SUBSCRIPTION

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 MUHARRAM 20, 1436 AH www.kuwaittimes.net Second grand The Real Fouz: Everybody Raptors beach Lip care loves the rally to cleaning drive tips of adorable beat Magic underway3 the37 week ‘Dadi’39 again20 Mixed signals: MP warns of Min 07º deficit, govt posts surplus Max 27º High Tide 02:27 & 17:07 Stats office says economy grew last year, contradicting IMF Low Tide 10:07 & 22:10 40 PAGES NO: 16341 150 FILS By B Izzak and Agencies conspiracy theories Nod to Gulf security pact KUWAIT: Kuwait could end the current 2014/2015 fiscal Walk carefully and year with a budget deficit due to the sharp fall in oil rev- enues, which will be the first shortfall following a budg- carry a big stick Leaders could meet ahead of summit et surplus in each of the past 15 fiscal years, head of the National Assembly’s budgets committee MP Adnan Abdulsamad warned yesterday. MP Ahmad Al-Qudhaibi meanwhile said that he has collected the necessary 10 signatures to call for holding a special Assembly session to discuss the consequences of the sharp drop in oil prices. By Badrya Darwish Oil income makes up around 94 percent of Kuwait’s public revenues and this explains how sensitive the Kuwaiti budget will be to movements in oil price. The government, which last month ended subsidies on diesel, kerosene and aviation fuel, instructed ministers [email protected] on Monday to rationalize spending and ensure that expenditures go in the right direction. MP Abdulsamad said that based on calculations of itting at the newspaper yesterday afternoon, average oil prices and average daily production, Kuwait we got some exciting news. A hyena was tak- is forecast to post a budget surplus of KD 1.233 billion in Sing a walk on the Sixth Ring Road. Guys, a the current fiscal year which ends on March 31. The pro- HYENA. Not a dog. Where did this animal come jected deficit is mainly due to the expected sharp from? Hyenas usually do not live in urban areas but decline in oil revenues in the second half of the fiscal are native to the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula. year by KD 3.3 billion compared to the first six months. KUWAIT: Officials and defense ministers pose for a group photo at Bayan Palace during a Gulf So what brought this nice creature to stroll on our But public revenues will increase by KD 280 million as a Cooperation Council (GCC) Joint Defense Council meeting held yesterday ahead of a scheduled annual streets so casually? result of the depreciation of the Kuwaiti dinar against summit in Qatar next month. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat Here are some possible answers to where it the US dollar. At the start of the year, a dollar was equal to 280 fils and now it has increased to 290 fils. came from: First, maybe it escaped from the zoo? KUWAIT: The Gulf security pact has been approved papers said yesterday. According to Kuwaiti daily Al- Could be. But I think if it had escaped, the zoo man- Abdulsamad said that based on official figures, the by all members of the GCC and is to be turned over Anbaa, consultations are underway to convene an infor- average price for Kuwaiti oil was $103.92 a barrel in the agement would announce it or at least go out look- to a GCC meeting of interior ministers slated for the mal meeting of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders ing for it and inform the Ministry of Interior. first five months of the fiscal year (April to August). This end of the month in Kuwait, a GCC official yesterday. before their Dec 9-10 summit in Doha. The gathering in was followed by a steep slide in oil prices, which aver- Another possibility - it wandered in from the desert. the Qatari capital will go ahead on time but after a “spe- The GCC Secretariat’s assistant director for security aged $95.4 a barrel in September and $84.3 a barrel in That’s very unlikely and near impossible because issues Brig Hazzaa Al-Hajri told reporters after the cial summit”, possibly in Riyadh next week, to iron out October. Oil prices declined further in November, with the distance it would have had to traverse - thou- end of a preparatory meeting of GCC interior min- differences, Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat said. Kuwaiti oil hovering around $75 a barrel, which is the sands of miles - and also people would have seen it istries’ undersecretaries that the GCC Secretariat had Amid a simmering dispute over Islamists between price adopted in the budget to calculate oil revenues, before. Not to mention, it would have been a pact in place on fighting terrorism which could be Doha and three other GCC members, a top Kuwaiti offi- Abdulsamad said. In addition, oil revenues were calcu- checked at immigration in Abdaly, Nuwaiseeb or implemented if the need arose. cial denied the venue of the annual summit was being lated on the basis of oil production of 2.7 million barrels Salmy for its visit visa. He said the preparatory meeting of the undersecre- changed. Kuwait has been mediating since Saudi per day, but the actual production was 2.6 million bpd, A third possibility is that the hyena escaped from taries came up with a number of significant recommen- Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain he said. This would further reduce oil revenues. one of our amateur exotic animal collectors. There dations, the main one being adopting a study by the pulled their envoys out of Doha in March. “I have only Continued on Page 13 are many of these young collectors in Kuwait who Secretariat on the establishment of a pan-GCC police heard about a summit to be held at a certain time in a instead of collecting art or stamps, prefer reptiles, force. He also said that the undersecretaries discussed specific country, which is Qatar,” said foreign ministry crocodiles, lions, hyenas, wolves, etc. They import the idea of a unified GCC fiber optic communications undersecretary Khaled Al-Jarallah, quoted by Al-Anbaa. Amnesty: Qatar exotic animals without licenses, without training network and issues related to drug trafficking, civil “I hope it will be held at its time and place.” and often without adequate facilities to keep and defense, and road safety. The next meeting of the Jarallah denied reports of attempts to move the take care of these creatures. And many do not know undersecretaries will be held in Qatar next year, he said. summit of the six-nation GCC - which also includes foot-dragging or even care about the dangers these animals could Meanwhile, Gulf leaders could hold a special meet- Oman - to either Saudi Arabia or Kuwait, the host of last pose if they get loose. ing to resolve differences within their ranks ahead of a year’s meeting. on labor rights And this is not the first time we were faced in scheduled annual summit in Qatar next month, news- Continued on Page 13 Kuwait with a wild animal. How many times have DUBAI: Amnesty International said yesterday that 2022 dangerous snakes escaped and threatened society? World Cup host nation Qatar is lagging behind on It was only a few years ago when they found a mas- addressing concerns about the abuse of migrant workers sive boa or some type of python in a nursery school Loose in the concrete jungle six months after it laid out plans for labor reforms. The garden. Thank God none of the kids were harmed wealthy OPEC nation has come under increasing scrutiny as they discovered it before the kids went to the over its labor practices since world football governing playground. And I will never forget another story body FIFA awarded it the rights in 2010 to host the tour- where a man was at his desert camp and he was nament. Like other energy-rich Gulf nations, Qatar relies met with a lion at the entrance as he was leaving. heavily on migrant workers drawn mainly from South And many other similar stories I cannot even Asia to build its roads, skyscrapers and stadiums. remember them now, but I wrote about it at the In a new report, the London-based human rights time. group criticized Qatar for failing to substantially tackle So it’s high time that the government takes this issues such as the “kafala” employee sponsorship system issue seriously. Like cutting expenses. It’s not only that ties expatriate workers to a single employer, and cutting expenses that is an issue for the nation. Also requirements that workers obtain exit permits from their stuff like this and our national safety are serious employers in order to leave the country. Amnesty notes issues that need to be addressed. Maybe I have to that Qatari officials increasingly acknowledge the exis- draw attention to our honorable gentlemen in the tence of labor problems and the need for improvement. parliament. That such issues are also important to But it also warns that a failure to put serious changes in the nation and should be tackled. Perhaps they can place in the coming months “will call into question put them on their agenda besides grilling ministers. whether the Qatari authorities are serious about reform.” Be careful when you take a walk nowadays, “The legacy of the FIFA 2022 World Cup would be the especially as the weather is good and many people hundreds of thousands of workers who were exploited to are going for morning jogs or afternoon strolls. This make it happen,” the group said in the 12-page report. In reminded me of the famous saying ‘Speak softly May, Qatari officials announced plans for new legislation and carry a big stick” popularized by US President that could eventually end the controversial sponsorship Theodore Roosevelt. But I suggest you carry a stick KUWAIT: A hyena walks along the Sixth Ring Road near the 360 Mall yesterday before it was tranquilized system in its current form. Currently, migrant workers - with you - it might come in handy. and caught by personnel from the Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources. The Ministry who make up the bulk of Qatar’s workforce - typically Have a good day! of Interior’s central operations room assisted the PAAAFR. Police are searching for the actual owner of the must be sponsored by their employer to work legally. animal after several people called in to say they had lost a hyena. Continued on Page 13 Saudis try to calm Dubai woos commuters with tram DUBAI: The Mideast commercial hub of sectarian tensions Dubai opened its first tram line yesterday, enticing would-be riders with air-condi- Deputy gov transferred tioned platforms and a premium section on its sleek cars for those willing to spend a few RIYADH: Expressions of solidarity by ferred in the aftermath of the unprece- more dirhams. The 10.6-km street-level line Saudi Arabia’s Sunni leaders towards dented attack. A royal decree “decided to aims to provide alternatives to driving along Shiites are helping to bridge a divide after relieve Emir Jalwi bin Abdulaziz bin Dubai’s rapidly developing southwestern an unprecedented militant attack against Musaid Al-Saud” from his post and trans- coast, an area popular with expatriate pro- the minority community, analysts say. fer him to Najran region bordering Yemen, fessionals and ever-growing numbers of for- Condemnation of the deadly shooting in the Saudi Press Agency reported without eign tourists. The line includes 11 stations the Eastern Province town of Al-Dalwa further explanation. Following the killings, linking the skyscraper-jammed Dubai Marina has sent a positive signal to Shiites who a royal decree dismissed Culture and with office parks, hotels and residential areas have long complained of marginalization Information Minister Abdulaziz Khoja. The further up the coastal road. Officials plan to in the Sunni-dominated kingdom, ana- reasons for his firing remain unclear but it extend the line to eventually include 17 sta- lysts say. followed Shiite calls for action against tions. DUBAI: Trams stop at the Marina Towers station during the first day of operation yes- Yesterday, the deputy governor of the hate speech in the media. Continued on Page 13 kingdom’s Eastern Province was trans- Continued on Page 13 terday. — AP THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 LOCAL

KUWAIT: HH the Amir during his meeting with the GCC defense ministers, in the presence of HH the HH the Amir with Colombian Minister of Foreign Affairs Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar. Crown Prince and Defense Minister Sheikh Khaled Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah. —KUNA

HH the Crown Prince with ambassador Majdi Al-Dhafiri. HH the Prime Minister during his meeting with the visiting HH Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak with Kenyan Ambassador Mohamed Mahat. Colombian minister. Amir receives GCC defense ministers, top officials

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al- Colombian Minister of Foreign Affairs Maria Angela Ahmed Agbash, who handed him a written letter Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received at Bayan Palace Holguin Cuellar. Both meetings were attended by from the Chadian Premier dealing with means of yesterday HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al- Deputy Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Ali cementing ties between the two countries. Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, HH Sheikh Nasser Al- Jarrah Al-Sabah. HH Sheikh Sabah also received the Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, and HH the Prime outgoing Kenyan Ambassador to the State of Closer ties Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al- Kuwait, Mohamed Mahat. Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah met his Sabah. Meanwhile, the Amir received Deputy Prime Separately, HH the Crown Prince received HH the Colombian counterpart yesterday and discussed Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Khaled Al- Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister and Deputy ways and means of promoting and developing Jarrah Al-Sabah, accompanied by Gulf Cooperation Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh bilateral relations in all fields. During the meeting, Council (GCC) Ministers of Defense and Secretary Mohammad Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, in addi- the two ministers also discussed key regional and General of the GCC, participating in the 13th GCC tion to Kuwait’s Ambassador to the Islamic Republic international issues that concern Kuwait and Joint Defense Council meeting hosted by Kuwait. of Iran, Majdi Ahmad Al-Dhafiri. Colombia. The meeting was attended by HH the Crown Prince Also yesterday, HH the Prime Minister received The meeting was attended by Undersecretary of and HH the Prime Minister. the visiting Colombian Foreign Minister, accompa- the Foreign Ministry Khaled Al-Jarallah and several Moreover, HH the Amir received First Deputy nied at the meeting by Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al- senior officials of the Foreign Ministry and the visit- Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sabah. He also received Kenyan Ambassador ing Colombian foreign minister’s accompanying HH the Prime Minister receives a letter from his Chadian counterpart, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and Mohamed Mahat, and Chadian Ambassador delegation. delivered by Ambassador of Chad to Kuwait Ahmed Agbash. Amir congratulates Social Affairs Minister Qatari Deputy Emir meets Qatari premier KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Hamad Al-Sabah sent similar congratula- Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah sent tory greetings. out his congratulations yesterday to Separately, HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al- GCC Social Work festival kicks off Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Thani Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah sent a cable to the who has been appointed as Deputy Emir Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King DOHA: Kuwaiti Minister of Social highly concerned with issues rele- with due social care. efforts by Qatari Minister of Labor of Qatar by the Qatari Amir Sheikh Tamim Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia, Affairs and Labor Hind Al-Subaih vant to social work and are so People are the major goal of and Social Affairs Dr Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Thani. HH the Amir wished offering condolences on demise of Princess met Qatari Prime Minister and keen on providing their peoples sustainable development in the Saleh Al-Khulaifi and the ministry him success in serving his country. HH Mashael Bint Mohammad Bin Mishal Bin Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah GCC, Subaih, also Minister of State officials to guarantee success for the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al- Abdulaziz Al-Saud. HH the Crown Prince and Bin Nasser Bin Khalifa in Doha yes- for Planning and Development, the GCC social event. Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and HH the HH the Prime Minister sent similar cables to terday. During the meeting, they added in her address to the festi- For his part, Khulaifi told the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al- the Saudi King. —KUNA discussed bilateral cooperation val. She stressed the necessity of opening session that hosting the between Kuwait and Qatar and mustering social energies and Festival has been prompted by ways and means of further devel- integrating national efforts for the Qatar’s belief in the importance oping and cementing relations in GCC social sustainable develop- of joint GCC action, besides sup- Kuwait issues book all fields. ment to proceed and achieve porting all forms of cooperation The Kuwaiti minister was in aspired goals. and coordination among the on endowment law Doha to attend the Fourth GCC Subaih underscored the member states to realize expecta- Festival for Social Work which importance of non-government tions of the people. He also kick-started yesterday. She is the and voluntary work for support- stressed the significance of the KUWAIT: Seeking to give impetus to the Awqaf regard: Madad Publishing House for endowment head of the current 31st session of ing official efforts within the role by the civil society organiza- (religious endowments) in Muslim countries, the books, support of post-graduate students study- the GCC Council for Social Affairs framework of an “effective and tions backing efforts to achieve Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs announced ing endowment-related topics, Awqaf Magazine, and Labor. The festival aims at dis- positive partnership to carry out comprehensive social develop- yesterday the issuance of a three-volume book on Namaa for Endowments Development, Waqf cussing difficulties facing social ambitious plans and promote our ment in the bloc. a unified pilot endowment law. (endowment) Award, Waqf Index, Waqf Dictionary, work in the GCC, seeking a host of societies.” The Fourth GCC Festival According to the Qatari Minister, “The main goal of this project is to sincerely Atlas of Muslim Waqf projects, and compiling of rules to regulate it in addition to will honor pioneers of social work the Fourth Festival aims at dis- contribute to efforts aiming to achieve integration biographies of Waqf prominent figures project. enhancing the non-official and for their distinguished role serv- cussing difficulties facing social work among Muslim countries in the endowments- Because of the active and leading role in the voluntary contribution in its activ- ing their societies and caring for in the GCC, seeking a host of rules to related legislations,” Minister of Justice and development of endowment, Kuwait was selected ities. people’s concerns and needs. regulate it in addition to enhancing as the coordinating state of Islamic endowments During the festival, Subaih indi- Hind Al-Subaih Subaih thanked Qatar for host- the non-official and voluntary contri- affairs by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation cated the GCC member states are ing the Festival, and lauded bution in its activities. —KUNA during the Ministers of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs’ Conference held in Indonesia, in October 1997. For his part, Kuwait Awqaf Public Foundation (KAPF) Secretary-General Abdulmohsen Al-Kharafi said Kuwaiti captive that the book proposes a model for Waqf or endowment law that takes in consideration the to return home economic and legal differences among all Muslim states. BEIRUT: Lebanese security authorities have released He stated that the book was compiled through Kuwaiti national Misfer Al-Hajeri, who had been in captivity fruitful cooperation between the KAPF and the for a couple of months in Lebanon, the Kuwaiti Embassy’s Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank and with chargé d’affaires in Beirut said. KUWAIT: Minister Al-Sanea at the the help of numerous outstanding religious, legal The release came as relevant security investigations press conference yesterday. —KUNA and management experts. Kharafi added that the with Hajeri were completed, Mesfer Al-Waqayyan said in a compilers have benefited from the applied statement to KUNA. He added that Hajeri was set to return Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Yaaqob Al- endowment systems and laws in Muslim countries to Kuwait late yesterday. The Kuwaiti national was abduct- Sanea said in a press conference on the sidelines of as well as the stories of success and creative initia- ed by an armed group in the eastern town of Baalbek in the ceremony. “The book includes the guiding law, tives. August. —KUNA its proposed executive regulations and explanato- He noted that the law model comprises 12 ry note.” chapters including 81 articles that address every- He pointed out that the book-compiling is one thing related to the endowments. Moreover, the of a long list of projects executed by Kuwait to executive regulations comprised 360 items and ameliorate endowment management in the the explanatory note covered every detail that Muslim countries. Sanea cited as examples a num- could legislators need in case they want to prepare Lieutenant Al-Ameer honors ABK GM, Board Affairs Fawzy Al-Thunayan ber of the projects implemented by Kuwait in this an endowment law. —KUNA ABK sponsors Jahra ceremony Panel discusses conscription bill KUWAIT: Al-Ahli Bank of Kuwait was its support to different segments of society, By A Saleh tion bill due to be discussed on Monday. delighted to sponsor the felicitation cere- in recognizing their efforts at serving and mony of security officers of Jahra maintaining the security in Kuwait.” KUWAIT: Chairman of the parliamentary Rights’ panel’s priorities Governorate, in the presence of Jahra Thunayan added “Al-Ahli Bank of Kuwait interior and defence committee MP Rapporteur of the parliamentary Governor Lieutenant Fahad Ahmad Al- contributes by supporting various sports, Abdullah Maayouf said that the committee human rights committee MP Humoud Al- Ameer. This initiative was part of ABK’s par- cultural, social and health activities of inter- had three priorities to discuss - the con- Hamdan said that the committee met yes- ticipation in activities of social interest, as est of the community, with a distinctive, scription bill, a proposal to establish a pub- terday to discuss setting its priorities that part of their social responsibility strategy. active role in all areas.” lic authority to combat drugs and the would include establishing a national On the occasion, Fawzy Al-Thunayan, Lieutenant Al-Ameer thanked ABK for its weapon collection bill. Maayouf added that diwan for human rights, the national unity General Manager, Board Affairs at ABK stat- support and sponsorship, whilst hoping for the committee would discuss over 33 bills bill, fighting discrimination and bedoon ed “ABK’s sponsorship in honoring security continuous success in the ongoing relation- BEIRUT: Misfer Al-Hajeri (center) before heading within a month starting with the conscrip- rights. officers of the Jahra Governorate reaffirms ship between the Bank and Governorate. to Kuwait yesterday. —KUNA THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 LOCAL New medical test signed by MoH unclear to Philippines, Sri Lanka

By Ben Garcia

KUWAIT: The Philippines and Sri Lankan embassies in Kuwait have no knowledge of a new mechanism to medically test their workers before they head to Kuwait. Yesterday, a report from an Arab media quoted a source from the Ministry of Health that a contract had been signed between a local company and Kuwait to carry out medical tests on workers coming to Kuwait, specifically from the Philippines and Sri Lanka. “We do not know about it. We are still following the same practice as befores,” Mohammed Anas, the Sri Lankan Charge d’Affairs told Kuwait Times yes- KUWAIT: Adel Al-Roumi speaks at the training course yesterday. — KUNA terday at their embassy in Jabriya. “We have our own medical tests in Sri Lanka, and these are PPP executive bylaw approved by the ministries of health in GCC coun- tries. In order to get the visa, the system we follow is that we have to bring the result of the medical test complete in Dec to the Embassy of Kuwait in Colombo, so obviously accredited companies are carrying out medical tests,” he said. The Philippine Embassy concurred. “I KUWAIT: The executive bylaw of the Public- countries such as France where PPP projects don’t know that the medical testing system has Private-Partnership law number 116 of 2014 make up nearly 60 percent of the govern- changed, as we are still following the GAMCA,” said are in the offing, Adel Al-Roumi president of ment projects. Philippine Labor Attache Cesar Chavez. There have the public authority for public-private-part- On the training courses, he stated that the been complaints in the past of workers who have This file photo shows one of many GAMCA accredited facilities in the Philippines nership projects announced yesterday. authority is organizing a package of training been blocked and are not allowed to work in the undergo medical tests from their respective coun- mum fibrosis, calcification and pleural thickening, “Nearly 60 percent have been completed programs to acquaint government officials Middle East as a result of the Gulf Accredited tries, but they’ll be tested again in the country of tuberculosis pleural effusion, tuberculosis lym- and the whole bylaw is expected to be fin- and investors with the important of PPP proj- Medical Clinics Association test. destination for accuracy and credibility of the med- phadenitis, venereal diseases, VDRL positive and ished before the end of the year,” Roumi told ects. Last July, Kuwait enacted Law number GAMCA was implemented by the GCC countries ical check-ups conducted in their countries. TPHA positive. KUNA on the sidelines of training courses 116 of 2014 regarding Public Private through a decision made by the executive board of Based on GAMCA, workers are unfit to work in Non-infectious diseases that also prevent work- held by the authority to raise awareness Partnership (PPP) on with a view creating health ministers in 1995. The objective is to check GCC countries if they have the following infectious ing in the GCC are the following: Chronic renal fail- about the PPP law. “Once they are completed, appropriate investment climate that allows all pre-departure workers from labor-exporting diseases: HIV, AIDS, hepatitis B. surface antigen pos- ure, chronic hepatic failure, congestive heart fail- the bylaws would be sent to government the attraction of private equity and provide countries as a preventive measure to ensure med- itive and anti-HCV, microfilaria positive & malaria ure, uncontrolled hypertension, uncontrolled dia- bodies for adoption.” He pointed out that the citizens with opportunities to participate in ical fitness of every worker and that they are free blood film positive, known leprosy patient, tubercu- betes mellitus, known case cancer, psychiatric dis- PPP law draws upon the best world practices such project, promote savings and realize from all communicable diseases that can threaten losis - any type, pulmonary by chest X-ray showing eases, neurological disorders and physical disabili- in this domain. additional income sources. Issuance of such a the safety and security of Gulf states. The workers active or past evidence of old TB including mini- ty - eg color blindness, deafness, etc. Roumi regretted that the number of joint Law is a development to treat certain gaps in public-private projects in Kuwait is still very Law No. 7 of 2008 concerning regulation of low compared with their number in many BOT, and other similar schemes. — KUNA Hundreds underwent breast cancer early diagnoses test KUWAIT: At least 470 women and head of the communicable disease underwent mammogram for an hospital. She added that more than 45 early detection of cancer and calls a day were received from women only six cases were diagnosed who wanted to take appointments for with the disease during the mammogram checkups. month of October, the National Even though the program ended, Program for the Early Detection of yet awareness seminars and lec- Cancer announced yesterday. tures will be held at schools A total of 1,553 breast checkups as part of schools’ activities, were conducted through the program Khawari pointed out. She encouraged during a campaign that was launched women to still get their breasts in April and ended recently, said Dr screened for early detection of any can- Hanna Al-Khawari, head of the program cer. — KUNA CAIT mulls using cloud computing

KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Central Agency for Information Technology (CAIT) is pondering the use of cloud computing for storing data at gov- ernment bodies, linking them in one system, KUWAIT: A public school’s students in a group photo at the conclusion of a cleaning campaign. — KUNA seeking to upgrade the e-government. CAIT Deputy Director General of IT Qusai Al- Shatti made the remark while addressing the Second grand beach 2nd Middle East Cloud and Big Data Conference and Exhibition that kicked off yesterday. Shatti added that CAIT established the Kuwait data network, linking together 56 government bod- cleaning drive underway ies, where electronic data and documents are shared at high speed. The use of cloud computing in the future will Minister applauds environmental projects play an effective role in promoting the system CAIT established, Shatti said, noting that the Qusai Al-Shatti KUWAIT: The Environmental Voluntary new concept is regarded as a quantum shift in Foundation (EVF), a renowned Kuwaiti associa- the infrastructure technology solutions that achieved several projects for data infrastructure, institutions rely on for huge operations. He also needed to develop e-government in coopera- tion carrying out programs and projects to safe- said that most public and private institutions are tion with relevant official bodies, Shatti told the guard the national environment, is now involved seeking the use of cloud computing as the easi- conference. The 2nd Middle East Cloud and Big in the ‘grand campaign’ aimed at clearing up the est and most effective method for data storage Data Conference and Exhibition includes work- beaches. and recalling. According to Shati, CAIT is work- shops over two days involving world IT special- The EVF’s annual beach cleaning campaign ing hard on disseminating the use of cloud com- ists who brief participants from official bodies has turned into a regular event, where all partici- puting and the relevant practical applications. and big local companies, on the latest develop- pating authorities and bodies seek to promote Since it was established in 2006, CAIT has ments of cloud-computing. — KUNA further the public awareness about the necessity to protect the Kuwaiti marine life against pollu- tion. Sultan Telecom delivers This large-scale, four-month-long campaign, launched in October, executed by the founda- broadcast stations in Subbiya tion for the second consecutive year, has lured students and youth in general to get education about themes such as volunteering, public cleanliness and sustainable development, said Nora Al-Sanousi, in charge of the project to clean up Sharq beach. This particular activity includes interesting children’s programs, educating the youngsters Students work together to clean the beach. about the marine environment, with the implementing rehabilitation environmental restoring many sites in the country since KNFP approach to bolster “the concept of partnership projects in the country. The restoration projects has become the central committee to supervise for preserving the environment and promoting are carried out as stipulated by decisions 269 the implementation of projects related to envi- positive cooperation among the society’s seg- and 271 of the Governing Council of the UN ronmental remediation that is funded by the ments to keep our environment clean and free Compensation Commission (UNCC) UNCC. of waste or pollutants,” she explained in remarks Omair, who is also chairman of the Kuwait He pointed out that the state of Kuwait is to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA). National Focal Point (KNFP), told KUNA on yes- committed to work on these projects transpar- Expatriate children have been involved, as terday that it is of importance to respect the ently and as required by the UNCC through well, in cleaning up Sharq beach, she said, not- UNCC decisions and keep working on improving many governmental bodies, particularly: Kuwait ing that 400 students from a single Indian school environment-relate projects in the country in Oil Company, Public Authority of Agriculture have take part in the activity. order to achieve sustainable environment. Affairs and Fish Resources and Ministry of Several authorities, departments and facili- He added that there should be a focus on Electricity and Water. — KUNA KUWAIT: Sultan Telecom, a subsidiary of The comes up to the amount of four million and ties, namely the Ministry of Education, Kuwait Sultan Center Group of companies and the three hundred seventy thousand Kuwaiti Municipality, Kuwait Touristic Enterprises leader in Telecommunications in Kuwait, Dinars. Company, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research announced the inauguration of the second of The new broadcast station works on FM and and management of Sharq mall have backed up the two Radio Broadcast Station Projects with DAB+ (Digital Audio Broadcast) simultaneously the work, in addition to a large number of com- the Ministry of Information. The Project consist- which is a more efficient method of utilizing panies and commercial institutions. ed of setting up for the Ministry an FM and existing frequencies in radio broadcasting. The Preserving the Kuwaiti environment is a com- Digital Radio Broadcast Station in Subbiya. The Station includes three FM transmitters each with mon responsibility that must be shared by all inauguration was done earlier this month by the 20 KW of power. There is also a fourth redundant individuals and establishments, said Sanousi, undersecretary of the Ministry of Information FM transmitter to cater to any faults. urging for cooperation among all these parties Mohammed Abdul Mohsen Alawwash. Also Moreover, the station is also equipped with to realize “this ideal objective.” present were the board member of The Sultan an RDS system (Radio Data System) allowing the The foundation is one of several bodies in Center - Anwar Sultan bin Issa, Mamoun Sweis - receivers to automatically tune to frequency Kuwait that care for protecting the environment. Director, Sultan Telecom and Messrs ministry variations enabling high audio quality while in Its divers have removed hundreds of waste assistants and agents of Engineering and televi- motion and an excellent listening experience. dumped into the sea-bed, relieved valuable and sion Affairs and elite of the media in Kuwait. The Radio signals are transmitted via a 200m The cost of the project in Subbiya amounted high tower equipped with two power lines. vulnerable coral reefs off the coast of aban- about 2.29 million Kuwaiti Dinars. This is a quan- The station is powered through two genera- doned harmful objects and contributed to treat- tum leap in the state of the art radio and digital tors along with the power provided by the ing them of bleaching. It has often urged sea- broadcasting technology. Ministry of Electricity and Water. Sultan Telecom goers and fishermen to abstain from dumping This is the second project executed for radio is committed to maintain its leading position in unwanted objects into the waters or onto the and digital transmission, and the first had been Kuwait by providing quality services to the peo- coral reefs. Meanwhile, Minister of Oil and opened in South Sabahiya Area a week before ple of Kuwait and would not spare any effort to Minister of State for National Assembly Affairs Dr Subbiya. The total cost of the two projects achieve this objective. Ali Al-Omair lauded government bodies for Students work together to clean the beach. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 LOCAL Initial steps for GCC railway system underway soon

Crime Crime Report Report Engineer’s apartment robbed KUWAIT: Ahmadi police are looking for an intruder who entered the flat of an engineer and stole jewelry worth KD 3,100 and KD 450 in cash. The Asian engineer who lives in Abu Halifa found the door of his flat broken and discovered the theft.

‘King of birds’ arrested Jahra police in cooperation with Farwaniya patrols arrested a young man in Kabd nicknamed “King of Birds” after he attempted to escape as he scaled the fence of a pen containing rare birds. The owner called the police and caught the suspect. He confessed that he is fond of birds and his friends have named him “King of Birds.”

Porno dealer detained Hawally police arrested an Asian man for selling porno- graphic material in a Salmiya cafe. The Asian was carrying a The proposed route for the GCC railway system. (Source: Construction Week Online) bag of CDs containing pornographic videos. He was referred to the concerned authorities. DOHA: Kuwait will commence initial steps to embark on railway project to life as part of a regional plan set by the the national railway system as part of a plan to make the Gulf leaders, Marri said, noting that the project was well system fully operational by late 2018, a Kuwaiti official ahead planning wise especially with the standard specifi- Al-Yasra, Diet Care said yesterday. cations being approved in 2012. On the sideline of a workshop regarding the GCC rail- The GCC railway system will connect several cities in The suspect with the drugs. co-sponsor Horeca way project, Kuwait’s Ministry of Communications the region with the proposed starting and ending points Executive Abdulhadi Al-Marri told KUNA that the Kuwaiti being Kuwait City and Muscat. The railway system will KUWAIT: Following its success in its previous three participations national railway system will be connected to the overall cover a distance of 2,117 kilometers. The system will be Man arrested with in Horeca exhibitions, Al-Yasra Food Co announced its intention GCC railway project which would aim at improving trans- used to transport people as well as transferring goods to participate in Horeca Kuwait 2015 exhibition to be organized portation in the region. The GCC countries, including and it would have several economic, commercial, and 11kg hashish by Leaders Group in collaboration with Hospitality Services Co at Kuwait, are vigorously working on measures to bring the social benefits. —KUNA Badriya Ballroom, Messila Jumeriah Hotel in the period of January By Hanan Al-Saadoun 19-21, 2015 as a Golden Sponsor. Al-Yasra’s Horeca and the regional operations development KUWAIT: Narcotics authorities arrested a bedoon with 11 manager Mustafa Al-Masri stressed that Horeca had been steadily Oil drop enhances tourism role kg of hashish. The arrest took place when an undercover moving forward towards scientifically developing hospitality sec- agent agreed with the suspect to buy three kilograms of tors with the help of a group of experts and specialized people. Oil revenues form 93% of Kuwait’s income hashish. The arrest was made during the exchange. The Masri noted that Al-Yasra had cre- suspect led police to a quantity of hashish buried under- ated its own outstanding status in KUWAIT: “The recent drop in oil prices increase expenditure on development vide over 25,000 job opportunities ground. He said that he trades in and uses drugs. the food business, not only in Meanwhile, Jahra police arrested two men who threw Kuwait, but also in most regional enhances the need to consider projects which might face a problem and multiply foreign currency income tourism as a supporting source of with the drop in oil prices. fivefold. out a bag when told to stop. Drugs and KD 300 were countries, and that it managed to found in the bag. win customers’ trust dealing with national income in Kuwait,” stressed “The tourism strategy previously The report also noted that all kinds exclusive regional and interna- the General Manager of Leaders Group prepared and not implemented can of tourism, including recreational, tional brands such as Sadia, Al-Saf Company for Consultancy and sports, conferences, exhibitions and Danon, Kellogg’s, Pringles and Development (Leaders Group) Nabila treatment, could be utilized to accredited Angus meats. Masri Al-Anjeri, pointing out that oil rev- increase national income. “According added that Al-Yasra had launched enues form 93 percent of Kuwait’s to studies, UAE’s tourism related rev- an awareness campaign entitled national income while other sectors enues are expected to jump to $11 bil- “Food Safety is Your Family Safety” only provide 7 percent. In the compa- lion by the end of this year and Qatar that was held under the auspices ny’s monthly report, Anjeri added that managed to develop its non-oil rev- Mustafa Al-Masri of the health minister. the state’s expenses and annual budg- enues by 18 percent,” stressed the Separately, the Diet Care Co et are closely related to the growth in report, noting that Kuwait possesses announced joining Horeca Kuwait oil revenues and that it was high time many of the elements needed to start 2015 as a Silver Sponsor. that Kuwait started considering alter- an outstanding tourism industry, Operation manager of Diet Care native sources of income, deeming reminding of the history of tourism in Co Sara Demashqiya stressed that tourism as the main one. Kuwait starting with pre-oil era travels Horeca Kuwait has become The report explained that taking for trading, discovering the Failaka unique in contributing toward into consideration oil revenues formed monuments, establishing KAC in 1945, developing the hospitality, cater- 63 percent of GCC states’ national establishing Kuwait Hotels Co in 1962, ing and hotel requirements sec- income, other GCC states had already Nabila Al-Anjeri joining WTO in 1963 and building tors. She said participation in the started this quest. “Oil revenues form much of the infrastructure needed three previous exhibitions have 60 percent of Qatar and UAE’s national earn Kuwait around KD 100 million such as TEC in 1976 that were all for- had a great impact on the compa- incomes, 90 percent in Saudi Arabia annually if Kuwaiti tourists alone find gotten when the state got preoccu- and 93 percent in Kuwait,” stressed the enough local touristic attractions that pied with security and economic ny’s clients. “It is a very significant Alcohol bottles busted at Nuwaiseeb border event that matches Diet Care’s report, pointing out that GCC oil-relat- would tempt them to spend such issues in the 1980s. “Reviving Kuwait’s Sara Demashqiya plans of promoting the concept ed revenues had jumped from $366 sums in Kuwait instead of spending status in the world of tourism will not checkpoint. of sound healthy and hygienic habits through our outstanding billion in 2009 to $729 billion in 2013, them abroad,” added the report, not- happen with a magic wand,” the report which made many GCC governments ing that reviving tourism would pro- concluded. Alcohol smuggling team of experts and internationally accredited dieticians, our deli- Nuwaiseeb customs officers arrested a citizen who cious, low calorie and fat-free products and the health campaigns attempted to smuggle 69 bottles of imported liquor and exhibitions we take part in,” she emphasized. while arriving from Saudi Arabia. “As one of the major catering companies in Kuwait, Diet Care KEPS calls for ending ‘birds slaughter’ has been providing thousands of clients with the most delicious and nutritious dishes in addition to special diets to maintain KUWAIT: Kuwait Environment Protection birds of different species including statement noted. These actions healthy lifestyles,” said Demashqiya, pointing out the dishes on Society (KEPS) called for executing the law endangered ones have been killed, would affect the environmental bal- the company’s menu are prepared by the best dieticians and of prohibiting birds hunting and brining said the team, calling on officials in ance and the immigration process of chefs. “Since its inception in 2005, Diet Care has been keen on tak- those involved to justice, to protect immi- charge to take action to end “the these creatures, the statement added. ing part in various specialized exhibitions as well as organizing grating and settling birds in Kuwait. slaughter,” especially after the new Meanwhile, the team said the soci- many activities and initiatives such as the ‘Get Healthy’ and the A number of flamingo birds were environment protection law was ety will cooperate with officials to ‘Get Healthy, Kuwait’ campaigns,” she said, adding the company killed in one of the country’s natural issued. protect natural reserves, calling on has also organized a number of awareness ‘Nutri-Events’ in reserves, said the society’s birds mon- The random killing of birds is con- older hunters to bring awareness to schools, malls and establishments with the aim of improving diet- itoring and protection team in a demned and prohibited by both youth about the hazards of random ing habits among various age categories. statement yesterday. Thousands of Islam and the international law, the killings of birds. —KUNA

A firefighter at the scene.

No injuries in fire Fire broke out in Al-Muthanna complex. Al-Hilali and Madina centers dealt with the fire and no injuries were reported. Duwaisan warns on rights The honored students in a group photo. By A Saleh

KUWAIT: MP, Faisal Al-Dowaisan expressed happiness over Zain honors high performing employees the parliamentary interior and defence committee’s approval of his proposal to stop discriminating between Kuwaitis over citizenship article numbers and settle for ‘Zain Star’ program recognizes outstanding achievements adopting ‘Kuwaiti’ alone in all citizenship certificates. Duwaisan also urged the government to work on improv- KUWAIT: Zain, the leading telecommunications company ent at the event; as was Shafeeq Al Sayed Omar, Zain’s the dedication they have shown, which has contributed to ing Kuwait’s image before international human rights in Kuwait, recently held a special ceremony in the compa- Chief Strategy and CEO Support Officer; Nabeel the overall success of the company. Through the ‘Zain Star’ organizations, especially since human rights conditions in ny’s premises to honor a number of high performing Mohammed, Chief Technical Officer; and Faisal Abul, Chief program, we are aiming to harness all the successful ener- Kuwait were about to be internationally reviewed. employees as part of its quarterly ‘Zain Star’ program, Regulatory, Legal Affairs and Roaming Officer; all of whom gies that are present and develop them further in order to “Otherwise, the government must get ready to justify its which recognizes distinguished employees’ achievements took part in honoring employees’ achievements. keep us on the road to attaining our strategic goals.” decision to withdraw the citizenships given due to forged Zain proudly considers its Kuwait-based human capital In her speech during the ceremony, Mariam Ali said: Ali also stressed that Zain acknowledges the impor- documents. We must also finish the issue of selling the the company’s main strategic asset. With that in mind, the “Recently, the Kuwaiti telecommunications sector has wit- tance of including creative and successful people to its bedoons to the Comoros,” he warned. ‘Zain Star’ program was designed with the main objective nessed high levels of competition in attracting talented family, noting that celebrating their achievements is one of of recognizing those employees who are delivering high staff. Being a pioneer in the sector, we are dedicated to many ways of encouraging them to give more to the com- GCC security proposals do quality service, particularly in an extremely competitive retaining our human capital by recognizing and rewarding pany. Zain will continue investing in employees and their not suit Kuwait: Dashti telecom sector as found in Kuwait. their achievements and talents. We have continuously progress. MP Abdulhameed Dashti said that he was sure the Zain’s executive management team attended the award sought to honor our staff for their professionalism, which ‘Zain Stars’ are selected on the basis of those staff mem- Interior Ministry was doing its best in tracking terrorists ceremony as they were keen to express their gratitude and has in turn led us to being the leading mobile operator in bers who take part in suggesting creative ideas to be and ensuring national security. He also commented on the admiration for the endeavors of outstanding employees, as the country.” implemented by the company in order to provide cus- GCC security agreement, noting that Kuwait was special well as provide them with additional motivation to excel in Ali continued: “We are confident of the caliber of staff tomers with the best services, achieving customer satisfac- and that some of the proposals made in the agreement did their roles. Mariam Ali, Chief Commercial Officer was pres- Zain has been able to attract and retain, and we appreciate tion, and providing speediness in business flow. not suit Kuwait. LOCAL THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 Disabled diver to take challenge to Similan Island ‘Nothing impossible for the disabled’

By Nawara Fattahova is the only disabled member, and since then he achieved great achievements, KUWAIT: Disabled diver Faisal Al-Musawi which even many normal divers couldn’t will embark on a new challenging diving achieve, due to his strong will. Musawi beat trip off Similan Island in Thailand between his disability and obtained many diving Nov 15 and 29, 2014. This was announced licenses including ‘Rescue Diver’, so he can during a press conference held at the rescue himself and others as well. And this Kuwait Science Club (KSC) on Tuesday. “The is the first step in proficiency,” highlighted main goal of these trips is to prove that Huweidi. there isn’t anything impossible for the dis- Huweidi welcomed the disabled to join abled. Our dreams and ambitions have no the team. “There are hundreds of disabled limits and can’t be stopped by disability. people who can do well and have achieve- Such trips also show that the disabled can ments if they are given care and support. easily practice various activities,” said The team is organizing various environ- Musawi, who is a member of KSC, during mental activities at the KSC, through which the conference. we aim to raise awareness about protecting Five years ago, he started with diving our environment, and the sea is an impor- and now he is the only disabled diver hold- tant part of this environment,” he added. ing five certificates in the world. He was The Training Center Supervisor of the also the first disabled diver to go safari div- Kuwait Diving Team at the KSC, Captain ing in the Maldives, and a few months ago Mishari Al-Khabaz, noted that this diving he was diving in one of the top ten diving Faisal Al-Musawi speaks at the press conference. trip for Musawi will be a new international destinations in the world - Sipadan Island ipating in the ‘diving trainer’ course. new challenge for him. “I believe in his abili- record for Kuwait. “This trip will be hard for in Malaysia -and was the first disabled diver Captain Fawaz Al-Huweidi, Head of the ty to beat this challenge as he did in the Musawi, as he will stay onboard a ship in to reach it. Musawi currently holds the fol- Kuwait Diving Team at the KSC and Director previous diving trips,” he noted. the middle of the sea for one week, and will lowing diving licenses: Open water diver, of the Sea Environment Science “He will be the first disabled diver to only be focusing on diving. He will do 14 adventure diver, advanced diver, night div- Department, stressed that this ‘challenge 3 dive at Similan, which is considered one of dives during this period. He will also go on er and Nitrox diver, which took him about diving trip’ will be tough, especially since the top ten islands for diving. Musawi more discovery diving trips in the future to three years to obtain. He is currently partic- Musawi uses a wheelchair, which will be a joined the Kuwait Diving Team in 2009 and achieve more records for Kuwait,” he stated. French ambassador extols ties with Kuwait

KUWAIT: Ambassador Christian Nakhla is honored during the forum. The participants stand for a group photo. —KUNA KUWAIT: In a speech marking the 50th anniversary of The forum was organized by the French embassy in schools, the Ambassador, elated by the intention, promised Kuwaiti-French diplomatic relations, French ambassador conjunction with the Kuwait Foundation for the that the Arabic language would be taught in French Christian Nakhla touted these ties that have seen much Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) and Kuwait University. schools and higher institutes of learning in the near future. progress on numerous levels at a forum held yesterday Cognizant of the intention of the Kuwaiti ministry of Also speaking at the forum was Kuwait University (KU) commemorating the anniversary. Education to teach the French language in its elementary rector Dr Abdullatif Al-Bader, who said that a large num- ber of professors teaching in the faculty of law at KU had acquired their academic credentials from French universi- ties and that currently the university has sent 17 post- graduate students to earn their PhDs in France. He noted that KU maintained extensive ties with French universities which, he said, was a beneficial offshoot of the two countries’ half a century of diplomatic relations. Affirming what the president was saying, Dr Feryal Burabie, vice president for scientific affairs at KU, said at the forum that KU had signed a number of agreements with French institutes of higher learning, one of these agree- ments availed recently twelve KU students to study busi- ness administration in France for a year. Moreover, she said KU had invited six French students to study in Kuwait. Furthermore, she indicated in her remarks at the forum that KU has had a French language teaching department in the faculty of arts and literature since 2007, a further sign of growing cultural relations between Kuwait and France. KFAS Director General Dr Adnan Shehabeddine, speak- ing at the forum, emphasized his organization’s willingness to enhance scientific and cultural exchanges with French organizations and academic institutions. — KUNA

Kholoud Al-Feeli receives the award EQUATE receives regional sustainability award

KUWAIT: EQUATE Petrochemical Company, Kuwait’s first interna- tional petrochemical joint-venture, received BGreen’s Lifetime Achievement Award 2014 for sustainability related achievements. Commenting on this recognition, EQUATE President and CEO Mohammad Husain said, “Sustainability constitutes a critical ele- ment in each and every strategy and initiative executed by the company, especially regarding the environment. Sustainability, as a fundamental objective, is not limited to being slogan, it is one of the most important practical measures for success and develop- ment that must be considered at all levels.” Husain added, “Based on that, EQUATE has embodied its ‘Partners in Success’ tagline through a realistic and tangible implementation of sustainability’s principles through focusing on protecting and preserving the environment by launching a num- ber of world-class initiatives, such as the Middle East’s First Plant Water Recycle Project and Kuwait’s First CO2 Recovery Project. In addition, EQUATE is the first Kuwaiti organization to receive the certification and accreditation of Responsible Care (RC) which is an international voluntary initiative of the global chemical indus- try to safely handle products through all product phases, includ- ing manufacturing, shipping, distribution, production and mar- keting.” On behalf of Husain, the award was received by EQUATE Corporate Communications Leader Kholoud Al-Feeli during an event in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. Established in 1995, EQUATE is an international joint venture between Petrochemical Industries Company (PIC), The Dow Chemical Company (Dow), Boubyan Petrochemical Company (BPC) and Qurain Petrochemical Industries Company (QPIC). Commencing production in 1997, EQUATE is the single operator of a fully integrated world-scale manufacturing facility producing over 5 million tons annually of high-quality petrochemical prod- ucts which are marketed throughout the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 LOCAL

wIn my vie The GCC house Rationalization ...

By Labeed Abdal

[email protected]

is Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah’s recent visit to Qatar, where he held Htalks with his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on boosting joint work between Gulf Cooperation Council countries in light of regional developments, is a step that goes in line with His Highness’ keenness on mending ties between GCC states. Furthermore, the step comple- ments the ambitions of the Amir’s brother, the late Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, the founder of the GCC, along with the late President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al- Nahyan. The visit was important to remove tensions that escalated after UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain with- drew their ambassadors from Doha in March in protest over accusations of Qatar’s failure to honor an agreement signed in Riyadh last year. Kuwaiti media- tion in April helped achieve agreement between GCC states on a mechanism to execute the agreement, Al-Jarida thus removing obstacles, especially as Qatar prepares to host the GCC summit next month. Preparations must be made now to return the ambassadors back to Doha and create suitable in my view atmospheres to push cooperation forward between GCC countries, especially since the relationship between Gulf states has been improving of late. We Growing tensions in Gaza in the Gulf region are in need for all efforts aimed at calming the tense atmosphere between GCC states and pave the way for a successful summit next By Abdullah Erakat month with hope that it comes out with decisions that serve our unity and security as a top priority. Palestinian official has said that renewed fighting Khalid Meshaal, is a chief funder of Hamas, which the US National consensus between Hamas and Fatah is a setback for the and Israel consider a terrorist organization. Basoos shares those sentiments, saying this will affect APalestinian aims for statehood and the hostility Hamas agreed to speak with The Media Line, but later Palestinian society and undermine the work of the kuwait digest will most likely cause delays of the Gaza reconstruction declined to comment on the issue, saying they were Palestinian national consensus, whose future is now in process. investigating the recent blasts. limbo. “This is terribly sad and it’s not good for the “A neutral party should open a query, not the same “We had hoped that this government would end such The story Palestinian cause,” Palestinian industrialist Munib Al-Masri party accused of being behind explosions,” Fatah sympa- (internal) clashes,” he said, adding that Gazans did not said. thizer Abed Al Jabbar Cady said. need any further disappointments after the seven week of Pinchot The comments followed a series of blasts that took Such an announcement, he says, is proof that Hamas Israel-Hamas conflict. place in Gaza last week near homes owned by Fatah offi- will not relinquish control to PA Security forces. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon By Hassan Al-Essa cials. According to the Palestinian Authority, there were Following last month’s visit to Gaza by the national con- announced a trilateral mechanism to rebuild the strip, no injuries. Hamas has denied any involvement. sensus government and its prime minister, Rami with cooperation from Israel, the UN and the PA. Hamdallah, there was talk that PA presidential guards Cady says the PA has to take immediate charge of the iving nations learn from history, from their own As a result, the Palestinian cabinet cancelled its sched- and others’ experiences. This was asserted by uled trip to Gaza from the West Bank and tensions would take up positions and replace Hamas. security situation in Gaza for the sake of the people. LFukuyama in his book ‘Political Order and Political between Fatah and Hamas heightened once again. This would help ease the flow of necessary building “We hope that the security concerns would be Decay: From the Industrial Revolution to the It has also cast a dark cloud over the political reconcili- materials into the Gaza Strip following October’s addressed through a comprehensive arrangement for Globalization of Democracy’. Some US leaders were too ation deal reached between the two largest Palestinian Norwegian-sponsored donor conference in Cairo, where the security in Gaza,” Othman added. preoccupied with populist political biddings, which parties in April. Following seven years of disunity, Masri various countries pledged 5.4 billion dollars to rebuild the As for whether the Hamas will be trusted in handling means favoritism of influential icons and voters. was the key engineer behind the agreement which led to funds if the PA does not regain sovereignty in Gaza, the Politicians have always adopted profiteering policies the formation of a national consensus government. European Union sees no such scenario. with their voters and accordingly acted in terms of state “Once again, the (Palestinian) people are the victims,” “Hamas appears on the EU list of terror organization management. However, this did not last long because “Once again, the the assassination of President Garfield in 1880 by a Masri said, adding that he hoped Hamas would work to (Palestinian) people are and the EU is therefore prohibited from transferring any ‘lunatic’ person formed a political ‘quake’ and marked the calm tensions since being united is a must if the con- funds whatsoever directly to Hamas,” EU Spokesman beginning of a long path of reform. struction process is to take place. the victims,” Masri said, David Kriss said. Reform and fighting corruption would have never In the past, the split saw two Palestinian Authorities On Facebook, comments are being exchanged on the taken place if it weren’t for politicians such as the and officials say Israel has used this to delay making any adding that he hoped latest rift between the two sides. One person wrote, Harvard graduate President Roosevelt’s devotion to their concessions, saying it is not clear who speaks for the “Long before you accuse or escalate the situation countries. The author here remarks that fighting corrup- Palestinian people. Hamas would work to calm beyond the point of no return, ask yourself one ques- tion is not enough alone to build nations. Administration “It will have harsh consequences, not on Hamas or tion: Who is to benefit the most out of breaking up the requires profound skills, or what is the use if an honest tensions since being united but illiterate person takes over? Fatah but on the people, namely Gazans who were wait- Palestinian national unity initiative? Answering this Building reform states and substituting profiteering ing for the crossings to be open. This stops or at least is a must if the construction question correctly may perhaps help rid you of your with competence in appointing public servants cannot delays the building,” Gaza based political analyst Dr. Hani demons.” be achieved unless by devoted, skillful, knowledgeable, Al-Basoos said. process is to take place. But Cady says it’s clear someone in Hamas still wants honest and loyal people. Let us stop here to talk about conflict between the two sides in order for the Islamist which way is better for a state’s progress. Is it achieved Real peace battered Strip, which was heavily damaged during last party to dominate Gaza and be popular in the West by the government’s total control of public services or by During last summer’s conflict between Israel and summer’s fighting with Israel. Bank. leaving it to the private sector? Gaza, Fatah condemned 21 executions carried out by Israel has hesitated to allow cement and iron into Gaza, “The wind is against Hamas because the majority of The answer is neither of them. Sometimes the gov- as it says the items can be used to build infiltration tunnels people in Gaza do not want Hamas,” Cady said. Although ernment’s management might be more successful of Hamas. At the time, the Islamist party said the accused that of the private sector while at other times, the very men and women had been tried and found guilty of or manufacture weapons. the Hamas’s ratings were higher than Fatah’s for fighting opposite is true. The researcher gives two examples of being spies for Israel. “We urge the Palestinian Authority to rapidly assume against Israel, they have since declined. the success of government management in the Forests After an Egyptian-mediated truce between Israel and full governmental responsibilities in the Gaza strip, both in Cady says this has angered the group because Services and the Grand Deal with Franklin Roosevelt in Hamas, reports emerged that during the air strikes offi- the field of civilian administration and security,” said Shadi “Hamas didn’t want another party to prove it was more 1930. In the first example, the Forests Services was head- cials in Gaza harassed Fatah members, placed them Othman, Communication and Information Officer at the popular.” ed by Gifford Pinchot who came from a well-off under house arrest, wounded and even killed one mem- European Commission. “We welcome those steps already Meanwhile, as Abbas prepares to go to New York to American family, though aristocracy was not as common ber of Mahmoud Abbas’s faction. taken but we encourage the authorities to do more...there present a plan to set limit for Israeli withdrawal from the in the US as it was in Europe. Political analysts wonder whether or not there will is an urgent need for concrete progress on reconciliation West Bank, unanswered questions remain about the However, we can metaphorically describe Pinchot as a first class American aristocrat who had graduated from ever be real peace between Hamas and Fatah. and for a broader agreement between Hamas and the future of the peace process. the universities of Exeter and Yale and upon appoint- “The Fatah - Hamas reconciliation quest is shaky and Consensus Government for the latter’s gradual take-over “[Abbas’s meeting with the UN] will have more sym- ment, opened his administration to scientists and complex due to internal factors such as the political cul- of governmental responsibilities in Gaza,” he said. bolic features than substantive ones. Peace negotiations researchers graduating from major universities. With the ture of exclusivity, different political programs and per- But Badran says the Palestinian consensus government are used by the Israeli government and the PLO to sell help of his friend, Roosevelt, he separated management sonal self interests,” Dr Amneh Badran, head of the politi- has not had a chance to work yet. He says the UN trusted false hope. The existing balance of power does not allow from political ambitions. Pinchot never gave up on cal science department at Al-Quds University said, the Palestinian government with overseeing the recon- for serious negotiations to take place,” Badran said. Roosevelt during the latter’s reform battle. Nevertheless, adding that the role of external players and regional and struction procedures and was working to make sure that “We just have to keep the unity, and get rid of the real populist politicians never ceased to criticize him and international levels isn’t helping the situation either. those who were supposed to be receiving a salary were devil, which is the Israeli occupation,” Masri said after a accuse him of being a ‘spoiled boy’ who was born with a golden spoon in his mouth. Yet he never gave up and For example, Qatar, which also hosts Hamas leader getting paid. long sigh. —The Media Line kept working until he made his administration, along with others, one of the government’s most competent departments. Another example shows how government manage- in my view ment fails. US railway services used to be run by the pri- vate sector until 1971, when the government decided turning its acquisition to it in order to stop the private Islamic State is Western-made sector’s monopoly of the service and thus the govern- ment’s ownership of Amtrak was disastrous at a time when European railways remained run by governments By Saad Al-Motesh and ironically provided the best services! By the way, and between two brackets, do you now recall the chaos in the Kuwait Airways’ situation? I am not verybody, including Muslims and non- realize this by watching some TV scenes and news It is hard to believe that IS moves large convoys here comparing public or private managements. My aim Muslims, is looking for IS. Some are or want programs. carrying heavy artillery and machine guns over is to focus on integrity, honesty and competence in Eto be convinced with their ideas and I do We have watched so many videos showing long distances in open areas without being selecting officials to run public facilities. The example of pray to Almighty Allah to cure them of this con- Western fighter jets attacking IS vehicles and troop tracked by satellites or intelligence. Well, one does the great Pinchot reminded me of accusations made taminated mentality. Others are after knowing formations. Yet, there is a very strange thing I hope not need to redirect an antenna at the roof the against the PAAAFR on distributing farming lands in them better merely for the sake of knowledge and everybody pays attention to. These fighter jets are way we used to do in the past to get a clearer Kabd and Wafra. Accusations that vast areas of these not for liking them. They are after knowing how usually launched from aircraft carriers during day- image. Therefore, I urge them to respect our minds farms had been allocated to ‘shoulders, ears and nose kissers’. However, we are still waiting for the investigation they started and who supports them. time. Nevertheless, all the scenes broadcast show because things are too obvious and do not need results, that is if people do not forget it by time. I wish I am not interested in studying their sick-mind- them striking the organization’s troops at night. I moving the antenna to see the full image. the problem was only in this authority, but the problem ed principles nor adopting their ideologies even if have never seen any footage recorded during day- May Allah save those who fight terrorism every- is in the whole state that has and will never know the they swear to being honest, because they have time. This only means that such scenes are nothing where regardless of nationality and destroy those story of Pinchot nor learn its lessons by reviewing other done more harm to Islam than any other creation but scenes from a PlayStation war game they are who have been nurturing, supporting and making nations’ experiences. If only people would read and lis- in the world did. Concerning their inception and using to convince us the West is actually fighting profits from it. Translated by Kuwait Times from Al-Jarida ten.... alas! — who supports them, I believe any sane person can IS. —Translated by Kuwait Times from Al-Anbaa THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014

Myanmar hosts biggest Swedish driver sacked for refusing black passengers cast of world leaders since reforms Page 10 Page 12

SANAA: Students demonstrate against the deployment, at Sanaa University campus, of armed Yemani militia from the Shi’ite Huthi movement in the capital Sanaa yesterday. Yemen has been rocked by fresh instability since the Huthis seized control of the capital Sanaa in September. The Huthis have since been expanding their presence throughout the Arabian Peninsula nation but are facing fierce resistance from local Sunni tribes and Al-Qaeda’s powerful Yemeni branch. — AFP Dozens dead as blast hits Yemen Shiite militia

SANAA: A powerful bomb blast targeting Shiite militia Washington on Monday hit Saleh and two Huthi com- fighters in central Yemen left dozens dead yesterday in manders with sanctions, accusing them of “engaging in what appeared to be one of the biggest attacks yet in the acts that directly or indirectly threaten the peace, security, country’s escalating unrest. or stability of Yemen.” Yemen has been rocked by fresh instability since the Shiite fighters, known as Huthis, seized control of the capi- Drone strike kills Qaeda militants tal Sanaa in September. The UN Security Council previously approved sanctions The Huthis have since been expanding their presence against the three men. A new Yemeni cabinet, including throughout the Arabian Peninsula nation but are facing members considered close to the Huthis, was sworn in on fierce resistance from local Sunni tribes and Al-Qaeda’s Sunday in a bid to resolve the political crisis, despite calls powerful Yemeni branch. for a boycott from both Saleh and the Shiite militia. Their rise has challenged the authority of President But authorities have made no move to tackle the militia Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi, an ally of the United States, and in Sanaa or impose order in other parts of the country. violence has continued despite UN-backed efforts to find a Yemen is an important US ally in the fight against Al- political solution. Qaeda. The group’s Yemeni branch is considered one of its The blast hit a large gathering of Huthis at the residence deadliest and has organised attacks against Western tar- of a local tribal chief in the central town of Rada, a mixed gets. Shiite-Sunni town that has seen heavy fighting, military A suspected US drone strike killed seven Al-Qaeda mili- and tribal sources said. tants in Yemen’s south yesterday, the defence ministry and The explosion was the heaviest to hit Rada since the tribal sources said, the latest in a series of raids against the Huthis took over parts of the town last month, the military extremist network. source said. The militants were hit by the strike while gathered Residents said the dawn bombing was powerful “under a group of trees” in the village of Azzan in the enough to be felt across the town. southern province of Shabwa, a tribal source said. Both the military and tribal sources said dozens were The defence ministry said in a brief statement on its killed, but a more accurate toll was not immediately avail- website that seven Al-Qaeda militants were killed in an air able. raid yesterday in Azzan. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the “Those killed were planning to carry out a terrorist attack or details of how it was carried out. attack in Azzan using a bomb-laden vehicle,” it said, with- Al-Qaeda claimed twin attacks at the weekend that it out confirming that the strike was carried out by a US said killed dozens of Huthi fighters in Rada. drone. The instability in Yemen has raised fears that the coun- Drone strikes against Al-Qaeda suspects in Yemen have try, next to oil-rich Saudi Arabia and key shipping routes intensified this month, with at least 20 militants killed in from the Suez Canal to the Gulf, could become a failed raids by unmanned aircraft in the central province of Baida state along the lines of Somalia. on November 3. The United States is the only country oper- The chaos stems from the 2012 overthrow of longtime ating drones over Yemen, but US officials rarely confirm strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has been accused of individual strikes. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula backing the Huthis, also known as Ansarullah. (AQAP) had announced the death of two of its top com- Saleh is a member of the Zaidi sect, an offshoot of Shiite manders, Shawki al-Baadani and Nabil al-Dahab, in recent Islam to which the Huthis belong. raids. —AFP ‘We crossed the line’, US admits to UN

GENEVA: The United States said yesterday it did not with rectifying and providing redress for acknowledged condone torture under any circumstances, but acknowl- abuses during the “war on terror”. edged to a UN anti-torture watchdog it had “crossed the The US delegation was asked to explain why the US line” following the September 11 attacks. military prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba remains “The US is proud of its record as a leader in respect- open, why many detainees remain there without charge ing, promoting and defending human rights and the rule and when Washington plans to shut it down. of law, both at home and around the world,” acting US The committee members also questioned the treat- legal advisor Mary McLeod told the 10-member UN ment of prisoners there, and lack of redress for victims of Committee on Torture. the widely publicised abuses by US troops at the Abu “But in the wake of 9/11 attacks, we regrettably did Ghraib prison in Iraq in the early 2000s. not always live up to our own values,” she said. “We Beyond the “war on terror” legacy, the committee crossed the line and we take responsibility for that,” she members raised issues of abuses in US prisons, rape in said, quoting US President Barack Obama. prisons, the broad use of drawn-out solitary confine- McLeod was one of about 30 top US officials gathered ment, and long years on death row. in Geneva for Washington’s first grilling by the commit- And they asked how Washington could justify its tee since 2006. widespread detention of non-violent, non-criminal ille- In its first review since Obama came to power, several gal immigrants, including minors. delegates acknowledged abuses had occurred during And they slammed police brutality that appears to the so-called “War on Terror” under the previous adminis- disproportionately affect minorities, such as 18-year-old tration of George W. Bush. Michael Brown, who was shot and killed by white police “We recognise that no nation is perfect, ours includ- officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri last August. ed,” Keith Harper, US ambassador to the UN Human His parents were in Geneva this week to take part in Rights Council, told the committee. events on the sidelines of the committee hearing. The delegation faced a barrage of questions from The committee is set to publish its conclusions on committee members on how the country was dealing November 28. — AFP THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 INTERNATIONAL

Sinai buffer zone no solution to militancy in Egypt

ABU DHABI: Egypt’s plan to create a security buffer rights in Egypt had regressed since the overthrow of living. Egyptian authorities see them as a threat and Maqdis, a militant group that has sworn allegiance zone along its border with Gaza is not a solution to Hosni Mubarak three years ago. regularly destroy them. “You cannot justify what the to Islamic State, has stepped up attacks on police growing militancy in the Sinai region as it does not Egypt began clearing residents from the border militants are doing in Sinai but you have to under- and soldiers in Sinai, which borders Israel, Gaza and address the roots of the problem, the head of last month to create a buffer zone 13.5 km (8 miles) stand why it is happening,” Shetty said. the Suez Canal. Amnesty International said yesterday. long and 500 metres deep aimed at deterring any “The government is going after the Muslim Shetty said Egypt’s rights record had gone from “These are all shortcuts, you are not able to tunneling of arms from Gaza to Sinai-based mili- Brotherhood in every possible formal and informal bad to worse: “If you had asked me three years ago address the underlying issue which is what is hap- tants. way and we are seeing the consequences in Sinai.” can the human rights situation get worse than it pening in the Gaza Strip and how the Muslim The move came after two attacks on Oct. 24 Militant violence has surged since the ouster of was in Mubarak’s time I would have said it was Brotherhood and other opposition are being treat- killed at least 33 security personnel in Sinai in some Mursi, a Brotherhood official. Egypt has launched a impossible, but here we are.” ed,” Salil Shetty, the rights group’s Secretary General, of the worst anti-state violence since the army over- crackdown on the group, jailing thousands of its In the Middle East as a whole, Shetty said little told Reuters. threw elected President Mohamed Mursi last year. members and labeling it a terrorist organisation. had improved since the Arab uprisings against “You can create fortresses and buffer zones but it Residents of Sinai, which has long been neglect- The Brotherhood says it is peaceful and con- authoritarian rule began in 2011. “It has gone full will come back to bite,” he said, adding that human ed by the state, say they rely on the tunnels for their demned last month’s attacks. But Ansar Bayt al- circle,” he said. — Reuters

Rubber-stamp assembly expected from Egypt vote CAIRO: Egypt is gearing up for parlia- vote boycotted by the Brotherhood, he mentary elections, the second since the has passed laws by executive decree, 2011 uprising. But with the once-tri- while solidifying his influence over state umphant Muslim Brotherhood now institutions. Khaled Dawoud, spokesman banned from public life and a new mili- for the center-left Dostour party, said his tary-backed government suppressing group is spending most of its time trying public expression, analysts and activists to get 11 of its members released from say the next legislature is likely to be a prison after they were arrested at rubber-stamp body that further solidifies protests. the power of President Abdel-Fattah el- “Instead of working in politics and Sissi. trying to build a constituency for elec- Political parties - those that are eligi- tions, I’m running after them in police ble to run - are weak with little popular stations,” he said. Political parties are following. They are hurt even more by heavily disadvantaged by the election the law governing how the election will law, passed by decree last year. It allows be run. And there is a general atmos- party lists to contest just 20 percent of phere against any politician raising criti- the 567 seats. The list that wins a simple cism, with many Egyptians seeking sta- majority will take all the seats in each bility after nearly four years of turmoil district, making things tougher for small that has devastated the economy. parties. “There’s hostility to the idea of a polit- Nearly 75 percent of the assembly is ically active society in general. All forms reserved for candidates running as indi- of political collective action have been viduals, races in which prominent, either made illegal or have been simply wealthy local figures have the best dubbed unpatriotic,” said Ziad Akl, an chance. Moreover, individuals can form a analyst at the Ahram Center for Political slate and run against parties for the list and Strategic Studies. seats. Another 5 percent will be appoint- All the country’s media, he said, ed by the president, a measure meant to demonizes the idea of opposition “as a give seats to underrepresented minori- form of disunity.” A date for elections has ties. not been set after repeated delays, The result, opposition activists say, though the Presidency on Monday said will be a parliament dominated by well- they would be in the first quarter of next connected businessmen and one or two TRIPOLI: Masked Libyan military personnel wearing French army uniform and waving their national flag march during a graduation eremonyc year. Egypt’s government on Wednesday parties loyal to el-Sissi. “People can con- at the Tripoli air base in the Libyan capital yesterday. Three years after dictator Moamer Gaddafi was toppled and killed in a ATO-backedN is discussing a political districting law, trol these elections with money or with revolt, Libya is awash with weapons and powerful militias, and run by rival governments and parliaments. — AFP which is needed for preparations to family ties,” said Bassem Kamel, a leading start. member of the Social Democratic Party. The vote will mark the final step in “It’s the worst election law in the world.” what was billed as a transition to democ- But, he said, parties have no choice but Car bombs kill 4 in east racy, but what critics see as the rapid to “play according to their rules.” “This is a retrenchment of authoritarian rule less survival election,” Dawoud said. “If we than four years after President Hosni don’t get into this election and win a Mubarak was toppled by a pro-democra- number of seats, our parties will disap- Libya as chaos mounts cy uprising. pear. That’s really my main fear.” The 2011 election saw candidates from across the political spectrum, from Restrictions on freedom ultra-conservative Islamists to leftwing In the statement announcing their youths, vying for seats. Egyptians stood office closure, the Carter Center pointed Air strike on militant town in line for hours to cast their votes - to “restrictions on democratic freedoms,” many for the first time in their lives - and which it said mean that public debate is BENGHAZI: Car bombs exploded in eastern Hashem, a lawmaker. “Nobody was killed.” ple were killed and at least six wounded, medics the Muslim Brotherhood won the legisla- limited and that campaigning could be Libyan towns under the control of the interna- Another blast struck near the military airport said. ture’s largest bloc. “difficult - and possibly dangerous - for tionally recognized government yesterday, of Labraq, used by Thinni, now based in nearby There were no details of targets. Libya has a This time around, the Brotherhood is critics of the regime.” killing at least four people and wounding 20 Bayda east of Benghazi. A security source said small airforce which was damaged during the banned as a terrorist group - a designa- The government’s supporters reject others, officials said. four soldiers were killed there. 2011 uprising against Muammar Gaddafi. tion it denies - and many of its top lead- those characterizations, insisting the Four more people were killed when an air A third car bomb exploded in the main east- Haftar’s forces, which back the army in Benghazi, ers are in jail. A new law that requires pri- field is wide open for anyone who wants strike - a possible response to the car bombs - hit ern city of Benghazi, where the Libyan army and have planes from the Gaddafi-era air force, or permits for demonstrations has all but to compete. El-Sissi is not a member of targets in Derna, an eastern town home to a former general Khalifa Haftar are fighting though his foes say he also gets air support from crushed street politics and civil society any party and portrays himself as being large radical Islamist community, medics said. Islamists. There were no immediate reports of Egypt, which is worried about the spread of fears increasing restrictions. above the fray. Libya is in growing chaos as armed factions casualties. Islamist militants. The restrictions prompted the Carter “If the president is with a party, then compete for power. One has taken over the capi- Haftar denies having Egyptian military sup- Center - an international democracy pro- that party will take all the privileges. tal Tripoli, setting up its own government and Support port. International attempts to mediate in the motion group led by former President That party will be number one ... and he parliament and forcing the elected parliament Between Tobruk and Bayda lies Derna, a conflict have failed to bring the major armed Jimmy Carter - to close its Cairo office, doesn’t want that,” said Sameh Seif al- and administration of Prime Minister Abdullah hotspot for radical Islamists, where dozens of groups to the table. Rivalries among factions saying the upcoming vote is “unlikely to Yazal, a retired general close to el-Sissi. al-Thinni to move east. youths two weeks ago pledged allegiance to who helped topple Gaddafi in 2011 have hit oil advance a genuine democratic transi- Al-Yazal says he plans to run on a list One car bomb went off in a busy street in the Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of Islamic State supplies, with gunmen last week attacking the tion.” put together by a Mubarak-era prime eastern city of Tobruk near the Egyptian border, militants fighting in Syria and Iraq. huge El Sharara oilfield and forcing its shutdown minister that is made up of “real where the elected parliament is based in a hotel. Unidentified aircraft carried out strikes on after guards fled the site, which can produce Street clashes Egyptians,” including former government “Twenty people have been wounded,” said Saleh Derna yesterday, local residents said. Four peo- 340,000 barrels a day. — Reuters Egypt has not had a parliament since ministers, a pro-government television a court decision dissolved the legislating personality and a former Supreme Court lower house in 2012 on a technicality, justice. just days before the Brotherhood’s can- “I think because (political parties) are China shows off stealth fighter didate, Mohammed Morsi, was elected weak they want everything easy for president. them,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. ZHUHAI, China: China’s new stealth jet fighter rock- A large military transport plane, the Y-20, also answer questions when approached by a journalist. After massive protests against his “You have to go through the battle and eted skywards Wednesday as Beijing puts on an made its debut at the show, flying lumbering turns Although billed as an air show, new sponsor China yearlong presidency, Morsi was ousted prove to the people, prove to the gov- unprecedented display of openness - and military over the crowd at its public outing yesterday. “Of North Industries Corp (NORINCO) showed off a bat- by el-Sissi, then military chief, who ernment, prove to the president, prove force - at the country’s premier air show. The black J- course, it is an advance in technology,” said the tle tank, the VT4, which proved a popular backdrop vowed to right Egypt’s troubled demo- to the Egyptians that, yes, you can do it.” 31 rose in a nearly vertical climb on take-off in announcer as spectators craned their necks to see it for visitor photos. Other countries in the Asian cratic transition. Since then, authorities Critics say secular democratic parties Zhuhai before circling back and doing two rolls, in against a smoggy sky. The China National Precision region have beefed up military spending in have cracked down on Morsi’s support- in Egypt, most formed since 2011, have the aircraft’s first announced public appearance. The Machinery Import-Export Corp, the firm at the heart response to China’s growing power. ers, killing hundreds in street clashes failed to unite or work to build con- plane’s existence has been the subject of rumour of controversy over the supply of a long-range anti- “It’s a bit of a dance that happens all over the and arresting nearly 20,000 people. The stituencies. But Dawoud said the current and speculation for years, with photographs appear- missile system to Turkey in the face of US opposi- world,” said Briand Greer, president of aerospace for wave of arrests has also netted non- atmosphere makes it difficult for fledg- ing increasingly frequently on military websites in tion, also had a presence at the show, but its booth Asia-Pacific at US conglomerate Honeywell. Islamist activists who were at the fore- ling parties to grow. recent months. was devoid of product displays. “Economically everyone is tied to what happens in front of the 2011 uprising against In the coming election, he fears, the Defence analysts say the J-31 is China’s answer to The firm, which is under US sanctions for selling China,” he said. “But at the same time, you’ve got a Mubarak. only real competition will be “in express- the United States’ F-35, though the Chinese jet lags arms and missile technology to Iran and Syria, huge power rising right in your backyard so you Since el-Sissi was elected in May in a ing loyalty to el-Sissi.” — AP behind the American one technologically. The fight- declined to provide promotional materials or don’t want to feel helpless.” — AFP er’s Chinese name is “Falcon Eagle” and it is manu- factured by a unit of Aviation Industry Corp. of China (AVIC), whose defence arm uses the slogan: “We are making the best weapons for guardians of the peace.” The plane’s debut comes amid tensions between China and its neighbours over territorial disputes, particularly Japan which has feuded with Beijing over a group of islands in the East China Sea. China’s air force said the display of military might at the airshow showed the intention to build a strong country. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) air force “will make unremitting efforts to realise dreams of a strong China and powerful armed forces”, read a sign alongside an array of eight war- planes at the air show. “The display... demonstrates the strength and confidence of (the) PLA Air Force to fulfil missions and achieve world peace.” China has steadily increased its defence budget for years, with funding projected to rise more than 12 percent to $132 billion in 2014. But the US has accused Beijing of under-reporting its spending by as much as 20 percent in the past. Defence analysts said China appears eager to sell the new fifth gener- ation fighter abroad, also putting on display a model with a designation typically used for overseas desti- nations: FC-31. “China’s defence industry wants to show the AMMAN: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas gets out of a car as he arrives at the potential for export,” said Andrew Erickson, associate Royal Palace to meet King Abdullah II in Amman, Jordan, yesterday. Abbas’ adviser professor at the China Maritime Studies Institute of GAZA STRIP: A file picture taken on May 7, 2004 shows Top Hamas figure Sheikh Mohammed Nabil Abu Rdeneh said Abbas was also scheduled to meet US Secretary of State John the US Naval War College. Ally Pakistan is a likely first Taha, orator of the Friday prayer, poses in front of a poster of late Hamas founder Sheikh Kerry in the Jordanian capital yesterday, and would emphasize his concerns about market, he added. AVIC has already developed Ahmad Yassin after addressing the faithful at a mosque in the Bureij refugee camp in central alleged Israeli attempts to change the status quo at the Jerusalem holy site, known another fighter plane, the FC-1, in cooperation with Gaza Strip, two days after his release from an Israeli jail. Hamas announced on Tuesday that to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary. — AP Pakistan which was also on display at the show. Taha passed away at the age of 77. — AFP THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 International9 Alaska win gives GOP another US Senate seat JUNEAU: US Sen. Mark Begich couldn’t pull off another election honor those requests,” campaign manager Susanne Fleek-Green tacks by pro-Begich groups keyed in to that theme. That perception surprise as voter disapproval of President Barack Obama helped said in an email to The Associated Press. of Sullivan made for an at-times uncomfortable debate on fisheries push him and other Democrats out of office. In another close race, incumbent candidate Bill Walker led in- issues, in which questioners grilled Sullivan about his knowledge of Republican Dan Sullivan, a Marine Corps reservist and assistant cumbent Republican Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell by about 4,000 votes one of Alaska’s most important industries. secretary of state under President George W. Bush, defeated the with more to be counted starting Friday. Although he hasn’t been On several occasions, Sullivan’s wife, Julie Fate Sullivan, an Alaska first-term incumbent as part of a wave in which Republicans picked declared the winner, Walker planned to announce a transition team Native and frequent companion on the campaign trail, appeared in up eight seats and regained control of the Senate. Another Senate yesterday. ads defending her husband’s ties to the state and his positions on race is yet to be decided in Louisiana. The Alaska Senate seat was initially considered key to the Re- women’s issues. The Alaska race was too close to call on Election Night last week, publicans’ hopes of taking control of the US Senate, but that goal Sullivan has roots in Alaska dating to the 1990s but was gone with Sullivan up by about 8,100 votes, but it became evident Tues- was accomplished early on Election Night. Sullivan, a first-time can- for nearly seven years for military service and work in Washington, day when the state began counting about 20,000 of absentee and didate, ran a confident campaign, ignoring the debate schedule D.C., that included working as an assistant secretary of state. He re- questioned ballots that Begich could not overcome Sullivan. Begich released during the primary and setting his own agenda. turned to Alaska in 2009, when he was appointed attorney general In a statement, Sullivan said he ran a campaign Alaskans could He also attracted some star power to the state, with Texas Sen. Ted by then-Gov. Sarah Palin. be proud of and, moving forward, “I want to emphasize that my Cruz, a tea party favorite, and 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt He most recently served as Alaska’s natural resources commis- door will always be open to all Alaskans.” Romney rallying support for Sullivan in the waning days of the hot- sioner, a post he left in September 2013. Sullivan hit the ground “While we have challenges to address, the opportunities in Alas- ly contested race. running, exhibiting a fundraising prowess that rivaled and during ka and our country are limitless. Today, we are going to begin the some quarters exceeded that of Begich. Many of his supporters process of turning our country around,” he said. Proposals cited his service in the Marine Corps reserves or repeated the oft- Begich, who has returned to Washington for the lame-duck ses- Sullivan pledged to fight federal overreach, talked about the repeated GOP refrain that became hallmark of the campaign: that sion, won office in 2008. That year, he went to bed on Election Night need for an energy renaissance in the US and at seemingly every Begich voted with Obama “97 percent of the time,” a figure that trailing a wounded but still powerful Sen. Ted Stevens, who days opportunity, sought to tie Begich to Obama and Senate Democratic takes into account votes during 2013, many of them on confirma- before the election had been found guilty by a jury in a federal cor- Leader Harry Reid, who are unpopular in Alaska. tions, on which Obama stated a preference. ruption trial. About two weeks later, Stevens conceded, with Begich Begich said Sullivan offered little in the way of proposals for A turning point, in the view of many observers, was an ad from winning by fewer than 4,000 votes. A judge later tossed the case what he would do as senator. Begich’s campaign shortly after the primary that painted Sullivan as against Stevens, causing many Republicans to see Begich’s elec- Begich touted his clout, including a position on the Senate Ap- soft on crime. It featured a man identified as a former Anchorage tion as a fluke. Begich wouldn’t concede the race early Wednesday propriations Committee, and tried to paint sharp contrasts be- police officer standing outside the home where an elderly couple morning. “Sen. Begich believes every vote deserves to be counted tween himself and Sullivan in areas such as women’s health, educa- was beaten to death and a family member sexually abused in 2013. in this election. There are tens of thousands of outstanding votes tion and Alaska issues. It ended with the man saying Sullivan should not be a senator. and Sen. Begich has heard from rural Alaskans that their votes de- Begich, for example, was born and raised in Alaska. He cast Sul- The ad, which Sullivan responded to with one of his own, was serve to be counted and their voices deserve to be heard. He will livan, who grew up in Ohio, as an outsider, and many of the early at- pulled after a demand from an attorney for the victims’ family. — AP Fury over Mexico student ‘massacre’ boils over Vandalistic assault is an attack against political party

CHILPANCINGO: Mexicans furious at the dergone renovations after it was torched last ances that his security strategy was bearing tional Palace in Mexico City at the end of a but had commandeered four buses to return presumed massacre of 43 students torched year by protesters angry at a controversial fruit and reducing drug-fueled violence that march that had drawn thousands of people. home. the ruling party’s Guerrero state headquar- education reform. has killed more than 80,000 people since Protesters besieged Acapulco’s airport for Gang suspects told investigators the 43 ters and briefly took a police commander Tuesday’s protesters grabbed the state’s 2006. three hours on Monday, forcing three flight bodies were burned in a landfill and dumped prisoner Tuesday as growing protests rocked deputy public security chief, Juan Jose Gat- The crime has also hurt his efforts to shift cancellations. in a river in the town of Cocula. President Enrique Pena Nieto’s government. ica, and held him for several hours before Mexico’s narrative away from drug cartel The Argentine forensic experts delivered Riot police clashed with protesters in run- handing him to a local human rights group. mayhem and toward economic and political Awaiting DNA tests Tuesday their first results on 39 bodies found ning street battles as black smoke billowed Roman Hernandez, spokesman for the reforms that have won international acclaim. The students vanished on September 26 in mass graves near Iguala in October, saying from the white two-story building of the Human Rights Center of Tlachinollan Moun- Pena Nieto was in China for a summit on after police shot their buses in Iguala, killing 24 of them were not the students and that Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) in the tain, told AFP the officer was released on Tuesday despite criticism over his decision six people, and delivered the 43 to the Guer- the rest were still being analyzed. southern state’s capital Chilpancingo. condition that two detained teachers be to travel in the midst of the escalating crisis. reros Unidos drug gang, authorities say. The forensic team said it had also par- Violent protests have erupted in Mexico freed, but that the pair had yet to be let go. He will then travel to Australia for a meeting Iguala’s mayor ordered the attack over ticipated in the recovery of the Cocula since authorities said Friday that gang hit- Manuel Martinez, a spokesman for the of Group of 20 economic powers and return fears the students would interrupt a speech remains, but no identification has been men confessed to murdering the students families of the 43, said more protests would Saturday. by his politically-ambitious wife, prosecutors made yet. The government has asked and incinerating their bodies after corrupt come after another disappointing meeting On Saturday, a group of 20 demonstrators say. an Austrian university to help with the police handed over the 43 young men in with the country’s attorney general and in- briefly set fire to the wooden door of the Na- The students were in Iguala to raise funds charred remains. – AFP September in Guerrero. terior minister. Some 1,000 people, led by students and “We are tired of the same speeches. We the radical CETEG teachers union, marched want the 43 back alive,” he told AFP after the in Chilpancingo before throwing stones and talks in Chilpancingo’s airport. “The protests firebombs at police. Three officers and two will continue. We will take away the powers journalists, including a photographer work- of the political parties.” ing for AFP, were injured after being struck Parents of the students, who deeply dis- by rocks, said a civil protection official. trust the government, say they will only be- “The vandalistic assault on our building lieve their sons are dead when they get DNA is more than an attack against this political results from independent Argentine forensic party. It is an aggression against Guerrero’s experts. society and represents a threat to people that should not be repeated or left unpun- Series of protests ished,” the PRI said. The apparent slaughter of the trainee Workers fled the building, which had un- teachers has undermined Pena Nieto’s assur-

GUERRERO STATE: Masked teachers detain a police officer during clashes in Chilpancin- go, the capital of Guerrero state, Mexico, Tuesday. Supporters of 43 missing college rural students, refusing to believe they are dead, have kept up the protests that have blocked major highways and set government buildings ablaze in recent weeks. The students dis- appeared at the hands of a city police force on Sept 26 in the town of Iguala. —AP Arias’ lawyers to urge jurors to spare her life PHOENIX: The legal team for Jodi Arias tacked her. will keep pushing for jurors to spare her the The trial has been in recess since Oct. death penalty in the 2008 slaying of her ex- 30 after a judge ordered that the public boyfriend as the convicted killer’s sentenc- be kept out of the courtroom during tes- ing retrial resumes yesterday. timony by the first witness called by Arias’ The trial gets back underway after a lawyers. Defense attorneys launched a new nearly two-week break during which news legal attack Monday when they sought to organizations protested a decision to let a dismiss the case by alleging that authori- skittish defense witness testify in private ties destroyed thousands of files on Al- and authorities were accused of destroying exander’s computer - including files from files on the victim’s computer that defense pornographic websites - that would have attorneys say would have helped them in been beneficial in defending Arias. their case. Her attorneys, who alleged Alexander Arias was convicted of murder last year had treated their client in a sexually humili- in Travis Alexander’s death, but jurors ating manner, say the missing computer deadlocked on whether she should be sen- files deprived Arias of a fair trial. At her first tenced to death or life in prison. A new jury trial, Arias testified she once walked in on will decide her fate. Prosecutors say Arias Alexander viewing child pornography and attacked Alexander in a jealous rage after that he would get angry when she raised he wanted to end their affair and planned the encounter with him. No evidence was a trip to Mexico with another woman. Arias submitted at the first trial to support those has acknowledged killing Alexander but claims, and prosecutors contended that claimed it was self-defense after he at- Arias was lying.— AP THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 International10 French lawmakers to vote Nov 28 on recognising Palestine PARIS: French lawmakers will vote later this month on a proposal than 2,000 Palestinians and dozens of Israelis. lar resolution to “recognise the state of Palestine alongside the state urging the government to recognise Palestine as a state, a parlia- France saw a spate of pro-Palestinian protests during the offensive. of Israel as a contribution to securing a negotiated two-state solu- mentary source said yesterday, as diplomatic tensions continue to Some turned violent, with looters in July destroying Jewish busi- tion” approved by British lawmakers on October 13. rise between Europe and Israel. nesses and shouting anti-Israel obscenities in the Paris suburb of Then Sweden announced on October 30 it officially recognised the The non-binding but highly symbolic vote on November 28 was Sarcelles—sometimes known as “Little Jerusalem” for its large com- Palestinian state, a move heavily criticised by Israel and the United proposed by the ruling Socialist party, and follows a similar resolu- munity of Sephardic Jews. States. tion by the British parliament and an official decision to recognise The Jewish Agency for Israel, an advocacy group, said in September And on Saturday, Europe’s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini Palestine by the Swedish government. that more Jews had left France for Israel than from any other coun- called for a Palestinian state sharing Jerusalem as its capital with A draft of the new proposal states that the lower house National try in 2014, blaming a “climate of anti-Semitism.” Israel. The Palestinian Authority estimates that 134 countries have Assembly “invites the French government to use the recognition of Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius acknowledged in an interview with now recognised Palestine as a state, although the number is dis- the state of Palestine as an instrument to gain a definitive resolution AFP last week that France would “obviously at a certain moment puted and several recognitions by what are now European Union of the conflict”. recognise the Palestinian state.” member states date back to the Soviet era. European leaders have shown signs of mounting impatience with “The question is when and how? Because this recognition must be An AFP count puts the number of states that recognise Palestine at Israel over its continued settlement-building in Palestinian territo- useful for efforts to break the deadlock and contribute to a final 112. France was among 14 EU nations that voted in favour of grant- ries. Criticism has become more focused in the wake of this sum- resolution of the conflict,” he added. ing Palestinian territories observer status at the United Nations in mer’s 50-day offensive by the Israeli army in Gaza that killed more The French parliamentary vote will come hot on the heels of a simi- November 2012. —AFP US support Ailing war criminal lacking in Boko Seselj heads for Serbia Haram battle Seselj pleads not guilty to 9 counts including murder WASHINGTON: ‘Nigeria’s envoy to His government’s announcement THE HAGUE: Ailing Serb leader Vojislav Seselj Washington criticized US support in of a ceasefire last month failed to stop has been released from the UN Yugoslav war the battle against Boko Haram mili- almost daily attacks, which this year crimes tribunal and has left the Netherlands tants as insufficient, including failure have included the mid-April abduc- en route for Serbia, the court said yesterday. to share enough intelligence and sell tion by Boko Haram of more than 200 The International Criminal Tribunal for the needed weaponry to fight the Islamist schoolgirls from a northeastern town. former Yugoslavia (ICTY) last week ordered group. “The people of Nigeria are increas- his release so he could return home for can- Ambassador Ade Adefuye, in re- ingly frustrated by not only the failure cer treatment as he awaits a verdict on alleged marks posted on the Nigerian Embas- to rescue the kidnapped schoolgirls war crimes during the Balkan wars. sy’s website on Tuesday, appealed for but the failure to stop what has be- “Vojislav Seselj has now departed the Neth- greater backing from Washington and come an increasingly effective insur- erlands on provisional release,” the ICTY said in rejected claims of human rights abus- gent offensive,” said J. Peter Pham, a statement. Judges granted his release “due es that have limited some U.S. military director of the Africa Center at the At- to the deteriorated health state of the accused assistance. lantic Council think tank. and to give him the opportunity to get the “Our people are not very happy The United States ramped up its treatment in the environment which would be with the content of America’s support support for Nigeria in the wake the the most appropriate”. in the struggle against Boko Harm,” abduction of the schoolgirls, including Seselj, accused of leading ethnic Serb vol- Adefuye said in an address (http://bit. high-tempo surveillance flights and unteers in persecuting Croats, Muslims and ly/1GMNtVU). efforts to bolster intelligence sharing. other non-Serbs during the 1990s wars, un- “There is no use giving us the type It later acknowledged a reduction in derwent colon cancer surgery in December. of support that enables us to deliver flights. Serbia has said it would allow the return of the light jabs to the terrorists when what The Nigerian envoy disputed US ultra-nationalist firebrand, who was repeat- we need to give them is the killer government claims that it had ad- edly been found guilty of contempt during his punch.” Asked about the remarks, an dressed problems with intelligence trial. BELGRADE: Supporters of Serbian ultranationalist leader Vojislav Seselj with a picture Obama administration official said sharing. He also criticized a US refusal Serbia earlier this month told the court that showing their leader wait for his landing at Belgrade airport from The Hague, Netherlands Washington remained committed to to sell weaponry “that would have it was prepared to receive Seselj provided he yesterday. —AP helping Nigeria address its extremist brought down the terrorists within a accept the conditions of his release, which the threat and supported its efforts free short time.” Serb ultranationalist has previously refused to his release. including murder, torture, cruel treatment and Boko Haram’s kidnap victims. He said Boko Haram fighters in sto- do. Niang said the court should have imposed wanton destruction of villages. Nigerian President Goodluck Jona- len military uniforms were to blame for ICTY spokeswoman Magdalena Spalinska a monitoring system “to ensure that the ac- Prosecutors said Seselj, a prominent radi- than, who faces an election in Feb- abuses attributed to Nigeria’s armed said the tribunal had “not found it necessary cused returns to the tribunal and that he does cal politician, recruited and indoctrinated to consult the accused whether he will accept ruary, has come under sharpening forces. The US official suggested any not contact victims and witnesses”. volunteers and paramilitaries, known as “Se- these conditions as the judges deemed there public criticism for his government’s solution in Nigeria could not be a Last month the 60-year-old Seselj’s Radical selj’s men” who committed atrocities during apparent inability to check Boko Ha- was no reason to believe he would not respect Serb Party (SRS) lashed out at his treatment solely military one, instead requiring a the two Balkan conflicts. The ultra-nationalist ram’s five-year insurgency, which has comprehensive approach encompass- such conditions”. by the ICTY, saying cancer had spread to the ravaged the poor northeast corner of ing human rights and the needs of vic- However, judge Mandiaye Niang disagreed 60-year-old leader’s liver and called for his im- leader voluntarily surrendered to the ICTY in Africa’s biggest economy. timized communities. – Reuters with the release, saying judges should have mediate release. 2003 and went on trial four years later. consulted with Seselj about the conditions of Seselj has pleaded not guilty to nine counts He was in custody in the Netherlands. —AFP Swedish driver sacked for refusing black passengers

STOCKHOLM: A Swedish bus driver has been sacked for forcing black sion how the bus driver had pointed at him and ordered him off the people off her bus, a local official said yesterday, highlighting lingering vehicle, apparently because he was black. xenophobia in a country traditionally known for tolerance. “I didn’t feel good. Even now, talking about it, I don’t feel good,” he The driver reportedly refused to pick up passengers who looked for- said with tears in his eyes. eign in a string of incidents in the Lapland town of Kiruna, which are now being investigated by police. ‘Get off... you’re black’ Transport official Magdalena Waapling confirmed to AFP one inci- Another passenger, who wished to remain anonymous, said the dent in which the driver asked three people to get off the bus “because driver told him to “get off the bus” and when he asked why she replied, of the colour of their skin”. “Because you are a black man.” “The bus driver has left the company... We demand that companies The reports, which were receiving a great deal of attention Wednes- providing local services respect our values—every person must be day in the Swedish media, come amid fears of growing xenophobia in treated equally,” she said. the country. According to a local television news report, the driver, who has since Ironically Kiruna is often seen as an example of successful integra- between sacked, repeatedly refused entry to minorities and had failed tion of newly arrived refugees with 52 percent in work, helped by the to stop for foreign-looking passengers at snowy bus stops around the fact that the town of 20,000 people is built on top of the world’s largest MAROUA: People walk along a main street in Maroua, the capital of the far Arctic town on several occasions. underground iron ore mine. northern region of Cameroon, on Tuesday. Once a bustling city, Maroua is Temperatures in the town regularly drop below minus 20 degrees The anti-immigration Sweden Democrats party won 13 percent of feeling the brunt of fighting of the Nigerian Islamic sect Boko Haram Celsius (minus 5 Fahrenheit) in winter. the vote in September elections and became Sweden’s third largest as trade and tourism have significantly dropped in the past year.—AFP A passenger named Samson told public broadcaster Sveriges Televi- parliamentary party.— AFP Russian rights NGO on brink of shutdown MOSCOW: Russia’s rights group Memorial has is attempting to liquidate the organisation for even vandalism of the group’s headquarters in exposed Stalin’s purges and defended activists alleged infractions in its documentation. Moscow, she said, adding that the ministry’s for a quarter of a century, but if the Kremlin The ministry argues that the organisation’s demands are illegal.Memorial had the same wins a final court battle today, it will be forced charter does not correspond to its actual ac- charter for 23 years before it was suddenly to close down. tivities and that it has committed a range of identified as a problem during a routine check Memorial began work during the final years other violations, such as misreporting funding in 2012, she said. “According to the law an or- of the Soviet Union chronicling repression and from abroad. ganisation can determine its own structure.” commemorating victims, including those of Memorial however says the move to close An international uproar over the lawsuit mass executions under Stalin in the 1930s. it down is a symbolic final push by the Krem- has pushed the Kremlin’s human rights om- Its first chairman was Nobel Peace Prize- lin against Russia’s civil society—an attempt budsman to ask Putin to at least hold off the winner Andrei Sakharov, who founded it with to impose top-down control of public life and dissolution until the organisation has had the other prominent dissidents, most of whom drown out critical voices. opportunity to officially change its charter. had themselves spent time in prison for their “They want everything to be controllable While Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov political views. and predictable,” the organisation’s executive said the president is too busy travelling in Asia Over two and a half decades it has grown director Yelena Zhemkova told AFP. to consider the appeal, the justice ministry into a massive grassroots network whose ef- “It is a fear that criticism and change can said Wednesday it was asking the Supreme forts to defend the rights of Russians—from come from civil society,” she said. Zhemkova Court to delay the proceedings. Muslims in the restive Caucasus region to anti- also blamed “progressive spy mania”, with Memorial’s troubles are indicative of the Vladimir Putin demonstrators in Moscow— NGOs perceived as acting “on the orders of the gradual dismantling of Russia’s non-govern- appear to have finally exhausted the Kremlin’s West.” mental organisations that the Kremlin consid- BARCELONA: President of Catalonia’s regional government Artur Mas phones tolerance of dissent. The lawsuit is the final straw after two years ers harmful, an aversion that has intensified prior to a session at the Catalan Parliament in Barcelona yesterday, three days af- Today, Memorial is to face off in the Russian of harassment and growing pressure on Me- amid Moscow’s standoff with the West over ter a symbolic vote on independence. One of Spain’s biggest and richest regions, Supreme Court with the justice ministry, which morial in the form of smear publications and the Ukraine conflict.— AFP Catalonia defied Madrid on November 9, 2014 and proceeded with a symbolic vote on whether it should break away as an independent state. —AFP THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 INTERNATIONAL

Afghanistan opium poppy cultivation at record high: UN

KABUL: Opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan reached a record high in 2014, a United Nations report revealed yesterday, highlighting the failure of the multi-billion-dollar US-led campaign to crack down on the lucrative crop. The total area under cultivation was about 224,000 hectares (553,500 acres) in 2014, a seven percent increase on last year, accord- ing to the Afghanistan Opium Survey released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Just 74,000 hectares was being used to grow poppies in 2002, a year after the Taleban regime was toppled. Despite a decade of costly US and international counter-narcotics programmes, poppy farming has boomed in the south and west regions, which include the most volatile parts of the country where the Taleban insurgency is strongest. With US-led NATO troops withdrawing from Afghanistan, fears are rising that worsening instability could trigger further growth in opium cultivation as Afghan security forces struggle to push back the resur- gent Taleban. KABUL: Afghanistan’s Minister for Counter-Narcotics Din Mohammad Mubariz Rashidi, center, speaks during a joint press conference in “The country is having to stand on its own feet (and)... will have to Kabul, Afghanistan, yesterday. Opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan hit a record high this year, rising by seven percent over the 2013 deal with this criminalisation of its economics and politics as a matter figure and accounting for 90 percent of the world’s heroin supply, officials and the United Nations said yesterday. — AP of priority,” Jean-Luc Lemahieu, director of policy analysis at UNODC, said. It said that the “farm-gate” value of opium in Afghanistan was About 12,500 NATO troops will remain into 2015, but the force’s Poppy farmers are often taxed by the Taleban, who use the cash to about $0.85 billion-four percent of the country’s GDP. 13-year combat mission against the Taleban will finish at the end of help fund their insurgency against government and NATO forces. Just 2,692 hectares of poppy fields were eradicated in 2014 — a 63 this year. The poppies, which provide huge profits in one of the Despite the presence of tens of thousands of foreign troops since a percent drop from the previous year. “Most of the areas in which we world’s poorest countries, play a large part in the corruption that US-led invasion ousted the Taleban, Afghanistan grows about 80 per- were fighting cultivation was under enemy control. This affected our plagues Afghan life at every level. cent of the world’s opium, which is used to produce highly addictive plans very badly,” Mubariz Rashidi, acting minister of counter nar- President Ashraf Ghani, who came to power in September, has heroin. cotics, told reporters. vowed to tackle corruption as he seeks to steer his strife-torn and “The security forces that should have destroyed the poppy fields impoverished country into a new era after the rule of Hamid Karzai, Pervasive corruption were busy providing security for the presidential elections. president since 2001. The survey said that potential opium production was estimated at “With opium, Afghanistan cannot go towards progress, prosperity “Action against high-level traffickers is required to create a level of 6,400 tons in 2014, a rapid increase of 17 percent from 2013, but not and development,” he added. deterrence and a sufficient risk level,” said Lemahieu. as high as the record 7,400 tons produced in 2007. Earlier this year the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Heroin addiction levels in Afghanistan have also risen sharply- “In 2014, opium prices decreased in all regions of Afghanistan. One Reconstruction John Sopko warned that the country could turn into from almost nothing under the 1996-2001 Taleban regime, to probable reason for the decrease was an increase in supply due to an “a narco-criminal state” after the bulk of the NATO-led force with- more than one million heroin addicts today, according to UN fig- increase in production,” the survey said. draws. ures. — AFP Indian PM’s party shakes up election race in Kashmir Modi takes development pitch to Muslim region SRINAGAR: Accompanied by half a leader, Sajjad Lone, met Modi this mountains that flank it and the house- dozen guards, Hina Bhat knocks on week and said the BJP leader could boats on its mirror-calm lake - looks doors in Srinagar, the heart of a revolt change Kashmir’s fortunes. like a bomb hit it. “You need a force to against Indian rule, to persuade A poll on Tuesday said the BJP get things moving. In Modi we see Kashmiris to vote for the Bharatiya would win the most seats ever in that force,” Bhat says. Janata Party in this month’s state elec- Jammu and Kashmir but fall short of tion. its goal of 44 in the 87-seat state Targeting Hindus After winning the biggest national assembly. “There is only one mantra Hers is a tough act in a district mandate in 30 years, Prime Minister and that is development. The hunger where many voters heed calls by sep- Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist BJP for development in Kashmir is the aratists to shun elections that they see has launched its most audacious elec- same as the rest of country, if not as an attempt to legitimise Indian rule. tion project yet - to win power in more,” said BJP strategist Ram The BJP is banking on support in Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir Madhav. Hindu-dominated Jammu as well as in and integrate the disputed region ful- “We want a state government that Buddhist Ladakh to pick up seats. In KARACHI: Pakistan relatives of victims of a bus accident carry their coffins during a funeral ceremony in Karachi ly into India. can move shoulder-to-shoulder with the Kashmir Valley, the bone of con- yesterday. At least 57 people, including 18 children, were killed November 11 when a bus collided with a goods It is Modi’s toughest test - his party Modi.” Bhat, a dentist-turned-politi- tention between India and Pakistan, truck loaded with coal in southern Pakistan, officials said. — AFP has no base in the Kashmir Valley cian, offers voters exhausted by years they hope to win over independents, where it is seen as anti-Muslim. Even of strife the vision that Modi promises engineer splits in regional parties and more of a red rag is the BJP’s long- to the rest of India - of “smart” cities get Hindus who fled during the revolt Gunmen kill 5 shopkeepers in Pakistan held demand to abrogate the and expressways. to register and vote. Himalayan region’s special status in To voters recovering from the The Hindus are a minority in QUETTA: Unidentified gunmen yes- Rashid Jamali, a doctor in the govern- the incident appeared to be an ethni- the constitution. worst floods in a century, those plans Kashmir but their votes become terday killed five people in Pakistan’s ment-run hospital, told AFP. cally motivated. Its aggressive posture toward are a far cry from reality. important if many Muslims boycott. troubled southwest in an apparently “(The) condition of another shop- Last month the Human Rights Pakistan which also claims Kashmir is In September, the river Jhelum The election begins on Nov. 25 and ethnically motivated attack, police keeper is also critical and he is under- Commission of Pakistan said that just as menacing to the people sand- overflowed and flooded Srinagar, will be in stages, with results due in said. going surgery,” Jamali said. Goraya more than 300,000 people including wiched between the two countries. destroying homes and livelihoods, December. The incident took place late said one of the injured was from the minority Shiites and Hindus had left And yet, within weeks, Modi has and fuelling anger against the state Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, chairman of Wednesday in a market in the central minority Hindu community. “We are Baluchistan over the past 10 years due shaken up an election race dominated administration. the All Parties Hurriyat Conference part of Quetta, the main town in the investigating but apparently it is an to rising unrest. by two regional groups and the Two months on, people are still separatist alliance, sees the BJP’s ploy violence-stricken southwestern ethnically motivated attack,” Goraya The Hazara ethnic group was worst Congress party. A former separatist clearing up. The city - famed for the as cynical. — Reuters province of Baluchistan where sepa- said. hit, with as many as 200,000 relocat- ratists have intensified attacks against No group has yet claimed responsi- ing to Pakistan’s major cities or ethnic minorities and outsiders. bility but Baluch separatists are active abroad. They are predominantly Shiite Senior police official Aitzaz Goraya in the area. They often attack govern- and easily identifiable due to their told AFP that two gunmen on motor- ment forces, installations and people Central Asian features. bike opened fire on two shops in the who have settled in Baluchistan from Baluchistan, Pakistan’s largest but market, killing four shopkeepers on central Punjab province. least developed and most sparsely the spot and critically wounding three In October, gunmen killed nine populated province, is also racked by others. labourers in the town of Hub, some Islamist militants, banditry and sectar- One among the injured later suc- 640 kilometres (400 miles) southwest ian violence between Sunnis and cumbed to his injuries in hospital, of Quetta and police at the time said Shiites. — AFP Time ripe for Pakistan, Afghanistan to reset ties

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Afghanistan have a historic Pakistan was one of three countries to recognise the hard- opportunity to reset long-fraught ties following the election line Taleban regime that ruled Kabul from 1996 until 2001 of democratic governments in both countries, the United when it was deposed by a US-led international military coali- States’ top diplomat in Islamabad said yesterday. tion. Speaking ahead of newly-elected Afghan President Ashraf The government of former Afghan president Hamid Karzai Ghani’s first official visit to Islamabad this weekend, Richard routinely accused Pakistan of continuing to aid the Taleban in Olson praised confidence building measures by both sides their insurgency in order to destabilise his country, a charge including a Pakistan army operation in a Taleban stronghold Islamabad denies. along the countries’ shared border. Tensions are also often stoked by cross-border shelling, but “I think there is quite genuinely a basis for a new relation- Olson praised Pakistan’s recent “restraint” and its efforts to ship between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Both sides are aware secure the border during the Afghan elections. of this historical moment and making efforts to seize it,” he In an interview with AFP in April, Ghani said rapproche- said in a speech at the National University of Sciences and ment with Pakistan along the lines of France and Germany Technology in Islamabad. after World War II-would be key to ending instability in his “Also I would say the actions of the Pakistani army in clear- conflict-torn nation. Ghani was sworn into office in ing the North Waziristan agency I think is a very important September while his main rival Abdullah Abdullah became step in all of this,” he added, referring to the military offensive the country’s CEO, ending a protracted election process which began in June. marred by fraud allegations. — AFP

DHARMSALA: Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, center, arrives to give a religious talk at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharmsala, India, yesterday. The three-day talk organized on request from a Buddhist group in South Korea, will end today. — AP THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 INTERNATIONAL The fighters of Iraq who answer to Iran

BAGHDAD: Among the thousands of militia backing to the Iraqi government, and weapons Maliki, who was Iraq’s leader until he was one of the region’s most effective military lead- over Kurdistan,” he said, using a common fighters who flocked to northern Iraq to battle and advisers to the militias and the remnants forced out in August, was beholden to Tehran ers. Arabic name for IS. The way Iran and Soleimani militant group Islamic State over the summer of the Iraqi military, say current and former and prevented Sunnis from getting greater After the collapse of the Iraqi military in work is “completely the opposite of Saudi intel- was Qais Al-Khazali. Like the fighters, Khazali Iraqi officials. political power. Maliki has denied sidelining June, Soleimani visited Iraq several times to ligence that just gives money but are not on wore green camouflage. But he also sported a That was clear this summer, when fighters Sunnis. Former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, a help organise a counter-offensive. He brought the ground,” said the current senior Iraqi offi- shoulder-strapped pistol and sunglasses and from all three militias took on IS. During IS’s secular Shiite who left office in 2005, told weapons, electronic interception devices and cial. “Soleimani sees a target and he has the was flanked by armed bodyguards. When he siege of one town, Amerli, Kataib Hezbollah Reuters that “Iran is interfering in Iraq. Foreign drones, according to a senior Iraqi politician. powers to go after it.” was not on the battlefield, the 40-year-old Iraqi helicoptered in 50 of its best fighters, accord- forces are not welcome here. And militias con- “Soleimani is an operational leader. He’s not a donned the robes and white turban of a cleric. ing to Abu Abdullah, a local Kataib Hezbollah trolled by foreign powers are not welcome man working in an office. He goes to the front The Badr Brigades Khazali is the head of a militia called Asaib Ahl commander. The fighters set up an operations also.” Iraq’s Shiite militias have certainly fuelled to inspect the troops and see the fighting,” said Iran’s oldest proxy in Iraq is the Badr al-Haq that is backed by Iran. Thanks to his room to coordinate with the Iraqi army, the sectarian violence. In the past few months they one current senior Iraqi official. “His chain of Brigades, which is headed by Hadi Al-Amri, a position he is one of the most feared and other militia groups, and advisers from the have taken revenge on Sunnis thought to be command is only the Supreme Leader. He veteran of both combat and politics. The group respected militia leaders in Iraq, and one of Quds Force, the branch of Iran’s Islamic sympathetic to IS, burned homes and threat- needs money, gets money. Needs munitions, renamed itself the Badr Organisation once it Iran’s most important representatives in the Revolutionary Guard Corps that handles opera- ened to stop Sunnis returning to their towns. gets munitions. Needs materiel, gets materiel.” entered politics. Amri fought alongside Iran’s country. tions outside Iran and oversees Tehran’s Iraqi Shiite fighters have kidnapped or killed civil- The Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Revolutionary Guard against Saddam’s army His militia is one of three small Iraqi Shiite militias. Over days of fierce fighting in August, ians, say Sunni family members. “The militias Khamenei, is the most senior religious authori- during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. After the armies, all backed by Iran, which together have and with the help of US bombing raids - a rare are a problem,” said Askari, the former Maliki ty in Iran and wields huge constitutional pow- US invasion of Iraq in 2003, he won a seat in become the most powerful military force in example of Iran and the United States fighting adviser. “What do you say after Islamic State er. Soleimani, who Reuters was unable to parliament and served as Minister of Iraq since the collapse of the national army in a common enemy - those forces successfully ends? Thank you very much and go home?” reach, knows the heads of the three big Iraqi Transportation during Maliki’s second term. June. Alongside Asaib Ahl al-Haq, there are the expelled IS. militias personally, Iraqi officials say. A picture Amri, who could not be reached for comment, Badr Brigades, formed in the 1980s during the Tehran’s high profile contrasts sharply with Echoes of Lebanon posted on a Facebook page in August shows is feared and loathed by many Sunnis for his Iran-Iraq War, and the younger and more secre- Washington’s. Both Iran and the United States The main body funding, arming, and train- him in an olive shirt and khaki pants next to alleged role in running death squads in recent tive Kataib Hezbollah. The three militias have are preparing for a long battle against IS. But ing the Shiite militias is Iran’s Quds Force. The Khazali, who is in clerical robes. A picture on years. In July, Human Rights Watch accused been instrumental in battling Islamic State (IS), Iraqi officials say the two take very different model it uses is Hezbollah in Lebanon. Created Facebook and Twitter late last month showed Badr forces of killing Sunni prisoners. the extremist movement from Islam’s rival views of Iraq. “The American approach is to by Tehran in the early 1980s, and operating as Soleimani and the leader of the Badr Brigades In recent battles with IS, Amri replaced his Sunni sect. leave Iraq to the Iraqis,” said Sami Al-Askari, a both a military outfit and political party, grinning and wrapped in a tight hug after what suit with a military uniform and transformed into The militias, and the men who run them, former member of Iraq’s parliament and one- Hezbollah has grown to become the most was reportedly a victory against IS. a battlefield commander overnight, giving tele- are key to Iran’s power and influence inside time senior adviser to former prime minister powerful force in Lebanon. Like Hezbollah, In an interview with Iranian state television vision interviews from the frontlines. “Look at neighbouring Iraq. That influence is rooted in Nouri Al-Maliki. “The Iranians don’t say leave Iran’s three big Iraqi militias have political in September, a senior Revolutionary Guard Amri’s uniform and then compare it to any Iraqi the two countries’ shared religious beliefs. Iran’s Iraq to the Iraqis. They say leave Iraq to us.” wings and charismatic leaders. Coordinating commander, General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, said uniform ... It’s completely different,” said a senior population is overwhelmingly Shiite, as are the The danger, Iraqi officials say, is that Iran’s the three is Quds Force commander Qassem that Soleimani, with a force of only 70 men, former security official. “Look for the uniform of majority of Iraqis. Tehran has built up its influ- deep influence will perpetuate sectarian con- Soleimani, who, at least until the IS victories in had prevented IS from overrunning Arbil. “If the IRGC” - Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard ence in the past decade by giving political flict in Iraq. Many Iraqi Sunnis complain that Iraq this summer, had gained a reputation as Iran hadn’t helped, Daesh would have taken Corps - “it’s exactly one of them.” —Reuters Myanmar hosts biggest cast of world leaders since reforms ASEAN leaders to meet with Chinese PM

NAYPYIDAW: Myanmar kicked off The rise of self-proclaimed resource-rich waters and experts on integrating the region’s markets yesterday its biggest gathering of Islamic State and countering the say there is little prospect of it and the reduction of trade barriers world leaders since shedding junta Ebola epidemic are also expected to changing it stance. In the draft and tariffs with the goal of an end- rule but concerns over the pace of be discussed by the world leaders. statement, Southeast Asian leaders, 2015 economic union fast democratic reforms are expected to At the end of the ASEAN summit including from Muslim-majority approaching. On Wednesday the surface at the two-day event featur- yesterday, the leaders will release a Indonesia and Malaysia, also com- ASEAN bloc will also hold meetings ing US President Barack Obama. statement expressing “concerns mitted to “all necessary measures to with India, Japan and the United The Association of Southeast over recent developments in the prevent fighters travelling from Nations before Obama lands in the Asian Nations (ASEAN) and East Asia South China Sea, which have ASEAN member states to join terror- evening fresh from the Asia-Pacific summits, held in the remote capital increased tensions in the area”, ist groups”. Economic Cooperation (APEC) sum- of Naypyidaw, are the culmination according to a draft seen by AFP. ASEAN leaders are due to meet mit in Beijing. Obama is set to meet Thein Sein and opposition leader-and fellow Nobel laureate-Aung San Suu Kyi HONG KONG: Tents set up by pro-democracy protesters are seen in an occu- during his two-night stay in the pied area outside the government headquarters in Hong Kong’s Admiralty country, as he looks to show his district yesterday. Pro-democracy protesters camped out on main streets in support for landmark elections slat- Hong Kong for more than six weeks face arrest after a court authorized ed for late 2015. police to help bailiffs clear them from occupation sites, a senior government Myanmar has been welcomed back into the international fold after official warned Tuesday. —AP enacting sweeping reforms includ- ing the release of most political pris- oners and the promise of free and Attackers throw rotten animal fair polls next year. The reforms have seen most organs at HK media tycoon sanctions lifted, while foreign investment has poured into the HONG KONG: An outspoken Hong Kong pro- men... (the bags) hit his head and his body,” Alex almost virgin market of some 60 democracy media mogul was attacked yesterday Kwok, one of the volunteer marshalls who safe- million people. Obama two years by a group of men who threw bags of rotten ani- guards protesters at the Admiralty site, told AFP. became the first sitting US presi- mal organs at him, according to his spokesman “We marshalls immediately tried to stop them. dent to visit Myanmar, in an initial and witnesses. Afterwards, some citizens came to help and three effort to propel the reforms. Jimmy Lai owns Next Media-which runs the started beating the marshalls including myself,” But, in comments just days Apple Daily newspaper and website, often pub- added Kwok, who had a light bruise under his left before Obama’s arrival, Suu Kyi lishing articles critical of Beijing-and had been vis- eye. sought to temper US “over-opti- iting the city’s main pro-democracy protest site in Two men were taken away by police, an AFP mism” over Myanmar’s reform the Admiralty business district. reporter at the scene said. Another man was lying process. “They threw pig intestines at him. I think it was on the ground, his wrists and ankles secured with Wrangles over the constitution, three guys,” his spokesman, Mark Simon, told AFP plastic cable ties, the reporter said. the cramping of media freedom as adding that 66-year-old Lai had escaped unhurt. Several major roads have been blocked for well as tinderbox issues such as bur- Fears over the erosion of press freedom in more than six weeks by pro-democracy protesters geoning Buddhist extremism and Hong Kong have grown following attacks on jour- calling for fully free elections for the city’s leader in anti-Muslim violence, have taken nalists earlier this year. Former editor of liberal 2017. NAYPYIDAW: US President Barack Obama (C) takes part in the East Asia Summit family photo the sheen off its emergence from newspaper, Ming Pao, Kevin Lau, was stabbed in Beijing has insisted that candidates must be with other regional leaders at the Myanmar International Convention Center in Naypyidaw yes- isolation after decades of iron-fisted broad daylight by two men in February. vetted by a loyalist committee, in what protesters terday. US President Barack Obama landed in Myanmar yesterday as the once cloistered nation army rule and raised fears its Apple Daily’s headquarters have been targeted brand “fake democracy”. hosted its biggest gathering of world leaders since shedding junta rule, but concerns over the reforms are slipping. during the democracy protests by unidentified Simon said that Lai, who is a regular visitor to pace of democratic reforms surfaced immediately. —AFP Myanmar is the second leg of a anti-Occupy groups shouting and blocking distri- the Admiralty protest site, would not be deterred week-long trip by Obama to push bution lorries. Bundles of the newspaper have also from showing his support in future. of a year of diplomatic limelight for Tensions in the seas have soared with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang US priorities in the region. But he been doused in soy sauce at distribution points. “He will definitely go back (to the site)... It’s not Myanmar after having long been this year with Vietnam and the today during the East Asia Summit, arrives bloodied from a major elec- Witnesses told how three men arrived carrying that big of a deal for Jimmy,” he said, adding that shunted to the sidelines under its Philippines enraged by series of which groups the Southeast Asian tion setback at home and assailed a suitcase and started throwing stinking plastic Lai had already decided not to press charges. former military rulers. manoeuvres by regional superpow- bloc with the United States, China, by global crises, from Islamic mili- bags filled with putrid brown animal organs at Lai “These guys are hired. They earned some mon- Other key issues will include the er China in waters claimed by them. India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, tants in Iraq and Syria to the conflict yesterday afternoon, as one of them shouted: “Go ey today. Why waste time on those clowns?” festering row between several China says most of the seas are its Russia and New Zealand. in Ukraine and the deadly spread of die”. Simon did not want to speculate on who was ASEAN members and China over territory-including areas close to its the Ebola virus. “(It) was evident Lai was the target of the three behind the attacks. —AFP territory in the South China Sea, and neighbour’s coast. Obama in Myanmar The United States has said talks greater economic integration ahead Beijing is reluctant to sign a In remarks to open the ASEAN on the rise of self-proclaimed of a Southeast Asian trade union binding, multilateral code of con- summit, Myanmar’s reform-minded Islamic State and Ebola will also be mooted for 2015. duct covering the disputed and President Thein Sein hailed progress held in Naypyidaw. —AFP Pope urges G20 leaders not to forget the poor Japan’s nuclear cleanup stymied by water woes BRISBANE: Pope Francis has called on G20 underdevelopment and exclusion.” leaders not to forget the poor, saying to do so “It has become more and more evident OKUMA: More than three years into Japan’s massive reactors. Decommissioning and dismantling all six of Barrett, a retired US nuclear regulatory official who would be “regrettable” as the heads of the that the solution to this grave problem cannot cleanup of the tsunami-damaged nuclear plant, only the reactors is a delicate, time-consuming process that was part of the early mitigation team there and has world’s most powerful economies prepare to be a purely military one, but must also focus a tiny fraction of the workers are focused on the key includes removing the melted fuel from a highly visited the Fukushima plant. meet in Australia. on those who in one way or another encour- tasks of dismantling the broken reactors and remov- radioactive environment as well as all the extra fuel “This is a much more complex, much more diffi- The Group of 20 leaders are expected to age terrorist groups through political support.” ing radioactive fuel rods. rods, some of which sit in cooling pools situated at the cult water management problem,” said Lake Barrett, a sign off in Brisbane this weekend on a pledge The pontiff said he hoped to see “a substantial Instead, nearly all the workers are devoted to a top of the reactor buildings. The entire job is expected retired US nuclear regulatory official who was part of to boost the level of their combined economic and productive consensus” on boosting single, enormously distracting problem: coping with to take at least 40 years. the early mitigation team there and has visited the output by at least two percent above the cur- growth and jobs that took into account “real the vast amount of water that becomes contaminat- Fukushima plant. rently projected level in the next five years, cre- improvements in the living conditions of poor- ed after it is pumped into the reactors to keep the 500,000 TONS ating millions of jobs. In a letter to Australian er families and the reduction of all forms of melted radioactive fuel inside from overheating. Workers have jury-rigged a pipe-and-hose system 10 TRILLION YEN Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who holds the unacceptable inequality”. Every day, some 6,000 workers pass through the to continuously pump water into the reactors to cool An estimated 2 trillion yen ($18 billion) will be G20’s rotating presidency, the pope said world Each country is expected to submit its guarded gate of the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant locat- the clumps of melted fuel inside. needed just for decontamination and other mitiga- powers “must not forget that many lives are at detailed reform plans to achieve the growth ed on the Pacific coast, two to three times more than The water becomes contaminated upon exposure tion of the water problem. Altogether, the entire stake behind these political and technical dis- goal in Brisbane, with an emphasis on private when it was actually producing electricity. But only to the radioactive fuel, and much of it pours into the decommissioning process, including compensation cussions”. sector financing to spur infrastructure invest- about 100 of them are dismantling a makeshift roof reactor basements and maintenance trenches that for area residents, reportedly will cost about 10 trillion “And it would indeed be regrettable if such ment. In his letter, the pope also warned about over one of the reactor buildings, while about a extend to the Pacific Ocean. The plant recycles some yen, or about $90 billion. All this for a plant that will discussions were to remain purely on the level the impact on the environment of “unbridled dozen others are removing fuel rods from a cooling of the contaminated water as cooling water after par- never produce a kilowatt of energy again. The work of declarations of principle,” he said in the let- consumerism” while speaking of the “unbear- pool. Most of the rest are dealing with contaminated tially treating it, but groundwater is also flowing into threatens to exhaust the supply of workers for other ter, sent on November 6 but only made public able humanitarian situations around the water-related work, said Tatsuhiro Yamagishi, a the damaged reactor buildings and mixing with con- tasks, since they must stop working when they reach yesterday. world”, pointing to the Middle East. spokesman for TEPCO, as the utility that owns the taminated water, creating a huge excess that needs annual radiation exposure limits. About 500 workers “There are far too many women and men “I take this opportunity to ask the G20 Fukushima plant is commonly known. The work to be pumped out. are digging deep holes in preparation to build a tax- suffering from severe malnutrition, a rise in the member states to be examples of generosity threatens to exhaust the supply of workers for other So far, more than 500,000 tons of radioactive payer-funded 32 billion yen ($290 million) under- number of the unemployed, an extremely and solidarity in meeting the many needs of tasks, since they must stop working when they reach water has been stored in nearly 1,000 large tanks that ground “frozen wall” around the four reactors and high percentage of young people without the victims of these conflicts, and especially of annual radiation exposure limits. workers have built, which now cover most of the their turbine buildings to try to keep the contaminat- work and an increase in social exclusion which refugees,” he said. sprawling plant site. After a series of leaks from the ed water from seeping out. can lead to criminal activity and even the “The situation in the Middle East has 40 YEARS storage tanks last year, they are now being replaced TEPCO is developing systems to try to remove recruitment of terrorists.” revived debate about the responsibility of the The plant has six reactors, three of which were with costlier welded tanks. some of the radioactive elements from the water. He said he hoped the talks would mark a international community to protect individu- offline when disaster struck on March 11, 2011 a 9.0 That dwarfs the 9,000 tons of contaminated water One, known as ALPS, has been trouble-plagued, but step towards “eliminating the root causes of als and peoples from extreme attacks on magnitude earthquake that triggered a huge tsunami, produced during the 1979 partial meltdown of Three utility officials hope to achieve their daily capacity of terrorism, which has reached proportions hith- human rights and a total disregard for humani- which swept into the plant and knocked out its cool- Mile Island in the United States. At Three Mile Island, it 2,000 tons when they enter full operation next erto unimaginable; these include poverty, tarian law.” —AFP ing systems, leading to meltdowns at the three active took 14 years for the water to evaporate, said Lake month. —Agencies NEWS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 Dubai woos commuters with tram Continued from Page 1 promote public transport in this car- air conditioned, with doors that loving city, particularly as popula- slide open once a tram pulls in. Like The tram line opened to the pub- tion numbers swell as the city the metro, each tram contains a lic yesterday morning following a recovers from its 2009 financial cri- special women-only section and a fireworks-studded inauguration the sis and it gears up to host the World “gold class” compartment for those previous evening. Like many Dubai Expo in 2020. They hope to attract willing to pay double the base fare projects, it debuted several years 27,000 a day for now, and some of 3 dirhams (82 cents). Mattar Al- behind schedule. Visitor Sultan 66,000 by the end of the decade. Tayer, who heads the emirate’s Saeed Subhi from Oman decided to Tram commuters can connect to the Roads and Transport Authority, said try out the tram on opening day. He Dubai Metro, a driverless elevated the project reflects Dubai ruler said he was glad to find an afford- rail line that opened in 2009, as well Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al able alternative to the city’s ubiqui- as an existing monorail line that Maktoum’s desire to have a tramway tous taxis. “It is really going to ease glides down the middle of the city’s “unprecedented worldwide in terms things for people going from one first man-made palm-shaped island, of safety and luxury in order to place to another,” he said. Palm Jumeirah. deliver classy services to residents Dubai authorities are eager to Tram platforms are enclosed and and visitors.” Saudis try to calm sectarian tensions Continued from Page 1 concerns about possible retaliation in the kingdom. The Al- Dalwa attack “shows that Sunni extremists have shifted their The conciliatory gestures “could be the beginning” of a target set beyond the regime toward Shiites - perhaps in a bid longer-term process of creating a more inclusive nation, said to provoke civil strife,” said Frederic Wehrey, a Gulf expert at Stephane Lacroix, a specialist on Saudi Arabia at the Sciences the US-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Po university in Paris. But more needs to be done or the Sunni- Since 2011, protests and sporadic attacks on security Shiite violence that has killed thousands in Iraq, and affected forces have occurred in Shiite areas, leaving around 20 Shiite neighbouring Yemen and Bahrain, “will also hit Saudi Arabia”, youth dead. But there has been no major Shiite backlash to he warned. Seven Shiites, including children, were gunned the Al-Dalwa killings. “Maybe this will be a chance for the down in the attack last week during the commemoration of Saudi state to reach out to the Shiites and to try to change Ashoura, one of the Shiite faith’s holiest occasions. something,” said Toby Matthiesen, a research fellow at the Assailants also killed a man and stole his car to use in the University of Cambridge. He said the shooting “sends a mes- shootings, a resident and local media reported. Two members sage to the Shiites that the state, the Saudi state, is their only of the security forces died in battle with alleged suspects, and real protector against attacks by Sunni militants”. more than 30 others have been detained in a dragnet after The shooting could paradoxically help to bridge the gap the crimes, local media said. The kingdom’s Grand Mufti, between Shiites and the authorities, Matthiesen said, but the Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh, has declared the attack to be government would have to take more fundamental steps to “against the teachings of Islam”. address the minority’s disquiet. He said these could include A Western diplomat said the Sunni authorities had sent an pardoning Shiite cleric Nimr Al-Nimr, who was sentenced to important message that Shiites “are a part of the nation and death last month. Nimr was a driving force behind demon- we are with you against terrorism”. He described it as “a turn- strations in the oil-rich east in 2011 and 2012. Tensions have ing point,” noting that Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin continued to simmer in parts of the region, where an estimat- Nayef had visited families of the victims, the wounded, and a ed two million or more Shiites live. Shiite religious centre. “The objective of the terrorists was to A resident of Al-Dalwa said Shiites appreciated Prince divide and trigger a kind of sectarian strife and conflict Nayef’s visit and the government’s response to the murders. between Sunnis and Shiites but the result is exactly the oppo- But he said the community needs more, including a clamp- site,” the diplomat said, requesting anonymity. down on sectarian speech in the media and reform of a Although Sunni extremists attacked Westerners and gov- school curriculum which portrays Shiites negatively. Although Crows take over a treetop at dusk in the Center Square neighborhood on Tuesday in Albany, New York. — AP ernment targets in the kingdom between 2003 and 2006, a the display of national unity by the elite may have been a major militant attack against Shiites had never previously start, two things have to change if grassroots tensions with occurred. The killings followed this year’s declaration of a Shiites are to ease, said Lacroix. The first is the religious estab- Mixed signals: MP warns of deficit, govt... “caliphate” in parts of Iraq and Syria by jihadists with the lishment’s view of Wahhabi Islam as “the only proper form” of Islamic State (IS) group who consider Shiites heretics, and Islam. Secondly, Shiites are considered “outsiders” and apart Continued from Page 1 current fiscal year and 17.8 percent in 2015/16. have targeted them for death. from the tribal culture of the kingdom’s central region, which Also yesterday, the government said Kuwait’s econo- Saudi Arabia and its Sunni Gulf neighbours have joined a sees itself as dominant. “This will take probably at least a gen- But the lawmaker said that the decline in oil prices my grew modestly last year, contradicting an earlier esti- US-led military coalition bombing the IS group in Syria, raising eration to change,” he said. — AFP will save around KD 450 million in subsidies of petrol mate by the IMF that gross domestic product shrank and fuel for power stations. Abdulsamad called on the because of lower oil output. The widely differing num- finance minister to take the necessary measures to face bers underline the difficulty of finding reliable economic the developments by reducing spending and increasing statistics in the Gulf, where many governments have not Amnesty: Qatar foot-dragging on labor... revenues instead of tapping into the huge fiscal reserves developed extensive systems for collecting data and dis- Kuwait has accumulated during the past 15 years. The close information only erratically. Continued from Page 1 eventual phasing out of exit visa requirements. Reforms lawmaker also called on the government to take all nec- In its first estimate of inflation-adjusted GDP last year, proposed by authorities this year would automatically essary measures to contain the ever-increasing current Kuwait’s Central Statistical Bureau said it grew 1.5 per- That gives employers considerable sway over workers’ grant workers exit permission 72 hours before their spending to cut overall expenditure. cent, slowing from 6.6 percent in 2012. The 2012 figure lives and leaves employees open to abuse, as bosses must scheduled departure, though there would still be limits Incidentally, preliminary finance ministry figures was revised from the government’s previous estimate of approve workers’ departure from the country or their on how soon they could leave. showed yesterday the government budget surplus 8.3 percent. In a report in September after consultations requests to change jobs. Amnesty says those proposals don’t go far enough - reached KD 8.97 billion ($30.84 billion) in the first six with Kuwaiti authorities, the IMF had said Kuwait’s econ- Qatar’s labor and social affairs minister, Abdullah Saleh though even they have yet to be implemented. As a first months of this fiscal year as expenditure remained well omy shrank 0.2 percent last year, underperforming Mubarak Al-Khulaifi, told local Qatari newspaper editors step, it is calling on authorities to do away with exit per- below the initial plan,. The state’s public spending was strong growth in most other Gulf Arab oil exporting last week that new labor legislation should be ready by mits, investigate the causes of worker deaths, scrap fees KD 6.12 billion in April-September, below KD 11.61 bil- countries. the end of the year. An advisory council must still weigh in for workers to file court cases against employers, publish lion originally planned for the period. It was equivalent The downturn was mainly due to a 1.8 percent drop on the draft law before it goes to the ruling emir for his names of “exploitative” recruiters and companies, and give to only 26 percent of the KD 23.21 billion spending plan in oil-related GDP, according to the IMF. The Kuwaiti sta- approval. Qatar’s sports minister, Salah bin Ghanem bin domestic workers the same protections as other laborers. for the 2014/15 fiscal year. tistics office did not explain its differences with the IMF Nasser Al-Ali, separately told AP this week that the coun- James Lynch, the head of Amnesty’s business and human Kuwait’s expenditure has fallen behind its budget or the revisions of its data, but said it had “made serious try plans to implement labor reforms in the “next few rights team, said it was important to keep pressure on plans repeatedly in recent years as political disputes and efforts towards refining the data collection and process- months”. “We understand this problem. For us, it’s a Qatar because work on large-scale infrastructure projects bureaucracy have delayed budget approvals in parlia- ing procedures, and estimation methods for the compi- human question,” Ali said. Qataris aren’t “vicious people that rely on migrant labor are racing ahead. “The govern- ment as well as the implementation of much-needed lation of comprehensive National Income Accounts...” It who are like vampires. ... We have emotions, we feel bad.” ment hasn’t been taking the decisive action that it could investment programs. State revenue was KD 15.09 bil- estimated inflation-adjusted oil sector output fell only The draft legislation was introduced after Qatar hired take and should take,” he said in an interview. “There are a lion in April-September, well above the KD 10.03 billion 0.8 percent in 2013 while the non-hydrocarbon sector international law firm DLA Piper to examine its labor range of concrete steps that could be taken almost originally projected for the period. Oil income stood at grew 5.9 percent, double the IMF’s estimate. issues. The firm outlined dozens of recommendations, overnight ... that would serve as a signal and confidence KD 14.20 billion. Separately, the Assembly’s human rights committee including changes to the sponsorship system and the builder that the government is really serious.” —AP Kuwait has one of the strongest fiscal positions yesterday decided to summon Education Minister Bader among the Gulf oil exporters; it needs a crude oil price of Al-Essa and head of the central agency for illegal resi- just $54 per barrel for its state budget to break even, dents Saleh Al-Fadhalah to discuss the issue of depriving Nod to Gulf security pact according to the International Monetary Fund. But its a number of bedoon children from attending schools. In heavy dependence on oil income makes its economy a related development, MP Faisal Al-Kandari called on Continued from Page 1 Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE have accused Qatar more vulnerable to lower crude oil prices and output. the education minister to dismiss the head of the private of meddling in their internal affairs and supporting the Benchmark Brent crude touched $80.46 per barrel this education department for abusing bedoons. But the A foreign ministers’ meeting which was scheduled for Muslim Brotherhood. Riyadh labels the Brotherhood a “ter- week, its lowest level since Sept 2010; however, the aver- ministry of education and the bedoon agency said in a Monday to prepare for the summit “has been postponed rorist” group and the UAE has jailed dozens convicted of age so far this calendar year is $104.20. Analysts polled joint statement that all bedoon students are allowed to but God willing, it will be held”, he said. A Gulf official told links to the Islamist group. Doha later asked Brotherhood by Reuters in September forecast Kuwait’s fiscal surplus receive an education as long as their families are regis- AFP on Monday that the preparatory meeting was called leaders to leave Qatar, following diplomatic pressure from at a robust 22.2 percent of gross domestic product in the tered with the bedoon agency. off without a new date being set. Saudi Arabia, but differences remain. — Agencies THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 ANALYSIS

THE LEADING INDEPENDENT DAILY IN THE ARABIAN GULF ESTABLISHED 1961

Founder and Publisher YOUSUF S. AL-ALYAN Editor-in-Chief ABD AL-RAHMAN AL-ALYAN EDITORIAL : 24833199-24833358-24833432 ADVERTISING : 24835616/7 FAX : 24835620/1 CIRCULATION : 24833199 Extn. 163 ACCOUNTS : 24835619 COMMERCIAL : 24835618 P.O.Box 1301 Safat,13014 Kuwait. E MAIL :[email protected] Website: www.kuwaittimes.net

Issues Crises stretch militaries, govts to limit

By Peter Apps

rom a standoff with Russia to fights against Ebola and Islamic State, 2014 has pitted west- Fern policymakers against a scale of crises unparalleled in recent years. The result, current and former officials say, has been a degree of over- stretch in Washington, Whitehall and Brussels on a scale few can remember. The risk is that other dan- ger signs get missed. Even when officials say they know what needs to be done, an era of budget cuts means the required resources, particularly military, may simply not be there. Drone sightings up dramatically in US President Barack Obama took office wanting to move on from an era of international entangle- By Joan Lowy Florida, in March. The pilot of the 50-seat Canadair Regional a real investigation, real work done to determine just what ments in Iraq and Afghanistan. But while large US- Jet reported the camouflage-painted drone was at an alti- these reports mean,” he said. led military interventions might be over, a period of he US government is getting near-daily reports - and tude of about 2,300 feet (700 m), 8 km northeast of the air- More than 1 million small drones have been sold world- multiple crises may only just be beginning. “The sometimes two or three a day - of drones flying near air- port. The FAA hasn’t been able to find the drone or identify its wide in the past few years, said Toscano, the official with the world is changing in front of us,” US Army Chief of Tplanes and helicopters or close to airports without per- operator. drone industry group. It is inevitable that some will misuse Staff General Ray Odierno told a military confer- mission, federal and industry officials tell AP. It’s a sharp In some cases the FAA has “identified unsafe and unautho- them because they don’t understand the safety risks or sim- ence in Washington last month. Odierno said plans increase from just two years ago when such reports were still rized (drone) operations and contacted the individual opera- ply don’t care, he said. “This technology has a phenomenal to cut troop numbers to 450,000 from a peak of unusual. Many of the reports are filed with the Federal some 570,000 in the last decade were no longer Aviation Administration by airline pilots. But other pilots, air- viable. The limit should be 490,000, he said. port officials and local authorities often file reports as well, said the officials, who agreed to discuss the matter only on Russia’s proxy war in Ukraine has also raised the condition that they not be named because they weren’t questions over European defence cuts. “We are wit- authorized to speak publicly. Michael Toscano, president of a nessing first hand mistaken assumptions about the drone industry trade group, said FAA officials also have veri- number, duration, location and size of future force fied the increase to him. conflicts, and the need to conduct post-stability While many of the reports are unconfirmed, raising the operations,” Odierno said. “These miscalculations possibility that pilots may have mistaken a bird or another translate directly into increased military risk.” plane in the distance for a drone, the officials said other Multiple other troubles have the diplomatic com- reports appear to be credible. The FAA tightly restricts the use munity stretched to the limit, officials say. of drones, which could cause a crash if one collided with a Violence in Nigeria and the shooting down of plane or was sucked into an engine. Small drones usually Malaysia Airlines Flight 373 demanded a response aren’t visible on radar to air traffic controllers, particularly if while demonstrations in Hong Kong, leadership they’re made of plastic or other composites. uncertainties in North Korea, possible Scottish “It should not be a matter of luck that keeps an airplane independence and territorial disputes in the South and a drone apart,” said Rory Kay, a training captain at a major airline and a former Air Line Pilots Association safety commit- China Sea between Beijing and some of its Asian tee chairman. “So far we’ve been lucky because if these things neighbours have all required new analysis and con- are operating in the sky unregulated, unmonitored and tingency planning. Humanitarian crises have been uncontrolled, the possibility of a close proximity event or rising too. The World Health Organisation for the even a collision has to be of huge concern.” first time is simultaneously handling five disasters: The FAA requires that all drone operators receive permis- Ebola, Iraq, Syria, South Sudan and Central African sion from the agency, called a certificate of authorization, Republic. “Everyone is knackered,” said a British offi- before they can fly their unmanned aircraft. Most certificates In this March 12, 2014 file photo, a drone lands after flying over the scene of an explosion that leveled cial on condition of anonymity. limit drones to 400 feet (120 m) in altitude and require that two apartment buildings in the East Harlem neighborhood of New York. —AP they remain within sight of the operator and at least 8 km Long Days, Sleepless Nights away from an airport. Exceptions are made for some govern- tors to educate them about how they can operate safely upside that people are still just trying to understand,” he said. Those covering the Middle East are at the sharp ment drones. The military flies drones in great swaths of air- under current regulations and laws,” the agency said in a “As unfortunate as it would be that we have an incident, it’s end, forced to deal with Islamic State in Iraq and space in remote areas designated for military use. Customs statement late Tuesday. The FAA also said rogue operators not going to shut down the industry.” Brendan Schulman, a Syria, Israel’s Gaza incursion, Iran’s nuclear negotia- and Border Protection flies high-altitude drones along the US have been threatened with fines. Aviation safety expert John New York attorney who represents drone operators challeng- tions and simultaneous crises in Libya and Yemen. borders with Mexico and Canada. Goglia, a former National Transportation Safety Board mem- ing FAA restrictions, said some of the incidents come from Jim Williams, who heads the FAA drone office, caused a stir ber, said he’s skeptical of some of the reports because most of police and other helicopter pilots who see a drone in the dis- “It means long days and sleepless nights,” US State earlier this year when he told a drone industry conference the small drones currently being sold can’t reach the altitudes tance and then fly over to it to get a good look rather than Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki told a that an airliner nearly collided with a drone over Tallahassee, cited by pilots. Still, “it needs to be run to ground. That means remaining safely away from it. —AP meeting of networking group Young Professionals in Foreign Policy. “It means meetings are attended by deputies instead of by principles ... Obviously, when you have one crisis you want to do it well. Startup to turn hoverboards into reality And we have been dealing with plenty.” Some officials have been repeatedly reassigned By Martha Mendoza places where this may be more appropriate Henderson said the board is the most effi- petering out over a lake in one scene. There as new crunches sprung up. One example cited was than the wheel,” he says. cient way of communicating what the tech- have been some real attempts, and some officials focusing on Yemen being switched to he more your knees quiver, the more Here’s how it works: four dinner plate- nology can do. “When you discover that you hoaxes, since then. The current prototype, Russia instead. Teams covering countries like Libya the 90 pound board you’re perched sized hover engines on the bottom of the can levitate a dynamic load in a stationary designed in part by surfboard shaper Bob complain they have been all but forgotten. Such Ton, floating above a pillow of air, board create a magnetic field that induces a position, can you think of anything more Pearson, is broader and wider than a typical years are not unknown: 1991 saw Iraq’s invasion of seems about to shoot out from under your secondary magnetic field in a conductive exciting than a hoverboard?” skateboard, and fairly slow. But Henderson Kuwait and a temporary coup in Moscow, 1994 saw feet. A high-pitched engine scream surface, in this case copper, although alu- Hoverboards captured public interest in is delighted with what they’ve done so far. multiple disasters in Bosnia, Somalia and Rwanda. bounces from the sheet of copper as you minum - even under concrete - works as the “Back to the Future” trilogy when charac- “Last month the Wikipedia entry for But the sheer scope of 2014’s flashpoints is unusual. swivel and glide your way a few feet for- well. Magnetic levitation trains, currently ter Marty McFly hopped on one to escape Hoverboard said this was a fictional device. Inevitably, those at the top are most stretched. ward. This is hoverboarding. Skateboarding operating in Asia, work on similar principles. attackers, banking against bushes and It doesn’t say that anymore,” he said. —AP Unlike their underlings, they need to be briefed on is going airborne this fall with the launch of every major threat. Officials said a packed diary the first real commercially marketed hover- forced US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel to cancel board which uses magnetics to float about an inch off the ground. The creators believe a planned trip to Asia last week. Senior figures their technology will someday be used to often have political responsibilities too and have transport large containers or hold buildings focused on last week’s US mid-term elections and a above earthquakes as the ground shakes UK election in 2015. In such an environment, below. But for now, it’s all about fun, as experts say details get lost simply through lack of demonstrated in a recent practice session. time. Making Obama aware of a specific danger “You can very much tell that it’s friction- such as Islamic State meant explicitly calling him to less so you just smoothly move along, and talk about just that, former National Security advis- it’s odd because you can move in all direc- er Jim Jeffrey told Reuters in September, not giving tions,” said engineer Kyle O’Neil, seated on a him “a brief on seven subjects with number five copper ramp where they test their products being the growing IS threat”. —Reuters wearing helmets and safety lenses. But there are some catches. The Hendo current- ly only works for about 15 minutes before it needs recharging and can only operate over metal surfaces. And that price tag: $10,000. All articles appearing on these Greg and Jill Henderson, co-founders of pages are the personal opinion of the firm Arx Pax which developed the the writers. Kuwait Times takes no Hendo Hoverboard, envision much more. Sketches of hoverboard parks where people responsibility for views expressed could rent boards and ride up and down therein. Kuwait Times invites read- ramps, much like skateboard parks, are ers to voice their opinions. Please already pinned to the walls. “This is not the send submissions via email to: opin- end, this is just the beginning of where this technology can go,” said Greg Henderson, [email protected] or via snail sitting on a retro sofa in their makeshift labs mail to PO Box 1301 Safat, Kuwait. in the Silicon Valley enclave of Los Gatos. The editor reserves the right to edit He’s definitely thinking big. “The wheel has any submission as necessary. served us very, very well, and we’re not tak- In this Oct 30, 2014 photo, Arx Pax engineer Shauna Moran demonstrates riding a Hendo Hoverboard in Los Gatos, ing the wheel head on, but there are certain California. —AP THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 SPORTS

Rooney wants a trophy Future bleak for Sarita Champion Klitschko LONDON: Wayne Rooney believes he will replace Bobby Charlton as England’s SEOUL: Sarita Devi’s amateur boxing career could be finished after her record scorer before too long but knows that unless the national team win “unacceptable” behaviour at the Incheon Asian Games where the Indian unimpressed another trophy he will remain in the shadow of the 1966 world champions. fighter refused to accept her bronze medal on the podium, the president of the governing AIBA said yesterday. “It was totally unacceptable behaviour BERLIN: World heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko has brushed off the latest Appointed England captain at the start of this season, Rooney is expected to extreme efforts by USA boxer Shannon Briggs yesterday to earn a shot at the for any competition in any sport,” Taiwan’s Ching-kuo Wu told Reuters by win his 100th cap in the Euro 2016 qualifier against Slovenia at Wembley on Ukrainian’s belts. Saturday. He will receive a special presentation on the pitch from World Cup telephone. “I think her boxing career is finished. The disciplinary commission Briggs, 42, gate-crashed Klitschko’s opening training session in Hamburg, as he winner Charlton, who scored 49 international goals in 106 appearances and is examining the case and will shortly give its final decision.” prepares for Saturday’s world title bout against Bulgaria’s Kubrat Pulev, before being tops England’s list ahead of Gary Lineker (48) and Jimmy Greaves Sarita was furious after losing her semi-final to local favourite Park Ji-na ejected from the building by security guards. “The people don’t want (44). Rooney, who has 43 international goals, says in an inter- in the women’s lightweight division. Her husband launched an expletive- Klitschko anymore. Champ, come out at last,” bellowed the American in view in Saturday’s match programme that winning a tourna- laden tirade at the judges and Sarita lodged a protest against the decision his latest effort to get a world title fight with Klitschko. ment, which England have only ever done in 1966 when they but it was rejected, triggering cries of foul play from the Indian team. The “I’m the real champ. The world wants to see the Klitschko-Briggs beat West Germany in the World Cup final at Wembley, is following day, she refused to wear the medal when it was presented to her, fight. “I’ll knock Klitschko’s teeth out.” Briggs then peeled off his shirt what matters most. taking it only in her hand before trying to drape it over Park. When the pres- and pounded his fists on the building’s glass doors, demanding: “Give “I could sit here saying I’ve got 200 caps and 100 goals for entation was over, Sarita left the medal behind, despite being told to take it me something to eat!” This is not the first time Briggs has gone to my country, but the ultimate is to win a trophy and that’s with her. The International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) then sus- extreme measures to get Klitschko’s attention. He gate crashed what we all want to do,” he says. “That’s why we play pended her and banned her from the Women’s World Boxing the press conference before Klitschko’s last fight against football, to win. That’s the target and hopefully Championships on South Korea’s Jeju Island this week. “Every athlete should Australia’s Alex Leapai in April, then a scuffle broke out sometime soon we can achieve that. fully respect the decisions of referees and judges. So this boxer is facing very when Briggs approached Klitschko while he was eating in “To be England’s greatest ever goals scorer severe punishment,” added Wu. “She has damaged her own country, India an Italian restaurant in Miami. would be massive. The record has stood for so has been damaged.” Wu’s comments will come as a shock to Boxing India, He even taunted Klitschko, the WBO, IBF, IBO and many years, there have been plenty of players who who were working to get Sarita’s suspension lifted and put her back on track WBA champion, from a speedboat while the Ukrainian was stand-up paddle surfing in Florida. —AFP haven’t been able to break it. —Reuters for a place at the 2016 Rio Olympics. — Reuters Rangers and Devils advance

NEW YORK: Mats Zuccarello scored the first of New York’s three first-period goals and Henrik Lundqvist made 33 saves for his third shutout of the season as the Rangers ended Pittsburgh’s seven-game winning streak with a 5-0 victory Tuesday night. Martin St. Louis and Kevin Klein added goals in the first, Derick Brassard had a pow- er-play tally in the second, and Rick Nash - who had two assists - scored a short-handed goal in the third for the Rangers, who broke a two-game losing streak. Lundqvist earned his 53rd NHL shutout, extending his Rangers record. The Penguins (10-3-1), who complete a five-game trip Friday in Toronto, hadn’t allowed a power- play goal in 10 games, and their streak reached 39 kills before Brassard’s goal. Marc- Andre Fleury stopped 30 shots for Pittsburgh, which is 5-1-1 on the road.

DEVILS 3, WILD 1 Tuomo Ruutu and Mike Cammalleri scored second-period goals that helped New Jersey end a four-game skid with a win over Minnesota. Travis Zajac sealed the victory with a power-play score into an empty net in the closing seconds. Jaromir Jagr had two assists. Cory Schneider made 23 saves in his 16th straight start. He is the only NHL goalie to start every game this season. Ryan Carter scored against his former team and Darcy Kuemper stopped 20 shots for the Wild, who lost their fourth straight.

ISLANDERS 6, AVALANCHE 0 Nick Leddy and Anders Lee scored early, and Jaroslav Halak stopped 20 shots for his second straight shutout as New York beat Colorado to win its fourth straight. Travis Hamonic, Nikolay Kulemin, Casey Cizikas and Ryan Strome also scored to help the Islanders get their first home victory since Oct. 25. New York extended its shutout streak to 181 minutes, 11 seconds, and has allowed just three goals in its last four game. Leddy opened the scoring at 1:33 on a shot from the left point, and Lee added a power-play goal at 5:21 from in close for his NEW YORK: Pittsburgh Penguins’ Blake Comeau (17) falls over New York Rangers’ John Moore (17) during the first period of an NHL hockey game. — AP second of the season. Avalanche goalie win their third straight. BLUES 6, SABRES 1 which had won two straight. The Oilers Kucherov had Tampa Bay’s other goal in the Semyon Varlamov made 40 saves. Cam Atkinson and David Savard scored Jori Lehtera scored a natural hat trick dropped to 0-7-1 against fellow Western third. for the injury-plagued Blue Jackets, who are for St. Louis with the game’s first three Conference teams this season. CAPITALS 4, BLUE JACKETS 2 0-8-1 since Oct. 23. The nine-game skid goals, and Brian Elliott stayed unbeaten Ben Scrivens replaced Viktor Fasth at the STARS 4, COYOTES 3 Alex Ovechkin and Marcus Johansson equals the longest in franchise history; in his career against punchless Buffalo. start of the second period. Fasth stopped 14 Ryan Garbutt scored on a short-handed each scored two goals as Washington Columbus went 0-7-2 from Dec. 10-26, 2009. Joakim Lindstrom had two goals and of the 17 shots he faced. Scrivens made 18 breakaway with 1:16 left to give Dallas a victo- extended Columbus’ losing streak to nine The Blue Jackets played a seventh straight David Backes also scored for the Blues. saves and did not allow a goal. ry over Arizona, ending a seven-game losing games. Braden Holtby stopped 24 shots, and game without top goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, Jaden Schwartz assisted on all of streak. Tyler Seguin had two goals and Erik Nicklas Backstrom and Andre Burakovsky who has a broken finger. Curtis McElhinney Lehtera’s goals, and Vladimir Tarasenko BLACKHAWKS 3, LIGHTNING 2 Cole also scored for the Stars, who overcame a had two assists apiece to help the Capitals started in his place and fell to 0-5-1. had assists on the first two. St. Louis’ top Corey Crawford made 25 saves and three two-goal deficit. Kari Lehtonen stopped 33 line has combined for 25 points in the more stops in the shootout to lead Chicago shots. last six games. over Tampa Bay. Patrick Kane scored the only Dallas took a 3-2 lead on Cole’s goal at Alexander Steen also had three goal in the tiebreaker as Chicago won for the 15:19 of the third period. The Coyotes tied it assists and Kevin Shattenkirk added two. third time in four games and stopped Tampa 58 seconds later on Mikkel Boedker’s goal. Tyler Ennis scored his team-leading fifth Bay’s six-game winning streak. The Connor Murphy and Joe Vitale also scored for goal early in the third period for the Blackhawks had lost their last five games Arizona. Sabres, held to no more than one goal against the Lightning, with four of the defeats for the 11th time in 16 games. Buffalo coming in a shootout or overtime. CANUCKS 4, SENATORS 3 has totaled three goals in three losses to Crawford stopped Ryan Callahan and Daniel Sedin scored 4:05 into overtime to St. Louis the last two seasons, all by Nikita Kucherov before Kane beat Ben Bishop lift Vancouver over Ottawa. The Canucks Ennis. Elliott fininshed with 28 saves to with a backhander high on the glove side. gained a share of first place with their eighth improve to 11-0-2 against Buffalo. The Crawford then denied Steven Stamkos to seal win in 10 games. The Senators lost their third Sabres have scored an NHL-low 19 goals. it. straight. Brad Richards and Marcus Kruger scored in Sedin converted a pass from twin brother PANTHERS 4, SHARKS 1 regulation for the Blackhawks, who have won Henrik as they each earned their second point Aleksander Barkov scored and consecutive home games after dropping of the night. Shawn Matthias, Alex Burrows Roberto Luongo made 21 saves as three in a row at the United Center. and Kevin Bieksa scored for the Canucks in Florida beat San Jose to snap a three- Bishop had 37 saves for the Lightning. regulation. Mike Hoffman, Kyle Turris and game slide. Tomas Fleischmann, Derek Cedric Paquette scored in the first, and Mark Stone had the Ottawa goals.— AP MacKenzie and Jimmy Hayes also scored for the Panthers, who have won six of seven against the Sharks. Joe Thornton NHL results/standings had San Jose’s goal. Antti Niemi made 26 saves. New Jersey 3, Minnesota 1; NY Islanders 6, Colorado 0; NY Rangers 5, Pittsburgh 0; Washington 4, Columbus 2; Montreal 3, Winnipeg 0; Florida 4, San Jose 1; St. Louis 6, Buffalo 1; Nashville 3, CANADIENS 3, JETS 0 Edmonton 2; Chicago 3, Tampa Bay 2 (SO); Dallas 4, Arizona 3; Vancouver 4, Ottawa 3 (OT). Carey Price made 29 saves for his first Western Conference Eastern Conference shutout this season in Montreal’s victory Pacific Division Atlantic Division over Winnipeg. Lars Eller, Alex Tampa Bay 11 3 2 60 44 24 WL OTLGFGAPTS Galchenyuk and Tomas Plekanec scored Montreal 11 4 1 40 42 23 CBK sponsors ACK’s for the Canadiens (11-4-1), who have Vancouver 12 5 0 53 47 24 Boston 10 6 0 47 37 20 won three in a row. Ondrej Pavelec Anaheim 10 3 3 41 32 23 Detroit 7 3 5 40 37 19 football tournament stopped 24 shots for Winnipeg. Montreal Calgary 9 6 2 50 45 20 Toronto 8 5 2 47 42 18 improved to 7-1-0 in its last eight games Los Angeles 8 4 3 37 30 19 Ottawa 7 4 4 41 38 18 Florida 5 4 4 24 31 14 against the Jets and snapped Winnipeg’s San Jose 8 7 2 51 50 18 Buffalo 3 12 2 21 608 KUWAIT: The Commercial Bank of Kuwait is opened with KD 10 only. Holders of the eight-game unbeaten run in regulation. the main sponsor of the Australian College of @Tijari account receive exclusive discounts at Arizona 6 8 1 37 51 13 Metropolitan Division Kuwait’s football tournament which started numerous clothing stores, restaurants, gym Edmonton 6 9 1 40 54 13 Pittsburgh 10 3 1 55 32 21 PREDATORS 3, OILERS 2 on Nov 6, 2014 and will run until Dec 21, 2014. and more in addition to be invited to many Central Division NY Islanders 10 5 0 48 42 20 Sixteen teams consisting of ACK students will exciting events that the bank organizes each Filip Forsberg and Mike Ribeiro each Washington 7 5 3 49 44 17 Nashville 10 3 2 38 30 22 Philadelphia 7 5 2 45 43 16 participate and prizes will be given to the first year. Furthermore, college students who had a goal and an assist to lead Nashville over Edmonton. Matt Cullen also scored St. Louis 10 4 1 41 29 21 NY Rangers 7 6 2 44 46 16 and second place teams plus to the best play- transfer their social allowance to CBK receive a New Jersey 7 7 2 43 50 16 er, best goal keeper and top scorer. KD 50 welcoming gift. Al-Tijari is keen on sup- for the Predators, winners of three Chicago 9 6 1 44 30 19 straight. Pekka Rinne made 21 saves. Winnipeg 8 6 2 30 35 18 Carolina 5 6 3 35 44 13 The Commercial Bank of Kuwait provides porting students, and youth in general, Columbus 4 10 1 38 55 9 the best account for college students in the throughout the year in their academic activi- Forsberg has scored in five consecu- Minnesota 7 7 0 38 32 14 Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one form of @Tijari, a savings account for cus- ties and help them in creating a brighter tive games and has at least one point in Dallas 5 6 4 44 53 14 point in the standings and are not included in tomers aged 15 - 21 years old and can be future for Kuwait. six straight. Benoit Pouliot and Nail Colorado 4 8 5 40 56 13 the loss column (L). Yakupov had the goals for Edmonton, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 SPORTS Tamim, Imrul hit tons in record B’desh stand

CHITTAGONG: Tamim Iqbal and Imrul stumps, Mominul Haque was unbeaten on Kayes smashed centuries in a record open- 46 and Mohammad Mahmudullah was on ing stand for Bangladesh to put the hosts five with Bangladesh set to build a huge on top at the start of the third and final Test first innings total. against Zimbabwe yesterday. Bangladesh had posted a tense three- Tamim scored 109 and Imrul made a wicket win in the first Test in Dhaka, before patient 130 as Bangladesh, hoping to routing the tourists by 162 runs in the sec- sweep the series 3-0, cruised to 303-2 in ond match in Khulna last week. their first innings at stumps on the opening Left-handed Tamim hit 14 boundaries day in the port city of Chittagong. and a six in his second consecutive century The duo put Bangladesh’s highest open- after making 109 in the second Test. He ing partnership at 224, surpassing their drew level with former captain Mohammad own record of 185 against England at Lord’s Ashraful’s record tally of six centuries for in 2010. It was only the fifth century stand Bangladesh. Imrul, who replaced Shamsur by a Bangladeshi opening pair, with Tamim Rahman for this match, began with a and Imrul both featuring in three of them. boundary off the first ball he faced and fin- They prospered in the first two sessions ished with 12 fours and two sixes in his sec- before Zimbabwe broke through after tea ond Test century. when Tamim holed out to Hamilton But he was lucky to get past 19 as Brian Masakadza at mid-off off the bowling of Chari dropped a catch him at square-leg off part-timer Sikandar Raza. leg-spinner Natsai M’shangwe. The Test Masakadza himself removed Imrul later series between the two lowest-ranked as the batsman slashed a catch to substi- teams will be followed by five one-day tute fielder Vusi Sibanda at gully. At internationals. — AFP SCOREBOARD

CHITTAGONG, Bangladesh: Scoreboard on the first day of the third and final Test between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe in Chittagong yesterday: Bangladesh 1st innings: Fall of wickets: 1-224 (Tamim), 2-272 Tamim Iqbal c H. Masakadza b Raza 109 (Imrul). Imrul Kayes c sub (Sibanda) b H. Masakadza 130 Bowling: Panyangara 14-1-46-0, Mominul Haque not out 46 Chigumbura 10-3-29-0 (w4) S. Masakadza ABU DHABI: Pakistani cricketer Azhar Ali (left) drops a catch of New Zealand batsman Ish Sodhi (right) as wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed looks on Mohammad Mahmudullah not out 5 15-3-50-0(w2), M’shangwe 25-3-85-0, during the fourth day of the first Test match between Pakistan and New Zealand. — AFP Extras (b2, lb5, w6) 13 Raza 21-0-74-1, Chari 2-0-9-0, H. Total (for two wickets; 90 overs) 303 Masakadza 3-1-3-1. Pakistan on verge of first Test win over N Zealand

ABU DHABI: Pakistan produced another ruth- Rahat dismissed Jimmy Neesham and BJ Hafeez opened up after a cautious start, less performance to move to the brink of vic- Watling off successive deliveries-both without hitting boundaries off paceman Trent Boult tory in the first Test against New Zealand in scoring. Rahat’s pace partner Imran Khan then and then he hit two off Sodhi to complete his Abu Dhabi yesterday. had Anderson leg-before as the batsman fifty and follow up on his 96 in Pakistan’s first A ninth wicket stand of 36 in 14.5 overs offered no stroke to a straight delivery while innings of 566-3 declared. Hafeez said he was between Mark Craig (27) and Ish Sodhi (27) Babar cleaned up Tim Southee for five. satisfied with his hundred. “It’s pleasing to hit delayed Pakistan’s victory on the fourth day at Hafeez reached his sixth Test hundred, with a century and more so because it has come Sheikh Zayed Stadium but New Zealand were a couple off McCullum. In all he hit two sixes after a gap, but I am sure it will help lift my struggling on 174-8 after being set a daunting and 12 boundaries during his 130-ball knock. confidence in this format,” said Hafeez. target of 480. Pakistan need just two wickets It was Hafeez’s first century since his 196 Pakistan, resuming at 15-0, had looked for on the final day for a 1-0 lead in the three- against Sri Lanka in July 2012. The first session quick runs but were checked by disciplined match series while New Zealand still need 306 saw Younis and Hafeez batting solidly. Younis, New Zealand bowling. Sodhi removed Azhar for an unlikely win on the fifth and final day. who hit a brilliant 100 not out in the first Ali for 23 to give his team the early break- Spinners Zulfiqar Babar (2-30) and Yasir innings, survived a leg-before referral, but he through. The remaining two Tests will be Shah (2-49) and seamer Rahat Ali (2-38) fell soon after lunch to Sodhi, who finished played in Dubai (November 17-21) and destroyed the New Zealand batting. Earlier with 2-66. Sharjah (November 26-30). — AFP Mohammad Hafeez hit an unbeaten 101 to help Pakistan declare their second innings on 175-2 before the bowlers took over and skit- SCOREBOARD tled the Kiwi batsmen. It was a weak batting display by New ABU DHABI: Scoreboard at stumps on the fourth day of the first Test between Pakistan and New Zealand who promised a lot before the Test Zealand at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi yesterday: but only Brendon McCullum (39), Corey Pakistan 1st innings 566-3 declared (Ahmed New Zealand 2nd innings Anderson (23) and Kane Williamson (23) Shehzad 176, Misbah-ul Haq 102 not out, T. Latham c Shah b Babar 20 offered little resistance. Sodhi said it was dis- Younis Khan 100 not out; C. Anderson 2-68) B. McCullum b Shah 39 appointing to bat like New Zealand did. “We K. Williamson st Sarfraz b Hafeez 23 are disappointed with the way things have New Zealand Ist innings 262 (R. Latham 103; R. Taylor lbw b Shah 8 turned out. We cannot win from this position, Rahat Ali 4-22, Zulfiqar Babar C. Anderson lbw b Khan 23 but we will surely try and make things difficult 3-79) J. Neesham c Sarfraz b Rahat 0 for them tomorrow,” said Sodhi. BJ Watling b Rahat 0 McCullum and Tom Latham (20) gave New Pakistan 2nd innings (overnight 15-0) M. Craig not out 27 Zealand a confident start of 57 runs before Mohammad Hafeez not out 101 T. Southee b Babar 5 Babar had first innings centurion Latham top- Azhar Ali lbw b Sodhi 23 I. Sodhi not out 27 edging a sweep to Shah. Younis Khan lbw b Sodhi 28 Extras: (lb2) 2 Four runs later Shah trapped McCullum Sarfraz Ahmed not out 13 Total: (for eight wkts; 54 overs) 174 and then had Ross Taylor out in the same Extras: (b6, lb2, w2) 10 Fall of wickets: 1-57 (Latham), 2-61 (McCullum), fashion for eight, leaving New Zealand reeling Total: (for two wkts; 39.2 overs dec) 175 3-69 (Taylor), 4-111 (Williamson), 5-112 Fall of wickets: 1-69 (Ali), 2-139 (Younis) (Neesham), 6-112 (Watling), 7-121 (Anderson), at 47-3. Anderson and Williamson added 42 Bowling: Boult 7-2-25-0, Southee 9-0-33-0, 8-138 (Southee) for the fourth wicket but calamity struck as Sodhi 13-1-66-2, Anderson 5-1-11-0, Craig 5-0- Bowling: Rahat 9-1-38-2, Khan 7-0-34-1, Babar three wickets fell in the space of just five balls. 29-0, McCullum 0.2-0-3-0 18-6-30-2, Shah 13-1-49-2, Hafeez 7-0-21-1. Hafeez had Williamson stumped while ‘Caesars Premier League’

KUWAIT: Caesars Travel Group, a leading Travel ing such a match is that the players do not actu- form together to attain a set common objective.”, company in Kuwait is organizing one-day inter- ally meet each other every day. This is more than said Vivek Kumar Shetty, Head of Sales & office cricket tournament under its ‘employee winning or losing. It is about spending time Operations of Caesars Holidays and organizer recreations and development’ program. The together, knowing each other better and per- this tournament. tournament will be held on 14 November, 2014 at Jaleeb Ground with six teams featuring employees from various levels of work at the company - from “office assistant” to “manage- CHITTAGONG: Bangladeshi cricketer Imrul Kayes reacts after scoring a century (100 ment” grades. runs) during the first day of the third cricket Test match between Bangladesh and Anticipating an exciting series of matches, Zimbabwe. — AFP PNJ Kumar, CEO, Caesar Travel Group said, “Caesars is proud to be hosting the Caesars Premier League, a Cricket Tournament. Playing Modi launches legal cricket develops social skills, intellectual capaci- ties & creativity and contributes a more disci- plined attitude. Sports are integral part of corpo- suit against Cairns rate team building and motivation. Caesars endeavor is to build up a team spirit and devel- WELLINGTON: New Zealand cricket which are in excess of £2.4m,” Vyakarnam op expertise in order to further strengthen the great Chris Cairns faced fresh legal issues said. “Mr Modi is still bound by the corporate business, thereby achieving new Wednesday with former Indian Premier injunction awarded by Justice Bean and heights for shaping the aviation industry with a League boss Lalit Modi reported to be does not wish to prejudice the (Crown human touch rather than the mechanization seeking more than £2.4 million ($3.8m) in Prosecution Service’s) case against Mr approach followed by many of the leading air- damages and costs over a libel case. Cairns or Mr Fitch-Holland. He will there- line companies for their services today”. Modi has also applied to the High fore not make any further comments at According to the organizers of Caesars Travel Court in London to have the libel verdict this time.” Management, six teams will play league games won by Cairns in 2012 set aside on the Modi’s allegations related to the 2008 for six overs, while semi-final and final will be grounds of fraud, his lawyer Rajesh editions of the ICL competition when played for eight overs per innings. The winning Vyakarnam said in an email to the New Cairns captained the Chandigarh team will be awarded an Ever Rolling Trophy, Zealand Herald. Lions.However, the court ruled that Modi while the runner-up will be also provided with a The action comes as Cairns faces a “singularly failed” to provide any reliable trophy. The Man of the Match of each match will perjury charge relating to the libel suit evidence that Cairns was involved in fix- be prized with exciting gifts, and also the Best and London lawyer Andrew Fitch- ing. Cairns has since been arrested by the Bowler and Batsman will also receive the tro- Holland, Cairns’ lead adviser in the action London Metropolitan Police and phies. Caesars Travel Group always trying to against Modi, faces one count of pervert- appeared in court last month charged touch the pulses of their valued passengers, ing the course of justice. with perjury in relation to evidence given looking forward to innovative technologies and Cairns won more than USD$140,000 at the libel trial. at the same time, keeping the employees num- when he sued Modi over a 2010 tweet He is to reappear in court in January bering over 300 united under one banner. “The accusing the all-rounder of corruption for a plea hearing and has indicated he tournament is a platform beyond just entertain- during his time in the now defunct will fight the allegations. A trial is expect- ment as it helps to bridge the communication Indian Cricket League (ICL). ed next October. Cairns retired from and interaction between employees dealing in “Modi has issued proceedings to set international cricket in 2004 after becom- various responsibilities of the organization, aside the 2012 libel judgment on the ing one of only 12 players in Test history results in building a team spirit which always ground of fraud and is claiming the to complete the ‘double’ of 200 wickets leads to the growth of the organization” the return of all damages and costs paid and 3,000 runs. — AFP organizers commented. Organizers of Caesars Travel Group Inter-branch Cricket Tournament (from left to right) Arun “The most important vision behind organiz- Panicker, Vivek Kumar Shetty and Vineeth Varghese. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 SPORTS Swede wins World Series of Poker, $10M top prize

LAS VEGAS: The Swedish man who got formidable chip lead against two other his start playing online poker after late European players going into Tuesday restaurant nights while he trained to be a night’s final table in the World Series of chef is $10 million richer after winning Poker. the top World Series of Poker main event All have been vying for the $10 million prize Tuesday night. top prize and a coveted World Series of Martin Jacobson, 27, had three tens to Poker gold bracelet. beat Felix Stephensen of Norway and his But on Tuesday night, van Hoof pair of nines. “There’s no such thing as a donned a pair of sunglasses, lost his lead, ‘perfect tournament,’ but this was close couldn’t regain it and finally lost after to perfect, maybe,” Jacobson said after three hours of gameplay with a pair of the confetti blasts signaled his win had fives to a pair of tens held by the man been cemented and friends and family who took his early lead. Van Hoof, 31, ran to embrace him. earned $3.8 million for third place. Jacobson would come home late from The Dutch pro who has his own poker nights in a restaurant and none of his coaching business donned sunglasses friends would be awake to chat or hang for several hands Tuesday night; they hid out, so he started playing online poker, his usual cold stare. said his mother, Eva. “I never wore glasses in my life, but it He was the only player of the final was really hot,” he said of the bright stu- nine to have earned more than $1 mil- dio lights. “I guess I’m not going to do lion in World Series of Poker career earn- that anymore,” he said, chuckling. ings at tournaments. But he had never Van Hoof also didn’t just have a cheer- won the top spot, coming in second in ing section making creative use of his some cases, until Tuesday when he won name (“Van Hoof, van Hoof, van Hoof is the most watched contest in the tourna- on fire,” they chanted). He had an entire ment. “It’s his thing,” Eva said during team of friends and coaches analyzing Tuesday’s head-to-head gameplay. spreadsheets, the table play and the half- Jacobson exhibited a calm stillness hour delayed ESPN live broadcast. All throughout the two days of poker play- that information was given to a captain, ing. He didn’t wear sunglasses, a hoodie of sorts, who would then filter it to van or a baseball cap like other players to Hoof. It was the first time in the World hide tells. He often stared at his oppo- Series of Poker’s history that the final SAO PAULO: Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg of Germany, leads the race followed by teammate Lewis Hamilton of Britain in this file photo. — AP nents across the table blinking through three players in the no-limit Texas Hold black-rimmed glasses. ‘em main event didn’t include a single This wasn’t his first try at the big win. American. Rosberg favorite in last F1 race He traveled to Las Vegas, days after he All three players live in London. “I turned 21, to enter the main event. But enjoyed playing with these guys,” van ABU DHABI: Lewis Hamilton leads the champi- to find his rhythm, and ultimately was overtaken going into it to win.” If it weren’t for the new dou- he busted out after a few hands, his Hoof said. “We’re going to meet up. And onship heading to the Formula One finale but by Hamilton. ble-points format, Hamilton would need only a mother said. the winner will pay for my dinner.” Nico Rosberg carries the momentum into the “I progressed from Austin, managed to under- sixth-place finish to clinch the title. The drivers “I think that was good for him,” she They outlasted six other finalists dur- decisive race in Abu Dhabi. stand what I need to do better, and that worked could tie on points but Hamilton would be the said in the lobby of the Penn & Teller ing 12 hours of gameplay Monday night While Rosberg is coming off a strong victory out really well, so onwards and upwards in this champion because the Brit has more victories, 11 Theater at the Rio while her son amassed and into Tuesday morning and began at the Brazilian Grand Prix, Hamilton is dwelling direction,” Rosberg says. against five by Rosberg. Rosberg knows he will more chips on stage inside. He learned it playing no-limit Texas Hold ‘em again on a mistake that ended his streak of five consec- “All I can do is relax, just as I have been doing, need some help, no matter what. wasn’t going to be an easy task, she said. Tuesday night. utive wins and kept him from increasing his and go to Abu Dhabi in full attack mode as I have “I need to win Abu Dhabi and hope for some Stephensen, 24, took home a $5.1 mil- Van Hoof had a third more chips than advantage. done at the last couple of races. It will be a good help from Lewis,” he says. “It’s difficult with the car lion prize for second place. “It’s disap- Jacobson and nearly double the total of Hamilton missed a chance to win at Interlagos fight.” Hamilton, seeking his second world title, we have. Maybe Williams can do a lucky strike or pointing to be so close, but I got really Stephensen going into the final face-off. on Sunday after going off the track while in close says he will not drive conservatively in Abu Dhabi something.” lucky to get this far, and it was a tough The main event, culminating this week, is pursuit of his Mercedes teammate, and saw his despite his advantage in the standings. Williams has been one of the closest teams to final table,” he said. The two defeated just one World Series of Poker event but points lead cut to 17 ahead of the race in Abu “I’ll be pushing just as hard,” he says. “It’s Mercedes, and was especially competitive at Jorryt van Hoof, the leader throughout certainly the most watched. Dhabi, where double points are on offer. Rosberg everything to play for in the last race. I’m looking Interlagos, where Felipe Massa finished third. most of the game play, to go head-to- About 6,700 people paid the $10,000 needs to win the season-ending grand prix on forward to it.” Needing just a second place, Another good run by Williams could boost head. entry fee to try their luck over the sum- Nov. 23 and hope Hamilton finishes third or Hamilton is in a good position considering how Rosberg’s chances. Van Hoof, a poker pro originally from mer to be finalists in the Texas Hold ‘em worse. “We saw he made a mistake, so anything dominant Mercedes has been this season. The “I need some Felipe Massa help,” Rosberg says. can happen in the last race,” says Rosberg, the team has finished 1-2 a record 11 times, and Rosberg was third in Abu Dhabi last year, four the Netherlands, had an icy stare and a main event. — AP German trying to win his first F1 title. “It’s good to Hamilton was out of the top two only four times spots ahead of Hamilton. The same scenario next see, I hope it has slightly dented his confidence. in 18 races. The odds are in his favor. “There is week would be enough to give Rosberg the title. Mental (strength) is a big part of the sport, that’s zero comfort going into the next race,” Hamilton Rosberg must finish fifth or better to keep his for sure.” says. “There are 50 points to gain - that has never chances alive. “It’s going to be a great battle,” he Rosberg was the one who buckled under the happened in Formula One before, and it just so says. “Lewis is a great competitor and always on pressure a week before at the U.S. Grand Prix, happens to be this season. In the last race, you the edge, so it will be an exciting race to watch in where he started from the pole but took too long never know what is going to happen, so I’m Abu Dhabi.” — AP VIVA supports the Kuwait National Football Team

KUWAIT: VIVA, Kuwait’s fastest-growing and most developed telecom operator, has announced its support of the Kuwait National Football team that will participate in the 22nd edition of the 2014 Gulf Cup of Nations. The championship will be held between the 13th and the 26th of November, 2014 in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. VIVA’s partnership reflects the company’s strate- gy to support youth activities in general, and sports in particular, as part of its social corporate program developed to promote awareness and raise the lev- el of interest in sports. Since the company’s inception, VIVA has made tremendous efforts to support the sports sector, and will continue to help expand the sports move- ment and encourage the journey of Kuwait national Football teams in regional and international games so the name of VIVA becomes synonymous with all Kuwaiti national football teams. The Gulf Cup of Nations is the leading football LAS VEGAS: Martin Jacobson holds up the World Series of Poker main event bracelet championship held to discover new talents and after winning the tournament and its $10 million prize. — AP budding stars whose light will continue to shine for many years to come. Every player new to the cham- pionship seeks to showcase his special talents. The Fighters safer without national team will participate with a balanced mix of experienced players and talented young players. Kuwait has dominated so far most of the Gulf Cup headgear — AIBA chief tournament editions, and has won a record 10 titles. VIVA’s sponsorship of the Kuwait national foot- SEOUL: The decision to remove protective didn’t care so much about getting hit in the ball team reiterates its active participation in Kuwait headgear in men’s amateur boxing has head. “By removing headgear, it has society as part of its support to youth and sports. In made the sport safer by reducing concus- changed the way boxers and coaches pre- light of its strong belief in the importance of the sions and forcing fighters to protect their pare, it has changed tactics. Now you have sports sector and in line with its values of trans- heads more, Ching-Kuo Wu, the president of to defend better, use good techniques to parency, energy and added value, VIVA seeks to the governing AIBA, told Reuters yesterday. protect your head.” meet the needs of its clients and communicate Speaking on the sidelines of the effectively with the various segments of society, International Amateur Boxing Association STEP BY STEP especially the youth. VIVA is also committed to sup- (AIBA) Congress on South Korea’s Jeju Fighters at this year’s Commonwealth porting their sports activities, and fostering com- Island, Wu also said women’s boxing could and Asian Games seemed at ease without petitiveness in the Kuwait sports sector both locally one day follow suit but only after extensive the headgear, though the aggressive, and internationally. monitoring of the men’s game. unpolished nature of amateur boxing led The AIBA opted to remove headgear in to more facial cuts and bruises. elite men’s bouts last year based on med- Australian boxer Daniel Lewis said at the ical statistics suggesting the protective Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in July Russia’s football union says padding can cause more jarring to boxers’ that the removal of headguards had cost heads and contribute to brain damage. him a shot at a medal after he failed a med- Some boxers have also complained that ical check before his quarter-final due to a can’t afford to pay Capello headgear makes it more difficult to see badly cut eye. punches coming. Wu said this year’s Wu said that the overwhelming reaction Commonwealth and Asian Games had from the amateur boxing community had MOSCOW: Russia’s football union admitted (his) salary should be resolved on November 15 more than two months, stressing that the foot- shown the AIBA’s decision had been the been positive and that safety was the yesterday that it is unable to pay the multi-mil- when the team plays a match with the Austrian ball union had to resolve its “internal” problem. right one. “Commonwealth Games? No AIBA’s paramount concern. lion dollar salary of the national team’s manag- team. It must be decided by those who were The Italian coach who took charge of concussions. Asian Games? No concus- “All the research that we have showed er Fabio Capello and will have to look for alter- responsible for signing Capello’s contract.” Russia’s squad in 2012 told Sportbox.ru website sions,” Wu told Reuters by telephone. the safety of boxers is not (negatively) native sources of funding. “I am saying with full “As far as I know, the contract was signed by earlier this month: “I haven’t been paid accord- The decision was taken based on exten- affected by removing headguards,” he said. authority that the Russian Football Union sim- Nikolai Tolstykh (president of the Russian ing to my contract for five months.” sive research by the association’s own med- Women’s professional boxing was stunned ply does not have the money to pay Capello,” Football Union) and initialled by sports minis- “I am getting close to the limit. I am some- ical commission as well as six independent by the death of South African fighter Sergei Stepashin, a member of the executive ter Vitaly Mutko,” Stepashin said. where near,” Capello told Sportbox.ru in com- organisations, the Taiwanese official added. Phindile Mwelase last month, after the 31- committee of the football union, told Interfax “All in all, it’s an extremely unpleasant situa- ments translated into Russian. The debacle is “The conclusion was that concussions year-old slipped into a coma and died after news agency. tion.” Capello was said to be the highest paid particularly embarrassing as Russia is already dropped to almost zero without the head- being knocked out. However, Wu said there “It’s not right when a financial renumeration coach at the World Cup in Brazil this summer preparing to host the 2018 World Cup with a guard,” said Wu, adding that the research had been no injuries at major women’s is not paid out to the manager of the Russian with a reported salary of around 7 million forecasted cost of 664 billion rubles ($14.4 bil- included data compiled from more than amateur competitions and that headgear national team. “But when they signed the con- euros, although the national team disappoint- lion), half of which is supposed to come from 30,000 bouts. could be removed if data continued to tract, they should have thought about the ed fans by exiting in the first round. private investment and half from the budget. “People felt that wearing headgear back up safety statistics at the men’s level. sources of financing. And today we need to The former England manager signed a Russia last month unveiled the logo of the makes everything safe, so why were there “We have to do this step by step,” he look for those sources,” said Stepashin, who lucrative new contract in January which covers 2018 World Cup with pomp, with FIFA presi- more concussions? “The problem was that said. “Once everything is proved... then we was briefly prime minister under Boris Yeltsin the 2018 World Cup hosted by Russia. dent Sepp Blatter telling R-Sport news agency it led to boxers not thinking to protect their can start to have some test and consider it and is the former head of Russia’s audit cham- But sports minister Vitaly Mutko said in that the federation “unconditionally supports heads, so when they were defending they in future for women.” — Reuters ber. “I’m sure that the question of paying out August that Capello had not been paid for the staging of the World Cup by Russia”. — AFP THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 SPORTS Grubb not worried about lineup changes

CHARLOTTE: Darian Grubb will attempt to win his second tain, although he cautioned to take a wait-and-see approach ishes, which could have sparked discussions for a crew chief Harvick left other organizations to move to Stewart-Haas championship this weekend, and just like his 2011 title run until after Sunday’s race. change at the end of the season. Racing, where both believed they’d finally be able to win a with Tony Stewart, the crew chief could be paired with a dif- “We have had talks internally about what next year’s No matter what happens, Grubb said this time isn’t any- championship. “There’s thousands of things that run ferent driver next season. plans are, but there’s nothing that’s ready to be announced,” thing like 2011 because he knows he’ll be at Gibbs next year. through your mind at that moment, how you got to where Grubb was informed midway through the 2011 Chase he said. “I’m sure winning a championship with the team Four seasons ago, he wasn’t sure where he’d be working you’re at, how many people helped you get there,” Childers for the Sprint Cup championship that Stewart was not might have some bearing on some of those discussions. after the finale. “I’m still going to do the same effort and the said. “For me personally, I’ve wanted to be part of something bringing him back the next year. The duo went on to win the We’re going to wait until the Monday after Homestead to same work that I do every week regardless of who I am like this for a long time. I’ve wanted to race for a champi- title and Grubb began his search for a new job the very next even think about that stuff.” Grubb has 21 victories with working for,” Grubb said. “If it is Denny again next year, we’re onship, and I’ve never really had that opportunity.” day. He landed at Joe Gibbs Racing with Denny Hamlin, and Hamlin and Stewart, and the 2006 Daytona 500 with Jimmie going to try to win two in a row. If it’s for somebody else, It wasn’t easy as Childers built his No. 4 team practically the No. 11 team goes to Homestead-Miami Speedway this Johnson in a substitute role for suspended crew chief Chad then we’re going to try to win together.” from scratch once he got to SHR. It meant long hours, dedi- weekend racing for the championship. Hamlin is one of four Knaus. This year’s success has come in NASCAR’s new elimi- EMOTIONAL CHILDERS: In the moments after Kevin cation from his new employees and a commitment to build- drivers in the championship finale. Team owner Joe Gibbs nation-format Chase, in which Hamlin has advanced Harvick took the checkered flag at Phoenix to earn a spot in ing something they believed could be very good. He has said for several months there could be lineup changes at through the first three rounds despite a mediocre regular NASCAR’s championship race, crew chief Rodney Childers praised the SHR employees for sticking through a project JGR next season as Carl Edwards comes on board in a new season. grew emotional during the celebration. In their first year that also included expanding the organization to a fourth fourth team. It means Grubb’s position with Hamlin isn’t cer- Hamlin has just one win this year and seven top-five fin- together, Childers couldn’t help himself. Both Childers and car for Kurt Busch. —AP Northern Ireland emerge from neighbors’ shadow LONDON: They are often confused with many years for countries such as a team of a similar name, and so is their Northern Ireland. manager, but after almost 30 years in the international wilderness, Northern TEAM SPIRIT Ireland are dreaming again of the prom- O’Neill has done his homework, esti- ised land. The 1986 World Cup was the mating that 18 points should mean qual- last time the Belfast boys qualified for a ification. Already halfway to that target, major tournament, since when a differ- he has pointed out that after Bucharest ent Ireland side in green have done so on Friday, his team will have four of the several times, after being revived by remaining six games at their Windsor English World Cup winner Jack Charlton. Park home, where they have traditionally The Republic of Ireland are now man- been strong. aged by the former Celtic and Aston Villa Should they qualify for the first time in manager Martin O’Neill, not to be con- 30 years, it will be a triumph for team fused - although he frequently is - with spirit and the manager’s own organisa- the man behind Northern Ireland’s cur- tional ability, given the material he has to rent success, 45-year-old Michael O’Neill. work with. The best represented league He was appointed three years ago and in the Northern Ireland squad is the third won only one of his first 18 games, which tier of English football, from which he was one of the reasons Northern Ireland had to draft in two more players this were down in pot five when the draw week - representing Rochdale and was made for Euro 2016. Oldham Athletic - after the sort of with- For once the draw was a little kinder drawals international managers become than usual, although even optimists reluctantly used to. among the Irish support were hardly For those whose clubs are higher up expecting their team to fly out of the the food chain, the problem is a lack of traps with three wins out of three and go regular first-team football. Some of the into Friday’s tie away to Romania on top most experienced players O’Neill relies of Group F. on, like defender Aaron Hughes of “It’s been a fantastic start,” Northern Brighton and striker Kyle Lafferty of Ireland’s most capped player, Pat Norwich City, have recently dropped out Jennings, told Reuters. Jennings, who of the Premier League but cannot even played 119 times between 1964 and command a regular place at their PORTUGAL: This is a Sunday, Sept. 7, 2014 file photo of Gibraltar supporters prior to the Euro 2016 Group D qualifying round soccer match 1986, making his debut in the same Championship clubs. between Gibraltar and Poland at the Algarve stadium in Faro, southern Portugal. Poland defeated Gibraltar 7-0. Days before one of world foot- game as the country’s greatest player, Lafferty has not scored for his club all ball’s biggest ever mismatches, the captain of Gibraltar laughs as he contemplates the task facing his team of amateurs against Germany.’ —AP George Best, is particularly impressed season, yet is Northern Ireland’s talisman, with O’Neill. with a goal in every one of the group “He knows Irish football, which is what matches so far. Germany to field big we need, and he’s done a brilliant job Manchester United’s Jonny Evans has with what he’s got.” The danger, Jennings been injured for some time and the cap- now feels, is getting carried away. tain and only Premier League regular this “Romania will be a tough one,” he said. “I season, Southampton midfielder Steven guns against Gibraltar just hope everyone’s not expecting too Davis, withdrew from the squad yester- much.” day. Not that O’Neill will talk his side Two of the three wins so far have been down when he addresses the media in BERLIN: World champinos Germany will field their last games have not bee so successful. go into this game.” “There is no reason for us to away from home, by 2-1 in Hungary Bucharest on Thursday. His message, as their strongest team against European minnows What is important is to have a good game and if be careless. We want to get the three points to (where O’Neill’s side were a goal down he told The Independent this week, is Gibraltar in Friday’s Euro 2016 qualifier in we win 5-0 or 6-0 and the lads play well then put our qualification back on track,” said with 10 minutes left) and 2-0 in Greece. that “we’re asking lads to step up, and Nuremberg, looking for a big score to boost con- that is also OK for us.” The Germans are missing a Schneider, who took over from Hansi Flick after A straightforward 2-0 home victory they have”. fidence after a rocky start to the campaign. string of key players, including captain Bastian the World Cup. over the Faroe Islands means that they Indeed, it is Romania’s experienced Germany have been nursing a World Cup Schweinsteiger, winger Marco Reus and attack- Germany also face European champions Spain are two points ahead of the Romanians coach, Anghel Iordanescu, now in his hangover since their triumph in Brazil in July and ing midfielder Julian Draxler. in a friendly on Nov. 18 in Vigo. Gibraltar, a British and, significantly, five in front of anyone third spell in charge, who is calling are third in Group D with four points from three But even without them the four-time World overseas territory which borders the southern tip games after a less than stellar start. Cup winners should have no problems against of Spain, was accepted as a UEFA member after a else. The new 24-team format for the Northern Ireland favourites for the match They eked out a narrow 2-1 win at home to Gibraltar, who are competing in their maiden 14-year battle during which it faced fierce opposi- on the back of their three successive finals has been criticised as bloated, but Scotland before slumping to their first ever qualifying tournament. tion from Spain. The team played their first inter- with two teams qualifying automatically wins. Psychological games that may be, defeat by neighbours Poland and conceded a national in September. With a tiny pool of ama- from each group and every third-placed but it is a measure of the new respect for last-gasp equaliser to Ireland in a 1-1 draw. PLAYERS FOCUSED teur players to choose from, Gibraltar would be side guaranteed at least a playoff place, a country emerging from the shadow of “Absolutely, I expect that we will play with “We noticed it yesterday already that the happy with a low-scoring defeat. Allen Bula’s play- it represents the best opportunity in their nearest neighbors. — Reuters our strongest team,” Germany assistant coach players’ concentration is now focused solely on ers have had a harsh introduction to the qualifiers Thomas Schneider told reporters yesterday. the Gibraltar game,” Schneider said. “What will having conceded 17 goals in three games and “We take our opponents very seriously even if be decisive is with what kind of attitude we will scored none. — Reuters Serbia to take on Denmark

BELGRADE: Serbia, docked three points after three points deducted after about a dozen for a start.” Failure to win would put more pres- crowd trouble marred their previous game, will Serbian fans attacked Albania players while oth- sure on Serbia’s Dutch coach Dick Advocaat, have to dig deep in an empty stadium when er home suporters threw various objects onto who came under fire after a tepid 1-1 away draw they face Denmark in a Euro 2016 home qualifier the pitch. in their opening fixture against Armenia. tomorrow, according to winger Zoran Tosic. The incidents started in the first half with the His counterpart Morten Olsen is also under “We expected a lot more at this stage of the score at 0-0 after a remote-controlled drone car- the spotlight after an injury-time header by qualifying campaign but nothing we planned rying the flag of so-called “Greater Albania” flew Cristiano Ronaldo gave Portugal a 1-0 win over came to fruition and we now have to start from over Partizan’s Belgrade stadium. Denmark at Parken Stadium in October. square one,” CSKA Moscow’s Tosic told reporters Lack of firepower will be Olsen’s main con- at Serbia’s Stara Pazova training base. BOXING MATCH cern after striker Nicklas Bendtner had a quiet Serbia are fourth with one point in Group I, “Had the match with Albania continued I game against the Portuguese while IFK which is led by Denmark on four points. The think we would have won but, regardless of the Gothenburg forward Lasse Vibe, the Swedish match will be played behind closed doors after provocation, it is inconceivable that so many league’s top scorer with 23 goals, was substitut- Serbia were also handed a two-game crowd ban fans were able to invade the pitch and turn a ed at halftime. following last month’s abandoned qualifier at football game into a boxing match. Olsen will also have to field a makeshift home to Albania when a drone stunt triggered a “We are the ones who will be treated as either defence because centre back Daniel Agger, who brawl between players and a pitch invasion. heroes or villains depending on whether we joined Brondby during the close season after 8- Serbia were awarded a 3-0 walkover win qualify for the European Championship or not 1/2 years at Liverpool, was ruled out of the clash because Albania refused to play on but also had and we have to beat a very good Denmark side with a groin injury. — Reuters Hans-Joachim Eckert FIFA ethics chief to make World Cup statement

PARIS: FIFA ethics chief Hans-Joachim year-long investigation that involved inter- Eckert will make a public statement today viewing more than 75 witnesses and com- over the inquiry into the controversies piling a dossier with more than 200,000 plaguing the bidding processes for the pages and audio interviews. 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Several high-profile figures have called The author of the report, former US fed- for FIFA to publish Garcia’s report, including eral prosecutor Michael Garcia has long UEFA president Michel Platini and FIFA campaigned for the details to be made vice-president Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein. public as concerns rocket over allegations However, FIFA president Sepp Blatter of corruption in the two events being had argued that the publication of the staged by Russia and Qatar respectively. report would compromise the confidential- “Chairman of the Ethics Committee’s ity of witnesses. adjudicatory chamber (Hans-Joachim Only last month, Garcia criticised FIFA’s Eckert) confirms statement will be made lack of transparency. “The investigation and public on Thurs 13 Nov at approx. 10am adjudication process operates in most CET,” said FIFA on its Twitter account. parts unseen and unheard,” he said. “Tomorrow’s statement relates to investiga- “That’s a kind of system which might be tory chamber’s inquiry on 2018/22 appropriate for an intelligence agency, but #WorldCup bidding process. It will be pub- not for an ethics compliance process in an lished @FIFAcom.” international sports institution that serves In a break with FIFA tradition, the 2018 the public and is the subject of intense and 2022 tournaments were awarded at public scrutiny. the same time, in 2010, leading to claims of “Transparency is not intended to embar- horsetrading in the bidding process. rass certain individuals by airing dirty laun- The 350-page Garcia report was handed dry or to harm the organisation by showing SEATTLE: Members of the Emerald City Supporters sing and chant as they take part in the traditional march to the match under holiday lights to FIFA on September 5. It summed up a what went wrong. It’s the opposite.” — AFP before an MLS western conference semifinal soccer match between the Seattle Sounders and FC Dallas. — AP THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 SPORTS

LONDON: Czech Republic’s Tomas Berdych returns to Croatia’s Marin Cilic during their Group A singles match on day four of the ATP World Tour Finals tennis tournament. — AFP Berdych batters Cilic for place in semis

LONDON: Tomas Berdych thrashed US Open losing the first match in the past and I know six games in his two matches. former Wimbledon runner-up had also won the game. Berdych had the momentum and even champion Marin Cilic 6-3, 6-1 yesterday to how to come back. I think that was the biggest The 26-year-old made a whopping 30 next tie on each previous occasion and once when Cilic earned two break points in the remain in the hunt for a place in the semi-finals difference.” unforced errors over the course of a woeful 74- again showed he could respond well to adversi- eighth game, the Czech was able to scramble of the ATP Tour Finals. Czech world number sev- Quizzed during an on-court interview about minute meltdown. “It’s disappointing to play ty. Cilic, making his Tour Finals debut, had out of trouble. en Berdych had been routed by Stan Wawrinka the daunting task of facing world number one like this. I was not expecting it. But my body enjoyed important Grand Slam victories over He sealed the opening set with another in his opening match at London’s O2 Arena, but Djokovic, Berdych jokingly asked the crowd: feels a little bit tired on the court,” Cilic said. Berdych at Wimbledon and then the US Open break and used his booming serve to escape he bounced back in style and could qualify for “Any tips? I will need some. “Especially with these guys at this kind of this year. But Berdych got a measure of revenge when Cilic brought up two more break points the last four with a victory over defending “I just want to try to bring my best tennis level, even small mistakes, or if you’re not at for those losses with a dominant display. After early in the second set. Cilic’s shoulders champion Novak Djokovic in his final Group A and we’ll see what happens. I hope I can have a your best, the outcome is not going to be going winning a combined four games between slumped after that failure and the Croatian tie tomorrow. “I think today was more about great match.” Cilic’s second straight-sets defeat in your favour.” them in dismal opening match defeats, both looked a spent force when he tamely directed a fighting and getting through it,” Berdych said. at the season-ending event means the Croatian Berdych has lost his opening match of the players needed a fast start, and it was Berdych forehand wide to gift Berdych a 3-1 lead which “It’s not my first year. I have the experience of has no chance of qualifying after winning just Tour Finals in all five of his appearances, but the who seized the initiative as he broke in the first effectively ended the one-sided contest. — AFP CAF in race against time to find Nations Cup hosts

PARIS: The Confederation of African Football (CAF) are set to announce the new hosts for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in the next two or three days after Morocco was stripped of the right to stage the tournament. Morocco had said since early October that its call for a postponement was due to the deadly Ebola pandemic, but CAF, led by long-serving President Issa Hayatou, lost patience with the North Africans and threw them out as hosts and participants with a heavy fine likely to follow. The fact that Morocco are also set to host the Club World Cup, only 25 days before the scheduled January 17 kickoff, threw further doubts over Morocco’s reasons prompting Hayatou and his members to pull the plug. “To postpone the Africa Cup of Nations would be like stopping African football dead,” Hayatou told France 24. “Once you postpone this event, it will open the door for every- body to ask for a delay of any competition and we will no longer be credible.” added the 68-year-old Cameroonian who has been in office since 1988. Now, the question is who has the capacity to step in at such a late hour with organisation and logistics thrown into chaos, just weeks ahead of the 30th rendition of the competition. Angola, who hosted the 2010 tournament that was marred by a separatists’ gun attack on the Togo team bus, are in the running as are Gabon who co-hosted the 2012 edition with Equatorial Guinea. Rumours however that the three-week continental showpiece could be moved outside Africa with 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar an unprecedented option were dismissed by Qatar Football Association vice-president Saud al-Muhannadin. “It is illogical, the news is false.” he told AFP. Angola, with their extensive oil resources have the money and the stadiums in place, but the attacks on Togo which led to two deaths in the restless north- ern enclave of Cabinda may work against their bid. South Africa, Ghana and Algeria have declined CAF’s approaches while Nigeria’s name has been whispered although the country is in the midst of an unstable political climate. The Ebola disease has claimed almost 5,000 lives, essentially in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, ironically countries with whom Morocco have maintained incoming and outgoing flights, unlike many other countries. Morocco have also hosted Guinea’s qualifying matches with the Western African nation banned from staging matches in their own country. The CAF also confirmed that qualifica- tion matches for the tournament will go ahead as planned on November 14-15 with the final round of matches set four days later. Those matches will determine which 15 teams will join the new KUWAIT: Kuwait handicapped basketball team took a huge step by defeating Egypt’s team 54-53 in a very exciting match yesterday. The championship will be hosts for the final stages which are set for January 17 to February 9, concluded today in the presence of Italian and Egyptian ambassadors as well as the Handicapped Club Chairman Shafi Al-Hajiri and board members. Deputy dates that CAF have adamantly said will not be changed. Chairman of the Club Nasser Al-Ajmi said the tournament witnessed strong competition between Egypt, Kuwait and Torino. He said Kuwait team benefited in Moroccan officials and fans reacted with mixed feelings on the preparing for the basketball Gulf Cup to be held in December. shock announcement but sports minister Mohamed Ouzzine defend- ed their stance and said they had simply asked for a postponement, until the disease was brought under control. “The CAF statement said we refuse to organise the Nations Cup, Irish girl fights Ibrahimovic and it’s wrong. We want the tournament in our country, but we main- tain our demand to postpone it,” Ouzzine told parliament. “Morocco has not breached any contract because of the force majeure (Ebola epidemic). We will not rush to answer, but everyone and Rodriguez for best goal should know that we are prepared for all eventualities,”. “The WHO (World Health Organisation) says that every country PARIS: Superstars James Rodriguez and Zlatan Also featuring in Wednesday’s list released by FIFA Premier League (October 21,, 2013) has the right to take the necessary measures to protect its citizens. Ibrahimovic lead a list of ten candidates for the Puskas was one woman with Ireland’s Roche getting the nod Stephanie Roche (IRL), Peamount United-Wexford The whole world is incapable to find some treatment or some solu- Prize for the best goal of 2014 but face competition for her juggle and strike for Peamount United against Youths, Irish women’s championship (October 20, tion for that disease (Ebola), so isn’t it a force majeure? from little-known Irish women’s international Wexford Youths in the Irish women’s league in October 2013) “We can talk about sanctions now, but we should not forget what Stephanie Roche. 2013. James Rodriguez (COL), Colombia-Uruguay, 2014 would happen in case we have not taken our decision.” Morocco’s Paris Saint-Germain striker Ibrahimovic, won the The vote will be an online poll with the winning World Cup (June 28, 2014) stance is set to see them face further sanctions, notably financial but award in 2013 for his spectacular long range goal goal and top three to be announced on January 12 at Camilo Sanvezzo (BRA), Vancouver Whitecaps- there is also the threat they could be banned from further CAN com- against England in a friendly, and is back in the run- the ceremony for the Ballon d’Or. Portland Timbers, Major League Soccer (October 6, 2013) petitions. CAF executive committee member Constant Omari defend- ning this year thanks to his back-heeled volley against Hisato Sato (JPN), Sanfrecce Hiroshima-Kawasaki ed the decision to strip the 1976 winners of the right to stage what Bastia in a French league game. Top 10 goals Frontale, Japanese J-League (March 8, 2014) would have been their second tournament, after 1988, when they Rodriguez, who joined Real Madrid from Monaco in Tim Cahill (AUS), Australia-Netherlands, 2014 World Robin van Persie (NED), Spain-Netherlands, 2014 reached the semi-finals. “The CAF put no pressure on Morocco but the off-season, thanks in part to his skilful control and Cup (June 18, 2014) World Cup (June 13 2014) they are a member who belong to the CAN. We signed an agreement volleyed goal for Colombia against Uruguay in the Diego Costa (ESP), Atletico Madrid-Getafe, La Liga that the CAN would be organised between January 17 and February World Cup, is on the list thanks to what was voted the (November 23, 2013) Former winners 8 and there was no talk of postponement during the inspections. best goal of the tournament. Marco Fabian (MEX), Cruz Azul-Puebla, Mexican 2013: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (SWE) “Then two months before the tournament, Morocco decide they Tim Cahill’s volley for Australia, in a 3-2 World Cup championship (February 15, 2014) 2012: Miroslav Stoch (SVK) want to change the dates. These dates have not been decided ran- defeat against the Netherlands, and Dutchman Robin Zlatan Ibrahimovic (SWE), Paris SG-Bastia, Ligue 1 2011: Neymar (BRA) domly, it is a season when all of Africa has a period of more or less dry van Persie who scored a fantastic diving header in the (October 19, 2013) 2010: Hamit Altintop (TUR) weather. We have incorporated these dates into the universal FIFA 5-1 win over Spain are also favourites for the award. Pajtim Kasami (SUI), Crystal Palace-Fulham, English 2009: Cristiano Ronaldo (POR) —AFP calendar and it is our showcase event. — AFP Rangers and Pakistan on verge Devils advance of first Test win over N Zealand

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 201415 16 CAF in race against time to find Nations Cup hosts Page 19

MEMPHIS: Grizzlies Marc Gasol (33) shoots over Los Angeles Lakers Jordan Hill (27) in the second half of an NBA basketball game. — AP Raptors halt Magic spell

TORONTO: Kyle Lowry scored 19 points, Terrence Ross quarter, including a fadeaway 3-pointer at the buzzer with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Memphis has won 17 buzzer that would have sent the game into overtime, had 17 and the Toronto Raptors erased an 11-point after the Mavericks had taken their first lead in their straight regular-season home games since a February but the refs reversed the call after a review. deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Orlando 104-100 21st straight regular-season win at home against loss to Dallas. LaMarcus Aldridge added 25 points and 14 on Tuesday night, their ninth consecutive victory over Sacramento. Nowitzki passed Hakeem Olajuwon for rebounds for the Blazers, who have won four of their the Magic. ninth place on the all-time scoring list. The 7-foot BUCKS 85, THUNDER 78 last five games and improved to 5-1 at the Moda DeMar DeRozan had 16 points and Lou Williams German finished with 23 for 26,953 career points, seven OJ Mayo scored 19 points and Brandon Knight Center. Al Jefferson scored 22 points, while Lance scored eight of his 14 in the fourth as the Eastern more than the Nigerian-born former star of the added 16 as the Bucks held off a late Oklahoma City ral- Stephenson had 14 points and 14 rebounds for the Conference leaders won their fifth straight game over- Houston Rockets. Rudy Gay scored 26 to lead the Kings. ly to beat the Thunder. Hornets. all and improved to 7-1. Reggie Jackson had 29 points, nine above his season Ross grabbed the rebound on a potential tying jump GRIZZLIES 107, LAKERS 102 average, for Oklahoma City. Serge Ibaka added 14 as SPURS 113, WARRIORS 100 shot by Tobias Harris with 2 seconds left. Toronto has Mike Conley scored 23 points and the Grizzlies final- the Thunder fell to 0-5 on the road. Tony Parker had 28 points and seven assists, and won its first five home games for the first time since ly got a strong effort from their struggling bench to The Bucks led by five after three quarters and Kawhi Leonard scored 19 as the Spurs beat the Warriors. 2003-04. Evan Fournier scored 24 and Harris had 23 beat the Lakers. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers (1-6) with extended their lead to as much as 11 in the fourth. The defending NBA champions played their aging Big points and 13 rebounds for Orlando, which lost its sec- 28 points, but shot 10 of 26 from the field and sur- Oklahoma City cut the lead to four on two free throws Three - Parker, Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan - on con- ond straight. passed Boston Celtics great John Havlicek for the most by Ibaka with 31 seconds left but got no closer. secutive nights to pull off California’s most difficult back- missed field goals in an NBA career. to-back. The Spurs rallied past the Clippers 89-85 on MAVERICKS 106, KINGS 98 Reserve guard Wayne Ellington was not with the TRAIL BLAZERS 102, HORNETS 100 Monday in Los Angeles before cooling off one of the Dirk Nowitzki became the highest-scoring NBA play- Lakers after his father was killed in Philadelphia on Damian Lillard had 29 points and the Trail Blazers league’s hottest teams in Oakland. Klay Thompson scored er born outside of the United States, helping the Sunday night. Backup guard Beno Udrih had 16 points trailed by as many as 23 points in the first half before 29 points, and Harrison Barnes had 22 points and eight Mavericks rally from 24 points down to beat the Kings. for Memphis. Courtney Lee scored 15 as six Grizzlies rallying in the fourth quarter to beat the Hornets. rebounds for the Warriors, who have lost two straight Monta Ellis scored 10 of his 16 points in the third finished in double figures, including Zach Randolph Charlotte’s Gary Neal made a layup at the final after a 5-0 start under new coach Steve Kerr. — AP Gypsy soccer team wins as opponents don’t show up

DECIN: The Roma Decin football club is having its The no-shows all deny that they sat out their added that Roma Decin agreed to boost security at best season ever, winning six of 10 matches and matches because they dislike Roma. Rather, they say, home matches, and that he expected matches to be climbing to fourth in the standings. But the team’s it was a 2011 post-match brawl involving members played as scheduled in spring. mainly Gypsy players have found little to celebrate: of Roma Decin that caused them steer clear of the The 2011 brawl between what was then named They keep winning because their opponents don’t team. “It has nothing to do with racism,” said FC Decin and cross-town rival Loko Decin was real. turn up. Rybniste’s coach, Josef Kucera. “We had a bad experi- Near the end of the game, a Roma player punched The succession of forfeits has stirred up painful ence with them and that’s why we don’t want to play the referee after he was sent off for protesting the red feelings among Gypsies - also known as Roma - who them.” card shown to his brother. That triggered a fist-fight have long suffered racism and discrimination in But Roma Decin coach Pavel Horvath calls that an among the two teams which continued in a locker eastern Europe and continue to face huge hurdles in excuse. “I will not change my opinion, I cannot room. As the home team, FC Decin was fined 28,000 employment and education. Now, they claim, the change my opinion. The clubs themselves know why koruna ($1,260) but failed to pay, and the team was stigma has extended to sports. they don’t want to play us,” he said after Sunday’s dissolved. Loko Decin was not fined. The Gypsy club “I don’t understand why clear racism is becoming match. “My opinion is it is because we’re Roma.” was allowed to return to competition only this year, part of the game,” activist Radek Drahomir Horvath Others appear to agree. In a gesture of support in under its new name and with some original players. wrote in an open letter to President Milos Zeman. “I September, diplomats from the embassies of Sweden, Goalkeeper Patrik Herak, the team’s undisputed was not able to explain that to my daughter and Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, the leader, is one of them. He played a major role in the son. Why do my children and I have to be confront- Netherlands, Norway, the United States and Britain 2011 fight - and also in Sunday’s victory. Herak saved ed with such an unbelievable insult to our dignity?” formed a team to play in Decin, a town of 50,000 peo- four clear goal opportunities and a penalty kick, and Five teams in the Czech Republic’s lowest official ple with a large Gypsy population. even scored a goal in the shootout. football league have failed to show this season for The diplomats’ jerseys bore the message: “We He admits he made a mistake in 2011 but said it’s matches against Roma Decin, preferring to take a show the red card to racism.” The Czech football feder- time to bury the past, noting that the five matches forfeit loss and a fine of $70. The team had lost all ation says it’s worried about the forfeited games but the Gypsy team has been able to play this year ended DECIN: Players of Roma Decin celebrate after winning a penalty shoot out during a match in four matches it actually played - until last week, insists an investigation proved “it is not a racism-relat- with no violence. Decin, Czech Republic, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2014. The Roma Decin football club is having its best when they got their first actual win in a penalty ed problem.” Federation spokesman Jaroslav Kolar “They think we come to the pitch with an aim to season ever, winning six of 10 matches and climbing to fourth in the standings. But the team’s shootout with Dolni Habartice before the league said clubs complained about rowdiness among Roma fight,” he said. “What we want is to show them we can mainly Gypsy players have found little to celebrate: They keep winning because their oppo- broke for the winter. Decin fans and “are afraid it might happen again.” He play football.” — AP nents don’t turn up. — AP Rangers and Pakistan on verge Devils advance of first Test win over N Zealand

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 201415 16 CAF in race against time to find Nations Cup hosts Page 19

MEMPHIS: Grizzlies Marc Gasol (33) shoots over Los Angeles Lakers Jordan Hill (27) in the second half of an NBA basketball game. — AP Raptors halt Magic spell

TORONTO: Kyle Lowry scored 19 points, Terrence Ross quarter, including a fadeaway 3-pointer at the buzzer with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Memphis has won 17 buzzer that would have sent the game into overtime, had 17 and the Toronto Raptors erased an 11-point after the Mavericks had taken their first lead in their straight regular-season home games since a February but the refs reversed the call after a review. deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Orlando 104-100 21st straight regular-season win at home against loss to Dallas. LaMarcus Aldridge added 25 points and 14 on Tuesday night, their ninth consecutive victory over Sacramento. Nowitzki passed Hakeem Olajuwon for rebounds for the Blazers, who have won four of their the Magic. ninth place on the all-time scoring list. The 7-foot BUCKS 85, THUNDER 78 last five games and improved to 5-1 at the Moda DeMar DeRozan had 16 points and Lou Williams German finished with 23 for 26,953 career points, seven OJ Mayo scored 19 points and Brandon Knight Center. Al Jefferson scored 22 points, while Lance scored eight of his 14 in the fourth as the Eastern more than the Nigerian-born former star of the added 16 as the Bucks held off a late Oklahoma City ral- Stephenson had 14 points and 14 rebounds for the Conference leaders won their fifth straight game over- Houston Rockets. Rudy Gay scored 26 to lead the Kings. ly to beat the Thunder. Hornets. all and improved to 7-1. Reggie Jackson had 29 points, nine above his season Ross grabbed the rebound on a potential tying jump GRIZZLIES 107, LAKERS 102 average, for Oklahoma City. Serge Ibaka added 14 as SPURS 113, WARRIORS 100 shot by Tobias Harris with 2 seconds left. Toronto has Mike Conley scored 23 points and the Grizzlies final- the Thunder fell to 0-5 on the road. Tony Parker had 28 points and seven assists, and won its first five home games for the first time since ly got a strong effort from their struggling bench to The Bucks led by five after three quarters and Kawhi Leonard scored 19 as the Spurs beat the Warriors. 2003-04. Evan Fournier scored 24 and Harris had 23 beat the Lakers. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers (1-6) with extended their lead to as much as 11 in the fourth. The defending NBA champions played their aging Big points and 13 rebounds for Orlando, which lost its sec- 28 points, but shot 10 of 26 from the field and sur- Oklahoma City cut the lead to four on two free throws Three - Parker, Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan - on con- ond straight. passed Boston Celtics great John Havlicek for the most by Ibaka with 31 seconds left but got no closer. secutive nights to pull off California’s most difficult back- missed field goals in an NBA career. to-back. The Spurs rallied past the Clippers 89-85 on MAVERICKS 106, KINGS 98 Reserve guard Wayne Ellington was not with the TRAIL BLAZERS 102, HORNETS 100 Monday in Los Angeles before cooling off one of the Dirk Nowitzki became the highest-scoring NBA play- Lakers after his father was killed in Philadelphia on Damian Lillard had 29 points and the Trail Blazers league’s hottest teams in Oakland. Klay Thompson scored er born outside of the United States, helping the Sunday night. Backup guard Beno Udrih had 16 points trailed by as many as 23 points in the first half before 29 points, and Harrison Barnes had 22 points and eight Mavericks rally from 24 points down to beat the Kings. for Memphis. Courtney Lee scored 15 as six Grizzlies rallying in the fourth quarter to beat the Hornets. rebounds for the Warriors, who have lost two straight Monta Ellis scored 10 of his 16 points in the third finished in double figures, including Zach Randolph Charlotte’s Gary Neal made a layup at the final after a 5-0 start under new coach Steve Kerr. — AP Gypsy soccer team wins as opponents don’t show up

DECIN: The Roma Decin football club is having its The no-shows all deny that they sat out their added that Roma Decin agreed to boost security at best season ever, winning six of 10 matches and matches because they dislike Roma. Rather, they say, home matches, and that he expected matches to be climbing to fourth in the standings. But the team’s it was a 2011 post-match brawl involving members played as scheduled in spring. mainly Gypsy players have found little to celebrate: of Roma Decin that caused them steer clear of the The 2011 brawl between what was then named They keep winning because their opponents don’t team. “It has nothing to do with racism,” said FC Decin and cross-town rival Loko Decin was real. turn up. Rybniste’s coach, Josef Kucera. “We had a bad experi- Near the end of the game, a Roma player punched The succession of forfeits has stirred up painful ence with them and that’s why we don’t want to play the referee after he was sent off for protesting the red feelings among Gypsies - also known as Roma - who them.” card shown to his brother. That triggered a fist-fight have long suffered racism and discrimination in But Roma Decin coach Pavel Horvath calls that an among the two teams which continued in a locker eastern Europe and continue to face huge hurdles in excuse. “I will not change my opinion, I cannot room. As the home team, FC Decin was fined 28,000 employment and education. Now, they claim, the change my opinion. The clubs themselves know why koruna ($1,260) but failed to pay, and the team was stigma has extended to sports. they don’t want to play us,” he said after Sunday’s dissolved. Loko Decin was not fined. The Gypsy club “I don’t understand why clear racism is becoming match. “My opinion is it is because we’re Roma.” was allowed to return to competition only this year, part of the game,” activist Radek Drahomir Horvath Others appear to agree. In a gesture of support in under its new name and with some original players. wrote in an open letter to President Milos Zeman. “I September, diplomats from the embassies of Sweden, Goalkeeper Patrik Herak, the team’s undisputed was not able to explain that to my daughter and Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, the leader, is one of them. He played a major role in the son. Why do my children and I have to be confront- Netherlands, Norway, the United States and Britain 2011 fight - and also in Sunday’s victory. Herak saved ed with such an unbelievable insult to our dignity?” formed a team to play in Decin, a town of 50,000 peo- four clear goal opportunities and a penalty kick, and Five teams in the Czech Republic’s lowest official ple with a large Gypsy population. even scored a goal in the shootout. football league have failed to show this season for The diplomats’ jerseys bore the message: “We He admits he made a mistake in 2011 but said it’s matches against Roma Decin, preferring to take a show the red card to racism.” The Czech football feder- time to bury the past, noting that the five matches forfeit loss and a fine of $70. The team had lost all ation says it’s worried about the forfeited games but the Gypsy team has been able to play this year ended DECIN: Players of Roma Decin celebrate after winning a penalty shoot out during a match in four matches it actually played - until last week, insists an investigation proved “it is not a racism-relat- with no violence. Decin, Czech Republic, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2014. The Roma Decin football club is having its best when they got their first actual win in a penalty ed problem.” Federation spokesman Jaroslav Kolar “They think we come to the pitch with an aim to season ever, winning six of 10 matches and climbing to fourth in the standings. But the team’s shootout with Dolni Habartice before the league said clubs complained about rowdiness among Roma fight,” he said. “What we want is to show them we can mainly Gypsy players have found little to celebrate: They keep winning because their oppo- broke for the winter. Decin fans and “are afraid it might happen again.” He play football.” — AP nents don’t turn up. — AP BUSINESS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 NCB bank shares surge after biggest Saudi IPO

RIYADH: Shares in Saudi Arabia’s National Commercial Bank surged 10 percent yesterday in their first day of trading after the kingdom’s largest public offering. It raised $6 billion and was oversubscribed 23 times. In early trading on the Tadawul All-Shares Index, the largest Arab bourse, NCB stock jumped the maximum allowed 10 percent to 49.5 riyals ($13.20), where it held steady. That compared with the offered price of 45 riyals. The shares were priced at a discount for the initial public offer- ing and could double at the start of trading, an analyst forecast earlier, before Tadawul announced the stock would trade with a “fluc- tuation limit” of 10 percent up to 49.5 riyals. For 15 days to November 2 the bank offered 300 million shares to the public in one of the world’s largest IPOs this year, receiving offers from 1.26 million Saudi subscribers for a value of 311 billion riyals, an unprecedented figure. An additional 200 million shares are allocated to the state pension fund. “This is the mother of all IPOs,” Beshr Bakheet, of the privately held Osool and Bakheet Investment Company, said at the time. Chinese online giant Alibaba, which made its market debut in September, broke the record for the largest IPO offering RIYADH: Saudi investors monitor stocks at the newly opened exchange market department when it raised $25.02 billion. Despite the extraordinary value of NCB’s at the National Commercial Bank (NCB) yesterday. NCB shares surged 10 percent in their IPO, the number of subscribers was slightly first day of trading after the kingdom’s largest public offering. It raised $6 billion and was below normal for the kingdom, and far off the oversubscribed 23 times. —AFP 10 million Saudis who signed up for a 2006 ant with Islamic sharia laws. The investor 2007, Dubai port operator DP World raised a IPO for a residential and economic city north interest came despite a ruling from the king- total of 4.96 billion dollars in its initial public of Jeddah. NCB is the last of 12 Saudi banks to dom’s top Muslim cleric that the share offer is offering, the largest ever in the Middle East at go public. Only three of them are fully compli- forbidden under Islam, which bans usury. In that time. —AFP Emirates airlines impacted by EU set to approve external threats such as Ebola Etihad’s 49 percent DUBAI: The impact of the Ebola outbreak, since the disease was identified in 1976. regional conflict and an uncertain global The virus has killed at least 4,950 people. buy of Alitalia economic outlook will remain a drag on the Last month, Emirates’ president Tim Clark airline industry, Dubai’s flagship carrier said demand for flights to Africa from Asia BRUSSELS: Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways is set to win EU Emirates said yesterday after reporting had fallen due to Ebola concerns. Profit for antitrust approval for its purchase of 49 percent of Italian peer higher first-half net profit. the wider group, which includes airline Alitalia after agreeing to minor concessions, two people famil- The world’s fourth-largest carrier of services arm Dnata, rose 1.1 percent to 2.2 iar with the matter said yesterday. State-owned Etihad’s stake international passengers posted a profit of billion dirhams. buy is part of a 1.76-billion-euro ($2.19 billion) rescue plan for 1.9 billion dirhams ($517.3 million) for the Emirates airline revenue grew 11 per- loss-making Alitalia. The tie-up will provide funds for Alitalia six months ending Sept. 30, up from 1.7 bil- cent to 44.2 billion dirhams, while group to invest in more profitable long-haul routes and make it less lion dirhams a year earlier. Emirates’ revenue rose 12.3 percent to 47.5 billion. dependant on domestic and regional services, where it faces Chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al- Even though Brent crude oil is near a four- fierce competition from low-cost airlines and high-speed Maktoum warned that the airline had to year low, Emirates said average fuel prices trains. Etihad in turn will reinforce its presence in Europe’s face several global threats to the aviation only softened marginally and towards the fourth-largest travel market with 25 million passengers. industry that were outside its control. end of the six-month period. Oil is the “The European Commission is expected to approve the “It is those external threats that we can- largest component of an airline’s cost. It deal,” said one of the sources who declined to be named not anticipate or directly manage, such as made up 38 percent of Emirates operating because the EU decision is not yet official. The sources said the global economic malaise, the Ebola cost compared with 39 percent during the the EU antitrust authority had accepted the airlines’ offer to outbreak, currency fluctuations, and same period a year-ago. Emirates and its give up some airport slots on the Rome-Belgrade route to regional conflicts, that could negate our home base Dubai are expanding rapidly on facilitate rivals and allay the regulator’s concerns that the deal efforts and plans,” he said in the statement. expectations that its location, which has a may reduce competition. “The concession is in line with previ- “These issues appear to be piling up, third of the world’s population is within a 4- ous airline deals,” one of the people said. Commission impacting commercial aviation and travel, hour flight radius, will continue to attract spokesman Ricardo Cardoso declined to comment. Etihad but show no signs of speedy resolution.” passenger traffic away from other global and Alitalia were not immediately available for comment. Global health authorities are struggling to hubs such as London, New York and Existing shareholders, including state-owned Poste Italiane, contain the world’s worst Ebola epidemic Singapore.—Reuters are also taking part in Alitalia’s rescue scheme. —Reuters UAE’s Dana Gas Q3 profit up 36%

DUBAI: Abu Dhabi-listed Dana Gas reported a 36 and you will see that reflected in our financial tion to more than 50,000 boepd by 2017 from percent rise in third-quarter net profit yesterday position.” US Light Crude slumped to a three- about 40,000 today. The company will keep all as increased production and lower costs offset and-a-half year low this month. Dana produced earnings from this increased production rather falling oil prices. The Sharjah-based company, 68,700 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) than splitting it with the government to reduce which has operations in Egypt, the United Arab in the third quarter, up 3 percent from a year ago. what the state owes. Dana’s total receivables in Emirates (UAE) and Iraq’s Kurdistan region, made The company has faced problems recovering Egypt were $276 million, of which $160 million a profit of $38 million in the three months to payments from exploration and production were overdue. Sept 30, up from $28 million in the year-earlier assets in Egypt and Iraq’s region of Kurdistan Allman-Ward said the total would fall to about period. “The gas we supply is at fixed prices and because of political turmoil in those countries. $60 million by 2018. He said he expects Dana to therefore the gas portion of our portfolio is not The company received $71 million in cash receive part of a $700 million payment by Egypt’s subject to sensitivity around oil prices,” Dana Gas from operations and cash collections in the third government to energy companies operating in Chief Executive Patrick Allman-Ward told quarter. the country due by year-end. This is the second reporters. Dana will invest more than $350 million over tranche of a $1.5 billion payment announced in “The liquid portion clearly is and provides a the next three to four years to drill new wells and October. In Kurdistan, Dana received an $18 mil- disproportionately large component of revenue redevelop existing wells in Egypt, said Allman- lion cash advance as part of its 40 percent share and therefore profit. We are sensitive to oil prices Ward. This will increase Dana’s Egyptian produc- in a project in the region. —Reuters EXCHANGE RATES

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. UAE Exchange Centre WLL Syrian Pound 2.765 Sierra Leone 0.000063 0.000069 Nepalese Rupees 3.905 Singapore Dollar 0.221973 0.227973 South African Rand 0.019896 0.028396 ASIAN COUNTRIES Malaysian Ringgit 88.300 COUNTRY SELL DRAFT SELL CASH Sri Lankan Rupee 0.001913 0.002493 Japanese Yen 2.521 Chinese Yuan Renminbi 47.950 Indian Rupees 4.740 Australian Dollar 232.37 229.37 Thai Bhat 9.980 Taiwan 0.009392 0.009572 Pakistani Rupees 2.865 Canadian Dollar 260.48 261.48 Turkish Lira 130.750 Thai Baht 0.008549 0.009099 Srilankan Rupees 2.223 Swiss Franc 306.43 304.43 Nepali Rupees 2.964 Euro 366.41 367.41 Arab Singapore Dollar 226.140 US Dollar 291.70 294.70 Bahrain Exchange Company Bahraini Dinar 0.766751 0.774751 Hongkong Dollar 37.594 Sterling Pound 466.48 469.48 Egyptian Pound 0.038362 0.041462 Japanese Yen 2.56 2.58 Iranian Riyal 0.000081 0.000082 Bangladesh Taka 3.761 COUNTRY SELL CASH SELLDRAFT Philippine Peso 6.487 Bangladesh Taka 3.761 4.031 Iraqi Dinar 0.000188 0.000248 Belgian Franc 0.007589 0.008589 Thai Baht 8.889 Indian Rupee 4.740 5.040 Jordanian Dinar 0.407064 0.414564 British Pound 0.456663 0.465663 Irani Riyal transfer 59.000 Sri Lankan Rupee 2.222 2.657 Kuwaiti Dinar 1.000000 1.000000 Czech Korune 0.005137 0.017137 Irani Riyal cash 116.000 Nepali Rupee 2.965 3.500 Lebanese Pound 0.000142 0.000242 Danish Krone 0.044736 0.049736 Pakistani Rupee 2.871 2.790 Moroccan Dirhams 0.023813 0.047813 UAE Dirhams 79.27 79.73 Euro 0.357628 0.365628 GCC COUNTRIES Nigerian Naira 0.001127 0.001762 Bahraini Dinar 774.24 776.31 Norwegian Krone 0.038740 0.043940 Saudi Riyal 77.764 Omani Riyal 0.751119 0.756799 Egyptian Pound 40.68 41.28 Romanian Leu 0.081888 0.081888 Qatari Riyal 80.115 Qatar Riyal 0.079357 0.080570 Jordanian Dinar 414.00 419.65 Slovakia 0.008500 0.018500 Omani Riyal 757.730 Saudi Riyal 0.077097 0.077797 Omani Riyal 756.51 763.81 Swedish Krona 0.035298 0.040298 Bahraini Dinar 774.540 Syrian Pound 0.001728 0.001948 Qatari Riyal 80.33 80.88 Swiss Franc 0.295252 0.305454 UAE Dirham 79.417 Tunisian Dinar 0.155220 0.163220 Saudi Riyal 77.71 78.11 Turkish Lira 0.129084 0.136084 Turkish Lira 0.129084 0.136084 ARAB COUNTRIES UAE Dirhams 0.078383 0.079532 Egyptian Pound - Cash 40.860 Australasia Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd Yemeni Riyal 0.001316 0.001396 Egyptian Pound - Transfer 40.684 Australian Dollar 0.244298 0.255798 Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.360 New Zealand Dollar 0.221522 0.231022 Tunisian Dinar 159.550 Rate for Transfer Selling Rate America Al Mulla Exchange Jordanian Dinar 411.550 US Dollar 291.150 Canadian Dollar 0.251008 0.259508 Lebanese Lira/for 1000 1.956 Canadian Dollar 259.205 US Dollars 0.287400 0.292100 Syrian Lira 2.078 Sterling Pound 466.000 US Dollars Mint 0.287900 0.292100 Currency Transfer Rate (Per 1000) Morocco Dirham 33.314 Euro 366.615 US Dollar 290.300 Swiss Frank 302.465 Asia Euro 365.200 EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES Bahrain Dinar 774.160 Bangladesh Taka 0.003341 0.004011 Pound Sterlng 464.000 US Dollar Transfer 291.500 UAE Dirhams 79.165 Chinese Yuan 0.046055 0.049555 Canadian Dollar 255.700 Euro 364.960 Qatari Riyals 80.770 Indian Rupee 4.740 Sterling Pound 464.960 Hong Kong Dollar 0.035502 0.038252 Saudi Riyals 77.815 Indian Rupee 0.004469 0.004870 Egyptian Pound 40.615 Canadian dollar 257.670 Jordanian Dinar 410.810 Turkish lira 129.110 Indonesian Rupiah 0.000020 0.000026 Sri Lankan Rupee 2.217 Egyptian Pound 40.623 Japanese Yen 0.002435 0.002615 Bangladesh Taka 3.750 Swiss Franc 303.330 Sri Lankan Rupees 2.222 Australian Dollar 254.190 Kenyan Shilling 0.003329 0.003329 Philippines Peso 6.472 Indian Rupees 4.740 US Dollar Buying 290.300 Korean Won 0.000255 0.000270 Pakistan Rupee 2.825 Pakistani Rupees 2.828 Malaysian Ringgit 0.084255 0.090255 Bahraini Dinar 773.550 Bangladesh Taka 3.756 GOLD Nepalese Rupee 0.002979 0.003149 UAE Dirham 79.100 Philippines Pesso 6.472 20 gram 226.000 Pakistan Rupee 0.002751 0.003031 Saudi Riyal 77.600 Cyprus pound 714.395 10 gram 116.000 Philippine Peso 0.006387 0.006667 *Rates are subject to change 5 gram 59.000 Japanese Yen 3.560 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 BUSINESS Vietnam Airlines IPO won’t help state sell-offs fly

HANOI: After decades of speculation and multi- Vietnam Airlines is in a relatively strong posi- investors as the reality is “there is still a huge prison terms and even the death sentence to a companies. Analysts think the IPO will bring ple failed attempts, Vietnam Airlines’ long- tion domestically, despite new competition bureaucracy that needs to be fed”, he said. handful of top executives over the scandals. Vietnam Airlines a little extra cash and poten- awaited IPO is set for take-off tomorrow, but from low-cost VietJet Air, with the country of Many SOEs are heavily indebted, have But experts say little has been done to serious- tially some foreign expertise, which could help experts say it is unlikely to boost the commu- some 90 million a fast-growing aviation market. incomprehensible strategies and hazardous ly dismantle vested interests and overhaul the improve efficiency, but is unlikely to bring a nist country’s lackluster privatization drive. The But it is expected to face stiff regional competi- investments in non-core sectors. Several, system. radical transformation in either the company offer of shares in the “crown jewel” of the coun- tion as it looks to expand long haul routes, and including shipping giants Vinashin and Key government figures such as Prime or the state sector more broadly. “They’re try- try’s many state-owned enterprises (SOEs) is a many experts question whether the carrier will Vinalines, have collapsed in spectacular fash- Minister Nguyen Tan Dung appear to back the ing to have their cake and eat it,” Foster said, symbolic milestone in a broader government be able to find an airline as a strategic partner. ion under billions of dollars of debt. In privatization drive, but others are more adding the IPO was not going to change the plan to offload stakes in hundreds of compa- “You see the same names in Asia emerge when response to rising public anger over corrup- ambivalent in a country where laws guarantee fact that overall “the state sector in Vietnam is nies. But the state will still retain a controlling 75 an airline is looking to sell a stake to another air- tion and waste, Vietnam has handed lengthy the state controlling stakes in all key public a disaster”. —AFP percent stake in the flag carrier, suggesting line, and very few deals have materialized,” said there is little appetite for real change. Brendan Sobie, an analyst at the CAPA Centre “Officials want to avoid real privatization,” for Aviation. “Most airlines in this region have economist Bui Kien Thanh said. “With the eco- been losing money and most of the recent IPOs nomic system run by state officials, the econo- (such as Indonesia’s Garuda) are trading below my can’t grow effectively.” Just 3.5 percent of their initial price,” he added. shares will be offered publicly Friday, a move Vietnam Airlines hopes will raise $51 million in a ‘Huge bureaucracy to feed’ deal that values the company at $1.5 billion. A Vietnam’s privatization project is part of a further 20 percent stake will go to a strategic broader drive to attract foreign investment. partner, while the rest is set aside for airline The country is increasingly reliant on export- employees and the trade union. “It’s disappoint- orientated manufacturing, which is leading a ing from a pricing perspective,” said Kevin gradual acceleration in the economy, in con- Snowball, CEO of PXP Vietnam Asset trast to the debt-laden banking sector and Management, who said the shares looked SOEs, which have long acted as a drag. Despite expensive relative to current and prospective anti-China riots in May that hit foreign-owned earnings. factories, the communist country-which first “It’s symptomatic of the state of the whole opened up its economy with reforms in the equalization process,” he said, using the late 1980s-has been increasingly well-per- Vietnamese term for privatization. “There is a ceived by foreign investors, with a slew of fundamental misunderstanding across the recent ratings upgrades. board of what stock markets are for and how It has made some strides in cutting red they work.” In Vietnam, an IPO is separate from tape to lure companies such as South Korean an actual stock market listing-sometimes by electronics giant Samsung to invest billions of several years-which Snowball said was another dollars in factories. “What Samsung is doing- major deterrent for investors. Yet despite the setting up factories, exporting products-is HANOI: Passengers check-in for Vietnam Airlines flights at Noi Bai airport in Hanoi. After decades of speculation challenges there remains huge investor interest now quite easy,” said Tony Foster, a lawyer with and multiple failed attempts, Vietnam Airlines’ long-awaited IPO is set for take-off tomorrow, but experts say it in the country-a recent $1 billion government Freshfields. But dealing with SOEs such as is unlikely to boost the communist country’s lackluster privatization drive. —AFP bond issue was heavily oversubscribed. Vietnam Airlines can still be a nightmare for UK’s Flybe swings to loss on one-off costs Shares fall as much as 23 percent

LONDON: British budget airline Flybe Group Plc Citing slower capacity growth and higher mar- rail roads and ferry operators who do not have swung to a pretax loss in the first half, hurt by ket costs, Liberum analyst Gerald Khoo cut his compensation regimes. one-off costs and a charge related to its exit full-year forecast to a “small pre-tax loss”. “It’s unfortunate because (compensation for) from its Finland joint venture. Flybe’s stock fell as The embattled carrier had only just returned any delay of three hours or more is more than much as 23 percent to 102 pence, making it one to profitability last year, helped by brutal cost- three times the average ticket price of Flybe,” of the top percentage losers on the London cutting that involved giving up airport slots, Hammad told journalists on a call. Flybe pegs its Stock Exchange. The carrier posted a pretax loss slashing jobs, exiting unprofitable flight routes average ticket price at less than 85 euros ($106). of 15.3 million pounds ($24 million) in the six and grounding surplus fleet. However, new EU Numis analysts said the law would have a nega- months ended Sept 30, compared with a profit 261 flight delay compensation regulations that tive cost implication for all airlines and tour oper- of 13.8 million pounds a year earlier. dictate procedure in events of denied boarding, ators, which might tempt them to increase fares Flybe was hurt by an increased flight delay flight cancellations, or long delays of flights, for passengers. They said given that the estimat- DUISBURG: ThyssenKrupp steel coils sit on carriages at a train park in claims provision, external costs related to sur- forced the company to record a 6 million pound ed provision amount would be roughly 0.5 per- plus capacity and revaluation of US dollar air- provision in the first half. Chief Executive Saad cent of Flybe’s full-year turnover, larger rival Duisburg, western Germany. German government’s official advisors panel craft loans. The company booked an impairment Hammad called the rules “unfortunate” and “dis- easyJet Plc’s full-year pretax profit could take a forecasts a growth of just over 1 percent for next year undercutting the gov- charge related to the sale of its 60 percent stake criminatory”, as, in terms of fares, on most of the hit of about 4 percent. easyJet is to report on Nov ernment’s prognosis. —AP in loss-making Flybe Finland to partner Finnair. routes Flybe operated it mainly competed with 18. —Reuters Germany ‘five wise men’ say investment not unduly weak China small investors fail to

BERLIN: Germany’s so-called “Five Wise not yet secured,” the report said. Men”, a panel of independent economic The favorable budget situation was partly connect with HK stock move advisors, said yesterday that the German due to unusual circumstances, such as low economy-Europe’s biggest-is not suffering interest rates and high employment. Instead SHANGHAI: When the Shanghai and ment to further open up the country’s ible in line with China’s financial system, with little more than $110 bil- from an undue weakness in investment. And of expanding investment, Berlin should “re- Hong Kong stock exchanges “connect” capital markets to outside investors,” might, but the stock linkage will still lion approved so far. In the new the panel, which actually comprises four prioritize” its budget, they argued. At the on Monday, it will open multi-billion- said China economist for Barclays have limits on currency flows. China scheme, Hong Kong investors can men and one woman, warned that the same time, there was “no evidence of a dollar channels for investors to play Capital, Chang Jian. A similar idea, the has granted an initial cumulative pick from more than 560 Shanghai- European Central Bank’s artillery of anti- pathological weakness in private invest- both markets, but some Chinese pun- stock “Through Train”, was floated in quota of 250 billion yuan ($41 billion) listed companies, only 67 of them deflation measures could harbor dangers. ment,” the report added. “Instead, the gov- ters say it looks more like a bad trade. 2007 but derailed because of the for trading of Hong Kong stocks, already dual-listed. Some firms are “The cloudier outlook for the German econ- ernment should improve the conditions for Overseas investment houses are sali- global financial crisis. while 300 billion yuan will be allowed from sectors scarce in Hong Kong, omy has led to lively debate about a per- private investment and innovation.” The pan- vating at the prospect of greater for the Shanghai market, with daily such as traditional Chinese medicine ceived weakness in investment,” the experts el also downgraded its growth forecasts for access to the Shanghai bourse, and Northbound train allowances of 10.5 and 13 billion maker Beijing Tongrentang and wrote in their new annual report. this year and next year, saying it now expect- the companies of the world’s second- But China may have another yuan respectively. Analysts also Jiangxi Hongdu Aviation Industry. Faced with slowing growth in Germany, ed growth of 1.2 percent in 2014 and 1.0 per- largest economy. But most of China’s motive: tighter ties with the former stressed that if a mainland investor “There’s definitely greater interest traditionally Europe’s economic power- cent in 2015. “Geopolitical risks and the unfa- more than 175 million stock investors British colony that returned to buys stocks in Hong Kong, when they in northbound trading than south- house, some of its neighbors and a range of vorable development in the euro area both are individuals, accounting for an esti- Chinese sovereignty in 1997, and sell the money can only go back to bound,” said Chen Li, Shanghai-based international think-tanks have suggested played their part here,” the report said. mated 80 percent of trading on the that Berlin should open its purse strings and Nevertheless, some of the government’s Shanghai Stock Exchange, once ramp up investment to kick-start recovery. own economic policies, such as the pension described as a “casino” by Chinese In response, finance minister Wolfgang reforms, also contributed negatively to the economist Wu Jinglian because of its Schaeuble recently pledged to funnel 10 bil- outlook, the experts argued. The panel also speculative gyrations. lion euros ($13 billion) of public money into hit out at the ECB’s ultra-expansive mone- The new “Shanghai-Hong Kong infrastructure, research and education by tary policy, including a contested program Stock Connect” scheme will allow 2018. of asset purchases. The moves “harbor dan- investors on each exchange to trade “There are indeed some indications of gers for the euro area economy in the long selected stocks on the other through weakness in public investment,” the sages term,” the experts said, arguing it would take their existing accounts, with expected wrote in their report. However, they urged the pressure off member states to pursue cross-border trades of up to $3.8 bil- the German government not to abandon its economic reforms and get their public lion daily. The bourse in Hong Kong- target of a balanced budget next year, argu- finances in order. Such criticism of the ECB is regarded as the world’s freest econo- ing that its fiscal credibility is at stake. The nothing new in Germany, with even the my-is already open to global investors government “should not use the room it has German central bank or Bundesbank warn- so the scheme further opens within the framework of the debt ceiling ing of the potential dangers of monetary Shanghai’s largely closed market to because the credibility of its fiscal rules is policies that are too accommodative. —AFP the outside world. But in the other direction, a high capital requirement and a selected number of just over 260 shares is discouraging China’s BoE’s Carney speaks army of retail investors. At the same time China’s leaders maintain strict capital controls to after inflation report keep a tight grip on the yuan curren- cy, and the scheme has been LONDON: Bank of England Governor Mark get because there are some pretty big disinfla- designed to ensure it cannot be used Carney is speaking at a news conference after tionary forces that are largely coming from to move money permanently out of the Bank published its quarterly Inflation Report abroad at this time. “Our forecast is consistent the mainland. For Chinese investors yesterday. Below are comments from Carney at with some increase in interest rates over the the minimum capital required to par- the news conference: course of the next three years and we expect ticipate is $82,000, putting off Lei those increases to be done at a gradual pace and SHANGHAI: People walk inside the Shanghai Stock Exchange building in Shanghai. When the Xianrong of Shanghai, who sells On raising rates to a limited extent. “Real wage growth has never Shanghai and Hong Kong stock exchanges “connect” on November 17 it will open multi-billion- automation products and trades “I’m still the only G7 governor who has raised been a threshold, it’s never been a trigger, so it’s dollar channels for investors to play both markets, but some Chinese punters say it looks more stocks on the side. “The Shanghai- interest rates, I just haven’t happened to have welcome but the guidance on interest rate Hong Kong link doesn’t mean much like a bad trade. —AFP done it here. But I know how to raise interest remains at the level it does.” to retail investors. None of my friends rates, but I also know what it is to hit an inflation want to go through with it,” Lei said. where street protests have been their account on the mainland, a so- strategist for UBS Securities. target, which is what the MPC is striving to do.” On rate hike timing And hairdresser Wang Youfu was demanding greater democracy for called “closed path” to prevent “hot Enthusiasm for the expected launch “It’s appropriate that while tightening in also hesitant. “We don’t understand weeks. The scheme had been expect- money” leaking out. has driven the benchmark Shanghai On wages monetary policy remains in prospect, markets how the Hong Kong market works. ed to start last month, but was “Renminbi flows will be limited to Composite Index to a three-year high “We are seeing the first tentative signs of the now expect somewhat easier monetary condi- The government just wants Hong delayed until the launch date was between the two stock markets. This this week. But in the longer term it long-awaited pickup in wage growth. Real tions over the forecast period than was the case Kong investors to put their money announced Monday. “Cross-border is easier to control,” Industrial Bank has offered unusually poor returns. incomes will be further supported by lower three months ago. “That comment shouldn’t be here,” he said. Chinese analysts and yuan flows between the two sides will foreign exchange analyst Jiang Shu The index peaked in 2007 at almost energy, food and other import prices. Oil prices taken as validating any particular date for the state media are more upbeat, some definitely become more and more fre- said, referring to the yuan. Analysts three times its current level and has are now 20 percent lower than a year ago and first rate increase. “We’ve highlighted repeatedly describing the program as an quent, so economic and trade rela- expect stronger investor interest been on a steady downward trend food price inflation is at a 12-year low. “The MPC - we’ll probably have to do it again today - what “unprecedented” reform, but institu- tions between both sides will be from Hong Kong in China’s domestic for the past five years-it was the expects annual real pay growth to pick up from really matters is the broad shape of monetary tional investors in Hong Kong are much closer,” BOC International ana- shares, known as northbound trad- world’s worst performer last year around zero now to around 2 percent by the end tightening over the medium term rather than viewed as the main beneficiaries. “The lyst Shen Jun said. ing. Hand-picked foreign institutions even while US markets hit record of next year.” “We’re seeing (a pick up in wage estimates of precisely when the process of nor- scheme shows strong political willing- Beijing is moving gradually to can already access China’s capital highs as they recover from the global growth). We need it to get inflation back to tar- malization will begin.” —Reuters ness on the part of China’s govern- make the yuan more freely convert- markets but through a strict quota financial crisis. —AFP BUSINESS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 Japan stocks touch 7-yr peak on talk of tax hike delay Asian shares get no inspiration from holiday-thinned Wall Street

TOKYO: Japanese stocks scaled seven-year Morgan. planned tax increase and call a general elec- are jumping onto this, although in the ther equity market gains is a key factor highs yesterday, putting the rest of Asia in the “Once again investors are looking towards tion for December in an effort to lock in his long run, this just means a delay in fiscal weighing on the yen at the moment,” said shade, amid expectations that Prime Minister some fairly positive company results, and it is grip on power before his voter ratings slide fur- reform and is not necessarily positive,” Masashi Murata, a senior currency strate- Shinzo Abe will postpone a planned sales tax this, in the absence of any other negative influ- ther. The Nikkei pared gains and ended up 0.4 said Ayako Sera, senior market economist gist at Brown Brothers Harriman in Tokyo. hike to avoid damaging a fragile economic ences, which are helping to underpin markets percent. Abe has said he will make up his mind at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank. The yen, The euro traded at $1.2484, up about 0.1 recovery. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific at the moment, along with the propensity for on the tax increase after assessing July- which has remained under pressure for percent on the day and edging away shares outside Japan dipped 0.1 percent, after US markets to continually make record highs,” September GDP data due next Monday. It is nearly two years due to the BOJ’s aggres- from a two-year low of $1.2358 hit on US indexes ended a holiday-thinned session Michael Hewson, chief strategist at CMC widely expected to highlight the fragility of the sive stimulus spending, gained against Friday. The dollar index was steady at flat, and financial spreadbetters expected the Markets in London, said in a note. The rebound following a sharp contraction in the the greenback, which traded at 115.37 87.504, not far from last Friday’s high of uninspired mood would carry over into Europe. Shanghai Composite Index added 1 percent in second quarter. The first increase in the two- yen, down about 0.4 percent on the day 88.190 - a peak not visited since June Britain’s FTSE 100 and France’s CAC 40 were volatile trading, building on its surge this week stage sale tax hike in April knocked the after marking a seven-year high of 116.11 2010. In commodities markets, crude oil expected to open down 0.1 percent and after the announcement of a tie-up that will Japanese economy hard, and markets view a yen on Tuesday. Some suggested the yen continued to drop amid fears of a supply Germany’s DAX was seen down 0.2 percent, give global investors easier access to China’s delay in the second-phase of the tax hike as could come under renewed pressure if glut, with Brent shedding about 0.9 per- with the banking sector in focus after global $3.9 trillion stock market beginning from next positive for growth. Abe were to call an election and emerge cent to $80.93 a barrel. US crude fell 0.9 regulators fined five major banks for failings in Monday. A snap election could cement Abe’s grip on victorious. to $77.25. Spot gold added about 0.2 per- currency trading. The regulators imposed Japan’s Nikkei stole the spotlight for most of power because opposition parties are too frag- “Deteriorating fiscal discipline is of cent to $1,166.90 an ounce, though the penalties totaling $3.4 billion on UBS, the session, jumping to a fresh seven-year high mented to win, despite a decline in the prime course a concern, but it is a mid- to long- dollar’s recent strength weighed on its Citigroup, HSBC, Royal Bank of Scotland and JP after local media said that Abe will postpone a minister’s approval ratings. “Short-term players term matter. Expectations towards fur- upside. — Reuters

:HGQHVGD\1RYHPEHU

,QGH[ &KDQJH &ORVLQJ /DVW&ORVLQJ +LJK /RZ

3ULFHLQGH[ Ÿ      9ROXPH 

:HLJKWHG,QGH[ ź     9DOXH .:'  .6; ź      1XPEHURI7UDGHV 

7UDGHV 7UDGHV

6HFXULW\ +LJK /RZ 9ROXPH 9DOXH .' 7UDGHV /DVW &KDQJH 6HFXULW\ +LJK /RZ 9ROXPH 9DOXH .' 7UDGHV /DVW &KDQJH

0$5,1       Ÿ  62.28.       Ÿ  ,.$586      ŷ  .5(       ź  ,3*      ŷ  85&       ź  1$3(6&2       ŷ  15(       ź  (1(5*<+       ŷ  65(     ŷ  TOKYO: A woman stands in front of an electronic stock board of a securities firm in *3,      Ÿ  3($5/       ź  Tokyo yesterday. Asian stocks rose yesterday, led by Tokyo’s Nikkei index, which hit a $%$5     ŷ  7$0       Ÿ  fresh seven-year high as the yen slumped further amid speculation of a snap 2LO *DV     Ÿ  $5((&       ź  Japanese election. — AP 0$66$/(+       ŷ  .)28&       ŷ  $5$%5(&       Ÿ  %3&&       ź  85(&     ŷ  $/.287       ŷ  (5(6&2       Ÿ  $/485$,1       ź  0$%$1((       ŷ  %DVLF0DWHULDOV     ź  ,1-$==$7       ź  Gold holds gains ,19(67256       ŷ  .&(0       Ÿ  ,5&       Ÿ  5()5,       Ÿ  $/7,-$5,$       ŷ  &$%/(       ŷ  6$1$0       Ÿ  Investors wary of rallies as dollar firms 6+,3       Ÿ  $$<$15(       ŷ  3&(0       ŷ  $4$5       Ÿ  SINGAPORE: Gold held overnight gains strong resistance around $1,180 - the key 3$3(5       ź  $/$4$5,$       ź  yesterday, but could struggle to sustain ral- technical level below which gold has been 05&       ŷ  0$=$<$       ŷ  lies with the US dollar close to four-year sold-off since Oct 31. “Gold appears stuck in $&,&2       ŷ  $'1&       Ÿ  **0&       ź  7+(0$5       ŷ  highs and outflows from bullion funds a tight $1,131-$1,181 trading range and is +&&       ŷ  7,-$5$       ź  showing no signs of abating. Holdings in likely to remain weak,” said HSBC analyst .3$.      ŷ  7$$0((5       Ÿ  SPDR Gold Trust, the world’s top gold- James Steel. Bullion is seen as an alterna- .%00&     ŷ  $5.$1       ź  backed exchange-traded fund, fell 0.12 per- tive investment to riskier assets such as 1,&%0     ŷ  $5*$1       ŷ  (48,30(17       ź  $%<$$5       ŷ  cent to 724.46 tons on Tuesday - a fresh six- equities during economic uncertainties. 1&&,     ŷ  0816+$$7       ŷ  year low. This is the fund’s sixth straight day But optimism over the US economic recov- *<3680       ŷ  ),567'8%$,       ź  of outflows and shows investor sentiment ery has boosted stocks and the dollar. The 6$/%22.+       ŷ  .%7       Ÿ  is bearish. greenback is also getting a leg-up from a $*/7<       Ÿ  5($0       ŷ  The ETF is seen as a good reflection of weaker yen, which is at a seven-year low ('8       ŷ  0(1$       ź  &/($1,1*       ź  $/08'21       ŷ  market sentiment due to the size of its against the dollar. &,7<*5283     ŷ  0$5$.(=       Ÿ  holdings. “I see no reason for gold to rally The Federal Reserve is also expected to .*/       ŷ  5(0$/       ŷ  with the dollar and equities so strong and raise interest rates sooner rather than later .&3&       ŷ  0$6+$(5       ź  an interest rate hike on the horizon,” said a due to the recovery. The move is likely to +80$162)7       ŷ  5HDO(VWDWH     ź  precious metals trader in Hong Kong. “Gold add more pressure on gold, a non-interest- 1$)$,6       Ÿ  6$):$1     ŷ  .,19       ŷ  is extremely sensitive to dollar-yen moves bearing asset. Gold producers are feeling *)&       ŷ  )$&,/       Ÿ  now and it should return to the downtrend the pinch of lower prices. South Africa’s 0$<$'((1       ź  ,)$       Ÿ  soon.” Spot gold edged up 0.3 percent to AngloGold Ashanti said it plans staff cuts &*&       ź  1,19       Ÿ  $1,168.30 an ounce by 0718 GMT, after through voluntary severances. Physical 07&&       ź  .352-       ŷ  gaining 1.2 percent on Tuesday from a soft- demand has shown signs of picking up. 83$&       ŷ  &2$67       Ÿ  $/$)&2       ŷ  6(&+     ŷ  er dollar. Premiums in top consumer China were 08%$55$'       ź  6*&       Ÿ  The metal has been unable to make a trading in a $2-$3 per ounce range over the /2*,67,&6       Ÿ  $5=$1       Ÿ  convincing break from a 4-1/2 year low of global benchmark. Last week, Chinese 6&(0       ŷ  0$5.$=       ź  $1,131.85 reached last weak and there is prices were largely at a discount. — Reuters *&(0       ź  .0(),&       Ÿ  4&(0       ŷ  $/$0$1       Ÿ  )&(0       ź  $/2/$       ź  5.:&       Ÿ  $/0$/       Ÿ  63(&       ŷ  *,+       Ÿ  Brent oil slips near $81 ,QGXVWULDOV     ź  $$<$1       ź  %$<$1,19       Ÿ  LONDON: Brent crude slipped near $81 a there is a floor (for Brent) at around $80 a .6+     ŷ  2628/       Ÿ  barrel yesterday, close to a four-year low barrel ... but I still see more to play out on 16+       ŷ  .),&       ŷ  3$3&2     ŷ  .$0&2       ŷ  as a mounting oil glut created by the US the downside,” he said. The market is still &$77/       ŷ  1,+       Ÿ  shale boom continued to outweigh con- assessing whether an OPEC cut of 500,000 '$1$+       ŷ  ,6.$1       Ÿ  cerns about supplies from Libya. With oil bpd would make oil prices more vulnera- 328/7    ŷ  0$'$5       Ÿ  prices having fallen 30 percent since June, ble to the impact of potential supply dis- )22'       ŷ  $/'((5$       Ÿ  &RQVXPHU*RRGV     Ÿ  $/6$/$0       ŷ  OPEC delegates are starting to suggest ruptions caused by geopolitical risks in (.77,7$%       Ÿ  the producer group could informally cut Libya and other oil producers, Spooner 0+&       ŷ  485$,1+/'       ŷ  output by around 500,000 barrels per day said. $7&   ŷ  $/0$',1$       ź  (bpd) when it meets in Vienna on Nov 27. Exports remained blocked at Libya’s <,$&2       ź  1225       Ÿ  But delegates within the Organization 120,000-bpd Hariga port by protesters +HDOWK&DUH     ź  7$0,19       ź  (;&+       ŷ  of the Petroleum Exporting Countries involved in a wage dispute although talks .&,1       ź  7$,%$     ŷ  warned an agreement will not be easy, to resolve the issue were under way, an .+27.+27     ź  ..6+&6+&            Ÿ  and many oil traders and analysts doubt oil official said on Tuesday. The El Sharara 68/7$1       ź  675$7(*,$     ŷ  members will take a decisive stance. “The oilfield was also still closed. “We see few &$%/(79       ŷ  .&,&       ŷ  consensus view is OPEC won’t take any factors in the short term that could stem (<$6     ŷ  0$1$)$(     ŷ  ,)$+5       ź  *1$+&       Ÿ  action, or if it does, not big enough or suf- the decline in prices besides a massive 28/$)8(/       ŷ  $0:$/       ź  ficiently definitive to have too much and prolonged outage of Libyan crude, 0817$=$+$7       ź  $/,07,$=       Ÿ  impact on prices,” said Ric Spooner, chief or OPEC intervention,” analysts at JBC -$=((5$       ŷ  0$1$=(/       Ÿ  market analyst at Sydney’s CMC Markets. Energy said in a note, adding they believe 6225       Ÿ  1,1'       Ÿ  Brent for December delivery fell 62 cents OPEC may cut output by 1 million bpd. )8785(.,'       ź  8,&       Ÿ  $/1$:$',     ŷ  %,,+&       ŷ  to $81.05 by 0900 GMT. It dropped 67 US oil inventory data due today could $/5$,       Ÿ  6(1(5*<       Ÿ  cents on Tuesday after first touching show a build in crude stocks of 800,000 =,0$+       ŷ  $*+&       ź  $80.46, its lowest since September 2010. barrels in the week ended Nov 7, accord- 8),*       ŷ  .33&       ź  US crude was down 66 cents at $77.28 ing to a Reuters poll of analysts. The .287)22'       ź  7$+66,/$7       ŷ  &RQVXPHU6HUYLFHV     ź  -((5$1+    ŷ  a barrel. Oversupply, doubts over whether weekly fuel stocks data from the (.+2/',1*       ŷ  OPEC will cut production and a strong American Petroleum Institute and US =$,1       ŷ  *)+       Ÿ  dollar were weighing on prices, said Ben Energy Information Administration has 225('22       ź  ,129(67       ŷ  Le Brun, market analyst at Sydney’s been delayed by one day due to a federal +,767(/(&       ź  )LQDQFLDO6HUYLFHV     Ÿ  OptionsExpress. “I would like to think holiday. — Reuters 7HOHFRPPXQLFDWLRQV     ź  ,QYHVWPHQW,QVWUXPHQWV     ŷ  1%.       Ÿ  *%.       ŷ  $6&       ŷ  &%.       ŷ  6$)7(&    ŷ  DAMAC to focus on $%.       ŷ  )8785(       ŷ  $/087$+('       ŷ  +$<$7&200       ź  .,%       ŷ  7HFKQRORJ\     ŷ  Gulf as profit jumps %85*       Ÿ  .),1       ŷ  %$5((4     ŷ  %28%<$1       ź  $)$4       ź  DUBAI: Dubai-based property developer said. “We’re looking at more opportunities $8%       ŷ  $/6+$0(/       ŷ  DAMAC will limit new projects to the Gulf in Saudi Arabia, but a lot of territories in the ,7+05       Ÿ  6$)5(       Ÿ  due to turmoil in other parts of the Middle region have issues and we’re not going to :$5%$%$1.       ź  $-:$1     ŷ  East, the firm said yesterday after it report- those countries. We don’t have any inten- %DQNV     ź  0$6$.(1       ŷ  '$/4$1       ŷ  ed a 166 percent jump in third-quarter net tion to go into Egypt or Syria or Iraq. We’re .,16       ŷ  $/(,'     ŷ profit. Dubai house prices fell by more than going to stay in the GCC.” The GCC (Gulf *,16     ŷ  0,'$1       ŷ  half from a 2008 peak due to oversupply Cooperation Council) consists of the UAE, $,16       ŷ  )/(;     ŷ  and the emirate’s debt crisis, but have ral- Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and :,16       Ÿ  7+85$<$       ŷ  lied to roughly pre-crisis levels over the Bahrain. DAMAC will complete previously .8:$,75(     ŷ  .&/,1,&   ŷ  )7,       ŷ  $0$5    ŷ  past two years. The rebound has led other announced projects outside the GCC, :(7+$4     ŷ 3DUDOOHO0DUNHW     ź  Dubai developers to refocus on the United which include developments in Jordan and %.,.:7       ŷ  Arab Emirates (UAE) after struggling Lebanon. The company said in a statement ,QVXUDQFH     Ÿ  abroad. it made a net profit of $224.3 million in the )RUPRUHLQIRUPDWLRQFDOO*OREDO,QYHVWPHQW+RXVHRQZZZJOREDOLQYQHW “The focus will remain on the UAE,” three months to Sept 30, up from $84.4 mil- DAMAC Chief Executive Hussain Sajwani lion a year earlier. — Reuters THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 BUSINESS

Economic headwinds threaten G20 growth pledge

BRISBANE: G20 leaders will this week- the currently projected level in the G20 produce tangible progress in contain the risk of systemic failures, given huge tax breaks to hundreds of and poses a major risk to world end pledge to rev up combined next five years, via domestic policy Brisbane or risk becoming a forum for and ways to close tax loopholes that global firms. That cast a new spotlight growth”. But if the G20 can deliver on growth by two trillion dollars but ana- reforms, and so generate millions of empty political statements. “This are used by many multinational com- on the European Union heading into its pledges, she said: “The potential lysts are skeptical of success with key new jobs. But analysts are not con- seems to be the case with the current panies. The fight against fiscal cheats the G20, with OECD chief economist pay-off from the structural reform pistons of the global economic engine vinced the rhetoric will be matched by ‘growth and resilience’ agenda includ- took on added significance last week Catherine Mann warning that “overall, agenda under consideration is tremen- such as Germany and China starting to results when several major economies ing the two percent target,” he said. with revelations that Luxembourg had the euro area is grinding to a standstill dous.” —AFP misfire, and Japan again at risk of are facing new headwinds, despite US “The G20 agenda is short on policy going into reverse. With Barack growth perking up enough to allow specifics to achieve this target. It is also Obama, China’s Xi Jinping and Vladimir the Federal Reserve to row back from short on genuinely new ideas to Putin of Russia among the leaders its ultra-easy monetary policy. achieve this target. “So it’s unclear how coming to the Brisbane summit, the G20 expects to achieve the higher geopolitical issues will not be far from ‘Not that scary’ growth target given slower growth in the surface given the conflicts in Syria Growth remains disappointing in Germany and China and the end of and Ukraine, the rise of the Islamic Europe with Germany no longer easy money in the US and UK.” State group and the devastating immune to the pressures that have impact of Ebola. But host Australia has long been buffeting some of its lead- Too many vested interests? worked hard to narrow the agenda ing trading partners. Japan is once The Organization for Economic and concentrate on economic issues at again throwing out huge amounts of Cooperation and Development (OECD) a time when the United States appears money to prop up growth after two wants the world’s leading countries to finally to be kicking into gear just as decades of stagnation. Even China, the step up measures to support flagging challenges emerge elsewhere to the world’s economic locomotive, is start- global growth, in particular urging the growth outlook. “It won’t be a talkfest,” ing to falter-although Xi said at a sepa- European Central Bank to overcome its Prime Minister Tony Abbott said this rate summit of Asia-Pacific leaders in reluctance against Fed-style “quantita- week, vowing robust discussions not Beijing this week that his country’s out- tive easing”. But Nicholas Reece, from just on growth but on G20 priorities look was “not that scary” as it down- the Melbourne School of Government such as going after companies and shifts to a more sustainable rate of and School of Social and Political investors that profit from the differ- growth. G20 nations say some 900 Sciences, says the G20 is hobbled by its ences between tax regimes around the measures on how to meet their goal sheer size and diversity, with members world. have been agreed so far, including at different stages of economic devel- G20 members make up 85 percent accelerating infrastructure investment, opment. “Put simply, there are too of the world economy, so have the financial reform and encouraging free many diverse competing interests at clout to effect far-reaching change. trade. But observers say the details are the table making it very difficult to get Australia has focused its presidency on still missing. agreement on real reform,” he said. LOAMI: A central Illinois farmer uses a John Deere combine to harvest his soybean field in Loami, a commitment by members to raise Mark Melatos, senior lecturer at the The Brisbane summit will also focus Ill. Global growth is the buzzword for the Nov 15-16, 2014 summit of leaders from the 20 biggest the level of their combined economic School of Economics at the University on reforms to the world’s financial sys- industrialized and developing economies in Brisbane, Australia, and there is pressure on the del- output by at least two percent above of Sydney, said it was important the tem, such as capital rules for banks to egates to deliver on an ambitious plan to boost the world’s GDP by more than $2 trillion. —AP Cambodia hikes garment workers wages to $128 Hike fell short of union demands

PHNOM PENH: Cambodia raised conditions in Cambodia’s lucrative garment industry employs about applies to textile, garment and the minimum monthly wage for garment industry are frequent and 650,000 people in Cambodia and footwear workers who will still garment workers to $128 yester- sometimes turn violent. A crack- is a key source of foreign income receive benefits including an extra day after a series of strikes and down on striking garment workers for the impoverished country. The $10 per month for regular atten- protests over pay and conditions, in early January left at least four kingdom earned around $5.5 bil- dance and an extra seven dollars but the hike fell short of union people dead. Garment worker lion in garment exports last year. per month for transportation and demands. The 28 percent raise for Prum Savy, 28, who works in one A month after the mass strike rent, according to the labor min- employees who currently earn a of the hundreds of factories on the and subsequent bloody crack- istry. Cambodia is one of the poor- minimum of $100 a month to outskirts of the capital, told AFP down in January, the minimum est countries in Southeast Asia, make clothes for firms including she was willing to join further wage was increased from $95 to with around 20 percent of the GAP, Levi’s, H&M, Puma and ZARA protests for a better wage hike. “I $100 per month. At least six union population-or 2.8 million people- MUMBAI: Employees of nationalized banks shout slogans as they gather for will take effect on 1 January, 2015, am happy with the increase, but leaders face charges in connection living on less than $1.25 per per- a meeting during a day long strike demanding better wages among other the labor ministry said. this is not enough. I want more,” with that strike, according to rights son per day, according to the things in Mumbai yesterday. —AP “I believe that workers will she said. The multi-billion dollar activists. The new monthly wage World Bank.—AFP improve their living standards from previous years and that fac- India’s industrial production tories will be able to pay the wage,” Labor Minister Ith Samheng jumps 2.5%, inflation eases told reporters in Phnom Penh after a meeting between government NEW DELHI: India’s industrial production interest rates elevated to combat stubborn officials, unionists and factory rep- grew by a stronger-than-expected 2.5 inflation. But separate data showed India’s resentatives. But garment workers percent in September, according to gov- inflation had slowed to a record-low in and trade unionists-who have campaigned for international buy- ernment data released yesterday, boost- October of 5.52 percent, pushed down by ers to lift their basic wage-said the ed by consumer demand during the main big falls in food and oil costs. The figures hike was too small. religious festival season, while retail price fanned hopes that India’s hawkish central “We are not satisfied with the inflation fell to a record low. The 2.5 per- bank could respond positively to business figure yet. The increase is still low. cent output expansion by factories, demands for interest rate cuts to spur We want at least $140 a month,” mines and utilities in September from the growth-boosting investment. Ath Thorn, president of the same month a year ago was far higher The inflation data was broadly in line Coalition of Cambodian Apparel than the 0.6 percent forecast by financial with market expectations and marked Workers Democratic Union said. markets. The production figures were the lowest figure since India started cal- Unionists and workers will meet in good news for the right-wing govern- culating retail inflation numbers in the coming days to decide ment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi January 2012. Foreign investors have whether to accept the increase or who took office in May following a land- poured money into Indian stocks in continue their campaign for high- slide election win on pledges of reviving hopes the new government’s moves to er wages, he added. Earlier the growth in Asia’s third-largest economy. clear infrastructure projects and create a union had demanded a minimum Manufacturing production, which rep- more favorable business climate will lift monthly wage of $177 but resents three-quarters of the Index of growth and help India emulate China’s reduced the figure after negotia- Industrial Production, climbed by 2.5 per- economic ascent. Modi has been seeking tions with the government and cent in September from the same month a to slash red tape, attract global firms to factories. Cambodia’s garment sec- year earlier. India’s economy has posted “make in India” and stimulate the manu- tor, a key source of export earn- two years of sub-five-percent growth, facturing sector to create jobs for the ings, has been hit by a series of strikes and protests over wages marking the longest slowdown in a quar- army of young people who enter the and working conditions in facto- PHNOM PENH: Cambodian garment workers buy fish in front of a factory in Phnom Penh yester- ter-century, as the central bank has kept workforce each year. —AFP ries producing items for top day. The Cambodian government yesterday raised the minimum wage for its garment workers Western brands. by 28 percent, following a series of strikes and protests over pay and conditions, to the dismay Disputes over wages, safety and of unionists. —AFP SBM Offshore settles bribery case for $240m; shares jump Struggle for Libya oilfield AMSTERDAM: SBM Offshore NV has authorities showing payments were settled a bribery case with Dutch pros- made from a sales agent’s offshore ecutors for $240 million including a entities to government officials. In reflects fractured nation $40,000 fine, sending shares in the Equatorial Guinea, prosecutors said Dutch oil platform leasing firm up more “payments took place with the knowl- than 20 percent yesterday. The settle- edge of people who at the time were CAIRO: Libya’s biggest oilfield, shut down by Local armed residents have twice shut down biggest functional field - was protected by Zintan ment, which was in line with provisions SBM Offshore employees, including ... gunmen last week, may struggle to rebuild pro- the field since October 2013 to make financial fighters allied to Thinni’s government until fight- already taken, ends a two-and-a-half a member of the management board.” duction as the conflict splintering the desert and political demands such as asking for better ers from the Dawn - mostly drawn from the west- year inquiry into improper payments to SBM Offshore paid an agent in nation draws in ever more groups of fighters, political representation or national identity cards ern coastal town of Misrata - arrived. government officials in Angola, Brazil Angola $18.8 million, which was including poor southern tribes staking a claim to needed to claim state benefits. That situation Politically the Operation Dawn forces are part- land resources. The 340,000-barrels-a day El has worsened since summer as the fighting and ly linked to Islamists and the Muslim and Equatorial Guinea by sales agents reportedly used to pay for a car, prop- Sharara oilfield was attacked last week by gun- political struggle hampered work at government Brotherhood. The Zintanis are part of a national- between 2007 and 2011. Dutch prose- erty, health insurance and school fees, men who shut off a main source of government ministries and cut off supply routes. Everything ist-leaning alliance allied to Thinni’s government cutors said in a statement on prosecutors said. In Angola, around revenue and shattered hopes the oil industry from food to medicine to bank notes has and also have links to general Khalifa Haftar, an Wednesday that payments made with $22.7 million was paid to agents and would escape Libya’s turmoil three years after become more difficult to find. “People in the ex-Gaddafi general who is fighting Islamists in the cooperation of SBM Offshore used to pay for “travel and study costs the ouster of Muammar Gaddafi. While oil work- south do not benefit at all from the oil,” said Benghazi. “A group allied to Misrata has seized employees constituted “the indictable to one or more Angolan government ers said the main gunmen were fighters sup- Ibrahim Karnafuda, a member of the House of the field,” said a senior oil worker who did not offence of bribery.” The settlement officials or their relatives.” SBM porting Operation Dawn - the armed group that Representatives from Ubari, a town next to the El want to be named. Abdulhamid Kraaer, com- seized Tripoli in August and prompted Prime Sharara field. “Young people think they are enti- mander of the Zintan-led oil protection force, means that SBM Offshore will not be Offshore said in a statement that the Minister Abdullah Al-Thinni to flee east - they tled to protect the field because it lies in their confirmed his men had withdrawn, acknowledg- prosecuted in the Netherlands, but the US Department of Justice had also were backed by other fighters from the region, area.” ing defeat, but he said more clashes could be individuals involved could face charges dropped its inquiry. “We can now locals say. expected. in other countries. focus on the future, secure in the But, the locals added, that alliance could be Well armed With cell phones only working intermittently A total of around $200 million in knowledge that we have put in place only temporary as the desert south is controlled The competing groups are not short of muni- in the remote south it was hard to confirm pre- commissions was paid to sales agents an enhanced compliance culture by tribes who take few orders from anyone. So tions, seized during the 2011 uprising from cise details of what happened. The worker and working for SBM Offshore, and Dutch which embeds our core values,” Chief the battle for the oil field in the deep south of Gaddafi arsenals and Western allies which some Libyan news websites said a third force had Libya’s Sahara desert seems likely to replicate the shipped them in, and now distributed widely exploited the security vacuum, stealing equip- investigators said part of those pay- Executive Bruno Chabas said in a same fractured and complicated pattern seen throughout the country. From light arms such as ment and vehicles from the field. State National ments went on to government offi- statement welcoming the settlement. throughout the rest of the country - which has Kalashnikovs, pistols, and hand grenades to Oil Corp, whose headquarters are in Tripoli con- cials. In contrast to an internal inquiry SBM Offshore said it is unclear how already had two governments and parliaments Toyota trucks mounted with anti-aircraft guns, trolled by the new rival government, said it want- at SBM Offshore which did not find various ongoing investigations in since the summer - as towns fight towns and fighters are well armed. Neither side seems to be ed to restart the field - eager to show the world evidence of improper payments in Brazil will affect its business, but that it tribes take on tribes. Heightening the tension is able to dominate each other as battle grounds and oil companies that the situation was under Brazil, Dutch prosecutors said they will soon start talks with state-run oil the fact that the south - known by its historic are often not easy to reach. The south in particu- control. But one El Sharara worker contacted by received information from Brazilian company Petrobras. —Reuters name Fezzan - is the poorest region in Libya, lar suffers from a lack of good roads and as a Reuters said he and his colleagues were staying largely overlooked by Tripoli governments who result the situation there is likely to remain fluid home: “Workers will only come back when it is exploited the oil but did little to develop the area. for some time. The El Sharara field - Libya’s safe.” —Reuters BUSINESS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014

CFA Institute research challenge to focus on Zain Top universities in Kuwait to compete for place in Amsterdam KUWAIT: Chartered Financial Analyst Society Kuwait group revenues that amounted $3.3 billion as at the end core principles of ethics and best practices. It is our great (CFA), the local society of CFA Institute, the world’s pre- of the third quarter 2014. pleasure to have top universities in Kuwait eager to par- eminent association of investment professionals, will In regard to the future growth potential of data serv- ticipate again this year in this competition. I wish them all host its annual research challenge in Kuwait for a second ice revenues for Zain, Matta pointed out that there are a the best of luck.” consecutive year focusing on Zain’s operational and number of markets within Zain’s portfolio (namely Iraq Robin Bhattacharya, Education Committee chair com- financial performance. Over the next few months, 20 stu- and Sudan) whereby the infrastructure of third genera- mented on the competition: “This competition is further dents will compete in four teams from 4 universities, and tion and fourth generation services are at an early stage evidence of the continued educational work CFA business schools including: American University of of development or non-existent mainly due to the Institute and CFA Society Kuwait are doing to help sup- Kuwait, American University of the Middle East, issuance of licenses. On a final note, Matta pointed out to port the investment professionals of tomorrow. It is my Australian College of Kuwait, and Kuwait University. the students that as a pioneer and one of the fastest great pleasure to be part of this growing initiative and The teams will review Zain Group, the leading mobile growing telecommunication companies in the region wish all students the best of luck. I would like to thank and data services operator with a commercial footprint in over the last decade, Zain management and its board of Zain management for agreeing to be the subject compa- eight Middle Eastern and African countries. Each team Directors have always been put into consideration the ny of the research challenge; we appreciate their time will be mentored by a professional research analyst and interests of shareholders when making any decisions and effort in supporting the participants.” The CFA at the end of the process they will write a research report relating to expansion or investment plans. Institute Research Challenge comprises: which they will then present to a team of judges. The He also highlighted that Zain was once the fourth winning team will then go forward to compete at the largest telecommunications company in the world in Analysis Of Publicly-Traded Company: Research EMEA regional competition in Amsterdam, Netherlands terms of geographical footprint once reaching a market Challenge Teams research a publicly traded company. and potentially global finals in Atlanta, Georgia, USA in Ossama Matta capitalization of $34 billion on the Kuwait Stock The company’s management presents information to the April 2015. enhancing customer experience to retain and attract cus- Exchange as well as noting that the Zain brand had a val- student teams and is available to answer student ques- The CFA Institute Research Challenge offers students tomers; increasing operational efficiencies and cost opti- uation of $2.9 billion, all before the onslaught of the 2008 tions. the unique opportunity to develop and present an equi- mization together with driving synergies between opera- global financial crisis and the sale of 15 African assets in Mentoring By A Professional Research Analyst: Each ty research report and compete on a global basis. tions; further training and development of Zain’s work- 2010 for $10.7 billion. Today Zain’s brand valuation is in team works with a CFA charterholder who mentors the Students will learn from leading industry experts and force; as well as the renewed focus of entering into the vicinity of $1.2 billion and the market capitalization in team during the research process and reviews and cri- their mentors and peers from the world’s top business enterprise and business digital related areas and offering the vicinity of $ 10 billion. tiques its report. schools. This annual educational initiative is designed to customers new innovative solutions. “ He concluded his presentation by disclosing that Zain Writing A Research Report: Each team produces an promote best practices in equity research among the Matta also advised the students of Zains’s extensive has distributed around $ 10 billion in cash dividends over Initiation of Coverage report on its chosen company. The next generation of analysts through hands-on mentoring regional footprint across eight countries highlighting the last 10 years, creating enormous wealth for its sharehold- report is reviewed and scored by a group of judges. and intensive training in company analysis and presenta- similarities and synergies between these markets, noting ers. He also advised the audience of Zain Group’s finan- Presentation Of Research To A Panel Of Experts: The tion skills. Zain’s customer market leadership in six of the eight mar- cial performance for the past nine months, whereby the teams’ final presentations are locally evaluated by panels The announcement of this initiative follows a keynote kets and market revenue share leadership in four mar- company recorded revenues of $ 3.3 billion, EBITDA of $ of experts from top financial institutions. Panelists presentation made by Ossama Matta, Zain Group’s Chief kets. “ Furthermore Matta elaborated to the students on 1.38 billion reflecting a margin of 42.2%,net profit of $ include heads of research, portfolio managers, and chief Financial Officer to the CFA last week, whereby Matta the impressive growth of data related revenues, a direct 570 million reflecting earnings per share of 41 fils. investment officers from the world’s top firms. The team detailed Zain’s historical financial performance, current result of the huge investments undertaken by Zain in the Rafik Hafez, President of CFA Society Kuwait said:”This with the highest combined written report and presenta- challenges and growth opportunities to the 20 student expansion and modernization of 3G and 4G networks to is a national challenge that brings together top universi- tion score is the winner and advances to the regional lev- audience. During his presentation Matta highlighted meet customer demand. Across all the Group, data rev- ties, their students and investment professionals in an el of the Research Challenge. Regional winners then how Zain is transforming itself to address the challenges enues (with the exception of SMS and value added serv- exciting and competitive forum. Those taking part will progress to compete at the global finale. At the regional the company is facing across its markets, restructuring of ices) grew by 16% over the last 12 months to total get a practical insight to the work of a financial analyst to and global stages of the Research Challenge, teams are the Group’s strategy to focus on several key areas, namely approximately $495 million, representing 15% of total the very best international standards, incorporating the evaluated solely on their presentations. Agility records a Q3 profit of KD13.04m Third-quarter revenues hit KD337.09 million KUWAIT: Agility yesterday reported a new Q3 tion and productivity initiatives. Agility offerings to meet their needs. We remain com- 2014 profit of KD 13.04 million, or 11.90 fils per Infrastructure companies continue to grow, mitted to financial disciplines that allow us to share, an increase of 7% from the same period fueled by new opportunities in the Middle East run a lean, efficient business,” Sultan said. in 2013. Third-quarter revenues were KD 337.09 and Africa,” said Tarek Sultan, Agility’s Chief Agility’s Infrastructure companies con- million, a 3% increase from the same period a Executive Officer. “Agility also remains open to tributed KD69.39 million to third quarter 2014 year earlier. EBITDA was KD25.50 million, an 8% any business opportunity that might be accre- revenues, a 16% increase over Q3 2013. Agility increase compared to Q3 2013 with margin tive in value for our shareholders.” Sultan added. Real Estate grew revenue by 11% this quarter improving from 7.23% in Q3 2013 to 7.57% in compared with the same period last year. this quarter. For the first 9 months of 2014, Agility’s Global Integrated Logistics “Agility Infrastructure companies posted strong Agility reported a net profit of KD 37.14 million GIL revenue for the third quarter of 2014 was results this quarter and are expected to contin- with an earnings-per-share of 33.90 fils, an KD 267.80 million a 4% decline from the same ue to grow through investments in emerging increase of 10% from the same period of 2013. period last year; however, net revenues have markets,” Sultan said. “Agility sees Africa as a Gulf Bank wins ‘Bank Revenues for the same period were KD993.06 improved by 2.2%, with margins expanding major opportunity for all of its business going million, a 4% decrease from same period last from 21.8% in Q3 2013 to 23.34% in Q3 2014 forward.” year. EBITDA increased by 6% to reach KD73.13 driven by better performance of contract logis- Among the major recent business develop- of the Year’ award million. tics specifically in the Middle East. “We have ments and new contracts for infra group: a $250 “Agility continues to grow the bottom line managed to stay agile and responsive in a world million concession won by Agility’s National KUWAIT: Gulf Bank has announced that it efforts of Gulf Bank’s team, from the top with all entities showing improvements in their where growth is slowing, trade patterns are Aviation Services (NAS) for ground handling at has won the ‘Bank of the Year’ award from management to junior staff members, who financial performance. The Agility Global changing and competition is intensifying. We Port Bouet Airport, the primary international Arabian Business, one of the most respect- have all played a vital role in making Gulf Integrated Logistics (GIL) business, our core have shown good progress in our technology airport into Abidjan, Ivory Coast; an $82.5 mil- ed business magazines in the Middle East. Bank the best bank in Kuwait. Gulf Bank commercial business, saw revenues contract driven transformation, where we are building a lion contract awarded by UK Ministry of Defense Ahmad Al Duwaisan, Deputy General continually seeks to be innovative, to raise because of the wind down of major project new operating system aimed at improving pro- to Agility DGS for the management of house- Manager - Corporate Banking was present- standards, and set the benchmark for bank- logistics contracts. At the same time managed ductivity, service and growth. On the commer- hold moves for the UK forces and Ministry of ed with the award during an awards cere- ing excellence in the region. The Bank is to improve net revenue margins by boosting cial side, we have a sales strategy aimed at both Defense personnel; an investment agreement mony in Dubai, which took place at a gala frequently honored with prestigious commercial performance in other areas and global accounts and field sales that allows us to by United Projects for Aviation Services (UPAC) dinner at JW Marriott Marquis, on Monday awards and accolades’, most recently, the realizing gains in technology-driven transforma- stay close to customers and evolve our service develop a commercial mall in Abu Dhabi. 10 November 2014. The award endorses ‘Best Domestic Payments and Cash Gulf Bank’s position as one of Kuwait’s lead- Management Bank in Kuwait’ by Asian ing banks, and one that consistently pro- Banker, ‘Best Domestic Retail Bank’ and vides its customers with the best and the ‘Best Human Resources Development’ fastest banking services possible. awards for 2014 from Banker Middle East, It is also an acknowledgment of the STP Award from Citibank. Markaz’s AUM increased by 11% to KD 1.12 billion KUWAIT: Kuwait Financial Centre “Markaz” agement (AUM) reached KD 1.12 billion as of [KSE: Markaz, Reuters: MARKZ.KW, Sept 30th, 2014; an increase of over 11% Bloomberg: MARKAZ: KK] announced a net compared to Sept 31, 2013. Markaz was profit attributable to shareholders of KD recently awarded “Best Asset Manager in 6.31 million (EPS 13 Fils per share) for the Kuwait” award by Global Investor Magazine; nine months ending 30th September 2014, it is the fifth consecutive year Markaz wins as compared with a net profit of 5.81 million this award. Markaz also won Euromoney’s (EPS 12 Fils per share) during the same peri- “Best Investment Bank in Kuwait” prize for od in 2013. Markaz’s total assets under man- the second consecutive year in 2014. Unhappy Yahoo investors asking AOL for a rescue NEW YORK: At least two top-10 Yahoo Inc business, merging them into AOL, one Yahoo shareholders are so unhappy with Chief investor who has spoken with the activist Executive Marissa Mayer’s turnaround efforts said. That would leave Yahoo’s holdings in that they are making a direct plea to AOL Inc Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group TOKYO: Visitors look at displays of Japanese auto parts maker Takata Corp at a car showroom in Tokyo yesterday. — AFP CEO Tim Armstrong to explore a merger and Holding Ltd and Yahoo Japan Corp in a sepa- run the combined company. Their move fol- rate company, satisfying investors who want Takata airbag defect explodes into global crisis lows an activist campaign by hedge fund the company to monetize those assets. Starboard Value LP, which is pushing Yahoo to Starboard was once active in AOL and lost a TOKYO: Japanese auto parts maker Takata is facing sending metal and plastic shrapnel into the vehicle based auto analyst Scott Upham said in an e-mail to consider a deal with AOL and unlock Yahoo’s 2012 battle to unseat three board directors. the biggest test in its 80-year history amid lawsuits, a cabin,” said US law firm Hagens Berman, which is AFP, as he pointed to Toyota’s deal this year to pay $1.2 valuable stakes in Asian Web companies. Yahoo’s market value is about $47 billion, possible criminal probe, and accusations of “deception involved in a class-action lawsuit against Takata and billion to settle US criminal charges that it tried to cov- Armstrong has been receptive to these Yahoo while its Alibaba stake alone is worth $44 bil- and obfuscation” over an air bag defect linked to sev- Honda. er up deadly vehicle accelerator defects. shareholders and acknowledged the potential lion, meaning the current Yahoo share price eral US deaths. The company’s shares have plunged as “Rather than take the issue head-on and immedi- Upham also warned of a criminal prosecution of benefits of a deal, the Yahoo investors said. reflects little value to the core business. Some a pair of US senators call for a criminal probe, while the ately do everything in their power to prevent further Takata executives if the “allegations of testing data But he has downplayed the possibility of a of the investors see the email, Web site and New York Times reported that the world’s second- injury and loss of life, Takata and Honda have engaged deletion, destroying of test samples and not reporting transaction, according to the investors and other operations worth as much as $7 billion. biggest airbag maker covered up the fatal defect for in a ten-year pattern of deception and obfuscation.” these issues to the US government are indeed true”. Its two sources close to AOL. There are no talks Armstrong, a former Google executive years-investigators are probing key client Honda over Attention has focused on a Takata plant in Mexico brand will be “tarnished in the eyes of Japanese between the two companies and Armstrong who has been at the helm at AOL since similar allegations. The problems at Tokyo-based amid suspicions the defect may be linked to a chemi- automakers but more impact will be felt from has indicated he would only consider a 2009, is credited with reviving a dying Takata have also laid bare the challenges of a global cal propellant used to inflate the airbags which can American and European automakers”, he added. friendly deal, the investors said. AOL and brand, helped by a set of purchases includ- supply chain. Nearly a dozen automotive clients more easily rupture in areas with high humidity. Police Founded in 1933 as a textile company, Takata evolved Yahoo declined to comment. The total hold- ing Adap.TV, an automated video advertis- including Honda, Toyota and General Motors are reportedly investigated at least one driver death in the into an automotive parts giant that started selling ings of the Yahoo shareholders who had ing platform. AOL’s market cap of $3.5 bil- recalling millions of cars over fears their airbags could US as a murder due to woman’s grisly injuries, until airbags in the 1980s and now has dozens of plants made overtures to Armstrong could not be lion has roughly doubled in value during his improperly inflate and rupture, potentially firing dead- their focus switched to the vehicle’s airbag. and offices in 20 countries, including the United determined. Two top-10 AOL investors said tenure. Yahoo stock has tripled since Mayer ly shrapnel at the occupants. States,China and Mexico. that they also met with Armstrong in recent joined Yahoo as CEO in July 2012, but ana- Former Takata employees told the Times that ‘Tarnished’ brand The airbag division accounts for about 40 percent weeks to discuss the possibility of a deal with lysts say those gains have been primarily secret tests were conducted a full decade ago to inves- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of its total revenue, which amounted to 556.99 billion Yahoo. These shareholders were left with the driven by the rapid appreciation in the val- tigate the defect, but executives ordered the destruc- (NHTSA), the US auto safety regulator, has expanded yen ($4.88 billion) last fiscal year. Takata has warned impression that a combined company could ue of its Asian assets. Mayer has urged tion of data that exposed design flaws. The allegations its “urgent” warning to owners of cars with affected over a bigger-than-expected annual loss, but has kept yield as much as $1.5 billion in cost savings. investors to be patient for what she has said have set off a string of lawsuits over four possible airbags to take them to dealers to fix the problem. largely silent on the defect that has plunged the firm Starboard, which did not speak to Reuters, will be a multi-year effort to revitalize the airbag-related deaths, and hundreds of injuries. “Fines from US regulatory organizations are not into crisis. Executive vice President Yoichiro Nomura wants Yahoo to spin off its Web and email company. — Reuters “Instead of safely deploying airbags to protect vehicle known at present, but could be significant depending told a Tokyo press briefing last week that the firm “sin- occupants, the defective Takata inflators...explode, on the outcome of the current investigations,” US- cerely apologizes” for the defect. — AFP THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 technology

From doomsday to fact: Science lifts veil on comets

PARIS: For millennia, the sight of a comet filled flared into life in a halo of dust and gas-the stuff that humans with awe or dread. The birth of Jesus, the eventually formed the planets and other bodies. assassination of Julius Caesar, the Great Plague of Today, the Solar System is considered a pretty quiet London, the coming of war or peace, bountiful har- place compared to 4.6 billion years ago, when it was vests or famine... all thought to be portended by a shooting gallery. cosmic herald. Bit by bit, mysticism about comets The nascent Earth would have been whacked has been replaced by fact as scientists discover over and over again by comets and asteroids, more about these epic and ancient travelers of the swelling the planet in size and depositing ice, which skies. on some theories became today’s oceans. “This As it turns out, comets may be more extraordi- would have created a wonderful culture medium-a nary than even the deepest superstition could imag- liquid enabling highly rich carbon material to react ine. They may even have brought life to our planet, and create prebiotic chemistry,” said Rocard. “It according to some theories. For decades, astro- would have led to the first membranes and ulti- physicists have debated whether, at the dawn of our mately the first cells-life itself,” he said. The key to Solar System, comets peppered Earth with some of confirming this theory lies in the ratio of hydrogen the chemical essentials for life as we know it. The and deuterium on the comet, which will be com- Rosetta mission hopes to provide an answer. It com- pared to the chemical make-up of water on Earth. prises a three-ton orbiter which on Wednesday sent Doomed to orbit the Sun in elliptical circuits, comets down a 100-kilogramme (220-pound) robot lab, undergo thermal and gravity stress as they near the Philae, to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. star. Some of their ice is melted and transformed “Comets are the most ancient objects in the Solar into gusts of gas, the bright “coma” around a comet’s DARMSTADT: A model of the landing module “Philae” is pictured at the ESA/ESOC (European Space System,” Francis Rocard of France’s National Centre head. Agency/European Space Operation Center) in Darmstadt, western Germany yesterday as European for Space Studies (CNES), told AFP. probe Philae is poised to land on a comet, the culmination of a historic quest to explore an enigma “We want to know if comets played a part in pro- Hairy star of the Solar System. — AFP viding Earth with water and carbon. There is no The gassy wake, and dust loosened by the melt- show that comets orbit the Sun and return regularly. are believed to return to the Kuiper Belt, just beyond doubt that the results from Rosetta and Philae will ing ice, creates a spectacular tail reflected in the Just over 5,000 comets have been observed since the orbit of Neptune. “Long period” comets return to shake up what we know.” Dubbed “dirty snowballs” Sun’s rays and may stretch across millions of kilome- the first recorded sighting by Chinese skygazers the Oort Cloud, a vast, frigid, dark place on the Solar by US astronomer Fred Whipple, comets are ters. The word for comet comes from “stella around 240 BC. But some experts believe there System’s fringes. Some of these last swung by more deemed to be clusters of primeval carbon and ice, cometa”-Latin for “long-haired star”. The best-known could be as many as a trillion out there, the than 100,000 years ago, when Homo sapiens ven- typically a few kilometers (miles) across. Blacker is Halley’s Comet, named after 17th-century English European Space Agency says. “Short period” comets tured out of Africa, at the start of our conquest of than coal, they were formed shortly after the Sun astronomer Edmond Halley, who was the first to take less than 200 years to complete an orbit. They the planet.— AFP

Dubai’s Kooora vies to be Middle East top website

DUBAI: Arabic sports website Kooora the Arab world, while about 400 volun- began as a hobby for Bahraini soccer teers fact-check and moderate user-gen- fanatic Khalid Aldoseri 12 years ago, and erated content and maintain its statistics today it is among the most visited in the database that stretches back to 1901 and Middle East, attracting daily page views includes about 1 million matches. that often dwarf its corporate rivals. “We’re at the forefront and publish Kooora, owned by Aldoseri via parent stories quickly - we’re challenging the firm NetiZen, relocated to Dubai from dominance of broadcast,” said Aldoseri. Bahrain in 2012 as part of an expansion He said the website, which gets its rev- plan that will double its staff to about 80 enue from advertising, was profitable, by 2015. It launched in 2002. “For a long but declined to give more details. “A lot time Kooora was a one-man show, I was of international sites, like Google, Yahoo, doing all the coding, management, have come in and grabbed a massive everything. Over the last five years it’s share of the advertising market,” said changed into a fully-fledged enterprise,” Aldoseri. “What’s left for home-grown said Aldoseri. Kooora was the Middle East websites is really small. It’s a vicious and Africa’s most visited website in April, cycle, it doesn’t help home-grown web- according to independent analysts sites to survive for more than a couple of Effective Measure, attracting 1.57 million years.” unique visitors daily. Saudi newspaper Saudi Arabia is Kooora’s most impor- sabq.org was second with 1.13 million, tant market, accounting for about a quar- while regional television network MBC’s ter of visitors, according to Effective 650,364 put it third. Measure, and so is the main target for the As a football-led website, April and site’s advertisers. “Most of international May are Kooora’s peak months when the and corporate clients are in Dubai, but 75 major European leagues and the percent of their advertising activities are Champions League reach their climax. catering for Saudi Arabia,” said Aldoseri. Kooora slipped to third behind MSN “It’s not necessarily related to sports, it’s Arabia and MBC Net in September’s rank- wider to cover the male segment, from ings, attracting 1.28 million daily visitors youth to old people. It’s mostly consumer due to a summer lull. “We know our audi- products.” About 42 percent of users TOKYO: Pedestrians use their smartphones on a street in Tokyo. When the lights change at the Shibuya crossing in Japan’s capital, one of the ence, we know Arabs, how they interact, access Kooora on mobile devices, a lower world’s busiest pedestrian thoroughfares, hundreds of people with their eyes glued to smartphones pick their way over the road. — AFP what they are looking for,” said Aldoseri. percentage than many other popular Kooora covers about 40 sports. Football MENA websites, although this will likely accounts for 80 percent of traffic, tennis rise after it launched a new mobile app 10 percent and others the remainder. It that includes about 95 percent of the Japan smartphone ‘zombies’ has 25 reporters in Europe, Canada and main website’s content. — Reuters wreak havoc on the streets China’s online holiday sets record $9.3b sales Cellphone addicts turning cities into hazardous hotspots TOKYO: When the lights change at the Shibuya cross- who died after straying onto a railway crossing while hare,” he said. “The hare shoots off tapping away on BEIJING: China’s largest Internet retailer rang up country’s economy, said Liu Yuanchun, professor ing in Japan’s capital, one of the world’s busiest pedes- looking at his phone. his smartphone, and then falls down a hole. We want more than $9 billion during the country’s biggest of economics at Renmin University in Beijing. “It trian thoroughfares, hundreds of people with their More than half of Japanese now own a smartphone the children to know they could be the hare.” online shopping holiday, setting a record for a has changed the commercial ecology and drasti- eyes glued to smartphones pick their way over the and the proportion is rising fast, including children Phone fidgeters dawdling along at snail’s pace, single day of sales. Analysts said the “Singles Day” cally lowered costs,” Liu said. “Online shopping road. Despite being engrossed in the latest installment who customarily walk to and from school. Research by forcing cyclists and pram-pushing mums to swerve figures from e-commerce giant Alibaba show a will continue to grow at fast speeds and could of Candy Crush or busy chatting with their friends on Japanese mobile giant NTT Docomo estimates a out of the way have become such an irritant in Tokyo continuing shift to online shopping over brick- boost China’s future economy.” messaging app Line, most manage to weave around pedestrian’s average field of vision while staring down that public notices have started to appear warning and-mortar stores at a time of slowing economic In another development, Xiaomi Technology cyclists, skateboarders and fellow Tokyoites. at a smartphone is just five percent of what our eyes offenders to expect “icy stares”, appealing to the growth in China. Singles Day was invented by Co Ltd will acquire a stake in Chinese video But the growing ranks of these cellphone addicts take in normally. “Children wouldn’t be safe in that situ- Japanese sense of social harmony-assuming people Chinese college students in the 1990s as an anti- streaming firm Youku Tudou Inc, cementing ties are turning cities like Tokyo, London, New York and ation,” said Hiroshi Suzuki, manager of corporate social look up from their phones in the first place. Valentine’s Day when people could buy some- between China’s leading smartphone maker and Hong Kong into increasingly hazardous hotspots, responsibility at the company. “It’s dangerous and it’s Smartphone apps activated by sensors that flash thing for themselves. It was set for Nov. 11 one of the most popular content providers in the where zombified shoppers appear to be part of vast our job to make sure it doesn’t actually happen.” warning signs or display the pavement on the screen because of the date’s four “ones.” video-hungry country. In a joint statement yes- games of human pinball. “Hey, watch it!” barks a mid- The company ran a computer simulation of what have also been developed in response to the prob- But Hangzhou-based Alibaba Group, which is terday, the companies said the transaction would dle-aged salaryman as a hipster typing on his smart- could occur in Shibuya if everyone crossing the inter- lem. Tokyo is just one of the places struggling to cope known for its retail sites Taobao and Tmall.com, take place on the open market but did not speci- phone slams into him during one recent Friday section was looking at their smartphones. The results, with this very 21st Century menace. In China, an turned it into a day of online shopping for all. fy how large the smartphone maker’s stake evening crush hour. “Incidents involving people walk- based on a fairly average 1,500 people swarming over amusement park in the southwestern megacity of Other Chinese online retailers also have followed would be or how much would be invested. ing or on bicycles account for 41 percent of phone- the road at any one time, were alarming: 446 colli- Chongqing has divided a pavement within its suit. The record sales this year are “more indicative Word of the stake acquisition, coming a week related accidents,” Tetsuya Yamamoto, a senior official sions, 103 knockdowns and 21 dropped phones. Only grounds into two lanes-one signposted “No mobile at Tokyo Fire Department’s disaster prevention and around a third get to the other side without incident. phones” and the other “Mobile phone use permitted of changes in consumer habits rather than a bell- after Xiaomi pledged to invest a total of $1 billion safety section, told AFP. “If people continue walking That 82 of the 103 who fell to the ground managed to but all consequences are your responsibility.” wether of China’s overall economy,” said Derek to expand its Internet TV content, adds to the around looking at their phones, I think we could see cling onto their precious phones tells its own story. Recorded announcements on Hong Kong’s sub- Xin, a Beijing-based retail analyst at Hisend frenzy in China’s fast-growing online video mar- more accidents happening.” It goes beyond being an way network warn passengers in Cantonese, Research. China’s economy, the world’s second ket. E-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding innocuous inconvenience where both people apolo- Social harmony Mandarin and English that they are about to step largest, grew 7.3 percent last quarter, the slowest Ltd already owns nearly a quarter of Youku gise before continuing on their merry way. Japanese media reported that around half of the onto an escalator. While in one city in New York state, pace in five years. Tudou. Online video sites include those run by 56 bodies recovered from the peak of a volcano after there was even a bid to legislate against the use of In 2012, Alibaba posted sales totaling $3 bil- Sohu.Com Inc , Baidu Inc’s iQiyi and Tencent Tunnel vision a recent eruption were found clutching mobile electronic devices while crossing the road.NTT lion on the Singles Day, surpassing Cyber Holdings Ltd have been jockeying for position in Tokyo Fire Department, which runs the ambu- phones with photos of the deadly lava and ash on Docomo’s Suzuki in Tokyo says despite the city’s high Monday in the United States. Last year’s total was a market estimated to be worth $3 billion in lance service in the megalopolis, says that in the four them.Apparently, they had thought it important to be density and huge population — 35 million in the $5.71 billion. Alibaba Group announced this 2014. Youku Tudou and Xiaomi will jointly invest years to 2013, 122 people had to be rushed to hospi- able to show their social media friends what was hap- greater urban area-there’s no need yet for people to year’s record sales of 57.1 billion yuan ($9.32 bil- in the production and distribution of online tal after accidents caused by pedestrians using cell- pening than to try to save themselves. Suzuki travels wear crash helmets when they pop to the shops. “I lion) for Tuesday shortly after midnight. Online video content and films, while Xiaomi will license phones. As well as the vaguely comedic incidents of to schools across Japan teaching children how to be don’t think we will see the need for that in the near shopping has stimulated consumerism and kept Youku Tudou’s video content, the companies businessmen smacking into lamp-posts or tripping responsible with smartphones through the use of future,” he said. “But our message is that it could hap- retail sales robust despite the slowdown in the said. — Agencies over dogs, this total also included a middle-aged man cartoons.”We use the story of the tortoise and the pen. We’re all potential victims.” — AFP Dutch unveil world’s first solar-powered bicycle path

KROMMENIE: The Netherlands yesterday unveiled Netherlands we have approximately 140,000 kilo- stretch of bike path on a busy provincial bicycle the world’s first solar bike path, a revolutionary meters (87,000 miles) of road which is much bigger route north of Amsterdam on Wednesday. project to harvest the sun’s energy that could than all the rooftops put together,” De Wit said. “We “The Netherlands is quite ambitious when it eventually also be used on roads. The so-called have 25,000 kilometers of bike paths in the comes to sustainable energy. This innovation is an “SolaRoad” bike path is made of concrete modules Netherlands.” “If we can integrate it in our roads important part of it,” Kamp told AFP afterwards. each measuring 2.5 by 3.5 metres (eight by 11 then we’ll have huge extra potential for generating The small country of 18 million-most of them feet), embedded with solar panels covered in tem- solar electricity,” he said. cyclists-hopes to triple sustainable energy usage pered glass. To help prevent accidents, the glass The path has been working for 16 days, during by 2020 and be “energy neutral” by 2050, Kamp has been given a special non-slip surface. The solar which it generated 140 kilowatt hours of electricity, said. The SolaRoad will be tested over the next two cells currently put the electricity they generate equivalent to around 140 washing machine cycles, years on a path that carries around 2,000 cyclists a onto the national grid, but future plans include said SolaRoad spokeswoman Jannemieke van day, De Wit said. The aim is to have the solar road using the energy to power street lights. Dieren. The project has so far cost three million commercially available on Dutch roads within the Electric bikes and cars will one day be able to euros ($3.7 million), mainly for research, but next five years as the number of electrically-pow- refuel using contactless charging directly from the SolaRoad declined to say what the cost per kilome- ered cars and bicycles grows. “We are very confi- KROMMENIE: The SolaRoad, the first road in the world made of solar panels, is seen road or bike path, said Sten de Wit, a physicist who tre might be. Dutch Economics Minister Henk dent that in five years we will have a product we during the official opening in Krommenie, the Netherlands, yesterday. — AFP helped develop the project. “The idea is that in the Kamp cycled the first 70-metre (230-feet) pilot can apply on a large scale,” De Wit said. — AFP THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 HEALTH & SCIENCE

Last US Ebola patient cured, released from hospital

NEW YORK: The last known Ebola patient in hit West African countries where the often ed cases to date in West Africa ... where fami- The lone fatality, Thomas Eric Duncan, who the United States, a New York doctor who con- fatal disease is raging. He returned to the lies are being torn apart and communities are had traveled to Dallas, Texas from his native tracted the virus while treating infected peo- United States on October 17, flying into John destroyed.” Liberia, died of Ebola last month after a delay ple in West Africa, was released from the hos- F. Kennedy International Airport, after return- in his treatment of several days after he first pital on Tuesday after being declared cured. ing from several weeks volunteering with the ‘Hug for a hero’ began to exhibit symptoms. President Barack Obama led the tributes as Doctors Without Borders group. In what has become something of a ritual Duncan’s illness, the first known case of Craig Spencer was discharged from Bellevue Spencer’s case stirred fears because he tra- when public officials pronounce Ebola Ebola in the United States, created a national Hospital in New York where he had been treat- versed New York in the days following his patients cured, de Blasio gave Spencer a hug panic, which in the end proved to be unmerit- ed after being diagnosed with the disease. The return, using the subway and a taxi, dining in a of appreciation for his selfless volunteer work ed, that a widespread US outbreak could White House said Obama had called Spencer popular restaurant and going bowling with with Ebola patients in Africa-and to demon- occur. from Beijing to salute the doctor for “his self- friends, before falling ill and isolating himself. strate that the public need have no fear of Two nurses who cared for him contracted lessness and compassion in fighting this dis- He said he was grateful for the high-quality contracting the disease from him. “It is a good the disease, but have since recovered, and no ease on the front lines in West Africa.” medical care he received during his illness, feeling to hug a hero, and we have a hero here other known cases developed. In another con- Spencer had earlier appeared with New and urged that more be done for those suffer- in our midst,” de Blasio said, adding that troversial case, Kaci Hickox, a nurse who York Mayor Bill de Blasio to confirm his recov- ing from Ebola in Africa. “Today, I am healthy Spencer deserved praise as “someone who returned last month from West Africa and who ery. “New York City’s first and only Ebola case and no longer infectious. My early detection served others, no matter how much danger.” refused to remain in isolation because she had is successfully treated. Dr Spencer is Ebola-free reporting and now recovery from Ebola, A total of 289 people in New York continue developed no Ebola symptoms, was released and New York City is Ebola-free,” de Blasio pro- speaks to the effectiveness of the protocols to be monitored for possible Ebola symptoms, from home quarantine in Maine Monday after claimed to cheers and applause. that are in place for health staff returning for including Spencer’s fiancee and staff who remaining healthy during a 21-day incubation Spencer, 33, had been admitted to the hos- from West Africa,” he said. “While my case has helped treat the doctor, authorities said. period. Some 5,000 people have died from pital three weeks earlier after returning to the garnered international attention, it is impor- Spencer is one of nine people to have been Ebola, mostly in West Africa, where underfund- United States from Guinea, which along with tant to remember that my infection represents treated for Ebola in the United States, all but ed health systems have contributed to the Sierra Leone and Liberia is one of three hard- but a fraction of the more than 13,000 report- one of whom have survived. rampant spread of the disease. — AFP Mali battles second Ebola outbreak

BAMAKO: Mali scrambled yesterday to The first Ebola death of a Malian resi- epidemic could be much greater. contain a fresh outbreak of Ebola as it dent has raised fears of further contami- confirmed the death of a nurse, the first nation as it was unrelated to Mali’s only Drop in Liberia infections case of the virus spreading within the other confirmed fatality, a two-year-old The virus kills around 70 percent of its country’s borders. The case has dashed girl who had also arrived from Guinea. A victims, often shutting down their optimism that Mali was free of the killer doctor at the clinic is also suspected to organs and causing unstoppable bleed- pathogen, just as it prepared to release have contracted the virus and is under ing. Morocco was stripped of hosting from isolation dozens of people thought observation outside the capital, the clinic football’s 2015 Africa Cup of Nations on to have been exposed to the country’s said. Mali’s health ministry called for calm Tuesday and flung out of the competi- first victim who died in October. Officials yesterday, as it led a huge operation to tion after insisting that it wanted to post- say the new case, a 25-year-old man stem the contagion. Locals said many pone the tournament due to fears over identified by family as Saliou Diarra, died patients fled following the announce- the virus. Meanwhile, the virus is continu- Tuesday after treating a man who arrived ment of the nurse’s death late on ing to spread in Sierra Leone, where the from Guinea at a clinic in the capital Tuesday and escaped the quarantine WHO said cases were “still skyrocketing” Bamako. measures. in the west of the country, including the The patient, 66-year-old Goita Sekou, capital Freetown. was suffering from kidney failure and lat- Sierra Leone cases ‘skyrocketing’ There was better news in Liberia er died, according to medical sources, Two-year-old Fanta Conte died after when the government said new cases and authorities now believe he had travelling to the western Malian town of had dropped from a daily peak of more Ebola. Bamako’s Pasteur clinic has been Kayes by bus and taxi with her grand- than 500 in September to around 50. quarantined, with around 30 people mother, sister and uncle, making fre- Ebola emerged in Guinea in December, trapped inside, including medical staff, quent stops on a trip of more than 1,200 spreading to neighboring Liberia and patients and 15 African soldiers from kilometers (750 miles). They also spent then Sierra Leone, infecting at least RAIPUR: Indian Congress party activists argue with police as they demonstrate against the deaths of women who MINUSMA, the United Nations mission in two hours in Bamako, visiting relatives in 13,000 people. were sterilized in a government-run program. — AFP Mali, according to one of the doctors a house of 25 people. Almost 5,000 peo- Cases have been identified, though inside the facility. “We don’t understand ple have been killed by Ebola in the west on a much smaller scale, in Nigeria, this isolation measure... We have nothing African outbreak according to official Senegal, Spain and the US. The last Protests hit central India as to eat. It’s chaos-it’s a mess,” the doctor data from the World Health Organization known person in the US with Ebola, 33- contacted by phone told AFP. (WHO), which says the true scale of the year-old doctor Craig Spencer, has recov- sterilization death toll rises ered and been released from hospital. “New York City’s first and only Ebola case RAIPUR: Furious protesters took to the streets in central into being sterilized, often in inadequate medical facili- is successfully treated. Dr Spencer is India yesterday, smashing cars and demanding the resig- ties. Ebola-free and New York City is Ebola- nation of the chief minister as the death toll from a gov- Under pressure to meet targets, some local govern- free,” Mayor Bill de Blasio proclaimed at ernment-run mass sterilization program rose to 13. ments offer additional incentives such as cars and elec- the hospital, to cheers and applause. Another 14 women are seriously ill in Chhattisgarh state trical goods. In the latest case, one doctor reportedly Spencer said he was “healthy and no following the surgery that women are paid 1,400 rupees operated on 83 women in just five hours, using the same longer infectious”. “My early detection ($23) to have under a government scheme to reduce instruments on all of them. Some of the women also said reporting and now recovery from Ebola, population growth. “Preliminary examinations suggest they had been forced to attend the camps, according to speaks to the effectiveness of the proto- septic shock may have caused the deaths,” said local gov- local media. Sona Sharma, joint director at advocacy cols that are in place for health staff ernment official Amar Thakur. group the Population Foundation of India, said the quali- returning from West Africa,” he said. The “It looks like the equipment that was used was proba- ty of care provided to women undergoing sterilization is US has treated nine victims of the virus, bly infected. We are waiting for the report,” he told AFP “abysmal”. which spreads through contact with by telephone from Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur district, where “It is about time we woke up to this problem. The infected bodily fluids. A total of 289 peo- around 80 women had the surgery over the weekend. quality of care to women can’t be compromised at any ple in New York continue to be moni- tored for possible Ebola symptoms, The victims had suffered vomiting and a dramatic fall in cost,” she told AFP. “The government has laid out stan- including Spencer’s fiancee and staff who blood pressure after undergoing laparoscopic steriliza- dard protocols, but they exist only on paper,” she said, helped treat the doctor. The Gambia, tion, a process in which the fallopian tubes are blocked. urging the government to adopt a “more choice-based which remains Ebola-free, announced As the death toll rose to 13 yesterday, a local official voluntary system” of family planning. Tuesday it had re-opened its land borders said women who attended a second sterilization camp Authorities are keen to curb the growth of India’s MALI: A police officer stands in front of the quarantined Pasteur clinic in to travelers from Sierra Leone and the in the area on Monday had also fallen ill. “Six women population with the latest census carried out in 2011 Bamako yesterday.—AFP other Ebola-hit nations. — AFP from Gorella camp developed complications and they showing that India had 1.2 billion people. Last year, have been brought to Bilaspur for treatment,” district authorities in eastern India came under fire after a news commissioner Sonmani Borah told AFP. channel aired footage showing scores of women Shops and businesses shut their doors in the dumped unconscious in a field following a mass steriliza- Hospice patients more likely to Chhattisgarh capital Raipur yesterday as scores of tion. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ordered an demonstrators took to the streets to demand the resig- investigation into the latest deaths, and state chief min- die at home, receive efficient care nation of state Chief Minister Raman Singh. Television ister Singh on Tuesday suspended four top health offi- footage showed the protestors, many of them opposi- cials. NEW YORK: People in hospice are less likely to die in a for patients who weren’t in hospice. Surprisingly, tion party workers, shouting slogans and smashing up The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) also hospital or nursing home, and less likely to get costly Obermeyer said, much of the intensive care the vehicles. demanded a detailed report on the incident, giving the and intensive care, than terminally ill patients who patients received was unrelated to their cancers. state government two weeks to submit it. “It (NHRC) has don’t opt for hospice care, according to a new study Patients often don’t want intensive care at the end of ‘Abysmal’ care issued a notice to the Government of Chhattisgarh... for a report into the incident within two weeks,” the notice of older Americans with cancer. Hospice patients their lives, the researchers write. Sterilization is one of the most popular methods of family planning in India, and many state governments posted on its website said. A police complaint has also endured fewer invasive procedures and fewer hospital Since the non-hospice and hospice patients were organize mass camps where rural women can undergo been lodged against the surgeon who performed the stays at the end of their lives. Discussing hospice as an matched on length of survival, Obermeyer said the the usually straightforward procedure. Although the sur- operations. Reports said the doctor had been given a option for the terminally ill may prevent that intensive additional intensive care did not appear to grant gery is voluntary, rights groups say the target-driven government award earlier this year for performing tens care, the study’s lead author said. added life to people who stayed out of hospice. Most nature of the program has led to women being coerced of thousands of such sterilizations. — AFP “There is a lot of evidence that a lot of people don’t people - if given the option - would like to die at have these conversations,” said Dr Ziad Obermeyer, a home, Obermeyer said. physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. The researchers can’t say hospice caused people to “So they get sucked into this intense care option with- have less intensive and costly care, but it’s likely out even talking about it.” In the US, people with behind the differences, because both groups had sim- Medicare, the government insurance program for the ilar data for the last year of their life, until some of elderly and disabled, are eligible for hospice benefits them enrolled in hospice programs, he said. if they are not expected to live another six months. The focus of hospice is on comforting - not curing - Hospice industry the individual, according to Medicare. Obermeyer, While costs and use of care have traditionally been who is also affiliated with Harvard Medical School, used to measure how people die, it’s even more said there is still debate over whether or not hospice important to focus on the quality of care people matters. “The skepticism is rooted in two distinct receive at the end of their lives, said Dr. Joan Teno, a points of view,” he said, adding that some experts professor at the Brown University School of Public believe people who choose hospice would choose Health in Providence, Rhode Island. less care by default and some others believe hospice “I think the historic route of the hospice industry will increase costs. and the hospice movement has always been about patient and family care and not about whether hos- Intensive care pice saves money or not,” Teno said. “I think it’s really For the new study, published in JAMA, the important as we craft policy in the US about health- researchers used data on nearly 40,000 Medicare care reform that we put quality front and center.” patients with poor-prognosis cancers who died in In an editorial about the new study, Teno and her 2011. Half the group chose hospice, and half didn’t. coauthor argue that the correct measures of quality The hospice and non-hospice patients were matched are not in place. For example, Teno said, it’s important by age, sex, place of residence, survival and how many that end-of-life care coincides with people’s goals and healthcare services they were using. preferences. “It’s all about trying to achieve quality Nonhospice patients had more hospitalizations, and efficiency, but you don’t want to achieve efficien- more stays in intensive care units, and more invasive cy while forsaking quality,” she said. procedures compared to patients who opted for hos- Obermeyer said the study is a cautionary tale and pice, the researchers found. Nearly 75 percent of non- that doctors need to have earlier conversations about hospice patients died in hospitals or nursing homes, the end of life. “Doctors need to be frank about giving compared to 14 percent of hospice patients. patients the information even though it’s uncomfort- Patients enrolled in hospice for five to eight weeks able, so that patients have a choice in the care that RAIPUR: An Indian woman carries an infant at the Modern Government Maternity Hospital in Hyderabad, India, had total costs for of $56,986, compared to $74,890 they want,” he said. — Reuters yesterday. — AFP THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 HEALTH & SCIENCE Experts urge US to change organ donation policies

WASHINGTON: A group of more than 300 ble donations in their names, it said. “Giving prominent doctors, religious leaders and an organ need not fall disproportionately ethicists yesterday urged President Barack on people with lower incomes,” the letter Obama to change the current system for said. organ donation, saying too few people get life-saving transplants. In an open letter to Ethical problems the Obama administration, the group Current US policy prohibits people who called for the government to start research- give an organ from receiving anything for ing ways to make organ donation more their donation. However, women are rou- appealing to the general public, in order to tinely paid for donating their eggs or for end a chronic shortage of organs that is serving as surrogate mothers. When it getting worse each year. comes to kidneys, the US shortage has bal- “Sadly, transplant policy has been gov- looned in recent years. In 2009, 77,000 peo- erned by an unsubstantiated assumption: ple were on the waiting list; more than that donors cannot receive benefits for 100,000 are today. About 17,000 kidney donating without being exploited or transplants are performed annually. Each coerced,” said the letter signed by experts year, some 7,000 people die or become too at Harvard, Columbia, Georgetown and sick to receive a transplant. The problem Princeton universities along with scholars, disproportionately affects minorities such religious leaders and ethicists. “It is critical as African Americans and Hispanics, who to examine that assumption.” typically wait four to five times as long for a The group does not take a position on transplant as whites do. what kind of approach might work, and “The current system is the system that only asks that US agencies like the National discriminates against poor people,” said Institutes for Health and Health and Human Frances Kissling, president of the Center Services start scientific studies on the mat- for Health, Ethics and Social Policy in CAPE TOWN: A handout provided on November 5, 2014 by the South African Institute for Maritime Technology shows an electronic barrier ter. It suggests that the government avoid Washington, and the former leader of seeking to exploit the super-sensitivity of a sharks’ snout to keep swimmers and surfers safe in a small bay. — AFP cash incentives, but pursue a highly regu- Catholics for Choice. “We don’t help those lated approach that considers how to give people by closing our eyes to the ethical people benefits for offering to be a living problems that exist. We need to solve the donor, such as life-long health insurance, ethical problems,” she told AFP. Experts say Hi-tech punch on nose for tax credits, tuition assistance or pension any change must avoid fueling the organ contributions. trafficking trade, which the World Health For those who donate after death, Organization says is responsible for about sharks could keep swimmers safe researchers should look into the possibility 10 percent of global organ transplants of paying funeral costs or making charita- each year. — AFP CAPE TOWN: A high-tech version of the “It is easier to design things to put in reputedly life-saving punch to a shark’s nose is space,” said Claude Ramasami, project manag- Thousands of patients being tested in an effort to protect humans er at the Institute for Maritime Technology, Virus may affect recalled in Britain without harming the toothy predators or oth- which is helping the sharks board put its plans er sea creatures. In the blue waters of a small into practice. over HIV fears bay in Cape Town, a revolutionary experiment This is because of the relentless power of with an electronic barrier seeks to exploit the the sea, shifts in the seabed, undersea struc- mental abilities LONDON: Thousands of dental patients in Britain super-sensitivity of a sharks’ snout to keep tures and marine life-and simply using elec- are being recalled for tests over fears that they swimmers and surfers safe. tricity in water. One reason that Glencairn in WASHINGTON: People with an algae of Nebraska, an expert on algal viruses. could have been infected with HIV or other blood- The technology has been developed by the Cape was chosen as the site for the experi- virus in their throats had more difficulty South African experts who invented the elec- ment is that it is relatively protected com- borne viruses, health officials said yesterday. NHS tronic “shark pod” for use by surfers and pared to the often pounding surf on the completing a mental exercise than Infect algae England said 22,000 people may have been put at healthy people, and more research is divers-now marketed by an Australian compa- tourist beaches of KwaZulu-Natal, where Van Etten joined the research four risk over a period of 32 years by poor hygiene needed to understand why, US scientists years ago when Johns Hopkins scientists ny-and could be applied globally if successful. Durban is the provincial capital. The pod and years of research have shown The clear waters will also enable fixed cam- say. A study in the Proceedings of the found ATCV-1’s DNA sequences in the practices at a single dental surgery in the city of National Academy of Sciences showed Nottingham in central England. that sharks will turn away when they eras and shark spotters on nearby cliffs to brain tissue of people who had died with encounter an electrical current-and that has monitor the movements of the predators that the virus was present in about half of mental disorders such as schizophrenia. Desmond D’Mello was suspended in June after 92 human subjects studied, and those prompted this experiment on a much larger within the bay and see whether the barrier “This finding was certainly surprising to a whistleblower, concerned about clinical stan- scale. turns them away from their usual cruising who had it performed worse on certain us,” Van Etten told AFP. “These viruses are dards, secretly filmed the dentist at work at the A 100-metre (328 feet) cable with vertical routes. There should be no shortage of basic tasks. ubiquitous in fresh water ponds and Daybrook Dental Practice. Health authorities said “risers” designed to emit a low-frequency elec- action-in a 25-day observation period, 53 The virus, known as Acanthocystis tur- streams throughout the world,” Van Etten tronic field is in the process of being fixed to sharks were seen off the beach. facea Chlorella virus 1, or ATCV-1, also they were investigating “apparent breaches of said. He noted that the virus-previously infection control procedures” by D’Mello, including the seabed off Glencairn beach, and will Environmentalists have welcomed the appeared to limit the cognitive abilities of thought to only infect algae-could make remain there for five months. “If successful, it experiment. Alison Kock, a biological scientist mice. The mice had a harder time navigat- its way into the human body when peo- failing to wash his hands and change gloves will provide the basis to develop a barrier sys- and research manager for Shark Spotters in ing a maze and noticing new objects in ple swallow water while swimming. There between patients. All patients treated by him are tem that can protect bathers without killing or Cape Town told AFP it was “a really good idea”. their surroundings after they were infect- might also be another host in nature, such being urged to undergo screening for HIV, harming sharks or any other marine animals,” “It’s an exciting opportunity to look at new ed. It remains unclear if the virus was truly as mosquito larvae, he said. Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C. says the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board, which technology with the ultimate aim of replacing driving the drop in mental functioning. But the nature of the disease is still in developed the shark pod. As for humans, “if lethal control methods like shark nets and Researchers have not yet shown the cause Officials stressed that D’Mello himself was not the early stages of analysis. It is also infected with any blood-borne viruses but said his someone touched the small part of an elec- (baited) drum lines. “The technology is really and effect between the virus and the trode that is exposed, they might experience specific in that it targets a sense that only intelligence results. unknown if the virus’s effects on the brain patients could have been put at “low risk” due to are lasting or temporary. Scientists have a tingling sensation” but would suffer no sharks and rays have. Mammals like dolphins “At this point we do not think that this “apparent multiple failures in cross-infection con- harmful effects. The barrier would mark a and whales don’t have a sense like this, so virus should be considered as a threat to long understood that viruses interact with DNA, and further studies could shed more trol standards”. Independent experts stressed that major shift away from the shark nets used in they are not going to be affected,” she said. individual or public health,” said lead there was only a small risk of infection. Professor KwaZulu-Natal on South Africa’s east coast for The gel in the noses of sharks allows them researcher Robert Yolken, a virologist at light on the role of the virus on cognition. Andrew Lee, a public health expert at the the past 50 years, which also kill other animals to detect minute electrical fields such as a Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, “As more studies like this are conducted, I and have been criticized as environmentally heartbeat to find prey in murky water, but as Maryland. “We do think that there is a believe we’ll find out there’s even more University of Sheffield, said: “In reality I think the destructive. they approach within a couple of meters of need for additional medical and scientif- interaction between viruses, bacteria and risk would be quite low and I think it is important the barrier the power should be enough to ic studies of the effects of infectious fungi that are either ingested or breathed that the public maintains a degree of perspective ‘Doing our damndest’ turn them away. The senior manager for agents which are common in the envi- into our noses and mouths and the over- here about the real actual risk posed to them. “It is Research has shown that sharks have a gel WWF’s marine program in South Africa, John all human condition,” said Jordan ronment on human health and cogni- easy to conflate our fears about visiting the dentist in their noses which makes them more sensi- Duncan, said the organization was “absolutely tion,” Yolken told AFP. The virus was Josephson, ear nose and throat specialist with these isolated incidents of poor practice,” he tive to electrical currents than other species, supportive of interventions which attempt to found by accident while scientists were at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, who and thus ordinary fish and sea life such as manage human-animal interaction in a non- analyzing microbes in the throats of was not involved in the study. “I believe said. The interim orders committee of the General seals and dolphins should not be affected by fatal and non-impactful way. “And at the healthy humans for a different study. this new research is just the tip of the ice- Dental Council, the body that regulates dental pro- the barrier. “We are doing our damndest to moment it is a growing challenge with the Experts have been studying viruses simi- berg in linking viruses in the human oral fessionals, has suspended D’Mello for 18 months do something environmentally friendly,” white shark attacks in South Africa.” Sharks lar to ATCV-1 for 35 years, said senior cavity to the development of various pending an investigation. — AFP sharks board project specialist Paul von Blerk have killed 13 people in South Africa over the author James Van Etten of the University health conditions.” — AFP told AFP. But the challenges are huge. past 10 years, Kock said. — AFP WHAT’S ON THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 Australia Embassy ustralian Visa Application Centre, Level 25, Al Tijaria Building Al Soor Street, Opp. Al Shuhada Garden ASharq, Kuwait City. Working hours and days: 09.30 - 17.30 Sunday - Thursday. Submissions of new applications can be made until 16.30 each day. The last hour of opening is for decision letter collection only. Website Address: www.vfs-au-gcc.com. Information email ID: [email protected] Telephone: +971 4 2055900. Contacts page on VFS website for Kuwait: (including map) http://vfs-au-gcc.com/contactus_KBOQ.html. Visa options for lodgement with VFS: (to download forms, checklists, fee list) http://vfs-au-gcc.com/allaboutvisa.html Embassy of Slovak Republic he Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Kuwait informs the public that due to the Public Holiday of the Abdul Rasoul Salman, icon of Kuwaiti creativity TSlovak Republic - ‘The Day of Struggle for Freedom and Democracy’. The Embassy will be closed on Sunday 16, November 2014 and the Consular Section will be closed on hose wishing to know Kuwait, have to learn some- link to the place and personalities happen in a loveable his personal exhibition entitled “Rhythms” in Tilal Hall. Monday 17, November 2014. The Embassy will resume the thing about Abdul Rasoul Salman. Abdul Rasool is attraction. Through his paintings, he reflected on more than forty normal duties on Tuesday, 18-11-2014. Tthe icon of formative arts, rather he is an art icon for a Abdul Rasoul Salman is an artist as well as President of years of his experience, and represented the Gulf heritage country that taught us a lot and we became engulfed with the Kuwait Plastic Arts Association, the President of the and foggy environment of an Arab, using colors, trans- enlightened creations of his. Whoever looks at his works Gulf Plastic Arts Associations Union, and the vice-president parency, and technique - starting from realistic detailing to EMBASSY OF INDIA will see many details that deserve more exploring as the of the International Association for Arts. Recently, he held abstract reflections in correspondence with his own style. n view of high rate of heart attacks in Kuwait among the Indian Community, the Indian Doctors Forum will hold Ian interactive function on heart related problems and issues on Thursday, 20 November 2014 at 7 pm in the Indian Embassy Auditorium. A leading team of Indian Cardiologists will be present on this occasion. All members of the Indian community are cordially invited to attend. Light refreshments, tea/coffee etc. will be served on pay- ment basis. Kuwait Times Calendar of Events November 13 Dasman Diabetes Institute will celebrate the World Diabetes Day 2014 on Thursday Nov 13, 2014. The event will include clinical consultations, activi- ties for kids, first aid techniques, complimentary medical testing and screening, healthy cooking ses- sions nutritional and pharmaceutical counseling. The public is invited to join and be part of promot- ing awareness, education and prevention diabetes from 4 - 9 pm. 14 Arpan Kuwait is presenting Raag ‘n’ Rachna, a combination of musical and artistic program where the audience gets to enjoy a mandolin concert by UP Raju and a cartoon show by Jithesh on November 14 at Indian embassy auditorium at 6pm. 14 - The English School Winter Wonderland Bazaar. Held at the school premises in Salmiya. 14 - Punjab International Cultural Society pres- ents Punjabi Sabhyacharak nite 2014 on November 14, at 4 pm onwards in Indian Model School - Salmiya. 14 - Kala (Art) Kuwait NIRAM-2014 Children’s Day painting competition at Indian Community School, Khaitan, on Friday, 14 November. Clay modeling Annual Nuqat conference kicks off today competition also will be conducted for 7 - 11 stan- dard students. Visit www.kalakuwait.net, or by e- ased on its commitment to developing Arab creativi- mail at [email protected] ty at all levels, the creative platform Nuqat has 14 - Punjab International Cultural Society - Blaunched a conference titled “The Missing Link,” Kuwait in associate with Fankaar Arts presents which this year tackles the topic of Arab cultural exchange. Punjabi Cultural Show with singers from Punjab In the hopes of achieving the ultimate goal of being a cul- (India) On 14-11-2014 at Salmiyah Indian Model tural crossroad that connects Arab thinkers and creators, School - Salmiya at 5 pm. Nuqat is taking this opportunity 15 - Arpan cartoon - caricature competition, to use their annual platform for workshop with speed cartoonist Jitheshji at Indian facilitating communication and Community School, Khaitan on Saturday, 15th creative exchange. The conference is being held November. Caricature competition for 5- 12th Std from today to November 19, 2014 and adults at 9 am, workshop at 11.15 am. Students in Kuwait, taking an important can register through focus this year on group work and https://www.facebook.com/arpankwt or creative collaboration, including http://goo.gl/forms/u0CQcedoxT. [email protected] many activities such as lectures, 28 Friends of CRY Club (FOCC), announces plans workshops and cultural entertain- for 2014 Chess Tournament for children of all ages ment on the topic at hand. upto high-school. “CRYchess 2014” will be held at the Cultural pioneers and innovative Salmiya Indian Model School (SIMS), Salmiya, leaders will gather from around the Gulf region and the Middle Kuwait,on Friday, 28th November 2014, from 0930 - East, to get lost in creative 1630 hrs. The players will be allocated groups by exchange with one and another and with workshop partic- their age, to play in the Swiss pairing format. For ipants, holding lectures and discussions to provide space more details, registration forms, Rules of CRYChess for the circulation of ideas and modes of social engage- 2014, visit www.focckwt.org or contact FOCC mem- ment. bers. To inaugurate this conference, Hussa Al-Humaidhi, a The conference presents the experiences and experi- “Practicing the Collective Approach” and sharing the cul- 15 - Day Out Fiesta to be held at Wahran Park in founding member of Nuqat stated: “We are proud to be ments of pioneers in variety of cultural arenas, in addition tural visions of this conference, which are: to invest in Shamiya. Interested in participating from 4-9pm or working towards achieving Nuqat’s mission, which is to to providing a range of fun and educational activities learning new skills, developing new ideas and concepts, email [email protected]. rebuild collaboration and creative exchange in the Middle including: creative teaching methods, script writing, art and most importantly, to work with others. Nuqat hopes to East - we hope that this project will contribute to develop- management and curating, filmmaking, product design, implement this vision by identifying, addressing and solv- 22 - Kuwait Textile Association Bazaar - Held at ing the documentation of Gulf and Arab cultural identity, psychology, music composition and improvisation. The ing creative issues in order to educate the public and gath- Sadu House on November 22. as well as reflect our determination to enact change in the conference invites participants at the “Missing Link” confer- er a diverse cast of qualified actors to play an active role in 22 - Kuwait English School Annual Bazaar - At KES region. ence to join Nuqat in spreading the importance of bringing about change in the Middle East. in Salwa, block 11 on November 22. Tables are KD 20. 28 - British Ladies Society Bazaar - At BSK on TIES Center social hub schedules November 28. 28-29 - Street Fest 2014 will be held at a parking lot in AlShaab AlKhaled area on Friday and Saturday Susanna Graziano Maryam Al Nusif, following her childhood love of food, about the diseases, though he will describe them, but from 3pm to 10pm. Instagram @streetfestkuwait IES Center cordially invites you to its wonderful lecture enrolled in Cordon Bleu to fulfill her dream of becoming a how they changed the way we treat illness, improve sani- entitled, “Italy’s Ancient Foods Reach Kuwait’s chef. Upon her return to Kuwait, with the intention of set- tation, provide drinking water, and invented antibiotics. Website: http://www.streetfestkuwait.com/ TShakshooka Market,” by Susanna Graziano after today, tling and starting her own business, fate had a different Bryn Barnard is an author and illustrator with twenty 29 - 10K Charity Run organized by FSRI at the at 7 pm. plan - A casual request from a former Sharq Organic cus- five years of experience creating images for clients that Marina Crescent. Register at www.runq8.org Email: An evening dedicated to Italy’s culinary roots presented by tomer, (an organic family farm business that closed its include NASA, National Geographic and Scientific [email protected] Susanna Graziano, highlighting lesser-known, Italian regional doors in 2003), for organic produce gave birth to American. He has illustrated twenty-five books for chil- specialties and their history, and the growing demand for a Shakshooka Market. While organizing and taking part in dren and is the author and illustrator of three books, all return to honest food in Kuwait, represented by Shakshooka Shakshooka Market is Maryam’s full-time job, she is also published by Random House, New York: Dangerous Market, Kuwait’s first farmers’ market, presented by its founder, co-founder of Two Chefs and a Waitress, collaborating Planet: Natural Disasters That Changed History, Outbreak: local chef Maryam al Nusif. Susanna is so generous that she will with fellow chef, Danna Al Tourah and different local Plagues That Changed History, and The Genius of Islam. What’s On - Submission Guidelines provide samples on each kind of food for everyone to taste. chefs, on a monthly basis, offering unique dining experi- Bryn Barnard has had solo exhibitions of his illustra- Susanna invites you into her virtual Italian family kitchen, ences and menus to like-minded foodies across Kuwait. tions in Asia, Europe and the United States. In 2009 the where you will discover some of Italy’s staple traditional dishes Maryam also initiated The Secret Garden Project; an Global Health Odyssey Museum at the Centers for Disease All photos submitted for What’s On and learn how to prepare them and enjoy them with friends urban gardening project aimed at reviving a neglected Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia exhibited the and family, while Maryam tells the serendipitous story of the public park in Salmiya, where individuals from the com- art from his book Outbreak. The National Museum of should be minimum 200dpi. birth of Shakshooka Market, and why cultivating a loving rela- munity can come to volunteer their time and contribute Health and Medicine in Washington, DC showed Articles must be in plain text and tionship between the food, its maker and consumer, is not to this grassroots initiative, demonstrating that living as a Outbreak in 2010 and will do so again in the spring of should include name and phone only necessary but rewarding. happy community is more effective than living as a happy 2013 at their new campus in Annapolis, Maryland. Bryn Susanna Graziano is an instructor, a foodie, and a radio individual. Barnard teaches art at the American International School numbers. Articles and photos that speaker. She organizes tasting sessions, gourmet catering Come along with your friends to enjoy the evening of Kuwait. fail to meet these requirements will events and loves to spread the word about taste education, that will feed your mind and stomach. Tuesday, November 18 @ 7:00pm no waste, farmers markets and local, good quality food. She The TIES Center is the social and educational hub for not be published. also thoroughly enjoys feeding people. Outbreak: Plagues that changed history English Speaking Muslims in Kuwait. For more information, By Bryn Barnard please call 25231015 or e-mail [email protected] or visit Please send them to Maryam Al Nusif The presentation will focus on how modern society www.tiescenter.net. [email protected] Growing up in a home with an appreciation for quality has been shaped by infectious diseases including bubon- The TIES Center is the social and educational hub for English dining helped develop Maryam Al Nusif’s love of food at ic plague, smallpox, yellow fever, influenza, cholera, Speaking Muslims in Kuwait. For more information, please call an early age. While completing her MBA in the UK in 2007, tuberculosis and toxoplasma. Bryn’s talk isnít so much 25231015 or e-mail [email protected] or visit www.tiescenter.net. WHAT’S ON THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014

Al Muthana nursery kids visit Maidan Dental Clinic

l Muthana Nursey offers a uniquely positive pre- equipped play area with safety surface and toys. Children of kids. Dental care is one of the important subjects is Dentistry inspected the teeth of all the kids. A certificate school experience for one and half to four-year-olds. in the nursery are very safe and secure at all times and taught to kids. Kids also practice brushing their teeth. Al explaining the health of teeth was issued to each kid for AIt is a purpose-built nursery with a warm and friend- enjoy their day. The indoor and outdoor environment Muthana Nursery organized a dental health care trip for follow up if required. ly atmosphere. Al Muthana Nursery offers an interesting enriches, enthuse and inspire the highest standards of care the kids from all age groups to Maidan Clinic in Hawally. All the kids happily returned back to Al Muthana environment with carefully planned routines to meet the and learning. Dr Marwan Al-Jaby (Manager -Hawally Branch) wel- Nursery at Al Muthana Complex, Fahad Al Salim Street, needs of all the children. There is a fully enclosed and well- Al Muthana Nursery is always concerned with the health comed the kids and Dr. Rani Vikyath - Specialist Paediatric Kuwait City.

OSN brings the biggest fight to viewers Second Japanese Speech Contest as Pacquiao and Algieri return to ring he 2nd Japanese Speech Contest co-sponsored by summary of your speech. Embassy of Japan and Kuwait University has been Prize. A winner of “Advanced Learners Contest” will be SN, the regionís leading pay-TV network, is now Trescheduled from October to Monday, December awarded the prize of one return ticket from Kuwait to bringing to its subscribers the live action and 8th, 2014 at the auditorium of National Library of Kuwait Japan by Etihad Airways. Oexcitement of the long-awaited fight between as follows: Application / inquiry eight-division Filipino world champion Manny Pacquiao Date and Venue Embassy of Japan and American professional boxer in the light welterweight 17:30, December 8th, 2014 National Library of Kuwait Mrs. Yasmin / Omaima division Chris Algieri. Eligibility 25309458/25309400. [email protected] On November 23, 2014, Pacquiao, one of boxing’s great- 1) 16 years of age or above, residing in Kuwait. Guiding of the Contest Application form can be down- est legends, will take his act on the road again, as he 2) Neither one of his/her parents is native Japanese loaded from our website. (http://www.kw.emb- defends his WBO welterweight title against Algieri at the speakers. japan.go.jp/index_ar.htm) Cotai Arena in the Venetian in Macau, China. 3) The one who won the first place since Japanese Those who would like to participate in the Contest are This is an important match for both fighters; if Algieri Speech Contest in March 2014 is not eligible. kindly requested to read the guideline’ attached or visit suffers a loss in the upcoming fight, his undefeated streak Contest our website above, and prepare for application. will come to an end. For sure, however, audiences can 1) Beginners-Intermediate Learners Contest 2) Application for the Contest must be submitted by expect a spectacular bout. Advanced Learners Contest November 16th. Make sure to tune in as OSN will broadcast the live Application deadline November 16th, 2014 The contest, is open for public audience. No registra- action-packed fight on Sunday, November 23 at 5am KSA. The application form needs to be submitted with a tion is required. Indian music night with Niladri Kumar and Pandit Ghate at ACC

iladri Kumar (born 1973) is an Indian classical to young musicians, in March 2007. Niladri has also won Paris (1984), Indian festival in Russia (1985), Rashtrapati Sangeet Mahotsava, Jalandhar, Tansen Samaroh and fusion musician. He performed on the sitar MTV Immies award for the Best Classical/Fusion Bhavan as well as Parliament house, New Delhi and Gwalior, Gunidas Sammelan Mumbai, Ustd Alladiya Nfrom a young age and toured and released Instrumental for his album If. Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal. He frequently travels to the Khan Sangeet Samaroh Mumbai, Kalidas Festival albums as an adult. He created a unique instrument, a Kumar has created a unique instrument, the “zitar”, USA, Europe, Middle East and Asia for concerts. He has Nagpur, Khajuraho Festival, Vishnu Digambar Sangeet modified sitar, which he named zitar. which is a combination of sitar and guitar. The concept showcased his exemplary skill at various festivals like Utsav New Delhi. He has released a world music album Niladri Kumar began his career with the great musi- initiated from a traveling sitar, which was modified by Sawai Gandharva Sangeet Mahotsava, Pune, Harvallabh titled ‘Vijay’. cians Laxmikant and Pyarelal in the late 1980s. He was a Kumar to create rock guitar sound out of it. His first full part of the Masters of the Percussion tour alongside album composed using the instrument, titled Zitar, was Zakir Hussain. Kumar has also worked with Jonas released in 2008. He also won the MN Mathur Award in Hellborg and V. Selvaganesh on their album Kali’s Son the 51st Maharana Kumbha Sangeet Samaroh for his and with John McLaughlin on his album Floating Point. contribution to Indian classical music in March, 2013. Kumar has also worked with various music directors in Vijay Ghate is recognised as one of the most brilliant Hindi cinema. Niladri was conferred the Sangeet Natak and exciting Tabla players of the present generation. Akademi’s Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar, awarded Vijay Ghate has performed at India-France festival in TV PROGRAMS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014

03:00 Ty Pennington’s Homes For 01:40 Jungle Junction The Brave 03:15 Blancanieves-PG15 02:05 Jungle Junction 05:00 Emperor-PG15 03:45 The Restaurant Inspector 02:30 Violetta 04:30 DIY SOS: The Big Build 07:00 Drift-PG15 00:50 Rogue Nature With Dave 03:10 The Hive 09:00 Son Of Rambow-PG 00:00 International Rugby Union 05:25 Rick Stein’s India 03:20 Art Attack Salmoni 06:15 Extreme Makeover: Home 11:00 Blancanieves-PG15 02:00 Trans World Sport 01:45 Untamed & Uncut 03:45 Art Attack 13:00 Blackfish-PG15 03:00 Live NHL Edition Specials 04:10 Jungle Junction 02:40 Animal Cops Houston 07:35 The Hairy Bikers’ Cookbook 14:30 Meet Joe Black-PG15 06:00 Inside The PGA Tour 03:35 Lion Man: One World African 04:35 Jungle Junction 17:30 Son Of Rambow-PG 06:30 European Tour Weekly 08:00 Rick Stein’s Mediterranean 05:00 Art Attack Safari Escapes 19:30 Citizen Gangster-PG15 07:00 Total Rugby 04:25 My Wild Affair 05:25 Art Attack 21:30 Glory-PG15 07:30 World Golf Championship 08:50 The Restaurant Inspector 05:50 Mouk 05:15 Wild Appalachia 09:35 DIY SOS: The Big Build 23:30 Rust And Bone-PG15 Highlights 06:02 Rogue Nature With Dave 06:00 Dog With A Blog 08:30 European Tour Weekly 10:30 Rick Stein’s India 06:25 Liv And Maddie Salmoni 11:20 Rick Stein’s Mediterranean 09:00 Live Asian Tour Golf 06:49 Untamed & Uncut 06:50 Dog With A Blog 13:00 Top 14 Highlights Escapes 07:15 Hannah Montana Forever 07:36 Animal Airport 01:15 Empire State-PG15 13:30 Snooker Champion of 12:10 Extreme Makeover: Home 07:40 Jessie 08:00 Call Of The Wildman 03:00 Ender’s Game-PG15 Champions Edition Specials 08:05 Win, Lose Or Draw 08:25 Dogs 101 05:00 Turbo-PG 17:30 WWE This Week 13:30 Ty Pennington’s Homes For 08:30 Good Luck Charlie 09:15 My Tiny Terror 06:45 The Fifth Estate-PG15 18:00 WWE Bottomline The Brave 08:55 Good Luck Charlie 10:10 Treehouse Masters 09:00 Monsters University-PG 19:00 WWE NXT 14:15 The Restaurant Inspector 09:20 Sonny With A Chance 11:05 Biggest And Baddest 11:00 The Great Ghost Rescue-PG 20:00 WWE Main Event 15:00 DIY SOS: The Big Build 09:45 Sonny With A Chance 12:00 Animal Precinct 13:00 Madea’s Witness Protection- 21:00 NFL Gameday 15:55 Rick Stein’s India 10:10 Suite Life On Deck 12:55 Call Of The Wildman PG15 21:30 Total Rugby 16:45 Extreme Makeover: Home 10:35 Suite Life On Deck 13:20 Animal Airport 15:00 Chasing Mavericks-PG15 Edition Specials 11:00 That’s So Raven 13:50 My Wild Affair 17:00 Monsters University-PG 18:05 Ty Pennington’s Homes For 11:25 That’s So Raven 14:45 Wild Appalachia 19:00 The Butler-PG15 The Brave 11:50 A.N.T. Farm 15:40 Lion Man: One World African 21:00 American Hustle-18 02:30 Asian Tour Golf Show 18:50 The Restaurant Inspector 12:15 A.N.T. Farm Safari 23:15 Machete Kills-18 03:00 Asian Tour Highlights 19:35 Marbella Mansions 12:40 Good Luck Charlie 16:35 Treehouse Masters 04:00 Boston Marathon 20:20 Valentine Warner Eats 13:05 Good Luck Charlie 17:30 Dogs 101 07:00 NRL Premiership Scandinavia 13:30 Jessie 18:25 My Pet’s Gone Viral 09:00 Trans World Sports 20:45 The Little Paris Kitchen 13:55 Jessie 19:20 Biggest And Baddest 21:10 Cash In The Attic 10:00 Grand Slam Of Darts 20:15 Call Of The Wildman 14:20 Austin & Ally 21:55 Cash In The Attic 01:00 The Legend Of Sasquatch 14:00 International Rugby Union 21:10 Gator Boys 15:00 Dog With A Blog 22:40 Cash In The Attic 02:45 Barbie As The Princess And 16:00 Trans World Sports 22:05 Lion Man: One World African 15:20 Hannah Montana Forever 23:25 Rick Stein’s Taste Of Italian The Pauper 17:00 Grand Slam Of Darts Safari 15:45 Liv And Maddie Opera 04:30 The Happets 21:00 World Match Racing Tour 23:00 Call Of The Wildman 16:10 Violetta 06:00 Cinderella 22:00 International Rugby Union 23:30 Call Of The Wildman 17:00 I Didn’t Do It 17:25 Jessie 07:30 Wheelers 17:50 Sabrina: Secrets Of A 09:00 Puppy In My Pocket: The Teenage Witch Movie 10:15 Shark Bait 00:20 Magic Of Science 18:15 Dog With A Blog 02:30 Grand Slam Of Darts 11:45 Barbie As The Princess And 00:35 Eastenders 00:45 Magic Of Science 18:40 Win, Lose Or Draw 06:30 Live Cricket International Test The Pauper 01:05 Doctors 01:10 Close-Up Kings 19:05 Liv And Maddie Series 13:15 The Chronicles Of Narnia: 01:35 Alone In The Wild 02:00 Fast N’ Loud 19:30 Violetta 14:30 Hero Indian Super League Prince Caspian 02:25 Southcliffe 02:50 Storage Hunters 20:20 Mako Mermaids Highlights 15:45 The Happy Cricket 03:15 Me & Mrs Jones 03:15 Thrift Hunters 20:45 Spooksville 19:30 Hero Indian Super League 17:30 Puppy In My Pocket: The 03:45 Getting On 03:40 Storage Wars Canada 21:10 Wolfblood Highlights Movie 04:15 The Weakest Link 04:05 How It’s Made 21:35 Suite Life On Deck 20:00 Hero Indian Super League 18:45 Marvel’s Planet Hulk 05:00 Charlie And Lola 04:30 How It’s Made 22:00 Good Luck Charlie Football 20:15 The Chronicles Of Narnia: 05:15 Woolly & Tig 05:00 Treehouse Masters 22:25 A.N.T. Farm 22:00 WWE Bottom Line Prince Caspian 05:20 Mr Bloom’s Nursery 06:00 Rods N’ Wheels 22:50 Shake It Up 23:00 WWE NXT 22:45 The Happy Cricket 05:40 Bobinogs 06:50 Robson Green’s Extreme 23:10 Wolfblood 05:50 Little Prairie Dogs Fishing Challenge 23:35 Wolfblood AMERICAN HUSTLE ON OSN MOVIES HD 06:00 Gigglebiz 07:40 Fast N’ Loud 06:15 Charlie And Lola 08:30 Storage Hunters 19:00 Mystery Girls 06:30 Woolly & Tig 08:55 Thrift Hunters 19:30 New Girl 00:30 Natwest T20 Blast Highlights 06:35 Mr Bloom’s Nursery 09:20 Storage Wars Canada 20:00 The Tonight Show Starring 01:30 Natwest T20 Blast Highlights 06:55 Bobinogs 09:45 How It’s Made Jimmy Fallon 00:00 Free Samples-PG15 02:30 Natwest T20 Blast Highlights 07:05 Little Prairie Dogs 10:10 How It’s Made 00:00 House Of Dvf 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon 02:00 Ghostbusters II-PG 00:00 Sacrifice-18 07:15 The Weakest Link 03:30 ICC Cricket 360 10:35 Dynamo: Magician 00:55 Extreme Close-Up 00:40 Ade In Britain Stewart 04:00 It’s A Disaster-PG15 02:00 The Fast And The Furious: 08:00 Absolutely Fabulous 04:00 Caribbean Premier Leaue Impossible 01:25 Keeping Up With The 01:30 Come Dine With Me Ireland 21:30 The Colbert Report 06:00 Asterix And Obelix-PG15 Tokyo Drift-PG15 08:30 Me & Mrs Jones Highlights 11:25 Magic Of Science Kardashians 02:00 Emmerdale 22:00 Louie 08:00 Barbershop-PG15 04:00 Class-PG15 09:00 Eastenders 05:00 Caribbean Premier Leaue 11:50 Magic Of Science 02:20 E! News 02:55 Coronation Street 22:30 Sean Saves The World 10:00 Ghostbusters II-PG 06:00 Sky Force-FAM 09:30 Doctors Highlights 12:15 Close-Up Kings 03:15 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills 03:25 Midsomer Murders 23:00 Veep 12:00 Fred 2: Night Of The Living 08:00 The Legend Of Hercules 10:00 Alone In The Wild 06:00 Australia v South Africa T20I 13:05 Storage Hunters 03:40 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills 05:15 Real Life: The Musical 23:30 Late Night With Seth Meyers Fred-PG 10:00 The House Bunny-PG15 10:50 Tough Guy Or Chicken? Highlights 13:30 Thrift Hunters 04:10 THS 06:10 May The Best House Win 14:00 The Incredible Burt 11:45 Fast & Furious 6-PG15 11:40 Absolutely Fabulous 07:00 ICC Cricket 360 13:55 Storage Wars Canada 05:05 E!ES 07:05 Come Dine With Me Ireland Wonderstone-PG15 14:00 Marvel’s Ultimate Avengers I 12:10 Me & Mrs Jones 07:30 India v West Indies T20I 14:20 Robson’s New Extreme 06:00 Keeping Up With The 07:30 Midsomer Murders 16:00 Barbershop-PG15 16:00 The Legend Of Hercules 12:40 Keeping Up Appearances Highlights Fishing Challenge Kardashians 09:20 Dirk Gently 00:00 Drop Dead Diva 18:00 Scary Movie 5-PG15 18:00 Peeples-PG15 13:10 Eastenders 08:30 Caribbean Premier Leaue 15:10 Rods N’ Wheels 06:55 Keeping Up With The 10:15 Real Life: The Musical 01:00 The Fosters 20:00 Along Came Polly-PG15 20:00 Bachelorette-PG15 13:40 Doctors Highlights 16:00 Fast N’ Loud Kardashians 11:10 Emmerdale 02:00 Mistresses 22:00 Small Apartments-18 22:00 The Details-18 14:10 Alone In The Wild 09:30 Caribbean Premier Leaue 16:50 How It’s Made 07:50 Style Star 12:00 Coronation Street 03:00 Justified 15:00 Tough Guy Or Chicken? Highlights 17:15 How It’s Made 08:20 E! News 12:30 Ade In Britain 06:00 Drop Dead Diva 15:55 Me & Mrs Jones 10:30 ICC Cricket 360 17:40 Treehouse Masters: View 09:15 Giuliana & Bill 13:25 May The Best House Win 08:00 Chicago Fire 16:25 The Weakest Link 11:00 Australia v South Africa T20I From Above 10:15 Giuliana & Bill 14:20 Come Dine With Me Ireland 12:00 Emmerdale 17:10 Eastenders 02:00 Inside The PGA Tour Highlights 18:30 Rattlesnake Republic 11:10 House Of Dvf 14:45 Real Life: The Musical 12:30 Coronation Street 17:40 Doctors 01:00 Temptation: Confessions Of 02:30 European Tour weekly 12:00 Natwest T20 Blast Highlights 19:20 American Guns 12:05 E! News 15:35 The Jonathan Ross Show 13:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 18:10 Alone In The Wild A Marriage Counselor-PG15 03:00 International Rugby Union 13:00 Natwest T20 Blast Highlights 20:10 Thrift Hunters 13:05 Extreme Close-Up 16:30 Shetland 14:00 Chicago Fire 19:00 Only Fools And Horses 03:00 Maladies-PG15 05:00 International Rugby Union 14:00 Natwest T20 Blast Highlights 20:35 Storage Wars Canada 13:35 E!ES 17:25 Autopsy: The Last Hour Of... 15:00 Drop Dead Diva 19:30 Absolutely Fabulous 05:00 Everything Must Go-PG15 07:00 Golfing World 15:00 ICC Cricket 360 21:00 Rattlesnake Republic 14:30 Style Star 18:20 May The Best House Win 16:00 Emmerdale 20:00 Whitechapel 07:00 You Will Meet A Tall Dark 08:00 Futbol Mundial 15:30 Caribbean Premier Leaue 21:50 American Guns 15:00 Keeping Up With The 19:10 Coronation Street 16:30 Coronation Street 20:50 Bedlam Stranger-PG15 08:30 The Ryder Cup Official Film Highlights 22:40 Saint Hoods Kardashians 19:35 The Jonathan Ross Show 17:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 21:35 Hebburn 09:00 The Chateau Meroux-PG15 10:00 Golfing World 16:30 Caribbean Premier Leaue 23:30 Rattlesnake Republic 16:00 Keeping Up With The 20:30 Shetland 18:00 Chicago Fire 22:05 Crime And Punishment 11:00 Everything Must Go-PG15 11:00 Inside The PGA Tour Highlights Kardashians 21:25 Autopsy: The Last Hour Of... 19:00 Unforgettable 13:00 Between Us-PG15 11:30 European Tour Weekly 17:30 Caribbean Premier Leaue 17:00 Giuliana & Bill 22:20 Coronation Street 20:00 The Flash 15:00 Struck By Lightning-PG15 12:00 Live PGA European Tour Highlights 18:00 E! News 22:50 Emmerdale 21:00 Top Gear (US) 17:00 The Chateau Meroux-PG15 17:00 The Ryder Cup Official Film 18:30 India v West Indies ODI 19:00 THS 23:45 Real Life: The Musical 22:00 Survivor: San Juan Del Sur Highlights 20:00 House Of Dvf 23:00 Justified 19:00 Dream House-PG15 18:30 Top 14 Highlights 00:00 Violetta 21:00 Escape Club 21:00 The Impossible-PG15 19:00 NFL Gameday 19:30 Australia v South Africa T20I 00:40 The Hive 00:50 Rick Stein’s India 22:00 E! News 23:00 End Of Watch-18 19:30 World Match Racing Tour Highlights 00:50 Art Attack 01:40 Extreme Makeover: Home 23:00 Keeping Up With The 20:30 European Tour weekly 20:30 ICC Cricket 360 01:15 Art Attack Edition Specials Kardashians 21:00 This is PGA Tour 21:00 Natwest T20 Blast Highlights 00:00 Cosmos: A Spacetime 21:30 Inside The PGA Tour 22:00 India v West Indies T20I 22:00 Live PGA Tour Highlights Odyssey 00:00 Twisted 01:00 Passion Fish-18 01:00 The Known Universe 01:00 Good Morning America 02:00 Mega Factories 03:00 The Killing 03:00 World’s Toughest Fixes 04:00 House Of Cards 04:00 Doomsday Preppers 05:00 Good Morning America 05:00 Street Genius 07:00 Emmerdale 05:30 Street Genius 07:30 Coronation Street 06:00 Naked Science 09:00 24 07:00 Animal Mega Moves 10:00 Emmerdale 08:00 Cosmos: A Spacetime 10:30 Coronation Street Odyssey 12:00 Criminal Minds 09:00 The Known Universe 13:00 Twisted 10:00 Mega Factories 14:00 24 11:00 America The Wild 15:00 Live Good Morning America 12:00 Adventure Wanted 17:00 Criminal Minds 13:00 Alaska Wing Men 18:00 Twisted 14:00 Helicopter Wars 19:00 24 15:00 Situation Critical 20:00 Criminal Minds 16:00 Megastructures 21:00 Twisted 17:00 Rescue Ink 22:00 The Killing 18:00 Hard Time 23:00 House Of Cards 19:00 Situation Critical 20:00 Megastructures 21:00 Rescue Ink 22:00 Hard Time 02:00 Red 2 23:00 America The Wild 04:00 Marvel’s Hulk vs. Thor & Wolverine 06:00 Summoned 08:00 Red 2 10:00 Terminal Velocity 00:30 The Daily Show With Jon 12:00 The Rock Stewart 14:00 Badges Of Fury 01:00 The Colbert Report 16:00 Red 2 02:30 Veep 18:00 Legendary Amazons 03:00 Parks And Recreation 20:00 Terminal Velocity 03:30 Welcome To The Family 22:00 The General’s Daughter 04:30 The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon 07:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers 09:00 Parks And Recreation 09:30 Melissa & Joey 10:00 The Michael J. Fox Show 00:00 Red 2-PG15 11:00 The Tonight Show Starring 02:00 Marvel’s Hulk vs. Thor & Jimmy Fallon Wolverine-PG 14:00 Welcome To The Family 04:00 Summoned-PG15 14:30 Melissa & Joey 06:00 Red 2-PG15 15:00 The Michael J. Fox Show 08:00 Terminal Velocity-PG15 15:30 The Daily Show With Jon 10:00 The Rock-PG15 Stewart 12:00 Badges Of Fury-PG15 16:00 The Colbert Report 14:00 Red 2-PG15 17:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers 16:00 Legendary Amazons-PG15 18:00 Parks And Recreation 18:00 Terminal Velocity-PG15 BADGES OF FURY ON OSN MOVIES ACTION 18:30 Last Man Standing 20:00 The General’s Daughter- ALONG CAME POLLY ON OSN MOVIES COMEDY HD Classifieds

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014

Kuwait KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY (13/11/2014 TO 19/11/2014)

SHARQIA-1 HAMATI BITHEBINI -Arabic 10:00 PM JESSABELLE 12:30 PM HAMATI BITHEBINI -Arabic 12:05 AM HAMATI BITHEBINI -Arabic 2:30 PM JESSABELLE 4:45 PM MARINA-1 HAMATI BITHEBINI -Arabic 6:45 PM HAMATI BITHEBINI -Arabic 12:30 PM JESSABELLE 8:45 PM INTERSTELLAR 2:30 PM HAMATI BITHEBINI -Arabic 10:45 PM JOHN WICK 5:45 PM JESSABELLE 12:45 AM HAMATI BITHEBINI -Arabic 7:45 PM HAMATI BITHEBINI -Arabic 9:45 PM SHARQIA-2 INTERSTELLAR 11:45 PM DUMB AND DUMBER TO 2:00 PM DUMB AND DUMBER TO 4:00 PM MARINA-2 DUMB AND DUMBER TO 6:00 PM DUMB AND DUMBER TO 1:00 PM DUMB AND DUMBER TO 8:00 PM DUMB AND DUMBER TO 3:00 PM DUMB AND DUMBER TO 10:00 PM DUMB AND DUMBER TO 5:00 PM DUMB AND DUMBER TO 12:05 AM DUMB AND DUMBER TO 7:00 PM DUMB AND DUMBER TO 9:00 PM SHARQIA-3 DUMB AND DUMBER TO 11:00 PM BIG HERO 6 12:30 PM THE BABADOOK 1:00 AM BIG HERO 6 2:45 PM BIG HERO 6 5:00 PM MARINA-3 INTERSTELLAR 9:15 PM BIG HERO 6 -3D 1:30 PM INTERSTELLAR 12:30 AM BIG HERO 6 -3D 3:45 PM 71 6:00 PM MUHALAB-1 71 8:00 PM SITUATION WANTED JOHN WICK 12:30 PM THE BABADOOK 10:00 PM HAMATI BITHEBINI -Arabic 2:30 PM THE BABADOOK 12:05 AM 12 years experienced pro- PILLA NUVVU LENI JEEVITHAM-Telugu 4:30 PM fessional looking for senior INTERSTELLAR 4:30 PM AVENUES-1 position in HAMATI BITHEBINI -Arabic 7:45 PM INTERSTELLAR 2:15 PM accounts/finance. HAMATI BITHEBINI -Arabic 9:45 PM INTERSTELLAR 5:30 PM INTERSTELLAR 11:45 PM INTERSTELLAR 8:45 PM Qualification: CFA: CFA INTERSTELLAR 12:05 AM Level 1, CMA (IMA-USA), MUHALAB-2 ICWA, BCOM, Oracle finan- BIG HERO 6 2:00 PM AVENUES-2 cials, Microsoft dynamic. BIG HERO 6 4:15 PM 71 1:45 PM Contact: 50616410. THE BABADOOK 6:30 PM 71 4:00 PM (C 4856) THE BABADOOK 10:30 PM 71 6:15 PM 11-11-2014 THE BABADOOK 12:30 AM 71 8:30 PM 71 10:45 PM Quality & HSE manager MUHALAB-3 71 1:00 AM DUMB AND DUMBER TO 12:45 PM with 27 years experience in FOR SALE DUMB AND DUMBER TO 2:45 PM AVENUES-3 Middle East. B.E civil, MBA 112 DUMB AND DUMBER TO 4:45 PM THE BABADOOK 1:15 PM (UK) ISO G001, 14001 & Chevy Optra, Model 2004, DUMB AND DUMBER TO 6:45 PM THE BABADOOK 3:30 PM OHSAS 18001 qualified. very good condition. Tel: DUMB AND DUMBER TO 8:45 PM THE BABADOOK 5:45 PM Mob: 94472654. (C 4853) 66133616. THE PUBLIC AUTHORITY DUMB AND DUMBER TO 10:45 PM THE BABADOOK 8:00 PM 10-11-2014 DUMB AND DUMBER TO 12:45 AM THE BABADOOK 10:15 PM FORCIVIL INFORMATION THE BABADOOK 12:30 AM Nissan Sunny model 2013 FANAR-1 silver color, 38,000 km Automated enquiry HAPPY NEW YEAR - HINDI 1:45 PM NO SUN+TUE+WED SITUATION VACANT done, dealer maintain, INTERSTELLAR 5:00 PM 360º- 1 excellent condition, install- about the Civil ID card is KILL DIL (DIG) (Hindi) 5:00 PM HAMATI BITHEBINI -Arabic 1:15 PM Required driver with ment possible with or HAPPY NEW YEAR - HINDI 8:15 PM HAMATI BITHEBINI -Arabic 3:30 PM Kuwait driving license, without down payment. INTERSTELLAR 11:30 PM HAMATI BITHEBINI -Arabic 5:45 PM knowledgeable of Kuwait Cash price KD 2,600. Tel: 1889988 JESSABELLE 11:30 PM HAMATI BITHEBINI -Arabic 8:00 PM areas, for a Kuwaiti family. 99194874. (C 4854) HAMATI BITHEBINI -Arabic1 10:15 PM Tel: 99854312. (C 4857) 10-11-2014 FANAR-2 HAMATI BITHEBINI -Arabic 12:30 AM 11-11-2014 BIG HERO 6 2:00 PM Prayer timings JESSABELLE 4:30 PM 360º- 2 Wanted experienced driv- BIG HERO 6 6:30 PM JAZEERA 2 -Arabic 2:30 PM er for small Kuwaiti family Fajr: 04:48 JESSABELLE 8:45 PM JAZEERA 2 -Arabic 5:30 PM (lady driver can apply) 71 10:45 PM JAZEERA 2 -Arabic 8:30 PM good salary. Contact: CHANGE OF NAME Shorook 06:10 JESSABELLE 12:45 AM JAZEERA 2 -Arabic 11:30 PM 99574355. NO SUN+TUE+WED (C 4800) Duhr: 11:32 FANAR-3 I, Gurtej Singh Kingra S/o INTERSTELLAR 12:45 PM 360º- 3 Harbans Singh R/o Asr: 14:33 Wanted cook with experi- Bhodipura (Bathinda) have HAMATI BITHEBINI -Arabic 4:00 PM BIG HERO 6 -3D 2:00 PM ence for a small Kuwaiti THE BABADOOK 6:00 PM BIG HERO 6 -3D 4:15 PM changed my name to family. Good salary. Maghrib: 16:54 HAMATI BITHEBINI -Arabic 8:00 PM BIG HERO 6 6:30 PM Gurtej Singh. (C 4855) Contact: 99574355. Isha: 18:14 (C 4852) 11-11-2014

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

Arrival Flights on Thursday 13/11/2014 JZR 241 Amman 12:55 QTR 1074 Doha 21:55 QTR 1071 Doha 11:00 Airlines Flt Route Time MSR 610 Cairo 13:00 KNE 480 Taif 22:00 KAC 165 Rome/Paris 11:15 JAI 574 Mumbai 00:10 KAC 672 Dubai 13:55 JZR 135 Bahrain 22:05 GFA 214 Bahrain 11:25 JZR 239 Amman 00:25 QTR 1078 Doha 14:05 KLM 417 Amsterdam 22:15 RBG 554 Alexandria 11:55 JZR 267 Beirut 00:30 AGY 680 Alexandria 14:15 ETD 309 Abu Dhabi 22:15 KAC 501 Beirut 12:00 KLM 411 Amsterdam/Dammam 00:40 THY 766 Istanbul 14:20 FDB 059 Dubai 22:30 KAC 541 Cairo 12:05 JZR 539 Cairo 00:40 KNE 472 Jeddah 14:25 AIC 981 Chennai/Hyderabad/Ahmedabad 22:30 IZG 4162 Mashhad 12:10 THY 772 Istanbul 00:45 SVA 500 Jeddah 14:30 UAL 981 Bahrain 23:10 JZR 776 Jeddah 12:20 FDB 069 Dubai 00:55 FDB 057 Dubai 14:30 BBC 043 Dhaka 23:10 MSC 402 Alexandria 12:25 QTR 1084 Doha 01:00 MPH 951 Amsterdam 14:35 JZR 185 Dubai 23:15 TBZ 5484 Mashhad 12:50 RJA 642 Amman 01:05 KAC 538 Sohag 14:50 AGY 684 Sohag 23:20 MEA 405 Beirut 12:55 KAC 546 Alexandria 01:10 KNE 470 Jeddah 14:55 FDB 071 Dubai 23:45 SYR 342 Damascus 13:00 DLH 637 Dammam 01:15 OMA 645 Muscat 15:00 KAC 785 Jeddah 13:00 SAI 441 Lahore 01:30 GFA 221 Bahrain 15:00 Departure Flights on Thursday 13/11/2014 JZR 176 Dubai 13:45 PGT 858 Istanbul 01:35 KAC 788 Jeddah 15:10 Airlines Flt Route Time MSR 611 Cairo 14:00 THY 764 Istanbul 02:15 JZR 175 Dubai 15:20 AIC 976 Goa/Chennai 00:05 UAE 872 Dubai 14:15 GFA 211 Bahrain 02:30 UAE 857 Dubai 15:45 JZR 562 Sohag 00:05 QTR 8647 Doha 14:25 MSC 403 Sohag 02:30 ABY 127 Sharjah 15:45 BBC 044 Dhaka 00:35 KAC 673 Dubai 15:00 UAE 853 Dubai 02:35 KNE 460 Riyadh 16:00 FDB 072 Dubai 00:45 KAC 617 Doha 15:00 JZR 553 Alexandria 02:45 FDB 051 Dubai 16:00 JAI 573 Mumbai 01:10 QTR 1079 Doha 15:05 JAI 526 Chennai/Abu Dhabi 02:50 JZR 535 Cairo 16:10 KLM 411 Amsterdam 01:55 FDB 058 Dubai 15:10 FDB 067 Dubai 02:55 JZR 779 Jeddah 16:10 DLH 637 Frankfurt 02:15 AGY 685 Sohag 15:15 MSR 612 Cairo 03:10 NIA 251 Alexandria 16:15 SAI 442 Lahore 02:30 THY 767 Istanbul 15:20 ETD 305 Abu Dhabi 03:10 KAC 562 Amman 16:20 THY 773 Istanbul 02:55 KNE 473 Jeddah 15:20 KKK 6507 Istanbul 03:20 QTR 1072 Doha 16:40 PGT 859 Istanbul 03:25 JZR 188 Dubai 15:40 QTR 1076 Doha 03:45 ETD 303 Abu Dhabi 16:55 MSC 404 Sohag 03:30 GFA 222 Bahrain 15:45 MSC 401 Alexandria 04:05 RJA 640 Amman 16:55 UAE 854 Dubai 03:50 KNE 471 Jeddah 15:50 JZR 503 Luxor 05:25 SVA 510 Riyadh 17:15 FDB 068 Dubai 03:55 KAC 773 Riyadh 15:50 THY 770 Istanbul 05:35 GFA 215 Bahrain 17:30 ETD 306 Abu Dhabi 04:05 SVA 505 Jeddah 16:00 DHX 170 Bahrain 05:40 FDB 075 Dubai 17:45 MSR 613 Cairo 04:10 OMA 646 Muscat 16:00 BAW 157 London 06:40 UAL 982 IAD 17:55 KKK 6508 Istanbul 04:10 MPH 951 Dubai/SIN 16:05 JZR 563 Sohag 06:45 JZR 777 Jeddah 17:55 QTR 1085 Doha 04:30 KAC 613 Bahrain 16:10 MSR 502 Cairo 06:50 UAE 875 Dubai 18:00 MSC 406 Sohag 05:05 ABY 128 Sharjah 16:25 KAC 412 Manila/Bangkok 07:10 JZR 177 Dubai 18:20 JZR 560 Sohag 05:10 KNE 481 Taif 16:50 TAR 327 Tunis 07:45 KAC 118 New York 18:30 QTR 1077 Doha 05:15 FDB 052 Dubai 17:00 FDB 053 Dubai 07:45 FDB 063 Dubai 18:40 FDB 070 Dubai 06:30 KAC 741 Dammam 17:00 QTR 1086 Doha 07:50 ABY 121 Sharjah 18:40 JAI 525 Abu Dhabi/Chennai 06:35 JZR 266 Beirut 17:05 IRA 672 Ahwaz 07:50 KAC 786 Jeddah 18:45 THY 765 Istanbul 06:55 NIA 252 Alexandria 17:15 SVA 512 Riyadh 07:55 QTR 1080 Doha 18:50 JZR 164 Dubai 06:55 QTR 1073 Doha 17:40 KAC 352 Kochi 08:10 KAC 618 Doha 19:15 RJA 643 Amman 07:05 UAE 858 Dubai 17:45 IRA 667 Esfahan 08:10 KAC 774 Riyadh 19:15 GFA 212 Bahrain 07:15 JZR 538 Cairo 17:45 KAC 382 Delhi 08:15 AXB 393 Kozhikode 19:15 JZR 240 Amman 07:15 ETD 304 Abu Dhabi 17:50 KAC 302 Mumbai 08:20 KAC 674 Dubai 19:25 THY 771 Istanbul 07:30 RJA 641 Amman 17:55 KAC 206 Islamabad 08:25 KAC 542 Cairo 19:25 KAC 537 Sohag 08:20 SVA 511 Riyadh 18:15 KAC 332 Trivandrum 08:30 GFA 217 Bahrain 19:30 FDB 054 Dubai 08:25 GFA 216 Bahrain 18:20 UAE 855 Dubai 08:40 KAC 176 Geneva/Frankfurt 19:45 TAR 327 Dubai/Tunis 08:35 FDB 076 Dubai 18:25 KAC 362 Colombo 08:45 KAC 502 Beirut 19:50 BAW 156 London 08:45 JZR 184 Dubai 18:40 KAC 284 Dhaka 08:50 KAC 104 London 19:55 IRA 672 Ahwaz 08:50 JZR 238 Amman 18:50 ABY 125 Sharjah 09:00 KAC 742 Dammam 20:00 QTR 1087 Doha 08:50 JZR 134 Bahrain 19:10 ETD 301 Abu Dhabi 09:20 KAC 614 Bahrain 20:00 SVA 513 Riyadh 08:55 UAL 982 Bahrain 19:15 FDB 055 Dubai 09:40 MSR 618 Alexandria 20:05 IRA 668 Mashhad 09:10 ABY 121 Sharjah 19:20 QTR 1070 Doha 10:00 JAI 572 Mumbai 20:05 JZR 534 Cairo 09:15 UAE 876 Dubai 19:40 GFA 213 Bahrain 10:40 JZR 189 Dubai 20:15 KAC 787 Jeddah 09:25 QTR 1081 Doha 19:50 IZG 4161 Mashhad 11:10 OMA 647 Muscat 20:20 KAC 671 Dubai 09:25 FDB 064 Dubai 19:55 RBG 553 Alexandria 11:15 FDB 061 Dubai 20:20 ABY 126 Sharjah 09:40 AXB 393 Kozhikode 20:15 MSC 405 Sohag 11:25 ABY 123 Sharjah 20:35 KAC 101 London/New York 09:50 GFA 218 Bahrain 20:15 JZR 165 Dubai 11:30 DLH 634 Frankfurt 20:50 UAE 856 Dubai 09:55 KAC 283 Dhaka 20:30 JZR 561 Sohag 11:45 ALK 229 Colombo 21:10 ETD 302 Abu Dhabi 10:20 KAC 361 Colombo 20:50 TBZ 5483 Mashhad 11:50 MEA 402 Beirut 21:20 KAC 561 Amman 10:25 KAC 343 Chennai 20:55 MEA 404 Beirut 11:55 ETD 307 Abu Dhabi 21:30 JZR 778 Jeddah 10:30 JAI 571 Mumbai 21:05 SYR 341 Damascus 12:00 FDB 073 Dubai 21:35 FDB 056 Dubai 10:35 MSR 619 Alexandria 21:05 UAE 871 Dubai 12:50 UAE 859 Dubai 21:40 JZR 174 Dubai 10:45 JZR 554 Alexandria 21:05 QTR 8646 Doha 12:55 GFA 219 Bahrain 21:45 MSR 503 Cairo 10:50 KAC 331 Trivandrum 21:10 DIAL161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION stars34 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014

CROSSWORD 723 STAR TRACK

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

The work you do and the way you take care of your health are important Outer circumstances are favorable and it should be easy for you to push for- keys to your best potentials now, in many respects. There is a need for focus ward in projects and in other aspects of your life. Things may seem almost magical in the and careful analysis in these areas of your life. Set up systems and schedules and stick to way they work out to the most positive. This is a great time to get things accomplished. them! You may experience dissatisfaction with what you have or find around you. Perhaps Environmental contaminants connected with your work can be a problem and you may be it is time to weed out the unessential or find help to complete long projects that have successful in convincing higher-ups of needed changes. You may encourage co-workers to become tedious or boring. These things that you get rid of create a space for new and more join with you regarding a cleanup project in your work environment. There are rewards! fascinating things to enjoy. Friends this afternoon bring a give-and-take opportunity into Others appreciate your attention to better working conditions. You may eventually see a your life. You give and crave to be appreciated for your gifts. This evening brings about a domino effect with other businesses around your city where this cleanup is concerned. You creative and even romantic phase-a time of fond memories. enjoy visiting with friends this evening.

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

You may have to excuse yourself from some of the interactions with co-work- There is a danger that you could overindulge today. The availability of free ers in order to get your work accomplished today. You may feel like talking a bit more than food is surprising and it seems that many co-workers have brought things for you to taste usual, happily becoming lost in conversation. It is certainly a day for thinking and ideas. and enjoy. Take a little tea and have a light lunch today; this afternoon could become quite There will be an urge to communicate more than usual. With your determination to fulfilling. Some future plan keeps getting changed and the next time the opportunity arises become more attentive to your work, much can be accomplished. Later today there will be to adjust this future date, stay firm with what has already been decided. Too many changes an opportunity to exchange information and become more involved with neighbors or sib- will create such confusion that there could be frustrations with the attendees or customers. lings. Others may find you especially witty and eccentric this evening. You may have This may be the unveiling of some new product or the sale of several products. The date set insights or breakthroughs in regard to your own living situation. You are ready for big now, however, will be a good one. There is no mistake with one other special day and that is changes and you proceed with little steps. the date of your birth.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)

You bring a lot of mental skills and understanding to whatever you do and There is a more dynamic and outgoing quality to your life style now. Besting could help others take a more independent approach to their life or career. others in the heat of competition and taking on a leadership role means Some of your friends and even co-workers may seek you out for your psychological insight more to you now than in the past. Financial gain is the bright prospect looming before you and understanding. Today may be one of those days where you seem to be spending more now, as you focus on how much things really mean to you. There may be a tendency to ACROSS in 1942). time in giving guidance to others than you are in achieving results from your work. You emphasize the material too much, which could lead to the feeling that the things you own, 1. Block consisting of a thick piece of some- 82. An idle slothful person. may find yourself in overtime or taking a bit of work home with you this afternoon. Your own you instead. This can be an expansive, creative and even a romantic phase, a time you inner resources and emotions may also be accented this evening when a young person will look back on with pride and fondness. What a great time this is to reflect and under- thing. 83. A loose sleeveless outer garment made stand your own situation-just how you feel about your place in the world. Someone from 5. Shockingly repellent. from aba cloth. presents you with some interesting challenges. You expect good will and effort from every- one that seeks your guidance and you receive positive results. your past is on your mind. He or she may be thinking about you as well. 12. A lyric poem with complex stanza forms. 15. The periodic rise and fall of the sea level DOWN under the gravitational pull of the moon. 1. (linguistics) The form of a word after all affixes Capricorn (December 22-January 19) 16. Of or involving the ovaries. are removed. Cancer (June 21-July 22) 17. A unit of absorbed ionizing radiation equal 2. (trademark) A type of inflatable air mattress. You are feeling good and everything in the workplace seems to just fall into to 100 ergs per gram of irradiated material. 3. (Babylonian) God of storms and wind. Things are happening and your career or path depends on your own ambi- place. Your communication skills seem fine-tuned. You are perceptive and 18. A feeling of strong eagerness (usually in 4. Financial assistance in time of need. tion and drive, which are strong now. This is the time to get ahead by taking action. Good sensitive to the needs of others and you are in a good position to teach, guide or just enjoy favor of a person or cause). 5. Characteristic of a mob. fortune and plain old luck surround you. You easily make correct decisions and you find the the special personalities of the people around you. Your mind is ever on communication, right path to move forward where career and success are concerned. Life’s problems seem 19. A loud bombastic declamation expressed 6. The eleventh month of the civil year. how you present yourself and come across with others. It is easy for you to express yourself manageable. On the home front you will be the center of attention as you may have unex- in a crowd-you are talented. Others could seek you out for your psychological insight and with strong emotion. 7. A town in southeastern New Mexico on the pected company. You enjoy entertaining others and can always find some type of refresh- understanding. You have an ability to find the real breakthroughs and to spot new trends. 21. (from a combination of MOdulate and Pecos River near the Mexican border. ment to serve when necessary. There will be an opportunity to trade information and enjoy You work in areas that are at the very fringe of technology. The word is accomplishment-if DEModulate) Electronic equipment consisting 8. A peninsula between the Red Sea and the conversations about curious things. This can be an expansive, creative period-a time you there is a job, you can do it. of a device used to connect computers by a Persian Gulf. will look back on with fondness. telephone line. 9. A container. 23. A three-year law degree. 10. A switch made from the stems of the rattan 24. A port city in southwestern Iran. palms. Leo (July 23-August 22) Aquarius (January 20- February 18) 26. Extremely pleasing. 11. Half the width of an em. Your ideas and thoughts may run counter to accepted values: your own or This is a very lucky day for making plans. You feel successful. Subjects such 28. Someone who can use sign language to 12. Toward the mouth or oral region. those of others. You may find yourself in a disapproving mood at times. Decisions made as law, politics, education, travel and religion are some of the areas where emotionally communicate. 13. An informal term for a father. now may have to be rethought later. You could find yourself tense. This is a great time to charged issues could be discussed. Good suggestions from a guide or older person may be reflect and understand your own situation, just how you feel about the direction in which 30. In a cagey manner. 14. Any place of complete bliss and delight and helpful-listen carefully. This is also a time of strong desire-perfect for starting something you are moving and perhaps some changes that may be needed. There could be an oppor- 33. The cry made by sheep. peace. new or taking care of business. A business partnership that used to work to your advantage tunity to rise above your own limitations. You will find that when you remove any emotion- 34. An oral poliovirus vaccine (containing live 20. A list of dishes available at a restaurant. now seems less in keeping with your plans for the future and it is time for changes to be al issues, you make clear and wise choices. You have an open invitation at this time to have made. A change of atmosphere after work may help you gain focus on this change and but weakened poliovirus) that is given to pro- 22. Stem of the rattan palm used for making special time with someone you love. A relaxed evening with music can provide opportuni- may call for bouncing a basketball around for a while. This or some similar activity is a great vide immunity to poliomyelitis. canes and umbrella handles. ties for you to loosen up. 38. A long noosed rope used to catch animals. 25. A light strong brittle gray toxic bivalent way to get rid of stress after a busy workday. 40. A vast Asian region of Russia. metallic element. 43. One of the five major classes of 27. Minor or subordinate. immunoglobulins. 29. Talks a great deal about uninteresting topics. Virgo (August 23-September 22) Pisces (February 19-March 20) 44. Of or relating to or characteristic of the 31. A high wave (often dangerous) caused by Career decisions are straightforward. You make your way through ideas, Events may make it easy for you to be original, have breakthroughs and find Republic of Chad or its people or language. tidal flow (as by colliding tidal currents or in a concepts and your ability to express them to others. You will make career new solutions to old problems. Independence, originality and eccentricity 46. A room or establishment where alcoholic narrow estuary). gains by your ability to sense quality and choose accordingly. Helping those who cannot are to the forefront. You have a burning zeal for humanitarian goals and what is best for a drinks are served over a counter. 32. A cushion on a throne for a prince in India. help themselves-and accepting such help if you need it-is an essential lesson now. There is group or a community. With little patience for red tape and superficialities, you insist on get- 47. A graphical recording of the cardiac cycle 35. (Greek mythology) One of the mountain a mentor to be found if you need one and you may have the opportunity to play such a ting right to the heart of any question. You enjoy your own life situation and feel especially produced by an electrocardiograph. nymphs. role for someone else. You may find yourself more than a little eager to acquire items today. kind towards a neighbor or friend. Someone may compliment you on your tastes or 48. Orange liqueur with lemon juice and 36. A heavy iron tool with a wooden handle and Your current appreciation for just about everything may lead you to overspend this after- belongings as you visit with friends in your home later today. At this time of year there are noon. Talk to a friend this evening and make plans to exercise together throughout the brandy. a curved head that is pointed on both ends. always opportunities to talk about tradition. You may find that you have been invited to winter. This is a great way to channel tensions into some physical energy. several parties and may be asked to help in the planning stages of one or two. 52. The quality of being secluded from the pres- 37. (zoology) Having freedom to move about. ence or view of others. 39. The absolute unit of pressure equal to one 53. Lacking gonads. dyne per square centimeter. 54. English actor noted for his portrayals of 41. The villain in William Shakespeare's tragedy Word Search Yesterday Solution Shakespeare's great tragic characters (1789- who tricked Othello into murdering his wife. 1833). 42. A name given to a product or service. 56. A logarithmic unit of sound intensity. 45. One who works hard at boring tasks. 57. A colorless odorless inert gaseous element 49. American civil rights worker in Mississippi. occurring in the earth's atmosphere in trace 50. A walled city in southeastern China on the amounts. Gan Jiang. 58. (botany) Of or relating to the axil. 51. American dwarf fan palms. 61. The United Nations agency concerned with 55. The branch of computer science that deal civil aviation. with writing computer programs that can solve 63. A public promotion of some product or problems creatively. service. 59. Established by or founded upon law or offi- 65. Large South African oryx with a broad black cial or accepted rules. band along its flanks. 60. Italian violin maker in Cremona. 69. A period of time equal to 1/24th of a day. 62. A particular environment or walk of life. 73. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in 64. (Irish) Chief god of the Tuatha De Danann. Turkey). 66. Having or denoting a low vocal or instru- 74. Tuberous or rhizomatous herbaceous peren- mental range. nials. 67. Using speech rather than writing. 77. Aircraft landing in bad weather in which the 68. A lake in the mountains of central Africa pilot is talked down by ground control using between Congo and Rwanda. precision approach radar. 70. King of Saudi Arabia since 1982 (born in 78. Not reflecting light. 1922). 79. A port in eastern Georgia near the mouth of 71. Someone who works (or provides workers) the Savannah river. during a strike. 80. A barrier constructed to contain the flow or 72. God of love and erotic desire. water or to keep out the sea. 75. A shape that sags. 81. American prizefighter who won the world 76. The month following February and preced- heavyweight championship three times (born ing April. Yesterday’s Solution

Daily SuDoku Yesterday’s Solution THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 information

For labor-related inquiries and complaints: INTERNATIONAL Call MSAL hotline 128 CALLS

Afghanistan 0093 Luxembourg 00352 GOVERNORATE PHARMACY ADDRESS PHONE Albania 00355 Macau 00853 Algeria 00213 Macedonia 00389 Ahmadi Sama Safwan Fahaeel Makka St 23915883 Andorra 00376 Madagascar 00261 Sabah Hospital 24812000 Abu Halaifa Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd 23715414 Angola 00244 Majorca 0034 Amiri Hospital 22450005 Danat Al-Sultan Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd 23726558 Anguilla 001264 Malawi 00265 Maternity Hospital 24843100 Jahra Modern Jahra Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 24575518 Antiga 001268 Malaysia 0060 Madina Munawara Jahra-Block 92 24566622 Argentina 0054 Maldives 00960 Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital 25312700 Capital Ahlam Fahad Al-Salem St 22436184 Armenia 00374 Mali 00223 Chest Hospital 24849400 Khaldiya Coop Khaldiya Coop 24833967 Australia 0061 Malta 00356 Austria 0043 Marshall Islands 00692 Farwaniya Hospital 24892010 Farwaniya New Shifa Farwaniya Block 40 24734000 Ferdous Coop Ferdous Coop 24881201 Bahamas 001242 Martinique 00596 Adan Hospital 23940620 Modern Safwan Old Kheitan Block 11 24726638 Bahrain 00973 Mauritania 00222 Ibn Sina Hospital 24840300 Bangladesh 00880 Mauritius 00230 Hawally Tariq Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St 25726265 Barbados 001246 Mayotte 00269 Al-Razi Hospital 24846000 Hana Salmiya-Amman St 25647075 Ikhlas Hawally-Beirut St 22625999 Belarus 00375 Mexico 0052 Physiotherapy Hospital 24874330/9 Hawally & Rawdha Hawally & Rawdha Coop 22564549 Belgium 0032 Micronesia 00691 Ghadeer Jabriya-Block 1A 25340559 Belize 00501 Moldova 00373 Kindy Jabriya-Block 3B 25326554 Benin 00229 Monaco 00377 Ibn Al-Nafis Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St 25721264 Mishrif Coop Mishrif Coop 25380581 Bermuda 001441 Mongolia 00976 Kaizen center 25716707 Salwa Coop Salwa Coop 25628241 Bhutan 00975 Montserrat 001664 Rawda 22517733 Bolivia 00591 Morocco 00212 Bosnia 00387 Mozambique 00258 Adaliya 22517144 Botswana 00267 Myanmar (Burma) 0095 Khaldiya 24848075 Brazil 0055 Namibia 00264 Brunei 00673 Nepal 00977 Kaifan 24849807 Bulgaria 00359 Netherlands 0031 Shamiya 24848913 Burkina 00226 Netherlands Antilles 00599 DAY: :HGQHVGD\  Issue Time  Burundi 00257 New Caledonia 00687 Shuwaikh 24814507 Cambodia 00855 New Zealand 0064 Abdullah Salem 22549134 Expected Weather for the Next 24 Hours Cameroon 00237 Nicaragua 00505 Canada 001 Nigar 00227 Nuzha 22526804 %<'$< )DLUZLWKOLJKWYDULDEOHZLQGZLWKVSHHGRINPKDQGVRPHVFDWWHUHGFORXGVZLOODSSHDU Cape Verde 00238 Nigeria 00234 Industrial Shuwaikh 24814764 Cayman Islands 001345 Niue 00683 Central African 00236 Norfolk Island 00672 Qadsiya 22515088 %<1,*+7 &ROGZLWKOLJKWYDULDEOHZLQGZLWKVSHHGRINPK Chad 00235 N. Ireland (UK) 0044 Dasmah 22532265 Chile 0056 North Korea 00850 WARNING Bneid Al-Gar 22531908 1R&XUUHQW:DUQLQJV China 0086 Norway 0047 Colombia 0057 Oman 00968 Shaab 22518752 STATION 0$;(;3 0,15(& 6)&&+$57 87& Comoros 00269 Pakistan 0092 Qibla 22459381 .8:$,7&,7< ƒ& ƒ& Congo 00242 Palau 00680 Cook Islands 00682 Panama 00507 .8:$,7$,53257 ƒ& ƒ& Ayoun Al-Qibla 22451082 Costa Rica 00506 Papua New Guinea 00675 Mirqab 22456536 $%'$/< ƒ& ƒ& Croatia 00385 Paraguay 00595 Cuba 0053 Peru 0051 Sharq 22465401 %8%<$1 ƒ& ƒ& Cyprus 00357 Philippines 0063 -$+5$ ƒ& ƒ& Salmiya 25746401 Cyprus (Northern) 0090392 Poland 0048 )$,/$.$,6/$1' ƒ& ƒ& Czech Republic 00420 Portugal 00351 Jabriya 25316254 6$/0,<$+ ƒ& ƒ& Denmark 0045 Puerto Rico 001787 Maidan Hawally 25623444 Diego Garcia 00246 Qatar 00974 $+0$', ƒ& ƒ& Djibouti 00253 Romania 0040 Bayan 25388462 -8/8,$+3257 ƒ& ƒ& Dominica 001767 Russian Federation 007 Mishref 25381200 4$52+,6/$1' ƒ& ƒ& Dominican Republic 001809 Rwanda 00250 Ecuador 00593 Saint Helena 00290 W Hawally 22630786 800$/0$5$'(0 ƒ& ƒ& Egypt 0020 Saint Kitts 001869 Sabah 24810221 4 DAYS FORECAST El Salvador 00503 Saint Lucia 001758 England (UK) 0044 Saint Pierre 00508 Jahra 24770319 Temperatures DAY DATE WEATHER Wind Direction Wind Speed Equatorial Guinea 00240 Saint Vincent 001784 New Jahra 24575755 MAX. MIN. Eritrea 00291 Samoa US 00684 West Jahra 24772608 7KXUVGD\  )DLUKLJKFORXGV ƒ& ƒ& 95%6( NPK Estonia 00372 Samoa West 00685 )ULGD\  )DLUVFDWWHUHGFORXGVQLJKWPLVWƒ& ƒ& 95%6( NPK Ethiopia 00251 San Marino 00378 South Jahra 24775066 6DWXUGD\  )DLUFKDQFHIRUIRJ ƒ& ƒ& 95%6( NPK Falkland Islands 00500 Sao Tone 00239 North Jahra 24775992 6XQGD\  )DLUFKDQFHIRUIRJ ƒ& ƒ& 66( NPK Faroe Islands 00298 Saudi Arabia 00966 Fiji 00679 Scotland (UK) 0044 North Jleeb 24311795 PRAYER TIMES RECORDED YESTERDAY AT KUWAIT AIRPORT Finland 00358 Senegal 00221 Ardhiya 24884079 Fajr  MAX. Temp.  °C France 0033 Seychelles 00284 Sunrise MIN. Temp. °C Firdous 24892674   French Guiana 00594 Sierra Leone 00232 Zuhr  MAX. RH  % French Polynesia 00689 Singapore 0065 Omariya 24719048 Asr  MIN. RH  % Gabon 00241 Slovakia 00421 Sunset MAX. Wind km/h N Khaitan 24710044  1:  Gambia 00220 Slovenia 00386 Isha  TOTAL RAINFALL IN 24 HR.  mm Georgia 00995 Solomon Islands 00677 Fintas 23900322 All times are local time unless otherwise stated. 83  UTC 9 7 ŵŤŚƀ Germany 0049 Somalia 00252 Ghana 00233 South Africa 0027 Gibraltar 00350 South Korea 0082 Greece 0030 Spain 0034 Greenland 00299 Sri Lanka 0094 PRIVATE CLINICS Grenada 001473 Sudan 00249 Guadeloupe 00590 Suriname 00597 Guam 001671 Swaziland 00268 Guatemala 00502 Sweden 0046 Ophthalmologists Plastic Surgeons Paediatricians Endocrinologist Guinea 00224 Switzerland 0041 Dr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444 Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf 22547272 Dr. Khaled Hamadi 25665898 Guyana 00592 Syria 00963 Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman 25339330 Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222 Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari 22617700 Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed 25340300 Haiti 00509 Serbia 00381 Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171 Dr. Abdel Quttainah 25625030/60 Dr. Zahra Qabazard 25710444 Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 25658888 Holland (Netherlands) 0031 Taiwan 00886 Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999 Family Doctor Dr. Sohail Qamar 22621099 Honduras 00504 Tanzania 00255 Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700 Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924 Dr Divya Damodar 23729596/23729581 Dr. Snaa Maaroof 25713514 Hong Kong 00852 Thailand 0066 Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223 Physiotherapists & VD Hungary 0036 Toga 00228 Psychiatrists Dr. Pradip Gujare 23713100 Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223 Dr. Zacharias Mathew 24334282 Dr. Deyaa Shehab 25722291 Ibiza (Spain) 0034 Tonga 00676 Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Dr. Esam Al-Ansari 22635047 Iceland 00354 Tokelau 00690 Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510 Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan 22613623/0 Dermatology Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees 22666288 India 0091 Trinidad 001868 Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660 Gynaecologists & Obstetricians Dr. Mohammed Salam Rheumatologists: Indian Ocean 00873 Tunisia 00216 Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478 DrAdrian arbe 23729596/23729581 Bern University 23845955 Indonesia 0062 Turkey 0090 Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996 Dr. Verginia s.Marin 2572-6666 ext 8321 Dentists Dr. Adel Al-Awadi 25330060 Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988 Iran 0098 Tuvalu 00688 Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan 22655539 Dr Anil Thomas 3729596/3729581 Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166 Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah 25722290 Iraq 00964 Uganda 00256 Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami 25343406 Dr. Shamah Al-Matar 22641071/2 Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426 Ireland 00353 Ukraine 00380 Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly 25739272 Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed 22562226 Internist, Chest & Heart General Practitioners Italy 0039 United Arab Emirates 00976 Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer 22561444 Dr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123 Dr. Salem soso 22618787 DR.Mohammes Akkad 24555050 Ext 210 Ivory Coast 00225 United Kingdom 0044 Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan 22619557 General Surgeons Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312 Dr. Mohammad Zubaid Jamaica 001876 Uruguay 00598 Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash 22525888 Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920 Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer 22610044 MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Japan 0081 USA 001 Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan 25653755 Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465 Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher 25327148 Assistant Professor Of Medicine Jordan 00962 Uzbekistan 00998 Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528 Dr. Bader Al-Ansari 25620111 Internists, Chest & Heart Head, Division of Cardiology Kazakhstan 007 Vanuatu 00678 Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781 Neurologists Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital 25339667 Dr. Adnan Ebil 22639939 Kenya 00254 Venezuela 00582 Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501 Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri 25633324 Dr. Mousa Khadada 22666300 Consultant Cardiologist Kiribati 00686 Vietnam 0084 Urologists Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan 25345875 Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan 25728004 Dr. Farida Al-Habib 2611555-2622555 Kuwait 00965 Virgin Islands UK 001284 Dr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534 Gastrologists MD, PH.D, FACC Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955 Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra 25355515 Kyrgyzstan 00996 Virgin Islands US 001340 Dr. Sami Aman 22636464 Inaya German Medical Center Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660 Dr. Mobarak Aldoub 24726446 Laos 00856 Wales (UK) 0044 Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly 25322030 Te: 2575077 Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120 Dr Nasser Behbehani 25654300/3 Latvia 00371 Yemen 00967 Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali 22633135 Fax: 25723123 Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427 Lebanon 00961 Yugoslavia 00381 Soor Center Liberia 00231 Zambia 00260 Psychologists [email protected] Tel: 2290-1677 Kaizen center Noor Clinic William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677 Libya 00218 Zimbabwe 00263 /Psychotherapists www.soorcenter.com Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677 Fax: 2290 1688 25716707 23845955 Lithuania 00370 LIFESTYLE36 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 Features ‘Blue Belle’ sapphire sets new world record

sapphire known as the Blue Belle of Francs ($17.29 million, 13.87 million euros), Asia has set a new world record the highest ever for a sapphire at auction. Aafter selling for more than 17 mil- The Ceylon sapphire mounted on a dia- lion dollars at a rare jewelry auction in mond necklace was the highlight of a sale Geneva, Christie’s said. The 392.52-carat of rare and historical jewels that brought in gem was snapped up by a private collector 150.21 million dollars-also a record for the Tuesday night for 16.965 million Swiss “Magnificent Jewels” sales held regularly around the world by Christie’s. Other star lots included a pair of Cartier tigers, for- merly in the collection of the Duchess of Windsor, which sparked a bidding battle before they were sold for $3.14 million. And a 19th-century brooch that once belonged to the French Empress Eugenie’s was sold for $2.33 million. According to Rahul Kadakia, interna- tional head of Christie’s jewelry depart- ment, around 600 people from 30 coun- tries took part in the auction, which far exceeded pre-sale estimates of 80 million dollars. Combined Christie’s sales of jewel- ry and fine watches held in Geneva from Sunday to Tuesday reached 185 million dollars, the highest ever since the auction- eer’s first sale in Switzerland in 1969.Rival auctioneer Sotheby’s will be staging its own jewelry sale in Geneva today, wrap- ping up the November auction season in the Swiss city. —AFP

A photo taken on November 4, 2014 shows Mannequins at the Pierre Cardin museum, called “Passe-Present-Futur” (“Past- Present-Future”), which presents 200 Haute Couture outfits in Paris. —AFP photos Get cozy with Gap Eternal futurist of fashion Pierre

ap launches its ‘Holiday collection’ ging jeans, real straight, always skinny this November. Be prepared to be and high rise. Plaid and biker influences Gdelighted by the festive assort- styles are also big in this collection, with Cardin opens new museum at 92 ment both to wear and give. Organized biker jackets, wool zip skirts and plaid by the themes of crazy stripes, fair isle fleece. and party, the collection recognizes Drawing inspiration from the opening Rebekka Bay, Creative Director and Head of the first GAP store in 1969 the ‘Indigo’ hat coat has been round the world. of Marketing’s cohesive design direction. women’s collection has fits of new high That’s when I actually started to make The ‘Crazy Stripe’ style story consists of rise sateen legging jeans and diamond “Tsome money!” Pierre Cardin says, incredible vibrant colors, setting a fun quilted sweatshirts. Sparkles and shine stopping in front of a flared, red design among and distinctive tone this season. A key are found on tees, sweaters and plaited the first exhibits at his new museum in Paris. highlight in the women’s collection is vees which adds to the festive season One of the last survivors of the great post-war knit top dresses and accessories and feel. For men the fur parka comes in ten French fashion houses, Cardin, at 92, still heads a moto sweatpants, while the men’s collec- different colors and is a style must. sprawling business empire. “Back then I hadn’t tion sees cotton and cashmere crewneck Shop basics from Gap, where the yet become Pierre Cardin. I hadn’t found my jumpers, puffer vests and slim fit Bedford assortment for women is full of woven voice,” he says, in uncharacteristically reflective Cords stylishly leading the way. shirts, essential tees and solid and print- mood. Another style story in this collection is ed oxfords. For men stripe polo’s in six The avant-garde designer, known for his geo- ‘Fair Isle and Shine’’ which concentrates different colors and sweaters with stripes metric shapes, dresses decorated with circular on the traditional red pop pallets in luxe are essential. and rectangular motifs and astronaut’s headgear, fabrications and yarns. Women can add The ‘Holiday collection’ is not com- has always tended to look forward rather than some glam and shine with sparkly sweat- plete without the ‘Party Capsule’. For backward. But he is making an exception today. pants and for a casual look the soft knit women the fit and flare is the most His Past-Present-Future museum, until recently sweatpants are a great alternative. The important look, with solid and floral tucked away in a far-flung corner of the Paris sub- ‘Engineered Traditional’ style story printed styles and fabrications such as urbs, is reopening in the more central Marais, the includes black denim in various fits - leg- ponte. city’s historic former Jewish quarter. The exhibit traces Cardin’s 60-year career through some 200 fashion pieces, as well as hats, shoes, pieces of jewelry and furniture.

‘Came from nothing’ French designer Pierre Cardin poses in his new museum, called “Passe-Present-Futur” The son of parents who settled in France in (“Past-Present-Future”). 1924 after escaping Italy’s fascist regime, Cardin says the museum will deliver a “legacy for a cou- turier who came from nothing”. As successful in business as was in fashion, Cardin started work as an apprentice at 14, moving to Paris after World War II where he worked at the Paquin and Schiaparelli fashion houses before joining Christian Dior. In 1950, having failed to get a job with Balenciaga, he decided to set up on his own. “I had the chance to achieve everything I wanted without needing a banker, authority... I was a free man from the age of 20,” he recalls. His 1964 “Space Age” collection remains a landmark in fashion history with its cut-out dresses, knit- ted catsuits, tight leather pants, close-fitting hel- mets and batwing jumpers. “Only lines count. I only care for simplicity,” he once wrote. For style to become real, proportion and line are primor- dial.” Cardin, who will inaugurate the 1,000-square- metre (10,000-square-foot) museum on Thursday, was also one of the earliest believers in ready-to-wear. After launching his first ready- to-wear collection in 1959, he was promptly expelled from Paris’s association of haute cou- turiers. But the new trend for more accessible A Mannequin at the Pierre Cardin museum, called “Passe-Present-Futur”. fashion was an unstoppable force and he was later readmitted. been controversial. His attempts to build a golf eration of designers as heirs, though, and appears course on land he owned in the south of France to regret what he perceives as a loss of distinc- Inexhaustible were eventually scuttled following local protests. tiveness. “Fashion design is so diverse. It does not Today, despite being in his tenth decade, And, in 2013, he had to abandon his plan for a have clear identities as before with Balenciaga, Cardin remains inexhaustible. His many business futuristic billion-euro tower in the Venice lagoon Chanel, Cardin, Courreges. Design is about being acquisitions take in hotels, factories, boutiques amid warnings it would destroy the city’s skyline. recognized without a label. Elegance alone is not and restaurants, including Paris’s upmarket “I’ve always had bizarre ideas that surprise, but sufficient,” he says. Still busy with his own busi- eaterie Maxim’s which he turned into an interna- this is what makes my personality,” he says. ness empire, however, he is happy to remain tional chain with branches all over the world. Even now, Cardin continues to design for the largely detached from the rest of the fashion In 2011, he put his fashion label-made up of catwalks from time to time. “It’s youth that makes world. “I don’t see the other designers. I have so some 300 license contracts up for sale saying he fashion, not old people. Me, I’m one of the old much to do personally,” he says, adding: “I don’t hoped it would fetch up to a billion euros. His people now-but I have stayed young,” he says. have to judge them... they have their work and I property projects, however, have sometimes He does not mention any of the younger gen- have mine.”—AFP ‘Caudalie’ introduces five of its cult products to the Kuwait market

audalie, one of Europe’s top skin care brands peptides. Its subtle and stimulating fragrance offers for visibly younger skin. It corrects all signs of skin absolute, white musk, vanilla and cedar. and notable award-winner for over 15 years, notes of bergamot zest, mandarin, lime, lemon blos- aging: wrinkles, loss of elasticity, dark spots, oxidative Ctoday presented five of its most popular prod- som, cypress wood, fresh mint and watermelon. stress, dryness. Wrinkles are smoothed, facial con- 5- Beauty Elixir ucts to the Kuwait market which included serums, tours are firmer and more defined, and the complex- This elixir of youth smoothes the skin, tightens creams and oils known to be a celebrity-favorite and 2- Vinoperfect Radiance Serum ion is radiant. The Cream is an exceptional elixir that pores, and brightens complexion. Part serum and one of the leading anti-aging and anti-dark spot This oil-free serum creates a radiant complexion, retains the original scent created by Olivia Giacobetti, part toner, it includes exceptional ingredients: ben- products in France and across 32 countries world- corrects dark spots and prevents them from reap- a popular French perfumer, and has a delicate accord zoin to soothe the skin, myrrh to renew, rosemary wide. pearing, thanks to Caudalie patented Viniferine, of vine roses blended in an oak barrel. essential oil to purify, lemon balm to calm and pep- From cleansers to moisturizers, from anti-dark known for being 62x more effective than Vitamin C. permint to stimulate, along with orange blossom to spot serums to anti-ageing night creams, from body The complexion becomes evened out and more radi- 4- Divine Oil soften, rose for radiance and moisturizing grape pulp scrubs to body oils, everyone will find what’s best fit- ant. Its unique and glamorous milky texture is imme- This multi-purpose dry oil moisturizes, nourishes extract. Known as “the darling of backstage teams”, ted for their skin type in this brand. diately absorbed by the skin. The delicate, fresh and and beautifies the skin and hair. It has become a this mist with its unique, addictive fragrance became subtle phyto-aromatic scent combines the sparkling “beauty must-have” for women around the world a cult product, and actresses, as well as stylists and 1- Vinexpert Firming Serum 30 ml - The Anti-grav- green notes of mint, caraway seeds, and galbanum.It thanks to its formula: a unique alchemy of four models quickly adopted it, using it as an instant toner ity care is non-photosensitizing (can be used in the morning) unique exceptionally refined plant oils. Grape oil, and a make-up fixer. This oil-free serum deeply restructures the skin so and non-depigmenting (can be used on dark skin sesame oil, virgin hibiscus oil and organic extra-vir- The skin line collection is available in Ali it regains its firmness and elasticity. Skin is visibly tones). gin argan oil combined with nourishing shea butter Abdulwahab Al-Mutawa Commercial Co. (AAW) part- younger: the contours are resculpted, wrinkles are and Caudalie patented anti-oxidant Grape ner pharmacies including Surra, Yarmouk, Jaber Al- reduced, skin is redensified. This anti-gravity concen- 3- Premier Cru Cream Polyphenols.Its exclusive fragrance by Jacques Ali, Fahed Al-Ahmad, Rihab, and Sabahiya branches. trate integrates Resveratrol, one of the most powerful Luxurious and effective in equal measure, this Cavallier, a popular French perfumer, unites the Al-Shuhada, Bayan and Sabah Al-Salim as well as anti-wrinkle, firmness molecule, acid hyaluronic and- exceptional cream delivers ultimate anti-aging action essence of Moroccan rose with a Bulgarian rose selected Boots stores. LIFESTYLE THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 Features37 Lip care tips of the week Having proper lip care can result in RoC Lip Balm – This is something that I’d having fuller and healthier looking lips. pick up from the pharmacy, which is always ip care isn’t much of an appreciated step in our Protecting them from extreme weather a good option to fall back on, it reliefs those beauty routine. We always tend to forget that the climates such as the cold or heat should cracks and is also fragrance free which is skin on our lips is very sensitive to any changes always be a step within your beauty regi- sometimes a good thing for men who have that happen in our bodies such as dehydration, men. Supplement intake is also essential dry lips. the environment such as exposure to the sun, to having not only healthy lips but also for As mentioned, priming your lips can Ltanning, and dry weather. With age your lips tend to be- your own health and body! Cheap lipsticks avoid a lot of damage in the long run, below come thinner and shrink due to the absence of sebaceous or lip balms contain various chemicals that are some of the lip primers that personally glands and many sensitive nerves. are mostly likely to be harmful to your lips have done wonders: and more damaging than having nothing on. They will definitely be harmful to the Too Faced – Lip Insurance: It has a sponge sensitive skin on your lips and make them applicator which is completely gentle and dry out or maybe have an allergic reaction. smooth to apply, and it dries up to a matte Medical lip balms are always the safest op- finish. Sometimes I would just apply it on tion to go for, from a pharmacy or one that with some Lip liner and that’s it! is prescribed from a dermatologist. Mac Prep and Prime for Lips: This product Healthy lips are just as important as a didn’t necessarily let my lipstick stay longer healthy complexion, and are much easier but it did feel good on my lips, and it made to achieve. Prepping your lips before go- the application of my lipstick look better. ing out, or even during night-time is very important to avoid flaking or chapped lips, Chapstick – Classic: I use those on a daily because most matte lipsticks have a drying basis, I don’t necessarily think the flavored effect on your lips, my lips definitely loose ones work as well, but the classic one really moisture after i have worn a matte lipstick. does stay on for a couple of hours, not re- Prepping them will avoid this, even in the ally the best choice, but using them when long run. you’re not out or at an event and what not It is essential to moisturize and prime is helpful. your lips before applying any lipstick, and In a nutshell, taking care of the condition even without! Here are some products and of your lips is as important, if not even more home recipes I’ve used to in order to keep important, than taking care of your hair my lips full and plum: and skin, only because our lips are super sensitive to any changes, and aren’t capable of producing protective layers to help them Lip moisturizers: from getting damaged. Eating the right Laura Mercier – Flawless Skin, Lip Silk: diet, and drinking loads of water definitely I can swear by this product, because it helps in having healthy looking lips and helped me so much with going through even skin. The first signs of dehydration are Roaccutane and having extremely chapped usually noticed on your lips. Having said all and dry lips. This lip silk reduces the lines of that, notice what works best on you, and and cracks on your lips to result in a smooth what doesn’t. Not everyone is the same, we surface. It also helped with applying my all differ in skin types as well as how our lipstick because it got to a point where they skin’s reaction to chemicals, products and were very dry that they couldn’t hold up the environment. any lip product that I would wear. Bepanthen: is an ointment that I’ve also Till next week! counted on during my extremely chappy Fouz xo days! It contains pro-vitamin B5 which helps a lot in soothing and recovering the dry and sensitive skin on your lips, it also makes a good lip primer before wearing any lipstick or lip gloss.

Lip Scrub – Bubblegum from Lush: I am obsessed with this organic lip scrub which is mainly made out of sugar with exfoliates and moisturizes too. I use this every few days, and they also have other lip scrubs at Lush however I just loved this one, it also tastes good lol!

Photo shows pink roses in garden of Photo shows a high the Palais heel shoe on display Royal in in the window of the Paris. Pierre Hardy shop.

Chic shopping in a 17th-century palace

ashion, history and gardens. It’s an only-in-Paris clothing with another boutique next door that shows experience at the Palais Royal, where luxury her own design collection for accessories, includ- Fshops line the columned arcades of a 17th cen- ing bags, belts and jewelry. Taiwan designer Sophie tury palace. It’s a stellar location for visitors: The Palais Hong’s boutique resembles a refined jewelry box with Royal sits in the 1st arrondissement opposite the a small, precious interior, displaying her unique hued Louvre and near the Jardin des Tuileries. Nestled in its silk fashion creations. Photo shows a mannequin Montpensier and Valois galleries, high-end design- British designer Stella McCartney’s shop window in stand in the window of the ers Marc Jacobs, Stella McCartney, RickParis: Owens and the Galerie de Valois features her line-drawn faces — Marc Jacobs shop. others show both their latest collections and vintage a motif used on sweaters, tops and jackets. A recent clothing in windows that reflect the trees, serene rose display included a casual look pairing a sweater with File photo shows a gardens and grand historic architecture. her Tomboy Diamond Jeans and other signature fashionista holding The Marc Jacobs Collection at his shop on rue clothing. Pierre Hardy, who previously designed shoe white rose walks in de Montpensier sells the American designer’s latest collections for Dior and Hermes, creates striking, the gardens of the shirts, sweaters and accessories. For haute couture trendy shoes for men and women, including a spunky Palais Royal after the vintage fashion, the Galerie Montpensier shop of high-heeled shoe in a window earlier this fall. The presentation of On Didier Ludot features Dior, Chanel, Paco Rabanne and Corto Moltedo boutique has cool, luxury bags by Aura Tout Vu’s Fall- other classic designers. Gabrielle Gep- designer Gabrielecorto Moltedo. American designer Winter 2014-2015 pert’s shop, Lux & Vintage, Rick Owens captivates shoppers with a trompe l’oeil Haute Couture fash- has chic, vintage statue of himself dressed in hip garb and viewable ion collection in Paris. from the shop window. His Fall14 Moody Collection includes jackets with off-center zippers, belts, scarves, bracelets, and the “Moody” cap. Combine shopping (or depending on your budget, window-shopping) with a stroll along Le Petit Photo shows a Canon du Palais Royal to enjoy the flowers in women’s jacket in the season, then stop in a cafe for wine or dessert. window of the Gabri- To add another layer of French history, visit elle Geppart shop Lux Le Grand Vefour, the classic gourmet French & Vintage. restaurant, which counts Napoleon, Balzac, Cocteau and Colette among those who’ve Photo shows women’s dined there since it opened in the palace vintage fashion and ac- arcades in 1784.—AP cessories in the window of the Didier Ludot shop in the Palais Royal in Paris.

The garden of Le Petit Canon du Palais Royal before rain falls in Paris. lifestyle THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 MUSIC & MOVIES Garth Brooks returns after 13 years

society that’s “rotten to the core,” as he states in the title song, which pits a desper- ate man making a stand against an Orwellian power structure. The album shows the influence of country rockers Jason Aldean and Eric Church in its heavy guitars and dark-hued themes. But he doesn’t go for auto-tuned vocals, rhythm loops or rapping. The songs are weighty and wordy, taking up where his albums “Scarecrow” and “In the Life of Chris Gaines” left off. s would be expected, Garth Brooks Some tunes - “She’s Tired of Boys” and strives for an epic statement on his “Midnight Train” - could benefit from the Are-entry into full-time recording, concise editing that defines the best coun- after a 13-year hiatus. Unlike most modern try songwriting. However, the unabashed male country stars, Brooks looks beyond sentiment of “Mom,” the cowboy swing of partying and celebrating rural life on “Man “Rodeo and Juliet” and the jaunty, dobro- Against Machine.” Like U2 or Bruce led “Wrong About You” suggest the possi- Springsteen, Brooks positions himself as a bilities of country music in the 2010s just as cultural figurehead who speaks for, and to, Brooks’ classics did in the 1990s. Now, like the common man. then, Brooks’ desire to address life’s impor- To his credit, Brooks represents the mid- tant themes should be welcomed into a dle class who work too many hours and country music scene that rarely shows such devote their earnings to getting by in a ambition these days. — AP

Berlin Film Festival to celebrate This image released by Roadside Attractions shows Tommy Lee Jones, left, and Hilary Swank in a scene from “The Homesman.” — AP 100th anniversary of Technicolor he Berlin Intl Film Festival will cele- the dawn of Technicolor in 1915 and brate the 100th anniversary of 1953, include “Gone with the Wind,” ‘Homesman’ reverses TTechnicolor as part of its “Singin’ in the Rain” and George Sidney’s Retrospective program. The fest will “The Three Musketeers.” screen some 30 Technicolor films, some “Thanks to the cooperation with of which have been restored. “The blaz- George Eastman House in Rochester, we ing red of Southern skies in ‘Gone with will be able to present prints from one of the Wind’ or the ecstatic yellow of the the world’s largest and best preserved the Western’s course raincoats in ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ - in those collections of Technicolor films-and they here’s been some trouble about the Upstanding citizen before the patrolman had enough and went off days, the play of dramatically intensified will range from original prints to modern women hereabouts,” says John But the dutiful, Christian, upholder-of-decen- to Disneyland. The movie, freed of its schematic colors was a sensation. color film prints. Thanks to the support of “TLithgow’s plains preacher in Tommy cy Mary Bee is, as the minister says, “as good a plot, went somewhere else, somewhere deeper. The Technicolor process combined other film archives and studios, we will Lee Jones’ “The Homesman.” The hereabouts is a man as any.” The carpenter who crafts the jail- with cultural and economic trends to also be showing a large number of tiny, hardscrabble settlement in the Nebraska like cell, abundantly fitted with chains to hold Melancholic balance produce great cinematic works of art that restored versions,” commented Rainer Territory, sometime around 1860. On the deso- the women, tells her: “People like to talk about In “The Homesman,” Mary Bee and Briggs still thrill audiences today,” Berlinale Rother, head of the Retrospective and late prairie, a handful of hardened settlers try to death and taxes, but when it comes to crazy, travel across the plains, a pious spinster and an director Dieter Kosslick said. The select- artistic director of the Deutsche eek something out of the dry land. Going West they stay hushed up.” ornery rascal towing madness across the dan- ed pics, which were produced between Kinemathek. — Reuters never looked like more a questionable decision. “The Homesman,” surely, is about citizenship. gerous open range. Jones, a devoted fan of The directional movement of “The Homesman,” It’s a Western parable, told with handsome John Cormac McCarthy (whom he adapted for the however, is east. When three of the town’s Ford classicism, about how we care for our ill, HBO film “The Sunset Limited”), takes after the women (Miranda Otto, Grace Gummer and our mad and our dead. Into the Western’s tradi- novelist’s pursuit of bleak, merciless poetry ‘American Sniper’ to premiere Sonja Richter) lose their minds, it’s decided that tional sweeping grandeur creep the discordant down North American pathways. In “The they must be taken to a church in Iowa, across notes of Marco Beltrami’s score. Mary Bee’s Homesman,” adapted from a late novel by the the Missouri River. Each driven mad - one by companion is certainly no upstanding citizen. Arizona writer Glendon Swarthout, the melan- child-killing diphtheria, another by the constant She takes on a man set to be hung for squat- cholic balance isn’t always quite right and the at AFI fest Tuesday night rape of a cruel husband, all by the acrid isolation ting on another man’s ranch: George Briggs momentum wanes when it should be gaining. - they’re the seldom seen victims of the male (Jones). At least that’s the name he, chuckling at Most troublesome is the handling of Mary Bee’s pioneers usually glorified in Westerns, collateral its invention, gives her. fate, a conclusion at odds with Swank’s excellent, damage to an ill-conceived Manifest Destiny. Our first encounter with him is as he’s sturdy performance of her. As in “Melquiades The town’s men (Jesse Plemons, William smoked out of a cabin, his face cartoonishly Estrada,” “The Homesman” goes off its rails, with Fitchner, David Dencik) aren’t up for the month black from an explosion, rolling around in his detours both exciting and frustrating. long journey by wagon, so the task falls on the Long Johns. It’s an entrance that doesn’t jibe “The Homesman,” a Roadside Attractions sturdiest resident, Mary Bee Cutty (Hilary with the rest of the film, but, then again, Jones release, is rated R by the Motion Picture Swank). She lives “uncommonly alone,” she says, seems to thrive on an unbalanced, mordant Association of America for “for violence, sexual with a twinge of shame, fastidiously running her tragicomedy. content, some disturbing behavior and nudity.” farmstead. When she proposes to a potential His good first film, “The Three Burials of Running time: 120 minutes. Two and a half stars mate, the dimwitted man turns her down, saying Melquiades Estrada,” set up as a confrontation out of four. MPAA rating definition for R: he’ll go back east for a wife, and besides, she’s between a Mexico border patrolman and a Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying too plain and too bossy. rancher bent on burying his friend in Mexico parent or adult guardian. — AP Kenny Rogers plans last tour of Australia, New Zealand ountry music legend Kenny Rogers on Tuesday announced a tour of CAustralia and New Zealand and said that, at age 76, it will certainly be his last Down Under. The Texas-born singer-whose FI Fest will premiere Clint Eastwood’s wife and kids after four tours of duty in Iraq, crossover appeal has helped him top the “American Sniper,” starring Bradley he finds that it is the war he can’t leave charts with a string of songs including “The ACooper, on Tuesday night at the behind. Kyle was murdered at a shooting Gambler,” “Lady” and “Islands in the Egyptian Theatre. The showing will be the range in Texas last year. Stream”-said he was not retiring but that first public screening for “American Sniper,” The AFI slot has been reserved for a his January-February tour would be the last which opens Christmas Day through Warner “secret screening,” which was unveiled to Australia and New Zealand. Bros. “Clint Eastwood is an American icon,” Monday as “American Sniper.” Eastwood “For all of the traveling I’ve done around said Bob Gazzale, AFI President and CEO. directed Jason Hall’s screenplay, based on the world, Australia and New Zealand “His are stories that stand the test of time, the book by Chris Kyle, with Scott McEwan remain two of my favorite places to per- and we are proud and honored to unveil his and Jim DeFelice. The film is produced by form,” he said in a statement. “They have a latest masterpiece.” Cooper stars as Chris Eastwood, Robert Lorenz, Andrew Lazar, great sense of humor, and they’ve always Kyle, the most lethal sniper in US military Bradley Cooper and Peter Morgan and is treated me with such great respect, so for history with the nickname “Legend” and produced in association with Village that, I say thank you,” he said. Besides his 160 confirmed kills. Upon returning to his Roadshow Pictures. — Reuters solo work, Rogers is known for his collabo- ration with Dolly Parton and appearances on films and television programs including ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2’ “The Muppet Show.”— AFP Kenny Rogers acquired by Universal Member of rap pioneers Sugarhill Gang dead at 57 File photo shows Joan Rivers posing as she presents “Comedy Roast with Joan Rivers “. — AP ig Bank Hank, whose Sugarhill Gang trio recorded the first rap song to go Joan Rivers’ daughter Bmainstream and pioneered the use of samples, died Tuesday. He was 57. Big Bank Hank, a New York area native whose real ‘outraged’ by findings name was Henry Jackson, died at a hospital in Englewood, New Jersey, after suffering ttorneys say Joan Rivers’ daughter is “outraged” from cancer, a representative for the group by findings that errors were made at a said. “So sad to hear of our brother’s passing. AManhattan clinic where the comedian suffered Rest in peace Big Bank,” surviving members a fatal complication during a medical procedure. A Wonder Mike and Master Gee said in a statement on behalf of Melissa Rivers says she’ll work statement. In this April 9, 2014 file photo, Nia Vardalos attends the Zooey Deschanel for to ensure the safety of future patients. The federal Rap was born in the 1970s in the Bronx Tommy Hilfiger Collection launch event at The London Hotel in West Hollywood, Department of Health and Human Services has given but the Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” Calif. —AP Yorkville Endoscopy until Jan 7 to correct deficiencies in 1980 became the first song from the he boisterous Portokalos family is “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” became to avoid losing Medicare accreditation. genre to break into the mainstream Top 40 definitely ain’t that wack.” coming back to the big screen. one of the most successful independent A state report released Monday said the clinic chart. The song’s structure, with a rapper The song, which in its album version TUniversal Pictures has acquired the films of all time, grossing over $241 mil- “failed to identify deteriorating vital signs and provide boasting of his exploits over a bass-driven stretched to nearly 15 minutes, opened with domestic distribution rights to “My Big lion domestically after its 2002 release. It timely intervention.” Rivers, who was 81, died Sept 4 of rhythm line sampled from another song, lines that stayed in the memory of many lis- Fat Greek Wedding 2,” a sequel to the even spawned a short-lived sitcom, “My brain damage due to lack of oxygen. She’d stopped proved to be the basis of much of hip-hop teners then unfamiliar with rap: “I said a hip beloved independent hit, with writer and Big Fat Greek Life,” which aired on CBS in breathing during an endoscopy days earlier. The clinic over the coming decades. The trio hands off hop / the hippie, the hippie / The hip, hip a star Nia Vardalos set to return. Kirk Jones, 2003. The sequel promises the return of said it has submitted a plan to state and federal the microphone to one another, with Big hop / And you don’t stop.” The sample came best known for directing “Nanny many of the original cast, who are reunit- accreditation agencies addressing all issues raised. It Bank Hank rapping, “I got more clothes than from the song “Good Times” by Chic, whose McPhee,” has signed on to helm the new ed by the discovery of a family secret said the physicians involved no longer provide services Muhammad Ali / And I dress so viciously / I funky music was omnipresent in nightclubs installment with a script by Vardalos. and, yes, another wedding. — AP there. — AP got bodyguards, I got two big cars / That of the disco era. —AFP lifestyle THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 Everybody lovesMUSIC the & MOVIES adorable ‘Dadi’

By Antonio Coelho offered. I want people to talk about my performance rather than my dog. I don’t like to read in print that I have omedy Nights with Kapil, the highly popular comedy a 4-bedroom mansion on the beach or I eat broccoli, etc. show on Colors Channel with 130 episodes and For me it’s just acting and now that’s my passion. Ccounting, is not only popular because of its entertain- ing host Kapil Sharma, but also because of other stars on KT: Which was your best film? the most watched television show in India and in many Asgar: “Joru Ka Gulam”, the film for which even today people countries across the globe. remember me. For this film I got some good reviews from The adorable Palak, poker-faced Gutthi, annoyed wife the media and even from Govinda. Manju, eligible spinster Bua and the forever young Dadi are characters without whom the show is incomplete. Dadi KT: How do you make time for your family with these (played by actor Ali Asgar), is the most lovable character in busy schedules? this comedy show who is young at heart, an alcoholic and Asgar: For many years, I was flooded with dates and had a never fails to flirt with any male guests on the show. busy schedule. I used to leave home at 7 am and was back Dadi’s famous ‘shagun ki pappi’ is supposed to bring after midnight. But now I spend more time with my fami- good luck to the guests on the show, but many top ly. When I am not shooting, I give more time for my kids. Bollywood actors have struggled to escape being kissed. But she won the battle of ‘pappis’ when Bollywood’s super- KT: How was the show in Kuwait? star Amitabh Bachchan kissed her willingly and even Shah Asgar: You should ask the audience (laughs). The people in Rukh Khan happily placed a kiss on her cheek. Kuwait were very warm. Many Kuwaitis came to me and Ali Asgar is famous as a supporting actor and has acted appreciated me for my performances. When you get in more than 200 movies and TV serials. He performed this kind of appreciation, you feel good and want to many supporting roles in many Bollywood movies during the 1990s. In the 2000s too, he did supporting roles in many popular movies. In 2004, he acted as Deepak in “Aitbaar” and as Rahul in “Stop!” He later acted in “Partner” (2007) and “Sunday” (2008). His most recent film was “Tees Maar Khan” released in 2010. He was the winner of “Comedy Circus 1”, a television comedy series with Kashif Khan, and of “Comedy Circus ke Taansen” with Kapil Sharma. He is popular for his role as Kamal Agarwal in “Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki”. He appeared as an From left Shah Rukh Khan, Ali Asgar and Deepika Padukone during the Comedy Nights with Kapil show. inspector in “FIR” and also in the comic show “Jeannie Aur Juju”. woman any more. Even when I started playing the lead capped Dadi is begging you for a kiss’ and he ended up Kuwait Times, in an exclusive interview, spoke with him in “Jeannie aur Juju” which was telecast on Sab TV, my giving me a pappi. about his roles, family life and about his future on televi- character was restrictive. I was feeling constrained, so sion. when the offer to play Dadi came, I took it. I figured, it’s KT: Were you offered female roles in films too? just 26 episodes, so it will get over quickly. I never real- Asgar: No. Film is altogether a different media and I have act- Excerpts from the interview: ized it would become a hit from the first episode. In my ed in many films. I don’t push myself for films because ulti- Kuwait Times: At what age did you begin acting? 25 years of acting, I have never seen anything become mately you end up doing character roles. Frankly, I don’t Asgar: I staring acting at the age of 14, but I didn’t know an overnight hit. like to be a hero’s sidekick. I have done films with Shah whether it was my passion as I never took it seriously as I Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and even with Govinda. I am was fun-loving and always hanging around with my KT: To perform live in front of an audience is difficult as friends. In school I used to take part in each and every there are no retakes like in films. How do you and activity, which I can say gave me a platform. I was in the others perform as a team? tenth grade when I first got my break in “Ek Do Teen Asgar: We get along very well as a team but all are busy Char”, and from there my passion for acting grew. with their own work and lifestyles. We meet just 2 hours I was not sure whether I wanted to do it all my life. I did a BA before our shoot. The director briefs us about the outline in Political Science and then pursed Hotel Management. of our show and the script. We follow our script about 50 I got a job in a hotel in the US. The condition was I could to 60 percent and 40 percent is improvisation. It all not leave the country for the first five years. Being the depends on the response we get from the celebrities only son, my parents didn’t approve of it, but they were and the audience. in the restaurant business long before I was born, so The easy comedy is below the belt and sometimes the audi- they supported me throughout my journey. My dad told ence may not accept it. I have done a lot of this in me ‘son, take your own time’. Meanwhile, I got interest- “Comedy Nights” but with “Comedy Nights with Kapil”, ing offers from the entertainment industry, so I decided we don’t take a chance as it is a family show. On this to stay on. I idolize the late Mehmood a lot. I have show, people’s expectations are high with each new watched his films many times to perfect my acting. Even episode and we try not to have any repetition. now in my spare time I like watch old films on DVDs. KT: How many ‘shagun ki pappi’ have you given to KT: Did you give an audition to be on “Comedy Nights guests on the show? with Kapil”? Asgar: I have no count, seriously. Some celebrities don’t like Asgar: I did “Comedy Circus” with Kapil for 24 episodes. So to be kissed. In one of the episodes, Imran Hashemi had when Kapil approached me with this character. I said ‘No’ intentionally come up with the idea of not having me for to him as I was not keen on playing female characters the episode, saying that we will give Dadi a break, but time and again, as I was doing such roles regularly. But later changed his mind. Most celebrities come on the even if you have a plan, life turns out to be something show doing their own homework. else. At one time, when I was doing Comedy Circus, I Sunny Deol is an introverted personality. He doesn’t even Ali Asgar played a female character in 14 out of 17 episodes in talk much even on sets with his co-stars, but on this that season - saas, bahu, gaonwali and kamwalibhai, bar show he came to me and said, “Dadi will you kiss me”. girl etc. When I resisted, the writers said, ‘bhai, you do it Saif Ali Khan calls me ‘granny’ ... hey where’s my granny. waiting for some substantial films. I could have got good perform better each time. I was happy to see many so well’. So there I was! And then I was doing it every- When Amitabh Bachchan was to appear on the show, his films after “Joru Ka Gulam”, but maybe I didn’t market Indians who turned up in large numbers to see me and where. PR team sent us a long list with 12 clauses which were all myself very well. Apart from a passport size photo, I don’t Palak. I want to thank the organisers Akash, Arif Kazi and As an actor, I was enjoying it as I was getting to play many related to me. Dadi will not hold Bachchan saab, Dadi even have my own portfolio. I am not on Page 3, I am not others too for holding this show, which was for the vic- roles, but I was certainly getting typecast. I had decided will not ask him for a dance and I will not kiss him, etc. in magazines nor am I promoting myself by throwing late tims of the recent floods in Kashmir where thousands that even if I stop getting work, it’s fine, but I won’t play a During the show I said to Bachchan saab ‘this old handi- night parties. My main aim is to do justice to the roles I am were displaced. Thousands mass in Washington to honor US veterans

From left, Bruce Springsteen, Dave Grohl, and Zac Brown, sing on the National Mall in Metallica performs on stage. Washington during the Concert for Valor. — AP photos undreds of thousands of people, many waving the “The Concert for Valor” and an atmosphere of patriotic fervor aging people to donate funds to organizations working to help Stars and Stripes, packed central Washington for a free filled the November evening sky, with the Capitol-covered in veterans with health, education and job problems. The jobless Hconcert Tuesday starring Bruce Springsteen, Rihanna scaffolding for repairs-looming in the background. Some peo- rate for example for veterans of the Afghanistan conflict is 7.6 and Eminem to honor America’s veterans. The famed National ple wore civilian clothes, others were in full uniform, as the percent-compared to 5.8 percent of the population as a whole, Mall area in the heart of the US capital was packed for the nation came together to recognize US service personnel and congressional data show. — AFP their families on Veterans Day. A bevy of stars lit up the first-of-a-kind three-hour spectac- ular, which was beamed across the United States live on tele- vision. After Rihanna’s turn, Eminem rocked the party with “Guts Over Fear.” “Thank you for your sacrifice,” the Grammy- winning rapper told service members in the massive crowd some estimates put at as high as 800,000. Other household favorites performing included The Black Keys, country singer Carrie Underwood, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, heavy metal group Metallica and country/folk artists Zac Brown Band. Stars such as Meryl Streep, Bryan Cranston and Jack Black appeared on stage, while Reese Witherspoon, Will Smith and Steven Spielberg all made video tributes. Singer-actress Jennifer Hudson began the festivities with a stirring rendition of the US national anthem, followed by a recorded message from President Barack Obama that told the immense crowd: “Let’s all find ways...to serve these heroes as well as they’ve served us.” “USA, USA,” concertgoers chanted at the event sponsored by Bruce Springsteen performs on the National Mall. HBO, Starbucks and Chase Bank. The event is aimed at encour- Jennifer Hudson and Jamie Foxx perform on stage. Rihanna arrives on stage. Everybody loves the adorable ‘Dadi’

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 39

Miss Puerto Rico Valerie Hernandez Matias is congratulated by 3rd runner-up Miss United Kingdom Victoria Charlotte Tooby, 1st (left) runner-up Miss Colombia Zuleika Kiara Suarez Torrenegra 2nd (left), 2nd runner-up Miss Thailand Pinka Kulsoontornrut (2nd right) and 4th runner-up Miss Finland Milla Romppanen (right) after being awarded the title of Miss International 2014 during the Miss International Beauty Pageant in Tokyo on Tuesday.—AFP photos

Miss Puerto Rico Valerie Hernandez Matias reacts after being chosen the Miss International 2014.

Miss Puerto Rico Valerie Hernandez Matias reacts as she is Beauty queens helped by Miss International 2013 Bea Rose Santiago of the Philippines after being chosen the Miss International 2014. get political as ‘world peace’ mantra fades

or those who dismiss beauty contests as parades of dream-girls gushing about world peace, Puerto Rican bombshell Valerie FHernandez Matias offers a twist: a serious political agenda. The newly crowned Miss International told AFP she hopes to pay back her country’s education system for the opportunities it afforded her, after crediting teachers with helping her overcome learning difficulties as a child. “My plan for the future is not only to work for my country on social problems which affect us, but also to set an example for people to follow in order to achieve a better future,” the 21-year-old said in an interview, eyes dried and make-up restored after her emotional win at Tuesday’s gala Tokyo event. “One of the biggest social problems affecting Puerto Rico is in edu- cation. In high school I was in a special education program. I suffered from attention deficit disorder but I managed to beat my condition thanks to the help I received from my teachers and people around me. “Sadly, that type of help is declining nowadays,” she added after a knockout victory over Mexican Vianey Vazquez, considered by many as the favorite. “I would like my Puerto Rico to use me as an exam- ple—now that I’ve won such an important title—as a spokeswoman for campaigns, to visit schools and help children,” she added. Before delivering her manifesto, Hernandez Matias strolled through the swimsuit category in a blue number reminiscent of Halle Berry’s famous bikini scene in the 007 movie “Die Another Day”. Amid the tears, hugs and squeals of joy and despair, politics was never far away in the competition: world peace was a common mantra, but runner- up Zuleika Suarez of Colombia vowed to tackle racial intolerance Miss India Jhataleka Malhortra Miss Indonesia Elfin Pertiwi Rappa and Britain’s Victoria Tooby took aim at poverty and unemployment. “I would love to be the face that gives people hope,” said platinum blonde Tooby. “With hard work, patience and determination you can achieve anything you want and change for the better.” Miss Finland Milla Romppanen appears on the stage. Tuna sushi and chopsticks A video montage of the beauty queens visiting temples and pos- ing presidentially with babies was shown on a big screen as judges deliberated over the winner. Scenes of the contestants clapping with delight as a giant tuna was hacked apart by a sushi chef grated a little, tottering like a debutante in stilettos on the wrong side of political correctness. Another clip showing them attempting to pick up pea- nuts with chopsticks could also have misfired, but Hernandez Matias, whose passion is ballet dancing, had even mastered that.“I eat sushi three or four times a week in Puerto Rico,” she smiled, her crown glit- tering in a blaze of camera flashes. “I can’t express my happiness right now. I’m so proud for Puerto Rico.” Colombia’s Suarez took away the ‘Miss Best Dresser’ award for her plunging, sequin-lined evening wear, which drew gasps from the audience, and earned her a pearl necklace from sponsors. “I want to become a leader against racial discrimination, which is a really hard thing in my country,” said the 20-year-old, who also won the ‘Miss Friendship’ gong. “I want to take my message to every corner of Colombia and the world.” Thailand’s Punika Kulsoontornrut valiantly forced a smile as her abundant charms and calls for world peace only brought her third place. But Frenchwoman Aurianne Sinacola struck a blow for couch potatoes by winning the ‘Miss Perfect Body’ category. “I’m surprised,” she laughed. “I’m not very sporty. I really don’t work out much at all, I Miss France Aurianne Sinacola Miss United Kingdom Victoria Charlotte Tooby just have a very healthy diet.”—AFP Miss Thailand Pinka Kulsoontornrut appears appears on the stage. on the stage .