963 “The Birds” (in photo above), the allegations started last year. Cosby, 77, the actor never quite made it into the first rank of Hollywood by security, with some audience members has never been charged over any of the actors. telling the heckler to be quiet and later allegations, which have been dismissed by giving Cosby a round of applause. his lawyers and in some cases date back as Early film business It said Cosby told the audience to be He was part of the starry ensemble of Liz Taylor-Richard In this Nov 21, 2014 photo, comedian far as the 1960s. He settled a 2005 civil suit quiet and patient as the man was taken Bill Cosby performs during a show at the that alleged sexual misconduct. Cosby’s Burton starrer “The V.I.P.s” and was second lead in “A Gathering away, then resumed his comedy routine. of Eagles,” “Fate Is the Hunter” and “36 Hours.” In 1965 he starred Maxwell C. King Center for the publicist and attorney did not respond to Cosby, one of the biggest television stars Performing Arts in Melbourne, Fla. — AP requests for comment. — Reuters in “Young Cassidy,” about the early life of the Irish playwright of the 1980s, was scheduled to do three Sean O’Casey, leading a cast that included Julie Christie, Maggie Smith, Michael Redgrave and Edith Evans. Taylor starred in a cou- ple of late-career vehicles for Doris Day, “Do Not Disturb” and “The Glass Bottom Boat,” then led the ensemble in “Hotel.” The Country stars sing adieu to Grand actor starred opposite his “Time Machine” co-star Yvette Mimieux in the well-regarded actioner “Dark of the Sun” and had a supporting role in Antonioni’s 1970 drama “Zabriskie Point.” He had another go at TV with the short-lived CBS series Ole Opry’s Little Jimmy Dickens “Bearcats” in 1971 and NBC Western “The Oregon Trail” in 1976. But Taylor’s film career sputtered by the 1970s. He was second ountry music stars sang a farewell lead to John Wayne in “The Train Robbers”; starred in 1977 on Thursday to Grand Ole Opry icon Australian effort “The Picture Show Man,” about the early film CLittle Jimmy Dickens, who died last business in the country; and starred alongside Rex Harrison in week at 94 after decades performing at bland Mario Puzo adaptation “A Time to Die” in 1982. By the the landmark Nashville venue. Brad 1980s he was primarily a TV actor. Taylor played star Jaclyn Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Vince Gill, Smith’s father in ABC telepic “Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy” and Steve Wariner, Chris Young and Old Crow appeared in “Charles and Diana: A Royal Love Story.” The actor Medicine Show took the stage near starred in a pair of short-lived series, ABC’s “Masquerade” in 1983 Dickens’ casket in songful tribute during a and CBS’ “Outlaws” in 1986-87, and recurred on “Falcon Crest” as two-hour memorial service. Frank Agretti.

Supporting roles Taylor was born in Sydney and went to art school, East Sydney Technical and Fine Arts College. He did commercial illus- tration for newspapers and a bit of boxing; he was interested in acting, but seeing Laurence Olivier in a touring production of “Richard III” sparked him to pursue a career in it. During the 1950s he appeared in supporting roles in a number of prominent films, including George Stevens’ “Giant,” Civil War pic “Raintree Priscilla Presley cuts the eight-tiered birthday cake during the 80th birthday Country” and Delbert Mann’s “Separate Tables,” sometimes cred- celebration for her late ex-husband Elvis Presley at Graceland. ited as Rodney Taylor. Taylor worked only occasionally after the mid-1990s, appear- for generations. Dickens - who sang novel- of performers who embraced Dickens, the ing in a prominent role in Australian director Stephan Elliott’s ty numbers such as “Out Behind the Barn,” Opry’s oldest living member. “Welcome to Woop Woop” and recurring on TV series “Walker, and “May The Bird Of Paradise Fly Up Your Underwood broke into tears after Texas Ranger.” After an absence of seven years, he returned in Nose” as well as traditional country hits - telling a story about how her mother 2007 for the Sci Fi Channel film “Kaw,” essentially an update of The Old Crow Medicine Show per- joined the Opry in 1948. warned her to “watch out for Little Jimmy “The Birds,” but more prominently, he cameo’d as Winston forms during the funeral service for The comical 4-foot-11-inch performer Dickens, because he likes the pretty girls” Churchill in a key scene in Tarantino’s 2009 film “Inglourious Little Jimmy Dickens. died Jan 2 of cardiac arrest at a Nashville before her first Opry appearance. She Basterds.” In 2010 the cast of “Inglourious Basterds,” including hospital after suffering a stroke on went on to say her hero kissed her hand Taylor, won the SAG Award for outstanding performance by a When it was over, the curtain was low- Christmas Day. “We need to remember every time he saw her. Underwood and cast in a motion picture. In addition to daughter Felicia Taylor, ered and Dickens left the stage for the last that smile, that personality and that one- Gill sang the latter’s “Go Rest High On That from his second marriage, the actor is survived by third wife of-a-kind sense of humor,” said Paisley, Mountain,” which has become a staple of Carol Kikumura, to whom he was married since 1980. — Reuters time at the theater where he brought laughter and toe-tapping to country fans who was among the younger generation country music funerals. —Reuters SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015 Presley’s 1st record, ‘My Happiness,’ auctions for $300,000

n acetate recording of the ballad “My Happiness,” the first song Elvis Presley ever recorded, sold at auction Thursday Anight for $300,000. An undisclosed Internet buyer placed the winning bid at Graceland, the museum and tourist attraction that was Presley’s former home. The auction was held on what would have been the late singer’s 80th birthday. The 78 rpm record, with its tattered yellow label, sold for $240,000. But the total buyer’s price includes a premium of 25 percent, or $60,000, that goes to the auction house, Graceland Auctions. Bidding for the record started at $50,000. Other items in This acetate recording of “My Happiness,” (front record) the auction included scarves worn by Presley at concerts, gold the first song Elvis Presley ever recorded, was auctioned necklaces with the initials TCB (short for the slogan “Taking Care for a total price of $300,000. of Business”), prescription sunglasses made for Presley, and his first driver’s license. But the big prize was the “My Happiness” ular movies such as “Jailhouse Rock.” record, which is highly valued because of its place in the career of The story about the “My Happiness” recording is told to visi- Presley, who died in Memphis on Aug 16, 1977. The acetate is in tors who take the tour of Sun Records, now a museum. Along original condition and the record is playable. Presley recorded the with Presley, Phillips also recorded music legends Johnny Cash, song in 1953 at Sun Records, the Memphis studio operated by Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins at Sun. Jayne Ellen Brooks, public relations director at Sun, says the “My Happiness” record is impor- Sam Phillips. Presley, then 18, paid $4 for the recording. As the Priscilla Presley cuts the eight-tiered birthday cake during story goes, Presley - whose family did not have a record player - tant because it gives fans the first glimpse of Presley’s impressive the 80th birthday celebration for her late ex-husband talent. “This was a pop ballad song done by female singers, so as left Sun and went to the home of friend Ed Leek to listen to it. But Elvis Presley at Graceland. Presley left the record at Leek’s house. far as the song choice goes, it’s really interesting,” Brook said. “It one day summoned up the courage to walk into Sun Records. sort of sums up Elvis, pre-fame.” Pay for college Leek kept the record in a safe for six decades. After he and his Popular movies Fans celebrate his birthday in Memphis wife died, their niece Lorisa Hilburn inherited it. Hilburn, of Phillips was not there that day, so Presley was helped by Elvis Presley fans have gathered at Graceland in sub-freezing Rockledge, Florida, contacted Graceland, and it was offered for Phillips’ assistant, Marion Keisker. Presley sang the ballads “My temperatures to celebrate what would have been the late singer’s auction. Hilburn said after the auction that she did not expect the Happiness,” which was the A-side of the record, and “That’s When 80th birthday. Priscilla Presley, who was married to the rock ‘n’ roll record to sell for such a large amount. She has already “splurged” Your Heartaches Begin,” which became side B. Both are slow- icon, and their daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, joined fans from on an iPad, but plans to invest the rest of the $240,000, with some moving and stop short of suggesting a singer ready to help open around the world for a cake-cutting ceremony Thursday outside going to pay for college for her two sons. the way for the emergence of rock ‘n’ roll. Graceland, Elvis’ longtime Memphis home. “I’m very happy,” said Hilburn, who smiled widely after auc- After the record was cut, Keisker wrote down Presley’s name They also sang “Happy Birthday” in 15-degree Fahrenheit (-9.4- tioneer Wendell Hanson banged his gavel and said “Sold!” “There and phone number and jotted a note that said he was a good bal- Celsius) weather. Priscilla and Lisa Marie Presley thanked fans for was adrenaline beforehand ... but when it was over, I was numb,” lad singer. In 1954, Presley recorded the more up-tempo “That’s braving the cold weather and keeping the singer’s legacy alive. she said. “It was surreal.” Before he became the “King of Rock n’ All Right” at Sun Records. That song became Presley’s first hit, and Elvis Presley was born Jan 8, 1935, in Tupelo, Mississippi. He Roll,” Presley was a shy young man who had moved to Memphis it catapulted him to a successful career that included hit songs moved to Memphis with his parents at age 13. He died Aug. 16, from Tupelo, Mississippi, with his parents. He liked to sing and such as “Hound Dog” and “Suspicious Minds,” and to making pop- 1977 in Memphis at age 42. — AP Jackie Chan’s son gets 6 months for China drugs offence

he son of kung fu star Jackie Chan was sen- tenced to six months in prison yesterday after Tadmitting drugs offences, a Beijing court said. Jaycee Chan, who like his father has worked as an actor and singer, will be released in mid-February, having already spent five months in jail. State broadcaster China Central Television showed Chan pleading guilty in court, wearing a black jumper and blue trousers, flanked by two policemen. In this Jan 17, 2014 file photo, Hong Kong actor and director Jackie Chan signs auto- “I broke the law,” he said, appearing attentive graphs for fans during a promotional event for his latest movie “Police Story 2014” in and respectful of the proceedings. “I deserve to be Seoul, South Korea. punished. When I return to society, I definitely won’t do it again.”Chan was detained in August trade. Around 200 mainly domestic journalists at his son’s detention, Jackie Chan said in a post on and charged with providing a venue for others to the Dongcheng court were allowed to set up their China’s Twitter-like Sina Weibo that he was use drugs after police said they found 100 grams equipment outside the building as the defendant “extremely angry and extremely shocked”. (3.5 ounces) of marijuana at his home in the arrived, and reporters were invited to wait in a con- “As a public figure, I am ashamed. As a father I Chinese capital. An hour and 22 minutes after pro- ference room in the court building, where staff feel terrible,” he said in August. A total of 7,800 ceedings began, the Dongcheng District People’s gave updates while handing out bottled water and people were arrested for drugs offences in Beijing Court posted on a verified social media account: tea. The scene was far removed from trials of between January and August last year, state media “He was convicted. He has been sentenced to six In this June 14, 2010 file photo, Hong Chinese dissidents, which domestic journalists gen- reported, an increase of almost 72 percent on the months in jail and fined 2,000 RMB,” or renminbi Kong actor Jaycee Chan poses during a erally do not attend except for a select few from same period in 2013. There were 26,000 “regis- ($320). premiere of his film “ Break Up Club “ in state-run outlets. Foreign journalists at sensitive tered cases” of drug use in Beijing in 2014, up 10 The court also said that his “detention” will end Hong Kong. — AP photos hearings are often aggressively targeted by plain percent year-on-year, according to police, who on February 13. Chan and Ko Chen-tung, a clothes police if they go within even a few blocks of claim “singers, actors and film directors” comprise Taiwanese actor also known as Kai Ko, both tested ed charges last year, state-run media have said. the courthouse. Jaycee Chan has featured in sever- 0.15 percent of drug users in the city. Use of recre- positive for marijuana according to state media, The arrests have been seen by observers as part al films but has not so far won the acclaim earned ational drugs has risen in recent years in China as and Kai made tearful televised confessions. At least of a wider campaign on morals by Beijing, which by his father, one of Asia’s best-known actors with an economic boom has boosted the middle class- 10 locally known stars were detained on drug-relat- has also targeted prostitution and the wider drugs a string of Hollywood hits to his name. Shortly after es’ disposable income. — AFP SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015 Duo at Yosemite about halfway through world’s hardest climb wo men are attempting what has been Free climbing should not be confused with called the hardest rock climb in the solo climbing, where a person goes alone Tworld: a free climb of a half-mile section and does not use ropes, harnesses or any of exposed granite in California’s Yosemite other protective gear. A fall can mean seri- National Park. Kevin Jorgeson, 30, of Santa ous injury or death. Rosa, California, and Tommy Caldwell, 36, of Estes Park, Colorado, are using only their Q: who are the climbers? hands and feet as they make their way up the A: Caldwell is a professional climber who has steep and difficult exposed granite on one free climbed 11 routes on El Capitan. He’s side of El Capitan. The attempt - their third been climbing since he was 17. since 2010 - has caught the world’s attention. His life has been peppered with some They have been climbing to the towering peril. In August 2000, Caldwell and three summit for two weeks and could finish this other climbers went to the former Soviet weekend or next week. If they do, they will be republic of Kyrgyzstan to scale the tower- the first people in the world to complete the ing rock walls of its southern mountains. free climb. Seventeen days in, they were captured by Here’s a look at the latest: the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. Caldwell shoved a guard over a cliff (he Q: Why is this free climb on El Capitan’s survived), and the climbers bolted and dawn wall so difficult? eventually got to a Kyrgyz army outpost. In A: No one has ever free climbed the Dawn 2001, Caldwell cut off his left index finger Wall on El Capitan, the largest monolith of with a table saw. granite in the world, which rises more than Six months later, he scaled El Capitan in 3,000 feet above the Yosemite Valley floor. 19 1/2 hours with only protective hard- For more than 27 days in 1970, Warren ware to stop any falls. Only once before Harding and Dean Caldwell-no relation to had anyone managed such a climb in less Tommy-climbed the Dawn Wall using har- than 24 hours. Jorgeson is also a profes- nesses and ropes, but they didn’t make it sional climber, speaker and instructor. On to the top. There are about 100 routes to his personal website he says he’s been the top of El Capitan. Of those routes, the climbing since he was born. hardest and steepest is the Dawn Wall, “At first, it was fences, cupboards, lad- which faces east toward the rising sun. The ders and trees.” “Climbing was always a climbers are using only harnesses and very natural thing for me to do, so when I ropes that catch them if they slip from the found rock climbing, it felt perfect. I can’t wall during a pitch from one area to the imagine a sport that fits my personality next. any better,” he writes on his website.

Q: what is free climbing and how does it Q: What are the hazards of the climb? differ from other types of climbing? A: Climbers’ fingers take a beating. Jorgeson A: In free climbing, athletes use only their battled with one section so many times physical strength and their hands and feet that the razor sharp holds ripped both the to scale the glacier-polished granite. The tape and the skin off his fingers. Caldwell’s cracks that they grip are as thin as razor fingers are so beat up that he sets his blades, some the size of a dime, and the alarm to reapply a special product to his footholds are nothing more than an inden- skin. The two must grip cracks as thin as tation on the wall. They are harnessed to razor blades and maintain footholds on ropes, which are there to catch them if Photo provided by Tom Evans, Kevin Jorgeson ascends what is known as Pitch 8. mere indentations on glacier-polished they fall. granite.

Photo provided File photo shows by Tom Evans, the climbing Kevin Jorgeson face of El climbs Pitch 15. Capitan in Yosemite National Park. SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015

Photo shows Tommy Caldwell, 36, of Estes Park, Colo, with Kevin Jorgeson, 30, of Santa Rosa, Calif, not seen, set up camp.

Caldwell said on Facebook the crux holds in the middle section of the climb are “some of the smallest and sharpest holds” he has ever attempted. There is one stretch where climbers have to jump completely off the wall to catch a grip the size of a matchstick. What’s more, Kevin Jorgeson, the warm weather has them climbing only 30, of Santa at night so the rock is cold enough for Rosa, Calif, left, maximum traction. and Tommy Caldwell, 36, of Q: How long have they been training? Estes Park, Colo, A: Jorgeson has been training for five years prepare their and Caldwell put in about seven years of climbing gear training. They tried the climb in 2010 but before beginning only made it a third of the way because of what has been storms. A year later, Jorgeson broke an called the ankle after a fall during an attempt. In this Jan 5, 2015 photo provided by hardest rock John Long, the first person to climb up Tome Evans, Kevin Jorgeson grips the climb in the El Capitan in one day in 1975, said earlier surface of the Razor Edge. — AP photos world. this week that it’s almost “inconceivable that anyone could do something that con- tinuously difficult.” He said he believes the duo spent the equivalent of a year’s time on the wall in preparation for the climb.

Q: How are they maintaining contact with the outside world? A: The men eat, drink coffee, stretch and sleep in hanging tents sus- pended from the wall. They have supporters helping them, bringing food and coffee and restocking things they run out of, like Advil, batteries and super- glue for their fingers. They keep in touch by regularly Tweeting, posting on Facebook, feeding information for blogs and talking with supporters on the ground.

Q: Where are they now? A: They started together on Dec. 27 and were Tommy Caldwell eats expected to finish Friday or Saturday. It dinner during what has appears it will take longer. Caldwell’s wife’s been called the hardest rock climb in the world. Photo provided by Tom blog says is ahead of Jorgeson. Once Evans, Tommy Caldwell Caldwell hits a rare ledge, called Wino ascends what is known as Tower, he’ll wait for Jorgeson. — AP pitch 10. SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015 30 years later, ‘Back To The Future’ car in legal battle

s “Back To The Future” celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, there’s a legal tussle over the futuristic car that provided the Aguts for the flying time machine used by Michael J. Fox in the classic 1985 film. Maverick automaker John DeLorean’s eponymous creation co-starred in the 1985 movie as it transported Marty McFly back to the 1950s to engineer his parents’ meeting - and, in a 1989 sequel, to a 2015 world that featured flying skateboards, automated dog-walkers and self-drying jackets. Now, DeLorean’s widow, Sally, claims in a federal lawsuit that Texas-based DeLorean Motor Company has been illegally using the DeLorean name to sell hats, pens, notebooks, key chains and other Taylor Swift continues Billboard items, and has illegally licensed the name and images to other com- panies including Nike, Mattel, Urban Outfitters and Apple. The com- pany has never been formally affiliated with the one DeLorean start- reign in first week of 2015 ed. The Texas company “has improperly and illegally appropriated for its own use DeLorean’s legacy, including the DeLorean Identity, aylor Swift continued to shake off the competition into the new together with intellectual property,” the lawsuit alleges. year as she topped the weekly US Billboard 200 chart on TWednesday for the eighth time. Swift’s “1989” sold 172,000 Golf course In this Oct 26, 2010 file photo, cast members of the “Back album copies and 718,000 individual song downloads, bringing her The suit claims the company has plans to manufacture an electric to the Future” movies appear on the NBC “Today” televi- total tally to 244,000 units sold for the week ending Jan 4, according version of the car, which it says would be illegal because the car’s sion program, commemorating the 25th anniversary of to figures from Nielsen SoundScan. It is the album’s eighth non-con- design belongs to John DeLorean’s estate. In addition to seeking to the films, in New York. — AP secutive week at the top of the chart. stop the company from continuing to use the trademarks, the suit lions of dollars of cocaine. His former estate in the rolling hills about In the recently revamped Billboard 200 chart guidelines, 10 song seeks damages as well as the company’s profits derived from their 40 miles west of New York City was converted into a golf course by sales equal one album unit, and 1,500 album streams equal one use. Through its attorney, the company has denied all claims and developer Donald Trump in 2004. Sally DeLorean lives in New Jersey album unit. Swift notably refused to make “1989” available to stream asserted it has the right to the trademarks. The two sides have a set- with her daughter. for free on online platforms such as Spotify, but that didn’t stop the tlement conference scheduled for next month. John Z. DeLorean was Attorney R. Scott Thompson, who represents Sally DeLorean, said record from becoming 2014’s biggest seller, with 3.7 million albums an automotive innovator who began his career at General Motors and John DeLorean bought his company’s trademarks, images and other sold. Streaming music figures did continue to grow significantly in is credited by some with creating America’s first “muscle” car, the intellectual property during the company’s bankruptcy proceeding. 2014 according to Nielsen’s year-end music report, with 164 billion Pontiac GTO, in the mid-1960s. He left GM in the early 1970s to The lawsuit alleges that in 2004 he gave the owners of the Texas com- songs streamed online in the United States, a 54 percent rise from launch his own company and eventually produced the DMC 12, pany permission to make a small modification to the car’s user manu- 2013. No new entries entered the top 10 of the Billboard 200 chart referred to simply as “the DeLorean,” a sleek, angular car with gull- al, and they acknowledged that DeLorean owned the intellectual this week as artists usually do not release music in the final week of wing doors and an unpainted stainless-steel exterior. property. the year. Rapper Nicki Minaj’s “The Pinkprint” remained steady at No. Only about 9,000 of the cars were produced before DeLorean’s 2, tallying 83,600 units this week, while British singer Ed Sheeran’s “X” company went bankrupt in the early 1980s, but the car’s look and cult Original factory climbed from No. 7 to No. 3 with 83,400 units. On the digital songs following helped land it a role in the “Back To The Future” films. “There is definitely no written agreement” relinquishing the trade- chart, which measures song downloads, Mark Ronson and Bruno According to the Internet Movie Database, the car was chosen marks, Thompson said, adding, “to the extent that any written agree- Mars’ “Uptown Funk!” sold 382,000 units and took the top spot from because it would plausibly look like a spacecraft to people in the ment exists, it says the opposite.” At that time, the lawsuit contends, Swift’s “Blank Space.” “Blank Space” dropped to No. 2 selling 284,000 1950s flashback scenes. DeLorean died in New Jersey in 2005 at age the Texas company was a “small forum” where DeLorean enthusiasts copies, while Irish singer-songwriter Hozier’s “Take Me to Church” 80 after years of court battles that included a highly publicized drug could buy or sell parts or exchange information. The company, dis- remained steady at No. 3 with 265,000 copies. — Reuters trial in the 1980s in which he was acquitted of conspiring to sell mil- putes this characterization. —AP Joyalukkas give prizes at ‘Joyalukkas Festival of a Million’ he mega winning opportunity at ‘Joyalukkas Festival of A Million’ has Treceived an over whelming response from customers across GCC, Singapore and Malaysia. The second set of winners of the 60 day campaign were announced today where they received gold coins and gift vouchers. The ‘Joyalukkas Festival of A Million’ offer shoppers the chance to win One Million AED gift vouchers and 100,000 gold coins with each purchase worth 50 KD at any Joyalukkas Jewelry showrooms. In addition to this some attractive offers are being offered to customers at Joyalukkas like, exchange old gold Jewellery for new and 10% cash back on every purchase of dia- mond and polka Jewelry. The lucky winners were picked by Ahmed Al-Mohammed from the Ministry of com- merce, Kuwait in the presence of Joyalukkas officials and various customers at Panasonic Tower, Kuwait Main branch on 28th December 2014 and the prizes where distrib- uted to winners on the first of January 2015. spirit we are also offering a bouquet of win- & MD of Joyalukkas Group. Million’ in addition to getting the big win “It’s a pleasure to see such an overwhelm- nings and exciting offers to reward our cus- John Paul Joy Alukkas, Executive Director, opportunity shoppers can also avail an ing response for ‘Joyalukkas Festival of A tomers. We have planned a big mix of offers Joyalukkas Group congratulating the win- attractive exchange of old gold Jewellery for Million’. It’s the season of giving and in addi- so that there is something for all types of ners on this occasion said, “During the 60 new and 10% cash back on every purchase tion to our special designs for the festive Jewelry buyers,” said Joy Alukkas, Chairman day duration of the ‘Joyalukkas Festival of A of diamond and polka Jewelry”. SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015

Stewards at Cafe Neo prepares cafe for clients. — AFP photos Preparing iced coffee for a client at the Cafe Neo in Lagos. Nigeria’s Cafe Neo: Hoping to become the African Starbucks

en in suits order takeaway cappuccinos at the counter. A uled to open early this year. There is another outlet in Kigali. All the trendy young crowd occupies comfortable sofas, armed cafes only serve 100 percent Rwandan arabica, which has become Mwith laptops for a brain-storming session over cafe lattes, one of its main selling points. The chain is hoping to branch out frappuccinos and soft jazz. The morning scene wouldn’t raise an across Africa and expects to have between 20 and 30 cafes in Lagos eyebrow in New York, London or Paris but cafe culture is a new phe- alone within the next four years. nomenon in Nigeria’s biggest city, where until recently finding a “Neo, in Tswana, the language in Botswana, means ‘gift’, and of decent espresso was a battle. The bright young things and senior course it also means ‘new’ in Latin,” said Dozie. “So, it’s a new way... managers were in Cafe Neo, on Victoria Island in Lagos, which has a new approach to coffee, a new approach where we, as Africans, been specifically designed to cater to the tastes of “repats”. drink the coffee that we produce, that’s been a gift for us, as Ngozi Dozie and his brother Chijoke created the chain with opposed to exporting it and importing sub-grade coffee.” returning Nigerians in mind, in the full knowledge that years spent Africa’s main coffee producers such as Ethiopia, Uganda and abroad alter views, tastes and expectations. Now the brothers hope Rwanda currently export most of their products to the United States to conquer Africa’s major cities with 100 percent African coffee and Europe. Kayitana John Bosco was brought over to Nigeria from before giants of the business such as Starbucks try to capture the Rwanda to train locals on how to make a proper coffee at Cafe Neo- market. “The demand (in Lagos) is very high. There’s a significant and said it was time for a change. “Our first coffee tree was planted minority of people who love coffee and want to drink coffee but in 1904,” he said of his homeland. “We’ve been producing coffee for haven’t had access to coffee,” Ngozi told AFP.The “significant minor- more than a century. But brewing, the consumption... it’s really still ity” have studied and worked abroad, coming back in their thou- down. “I visited a coffee farmer in 2007. That old man had been sands from the United States or Europe as austerity measures kicked doing coffee farming for 20 years, but he didn’t know the taste of it. in after the global financial crisis. “So, his job was to do farming, harvest, send. He didn’t know where While they were away, Nigeria-already Africa’s most populous it was going or what it was used for.”— AFP A customer operates computer with a cup of iced coffee. nation with some 170 million people-became the continent’s lead- ing economy-and a country ripe with opportunity. With economic growth has come an emerging middle class, which has increased six fold to 4.1 million households between 2000 and 2014, according to a recent study by Standard Bank.

Indian inspiration A number of US chains such as KFC and Domino’s Pizza are already in Nigeria and increasingly popular, despite the astronomi- cal costs of running a business in the country. Poor or non-existent infrastructure forces businesses to rely on huge electricity genera- tors to keep the lights on when the public supply goes off, some- times for up to 12 hours a day. The brothers’ idea is to first conquer the Nigerian market before Starbucks, which has more than 20,000 cafes in 65 countries across the globe but none in sub-Saharan Africa. Ngozi Dozie is not yet 40 and is himself a “repat”. Before embark- ing on the business venture, he knew friends who would bring back bags of coffee from the United States. He said he was inspired by India, where Cafe Coffee Day has largely cornered the market, despite the increasing presence of international chains such as Britain’s Costa Coffee or Starbucks. “India is a fantastic example with Cafe Coffee Day,” he explained. “We aim at something similar. “We’re starting young right now and our aim is to grow as such that yes, Starbucks may come, but we want to be the choice of Nigerians, because there’s that affinity with something that comes from here, in Africa.”

Produce and consume Founder of Neo Cafe Ngozi Dozie speaks on December 4, A steward prepares iced coffee for a client. Neo has three cafes currently in Lagos and two others are sched- 2014 in Lagos. TECHNOLOGY SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015

Ford at CES announces smart mobility plan 25 global experiments designed to change the way the world moves

DUBAI: Ford at the 2015 Consumer autonomous vehicles the company has on Fourteen of the 25 experiments are Ford- ed cities and the use of navigation and other Electronics Show is highlighting how it is the road today and fully autonomous vehi- led research projects, and 11 are part of the tools to help people gain access to medical using innovation not only to create cles now in development. company’s Innovate Mobility Challenge care in remote areas. advanced new vehicles but also to help Series. The experiments include: change the way the world moves by solving 25 global mobility experiments • Big Data Drive: Dearborn, Michigan SYNC 3 today’s growing global transportation chal- The first steps for Ford Smart Mobility are • Fleet Insights: United States Also at CES, Ford highlighted SYNC 3, the lenges. 25 experiments - eight in North America, • Data Driven Insurance: London company’s new communications and enter- The company announced its Ford Smart nine in Europe and Africa, seven in Asia and • Remote Repositioning: Atlanta tainment system that is faster, more intuitive Mobility plan to use innovation to take it to one in South America. Each experiment is • City Driving On-Demand: London and easier to use with enhanced response to the next level in connectivity, mobility, designed to anticipate what customers will • Dynamic Social Shuttle: New York, London driver commands. autonomous vehicles, the customer experi- want and need in tomorrow’s transportation • Car Swap: Dearborn, Michigan SYNC 3’s more conversational speech ence and big data. Ford also announced 25 ecosystem. • ∑Ford Carsharing: Germany recognition technology, a more smartphone- mobility experiments around the world this “We see a world where vehicles talk to • Share-Car: Bangalore, India like touch screen and easy-to-read graphics year to test breakthrough transportation one another, drivers and vehicles communi- • Rapid Recharge & Share: Dearborn, will help millions of drivers connect with ideas to create better customer experiences, cate with the city infrastructure to relieve Michigan their lives and control their smartphone more flexible user-ship models and social congestion, and people routinely share vehi- • Data Driven Healthcare: The Gambia, West while on the road. collaboration that can reward customers. cles or multiple forms of transportation for Africa The next-generation system builds on the “Even as we showcase connected cars and their daily commute,” Fields said. “The exper- • Parking Spotter: Atlanta capability of SYNC technology already in share our plans for autonomous vehicles, we iments we’re undertaking today will lead to • Info Cycle: Palo Alto, California more than 10 million vehicles on the road are here at CES with a higher purpose,” said an all-new model of transportation and • Painless Parking: London globally. SYNC 3 begins arriving on new Ford President and CEO Mark Fields. “We are mobility within the next 10 years and With the Innovate Mobility Challenge vehicles this year. “Ford is delivering an easi- driving innovation in every part of our busi- beyond.” Series, Ford invited innovators and develop- er way for customers to stay connected,” said ness to be both a product and mobility com- The 25 experiments address four global ers around the world to create solutions for Raj Nair, Ford chief technical officer and pany - and, ultimately, to change the way the megatrends - explosive population growth, specific mobility challenges in North group vice president, Global Product world moves just as our founder Henry Ford an expanding middle class, air quality and America and South America, Portugal, Africa, Development. “SYNC 3 is another step for- did 111 years ago.” public health concerns, and changing cus- India, China, England and Australia. ward in delivering connectivity features cus- Also at CES, Ford is demonstrating SYNC tomer attitudes and priorities - challenging Challenges included finding technology tomers most want, and they tell us this kind 3, its most advanced vehicle connectivity today’s transportation model and limiting solutions to identify open parking spaces in of technology is an important part of their system, while highlighting semi- personal mobility, especially in urban areas. urban areas, better ways to navigate crowd- decision to buy our vehicles.” Coming to a car near you: Auto technology at CES

LAS VEGAS: Self-driving cars garner much of control and parallel parking assistance are the attention, but in reality, we’re years away steps toward taking our hands completely off from tooling around in something like Knight the wheel. Rider’s KITT. Coming sooner to a car near you: There are 1.2 million traffic-related deaths smartphone apps on dash displays, cruise globally each year, according to the World control that adapts to cars around it, remote Health Organization; 32,719 of them were in engine starting and more. the US in 2013. As automakers point out, your At International CES in Las Vegas this self-driving car won’t get drunk, tired or dis- week, 10 automakers and numerous suppliers tracted. And they could return something unveiled technological features that will find many other gadgets have taken away: time. their way into cars in the distant and not-so- First, “the car has to become self-aware. It distant future. has to be able to see and understand what’s Here’s a look at some of their wares. Your happening around it,” said Jen-Hsun Huang, car will think. It will react. It will learn.”This car co-founder and CEO of Nvidia, which intro- will take responsibility,” said Dieter Zetsche, duced a super-fast processor at the show and leader of Mercedes-Benz, as he introduced has been working with Audi to develop pilot- the company’s luxury self-driving concept car ed systems and in-car digital displays. of the future. Audi touted a road trip that its A7 piloted If that sounds a bit scary, like the prologue prototype - piloted because there still needs to a film in which machines overtake to be a driver behind the wheel to assure mankind, companies supplying the brains nothing goes awry - took from Silicon Valley and eyes for these robocars say it’s for our to Las Vegas for the show, without incident, LAS VEGAS: The OpenAir I1.3 infotainment system is on display in a car at the Visteon own good. Cars already do some of these “driven” by chosen journalists sitting behind booth Thursday, at the International CES in Las Vegas. The technology allows you to things, really. Anti-lock brake systems, cruise the wheel.— AP access your smart phone and its apps from the touch screen in your car. — AP TECHNOLOGY SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015

LAS VEGAS: Smart home gadgetry on display by Lowe’s home improvement shop chain LAS VEGAS: The Rotimatic flatbread making machine is demonstrated at the Zimplistic at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, includes sensors for dog collars that booth at the International CES Thursday in Las Vegas.— AP cause “doggy doors” to automatically open as pooches approach. — AFP Homes becoming mindful members of the family

LAS VEGAS: From door bells that scrutinize tions in smartphones or tablet computers. uses sensors and cameras for its creations to each other through a common hub promises visitors to washing machines that know when communicate with one another, even letting to ramp adoption faster than forcing con- you’re home and lights that click off when Watching over the family people virtually glimpse into refrigerators sumers to pick between systems that work you get in bed, houses are getting smarter. The system in the Lowe’s smart house while shopping to see what they might need. only with one company’s products. The trend of once-dumb fixtures and appli- could alert parents to the arrival home of their Logbar, which has offices in Japan and Forrester analyst Frank Gillett referred to ances being given the brains to respond to, or children, thanks to a signal from a special fob Silicon Valley, was catching attention with a the various hubs and systems for connected even anticipate people’s needs was on display attached to their key rings. Bluetooth-enabled ring that, when worn, homes as being in a “fragmented battle.” at the Consumer Electronics Show that ends Window blinds could be opened or closed allowed people to control smartphones using Google is pushing into the market through Friday in Las Vegas. on commands, and a sensor affixed to a dog’s gestures. smart-thermostat maker Nest, which it US home improvement shop chain Lowe’s collar signaled a doggy door to unlock when a Logbar is planning to release a Ring Hub bought a year ago in a deal valued at $3.2 bil- built a mock house on the cavernous show pet neared. disk that will synch with the rings to allow lion. floor to demonstrate Iris, a globe-shaped Smart home systems can also synch to sur- infra-red enabled televisions, lights, appli- A growing list of household things or serv- device that acts as a hub for using smart- veillance cameras and motion detectors, ances and other things in homes to be con- ices that work with Nest was unveiled at CES. phones to control lights, thermostats, outlets allowing people to monitor their homes with- trolled with gesture. Among them were a car-charging station and more. out costly service contracts with security com- “You don’t need many remote controllers; that lets users know when energy prices are CES was rife with Internet-linked smart panies. The demo home also featured a box all you need is this ring,” Momoko Matsuzaki high and a washer and dryer that switch to light bulbs, door locks, wall outlets for smart that connected to the water line and sends a of Logbar told AFP. “Then, when you leave quieter modes when people are home. homes. message to the home owner if change in flow your house you can also control your phone There was also a smart door lock that starts Hubs used as command centers for gadg- indicates a leak or burst pipe. with it.” warming or cooling the house when someone ets in homes plug into the Internet and then “And everything we have is do-it-yourself,” South Korean consumer electronics giant arrives home and sets the thermostat to an connect with compatible fixtures, locks, secu- a Lowe’s spokesperson said while guiding Samsung used CES to announce that away mode to save energy when someone rity cameras, appliances or other objects wire- AFP through the mock home. not only is it working toward making near- locks up on the way out. lessly using new technologies such as ZigBee ly all of its devices “connected” but that it is “Things that magically happen around or Z-Wave. A Ring to rule them all opening the platform to software developers your house aren’t just sci-fi anymore,” Nest Internet connections let hubs exchange German home appliance titan Bosch and hardware makers. co-founder and head of engineering Matt information, alerts or messages with applica- showed off its connected home system that Allowing rival home devices to “speak” to Rogers said in a blog post. — AFP Virtual reality enters a new dimension

LAS VEGAS: Welcome to “The Matrix”? degrees around you, but above you and Not quite, but new technologies are push- below you,” he said. “After visual, audio is ing ultra-convincing virtual realities out of the actually one of the major senses that humans realm of science fiction and into the now. use to perceive the world around them.” Some of this new tech was displayed at the Some other exhibitors at CES were show- Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this ing equipment for 3D sound, which according week, including Crescent Bay, the latest pro- to developers goes far beyond normal stereo totype headset from Oculus Rift. quality. “For me to feel that something is real, “We really try to trick all of your senses into you need more than just sight,” said Dimitri believing that you’re there,” said Nate Singer, co-founder of the French startup 3D Mitchell, co-founder of Oculus, a startup Sounds Lab, which was showing its 3D audio acquired last year by Facebook. headphones. “Sound is what bring emotion.” Considered among the most promising By giving sounds that seem to come from developers of virtual reality gear, Oculus says different dimensions, startups like LAS VEGAS: Jeremy Gaddis uses the Virtuix Omni, an omni-directional treadmill virtual its next generation is even more immersive. 3D Sounds Lab hope to provide a new reality gaming system with Oculus Rift, at the 2015 International CES at the Las Vegas The new headset has improved ergonom- immersive cinema-like experience for people Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. —AFP ics, optics and audio quality, and software watching films on a tablet or smartphone. that enables better head tracking to follow Singer said this technology can also bring treadmill game “is just the tip of the iceberg,” these different things and perceiving that the user’s movements. immersive sound to other applications such and that the technology can be used in appli- they are real and mapping them into your With the headset on, you find yourself in a as gaming. cations such as medical or military training. memory is a very powerful thing.” world with dinosaurs or extraterrestrials that Nate Mitchell at Oculus also sees many But one element is still missing from the seem real enough to touch. The image fol- Virtual reality treadmill potential applications for virtual reality tech- virtual reality puzzle, according to Mitchell: lows your movements when you look up, Another virtual reality experience seen at nology. the hands. down or behind. CES was the treadmill designed by the startup It can be used for virtual face-to-face tele- With the current virtual reality systems, Virtuix. The system uses an Oculus headset conferencing in a sort of “Skype on steroids,” “you can’t see your hands,” he said. Hearing is believing and special connected shoes, an enables the he said. Education can benefit from this as “You’re interacting a little bit with the Another key to the virtual world is user to walk or run through the virtual world, well, he said. “That’s how your children will world using your head, but you want to reach enhancements in 3D sound, Mitchell told AFP. on the belief that virtual reality cannot be learn about the dinosaurs,” he said. out, not only touch but you want feel what “We have 3D audio in all these demos experienced sitting down. “Being able to go hands on and travel to you’re touching. That’s been one of the key where you can hear sounds not only 360 Virtuix spokesman Lorenzo Adams said the these different places and see barriers for VR.” — AFP TV listings SATURDAY, JANUARAY 10, 2015

19:20 Kindig Customs 08:05 Austin & Ally Hamptons 02:55 Coronation Street 20:10 The Liquidator 08:30 Girl Meets World 00:55 Extreme Close-Up 03:25 Tricked 20:35 Dallas Car Sharks 08:55 Suite Life On Deck 01:25 Live From The Red Carpet 04:20 Keep It In The Family 21:00 Fast N’ Loud 09:20 Wizards Of Waverly Place 02:20 E! News 05:15 Murdoch Mysteries 21:50 Kindig Customs 09:45 Hannah Montana 03:15 Giuliana & Bill 06:10 The Jonathan Ross Show 00:30 Eastenders 00:20 Street Outlaws 22:40 Highway To Sell 10:10 That’s So Raven 04:10 E!ES 07:05 Celebrity Exposed: Richard 01:00 Doctors 01:10 The Fighters 23:30 Fast N’ Loud 10:35 Let It Shine 05:05 E!ES Young Photography 01:30 Being Erica 02:00 Fast N’ Loud 12:15 Austin & Ally 06:00 Kourtney And Kim Take Miami 07:30 Tricked 02:15 The Omid Djalili Show 02:50 Auction Hunters 12:40 Jessie 06:55 Kourtney And Kim Take Miami 08:25 Keep It In The Family 02:45 Sherlock 03:15 The Liquidator 13:05 I Didn’t Do It 07:50 Style Star 09:20 Big Star’s Little Star 13:30 So Random 04:15 The Weakest Link 03:40 Dukes Of Haggle 08:20 E! News 10:15 Murdoch Mysteries 13:55 Liv And Maddie 05:00 Woolly & Tig 04:05 How It’s Made 09:15 Live From The Red Carpet 11:10 Emmerdale 14:20 The Adventures Of Disney 05:05 The Green Balloon Club 04:30 How It’s Made 10:15 Beyond Candid With Giuliana 11:35 Emmerdale 00:00 Violetta Fairies 05:30 Gigglebiz 05:00 Dual Survival 00:45 The Hive 11:10 E!ES 12:00 Coronation Street 06:00 Siberian Cut 14:55 Jessie 05:45 Boogie Beebies 00:50 Art Attack 15:20 I Didn’t Do It 12:05 E! News 12:30 The Hungry Sailors 06:50 Car Chasers 06:00 Nina And The Neurons: In The 01:15 Art Attack 15:45 Liv And Maddie 13:05 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills 13:25 The Jonathan Ross Show 07:40 Fast N’ Loud Lab 01:40 Jungle Junction 16:10 Austin & Ally 13:35 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills 14:20 Celebrity Exposed: Richard 08:30 Auction Hunters 06:15 Woolly & Tig 01:50 Jungle Junction 16:35 Girl Meets World 14:05 Fashion Bloggers Young Photography 08:55 The Liquidator 06:20 The Green Balloon Club 02:05 Jungle Junction 18:40 Good Luck Charlie 14:30 Fashion Bloggers 14:45 Murdoch Mysteries 09:20 Dukes Of Haggle 06:45 Gigglebiz 02:15 Jungle Junction 19:05 I Didn’t Do It 15:00 House Of DVF 15:35 The Great Fire 09:45 How It’s Made 07:00 Boogie Beebies 02:30 Violetta 19:30 Liv And Maddie 16:00 Kourtney And Khloe Take The 16:30 Who’s Doing The Dishes 10:10 How It’s Made 07:15 The Weakest Link 03:10 The Hive 19:55 Austin & Ally Hamptons 17:25 Big Star’s Little Star 10:35 Airplane Repo 03:20 Art Attack 17:00 Kourtney And Khloe Take The 18:20 The Jonathan Ross Show 08:00 Only Fools And Horses 20:20 Wizards Of Waverly Place 11:25 Street Outlaws 03:45 Art Attack 20:45 Suite Life On Deck Hamptons 19:10 Coronation Street 08:30 The Omid Djalili Show 12:15 Extreme Car Hoarders 04:10 Jungle Junction 21:10 Hannah Montana 18:00 E! News 19:35 The Great Fire 09:00 Eastenders 13:05 Auction Hunters 04:20 Jungle Junction 21:35 That’s So Raven 19:00 Live From E! 20:30 Who’s Doing The Dishes 09:30 Doctors 13:30 The Liquidator 04:35 Jungle Junction 22:00 Suite Life On Deck 19:30 Eric And Jessie: Game On 21:25 Big Star’s Little Star 10:00 Being Erica 13:55 Dukes Of Haggle 04:45 Jungle Junction 22:25 A.N.T. Farm 20:00 Giuliana & Bill 22:20 Coronation Street 10:45 The Weakest Link 14:20 Siberian Cut 05:00 Art Attack 22:50 Shake It Up 21:00 Fashion Bloggers 22:50 Emmerdale 11:35 Only Fools And Horses 15:10 Car Chasers 05:25 Art Attack 23:10 Wolfblood 21:30 Fashion Bloggers 23:15 Emmerdale 12:05 The Omid Djalili Show 16:00 Fast N’ Loud 05:50 Mouk 22:00 E! News 23:45 Murdoch Mysteries 06:00 Dog With A Blog 12:35 2 Point 4 Children 16:50 How It’s Made 23:00 Live From The Red Carpet 13:10 Eastenders 17:15 How It’s Made 06:25 Liv And Maddie 06:50 So Random 13:40 Doctors 17:40 Dual Survival 07:15 I Didn’t Do It 14:10 Being Erica 18:30 Fast N’ Loud 00:00 Kourtney And Khloe Take The 07:40 Jessie 15:00 The Mimic 15:25 Only Fools And Horses 15:55 The Omid Djalili Show 00:00 Ape Man 16:25 The Weakest Link 00:05 Chopped 01:00 Pirate Patrol 17:10 My Family 00:55 Amazing Wedding Cakes 02:00 Predator CSI 17:40 Doctors 01:45 Amazing Wedding Cakes 03:00 My Dog Ate What? 02:35 Siba’s Table 04:00 The Raising of The Costa 18:10 Being Erica 03:00 Siba’s Table Concordia 19:00 Blackadder II 03:25 Charly’s Cake Angels 05:00 Ultimate Airport Dubai 19:30 The Mimic 03:50 Amazing Wedding Cakes 06:00 Hard Time 20:00 Sherlock 04:40 All You Can Meat 07:00 Ancient Megastructures 21:30 Ideal 05:05 Roadtrip With G. Garvin 08:00 Ape Man 22:00 Alan Carr: Chatty Man 05:30 Reza’s African Kitchen 09:00 Pirate Patrol 22:45 Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle 05:50 Siba’s Table 10:00 Predator CSI 23:15 Blackadder II 06:10 Sweet Genius 11:00 Knights of Mayhem 07:00 Roadtrip With G. Garvin 12:00 Fight Science 07:25 Roadtrip With G. Garvin 13:00 Ancient Secrets: Cathedrals 07:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Decoded 08:15 Chopped 14:00 Megacities 09:05 Barefoot Contessa - Back To 15:00 Mega Factories: Supercars 00:00 Marbella Mansions Basics 16:00 Mega Breakdown 00:45 Food Glorious Food 09:30 Farm Kings 17:00 Live Free Or Die 01:30 Bill’s Kitchen: Notting Hill 10:20 Recipes That Rock 18:00 Hunter Hunted 01:55 Sweet Baby James 10:45 All You Can Meat 19:00 Mega Factories: Supercars 02:20 Celebrity MasterChef 11:10 Roadtrip With G. Garvin 20:00 Mega Breakdown 03:10 Bargain Hunt 11:35 Grandma’s Secret Cookbook 21:00 Live Free Or Die 03:55 Come Dine With Me 12:00 Chopped 22:00 Hunter Hunted 04:20 Planet Cake 12:50 Siba’s Table 23:00 Knights of Mayhem 04:45 Marbella Mansions 13:15 Jenny Morris Cooks The Riviera 05:30 Food Glorious Food 13:40 Mystery Diners 06:15 Bill’s Kitchen: Notting Hill 14:05 Guy’s Grocery Games 06:45 Sweet Baby James 14:55 Roadtrip With G. Garvin 15:20 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 07:05 Celebrity MasterChef 15:45 Farm Kings 08:00 Bargain Hunt 00:30 The Daily Show With Jon 16:35 Chopped 08:45 Come Dine With Me Stewart 17:25 Jenny Morris Cooks The Riviera 09:10 Marbella Mansions 01:00 Two And A Half Men 17:50 Guy’s Big Bite 09:55 Food Glorious Food 01:30 Family Guy 18:15 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 02:00 The League 10:40 Bill’s Kitchen: Notting Hill 18:40 Siba’s Table 02:30 Louie 11:05 Sweet Baby James 19:05 Grandma’s Secret Cookbook 03:00 The Neighbors 11:30 Celebrity MasterChef 19:30 Mystery Diners 03:30 How I Met Your Mother 12:20 Bargain Hunt 19:55 Burger Land 04:00 New Girl 13:05 Come Dine With Me 20:20 Guy’s Grocery Games 04:30 The Tonight Show Starring 13:30 Marbella Mansions 21:10 Amazing Wedding Cakes Jimmy Fallon 14:15 Food Glorious Food 22:00 BBQ Crawl 05:30 My Boys 15:05 Bill’s Kitchen: Notting Hill 22:25 BBQ Crawl 06:00 Til Death 15:30 Fat & Fatter 22:50 Pizza Cuz 06:30 Welcome To The Family 16:25 Celebrity MasterChef 23:15 Pizza Cuz 07:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers 17:20 Bargain Hunt 23:40 Burger Land 08:00 New Girl 18:05 Come Dine With Me 08:30 My Boys 18:30 DIY SOS: The Big Build 09:00 The Neighbors 19:20 DIY SOS: The Big Build 09:30 Brooklyn Nine-Nine 20:15 How To Cook Like Heston 10:00 Young & Hungry 20:40 Come Dine With Me: South 10:30 Welcome To The Family Africa 00:40 The Hungry Sailors 11:00 The Tonight Show Starring 21:30 Celebrity MasterChef 01:30 Celebrity Exposed: Richard Jimmy Fallon 22:25 Bargain Hunt Young Photography 12:00 Til Death 12:30 New Girl 23:10 Come Dine With Me 02:00 Emmerdale 13:00 My Boys 23:35 The Hairy Bikers USA OBLIVION ON OSN MOVIES ACTION 02:25 Emmerdale TV listings SATURDAY, JANUARAY 10, 2015

13:30 Welcome To The Family 12:00 Emmerdale 05:45 Oblivion 14:00 How I Met Your Mother 13:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 08:00 The Peacemaker 14:30 Brooklyn Nine-Nine 14:00 C.S.I. 10:00 White House Down 15:00 Young & Hungry 15:00 White Collar 12:15 Ninja: Shadow Of A Tear 15:30 The Daily Show With Jon 16:00 Emmerdale 14:00 Oblivion Stewart 17:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 16:15 Knockout 16:00 Two And A Half Men 18:00 C.S.I. 18:00 Bad Company 16:30 Til Death 19:00 Once Upon A Time 20:00 White House Down 17:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers 20:00 Grey’s Anatomy 22:15 Alex Cross 18:00 The Neighbors 21:00 American Idol 18:30 How I Met Your Mother 23:00 American Horror Story: Freak 19:00 Brooklyn Nine-Nine Show 19:30 The Goldbergs 20:00 The Tonight Show Starring 00:00 Texas Chainsaw-18 Jimmy Fallon 02:00 Age Of Heroes-PG15 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon 03:45 Oblivion-PG15 Stewart 00:00 Unforgettable 06:00 The Peacemaker-PG15 21:30 Two And A Half Men 01:00 Good Morning America 08:00 White House Down-PG15 22:00 Married 03:00 Dracula 10:15 Ninja: Shadow Of A Tear-PG15 22:30 The League 04:00 The Leftovers 12:00 Oblivion-PG15 23:00 Louie 05:00 Good Morning America 14:15 Knockout-PG15 23:30 Late Night With Seth Meyers 07:00 Emmerdale 16:00 Bad Company-PG15 09:00 24 18:00 White House Down-PG15 10:00 Emmerdale 20:15 Alex Cross-PG15 13:00 Unforgettable 22:00 Jack Reacher-PG15 14:00 24 00:00 White Collar 15:00 Live Good Morning America 01:00 American Idol 18:00 Unforgettable 02:00 24: Live Another Day 19:00 24 03:00 Supernatural 21:00 Unforgettable 00:00 Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox 04:00 Suits 22:00 Dracula Story-18 05:00 The Flash 23:00 The Leftovers 02:00 Stand Off-PG15 06:00 White Collar 04:00 Wild Hogs-PG15 07:00 Helix 06:00 Hello Ladies: The Movie-PG15 08:00 C.S.I. 08:00 Mr. 3000-PG 09:00 American Idol 00:00 Ninja: Shadow Of A Tear 10:00 Stand Off-PG15 10:00 The Flash 02:00 Texas Chainsaw 12:00 Wild Hogs-PG15 11:00 Suits 04:00 Age Of Heroes 14:00 So I Married An Axe Murderer-

GAMBIT ON OSN MOVIES COMEDY HD

PG15 22:00 Being Flynn-18 16:00 Mr. 3000-PG 18:00 Chalet Girl-PG15 20:00 Gambit-PG15 22:00 Pineapple Express-18 00:00 Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa-18 00:00 Marvel’s Ultimate Avengers II- 01:30 Haunter-PG15 PG 03:15 A Family Reunion-PG15 01:30 Red 2-PG15 04:45 Dream House-PG15 03:30 The Good Doctor-PG15 06:30 The Lone Ranger-PG15 05:15 Salmon Fishing In The Yemen- 09:00 Pacific Rim-PG15 PG15 11:15 Madagascar-PG 01:30 Pawn-PG15 07:15 The Host-PG15 13:00 Lovestruck: The Musical-PG15 03:00 Jobs-PG15 09:30 Good Deeds-PG15 14:45 Saving Mr. Banks-PG15 11:30 Red 2-PG15 05:15 Struck By Lightning-PG15 17:00 Pacific Rim-PG15 13:30 Mirror Mirror-PG15 07:00 Pawn-PG15 19:15 The Legend Of Hercules-PG15 09:00 All Is Lost-PG15 21:00 Percy Jackson: Sea Of Monsters- 15:30 The Host-PG15 11:00 Struck By Lightning-PG15 PG 17:45 The Last Stand-PG15 13:00 Seven Days In Utopia-PG15 23:00 Snitch-PG15 19:45 Trespass-PG15 15:00 Maladies-PG15 21:45 Pain & Gain-18 16:45 All Is Lost-PG15 18:45 Ain’t Them Bodies Saints-PG15 20:30 Mandela: Long Walk To 01:00 Twigson Freedom-PG15 02:45 Marvel’s Thor: Tales Of Asgaard 23:00 The Paperboy-18 04:15 The Missing Lynx 02:00 Hero Indian Super League 06:00 Imaginum Highlights 08:00 Unstable Fables: 3 Pigs & A Baby 04:30 Currie Cup Final Highlights 10:00 A Turtle’s Tale 2: Sammy’s 07:00 Hero Indian Super League Escape From Paradise Highlights 00:45 The Doors: When You’re 11:45 Garfield’s Fun Fest 09:30 Top 14 Highlights Strange-18 13:15 Unstable Fables: 3 Pigs & A Baby 10:00 Volvo Ocean Race Highlights 02:30 Beastly-PG15 15:00 The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince 10:30 ICC Cricket 360 04:30 The Armstrong Lie-PG15 Caspian 11:00 European Tour Weekly 07:00 Faces In The Crowd-PG15 18:00 A Turtle’s Tale 2: Sammy’s 09:00 My Last Day Without You-PG15 11:30 Live PGA European Tour Escape From Paradise 10:30 Captain Phillips-PG15 14:00 Trans World Sport 20:00 Barbie In The 12 Dancing 12:45 Tales Of The Night-PG 15:30 Live PGA European Tour Princesses 14:15 The Armstrong Lie-PG15 18:30 Top 14 Highlights 21:45 Jelly T 16:30 My Last Day Without You-PG15 19:00 Trans World Sport 23:15 The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince 18:30 Drift-PG15 21:00 Snooker UK Championship Caspian ALEX CROSS ON OSN MOVIES HD ACTION 20:30 Nobody Walks-PG15 WHAT’S ON SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015 Albanian painting exhibition in Kuwait

lbanian embassy in Kuwait in cooper- all citizens living in Kuwait and art lovers to of art works from five Albanian painters ation with the National Council for visit this exhibition which will stay open including traditional and modern painters ACulture, Arts and Letters and from 11 to 15 January, 9 am-1 pm and in as well as the various techniques of paint- Albanian National Gallery of Arts is organiz- the afternoon 5 pm -8 pm. ing starting from landscape, portrait, and ing an exhibition of Albanian painters in the Albanian Ambassador to the State of costume design to the modern techniques framework of the Al-Qurain Cultural Festival Kuwait Kujtim Morina addresses to the pub- of various installations, mixed media, in Kuwait. The opening ceremony of the lic of Kuwait on this occasion: “First, I would graphics, etc. I hope that Kuwaiti citizens exhibition will be this Sunday, 11 January, like to express my high appreciation to all and all the visitors will enjoy this exhibition 19:00, at the Museum of Modern Arts in Gulf the staff of National Council of Culture, Arts which brings some interesting views of Street in front of Souq Sharq, close to the and Letters for this cooperation. The exhibi- nature and abstractions from the Albanian Albanian ambassador Kujtim Morina Maritime Museum. We would like to invite tion “Reflections from Albania” is a collage artists. “

18th Youth Chorus Christmas celebrations

elodious carol songs were rendered by the most popular composed by John Abraham, the Choir Master and President of the community leaders were also present to witness the mega function. and well-trained carol teams from all the episcopal church- association. Choirs of KTMCC, Kuwait City Mar Thoma Church, St A Committee led by Thomas Chandy M L A, John Abraham, Somu Mes in Kuwait, United Indian School and Youth Chorus on Peter’s C S I Church, St George Universal Syrian Orthodox (Reesh) Mathew, Adv John Thomas P and Tony Mathew along with various the same stage, at the 18th Youth Chorus Christmas celebrations Church, St Gregorios Indian Orthodox Maha Edavaka, St John’s sub-committee conveners, Raju Zakarias, Shibu Pulampallil, held at United Indian School Auditorium on 18th December 2014. Tamil C S I Church, United Indian School and Youth Chorus per- Santhosh Eayo, Shaji Simon, Abey Koshy, Jojy Jacob, Shiju Othara, Rt Rev Dr Thomas Mar Theethos Episcopa, Bishop of the Mumbai formed mellifluously. Youth Chorus Group Song Competition win- Sen M P, Iype Mathew, Prakash, Manoj Othara, Shyju Thomas, Liju Diocese of the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church was the chief ners were awarded with prestigious ever-rolling and individual tro- Abraham, Kessiya Sunny, Santhosh Oommen, George Henry coordi- guest and delivered the Christmas message. John Abraham, the phies. St George Universal Syrian Orthodox Church, Divine Voice of nated the programme. Jogy Jacob, Pr Sam Thomas, Jocey Benny President of Youth Chorus and Adv Prakash P Thomas, Lay Trustee Kuwait and the St Stephen Indian Orthodox Congregation bagged and Princy Eayo read the scripture portions. Chinnu Maxin and of Mar Thoma Church, felicitated on the occasion. Gen Secretary the First, Second and Third Prizes respectively. International as well Bhavitha Bright compered the whole event. William K Daniel was Somu Mathew welcomed the audience, Secretary Adv John as the consolation prize winners of the Bible Quest 2014 were the Choir Advisor and Chris Jose served as the Organist of Youth Thomas P made the offertory announcement and Shibu awarded the certificates and trophies. Chorus. The offertory amount was given to The Navodaya Project of Pullampallil extended the vote of thanks. Priests and spiritual leaders from various congregations led dif- the Mumbai Diocese of the Mar Thoma Church by Tony Mathew, Youth Chorus rendered a new Malayalam song written and ferent sessions of the event. Principals from Indian Schools and the Treasurer of Youth Chorus. KDMCA Kuwait Chapter 10th Anniversary Celebration

DMCA, The Alumni Association of Deva Matha Collegein Kuwait, conducted their 10th Anniversary Celebration Knamed as ‘KDMCA 10th Anniversary Celebration 2015’ yes- terday at ‘Hotel Ramada International Riggae’. The chief guests of the program were Adv Monce Joseph (Ex, Minister and MLA Kaduthuruthy) and Rev Fr Abraham Kollithanathumalayil (Manager of Deva Matha College). A sou- venir was published on account of Association’s 10th Anniversary. Presidents who lead the Association for the last ten years were honored in the function. For the successful conduct of the program, a reception com- mittee has been formed with 51 members headed by Raju Sacharia as General Convener and Maxi Mani as joint convener. The program was also followed by a variety of entertainment programs by kids and “Ganamela” by a leading orchestra team in Kuwait. KDMCA-KUWAIT is an Alumni Association of a well reputed Educational Institution-Deva Matha College in Kerala, functioning in Kuwait with an objective to promote art and culture amongst the Indian community in Kuwait. Organization president Jaison Joseph, General Secretary Bobby Patani, General convener Raju, Daiju, Johnson, Maxi, Johmon were also present during the press meet. WHAT’S ON SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015

Nizwa celebrated as capital of Islamic Culture for 2015

MUSCAT: The Sultanate of Oman starts a series of events to cel- activities, he pointed out. about 140 km from the capital Muscat. The city has a popula- ebrate the choice of its heritage-rich city of Nizwa as the capital Maamary added the activities also include Fifth International tion of 70,000 people. The civilization-inspired influence of of Islamic Culture for 2015, by the Islamic Educational, Scientific Exhibition of Fine Arts, the National Gallery of Documents and Nizwa is manifested through its many archaeological and her- and Cultural Organization (ISESCO). Coins, an exhibition on the museums system in the Sultanate itage sites such as Nizwa Castle and the adjoining fort which In a press statement, Undersecretary of the Ministry of and the exhibition of photography, as well as cultural and together are considered among the most important military Heritage and Culture Sheikh Hamad bin Hilal Al-Maamary handicraft exhibitions. He noted that Nizwa was chosen as the monuments in the Middle East region. announced that the Ministry designed a special logo to cele- capital of Islamic Culture due to the depth of its cultural influ- Nizwa Fort is one of the most popular tourist attractions in brate this event. He said that the Ministry plans a wide array of ence which dates backs to over 12 centuries and its richness of Oman due to the fact that it is an amazing example of old events to celebrate this occasion. The celebrations include heritage sites. Omani architecture that provides an illustration of the way holding a number of seminars, lectures, exhibitions and media Nizwa is the largest city in the Al-Dakhiliyah governorate, Omani people lived in ancient times. - KUNA

The Asima (Capital) Schools Club hosted a festival at Saffiya Middle School for girls, featuring an exhibition to showcase the students’ artistic works in club-sponsored workshops and activities. HEALTH SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015 Birth control shot may boost HIV risk

PARIS: Women who use a specific type of journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases. than for those already at higher HIV risk, like tive, effective contraceptive options. “This is injectable birth control have a slightly higher A meta-analysis of 12 studies involving sex workers. The analysis showed no likely to lead to more unintended pregnan- risk of HIV infection than those who take the nearly 40,000 women in sub-Saharan Africa, increased risk for users of other contracep- cies, and because childbirth remains life- pill, said a study yesterday. While the authors showed that use of depot medroxyproges- tive drugs. All the studies had factored in threatening in many developing countries, noted the link was “statistically significant”, terone acetate (DMPA), “increases a woman’s condom use. “The moderate elevation in risk could increase overall deaths among they warned it was not enough on its own to chance of becoming infected with HIV by 40 observed in our study is not enough to justify women.” Further research was urgently justify a complete withdrawal of the drug percent compared with women using other a complete withdrawal of DMPA for women needed to examine the danger for the high- commonly known by its brand name, Depo- contraceptive methods or no method,” said a in the general population,” said study co- est risk women like sex workers and those in Provera, used by millions of women. The statement. “Although statistically significant, author Lauren Ralph of the University of a relationship with an HIV-positive partner. A health risks of pulling the medicine from this represents only a moderate increase in California at Berkeley. potential association between DMPA and shelves may far outweigh the potential pre- relative risk,” it added. Banning DMPA, the most widely used higher HIV-risk was first noted in 1991, but ventable HIV infections, the authors argued The increase in risk was somewhat lower injectable contraceptive, “would leave many numerous studies have failed to show a in a paper published in prestigious medical among women “in the general population” women without immediate access to alterna- direct causal link.—AFP

Docs suggest HPV screening first for cervical cancer

NEW YORK: Two medical organizations have recommended testing for the human papillomavirus (HPV) to screen women for cervical cancer before using a Papanicolaou - or Pap - smear for screening. The new guidance is not universally accepted by all major medical organizations. However, the document does give some direction to doctors who may use the HPV test for screening, says lead author Dr. Warner Huh, from the Society of Gynecological Oncology and the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology. The HPV test has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration - but even more important than getting FDA approval “is getting accurate information to providers so they can understand the approach,” said Huh. About 12,000 US women were diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2010 and about 4,000 died from the disease, accord- ing to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Roughly 91 percent of cervical cancers are thought to be caused by HPV. At present, both the HPV test and the Pap test involve scraping cells from a woman’s cervix and vagina to be sent for testing. A Pap test looks for abnormal cells that may be pre-cancerous. The HPV test, on the other hand, checks for the presence of the virus. Last summer, a study found that the HPV test is better than Music therapy may bring the Pap test at assessing whether women are at risk for cervi- cal cancer. In that study, women were less likely to develop cervical cancer in the three years after a negative HPV test troubled families together than after a negative Pap test. NEW YORK: For families with emotional family care center that acts as an alter- than the standard care. “Engaging in Medical journals neglect issues, music therapy can native to removing children from their music therapy with a trained therapist The new guidance, which is based on a review of 11 stud- improve parent-child communication parents. offers (parents) the chance to learn new ies, suggests that women first be screened with an HPV test at and stress levels, according to a study All of the families showed signs of skills in responding to children, and age 25. If the test is negative, they should not be screened for from Denmark. In a small trial, music emotional neglect including social dys- practice them in a live and real way,” another three years. If the HPV test is positive for HPV strains therapy had a positive effect on both function or delayed emotional develop- Williams said. Jacobsen’s team says the 16 and 18, the ones most likely to lead to cancer, it should be verbal and nonverbal communication ment. Nine parent-child pairs received study results are preliminary and need followed by a biopsy of the cervix. between emotionally neglected chil- the center’s usual treatment program, to be repeated with a larger group. If the women test positive for other strains of HPV, they dren and their parents. Parents partici- while the other nine received six to 10 should receive a Pap test, according to the guidance, which is pating in music therapy also perceived music therapy sessions. The music ther- Music experiences published in Gynecological Oncology and two other medical their children as less stressful. apists observed the parent-child interac- Williams also says it’s not clear journals. For women younger than age 25, the new guidance “For children experiencing emotional tion and parents reported on their own whether the results in therapy will carry says they should follow the current recommendation for Pap neglect, music therapy can provide stress and parental relationship prior to over into the home setting, though it is testing. In 2012, the government-backed US Preventive them with a chance to be heard and treatment, and again four months later, likely that the benefits will continue Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended that women responded to in a safe, fun, and non- in questionnaires. beyond the sessions. Jacobsen pointed between ages 21 and 65 years be screened using a Pap test threatening context,” said Kate Williams, out that musical skills are not required every three years and said those ages 30 to 65 years could a music therapist and lecturer at the Less stressed to participate in music therapy and “the instead opt for cotesting, which is a Pap test in combination Queensland University of Technology in After the series of sessions, parents process is more important than the with a HPV test, every five years.—Reuters Australia who was not involved in the involved in the music therapy found it product.” study. Music therapy generally involves easier to talk to and understand their Families can also get some of the the therapist, parent and child playing children, and to communicate nonver- benefits without attending formal music instruments together, listening to and bally, than parents who did not receive therapy sessions, Williams said. Shared discussing music or playing musical music therapy. The music therapy par- music experiences between parent and games. ents also reported being less stressed child, such as listening to music togeth- Stine Jacobsen, who led the new out by their children’s moods and feel- er, dancing and singing, are helpful for a study, told Reuters Health by email that ing more empathetic toward them, child’s development and likely good for her team used interactive games in compared to the standard-treatment parenting skills as well, she said. which parents and children took turns group, the researchers reported in the Jacobsen recommends starting this following and leading each other and Journal of Music Therapy. musical bonding early. “Singing togeth- the therapist provided, “a musical frame Both groups of parents increased er or singing for your infant or toddler for the family to try and approach each their positive responses to the children can be a very intimate bonding activity other nonverbally through the music.” and decreased their negative ones, and and comes naturally for some families. Jacobsen, who heads the music ther- showed improvements in parenting The earlier you start interacting nonver- apy program at Aalborg University, and stress and stress in general. That sug- bally with your child in a meaningful her colleagues recruited 18 families with gests music therapy may not be more way the more you might see or feel the children ages 5 to 12 from a residential effective, but neither was it less effective benefit.”—Reuters HEALTH SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015 Tens of thousands to test Ebola vaccines in affected countries: WHO GENEVA: Human tests of two possible expected to be available by the middle of tions in a randomised order. Ebola vaccines have proven safe and now the year, and tens of millions by 2016, Kieny Before the trials can begin, Kieny said Ethiopia launches tests to measure their efficiency will begin said. The three African countries struggling vaccine manufacturers would need to within weeks in the three west African to stop Ebola have chosen radically differ- determine the best dosage, something that school program to countries ravaged by the deadly virus, the ent approaches to testing whether the vac- could take between two and four weeks. World Health Organization said yesterday. cines will actually protect humans against While the global health community has treat parasitic worms “These trials are about to begin for the two the deadly virus. Kieny said Liberia, where been fast-tracking the development of the lead vaccines,” WHO assistant director gen- the outbreak has proven most fatal so far vaccines, she stressed that no steps were ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopia is launching a national initiative eral Marie-Paule Kieny told reporters, causing nearly 3,500 deaths, planned to being skipped. Phase II broadened safety in schools this year to treat children at risk of infection adding that the vaccines would be tested test both vaccines against a third control and immunogenicity testing in people not from parasitic worms, mirroring a program in Kenya which on tens of thousands of people across vaccine, with around 9,000 people receiv- exposed to the virus, including tests on has improved child health and school attendance, a chari- Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The Phase children and other special groups, would ty involved said. Ethiopia aims to treat at least 80 percent III testing to ensure the vaccines actually happen in nearby African countries in par- of children at risk from parasitic worms by 2020, Evidence provide protection against the virus that allel with the efficacy tests, she said. Action said. The Horn of Africa nation, ravaged by famine has killed 8,259 people in the three African The duration of the phase III tests will in the 1980s, has received international praise for the way countries is set to begin in Liberia by the depend on the speed of the epidemic in it has improved its national health system, notably via end of the month, she said. the areas the vaccines are tested, Kieny community programs. Separate tests are scheduled to start in said. One complicating factor could be that The country of about 96 million people has more than Sierra Leone and Guinea in February, she the vaccines being tested must be stored 10 million children at risk for schistosomiasis, caused by a added. There is no licensed treatment or at super low temperatures of at least -80 parasite found in contaminated lakes or other freshwater vaccine for Ebola, and the WHO has degrees Celsius (-120 degrees Fahrenheit), sites, and 18 million children at risk from soil-transmitted endorsed rushing potential ones through but Kieny said special storage units were helminths, parasitic worms, the US-based charity said. trials in a bid to stem the epidemic. The two being set up in the three countries. Infections can prevent children benefiting from nutrients potential vaccines that have been undergo- in their food, leading to anaemia, malnourishment, ing Phase 1 safety tests on humans are Humanity fights back impaired development and other health problems. ChAd3, made by Britain’s GlaxoSmithKline, GENEVA: World Health Organization While they have come the furthest in Kenya has a similar program where Evidence Action is and VSV-EBOV, manufactured by the Public (WHO) Assistant Director General tests, ChAd3 and VSV-EBOV are far from the working with the Kenyan government. Skills learned there Health Agency of Canada and developed by Marie-Paule Kieny of France gives a only possible Ebola vaccines in the pipeline. will be leveraged in Ethiopia, the charity said. In the sec- Merck. Tests of the two potential vaccines Johnson & Johnson said this week that press conference after a review on ond phase of the Kenyan program that ended in March have been conducted on volunteers in a last progress on possible vaccines human trials of its proposed vaccine had 2014, 6.4 million children were treated in more than range of countries, including Switzerland, against the deadly Ebola virus yes- begun in Britain, and Kieny said the compa- 15,000 schools in regions facing the highest risk. The Mali, Gabon, Britain, Germany, Canada and terday at WHO headquarters in ny also expected to soon be able to start the United States. Both have shown to have Geneva.—AFP efficacy tests. And there are a range of oth- Kenyan program has helped cut school absenteeism by “an acceptable safety profile,” Kieny said, ers at different stages of development about 25 percent at a cost of about $3 million a year, in relaying the findings of a high-level meeting ing each. being made all over the world, including in addition to drugs donated by pharmaceutical firms, of policy makers, researchers, regulators and Guinea, meanwhile, aimed to test one of the US, Russia and China, Kieny said. Evidence Action said. vaccine developers in Geneva Thursday. the vaccines using a so-called “ring study” “Clearly at this time last year, I would say Schools offer an effective medium to distribute the “That is really good news,” she said, approach that was used to eradicate small- the cupboard was empty ... but now the drugs as they can be administered by teachers after some acknowledging that “the world is waiting pox, in which the entire village or commu- cupboard is clearly filling up rapidly,” she simple training, the charity said. Most children receive one for us to get these vaccines ready and out nity surrounding each infected person is said. Describing 2014 as the year when “the tablet a year. “School-based deworming would not have to the people with this virus raging through vaccinated. Kieny said that Guinea planned Ebola virus challenged humanity,” Kieny been an option 20 years ago when enrolment rates in Sub- their communities.” to offer 4,500 people immediate vaccina- voiced confidence that this year would be Saharan Africa were much lower,” said Katrin Verclas at tion and another 4,500 later. Sierra Leone remembered as the one when “humanity Evidence Action, speaking about the Kenyan project in Millions of doses plans to test one of the vaccines on around used our best scientific minds to fight Nairobi last year.—Reuters Millions of doses of the vaccines are 6,000 people, who will receive their injec- back.”—AFP SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015 area - 10 near Jabriya Indian Kuwait CHANGE OF NAME School for decent working KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY ladies or couple from I, Greeshma Jayaraj holder February-2015. Contact: (08/01/2015 TO 14/01/2015) of Indian Passport No: 99300513. (C 4898) F3536524 R/o Aishwarya, 5-1-2015 Kakkad P.O. 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Contact: dnais- SEVENTH SON 3:00 PM INTO THE WOODS 12:00 PM [email protected] SEVENTH SON-3D 5:15 PM INTO THE WOODS 2:30 PM Sharing accommodation (C 4900) SEVENTH SON 7:30 PM INTO THE WOODS 5:00 PM available in a flat at Jabriya, SEVENTH SON 9:45 PM TEVAR (HINDI) 7:30 PM 6-1-2015 SEVENTH SON 12:05 AM INTO THE WOODS 10:30 PM VICE 1:00 AM FANAR-1 AUTOMATA 12:30 PM Sabah Hospital 24812000 090 (Kuwaiti Film) 2:30 PM AL-KOUT.1 Amiri Hospital 22450005 AUTOMATA 4:15 PM SEVENTH SON-3D 11:30 AM UNBROKEN 6:15 PM SEVENTH SON 1:30 PM Maternity Hospital 24843100 VICE 9:00 PM SEVENTH SON-3D 3:30 PM Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital 25312700 AUTOMATA 11:00 PM SEVENTH SON 5:45 PM Chest Hospital 24849400 AUTOMATA 1:00 AM SEVENTH SON-3D 8:00 PM SEVENTH SON 10:15 PM Farwaniya Hospital 24892010 FANAR-2 SEVENTH SON 12:30 AM Adan Hospital 23940620 NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB 11:30 AM Ibn Sina Hospital 24840300 THE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 1:45 PM AL-KOUT.2 NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB 3:45 PM AUTOMATA 1:00 PM Al-Razi Hospital 24846000 NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB 5:45 PM AUTOMATA 3:00 PM Physiotherapy Hospital 24874330/9 THE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 7:45 PM 090 (Kuwaiti Film) 5:00 PM THE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 10:00 PM AUTOMATA 7:00 PM THE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 12:15 AM VICE 9:00 PM Kaizen center 25716707 AUTOMATA 11:00 PM Rawda 22517733 FANAR-3 090 (Kuwaiti Film) 1:00 AM THE IMITATION GAME 11:45 AM Adaliya 22517144 THE IMITATION GAME 2:15 PM AL-KOUT.3 Khaldiya 24848075 VICE 4:45 PM THE IMITATION GAME 11:30 AM Kaifan 24849807 090 (Kuwaiti Film) 6:45 PM THE IMITATION GAME 1:45 PM THE IMITATION GAME 8:30 PM UNBROKEN 4:00 PM Shamiya 24848913 090 (Kuwaiti Film) 10:45 PM THE IMITATION GAME 7:00 PM Shuwaikh 24814507 THE IMITATION GAME 12:45 AM UNBROKEN 9:15 PM Abdullah Salem 22549134 THE IMITATION GAME 12:05 AM Nuzha 22526804 MARINA-1 INTO THE WOODS 11:30 AM AL-KOUT.4 Industrial Shuwaikh 24814764 THE IMITATION GAME 2:15 PM THE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 11:45 AM Qadsiya 22515088 LEGEND OF THE NEVER BEAST 4:30 PM THE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 2:00 PM Dasmah 22532265 090 (Kuwaiti Film) 6:15 PM NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB 4:15 PM VICE 8:00 PM THE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 6:15 PM Bneid Al-Gar 22531908 THE IMITATION GAME 10:00 PM NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB 8:30 PM Shaab 22518752 THE IMITATION GAME 12:15 AM THE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 10:30 PM Qibla 22459381 THE WATER DIVINER 12:45 AM MARINA-2 THE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 11:45 AM BAIRAQ-1 Prayer timings NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB 2:00 PM SEVENTH SON-3D 12:45 PM NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB 4:00 PM SEVENTH SON-3D 3:00 PM Fajr: 05:20 THE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 6:00 PM SEVENTH SON-3D 5:15 PM THE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 8:15 PM SEVENTH SON 7:30 PM Shorook 06:44 THE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 10:30 PM SEVENTH SON-3D 9:45 PM THE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 12:45 AM SEVENTH SON 12:05 AM Duhr: 11:55 MARINA-3 BAIRAQ-2 Asr: 14:48 SEVENTH SON-3D 12:45 PM THE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 11:30 AM Maghrib: 17:07 SEVENTH SON 3:00 PM THE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 1:30 PM SEVENTH SON-3D 5:15 PM LEGEND OF THE NEVER BEAST 3:45 PM Isha: 18:29 information SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015 DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

In case you are not travelling, your proper cancellation of bookings will help other passengers use seats

Arrival Flights on Saturday 10/1/2015 SVA 510 Riyadh 17:15 FDB 8058 Dubai 10:00 Airlines Flt Route Time GFA 215 Bahrain 17:30 IAW 158A Al Najaf 10:05 JAI 574 Mumbai 00:10 IZG 4161 Mashhad 17:45 JZR 174 Dubai 10:10 JZR 239 Amman 00:25 JZR 325 Al Najaf 17:50 ETD 302 Abu Dhabi 10:20 JZR 267 Beirut 00:30 JZR 777 Jeddah 17:55 KAC 561 Amman 10:25 JZR 539 Cairo 00:40 UAL 982 IAD 17:55 JZR 356 Mashhad 10:30 KLM 413 Amsterdam/Dammam 00:40 UAE 875 Dubai 18:00 FDB 056 Dubai 10:35 THY 772 Istanbul 00:45 SVA 500 Jeddah 18:00 IRM 1181 Mashhad 10:50 FDB 069 Dubai 00:55 JZR 177 Dubai 18:20 QTR 1071 Doha 11:00 QTR 1084 Doha 01:00 KAC 542 Cairo 18:25 KAC 541 Cairo 11:05 RJA 642 Amman 01:05 KAC 118 New York 18:30 KAC 165 Rome/Paris 11:15 DLH 637 Dammam 01:15 FDB 063 Dubai 18:40 GFA 214 Bahrain 11:25 SAI 441 Lahore 01:30 ABY 121 Sharjah 18:40 THY 5413 Istanbul 11:30 PGT 858 Istanbul 01:35 CLX 856 Luxembourg 18:50 KAC 741 Dammam 11:45 ETH 620 Addis Ababa 01:45 QTR 1080 Doha 18:50 RBG 554 Alexandria 11:55 GFA 211 Bahrain 02:30 KAC 618 Doha 19:15 JZR 776 Jeddah 12:20 PGT 4615 Istanbul 02:35 KAC 674 Dubai 19:25 MSC 402 Alexandria 12:25 UAE 853 Dubai 02:35 GFA 217 Bahrain 19:30 UAE 874 Dubai 12:30 JZR 553 Alexandria 02:45 KAC 176 Geneva/Frankfurt 19:45 PIA 206 Lahore 12:40 JAI 526 Chennai/Abu Dhabi 02:50 IRA 669 Mashhad 19:50 SYR 342 Damascus 13:00 FDB 067 Dubai 02:55 KAC 774 Riyadh 19:55 IRM 1189 Mashhad 13:10 MSR 612 Cairo 03:10 KAC 104 London 19:55 JZR 176 Dubai 13:45 ETD 305 Abu Dhabi 03:10 KAC 614 Bahrain 20:00 MSR 611 Cairo 14:00 KKK 6507 Istanbul 03:20 JAI 572 Mumbai 20:00 IZG 4166 Mashhad 14:05 OMA 643 Muscat 03:25 MSR 618 Alexandria 20:05 MRJ 4814 Mashhad 14:10 QTR 1076 Doha 03:45 JZR 189 Dubai 20:15 UAE 872 Dubai 14:15 MSC 401 Alexandria 04:05 FDB 061 Dubai 20:20 IAW 158 Al Najaf 14:20 KAC 546 Alexandria 04:10 OMA 647 Muscat 20:20 JZR 324 Al Najaf 14:25 JZR 503 Luxor 05:25 KNE 474 Jeddah 20:25 IZG 4168 Mashhad 14:40 THY 770 Istanbul 05:35 ABY 123 Sharjah 20:35 IRC 527 Mashhad 14:55 DHX 170 Bahrain 05:40 DLH 634 Frankfurt 20:50 KAC 785 Jeddah 15:00 BAW 157 London 06:40 KAC 786 Jeddah 21:05 MSR 576 Sharm el-Sheikh 15:00 JZR 563 Sohag 06:45 ALK 229 Colombo 21:10 KAC 673 Dubai 15:00 KAC 416 Kuala Lumpur/Jakarta 06:45 MEA 402 Beirut 21:20 QTR 1079 Doha 15:05 KAC 412 Manila/Bangkok 07:10 ETD 307 Abu Dhabi 21:30 FDB 058 Dubai 15:10 FDB 053 Dubai 07:45 FDB 073 Dubai 21:35 KAC 617 Doha 15:15 QTR 1086 Doha 07:50 UAE 859 Dubai 21:40 TBZ 5484 Mashhad 15:20 KAC 352 Kochi 08:10 GFA 219 Bahrain 21:45 KNE 473 Jeddah 15:20 KAC 302 Mumbai 08:20 QTR 1074 Doha 21:55 JZR 188 Dubai 15:40 KAC 206 Islamabad 08:25 KNE 480 Taif 22:00 GFA 222 Bahrain 15:45 UAE 855 Dubai 08:40 JZR 135 Bahrain 22:05 KNE 471 Jeddah 15:50 KAC 362 Colombo 08:45 JZR 157 Dubai 22:10 OMA 646 Muscat 16:00 KAC 344 Chennai 08:45 KLM 415 Amsterdam 22:15 RJD 136 Abu Dhabi 16:05 ABY 125 Sharjah 09:00 ETD 309 Abu Dhabi 22:15 KAC 501 Beirut 16:15 IAW 157A Baghdad 09:05 MSC 409 Sharm el-Sheikh 22:20 KAC 773 Riyadh 16:20 JZR 327 Al Najaf 09:20 AIC 975 Chennai/Goa 22:30 ABY 128 Sharjah 16:25 FDB 8057 Dubai 09:20 FDB 059 Dubai 22:30 KNE 463 Madinah 16:30 ETD 301 Abu Dhabi 09:20 MSC 403 Sohag 22:45 KAC 613 Bahrain 16:35 IRM 1186 Tehran 09:40 UAL 981 Bahrain 23:10 KNE 481 Taif 16:50 FDB 055 Dubai 09:40 JZR 185 Dubai 23:15 FDB 052 Dubai 17:00 QTR 1070 Doha 10:00 THY 764 Istanbul 23:35 JZR 266 Beirut 17:05 THY 5412 Istanbul 10:30 FDB 071 Dubai 23:45 NIA 252 Alexandria 17:15 GFA 213 Bahrain 10:40 JZR 156 Dubai 17:35 UAE 873 Dubai 11:00 Departure Flights on Saturday 10/1/2015 QTR 1073 Doha 17:40 RBG 553 Alexandria 11:15 Airlines Flt Route Time UAE 858 Dubai 17:45 KAC 204 Lahore 11:25 AIC 976 Goa/Chennai 00:05 JZR 538 Cairo 17:45 MSC 405 Sohag 11:25 JZR 562 Sohag 00:05 ETD 304 Abu Dhabi 17:50 JZR 165 Dubai 11:30 AGY 681 Alexandria 00:15 RJA 641 Amman 17:55 PIA 205 Lahore 11:40 FDB 072 Dubai 00:45 IRM 1187 Tehran 18:15 IRM 1188 Mashhad 11:45 JAI 573 Mumbai 01:10 SVA 511 Riyadh 18:15 SYR 341 Damascus 12:00 KLM 413 Amsterdam 01:55 GFA 216 Bahrain 18:20 UAE 871 Dubai 12:50 KAC 203 Lahore 02:00 JZR 184 Dubai 18:40 JZR 241 Amman 12:55 DLH 637 Frankfurt 02:15 IZG 4162 Mashhad 18:45 MRJ 4815 Mashhad 12:55 KAC 283 Dhaka 02:25 JZR 238 Amman 18:50 MSR 610 Cairo 13:00 SAI 442 Lahore 02:30 JZR 134 Bahrain 19:10 IZG 4165 Mashhad 13:05 ETH 621 Addis Ababa 02:45 UAL 982 Bahrain 19:15 IAW 157 Al Najaf 13:20 THY 773 Istanbul 02:55 ABY 122 Sharjah 19:20 JZR 779 Jeddah 13:35 PGT 859 Istanbul 03:25 SVA 505 Jeddah 19:30 IZG 4167 Mashhad 13:40 KAC 381 Delhi 03:40 UAE 876 Dubai 19:40 KAC 382 Delhi 13:45 UAE 854 Dubai 03:50 QTR 1081 Doha 19:50 IRC 526 Mashhad 13:50 FDB 068 Dubai 03:55 FDB 064 Dubai 19:55 KAC 672 Dubai 13:55 ETD 306 Abu Dhabi 04:05 GFA 218 Bahrain 20:15 QTR 1078 Doha 14:05 PGT 4616 Istanbul 04:05 CLX 856 Hong Kong 20:20 MSR 575 Sharm el-Sheikh 14:15 MSR 613 Cairo 04:10 IRA 666 Esfahan 20:50 TBZ 5483 Mashhad 14:20 KKK 6508 Istanbul 04:10 KAC 361 Colombo 20:50 KNE 472 Jeddah 14:25 OMA 644 Muscat 04:25 JAI 571 Mumbai 21:00 FDB 057 Dubai 14:30 QTR 1085 Doha 04:30 MSR 607 Luxor 21:05 KAC 742 Dammam 14:45 MSC 406 Sohag 05:05 JZR 554 Alexandria 21:05 JZR 175 Dubai 14:45 QTR 1077 Doha 05:15 KNE 475 Jeddah 21:10 KNE 470 Jeddah 14:55 THY 765 Istanbul 05:40 KAC 331 Trivandrum 21:10 RJD 135 Abu Dhabi 14:55 JZR 326 Al Najaf 05:55 ABY 124 Sharjah 21:15 OMA 645 Muscat 14:55 FDB 070 Dubai 06:30 KAC 351 Kochi 21:15 GFA 221 Bahrain 15:00 JAI 525 Abu Dhabi/Chennai 06:35 OMA 648 Muscat 21:20 KAC 284 Dhaka 15:15 JZR 164 Dubai 06:55 FDB 062 Dubai 21:20 KAC 788 Jeddah 15:40 RJA 643 Amman 07:05 DHX 171 Bahrain 21:50 KNE 462 Madinah 15:45 GFA 212 Bahrain 07:15 ALK 230 Colombo 22:10 ABY 127 Sharjah 15:45 JZR 240 Amman 07:15 ETD 308 Abu Dhabi 22:15 UAE 857 Dubai 15:45 THY 771 Istanbul 07:30 KAC 301 Mumbai 22:15 FDB 051 Dubai 16:00 JZR 778 Jeddah 07:55 MEA 403 Beirut 22:20 KNE 460 Riyadh 16:00 FDB 054 Dubai 08:25 FDB 074 Dubai 22:30 JZR 535 Cairo 16:10 BAW 156 London 08:45 GFA 220 Bahrain 22:30 NIA 251 Alexandria 16:15 QTR 1087 Doha 08:50 UAE 860 Dubai 22:50 KAC 562 Amman 16:20 JZR 256 Beirut 09:05 KNE 461 Riyadh 22:50 JZR 257 Beirut 16:30 JZR 534 Cairo 09:15 KAC 205 Islamabad 22:55 JZR 357 Mashhad 16:30 KAC 671 Dubai 09:25 ETD 310 Abu Dhabi 23:00 QTR 1072 Doha 16:40 ABY 126 Sharjah 09:40 MSC 410 Sharm el-Sheikh 23:00 RJA 640 Amman 16:55 KAC 787 Jeddah 09:50 QTR 1075 Doha 23:05 ETD 303 Abu Dhabi 16:55 KAC 101 London/New York 09:50 KLM 415 Dammam/Amsterdam 23:15 IRM 1180 Mashhad 17:00 UAE 856 Dubai 09:55 KAC 543 Cairo 23:20 Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw) SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015

DOWN 1. Cloak consisting of an oblong piece of cloth used to cover the head and shoulders. CROSSWORD780 2. A civil or military authority in Turkey or Egypt. 3. Metal or plastic sheath over the end of a shoelace or ribbon. 4. Any of several plants of or developed from the species Dahlia pinnata having tuberous roots and showy rayed variously colored flower heads. 5. A self-funded retirement plan that allows you to contribute a limited yearly sum toward your retirement. 6. A brace that extends from the rear of the keel to support the rudderpost. 7. The most common computer memory which can be used by programs to perform necessary tasks while the computer is on. 8. Taxonomic kingdom comprising all living or extinct animals. 9. A steep artificial slope in front of a fortification. 10. A white soft metallic element that tarnishes readily. 11. A state in midwestern United States. 12. Large burrowing rodent of South and Central America. 13. A hidden storage space (for money or provisions or weapons). 14. A track or mark left by something that has passed. 21. A member of the Semitic speaking people of northern Ethiopia. 23. Call forth. 25. Step on it. 27. Tranquilizer (trade name Ativan) used to treat anxiety and tension and insomnia. 28. Irregular or uneven in quality, texture, etc.. 33. Son of Zeus and Europa. 34. Lake in northwestern Russia near the border with Finland. 36. Kamarupan languages spoken in northeastern India and western Burma. 38. Relating to or concerned with a city or densely populated area. 39. An Indian side dish of yogurt and chopped cucumbers and spices. 40. A member of a Turkic people of Uzbekistan and neighboring areas. 43. Submerged aquatic plant having narrow leaves and small flowers. 44. The universal time coordinated time when a transmission is sent from Earth to a spacecraft or other celestial body. ACROSS 47. (trademark) A liquid that temporarily disables a person. 1. A health resort near a spring or at the seaside. 49. The capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the Congo river opposite 4. British statesman who as Prime Minister bought controlling interest in the Suez Canal Brazzaville. and made Queen Victoria the Empress of India (1804-1881). 52. A recognizable kind. 12. A proportion multiplied by 100. 54. A set of data arranged in rows and columns. 15. An ugly evil-looking old woman. 56. Of or relating to the palm of the hand or to the area at the base of the thumb. 16. A resident of Arkansas. 59. Transient cessation of respiration. 60. Indicating the most important performer or role. 17. A river in north central Switzerland that runs northeast into the Rhine. Yesterday’s Solution 63. In bed. 18. The sign language used in the United States. 64. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad. 19. Relating to of containing or affecting blood. 66. The 10th letter of the Hebrew alphabet. 20. The capital and largest city of Bangladesh. 68. Edible starchy tuberous root of taro plants. 22. A simple machine consisting of a circular frame with spokes (or a solid disc) that can 69. Informal terms for money. rotate on a shaft or axle (as in vehicles or other machines). 70. One thousandth of a second. 24. The lean flesh of a saltwater fish found it warm waters (especially Hawaii). 72. A human limb. 26. A republic in northeastern Europe on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea. 73. Brief episode in which the brain gets insufficient blood supply. 29. Angular distance above the horizon (especially of a celestial object). 77. A person who announces and plays popular recorded music. 30. Annual grass of Europe and North Africa. 31. A town in northern Michigan on an arm of Lake Huron. 32. In a murderous frenzy as if possessed by a demon. Yesterdayʼs Solution 35. The basic unit of money in Peru. 37. (Akkadian) Mother and earth goddess in Gilgamish epic. 41. Weak-stemmed plant that derives support from climbing, twining, or creeping along a surface. 42. Void of thought or knowledge. 45. A river that rises in northeastern Turkey (near the source of the Euphrates) and flows generally eastward through Armenia to the Caspian Sea. 46. Used of a single unit or thing. 48. (Judaism) Sacred chest where the ancient Hebrews kept the two tablets containing the Ten Commandments. 50. Top part of an apron. 51. New Year's Eve in Scotland. 53. Reproduce someone's behavior or looks. 55. (Old Testament) The second patriarch. 57. Indian religious leader who founded Sikhism (1469-1538). 58. Large brownish-green New Zealand parrot. 61. A metallic element having four allotropic forms. 62. A very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk. 65. Wood heaped for burning a dead body as a funeral rite. 67. Apathy demonstrated by an absence of emotional reactions. 71. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth. 74. Yellow-fever mosquitos. 75. A serve that strikes the net before falling into the receiver's court. 76. Succulent carpet-forming plant having small brilliant reddish-pink flowers. 78. A chronic skin disease occurring primarily in women between the ages of 20 and 40. 79. An agency of the United Nations affiliated with the World Bank. 80. A great raja. 81. (of securities) Not quoted on a stock exchange. CHALLENGING MAZE Daily SuDoku Yesterday’s Solution SPORTS SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015 Montpellier prolong Galthie suspension

MONTPELLIER: Montpellier yesterday extended the communication, “defeatist, aloof and non-motivating what he would do as future coach of the France nation- suspension of coach Fabien Galthie, the former French behaviour” and his “criticism” of players and the club al team. “It was during a critical period, badly timed rugby captain, with the club president saying Galthie’s president. “It’s a failure. We can’t say that Galthie’s path where Fabien Galthie was saying he was the coach or management had been a “failure”. this season has been a success. “You have to go a long future coach of the France team,” said Altrad. Galthie was relieved of his duties on December 29 way back in French rugby history to find a club which “There are things that matter for Fabien Galthie. His after a string of defeats, with South Africa’s 2007 World has lost eight out of nine matches. reputation, his image and money. Now his reputation Cup winning coach Jake White brought in as a consult- “I also remember his comments before the match at has taken a hit,” complained Altrad, adding that there ant to take over the reins. Bath (European Cup on December 5, 30-5 defeat), was also talk of Galthie signing a contract with Italy. “The suspension is extended. I’m giving myself time when he said that we were going to lose,” added Earlier Galthie, who was appointed coach in 2010, to reflect,” said club president Mohed Altrad, after pro- Altrad. “The players, including (David) Attoub and (cap- refused to comment after the 30-minute meeting. “I’ve longing the initial suspension which ran until January tain Fulgence) Ouedraogo, were saying they were nothing to say,” he said. 9. “I let him know my grievances,” Altrad continued. going to fight, at least put on a good show and why The former international scrum-half, who played at “I’m disappointed because this period of provisional not win. His (Galthie) comments didn’t put the players four World Cups and captained France in 2003 when suspension is intended to give the employee time to in a comfortable position.” they lost 24-7 against England in the semi-finals, spent think ... to come and say something interesting to his Altrad also slammed Galthie’s outside activities, four years as coach at Stade Francais between 2004 boss. “He didn’t tell me anything. Saying ‘I’ve nothing advertising campaigns, and television commentary and 2008 before moving to the south coast. to say’ leaves very little after such a meeting.” roles, along with a trip to Brazil when the team pre- White got off to a winning start last Saturday as the Altrad said he had “eight pages of criticisms” against pared for and played a Top 14 match. Top 14 strugglers beat European and French champi- Galthie covering team results, his “blunt” manner of One TV advertising campaign had Galthie declaring ons Toulon 16-12. — AFP Boston named US candidate to host the 2024 Olympics

WASHINGTON: Boston was chosen Thursday as the US candidate to host the 2024 Olympics, hopeful of showing the world’s finest athletes its determined recov- ery from the 2013 Boston Marathon bomb- ing tragedy. Boston outclassed Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington in voting by the 15-member US Olympic Committee (USOC) board of directors, after multiple rounds of voting and “spirited discussion” to decide LAHAINA: Jimmy Walker plays his shot from the m16th tee among the finalists in a 22-month evaluation during the pro-am round prior to the Hyundai process. The United States chases its first Tournament of Champions at Plantation Course at Summer Olympics since the 1996 Kapalua Golf Club on Thursday in Lahaina, Hawaii. — AFP centennial edition in Atlanta. Boston’s candidacy follows failed bids by New York for Fresh slate for the 2012 Olympics, Chicago for 2016 and no entry for 2020 in order to re-evaluate plans. Walker after golden Three people were killed and more than 260 others were injured from bombs that 2014 campaign exploded near the finish line of the 2013 edi- tion of Boston’s distance racing classic. KAPALUA: Trying to replicate a career-best season is no easy Runners and citizens fought to recover task for any golfer and for Jimmy Walker the slate will be from the horrific attack with a spirit that “wiped clean” as he launches his 2015 campaign at this week’s became known by the catchphrase “Boston Hyundai Tournament of Champions. Strong,” one evoked by the White House in After toiling away as a journeyman for several winless years sending US President Barack Obama’s con- on the highly competitive PGA Tour, Walker finally made his gratulations to Boston. BOSTON: As Boston Mayor Martin Walsh looks on, right, USOC Chairman of the breakthrough in stunning fashion as he triumphed three “The city has taught all of us what it Board Larry Probst speaks during a news conference in Boston yesterday after times early on in 2013-14. The slim American also performed means to be Boston Strong,” the White Boston was picked by the USOC as its bid city for the 2024 Olympic Summer well at the four majors, recording three top-10s last season, House said in a statement. “The President Games. — AP and has set his sights on clinching one of golf’s most coveted and First Lady couldn’t be prouder of this titles in 2014. “The slate is going to be wiped clean for me in accomplishment and all of our nation’s ath- Los Angeles in 1932 and 1984 and Atlanta. letes to one of the world’s great cities.” 2014 but it’s a career for me and I think you’ve got to look at it letes and strongly support the effort to bring A removable Olympic stadium would in a broad sense,” Walker, 35, told Reuters as he wrapped up the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games to Rio, Tokyo next in line host athletics and the opening and closing his preparations for the opening PGA Tour event of the year. the United States. We hope to welcome ath- Next year’s Summer Olympics will be ceremonies, and an Olympic village for ath- “I definitely want to keep doing what I’ve been doing. It letes from around the globe to compete in staged in Rio de Janeiro with the 2020 letes would be changed after the event into was a lot of fun last season and it sure is fun to play well in the Boston in 2024.” Games being hosted by Tokyo. The 2018 student housing. But Boston will enter a global field big events but I’d like to play ever better. So I’m looking for- Winter Olympics will be staged in “A Boston Games can be one of the most expected to include solid candidates from ward to the challenge of being even better this year.” Pyeongchang, South Korea, and the IOC will innovative, sustainable and exciting in histo- Italy, Germany and France as well. decide the 2022 Winter Games host at a July ry and will inspire the next generation of Walker, whose world ranking has climbed to 21 following The International Olympic Committee 31 meeting in Kuala Lumpur between final- leaders here and around the world,” Boston his three victories on the 2013-14 PGA Tour, has especially tar- (IOC) will select a 2024 Olympic host at its ists Beijing and Almaty, Kazakhstan. bid committee chairman John Fish said. geted golf’s blue riband events. meeting in Lima, Peru, in mid-2017. In the 2024 fight, Rome heads a multi-city US IOC members will be vital - “We’re excited about our plans to submit Italian candidacy while Germany plans to IOC executive board member Anita Sizzling start a bid for the 2024 Games and feel we have offer Berlin or Hamburg. Paris is widely DeFrantz and Angela Ruggiero, a four-time “I want to compete and win one (a major) so that’s one of an incredibly strong partner in Boston that expected to seek an Olympics to be staged Olympic medalist as an ice hockey defender, my goals this year,” said the American, standing by the club- will work with us to present a compelling on the 100-year anniversary of the last will be vital support builders among IOC house at Kapalua’s Plantation Course with a spectacular, sun- bid,” said USOC chairman Larry Probst. Summer Games in the French capital. members for Boston. splashed view of the Pacific and island of Molokai in the dis- “The deliberative and collaborative Boston offers a bid that is geographically “The United States has something unique tance. “I’m really looking forward to getting to Augusta process that we put in place for selecting a compact, helpful to the logistics of staging to offer the athletes of the world,” Ruggiero (National) for the Masters and starting it off but there’s still a city has resulted in a strong US bid.” and securing the multi-sport event, and said. “I couldn’t be more excited to share lot of really good golf in between now and then so I am pretty The United States has won the most relies largely on existing venues, including Boston’s athlete-focused vision for the focused on that.” medals at the last five Summer Games and is the home arena of the NBA’s Boston Celtics. Games with my IOC colleagues.” The largest Walker won three times in just eight starts to launch his home to many of the richest corporate spon- “It is an exceptional honor for Boston,” city in the New England region at the north- 2013-14 season in sizzling fashion and believes his game is sors of the Olympic movement, as well as its said Marty Walsh, the city’s mayor. “This east edge of the United States, Boston has close to that level heading into Friday’s opening round at top-paying television rights partners. selection is in recognition of our city’s talent, more than 7.5 million people in the metro- Kapalua where an elite, winners-only field of 34 has assem- The US seeks a fifth Summer Olympics diversity and global leadership. Boston politan area and is one of America’s oldest hosting opportunity after St. Louis in 1904, bled. —Reuters hopes to welcome the world’s greatest ath- cities, its roots dating to 1630. — AFP SPORTS SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015 Dan Boyle’s goal help Rangers edge LA 4-3

LOS ANGELES: Dan Boyle had a goal and an NHL debut. Roman Josi had two assists. Jason assist, Cam Talbot made 28 saves, and the New Spezza and Trevor Daley scored for Dallas, which York Rangers held off the Los Angeles Kings for was 4-1-1 in its previous six games. The a 4-3 victory Thursday night in a rematch of last Predators have won the first three games year’s Stanley Cup finals. Kevin Klein, Lee against their Central Division rivals this season. Stempniak and Martin St. Louis scored in a 5:46 span of the second period for the Rangers, who Wild 4, Blackhawks 2 erased an early two-goal deficit and completed Bryan Bickell scored twice in the third period, a Southern California sweep with their 12th win Corey Crawford made a season-high 42 saves, in 13 games overall. Justin Williams scored two and Chicago held on to beat heavy-hearted goals for the defending Stanley Cup champions, Minnesota. Patrick Sharp and Patrick Kane also who returned from a four-day break with an scored for Chicago, which has won four of six. inconsistent defensive effort. Jonathan Quick Jason Zucker and Jason Pominville scored for stopped 22 shots, but his teammates struggled Minnesota, which has lost nine of 11. to keep up with the Rangers’ speed and preci- The Wild played its second straight game sion for parts of Los Angeles’ fourth loss in five without left wing Zach Parise. His father, former games. Tanner Pearson scored in the first period Minnesota North Stars player J.P. Parise, died for Los Angeles. Williams got his second goal Wednesday night. A moment of silence was held with 4:03 to play. before the game and Wild players wore “11” decals on their helmets. With Darcy Kuemper Bruins 3, Devils 0 out at least a week with a lower-body injury, Milan Lucic scored two goals, and Niklas Niklas Backstrom got the start for Minnesota and Svedberg earned his second NHL shutout made 15 saves. behind three periods of stifling defense as Boston topped New Jersey. Svedberg faced only Coyotes 4, Jets 1 14 shots. Boston held New Jersey to three in the Mikkel Boedker had two goals and an assist, opening period and four in the second, three Shane Doan added a goal and two assists, and coming on a late power play that did nothing to Arizona rebounded from an ugly home loss to spark the Devils. David Krejci and Torey Krug beat Winnipeg. The Coyotes, beaten by St. Louis assisted on Lucic’s power-play goal with 1:10 left 6-0 on Tuesday, scored their first three goals on in the first, and Carl Soderberg added an unas- power plays, two in the game’s first 3:18. Oliver sisted goal 8:31 into the second for the only Ekman-Larsson had Arizona’s other goal. scoring until Lucic tapped in an empty-netter Mathieu Perreault scored for Winnipeg. Mike with 12 seconds remaining. Patrice Bergeron, Smith, in goal for the game against the Blues, who scored the winner Wednesday in Boston’s LOS ANGELES: Cam Talbot #33 of the New York Rangers reacts to a shot as Marc Staal had 34 saves for Arizona, Ondrej Pavelec overtime victory at Pittsburgh, and Chris Kelly #18 and Marian Gaborik #12 of the Los Angeles Kings look for the rebound during the stopped 26 shots for the Jets. The three power- assisted on the final goal. It was the 700th career second period at Staples Center on January 8, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. — AFP play goals - in five attempts - matched the game for both. New Jersey’s Cory Schneider Coyotes’ season high. The Jets were 0-for-7 on made 41 saves. goals in three games. Jaden Schwartz added son and third in four games, and a goal from power plays. three assists, and Brian Elliott made 25 saves. Bouwmeester. Flyers 3, Capitals 2, OT The Blues beat the Sharks 7-2 on Saturday in San Avalanche 5, Senators 2 Jakub Voracek scored 1:28 into overtime to Jose and then defeated the Coyotes 6-0 on Predators 3, Stars 2, OT Jarome Iginla scored twice and Colorado lift Philadelphia over Washington. Voracek Tuesday in Arizona. St. Louis opened a seven- Shea Weber scored his second goal of the beat Ottawa. Semyon Varlamov followed up his scored his 16th goal of the season on the power game homestand after playing 16 of 23 on the game 17 seconds into overtime, and Nashville 54-save shutout at Chicago with 36 saves for the player to give the Flyers their second win of the road. The Sharks got goals from Logan Couture beat Dallas. The Predators also tied Anaheim for Avalanche, who have won four of five. Erik homestand. Alex Ovechkin and Karl Alzner and Melker Karlsson. St. Louis struck first with a the most points in the NHL while improving to Johnson, Brad Stuart and Daniel Briere also had scored for the Capitals, who twice blew one-goal power-play goal from Steen, his 11th of the sea- 16-2-1 at home. Miikka Salomaki scored in his goals for Colorado. Iginla got the Avalanche on leads. R.J. Umberger and Sean Courturier also the board first with his 11th goal of the season. scored for the Flyers. Braden Holtby started a It was Iginla’s 572nd career goal, moving him Washington goalie-record 17th straight game NHL results/standings within one of Mike Bossy for 20th on the NHL and played in his 23rd straight overall. career list. The Senators have lost three in a row. Philadelphia’s Steve Mason, who left Stuart gave Colorado a 2-0 lead with his first Wednesday’s practice early due to soreness, Boston 3, New Jersey 0; Philadelphia 3, Washington 2 (OT); Carolina 5, Buffalo 2; St. Louis 7, goal in 65 games, dating to Dec. 3, 2013, when stopped 26 shots. San Jose 2; Nashville 3, Dallas 2 (OT); Chicago 4, Minnesota 2; Colorado 5, Ottawa 2; he was playing with San Jose. The Senators cut Arizona 4, Winnipeg 1; Florida 3, Vancouver 1; NY Rangers 4, Los Angeles 3. the lead to 2-1 on Mark Stone’s 10th goal at 3:03 Hurricanes 5, Sabres 2 of the second. It was the first goal allowed by Jeff Skinner scored one of Carolina’s four Western Conference Montreal 26 12 2 110 93 54 Varlamov in 84:04 of playing time. Bobby Ryan’s goals in the second period, and the Hurricanes Pacific Division Detroit 22 10 9 116 103 53 12th goal made it 4-2 just 42 seconds after sent Buffalo to its sixth straight loss. Jiri Tlusty W L OTLGF GA PTS Boston 21 15 6 110 110 48 Iginla’s second tally. had a goal and an assist for the Hurricanes, who Anaheim 26 10 6 116 114 58 Florida 18 11 9 90 98 45 have won three of four. Carolina, last in the Vancouver 23 13 3 113 103 49 Toronto 21 17 3 132 128 45 Panthers 3, Canucks 1 San Jose 22 15 5 115 115 49 Eastern Conference, moved within one point of Ottawa 16 16 8 105 112 40 Jonathan Huberdeau had two goals and an Los Angeles 19 13 9 115 107 47 Buffalo. Tlusty, Eric Staal and Victor Rask scored Buffalo 14 25 3 80 145 31 assist, and Roberto Luongo stopped 32 shots in in a 69-second span late in the second period. Calgary 21 17 3 117 108 45 his return to Vancouver as Florida beat the Arizona 16 20 4 96 131 36 Metropolitan Division Riley Nash added a goal in the third period. Pittsburgh 24 10 6 120 97 54 Canucks. Aleksander Barkov also scored for Philip Varone scored both Buffalo goals in his Edmonton 9 23 9 90 139 27 Florida, and Luongo earned his 389th NHL victo- NY Islanders 26 13 1 123 112 53 second game this season. Cam Ward made 18 Central Division ry - tying Dominik Hasek for 11th place on the saves for Carolina, which has gone 10 games Nashville 27 9 4 122 92 58 NY Rangers 23 11 4 121 94 50 career list. It was also Luongo’s first against the without allowing a power play goal. Buffalo’s Chicago 27 12 2 128 89 56 Washington 21 11 8 120 104 50 Canucks, giving him a victory against all 30 NHL Jhonas Enroth stopped 26 shots. St. Louis 25 13 3 131 101 53 Columbus 18 17 3 100 121 39 teams. He was named the game’s first star and Winnipeg 20 14 7 104 100 47 Philadelphia 16 18 7 111 123 39 then handed his stick over the boards to a Blues 7, Sharks 2 Dallas 18 15 7 123 131 43 New Jersey 15 21 7 94 121 37 young fan in a Vancouver jersey. Daniel Sedin Colorado 17 16 8 108 119 42 St Louis scored the final four goals to turn a Carolina 13 24 4 84 107 30 had the only goal for the Canucks, who got 27 Minnesota 18 16 5 109 114 41 one-goal lead into a rout of San Jose. Alexander Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one saves from Ryan Miller. Luongo played eight Steen, Jay Bouwmeester, Paul Stastny, Jori Eastern Conference seasons in Vancouver and won at least 30 games Atlantic Division point in the standings and are not included Lehtera, T.J. Oshie, Patrik Berglund and David in the loss column (L). six times - and 40 twice - before being traded Backes all scored for the Blues, who have 20 Tampa Bay 26 12 4 138 110 56 back to Florida last March. — AP SPORTS SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015

Mustafa Karam tournament concludes today with prize distributions

By Abdellatif Sharaa

KUWAIT: Tournament of Mustafa Karam Company will be concluded with a ceremony today at Sheikh Sabah Al- Ahmad Olympic Shooting Complex at five pm. Winners who competed in the skeet, trap and double trap events will receive medals and prizes from Kuwait Shooting Sport Chairman, and tournament sponsor. Shooters from the club, National Guard and Sheikh Saad Olympic Shooting Academy partici- pated. KSSC treasurer Essa Ahmad Al-Buti Butaiban lauded the sponsorship of Mustafa Karam Company, and organization of this Essa Ahmad Al-Buti annual tournament, adding Butaiban that the company took it upon itself to support shooting activity. SYDNEY: India’s Mohammad Shami, right, appeals for a LBW decision and is granted it on Australia’s Steve Smith, left, He said this tournament comes while the higher organ- out for 71 runs on the fourth day of their cricket test match in Sydney, yesterday. — AP izing committee is getting ready for HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad International Grand Prix scheduled to start on Jan 24 and will continue to Jan 31st. Smith trumps Bradman Positive India will to fuel Aussie run chase play for win at SYDNEY: Steve Smith eclipsed a Don Ravichandran Ashwin. Ashwin got an edge Kumar on nought. His blooper was the Bradman record by powering a furious off Warner to Murali Vijay, the sixth time 16th missed opportunity, which has cost Sydney: Ashwin Australian run chase to set a massive target the spinner has claimed Warner’s wicket in the Australians 657 runs in the series. for India in the final Sydney Test yesterday. Tests. “We definitely leaked a lot more runs Kumar was eventually given out by SYDNEY: Encouraged by the perfect batting condi- The Australian skipper with the Midas than we would like to have, they played a umpire’s referral caught at slip by Watson tions and armed with a positive mindset, India will touch went helter-skelter after the runs in a few good shots,” Ashwin said.“It’s still pret- off Nathan Lyon for 30 after putting on 65 chase their first win of the series once Australia set bid for a declaration to pursue the home ty decently poised, although they definitely with Ashwin. Paceman Mitchell Starc was them a target on the final day of the fourth test, Indian side’s third victory in the four-match series have an ace up, we’ll have to see how it rewarded for a terrific over when he coaxed spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said yesterday. today’s final day. Smith, backed by four goes.” an edge off Ashwin, who was on 50, to Australia, 2-0 up in the series, have already taken an centuries, passed Bradman’s 1947/48 Shane Watson, who narrowly avoided Haddin for his third wicket of the innings. record of 715 for most Australian runs in a being run out shortly before tea in a mix- Haddin took his fourth catch and last of overall 348-run lead in the final match with four wick- series against India with a frenetic 71 off 70 up, was bowled by Ashwin for 16 to com- the innings to dismiss Umesh Yadav for ets intact and will declare early enough on Saturday to balls. The skipper, who was given out leg plete an underwhelming series of just 238 four to end the Indian resistance nearing give their bowlers enough time to claim 10 Indian sec- before wicket to Mohammed Shami, fin- runs at an average of 29.75, while Shaun tea. The tourists lost the wickets of Kohli ond innings wickets. ished the series with 769 runs at an average Marsh lasted four balls for one. Yet another and Saha in the morning session. Kohli’s Rather than batting out the day for a draw, Ashwin of 128.16. Some late fireworks from Joe dropped catch stalled Australia’s efforts to hopes of building an even bigger innings suggested the visitors will try to chase down the tar- Burns with 66 off 39 balls with six fours and mop up the Indian first innings when Burns evaporated in the fifth over of the day get on a benign track at the Sydney Cricket Ground. two sixes propelled Australia to 251 for six made a hash of a chance off Bhuvneshwar when he fell to Ryan Harris. —AFP “We are here to play positive cricket and win games off 40 overs and a lead of 348 with Brad of cricket. If presented with the chance to try and go Haddin not out for 31. A declaration was likely overnight. The highest successful SCOREBOARD for a victory, we will try to go for it as sensibly as possi- run-chase record in the fourth innings of a ble,” the 28-year-old off-spinner told reporters. Sydney Test is currently Australia’s 288 for “We are here to win games of cricket, there’s no two against South Africa nine years ago. SYDNEY: Scoreboard at stumps yesterday on the fourth day of the fourth test two ways about it. “It all depends on how positively “To lead from the front the way he does between Australia and India at the Sydney Cricket Ground: you can bat and the techniques you apply. Definitely and also to do it in all sorts of situations, it’s Australia 1st innings: 572-7 declared (1nb), Shane Watson 20-4-58-2 (1nb), Steve great to watch,” Burns said of his skipper. it’s going to be a very positive game tomorrow, we India 1st innings: Smith 4-0-17-0. “There aren’t too many batters in the world will try and be positive about it.” (Overnight: 342-5) Australia 2nd innings: better at the moment, so it’s just great to Number eight batsman Ashwin himself capitalised Chris Rogers c Raina b Kumar 56 watch.” Burns said Australia was in a strong Murali Vijay c Haddin b Starc 0 on the ideal batting conditions to hit his fourth test David Warner c Vijay b Ashwin 4 position to go on and win the Test. “The Lokesh Rahul c and b Starc 110 fifty and was confident India can still sign off the series Shane Watson b Ashwin 16 wicket spun and I think it will only get Rohit Sharma b Lyon 53 Steve Smith lbw b Shami 71 with a win. “It’s still pretty decently poised, although harder to bat on as the game goes on,” he Virat Kohli c Rogers b Harris 147 Shaun Marsh c Vijay b Ashwin 1 they definitely have an ace up. We’ll have to see how said. “We’ll come out tomorrow and I’m Ajinkya Rahane lbw Watson 13 Joe Burns c Yadav b Ashwin 66 it goes. “There’s not a lot of devils in the wicket, but sure we’re going to create 10 opportuni- Suresh Raina c Haddin b Watson 0 Brad Haddin not out 31 we definitely found it a little too hard to score, it’s a ties. It’s just a case of taking all 10.” W Saha c Smith b Hazlewood 35 Ryan Harris not out 0 Chris Rogers raised his sixth straight 50 Ravi Ashwin c Haddin b Starc 50 new ball wicket.” Underlining how good the track was Extras: (2b, 2lb, 2nb) 6 of the series with a glorious cover drive for Kumar Bhuvneshwar c Watson b Lyon 30 for batting, Ashwin (50) added 65 runs for the eighth TOTAL: (for six wickets) 251 four but he was out shortly after, hitting wicket with Bhuvneshwar Kumar (30), who was Mohammed Shami not out 16 Overs: 40. Batting time: 164 minutes. straight to Suresh Raina for 56 off 77 balls. adjudged caught in a controversial decision. Umesh Yadav c Haddin b Harris 4 Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-46, 3-126, 4-139, 5- The Australians finally dislodged India “This was one of the slowest innings in my test Extras: (4b, 7lb, 1w, 5nb) 17 165, 6-251. for 475 after 162 overs to lead by 97 runs TOTAL: (all out) 475 Still to bat: Mitchell Starc, Nathyan Lyon, career. I wanted to bat as deep as possible and put it on the first innings shortly before tea. into as many holes as possible and make sure that if Overs: 162. Batting time: 680 minutes. Josh Hazlewood. Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-97, 3-238, 4-292, 5- Bowling: Kumar Bhuvneshwar 8-0-46-1, any team won, it was India,” Ashwin, who has two test Warner out for four 292, 6-352, 7-383, 8-448, 9-456, 10-475. Ravi Ashwin 19-2-105-4, Mohammad Shami centuries, said of his 111-ball knock. “But fortunately or Virat Kohli was rewarded for some bold Bowling: Mitchell Starc 32-7-106-3, Ryan 6-0-33-1 (1nb), Umesh Yadav 3-0-45-0 unfortunately, the game is very well poised now, you captaincy by getting first innings centurion Harris 31-7-96-2 (3nb), Josh Hazlewood 29- (1nb), Suresh Raina 4-0-18-0. David Warner for just four in the second don’t know which way it’s going to go.” — Reuters 8-64-1 (1w), Nathan Lyon 46-11-123-2 Series: Australia leads 2-0. over of the innings bowled by spinner SPORTS SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015 Blazers burn up Heat to close on NBA lead

PORTLAND: Portland used a big third quarter game trip. New York’s 120-96 home defeat by to beat Miami 99-83 on Thursday, pushing the Houston stretched the Knicks’ losing streak to Trail Blazers closer to the top of the NBA stand- 14; their worst ever within a single season. The ings. In the day’s other games, Charlotte won Rockets beat New York for the 11th straight at Toronto while Houston predictably defeat- time and handed the Knicks their 24th loss in ed New York, sending the hapless Knicks to 25 games. James Harden had 25 points and their 14th successive loss. Portland’s LaMarcus nine assists in just three quarters, with the Aldridge had 24 points and 12 rebounds, Rockets already up by 24 points at the last including 10 points in the third, when the break. Trevor Ariza added 18 points for the Blazers outscored the Heat 33-16 to take con- Rockets. Rookie Travis Wear scored a season- trol of the game. Wesley Matthews had 18 high 21 points for New York, which is closing points for Portland, which moved a yawning in on its worst-ever losing streak of 20, which 11 games clear in the Northwest Division and straddled the 1984-85 and 1985-86 seasons. closed within 1-1/2 games of league leader Golden State. Dwyane Wade led Miami with Houston 120, NY Knicks 96 23 points. Charlotte’s Gerald Henderson James Harden had 25 points and nine scored a season-high 31 points and Kemba assists in just three quarters and the Houston Walker added 29 to lead the Hornets past Rockets beat New York 120-96 on Thursday Toronto 103-95. Walker made a jumper from night to extend the Knicks’ longest single-sea- just inside the 3-point line with 19.6 seconds son losing streak to 14 games. The Rockets to give the Hornets a six-point lead, all but beat New York for the 11th straight time, securing their fourth straight win. Kyle Lowry’s though everyone is beating the Knicks these 24 points, seven assists and seven rebounds days. New York has lost 24 of its last 25 games led the Raptors, who were coming off a six- to fall to an NBA-worst 5-34. Trevor Ariza

NBA results/standings

Charlotte 103, Toronto 95; Houston 120, NY Knicks 96; Portland 99, Miami 83.

Eastern Conference Western Conference Atlantic Division Northwest Division W L PCT GB Portland 28 8 .778 - Toronto 24 11 .686 - Oklahoma City 17 19 .472 11 NEW YORK: Josh Smith #5 of the Houston Rockets fouls Quincy Acy #4 of the New York Brooklyn 16 19 .457 8 Denver 16 20 .444 12 Knicks in the first quarter at Madison Square Garden on Thursday in New York City. — AFP Boston 12 21 .364 11 Utah 13 23 .361 15 added 18 points for the Rockets, who the No. 1 pick in the draft. Philadelphia 5 29 .147 18.5 Minnesota 5 29 .147 22 NY Knicks 5 34 .128 21 improved to just 4-4 in their last eight. Pacific Division Central Division Harden didn’t reach his NBA-leading average HORNETS 103, RAPTORS 95 Golden State 28 5 .848 - Chicago 25 11 .694 - of 26.8 points only because he was limited to Gerald Henderson scored a season-high 31 LA Clippers 24 12 .667 5.5 Cleveland 19 17 .528 6 31 minutes, sitting out the fourth quarter points, Kemba Walker added 29 and Charlotte Phoenix 22 16 .579 8.5 Milwaukee 19 18 .514 6.5 with Houston already leading by 24. Rookie beat Toronto for its fourth straight victory. Indiana 14 23 .378 11.5 Sacramento 15 20 .429 14 Travis Wear scored a season-high 21 points Walker made a jumper from just inside the 3- Detroit 12 23 .343 12.5 LA Lakers 11 25 .306 18.5 and Langston Galloway had 19 for the Knicks point line with 19.6 seconds to give the Southeast Division Southwest Division in his second game since being called up Hornets a six-point lead. The point guard also Atlanta 27 8 .771 - Memphis 25 10 .714 - from the NBA Development League. New had eight assists and seven rebounds in 41 Washington 24 11 .686 3 Dallas 26 11 .703 - York’s longest losing streak ever is 20 games minutes. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist added 10 Miami 15 21 .417 12.5 Houston 25 11 .694 0.5 over two seasons. The Knicks lost 12 straight points and 12 rebounds. Kyle Lowry led Charlotte 14 24 .368 14.5 San Antonio 21 15 .583 4.5 at the end of the 1984-85 season, then Toronto, coming off a six-game trip, with 24 Orlando 13 25 .342 15.5 New Orleans 17 18 .486 8 dropped the first eight games of the 1985-86 points, seven assists and seven rebounds. Lou season even after landing Patrick Ewing with Williams added 15 points. For Palestinians, Asian Cup more than a game

RAMALLAH: From the West Bank to the an end date for the Israeli occupation, all tion went ahead only after pressure from pation poses to Palestinian sport. Gaza Strip, Palestinians are pinning both eyes are now on Al-Fidaee. FIFA and UEFA. For him and for many others, the raising sporting and political aspirations on their The team, ranked 115th in the world, will Some Palestinian players have even been of Palestinian flags at stadiums across national football team as it prepares for its kick off its Asia Cup campaign against Japan killed, including Gaza football legend Ahed Australia will be a sweet sight after Australia Asian Cup debut in Australia. on January 12 after qualifying for the first Zaqqut, 49, who died during a deadly 50-day - which is hosting the Asian Cup - was one of For many Palestinians, sporting prowess time. Placed in Group D, Palestine will also war between Israel and Hamas militants last only two countries in the 15-member UN is just as important as political and diplomat- play Jordan and Iraq over the coming fort- year. Security Council to vote against the resolu- ic moves to achieve statehood with the night. “This is a historic occasion for us as it is tion. national team viewed as a part of the nation- our first Asian Cup,” striker Ashraf al- Sport, politics inseparable The other was the United States, Israel’s al “resistance” - dubbed “Al-Fidaee” after the Fawaghra told the FIFA.com website. For Palestinian Football Association chief closest ally. Palestine, which won last year’s militants who fought Israel in the decades “Our goal is to let the world know that the Jibril Rajub, a leader within Abbas’s Fatah AFC Challenge Cup, was named best nation- after its establishment in 1948. Palestinian national team are moving for- party, the beautiful game has a unique status al team in 2014 by the Asian Football “Sport is still an important weapon in poli- ward, despite the difficulties facing us. We for Palestinians. Confederation. tics,” said Palestinian president Mahmud want to convey the message that the “For the rest of the world it’s just sport- Its 23-man squad reflects the disparate Abbas as he greeted the 23-man squad at a Palestinian players have the right to play and cups, medals, and so on. But in Palestine, it’s nature of the stateless Palestinian people-six ceremony to mark their departure for the develop,” the 28-year-old said. part of the project for liberation, a political players play professionally abroad, six come tournament. “We want to bring a smile back to the project,” he told AFP. from the Gaza Strip, three are from the The Palestinians have made some inroads faces of our people and make our fans hap- “The Palestine team, which is playing Palestinian diaspora and three are Arab- towards achieving statehood, winning the py.” Palestinian players face difficulties in against the biggest teams in Asia has Israelis. A fourth Arab-Israeli-descendents of rank of observer state at the United Nations getting to and from tournaments both at despite the occupation, the blockade (on some 160,000 Palestinians that stayed in in 2012, but have struggled to gain full mem- home and away due to tight Israeli restric- Gaza), and pressure and repression by Israel Israel after the Jewish state was established- bership. tions on movement, and some have been — attracted the attention of the media and was selected to play but was unable to join FIFA, however, recognised the Palestine arrested or imprisoned. the international community,” he said. the squad for fear he would have lost his national team in 1998. An international under-17s tournament Using football terminology to further the teaching job in Israel. For now, tensions with Following a diplomatic blow last month hosted by the Palestinians in 2013 was Palestinian cause, Rajub has regularly urged Israel will remain far from the pitch because when the UN Security Council rejected a delayed after Israel refused to grant entry FIFA to show Israel the “red card”-suspend its teams from the Jewish state only play in Palestinian-drafted resolution seeking to set visas to some Arab players, and the competi- membership-over the difficulties the occu- European tournaments. —AFP SPORTS SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015 Federer express shows no signs of slowing down BRISBANE: Roger Federer sent a reminder to the young guns of men’s tennis that he is nowhere near close to rid- ing quietly into the sunset when he romped to victory in just 39 minutes at the Brisbane International yesterday. The 33-year-old Swiss maestro produced a masterclass of shot-making as he thrashed Australian wildcard James Duckworth 6-0 6-1 to charge into the semi-finals of the Australian Open warm-up event. Federer’s amazing performance came just 24 hours after he struggled to see off John Millman, raising doubts about his form ahead of the first grand slam of the year. It was also stark evidence that he remains a major force in men’s tennis with an utterly dominant victory on the same day Japanese sensation Kei Nishikori led a trio of ris- ing stars into the last four. “I’m very happy actually. I saved energy and stress and nerves and everything because yesterday was quite nerve wracking and physically difficult because it was first match of the season,” Federer said. “I felt tired. This morning, I had muscle pain and all that stuff. So I’m very happy I got it done quickly today.” Nishikori, still on a high after reaching the final of last year’s US Open, continued his impressive build-up to Melbourne when he demolished Bernard Tomic 6-0 6-4. He was joined in the last four by Milos Raonic and Grigor Dimitrov, another two up-and-comers tipped to challenge the old order at this year’s majors. Raonic rode his booming serve to a 7-6(5) 3-6 7-6(2) win over Australia’s Sam Groth to set up a mouth-watering semi-final clash against Nishikori. Dimitrov made light work of his quarter-final with Martin Klizan, defeating the Slovakian 6-3 6-4 to book an AUCKLAND: Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark hits a return against Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of the Czech Republic dur- equally attractive encounter against Federer. ing their women’s singles semi-final match at the ASB Classic tennis tournament in Auckland yesterday. — AFP Raonic and Dimitrov both made the semi-finals at Wimbledon last year and while they stumbled against their more seasoned opponents they, along with Nishikori, have Wozniacki, Venus advance to been earmarked as potential grand slam winners. Nishikori took less than an hour to brush past Tomic, who was also tipped for big things after reaching the quar- set up Auckland showdown ters at Wimbledon as a teenager in 2011. “There was not a lot I could do,” the Australian told AUCKLAND: Denmark’s Caroline champion. losing the first set then falling a break reporters. “That’s why he’s gotten to (number) five in the Wozniacki and the evergreen Venus Williams did suffer a minor hiccup down in the second. world and potentially has a big chance of becoming a top- Williams won their semi-finals at the against Davis. After winning the first However, she rediscovered her form three player this year.” — Reuters Auckland Classic yesterday to set up a seven games on the trot, she dropped in the nick of time, winning 10 of the final showdown between two former three of the next four to trail 3-2 in the next 13 games to take the second set world number ones. second, before reeling off the last four and build a decisive 4-2 lead in the Wozniacki advanced to her 38th to wrap up victory. third. WTA career final with a hard-fought 4-6 The American has won all five of her “For me, it was about just staying in 6-3 6-4 victory over Czech Barbora previous meetings with Wozniacki but the match. I didn’t start off too well, I Zahlavova Strycova. Then Williams, the Dane, who has hit a purple patch of didn’t really feel the depth of the ball showing few signs of slowing down at form since reaching last year’s US Open that I wanted to,” Wozniacki said. the age of 34, joined her in Saturday’s final, was hopeful of ending her “But I started playing better as it title match with a 6-0 6-3 win romp over drought. went on and I think she did too. I just fellow American Lauren Davis. “She’s obviously a tough competi- had to kind of get going out there. “We For Williams, who lost last year’s tor,” Wozniacki said. “It won’t be easy, were out there for a long time but I Auckland final to Ana Ivanovic, it marks but I’m looking forward to it. “I’m happy knew the longer we went I wouldn’t her 76th appearance in a final. Already to be in my first final of the year, and really feel tired. I was still feeling fine at the sixth oldest woman to claim a title hopefully there will be many more to the end of the match. But I’m definitely after she won in Dubai last year, if she come.” Wozniacki looked to be in trou- just happy to get through this one wins she will become the fourth oldest ble against Zahlavova Strycova after today.” — Reuters Ageless Paes aims for Olympics aged 43

CHENNAI: India’s enduring doubles spe- doubles. But the Kolkata-born 41-year-old, them have been such an inspiration.” cialist Leander Paes began his 25th year whose father Vece is an Olympic hockey on the tennis circuit this week eyeing a international and mother Jennifer a former ‘Flying jumping bean’ seventh Olympics appearance in 2016, Indian basketball captain, is hungry for It was as a singles player that Paes when he will be 43. more. made his mark when he defeated Andre “It will be great to make it to Rio (de “It will be great to add some more Aggasi to win the bronze medal at the Janeiro) for one more. That is on my Grand Slam titles to the kitty,” said Paes, 1996 Atlanta Olympics, a rare individual mind,” Paes told AFP on the sidelines of whose last major title came at the 2013 US success for India after eight golds in field his home event, the season-opening ATP Open when he partnered with Radek hockey. Chennai Open. Stepanek of the Czech Republic. Agassi, in his autobiography ‘Open’, “I am not sure whether I will get there. Paes goes into the 2015 season team- described Paes as “a flying jumping bean, But I am fit and enjoying my game. There ing up with South African Raven Klaasen, a bundle of hyperkinetic energy, with the is nothing I need to prove but I am still his 99th partner on the circuit. In mixed tour’s quickest hands.” motivated to play tennis for myself and doubles, he will share the stage with for- But even as singles wins dried up, his my country.” mer women’s world number one Martina partnership with Mahesh Bhupathi blos- BRISBANE: Roger Federer of Switzerland plays a shot in Paes, who made his Davis Cup debut in Hingis. somed and the duo, nicknamed the his quarter final match against James Duckworth of 1990 and began his professional career a “Ninety-nine is a huge number, but I ‘Indian Express’, won three Grand Slam Australia during the Brisbane International tennis tourna- year later, has won 14 Grand Slam titles- have shared a wonderful relationship with titles and finished runners-up in two ment in Brisbane, Australia, yesterday. — AP eight in men’s doubles and six in mixed all my doubles partners,” he said. “All of between 1999 and 2001.—AFP SPORTS SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015

Milner calls on City to show title credentials

LIVERPOOL: James Milner has challenged Manchester “You’ve got teams at the bottom who look and And Martinez knows his side must now produce a City to seize the initiative in the Premier League title think, ‘We’re going to win that game,’ - look at Burnley near flawless performance to build on that against a race when they face struggling Everton today. coming here and how well they played. City side who beat Everton 1-0 in December thanks only Manuel Pellegrini’s side are joint top of the table “Sometimes it is easier to play against teams who are to a fortuitous Yaya Toure penalty as part of their with Chelsea, behind the Blues only on alphabetical mid-table and pushing for Europe and are moving it remarkable winning run. order, after hitting a rich vein of form in recent weeks. around a lot more. Who knows what an easy game is? It “Manchester City are playing with a real swagger The reigning champions trailed Jose Mourinho’s is the Premier League. and arrogance,” Martinez said. “They don’t need many men by eight points in November and their indifferent “All we can do is concentrate on our games and if we chances to punish you, which is why our performance form was raising questions over the long-term future of can get the results we want to get, it depends on how needs to be perfect. Pellegrini. But those doubts have been swept aside Chelsea do.” “But the way we performed not long ago at the amid a run of 13 games unbeaten in all competitions. Etihad, we deserved a lot more than what we got. I feel Their only blip during the congested festive pro- Martinez stays positive we are ready to face a team like City at this point. gramme was a 2-2 draw with Burnley and Milner sees Everton manager Roberto Martinez hopes a positive “We have had four really bad results and we need to no reason why momentum cannot be maintained, start- result against City can provide the catalyst for his side to put that right. It doesn’t matter what the opposition is, ing at Goodison Park this weekend. “Hopefully we’ll be start moving back up the table and away from potential we have to look at what we can do. looking to open up a little gap of our own,” said Milner, relegation trouble. A run of four successive league “We know how glamourous occasions can be, facing who scored twice to seal last weekend’s 2-1 win over defeats and six from their last eight games has dragged Manchester City. It’s always a really exciting game. “But Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup third round. Everton - who finished fifth last season - to within just in the position we are in the league, the only thing we “You look at this run (ahead) and people think it is four points of the drop zone. are looking at is to get a good, positive momentum. tougher than the games we had over Christmas but - it They stopped the rot with a late goal from Romelu “To do that you need to put a real chain of good is an old cliche in the Premier League - there are form Lukaku to earn a 1-1 FA Cup third-round draw against results together and that starts with one good perform- teams and out-of-form teams. Every game is difficult. West Ham on Monday night. ance. — AFP Mourinho’s Chelsea aim to get back on track

LONDON: Jose Mourinho will attempt to any suggestion Messi might move to put a troubled festive campaign behind Stamford Bridge and will no doubt main- him when Chelsea resume their Premier tain that stance as he attempts to ensure League title push against Newcastle yester- his side are not knocked off the top of the day. Mourinho’s side have allowed second table. placed Manchester City to move level on After making eight changes to his start- points at the top of the table after a draw ing line for the visit of Watford, the manag- with Southampton and a defeat at er will revert to a more familiar starting Tottenham in their last two league match- line-up against Newcastle. es. As if squandering an eight-point lead Managerial search over City wasn’t frustrating enough for the Meanwhile, mid-table Newcastle are Chelsea manager, Mourinho discovered on continuing their search for a new head Thursday that he had been hit by a Football coach after the departure of Alan Pardew Association misconduct charge for com- to Premier League rivals Crystal Palace. LAGOS: Ivory Coast’s and Manchester City midfielder YaYa Toure gesture at a press confer- ments he made about referee Anthony Caretaker boss John Carver, who is keen ence after he was named Africa Player of the Year at the Glo CAF Awards in Lagos, Nigeria, Taylor after the Southampton clash. to take on the role full-time, is expected to yesterday. — AP Mourinho described the decision to be in charge for at least the next two book Cesc Fabregas for diving instead of games to give Mike Ashley, the club’s bil- awarding a penalty as a “scandal” and went lionaire owner, chance to finalise a short- on to describe Taylor’s performance as list of candidates. Rodgers won’t gamble “awful”, prompting the FA to take action. High-profile names including former The Portuguese coach has until January England managers Steve McClaren and on Sturridge fitness 13 to respond but, more significantly, by Glenn Hoddle have already ruled them- then he will know whether or not his selves out of the running, with ex-Lyon SUNDERLAND: Brendan Rodgers has no inten- idea of the game and wonderful qualities. His team’s recent wobble has been corrected. coach Remi Garde and Ajax’s Frank de Boer tion of gambling on the fitness of Liverpool pace is frightening and his movement. Chelsea responded positively to the 5-3 leading the list of contenders. striker Daniel Sturridge at Sunderland today. “As a footballer he is at a great age and if he defeat at White Hart Lane with a 3-0 win Newcastle can become the first side this Sturridge spent the Christmas and New Year can stay fit he can lead the charge for us. over Watford in the FA Cup third round last season to achieve the double over Chelsea period in the United States continuing treat- “It is difficult to focus on a date, we just need weekend. following their 2-1 victory over the Premier ment on a troublesome calf injury that has side- to assess. We’ve been monitoring his situation But victory over the Championship side League leaders at St James’ Park last lined him since the end of August. and he looks in a good moment.” was achieved only after Mourinho made a month. But he is scheduled to fly back to the UK on double substitution at half-time, introduc- Carver could be at the helm until the Friday and should resume training this week- Gerrard ‘rift’ ing Willian and Diego Costa after an uncon- end of the season if Ashley decides to bide end. Rodgers was less forthcoming over the latest vincing first half display. his time before making a appointment and With Liverpool having struggled for much of reports of his supposed strained relationship That raised questions about the quality the 49-year-old said: “I spoke to (managing Sturridge’s absence, Rodgers may have been with Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard. of the Mourinho’s back-up players with director) Lee Charnley yesterday and I’m tempted to put the England international Gerrard has confirmed he will leave at the Andre Schurrle once again failing to definitely in charge for Chelsea and possi- straight back into his squad. end of the season, but the midfielder says he impress during a 45-minute appearance. bly the next match against Southampton. But the Reds boss will take a cautious would have stayed at Anfield had he been approach and instead hopes to have Sturridge, offered a new deal last year-a claim to which And with Chelsea due to play six times “There was no talk beyond that. As far as who has scored 32 league goals in 40 career Rodgers would not respond. before the end of January, the manager is I’m concerned it’s all about preparing for starts for his club, back in his line-up before the “There is nothing more to add,” said Rodgers. certain to need all the players at his dispos- Chelsea.” end of the month. “Everything has been said on that situation that al if his side are to maintain a challenge on Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul is set to “He will be back in the country in the next 24 needs to be said. Steven spoke openly and hon- four fronts. return in from a two-month ankle injury hours to go into final stages of his rehab,” estly on it. The visit of Newcastle has been over- lay-off, and defender Davide Santon is in Rodgers said. “He elaborated, he is happy where he is at shadowed by reports of a possible shock line to make his first league start for nine “The work he has done in America has been and where he is going, done all the interviews. move for Argentina forward Lionel Messi months after groin surgery. fantastic, specialising in the rehabilitation and “There is no doubt Steven is still a top class whose relationship with Barcelona coach Skipper Fabricio Coloccini, midfielder he will now come back-hopefully in some part player and has been that world class player for Luis Enrique has been placed under scruti- Moussa Sissoko and defender Daryl of January. many years and him moving on leaves a void on ny. Janmaat are all fit after missing the FA Cup “He is a top class player with a wonderful and off the pitch.—AFP Mourinho has repeatedly played down defeat at Leicester. — AFP SPORTS SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015 Alan Pardew wants to lift Crystal Palace morale

LONDON: Alan Pardew will take the first steps in his efforts to steer Crystal the clause in my contract so I had a decision to make. I thought this new chal- Palace away from the Premier League relegation zone when Tottenham visit lenge would be a good one for me. I think am a good fit for Palace. “It was Matches on TV Selhurst Park today. Pardew abandoned his efforts to secure European foot- right for me and hopefully for Palace. Also for Newcastle, because four years (Local Timings) ball with Newcastle in favour of a survival scrap when he agreed a three-and- with that monetary situation and the history means it is difficult for the man- a-half year contract to succeed Neil Warnock at the club he once played for. ager. “I have left a good club and I like to think I have left it with a good base Palace currently sit third from bottom of the table and Pardew will be expect- of players.” English Premier League ed to repeat Tony Pulis’s success of last season when the former manager Sunderland v Liverpool 15:45 secured Palace’s top-flight status by transforming the club’s form in the sec- Spurs on the march beIN SPORTS 1 HD ond half of the season. Pardew has already overseen last weekend’s FA Cup Tottenham’s New Year’s Day victory over Chelsea underlined their recent victory over non-league Dover, but he knows his main business begins progress and Pochettino’s side head to south London unbeaten in six Premier beIN SPORTS 11 HD against Mauricio Pochettino’s side. “We have got a tough challenge. Our League games. That has left Spurs in fifth place, two points behind Chelsea v Newcastle 18:00 home form is not good so we need to try and turn our home situation into a Southampton in the race to qualify for the Champions League, with their chal- beIN SPORTS 1 HD positive for us. In terms of the players, I think they need a lift,” Pardew said. lenge for a top four place back on track. Key to their recent upturn has been Everton V Man City 18:00 “Hopefully a signing or two could do that. Then hopefully we can get on a the form of Harry Kane, the young forward who has scored six goals in his last beIN SPORTS 11 HD run that leads us to safety. “There is a feeling among the players that they can seven appearances. Burnley V QPR 18:99 do it and you need that belief to start building.” And explaining his surprise Pochettino, though, remains keen to add another striker to his ranks and beIN SPORTS 7 HD decision to leave Newcastle, he added: “It was difficult to leave because it is a while Jermain Defoe has been training at his former club, there is no chance Leicester V Aston Villa 18:00 big club. “It is a club that is run on fairly tight financial margins. Our net spend the Toronto FC forward will make a full time return. was one of the lowest in the Premier League. “We really had to work hard at Burnley forward Danny Ings is reported to have caught the eye of the beIN SPORTS 3 HD transfers because, when it is a club that size, it is difficult for the fans to under- Spurs manager, who also remains keen on a reunion with Southampton for- West Bromwich V Hull City stand building slowly. “It was my decision. (Palace chairman) Steve Parish met ward Jay Rodriguez. — AFP beIN SPORTS 6 HD Swansea V West Ham 18:00 beIN SPORTS 4 HD Crystal Palace V Tottenham 20:30 beIN SPORTS 1 HD beIN SPORTS 11 HD Asian Nations Cup South Korea v Oman 8:00 beIN SPORTS 6 HD beIN SPORTS 11 HD Uzbekistan v North Korea 10:00 beIN SPORTS 6 HD beIN SPORTS 11 HD Saudi Arabia v China 12:00 beIN SPORTS 6 HD beIN SPORTS 11 HD Spanish League Real Madrid v Espanyol 18:00 beIN SPORTS 2 HD beIN SPORTS 14 HD Malaga v Villarreal 20:00 beIN SPORTS 4 HD beIN SPORTS 14 HD beIN SPORTS 2 HD Celta v Valencia 22:00 beIN SPORTS 2 HD beIN SPORTS 14 HD beIN SPORTS 2 HD FR MELBOURNE: Asian Football Confederation (AFC) chief Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa speaks to the Extraordinary Congress Sunday meeting in Melbourne before the start of the AFC Asian Cup yesterday. Asia’s top sports leaders refused to back Prince Ali bin Al SD Eibar v Getafe 0:00 Hussein’s election challenge to FIFA president Sepp Blatter and insisted it was doomed to failure. — AFP beIN SPORTS 2 HD beIN SPORTS 14 HD Asian powerbrokers line Italian Calcio League Sassuolo v Udinese 20:00 beIN SPORTS 3 HD up to support Blatter beIN Sports Max 4 Torino v AC Milan 22:45 beIN SPORTS 4 HD MELBOURNE: A parade of powerful Asian soc- we are committed we never change our word. “I what we said for two years, we are with Blatter,” cer officials lined up to back Sepp Blatter’s bid don’t want to give false hopes to anybody. I Sheikh Ahmad told Reuters. French League for a fifth consecutive term as FIFA president have to be clear on that.” Prince Ali, an AFC vice “I doubt it (will change).” Sheikh Ahmad later yesterday, underlining the task candidate Prince president, was one of the last to arrive at the told reporters Prince Ali had not consulted oth- Bastia v PSG 19:00 Ali Bin Al-Hussein has in unseating the Swiss congress and swept into the meeting room at a er AFC members in his decision to run. “It’s his beIN SPORTS 5 HD incumbent. luxury hotel in Melbourne in campaign mode, decision, he took this decision without calling Gaillard v Rennes 22:00 The Jordanian prince’s decision to run for shaking hands with every delegate within reach. anybody, or waiting for anybody to give his beIN SPORTS 4 HD world soccer’s top job has breathed new life He has strong European backing in the presi- review or idea. When asked if he thought Blatter beIN Sports Max 4 into the race but senior officials at an Asian dential race, which culminates in an election in deserved another term Sheikh Ahmad said: “I Stade v Etienne 22:00 Football Confederation meeting in Melbourne Zurich in May, but analysts believe the key bat- think, yes,” despite a myriad of allegations of beIN SPORTS 9 HD said the 47-member Asian bloc was united in its tleground will be Asia, with the African bloc corruption that have harmed the governing beIN Sports Max 8 backing for Blatter. having already pledged their support for body’s image in recent years. Guingamp v de Lens 22:00 AFC President Shaikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Blatter. The Jordanian royal may also find sup- “We decided in the general assembly to vote beIN SPORTS 10 HD Khalifa said the governing body had agreed to port in CONCACAF, the confederation of North for Blatter, so I think now Prince Ali has to con- beIN Sports Max 5 back Blatter at meetings in 2013 and 2014 and American and Caribbean countries, which is no sider that and he has to think about this matter OGC Nice v Lorient 22:00 the position had not wavered. longer as solidly behind Blatter as it was in the a lot. “I think I was clear. Kuwait will vote for beIN SPORTS 8 HD “We are committed, all the member associa- past. Blatter.” Despite the claims of unanimous sup- beIN Sports Max 7 tions are committed to (Blatter) and from what I The support of Olympic Council of Asia boss port for Blatter, a number of member nations heard from them, today and the last few days, Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah, one of the declined to state their position. Australia’s soc- Lille OSC v Caen 2:00 we will continue to commit to that promise,” world’s most powerful sports officials, has been cer federation said in a statement their board beIN SPORTS 5 HD Shaikh Salman told reporters after the AFC seen as vital for Prince Ali’s hopes of swaying had yet to decide. Another senior AFC official beIN Sports Max 6 extraordinary congress in Melbourne yesterday. Asian candidates. But the Kuwaiti also poured cast doubt on the idea that the bloc would vote “We all know the decision has been made-if cold water on his candidacy. “I think as Asia, in unity for Blatter. — Reuters Asian power brokers line up to SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015 JANUARY SATURDAY, SportsSports support Blatter 47

MELBOURNE: Kuwait’s Faisal Zayed Alharbi (2nd L) eludes the tackles of the Australian defenders during the opening football match of the AFC Asian Cup in Melbourne yesterday. — AFP Aussies crush Kuwait 4-1 in Cup opener

MELBOURNE: Tim Cahill sparked an Australian outside the box and drove it into the top of the ference between the level of the Australian finished 14th in 2011. Australia next plays fightback after an early deficit as the hosts beat net. Cahill’s goal energized the Australians, who team and the Kuwait team.” Australia ruthlessly Oman in Sydney on Tuesday, while Kuwait takes Kuwait 4-1 in the opening match of the Asian pinned Kuwait deep in its half over the ensuing hunted for a fourth goal. Substitute Nathan on South Korea in Canberra. Cup yesterday. minutes. By halftime it was 2-1, man-of-the- Burns came close with two shots on goal until A vocal sellout crowd of 25,000 at the match Luongo himself rising above the defense James Troisi delivered in the 90th. Lineups: Rectangular Stadium, dressed predominantly in to head in a long pass over the outstretched “I would have preferred we didn’t concede Australia: Matthew Ryan, Ivan Franjic, Tim Australia’s green and gold colors, was stunned hands of Kuwait goalkeeper Hameed Youssef the (opening) goal, but from the perspective of Cahill (Tom Juric, 95), Matthew Spiranovic, into silence after eight minutes when Kuwait for his first international goal. seeing the reaction, it was the right kind of Mathew defender Hussain Fadhel opened the scoring by “It was amazing,” Luongo said. “It felt the reaction,” Postecoglou said. “They didn’t go into Leckie, Robbie Kruse (Nathan Burns, 72), Aziz diving to head in a low corner at the near post. world to me, and scoring it on home soil was their shells and, if anything, it made them more Behich, James Troisi, Mile Jedinak, Trent “The players were told in no uncertain terms even better. I couldn’t imagine a better day.” determined to overcome their opponents.” Sainsbury, Massimo Luongo ( Mark Bresciano, that (conceding) that kind of goal was unac- Kuwait’s stoic defense turned to desperation With the win, Australia took the early lead in 84). ceptable,” Australia coach Ange Postecoglou in the second half when Robbie Kruse was Group A, which also includes South Korea and said. “They were pretty disappointed in them- brought down by Salah Sheikh Alenezi in the Oman. Australia is attempting to win the Asian Kuwait: Hameed Youssef, Ali Hussain selves and we need to ensure it doesn’t happen area, allowing Australia captain Mile Jedinak to Cup for the first time since joining the Asian Fadhel (Amer Almatoug Alfadhel, 57), Fahad again.” slot home the penalty. Football Confederation from Oceania in 2006. Alhajeri, Khaled Alqahtani (Bader Almotawaa, The equalizer didn’t appear until the 33rd “Australia was very strong and took advan- The Socceroos lost the 2011 final to Japan. 74), Salah Sheikh Alhendi, Abdulaziz Alenezi minute when three-time World Cup veteran tage physically and with their speed,” Kuwait Kuwait is ranked 15th among Asian teams. (Yousef Naser, 64), Faisal Zayed Alharbi, Ali Cahill deftly met a Massimo Luongo pass just coach Nabil Maaloul said. “There was a big dif- Although it won the Asian Cup in 1980, Kuwait Almaqseed. — AP