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THE FIRST ENGLISH LANGUAGE DAILY IN FREE KUWAIT Established in 1977 / www.arabtimesonline.com emergency number 112
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016 / ZUL-HIJJAH 26, 1437 AH
NO. 16260
44 PAGES
150 FILS
Password breach could ripple beyond Yahoo
tified ‘fighter’ who had returned from Syria. He was charged with joining DAESH and receiving training in the use of arms and ammunition and fighting against the Syrian army. It has been reported the suspect has admitted
LONDON, Sept 27, (Agencies): As investors and investigators weigh the damage of Yahoo’s massive breach to the internet icon, information security experts worry that the record-breaking haul of password data could be used to open locks up and down the web. While it’s unknown to what extent the stolen data has been or will be circulating, giant breaches can send ripples of insecurity across the internet. “Data breaches on the scale of Yahoo are the security equivalent of ecological disasters,” said Matt Blaze, a security researcher who directs the Distributed Systems Lab at the University of Pennsylvania, in a message posted to Twitter. A big worry is a cybercriminal technique known as “credential stuffing,” which works by throwing leaked username and password combinations at a series of websites in an effort to break in, a bit like a thief finding a ring of keys in an apartment lobby and trying them, one after the other, in every door in the building. Software makes the trial-and-error process practically instantaneous. Credential stuffing typically succeeds between 0.1 percent and 2 percent of the time, according to Shuman Ghosemajumder, the chief technology officer of Mountain View, California-based Shape Security. That means cybercriminals wielding 500 million passwords could conceivably hijack tens of thousands of other accounts. “It becomes a numbers game for them,” Ghosemajumder said in a telephone interview. So will the big Yahoo breach mean an explosion of smaller
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Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump (left), speaks as Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton (right), and Moderator Lester Holt (center), listen during the Presidential Debate at Hofstra University on Sept 26 in Hempstead, New York. The first of four debates for the 2016 Election, three Presidential and one Vice-Presidential, is moderated by NBC’s Lester Holt. (AFP) — See Page 11 —
30 of 100 locals in DAESH killed FBI fears return of extremists … Pentagon warns chemical arms KUWAIT CITY, Sept 27, (Agencies): According to news reports reaching Kuwait, 30 Kuwaitis and bedoun out of the 100 who had been fighting alongside the Islamic State
(IS) or the so-called DAESH and the Al-Nusra Front in Syria have died on the battlefield, reports Al-Jarida daily informed sources. The fighters were involved in the conflict
Opinion
Saleh, no dialogue before repentance By Ahmed Al-Jarallah Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times
IT SEEMS that the defeats caused by legitimate forces in Yemen, populace resistance and Arab coalition to rebels in Yemen have made ousted Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh suffer from bipolar political behavior. In his recent speech, he said he wants to fight the coalition for a decade as he launches rhetoric and intimidations on one hand, and on the other hand, he speaks about conducting dialogue with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Saleh speaks with the tone of a beggar, wondering how he managed to establish this equation that has no answer. He is making himself forget every major political crime he committed in his country when he opened the gates of Sanaa for the Houthis; allowing them to desecrate provinces, cities and towns after transforming the military which surrounded him for 30 years to become a family establishment that only moves through his son’s orders. How could he push the military to become affiliated with militias whom he fought against in seven wars? When he was moved by the lust of returning to power, he turned against himself and colluded with the militias. Since the start of the crisis, the GCC nationals and majority of the Yemenis have been asking themselves: Didn’t you know — Oh ousted president — that this group of militias is just a tool in the hands of Iran when you surrendered your country to them? Indeed, you are not the direct agent of Mullah regime, but with your choice, you made yourself the face of their expansionism scheme when you allowed their gangs to occupy your country despite realizing that Yemen is not their only target as it will be the Revolutionary Guards’ gate into Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE. Once that happens, you will not have any authority even in your palace … By turning against the GCC initiative, isn’t that considered public relinquishment in favor of those gangs and surrendering the keys of your country to the leaders of Tehran? Undoubtedly, you know the geographical significance of Yemen in relation to Iran in its expansionism scheme to hurt the ‘GCC’ countries, in fact, all the Arab nations. Even if you claim that you did not know, we will never call you a fool because you are not telling the truth. Throughout your reign, Yemenis intentionally forgot your lust for rule and transformation of the country’s institutions into family farms, because, together with every GCC national, they exalted your unification of Yemen and your struggle to end the border dispute with the Continued on Page 8 Email:
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since its outbreak several years ago. The sources added 70 Kuwaitis and bedoun are still fighting in the ranks of the two terrorist organizations. On the other hand, sources also said the Public Prosecutor released on KD 1,000 bail an uniden-
Other Voices
Tests, opportunity By Ban Ki-moon UN Secretary-General
O
ur world faces formidable challenges. Gulfs of mistrust divide citizens from their leaders. Extremists push people into camps of “us” and “them”. The Earth assails us with rising seas and record heat. One hundred and thirty million people need life-saving assistance, tens of millions of them children and young people — our next generation already at risk. Yet after ten years in office, I am convinced that we have the power to end war, poverty and persecution, close the gap between rich and poor, and make rights real in people’s lives. With the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, we have a new manifesto for a better future. And with the Paris Agreement on climate Ban Ki-moon change, we are tackling the defining challenge of our time. These great gains are threatened by grave security threats. Armed conflicts have grown more protracted and complex. Governance failures have destabilized many societies. Radicalization has threatened social cohesion — precisely the response that violent extremists seek and welcome. The tragic consequences are on brutal display from Yemen to Libya and Iraq, from Afghanistan to the Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin. The conflict in Syria is taking the greatest number of lives and sowing the widest instability, as the Government of Syria continues to barrel bomb neighbourhoods and powerful patrons keep feeding the war machine. Accountability for atrocious crimes such as the recent attack on a UN-Syrian Arab Red Crescent aid convoy is essential. I continue to press all those with influence to get talks started towards a long overdue political transition. The future of Syria should not rest on the fate of a single man. In too many places, leaders are rewriting constitutions, manipulating elections, imprisoning their critics and taking other desperate steps to cling to power. Leaders must understand that holding office is a trust, granted by the people, not personal property. The recently adopted New York Declaration on Refugees and Migrants can help us to better address the largest forced displacements of people since the Second World War. All too often, refugees and migrants face hatred, Muslims in particular. The world must speak out against political leaders and candidates who engage in the dark and dangerous political math that says you add votes by dividing people and multiplying fear. Looking back over ten years in office, I am proud that UN Women came to life and has become a champion of gender equality and empowerment, aiming for a “50-50 planet”. I am proud to call myself a feminist. Yet we must do far more to end deep-seated discrimination and chronic violence against women and to advance their participation in decision-making. I Continued on Page 8
Syrian civil defence volunteers, known as the White Helmets, hand the body of a girl down to civilians on the ground as her father (striped purple shirt) mourns after she was pulled from the rubble following a government forces air strike on the rebel-held al-Shaer neighbourhood of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on Sept 27. (AFP) — See Page 8
Override seen on US terror bill ■
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WASHINGTON, Sept 27, (Agencies): The US Senate will vote on Wednesday on whether to override President Barack Obama’s veto of a bill allowing relatives of victims in the Sept 11, 2001 attacks to sue Saudi Arabia. The vote, which Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell set as the chamber reconvened on Monday, would be the first action in an attempt by lawmakers to override Obama’s Sept 23 veto of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act. A successful override requires support from twothirds of lawmakers in both the Senate and House of Representatives, which are controlled by Republicans. Known as JASTA, the legislation passed the Senate and House in reaction to long-running suspicions, denied by Saudi Arabia, that hijackers of the four US jetliners that attacked the United States in 2001 were backed by the Saudi government. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals. In vetoing the bill, Obama warned that other countries could use the law as an excuse to sue US diplomats, members of the military or companies, even for actions of foreign organizations that had received US aid, equipment or training. McConnell said Wednesday’s vote will follow two hours of debate divided between Republicans and Democrats. No time for the vote has been set. Here’s a look at the key issues surrounding the bill, the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, Continued on Page 8
Newswatch KUWAIT CITY: The Administration Court will Wednesday, September 28 decide on the petition filed by attorney Nawaf Al-Fazai against the government’s decision to increase fuel prices. The government’s counsel requested the court to reject the petition, stressing that the decision was done through recommendation and not a decree. A new petition in this regard has been filed by Attorney Mohammad Waleed Al-Bishara, demanding the suspension of the decision, which came into effect from Sept 1. Attorney Al-Bishara said he meets the requirement for filing the petition, as he is a Kuwaiti citizen and owns a vehicle, which gives him direct interest concerning the petition. Continued on Page 8
ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
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Visiting finance minister meets KCCI officials
Kuwait, Cyprus seek joint investment KUWAIT CITY, Sept 27, (KUNA): Visiting Cypriot Minister of Finance Haris Georgiades met Tuesday with officials of Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and discussed ways of promoting trade exchange and available investment opportunities for the private
sector. During the meeting, they discussed available investment opportunities, visa advantages for foreign investors in Kuwait, investment in real estate, tax system and investment funds, KCCI member Wafa Al-Qattami said in a press statement.
She said trade exchange between Kuwait and Cyprus stands at around US$ 26 million, calling on Cypriot companies to boost trade between both sides. She quoted the visiting Cypriot minister as stressing firm historical relations between Kuwait and
Cyprus, boasting that his country enjoys high-quality financial services and low taxes. He added that Cyprus has several promising growth opportunities for a number of sectors, including real estate, tourism, navigation and mega development ventures.
Kuwaiti-Saudi ties are exemplary, deep rooted: Sheikh Sabah Khaled Bahraini PM hails distinguished relations with Kuwait KUWAIT CITY, Sept 27, (KUNA): Acting Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah said Monday the State of Kuwait and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia enjoy close, historical and deep-rooted relationship. HH Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed with Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid, Sheikh Salman Al-Humoud, Dr Abdul Aziz Al-Fayez, Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Duaij, Sheikh Khalifa Al-Khalifa, Fahad Al-Majel and Ambassador Hamed bin Saed cutting the cake.
Editor-in-Chief of the Arab Times and Al-Seyassah newspapers Ahmed Al-Jarallah and Khaled Al-Jarallah with Ambassador Al-Fayez
Left: Sheikh Mohammed Al-Khaled presents his well-wishes, and (right), Ambassador Al-Fayez accepting felicitations from Bishop Bigol Al-Anba and Dr Safwat Bolis
Bid to prevent, control world’s biggest killer
Cardiac center at Amiri Hospital, WHF call to up monitoring of CVD KUWAIT CITY, Sept 27: The World Heart Federation calls on all governments to implement reliable and fit for purpose surveillance and monitoring systems for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in order to better prevent, treat and control the world’s biggest killer. The World Heart Federation is emphasizing the need to ensure that every country has information on the World Health Organization Global Action Plan (GAP) Targets and a set of measures or indicators on quality of care appropriate to a range of contexts including the primary healthcare level. This call is tied to the strengthening of health systems, in particular monitoring and surveillance, by providing complementary recommendations to governments drawn from the World Health Organization NCD Global Action Plan 2013-2020 and the Health Data Collaborative, supported by the World Bank, USAID and WHO. Dr Salim Yusuf, President, WHF, says: “We know that robust monitoring and surveillance are key to guiding what policies and strategies we implement and whether they are successful in reducing CVD rates. Countries that measure these rates are also the ones which demonstrate the greatest reductions in CVD. “We are calling on governments to reinforce their commitment to preventing premature deaths by taking some key steps toward better surveillance of their populations. Dr Mohammed Al Jarallah Director and Head of the Department of Cardiology, Sabah Al Ahmad Cardiac Center said : In establishing systems for monitoring the burden and treatment of CVD governments should prioritize the following actions: n Strengthen vital and cause of death registration systems (to better record statistics on births and causes of death)
■ Include details of CVD key interventions (for example services provided, numbers of people being treated) in existing health information systems ■ Collect information on a representative subsample of the population on the prevalence and quality of care of patients with hypertension and CVD; and undertake periodic data collection on the behavioural and metabolic risk factors (harmful use of alcohol, physical inactivity, tobacco use, unhealthy diet, overweight and obesity, raised blood pressure, raised blood glucose, and hyperlipidemia), and determinants of risk exposure such as marketing of food, tobacco and alcohol in a sub sample of the population. Why is this needed? ■ To monitor public health/health system interventions ■ To support evidence-based advocacy, policy development and coordinated action ■ To ensure that appropriate prevention and treatment services are provided based on need ■ To reinforce political commitment to prevent and control Dr Raja Dashti, Chairman and Head of Internal Medicine and Consultant Cardiologist Amiri Hospital comments: CVD — including heart disease and stroke — is the leading cause of death globally, claiming 17.5 million lives each year. However, at least 80 percent of premature deaths from CVD could be avoided by addressing risk factors such as tobacco use, raised blood pressure and physical inactivity; and improving the use of simple treatments after a heart attack or stroke. “CVD is the world’s number one cause of death and tackling it must happen on the global stage. To achieve this we need accurate data upon which countries can build their
health strategies, so we very much welcome this call on national government to improve surveillance and monitoring of CVD. No matter what the country, we all benefit from shining the spotlight on the gaps and opportunities in global data collection.”
Impact Dr Rajesh Rajan , Cardiologist Sabah Al Ahmad Cardiac Center, Amiri Hospital pointed out the impact of such preventive care and activities and also said it will help in following: ■ Develop and/or strengthen CVD surveillance capacity ■ Effective national and regional policies for the prevention and treatment of CVD ■ Progress towards meeting the Global Monitoring Framework (GMF) Targets including; reduction in raised blood pressure, reduction in tobacco use, improved access to essential medicines and technologies, improved access to drug therapy and counselling ■ Every country has reliable information on — CVD mortality — Prevalence of CVD (number of people living with CVD) —Prevalence of CVD risk factors (at least hypertension and smoking) — Quality of preventive, primary and acute care Cardiovascular disease burdens individuals in their most productive years by creating deaths, disabilities and illnesses at early ages that are largely preventable. In Kuwait the impact of CVD is much higher and around 45 percent of the total death are due to CVD. Cardiovascular disease and non-communicable diseases threaten international development by placing an incredible strain on national economies due to high medical costs and lower worker productivity as a result of premature death and disability.
The two countries maintain exemplary cooperation in all fields under the kind patronage of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and King Salman bin Abdulaziz, he said. Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled made the press remarks while attending a celebration to mark the National Day of Saudi Arabia at the Kingdom’s embassy. “As Kuwait celebrated the 26th anniversary of its liberation earlier this year, all of us remember the sacrifices offered by Saudi Arabia since the first day of the liberation war,” he said. Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled congratulated King Salman, the Crown Prince Mohammad bin Nayef and the Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman as well as the brotherly people of Saudi Arabia on the National Day, and expressed best wishes for them on this occasion. Meanwhile, His Highness Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah congratulated the leaders and people of Saudi Arabia on this occasion. He expressed best wishes for the Kingdom under the wise leadership of King Salman, the Crown Prince Mohammad bin Nayef and the Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. Thanked On his part, Saudi Ambassador to Kuwait Dr Abdulaziz Al-Fayez thanked the Kuwaiti senior officials and the large number of wellwishers for attended the celebration of his country’s 80th national day. Meanwhile, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa has asserted the deeprooted bilateral ties between his country and Kuwait in various fields, stressing the Kingdom’s keenness to further develop such relations. During a meeting with the CEO of Kuwait Oil Tankers Company Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, in the presence of the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in Manama, Kuwaiti Ambassador to Bahrain Sheikh Azzam Mubarak Al-Sabah, the premier also hailed the achievements of the State of Kuwait of evolution and development, thanks to the wise leadership of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. On his part, Sheikh Talal expressed his thanks and appreciation to the Bahraini prime minister for his keen interest in developing relations between the State of Kuwait and Bahrain, also praising his visions towards various Arab, regional and international issues, which reflect his experience and wisdom in analyzing various developments. For his part, Ambassador Azzam stressed the deep-rooted bilateral relations between the two countries and their rapid expansion under the wise leadership of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
Photos by Iehab Qurtal
Editor-in-Chief of the Arab Times and Al-Seyassah newspapers Ahmad Al-Jarallah with Fahad Al-Majel
A photo from the honoring ceremony
AOU students congratulated on new academic year
Prof Al-Humoud congratulates Amir on 2nd anniversary of UN honoring KUWAIT CITY, Sept 27: Prof Moudi Al-Humoud, President of the Arab Open University (AOU) extended her congratulation to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on the occasion of the second anniversary of designating HH the Amir as a “Humanitarian Leader” and designating Kuwait as a “Humanitarian Center” by the United Nations (UN) in recognition and appreciation of his humanitarian efforts in serving humanity and needy peoples. On the occasion of the beginning of the academic year 2016/2017, Al-Humoud also congratulated all AOU students as well as the academic and administrative staff of the Headquarters of AOU and its branches. This came in a farewell ceremony organized by AOU in honor of the outgoing dean of the Faculty of Language Studies, Prof Ahmed Majdoubah, whose tenure had been completed. Al-Humoud lauded the efforts and contributions of Prof Majdoubah as well his commitment in serving the University. She
also praised the efforts of all academic and administrative employees of the AOU on their hard work in achieving the developmental objectives of the University. On his part, Majdoubah expressed his gratitude to the AOU’s family for organizing such a ceremony for him. He voiced his pride of the trust granted by the AOU President to him. He also admired the ongoing cooperation among different deanships and work sectors of the AOU, at the level of its headquarters and branches. Then, he thanked the AOU, and expressed his great gratitude to His Royal Highness Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz, Chairman of the AOU Board of Trustees, the State of Kuwait and its people, and His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. He also thanked Prof Mohammad Hamdan, Advisor of the AOU. At the end of the ceremony, Ali Al-Qallaf, Director of the Public Relations at the AOU Headquarters, invited Al-Humoud to honor Majdoubah with an appreciation certificate and a memorial shield in recognition for his efforts.
Kuwait Today Prayer Timings Fajr ........................................................ 04:19 Sunrise ................................................... 05:38 Zohr ........................................................ 11:40 Asr ........................................................... 15:03 Maghrib ................................................. 17:37 Isha ........................................................ 18:53
Weather Expected weather for the next 24 hours: By Night: Fair with light variable wind, with speed of 06-20 km/h. By Day: Hot with light variable wind, with speed of 06-20 km/h. Station Max Min Rec Exp Kuwait City 41 30 Kuwait Airport 41 23 Abdaly 40 24 Bubyan 41 25 Jahra 42 26 Failaka Island 40 24 Salmiyah 39 30 Ahmadi 37 31 Nuwaisib 39 25 Wafra 41 22 Salmy 41 23 4 days forecast - Weather Wednesday, Sept 28 Expected weather........................................ Hot Max Temp .................................................41˚C Min Temp ..................................................23˚C Wind Direction .................................... NW-VRB Wind Speed .....................................06-26 km/h Thursday, Sept 29 Expected weather..................... Hot+rising dust Max Temp .................................................39˚C Min Temp ..................................................24˚C Wind Direction .............................................NW Wind Speed .....................................20-45 km/h Friday, Sept 30 Expected weather..................... Hot+rising dust Max Temp .................................................37˚C Min Temp ..................................................27˚C Wind Direction .............................................NW Wind Speed .....................................20-45 km/h Saturday, Oct 1 Expected weather........................................ Hot Max Temp .................................................37˚C Min Temp ..................................................26˚C Wind Direction .............................................NW Wind Speed .....................................06-26 km/h Marine Forecast Station Max Min Sea Today’s Rec Exp Surf Waves Ht Dirn South Dolphin 37 27 29 2ft SE Umm Mudayrah 34 30 2ft SE Beacon M28 2ft SE Beacon N6 39 25 2ft SE Qaruh Island 34 30 32 2ft SE Umm Al-Maradim 35 30 2ft SE Sea Island Buo Salmiyah 39 28 2ft SE 4 days forecast - Marine Wednesday, Sept 28 Expected weather........................................ Hot Sea state ............................. Slight to moderate Wave height ............................................. 1-3 ft Max Temp .................................................41˚C Min Temp ..................................................23˚C Wind Direction .................................... NW-VRB Wind Speed .....................................06-26 km/h Thursday, Sept 29 Expected weather..................... Hot+rising dust Sea state ............... Moderate to rough at times Wave height ............................................. 3-6 ft Max Temp .................................................39˚C Min Temp ..................................................24˚C Wind Direction .............................................NW Wind Speed .....................................20-45 km/h Friday, Sept 30 Expected weather..................... Hot+rising dust Sea state ............................. Moderate to rough Wave height ............................................. 3-6 ft Max Temp .................................................37˚C Min Temp ..................................................27˚C Wind Direction .............................................NW Wind Speed .....................................20-45 km/h
deaths Noora Ebdah Qablan Eqraeet, 65 years old, wife of Melfi Faraj Qablan, buried on Tuesday. Condolences: (Men) Salwa, Block 8, Street 1, House 24, Tel: 97901663, (Women) Salwa, Block 8, Street 3, House 23, Tel: 99135301. Ahmad Jamal Eid Farhan, 28 years old, buried on Tuesday. Condolences: (Men) Kaifan, Block 3, Street 33, House 25, Tel: 50653553, (Women) Qurain, Block 1, Street 5, House 42, Tel: 55026557. Ghzail Mezyed Zaid Al-Rasheeedi, 54 years old, buried on Tuesday. Condolences: Qurain, Block 1, Street 30, House 7, Tel: 51111857. Fatima Abdullah Abdul Kader, 82 years old, widow of Mohammad Rasoul Al-Askari, buried on Tuesday. Condolences: (Men) Shaab, Diwan Al-Kanadra, Tel: 99072452, (Women) Salwa, Street 105 (Zaid Al-Besais) House 35, Block 8, Opp Sultan Center. Jamal Rostom Husein Al-Kandari, 75 years old, buried on Tuesday. Condolences: (Men) Shaab, Diwan Al-Kanadra, Tel: 94999324, (Women) Sabah Al-Salem, Block 11, Street 1, Avenue 11, House 19, Tel: 99796583. Majeed Mohammad Husein Ashour, 60 years old, buried on Tuesday. Condolences: (Men) Da’iya, Block 2, Bokhari Street, House 8, Opp Al-Ahqaqi Health Center, Tel: 66618776, (Women) Qosour, Block 1, Street 23, House 462. Sakeena Husein Hamed Al-Qalaf, 73 years old, widow of Mansour Rashed Ahmad Al-Qalaf, buried on Tuesday. Condolences: (Men) Da’iya, Huseiniyat Boualyan, Tel: 97899923, (Women) Da’iya, Huseiniyat Umm Hamed, Block 3, Street 37, House 9, Tel: 99129210. Fatima, Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahman Al-Awadi, 58 years old, buried on Tuesday. Condolences: (Men) Da’iya, Diwan Al-Awadi, Tel: 99034101, (Women) Salam, Block 7, Street 715, House 38. Kaltham Salem Abdul Jaleel Al-Anssari, 85 years old, widow of Ali Jaffar Al-Kandari, buried on Tuesday.Condolences: (Men) Dahiyat Abdulla Al-Salem, Block 2, Sanaa Street, House 8, Tel: 99845656, (Women) Qadisiya, Block 3, Street 35, House 3, Tel: 97799727. Mohammad Wassel Allah Raji Al-Dehani, 77 years old, to be buried on Wednesday after Asr prayers. Condolences: (Men) Andalous, Block 4, Street 20, House 37, Tel: 99296617, (Women) Andalous, Block 4, Street 5, House 49, Tel: 65656586.
Sept 27, 2016 Saturday, Oct 1 Expected weather........................................ Hot Sea state ............................. Slight to moderate Wave height ............................................. 2-5 ft Max Temp .................................................37˚C Min Temp ..................................................26˚C Wind Direction .............................................NW Wind Speed .....................................15-38 km/h Tide times at Shuwaikh Port 1st high tide: .............................................08:15 2nd high tide: ............................................22:30 1st low tide: ..............................................16:00 2nd low tide: .............................................03:45 Sunrise: ....................................................05:40 Sunset: .....................................................17:39 Recorded yesterday at Kuwait Airport Max temp...................................................41˚C Min temp....................................................26˚C Max Rh ...................................................... 24% Min Rh ....................................................... 08% Max Wind ......................................... N 36 km/h Total Rainfall in 24 hrs .............................0 mm Recorded yesterday at South Dolphin Min/Max/ Air Temp ................................. 27/37˚ Min/Max Rel Hum ................................. 14/76% Wind Direction/Wind Speed ............. N/44 km/h Prev Wave Dir/Max Wave Ht ................... N/3 ft Min/Max Sea Surface Temp.................29/29˚C Sea Current ...........................End of Downdraft — Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Meteorological Dept.
ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
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‘Kuwait scales up lobbying for non-permanent seat at UNSC’ Chinese Embassy celebrates National Day KUWAIT CITY, Sept 27, (KUNA): Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Suleiman AlJarallah said Monday the Ministry of Foreign Affairs scaled up lobbying for Kuwait candidacy for a non-permanent seat at the UN Security Council. “As part of the continuous contacts with friendly countries, the First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled AlHamad Al-Sabah has recently held several consultations on the matter in Geneva,” AlJarallah said.
Top: Sheikh Faisal receiving the board chairman of Farwaniya co-op, and (above) the Paralympics champion.
Farwaniya governor honors Oly champion Farwaniya Governor Sheikh Faisal AlHamoud Al-Malik Al-Sabah honored Kuwaiti Olympic Champion Ahmad Naqa who achieved a new record in Rio Paralympics 2016. According to a press release, the governor stressed the keenness of the leadership of Kuwait to offer unlimited support to the country’s sports sector and sportsmen so that the flag of Kuwait can be raised in international competitions.
Meanwhile, Al-Hamoud received in his office the board chairman of Farwaniya Cooperative Society Ahmad Al-Jassar and a number of board members. The delegation invited the governor’s patronage for an event to be held on Oct 18 at Crown Plaza Hotel in honor of excellent performance students among the children of the shareholders of Farwaniya Cooperative Society.
Other Voices Citizens become totally dependent upon state
Either a job or a salary! By Marwan Salamah
T
he Kuwaiti public opinion stands firmly against abolishing, or even reducing, the accumulated perks and benefits enjoyed by the citizens. The logic presented is pretty strong and, unless a major catastrophe befalls the country, it is difficult to counter. Additionally, the masses have made it vocally clear, that they do not see a catastrophe in the horizon — even though one may be slowly brewing. All this turbulence stems from the fact that the government is responsible, through its ministries and agencies, for the management of the economy, and hence it bears the burden of balancing the declining oil revenues with the mushrooming expenditures. This, indeed, is a difficult and dangerous task and is a classical Catch-22 situation. The government has, so far, been unable to shrink its expenses nor raise revenues — it may not know how to do so, as all its experience is in giving, not taking! This may be a reflection of the government’s love for its people — but, love is not cashable at the bank, when you need to buy bread. The easiest option for the government may be to borrow from the financial markets to cover its budget deficits, while shirking to introduce real changes in its spending habits. This will not only speed up the arrival of the “catastrophe”, but could exaggerate it to point that knocks us back to poverty. At the other end of the spectrum, the most difficult option is to transfer the onus of reducing the deficit onto the citizens’ shoulders. The outcome of such an attempt is not guaranteed, and is very likely to increase the already sizzling public dissent — as well as increase the animosity between social classes. Even a midway option is unlikely to be successful, as it may only deliver the negatives of both previous methods, without any of their pluses. The real problem is that the citizens have become totally dependent upon the state, and find it difficult to break free — especially in the short term. Most citizens are government employees, or work for the private sector which relies on government projects and purchases for its revenues, or receive stipends, financial support, bonuses, gifts, etc, on a monthly basis from the government. How on earth can one abruptly stop this? Or even reduce it? It is easier said than done, especially for those “experts” who rely on eExcel for their financial planning. The problem of Excel is that it willingly accepts your unrealistic or wrong assumptions, and then spits out neat answers, that are totally wrong. Our situation is similar to that of a lion reared as a cub in a home, and on reaching adulthood, is set free in the jungle to fend for itself. It doesn’t know how to hunt to feed itself, nor
does it know how to fight to defend itself against the other carnivorous jungle beasts. In reality, a huge disfavor has been done to this lion, despite all the good intentions and the happy early life provided. Nevertheless, lions possess great power and an ability to adapt, they only need to be switch-on. So how do we do that? The first step in switching-on the power and abilities of the Kuwaitis (and possibly the other GCC citizens) is by gradually training them to rely on themselves, without pulling the rug from underneath them — without depriving them of a reasonable standard of living and social security. The objective is to encourage them to independently seek out income sources that provide them with a sustainable and comfortable livelihood. On this basis, serious consideration should be given to the following recommendations: 1. Freeze Benefits: Benefits, subsidies, bonuses, giveaways, etc. have to be frozen and a ceiling set. While they shouldn’t be stopped, they shouldn’t be allowed to rise above their present level. Delaying this freeze will only aggravate the problem down the road, and allow it to grow exponentially. The youth component in the Kuwaiti (and GCC) population demographic structure will guarantee that it eventually breaks the camel’s financial back. 2. Civil Service Freeze: Halt all hiring in the civil service, with the exception of the military. This may ensure that the new generation is well trained in the military and equipped with skills that empower the youth to seek productive occupations and livelihoods. 3. Nominal Unemployment Salaries: Grant new job applicants the choice of a job (in the military) or staying at home and receiving a nominal salary that meets their basic subsistence needs. They may then elect to work independently, or seek employment in the private sector, while keeping the nominal salary. 4. Reduce Disguised Unemployment: Reassign all the surplus civil service staff to the military for retraining and acquisition of new skill sets. Of course, the above is only one aspect of the tasks needed to reduce government expenses, and it only addresses such items as salaries, benefits, bonuses, subsidies, etc, which the citizens presently enjoy. There remain many other reductions of the superfluous expenses, which, if done, will not negatively impact the public sector operation — On the contrary, such a reduction may actually improve the speed and quality of services. As for the revenues side of the problem, well, that is an entirely different story, and requires a new set of ideas, premises and assumptions — not just a simple hike in rates and slapping taxes on.
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He made the press remarks during a celebration at Chinese Embassy this evening to celebrate the National Day of the People’s Republic of China. “Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled held talks separately with representatives of more than 30 countries, including China - a UNSC permanent member, in a bid to winning their backing for Kuwait’s candidacy as well as promoting the bilateral ties with these countries,” Al-Jarallah revealed. “The Ministry intensified its efforts on the regional and international scales for securing a UNSC seat with a view to better serving the fair causes of the Arab and Muslim nations,” he pointed out. Regarding the Kuwaiti-Chinese ties, Al-Jarallah said they are exemplary and constantly growing in all fields thanks to the close coordination and visit exchanges. Kuwait is one of the leading investors in China, the world’s second biggest economy, he said, noting that the Kuwaiti investments are focused on the energy, communication and infrastructure sectors. Al-Jarallah recalled the Chinese support for Kuwait during the Iraqi invasion in 1990, saying that this stance will always be remembered by the Kuwaiti leaders and people. On his part, Chinese Ambassador to Kuwait Wang Di said that the bilateral ties have grown remarkably over the last 45 years since the two countries established their diplomatic ties. The two countries maintained fruitful cooperation based on reciprocity and mutual support, and provided to be all-weather friends, Wang added. Meanwhile, Al-Jarallah on Monday urged the international community to work for an immediate end to the suffering of “the brotherly people of Syria.” “The serious humanitarian disaster in Syria is worsening day after day due to inaction by the international community, he stressed. Al-Jarallah made the comments during a celebration at Chinese Embassy to celebrate the National Day of the People’s Republic of China. He voiced hope that the major powers will be able to reach consensus on a decisive action vis-@-vis this crisis which constitutes a shame for all humanity.
‘Number of divorces increases by 1,000’ KUWAIT CITY, Sept 27: The number of divorcees increased by 1,000 from December 2015 to June 2016, reports Al-Qabas daily. According to the statistics released by the Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI), the number of Kuwaiti divorcees reached 37,000 while the section on the marital status of 406,000 Kuwaiti men and 440,000 Kuwaiti women who belong to the age group 15 and above revealed that 9,533 Kuwaiti men are married to more than one woman and 96 of these men have four wives. On the number of divorcees per governorate, Hawally recorded the highest with 7,659 and Jahra has the least with 4,037. The statistics also showed that the number of divorcees without children reached 13,000 or 35 percent of the total number of divorcees.
Don’t fall prey to any fake websites: Indian embassy
e-Tourist Visa facility available to some nationalities KUWAIT CITY, Sept 27: e-Tourist Visa (eTV) facility is available to some nationalities through Government of India’s online website www. indianvisaonline.gov.in. Regrettably, some fake visa websites such as (i) e-touristvisaindia.com; (ii) indian-
visaonline.org.in; and (iii) e-visaindia. com, are cheating Indian visa seekers, says a press release from the Indian Embassy. Since all travellers to India are required to upload important personal details while applying e-visa, one
should remain vigilant and log on to the correct website only. No one should fall prey to any fake websites mentioned above. Those desirous of using e-visa facility should log on to correct website, that is www.indianvisaonline.gov.in
Photos by Mohammad Morse
Above: Some photos from the reception held to mark China’s National Day.
‘Prospect of emergency session very slim’
Parliament Speaker calls meeting to discuss increase in fuel prices By Ahmed Al-Naqeeb Arab Times Staff and Agencies
KUWAIT CITY, Sept 27: National Assembly Speaker Marzouq AlGhanim said on Tuesday that he has invited the government and MPs to a meeting next week to discuss the rise in fuel prices. “The Parliament seeks to protect citizens and ensure that they remain unaffected by the increase in fuel prices,” Al-Ghanim said in a statement to the press, adding that there has been a consensus over the need to hold this meeting. Moreover, he noted that this urgent meeting has been called to discuss the issue of rising fuel prices. Speaking on the procedure to convene such meetings, AlGhanim said upon notification, the Parliament Speaker would inform the government and the meeting can only take place with His Highness the Amir’s consent. “We are looking for results that protect citizens, not electoral or ideological gains,” the Parliament Speaker noted. Al-Ghanim also said that the majority of MPs have concurred to hold this meeting in order to sort out the issue of fuel prices in a timely manner, adding that he is awaiting the government’s response to the meeting, expected to
be held next week. Meanwhile, the Parliament protects the rights and welfare of the public, and the petrol price hike will be suspended similar to what happened to the electricity subsidy issue when the public was exempted from the decision to lift subsidies, says Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim.
Process The speaker also explained that it takes time to process an emergency session request, and since the next parliamentary term is just around the corner, the prospect of an emergency session is very slim. After speaking with a number of MPs in charge of the emergency session request, Al-Ghanim disclosed the government will be invited to a meeting at the National Assembly Office to discuss the supposed agenda of the session. Furthermore, the request for an emergency session to discuss the governmental decision to lift petrol subsidies took an unexpected turn, as it will most likely be rejected. After reviewing the request, the constitutional experts and Secretariat General of the National Assembly discovered that a substantial number of MPs did not sign the petition themselves as they designated some individuals to copy their signatures and sign on their behalf.
The Secretariat General clarified that the MP must be in the country, while his parliamentary certified signature and office stamp should be affixed on the document, to validate his participation in any parliamentary motion. Since a number of signatures do not match the records, whereas others just stamped the request without their signature, their accountability and participation had been nullified. Therefore, the number of signatures on the request decreased, rendering it invalid. The unexpected turn of events roused suspicions that the MPs are committing fraud, but the Secretariat General disregarded the notion and stated such accusations are baseless, because these MPs have designated trusted individuals to sign the request on their behalf with good intention — to push for deliberations on an issue which affects the general public day by day. MP Ahmed Lari, one of the MPs who stamped the request without a signature, pointed out the Secretariat General and constitutional experts were not wrong in invalidating those who did not meet the conditions. He said he is part of a parliamentary delegation outside the country and wanted to show his support for the emergency session by instructing his office to affix his stamp on the request.
ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
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‘Kuwait counters steps DIWANIYA to distort Islam’s image’
A DIGEST OF PUBLIC OPINION
‘Terrorism creation of DAESH’
OIC marks 47th anniversary GENEVA, Sept 27, (KUNA): Permanent Representative of Kuwait to the European headquarters of the United Nations and international organizations in Geneva and periodical President of the Organization of
Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ambassador Jamal Mohammad Al-Ghuneim held, in cooperation with the OIC Office in Geneva on Tuesday a reception at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva on the occasion of the 47th anniversary of the founding of the OIC. The ceremony was attended by heads of international organizations in Geneva and officials of the United Nations and its specialized agencies as well as members of the diplomatic corps and a group of academics and intellectuals.
KUNA photo
Ambassador Jamal Mohammad Al-Ghuneim during reception at the UN Headquarters in Geneva on the occasion of the 47th anniversary of the founding of OIC.
News in Brief Reshuffle soon: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will soon reshuffle directors and supervisors in various departments and sectors, reports Al-Anba daily quoting sources. Sources said the directorate will coordinate with the Civil Service Commission (CSC) to obtain approval of its restructuring plan in accordance with the conditions and bylaws of the commission. On the other hand, Minister of Communications and State Minister for Municipality Affairs Essa Al-Kandari is expected to issue a decision next week on assigning Yousef Al-Fawzan as acting Board Chairman of DGCA to replace former Chairman Fawaz Al-Farah who resigned recently. ❑
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New appointments: Acting
Director General of the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) Abdullah Al-Motawtah has appointed Sultan Al-Shala’ani as director of the National Workers Development Department, Rabab Al-Osaimi as director of the Computer Department, Anwar Al-Azmi as head of the National Workers Operation Follow Up Department, Bashayer Al-Mutairi as head of Technical Support in Information Technology Department, Abdullah Al-Failakawi as head of Network Website Department and Mansour Al-Mutairi as head of the Labor Training Sector, reports Al-Shahid daily quoting a reliable source. The source added the authority is expected to approve these appointments soon, indicating the authority will witness radical changes among the supervisors and department heads.
Al-Ghuneim praised in a statement to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) keenness and presence of a large number of directors of international organizations and ambassadors of friendly countries to congratulate the OIC on this occasion, saying that such high-level presence reflects the significant weight of the organization in the UN besides Kuwait’s role in representing its interests. The ambassador added that the international organizations and ambassadors of friendly countries have expressed their appreciation for the role played by the OIC in various United Nations mechanisms as an important voice that addresses issues of the Islamic world and highlight the true image of Islam. He said the State of Kuwait, and as part of its presidency of the organization for this session, is doing its part in responding to attempts to distort the image of Islam and encourage dialogue between civilizations and religions, in addition to not interfere in the internal affairs of States and respect for the sovereignty of member states. At the same time, the Kuwaiti ambassador stressed that Islamic countries are determined on the importance not to give attention to attempts aimed to weaken this organization through questioning its role or level of performance, but to move forward in its role within the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Conference on Disarmament, the World Trade Organization and other world bodies.
‘Muslims unite, protect religion’ “THE acute struggle and the tense atmosphere in both Syria and Iraq shall pave the way for a ‘holy violence’ in the long run and the accompanying violence will have a broader dimension to reshape the entire region on sectarian basis,” columnist Abdulaziz Khuraibet wrote for Al-Shahed daily Tuesday. “It is needless to say sectarian terrorism is currently threatening the region and unless it is encountered in the right perspective the accompanying problems will aggravate and this will not help anybody in this part of the world. “In this connection, we refer to some valuable adages about the variety of sects, doctrines and religions in one country. One of these adages say, ‘The different sects represent grace, but sectarianism brings disgrace’. “The Lebanese philosopher Jibran Khalil Jibran said ‘woe to the nation which has a lot of sects and doctrines but is void of religion’. In this context, we would like to point out that the religion represents a collective factor and the commitment to the same is a duty and nobody can snatch this right from anyone in the realm of commitment to the very existence. “In other words, the followers of every sect and doctrine reserve the right to existence. Each sect and doctrine reserves the right to have its own characteristics and nature and nobody will be allowed to snatch this right of existence or marginalize the same. “Apart from the above, nobody will be allowed to cast doubts on this right or terrify people to refute the religious and doctrinal beliefs in the name of defending Islam. In other words, worshipping Almighty Allah cannot be done by disobeying Khuraibet Him. We must keep in mind that Satan is working to misguide the Muslims. “Such being the case, handling the complicated problem of sectarianism, cannot be realized through hopes but through moderation that can be adopted by those who lean toward sectarian tendencies, because this is not moderation, but individual manner of thinking and doesn’t exceed a self dialogue without reaching to any type of acceptable outcome under an atmosphere of accusations and doubts. “Consequently, we suggest that the nation is in an imperative need of trustworthy scholars and officials from various sects who carry the weight and are trusted by the people in their respective sects before discussing the differences among these sects and come out with common viewpoints related to various issue and then issue a joint communiqué to keep the people fully aware of what is happening and eventually enable them to realize that there is no difference among Muslims who are represented by their various sects and doctrines. “Not just that, the suggested communiqués should tell the public that Muslim sects and doctrines are in agreement over a lot of issues and the differences revolve only around minor issues where Muslims can deal leniently with each other over these things. “Such being the case, fanaticism to which some Muslim extremists are linked deal with other Muslims in the most unjustifiable manner at a time when all Muslims must show keenness to protect their religion. “It is needless to say extremism and terrorism is the creation of DAESH and people who promote similar ideology and those who harbor hostility against humanity in the name of defending Islam although no Muslim has authorized them to do so or practice terrorism under false slogans and carrying out suicide attacks.” Also: “The attitude of some people concerning the relationship with the United States of America is still a controversial issue since the European imperialism has given Washington the task of controlling the Arab region as a reward for Washington’s attitude during the World War II,” columnist Awadh Shukair wrote for Al-Qabas daily Tuesday. “In the wake of this development, the Arabs have remained divided over the issue of relationship with the United States of America. It is a three-way traffic… first sees the relationship with Washington as something that should be based on friendship that benefits both parties, the second sees it as the relationship that will be just imperialistic in nature and must be resisted and ended while the third group look at this relationship as a kind of hypocrisy. “Given the above, we believe this division in terms of defining the relationship with others can be mostly attributed to our Arab culture which pays special concern to the nature of the relations. “In this context, we elucidate that we as Arabs consider our friendship with others should be considered sacred and attach a lot of hopes to this friendship. Such being the case, when we request our friends to consider our interests but if these interests contradict their own, they should do so in deference to the friendship that links us with them. “In other words based on our illusions and dreams, we believe that such a friendship shall remain above any compromises. Given the above, we believe this is what is behind the US insistence to keep its agreement with the Russian Federation over the Syrian situation secret considering our emotions, but not for protecting our interests. “However, this is our viewpoint of the friendship with others, but with regard to enmity, our relationship with others is based on permanence. In other words, there will be no tolerance or peace with the enemies for good even if the latter were tilting towards peace.” ❑ ❑ ❑ “Saudi Arabia recently celebrated its National Day, which is regarded as a special event in our minds, as it reflects the cordial relations between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia,” Professor of Political Science at Kuwait University Haila Hamad AlMekaimi wrote for Annahar daily.
“The strong ties between the two countries date back to the time when the founder of Saudi Arabia King Abdulaziz bin Saud left Kuwait with some of his fighters who helped him to restructure Saudi Arabia for the third time, starting from Riyadh. That moment signified the unification of all territories of Saudi Arabia to its present position. “King Abdulaziz remains a contemporary political genius who founded that great political entity with international frontline weight among Arab and Islamic nations. Since that time, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have maintained strong bilateral ties emanating from social, religious and geographical compatibilities. This is in addition to the resemblance in terms of political, regional and geopolitical challenges that reached the peak during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.” ❑ ❑ ❑ “Some decisions and laws evoke arguments and result in the sprtead of rumors as well as lead to confusion among the citizens due to lack of transparency and absence of explanations for the reasons behind those decisions or laws,” Nasser AlMutairi wrote for Annahar daily. “Obviously, it is the government that issued the decisions, while the parliament, which is the legislative authority, is supposed to offer explanations for the decisions and clarify the purpose behind thier issuance. “ I say this after observing the reactions over the decision that was recently issued regarding health insurance for the retirees. The arguments about this decision will continue until the government provides an explanation about the reasons behind this decision and its importance. I wonder why it never happened despite the media abilities of the government. The decision should have been preceded by an extensive media campaign in order to inform citizens about the reasons and details of every decision or law taken. “I wonder why the Cabinet and each ministry do not have spokesmen who will work in favor of citizens and residents. We need extended press conferences so that all questions are answered clearly.” ❑ ❑ ❑ “There is no doubt that the efforts exerted by the executive committee of the rationalization of electricity and water consumption is a major effort in comparison with the results which were achieved during the past summer which had seen a remarkable increase in average temperatures,” columnist Abdulrahman Awwad wrote for AlSabah daily. “This committee must continue to play its role and must not stop to the contrary must continue in its long-term plan for the future by developing the idea of rationalization and bring the consumption to much lower, lower than the production. “The committee must also cooperate with the Ministry of Education to introduce the culture of rationalization in the school curriculum so that the younger generation is aware of the value of rationalization and progress. “Two years earlier, the entire country suffered during the power outage and it was surprising that we became accustomed to the situation although we felt out of place since we have been living in the ambiance of Kuwait’s goodwill because at every door step we had the luxury of being in the airconditioned atmosphere. “We have seen what might happen to us in the event of extravagance of this blessing, so it is our duty — the duty of all people to be active in spreading the culture of conservation and apply them in our homes and places of our business and other workplaces.” ❑ ❑ ❑ “As a matter of fact, advancement of civilization is based on advancement of education and learning, and the only advanced countries are those which understand that improving human minds and spirit is the basis of civilization, growth and development, Mona Fahad Abdul-Razzaq Al-Wuhaib wrote for Al-Rai daily. “Therefore, specialists in the field of education have been agitating for improving all stages of education, because educational advancement is the true gateway toward attaining qualitative growth in all aspects. The first word that inspired the Holy Prophet (PBUH) in the Holy Qu’ran is a command that said, “Read”. It’s through reading and writing that we can attain new life and new world where we could become teachers and gentlemen. “A teacher is the focal point of all educational activities as he displays the character and art of kindness in a manner that changes inbuilt human characters. A teacher is the one who gives meaning and effectiveness to curricula. As we embrace a new academic year, we enjoin all male and female teachers, in addition to male and female students to set plans toward achieving noble academic learning.” ❑ ❑ ❑ “Regardless of lapses in the local political activities in areas releated to some constitutional provisions that contradict democratic principles such as devolution of power, transactions of the executive authority and the problems associated with former electoral system, previous parliaments have been able to curb certain serious corrupt cases,” Bader Al-Daihani wrote for Aljarida daily. “They monitored how the government laid down general policies and executed them. They carried out legislations in some instrances away form governmental pressures and directives. However, after the amendment of the electoral system through the one-man one-vote decree which reduced the rate of voter participation to almost 0.5 percent in some constituencies, depending on the parliament for reform activities became pointless. “Now, as the government is executing monstrous neoliberla economic policies such as privatization, removal or reduction of essential social subsidy and fuel hike with enforcement of new tariffs, it is like tracing shadowns to believe that the parliament will protect the interests of the middle class and the poor.” ––– Compiled by Zaki Taleb
ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
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MoCI panel okays hike of 75 consumable items Fuel price increase will result in high rate of inflation: Al-Shaibani
Kuwait’s Zaid Zeyad Al-Sarbal honoured with a gold medal at the event organised by AIPS, Asia.
1st Asian Sports Scribes Day A member of Sports Journalists Committee at Kuwait Journalists Association Zaid Zeyad Al-Sarbal was among the sports journalists who were honored recently during the First Asian Sports Journalists Day held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. The event was organized by International Sports Press Association (AIPS), Asia. AIPS Asia President Mohammad Qasem and representative of Turkmenistan President — Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan Suppardurdi Tyleyev presented Al-Sarbal with the gold medal for his distinctive role, achievements and services in the field of journalism. Al-Sarbal has thus become the first Kuwaiti to win such a medal.
‘Promotions approved’
PAM carrying evaluation of ‘workforce’ required KUWAIT CITY, Sept 27: Deputy Director of Recruitment and Employment Department at the Public Authority for Manpower Ahmad Al-Mousa says the department is carrying out a comprehensive evaluation of the required number of workers, reports Al-Rai daily. He affirmed that the authority has been enforcing the decision which obligates the companies to recruit only 25 percent of their labor needs from overseas and employ 57 percent locally. Al-Mousa revealed that the authority is studying the possibility of allowing employers to recruit laborers from overseas instead of those who were on their sponsorship but had either transferred to another company or left Kuwait following the end of their contracts. He indicated that increasing the fine from KD 2,000 to KD 10,000, blocking the file of the company and including the penalty of jail term will held in ending the phenomenon of visa trading. Meanwhile, the Cabinet has not yet received the parliamentary request to hold a special session for discussing the decision to increase the fuel prices due to which it did not tackle such a request during its meeting on Monday, Sept 26, reports Al-Qabas daily quoting a governmental source. He indicated that the Cabinet completely avoided the issue of fuel prices during the meeting. He denied that the Cabinet decided in the meeting to lift some forged citizenships. The sources said the meeting was presided over by the Deputy Premier and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Sabah Khalid Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. He explained that the Cabinet approved the promotion of a number of officers of Ministry of Defense and Kuwait Fire Service Directorate. The Cabinet also discussed the speech of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in the UN General Assembly which was held recently at the UN headquarters in New York.
KUWAIT CITY, Sept 27: The Committee for Price Monitoring and Followup formed by Ministry of Commerce and Industry has approved four major companies’ request to increase the prices of 75 consumable and food items, which will be sold in the local market based on the new prices, reports
Al-Nahar daily. The daily quoting a source explained the prices of all 75 items will be increased by approximately 10-15 percent, and they include detergents, tooth pastes, chocolate drinks, cake flour, white vinegar, apple, mineral water and many others. He said the committee will approve other requests from some companies to increase the prices of items soon subsequent to activation of the new fuel prices since Sept 1. He stated the step is in line with the
decision of the Union of Consumer Cooperative Societies regarding the sale and pricing of some essential commodities. He explained the Ministry of Commerce and Industry has committees for financial and economic analysis concerning prices, and which allow all companies affected by the fuel hike to present proofs. However, each file will be treated on individual basis, as per appropriate decisions. Meanwhile, economic expert Fawaz Al-Shaibani stressed that the increased fuel prices is leading to a gradual increase in the prices of
other services and commodities but the government has been silent and doing nothing to confront this issue, reports Al-Seyassah daily. He insisted that the increase in fuel prices will result in high rate of inflation, indicating that citizens regard the economic reform document as the government’s way of collecting their money especially when they see that the government has not taken any action to reduce the governmental expenditures and the exaggerated rewards granted to some consultants and senior officials. Al-Shaibani revealed that the
amount saved from increasing the prices in the last five years is about KD 10 billion, adding the government had announced that it will achieve 15 percent of its target by the end of 2016. He stressed that it is better for the government to direct its efforts in creating real jobs and encouraging the private sector. AlShabani said the government has to convince the citizens about the feasibility of the economic reform document in order to ensure it does not fail, adding the government must be an example for the citizens in terms of rationalizing expenditures.
ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
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Top Iraqi parliamentarian lauds Kuwait role in area ‘Baghdad needs Arab nations support’
MoI photo
The successful participants are awarded certificates.
‘Developing skills main goal’ The Assistant Undersecretary for Special Forces Affairs at Ministry of Interior Major General Mahmoud AlDousari affirmed that the strategy of Ministry of Interior focuses mainly on developing the skills of its employees and helping them acquire the required abilities and experiences, reports AlSeyassah daily. He said this during the graduation ceremony of a training course on the ways to deal with explosive
devices, which was held under his patronage and in the presence of Director of Special Forces Department Brigadier Shukri Al-Najjar. Eleven employees from Ministry of Interior and 18 officers from the Special Forces Department participated in the course. Major General Al-Dousari expressed his admiration over the wonderful efforts exerted by the participators in the training course.
22 suspects face trial
Court sets Oct 11 hearing in Abdali Cell terror case By Jaber Al-Hamoud Al-Seyassah Staff KUWAIT CITY, Sept 27: The Misdemeanor Court has set Oct 11 for hearing on the “Abdali Cell” case filed by the State Security Department against the first 22 suspects of the total 26 suspects accused of participating in training sessions on the use of weapons and explosives in Lebanon. The Court of Appeals returned the case to the Misdemeanor Court citing lack of jurisdiction to entertain the issue. On Sept 1, 2015, the Public Prosecution Department charged the suspects for allegedly conducting training activities that could jeopardize the national unity and peace in Kuwait. They were also accused of conspiring with Iran and Hezbollah on espionage activities to attack Kuwait by smuggling into the country some explosives and ammunitions meant for criminal activities. The court has already upheld the verdict of the Court of First Instance that sentenced the first suspect to death, and handed life imprisonment on the sixth suspect and acquitted 10 others. It commuted the sentences of five suspects and fined four others instead of prison terms,
and refused to entertain an appeal in the death sentence passed on the 23rd suspect in absentia until expiration of the ultimatum for appeal or judgment is delivered by the Court of Appeals. ❑ ❑ ❑ Ruling Wednesday: The Criminal Court will rule Wednesday on the State Security case against Islamic Alliance Secretary General Sheikh Husain Al-Maatouq who has been accused of violating the National Unity Law, spreading false news and disturbing public order. Al-Maatouq denied all the charges when he appeared before the Public Prosecution and the court. The prosecution charged him with inciting trouble because of his statement during Jumaa Prayer and offending the judiciary and public prosecutors. He was released on bail of KD 10,000 after the interrogation. The State Security Department filed a complaint at the Public Prosecution against Al-Maatouq due to his Friday sermon in Imam Husain Mosque in Maidan Hawaly as he talked about Al-Abdally Cell case. The prosecution issued a warrant to search and arrest Al-Maatouq in response to the complaint of the department.
BAGHDAD, Sept 27, (KUNA): Iraqi Parliament Speaker Salim Al-Jubouri has praised the role of Kuwait’s diplomacy in the region, especially its efforts to support the crisis of displaced Iraqis. Kuwait’s Ambassador to Iraq Salem Al-Zamanan said in a statement to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) on Tuesday after meeting the Iraqi senior official that the latter stressed that Iraq was in dire need for support by Arab nations in light of the current challenges, wishing the Ambassador success in his diplomatic mission in his second country Iraq. The ambassador added that he discussed with Iraqi Parliament Speaker ways to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries to serve the interests of both peoples. He pointed out that the meeting touched on files related to bilateral affairs of the two countries, including the file of displaced persons in which Kuwait had played a significant role. He explained that the meeting also tackled what Kuwait can contribute as part of Arab support for Iraqis at the level of economic cooperation. The ambassador had submitted his credential to the Iraqi president Fouad Maasoum last Sunday.
MoI photo
The Undersecretary of Ministry of Interior Lieutenant General Sulaiman Al-Fahad carried out a field tour to ensure compliance to his instructions concerning facilitating and providing security to students to reach schools safely. He directed traffic men to do their best in controlling traffic jams especially near the schools. He assured that Ministry of Interior will continue its efforts to facilitate traffic on all roads in Kuwait.
Man trying to sell ‘police car’ arrested KUWAIT CITY, Sept 27: An unidentified individual was arrested for attempting to sell a vehicle which is similar to those used by patrol officers affiliated to Ministry of Interior, reports Al-Seyassah daily. The General Department for Public Relations and Media Security of Ministry of Interior explained that the Cyber Crime Division of General Department for Criminal Evidences, after discovering an online advertisement for the sale of a patrol vehicle, launched investigations to find the person responsible for the advertisement. Eventually, the suspect was arrested. When questioned, he insisted that he is not trying to sell a patrol vehicle but a vehicle that looks similar to a patrol vehicle. He was referred to the concerned authorities for further investigations
and necessary legal action. The department warned people of Kuwait against misuse of computers, smartphones and social media. Meanwhile, two youths sustained various degrees of injuries in Abdullah Al-Mubarak area as they exchanged blows due to a previous disagreement, says Al-Seyassah. A security source said the Operations Room of the Interior ministry received a distress call concerning a bloody fight involving two youths and sent a rescue team to the scene. The feuding parties were taken to hospitals in Farwaniya and Jahra areas respectively for treatment to prevent yet another dispute. ❑ ❑ ❑ Blatant violation: A traffic lance corporal has filed a complaint with
the Fintas Police Station accusing a Kuwait youth, his brother and father of assaulting him, reports Al-Anba daily. In his complaint, the lance corporal said he stopped the youth for breaching traffic rules while driving on the Fahaheel Expressway. When he demanded to see the youth’s driving licence and ID, the latter instead of obeying attempted to run over the man in uniform and escaped and drove off. The complainant pursued the youth until he pulled over in front of a house in Fintas. At this point the father and brother of the youth came out of the house and assaulted him as he ordered the motorist to get into his vehicle. The father also threatened to shoot the lance corporal with a hunting gun and helped the suspect to escape. The case has been referred to the Public Prosecution.
ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
LOCAL
7
Over 100 persons nabbed in illegals, criminals hunt Liquor with Asian in Mahboula chase By Mishal Al-Sanousi Al-Seyassah Staff and Agencies
KUWAIT CITY, Sept 27: Ahmadi securitymen arrested an Asian for the possession of 31 bottles of locally brewed alcohol after chasing him as he escaped on foot in Mahboula. While patrolling the area, the officers suspected the Asian who was standing behind a car. When he spotted the patrol car, he fled leaving behind a box of what appears to be bottled water. The officers chased him and they discovered the box contained bottles of local alcohol. The Asian was referred to the concerned security department. ❑ ❑ ❑ Over 100 held: A total of 108 wanted individuals and violators of law were arrested during security campaigns held by security officers in various governorates based on directives from the Assistant Undersecretary for Operations Affairs of Ministry of Interior Major General Jamal Al-Sayegh, reports AlSeyassah daily. Among the arrested individuals, 18 were involved in civil cases, 39 were reported as absconding, 24 did not have any official identification documents, 16 had expired visas, two were involved in drug-related cases, two were involved in cases of breaching of trust, four were under the influence of drugs, one was involved in alcohol-related case and one was a marginal laborer. The officers also issued 369 traffic citations, seized three vehicles and reported 36 traffic violations. All arrested individuals have been referred to the concerned authorities for necessary legal action. ❑ ❑ ❑ Choosy thieves: Police have arrested two persons – a 17-year-old Egyptian and a 26-year-old bedoun — for stealing expensive stuffs from the cooperative societies, reports Al-Rai daily. The daily added, the arrest came when officials of the cooperative societies, during a periodic inventory, found shortage of expensive stuff, particularly small in size. After playing the CCTV footage officials saw the suspects replacing the outside cover of the expensive stuffs, particularly crèmes and cosmetics.
Other Voices Stick to good in you
Friends matter, not interests By Intisaar Al-Ma’touq LONG time ago, our grandfathers said, “You are nothing if you have nothing.” Those were the good old days characterized by simplicity. At the time our grandfathers were neither good in affectation nor the exaggeration of emotions, they respected a person based Intisaar on his character and personality without any regard for his material possessions. Despite all that, they said, “You are nothing if you have nothing.” In our current world, this adage developed to include everything with value. If you have status, I will respect you. If you don’t, you should not expect me to have any interest in you. The common formula for maintaining a relationship is whether I will benefit from it, and if not, disappear. My friends, we will not conceal the reality of our society. Instead, we will examine the extent that morals and ethics are being eaten up. We will witness how personal interest has become a mode of life where archenemies have become The plainclothesmen then set a trap for the men and caught them red-handed while robbing from a cooperatives society. During interrogation the thieves have admitted to the charge. They also said they sold the stolen stuff to groceries for lesser price than the market value. ❑ ❑ ❑
friends based on the principle, “I rub your back and you rub mine, carry me and I carry you, enter hellfire in order to please and return your kindness.” I stay away from friends who desert me once they assume my existence hampers their chances to gain wealth or employment. The question stands: Why do opportunists reach their goals fast and the people with principles remain captive of virtues? Who are fighting against virtues and prioritizing social hypocrites in order to get more connections at the expense of morals? Building relationships based on personal interests is like making bed on leaves, it does not last. Despite the dark side of social interests and benefits, there is also a side that shines with love and peace. It continues to radiate in the hearts of many. Some people are fond of you not because of what you have. They respect you for who you are, not for anything else. This is the type of people whom you should hang on to. You should avoid losing them and keep them always on your priority list. Indeed, do not be surprised, there are knights out there who continue to fight against social hypocrisy in order to revive noble principles and I am one of them… Are you with us?
Drones seized: The Air Freight Department of the Kuwait International Airport recently foiled an attempt by unidentified persons to smuggle into the country four wireless ‘drones’ fitted with sensitive devices and equipped with ultra violet thermal cameras which can take pictures from a distance of eight kilometers with high accuracy, reports Al-Shahed daily.
ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
INTERNATIONAL
8
MSF finds deadly air strike on Yemen hospital ‘unprovoked’
Kuwait ready to host fresh intra-Yemeni talks: Deputy FM KUWAIT CITY, Sept 27, (Agencies): Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Suleiman Al-Jarallah said Monday his country is ready to receive the Yemeni stakeholders if they are willing to reach deal and break the political stalemate. “The State of Kuwait has always been supportive of all efforts aiming to resolve the Yemeni crisis peacefully, including the efforts of the brothers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” he affirmed.
Tests, opportunity Continued from Page 1 have also strongly defended the rights of all people, regardless of ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation, as well as the freedoms of civil society and independent media to play their essential roles. Continued progress will require new heights of solidarity — and continued efforts to strengthen peace operations and adapt the United Nations for 21stcentury challenges. Member States have still not agreed on a formula for reform of the Security Council — a continuing risk to its effectiveness and legitimacy. Far too often, I have seen good ideas and widely-supported proposals blocked in the Council, General Assembly and other bodies in the search for consensus. Consensus should not be confused with unanimity. Doing so ends up giving a few countries or even just one State disproportionate power, holding the world hostage on important issues. I have visited almost all the UN’s Member States over the past decade. What I have seen, more than Government buildings and global landmarks, is the remarkable power of people. A perfect world may be on the far horizon. But a route to a better world, a safer world, a more just world, is in each and every one of us. Ten years on, I know that working together, working united, we can get there.
Saleh, no Continued from Page 1 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a goodwill initiative. Even Kuwait forgave your mistake of supporting Saddam Hussein, when you apologized and said you didn’t know his plans. In spite of all these, many of us engaged in a battle for Yemen to join the GCC community. As you were rushing for that to happen, you upheld the principle, “Everything that is good happens at the right time.” However, behind the curtains, you were mocking it because it got delayed for so long. Perhaps, it was a wise delay. Throughout the three decades of your rule and since you were a sergeant until you became the president of Yemen Republic, we believed that your life experiences will led you to become a statesman. Unfortunately, you did not benefit from the experience in the world of politics. This was affirmed when you threw your country into the savage’s mouth immediately after you saw the mirage of your return to power. Didn’t you see thousands of deaths, injuries and destruction caused by Houthi gangs in the past two years? Wasn’t your conscience moved towards that throughout the past months, or was your conscience under renovation? Hence, what are you betting on to have a dialogue with Saudi Arabia while you are in your position to protect the aggressors? My advice is go back to the initial demeanor by expiating all the sins you have committed in the past and wash your hand from following the Houthis. Return to your senses so that you do not remain in the captivity of the criminal court in Hague, along with the leaders of that gang, because by that time, regret will be futile. In my opinion, it is not too late to rectify your course. Perhaps, there will be something to dialogue about, but today, from the position you are in, dialogue will be a joke which will not amuse anyone.
Password breach Continued from Page 1 breaches elsewhere, like the aftershocks that follow a big quake? Ghosemajumder doesn’t think so. He said he didn’t see a surge in new breaches so much as a steady increase in attempts as cybercriminals replenish their stock of freshly hacked passwords. It’s conceivable as well that Yahoo passwords have already been used to hack other services; the company said the theft occurred in late 2014, meaning that the data has been compromised for as long as two years. “It is like an ecological disaster,” Ghosemajumder said in a telephone interview. “But pick the right disaster. It’s more like global warming than it is an earthquake. ... It builds up gradually.” The first hint that something was wrong at Yahoo came when Motherboard journalist Joseph Cox started receiving supposed samples of credentials hacked from the company in early July. Several weeks later, a cybercriminal using the handle “Peace” came forward with 5,000 samples — and the startling claim to be selling 200 million more. On Aug 1 Cox published a story on the sale, but the journalist said he never established with any certainty where Peace’s credentials came from. He noted that Yahoo said most of its passwords were secured with one en-
launched in March 2015 in support of UN-backed President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi. A coalition plane “launched a projectile at Abs hospital without previous warning or communication with the MSF mission”, the charity said. Based on the probe findings, the attack targeted a “civilian vehicle” that drove into the hospital compound nearly five minutes before the air strike. This was also indicated by a Saudi
general who spoke to MSF in Djibouti, the charity said. Carrying patients believed to be victims of other strikes, “the car was visually inspected at the gate” by a hospital guard who said that those inside “wore civilian clothes and that there were no weapons visible inside the vehicle”. The strike hit as MSF medical staff were bringing a stretcher to unload the wounded from the car.
Gulf might arm Syrian rebels now truce dead: US officials
create new security threats. “There will be a terrorist diaspora sometime in the next two to five years like we’ve never seen before,” Comey said in testimony before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee.
He was referring to a recent report by the Iranian Fars news agency that the Kuwaiti and Saudi stances on Yemen are different. Al-Jarallah made the press remarks during a celebration at China embassy this evening to celebrate the National Day of the People’s Republic of China. Kuwait hosted the first round of the UN-sponsored intra-Yemeni peace talks between April 21 and August 6. Meanwhile, doctors Without Bor-
of Hajja was the fifth and deadliest attack on an MSF-supported facility in war-torn Yemen, the Paris-based group said in its report. The strike which killed 19 people and wounded 24 others and drew international condemnation was preceded by Arab coalition air raids on nearby areas, MSF said. Warplanes from the coalition regularly bomb areas controlled by Iranbacked rebels as part of its campaign
ders (MSF) said Tuesday it has probed a deadly air strike by the Saudi-led coalition on a Yemen hospital and found that the attack was “unjustified and unprovoked”. MSF called for “urgent changes in the rules of engagement of the Saudiled coalition ... to ensure the safety of medical personnel, patients, assets and infrastructure”. The August 15 attack on Abs hospital in the rebel-held northern province
Syrian army retakes Aleppo WASHINGTON, Sept 27, (Agencies): The collapse of the latest Syria ceasefire has heightened the possibility that Gulf states might arm Syrian rebels with shoulder-fired missiles to defend themselves against Syrian and Russian warplanes, US officials said on Monday. Still, the US administration continues to maintain that negotiations are the only way to end the carnage after Russian-backed Syrian forces intensified their bombing of Aleppo, the last major urban area in rebel hands. The latest US attempt to end Syria’s 5-1/2 year civil war was shattered on Sept. 19 when a humanitarian aid convoy was bombed in an attack Washington blamed on Russian aircraft. Moscow denied involvement. On Monday, medical supplies were running out in rebel-held eastern Aleppo, with victims pouring into barely functioning hospitals as Russia and its Syrian ally President Bashar al-Assad ignored Western pleas to stop the bombing. One consequence of the latest diplomatic failure may be that Gulf Arab states or Turkey could step up arms supplies to rebel factions, including shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, something the United States has largely prevented until now. One US official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss American policy, said Washington has kept large numbers of such man-portable air defense systems, or MANPADS, out of Syria by uniting Western and Arab allies behind channeling training and infantry weapons to moderate opposition groups while it pursued talks with Moscow.
Frustration But frustration with Washington has intensified, raising the possibility that Gulf allies or Turkey will no longer continue to follow the US lead or will turn a blind eye to wealthy individuals looking to supply MANPADS to opposition groups. “The Saudis have always thought that the way to get the Russians to back off is what worked in Afghanistan 30 years ago - negating their air power by giving MANPADS to the mujahideen,” said a second US official. “So far, we’ve been able to convince them that the risks of that are much higher today because we’re not dealing with a Soviet Union in retreat, but a Russian leader who’s bent on rebuilding Russian power and less likely to flinch,” this official said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Asked if the United States was willing to do anything beyond negotiations to try to stop the violence, State Department spokesman Mark Toner did not outline other steps, but stressed that Washington does not want to see anyone pouring more weapons into the conflict. “What you would have as a result is just an escalation in what is already horrific fighting,” Toner said. “Things could go from bad to much worse.” Meanwhile, Syria’s army took control of a rebel-held district in central Aleppo on Tuesday, after days of heavy air strikes that have killed dozens and sparked allegations of war crimes. In the first advance since announcing plans last week to retake all of the divided city, pro-government troops seized the Farafira district northwest of Aleppo’s historic citadel, a military source told AFP. “After neutralising many terrorists ... units are now demining the area,” the source said. The push follows several days of Syrian and Russian air strikes on rebel-held Aleppo neighbourhoods — some of the fiercest bombardment of the five-year conflict so far — after a ceasefire deal brokered by Moscow and Washington collapsed last week. The Aleppo maelstrom prompted Western powers to accuse Russia of committing possible war crimes, charges the Kremlin condemned as “unacceptable”. cryption protocol, while Peace’s sample used a second. Either Peace drew his sample from a minority of Yahoo data or he was dealing with a different set of data altogether. “With the information available at the moment, it’s more likely to be the
An invited guest from British Museum (right), and an official from Iraq Museum look at antiquities on display at a newly opened museum in the southern city of Basra, Iraq on Sept 27. (AP)
Iraq inaugurates archaeology museum Iraq has inaugurated an archaeology museum in the southern, oil-rich city of Basra, the first museum to be opened in the war-ravaged country in decades. The head of Basra Museum, Qahtan al-Obaid, tells The Associated Press that one hall was opened
on Tuesday. Named Basra Hall, it showcases artifacts dating from 400 BC to 1800 AD. He says the objects tell the history of Basra as a commercial and cultural hub. He says other halls will be opened in the future to showcase the civilizations that flourished in Mesopota-
mia, such as the Babylonians, Assyrians and the Sumerians — who date back to 3000 BC. The museum is housed in a former palace belonging to Saddam Hussein, Iraq’s longstanding president who was overthrown following the 2003 US-led invasion. (AP)
Override seen Continued from Page 1 as the veto override vote nears: What would the legislation do? The legislation, known as JASTA, gives victims’ families the right to sue in US court for any role that elements of the Saudi government may have played in the 2001 attacks that killed thousands in New York, the Washington, DC, area and Pennsylvania. Under the terms of the bill, courts would be permitted to waive a claim of foreign sovereign immunity when an act of terrorism occurs inside US borders. Saudi Arabia has objected vehemently to the bill. Why did Obama veto the bill? In his veto message issued on Friday, Obama said the bill would disrupt longstanding international principles on sovereign immunity and could create complications with even the closest allies of the United States. Foreign governments would be able to act “reciprocally” and allow their courts to exercise jurisdiction over the United States and its employees for allegedly causing injuries overseas through American support to third parties, according to Obama. As examples, Obama cited actions taken overseas by US-backed armed militias, the improper use of US military equipment, and abuses committed by US-trained police units. The bill’s proponents have disputed Obama’s rationale as “unconvincing and unsupportable,” saying the measure is narrowly tailored and applies only to acts of terrorism that occur on US soil. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday that the Senate would vote Wednesday on the president’s veto. What’s the concern for American troops and secrets? Rep Mac Thornberry, the Texas Republican who chairs the House Armed Services Committee, said that even if none of the potential lawsuits against the United States succeeded, “the risks of discovery or trial in foreign courts, including the questioning of government employees under oath, will disclose sensitive information and subject Americans to legal jeopardy of various kinds.”
‘Full rights for women’
Saudi petition urges guardianship end RIYADH, Sept 27, (AFP): Thousands of Saudis have signed a petition urging an end to the guardianship system that gives men control over the study, marriage and travel of female relatives, activists said Tuesday. The petition calls for the kingdom’s women to be treated “as a full citizen, and decide an age where she will be an adult and will be responsible for her own acts”, said campaigner Aziza Al-Yousef of Riyadh. The retired university professor told AFP that she tried unsuccessfully to deliver the petition containing 14,700 names to the Royal Court on Monday. The activists will now send it by mail as requested. Saudi Arabia has some of the latter,” Cox said in an email Tuesday. The Associated Press has been unable to locate Peace. The darknet market where the seller has been active in the past has been inaccessible for days, purportedly due to cyberattacks. At the moment it’s not known who holds the passwords or whether a state-sponsored actor, which Yahoo has blamed for the breach, would ever have an interest in passing its data to people like Peace. Meanwhile Yahoo users who recycle their passwords across different sites may be at risk. And while an internet-wide password reset is one option, Yahoo’s announcement that some security questions were compromised too means that the risks associated with the breach are likely to linger. A password can be changed, after all, but how do you reset your mother’s maiden name? Democratic Senator Mark Warner on Monday asked the US Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate whether Yahoo and its senior executives fulfilled obligations to inform investors and the public about a hacking attack affecting 500 million user accounts. “Disclosure is the foundation of federal securities laws, and public companies are required to disclose material events that shareholders should know about,” Warner said in a letter to SEC Chairwoman Mary Jo White. Yahoo has faced pointed questions about exactly when it knew about the 2014 cyber attack announced last week that exposed the email credentials of half a billion accounts, a critical issue for the company as it seeks to prevent
world’s tightest restrictions on women, and is the only country where they are not allowed to drive. Under the guardianship system a male family member, normally the father, husband or brother, must grant permission for a woman’s study, travel and other activities. Activists say that even female prisoners have to be received by the guardian upon their release, meaning that some have to languish in jail or a shelter beyond their sentences if the man does not want to accept them. “We are suffering from this guardianship system,” said Nassima al-Sadah, an activist in Eastern Province. The campaign is an outgrowth of a Twitter hashtag in Arabic that started more than two months ago the breach from affecting a pending takeover of its core business by Verizon Inc.
30 of 100 Continued from Page 1 to fighting the Syrian regime, but denied joining DAESH. The Islamic State group could use mustard gas against an Iraqi offensive to retake Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, the US Defense Department said Monday. “We can fully expect that as this road towards Mosul progresses, ISIL is likely to try to use it again,” Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis told reporters, using another acronym for the IS group. Davis said that the jihadists had already used mustard gas “at least a couple dozen” times, packing a “rudimentary” form of the chemical weapon into crude, makeshift munitions. According to the spokesman, the IS group’s mustard gas is typically a powder bound together with tar. It is “not generally in a lethal concentration” and “not anything we would consider significant militarily,” he said. “More irritant that anything else.” Iraqi security forces, backed by USled coalition air power, are in the final weeks of preparing operations ahead of an assault to recapture Mosul, which the IS group seized in 2014 and which remains the jihadists’ last main stronghold in Iraq. The Pentagon suspects that the IS group used mustard gas last week in a rocket launched against US soldiers at
calling for an end to guardianship. “This momentum got very high after the hashtag was created” and following a report by the New Yorkbased Human Rights Watch, Yousef said. “Saudi Arabia’s male guardianship system remains the most significant impediment to women’s rights in the country despite limited reforms over the last decade,” the watchdog said. Although the government no longer requires guardian permission for women to work, Human Rights Watch said many employers still demand guardian consent in order to hire a woman. Some hospitals also require a guardian’s approval before carrying out medical procedures, it said. a base near Qayyarah, a northern town in Iraq considered strategic for retaking Mosul. The base is in the process of being transformed into a logistics hub to support the Mosul offensive. US officials estimate that Iraqi forces could be technically ready to launch the attack in early October. All US soldiers in Iraq who may be exposed to IS chemical arms have received training and the necessary protective equipment, Davis noted. “They have practiced it many, many times before they will ever get to a place like Qayyarah West where they could encounter it,” he said. The United States also has provided more than 50,000 gas masks to the Iraqi forces, he said. “We want to make sure that the Iraqi security forces and the Peshmergas (Kurdish fighters) have the ability to detect this and to defend against it,” he said. According to the Pentagon, the jihadists are making the mustard gas, and not taking it from the former stockpiles of the Iraqi or Syrian armies. Law enforcement and intelligence agencies remain extremely concerned that violent extremists will eventually flow out of Syria and Iraq and into other countries in hopes of committing attacks, FBI Director James Comey told Congress on Tuesday. The number of Americans traveling to Syria to fight alongside the Islamic State group has slowed to a trickle in the last year, but as the so-called caliphate becomes “crushed,” many militants from Western nations who are already there will stream out of the region and
Newswatch Continued from Page 1 The petitioners insisted that the government did not carry out appropriate studies on the price hike and the prices were increased suddenly without proper monitoring. ❑ ❑ ❑
KUWAIT CITY: The Criminal Court has sentenced a member of the ruling family to 10 years imprisonment with hard labor for attempting to kill a citizen, reports Al-Rai daily. It has been reported the convict is also required to appear in court next month in another case of possessing narcotics and psychotropic substances. According to court papers the convict shot at the vehicle of the Kuwaiti and shattered the car window in a vain attempt to kill him, attempting to kidnap him and carrying an unlicensed weapon. ❑ ❑ ❑
TEHRAN: Iran is not ready to compromise on the issues of intelligence sharing, sanctions and definitions of terrorist groups in order to join an international task force against terror financing, a minister said Tuesday. Iran, along with North Korea, is blacklisted by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and aims to be removed from “high risk and non-cooperative” status, even if it does not obtain full membership. (AFP) ❑ ❑ ❑
DOHA: Qatar unveiled plans on Tuesday for a “fan village” to house up to 2,000 football supporters in Bedouin-style tents during the 2022 World Cup. Organisers said the village would be built in the south of the country and could eventually be one of five sites across Qatar offering tented accommodation. (AFP) ❑ ❑ ❑ ADEN: Yemeni authorities on Monday deported at least 220 African illegal immigrants, mainly Ethiopians, from the southern port city of Aden, security officials said. The migrants had been rounded up over the past two weeks and were put on a ship bound for Somalia, from where they apparently came, an official in Aden said. (AFP)
ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
MIDEAST/INTERNATIONAL UNESCO hails ‘landmark’ verdict
Al-Mahdi gets 9 years jail for Timbuktu ‘destruction’ THE HAGUE, Sept 27, (RTRS): War crimes judges on Tuesday sentenced a former Islamist rebel who admitted wrecking holy shrines during Mali’s 2012 conflict to nine years in prison, in the first such case to focus on destruction of cultural heritage. During a brief trial at the International Criminal Court in August Ahmad alFaqi al-Mahdi asked for forgiveness and said he had been swept up in an “evil wave” by al Qaeda and the Ansar Dine Islamist groups that briefly seized control of the ancient sites. In June and July of 2012 “10 of the most important and well-known sites in Timbuktu were Al-Mahdi attacked and destroyed . ... a war activity aimed at breaking the soul of the people,” said presiding Judge Raul Pangalangan. Prosecutors had demanded a sentence of 9 to 11 years for al-Mahdi, who sat quietly in a gray suit, nodding as the verdict was read aloud. Judges said the sentence took into account al-Mahdi’s expression of remorse and cooperation with the court. Al-Mahdi admitted to involvement in the destruction of key historic mausoleums and religious sites in Timbuktu dating from Mali’s 14th-century golden age as a trading hub and centre of Sufi Islam, a branch of the religion seen as idolatrous by some hardline Muslim groups. Meanwhile, UNESCO on Tuesday applauded the International Criminal Court for jailing a Malian jihadist who destroyed ancient shrines in Timbuktu, calling the sentence a “landmark” decision for the preservation of heritage. The United Nations’ scientific, cultural and educational body also said the nineyear sentence for al-Mahdi was a “major step towards peace and reconciliation in Mali”. “The decision of the International Criminal Court is a landmark in gaining recognition for the importance of heritage for humanity as a whole and for the communities that have preserved it over the centuries,” UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova said. “It also supports UNESCO’s conviction that heritage has a major role to play in reconstruction and peace building,” she said. Judges at the court in The Hague found Mahdi guilty of directing the 2012 attacks on the shrines in northern Mali, which are classified as a UNESCO world heritage site.
The verdict is the first to focus solely on cultural destruction as a war crime.
Also: PARIS: From Mali to Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq, Islamist fighters have targeted priceless cultural heritage sites for destruction after denouncing them as un-Islamic. Here are some major world cultural sites destroyed or damaged during recent conflicts. Mali The fabled desert city of Timbuktu, dubbed the “City of 333 saints” and designated by UNESCO as a world heritage site, was attacked for months by jihadists bent on imposing a brutal version of Islamic law. In June 2012, Al-Qaeda-linked militants destroyed 14 of the northern city’s mausoleums, major structures that date back to Timbuktu’s golden age in the 15th and 16th centuries when it was an economic, intellectual and spiritual hub. The reconstruction of the shrines began in March 2014, relying heavily on traditional methods and employing local masons. Several countries and organisations financed the reconstruction, including UNESCO. On Sept 19 the doors of a revered 15thcentury mosque hacked apart by jihadists were unveiled after being restored to their former glory. Syria More than 900 monuments or archeological sites have been looted, damaged or destroyed by the regime, rebels or jihadists in Syria, where war has raged since 2011, according to APSA, the association charged with protecting Syrian architecture. In September 2015, Islamic State (IS) fighters destroyed two of the most important temples in the UNESCO-listed Syrian city of Palmyra as they pursued a campaign to wipe out some of the Middle East’s most important heritage sites. They include the ancient city’s most famed shrine, the 2,000-year-old Temple of Bel, blown up a week after the destruction of the temple of Baal Shamin. Other notable sites damaged or looted include Dura-Europos in eastern Syria, once known as the “Pompeii of the desert”, Apamea, Ebla and Tal Ajaja. However, the IS group is not alone in ravaging Syria’s heritage, with all sides looting and destroying ancient sites. “Two thirds of the ancient city of Aleppo have been bombarded and set on fire,” according to UNESCO. Iraq IS has carried out a campaign of “cultural cleansing”, razing many ancient Mesopotamian relics and looting others to sell on the black market.
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Twelve Afghan soldiers killed in their ‘sleep’ by fellow comrades US watchdog slams Kabul anti-graft body and Karzai KUNDUZ, Afghanistan, Sept 27, (RTRS): As many as 12 Afghan soldiers were killed in their sleep by comrades in an outpost near the northern city of Kunduz, an official said on Tuesday, in the latest so-called “insider attack”. Two soldiers with suspected links to the Taleban fled and joined the insurgents after carrying out the attack overnight, said Sher Aziz Kamawal, a senior police commander in Kunduz. The outpost was among many forming a protective ring around Kunduz, which was briefly captured by the Taleban a year ago, the first time the movement had seized a provincial capital since losing power in 2001. Insider attacks have plagued both Afghan and international military forces in the country, undermining trust and morale. The Western-trained and backed Afghan government forces are battling various insurgent groups, including the Taleban, who say they are fighting to expel foreign troops and re-establish a fundamentalist Muslim regime. Meanwhile, an Afghan anticorruption body formed in 2008 has been ineffective, lacks independence and never verified the asset declaration forms of former President Hamid Karzai, the US government’s top watchdog on Afghanistan said in a report published on Thursday. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) found that asset declaration forms submitted by Karzai and senior members of his government had omissions and errors. The report highlights the challenges Afghanistan faces in battling corruption, which US officials say undermines the fight against the Taleban. Corruption is widely considered pervasive in Afghanistan, which the watchdog group Transparency International ranked 166th out of 168 nations in its annual corruption index this year.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (right), and British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson pose for a photograph before a meeting in Ankara, Turkey on Sept 27. Johnson said Monday Britain would continue to support Turkey’s bid to join the European Union even after Britain leaves the bloc. (AP)
Turkey dismisses 87 spy agency staff over failed coup
UK’s Johnson dismisses Erdogan poem as ‘trivia’ ANKARA, Sept 27, (AFP): British foreign minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday brushed off as “trivia” an offensive poem he wrote about President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as he talked up the strength of Ankara-London ties on his first visit to Turkey as top diplomat. Johnson, who is of partly Turkish ancestry, described Turkey as “the land of my fathers” and emphasised that some of his relatives had even worked in the foreign ministry. The flamboyant former London mayor, who helped lead the successful campaign for Britain to leave the EU, had in May penned the winning entry in a competition on offensive poetry about Erdogan, published by the conservative British magazine The Spectator. But he said he was “delighted” the poem had not come up at all during talks since he arrived in Tur-
key earlier this week. He said what people in Turkey most wanted to hear after the failed July 15 coup was “about our committment to Turkey ... and that is very strong.” “As for the trivia that you raised ... it has not come up at all,” he said, referring to the poem. “In fact I am not remotely surprised that it hasn’t come up, that nobody has seen fit to raise it until you did,” he told a journalist at a news conference alongside Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu. Meanwhile, Turkey has dismissed 87 staff from its spy agency over alleged links to the failed July 15 coup, state media said Tuesday, in the first purge of one of the country’s most powerful institutions. The National Intelligence Organisation (MIT) has suspended 141 personnel in an internal probe over links to US-based preacher
Fethullah Gulen who Ankara alleges was behind the coup. Of these, 87 have now been expelled, the Anadolu news agency said. Criminal complaints have been lodged against 52 of them, it added. In a separate development, Turkish police detained 41 suspects from a charity organisation Kimse Yok Mu? (Is There Anyone There?) for alleged links to Gulen, Anadolu news agency reported. Turkey has fired tens of thousands of people from state institutions in the wake of the attempted putsch but this was the first announcement of dismissals from the powerful spy agency. Turkey’s secret service was widely criticised for not warning authorities about the coup bid and the government has acknowledged a vacuum in gathering intelligence.
ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
INTERNATIONAL
10
World News Roundup Police Record-keeping inconsistencies
Police officers abuse ‘private’ databases DENVER, Sept 27, (AP): Police officers across the country misuse confidential law enforcement databases to get information on romantic partners, business associates, neighbors, journalists and others for reasons that have nothing to do with daily police work, an Associated Press investigation has found. Criminal-history and driver databases give officers critical information about people they encounter on the job. But the AP’s review shows how those systems also can be exploited by officers who, Paull motivated by romantic quarrels, personal conflicts or voyeuristic curiosity, sidestep policies and sometimes the law by snooping. In the most egregious cases, officers have used information to stalk or harass, or have tampered with or sold records they obtained. No single agency tracks how often the abuse happens nationwide, and record-keeping inconsistencies make it impossible to know how many violations occur. But the AP, through records requests to state agencies and big-city police departments, found law enforcement officers and employees who misused databases were fired, suspended or resigned more than 325 times between 2013 and 2015. They received reprimands, counseling or lesser discipline in more than 250 instances, the review found. Unspecified discipline was imposed in more than 90 instances reviewed by AP In many other cases, it wasn’t clear from the records if punishment was given at all. The number of violations was surely far higher since records provided were spotty at best, and many cases go unnoticed. Among those punished: an Ohio officer who pleaded guilty to stalking an ex-girlfriend and who looked up information on her, a Michigan officer who looked up home addresses of women he found attractive, and two Miami-Dade officers who ran checks on a journalist after he aired unflattering stories about the department. “It’s personal. It’s your address. It’s all your information, it’s your Social Security number, it’s everything about you,” said Alexis Dekany, the Ohio woman whose ex-boyfriend, a former Akron officer, pleaded guilty last year to stalking her. “And when they use it for ill purposes to commit crimes against you — to stalk you, to follow you, to harass you ... it just becomes so dangerous.”
Queries The misuse represents only a tiny fraction of the millions of daily database queries run legitimately during traffic stops, criminal investigations and routine police encounters. But the worst violations profoundly abuses systems that supply vital information on criminal suspects and law-abiding citizens alike. The unauthorized searches demonstrate how even old-fashioned policing tools are ripe for abuse, at a time when privacy concerns about law enforcement have focused mostly on more modern electronic technologies. And incomplete, inconsistent tracking of the problem frustrates efforts to document its pervasiveness. The AP tally, based on records requested from 50 states and about three dozen of the nation’s largest police departments, is unquestionably an undercount. Some departments produced no records at all. Some states refused to disclose the information, said they don’t comprehensively track misuse or produced records too incomplete or unclear to be counted. Florida reported hundreds of misuse cases of its driver database, but didn’t say how often officers were disciplined. And some cases go undetected, officials say, because there aren’t clear red flags to automatically distinguish questionable searches from legitimate ones. “If we know the officers in a particular agency have made 10,000 queries in a month, we just have no way to (know) they were for an inappropriate reason unless there’s some consequence where someone might complain to us,” said Carol Gibbs, database administrator with the Illinois State Police. The AP’s requests encompassed state and local databases
and the FBI-administered National Crime and Information Center, a searchable clearinghouse that processes an average of 14 million daily transactions. The NCIC catalogs information that officers enter on sex offenders, immigration violators, suspected gang members, people with outstanding warrants and individuals reported missing, among others. Police use the system to locate fugitives, identify missing people and determine if a motorist they’ve stopped is driving a stolen car or is wanted elsewhere. Other statewide databases offer access to criminal histories and motor vehicle records, birth dates and photos. Officers are instructed that those systems, which together contain data far more substantial than an internet search would yield, may be used only for legitimate law enforcement purposes. They’re warned that their searches are subject to being audited and that unauthorized access could cost them their jobs or result in criminal charges. Yet misuse persists. ‘Sense of being vulnerable’ Violations frequently arise from romantic pursuits or domestic entanglements, including when a Denver officer became acquainted with a hospital employee during a sex-assault investigation, then searched out her phone number and called her at home. A Mancos, Colorado, marshal asked co-workers to run license plate checks for every white pickup truck they saw because his girlfriend was seeing a man who drove a white pickup, an investigative report shows.
Tatum Sprouse (left), 17, Rainah Douglas, 16, and Joscelynn Evans, 16, all from Mount Vernon, Washington, participate in a candlelight vigil along Burlington Boulevard on Sept 26, in Burlington, Washington. A candlelight vigil was held outside the Macy’s department store where five people were shot and killed by a gunman on Sept 24. One of those killed was a classmate of theirs at school. (AFP)
Investigation In Florida, a Polk County sheriff’s deputy investigating a battery complaint ran driver’s license information of a woman he met and then messaged her unsolicited through Facebook. Officers have sought information for purely personal purposes, including criminal records checks of co-workers at private businesses. A Phoenix officer ran searches on a neighbor during the course of a longstanding dispute. A North Olmsted, Ohio, officer pleaded guilty this year to searching for a female friend’s landlord and showing up in the middle of the night to demand the return of money he said was owed her. The officer, Brian Bielozer, told AP he legitimately sought the landlord’s information as a safety precaution to determine if she had outstanding warrants or a weapons permit. But he promised as part of a plea agreement never to seek a job again in law enforcement. He said he entered the plea to avoid mounting legal fees. Some database misuse occurred in the course of other misbehavior, including a Phoenix officer who gave a woman involved in a drug and gun-trafficking investigation details about stolen cars in exchange for arranging sexual encounters for him. She told an undercover detective about a department source who could “get any information on anybody,” a disciplinary report says. Eric Paull, the Akron police sergeant who pleaded guilty last year to stalking Dekany, also ran searches on her mother, men she’d been close with and students from a course he taught, prosecutors said. A lawyer for Paull, who was sentenced to prison, said Paull has accepted responsibility for his actions. “A lot of people have complicated personal lives and very strong passions,” said Jay Stanley, an American Civil Liberties Union privacy expert. “There’s greed, there’s lust, there’s all the deadly sins. And often, accessing information is a way for people to act on those human emotions.” Other police employees searched for family members, sometimes at relatives’ requests, to check what information was stored or to see if they were the subjects of warrants. Still other searchers were simply curious, including a Miami-Dade officer who admitted checking dozens of officers and celebrities including basketball star LeBron James. Political motives occasionally surface. Deb Roschen, a former county commissioner in Minnesota, alleged in a 2013 lawsuit that law enforcement and government employees inappropriately ran repeated queries on her and other politicians over 10 years. The searches were in retaliation for questioning county spending and sheriff’s programs, she contended.
Extremism ACLU defends NY bombing suspect
‘Would-be IS recruit’ gets 30 yrs This undated photo provided by the US Marshals shows Jihad Amir Ramadan, who is charged with murder, as he poses with an unknown woman at what Marshals believe is their wedding. Agents want to speak to the woman, although she’s not suspected of any wrongdoing. Ramadan, who was born Justin Faustin, is accused of stabbing a fellow student at Hampton University in Virginia in 2005 and has been on the run ever since. (AP)
Cetin
Weyrich
America ‘No militant contact’: There is no evidence showing that a man charged with five counts of first-degree murder after confessing to a shooting rampage at a shopping mall in Washington state over the weekend had contact with any known Islamic militant groups or individuals, a law enforcement official told Reuters on Monday. Turkish-born Arcan Cetin, a 20-year-old legal US resident, was advised of the charges against him during a brief hearing in Skagit County District Court in Mount Vernon, Washington, on Monday and ordered held on $2 million bail. According to charging documents, Cetin admitted to police investigators that he brought a Ruger .22 caliber rifle into the Macy’s department store at Cascade Mall in Burlington, about 65 miles (105 kms) north of Seattle, on Friday evening and fatally shot five people. Skagit County District Attorney Richard Weyrich declined to discuss a motive for the shootings. But a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation told Reuters there was nothing to suggest that Cetin had had contact with any known Islamic militants. However, the source said Cetin’s motives for the attack were still unclear. Cetin walked into the Macy’s shortly before 7:00 pm PDT (02:00 GMT), gunning down a 16-year-old girl near a clothing rack, then opening fire on
computer storage drive containing graphic photos of Islamic State beheadings and a “hit list” of US Defense Department employee names and addresses compiled by the extremist group, according to evidence presented at trial.
LOS ANGELES, Sept 27, (Agencies): A would-be Islamic State recruit from California was sentenced on Monday to 30 years in prison for his conviction on charges he sought to join the militant group in Syria and committed bank fraud to pay for a plane ticket there, federal prosecutors said. Nader Elhuzayel, 25, was found guilty in June by a US District Court jury in Santa Ana, California, of conspiring and attempting to provide material support, namely himself, to a terrorist organization, and 26 counts of bank fraud. He became the first person tried, convicted and sentenced for such charges in federal court, the US Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles said. More than 70 individuals have been charged in the United States with trying to travel abroad to enlist with Islamic State, with most cases resulting in guilty pleas. A native-born US citizen, Elhuzayel worked various odd jobs after graduating from high school, took a course in medical billing and attended community college for several semesters, according to a pre-sentencing memorandum. Elhuzayel was arrested on May 21, 2015, when he tried to board a Turkish Airlines plane at Los Angeles International Airport for a flight to Turkey, from where he had planned to make his way to the Syrian border, federal prosecutors said. Found in his carry-on bag was a
Weeks earlier, prosecutors said, Elhuzayel had posted Twitter messages professing support for a 2015 incident in Texas in which two gunmen attacked an exhibit of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad and were shot to death by police. Elhuzayel also appeared in a video swearing allegiance to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and pledging to enlist as a fighter in the militant group, which has seized swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria and claimed responsibility for numerous attacks on civilians in Europe. Prosecutors said Elhuzayel and a co-defendant, Muhanad Badawi, repeatedly used social media to express their support for Islamic State, including its execution of gay men. One Twitter message posted by Elhuzayel declared: “The only thing more beautiful than rain is homosexuals being thrown off tall buildings.” Badawi was convicted in a joint trial with Elhuzayel of conspiring with him to support terrorism, aiding and abetting his efforts by purchasing his one-way plane ticket, and a single count of financial aid fraud in connection with the plot.
the other four victims in the make-up department before placing the gun on a cosmetics counter and walking out, prosecutors said in the court papers.
Representative Rick Larsen said on the floor of the House of Representatives on Monday that the slain girl was high school sophomore Sarai Lara, a
Support
Police and rescue personnel work at the scene of a shooting on a school bus outside of the Wilson Academy alternative high school in Jackson, Michigan on Sept 26. Authorities said a 17-year-old student shot in the arm on the school bus outside of the southern Michigan school is expected to survive. (AP)
He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct 17, and faces up to 15 years in prison for each count relating to providing support for terrorism. ❑ ❑ ❑ The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said on Monday it will temporarily provide legal counsel for the man suspected of detonating a bomb in the heart of New York City that injured 31 people earlier this month, as concern builds over the suspect’s lack of access to a lawyer. Ahmad Khan Rahami, a 28-yearold naturalized US citizen, has been held in police custody in a hospital in Newark, New Jersey, since he was arrested on Sept 19 following a dramatic gun battle with officers trying to take him into custody. Rahami faces federal and state charges in New York and New Jersey stemming from the bombing in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood two days earlier, and explosives found in two New Jersey locations. The attacks are being treated by authorities as an act of terrorism. They came days after the 15th anniversary of the Sept 11 attacks, and after a series of attacks in the United States inspired by Islamic militant groups including al-Qaeda and Islamic State. Federal judges denied requests by public defenders to be appointed to represent Rahami last week, siding with prosecutors who argued he had not officially been arrested by federal authorities. cancer survivor. (RTRS) ❑ ❑ ❑
‘Homegrown attacks up threat’: Bombings in New York and New Jersey — and a stabbing attack in Minnesota the same day — underscore that homegrown attacks inspired by violent extremists are as much a threat to the United States as those directed by terrorists, the nation’s Homeland Security chief says. While all attacks are difficult to detect and prevent, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said the United States and its allies continue to “take the fight militarily to terrorist organizations overseas” 15 years after the Sept 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington. In prepared testimony before a Senate committee Tuesday, Johnson said air strikes and special operations against the so-called Islamic State terror group have led to the deaths of a number of its leaders. While it remains a threat, the Islamic State has lost nearly half the populated areas it once controlled in Iraq and thousands of square miles in Syria, Johnson said. At the same time it loses territory, the group has “increased its plotting on targets outside of Iraq and Syria and continues to encourage attacks in the United States,” Johnson said. (AP)
ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
INTERNATIONAL
11
US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump (left), speaks as Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and Moderator Lester Holt listen during the Presidential Debate at Hofstra University on Sept 26 in Hempstead, New York. (AFP)
Shooting
Politics
Suspect killed
Candidates accuse each other of distortions, falsehoods
Nine wounded in Houston shooting
Clinton assails Trump in debate
CHICAGO, Sept 27, (Agencies): A gunman wearing military attire with Nazi emblems opened fire in Houston on Monday just before daybreak, authorities said, wounding nine people before dying in a shootout with police. The shooter was a Houston-area lawyer, the Texas city’s police chief Martha Montalvo told a news conference. But authorities would not identify the man by name, pending further investigation and notification of his family. Authorities and witnesses described a harrowing scene at approximately 6:30 am (1130 GMT), in which the shooter stood next to his car — using a tree for cover — and fired a rifle and a handgun indiscriminately at passing cars and at responding officers. “The shots were coming alMontalvo most non-stop. Four, five, six at a time,” said Jaime Zamora, a cameraman for Houston television station KTRK, who witnessed some of the shooting. He estimated that between 30 and 50 shots were fired. Local stations broadcast images of multiple cars with bullet holes and broken windows. Of the nine people injured, six were sent to hospitals, while three were treated and released near the scene of the incident. One person was in critical condition and another in serious condition.
Survive “We have high hopes that all these folks are going to survive their injuries,” said David Persse, Houston’s medical director. When police responded to reports of gunfire, they engaged in a shootout with the suspect while approximately 25 yards (23 meters) apart, police said. No officers were injured. “Multiple officers engaged the suspect, who was shooting randomly at passersby,” Captain Dwayne Ready of the Houston Police Department told a lateafternoon news conference. Federal authorities were assisting in the investigation. Houston police said they have found no connection to terrorism. The shooter was wearing what appeared to be historic military clothing with Nazi emblems, and employed at least one gun that was popular among gangsters during America’s prohibition era of the 1920s and 1930s, police said. He used a .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun, a .45 caliber semi-automatic Thompson Carbine rifle, and had 2,600 rounds of live ammunition, police said. Both weapons were purchased legally, and the shooter had a concealed-carry license, the ATF said. Authorities were unsure of the significance of the Nazi emblems, especially because they said they found other historic military paraphernalia in the shooter’s apartment dating back to the Civil War. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner told KTRK that it appeared the shooter may have been disgruntled over his law firm, which “went awry.” But law enforcement said they were not yet ready to ascribe a motive to the gunman’s actions. “We are looking at everything. We are not closing the door on anything,” Ready said. Police were still in search of bullet entry points in cars and inside homes on Monday afternoon, within the residential area of southwest Houston where the incident took place. Police did not identify the man and did not have information about a motive. A bomb-squad robot examined a Porsche that police said belonged to the gunman. Texas motor vehicle records in a commercially available database showed the car is licensed to Nathan DeSai at an address in the condo complex. The man had two legally purchased guns — a .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun and a semi-automatic rifle commonly known as a Tommy gun —and an unsheathed knife.
US President Barack Obama wears a traditional blanket and hat given to him during the 2016 White House Tribal Nations Conference at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, DC on Sept 26. (AFP)
Schmeiser
Hughes
America SAT taken by nearly 1.4m: No score results yet, but students didn’t seem to be scared off by the new version of the SAT college entrance exam. The College Board, the nonprofit organization that owns the SAT, said Tuesday that nearly 1.4 million high schoolers took the newly redesigned SAT between March and June of this year. The board says that’s up about 180,000 test takers over the same period last spring. The new version of the test — with more of a focus on real-world vocabulary and learning — debuted in March. Some college advisers were a little cautious about encouraging students to take the debut test since it had a new format and wasn’t as familiar to students. The College Board says it won’t release average score results for the new SAT until next fall when it has a full year of data on graduating seniors for the 2016-2017 school year. The board says most 2016 graduating seniors, 90 percent, took the old SAT before its final run earlier this year. In the report released Tuesday, average scores for the 2016 class of seniors for the old SAT exam showed slight declines across all sections. The scores for graduating 2016 seniors were only reported through January of this year, when the old version of the SAT was last administered. For seniors, the mean reading score was 494 out of 800 possible points. That compares to a mean score of 497 in reading for the class of 2015, over the same period of time, through January 2015. Math showed another slight dip. The mean score was 508 for the 2016 senior class, compared to 512 in the previous year. And in writing, the mean score was 482, compared to 487 in the previous year. The top score in math and writing was also 800. Cyndie Schmeiser, chief of assessment for the College Board, says the pool of SAT takers has increased so there was a bigger and more diverse group of students taking the test. “What we do know is that in past years more and more districts have been offering the SAT to their students for free during the school day and this has resulted in a broader spectrum of preparation among the test takers,” said Schmeiser, in a call with reporters. The College Board made substantial
HEMPSTEAD, New York, Sept 27, (RTRS): Democrat Hillary Clinton accused Republican Donald Trump of racism, sexism and tax avoidance on Monday, putting him on the defensive during a 2016 US presidential debate rife with blistering insults and short on policy. Trump, a real estate tycoon making his first run for public office, said Clinton’s long years of service represented “bad experience” with few results and said she lacked the stamina to serve as commander in chief. Clinton was under pressure to perform well after a recent bout with pneumonia and a drop in opinion polls, but her long days of preparation appeared to pay off in her highly anticipated first 90-minute showdown with Trump. Trump, a former reality TV star who eschewed a lot of debate practice, was assertive and focused early on, interrupting Clinton repeatedly. As the night wore on, he became testy and less disciplined in front of the crowd at host Hofstra University and a televised audience that could have reached upwards of a record 100 million people. A CNN/ORC snap poll said 62 percent of respondents felt Clinton won and 27 percent believed Trump was the winner.
Promised On Tuesday morning, Trump called it “the debate of debates” and promised to be tougher on Clinton at their next meeting on Oct 9. “I may hit her harder in certain ways,” Trump said in a telephone interview with “Fox & Friends.” He made clear he pulled punches by not bringing up former president Bill Clinton’s sexual scandals out of deference to the couple’s daughter, Chelsea Clinton, who was in the audience. Trump also said contentious issues involving Clinton’s tenure as secretary of state were not addressed on Monday night, including her use of a prichanges in its redesign of the SAT. The exam still tests critical reading and math skills, but the essay portion is now optional. The redesign focuses more on areas of math that matter most for college and career readiness and shifts away from obscure
vate computer server for government emails, the deadly attack in Benghazi, Libya, or the Clinton Foundation charity. In signs that investors awarded the debate to Clinton, Asian shares recovered after an early bout of nerves while the Mexican peso jumped on Tuesday. Her chances in the Nov 8 election also improved in online betting markets. “You feel good tonight?” Clinton asked supporters afterward. “I sure do. We had a great debate.” Trump, 70, declared himself the winner to reporters at the debate site. The 68-year-old Clinton relentlessly sought to raise questions about her opponent’s temperament, business acumen and knowledge. Trump used much of his time to argue the former first lady and US senator had achieved little in public life and wanted to pursue policies begun by President Barack Obama that have failed to repair a shattered middle class, with jobs lost to outsourcing and overregulation. Trump suggested her disavowal of a trade deal with Asian countries was insincere. Her handling of a nuclear deal with Iran and Islamic State militancy were disasters, he argued. In one of their more heated exchanges, Clinton accused Trump of promulgating a “racist lie” by suggesting Obama, the first African-American president, was not born in the United States. The president, who was born in Hawaii, released a long-form birth certificate in 2011 to put the issue to rest. Only this month did Trump say publicly that he believed Obama was US-born. “He has really started his political activity based on this racist lie that our first black president was not an American citizen. There was absolutely no evidence for it. But he persisted. He persisted year after year,” Clinton said. Trump repeated his false accusation vocabulary words that don’t typically find their way into most high school or college classrooms. (AP) ❑ ❑ ❑
‘One-third of calls roll over’: More than one-third of calls to a suicide hotline
A US Border Patrol vehicle stands guard along the US-Mexico border fence on Sept 26 in Jacamba Hot Springs, California. The border stretches some 2,000 miles, much of remote areas, between the two countries. (AFP)
that Clinton’s failed 2008 presidential campaign against Obama started the so-called “birther” issue.
Produce “Nobody was pressing it, nobody was caring much about it ... I was the one that got him to produce the birth certificate and I think I did a good job,” Trump said. Trying to get under Trump’s skin, Clinton suggested her opponent was refusing to release his tax returns to avoid showing Americans he paid next to nothing in federal taxes or that he is not as wealthy as he says he is. “It must be something really important, even terrible, that he’s trying to hide,” she said. Trump fought back, saying that as a businessman, paying low taxes was important. “That makes me smart,” Trump said. “I have a tremendous income,” he said, adding that it was about time that someone running the country knew something about money. He said he would release his tax documents after a government audit. Trump sniffed loudly at times - a campaign aide said the candidate did not have a cold. Clinton, the first woman to win the presidential nomination of a major US political party, seemed to pique Trump when she brought up how Trump has insulted women. “He loves beauty contests, supporting them and hanging around them and he called this one ‘Miss Piggy’ and then he called her ‘Miss Housekeeping,’” she said. During the debate, Trump darkly hinted at wanting to say something but stopped short. Afterwards, he told reporters he had held back from raising Bill Clinton’s sex scandals. “I was going to say something extremely tough to Hillary and her family and I said I can’t do it. I just can’t do it. It’s inappropriate. It’s not nice,” he said. for troubled veterans are not being answered by front-line staffers because of poor work habits and other problems at the Department of Veterans Affairs, according to the hotline’s former director. Some hotline workers handle fewer than five calls per day and leave before their shifts end, even as crisis calls have increased sharply in recent years, said Greg Hughes, the former director of the VA’s Veterans Crisis Line. Hughes said in an internal email that some crisis line staffers “spend very little time on the phone or engaged in assigned productive activity.” Coverage at the crisis line suffers “because we have staff who routinely request to leave early,” he said. An average of 35 to 40 percent of crisis calls received in May rolled over to backup centers where workers have less training to deal with veterans’ problems, said Hughes, who left his post in June, weeks after sending the emails. The House on Monday unanimously approved a bill requiring the VA to ensure that all telephone calls, text messages and other communications received by the crisis line are answered in a timely manner by an appropriately qualified person. Rep David Young, R-Iowa, the bill’s sponsor, said a veteran in his district told him he repeatedly received a busy signal when he called the crisis line this spring. The man later got help from a friend, but “this hotline let him down,” Young said. (AP)
ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
INTERNATIONAL
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World News Roundup Defence Fear muddles defence plan
Britain opposes ‘EU army’ idea BRATISLAVA, Sept 27, (Agencies): Britain vowed Tuesday to oppose any attempt to create an “EU army” following the Brexit vote, although the head of NATO denied that European defence cooperation would undermine the transatlantic alliance. The row broke out as European Union defence ministers met in Bratislava to discuss ways of boosting defence cooperation, one of the priorities set when the bloc’s leaders met without Britain earlier this month. Arriving for the talks, British defence minister Michael Fallon said NATO — which shares 22 of its 28 members with the EU — had to remain a “cornerstone of our defence and the defence of Europe”. “We are going to continue to oppose any idea of an EU army Fallon or an EU army headquarters which would simply undermine NATO,” Fallon told reporters in the Slovakian capital. Asked whether Britain could veto the plans in the estimated two-plus years before it formally leaves the EU, Fallon replied: “There is no majority here for a EU army. “There are a number of other countries who believe with us that cuts across the sovereignty of individual nation states.”
Contradict But NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg appeared to contradict Fallon’s claims. “There is no contradiction between strong European defence and strong NATO, actually it reinforces each other,” said Stoltenberg, who was also attending Tuesday’s meeting of the EU ministers. He did however say it was “important to avoid duplication” and that there should be “complementarity” between EU and NATO. Mogherini said the EU defence ministers had “found common ground ... on the need to strengthen European defence cooperation, and in full complementarity with NATO”. Citing an EU-NATO agreement signed in Warsaw in July, she said it would be “in full complementarity with no duplications, but mutually reinforcing our work”. EU leaders on September 16 agreed at a summit in Bratislava on a six-month roadmap to create a new “vision” for the EU following the shock June 23 British vote to leave. Key to that is a joint French and German plan for more joint defence and a European military headquarters. Britain, which along with France is one of the EU’s two biggest defence powers, has always opposed any common European defence force on the grounds that it would double up with NATO. The EU’s plans are also being watched warily in many Eastern European nations that depend on NATO’s security umbrella more than ever in the face of a resurgent Russia. The issue is also at stake in the US presidential election, where Republican candidate Donald Trump has openly raised questions about the alliance’s key Article 5 collective security guarantee. Fallon meanwhile insisted that Britain would continue to contribute to European defence as a member of NATO despite leaving the EU.
Committed “We are leaving the European Union but we remain committed to the security of Europe and putting more troops into Estonia or Poland next year.” At a meeting of EU defence ministers in Bratislava, Britain’s Michael Fallon said it was up to NATO, not the European Union, to defend Europe against a more hostile Russia and that some northern and eastern EU countries agreed. France and Germany had hoped that Britons’ decision to leave the EU, as well as London’s need for goodwill in its exit negotiations, would leave the path open for common defence proposals that are meant to pull the remaining governments together. The proposals were presented on Tuesday. But there appeared to be confusion about what was on the table. Italy, France and German have come forward with proposals to bring together the EU’s disparate military assets, spend more, develop technology and rely less on the United States, which pays the lion’s share of NATO’s military outlays. Fallon insisted he saw the makings of a EU army. “There are member states who would like to see ... a single set of forces. That looks and sounds to me like a European army, and we would oppose that,” Fallon told reporters. Britain’s objections also centre on proposals for a joint EU military headquarters, possibly in Brussels, fearing that would suck financial resources away from NATO, where allies have spent years cutting budgets following the global financial crisis. “Europe is littered with HQs, what we don’t need is another one,” Fallon said. Britain retains full voting rights until it leaves the European Union, although defence decisions will rely on majority voting. Fallon said Sweden, the Netherlands, Poland, Latvia and Lithuania had voiced concern about Franco-German proposals, which was confirmed by an EU diplomat. Italian Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti countered that a number of other EU countries, including Spain and the Czech Republic, backed the range of proposals being discussed. EU diplomats said the military headquarters was one aspect of a strategy to be agreed at a summit of EU leaders in Brussels in December. The proposals also include increasing spending on military missions, jointly developing assets such as helicopters and drones, expanding peace-keeping abroad and working to counter state-sponsored hackers in cyberspace. Standing together, Germany’s Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen and her French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian were at pains to stress there were no plans for army of European soldiers wearing the same uniforms. “On the contrary,” von der Leyen said. “It is about bundling the various strengths of European countries to be ready to act together quickly.” She cited how Europe had struggled to coordinate support during the 2014 Ebola epidemic in West Africa. In 2011, the British and French air campaign in Libya also showed Europe’s limits, as they quickly became reliant on a NATO-led operation including the United States, Canada and Norway for refuelling planes, logistics and military know-how.
Britain’s Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn is given a violin lesson by 10-year-old Jessica Kelly during a visit to Faith Primary School in Liverpool, England on Sept 27, where he met children taking part in the In Harmony project. The project is supported by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and helps school children learn to play musical instruments. The Labour Party annual conference is being held in Liverpool. (AP)
Britain Scotland says wants clarity
UK braces for hard Brexit The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrive for a ceremony in Victoria, British Columbia on Sept 26. (AP)
Fico
Sobotka
Europe Court fines Merlin 5m stg: A British court fined Merlin Entertainments 5 million pounds ($6.5 million) on Tuesday over a rollercoaster crash at its Alton Towers theme park in June last year that seriously injured five people. Merlin, the world’s second-biggest visitor attractions group behind Walt Disney, admitted breaching health and safety rules over the accident on “The Smiler” ride at the theme park in central England. Two victims of the crash required leg amputations. The fine was announced at Stafford Crown Court, central England. Merlin had pleaded guilty to the breach at an April hearing. “We were always aware that we would end up here today facing a substantial penalty,” Merlin Chief Executive Nick Varney said. “The far greater punishment for all of us is knowing that on this occasion we let people down with devastating consequences. It is something we will never forget and it is something we are utterly determined will never be repeated,” he said. (RTRS) ❑ ❑ ❑ ‘Allow citizens to work in UK’: The prime ministers of Slovakia and the Czech Republic say Britain will be able to keep access to the European Union’s single market when it leaves the bloc only if it continues to allow its citizens to work in Britain. Robert Fico and Bohuslav Sobotka made the statement on Monday after their meeting in the Slovak capital. Standing side by side, they said they “can’t imagine” their citizens wouldn’t be treated equally. Fico, whose country currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency said Slovakia “will fight hard” for some 70,000 Slovak citizens’ rights in Britain. Sobotka said it is necessary for the EU to stand united in negotiations for the future cooperation with Britain. Britons voted in a referendum in June to leave the EU. (AP) ❑ ❑ ❑
LONDON, Sept 27, (Agencies): The prospect of a “hard Brexit”, or a total divorce between Britain and the European Union, is on the rise, posing complications for businesses and ordinary citizens alike. Prime Minister Theresa May’s government has spent several weeks consulting with businesses in order to work out its strategy in negotiating Britain’s departure from the EU. Downing Street has little to say as to how it will play the game once it triggers Article 50, the two-year formal mechanism for leaving the 28-country bloc. But the business leaders who took part in the first round of consultations came out with the firm impression that those backing an all-out exit from the EU and its related structures were in the ascendancy. “The political momentum is clearly moving towards a hard Brexit,” said Daniel Hodson, the executive committee chairman of the Financial Services Negotiation Forum lobby group. “There could be collateral damage” from an abrupt departure, he told AFP. If Britain leaves the European customs union, it would not only have to renegotiate dozens of agreements but also strengthen its border controls, both for people and for the movement of goods.
Rethink It would have to rethink the way its ports, airports and international rail terminals would operate. Some suggest that outside the EU, Britons could be forced to get visas for holidays in member states, and queue to account for all goods in their luggage. As for the million Britons living in Europe, a hard Brexit could make their worst nightmares come true in terms of bureaucracy and finance. Retirees would be cut out of local healthcare systems, while workers might have to obtain residency and work permits. Meanwhile the three million EU citizens living in Britain would also be subject to the same uncertainties. Student exchange programmes could also be affected. MP Pat McFadden, of the Open of young people in the Balkans has been exported from different NGOs and clerics” from the Mideast. He added “we can’t blame foreign
Britain campaign, said Britain should not “sleepwalk to a hard Brexit”, ignorant of its economic implications. “The government has been slow to realise what would be involved in leaving the single market and customs union. Businesses are desperately briefing ministers on this but there is an urgent need for a proper assessment which should be shared with the public,” he said. John McFarlane, chairman of Barclays bank and TheCityUK lobby group, told the Financial Times newspaper: “The danger of hard talk now is that it increases uncertainty, reduces confidence and will result in businesses triggering their exit plans from the UK.” The prevailing vagueness since the June 23 referendum vote to leave the EU has irked business leaders, who fear for London’s place as an international finance hub — and for the economic wellbeing of Britain and its citizens. “The City as a whole will be doing everything in our power to limit uncertainty coming from the Brexit vote and act swiftly to reassure businesses and ensure continued investment in our country,” Mark Boleat, policy and resources chairman at the City of London Corporation, told AFP. Britain’s departure from the EU does not necessarily mean that it will leave the European single market, nor the customs union. But Brussels has warned several times that Britain cannot expect full access if it curtails the ability of EU workers to relocate freely to Britain — cherished by businesses, but a key reason why many voted for Brexit.
Also: LONDON: Scotland wants to have more detail about how the British government plans to leave the European Union to prevent a “hard Brexit” that would severely damage the economy, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Tuesday. After Britain’s vote to leave the EU, Sturgeon said Scotland may seek another independence referendum — something that could split the world’s fifth largest economy apart just as it attempts to go it alone outside the European bloc. governments” for the spread of radicalization in the Balkans because “we don’t have evidence for that.” Last year the government passed a law
that could see Kosovo citizens who participate in armed conflicts outside Kosovo being sentenced to 15 years in prison. The Kosovo government also said earlier this year that draft measures against terror funding and money laundering have been given the go-ahead to be put to Parliament for approval. (AP) ❑ ❑ ❑
New search for missing toddler: Brit-
‘Extremism exported to Kosovo’: Kosovo’s foreign minister said Monday that other nations have exported violent extremism to his country, which has seen a greater percentage of its citizens fight for the Islamic State group than any other nation in Europe. Authorities say that about 70 citizens of Muslim-majority Kosovo are believed to be active fighters in Syria and Iraq. Enver Hoxhaj told The Associated Press in an interview on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly that “radicalization
A supporter of EU membership, the head of Scotland’s devolved government said the Brexit vote showed deep voter disillusionment over free trade, immigration and what she said was unfair distribution of the spoils of globalisation. Sturgeon said the Brexit vote in June had made it clear that a second referendum on Scottish independence was an option if the British government took decisions that hurt Scotland’s economy and its place in the world. “I’m trying to be tactful here — it would be helpful to know more about the UK government’s kind of thinking,” Sturgeon said in a speech to the Institute of Directors. “We would all benefit greatly from some clarity.” “I don’t believe there is a clear mandate for what is generally known as a ‘hard Brexit’,” Sturgeon said, adding that it would hurt employment, business, investment and wider society by undermining institutions such as universities. Under the ‘hard Brexit’ formula, Britain could be left without a deal on preferential access to the EU’s single market and potentially grappling with soured relations with other EU members, while free to impose limits on immigration from the bloc. Scots rejected independence in a 2014 referendum. But in the referendum on EU membership on June 23 they voted to stay in the bloc while England and Wales opted to leave. The overall vote result took many investors and chief executives by surprise, triggering the deepest political and financial turmoil in Britain since World War Two and the biggest ever one-day fall in sterling against the dollar. Despite warnings before the vote that Brexit would shatter economic confidence, some positive economic data and SoftBank’s $32 billion takeover of Britain’s technology company ARM have stoked the perception that Britain could prosper outside the EU. Brexit will be more painful for the rest of Europe than for Britain which could emerge stronger and better off than its European neighbours, Mathias Doepfner, chief executive of Axel Springer, told the Financial Times.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (right), and British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson shake hands after a joint news conference in Ankara, Turkey on Sept 27. Johnson said Monday Britain would continue to support Turkey’s bid to join the European Union even after Britain leaves the bloc. Johnson also said Turkey and Britain were united in the fight against terrorism.(AP)
ish police have begun a new search on the Greek Aegean island of Kos for a toddler from Britain who went missing over two decades ago, officials said Tuesday. “The search began yesterday and is expected to last two weeks,” a Greek police source told AFP. Supervised by a Greek prosecutor, a team of British experts supported by Greek police are searching outside a farmhouse where Ben Needham, a 21-month toddler from the northern England city of Sheffield, went missing in 1991. According to video footage released by the South Yorkshire Police, a large field with olive and fig trees has been cleared for the investigation, with nearly a dozen men digging and sifting through the soil. Detective Inspector Jon Cousins said the search would focus just outside the farmhouse after “new information” came to light in May. (AFP)
ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
INTERNATIONAL
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This file photo taken on Sept 10, 2015 shows some migrant people crossing through a hole in a barbed-wire fence an they run into the forest at the Hungarian-Serbian border near Roszke. Amnesty International on Sept 27, denounced Hungary’s right-wing government for ‘deliberately’ mistreating asylum seekers and whipping up anti-migrant fears ahead of a national vote on the EU’s troubled refugee relocation plan. (AFP)
Germany
Migrants ‘Quotas politically finished’
Govt blocks WhatsApp data transfers to Facebook
Amnesty criticizes abuse in Hungary
Bomb hits Dresden mosque
BUDAPEST, Sept 27, (Agencies): Amnesty International on Tuesday denounced Hungary’s rightwing government for “deliberately” mistreating asylum seekers and whipping up anti-migrant fears ahead of a national vote on the EU’s troubled refugee relocation plan. “Against the backdrop of a toxic referendum campaign, poisonous anti-refugee rhetoric is reaching fever pitch,” the international rights group said in a report. Hundreds of migrants and refugees have suffered physical abuse, illegal border pushbacks and unlawful detention at the hands of Hungarian authorities in recent months, Amnesty said. The study is based on research conducted last month in Serbia, Hungary and Austria — three key countries along the Balkan migrant trail — and includes interviews with 129 migrants. People stuck in so-called “transit zones” on the Hungarian-Serbian border told Amnesty they had been “beaten, kicked and chased by dogs” before Hungarian guards Orban forcefully pushed them back into Serbia. The group said the “appalling treatment” of migrants and the denial of effective asylum procedures were a “deliberate populist ploy” to deter refugees from entering the country.
Operate “The toxic rhetoric of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, calling asylum-seekers ‘poison’, has trickled down to the level of local government and often permeates the context, in which police and local asylum centres operate,” Amnesty said. The referendum will ask Hungarians whether they support the EU’s plan to relocate migrants among the bloc’s 28 member states without the approval of national parliaments. So far Hungary has not taken in a single migrant under the scheme, which fierce Brussels critic Orban sees as an attack on national sovereignty. In the lead-up to the referendum, his government has plastered lamp-posts and billboards nationwide with posters linking immigration with terrorism and crime. Nearly two dozen Hungarian NGOs have urged voters to boycott what they have termed the “inhumane” referendum. Quotas for distributing asylum seekers among European Union member states are “politically finished”, Prime Minister Robert Fico of Slovakia, which currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency, said on Monday.
Also: CAIRO: Egypt recovered at least 11 more bodies Tuesday from last week’s migrant shipwreck off Egypt’s Mediterranean coast, a local official said, raising the death toll to 179 people. “The sunken boat was pulled out half an hour ago,”, Wahdan al-Sayed, spokesman for Beheira province in northern Egypt, told AFP. He said 11 bodies more bodies had so far been found. Survivors have said up to 450 migrants were on board the overcrowded fishing vessel headed to Italy from Egypt when it keeled over off the port city of Rosetta on September 14. Egypt’s military says 163 survivors have been rescued. On Monday, police detained the owner of the vessel. A judicial source said he could face charges of human trafficking and involuntary manslaughter. A specialised ship with divers belonging to a petroleum company worked at the site of the shipwreck some 12 kms (eight miles) offshore to pull the boat back up to the surface.
The Eiffel Tower is lit in pink to mark the Breast Cancer Awareness month of October in Paris on Sept 26. (AFP)
Renzi
Dodik
Europe Leaders to assess Moscow ties: European Union leaders will explore next month the possibility of improving strained ties with Russia in response to growing irritation among some member states over economic sanctions imposed on Moscow over its role in the Ukraine crisis. But the sanctions appear likely to remain in place for now, especially those slapped over Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula seized by Russia in March 2014, despite the legal and political challenges of maintaining them. A series of Reuters investigations recently showed how European companies including German retailer Metro and France’s Auchan were doing business in Crimea despite the punitive sanctions regime there. EU leaders will review the state of relations with Russia at a summit on Oct 20-21, with the hawks’ camp weakened by Britain’s decision to leave the bloc and by increased strains between Brussels and Poland’s nationalist-minded government. (RTRS) ❑ ❑ ❑
‘Referendum on reform Dec 4’: The Italian government on Monday set the date of Dec 4 for a referendum on constitutional reform that analysts say may determine Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s political fate. The proposed reforms — deemed the most important in Italy since World War II — would streamline parliament and the electoral system in the hope of bringing the country badly-needed political stability. But the vote is shaping up as a referendum on Renzi’s two-and-a-half years in office. The reforms, approved by the two chambers of parliament earlier this year, would bring an end to the existing system whereby each law must be adopted by both chambers in the same terms — a process that can take years. The system was put in place after World War II in a bid to avoid any return to fascism. Today, though, it is widely seen as a source of political paralysis and instability, leading to 63 governments since 1945.
DRESDEN, Germany, Sept 27, (Agencies): Bomb attacks hit a mosque and an international convention centre in the eastern German city of Dresden, police said Tuesday, adding that they suspected a xenophobic and nationalist motive. No one was injured in the blasts late Monday in a city that has become a hotspot for far-right protests and hate crimes following Germany’s huge migrant influx. “Although no one has claimed the attack, we assume a xenophobic motive,” said Dresden police chief Horst Kretzschmar. “We also suspect a connection with celebrations next weekend for the Day of German Unity” on Monday, October 3. Dresden will host national celebrations Monday to mark 26 years since the reunification of East and West Germany, to be attended by Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Joachim Gauck. “We have now switched to crisis mode,” Kretzschmar said, with police deployed to guard the city’s two mosques an an Islamic cultural centre. The first homemade bomb went off around 9:50 pm local time (1950 GMT) Monday and damaged the door of the mosque while the imam and his family were inside. The second blast about 25 minutes later happened at the main venue for next Monday’s festivities, the city’s international convention centre which also includes a hotel. It was partially evacuated. Dresden, a Baroque city in Germany’s ex-communist east, is also the birthplace of the anti-immigration PEGIDA street movement, short for Patriotic Europeans Against the
Since 2010 alone Italy has had four prime ministers: Silvio Berlusconi, Mario Monti, Enrico Letta, and Renzi himself, who has had to fight opposition pressure to stand down over a sleaze scandal. The reforms would greatly reduce the role of the Senate, and the numbers sitting in it from 315 to 100. The upper house would not take part in
Islamisation of the Occident. Its members have angrily protested against the influx of refugees and migrants that last year brought one million asylum seekers to Europe’s biggest economy. About a dozen demonstrations are planned over the long weekend, by both PEGIDA and by anti-fascist groups. Meanwhile, Justice Minister Heiko Maas said on Monday the German government could take legal action against Facebook and other social media groups if they do not intensify their fight against illegal hate speech or Islamist “terror fhantasies”. Maas said Facebook, Twitter and Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc, were removing illegal content from the Internet more frequently and quickly, but more work was needed.
Complaints He said the social media groups responded mostly to requests by government-funded organisations but did not take private complaints as seriously. “Of the illegal content reported by users, Twitter deletes about 1 percent, YouTube just 10 percent, and Facebook about 46 percent,” Maas said. Those rates were too low, he said. Maas said he would decide on next steps after government study was completed in March, could not rule out legal measures. He did not elaborate. “The situation has improved, but it’s not nearly good enough,” Maas said. “We have to keep up the pressure on the companies.” German political leaders and regulators say the world’s largest social network, with 1.6 billion monthly users,
confidence votes in the government and would deal with a limited number of new laws. (AFP) ❑ ❑ ❑
4 men acquitted: Four men acquainted with a gunman who killed two people in attacks against a free-speech seminar and a synagogue in Copenhagen have been
has been slow to respond to hate speech and anti-immigrant messages. European Union Commissioner Vera Jourova told the news conference with Maas that she was counting on voluntary steps by social media firms and preferred to avoid deadlines. Konstantin von Notz, deputy leader of the Green party’s parliamentary group, said the German government had ignored the problem for too long, and Maas’ deadline only put off any real action for another six months. “This problem is too important for our society. The chancellor should take the issue in hand herself. Her justice minister is clearly in over his head,” he said in a statement. ❑
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German data protection authorities on Tuesday said they had blocked Facebook from collecting subscriber data from its subsidiary WhatsApp, citing privacy concerns. Facebook and WhatsApp promised in the wake of the Silicon Valley giant’s 2014 acquisition of the messaging app that they would not share data, Hamburg’s Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information Johannes Caspar said in a statement. He added that Facebook would be required to delete any data already received from WhatsApp in Germany. “It has to be (the users’) decision whether they want to connect their account with Facebook,” Caspar said. “Facebook has to ask for their permission in advance.” WhatsApp announced in August that it would begin sharing data with Facebook, in a bid to allow better targeted advertising and to fight spam on the platform.
acquitted of abetting terrorism. Two of them, however, were convicted of illegal arms possession. Copenhagen’s City Court on Tuesday cleared Bhostan Khan Hossein, Liban Ahmed Saleban Elmi, Ibrahim Khalil Abbas and Mahmoud Rabea of abetting Omar El-Hussein in the two attacks last year. Hossein and Elmi were found guilty of illegal arms possession for disposing of the M-95 assault rifle El-Hussein used on Feb 14, 2015, to kill a Danish filmmaker and wound three police officers. The next day, El-Hussein opened fire outside Copenhagen’s main synagogue, killing a Jewish guard and wounding two police officers before being killed during a shootout with a SWAT team. (AP) ❑ ❑ ❑
Bosnian Serb leader summoned:
A woman walks in front of the entrance of the Fatih Camii mosque in Dresden, Germany on Sept 27. Two bombs exploded in front of the mosque and an international congress building in Dresden the night before. Nobody was injured. (AP)
Bosnia’s chief prosecutor has summoned the president of the country’s Serb Republic for questioning after he defied the top court by holding a banned referendum on whether his autonomous region should mark a national day. Bosnian Serb nationalist leader Milorad Dodik played down the threat of prosecution, labelling the investigation politically motivated. The vote on whether the Serb Republic should celebrate a “Statehood Day” on Jan 9 was widely seen as Dodik’s attempt to explore the limits of the region’s independence from authorities in Sarajevo, the capital. (RTRS)
ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
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World News Roundup Maritime Envoy’s trip shelved
Japan navy chief urges port visits WASHINGTON, Sept 27, (RTRS): The head of Japan’s navy on Monday repeated criticisms of China’s pursuit of territorial claims in Asia but called for a resumption of port and personnel visits suspended for several years amid rising tensions between the two Asian powers. Admiral Tomohisa Takei said exchange visits by senior naval personnel and warships were effective in improving relationships between armed forces. “They should be resumed as soon as possible,” he told a Washington think tank. “Our door is open.” While criticizing China’s for its actions in the East China Sea, where Tokyo and Beijing have competing territorial claims, and in the South China Sea, where China has rival claims with other Asian countries, Takei sought to play down remarks by Japan’s Defense Minister Tomomi Inada last week on plans to step up cooperation with the US Navy. He said Inada’s statement that Japan would step up engagement in the South China Takei Sea with “joint training cruises” with the United States did not mean it intended to carry out patrols there, and that this had been misinterpreted.
Use “It means transit from one point to another; to use such occasions to conduct mutual or bilateral exercises, training with a foreign country,” he said. “That is the usual training and operation we have already conducted for several years.” Takei said Japan had no plans “at this time” to join the United States in freedom-of-navigation operations in the South China Sea, even though it was a vital waterway for the transit of 90 percent of Japan’s crude oil and 80 percent of its natural gas. “And we are not thinking of conducting operations only by ourselves,” he added. While urging greater engagement with China, Takei criticized Beijing for its “deliberate attempt to unilaterally change the status quo and undermine existing norms” by building artificial islands in the South China Sea and accused it of “invasion” of Japanese territorial waters in the East China Sea. He said there had been no port visit by a Japanese ship to China since a destroyer docked in Quindao in 2011 and no personnel exchanges for six years. Meanwhile, a visit to China by a Philippine special envoy tasked with rebuilding tattered ties with Beijing has been cancelled, his aides said on Tuesday, the latest turn in a foreign policy increasingly unpredictable under the new president. Fidel Ramos, president from 1992-1998, would still go to Beijing, but when the time was right, according to an aide. News of the aborted trip was first posted on the website of the Philippines embassy in Beijing, informing its citizens that a gathering with Ramos was now off. President Rodrigo Duterte picked 88-year-old statesman Ramos to start a complex process of dialogue with China in the wake of a landmark ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in the Hague, which invalidated Beijing’s claim to most of the South China Sea and put much of the region on edge. No official announcement had been made about the trip by either the Philippines or China and it was not immediately clear with whom he had planned to meet. The aide of Ramos, who was not authorised to speak to media, said he still planned to go to Beijing “at the proper time”. China refuses to recognise the arbitration case, but both sides have pledged to pursue warmer ties. Exactly how they plan to navigate the issue of the ruling, China’s man-made islands and its blocking of Filipino fishermen at the disputed Scarborough Shoal remains unclear.
Claims China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of trade moves annually. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have rival claims. China’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters the reason for cancelling the trip was because it clashed with Duterte’s schedule. He is due to visit Vietnam starting Wednesday evening. “The president’s visit to a number of Asian countries is being arranged,” the source added. Duterte in a speech on Tuesday reiterated his hopes of making China a new friend, along with Russia, and said by next year he will have “entered into so many new alliances”. His rhetorical outreach towards Russia and China was accompanied for a second day by a chiding of longtime treaty ally and former colonial power the United States, which he would not allow to “impose on us anything”. Under Duterte, a foreign policy for years aligned with the West looks set for a serious shakeup following his near-daily, profanity-riddled rebukes of anyone from the United Nations, Britain and France to the European Union and United States. They have each been branded hypocritical by Duterte having voiced concern about his war on drugs, which has killed about 3,000 people in his first three months in office. China too was not spared criticism, with Duterte on Tuesday telling Beijing to control drug gangs supplying narcotics to the Philippines. “If you consider us your friend and want to help us, most of the materials are from China, what does that mean?” he said. Lauro Baja, a retired former deputy foreign minister and Philippines ambassador to the United Nations, said Duterte should send a clearer message on his foreign policy intentions, and not through the media. “The view from the outside is that the Philippines’ worst enemy is itself, its foreign policy is confusing,” he said. “So, both Washington and Beijing would ask, what does the Philippines want?” In other news, Singapore’s ambassador to China on Tuesday accused a major state-run Chinese newspaper of fabricating a report about Singapore’s position on the South China Sea, but the paper stuck by its story. The Global Times said on Sept 21 that at a summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Venezuela, Singapore had raised the issue of the disputed waterway and an international tribunal’s ruling in favour of the Philippines in a case it lodged against Chinese claims.
The Netherlands’ Agriculture Minister Martijn van Dam (seated left), and South Korea’s Foreign Minister Yun Byung-Se (seated right), sign a memorandum of understanding on employment and tourism between the two countries while South Korea’s President Park Geun-Hye (back-right), and the Netherlands’ Prime Minister Mark Rutte (back-left), look on during the signing ceremony at the presidential house in Seoul on Sept 27. The Dutch leader is in Seoul on a three-day official visit. (AFP)
North Korea Chinese firm tied to N. Korea hit with sanctions
US tightens economic noose
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (right), and Finance Minister Taro Aso smile as they listen to questions from an opposition party member at the plenary session of the lower house of parliament in Tokyo on Sept 27. The extraordinary Diet session kicked off on Sept 26 and will last until Nov 30. (AFP)
Xi
Morrison
Asia Hunt on for hospital poisoner: Japanese police are hunting for a killer after two elderly men were poisoned at a hospital near Tokyo, local media reported Tuesday. An autopsy showed that the deaths at a hospital in Yokohama were caused by a chemical found in antiseptic, according to public broadcaster NHK and other media. The chemical is the same as one in a disinfectant used at the Oguchi Hospital’s nurse’s station, Jiji Press news agency said, citing sources. The investigation comes two months after the murder of 19 people at a centre for the mentally disabled, Japan’s worst killing spree in decades. (AFP) ❑ ❑ ❑ Ruling party to focus on graft: China’s ruling Communist Party will hold a key meeting late next month aimed at revising party discipline rules, state news agency Xinhua said on Tuesday, as President Xi Jinping keeps up a battle to uproot deep-seated corruption. Formally called plenums, such meetings are typically held annually as the party’s most important event and tend to map out major policies for the years ahead. The gathering, from Oct 24 to 27, is likely to be the final plenum before the party holds its five-yearly congress, expected some time in the autumn of 2017, at which Xi will cement his power and possibly anoint a successor. (RTRS) ❑ ❑ ❑
9 dead, 11 trapped in explosion: A gas explosion at a coal mine in northwest China on Tuesday killed nine people and left 11 others trapped underground, China’s state broadcaster reported. The explosion happened Tuesday morning at a mine in the Shizuishan city area of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China Central Television said. Rescuers were trying to reach the trapped and the cause of the explosion was under investigation, it said. An officer at the Shizuishan city government confirmed the gas explosion, but said he had no details. (AP) ❑ ❑ ❑ Typhoon kills 4 in Taiwan: Strong winds knocked down people and scattered debris as a large typhoon crossed over
Blacklisted
“represent property involved in money laundering.” The sanctions came after Pyongyang carried out a series of tests on weapons aimed at developing a missile-borne nuclear weapon. On Sept 9 North Korea conducted its fifth nuclear test triggering international outrage and threats of still further sanctions against the deeply isolated nuclear-armed country. US President Barack Obama recently met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Hangzhou, China and urged stricter implementation of UN sanctions against North Korea. He later met premier Li Keqiang in New York “and resolved to strengthen coordination” regarding the Korean peninsula, including “invigorating cooperation ... in law enforcement channels on North Korea.” Obama’s call appears to have been heeded, at least in part. Shortly after Obama’s meeting with Xi, the Chinese authorities also announced they were investigating the company. Dandong’s provincial public security department said it had placed Dandong Hongxiang and its bosses under investigation for “serious economic crimes involved in trade activities.” Ma Xiaohong — a communist party member — had been open about her trade with North Korea.
US officials said Dandong Hongxiang had acted on behalf of Korea Kwangson Banking Corporation, which has already been blacklisted by the United States and United Nations for its support for North Korea’s nuclear and other weapons efforts. The Justice Department placed three other individuals, Zhou Jianshu, Hong Jinhua and Luo Chuanxu on the sanctions blacklist, banning American individuals or companies from doing business with them. The department also moved to seize 25 bank accounts controlled by Dandong Hongxiang, on grounds that they
China has been increasingly concerned about Kim Jong-Un’s provocations, but has been loath to destabilize the regime. It fears this could prompt a flood of cross-border refugees and ultimately the prospect of US troops stationed on its border in a reunified Korea. In 2015 China accounted for more than 90 percent of North Korea’s $6.25 billion in total trade, according to figures from South Korea’s state-run Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency. China’s total imports from North
WASHINGTON, Sept 27, (Agencies): The United States moved to tighten the economic noose around North Korea Monday, charging and sanctioning a firm owned by a prominent Chinese businesswoman for extensive trade ties with the regime. In a move designed to choke-off North Korea’s external economic lifeline, the US government targeted 44-year-old Ma Xiaohong and her vast conglomerate based in China’s frontier city of Dandong. The firm, Dandong Hongxiang, and a host of officials are accused of making up a “key illicit network supporting North Korea’s weapons proliferation,” according to Treasury sanctions tsar Adam Szubin. Dandong Hongxiang did more than $530 million worth of trade with North Korea between 2011 and 2015, according to a report by the Asian Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul and C4ADS in Washington. That could have been enough to fund North Korea’s uranium enrichment facilities, and to design, make, and test its nuclear weapons, the report said. Some of the items traded included aluminum ingots, aluminum oxide, ammonium paratungstate and tungsten trioxide, materials used in nuclear enrichment centrifuges and missile design.
Taiwan on Tuesday, killing four people and injuring more than 260, officials said. Typhoon Megi’s bands of heavy rain and 162-kms- (100 miles-) per-hour sustained
Provocations
winds blanketed the island by midafternoon as the eye of the storm made landfall on the east coast. Authorities had raised alert levels for the island prone to landslides
Korea in August rose 16.7 percent year-on-year to $291.3 million, Customs data showed. China said Tuesday it is making every effort to ensure stability on the Korean Peninsula, responding to implications from US presidential candidate Donald Trump that it isn’t putting enough pressure on Pyongyang over its nuclear program. Beijing didn’t cause the nuclear crisis currently gripping the peninsula, but would oppose the spread of nuclear weapons, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters at a daily news briefing. “China has been making unremitting efforts with all sides concerned to achieve a proper resolution over the peninsular nuclear issue, for the purpose of maintaining the peninsular peace and stability and the system of international nonproliferation,” Geng said. China is Pyongyang’s only significant ally but has signed on to economic and political sanctions brought by the UN Security Council over the North’s nuclear tests and missile launches. China has also enacted unilateral measures to cut down on trade with the North and pressure it into returning to denuclearization talks. In Monday night’s debate with Democrat Hillary Clinton, Trump said China should “go into North Korea,” implying that it was up to Beijing to resolve tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program that has appeared to make new progress in recent months. “You look at North Korea, we’re doing nothing there. China should solve that problem for us. China should go into North Korea. China is totally powerful as it relates to North Korea,” Trump said. Despite traditional warm ties, China says it has relatively little leverage with North Korea and is opposed to any moves that could bring down its fellow communist regime and unleash a potential wave of refugees and unrest across its border. and flooding, said National Fire Agency Director-General Chen Wen-lung. The 268 injuries include eight Japanese tourists hurt in tour bus that turned on its side in central Taiwan. Three people suffered fatal falls and a fourth person died in a truck crash, said Lee Wei-sen, a spokesman for Taiwan’s Central Emergency Operations Center. Many of the injuries were from falling and wind-blown objects. (AP) ❑ ❑ ❑
Australia softens backpacker tax: Aus-
In this handout photograph taken and released by Japan’s Imperial Household Agency on Sept 27, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (left), and his wife Ho Ching (2nd left), are seen off by Japanese Emperor Akihito (2nd right), and Empress Michiko (right), after their luncheon at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. Prime Minister Lee is on a four-day visit to Japan. (AFP)
tralia watered down plans for a “backpacker tax” on foreigners on working holidays on Tuesday, after an outcry from farmers and tourism operators. Canberra had been under increasing pressure to shelve the tax — 32.5 cents for every dollar earned — amid fears it would deter tourists from choosing the country as a destination. Some 600,000 backpackers travel to Australia every year, many of them finding work picking fruit, and farmers had complained bitterly that the tax could affect labour supply at harvest time. “We recognise absolutely the important part that backpackers play in the overall tourism industry,” Treasurer Scott Morrison told reporters in Canberra. “It is an important sector for the tourism industry, also a very important source of labour in the agricultural sector, particularly for seasonal labour.” (AFP)
ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
INTERNATIONAL
15
Philippines Crackdown fuelling HIV epidemic?
‘War on drugs’ pricks move to protect users CEBU, Philippines, Sept 27, (RTRS): As Rosita leaves Jose’s small office in downtown Cebu in the central Philippines, he passes her a handful of biscuits and six clean needles. What Jose has just done could land him in jail. Rosita is a pregnant, HIV— infected injecting drug user — and Jose is a social worker. Amidst Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs — in which nearly 3,000 people have been killed, according to police — it is safer to be anonymous. Neither wants to give their real name. Clean needles Duterte h a v e been distributed in Cebu City for years, sometimes illegally, in order to prevent the spread of HIV. Under the new government, which took office at the end of June, pressure is increasing for such clandestine activities to stop. The Philippines has one of the fastest growing HIV/ AIDS epidemics in the world, according to the United Nations. “HIV cases have sharply increased from maybe one new infection a day back in 2007 to what we have now which is more than 24 new cases a day,” said Teresita Bagasao, country manager for UNAIDS in the Philippines. The latest Department of Health figures showed there were 841 newly diagnosed HIV cases in the Philippines in June — the biggest monthly total since records began in 1984 and higher than the annual total for 2009. Most new cases were from sexual contact, according to the government’s figures, but in Cebu it is sharing dirty needles that is the driver. Rosita, a former sex worker, explained: “Sometimes my friends don’t have needles so we share.”
Scared Since finding out she had HIV two years ago, Rosita says she has stopped sharing needles but adds that a lack of clean syringes means she is scared more people are going to contract the virus. Rosita, 35, lives in Kamagayan neighbourhood — the historic epicentre of the drugs problem in Cebu, the Philippines’ second city. In a dark rabbit warren of wood and corrugated iron, the most commonly used drugs — shabu (crystal meth) and nubain (a morphine—like opiate) — are sold in “shooting galleries” for 300 pesos ($6) per syringe. For those who can’t afford a full syringe, it can be divided between up to 10 people. Prices have almost doubled since Duterte was elected by a landslide in May after vowing to wipe out drugs and crime. Efforts to protect drug users, including the distribution of clean needles, began in Cebu, particularly in Kamagayan, in 1993 but were halted by city officials in 2009. “The following year prevalence of HIV amongst people who inject drugs went from less than 0.5 percent to 53 percent,” said Ilya Tac—an, who leads the STD/AIDS detection unit at Cebu City Health Department.
Needle The World Health Organisation says there is “compelling evidence” that needle programmes substantially reduce the spread of HIV among injecting drug users without increasing drug use, but in the Philippines possession of “paraphernalia for dangerous drugs” is illegal and carries a prison sentence of between six months to four years. Since 2009, research programmes — under which clean needles can be legally distributed — have been repeatedly given the green light by the Philippines’ Dangerous Drugs Board but then
stopped under pressure from anti—drugs groups and politicians. In 2015, the programmes were finally terminated, and under Duterte’s government pressure to not distribute needles has increased. “It is very hard for us to work with the new administration as they have a very strong programme for drugs and there have been a lot of killings going on,” said one healthcare source in Cebu. “They are really quite serious about it.” Jerson See, founder and president of Cebu Plus, an HIV care organisation that has in the past been involved in clean needle programmes but does not distribute any more, said the organisation was being watched by the government. “It came to our attention that the name of our organisation is already under the radar of the National Bureau of Investigation,” he said. He urged the government to reconsider its position on needle programmes. “The police and drug enforcement agency’s mandates are a supply and demand reduction programme but we just hope the government will reconsider the harm reduction programme because it is also a way of halting the spread of HIV,” See said. Jose, the social worker, also says he was “called by Manila” a month ago and advised to stop distributing clean needles. He says he has drastically reduced the amount of needles he hands out. “In some special cases I hand out needles — when it is really needed such as in the case of a person living with HIV who is in the company of those not living with HIV,” he said. Cebu Plus and Cebu City Health Department offer other services to people with HIV including counselling and HIV testing, but Dr Tac—an says it is not enough. “The needle and syringe programme was one of getting them (injecting drug users) to come in for the other services,” she said. “We are not really reaching that many injecting drug users (now).”
Initiatives But not everyone in Cebu is supportive of clean needle initiatives. Alice Uttlang is the head of COSAP, the city government’s Cebu Organisation for Substance Abuse Prevention. The veterinarian—by—trade was given the COSAP job in 2014 in the office next door to Cebu Plus at a time when clean needles were being distributed as a part of a research programme. “I saw a lot of people outside my office with the typical ‘users’ look,” she said. “I asked myself what these people are doing here, were they lining up to get the syringes? “Is this not a slap in our face? Our office is here preventing and here they are condoning, even encouraging them to continue to use drugs, to inject drugs, as long as you use a clean syringe.” Uttlang says some of those getting free needles would go on to sell them. She adds that she would potentially accept a clean needles programme as long as there were other conditions, such as police being given data about the locations of drug users. The Department of Health did not respond to questions on clean needle programmes in Cebu, but said it was implementing a “behaviour modification programme” which included community members teaching others about the dangers of drugs, as well as HIV testing. For Jose, the government’s efforts are helping: “Everybody is trying to think of what is best and there is no perfect remedy.” But he says he will continue to distribute needles in special cases. “I have a different understanding. Others (the government, churches and NGOs) are doing something good but they are not on the frontline — I know these people.”
Police officers investigate the dead body of an alleged drug pusher in this photo taken in Manila on Sept 22. A United Nations rights rapporteur told AFP Monday she intended to visit the Philippines to investigate President Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly war on crime, but was seeking security guarantees for people she planned to speak with. (AFP)
2 militants linked to abductions killed
After tough talk, damage control
This picture taken in Tangerang on the outskirts of Jakarta on Sept 26, shows two Chinese nationals and drugs evidences being displayed by Indonesian police. Indonesian police foiled around 12 kgs metamphetamine that were sent to two Chinese nationals in Jakarta and from a Kenyan man who swallowed drugs into his stomach while entering the Sukarno Hatta airport recently, a police statement reported. (AFP)
Asia ‘2 held are Americans’: Thai police said Tuesday that two men accused of hiding a dismembered body in a Bangkok house freezer and running a fake passport ring are Americans. The pair were arrested last week along with a third suspect who allegedly opened fire on police during a raid on the shophouse they used as a crime den in the Thai capital. They were caught in possession of multiple passports, a cache of drugs and three guns. A search of a padlocked freezer found the body of a foreigner chopped into six pieces. “We confirm two of them are Americans,” said Bangkok’s police chief Sanit Mahathavorn, after several days of liasing with US authorities to identify the men. (AFP) ❑ ❑ ❑ ‘Release bloggers, activist’: The US is calling for Vietnam to release a land rights activist and two bloggers, and to allow all individuals to express their political views without fear of retribution. The State Department on Monday criticized the sentencing last week of Can Thi Theu, who received 20-months in jail for causing public disorder after she led protests earlier this year outside government offices against land seizures. Also last week, a court upheld sentences of five years and three years against bloggers Nguyen Huu Vinh and Nguyen Thi Minh Thuy, who were accused of anti-state writings. Department spokesman Mark Toner said Vietnam was using criminal provisions to penalize individuals for exercising their right to freedom of expression. (AP) ❑ ❑ ❑
Dutchman held in Myanmar: A Dutch tourist has been detained in Myanmar for insulting religion after being accused of pulling the plug on a speaker relaying a late-night Buddhist sermon in Mandalay. Klass Haytema, 30, has been held since Friday night when he allegedly disconnected the cable linking an amplifier and a speaker at a hall playing the sermon after he complained that it was disturbing him, police said. “The religious hall is not far from the hotel where he was staying... he said he did it because it was too noisy for him,” Kyi Soe, police chief at Maha Aung Myay township, told AFP. An angry crowd followed the man back to his hotel, where he was taken into custody by police and later transferred to a Mandalay prison. “We detained him for insulting religion,” he said, adding it was under section 295 of Myanmar’s penal code. He is yet to be charged but the law
MANILA, Philippines, Sept 27, (Agencies): The new Philippine president uses an expletive to warn key ally Barack Obama not to lecture him on human rights and, in another impromptu speech, declares a dramatic policy change in policy such as removing US counterterrorism forces out of his country’s volatile south. His key officials walk back the remarks and say everything is normal. And the world wonders which pronouncement is the one that will stick. Impassioned speeches by Rodrigo Duterte about the United States, the European Union and the United Nations have repeatedly led his government to issue clarifications, though he has been on the job less than three months. Here’s a sampling of Duterte’s broadsides — and the ensuing clarifications by him or other Philippine officials. ‘SOB’ (BUT WON’T CUT UMBILICAL CORD) THE STATEMENT: “I do not have any master except the Filipino people, nobody but nobody. You must be respectful. Do not just throw questions. (expletive), I will swear at you in that forum.” ■ Duterte in a Sept. 5 speech, using the Tagalog phrase for “son of a bitch” in answer to a reporter, who asked what he’ll do if President Barack Obama questions his deadly anti-drug fight when they meet in Laos during the annual summit of leaders of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations. THE BACKTRACK: Obama responded by canceling a muchawaited meeting with Duterte, who expressed regret over his remarks. The two leaders, however, met informally in a holding room before a gala dinner in Laos, where Duterte said he told Obama the SOB remark wasn’t directed at him. The brash Duterte capped the tempestuous week in US-Philippine ties by discussing, in another Laos meeting with Obama and other world leaders, how US colonial forces killed Muslims in his country’s south in the early 1900s. Back home, Duterte railed at the US again in a speech but said he would not “cut our umbilical cord to countries we are allied with.” MIGRAINE OR PRINCIPLES? THE STATEMENT: “I purposely did not attend the bilateral talks between ASEAN countries and ... the president of the United States. I really skipped that ... Now, the reason is not I am anti-West. The reason is not, I do not like the Americans. It’s simply a matter of principle for me.” ■ Duterte in a Sept. 12 speech at the Malacanang presidential palace in Manila. THE BACKTRACK: The remarks by Duterte, who has been
critical of Obama and US security policies, came four days after his much-noticed absence from the summit of ASEAN leaders and the US president in the Laotian capital of Vientiane. Duterte’s spokesman, Martin Andanar, and at least three Cabinet officials, however, told the media in Vientiane at the time that the Philippine leader couldn’t attend the annual ASEAN-US summit because he had a migraine and wasn’t feeling well. DRIVING U.S. FORCES OUT OF THE SOUTH THE STATEMENT: “The special forces, they have to go. They have to go in Mindanao. There are many whites there, they have to go.” ■ Duterte in a Sept. 12 speech. He added that he was reorienting the Philippines’ foreign policy and that Americans were under threat of attack by Muslim militants. “I do not want a rift with America, but they have to go. It’ll become more heated. If they see an American, the latter will really be killed. Ransomed off, then killed.” THE BACKTRACK: Duterte’s key officials initially explained that his remarks were based on fears for the safety of the Americans. But his defense secretary, Delfin Lorenzana, later played down the safety issue: “The fears of the president that they might be subject to reprisal by the Muslims is a little bit, may not happen because they’re only in the camp and they don’t go out of the camp alone or unless they’re accompanied by our troops or they are also armed. ... (T)hese people are also combatants. They are not civilians that are subject to kidnapping by terrorists. Duterte later suggested he only made the remarks to pacify restive Muslims opposed to the US presence in the south: “I didn’t say (they) have to leave immediately. I said, ‘There will be sometime in the future that I will ask the special forces to go’ ... I never said, ‘Get out of the Philippines,’ for after all, we need them there in the (South) China Sea.” RATINGS OUTBURST THE STATEMENT: “The issue here is not my mouth. And they would say the ratings on business, on the economy, so be it, you get out of here. Then we will start on our own. I can go to China, I can go to Russia. I had a talk with them, they are waiting for me, so what the hell.” ■ Duterte, after US-based firm Standard & Poor last week maintained its investment-grade rating and stable outlook for the Philippines but added that a credit rating upgrade in the next two years under Duterte was unlikely. It also warned it may lower that rating if reforms stall. THE BACKTRACK: Presiden-
carries up to a two-year jail term and fine. (AFP) ❑ ❑ ❑
‘Major people smuggler’ held: Indonesian police have arrested an alleged people smuggler who has targeted Australia since 1999, Indonesian and Australian authorities said on Saturday. Abraham Louhenapessy, also known as Captain Bram, was ar-
Sanit
Toner
tial spokesman Martin Andanar took a more optimistic stance. “We welcome S&P’s decision as it gives government greater resolve to make our economy growth robust, sustainable, and inclusive. The fundamentals of the economy are solid and strong. ... Peace and order is a must for investors to invest more in the country.” ON BREAKING OFF FROM THE UNITED NATIONS: THE STATEMENT: “Maybe we’ll just have to decide to separate from the United Nations. … We’ll just leave you. So take us out of your organization, you have done nothing here anyway.” ■ Duterte at a news conference in August, reacting to concerns by U.N.-appointed human rights rapporteurs about drug-related killings. THE BACKTRACK: Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay later assured that the Philippines isn’t bolting out of the 193-nation world body and clarified the context of the president’s remarks: “I can assure you that he remains committed to the United Nations, of which the Philippines is one of the founding members, and to the purposes and objectives of which this august body stands for.” Also: MANILA: Two Islamic militants linked to the abductions of 26 Malaysian and Indonesian sailors this year were killed Tuesday in a military raid off a remote Philippine island, Manila said. Nixon Muktadil and his brother Brown Muktadil, both members of the Abu Sayyaf group, died in “strike operations” by an anti-terror task force at dawn, a Philippine military statement said. The Abu Sayyaf is a loose network of militants formed in the 1990s with seed money from Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda network that has earned millions of dollars from kidnappings-for-ransom. While its leaders have in recent years pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, analysts say the group is mainly focused on a lucrative kidnapping business rather than religious ideology. “The death of the Muktadil brothers is a major blow to the group... because they serve(d) as the sea guides and navigators during (the) conduct of kidnapping at the high seas,” the military statement said. The brothers helped snatch crew members of five tugboats carrying coal and other commodities on waters bordering Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, it said. The kidnappings took place over a six month period earlier this year, the military added. The spike in abductions sparked Indonesian warnings that the region could become the “next Somalia” and pushed the three neighbours to pledge coordinated patrols.
rested in Jakarta before dawn on Friday, Indonesia’s national police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar said. “He allegedly helped to smuggle people into Indonesia and out of Indonesia by providing a ship and he was also the captain of that ship,” he said. The Australian Federal Police suspected Louhenapessy was “the boss” of traffickers who have smuggled people into Australia and New Zealand, Amar said. (RTRS)
ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
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World News Roundup Africa Bongo sworn in as Gabon president: Ali Bongo was sworn in Tuesday as Gabon’s president after the country’s top court controversially validated his fiercely contested election win, taking his family’s reign over the oil-rich country into a fifth decade. “I pledge to devote all my efforts for the good of the Gabonese people and to ensure their well-being ... and respect and defend the constitution and the rule of law,” the 57-year-old said. Cannons were fired during the ceremony in the seafront presidential palace in Libreville, as fears of fresh violence resurfaced. The event was attended by a handful of African leaders including the presidents of Mali, Niger, Togo and Sao Tome — as well as the prime ministers of Chad, Senegal, the Central African Republic and Morocco — but most regional and continental heavyweights stayed away. Government spokesman AlainBongo Claude Bilie-ByNze said Bongo wanted to install “a unity government by this week or the start of next week”. (AFP) ❑ ❑ ❑
Indian policewomen detain a sanitation worker during a protest in Ahmedabad, India, on Sept 27. The protestors demanded permanent jobs for sanitation workers who had been employed on contract basis for several years in the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. (AP)
India
Diplomacy
S. African official blames students:
Rivers flow into Pakistan
‘Abandon dream of Kashmir’
N. Delhi to speed up hydropower building
Pakistan denounces India’s speech at UN
NEW DELHI, Sept 27, (RTRS): India will accelerate its building of new hydropower plants along three rivers that flow into Pakistan, a source familiar with the plan said on Monday, in a move likely to aggravate already tense relations with its neighbour a week after an attack on an Indian army base. Disagreements over how to share the waters of the Indus and other rivers have dogged relations between the nuclear-armed arch-rivals since independence in 1947. The dispute looks set to be reignited after Prime Minister Narendra Modi told officials on Monday that India should use more of the rivers’ resources, speaking a week after the Sept 18 attack on an army base in the disputed region of Kashmir that New Delhi blames on Pakistan, a source with knowledge of the meeting attended by Modi said. India has vowed to respond to the raid, in which at least 18 of its soldiers were killed, but any military option risks escalation. Some officials have called for a renewed diplomatic offensive instead. Modi Modi said on Saturday that India would mount a global campaign to isolate Pakistan, including through the United Nations, where Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj spoke on Monday. India has long accused Pakistan of backing militant groups operating in the Himalayan state of Jammu and Kashmir, through which several of the countries’ shared rivers flow. Pakistan denies the allegations and says India has not provided adequate proof to support its claims. A spokesman for Pakistan’s foreign office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Modi’s hydropower plans. At Monday’s meeting, Modi and officials discussed ways to increase exploitation of the Chenab, Jhelum and Indus rivers but said they would not violate a long-standing water treaty between the countries in the process. “We want to see that all these (hydropower) projects are put on a really fast-track basis,” the source told Reuters, speaking on the condition he was not named because of the sensitivity of the meeting. “Our entire approach was done to create an atmosphere of goodwill. But in this atmosphere, we want to exploit all our rights under the (Indus Water) treaty,” the source said. The Indus Water Treaty was signed in 1960 in a bid to resolve disputes, but India’s ambitious irrigation plans and construction of thousands of upstream dams has continued to annoy Pakistan, which depends on snow-fed Himalayan rivers for everything from drinking water to agriculture. India says its use of upstream water is strictly in line with the 1960 agreement. The potential for a military conflict between India and Pakistan over water has long worried observers. The neighbours have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir. India currently generates about 3,000 megawatts of energy from hydropower plants along rivers in its portion of Kashmir, but believes the region has the potential to produce 18,000 megawatts, the source said. New Delhi will also review whether to restart construction of the Tulbul navigation project, which was suspended several years ago. The project proposes diverting water from one of the shared rivers to a city in Indian-administered Kashmir that could impact flows downstream, the source said. A spokesman for Modi’s office declined to comment.
Pakistani Kashmiris burn effigies of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj during a protest in Islamabad, on Sept 26, to show their solidarity with Indian Kashmiri Muslims. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi lashed out at Pakistan last week accusing it of ‘exporting terrorists’ after a deadly attack on an army base that New Delhi has blamed on Pakistan-based militants. Modi’s comments were the latest in a war of words between the neighbours over escalating tensions in disputed Kashmir, where 18 Indian soldiers were killed last week in the worst attack in the region for over a decade. (AFP)
Subcontinent Pakistan arrests 7 over attacks: Pakistan’s military says it has arrested seven militants accused of carrying out attacks on a Christian colony and a court house in which 13 people were killed. Army spokesman Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa said Tuesday the army had broken the militant network responsible for the Sept 2 attacks. He says the attacks were planned from Afghanistan, and that Pakistan has informed Kabul. Bajwa does not disclose the identity of the detained men, but a breakaway Taleban faction has said it carried out the attacks. On Sept 2, one civilian was killed when four gunmen stormed a Christian colony near the city of Peshawar and 12 people died when a suicide bomber struck a court in the town of Mardan in the northwest. (AP) ❑ ❑ ❑
Trial opens in murder of UK woman: A Pakistani court on Tuesday opened the trial against the father and ex-husband of a British woman over her alleged rape and murder in the name of so-called honor. The court delivered copies of the charge sheet to father Mohammad Shahid and ex-husband Mohammad Shakeel, defense lawyer Mohammed Arif said. Shahid and Shakeel are accused of killing Samia Shahid, 28. They must decide by Oct. 7 if they plead guilty or not guilty before Judge Ambreen Qureshi, Arif said. He said both men were present in the court. After he appeared at a pre-trial hearing last week, father Mohammad Shahid spoke to reporters outside the courtroom denying all charges. “We will contest the case,” Arif said Tuesday, suggesting the accused may plead not guilty. Samia Shahid’s family had initially claimed she had died of natural causes during her July trip to Pakistan. But after her second husband Mukhtar Kazim complained to police, they reopened the case. A police investigation concluded that Shahid’s ex-husband raped her as the father stood guard before they both strangled her. It described the killing as “premeditated, cold-blooded murder.” The investigation also implicated the victim’s mother, Imtiaz Bibi, and sister, Madiha Shahid, who are British nationals, in the murder. It accused them of luring
ISLAMABAD, Sept 27, (AFP): Islamabad has branded an address by India’s foreign minister to the UN in which she accused Pakistan of terrorism in disputed Kashmir as a “litany of falsehoods”. Tensions between the longtime rivals have spiked over a recent attack on an Indian army base in Kashmir that New Delhi has blamed on Pakistan-based militants. Addressing the UN General Assembly on Monday, Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj said: “Pakistan remains in denial. It persists in the belief that such attacks will enable it to obtain the territory it covets. “My firm advice to Pakistan is: abandon this dream. Let me state unequivocally that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and will always remain so.” Kashmir has been split between India and Pakistan since the end of British rule in 1947. Both claim the disputed Himalayan territory in its entirety and have fought two wars over it. The Indian army has blamed the latest attack, in which 18 soldiers and four attackers were killed, on the Pakistan-based militant group Jaishe-Mohammad. The group was also implicated in an audacious attack in January on an Indian air force base in Pathankot in the northern state of Punjab, that left seven soldiers dead. Pakistan responded by calling Swaraj’s speech a “litany of falsehoods” that distorted history, and denied its forces had aided the army base attack. “These allegations are designed principally to deflect global attention from the brutalities being perpetrated by India’s over half a million occupation force against innocent and unarmed Kashmiri children, women and men,” said a statement by its foreign office released late Monday. “Jammu and Kashmir never was and can never be an integral part of India. It is a disputed territory, the the victim into the murder plot. It said both women escaped back to England after the murder, and suggested they should be extradited to Pakistan to be tried on abetment charges. (AP) ❑ ❑ ❑
Sri Lanka exhumes body of editor: The body of a newspaper editor killed seven years ago was exhumed Tuesday for a fresh investigation as Sri Lanka’s govern-
Bajwa
Shahid
Tensions threaten S. Sudan: South Sudan’s government urged Sudan and regional states on Tuesday not to let opposition leader Riek Machar launch a new rebellion, after he threatened a return to the battlefield unless demands needed to revive a peace deal were met. Machar is in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, having fled South Sudan after fighting flared between his supporters and those of his rival President Salva Kiir in July. The two had signed a shaky peace deal in 2015 after two years of conflict. After talks in Khartoum involving senior commanders and officials in the SPLM-InOpposition (SPLM-IO) last week, Machar and his allies in a statement ordered their forces to reorganise for “armed resistance” to Kiir’s government. (RTRS) ❑ ❑ ❑
final status of which has yet to be determined in accordance with several resolutions of the UN Security Council.” More than 80 people have been killed in ongoing unrest in Kashmir since July 8 when a young militant leader was shot dead by Indian soldiers, sparking one of the deadliest bouts of violence to hit the region in decades. Several rebel groups have fought an estimated 500,000 Indian forces deployed in Kashmir, demanding independence for the Muslim-majority region or its merger with Pakistan. Tens of thousands of people have died in the fighting, most of them civilians. Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif told the General Assembly last week that his country was committed to peace but that New Delhi was making unacceptable demands. “Pakistan wants peace with India. I have gone the extra mile to achieve this,” he told the gathering in New York. “But India has posed unacceptable preconditions to engage in a dialogue. “Let us be clear: talks are no favor to Pakistan,” he added. “Talks are in the interest of both countries. They are essential to resolve our differences.” The Indian foreign minister responded to Sharif in her address, rejecting the accusation that her government was imposing preconditions and arguing that it had taken unprecedented steps to improve relations. “And what did we get in return? Pathankot, Bahadur Ali and Uri,” she said, referring to the Kashmir attacks and a suspect held in custody. “Bahadur Ali is a terrorist in our custody whose confession is a living proof of Pakistan’s complicity in cross-border terror,” Swaraj said. India has vowed to push to make Pakistan a pariah state in the eyes of the international community. ment looks anew at multiple unsolved killings of journalists under a previous government. Lasantha Wickrematunge, editor of the Sunday Leader newspaper, was killed while driving to work in January 2009. He was an investigative journalist who wrote about government corruption and a sharp critic of the then-government’s alleged human rights violations during a civil war with the ethnic Tamil rebels. The exhumation took place under a court order after police investigators sought permission for a new examination due to contradictory medical and post-mortem reports, said Athula S Ranagala, a lawyer representing his family’s interests. The officer who carried out the autopsy said the death occurred due to gunshot wounds, while the surgeon who operated on the editor before he died said the wounds were not from bullets. Ranagala said police also wanted to identify the type of weapon used to kill Wickrematunga. (AP)
The death of a South African university worker who was hospitalized after a student protest has deepened tensions over unrest roiling campuses across the nation. The government on Tuesday called for an investigation, saying protesters were responsible for the death last week at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, which has suspended classes because of demonstrations for free education. The cleaner died several days after being affected by a fire extinguisher that protesters sprayed in a residence building, said the university, also known as Wits. Blade Nzimande, the education minister, criticized the university for failing to immediately report the death and he identified the worker as a member of a private security company.. (AP) ❑ ❑ ❑
Shell shuts down pipeline: AngloDutch oil giant Shell on Monday shut down a major pipeline in southern Nigeria after fire broke out in its supply lines, a spokesman for the company said. “A fire has been observed on the right of way of the Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP) at Gio in Ogoni land,” said spokesman Joseph Obari. “SPDC (Shell Petroleum Development Company) has shut the TNP as a precautionary measure pending the investigation,” he added. The TNP has been repeatedly attacked by vandals and oil thieves, and Shell said it would investigate whether the fire was the result of an attack by one of the armed groups that operate in the region. “We can’t really tell what the cause of the fire is,” said a resident of the town of Gio, where Ogoni indigenous people live. “All we know is that we came out from the house this morning only to see that the pipeline is on fire,” he added. The Trans Niger Pipeline transports natural gas and 180,000 barrels of oil per day to an export terminal at Bonny, on the south coast. (AFP) ❑ ❑ ❑ 6 killed in helicopter crash: Six people were killed after a helicopter chartered by American oil giant Chevron crashed off the coast of Angola, security forces confirmed Tuesday. The accident happened Monday night near the oil-rich province of Cabinda, captain Armando Nzawisa of the Angolan Armed Forces, who is heading the rescue operation, told AFP. Four Angolans and two foreigners were killed. “The helicopter crashed in bad weather en route to a Chevron platform,” Nzawisa said. The bodies of the four Angolans have been recovered but search operations for the two foreigners was still underway, he added. Of the six people killed, five were Chevron employees, while the pilot was from Angolan company Heli Malongo. (AFP) ❑ ❑ ❑ Sawadogo fears will lose land: Yacouba Sawadogo, a farmer who turned an area of semi-desert into a forest in Burkina Faso, fears he will lose the land of his ancestors to developers who will tear down the trees he has nurtured for some 40 years. He devised a technique which is now used across Africa’s Sahel region to help stop the spread of desertification, restore fertility to the soil and enable people to grow more food. Sawadogo has travelled widely sharing his technique called Zai, helping people to grow food and make money from dry land. But the ancestral plot on which he developed his technique is under threat. Investors building a housing project have annexed parts of his land, and carved it up into smaller plots, he said. One plot contains the well he built ten years ago, and another the graves where he buried his parents. “The new owners will destroy those graves because that is not part of their tradition,” he said. (RTRS)
ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
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Colombia Deal ends long conflict
Bogota and FARC sign historic peace accord CARTAGENA, Colombia, Sept 27, (AP): Colombia’s government and its largest rebel movement signed a historic peace accord Monday in an emotional ceremony that seeks to put an end to a half-century of combat and put the war-weary nation on the path to reconciliation. President Juan Manuel Santos and Rodrigo Londono, leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, signed the agreement before a crowd of 2,500 foreign dignitaries and special guests, including UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and US Secretary of State John Kerry. Many in the audience had tears in their eyes, and shouts rose urging Santos and Londono to “Hug, hug, hug!”. In the end, the two men just clasped hands and smiled effusively. Then Santos removed from his lapel a pin shaped like a white dove that he’s been wearing for years and handed it over to his former adversary, who fastened it on his own shirt. Santos It was one of many symbolic gestures that filled the 90-minute ceremony held at sunset overlooking the historic ramparts of Cartagena, nicknamed the “Heroic City” for its prominent role in Colombia’s battle for independence from Spain. The event kicked off with Santos unlocking with a metal key a giant door, representing a new beginning, through which 15 Latin American presidents and the two sides’ negotiating teams crossed while taking their seats on the stage. All guests were told to wear white and Santos and Londono signed the 297-page accord with pens made from recycled shells used in combat. Borrowing phrases from Colombia’s 19th century national anthem, Santos, who for years was the FARC’s top military opponent, proclaimed that the signing of the accord will put an end to generations of bloody combat that has killed more than 220,000 and displaced millions, creating the conditions for wounds to heal and the country to prosper in the years ahead. He led the crowd in chants of “No more war! No more war! No more war!” and urged Colombians to ratify the accord in an Oct 2 national referendum that will determine its fate. Addressing the FARC leaders on stage, Santos said, “When you begin your journey back to society, when you begin your conversion into a political movement, I, as head of state of the fatherland we all love, want to welcome you to democracy.” Londono, best known by his alias Timochenko, called Santos “a courageous partner” and hailed the accord as not only a victory for Colombia but an example to warravaged Syria and the Palestinians and Israelis of what can be achieved through dialogue.
People cheer as they watch live images of the peace signing agreement between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia to end more than five decades of conflict, in Bogota, Colombia on Sept 26. Colombians are being given the final say on endorsing or rejecting the accord in an Oct 2 referendum. (AP)
Lat/Am Lula vows to fight on: Brazilian expresident Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva hinted strongly at seeking a return to power Monday in a fiery speech that dismissed corruption charges against him as persecution. Lula, who was massively popular when he left office in 2010 and remains a giant of the Latin American left, was campaigning in western Rio de Janeiro on behalf of Jandira Feghali, a communist candidate running for mayor in local elections next Sunday. But the appearance before some 1,000 excited activists in front of a brick church was far more about Lula’s own campaign to make a comeback at the 2018 presidential election. “You will be my electoral support in 2018,” he said to enthusiastic cheers, also vowing “to keep fighting for this country.” A one time barely literate shoeshine boy who founded the Workers’ Party or PT and became one of Brazil’s most influential presidents, Lula spent much of the halfhour speech recalling his achievements in reducing poverty and expanding education. “I proved that it’s possible for people to change the history of this country,” he said.
“In Brazil the poor stopped being a problem. The poor became part of the solution.” Lula, 70, was on friendly ground. The small but impassioned crowd cheered loudly, beat on drums and chanted his name. Supporters lit red flares, engulfing the public square in thick smoke. But these days, Lula needs all the friends he can get. (AFP) ❑ ❑ ❑
Maduro, Kerry meet in Colombia: Venezuela’s embattled President Nicolas Maduro met Monday with top US diplomat John Kerry on the sidelines of a landmark peace deal signing between the Colombian government and FARC rebels. “President @NicolasMaduro held respectful, top level meeting with @ JohnKerry,” Venezuela’s Foreign Minister
Delcy Rodriguez tweeted. Venezuela is in a highly tense political crisis, with the South American oil-exporting nation slammed by low crude prices, inflation, food shortages and violence. If Maduro loses a recall vote expected after January 10 — four years into his sixyear term — he would be replaced by his hand-picked vice president. Polls indicate eight in 10 Venezuelans want a change in government. Kerry “spoke of our concern about the economic and political challenges that have affected millions of Venezuelans, and he urged President Maduro to work constructively with opposition leaders to address these challenges,” US State Department spokesman John Kirby said. “Secretary Kerry stressed our support for democratic solutions reached through dialogue and compromise,” he said, adding that the two agreed to continue bilateral discussions begun in recent months. (AFP) ❑ ❑ ❑
Protest held in Columbus: Dozens
da Silva
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of demonstrators protesting the fatal police shooting of a 13-year-old black boy brought a city council meeting to a halt Monday in Columbus as they called for an independent investigation. Police have said Tyre King was shot multiple times on Sept 14 after he ran from
a white officer investigating a reported armed robbery and pulled out a BB gun that looked like a real firearm. Protesters packed the council chambers of Columbus City Hall, where they shouted down the council president and briefly took over the front portion of the room. City Council president Zach Klein said attendees would have a chance to speak, but his comments were drowned out by chants of “Take a knee for Tyre,” ‘’Black lives matter” and “No justice, no peace.” (AP) ❑ ❑ ❑
Governing party strips governor: An internal committee of Mexico’s governing party said Monday that it decided to strip party rights from one of its state governors under federal investigation for corruption. The Institutional Revolutionary Party’s national justice committee said in a statement Monday it removed the party rights of Veracruz Gov. Javier Duarte and six other party members. Last week, the federal Attorney General’s Office announced that it was taking over two corruption investigations involving the outgoing governor. Duarte and others were being investigated for illegal enrichment, embezzlement and breach of duty. Duarte is very unpopular in his state and in June elections the PRI lost the Veracruz’s governorship for the first time. (AP)
ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
INTERNATIONAL
18
World News Roundup
This Jan 26, 2014 image provided by NASA shows a composite image of possible water plumes on the south pole of Jupiter’s moon Europa. Europa is among several moons in the solar system where evidence of an underground ocean has been discovered in recent years. The Hubble data were taken on Jan 26, 2014. The image of Europa, superimposed on the Hubble data, is assembled from data from the Galileo and Voyager missions. (AP)
Space ‘Making Humans a Multiplanetary Species’
Musk to present ‘mind blowing’ Mars plan
This NASA image obtained Sept 27, shows images obtained by NASA’s MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft revealling previously undetected small fault scarps — cliff-like landforms that resemble stair steps. These scarps are small enough that scientists believe they must be geologically young, which means Mercury is still contracting and that Earth is not the only tectonically active planet in our solar system, as previously thought. (AFP)
Earth’s roughly warmest in about 100,000 years WASHINGTON, Sept 27, (AP): A new study paints a picture of an Earth that is warmer than it has been in about 120,000 years, and is locked into eventually hitting its hottest mark in more than 2 million years. As part of her doctoral dissertation at Stanford University, Carolyn Snyder, now a climate policy official at the US Environmental Protection Agency, created a continuous 2 million year temperature record, much longer than a previous 22,000 year record. Snyder’s temperature reconstruction, published Monday in the journal Nature, doesn’t estimate temperature for a single year, but averages 5,000-year time periods going back a couple million years. Snyder based her reconstruction on 61 different sea surface temperature proxies from across the globe, such as ratios between magnesium and calcium, species makeup and acidity. But the further the study goes back in time, especially after half a million years, the fewer of those proxies are available, making the estimates less certain, she said. These are rough estimates with large margins of errors, she said. But she also found that the temperature changes correlated well to carbon dioxide levels. Temperatures averaged out over the most recent 5,000 years — which includes the last 125 years or so of industrial emissions of heat-trapping gases — are generally warmer than they have been since about 120,000 years ago or so, Snyder found. And two interglacial time periods, the one 120,000 years ago and another just about 2 million years ago, were the warmest Snyder tracked. They were about 3.6 degrees (2 degrees Celsius) warmer than the current 5,000year average.
GUADALAJARA, Mexico, Sept 27, (AFP): SpaceX chief Elon Musk was set Tuesday to unveil his ambitious plan to build a human colony on Mars after sending a manned spacecraft to the Red Planet within a decade. He will lay out his vision during a presentation titled “Making Humans a Multiplanetary Species” at the International Astronautical Congress in the western Mexican city of Guadalajara. Although the South Africa-born Canadian-American entrepreneur has given few details about his plan, he promised in a Washington Post interview in June that it will be “mind blowing.” He will discuss the “long-term technical challenges that need to be solved to support the creation of a permanent, self-sustaining human presence on Mars,” the conference’s program says. SpaceX plans to send an unmanned Dragon cargo capsule to Mars as early as 2018, paving the way for a human mission that would leave Earth in 2024 and arrive on the Red Planet the following year. However, experts are skeptical of the feasibility. Reaching Mars — 225 million kilometers (140 million miles) from Earth on average — and living there would require major feats of engineering and a massive budget. “It’s unlikely that (Musk) will be able to get humans on Mars by 2025,” John Logsdon, former director of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University, said, noting that Musk has wrongly forecast the launch of SpaceX rockets in the past. SpaceX would have to team up with a state space agency to afford such a
Discovery India powerhouse holds out: Fastgrowing aviation powerhouse India is not ready to join the world’s first climate deal to curb pollution from commercial flights because it fears that talks beginning on Tuesday may not lead to a fair agreement, its civil aviation minister said. The proposed landmark deal, backed by the United States and China, aims to limit rising airline pollution to 2020 levels after it takes effect in 2021, but has been watered down by being made voluntary for the first five years. “(We’ll decide) once the nuts and bolts become clearer,” Ashok Gajapathi Raju
Europa considered by NASA as top candidate for life
New evidence of water plumes on Jupiter’s icy moon MIAMI, Sept 27, (AFP): More evidence of possible water plumes erupting from the surface of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa has been spotted using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, the US space agency said Monday. Europa, one of more than 50 moons circling the gas giant, is considered by NASA as a “top candidate” for life elsewhere in the solar system because it is believed to possess a massive, salty, subsurface ocean that is twice the size of Earth’s. The latest finding has given scientists fresh hope that a robotic spacecraft could one day fly past these potential plumes and learn about their contents without having to drill miles deep into the moon’s icy shell. “Today, we are presenting new Hubble evidence for water vapor
mission, he said. “Bottom line is the cost. You’re talking of tens of billions of dollars and SpaceX doesn’t have that type of money.” However, while Musk’s timeline is ambitious, “it’s exciting to have someone with the vision” and “we are all interested to see what he has in mind and whether he can make a compelling case,” Logsdon added. The US space agency NASA, which is also studying the effects of long-
told Reuters on the sidelines of an aviation forum. “Until then, our fears are that it is not equitable.” (RTRS) ❑ ❑ ❑
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plumes being expelled from the icy surface of Europa,” William Sparks, astronomer with the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore told reporters on a conference call. Using ultraviolet images taken by Hubble, a space telescope that was launched in 1990, the potential plumes are seen around the southern edge of Europa and appear as “dark fingers or patches of possible absorption,” Sparks said. They were spotted on three separate occasions over the course of 15 months in 2014 when scientists observed Europa passing in front of Jupiter. The potential plumes were only observed three out of 10 times when Europa passed by Jupiter, suggesting that the eruptions are intermittent, he said. They also appeared to emerge near the same places, most-
term space flight on the human body, has announced its own plans to send people to Mars by the 2030s. A research village could be built on the Moon to serve as a “stepping stone” to a Mars mission, European Space Agency chief Jan Woerner said at a news conference on Monday. “To go to Mars means also to use the resources over there and this can be also tested on (the) Moon,” he said. SpaceX has designed the powerful Falcon Heavy rocket, which could
Second ship of Franklin found: Canada confirmed on Monday it has found the wreck of HMS Terror, the second of two British ships lost in the disastrous Franklin Arctic voyage of 1845, and said the government will work closely with northern aboriginals on ownership of the artifacts. Parks Canada, a federal agency, said in a statement it will work on “joint ownership” of the wreckage from the journey through Canada’s Northwest Passage. Britain’s Guardian newspaper reported earlier this month that the Arctic Research Foundation, a private group participating in the search effort, had found the ship in pristine condition at the bottom of a bay. Sir John Franklin and his 128-mem-
ly along Europa’s southern edge, where a previous team of scientists in 2012 — using a different instrument aboard Hubble — detected evidence of water vapor reaching more than 100 miles (160 kms) into space. “If plumes exist this is an exciting finding because it potentially gives easier access to the ocean below,” said Sparks. However, he cautioned that more evidence is needed for scientists to be certain, whether by more Hubble observations, or by some independent observing technique. “I do want to stress that the observations are at the limit of what Hubble can do,” he added. “We do not claim to have proven the existence of plumes but rather to have contributed evidence that such activity may be present.”
send a manned Dragon spacecraft into space. The company plans to launch the 70-meter (230-foot) tall rocket, which has a liftoff thrust equivalent to 18 Boeing 747 jets, later this year. SpaceX was hit by a setback on September 1 when its smaller Falcon 9 rocket exploded on the launch pad during a test in Florida, destroying a satellite Facebook had planned to use to beam high-speed internet to Africa.
ber crew on the Terror and HMS Erebus all died after the vessels became stuck in ice during a search for the fabled Arctic passage between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. . (RTRS) ❑ ❑ ❑
Quakes shakes part of S. California: A series of minor earthquakes has rattled a rural area of Southern California near the US-Mexico border. No injuries or damage were reported Monday after more than 35 temblors struck in the morning in what seismologists call a “swarm” of quakes. The largest earthquake recorded by the US Geological Survey was magnitude 4.3 at 7:31 a.m. and was centered 35 miles (58 kilometers) northwest of El Centro. (AP)
France selects ‘Elle’ as its Foreign-language Oscar entry
Film
Scorsese’s ‘Silence’ officially enters Oscars race LOS ANGELES, Sept 27, (RTRS): It was hard for many to believe because there was no date, there was no poster, no trailer, but it’s true all the same: Martin Scorsese’s “Silence” is officially set for a 2016 release. An adaptation of the 1966 Shusaku Endo novel of the same name, “Silence” — which stars Andrew Garfield, Liam Neeson, Adam Driver and Ciaran Hinds — has been a passion project for Scorsese for the better part of three decades. On paper, it has all the hallmarks of a prestige awards contender, but “on paper” can steer you wrong. Look at any number of would-be Oscar dramas that went nowhere over the years. A source told me last month that the film was clocking in at 195 minutes at the time. Word is the studio was hoping Scorsese could cut it down, which is only natural: A 17th Century drama about Jesuit missionaries in Japan is a tough commercial sell as it is. But there could be other concerns as it pertains to the awards calendar, namely, getting screeners out to certain voting bodies in time and hitting arbitrarily early voting windows. Like with “The Wolf of Wall Street”, which was also delivered late in the game, it’s possible Paramount won’t have time to produce “Silence” screeners for the Screen Actors Guild’s nominating committee. Usually you need the film by mid-to-late October to pull that off. Otherwise, all the studio can do is hold screenings, probably the week of Nov 21, and hope it can penetrate. (Funny, that used to be easy enough.) If SAG does end up a loss, though — like we saw with “Wolf”, like we saw with “Django Unchained” — it won’t matter. Even with a voting deadline that leaves plenty of time (Dec 11), SAG nominations are hard to come by without screeners. I would chalk it up to members of the nominating committee being spread all over the country, but
there are plenty in New York and Los Angeles, so that just remains a fundamental quirk of SAG-AFTRA. Maybe they don’t like leaving the house. I don’t know. Also spread all over are members of the Broadcast Film Critics Assn., and with that group recently revealing plans to announce nominations on the obscenely early date of Dec 1 this year (full disclosure: I’m a member), it’s fair to assume many won’t see “Silence” in time to consider it. There will no doubt be a National Board of Review screening of the film in New York, however, in order for members to consider it for their Nov 29 announcement. (The NBR screening deadline is Nov 27 this year.) But if we’re being honest, the only relevance that group has been able to maintain over the years has been achieved by consistently leap-frogging other organizations in order to be first out of the gate with a rendered judgment on the year in film. And then there’s the intrigue of Paramount’s slate. Coming into the season the studio already has a strong contender in Stephen Frears’ “Florence Foster Jenkins.” Denis Villeneuve’s “Arrival” has turned into a critical darling on the festival circuit. Anyone who caught “The Magnificent Seven” in theaters this weekend saw the trailer for Denzel Washington’s “Fences”, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning August Wilson play and a film that could become Paramount’s big Oscar player. And amid the tabloid noise, Robert Zemeckis’ “Allied” could stand out as a satisfying movie-movie that registers as well.
Also: LOS ANGELES: Will Paul Verhoeven, director of “Total Recall” and “Basic Instinct”, be making a Hollywood comeback? A French selec-
tion committee has chosen Isabelle Huppert-starrer “Elle”, directed by Verhoeven, as France’s candidate in the foreign-language category of next year’s Academy Awards. The French-language debut of Verhoeven, “Elle” stars Huppert as the head of a top European video games company who is ruthless in business and in love. Brutally raped, she determines to track down the man who did it, as her life threatens to spiral out of control. “Elle” won out over three other French films on a shortlist comprising Francois Ozon’s black-and-white drama “Frantz”, which won German lead Paula Beer a best young performer award at Venice; Anne Fontaine’s 1945 Poland-set “The Innocents”, which screened at Sundance; and Daniele Thompson’s “Cezanne and I”, the tale of the onetime friendship between painter Paul Cezanne and author Emile Zola. Chaired by CNC National Cinema Center head Frederique Bredin, the selection committee was made up of Cannes Festival head Thierry Fremaux, actresses Sandrine Bonnaire and Lea Seydoux (“Spectre”), Unifrance president Jean-Paul Salome, French Academy president Alain Terzain, “The Intouchables” co-director Eric Toledano and French publisher Teresa Cremisi. A foreign-language Oscar nomination for “Elle” would feel like vindication for its makers after the film garnered some of the best reviews of any competition title at Cannes in May but went home nearly emptyhanded. The Variety review called the movie “a possible career high” for Verhoeven, describing the film as “knowingly incendiary but remarkably cool-headed, and built around yet another of Isabelle Huppert’s staggering psychological dissections.”
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
Features
Variety
Models wear creations for Piccione. Piccione women’s Spring-Summer 2017 collection, part of the Milan Fashion Week, unveiled in Milan, Italy on Sept 26. (AP) — See Page 21
Film Japan’s Hosoda hopes to surpass anime legend NEW YORK: Drake, the Toronto rapper whose latest album “Views” has topped this year’s charts, followed his success Monday with a film set to the music. Entitled “Please Forgive Me”, the 21-minute movie was shot in the South African township of Soweto and features tracks from “Views.” “Please Forgive Me” starts with a wealthy man offering Drake’s girlfriend, played by Belgian actress Fanny Neguesha, money for the chance to sleep with her. It turns into an action flick as she and Drake seize the money. The film also stars Jamaican dancehall artist Popcaan and Bob Nameng, whose nonprofit Soweto Kliptown Youth gives opportunities to street children through arts. “Please Forgive Me” was directed by Anthony Mandler, best known for filming videos by Rihanna. In 2013 he led a film of similar length by singer Lana Del Rey. Drake released “Please Forgive Me” exclusively on Apple Music, which has a longstanding partnership with Drake and has focused on original content to win subscribers. “Views” has been the topselling album released in 2016 in the United States. On Sunday it returned to number one on the Billboard chart, its 13th nonconsecutive week on top — the longest streak by an album in two years. (AFP) ❑ ❑ ❑ LOS ANGELES: Jodie Foster will be this year’s recipient of the Stanley Kubrick Britannia Award for Excellence in Film at the October ceremony, it was announced on Monday. “It seems fitting that in this 40th Anniversary year of both ‘Taxi Driver’ and ‘Bugsy Malone,’ we are honoring Jodie’s remarkable trail-blazing career at the Britannia Awards”, said Kieran Breen, chairman of BAFTA Los Angeles, in a statement. “It takes a rare and special talent to launch an international career with two amazingly different performances, and Jodie’s choices as an actor and director have continued to earn a deserved reputation as one of the most versatile professionals of our time.” Foster’s 50-year career started at age three as “The Coppertone Girl” in the television commercial,
Reality, quasi-magical realism in ‘Big’ By Jay Weissberg eha Erdem is one of the most distinctive directors R working today: no one else’s films look quite like his (thanks in part to his symbiotic partnership with DP Florent Herry), nor are anyone else’s movies populated with the kinds of people inhabiting his universe. Erdem conjures characters in broad strokes, exploring the feral nature that lies embedded inside children and young adults who’ve not yet learned how to encase themselves in the norms of “civilized behavior.” His ninth feature, “Big Big World”, is a counterpart to his beautiful penultimate film “Jin”, as both are largely set in an Edenic forest where animals act as silent spectators in a parallel, unbreachable domain. Unabashedly opaque in a very Erdem manner, the film took home the special jury prize in Venice’s Horizons competition and deserves robust festival and showcase play, though arthouse release is unlikely. There’s a strong “They Live by Night” streak in this story of a couple of orphans on the run from the law and society, just wanting to find a non-hostile environment. Ali (Berke Karaer) is recently out of an orphanage and working as a mechanic; he’s been trying to see the girl he believes is his sister, Zuhal (Ecem Uzun), but her new foster family won’t let him through the door. Then he hears that the creepy foster father is about to take Zuhal as his second wife, so in a remarkably unsensationalized scene, he storms in, stabs the family members, and flees with the girl. The violence is quick, brutal, and devoid of any “Bonnie and Clyde” aesthetics: Erdem isn’t looking to glamorize or sexualize Ali’s action but rather to show the extent to which a young man raised without kindness will go to protect the one person in this world who matters.
Classic The two escape on his motorbike in classic rebel fashion and head to the forest, where he constructs a makeshift dwelling deep in the woods. This becomes their Paradise, and Erdem and Herry showcase its sylvan glory with stunning awareness of every shade of green, each glimmer of sunlight and all the gradations of shadow. Yet this is an Eden after the fall: While animals such as tortoises, snails, frogs, cranes, and yes,
but it was her role as Iris “Easy” Steensma in “Taxi Driver” (1976) that gained her world-wide recognition. Her most prominent roles in film have landed her four Academy Award nominations and she won twice for lead actress for “The Accused” (1988) and “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991). Foster has also been a regular on a number of television series, including “Mayberry
snakes, are seen as benign cohabitants, their tranquility is undisturbed, whereas Ali and Zuhal discover they’re not alone. A mysterious unseen figure uses a mirror to flash light on Zuhal; an elderly woman with dementia appears crying for her father; a crazy man on a motorbike screams, “Mommy!” Don’t look for logical explanations: Erdem prefers to evoke worlds via an ineffably poetic blend of reality and quasi-magical realism, almost as if projections of anxiety become manifest in human form (however, no one will mistake his films for those of Apichatpong Weerasethakul). Here he separates the action into two realms: the forest and the nearby town, where Ali goes to earn some money and has his gullibility (not to mention teenage hormones) taken advantage of by a worldly fortune teller (Melisa Akman) in a fun fair. Meanwhile, Zuhal barely leaves the woods, becoming increasingly undomesticated as her pregnancy begins to manifest itself. Erdem’s affinity for young women released from the bonds of learned behavior — “My Only Sunshine” as well as “Jin” — allows him to construct memorable characters who have an air of burgeoning sexuality yet aren’t objectified in a creepy way. With “Big Big World” he’s found the right balance between male and female roles, and both actors deliver impressively modulated, unrestrained performances. Karaer, with his thin teenager moustache and expressive, determined eyes movingly conveys Ali’s fundamental need for a protective warmth that’s both given and received, while Uzun endows Zuhal with an instinctive lack of inhibition combined with the egocentricity of youth. The visceral genetics of the story, with its sensitivity to an almost Rousseau-like concept of freedom in a natural setting, is given emotional weight by Ali and Zuhal’s fundamental need for each other. All this is played out amidst the remarkable splendor of Herry’s talented lens, so attuned to contrasts between the literal cold light of day just after the stabbing, and the saturated richness of the forest. Sunlight makes Karaer’s skin glow with golden warmth, silvers the water around their shack, and creates pools of illumination juxtaposed with nighttime scenes in which the woods become havens of mystery. ❑ ❑ ❑
RFD”, “The Courtship of Eddie’s Father”, “My Three Sons” and “Paper Moon.” (RTRS) ❑ ❑ ❑
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LOS ANGELES: “Passengers”, Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt’s sci-fi romance, dominated social media buzz about movies last week, following its trailer launch, with more than 43,000 new
Mamoru Hosoda, one of Japan’s young anime directors hoping to lead the industry after the retirement of legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki, says he hopes to surpass his boyhood hero one day, but don’t look for Miyazaki in his movies. “That won’t happen. It is only right that different directors create totally different works”, Hosoda, 49, told Reuters TV ahead of the Tokyo International Film Festival next month where a retrospective of his work will be shown. “I think there are movies that only I can create and movies that only I know how to make people enjoy them”, he said. Hosoda’s rise to fame culminated with his 2015 box office hit “Boy and the Beast”, which grossed over 5.8 billion yen ($57 million) to become the second most watched movie in Japanese theatres that year.
Vibrant His movies are colourful and vibrant and appear to follow in Oscar-winning Miyazaki’s footsteps. However, Hosoda regularly chooses themes related to family and identity, which disappoint some fans who seek the more immersive fantasy provided by works out of Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli. “The Boy and the Beast” explores the relationship between a paternal beast-father figure and a run-away child. His previous film, “Wolf Children”, centred on a single mother raising children fathered by a werewolf. Hosoda said his deeper exploration of the meaning of self-identity in an extremely homogeneous nation are often lost on viewers. “I think there are possibly people in the audience here who were not able to understand that. And that, in a way, is representative of Japan today”, he said. Hosoda is hopeful for the future of Japan’s animation industry despite the fact that more and more animators rely on computer graphics to polish their work. “There are, or should be, multiple correct ways to express oneself in animation”, he said. “If you start saying that only Disney or Pixar animations are the right kind of animations, that just becomes very boring. If everything needs to have computer graphics then you lose a lot of the richness in expression available in animations”, he added. (Agencies)
conversation, according to mediameasurement firm ComScore. The “Passengers” teaser debuted on Sept 20, laying out the story’s premise — Lawrence and Pratt play the only two people awake on a 5,000-passenger spaceship, where the rest of the population is in suspended animation. “Passengers”, a co-production from Sony and Village Roadshow,
will hit North American theaters on Dec 21. “Jumanji” scored the the second-highest number of new conversations last week with more than 20,000, as Sony released set images and videos and announced several cast additions between Sep 20 and Sept 23. Star Kevin Hart also posted a first-look photo from the set. (RTRS)
ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
NEWS/FEATURES
20
People & Places Film Dench returns to monarch role
‘Train Man’ could win Roberts Oscar LOS ANGELES, Sept 27, (RTRS): Prior to making “Off The Rails”, Adam Irving’s previous foray into the world of documentary film-making had been a student short about competitive Ivy League university ballroom dancing. His first feature, however, posed much greater problems, not least because its subject, for most of the three years Irving spent making the film, was incarcerated. Telling the story of Darius McCollom, the film begins in a somewhat light-hearted manner, revealing its subject as a Robin Hood figure whose crimes, bizarrely, involve “hijacking” New York buses and subway trains — and simply driving them to schedule. The authorities, however, have yet to see the funny side, and although McCollum has been diagnosed with Asperger’s, the 51-year-old has spent almost half of his life in jail. Directed, produced, shot and edited by self-confessed “control freak” Irving, “Off The Rails” not only raises awareness of McCollom’s plight, it also paves the way for the inevitable studio version. Titled “Train Man” and directed by John Crowley (“Brooklyn”), it will tell the story from the Irving point of view of McCollum’s longtime lawyer Sally Butler, to be played by Julia Roberts. “I anticipate that it will have an effect”, says Irving. “At festival screenings I get asked a lot, ‘Adam, what are you doing to help Darius? Is there a website? Is there a foundation we can give to?’ It’s sort of beyond my powers and resources as a filmmaker, so I haven’t taken it upon myself to create some sort of movement. But I am very confident that when the Julia Roberts movie comes out next year — which will be a hundred times bigger in its scope and advertising budget than my film — that is going to have an impact”. Variety talked to Irving at London’s Raindance Festival Question: How did you get into filmmaking? Adam Irving: I had a moment when I was a teenager when I discovered the joy of cinema and decided I wanted to be a film scholar, a professor like my father, so I did a Master’s degree and a PhD. The idea was to teach film history — film theory, film criticism, that kind of thing — but I dropped out of my PhD programme, moved to LA and decided to make documentaries instead. Q: Why was that? Adam Irving: Because within cinema it’s the most academic, and it reminded me the most of the process of writing a book or a thesis. Because you do your research, you have your argument — or several arguments — but instead of using words you’re using images to make your point. Q: How did you first get involved with Darius McCollom? Adam Irving: I actually lived in New York for a couple of years and I’d never heard of him. It wasn’t until I moved to Los Angeles and decided to become a documentary filmmaker that I began looking for ideas. I came upon his Wikipedia page after reading a different page about people who were obsessed with trains, and it gave him as an example. So when I clicked on his article, I was hooked — the first line of his Wikipedia page reads like a logline for a movie. Q: How easy was it for you to get in touch with him? Adam Irving: He was incarcerated at the time, so it was not easy. I had never in my life known convicted criminals, so I had no idea how to write to, or visit or call someone who’s incarcerated. But what I did do is, I flew out to New York and met Jude Domski — she’s in the film — who wrote a play about Darius called “Boy Steals Train”, and she had a professional relationship with him. She told me how to get in touch with him, and so I exchanged over 100 letters and phone calls with Darius over the course of six months, building his trust and getting to know him before I visited him in jail, in person, about six months later. Q: How was he? Adam Irving: He was very co-operative. He loves attention, he loves his story being told. He wants fame and fortune — he’s not embarrassed to say that. Q: Did anything surprise you about Darius’s story? Adam Irving: Not a ton, because I did a lot of research and I read a lot about him, so there weren’t any parts of his life that were big surprises. It was more dealing with him as a human being. He was just shockingly normal. He does not come off as someone who has spent 20 years in maximum security prison, with all the abuse and loneliness and fear ... He just is always even-keeled and jolly, and it’s something I never got used to. Q: Why isn’t he worn down by it? A: Adam Irving: I think part of it is the Asperger’s, because it may well have worn him down, but either he’s not aware of it or he can’t express it, because he’s more logical and numerical than emotional. So it either gets buried or it’s there and he just doesn’t know how to express it. The other thing is, as Darius says, you can get used to anything. After 20 years of anything, if you’re fighting in wars in the military, eventually you get used to it — or go crazy. Q: Where is he now? Adam Irving: He is in New York, in jail, in Manhattan Detention Complex awaiting trial for a crime that he committed.
Also: LOS ANGELES: Michael Gambon, Olivia Williams and Simon Callow have joined the cast of Stephen Frears’ “Victoria and Abdul”, which has started filming in Britain. The period drama sees Judi Dench return to the role of British monarch Queen Victoria opposite Bollywood actor Ali Fazalas playing Abdul Karim. Dench first played the long-serving 19th-century queen on the big screen in 1997’s “Mrs Brown”. “Victoria and Abdul” tells the true story of the queen’s unexpected friendship, in the later years of her reign, with a young Indian clerk who had traveled to Britain to participate in the queen’s 1887 Golden Jubilee celebrations. Written by Lee Hall (“Billy Elliot”), the film is based on Shrabani Basu’s novel “Victoria and Abdul: The True Story of the Queen’s Closest Confidant”. Dench received the first of her seven Oscar nominations for “Mrs Brown”. (She won a supporting-actress Oscar the following year playing another queen, Elizabeth I, in “Shakespeare in Love”). “Victoria and Abdul” marks her third collaboration with Frears after “Mrs Henderson Presents …” and “Philomena”, both of which films earned Dench further Oscar nominations. Also joining the cast of “Victoria and Abdul” are Ruth McCabe, Julian Wadham and Fenella Woolgar. Eddie Izzard, Adeel Akhtar and Tim PiggottSmith had previously been announced.
In this April 20, 2016 file photo, Bruce Springsteen performs in concert with the E Street Band during their ‘The River Tour 2016’ at the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore. (AP)
Music Bowie’s art collection goes on view in NY
Springsteen’s life now an open book By Kiley Armstrong orn to Run’ (Simon & Schus‘B ter), by Bruce Springsteen Bruce Springsteen’s life is now of-
Actress Kristen Wiig arrives at the Premiere of Relativity Media’s ‘Masterminds’ at TCL Chinese Theatre on Sept 26, in Hollywood, California. (AFP)
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Variety LOS ANGELES: Herschell Gordon Lewis, the horror filmmaker known as the “godfather of gore”, died Monday at 87. The director of such films as “Blood Feast” and “Two Thousand Maniacs” died in his sleep at his home in Pompano Beach, Florida, his spokesman James Saito said. Lewis pioneered the horror genre in the 1960s known as the “splatter film”, which intentionally focused on gore and gruesomeness. His low-cost, envelope-pushing films unabashedly featured blood, violence and nudity. Other horror films created by Lewis included “A Taste of Blood”, “The Wizard of Gore”, “The Gruesome Twosome”, “She-Devils on Wheels” and “Scum of the Earth!” Lewis worked in advertising and financed most of his own films. John Waters, Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino and James Gunn are among the modern-day filmmakers who were inspired by Lewis’ work. (AP) ❑ ❑ ❑
ficially an open book. The autobiography “Born to Run” takes readers on a riveting ride through the everyman rock star’s deeply lived existence. Springsteen, who scrawled his story in longhand over seven years, begins with an exquisitely detailed child’seye view of his 1950s working-class neighborhood. He weaves an American Land tapestry populated with his colorful Irish-Italian family. Then come the musical musings: ■ Young Bruce, “on fire” after seeing Elvis on TV, quickly chafed at “stupendously boring” music lessons. “I still can’t read music to this day”. ■ Once, in his early band, the Castiles, “we were being spit on, literally, way before it was a punk badge of honor”. ■ Mature Bruce worked to capitalize on his strengths while compensating for imperfect vocal tone. ■ Among the bucket moments: realizing a “teenage daydream” while playing with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Springsteen’s California phase yielded picture-perfect landscape descriptions, though readers will spend more time hanging out in — no surprise — a different state. Gauzy, dreamlike photos inside the covers depict a vanished era in Asbury Park, New Jersey, the hugely symbolic seaside city of Springsteen’s formative musical years. In one, a Ferris wheel stands proud behind the historic Palace Amusements building. Readers may need to buckle up for parts of this 508-page spin. He contemplates some deeply personal topics as a way of providing context together. The celebrity couple says in a joint statement Monday they’ve “come to the conclusion that the best way forward for us
for his art.
Beloved Springsteen, 67 — who had an integrated band back when that wasn’t always popular — reveals what he wishes he’d said after the beloved Big Man was subjected to a sickening racial slur. He also shares the heart-wrenching hospital scene when Clarence Clemons drew his last breath. Then he candidly discusses his own harrowing health battles. After scary surgery, he defied doctors’ orders and crowd-surfed in Australia. Quitting his longtime antidepressants prompted crying jags: “‘Bambi’ tears ... ‘Old Yeller’ tears. ‘Fried Green Tomatoes’ tears ... ‘I can’t find my keys’” tears. He broke down at the beach and was comforted by “a kindly elderly woman walking her dog”. “It would’ve been funny, except it wasn’t”. His wife and new medication pulled him out of the mental abyss that his father had also known all too well. The salted wounds are soothed with sweetness: snapshots of his Growin’ Up family, and the one he created with the musician Patti Scialfa . With Scialfa’s guidance, he learned to reconnect amid the musician’s life: padding into the kitchen overnight to get milk for their littlest one, then tucking him in with a story; learning to make pancakes for their brood. Over time, he realized that “a song will always be there for me”. But “your children”, he says, “are here and gone”. ❑ ❑ ❑ Hundreds of pieces of art collected by late rock legend David Bowie went on display Monday in New York ahead of an auction, including works by modern greats Jean-Michel Basas a family is to separate as a couple”. Schreiber and Watts have been together since 2005. They have two children and are not
PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island: A music director at a Catholic church in Rhode Island says he has been fired because he married a man. Michael Templeton tells The Providence Journal he was fired last week from his post at the Church of St Mary in Providence. He says the Rev Francesco Francese and a representative of the Diocese of Providence told him he needed to leave because of his 2015 marriage to his partner of five years. Bishop Thomas Tobin says someone who holds a ministerial position in the church is expected to live in a way that’s consistent with church teachings and the church “had no choice but to respond”. The newspaper reported 30 members of the parish protested by singing over a prayer during Sunday’s service. (AP) ❑ ❑ ❑
LOS ANGELES: Liev Schreiber and Naomi Watts are separating after 11 years
In this Nov 11, 2010 file photo, Courtney Kemp, 27, holds her daughters Kaylee Kemp, 3 (left), and Madisson Kemp, 9 months, in Jonesville. Courtney’s husband Roy Wyatt Kemp, 27, died in the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion. The film, ‘Deepwater Horizon’ is stirring mixed emotions for family members of the 11 men who died in the blast. While their reactions to the movie vary, many relatives share a hope that the film will remind people about the disaster’s human toll. (AP)
quiat and Damien Hirst. Bowie, who died in January from an undisclosed battle with cancer, avidly followed the art world but was discreet about his buying. “His attitude to collecting represents his attitude on music-making — he’s not afraid to look at things outside the mainstream”, said Simon Hucker, senior specialist in modern and postwar British art at Sotheby’s which is running the auction. Bowie, already a musical icon, in the 1990s served on the editorial board of the magazine Modern Painters where he would occasionally write articles. “He would interview artists that he thought were good, but on the whole he was very private about his art collecting”, Hucker said. “Whilst he used to go to auctions in the 1990s, later on he wouldn’t go. He would buy a little more quietly, more remotely”, he said. The core of Bowie’s collection was 20th-century British painting but he also took an interest in contemporary African works and so-called outsider art, created by the mentally ill and other people outside traditionally defined art circles. The piece in the auction that is expected to earn the most, at $3.3-$4.6 million, is “Air Power” by Basquiat, a graffiti-inspired canvas with abstract skeletal figures. Basquiat had just started to gain international fame when he died in 1988 at age 27 from an overdose. Bowie bought “Air Power” and another Basquiat painting shortly before the 1996 biopic “Basquiat”, in which the rocker played his early idol Andy Warhol. Another work in the auction is a 1995 collaboration with Hirst, a circular kaleidescope with a burst of green and a pink center that resembles an orbit. married. They added in the statement “it is with great love, respect and friendship in our hearts that we look forward to raising our children together and exploring this new phase of our relationship”. No other details were provided. Schreiber stars in the Showtime series “Ray Donovan” and his film credits include “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”, “Salt” and “Scream”. (AP) ❑ ❑ ❑
NEW YORK: Brothers and fellow filmmakers Ken and Ric Burns have received an honorary prize from the New York Historical Society. The Burns siblings, whose many credits together and separately include documentaries on the Pilgrims, baseball and New York, were presented with the society’s History Makers Award at a gala benefit Monday night in Manhattan. Society executive committee chair Roger Hertog praised the filmmakers as “candle lighters” and “whistle blowers” who showed how understanding history was vital to the present. Trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, a featured commentator for Ken Burns’ “Jazz”, performed a brief duet with pianist Dan Nimmer. The Burns brothers, speaking together on stage, exchanged compliments and family memories. Ken Burns spoke of their mother dying of cancer when they were kids and how that loss has stayed with him through his long career, making his pursuit of the past deeply personal. (AP)
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PARIS: Paris Fashion Week displayed colourful and tropicalinspired creations from Paule Ka and layered printed and patterned looks by Dutch designer Liselore Frowijn as it opened on Tuesday. Several designers will make their debuts for some of the world’s top luxury labels in Paris, which is the final leg of the womenswear spring/ summer 2017 catwalk calendar after fashion weeks in New York, London and Milan. Fashionistas are eagerly awaiting the debut of new Christian Dior artistic director Maria Grazia Chiuri, who joined from Italian fashion house Valentino and presents her first line for the French brand on Friday. Chiuri is the first woman to hold the position of artistic director for women’s haute couture, readyto-wear and accessories in Dior’s 70-year history and follows in the footsteps of designers like John Galliano and Raf Simons. Her longtime design partner Pierpaolo Piccioli will debut as sole creative director at Valentino on Sunday. Among those also showing on Tuesday are Saint Laurent, where Belgian designer Anthony Vaccarello presents his first collection as creative director after replacing Hedi Slimane, who successfully introduced rock chic looks for the brand. Vaccarello, known for asymmetric designs, was previously creative director at Italian fashion house Versace’s Versus Versace label. He also has his own fashion brand. On Wednesday, fashion house Lanvin will unveil the first womenswear collection of designer Bouchra Jarrar, who took the helm after the departure of Alber Elbaz last year. Jarrar, who has her own brand and joined the prestigious haute couture club of designers in 2013, has previously worked at Balenciaga and Christian Lacroix. The shows in the French capital, also home to renowned fashion houses like Chanel and Louis Vuitton, run to Oct 5. (RTRS) Paskal ❑ ❑ ❑ MILAN: Milan Fashion Week made way for young talent on the last day of preview shows for next spring and summer Monday. After Giorgio Armani ceded his usual spot anchoring the last day of fashion week this round, the Milan fashion chamber officials put the spotlight on the next generation of designers. The looks on display ex-
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PARIS: Models (below) display outfits by Paskal, Liselore Frowijn and Paule Ka during Paris Fashion Week on Sept 27. (AFP)
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uded youth and adventure, color and sartorial flair. Highlights include shows by Mila Schoen, San Andres and Piccione Piccione: The Mila Schoen woman for next season is a bourgeois adventurer who moves in harmony with her own in-
Frowijn Liselore years ago, incorporated outdoor wear details into his metropolitan collecner music, literally. tion. He also added a “surreal” touch Designer Alessandro De Benedby putting little bells on the bracelets etti, who joined the label a couple of
turous side, he has created a silken jumpsuit with detachable galoshes. Once removed, the silken shorts can be cuffed for a sexy look. A mariachi band serenaded the fashion crowd during the runway presentation of the San Andres Milan brand’s romantic ode to love, and the brand creator’s na- tive Mexico. Designer Andres Caballero, who grew up in Mexico City with a love of Italy, relocated to Milan to study in 2001 and established his collection in 2011. This marked his fourth Paskal Milan runway show. “It was two dreams come true, to live in Milan and to live in the fashion world,” Paskal the 35-year-old said backstage. Thirty-year-old Sicilian designer Salvatore Piccione said his collection intends to explore the fragility of the transition from adolescence to adulthood. The pretty looks had marine life motifs, such as shell prints, fringe made of pearls and fishnet stockings. Riccione said the digital prints of the Paule Ka underwater world on chiffon or satin silk fabrics was meant to underline or on chains hanging from coats. “the theme of change, evolution, “I thought it was nice to have a growth towards the adult world.” super-chic woman, who is a little ecModels wore golden stilettos with centric, because having eccentricities shorter looks and flat slippers with is chic. So she does extreme sports longer, billowing ones. They stopped and then, with her bracelet, she induring the finale to salute the crowd tones her own interior music. It’s all on both sides of the runway, giving very visionary,” he said backstage. everyone in the audience a good De Benedetti has reinterpreted look. (AP) Mila Schoen’s taste for clothing that serves a double purpose in several ways. There is the practicality of the reversible parka. And on the adven-
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Conflict Thousands learning to live with disabilities
Gaza’s war-wounded battle to forge new lives materials have entered Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel, according to COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry unit that oversees it. COGAT says it has made an effort to improve health assistance for Gazans, though UN officials and others have called for a complete lifting of the blockade. Israeli authorities hand out limited numbers of permits to Gazans to leave the territory. Every day hundreds of Gazans enter Israel — 22,635 in 2016 including those accompanying them — for treatment there or for care in the West Bank or abroad, COGAT says.
GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories, Sept 27, (AFP): Every time he hears a loud noise, Imed al-Firi hides his healthy leg under a cushion — a reflex he developed after the summer of 2014, when Israeli tank fire struck his Gaza home and robbed him of his right leg. He is among thousands of Gazans learning to live with disabilities or missing limbs after three wars between Palestinian militants in the territory and Israel since 2008. Beyond limited medical care in Gaza, they also face a lack of facilities for the disabled in the Palestinian enclave run by Islamist movement Hamas which has been under an Israeli blockade for nearly a decade. More than 75,000 Gazans suffer from some form of disability, a third of them linked to conflict in the territory of 1.9 million people, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross. The 2014 war alone, the deadliest of the three conflicts, wounded 11,000 people. Firi, 50, often sees Mohannad Aid, 20, at Gaza’s clinic for polio and prosthetic limbs. Aid and Firi have at least two things in common — both are missing a leg and are unemployed, like nearly half of Gaza’s population.
Refused
Rocket Aid lost his leg from rocket fire while returning home from a mosque in 2014. Prosthetic He has since become better at managing his prosthetic leg — two metal rods connected by a joint at knee level, with a red-and-black tennis shoe at the bottom. His physiotherapist Ahmed Abu Shaaban says he has made impressive progress, but everyday life remains a challenge for him in Gaza. “Some streets are not paved and are only dirt, others are pot-holed and rutted,” said Abu Shaaban. “Construction is chaotic.” Firi says little is done to ease conditions for the disabled despite Gaza’s legion of war wounded. He has started an organisation for people
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A Palestinian woman supports her child as she tries to stand in prosthetic legs at Gaza’s Artificial Limbs and Polio Center (ALPC) in Gaza City on Aug 24, 2016. (AFP)
in his situation and has organised protests to demand improvements. When met by AFP, he had a letter in his pocket for the mayor of Gaza City demanding paving of a road. He wants to send another one calling for beach access for the disabled. “Everyone has the right to go to the beach, but we are not good enough for that?” Firi
complained. Access to medical supplies is another source of frustration. The only factory to build prosthetic limbs in the Gaza Strip faces limited capacity, factory head Nabil Farah said, as workers surrounding him moulded and carved plastic arms and legs. “It is hard to bring raw materials into
Gaza, especially chemical products needed for production,” he said. Israel strictly controls goods entering the Gaza Strip to keep out items that could be employed to build weapons or tunnels, which have been used to carry out attacks. At the same time, Gaza’s border with Egypt remains largely closed. So far this year, 4,562 tonnes of medical
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However, in July one out of three were refused or did not receive a response to their request to leave Gaza to visit a hospital, according to the World Health Organization. The total number of those who made a request was 2,040. Those who were refused or did not receive a response included 146 children, the WHO said. Orthopaedics is among the medical specialities most in demand in Gaza, along with oncology, paediatrics, haematology and ophthalmology, the WHO says. “More than 2,300 Gazans need a prosthetic,” Farah said, while his factory supplies between 12 and 18 people a month with assistance from the Red Cross. Psychological counselling is also required to help them adjust, said Mamadou Sow, head of the ICRC’s Gaza branch. Such counselling is not only to help people learn to live without a limb, but also to assist their social integration, he said. There is also a need to push for access for the disabled in public spaces and convince “authorities and the population at large that the disabled can do great things if we give them the opportunity,” said Sow. Firi says he has “gained confidence in himself” and learnt that he can help others, particularly through organising them. “We are an engine for society, not a handicap,” he said. effective way to save lives by detecting breast cancer at early stage. For more information visit: http://fightingwithcancer.webs.com/
Latest Share your story with Amricani: Do you Continued on Page 23
ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
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click Latest Continued from Page 22 or any of your family members, acquaintances or friends happen to have a story with the American Missionary hospital in Kuwait (Mustashfa Lemraicani) during the years from 1914-1967, the official period of offering medical services in Kuwait? Please share with us your story or your memory during those old days by writing the event and sending it to the following email address:
[email protected] Notes: 1. Please send your story only to the above mentioned email. Story shared in Instagram, Facebook or Twitter will not be considered. 2. Please write your story or memory and sign it with your full name, and your contact number.
3. It will be great if you send us your personal photos or those of the place related to the story (optional). Your story will be part of a new book to be published by DAI. I am confident that your contributions will be an essential part of the history of Amricani. Share with us! Sept 29
Steci Golden Jubilee: The Golden Jubilee closing ceremony of St Thomas Evangelical Church of India Kuwait Parish (established in 1965), is being held at NECK Church and Parish Hall at 7.00 pm on Thursday, Sept 29, 2016. Bishop Rt Rev Dr Thomas Abraham (chairman Prathinidhi Sabha) will inaugurate the public meeting, which will be chaired by Rev Saji Abraham (Vicar, Kuwait Parish). The first resident vicar, Rev P.M. Joseph (chief guest), along with the presbyters, diplomats and other dignitaries, leaders and pastors from various congregations are expected to grace this blessed function. On this occasion the Golden Jubilee
souvenir will be released by Bishop Rt Rev Dr. Thomas Abraham. The year 2015-2016 will be written in golden letters in the history of St Thomas Evangelical Church of India — Kuwait Parish, as it celebrates its 50th year with wide range of programs conducted by the Sunday School, Youth Union, Women’s Fellowship and Choir. Presiding Bishop Most. Rev Dr C.V. Mathew had inaugurated the year long Golden Jubilee celebrations on Sept 25, 2015 in a solemn yet blessed function organized at NECK Church and Parish Hall which was well attended by hundreds of devoted members of the parish. The Golden Jubilee inauguration reiterated its mission by declaring open many projects to serve the community. The projects not only provided financial and medical aid for the needy, but also extended to construction of churches, parsonage and houses, providing vehicles for missionaries, providing aid to missionary children in terms of educational and marital support along with partaking in church’s various projects. Under the leadership of the project
convener, George Varughese, most of the projects have reached its conclusion stage and the report of the same will be presented during the closing ceremony. The arrangements of the closing ceremony are progressing with various sub-committees, under the able leadership of Vicar Rev Saji Abraham, Boney K. Abraham (secretary) and George Cherian (program convener). Oct 1
Speechcraft by TMI: Speechcraft is a course from Toastmasters International (TMI), USA. TMI is a non-profit organization since 1924. It has more than 345,000 members in 142 countries. TMI, over the period of 90 years, has helped millions of people achieve their goals and become successful. To be successful and good leaders, one must be confident and the best tool for confidence is communication. Speechcraft is a short practical course in public speaking for the novice speaker, with the help of one-to-one mentor, you will learn to communicate effectively. It will also help you
learn how to speak off the cuff (this helps in interviews), give positive feedback (this helps in motivating the fellow team members). By doing all this they find their path to leadership and success. Every venture need right mentors. Without mentors it is not possible to achieve the goal. The mentors for this Speechcraft course are senior, qualified and expert speakers, they have immense experience in the field of public speaking. They are working at a senior level in their respective organizations. With the proper guidance from the expert mentors, this course will help you to: ■ Gain confidence in public speaking ■ Develop your communication and language skills ■ Learn to think quickly and clearly ■ Become an effective listener ■ Use body language and visual aids ■ Advance your social skills ■ Improve your job or promotion prospects Limited seats, course commences on Oct
Continued on Page 22
ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
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Dar Al Athar DAI opens 22nd season with Dr Ziad Rajab lecture
Tareq Rajab: a pioneer with paint and palette By Cinatra Fernandes Arab Times Staff
KUWAIT CITY, Sept 27: Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah (DAI) opened its 22nd Annual Cultural Season with a lecture by Dr Ziad Rajab on his late father Tareq Sayid Rajab titled “Pioneer with Paint and Palette: Life of Tareq Rajab” at the Yarmouk Cultural Centre, Monday evening. Bader Al Baijan, President of Friends of DAI Steering Committee, stated, “As has been our custom in the last few seasons, the DAI is pleased to begin our lecture series with a Tareq Rajab lecture. However this year, we begin on a sad note for Tareq Sayid Rajab whom this lecture is dedicated, passed away in June this year.” He continued to describe Tareq Rajab as a renaissance man — artist, archaeologist, educator, photographer, author, designer and builder who together with his wife Jehan, established the New English School in 1969 followed by the Tareq Rajab museum in 1980 and more recently in 2007, the Tareq Rajab Museum of Islamic calligraphy. Dr Ziad Rajab is the director of the New English School and a Tareq Rajab Museum board member. In addition to being a human resource specialist, he is involved in the arts and has non-professional certifications in book-binding, illumination, portraiture, oil painting and pottery as well as being an accomplished flautist. In speaking on the life of his father, he elaborated on his background and the factors in life that created the man he was — intelligent, hardworking, passionate and obsessive about achieving things. Tareq Rajab was born in 1934 in his father’s house near souk Mubarakiya which was located between Sharq and Qibla. He lived next door to his grandfather who was the first Principal of the first formal school of Kuwait, the Mubarakiya school, founded in 1911. The passing of his father when he was around 5-6 years old, greatly impacted Tareq and he was brought up under the watchful eye of his mother and his grandfather. His older brother Farhan was also a strong father figure in his early life. Tareq Rajab was afflicted with health issues that meant a lot of time spent at hospitals and indoors for him. Apart from his natural inclination towards books, being restricted indoors for long spells was also an important factor in exposing him to books which helped develop his personality. He was schooled at the Mubarakiya school and he spent a lot of time in the library there where he acquired an interest in history and geography through the writings of early Arab travellers. He also frequented a bookshop owned by Muhamed alRuwaiyeh who became fond of him as it was rare for young boys to come in to the store to borrow books.
Dr Ziad Rajab delivers a lecture on his father Tareq Sayid Rajab
A section of audience
Education Dr Ziad Rajab shared that his father, all through his education and all through his career, had always had mentors. It was one such mentor who on discovering his love for old books and manuscripts encouraged him to travel to Baghdad to buy some and bring them back to Kuwait. He was given Rs 100 provided with documentary evidence that he was over 18 years old. He set off to Basra with a taxi service and then took the train to Baghdad, amazed by greenery and rivers that were unlike the scenery of Kuwait back then. He managed to go to stores and bought books. He took the boat from southern Iraq back to Kuwait. It was this journey which Tareq described as ‘the great adventure of his life’ that was the birth of his collecting. In 1952, while he was in the final year of his secondary school in Mubarakiya, teachers were the new mentors and influencers in his life who supported and steered him in the direction that his life took. At the encouragement of his teachers, he submitted some of his paintings to an interschool art competition and won the first prize. The first prize was a scholarship to study art which made him the first ever Kuwaiti to travel to the West to do so. In July 11, 1953, he landed in London and then proceeded to Brazier’s Park where he spent six months perfecting his English. He had a natural affinity and attraction to British culture and was very enthusiastic about learning and being there. He then went to Eastbourne College to study art and was taken under the wing of a well known British artist, lithographer and printmaker Edward Taverner, who not only passed along those techniques and skills but opened Tareq’s eyes to Islamic art. It was also at Eastbourne that he met his wife Jehan and began a lifelong partnership in 1955.
Dr Ziad Rajab
A photo from the event
Diary On account of his arthritic ailment, there were periods of his life where he could not walk. Dr Ziad read out extracts from his father’s diary at a time when he was in hospital, that shed light on his resilience and positive outlook on life. After coming back to Kuwait, Tareq Rajab first started teaching art at one of the new model schools before being appointed to the Department of Antiquities where he quickly became the Director of Antiquities and Museums. He established the first National Museum in Kuwait and the Arabian Gulf region at the Palace of Sheikh Abdullah AlJabir Al-Sabah and later worked alongside the Danish expedition in Failaka and was heavily involved in the excavations. Dr Ziad elaborated on Tareq’s work on the Failaka Archaeological Museum, built on a limited budget and with his very own hands as well as the establishment of the Ethnographical Museum of Failaka.
click
Photos from the event
Tareq Rajab remained Director of Antiquities and Museums until 1967 and then moved on to personal projects, starting the New English School to give Kuwaiti students access to British education. The school opened with seven students and nine teachers but quickly expanded. Tareq and his wife Jehan were avid travellers and had picked up a horde of artefacts during the course of their travels. They also employed other methods of collecting through auctions and dealers. He established the Tareq Rajab Museum in 1980 that displayed
Oct 2
Gandhi Jayanti celebrations: Gandhi
Latest Continued from Page 23 1, 2016. For more information on this course, kindly contact Yusuf – 99806246, Anil – 99283020 or Xavier – 99850173
Jayanti will be celebrated in Embassy premises from 0900-1000 hours on Sunday, Oct 2, 2016. All Indian nationals are invited to attend. Oct 6
IOC to conduct Arts Fest: Indian Overseas Congress (IOC) conducts its 10th Arts FestivalIOC-FEST-2016 for the Indian Community in
manuscripts and metalwork and which later expanded to have a collection of jewellery, textiles, costumes. Dr Ziad Rajab concluded his lecture by revealing that his father’s greatest talent was his art. “He was a very good painter. Rajab used to spend a lot of his time in the 60s and 70s painting”, he commented while sharing images of his lithographs and paintings. Tareq Rajab was also a passionate photography and took thousands of photographs of old Kuwait and an amazing photos documenting his pilgrimage of Makkah.
The DAI’s 22nd cultural season will run through May 2017 and will include lectures, concerts, educational opportunities, workshops, cultural excursions, film screenings, theatrical productions, and other special events. The lecture series will feature top scholars and intellectuals from around the world and the DAI music circle will continue to present a blend of musicians from all over the Arab region that perform local and traditional folklore music along with international performances. For more information, visit darmuseum.org.kw
Kuwait on Oct 6 and 7, 2016 at United Indian School, Abbasiya. Various competitions will be held in two days with participation from children from all parts of Kuwait. The competitions will start with the classical dance followed by folk dance, mono act, mimicry, poster poetry and patriotic song on the first day, ie. Thursday, 6th. The day long programmes will be continued on the second day (Friday, Oct 7) also with drawing/ painting, elocution, poetry recitation, solo
witness the children’s programme and request co-operation from everybody as received in the yesteryears. The special memorial Award established in the name of Late Pala K.M. Mathew, “Kalasurya” and “Kalamayukha” will given to those who secure top in the individual items complying the requirements set for the award separately for boys and girls sections. Varous IOC committees are working for the successful
Bader Al Baijan, President, Friends of DAI Steering Committee singing, essay writing and conclude with group dance in the evening. The competions will be conducted for different age groups on two different stages. We welcome all our dear ones to
Continued on Page 25
ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
25
After the path of destiny with few flicks of tweezers
Reshaping the future? Hong Kong’s face readers HONG KONG, Sept 27, (AFP): Want to improve your performance at work, or solve relationship problems? Li Chau-jing has the solution — plucking your eyebrows to help achieve those life goals. A trained face reader, Li has taken the ancient Chinese tradition one step further, making slight changes to her client’s brows to bring them better luck. Stalls practising the face-reading discipline, which dates back more than 2,000 years, are still found in market streets and near temples in modern-day Hong Kong. Practitioners believe they can determine a client’s fate by interpreting their features — a strong brow translates to the person’s ability to plan ahead, high cheekbones can point to power. The face can be read like a book, they say, a showcase of a person’s wealth, health and family. But Li claims she can help alter the path of destiny with a few flicks of her tweezers. “It’s an instant change and you can change it for everyone,” she told AFP, describing her clientele as ranging from just a few years old to in their 70s. “I can help a person in the shortest amount
of time, by bringing them energy and happiness and the goal they want to reach,” Li said. Wearing a long white dress with a ruffled high collar and purple polka-dots, the former make-up artist says she has studied the art of face reading with a mentor.
Emotional She has been running her shop in the working class neighbourhood of Sham Shui Po for six years and its walls are covered with photos of her clients’ eyes and brows. Women tend to come to her to solve emotional or relationship problems, men for better luck at work, she says. Li, who refused to give her age but said she has worked for 43 years, believes straight brows will bring more luck and happiness than curved. “If the brows are very straight, then those people will not have to suffer through many hardships,” she says. Customer Edward Lam, a 35-year-year old technician for a television station, said he felt more energetic after having his brows modified. “The biggest goal I have for fixing my eyebrows is to find jobs and to have better
networking, and that my career will improve,” Lam told AFP. “I believe that the impression I gave was better,” he said of job interviews since having his brows worked on by Li. Traditional Hong Kong face reader Chow Hon-ming says the art is a scientific discipline that ties in with some of the tenets of traditional Chinese medicine. Face reading has been practised in China for thousands of years but became a popular practise in the 10th century because the social upheaval in the dying days of the Tang Dynasty prompted many to worry more about their fate, Chow said. “There are turning points in a person’s life, and when you can’t make a decision at those points, you might want to seek a (face reading) master,” Chow said. A face reader starts with the left ear, which tells the story of the first seven years of a person’s life. The right ear reflects the next seven years, followed by the nose, eyes and chin, which are used to predict later life. Different parts of the face also represent different topics. A jutting chin and a squarish jaw mean a person will have power as they get older,
(actor) Jackie Chan’s nose, it is very big,” says Chow, who also predicted Hillary Clinton to win the US presidential election as her chin is “stronger” than rival Donald Trump’s. Chow said tweaking features like eyebrows could give fortunes a short-term boost — but warned against making drastic changes, describing plastic surgery as potentially doing more harm than good.
Approach
In this July 22, 2016 photo, Daisy Tse has her eyebrows plucked by trained face reader Li Chau-jing (left), who makes slight changes to her client’s brows to bring them better luck, at Li’s shop in Hong Kong. (AFP)
while large exposed nostrils mean they are bad at saving money. “The nose represents wealth, just look at
While some may prefer eyebrow-plucking Li’s proactive approach, others are happy to stick to tradition. Dozens of packed stalls next to Hong Kong’s popular Wong Tai Sin Temple offer face reading to thousands of worshippers and tourists visiting the religious hot-spot. Chinese tourist Fu Xiaohong, 26, says she came here to have her face read in order to deal with a personal matter. “I have some longing in my heart,” she said near one stall where diagrams of faces and palms were displayed. Fu said she felt more confident after her session, but that she also took the advice she was given with a grain of salt. “I don’t fully believe in it — I just came to try it out.”
Destinations
Above: This June 1, 2016 photo shows visitors taking selfies with llamas along a terrace in Machu Picchu, Peru. Below: This May 28, 2016 photo shows hikers walking toward Humantay Mountain on the Salkantay Trail. (AP)
This May 31, 2016 photo shows a panorama of Machu Picchu, built by the Incas in the mid-15th century nearly 8,000 feet (2,400 meters) up on a skinny ridge between precipices where the Andes meet the Amazon basin in Peru. (AP)
Hiking to Machu Picchu past sacred Inca peaks in Andes click Latest
Incas’ ‘lost city’ an iconic destination
Continued from Page 24 conducting of the Programme. Participants can use any of the following contacts for registration. Fax No: 24331461; Email: iocfest2016@ gmail.com. Filled entry forms will be collected at Sakina Bookshop, Abbassiya. For group items, the group leader only need to send the entry form. Last date for entry: Sept 30, 2016. For any further details, please contact Tel Nos 69950131, 99827113, 97133930, 97139119. Oct 13
YMCA Onasangamam: YMCA Kuwait is conducting Onasangamam on Thursday, Oct 13, 2016 from 07.00 pm onwards at Indian Community Senior School Auditorium, Salmiya. Various programs are planned on this occasion — ganamela, thiruvathirakali, vallamkali, solos, dance etc.... We invite of you to attend the meeting. For more information please contact Joseph M.A. Convener (Mob # 66843917) Oct 14
‘Puraskara Sandhya’: K.T. Muhammed Padanavedi-Kuwait, the non-religious social gathering of some of the art, literature and drama lovers in Kuwait; who are highly influenced by the dramas of K.T. Muhammed, veteran play and screen writer of Malayalam drama. Our ultimate aim is to explore the influences provided by the dramas on its golden era to the old society. Also we are trying to encourage the Kuwait society’s eminent personalities who are part of Kuwait’s art, drama, media, music, social and cultural fields. We are conducting an honorary function in which we honor eminent personalities from art, drama, media, music, social and cultural fields for their contributions to Kuwait’s society. Also we are planning musical entertainment with ever hit songs. The function will be scheduled on Friday, 14th October 2016 at United Indian School Auditorium, Abbasiya from 6.00 pm onwards.
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By Giovanna Dell’Orto
O
ur hiking group had reached the highest point of our trek through the Andes to Machu Picchu. Now our guide was leading us in a Quechua ritual. We took turns placing stones in an “apacheta” pyramid over herbs and bits of chocolate bars, offering them to Apu Salkantay, the spirit of the mountain sacred to the Incas. Its ice-covered peak shone above us, spotlit by the sun. Three days earlier in Cuzco, the region’s gateway city, I had watched hundreds of people carry glittering statues of Catholic saints in procession around the main plaza, past rippling Baroque churches and whitewashed houses with carved wooden balconies. In another three days, I would see the dawn’s first sunray fill a stone window in the 550-year-old Temple of the Sun at Machu Picchu. The Incas’ “lost city” is one of the world’s iconic destinations, with over 1.2 million visitors in 2015. But to absorb the mesmerizing historical and spiritual significance of this region, I first explored Cuzco’s fusion of native traditions and colonial heritage, and then trekked with locals through the steep 15,000-foot (4,500-meter) mountains surrounding it.
Toward the Sun
Marriott redesigning hotel rooms NEW YORK, Sept 27, (AP): The desk is back. Marriott is redesigning its hotel rooms, and desks with chairs are once again a standard feature. Desks had started to disappear from hotel rooms partly due to a perception that they were unnecessary in the era of laptops and cellphones, and that younger travelers weren’t using them. Rooms without desks also seemed to fit into a larger trend in the hotel industry toward minimalist decor. But travelers began complaining. “What happened to the desk in my hotel room?” Yahoo Sports columnist Dan Wetzel tweeted and blogged in December 2015, subtitling his post, “A Call to Arms for my fellow desk-loving Marriott patrons.” Other travelers shared similar stories, with one tweeting back that when he complained to the hotel about a deskless room, “They encouraged me to ‘work in the lobby.’” The desks in what Marriott is calling its “modern guest rooms” are on wheels so you
World’s Navel Cuzco was built on an 11,150-feet (3,400-meter) Andean plateau. By the mid-15th century, it became the umbilical center of the Incas’ continent-spanning empire. The perfectly-fitted, massive mortar-free walls of their palaces and temples still line many of the narrow streets, though most buildings were rebuilt after the violent conflicts during the Spanish conquest a century later. The rounded boulders of the Incas’ central sanctuary, Qoricancha, became the foundation of Santo Domingo, whose convent courtyard encloses the temple’s tapered niches. European and indigenous imagery mixes in Cuzco’s celebrated paintings, most conspicuously in an 18th century “Last Supper” canvas in the cathedral that features a paws-up, roasted Andean rodent as the meal’s entree. I preferred seafood ceviche at Limo restaurant or local charcuterie at Museo del Pisco, paired with potent pisco sours. But I did try cuy (guinea pig) in chiriuchu, a dish including fish eggs, corn fritters, seaweed, sausage, dried meat, cheese, chicken and singeing rocoto pepper prepared
sickness.
Desk is back
can move them around the room to work where you want. In addition to other workspaces in the rooms, the redesign also includes hardwood flooring, benches to place your luggage on, locally inspired decor and various check-in options such as using your cellphone as a key to unlock the door. Tubs are disappearing, too. Bathrooms will have only walk-in showers with handheld sprayers in roughly 75 percent of the new hotel rooms, except for hotels in leisure/ family markets. In addition, Marriott is partnering with TED to bring speakers into certain hotels for evening events open to guests and the public. The redesign has been completed in more than 10,000 rooms at 25 hotels, including Marriotts in Charlotte, North Carolina, and in Brooklyn, New York, and another 25 hotels are scheduled to have renovations completed by the end of the year. A total of 108 hotels are in the pipeline.
stice celebration in late June, are Cuzco’s wildest mingling of piety and partying. They fall at the start of prime hiking season (May-October).
Above the Clouds
This undated image provided by Marriott shows one of the hotel company’s redesigned ‘modern guest rooms’. (AP)
for the Corpus Christi celebration, held 60 days after Easter. That holiday and Inti Raymi, the winter sol-
From my glass-covered igloo, the swirls of stars framing Salkantay were breathtaking, even more so than hiking to this camp at 12,631 feet (3,850 meters) on the Salkantay trail, which follows ancient routes and is considered the best alternative to the often sold-out Inca Trail. For four days, we hiked past glaciers and through cloud forests to Machu Picchu. Our guides, Kenneth Leon and Irvin Llacta from Salkantay Trekking, showed our group of nine from four countries turquoise mountain lakes, tiny mud-brick villages, and centuries-old Inca channels. They also grounded us in local life, explaining Quechua traditions like medicinal uses of plants they picked by the trail, where we also found mouthwatering avocados and granadillas (a type of passion fruit). Their team of cooks and horsemen prepared eight-course meals and afternoon teas of mate de coca, which alleviates altitude
From the village of Aguas Calientes, I looked across the river straight up vertical peaks and cheated, taking the shuttle instead of 1,500-plus steps to Machu Picchu. In the mid-15th century, the Incas built this improbable citadel nearly 8,000 feet (2,400 meters) up on a skinny ridge between precipices where the Andes meet the Amazon basin, and abandoned it a hundred years later. It lay covered by the rain forest until the 1910s, when Yale historian Hiram Bingham brought it global renown. (Many artifacts he took were recently returned to Cuzco, at Museo Machu Picchu Casa Concha.) For two days, I wandered the main site along steep staircases, climbed the “you-slip-you-die” path to the ruins on Huayna Picchu, the peak overlooking the citadel, and walked the Inca Trail to the Intipunku viewpoint. The nearly 200 gray houses, temples and agricultural buildings are haunting, but the practical and cosmological engineering is mind-blowing. From every perspective, the view defies logic: Terraces clinging to sheer, 1,640-feet (500-meter) drop-offs hold up colossally heavy granite palaces and sanctuaries. Carved stones, foundations and windows precisely trace the sun’s travels and line with sacred peaks like Salkantay. Late on my last afternoon, a white llama grazing inches from my feet woke me from a doze on a terrace overlooking the citadel. Most of the thousands of daily tourists had gone, and workers raked highlighter-green grass in the main plaza. Archaeologists still debate why the Incas built this citadel. As I watched the sun slant through the peaks, tinging wisps of clouds at eye level, the real and symbolic magic of Machu Picchu’s placement seemed answer enough. (AP) ❑ ❑ ❑ If You Go... Cuzco: http://www.peru.travel/where-togo/cusco.aspx Machu Picchu: http://www.machupicchu. gob.pe/ Getting there: Multiple daily Lima-Cuzco flights; Aguas Calientes only reachable by foot or train: http://www.perurail.com/ Lodging: Historic building, expert frontdesk advice at www.hotelmarqueses.com, Cuzco.
ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
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Upgrade to cater to strong demand to and from Saudi capital
Etihad to deploy B787 on Abu Dhabi-Riyadh route RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Sept 27: Etihad Airways is to deploy a Boeing 787 Dreamliner on one of its twice-daily scheduled flights between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, with effect from Oct 30, 2016. The upgrade from a single aisle Airbus A321 aircraft will cater to strong demand to and from the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, offering guests more seats on a wide-body aircraft. Together with the other daily Riyadh service operated by a Boeing 777, Etihad Airways will have more than 8,700 weekly seats on the route. Flight EY317 will be operated with a B787, departing Abu Dhabi at 10:15 hrs, arriving into Riyadh at 11:15 hrs. The return flight EY318 departs Riyadh at 16:25 hrs, arriving into Abu Dhabi at 19:10 hrs. The flights will provide optimal timings for guests in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, and convenient connections to and from destinations across key markets in Europe, Indian subcontinent, Asia and Australia. The 299-seat aircraft, configured in two classes, offers award-winning cabin interiors with 28 seats in Business and 271 in Economy. Guests will be able to experience the
Boeing 787 Dreamliner set to fly to Riyadh.
airline’s renowned Business Studio on board. The seat, which provides guests with direct aisle access, is also equipped with an in-seat massage and air cushion control system. Business Class guests using the service can choose from three main courses, with further dine-on-demand options available. There are also specialised services onboard, including a Food & Beverage Manager in the premium cabin,
multi-national cabin crew and Flying Nannies, who are able to provide support to parents travelling with young children. For B787 Economy Class passengers, the airline’s commitment to providing the best guest experiences is showcased by its ‘Smart Seats’. They have been designed to provide additional comfort through simple design features such as a ‘fixed wing’ headrest, extra seat width and individual TV
monitors. Etihad Airways currently operates the latest Panasonic eX3 IFE equipment for its B787 inflight entertainment system. Mobile connectivity with access to onboard Wi-Fi and seven satellite channels of live TV are also available. Expansion Kevin Knight, Etihad Airways Chief Strategy and Planning Officer, said: “The Boeing 787 is playing a key role in Etihad Airways’ fleet expansion with routes carefully selected on which to deploy this unique aircraft. We are delighted that Riyadh will soon join our 787 cities giving guests a different experience to and from Abu Dhabi, and with convenient connections to destinations across our diverse worldwide network. “The aircraft also provides significantly more cargo capacity to facilitate the movement of a greater number of goods to and from the Saudi capital. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a very important market for Etihad Airways, supporting our global expansion since the launch of services 13 years ago. Our commitment to the Saudi market has grown since we began flying to Riyadh
in 2004, steadily increasing our presence to the current 63 flights each week to and from four Saudi cities.” On the Riyadh route alone, Etihad Airways has flown more than 2.5 million guests since 2004. Etihad Airways’ flights to Riyadh, Jeddah, Madinah and Dammam are complemented by Saudi codeshare partner flynas, whose dedicated services between Abu Dhabi and both Riyadh and Jeddah provide travellers with even more choice. Riyadh becomes Etihad Airways’ newest B787 destination this year following the induction of the aircraft on flights to Perth, Dusseldorf and Shanghai, with Abu Dhabi – Johannesburg set to become a Dreamliner route on 1 November. Etihad Airways’ current fleet of nine B787s also operates to Singapore, Washington DC, Brisbane and Zurich. Daily flight schedules: Abu Dhabi-Riyadh read as: Flight No. Origin Departs Destination EY315 Abu Dhabi 01:55 Riyadh EY316 Riyadh 04:15 Abu Dhabi EY317 Abu Dhabi 10:15 Riyadh EY318 Riyadh 16:25 Abu Dhabi Note: All Departures and arrivals are listed in local time.
Arrives 02:45 07:00 11:15 19:10
Aircraft Boeing 777 Boeing 777 Boeing 787 Boeing 787
Live on Marina FM
Al Danah’s mega draw ‘tomorrow’
Photos from the event
Al Mulla Exchange holds musical event exclusively for Tamil customers Al Mulla Exchange, Kuwait’s leading Exchange Company continued to enthrall its customers with the latest musical show exclusively for their Tamil customers on Sept 2-3, at the American International School, Maidan Hawally. A popular Playback singers Sunitha Sarathy, Alappu Raju and Abhay Jodhpurkar, wowed the audience. Their performance was lively and upbeat, creating
a memorable experience and the audiences were grateful to Al Mulla Exchange for such a Star-studded entertainment. About the show, Al Mulla Exchange general manager Rakesh Joshi said with 68 branches in Kuwait; Al Mulla Exchange goes beyond the ordinary norms of remittance. With their motto ‘Beating customer expectations, not just meeting them’ Al Mulla Exchange has kept cus-
tomer always in the center of their technological innovation and improvements with regards to the remittances. Al Mulla Exchange also has a loyalty point system which is quite unique. Apart from getting loyalty points for every transactions being done, there are loyalty points being awarded for doing transactions early, referring a friend, association loyalty points etc.
A customer of Al Mulla Exchange not only gets his transaction credited within split seconds but also has value added benefits like loyalty points, free insurance coverage, free events etc which add to their overall experience, we are trying also to connect with our customers at deeper level by fulfilling not just their remittance needs but also their aspiration and interests.
Weekly draw held
Welcomes customers to the world of gold
AUB announces Qtly grand prize winner
TSC launches Gold Card rewards program
KUWAIT CITY, Sept 27: Ahli United Bank held its weekly draw of Al-Hassad Islamic Saving program on Wednesday, Sept 21st 2016. This program offers the biggest prize amount to the largest number of winners. The prize program succeeded in becoming the first prize account in Kuwait compliant with the Islamic Shari’a principles. The program has been developed to fulfil the needs of the Bank customers and increase their opportunities in winning sizeable and attractive prizes in addition to enjoying the latest banking advantages that Ahli United Bank provides. On this occasion, the bank issued the following press release: Al Hassad Islamic Saving program offers the highest amounts of prizes which amount to KD 3.4 Million per year. This Program also offers 26 weekly prizes, with the highest number of weekly winners. The Islamic Hassad Saving Account may be opened by the lowest amount to open an account, which is KD 100. The winner of the weekly grand prize in the amount of KD 25,000/- is Hamad Abdullah Awwad Al Saeed. The Winners Of The Kd 1,000 Prize Each: Mohamed Abdullah Ahmed Al Brahim; Modi Emad Abdullah Al Ayyaf; Ali Abdullah Hasan Askar; Reem Abdulwahed Mohd Aqeel Mohd Zaman; Fahad Saber Jamaan Abdullah; Abdullah Obaid Mohammad Al Ajmi; Nawaf Thaar Eshwee Al Saeedi; Fatmah Ali Hussain Amer; Eisa Suliman Ahmad Al Sharqawi; Mohamad Abdulla Mohamad Al Frieh; Israa A M Al Awadhi; Anis Yousef Alaeddin; Ali Husain Abdulla Kakouli; Zahrah Ahmad Hussain Abdulraheem; Yacoub Yousuf Asadulla Al Asad; Montaha A.Ibrahim Al Zuhir; Mohd Shawqi Altajer; Layla Abdul Qader Mohamed Yusuf; Hussain Khairalla Dadkhuda Shamsi; Mahmood Khamis Mohamed Al Sabbagh; Nina Ahmed Ali; A.Majeed A.Ghani Ghanim Al Ghanim; Hasan Abdulla Alsaegh; Mustafa Ebrahim Ali Akbar Lari; Fadhela Hasan Ali Hasan. The Prize program of “Al Hassad Islamic Saving” from Ahli United Bank offers a weekly grand prize worth KD 25,000/-in addition to 25 weekly prizes worth a total of KD 25,000 distributed to 25 prizes, KD 1,000 for each winner. In addition, prizes of Al Hassad Islamic saving program from Ahli United Bank offer 4 quarterly grand prizes announced in quarterly draws. Each is a “Salary for Life” prize which is worth KD 250,000/-. In general, Ahli United Bank continues to offer innovative tools and means to meet the needs of its customers to match the Bank’s long history of distinctive services which extend over 74 years during which the Bank managed to take the lead among local banks. For further information about “Al Hassad Islamic Saving” account , customers may call at any Ahli United Bank branch, or call: “Hayakom” service at Tel: 181 2000.
A photo from the event
Live cooking demos & food sampling
Dean & Deluca to delight local foodies with ‘Market’ food fair KUWAIT CITY, Sept 27: Great news for local food-lovers: after an overwhelming response to its inaugural “The Market” food fair in 2015, Dean & Deluca has decided to present the event again this year at The Avenues Mall, from Sept 29 till Oct 31. This year, “The Market” features a unique selection of gourmet food products from local and international producers and interactive tasting and live cooking demonstrations on weekends. Sampling of the finest and freshest food products will take place during the event, including three store specialties — the Walnut Loaf, the White Special Bread and the Brioche Loaf — from the D&D Bakery. Chocolate lovers will be able to enjoy a variety of delights from renowned brands,
including Bridgewater Chocolate, the award-winning American manufacturer specializing in fine handmade chocolates such as Törtél, toffees and oozing and oversized caramels. Visitors to The Market will also enjoy the rich assortment from Baraka Dates, a Kuwaiti company producing handmade dates, including their special Khudri dates with pistachio nuts. Other suppliers at ‘The Market’ include Avalki, an olive oil maker specializing in organic and extra virgin olive oil; and RE, the first juice cleansing company in Kuwait, known for its wide selection of healthy juices. For more information about the event, follow @DeanDelucaME on Instagram and DeanDelucaME on Facebook.
KUWAIT CITY, Sept 27: The Sultan Center announced the launch of TSC’s Gold Card Rewards Program, an addition to the current TSC Rewards Program designed to reward TSC’s most loyal customers with a unique shopping experience. Gold Card Members will receive additional reward card benefits that suits their lifestyle and will be provided with access to unrivaled benefits and distinguished rewards selected to reflect their Golden status. The new launch was announced in a press conference held at the Millennium hotel on Sept 27, in presence of TSC’s executive and senior management, Gold Card partners as well as local business media representatives. Commenting on the Gold Card Program, Mohamed Jalloul, Loyalty Card Manager at TSC said: “We are pleased to offer our loyal customers the new Gold Card which is exceptionally unique and offers them an exclusive shopping experience”, “As a Gold Card member, customers will be pampered with a range of unparalleled unique services , considerable discounts from a variety of individually chosen partners, monthly draws, priority check-out, first to know and so much more”. Jalloul confirmed that selected partners will be added on a monthly basis which would widen the rewards’ choices for Gold Card customers. Makram Malaeb commented “We’re in the process of elevating our offering with the best variety and quality of products in town. In the process, we’re launching this program to reward our valuable clients with the highest customer service standards and a host of exclusive valuable benefits”. From his end, Wassim Makarem- Director of Marketing and E-Commerce at TSC, said: “we have designed the TSC Gold Card program with customers in mind. At TSC, we are committed to constantly indulging customers with a unique shopping experience tailored to meet their needs, services and satisfaction”. Those customers who enter into the Gold Card program will avail unprecedented awards tailor-made exclusively for them.
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Latest Oct 22
Experience Science for Adults: Registration is now open for Experience Science for Adults. Why should kids have all the fun?! The five week programme will be held on Saturday from 10:00 am-11:30 am at the Yarmouk Cultural Centre, starting Oct 22, 2016. Registration is limited to 16. You may register at either the Amricani Cultural Centre, Sunday to Thursday 10:00-3:00 or the Yarmouk Cultural Centre, Sunday to Thursday 10:00-6:00. For more information, please email:
[email protected]
KUWAIT CITY, Sept 27: Gulf Bank has announced that its KD 500,000 draw is scheduled to take place tomorrow at 1:00 pm, Sept 29 on Marina FM’s Diwaniya Show. The Al Danah draw will be for a cash prize of KD 500,000. In addition, the Salary and Red Account draws will be taking place and include a brand new Cadillac and cash prizes up to KD 1,000. The draw event will be held in the presence of a representative from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Five reasons why the Al Danah account is the Best: ■ Kuwait’s single biggest yearly cash prize of KD 1 Million ■ Kuwait’s biggest quarterly cash prizes, up to KD500,000 ■ Two winners of KD1,000 every working day ■ The most opportunities to win ■ Only Bank that transfers your chances to win from year to year Win Big, Live Big, with Al Danah 2016. To participate in the Al Danah draws, customers must have an Al Danah account containing at least KD 200. Customers can open a new Al Danah account at any one of the 56 Gulf Bank branches in Kuwait. Those who already have an account can increase their chances of winning by increasing their deposits. This will also increase their chances of winning one of the two KD 1,000 prizes, which are drawn each working day. For further information about the Al Danah, Salary and Red accounts and prize draws, visit one of Gulf Bank’s 56 branches, or call Gulf Bank’s Customer Contact Center on 1805805. General information about Gulf Bank’s products and services, can also be found at the Bank’s website at www.e-gulfbank.com
Ooredoo video ad reaches 1m views KUWAIT CITY, Sept 27: Ooredoo Kuwait’s video advert “The Most Powerful Network For Your Life”, reached more than 1 million views on YouTube. The video, which tackles everyday situations in the life of Kuwaiti youth, and the importance of reliable internet solutions to them, is the fourth collaboration between Ooredoo Kuwait and Senyar Productions. The advert comes to reiterate Ooredoo’s ongoing commitment to enrich the lives of its customers through a strong and reliable network that complements their lifestyle. It features a number of Kuwait’s renowned social media figures, including fashion blogger Lailah, who gained fame for giving reliable tips and reviews, in addition to Kuwaiti wakeboard surfers Khaled Alawadhi, Meshal Al-Dabbous and Bader Aman, in addition to Kuwaiti music band The Concert and social media influencers group 228, who gained fame for their funny social critique videos on social media. The advert focuses on four modes of internet usage which are uploading, downloading, gaming and streaming. The advert was produced after Ooredoo Kuwait won “Speedtest Awards Winner 2016” by Ookla, the company that operates the famous website Speedtest.net, a tool that measures network speed on users’ devices. The awards are based on speed test results conducted by hundreds of thousands of actual smartphone users in Kuwait. Ooredoo stated that it regularly benchmarks its services in relation to all competition, and results have indicated that it scores higher than competition in terms of speed and capacity. The tests were conducted in various locations and under different conditions across Kuwait to better measure the network’s strength. Ooredoo Kuwait currently has more than 1,800 deployed LTE sites across Kuwait, covering the entire country. In addition, it is expanding its relations with renowned international telecommunication technology solution providers to be able to adapt the latest technologies, including 5G internet.
ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
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By Jacqueline Bigar Happy birthday for Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2016: This year you enjoy a greater sense of well-being. Emotionally, you might seem withdrawn to many people; however, you simply enjoy your personal time. You hatch the best ideas in this type of scenario. If you are single, you seem to project an unusual amount of charisma and allure. You will meet someone of significance in the next 12 months. If you are attached, consider planning a special trip that you and your sweetie often have talked about. The two of enjoy each other more and more. VIRGO makes a great healer for you, but might be too judgmental to have as a close friend. The Stars Show the Kind of Day You’ll Have: 5-Dynamic; 4-Positive; 3-Average; 2-Soso; 1-Difficult
Capricorn - (Dec 22 - Jan 19) **** You might feel a need to detach in
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order to discern what is happening. Take your time thinking through a problem. Could your perspective be off? You will be able to adapt to a situation or grow with it, regardless of what happens. Tonight: Listen to some good music.
Aquarius - (Jan
20 - Feb 18)
***** You keep running into the same situation with an associate, partner or loved one. You experience a lot of complexity with your financial dealings with this person. You could be overtired and not willing to deal with an ornery friend. Tonight: Dinner for two.
Pisces - (Feb 19 - Mar 20) ***** You could be unusually vibrant and high-strung. You know what you want, but a partner seems to take control and make most of the decisions. You might be able to take the lead, but you’re more likely to make the choice of deferring. Tonight: The only answer is “yes.”
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Aries - (Mar 21 - Apr 19) *** Confusion could trip you up, as you might not be aware that you are getting unclear messages. You will pull back once you see what is going on. What you think someone said could be quite different from what he or she actually said. Tonight: Move slowly and ask questions.
Taurus - (Apr 20 - May 20) ***** Your mind seems to be coming up with idea after idea. Others appreciate your abilities and often put you on a pedestal. Unfortunately, you could fall off today or in the near future. Be more aware of what others think and feel. Tonight: Take a look at the big picture.
Gemini - (May 21 - June 20) *** You are more in touch with your needs than you realize. Be more sensitive to others’
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needs as well. Support friends in getting what they need. A matter involving your domestic life emerges. You might have difficulty making a decision. Tonight: Anchor in.
risk-taking also could affect other areas of your life. Tonight: Out late.
Scorpio - (Oct 23 - Nov 21)
Virgo - (Aug 23 - Sept 22):
Cancer - (June 21 - July 22)
**** You might find a family member or domestic issue to be disruptive. You’ll want to think through a decision more carefully. Understand your limits, and be willing to honor a fast change. You could be quite serious and demanding at the moment. Tonight: Try to lighten the mood.
**** There is a lot going on around you. Your finances seem to be stretched too thin, at least in your opinion. You’ll want to take a stronger stance regarding your long-term needs. Someone could surprise you by listening and supporting you in this endeavor. Tonight: Make it easy.
***** You might regret words you say on impulse. A friend could hold a grudge for a lengthy period of time. Be careful. Know when to back off and bypass an unnecessary problem. Listen to this person’s grievances; put yourself in his or her shoes. Tonight: Off to the gym, then decide.
Leo - (July 23 - Aug 22) **** You could find yourself spending way too much, way too fast. In order to get everything under control, you probably will need to return some items. You even might decide to break the pattern altogether, as your
indoor gardening
Libra - (Sept 23 - Oct 22) **** Your efforts do count, although you might see that others are easily discouraged. You could be disgruntled with everything that is occurring. Keep it light and easy when dealing with loved ones. In a few days, a lot is likely to change. Tonight: Get as much R and R as you can.
beauty tips
Sagittarius - (Nov 22 - Dec 21) **** Reach out to someone who can help you handle a personal matter. You could discover that you have a distorted vision when it comes to a discussion involving your domestic life. Honor what is happening behind the scenes. Transform a situation quickly. Tonight: Till the wee hours.
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Born today: Singer Ben E. King (1938), actress Brigitte Bardot (1934), actress Hilary Duff (1987)
taste buds
tips to remove stains on wall
corn plant
skin polishing
cheese and cream pasta sauce
Identify the stain and treat it appropriately. It is recommended that you always test an inconspicuous area of the wall before cleaning the stain off, to check that the product you’re using won’t lift the paintwork. One of the simplest and most effective wall cleaners is a paste made from baking soda and water. This will remove stains such as crayon, pencil, marker, marks from items that have rubbed against the wall, ink and other such marks. Place the paste on the cleaning cloth and rub on the stain until it lifts. Crayon marks can be lifted with a cloth dampened in turpentine or with the application of a little toothpaste (leave for a few minutes, then wash off). Black marks caused by objects rubbing against the wall can be lifted by toothpaste. Simply rub toothpaste gently over the black marks, leave for a few minutes, then wash off with a soft, damp cloth.
Corn Plant are low light plants that offer height, while keeping to a narrow space. Plants are sold with canes grouped in a pot varying in height. At the top of the canes emerge green foliage that looks like a corn stalk. The foliage varies in color from solid green to light green, with green stripes Site: Bright indirect light. Temp: Average warmth. Does not like the cold. Water: Do not let the compost dry out, in the growing season keep moist and reduce the watering in winter. Keep the humidity up with misting.
Skin polishing generally refers to any type of skin exfoliation. Ingredients: Pumice stone or loofah; Pure olive oil; Exfoliating sugar body scrub or facial Method: Face – Moisten your skin with warm water and use a gentle exfoliant. Start rubbing in a circular motion while taking care to avoid the sensitive area around the eyes. Body – Steam up your bathroom and take a warm shower. Rub pure olive oil all over your body. Allow it to soak in for about 10 minutes, to condition the skin and make polishing easier and gentler on the skin. Now apply a gentle sugar body scrub with your polishing cloth all over your body in gentle circular motions. Apply gentle pressure in order to exfoliate thoroughly. Do not rub too long and hard. Rinse off the skin polish with warm water. Always pat your skin dry gently.
Ingredients: 1/2 cup butter 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese 2 tsps garlic powder 2 cups milk 6 ounces grated Parmesan cheese 1/8 tsps ground paprika Method: Melt butter in a medium, non-stick saucepan over medium heat. Add cream cheese and garlic powder, stirring with wire whisk until smooth. Add milk, a little at a time, whisking to smooth out lumps. Stir in Parmesan and paprika. Remove from heat when sauce reaches desired consistency. Sauce will thicken rapidly, thin with milk if cooked too long. Toss with hot pasta to serve.
Dear Abby Girlfriend ‘needs’ work hours to self By Abigail Van Buren Dear Abby: I’ve been in a committed relationship for 19 years, and have been married for three years. My husband is wonderful, except he is absolutely ‘dull’. And of course, in the true nature of opposition, mine is off the charts. I have met another man who is in a loveless marriage. He says they don’t have intimate relations, and she knows he has had “flings” over the years. He has asked me to be his newest “friend with benefits.” He’s attractive, employed, and wants only a physical relationship. (I suspect their marriage is tied to his business, but I’m not sure.) I’m honestly tempted, because I’m lonely in that regard. No marriage is perfect, by any means, but am I biting off more than I can chew even if I get my husband’s permission (which he would likely give), and assuming this man is telling the truth about his wife? What to do? — Desperate in the North Dear Desperate: While some Abigail Van Buren open marriages have been known to work if the husband and wife are willing, I hesitate to recommend it. You describe yourself as desperate. You must be desperate to consider becoming someone’s latest “fling.” Did your husband’s problem exist before your marriage, or is it something new? If it is recent, there may be medical help for his problem — if he is willing to talk to his doctor about it. Please suggest it before you do anything else. ❑ ❑ ❑ Dear Abby: I am in a new relationship (six months) with a man who treats me like gold. He’s kind, affectionate and a great man, except for one thing. His office building is right next to mine, which is how we met. During work hours I’m extremely busy and don’t generally have time to hang out or take breaks. If I do, it may be to run a quick errand or grab a sandwich with a co-worker. Abby, I have worked here for eight years, and I don’t invite anyone to socialize during work hours. He texts me that he’s outside my building, or he says he just dropped by to say “hi” or “bye.” If he sees me pull in at my office, he will wave me down or jog over to walk me to work. My professional life has always been separate from my personal life. I need my work hours to myself, and I have told him this numerous times. I have asked him not to come by and explained that my 9-to-5 is for work. He just doesn’t get it. I don’t want to end my relationship over this, but I love my job. It is important that I be focused at work. I don’t think it’s appropriate to be hugging, kissing and embracing in front of my office. We see each other after work every day. Please give me a solution, because I am at my wits’ end! — Wants to Work Alone Dear Wants to Work Alone: Because you have told this man repeatedly that you aren’t comfortable with him dropping by during work hours or engaging in public displays of affection where you can be observed, it’s time to “up the ante.” The next time it happens, tell him you think he’s terrific, but if he can’t respect your work ethic and your boundaries, it might jeopardize your relationship. ❑ ❑ ❑ Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069. (Source: Universal Uclick)
Photos from the event.
TVS Hyder Group celebrates 16th anniversary On the day of Eid Al-Adha (Sept 12), TVS Hyder Group of companies celebrated their 16th year anniversary. Function was organized to honor the employees who contributed to the growth of the company, at Kuwait Teachers Society hall, Dasma. Event started at 4:30 pm with the welcome address by Rashid Khan, Manager — TVS Travels. As the start of the event Dr S.M. Hydel Ali, Chairman — TVS Hyder Group honoured his brother Haja Alavudeen and remembered his brother’s support during his childhood. Moulavi Alim Al Buhari, preacher who came from India gave his special speech to the crowd gathered in the evening. Following this the representatives from various Travel Airways, TVS
Hyder Group of Companies Managers who had come from other countries and Dignitaries from different part of communities here in Kuwait felicitated the TVS Hyder Group and its chairman for the success. Chief Guest A.X. Alexander, IPS (Retd), Former DGP of Tamil Nadu and Abu Abdullah, Kuwaiti sponsor to TVS Group awarded the gold prize (total worth of 3 kg gold) to all the staff from the TVS Group of Companies — TVS Cargo Co, TVS Travels Co, TVS Restaurant etc in the Presence of Dr S.M. Hydel Ali, Founder-Chairman of TVS Group. Special gold prize was awarded to the outstanding performers in the year 20142015. Also cash prize of INR 5 lakhs
each was distributed to 5 long serving employees as the token of appreciation. After the prize distribution chief guest A.X. Alexander delivered his speech to the gathering. In his speech he remembered his association with TVS Cargo Co in India and his relationship with Dr S.M. Hyder Ali, Chairman-TVS Hyder Group. Also he tendered his wishes to the TVS Hyder Group for its more success. Following his speech the employees of TVS Hyder group offered special garland to their Chairman Dr S.M. Hyder Ali and thanked him for providing his support in all the aspects to them. After all the wishes from the guest, Dignitaries, business partners and the employees Dr S.M. Hyder Ali gave his acceptance speech.
what’s on today
In his speech he has remembered his earlier struggle in his life to achieve this level. He thanked all the people who had helped him in his earlier stage of his life when he was suffering for his bread and butter. Local VIPs from different associations and the families of TVS Hyder group employees were participated in the function. The function was organized well by Arif (TVS Cargo Manager), Jeyakumar, Velladurai, Rishwan, Mathi and Haja (Hyder Travels — Chennai). The entire event compering was done nicely by Mrs Priya Ambalavanan. Feroz Khan (Finance Manager — TVS Cargo Co) gave the vote of thanks and the event was concluded with the delicious dinner.
emergency number 112
Civil ID info: 1889988
Site for checking travel ban www.kuwaitcourts.gov.kw/mojweb/NGeneral/Main.jsp ■ DAI announces Story Time: We need your help. Over the summer, the DAI started a Story Time programme that was a terrific success. The children, many of whom came every week, loved the stories and so did the parents. (Truth be told, so did the readers!) So, due to popular demand, we’re going to launch CS21 Story Time, held in two locations. We’ll be doing Story Time at the Yarmouk Culture Centre on set Wednesday afternoons for all the kids in the neighbourhood (and anyone else who wants to come). We’ll also have Story Time at
Amricani Cultural Centre on set Saturday afternoons. The schedule for both is shown below. Of course, this means we need 32 volunteer readers. Will you be one of them? Ideally, the book will be read twice, once with minimal interruptions, followed by a more interactive reading. The first reading is designed to help kids get comfortable listening to stories. The second reading, with questions and prompts like “what happens next?,” “what do you think she sounds like?,” and “why did he do that?,” promotes the development of critical
thinking, creativity, and communication skills. Most important, we want both the kids and the reader to have fun. It’s good for children to hear lots of different voices, so if you have an hour to spare one Saturday or Wednesday, please volunteer. You can email
[email protected]; mailto:
[email protected] and let us know when you can’t do it. You can also let me know if you have a favourite children’s book you want to read. If not, we have a pretty good selection you can choose from in the Reading Room.
On behalf of all the children who will enjoy Story Time, thanks for your support. ❑ ❑ ❑ ■ Islamic classes in French: The Enlightenment into Islam is offering Islamic Classes in French for ladies. Timings 4:30 to 7 pm. Every Wednesday. Please register at the office (Women’s Section), 2nd floor. For more information please contact us. Telephone 25362684, 99789954, 99507076, 97743327. Fax 25342573 (attention — Enlightenment into Islam)
ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
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Couch slouch Meyers developing 2 scripted comedies
Lester Holt stays cool in presidential debate “stamina” to be president. At one point, Trump hammered his view that the “mainstream media” had sided with Clinton, a broad-brush categorization that presumably would include Holt and NBC News. But Holt did not push back. In closing, Holt thanked the candidates for a “spirited debate” as he brought it to a close right down to the second. “We’ve covered a lot of ground”, although not as much as he’d hoped, Holt told the audience. Predictably, Holt’s performance brought mixed reviews from both sides of the partisan divide. Criticism of the media’s questioning of the candidates has been a persistent theme during the 2016 campaign. On the first of three planned Clinton-Trump showdowns, Holt played it right down the middle.
LOS ANGELES, Sept 27, (RTRS): “NBC Nightly News” anchor Lester Holt kept his steely calm during his 90 minutes in the spotlight as moderator of Monday’s first presidential debate face-off between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Holt kept control of the session despite periodic testy flare-ups between the candidates. At one point, Trump, the Republican nominee, talked over one of Holt’s questions as he went on a tangent about Clinton’s policy proposals and the ISIS terror organization. But Holt barreled through and kept the debate on pace and held the candidates to their two-minute response time limits. Going into the debate there was much discussion about the role of the moderator as a fact-checker of the candidates’ statements. The perception about that obligation was heightened over the weekend when the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and other newspapers published reports detailing numerous misstatements of fact and misleading claims made by Trump during the course of his unorthodox campaign. Holt challenged Trump directly on a handful of issues but was not particularly aggressive in questioning either candidate. Holt’s most forceful question came with the confrontation about Trump’s “birther” claims for years that President Obama was not born in the United States and thus not legally eligible to be president. “What took you so long”, he asked Trump flatly regarding the candidate’s recent public acknowledgement that Obama was in fact born in the US. Trump did his best to turn the tables on the question. “I was the one who got him to produce the birth certificate”, Trump said. Holt pressed Trump again about why he continued to raise the question of Obama’s citizenship even after the birth certificate was made public. “I just want to get the answer here”, Holt said. Holt’s queries ranged from economic and trade policy to security concerns, the threat of cyber attacks to the state of race relations and policing in America. He challenged Trump’s assertion regarding the effectiveness of New York City’s stop-and-frisk law allowing police broad leeway in detaining people they suspect of criminal activity. Holt corrected the candidate in telling him the law had been struck down as unconstitutional by the courts. Holt made little attempt to referee between Clinton and Trump as they sparred on issues and more personal matters, including Trump’s questioning of whether Clinton had the
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This photo taken on Sept 24 shows people visiting a villa built by 3D printing technology at a village in Binzhou, eastern China’s Shandong province. The 3D-printed villa which uses no bricks in its construction costs 5,000 yuan ($750) per square meter. (AFP)
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‘Super Mario Run’ to hit stores in December
Showtime is capitalizing on election season to bring in voters — or viewers — to the upcoming season of “Shameless.” The marketing campaign for season seven of the William H. Macy and Emmy Rossum series is designed to draw parallels to the presidential election. Key art for the season features the cast in front of an American flag with Macy mirroring Uncle Sam. The tagline reads, “Screwed in the U.S.A.” Meanwhile, the hashtag on the show’s official Twitter page is #KeepAmericaShameless. Now, the cabler has produced a custom “political spot”, which Showtime has released first to Variety. The trailer will make its TV debut tonight on CBS during the network’s post-coverage of the first presidential debate between candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
‘Pokemon’ fervour has cooled, but game isn’t dead yet NEW YORK, Sept 27, (AP): Does “Pokemon Go” have a second act? The mobile phone app was an instant hit when it debuted in July. Crowds stampeded after a Vaporeon in Central Park and people fell off cliffs playing it in California. At an Apple event on Sept 7, Niantic CEO John Hanke said 500 million people had downloaded the game in just two months. It was the first mobile game to go mainstream in a big way since “Candy Crush” in 2014 or “Angry Birds” in 2012. It was also the first to incorporate augmented reality, a blending of the real and virtual worlds. But the buzz has decidedly cooled. Last Tuesday, the game ended its reign as the topgrossing US iPhone app after 74 days on top, replaced by “Clash Royale,” a popular battling game, according to research firm Sensor Tower. Twitter mentions of the game peaked at 1.7 million on July 11, five days after its launch, according to Adobe Digital Insights. That number had fallen by 98 percent, to 131,000, by Sept 7, when Apple featured it. Was it all a summer fever dream? While experts say the game is likely to remain popular for a while, it needs to evolve to have real staying power — just like its namesake digital creatures. “Almost anything of this sort is a fad,” says Steve Jones, a communications professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. “I think we’ve seen the tapering off.” Of course, an enormous number of people
Also: LOS ANGELES: Seth Meyers is stepping behind the camera. The “Late Night With Seth Meyers” host is developing two scripted comedy series with the network he calls home, Variety has learned. Both projects hail from trusted writers with whom Meyers has worked with at NBC. The first is a untitled single-camera comedy, which comes from writer Amber Ruffin, a writer/actress on “Late Night With Seth Meyers.” The project is about a has-been sibling singing group from the 1980’s that now make ends meet by doing what no musician wants to do — writing jingles and performing their old hits at parties. Ruffin will serve as co-executive producer, and Meyers will exec produce with Mike Shoemaker and Andrew Singer.
still play the game. Research firm App Annie estimates 1 in 10 smartphone owners in the US are playing; in Japan, that number is 1 in 4. Those US figures are half what App Annie saw the week after the game launched — but to put them in perspective, they still reflect roughly the same user interest as Twitter or Pinterest.
Playing “Pokemon Go” has also been good at keeping people playing after signing up. Its 30-day retention rate is the second best on the Google Play store — behind “Words with Friends,” but ahead of other popular games such as “Clash of Clans” and “Clash Royale.” “For a gaming app to be as big as a social network is unprecedented,” said Fabien-Pierre Nicolas, a spokesman at App Annie. “Right now, yes, they’re losing a million players every week. But they get a million new players every week.” The longer users interact with the game, the more time a company has to figure out how to get money from them, Nicolas said. It took a year for some successful games like “Clash of Clans,” ‘’Puzzle” and “Dragon” to earn revenue of $1 billion, but “Pokemon Go” has already made more than $500 million in revenue in two months alone, according to App Annie. The game is free, but lets users purchase items in the game. But with social chatter dying down and a new smartphone game based on a beloved
1990s character — “Super Mario Run” — hitting app stores in December, Pokemon will have to reinvent itself. Kari Amarosso, a public relations manager at Arizona State University, started playing “Pokemon Go” with her 19-year-old son as a fun mother-son summer activity sparked by 1990s Pokemon-card nostalgia. They’d go to the mall or to meetups like one in Tempe, Arizona, where thousands of people walked around Tempe Town Lake capturing digital monsters. But the allure wore off after about six weeks, she said. “I lost interest or just plain forgot to play,” she says — and her son has stopped as well. “His route doesn’t change much from work, to home, and he lost interest,” she says. Niantic has been trying to freshen things up. In September it introduced a “buddy” system, allowing users to pair up with a Pokemon to scoop up game currency called “candy.” It has also debuted an Apple Watch app and introduced a $35 wearable device, Pokemon Go Plus, which lights up and vibrates when you’re near a Pokestop or a newly appeared Pokemon. Niantic did not respond to a request for comment. Jones suggests the company needs to do more to keep people interested — for example, by adding some kind of social element so that players can interact with each other. His two teenage sons, he notes, have grown slightly less enchanted with the game.
tv highlights Cinema Cinema programme from Thursday 22/09/2016 to Wednesday 28/09/2016
Sully Sharqia 1 Muhalab 2 Fanar 1 Fanar 5 Marina 1 Marina 3 Avenues 5 Avenues 9 Avenues 11 360° 3 360° 9 Al-Kout 1 Al-Kout 4 Bairaq 2 Bairaq 3 Grand Hamra 6 Grand Gate 2 Grand Gate GC
12:45 (No Fri) 14:45, 01:00 12:45 (No Fri) 15:00, 00:30 11:45 (No Fri) 12:45 (No Fri) 14:45, 16:45 12:30 (No Fri) 00:05 14:15, 20:45 12:15 (No Fri) 17:00, 23:45 00:15 11:45 (No Fri) 16:45 11:45 (No Fri) 14:00, 16:30, 21:45, 00:05 11:30 (No Fri) 15:30, 00:45 11:30 (No Fri) 12:45 (No Fri) 14:45, 20:45 13:30 (Fri) 14:30 15:00, 17:00, 19:00, 21:00 23:00 (Thu, Fri) 15:00, 17:15, 19:15, 21:15, 23:15 15:00, 17:30, 20:00, 22:30 01:00 (Thu, Fri)
Pete’s Dragon Sharqia 1 Sharqia 2 Muhalab 1 Muhalab 3 Fanar 1 Fanar 3 Marina 3 Avenues 2 Avenues 9 360° 4 360° 15 Al-Kout 2 Bairaq 2 Laila Grand Hamra 5 Grand Hamra 8 Grand Gate 4
16:45 11:30 (No Fri) 18:45 13:30 (Fri) 16:30 17:45 16:15, 18:30 16:15, 18:30 12:00 (No Fri) 14:15, 16:30, 18:45 11:30 (No Fri) 13:45, 16:00, 18:15, 20:30, 22:45 14:30, 19:30 17:15 13:00 (No Fri) 15:30, 17:45 17:45 14:00, 16:15 14:30, 16:30, 18:30 14:00, 16:15, 18:30, 20:45, 23:15
Al Bab Yefawet Amal (Arabic Film) Sharqia 1 Muhalab 1 Fanar 2 Avenues 5 Avenues 8 360° 2 360° 9 Al-Kout 2 Al-Kout 4 Bairaq 3
19:00, 23:00 16:45, 21:00 11:30 (No Fri) 13:30, 17:30, 21:45 19:30 15:15, 17:15, 19:15, 21:15 12:15 (No Fri) 14:15, 16:15, 18:15, 20:15, 22:15 13:30, 17:45 15:30 18:45 12:30 (No Fri)
19:30, 21:15, 23:15 15:45
Laila
Ashan Khargen (Arabic Film) Sharqia 1 Muhalab 2 Fanar 2 Marina 1 Marina 2 Avenues 5 Avenues 6 360° 4 360° 9 360° 11 Al-Kout 2 Bairaq 2
20:45 20:00, 22:15 15:15, 19:30, 23:45 19:30, 21:45 13:30 (Fri) 21:30 13:15 (No Fri) 15:30, 17:45, 20:00, 22:15, 00:30 01:00 19:45 12:15 (No Fri) 14:30, 16:45, 19:00, 21:15, 23:30 19:30, 22:00, 00:15 20:00, 22:15, 00:30
The Magnificent Seven Sharqia 2 Muhalab 1 Muhalab 3 Fanar 4 Fanar 5 Marina 2 Marina 3 Avenues 2 Avenues 4 Avenues 11 360° 7 360° 10 360° 12 360° 13 23:30 360° 15 Al-Kout 1 Al-Kout 2 Bairaq 1 Laila
13:45, 16:30, 19:15, 22:00, 00:45 11:30 (No Fri) 14:00 13:00 (No Fri) 15:45, 18:30, 21:15, 00:05 12:30 (No Fri) 15:15, 18:00, 20:45, 23:30 21:45, 00:30 12:45 (No Fri) 15:30, 18:15, 21:00, 23:45 11:30 (No Fri) 00:45 13:30, 20:45, 23:30 11:30 (No Fri) 14:45, 17:30, 20:15, 23:00 14:00, 19:00, 21:45, 00:30 00:15 13:00 (No Fri) 15:45, 18:30, 21:15, 00:05 11:30 (No Fri) 14:15, 17:00, 19:45, 22:30 12:30 (No Fri) 15:15, 18:00, 20:45, 11:45 (No Fri) 16:45, 21:45, 00:30 13:30, 16:15, 19:00, 21:45, 00:30 12:45 (No Fri) 12:30 (No Fri) 15:15, 18:00, 20:45, 23:30 20:00, 22:45
The Light Between Oceans Sharqia 3 Fanar 1 Avenues 3 Avenues 5 360° 1
12:15 (No Fri) 17:00, 21:45 13:45, 18:45, 21:30, 00:15 13:15 (No Fri) 16:00, 18:45, 21:30, 00:15 14:15 12:15 (No Fri) 15:00,
17:45, 20:30, 23:15 (No Sun) 23:45 (Sun) 360° 6 16:30, 19:15 (Sun) 360° 9 22:00 Grand Hamra 3 14:00, 16:45, 19:30, 22:00, 01:00 (Thu, Fri) Grand Hamra GC 15:00, 17:30, 20:00, 22:30 01:00 (Thu, Fri) Grand Gate 1 14:00, 16:45, 19:30, 22:15 01:00 (Thu, Fri)
The Secret Life Of Pets Grand Gate 7
14:00, 16:00, 18:00, 20:00, 22:00
Sharqia 3 Muhalab 1 Fanar 3 Marina 3 Avenues 10 360° 8 Al-Kout 3
Pink (Hindi Film) Muhalab 2 Fanar 5 Avenues 1 360° 7 Bairaq 3 Plaza Ajial 2 Grand Hamra 2 Grand Gate 5
15:00, 19:45, 00:30 22:45, 00:45 12:00 (No Fri) 13:45, 20:00, 00:05 22:45 13:00 (No Fri) 15:00, 17:00, 19:15, 21:30, 23:45 12:00 (No Fri) 14:00, 16:00, 18:00, 20:15, 22:30, 00:45 16:30, 20:00, 22:00,
17:00 (No Fri) 18:45 16:00 13:00 (No Fri) 18:15, 21:15 16:45 15:30 21:30 (Tue, Wed, Sat, Sun) 16:15, 19:00, 21:45 14:30, 17:15, 19:45, 22:30 14:15, 17:00, 19:45, 22:30
Majnu (Telugu Film) Muhalab 2 Ajial 3
Havenhurst
18:15, 22:45, 00:45 01:15 12:00 (Sat) 13:45 (Fri, Sat) 15:30 (No Mon) 19:45, 00:15 16:45, 22:45, 00:45
00:05
17:00 (Fri) 15:30, 18:30, 21:30 (No Thu)
360° 12 360° 14
Al-Kout 4
Mechanic: Resurrection Grand Hamra 7 Grand Gate 6
Snowden Marina 1 Avenues 7 Avenues 8 360° 2 360° 7 360° 14
14:30 13:30, 20:15 23:15 00:15 15:45 17:15 (No Mon) 21:30
Don’t Breathe (Exclusive) Grand Hamra 1 Grand Gate 3
15:30, 17:30, 20:00, 21:45 15:30, 17:45, 19:45, 21:45 23:45 (Thu, Fri)
Ben-Hur Marina 1 Avenues 7 Avenues 8 360° 6
Hellions Fanar 3 Avenues 7
15:45, 22:00 11:45 (No Fri)
Al-Kout 3 Grand Hamra 5
How to find us 1. 360° 2. Ajial 3. Al Bairaq 4. Al Fanar 5. Al Kout 6. Al Muhalab 7. Al Sharqiya 8. Laila Gallery 9. Marina 10. Metro 11. Plaza 12. The Avenues
Zahra’a Area, South Surra, 6th Ring Road, corner of King Faisal Highway Ajial Complex, Fahaheel Between Jaber Al Ali East & Al Agalia West Al Fanar Complex, Salem Al Mubarak Street, near Sultan Center, Salmiya Al-Kout Complex, at the end of the Coastal Road, Fahaheel Al Muhalab Complex, Behind Hawally Clinic, Hawally Arabian Gulf Street, Souq Sharq, near the Amiri Hospital Salem Al Mubarak Street, near Sultan Center, Salmiya Marina Mall, Between Salem Al Mubarak Street & Arabian Gulf Street, Salmiya Metro Complex, Farwaniya, near Crowne Plaza Hotel & Farwaniya Garden Salem Al Mubarak Street, near Sultan Center, Salmiya The Avenues Mall, Al Reggai near Al Rai, 5th Ring Road & Ghazali Road Intersection
NB: Friday no show before 1:30 pm Regular show KD3:000; 3D-Digital — KD3.500; VIP show — KD6.000. ‘On Monday, price is KD1.500 except Digital movies.
Cinescape cinema movies inquiries and Fax Back hotline 1803456
13. The Scientific Center IMAX
Opp Holiday Inn, Salmiya, Gulf Road
14. Grand Al-Hamra
Grand Al-Hamra, tel: 22270333, www.grand cinemas.com
15. Grand Gate
Grand Gate, tel: 22056464, www.grand cinemas.com
14:45, 17:15, 19:15, 22:15 14:30, 16:45, 19:00, 21:00, 23:00
17:00 16:00 12:45 (No Fri) 11:30 (No Fri) 14:00, 22:15, 00:45 16:30 (No Sun) 12:00 (No Fri) 14:15 18:45, 21:30 00:00 (Thu, Fri)
Blair Witch Grand Hamra 8
20:30, 22:30 00:30 (Thu, Fri)
Lights Out Avenues 1 360° 5 Al-Kout 3 Grand Hamra 4 Grand Gate 8
12:00 (No Fri) 14:00 12:30 (No Fri) 16:45, 23:15, 01:15 18:15 14:15, 16:00, 18:15, 20:15, 22:15 14:45, 16:30, 18:45, 20:30, 22:45 12:30 (Thu, Fri)
Oozham (Malayalam Film) Avenues 1 360° 3 Plaza Ajial 4
19:00 18:45 18:30 16:00, 18:45, 21:45
Boget Fakara (Kuwaiti Film) Avenues 1 360° 5
22:00, 00:15 14:30, 18:45, 21:00
Thodari (Tamil Film) Avenues 9 360° 6 Plaza Ajial 1
21:00 19:00 (No Sun) 21:30 (Thu, Fri, Mon) 15:30 (No Thu) 18:45, 22:00
Iru Mugan (Tamil Film) Ajial 1
15:30 (Thu)
Baar Baar Dekho (Hindi Film) Ajial 3
15:30, 18:30, 21:30 (Thu)
IMAX Imax film programme at The Scientific Center
Sunday Humpback Whales 3D
10:30 am, 07:30 pm Flying Monsters 3D 11:30 am, 06:30 pm, 09:30 pm Kenya: Animal Kingdom 3D 12:30 pm Journey to Space 3D 05:30 pm Secret Ocean 3D 08:30 pm
Monday Humpback Whales 3D
12:30 pm, 06:30 pm Flying Monsters 3D 10:30 am, 05:30 pm, 08:30 pm Kenya: Animal Kingdom 3D 09:30 pm Journey to Space 3D 11:30 pm, 07:30 pm
Tuesday Humpback Whales 3D
11:30 am 09:30 pm Flying Monsters 3D 12:30 pm, 05:30 pm, 08:30 pm Kenya: Animal Kingdom 3D 10:30 am Journey to Space 3D 06:30 pm Mysteries of the Unseen World 07:30 pm
Wednesday Humpback Whales 3D 05:30 am Flying Monsters 3D 11:30 am 06:30 pm, 09:30 pm Kenya: Animal Kingdom 3D 08:30 pm Journey to Space 3D 12:30 pm Mysteries of the Unseen World 10:30 am Secret Ocean 3D 07:30 pm
Thursday Humpback Whales 3D 11:30 am 06:30 pm, 09:30 pm Flying Monsters 3D 10:30 am 07:30 pm Kenya: Animal Kingdom 3D 05:30 pm Journey to Space 3D 08:30 pm Secret Ocean 3D 12:30 pm
Friday Humpback Whales 3D 08:30 pm Flying Monsters 3D 02:30 pm, 06:30 pm, 09:30 pm Kenya: Animal Kingdom 3D 03:30 pm Journey to Space 3D 04:30 pm Secret Ocean 3D 07:30 pm Mysteries of the Unseen World 05:30 am
Saturday Showtime Available for Groups Humpback Whales 3D
09:30 am 10:30 am 07:30 pm Flying Monsters 3D 11:30 am, 02:30 pm, 05:30 pm, 08:30 pm Kenya: Animal Kingdom 3D 04:30 pm, 09:30 pm Journey to Space 3D 01:30 pm, 06:30 pm Secret Ocean 3D 03:30 pm Mysteries of the Unseen World 12:30 pm Notes: All films are in Arabic. For English, headsets are available upon request. Film schedule is subject to changes without notice. For information call 1 848 888 or visit www.tsck.org.kw
ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
HEALTH
29
More than six million deaths a year
Over 90% of world breathing bad air, says WHO GENEVA, Sept 27, (AFP): Nine out of 10 people globally are breathing poor quality air, the World Health Organization said Tuesday, calling for dramatic action against pollution that is blamed for more than six million deaths a year. New data in a report from the UN’s global health body “is enough to make all of us extremely concerned,” Maria Neira, the head of the WHO’s department of public health and environment, told reporters. The problem is most acute in cities, but air in rural areas is worse than many think, WHO experts said. Poorer countries have much dirtier air than the developed world, according to the report, but pollution “affects practically all countries in the world and all parts of society”, Neira said in a statement. “It is a public health emergency,” she said. “Fast action to tackle air pollution can’t come soon enough,” she added, urging governments to cut the number of vehicles on the road, improve waste management and promote clean cooking fuel. Tuesday’s report was based on data collected from more than 3,000 sites across the globe. It found that “92 percent of the world’s population lives in places where air quality levels exceed WHO limits”. The data focuses on dangerous particulate matter with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres, or PM2.5. PM2.5 includes toxins like sulfate and black carbon, which can penetrate deep into the lungs or cardiovascular system. Air with more than 10 microgrammes per cubic metre of PM2.5 on an annual average basis is considered substandard. In some regions satellite data has been complemented by ground-level PM2.5 measurements, but in much of the developing world ground readings remain unavailable, forcing the WHO to rely on cruder estimates.
Exercise as important as medicine
Walking helps seniors stay mobile
A Pakistani health worker administers polio vaccine drops to a child during a door-to-door polio campaign in Karachi on Sept 26. Pakistan is one of only three countries in the world where polio remains endemic but years of efforts to stamp it out have been badly hit by reluctance from parents, opposition from militants and attacks on immunisation teams. (AFP)
Despite these data gaps, Neira said the UN agency now had more information than ever about pollutants in the planet’s air. Using both satellite and ground measurements “is a big step forward towards even more confident estimates of the huge global burden”, of dirty air, she added. The WHO has estimated that more than six million deaths per year are linked to exposure to outdoor and indoor air pollution. Data is more solid for outdoor pollution, which is blamed for more than three million fatalities annually.
But indoor pollution can be equally as harmful, especially in poorer developing world homes where cooking often involves burning charcoal. Nearly 90-percent of air pollution-related deaths occur in low and middle-income countries, the WHO said. Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific region — including China, Malaysia and Vietnam — are the hardest hit, the data showed. Carlos Dora, coordinator at the WHO’s public health and environment department, said that some of the strategies adopted to safeguard against polluted air have limited effectiveness.
WASHINGTON, Sept 27, (AP): It’s not too late to get moving: Simple physical activity — mostly walking — helped high-risk seniors stay mobile after disability-inducing ailments even if, at 70 and beyond, they’d long been couch potatoes. One health policy specialist said the study released Monday suggests prescribing exercise may be just as important as prescribing medications. “Once you lose that mobility piece of your life, then you really lose independence,” said Patricia Katz of the University of California, San Francisco, who wasn’t part of the new research but said physicians need to put the findings to use. Katz called it striking that among the walkers, “if you start to have problems, you have a greater ability to recover and get your functioning back.” Older adults often shift back and forth between independence and conditions that can be disabling at least temporarily — a broken bone, an operation or a hospitalization from illness that requires time and rehab if they’re to get back on their feet. Monday’s research examined whether regular physical activity could help even the oldest seniors stay mobile for longer despite other health conditions. The study enrolled more than 1,600 adults between the ages of 70 and 89 considered at high risk for disability because they were sedentary and had various chronic health problems, such as heart disease or diabetes. More than 2 in 5 were 80 or older. To enroll, they had to be able to walk a quarter of a mile in 15 minutes — a long time, and some needed every minute. “We were targeting folks who potentially had the most to gain,” said Dr. Thomas Gill, a Yale University geriatrician who led the work. The study compared seniors assigned to a regular walking program, plus a little strength and balance exercise, with a control group given health education.
Over 3-1/2 years, the walking program reduced the amount of time seniors spent suffering from a major mobility problem by 25 percent, the researchers reported in Annals of Internal Medicine. The walkers were less likely to experience a mobility-robbing condition in the first place, more likely to recover if they did and less likely to suffer another one, Gill said. While the walking didn’t replace any necessary physical therapy, too often seniors “leave the hospital more debilitated than when they entered,” Gill said. The goal was to get them walking again as soon as possible. Only half of US adults of all ages get the amount of physical activity recommended for good health. And if they weren’t active during middle age, older adults often are especially wary of getting started. Maybe they have arthritic pain, or are worried if it’s safe given other illnesses, or fear they’ll fall. Gill said the study shows many sedentary seniors can start walking safely, no gym membership needed — just a safe place such as a sidewalk or shopping mall. Those who were physically active were less likely to be injured in a fall, he noted. There were six more deaths among the walkers over the course of the study, a difference that wasn’t statistically significant, he said. “A lot of people probably don’t know where to start,” said UCSF’s Katz, who co-authored an editorial in Monday’s Annals that said an actual prescription from the doctor could help, maybe more than a medication prescription. No one expects a sedentary senior to suddenly speed-walk. The goal is to build up gradually to meet federal health guidelines that say even older adults should get 2-1/2 hours a week of moderate-intensity exercise. Essentially, that means enough to increase your heart rate — not breathless, but breathing a little hard.
BP signs three concession amendments with Egypt BP has signed amendments to the Temsah, Ras El Barr and Nile Delta Offshore concessions in Egypt, allowing for the development of the Nooros field, the company said on Tuesday. “BP is proud to progress the acceleration of its drilling activities in the three concession areas. The conclusion of these amendments was a critical milestone that allowed the discovery
and fast track development of the Nooros field,” Hesham Mekawi, BP’s North Africa chief said in a statement. Noroos achieved in September a record production of 700 million standard cubic feet per day, the company said, and is targeted to reach 880 million standard cubic feet per day by early 2017. BP holds a 50 percent interest in Temsah and Ras El Barr,
Market Movements JAPAN - Nikkei S. KOREA - KRX 100 HONG KONG - Hang Seng
Change Closing pts +139.37 16,683.93 +32.26 4,119.02 +253.98 23,571.90
and a 25 percent interest in the Nile Delta Offshore Concession. The remaining working interest is held by ENI through its subsidiary IEOC. Once an energy exporter, Egypt has turned into a net importer because of declining oil and gas production and increasing consumption. It is trying to speed up production at recent discoveries to fill its energy gap as soon as possible. (RTRS)
27-09-2016 AUSTRALIA GERMANY FRANCE EUROPE PHILIPPINES INDIA
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clouds gather over Turkey economy after downgrade
All Ordinaries DAX CAC 40 Euro Stoxx 50 All Shares Sensex
Change Closing pts -25.40 5,493.70 -32.23 10,361.48 -9.17 4,398.68 -5.04 2,970.84 -40.67 4,495.93 -70.58 28,223.70
Turkey has snarled with anger over a downgrade of its debt to junk status, but its previously robust economic performance risks being bruised by lower growth, stalled reforms and rule of law concerns after the July 15 coup bid. Strong growth since the ruling party of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan came to power in 2002 amid the wreckage of financial crisis has been one of the Turkish strongman’s political aces. Millions
of Turks now enjoy higher incomes and backwaters in the nation’s interior have been transformed into thriving manufacturing hubs. Meanwhile, Turkey has impressed even Erdogan’s critics with resilience in the face of global economic troubles, posting growth of 4.0 percent in 2015 and defying predictions of meltdown in the wake of the coup. But downgrade by Moody’s on Friday came after a slew of indica-
tions the economy was starting to hurt, with July industrial production plummeting and second quarter growth slowing to 3.1 percent from 4.7 in the first. “The growth outlook is weak. Domestic demand seems to have slowed sharply after the coup attempt, due to a hit to confidence,” William Jackson, emerging markets economist at of Capital Economics in London told AFP, projecting growth to be just 2.0 percent in 2017. (AFP)
Business
Kuwait’s economy ‘structurally flawed’ Official cites irregularities in job market KUWAIT CITY, Sept 27, (KUNA): Kuwait’s economy suffers from glaring structural errors induced by accumulations that have stalled development, the Ministry of Finance’s Undersecretary Khalifa Hamada said on Tuesday. In a speech to kick off the “Euromoney 2016 Conference,” Hamada, who spoke on behalf of Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance and Acting Oil Minister Anas Al-Saleh, said that these glitches are related to governmental procedures, adding that bureaucracy has encumbered economic production. Moreover, the Ministry of Finance’s Undersecretary noted that the flaws are also the result of irregularities in the job market, saying that the government has struggled to provide employment for nationals. Speaking on the primary factor that has impeded growth, Hamada said that the nation’s budget heavily relies on oil revenues, an issue if not remedied, would be detrimental to the country’s economy. He also noted that public spending should center on efforts to maximize production capacity to ensure sustained development. Furthermore, Hamada made a cor-
relation between financial reforms and economic growth, as he listed numerous factors that could help eliminate any hindrances to growth, chiefly, the addition of non-oil revenues and to rationalize public spending, measures he described as the two focal points of financial reforms. On the government’s role in developing the economy, he said that it should monitor economic procedures and enhance collaboration with the private sector, which would result in a robust market that will keep consumers satisfied. The Ministry of Finance’s Undersecretary also urged the private sector to contribute to economic growth through public projects and increased cooperation with the government sector, adding that citizens should own a 40 percent share of these projects. Elaborating on reforms needed to prop up the economy, he said that they should also include administrative and institutional ones that will increase efficiency and lure local and foreign investment. Hamada also spoke of a series of measures taken by the Ministry of Finance pertinent to the budget for the fiscal year 2016-2017, where a number of public services and products are being reviewed to ensure better prices and quality, factors that will contribute to boosting non-oil revenues and improving the country’s financial structure.
Kuwait takes part in 15th Int’l Energy Forum
Saudi, Iran dash hopes for OPEC oil deal ALGIERS, Sept 27, (Agencies): Saudi Arabia and Iran on Tuesday dashed hopes that OPEC oil producers could clinch an outputlimiting deal in Algeria this week as sources said the group and non-member Russia were still trying to bridge differences between the kingdom and Tehran. “This is a consultative meeting ... We will consult with everyone else, we will hear the views, we will hear the secretariat of OPEC and also hear from consumers,” Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih told reporters. Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said: “It is not the time for decision-making.” Referring to the next formal OPEC meeting in Vienna on Nov 30, he added: “We will try to reach agreement for November.” The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries will hold informal talks at 1400 GMT on Wednesday. Its members are also meeting non-OPEC producers on the sidelines of the International Energy Forum, which groups producers and consumers. Oil prices have more than halved from 2014 levels due to oversupply, prompting OPEC producers and rival Russia to seek a market rebalancing that would boost revenues from oil exports and help their crippled budgets. The predominant idea since early 2016
Kuwait real estate market National Bank of Kuwait Residential sector sees first monthly pickup in activity since May
Sales total KD 1.58bn, remain subdued in August he real estate market stayed soft in the T summer, while residential land prices showed stability in the past three months. Overall sales across all sectors totaled KD 1.58 billion year-to-date (ytd), down 26 percent from the same period last year. Sales in the residential and investment sectors are down about one third from last year, while commercial activity is up for the year. August’s price performance, as reflected in NBK’s real estate price indices, continued to reflect an ongoing gradual correction that started in 2015, with some signs of slowing down. The residential sector sees its first monthly pickup in activity since May 2016. The sector registered 220 transactions, up 12 percent for the month, while KD sales increased to KD 71.8 million, up by 14 percent monthon-month (m/m). The residential sector continues to lag last year’s transactions and KD sales, by 10 percent and 12 percent respectively. Residential real estate prices hint at some stabilization in August. The NBK residential home price index registered 156.5 points in August, retreating by 12.8 percent y/y and is down 3.4 percent for the month. The NBK residential home price index has been trending downward since the beginning of 2015, when it peaked at 186 points in January 2015. Similarly, the NBK residential land price index retreated in August; at 182.8 points, the index is off 8.1 percent y/y, but was unchanged for the second consecutive month. Land prices were the first to correct, back in 2014, and have shown some signs of stabili-
zation recently. The latest data published by the Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI) for June 2016 shows that out of the 152,170 homes, 87 percent were used for residential purposes whereas 12 percent of total homes remained vacant. The number of vacant homes has been steadily declining since June 2004 from 25,773 to 18,275 in June 2016 in parallel with the rising price of residential properties, reflecting rising demand over that past period. In tandem, government distribution of subsidized housing plots and built homes was rel-
atively small in comparison with the growing backlog in the applications at the Public Authority for Housing Welfare (PAHW). Faced with more than a hundred thousand applications in the pipeline, the government tripled its annual housing distributions to over 15,000 units in 2015 from around 5,000 the previous year. In 2016, it plans to distribute more than 12,000. Expectation of an increase in vacant residential properties due to the increased supply of subsidized housing may have helped with the recent correction in residential property prices.
KSE to introduce new stock swing limit
Kuwait requires secondary debt market: bank exec KUWAIT CITY, Sept 27, (RTRS): Kuwait’s government cannot issue a sovereign bond without the creation of a secondary debt market first, Ali Mousa al-Mousa, the chairman of Commercial Bank of Kuwait, said on Tuesday. Kuwait plans to issue up to 3 billion dinars ($10 billion) in US dollar-denominated bonds and sukuk in international markets to help plug its budget deficit for the current 2016-17 fis-
cal year, finance minister Anas al-Saleh said in July.
Also: KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait’s stock exchange will introduce a limit of 20 percent for the maximum daily rise or fall of individual stocks by November, Khaled Abdulrazzaq al-Khaled, chief executive of Boursa Kuwait, which operates the exchange, said on Tuesday.
The exchange will also introduce a circuit breaker mechanism providing for brief halts in trade with every move of 5 percent, he added. The new rules will replace the current range of limits for stock movements; these limits vary depending on the level of stock prices. Boursa Kuwait is working with the regulator to begin establishing a secondary market for small and medium-sized enterprises that would open in 2017, Khaled told reporters.
Anas Khaled Al-Saleh, Kuwait’s Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance and Acting Minister of Oil, attends the opening session of the 15th International Energy Forum Ministerial meeting in Algiers, Algeria on Sept 27. At meetings in Algeria this week, energy ministers from OPEC and other oil-producing countries are discussing whether to freeze production levels to boost global oil prices. (AP)
among producers has been to agree to freeze output levels, although market watchers have said such a move would fail to reduce unwanted barrels. A deal has also been complicated by acute
political rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia, which are fighting several proxy-wars in the Middle East, including in Syria and Yemen. Sources told Reuters last week that Saudi Arabia had offered to reduce its output if Iran agreed to freeze production, a shift in Riyadh’s position as the kingdom had previously refused to discuss output cuts. On Tuesday, several OPEC delegates said the positions of Saudi Arabia and Iran remained too far apart. Oil prices were down nearly 3 percent. Three OPEC sources said Iran, whose production has stagnated at 3.6 million barrels per day, insisted on having the right to ramp that up to around 4.1-4.2 million bpd, while OPEC Gulf members wanted its output to be frozen below 4 million. “Don’t expect anything unless Iran suddenly changes its mind and agrees to a freeze. But I don’t think they will,” an OPEC source familiar with discussions said. The Saudi and Iranian economies depend heavily on oil, but Iran is seeing the pressure easing as it emerges from years of sanctions. Riyadh, on the other hand, faces a second year of record budget deficits and is being forced to cut the salaries of government employees.
Continued on Page 31
Riyadh seeks savings
Saudi chops wage, benefit bill in pursuit of austerity RIYADH/DUBAI, Sept 27, (RTRS): A decision to slash ministerial pay by a fifth reflects Saudi Arabia’s resolve to nudge its citizens into tolerating a fall in living standards at a time of low oil prices. Along with reductions unveiled on Monday that will affect all public sector workers, the cuts also flag to financial markets before a debut sovereign bond issue that the oil exporter is committed to budget discipline. The measures appear largely to formalise savings introduced ad hoc in parts of the state apparatus since last year, but their announcement on state media, which gave an official start date of Oct 1, is not without political risk. In a country that has no elections and where political legitimacy rests partly on distribution of oil revenue, the ability of citizens to adapt to reforms aimed at reducing oil dependence and improving selfreliance is crucial for stability. Some Saudis appeared prepared to accept austerity following the signal that ministers would share the pain. “Most of my colleagues are furious, but I see it as normal at such times,” said Fahad, 27, a post office worker, who said his monthly take-home pay, including benefits, would fall to 4,800 riyals ($1,280) from 6,000. “The country has given us a lot in the past and it is our duty to show solidarity now.” However, with about two thirds of working Saudis employed by the state, scepticism surfaced on social media. “The beginning of the end!” tweeted a writer using the name Nashat Haider. “Not a rise in efficiency, it’s a rise in poverty” wrote Alsheikhah Madawi.
Reforms The ruling Al Saud family has often hesitated to enact reforms that may stir unrest among Saudis, but with oil prices stubbornly low, it is now pushing changes to revitalise the private sector, slim the state, and get more Saudis into work. A lack of taxes, a big public sector, subsidised fuel and abundant government spending are benefits that officials have long cautioned are unaffordable, yet are seen as a right by many citizens because of the kingdom’s high oil output. But energy prices have plummeted since mid-2014, causing steep declines in income and putting economic growth at risk. It was unclear how far the steps will trim a budget deficit that reached a record $98 billion last year. In any case the wage cuts for ministers and others “of ministerial rank”, while unlikely to win big savings by themselves, appear specifically aimed at deflecting public anger by targetting those at the apex of society, economists said. The foreign exchange, credit default swap and international bond markets were little moved by the news. But initial reaction on regional stock markets was negative, as traders concluded the cuts would curb consumers’ disposable income. Saudi Arabia’s main stock index closed down 3.8 percent. Others on Twitter expressed their accep-
tance of the cuts to wages and other financial benefits that can form a large part of Saudi’s overall income. The hashtag “We are all today King Salman’s sons” was trending, and the message “Listen and Obey”, as the main duty of citizens towards their rulers, was widely shared. Abdulaziz al-Askar, a legal adviser, tweeted that Saudis’ ancestors swore allegiance to the Al Saud based on Islam and not on the basis of “allowances and bonuses”. Nawaf al-Otaibi, 42, who does civilian work for the Ministry of Defence, said the cuts would help to address long-term economic pressures and ease further sweeping reforms, which include the partial privatisation of oil giant Saudi Aramco. Reduced benefits would result in belt-tightening, he suggested.
Income “I get about 20 to 30 percent of my total income from these extras, so I’ll have to cut back on spending - maybe put off some plans for the future but mostly just cut back on daily spending for the family, on the kids, things like this,” he said. From an international perspective, the measures constitute a an attempt to convey the government’s seriousness about tackling the budget deficit, economists say. Apostolos Bantis, head of emerging market corporate credit research at Commerzbank, said the payroll and benefit cuts were “trying to send a signal to investors that the government is serious about reforms and that it’s ready to even touch something sensitive and political”. “The government is trying to give a signal to the local population that they need to tighten their belts and that this is starting from the top.” Monica Malik, chief economist at Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, said she estimated that savings from the cuts would amount to less than 1.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). But she added that the message was stronger than the anticipated savings. “Nothing is off bounds for potential fiscal reforms and it shows ongoing momentum to narrow the fiscal deficit. This is especially ahead of the expected international bond issuance,” she said. NCB Capital estimated allowances accounted for about a quarter of the government’s total salary bill last year, which was 38 percent of its overall budget of about $260 billion. But it is not known how far the latest measures will curb government spending on allowances, which Saudis say are many and varied. More substantial ways of plugging the budget gap include a $10 billion loan obtained from international banks in May and Saudi Arabia’s debut international bond issue expected in October. Bankers expect it to be worth a minimum of $10 billion. The central bank said on Sunday it had decided to inject around 20 billion riyals in time deposits into the banking system and introduced two new maturity periods for repurchase agreements, aiming to help boost financial stability in the local market.
ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
BUSINESS
31
Bahrain to require external auditors for Islamic banks Bahrain’s central bank has proposed new governance rules that would require Islamic banks in the kingdom to conduct external sharia audits of their operations, representing a shift away from the long-held practice of self-regulation. Islamic banks in the Gulf have traditionally used in-house boards of Islamic scholars to determine whether religious principles are being obeyed,
such as a ban on payment of interest. Some scholars argue that this decentralised approach allows more flexibility and diversity in Islamic finance, but there has been growing support in the region for measures to increase transparency and reduce scope for conflicts of interest. Such measures would aim to address concerns of potential customers who believe that the
banks too closely mimic conventional finance operations. Bahrain’s central bank said that a public consultation period for its draft rules would close on Oct 16. The draft is part of an effort by Bahrain to regain prominence in Islamic finance, an industry it helped to pioneer, against competition from centres such as Dubai and Kuala Lumpur. (RTRS)
worries over German banks sink bond issue, hit shares Deutsche Bank shares hit a record low on Tuesday and statebacked lender NordLB scrapped plans for a 500 million euro ($560 million) bond sale, underlining investor concern about the health of the financial industry in Europe’s largest economy. The decision by NordLB to shelve the bond issue because of a lack of demand came a day after Deutsche, Germany’s largest bank with around 100,000
employees, was forced to reassure investors it did not need government support to help meet a potential $14 billion claim from the US authorities. Deutsche Bank shares hit a record low of 10.19 euros and were trading down 3 percent at 10.23 euros by 1200 GMT as investors fretted over the impact of claims it missold mortgagebacked securities. Squeezed by the European
Central Bank’s low interest rates, German banks have been seeking ways to boost revenue by passing on costs to corporate customers and increasing fees for retail depositors, but profit margins remain thin in one of Europe’s most competitive banking markets. Banks such as Deutsche are also counting the cost of litigation dating back to their expansion before the financial crisis in 2007-2009. (RTRS)
Kuwait ranks 4th in Arab world and 38th globally
Switzerland, Singapore and US most competitive economies GENEVA, Switzerland, Sept 27: A ten-year decline in the openness of economies at all stages of development poses a risk to countries’ ability to grow and innovate, according to The Global Competitiveness Report 2016-2017, which is published today. The report is an annual assessment of the factors driving productivity and prosperity in 138 countries. The degree to which economies are open to international trade in goods and services is directly linked to both economic growth and a nation’s innovative potential. The trend, which is based on perception data from the Global Competitiveness Index (GCI)’s Executive Opinion Survey, is gradual and attributed mainly to a rise in non-tariff barriers although three other factors are also taken into account; burdensome customs procedures; rules affecting FDI and foreign ownership. It is most keenly felt in the high and upper middle income economies. “Declining openness in the global economy is harming competitiveness and making it harder for leaders to drive sustainable, inclusive growth,” said Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum. The report also sheds light on why quantitative easing and other monetary policy measures have been insufficient in reigniting long-term growth for the world’s advanced economies. The report finds that interventions by economies with comparatively low GCI scores failed to generate the same effect as those performed in economies with high scores, suggesting that strong underlying competitiveness is a key requirement for successful monetary stimulus. The report offers insight into how priorities may be shifting for nations in earlier stages of development. While basic drivers of competitiveness such as infrastructure, health, education and well-functioning markets will always be important, data in the GCI suggests that a nation’s performance in terms of technological readiness, business sophistication and innovation is now as important in driving competitiveness and growth. The Global Competitiveness Index in 2016 For the eighth consecutive year, Switzerland ranks as the most competitive economy in the world, narrowly ahead of Singapore and the United States. Following them is Netherlands and then Germany. The latter has climbed four places in two years. The next two countries, Sweden (6) and the United Kingdom (7) both advance three places, with the latter’s GCI score being based on pre-Brexit data. The remaining three economies
WTO drastically cuts global trade forecast Anti-globalisation rhetoric could make matters worse
in the top ten; Japan (8), Hong Kong SAR (9) and Finland (10) all move backwards. While European economies continue to dominate the top ten, there remains no end in sight for the region’s persisting north-south divide. Spain improves by one point climbing to 32, however Italy drops back one place to 44 and Greece reverses 5 places to 86. France, the Eurozone’s second largest economy, climbs one place to 21. For all economies in Europe, maintaining and improving prosperity levels will depend heavily on their ability to harness innovation and the talents of their workforces. The drop in energy prices has heightened the urgency of advancing competitiveness agendas across the Arab world. With three economies in the top thirty; the United Arab Emirates (16); Qatar (18); and Saudi Arabia (29) there remains a clear need for all energy-exporting nations to further diversify their economies and for much greater effort to improve basic competitiveness among the region’s energy-importing nations. Kuwait (38) stood 4th in the region. There is some sign of convergence in the competitiveness of the world’s largest emerging markets. China, on 28, remains top among the BRICS grouping although another surge by India – which climbs 16 places to 39 – means there is now less of a gap between it and its peers. With both Russia and South Africa moving up two places to 43 and 47 respectively only Brazil is declining, falling six places to 81. The competitiveness gap in East Asia and Pacific, meanwhile, is widening. Although 13 of the 15 economies covered consecutively since 2007 have been able to improve their
Saudi, Iran Continued from Page 31 Meanwhile, Kuwait is taking part in the 15th International Energy Forum (IEF15) under the slogan “Global Energy Transitions: An Enhanced Role For Energy Dialogue”, with participation of 50 countries. Kuwait will be represented by a high-level delegation headed by Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance and Acting Oil Minister Anas Al-Saleh, along with the participation of OPEC member states. The two-day forum will tackle developing all forms of energies, including renewable energies, and discussing the oil markets outlook, the stability challenge and natural gas. The program of IEF15 will focus on several sessions covering the most critical issues in global energy dialogue including energy governance, sustainable energy and enhancing energy security. Moreover, Energy Minister of Algeria will hold an informal meeting with OPEC officials on the sidelines of the forum over reaching a conclusion on a possible oil price freeze or cut. The Algerian Energy Minister Noureddine Bouterfa said that OPEC ministers can transform the gathering into an extraordinary meeting, depending on positive discussions until then. According to Bouterfa, the current level of prices makes the OPEC countries loose between 300 and 500 million dollars every day, amounts that could be invested in the oil research and exploitation and new investments as well.
Sales total Continued from Page 31 Seasonal lull in activity pulled investment sector sales to a 5-year low as apartment sales continued to carry the investment sector during the current environment. Sales for the investment sector totaled KD 54 million, 34 percent lower than August of last year with smaller single apartments (for investment) representing 57 percent of total transactions. The sector’s activity remains weak with 76 transactions, half the transactions recorded in August of last year. The NBK investment-building price index maintained its level in August. Despite the subdued activity in the real estate market, exacerbated by summer seasonality, the NBK investment building price index remained in the vicinity of 190 points, down 1.7 percent on the month. After making slight price gains since the beginning of the year, the index remains below the 200-mark for the second consecutive month in August, and down 16.2 percent y/y. The correction of the price index seems steeper the last three months coming off from record high levels between June and August 2015 (i.e. basis effect) when the index averaged 227 points. Commercial sector sales cooled further in August following an almost yearlong rally. Sales for the month totaled KD 5.5 million. This was on only four transactions; mainly three commercial plots in Sabah Al Ahmad Sea City amounting to KD 5.3 million.
GCI score over the past decade, this year sees reversals for some of the larger emerging markets in the region: Malaysia drops out of the top twenty, falling seven places to 25; Thailand drops two to 34; Indonesia falls 4 places to 41 while the Philippines drops ten to 57. A consistent theme for all the region’s developing countries is the need to make inroads into the more complex areas of competitiveness related to business sophistication and innovation if they are to break out of the middle-income trap. Two countries in Latin America and the Caribbean make it into this year’s top 50. Chile, the outlier in the region on 33, climbs two places although the gap is closing with the second highest ranked economy, Panama (up 8 places to 42). Next comes Mexico which performs strongly with a 6-point climb to 51. Argentina and Colombia, the third and fourth largest economies in the region, rank 104 and 61 respectively. One of the most improved nations in sub-Saharan Africa is Rwanda, which rises 6 places to 52. It is closing in on the region’s traditionally most competitive economies, Mauritius and South Africa, although both these countries register more modest improvements, climbing to 45 and 47 respectively. Lower down the ranking, Kenya climbs to 96, Ethiopia holds steady at 109 while Nigeria slips three to 127. “To me, the interest in economic growth comes from the fact that it is potentially so important for improving human welfare. The Global Competitiveness Report helps us understand the drivers of growth and this edition comes at a time of stalling productivity, the main determinant of future growth,” said Xavier Sala-i-Martin, Professor of Economics at Columbia University.
GENEVA, Sept 27, (AFP): The World Trade Organization Tuesday lowered its global trade forecast, warning that anti-globalisation rhetoric and Brexit were pushing trade growth to its slowest pace since the financial crisis. The warning comes as talks on a landmark free trade deal between the European Union and the United States faces stiff opposition and Britain’s EU exit causes jitters. The WTO said that global trade was now estimated to expand by just 1.7 percent this year, compared to its April projection of 2.8 percent. The new figure is also a far cry from a projection a year ago that trade would swell by 3.9 percent this year. Describing it as “wake-up call”, the Geneva-based global trade body said growth had fallen to its slowest pace in around seven years, when the global financial crisis hit. “With expected global GDP growth of 2.2 percent in 2016, this year would mark the slowest pace of trade and output growth since the financial crisis of 2009,” the trade body said in a statement. Looking ahead, the WTO said several issues, including Brexit’s possible impact, had now cast a shadow and it had revised down its 2017 forecast. Trade is now expected to grow between 1.8-3.1 percent, down from the previously anticipated 3.6 percent, said the WTO, which sets the rules of global commerce.
Also clouding the outlook, the WTO said, is “the possibility that growing anti-trade rhetoric will increasingly be reflected in trade policy” as well as financial volatility due to monetary policy changes in developed countries. “The recent run of weak trade and economic, growth suggests the need for a better understanding of changing global economic relationships,” it said. It warned that “creeping protectionism”, coupled with lacking trade liberalisation and perhaps the growing role of the digital economy and e-commerce might help explain the recent declining ratio of trade growth to GDP growth. Last week, the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development said Britain — the world’s fifth-biggest economy — was poised to take a major hit next year from its decision to leave the EU. Impact The WTO said the main impact of the shock vote in June had been on the value of the pound and noted that it had not sparked an immediate economic downturn. But, it added: “Effects over the longer term remain to be seen. Economic forecasts for the UK in 2017 range from fairly optimistic to quite pessimistic.” The WTO said the downgrade followed a sharper-than-expected decline in merchandise trade volumes in the first quarter, and a smaller-than-expected rebound in the second quarter. The contraction, it said, was driven especially by slowing growth in developing economies like China and Brazil.
But, said the WTO, North America, which showed the strongest import growth of any region between 2014 and 2015, was also hit by deceleration. “The dramatic slowing of trade growth is serious and should serve as a wake-up call,” WTO director general Robert Azevedo warned in the statement. “It is particularly concerning in the context of growing anti-globalisation sentiment,” he added, cautioning against this translating into “misguided policies”. Azevedo also highlighted the negative impact of inequality. “While the benefits of trade are clear, it is also clear that they need to be shared more widely,” he insisted. “We should seek to build a more inclusive trading system that goes further to support poorer countries to take part and benefit, as well as entrepreneurs, small companies, and marginalised groups in all economies,” he said. In a separate report released Tuesday on slowing global commerce, the International Monetary Fund also stressed the need to help workers affected by major trade shifts. “To reinforce popular support for trade integration and to preserve its benefits, policy makers should address the concerns of workers and industries that have trouble adjusting to greater overseas competition and take steps to ease their transition,” the IMF said. “Such policies include sufficiently broad social safety nets, as well programs to support retraining, skill building, and occupational and geographic mobility.”
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Zain awarded best Service Orientated Architecture in MEA 2016 from iCMG Zain, the leading telecommunications company in Kuwait, was awarded with the “best Service Orientated Architecture (SOA)” across the Middle East and Africa in 2016 as part of the Architecture Excellence Awards organized by iCMG, a global leader in providing Enterprise Architecture consultancy services. The awards ceremony — held this year in Bangalore, India — witnessed the attendance of senior executives, Chief Information Officers, and representatives from leading organizations from all around the world. The annual awards are considered a global benchmark for excellence in
Mahmoud AbuGhali from Zain receiving the award.
IT architecture design and planning. The award recognizes the company’s excellence in executing its integrated vision in Enterprise Architecture domain that unifies the SOA Layer of all direct customer contact points with the aim of delivering a seamless and high-quality customer experience. Nabeel Mohammed, Zain Kuwait’s Chief Technical Officer, commented: “This award from a leading global organization is a testament of the tremendous efforts exerted by our team to implement management’s vision into a fully integrated service architecture for our internal systems”. Mohammed added: “Zain’s modern Enterprise
Architecture Practice is continuously being expanded to create enduring systems that will not only reflect on the quality of the services we offer our customers, but also facilitate the process of implementing new systems with our strategic partners and B2B services”. Mohammed concluded: “This achievement reflects our innovation and continuous effort to deliver the highest satisfaction levels to our customers. Winning this award is a significant achievement given the intense competition present in the Kuwait mobile market, and we are grateful to the judging panel for recognizing our efforts.”
Central bank introduces host of new measures in line with recommendations of Basel Committee: Dr Al-Hashel
CBK gov discusses financial stability, innovation and reforms Following is the keynote speech delivered by HE Dr Mohammad Y. Al-Hashel, governor, central bank of Kuwait at the euromoney conference in Kuwait.
Gulf Bank affirms success of Euromoney Kuwait confab
Alghanim offers solutions to challenges facing Kuwait’s economy in era of global uncertainties
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Your Excellency, the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, and Acting Minister of Oil, Distinguished Guests, Sabah-al-khair and a very good morning. I am delighted to return to this forum for the fourth consecutive year. And thank you Mr. Banks for your kind introduction and for inviting me to speak before this august audience. The conference this year is centered on the topic of ‘Meeting the challenges of financial innovations and reforms’. In line with this broad agenda of the conference, I would like to speak about both financial innovations and reforms – the two key forces of changes currently sweeping across the financial and economic landscape and their implications for the financial sector stability. In the first part of my speech, I will talk about financial innovation, the opportunities it offers and the challenges it poses. In the second part, I will discuss reforms, particularly in the financial sector and their role in making our banking sector more resilient. Finally, I will also touch upon the need for broader economic reforms which are critical to foster sustainable economic growth. Financial innovations Technological innovations are radically changing the way we conduct business, interact with each other or consume various products and services. Industries like transport and hoteling have already been shaken up by the likes of Uber and Airbnb. Financial sector, essentially an ‘information industry’, is also experiencing a major transformation fueled by advances in technology. While the influence of modern technologies is now ubiquitous, let me briefly highlight a few areas of finance where the developments are particularly significant. First, technology is supporting the outreach of formal financial services to the millions of otherwise unbanked customers. According to the World Bank, the poorest 20% of the world population is more likely to have access to a mobile phone than to clean water and sanitation. Capitalizing on this opportunity, a number of countries have managed to swiftly expand access to finance in recent years. For instance, Tanzania has more than doubled the percentage of adults with bank accounts through e-money services. And digital IDs have helped add 200 million new bank accounts in India. It is pertinent to mention that here in Kuwait, we have already achieved a level of financial inclusion that is truly impressive by global standards; World Bank’s data reveals that 86.8% of the population above the age of 15 years in Kuwait has an account with a formal financial institution, compared to a meager 14% in the Middle East region. Second, programing breakthroughs like blockchain are potentially transforming the way we verify transactions and enforce contracts. By allowing parties to transact without central intermediaries, blockchain can strip off costs, reduce inefficiencies and enhance customer services. Reportedly, it can enable cross border payments without correspondent banks and can lower settlement times from around 3 plus days to a few seconds. Hosts of other innovations are reshaping the way we transfer money or obtain credit. For instance, mobile wallets are enabling payments by smart phones, peer-to-peer lending is providing new sources of financing and roboadvisors are offering financial advice. While undoubtedly exciting, these developments bring in their own unique risks and challenges. I would like to flag a few of them, particularly from the standpoint of financial stability. First, cyber security risk is becoming an increasingly major part of banks’
HE Dr Mohammad Y. Al-Hashel, Governor, Central Bank of Kuwait addressing the Euromoney Conference held on Sept 27 in Kuwait City.
operational risk profile. As various hacking episodes illustrate, now fraud can be perpetrated swiftly, remotely and on a massive scale. Though such occurrences are still rare, the impact is massive, both in financial and reputational terms. Second, financial technology firms or fintechs are unbundling parts of the finance value chain, offering financial services directly to customers. Apart from increasing competition and squeezing banks’ profits, fintechs are moving part of the banking business to shadow banking which remains lightly regulated, if at all. Likewise, tech-enabled peer-to-peer lending and crowdfunding may exacerbate procyclicality and the scale of shadow banking. Third, we may witness the emergence of new systemically important digital financial firms. The tech world already reflects a winner-takes-all phenomenon as few firms like Google and Apple enjoy huge presence in their respective areas; greater role of these firms in providing financial services may create a completely new set of unregulated too-big-to fail institutions with their own unique risks. As this discussion indicates, innovations are by nature a disruptive force, causing a considerable degree of instability. Therefore, regulators face a daunting task of keeping financial systems safe and stable while continuing to ensure the convenience and efficiency that modern technologies offer. Indeed, it is a delicate balance to achieve, as we want neither to stifle innovation nor to undermine financial stability. Similar to when navigating unfamiliar domains, we need to remain agile, adaptive and proactive – this will ensure reaping the enormous benefits of financial innovations and at the same time limiting their downsides. Reforms in the banking sector Let me now turn to the second part of my speech, i.e. reforms. Since it is a very broad topic, I will confine my discussion to some key regulatory reforms in the banking sector, given their direct relevance to the Central Bank of Kuwait’s (CBK) mandate of financial stability. As we have experienced in the past, stress in the financial sector can come from a variety of sources; it is hard to predict when or where the turbulence would emanate from. Consider the stress that financial markets have suffered from in recent years. In 2013, it was the US taper tantrum, in 2014 it was the oil prices collapse, in 2015 it was China’s rebalancing and this year it was Brexit, just to quote a few examples. These events were markedly different in geographical origin and root causes but were common in rattling the global markets. Against this backdrop, ensuring a resilient banking system capable of withstanding a variety of shocks is no easy task. And these shocks are not only exogenous; the banking system itself is in a state of flux amid evolving risks, in part due to the very financial innovations I just talked about. This necessitates the need for continuously upgrading our regulatory regime. Accordingly, CBK, over the past few years, have not only refined its existing regulations to reflect the best global practices, but have also introduced a host of new measures, in line with the recommendations of the Basel
Committee. Let me very briefly point out only a few of the steps we have taken. First, we have enhanced our capital adequacy regime by setting out higher and better quality capital for our banks to further strengthen their loss absorbing capacity. We have also put up additional capital requirements for our systemically important banks. Furthermore, our additional capital conservation buffer and countercyclical capital buffer requirements would respectively enable banks to maintain additional cushion and would help contain the buildup of systemic risk. Secondly, we have introduced a simple leverage ratio as a supplementary measure to ensure that banks do not become overly leveraged. Last but not least, we have implemented two new liquidity standards; Liquidity Coverage Ratio and Net Stable Funding Ratio which are aimed to improve banks’ capacity to withstand liquidity stress and to make their funding structure more stable. Admittedly, ensuring stability of a constantly evolving banking system can’t be left to regulation alone. So we have also strengthened our supervisory capacity, which suitably complements our revamped regulatory regime and enables us to vigilantly examine banks’ true compliance with our regulations. Moreover, our supervisory function gives us the agility to mitigate emerging risks before they materialize. Despite these efforts, we are aware that we can’t regulate and supervise every aspect of the banking system. Ultimately, the banks should assume prime responsibility for their actions and behaviors. Given the paramount importance of public confidence, banks can ill afford to operate with weak corporate governance or poor risk culture. Therefore, we have issued comprehensive guidelines to make banks’ corporate governance more robust, supported by strong internal controls, prudent risk management and meticulous compliance. We recognize that compliance with our regulatory measures is costly for banks; nonetheless, the cost of any financial crisis is way too steep; so it is only wise and rational to strengthen the capacity of our banks in benign times. By requiring banks to do so, CBK’s proactive approach paved the way for our banks to enter the low oil price environment from a position of strength. Without the robust buffers that we diligently built in good times, the banking sector would not have been able to withstand the stress so well. As we have noted in our flagship Financial Stability Report for 2015 released in July, banking system in Kuwait has remained stable despite the challenging economic environment. Banks’ non-performing loan ratio has continued its steady decline to reach 2.4%, a historically low level. Compare it to the NPLR of 11.5% back in 2009 and you would notice the substantial progress that our banks have made in cleaning their balance sheets. At the same time, the coverage ratio has climbed to a record high of 204%, substantially greater than the pre-crisis ratio of 87% observed in 2007. In terms of newly introduced liquidity coverage ratio, our banks are comfortably above the minimum benchmark of 100% required by 2019.
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KUWAIT CITY, Sept 27: Gulf Bank successfully concluded its lead sponsorship of the 8th Euromoney conference in Kuwait, which took place on Sept 27, 2016 at the JW Marriott Hotel in Kuwait. The theme of this year’s conference was ‘Meeting the Challenge of Financial Innovation and Reform’ and it addressed the challenges and opportunities facing the Kuwaiti economy in an era of global uncertainties. The opening session included keynote addresses from the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance — HE Dr Khalifa Musaed Hamada; Governor of the Central Bank of Kuwait — HE Dr Mohammed Al-Hashel; Director General of the Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority – HE Sheikh Meshaal Jaber Al-Sabah, and Head of Markets Sector at the Capital Markets Authority, Muthanna Al-Saleh. Omar Kutayba Alghanim, Chairman of Gulf Bank and CEO Alghanim Industries, participated in the morning’s first interview session where he offered solutions to the challenges facing Kuwait. Alghanim stressed that Kuwait is unlike any other country in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC); it was a leader in the region long before the discovery of oil. Kuwait’s rich history of trading and entrepreneurship are unique and provide an important framework to address the issues that are currently facing the country and the region. Alghanim said:” We are all entrepreneurs, it is in our roots, and we had a production economy and must return to that, we need to reawaken what is already in our DNA.” The two major issues Alghanim cited facing Kuwait and the GCC are: oil and demographics. With regard to oil, he noted that it has been Kuwait’s single commodity and highlighted the need to move away from a single commodity market to a more diversified economy, an economy that shifts the focus from consumption to production. As for demographics, he noted the GCC region has the second youngest population in the world, after sub-Saharan Africa. Specifically in Kuwait, more than half of our people are below the age of 25. Alghanim said: “Since the birth of the oil industry, the government has employed the vast majority of our people. Today, the government employs over 85% of our people. But it
Governor of the Central Bank HE Dr Mohammad Al-Hashel with Omar Kutayba Alghanim, Chairman of Gulf Bank at the bank’s stand at the 8th Euromoney Conference.
can’t continue doing so in a low oil price environment. Who is going to give jobs to Kuwait’s young people? The solutions to these problems lie in fostering a culture of entrepreneurship, executing infrastructure projects, and implementing privatization”. With regard to entrepreneurship, he said: “Young people need to be taught the skills the private sector requires such as critical thinking, problem solving, empathy, creativity, and flexibility. It is equally important that we embrace taking calculated and controllable risks because nothing in business can be achieved without taking risk”. He further added that companies must create environments where talent and innovation can thrive and where young people can flourish. He stressed the importance of reaching out to youth. “Through our work with INJAZ we offer educational programs on entrepreneurial and leadership skills to build successful careers for high school and university students. But we must start even earlier, in elementary school.” Addressing infrastructure issues in Kuwait is also of great importance. Alghanim commented: “Infrastructure is vital for competitiveness as a country; we’ve seen good progress on this front recently, with some overdue mega-projects now underway. In order to maintain momentum, we should also allow the focus to be on bite-sized projects, because both the
funding and the execution are easier.” As for privatization, Alghanim noted:” Our private sector has had some tremendous success not only locally but also regionally. In Kuwait, we are in an excellent position because our banking system is one of the safest in the world in terms of liquidity and capital adequacy ratios and it stands ready to support privatization efforts.” In conclusion, Alghanim said: “I am optimistic about the future, we have little national debt, wise and able leadership, and a strong banking sector. I am proud that Gulf Bank is playing a major role in this conference. It is an outstanding platform to discuss challenges and opportunities for Kuwait. I would also like to thank the organizers, the Central Bank of Kuwait, the Capital Markets Authority and all those involved in this conference.” The annual Euromoney conference provides Gulf Bank an unparalleled platform to discuss Kuwait’s fiscal, monetary and economic diversification strategy. The participation of Kuwait’s leading financial professionals, along with the participation of regional and global experts, will provide in-depth insights into digitalisation, innovation and the future of Kuwaiti business, finance and governance. There is also a strong underlying theme in the programme which aims to explore the role of Kuwait in the international financial system.
Omar Kutayba Alghanim, Chairman of Gulf Bank during his interview session.
Bank holds training program for new recruits
MGRP lauds KFH efforts in training national labour
Photo shows a session of KFH training program.
KUWAIT CITY, Sept 27: Manpower and Government Restructuring Program — MGRP praised Kuwait Finance House (KFH) in recognition of its efforts in training the national labour through comprehensive training plans, and its commitment towards qualifying and honing the skills of the new recruits and even those of senior positions. The statement was made by Amani AlMerri, an official at the National Labor Force Development Department on the sideline of inaugurating a training program for a batch of new KFH recruits at Millennium Hotel in presence of a number of officials from KFH and MGRP. She expressed her pride of Ku-
waitis working at the private sector, affirming MGRP’s support for the Kuwaiti nationals in collaboration and coordination with KFH and the private sector in general. She urged trainees for putting forth extra efforts, yet to strive towards pursuing leadership positions.
Designed It is worth noting that the training program was designed to prepare the employees to get fully functional in banking transactions and financial services at KFH Call Center department and the branches to better serve clients and cater for their aspirations. The 1-month program encom-
passed 24 employees. It included training courses and workshops on banking products, such as; banking cards, bank accounts, deposits, letters of guarantee, and KFH eservices. In addition, the program tackled subjects on sharia basics, counterfeiting and fraud, GFS Ethix, not to mention the call center; its equipment, role, and services. Such training programs contribute to raise the bar of employees, enrich their banking knowledge and put them on track to be well equipped and prepared to assume the responsibility of serving clients and encounter any obstacle and challenge according to the highest international standards of excellence service quality.
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BofA, Goldman cut Asia staff on merger slowdown Bank of America will lay off 20 senior investment bankers in Asia due to slowing activity in the region, a person familiar with the matter said Monday. Goldman Sachs is also cutting staff in the Asian region due to a slump in deal-making according to published reports Monday. Bank of America employees affected by the layoffs work in Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong, a person familiar with the
move told AFP. The plans are still being finalized, including the exact number of workers affected. Bank of America also cut about 150 investment bankers in the region in March. Goldman plans to lay off more than 25 percent of 300 investment bankers in the region, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Goldman staff will be cut in
Hong Kong and Singapore, but workers in Japan will be spared, the report said. Officials with Bank of America and Goldman Sachs declined comment. Besides more sluggish business conditions in Asia, large western banks are facing tougher competition from local banks in Asia. Earlier this year, Swiss bank UBS also cut staff in Asia. (AFP)
Viacom readies $1 billion bond offering Viacom Inc is preparing to go to market this week with a bond offering that is expected to total $1 billion, part of the struggling media company’s plan to boost liquidity, three sources told Reuters. Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley are arranging investor calls for the bond on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to
an email sent to an investor and seen by IFR and Reuters. The sources wished to remain anonymous because they are not permitted to speak to the media. Officials at Viacom were not immediately available for comment. Spokesmen at Citi, Bank of America and Morgan Stanley declined to comment. Viacom’s bond offering would
come just days after its board announced that is slicing in half its dividend to 20 cents per share. The action will free up about $300 million in cash for the company, which has over $12 billion in debt. Viacom, whose cable television networks include Comedy Central, MTV and Nickelodeon, has seen TV ratings and ad revenue decline. (RTRS)
Immigrations a possible boon to host economies, Fund says
IMF warns central banks could lose deflation fight WASHINGTON, Sept 27, (AFP): The International Monetary Fund warned Tuesday that central banks are struggling to beat back deflationary forces and that governments need to spend to help them succeed. In a new assessment of global economic conditions, the IMF said many countries worldwide are battling disinflation — low and slowing inflation — due to weak global economic growth. If central banks around the world cannot halt this stall, and if companies and people increasingly believe they can’t halt it, their economies risk sinking into a deflationary spiral — where prices generally start to fall and companies and consumers hold back spending and investment, stalling the economy. In this case, “countries can’t afford to be complacent,” the Fund warned. The report said deflationary pressures in many countries are coming from abroad, in the form of sinking prices of both commodities and manufactured goods. “The breadth of the decline in inflation across countries and the fact that it is stronger in the tradable goods sectors underscore the global nature of disinflationary forces,” the IMF said. Weak inflation challenges central banks’ ability to use monetary policy to stimulate demand, the IMF notes, because interest rates are likely to already be very low, giving them little room to cut further. That has been the case with top central banks including the Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank and the Bank of Japan, with the latter two already having taken some interest rates negative. “Eventually, ‘persistent’ disinflation can lead to costly deflationary cycles — as we have seen in Japan — where weak demand and deflation
reinforce each other, and end up increasing debt burdens and hindering economic activity and job creation.” Part of the problem is about perceptions — if people expect that inflation is going to slow whatever the central banks do, it further undermines the effectiveness of monetary policy. The IMF said there are some signs of that problem: central banks in advanced countries are now “increasingly perceived” to lack much policy scope to reverse disinflation. “After a long period of stability, certain measures of medium-term inflation expectations have indeed fallen in some advanced economies.” Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund on Tuesday said immigration could help boost economic growth in host countries and called for the swift integration of new workers to help surmount political tensions. The remarks, contained in a new study, coincides with strong antiimmigrant sentiment in Western countries as a global refugee crisis reaches proportions not seen since the Second World War. “Migration may stir social tensions and provoke a political backlash in recipient economies, but past experience suggests it may also offer gains in terms of higher growth, productivity, and relief from population aging,” the report said. A single percentage point rise in the share of migrants among a host country’s adult population can in the longer-term result in a 2 percent gain in per capita GDP, the report said. It called for the quick integration of new arrivals into labor markets, as well as access to schools and support for migrant businesses, to reduce the strains and social pressures that can come with absorbing new migrant populations.
US consumer confidence hits post-recession high Housing price gains slow in July WASHINGTON, Sept 27, (AFP): US consumer confidence rose in September to its highest level since the Great Recession, according to Conference Board figures released Tuesday. The Board’s consumer confidence index rose to 104.1, up from 101.8 in August. The reading handily surpassed a consensus forecast among analysts, which had called for a reading of 98. “Consumers are more upbeat about the short-term employment outlook but somewhat neutral about business conditions and income prospects,” Lynn Franco, the Board’s head of economic indicators, said in a statement. “Overall, consumers continue to rate current conditions favorably and foresee moderate economic expansion in the months ahead.” The index recorded a decline in the share of consumers who say current
Fed wants more capital at largest banks WASHINGTON, Sept 26, (AFP): Shares of the largest US banks fell Monday after the Federal Reserve’s main regulator proposed higher capital requirements for them. Stress tests for the banks — to see how they could ride out extreme crises — indicated that the largest eight so-called global systemically important banks (GSIB) need firmer capital buffers for systemic safety, Fed governor Daniel
Tarullo said in a speech. The Fed would soon formally propose a “stress capital buffer approach” to replace a previous capital strength surcharge on large banks, he added. “This would generally result in a significant increase in capital requirements applicable to the GSIBs,” he said. The tougher standard is based on the view that “financial regulation should be progressively more
stringent for firms of greater importance, and thus potential risk, to the financial system,” he said. “The surcharges are calibrated to force large, interconnected banks to internalize the additional costs their distress would impose on the financial system.” The eight include Bank of America, Bank of New York Mellon, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, State Street and Wells Fargo.
business conditions are “good,” which fell from 30.3 percent to 27.4 percent. But those saying conditions are “bad” also dropped from 18.2 percent to 16.2 percent. “This is the second straight upside surprise in the index and, while both expectations and the present situation component have risen, the latter has
done most of the work, rising by more than 10 points in the past two months,” said Ian Shepherdson, chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics. Meanwhile, US housing price growth slowed in July, with the strongest gains in the cities of Portland, Seattle and Denver, according to survey data released Tuesday.
The S&P Case-Shiller price index for 20 major US cities recorded a 5 percent annual increase, down from 5.1 percent in June. Analysts had forecast gains of 5.1 percent in the index for July. Month over month, however, the seasonally adjusted twenty-city index was unchanged.
Stronger, better than peers
UK enjoys first North Sea energy output rise in 15 years: industry
Brexit could make Britain highly attractive: Doepfner
Tanker brings first US shale gas to Britain
LONDON, Sept 27, (RTRS): Brexit will be more painful for the rest of Europe than for Britain which could emerge stronger and better off than its European neighbours, Mathias Doepfner, chief executive of Axel Springer, told the Financial Times. Doepfner, head of one of Europe’s largest media companies, said Britain was bound to experience short-term pain as a consequence of its June 23 vote to quit the EU. But Doepfner added that “in three to five years from now, my bet would be that England will be better off than continental Europe”. Doepfner said he saw Britain moving towards a “more free market-oriented model, while Europe is step by step transforming into a transfer union” where funds were being channelled from successful states to the struggling ones. “And that can put a lot of investors off,” Doepfner told the FT in an interview published on Tuesday. “If Britain can create an alternative here, I think that is highly attractive,” he said.
CBK gov Continued from Page 32 And even banks’ net income have registered positive growth at a time when international banks are facing a distressing squeeze on profits amid low interest rate environment. On the capital adequacy side, our banking system has stayed robust at 17.5%, well above the CBK’s 12.5% requirement for 2015. Banks’ overall leverage ratio at 9.7% is also substantially higher than the 3% global benchmark. And banking credit has posted a very healthy growth of 8.5% in 2015. This indicates that CBK’s focus on financial stability has by no means restricted our banks’ ability to support the real economic activity in Kuwait. Rather we believe that the soundness of our system has enabled our banks to continue lending despite a challenging macro environment. Need for broader economic reforms This brings me to the final part of my speech. Here I would like to briefly touch upon the need for economic and structural reforms that are critical for sustainable economic growth. Based on the few statistics that I shared earlier, it is obvious that our banks, at least so far, have weathered the oil rout fairly well. However, you would appreciate that banks’ capacity to remain resilient is not infinite; a weak economic environment would ultimately put an otherwise stable
The June 23 vote took many investors and chief executives by surprise, triggering the deepest political and financial turmoil in Britain since World War Two and the biggest ever one-day fall in sterling against the dollar. Despite warnings before the vote that Brexit would shatter economic confidence, some positive economic data and Softbank’s $32 billion takeover of Britain’s technology company ARM have stoked the perception that Britain could prosper outside the EU. Still, Prime Minister Theresa May and her ministers admit they need to reassure investors from the United States, Japan, China and India that the United Kingdom and London, the only financial capital to rival New York, are still good places to make money. Britain’s allies fear that its exit from the EU could mark a turning point in post-Cold War international affairs that will weaken the West in relation to China and Russia, undermine efforts toward European integration and hurt global free trade. banking system in considerable stress, eroding its resilience over time. Though CBK is leaving no stone unturned in upgrading its regulatory regime and enhancing its supervisory focus, financial regulation can only go that far; it can’t be the ‘only game in town’ because it is too narrow a tool to address macroeconomic and structural issues. Banking sector, no matter how stable, is only a component of the overall economic landscape and its stability can’t obviate the need for economic reforms. Fortunately, our financial buffers and low public debt provide us some breathing space; therefore, our economic reforms can be gradual, as long as the momentum is sustained. And I shall emphasize that the modest recovery in oil prices seen earlier this year is no excuse for complacency as only comprehensive fiscal and structural reforms would ultimately enable Kuwait to wean itself off oil dependence. Rationalizing expenditures, maximizing non-oil revenues, promoting private sector development, and diversifying the economy are few of the areas, which would continue to require unremitting attention. Conclusion To conclude, CBK has made strenuous efforts in maintaining monetary and financial stability in these testing times. Our success is evident from the healthy trends in various financial indicators, a few of which I shared today. Yet financial and monetary stability is just a necessary but not a sufficient condition for the overall economic stability.
sprawling energy complex on the River Forth west of Edinburgh, but was not able to dock due to high winds. The shipment of Pennsylvania gas arrived in Scottish style, a lone bagpiper playing from the tanker’s prow as it passed under the Forth’s iconic 19th-century railway bridge. A £2 billion (2.3 billion euros, $2.6 billion) investment by Ineos, the world’s third largest chemical company, will create a “virtual pipeline” with eight tankers transporting regular shipments across the Atlantic Ocean to Britain and Norway. “There simply is insufficient raw material coming out of the North Sea to run Grangemouth,” Ineos chairman Jim Ratcliffe told a press conference. The gas shipment will help make up for dwindling offshore supplies which once flowed in abundance from the North Sea but have become increasingly difficult and costly to extract as wells have matured. North Sea oil production hit a record low last year as the global oil price plummeted. They have since risen, going up more than 10 percent in 2015, according to the sector’s annual report. A new shipment of gas will arrive every three weeks at Grangemouth, where it will be broken down using a chemical process called “cracking” and used to make plastics for bottles, pipes, cabling, insulation, food packaging and pharmaceutical equipment. The deal is expected to support A bagpiper plays for the prow of the JS Ineon Insight ship carryng the first shipment of shale gas from the United thousands of jobs in Scotland but the States as it arrives to dock at Grangemouth in Scotland on Sept 27. The carrier, transporting 27,500 cubic metres controversial method of extracting the of ethane, was given a traditional Scottish welcome, passing under the Forth’s iconic 19th century steel rail bridge as a lone bagpiper played from the ship. A £2 billion (2.3 billion euros, $2.6 billion) investment by Ineos, the world’s gas, known as hydraulic fracturing or third largest chemical company, will create a ‘virtual pipeline’ with eight tankers transporting regular shipments “fracking”, has divided political opinacross the Atlantic to Britain and Norway. (AFP) ion and caused a headache for Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. “This is a hugely important day for Ineos and the UK. Shale gas can help stop the decline of British manufacturing and today is first step in that direction,” Ratcliffe said. “We’re talking about 10,000 jobs in total that depend on that Grangemouth FRANKFURT, Sept 27, (AFP): Credit facility, so if it were not for the shale growth to the private sector in the euro gas we are bringing in from the USA, area was steady in August, ECB data Grangemouth would have closed three showed Tuesday, boosting expectayears ago.” tions that the bank will refrain from Ratcliffe has accused the Scottish adding firepower to monetary policy government of “hypocrisy” by brokerfor now. ing a deal to save the plant but then Many of the European Central leaving it dependent on US imports by Bank’s measures aim to make access refusing to allow fracking in Scotland. to credit easier, allowing people and Meanwhile, Britain’s oil and gas month since January 2013 and follows PARIS, Sept 27, (AFP): French unembusinesses to invest and contribute to production has risen for the first time on a slight decrease in July. ployment rose sharply in August, reachgrowth — making the lending statisin 15 years on cheaper extraction The government said the jihadist ing its highest level in years and dealing tics a key measure of their effectivecosts, an industry body said Tuesday, attacks in Nice and Normandy in a serious blow to President Francois ness. while warning of a lack of investment. July, which led to a significant fall in Hollande ahead of next year’s election. August saw approved loans increase Output jumped by 10.4 percent in tourism, were partly to blame. The number of unemployed in 1.3 percent compared with the same 2015 compared with a year earlier, Oil Labour Minister Myriam El Khomri mainland France grew by over 50,000, month in 2015, the same pace as in & Gas UK said in a report. said the new figures were “sharply or 1.4 percent, to 3.56 million, accordJuly — when loans grew only slightly “Few industries could have achieved less favourable than those for previing to the labour ministry. more strongly than in June. the performance improvements the ous months”. The rise was the biggest in a single Corrected for some strictly financial UK’s oil and gas industry has demontransactions, loan growth to housestrated over the last 18 months,” it members have said the volley of monPresident Mario Draghi in March holds and companies remained stable said. “Its determination has seen the etary policy interventions have yet to announced a new round of cheap loans at 1.7 percent in August, the Frankfurt cost of extracting a barrel of oil or gas take their full effect and should be to banks, dropped interest rates to institution said. from the UK Continental Shelf cut to enough to contain the impact of postrecord lows and increased the ECB’s Since Britons voted to quit the EU nearly half its cost since 2014 and a 10 Brexit uncertainty. government and corporate bond-buyin June, ECB policymakers have not percent increase in production. Meanwhile, growth in the overall ing programme from 60 to 80 billion added to measures designed to boost Higher output from the North Sea money supply, known as M3, sped up, euros ($89.9 billion) per month. lending to households and businesses and beyond has however been a major reaching 5.1 percent in August — an In recent public appearances, Draghi despite fears of an economic slowreason for a global supply glut that has increase over July’s 4.9 percent. and other ECB governing council down in the single currency bloc. severely dampened prices since 2014.
GRANGEMOUTH, United Kingdom, Sept 27, (AFP): A tanker carrying the first shipment of shale gas from the United States arrived Tuesday in Britain, where North Sea gas supplies are dwindling and there is fierce public opposition to fracking. The ship carrying 27,500 cubic metres of ethane arrived at Grangemouth, a
ECB seen to refrain from more intervention
Loan growth in private sector pauses in Aug
French unemployment rises sharply in August
ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
BUSINESS
34
Egypt pound steady
Name: Kuwait Sharia Compatible Indices
Egypt’s central bank held the pound steady against the dollar at its regular foreign currency sale on Tuesday, while the currency weakened on the black market. The bank sold $118.6 million at an unchanged rate of 8.78 per dollar. On the black market, four traders said they were selling dollars at a range between 13.05-13.10 pounds per dollar, weaker than last week’s 12.8. They did not give volumes of trade. Egypt is facing an acute dollar shortage that sent its foreign reserves down to $16.564 billion at the end of August. (RTRS)
Providers: Al Madar Finance & Investment Co.
Description: Index of Sharia compatible companies traded on the KSE
Website: www.almadar-fi.com
Index name Kuwait Sharia Compatible Index - Composite Kuwait Sharia Compatible Index - Kuwait Only Kuwait Sharia Compatible Index - Active Kuwait Sharia Compatible Index - Banking Sector Kuwait Sharia Compatible Index - Investment Sector Kuwait Sharia Compatible Index - Insurance Sector Kuwait Sharia Compatible Index - Real Estate Sector Kuwait Sharia Compatible Index - Industrial Sector Kuwait Sharia Compatible Index - Services Sector Kuwait Sharia Compatible Index - Food Sector Kuwait Sharia Compatible Index - Islamic Sector Kuwait Sharia Compatible Index - Non Kuwaiti Sector Kuwait Stock Exchange Index - Price S&P 500 DJ Islamic Index.
Asia growth holds stable thanks to China and India ADB warns against any move towards protectionism HONG KONG, Sept 27, (AFP): The Asian Development Bank said Tuesday that growth across the region was holding stable despite global headwinds, with resilience in China and India keeping it on track. GDP for developing Asia is predicted to grow 5.7 percent in 2016 and 2017, according to the bank’s latest report -- down slightly from 5.9 percent in 2015. “Strong growth in the PRC (China) and India is helping the region maintain its growth momentum,” said ADB’s deputy chief economist Juzhong Zhuang. “Still, policymakers need to watch for the downside risks including potential capital reversals that could be triggered by monetary policy changes in advanced economies, especially the United States.” Dropped Although China growth has dropped from 6.9 percent last year, its performance so far in 2016 surpassed the bank’s previous forecast, with fiscal and monetary stimulus measures behind the increase, the ADB report said. The bank revised up slightly its predictions for China growth to 6.6 percent in 2016 and 6.4 percent in 2017. Both figures are up 0.1 percent from the bank’s previous report in March. India saw a boost to private consumption after recently approved increases in wages and pensions, and a healthy monsoon is likely to lift rural incomes, the ADB said. It maintained its growth forecast for India at 7.4 percent for 2016 and 7.8 percent for 2017, with improvements driven by a recovery in pri-
Australia lowers backpacker tax rate after rural opposition SYDNEY, Sept 27, (RTRS): Australian Treasurer Scott Morrison on Tuesday lowered a proposed tax on backpackers who work in the country after rural opposition that the policy would undermine the goal of growing agricultural exports. Under the new proposal effective from Jan 1, the holiday makers from overseas will pay tax of 19.5 percent on every dollar earned, down from the Australian government’s original plan to impose a 32.5 percent tax. Australia has encouraged backpackers to work on farms with special visas allowing them to stay for a second year if they do three months work in rural Australia. But farmers said the 32.5 percent tax proposal would deny them important workers. Farmers said the higher tax would discourage holiday workers who make up the bulk of fruit pickers
at harvest times, threatening the country’s fruit industry, which is set for record exports of A $2.27 billion ($1.74 billion) next season. Morrison said the “government is frustrated” at the difficulties in getting locals to work in many parts of Australia. “But those who run the businesses and have to pick the fruit and have to ensure they get their product to market, well, they don’t have the luxury of waiting for someone to come and take that job.” Australia’s peak rural industry body welcomed Morrison’s U-turn. “We have consistently said agriculture simply cannot do without backpackers and, following today’s announcement, we can again go to the working holiday maker community and say that coming to work on our farms is worth it,” said Brent Finlay, president of the National Farmers Federation.
vate investment and bank reforms. However, a slow recovery in the US, the eurozone, and Japan will still weigh on the region, with question marks over monetary policy in those areas. The report described risks to the regional outlook as “tilted to the downside”, with the possibility of a US Federal Reserve rate hike a possible threat to capital flows. The ADB also warned policymakers against any move towards protectionism which it said “would only undermine the recovery”. Looking to the future, the Manilabased regional bank said it was increasingly important for developing
Asia to cut its carbon emissions, which went from 25 percent of the global total in 1990-1999 to 40 percent in 2012. The effects of climate change, from shorter rainy seasons to droughts and outbreaks of disease could be catastrophic if unchecked, it said. “If uncontrolled, climate change may lead to economic loss equivalent to 10 percent of GDP in 2100, reversing many hard-won socioeconomic gains in the region,” the report said. The ADB promotes social and economic development in Asia and has 67 members, 48 from the region.
Bloomberg ticker AMIC AMIC AMIC AMIC AMIC AMIC AMIC AMIC AMIC AMIC AMIC AMIC KWSEIDX SPX DJIM
Today’s value as of September 27, 2016 September 27, 2016 September 27, 2016 September 27, 2016 September 27, 2016 September 27, 2016 September 27, 2016 September 27, 2016 September 27, 2016 September 27, 2016 September 27, 2016 September 27, 2016 September 27, 2016 September 26, 2016 September 26, 2016
Today’s closing value 149.98 145.05 70.31 239.97 45.42 14.70 45.49 114.10 174.23 362.35 113.70 319.16 5,412.37 2,146.10 2,959.88
Prev closing value 149.49 144.63 70.36 237.92 45.03 14.70 45.41 114.42 173.56 367.93 112.85 315.61 5,407.87 2,164.69 2,972.55
% change 0.32% 0.29% -0.07% 0.86% 0.87% 0.00% 0.17% -0.28% 0.39% -1.52% 0.75% 1.12% 0.08% -0.86% -0.43%
1-week change 1.13% 1.04% -0.65% 1.85% 0.16% -4.38% -0.05% -0.03% 1.24% 0.14% 1.73% 3.16% 0.27% 0.33% 0.59%
3-month change 1.19% 0.72% 4.56% 2.32% -3.74% -7.90% 0.39% -2.02% 0.46% -0.22% 2.32% 13.68% 0.70% 5.40% 6.58%
YTD change -4.91% -5.72% -3.29% -14.88% -3.45% -23.40% -10.32% -9.38% 1.47% 20.35% -11.02% 20.17% -3.61% 4.01% 4.93%
12-month change -7.04% -7.63% -14.37% -16.37% -15.59% -42.17% -7.97% -6.54% -1.82% 8.09% -13.61% 12.92% -6.11% 11.12% 11.06%
24-month change -31.84% -32.52% -42.38% -35.48% -51.25% -52.92% -28.45% -32.89% -33.20% -20.45% -33.02% -2.62% 346.33% 8.23% 3.31%
SOEs pressuring external lawyers to sign-off deals
When deals go bad: China’s state firm managers spooked by new liability rules HONG KONG, Sept 27, (RTRS): Business development managers at Chinese state-owned firms have been put on notice: mess up on M&A deals and you can be held personally liable — for life. Under new rules unveiled by China’s State Council, or cabinet, last month, managers will be held accountable if they “fail to, or incorrectly, perform their duties” with respect to deals that result in a loss of state assets. A lack of specifics has prompted bankers and lawyers to say this is a draconian catch-all clause that is already slowing deal-making at Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Sanctions include pay cuts, disciplinary action or full judicial hearings — even years after managers have moved jobs or retired. In the United States and Europe, company executives are rarely held personally accountable, let alone criminally liable, for bad deals — provided they met their fiduciary duties. When strategic moves go bad, typically the CEO or chairman is urged to resign. The move is part of President Xi Jinping’s overhaul of China’s bloated, debt-ridden SOEs, which have been on a buying binge in recent years. Sloppy deal-making has led to billions of dollars in writedowns. Flush with state funds and a government mandate to go global, SOE managers have enjoyed a high degree of freedom to make often big, headlinegrabbing outbound deals without fear of personal reprisal. In the rush to accumulate assets, business development teams weren’t always thorough in their due diligence or market analysis. And deals were typically rubber-stamped by boards that tended not to look too closely at the details or valuations, said bankers and lawyers who have worked on state sector deals.
Attention State firms also paid less attention to integrating newly bought assets - often critical to delivering long-term value. “There’s growing concern around SOE investments,” said Xiong Jin, international partner at law firm King & Wood Mallesons in Beijing. “The government has realised that many SOE assets have been lost through poor investments overseas, and now there’s a sense of urgency to impose better controls. This also comes in the broader context of SOE reform.” The new rules mean many SOE managers are now reluctant to take decisions, say bankers and lawyers, and can spend weeks tied up on email chains and meetings trying to get their bosses to take responsibility for transactions and have external legal counsel sign off on commercial aspects of deals. “The blanket reaction from senior company officials would be: be passive, making no suggestions or decisions on M&A opportunities,” said a senior
official at a state energy company involved in overseas investment. The official, who didn’t want to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue, said managers would now more likely just report public information about investment opportunities to their bosses, without making any value-added proposals. “If you start looking through the lens of this document, an SOE manager will start to ask of every operational decision or small decision on every provision in a deal: ‘could I be held accountable for this in 15 years’ time’,” said Andrew McGinty, partner at law firm Hogan Lovells in Shanghai. “They will either take the path of least personal risk, which may not be best for the business, or keep going up the chain of command to make sure they have covered their position. This is slowing down deals.”
Accounted With Beijing’s blessing, state-owned firms led China’s decade-long outbound M&A splurge, buying strategic assets from energy and food to technology. State-owned firms accounted for close to two-thirds of China’s $677 billion in outbound deals over the past 10 years, Thomson Reuters data show. It wasn’t always money well spent. For example, a tie-up between China’s staterun TCL and France’s Thomson Electronics lost around half its value, and South Korean car maker Ssangyong Motor filed for bankruptcy within five years of being taken over by Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. And last year’s oil price collapse forced companies like China Petroleum & Chemical Corp and CNOOC to take billions of dollars in writedowns. CNOOC took a 10.4 billion yuan ($1.56 billion) impairment charge in the first half of this fiscal year, which analysts say is largely related to its $15.1 billion buy of Canada’s Nexen Inc in 2013. Bankers said Beijing became even more circumspect following China National Chemical Corp’s $43 billion bid for Syngenta in February - which came with an eye-popping $3 billion break fee, or 7 percent of the deal value compared to 1-2 percent typically. “It’s this over-exuberant climate that has prompted the government to rein in the excess,” said Howard Yu, professor at Swiss business school IMD. “It all points to an urgent need for systematic reform to impose a sense of discipline when it comes to international expansion through M&A.” The State Council Information Office, the public relations arm of the central government, did not respond to requests for comment. China’s State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC), which oversees SOEs, is also tightening its vetting process on outbound deals and intervening more, said M&A bankers in Hong Kong.
investment funds Funds
Fund Manager
Valuation
Valued date
Currency
Net Asset Prev NAV Prev NAV Dated Value (NAV) ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
National Bank of Kuwait Money Market Funds
Watani KD Money Market Fund NBK Global Asset Management Co. Ltd. Weekly Sept 6, 2016 KD 1.407 1.407 Aug 30, 2016 Watani KD Money Market Fund II NBK Capital Weekly Sept 6, 2016 KD 1.019 1.018 Aug 30, 2016 Watani KD Money Market Fund (Islamic) NBK Global Asset Management Co. Ltd. Weekly Sept 6, 2016 KD 1.184 1.183 Aug 30, 2016 Watani Foreign Currency Money Mkt Fund NBK Global Asset Management Co. Ltd. Weekly Sept 6, 2016 USD 1.314 1.314 Aug 30, 2016 Watani Foreign Currency Money Mkt Fund (Euro) NBK Global Asset Management Co. Ltd. Weekly Sept 6, 2016 Euro 1.246 1.246 Aug 30, 2016 Watani USD Money Market Fund (Acc to Islamic Shariah principles) NBK Global Asset Management Co. Ltd. Weekly Sept 6, 2016 USD 1.101 1.101 Aug 30, 2016 Watani USD Money Market Fund (Acc to Islamic Shariah principles) II NBK Global Asset Management Co. Ltd. Weekly Sept 6, 2016 USD 10.041 10.041 Aug 30, 2016 Watani USD Money Market Fund NBK Global Asset Management Co. Ltd. Weekly Sept 6, 2016 USD 10.143 10.143 Aug 30, 2016 Watani KD Money Market Fund (Acc to Islamic Shariah principles) II NBK Global Asset Management Co. Ltd. Weekly Sept 6, 2016 KD 1.017 1.016 Aug 30, 2016 Equity Funds NBK Gulf Equity Fund NBK Capital Weekly Sept 8, 2016 USD 1.254 1.245 Aug 25, 2016 NBK Kuwait Equity Fund NBK Capital Weekly Sept 8, 2016 KD 0.576 0.572 Aug 25, 2016 NBK Qatar Equity Fund NBK Capital Weekly Sept 8, 2016 USD 1.659 1.751 Aug 25, 2016 Gulf Equity Investment Fund NBK Capital Weekly April 7, 2016 USD 9.995 Ijara Fund Thahabi Ijara Fund VI Wafra Capital Partners L.P Cayman Islands Monthly April 30, 2016 USD 10.000 10.000 Feb 29, 2016 Thahabi Ijara Fund VII Wafra Capital Partners L.P Cayman Islands Monthly April 30, 2016 USD 10.000 10.000 Feb 29, 2016 Islamic KD Ijara Fund II Wafra Capital Partners L.P Cayman Islands Monthly May 31, 2016 KD 10.000 10.000 March 31, 2016 Islamic KD Ijara Fund III Wafra Capital Partners L.P Cayman Islands Monthly May 31, 2016 KD 10.000 10.000 Feb 29, 2016 Islamic KD Ijara Fund IV Wafra Capital Partners L.P Cayman Islands Monthly May 31, 2016 KD 10.000 10.000 March 31, 2016 Islamic KD Ijara Fund V Wafra Capital Partners L.P Cayman Islands Monthly May 31, 2016 USD 10.000 10.000 March 31, 2016 Islamic Equipment Leasing Fund I Wafra Capital Partners L.P Cayman Islands Monthly June 30, 2016 USD 10.000 10.000 April 30, 2016 Islamic Equipment Leasing Fund II Wafra Capital Partners L.P Cayman Islands Monthly June 30, 2016 USD 10.000 10.000 April 30, 2016 Islamic Equipment Leasing Fund III Wafra Capital Partners L.P Cayman Islands Monthly July 31, 2016 USD 10.000 10.000 May 31, 2016 Islamic Equipment Leasing Fund IV Wafra Capital Partners L.P Cayman Islands Monthly June 30, 2016 USD 10.000 10.000 May 31, 2016 Islamic Equipment Leasing Fund V Wafra Capital Partners L.P Cayman Islands Monthly July 31, 2016 USD 10.000 10.000 May 31, 2016 Islamic Equipment Leasing Fund VI Wafra Capital Partners L.P Cayman Islands Monthly July 31, 2016 USD 10.000 10.000 May 31, 2016 Islamic Equipment Leasing Fund I Ltd Wafra Capital Partners L.P. Cayman Islands Monthly June 30, 2016 USD 10.000 10.000 May 31, 2016 Multi Asset Funds Thahabi Multi Asset Fund – Con Portfolio Frontier Capital Management (Jersey) Ltd Monthly June 30, 2016 USD 96.164 95.710 April 30, 2016 Thahabi Multi Asset Fund – Mo Portfolio Frontier Capital Management (Jersey) Ltd Monthly June 30, 2016 USD 88.490 87.790 April 30, 2016 ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Gulf Bank Al Basha’er GCC Equity Fund Kwt. Fin. & Inv. Co. & Gulf Fin. House Monthly Aug 31, 2016 USD 6.426 6.459 July 31, 2016 Coast Fund Coast Investment & Dev. Co. Monthly Aug 31, 2016 KD 0.584 0.583 July 31, 2016 Sanaya Dow Jones Kuwait Index Fund Industrial & Financial Investment Co. Weekly Aug 25, 2016 KD 0.556 0.560 July 28, 2016 Markaz Capital Preservation Program 1 Monthly Aug 31, 2016 KD 0.917 0.918 July 31, 2016 Markaz Capital Preservation Program 2 Monthly Aug 31, 2016 KD 0.935 0.940 July 31, 2016 Markaz Gulf Real Estate Fund Monthly July 31, 2016 KD 1.051 1.050 June 30, 2016 ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Al Ahli Bank Al Ahli Gulf Fund Al Ahli Bank Monthly June 30, 2016 KD 0.862 0.857 May 31, 2016 Al Ahli Kuwaiti Fund Al Ahli Bank Monthly June 30, 2016 KD 0.748 0.758 May 31, 2016 ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Burgan Bank Burgan Equity Fund Burgan Bank Monthly Aug 28, 2016 KD 1.586 1.574 July 24, 2016 ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Boubyan Bank Boubyan KD Money Market Fund Boubyan Bank Weekly Aug 23, 2016 KD 1.056 1.054 May 31, 2016 Boubyan KD Money Market Fund II Boubyan Bank Weekly Aug 23, 2016 KD 1.000 ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Funds
Fund Manager
Valuation
Valued date
Currency
Net Asset Prev NAV Prev NAV Dated Value (NAV) ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— Mawazeen International Fund Kuwait Financial Center Weekly Sept 18, 2016 USD 8.970 9.080 July 31, 2016 Markaz MENA Islamic Fund Kuwait Financial Center Weekly Sept 15, 2016 USD 9.970 10.150 July 31, 2016 ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Kuwait & Middle East Financial & Inv. Co. Al Rou’yah Fund KMEFIC Monthly Aug 31, 2016 KD 1.228 1.241 July 31, 2016 Gulf Gate Fund KMEFIC Monthly Aug 31, 2016 KD 0.951 0.973 July 31, 2016 ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Global Investment House Index Funds Equity Funds
GCC Large Cap Index Fund Global Weekly Aug 4, 2016 KD 0.987 0.995 July 28, 2016 Al-Mamoun Fund A Global Weekly Aug 4, 2016 KD 0.540 0.541 July 28, 2016 Al-Mamoun Fund B Global Weekly Aug 4, 2016 KD 0.540 0.541 July 28, 2016 GCC Large Cap Fund Global Bi-weekly Aug 2, 2016 USD 132.260 134.420 July 26, 2016 Al-Noor Fund Global Bi-weekly Aug 2, 2016 SAR 190.720 196.090 July 26, 2016 Global Saudi Equity Fund Global Bi-weekly Aug 2, 2016 SAR 190.880 197.000 July 26, 2016 Money Market Funds Global KD Money Market Fund Global Weekly March 31, 2016 KD 1.050 1.083 Feb 29, 2016 Sectoral Funds EPADI Fund Global Weekly Aug 2, 2016 USD 89.580 90.720 July 26, 2016 Islamic Funds Global GCC Islamic Fund Global Weekly Aug 2, 2016 USD 93.480 94.250 July 26, 2016 Al-Durra Islamic Fund Global Monthly Aug 4, 2016 KD 1.046 1.045 July 28, 2016 ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Kuwait Finance & Investment Co (KFIC) Al Wasm Fund KFIC Weekly July 31, 2016 KD 0.347 0.348 June 29, 2016 Al Basha’er GCC Equity Fund KFIC Monthly July 31, 2016 USD 6.459 6.519 June 30, 2016 ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
KAMCO KAMCO Investment Fund KAMCO Monthly Feb 29, 2016 KD 0.841 0.881 Dec 31, 2015 KAMCO GCC Opportunities Fund KAMCO Monthly Feb 29, 2016 USD 114.380 127.960 Dec 31, 2015 KAMCO MENA Plus Fixed Income Fund KAMCO Feb 29, 2016 USD 9.860 9.870 Dec 31, 2015 KAMCO Real Estate Yield Fund KAMCO June 30, 2016 USD 10.170 10.130 Dec 31, 2015 ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Wafra International Investment Co. Wafra Equity Fund Wafra Co. Monthly Aug 31, 2016 KD 0.744 0.742 July 31, 2016 Wafra Bond Fund Wafra Co. Monthly Aug 31, 2016 KD 1.019 1.018 July 31, 2016 Masaref Investment Fund ISKAN Weekly Aug 31, 2016 KD 0.705 0.715 July 31, 2016 Fajir Islamic Fund Wafra Co. Monthly July 31, 2016 KD 0.535 0.541 June 30, 2016 ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Shuaa Capital Co. Emirates Gateway Fund Shuaa Capital Weekly Sept 20, 2016 AED 14.050 14.370 Sept 15, 2016 The Arab Gateway Fund Shuaa Capital Weekly Sept 20, 2016 USD 27.740 28.140 Sept 15, 2016 ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Al Aman Investment Al Aman Islamic Fund Al Aman Investment Weekly July 31, 2016 KD 0.337 0.340 June 30, 2016 ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Tharwa Investment Co. Tharwa Investment Fund Tharwa Investment Co Weekly Sept 20, 2016 KD 1.386 1.399 July 31, 2016 Tharwa Arab Investment Fund Tharwa Investment Co Bi-weekly July 31, 2016 USD 1.977 2.251 June 30, 2016 Tharwa World Fund Tharwa Investment Co Monthly March 31, 2016 USD 1.024 0.986 March 15, 2016 Tharwa Islamic Fund Tharwa Investment Co Monthly July 31, 2016 KD 0.615 0.593 July 14, 2016 ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Bank Al-Bilad Al Seef Fund Bank Al-Bilad Daily Sept 6, 2016 KD 0.346 0.347 Sept 1, 2016 ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Commercial International Bank
Boubyan Capital Investment Co. Boubyan USD Liquidity Fund Boubyan Capital Investment Co Aug 23, 2016 USD 10.140 10.120 May 31, 2016 Boubyan Kuwait Real Estate Fund Boubyan Capital Investment Co Dec 31, 2016 KD 1.020 1.020 Sept 30, 2015 ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Kuwait Investment Co. Local Fund
Al Raed Fund Kuwait Investment Co Weekly Sept 22, 2016 KD 0.861 0.862 Sept 8, 2016 Kuwait Investment Fund Kuwait Investment Co Weekly Aug 31, 2016 KD 0.568 0.570 July 31, 2016 Al Hilal Fund Kuwait Investment Co Monthly Sept 19, 2016 KD 0.542 0.542 Sept 5, 2016 Al Atheer Fund Kuwait Investment Co Weekly July 31, 2016 KD 1.074 1.073 June 30, 2016 International Global Bond Fund Kuwait Investment Co Weekly Sept 14, 2016 USD 23.990 24.170 Aug 31, 2016 Diversified Fund Kuwait Investment Co Weekly Sept 14, 2016 USD 17.990 18.110 Aug 31, 2016 European Fund Kuwait Investment Co Weekly Aug 31, 2016 Euro 19.490 19.310 July 29, 2016 Pacific Equity Fund Kuwait Investment Co Weekly Sept 14, 2016 USD 27.860 28.000 Aug 31, 2016 North American Equity Fund Kuwait Investment Co Tw. Monthly Aug 31, 2016 USD 16.960 16.920 July 29, 2016 ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
CIB Money Market Fund (Osoul) CI Asset Management Weekly Sept 27, 2016 EGP 270.390 270.000 Sept 22, 2016 CIB II Equity (Isthethmar) CI Asset Management Weekly Sept 27, 2016 EGP 83.830 84.530 Sept 22, 2016 CIB and Faisal Islamic Al Aman CI Asset Management Weekly Sept 27, 2016 EGP 48.420 48.480 Sept 22, 2016 Hemaya CI Asset Management Weekly Sept 1, 2016 EGP 157.760 156.800 Aug 1, 2016 Thabat CI Asset Management Weekly Sept 27, 2016 EGP 167.740 167.500 Sept 22, 2016 Takamol CI Asset Management Weekly Sept 27, 2016 EGP 96.250 96.250 Sept 22, 2016 Misr El Mostakbei CI Asset Management Weekly Sept 27, 2016 EGP 17.260 17.370 Sept 22, 2016 ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Noor Financial Investment Co. Noor Islamic Fund Noor Financial Investment Co Monthly Feb 29, 2016 KD 0.613 0.645 Dec 31, 2015 ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Al Zumorroda Investment Co. Zumorroda GCC Fund Al Zumorroda Investment Co Monthly Jan 31, 2016 KD 0.481 0.543 Dec 31, 2015 ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
National Investment Co. (NIC)
Al Safat Investment Co.
Al-Wataniya Fund NIC Monthly Aug 31, 2016 KD 0.521 0.525 July 31, 2016 Al-Darij Fund NIC Monthly Aug 31, 2016 KD 0.314 0.314 July 31, 2016 Mawarid Fund NIC Monthly Aug 31, 2016 KD 0.505 0.509 July 31, 2016 Zajil Fund NIC Monthly Aug 31, 2016 KD 0.712 0.732 July 31, 2016 Al Mada Investment Fund NIC Weekly Aug 31, 2016 USD 0.688 0.692 July 31, 2016 ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Al Safat Local Shares Equity Fund Al Safat Investment Co Weekly Nov 30, 2015 KD 0.098 1.102 Oct 31, 2015 ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Kuwait Financial Centre (Markaz) Mumtaz Fund MIDAF Islamic Fund Markaz Arabian Fund FORSA Financial Fund Real Estate Fund Markaz Fixed Income Fund
Kuwait Financial Center Kuwait Financial Center Kuwait Financial Center Kuwait Financial Center Kuwait Financial Center Kuwait Financial Center Kuwait Financial Center
Weekly Weekly Weekly Weekly Monthly Monthly Monthly
Sept 15, 2016 Aug 31, 2016 Sept 15, 2016 Sept 15, 2016 Aug 31, 2016 Aug 31, 2016 Sept 15, 2016
KD 3.559 KD 2.669 KD 1.319 KD 2.960 KD 0.833 KD 1.439 USD 11.400
3.592 2.687 1.315 2.940 0.833 1.439 11.430
Sept 1, 2016 Aug 11, 2016 Sept 1, 2016 Sept 1, 2016 July 31, 2016 July 31, 2016 July 31, 2016
Al-Imtiaz Investment Co. Al-Imtiaz Investment Fund Al-Imtiaz Investment Company Quarterly Sept 30, 2015 KD 0.782 0.661 June 30, 2015 Al-Imtiaz Real Estate Fund Al-Imtiaz Investment Company Quarterly June 30, 2015 KD 0.750 0.750 Dec 31, 2014 ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
KFH Capital Investment Co. Muthanna Islamic Index Fund (MUDX) KFH Capital Investment Company Daily Aug 31, 2016 KD 0.289 0.288 July 31, 2016 Muthanna GCC Islamic Banks Fund KFH Capital Investment Company Daily Aug 31, 2016 KD 0.602 0.604 July 31, 2016 Baitak GCC Fund KFH Capital Investment Company Weekly Aug 31, 2016 KD 0.886 0.907 July 31, 2016 ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
CapCorp Investment Co. CapCorp Local Fund
CapCorp Investment Company
Weekly
July 31, 2016
KD
0.720
0.736
April 7, 2016
ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
BUSINESS
35
Moroccan cbank keeps rates unchanged Morocco’s central bank held its benchmark interest rate at 2.25 percent on Tuesday, saying its inflation forecast was consistent with its price stability objective even as it forecast 4 percent growth in 2017. The Bank al-Maghrib — its formal name — said it expected inflation to remain around 1.6 percent in 2016 and fall to 1.2 percent in 2017. Anticipating a
rebound in agricultural output in 2017 from the worst drought in decades to hit North Africa, the bank said growth would jump to 4 percent next year from an estimated 1.4 percent in 2016. It had previously forecast 1.2 growth for 2016. The bank lowered its key rate to 2.25 percent from 2.5 percent in March, its first cut in more than a year, to maintain eco-
nomic growth. Farm accounts for about 15 percent of Morocco’s economy. Morocco has done more than most North African countries to make painful reforms required by international lenders to curb deficits, such as an end to fuel subsidies and a freeze on public sector hiring. The Rabat government still controls wheat and cooking gas prices. (RTRS)
KSE index edges up in lacklustre trade Ooredoo jumps 40 fils; Americana drops By John Mathews Arab Times Staff
KUWAIT CITY, Sept 27: Kuwait stocks nudged up on Tuesday as it continued to see-saw in a narrow range. The bourse rose 4.5 points in tepid trading to 5,412.37 points helped by select heavyweights. The sentiment however remained mixed in absence of fresh cues. The KSX 15 measure climbed 5.02 pts to 819.08 points trimming the year’s losses to 65 points while weighted index rose 1.71 pts. The volume turnover meanwhile tapered after hitting the month’s highest on Monday. 75.68 million shares changed hands — a 6 pct drop from the day before. The sectors remained mixed. Technology outpaced the rest with 0.59 percent gain whereas healthcare shd 0.78 pct, the biggest loser of the day. In terms of volume, financial service notched the highest market share of 41.3 pct while real estate followed with 26.15 percent contribution. Among the day’s movers, sector bellwether National Bank of Kuwait rose 10 fils to KD 0.590 recouping the drop in the last session while Kuwait Finance House was up 5 fils at 465 fils. Kuwait Food Co (Americana) slid 40 fils to KD 2.480 and has gained 480 fils year-to-date. Zain was unchanged at KD 0.340 and Wataniya Telecom (Ooredoo) jumped 40 fils to KD 1.220. Kuwait Telecommunications Co (VIVA) stood pat at KD 0.890 and Agility followed suit to wind up at 475 fils. National Investment Co took in 2 fils and Kuwait Projects Company (KIPCO) gained 10 fils. The company has registered a net profit of KD 28 million and earnings per share of 18.30 fils in the January-June period The market opened with a brief uptick . The price index scaled the day’s highest level of 5,415.23 pts and retreated thereafter to drift along the rim as sentiment turned mixed. It slipped into red almost half way into the session to bottom at 5393.67 pts but clawed in the second half before closing in the green territory. Top gainer of the day, Gulf Finance Co vaulted 9.62 pct to 28.5 fils while Kuwait Cable Vision Co climbed 9.09
pct to stand close behind. Tahssilat slid 8.2 pct, the steepest decliner of the day and Al Salam topped the volume with 6.2 million shares. Mirroring the day’s uptick, the winner narrowly outnumbered the losers. 37 stocks advanced whereas 30 closed lower. Of the 122 counters active on Tuesday, 55 closed flat. 2,262 deals worth KD 7.55 million were transacted – a 30.6 pct drop in value from the day before. National Industries Group was unchanged at 114 fils off slight early highs and Kuwait Foundry Co too did not budge from its previous close of 164 fils. Contracting and Shipbuilding Co rose 4 with razor thin volume and Kuwait Portland Cement Co stood pat at KD 0.960. Jazeera Airways dropped 10 fils to KD 0.820 while NICBM slipped 10 fils. Equipment Holding Co added 2.5 fils on back of 4.4 million shares and Shuaiba Paper Industries Co gave up 5 fils to end at 280 fils. Gulf Cable paused at 385 fils and RISCO followed suit.
Climbed Humansoft Holding Co was unchanged at KD 1.560 and Kuwait National Cinema Co climbed 10 fils. The company has posted a net profit of KD 4.93 million and earnings per share of 52.35 fils in the first half of 2016. Kuwait and Gulf Link Transport Co eased 0.5 fils and KGL Logistics added 4 fils before settling at 75 fils. PAPCO and UPAC were unchanged at 96 fils and KD 0.690 respectively while Safwan Holding swung 1 fils into red. Al Qurain Petrochemical Co stalled at 198 fils. Mezzan Holding dipped 10 fils to KD 0.980 and Zima Holding Co stagnated at 40 fils. The company has posted a net profit of KD 33,489 and earnings per share of 0.33 fils in the first half of 2016. In the banking sector, Gulf Bank was flat at 232 fils and Commercial Bank too did not budge from its earlier close of 410 fils. Al Ahli Bank rose 5 fils to 320 fils with thin volume and Ahli United Bank held steady at 390 fils. Burgan Bank was unchanged at 325 fils and Boubyan Bank rose 5 fils to 395 fils extending an identical gain in the last session. Warba Bank paused at 166 fils. Kuwait Investment Co inched 1 fils up to 86 fils whereas International Financial Advisors paused at 30.5 fils after trading over 3 million shares.
Securities Group Co and Arzan Financial Investment Co were unchanged at 85 fils and 31 fils respectively whereas KMEFIC closed 0.5 fils in red. Al Deera Holding and Al Salam took in 0.5 fils each whereas Noor Financial Investment Co edged 0.5 fils lower. Sokouk Holding Co was unchanged at 31 fils and Ektittab Holding Co followed suit. Al Mal Investment Co stalled at 23.5 fils with a volume of 1.3 million shares. Bayan Investment Co dialed up 1 fils whereas Tamdeen Investment Co dipped 15 fils to 300 fils. KFIC was up 0.5 fils at 36 fils and Coast Investment Co held steady at 43 fils. Kuwait Real Estate Co and United Real Estate Co fell 1 fils each whereas National Real Estate Co dialed up 1 fils to settle at 77 fils. Mabanee Co and Mazaya Holding stood pat at KD 0.790 and 110 fils respectively. The market has been mixed so far during the week and has added 6 points in last three sessions. It has slipped 8 pts from start of the month but is down 3.61 pct year-to-date. KSE, with 198 listed companies, is the second largest bourse in the region. In the bourse related news, Hilal Cement Company has posted a net profit of KD 20.659 mln and earnings per share of 0.2 fils in the six-months period ending June 6, 2016 rebounding from a net loss of KD 95,105 and loss per share of 1.1 fils in the same period last year.. Metal and Recycling Co. clocked a net profit of KD 118,386 and earnings per share of 1.58 fils in the six-month period ending June 31,2016 rebounding from net loss of KD 185,711 and losses per share of 2.48 fils in same period last year. Gulf Glass Manufacturing Company has registered a net profit of KD 941,711 and earnings per share of 18.35 fils in the six-month period ending June 30 as against a net profit of KD 1.39 million and earnings per share of 27.09 fils in the same period last year. Asiya Capital Investments Company has clocked a net loss of KD 5.46 million and loss per share of 7.03 fils in the January-June period sliding from a net profit of KD 1.77 million and earnings per share of 2.29 fils in the same period last year. Salhia Real Estate Company won the approval of Capital Markets Authority to buy back or sell a maximum of 10 percent of its shares for 6 months from date of the approval.
Mideast Stocks Retail, insurance sectors hard hit
Saudi dips on govt austerity steps DUBAI, Sept 27, (RTRS): Saudi Arabia’s stock index slumped 3.8 percent on Tuesday after the government said it would cut ministers’ salaries by 20 percent and scale back financial bonuses and perks for public sector workers under an austerity drive. The new steps largely appear to formalise spending reductions introduced on an ad hoc basis since last year, and they will not by themselves make a huge difference to the government’s deficit. NCB Capital estimated allowances accounted for about a quarter of the government’s total salary expenses last year, which were 38 percent of its overall budget. Nevertheless, the announcement underlined the bleak outlook for Saudi government spending, which is a key driver of consumption, as oil prices stay low. None of the 170 traded Saudi shares rose on Tuesday with roughly 30 percent of them dropping their 10 percent daily limits as trading volume jumped above the threemonth average. The index posted its biggest daily percentage drop since January. The retail and insurance sectors were hard hit. Luxury goods retailer Fitaihi slumped 10.0 percent and supermarket operator Al Othaim Markets dropped 4.7 percent. The insurance sub-index retreated 5.9 percent; the sector is chiefly traded by local retail investors.
“Disposable income has been hit — traders can no longer afford to participate in the stock market because they now have to divert this money towards paying bills,” said a Jeddah-based broker. “Moving forward I think there will be far more prudence when it comes to trading the speculative stocks. For the value traders, this may be a good time to hunt for value.” Banking shares, which had rallied on Monday, erased some of those gains with National Commercial Bank, a lender with close ties to the public sector, down 3.5 percent and Aljazira Bank, which does considerable business with stock market participants, shedding 5.4 percent. Dubai’s main index pulled back 0.8 percent with 24 stocks declining and eight advancing. Builder Drake & Scull , which has substantial exposure to Saudi business, dropped 1.8 percent and Dubai Parks and Resorts retreated 1.3 percent. Blue chips weighed on Abu Dhabi’s index, which fell 0.5 percent. Dana Gas lost 3.6 percent and First Gulf Bank declined 1.3 percent. In Kuwait, banking shares rose after the central bank governor said the banking system was stable, with non-performing loans dropping to 2.4 percent of total loans in 2015 from 2.9 percent in 2014. Al Ahli Bank rose 1.6 percent
and Boubyan Bank added 1.3 percent. The main index edged up 0.1 percent. Meanwhile Cairo’s main index fell 0.3 percent in thin trade with losers outnumbering gainers 22 to three. Qalaa Holdings, a private equity company, declined 3.3 percent.
Saudi Arabia ■ The index slumped 3.8 percent to 5,731 points. Dubai ■ The index fell 0.8 percent to 3,467 points. Abu Dhabi ■ The index lost 0.5 percent to 4,472 points. Egypt ■ The index edged down 0.3 percent to 7,949 points. Qatar ■ The index fell 0.4 percent to 10,473 points. Bahrain ■ The index slipped 0.02 percent to 1,139 points. Kuwait ■ The index added 0.1 percent to 5,412 points. Oman ■ The index dipped 0.3 percent to 5,749 points.
ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
BUSINESS
36
Dutch retailers paying ‘starvation wages’ Dutch fashion retailers are paying “starvation wages” at factories in a major hub for the global garment industry in southern India, forcing many workers into crippling debt, a report on Tuesday showed. Workers surveyed at 10 garment factories in and around Bengaluru in the southern Indian state of Karnataka took home on average 90 euros ($100) a month, and 70 percent were in
the
debt, the report by four non-profit organisations said. The factories were supplying Dutch brands that have “acknowledged the importance of living wages”. They included Coolcat, GStar, The Sting, MEXX Europe, McGregor Fashions, Scotch & Soda, Suitsupply, WE Fashion and C&A. The C&A Foundation partners with the Thomson Reuters Foundation on trafficking
bottomline
DUBAI: Ride-hailing service Careem is targeting profitability next year or in 2018 and is in talks with potential investors about its latest fundraising plans, co-founder Mudassir Sheikha told Reuters on Tuesday. The company, which has a larger market share than rival Uber in most of the 32 cities in the Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan region in which it operates, aims to expand in new markets including Oman and a number of North African countries, managing director Mudassir Sheikha said. Launched in Dubai in 2012 by Sheikha and fellow McKinsey & Co alumni Magnus Olsson, Careem has a fleet of 90,000-plus drivers and more than four million users registered through its mobile app but has yet to make a profit. (RTRS) ❑ ❑ ❑
LOS ANGELES: Disney is evaluating a possible bid for Twitter, according to a Bloomberg report. The mouse is working with a financial adviser to work the numbers, according to that report. Twitter’s stock rose after Bloomberg published the news, with shares closing in on $23, a nine-month high. Disney’s shares on the other hand didn’t fare so well, and are down 1.73 percent, to trade at $91.66. This comes as chatter is heating up that multiple companies are getting ready to bid on the company. Other potential bidders reportedly include Google and Salesforce. (RTRS) ❑ ❑ ❑
DETROIT: The fastest-growing part of the US auto market is getting another new vehicle. Fiat Chrysler’s Jeep brand unveiled a redesigned Jeep Compass compact SUV at a factory in Brazil Monday night. The new Compass replaces a model that was introduced about a decade ago and had fallen far behind rivals in what is now the largest segment of the US auto market. It also will replace the Jeep Patriot, a similar-sized SUV. (AP) ❑ ❑ ❑ DETROIT: DTE Energy Co. plans to spend $1.3 billion for natural gas assets in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The Detroit-based company announced Monday that an agreement calls for DTE to purchase all of Appalachia Gathering System in Pennsylvania and West Virginia and 40 percent of Stonewall Gas Gathering in West Virginia from energy company M3 Midstream. In addition, DTE plans to purchase 15 percent of Stonewall Gas Gathering from Vega Energy Partners. The assets will become part of DTE’s non-utility Gas Storage and Pipeline business, which owns and manages a network of natural gas gathering, transmission and storage facilities serving the Midwest, Northeast and Ontario markets. The deals are expected to be completed this year. (AP) ❑ ❑ ❑ TOPEKA: Stockholders have overwhelmingly approved the $12.2 billion sale of Topeka-based electric company Westar Energy to Missouri-based Great Plains Energy, the two firms announced Monday. Westar is Kansas’ largest electric company, and after the acquisition, Great Plains would serve more than 1.5 million customers in the two states. The two companies say combining
operations would result in $200 million in annual savings after three years, keeping rates in check. (AP) ❑ ❑ ❑
LONDON: Time Out, best known for its listings magazines, said on Tuesday it was close to setting up its own food and drink markets in London and Porto, after the British firm’s first such venture attracted more than a million visitors in Lisbon. Chief Executive Julio Bruno said revenue at Time Out Market Lisbon had more than doubled in the six months to the end of June, as 1.3 million visitors ate and drank at the collection of 24 hand-picked restaurants and eight bars at the site it runs. Time Out takes a percentage of the revenue generated by each of the bars and restaurants in its hall, he said. The restaurants also contributed to fitting out the first site in Lisbon, but would not do so at the new sites. (RTRS) ❑ ❑ ❑
LONDON: Stockbroker Panmure Gordon & Co Plc said business activity in the two months after Britain’s vote to leave the European Union had been “encouraging”, including an initial public offering (IPO) by a technology company on London’s junior market. The broker said it had completed 29 transactions including nine M&A deals and five IPOs in the first half ended June 30. Clients raised more than 600 million pounds ($779 million) from the deals, Panmure said. (RTRS) ❑ ❑ ❑
LONDON: AG Barr, the maker of popular Scottish soft drink Irn-Bru, said it would lay off about 10 percent of its workforce as part of a restructuring. The company said it was planning to implement most of the restructuring before the end of the financial year, and about 90 jobs were likely to be cut in commercial and supply chain functions. The job cuts come at a time when the company and its rivals including Britvic Plc face a slowdown in demand from increasingly calorie-conscious consumers and an impending British government tax on sugarsweetened fizzy drinks. (RTRS) ❑ ❑ ❑
LONDON: British lender Close Brothers Group reported a 4 percent rise in full-year adjusted profit due to a strong banking division and said retail trading had improved in its market-making business, driven in part by Britain’s vote to leave the European Union. The Brexit vote had little direct impact on demand at the company’s retail, commercial, and property lending operations, Chief Executive Preben Prebensen told Reuters. (RTRS) ❑ ❑ ❑
BERLIN: Germany’s second-largest lender Commerzbank could slash around a fifth of its staff in the coming years as part of a billion-euro restructuring programme, a German newspaper said on Tuesday. Chief executive Martin Zielke is to present his vision for the bank’s future up to 2020 — including some 9,000 job cuts — to fellow board members on Friday, according to business daily Handelsblatt. Zielke has yet to decide whether to achieve the cuts through redundancies or other means, the newspaper reported. (AFP)
Standard Chartered probed for Indonesia ‘bribes’
and slavery coverage. “Workers cannot properly support their families with this wage,” said the report, “Doing Dutch”, coauthored by Clean Clothes Campaign, the India Committee of the Netherlands, Asia Floor Wage Alliance and Cividep India. “Food and housing, usually a one-room apartment without a water tap and with a shared toilet outdoors, are the biggest expenses. (RTRS)
Standard Chartered acknowledged Tuesday it was being investigated by the US Department of Justice over claims that an Indonesian subsidiary had paid bribes to secure contracts. The London-based, Asia-focused bank said in a statement that it had referred the matter to the “appropriate authorities” and launched its own review. The Wall Street Journal newspaper said that an internal au-
dit at Indonesian energy company Maxpower Group found evidence of possible bribery and US prosecutors were examining whether Standard Chartered was culpable for not stopping it. “Standard Chartered takes very seriously allegations of impropriety in any of our private equity investments,” the bank told AFP in a statement when asked about the report. “We proactively referred this
matter to the appropriate authorities and have conducted our own review. “When we receive allegations of improper behaviour in an investee company, we pursue those allegations vigorously and act appropriately, including sharing information and cooperating fully with government authorities and addressing any issues of internal conduct and accountability.” (AFP)
Wall St gains after debate but oil market losses a drag Dollar climbs, Mexican peso rebounds NEW YORK, Sept 27, (Agencies): US stock prices rose on Tuesday following the presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, but losses in the oil market and anxiety about the fortune of Deutsche Bank limited Wall Street’s advance. Oil prices gave back some of Monday’s gains on fizzling hopes of an agreement among major producers to freeze output in a bid to deal with the current global oversupply. A stronger dollar in the aftermath of the first Clinton-Trump debate helped send gold prices lower. US and German government bond yields fell on safe-haven demand amid worries about Deutsche Bank and weaker oil prices. “While the perceived debate winner or loser might have been a factor in early equity trading, the bond market is focused on other things, mainly concerns over certain banks, and their sustainability. Deutsche Bank is one of those banks,” said Kevin Giddis, head of fixed income capital markets at Raymond James in Memphis. Investors have fretted over Germany’s largest lender in the wake of a massive $14-billion demand from the US Department of Justice to settle claims on bad mortgage-backed securities. Deutsche Bank wasn’t the only European banks in the firing line. Shares in UK-based Standard Chartered fell over 3 percent on reports that it was facing a US probe over an Indonesian investment. Then Deutsche Bank shares drop to another record low at 10.18 euros led to a reversal in European stocks which spread to selling in other regions. Europe’s broad FTSEurofirst 300 index dropped 0.3 percent at 1,334.46. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 37.84 points, or 0.21 percent, to 18,132.67, the S&P 500 was 3.48 points, or 0.16 percent, higher at 2,149.58 and the Nasdaq Composite was up 21.76 points, or 0.41 percent, to 5,279.25. The MSCI world equity index, which tracks shares in 45 nations, rose 0.74 points or 0.18 percent, to 416.94. Oil markets were also in flux as the world’s largest producers gathered in Algeria to discuss ways to tackle a crude glut that has battered prices for two years now. Brent crude was last down $1.26, or 2.66 percent, at $46.09 a barrel. US crude was last down $1.25, or 2.72 percent, at $44.68 per barrel. It was too early to determine whether Monday’s presidential debate will result in sizeable changes among American voters for either Clinton or Trump in the Nov. 8th election, but the
dollar, together with the Mexican peso and other higher-yielding currencies, enjoyed a bump. The dollar index was up 0.4 percent at 95.649, while the Mexican peso gained 1.6 percent against the greenback. Mexico’s currency hovered near alltime low at 19.735 peso per US dollar since last week on fears that a Trump presidency would threaten Mexico’s exports to the United States, its single biggest market. Spot gold prices fell $10.7501 or 0.80 percent, to $1,326.81 an ounce.
US Wall Street rose for the first time in three days on Tuesday, helped by technology and discretionary stocks. The S&P 500 technology sector rose 0.8 percent and gave the biggest boost to the benchmark index, powered by Microsoft and Google parent Alphabet. The consumer discretionary index rose 0.88 percent after a report showed that the consumer confidence index for September rose to its highest level in nine years. “The number came in much better than expected, so consumer stocks seem to be catching a bit after having a hard time for probably a month or two,” said Mark Spellman, portfolio manager at Alpine Funds in New York. The discretionary index had lost 2.5 percent in the past two months. At 12:31 pm ET (1631 GMT), the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 134.26 points, or 0.74 percent, at 18,229.09. The S&P 500 was up 13.16 points, or 0.61 percent, at 2,159.26. The Nasdaq Composite was up 39.57 points, or 0.75 percent, at 5,297.06. Gilead Sciences was the top drag on the S&P and the Nasdaq, falling 2 percent after Leerink downgraded the drugmaker’s stock to “market perform”. Amazon.com, Netflix, Priceline, TripAdvisor and Twitter were trading higher after JPMorgan raised price targets on their stocks. Advancing issues outnumbered decliners on the NYSE by 1,748 to 1,186. On the Nasdaq, 1,641 issues rose and 1,058 fell. The S&P 500 index showed 10 new 52-week highs and two new lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 52 new highs and 26 new lows.
Europe European shares edged up on Tuesday at the end of a volatile day with Deutsche Bank picking up from record lows on hopes a US demand for $14 billion to settle claims that it missold mortgage-backed securities could be lowered. The pan-European STOXX 600 index added 0.1 percent as gains in consumer stocks such as Nestle were offset by weaker crude prices that
weighed on oil & gas stocks, making them the top sectoral faller. Deutsche Bank ended little changed after falling as much as 3.4 percent earlier in the session on concerns it may need to tap investors to raise funds to pay for the mortgage case and other litigations. Traders said the stock recovered thanks to remarks by a US Justice Department official on the possibility of lowering mortgage-related penalties for banks if they cooperated with authorities. “No one wants to be long this name but it is also a matter of fact that the more it goes down the more the bear case for DOJ settlement starts being in the price,” Mediobanca said in a note to clients. Food giant Nestle rose 1.1 percent following management changes announced late on Monday and a Redburn upgrade to ‘buy’, while other consumer stocks such as Unilever and AB Inbev were also in demand.
Asia Financial markets Tuesday cheered Hillary Clinton’s performance in the first US presidential debate, with stocks and high-risk currencies staging a “relief rally” as investors saw her as victor over Republican rival Donald Trump. Key Asian bourses got a bounce as a confident Clinton bested her rival in the 90-minute showdown, some reversing earlier declines. Tokyo ended 0.8 percent up, a dramatic volte-face from its 0.9 percent drop at the open, while Sydney also trimmed early losses. Hong Kong opened 0.5 percent higher but jumped in the afternoon to close more than one percent higher. Shanghai was up 0.6 percent by the close after being flat most of the day. Seoul, Bangkok and Singapore also gained. Tokyo — Nikkei 225: UP 0.8 percent at 16,683.93 (close) Hong Kong — Hang Seng: UP 1.06 percent at 23,564.59 (close) Shanghai — Composite: UP 0.6 percent to 2,998.17 (close)
Oil Crude oil futures fell on Tuesday as optimism faded for an output-limiting deal from an oil producer meeting in Algeria to curb one of the worst supply gluts in history. Saudi Arabia dashed hopes on Tuesday that producers could clinch a deal at the Sept 26-28 informal meeting of OPEC and other producers including Russia after sources within the exporter group said differences between the kingdom and rival Iran remained too wide. The Saudi and Russian energy ministers will give a joint briefing in Algiers later on Tuesday but there was no sign of a deal. Brent crude futures fell $1.30 to
$46.05 a barrel by 1331 GMT, having closed up $1.46, or 3.2 percent, in the previous session. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude dropped $1.31 cents to $44.62 a barrel, after rising $1.45, or 3.3 percent, in the previous session. Sources told Reuters last week that Saudi Arabia had offered to reduce its output if Iran agreed to freeze production. But Iran played down the chances of a deal, saying the meetings in Algiers were only advisory. Russia’s oil minister on Tuesday also said that the country would want to freeze oil output at current levels; Russia’s oil output recently touched an all-time high of 11.75 million barrels per day (bpd). Analysts said that current high production in Russia and Saudi Arabia, combined with potential increases from Libya and Nigeria, made discussions in Algiers somewhat hollow. US investment bank Goldman Sachs cut its price forecast for WTI crude in the fourth quarter to $43 a barrel, from a $45-$50 range, saying that it expects global supply to exceed demand by 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) in the quarter. Aside from OPEC, a strong US dollar, which makes commodities like crude oil more expensive for holders of other currencies also pressured oil prices. Traders were also watching for US oil stock data due later on Tuesday from the American Petroleum Institute (API). US commercial crude oil stocks likely rose by an average of 2.8 million barrels to 507.4 million barrels in the week to Sept 23, reversing three weeks of unexpected drawdowns, a Reuters survey of seven analysts forecast.
Gold Gold fell on Tuesday as the dollar and stocks gained ground on the view that US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton got the better ofDonald Trump in their first debate, denting the safehaven appeal of bullion and bonds. Markets have tended to see Clinton as the candidate of the statusquo, while few are sure what a Trump presidency might mean for US foreign policy, trade or the domestic economy. Gold, which is often seen as an alternative investment in times of geopolitical and financial uncertainty, suffered after the debate as a higher appetite for risk favoured shares, the dollar and the Mexican peso over the precious metal. Spot gold was down 0.8 percent at $1,327 an ounce at 1436 GMT, snapping a six-day winning streak. US gold futures eased 1 percent to $1,330.4 an ounce. “The general sentiment in the market is not supportive for gold, it’s deteriorated somewhat. The stronger dollar is also not helping,” ABN AMRO commodity strategist Georgette Boele said.
exchange rates – Sept 27 US dollar Buy Sell Sell Muzaini Sell Dollarco Commercial Bank Buy Sell Buy Gulf Bank Sell Buy NBK Sell Buy Burgan Bank Sell Buy ABK Sell Buy KFH Sell Sell KBE
Cash .298100 .302800 .301050 .303000 .299000 .303900 .300800 .302900 — — — — .298300 .304400 .299090 .304320 —
Buy Sell Sell Muzaini Sell Dollarco Commercial Bank Buy Sell Buy Gulf Bank Sell Buy NBK Sell Buy Burgan Bank Sell Buy ABK Sell Buy KFH Sell Sell KBE
Cash .042326 .047326 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
BEC
Draft .299850 .302200 .302250 .302950 .300800 .302900 .300800 .302900 .300800 .302900 .300800 .302900 .300800 .302900 .300550 .302900 .302100
Transfer .299850 .302200 .302250 .302950 .300800 .302900 .300800 .302900 .300800 .302900 .300800 .302900 .300800 .302900 .300550 .302900 .302100
Danish krone BEC
Draft .042325 .047325 — — .049827 .050196 .050751 .051668 .051020 .051540 .046462 .046997 .044510 .046310 .044575 .045197 —
Transfer .042325 .047325 — — .049827 .050196 .050751 .051668 .051020 .051540 .046462 .046997 .044510 .046310 .044575 .045197 —
Cyprus pound BEC Muzaini Dollarco Gulf Bank ABK KFH KBE
Buy Sell Sell Sell Buy Sell Buy Sell Buy Sell Sell
Cash Draft Transfer — — — — — — — — — .695000 .159785 .159785 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
travellers cheques BEC Commercial Bank Gulf Bank Al-Ahli Bank
Sterling pound Cash .385287 .395287 — .398000 .387000 .398000 .388090 .395930 — — — — .386150 .396480 .386664 .396346 —
Draft .384286 .393886 .393680 .393480 .390108 .392831 .388090 .395930 .389900 .393980 .390152 .393027 .389640 .394200 .389002 .393740 .400000
Transfer .384286 .393886 .393680 .393480 .390108 .392831 .388090 .395930 .389900 .393980 .390152 .393027 .389640 .394200 .389002 .393740 .400000
Euro Cash .334067 .343067 — .340000 .337000 .343000 .336310 .343200 — — — — .334540 .343820 .335220 .343851 —
Indian rupee Cash .004210 .004620 — .004750 .004000 .006900 — — — — — — — — — — —
Draft .004383 .004459 .004519 .004517 — .005278 — .004513 — — .005094 .005093 .004357 .004523 .004456 .004559 .004509 Draft .001356 .001456 .001215 — — — — — .001195 .001225 .001550
US dollar .3022000 .3029000 .3029000 .3029000
Japanese yen Transfer .334066 .341166 .340790 .338070 .338235 .340596 .336310 .343200 .338070 .341790 .338174 .340686 .337570 .341840 .337307 .341489 .340s900
Pakistani rupee
Transfer .004383 .004459 .004519 .004517 — .005278 — .004513 — — .005094 .005093 .004357 .004523 .004456 .004559 .004509
Cash .002742 .003032 — .003100 — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Yemeni riyal Cash .001367 .001447 — — — — — — — — —
Draft .334066 .341166 .340790 .338070 .338235 .340596 .336310 .343200 .338070 .341790 .338174 .340686 .337570 .341840 .337307 .341489 .340900
Draft .002854 .002886 .002892 .002891 — .002917 — .002673 — — — — — .002969 .002860 .002918 .002890
Transfer .002854 .002886 .002892 .002891 — .002917 — .002673 — — .003233 — — .002969 .002860 .002918 .002890
Thai baht
Transfer .001356 .001456 .001215 — — — — — .001195 .001225 .001550
Cash .008214 .008764 — .008750 — — — — — — —
Sterling .3938867 .3928310 .3959300 .3942000
Draft .008195 .008795 .008574 .009645 — — – — .008557 .008753 —
Transfer .008195 .008795 .008574 .009645 — — — – .008557 .008753 —
Euro .3411669 .3405960 .3432000 .3418400
Cash .002965 .003145 — .003500 — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Draft .002965 .003145 .002960 .003860 .002870 .002905 .002722 .002765 .002867 .002906 .002825 .002980 .002902 .003034 .002861 .002912 —
Transfer .002965 .003145 .002960 .003860 .002870 .002905 .002722 .002765 .002867 .002906 .002825 .002980 .002902 .003034 .002861 .002912 —
Sri Lanka rupee Cash .001671 .002251 — .002300 — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Draft .002018 .002060 .002059 .002083 — .002286 — .002192 — — .002546 — — .002153 .002055 .002097 .002079
Transfer .002018 .002060 .002059 .002083 — .002286 — .002192 — — .002546 — — .002153 .002055 .002097 .002079
Swiss franc Cash .305674 .316674 — .319500 .302000 .317000 — — — — — — — — — — —
Transfer .306673 .313673 .314070 .298130 .315715 .304597 .306850 .315568 .305920 .310250 .301395 .318000 .304080 .315140 .305050 .310888 —
Bangladesh taka Cash .003384 .003968 — .003950 — .003678 — .003704 — — — — — — — — —
Draft .003811 .003855 .003856 .003861 — — — — — — .004017 — — — .003801 .003917 .003857
Transfer .003811 .003855 .003856 .003861 — .003678 — .003704 — — .004017 — — — .003801 .003917 .003857
Korean won
South African rand Cash Draft Transfer .014807 — — .023307 — — — — — — — — — — — — .027843 .027843 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Draft .306673 .313673 .314070 .298130 .315715 .304597 .315568 .321998 .305920 .310250 .301395 .318000 .304080 .315140 .305050 .310888 —
Cash .000248 .000263 — — — — — — — — —
local gold BEC Muzaini Exchange
Draft — — — — — — — — — — —
Transfer — — — — — — — — — — —
Gold 999 kg — 13,073.840
Canadian dollar Cash .228333 .237333 — .236000 .278000 .292000 — — — — — — — — — — —
Draft .226333 .236333 .235920 .240560 .279512 .281579 .264664 .269564 .231970 .234850 .275770 .279970 .229390 .237150 .231528 .235212 —
Transfer .226333 .236333 .235920 .240560 .279512 .281579 .264664 .269564 .231970 .234850 .286988 .256960 .229390 .237150 .231528 .235212 —
Philippine peso Cash .006377 .006677 — .006750 — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Draft .006000 .006467 .006463 .006459 — .007006 — .006597 — — .006449 — — .006989 .006367 .006566 .006410
Transfer .006000 .006467 .006463 .006459 — .007006 — .006597 — — .006449 — .006989 .006367 .006566 .006410
Swedish krona Cash .033237 .038237 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Draft .001281 .001501 .002157 .002400 — — — — — — —
Gold 999 10 tola — 1,544.600
Transfer .001281 .001501 .002157 .002400 — — — — — — —
Transfer .033236 .038236 — — .044440 .044769 .042590 .043364 .042270 .042710 .041155 .043700 .351400 .365400 .350160 .035466 —
Australian dollar Cash .218878 .230878 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Syrian pound Cash .001281 .001501 — .000980 — — — — — — —
Draft .033236 .038236 — — .044440 .043546 .042590 .043364 .042270 .042710 .041155 .043700 .351400 .365400 .350160 .035466 —
Draft .216878 .229878 — — .298109 .300314 .261600 .266783 .264560 .267810 .284712 .264500 .222370 .230680 .226871 .231830 —
Transfer .216878 .229878 — — .298109 .300314 .261600 .266783 .264560 .267810 .284712 .264500 .222370 .230680 .226871 .231830 —
Iranian Riyal Cash .000084 .000085 — — — — — — — — —
Gold ounce — 417.085
Draft — — — — — — — — — — —
Transfer — — — — — — — — — — —
Gold gm 22k — 12.000
Saudi riyal Cash .079553 .080853 — .081500 .072000 .077000 — .076315 — — — — .079050 .081550 .079840 .081605 —
Draft .080053 .080693 .080696 .081575 .076227 .074986 .075781 .074980 .075670 .075640 .072340 .079850 .079760 .081080 .080267 .081113
Transfer .080053 .080693 .080696 .081575 .076287 .074986 .075781 .074980 .075670 075640 .072340 .079850 .079760 .081080 .080267 .081113
Hong Kong dollar Cash .036916 .039666 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Draft .036416 .039516 .038981 — .036574 .036844 .036334 .036924 — — — — .038730 .039180 — — —
Transfer .036416 .039516 .038981 — .036574 .036844 .036334 .036924 — — — — .038730 .039180 — — —
Lebanese pound Cash .000146 .000246 — — — — — — — — —
Draft .000180 .000200 .002016 — — — — — .000196 .000205 —
Gold gm 21k — 11.450
Transfer .000180 .000200 .002016 — — — — — .000196 .000205 —
UAE dirham Cash .080907 .082607 — .083000 .077070 .077844 .075828 .077939 — — — — .081485 .082304 .081532 .083316 —
Draft .080851 .082301 .082389 .082780 .077325 .077897 .076576 .077394 .076570 .077250 .077237 .074510 .081490 .082850 .081969 .082813 .082427
Transfer .080851 .082301 .082389 .082780 .076810 .077897 .076576 .077394 .076570 .077250 .077140 .077237 .081490 .082850 .081969 .082813 .082427
Singapore dollar Cash .219312 .229312 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Draft .220312 .226312 .225370 — .229377 .231074 .225352 .229193 .224760 .226990 .216673 .218433 .220930 .226090 .222801 .226294 —
Transfer .220312 .226312 .225370 — .229377 .231074 .225352 .229193 .224760 .226990 .222630 .216673 .220930 .226090 .222801 .226294 —
Malaysian ringgit Cash .071237 .077237 — .076000 — — — — — — —
Gold gm 18k — 9.820
Draft .069493 .076493 .074864 .077315 — — — — .076220 .077107 —
Transfer .069493 .076493 .074864 .077315 — — — — .076220 .077107 —
100 gm 999 — —
Bahraini dinar Cash .795553 .804053 — .804000 .758415 .737294 .741794 .762290 — — — — — — .790592 .813202 —
Draft .795053 .803553 .803640 .801530 .753350 .758923 .749073 .756975 .746060 .752820 .740873 .750398 .794660 .806560 .798226 .805408 .802800
Transfer .795053 .803553 .803640 .801530 .753350 .758923 .749073 .756975 .746060 .752820 .740873 .750398 .794660 .806560 .798226 .805408 .802800
Jordanian dinar Cash .422509 .431509 — .428000 — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Draft .420732 .428232 .426560 .427454 — .404526 — .403470 — — .394853 .398939 .423620 .430830 .424100 .429581 —
Transfer .420732 .428232 .426560 .427454 — .404526 — .403470 — — .394853 .398939 .423620 .430830 .424100 .429581 —
Indonesian rupiah Cash .000018 .000024 — — — — — — — — —
Draft .000017 .000022 — — — .000025 — — — — .002254
10 gm 999 — 137.565
Transfer .000017 .000022 — — — .000025 — — — — .002254
Omani riyal Cash .779035 .784715 — — .736094 .743492 .726318 .746616 — — — — — — .775208 .796974 —
Draft .773534 .784534 .785993 — .737690 .743147 .733445 .741410 .730560 .737070 .734440 .722120 .779020 .789810 .782621 .789398 —
Transfer .773534 .784534 .785993 — .737690 .743147 .733445 .741410 .730560 .737070 .734440 .719020 .779020 .789810 .782621 .789398 —
Egyptian pound Cash .027345 .032463 .030500 .032000 .037000 .044000 — — — — — — — — — — —
Draft .033662 .034431 .034450 .034047 — — — .041547 — — .047830 .049026 — .035440 .033909 .034251 .034299
Transfer .033662 .034431 .034450 .034047 — — — .041547 — — .047830 .049026 — .035440 .033909 .034251 .034299
New Zealand dollar Cash .211073 .220573 — — — — — — — — —
Draft .209073 .220073 — — .231317 .236230 .213240 .219860 — — —
Transfer .209073 .220073 — — .231317 .236230 .213240 .219860 — — —
All rates in KD per unit of foreign currency
ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
LEISURE
37
Sherman’s Lagoon — By J.P. Toomey
N E W
Y O R K
T I M E S
CROSSWORD
Mutts — By Patrick McDonnell
Hagar The Horrible — By Chris Browne
…
Beetle Bailey — By Mort Walker
Scratch pad
odds ’n’ ends
Garfield — By Jim Davis
Baby Blues — By Rick Kirkman & Jerry Scott
White face monkeys (Cebus capucinus) are pictured at the National Zoo of E1 Salvador in San Salvador on Sept 26. (AFP)
contract bridge Conceptis Sudoku
Challenger
The grid must be so completed that every row, column and 3x3 box has every digit from 1 to 9 inclusive
DIRECTIONS: Fill each square with a number, one through nine. ■ Horizontal squares should add to totals on right. ■ Vertical squares should add to totals on bottom. ■ Diagonal squares through center should add to total in upper and lower right.
❑
TOKYO:
Yesterday’s solution
THERE MAY BE MORE THAN ONE SOLUTION.
Answer to yesterday’s puzzle
By Steve Becker
BOSTON: A Vermont man who spent a week at sea in a life raft before being rescued by a passing freighter will be reunited with his family in Boston, while his mother is still unaccounted for and presumed dead. Nathan Carman, 22, of Vernon, is expected to arrive in Boston on Tuesday morning aboard the freighter that rescued him Sunday off the coast of Massachusetts. His mother, Linda Carman, 54, of Middletown, Connecticut, has not been found. The mother and son disappeared Sept 18 after leaving a Rhode Island marina to go on a fishing trip in the son’s 31foot aluminum boat named the Chicken Pox. The Coast Guard had suspended its search for the pair Friday. A private freighter found Nathan Carman two days later — in good condition — about 100 nautical miles south of Martha’s Vineyard. Family members have said the son has Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism. Aboard the freighter, he spoke by phone to a Coast Guard command center in Boston. Petty Officer 3rd Class Nicole Groll, a Coast Guard spokeswoman, said Carman told the Coast Guard that when the boat started to sink, it went down quickly. “He looked for his mother and did not see her. He had some food and water, and he jumped into the life raft, and that was it,” Groll told The Associated Press. Groll said the Coast Guard did not receive a distress call. She said that it is unclear whether the boat was equipped with a VHF radio but that recreational boaters are urged to carry a radio so they can contact the Coast Guard in an emergency. “When Nathan comes into port, he’ll be met by Coast Guard officials, and they’ll get a better understanding of what happened in this particular case and how to better prevent something like this from happening in the future,” Groll said. (AP)
Today’s Challenge Time 14 Minutes 28 Seconds Your Working Time __ Minutes
Word by Word
Choose
Ekhtar
Of two evils choose the less. Ekhtar ahwan al shareen.
Numbers thousand three hundred 7349 Seven forty-nine Sabat alaf wa thalath meah wa tesa wa arbaoun
❑
❑
A Japanese bullet train was forced to make an emergency stop on Monday after a snake was found slithering between the seats, local media reported. A passenger spotted the 30 centimetre (12 inch) serpent poking between a gap in the seats, prompting the train, travelling between Tokyo and Hiroshima to stop and allow police to capture the slippery stowaway. Despite its menacing appearance, the brown snake was not believed to be poisonous and no injuries were reported, according to Japan’s public broadcaster NHK, speculating that the reptile could be a juvenile ratsnake. (AFP)
ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
SPORTS
38
Top and above: photos of participating teams of the KIFF League 2016-
KGA rout Indian Strikers; DHL blank United Goans
KIFF league 2016-17 kicks off as Kerala held DBO
Kerber survives scare as No. 1 Khachanov advances in Chengdu WUHAN, China, Sept 27, (AFP): Angelique Kerber survived a scare in her first match as world number one before beating Kristina Mladenovic in three sets at the Wuhan Open on Tuesday. The US and Australian Open champion, who had a bye in the first round, made a convincing start before missing two set points and allowing Mladenovic to take the first set in a tie break. But Germany’s Kerber then swept through the rest of the match, winning 6-7 (4/7), 6-1, 6-4, to set up a thirdround meeting with two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova. “I was trying to find my rhythm because I was not playing my best in the first set,” top seed Kerber said after the match. Kvitova said she would be trying not to think about Kerber’s new status as world number one, formalised when the rankings were updated after this
TENNIS month’s US Open, when they play on Wednesday. “It will be for the first time ... that I will play her as a number one, which is a little bit different. But I think if I’m on the court, I don’t really think about that,” she told reporters. World number four Agnieszka Radwanska also romped into the third round, as last year’s US Open finalist Roberta Vinci became the tournament’s first seeded casualty. One-time Wimbledon runner-up Radwanska won 6-4, 6-1 against Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova, who bagged Olympic women’s doubles gold last month in Rio. Italy’s Vinci, ranked 15, was ousted by Yaroslava Shvedova 7-5, 6-2 — her second defeat to the Kazakh this year. Radwanska could now meet an inform Caroline Wozniacki, who plays qualifier Katerina Siniakova later on Tuesday, in the third round of the $2.6 million hardcourt event. The former world number one beat Poland’s Radwanska in the semi-finals of last week’s Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, en route to her first title of the year. “We always have long battles against each other, especially on the slower surface such as here,” Radwanska said of Wozniacki. Meanwhile, American Madison Brengle fell to 10th-ranked Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia 6-0, 6-4, as eighth seed Madison Keys beat
Caroline Garcia 6-3, 6-4. Former Wimbledon quarter-finalist Barbora Strycova downed Japan’s Misaki Doi, while Daria Kasatkina of Russia beat fellow qualifier American Louisa Chirico. In Beijing, up-and-coming Russian Karen Khachanov felled 7th-seeded Joao Sousa of Portugal at the ATP Chengdu Open Tuesday to advance to the second round. The 20-year-old, 1.98m (6’6”) righthander powered past Sousa 7-6(3), 6-3 in 77 minutes to face Frenchman Adrian Mannarino in the second round. “It’s a very good match for me,” Khachanov said, according to an ATP report. “I’m very happy with my performance. I like the court, I like the crowd, so I was enjoying playing the match.” Thirty-year-old South African Kevin Anderson smoothly dispatched Jordan Thompson of Australia 6-2, 6-4. He will face Australia’s Nick Kyrgios, the second seed and number 15 in the ATP rankings, in the next round. Serbian Dusan Lajovic fought back from a dropped first set to beat Federico Del Bonis of Argentina 1-6, 6-3, 6-4. In the second round he will face third seed Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria, now ranked 21st in the world. Former Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus traded hard-fought sets with Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta when the match was suspended in the final set due to rain. In Shenzhen, China, Jiri Vesely served 13 aces to beat Pablo Andujar 6-2, 7-6 (8) and advance to the second round of the Shenzhen Open. Vesely lost just six points on his first serve in his first match since the US Open, where he withdrew with a left arm injury before his second round match against top-seeded Novak Djokovic. Vesely next meets Inigo Cervantes of Spain, who defeated Akira Santillan of Japan 6-2, 7-6 (5). American qualifier Ryan Harrison beat last year’s runner-up Guillermo Garciz-Lopez 7-5, 6-4, while sixthseeded Benoit Paire of France needed two hours to rally for a 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-3 victory over Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia. Paire will now take on Janko Tipsarevic, who was a 7-6 (3), 6-4 winner against Chinese wild card Zhang Ze. Malek Jaziri of Tunisia hit eight aces and broke three times in his 6-3, 7-6 (5) win over Stephane Robert of France. In other first round matches, Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan came through to beat Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-7 (2), 7-6 (4) and Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil breezed past Gastao Elias of Portugal 6-3, 6-3.
SOCCER
Top and above: photos taken during the awarding ceremony of the 14th Mario’s Basketball League.
KOCBC win back-to-back championship trophies
Hangout bag 14th MBL 5’9” division title
Angelique Kerber of Germany hits a return during her second round match against Kristina Mladenovic of France at the WTA Wuhan Open in Wuhan, in China’s central Hubei province on Sept 27. (AFP)
KUWAIT CITY, Sept 27: KIFF League for J. P. D’mello Trophy Powered by Gulf Cable & Electricals Co, got off to a rip rocking start with last season’s champions Soccer Kerala taking on Don Bosco Oratory in the first match of the day with honors shared equally in a fiery 2-2 draw. In the second match, Kuwait Goan Association with some important signings in the new season, easily beat Indian Strikers 5-1, while DHL labored hard to edge United Goans Centre 1-0 in the final match of the day. Earlier is a brief opening ceremony attended by ex-presidents and representatives of the 13 affiliates the guests were introduced to the players and the President Dominic Pereira while welcoming all to the new season emphasized on the importance of maintaining discipline and good will and wished all participants the best of luck in the new season. Vice. President Austin Abreo than declared the tournament open to the cheers of all those gathered. In the inaugural match, Champions Soccer Kerala missing some of their star players found themselves a goal down early in the game when DBO’s opportunistic striker Valenky Rodrigues made no mistake to send shock waves in the Kerala dug out. Soccer Kerala however found their rhythm as the game progressed and Sharath put them in the lead with two important strikes. However the never say die attitude of the DBO players ably led by Loyed Mascarenhas, Godfrey Aguair and Liston Raju ensured the teams shared equal points and the match ended 2-2 when Loyed scored from the penalty spot when a DBO player was brought down on the edge of the penalty area. Sharath was declared man of the match and the award was presented by Mervin Franco of Gulf Cable and Electric Co. The match was efficiently handled by Rosario Colaco and he was assisted by Sameer and George on the lines. During the break, the Federation along honored Glen Fernandes the Vice President of AVC Sports & Cultural Association for yeoman service to soccer in Kuwait. Glen who will be leaving Kuwait for good shortly was presented with a memento on behalf of the Federation by Carmo Santos the president of Santos United. In the second match, KGA with a host of new signings including Bernardo Pires, Martin Dias, Anas K, and Rafiq easily beat Indian Strikers 5-1 with man of the match Rafiq scoring the first hat-trick of the league with three brilliant strikes. Sanu Sulaiman scored the other two. Akhil A. pulled one back for Indian Strikers in the second half. The man of the
KUWAIT CITY, Sept 27: The 14th conference of Mario’s Basketball League (MBL) was held Friday at Al-Saheel Sports Club in Abu Halifa under the sponsorship of Al-Mulla Exchange Company. The championship game between Hangout and Angels teams in the under 5’9” division ended with Hangout emerging as the winner as it beat the Angels by 14 pts. The ‘Blur’ — Ching Javillo (No.
16) — was named the most valuable player (MVP) of the league; while the Mythical Five consisted of Salameda (No. 5 of the Angels Team), Bayron (No. 18 — Angels),
BASKETBALL Alisbo (No. 6 of Hangout Team), Fajardo (No. 5 - Hangout) and No. 15 of Hangout Team. Meanwhile, KOCBC won
back-to-back championship trophies in the 38’ and above division against the TROPA in an overtime match. MVP was the ‘Mighty Mouse’ — Darling Medelo — who led the game for his team that garnered 84 points whereas Tropa got 78 points. The Mythical Five included Yap (No. 6 of KOCBC Team), Casuga (No. 19 of Tropa Team), Carino (No. 40 — KOCBC), Rillo (No. 33 — KOCBC) and Kano (No. 16 — Tropa).
match was given to Rafiq by Julio Cardoso, the V. President of Goan Overseas Association (Goa Maroons). The match was officiated by Jerry Mello and assisted by Leslie and Clarence on the lines. Nisar ensured DHL FC went home with all three points when they edged out United Goans Centre 1-0 in the final match of the day played in hot and humid conditions. Both teams had their opportunities and used up all their substitutions. Man of the match was Nisar of DHL F C and the award was presented by KIFF committee member Raphael Rodrigues. The match was officiated by Robert Barnard and he was assisted by Dylan and Adilo on the lines. The opening ceremony was efficiently handled by the witty Gasper Crasto and eloquent Penny Rebello and will feature the following 13 teams this season: Don Bosco Oratory, Soccer Kerala, Goa Maroons, Santos United, kerala Challengers, Kuwait Goan Association, United Goans Centre, Curtorcares United, DHL FC, AVC, FC Sparx, Skynet Miracles Club and Indian Strikers. For the first time, all 13 teams will be playing each other in a ‘complete’ KIFF league and the league toppers will be declared as KIFF League Champions. Teams ranked 2 to 9 will thank play a knock out play off for the super league. Further, the Toppers of the super League will play the KIFF League Champions for the Super League Final. Kuwait Indian Football Federation is led by Dominic Pereira as President, Austin Abreo as V. president, while Rosario Colaco is the Sports Secretary. Other executive members are Sameer, Raphael, Claro and Robert Bernard. All the matches were played at Salmiya Sports Club and coming Friday, 23/9/2016 the following matches will be played:- 6:30am Goa Maroons v/s Santos United, 8:00am Skynet Miracles v/s United Goans Centre, 9:15am Curtorcares v/s AVC Sports & Cultural Association. All teams are requested to report on time.
ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
SPORTS
39
A tower for more than his physical presence: Krueger
Team Europe to lean on 6-foot-9 Chara against Canada in WC TORONTO, Sept 27, (AP): Team Europe will lean on 6-foot-9 defenseman Zdeno Chara, referred to by his coach as a tower, to slow Canada in the World Cup of Hockey finals. When Sidney Crosby and Co come charging down the ice, Chara will often be standing and skating in their way. “He’s a guy who you don’t want to play against,” Canadian forward Brad Marchand said Monday. “He’s mean. He’s big. He’s tough. And, he covers a lot of ice.” Marchand would know. He, along with Canada’s Patrice Bergeron, play with Chara in Boston.
The 39-year-old Chara will not only be the tallest player on the ice Tuesday night in Game 1 of the bestof-three series. He’ll also be the oldest. Marchand, though, insisted the 2009 Norris Trophy winner has not lost a step. He’s still dominant in so many areas. Chara is averaging nearly 22 minutes of ice time per game, ranking among team leaders, and has scored a goal in four World Cup games. Europe coach Ralph Krueger cites leadership as one of Chara’s biggest assets. He has been Boston’s captain
for nearly a decade and became the first Slovakian player to win a Stanley Cup in 2011, and the second European to be captain of an NHL champion, following Nicklas Lidstrom in 2008. When Krueger was putting together
ICE HOCKEY t h e team a year ago, he traveled to New York to talk to Chara when the Bruins were playing the Islanders in a preseason game. Getting Chara to buy in, Krueger figured, was a key to the team’s success. Several players joined the conver-
sation, Krueger recalled, and a newfound respect began to develop. “A tower for more than his physical presence,” Krueger said. “It’s the man inside of that tower that has been so exciting to work with.” Chara said the top priority for teambuilding was having players from eight nations mesh as one. “We talked about a lot of things, but nothing can be accomplished, nothing can be done if you don’t come together as a team,” he said. “It’s not going to happen if you’re not going to have everyone on the same page and playing as a team. Nobody showed any egos and we worked real-
Gordon hits emotional HR, mourning Marlins top Mets
Cincinnati Reds’ Eugenio Suarez (left), scores past St Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina during the fourth inning of a baseball game on Sept 26, in St Louis. (AP)
Indians clinch AL Central title with 7-4 win over Tigers MIAMI, Sept 27, (AP): Dee Gordon and the Miami Marlins wore their emotions on the sleeves of their No. 16 jerseys. Jose Fernandez would have loved it. Gordon homered leading off the first inning for the Marlins, who totaled 14 hits and mixed cheers with the tears of the past two days by beating the New York Mets 7-3 on Monday night in their first game since Fernandez died in a boating accident. Adam Conley pitched three scoreless innings subbing for Fernandez, who had been scheduled to make his final start of the year. Justin Bour went 3 for 3 and Gordon had four hits, including one that will go down in Marlins
BASEBALL lore. Paying tribute to their charismatic ace, the left-handed-hitting Gordon stepped to the plate as a righty leading off the first. After one pitch, Gordon switched to his customary left side — and pulled a 2-0 delivery into the upper deck for his first homer of the season. New York’s Bartolo Colon (14-8) allowed a season-high seven runs in 2 1/3 innings. Mike Dunn (5-1) pitched a perfect fourth for the win. New York still leads the NL wild-card race with five games to go. Indians 7, Tigers 4 In Detroit, Cleveland clinched the AL Central title, overcoming an injury to ace right-hander Corey Kluber in a victory over Detroit. Kluber left after four innings with right groin tightness, joining Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar in a group of talented Cleveland pitchers dealing with injuries. But even those concerns were secondary when the Indians poured onto the field to celebrate their first division title since 2007. Buck Farmer (0-1) allowed four runs in five innings for the Tigers, who fell two games behind Baltimore for the second AL wild card. Andrew Miller (10-1) won in relief, and Cody Allen pitched the ninth for his 30th save in 33 chances. Mariners 4, Astros 3, 11 Innings
Miami Marlins’ Dee Gordon points to the sky after hitting a single during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets on Sept 26, in Miami. (AP)
In Houston, Robinson Cano hit his second homer of the game with two outs in the 11th inning, lifting Seattle over Houston. Houston scored two runs in the ninth, but then Cano sent a slider from Luke Gregerson (4-3) into the second deck in right field to win. The victory moves Seattle two games behind Baltimore for the second AL wild card and drops Houston, which has lost four of five, to 3 1/2 games back in the race. Drew Storen (4-3) pitched a perfect 10th for the win. Nick Vincent allowed consecutive singles to Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa before retiring the next two batters for his third save. Cubs 12, Pirates 2 In Pittsburgh, Javier Baez hit a grand slam and drove in a careerhigh six runs while major league ERA leader Kyle Hendricks pitched six scoreless innings, helping Chicago win its 100th game of the season. Baez helped the NL Centralchampion Cubs reach triple digits in victories for the first time since 1935. Hendricks (16-8) dropped his ERA to 1.99 by scattering seven hits, striking out five and walking none. He has not allowed more than three runs in 22 consecutive starts. The Pirates entered the day 4 -1/2 games out of the second NL wild card with seven games to play. Rookie Chad Kuhl (5-4) was rocked for five runs and eight hits in three innings. Diamondbacks 14, Nationals 4
In Washington, All-Star catcher Wilson Ramos left Washington’s loss to Arizona with a right knee injury that could be a major blow to the NL East champions. Ramos landed awkwardly on his right leg after jumping to catch a relay throw in the sixth inning. He immediately called for medical attention and clutched at the same knee he injured badly during the 2012 season, when he tore his ACL and medial collateral ligament. Nationals manager Dusty Baker said Ramos would have an MRI on Tuesday to determine the extent of the damage. Washington was already without reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper due to a thumb injury, slugging second baseman Daniel Murphy (strained glute) and 15-game winner Stephen Strasburg (elbow). This loss left the Nationals one game ahead of the Dodgers for home-field advantage in the series. Tanner Roark (15-10) allowed five runs in four innings. Zack Godley (5-4) got the win behind three scoreless innings in relief. Yankees 7, Blue Jays 5 In Toronto, Mark Teixeira hit a tying homer in the ninth inning and Aaron Hicks added a winning blast as New York avoided a four-game sweep. Leading 3-2 heading to the ninth, Blue Jays manager John Gibbons called on Jason Grilli (7-6) to close it out because Roberto Osuna was unavailable
Roberto Perez #55 of the Cleveland Indians single to drive on Coco Crisp against the Detroit Tigers during the eighth inning at Comerica Park on Sept 26, in Detroit, Michigan. (AFP)
after pitching the previous two days. Teixeira tied it 3-all with a oneout drive into the second deck drive in right. Didi Gregorius singled and Hicks followed with a two-run homer. Tommy Layne wrapped up his first save by getting Troy Tulowitzki to foul out. Adam Warren (4-2) got the win behind two perfect innings. Brewers 8, Rangers 3 In Arlington, Texas, Jonathan Villar had two home runs and a career-high five RBIs, and Matt Garza beat his former team. The loss dropped AL Westchampion Texas a half-game behind Boston in the race for the league’s best record. The Cleveland Indians pulled within a half-game of the Rangers. Garza (6-8) allowed three runs and six hits in six innings. Rangers starter Martin Perez (1011) was looking to set a career high for wins in a season. Reds 15, Cardinals 2 In St Louis, Joey Votto and Adam Duvall hit two of Cincinnati’s four homers in a rout of St Louis. Reds starter Tim Adleman (3-4) retired the first 10 Cardinals he faced and went a career-long seven innings. It was his first win since Aug 19. Jaime Garcia (10-13) lasted just one inning in the shortest outing of his career. White Sox 7, Rays 1 In Chicago, James Shields pitched six effective innings for his first win in two months, Justin Morneau and Carlos Sanchez each hit a two-run homer and Chicago beat Tampa Bay. Shields (6-18) allowed one run and seven hits, using six strikeouts to help wriggle out of several jams and help Chicago win its third straight. Tampa Bay’s Drew Smyly (7-12) allowed three runs and seven hits over five innings in losing for the first time since July 18 at Colorado. Angels 2, Athletics 1 In Anaheim, California, Yunel Escobar scored when Ryan Dull (5-5) bobbled Albert Pujols’ weak grounder back to the mound in the eighth inning, and Los Angeles beat Oakland for its fifth victory in six games. Mike Trout hit his 29th homer for the Angels. JC Ramirez (2-1) got the win in relief and Andrew Bailey got his sixth save.
ly hard.” Instead of just playing for his country, Chara is competing for a pan-European team made up of countries outside of the continent’s four traditional powers. He’s one of six players from Slovakia, tying the number of Germans on the team. Four players are from Switzerland, three from Denmark and one apiece from Austria, France, Norway and Slovenia. “It’s been a real pleasure to get to know them and being on the same team,” Chara said. “So, it’s been a really good experience.” The three-time Olympian sounds
like he’s having a good time, playing in another best-on-best tournament, even though he acknowledged he doesn’t always look like it. “It doesn’t mean if I don’t smile, I don’t have fun,” he said. “A lot of time you might think I’m maybe sad, but inside I’m happy and smiling. That’s just the way I am and I’m not expressing myself. Maybe I should do that because my wife tells me I have a beautiful smile.” The often-pesky Marchand said he won’t be cracking jokes, or talking trash, to Chara on Tuesday night. “He’s way too scary,” Marchand said with a grin.
MLB Scoreboard WASHINGTON, Sept 27, (Agencies): Results and standings from the MLB games on Monday.
Arizona Chicago Cubs NY Yankees Cleveland Miami Milwaukee Seattle
14 12 7 7 7 8 4
Washington 4 Pittsburgh 2 Toronto 5 Detroit 4 NY Mets 3 Texas 3 Houston (11 innings) 3 Chicago White Sox 7 Tampa Bay 1 Cincinnati 15 St Louis 2 LA Angels 2 Oakland 1 American League Eastern Division W L PCT GB Boston 92 64 .590 Toronto 86 70 .551 6 Baltimore 85 71 .545 7 NY Yankees 80 76 .513 12 Tampa Bay 65 91 .417 27 Central Division W L PCT GB Cleveland 91 65 .583 Detroit 83 73 .532 8 Kansas City 79 77 .506 12 Chicago White Sox 75 81 .481 16 Minnesota 56 100 .359 35 Western Division W L PCT GB Texas 92 65 .586 Seattle 83 73 .532 8-1/2 Houston 82 75 .522 10 LA Angels 70 87 .446 22 Oakland 67 89 .429 24-1/2 National League Eastern Division W L PCT GB Washington 91 65 .583 NY Mets 83 74 .529 8-1/2 Miami 78 78 .500 13 Philadelphia 70 86 .449 21 Atlanta 63 92 .406 27-1/2 Central Division W L PCT GB Chicago Cubs 100 56 .641 St Louis 81 75 .519 19 Pittsburgh 77 79 .494 23 Milwaukee 71 86 .452 29-1/2 Cincinnati 66 90 .423 34 Western Division W L PCT GB LA Dodgers 90 66 .577 San Francisco 82 74 .526 8 Colorado 73 83 .468 17 San Diego 66 90 .423 24 Arizona 65 91 .417 25 MLB Linescores American League New York 100 000 0157 11 1 Toronto 102 000 0025 6 2 L.Severino, Holder (2), Pazos (3), Yates (4), Bleier (5), Warren (7), Betances (9), Layne (9) and G.Sanchez; Happ, Biagini (8), Cecil (8), Grilli (9), D.Barnes (9) and R.Martin. W_Warren 7-4. L_Grilli 7-6. Sv_Layne (1). HRs_New York, Hicks (8), Teixeira (14). Cleveland 020 020 1207 8 0 Detroit 020 010 1004 10 1 Kluber, Otero (5), Shaw (6), A.Miller (7), Allen (9) and R.Perez; Farmer, Ryan (6), J.Wilson (7), A.Wilson (8), B.Rondon (9) and J.McCann. W_A. Miller 10-1. L_Farmer 0-1. Sv_Allen (30). HRs_ Cleveland, Perez (3), Crisp (2). Detroit, Martinez (22). Tampa Bay 000 100 0001 9 0 Chicago 100 110 22x7 11 1 Smyly, Garton (6), Jepsen (7), Romero (7) and B.Wilson; Shields, Kahnle (7), Jennings (7), Jones (8), Minaya (9) and Narvaez. W_Shields 6-18. L_Smyly 7-12. HRs_Chicago, Sanchez (3), Morneau (6). Seattle 101 000 001 014 12 0 Houston 000 001 002 003 10 1 (11 innings) Iwakuma, Scribner (7), Cishek (8), Diaz (9), Storen (10), Vincent (11) and Zunino; McHugh, Harris (8), Hoyt (9), Giles (10), Gregerson (11) and J.Castro. W_Storen 4-3. L_Gregerson 4-3. Sv_Vincent (3). HRs_Seattle, Cano 2 (35). Oakland 000 001 0001 4 0 Los Angeles 000 100 01x2 6 0 Manaea, Dull (8) and Maxwell, Vogt; J.Weaver, Guerra (6), Valdez (7), J.Ramirez (8), Bailey (9) and Bandy. W_J.Ramirez 3-4. L_Dull 5-5. Sv_Bailey (6). HRs_Oakland, Vogt (13). Los Angeles, Trout (29). Interleague Milwaukee 003 020 3008 10 1 Texas 002 010 0003 8 0 Garza, Torres (7), J.Barnes (8), Cravy (9) and Maldonado; M.Perez, Jeffress (7), Leclerc (9) and Lucroy. W_Garza 6-8. L_M.Perez 10-11. HRs_Milwaukee, Villar 2 (18). National League Arizona 000 505 031 14 13 0 Washington 010 300 000 4 8 1 Bradley, Delgado (4), Godley (5), E.Escobar (8), Bracho (9) and Castillo, O.Hernandez; Roark, Y.Petit (5), Gott (6), R.Martin (7), Giolito (8) and W.Ramos, P.Severino. W_Godley 5-4. L_Roark 15-10. HRs_Arizona, Lamb (29), Tomas (30), Segura 2 (19), Haniger (4). New York 000 020 0103 7 0 Miami 142 000 00x7 14 1 Colon, Ynoa (3), Montero (5), Goeddel (6), Edgin (7), Henderson (8) and d’Arnaud, Plawecki; Conley, Dunn (4), Ellington (5), Brice (6), Cervenka (6), McGowan (6), Phelps (7), Barraclough (8), A.Ramos (9) and Realmuto. W_Dunn 5-1. L_Colon 14-8. HRs_Miami, Gordon (1). Chicago 100 406 100 12 18 0 Pittsburgh 000 000 020 2 10 2 Hendricks, Strop (7), H.Rondon (8), Chapman (9) and Contreras; Kuhl, Z.Phillips (4), Brault (6), Coke (7), Hughes (9) and Cervelli, Stallings. W_ Hendricks 16-8. L_Kuhl 5-4. HRs_Chicago, Baez (14), Bryant (39). Pittsburgh, Joyce (13), Freese (13). Cincinnati 210 740 100 15 22 0 St. Louis 000 110 000 2 6 0 Adleman, W.Peralta (8), De Los Santos (9) and Barnhart, Lopez; J.Garcia, Wacha (2), L.Weaver (4), Kiekhefer (5), Mayers (6), Tuivailala (8), Williams (9) and Molina, C.Kelly. W_Adleman 3-4. L_J.Garcia 10-13. HRs_Cincinnati, Selsky (2), Duvall 2 (33), Votto (27). MLB Leaders American League
BATTING: Altuve, Houston, .338; Betts, Boston, .321; Ortiz, Boston, .321; Pedroia, Boston, .319; Trout, Los Angeles, .318; Ramirez, Cleveland, .313; Martinez, Detroit, .313; Escobar, Los Angeles, .309; Cabrera, Detroit, .307; Andrus, Texas, .302. RUNS: Trout, Los Angeles, 121; Donaldson, Toronto, 121; Betts, Boston, 119; Kinsler, Detroit, 113; Springer, Houston, 113; Bogaerts, Boston, 113; Desmond, Texas, 105; Altuve, Houston, 105; Machado, Baltimore, 103; Pedroia, Boston, 102. RBI: Encarnacion, Toronto, 126; Ortiz, Boston, 124; Pujols, Los Angeles, 119; Ramirez, Boston, 110; Betts, Boston, 109; Trumbo, Baltimore, 104; Cruz, Seattle, 101; Napoli, Cleveland, 101; Beltre, Texas, 101; Hosmer, Kansas City, 100. HITS: Altuve, Houston, 210; Betts, Boston, 209; Pedroia, Boston, 195; Cano, Seattle, 188; Machado, Baltimore, 186; Bogaerts, Boston, 184; Abreu, Chicago, 181; Lindor, Cleveland, 179; Cabrera, Detroit, 177; Desmond, Texas, 174. DOUBLES: Ortiz, Boston, 48; Ramirez, Cleveland, 45; Altuve, Houston, 41; Cabrera, Chicago, 40; Machado, Baltimore, 40; Betts, Boston, 40; Kipnis, Cleveland, 38; Longoria, Tampa Bay, 37; Schoop, Baltimore, 36; Dickerson, Tampa Bay, 36. TRIPLES: Eaton, Chicago, 9; Bradley Jr., Boston, 7; Andrus, Texas, 7; Dyson, Kansas City, 7; Escobar, Kansas City, 6; Miller, Tampa Bay, 6; Bourn, Baltimore, 6; Gardner, New York, 6; Altuve, Houston, 5; Dozier, Minnesota, 5; Ellsbury, New York, 5; Betts, Boston, 5; Beckham, Tampa Bay, 5; Naquin, Cleveland, 5; Cabrera, Chicago, 5; Donaldson, Toronto, 5; Buxton, Minnesota, 5; Maybin, Detroit, 5; Trout, Los Angeles, 5; Springer, Houston, 5. HOME RUNS: Trumbo, Baltimore, 45; Dozier, Minnesota, 42; Encarnacion, Toronto, 42; Cruz, Seattle, 41; Davis, Oakland, 40; Frazier, Chicago, 39; Davis, Baltimore, 38; Ortiz, Boston, 37; Longoria, Tampa Bay, 36; Machado, Baltimore, 36; Donaldson, Toronto, 36. STOLEN BASES: Davis, Cleveland, 42; Dyson, Kansas City, 28; Altuve, Houston, 28; Trout, Los Angeles, 27; Upton Jr., Toronto, 26; Betts, Boston, 26; Andrus, Texas, 24; Ramirez, Cleveland, 22; Martin, Seattle, 21; Desmond, Texas, 20; Kiermaier, Tampa Bay, 20. PITCHING: Porcello, Boston, 22-4; Happ, Toronto, 20-4; Kluber, Cleveland, 18-9; Price, Boston, 17-8; Sale, Chicago, 16-9; Tillman, Baltimore, 166; Iwakuma, Seattle, 16-12; Hamels, Texas, 15-5; Verlander, Detroit, 15-8; Tanaka, New York, 14-4. ERA: Tanaka, New York, 3.07; Porcello, Boston, 3.11; Sanchez, Toronto, 3.12; Kluber, Cleveland, 3.14; Sale, Chicago, 3.19; Happ, Toronto, 3.20; Verlander, Detroit, 3.21; Quintana, Chicago, 3.21; Hamels, Texas, 3.30; Wright, Boston, 3.33. STRIKEOUTS: Verlander, Detroit, 234; Archer, Tampa Bay, 228; Kluber, Cleveland, 227; Price, Boston, 222; Sale, Chicago, 220; Pineda, New York, 202; Hamels, Texas, 194; Duffy, Kansas City, 185; Pomeranz, Boston, 184; Porcello, Boston, 183. SAVES: Britton, Baltimore, 46; Rodriguez, Detroit, 44; Robertson, Chicago, 36; Dyson, Texas, 36; Colome, Tampa Bay, 35; Osuna, Toronto, 35; Kimbrel, Boston, 30; Allen, Cleveland, 30; Madson, Oakland, 30; Jeffress, Texas, 27. National League BATTING: LeMahieu, Colorado, .350; Murphy, Washington, .347; Blackmon, Colorado, .321; Votto, Cincinnati, .321; Segura, Arizona, .317; Seager, Los Angeles, .313; Marte, Pittsburgh, .311; Realmuto, Miami, .307; Ramos, Washington, .307; Braun, Milwaukee, .307. RUNS: Bryant, Chicago, 120; Arenado, Colorado, 112; Blackmon, Colorado, 109; LeMahieu, Colorado, 103; Seager, Los Angeles, 103; Goldschmidt, Arizona, 103; Votto, Cincinnati, 98; Freeman, Atlanta, 96; Myers, San Diego, 95; Segura, Arizona, 94. RBI: Arenado, Colorado, 129; Rizzo, Chicago, 105; Murphy, Washington, 104; Kemp, Atlanta, 104; Bryant, Chicago, 101; Duvall, Cincinnati, 100; Gonzalez, Colorado, 99; Yelich, Miami, 95; Russell, Chicago, 94; Myers, San Diego, 92; Bruce, New York, 92. HITS: Segura, Arizona, 196; LeMahieu, Colorado, 191; Seager, Los Angeles, 190; Murphy, Washington, 184; Prado, Miami, 179; Blackmon, Colorado, 177; Freeman, Atlanta, 174; Arenado, Colorado, 174; Bryant, Chicago, 174; Votto, Cincinnati, 170. DOUBLES: Murphy, Washington, 47; Freeman, Atlanta, 43; Rizzo, Chicago, 43; Gonzalez, Colorado, 40; Seager, Los Angeles, 40; Segura, Arizona, 40; Markakis, Atlanta, 38; Rendon, Washington, 38; Belt, San Francisco, 38; Prado, Miami, 37; Kemp, Atlanta, 37; Yelich, Miami, 37. TRIPLES: Hernandez, Philadelphia, 11; Owings, Arizona, 11; Crawford, San Francisco, 9; Lamb, Arizona, 9; LeMahieu, Colorado, 8; Turner, Washington, 7; Belt, San Francisco, 7; Inciarte, Atlanta, 7; Bourjos, Philadelphia, 7; Revere, Washington, 7; Fowler, Chicago, 7; Harrison, Pittsburgh, 7. HOME RUNS: Arenado, Colorado, 40; Bryant, Chicago, 39; Carter, Milwaukee, 38; Kemp, Atlanta, 33; Duvall, Cincinnati, 33; Freeman, Atlanta, 32; Rizzo, Chicago, 31; Granderson, New York, 30; Bruce, New York, 30; Braun, Milwaukee, 30; Cespedes, New York, 30; Tomas, Arizona, 30. STOLEN BASES: Villar, Milwaukee, 59; Hamilton, Cincinnati, 58; Marte, Pittsburgh, 47; Nunez, San Francisco, 40; Perez, Milwaukee, 33; Segura, Arizona, 30; Jankowski, San Diego, 30; Goldschmidt, Arizona, 29; Myers, San Diego, 28; Turner, Washington, 27; Gordon, Miami, 27. PITCHING: Lester, Chicago, 19-4; Scherzer, Washington, 18-7; Arrieta, Chicago, 18-7; Cueto, San Francisco, 17-5; Fernandez, Miami, 16-8; Hendricks, Chicago, 16-8; Maeda, Los Angeles, 16-9; Martinez, St. Louis, 15-9; Hammel, Chicago, 15-10; Roark, Washington, 15-10. ERA: Hendricks, Chicago, 1.99; Lester, Chicago, 2.28; Syndergaard, New York, 2.63; Bumgarner, San Francisco, 2.71; Cueto, San Francisco, 2.79; Scherzer, Washington, 2.82; Arrieta, Chicago, 2.85; Fernandez, Miami, 2.86; Roark, Washington, 2.86; Teheran, Atlanta, 3.10. STRIKEOUTS: Scherzer, Washington, 267; Fernandez, Miami, 253; Bumgarner, San Francisco, 246; Ray, Arizona, 215; Syndergaard, New York, 210; Lester, Chicago, 191; Cueto, San Francisco, 187; Arrieta, Chicago, 186; Strasburg, Washington, 183; Gray, Colorado, 182. SAVES: Familia, New York, 49; Jansen, Los Angeles, 47; Melancon, Washington, 43; Ramos, Miami, 39; Gomez, Philadelphia, 37; Chapman, Chicago, 36; Casilla, San Francisco, 31; Rodney, Miami, 25; Papelbon, Washington, 19; Oh, St. Louis, 18; Rondon, Chicago, 18.
ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
SPORTS
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CMA’s report aims to meet growing need for successful capital market in the country
Al-Mazaya among top ten Kuwaiti companies for corporate governance KUWAIT CITY, Sept 27: Al Mazaya Holding has been named among the top 10 in the list of Arab companies that boast the most robust and transparent corporate governance. The list, according to a report released by Kuwait’s Capitals Markets Authority (CMA), includes 233 companies, the ranking of which is based on corporate governance metrics that measure their compliance with accountability, transparency and disclosure. Al Mazaya Holding came fourth out of the 233 listed companies, 203 of which have ensured their governance transparency and disclosure during the legal grace period. The enviable position held by Al Mazaya Holding is attributed to its unwavering commitment to the guiding governance directives issued by different official and state-run authorities. The company takes a sophisticated approach to risk management, internally and externally, and relies on corporate
governance principles and criteria that ensure high yields. The top ranking undoubtedly confirms Al Mazaya Holding’s commitment to corporate governance rules and principles that fall in line with best international practices. Al Mazaya Holding’s governance regime is considered among the best of its kind thanks to the set of plans the company has developed to ensure business development with integrated and internationally acclaimed frameworks and criteria. Such globally recognised practices and criteria have set the company as a model to be copied for corporate governance commitment and transparency. Al Mazaya Holding consistently seeks the best interests of its Shareholders, and endeavours to develop its business portfolio despite the challenges it faces to maintain its commitment to governance laws. These challenges
include high performance levels, and proper business regulation and structuring, creating a favourable investment environment and appropriate regulation of financial returns. The CMA’s report aims to meet the growing need for a successful capital market in the country by ensuring the ideal enactment of all relevant laws, and application of outstanding practices and criteria. The report also underlines the CMA’s pioneering role in leading the efforts made to guarantee the best governance practices and criteria in Kuwait. The 203 out of 233 companies that submitted their governance reports within the legal grace period represent an 87% commitment rate. All companies concerned have been called upon to show full commitment to governance directives in compliance with Law 7 for Year 2010 and its executive regulations to secure their own and their Shareholders’ best interests. Blue Skyline
Scotland fights back into title hunt at ‘Yas Links’ Abu Dhabi Hinton goes two clear at the top ABU DHABI, Sept 27: Zane Scotland displayed his remarkable ball-striking skills to haul himself back into contention with a seven-under 65 as he finished three shots off the pace going into the final round of the Ascorp Golf Citizen Abu Dhabi Open at Yas Links on Tuesday. Starting the day a good six shots behind, the 34-year-old Englishman spiced his round with nine birdies, picking up four shots on the front nine and five on the home stretch, overcoming a double bogey on the ninth when his approach found the water. The tournament low score thus far left Zane Scotland in solo third as his fellow Englishman Craig Hinton kept his nose in front, reaching 10-under after a second-round 68, two clear of Lee Corfield, also of England, who fired back-to-back 68s to remain within touching distance of the title. The English duo of Liam Crawford and Joe Heraty shared fourth a further shot back on six under on a day when all players wore black ribbons as a mark respect for great Arnold Palmer, who left for the links in the sky on Sunday. Scotland, a frequent visitor to leaderboards, sounded pleased to get his rhythm back. “Feeling good about my game for the first time in few weeks. I struck the ball really well and got into the zone on the back
Zane Scotland in action
nine,” said Scotland, an 11-time winner on the MENA Golf Tour. “The course is just stunning, but it is important to have a strategy for playing each hole as winds can make the course look totally different,” said the Englishman who hit 16 greens in regulation. Hinton, who is chasing his second win this season, started strongly with three birdies in a row before making the turn at four under. He picked shots on the 15th and 16th but backto-back bogeys prevented him from further consolidating his lead. “Played some good golf again, though dropped shots on the closing two holes were a bit frustrating. Going forward, the idea is to stick to the same game place and see where that leaves me,” said Hinton, who won the Joburg Open earlier this sea-
son. Corfield, a four-time winner on the MENA Golf Tour, kept up the good work, playing himself back into contention for the second week in a row. “It was pretty tricky out there because the wind was blowing in different directions. I was never in serious trouble and hit lots of fairways and greens,” said the 33-year-old Englishman from Somerset, who finished in a tie for eighth last week after starting the final round two in front. “Going bogey-free was certainly the highlight of the day. In fact, I have dropped just one shot in 36 holes which shows things are moving in the right direction,” said Corfield, a four-time winner on the MENA Golf Tour. Moroccans continued to dominate the MENA Division with Ahmed Marjan leading the professional category on level-par one clear of Younes Al Hassan and Jamal Allali opening up a one-shot lead over Saudi Arabia’s leading amateur Othman Almulla. Meanwhile, Welsh ace Stephen Dodd, a two-time winner on the European Tour, shared 14th on twounder in a group which included experienced Andrew Marshall after a second round 70 while Danny Poulter, brother of Ryder Cup hero Ian, moved into a tie for 19th after returning a 71. The cut was made at three-over par 147 with 45 professionals and 12 amateurs making it to the final round.
Al-Sayer officials
Al Sayer announces winners of special Yokohama promo Mohamed Naser Al Sayer (MNSS), one of the Al Sayer Group Holding Companies held a raffle draw at the Yokohama Center – Canada Dry on 18th Sep 2016 to announce 10 winners of Yokohama special summer promotion. The draw was organized under the supervision of Ministry of Commerce & Industry – for Consumer protection affairs along with Krishna Kumar General Manager Tires, Oil and Paint (TOP) Division MNSS, Inderpal Singh Senior Manager, Tire Sales from Al Sayer Yokohama and Mohammad Amin Nasimi Senior Manager After-Sales Marketing. According to Krishna Kumar GM Tires Oil and Paint Division “I thank our customers for their valuable participation to make this promotion a big success. Yokohama promotions always come with excellent benefits, this time the finest Japanese tires powered by leading technology has offered a great chance of win-
ning 10 attractive prizes.” Yokohama special promotion offered a chance to enter a raffle draw to all customers spending KD 20 on Yokohama tires within the period of promotion.
New Tiguan will go on sale from September
The compact SUV, redefined: The new Tiguan is now available in Kuwait KUWAIT CITY, Sept 27: The sporty and powerful new Tiguan - an SUV that redefines the compact SUV class — is now available in Volkswagen Kuwait. The new model was presented in Kuwait for the first time in the Volkswagen showroom in Al Rai on Sept 27 at a media event attended by the German Ambassador to Kuwait, HE Karlfried
Bergner, Ali Morad Behbehani and VIPS. The new Tiguan is packed with cutting-edge technology and offered in five model configurations – S 1.4L, SE 1.4L, SE 2.0L, SEL 2.0L and Sport 2.0L with 220 HP. The new model is the first Volkswagen SUV built on the state-of-the-art MQB platform
The new 2017 Tiguan now available in Volkswagen — Al Rai showroom.
and features new technology, completely unique in the compact class; including Active Info Display, Adaptive Cruise Control and Head-Up Display. Commenting at the launch of the new Tiguan, Abdullah Ali,
Abdullah Ali, Peter Green, Guy Edmunds, Ali Morad Behbehani, German Ambassador to Kuwait, HE Karlfried Bergner, Abdul Mohsen Behbehani and Paul Peters from Volkswagen Behbehani.
General Manager of Volkswagen Kuwait said, “The SUV segment represents 65% of our volume sales. The introduction of the new Tiguan, with its all-new, authentic SUV styling and in-
novative technology redefines the compact SUV segment and confidently points the way to the future for Volkswagen in Kuwait.” Andrew Savvas, Brand Director Volkswagen Middle East, said, “The new Tiguan is perfectly thought-out – from its sharp new design to the state-of-the-art technology. The new model is spacious, flexible and appealing to drivers and their families as an ideal companion for their everyday business and personal lives. “A smart SUV, with sophisticated design and technology, it is the most affordably innovative compact SUV currently available for Middle East and Levant drivers”, he continued. With passenger comfort and convenience prioritised, the new Tiguan offers optional leather seats with memory function, an additional 145 litres of cargo space and easy open trunk available as an option, in addition to
Ali Morad Behbehani and German Ambassador to Kuwait, HE Karlfried Bergner
adaptive cruise control, 4MOTION Active Control, front assist and AppConnect. The numerous technical innovations, combined with its authentic SUV design, make the new Tiguan one of the most attractive SUVs in its segment. Moreover, the new Tiguan offers a wide range of safety features – active bonnet and six airbags as standard, and an additional knee airbag on the driver’s side as an option, and forward collision warning and autonomous emergency braking system for adaptive cruise control – underpinning the Tiguan’s benchmark as a leader in safety. Kuwait will get both power and comfort with three new engines 150 HP, 180 HP and 220 HP with six and seven-speed dual-clutch gearboxes (DSG) respectively. For more information, visit http://www.volkswagen.com. kw/ or the VW showroom in Al Rai.
Ahood Alenzi, Jamal Al Nejada and Dana Al Tuwarish
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Andre makes emotional return to M’gladbach
Barca have options for Gladbach even without Leo BERLIN, Sept 27, (RTRS): Barcelona will travel to Borussia Moenchengladbach for their Champions League match on Wednesday without Lionel Messi but the Spaniards have enough options and firepower to plug the gap left by the Argentine, coach Luis Enrique said. Messi has been sidelined for three weeks with a groin injury but Barca were unaffected by their leader’s absence on Saturday, firing five goals past Sporting Gijon in a show of force
ahead of their second Group C match. Their opening game in Europe was even more impressive as the Spaniards crushed Celtic 7-0 to move top M’gladbach vs Barca beIN SPORTS 1HD 21:45 local
of the standings on goal difference ahead of Manchester City, led by their former coach Pep Guardiola. Barcelona have scored 18 goals in
four games since losing 2-1 at home to Alaves on Sept 10, with Neymar and Luis Suarez in fine form. “I have different kinds of players and that gives me a lot of options,” Luis Enrique said. “Depending on who we are playing and the players I have available, I will pick the ones that I think are right for the situation. “To lose Messi means that football loses. With Messi we are stronger, but we will continue being strong,” he said. He rested several players on Sat-
urday, including Ivan Rakitic, Andres Iniesta, Jordi Alba and Javier Mascherano. For Barca keeper Marc Andre ter Stegen it will be an emotional return to the club he left in 2014. “I had a fantastic time there and played for the club my entire career apart for the last two years,” Ter Stegen said. “Borussia are my old love and that will remain so but I identify with Barca 100 percent and on the pitch
there is only one club for me.” They will need that focus if they are to get maximum points in Germany and snap Gladbach’s 11-match winning streak at home in all competitions following their 2-0 victory over Ingolstadt on Saturday. Coach Andre Schubert will have Raffael back, the Brazilian having recovered from an adductor injury. Fit-again creative midfielder Mahmoud Dahoud is also expected to be in the squad after playing
against Ingolstadt, as Gladbach look to bounce back from their opening 4-0 defeat at City. “We are happy to be playing against one of the world’s best teams,” said defender Oscar Wendt. “And it is even better that they are coming to us on Wednesday.” “But we are no fans of Barcelona and do not want to play a supporting role on the night. We want to give it all we have and make something special out of it.”
Cagliari win
Things looking up for Arsenal
Burnley top Watford 2-0
PSG under pressure
LONDON, Sept 27, (Agencies): Burnley struck either side of halftime with headers from Jeff Hendrick and Michael Keane to claim a 2-0 Premier League home win over Watford on Monday in the first topflight meeting of the two clubs. Forward Hendrick broke the deadlock before defender Keane scored to lift the Clarets into 13th spot where they joined five clubs on seven points from six games, including Watford and champions Leicester City who they trail on goal difference. Steven Defour laid on both goals with Hendrick heading home his corner in the 38th minute and Keane rising to nod in the winger’s left wing cross five minutes into the second half. Dyche, a former Watford player and manager, said Burnley had worked hard to sign Defour, who is closing in on 50 caps, for a club record 8 million pounds ($10.38 million)in August. “His quality rubs off on others, he’s got a bit more of an assured manner in possession,” said Dyche. Watford were aiming for a third straight league win but could not find the form that helped them comfortably beat Manchester United 3-1 and West Ham United 4-2. Burnley defended well, in contrast to Watford’s poor marking at set pieces, and kept Etienne Capoue and captain Troy Deeney, who forced a fine point-blank save from Heaton, in check. ❑ ❑ ❑ Cagliari were gifted a 2-1 victory over Sampdoria thanks to a howler from visiting goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano. It looked set to finish honors even in Sardinia after Sampdoria midfielder Bruno Fernandes cancelled out Joao Pedro’s first-half opener four minutes from time. However, two minutes later Viviano rushed out of his area to make a routine clearance but miskicked, allowing substitute Federico Melchiorri to fire into an empty net. It was Samp’s fourth successive defeat and left it a point above the relegation zone. Atalanta were also on six points after easing to a 3-1 win at bottom club Crotone. Alejandro Gomez, A n d r e a Petagna and Totti Jasmin Kurtic scored in the first half for Atalanta, which had Franck Kessie sent off shortly after the hour mark following an awful challenge on Noe Dusenne. Substitute Simeon Tochukwu Nwankwo netted a consolation for Crotone in the 86th. ❑ ❑ ❑ Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt joined a long list of global sports stars in offering birthday tributes to Roma legend Francesco Totti. Totti, who made his Roma debut in March 1993 and hit his 250th goal for the club on Sunday, celebrates his 40th birthday on Tuesday. Amid worldwide praise, Barcelona and Argentina star Messi said in a special video: “Hi Francesco, I just wanted to wish you a very happy birthday. “I hope you have a wonderful day. I’ve always admired you, and even more so on the day I met you. A big hug!” Totti, who has spent his entire career at Roma, is in his 25th and likely last season with the ‘Giallorossi’ (yellow and reds). Although reduced to mostly substitute appearances over the past two seasons, Roma’s number 10 — considered “Italy’s greatest” by former teammate Antonio Cassano — is still hitting goals and creating assists with impressive regularity. Totti has scored six times in his last 11 league games and is currently fifth in the league’s assists table despite playing only one full game in six outings this season. Bolt met Totti last year, and on Tuesday the Jamaican posted a special birthday message for the footballer on Youtube. “Hi Totti, this is Usain Bolt. I just want to wish you a happy birthday, from one legend to another. It was an honour when I met you,” Bolt said. “Stay up, keep staying strong. I’ll be watching, alright. Peace.” Totti is one of only two players to have hit 250 goals in Serie A, although he remains 24 short of Silvio Piola’s all-time Serie A record of 274.
PARIS, Sept 27, (AFP): It is all even in Group A with PSG squandering a host of chances before having to settle for a 1-1 draw at home to Arsenal in their opener while Ludogorets claimed a 1-1 draw away at Basel. PSG are under pressure to get a result after a patchy start to the season including a 2-0 defeat at Toulouse on Friday that left them fourth in Ligue 1. Serge Aurier, who was sent off in that game, is available for selection despite being handed a twomonth prison sentence on Monday for assaulting a police officer. Marco Verratti is available after his red card against Arsenal was overturned. The Bulgarian champions have six Brazilians in their squad but two of them, full-backs Vitinha and Cicinho, are injured. The match will be played at the national stadium in Sofia, nearly 350 kms away from Razgrad, where Ludogorets’ own ground is not considered up to scratch for major European games. Things are looking up for Arsenal after they came from behind to hold PSG in their opener, seemingly putting them in control of the group. The Gunners marked Arsene Wenger’s 20th anniversary as manager by beating Chelsea 3-0 on Saturday, leaving them third in the Premier League and unbeaten in seven games in all competitions. Alexis Sanchez scored his fifth of the season in that game having also netted in Paris. However Arsenal, who lost Sanchez to Olympiakos in their opening home group game last season, should be wary of Basel. Swiss champions in each of the last seven seasons, they needed a Renato Steffen equaliser to draw with Ludogorets but have a 100 percent domestic record. Ivory Coast international Seydou Doumbia is their leading scorer. After on-loan Talisca’s last-gasp equaliser secured a 1-1 draw against his parent club Benfica last time out, Turkish champions Besiktas entertain Dynamo Kiev at their impressive Vodafone Arena in Istanbul. Senol Gunes’ side are unbeaten this season and warmed up for the game by coming from two goals down to draw
Watford’s Odion Jude Ighalo (front), and Burnley’s Ben Mee battle for the ball during their English Premier League soccer match at Turf Moor, Burnley, England on Sept 26. (AP)
Bayern perfect run faces Atletico test Bavarians eye revenge GERMANY, Sept 27, (RTRS): Carlo Ancelotti’s perfect start with Bayern Munich will be put to the test against Champions League runners-up Atletico Madrid at the Vicente Calderon on Wednesday in a re-run of last season’s scintillating semifinal tie. The Bundesliga leaders have won eight games out of eight under the Italian coach in all competitions, with five league victories accompanying glory in the German Super Cup and an easy win in the German Cup. Bayern thrashed Rostov 5-0 in their Champions League Group D opener but midfielder Xabi Alonso warned they will come under much greater scrutiny against Atletico, who have conceded two goals in seven games in all competitions. “We’re happy with the start we have made but we know that this is the first really powerful team we’re going to face. What we’ve achieved up to now could all fall apart in 90 minutes,” Alonso told Spanish newspaper Marca on Monday. Atletico knocked Bayern out of the competition last season on away goals in a thrilling two-legged tie and Alonso is expecting more of the same from Diego Simeone’s side. “I think they are a very similar team to last year, they are competitive, hard working, always well organised. They have positive aggression, they always compete to the limit.” Ancelotti has won a joint-record three Champions League titles, his 2014 triumph coming at the expense of Atletico with local rivals Real Madrid. The Italian also oversaw Atletico’s elimination at the quarter-final stage the following season. For Alonso, the Italian coach, who also had two Champions League triumphs with AC Milan, has not altered much since succeeding Pep Guardiola in the summer. “The base has been here since the team won the triple (Bundesliga, German Cup and Champions League in 2013),” Alonso said, “There’s a very important nucleus in the team and everyone who comes to the
team works alongside that core. “When you have a built-in idea and a winning project everything is much easier. We haven’t changed too much.” Atletico overcame 10-man Deportivo La Coruna 1-0 on Sunday but their fourth straight win in all competitions was soured by a serious knee injury to midfield anchor Augusto Fernandez, who has been ruled out for seven months.
Atletico defender Jose Gimenez is also unavailable with a calf problem while Atletico vs Bayern beIN SPORTS 2HD 21:45 local Bayern will be without Holger Badstuber and Douglas Costa through injury.
Napoli vs Benfica beIN SPORTS 4 HD 21:45 local Monaco vs Leverkusen beIN SPORTS 5 HD 21:45 local Ludogorets vs PSG beIN SPORTS 6 HD 21:45 local CSKA vs Spurs beIN SPORTS 7 HD 21:45 local Besiktas vs Dynamo beIN SPORTS 8 HD 21:45 local Rostov vs PSV beIN SPORTS 9 HD 21:45 local Arsenal vs Basel beIN SPORTS 12 HD 21:45 local
2-2 at home to Galatasaray. In what could be a wide-open group, Ukrainian champions Dynamo were beaten at home by Napoli in their opener and had Serhiy Sydorchuk sent off, meaning the midfielder will be suspended for this game. Serhiy Rebrov’s side had suffered three defeats in four outings all told before bouncing back to beat Olimpik Donetsk 4-0 at the weekend despite leaving several regulars on the bench. Last season’s Serie A runners-up Napoli underlined their credentials in the group by winning 2-1 in Kiev in their opener thanks to a brace from Polish striker Arkadiusz Milik, who has settled well since signing from Ajax to help replace Gonzalo Higuain. Maurizio Sarri’s side are still unbeaten this season but so are Benfica, who top the Portuguese league after a 2-0 win at Chaves on Saturday. Indeed, the two-time former European Cup winners are unbeaten in 17 games overall since losing to Bayern Munich in the first leg of last season’s quarter-finals. Greek midfielder Andreas Samaris misses the trip due to injury. Rostov and PSV have both lost on matchday one, with Rostov being thumped 5-0 at Bayern while PSV lost 1-0 at home to Atletico. This will be Rostov’s first ever home game in the group stage and they will be hoping to repeat their 4-1 win against PSV’s Dutch foes Ajax in the play-offs that took them through 5-2 on aggregate. PSV, the 1988 European Cup winners, have not won on their travels in the Champions League proper since defeating CSKA Moscow in Russia in 2007/08. PSV, who are without Jurgen Locadia, won 3-1 at Excelsior at the weekend while Rostov warmed up for this game with a 1-0 victory at home to Lokomotiv Moscow.
Rodgers has goalkeeping dilemma
Celtic braced for Man City raiders LONDON, Sept 27, (RTRS): Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has a goalkeeping dilemma to resolve before Manchester City turn up for their Group C Champions League match in Glasgow on Wednesday. The Scottish champions shipped seven goals at Barcelona in their opening group game and Rodgers needs the safest pair of hands he can find to keep out some of the most lethal finishers in English soccer. City have scored more than anyone in the Premier League this season, leading by four points and winning 10 out of 10 games in all competitions under new manager Pep Guardiola. Their latest victims were Swansea City, rolled aside 3-1 on Saturday with Argentina striker Sergio Aguero scoring twice. The first goals Aguero scored in English soccer were against Swansea,
Unconvincing Dutch goalkeeper Dorus De Vries was substituted at halftime due to injury in Celtic’s 6-1 Scottish Premier League win over Kilmarnock on Saturday, with Scotland international Craig Gordon the replacement. “Dorus strained his chest when he landed. He could have played on but we had Craig there fit and capable and I didn’t want to take any risk with it
so we will see how Dorus is over the next couple of days,” Rodgers told reporters. The Northern Irishman said he would have no qualms about fielding Gordon against City, who beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 4-0 in their opening group game thanks to an Aguero hat-trick. “He’s more than capable. He’s a brilliant shot stopper, he’s improving
Celtic vs City beIN SPORTS 11HD 21:45 local in 2011, when Rodgers was in charge and the manager needs no reminding of the Argentine’s talents. He may, however, have to put his faith in a man whose confidence was described only last week by former Celtic striker Chris Sutton as “shot to pieces”.
Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling (left), and Yaya Toure run during a training session at the City Football Academy, London on Sept 27. (AP)
his game with his feet all the time,” he added of a player who drew Sutton’s criticism after a high challenge in a Scottish League Cup quarter-final against Alloa. City will be a very different class of opponent to Kilmarnock, but Celtic will still feel buoyed by Saturday’s win. “It’s a great game for us. Games at home here at Celtic Park in the Champions League are really special nights,” Rodgers said. City will feel the likely loss of Belgian midfielder Kevin de Bruyne, to a hamstring injury, but they have plenty of other options with Raheem Sterling ready to relish the reunion with his former Liverpool boss. One more win would also allow Guardiola to equal his predecessor Manuel Pellegrini’s club record of 11 consecutive wins, achieved last season. Wednesday’s game is the first between the two sides in European competition, but Celtic have several ex-City players in their squad including defender Kolo Toure, Scott Sinclair and on-loan winger Patrick Roberts. “People are saying that Celtic are the weakest team of the group but, believe me, we know it’s going to be really hard because they’re a really strong team when they play at home,”
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Faulk lifts Hurricanes over Capitals in OT
Isles goalies Berube, Gibson continue in 3-0 win vs Flyers
Khawaja, Smith peerless, Australia ‘thrash’ Ireland Aussies win by 9 wickets BENONI, South Africa, Sept 27, (AFP): Usman Khawaja and captain Steve Smith shared an unbeaten 126-run partnership as Australia romped to a nine-wicket win in a one-day international against Ireland at Willowmoore Park on Tuesday. Khawaja made 82 not out and Smith an unbeaten 59 as Australia chased down a modest target of 199 with 19.5 overs to spare.
Australia’s batsman Usman Khawaja plays a shot during Australia against Ireland ODI cricket match on Sept 27, at the Willowmoore cricket ground in Benoni, South Africa. (AFP)
Australia vs Ireland Scoreboard BENONI, South Africa, Sept 27, (AFP): Final scores in a one-day international between Australia and Ireland at Willowmoore Park on Tuesday. IRELAND W. Porterfield lbw b Zampa ............ 24 P. Stirling c Zampa b Boland ......... 30 J. Anderson lbw b Boland .............. 39 G. Wilson c Wade b Worrall ........... 14 S. Terry run out (Smith).................... 0 K. O’Brien lbw b Zampa ................. 23 S. Poynter b Marsh ........................ 11 G. Dockrell b Zampa ........................ 8 B. McCarthy c Bailey b Hastings.... 13 T. Murtagh c Bailey b Hastings ...... 15 P. Chase not out .............................. 0 Extras (lb2, w19) ............................ 21 Total (43.5 overs) ......................... 198 Fall of wickets: 1-47 (Stirling), 2-72 (Porterfield), 3-121 (Anderson), 4-123 (Wilson), 5-123 (Terry), 6-146 (Poynter), 7-158 (Dockrell), 8-178 (O’Brien), 9-198 (McCarthy) Bowling: Worrall 10-0-43-1 (1w),
Hastings 7.5-0-31-2 (2w), Boland 8-042-2 (3w), Marsh 8-0-43-1 (5w), Zampa 10-1-37-3 (2w) AUSTRALIA D. Warner c and b Murtagh............ 48 U. Khawaja not out ......................... 82 S. Smith not out.............................. 59 Extras (nb1, w9) ............................. 10 Total (1 wkt, 30.1 overs)............... 199 Fall of wickets: 1-73 (Warner) Bowling: Chase 5-0-55-0 (1nb, 1w), McCarthy 7-0-57-0 (2w), Murtagh 6-021-1 (1w), O’Brien 7-0-30-0 (4w), Dockrell 5.1-0-36-0 (1w) Did not bat: G. Bailey, T. Head, M. Marsh, M. Wade, J. Hastings, A. Zampa, S. Boland, D. Worrall Result: Australia won by nine wickets Toss: Ireland Umpires: Bongani Jele (RSA), Nigel Llong (ENG) TV umpire: Joel Wilson (WIS) Match referee: Chris Broad (ENG)
500 days to go: Pyeongchang Olympic organizers optimistic SEOUL, South Korea, Sept 27, (AP): Marking the 500-day countdown to the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, organizers said Tuesday that 90 percent of construction of new venues is complete and the focus is now on preparing for test events. Pyeongchang’s organizing committee said construction is on schedule for a series of sports competitions scheduled from November to April that will serve as rehearsals for the Olympics, which begin Feb 9, 2018. The six new competition venues for the games are now 88 percent complete and a new high-speed rail line — designed to link the country’s main gateway of Incheon airport with Pyeongchang in less than two hours — will be completed next June and start operations in January 2018, organizers said. The preparations are undergoing a transition from the “planning phase to
operational readiness,” the organizing committee said in a statement. “Asia has immeasurable potential to become the frontier of winter sports. Pyeongchang has been dedicated to promote winter sports and attract investments throughout Asia,” the committee said. Noting that the 2018 Games will be the first of three consecutive Olympics in Asia, the committee said Pyeongchang will be an “opportunity to establish even closer links among the next host countries and build bridges through sports.” Tokyo will host the 2020 Summer Olympics, while Beijing will stage the 2022 Winter Games. Pyeongchang organizers have overcome delays, local conflicts over venue constructions and difficulties attracting domestic sponsorships in past years. Optimism over preparations has increased after the successful hosting of the first round of test events at Alpine venues earlier this year.
It was a second heavy defeat in a row for Ireland, who lost by 206 runs against South Africa at the same venue on Sunday, but set the scene for what Smith expects to be a tough five-match one-day series between South Africa and Australia, starting at Centurion on Friday. Ireland let slip a promising start, collapsing from 121 for two in the 24th over to 198 all out. The solid foundation laid by William Porterfield (24), Paul Stirling (30) and John Anderson (39) was destroyed when they lost three wickets for two runs in the space of seven balls. Anderson was leg before wicket to Scott Boland before new cap Daniel Worrall claimed his first international wicket when he had Gary Wilson caught behind. Worrall appealed unsuccessfully for leg before wicket when his next ball struck Sean Terry on the pad. But a careless Terry did not get back into his crease and the ball deflected to Smith, whose throw from slip ran out the new batsman. “We lost our way there,” said Ire-
CRICKET land captain Porterfield. “It was difficult to come back from that.” Leg-spinner Adam Zampa was Australia’s most successful bowler, taking three for 37. He made good use of his variations, taking two wickets with googlies and one with a flipper. Zampa apart, a largely inexperienced Australian bowling attack looked in need of more work ahead of the series against South Africa. They sent down 13 wides, costing a total of 19 runs. “It was a pretty good performance in the end,” said Smith. “We need to work on the way we started with the ball but we came back nicely to bowl them out. We gave them too many freebies and we can’t afford to do that against South Africa.” David Warner got Australia off to a rapid start, dominating a 73-run first wicket stand with fellow left-hander Khawaja. Warner hit 48 off 30 balls, with five fours and two sixes, before pushing back a slower ball from Tim Murtagh to be caught and bowled. Murtagh was the only Ireland bowler able to impose a measure of control over the batsmen, taking one for 21 in six overs. Khawaja was dropped twice, on eight and 73, both times in the deep by Peter Chase off Barry McCarthy, but played a stylish 77-ball innings, hitting eight fours and two sixes. Smith, returning to action after being rested during a recent one-day series in Sri Lanka, started slowly but finished with 59 off 73 balls.
NEW YORK, Sept 27, (AP): JeanFrancois Berube and Christopher Gibson combined for 28 saves to lead the New York Islanders over a Philadelphia Flyers split-squad team 3-0 on Monday night in New York. Berube and Gibson made 14 saves each. Berube played 30:41, while Gibson was in net for 29:08. Shane Prince, Joshua Ho-Sang and Michael Dal Colle scored third-period goals for New York. Anthony Stolarz allowed all three goals on 35 shots. In Newark, New Jersey, rookie Nick Lappin scored twice, including an empty netter, to spark a New Jersey Devils split-squad team over a Philadelphia Flyers split-squad 2-0. Lappin signed a two-year entrylevel contract in March after earning All-Ivy League first-team honors at Brown. Keith Kinkaid and Anders Lindback split time in net for New Jersey. Kinkaid made six saves in 29:38, while Lindback stopped 15 shots in 30:22. Alex Lyon stopped 28 shots for Philadelphia. In Montreal, Adam Henrique scored two power-play goals to lead a New Jersey Devils split-squad over the Montreal Canadiens 3-2. Michael McLeod scored in the third period for the Devils. Scott Wedgewood made 26 saves in 40 minutes for New Jersey, and Mac-
Montreal Canadiens’ Brendan Gallagher (11) moves in on New Jersey Devils goalie Scott Wedgewood as Devils’ Vojtech Mozik (53) defends during the first period of an NHL hockey exhibition game on Sept 26, in Montreal. (AP)
ICE HOCKEY kenzie Blackwood stopped 13 of 14 shots in 20 minutes. Markus Eisenschmid and Zach Redmond scored in the first and third periods, respectively, for the Canadiens. Mike Condon made eight saves on 10 shots in 30:52 for Montreal, and Charlie Lindgren stopped 16 shots in 27:39. In Washington D.C., Justin Faulk’s power-play goal with 8 seconds left in overtime lifted the Carolina Hurricanes to a 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals. Patrick Brown also scored for the Hurricanes, who got 16 saves from Eddie Lack in 40 minutes. Alex Nedeljkovic played the third period and overtime, making nine saves in 24:53. Madison Bowey scored Washington’s lone goal. Vital Vance made 12 saves in 28:04 for Washington before giving way to Drew MacIntyre. MacIntyre stopped 14 shots in 36:26. In Boston, Sam Gagner’s shootout goal powered the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 3-2 win over the Bruins. Sonny Milano and Daniel Zaar scored first-period goals for the Blue Jackets, who played their third preseason game in two days. Curtis McElhinney made 29 saves on 31 shots in 64:30. Jimmy Hayes and Danton Heinen scored for Boston. Heinen’s goal in the third period tied it 2-2. Anton Khudobin made 11 saves on 13 shots in 39:55 for the Bruins before being replaced by Zane McIntyre. McIntyre stopped eight shots in the third period and overtime. In State College, Pennsylvania, Jason Zucker’s third power-play goal lifted the Minnesota Wild over the Buffalo Sabres 2-1. Kurtis Gabriel also scored for Buffalo, which started Alex Stalock. Zemgus Girgensons’ first-peBerube riod goal accounted for all of Buffalo’s scoring. Anders Nilsson was in net for the Sabres. In Dallas, Jiri Hudler’s power-play goal late in the second period powered the Dallas Stars to a 3-1 victory over the St Louis Blues. Patrik Nemeth and Patrick Eaves also scored for the Stars. Nemeth
In this March 12, 2008 file photo, Lance Mackey sits with one of his dogs, Handsome, after winning the Iditarod Trial Sled Dog Race in Nome, Alaska. (AP)
4-time Iditarod champ Lance out of ’17 race Four-time Iditarod champion and cancer survivor Lance Mackey has dropped out of next year’s nearly 1,000-mile race for health reasons, organizers said Monday. Mackey said in an email to the Iditarod Trail Committee that his withdrawal from the 2017 race across Alaska came with hopes to take better care of his health so he can be ready to compete again in 2018, marshal Mark Nordman told The Associated Press.
The email was sent Sept 21, but the employee who handles that correspondence was out, and Mackey was officially withdrawn Monday, the same day the committee announced the withdrawal, Nordman said. Mackey has continued to struggle with hand circulation problems that were partly blamed for him scratching from this year’s race. “He’ll be missed for sure,” Nordman said of Mackey’s decision to sit out the next race. (AP)
IBAK announces its Sept playoff of KDD/KBL 2016 KUWAIT CITY, Sept 27: The Indian Badminton Association of Kuwait (IBAK), an affiliate of the Kuwait Badminton Federation announces its September playoff of KDD/Kuwait Badminton League 2016. The September edition will be held on Sept 30 and October 1. This playoff will feature top international players from India and the GCC countries. Arun George who trains with the opened the game with a goal in the first period, while Eaves’ third-period goal ended the scoring. St Louis’ Kevin Shattenkirk’s power-play goal tied the game 1-1 in the second. Carter Hutton made 21 saves on 23 shots over 40 minutes for the Blues. Ville Husso added seven saves for St Louis in 17:26. Dallas’ Kari Lehtonen turned away nine of 10 shots in 40 minutes, while Maxime Lagace stopped all 14 shots he faced in 17:26. In Glendale, Arizona, Stefan Fournier’s goal late in the second period
Gopichand Badminton Academy and Sanker Gopan will be playing for team Scorpions; Suraj Haridas and Aswin Paul will represent the Rainbow Archers; Rohit Jayakumar and Vishnu Sreekumar will play for ACME Acers and Sharon Raphel based in Qatar and Mahindran from India will represent the Thanjai Ninjas. IBAK invites all badminton enthusiasts in Kuwait for the event. lifted an Arizona Coyotes split-squad team to a 5-3 win over a Los Angeles Kings split-squad. Luke Schenn, Ryan White, Max Domi and Michael Bunting also scored for the Coyotes, which received 11 saves from Mike Smith. Smith split time with Louis Domingue, who made 20 saves for Arizona. Los Angeles’ Peter Budaj allowed four goals on 14 shots before being replaced by Thomas McCollum, who stopped two of the three shots he faced. Teddy Purcell, Trevor Lewis and Kyle Clifford scored for the Kings.
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Saints slump as Falcons soar Cards dealing with issues in 1-2 start to season
In this photo taken on Sept 25, 2016, Washington Redskins DeAngelo Hall (23) and David Bruton (30) tackle New York Giants running back Shane Vereen (34) during the first half of an NFL football game in East Rutherford, NJ Redskins coach Jay Gruden says safety Hall will miss the rest of the season with a torn ligament in his right knee. (AP)
NFL Roundup Hardy arrested
‘Davis retires from football’ WASHINGTON, Sept 27, (RTRS): Former Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy was arrested Sunday in Richardson, Texas, on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance. Hardy was stopped by Richardson police for a traffic violation and was arrested when 0.7 grams of cocaine were discovered in a wallet in the car, NBCDFW.com reported. The officer who pulled over Hardy asked for permission to search the car and received it, according to the police report. Hardy was released Monday afternoon from Richardson City Jail on $5,000 bond. Hardy, 28, is a free agent after appearing in 12 games for the Cowboys last year and registering 35 tackles, six sacks, an interception and a forced fumble. ❑ ❑ ❑ San Francisco 49ers offensive lineman Anthony Davis informed the team Monday that he has retired from the NFL. Davis, 26, drafted by the team in the 2010 draft, was a fiveyear starter Davis for the 49ers before left football for a year and half, a hiatus the 49ers called a retirement in June 2015. However, he played only seven games in 2014 because of injuries, including a concussion. Davis then left football for a year and half, a hiatus the 49ers called a retirement in June 2015. Davis returned to the 49ers’ training camp this summer, though he played in just one game this season and did not start. “I just want my time and mind intact,” Davis tweeted. “When you lose em both, you can’t buy em back.” ❑ ❑ ❑ Carolina Panthers defensive tackle Vernon Butler is expected to miss the next two to three weeks because of a high-ankle sprain, the NFL reported on its website. Butler was injured during his team’s 22-10 loss to Minnesota on Sunday and was wearing a cast on his right foot on Monday. He is a member of the Panther’s stingy defense and has one sack and three tackles thus far this season. ❑ ❑ ❑ Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman La’el Collins has a torn ligament in his foot and is tentatively expected to miss 6-10 weeks, the NFL said on its website. The second year player will consult a second doctor to determine if he needs surgery ❑ ❑ ❑ Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson avoided serious injury but might miss a game for the first time in his career with a sprained knee, Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said the day after Wilson limped to the sideline during a Week 3 win over the San Francisco 49ers. Carroll said on his Monday morning radio show that Wilson was diagnosed with a sprained MCL during an MRI exam. Carroll said it turned out “exceedingly well” after Wilson treated the injury overnight. ❑ ❑ ❑ New York Giants running back Shane Vereen is out for the season with a torn triceps. Vereen started Sunday with Rashad Jennings (hand) inactive and rushed for 67 yards on 11 carries with a touchdown. ❑ ❑ ❑ Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict rejoined the team after serving a league-mandated three-game suspension for repeated violations of safety-related playing rules.
LOS ANGELES, Sept 27, (Agencies): Matt Ryan threw two touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons piled on the misery for the winless New Orleans Saints with a 45-32 victory at the Superdome on Monday. Tevin Coleman ran for two scores before rookie linebacker Deion Jones galloped 90 yards for a touchdown after collecting an interception from Saints quarterback Drew Brees in the fourth quarter. The win left the Falcons on top of the NFC South with a 2-1 record as the Saints slumped to 0-3 on a night to forget for the home team. The Falcons took control of the contest after scoring touchdowns on five
FOOTBALL consecutive possessions before adding a field goal to forge into a 38-25 lead late in the third quarter. The Saints still had plenty of time to play with however and appeared to be closing in on a touchdown that would have reduced the deficit to six points early in the fourth quarter. But cornerback Brian Poole deflected Brees’ pass for Michael Thomas and the ball bounced kindly into the arms of Jones, who sprinted 90 yards to put Atlanta ahead 45-25 with 13:37 left. That decisive play ended Brees’ run of 305 consecutive passes without an interception, the fourth-longest streak in league history behind Tom Brady (359), Alex Smith (312) and Bernie Kosar (308). The Saints rallied briefly when Mark Ingram scored a touchdown to make it 45-32 with 10 minutes left but it was too little too late. Quarterback Ryan made 20 completions from 30 attempts for 240 yards while Devonta Freeman led Atlanta’s rushing with 152 yards from 14 carries. Brees posted respectable numbers with 36 from 54 for 376 yards and three touchdowns. The Arizona Cardinals were widely expected to contend for the Super Bowl this season. That lofty goal is still in play, of course, but a 1-2 start and coming off a 33-18 loss at Buffalo on Sunday has the Cardinals trying to find solutions to unexpected problems. Those issues, coach Bruce Arians said Monday, include communication in-game on the road, increased mental errors, slow starts coming out of halftime, and too many leaders with not enough followers in the locker room. Those four trouble spots came out of Sunday’s loss, which saw Arizona trail by as many as 23 points in the third quarter. The Bills gashed a typically more stout Cardinals defense for 208 rushing yards, with an average of 6.5 yards per attempt. On offense, Carson Palmer threw four interceptions and was sacked five
New York Jets wide receiver Jalin Marshall (89) misses a catch in what was ruled pass interference by Kansas City Chiefs defensive back Phillip Gaines (23) during the second half of an NFL football game in Kansas City, Mo, on Sept 25. (AP)
times. “We’ve never given up that many yards rushing. Never had that poor a performance on third down (offense). This one, it was a good old-fashioned butt-kicking, and we took it,” Arians said. “We’ve got some guys that are trying to do too much . pressing and trying too hard. I think that’s easily correctable.” Arians feels the Cardinals have yet to start second halves well. With Buffalo being the first road game, he said players had problems hearing calls amid the noise. And there are roughly five more mental mistakes occurring than in a typical game. “We went over there and we weren’t ready,” left guard Mike Iupati said. “Film don’t lie.” Problem at punter: The Cardinals figure to be looking for a punter this week. Drew Butler has a combination sprained Achilles tendon and foot injury suffered during the first half of the loss at Buffalo. Butler could miss time with the injury, but was able to stay in the game and hold for place kicks. “We’ll search it all out (Tuesday), look at all our options,” Arians said Monday.
NFL Standings American Football Conference AFC East W L T Otl PF New England 3 0 0 0 81 NY Jets 1 2 0 0 62 Miami 1 2 0 0 64 Buffalo 1 2 0 0 71 AFC North W L T Otl PF Baltimore 3 0 0 0 57 Pittsburgh 2 1 0 0 65 Cincinnati 1 2 0 0 56 Cleveland 0 3 0 1 54 AFC South W L T Otl PF Houston 2 1 0 0 42 Tennessee 1 2 0 0 42 Indianapolis 1 2 0 0 81 Jacksonville 0 3 0 0 54 AFC West W L T Otl PF Denver 3 0 0 0 84 Kansas City 2 1 0 0 69 Oakland 2 1 0 0 80 San Diego 1 2 0 1 87
PA PCT 45 1.000 78 .333 67 .333 68 .333 PA PCT 44 1.000 66 .667 75 .333 84 0 PA PCT 53 .667 57 .333 95 .333 84 0 PA PCT 57 1.000 49 .667 79 .667 73 .333
National Football Conference NFC East W L T Otl PF Philadelphia 3 0 0 0 92 NY Giants 2 1 0 0 63 Dallas 2 1 0 0 77 Washington 1 2 0 0 68 NFC North W L T Otl PF Minnesota 3 0 0 0 64 Green Bay 2 1 0 0 75 Detroit 1 2 0 0 81 Chicago 0 3 0 0 45 NFC South W L T Otl PF Atlanta 2 1 0 0 104 Tampa Bay 1 2 0 0 70 Carolina 1 2 0 0 76 New Orleans 0 3 0 0 79 NFC West W L T Otl PF Los Angeles 2 1 0 0 46 Seattle 2 1 0 0 52 San Francisco 1 2 0 0 73 Arizona 1 2 0 0 79
This is a big blow for golf: Love III
Palmer legacy overshadows Ryder Cup CHASKA, Minnesota, Sept 27, (AP): The flag at half-staff over Hazeltine National was enough to take the edge off the Ryder Cup. Arnold Palmer occupied everyone’s thoughts on Monday. “There’s a hole in the game that can’t be filled,” Phil Mickelson said. Tributes poured in for Palmer, who died Sunday at age 87. Even as European players arrived from an overnight flight out of Heathrow Airport, any conversation about the Ryder Cup was secondary to their thoughts on the King. “The legacy he leaves behind is very important,” Martin Kaymer said. “He inspired millions of people. That’s what we as humans should try to do.” Alastair Johnston, the CEO of Ar-
GOLF nold Palmer Enterprises, said Palmer had gone to Pittsburgh for a heart procedure in a bid to improve “the quality of life he was severely losing.” The surgery was to be Monday morning. He said his condition deteriorated over the last few days. A private funeral in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, was scheduled for later in the week. Johnston said that would be for
Rory McIlroy of Europe plays a shot prior to the 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine National Golf Club on Sept 27, 2016 in Chaska, Minnesota. (AFP)
‘He created the television audience that still exists today’
Palmer, America’s first commercial hero CHASKA, Minnesota, Sept 27, (RTRS): The earthy, endearing and gifted Arnold Palmer left a brilliant legacy in golf but he transcended the links, launching an era of sports stars as high paid pitchmen and pioneering in sports media. “Something of a pop hero,” Bob Dorfman, creative director at San Francisco’s Baker Street Advertising, told Reuters about Palmer, who died on Sunday aged 87. “A trend-setter in terms of sports endorsements on TV. It was kind of the right guy, the right personality, the right time.” Palmer, winner of seven majors, captured the public’s imagination with his everyman demeanour, swashbuckling style and good looks just as television was coming of age nearly 60 years ago. “Our first commercial sports hero,” former CBS Sports president Neal Pilson said in a telephone interview. “He created the television audience that still exists today.” Beyond his go-for-broke style and accomplishments on the course, Palmer was also remembered on Monday as a philanthropist in his adopted hometown of Orlando. Mike McCarley, president of the Orlando-based Golf Channel that was co-founded by Palmer, spoke to yet another side of ‘The King’. “There’s a medical center that bears his name in Orlando because he decided that we, as a community, could do better “pure family, direct relationships.” He said a public ceremony to commemorate Palmer’s life would be held at 11 a.m. on Oct 4 at St Vincent College. Johnston said Palmer would not have wanted to encroach on a week in golf as big as the Ryder Cup, though that proved difficult. And the Ryder Cup made it clear it did not want to go on without Palmer. PGA of America President Derek Sprague said there would be a video tribute and a moment of silence before the high-charged matches begin Friday. He also said players would pay homage to Palmer, though details have not been decided. “It was tough waking up this morning and starting over,” US captain Davis Love III said. “I know everybody on our team was just kind of crushed last night. ... This is a big blow for golf, but we knew it was coming, unfortunately, since maybe even before the Bay Hill tournament this year when we saw him.
for the kids of the community,” McCarley told Reuters. “Children are born in Winnie Palmer Hospital (named after his late wife). When they get sick, they go to the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children. Across the entire community, it’s an incredible impact.” At a time when leading sports athletes were supplementing their salaries with local advertisements for car dealerships, supermarkets and the like, Palmer’s qualities enabled him to become a national spokesman for several big brands. Both Pilson and Dorfman credited the deft steering of his agent Mark McCormack, who went on to found the International Management Group (IMG). “He wasn’t this elite country-club type guy. He seemed to be very friendly and approachable,” said Dorfman. “He really crossed the line there in terms of sports guys doing products outside of just equipment or things related to their sport. Palmer “He did everything from cars, Cadillacs, and Coca-Cola and Pennzoil and again the fact that golfers have such a long shelf life also kept him going well into his 80s.
His legacy will live on forever, especially through the Ryder Cup.” The Ryder Cup was but a small part of Palmer’s contributions to golf and sport. He played on six teams, all of them American victories during a time when they faced a Britain & Ireland squad that was overmatched. Palmer holds the US record for most matches won (22), and in 1963 at East Lake he holds the distinction as being the last Ryder Cup playing captain. Palmer went 4-2 that year. Europe has won the last three times in the Ryder Cup, and tension typically runs high as soon as its players arrive at the golf course. Momentum was building toward the start of the week when Rory McIlroy rallied over the final holes to beat Ryan Moore in a playoff and win the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup. Love was at Hazeltine preparing to tape a segment to be played at halftime of the NFL game announcing his final captain’s pick (Moore). His son texted him
with the news of Palmer’s death, which changed everything. “A bomb of that magnitude goes on in the golfing world ... it has ripples,” Zach Johnson said. How much does it alter the rest of the week? Love and European captain Darren Clarke said they would alter their speeches at the opening ceremony Thursday. “It’s almost like we are all dealing with the loss of a family member,” Love said. “Arnold is going to want us to put this behind us and go play, and it’s going to be tough to do. But we are definitely going to draw inspiration from his spirits. We already had pictures of him in our locker room and team room, and we’ll add a few more. He’ll be with us forever.” Clarke said he was at Heathrow with some of his players on Sunday night, celebrating McIlroy’s victory at East Lake, when they learned of Palmer’s death.
PA PCT 27 1.000 61 .667 60 .667 92 .333 PA PCT 40 1.000 67 .667 85 .333 83 0 PA PCT 91 .667 101 .333 70 .333 96 0 PA PCT 63 .667 37 .667 83 .333 63 .333
Qatar big dream ‘alive’: Fossati DOHA, Sept 27, (AFP): Jorge Fossati was officially unveiled as Qatar’s new coach on Tuesday and insisted that the 2022 host country’s “big dream” of reaching the 2018 World Cup finals was still possible. Ambitious Qatar have never qualified for a World Cup before and are aiming to do so before staging the event in 2022, but they face an uphill battle. The Uruguayan Fossati was hurriedly appointed on Saturday after Qatari football officials sacked Jose Daniel Carreno following a disastrous start to the final round of qualifying for the tournament in Russia in two years’ time. “I believe that Qatar can qualify,” Fossati told a press conference in Doha. “It will be very, very difficult but I am optimistic. I believe in Qatar’s possibilities.” The 63-year-old added that qualifying for Russia was a “big dream for the Qatari people”. Qatar lost their first two games — away to group favourites Iran and, surprisingly, at home to Uzbekistan — and are currently bottom of the sixteam Group A. They have to finish in the top two places to be assured of getting to Russia, though may be able to qualify via a play-off if they finish third. Fossati admitted that third may be Qatar’s best bet. “Today I can say it is more probable that Qatar finishes in third place rather than take (automatic) qualification because the reality is we have played two games and have zero points.” Qatar play two further qualifiers early next month, away to one of the group’s strongest teams and perennial World Cup qualifiers South Korea, on Oct 6, then home to Syria on Oct 11. Fossati has hastily arranged a behind-closed-doors friendly in Doha against Serbia on Sept 29. Highly respected in Qatar, Fossati managed the national team during qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup. Until last week he was at Al Rayyan, having coached them to the domestic Qatari championship last season. On Monday Al Rayyan announced former Swansea City manager Michael Laudrup as Fossati’s replacement.
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Al Ain on course for second CL title Omar sinks Jaish
The price for indiscretly talking
AL-AIN, United Arab Emirates, Sept 27, (AFP): Emirati giants Al Ain kept on course for a second AFC Champions League title with a 3-1 semi-final first leg win over Qatar’s El Jaish at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium on Tuesday.
Allardyce leaves England job by a mutual ‘consent’
Brazilian Douglas and UAE international Omar Abdulrahman scored within five first half minutes to put Al Ain in front before Sardor Rashidov struck from the spot in the second half to give El Jaish hope of a comeback. However, Caio’s injury-time strike ensured that Al Ain go into the second leg on Oct 18 in Doha with a comfortable two-goal cushion as they target their second continental title after winning the inaugural tournament in 2003. Yet, victory was not offered to Al Ain on a platter as Sabri Lamouchi’s side put up a plucky display in the second half only to be undone by a
SOCCER mix of bad luck and lacklustre finishing. El Jaish had gotten the better of Al Ain twice in the group stages but their passage to the semis was only possible because of Al Nasr’s player mix-up. Al Nasr had beaten El Jaish 3-0 in Doha, but the result was annulled and the match awarded in the Qatari outfit’s favour by the same margin after it emerged that UAE side had fielded an ineligible player. The huge blow left Al Nasr needing a victory in the second leg, but El Jaish ensured that was not the case, winning it 1-0 and advancing to the last four with a 4-0 aggregate. But all that was of no conse-
UAE’s al-Ain club player Mohamed Abdulrahman Alraqi (left), fights for the ball with Qatar’s el Jaish club player Mohd Methnani (right), during a semi-final first leg of the Asian Champions League football at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium Al-Ain on Sept 27. (AFP)
quence on Tuesday as UAE talisman Abdulrahman inspired his teammates with his fine all-round abilities, scoring the second goal and also playing a hand in the other two. After Ciao failed to take advantage of a fumble by El Jaish goalkeeper Khalifa Ababacar in the 10th minute off an Abdulrahman free-kick, Al Ain found the target six minutes later. Abdulrahman barged into the edge of the penalty area unchecked before crossing at the far post which Douglas
headed past Ababacar to give Al Ain the lead. Five minutes later, Al Ain doubled their lead with a delightful freekick taken by Abdulrahman that dipped over the wall leaving Ababacar completely clueless. El Jaish managed to regain their composure in the second half and came close to scoring on several occasions. A stunning freekick by Romarinho thudded into the post and former Barcelona star Seydou Keita and Rashidov also had decent chances
coming their way. Uzbek international Rashidov was not to be denied, however, in the 52nd minute when he confidently scored from the penalty spot after Ismail Ahmad had handled the ball. With seconds to go before the final whistle, Abdulrahman was in the thick of the action again. His ball into the centre was fumbled by Ababacar and Caio struck from point-blank range to ensure Al Ain head to the second leg with confidence.
AFC has shown solidarity and unity: Sheikh Salman
Asian congress scrapped after 20 minutes in protest PANAJI, India, Sept 27, (AFP): An Asian football congress was scrapped after just 20 minutes on Tuesday as members overwhelmingly rejected its agenda in protest at FIFA barring a candidate from elections to its powerful new council. Asian Football Confederation (AFC) delegates flew from all over the region to a luxury hotel in Goa, India to elect three new members to the FIFA Council, only for the meeting to be declared closed when it had barely got underway. The 42-1 vote against adopting the extraordinary congress’s agenda will be seen as a rebuke to the world body’s president Gianni Infantino, who was among those present at the short-lived gathering. “This has been an eventful morning — and an eventful few weeks,” said AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, who stood against Infantino in FIFA polls in February. “But the congress has spoken with one voice and that has been clear for us all to see. “FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, I am not sure if you have been at a shorter
congress but I think you can see the strength of opinion in the room.” Various delegates told AFP that the agenda was rejected because a senior official from Qatar, hosts of the 2022 World Cup, had been barred from standing for the FIFA Council. Scandal-plagued FIFA’s ethics committee last month recommended a twoand-a-half-year ban for Saoud Al-Mohannadi, vice-president of the Qatar Football Association, for refusing to cooperate with a corruption investigation. Mohannadi denies any wrongdoing and had initially been cleared to stand, before the AFC announced late on Sunday that he’d been ruled out of the process by FIFA. FIFA has not revealed the subject of the corruption inquiry, but it is not connected with allegations related to Qatar’s hosting of the 2022 World Cup. “Today the AFC and Asian football has shown solidarity and unity. The message has been clear to everyone both inside and outside Asia,” Sheikh Salman told an executive committee meeting, according to an AFC statement. “Football in Asia is united and that is
down to you — the members — and I thank you for sending out such a strong message that we stand united.” According to officials, it will be months before another congress is held, with the AFC needing to give at least 30 days’ notice and FIFA also taking up to four months to approve candidates. Infantino appeared unfazed by the snub, saying the incomplete FIFA Council will meet for the first time next month as planned and blaming a “period of turbulence” in world football. “It’s what democracy is about. We are going through a reform process in FIFA. The confederations are going through a
SOCCER reform process as well,” Infantino told reporters. “This takes discussions, this takes time, this takes meetings, this takes postponements of meetings as well. This is simply part of a normal process that football is going through these days.” Six candidates from Asia, including China and North Korea, were standing for three seats on the FIFA Council,
FIFA President Gianni Infantino (left), and President of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa pose during the AFC Extraordinary Congress in Goa on Sept 27. An Asian football congress to elect representatives to the FIFA Council closed after just 20 minutes on Sept 27. (AFP)
which was set up under anti-corruption reforms in a bid for greater transparency. Praful Patel, president of the All India Football Federation, said he wished the election had been handled differently. “It was not the right way to go about things. I wish this process had been done much earlier,” he told AFP. “It’s only fair that elections take place in a way that is fair and just. When people file nominations I think at that stage it’s better if they know whether they are going to be able to contest or not,” he added. Infantino has promised to clean up FIFA after a series of corruption scandals plunged the body into crisis and left top officials, including ex-president Sepp Blatter, banned from football. Asia’s football chief on Tuesday said he was against expanding the World Cup from 32 to 40 teams when Qatar hosts the tournament in 2022, adding that any growth should be put on hold for a decade. FIFA president Gianni Infantino has discussed increasing the number of teams but Asian Football Confederation (AFC) boss Sheikh Salman said Qatar was too soon to shift to 40. The comments appear to dash Asian hopes of an early increase to the region’s current allocation of four World Cup spots, plus a place in an intercontinental play-off. “They (FIFA) have talked about increasing the number of teams from 32 to 40 but it’s still I think a bit early,” Sheikh Salman told AFP in Goa, India. “We have to look to see if it makes sense and if it’s beneficial for us and for everyone, then why not? “I don’t think it will be done in time for Qatar. I think 2018 (Russia) and 2022 shouldn’t be touched. If there are any changes it should be from 2026 onwards,” he added. Disgraced ex-FIFA chief Sepp Blatter was a supporter of more World Cup spots for Asia, and Infantino’s move would be sure to secure more berths for the world’s most populous region. “To have extra slots for Asia, I’m sure it would be positive,” Sheikh Salman said. “(But) we need to talk about the slots not just for Asia but for all confederations,” the Bahraini added, playing down concerns surrounding Qatar. FIFA’s disgraced former secretary general Markus Kattner has begun legal action to challenge his “unjustified” sacking, a source close to the German told AFP on Tuesday.
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LONDON, Sept 27, (AFP): Sam Allardyce’s reign as England manager came to a humiliating end on Tuesday as he departed after just 67 days in charge following his controversial comments in a newspaper sting. Allardyce’s reign was sensationally brought to a close as he paid the price for indiscreetly talking with undercover Daily Telegraph reporters posing as Far East businessmen. The 61-year-old was secretly filmed giving advice on how to circumnavigate transfer rules, criticised the FA’s decision to rebuild Wembley and mocked his England predecessor Roy Hodgson. Allardyce, appointed England manager in July on a £3 million ($3.9 mn, 3.5 mn euros)-a-year contract, also agreed to travel to Singapore and Hong Kong as an ambassador for their fictitious firm for a fee of £400,000. Allardyce and the FA agreed his position was untenable, leaving him with no choice but to walk away from the dream job he coveted for over a decade. “The FA can confirm that Sam Allardyce has left his position as England manager,” an FA statement read. “Allardyce’s conduct, as reported today, was inappropriate of the England manager. He accepts he made a significant error of judgement and has apologised. “However, due to the serious nature of his actions, The FA and Allardyce have mutually agreed to terminate his contract with immediate effect.” Allardyce’s incendiary comments were published late on Monday and by early Tuesday morning, the former Sunderland and West Ham boss was driving down to London in an unsuc-
SOCCER cessful bid to save his job. FA chairman Greg Clarke and chief executive Martin Glenn had showdown talks with Allardyce at Wembley and, unable to talk his way out of trouble, his fate was sealed just hours later. Allardyce had been appointed to replace Hodgson after England’s miserable Euro 2016 campaign ended with a shock last 16 exit against minnows Iceland. But his brief reign has come to a suitably farcical end for a post that seems to ruin every manager who takes a shot at what was long ago dubbed ‘the impossible job’. “This is not a decision that was taken lightly but The FA’s priority is to protect the wider interests of the game and maintain the highest standards of conduct in football,” the statement read. “The manager of the England men’s senior team is a position which must demonstrate strong leadership and show respect for the integrity of the game at all times.” Gareth Southgate, England’s Under-21 coach, will take charge of the senior team for the next four matches. Former Crystal Palace defender Southgate, 46, has to name a squad this weekend for next month’s World Cup qualifiers against Malta and Slovenia and will remain as boss for another qualifier against Scotland and a friendly with Spain in November. ❑ ❑ ❑ Nigel Pearson has been suspended as manager of Derby County, the English second-tier club announced on Tuesday, without providing an explanation. The move came following a meeting between Pearson and club chairman Mel Morris, with Derby releasing a statement a matter of hours before their Championship game at Cardiff City. “Derby County can confirm that manager Nigel Pearson will not be carrying out his duties at tonight’s game at the request of the club,” the statement read. “Assistant manager Chris Powell will take charge of the team for this evening’s Sky Bet Championship match at Cardiff City. The club will make no further comment at this time.” Former Leicester City manager Pearson, 53, joined Derby on a three-year contract during the close season. Seen as promotion contenders prior to the season, Derby are currently 22nd in the 24-team table with one win from nine matches. Pearson strongly criticised his players following last Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Blackburn Rovers, saying they were “paralysed by fear”.
In this Oct 25, 2015 file photo, Sunderland’s manager Sam Allardyce awaits the start of the English Premier League soccer match between Sunderland and Newcastle United at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland, England. England manager Sam Allardyce’s comments during a newspaper sting will be examined by his employers at the Football Association, after he was filmed by Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper appearing to advise undercover reporters posing as businessmen on how to sidestep an outlawed player transfer practice. (AP)
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